https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikiclix feel free to ask anything as long as it's sfw ^^ (I can't promise to answer all of it but I swear I'll try) pfp by: Chiaseed12
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Apparently, the hard part of dating as a single-parent isn't introducing your boyfriend to your children
The hard part is actually convincing your children that said boyfriend is Hal Jordan aka someone who is essentially the co-worker you have been ranting about for the better part of almost, 20 years
The script of telling each child had been as follows: "wait you're dating Hal Jordan" (yes) — "don't you hate him?" (hate is a strong word) — "how long have you been together" (long enough to know we are serious about it)...... and then the rest of the conversation dissolves in various ways
Jason makes a half-joke, saying "Eh, I'd give you both about 5 weeks before you guys go back to hating each other's guts"..... then 5 weeks past and Hal is cooking the family breakfast while Bruce watches him like he molded the moon himself. Jason is conflicted for several reasons, most of it boiling down to: "Ain't no fucking way the old man has stronger game than I do"
Cass laughs and goes "silly dad, you're playing with the green man's feelings for a plan aren't you" and keeps up with that belief... until one day where she saw Hal and Bruce, even in-uniform, cozy'd up to each other, and all she reads from their body language is honest, true love. later she is found cornering Hal Jordan and staring him in the eyes, saying "I can smell fear. Remember that." Hal is terrified. never mind that he's a whole foot taller than the girl.
Dick, daddy's boy, literally says "nu-uh"...... even when Bruce proposes to Hal a few years later, Dick is maintaining plausible deniability that his dad now has someone else to fixate on except his precious children, specifically his eldest child
Tim, daddy's boy #2, goes on a stalking spree on Hal. why? sometimes he says he thinks Bruce is doing it to catch Hal in some act or another. sometimes he insists he wants to make sure Hal's intentions ("You know, normal people do shovel talks" — "Cameras will foresee what a grave can't, my dear Steph"). Barbara has to lock him out of the internet sphere for a week because he went as far as to try and build a satellite to follow Hal to Oa
Damian is surprisingly the tamest, believing his father did a fine job at choosing the Greatest Green Lantern to Ever Live™ to be his partner. Bruce is almost happy. then a few days later, Hal calls him panicking because "your youngest gerbil is here and he's insisting that I help him succeed a lantern ring"
Bruce is at least a little sorry, but Hal? Nah, he sees this as a challenge. He's winning over all of them by Christmas, this he swears.
[cut to Alfred Pennyworth threatening him at gunpoint for coming to the manor with flowers because are you suggesting I cannot give my son employer his own flowers, good sir?]
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At the request of many people, a part 2! (Please note that I'm much worse at writing comfort or fluff, especialy in dialogue form, but you guys seem to be deprived of happy endings so I'll try anyway.)
The spell seemed harmless enough, the batkids had returned in less then an hour. Bruce had panicked of course, he had began his search for them already (not that he would admit that), but they were unharmed.
Yet the kids seemed.. off.
They looked at Bruce like he was something to be pitied, like he was fragile.
"What's happened? Are you hurt?"
"I- No, no injuries."
"Good, good.." Bruce wondered if asking 'what happened' another time would be 'crossing another boundary', he decided he didn't want to risk it. If they wanted to tell him, they would come to him.. Probably.
"Let's go home, Alfred is just as worried as I am."
The kids stiffened, which would've gone unnoticed, but not by the world's greatest detective, not by batman, not by their dad.
"..Are you sure you're feeling okay..?"
"Fine Bruce, let's go home."
Let's just say the carride was less then ideal. It was silent, akward, uncomfortable. For the kids but especially for Bruce.
He had been really worried, he is really worried. The allien colonel had blasted at his the kids and they'd been gone. No trace of what happened, the Justice League had fought alongside him but his mind wasn't really with them.
He assumed the worst. It was terrifying, but they didn't want to talk about it, so he'll wait..
When they arrived at the manor Alfred was waiting for them, bandages already in hand.
