Teenagers {Bruce/Open?}

[Dick Grayson]

Son of man
Look to the sky

DICK SAT BEHIND BRUCE'S desk, leaning forward with his chin resting on the desk. His eyes followed his foster father's every move upon noticing whether or not he had returned from his meeting or not. He was dressed in his school uniform, having just gotten out and since it was a Friday, he had decided to stop by Bruce's work instead of getting in costume and heading to the Cave. After all, the Team didn't have any current mission that he was aware of and Bruce never seemed to mind all that much when he popped in to spend some time.

But then again, he usually didn't pop in with complaints. He was sure that the moment he walked in, catching his foster father right before he had to head off to a meeting, that the man knew something was on his mind. Bruce could usually read him like a book, though it wasn't like he tried to hide his emotions. He didn't mind showing his emotions, especially around Bruce, Alfred, Wally, and occasionally Roy-- he wasn't as close to Roy as he was to Wally.

"I feel almost like I'm going to get upstaged," the Boy Wonder said, eyes glancing at the desk before looking up at Bruce. He wasn't even sure if he had given the man enough time to notice he was still there before speaking. "Have you noticed how many tech guys have joined the Team? ...Okay, so only two, but still!" He didn't specifically have any problems with the new recruits. He enjoyed spending time with Hack, and he had yet to officially meet this Techno Hood. Hack seemed like a nice guy and he was sure Techno Hood was as well. "I mean, I used to be the tech guy for the Team, y'know?"

The raven haired teen wasn't really sure why that bugged him or if it even bugged him at all. He let the side of his head flop against the desk, eyes staring at his hand as he grabbed one of Bruce's pens off the desk and twirled it around between his fingers. Perhaps something else was bugging him instead... but what? He silently racked his brain, keeping his ears open to hear any word Bruce might say. He glanced at the pen in his hand, white with a red tip. It reminded him of the Daring Dangers costumes he and his teammates had worn when he'd gone behind Bruce's back to help Haly's circus.

Why hadn't Bruce ever brought that up?

Surely the world's greatest detective knew about it. But did he know the details? Did he know how it had gone? Perhaps he figured the young acrobat wouldn't want to talk about it? For a while, he hadn't. It had just been 'another mission', he'd told himself. He had almost gotten through it with showing barely of his personal feelings toward the circus, when Jack had revealed that he recognized him. It had been nice to see the circus again and talk to Jack-- not as Dan Danger, but as Dick Grayson. Perhaps he'd eventually ask Bruce to take him to see the circus?

"Hey Bruce?" he piped up, lifting his head and sitting up, though he soon slouched back into the comfy chair. "Would you ever want to go see the circus with me?" He knew Bruce would know he meant Haly's instead of any circus. He eventually wanted to take Wally to see one of their shows, since he was his best friend and knew his back story, and maybe even Zatanna-- if she was into the circus.

Someday you’ll walk
Tall with pride

[Bruce Wayne]

Bruce had just been about to head to a meeting, when his receptionist had informed him of Dick’s presence. He and Dick hadn’t exchanged many words, but Bruce had automatically picked up on the slightest change in tone of Dick’s voice. The boy had something on his mind and Bruce was sure he’d be hearing about it as soon as the meeting was over.

The meeting had lasted about an hour and a half, so Bruce was sure that Dick’s thoughts had been brewing and were just about to explode out of him. This was why, when he walked back into his office, he didn’t even say anything. It took but a second for Dick to voice his dilemma.

As he listened to Richard, he set his briefcase down next to his desk. He briefly eyed the boy, who was currently in Bruce’s chair, before going and grabbing the chair that Dick was supposed to occupy when he stopped by, like any other visitor. Bruce made himself comfortable in that chair, sitting at the front of the desk. Once again, where Dick should’ve been sitting but wasn’t. He took his laptop out of his briefcase and placed it on his desk facing him. He turned it on just as Dick finished voicing his thoughts. He turned his eyes to his ward as his laptop booted up.

“While I don’t approve of much competition amongst teammates, I can add more technical training to your roster. Of course, that means you would have to cut back on something else.” He took a brief moment to log in to his laptop before returning to the conversation. “Every member of the Team provides something that the other’s can’t, it allows teammates to feed off on another and improve themselves. I don’t add someone to the Team just for giggles, Dick. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”

For a moment after that, the only sound was the clicking of the keyboard as Bruce typed up an email. He could practically sense the wandering mind of his protégé, so he wasn’t all that surprised when the topic of conversation took a sudden three-sixty. His eyes never left the laptop screen.

“If you wish. And if it doesn’t interfere with anything previously scheduled, such as school.” He really had no problem with taking Dick to the circus he had grown up with, as long as Dick was sure of it. But, judging from the boy’s most recent visit to the circus, Dick had mostly made peace with it.