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Batman wasn’t the most social of people. He didn’t give the kind of direct insults that would make a person cry, though. Or talk about them behind their backs using foul language. He was subtle in his disdain, making small comments under his breath about Green Arrow being unused to hard work or Superman being simpleminded. Often so innocuously sounding at the moment that people didn’t realize until the end of the conversation that they were even being insulted at all.
But then again, he did that for everyone. All of them. Flash, Green Lantern, even Wonder Woman, though his remarks were rooted in historical quips rather than anything personal. He respected her too much to get on her bad side. Besides, she was clever enough to pick up on those types of comments pretty much instantly, so he wouldn’t risk one very often. He had enough sense for that.
Regardless, it was safe to say that whenever they mentioned someone new, be it Stargirl or Captain Marvel, he always had something to say. Always. Which they might usually protest against, if it wasn’t for the fact that he had an uncanny ability to tell who would be easy to work with and who could cause problems. Even if unintentionally.
“Do you have baby fever, all of a sudden?” Batman questioned, lifting an eyebrow at Green Lantern who practically sputtered. “Because I would rather not rely on a child in a scenario of life or death. But that’s just my opinion.” He tapped his fingers against the cold, marble table slowly, just waiting for someone to respond. To refute him, as they often did.
“Billy is a child, but Captain Marvel is thousands of years old,” Flash reminded him. “And he’s super strong, magically speaking. There are worse people to have your back in battle.”
“Hmf,” he grumbled, not quite responding. “And when his middle school homework gets in the way of a mission, which one would you rather have him neglect, his academics or his team?”
Flash raised a finger for a moment before he slowly sat back, lowering it. “Fair point,” he mumbled. Then again, Batman made a lot of those. It was pretty annoying. Especially for someone who worked as a CSI in his day job and prided himself on having answers for everything. Not to mention being faster to find a pun or quip than everyone else.
“I’m just saying, perhaps he should focus on his grades for now,” Batman suggested. “Let him fight crime in his free time and when he’s older, then he can take on more.” Preferably with the guidance of someone other than his uncle.
Secretly, he wouldn’t mind mentoring Billy whenever the chance to approach him about it finally arose. But that wasn’t something he would admit to the others. They barely knew him at all, let alone knew about his tendency to help out children who showed potential. Alfred called it an itchy adoption finger, but Bruce would refute it each time. He preferred to think of it as molding young talent the way the monks had helped mold him.
“Alright, perhaps we don’t approach him, yet,” Wonder Woman agreed, sharing a small nod. “There are only so many heroes we feel that we can trust, though. The ones who aren’t already attached to a team, that is.” She wasn’t about to drag Cassie out of the Teen Titans because not only was she not disciplined enough for the big leagues, but also because she doubted she could. She liked her friends there far too much to leave them.
That was something many other teams seemed to have that they didn’t. The Justice League worked well together, but they could never really call themselves friends. At least not all of them. Perhaps Green Lantern and Flash got along, and she liked to think Superman would be friendly with all of them, even outside of work. But she doubted any of them would reach out first before calling someone from their civilian lives. She wouldn’t.
“What’s the deal with Nightwing, these days?” Green Arrow asked. “Is he still with the Titans?”
Wonder Woman tilted her head around a bit. “From what I know, Donna Troy leads them now,” she responded. Not that she and Donna got to talk much, these days. Not with how far she lived and how busy she was. “I think she mentioned something about him wanting a change of pace.”
“Well, we’re a pretty different pace,” Superman noted, his tone contemplative. “If he’d be interested in it, that is.” He couldn’t recall much about him, admittedly.
They had crossed paths in Blüdhaven when he first popped up, a bit worried about what someone in a mask could be doing there. Clark had, admittedly, questioned his name a bit. After all, it connected to a story from Kryptonian lore that he recalled sharing with Robin several years prior. But Nightwing had just said it was an ode to a job, because that’s what cops called their first official night on force. He didn’t bother to dig much deeper because from the looks of the news, he wasn’t someone to show much concern about.
“Woah, woah, you can’t just endorse someone like that,” Green Lantern noted, dramatically gesturing to Batman. “You know who needs to list every possible flaw of the guy, first.” He paused, waiting for the inevitable moment when he shot the idea down. “Well, spooky? Go ahead…”
Batman just blinked, trying to wrack his mind. Dick could be a bit violent, if pushed. He’d nearly killed Joker, once. Hell, after an argument, he’d nearly put him into a coma, too. Bruce Wayne couldn’t appear in public for a month from it. But to be fair, both times, he could understand the reasons behind his outburst. Both were his fault.
Aside from that, though, no flaws really came to mind. He was a natural leader, kind, and charismatic. He was a team player and dedicated to being there for anything and everything, no matter when, where, or why. No questions asked. Bruce liked to think he was partially responsible for it, but really, he knew it was John and Mary who had made him such a bright young boy. All he did was teach him how to keep his thumbs tucked when throwing a punch.
