Batman's Thoughts

The beating heart of the BatFamily's operations: the Batcave. A dark, moody place that instantly dampened Aaron's excitement. He had come here only once before to serve Batman a cup of coffee during a particularly tough case. It had been a nerve-wracking walk.

Cassandra was beside him so his eyes were allowed to relax and wander. He fully took in the life-size mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, the giant U.S. penny, and the giant Joker playing card. The expectations Aaron had set for Batman's base of operations were high but he never saw this coming. It was a rather unusual place.

The armoury gleamed with an arsenal of advanced weaponry and Batsuits of varying designs. Further back was the state-of-the-art training area, equipped with combat simulators and obstacle courses. Then there was the garage, where sleek vehicles like the iconic Batmobile and Batwing rested.

The BatComputer was divided into a series of screens flickering with surveillance footage, citywide scans, and encrypted data. That was where Batman sat, mask on, eyes glued but ears keenly listening to their footsteps.

"Do you need something?" Bruce asked, flipping his mask off as he turned his chair to face them. Cassandra opened her mouth, just to close it. They must have intruded on an important case if he was giving them the Bat Glare.

Aaron put a hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "Yes. We actually have something to announce."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. He looked Cassandra up and down, tilted his head, and leaned back. "Cassandra is pregnant."

Aaron blinked.

Cassandra went wide-eyed. "H-huh–"

"You're sweating, your pupils are dilated and your left hand is shaking." Bruce's gaze then landed on Aaron. "He just looks excited. Therefore, you are either getting married or pregnant. I already figured you two were dating last week. I doubt you're already moving onto marriage."

Wow.

"Pregnant," Cassandra muttered, disappointed. Admittedly, Aaron felt the same. He really wanted to have gotten the jump on him. "I-is it okay?" Cassandra asked, her hand on her stomach.

Bruce locked eyes with Aaron. Stephanie and Chloe–he knew that Aaron hadn't told her. He knew he had to. Still, Bruce smiled. "Of course. You have my blessings. You can take a break from crime-fighting if you want, Cass."

"Thank you," Cassandra mumbled. Aaron elbowed her. It was going a thousand times better than she had predicted.

"Don't." Bruce spun back to the BatComputer. "It's the least I can do. Ah, wait, will you have a baby shower? I can hire some people to help arrange one."

"No thanks," Aaron replied. "We appreciate it but we'd like to keep this to ourselves."

"Fair enough." Bruce side-glanced at them one last time and nodded. "Don't rush into this. Take your time. I know you aren't going to get married yet, which is a good choice, but just remember–there's no expiry date on it. Both the baby and the wedding."

"W-wedding…?" Cassandra reddened and rubbed her nape. Aaron chuckled.

"That won't be happening any time soon, sir."

"Hrn." Bruce nodded, eyes flickering from Aaron to the BatComputer in a millisecond. "Understood."

The two of them did consider it but decided to forgo it in the end. Marrying after less than two months of dating would socially seem weird. Aaron was still a civilian, after all. He didn't want the superhero community breathing down his neck because of a potential villain plot. Apparently, those happened a lot when it came to the love lives of heroes.

Well, if Aaron's little project in the background succeeded, there might come a day in Gotham where superheros wouldn't need to worry about that. They could live happy lives like everyone else.