Chapter Text
Hal and some of Bruce’s kids were sitting in the living-room when Stephanie made an appearance.
Damian was sitting at the table and doodling on his copybook, ignoring the German textbook next to it. Bruce wasn’t going to be happy about that. Hal was considering throwing a look and giving the kid a hand but he wasn’t sure it would be appreciated.
Hal had found out quite early on in their relationship that Bruce’s kids were a touchy subject. He wasn’t certain Damian would welcome his help either, most Bats were quite bad at accepting help.
The other day, Tim had refused the help of a construct and limped all the way back to the Manor on a twisted ankle.
The young teenager was looking at his phone but his face lightened when he caught sight of his friend, welcoming the new distraction.
“Hey guys !” she said, smiling brightly at all of them.
Damian mumbled some form of acknowledgement.
“Hi, Steph. You didn’t say you were coming over tonight.” Duke said, smiling back at her.
He and Jason had been discussing one of Jason’s cases in a corner. Jason gave her a mock salute and Steph bowed to him.
And Hal had thought Bruce was the strangest one.
Steph caught sight of him and she went to hug him lightly the way she greeted Bruce. Hal felt really moved by it. Then, she turned back toward Duke as she took a seat next to Tim on the sofa.
“I texted Cass. I thought she would tell you but I realized on my way here that it was a Thursday and that she was at her dance class. My phone battery was already dead so I thought I’d just come here as I’ve told her and wait for her. Besides, you’re not bad company.”
“Thank you, Steph. It goes straight to our hearts.” Tim said, shaking his head.
She ruffled his dark hair affectionately and he batted her hands away.
“Not you. You’re terrible company. The worst. We can’t take you anywhere.” she sighed dramatically.
“You must confuse me with Dick.” Tim retorted. “He bought new shirts and they are even more horrible than the old ones.”
“Tim’s not wrong.” Duke supplied.
Hal was too loyal to say it in Dick’s back but he had seen those shirts and they did look terrible.
“Dick don’t but Richard Grayson knows how to dress to impress. He picked Barbara up earlier and he looked delicious.” Stephanie said, stretching her legs over Tim’s.
“Yikes. That’s Dick you’re talking about. My brother.” Tim said, pushing her legs away.
“But not mine.” Steph said, shrugging. “If you’d rather talk about Babs… They’re going to this gala together tonight and she looked stunning. Her dress… I want the same one but without the straps and with a slit skirt. Maybe in a dark red color.”
“You want a different dress, in fact.” Duke pointed out, amused.
Steph laughed good humoredly.
“Maybe. But Barbara really looks great in it. Dick was her ride and he looked all flustered when he saw her. His face did that cute thing it does when he looks at Babs. He was clearly nervous.”
“I would be too if my date could kill us all in her sleep with her little finger.” Tim observed.
“Barbara can do that ?” Hal heard Duke ask Jason quietly.
He caught the amusement in Jason’s eye as he responded positively.
“That’s why you’re dating civilians ? Instead of, say -”
Hal thought Steph was only teasing him, but Tim was looking absolutely furious. Duke must have noticed too because he cut Steph off.
“For how long have Dick and Barbara been together ?”
“Ages. Dick already had a crush on her when he was a Robin. There had been a lot of breaking up and making up, though. They had seen other people but it had never been serious and they had always come back to each other. We all know they’re endgame.” Tim explained.
“Maybe he was nervous because he was about to propose to her,” Steph said.
Damian dropped the pencil he was using and it hit the floor with a soft thunk.
“Or maybe he was nervous because he knew the Commissioner and B were going to be there too and hadn’t always approved of their relationship.” Jason countered.
“I like my version better.” Steph said, throwing a cushion at him.
“That’s because you’re a romantic.” Tim said.
“Maybe. They should get married.” Steph said.
“I didn’t know you were that conservative. I hadn’t realized you and Cass were waiting until marriage.” Jason said, and she threw another cushion at him that Duke dodged expertly and that Jason caught effortlessly.
“Ha, ha. I meant, they adore kids, you know it’s just a matter of years before Dick brings some defenseless orphan home with him. He’s been raised by Bruce, that kind of thing has lasting consequences on your mindset.”
“You can have kids even if you’re not married.” Hal observed gently.
“Yes but being married makes things so simpler. That and I want to see Cass in a bridesmaid dress.” she told him with a wink.
