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They planted a listening device on him. It would have been preferable if there was a visual feed as well, but the Lantern Corps hadn't quite managed to figure that one out yet.
Every member of the League sat around the table, tense with anticipation. It was hard—but not impossible—to imagine Batman being a mole. Still, the idea of one of their most skilled comrades, someone they had grown to trust, betraying them left all of them uncomfortable to a point where even breathing felt wrong in the silence that fell on the room like a suffocating blanket.
They honestly had no idea what they expected to hear. Perhaps something incriminating—or hopefully, proof of Batman's innocence. But when Hal activated the device, the speakers filled with nothing but faint breathing. The rhythmic shift of someone lost in dreams. It left the Justice League stunned for several long seconds.
"Well..." Flash mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "We didn't count on that."
"At least now we know he does sleep sometimes," Green Lantern offered dryly.
"Unless he's currently watching someone else sleep," Oliver muttered, earning a few narrowed eyes.
Wonder Woman was the first to recover. She shook her head, brows furrowed in thoughtful analysis. "No, it must be him. I believe it's best we wait and—"
"Hold on. Something's happening," Superman cut in, eyes narrowing as he leaned closer to the console.
The group grew silent.
The creaking sound of a door opening could be heard under Batman's even breathing, followed by the sound of soft footsteps meeting wooden floor, echoing quietly in the otherwise silent room. But the steps felt strange—too firm for someone sneaking around, as if the person walking tried to make noise deliberately.
Batman—like the seasoned warrior he was—reacted to the person's presence almost immediately. They heard the frantic rustle of sheets that indicated the Dark Knight's return to the waking world, most likely jumping into a half-fighting stance. The other person did not react to the sudden movements, as though they expected to startle the man, which explained the purposefully noticeable footsteps. They were meant to warn the man of their arrival.
The newfound knowledge somewhat calmed some of the heroes' nerves, knowing their—current situation overlooked—friend–colleague was probably not in immediate danger, though nothing could've prepared them for the first word Batman uttered.
"Dick?" Batman rasped, voice thick with sleep and concern.
Flash choked on the popcorn he was eating, which successfully sent him into a coughing fit. Next to him, Hal started hitting his back in order to help his friend not suffer a humiliating death by the hand of a fluffy snack, while the rest of the League sported differing levels of bafflement on their faces.
Batman's voice, hoarse but gentle, continued. "What happened? Are you alright?"
After a few moments of silence, a voice far too young sobbed softly. "I had a bad dream."
If the heroes weren't already dumbfounded, they would've been now. The owner of the voice couldn't have been more than nine, and they spoke with such fear it made Clark's heart ache. Diana had a hand on her heart, face twisted in sympathy, and she looked ready to track down Batman's house only to soothe the poor child.
Not that it was necessary, as Batman seemed to handle it just fine. There was a little shuffling on the other side of the line, the bed creaking as Batman assumedly lifted the child into his arms and asked in a gentle tone, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"They came for me, Dad," the boy sniffled, voice trembling. "They took me back and—"
Batman's voice turned soothing, trying to hush the child's rising panic.
The League traded concerned looks.
Flash, who won his fight with the popcorn for the privilege to breathe, was the first to speak. "Looks like Bats has a kid," he mumbled awkwardly.
Oliver turned to the Scarlet Speedster sharply. "No shit, Sherlock."
Dinah, sitting by her husband's side, shook her head. "We should not be listening to this."
"I agree," Arthur stated, looking uncomfortable with the idea of eavesdropping on a vulnerable moment of a small child.
Before they could do anything about the situation, however, the conversation on the other end of the line continued, bringing about a concerning turn. "Grandpa was there an—and Dad—he had the gold eyes again. I couldn't see Mom, I think she was gone—" his voice hitched. "They wanted to turn me into that thing, like they did to Dad. I don't want it, B," the child cried desperately. "I don't wanna be a monster."
"You won't," Batman spoke with firm confidence. "You understand me, Dick?" Some of the heroes realized with a wince that the last word was probably the kid's name. How unfortunate. "They can't hurt you anymore. I won't let them. I won't let them take you from me. Not the Court, not the CPS and their good-for-nothing agents, not anybody, you hear me? I love you, my little acrobat."
Superman couldn't help the wounded noise that escaped his mouth. But in his defense, his colleagues' reaction to the heartwarming confession wasn't any better either.
Barry looked close to tears; by his side, Diana was on the verge of melting in her seat. On the other side of the table, Oliver was clutching his chest as if trying to fight down a heart attack, one of Dinah's hands resting on his shoulder while the other covered her mouth.
Then came the quiet voice again.
"Can I stay?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
Diana reached for the com, ready to end the feed, when Dick's shy voice came through it once again. "Will you sing to me?"
A glowing green hand swiped away Wonder Woman's hand from the device. Hal practically threw himself on the table, making various begging gestures toward the Amazon.
Diana, being just as much of a horrible and curious person as the rest of them, pursed her lips but made no further moves to cut the line.
"What do you want to hear?" Batman asked.
"The French one."
"You'll need to be a bit more specific."
"The one with the chocolate."
"Okay, that narrows it down to about five."
"Why on Earth do you know so many lullabies in French that mention chocolate?"
"So I can sing them all to you."
"That was sappy," the boy replied flatly, earning a round of snorts from the Leaguers.
Hearing the breathy chuckle that escaped from Batman at the remark made Clark's stomach twist in a way he decided not to address. For now.
"The one where everyone's cooking."
There was a shuffle as the pair probably got comfortable in the bed. Then a low humming filtered out of the speakers. The sound was deep, as one expected the Dark Knight's voice to be, but it was far too soft for someone so rough around the edges.
"Fais dodo, Colas mon p'tit frère. Fais dodo, t'auras du lolo..."
It was the most beautiful sound they had ever heard. Gentle and breathy and so calming the whole Justice League felt themselves unwind by the soothing lullaby and felt an unreasonable amount of disappointment once it ended.
"Sweet dreams, little bird," Batman murmured.
The room devolved into a resounding silence as the speakers were filled with the gentle sounds of breathing once again. No one stopped Diana from breaking the connection this time. Batman and his child were asleep, after all, and none of them felt comfortable spying more tonight. Maybe not ever.
"That was..." Superman rasped, unable to finish the thought.
"Yeah," Hal breathed. "Who could've thought Spooky can be so... soft?"
"A dad," Dinah said simply.
Clark, noticing his partner in unofficial leadership sport a thoughtful expression, turned to her slowly. "Is everything alright?"
"What do you think the boy was talking about?" Diana asked, furrowing her brow.
"I don't know," he admitted, "but I didn't like it."
"I don't want to be the one who says this," Oliver started hesitantly, "but as much as I wanted to cry hearing Batman sing... it doesn't make him innocent. Quite the opposite."
"What do you mean, my friend?" J'onn asked.
"He's right," Dinah said softly. "We may have just found the cause of Batman's betrayal."
"If someone were to threaten the kid..." Arthur muttered, trailing off.
"I couldn't even blame him," Barry said. "I mean, I'm not a dad, but if I were—"
"Someone might've found Batman's kryptonite," Oliver murmured.
"I was betting on it being sunlight or holy water," Hal said. "But a child? Who would've thought?"