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Bruce Wayne meets his soulmate on one of his own galas.

Bruce had planned this one to the heavens because it was meant to be a cover up, something to lure the penguin out with. The penguin was out but Bruce had not planned for him to be amongst the first to be taken as hostage.

He was using his brain just a tad too much to properly pay attention when it first happened, the pounding in his head where he had been knocked with a riffle also not aiding him.

He did notice the issue fast. Superman has come.

The first thought in his mind was how he will now have to kill the man for breaking a rule that the Batman has already set up quite nicely.

His presence came in handy for one thing though and that was distraction. However, just as Bruce was going to use it to his advantage, Superman was suddenly there and punching the guy whose hands were on Bruce. In the next second, Bruce was swept up into his arms like he weighed nothing, which around no escapades of his life has ever Bruce been thrown around like he was in any shape small, so his surprise had been even more distracting.

By the time he came to himself, he was outside and Superman was placing him down gently onto the pavement. “All righty darlin’, I’ve got you, you are safe now.”

At that point Bruce stopped looking towards the first shadow he saw, trying to calculate if he can make it back inside in time to bust the penguin and finding the brain cells to also think of colourful insults towards Superman, whose demise he was already planning in great detail.

His mind screeched to such an abrupt halt that he almost overbalanced as he whirled around, as if not even his motor functions stayed intact.

Instantly after, he had about a good hundred thoughts as Superman started looking at him a bit worried, half hovering above the ground like he wanted to leave him but by then wasn’t too sure about that. What Bruce ended up muttering is rather far from what he has meant to say.

“Why, now that I have the context, I do not feel half as special as I thought.”

Bruce watched as Superman seemed to come to the same revelation, as he stopped hovering and touched down on the pavement with little enough control that his boots dented it. He did not even seem to notice that as he whispered between them. “Bruce Wayne?!”

Bruce raised his head back and although prepared for many things in life, that’s kind of his thing, he had not been prepared for the absolute devastation and mild anger he was met with.

For some reason, Bruce stayed idealised about this one part of his life all throughout everything else. He saw his parents, and always thought that this could be that one thing.

The one thing that would help, the one person who would understand, who would still love him. The one person who would love him at all.

The one to save him.

“Fuck this can’t be right,” Superman brought him back to the present and Bruce had researched the threat of an alien enough to know that he has never used profanity to civilians before publicly. Not against threats, not in a battle, never in an altercation or interview and definitely not when speaking to people after or amongst saving them.

Bruce crossed his arms in defence and tried to sound sarcastic as he got started on his next sentence. “I’ll let you know,” he got cut off right about there, Superman not even looking at him. “I cannot deal with this right now, you’re Bruce Wayne, you have like twenty partners, what a joke.”

And he was gone.

Bruce had reacted to that rejection just as any reasonable, mentally sound person would and Alfred could do little but watch on sadly.

After all, he knew how Bruce thought about soulmates, he knew that Bruce had been waiting for that one perfect person, the one who could love a man as broken as him.

Bruce burnt off the words that very night. He watched with a level of detachment he only got when he was Batman, when compartmentalising was about saving lives, as the words ‘you are safe now.’ disappeared under a fresh and angry patch of raw skin.

Alfred bandaged him up and Bruce did not look at him that evening again. He never even explained what had happened or who it was.

Batman had met Superman only a few months later for the first time.

Superman had been coming into Gotham as he pleased ever since that night and Batman had not just planned for this meeting, he had been at earlier active patrols on higher and higher rooftops to catch the man. It was not easy to find any pattern when it concerned the man as he seemed to hardly plan anything about any of his strikes.

It took a while but he finally came across Superman flying above where he was close enough for Batman to make his move.

He used his grapple gun, but instead of taking off using the grip it got on Superman, he used it to haul him in.

Superman might have been stronger on a good day but as he fumbled around the air, it was clear that this was not going to be a good day for him. Batman had a small piece of Kryptonite embedded into the head of his grapple.

Superman crashed down right beside him and Batman appeared from the shadows, his cape billowing behind him and seemingly drawing Superman’s attention.

“I am warning you personally once alien, do not trespass into Gotham.”

“I was trying to save,” Batman cut him off, yanking the grapple head out of Superman’s leg since he was aware it would take him longer to heal without the sun out. His blood was red, he noted faintly, carefully bagging it right in front of the man. “Once.”

He said again, and disappeared so fast that even Superman couldn’t tell what direction he has taken off in.

Bruce thought that he had been hasty to write his life off before he went to the circus.

He did not need Superman, he did not even need a soulmate, but Bruce, himself, he could be needed and he felt even wanted as the child clung to him, not unlike a small bat, all limbs wrapped around Bruce as he rode behind Alfred so the child could stay attached.

Bruce had been watching the show with everyone when he noticed a strange glare against the back fabric of the tent. His mouth opened but instead of his words, only gunshots were heard.

Bruce moved along with everyone, until he was moving against them.

It seemed the crowed was spooked but not scared enough for everyone to leave so he had to elbow his way through a small crowd forming. Some of the people were still recording but no one was trying to help. Bruce thought that the two adult Graysons were visibly beyond help.

He shoved a camera out of someone’s hand, not even looking as to who it was, seeing that the only spectacle by that point was a small child who was sobbing into his mother’s leotard, while clutching his father’s arm.

Bruce patted his shoulder leaning in close. “Come here, come back, okay?” The kid did not seem inclined to listen until he seemed to have opened his eyes. What he saw was enough to send him into hysterics, and he dove towards Bruce after that, smearing blood all over him too. Bruce ignored that and held the child tightly. He thought that it would have been nicer to be held by someone when he was waiting for the police beside his parents’s corpses instead of actually feeling them grow cold.

Bruce continued his rhythmic petting, murmuring to the boy some reassuring words while the police did get there.

The drive to the police station was quiet except for the small sobs and hiccups and Bruce’s occasional little murmurs about how it will be all right.

The ride to the Manor was even more silent after a few gruelling hours about how the orphanage is too full and how ‘Mr Wayne you cannot seriously think to take this child into your custody’. In the end, even with his carefully crafted yet not too child-friendly character, his money won the battle and with a few pre-signed copies of legal documents, Bruce had full custody until the court day is to come up.

Years later, at the present, Bruce likes to think himself more mature and he also believes himself to be more balanced all around.

He somehow was not just convinced a year ago to join the Justice League but has started up a startlingly compatible relationship with Superman, and he also adapted two more children since then, Dick already out of the nest and doing his own thing as Nightwing and as a cop.

He, now, takes some responsibility for Kal’s reaction too, after all, perhaps he should have felt flattered when his carefully crafted persona was believable enough that even his soulmate turned his back to him. It can simply mean that he is good at what he is doing.

Alas, it’s all water under the bridge when the Watchtower is built. Hal, being the arse he is, asks the question Batman is not too inclined to answer. “How did you afford this again?”

There are only so many billionaires in Gotham who could have sponsored him, for Batman remains the only League member still holding a secret identity to speak off. He figured all the rest out, but soon they came out with their personalities all on their own to each other. Except for him.

“We would know,” Oliver says, “if someone that rich was behind your cowl, right?”

They would, and there are also many ways for some people within the League to do enough research to track things back to his company. Ways that would be illegal for others and simply impossible. Bruce decides to use that as he shrugs them off like this is unimportant. “Wayne Enterprises sponsored the tower.”

There is a moment where everyone freezes before Oliver decides to drop yet another bomb. “Oh, you know Brucie? I should call him, it’s been a while.”

He grins like he’s making an innuendo, and Clark crushes a cup in his hands drawing attention. Oliver does not seem to mind Clark’s tone. “You know Bruce Wayne?”

At first, Batman thinks he’s asking Oliver who also seems to assume this and shrugs. “We went to boarding school together,” Oliver leans closer like a dog with a bone. “And let me tell you his reputation does not even live up to his image.”

And just like that, everyone stares back to Oliver, like they are just suddenly remembering his rich boy persona which is often linked to one Bruce Wayne as they leave parties together, closer than necessary and giggling away.

Clark does a remarkable job at not even trying to hide his disgust before he shakes his head and turns back to Batman, raising a brow, like he still expects an answer from him. He shrugs him off too. “Barely,” he lets the growl out, “I don’t care for Wayne but he’s easy enough to get money from.”

Hal laughs at that. “He’s easy flat out, no?” He turns back to Oliver at that who smirks and wiggles his own eyebrows back.

At the bang ringing aloud, everyone turns back to Clark whose fist is on the table that is now dented. “Can you not talk about him like that?”

“What? Why?” Oliver, at least, looks somewhat mild. To Bruce that makes complete sense, seeing that compared to how many rumours go around about the escapades of Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne, they never actually did more than making out here and there for a few cameras. Clark sighs. “I just, I’m asking you, okay?”

Wrong thing to say, for this is Hal’s turn to become the dog with a bone. “Oh, do I sense a little crush?”

Looking on disapprovingly, Diana shakes her head at him. “Kal does not have a crush on Bruce Wayne.” Scarily after she says that, she looks to Bruce. Like Kal’s affection for Batman is rather something to be noted instead of ignored.

Clark just sighs anew. “Bruce Wayne is my soulmate.”

Everything turns to shit after that, Barry is almost vibrating out of his skin, John is looking to Bruce as well for some reason, Diana is gasping, Hal is lighting up like a bloody Christmas tree, and even Arthur looks on amused.

Bruce leaves them there within the next seconds when Oliver suddenly looks at him ashamed like he expects Batman to fix this as a fellow person who just admitted to knowing Bruce Wayne.

The League, as a collective, becomes that dog for this juicy bone, because Bruce Wayne becomes a constant topic after that.

Batman is just fixing a few things with their comms, not keen on being anywhere near the rest, not like they are ever keen on him either. He might be on the team but he’s well aware of his place on the outside.

He is messing with the settings when Barry bullies (by being too unassuming and kind) Clark into dropping a bit of information that has him halt. “Actually,” he says after insistent questioning as to how he found out Bruce Wayne, of all people, is his soulmate. “I just kind of saved his life, he was sarcastic about it, which made it easy to realise seeing that not many people would respond like that to being saved.”

Batman grinds his teeth at that. As if he needed saving.

He’s apparently noticeably passive-aggressive from there because he draws multiple gazes as he smashes a comm shut and grabs another one.

Barry looks back to Clark from Batman. “And what happened after? Did he just flat out reject you? Not wanting to be tied down? That’s a bit harsh.”

Bruce almost shatters the planting in the case but only Clark looks over at the silent creak. He, at least, looks a tad ashamed. “Actually I did.”

“What?” Bruce cannot even tell who that was as multiple voices mash together, but he can tell Oliver is the most up-fronted about this piece of their lore. Clark still has the decency to seem to know he was an asshole back then. “I always thought my soulmate died, that they were gone with my planet so it’s not as if I was looking. I was engaged to Lois back then.”

The next comm is handled a bit more carefully, and Bruce tries not to think at all. It does not matter that Clark seems drawn to him, like it’s fate, that it was not even Bruce Wayne but Batman who broke off that engagement, he cannot even say that what Clark is saying makes zero sense, he has matured after all.

Yet Bruce still does not want to go back there. He doesn’t need a soulmate. He does not need to be loved because he has children, children who depend on him and that feels just about the same.

Clark gets cagey after that, likely not wishing to include the part where he in all technicalities deemed Bruce too big of a slut to bother with, called him a joke.

Bruce kind of deserves that one in hindsight.

Scarily, Diana decides to disengage and redirect the conversation by turning to Bruce, like his predicament could solve Clark’s issues. “What about you Bats? Do you have a soulmate?”

Stilling for a second, shamefully Bruce’s eyes find Kal who looks hopeful this time. A far cry from the absolute disgust he held for Bruce Wayne. He turns his gaze back to the comm in his hands. “No, I don’t have one.”

“That’s impossible, right?” John adds, carefully, like he thinks Bruce means they might have passed, that something has happened. Bruce smirks in a way that unsettles the rest. “Nope, they are fine and dandy, I, however, do not need the distraction.”

Diana takes a step closer, shaking off her seemingly gut reaction of offence. “Do they know?”

And that’s what this is, right? They all think him heartless as is, but clearly Batman is not above breaking someone’s heart without them even knowing. Not even giving closure and rejecting the person who should be loved most by him.

Bruce’s smirk turns downright nasty. “Don’t need to worry about them sweets,” Diana steps back from him. “They rejected me first, anyways I don’t have the words anymore so it does not matter. I don’t need the burden.”

He repeats and no one dares to outright ask him more but Bruce hears as they start dissecting what he has said since they clearly don’t care enough to wait even for the human distance to be made before they seem to side with his soulmate, the one they don’t even know.

After all, ‘who would want Batman?! Sounds even worse than Bruce Wayne, Clark, don’t make that face’.

Bruce Wayne is meant to make an appearance at the Watchtower so he rings up Dick. Bruce feels even less inclined to risk his identity lately and Dick does a stellar job at selling himself as Batman usually.

He agrees easily enough, while Bruce ignores Clark apologising the next time they meet. How he thinks that Bruce’s soulmate is dumb is kind of hilarious to him but he says nothing.

Clark may have tried to defend Batman to the League but he seems nothing but horrified when Bruce explains what he meant by having no words.

Clark does not even know they were his words, his promise that Bruce is safe.

At the Watchtower, Bruce and Dick, who is in his suit, are the first to arrive.

Bruce is helping him with a case seeing that he dragged Dick here to begin with but is trying to keep an eye out for the rest just in case they come sooner and see him using the computers like he does it on a daily basis. Dick is babbling away, voice mod still turned off, about the case itself and the new partner that was placed with him about a month prior.

