Wish Me Away: Hold Me Close & Hold Me Near

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Summary:

*waves* Hi

Bruce muses on his new life despite it only being a couple days since the family welcomed Marietta into it.

Nothing could have prepared Bruce for life with a baby, two days had passed and it felt like his life had been completely flipped on its head. She required a lot of attention and physical affection. The attention he had no problem with, it was the physical affection he was terrified of. Marietta was such a tiny little thing, she was so fragile that Bruce was so scared that the slightest wrong move from him could hurt her. Yet, sometimes the physical affection came so easily to him, so easily he felt like he was robbed of this time he could have had with Damian and found himself wishing Talia had told him about his son sooner. When she smiled up at him when he tried to feed her, it was almost instinctual to give her a kiss on the head, or when she babbled and held out a hand to him, he was compelled to coo and let her grab at his fingers. Hugging her is what scared him most, she was so small, so warm, and he had never understood what all those people said about the smell of a baby but he got it, and hugging her brought him such a feeling of joy and love that he couldn’t even put it into words. Bruce just felt scared of hugging her too tight because of all the new feelings of love that filled him. 

Once she had fallen asleep her first night in the Manor, at her new home, he had been entirely too frightened to sleep in his large bed with her, but he and the boys made a pretty sturdy wall of pillows all around her as he stayed up to study. He bought parenting books, so many parenting books, from baby meal cookbooks, to psychology. He wanted to know anything and everything he had to about taking care of a one year old. And from the many boxes that arrived at the house he deduced he wasn’t the only one. The manor now looked like a bomb went off in it, one that filled the place with bassinets, diapers, baby food and snacks and so many freaking toys. Most of which came surprisingly from Alfred, Bruce had wanted to laugh but Alfred had basically said he had no room to talk. He was right. Bruce had kind of gone overboard when buying her clothes, it’s not fair that tiny versions of clothes were so cute and apparently brought him more joy than his own. 

Wish Me Away Random Headcanons

• For Marietta's 10th birthday Harley bought her a Hyena since she seemed to love Lou and Bud so much. Mari loved her new pet which she lovingly named Ha-Ha-Harley.

Bruce was so not amused. Quite the opposite in fact. Damian of course was thrilled to add another pet to the family. Alfred suggested Bruce make another Manor for the pets of the family. Dick immediately asked if he could get an elephant if they did end up doing that.

• Harley and Mari hang out sometimes when Mari goes to stop Harley's crimes as her fox hero self, Maid Marian (Dick and her watched Robin Hood once and she loved it). When she shows up her and Harley just stop what they're doing and have a "Pigtail Pals" Day.

This has resulted in many heart attacks for Bruce in the beginning who would immediately track them down. One such instance:

"Marian! Quinn! You've got to stop doing this."

"But Daddy! It's Pigtail Pals Day! You can't be here, you don't got pigtails!"

"Yeaaaaaah Daddy, you ain't got no pigtails! Unless you count the spikes on the cowl!"

"....."

"...."

"I..."

"Don't. I heard it as soon as I said it Bats. I may have daddy issues but they aren't near that bad to be a kink. How about I take mini pigtails to the movies and we forget this every happened? Deal?"

"Deal."

"Yay! Movies! Bye Daddy!"

"....Bye Princess...."

• Everyone asked her why she didn't want to go by Robin Hood when in her fox hero form and she said it was because they already had a Robin, and pointed at Damian, and a Hood, and pointed at Jason.

• She and Cass have weekly Barbie Movie marathons. Sometimes they let Dick join them. Cass really likes the ballet centered ones and her and Marietta dance along when the dance scenes come on.

• During a heist where Riddler and Penguin needing Catwomans help they almost got caught because they were caught off guard by the sight of Catwoman walking in holding a CHILD'S hand. A child dressed like a cat.

All she said was. "It was my night to babysit so let's make this fast. I promised Kitten I'd make grilled cheese for dinner."

The other shock was when the child look at Riddler for a very long time then looked back at Catwoman and said. "Kitty? Why are working with Hook Man?"

Friendships were almost broken that night.

• Tim forgot to tell the Titans he had a new baby sister but they found out during a team meeting when she literally popped out of NOWHERE crying and making grabby hands for Red Robin. Who immediately dropped the leader voice and started cooing to this small child!?

Team meeting was forgotten. A new meeting was held. A meeting all about Tim's new little sister.

• Duke was so proud because he taught Marietta how to fist bump, but she calls it knuckles. He went around showing everyone and taking so many videos. He literally cried when she fist bumped him back the first time and giggled.

• Babs loves Mari. She does. She does not love when Mari wants to mess with all her computers. She bought her a toy computer and thought that would make sure she wouldn't want to mess with babies but noooooo. Somehow it made it worse.

Marietta was more determined to touch her computers. She would climb chairs. Push over things she knew she could climb on. Or be deceiving and have Babs hold her while "innocently" playing with her toy computer.

• Someone once asked Gordon who his favorite Wayne was and he said Titus but that Marietta was a close second because she sometimes listened to him.

Everytime he sees her he gives her a GCPD badge sticker. He cried when she busted into his office and yelled. "GCPD Hands up! Up!" That day many officers were "arrested" for outrageous crimes. The best thing though was when someone brought in the Joker and she went over with her pipe cleaner handcuffs and went, "I arrest you."

"How about no?"

"I kick you then."

"I'd like to see you try squir-"

And then everyone in the precinct watched as little Marietta Wayne soccer kicked Joker in the shin and ran away giggling.

The guy who worked the security cameras gave everyone a copy of that moment for Christmas.

• Scarecrow once ran into little Marietta and he's not quite sure how he feels about her. He had heard a lot about the youngest Wayne so instead of just spraying her with his fear gas right away he asked her. "What do you fear most?"

"Fashion disasters. I don't need spray to see them, I'm already looking at one."

He had been so offended that he had to take a moment for himself but it was a moment too long apparently because next thing he knew he was being shot with rubber bullets by Red Hood.

• She guilt trips the hell out of reporters. Gotham's favorite lines are:

"Why do you stalk my daddy?"

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers. Bye."

Literal just screaming and bursting into tears (she did it on purpose)

"Before you imply that I am a charity case, can I direct you to the fact that this is in fact a Charity Gala...for actual charity." (This is one for when she's older)

"Are you sure you're not a rogue?"