Welcome all to this year’s Maribat Bio Parent Month 2025! And just like promised, here’s this year’s prompts and bingo card!
Note: Click images for better quality. Full list for both will be under the read more line.
Edit: This bingo card once had Andre but has changed to Mr.Banana Adrien Agreste as per popular demand.
Once again, this event goes live in June! Any fics posted before will not be reblogged nor added to the AO3 collection!
You can participate in as many or as few prompts as you like. There is no minimum nor is there a limit! The bingo card is there for an extra challenge! Want to make art or just write a concept post? A playlist? Go for it! All types of contributions are welcomed!
When posting, please use the tags #maribat bio parent month 2025 or #mbpm2025 to help us keep track of your works. Tagging the blog @maribat-bpm would also help us to reblog your work for others to see!
For works in Ao3, use the collection Maribat Bio Parent Month 2025 to let us know you want your work to be added to the collection!
Questions, comments, concerns? Send an ask!
Without further ado, happy creations!
-Anju
This Year’s Prompts
Meeting for the 1st Time
Stories/Memories
Hiding
Dating/Love
Portraits
Family/Friends
“You’re Grounded!”
Lullaby
Justice League
“This One Yours?”
Mother’s Day
Firsts
Take Your Kid to Work
Free Delivery
Father’s Day
Runs in the Family
Bonding
Hugs/Cuddles
Forgotten/Lost
“Care to Explain?”
Identities
Advice
Holidays/Birthday
No Miraculous Au
Secrets
The “Talk”
Of Sports and School Events
Like Parent, Like Child
Unconditional Love
Home
Substitutions
Last Name Wayne
Grandchildren
Gifts/Flowers
Patrol/Mission
Death
Discovery
Siblings
Late Night Discussions
“Give them hell kiddo!”
Unwanted/ Wanted
Bingo Card
Nathalie Sancouer
Alya Césaire
Oliver Queen
Edward Nygama
Dinah Lance
John Constantine
Wang Fu
Mr.Banana Adrien Agreste
Arthur Curry
Clark Kent
Gabriel Agreste
Victor Fries
FREE SPACE
Hal Jordan
Barry Allen
Kagami Tsurugi
Tikki
Jagged Stone
Lex Luthor
Pamela Isley
Amelie Graham de Vanily
Sabine Cheng
Marinette Dupain Cheng
Luka Couffaine
Harvey Dent
“Care to explain?” Damian slammed a folder in front of his mother, Talia snatching it.
“Where did you find this?” Talia looked at the photo attached to the front of the nameless file.
She thought she had burned the file the day she gave her up. The day after she was born.
“Grandfather had this in his office.” Damian watched as his mother looked at the photo with sorrow in her eyes. “Why does it say I have a sister? Why doesn’t she live with us? Where is she?” Damian questioned his mother, wondering why they hid this from him.
Or rather, how they managed to hide her from him for seven whole years.
Although, the better question was, why was she given up for adoption?
Was she not too, Al Ghul? Why wasn’t she raised with them? Why?
Talia sighed, placing the file back down on the dinner hall table.
“Eslem.” Talia spoke, running her hand over the photo that looked back at her. “That was the name your grandfather bestowed on your sister. Or rather, a curse he placed on her.” Talia motioned for Damian to sit down.
“Why a curse?”
“Your grandfather wanted to raise her as a servant to shadow your every move and to be at your beck and call. He did not see her worthy to be your equal, a rival for the succession on being the next Demon Head… I did not want that for your sister who deserved to be seen as blood.” Talia looked Damian in the eyes. “Would you have wanted your twin, your equal from birth, to be treated like any other servant in this compound instead of an heir?”
Damian shook his head, something Talia didn’t quite expect from her son.
“My twin should’ve had the chance to guide the League into a perfect world. She had the birthright to compete with me to become the next head of the League…Grandfather should’ve known that as she is of the same blood as us...”
“But he does not think a woman should be guiding such a large organization as the League on her own.” Talia reminded him. “ He would say that ‘women are emotional, inferior to their male counterparts.’ That the minute he would hand the organization over, that would be the end of the League of Assassins.”
Damian sat there pondering, looking back at the photo of his sister.
She had the same green eyes as he did, the same olive skin…
“Are you in contact with her?”
“No, I am not.” Talia confessed. “I did not dare to contact the orphanage nor her adopted parents in fear of what your grandfather would do to her if I did.”
“So, she does not know who we are?”
“No.” Damian looked at his mother, something in him twisting upon seeing the pain in her eyes. “And it should stay-”
“I’m going to ask her if she wants to come back with us.” Damian declared, getting up from his seat. “She should want to. After all, we’re Al Ghuls. We are better than any mediocre family that has been taking care of her these past few years.
-
Damian wondered how the hell did his sister’s adopted family even pass the background check and allow them to take care of his sister when this was the way she was being treated.
How dare they treat her this way.