Sending some research to Dick’s email. He pulls up cars on his phone next since Dick mentioned wanting to buy and modify a new one. To have something like the Batmobile but he wanted it to be more subtle, something he can take to work and have on hand so a new car that gets modified sounded the smartest.

“God,” Dick whines beside him, “I cannot see shit in this cowl, which setting is for screens and why are they different than my mask’s?” The Robin masks do not cover the eyes, but Nightwing’s does so the question makes perfect sense. Bruce gets up, leaving his phone lying on the table.

“They are different because I have more settings. I deal with one too many demigods and meta on a daily basis.” Bruce snarks but grabs the cowl, pulling it off and up a little to take a look and switch them around. Dick just allows him, humming under his breath while holding onto Bruce’s suit jacket. It’s something he picked up as a child and sometimes still does to this day. Dick is basically the same height as him now but that has never really stopped him from acting like a child when around Bruce.

This makes him feel incredibly happy, the way his kids are all (dare he say it) scary to most but as soon as Bruce is around they just assume absolute safety because dad’s going to take care of things now.

He is not fast enough to put distance, having distracted himself by being mushy, but his reflex kicks in enough to pull the cowl back down when Diana, John, Hal, Oliver, Arthur, and Kal arrive.

Of course, the speedster would be last or even late.

Dick takes another second to notice, even then mostly due to Bruce shoving the cowl over his face and the pull against his hold, and Bruce blames that odd reassurance that settles over his kids when he’s around that they all snuck up on Dick as well.

Batman lets go of his suit right away, wipes off his startlingly real and kind smile (something Batman would never wear) and nods coldly to their new company.

Bruce paints on an award-winning smirk of his own and greets the new additions. “Hi, nice meeting you lot, it’s Bruce Wayne.”

He holds his hand out in general and Oliver steps up to take it, nodding at him. Bruce takes his hand away just as fast as he offered, not doing so for anyone else, and feeling a bit off balance, he decides to wonder back to Dick who clearly continued to look over cars at his phone in the meantime. Bruce just stops behind him.

“I like this one, it’s,” Dick pauses while everyone turns to them as one, and he seems to barely avoid cringing as he flips the voice mod on. He clears his throat. “It’s discreet but still flashy enough for what we want. It could be modded enough not to be linked to a civilian version.”

Bruce leans closer to the screen over him, resting his hand against Dick’s shoulder, fingers spreading towards his neck. He clicks into the details but overall he figures it’s up to Dick. “If we only care about the looks you can pick this one but steel is not going to cut it so we will need to reconstruct the base too.”

Dick frowns tilting his head to the side. “Do they even make cars out of any graphene?”

“No, too expensive,” Bruce adds, “they would if I ask it to be custom made.”

“Won’t that draw too much attention? Shouldn’t we just do it ourselves? Or what if we just coat the base?”

“It’d be best to actually have the whole thing made out of it.” He looks up briefly and everyone is staring at them but Barry is still not there. He continues, “Ultimately your choice, we can do both or either I guess. We are buying to rebuild it to begin with.”

Dick takes another second, switching between the pictures. “What if we just copy it? It probably would end up cheaper.”

Bruce shrugs it off. “If we buy it, it can be traced, especially with the way you want to use it, I can run the car through my account and do the rest so they are untraceable. That way you’ll have the serial number and the tracks but also you’ll just have the car you need.”

Dick nods so Bruce raises an eyebrow. “So is that a yes to this one?”

Seemingly forgetting himself again, Dick smiles at him sweetly. “Yes, please.”

Bruce shakes his head but smiles back just as honest, not able to reprimand him as he adds the order and pays for it there from his personal account. “Should be delivered this week.”

“That’s a bit optimistic from you,” Dick snarks but Bruce just shrugs. “They will see my name and hurry.”

Dick actually laughs but whatever he wants to say is cut off by the arrival of Barry, who is talking too fast for them to understand the excuses. Finally, with everyone present, Dick snaps back into character and distances from Bruce again. Bruce smiles and offers a hand for Barry too, who is so flustered that he actually introduces himself as Barry Allen.

Bruce pretends not to even notice.

Batman stands up behind him and waves at the rest. “Since Mr Wayne was so kind to come this far, I’ll show him around.”

It’s meant to say that everyone can just stay where they are and Bruce figures it’s a smart move, seeing that they not only want to convince Bruce Wayne to invest more money, but they wish to do it without turnaround profit.

This is meant to be charity.

Bruce watches as they leave how Hal starts making a joke, probably at his expense and the way Diana puts a hand onto Kal’s shoulder to whom Bruce has not once looked toward.

Ignoring the way injustice seems to choke him seems like the smartest move, the way everyone treats Clark like he’s most cursed to have Bruce Wayne as his soulmate, and even more pathetic for him to have Batman ignore his clear interest, while no one seems to care how Bruce feels at all.

The tour itself manages to lighten his mood some, as Dick is down right precious with going around, opening doors that should not be part of a tour to an investor, looking around, seeing this is his first time at the Tower, only to blandly explain where they are to Bruce who had designed the place.

On their way back after an unnecessarily long tour, Bruce is telling Dick a story about a time he had broken someone’s nose on accident with a baseball bat.

“They have the netting up to catch stray balls, not bats,” he adds deadpan to his story about the one time he tried his hand at baseball, refused to listen to instructions, and ended up yeeting the bat across the entire field, knocking a man out.

Dick, obviously, is having the time of his life with the story, and Bruce would normally warn him to get more into Batman’s character but he does not want to. Maybe it’s petty, but it feels nice to rub it in, the way someone clearly likes being around him. Bruce deserves to have Dick’s attention, he deserves to see him so amused and happy, something that proves that he is not as big of a failure as the others within that room try to make him out to be.

It is selfish, but Bruce is clinging on to the affection like he has been starved of it his entire life.

So as they enter, Dick clearly not paying attention to having made it back, Bruce watches bemused as he’s walking backwards, laughing still at Bruce. “Did you get punished?”

“I got grounded,” Bruce admits, watching Dick almost double over as he promises. “I’ll be telling this to Jason, he’ll have field day.”

Bruce instantly plasters on his strictest expression. “Don’t you dare!”

“Oh,” Dick is absolutely delighted, almost blinding in his excitement. “Oh, you’re getting it now B, I will so tell him.”

“Well,” Bruce says and catches Dick to stop him from walking into the table where seemingly unsure what else to do, John just scooted his chair out of the way. Bruce is not sure how to feel about the idea that he would have let Batman walk into it instead of saying something. He averts his gaze back to Dick. “I did not even tell you how old I was and that’s the best part. Now I guess you’ll never know.”

Dick’s smile falls so fast that Bruce has to laugh, and he does so even harder when Dick pouts at him. “B,” he says, grabbing his suit’s lapel. “B, I was wrong.”

Bruce shakes his head, smiling while he sits down at his usual place between Kal and Diana without a second thought. Dick does not seem to care (obviously) but he does comically wipe the amusement from his face when faced with the rest. He spares a single rueful look towards Bruce, like he is trying to apologise before looking around.

Bruce does too and that’s when he remembers that they did not bring any chairs in just yet while Dick decides to pretend that he has never even meant to which checks out more for Batman who is known to be prepared for everything. He simply hops onto the table, looking so graceful about it that Bruce does not even question the action as something he would absolutely never do while Dick grabs the tablet and the cord to connect the presentation that Bruce has made and sent for him to learn.

“So,” Dick says while the screen loads and the tablet recognises the pendrive. “How did you enjoy the tour Mr Wayne?”

Bruce smirks at the attempt to sound distant but only nods, going along. “It was great, I could throw some mean parties here if I wanted, maybe I should make another space club.”

“This one isn’t a club Mr Wayne,” Bruce waves him off, as Dick scoots off towards Kal so Bruce can see the entire screen. Their legs bump so Dick kind of just kicks into his to have more room for his own feet. It is an action very reminiscent of the evening movie marathons with which Bruce tried to get them to bond because he read in a book that children appreciate parents showing interest in their hobbies and general taste.

The action for the rest, probably translates more intimate, as it seems to project one thing and that’s familiarity. Then again, the League did just watch the Batman allowing Bruce Wayne to look under his cowl so they probably could not make the argument against such to feign distance anymore.

Dick either does not notice or he ignores this but while he puts the slide show into presentation mode, Hal seems to find his voice. “Mr Wayne,” he says Bruce’s name like it’s a bit of an insult but Bruce pretends not to notice. Dick, on the other hand, seems a bit too affronted to be detached. Hal does not care. “Weren’t we meant to meet you down?”

Bruce says nothing since Dick is suddenly looking scarily similar to Batman on a bad day. “We bumped into each other and I escorted Mr Wayne up. Is there an issue?”

Before more could be added, Dick points a laser pen to the slide so everyone is forced to look back. Bruce feels Clark’s eyes and turns to look but he’s not actually looking at him, he’s looking towards his hand that he just then realises has grabbed Dick’s ankle.

Bruce does not drop his hold but he averts his gaze back to the presentation that he meticulously put together over several hours of planning and rearranging.

When Dick continues to shine the red dot onto the first diagram and say nothing, Bruce turns to look at him and Dick uses his time to look back instead of starting to speak. Bruce raises an eyebrow. “Well?”

Dick actually pulls out the big guns, plastering on a smile he only uses when he is about to break news of having just killed someone and ‘truly it is beyond unfortunate the way it happened B’.

Bruce sighs even before anything is said and Dick suddenly starts clicking like mad, jumping through the slides that took him hours to make. “So,” he starts with the same grin. “As you can see, I calculated that we would need around 1.7 billion.” He clicks again and then turns back to him with that same smile, his feet kicking his thigh. “That’s the account number you can forward it to.”

Bruce drops his head but does nothing else to cover his laugh. This is why his kids all turn out this way, no boundaries whatsoever. “I just bought you a car.”

Dick actually pouts at that. “I was busy!” He rouses, but Bruce looks at him unamused, at least he’s trying to look unamused. “I sent it to you weeks ago.”

“Well, I was busy all those weeks ago too,” Dick suddenly disconnects the pendrive and jumps off, landing between his feet. “Speaking of busy, can I use your office for one small thing?”

“Even if you do it from my computer, it’s still breaking the law.” Dick just shrugs. “At least it’s not me held accountable.”

“I had to bail out my secretary the last time,” he draws air quotes here, “‘you used my office real quick’.”

Dick shrugs again. “Occupational hazard, now come, I said I’d pick Jason up and I promised you’d buy us ice cream.”

Bruce actually rolls his eyes at that but stands up too. Dick just ignores this like he has started to from his teenage years and turns to walk backwards again. Bruce hurries a little more to get there before he’d reach the wall. Dick just smirks at him. “Where did you park?”

“You’re not allowed to drive.” He says deadpan but Dick just whines. “That was one time B, god, I total your car once and I have to listen to it for the rest of my life.”

“You could have gotten hurt!”

“Oh,” Dick laughs, “oh that’s rich coming from you, also, the last time you drove yourself instead of Alfred, your tires got stolen.”

Bruce reaches out and stops Batman from walking into the wall. “And now I have Jason.” Dick no longer looks amused. “You, B, you’re the only one who has adopted not one but two kids who tried to rob you.”

“Tim wasn’t trying to rob me.” Dick laughs, going through the door Bruce is holding for him. “Yes, he was threatening and blackmailing you, my bad, that makes such a huge difference.”

Bruce is up in the Watchtower the next day, trying to replan a few new floors, not like it matters when Dick did not even show his plans in the first place, he can claim they’ve always looked like this, when Diana finds him in.

She comes closer but appears generally displeased with him. “Have a moment?”

Bruce just hums, not saying anything overly welcoming. Diana still sits beside him. “You seem quite close with Bruce Wayne, is he the one paying for all your things?”

After a moment of pause where he finishes typing his calculations he just looks over to her. “Yes, sure, you could say that.”

“And you never thought to tell Kal?”

“Tell him what?” The rest of the League seems to have gotten there by then, he can hear their voices as they come closer. Diana looks towards the door before she turns back to him to indicate such won’t end their conversation. Bruce rolls his eyes when she continues even though it does not show in the cowl. “That you and Bruce Wayne had that type of relationship. Kal deserves to know.”

That is what does him in and that is the sentence that everyone walks into. Bruce does not care, he finds it even hard to justify why he’s feeling hurt all over again.

Clark, in his defence, looks mildly horrified as soon as he comes in but it’s all way too late. Why is Bruce even part of the League if they hate him so much?!

He gets up and unplugs his laptop, then he continues to gather every other one too, shoving them on top of each other in a way that indicates he does not care that they are cracking. Barry looks a little green as Bruce rips out the last computer from the socket. “You’re acting like a child.” Diana crosses her arms and Bruce actually smirks at that.

“Good,” he snarls, then adds, “I quit.”

Kal steps in front of him, looking just as guilty as before. “We can talk,” Bruce cuts him off. “If one of you steps a foot into Gotham I will take immediate action to exterminate.”

He walks around Clark, holding all his tech that has actual information linked to him, he does not care about the rest. “Maybe,” Barry still rushes ahead, the one Bruce usually gives the most grace to, “Diana just means Kal might have appreciated the heads up but obviously she didn’t mean that you owed it to him, of course not.”

Diana does not seem pressed about hurting his feelings. “Don’t correct me, I said what I said.”

Which was very Diana and a trait Bruce still begrudgingly admired in her. He nods to her like she’d understand. It did not change his resolve. “Clark rejected Bruce Wayne and I was never interested to begin with.”

