The Birds Who Smile Chapter 32 - Reunions (part 1), a batman fanfic

The Birds Who Smile, a Batman fanfic by Raberba girl

Chapter 32 - Reunions (part 1)

[rough draft 2]

Well into the afternoon, Bruce's phone started pinging with a large quantity of notifications, yet the house remained quiet and undisturbed. He was glad when John asked for the bubbles in his room, since that would give Bruce a better vantage point to see what was going on. Bruce moved to stand near the window as he blew bubbles so that he could look down into the front yard.

Gathered there was almost his entire family, joined by half the Titans and the Justice League (all as civilians, thankfully). Dick was sitting on the edge of the fountain with his head in his hands, Wally and Donna cuddled close on either side, Garth and Lilith hovering nearby, as Clark crouched and spoke to him. Tim was sitting on the hood of his car, working on a tablet, with Jack clinging to him and Diana petting the child affectionately. Damian was trying to calm down a very excited Titus while Peter, watched over by Duke, climbed on Goliath. Cassandra was hugging an upset-looking Stephanie and Alfred was gesturing as he spoke to Victor and Simon.

John stopped happily chasing bubbles when he realized that Bruce was distracted. He trotted over to look out the window.

"John, wait-"

At the sight of his brothers, the boy started shrieking in urgent excitement, prying at the window. Down below, everyone looked up at the noise.

"John, wait!" Bruce struggled to open the window with one hand while keeping his other arm wrapped firmly around his son's waist. Just when he lifted the pane, Clark came floating up.

"Do you need help?" the Kryptonian asked anxiously. "I mean-"

"Just make sure he doesn't fall off the roof," Bruce said through gritted teeth, releasing John so he could properly raise the window the rest of the way. Clark managed to catch John when the boy made a leap for his brothers two stories below.

Down on the ground, the youngest children were shrieking frantically at the sight of their brother. Jack was standing on the hood of the car, his little fists gripping Tim's hair and shirt collar as he cried out to John (Tim was trying not to choke). Peter scrambled off the dragon-bat far too quickly; Cassandra managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

With all three children so clearly desperate for each other, Diana picked up the younger ones and started to rise up to Clark, who was coming to meet them with John in his arms. Little hands stretched out, all three straining to reach across the remaining distance.

"No, go down!" Bruce called in exasperation, gesturing. Metas might think nothing of a midair reunion, but Bruce wanted his three flightless, overexcited birds safely on solid ground.

A minute later, the children were tumbling on the grass, John screaming joyfully, Peter shouting, Jack sobbing as he clung to them. John did not seem to be able to contain his excitement, leaping and dancing in between hugs; Peter had to keep chasing after him. English and bits of ASL flowed in and out of what was mostly ardent twittering.

"Not dead, not dead, not dead...!"

"[CHIRP-CHIRP] IS ALIVE NOW, [CHIRP-CHIRP] IS ALIVE?!"

"Yes yes yes I am so HAPPY HAPPY good happy so good this love joy [crow]...!"

"BAT BAT he kill bad blood-!"

"No no no~~"

"[chirp-chirp]! [chirp-chirp]!"

"BAT IS RIGHT THERE STUPID [CHIRP-CHIRP]!"

"(happy~~) No Master gone Master gone gone gone yes GOOD-"

"Master is right there I am so scared!"

"Ssshh calm peace safe [warble] that I love love love forever, yes good; Master GONE!"

"What?! What?!"

"[caw] is right good; Master is Daddy, Master gone, Daddy won, Daddy won-"

"[CHIRP-CHIRP]!"

"[chirp-chirp]?!"

"Sshh calm peace safe flockmates that I love, my good [caw] my good [warble], [chirp-chirp] is gone safe dead. Jjjohnnny is alive good happy~"

"BATMAN HE IS BATMAN HE IS BATMAN NOT DADDY!"

"That man Bbboosse Batman, two faces, Bad Laugh Man is gone, Daddy is smiling not Smiling, Daddy loves good birds give my good precious little ones back to me, [big chirp-chirp] Grandpa all flockmates big people all ALL ALIVE GOOD YES...!"

By the time the children had finally calmed down, John sitting contentedly on the grass, mutually hugging Jack as Peter stood with his arms around John and growled protectively, more than one of the adults were brushing away tears.

