Chapter Text
Dick was sparing against Damian, although more like actual fighting because Dick forbade Damian from somersaulting from the Cave’s beams. Goodness, he was turning into Bruce, wasn’t he? He can still recall hanging chandeliers at galas, while Bruce begged him to get down.
A cough brings all of our attention to the BatComputer’s screen. It was rare for us all to be in the Cave, but we were waiting for Bruce’s return so we could iron out the plans for Alfred’s birthday. His father was on the screen, imposing with his dark cowl, but the image that strikes fear into Gotham’s criminals only comforts Dick.
Bruce seems to have a few cuts and bruises on his face, his nose contorted in a way Dick and almost all his siblings know. He made a mental note to set out the first aid kit for his dad’s arrival.
“B, are you okay? Do you need an assist?” Tim muttered from his seat, he’s been working on a case file for hours, and Dick brought him a cup of coffee hours ago. Jason, Cass and Stephanie walk towards Cave's centre, noticing Bruce’s digital presence. Jason stands next to him, his brother has been back for years now, but he always feels happy when Jason gets close.
“No, the threat is neutralised” Bruce assured. “I just needed to see you guys.” With that Jason and Steph grimace, knowing a lecture is going to occur, Bruce has probably found a mistake one of them has made during his patrol. But his eyes seem too content for that.
“What did we do wrong now?” Jason quips, seeming to mirror Dick’s thoughts “I haven’t killed anyone this week.”
“Seriously Todd, you should let Baba talk” Damian remarks as he smacks Jason’s arm, Dick chuckles knowing he taught Dami a better form for hitting Jason.
“Yay, another lecture, could you not wait until you get back you tell us what we have done wrong now” Stephanie yawns.
“I just wanted to tell you I'm pro--” Bruce cuts out. “I don’t think I am making----- but I know you will protect----Gotham----together…”
Jason, out of the corner of his mouth: “What’s going on?”
Confusion blooms on all of our faces, even Duke’s from the couch, the commotion must have woken him up, he rubs his eyes still in his suit, Duke rarely makes it straight to bed after a long patrol.
“Are we being yelled at?” Duke murmurs.
Bruce’s audio is glitching, now his video cuts out, Tim quips “Even the computer can’t handle the Batglare?”, earning a chuckle from Steph.
Bruce suddenly cuts back in “You kids are----, breathing, you have inspired ----”
Duke scoffs, “Did anyone catch that? He just said inspired”
“Think he said fired, my money’s on Brown” Damian remarks, Dick tries to suppress his laugh, knowing he should be the mediator, and he opens his mouth in response, only to be cut off by Steph.
“He wouldn’t dare, also he can’t fire me anymore. Has anyone tried hanging up and calling back?”
Dick waves impatiently at his siblings to shut up, “That’s uh, great B. Definitely stuff we will keep in mind. We’ll call you right back.” He motions to Tim to cut the call.
Cass objects, “He saying something, let him finish-”
Tim ends the call, “Respectfully even you could have no idea what the fuck he was saying. We are going to call back” Tim attempts to call him. “Hmmmm, that’s weird. He’s not picking up.”
“So weird, it’s not like you hung up on him while he was trying to talk or anything” Duke replies sarcastically.
Dick rolls his eyes, “Typical Bruce, and his cryptidness.”
Tim tries once more, then gives up, returning to his case files. Cass gives Dick a look of unease, as Stephanie is holding her hand directing them back to the mat they were at moments before. Jason returns to his book, reading Pride and Prejudice for the 9th time this year. Duke begins to return to his nap and Damian starts to eye up the beams, probably looking for the best one to jump off to give Dick a heart attack.
Dick’s eyes linger on the screen for a moment longer, worrying for his father for a split second, until he affirms to himself that it's Batman, the infallible knight of Gotham. He turns back towards Dami.
Until, the BatComputers alarm goes off, blaring a message not one person was expecting.
001: Batman. No pulse detected.
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Bruce propped himself up against the wall of Crime Alley, using so much of his remaining strength. His head pounding, his hip broken, his ankle shattered, the kevlar lining of his suits shredded as if it was paper. The blood continued the flow like a gentle stream from his side, with a familiar darkness trying to close his eyes. He fought against it, knowing he had to see, to hear his children one last time, before he fell, knowing he probably only had minutes.
