Chapter Text
“Alright,” Bruce starts, “let’s go over the plan one more time.”
Tim nods seriously, Batman held tight in his arms.
“You, Dick, and I are going to the airport in about three hours. Clark, Jason, and Conner are going to the airport in about an hour. Clark is going to pick us up at the airport and take us to the farm.”
Tim nods again.
“When we get to the airport, we’re going into a special line with a checkmark on it.” Bruce holds up two pairs of noise-cancelling headphones. “When we’re through that line, you and I are going to put on these headphones. They’ll help us not be overwhelmed while we’re in the airport.”
“Cause airports are really noisy,” Tim says.
“Right. We’re going to walk through the airport to an area called a terminal. When we’re there, we’re going to sit down and wait for a little while until the people at the desk call us to get on the plane. Then, we’re going to stand in line, and then I’m going to show the nice person at the desk my phone. Once they scan it, we’re going to get on the plane. I’ll help you store your backpack under the seat in front of you, and I’ll give you a picture book to look at while the plane gets high in the air. When we can put the tray tables down, I’ll help you get out your coloring book, but when they tell us to put them away you have to do that, alright?”
Tim nods.
“Good. We have to wait our turn to get off the plane. Then, we walk through the airport in Kansas until we get to the part with the baggage carousel.”
“I don’t go on carousel,” Tim says. “No ponies.”
“Right, no ponies. Dick and I will get our bags while you wait on a bench. Don’t talk to anyone. Then, we’re going to go rent a car and drive out to Smallville. Do you remember what our names are when we’re in Smallville and not around just Clark’s mom and dad?”
“Uh-huh. You Bill, Dickie is Robbie, Jason is Jay, and I Tim!”
“Right… you know you can pick—”
“I Tim,” Tim says sternly.
“Alright. You can call us our actual names when we’re just around Clark’s parents. You get all of that?”
“Uh-huh.” Tim pauses, thinking for a minute. “I go on airplane? You sure?”
Bruce blinks, then huffs slightly.
“Yes, Tim, I’m very sure that you’re allowed to be on airplanes.”
“Oh.” He squints. “Law change?”
“... sure,” Bruce says, deciding that he’s not going to try and explain that his parents just didn’t want to take him on their trips. No reason to make Tim upset before an event that’s likely to be hard on everyone.
“Otay!” Tim says before scooting off his bed. “I pack!”
“Tim, Alfred already packed your clothes and toiletries. It’s in the living room.”
“Noooo, I pack backpack! I pick pitcher book, color book, crayons, toys…”
Bruce smiles, then gets off of Tim’s bed.
“Remember, you have to carry your own backpack through the airport.”
“I know!”
“So make sure it’s not too heavy to carry.”
“I knoooooow!” Tim drawls.
“Just checking,” Bruce says. “Come down to the living room when you’re ready to go.”
“Otay!”
Bruce smiles, then walks out of the room and heads to Dick’s floor. Once he gets there, he knocks on Dick’s door.
“Dick, leaving in three hours.”
“I know!” Dick calls from inside.
“Is your bag packed?”
“I’m… working on it!” He replies, followed by the sound of something being moved around and a bag being unzipped.
“Remember you need enough clothes to last three days.”
“I know!”
“And that it’s warmer in Smallville than it is in Gotham, so make sure to dress light.”
“I know, B!”
“And bring something a little nicer for the anniversary party—”
“B, I know! You and Clark have been telling me all week!”
Bruce bites back a sigh.
“I just want to make sure you don’t forget anything. It’ll be a lot harder to get it in Smallville than to bring it there.”
He hears Dick sigh on the other end.
“I promise I’ll double check everything.”
“Good. Bring your bags down to the living room when you’re done.”
“Got it!”
Bruce turns and walks back over to the elevator, heading over to Jason’s floor. He’s about to go in when he hears Clark talking. He peers in through the open door, seeing Clark and Jason sitting on his bed.
“... and you’re sure it’s safe?” Jason asks.
“Yes, very sure. Most plane accidents don’t happen on big commercial flights like the one we’re going on.”
“Okay… but maybe you could fly next to the plane just in case?”
Clark chuckles softly.
“Afraid you and Conner can’t go on a plane all by yourselves, buddy. But I promise, I’ll be right there with you the whole time. Anything you’re worried about, you ask me, and I’ll tell you about it.”
“... do you know stuff about planes?”
“Well, I caught one, didn’t I?”
