Okay this idea would not get out of my head! I keep entertaining the idea until final I was like I'm writing this down.^^
Bruce groaned and sat up causing a soft creek from the mattress beneath him.
He ran a hand through his hair and looked next to him at his son Richard. There he lay, only twelve years old, with a thin, muscular body underneath a sour, fraying blanket.
The old, wooden framed bed shook slightly as he rose to his feet and took four large steps into the small, musky bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. The tub had a slight tinted ring around the edges that a cleaner could not wipe off.
The white tile covering the floor looked crusted and worn from years of rotting and the light blue paint on the walls needed to be redone. Once finished he pressed the sink nozzle downward with a generous amount of strength until the drip from the faucet slowed to nothing. Exiting the bathroom, he turned left out of the white walled bedroom and into the small, beige kitchen.
He unlocked the simple, red padlock protecting the wooden cabinets from unwanted invaders and pulled out a tube of Quaker oats.
Using a cup from the unlocked cabinet next to him, he filled it with water and stuck the cup into the microwave until it boiled. He then removed two bowls, filled them with a measurement of one half a cup of oats and poured the hot water in with them.
He set them on the table and then locked the oats away in the cabinet once again. He had bought the lock a long time ago, right around the time Richard started getting brave enough to snatch the food from it.
He was always hungry but if Bruce allowed him to eat whenever he wanted there would be a lot more days with nothing on the table. So, to insure they had a steady meal each day he rationed the food they had. He walked quietly over to the bed and spoke to the huddled mess under the covers.
"Dick, the longer you sleep the colder your food will get."
"Whaaaa"
"Get up, sport. Breakfast is on the table."
"Sweet, food!"
Richard jumped out of bed and rushed to the table to devour the plain oatmeal accompanied by Bruce who sat calmly across from him. Not a word was spoken as they ate until the last crumble was licked from the bowl.
"So, was work good last night, never got a chance to ask cuz that gang popped up in our face."
"How's your arm."
"Bruce, my arm's fine. It was just a mild cut and you bandaged it already."
"It's none of your concern Richard."
"I was just asking."
Richard got up from the table, collected the dishes, and began washing them in the sink.
"I'm going to be gone for a couple hours but I want you to stay in the house. I shouldn't be long."
"Can't I go out and play instead."
"Just stay inside. I feel much better when I don't have to worry about where you are."
"Well, I'd feel a lot better if I didn't have to worry about who you're with."
"You want to show up for school Monday with no supplies again."
Richard craftily avoided his gaze by scrubbing intently at a nonexistent stain on the bowl he was washing.
"We got by okay with your other jobs."
" I'll come pick you up and you can pick out some of them, okay?"
"Fine, but two hours you promised. I'm timing you the minute you leave the house."
"Alright, alright two hours straight."
Bruce put on his boots and headed into the hallway with doors and numbers surrounding him. Once outside, the smoggy air of Gotham greeted him and the sun illuminated his figure. He wore a pair of black lace up combat boots over his noir skinny jeans which were balanced out by a tight see-through blue tank.
It was around two in the afternoon but the time for him was normal. He and Richard were always tired after their patrol as Batman and Robin so they slept well into the day unless Richard had school. On most days, he would simply wonder around the city or find a good looking stop to plant his camp to find a customer but today was different.
He had been approached yesterday about doing a quick job for someone during their lunch break. It wasn't often he got requests during someone's work day but that didn't bother him in the slightest.
Their meeting place was in the bathroom of an old convenient store because it only had one stall. His visit was quick for the man only wanted a small job and Bruce's clothes stayed on.
He slipped the $30 he received in his pocket and then listened to his customer's request to meet later that night.
Once they negotiated a place and time, he said goodbye to the man and started on his way home to Richard. He got home and unlocked the door.
"Bruce, you're back before the hours are up!"
Richard smiled at him and jumped up from his place on the kitchen table, library book in hand.
"I told you I wouldn't be gone long. I'll just throw on a T-shirt and we can go get you some school supplies."
Richard rushed out the door as soon as Bruce got the shirt over his head and ran excitedly out of their apartment building with Bruce yelling behind him not to run, be too loud, or go ahead without him.
Whoa! It begins. I was just thinking what Bruce would do if he's dead poor and he can be such a lady's man that this popped in my head. Hope you keep reading. :3