UGH. I suck at naming my stories, so just...ignore the lame name. Okay? Okay.
Kara had not been surprised at all by the request she received a few days prior from Bruce Wayne, head of Wayne Industries, having received it more than once before. Bruce would be going away on business, business that Dick could not accompany him on, and in his leave he needed someone to watch after the boy. Normally, Alfred was more than capable of watching the young master, but everyone at the manor knew the real reason why the young Kara Kent was really being "hired" to watch the boy. Bruce Wayne may have been a businessman and a playboy by day, but by night he was so much more. Batman, the name that made grown men quake in fear, and his partner, Robin, the kid with a big mouth and an even bigger ego, though he had the skills to back up his arrogance...mostly.
The blonde herself donned a secret identity as well, being Kara Kent, the "hot girl" that lived next door to most, but when things turned ugly, she was Supergirl, Superman's cousin and one of the strongest beings in the universe. It was no wonder Batman had chosen her to look after his adopted son while away. She was not here to reinforce his bedtime or make sure he ate all his vegetables, she was here to watch over Gotham and help keep Robin safe while he was away. While Kara had a rocky start with Batman, things had smoothed out, and she was one of the few Batman actually trusted with their secret identities, though she could have easily found out on her own. X-ray vision has a funny way of ruining a lot of mystery when it comes to those kinds of situations.
Despite all this though, it still felt very unnatural as she stepped into the large mansion, Alfred greeting her with a pleasant smile. "Hello Miss Kent, I hope you've been well?" he inquired, his polite English accent a refreshing change compared to the lewd comments most teenage boys threw her way. "Hey Alfred, I've been good. Bruce hasn't been overworking you, has he?" the girl chirruped back, causing the butler to smile marginally, his eyes wrinkling humorously. "No more than usual Miss Kent, no more than usual."
They shared a knowing look before the older man excused himself to go fetch both Bruce and Dick, and a few minutes later Bruce was rushing past the Girl of Steel with a simple nod of acknowledgment, obviously rushing to get ready. "Kara," he murmured, his voice deep and gravelly, like Batman's, though he cleared his throat and managed to offer her smile, one which slightly disturbed her. Batman smiling never quite sit well with her, it just seemed forced and unnatural. "Bruce, nice to see you...where's Dick?" At the mentioning of his son, he cringed slightly.
"...Oh, he's having one of those days," Kara replied, tone understanding as she shifted positions, arms crossing lightly over her chest. Bruce paused to look at her for a long moment, and they brewed in their awkward silence for a few moments before they heard someone clearing their throat. Both pairs of eyes glanced toward the noise, the butler standing tall, surveying the two patiently. "You don't want to be late, Master Bruce."
His jaw tightened fractionally so, and after giving Kara another nod, he turned on his heel and left. There was no need for anything to be explained, the blonde already knew what to do, and she was sure Batman-err, Bruce would be in touch with them. Unfortunately, it did not seem like Dick was very pleased with this situation, causing her to release a heavy sigh. She supposed she would have to go up and attempt talking to him...
Well, her attempts at being civil had not gone over so well, and after having a pillow smack her in the face, she had decided to retreat back downstairs, currently lounging on a rather large, luxurious couch, having promptly thrown the copious amounts of pillows on the ground so she actually had a place to sit instead of being forced to drown in the upholstery. It was not until dinner time that she saw Richard again, though he was staring hard at the table when the female walked in, purposefully not looking at her.
With a deep sigh, she sat down across from him, leaning forward and propping an elbow onto the table top, chin resting in the palm of her hand. "You didn't use to mind me hanging out with you," the alien started, watching him with an even gaze, noticing how his shoulders seemed to tense slightly, head raising marginally. "I don't mind hanging out with you, but I don't need a babysitter. I was trained by Batman after all," he huffed, sitting up a bit straighter, his chest puffing out slightly. "I'm not really babysitting you, I just happen to be staying here while Bruce is gone...really, I'm supervising you if anything," Kara explained, trying to sound amiable.
The Boy Wonder deadpanned. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"...Well, it was, but looking back I doubt it will," the blonde mumbled with a light grimace, shoulders slouching slightly. "Look, he just wants to make sure you're safe, that's all."
"Then why didn't he take me with him?" Dick snapped abruptly, standing up swiftly, causing his chair to skid across the floor, nearly teetering over as the palms of his hands smacked down upon the dinner table. His blue eyes seemed to flare up with a sudden burst of indignancy, causing the Kryptonian to start slightly, watching the boy carefully as he breathed hard for several moments.
"Dick..." her voice was soft, slender body slowly raising, her eyes never leaving his form. "Dick, I don't know what Bruce is up to, but I'm sure he had a good reason for not letting you come with him-he cares about you, he doesn't want you getting hurt."