“That’s too fucking harsh man.” Arthur adds but Bruce does not even look at him. “He just feels,” Bruce does cut him off there.

“What about how I feel? Who will care about that?!” He leaves before anyone can make the obvious joke.

After all, Batman does not have any feelings to begin with.

In his defence, Clark is trying his best, teetering on the border of Gotham, trying to reel the monster back every time it seems hell bent to cross over.

And in the League’s defence, Bruce justifies their horrified shouts when Batman swings towards a falling Superman because Bruce had learnt to relish in people taking him seriously.

At first he is just confused as to why Kal is falling to begin with but that does not stop him from catching his body before it could land in a way that might cause damage in case he’s already hurt. As Bruce lands on a rooftop and looks him over, it becomes abundantly clear with the way Clark has a bunch of broken pieces of Kryptonite embedded into his chest. Bruce spares one glance towards Diana and Hal, the only two who seem to have come and are involved before leaving the monster to them and going about methodically plucking the pieces from Kal’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” he says, half delirious so Bruce feels no guilt upon ignoring him. Clark continues all on his own. “About trespassing, also about the entire thing, you can, of course, you can date Bruce Wayne, I did fuck it up.”

Bruce’s hand freezes for a second, this marking the second time he has ever heard Clark use profanities. He sighs, as he tries to pull out a particularly big piece. “I don’t.”

“What?”

“I’m not dating Bruce Wayne, you lot just decided that.” There is another small silence, well as silent as things get with two League members trying to kill a monster, before Clark tries for a smile. “I’m sorry still, you were right, we never did care how you feel about it all, clearly you like Bruce Wayne either ways, and you also don’t have to like me.”

Bruce is about to deflect by something rather cutting when Hal deems it a grand idea to punch the thing which in close correlation to such, destroys an entire apartment building. Bruce raises his voice at that. “If you destroy one more thing, that monster will be the least of your worries Lantern!”

He gets a huff for his troubles before he averts his attention back to Kal who’s still bleeding out on a rooftop. Just as he uses a scalpel (he always keeps at least one in his belt) to cut out some of the pieces that are in way deeper, he notices that it is no longer only the closest police cars around but Gordon is here and once Batman’s head turns in his general direction, he waves him over rather urgently. He looks down at Clark, who’s looking worse for wear and still sporting a lot of Kryptonite then he looks past them towards where Wonder Woman is under the monster’s foot stopping it from stomping on a group of people while Hal is trying to still get it away from actual neighbourhoods.

They are quite close to Blüdhaven as is so Bruce presses his comm until a call starts up. “Is this about the green alien buddy?” Is how Dick answers and Bruce just hums. “Some of the League is here but Superman is currently indisposed and Gordon wants something can you handle it?”

Dick sounds nothing if not excited hanging up with whoop and some mutters about how boring criminals were getting.

Sighing, he focuses back on Kal, cutting away more and more as he tries to clear out the wounds to the point where he could heal.

Nightwing is fast and uses his grapple hook to land gracefully beside Gordon. He’s nodding to whatever is being said before finding Bruce and taking off towards them. He lands with a very unnecessary backflip, grabbing Bruce’s cape for some reason. Probably another thing he managed to condition into his kids. Were they not paying attention to their surroundings, just hide behind his cape. Genius stuff from him, if he does say so himself.

“So,” Dick drawls, “one of the buildings destroyed was the federal prison.”

Bruce actually growls at that which is quite a subdued reaction for how he’s actually feeling. Dick simply continues. “I can get the gang, call the guys up and try cleaning up the streets.”

“Do not get Robin anywhere near actual danger,” he demands, “and do not let Red Hood kill anyone.”

Dick laughs before tugging his cape twice while he rehooks his grappling gun’s head.

However, in the next second Hal makes the decision to spare a group of cops and instead shoves the monster towards them. Dick, in a way he never would were he not standing next to Bruce, freezes up, kind of just staring at their impending doom. Bruce snarls towards Hal but it’s half hearted seeing the other option, while he picks Nightwing up in an actual fireman’s carry and drags Kal just out of the way.

Hal tumbles to the same roof while Wonder Woman also flies over just as Kal makes a whimpering sound and Bruce lets Nightwing back down from his shoulder.

For a second they all just stare at each other before Nightwing plasters on a wide smile. “Well that was embarrassing, sorry B, I’ll make sure Robbie is fine and little wing won’t kill anyone, I promise.” Dick just jumps off of the roof before aiming his grapple gun and Bruce grumbles about teaching him a lesson regarding safety later.

He goes back to Kal’s wound, rolling his eyes. “Is your monster no longer a problem?”

The other two take off instantly while Bruce picks up where he left off. Kal is looking a whole lot better by the time Bruce asks him one of the most important questions here. “Where did the Kryptonite come from?”

“Great question,” Clark is smiling up at him. “I have no idea, while we were trying to get the monster away from actual people, someone shot at me repeatedly. I did not see anyone though.”

“Something to investigate then.” Clark smiles at him more. “Yes, something to investigate. If only we’d still have the best detective.”

“You’re an investigative journalist, I’m sure you don’t need me.”

“Actually, quite alarmingly, I was tracing Luthor and he had visited Arkham twice this month.”

Bruce actually groans but does not say anything about the matter. He figures Clark takes it as his agreement to look into things.

Hal and Diana actually manage to draw back the monster enough to put more into the fight seeing that a rather large territory is already destroyed enough for them not to care. They end up taking it away and out into space. Bruce figures that’s for the best.

“Can you come up to look over what I have so far?” Kal is not being subtle about trying to lure Batman back to join the Justice League, then again, without going there he hasn’t connected the bunch as Bruce Wayne either, seeing that they still needed that investment, Bruce figures he should do that.

“I need to deal with the criminals who have escaped.” As if to mock him, that’s when Jason growls into his ear, cussing him out for his stupid no kill rule. Dick cuts in to claim that the police and guards have started the headcount but everyone should be rounded up with only a few who were gone fast enough that even if Bruce sets off now, he would not have too much of a chance anyways.

Tim also chimes in, mostly, as it seems, just to say something too, so just like Jason did, he focuses on his own task and claims to still be alive. Bruce gets a smile at hearing that, one that seems to make Kal freeze.

Ignoring that, he calls the kids to himself and finally turns back to Kal. “Can you stand?”

Clark had been soaking up the sun for quite a few minutes already and seems rather fit by the time his three children land on the roof with them.

Tim rushes over, talking about how he punched someone with his actual fist this time until he’s wrapped securely around Batman’s leg, half hidden in his cape while Jason is saying something quite passionately to Dick who’s just patiently nodding. Tim is soon talking about how he threw a brick that had been broken from one of the walls destroyed and how it knocked a person out but to make sure he picked it back up and broke their leg so Bruce reaches down to smooth his soft hair back, petting him. “Good job Rob.”

Tim absolutely beams at him after that taking off to jump onto Dick and tell him how Bruce just praised him. Jason rolls his eyes but Bruce can tell he’s amused. “Calm your tits replacement,” he looks Bruce over before crossing his arms. “What about you old man? Got too comfortable to fight?”

Bruce does not answer but he does reach over and under the hood to pet Jason too. “Good job from you too.”

Jason looks mildly horrified but does not react when Dick reaches them and grabs onto Bruce’s cape again while Tim wraps back around his leg.

“So is that everything?” They all look at him as one and that’s the moment Clark chooses to speak as well. “I thought Batman only works alone.”

Dick obviously tries to temp down his usual hero worship, he’s done well at the Watchtower and clearly he’s using the same disdain held for Clark for rejecting Bruce to deliver a nonchalant shrug. Tim claims that Batman needs them while Jason continues to sulk. “He’s clearly not alone dipshit,” is what he says and when Tim repeats it, Bruce gives a withering glare with his lips forming tight lines which finally puts a smirk onto Jason’s face.

“Can you come up now?” Clark asks and Dick is instantly on edge. “Up? To the Watchtower? B, you said you quit.”

Bruce just hums, his hand having gone back to Tim’s hair at some point. “I did.”

“What about the case?” Kal tries and Jason rounds on him. “So this is about work? Cool, we’ll all come then.”

Bruce sighs, already saying no, but Dick is now grinning, claiming it a great idea and Tim is getting hyper from excitement, running between all three of them. “No,” Bruce repeats but Tim’s lower lip starts to wobble as he whines. “Please?”

Jason is snarling until he watches Bruce’s lips fold into themselves at Tim’s expression at which point he clearly decides to value tactics over his dignity and pulls out the biggest puppy eyes known to mankind.

Truthfully, everyone always assumes that Dick is the best at giving that pleading look but he does not even need to do it, not when Jason asks him anything. Really, Bruce has folded as soon as his kids got excited and they all know it.

“I’ll come up sometime soon.” He growls and Dick smiles with a wave at Clark. “We all will.”

They all go to the Watchtower as Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin. Bruce cannot even make himself look too miserable with all his kids so observant of the new space. Tim is all over the place and is dragging Dick with which is downright precious but Jason is also looking around, clearly curious and looking years younger for it.

John and Arthur do not seem to be present but everyone else is and they all fall completely silent. Luckily, the kids make it impossible for things to get too awkward seeing that Tim is back hanging off of Bruce, talking a mile a minute while Dick put Jason into a headlock for some reason. They are just speaking properly so Bruce has no idea what that is about.

“So, you told me to research something.” Is what he says as he sits down, before adding for his children’s sake. “Do not touch anything, and you’re not allowed to wander alone.”

There is a moment where all his kids fall silent, and Bruce hands out a few glares when Tim puts a finger on Hal’s chair to be instantly contrary and Jason looks towards the door like he’s judging if he’d get out faster than Bruce.

In the end the glares win as Tim starts off forfeiting by listening and rushing over to throw his hands up in a clear gesture to be picked up which Bruce easily complies with.

Looking around Jason shrugs and at the lack of other options just shoves Tim to the side and sits in his lap as well, using Bruce’s other leg while Dick jumps onto the table in the same manner he did the last time just no longer in the Batman suit.

Bruce grabs the laptop ahead of him (quite the downgrade) and drums his fingers when it is taking ages for it to even load a page. Clearly already bored Jason and Dick start to talk, now Dick’s feet are on Jason’s thigh while Tim pops up one of his batarangs and is entertaining himself with it.

“Oh, these suck.” Bruce groans when the computer freezes again and Hal decides then that he’s in a good enough mood (for some reason) to take the piss. “Well if you didn’t storm off with our ones then I guess you wouldn’t have problems.”

Bruce does not deem that with an answer but Dick does turn around. “And who paid for those?”

Hal laughs. “I guess Spooky’s sugar daddy did.” Dick looks rather horrified. “What?”

Scarily Bruce sees the exact moment Jason understands that the League thinking Bruce is dating Batman is because of how he acts with Dick and he instantly groans.

Jason, Jason on the other hand gets the biggest grin known to man kind. “Yes,” he almost shouts, “yes, how’s papa Brucie doing?”

“Shut up!” Bruce’s groan only spurs him on. “No, oh no, I’m never letting you live that down. B, this is,” he actually leaves it there though seeing that he’s doubling over and laughing so much that Bruce worries he might choke to death.

Tim stops for a moment and looks between them. “Dad, they think you date Bruce Wayne?”

Jason doubles over anew, Tim is trying to get in on the joke and why it’s funny if Bruce would be dating himself while Dick is just smiling at them like he’s the adult here and amused at his dumb kids.

“Jesus, you have a kid?” Barry had been ignoring them, well pretending to, but now he seems slightly horrified. Bruce notes that everything is finally loaded so he ignores this conversation in favour of looking through what Clark had found. Funnily, it’s Jason who answers. “He has three dipshit, can’t you see?”

Bruce freezes and really he will never take accountability for his action in that moment because his heart literally does a complicated set of tumbling and his eyes mist over a little which thankfully cannot be seen under the cowl. He does react viscerally, so Jason definitely loses some badass points because he all but chokes from the way Bruce crushes him into a hug. Tim cheers and worms under his arm until Bruce puts it around him and gets him into the hug at which point Dick outright pouts. “I’m feeling left out now.”

Bruce opens his arm again, just one to keep Jason in the hug against his will, and Dick dives in almost up setting the entire chair. “I think you lot are too big for this now.”

Tim shouts his disagreement, Dick also laughs and says ‘nope’ and even though there are no words from him, Jason does actually get his arm around Bruce, the other holding onto Tim.

“How does this make any sense?” Hal asks but now it’s Tim who answers. “How does it not dipshit?”

He kind of has a lisp around the word and Bruce yanks Jason back into his own chokehold when he tries to shimmy away. “I told you to watch your language.”

“God, sorry B, not my fault that the little replacement repeats everything I say, I’m just that iconic.”

Bruce does a commendable job at not laughing while Dick sits back on the table and turns to Kal which is alarming enough to have Bruce ease up to the point that Jason gets away.

“So you really thought Bruce and dad were dating? Just because they looked comfortable?” It was not Clark who answers but Diana. “The two of them did seem closer than mere acquaintances.”

“That’s still a wild fucking conclusion.” Jason chimes in, and Tim nods from Bruce’s lap. “Yes, that’s fucking wild. I’m eleven and I figured out who Batman was years ago,” he turns to Jason like he holds all the secrets to the world. “Are aliens not very smart?”

Jason smirks but Bruce cuts in. “Do not call people aliens and don’t call them dumb either!”

