Honestly, I don't know where this is going (or if it is even going somewhere at all, since I never even thought about writing for Batman). It seems like quite a difficult task. Let's see what you think about it.

Chapter 1 : Not Every Day is the Same

It was never sunny in Gotham. It really never seemed to be a day in which the sun was up in the sky without gloomy clouds covering it. And the first day of school was not different from any other day. Really, was there anything more boring than school and all those kids who lived oblivious to all the evil in the city? Those kids only wanted to have a good time and sneak out of their homes in the middle of the night to enjoy a good party in an underground club.

"Sorry," a boy muttered as he slammed against him but hurried away before he could even reply.

Heaving a sigh, he tried to keep his frustration at bay but it seemed impossible for him. He just shouldered his backpack and kept on walking down the hall until a boy of about his height, but blond and leaner, smirked at him.

"Wayne, where the hell have you been?"

It took him a few seconds to find his public persona and shove his real personality to the back of his head as he chuckled. "You know, new year, freshman girls. Just checking that out." A complete lie but it wasn't as if Harvey was going to find out that he had been later than usual because of the research he had been doing on some jujitsu sensei before signing him up as his personal trainer.

"Sure," Harvey winked at him. "It's just like every year. All the girls want Bruce Wayne."

"Jealous?" Bruce asked as he kept on walking towards his locker. The thing was empty and it would be kept that way for as long as possible, except for the hiding spot at the back of it.

He often wondered why he had allowed Alfred to enroll him into a public school and not just get his GED… a few years ago. Not only it was because it was because he wouldn't have been able to pretend to be stupid and just like any other rich kid, but Alfred believed he needed to socialize with people his age, something Bruce thought completely unnecessary given the less than average intellects he had found there.

"Not at all," Harvey said, leaning against the locker next to his. "I happen to be very popular on my own. Thank you very much." He eyed the hallway and smiled as a tall and gorgeous brunette strutted down the hall, the predatory smile on her face growing as she got closer to them. "But Selina might only have eyes for you."

Bruce refrained himself from rolling his eyes as he glanced at the girl walking past him. She was indeed beautiful with her dark hair and cat-like eyes, her body lean with just the right curves… and he was a man who appreciated the delicacy in a woman's body. Well, technically he was still a teenager, one who had inherited a transnational conglomerate and had an IQ of 192 points, but still as hormonal as his peers.

She smiled at him through her eyelashes and flipped her hair as she kept walking, swaying her hips as if she was walking down a catwalk.

"I'm not a one-woman man," Bruce replied, easily falling in his character of womanizer.

"Yeah, but all women are Bruce-Wayne women," Harvey quipped as his friend stepped away, smirking, suavely avoiding to bump into a girl. The blonde boy just chuckled as the crowd made room for the Wayne heir to walk.

To keep appearances, Bruce made a number of sacrifices, like not having real friends or trusting completely in anyone. It was difficult to be him but also easy with how the world fell at the feet of a rich brat like him.

"Bruce," a soft voice called and he stopped just at the door of the classroom to face a redhead with blue eyes, too smart for her own sake but also pretending to be normal for her father's sake. "Good morning."

"Hi, Barbara."

"Did you know we're together in most classes this semester?"

"Are we?" He walked past her and she followed as he knew she would do.

Barbara was what he would possibly call one of his closest friends, just because she wasn't interested in the same things other people were. She didn't care about how much he kept in his bank account or how many parties he planned on throwing in his mansion. But most girls believed there was something more there, even if he only saw her as a little and crazy smart, albeit annoying, sister.

"Yes, we are. And I believe that's a good thing considering the way your GPA dropped significantly last year." He glared at her as he sat down. He would talk to Alfred later about sharing information with Barbara and James Gordon – and how not to do it. "I could help you out. Tutor you."

His eyes narrowed to slits. She knew perfectly well he did not need help, and her tone proved it. She was just making clear that he wasn't allowed to slack off, no matter how calculated the risk was.

"Thank you for the offer, Barb." His voice was cold as ice but she didn't seem fazed by it as she sat next to him.

"You're welcome."

"You know that doesn't mean I'm going to take it, right?"

She smiled, seemingly innocently, at him. "Oh, you are if you don't want me to tell Alfred about you skipping classes. Again. And about how you went into the East End when you said you were going to my house."

Clenching his jaw, he muttered, "Alfred is not my father, Barb. Do I need to remind you of that too?"

She sighed. "He worries. You of all people-"

"Let's not talk about this. Ever." He turned around to face the teacher who had just entered the classroom and was glad for once that Barb wouldn't open her mouth as she was too busy paying attention to the class.

"Master Bruce," Alfred greeted as he expertly chopped some carrots. "How was your first day of school?" His smile was gentle, as always, trying to give some kind of normalcy to his hectic life but apparently failing miserably as Bruce harrumphed in reply. "Oh, well, in that case, I hope your day improves. I'm cooking your favorite meal-"

"Did you have to tell Barb about my grades?" Bruce slammed the keys of the Aston Martin he drove to school – a replica of James Bond's DB5 – against the counter. He was clearly irritated.

