etrayalogs | 🦇 catch-all.

( he's in the process of working on the batmobile— his early model batmobile there within the cave of the manor. damian had asked him to come here. come home, he'd said, and. while gently apprehensive about it at first, bruce had eventually folded and said that he would. thus, his bringing a few of his things here with him while he's staying here.

with the disappearance of clark, jason, the other dick, and from the looks of it, cass as well, damian seems to want to keep those important to him within the same space. keep his family with him and more or less under one roof the best a bunch of bats can be.

he's covered in grease — not because of his eyes for once — and has the doors of the batmobile open with an arrangement of tools sprawled out here and there on the ground. he catches a glimpse of dick approaching through the passenger window, strands of dark hair in front of his face as he does, before he goes back to working on the nitro tank there he's in the process of removing again so someone can have a seat for himself in the car.

without looking up, working on twisting something off, he flicks his hair out of his face, but acknowledges dick in the sense of asking: )

Mind passing me that socket wrench there?

Sure.

[ They haven't spoken in a long while, though Dick's kept his promise and kept an eye on him as much as he could. More for Damian's sake than for Bruce's, if he's being honest — this may still not be the Bruce he knows, but he can more than handle himself.

He wanders over to the tools spread over the ground and grabs the socket wrench in question, then flips it idly in his hand before offering it out. ]

It's looking good. How's the steering?

As it should be.

( he glances up to take the wrench and gets back to work on what he's currently focused on. )

Someone seems to take offense to the fact that it's a one-seater currently.

( he doesn't even need to name this someone for dick to know who he's talking about. however. it's why he's currently in the process of trying to make this a two-seater as it originally was before he'd modified the hell out of it back in his gotham. it's his baby, really. one which has taken as many beatings as he has as batman. )

[ Dick laughs, cheerful and a little wry. ]

Looks like it won't be for long.

[ He knows how hard Damian's been trying with Bruce, and he also knows just how far Damian can burrow under someone's skin. He leans on the side of the car, casting an appraising glance over the metal and glass. ]

Good. He's been making noises about bringing our old Batmobile and driving it himself.

I brought in my bike for him to use, but he still seems to get annoyed at this.

( thus, why he's finally working on it. again. it's not anything he can't reverse. it just takes time and, with how quiet things have been for the most part and since clark's unexpected disappearance, it gives him something to do that doesn't involve damian clucking his tongue and patching up his injuries.

twisting another piece, he glances up to dick then. stares at him for a long moment. then looks back down to his work. )

I'm sorry about your brother. ( a beat. ) Damian told me Jason disappeared.

Thanks.

[ He leans back against a nearby table, watching Bruce work without getting in the way. It's an interesting design, this Batmobile: efficient and rough around the edges in similar ways to Bruce himself. It looks like it'd be fun to drive around in; he can't blame Damian for wanting the second seat. ]

To be honest, I hadn't seen much of him here. He'd come from a... different time than I had. One where he didn't want much to do with me, or any of us.

[ But Jason's not the only one who'd disappeared sometime over the last months. ]

Sorry about the other Dick. I know you and he...

[ Were what? Friends? Had they managed to get to that point? Dick shakes his head. ]

Had more of a relationship than you and I do so far.

( he goes quiet as he works. as he listens to what dick says. he knows the other dick grayson had disappeared as well. it's... a little strange, how three of them have left here now. well. three from the family and one... friend. clark.

flicking some of his hair out of his face, he leans back. takes a breath. looks down to the wrench he holds as he licks over his lips. gives himself a second. )

That's my fault.

( he says then, face scrunched up for a moment before he's reaching for another tool. )

You and me, I mean.

[ A tiny smile touches the corner of Dick's mouth at that; those same words that could have come from the Bruce he knows, the one who mentored him, took him in. It's so like Bruce to take his time to come to that sort of realization, and so like him to simply shoulder all the responsibility, whether it's merited or not. ]

I appreciate that, but I can't agree that it's all on you.

[ He'd focused his energies in other directions: Babs, Damian. Cass. Not enough, that's clear. Was made clear to him the day he woke up and found his little sister had gone missing, along with his brother, his own self from another world, and who knows how many others.

Damian's right. They need to be able to keep an eye on each other here. ]

The good news is: we can always start fresh.

[ There's something a little wry in his voice, but he gives himself a shake and pushes it away. ]

I've learned that lesson too many times to count.