Jason rolls his eyes again but wiggles his eyebrows at Tim. Dick looks back to Clark who shrugs. “I never even said that I think that, but Bats is right, it would not be my business either ways.”

Diana pulls a face at that. “Batman did overreact, I merely asked a question.”

“I guess,” Dick pulls his legs under him so now he’s just fully sitting on the table. “I don’t see it that way. If you take Bruce, he had met his soulmate who looked horrified, rejected him and in all technicalities called him a whore. While B never even asked to be involved.”

Hal frowns at that. “Yeah, he said he did not want his own soulmate either but then why have three kids? How is that not a weakness?”

Jason snarls, “I can show you how in case you don’t get it.” Bruce does not even look up. “Red Hood, do not dare to throw that.”

Hal actually laughs. “You think he could hurt me with a silly knife?” Jason actually throws it, missing Hal but only just, Bruce moves along, covering Tim’s eyes. The explosion takes out an entire wall. Bruce groans. “Who do you think will pay for that?”

“Well they can try to find their own sugar daddy, Bruce is ours.” Jason sounds downright nasty about it and Bruce rolls his eyes anew. He decides not to comment.

There is a moment of silence, the League still eying the missing wall until Tim grabs his cape and tugs. “Dad, can I have one of those too?”

Bruce sends another glare towards Jason who smirks right back, before petting Tim twice. “A little later.”

The kids occupy themselves again while the League tries to act like they are not actively losing their shit until Tim speaks up. “I’m hungry.”

Bruce halts again, looking at the clock while Jason groans loudly. “Dude me too, starving really.”

Bruce soothes as he tries to type faster. “Just a little bit and we can go.” In the meantime, he does pull out an ziplock bag of cookies that he dearly hopes he won’t regret.

The kids are truly occupied after that, lunching away while he saves some of Kal’s research onto a pendrive. “We’ll take our leave, I’ll talk to you Kal, none of you are allowed in Gotham still.”

The kids all jump to their feet, excited and bit overcharges on sugar, while Bruce tries to power down and groans. “I’ll fix the wall and the tech, I just did not want my info up here.”

Bruce has to go back as Bruce Wayne. And this time the presence does not seem too pressing, seeing that Batman quit, but Dick is there dressed in Batman’s suit and Jason is also there dressed as Red Hood. Just as Bruce is about to put his foot down, Tim rushes over, dressed in his Robin suit and he kind of just deflates.

The kids grin at him.

They make their way over to where he knows the full League is waiting for him. Tim asked to be carried so that’s what Bruce is doing while Jason seems to try and unclip Batman’s cape for some reason and Dick is being remarkably patient about it.

Bruce does not offer any handshakes or much else really this time around, he just nods once and this time he allows Dick to take the seat. He tries to hand Tim over but he whines and holds on tighter so Dick smiles and waves him off. There is one more chair, clearly meant for Bruce in case Batman showed up but within a second Barry carries in another two even though Tim is obviously not about to detach from him. No one seems to want and take any chances.

This time it’s Clark who makes an attempt with the slides and if Bruce so dares to say, it’s worse than what Dick had presented him, so much so that he kind of just sits still and stares for a few seconds even though they have reached the end. The funny thing is that Bruce still sent them his plans and even the previous ppt so they could use it. No one is trained for business at the League but half of them are geniuses.

The silence is getting louder and Jason starts to fidget a bit like he can hardly hold back his sass. Bruce exhales slowly nodding once and then turning to Dick. He has never meant to but this isn’t going to work without him overseeing this and it’d be a lot easier as Batman. “Thoughts?” He asks and instead of Batman, it’s Jason who answers seemingly incapable of stopping himself. “And prayers girl.”

Dick clears his throat, trying to hide a laugh while Bruce gets suspicious and looks down to a way too quiet Tim, only to see he has fallen asleep, completely knocked out with his fist inside his suit jacket. He sighs again and turns back to Dick. “I could,” Dick starts probably squinting at Bruce, “I could oversee it, without rejoining, of course.”

“Why not rejoin? Why did you leave at all?” Oliver is the one to ask but Dick is a bit too focused on trying to read what Bruce is trying to telepathically tell him to notice being addressed. Jason, of course, is not.

“Why the fuck do you all even want B here if you are so bloody uncomfortable around him?”

“We are not uncomfortable,” Kal rushes to rectify while Diana defends her actions from back then like she always does. It truly is admirable. “He reacted rashly, we could have just talked.”

“No, Bruce,” Dick suddenly claims, “Bruce will oversee it.” Bruce gives him a look that should say it all. It’s not even disappointment, it’s something even worse and Dick huffs. “Dude, just fucking tell me then.”

Bruce rolls his eyes and considers the rest for a second. For the first time since he looked at Kal and saw that horrified, pained expression out on the streets all those years ago, Bruce’s eyes lock onto Clark’s. Within the cowl, Clark would hardly ever know if Bruce is looking at him at all but this time it’s clear. He figures he might as well drop at least one facade.

“What you just said, none of that made sense you know that right? It’s not an investment since it’d never have profit but the way you have put it on a demand of transfer and account maintenance, it would actually be millions of useless expenses every year. Why would you even word it like that? I believe what you want is an expansion, right? So ask for that.”

“See,” Hal suddenly stands up and his voice is so loud that Tim jerks awake. “This is why we all thought you were dating, Spooky just asked you for money, right after buying him car might I add, while Kal at least tried!”

Jason grabs just the important bit in that shout. “You bought Dickhead a car? I want a car!” Bruce actually sighs, dropping his head only to see Tim blinking up at him. “Can I have one too?”

Dick tries to instantly defuse the situation. “Guys, that is different, I got a car because I’m an adult.” Bruce sighs again, since (obviously) wrong thing to say. As Jason starts screaming with Dick, Bruce rubs at his eyes. Tim just blinks at his brothers then back at Bruce. “I might be okay without a car.” He soothes and Bruce actually smiles at him. “Thanks Robbie.”

Tim beams back before he shoves his hand back into his jacket and seemingly goes straight back to sleep. Why did he even want to come?!

“Robin,” he says, not loud but firm enough and just like he had meticulously trained them, all three of his kids snap at attention, Tim almost tripping in his haste to wake up enough and stand. Bruce gives a withering glare to each before beckoning Tim back. Jason scrunches his nose at him and Dick clears his throat. “Anyways,” he says like nothing happened. “I will oversee it, end of story.”

Hal actually laughs. “You guys are actually insane, also are we just ignoring that Bruce Wayne, most incompetent ceo, just said all of that?”

“Hal,” Bruce says, his voice dead cold, the sudden realisation that he knows his identity hangs above the rest as well, it seems. “What do you reckon happens to people a little too competent in Gotham?”

“So it’s all an act is what you’re saying?”

“No, I reckon I’m just a dumb whore.” Bruce covers Tim’s ears but both Jason and Dick go rigid. Neither of them look too friendly all of a sudden as if daring anyone to say a single word.

“Let us,” Diana stands back up as well, looking towards Bruce not unkindly, “not devolve into this again. We don’t know you, point taken. I don’t even need to, Bats clearly thinks highly enough of you to keep around so no, actually I do not particularly buy you being dumb anymore Bruce.”

Bruce decidedly does not say anything to that but he leans forward enough to grab the strap on Jason’s pants that holds an assortments of knives while using his other hand to grab Dick’s cape and pull both of them closer. They do not ease up exactly but they do step down visibly. They also, notably both stay standing and Bruce has to shove the throw knife back into Jason’s holster when he notices him still holding it.

He nods once and turns back to look between Diana and Clark. “Whether I’m dumb or not, I do actually run my company and it’s still around, to do an account transfer is a loss I won’t allow, but the original plan, I can finance,” Bruce stands, holding Tim closer and shifting his hands a bit. “You lot can talk it over, make your choice, you have, you have Batman’s original plans, I reckon those would be the best but ultimately your choice, you can get in contact with me through my assistant.”

Bruce nods again and starts walking. Jason is just there, moving so in sync with him that Bruce worries he could not even deny that he raised him if someone felt inclined to point it out while Dick is on his other side, similarly in sync but also grabbing ahold of him like terrible things happen in case he lets go.

Superman enters Gotham again but seems singleminded in his aim to reach Batman. Bruce stops at a roof and crosses his arms to show his disdain against the idea of Kal trespassing. Clark hardly has the decency to look even a bit scared.

“I’m sorry for coming without permission.” Clark starts, looking like he means it. “I just, B, I wanted to apologise. Diana means good but she is not right in this and I’m sorry about the rest as well, and the way I had been acting. Actually, I think I was mostly wrong about Bruce Wayne, I don’t even mean the obvious as to how we don’t get how much of his public persona is fake and by the looks of it, clearly a lot is. But I did not in my own misery ever really stop to consider how Bruce would feel about having me as soulmate. I mean it’s not like I’m such a catch.”

Bruce sits with all of that for a second, before he turns to face Kal fully. He appears like he still has much to say but Bruce is already asking his own question. “Why tell this to me?”

“Actually, I thought that my feelings for you proved my point, the way I clicked with you, that was what I always imagined having a soulmate, not really easy or mushy but instant and deep and almost indescribable.” Bruce just tilts his head which spurs Clark on. “Actually, I was thinking if maybe you could talk to Bruce for me.”

Bruce’s entire world screeches to a halt and he knows Kal notices it too which instantly makes him start babbling again. “Is that weird? It’s weird, right? Fuck, I just, I think, I just wanted to talk to Bruce and obviously you are close with him, enough to have your kids around him which cannot be said for the rest of us seeing that we did not even know they existed. And I just, I’m not saying I want to date him, I still like you too much, it’d be unfair. I just, I thought someone like him would not care for soulmate but being around him for a little and watching him with your kids, I just, he, neither of you deserve this, you deserve better and, and Bruce Wayne certainly does too. At least, if nothing else, I, at least, owe him closure. So do you think you’d help me?”

Bruce sits with all of that for some time too, it’s not that he hates Clark, he never truly did but he is not in any shape ready to actually talk about this. Everyone is always so quick to write him down and in many ways he does understand. Yet Bruce never actually looked down on people like he’s looked down upon. He has never looked down on Oli even when he was actually a terrible, spoiled person. He never really sees people as two dimensional but people see him as Brucie Wayne and they see just that. Or people see him as Batman and just that.

Clark is giving him puppy eyes which Bruce does not appreciate and even though it’s not Jason’s, it’s not even close to any of his kids’s, clearly Bruce is weaker than he likes to give himself credit for. “I’ll ask,” he ends up saying, “but no promises. Bruce might be smarter than you have thought but that does not make him a relationship type.”

“No, no, I know,” Clark already looks way too grateful for his taste. “All I want is to apologise and speak to him, that’s all I promise.” There is a pause before Clark braves the next part. “B, are you sure it’s okay? You two did seem very close.”

“Kal, I promise you, never in this life would I date Bruce Wayne, actually one day you might understand why that’s the most absurd thing that you could have assumed. For me, us, Batman is family, Bruce is family, my children think this way and I think of it like that, it does not mean much else.”

Clark invites Bruce to the Watchtower through Batman, who has not rejoined, yet is suspiciously involved in more and more League business that absolutely no one but him can handle only for it to be a petty thief and what not. Bruce allows himself to be cajoled but is yet to commit to the bit again.

Dick is all too ecstatic to come again but Bruce waves him off. “I can manage on my own this time.”

Bruce is firm in this like always and he is nothing if not a strict parent.

Him and Dick are walking towards the main room where only Kal should be present but Diana is also there, bent over the table and gesturing wildly at Kal. Bruce raises an eyebrow and Dick strangely steps ahead of him like he needs protecting when Wonder Woman is involved.

Kal notices first, probably having heard them, and waves her away, clearly aware that it’s not the best to have her near these delicate situations. As she passes, Dick suddenly straightens further and speaks up. “I’ll actually see the lady out, come find me when you’re done B.”

Bruce tries to grab ahold of him but is one breath too late and is left to reevaluate his life. Why did he ever think it smart to have kids again?!

Clark clears his throat and Bruce whirls back to face him. Right. One crisis at a time.

“Thank you for coming, I didn’t know B would come with you.” Kal pauses like he thinks it odd to use that for Batman when Batman keeps calling Bruce that but shakes it off. “I guess I’ve really made a mess here, ha?”

Bruce just raises an eyebrow but otherwise stays quiet. Neither of them move to sit down. Clark continues. “I’m sure B explained the gist, but I just wanted to apologise to you, and to explain if that’s okay?”

With few other options, Bruce lets some of the tension go from his shoulders and finally moves to sit down. This is bad enough as is. Kal follows his example and then jumps straight into it.

“First I really do want to apologise, and I know that I’ve made judgments about you harshly and unfairly but it mostly was not even about you. I just, I guess I saw you as not even a burden like B likes to call his soulmate but a barrier. It seemed like your mere existence was suddenly barricading me in and cutting me off from what I wanted. Well, wait, I have not even started there, I have been engaged when we met.” Bruce almost feels inclined to chuckle but he is not that good at compartmentalising. Not yet.

“I had been engaged and don’t get me wrong, it didn’t end because I met you, actually, well I really don’t know how much B has told you about me, but basically it started with that and my very initial reaction was just due to how unfair it all felt. I loved my fiancé, I still do, I love her a lot and the fact that suddenly you were just there, it felt like the first step down the wrong road, kind of when you start to realise that the gps really did you dirty and it has been hours and once you regroup you realise you are farther from the destination than when you started out…” Kal kind of stops there like he, himself, is getting lost in whatever the hell he is even talking about.

Bruce takes pity.