He had managed to track his sister down in a small region on the southern tip of Italy, deciding to look around the community before deciding to investigate the home and finally her room. Or rather, the shack of a room she was living in.
To the community, the family was a well respected dairy farm, always known to be kind and generous to the community and any merchant that came to the farm and store. The house was kept nice and tidy, the occasional sign of life every now and then in the form of a stray toy or article of clothing or unwashed plate.
But that was the catch.
The house looked lived in, homely yet there was his sister: a neglected girl. Just her and herself living within the two floor home with her toys as the only companions.
While there was a plate of food laid on the table for her in the mornings and a plate in the fridge for lunch, his sister spent most of her days doing chores or working on embroidery or school work.
When she would get through with those, she would play with her toys until her parents would come home from work, talk about their day before they would tuck her in for bed and call it a day.
Damian thought the whole point in adopting a child from an orphanage was to make their lives better, not take them out of that environment and place them into the same exact one, just with a different name: home.
His sister was given no type of attention, stimulation nor training that would allow her to grow and become independent in the future. At this rate…she will be no different than a simpleton.
He needed to take her out of here. Now.
Damian knocked on the door of the small home, waiting for his sister to open it. It didn;t take long, a few second passing as she opened it, staring at him with wide eyes.
He didn’t blame her. After all, he too had the same reaction now that she was face to face with him.
At first, he thought the two of them looked identical to one another, but now that she was much closer to him, he could tell she had tints of brown in her hair compared to his jet black hair.
He also couldn’t help but notice that she was shorter than him…and thinner…
Were they starving her?
“I’ve never seen you at school…who are you?” She asked. Damian stretched out his hand.
“I’m Damian. Your brother.”
“I don’t have a brother.” His sister replied, taking a step back. “My parents said-”
“-they adopted you, right?” She nodded. “Did you know someone took you away from our mom and gave you to that horrible place?” He asked her, watching as she looked at him in horror. “That’s how your current parents were able to adopt you from there.”
“They took me away from…our mother?” She asked quietly. Damian nodded his head, his hand still stretched out.
“Would you like to meet her?” He didn’t expect her to accept his hand, his sister nodding her head furiously as she finally took a step towards him.
“Take me back to our mother!” She pleaded. “Please!”
“I will.” He promised. “But for me to take you there, you have to tell me your name.”
“My name?” It was then that it clicked in the girl that she never introduced herself. “My name is Lila Ross- Lila.” She corrected herself. “My name is Lila…so…will you take me back home?”
“I promised you, didn’t I?” He held her hand firmly, then and there vowing to stand by her side, whether their grandfather liked it or not.
Bruce laughed as he swirled the last of his drink in his hand before gulping it, taking note of the tipsiness of the other guests around him.
Most were trying their best to follow the conversation, but Bruce recognized that drowsiness that filled their eyes. That glossy haze over their eyes that begged them for rest.
30 minutes left. Then I could leave. He told himself.
He excused himself from the group, using the need to refill his glass for the second time that night and the need for a snack for the umpteenth time.
The ACCJ Charity Ball: one of Japan’s most well-known charities that he was invited to this year. A charity that he wished with every ounce of his being to not be there. While it was only for one night, he had left Dick all by himself in that big house of his.
Sure, Alfred was there, but that was it. Rick had no one else to talk with, to play with, to be with. He needed to be there, like he had promised him the day he took him in,
His smile dropped the minute he got near the snack table, his nose wrinkling at the lack of diversity in the food. He opted in just taking the last portion of prosciutto di parma when a hand a third of his own reached for it as well.
He retracted his hand a bit, turning his head to see a little girl tiptoeing, holding at the edge of the table in hopes of bringing herself closer to the food.
Her long red kimono didn’t help her.
A small chuckle escaped him, picking up the portion and handing it to her.
“What’s a tiny little lady like yourself doing here by yourself?” He asked her in Japanese when she decided to just stare at him and not take the food he offered her.
Her eyes seemed so familiar…where had he seen that shade of red before?
After a few seconds, she took it, eyeing it again before looking up at Bruce.
“I came with my mother.” She curtly responded, “but I got hungry.”
“Did you let your mother know you were coming here?” Bruce asked her, the little girl shaking her head, Bruce noticing her hair pin falling out.
“She was talking with the others. I didn’t want to interrupt her.” She shyly admitted, stuffing the food into her mouth. “She doesn’t like it when I disrupt her conversations.”
“I see.” Bruce crouched, meeting her at eye level picking up the pin that had fallen. A red chrysanthemum. “And do you know how to get back to her?”
The little girl shook her head again. “Would you be okay on your own or would you prefer someone to guide you back to your mother?”
The little girl pondered for a moment, crunching her nose a bit, her eyes simultaneously narrowing a bit.
”I-Can you help me find my mother?” She asked, “But you cannot tell her you helped me…she does not like it when I speak to strangers for help…” She quickly added to her request.
