Chapter Text
Bruce stood nervously outside the door of Dick's apartment, his heart clenching as he heard the sound of laughter from beyond it. they sounded so carefree and happy, was it really right for him to go in and potentially ruin it? Just because he's feeling a little antsy over their safety? Wasn't that the reason they were so mad at him in the first place? a storm of doubt began to form within Bruce's head. he tugged anxiously at the collar of his turtleneck, the soft, warm fabric providing a level of comfort. 'At this point about two months and 5 days should have passed since our argument' he thought bitterly, the memory of the fight coating his tongue in lemons. It had started with a mission that didn't go quite as planned, causing both Damian and Tim to be injured. although they would they would both be fine by morning, the thought that a simple mission that should've resulted in no injuries could quickly go wrong like that grated on Bruce's already frayed nerves. He had been up for four days and was looking forward to spending an easy night with his family to unwind a bit yet it clearly didn't go as planned. the mixture of exhaustion and worry caused him to snap and scold them with more aggression than he ever intended.
"How could you be so careless? what if Cass hadn't been there? you both could have died as a result of your little stunt" he scolded, arms crossed and glaring harshly at the two younger members of the family who had the decency to look a little ashamed. "We didn't do it on purpose" Tim tried to reason "It was an accident" he defended, which only only frustrated Bruce further. "That's no excuse, it was a simple mission there would have been no "accidents" if you were paying proper attention to your surroundings" he grit out, aware that he should probably shelve this conversation for tomorrow but too tired to stop himself. He need them to understand that they had to be careful, he wouldn't always be there if something went wrong and the others wouldn't either, they needed to be careful avoid unnecessary injuries.it seemed Jason took exception to his choice of words as scoffed and marched up to Bruce, jabbing a finger in his chest as he spoke, "Oh please, like you've never made a mistake before, don't act so high and mighty" he snarled, green dancing dangerously in his eyes. "Yeah Bruce, it was an accident, no need to make them feel any worse than I'm sure they already do" Dick chimed it, standing beside Damian with a comforting hand on his shoulder. Steph pipped up just as he was about to respond, "Yeah give it a rest old man, it's not like anyone was badly hurt and we still won so what's the big deal?" Steph asked casually, looking done with the situation. her nonchalant attitude doing nothing to quell his irritation. why couldn't they understand how serious this was?
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a frustrated sigh, "That's not the point Stephanie" he ground out, "no one should've gotten hurt in the first place, they should've paid more attention and been more careful! They should've known better than to be so reckless!" he yelled, slamming his fist onto the table, startling everyone in the room. Dick came forward in front of everyone to glare at him for his outburst. "you need to calm down, it was an accident they didn't mean for anything bad to happen" he said lowly, warning clear in his tone. Bruce should have walked away, he should've let himself calm down but he was tired and his kids couldn't understand he just didn't want them hurt more than they had to be. If it were up to him they would never get hurt but it isn't so he needs them to be hurt less. but he doesn't know how lese to let them know since they clearly weren't listening to him. "that's not the point!" he screamed, his voice echoing off the walls, his kids stepped back in shock at his sudden raise in volume, dick recovering first and levelling him with a disappointed stare. He grabbed Damian and began walking towards his motorcycle, the others followed suit.
"where are you guys going?" Bruce questioned, dread and guilt pooling in his gut they began getting on their respective vehicles. "you clearly need some time to cool off, maybe do some self reflection and realise other people have feelings" Dick hissed, handing damian, who glanced guiltily at Bruce, a helmet, "so I'm gonna take Damian out of here before you say or do something he doesn't need to see or hear, I'll come get Duke tomorrow, don't contact us till you're ready to apologise" he snarled, getting on the bike himself and driving off before Bruce could respond. Tim went Jason and Cass left with Steph, and soon it was just him alone, blanketed by the cold isolation of the cave, regret seeping into every pore. He collapsed into a chair, holding his head in his hands as a headache began to form. He messed up again. And now he was alone.
