For all his practiced stoicism, the bat is pretty sure he nearly passed out a week ago when his eldest son had been allowed to inform him of Jason's new... pup.

The phrase "you're a grandfather now, and not by me, but Jason," rang in his head like a gunshot that still haunted him on his worst of nights.

Despite Bruce's efforts he figures he must have paled, perhaps his eyes had even widened. Whatever it was, Alfred had made the wise decision to make some herbal tea to soothe his tension while Richard had gave a sheepishly reassuring smile, putting a strong grasped hand on his adoptive father's shoulder and lead him to sit in a chair as if he had expected Bruce to fall over at the faintest breeze.

Months. Nearly a year now.

Jason had been harboring a pup under Bruce's and the rest of the pack's nose for months before Richard had discovered them accidentally.

Then the two had kept the secret under wraps for multiple more months as Richard worked to convince Jason to let his pup meet the rest of the pack all while Richard got to play 'Uncle Dickie' and form a bond with the pup before anyone else got the chance.

Why hadn't Jason come to the pack earlier? Was this how Alfred had felt when Bruce himself had started adopting orphaned pups? The old beta butler was now a GREAT greatfather of sorts and... he honestly seemed quite pleased with the revelation, so long as they remained his great grandpup and not another ward...

Thankfully, Jason seemed all-too-pleased to safeguard the parental role to himself from the moment he'd plucked the pup out of an alleyway and adopted them as his own, for now, and likely into the future with how protective he is of them.

Today, after nearly a year of their existence being hidden from him, Bruce finally got to meet the pup himself. It had been several weeks since Richard had given him the news and some time to process the news.

There had been a lot of awkward tension in the air whenever Jason was around after that, though it never really lingered as the man in the red helmet didn't usually stick around very long and Bruce, despite wanting to say something, never did.

Unadmittedly, the pack alpha was a little sour he'd been the last one to receive the news of the pup's existence AND the last to meet them while the rest of the pack had apparently had a little introductions party at the manor when he was on an off-world mission with the league.

Something Jason and the others had conspired about as a condition on getting to meet the newest member of the pack at all.

Not that he could entirely blame Jason. They certainly had their fair share of clashes over plenty of things over the years. But this? A whole pup? Bruce wasn't even sure where to start, but he'd promised to be civil for everyone's sake. All the other's had practically gushed over the pup, well, besides Damian who couldn't see what was all that great about them at all. But, that was besides the point.

"So..." off to a great start already, Bruce, well done, he groused to himself mentally, his mouth ticking downwards into a ghost of an awkward frown.

Bruce couldn't believe he was floundering for what to even say to Jason's adopted pup who was innocently seated on the couch across from him in the sitting room while Alfred made some tea and snacks in the kitchen. He was supposed to be good at talking! Though, he reasoned with himself, this wasn't quite the same as public talking as Brucie Playboy-Philanthropist Wayne. This was his... grandpup. The whole situation was still a major shock to his system, especially as he sat here with them.

What was he even supposed to do with such a little pup?