Jason giggles, and a small smile plays on Bruce’s lips.
“Alright, now, you gotta finish packing, okay? Our flight is soon.”
“Mmm…”
“... something else on your mind?”
“Just… I’ve… never really had grandparents before, and…” He hears Jason take a breath. “Do you think they’re going to like me?”
Bruce’s heart sinks a little, but Clark doesn’t miss a beat.
“You kidding? Ma and Pa are gonna love you.”
“Yeah? You think so?”
“I know so. They’re so excited to meet you, you know.” Bruce watches Clark pull Jason in for a hug. “It’s gonna be great, I promise.”
Jason smiles a little, hugging him back before pulling away.
“I gotta finish packing,” he tells Clark. Clark smiles, reaching over to ruffle his hair.
“Make sure that you double check that you have everything, okay? It’ll be harder to find in Smallville.”
“Okay!”
Clark gets up from the bed and walks out of the bedroom.
“Oh, hey,” he greets when he sees Bruce, closing the door behind him. “Everything alright?”
“Just checking on Dick and Jason to make sure they’re packing,” he answers. “Went over the plan with Tim too.”
“That’s good. He’s all clear on what we’re doing?”
“Mm, should be fine. I’m going to check on Conner and see if I can find the girl.”
Clark winces. Bruce raises an eyebrow.
“We agreed that it would be a bad idea to take her on a trip this soon,” he reminds him.
“I know, I know, I just… I feel bad leaving her.”
“She gets overwhelmed easily by the amount of people in the house, bringing her to a party would be a disaster. Giving her some time to herself might be good for her. She’ll still have Alfred, so she won’t be entirely alone. And we’re going to video call her every day.” Bruce steps closer to Clark, taking his hand. “It’s going to be alright, Clark. She’ll be fine.”
After a moment, Clark sighs.
“You’re right, I just… I worry, y’know? She’s not like the other kids, we can’t communicate as easily with her. I don’t want her to feel abandoned.”
“Then we’ll do our best to make sure she doesn’t,” he replies.
Clark smiles a little, then squeezes Bruce’s hand before letting go and taking a step back.
“Meet me downstairs later, okay? I wanna see you before we leave.”
“Clark, we’re only going to be apart for a few hours at most.”
“Yeah, but I still want a goodbye kiss,” Clark teases as they walk toward the elevator together. Bruce rolls his eyes, but he’s still smiling when the elevator drops him off on the main floor of the residence. He puts his hands in his pockets as he walks over to the living room, catching sight of Conner and the girl on the floor. Conner is playing with his ring-stacking toy, which he has managed to get entirely out of order, while the girl watches him carefully. He’s babbling a bit, sometimes at the rings, and sometimes at her.
“Ah-ba-ba-ba, bah!” Conner yells, suddenly thrusting out a ring toward the girl. The girl blinks, then, after a moment, takes the ring and drops it onto the pole. Conner giggles and claps, and the girl smiles a little.
Bruce smiles, then watches the scene for a few more minutes as Conner directs the girl to put more rings on the pole, laughing like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever seen every time she does.
The girl (whom they should probably think of a name for) has settled in… fairly well. She tends to hide quite a bit, seeming more comfortable in darkness than in the light, and while Bruce is certain that she trusts them, she does seem a little wary of being overly reliant on anyone. The communication issue doesn’t help— she has no idea what anyone is saying, and according to Leslie, finding a way for her to communicate could be difficult, since she’s already passed some critical periods for language acquisition. Leslie’s reached out to some specialists, but it may take a while to figure something out.
Still, she seems happy enough. She’s definitely happy to have a regular source of food, clothes that aren’t dirty and torn, and that Alfred was able to clean up the ends of her hair a bit. And she seems to enjoy Dick’s company every once in a while.
Bruce knows, though, that she wants to go out. He’s seen her looking out windows with a pensive expression.
He… doesn’t really know what to do with that. He started letting Dick go out with him because he knew if he didn’t, he’d go out on his own— he’d done it before, after all.
The girl, however, hasn’t made such an attempt. He’s sure this is partially because she doesn’t know how to get down to the cave, but she understands the elevator enough to get to the first floor; if she wanted to, she could simply walk out the front door.
And yet, she hasn’t. And he’s not sure why.
“Rather sweet, aren’t they?”
Bruce turns to look at Alfred, who smiles back at him.
“They are,” he replies. “It’s nice to see.”
