Father's Day {Bruce}

[Dick Grayson]

Son of man
Look to the sky

RICHARD GRAYSON TROTTED DOWN the steps that led to the Batcave, a white envelope in hand. One the envelope was Bruce's name scribbled in his hand-writing. He glanced over at Alfred, who stood near the Bat-computer, where he guessed Bruce must have been. The butler gave him a soft smile, which he returned. It was another late night for the dynamic duo, exactly one minute until midnight. One minute until Father's Day. Even if the man was only his foster father, he was the closing thing to his father, John, that he had had in years. Bruce had given him a home and a purpose in life, and the card said that on the inside in his hand-writing. He had gone a tad-bit sappy with his written message on the card, but he figured he was allowed to get sappy on the old-bat every once in a while.

The card had been custom-made-- when you had a lot of money, you could easily do that --to have a bat hugging a little robin bird on the front. Cheesy, he knew, but Alfred had thought it was cute and told him that Bruce would like it. He was still dressed in his costume as he walked up behind the main chair at the computer. Alfred had made a quick exception to the 'no capes upstairs' rule in order to let the Boy Wonder run upstairs real quick to grab the card. It had been a bit hard to get Bruce something besides a card, which was what the man typically got every year since taking in the young acrobat under his wing. The man was rich and seemed to have anything a human could want. Of course he didn't have as much stuff as Superman-- God, that man kept a lot in his fortress --but what could he possibly want that the boy could offer? That was why he always got a card, though this year he had spiced it up with a custom-made card.

Robin looked over his mentor's shoulder curiously. "What are you working on?" He asked, holding the envelope behind his back. He glanced over at the computer's clock, frowning ever-so-slightly as it had yet to change. He glanced over at Alfred, who was watching them with a warm smile. His attention went back to Bruce before a change on the computer caught his attention and he noticed the clock change to midnight. It was officially Father's Day. He most likely interrupted the man in mid-sentence as he jumped to the side, a grin coming onto his face as he now stood next to the chair, facing his foster father and holding out the envelope. "Happy Father's Day!"

Someday you’ll walk
Tall with pride

Wordcount: 448
Lyrics: Son of Man/Phil Collins
Inspiration: Song for Dad/Keith Urban (song)
Character(s): Dick 'Robin' Grayson/Young Justice
Guest character(s): Alfred Pennyworth
Outfit(s): Costume
Comments: Hope you don't mind I started this, sis ;D
Feel free to take control of Alfred Lol
Written by: Tiger Geme
Tags: Bruce

[Bruce Wayne]

Cowl up, Batman heard the footsteps of his young protégé. Suspicion already hit him, wondering why Alfred had allowed the boy upstairs in costume. He continued typing on the computer, however, logging the events of that night’s patrol. He did, however, take a brief second to raise an eyebrow underneath his cowl at Alfred. The butler just gave him a calm, almost stern look in reply.

He didn’t bother glancing at Dick when the young boy looked over his shoulder. It used to be rather annoying when the boy had first started doing it, but now he had learned to tolerate it. Dick and Alfred were the only people allowed to infiltrate his personal boundaries on occasion.

“I’m cataloguing the events of our patrol,” he said, answering the boy, “You know I do this every ti-”

He felt slight annoyance at being cut off, until his ward’s words sunk in and he realized what he had said. The slightest parting of his lips was the only sign of his surprise. He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was now precisely midnight. He knew what day it was. Days like these were always in the back of his mind, nagging him about how he could never truly enjoy it. He used to dread this day, along with many others, but had made an effort to change that after Richard had come into his life.

He pulled back his cowl, sending an almost accusatory glance to Alfred, and took the envelope from Dick.

“You didn’t have to do anything.” He said that every year. He wasn’t Dick’s father; he had never tried to be. A part of him had never wanted to be either, but the way he felt toward the young boy had just come so naturally and easily, that he had found it impossible to fight.

His hesitation was so small, that only those closest to him would’ve notice, as he opened the envelope.

[Dick Grayson]

Son of man
Look to the sky

DICK WAS GLAD HE had caught Bruce even the tiniest bit off gaurd. It simply wouldn't have been any fun if the man had expected it. He knew the day didn't always hold the happiest place in both of their hearts-- after all, they had both lost their fathers --but he didn't want to dwell on that too much. He would visit his father's grave later, like he did every year, and try to convince Bruce to let him accompany him to the man's father's grave. He grinned and watched eagerly as Bruce took the card. He partially rolled his eyes at his foster father's comment. Of course he didn't have to, but he wanted to. Bruce most likely knew that, but did he really have to point that out almost every year?

