I know it's touched on in the comics but I love the idea of when Bruce is alone in the Manor, he talks to the pets. He can just spill out everything he would usually keep inside or hide from the kids or Alfred.
Bruce talks to Ace about his day, sitting on his chair in the Cave, scratching him under his jaw the way he likes while he complains about how that guy at work was being such a jerk to him.
Asking Titus what he should do about Damian's recent bad behaviour after he storms out and slams the door and even if he just gets drooled on in reply, he feels a little better because he knows that if he can talk to Titus, Damian can too.
Bruce ranting to Jerry the Turkey about some nonsense the kids pulled at school while he's feeding him. Bruce is having a bad day, he's in sweats and socks, he was meant to have a lie in but no, one of the kids decided to blow up a school toilet and he got called over it. Jerry always gobbles as if defending the kids. Bruce vents his frustration arguing with the fowl before the kids in question get home.
Bruce heads out to the edge of the estate to give Goliath a pat where he's resting due an injury and Bruce sits with him, talking about his own injuries and how he knows to what is it is like to be hurt so badly and to be out of action but rest is important.
Bruce leaning on the fence outside of BatCow's pasture watching her munch on dandelions, telling her about a situation where he snapped at Clark on a mission and was harder than he meant to be and has so much guilty over it and eventually gains the courage to apologise for being an ass after talking to her.
Bruce laying on the sofa in the Cave, letting Alfred the Cat cuddle into his chest and admitting how much he misses OG Alfred, how much is death has effected him and how lonely the house as been since and if he cries, Alfred the Cat won't mind.
The type of photos the paparazzi get of Dick and Jason
Dick they usually catch at events like charity dinners and such. He was born ready for the camera.
Jason they find out in the streets bc he's never at events
Idk where i went wrong with Dick's drawing but he looks so stiff and boring 😭 im also trying to figure out how i want to draw his face. I might try lined drawings for them next time. Jason looks great tho I love him.
How do you think Dick would react to someone thinking he’s Tim’s dad?
A tantrum. A tantrum to make history. He's picking Tim up from the hospital after a skateboarding accident and a doctor is like "You can take your son home now, he should be OK" and Dick just stares at her, smiling faintly. Then on the drive home, Dick is sobbing, screaming and Tim texts Bruce like "pick me up I'm scared" and Dick gets home, babbles incoherently about what happened while Bruce just rocks him and goes "they probably mistook you for me that's all, now come on Dick, I need you to breathe"
bruce definitely has an extensive skincare routine. maybe not those 10 step ones but he uses more than just face wash and moisturizer. also which batkid/s would do spa nights with bruce
Bruce takes very good care of his skin, as he says the skin is the largest organ of the body. Bruce who does facials every two days, puts cold cream on before he sleeps, Bruce who applies moisturiser regularly, Bruce who pays for treatments like snail masks and massages.
Dick definitely enjoys a good skin care routine and used to do spa days with Bruce but now only goes every now and then. He has an 8 step skin care routine.
Jason, Tim, Damian, Duke, Cass and Steph all have varying routines but they do have routines. Duke and Damian take it more seriously, regularly moisturise. Tim uses that 10 in 1 shampoo, body wash, paint remover etc and still somehow comes out looking good. Jason believes in ice cold water baths. Cass and Steph will willingly sit with face masks with Bruce watching movies.
Thinking about how Jason would have a very hard time readjusting to the bat family, especially after discovering the existence of his replacement.
Jason, already dealing with the inner turmoil of having died and come back from said death; was brainwashed for a number of years and used to do Ra's al Ghul's bidding; struggling to understand why his father figure hadn't put the man who did this to him 6 feet under, while also trying to forgive him for letting him die in the first place. And then, very anxiety-ridden, he decides to return "home" (with a lot of convincing from Dick) and finds some kid suited up in a robin costume.
Jason had many thoughts, the first ones admittedly very selfish.