“Tell Barbara that, I’m sure she’ll consider it a compelling argument.” Jason said, laughing frankly.
He still had the laugh of a teenager, and that thought seemed to make the room freeze for a second.
“Marriage is both a waste of money and a waste of time.” Tim eventually said, breaking the silence.
“Did you break up with Bernie ?” Steph asked, rolling her eyes at him.
“Shut up, Bernard and I are perfectly fine.” Tim growled, looking at his phone.
So, it was him Tim had been texting.
“Also, are you serious ? Do you really think money is going to be a problem, there ?” Jason said.
“You can’t imagine they’ll go for a big wedding.” Duke said at the same time.
“Have you met Richard Grayson ? They can’t have a small wedding.” Steph protested.
“I’m sure Babs will love being dragged in the mud by Gotham’s tabloids. Dick wouldn’t allow that. They’re not going to marry.” Tim insisted.
“What do you think, Duke ?” Steph asked.
“I think Dick should at least ask Barbara if she wants to get married first and see where things go from here.” Duke said, shrugging.
He didn’t know Barbara that well, even if he was starting to get used to Oracle.
“See ? Duke thinks like me !” Steph said triumphantly while glaring at Tim and Jason.
“Hey, I didn’t say -” Duke protested.
“Potato, potato. Marriage isn’t just the product of archaic traditions. It’s about commitment, and love and…”
“Taxes.” Tim completed.
“Hmpf.” Steph huffed, planting her knee in Tim’s ribs.
“Hey ! You’re queer, why would you want to perpetuate a bunch of obsolete traditions instaured by straight people anyway ?”
“Generations of queers wished their love and families were recognized and fought for it and we can have that now. We have to use those rights, it’s a political move !” Steph said.
Tim looked anything but convinced.
“Hal, you’re queer too, tell him.” Steph said, finally turning toward Hal, who had yet to offer his opinion on marriages.
“Well, I wouldn’t call my marriage a political move personally but I can see your point.” he told her.
A shocked silence settled into the room as all the kids present turned toward Hal. It took Hal a second to understand why. They hadn’t known.
“You did it. You and Bruce got married.” Tim said quietly.
He was looking at Hal for confirmation. Hal nodded.
“Married as in, you’re like our stepdad now ?” Steph asked, an eyebrow raised.
“Father has never been your parent to begin with.”
“Damian.” Tim reprimanded him.
“Semantics.” Stephanie shrugged, looking wholly unbothered, as Hal wished for spontaneous combustion.
He had thought they had known, just like last time.
“Why… why didn’t you tell us ?” Steph asked.
She sounded genuinely hurt. Hal sighed.
“I didn’t mean to… I thought you knew. Look, I’d rather discuss it with Bruce here too. We can talk about it tomorrow if you want. I’d like to say a word to Alfred before going to bed, goodnight kids. Say hi to Cass for me when she’ll be back.” Hal said before making a quick exit.
A door closed behind his back half a second after he had reached the hallway. He turned around. Tim was there, looking like he didn’t know what to say.
“I just… Someone has to say it. Welcome to the family, Hal.” he said tentatively.
“Thank you, Tim.” Hal said, squeezing Tim’s left arm - the right one was a bit sore from a recent fight - “It means a lot to me.”
Tim nodded and turned his head back to the raising voices in the living-room.
“I stand by what I say. Love shouldn’t be a political weapon.” Duke was saying.
“You don’t understand -” Steph was protesting animatedly.
“Can’t you keep your mouths shut ? Some people are working.” another, younger voice superimposed on the end of her sentence.
“Goodnight, kid.” Hal said, a soft smile on his lips, and Tim nodded absentmindedly before going back to the room he had just left.
That night, when Bruce joined him in bed, Hal was still awake. Bruce had stripped and climbed in bed next to Hal, only to notice that despite Hal’s stillness, his breathing pattern wasn’t the one of a sleeping person.
“You’re having trouble sleeping ?” Bruce murmured in his ear, wrapping an arm around Hal.
Hal let his head rest against Bruce’s shoulder. The warmth of Bruce’s body had a calming effect on him.
“Bruce. Your kids didn’t know we were married ?”
“No. Didn’t ?” Bruce asked, trying to discern Hal’s eyes in the dark of their room.
He would have noticed if the kids had figured it out but he was quite certain none of them had.
The sheets rustled as Hal sat in the bed and reached for the lamp.