"This is so surreal," Stephanie murmured.

"I can't believe he's happy," Dick said faintly, clutching his chest. Tim was absently rubbing at his own chest as well. "Like, I can feel it, in my heart, John is freaking happy..."

"I suggest we move indoors," Alfred spoke up. "Super-powered antics are more discreet when not performed on the front lawn."

On the way inside and in the house, so many relieved, overjoyed people hugged John that he preened, "Everybody loves me."

"Johnny!" Dick yelled when it was his turn, "You stink!" Although attempts had been made to clean the boy, especially during the times he'd been unconscious, John hadn't bathed properly in about a week. "Let's go, I am throwing you in the shower!" He hoisted the child up into his arms. John, half-hanging over his shoulder, reached out for his little brothers, who anxiously rushed after them.

As everyone milled around, a few people heading to the kitchen to help Alfred, Clark frowned and looked around the room. "Typical..."

He had to follow the sound of Bruce's heartbeat to find him in the Batcave. "Bruce."

"Clark," Bruce grunted, not bothering to look up as he continued lifting weights.

"Why aren't you up there with everyone else? It looks like there might be an impromptu party in the works."

"You don't need me for that. Peter and Jack are still afraid of me, it's better I keep out of their way for now."

"For God's sake, Bruce," Clark complained, sighing deeply. After a moment, he went over to lift the entire weight rack and started doing reps with it, careful to keep it balanced. When Bruce paused to glare at him, Clark grinned back. "Is this bothering you?"

"...Screw you, Kent." Bruce put down the dumbbells and lay back on the exercise bench he'd been sitting on, throwing an arm over his eyes. Clark set down the weight rack and there was a long silence.

"I'm glad to see John doing better," Clark finally ventured.

"I'm so tired."

Clark waited.

Bruce finally drew in a deep breath and sat up again. "Why do I keep taking in children?! Raising them is difficult! John finally doesn't hate me, but what about his brothers? He's already accomplished so much more than anyone should ever expect of a child, but there are so many more hurdles he still has to overcome! This week nearly killed me, I can't do it again. But there are twelve more years of this, twelve more years of trying not to hurt the children my bastard other self destroyed, when my track record with the older ones has always been terrible; why does this keep happening?! Why do all these brilliant, beautiful children keep coming to me when I'm the last person in the world who deserves them?!" He covered his eyes with his hand, not wanting to hear any response.

It was a long time before Clark finally said, "Bruce, can you live without them?"

"No," Bruce said immediately, the word falling out of his mouth without any conscious thought.

"Then I think you'll do all right, old friend."

Bruce stayed down in the cave for hours, taking solace in the quiet darkness and in work. Clark soon left, but it wasn't long before Diana and Tim came down. They talked for a while, and then Tim got sucked into a project Bruce was working on, so Diana returned to the party that was now in full swing upstairs. Cassandra and Stephanie eventually came down to retrieve Tim but ended up staying for a while. The girls perched on the arms of Bruce's chair, Cass combing his hair with her fingers and Stephanie putting it into little braids.

"Your hair's all greasy, Bruce."

"I spent the past two days trying not to get killed by a crazed nine-year-old," Bruce grumbled. "Washing my hair was not a high priority." Though now that they'd brought it up, the physically scummy feeling wouldn't stop bothering him, so he finally went to shower. When he came out again, Cassandra, Tim, and Stephanie were gone, but Dick, Wally, Victor, and Donna were now lounging around the cave like they were in the Titans Tower common room rather than blocking access to all the Batcomputer workstations.

"Get out of my chair," Bruce said, grasping the back of the one Dick was sitting in.

His eldest son lolled his head to grin up at him. "Hello to you, too, Dad."

Bruce hated it whenever he forgot to use basic courtesy with people he cared about a lot, but he didn't want to apologize in front of a bunch of outsiders. "Out. I'm in the middle of something."

"There's a party happening in your house, you shouldn't be in the middle of anything except having fun," Dick said, shifting into a ridiculously flexible sprawl that looked more natural for a cat than a human.

"Why aren't you and your friends at the party, then?" Bruce challenged.

"We were gonna see if Vic and the Batcomputer could join forces to track down Kori, then we ended up reminiscing."

"It's been a long time since we were all on the same team," Wally sighed.

"Too long," Donna agreed.