I was replaced
He replaced me
He never loved me
He's a liar
After running off before Bruce could even begin to introduce Tim, and having a panic attack in some random crevice of the cave, Jason talked himself into going back. Dick would be upset, and was probably already looking for him. And he should know better than to let these petty emotions get to him. These feelings were for the weak. And he was not weak.
But that didn't mean Bruce didn't get an ear full after an awkward meet and greet with Tim. Because how could he put another kid in this position!? Did he not learn his lesson!? This job was too dangerous for children! Bruce argued a little at first, but then he saw it. The hurt. The betrayal. Jason was going through things he couldn't even imagine, and it was nothing short of cruel to not at least warn him about there being a new robin.
So Bruce let Jason scream and fight every nerve in his undead body to not cry. It served as a reminder of what he had done. What he was doing. But he was never good at expressing himself, so when Jason was done with his rant, he could only say "I'm sorry, Jay."
Bruce rubbed his eyes before blinking at the clock. He was late for patrol. Tim was probably halfway across the city by now. And he watched Dick hesitate before leaving for his duties in Bludhaven, obviously worried about Jason.
Jason huffed, breath ragged, face red. Sorry? This wasn't about him. "Don't apologize to me... I'm already dead." He snatched his mask off of the computer console, where he had placed it when he first arrived, and left the batcave as if it burned him to be there.
Tim was unsure of what his role in this was. Jason didn't seem to like him very much, so he kept a respectful distance. He thought that if he avoided the whole situation, he'd be good. It's not like the Wayne Estate was the warmest home in the first place, so it really wouldn't matter if he just wasn't around whenever Jason was.
Unfortunately... Dick was feeling sentimental. Tim couldn't blame the elder for wanting to reconnect with his long dead brother, but he couldn't understand why he had to be there.
"Family day!" Dick exclaimed as he laid out a blue and red picnic blanket.
Tim scoffed, glancing around the park with his arms crossed over his chest. "Where's Bruce then?"
"He was uh..." Dick began taking the food Alfred had prepared from a basket and setting it on the blanket. "...busy."
Of course.
The picnic was awkward, but Dick's will power and charisma kept it from being painful. They talked about normal things like grades and school, and Dicks hopeless love affairs. Jason stayed quiet. Tim supposed a dead man wouldn't have much to talk about. It was a bit sad to think about. Jason's entire life was as Red Hood. It was all he had other than... Well this.
"I remember that," was the first thing Jason had said all day.
It was after all the food had been cleared and Dick had begun telling a story from when he first became Nightwing. Tim had heard it a few times already, and normally he would complain about the repetition, but Jason seemed more engaged than he had been all day, so he let it slide. That's when he heard it. Smaller than the night at the cave, but just as gruff.
This development almost sent Dick flying across the park. The eldest leaped from his spot and told the remainder of the story with vigor and excitement. Jason smiled. He smiled a lot. Tim found the action rather sweet for the guy he thought was going to kill him when they first met.
"Oh wait. I have to take this." Dick pulled his ringing phone from his pocket. "It's Barbra."
"Work or personal?" Tim teased.
Dick only shrugged as he backed away, finding somewhere with no nosey brothers to easedrop.
Jason blinked and looked at Tim. "He's still on and off with Barbra?"
Tim wheezed. "They've been at it that long, huh?"
"Apparently." Jason's eyes narrowed on a building across the street from the park. Dick had somehow made his way to the roof of it in just a minute. He looked different, but he's never changed. "How old are you, Tim?" He couldn't resist the Bat family trait of prying into other people's business.
"Fifteen."
That answer seemed triggering for Jason, but to Tim's relief, all he did was sigh and run his hands down his face.
"I know teenagers have a reputation, but you don't have to sound so disappointed." Tim tried to joke.
"It's not that..." Jason leaned an arm on his knees, tapping two fingers against his temple. "It's nothing." He sighed again. "How does Batman treat you?"
