There was no alarm ringing in the Batcave, but the atmosphere felt like a bomb about to detonate.
Everyone sat in a circle, solemn, as if preparing to pass judgment on some unspeakable crime.
Emergency Meeting #2.
On the table screen, a message from the Martian Manhunter glowed silently.
Three words stood out like daggers stabbing everyone’s chest: Red Hood. Gay. Todd.
No one spoke.
Only silence stretched on, a thick tension swelling in the underground space like the final moments before the end of the world.
Dick finally broke.
“We’re doomed,” he muttered, looking completely guilt-ridden. “We’re so screwed. Little Wing… big brother’s so sorry…”
He bowed his head like he was reflecting on thirty years of romantic mistakes.
Stephanie covered her face. “Okay but—if we all go kneel and beg right now, what are the chances he forgives us?”
“Don’t drag me down with you,” Damian said coldly. He sat ramrod straight, but even his voice betrayed unease.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmewHlpCbDC
“I said from the start this whole thing was stupid.”
Tim didn’t say anything. He just wiped his face with both hands, hard.
His brain was running at full speed, desperately trying to salvage something from the ruins.
But all he could hear, echoing in his mind on repeat, was one line:
“Is Red Hood secretly Todd’s male lover?”
He could almost picture the expression on Leila’s face as she typed that sentence.
He really, really wanted to unsubscribe from life.
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While the Batcave descended into a scorched-earth meeting straight from hell, none of them noticed the real person keeping this entire crisis from collapsing—
The King of Gotham.
Not the Red Hood.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjW5rwatLLA
Not any vigilante.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuvIBvofPo
But the silent anchor of the entire family structure: Bruce Wayne.
Leila received an unexpected visitor.
When she opened the door and saw that familiar, deeply serious face, she froze for a second.
Even if it had been years since his tabloid days, the name Bruce Wayne, that face—every Gothamite had it imprinted in their mental archive.
And now, the city’s shadow stood at her doorstep.
She immediately straightened up, a little unsure, and signed politely: “Hello. It’s been a while.”
Bruce nodded slightly. His gaze was calm, voice low and steady.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2p6U4KHOSz
“Hello, Leila. Sorry to drop in unannounced. May I speak with you for a moment?”
It wasn’t a request—but it wasn’t a demand either.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnf7k4dw9sF
It was Bruce’s kind of persuasion—the kind that made even Gotham’s King personally show up at your door.
She blinked, then stepped aside and let him in.
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The scent of tea filled the air. The distance between the couches was perfectly measured: not too close, not too far.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6B3m34e9X
No pressure—but no escape, either.
She sat, polite, signing again: “Is this about… today?”
“I’m here for Jason,” Bruce said.
His tone remained gentle, but his eyes carried weight.
She froze.
“That boy’s not been doing well lately. I looked into it and found out it was… something between you two.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28YaZK8i31
So I came here to talk—to tell you about the Jason Todd I know.”
And then Bruce spoke.
His voice was steady. No embellishment, no drama. But every detail carried weight.
The Jason he described wasn’t the street-smart, short-tempered punk with fists for diplomacy.
He was the kid who read history books under the covers at night.
The teen who memorized operas just to understand them better.
The boy who took injured strays to the vet and cried over tragic book endings.
He had been broken, scarred, dragged back from death’s door—and he never said a word.
Because he thought he didn’t measure up.
Because he believed that admitting weakness meant losing what little dignity he had left.
And finally, Bruce ended with just one sentence:
“Leila, that’s the Jason Todd I know.”
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When the door closed behind him, the room was quiet, save for the fading warmth of tea.
Leila sat still, like she’d been quietly drenched in an emotional storm.
Somewhere deep inside her, something tender had been gently uncovered.
She knew he carried wounds—but she didn’t know where they came from, or how he’d managed to survive.
She thought about his recent silence, the hesitation in his eyes.
And her heart ached, just a little.
She picked up her phone.
Texted.
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An hour later, a knock.
Jason stood at the door, holding a bouquet of white roses.
His eyes held guilt and nervousness—but he stood tall.
She didn’t ask anything.
She just stepped forward and opened her arms.
The hug felt like a circle finally closed. Like the tide retreating, revealing a quiet, peaceful shore.
There were no words, only the sound of two hearts, and the moonlight gently washing over them.
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Back in the Batcave, the usual clicking of keyboards and report readouts had completely stopped.
Because—
The live surveillance feed was showing something no one expected.
“Wait, wait, wait—” Stephanie was the first to speak, finger hovering over the screenshot button.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkcBmQG7BV
“Is that… BRUCE?!”
Dick nearly spit his coffee.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUOqUXLvPi
“Hold on, why is Dad at Leila’s house?!”
Tim’s face crumpled in real-time.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqgzNvaI0P
“No, no, no—he was in his office just now! I just saw him!”
Damian rolled his eyes.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0oY0Y3C27
“Please. Who do you think he is, the Joker? Of course he moves in silence.”
Everyone held their breath as Bruce stepped inside—invited inside.
“…Is he on some secret mission?” Stephanie whispered.
“No. Look—tea. He accepted tea. This isn’t a mission. This is SOCIALIZING,” Tim gasped in disbelief.
Just as they scrambled to access the audio feed, the screen blinked—and went dark.
“WAIT WHAT—” Dick shouted.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWoys27OTp
“What happened?! We lost everything!”
Tim hammered at the keyboard.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKQ8ulcaxn
“He scrubbed it—all the surveillance. While she was making tea—dammit, even the hidden backup cam?!”
Damian crossed his arms. “Pathetic.”
Stephanie sighed. “So now we just… guess what happened using intuition?”
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Hours passed.
Suddenly, the screen flickered on again.
A dead-zone camera near Leila’s door—one Bruce hadn’t found.
Jason appeared, holding white roses.
Everyone: “WHAAAA—how did he get there?!”
Next second, Leila opened the door.
Next second, they hugged.
In that instant, the Batcave let out a collective gasp.
“WHAT DID YOU EVEN SAY TO HER, BRUCE?!” Stephanie screamed, hands on her head.
“How are we supposed to learn that level of persuasion magic?!” Tim wailed.
“He’s the heart of this family,” Tim added faintly. “We were all just… shallow amateurs…”
Dick slumped into a chair.329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYR1J6xdcT
“All our groveling did nothing. And he just talks, and she calls Little Wing herself...”
Damian stood in the corner, arms crossed.
“At least it ended well.”
Silence fell.
Then Stephanie whispered:
“…So… should we still tell Jason about the Martian Manhunter thing?”
Everyone:329Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbwrYJFLuO
“…No.”
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and then Add to home screen.