( in the five months now that he's been here — away from his own gotham — damian has somehow managed to weasel his way into his life in a way no one has managed to do. alfred is different, obviously. having been there for and with him from the start. but here? here he had found himself alone for the first time in a very long time and had thought he would need to adjust to that; the thought that alfred will one day not be there any more is not lost on him but not one he likes to think about given everything. funny then, for him to have to adjust to having so many others around him, starting with one just stubborn enough to match his own and refuse to leave his side regardless of the number of times he would tell him that he was fine.

it's going to be a difficult pill for him to swallow if damian is the next to disappear from here.

pulling himself out of the car, he goes over to a workbench of sorts. sets his tool down and reaches for a rag, wiping his hands on it as he looks over to dick then. )

I never thanked you for what you did.

( a beat, he looks down for a moment. )

When that thing impersonated my mother. ( and he couldn't bring himself to put her down... would have let her kill him if damian hadn't been there and called for dick. ) I'm sorry you had to do that.

( because it should have been him, but. he couldn't. still doesn't think he could if it happened again. )

But thank you. For doing what I couldn't.

[ Bruce — this Bruce, maybe any, every Bruce — has a way of turning deeply intense at the drop of a hat. Maybe it's the only way he knows to bring down the walls: not brick by brick, but all at once in a reckless crumble.

It's familiar. It's as heart-breaking as it always is. And, after the month spent in Moorecroft, it makes him think of... Damian, who grew up estranged from any reason for being aside from violent perfection. Bruce had his parents as a child, he had Alfred, but the night his parents were murdered snapped something necessary in him, kept him from making connections. ]

Not to hammer too much on a point I know Damian's made a million times, but that's what my Bruce trained me for. To do the things he couldn't.

[ To be better than him, to fill up the spaces Bruce knew he couldn't fill. Maybe Bruce couldn't fix himself, but he it wasn't like he didn't know what was missing. He'd given Dick every tool in his own arsenal along with a roof over his head, a home. And, yes, love, too, in the ways he could offer it.

Dick comes over to lean against the car, hands slipping into his pockets. He's easy, relaxed: it feels good to air some of this, doesn't feel like he's walking on already cracked glass the way it sometimes has with Bruce before. ]

Pretty sure you'd have done it for me, if I needed you to. Even without knowing me that well yet.

( it's always either too little or too much with bruce, seldom is there ever a happy medium. but attempts are made here and there. like now. with dick. this conversation that's maybe long overdue, but. for being as smart as he is with a lot of things, he's also a little slow on others, regardless of whether or not it's on purpose or due to stubbornness.

still, he glances to dick there leaning against the car. rag still in hands. covered in grease much like some of him is. gaze dropping briefly, when he speaks, the words are soft but genuine all the same. )

Damian's lucky to have you.

I'm lucky to have him.

[ There's no hesitation; he doesn't give the words any more weight than he does others. It's pure fact: he's lucky as hell to have had Damian, as his Robin, as his brother. ]

Mind you, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot when he first showed up. But... when I had to wear the cowl...

[ He looks away, his glance fading towards something only he can see, some memory replaying in his head. ]

It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I couldn't have done it without him.

Considering he stabbed me when we first met, I'm not all that surprised.

( in other words: he believes it. the whole getting off on the wrong foot thing. however, that being said. )

Try not to die again. ( it's said flatly and yet with a touch of fondness to it. ) I'm sure it'll only piss him off even more than it did the last time.

( he's making his way upstairs from the batcave there in the manor, covered in grease and with a rag thrown over his shoulder. he'd been working on the car a bit again — nearly finished with installing a second seat in it since someone had pitched a small fit about the batmobile being a one-seater, so. obviously it needed to be addressed.

sleeves of his black shirt are rolled up to his shoulders, trousers black as a means to hide the stains and grease he's no doubt covered in. he's heading for the kitchen to see about getting himself something to eat when his steps come to slow and he catches sight of someone else there in the manor that isn't damian, dick, or even tim. things have been... unpredictable, to say the least, as of late, and so he's not about to take any chances with a surprise visitor here in the manor.

while not in his suit, that doesn't mean he doesn't have something on him — isn't capable of making use of his surroundings. steps quiet, careful with his movements and the way he conceals his identity within the shadows of the manor, he gently pulls the neck of his turtleneck up over his mouth, resting it there on the bridge of his nose. a slow glance to his side, fingers slowly grab the brass candlestick off the shelf near him... and that's when he goes to (try and) smack the end of it between jason's shoulder blades from behind. )

[Logically, Jason knows he's not actually in Gotham or the manor he knows. This small piece of land is just part of a larger patchwork world. But still, the place is uncanny. So for a while, Jason's just standing in the hallway and taking in his surroundings. He's taking in all the differences and similarities there are between this manor and the one back home.

However, he's been trained too well by his Bruce to allow himself to be completely lost in thought. He just barely sense someone else approaching before spinning around and grabbing his opponent's wrist.

It's Bruce. Definitely a younger one like Damian told him. Jason has seen old photos of his adoptive father but it still feels weird seeing him in the flesh. Bruce was already a vigilante veteran when Jason was 12 and adopted by him]

Hi. I'm another one of your kids.

