kris

i spent most last year working on this comic for @batfamilyzine now i can post them

some stuff below

It's the abruptness of it that is bothersome.

Sometimes, amidst laughter and cheeky banter, or in the middle of a fun moment or a close activity, with the family or with any of the kids, Bruce goes quiet.

He'd have an odd look on his face too, something that's not quite unhappy but not really... present either.

Baking with Jason and Damian, and trying to dodge as Jason would playfully chase them out for poking at his pastries. After a few turns, Bruce suddenly goes still and refrains from the joke, happy to just smile and stay.

Tim and Steph in a passionate argument on what piece from Bruce's wardrobe he should go with for a gala, and at some point, Bruce stops talking and stares a little past them.

Dick and Cass playing a too-serious pillow fight, then suddenly ganging up on an unsuspecting Bruce. He doesn't fight back too long, suddenly sinking into the couches and holding them close like an anchor of two very whiny and hyperactive warships.

For the longest time, the kids delegate this to Bruce's personality and waning social battery.

"Bruce is the type of guy who likes being in the moment without being forced to earn a place in it, you know?"

But Duke, new and unknowing, makes the innocent mistake of asking.

He and Bruce had been laughing while Bruce was teaching him how to fix his motorbike, over something about tires that Duke doesn't quite remember anymore after 5 more layers added to the joke. They spent the better part of half an hour with belly-aching laughter and flushed faces.

That's when Bruce goes quiet, wearing that odd expression that Duke had seen a handful of times.

"Hey, B, you good? You go quiet a lot."

Everyone nearby froze, jerking to look at Bruce... expectantly? Worriedly? No one had ever really asked. No one felt like they had to. There couldn't be any other reason besides Bruce's introversion, right?

Bruce blinked, smiling apologetically, "Yeah, no. I'm fine. I just..."

The man looked down, and suddenly he looked like the smallest he'd ever been.

"I just thought about how I never got to do this with my dad."

Now suddenly, it was everyone's turn to be quiet. The horror washed upon some, and for others it hit them like a brick.

Bruce flushed pink, laughing nervously, "S-Sorry, right. That came from nowhere. Moving on..."

But the kids can't move on. It haunts them. They think about it a lot for days to come — the way Bruce's smile dims just a little bit, how his breath becomes a little more shallow for a moment.

And they think about how they got to do everything Bruce never got because they did have a dad, they had a Bruce who was always there and who always gave them a place to belong.

The realization creeps up on them the next time Bruce falls quiet:

looks inside plot

''there is no righteousness in suffering alone and isolating yourself from everything is never the answer because you'll eventually start to lose sense of who you are as you spiral further into depression and suicidal ideation this is why you need to let people help you and allow yourself to believe in a better future even if it feels impossible at times''

well shit. it does have a good plot

Got obsessed with the dynamic of these losers

His birds will just walk up to him and say "bird cage?" and he'll open up his cape and let them hide, if they bother to say anything at all.

----

Red Hood, grumbly:..... Bird Cage?

[Bruce, fighting back both tears and a giant grin, opens up his cape just enough for Jason to squeeze in]

Dick, muffled, from under the cape: Aw, little wing, it's good to see you in here again!

Tim, also muffled: I'd appreciate it if you'd get off my foot though, before you break it, Brick House.

Jason, now muffled as well: Oh waaah, baby bird, your hollow little bones too fragile?

Ollie:.... How many of them are under there??

Bruce:....All of them.

Barry: How?!

Here they come, the Dynamic Duo

Edit: the title for this comic is “Puzzle Rat” this one’s a few days late due to having a lot of doctors appointments sorry it’s  just 9 pages, and about some rats… it’s more symbolic than anything really

i’m just thinking from the perspective of Jason suddenly being thrust into this Gotham high society culture, and out of nowhere he’s abruptly got a schedule packed full of galas, evening parties, dinners, fundraisers, charity events, grand openings—you fucking name it, Bruce has about three of each on the calendar for the next six months. i imagine that although Jason would despise and abhor almost every single one of these events, he’d be so desperate to please Bruce and be a better kid than Dick out of spite that he loyally goes to Every Single Event without complaint. every single one, teeth gritted and hair perfect, he’s gotta be there at Bruce’s side, because he just assumes the events are part of the gig and he really doesn’t wanna lose the gig.

so, Jason’s at all of these events. and so is Tim. so are a lot of the elite’s children, i assume. and while at first Jason’s trotted about like a prize pet because the adults want to see Brucie’s latest ward, eventually he’s ushered off to entertain himself like all the other younger ones so the adults can talk and gossip. and the other kids are pricks, right? all richy and prim and proper? all except Tim, who knows full fucking well this is Robin and he sticks to Jason’s side in Awe. at every event.