“I haven’t got any objections,” Batman admitted. Maybe, if Dick did decide to join them, he could see his son a bit more often. And keep an eye on him, too. He worried, even if he wouldn’t tell anyone that. He worried about all his Robins.
Green Lantern blinked. “Seriously, no objections?” he wondered, waving his hand around like stars must be falling somewhere. “You, of all people, are totally fine with it? Well, done and decided then. Batman is on board; we’re not even taking a vote.”
Batman rolled his eyes. “It’s a big deal,” he retorted. “I keep an eye on all vigilantes. I think he’s competent.”
“Jeez, you don’t even know the guy and you’re giving him a compliment?” Flash muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. “Yeah, this is getting to be a serious discussion instead of brainstorming. I’ll grab him so we can ask what he thinks.”
“Grab?” Batman repeated. “No, Flash that isn’t necessary. Do not try to—"
He was too late. Flash had disappeared in a blur of red, kicking up wind and scattering papers around in his absence. Bruce just tensed, moving some of the documents back into place. Hopefully, Dick was taking an early night off and Flash wouldn’t be able to find him. Then maybe he could be the one to broach the topic, gently. Over dinner or something at the manor. Tim always liked it when he came over.
Unfortunately, though, luck wasn’t quite on his side and before he could get everything back in order, Flash returned. Everything moved again, even with Wonder Woman putting her hands on top of things to try to keep them in place.
“Ta da!” Flash exclaimed, gesturing to Nightwing, who looked less disoriented than most people would in this situation. A perk of being friends with Wally for so long. “I found him stopping someone from mugging an old lady. Very textbook hero of him.”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “Uh- thanks?” he murmured, sounding confused as he glanced around.
It looked they were as surprised to see him as he was to see them. But then his gaze landed on Bruce, who just seemed almost embarrassed. It was difficult to tell, of course. With the cowl and the cape and his general disdain for showing emotions. But that’s what he got from the slight shoulder stiffening and the hint of a quirk at the corner of his lips.
Flash sat back down, muttering a joke about his feet killing his which no one batted an eye at. He had about a hundred of them prepared at all times. Many of which were frequently reused. “Well, I did my job people,” he muttered. “Someone else do the rest.”
“The rest of what?” Nightwing questioned. “Is there something you guys needed from me?”
Knowledge about the circus or something was pretty much the only thing he had a higher expertise about than Bruce. Something told him that wasn’t what they wanted to discuss with him. He glanced at the chair beside his father, feeling a bit like he was on display given he was the only one standing, and took it.
“More like we needed you, rather than something from you,” Green Arrow replied, pausing for a moment. “That didn’t sound as good as I thought it would.” He gestured towards Superman and Wonder woman, who were notoriously better speakers. “Someone else go.”
“What he means is, we were wondering if maybe you’d like to work with us,” Superman clarified. “If you have the time for it, of course. It doesn’t have to be full time.” Batman was a part-timer, after all.
His eyebrows shot up a bit, surprised by the offer. “You- really? I wasn’t expecting that,” he admitted, nodding his head slightly. “Yeah, I’d love to work with you again.”
Superman frowned. “Again?” he repeated, voice filled with confusion.
When had they ever worked together before in the first place? He wracked his brain a bit, unable to think of a time, aside from when they first met and he tied up a few bad guys to free him up for a conversation. Was that what he meant? He hadn’t really considered it working together. He was just helping him out a bit.
Nightwing turned to Batman, suddenly confused. “And you’re okay with that?” he asked, like he expected him not to be for some reason. “I thought you hated the idea of me in the Justice League?” He could admit that as kid, when he idolized them more than pretty much anything, he had always dreamed of working with them. Bruce seemed pretty against it, though. Back then, at least.
“I never hated it,” Batman clarified with a weak motioning of his hands. “I just thought you could do better.” That he could achieve more if he wasn’t tied down and always thinking of others.
Because he knew the way Dick’s brain worked. How he would always be thinking of a teammate’s safety before his own strategy. It wasn’t exactly inefficient or anything, but it kept him limited to what others were capable of instead of being himself. Free and flying, like a Grayson should be.
“So, now you want me to limit myself, then?” Nightwing questioned, a teasing lilt in his voice. “Work with some undisciplined coworkers of yours?”
Green Lantern frowned. “Hey, we are not undisciplin—"
“Don’t try to twist my words,” Batman replied, ignoring him. Despite the comment, there wasn’t much malice in his tone. Or any, for that matter. “I want you to do whatever you think will make you the happiest.” Whether that was working alone or staying with the Titans or joining the Justice League.
“Wow, that’s sappy, old man,” Nightwing mumbled, leaning his jaw on his palm. “Is this some ploy or something you set up? Because you could always just ask if want to see me.” He lived in another city, but it wasn’t like it was that far away.