Why were they looking at Alfred like that?
"Welcome home, master Bruce."
"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce started, "It's been.. a long day."
They all made their way inside suprisingly quick for how it normally goes. They're probably tired.
And while Alfred and Bruce went to work on household chores, the kids had a brainstorming session on their way to the Batcave.
"We're not about to just let that slide, now are we?" Duke asks, trying his hardest to control his volume.
"Oh, absolutely-the-fuck-not." Jason answers, practicly jumping down the last stairs.
"That's not what we need to discuss," Steph explains, "What we need to discuss is how we're going to lure Bruce away."
"Right, he'll just defend Alfred."
"Probably something about 'how he didn't know better'" Jason mutters under his breath before letting himself fall on the couch.
They'd all tried to have a conversation about something along these lines. Where Bruce drops a piece of Dad Lore™ about his childhood of which he thinks it's normal, they always, without fail, have to explain that it's not.
"Richard," Damian starts, "doesn't Kent owe you still?" He says before gracefully pushing Stephanie off the side of the couch.
"Yeah, for.. what was it? Not snitcHING DAMIAN." Her voice echoed of the walls but Damian wasn't intimidated, unfortunately.
Dick had to try his hardest not to laugh but failed, snickering while he watches the two of them. "I mean, not sure I need it. Clark is quite eager to hangout with B."
"Ugh, you don't need to remind us, the boy scout is practicaly glued to his side!" Jason exclaims, throwing his legs over the armrest.
Really, they are so sickingly in love it's horrible to watch. Something completely normal happens and they'll stare at eachother for a solid minute.
Cass sometimes thinks they are close to forming actual heart-eyes. It's really gross. It's really sweet. But mostly gross.
"Is that really the best option?" Damian asks, he didn't mind Clark. It's just.. That's his dad, he deserves the best & quite frankly Superman is the minimum. Couldn't they call his mom?
"Do you have a better viable option?" A fair point by Cassandra.
No one responds, all of the other options lacked any leverage to hold against them.
"Hey Dick, is everything okay? How are you feeling after the whole.."
"We're fine now, but we need your help."
"Of course, what'd you need me for?"
"Well.. we want to have a talk with Alfred."
There was a small silence on the other side of the line, Clark was so happy someone was finally going to say something about him. But he wasn't sure the kids were the best option.
He'd heard some stories from Bruce, far from everything, but a start. And Bruce tends to tell them with rose-tinted-glasses on.
Clark knows Bruce knows it wasn't normal, but he just.. won't blame Alfred. It's always something like 'I was difficult, Clark.' Or 'He didn't sign up for babysitter, he signed up for butler.'
"...Okay, what do you need from me?"
"Take Bruce away."
"..What..?"
"Take him on a date for all we care, you got our permission but please, just keep him and his mind away from the manor."
"...Dick."
"Yes Superman?"
"You better be done when we get back. Bruce does not want or deserve to see that."
Dick said his goodbyes and hang up the phone, that was fixed. Now they just had to wait, and knowing Supeman he was at least on his way.
"So, how do we want to.. start this?" Tim asked, all eyes going from the phone in Dick's hand to Tim in a flash.
All of them really just wanted to start yelling, but they supposed they could come up with some sort of plan..-
"Kids?"
Bruce. Had they said anything that blowed their cover in the past minute?
"I'm going on patrol with Clark, if you need anything either ask Alfred or call me, okay?"
Bruce was met with silence, they just didn't know what to say, they asked for that but are unsure of how to react. Bruce leaves and the kids eye eachother, still not saying a word as they are quite sure Bruce was still listening.
After a solid 15 minutes they actually make their way up to the manor again, both looking forward to giving Alfred a piece of their minds & dreading it.
When arriving at the manor they had to search for the old butler for a little while aswell. Eventually he was found cleaning up an older guestroom.
"Alfred."
