If anyone claimed that Main Universe Batman and his Robins had never shared warm moments, that would surely be the most malicious misunderstanding of them.
In truth, the Main Universe Bat-family had enjoyed many good times. Every one of them had shared tender moments with Batman.
Batman had carried an injured Dick back to the Batmobile and kept watch by his bedside as moonlight spilled across the room. When Jason came home late, he had sat on the sofa waiting for that tall figure to walk in, the two of them quietly occupied with their own things in the darkness. He had discussed a report with Tim in a Wayne Enterprises office until Tim grew drowsy and fell asleep over the desk. He had sat beside Damian as Damian organized his equipment, watching silently.
And then there were Barbara, Duke, and Cassandra. Although Main Universe Batman had not crossed paths with them much at this point, their private interactions had never been so tense and confrontational.
No one could stay aggressive every moment of their life. As long as someone was human, they would grow tired and need quiet relief.
Batman always seemed especially silent at such times, but it was neither fierce nor cold. He accepted the liveliness of the world around him, and the world accepted his silence.
If Batman were compared to a long winter, then when he crashed headlong into springlike warmth, even though the phrase "the chill of early spring" reminded travelers that those days were not easy either, spring still brought hope.
But the one thing that could never be accepted—or rather, was always difficult to accept—was overly intimate physical contact and certain less mature ways of expressing emotion.
The way he and the children expressed emotion to one another had always been very