He looks back at the girl, frowning a bit.
“Everything alright?”
“Clark feels a little bad about not bringing her,” Bruce says.
Alfred raises an eyebrow.
“Did you remind him that you both determined bringing a likely traumatized nine-year-old with no concept of verbal or written language on an airplane would be a bad idea?”
“I did. He still feels bad.” Bruce hesitates, then admits, “I… feel a little bad too.”
Alfred’s eyes soften, and he puts a hand on Bruce’s shoulder.
“She’s settled in quite well and is very comfortable with me. And you’ve made a plan for video calls.” He squeezes lightly. “She will be alright, Bruce. A few days won’t hurt anyone.”
Bruce sighs.
“You’re right.” He looks up. “I’m sorry you can’t come too.”
“Yes, well, much as I would love to see Martha and Jonathan in person again, the young miss comes first. Much as she may believe she can fend for herself, I’d prefer to be sure that she was safe and fed.”
“So would I. I’ll give them your regards.”
Alfred nods just as the elevator door opens again. Tim runs out, his backpack bulging slightly with how full it is.
“Ready!” He declares once he stops in front of Bruce.
“Master Timothy, are you certain you want to bring everything in there? Remember, you have to carry it all.”
“Yes! I do it!”
Bruce exchanges a look with Alfred before looking back at Tim.
“Well… alright, if you’re sure.”
Tim smiles and nods, then puts his backpack with the rest of the bags before running over to Conner and the girl.
“Hi, Con-ner!” He says as he sits down. Conner giggles, kicking his feet a little. Tim grins, then turns to look at the girl. “Hello!”
The girl stares at him. Her shoulders are a little tense, as they usually are whenever she’s around Jason or Tim. Bruce watches carefully, looking for any sign that he may need to intervene. Thankfully, it doesn’t come; Tim seems to pick up on her tenseness, turning his attention to Conner and telling him all about the airplanes they’re going on.
The girl stays right where she is, watching them curiously but not making a move to be involved.
Bruce supposes that’s progress.
He hears the elevator door ding, and he turns just in time to see Clark and Jason come out.
“Okay, we should be good to go,” Clark says as he puts his bag down next to Conner’s. Jason puts his next to Clark’s, though he keeps his backpack on. “Uh, where’s Conner?”
“Living room,” Bruce says, jerking his head in that direction.
“Thanks,” he says, walking quickly into the living room. “Sorry to break this up, but we need to get going.”
“Aw,” Tim whines as Clark scoops Conner up into his arms. Clark chuckles, reaching over and ruffling Tim’s hair.
“You two will see each other again in a little while, I promise. Be good for Bruce, okay?”
“Otay!”
Clark smiles, then looks up at the girl.
“Bye, sweetie,” Clark says— he’s taken to calling her that, since he feels a little weird not calling her anything. “We’ll be back in a few days, okay?”
The girl stares at him blankly. Bruce gives him a look as he walks back over to him.
“You remember that she can’t understand you, right?”
“It’s the principle of the thing, I’d feel bad if I didn’t say goodbye,” Clark answers before standing up. He leans over, kissing Bruce on the cheek and chuckling when Bruce turns his head for a proper kiss. “I’ll see you when I pick you up at the airport. Love you.”
“Mm. Love you too. Safe flight.”
“You too.”
Bruce turns to Jason.
“Make sure you listen to everything Clark says,” he instructs.
Jason nods, then, after a moment of hesitation, hugs him quickly.
“Bye, Dad,” he says quietly. Bruce’s throat tightens a little; it’s been about a month since Jason started calling him and Clark “Dad” and “Pa” respectively, but he’s still not fully used to it.
“Be safe, Jason.”
“I will,” he promises before grabbing his suitcase handle and pulling it along. Clark shoots him one more smile, then ushers Jason into the elevator. When the doors close, Bruce sighs, running a hand through his hair. He turns to see that the girl is standing next to him, and it’s only years of training that keeps him from startling.
“... hello,” he offers without thinking. Given the communication barrier, she just blinks once, twice, then walks away.
Bruce exhales, his shoulders slumping.
“B, we are gonna see cows, right?”
Bruce looks over at Tim.
“Yes, Clark’s parents own several.”
“Are they brown cows?”
Bruce blinks, then feels himself smile a little.
“Which one of your brothers told you that they make chocolate milk?”
“Dickie,” Tim answers. Bruce chuckles, then walks over and sits down next to him.