"I've missed you guys," Victor said. "The Justice League isn't nearly as fun." He gestured at Bruce. "Probably because we've got Batman."

"Why do you think I never joined the League as anything other than Batman?" Dick laughed. Then, in response to Bruce's slightly offended frown, "There are other reasons. But that's one of them. I like working with friends better than-" he altered his voice to sound gruff and stuffy, "-coworkers."

Bruce wanted to argue that Clark and Diana and the others were his friends, but, again, outsiders. Besides, he knew what Dick meant. Unlike with the Titans, the members of the Justice League were allies first, friends second, and in some cases, not even friends at all. In contrast, the membership of Titans who failed to form affectionate bonds with the group never lasted long.

"So when are we gonna see you upstairs, Batman?" Wally asked.

"Just because the party is being held in my house doesn't mean I have to be present for it."

Dick looked like he wanted to wheedle, but Victor said, "He's probably worn out from dealing with John. We should probably leave the introvert to recharge."

Bruce said nothing, but he felt grateful.

"All right," Dick murmured.

"Dick," Donna spoke up, "are you okay? You showed up at the Tower in such bad shape."

"Well, I mean, being sick definitely didn't help, but it's okay now." Dick laid a hand over his heart. "It's so weird. Like, I can't feel him at the moment, but before..." He glanced up at his father. "Bruce, I think we must be connected with our counterparts somehow. When their feelings are really strong, it's like... Like, this past week, I felt awful, even after I stopped being sick, it felt like my heart was churning. I was so upset, I'd get angry for stupid reasons or start crying for no reason at all."

"He totally had PMS," Donna said, nodding.

Dick made a face at her. "Anyway, then it finally went away. And then today when the kids saw each other again, I could feel that, too. Just, this...joy blazing in my chest, so intense it almost hurt. I can feel John sometimes."

"I've suspected it for a while now," Bruce murmured. "That night when- With the cliff... Something Tim said when he was drugged, it was like he sensed how frightened Jack was. If I hadn't heard that, I...wouldn't..." He couldn't finish the sentence. He wouldn't have made it in time, he would not have reached his little birds soon enough to save them, he would have found his precious nine-year-old son broken and lifeless on the rocks.

"I sense experiments in the near-future," Victor stage-whispered.

Bruce sighed. "Not soon. It's not a high priority right now, I need to focus on getting the children legally established so they can start receiving services." By this time, an increasingly frustrated JoAnn was waiting on him again, but Bruce hadn't dared to send her what she needed when John was so out of control. Maybe that was safe to resolve now, at least for John. Bruce still wasn't sure if he dared let a social worker close enough to see Peter and Jack cringing away from him, as they would undoubtedly do when they saw him in person.

The elevator doors opened and Garth and Lilith walked out. "There you are! Are you having a Titans meeting without us?!"

"We would never!" Wally said with a charming smile.

"You are starting to be missed," Garth informed them. "Donna, Wonder Woman was looking for you earlier."

"All right, I'll be right up."

The Titans started heading toward the stairs, but ended up just standing around for a while, talking. Then Dick led them across the cave to show them something about the dinosaur, and then started rummaging through old Batsuits.

Bruce ground his teeth. He couldn't relax when outsiders were wandering around his cave. "I thought you said people were asking for you," he called in annoyance.

There was a burst of laughter, then Dick stopped modeling that awful rainbow suit Bruce thought he'd gotten rid of and put it away. The Titans meandered back toward the stairs, still talking.

For a little while, it was quiet again. Then Damian came down with Duke ambling after him. The younger boy announced to Bruce his pretense for coming to the Batcave, but Bruce could tell that his son had missed him and just wanted to be with him for a while. He felt the same, so he didn't mind taking the time to hear what his boys had been up to the past several days.

Damian bragged about a mission he had successfully led his team on. Bruce finally interrupted him, setting a hand on his shoulder to soften it, in order to hear from Duke, who was starting to look impatient to share.

"I mean, I didn't actually do anything, I just wanted to say how cool it was getting to hang out in the penthouse. Kind of lonely with just me, though."

"Richard and I lived there for several months while Father was temporally displaced," Damian stated.

"Uh huh," Duke said, unimpressed.

"It was adequate for a temporary stay, though the manor is more befitting of our rank."

"Damian, we've talked about this," Bruce said wearily.