“Batman did tell me that you want to give me closure but I’ll be honest Kal, I don’t understand a thing you are trying to say so far.” He offers graciously while Clark seems to get distracted for some reason. Bruce tries to not feel fond of him. “Basically, you were engaged while I’m known to not settle, not even date. Why are we having this conversation?”

“Well, well I guess I thought,” he trails off again and Bruce arches his brows waiting him out this time. Clark kind of disappoints him. “I just wanted to clear it up with you.”

Bruce smiles, obviously fake but a smile no less as he starts to stand. “Consider me all cleared up. If that is all.” He motions behind himself but Clark also stands. “I just, you don’t have to tell me but I also, I guess I wanted to know if it would have been different?”

“What would?”

“If I did not react like that, would you have tried? For your soulmate?” Bruce knows his next words are going to be cruel but for some reason he almost feels like he has the right to them. He has the right to hurt Kal back at least a little after everything he put Bruce through.

“I do not think it wise that you’ve asked because I’m fake in many ways but do not tend to lie for the sake of it.” Bruce pauses, turning wholly towards Clark and giving him a chance to take it back. A chance that Clark does not take. “I did not need to change anything, I did a lot of dumb things in my life, I’ve slept around a lot but not nearly as much as you might think. I wasn’t much for relationships because I’m not an easy person to love, no one really managed to be honest but I did think you would. But then I met you.”

Bruce looks away from Clark, not too keen to watch him anymore, Clark knows he’s being honest. “I don’t think you are a bad person, but I thought, I thought that if no one else, my soulmate surely would make an effort to at least try even if I’m so unlovable. I had little but the words you told me, I thought, I guess I thought that whenever I meet you and you save me, I guess I figured that would be for me and not just because that’s what you do, because you are Superman. I guess we were both disappointed, you are stuck with Bruce Wayne, and I am stuck with a hero.”

Bruce finds Dick easily, he’s laughing at something Barry is saying who in close correlation to such looks like he’s meeting a god. Well perhaps bad analogy because Barry had not looked that besotted when meeting gods. Bruce smiles lightly and touches both of their shoulders.

Dick whirls to him, smiling even wider but then he sees the tears. Bruce cries sometimes but he is also scarily good at regulating his emotions and only a few circumstances can he name where he cried in front of his kids. Bruce grabs him as he seems to set off to beat Kal up and shakes his head. “This is closure.”

Dick stays the night at the Manor and Bruce is way too happy about having all three of his boys under one roof again.

The issue with their beautiful closure is simple. They keep seeing each other left and right. Kal is still all over Batman, who is involved in basically every League business currently, and he is alone at still pretending he is not a part of it.

At a charity gala, Bruce even runs into Clark and there is very real awkwardness in the way he fumbles when realising he’s facing Bruce. He cannot tell if Clark thinks if Bruce would know or not, but he clearly is going about this with the assumption that Bruce does not know his identity and Bruce goes along with him.

There is something truly magnificent about the way Clark is pretending to be a journalist who is not his soulmate, while Bruce is pretending that he does not know Kal’s identity. It gets even more exciting when Jason appears out of literally nowhere, wearing such an impressive glare that Bruce could take notes about it. “And you are,” he sneers in a way Bruce reckons is undeniably charged and should not be directed at a stranger. Bruce smiles like his son is not acting like someone he does not know is the devil. “This is Mr Kent Jay, he’s a reporter, say hi.”

Jason’s next withering look is aimed at Bruce. “Oh we’re doing it this way.” Bruce just nods and continues to smile. It is genuinely terrifying how kind Jason looks in the next moment, smiling as he leans into Bruce. “Pleasure to meet you Mr Lint.”

“Kent,” Bruce corrects even though it’s obvious that Jason did not make a mistake. He said exactly what he wanted. Clark, even if looking mildly terrified, takes it in strides and accepts the hand Jason offers. Bruce grabs Jason’s wrist like he fears he might try to start something but Jason is very luke warm about the hand shake, not even properly closing his hand. The idea he does not even think Clark worthy to touch him intensifies when he wipes his palm and then shuffles it around to hold Bruce’s hand instead of having his grip around his wrist. Jason is still smiling. “What type of journalism?”

“Investigative,” Bruce offers, “I believe Mr Kent here wrote quite a lot about Superman even.”

Jason’s face is truly a wonder after that as it twists and hardly seems able to settle between disgust, disdain, and genuine horror. “Sounds beyond pleasant,” he mutters like he cannot think of a single thing more unpleasant than writing about Superman. Bruce chides him softly to be kind. Jason ignores his attempt and turns back to Clark. “And you’re talking to B, why?”

Clark, admirably, does not disintegrate under the gaze that Jason holds on him as he raises his notepad while Bruce is doing his best not to preen at being addressed by such a tone. Jason has a thing about fronts and Bruce is here to take anything he can. “Asking for quotes.”

“Is there a lot to investigate here?”

“I’m covering for a colleague of mine.” Jason’s voice sounds incredibly convincing by then so it’s all the more painful how deadpanned he looks. He’s either saying terrible things with the kindest looks or the kindest things while looking like that. “How very, truly kind of you, and that’s what you are right? A kind man.”

“Jason,” Bruce’s voice has a true warning now and Jason tightens his hold but steps back. Both physically and clearly from the conversation too as he simply disengages from there. Bruce doubts Clark genuinely believed that Bruce didn’t know, but if he did, now he certainly can’t.

Bruce’s smile is just as polite as before. “Did I give you what you needed?” Clark takes a second before he looks down. “You have not yet given me a quote.”

“Oh,” Bruce claims, lighting up, “oh, great wonderful, thank you for your time Mr Kent, Jason?”

“Yes, thanks, this day wasn’t bad enough as is.” Bruce ignores his son and drags him away. Clark does not even look disappointed, after all, Bruce Wayne is known as the press’s worst nightmare for a reason, he could not have genuinely expected to get anything out of him.

Batman is trying very hard to focus on doing his research and setting up his plan (and all eleven back up plans he has already thought of), this is just made exceedingly hard when the League seems hell-bent on gossiping. Not just any gossiping either, it’s yet again about Bruce Wayne.

Maybe Bruce needs to dramatically leave the League again…seems inevitable. He is still yet to officially rejoin as is.

“So speak to him and ask for a chance.” Diana says, perhaps truly believing that she’s being reasonable. Bruce thinks she’s too pretty and likeable for her own good because being that blunt would never work out for an average person. Barry seems to agree with him on that at least. “Well, maybe you should give some space, it sounds like, from what you said, like he needs it.”

Arthur cuts in. “I missed a lot, but wasn’t he supposed to be a slut?”

“Do not speak like that,” Clark groans but Hal shrugs his warning off. “Same difference, I also don’t get it, wasn’t this what you wanted? Closure for the playboy and your consciousness can be free from the ordeal of having been a jerk.” Clark glares and it only gets worse when Hal adds on like he just had an ingenious thought.

“He was probably lying too.” Oliver is the one to answer that. “Actually, from what I can tell it seems to check out.”

“Weren’t you the one who said he was so good in bed?” Oli shrugs this off. “We go off all the time, suits both of our reputations, but I have never been with Bruce, I was obviously joking. When we’re together and we take girls with us too, he just drives them home, if anything.”

Hal groans. “Well if he’s such a saint, then why the fuck does he have the reputation to begin with?”

Oliver sounds defensive now. “He did have some casual flings but how does that define his character, also have you ever thought about what it was even fucking like? He watched his own parents get murdered.”

“God, we all went through some shit, I did too and you don’t see me be an ass about it.”

Clark cuts in then, his expression now truly pissed off. “We don’t? Are you an ass just for the kick of it?” Hal starts to fire back but Oliver cuts him off again.

“Have you never seen the videos of the Graysons. Bruce adopted the child technically on the spot after what happened, you can tell from the way he hugs the kid that it does fucking affect him. Why does he need to bury his trauma to begin with? As I see it, Wayne Enterprises is one of the most successful company in the country and it’s not like it’s for no reason, he’s good at what he does but he also pays attention. His employees all have fair wage, full benefits, he donates millions if not billions every year and he took in a bunch of orphans because he can afford it. He pays for a bunch of kids’s education and entire orphanages are founded by his company to begin with. Why the fuck would I care if he sleeps around at all? Why would that make him a bad person?”

There is a silence after that and Bruce actually stands up and just leaves when the League starts watching the video of the Graysons’s accident. Objectively, he knows it’s on the internet, Bruce had shoved one camera out of someone’s hand, but the idea makes him feel sick. The idea that Dick might have seen the videos, that they could come up at any point in time, that people look at him the way they always did at Bruce. Like the tragedy is a spectacle, and what’s left is something to ogle.

Superman comes to meet him that very night and Bruce finds it impressive how guilty he looks for no reason except being present and defending Bruce Wayne. Funnily enough, Oliver appears from behind him and Bruce tries not to laugh at the idea that Kal gave him a piggy back ride.

“You know,” Oliver starts with a smile, “you’re not really beating those dating allegations.”

Bruce smiles back. “You know, compared to how much you all bitch about how close I am to Bruce Wayne you certain don’t seem cautious about what will happen if you show me a video about one of his kids going through the most traumatic event of his life.”

There is a moment of silence. Clark, wondrously, manages to look a hundred times more guilty while Oli chuckles a bit awkwardly. “All right,” Oliver claps. “Not my best ice breaker, cool, we will just move on from that. So,” Bruce just stares and Oliver folds fast. “Come on man, give me something to work with.”

Rolling his eyes even though no one can see, Bruce turns away, reaiming his grapple gun. “I actually left because my kid asked me for help, see you lot later.”

Clark catches him mid swing and they both kind of just ignore Oliver’s indignant cries for being left on a roof top. Bruce, somehow, manages to portray his distaste with the situation enough that Clark mumbles. “I’ll take you there, sorry, I’ll leave right after.”

“You don’t even know where my kid is.” Kal pauses mid air and kind of just flips him around like he weighs nothing and Bruce is suddenly thinking about that night and how devastated Clark looked.

He looks nothing like that right now but Bruce reckons that’s all water under the bridge.

As they go around the next corner, this time Kal is guided by Bruce, Batman’s comm starts going off repeatedly. He looks down then up at Clark. “Super speed, now.”

As they touch down, the most terrifying part is that Jason stopped sending messages and is very much appearing to be on the brim of death. At which state, he seemingly stopped caring about much as he repeatedly calls out for his dad.

Bruce’s entire world narrows down, his whole being seems to go cold and his mind flicks into an analytical state so fast he seems to forget even his son’s name for a second.

Within seconds he’s made a plan, and another and another, Jason seems to be half certain that calling for Bruce will solve everything, and half resigned to death.

“Dad,” he whispers and the crowbar swings in the Joker’s hand and Bruce is simply there. He just appears right smack ahead and the bar rings down heavy against him but he does not even feel it.

He grabs it out of the Joker’s hand and starts beating him with it. Clark seems to start and take care of the rest for Bruce’s plans seem to fail as he just keeps bringing the crowbar down again and again and again.

Frankly, he’s not sure the Joker is even alive by that point, but there is further commotion and his single minded focus gets disrupted when a gunshot rings aloud along the pier. The last of the little ensemble makes a run for it while Clark busies himself with stopping serious damage to one of the cargo ships before taking off after the people. The man who shot Kal changes his mind in the last moment and stops his mad dash enough to aim the gun at Jason who’s still tied at the edge of the dock.

Bruce moves, crowbar still in hand and smacks the man down just as he fires the gun.

The bullet does not harm Jason, but it hits him and the detonation is clearly enough to have him lose his balance. “Dad,” he shouts and in the next second there is a huge splash. His son, his son who is tied and beaten severely, is in deep water.

His son is drowning.

Bruce runs and jumps in without a second thought or even a single look. It is technically the wrong move to make because someone clearly planned to throw people down here, as the water is in a small metal cage that creates a pool. They do not actually fall into the river at all, they fall into a trap. A trap that clearly is meant to be a ballast tank.

The first issue Bruce has with aerated water is that he cannot see anything. Luckily, the tank is rather small, and using the fact that it is filled with air in the form of bubbles to his advantage, Bruce sinks to the bottom easily where he finds Jason.

Now, he can go about the issue at hand as he makes quick work of cutting off Jason’s confines.

Ballast tanks are made to absorb impact, which in return creates aerated water. Water that is essentially impossible to swim in. Now, it is not that black and white of course, but the chances of Bruce not only making it up to the top but taking Jason with are not the best.

However, as it’s their very purpose, the tank moves a lot, it rocks and the water inside creates waves which are creating those bubbles. Bruce grabs Jason and pulls him down further. He bends his legs and grabs Jason’s to bend those as well. Jason grabs on and Bruce takes he gets it so he kicks off as hard as he can after tapping Jason to warn him to do the same.

They do not make it to the top but Bruce swims and drags Jason along. In essence it’s impossible to float in aerated water but it’s not impossible to swim in it, one’s chances are just not that great.

They make it high enough to where the waves help them move but the issue with those is that they are uncontrollable. They are currently shoving them towards the middle probably since Bruce no longer feels any walls. The tank was not too large but since it’s still impossible to see anything, he truly does not know where they are.

Jason actually had been helping a lot and Bruce only realises how much when he goes limp. Bruce only has so much oxygen left himself as he clamps his palm against Jason’s mouth, pinching his nose, so he uses his own supply to open his mouth and scream Clark’s name. It does not particularly work under water but Clark has super hearing for a reason.