"I know," the Boy Wonder said in response, "But I wanted to. You've... You've been a good dad." He was more sentimental than Bruce, it was obvious, but it felt slightly awkward saying the last part. Bruce had been a good dad to him, but he wasn't sure if that was the best way to convey it. Was You've been a good dad a good thing to say? When he thought about it, he realized that the big, bad Bat had been more than simply a 'good dad'. He had taken him in when he had no one. He had trained him and helped him take down Zucco and bring the criminal to justice. He had given him a place to live, but most of all, he had started to care about him. And in return, the young acrobat had started to care about the Dark Knight as well.

Robin noticed Batman's hesitation, having gotten to know the man quite well over the years of living with him. Did Bruce think he was trying to replace his original father with him? Or that Bruce was accidentally replacing him? He wasn't sure. Even for him, the billionare could be hard to read at times. He waited for the man's reaction to the card, hoping he didn't think it was too cheesy. Alfred had insisted that Bruce would like it, and Alfred had practically raised Bruce, so that must have meant something, right?

Someday you’ll walk
Tall with pride

Wordcount: 372
Lyrics: Son of Man/Phil Collins
Inspiration: None
Character(s): Dick 'Robin' Grayson/Young Justice
Guest character(s): Alfred Pennyworth
Outfit Costume, minus his mask
Comments: None
Written by: Tiger Geme
Tags: Bruce

[Bruce Wayne]

A small part of him was amused at the fact that they managed to basically have the same conversation every year. But then the boy said something that he hadn’t said before; “Dad.” He realized that maybe he should’ve kept his cowl up, because it was difficult to keep the emotions off his face. How could that one word fill him with so much regret and satisfaction? It was contradictory. He didn’t like contradictions. But he seemed to like that word. At least at the moment.

He cleared his throat slightly. He wasn’t sure whether he was the only one feeling the awkwardness. Probably. He’d been told that he had a habit of making things more difficult than they needed to be. He wasn’t sure about that, but he’d filed the comment away for further evaluation.

He opened the envelope and pulled the card out. He cocked an eyebrow at the image of a bat hugging a small robin. Dick must’ve had it custom made. He sent Dick a slightly amused glance. Leave it to that boy to come up with something like that.

He opened the card, fully aware that Alfred was watching him and ready to give a silent reprimand at any moment. Bruce would have to tread carefully if he wanted to avoid the Englishman’s wrath.

He read the words, letting their meaning sink in. Dick had always been a sentimental boy, so Bruce wasn’t surprised by the abundance of emotion in the child’s writing. His words were simple, but somehow managed to convey much more than they would in a normal circumstance.

He closed the card and set it down near the keyboard with its envelope. “That was very nice, Dick.” The sincerity in his voice made up for the slight lack of expression on his face. He noticed Alfred giving him a look.

Well? the look said. Bruce looked back at him.

What?

Alfred sighed exasperatedly. You have to do better than that, Master Buce.

Bruce’s brow furrowed ever-so-slightly. What do you mean?

[Dick Grayson]

Son of man
Look to the sky

DICK WASN'T ENTIRELY SURE what was going through Bruce's mind. He wasn't sure why the man cleared his throat-- perhaps he was catching something? Germs, apparently, weren't afraid of the big, bad Bat. His face was already smiling and it only widened as he watched his foster father read the card. The smile, however, started to fade. 'Very nice'? That was all he got? No hug? He understood that Bruce wasn't his biological father-- he wasn't trying to replace his father and neither was Bruce --but after so many years living together, did Bruce honestly think they're relationship had progressed at all? Bruce technically wasn't his father, but he was the closest he had.

"Glad you like it," the teenage crime-fighter replied, not trying to hide the slight disappointment in his tone. "I'll um go change and head to bed..." Actually, he'd probably just go sulk or brood, something he had learned quite well from watching Bruce. He knew Bruce liked the card; the man wouldn't lie to him, but couldn't he say something more attatched? The Boy Wonder held in a sigh before looking toward Alfred and giving the man a small smile. He then started walking away with the intent to change into his pajamas.

Robin glanced over his shoulder at Batman, glancing at the card and then glancing back at the man. Had he done something by calling him 'Dad'? Had he made the entire situation awkward for Bruce? After all, he was only his foster son, not his actual son. Perhaps it was too soon to call Bruce 'Dad'. But if not now, when? When the man decided to adopt him, if he ever did? Adoption would have been nice, but he highly doubted it would make that much of a difference. He'd still be living with Bruce and he'd still be fighting crime by Batman's side. What difference would it make if he was his foster son or adopted son? His eyes widened ever-so-slightly in embarrassment as he realized his mind had trailed off and he had probably been staring. He quickly looked away. Way to make it even more awkward, Grayson, he mentally scolded himself.