“That’s not actually how cows work. They all make the same kind of milk…”
Bruce hates airports with every fiber of his being. This has been true since he was twenty-two years old and fresh out of college, heading to Tibet in search of some kind of purpose in life, but somehow it’s even more true ten years later.
And at this moment, he’s never hated an airport more than he hates Phillip Billiard Municipal Airport in Topeka.
That’s at least partially down to the flight they’ve just been on, of course. They encountered a not insignificant amount of turbulence more than once, which upset Tim greatly. Bruce had to spend half the flight assuring him that the plane wouldn’t fall out of the sky. Worse than that, Tim ended up not napping like he’d hoped.
Of course, because of that, Tim was pushed to his limit a bit earlier than he would have been otherwise. Which leads to them here and now, where Tim is refusing to take another step due to his exhaustion.
“Tim, please.”
“I can’t,” Tim complains from where his face is buried in Bruce’s pant leg. “Too much.”
Bruce inhales deeply through his nostrils, then exhales.
“Tim,” he starts, “I understand that today has been very difficult for you. It’s been difficult for me too. However, we are very close to being done with the airport, and you’ll be able to relax in the car while we drive to Smallville. All we need to do is get our bags from the baggage claim, and then we can leave.”
“Too muuuuuuuch,” Tim whines.
Bruce takes another calming breath, reminding himself that Tim is just under three years old and has the self-regulation skills to match.
“C’mon, Tim, it’s not that bad,” Dick tries. “It’ll only take a few minutes.”
Tim shakes his head, his face still buried in Bruce’s leg. Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose to try and ward off a coming headache, as well as the overstimulation slowly creeping up on him too.
He knows that he should keep trying. That there’s probably an important lesson about perseverance in here somewhere, something that would benefit Tim in the long run.
But frankly, he’s barely a rung above exhaustion at this point, and he’s less interested in life lessons than he is in getting through this goddamn airport.
So, he gently pries Tim off of him, then kneels down and picks him up. Tim immediately buries his face in his shoulder, and Bruce tries not to wince at the sound of their headphones clacking together.
“Let’s move,” he tells Dick. Dick nods, and together they head for the baggage claim. Once they’re past the doors, things quiet down a little, though Tim is still clinging to him quite tightly. He rubs his back a little as they approach the carousel, then moves to put him down.
“No!” Tim shouts.
“Tim, I need to get the bags. I promise this will only take a minute.”
Tim clutches his jacket. Bruce racks his brain for an idea, wincing at the only one he gets.
He’s reaching desperation, though, so he’ll take it.
“If you don’t let me get our bags, we won’t have any clothes. We’ll have to buy new ones, and they may not have any for you that have good fabrics. They might even be wool.”
Tim gasps and immediately lets go. Bruce puts him down by the bench before he rushes over to the carousel. Thankfully, he finds their bags quickly, bringing them back over. He hands Dick his suitcase, then turns to give Tim his, only for Tim to raise his arms up.
“Tim, we talked about this, you’re responsible for your own—”
Tim whines, thrusting his hands up.
Bruce sighs, then glances at Dick.
“Could you—”
“I got it,” Dick says, taking Tim’s bag from him.
“Thank you,” Bruce murmurs before picking Tim back up. He moves his arm around so he can hold him with one arm, then grabs the handle of his suitcase before finally— finally— walking out of the airport. To his immense relief, Clark’s rental car is already there, the man himself getting out of the car the moment he sees.
“Hey, guys!” He says cheerfully before fully assessing the looks on their faces. “... rough flight?”
Bruce blows air out of his lips.
“Just… help us get our stuff in the car, please.”
“Right,” Clark says, taking Bruce’s bag. “I made sure to request a car seat, so we’re all good there. Dick, can you help me get the bags into the back?”
“Yeah, sure,” Dick says, walking to the back with him. Bruce goes to the side, opening the door to put Tim in his car seat.
“Try to rest while we’re driving,” he tells him. Tim just groans, hugging Batman tightly. Bruce winces sympathetically, then closes the door just as Dick opens the one on the other side. He walks to the passenger side door, getting in his seat, slumping back, and closing his eyes. A minute later, Clark gets in and turns the car on.
“Sorry your flight wasn’t great, guys,” he tells everyone.
“It… definitely could have been better,” Dick agrees. “There was a lot of turbulence.”