Bruce manages to stay conscious even though he inhales water which should not have happened were he not trying to scream while Kal is clearly smarter than Bruce and actually looks before diving in. Instead, Clark ruins this perfect plan to kill them by being Superman who was never meant to be anywhere near Gotham and he simply picks the entire tank out of the water and dumps is out, plucking Bruce and Jason up easily from there.

Bruce spares two second to lightly choke as he coughs up some water before he crawls to Jason and shoves his fingers into his mouth, turning him and hitting his back repeatedly. Jason coughs too and as he chokes while Bruce accidentally makes him throw up, he actually breathes as well and Bruce is crying in a way that he probably hasn’t since he was a child and watched the people he loved the most die.

He cradles Jason as he slowly stops choking and lets go of everything else, sobbing as he tries to focus on Jason’s chest that keeps expending due to his heaving breaths. He’s alive, he is alive, and he will be fine.

After a while Jason recovers enough to cling to him and Kal comes closer asking if they are all right. Bruce waves him off. “I’m taking him to the hospital.” Jason seems still out of it, at least enough to not even protest, he just continues to cling onto Bruce in the manner he had called for him. As if Jason was suddenly a child again, crying for his dad to save him.

Bruce has just enough whereabouts that after calling the Batmobile, he turns back to Clark. “Thank you,” he says, voice sounding ridiculous with him crying with the mod on. He doesn’t care. “You saved his life, thank you Clark.”

Kal doesn’t say anything, he just smiles and grabs Bruce’s shoulder. Bruce sees him follow them to the hospital and watches as Kal disappears when Bruce parks in an alley.

He gets Jason changed, peeling off the suit and trying not to panic at the amount of blood that he uncovers then he gets out of his own suit too. They rush into the hospital, thankfully with Jason still mailable enough.

Bruce calls Alfred and Dick and within an hour both his kids and Alfred are there with him and Jason is back to himself enough that he is glaring and berating Bruce for taking him to the hospital and how bad this looks and Bruce just kind of hugs him, he hugs him so tight that Jason stops talking and Tim is clutching at Dick because Bruce is crying again.

He had almost lost his boy.

Bruce did not actually kill the Joker which was impressive from the man, but definitely ensured that he would not be doing much planning from his Arkham cell seeing that he had probably just one too many broken bones to think of anything but how much it hurt to even breathe.

He also may have gone a bit overboard about protecting his kids and teaching them a hundred new scenarios that they absolutely must be able to handle. They had been putting up with him so far probably because Bruce kept having nightmares and the kids figured them listening to him might help ease his mind.

Tim still often slept with him but Jason had stopped a while back, he used to fall asleep around Bruce, unlike living on the streets, Bruce, he deemed safe enough but he had never outright come to his room because he couldn’t sleep.

Now it is either because Bruce had been the one to pick up that habit, habitually and sporadically checking on Jason, opening his bedroom door, going in to check his breathing, sometimes even just watching to make sure he wouldn’t stop, or perhaps just his own trauma from the event but Jason put a stop to his new habit by coming over himself. Bruce got a bit more sleep that way, Tim stopped waking up when Bruce left him to wander into Jason’s room and Jason also mellowed out about the idea if the way he fell asleep within seconds was anything to go off of.

Dick is spending more time over as well which also does wonders for Bruce’s sanity.

He’s out and about on the street as Bruce Wayne when he notices commotion. Bruce disappears into the first shadow calling the Batmobile from its nearby hiding place and donning the suit lightning fast.

Batman’s arrival is hardly expected, especially seeing that it’s broad daylight, but Bruce heard a child crying and he just acted on instinct from there.

The crime itself is easy enough to handle, Bruce drops off a bunch of thugs at a police car he finds but intervening lands him unsupervised with a toddler. The little boy was a bit jostled around while Batman fought off the people, but now he’s blinking huge eyes up at him as he attaches to the Bat logo and cries loudly. “I was not the one,” with other variations of the same words, Bruce slowly realises that the kid in his hands is using Farsi and not English which makes him not only freeze but truly reevaluate his life.

The child cannot be taken to the police because firstly, they wouldn’t know what to do about finding his parents and secondly there is no way anyone at the police speaks Farsi. Essentially, the kid is stuck with Bruce until he learns English or Batman finds his parents himself.

“You are all right now, I’ll try to find your parents.” There is some more crying while Bruce lets the Batmobile take them back to the Manor. By the time they reach it, the kid calms enough to just be weepy and cling to Bruce. He seemed a bit terrified so Bruce had taken off the cowl and that had probably helped.

“Can you tell me your name?” The kid smears some snot onto his kevlar plating before offering a response, sounding as resigned to his company as toddler can get. “Damian.”

The way he pronounces it almost makes it sound like he’s saying demon, which makes Bruce smile. “How old are you Damian?”

“Almost five.”

“How and where did you separate from your parents?” The kid pauses and Bruce notes, he is even more intelligent than the toddlers he has met previously. “They are dead, I have nothing.”

He speaks rather childlike in his pronunciation yet uses words that seem too big for even a Farsi child. Bruce just nods like he acknowledges this. “All right, do you know who did it? Who brought you here?”

“I did not see.” Bruce nods again while doing a grand job at balancing a sticky toddler and removing his suit. “Do you have anyone I can find for you?”

“I’m alone.”

“I fear you have to stay with me then, is that all right?” Damian does not look almost five when he pulls his nose high. “No one understands, seems like not a choice.”

Bruce starts taking the stairs while trying to look kind and approachable. “Fair enough.”

Alfred stares at him like he’s forming words to resign in his head when Bruce appears with a toddler in hand. Bruce puts on yet another grin. “Alfred, do you think we could get some food for a four-year-old? Also some other supplies.”

Damian looks pretty put upon by Bruce speaking in a way he cannot understand, but remains clinging on to the one person who understood him at all.

Alfred grabs for the key, clearly deciding not to ruin Bruce’s life at such a delicate moment, and speaks surprisingly politely seeing the actual words. “You left the house once this week and came back with a child?”

“His parents are gone,” Bruce says in his own defence and Alfred sighs while leaning down to Damian’s level. “What is this young master’s name?”

“Damian,” Bruce offers when the kid just stares at Alfred like he hasn’t decided if he’s feeling threatened by him yet. “He does not speak English but his name is Damian.”

Alfred does a remarkable job at not showing too much disdain when nodding and leaving Bruce alone with a child younger than he has ever had to take care of.

He instantly starts researching and Damian’s exciting day clearly catches up to him because he falls asleep.

So Bruce adapts, he also does legally adopt, forging documents and an identity. Damian is now his son. Granted, Bruce does not let a single person know about this except for their family, and the required authorities, not yet.

That all goes to shit, of course, because he had been teaching English to Damian in the last months, and Damian judged Alfred unthreatening at some point, but his level of imprinting is the worst amongst all his kids and as soon as Alfred does not understand him instantly he solves all issues by a temper tantrum that puts every other child to shame and only stops once Bruce appears to listen to his every whim.

Thus, Bruce is looking after Damian, no other options available, when he gets rang up to the Watchtower. He sighs, knowing he cannot blow them off again because Kal is getting testy about Batman constantly cancelling, even when it’s the matter of life and death, while the rest keep clutching their computers every time he does enter their circles.

Alas, Bruce is here, full Batman gear on paired with a diaper bag and a toddler hanging off of him.

He gets ahead of whatever anyone would dare to say as soon as he enters. “One word and I am gone!” He snaps out and Damian giggles in his arms, messing around with the Bat logo again. He has realised that Bruce does not allow him to play with it but has already figured out how to pop it free. It’s truly not as fun of a game as Damian seems to think.

He can almost hear Hal grinding his teeth as he sits down, grabbing onto Damian and wrestling him into facing the rest thus turned away from his suit and various sharp objects.

Damian is as displeased by this as only a truly spoiled child can get and gets out the second set of words at their meeting. “I not like here.”

“Well, you have to bear with, either this or you’ll stay with Penny.” Damian seems to very seriously mull this over while using Bruce’s distraction dealing with his tablet to turn back in his lap and unpop the batarang. Bruce hardly even looks down as he just grabs it out of his hands and throws it across the room, wedging it into the wall he has just paid to fix. He sighs. “Penny?”

Damian sounds rather gracious in his reasons, eyes trailing after his new favourite toy. “Fine here.”

“Very mature of you,” Bruce mutters but only chooses to throw the next thing away too when Damian finds the second most dangerously sharp weapon on his suit. By the end of the meeting Damian is asleep, Bruce is almost stripped fully of his suit and the League is breathing in as one with official business out of the way and thus clearly thinking themselves above his threats.

Bruce has to listen to one too many jokes while he manages to gather all his things without waking his toddler.

Damian learns not just English but everything incredibly fast.

Bruce throws him a birthday party themed after dinosaurs for his fifth birthday when November comes around so he’s still wrapped in a party hat and decorated in dinos the next time Bruce is forced to take his kid to work due to emergency requests coming in.

The League is not better about it this time but Damian knows enough English to flail them all alive at will. It could be entertaining, was Bruce less of a man.

So, of course, he laughs out loud when Damian calls Hal a dollop of snot after he tries to tease the child for wearing a green shirt with a tyrannosaurus. Hal makes a face before turning to Bruce instead. “Are all of your kids this rude? How old is this one?”

Bruce actually smiles due to his unconcealed pride. “Yes,” he says and does not answer the rest instead he turns to Damian so he could say his own age. Damian crosses his arms in a manner that even Bruce will admit looks scarily similar to that of his own. “Not you’s business.”

“Your,” Bruce softly adds and Diana smiles at them. “You correct his grammar but not the tone?”

She, too, looks too amused and fond of the kid to say anything else. Damian is particularly fond of her too which shows when he puts on a smile that makes him most akin to an angel. “I do not need, I am perfect.”

There is a second of silence before Diana devolves into baby talk, “Yes, yes you are, aren’t you?”

Bruce rolls his eyes, and whips out one of the books he bought for Damian. He had been rather shocked about getting presents but found the books reasonable as he started acting instantly like Bruce expects him to learn every vocabulary used within those picture books. He gets to it now as well, quietly repeating each word, sometimes asking Bruce what one means using Farsi.

Smoothing his hair out of his face, Bruce ignores the rest staring and boots up his tablet (faster than it ever has been). “So on today’s agenda,” he starts and besides the occasional inquiry from Damian and the League adding a sentence here and there, a good hour goes by before his stride is broken.

Damian had decided to wander off, Bruce is keeping an eye on him which is alarming when Damian ambles back to him and offers an arrow up for him like it’s the biggest treasure ever. Oliver reaches behind him right away, while Bruce tries to digest that his kid just stole from one of the World’s Finest while he, himself, hasn’t even noticed.

He leans forward to take the arrow and scoop Damian up who grabs onto his cape. “You’re giving this to me?” He asks, while raising the arrow and Damian nods as seriously as a five-year-old can. “In return.”

Bruce frowns looking at the arrow again and then back at his kid. “In return for what little prince?”

“Gifts.” Bruce takes another second before he nods. “That is very nice but gifts mean you don’t need to give anything back.”

“You gived me gift so I give back gift.” Bruce puts the arrow down while Damian unpops his batarang, he pushes it back without looking. “You don’t need to return a gift, they are given without expectation, that’s the point, that’s why they’re gifts.”

Damian argues this. “You give if you want.”

“I gave you something because it’s your birthday.” Damian frowns and decides to express the rest in a language he’s more comfortable with for better or worse. “That’s silly, nothing is free, everything has a cost.”

Bruce grits his teeth, thinking whether he should go pay a visit to Ra’s al Ghul’s place and beat the old man up with his stupid rules. He stops when Damian frowns at him. “That is no rule here,” Bruce is speaking in English because Damian always asks him if he minds, but he learns a whole lot more if Bruce sticks to it through it all. “I’ll give you anything if you ask.”

“Anything?” Bruce instantly thinks better of that and rectifies. “Within reason.”

“Within reason? Who is reason?” Another pause before Bruce offers. “Me.”

Damian scrunches his nose before adding with way too perfect grammar. “That does not sound within reason.”

“Why is that?”

“You bought Jason a bike, that’s no reason.” Bruce wonders if Damian means his bike with which he goes to school or the motorcycle he just got for Red Hood. He decides not to dwell on it. “Why is that not reasonable?”

“He have not earned it.”

“You don’t need to earn things if you’re living with me.” Damian scrunches his nose again. “That,” he claims, “that is not reason!”

“Did you have to?” Bruce adds on a second later. “Before coming to us, did you have to earn things?”

Damian just nods seriously. “You have been to Amanda Parbat, no?”

“I had.” Damian nods again. “So you must earn life.”

Bruce opens his mouth, thinking of the most gruelling couple of years that he has spent under the league and then closes it right back. He sighs. “You are not with Ra’s al Ghul, nothing about your life is hard anymore, you can just get things because.”

“Because?”

“Because I said so.” Damian tries to add on but decide not to in the last moment, instead he looks very serious as he pats Bruce. “Then my life is your.”

Bruce is not horrified enough to let Damian take off the batarang but it’s a close call. “Then next time I have to leave, will you be kind to Penny?” Damian smiles at him sweetly. “No.”

Bruce just barely catches the knife that Damian somehow pulls from his belt and decides to chuck at Arthur. Luckily, the man only laughs, while Damian seems to get lost in thought as to where he went wrong when throwing it.

He gets a good half an hour in again before Damian wiggles free. Bruce, learning from last time, gets up with him and follows him around. Damian spares a glare towards him, looking like Bruce ruins all his fun until they come to a stop ahead of Clark. “I know you.”

