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dccomicsimagines · 9 months

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Fatherly Bonds - Batfamily Imagine

Warning - Suicide, Dark Thoughts and Themes. Proceed with caution!

ALSO SPOILERS FOR GOTHAM KNIGHTS!!!

Requested by Anon - Don’t know if you played Gotham Knights, but could we get a imagine with some angst? Maybe Batfamily x reader? No pairing?

***

The cold wind bit sharply at your face. You took a deep breath, the air chilling your lungs. Gotham’s skyline sparkled like stars. Police sirens sounded in the distance. You frowned and stepped closer to the edge.

The top of Wayne bridge was not accessible to the public, but you were always good at climbing and made your way up after a cab dropped you off in the middle of the bridge. The cabbie had been concerned, but five hundred dollars wiped any worries from his mind.

You looked down. The sound of the waves reached you, but you couldn’t see the water. It was only a black abyss. Just as you wanted. It was fitting.

The siren got closer. You froze, looking down at the road to see a police car zooming onto the bridge. Holding your breath, you ducked down and waited for the car to pass. The last thing you needed was someone to call the cops. You just wanted it to end.

Yet you are taking your time, you thought to yourself. You stepped closer to the edge again and closed your eyes.

A hum filled the air. You opened your eyes, looking up for a plane or helicopter only to hear feet land behind you.

“Please don’t jump. My shoulder can’t take catching another jumper tonight,” a familiar voice said. You spun around to see Dick Grayson in his Nightwing suit. He rolled his shoulders, hissing in pain before his eyes widened at the sight of you. “(Y/N)?”

“Shit.” You turned back to the edge, crossing your arms. Why did you wait so long? You should have jumped as soon as you reached the top of the bridge. There was no way you were going to be able to end it now, not if Dick was here.

The silence that followed was almost unbearable. You looked up at the sky, but no stars could be seen. Too much smog and clouds. Dick shifted behind you, stepping closer. You tensed. He stopped.

“It’s kinda cold up here.” Dick’s voice wavered slightly. You couldn’t blame him. If you had walked in on his attempted suicide, you wouldn’t know what to say either. “Why don’t we get down and we’ll take the cycle home, huh?”

Tears filled your eyes. You wanted to shout at him, lay into him for interrupting you. A hint of shame burned your heart too. You didn’t want them to know you were this weak, at least not when you were alive to see it. Running a hand over your face, you sighed. “Okay.”

His rough gloved hand took yours and gently pulled you away from the edge. You let him, the familiar numbness drifted over you. Despite how you hated it, you were grateful for it now.

How you got down was a blur. You vaguely felt Dick manhandling you, listening to him inform the Belfry that he had you.

A cup of something hot was pressed into your hand. You blinked, staring at the cup before looking around startled when you were sitting at the table in the Belfry’s kitchenette.

“Drink up, Mx. (Y/N). You are chilled to the bone,” Alfred said, patting your shoulder. Your eyes widened. It felt as if your world was collapsing on top of you. They all knew now.

A thick blanket was gently wrapped around you. You recognized the hands as Barbara’s. They are all here to see your shame. Stupid fool, can’t even get your suicide right. You set the cup down and laid your head on the table with your arms over your head.

Whispers of concern. Mentions about whether this had to do with the Court of Owls and the trauma you experienced in their mind-twisting maze. You heard a chair pulling out next to you. It creaked heavily, meaning it was probably Jason sitting next to you. You kept your head covered, hoping everyone and everything would go away.

“Shouldn’t we ask them why? Demand to know why?” Tim said rather loudly. His voice thick.

“Tim, now’s not the time,” Dick soothed. Jason’s heavy hand laid on your back, rubbing gentle circles. It felt nice. “Let’s get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning.”

“But we can’t leave them alone?!” The fear in Tim’s voice cut you to the core. You sniffled, tears working their way free.

“Master Tim, lower your voice please.” Alfred’s tone gentle, but scolding at the same time.