The butler looked up from the bedsheets and stood up perfectly still, like he always did, like Bruce does.
"Yes, master Jason? Do you need my help, perhaps medical assistance after the.. events of earlier?"
Jason gave one last look at the others behind him, scanning their faces for any sign of doubt. He found none.
Not that that would've stopped him anyway, the stuff he's seen Alfred do to his dad Bruce in the name of 'raising someone'.
As much as Jason liked Alfred, he hated him. He hated the fact Alfred could and did do all of that.
He hated the fact that Bruce didn't tell a single person, if that's because he doesn't realise it's bad or because he thinks they wouldn't care he didn't know.
He hated himself for not picking up on the little signals sooner, he hated the bunch of them for needing to see the past before seeing his dad flinching.
He hated it.
"Alfred." Jason said calmly, his face stone cold, "What gives you the right."
"If you could eleborate, master Jason-"
"He was a child, Alfred. A child!"
"I really don't know what you're on about."
"You locked up a grieving, traumatised boy. In the name of what, Alfred? Bruce didn't deserve that!?" Jason's voice was loud, like a sharp dagger pointed right at the older man.
"You locked up Bruce in a goddamn closet, Alfred. For how long? How many times!?" Tim joined in, and one by one they all joined in aswell, not even leaving Alfred to give any form of input.
"You locked him out, for 12 hours. 12 hours, Alfred! Outside, in the snow of a cold, cold Gotham!" Dick yelled, "What had been the reason again? 'Fooling around'? Like a child should!?"
"How many meals have you kept from him. How many, Alfred!? How could you ever do something that cruel?" Back to Jason again, Alfred looked.. unfazed.
The butler sighed, as if the accusations were about a meal he made and not their dad.
"I can hear you kids just fine, there's no use for yelling," their blood went stone cold, how could he. How dare he? "I was just raising a young man, he needed correction and now he's fine."
Anybody could practicly hear their blood pressure rising, 'correction', huh? Apparently they weren't done yelling yet.
"Master Bruce is a talented man now, what I did to help him get there was nececarry."
"It was necesarry to neglect him?" Duke asks, voice lacking any emotion as he continued, "What you did was the only viable option? Not feeding him? Locking him up? Ignoring his feelings? Making fun of his hopes & dreams? Locking him out?"
A small silence, suddenly Alfred didn't seem to sure about it. He'd done everything out of love, Alfred really thinks he's done the right thing but.. the kids seemed really mad.
"You realise how wrong it sounds, right?" Duke finishes, his voice nearly breaking at the last word.
Just for a second, a blissful second, Alfred had doubt.
Doubt about his parenting methods, about the snarky remarks thrown at Bruce, about the sarcastic tones he had whenever adressing an accomplishment of Bruce's.
"Bruce is a Wayne, he needed to be a model for the rest of the world."
It was just a second.
"Would you lock the president up? He's a model, someone people tend to look up too." Steph asks, eyes piercing through the cold air.
"Bruce needed to live up to expectations," Alfred defends, posture as straight as ever. Eerily similar to how Batman stands. Fuck.
Cass' blood was boiling, that was her dad for Gotham's sake. "Bruce did not choose to, he doesn't deserve you."
And the bickering goes on. Trained vigilantes fighting their mentor's parental figure. The tension rising as Alfred just refused to elaborate, explain or accept anything.
Neither parties are really sure how long they'd been at it, most put their attention on angry words & the way they couldn't possibly physically fight the older butler.
Bruce would be upset. Was the only reasoning, any respect or authority had faded out as the yelling increased.
Really, it wasn't a screaming match yet, they were making points. Listening. Hoping. Just.. loudly.
So loudly in fact Superman had to stop multiple times on their way back to the mansion. 'Sightseeing' he called it.
Clark watched the way Bruce admired the new sight. The sunlight hit Bruce in such a way it made him look impossibly soft, like the years of crime fighting hadn't taken a single taxing.