Bruce turned on his side to look at Hal properly. Hal laid back next to him and pressed his palms over his eyes.
“I fucked up. I assumed they did know. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been the one who told them, it should have come from you.”
Bruce moved closer to Hal and took his hand in his.
“Hal. It’s okay.”
“I’m bad with kids.” Hal eventually said after a few seconds.
“You’re not.” Bruce said, before pausing. “And I’ve been told my kids are not the ordinary kind.”
“Anyway, I ruined this for you.”
“You didn’t.” Bruce said, closing his arms around his husband. “You didn’t, Hal.”
“Your daughter… Wait, Steph isn’t really yours, is she ? Since Cass is. I mean… Okay, I know, it’s complicated. Well, Stephanie looked really hurt. Maybe we should have told them.”
There were many things about his kids Hal had yet to find out, one of them including the extent of their acting skills.
“Hal. Steph was in her high school’s drama club. She’s guilt tripping you.”
Hal looked absolutely stunned that Bruce would suggest such a thing.
“Wait, she really was playing me ?”
“She didn’t do it maliciously. Well, it was obviously payback for not telling her sooner, but she wouldn’t have done it if she had thought it would keep you awake.”
“Your children are going to be the end of me.” Hal murmured against Bruce’s neck.
“Um. In any case, I didn’t do this for them. I married you because it was what I wanted. You didn’t marry me for the kids, did you ?” Bruce said, stroking Hal’s arm.
It was an exercise in self-restraint not to touch Hal’s tanned skin all the time.
“As ill-advised as it sounds, I married you. But I also married in a family. They’re my family, now and I want them to be happy about it.”
Bruce didn’t say anything, just kept looking at Hal’s handsome face and stroking his arm.
“What ?”
“I just wish I could marry you a second time.” Bruce said before kissing Hal.
Hal kissed him right back but interrupted their kiss before it went much further.
“Maybe…” he started saying before pausing. “No, that’s stupid.” he muttered, shaking his head.
“Everything you want.” Bruce said, stroking Hal’s face.
“Everything, everything, or…” Hal asked, mischief written all over his face.
“Within reason.” Bruce amended, letting his hands run down Hal’s torso until Hal took them in his to be able to focus.
Bruce was way too distracting when he put his mind to it.
“Maybe we could do it. Marry a second time. I mean, of course we’re already married but maybe we could have a little ceremony in the gardens with the kids and Alfred. Stephanie would probably love to plan the shit out of that.” he said.
His hands were still around Bruce’s. Bruce was looking at him hesitantly, which was a curious thing to see. Bruce only seemed to be hesitant when Hal was concerned, as if suddenly he didn’t have all the answers.
“You really want to do it ?” Bruce asked.
“Only if you do.”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” Bruce said and it made Hal laugh and kiss him longly.
“I love you so much.” Hal said much later, as he was falling asleep.
“I love you too.” Bruce had answered, kissing his head, even if Hal was too far gone to hear him.
That was how they found themselves planning a wedding that had already happened.
“So, according to Babs, your cousin Kate should come.” Hal told Bruce in his study a few days later.
Bruce nodded, waited for Hal to say something and spoke up when he didn’t.
“What about your brothers ? Do you want to invite them ?”
If Hal wasn’t going to broach the subject on his own, Bruce had to.
“You know that I’ve not talked to Jack since Mom’s funeral. He said things… I don’t want him here. I told you things were getting better with Jim but he won’t come if I don’t invite Jack.”
“I’m sorry.” Bruce said.
“It’s okay. I have you now.” Hal said.
They didn’t do much more planning that day.
It had taken Hal a few more days to arrange a meeting with Jason.
Bruce was out of town with Damian for a case and Jason had been hanging out at the Manor with Duke and Tim.
They had been playing Uno and hurling insults at each other for about an hour when Hal had entered the room and interrupted their arguing.
"Shut up, Replacement, this is how you play.” Jason was saying.
"Replacement yourself. You're not the first Robin. And read the rules, everybody knows you can’t do that !!” Tim was protesting.
“Jason, Alfred wondered if you would be interested into giving him a hand in the kitchen.”
Jason had nodded, accused Tim of being a sore loser and followed Hal out of the room.
“What do you want ?” he had asked not long after.
“How -”
“This isn’t the direction of the kitchen and Alfred doesn't ask others to fetch the person he’s looking for. He does it himself.”
