Batbros Forever

Robin's Nest

There was something oddly satisfying for Bruce coming through The Manor doors to be greeted by the sounds of his children. An ever-present reminder of the good life he had and what he fought for as Batman. But as he hung up his coat, he had a distinct feeling that something was off.

He stood still, trying to listen for what it could be, only to realize that he didn't hear anything at all. No laughter. No conversations. Not even the tense tones of an argument. That was odd.

Bruce began a mental roll call. It was 5 in the afternoon. All of his children would be out of school by now, even if anyone had detention. It was Friday which eliminated Cassandra's dance lessons but did imply that Alfred would be out grocery shopping.

He did not remember approving any trips to other cities to hang out. He should have had a house full of lively children given all this. Bruce began carefully wandering the halls. His face deadpanned as he stood in the doorway of the living room.

Here were all his children, spread out among the furniture, all absorbed in the screens of their separate devices and utterly unaware of his presence.

When had this happened? Bruce remembered that not so long ago, he would be greeted at the door by one of his children yelling 'Daddy's home!' and a swarm of hugs and eager anecdotes of their days. This was a far cry from those days.

Bruce whisked through the room, snatching phones and tablets and slamming laptops shut, finally gaining everyone's attention. "What gives Old Man?" Jason snapped, and Bruce narrowed his glair. "He means, hey Bruce. When did you get home?" Dick corrected pleasantly. This, however, did not diffuse the tension.

"I did not buy you these so you could all ignore each other. You used to play with each other, but I can't remember the last time that happened. Well, it's going to happen this weekend. These are all going into my office safe and for the next 48 hours, and you all are going to unplug."

Bruce stormed out, the sounds of his disgruntled children at his back. They'd thank him someday.

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Jason glanced over his shoulder for what must have been the hundredth time since leaving his room five minutes earlier. It had only been 18 hours since he'd been able to zone out into a screen, and it was killing him.

He'd never realized how annoying his siblings were without his noise-canceling headphones. And on top of that, they were everywhere! For bat shit sake, why how was it so hard to find a deserted part of The Manor?

Luckily the grounds were expansive, and there was a long-forgotten corner where no one would think to look for him. Jason let out a huff as he pulled himself into his and Dick's old tree fort. He sank contentedly into the kid-sized beanbag chair and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

Bruce would be far from pleased, and Alfred would revolt, but if they expected him to play nice with his siblings for the weekend, this smoke break was a must. No sooner than he'd taken a draw, Jason heard a voice coming from the patio.

"I swear Grayson. Todd came out here, and he looked more suspicious than usual." Damian was saying. Jason swore under his breath. He knew he'd felt eyes on him. He crawled over to the window and peeked out. Maybe they'd go away.

"Maybe he is taking a walk." Cass suggested. "Or you're letting your boredom get the best of you." Tim added, rolling his eyes. "Come on guys. Jason has a right to some alone time. He'll come in when he's ready." Dick reasoned and began to lead them all inside.

Jason sighed as he resituated himself back in his spot. That had been close. For a second, he could have sworn Dick was squinting up at his hiding place, but he was probably just being paranoid.