”It would be my honor and do not worry. I promise to keep this between us.” He vowed as he got up, offering his hand to her when she lifted both her arms. He must have had a confused look on his face as the girl puffed her cheeks a bit, making her look like a chipmunk.
”Looking for my mother would be more efficient if we were looking for her at the same eye level.” She explained, her arms still up. Bruce smiled as he picked her up carefully, making sure to not crease her clothing,
”That is a very good idea.” Bruce praised her, the little girl smiling at the compliment. “Do you remember what she was wearing?”
”We’re match- there she is!” She exclaimed. He watched as the little girl eyes land on-
“Is that your mother?” He asked her, hoping he was seeing things. That he misidentified the person the girl was looking at.
Instead, she nodded her head and tugged on his sleeve.
“I can walk to her from here mister.” She told him, her eyes filled with confidence.
He gently placed her down, but before she left, he asked her one question.
”What is your name? I do not think I caught it earlier.” The little girl muttered something under her breath, Bruce picking up ‘did I forget’ and ‘how could I?’
He watched as she composed herself, watching as she dropped her smile and made her face stern.
To think she’s already mastered keeping a facade at her age…
”My name is Tsurugi. Tsurugi Kagami. Thank you for helping me…mister?”
”Wayne. Bruce Wayne.” Bruce introduced himself to Kagami.
Well Mister Wayne, I’ll be on my way.” She bowed again and ran back to her mother, Bruce watching as she slowed down as she got closer to her. He watched as she carefully stood next to Tomoe, her position never once moving unless told by her mother.
Tsurugi Tomoe.
He had loved her once, but unlike him, she obsessed over her ambition.
Her obsession with being perfect and wanting whatever she desired.
Of wanting to be the one to guide her family’s name without a single doubt from the family heads…
Of a life without him in the future picture…
So he gave her up or rather, he didn’t expect her to easily give up on them.
And he certainly didn’t expect her to have a child.
As far as he knew, she never had a partner after they split up all those years ago. So how did she have a child that was at least 5 years of age?
Bruce looked down at the hair strand in his hand, hoping his paranoia was just causing him to think about the various scenarios that played in his head.
He carefully pocketed the hair strand and quietly made his way out of the charity hall, hoping that he was wrong.
If not…
Bruce looked at the results in his hand, the paper shaking as he reread the results.
One minute he was comfortably sitting on his couch in the House of Mystery and the next, a baby landed right on top of him, expelling all the oxygen in his lungs. The baby laughed in glee as it stared at Constantine, his large green eyes boring through him.
Bright green eyes, golden blond locks of hair…he reminded him of the Sun.
It took him a few second to regain his breathing and when he did-
“What in the absolute fuck-”
“I knew you were crude, but to be so ill-mouthed around a child?” A voice reprimanded. “I should’ve known better than to expect you not to curse around one.”
Constantine tilted his head back, not expecting to see the literal Goddess of Creation and God of Destruction hovering above his head.
In one fell swoop, he sat up, careful to not drop the bab-
“Who’s fucking kid-” He tried to ask, only for his mouth to clamp shut with a wave of Tikki’s paw. The baby gave out another bubbly laugh, his squeals causing ringing in John’s ear. And not the pleasant type.
“Constantine!” Tikki scolded, causing Plagg to cackle in support. “Plagg! Don’t laugh about this!”
“But Sugar Cube!” He whined, landing on top of John’s nest for hair. “How can I not?”
“Will one of the two of you just explain to me what in the bloody hell is going on?” John demanded, lowering the baby’s hand from touching his face. “Who’s baby is thi-”
“He’s ours.” Plagg proudly answered him, John watching as the God morphed into his humanoid form, shocked to see the baby completely unfazed by Plagg’s bizarre form. If anything, the baby looked as if he was more used to his form, quietly snuggling against Plagg as it soon drifted to sleep.
John found himself staring at the God’s new form, realizing he must be the only person to ever witness this form or -at best- one of few to ever see the God’s humanoid form.
Three green eyes, six upper limbs, three sets of wings and two tails…the God reminded John more of a demon than a -well- God.
“I thought your kind couldn’t procreate, much less create life.” John reminded them once he stared at the God long enough to memorize his features. “ I thought it was against-”
“We’re not prohibited from creating life,” Tikki corrected him, transforming into her own humanoid form, John also taking note of her new form.
While Plagg had four upper limbs, she had four. Where he had three eyes, she only had two.
Her form looked more human despite her three sets of wings. “We are prohibited from creating our own kind or creating lifeforms similar to our constitutions, like the Renlings.” Tikki clarified. “Humans; we can create those as long as we have a base.”
A base… John didn’t like the sound of that.
“Are you allowed to use an existing human’s soul to create a new one? Or did you not care what you used for your base as long as you were able to make your twisted creation of a child?” He questioned, getting an immediate reaction from the Gods in the form of the pressure in the room getting heavier with each passing second.
