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summonerj · 1 year

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I love the whole Cryptic BatFam thing going around, so I thought I’d put my own two cents into the ring.

They where human once, just not anymore because of Gotham. Gotham isn’t a ghost but something close that feeds on emotion and belief. She saw what Batman was doing and decided to help. Nobody realizes that they’ve changed, as the changes came slowly(because She’s weak and human belief can only do so much), and the effects become almost unnoticeable out of costume. That doesn’t mean they disappear because they absolutely can still do it out of costume if they wanted, but once in costume they have to physically try to act human, they just never notice because they never needed to act human while in costume.

Gotham gives them stuff people believe they can do, She picks what She likes and gives it to them. Someone believes Batman is one with the shadows? Now he blends in even better. Robin is immortal? Hell Yeah, She’s pulling him out of the grave. Nightwing can channel electricity? Yeah he can do that, he just doesn’t know it. Someone believes something She doesn’t like? Veto, denied. People stopped believing them? To bad, She already gave it to them and no take backs.

She made sure to have the powers transferred to whoever holds the title after Jason came in the picture and became Robin, but She also made sure that just because someone is wearing the costume doesn’t mean they can just become Robin or Batman, She has to check and verify that yes you can become them. So Tim just thinks that he just became better at playing Robin instead of what actually happened. This also means that Robin becomes more Other whenever someone new holds the title because of everyone’s interpretation changes with each new variation.

They also created a new language of sounds. Bruce first started it as a way to keep his identity secret by making a whole new language based on rumbles, growls and snarls in order to communicate with Alfred in secret. Gotham saw this and decided to help by making it feel more natural to communicate like this as Batman. When Robin came in She changed him similarly. Instead of growls and snarls it was thrills and chirps. Batgirl has a mix of growls and chirps.

After Dick moved on to Nightwing, he added more rumbles to his speech. And when Jason became Red Hood he changed it similar to how Batman speaks to mess with him, but still used the chirps and thrills from his time as Robin, and a different kind of chirps and thrills as well(yes you know which ones). Tim used more growls and snarls when looking for B so that’s what Red Robin uses now. They make more meanings for the new sounds they create.

You know how human belief can only do so much. Enter Danny. He believed that they were Other. He was Other. That powered Gotham up enough to make it real. She gave them bigger gifts, bigger changes, stuff would have been noticed but wasn’t because it was subtle as it happened slowly, because Danny was still half human. That didn’t matter much when Danny became the fucking Ghost King however. That was enough to make it permanent.

Danny goes to Gotham, and now the BatFam has to explain to a ghost that no they are human, when being as obviously inhuman as possible. And that’s when they realize something’s wrong, because it’s a lot harder to pretend to be human when in costume.

#dp x dc #dc x dp #dp x dc crossover #cryptid batfamily #bruce wayne #batman #dick grayson #nightwing #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #barbra gordon #red hood #red robin #batgirl #danny fenton #danny phantom #ghost king danny #This was because I was stuck thinking about this for a week #Robin is believed to be an entity that never dies; only changing #Nobody understands the no metas in Gotham role. That’s okay they don’t have to #Danny already knew about them before he half died #For some reason I’m imagining Gotham as someone creating their first oc’s #So they gave them everything they liked and didn’t think of the consequences #The robin is immortal came because the Joker was bragging about how he killed Robin and the Bat was mad for this to be true #Only for Robin to come back 6 m later and with the Bat much more protective #So obviously Robin raised from the ashes and the only thing the Joker did was anger Bat and reset Robin #Gotham used this to revive Jason

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f4nd0m-fun · 6 months

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I keep coming up with cryptid!Batfam ideas, and @hallowsden is a very helpful coconspirator.

This is the Hell-touched AU

Constantine paused as the figure coalesced into a human shape, though his magic sight was privy to the multitude of eyes and shadows that stretched as far as he could see. "Bloody hell," he muttered, pulling out a cigarette, only to pause as several eyes bore into him, shadows slinking over, refusing to let him light the smoke.

"Perhaps I should have brought the swear jar." While the voice seemed normal at its most audible point, there was echoes and screeches buried beneath the words.

Before John could finish processing the jar comment, Batman stepped fourth and spoke in some language not of earth.

Constantine may have been magically versed in many languages but even he could only catch a few words, one of which angled somewhere towards 'caregiver'.

"Bats?"

"Not now, Clark." Part of his words dipped into the incomprehensible tongue, almost an overlay before he cleared his throat. "An issue has come up in Gotham, I am needed."

Gotham... somewhere the hellblazer refused to step foot in, the land reeking of sulfur and rotting magic, the air stagnant with pain and hopelessness, a city chained by greed and insanity.

The monstrosity's form layered over itself and Batman, before the two were gone with hardly a sound, no hint but the lingering scent and magic showcasing that they had ever stood in the room.

John shuddered and finally lit his cigarette. "Bloody Gothamites, the whole lot is cursed."

In this AU, Gotham is a part of hell, whether it was originally so and rose to the mortal realm, or because of the demon chained to its land - Lady Gotham. Whatever the reason, curses run rampant, and Lady was already weakened by being forced into the mortal realm. Because of this, she cannot do much, but nearly everyone in Gotham is demon-touched in some manner, but some also have inklings of being angrl-touched, some more than others.

The Waynes and Kanes are among the most hell-touched due to their long lineage in Gotham, but there are those Gotham tries to welcome with open arms and, in doing so, warps them to be more demonic than they should be as a newcomer. This does not always turn out well, as the chains on her limit her control

Some who are hell-touched have demonic traits, usually very minor and easy enough to excuse as meta traits if anyone ever asks. Others have much stronger traits, and there's the lucky ones who can morph their form, though they will never fully lose the traits of their demon-blood.

----------

Alfred seems the epitome of a normal butler from the outside, until you realize how unflappable he was towards Gotham's chaos, or hear his tales of being a veteran in years long gone. Perhaps he's yet another demon, right? But no, not even that fits him. And perhaps you'll never be privy to the full truth, but the Waynes and Gotham herself know. Alfred is no mere demon, he is eldritch, from before the world was even a speck in the Creator's eye. And while the children are physically fighting for Gotham, he is there for them, but he is also there for Gotham, spiritually untangling what he can from her.

Bruce Wayne's appearance doesn't seem to relay his ancestry as much as one might think, but his fangs and claws are clear for any to see, as well a his piercing blue eyes, glowing life sulfur flames amidst a backdrop of black sclera. Batman, on the other hand, has stiffly curving horns arcing over his head, leathery bat wings and a sturdy tail, with digitigrade legs and talons, perfect for scaring enemies or for carrying what appears to be his young.