More whispers. You whimpered, holding your head tighter. Jason’s hand stayed on your back. “It’s okay,” Jason whispered softly. You peeked at him. He smiled when he met your eye. His jaw was clenched, but his eyes were full of patience and kindness.

A sob slipped out of you. You pressed a hand against your mouth to quiet it. “What do you need, kid? How can I help?” Jason said, still watching you. His hand still warm on your back.

Not trusting yourself, you left your chair and crawled into his lap. He stiffened, but wrapped his arms around you. You buried your face into his shoulder and let the tears fall.

Jason slowly relaxed. He leaned back in his chair, giving you all the time you needed.

***

You woke with a jerk, sitting up in a panic. Water filled your lungs. The cold paralyzed your body, making you unable to fight to the surface. However, you opened your eyes to find yourself on the couch at the Belfry with a blanket over you.

Snores came from behind you. You turned, panting to see Dick asleep in the armchair. He looked tired. The shame overtook you again like a monstrous wave that was about to sink the city.

You flung your legs off the couch and sat up, burying your face in your hands. They knew. You screwed up and now they know your secret. Your skin was clammy. You felt like you were underwater again. But you never went into the water. Why are you freaking out? You bit your lip, glancing around the Belfry. It was very quiet for this time of day. The late afternoon sun warmed you slightly as it shined through the clockface.

Maybe you didn’t want to die... You shook your head and stood up. Dick was on his feet the moment you moved, eyes wide with panic. He relaxed slightly at seeing you standing. “Oh, you’re awake,” he chuckled and sat back in his chair. “Good. You gave us a scare.”

Delicious smells came from downstairs. Some voices followed. You took a deep breath, looking into the sunlight drifting in. “How did you find me?” Your voice was caked with exhaustion and pain. You almost didn’t recognize it.

Dick flinched at either the sound of your voice or your question. “I was flying by on the Flying Trapeze when I noticed you. Lucky I did.” He got up, wincing at his sore shoulder. “You were going to jump, weren’t you?”

You hardened your heart and glared at him. Dick took a step back. “Well, that doesn’t matter now.”

“Kiddo, it matters.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I think dinner is almost ready downstairs. Let’s eat. Some food will help.”

He walked ahead of you, stretching his bad shoulder as he walked. You watched him, not sure how to feel. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” you mumbled to yourself, eyes on your feet. You swore you saw water around your shoes, but it was gone once you blinked.

“Hey,” Dick said, suddenly by your side. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “Come on. Food will make everything seem better. You’re not alone in this, (Y/N). You never were.”

On the tip of your tongue was an argument that you were alone. However, you knew there was no point in arguing. It would just reveal what you wanted to keep secret. Dick guided you down the stairs to join the others who were unfortunately waiting at the table for you.

***

Barbara, Alfred and Dick kept up the conversation. You stared at your soup bowl, taking sips quietly. Jason sat, observing the table, but mostly looking at you. Tim was nowhere to be seen. You remembered how upset he was last night. Biting your lip, you hoped he was okay.

Everyone was avoiding the elephant in the room. The elephant used to be Bruce’s death, but now it was you. You could feel the presence of the memorial behind you. Anger bubbled back up inside you, but you pushed it away, embracing the numbness that always followed.

Suddenly, the roof exit door flung open and Tim marched in like the demons of hell were chasing him. He saw you at the table and went straight for you. You couldn’t stop the flinch.

“Hey Tim, what’s up?” Dick said, standing up. Tim’s mouth twitched. He stopped in front of you before tossing an envelope at you. Your eyes widened, catching the envelope with your handwriting on it. Oh, he must have went into your bedroom and found your suicide note. Great.

You sighed, blood turning into ice when you saw it was open. “What is that supposed to mean?” Tim said, pointing his finger in your face. “You were just going to die and only leave this crappy note that doesn’t explain anything?! Why would you do that to us?! Don’t you care?!”

“Tim.” Dick pulled Tim away. Tim jerked out of his grasp.