He didn’t think he would hit the head on the nail that close.
John felt as his knees dared to buckle under him, struggling to even keep his head up.
“How dare you-” Tikki started, only for Plagg to cut her off.
“You should know by now that we are not like other entities you’ve encountered, Constantine.” Plagg lowered the intensity of the air, allowing John to collapse onto his sofa. “We know the value of human lives. We care for them as they are also our own.”
“So why the kid then? Why make-”
“We wanted to know what it meant to be…parents. To raise a child.” Tikki whispered, caressing the baby’s hair, tucking a strand behind his ear. “But we forgot to take a few things into consideration.”
“Which would be?”
“If we raise him in our realm, he would only know life within the white empty space that is the Miracle Box.” Plagg elaborated. “He would live as the only human among 19 Gods…that isn’t exactly a life a human child should be living.”
“And what is?” Constantine challenged.
“To be raised by another human being. One we trust.” Tikki proudly answered, looking at Constantine dead in the eyes.
“Me?” He pointed to himself. “What made you think I am qualified to raise this kid as a regular human child?” John scoffed. “I mean, take a look around.” He motioned to the House. “I’m the least suitable person to raise a child.
I’m constantly at death’s door and if not, the Devil’s. Placing him into my hands would mean making him a tar-”
“We made him using a previous wielder’s soul…and your DNA.” Tikki handed the baby over to Constantine. “He’s a True Holder but also a magician…he is going to be a target no matter where he stays, but under your care, he will be safe.”
“How can you be so sure-” Constantine watched as the Gods slowly began to morph back to their smaller forms, Constantine watching as they softly landed onto the baby’s shoulder.
Before he could ask them to look for someone else to care for the child, he noticed the tips of their limbs grow transparent, as if they were slowly disappear-
Bloody liars, the lot of them.
Tears spilled from Tikki’s eyes as Plagg snuggled closer to the child.
“You didn’t make him…did you?” Constantine snarled.
He had heard of it before, thinking it was nothing more than a legend.
The Elixir of Life: water from the Fountain of Youth…the blood of the Gods…
What possessed these Gods to give up their mortality to deage one of their chosen Holders? To make him a demi-god? No God he met before would ever think to give up their immortality and power for a mere human…
“You should know by now that we are not like other entities you’ve encountered, Constantine.”
“We partially made him…” Plagg tried to sass John, but it already took all his strength to talk.
“It was difficult to save his soul from the Wish granted in his universe.” Tikki tried to explain. ”We had to give a piece of our own souls to be able to fully mend his. And then we used your DNA to give him a physical form again.” Tikki said with a smile before it warbled into a frown. “John…please promise us you will protect him.”
I’m sorry I broke our promise, Marinette…
-
“Tikki, let him live a better life.” Marinette’s voice trembled as she looked over towards Adrien’s cold, lifeless body. “And promise me that you’ll protect him, okay?”
Everything had gone wrong. Hawkmoth had gotten the better of them, he had found out about their plan. Of his son’s betrayal.
To make sure that neither of them would get in his way, he did the one thing they thought he would never do: kill.
First he went after his own son, and then her.
He took the ring and the earrings and made his Wish…or at least…tried to.
Tikki always knew Marinette was the best of her Bugs for far. The smartest one of them all.
Using Mullo and Fluff, Marinette managed to take back the ring from Gabriel and summoned a Cataclysm.
“Tikki, his soul is still there…take this.” Marinette handed Tikki a small glowing pink vial. “This will help you track the fragments-”
“Marinette, let us-”
“Someone has to leave with their memories intact in case anything goes wrong here.” Marinette said with a weak smile. “Adrien might not know about this role until something does happen, but if it ever does happen…I know he will do a good job.”
“Marinette,” Tikki cried, going over to her, only to be repelled by an unknown field. “What-”
“My name is Marinette Dupain-Chenge, Grand Guardian of the MIracle Box.” She started, placing the Cataclysm onto the ever spreading Wish and released Plagg at once. “I hereby release Tikki, Plagg and Fluff from their material forms and give them back their eternal ones.”
Tikki felt something inside her snap, as if rewiring her system. “They are bound to the Miraculous nevermore and are shielded from being forced into a Miraculous from here on out…Fluff.” Marinette looked at the Kwami, giving her one last smile as the Cataclysm started to engulf her body. “Take them somewhere safe after they find Adrien…okay?”
-
John watched as the Gods were no longer beings…having dusted to who knows where.
He was left behind with their “child” in their arms, then realizing that he had no choice but to accept his job.
As he was about to lay the child down, he noticed a small chain that led to his overall pockets.
He fished the item out and found a locket with a small pocket watch in it. Engraved on the side was the name Adrien…
“So that’s your name, huh, little Bugger?” John finally placed the child down, watching as he continued to sleep. “Seeing as you were made from my blood,” he rubbed his neck as the thought flipped around his head. “I guess I have to call you Adrien Constantine, don’t I?”