His fingers hesitated over his comms, hoping the blows to his face won’t scar his children in their final moments together.
He imagines the bittersweet feeling of being reunited with his parents at long last, his childhood dream now feeling like a punishment. How could he leave his children alone, Alfred alone, the League alone.
The call connects. He sees Tim, his boy genius, at the Batcomputer. Dick, his first little Robin and Damian, his son that has grown too quickly, sparring in the background. Cass, his darling daughter, and Stephanie, his reluctant ward, talking as Cass hung from the ceiling. Duke, his amazing boy, was sleeping on the sofa, likely still tired from his patrol. Even Jason, his baby boy, was there, how fortunate that he could see a slice of the domestic routine his family has settled into.
He coughs before any words can come out, and all eyes turn towards him. Tim’s eyes darted towards him with a flash of panic.
“B, are you okay? Do you need an assist?” Tim muttered.
He thinks for a moment, the threat has been neutralised and he desperately didn’t want his children to see his broken body. He still remembers carrying Jason’s corpse out of the wreckage. His beautiful boy, who he couldn’t protect. That memory still plagues his mind, even though he can see Jason, alive and breathing in front of him.
“No, the threat is neutralised. I just needed to see you guys.” Bruce decided on, trying to not to raise the alarm to his gaggle of kids. His voice stirs Duke awake, with his children beginning to crowd around the Batcomputer.
“What did we do wrong now?” Jason quips “I haven’t killed anyone this week.”
Damian smacks his arm. “Seriously Todd, you should let Baba talk”
“Yay, another lecture, could you not wait until you get back until you tell us what we did wrong now” Stephanie yawns out, Bruce will miss her antics so much.
“I just wanted to tell you I'm proud of all of you” The feed begins to glitch out, Bruce sighs as he notices the comm was damaged in the attack, he prays that it’s just the video as he can still hear his beloved kids, starting to murmur amongst themselves.
“I don’t think I am making home this time, but I know you will protect each other and Gotham, please stay strong and together” He stops for a moment, seeing the confusion on his kids faces, knowing how hard this must be for them, but continues. “You kids are the light of my life, and my reason for breathing, you have inspired me to be a better man” He sputters again, blood now in the corner of his mouth.
His kids were staring back with blank expressions, seemingly confused about his message. He stops for a moment, to think if it would’ve been better to not call, and let them remember him as he was, wondering briefly if he could’ve had a last goodbye with his parents, would he want it. What would his mother say to comfort him in her final breaths? Maybe he could ask her when he closed his eyes.
He was brought out of his thoughts by his eldest boy’s voice.
Dick seems to wave impatiently “That’s uh, great B. Definitely stuff we will keep in mind. We’ll call you right back.”
Bruce is dumbfounded, he goes to protest, but he sees Tim move the mouse to end the call. The light illuminating him disappears. He tries to call again, but the comm bursts into sparks upon Bruce’s touch.
He wants to close his eyes, he can hear his mother singing a lullaby, his father calling out, it would be so easy, but he thinks of kids once again. He stares out, seeing the blood that pools around him, easily half of his body’s supply, accompanied by the all-to-familiar iron taste in his mouth, he knows he is approaching death, knowing that it’s ready to claim him out spite for all the times he’s narrowly avoided it.
He sits in his quiet shock, now truly alone with only the cold Gotham air, that hurts to breathe.. Of course, she would be the one to accompany him on his final patrol, she brought him his purpose, his mission but most importantly his kids. He thinks of them again, reassured by the fact that Alfred was there to care for them as he did for Bruce so many years ago. He worries for the state his body is in, not wanting that picture to be the final thoughts. His breathing deepens, his training techniques, can only prevent the full effects of what Bruce believes to be a collapsed lung full effects.
Bruce knows it's coming, it's becoming too hard for him to fend off the darkness, he begins to close his eyes, thinking of Alfred’s upcoming birthday, internally apologising for missing his adoptive father’s birthday.
He whispers to Gotham, hoping the recording device in the cowl will pick it up. “Bedside table, third draw”, exhaling out a final breath.
Bruce Wayne dies in the same alley his parents did.
With that, the Dark Knight, defender of Gotham falls.