Dick Grayson was never truly one of Gotham's. She certainly granted him care and consideration and treated him as kindly as her curses would let her, but he was never able to accept more than the slightest blessings, if they could be considered as such. He never learned to fly like Batman did, but he became faster and stronger, his only visible demonic traits being nails and teeth slightly sharpened. Even so, he put forth as much effort as the rest of the colony, doing his utmost to help anyone he could.

Barbara may have lost her ability to walk, but that doesn't mean she's defenseless. She still has her claws and horns, and a unique affinity for technology that she's worked hard to hone after what happened to her.

Jason Todd had wings too small for much more than gliding, but his autumn rich curls hid the beginnings of majestic horns, his pale blue eyes shining with a hope few in Gotham could muster. But Robin had augments to his wings, enabling short flight to follow his mentor, at least until his grounding. Gotham could not let go of him for long, and dragged him back herself, but failed to do so completely, watching him be whisked away by Talia. Red Hood never regained his wings, not fully, more bone than flesh, what few feathers left struggling not to fall off. Pain arcs through his body from time to time, but he has a duty to Gotham and her people, one he would willingly choose any day. As for his pit rage, it is the equivalent of eating something you cannot process, as his system already had its fill of demonic energy from Gotham.

Tim Drake was born in Gotham, but his family's adventures dragged him throughout the world until the tender preteens. Before that only, he had been loosely tutored on the travels, but now his parents had deemed public school of importance, and also thought he could help organize their collections when he was not learning. One night, while cleaning up a gallery, he found an artifact he apparently had not put away yet, a statue that Catwoman would find quite fascinating. Upon interacting with it, pain ricocheted through him. When it finally stopped, his form had been twisted. For anyone else the statue would have merely given one the abilities of a cat, perhaps a curse to go with them, but his supernatural features were malleable enough for the power to take advantage of, turning him into a human feline. Eventually, he went to join Batman as Stray, knowing he needed a Robin but not wishing to take the name on himself. Many rogues seemed to think him a child of Batman and Catwoman, and they oft went uncorrected. He likes to perch on his family.

Cassandra is demon-touched primarily through the league and proximity to the pits, but nothing strong enough to truly take root until Gotham welcomed her to her new home. While her features are limited to black sclera and not much else, she is strongest in the ability department, able to literally move through shadows and hide in them at will, though she cannot speak while doing so and it can be hard watching for a shadow signing. Due to her past and being hell-touched, she is a bit stronger than Dick, though not as physically strong as those who grew up in Gotham.

Duke is more angel-touched than the others are, resulting in the enhanced strength of his light abilities and visions. That doesn't mean there isn't demon in him though, it just showcases itself more quietly.

Stephanie may very well have the sharpest claws and fangs of the family, but her razor wit is one of her best attacks depending on who you ask. Her and Cass sometimes seem joined at the hip, and, while their styles are somewhat opposite, they work quite well together.

Damien was created with the blood of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul, grown in a Lazarus Womb. He looks like a tiefling, with skin dark like Talia but tinted the slightest bit red like his father, burning green eyes like Talia but black sclera like Bruce, and the very same Wayne horns and talons that dominate the generations. He does not have wings and it seems unlikely he will ever have them, but that does not stop him in his tracks.

#hell-touched au #Batfam au #Batman au #batfamily au #batfam #Batman #batfamily #demon-blood au #cryptid au #cryptid Batman #cryptid batfamily #cryptid batfam #cryptid

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strawb3rryt · 18 days

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Cryptid Batman and Robin designs! I’ve read a few fics with this concept and I think it’s really cool!

While drawing, I came up with a simple backstory on why they’re like this: basically, Bruce’s parents tried to do some weird cult-y/demonic things, but it they messed it up and became indebted to some demon which took their first born as payment. The demon turned Bruce into the weird cryptid thing and he would prowl the streets of Gotham, originally without purpose, but soon he would realize how shitty Gotham is and try to take down bad guys.

When Haley’s Circus is in town, Bruce stumbles upon it and watches, enamored. He watches and Dick and his parents fall to their deaths and once the crowd leaves he goes to Dick’s body and resurrects him by using his cryptid-ness or something. Then Dick starts fighting alongside him still wearing the colors of his parents.

I didn’t draw him, but I was also thinking about how Jason would be adopted as a human child after Bruce sees how much he’s struggling on the streets, after Dick becomes Nightwing. But, when Jason dies, Bruce resurrects him with more cryptid-ness and he becomes a version of like the Red Hood.

I might do some more drawings/backstory if this does well because cryptid batfam is really cool to me.

#batman #bruce wayne #batfam #robin #dc robin #dick grayson #richard grayson #cryptid batfamily #batman and robin #cryptid #cryptid batman #cryptid batfam #dc comics #dc fanart #dcu #dc universe #spooky art #spooky 👻

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sagaduwyrm · 2 years

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I was looking at cryptid batfamily stuff, and I kind of created my own AU.

So the Justice League meets The Bat. Maybe they find him or maybe he just shows up, but either way there's a primordial mass of Shadow and Nightmare with glowing white eyes in front of them, and whatever it is clearly isn't impressed.

But then. It takes off it's mask. And it's strange, because it's not so much taking off a mask as slipping it's claws into the shadowed skin below it's face and pulling until the darkness slips away like rubber and it's. A human.

Green Arrow recognizes him. Chokes on his spit and whispers "Bruce?" with a face like everything he's ever known is a lie. And the man just looks at him, even less impressed than he was as a shadow monster and it's just.

The suit. It's not a suit but it has to be, it has to be because he's wearing it and yet it moves like skin and breathes like flesh and it's like a monster just opened it's mouth and a person climbed out except the person and the monster are one.

Basically, Batman is the monstrous incarnation of Gotham's Fear and Grief (think this) but Bruce Wayne is just a tired man, and yet they are the same. You look at Bruce from the corner of your eye and you see shadows and fangs. The Batman holds a child with the clawless hands of a kind father. When he is emotional in either form one can hear music: almost like funeral bells and almost like screaming and almost like the sound of a gun falling on the floor, torn from cruel hands before they can hurt.

The other Bats are other aspects of Gotham. Dick is Joy and Defiance, Jason is Sacrifice and Revenge, Cass is Empathy and Unknowableness, Tim is Wonder and Exhausted Determination, Steph is Hope and the Continued Fight, Kate (Batwoman) is Wrath and Mercy, Duke is the Sunrise at the End of the Long Night, Damian is those that are Bleeding but Still Giving.

