Bruce wasn't worried about himself. He hadn't worried about it before, when Jason was murdered, and now...
He knew he needed Robin, relied on the lightness of spirit they provided, but it wasn't going to be Tim, and Damian just wasn't ready. He could handle the job technically, but there were too many variables Bruce wasn't prepared to leave up to chance. No, it wasn't his time yet. Damian wouldn't like it, but he'd obey, if only because Bruce told him to. If that meant Batman would fly solo for awhile, so be it. He had done it before, he could do it again.
And Selina was out there. It wasn't at all the same, but it was someone who could keep him from sinking into the darkness. Right now, she'd have better luck with that than Damian could, anyway. They were still not completely at ease yet, as they continued to get to know one another.
Bruce nodded, a little surprised at the new of an uncle in Boston he'd never heard of. He'd do a background check on the man, of course. He did a lot of background checks on the people who came into the lives of those he held dearest. It wasn't really a secret anymore, nor did he mean for it to be, except that he rarely mentioned it.
"You don't have to go," Bruce said, his voice hesitant and soft. "I - you can go wherever you like, I wouldn't stop you, but... this has always been your home." He looked up, struggling to remain accessible and say this right.
"I've been planning on offering to adopt you since... well, since I heard, really," he said. Just like with Dick, there had been no doubt in his mind what he wanted and needed to do. "I know you need space from here, and me," Bruce looked at the costume again, once more wondering about the damage he was doing to these boys' lives, just by being associated with them.
"I know I'm not your father, and I can never replace him. When Dick's parents died, I didn't adopt him because I didn't want him to think that's what I was trying to do," Bruce confessed. "But I want you to know - I've thought of you as one of my sons for some time now - and that isn't going to change.
"If you need anything, wherever you are, you know how to find me."