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:

In a sense that he can retain the most stony expression and his body won't shake at all even as tear stream down his face. It's not unusual for him to suddenly be very still and practically breathless either.

He could be sitting next to people, having people sit in front of him, and no one would be able to tell he's already crying (gets away with it a lot in JL meetings). He could be talking over the phone and no one will be able to tell he's already having a mental breakdown on the other line because his voice remains eerily steady.

He'd come from a childhood where crying got you killed or hurt by angry men, and his younger years were spent hiding, fighting, outrunning death in a way you cannot afford to be seen as weak.

Sometimes Bruce can't even feel himself cry.

Between that and the fact that his tears dry fast, his voice never wavers, Bruce can almost lie to himself about what he feels.

"It wasn't even that bad"

"I'm fine, I'm just whiny"

Humans would be an invasive species on Erid.

Pray on Erid would have evolved to survive echolocation not sight.

Give Grace a flashlight and a long range projectile weapon and he could easily wipe out a small local pray population.

bonus (reunion):

gotham kids, teens, + batman 🦇

bonus:

They’re making steady progress, slowly getting to know each other, learning how to live with each other

It’s fine, slow, but fine. They’re doing well

Then Damian gets sick

Bruce has taken care of sick children. Damian had never been sick or taken care of. He’s wary, unsure, and doesn’t know what to do when his body is failing him. Bruce can help, he insists

Sickness is a sign of weakness. He’s been told Batman would expect perfection from him at every turn and there would be no room for mistakes. Realizing that Batman wasn’t the one he should watch out for, but Bruce, was jarring, especially because it was the complete opposite of what he expected

“And… he’s always like this?” Damian questioned softly, swaddled under a pound of blankets in his bed, phone pressed to his heated cheek

“Yeah, I promise. He’s done it with all of us a million times over.” Dick chuckled from the phone. “He’s not underestimating you, or whatever is going on in that head of yours. He just wants to take care of you.”

Damian pressed his lips together and gave a decisive nod. “Thank you, Grayson.”

Dick gave an affirmative hum over the phone. “I’ll come see you next week, when you’re hopefully better. Can’t be getting little kid germs. See ya, little D.”

Just as he hangs up, Bruce walks through his bedroom door, with an awkward air around him. “Okay… It’s time for your medicine again.” He glanced over at the half-empty bowl of soup. “Good, you’ve eaten something.”

The air is still awkward around both of them as Bruce sits on the edge of his bed, holding one of those little plastic cups full of the dreadful grape-flavored medication.

“Father,” Damian starts after downing the entire thing in one gulp. “This is truly disgusting.”

That gets a smile out of Bruce. He chuckles softly and reaches over to press the back of his hand against Damian’s cheek. “I’ve heard that before. While it may taste disgusting, your fever has gone down; I think it’ll break tonight at the latest.”

Damian lets out a little yawn, and Bruce's face softens even more than the young boy could think possible

“Your body has been working hard to fight this sickness… why don’t you take a small nap?” Bruce murmured, gently unwrapping Damian from his blanket burrito so his son didn’t overheat

“Will you…” Damian let out a small cough, his cheeks flooding with warmth that had nothing to do with his current ailment. “Will you stay until I fall asleep… Baba?”

Bruce’s breath audibly hitched, and the older man froze. Damian, for a second, thought he went too far. Then, Bruce’s hand, large and warm despite the scars, landed on his back and started moving in gentle, comforting circles

“Of course, Habibi, I’m not going anywhere.”

Feeling his father's soothing hand rubbing his back, Damian felt all stress and tension leave his body as his eyes slowly closed.

Now, whenever Damian is sick, he demands that his Baba rub his back every night, and whenever his body demands that he needs a nap. It eventually evolves to the point where Damian asks Bruce to rub his back even when he's not asleep

big fan of the tumblr sexyman 2026 finalists they should do a cooking show together ft. meburgers