He let Adrien continue to sleep as he took out his phone and pulled up a contact and was about to call them when he stopped himself.
That’s right.
He had to keep his existence a secret.
And there was only one way to keep him a secret: to not talk about him.
Turning his phone off, John decided to join the child on the sofa and drift to sleep, his mind thinking of ways to keep this child a secret…
After a year of “retirement,” I am back with this event! And with a few changes.
For starters, unlike in previous years, this event will be taking place in June, three months earlier than its usual month of September.
Wanted to spruce the event a little bit with its comeback :D
Second, just like it was mentioned in the return announcement, we’re opening the event to not just Bio Dad! Bruce but to all characters from both the ML universe and DC universe!
That’s right, all characters!
Use this month as an excuse to write that Mominette idea in your head or Bio parent! rogue idea and whatever else your heart desires (and would absolutely consume)!
Aside from these two changes, the event will run just like usual, with a bit of a twist.
The event will run from June 1 to June 30, each day being a different prompt.
But what’s the twist? We will also have a bingo card!
Each square in the bingo card will be a different character, having characters from both DC and ML characters. The goal: try to get a bingo by doing as many different types of bio parents prompts!
Of course, you are not obliged to do the bingo card but it’s just there for those who want to challenge themselves.
With that said, you can participate in as many or as few prompts as you like. There is no minimum nor is there a limit! Want to make art or just write a concept post? A playlist? Go for it! All types of contributions are welcomed!
Alongside the prompts on the calendar, we will also have ten other prompts you can substitute in for any prompt that doesn’t quite call to you.
With that said, the event prompts will be posted some time in late January so be on the lookout for those!
Questions, comments or concerns? Feel free to send an ask! I’ll gladly answer them all.
If there was one other thing Jason would do in this moment, it was to apologize to Bruce for being stupid enough to think he was able to take down Joker on his own.
To hug Bruce one more time and thank him for taking him into his home and giving him a better life.
To thank Alfred for taking care of him these past few years.
He wanted to see Dick again and let him know that he was the best-est brother a brat like him could’ve ever had…
Jason cried as he continued to stare at the fire growing stronger around him as his lungs filled with the ashy air from the explosion that set off just minutes ago.
How arrogant he had been to think he could track his mother on his own. How stupid was he to ignore Bruce when he told him to wait.
That he could handle it on his own. That he was old enough to do this much on his own…
There’s a reason why he was still Robin.
He had so much left to learn.
Because he should’ve known to think ahead. To see the signs. Had he just listened, waited…then he wouldn’t have been at Joker’s mercy…
Lying on the floor of an abandoned warehouse in the middle of Ethiopia.
He tried to scream, to just yell in hopes that maybe someone, anyone was near him.
To hear him,
to help him.
To find him.
To take him home, back into the safety of his father’s arms.
But he couldn’t make a single noise peep out of his shaking body.
It’s cold.
He closed his eyes as he heard the crackling of the fire around him, listening as beams cracked and fell to the floor around him.
He continued to listen as everything around him continued to fall apart.
He listened as no one ever found him as he drifted off to sleep.
He shouldn’t have taken advantage of the new life he had. He shouldn’t have gotten cocky.
If he had the chance to turn back time…he would promise to cherish his life. He’ll make sure to live it to the fullest.
So please, if there was a God…
Don’t let me die.
He wasn’t expecting to open his eyes again and get absolutely flash banged by the hospital lights around him.
He screamed and wailed as the cold around him entered every pore in his body, only then registering the noises around him.
“It’s a boy!”
“Congratulations M and Mlle Dupain-Cheng! You have a strong, healthy baby boy!”
Who?
A what?
He felt as he was carried across a room, softening his screams when he met two of the most gentle smiles he had ever come across.
Smiles accompanied with soft blue, tear-filled eyes…eyes that reminded him of Bruce…
“Oh, honey. Look how small he is.” His “mother” say, reaching out for him.
He was nestled into her arms, hearing some of the nurses whisper about his unusual quietness.
He remained starstruck as she started to sing him a lullaby in mandarin, feeling himself drift off the sleep once again.
But before he closed his eyes, he heard his “father” say, “Welcome to the world, Raphael.”
The next time he opened his eyes, it must have been a few days since the hospital as he noticed a new ceiling and heard his ‘mother’ shuffle beside him. A few minutes passed before something awoke her, only to then turn to face him.
Her eyes were wide with surprise before they softened in happiness.
“Raphael.” His mother cooed, caressing his cheek. “You’re such a light sleeper yet the quietest baby I have ever met…all your aunties keep fawning over your quietness, saying you’ll probably grow up to be an obedient and modest boy.”
Jason stared at the woman, wondering if he inherited her eyes.
They reminded him of polished hematites. “You probably don’t understand a word I am saying, do you?”