[Might as well get straight to the point before he gets into yet another fight with his adoptive dad]

( he twists his arm in a way that frees himself from the other's grip and he pulls back the candlestick in a more defensive hold, blue eyes glaring above the black turtleneck there resting on the bridge of his nose as he stares the other down. )

Prove it.

[Jason doesn't resist Bruce pulling away. He gets it. Bruce is at a much earlier point in the timeline than any of them and just the idea of a Robin sounds insane. Of course Bruce is suspicious]

Alfred hates it when you're too busy working in the cave to eat. A waste to let your food get cold.

[Jason's not sure what this Bruce has gone through yet but he does know Alfred would've been there since the beginning. Alfred has always been there for all of them]

Edited 2024-09-28 23:02 (UTC)

( the mention of alfred has his eyes narrow some in recognition. then, slowly, he lowers the candlestick, though still keeps a rather tight grip on it. )

Who are you?

( because he knows the names of those who are within his circle— within the circle of the other him, anyways, and while damian had done some sketches of each kid to show him, it's still different to see them in person. )

[Some tension also leaves Jason. This is progress at least]

Name's Jason. I came into the family after Dick if that's any help. Damian told me you're still solo back home.

You've talked to Damian.

( it's not a question. )

He mentioned you. ( a beat. ) Some version of you.

[Jason nods]

Yeah. He's mentioned that to me too. I gotta say, it's still pretty damn weird. I'm more used to dealing with mafias and supervillains than time traveling and multiverses.

( he hums. knows the feeling. but with jason here not being a trespasser, he lowers the candlestick down to his side. takes a slight step back. )

What're you doing here?

Damian gave me a ride and I wanted to see how much of this was like home. I only just got here.

[He gestures at Bruce's outfit]

You were working on the car?

[It's an easy guess. It's too early for him to have a Bat-Plane yet]

( he pulls down the turtleneck from the bridge of his nose. )

Yeah.

( it gives him something to do. something for him to focus on. )

You're planning to stay here?

Maybe. It's the closest thing to home and I'm still trying to learn whatever's going on with this place.

[A pause]

Unless you got a problem with that?

[It's a question said in a neutral tone. He had heard of how much of a dark person Bruce was during his early days as Batman. It's only after taking in Dick that he gradually lightened up]

( funny to think how it's damian and not dick being his first by his side, at least in this place. having been with his son for nearly six months now, he's... better. sort of. of being around others that aren't alfred. forever a work in progress, really. )

Only if you plan to be a problem.

( deadpanned. )

[Jason barks out a laugh. If he had any doubts before, hearing Bruce's deadpan tone confirms to Jason that this really is Bruce]

How much did the brat tell you about me?

You have a complicated relationship with the man you know.

( to put it lightly. )

Edited 2024-09-29 20:18 (UTC)

[At that, Jason drops the glib attitude. Navigating around how to act with this Bruce might a little awkward at the very least]

Nowadays, we have more good days than bad. We used to be a lot of worse but...yeah. Sometimes it's still complicated.

I imagine it'll be complicated here, too.

( what with not being the bruce he knows. )

Maybe. But if it's any help, I'm not gonna try and fight you without a good reason.

[And Damian's been here long enough to have established a rapport with this Bruce. Jason's not looking to ruin that either without a very good reason. He knows how much it means to Damian to have a relationship with Bruce0

I'd prefer you didn't at all.

( if he's being honest here. )

[Jason smirks]

See, if you're really Bruce Wayne, then that probably won't be possible.

( damian's been a little more quiet around the manor. something he's noticed in the past week or two. he hasn't done much to pry — figures if there's something genuinely wrong, he would say something, and he hasn't caught him suffering with nightmares or any illness. still... he's still his son and knowing just how tight-lipped he himself is when it comes to emotions and anything that might be bothering him, well. of course damian would more or less be the same.

he sees him there in the living area of the manor. curled up in himself, hood pulled over his head, and playing whatever handheld game he has there that he's been at for some time now. bruce stands there at a distance. quiet. mulling over how to... approach this.

slipping away, he comes back after a moment, box in hand, making his way over there to where damian is and, looking down to the box, he holds it out for damian to see. )

Want to spoil your dinner?