“Tim, this isn’t the way to approach this. I know you know that,” Barbara said, getting up to go to Tim. She and Dick herded him away, whispering quietly.

You set the envelope down on the table as if it would explode. Picking up your spoon, you found your hand shaking so much that you couldn’t eat anyway.

Jason switched chairs to be closer to you. “Hey, it’s okay.” He took your hand. “You know Tim is still developing his tact. Probably won’t get it, rich boy syndrome, am I right?” Jason chuckled. You snorted, smiling a little. It was an inside joke between you and Jason to explain Bruce’s and now Tim’s many quirks.

Alfred shook his head, unamused. He had slipped the envelope from the table and hid it. You were grateful to not have to look at it. “I’m sorry,” you said after a moment. Rot ate you up inside. “I should have...went to you before things got so bleak.”

“I’m not one to talk.” Jason rubbed the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. “I lost my way too.”

“Not on purpose. You had outside factors.” You pulled your hand away from Jason to hold your wrist tightly. “Mine weren’t so much.”

“We are here to listen.” Alfred patted your shoulder. The worry in his eyes almost killed you. There no point of keeping it a secret. They’ll all know soon if Tim thinks about the note enough.

You swallowed hard. “Well, you know Code Black released all of Bruce’s files to us.” Alfred and Jason nodded. You noted the others stopped whispering and eavesdropped. “I was going through them and I found one on...me and my mother.”

“Oh.” Alfred’s eyes widened. Jason just looked confused.

You glared at Alfred. “So you knew? This whole time?” Your words made Alfred flinch.

Alfred sighed, reaching over to pat your shoulder. You pushed your chair away from the table so you were out of his reach. “It wasn’t my secret to tell, Mx. (Y/N). I told him he should have told you.”

“Right.” You stood up, shaking. Bruce’s memorial caught your eye. You grabbed your glass from the table and threw it. It shattered upon impact, but the memorial was unharmed.

“Hey, (Y/N). Calm down.” Barbara stepped in front of Bruce’s memorial with her hands up. “Tell us what you found in your file.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tim at the computer and accessing it. “Just read it yourself. I’m going out.” You stormed toward the roof exit only for Jason to step in front of you. “Get out of my way, Jay.”

Jason crossed his arms. “Running away won’t make it better, trust me.” He gave you a sad smile. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Tim and Dick gasped from the computer. You sighed and hid your face in your hands. “Bruce was your father?!” Tim said loudly.

Barbara stiffened, realization dawning on her face. Jason frowned and glanced over at Bruce’s memorial. Alfred was strangely quiet, still seated at the table.

“That’s a lot to take in.” Dick broke the silence. His footsteps slow and even behind you. Suddenly, his arms wrapped around you tightly.

You let him hold you, hands still covered your face. “Why wouldn’t he tell me? Was he ashamed? Did he mean for me to find out only after he died?” Tears burned their way to the surface and your cheeks were wet. “I thought all this time that my father didn’t want me, that he abandoned me.” You glared at Bruce’s memorial. “And he was right there!” You jerked away from Dick and took a step toward the memorial.

Jason stepped in your path. “Attacking the memorial won’t help.” You pushed at his chest and, like a brick wall, he didn’t move.

You growled, shoving at Jason again. “Get out of my way, jackass!”

Jason crossed his arms, not moving. The pity in his eyes made you want to tear apart everything in the room. Rage crawled up inside you. It was easy to be angry. You could avoid the grief weighing deep in your very soul.

“(Y/N)! Stop!” Barbara reached out to touch your shoulder, but you flinched away like she hurt you. You ran your fingers through your hair, pulling hard to feel pain.

“None of you understand. You all had parents, knew who they were.” You glared at them. Dick pursed his lips, shifting his feet. Barbara and Jason’s expressions went blank. “I never knew my mom except that she slept around and got what she deserved, at least that’s the story my gran told me every night as my bedtime story.” You gasped, wiping tears from your cheeks.

Jason stepped closer. “That’s not fair, kid.”