He blinked. Then, he flailed his hand until he grasped onto one of her fingers.
Sabine looked at him with wide eyes, tears welling in her eyes as she carefully brought herself closer to him. “So you do,” she kissed his tiny hand. “Well then, I’ll make sure your days are filled with all of our love and care.
There won’t be a day in your life that we won’t love you, I promise.”
Jason grasped her hand tighter, hoping she would keep it unlike the one who vowed empty promises.
-
With each day that passed, she was sure to keep it.
Each day he was woken to a soft smile and happy eyes, always gently lifted from his crib and gently held against her bosom. His mother was kind to a ‘t,’ always watching over him and his needs.
Even when a family nanny was sent to her by her family in China, Sabine never let him out of her sight, always by his side.
She would be the one to feed him and bathe him, gently washing him with a sponge or cloth.
She would talk to him about her day and what she hoped the future would bring. Of what she thinks his future would be like.
She would always hold him close as she would sing him lullabies for his naps.
His favorite one was the one about the chicken who would lay an egg for the sleeping child.
Dodo, l'enfant do, (lullaby, child, lullaby)
L'enfant dormira bien vite (the child will quickly go to sleep)
Dodo, l'enfant do (lullaby, child, lullaby)
L'enfant dormira bientôt. (the child will soon be asleep)
Jason didn’t know what it was. Was it the way she would softly rock him as they sat in the living room, hearing the soft hums of the bakery down stairs? Of the warmth of her arms?
Une poule blanche (a white hen)
Est là dans la grange. (is there a barn)
Qui va faire un petit coco (it will lay an egg)
Pour l'enfant qui va fair' dodo. (for the child who’s going to sleep)
Was it the way her voice made him relax, how listening to her allowed him to forget about his worries, of his sorrows?
Dodo, l'enfant do, (lullaby, child, lullaby)
L'enfant dormira bien vite (the child will quickly go to sleep)
Dodo, l'enfant do (lullaby, child, lullaby)
L'enfant dormira bientôt. (the child will soon be asleep)
Or was it just because he was an infant and his very existence made him use up all of his energy?
He could feel his eyes grow heavier with each word.
Tout le monde est sage (everybody’s good)
Dans le voisinage (in the neighborhood)
Il est l'heure d'aller dormir (it’s time to go to sleep)
Le sommeil va bientôt venir. (very soon you’ll be asleep)
He could never find the answer, always finding himself going to sleep the minute she would finish the song.
He would hear a soft, “sleep well my prince,” before fading into the darkness that was slumber.
-
“He’s advancing quite quickly for his age.” Jason overheard his pediatric doctor say, going back to staring at the toys in front of him.
Wooden blocks, shape matching toys…a busy box…
Did they think he was a joke?
Nonetheless, these were the only toys they gave him so he proceeded to play with them.
It’s been months since he began his life with his new caretakers and honestly…it was stressful.
While his mother doted on him every minute of the day while his father praised him for every little thing he did…he felt like he didn’t deserve it.
He didn’t deserve this love, this attention…this…this wasn’t his to enjoy.
He had a family that was waiting for him…it was just a matter of getting back to them…of letting them know…that he was alive…
“Yes…I have noticed that.” Sabine agreed, remembering the day he spoke and it wasn’t just a word, but a whole phrase.
It was short, but Raphael had said it clear as day: where dad? Downstairs?
At the moment, Sabine was thrilled to hear her little one say his first words but it wasn’t until hours later that she realized what he said.
It would’ve been one thing if he had happened to link those two words by chance but at a year old?
For a one year old to know what ‘where’ and ‘downstairs’ meant…to know the correlation between the two.
She thought nothing of it, pushing the thought to the back of her mind, only for it to emerge right now.
“Any other things that you have noticed Raphael say or do that seem different compared to other children his age?”
“Well, he’s not a picky eater.” Sabine started, thankful that he wasn’t. She had heards stories from her cousins and friends of their children just wanting mashed vegetables or not daring to try solids. Raphael, on the other hand, eagerly welcomed the new concept. His favorite food at the moment: salmon. “He knows how to drink properly from his cup and knows how to use his spoon properly.
He can safely get on and off chairs and the sofa- oh! He likes to practice tumbling!” Sabine said with a giggle, remembering the time she caught him attempting to somersault.
She could see Raphael prepare himself to bend forward but struggled to even lean forward without falling. After a few minutes, he simply puffed his cheeks and admitted defeat.
“Anything else aside from those behaviors? What about the types of toys he likes playing with?”
“Oh.” Sabine hummed for a minute “He does not really play with toys, in fact, he gets bored with them quite easily.”
“Can you give me an example of that?” The doctor questioned, more intrigued on this point compared to the previous ones.
