Chapter 29
Wayne Manor – Grounds, Near Midnight
Bruce didn’t knock this time. He just waited near the back doors, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the moonlit lawn.
Peter came out of the shadows like he’d been watching for a while.
Bruce glanced at him. “Walk with me?”
Peter nodded once.
They moved in silence down the stone path. Past hedges. Past the sparring circle.
Peter finally spoke. “You’ve been quiet.”
“I’ve been thinking.”
“Dangerous.”
Bruce actually smirked. “Only when I do it alone.”
Peter folded his arms. “And what were you thinking?”
Bruce looked ahead. “That I’ve failed more children than I’ve saved. That I let the League take you. That I let Talia raise you in war.”
Peter’s jaw clenched. “It wasn’t your choice.”
“But I could’ve fought harder,” Bruce said quietly. “I could’ve burned the world to get you back.”
Peter didn’t answer at first. Then: “Would you have done it for Damian?”
Bruce stopped walking. Turned to face him.
“I did.”
Peter’s breath hitched.
Bruce’s voice was rough. “And I would’ve done it for you. If I had known where you were, what they were doing… I would’ve come. I would’ve moved heaven and hell. I failed you. But I never stopped wondering who you were. Who you could’ve been.”
Peter looked away. “And now?”
Bruce stepped closer.
“Now I want to find out.”
The wind moved between them, soft through the trees.
Peter finally looked at him — not with suspicion. But something older. Sadder.
“I’m not a son, Bruce. I’m still learning how to be a person.”
“Then let’s start there,” Bruce said. “Together.”
Peter nodded slowly.
And for once, didn’t walk away.