You back away. Your chest felt like it was going to explode. Dick and Barbara took a step toward you. You hugged yourself, trying to hold it together.

“Why does it matter?” Tim stared at you. He looked bewildered.

“What?!” It was getting hard to breathe. Your lungs refused to take in air.

“Seriously, Timmy,” Dick mumbled. Suddenly, Dick was in front of you. He put his hands on your shoulders. “Breathe with me, (Y/N). Come on, kiddo. You can do it.” Black swarmed your vision. You blinked, trying to copy Dick’s slow, even breaths.

“I don’t get it. You should be happy. Bruce wanted you.” Tim shook his head. “You’re so lucky, (Y/N). Why can’t you understand that?”

Barbara hushed him. “Tim, stop it.”

Dick pulled you into a hug, whispering nonsense in your ear. Your chest ached, but your lungs opened up.

“No, Bruce was your father. He cared about you.” Tim rubbed his temples, backing away when Jason grabbed at him. “He took you in. Loved you. Why does it matter he didn’t tell you? He treated you like his kid anyway, more than other parents.”

“Master Tim, please,” Alfred said, rising from the table finally.

“No, it’s selfish!” Tim shouted, throwing his hands in the air. Barbara caught his shoulder to stop him from coming toward you. “You tried to kill yourself because Bruce was your father! I would give anything for Bruce to be my real dad!”

“Tim, you’re not helping.” Barbara hushed him, gripping his shoulder enough to hurt. You looked at Tim over Dick’s shoulder. His words were a knife in your heart. Shame on you. You are selfish for feeling the way you do. Tim has it worse. They all have it worse.

“You’re right,” you whispered, pulling away from Dick. You wiped your cheeks with your sleeves. Dick reached to pull you back to him, but you shook your head. “I’m selfish.” You tried to swallow the lump in your throat.

“No, kiddo.” Dick snatched you, holding you so tight that you thought you were going to be crushed. “You’re not selfish for feeling the way you do. We’re all different, we all have our struggles. I can’t explain why Bruce made his decision not to tell you the truth, but I know he loved you so much.”

You pursed your lips, closing your eyes. The shame rotted your insides. You heard whispers from Jason, Barbara, and Tim. It didn’t surprise you that Tim would react badly. Tim told you many times in confidence that he wished Bruce was his biological father. Tim’s dad hadn’t even called when the news of Bruce’s death was released.

“Master Bruce was a stubborn man as you all know.” Alfred cleared his throat. You turned to look at him, slightly confused he was finally speaking up. The others went quiet as well. “When he believed he made the right decision, almost nothing could change his mind.”

Jason snorted. “No kidding.”

Alfred nodded. His eyes studied you. “He didn’t know about you until he found your DNA at the scene of the Ratcatcher’s arrest.” Alfred smiled sadly. “He made his mission to find you, to make sure you were safe. When he realized you weren’t, he took you in and made you part of our family.”

“That’s true. Bruce was so impressed at how you took down Ratcatcher with only a slingshot and a firecracker.” Barbara said, stepping to your side and giving you a side hug. You leaned into her, she was so warm. “Whether Bruce being your dad or not, you would have always had a place with us.”

The rot inside you eased. You swallowed hard. “Why wouldn’t he tell me?” you mumbled softly. “I wouldn’t have been mad at him. If he didn’t know about me, he wasn’t to blame for anything.”

Jason snorted. “You’re being generous, (Y/N). He still slept with your mother without bothering to see if anything happened afterward.” Jason shifted on his feet as if debating whether to approach you or not.

“Your mom should have reached out to Bruce. That wasn’t Bruce’s fault,” Tim said, starting to fidget with a broken batarang.

Tears filled your eyes again. Barbara hugged you tighter. “Master Bruce and your mother were very young,” Alfred said, shaking his head at Tim before focusing back on you. “Now he never explained why, but knowing Master Bruce, I imagined he was afraid of passing on the burden of the Wayne legacy.”