Their date had gone great, Clark hadn't even tuned in on the Manor that many times & Bruce had enjoyed himself.
They had laughed, told stories of their younger years of fighting corruption, they had fun.
After a while the check had come, Clark insisisted on paying but Bruce had somehow paid without the Superman noticing. How Bruce had done it, Clark didn't know.
But the laugh—a genuine giggle—had warmed his heart and made him forget about the 'being upset'-part. How could he when Bruce looked so damn proud of himself?
And now, they were on their 3rd stop: a grass field filled with dandelions, daisies & poppies. It was beautiful at this time of the day & by pure coincedence (Clark did not look & listen for them specificly, how dare you sugest that) there were rabbits around.
And Bruce looks so.. peaceful.
He's gotten to the point where he's handfeeding the rabbits, they ate the dandelions he gives them and Bruce looks like an angel.
"Clark?"
Really, the lighting hitting his face like that and the smile on his lips and–
"Clark?"
–he gets along with the little animals so easily, it warms his heart and his voice is like music to his ears and–
His voice?
"Clark, are you okay?"
"Huh, oh yeah. Yeah, I'm alrigh' Bruce."
"Good, because we really should get going. If we're lucky the kids haven't burned the manor down."
Oh Bruce, always thinking about your family.
Maybe if he flew slowely the manor would be quiet again, maybe they would finish in time.
Clark knew somewhere in the back of his mind the chance is less then 2% with the way they are still yelling at Alfred. But Superman has always been an optimist.
So they began making their way home, Bruce knew Clark was going slower on purpose but he didn't bring it up. Maybe in the back of his mind he hoped it was because Clark wasn't ready to say goodbye.
And Clark didn't want to. He really did not. And he also didn't want to because as they arrived in Gotham they were still argueing.
And Clark could no longer put it off, they had arrived at the manor. They stepped inside and 3 rooms over there was yelling.
Bruce was seconds away from storming in when..
"Alfred! What you did was abuse! Child abuse! No matter what your reasoning is, Bruce was a child and what you did was wrong! Don't you get it?!"
And Bruce froze.
Suddenly he was a child again, listening to Alfred yelling at his teachers.
Or listening to the cps worker who came over and asked an infinite amount if questions Bruce didn't have an answer for.
He felt a hand on his shoulder but didn't look around to face Clark. He just accepted that the man pulled him in a hug, too lost in thought to actually care.
How had the kids found out? Why were they taking it out on Alfred, he didn't do anything wrong?
Alfred stayed, that was all that mattered.
Why were they mad, Alfred stayed. He stayed and took care of that annoying little ungrateful, good for nothing brat-
"Shh, Bruce. They're just trying to stand up for you."
Oh, he was crying. How.. embarrassing.
But the comfort was nice, the way Clark's hand massaged his head and detangled his hair. The way Clark radiated warmth & the way he was being hold like he was worth something.
A voice. He wasn't sure who it was or what they said but then the door opened and he was the 2 men were tackled against the cold floor.
A pair of smaller hands wrapped around him and whispered apologies. A different pair moved his arm around them.
As everybody settled he could see the man standing in the doorway, posture straight as always but he couldn't see Alfred's expression. Bruce could only see the silhouette of his butler, slightly threatening if he wasn't being hugged by so many.
All his kids were hugging him—and suprisingly Clark—in some way, some muttering apologies, some simply telling him how much they loved & missed him.
some people don’t deserve fanfics, much less for free.
also even if authors didn’t tag any specific warnings but they used the “creator chose not to use archive warnings” tag, then that is your warning.
“omg you should’ve —” no one forced your entitled ass to read anything. fanfic writers write for themselves and their own enjoyment. if you don’t like what you’re reading, quietly leave. ao3 is not an airport. no one cares about your departure so no need to announce it.
I just had this idea that Bruce dies thinking his children hate him and perished after their big fight. But, I'm not sure how I can start writing it. I don't know if I should pass this up as an Omega verse.