“Ah, hate it when that happens. You doing alright there, Tim?”
Tim groans again.
“Got it, no talking for now.” He glances over at Bruce. “How about you?”
“I would also enjoy not talking,” he tells him.
“Gotcha.” Clark puts the car into drive and pulls away from the curb. Bruce sighs, letting his shoulders slump as he finally relaxes—
Only for his phone to start buzzing in his pocket. He grimaces, resolving to ignore it, but it buzzes again about a minute after it stops. He grunts, then pulls it out of his pocket, frowning when he sees Lucius’ name on the caller ID. He hesitates, then answers, figuring that he’ll just keep calling if he doesn’t.
“Hello?”
“Bruce, sorry to bother you.”
Bruce bites back a sigh.
“Lucius, I know I told you that I’m on vacation with my family right now.”
“Yes, I know, and again, I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency. I’m guessing you haven’t read the news?”
Bruce frowns, then quickly opens up his news app, his stomach sinking when he sees that one of the members of the board has been accused of insider trading and embezzlement.
“For fuck’s sake, Harrick,” he mutters to himself. He pinches the bridge of his nose, lets out a long exhale, then sits up a bit. “Alright. Patch me through to legal.”
He sees Clark wince in the rearview mirror.
“You gonna be okay?” He asks quietly.
“Have to be,” Bruce mutters before pushing down all his exhaustion, frustration, and the urge to burst into tears. He plasters on the “Bruce Wayne” act just in time for the line to beep. “Annie, always lovely to hear from you— well, not in these circumstances, but you get what I mean. I hear that one of our esteemed board members has gotten himself in some trouble…”
It takes nearly the entire drive to Smallville, but Bruce manages to get their legal responsibilities ironed out, as well as setting up an emergency meeting with the board next week. He says goodbye, then drops his head against the back of the seat just as Clark pulls up to the farmhouse.
“Well, I guess that’s as good of timing as any,” Clark says with somewhat forced cheer. All Bruce can do is glare at him, and Clark looks a bit sheepish as he parks and unlocks the doors. “Sorry.”
Before Bruce can even attempt to say anything, one of the car doors bursts open.
“Pa! Ma!” Dick yells as he tears across the front yard. The front door of the farmhouse opens to reveal Martha, who has a huge smile on her face as she walks down the steps. Dick slows down a bit so he doesn’t completely bowl her over in a hug, the two of them laughing joyfully. Jonathan follows out a minute later, a little slower but no less happy to see Dick.
“One down,” Bruce murmurs tiredly before getting out of the car. He closes the door, then walks over to Tim’s, opening it up. “Ready to get out Tim?”
“Yes! Please I get out now?”
Bruce huffs, then unbuckles Tim’s carseat and pulls him into his arms.
“You wanna walk or do you want me to carry you?”
“I walk!” Tim declares. Bruce nods, then puts him down. Just as he’s about to turn and close the door, though, he feels a tug on his pants leg. “... we hold hands?”
Bruce blinks, then smiles, reaching down to take his hand before closing the door. Tim grins, then points at the house with his free hand.
“We go!” He declares, pulling on Bruce’s arm. Bruce allows it, following him up to the house. “Hello!”
Martha looks away from Dick, her face lighting up again.
“Well, hello, there! You must be Tim?”
“Uh-huh, I Tim!” He lets go of Bruce’s hand and holds up three fingers. “I this many next week! July 19th!”
“Well, ain’t that something! I bet you’re excited.”
“Yeah! I get cake!”
“Aw, that’s wonderful! Do you know what kind of cake?”
“Um… blue! Alfie promise!”
“Oh, I bet that’ll be delicious…”
Bruce zones out a bit, only returning to reality when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He glances over to see a worried Clark.
“You doing alright, honey?” Clark murmurs quietly.
Bruce keeps his face as blank as possible.
“Could you please keep an eye on the kids for the next twenty minutes while I decompress?” He says in just as quiet a voice. Clark’s eyebrows rise, then fall as his lips spread into a small, gentle smile.
“Of course,” he agrees before pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I’ve got it. You rest.”
Bruce nods curtly, then walks into the house and heads straight for the guest room. He notes that Clark’s bags are in here already, his duffel resting on top of the chest at the foot of the bed, but he can’t say he cares much about it; instead, he closes the door behind him, walks over to the bed, and flops onto it face first.
For several minutes, he does not move. He barely thinks. He breathes in, then out, allowing his exhausted mind and body to calm down.