and in Tim’s mind he and Jason are essentially becoming best friends. he makes a beeline to Jason at every event he attends and every time Jason smiles and talks to him for as long as Tim can stick around. asks after him, chats about school, is pretty much nicer to him than his own parents at this point. and Tim is starry-eyed about it, because he’s friends with Robin.

meanwhile Jason legitimately does not fucking know who this kid is. every time. he is of the assumption that every event is their first time meeting and Tim is just a real eager and nosy kid.

the thing is Jason has, over time, developed a lot of strategies and tricks for getting through the ridiculous boringness of all these fuckass events. silently causing chaos, of course; daring Dick to do gymnastics off the balcony when he bothers to show up, trying to sneak champagne, seeing how many pieces of sushi he can slip into different peoples’ clutch bags. he keeps himself entertained. but his main strategy is essentially dissociating for the whole night. he’s developed and perfected a ‘Gotham elite alter ego’ if you will, much like Bruce and Brucie Wayne. the second he enters an event he keeps his voice warm, smile easy, speech clear, and cycles through aimless small talk designed to keep the other person talking so that he has to engage as little as possible while zoning out. it’s robotic, almost; at this point it’s mindless. he’s perfected the act so well that he can pretty much switch his brain off during galas and then turn it back on again the second they leave for the night.

a side-effect of this is that he literally forgets everything anybody says to him the second they say it as long as it’s during one of those events. and Tim is just another nameless face in a sea of nameless faces, so Jason Does Not Know Who This Kid Is. he’s just being polite and Tim doesn’t know the difference.

i specifically think this is the funniest possible option because of how things could go post-resurrection when Jason goes back to Gotham and starts interacting with the bats again. Tim thinks Jason and him go way back; Jason’s never met this guy before in his fucking life. when Tim realises this, he feels like he’s going fucking insane.

Jason, teasing after Tim gets hit: seriously, where the fuck did B find you?!? how could you have possibly wormed your way into this stuff??

Tim, grumbling as he straightens his cape: ha-ha, as if i didn’t see the guy every damn week.

Jason, honestly surprised: oh, no shit? did your parents work for WE or something?

Tim:

Tim: what?

Jason, oblivious: did you see him because of your parents’ work i mean, ‘cause every week is a lot.

Tim:

Tim, incredulous: well no?!?!? i saw him at the same damn galas and dinners i saw you at??

Jason: oh you went to some of those?? man, you should have said hi, i bet you we could have been good friends back then.

Tim:

Tim: Jason don’t make me hit you.

Jason: ?

like, i cannot stress this enough, Jason is not doing a bit. i want him to fully and 100% honestly not remember ever meeting Tim before being Red Hood, and he did not bother to do much research into who Tim was afterwards because he was too busy being mad at the world. Tim keeps declaring that they were joined at the damn hip when they were kids and Jason laughs at him because he thinks he’s making shit up. Tim is in danger of developing peptic ulcers from the indignance of it all.

Jason: oh i like that jacket, it’s cool.

Tim: well yeah, you gave it to me for my birthday.

Jason: ??? your last birthday i gave you a bag of cold spaghetti wdym.

Tim: *huffing* yes i know, i mean my birthday just before you died. you know, back when you were nice.

Jason:

Tim: there was a dinner at my house??? i gave you your invite personally???

Jason: *squinting, sucking his teeth* mmmmm,

Tim:

Jason: nope. doesn’t ring a bell.

Tim: how do you not remember buying me a birthday gift?! you said you picked it out specifically for me???

Jason: yeah, buddy, i reckon Alfred bought you that jacket, and i think young me was a real good liar.

Tim:

Tim, betrayed, turning to Alfred:

Alfred: *leaves the room*

Tim: are you fucking kidding-

to save face about the fact that his childhood best friend was literally just recycling npc dialogue and forgetting who he is the whole time they knew each other and Tim never fucking noticed, Tim proposes that Jason simply doesn’t remember him because the lazarus pit fucked up his memories.

“No,” Damian tells him eagerly, because he’s been loving this whole thing from the start. “The pit actually strengthened Todd’s memories and ability to store them; it revitalises and renews the brain’s ability to preserve.”

Tim throws a book at him and starts digging through old photo albums to find gala pictures of them both that prove he isn’t losing it.

it all comes to a head when Jason and him are going for a drive and Jason slows down as they pass the gates to Drake Manor.

“Drake,” Jason hums thoughtfully, reading the sign. he turns to Tim, “Hey, that’s funny. Didn’t you say your last name is Drake? it’s like it was built for you.” Tim stares at him in disbelief as he laughs to himself. “Man, can you imagine if you’d lived next to us back then? You woulda’ been neighbours with Batman; we could have been buddies! That would have been cool, I would have liked a friend back then.”

Tim’s so enraged that he tases Jason in the ribs, forgetting he’s the one in control of the car. Jason crashes them into the Drake Manor gates and Bruce grounds them both for wrecking one of his favourite cars.