Kal seems to be vying between happiness and concern at this and Bruce feels the same instantly. Luckily, Damian continues in Farsi and Bruce manages not to cringe. “Jason has plans on how to kill you.”

Clark raises an eyebrow and Bruce shrugs. “He just said you look nice on tv.” Damian, scarily, instantly glares. “No,” he turns to Clark, “No, I said Jason wants you dead, made plans onto papers, I read papers, I know it will work.”

“Jesus Christ,” Bruce sighs, and picks a still glaring Damian up. “Where did you even find that?”

“Jason hides things in room with the ugly sit.” Bruce for the life of him cannot tell which one that is. “Which floor?”

Damian shrugs as if already uninterested and turns back to Kal. “Why does Jason want you dead?”

Clark looks a bit pained but commendably he answers. “I have hurt Jason’s dad?”

Damian whips to look at Bruce, like he expects immediate physical danger. He shuffles to be across Bruce’s full chest like a small shield before asking further. “Why?”

Clark looks truly pained then so Bruce cuts in again. “It’s adults’s business.”

“What to do to earn business?” Damian kind of slaughters that word the second time as well but looks way too serious and Bruce just groans. “You don’t have to earn anything!”

“Good,” Damian says, and turns back to Kal. “I don’t have to earn, so tell me!”

“No,” Bruce says at the same time as Clark asks. “Do you know what a soulmate is?”

Damian goes quiet and then politely asks Bruce what that word means. Bruce switches to Farsi all by himself. “It means your most loved one, the words that are on you, they belong to your soulmate.”

Damian turns back in his hold and looks him over. “What about it?”

“Bruce’s soulmate is Kal, but adults, they can easily mess simple things up.” Damian pauses then seems to remember to address Bruce and Batman separately and turns back to Kal. “You broke Bruce’s heart?”

“Jesus, no.” Bruce breathes even though that is kind of exactly what happened. Clark looks miserable again and Damian puts his glare back in place, recrossing his arms. “Punishment.”

“No one is getting punishment.” Bruce puts his foot down but Damian still looks miffed about it. “He,” he points at Clark which makes Bruce cringe and grab his finger, lowering it. Damian ignores that. “He earns punishment.”

Looking towards the ceiling, Bruce wonders why he couldn’t just decide to keep on walking that day. Turning back to Damian, he’s reminded instantly why. He’s truly a weak, weak man. “No punishments.”

Damian scrunches his nose, one of his favourite actions and Bruce would chastise him were it any less adorable. Damian nods so Bruce shuffles back towards his seat. He catches Damian staring at Clark and makes out the words he tries to whisper. “I will be punishment.”

Ignoring that, like he does not, in fact, hear, Bruce settles and gets through two whole slides of requests that came in for them to address when Damian tugs on his cape. Bruce does not halt his speech but turns to look towards his kid on his lap and automatically accepts the phone Damian hands him.

It takes him another moment, two full sentences before he screeches to a halt. It’s not his phone, and it’s not even one of the modified comms. It’s someone personal phone.

When he stops, everyone looks over again and Clark taps himself down blushing so Bruce just hands it back. Hal laughs but sounds far from amused. “You’re raising quite the little criminal, ha?”

Deciding to be above a retort sounds nice in theory but Damian clearly doesn’t think too much about these things yet. “Only not smart people get robbed. He did not earn it.”

Barry tries to look approachable as he chimes in even though he has obviously been avoiding Batman’s kids all this time. “Why do you think that way? Bats just said you don’t have to earn things, didn’t he raise you that way?”

“Not raised me at all.” At that everyone turns to Batman who pointedly clicks to the next slide and clears his throat. “We’re not here to discuss my private life, instead let me avert your attention back to the issue at hand. So do we want to get involved in Middle Eastern politics?”

Diana frowns, “I do care actually.” She leans down and smiles at Damian who smiles right back. “What do you mean baby?”

“Daddy picked me off of the street.” He says it like he’s repeating Jason (except for the daddy part) and Bruce rolls his eyes. At least no one can call him out for that much. Diana just beams. “You are not his?”

Damian considers and shakes his head as if she needs to be corrected. “I am Wayne.”

Bruce smirks at that. “Are you now?” Damian turns back to him before nodding. “I am Wayne, I have Manor.”

“I think the other three might not agree.” Damian considers again but shakes his head. “I have name, so mine.”

Bruce nods. “Got it, good to know.” Damian nods back and repeats him. “Good to know.”

“Wait,” John speaks, which is already rare as is. “This one is Wayne’s too?”

Bruce opens his mouth but Damian answers faster. “The Wayne!” Bruce smoothes his hair back again before adding. “Sure, could say that.”

“What does that mean exactly? I figured he just knew Wayne’s kids because of you.” Diana asks and Damian frowns now like he’s mad they don’t get it and turns to him with a pout and some rather rapid Farsi. Bruce kind of ignores him but does sooth him again. “It means that legally Damian is Wayne’s son, but he’s in my care currently.”

“So is he his kid?” Hal asks and Bruce sends him a glare. “What exactly is your question?”

“Biologically, fucking biblically, did he knock someone up for this demon too?” Damian grabs onto Bruce’s wrist, asking him quietly. “Like door? Knock?”

“No, he means something else, I’ll explain later.” Bruce reassures then rolls his eyes towards Hal and still catches Damian’s hand when he almost lurches a few small knives out. “Oh, no, he gives birth to them all himself.”

Damian cuts in again. “Later be when?” Bruce doesn’t even look down anymore. “Give it a couple of years.” His glare is still in place while Hal groans. Whatever he says after, Kal speaks over him. “Jordan shut up, B you were saying.” Bruce nods and continues about the request from HTTK.

As Bruce has just gathered everything they brought, Clark shuffles closer and Damian comes out from behind his cape to glare at him, but otherwise stays wrapped around Bruce’s thigh like Tim always does. Kal smiles at him if a bit pained and leans forward. “It was nice seeing you again Damian.”

Damian just looks to Bruce, like he’d need permission to address Clark so Bruce pets his head and nods easily towards Clark thus Damian does speak. “Thanks, I took your stuff.”

Not really an apology but Clark still beams like the idiot he is. “That is okay.” Damian nods again like he suddenly understands before seeming to remember something more important. “I will find punishment.”

Bruce groans and picks his kid up nodding one last time to Clark.

That very night, Bruce has to meet Clark and give back his phone again, making him promise not to ever say it’s fine to Damian again.

One thing leads to another and half of the Watchtower gets blown into pieces due to a scheme by yours truly, Lex Luthor. Whatever he had been planning with the Joker, clearly he’s executing on his own now.

The League is asked to attend a new investment meeting at Wayne Enterprises and Dick is a bit too excited about getting into the Batman suit and disappearing to escort the League members into a private meeting room where Tim and Damian are playing some sort of pirate game that apparently involves climbing onto the table and forcing the other to walk the plank (table) and fall to their demise (to the ground).

Bruce just about catches Tim, definitely losing years of his life to this game, when the whole League appears. Tim wiggles until Bruce sets him down and then he’s like a small rocket, rushing towards Dick and throwing himself at him. Dick grins, catching him easily while he also comes to greet Damian. Damian is not yet overly fond of his other kids, especially not Dick who is rarely with them, so he avoids the hand and runs to jump at Bruce from the table who simply groans on impact.

Dick just smiles some more, pinching Tim’s cheek, while coming to hug Bruce properly. “Hiya B, what’s been popping?”

“Seriously?” Dick shrugs him off, and holds Tim around the knees as he suddenly starts to dangle him upside down to his greatest delight. Damian takes interest and kindly rips a good chunk of Bruce’s hair out to request the same treatment. Bruce is nothing if not an iron-fisted guardian so he dangles Damian without a word of reprimand.

“Anywho,” Dick continues while the League members all take various seats. “I was thinking of coming by this weekend and taking Jason out, I wanted to teach him a few things.” Tim laughs but breathes through the amusement enough to ask. “Can I come too, please?”

Damian pauses, assessing Dick before prissily scrunching his nose. “I can come.”

Dick laughs good-natured but shakes his head. “You two are too young, I’m sure B will find a way to entertain you.”

“Daddy,” Damian whines until Bruce turns to him. “He does not get a bike.” He points to Dick and Bruce chuckles. “Does he not deserve a new bike?”

Damian is very serious as he crosses his arms, still upside down. “Not deserve.”

Dick just laughs while Tim starts asking Damian if he deserves a new bike or not. It takes some cajoling but Damian allows Tim to also deserve a new bike. Bruce shakes his head, and puts Damian down, pointing to Kal. “Go and apologise for taking Kal’s phone.”

Damian sounds a tad too serious as he looks at Bruce horrified. “Apology is no good if not meant, lying is bad!” He pulls his nose high right after and while Dick doubles over laughing Bruce tries to will a headache away. “What you did was wrong so you should mean the apology.”

Damian considers but ultimately shakes his head. “Not how it works.”

“Well, work it that way,” he slightly pushes Damian. “Go on,” he encourages and gets a withering glare for his efforts. Dick is distracted by Tim again but Bruce follows Damian as he trots over and claims rather confidently. “It is a lie but sorry.” He nods and turns away like his job is well done. Bruce shrugs and when Dick looks at him he pulls a face. “Beggars can’t be choosers and we are beggars here.”

Kal for his part, still looks beyond charmed which Bruce promptly ignores, he also ignores the way such makes his chest tighter than normal. Dick laughs, reaching towards him while Damian walks beside Bruce until they stop. Once they are back by Dick, Damian wraps around his leg anew.

Just as Dick sits down, helps Tim to sit on his lap and Bruce settles with Damian, Jason kicks the door in. “Sup suckers,” he screeches before taking an actual round to properly greet his family (if it can be mocked as such) and one after the other he reaches for them, starting with Dick. “Hiya, Dickhead,” he tugs the kevlar armour enough to choke him but reaches out to pinch Tim’s nose faster than Dick can react. Tim is all indignant grumbling by the time Jason ruffles Damian’s hair. “Demon,” he says to his smallest and then claps Bruce on the shoulder, keeping his hand there. “Yo, old man, think I can borrow your card real quick?”

Bruce arches an eyebrow and Jason instantly drops his big guy act and pulls out the puppy eyes. Bruce looks away but wordlessly hands over his card. Jason disappears back out the door within the next few moments.

Dick turns to him but Bruce just shakes his head, not willing to make his own defences. “You spoil him too much B,” he says making Bruce sigh. “What am I supposed to do when he looks that cute?”

“B, Jason is six foot four already and he’s still a teenager, I think he has passed cute.” Bruce is affronted at that. “He’s my baby.”

Dick more than likely rolls his eyes but he wears the cowl so Bruce pretends it doesn’t happen even though he can feel it. Damian chimes in then. “Can I have a card too?”

“Later,” Bruce pets him and leaves it at that. When he looks towards Diana, Kal (who was tasked with the presentation as Batman is busy, cannot always be the one to do everything) gets out a pendrive and looks around. Dick jumps up, jostling Tim a bit and seems to oddly squeeze Superman’s hand. “Thanks mate.”

Bruce almost face plants the table but manages to hold off while Jason comes back with six boxes of pizza which is a lot for just himself but not enough for everyone.

He kicks the door shut, and settles beside Bruce, kicking Hal’s chair out of his way as he pulls his own closer. He shoves three boxes towards Dick and Tim while keeping the rest between him and Bruce. He does take a slice and puts it into Damian’s hands who looks at it like it is a gift from the gods.

Dick has loaded up the presentation and Bruce tries to ignore his kids chewing. Tim eats very elegantly while Dick clearly attempts to save some of Batman’s mystique (he for sure fails but it’s the thought that counts), while Jason is obviously obnoxious for the hell if it. Damian has definitely ruined Bruce’s suit but tries his damned hardest to lick up everything he dropped. Kal does a remarkably better job this time and as Dick flips the lights back on, Jason catches Arthur eyeing the last slice of pizza ahead of him and picks it up to bite into it with a grin. Bruce rolls his eyes and pulls Damian’s teeth out of his suit’s sleeve, nudging over one of the full boxes he hasn’t touched. Jason looks mildly betrayed but Arthur grins with a bit too many teeth of his own.

Before Bruce could sooth Jason’s soul or even praise Clark, Damian gets off of his lap and struts over to Bruce’s bag. He proceeds to pull out an antique box and ceremoniously gifts it to Jason who grins already forgetting his grievances towards Bruce. “You got that for me little demon?”

Damian nods seriously and Bruce lets out a sigh from so deep it sounds guttural. “Please tell me that’s from the Manor,” he begs and Damian looks back at him before nodding. “If that works for you.”

Bruce actually, genuinely, face plants the table to Jason’s greatest amusement. “Very good, I love it little demon, keep up the good work.”

Damian nods very seriously at that. “You give me and I give back.”

Bruce groans again. “Damian, is that from home?”

“Yes,” he sounds offended. “I said if that works then yes, pay attention daddy.”

Dick tries to console him, wiping Tim’s mouth who seems very unhappy about such, muttering about not being a kid anymore. “I think I definitely saw that around, probably in the library with the crooked shelf?”

“Which floor?” Dick pauses and then pulls a grimace. “No clue, but it looks familiar.”

Jason continues to grin. “Who cares, it’s mine now, isn’t that right little demon?”

Damian nods back just as seriously. Bruce decides to fight his battles one at a time and turns to Kal. “Great, so what I’m gathering is that this project could combine the extension with this sudden rebuilding.”

Kal looks from Jason’s hands to Damian to Bruce before seeming to realise he’s asked a question and nodding. Bruce doubts he paid attention to the question to begin with.