“Well, toys like the ones he’s playing with currently,” Sabine mentioned, “he’ll play with at a max of -let’s say- 15 minutes and then he decides to just walk to the sofa and just look at the things outside the house. Tom and I even tried getting him toys that would light up and talk, but even then, he would only look at them for a minute and walk away from it.”
“Interesting. And how many times a day or throughout the week would you say he would stare out the window?“
“He does this almost everyday. Maybe five times a day?” Sabine tried to add the instances but to be honest, she never really counted the amount of times Raphael would do this and now that she was trying to do the math… “lately, he would turn the television on to look at nature channels or the news.”
The doctor hummed, writing this information in her notes, looking up to Raphael, barely catching him listening to their conversation…as if he knew they were talking about him.
Jason mentally cursed himself as he realized he had drawn attention to himself while trying to gather more information about where he lived.
The minute he learned to walk, he made it his goal to learn how to climb his sofa as it would grant him access to the view outside their apartment.
He learned he was in Paris the minute he saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
When he was strong enough to push down the buttons on the remote with his two thumbs, he started turning on the tv to watch the news or nature channel.
Everything looked about the same as in his previous life: same animals, same type of weather- save for the slight change in a few politicians.
The only notable difference he could see was the year. He was at least five years into the future from what he can tell.
If he can just find out more about his current timeline and find a way to get back to Gotham once he was at least seven, then maybe he can go back home to Bru-
“-back in a few months for one more session and we’ll go from there.” Jason heard the doctor say as he was lifted from his spot on the floor.
Sabine carefully balanced him against her, kissing his cheek when he realized they were leaving. “Alright Raphael, I’ll be seeing you in a month, okay? Bye.” The doctor waved goodbye, Jason noticing her eyes tracking his every movement.
”What do we say Raphael? Can we say ‘good-bye’ to the doctor?” Sabine encouraged, Jason internally huffing.
He didn’t want to say bye. He just wanted-
“Go home.” He ended up saying out loud, quickly burying his face into Sabine’s shoulder. “Wanna go home.”’
That’s right.
He shouldn’t even be here.
“Alright then,” Sabine patted his back, “let’s go home.”
No, not your home. My home.
To Gotham.
With Bruce…
How long will it be until he sees him again?
-
Years, from the look of it.
Turning four came with many changes, having to go to daycare being one of them.
While Jason was content with staying at home while his parents ran the bakery, apparently they did not think it was okay with him to stay confined within the walls of their family business or home. They wanted him to meet other kids, to socialize, leading them to decide on his starting daycare.
“-pains us -after this week’s trial run- we believe Raphael isn’t a good fit for this program.” Linda told Sabine, Jason wincing at the news.
Five.
This was the fifth daycare program that Sabine had applied Jason to that has rejected him. Now, why would they reject him?
“I-I don’t understand,” Sabine looked over to Raphael who had been silent the entire time he was with her, drawing perfect circles on the paper given to him. “I thought you said Raphael was a perfect fit. Why the change in heart?”
Linda, the daycare supervisor, smiled.
“He is a good fit. Too good of a fit if we’re frankly speaking.” Linda confessed, looking over toward Raphael who looked at her from the corner of his eye, unnerving her. “Here at Sunny Side, aside from providing a warm environment for kids to play in while they wait for their parents to get out of work, we also want to provide a nurturing and engaging environment for the children.
We teach them the alphabet, numbers, basic mathematics like addition.” Linda explained. “This past week, we have been keeping an eye on Raphael’s reactions and engagement with our reading circle and lessons -and, well…” Linda let out a sigh. “Compared to the other kids, Raphael seems to be various years ahead of his classmates.”
Did Sabine hear that right?
“I’m sorry. Can you- what do you mean by ‘years ahead’?”
“He can read perfectly well on his own, Mlle Dupain-Cheng.” Linda showed her the file she had been composing on Raphael, Sabine not believing her eyes.
He was on the reading level of that of a first year in Cours Elémentaire! Her little boy was 3 years ahead of his age group?!
As she continued to read the rest of the report, she was stunned to see that he already knew how to do basic mathematics and even knew-
“He knows English?” Sabine asked, looking down at her son, the boy having stopped drawing.
“I thought you knew?” Linda felt the tension between the two. “Does anyone at home-”
“No!” Sabine looked at her baby boy once again. When-how did he learn English?
How did I not know about this? “My husband knows French and a bit of conversational German and Dutch. I speak French and Mandarin…but neither of us- I don’t know how he knows.” Sabine could feel her mind swirl as she tried to figure out how Raphael knew English.
No one at home spoke the language. Most of the customers spoke French, he barely watches the television. So how?
What else don’t I know about him?
“-best to wait until you can start applying to Ecole Primaire.” Linda suggested, smiling at Jason. “He’s a bright boy,” her smile dropped, “but unfortunately because he is a bright boy, I do not think many programs will want to take him in.”
Sabine felt her heart crush upon hearing those words.