"What about him, though? What am I supposed to do if he dies, huh Kara? What then?" he blurted, hands balling into fists, and it did not take a brain surgeon to figure out that this little "business trip" of Bruce's was much more than that, though obviously the man had not wanted anyone else knowing. In fact, she doubted that Batman even realized Richard knew, though that brought up the question of how he found out, though that was a question for another time.
"He won't die," her voice was a bit firmer this time, although it was still soft, tone delicate, gaze steadying itself upon his face, though he looked away from her, jaw tightened, and for a fraction of a second he reminded her of Bruce. "You don't know that," he stated plainly, his expression dropping, and it only took a second for the Girl of Steel to appear next to the the smaller boy, arms wrapping tightly around him and drawing the raven haired teen into a hug. He merely stayed limp in her grasp, making no moves to return her affectionate embrace.
"You're right, I don't know that, but what I do know is that he cares about you, Dick, we all do, and we care about him, we won't let anything happen to Bruce if we can help it, okay? If it makes you feel better, I could contact Clark-" her words were cut off, alarm spreading across the Boy Wonder's features. "No! I mean...uh," he pulled away from her slightly, fidgeting, and the blonde raised a delicate eyebrow. "I may have hacked the Batcomputer to find out what Bruce was really up too..." he murmured, shifting slightly as his gaze averted from her.
Kara was quiet for a long moment, eyebrow raising high upon her forehead, before letting out an obnoxious laugh, reaching a hand out to ruffle the boys hair. "You're such a rebel sometimes," she teased as he quickly ducked away from her hand, steadying a glare upon her form. "I am not, I just happened to stumble across those files while looking for something completely unrelated," he huffed, tone matter of fact as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Right, sure, whatever you say, Dick..." she rolled her eyes slightly, and silence seemed to fall between them for a long time. Richard was the first one to break it, his expression turning solemn again as he gazed at the older girl. "You...promise you won't let anything happen to him?" He was eyeing her carefully, awaiting a response as he shuffled slightly, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. Kara softened, placing both hands upon his shoulders, noticing how his muscles stiffened under her.
"I'll do my best, as will the League. We're a family, Dick, and nothing will change that. Nothing."
Her fingers slipped from his shoulders, clutching at air as the male moved forward suddenly, arms curling around Supergirl's slender body, face burying itself into her shoulder gently as he squeezed his eyes shut, body shuddering softly. Quick to react, her arms wrapped around him, holding him close for several seconds and rocking him slowly, neither of them saying anything for the duration of their embrace. When they finally pulled apart, they stared at each other for a long moment, but the serenity of it was broken suddenly with a rush of wind and a blur as the female broke eye contact with him, moving at inhuman speeds. Robin furrowed his brow in confusion, practically jumping out of his skin when he heard the level voice of Alfred from behind him.
"Young Master Richard, is something the matter?" the butler queried lightly, causing the boy to twirl around on his heel, watching the elder man who now held a metal platter in his hand. Kara was back in her seat, in the same position as before, chin balanced upon her palm, though a small smile upturned her features as she watched the younger boy. "No, I'm fine. What's for dinner, Alf?" He asked, voice cheery, causing the butler to raise an eyebrow and exchange glances between the two, the look of utter innocence plastered across their face making him feel slightly unnerved.
"Spaghetti and meatballs."
"What, no Steak Tartare or Caviar?" the blonde chimed in jokingly, causing the raven haired boy to gag slightly. "No way, spaghetti and meatballs is way more asterous than either of those," he announced confidently, swagging back toward his chair and sitting down, Alfred looking bemused as he set the platter down, removing the top and revealing two plants of steaming pasta and sauce. "Well I'm whelmed," Supergirl snorted slightly, and Dick seemed to inflate even more, obviously pleased with his "words" catching on so quickly. Alfred was merely happy the two were getting along and that Young Master Richard was in better spirits now.
The rest of the meal was spent sharing their many "adventures" with each other, Kara noticing how Dick's eyes seemed to light up whenever he mentioned Batman, noting how they still seemed to dance the same way they did when he was younger. Some things never changed, it seemed, and she genuinely hoped that Batman did not do anything to sabotage his relationship with Richard, for she knew all to well how...difficult it was for him to be close to anyone, even platonically.
For now, she was merely happy to enjoy Dick's company, even if his ego was beginning to suffocate her a little.
Oh man, why do I always write things when I'm tired? Please excuse the randomness of this freaking thing, I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. That being said, there will be more chapters to come of this story (probably), and they won't be nearly as boring and crappy. I just...ffft. Where am I.