Right. This was going to be a fun discussion.
Once they were sitting in one of the small reception rooms of the manor, one Jane Austen would probably have called a parlour, Hal told Jason about the ceremony.
He knew the others must have filled him in but he was quite certain Bruce and the kid hadn’t talked about it.
“What would it take for you to be here ?” he eventually said.
“I don’t know. How far are you willing to go for this ?” Jason asked with a dangerous smirk.
“Do you really hate him that much ? Is it that painful for you to try and make him happy?” Hal asked.
He didn’t understand what could have gone so wrong between Bruce and his son. Of course, the boy had died, and it had been terrible for everyone concerned, especially the kid. From what he knew about it, coming back had also been quite traumatic for Jason (and everyone else included).
But Hal had to believe there was something else, something that explained why Jason and his father might never be able to make up.
“You don’t get it. It has nothing to do with hating Bruce. Seeing me reminds him of his mistakes. Trust me, none of you wants me there for your big day.”
Hal looked at the kid sternly. The self-deprecation was awfully familiar to his ears. Jason was so much like Bruce at times that it was a bit disturbing to witness.
“Oh, I do want you there. Otherwise Bruce is just going to ignore me and keep looking for you to appear as I say my vows again and I’d rather not have that.”
Jason grimaced.
“There’s that tension in his forehead every time he catches sight of me as if he just wants me out of the way. I think you’re overestimating his wish to see me.”
Insulting the kid’s intelligence would probably lead him nowhere, but was it so difficult to see the parental worry in Bruce’s eyes ? The distress Jason’s death had caused to him ?
“I think you’re underestimating Bruce’s ability to care.”
He didn’t say love because he knew the word would scare Jason away. But of all the League’s members, Bruce was maybe the one who cared the most, the one who would still try when all hope was gone.
Some people would call it stubbornness and despair, but Hal could see it for what it was : a refusal to give up until the very end.
“Maybe you’re overestimating it.” Jason said quietly. “Look, Jordan. I like you. I know you’re trying to help and you’re probably trying to… I don’t know, fix my relationship with Bruce. The truth is, you can’t. Whatever we had once is gone. The trust… it won’t come back.”
Hal was listening carefully and he didn’t think Jason was lying. He seemed to really believe what he said.
“Okay, let’s stop with the bullshit. Someday Bruce’s going to die. I really hope I’ll be already dead by this point, but it’s something that’s going to happen, and considering our line of work, it’s probably going to happen sooner than later.” Hal said.
He didn’t soften his voice. His words sounded harsh in his mouth and tasted like ashes.
“And your point is ?” Jason asked.
He had crossed his arms on his chest and his face was just as unreadable as Bruce's when he willed it to be, but his jaw was a bit tense. He hadn’t mastered that expression yet. Maybe that was why his vigilante’s suit included a mask.
“I have no doubt that Bruce taught you to keep tabs on your potential allies and enemies and that you know that both my parents died when I was pretty young. My mother… My mother didn’t like the fact that I wanted to walk in my Dad’s footsteps, to put it mildly.” Hal said.
He didn’t like to talk about this, had only talked about it with Barry and Ollie once, and with Bruce more extensively. He expected Jason to interrupt and comment on the fact that his own mother had done much worse than disagreeing with him about his career path but Bruce’s son kept quiet.
“My mother was the only parent I had left and we barely talked the years after I graduated high school. When she fell sick, she said she didn’t want me to come see her at the hospital until I left my job. I hesitated. I liked what I was doing. Well, I loved it. It was what my Dad had been doing too, something that I could maybe pass down to my own children someday, his legacy.”
Hal paused. Jason was watching him like a hawk. He had never thought he would tell this story to anyone else again. It felt too private for that. And yet, Jason was family now. Almost a son. It granted him the right to listen to this story. Hal sighed. He could swear he never had felt like having kids before his relationship with Bruce became serious.
“When my brother actually told me how sick she really was, I quitted my job. The thing is, you don’t leave the Air Force. But the Air Force leaves you, if you punch the right person hard enough. It was too late. I don’t regret being a pilot. But I didn’t get to say goodbye and I’ll always regret that.” Hal said, looking away.
He couldn’t tear up before the kid. He had a point to make.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you all that. I’m telling you that because you’ll regret not mending things with Bruce until it was too late. You’ll regret having wasted years avoiding each other and if I’m still alive by then I’ll really hate to see you go through this as I have.” Hal said.
