What had he gotten himself into?
This was the simple thought on Wayne's mind as he stared down at the small child desperately trying to hold back his tears. It had been a three months since the boy had tragically lost his parents and a few mere hours since the billionaire had signed the adoption papers. He pitied the poor boy, but at the same time, he sympathized with him. He, too, had lost his parents at a young age, and if was for this reason that he had found himself sympathizing with the kid. At that time, however, he had his trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth to care for him. Dick Grayson, the only surviving member of the Flying Graysons (excluding his uncle who was to gravely injured to care for the child,) had nobody. This may have been the reason why Bruce pitied him so much, but glancing down at the small child sniveling in the middle of his large parlor, Bruce realized that the child was easy to pity.
He had first found that he was interested in the boy when he first saw Dick perform. The way he moved through the air was beyond beautiful and graceful especially for an eight year old, and though he had been rather reluctant to attend the show at first, upon seeing Dick and his family perform, he was thankful for the butler's suggestion. Later, as their showing had taken a tragic downfall do to sabotage he later found out, and he saw Dick crying over the bodies of his dead parents, clutching at their uniforms and begging them to get up, he saw himself all those years ago when he had lost his very own parents. He couldn't allow this innocent child to grow up how he had. Since then, he had kept a close eye on the boy, checking in every now and then to see how little Dick was doing.
"Let's get you settled in. Follow me."
He hated the harsh tone in his voice considering it had caused the already fragile boy to flinch, but he noted the the raven had said nothing as he followed shortly behind his new adoptive father. After finding that the boy had been placed in a juvenile detention center a little over two weeks ago (the excuse being that the system was to full and a foster home could not be found,) Bruce knew that he had to do whatever he could to save the child. Dick had been bullied relentlessly both physically and emotionally, only breaking the child further. Checking in on the boy and finding that he was in tears and covered in bruises had been the last straw. Bruce Wayne, playboy millionaire, had asked the child if he would like to come home with him, and he received his answer with a large smile on Dick's part and an enthusiastic yes.
It had taken a week to get everything in order, a whole week that Dick had to suffer through the bullying and harsh words, but he finally had his ward home safely. Still, the last few hours it had taken to free the child had been the hardest on Dick seeing as those delinquents weren't about to let him leave happy and had done anything in their power to upset the boy who had refused to cry in front of him. Now in the presence of his adoptive father, he still held back his tears, and unfortunately, Bruce wasn't the best when it came to soothing others hence why he was wondering just what the hell he had gotten himself into.
He had the slightest idea how to raise a child, but luckily he had Alfred there to help him along the way. The butler had raised him after all, and he seemed rather accepting once Bruce had informed him of his decision. Alfred had stated that this would be good for both Master Bruce and the child. Hopefully this experience would get his master to lighten up even if just slightly, and the child would be given a warm and loving place to rest his head. In the butler's mind, Bruce couldn't have made a wiser decision, therefore, he was more than happy to care for the child. At the moment, however, he was out shopping for snacks and other food items he found that children (particularly Bruce when he was a child) liked, leaving the master of the house to help the boy settle in on his own.
"This will be your room," Bruce said, his tone a little less rough as he opened the large mahogany door leading to a room probably large than Dick's old home, "Feel free to decorate it however you like."
The superhero placed Dick's bag down on his bed and watched closely as the child entered the room and immediately took to looking around. His sense of curiosity was kind of adorable in Bruce's eyes if Bruce did adorable. In his words it was more... delightful. He could see that the child was no longer on the verge of tears, and this made Bruce Glad. He wasn't sure what he would do if the kid suddenly broke down into tears; he wasn't exactly the hugging type after all, and he wasn't all that great when it came to comforting others either. Fortunately, the sight of his new room and the fact that he had his own home again had distracted the eight year old's thoughts from those bullies at the juvenile detention center and of his parents death, leaving a bright smile on the raven's face, the same smile he had given Bruce the day when the billionaire asked him if he would like to come home with him.
"This room is really all mine?" The child questioned, standing center in the large space and looking toward Bruce. His bright blue eyes were wide and excited, though, he couldn't completely mask the pain hidden within their irises, at least not from Bruce. Seeing the child so happy, however, had caused even Bruce to crack a smile as he approached his new son and ruffled his hair. Dick had let out a small sign of protest, of course, but he didn't stop Wayne from showing him at least a little love and affection. Instead the boy only grinned, grateful for the billionaire's affection before he left Bruce's side to lay down on the large bed.
It had been so long since he had felt this warm just by being around another being, and as Bruce approached his now yawning ward, he knew that he would never come to regret his decision to take him into his home. He knew that they still had a rough road ahead of them considering being the son of the White Knight of Gotham Bruce Wayne meant that Dick would have to grow use to an aristocratic life style, the jealousy and future prejudice of his classmates once he was attending school, the ever persistent paparazzi hounding him every time he left the home (escorted safely of course,) and of course a little secret about Bruce being Batman that he would keep to himself until he found that Dick was ready to handle such a secret. Given time, he knew that the raven would be able to adjust. He was a strong boy, but at the moment, he was in a very fragile state. Bruce was there for him, however, and soon Dick would come to realize this.
"How about we get you ready for bed, Buddy. It's been a long day, and I think that we could both use some rest." Bruce would get his rest after doing his duties as The Batman, but for now, it was best to get Dick settled in. His statement had earned a small groan from the child who was content sleeping as he was, but the Grayson had manage to push himself up off the bed into a sitting position. Bruce had helped him into his pajamas and had managed to coax him into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Now tucked away in bed and sleeping soundly, Bruce found himself unable to leave his young ward's side. It was a strange feeling caring for somebody so small and helpless, but this was just one act of being a father. He would see to it that the raven had a good life from this point forward, and he would do his best (with Alfred's help of course) to raise Dick not in his shadow but with the love and support any father could offer.
He heard the parlor doors close, signaling that Alfred was home. His ward was settled in for the night and sleeping soundly, and he and his butler had a great deal to discuss before he made his nightly rounds. With great difficulty, he managed to pull himself away from the acrobat. After giving one last ruffle of the hair and a small chaste kiss to the forehead, the White Knight finally stood from the boy's bed and offered him one last smile before exiting the room.
"Goodnight, Dickie. Have a good sleep."