The Justice League manages to get them all in a room once and it's a terrible, awful choir, Gotham's deepest soul sing-screaming in their ears.

#cryptid batman #cryptid batfam #cryptid au #batfamily au #cryptid batfamily

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mkarchin713 · 2 months

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You guys know this story

If you don’t, it’s basically a fic where the BatClan convinced the JL that they are demons who reproduce asexually by absorbing the souls of dead children and that Batman is pregnant.

(Read the fic for more information)

Anyway.

What if it was true.

What if Lady Gotham was the Gotham-Born-Bat-Demon’s goddess who turned (insert Wayne Family Ancestor here) into a Bat Demon and all subsequent Wayne’s were either conceived asexually through the absorption of a dead child’s soul, the traditional way with the child coming out 100% Bat Demon, or were individuals who undergo a magical ritual and bathe in Lady Gotham’s blood.

Thomas was born a Bat Demon but his lovers Martha and Alfred were turned into Bat Demons through the ceremony.

Kate and Luke died sometime in their childhood and were incubated by Martha and Thomas respectively. This makes them Bruce’s siblings by Demon Bat standards.

The Bat Demons are able to shapeshift between their demon form and their human form at will. In their human form they are nigh indistinguishable from an Olympic level athlete and are highly intelligent. In their Bat Demon forms they can turn into shadows, use magic, etc.

The Batclan uses their Bat Demon Forms as inspiration for their costumes. Red, yellow and green markings are common for adolescent Bat Demons.

Bat Demons can only be killed in their true forms. If they receive mortal injuries in their human forms they go into healing comas which can last anywhere from a month to a hundred years.

When the Waynes were murdered they actually went into healing comas and were stored deep in the Batcave.

When Jason was killed by Joker he was placed in the Batcave crypt. Unfortunately there was an earthquake/cave in which buried him alive and caused his newly revived self to dig his way to the surface. This combined with Jason’s head trauma from his murder, caused Jason to forget he was a Bat Demon and believe he was only human.

The Lazarus Pits are a sacred places to the Demon Bats and are believed to be pools of Lady Gotham’s blood. They have the power to turn humans into Demon Bats when accompanied by a magical ritual. Without the ritual the pits can only heal humans, but prolonged exposer can give them Demon Bat traits. If a Demon Bat is exposed to the pits without the ritual it can cause Pit Madness as it messed with the bonds that Demon Bats have with their flock.

…..

This is all I have so far.

I may add more.

Free to use.

Credit for idea to the OPs.

#cryptid batfamily #dc comics #Batman #dc prompt #writing prompts #first time doing something like this. if I have forgotten to add anything let me know #I don’t know all the Tumblr rules yet.#is this kosher?#batfamily

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duskyashe · 1 year

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NaNoWriMo Day #2

[masterlist] [part two] [part three] [part four]

Prompt found here

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The thing about being the half-ghost protector of a small Midwestern city whose rogues gallery consists of both the inhabitants of a parallel dimension intrinsically linked to the "living" one as well as goons from the government, is that you tend to get a bit lonely. There's never any representation for him or others like him among the well known heroes of the world, he's really got no one to model how he should fight his city's crime. Sure, Superman has a lot of powers that are similar to his own, but he's a beloved alien not a hated eldritch entity. And sure, Danny loves knowing there's other sentient life out there, but when the government is one of his rogues, it's kinda hard to look up to government approved heroes.

Though Captain Marvel was pretty cool, not gonna lie.

But his point was, as far as Danny knew, he was the only eldritch being/cryptid to have taken up heroics, ever, and that… that hurts sometimes, that he was the only one out of a rather large cast of possible "other" beings in the world to decide that protecting others was worth more than his own potential safety. He was both the frontrunner and the sacrificial lamb. If he succeeded in changing the narrative, in convincing humanity that supernatural beings and entities couldn't be defined by a few really well known bad nuts, then others would publicly fly his banner, but if he didn't, if he failed, then, well, no ectoplasmic skin off their metaphorical noses, y'know? It was isolating.

Danny honestly expected the rest of his existence would be defined by that loneliness, by being the only hero to be of a supernatural flavor others were actively terrified of. Until, that is, Sam and Tucker nearly broke his bedroom door down one Sunday morning, breathless and beaming, which was so out of character for Sam that Danny was kinda expecting his ghost sense to go off signaling she was being overshadowed. But no, she wasn't. She was genuinely excited about something, enough to act like the daughter her parents wished she was, not the down-to-earth goth beauty they actually had.

"Woah, guys, what's up?" Danny asked, sitting up from his sprawled out position on his bed. Tuck shut and locked his door while Sam pulled her phone out and showed it to him. He stared at the screen in shock for a few minutes as his friends got their breathing under control. "Is… is that… is that what I think it is?"

Sam nodded, grinning like a loon. "Tuck double checked everything. There's multiple cases with enough correlation between them, buried deep enough in the web, that for it all to be one big hoax or just a huge coincidence would be functionally impossible. This is real, Danny. You're not alone anymore." On her phone was a website, which looked like a newspaper of some sort, with a headline reading, "The Cryptid Known as Batman Strikes Again! Twoface Back in Arkham!" It was posted just last week. Danny took Sam's phone and looked through the open tabs. There were articles and blog posts and Reddit pages and YouTube channels dedicated to what seemed to be a whole clan of cryptids who made Gotham City their home. All of them praised the elusive clan. Thanked them for protecting them. For saving them.

Danny started tearing up. He couldn't help it. Here was proof that what he was doing wasn't all for nothing. It was possible to be a hero loved by those he protected while being a member of the supernatural, part-time though his membership may be.

It was at that point that fourteen year old Danny "Phantom" Fenton decided the entity called "Batman" was his hero, his idol, the being he looked up to most of all. His method of fighting crime was a tad too violent for Danny, but his style was perfect. He couldn't change who or what he was, not without some serious side effects, but if "Batman" and their clan could turn the public's favor to their side despite being so obviously not human, something even literal aliens didn't attempt to do, then screw it, Danny was going to do the same thing. He would embrace his ghostliness as Phantom, instead of trying to pretend he was still human in that form. Maybe that was his problem, anyway? Could others tell he was pretending to still be human as Phantom? It didn't really matter at the moment, but it would be interesting to test that going forward…

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In the end, a year and a half is all it took for everything to completely fall apart. Danny would say he was surprised, but honestly, he'd seen this coming as far back as that incident with Pariah Dark, which ended with him ascending the ghostly throne. The way Amity Park reacted to that whole ordeal was rather telling. Although a number of the younger crowd had started shifting their views of Phantom, too many of the adults still saw him as a threat and vilified him, even after he saved all of reality.