"Yes, yes, rank has no inherent value, wealth is nothing more than a tool to be used for good, I know," Damian pouted.

"Now if only that were the way the world actually worked," Duke muttered.

The conversation soon turned to lighter matters, and then, just as Tim had earlier, both boys got sucked into Bruce's project on the Batcomputer. They worked on it until Alfred came down. "Master Duke, the children have been asking for you. Master Damian, Mr. Kent is on the phone with his son, who wishes to speak with you. Master Bruce, I suggest you make an appearance before your guests start to leave, as they have all indulged your rudeness for quite long enough."

As the three of them got up and passed by the butler, Alfred caught Bruce's arm. "Also," the older man murmured with a gentler expression, "it is good to see you again, Master Bruce."

"I'm glad you're home, Alfred," Bruce murmured back.

TBC

I was a freaking moron and accidentally wrote Starfire in the original draft of this chapter even though she's supposed to be missing along with the other Outlaws. X'''D Here's the outtake:

Though now that they'd brought it up, the physically scummy feeling wouldn't stop bothering him, so he finally went to shower. When he came out again, Cassandra, Tim, and Stephanie were gone, but Dick, Wally, Victor, and Donna were now talking to Kori, the five of them lounging around like they were in the Titans Tower common room rather than blocking access to all the Batcomputer workstations.

"Get out of my chair," Bruce said, grasping the back of the one Dick was sitting in.

His eldest son lolled his head to grin up at him. "Hello to you, too, Dad."

Bruce hated it whenever he forgot to use basic courtesy with people he cared about a lot, but he didn't want to apologize in front of outsiders. "Out. I'm in the middle of something."

"Why aren't you and your friends at the party, then?" Bruce challenged.

"We are, how do you say it, 'catching up,' " Kori said. She smiled wistfully at the others. "It has been a long time since we were all on the same team."

"Too long," Donna agreed.

"I've missed you guys," Victor said. "The Justice League isn't nearly as fun." He gestured at Bruce. "Probably because we've got Batman."

"Why do you think I never joined the League as anything other than Batman?" Nightwing laughed. Then, in response to Bruce's slightly offended frown, "There are other reasons. But that's one of them. I like working with friends better than-" he altered his voice to sound gruff and stuffy, "-coworkers."

"So when are we gonna see you upstairs, Batman?" Wally asked.

"Just because the party is being held in my house doesn't mean I have to be present for it."

Dick looked like he wanted to wheedle, but Kori, to everyone's surprise, came up and took Bruce's hand. "If the little John was causing as much trouble as you say, Dick, I think your father must be very tired now. It is better to let him rest."

"Introvert thing," Victor agreed.

Bruce said nothing, but he felt grateful.

"All right," Dick murmured.

"Dick," Donna spoke up, "are you okay? You showed up at the Tower in such bad shape."

"He totally had PMS," Donna said, nodding.

"I sense experiments in the near-future," Victor stage-whispered.

The elevator doors opened and Garth and Lilith walked out. "There you are! Are you having a Titans meeting without us?!"

"We would never!" Wally said with a charming smile.

"You are starting to be missed," Garth informed them. "Donna, Wonder Woman was looking for you earlier."

"All right, I'll be right up."

The Titans started heading toward the stairs but ended up just standing around for a while, talking. Then Dick led them across the cave to show them something about the dinosaur, and then started rummaging through old Batsuits.

Bruce ground his teeth. He couldn't relax when outsiders were wandering around his cave. "I thought you said people were asking for you," he called in annoyance.

There was a burst of laughter, then most of the Titans meandered back toward the stairs, still talking, leaving only Dick behind to keep modeling that awful rainbow suit Bruce thought he'd gotten rid of, as Kori laughed in appreciation.

Soon, even that faded, and the cave grew quiet.

...Too quiet.

Bruce kept working, glancing occasionally at the small screen confirming that there were, indeed, two people other than himself still in the cave, determined not to look around for them. If they were making out or something, he did not want to know about it.

Then there was a softly gasped, "Kori! My dad's right there!"

"Get out of my cave!" Bruce yelled.

There was a burst of giggling from both of them, some shuffling as Dick put the rainbow cowl away, and then a few minutes later, Bruce caught a sideways glimpse of the princess flying up the stairs, carrying Dick bridal style.