“How much more did you calculate?”

Clark takes his time, swiping through the tablet for quite some time while Tim seems to have had enough of Dick and his patronising ways and trots over to Bruce, demanding to be picked up. Damian is not very pleased but allows it and Tim quickly distracts him by handing over another pizza slice and deciding that the most grown up thing to do was to patronise someone else. At least, Damian does not seem to mind.

Before Clark finds it, he seems to freeze up and then even Bruce can hear the gunshots.

He grabs for Jason and cradles the other two with him as they drop down while Dick instantly crawls over, the only one technically bulletproof currently.

The shots are getting closer and while Bruce shoves the kids at Dick getting up to open a window, Kal rushes over seemingly ready to save them himself. Bruce looks out to the amount of weapons people are holding and then shuts the window right back. “Not a good idea.”

Jason grabs Damian when he keeps trying to get away from Dick and get to Bruce and he settles enough while Tim slips into his Robin training just like the other two. Bruce reaches out to Dick and he pops free one of his knives, placing himself in front as someone kicks at the door.

”It’s not even locked dipshit.” Jason calls out and Bruce has enough whereabouts to turn to him while whoever is on the other side uses the doorknob. “You’re grounded.”

Jason pulls a face but instinctively shields Damian, so Bruce steps wholly ahead of the two while Tim is almost fully hidden behind Dick in Batman’s cape.

As the door opens, Bruce notes that this is more likely happening due to the League’s presence than his company so he tries to calm himself somewhat.

As masked men rush in, Kal steps even closer but it all seems fugitive as they are suddenly breathing in fumes.

Bruce is awake the longest, having reacted and pulled the Batman cape over his face but he passes out all the same, he’s just also whacked in the head for his efforts.

He comes to himself instantly frenetic and it all hurts. It takes a second to realise that he’s tied down hence movement hurts, and he only needs a few more to note that all his kids are around him, with the rest of the League as well, everyone tied but breathing.

He tries to calm his mind and sweeps the premise a couple of times, already sawing at his restraints with the knife he had shoved into his sleeve when realising that no fighting will take place.

Diana is the next to wake up and then slowly the rest of them follow. Everyone is a bit disoriented and both Jason and Damian seem to get utterly spooked as Jason trashes hard until Bruce manages to get him focused on the present and Damian just starts sobbing. Bruce manages to calm him down too while Dick is cursing trying to rip the bounds and Jason is, albeit calmer, still frenetic as he looks around them. Bruce closes his eyes for a moment and tries to get into the right mind set. “Robin,” he snaps and Batman, Jason, and Tim all go rigid. Damian is yet to be trained, not that Bruce wants him fighting crime but he also seems to snap at attention. Bruce continues cutting himself free. “Calm down, I’m here,” he starts and the kids all nod one by one. “Stats?”

Dick kicks it off as the oldest. “Mild headache, dehydration, and general nausea. I guess I blacked out too for some time.” Jason picks it up right away, repeating the symptoms before adding. “Tachycardia.”

Bruce frowns. “Any spots?” Jason shrugs, looking a whole lot calmer. “A few, dizziness too.”

Bruce nods while Tim continues. “Lied down when I smelt the gas, I only feel a bit disoriented but nothing else.”

Bruce looks to Damian and asks how he is, he is not good at naming it like the rest just yet but it is enough. “I hit my head, it hurts.”

Bruce nods, “I’m here, it will be fine little prince, I won’t let anything happen to you, can you tell me if you feel anything else off? Are you nauseated? Thirsty?”

“I, I want Alfred’s cookies.” Jason groans, “Man, me too.”

Bruce gets his hands finally fully freed and feels lucky enough. Dick got tied down by chains while the rest are in even worse shape. He can see Kal looking extra green so probably he even has Kryptonite in his restraints. “Dami, are you hungry or do you specifically crave sweets?”

“Both?”

Bruce nods and gets his legs free a whole lot easier. He cuts his kids free first (obviously) and once Dick is out (Bruce has to unwrap him), who frees Jason and when Tim is out who frees Damian, they all go for the rest, each holding various tools from Batman’s array. Damian kind of just clings to Bruce who has gone for Kal, ripping away the Kryptonite and shoving into the lead box he always keeps on himself. Jason, predictably, goes for Wonder Woman who is tied with her own lasso, and Dick goes to free Barry who gets everyone else out while they blink. Bruce claps his shoulder. “Good thinking.”

Dick grins back before they all regroup. “Most pressing, I’m getting you kids out, we’ll talk of the rest once you lot are safe.”

Jason almost argues but Bruce sends a look and he closes his mouth. With a final nod, Bruce grabs another knife out of Batman’s belt, and also pulls his batons, handing them over to Dick. He has no guns (obviously) so he hands the new knife to Jason and gives his longer baton to Tim as he also does not carry a bo-staff, while turning to Kal. “Can you see the whole building?”

“Some parts have lead but I see a way out. No people in our way.” Diana shakes her head. “It’s probably filled with traps though.”

Bruce nods while pulling Dick behind himself again. “The kids stay back, you lot can go up front, take us out.”

“What if we use speed?” Barry asks and he and Clark could probably easily get everyone out within seconds. Bruce still shakes his head. “They were prepared for you guys, I’m not willing to risk a trap set for a speedster getting one of my kids caught. Also even if it’s a matter of seconds, you could only do it one at a time, I’m not separating from my kids even for one moment.”

“Listen Bruce,” Hal cuts in. “You might be a big shot at the company, but leave this to us.”

Bruce does not even have the time to react, Dick is suddenly back ahead of him, sneering. “Great, you fuck off where you came from while Bruce will take us out.”

Bruce pulls him back and looks rather disapproving. “Not the time, if the kids are safe we can get petty, not before. We’re staying together!”

Kal steps back, closer to them, and it feels like he’s choosing a side and that side is Batman’s, he is looking better already. “Bruce is right, let’s just start walking, I can see people and we all look out for traps.”

They barely move a few meters ahead when Damian tugs at Bruce’s suit. “Trap?”

Bruce looks and he sees the little sensors in the wall, stopping everyone. Hal groans but Barry looks at what he’s pointing to and goes about disembodying the sensors. He stops ahead of them, looking Bruce over. “How did you notice that?”

“Damian did,” he shrugs and as they keep walking, Damian keeps pointing traps out. Arthur looks at him apprehensive but it’s Oliver who ends up speaking. “What kind of child is this again?”

Diana slaps his arm but turns to him all the same. “Is he meta?”

Bruce rolls his eyes pushing them ahead. “No, he’s just attentive.” Usually, he just uses it to cause as much chaos and trouble as humanly possible, Bruce does not say. Damian scrunches his nose. “Daddy taught me to be smart, were you not taught?”

Hal sends a glare while Bruce grabs Clark and yanks him back. This time it’s easy to see the trap seeing that it’s plainly on the floor.

“Why put up this many? Are we doing what they want?” Unfortunately, Kal’s question is rather valid and as soon as they make it out his fear seems to come true.

They are met with not just a group of masked people Kal had seen from inside, but there are obviously metas present as well as what looks to be more hostages. As Clark stumbles back a bit, Bruce notes the Kryptonite too.

After a single pause, he decides to speak. “These kids have nothing to do with anyone else here, let them leave first.” Lex Luthor appears in the midst and Kal visibly deflates a bit. “Brucie, nice to see you, what a wild life you’re still leading.”

Rolling his eyes, Bruce smiles back. “Good to see you too, I’d offer some refreshments but I just ran out of my stack of juice boxes.”

Lex just laughs at him while Bruce is looking around, trying to deem what can be useful for them. Obviously, they have the League on their side but Lex came prepared for each member. The only thing he did not prepare for was to handle Red Hood, Nightwing, and Robin too.

As much as he hates to involve his kids at this level of a fight, Bruce looks at Dick and then straight to Jason and they both nod back once. He calls the Batmobile while grabbing onto Tim tightly. Lex is back to taunting Clark so Bruce uses this and whispers to Tim. “You get the suit on and protect Damian, do not do anything else, scream if anything is out of your training.” Tim nods tersely and shuffles closer, grabbing onto Damian’s jacket tightly.

Dick steps back in the mean time, drawing Diana’s attention briefly. He continues until he bumps into Bruce who puts his palm flat against the kevlar armour at his back, he whispers. “I’m stopping the car ahead, use it as a shield while you are out of the suit.”

Dick nods, not saying a word. They all start to hear the engine and when Lex turns to them with a grin, clearly finding Batman’s idea amusing, Dick reaches up and removes his cowl in one fluid motion to give to Bruce who will definitely need some temperature lenses.

Lex is still saying something about Batman not being enough, when Dick ducks down faster than Lex or the men with guns could see what’s happening and Bruce pops the suit off of him clean. The car breaks through some of the people and parks resolutely while Tim, Jason, and Dick all continue moving in complete sync and with nothing but purpose.

Bruce gets the suit on while Red Hood jumps out of the car’s back seat and takes off towards the armoured men on the left. Nightwing goes for the men from the other side while Robin grabs onto Damian who only then lets go of Bruce and takes him onto the roof. “Robin,” Bruce calls, “lights out.”

All three aim at various light sources and soon they dwell into relative darkness while Bruce unleashes a few smoke bombs. “Disarm lethal, leave the rest first.”

Each of his kids goes after the metas, Bruce grabs Wonder Woman and guides her to the fray as someone without any weaknesses before he goes for the Kryptonite.

He manages that but Dick is having trouble with the speedster Lex had found and Kal absorbs a hit that would have killed Dick just as Bruce was about to reach them. Clark turns to him for one second before he goes after the person with speed that Bruce does not try to follow. He grabs onto Dick. “Be more careful, go for the humans now, only them,” he raises his voice. “You too Red Hood.”

There is a groan that Bruce takes as understanding. With Diana there, Bruce getting rid of the Kryptonite fast enough for Kal to deal with some of the other metas and the unexpected presence of Bruce’s kids who mainly focus on the weapons and saving the hostages from there, they actually wrap up the fight within a few hours.

As soon as things start to calm, Lex having gotten away but most of the assailants restrained, Bruce looks around clutching his side. The suit was never meant to be worn without the undergarments. “Robin, report!”

Dick appears ahead of him straight away with only a visible limp. “I’m alive.” Jason bumps into him, seemingly not on purpose and grins as he salutes. “Still kicking old man.”

Tim and Damian are fully unscathed. “We are fine too.”

“Fine,” Damian parrots and Bruce smiles briefly. “Good,” he says, “the rest of you are grounded too, all of you are.”

“Dad!”

“Dude.”

“You can’t ground me I’m an adult.” Dick sounds the most baffled and Bruce just grins. “Watch me.”

Damian says nothing, shrugging when Tim turns to him. “Not that I can do anything, anyways.” Nodding at that with sympathy, Tim turns back to Bruce. “But dad, I did as told.”

Jason is splattering at that. “So did we!”

“I’m not having arguments,” Bruce says in a tone the kids know all too well. “One week, I want one week where no one almost dies.”

“So unfair B.” Jason grumbles but picks Tim up when he tugs at his hood. Dick still seems to be reeling about being grounded while Damian tucks himself deep into Batman’s cape and does not seem inclined to come out.

“Oh,” Diana suddenly says. “This is what you meant when saying it’s stupid that you would date Bruce Wayne. You are Bruce Wayne.”

Ridiculously, it seems the League only truly starts to put this together after that. Bruce truly worries about the collective brain cell that they share always being used by Diana.

Bruce meets Kal’s eyes, who at least seems to have put it together before Diana spelled it out. Actually, Bruce pauses then reaches up and removes the cowl with only the league around. Now, their eyes have met. He sighs a bit while noting that Damian is half asleep while standing behind him so he picks him up before he walks over.

Dick is still reevaluating his life choices while Jason is teaching something to Tim that Bruce will probably regret not paying more attention to.

“Hi,” he says and it sounds exactly like all those years ago, just Bruce Wayne, out in the open and looking rather small and irrelevant. Kal does not look particularly devastated now, it’s hard to tell what he’s feeling for once. He does smile at Bruce. “Hi to you too.”

It isn’t instant, it isn’t earth shattering. Kal-El is not a person who just loves Bruce Wayne because he’s meant to. However, Bruce had watched Clark as he tried to be around Bruce, and as he foolishly fell for Batman. It isn’t what he imagined but he thinks it might just be a start at least.

“You are still not making me feel very special.” Clark smiles, a bit careful as his gaze drops to where Damian is nuzzling into the Bat suit, popping yet another sharp object out even in his sleep. Bruce pushes on it until it re-clicks back to its rightful place. “You’re safe even without me.”

Bruce looks behind himself where Tim has at some point gotten onto Dick’s shoulders and Jason who is trying to do a trick with a blade but keeps getting it caught on the gauntlets. “Yes,” he says, “yes I am.”

”Is there a chance you’d let me work on keeping you even safer?” Bruce, instead of feeling hurt, unconsciously scrunches his nose rather similarly to Damian’s habit before shrugging. “With all the context I have, I feel that you should be the one seeking my shelter.”

Clark laughs, stepping closer and as he reaches for Bruce, Jason just materialises between them with a glare. Bruce grins and drags his groaning son into a tight embrace while Dick appears at Kal’s side and asks him where exactly the limit to his strength is.

Their eyes meet and Bruce smiles faintly at Kal before he lets Jason go in order to pick up Tim too, shifting Damian a bit to the side, since he is asking for a hug of his own. Clark turns to Dick and starts explaining some of his powers, yet his gaze more than often trails back to watch Bruce.