Living in Amity Park had quickly become too dangerous for him and his team—Sam, Tucker, and Jazz—, but while Jazz was fairly easily able to get custody of Danny and get the two of them away from the boiling cauldron of tension, Sam and Tucker didn't have that option. His core protested leaving members of his fright behind in such a hazardous situation, but with no idea how things would go down where Jazz and Danny were running to, they had to leave them for the time being. If everything went to plan, then Jazz would call the rest of their fright to them.

Thankfully, with him being the ghost king now, his ghostly rogues had cut back on their attacks on his haunt during the past year, instead scheduling time with Jazz to teach him more about ghost culture, as well as other supernatural beings and their cultures. Due to these lessons, Danny, Sam, and Tucker would often debate what kind of beings Batman's clan had and how many beings the clan contained instead of finishing their homework.

Batman was obviously an entity loosely tied to shadows that had ascended to minor divinity over the past few years, while Robin had to be some sort of fey being, considering their eternally youthful appearance. This theory was backed by Robin's ability to mimic the voices of seemingly anyone. Raven, the next oldest member of Batman's clan, had to be eldritch in origin, though it was interesting that they claimed a name so closely related to death and prophecy. Danny and his friends couldn't quite agree on what kind of eldritch being Raven was, just that they were one.

Condor was an interesting being to debate, as the name also had strong ties with death, as well as rebirth. Sam thought that meant Condor was a Phoenix that wanted to stay on theme with the rest of the clan, while Tuck thought Condor was some kind of zombie. Jazz was actually the one to propose Condor may have been a lich, which honestly kind of made sense. Condor was known to have looser morals than the others in the clan, which fit with the general idea of how liches come into being, especially if those they killed came back as undead servants like some rumors claimed.

Around the same time Condor showed up, whisperings of a being named Oracle started showing up within the forums Tuck had hacked. While there was no confirmed record of appearance for her, there were multiple accounts of the other members of the bat clan sending words of thanks to her, so she might have been the actual spirit of the Oracle of Delphi, which would be so cool.

Ibis was definitely some sort of trickster spirit, possibly even a kitsune. With their tendency to dance around an opponent until victory was assured and their tenuous grasp on the humanoid form, they couldn't really be anything else. Black Bat had to be another entity loosely tied to shadows, though they seemed more eldritch than Batman was. Starling could literally only be a banshee, what with her death shrieks every time she attacked. Weirdly enough, Signal seemed to already have a supernatural theory attached to them, said theory being that they were the bat signal given sentience and humanoid form, though Danny thought they might be more of a vengeful spirit.

There were likely others, those not as well known or even ever seen. There always were. For Danny's fright, that was Ellie, who was constantly on the move, especially now that she'd mastered teleportation and portal making. While most of his former ghostly rogues knew of Ellie, the only humans that knew of her were members of his fright and Valerie.

At the time, spitballing ideas about the members of the bat clan in Gotham was just all fun and games, a way to practice the knowledge they were learning in a more practical and entertaining way than just bookwork. Now, though, Danny couldn't be more grateful they had spent so much time on those debates, countless nights they stayed up late trawling through the deep web to stay up to date on the latest on Gotham's guardian deity and his clan. Because they had such solid guesses on what beings made up the bat clan, they'd be able to appeal for sanctuary in a more appropriate manner than if they had no clue at all.

As his and Jazz's bus drew closer to Gotham on the horizon, Danny anxiously checked that the duffle with their offerings was still secured. He hoped the bats liked their gifts; they had barely any concrete info on any of the more public members, let alone the lesser known ones. He wasn't sure what they'd do if Batman refused their appeal; with the schematics to rebuild the Fenton portal within easy access of the GIW, they couldn't risk hiding out in the Infinite Realms for fear of drawing Danny's subjects into a fruitless war.

Please, he prayed to Gotham's guardian deity, please don't turn us away. You're our last hope.

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As Bruce was getting ready for patrol that night, he felt the creeping rise of anticipation. Something was going to happen tonight, something extraordinary. He just wasn't sure if it was going to be a good thing or not. Like usual.

For the past year and a half, Bruce had noticed an odd trend. Whenever something big was going to happen, something that would affect the entirety of his city, he'd feel antsy all day, right up until whatever was going to happen happened. It certainly helped cut down on the number of times they'd been caught with their metaphorical pants around their knees, but not being able to tell if the nebulous something was going to be good or not was annoying. Though, to be fair, there weren't a lot of good things that had happened since he started noticing his new sense.

"Listen up," he sighed as he stalked over to the conference table in the cave. "Something's going to happen tonight, something big. As usual, that's all the information I have, so you know the drill; if you see anything unusual, call it in." Bruce looked over his brood of children, most of them adults in their own right by now. Goodness, the years have flown by fast. "Try to stick relatively close to each other tonight, please. I want to be able to watch each other's backs in case whatever it is manages to get the drop on us."

Dick nodded with a grin. "You got it, B," he said, slinging an arm over Damian's shoulder. "C'mon, baby bird, let's run through our stretches one last time before heading out, yeah?"

"Tt, it is Todd who needs those stretches most, was he not the one to strain his knee last week?"

"You listen here, you little—"

"He's not wrong, Jay. You sure you don't want my stretch routine? It'd do you wonders, y'know."

"You mean your torture routine, Replacement? How you can get your body into some of those shapes and still call it stretching, I'll never know—"

Bruce shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips. He wasn't quite sure when that change had happened, but he'd be forever grateful it had. It pained him when his sons fought each other.

A small hand came to rest on his shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts. He glanced down at his daughter and smiled at her look of concern. "I'm alright," he reassured her, "just thinking."

Cass looked at him thoughtfully before nodding. "It will be alright. Tonight will be good. We will stay safe. You stay safe, too?"

Bruce was nodding before she finished speaking. "Of course. We should head out, any longer and Stephanie will try banshee striking the first shady person she sees," he said, an amused glint in his eye as Steph cried out in indignation from over by the batmobile.

An hour into patrol, and Bruce's anticipation skyrocketed. Whatever was happening tonight was happening soon. "Everyone, check-in."

"Raven here, checking in, all clear here." Dick.

"This is Condor, everything's normal on my end." Jason.

