Chapter Text
Bruce came to when his door creaked open, the sound of soft giggling following. A smile lifted his lips as little feet pattered along the hardwood floors, circling the bed. Clark smiled against his neck, his Mate’s arms tightening around his middle, one hand splayed over his growing tummy. He was a few months along, no further than 4 months; their little family was growing before his eyes. The twins were turning 5 in a few weeks; they were growing up so fast. It felt like it had been just last week when his puppies were still breastfeeding from him, and now they were running around. Where had the time gone?
The bed shifted, the twins climbing the side of the mattress, sharing whispers between themselves, and Bruce schooled his expression before he gave himself away. His little puppies, nearly 5 years old, are already causing so much trouble. They were getting so big, his little Cass already reaching mid thigh, and his Jason, oh, his precious puppy, just a few inches shorter. His heart soared as he listened to them giggle, plotting how to wake their mama up.
He adored these lazy weekend mornings, when his puppies ran to him and jumped on top of him. He’d feign sleep until they pounced; they hadn’t caught on that he was awake the moment his door creaked open, and he hoped they never would. He was going to miss this terribly once his puppies were grown, but he hoped they would still snuggle with him on the lazy mornings.
The air stilled, and Bruce waited a moment, keeping his breathing deep and even. “Mama!” Cass jumped on his shoulder, and Jason jumped on his thighs, both of his pups being careful of his belly. He pretended to wake up, making a show of groaning and rolling onto his back, pulling loud giggles from the pair. Jason crawled up Clark’s side, making his Alpha groan, and he cracked a smile, opening his eyes. He looked down at Cass, the little pup playfully poking at his chest, and he laughed, reaching up to pull his puppy into him.
Cass snuggled into his chest with no fuss, wrapping her little arms as far around him as she could manage. She chirped happily, nuzzling her head underneath his chin and pressing herself as closely against him as she could manage. Bruce responded in kind, turning onto his side to face his Mate, bringing his knees up to his belly to wrap himself around her, purring low in his chest. She flattened herself against him, purring, mimicking the sound the best she could. She was too young to produce low tones, her vocal cords not yet fully developed, and so she could only make higher-pitched chirps.
Shrieking laughter beside him had him looking up, and he watched in amusement as Clark repeatedly tossed Jason up in the air, never letting the pup leave his hands for more than a few seconds at a time. His son was perfectly safe, Bruce knew that, but his stomach still flipped with worry every time his pup was in the air. Jason had always been more extravagant than his sister, loud in personality and even louder in spirit, never failing to crack jokes or light up every room with his laughter.
Bruce loved his puppies, loved them more and more every day. His love for his pups kept him alive, and they inadvertently pushed him to become a better version of himself, one that he wanted his puppies to be proud of. They were a little family of four, a growing family, he reminded himself, placing a hand on his tummy. He had everything he could have ever wanted, things he didn’t think he’d ever be able to have. Clark, his hope, Jason, his spark, and Cassandra, his silent reminder that things did work out. His son was his life, but his daughter was his spirit. The moment he’d laid eyes on his precious baby girl, he knew he would be wrapped around her little finger. Clark had bonded with Jason, turning out to be a true ‘boy dad’, doing anything and everything he’d ever wanted to do with a son, even if the puppy just ran around causing mayhem the moment his Mate turned his back.
It was perfect.
Clark tossed Jason a final time before catching him, and blew a large raspberry on his pup’s cheek, pulling shrieking laughter from the boy. Bruce smiled widely as he watched the pair, and even Cass let a small giggle slip free at hearing her brother’s laughter. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and she chriped at him, turning her face back into his neck, pressing her little nose into his scent gland. Clark rolled onto his side, then, with a comical huff, pretended to be out of breath.
The pups knew of their alternate identities; it was hard for the twins not to find out. With all the trouble they caused together, it hadn’t taken long for the pair of them to discover the cave beneath the manor, and everything that was stored within it. Cass had shrieked when she’d seen him in his full gear, his black suit terrifying her, his silhouette leaving her trembling and crying for him. She’d been unable to form words between her sobs, so she’d howled, calling for her mother and using all of her little body to produce the sounds. He’d rushed over, Clark hot on his tail in his own suit, but seeing him approach had only managed to scare her further. Jason had put himself between Bruce and his sister, puffing up his chest and attempting to snarl at them.
Looking back, it had been an adorable sight to see, but in the moment, Bruce didn’t think he’d ever been so scared in his life. He’d ripped his cowl off so fast he’d pulled a few strands of hair out, and after recognising him, both his puppies had crawled into his open arms. She’d been a wreck for hours afterwards, near inconsolable, pressing her nose so hard into his scent gland that he’d been worried about permanent damage to her cartilage. Jason had also clung to him, nestled closely beside his sister, wedging his little body between Bruce’s arm and chest. Both pups refused to let go of their mama the rest of the evening, and he’d stayed home that night, unable to don the cowl without feeling guilty. The pups slept in their nest that night, sleeping between him and Clark, and he hadn’t had the heart to tuck them into their own respective beds, no matter how bad co-sleeping is. Alfred had frowned at him for most of the following morning, the old Beta also shaken up after hearing Cass’ cries.
He gave Cass a firmer squeeze, moving his hand up from his tummy to the back of her head. She pressed herself closer to him, somehow managing to find whatever atoms were between them and pushed them away. He chuckled fondly, tipping his head forward to press a kiss to the crown of her head. “Love you, mama.” He smiled, pressing another kiss to her hair.
A shadow passed the end of the bed, pulling his attention away for a moment, catching a glimpse of an outline of a pup in his peripheral vision. The figure vanished the moment he blinked, the entity disappearing before he could fully make out their features. The pup felt familiar, whoever they were, like a ghost bringing comfort to a mourning family member, and he felt weirdly at ease, as though a piece of him was coming back in another form.
“I love you too, my puppy.”
🦇
He awoke with a startled gasp, jolting awake, jumping so hard he accidentally kicked himself in the leg. He stared at the wall for a long moment, blinking through unshed tears as Cass fell away from his arms. He patted the mattress where she’d just been lying, feeling with his hands through the nest blindly in the dark room, growing increasingly more frantic in his search. He fumbled with the sheets, checking everywhere for his puppies before he felt a kick from within his belly.
Just a dream, then. Clark groaned from behind him, his Mate waking at his frantic movements, a warm hand settling onto his waist. “You okay, baby?”
He nodded dumbly before blinking, clearing his throat, and settling back into the nest. “Yeah.” His voice cracked, throat thick with emotions despite his normally tight resolve. “Just a bad dream, go back to sleep.” He felt Clark nod, his Alpha’s nose pressing into his neck, placing a kiss on his mating gland. He cleared his throat again, a few tears falling down his cheeks. “Just a bad dream.”