This felt like hot water that Tim should avoid dipping his toes in. But then again, he doubts Jason could talk to Bruce about these things. Not right now anyways.
"The Batman treats me like a soldier. His worthy partner in justice, the person he trusts to have his back out in the field..." He thought carefully about the way he phrased this. "But Bruce on the other hand, treats me like family. In his own, special Bruce way."
That made sense. Jason knew next to nothing about Tim, but he knew Batman well, and The Batman had a pattern. Young boy with no parents and nowhere to go? Make em a soldier fit to fight for humanity.
Jason's silence was loud. Brows knit in frustration, fingers running through hair just a little too rough.
Tim's eyes narrowed. He left the cave that night the moment Jason started ripping Bruce a new one. He didn't hear what all was said, but he knows he heard something about indoctrinating children. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that number two was upset by his presence in the cave. "I don't know what you're looking for, but you can rest assured that I chose to be here."
"You're a kid-"
"A kid who would've had nowhere to go if I hadn't become Robin." Tim sighed. How the fuck was he supposed to navigate this conversation? And why hasn't Dick returned to be a buffer? Just leave the youngest to deal with the family trauma he wasn't even there for!
It was silent for a moment. Jason clearly had nothing else to say to the younger. He's had this conversation with Batman. He's had this conversation with Dick. Arguing with a kid who's just doing his best would be a waste of time.
Tim felt bad. He really did. But consoling was the one thing Batman never taught him. Ironic, seeing the way death seems to follow them. "You know... Dick always says I have it sweeter and harder than either of you. Apparently Bruce was a lot less... Fatherly? I don't know, but he cares a lot, he's just still learning how to show it I guess. But Batman works me to the bone. Restless, brutal training. At first I thought he was crazy, but Dick said he just doesn't want history to repeat itself."
"Batman? Learning?" Jason scoffed. He knew he shouldn't be projecting his personal issues with dear ole dad onto a kid, but then again, it's not like he was working a summer job at an ice cream shop. "And I thought coming back from the dead was as crazy as it got."
"Losing you really did a number on him. The Batman was looking less heroic everyday. Got so off his game he needed a random kid to save him."
"Random kid?"
"Future Robin number three."
"Future? You weren't even trained yet?"
"Nope. Just a nosey kid."
Jason seemed more than confused by this, but that was for another time. He'd ask Dick later. But the thought of Batman being so bent out of shape about him... He knew Bruce cared to some extent, but what does that mean to a dead man? Well... Maybe it means something that there was a change. Jason didn't want to think too much about it anymore. He'll likely take a page from the old man and bury it deep until he blows up again.
"Well... He always had an eye for talent." Jason grimaced. He just barely remembers the night his own grit was taken under the wing. "An acrobat, a street rat, and..."
"Junior detective?" Tim offered.
"Oh I bet he loved that."
"He scolded me to hell and back, then leaped to offer me the job." Tim chuckled.
"At least you went to him. He just snatched me off the street." Jason laughed at the memory. What would his life have been like if he never met The Bat? He can't say he wouldn't have died.
"I can't say I'm surprised."
"Timmy! Jay! I have returned!" Dick appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
Dick seemed a little too happy. Jason assumed he had a date with Barbra, but Tim noticed the oh so convenient timing of his return. A Boy Wonder never stops scheming.
"Oh, Tim. Rain check on the ice cream. Bruce says he needs you back at the cave." Dick finally relayed the message that he got around 30 minutes ago.
Tim rolled his eyes. He hopes this doesn't take too long, he has a test to study for.
A car came to pick up Tim, leaving Dick and Jason.
"I should probably get some work done too." Jason kicked at the cement.
"Aw boo." Dick pouted, throwing an arm over the younger's shoulder. "Am I that awful to be around?"
"You're such a drama queen." Jason rolled his eyes, shoving away his brother.
"You love me!" Dick announced dramatically. "But enough about me! You and Tim bonded, yes?"