Anyways... Somehow, he finds himself turned back in time. But, instead of adopting all of them again.
He didn't.
He changed the course of their fate by calling Superman to save Richard and his parents. Hunting Sheila and getting the help she needs, thus preventing Jason from stealing his tires. Befriending Drake's and slowly steered their parenting skills (He didn't think he was a good parent either. Why would the kids hate him so much, if he did.) and swooping down to save them from their deaths. Letting Barbara and her father adopt Cassandra. And saving Duke's parents from Joker.
The only left was Damian. He infiltrates the LoA and takes him. He nearly gave him up but had a second thought and decided against it. He raised Damian as his only son.
But then, he found a mate (if this is an Omegaverse. This can be a Superbat as well. Dunno) have a child with the said mate and took this as a second chance to become a great parent.
But, the former Wayne kids someday opened their eyes and remembered their former life. Heartbroken, they saw how happy Bruce and Damian were with their new Family.
I don't know if I should let them reconcile? Or leave the angsty - angst.
Pps. I'm the one who wrote the hand movement and eye movement thingy. Thank you for being nice.
Anon baby you are breaking my heart why would I not be nice?
- i lowk want endgame brutalia but you said superbat, so
"He looks happy," Dick murmurs, closing his eyes and turning away. Jason puts a hand on his shoulder, leaning into the touch to take comfort from it himself. Catherine got shunted into rehab years ago, Willis got a job at Wayne Enterprises, and he grew up in a stable home. He doesn't have quite the same bulk as before, even if he took after Willis' large frame. Blue eyes water as he too turns away from the manor.
Tim plucks the binoculars from Dick's slack grip, and steps up next to Cass, peering through the gates to the manor.
Damian, only ten, and so much more a child than he was the first time around, howls with laughter between Bruce and Clark, standing on Bruce's shoulders to duel Clark as he walks upside down on the ceiling, their wooden swords coming together over and over. Smiles abound, and it makes a weight settle in the stomachs of their spectators.
Their spectators that three weeks ago, regained memories of the previous timeline, before Bruce was sent back, before it diverged, before their dad decided not to be their dad anymore.
"Why are we here?" Cass asks, turning her back on the manor. "He doesn't want us anymore."
Dick stands abruptly, and Haley's Circus' best aerialist clears the tall fence in one bound, and stalks off down the driveway.
None of them are vigilantes, in this life.
All of them find a way over that fence.
Dick pounds his fist on the door, and the laughter drifting out the open windows ceases. The lock clicks. The door creaks.
Clark Kent stands in the foyer of his home, and the smile drops from his face. In a flash, they're all back outside the gates, which he's easing closed behind them.
"Supes--"
"No, Timothy," Clark says. There is no familiarity in his voice. "Bruce tried so hard to keep you away from him in this life. Please. He-- He tried so hard to give you the lives you deserve, please don't tell me it failed."
"Three weeks ago," Jason explains tersely. "We got our memories from the last life. We're not sure why."
"CLARK!"
Clark flinches, and twitches in place. "Why are you here?"
"He's our father," Jason growls. Clark pinches his nose.
"But he's not. He made sure of that. And you guys-- you being here, he'll think he failed. He won't be able to cope with failing you all again."
"He didn't fail us the first time!" There is no love lost between this Dick Grayson, and this Superman. Uncle Supes is a ghost of a memory. "He is ours."
"He is my husband," Clark counters. "And he has spent his whole life devoted to you kids. Please don't make it in vain."
"CLARK!"
Closer.
Bruce is coming.
"PAPA!"
"Damian," Cass breathes.
Clark flinches again, but stays steadfast.
"Does he know about us?" Tim whispers, gazing towards the manor.
Clark nods. "Bruce... he couldn't keep you a secret. He didn't try. Damian has met you all, over time. He wanted to see what you were like."
"Please, Clark. He's our brother."
Clark wavers. "He never wanted this. He wanted...from afar. To be unknown."