Dick opened his arms. Barbara nodded and he joined the hug. You were smashed between them. “What does that even mean?,” you said, wiggling away from the two of them. You wiped your cheeks, finding them traitorously wet. “That’s a load of bullshit, Alfred.”

Alfred frowned slightly. He sighed. “I believe Master Bruce was afraid.” You tensed. The room dead silent. You sniffled. Alfred pulled out a tissue and handed it to you. He rested his hand on your shoulder as you mopped up your face. “He was afraid of losing you. You were part of our family and I believe he didn’t want the knowledge of your true parentage to change that.”

“I guess.” You tossed your tissue away. A wave of exhaustion came over you. You glanced over at Bruce’s memorial. It felt like it was still mocking you. Maybe what Alfred said was true, but...it didn’t make you feel any better.

The others were watching you. You forced yourself to smile. “I’m sorry about scaring you all.” You wrung your hands. “Going onto the bridge was a mistake. I won’t do that again.”

“You better not, kid.” Jason nudged your arm.

“Regardless, I have made an appointment for you with a trusted therapist.” Alfred put his arm around your shoulders, guiding you back to the table and your, now cold, soup. “You are going to meet with them and promise us that you will seek help if you should ever feel so hopeless again.”

“Yes, Alfred.” You took your seat. The family joined you at the table. After a minute of uneasiness, Dick took a breath.

“I can’t believe Harley gave me an ‘F’ in ‘glute-ability’. Has she seen my ass? It’s great,” Dick said with a carefree smile.

Barbara rolled her eyes. Jason and Tim shared a groan. You bit your lip to keep from letting a giggle slid out. Gentle ribbing and teasing followed. You admitted you loved your family and you were grateful you didn’t leave them last night. However, you wondered if the little nagging feeling about Bruce would ever go away.

***

You ran through the forest on the Wayne Estate, dressed in your gear.

The family had just discovered Talia had stolen Bruce’s body and found a Lazarus pit in Gotham. With the Court of Owls defeated, they all went after Talia.

Due to your attempt, you had been taken off missions as a whole. The family thought it best you focused on your recovery. You agreed, but you knew you had to do this. After their last signal came from the destroyed Batcave, you sprinted into action.

The boarded up well was right where you remembered. You knelt down, ripping up the boards and dropping down. On the way down, you realized you should have checked to make sure it didn’t collapse with the rest of the Batcave. Panic flared inside you, but you let out a breath before safely landing on the bottom of the well.

You found the well when you were exploring the grounds after you came to live with Bruce. It led right to a small opening in the roof of the Batcave.

A smile tugged at your lips. You used this tunnel to sneak up on Bruce. He almost broke your jaw when you surprised him. The look on his face was worth how stiff you got waiting for the right moment to drop down.

“Please still be here,” you whispered, squeezing through the gap and into the tunnel.

“Mx. (Y/N), where are you?” Alfred’s voice made you jolt. Your head bumped against the rock ceiling. You hissed.

“Around.” The passage narrowed. You laid on your stomach, crawling through the space. It was a tight squeeze. Tighter than it used to be.

“This isn’t a joke. You’re not at the Belfry. Where are you, kid?” Jason sounded angry, but the worry was hidden just underneath. You swallowed past a lump in your throat.

You let out a slow breath to calm the panic. The walls closed in more, but you saw light ahead. Sounds of a battle echoed toward you. “Don’t worry.” You tapped your comm to turn it off.

Peeking out of the hole, you saw your family fighting far below. You raised an eyebrow as you slid out of the hole and climbed down. The closest platform was the old Batplane landing pad. The Batplane was still there. Barely hanging on over the edge.

You tapped your mask, zooming in to see your family battling Talia. A glowing Lazarus pit sat in the middle of the Batcave. A snort slipped out of you.

A shuffle came from behind you. You spun, slingshot ready.

“(Y/N)?” Bruce held up his hands. Your heart stopped. He had a beard, thinner than he should be, pale. A bloody stab wound in his stomach.