Someday you’ll walk
Tall with pride

Word count: 359
Lyrics: Son of Man/Phil Collins
Inspiration: None
Character: Dick 'Robin' Grayson
Guest character: Alfred Pennyworth
Outfit: Costume minus mask
Comments: None
Written by: Tiger Geme
Tags: Bruce

[Bruce Wayne]

Bruce wasn’t the smartest when it came to being a parent, he was the first to admit it, but even he could detect the disappointment in the boy’s tone. He frowned as guilt stabbed him lightly in the gut. But what did he even do? He had said the card was nice, and he had sincerely meant it.

He nodded and watched as Dick sulked. He realized he wasn’t the most emotional person in the world, but wasn’t the boy overreacting just a bit? Bruce hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t like the first Father’s Day when their relationship had been acknowledged. Then, you could’ve cut the awkwardness with a knife.

Bruce sent a look to Alfred. On anybody else, the look would’ve been desperate. On Bruce, it was simply questioning. Alfred sighed.

“Perhaps you and the young master should have some ice cream after you both change? I believe the expiration date is coming soon and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. It is not a school night, so should be fine.” The butler had spoken loud enough for Dick to hear as well. Bruce thought about it for about a second before nodding. It wasn’t everyday that Alfred was willing to let Bruce and Dick forego on getting a decent night’s sleep.

“Sounds good to me” Bruce said, before looking to Dick for his opinion. The boy had grown since the billionaire had first brought him in. Dick wasn’t the tallest for his age, but Bruce could already tell that he would grow into quite the young man. Which was why he wasn't surprised by the fact that Dick had a "girlfriend" already.

Yes, he was perfectly aware of that. The security cameras in the mountain did work.

[Dick Grayson]

Son of man
Look to the sky

WITH HIS BACK TURNED to Bruce, Richard grinned to himself, knowing his foster father had noticed his over-dramatic sulking. One of the reasons for doing it was so that Bruce's attention would stay on him instead of going back to his computer. The other reason was, well, because he thought it would be fun. He was a good actor, if he could say so himself.

The 'young master' froze mid-step as he heard two words put together to form something wonderful and delicious. Ice cream. He glanced over his shoulders and gave a nonchalant shrug. "Sure." He was getting older after all, already a teenager. And teenagers didn't rush upstairs to get some ice cream, even if it was prepared by Alfred. However, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. He gave Alfred a quick you're an awesome genius look before quickly darting off to change. Okay, so even teenagers got excited about ice cream.

But c'mon, it was being prepared by Alfred. Even if he didn't make it by hand, that was enough to know it was going to be awesome. He made a mental note to have M'Gann get baking advice from the butler. Sure her cookies were better-- she managed not to burn them every time now --but no one's could compare to Alfred's. If he was a god, he was pretty sure he'd be the god of baking.

Or, well, something along those lines that would sound much more cool and epic.

Once in his pajamas, Dick was soon by Bruce's side again, looking him over to see if he was already out of his costume. Certainly the Batman costume took longer to remove, but Bruce was the Batman so he doubted it was impossible. Besides, if Bruce kept him waiting, he'd threaten to have the ice cream with Alfred instead. He did hope the butler stuck around, however, and maybe had some ice cream himself if their was enough. Alfred worked hard and deserved to indulge every once in a while. And-- had he forgotten to mention? --it was ice cream prepared by Alfred.

Yeah, he was totally looking forward to it.

Someday you’ll walk
Tall with pride

[Bruce Wayne]

He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at Dick’s initial lack of excitement. The boy had never been one to tone down how he was feeling, often wearing his emotions on his sleeve, especially when the mask was off. But he was a teenager after all, and teenagers had ever-changing emotions. Bruce was sure that as Dick’s age increased, so would the man’s headaches.

A smirk found its way onto his face as Dick dashed off. Bruce still knew his ward well, which was slightly comforting. It had certainly taken him long enough to get a hold of Richard’s antics. Standing up, Bruce sent a slightly grateful look to Alfred, before going off to change into regular clothing himself. It didn’t take him long. He had become an expert on dressing and undressing quickly. You had to be prepared for anything in the field. It wasn’t but a minute later when he emerged, dressed in a white polo shirt and some black slacks, his idea of casual.

He looked around the cave to see that Alfred was not there, having probably gone upstairs to fix the ice cream, and to see that Dick had finished changing around the same time. He looked over his ward, glad that he had gotten rid of the Superman pajamas about a year ago.

He walked up to Dick and briefly placed a hand on the boy’s head, before making a motion with his head toward the stairs. He ascended them, his pace content and relaxed. He was truly in no rush to consume frozen sugar. Any other day, he would’ve insisted that they snack on something much more healthy, but this day seemed to be an exception. To many things.