Some time later, he hears a knock at the door. He looks up, calculates, then sighs softly and drops his head back down.
“Come in.”
Clark opens the door a second later, another gentle smile on his face. He walks in, closing the door behind him before walking over and laying down on the bed next to him. He reaches over, brushing some of Bruce’s hair out of his eyes.
“Feeling any better?”
“A little,” Bruce replies. “I think I might hate Harrick a bit. And airports. So does Tim.”
Clark chuckles a little.
“Yeah, after today I kinda do too.”
Bruce raises an eyebrow.
“What happened?”
“Airline couldn’t find the stroller or the car seat for a little bit.”
Bruce frowns.
“Did they find them?”
“Oh, yeah, they just got grouped with another plane’s baggage. Stressful, though. Plus Conner got grumpy about his nap being delayed, and the whole thing kind of set Jason on edge.”
Bruce hums quietly.
“Tim got overwhelmed at the second airport,” he tells him, “didn’t feel like he could walk by himself. Had to carry him til we got to the baggage claim, then he nearly rioted when I wanted to put him down.”
“Aw, poor thing.”
“Me or him?” Bruce deadpans.
“Both of you,” Clark says. “I’m sure that was hard too.”
“Mm.” Bruce smiles a little. “Worth it, though.”
Clark grins.
“Yeah?”
“Mm. I like making you happy.”
Clark chuckles, leaning over to kiss him softly.
“Thank you for coming out here. It means a lot to me, and to my parents.”
“Of course.” Bruce sits up. “But speaking of, I should probably go talk to them.”
“You sure? They’ll understand if you need a couple more minutes.”
“I’m alright,” Bruce tells him as he gets off the bed. Clark smiles at him, then gets up, taking his hand and leading him out of the guest room.
“Fair warning, Jason and Dick got into a little bit of a tiff over my old room, so things are a little tense.”
Bruce sighs.
“Did you explain that we gave the bedroom to Dick because he’s the oldest?”
“Yeah, but Jason insisted he get it because he was here first. Managed to iron it out, though.”
Bruce sighs in relief, then smiles a little when he sees Jonathan, Martha, and the boys in the living room.
“Oh, Bruce!” Martha says when she notices him. She gets up, hurrying over to give him a hug. “How are you, sweetheart? Clark said you had some business you had to take care of in the ride over?”
Bruce sighs.
“Unfortunately being on vacation doesn’t mean I can put off all of my duties.”
“Poor thing.” She pats him on the shoulder and turns to head to the kitchen just as Jonathan comes up for a hug of his own.
It’s actually really nice. He sees where Clark gets it from.
“You’re not working too hard, are ya?” Jonathan asks when he pulls back.
“You sound like Clark,” Bruce says before looking down and frowning. “What happened to your wrist?”
Jonathan lifts his right hand, giving Bruce a better look at the splint.
“Ah, just a little accident with the tractor while I was repairin’ it. Didn’t hurt too bad, but doc said it was better to be safe than sorry.”
“Always getting himself in trouble,” he hears Martha call from the kitchen.
“Not always,” Jonathan counters. “And I seem to recall your ankle swelling up like a balloon not too long ago.”
“What?” Clark asks, sounding worried. “Ma, are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine, sweetheart, it was just a twisted ankle. Some ice and some rest were all I needed—” Bruce hears her hiss, and Clark speeds into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just my arthritis acting up.”
Bruce’s eyebrows rise as he walks over toward the kitchen.
“Arthritis?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you about that?”
“No, Ma, you didn’t. Are you okay?”
“Now, don’t you start worrying about me! I’m handlin’ things just fine.” Bruce watches her pat Clark on the cheek. “Now, be a dear and look in that drawer over there, will you? Your pa picked up some doohickeys at the store that are s’posed to help with this.”
Clark nods, but Bruce sees the pensive look on his face.
“B, B!”
He turns to look down at Tim, who grabs his wrist.
“We gonna see cows! You come too!”
“Tim, I’ve already met the—”
“Pleaaaaaaase?” Tim says, eyes huge.
Bruce bites back a grimace, then sighs.
“Alright, I’ll go see the cows with you.”
Tim cheers, then starts tugging Bruce toward the back door just as Dick and Jason go through. He sees them make faces at each other, which is not something he’s looking forward to inevitably having to deal with.
Just before he walks out, he looks over at Clark, who still has that look on his face.