Bruce is horribly immune to most pranks… but Steph has a plan to mess with him.
Steph blames Dick for Bruce’s nonchalance. Mr. “Climbs a chandelier and breaks it” ended up breaking a lot of Bruce’s sanity as well.
Bruce barely reacts when she puts salt in the coffee instead of sugar. She gave him ghost peppers at the last Gala, and he gave his Brucie Wayne performance around the sensation of his mouth on fire. She dyed all his shirts purple, he convinced business investors it was a new fashion trend.
She needs to prank Bruce, absolutely befuddle him in a way that makes him question reality. She’s even prepared to use the other family members to do this.
She manages to get the other bats (and even Alfred!) to agree on this prank.
Steph has a plan. She has a new friend from school, Danny, who Bruce doesn’t know about yet.
She’s going to Gaslight Bruce Wayne into believing he has an extra child.
This is a good plan.
It's not gaslighting if Bruce makes it true.
Sometime in the future
Jason, probably *mad at Batman for reasons and screaming at him*: we're all the same to you. We're not important, we never have been. You just want to use us to further your "mission". I mean, you've had an extra random child pretending to be your kid for the last 4 months and you haven't even noticed.
Bruce *nonplussed and figuring he might as well do the reveal now*: you mean your new brother? Yeah, no. I approached him with adoption papers about a month after he started staying with us. Did you know his parents were trying to hunt him down? I also got the laws that forbid his existence taken down because no one deserves to be hunted just for existing. He's been calling me dad unironically for like a month now. I'm surprised you didn't notice.
Jason: ...
Bruce: ...
The rest of the batkids :o
Bruce *with a shit eating grin barely hidden*: what? I thought this was your way of telling me you were ready for another brother? I thought you were telling me I was getting behind on my adoption tendencies and was about time for it to kick in again.
Dick *whispering*: I mean, we did dangle adoption bait right in front of him.
Steph *facepalms*: should've known.
Bruce *smirks*
Danny *has been listening to the whole conversation while invisible under Batman's cape*