"He's our father."
Clark strokes a hand over his face. "Not here! That was the whole point! You remember, right? So you remember cursing at him, and pushing him away, and telling him he wasn't your father! He listened, like you begged him to, and stopped. He did what you wanted, and now I am begging you." Clark swallows. "I am begging you kids. Please don't make him think that he failed you all over again."
"Clark!" Bruce yells again. More cautious, and Cass watches a glimpse of his silhouette through the trees, carefully advancing. "Honey?" A smaller figure stalks through the underbrush, approaching from the other side, and Dick can't take his eyes off it.
"Please."
This is their chance. If they race for the bend in the lane now, Bruce and Damian won't see them.
While hesitantly, they do decide to leave before bruce sees them. They dont want to but what choice do they have? They're still figuring out what this all means in the first place.
While they are greatful for the lives they have, the family that they had lost.. they miss bruce.
They miss his over protective antics.
They miss his overbearing love.
They miss him.
But things ended so horribly. The never ending fights, the silent treatments, the rage. Most of the kids cant even remember what the arguments were about, nothing that really mattered it seems.
Part of them are angry at bruce, what he took from them. He took their friends, their skills and dreams, he took what directions their lives were going away. He took himself away from them.
But he gave them what they thought they wanted more than anything. And now they have it.. the kids still miss him terribly.
In the weeks that followed, they all discussed more deeply about what they remember and what they feel. Trying to learn from past mistakes.
The kids all recall feeling like a peice of themselves were missing during their life, someone who they could always turn to. Who would protect them. Turns out they were right.
But at least they have each other again, being able to reconnect in this new life is fascinating. While their family's are beyond confused, they're all happy this rag tag team has developed.
But bruce..
He knows somethings up.
You see, while he may not be directly in their lives anymore, he keeps a close eye on them all. He loves them more than life, they are still his children.
So when he notices that they've all randomly started meeting up and getting closer.. he can only come to one conclusion.
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I was busy creating my usual Bruce angst fics on my mind before bed,and I just realized how fuckin difficult it is to kill yourself if you're Bruce
Like your best friend is a Kriptonian that knows your heartbeat like it's his own background music,and that can read you better than anyone
Imagine trying to throw yourself off a building and Superman just stopping behind you and saying "you know I will catch you if you fall. Always.",like no bitch I want to die,get the hell out
Or throwing yourself Infront of a car,which flash as your nerd friend,this is like so hard
Shooting yourself?He probably trained himself for that. Poisoning?He is immune to all types of poisoning,and it's the ultimate test subject for cures in case a new poison goes out. Bleeding to death?If he could he would've died long ago by that.
It just sounds so funny in my mind,Bruce just trying to think of a way to die,but giving up because it will be too complicated and there's so much stuff to do,and he just starts silently hoping that an alien crushes him one day,or some rogue finally wins because god he's tired.
Paired with my hc that he started spending more time with the Justice League after Alfred died because he couldn't deal with the silence,this would do well. A Bruce a the verge of trying and suddenly a message for hang out with the league pops on his phone,and he's like "well..maybe another day I'll try"
LMAO
Omg I'm sorry I just answered this ask Lily TT
But imagine the JL purposely giving Bruce at least one thing to do every single day just so he doesn't have the time to think about killing himself.
Like Imagine if almost all the main JL members know Bruce is passively (&active sometimes) suicidal so they have a meeting once a month just to brainstorm ideas on how to their resident bat something silly or a tad serious to do just so he can live another day.
hal will try to mess with him and ask for help grudgingly in the most random times and Bruce is annoyed because this is the THIRD time hal called him while he was on the way to try and kill himself again.