"Robin, checking in, nothing is out of place." Damian.

"Starling here! Just some run-of-the-mill muggers, currently crying for daddy!" Steph.

"Black Bat. Clear." Cass.

Where's—? "Ibis here. B, I think I found the source of your feeling. Sending Oracle my coordinates now." Tim.

"Understood. En route now. Do not engage without backup, understood?" Bruce demanded, taking off toward the beacon indicating Tim's location.

"I'll try, B, but I get the impression they know I'm here."

The anticipation rose again. Whoever Tim was watching definitely knew he was there. "We'll hurry."

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Tim clung to the gargoyle overlooking one of the many rooftop shrines to the Bats and the Birds. There, sitting cross-legged about a foot in the air next to the shrine, was a glowing teenaged boy with snow bright hair and Lazarus Pit green eyes. He was wearing a black and silver armored suit, similar to the suits he and his siblings wore, with a flowing cape that blended into the night hung from his shoulders and a greenish black crown floating just above his head. In his lap was a black, gray, and green duffle bag that looked to be rather full, and in his hand was a beat up looking photograph. He couldn't make out what it was a photo of from this angle, but he'd recognize a well-loved photograph anywhere.

"In position, IIbis, you may initiate contact." Bruce said over comms. Tim didn't bother acknowledging he heard and instead carefully unwound himself from his hiding place in the shadows. Carefully, he danced down the side of the building he was on, contorting himself into inhuman looking positions as he went, until he could silently drop onto the roof with the shrine. He slowly slunk forward, keeping low and accentuating his curiosity. That was the key, here, he really was curious about this kid. That was what sold IIbis as something other, something not human.

Tim was about five feet from the shrine when wide, glowing green eyes suddenly found his own, covered though they might be. Tim froze, holding the slightly exaggerated pose he'd found himself in, crouched and arched in a way that screamed wary curiosity. Cautiously, he rolled his head to the side and chirped slightly.

"You really do exist," the kid breathed in awe before he shook himself and straightened, grabbing the duffle from his lap before letting his feet meet the rooftop. "Hi, um, I was wondering if I could possibly meet with your clan leader, Batman?"

Tim stared at the kid for a long moment as Bruce silently made his way to the shadows of the shrine. At Bruce's signal, a soft tap on the comm, Tim shifted and rolled and contorted until he was standing in a much more human-like fashion, then purposefully turned only his head to look directly where Bruce's beacon said he was. The kid whipped his head around right as Bruce seemingly melted out of the shadows, his size and sheer presence seemingly dwarfing the kid, who sucked in a surprised breath but barely moved an inch. Impressive.

"Yes?" Bruce growled softly, not the unpleasant, gravelly growl reserved for criminals, but the warm, gentle rumble reserved for kids and victims.

The kid's awe only grew more pronounced, but somehow he still managed to pull himself together enough to speak. "H-hi, my name's Phantom, I'm not sure if you've heard of me or not. I'd like to ask for sanctuary for myself and my fright-mates. Our previous haunt has become rather hostile towards us, and I'm not strong enough to keep them safe. Um, I've got some gifts for you and your clan, I wasn't sure how large your clan was, so I'm sorry if I offend you or anything with the lack of gifts for everyone. M-may I pull them out?" He asked, lifting the duffle slightly to indicate what he meant.

Bruce was silent as he waited for the rest of the bats and birds to form a loose circle around Phantom, stances mostly non-threatening, and stepped forward into the glow coming from the kid. At this point, the kid's awe was nearly palpable, glancing at as many of them as he could but always facing Bruce and not moving more than his eyes.

After a further moment, Bruce tilted his head slightly and nodded, causing the kid to outright beam.

"Right! Well, first, for yourself, I have a set of ghost steel batarangs, enchanted to return to their case once they leave a hundred yard radius. They're tied specifically to the case, so you can lend them to someone else, but it's recommended you be the only one to use them for the first ten uses in live combat. Next, for Black Bat, a cloak made by the best undead tailors this side of eternity. Made from the shadows themselves, whoever wears it becomes functionally invisible in low light conditions and beyond. I was also told it grants slight shadow manipulation, as well. For Robin, a shape shifting sword from the fey realms themselves, fitting for a changeling child. All curses and tricks were totally removed, as we weren't certain you wouldn't share it with some of your clan mates, and we didn't want to accidently cause any problems that could have been averted—" Phantom kept going, pulling something from the bag, naming who it was for, and explaining a little about it, before putting it back in the bag and moving on. But what drew Tim's attention, time and time again, was the fact that Phantom seemed to be under the impression they were actually members of the supernatural—he all but called Tim a kitsune, and definitely implied Damian was a changeling! It was both amusing the kid honestly thought they were members of the supernatural, and rather concerning at the same time. They were all human, weren't they? They were method acting every time they suited up, heck, Tim was nothing more than a self trained contortionist that could mimic a few bird calls and knew a bit of self defense. Why did this kid, who was possibly an actual ghost, think they were supernaturally inclined? Were they really that good at method acting? Or was there something more to it than that?

=============‹«⟨·•★•·⟩»›=============

Hey, guys! I literally stayed up working on this until midnight, so already in pushing my self proclaimed boundaries (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）I had so much help from my friends on the @batpham-discord-highlights discord server, I'll look into tagging everyone that helped in the morning when I'm not struggling to stay awake (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠) I hope you enjoyed this long fic, guys, cuz I was NOT expecting to write 3,266 words today! Good night, good morning, good day!

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myreputatioooon · 24 days

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Eldritch crptid batfam au I made three days ago in meme

idea inspired from writing prompts in memes, and these Lady Gotham AUs

Cryptid batman prompt & au

cryptid batfam cuz lady gotham (dpxdc)

cryptid batfamily writing prompt memes

eldritch batfam writing prompt memes

((bonus points if you can figure out which memes are and aren't in-universe btw, doubly do if you can do all of them because I sure can't minus like the last two lmao))

#wanted to do thirty but this is enough #whippity wine 🪄🐧that theme is now mine #memes #capslock #caps #cw caps #tw caps #eldritch batfam #eldritch batfamily #cryptid batfamily #cryptid batfam #its only mentioned but just to be safe #cw mpreg #cw eggpreg #To Be Changed🌆Is To Be Loved #<<<tag for this au btw #i will elaborate on lore if asked #jason is like jaidens' birdies hes just hormonal and nesting

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puppetmaster13u · 1 day

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I have a great idea for cryptid batfam but like, liminals and halfas sort of thing, and I need y'all to remind me to actually talk about it and perhaps draw it.