Jason waited for more but Hal didn’t say anything.
“Our relationship isn’t the same as yours with your Mom.” Jason finally commented.
Hal smiled at him sadly.
“Sometimes I miss her so much, it’s hard to breathe. And I wish, despite our differences and her disagreeing with my life choices, that she was just a little bit proud of me and that she knew how much I loved her. I’m not asking you to tell me all about your undoubtedly complicated feelings towards Bruce. You can go to a therapist for that. What I want to know is, will you be there for him ?”
Jason was looking at his hands and Hal was looking at the boy. They stayed that way for a long time.
Jason stood up and Hal did too.
“I’ll think about it. You have my word.” Jason said gravely before turning back and leaving.
If it was the best Hal could get, so be it. It was better than what he had expected.
On the day they had chosen, Hal had looked for signs of Jason’s presence in vain. Well, he had done what he could.
As he was scanning the grounds where the ceremony will take place from the balcony of his and Bruce’s bedroom, Hal noticed a blond man speaking with Dick.
“You invited Barry.” he said in puzzlement, turning around.
Bruce was finishing getting ready with Alfred’s help inside.
Hal threw him an appreciative look, distracted, just as Alfred declared Bruce ready and left their room. Bruce went to join him on the balcony and Hal suddenly remembered Barry’s unexpected presence.
“You didn’t have a best man.” Bruce said, shrugging. “And hum. Oliver and Dinah were delayed by a hostage situation in a bank but they’ll be here soon. I didn’t get any of it wrong, did I ?”
Bruce looked worried. Hal shook his head and smiled at him, taking his hand.
“No. It’s perfect.”
“I thought maybe I should ask Ollie to be your best man instead -” Bruce started rambling but Hal stopped him.
“I would have picked Barry. You did - it’s… Thank you. I know that Diana is still in Themyscira but is Clark coming ?”
It wouldn’t be fair if Hal’s closest friends were here and not Bruce’s. And Clark had probably known from the start, whereas Bruce had probably told their other friends they were together just before asking them to attend the wedding.
“I needed a best man too.”
“Okay. I think I’m getting nervous.” Hal said.
He was still smiling at Bruce.
“Because of Clark ?” Bruce asked, confused.
“You’ve never been given the shovel talk by a superhuman, um ?” Hal said, laughing.
“Clark did that ?”
“Oh, not in so many words. It was all very polite. It sounded like ‘I wish you all the happiness in the world” but I think it translated to ‘hurt him and I’ll eviscerate you so quickly you won’t even feel it”. But that’s not what I meant. I’m just… I don’t know. I think too much.” Hal sighed.
Bruce cupped his face and kissed him.
“Hey, stop worrying about this. We’re already married. This is just for show.” he reminded Hal, trying to reassure him.
However a shadow passed in Hal’s eyes and Bruce deduced he must have said something that had upset him before Hal even had a chance to talk.
“Is that what you really think ? That it doesn’t matter, that it’s just like one more stupid mundane event you have to attend and -” Hal was saying, and he really should talk in a quieter tone if he didn’t want their guests to hear them.
But maybe Bruce didn’t care much for that.
“Hal. You know how much it means to me. I’m happy to be there. All I was saying was that you -”
He stopped there abruptly and squeezed the shoulder he had put his hand on, his eyes widening very slightly. Hal looked at him quizzically, before he could see Bruce’s lips silently form a name.
Jason.
Just like that, Hal forgot they had been arguing and took Bruce’s hand for support.
“You’re okay ?” he asked.
“You did this ?” Bruce asked in a low tone.
“Jason did. I would have given you a warning but I wasn’t certain he would be there until now. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Dick, Duke or Cass asked him to be there too.”
“Thank you.” Bruce said before kissing Hal softly.
Hal pressed against him and responded in kind.
“Hey ! What are you doing ? Come down !” they heard Steph complain from the patio, and they erupted in laughter.
“We better do as she said before she decides to fetch us herself.” Bruce said, guiding Hal back inside.
“Your family is really quite something.” Hal said as they walked across their bedroom.
“Our family, Hal.” Bruce reminded him, and Hal pushed him against a wall to better make out.
If they looked a bit disheveled for the ceremony and Steph kept throwing them annoyed glares, none of the guests dared to mention it.