Bruce stood in front of that door for another good 10 minutes before he finally worked up the courage to knock. within seconds the door is opened to reveal dick who's expression fell as he saw him. "oh. it's you" he said awkwardly, eyeing him suspiciously, "Did you need something?" he questioned curtly when Bruce didn't say a word, thinking Bruce was here to start another fight. Bruce shuffled awkwardly, thinking of what to say to avoid upsetting dick or having him turn him away. "I...wanted to talk. To apologise about what happened" he tacked on the last part quickly, hoping it would be the thing that convinces Dick to let him in. a look of shock washed over Dick for the briefest moment before he schooled his expression back into something more neutral. "you...want to apologise?" he asked, voice laced with scepticism, and wasn't that just painful? his oldest son, the one who's known him the longest, was baffled by the idea of Bruce admitting to his mistakes. He'll have to fix that today. "yes." he stated plainly, "May I come in?" he asked hopefully. Dick just gave him a once over before retreating back into the apartment with Bruce's heart sinking as he did so, was he too late? his worries were proven wrong when dick once again opened the door, wider this time, and stepped aside to allow Bruce in, "come on in then"
Standing in front of his children again after watching them die brought about a level of disorientation Bruce never thought he could experience. emptions flooded him, threatening to burst out at gentlest prod, and the most prominent of which, was relief. relief that his kids were here, they were safe, they were alive. Bruce's wish had actually come true. He swallowed how the storm of emotions, at met the expectant gazes of his kids. "well?" Jason asked, raising an expectant eyebrow, "are you just gonna stand there all night?" he mocked when Bruce continued to stare at the in silence. Cass, always so quick to read him, gave him a harsh smack on the arm, "He's overwhelmed. Thinking. Be nice." she warned as Jason rubbed his arm and glared half-heartedly at her admonishment. Damian stepped forward cautiously, "father, are you alright?" he asked, noting the slightly glassy look in his father's eyes. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Bruce smiled down at his son. "Yes I'm fine thank you for asking Damian" he reassured before facing the rest of the family, "I came because I decided it was time to address the argument that occurred a couple months back" he informed, clearing his throat, quickly going over the things he planned to say. "you mean when you totally overreacted and blew up at us for no reason?" Steph taunted, arms crossed waiting for his explanation. Bruce sighed again, not letting himself be riled up. "While I admit I overreacted and said things I didn't mean, it wasn't "for no reason" as you say" he explained. "oh yeah?" and then what was this "reason"?" Jason snarked, earning a glare from Damian and another smack from Cass. "Stop interrupting father and you'll know" Damian hissed, Cass nodding in agreement. Bruce would be forever grateful for those two, should buy them a gift after this, maybe a new art supplies for damian? and some new dance shoes for Cass. he smiled gratefully at them before continuing. "the reason I was upset was not because you made a mistake, but because you made a mistake that could have been avoided and were hurt as a result" he explained, taking another deep breath to gather his thoughts, fidgeting with the hem of his turtleneck as he spoke again "when I saw Tim and Damian hurt I got scared, you kids are the most important part of my life and I can't stand the thought you getting hurt more than you need to. I shouldn't have yelled but I was coming off four days no sleep and I didn't know how else to tell you to be more careful" he confessed, his voice tapering off and breaking at the end both from him running out of air and the torrent of emotions settling in his chest. He looked down and shut his eyes in embarrassment "I understand if you don't forgive me but-" he was cut off when a weight crash into him, opening his eyes he found everyone, sans Jason, Babs and Duke hugging him tightly.
"Of course we forgive you you emotionally stunted idiot" Steph said, hugging him tighter. "knew you'd clear things up" Cass stated proudly, leaning her head on him. "I never doubted your intentions father, but I appreciate the sentiment and explanation non the less" damian stated, his face flushing slightly at the admittance. Dick raised his head to gesture for the rest to join in, Duke and Babs doing with little qualms while Jason hung back for a while longer before reluctantly joining the group hug. "thanks for worrying about us boss man" Duke said jokingly. "whatever, just say you're worried next time, not like we need it, we can handle ourselves" Jason mumbled bashfully. Bruce smiled, "I know, I just...I love you kids very much" he admitted, pulling them in closer as Dick and Steph awed at his eyes. just behind them Bruce saw a collections of status windows appear, making him smile wider knowing he feeling were received and reciprocated
Target Richard Grayson Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Richard Grayson's skills have been activated! Richard Grayson’s Stats Have Been Boosted! Richard Grayson's Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Target Damian Wayne Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Damian Wayne's skills have been activated! Damian Wayne’s Stats Have Been Boosted! Damian Wayne's Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Target Jason Todd Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Jason Todd's skills have been activated! Jason Todd’s Stats Have Been Boosted! Jason Todd's Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Target Cassandra Cain Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Cassandra Cain's skills have been activated! Cassandra Cain’s Stats Have Been Boosted! Cassandra Cain's Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Target Stephanie Brown Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Stephanie Brown's skills have been activated! Stephanie Brown’s Stats Have Been Boosted! Stephanie Brown's Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Target Timothy Drake Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Timothy Drake's skills have been activated! Timothy Drake’s Stats Have Been Boosted! Timothy Drake's Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Target Duke Thomas Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Duke Thomas' skills have been activated! Duke Thomas’ Stats Have Been Boosted! Duke Thomas' Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Target Barbara Gordon Has Been Successfully Influenced! Skill: MY KID IS THE BEST Activated! Barbara Gordon's skills have been activated! Barbara Gordon’s Stats Have Been Boosted! Barbara Gordon's Growth Rate Has Now Doubled!
Bruce smiled contently before wincing when Tim brushed against the bandages on his side, an action that didn't go unnoticed. "Are you..Are injured? did you come here while injured?" Tim asked after pulling back. "it's nothing serious, I'm pretty much all better" he tried to reason, hoping they'd take his word for it and let it go. they did not. after a thorough look over from his kids and an explanation of what happened they each sat with a cup of tea in their hands, making idle chatter. "how'd you manage to convince Alfred to let you out of the house while you were injured anyway?" Duke asked curiously, the butler normally putting them on strict bed rest until they were fully healed bar mandatory activities such as school or work. Bruce once again looked sheepish as he took a sip of his tea. "I didn't" he admitted like a kid caught red handed, "I snuck out". the kids stared at him unblinkingly for a few moments before they gave a collective shout.
"what!?"