#remind me to elaborate later #when i am not potentially having to go to the hospital for yet another medical reason #dcxdp #dpxdc #batman au #liminal batfamily #technically halfa batfamily eventually #cryptid batfamily #cryptid batman #cryptid batfam #they don't kill because that is a Mercy #their vigilante selves are their ghost forms #originally they were probably liminal as fuck & their idea of Other Self was built up as said vigilante-sonas #Gotham deserves to be slightly uncanny valley & the Bats to feel completely Other #do you see my vision

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moosieart · 3 months

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"Which is scarier? The Bat who is one with the shadows and is willing to do anything for it's children, or it's spawn who will laugh at you as it attacks from above?" - Random Gothamite

No chapters this week for Silent Hearts and Silent Knights, but I'll be back 2/13/24.

Also working on asks, I may have gotten a little excited and put a little too much detail in them, hence why they're taking a second.

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golden-buddle · 9 months

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I admittedly am not up on the cryptid batfam, so if I am remembering wrong, that is why. :p There's a monster under the bed. Children know it. Especially the children whose parents aren't kind. Whose parents lash out and abuse. There's a monster under the bed, who will not let children in its territory get harmed. (Redhood is the thing that lurks under the bed, to the woe of any abusive caretaker. However feel free to choose whoever fits your muse if it strikes.)

ohoho..

————

There was a Monster Under the Bed.

Every child in Gotham knew it, every child in Gotham has seen it.

It’s a young spirit, the older kids whisper at recess. Just like it’s sire had taken it, it will take you. The murmur louder, in hopes of scaring those who were listening in. But they’re leaving out something very important. That the Monster would never take anyone that didn’t willingly climb into its grasp.

The Monster is big, the monster is scary, it smells like copper and drips blood everywhere, but it isn’t scary. Not in the ways the children who needed it the most would see.

The Monster was big, and the Monster was perfect for those who needed to hide. For those who climbed under their own beds in hopes that their guardians, if the word could be used, wouldn’t see them just that night.

Whenever that would happen, when an adult would stomp down a hallway, their words carrying a drunken slur or an angry tone, the child would get desperate, they would throw away their blankets, grab their pillows and favorite toys, and climb off their bed.

They would crawl under the bed, murmuring ‘Please, I need help, please-‘ and curl up in the corner.

The shadows under the bed would coalesce, curl around the child in a soft embrace and to drown out the angry noises of any nearby adult.

As the shadows would whisper to the child, telling story after story, wind would swirl in child’s room. Curling and wisping in anger, the Monster would climb out from under the bed.

The shadows would warp, creaking and groaning as the giant figure clawed and deformed itself to get out of the small area.

Blood would drip from its stripped skull, it’s face streaked with so much blood that only the whites of its glowing eyes could be seen. No mouth, no nose, nothing but the glowing visage of haunted and angry eyes could be seen.

If the adult was wise, if they only had listened to the murmurs of their colleagues, they would recognize the creaks of the walls as the warning it was.

But not all adults are bright enough to realize that, not all of them were sober enough to flee the hissing rattle of a snake.

Some open their child’s doors, whether it’s by force or something else, and the lights of the hallway would shine in.

They would see It, the Bloody Hood of the shadows, second Eldest of the Gotham’s Knight, and they would scream.

Underneath their bed, the child would be lulled to sleep by the soft lullabies and rocking of the shadows, but outside the bed, the Bloody Hood would feast.

Both on the blood it was named after, and the aftertaste of fear that still clung to the air.

But once it was full, once it’s prey was drained off all it could give, the Hood would return back to the bed. It would break its bones, twisting and squeezing into the bed it came out of to whisk the child away.

Whereever it was talking the child, said child would never have to worry about the person who sent them running to the monster that dripped with blood.

#Ask to Tag #cryptid batfam #Cryptid Batfamily #Cryptid Red Hood #Cryptid Jason Todd #My Writing #tw: child abuse

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frownyalfred · 9 months

Note

Just casually screaming about these militant ducklings following Bruce around in the watchtower scaring the absolute shit out of everyone.

I didn’t want to linger on it too long and have it be cliche but it was absolutely TERRIFYING! They just appear silently in unison and stalk through the Watchtower like something’s about to go down.

I wish I could draw so I could show how it looked in my head.

#it’s also funny because we as the reader know they’re not 100% serious or scary #but no one else does #even superman was a little nervous #it’s unnerving!#cryptid batfamily #bruce wayne #batman #dc #myfic #theresurrectionist #batfamily #borderline #asks

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schrijverr · 4 months

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The Hearts of Gotham 1

Chapter 1 out of 7

Bruce makes the Justice League believe he has two hearts and is a manifestation of Gotham’s night to throw them off his secret identity, not trusting them. When the sound system breaks, he doesn’t come clean, but lies instead that he split into two to make Robin. From there it spirals as all the Robins make the lies grow and twist it in their own ways, until the truth comes out.

This fic is based on this post and inspired by Bouncing Baby Bat, or so the Justice League is led to believe... by EmpressGeek.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~~

Chapter 1: How Bruce Made Himself out to Be a Cryptid

Let it be known that Bruce never intended for it to end up like this. Truly, had he known then how it would end, he might just have been honest with the Justice League when they formed, but instead paranoia had overtaken him and now it has spiraled into this.

Okay, let’s back up a little. It starts like this: Bruce doesn’t want to join the Justice League that these others are forming for bigger threats. In his mind, they are the possible bigger threat, seen in how effective they are against other big threats. The fact that they can’t see that makes him only more wary.

However, the others seem determined to see this done, so if Bruce wants to keep a close eye on them, it’s better to be involved. With his tech being used, he’ll know all the back doors. With him in the meetings, he’ll know the protocols will be good. With him in the training, he’ll be able to study their weaknesses and plan for contingencies.

So, he joins to soothe his own worries and doom scenarios. He joins so he can monitor them all and step in should it go awry.

But being able to observe them, means that in turn he’ll be observed too.

He is very careful about his identity thus far, because he knows what’s at stake. His own voice is that of Batman, so if he’s taken by surprise out in the field it won’t be different. He wears lifts in his Batman boots to make him taller, more intimidating, less human. He stays in the shadow, never lets anyone observe him better.

Because if he’s ever found out, a lot of things will come crumbling down. The police is only half convinced that there is an actual person under there and there is a big factor ready to arrest him, should they catch him. Though luckily also a faction moving to working together with him.