They're definitely always brainstorming ideas on setting get always so they can take his mind of attempting
Bruce is so mad that this is the 8th time that he tries and now he's on his beach episode with the JL,eating a popsicle and with enough sunscreen to protect an army,but he's still there because the noise makes him feel better, weirdly enough
They love their old bat,even if he doesn't love himself most of the time,but it's okay he can pay for the next pizza getaway to make up for this Idiocracy that is hating himself(Bruce silently loves their getaways,but not silently enough)
to me, the cruelest thing that eva stratt does is not the kidnappig itself. it's that she tells grace that he does not even have a dog. dr ryland grace, a man who dedicated his life to the greater good, first to science and then to teaching, does indeed not have a dog. and because of this, he has to spend his last precious moments on his home planet with the full knowledge that while he might be smart enough to save the world, he is not loved enough by anyone on it to be worth saving
Will you fall in love with me again edit, but it's Batfamily and the children that ask to their father if he will love them again after years of no contact for a stupid reason, and now they want to come back, but didn't know if Bruce want them anymore.
They know they didn't give him much reason to do it.
At the start of his life, Damian did not know who Thomas and Martha Wayne were.
They were footnotes, at best, to the legends of the bat that the League still whispered about to this day and the same stories that Talia would tell him with a sweeter tone, about a boy just like him who was loved in all the right ways and it still could not save him from his own fate.
It's why Bruce is a little surprised when Damian came to the manor and first saw their portrait, immediately lighting up.
"I know them."
Bruce stilled immediately, preparing himself for the drop of the hat, that this boy, his son, who was made from a stolen piece of Bruce, also had imitations of his grandparents used in the training that ripped his childhood to pieces.
But Damian's expression goes soft, inexplicably so.
He turned first to Thomas' image, poised and imposing man, even with his tender smile. The boy said:
"When I have dreams, or what I think are dreams, it's in the hospital that Mother says she studied in when she was young, and an older gentleman always holding my hand and listening to me talk about my training and interests in medicine and sweets."
Then Damian turned to the image of Martha, demure and breath-takingly beautiful. His fondness shifts to borderline gratitude.
"When I have nightmares, I often find a woman running up to me and enveloping me in her arms. She does not look like Mother but her touch feels safe and familiar anyways. When that happens, I don't wake up screaming at all."
Bruce later messages Talia to ask about this.
She responds with no words, only sending him one of few preserved childish drawings made by Damian at a littler age.
Damian, Talia, a black shadow figure labelled 'Batman' — all hand-in-hand. Ra's in the corner of the paper on Talia's side.
And above Damian, two figures in the youthful likeness of Thomas and Martha Wayne labelled appropriately:
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I have no Canon to back this up, but I like to think that when Bruce will die (Permanently, possibly), he will leave more than just a will behind.
Like, in the days following his depature, almost all the people who knew him receive letters. Those who were closest to him get piles of those, others just a couple, but they all get some. On the first letter of the stack there is the phrase "Things I would've liked to say to you but I never found the courage to". And they are just that, pages and pages, written with his convoluted calligraphy, detailing all sorts of things the Bat never said out loud.
Some are silly things, like how he liked the way someone did their cofee and he would've liked to drink that too, or how someone's accent scratched his brain just right, or how he was the one who did that particular irritating prank but never admitted it.
And then there are things like: "I never told you that I like the way you fly, even when I tought it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw", "I loved you, I loved you so much and I never found the courage to tell you, at least not how many times you deserved to hear it", "You'll always be one of my biggest what ifs, what if I had been better, what if I made you stay". And thing like that.
Those unsaid words pass trough villains and heroes, family and friends and collegues and lovers, from one side of the world to the other. They cause laughter and tears, sudden bursts of love and crushing pain. They finally reach the people they were meant for, a final gift.
The true legacy Bruce Wayne gets to leave behind is the love he had for all the people around him but he was too scared to share. He gets to give the proof of that love one last time, so that, above all material things, this will be what he will be remembered by: That he loved and was loved, and there was nothing he was more grateful for, even if he never said it.
“if you love this character then you must make him happy in your fics, right?” wrong. the horror. suffering. internal hemorrhage. hospital. immediately