“Bruce?” You narrowed your eyes. Your slingshot still aimed for him. “That really you?”

Bruce coughed, stumbling weakly toward you. “Mostly.” He wheezed. “The owls are coming, (Y/N). Get out of here.”

“But the others, they stopped them.” You turned to see the Court of Owls appearing in front of your family. “Damn it.”

Suddenly, Bruce’s hand clapped on your shoulder. “(Y/N), I love you so much.” You froze as he touched his forehead to yours. “Go, get out of here.”

“Wait, what are you going to do?” Your eyes widened as Bruce stumbled toward the Batplane.

“It’s your city now. Your battles. Do well my child.” Bruce climbed into the Batplane with what seemed to be the last of his strength.

You glanced back at the battle below. Your family was outmatched. Swallowing hard, you looked at the plane. Just by looks alone, you knew the weapons were offline. Heck, you bet the autopilot wasn’t working either. Your eyes widened once you realized what he planned to do.

“Hell no.” You dropped your slingshot and ran forward, hopping into the plane with Bruce.

“(Y/N), get out of here!” Bruce’s eyes flashed a dangerous green. The green of the pit. You swallowed hard, but ignored him.

“You’re not sacrificing yourself, you idiot. I didn’t get to find out you’re my dad only to let you kill yourself again.” You wrapped your arms around him, but the the cockpit sealed, locking you both inside.

Bruce coughed again. He let out a moan. “(Y/N), now is not the time to be stubborn. Go!” He reached for button to open the cockpit, but you blocked him.

“Nope, I’m in here with you.” You saw the Talons moving in on your family. Reaching over, you flicked on the lights of the plane to get their attention. “Guess we’ll just have to survive this together.”

“Bruce! What are you doing?!” Dick’s voice came over the batplane’s comms. Your eyes widened as the Talons climbed toward the plane.

Bruce wheezed again. “Damn it, (Y/N). Get out of here.”

“N. O. No.” You flinched as a talon appeared in front of the cockpit, pounding on the glass.

“Wait, (Y/N) is with you?!” Barbara said. The terror in her voice made you shiver.

“Yes, I’m going to eject their seat. One of you needs to catch them before they hit the ceiling,” Bruce said, turning on the Batplane’s engines.

You growled. “No, I’ll catch Bruce when I eject his seat before impact. Meanwhile, you all should run.”

More Talons appeared, pounding on the glass. Some of their claws were making it through. “(Y/N), I’m giving you an order,” Bruce said softly.

“And I’m ignoring it.” You took your grapple gun in hand, seeing the ejector seat was still working, flashing it’s bright red. Bruce flicked a switch. The Batplane’s engines slowly built to full power.

“Kid, listen to him,” Jason said, the rare panic in his voice surprised you.

“You won’t be able to stop the ejector seat. We’ll both die on impact.” Bruce took a deep breath. “You have to let me go.”

The hilarity didn’t escape you. “Like you let anything go?” You couldn’t stop your laugh. “I guess we’ll die together then.”

“(Y/N), you promised us.” Tim’s voice made your heart drop. “If this is about you not wanting to live. This is not the time or place to do it.”

Bruce glanced back at you. You didn’t meet his eye as the plane suddenly rocketed forward. “Sorry,” you said before hitting the ejector button for Bruce’s seat and held on tight.

How you were going to do this, you didn’t know, but the only thing you knew for certain was that Bruce wasn’t going to die today.

***

Your chest hurt like it had been punched several times. You gasped, dust flying into your mouth.

“Careful. Don’t move.” The voice was so familiar. You opened your eyes, blinking at the bright light somewhere next to you.

“It hurts.” You coughed, choking on the dust. “I can’t move my arm.”

A low chuckle and a wheeze came from beside you. “You still have circulation, but it’s broken. I got a splint on it for now.”

Your eyes adjusted and you took in Bruce’s bearded face. Blood dripped down from a cut on his head. He still had the stab wound in his chest, but it appeared to have been treated. You recognized the gauze from the first aid kit in your belt.

