Thank you to all the people that have been supporting my little oneshots. It always gives me such warm fuzzy feelings when I get your reviews. This one is a little abstract compared to the others but I just couldn't get it out of my head. Please enjoy!
Rock, Paper, Scissors, and Glue
It is no news to anyone that Batman has a Robin always by his side. It' something that he has become accustomed to and while they have changed throughout the years they always fit back into his side and move accordingly.
But those Robins also have boys under those masks that mean something to the man under the bat mask.
While the Robins may just be another part of his vigilante appearance the boys that have had that role have been something very precious to Bruce.
If he could describe himself he would use his boys to piece himself together. He would picture himself as an art piece that someone is mashing together in an elementary class. Bare essentials scrambled around a table and someone trying to piece something together.
There's no order to how it is put together and he can imagine the artists playing a game of rock, paper, and scissors to try and make the decisions. Each player gets to mix some sort of new part in and not care if it fits properly.
Or perhaps the pieces of the game are what creates the being.
Either way he would say the artists are his sons.
Rock
If you start with the first part of the old game then the beginning is the rock.
And while this is usually seen as some sort of weapon and the more powerful which crushes its opponent Bruce would actually use this to describe Tim.
Tim is logically sound and does not sway from his decisions. He is someone that will find his place and build with it to become stronger.
Tim has been there for every one of Bruce`s dark moments. He does not shake when any darkness explodes inside the man that has adopted him.
Bruce is very proud of him and is constantly surprised when he sees his Red Robin standing tall in front of the Teen Titans or his name on documents received within the Watchtower with detailed plans and improvements.
When he was in one of his darkest moments, when he lost one of his young birds, he had somehow been convinced to allow another bird fly beside him.
Tim was patient whenever the anger exploded from the large bat beside him. He measured each step and stood strong while others cowered and whispered about the broken man.
He finds himself still calling the boy to talk over plans and unresolved crimes. He trusts Tim's judgement more than anyone else's.
He's efficient and slowly getting rid of his edges to become a smooth gem.
Paper
Second would be paper and Bruce would pair this to Damian.
The boy learns so much from visual representations and is always watching to try and figure out the proper way things are done.
He came to Bruce as a weapon and he had used him as such for quite awhile until he discovered the little boy that was still under all those layers of assassin training.
If he had to draw Damian on a piece of paper then he would see himself looking right back.
So many similarities between them and it took Bruce way too long to realize that he could make a difference to not repeat the same thing. He could help this boy grow into something more. And while he finds his fighting to be important and he wants his boys to be part of it, he now sees how important it is to have someone substantial in your life to make it all worthwhile when you come home.
You can't always be Batman as you lose the man in it.
It took him much too long to realize that his boys were his saving point. He would say his greatest accomplish was having his boys and he has had to work hard to keep them.
Damian he had to be careful with because he could be molded and folded into whatever he wanted. But he did not want to lose the boy that could become such a strong being if he grew into his own person.
Damian had already been crumpled into a ball and thrown away.
Now he could fold himself into an intricate piece of origami.
Scissors
There was no one else he would even try to put as scissors except for Jason.
Just when you think you understand what you are putting together and it's starting to look like something then someone comes along and cuts some holes in it.
You realize there is so much to be fixed under the surface that there needs to be some bandaging and arranging to make things properly.
Jason has always been someone that has put some interesting marks all over Bruce's life. He was just a little boy and much too young to have seen the realities of the world. When Bruce first met Jason he had thought he knew everything and had it all figured out. He already had one Robin, his 'Brucie' persona was perfected, and he was sturdy in his role as Batman.
Then his tires were being stolen by a kid and he realized that there was still so much he still needed to fix. He found there were still some pieces of himself that were incomplete.
Jason had taught him how to take risks and no matter how much planning you do there are times when you have to be quick on your feet and learn how to be resourceful.
When he had lost the boy to the explosion that will forever change his life he had felt like his being had been shredded.
Even when the boy returned to him years later he constantly reminded him of the things that still needed to be patched back together.
Jason was his reality check with his snarky attitude and his brutal outlook on life.
He was the scissors that cuts him into different pieces to be put back into something with more structure.
And Glue
Meeting his first Robin was a moment of weakness and had unleashed dark memories within him.
He was at the circus when he saw a boy wear the same look he remembers from all those years ago in a darkened alleyway.
The boy's parents dropping while he reached uselessly from his platform from high above. Something broke in the boy then and real fear began settling in.
Bruce had stood up and taken control without another thought. He had adopted the boy not long after and created his first Robin.
But Dick Grayson has become much more in his life than he could have imagined.
As they dashed through shadows and witnessed the darkness in the world Bruce remembers coming back to the manor and wanting to hide in its depths until the next night of escapades.
But Dick would remove his Robin disguise and shed the darkness with it. Sunny smiles and energy that never burns out. He was the first to show him the light after so many years of darkness.
And somehow through all their problems Dick has somehow kept them as a family. He has supported and pulled everyone back together after each fight and injury.
Dick holds him together with his positive attitude and hugs that might as well be superglue.
Damian the paper for his base. Tim that holds that paper down so it doesn't shift or crumple. Jason who cuts the patterns and adds some personality. Dick who pulls it all together and keeps it one piece.
All together it doesn't create a masterpiece but it does create a man that would be nothing without them.
End