Alfred's eyes widened slightly at the outburst but soon his face went back to the peaceful semblance. "Miss Gordon happens to be a close friend who worries about your well-being, as her father does. I mentioned it only because you won't listen to me."

Bruce scoffed. "You think I'm going to listen to her?"

"I thought maybe you would react to one of your peers' comment. And better Miss Gordon than Mister Dent."

"Harvey is a douche."

Alfred's little smile couldn't be concealed as much as he tried. Everyone knew Harvey Dent was a very smart and talented boy, but a bit showy and prone to use unconventional methods to achieve his goals.

"I'm sure you are concerned to be labeled under the same concept as your friends."

Bruce's eyebrow hitched up as he smirked.

"But I'd like to make clear that I'm concerned about your education." Bruce was about to open his mouth but the butler continued before the teen could utter a word. "And I'm not talking about your intellect, which we both know is quite developed." As he chopped a piece of carrot forcefully, the knife met the cutting board with a loud thud. "Is your emotional and social life that I'm worried about."

This was one of those rare times in which Bruce Wayne was at a loss. He opened and closed his mouth before scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

Alfred smirked to himself. "Oh. I know. You're probably being old-fashioned and courting a lady properly before asking her out. It just surprises me since you're sixteen and you've never even insinuated-"

"There's no… lady," Bruce muttered awkwardly. He caught the mischief in the older man's eyes and soon glared at him. "And it's none of your business," he added in a particularly deep voice.

As he retreated to his bedroom, Alfred shook his head and continued cooking.

Youth was so strange. What was so wrong about a boy being interested in a girl? Nothing! But Bruce didn't see things that way, of course. Sometimes the boy thought too much about everything.

Next morning seemed a repeat of the previous. There were the same faces and noises, the annoying murmur of people gossiping, shouting and moving carelessly through the halls.

It was extremely boring for someone who absorbed knowledge as a sponge and cared very little about the mundane issues of the fellow students. He could pretend to care about Vicki Vale's latest article for the school paper or who Tristan Sawyer was dating – who the hell was he anyway?

But as he was making his way to his empty locker, he had a déjà vu. He bumped into the same kid as the day before, but this time the boy – who couldn't be more than fourteen, and also a new student since he was really lost – looked at him terrified.

"S-sorry, sir."

"Sir?" Bruce's eyebrow arched, slightly amused with the boy's reaction. "Do I look that old?"

"No! I meant, sorry. Just sorry."

"Who are you?"

"Richard Grayson, but everyone calls me Dick."

"I am-"

"Bruce Wayne. I know. Everyone knows."

Oh. Well, that explained why the boy was afraid of him. Bruce wasn't fool enough to ignore all the gossip about him, and since his name was already known around the city, it was hard to pretend to be just like everyone else. People thought he was a jerk and he gave them every reason to believe so.

"Uh," Bruce said pensively. "Let's not make a habit of meeting each other this way, Dick." He outstretched a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Dick looked at his hand and blinked a few times, his gaze traveling up to meet the older teen's face before he shook the offered hand.

"Am I in trouble?"

Bruce laughed. It was a strange sound, as if his vocal cords were rusty due to the lack of use for actual laughter. It wasn't entirely unpleasant but it was foreign even to his own ears. It just happened that there weren't many reasons in his life to laugh.

"No, you're not."

"Great." Dick grinned. He was a lanky boy, not comfortable with his own body since he had probably just gone through his growth spurt. He was all awkward limbs and slightly pimple-faced, nothing like the boys with whom Bruce hung out. "Um, I'd hate for that to happen on my first week of school. We just moved here-" Dick started to talk a mile an minute but Bruce completely ignored him as his eyes fell upon the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Surely she was a goddess fallen from Olympus. Her black hair was shiny as the feathers of a raven, falling gracefully past her shoulders, reaching her elbows. Her hourglass shape was magnificent. The skin was pale and looked soft, beckoning him to touch. Her bright blue eyes were the turquoise shade of sea in the Caribbean… not that he liked the sun that much.

People moved out of the way just to look at her walk by.

And when she approached, she smiled coyly at him – or past him. Well, she actually walked with her head high and a proud smile on her lips but boys tend to be driven by hormones from time to time.

"-and my parents really want me to do well in school," Dick kept talking until he noticed him twisting his neck in an unnatural way just to keep staring at the girl. "Ah!" Dick chuckled as if he had secrets hidden from Bruce. "That's Diana Prince."

Bruce was close to snapping his neck as he swiveled around to face him. "You know her?"

"Yes," Dick replied, biting back the duh at the end. "She's new too. We met yesterday, when we were picking up our schedules. She's really nice."

"Nice?" Bruce muttered with incredulity.

"She is."

"What else do you know about her?"

"She's an exchange student and she asked me to sit with her during lunch, since we're both new."

"I could sit with you," Bruce said casually, shrugging a shoulder. "Just, you know, to answer your questions and so people don't bother you."

Dick said nothing but smirked a little. "Sure."