His hand rested on your forehead. A smile pulled at his lips. “You miscalculated our landing slightly, but overall we survived. We’re still trapped though.” He looked up. You took in the rocks around you. Panic slowly crawled up inside you. “I set a distress call through your comm. We should be found soon.”

You hummed, shifting. Sharp pain shot through your chest and legs. “Ouch.”

“I said don’t move.” Bruce’s hand stayed on your forehead. “I can’t believe you did something so risky.”

“I can’t believe you were going to kill yourself after you got another chance at life.” You narrowed your eyes at him.

Bruce snorted in response. He pursed his lips. “Is what Tim said true?”

You frowned, staring at the rock above you. “What did he say? I’m sorry, I don’t remember. I was too busy figuring out how to get you out alive.”

“Did you try to kill yourself?” Bruce stared at you, searching for answers. “Tell me.”

You let out a breath. Your eyes burned. “Does it matter? I’m not going to try again. My therapist is helping me with it.”

“Why?”

You looked back at him. The grief in his eyes made your heart ache. “Well, I...I felt like I was hated...by you. You didn’t want me to know you were my dad until after you died.” Tears filled your eyes. “What if I wasn’t worthy? What if you never really wanted me and just took me in out of obligation?”

Bruce shook his head. “No.” He stroked your hair. “I was afraid you would reject me. You always said you hated your parents, that you wouldn’t forgive them. I didn’t want to ruin the family you made with us.”

You chuckled, wincing when it hurt your ribs. “So we were both afraid of the same thing?”

He smiled. “I guess.” He leaned down to kiss your forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”

The rocks above you shifted. Bruce tensed, looking up. “Hopefully, they called in Superman to dig us out,” you said, reaching with your good hand to grab his.

Bruce winced when the rocks shifted again. “If they don’t make it all collapse on us. Just our luck they got Superboy instead.”

You laughed, gasping when it hurt. “Don’t make me laugh.”

Bruce chuckled softly. “Sorry.” He sighed, coughing a little. “Now tell me what’s been going on since I’ve been...gone.”

You snorted at the phrase. “Well, do you want the story in chorological order or just highlights?”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “(Y/N), you might as well tell me the whole story. We aren’t going anywhere soon.”

You swallowed as the rock shifted again. A bit of dust fell. “Okay, well...” You started in on the story, hoping to forget about the tons of rocks shifting above. Bruce tightened his hands around yours, listening to your every word.

***

Six Months Later...

“Hurry up, Bruce,” you said, turning back to see him several feet behind you. The climb up the mountain had been steep, but the view was worth it. “It’s beautiful up here.”

“I’m coming.” He panted, jogging up to you. A cough slipped out of him. You patted his back.

Bruce had recovered somewhat from the pit. He would never be Batman again, but he was getting stronger every day. Even the nightmares had faded somewhat.

“It is beautiful. Worth the climb.” Bruce flopped his arm around your shoulders, looking out at the view.

You were doing better. Your therapist helped you work through things and your body healed. Of course, having a second chance with Bruce assisted with your recovery as well.

“This road trip was a good idea,” Bruce said after a moment. “I’ll have to thank Alfred.”

You chuckled, leaning into Bruce’s side. Alfred had suggested you and Bruce take a road trip across the USA. A chance to bond and see sights that neither of you thought to see before.

The others had Gotham covered. They were over being upset with you for risking your life. For the most part anyway.

You looked out over the mountain range. Nerves bubbled in your stomach. “Yeah, you’ll have to thank him, Dad.”

Bruce tensed, his arm gripped your shoulder. You smiled when you saw tears in his eyes. He pulled you into a tight hug. “I love you, (Y/N).” He kissed your forehead.

“I hope you know I need photo evidence that I made you cry by calling you Dad. Dick won’t believe me otherwise,” you said, laughing when Bruce spun you around.

“Little brat.” Bruce ruffled your hair. You squirmed away from him. Deep down, you knew you had the peace you were looking for and you couldn’t have been happier.

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