The sound of youthful giggles and tired sighs drafted through the open air. The brightly colored playground was covered in kids running about, as parents sat on the outside benches surrounded by lush greenery. Some were reading, others tending to scraped knees and nosebleeds – but one Alfred Pennyworth sat stiffly, watching two children intently.
His sharp eyes darted swiftly around the park, following the pair as they raced as fast as their legs would carry them. He caught only glimpses of cardinal and raven hair rushing back and forth, the two often switching between short games of tag and hide n' seek. He could feel a smile tugging at his lips watching the boy stop his friend, face contorted in a laugh while he ushered her over to the monkey bars.
Dick had officially been a part of Bruce and his new little family for eight months. Alfred has been responsible for taking him and the commissioner's daughter to this very park every week for seven of those eight months. The girl, Barbara, had been Dick's first friend in Gotham. The two had met at the police department a week following the tragedy with the boy's parents. Dick had clung to Bruce's pant leg whimpering, and Barbara hid shyly behind her father. Despite the slight language barrier, the children were quick to grow close. They took any opportunity to just sit and color in one of the manor's sitting rooms or run around in the garden.
The park, however, was their absolute favorite place. It was special. The monkey bars and copious number of trees allowed Dick to show off his acrobatics, which always enthralled the young girl. It gave them space the manor's garden didn't, where they could play without the worry of ruining any flowers or bushes. It was the place where he saw Dick smile for the first time.
Barbara sat on the platform behind the monkey bars, feet swinging happily. Alfred watched her eyes gaze towards Dick, who was climbing onto the juxtaposed ladder, hands grabbing onto the first bar. He tested it, swinging gently, before pushing his legs through the middle of two bars and positioning himself on the top. She watched eagerly. He stood up, feet diagonally balanced, and pushed himself off. He flew through the air, flipping thrice, before landing with a twist. His eyes were alight with passion, and he let himself stretch slightly on the patch of grass he landed in. Barbara stood up quickly, her face glowing with a wide smile, clapping.
"Thank you, thank you." He bowed lightly, laughing through his words. "I'm here all week."
"That was so good, Dickie! It looked like you were actually flying!" She jumped off the platform, scurrying over to him.
"Yeah, aha, it can feel like it too." He smiled, hand rubbing at the nape of his neck. It never felt like it did in the big top, but practicing here made Gotham seem a little more like home.
"Really? That's so neat! My coach never lets us do anything on the bars, she keeps us on the floor doing stupid somersaults and stuff. You must feel like-like Superman!" She exclaimed, starting to pull him over to the bench where Alfred sat.
"Well, I guess," He stops as he gets in front of his butler, grinning at him sheepishly.
"Master Dick, that was quite a display out there. I'm surprised the sound of jaws hitting the floor did not cause an earthquake."
"Sorry Alfred, but Babs wanted to see a trick and I'm better wit-"
"Wasn't that the coolest thing?" Barbara cuts in, her hands making frantic gestures. "He was like – and then he – and then he goes – and then he lands like!"
"It certainly was a quality performance, Miss Gordon. Now, are you two getting hungry?" He saw their heads nod in confirmation. "What sounds like it would make a nice lunch?"
He watched as Barbara bit her lip and smiled and Dick slowly formed a wide grin. They glanced at each other before looking up to him enthusiastically.
"ICE CREAM!"
. . .
Alfred sat stiffly under the umbrella of one of the shop's outdoor tables, watching the kids eat their snack eagerly. They chatted happily, chomping into the treat as if punctuating their sentences. He grimaced as he watched it drip out of the cones, soak through the napkins, and end up on their clothes.
As they ate, rings of messy color began forming around their mouths. Brown covered Barbara's chin and skirt, and pink had managed to end up in the ends of Dick's hair. They were an absolute wreck, and they didn't seem to mind. They continued to laugh and giggle to themselves, focused on nothing but each other. Despite the growing mess, Alfred couldn't help but find it cute.
As quietly as he could, he pulled out the camera from his bag. He stood up silently, backing away a few feet from the small table. He positioned the lense to get the two in frame, and prepared his fingers on the necessary buttons. Smiling, he called out to the pair:
"Master Dick, Miss Gordon…Cheese!"
The two wide-eyed faces sat framed on her bedside table. Barbara laid on her stomach in her bed, legs rocking gently in the air. With her earbuds residing in her ears, she held her phone on her pillow, the face of her best friend grinning at her from the small screen.
They hadn't had the chance to see each other much lately – Dick had been busy doing rich kid "Adopted son of Bruce Wayne" things, and she had been trying to focus more on her schoolwork and gymnastics to keep up with the requirements of her scholarship. Talking with him outside the confines of their lunch period was relieving, in a way.
"Well, yeah, the sand thing was kinda stupid, but the last movie was sick. You can't deny that." He tests.
"One movie can't wash away the sins of an entire trilogy, Grayson. For being part of one of the biggest franchises in history, you'd think they'd do better." She retorts, rolling over to rest her head on the pillow and hold her phone up in the air.
"But that moment when he takes his first breath as Vader? That KRssHH sound? That was i-con-ic!" He exclaims. "It was his transition from Anakin to Darth Vader. That's so important!"