Should he be arrested, Alfred will likely go down as accomplice and spend his retirement in a prison with Wayne Enterprises falling into the hands of a semi-corrupt board that will weasel out the non-corrupt like he is trying to weasel out the corrupt now.

Hundreds of thousands will loose their jobs, programs that keep the less fortunate from going under will disappear, the public transport system will decay and the name his parents made for themselves will forever be tainted by him. And that’s not even mentioning the crime that will run rampant without Batman, all the people that could go through what he did.

No, he can’t be found out.

So, he has to be careful when working with this newly formed Justice League. Throw them off his scent so they’ll never connect the dots. But it has to be subtle, something he can keep up, something not everyone would note.

The person he’s most worried about getting on his trail is Clark Kent, or Superman, as he is known, an investigative journalist. The others are less like him or Clark, people who go out and look for things that irk their brains, but Clark has been assigned their leader. He’ll want to know and he’ll want to dig.

He is also a person who might be able to find Bruce. His secret identity is as solid as it can be, but he’s only human and there are cracks. As a reporter, Clark interacts with both Bruce and Batman and he has extra abilities to help him.

He must be stopped.

So, before his first meeting with the Justice League, Bruce sinks into a pit of what-ifs, until his paranoia forces him to action. And he sows a sound system into his suit, that plays an extra heartbeat, making it seem like there are two hearts beating in his chest.

Bruce’s logic is, that if the supers in the League would hear his two heartbeats as Batman, they would look for that if they wanted to find him and since he doesn’t have two heartbeats as Bruce, they never would unless he was being Batman, thus open to being found.

It’s a solid plan in his mind. The League consists of all sorts of people, both human and non-human, no one would ask too many invasive questions about his supposed biology. It’s perfect.

Thus, it comes to be that Batman enters the Justice League as a cryptid non-human entity. Not something he planned for exactly, but the Batman is already more than a man, said to be a demon or a vampire. It helps with intimidation and it helps with his cover. The others already think him to be more than human, why not play into it? It’s not like he trusts them. He’s here to monitor, not befriend.

It’s a solution that soothes his anxieties and enables him to actually work. It’s also easy and low profile, as well as something that can grow organically as the moment calls.

The first times it happens, is when they’re making a protocol about when it is alright to step in on another hero’s turf. Bruce is the one, who insisted on making protocols, wanting to have written guides he could force the others to follow, rules they are held accountable by.

“No metas in Gotham,” he first lays down the law for his own city. “We can make protocols for other cities to suit the heroes wishes and what is reasonable. But there will not be anyone but me in Gotham, I don’t care how severe you think it is. Unless you have an explicit invitation from me, you aren’t welcome.”

“What the hell, man!” Hal exclaims and others are also frowning.

Clark, as always, steps in to mediate: “Batman, we’re willing to follow your lead in your city and I agree that a heroes wishes should be considered, but there no reason not to be civil. You’re a meta, you know life can be hard enough as is.”

Bruce does feel a little guilty then, because despite his wariness, everyone here has been nothing but nice – overly nice in that peppy hero way, but still – and he doesn’t mean to be rude. He just knows that the type of crime fighting they do, doesn’t mesh with Gotham and he can’t have them ruin his city.

So, he crosses his arms and tries to project sternness instead of guilt as he says: “And I am stating my wishes clearly. No metas in Gotham is a neutral statement. You made it loaded.”

“You’re being hypocritical, Batman,” J’onn says not unkindly, probably picking up on some of the guilt, despite his mental barriers and misinterpreting.

“I am not, I am being clear,” Bruce says, as stubborn as ever, while mentally running through all the random knowledge he has acquired in the years of being Batman. Then he adds: “And I am being clear, because you coming will completely ruin the ecosystem.”

“Ruin the ecosystem?” Diana repeats, still learning the new lingo of the world of men.

“Yes,” Bruce says, glad that his acting classes under Alfred are paying off. “When I say that I am the night, I am very serious about that. I am Gotham’s night, come to life. The hearts of the city beat in me. My villains are created by what Gotham is as a city, they won’t respond well to you. You’re an invasive species. Who knows the kinds of irreparable damage you could cause?”

That sounds pretty logical to his own ears and he makes a mental note to get Poison Ivy some perks in Arkham when he gets back. He also makes a not to record what he said later, as to not contradict himself down the line.

“You’re literally the night?” Hal chuckles, a little disbelievingly.

“You’re a space cop,” Barry rightfully points out. “We work together with two aliens, a woman with wings and an Amazonian princess. Is a personification of the night really a stretch?”

“It just seems fantastical that’s all,” Hal shrugs, body language giving away that he feels a little bad about his outburst. But not bad enough to not defend it, because he adds: “Everyone else seems to have at least a bit of a basis in science.”

“Magic is quite real,” Diana says, stunning them all into silence for a second.

Clark clears his throat after a second, then says: “Thank you, we’ll keep that in mind for later meetings. So, uhm, no metas in Gotham,” he gets them on track. “Does that also apply for non-hero meddling? Like if someone has to be there due to secret identity obligations?”

Bruce knows why he’s asking. It might sound like a general question, but unlike the others, he actually knows who they are in their civilian lives. And he’s seen Superman out of uniform at his galas.

However, he doesn’t let it show. Having Clark hear only one heartbeat in his chest at the galas will only strengthen his secret identity. So, he curtly says: “If you don’t interfere with its business, Gotham will let you in.”

“Alright,” Clark says, looking a little disturbed. “I’ll note that down. No metas in Gotham. Now, what about anyone else’s city? Something else we should know about when not trespassing?”

The others gratefully take the reason to move on and Bruce has to hold in a snort, because it’s quite amusing to see these superpowered beings buy into his make belief. To have them be scared of him, who is just a man.

But it is also comforting, because if they are scared, they’ll listen. He needs them to listen to him, to value his opinion as one of their own, because maybe then he can ensure that they will become that line of good they have the potential to be, instead of the force of destruction they can also become. For that, he is glad.

Furthermore, he registers that his ruse is working in his favor. It gets him what he wants while minimizing conflict, thus it is good to maintain.

So, as they build the Justice League together – something that takes a lot more meetings and paper work than some of them were expecting, he observes – he maintains and builds his lie further. He establishes himself as the night of Gotham and expands on his backstory as he goes.

A little while later they’re in a meeting about their fighting abilities. They have already worked in the field together, but during the big emergency, but that doesn’t make for good observation circumstances. Therefore they have this meeting, so that all are on the same page about what they can do.

