#dad clockwork

I don’t see enough angst to do with Bruce, so here’s my idea.

The world is ending, and all of Bruce’s kids have been hurt in someway. Bruce is running out of options, so he said to call his final contingency plan into place.

He messages the family group chat, telling them that he loves them and is proud of them. Immediately they all start freaking out, and they have Barbara connect them onto a FaceTime with. They’re the only ones who can see what’s going on.

Bruce made a summoning circle. He transferred a few moments before that none of them can really describe appears in the circle. Later on, they all describe him differently. Damien calls him an older man older than Alfred while Tim insists he looks around Bruce’s age. Jason says that he looked older than Bruce, but younger than Alfred and Dick says they looked around his age.

The being looks at Bruce for a moment and ask him in a voice that sounded simply Eldritch

“I assume you wish to make a deal. You know what you must do if I agreed to do anything.’

Bruce nods and grunts.

The being smiles.

“Very well, I will deal with your problem. If you agree to the terms I set so long ago. Do you remember?’

Bruce grunts before saying

“My children are hurt. I want you to heal them too.’

The being laughs,

“why certainly, but you know, that means the deal be a little steeper.”

Bruce nods and takes the outstretched hand. A Crack rings through the air and the video shorts out, becoming only static. By the time they get to the Batcave, the danger is gone, their injuries are healed and Bruce is nowhere to be seen.

“Where the fuck are my legs?” 

Danny wasn’t happy. It wasn’t funny! Usually he just had a ghost tail when flying really fast, like super speed, not all the time! It’s not funny Clockwork, you’re used to having a tail, he isn’t! 

What do you mean it’s permanent?! He needs his legs! Clockwork!! He wouldn’t have agreed to the adoption if he knew he’d lose his legs! 

…Okay, that was a lie, Clockwork was a great parent who encouraged his chaos and enjoyed screwing over assholes like the Observants. But still! He looks like some sort of snake person now! No he doesn’t want a nap, he’s not a baby! 

Clockwork, why are you being quiet? He’s not a baby! He’s not a baby, right? What do you mean all ghosts are babies until they’re a hundred years dead!? But he’s a halfa- what do you mean it takes longer for Ancients?! 

Danny is offended and keeps trying to attack Pariah who is just holding him by the scruff of his neck like ‘Where are your parents?’ and then sees Jack and Maddie with literally house full of ghost hunting weapons and is like ‘NOPE! Not happening’

Pariah: ATTENTION DOES THIS CHILD HAVE ANY GHOST PARENTS?

Vlad*Raising arm enthusiastically*

Danny:FUCK NO

Pariah:...Yeah no

Vlad*lowering arm cursing under his breath*

Ends up putting conquest on hold to go see his husband like ‘Hey so we have a kid now can you watch him while I go conquer the human world’...he also brought flowers as a ‘Sorry I kind of went crazy and tried to kill you... and missed multiple anniversaries stuck in a sarcophagus’...there are a lot of flowers.

Clockwork is just there like.... well didn’t see this timeline coming but i’m not complaining, thank you dear I’ll watch Daniel please try not to get shoved into sarcophagus again and be back in time for dinner.

Danny is just sitting there with a hot chocolate Clockwork gave him no idea what the fuck is going on.

Bonus Pariah:I am not trying to kill a literal ghost infant who the fuck would do that??

Clockwork kept the growing smile to himself, trying not to give any reaction that he knew she was there. The young halfa crept closer, still invisible as if that would do any good. When she was but a metre away, Clockwork decided to break the silence.

“No, Danielle. They are not here yet.”

Danielle huffed as she dropped the invisibility and landed on the floor with a soft thud. “I thought I almost had you that time.” She mumbled to herself.

Clockwork chuckled again, his amusement making Danielle blush. “So, when are they gonna be here?” She asked, changing the subject.

He's been given many names over the eternities.

Kronos. Time. Ouroboros. The World Serpent. It comes with being an Ancient. With being one of the oldest primordial being of them all. Only his own parent, Infinity itself was older.

He was an unstoppable force, no matter what the Observants wished to think, their chains akin to mosquito bites- if that- as they shattered.

Clockwork is his favorite name he decided long ago, when he'd first seen the possibilities of the world his so-called employers complained he had obsessed over.

Yet how could he not? This world had given him children after all. Ghostlings all his own, human and not, mortal and more. Invisible to his machinations and strumming of the strings of Fate.

And here he lay, curled in a bed he had no need for but had meticulously crafted for the Cores he held against himself so lovingly. His own little bit of Space, a smaller Moon and Sun, joined by Life and Storm and Sea and Ore. Newborn Ancients in their own right, Cores unstable and cracked from the actions of mortals who did not understand, who could not.

Perhaps, he pondered, it was best.

They might be Ancients under their own rights, but they were still young. Too young, their very essence risking collapsing under their own power unless he did something.

Clockwork crooned a lullaby in the words of Reality, running a finger across one of the cracks before picking the core up. And swallowing it.

One by one until they were safe. Protected. Able to use his own energy to stabilize their own instinctively. He hummed a song he knew by heart, by Core, and let the clocks tick on. He had much work to be done.