Raphael was already having a hard time keeping himself entertained at home, too small to help in the bakery and now, he was being denied being around other kids simply because he was “too bright?”
“I-Thank you for your advice.” Sabine got up from the chair, Jason quickly joining her side and reached out for her hand. “I will look into my options again.”
-
Sabine sat in the living room, rubbing her fingers against the ceramic mug in her hands.
She looked at the rejection letters that had slowly piled up that month and the flyers of daycare programs she had yet to apply to. Every daycare she went to said the same thing: they didn’t want a kid they didn’t know how to cater to.
He was “too ambitious,” “too smart for his own good,” stoic…unnerving.
Not even the local sports clubs wanted to take him in as he was “too young,” “undisciplined” or “defiant.”
Sabine was running out of options and wasn’t sure where else she could go that would allow her little one to grow…to learn about the world around him and develop his social skills.
The bakery could only give him so much, they only knew so much…
“Did I do something wrong?” Raphael spoke up, snapping her from her spiral. He looked at the pile of mail on their coffee table, picking one up. “Is there something wrong with me? Is that why they keep rejecting me?” Raphael asked, Sabine feeling a prickling sensation in her eyes.
How could he say that about himself?
There was nothing wrong with him!
He was her most precious treasure, and while he did act a bit odd at times, she found it endearing.
His ability to quickly learn new skills, his ability to adapt- yes he seemed more mature than children his age, but what of it!
Sabine signaled him to come around the table, Raphael obeying as he went around and sat next to her. Without missing a beat, she pulled him for a hug. She felt his tiny arms try to hug her back.
“There’s nothing wrong with you Raphael.” She softly said, patting his head. “Not one thing.”
“So why do they keep rejecting me? Why do they keep sending you advice for homeschooling?” Raphael asked, causing Sabine to freeze.
Gently, she pushed him away to get a good look on his face.
He wasn’t crying, he didn’t look sad- if anything, he looked…annoyed…enraged.
Or at least he tried to look mad but looked more like he was pouting, his cheeks puffing out in anger.
Sabine started at her boy before letting out a laugh, spooking Raphael. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh I’m alright sweetheart,” Sabine picked Raphael and sat him on her lap. He stared at her intently, waiting for her to speak.
This is my boy. My precious little baby boy. I won’t fail him. Who needs those fancy programs anyway.
Sabine booped his nose, chuckling when he pouted. “I just realized that we don’t need any of those places for you.”
“Does that mean I get to stay home?” Raphael asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes.
“Even better.” Sabine smiled. “How about we go to the library?”
“The library?”
-
Sabine had never seen Raphael brighten up so quickly before, the boy practically bouncing in place as he hurried her to grab her purse already.
Sabine could barely contain her laughter as he strung her down the stairs and into the bakery, Raphael running up to Tom and rambling about being excited to go to the library. Tom smiled at their boy’s antics and ruffled his hair.
He reminded Raphael of their rules when outside, Raphael quickly joined her side once again as he promised to adhere to the rules.
With a quick goodbye, the two were off, Raphael unable to contain his excitement as they took a bus to the library. Once there, he bolted to the kid section after kindly asking the librarian.
“It’s so rare to find a child his age so eager to read.” The librarian said, handing Sabine the form she had asked for. “Regardless, we welcome everyone with that enthusiasm and hope it stays with them all their life.”
“I have a feeling it will.” Sabine said with a smile as she quickly glanced over the form. “How long will it take to receive the library card?”
“You should expect it within the next week.” The librarian replied, stamping the form. “When you’re finished, just come back to drop it off. I’ll make sure to call you if anything is missing.”
-
It took a matter of five minutes to figure out the layout of the library and as soon as he memorized the map, Jason quickly grabbed a few books within the children’s section and began to read.
He happily plopped himself into a bean bag on the floor, making sure his small pile of books he had managed to gather stayed in his line of sight.
While he knew French from his previous life, it had been four long years without having proper reading material to keep the language’s written form fresh in his mind. He had to relearn the language and its grammatical structure.
Just as he was half way through Le Petit Prince, a voice broke his concentration.
“This one's yours?” A boy asked, Jason looking up from his book, noticing another boy around his age pointing to the pile of books Jason had stacked to read.
“Yeah, what about it?” Jason challenged, the boy continuing to point at one of the books. Les Contes de Perrault. “You want that one?”
“Have you ever read the Brother Grimm’s version?” The boy asked, jumping when Jason randomly got up and grabbed him by the shoulders.
“What’s your name? And where did you find that one?”
“I’m Luka. Luka Couffaine. I can show you where-”
“Please!”
-
Sabine looked up from the forms she was filling out to get Raphael his own library, shocked to see Raphael already talking with a boy his age despite having been engrossed in a book just moments ago.
She watched as he turned to look at her and smiled, causing her to stare at him in awe.
She had never seen him smile so brightly before, a smile so bright it melted her heart.
A smile she vowed to protect from that day onwards.
