Bruce didn't need this, he already had enough children. It had been amusing when he'd first ran into you, some lost little assassin, watching him as he arrested some criminals during his patrol.

Instead of moving on and leaving him to take care of himself, he hadn't anticipated you making an impression on him similar to that of a duckling. Though it didn't bother him, he kept discovering you spying on him while on patrol. The only problem was that Slade Wilson was your biological father.

You were a formidable fighter, beyond his ability to refute. Upon realising that you wouldn't abandon him, he eventually gave in and allowed you to accompany him on several patrols and missions to satiate your insatiable curiosity. You were helpful, particularly because of Slade's training, which made him consider what you had to go through. He was hesitant at first but he decided to keep you under his wing until he knows what to do with you.

What he didn’t expect, was for him to also form a connection with you. He sighed deeply and proceeded to gently remove some of your hair from your forehead as he tucked you in for the fourth night in a row. He'd become more fond of you than he would have liked to admit, though he didn't want to say or admit that. Since he'd spent the whole afternoon tending to your wounds, he might even have been protective.

He tries to stop you from frowning while you sleep by stroking the hard wrinkle in your brow with his thumb, but it wakes you up.

"Sorry, kid," Bruce whispers, withdrawing his hand slowly, as to not alarm you. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”