He could always make the trip for dinner or one of those boring functions his dad seemed to attend so many of. If he asked, that was. Call him petty, but aside from seeing Tim and Alfred, he didn’t like to show up without an invitation. He liked to know that his presence there was desired, not just tolerated. Although Bruce was notorious for struggling to admit when he wanted company, so he usually preferred to wallow alone rather than pick up the phone.
“It’s not a ploy,” he assured him, shaking his head. “I never brought you up; they did.”
Nightwing turned to glance around the table, met with confused expressions. Even a bit of shock, too. He supposed that made sense. Batman didn’t talk nearly as much as Bruce Wayne tended to. “Hm, alright, I believe you,” he admitted. He had no reason not to. “How does this whole thing work? Is there a secret handshake or an official document I have to sign?”
“There would be, if anyone listened to me,” Green Lantern muttered, crossing his arms. Not that they ever did. Batman got a signal in the sky and what did they get? An annoying beeper that went off in the middle of the night.
Wonder Woman rolled her eyes. “It’s mostly a verbal agreement,” she told him. “Just so we know you’re willing to be there if we ask for your help.”
That in case something was happening in his city, he’d be there to lend a hand. And in case something more serious came up, like a threat to the world or nearby planet that Green Lantern got his favorite smoothies at, he would be available at a moments notice to join them.
He nodded slowly. “No problem,” he told them with a shrug. “I have nothing but free time since my boss blackmailed me into quitting my job.”
“Your boss what?” Flash asked, doing a double take to ensure he had heard him correctly.
Nightwing shrugged. “Eh, it’s Blüdhaven, things like that tend to happen,” he responded, waving it off. “So, now that we’re all on the same page, can I go home?” he wondered, pointing his thumb towards the exit. “Because I really do keep a tight patrol route; you know how it is.”
He had no problem joining them from time to time, but he really did need to make sure the crooks in his own city stayed on their best behavior. And if he couldn’t keep them off the streets as a cop anymore, then he needed to at least dedicate a few extra hours to it at night in his other uniform.
Superman nodded. “Yeah, I- sure,” he muttered, still a bit confused. Most people would be thrilled to get an opportunity like this, not casually accepting and then leaving as soon as possible. He wasn’t exactly offended by it, just confused.
“Cool, I’ll just head out then, and…see you guys when I see you, yeah?” Nightwing muttered, rising to his feet. “And do me a favor, B?” he added, his tone a bit more earnest. “Call more. Seriously.”
He missed him, even if he was pissed about what happened to Jason. Even if he still blamed him on some level. Even if he was terrified it might happen to Tim next. He was still family and family didn’t quit trying to fix their problems just because it got a bit tiring.
Batman hummed softly, glancing up at him. “I wasn’t sure you’d pick up,” he admitted. “I’m not exactly your favorite person these days.” Even when they did talk, it was typically short. About work almost exclusively.
“I would,” he responded. “I always will. But I need you call me less as Batman and more as my father,” he clarified. “If you can manage.”
Bruce blinked for a moment, before nodding. “I can manage,” he assured him.
Nightwing just nodded back for a second before he turned and left, somehow knowing where the exit was before anyone could bother giving him directions. Batman let out a small breath, turning back to the table. It was dead silent, which for a room filled with Green Lantern, Flash, and Green Arrow all at once, was shocking. If not borderline impossible.
“He’s your son?” Flash questioned, wondering how that hadn’t come up sooner. “No wonder you weren’t planning to insult him.”
“He’s- yes,” Batman admitted, sounding like there was more to it but he wouldn’t elaborate.
“So, wait he knows me because…” Superman trailed off waiting for him to fill in the blanks.
“Because you used to give him your autograph when he was Robin,” he reminded him, confused that he wouldn’t know that already.
It had made such an impression on Dick when he was a young boy, angry and sad about his parents’ death. It brought a smile to his face for the first time in months after moving into the manor.
“Nightwing is Robin?” Superman realized, his eyes widening.
Batman blinked, nodding slowly like he was walking a toddler through simple math. “Who else would he have been?” he wondered, staring at him in confusion. “He got his name from the stories you would tell him.”
“Bu- but I talked to him when he first showed up in Blüdhaven,” he muttered, eyebrows furrowing. “He said it was a cop thing.”
His lips quirked, not enough to be considered a smile but enough for it to be unsettling to the others. “You believed that?” he questioned, shaking his head. “Simpleminded indeed,” he mumbled, standing up. “I think I’ll go call him; he’ll enjoy knowing how long you believed his joke.”
And maybe that wasn’t enough to bridge the gap that had grown in their relationship after Jason’s death. He knew there was a much longer road, with steps he wouldn’t be able to skip over before reaching a point where he could call Dick his son without it feeling hollow. But they had to start somewhere. And what better moment to take advantage of?