#and also knows the basics of how to behave around the other batkids

[dented-nado]

I'm cramping like a binch so may I request some superwonderbat softness pls tysm ily?

I’m also cramping like a binch tonight! So writing this in solidarity!!!

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-This is an AU where all the batkids are around the same age, still kids, and adopted at the same time. Damian is a baby, and Bruce is a tired dad but loves all his kids and his husband and wife-

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Even if it meant Batman was on the back burner with limited outings… moments like this were more than worth it to Bruce.

He was sitting in the living room, watching the snow fall outside. Damian had fallen asleep in his arms holding onto his finger after a long bout of crying in his nursery from not knowing where his papa had went.

Bruce had bolted upstairs so fast he, in all his coordination still nearly managed to trip on the manor stairs twice.

Damian was a very needy.... clingy baby Bruce had found. It made sense… he was separated from his mother when he hadn’t even been weened yet. So Bruce and Alfred found themselves running to attend to him quite often.

Bruce had been feeling a little guilty lately however… this baby had been… unexpected. He hadn’t planned on also having a baby when he’d just adopted several children a few short years ago that he couldn’t bare to separate when he went to adopt one child at the orphanage. They were so young but all seemed like a family already. And the Orphanage… well, frankly he was in the process of trying to get it shut down for poor conditions and get a better one funded and built.

He’d planned to give Dick, Jason, Tim, Duke, Cassandra and Stephanie all the attention he possibly could. His train of thought was… well… the manor is big enough… Alfred will be around and maybe….

Diana and Clark.

Well, when he told them he was planning to adopt, start a family by taking in kids that should get the childhood that he himself had taken from him… they were overjoyed.

Clark was especially excited, Bruce had often caught him smiling fondly at families with their kids when they passed them by on the street, or chuckling and watching a baby smile back at him from a stroller. Clark was a man practically born to be a good father.

Diana was also thrilled at the idea, and both of them helped Bruce set up what was going to be the one child’s room. Then had both rushed to help even after having just been on a Justice League mission when Bruce sheepishly told them he had somehow managed to adopt six children. Then when Damian had showed up a few years later… a baby formed from Bruce’s DNA that Bruce himself hadn’t known about (Clark certainly knew how that felt)… they helped him set up the nursery, and Diana and Clark tagged teamed with Alfred to help poor Bruce figure out how to provide all the basics a baby would need.

It made Bruce laugh a little bit thinking about it. Clark had panickily started scrolling through youtube videos by typing “How baby HELP” into the search bar when Damian had started crying.

Speaking of Clark and Diana… Bruce stood carefully as to not wake Damian as he heard the door open in the other room, the sound of the winter wind hinting at the snowfall outside leaking in the entrance as Clark held the door open for six kids, managing to walk in formation from youngest to oldest, all holding what seemed like little hot chocolates carefully in their mitten covered hands. They were followed by Diana who shook her head slightly to try and shake some of the snowflakes from her long, thick hair. She also held two cups in her hand and tried to close the door behind her with her leg until Clark took the initiative and closed it for her with a chuckle.

“No one spill okay? Don’t tip your cup so much Tim.” Clark said trying to help keep the kids in order.

The young six-year-old looked down at his hands with wide eyes and straightened his cup realizing he had nearly lost precious hot chocolate to the floor.  “Oh! Okay!”

Diana crossed into the living room with the two cups, walking a little slower and quieter when she entered and realized Bruce was still slightly bouncing a somewhat stirring but still napping Damian.

“I got you a peppermint hot chocolate since you said your throat was feeling a little irritated.” She whispered holding out the cup to him.

“Oh you’re a lifesaver.” Bruce replied taking the warm cup and immediately taking a long sip of the hot – but just cooled down enough – drink, immediately feeling some relief.

“Were they good?” He asked, referring to the kids ranging from 6 to 12.

“Jason and Dick were arguing over if Cereal is a soup or not, but they stayed civil.” She explained with a small chuckled. “They were all very well behaved and stayed together.”

Bruce smiled, bouncing Damian a little more as a small hello as the baby opened his eyes and began cooing and babbling to his father in a baby language that made no sense to Bruce, but Bruce was sure made perfect sense to Damian.