( the box being white chocolate shortbread cookies. )

( laura stopped showing up a while ago.

she had been someone who was... different. someone who damian had gotten along with given their shared histories, someone to who he'd spoken about his father. had learned the complexities of her relationship with her own whilst they spoke about legacies and what that meant for them. she disappeared, and so did cain, and brown, and numerous others who had arrived.

losing family wasn't - ideal, but it was manageable. they are all self-sufficient, no one is getting an upper hand on cain, and brown has resources few others do. laura, on the other hand, isn't someone who exists back in his gotham. she's young - close in age to when damian had first been left with his father, and possibly alone.

damian, too, is once again alone. he has family here. companions he has spoken to once or twice, others like connor and accelerator whom he's spent a non-insignificant amount of time with. but the fortress he had created for the youth of etraya feels unnecessary now, given how few of them there are. and there are no others he feels would truly understand him on the same level laura had. or jon had before her.

which leaves him here, settled into a non-dusty corner of the living area of the manor, gameboy in hand as his character wanders through grassy fields accompanied by music that's a little too upbeat for his mood - which is why it's turned so far down it's difficult to hear. )

The only one minding my nutrition is myself.

( it's not a dig at his father, more a simple statement of fact: damian can do what he pleases. though he does reach a hand out without looking up, knees supporting the gameboy's weight as he shoves a hand into the box and grabs a handful of cookies. )

( yet he still takes the cookies, which bruce notes.

he holds to the box — takes a moment to glance down to the screen there on damian's gaming device. he's aware what it is — glad that he's taking some time to do more age appropriate things, but. he can feel the melancholy that sits there with his son as he does so, even if it's not voiced.

quietly, he takes a cookie for himself. nibbles on it. )

What are you wanting for dinner?

( he'll just... start with that. )

Is it time for that?

( a look down to the screen in his hands, before damian shoves the cookies into his mouth and opens the menu to start saving out of it. he knows his father would eventually leave him be to continue playing if damian had opted to keep it up, but it - doesn't feel like the right option to take here.

bruce is making an effort, damian can make one, too. even if he isn't in the mood for it. )

Laura is gone. ( feels like a good starting point. )

( it takes him a second. )

Your friend.

( not a question, more a fact. he hasn't ever met the girl but damian had mentioned her to him, and with having lost clark not too long ago himself, he feels for his son. it's why he reaches out then. gently. hand coming down to touch at damian's shoulder. reassuring, albeit soft. )

I'm sorry.

She understood, what it was like to be... us.

( he started saving out of the game, but this is when he starts backing out of the save menu, to continue taking his trainer through grassy fields and find some poor other pokemon to demolish. )

To be something raised as a weapon, but trying to be better. I got Cheese Viking, ( the game cabinet that's down here - somewhere. ) but she disappeared before I was able to introduce her to it.

( rolling multiple conversations into one is just being resourceful. )

Edited 2024-09-30 23:29 (UTC)

( he listens. lets damian say what he needs or wants to. standing there, gently letting his hand slip away from his son's shoulder. unable to help the confusion there in his expression as he asks: )

Cheese Viking?

Cheese Viking.

( eyes back up to bruce for a moment, before damian pulls himself up to his feet and pockets the game boy. doesn't turn it off, he's in the middle of something on it. but he does start leading bruce to one of the rooms deeper in the manor. )

I discovered it on an outing with Grayson back home.

( taking a moment, he follows after the other, hands slipping into his pockets as he does. )

A game, I take it?

Obviously.

( it is called cheese viking. damian - throws bruce a look over his shoulder, and scowls. )

I had invested in it because I thought she might enjoy it. There are not many... things, here, for children to get into.

( and laura was a child. young, new to the world, similar to damian in ways yet very different in others. )

( obviously, he says. bruce still follows along despite the scowl his son wears as they go. it's a shame someone closer to him in age has left his place as she has. he feels it'd be good for damian to have others more around his age — to be able to do things with them that don't involve donning a cape and getting into things no child at his age should be getting into.

so he follows along. quiet. figuring damian is intending to show him the game he's set up here for himself. )

( he's leading bruce right into the room he's set up cheese viking

I am... not good at socializing. ( unsurprisingly. he is bruce's child. ) I find it difficult to handle teenagers, even those who are part of the Titans. Maya Ducard and Jonathan Kent were the exceptions. She had wanted to kill me, and he is - different. Laura was in a similar position.

( when the game is revealed, he takes a moment. stares at it. doesn't recognize it personally, but. it's very much something he could probably see his younger self playing. before the murder of his parents, anyways. )

Who has the high score?

I do.

( because damian never does anything in half measures. but he's not moving to play it currently. instead, he's just leaning against the side of the cabinet. he doesn't particularly - want to play anything right now, but he was excited to get it when he had first asked for it: a piece of home, something he's snuck out of the manor or taken a detour to get to on patrol numerous times. something he'd gone on outings with grayson to obsessively play until he managed to get the high score, and made sure no one else would take his spot on the scoreboards. )

I wanted to get it for the manor but Father refused, so I installed an emulator on the Batcomputer.

🦇 catch-all.

— dick.

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— jason.

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— damian.

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