"Bonded?" Jason narrowed his eyes. "I suppose we had a bit of time to talk while you were... Oh you fucking sneak!" His eyes widened in realization.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dick beamed.
"Sure you don't!" Jason scoffed. "But uh... Tim's a good kid. But I knew that. I just hope he doesn't end up like me...." He scratched his head. "Is that too dark?"
"No it's not. We think about it everyday." Dick sighed. "Spent way too long thinking about the what ifs, you know? But there was no changing the past, so all the regrets got channeled into protecting the kid, making sure he was prepared for what was out there."
So it is true. "That's good..."
"You know he's not a replacement right? He's Tim. You're Jason. The only Jason." Dick reassured.
"I know, Dick."
"And we can talk anytime you need, Little Wing."
Dick's made the offer a million times now. Maybe one day Jason will take him up on it. "I know."
(*^3^)/~♡
An: I've come to be obsessed with thoughts about Jason trying to find his place within the Bat family after so long so if you were looking for a more satisfying ending you can rest knowing that I'm probably not done talking about this
superman weakened by kryptonite, trapped on his back in a crumbling building with batman braced above him, singlehandedly holding up the ceiling to prevent both of them being crushed. superman feels the strain in batman's body where his feet are planted on either side of kal's waist. he knows this cannot last forever.
superman understanding in real time what it must feel like to be a civilian in danger, scared and helpless, relying entirely on someone else to bring them to safety and always wondering, in the back of their mind, if this will be the day they die. superman stubbornly refusing to believe batman would ever let that happen, his faith providing a sliver of strength to keep himself conscious.
batman shaking beneath the weight of the collapsed ceiling, knowing he can either pack away the kryptonite on superman's chest or hold the building on his back—not both. batman understanding in real time that he has no choice but to watch his friend get sicker and sicker, unable to stop it because if he falters, both of them will die. he grits his teeth and holds the weight, panting against the pressure as superman's breathing gets shallow and laboured, his skin turning a sickly grey.
he could try to kick the kryptonite, to displace it enough that kal could breathe again. but moving a leg would destabilize his form and almost certainly result in failure; the whole floor would come crashing down on him. he can't spare the breath to offer even a few words. kal groans beneath him, writhing against the green glow on his chest, scrabbling at batman's calves in an attempt to get away.
after what feels like hours, they're found. diana digs her fingers into concrete and cinderblock and pries off the crushing weight of the building. the team hasn't reached them yet, but batman no longer has to hold enything up.
batman collapses immediately, right onto superman, who shouts in pain and squeezes his eyes shut. with shaking hands and seizing muscles, batman wraps the chunk of kryptonite in cloth. he tucks it into a lead-lined compartment in his belt, switching it out for the mini sun-ray tool that he immediately flicks on and presses directly over superman's heart.
"thank you," superman murmurs, reaching his own trembling hand to the side of batman's face. batman doesn't have the strength to pull way. superman isn't sure he would if he did. "you saved my life."
batman's mouth slants, self-deprecating. "it was touch-and-go for a while there."
"i knew you'd do it," superman says, the conviction in his voice clear. "i had no doubt."
batman sighs and shakes his head with a small smile. he lets himself slump into superman's hold, the sun-ray tool pressed between them. superman turns and kisses him, right at the corner of his cowl, and—that's...new.
batman sighs again. it wasn't entirely unpleasant, but— "if you're expecting reciprocation, you'll be disappointed. i can't even lift my head."
"sounds to me like your lips are moving just fine, though," superman says, an edge of humour in his tone.
"take me home, kal," batman says, his voice flat. "we can talk tomorrow. or however long it takes me to wake up."
superman smiles, pressing another kiss to the corner of batman's cowl. "gladly."
DC fans, I've started on comics bc I've accepted that movies are more likely to disappoint me than not (and they cancel all of the good series abruptly bc fuck me ig). What should I be reading?
(I've already started on some Nightwing btw bc OF COURSE)