“Thank you again for taking them out for a while.” Bruce said, leaning forward as Diana did as they shared a peck on the lips. “Damian finally slept for a while once I sat down and held him.”

Diana chuckled and looked at Damian and stroked his small head. “You love your papa don’t you? Never want him out of your sight...”

Damian babbled in response.

Clark joined them as he took off his winter coat that he didn’t really need physically, but wore every day of the winter season since Bruce gifted it to him. The kids had all run off to the kitchen when Alfred had called them, begging them to “Please not have their beverages anywhere near the carpet”.

“Hey B-B.” Clark greeted with a grin, putting his arm around his bat and kissing him on the cheek.

“Hello to you too smallish bean.” Clark followed up grinning at Damian who reached up towards the curl that stuck out from Clark’s hair curiously as he always did.

“Thank you… both of you…” Bruce began, looking down at Damian fondly. “I… I know when we… well… you didn’t sign up to be helping me take care of a bunch of kids.” He mumbled guiltily.

Clark and Diana shared a glance and Clark squeezed his shoulder. “B, we vowed to stick with you through everything.”

Diana squeezed Bruce’s hand that shared the same ring that the three of them all wore. “And we wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Bruce found himself genuinely beaming at them both with a soft smile, heart fluttering. How did he get so lucky as to have these two in his life?

It was then that Dick came running into the living room. “Daaaaaaaaaaaaad! You have to help me out here, Cereal isn’t a soup, right??”

Jason marched in after him. “It is too! It’s just milk soup with chunks in it.”

“But it’s cold!” Dick insisted.

“There’s soup that you eat cold!” Jason looked up at Bruce. “Right? Tell Dick he’s stupid and wrong.”

“Tell Jason he’s a buttmunch.” Dick replied sticking his tongue out.

“I’m not saying either of those things.” Bruce replied very matter of factly, deciding not to even touch the cereal may or may not equal soup debate.  

The two boys went back to arguing as Tim ran in, closely followed by Stephanie and Cass who began chasing him around the living room.

“Hey, Hey, you three, if you’re going to play tag go outside.” Bruce chided.

Stephanie paused. “It isn’t tag.” She argued with wide eyes.

Cassandra nodded. “It’s cowboys and aliens.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow and Clark and Diana managed to both tilt their heads in amusement at the same time.

“Tim is the cowboy and we’re the aliens.” Stephanie said very knowingly.

“Ah…. I see.” Bruce responded. “Cowboys and Aliens…” He mumbled before looking at Clark. “What does it mean since you’re both?”

“I’m unstoppable.” Clark responded instantly.

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Well we all knew that.”

He ignored Clark who started cackling and turned back to the kids. “Well still, don’t run in the house… or at least not in this part of the house go in the ballroom that never gets used or something.”

“Why have a ballroom with no balls?” Clark mumbled teasingly, earning a half-hearted glare from Bruce.

Stephanie gasped. “Can we have a ball?? Like in the movies????”

Bruce sighed and took a long sip of his hot cocoa. “I’ll think about it, now go, your cowboy is getting away.”

Stephanie and Cass whipped their heads around to see Tim running out into the hall with a laugh and immediately bolted after him.

“Hey wait! I want to catch a cowboy too!” Jason shouted after them, completely distracted from his argument with Dick and running after them.

Dick followed close behind, before pausing, turning to Bruce and putting his hands on his hips. “Don’t worry, I’ll be responsible and make sure they stay out of trouble.” He declared with a proud grin that brought a wide smile to Bruce’s face.

“I know you will chum.”

It was then the eldest child ran off to join the game.

“They really are wonderful kids.” Diana noted with a soft smile, wrapping her arms around Bruce and kissing his cheek several times, leaving red lipstick stains behind.

Bruce nodded. “They are… I’m very lucky.”

Clark pressed a long kiss to Bruce’s forehead. “So are we.”

Bruce sighed gratefully, Clark and Diana by his side, the manor echoing with the sound of kids playing, and Damian babbling away in his arms….

He looked up to the portrait of his parents that hung above the fireplace and smiled fondly at them.

What had been lost… had been found once more.