Bruce has contemplated making himself out to be scarier than he actually is. However, when it is his turn, he doesn’t invent invulnerabilities or abilities for himself, it can be detrimental in the field to have given others unrealistic expectations.

Thus, when it’s his turn to answer, he honestly says: “When it comes to any unnatural abilities, I function as a normal human would. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“No way,” Barry says, leaning on his hand and observing Bruce closer. “No powers? None?”

“Yeah, I don’t buy it, Spooky. With all the vanishing you do,” Hal agrees.

“Then maybe we should have another stealth day,” Bruce says seriously, because what he does is not that difficult and can be taught. As heroes, they should have a certain amount of skills in every field, though maybe it’s good for them to not be fully competent. Makes it easier to take them out should the day come.

Hal quickly makes a zipping his mouth shut motion, before Bruce can continue on with his threat that he is still contemplating.

Before it can get out of hand, everyone gets distracted by Shiera asking: “Really? You want us to believe that the physical manifestation of Gotham’s night has no power?”

“Yes, that does seem quite miraculous,” Diana agrees open eyed and well intended.

“Yeah, you have no clue what sort of stories come out of there,” Barry adds. “Well, I’m kind of assuming you don’t, since I suppose you don’t leave your city often and maybe you don’t really read our news if you do. But like it’s crazy. There was a while where I wasn’t even sure you existed or if there truly was a vampire out there.”

As they all talk, Bruce is silent, quickly thinking. Is he going to have to lie? Make up some powers that are minor enough that they won’t accidentally risk his life when he doesn’t want it to be risked? No, Alfred will kill him.

Fuck, he never thought they wouldn’t believe him if he told them he operated with no powers. He should have planned for this. Stupid. Note to self: plan more contingencies.

In the end, something comes to him right before it becomes weird that he isn’t answering. So, he answers: “I am the manifestation of Gotham’s night. Gotham is wholly human and remains so, that which powers me is human.”

“Wouldn’t it be beneficial then to have more metas in Gotham? So that you can get powers?” Barry asks, the curiosity of the scientist shining through.

It’s a good question too, and Bruce quickly bullshits: “No, because my villains are created in reaction to me. If I am stronger, so will their challenge be and Gotham will face more destruction.”

“Would that mean your villains disappear when you do?” Hal asks.

“No,” Bruce says again, cursing himself for not planning better. “The city creates them, but not like it creates me. It’s the shadow that hangs over Gotham that brings out the worst in people. They are not like me. They are humans. But if my shadow grows bigger, so will that of the city.”

“Man, that’s confusing,” Hal complains and Bruce is glad his own twists threw them off.

He is even more glad when Clark steps in: “And it’s not our place to question Batman or poke holes. Let’s all be civil. Batman, I’ll note down no powers.”

“Thank you,” Bruce replies, because Alfred raised him better than to not thank someone.

And so he goes on establishing himself as Gotham’s night. He has a writing frenzy wherein he fleshes out his lie to the League as to never be caught unawares again like that, before carefully and calculatedly dropping things into conversation as time goes on.

“Batman, you’re seriously injured, I saw that bot hit your head! You really should let us take a look at that,” Clark says after one of their earlier battles.

“No, I need to go to Gotham, my city strengthens me,” he lies, as to slip out so that Alfred can take a look at it. Hopefully the man won’t scold him too bad for traveling via Zeta-Beam while having a concussion.

Or during a boring meeting, when he suddenly gets up. Diana asks: “Batman, what is wrong? I did not hear an emergency call.”

“Gotham needs me,” he lies again, deciding that he sits through enough boring meetings as Brucie not to want to do it as Batman too. At least, not right now. He has a case he’d rather be working on, more important too. “It calls to me.”

As he leaves, he hears Barry whisper to Hal: “That sounds useful, I always just cross my fingers that I’ll catch it when it happens.”

However, over time it peters out. He has let all the relevant pieces drop and he feels that it doesn’t fit to share more. They know what he wants them to know and no one has caught on to the fact that he even has a civilian identity – something he’s loathe to admit, he stole from Clark. So, he stops and settles in with what he has.

And time continues to pass like that. Bruce gets to know his fellow League members better, learns how they think and where their morals lie. He starts to respect them, then tentatively trust them.

Most of them reveal their identities – never pressuring Bruce, since they don’t think he has one, despite Clark revealing his own – and become friends rather than colleagues. Bruce even thinks of them as friends.

However, he doesn’t say a word to them, never feels the need to reveal himself. To them he is the night, like he is Brucie to the board, and that suits him just fine. He is their friend, but he never forgets the power they hold and he never forgets his own responsibility in monitoring them.

The Justice League is set up to counter threats and one of the threats is the Justice League itself. He has just positioned himself to counter that threat, should it ever come to pass. And being non-human is a part of that. It’s as simple as that.

Besides, he befriended all of them based on a lie. To reveal now how much he distrusted them, how much he kept from them and how much he lied can only end in disaster. They’ll hate him for lying and they’ll never trust him again. He can’t risk that.

So, when the sound system in his suit breaks without him noticing and Clark exclaims: “Batman, are you okay? I can only hear one of your hearts beating,” Batman doesn’t hesitate to commit further to his lie.

He has made many contingencies for it breaking while on missions or during a meeting, but with how careful he is with his equipment, it never occurred to him that he would show up for an average meeting without it working.

“It’s okay,” he says, trying to think as fast as he can about what will make sense as explanation.

“That sounds more like you are ill, my friend,” J’onn speaks up, picking up on the anxiety wave that had crashed through him.

“No, no, I am fine, I assure you,” Bruce insists, landing on a solution. “My second heart has formed enough and I have split into two. It needs time to reform, but then I will be fine.”

For a moment, it is silent.

Then the whole room explodes with noise as the others demand what the hell that means and who he has split up into and how that even happens. It’s not something Bruce planned to do, but he’s in too deep now. This was his last chance to come clean and turn back and he didn’t take it. This is going to be his life forever now.

Guess, Dick is getting his wish and meeting the Justice League, instead of being stashed as far away from them as possible to keep him safe. This can be an exercise in obfuscation and keeping cover, he thinks.

A/N:

As of much with Bruce’s earlier Batman career, 90% of what he does is just straight up bullshit that he is pulling out of his ass lmao and I love that for him <3

Also, you can’t convince me that ‘Gotham needs me’ isn’t his excuse when he doesn’t want to be somewhere anymore.

(also I have finished this fic already and I can be manipulated into posting quicker if there is interest)

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