Before she could respond, a voice cuts in. That voice, the same voice who had been interrupting them for the past half hour. Barbara resisted the urge to roll her eyes and waited for him to say whatever he felt was so important.
"Are you guys talking about Star Wars? Dude, c'mon!" It cries.
"It's none of your business, leave me alon-" Dick's voice gets muffled as the phone moves abruptly. She can't see anything other than a yellow blur for a moment, until the camera focuses in one a face.
In replacement of Dick, now stood a ginger Barbara couldn't recognize. His hair was somewhat spikey, falling lightly over his forehead, and freckles dotted his cheeks. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Now who were you talking to, Robbie?" He smirks, shifting his focus to the picture on the screen. "Wow, you didn't tell me she's hot, Rob!" He whistles. "How ya doin', pretty lady?"
Barbara grimaces slightly. She opens her mouth to react, but the camera is suddenly yanked in another direction. Dick, red-faced, once again stands in the ginger's place.
"I-uh, uhm, sorry about that." He apologizes, smiling gently. "Wally can get really ANNOYING." He glances away from her at the last word, and she faintly hears a laugh in the background. Dick shakes his head. "Anyway-"
Barbara heard an eerily familiar gruff voice enter the background. The screen suddenly went black, and her phone notified her that the call had ended.
That was…odd. Dick hardly ever just hung up on her like that. Deciding it must have been poor connection issue, she resolved to try and call him back. Her fingers quickly found his contact again, and pressed the call button. The phone rang quietly for a few moments, before she heard the voice of her best friend.
"Hey-" A smile grew on her face, of course he wouldn't- "If you're listening to this, that means that the totally popular Richard Grayson is too popular to talk to you right now. He'll get back to you as soon as he can." Her smile quickly disappeared.
After four attempts and two minutes of quiet ringing and voicemails, she gave up. Apparently he wasn't as keen on talking to her as she was with him. Letting out a frustrated groan, she let her phone slip out of her hand onto the bed next to her, and flopped harshly back on the pillow. She let her eyes flutter open to stare at the ceiling above her.
Maybe he was just busy – that would make sense. The voice at the end had sounded like Bruce, and if he was at the manor in the middle of the day, something had to be happening. As she thought about it, she dismissed the idea. Wherever Dick was didn't look like any room in the manor. She hadn't heard Alfred at all either, and he would have usually made an appearance by then.
Was he at Wayne Enterprises? Probably not. There wouldn't be another teenager with him there at the office. Unless Bruce had let him invite a friend? Would he really invite somebody else over her? She thought she was his best friend. Was that why he hadn't been talking to her as much? Was she being replaced?
Barbara was going crazy. Dick wouldn't replace her. Something had just came up. He's been busy lately, and she isn't his priority right now. That's fine. That's normal. But that doesn't make it any less upsetting. She missed him.
Seeing him at school is nice, but she couldn't help but long for the times when they weren't seen without each other for more than an hour. They hadn't even been to their park in months. She knew they were just growing up and growing apart. But she didn't want them to grow apart, no matter how many times her dad says it's normal. She wants her best friend back.
She took a deep breath out through her nose and pushed herself up. She grabbed her phone and put it on her nightstand to charge, and numbly walked over to her lamp to turn off her lights. Once in the dark, she roamed back over to her bed and collapsed. She needed a nap.
Barbara rubbed her eyes softly as she approached the school. It doesn't matter how far into the school year it is, she'll never get used to the stupidly early starting time. It was almost cruel. She could never understand how kids could pull all-nighters and not collapse in the middle of class.
She still had some time before first block, so she headed over to her lunch table where Dick sat with Artemis and Bette, each of them chewing on cinnamon buns. She smiled at the group and waved as she grew closer.
"Hey, guys." She greeted, tossing her bag on the ground and sliding in beside Bette. She grabbed a bun from the center of the table and took a bite. "And these are courtesy of…?"
"Moi." Dick grinned proudly before letting out a gentle laugh. "It sure took you long enough to get here, huh?"
"Listen here, Grayson. Not all of us have the superhuman power of running on no sleep like you do." She cracked, finishing off her cinnamon bun.
She heard the sound of the bell ring in her ears, signaling five minutes until first. She reached down and grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. She waited for Dick to get his things before standing up and walking with him, saying a quick goodbye to Artemis and Bette.
They made it to her first period, Dick walking with her like always. Before she could move to go inside the classroom, he stopped her.
"Hey, Babs. I'm sorry about the call last night. Something came up with Bruce and I didn't have my phone so I didn't see any of your missed calls until like one in the morning." He shifted on his feet, hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"Oh, uhm, you're good. I was just worried about you. Sorry for like spazzing out your phone." She smiled. He smiled back, before turning around to make his way to his class.
"Uh, Dick?" She called into the hallway. He stopped and turned back to her. "Park this Saturday?" She asked.
His face lit up, and he threw two thumbs up in confirmation, before continuing down the hall.
She watched him walk away, before finally making it inside her classroom. A wide smile adorned her face; she felt almost giddy. She really had missed him.