Authors Note: Again. I own nothing. Just having fun. =D Okay, I own Cash. Nothing else.
Chapter 2:
Ignorance is Bliss
It was the night Bruce Wayne would take Talia Al Ghul out for dinner publicly since reestablishing their relationship in sky was a deep navy with magentic hues just below the skyscrapers raised torches, stars twinkled like radiant but distant peering eyes, and Damian Wayne was ready to unparent trap this shit. Colin just eyed the nerf gun strapped to his own back over one shoulder as they teetered out of the limo's front seat. Damian had planned this out from beginning to end and pointed out that his father never usally cared about Charlie the chauffer. If they were in the front he'd never make Charlie lower the divider to look up at them, they could still hide if the divder lowered beneath the seats.
"Are you sure about this?" Colin muttered not wussing out exactly because Damian knew out of anyone he was the last to turn coat and run. "I mean it's your parents..."
"There not anything more then genetic donators." he snarled to the ginger as he placed the paintbull gun he'd loaded in one hand, prepared to fire into poor Charlie's lap if any sign of danger came to their operation. Charlie's fingers were pressed white knuckled against the steering wheel as he just stared ahead, making barely even the slightest noise for breath. The two youngest Wayne's sons really were nightmares that no nanny beyond Alfred Pennyworth the butler could mantain. "You'd know that if you had any idea where your mom was."
Colin said nothing to respond to this just scowled deeper and flattened himself up against the door as he stared straight to the front doors of the manor. Charlie had set the car out when Bruce ordered for it to be pulled up. Talia had arrived 2.9 seconds prior and according to Damian they'd managed to drill their way down into the car well before his parents would finish Alfred's light tea and chat time. When enough time passed and Damian noticed Colin's dark straight pout did he get the notion that maybe that last comment had gone to far, "C'mon don't Tim out on me now." it was a typical complaint in the family. Tim could verbally replace phrases like 'give up' or 'angst unncessarily' at any given time. Jason had come up with most of them but even Alfred had used the new form of speech on accident.
"You know I can't help it about my mom." snapped Colin back fuming still a bit. "You have yours, don't shove that back in my face!"
"Alright, alright, figured you'd be over it by now." Damian let out a frustrated sigh and not any sooner could their bickering have ended then when Bruce now exited the manor doors with Talia attached to his arm. "DOWN!" Damian hissed and he and Colin moved like well trained and drilled soldiers pressing into the limo's leather seats with the greatyest accuracy. Charlie opened his door and stepped out, only teetering with one foot outside for a second as Damian pointed the tip of his paintbull gun up at him in warning. One word and your hit.
Charlie seemed to heed this as he quickly closed the door behind him and stumbled over to open Mr. Wayne and Talia's doors. He bowed low, properly and not to obviously.
"Damnit..." hissed Damian and Colin glanced over at him, head perfectly tucked beneath the glove compartment.
"what?" Colin blinked.
"The seat heating system is waaay to hot..." Damian complained, feeling his face flushing with the usually comfortable expensive style of the car.
"Then turn it down." sighed Colin back, barely able to control his own eye roll at his brother. Was Damian a prise sometimes he couldn't even begin too-
Charlie opened the door again and quickly slammed his own side shut behind him a bit to roughly. The car shook. Damian and Colin together pointed their guns up at him, water and paint ready to soak him through. Charlie muttered a barely audible apology and started the engine.
There was a knock for the divider to be lowered and Charlie gave Damian a nervous look. "Do your job." mouthed Damian angrily, ready to shoot him already, finger shaking over the trigger. Colin grabbed his arm and shook his head when Damian turned to him. Not yet, not yet.
"Y-yes. Mr. Wa-wayne?" Charlie managed to get out as the divider was down enough.
"We'll be going to the Birdcrest plaza for dinner and then the theater, Charlie." instead of Bruce Damian heard his mother's firm if not dangerously tuned voice seep through the car. His nose wrinkled as he could already smell her lavender perfume. She always overdid it with that stuff.
"Y-yes, Mrs. Wayne-" Charlie stumbled there and Colin even had to tap his forehead with the wrist of his right hand in frustration. This idiot was going to get them caught.
The divider went back up as the lovey couple didn't seem to care for their mistake or idiocrisy of a limo driver.
"you are so damn lucky I don't make you sterile." Damian snarled at him, readying the gun back down on Charlie's lap. Charlie just stared ahead with a frozen, fearful and unpaced expression. Face turning pale and knuckles gripping the steering wheel hard as ever as Colin just spoke up enough for them all to hear.
"Yeah, I don't think he'll ever want two little angels like us."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"You look like your in a bad mood…" Stephanie approached her brother carefully. After all, he was working out in the giant gymnasium on the second floor of the manor, so that meant he was probably blowing off some steam. Second, he had invited Connor over and that only meant things were much much worse then originally anticipated. Not even Dick could talk to Tim when he was like this.
"Yeah- well-" Tim jerked his arms up over his head enough to have Connor take the dumbbells away and start lifting them himself. Tim sat up from the workout bench to glare at Steph, "You told that press punk to come find me."
Steph frowned trying to recall. "Ohh..you mean your classmate?"
"He's a Vale, Steph." Tim groaned in frustration throwing his arms up then wincing from how sore he already felt. Steph didn't want to know how long he'd been down here pumping iron. He probably was done thinking straight. "There all press freaks who want to know about dad and stuff they don't have any business in knowing."
"He said he came to see you about school." Steph argued, hands on her hips. She may have been the blonde of the family but she certainly was no push over. If Tim wanted to threaten her now he'd have a far longer work out and stress to get through. She'd win.
"Well he didn't." Connor stuck in for his best friend and put down the bar and weights he'd been lifting. He held out a towel to Tim who quickly took it a rigorously began rubbing his face down with it. Connor just picked up his water bottle and sucked down a good amount of the health junk inside before turning back to talk to her in that blunt boring way he always did. "He came for news."
Ever the conversationalist was Connor, Steph rolled her eyes and turned back to Tim, "How was I supposed to know?" she hated being attacked like this, if Cass was here instead of working her shift at Dad's company she totally wouldn't be being ganged up on right now.
"Vale." Both Connor and Tim said together like she was a foreign speaker of English and couldn't understand anything. "Vale, Vale, Vale."
"I get it, I get it." She turned away ignoring them both now, if Tim wanted to piss and moan about it fine. She just wouldn't let him back into the manor next time.
"Then Dick invited him for dinner…" grumbled Tim slowly sitting back down to continuing working out. Connor reached out and tapped his best friend's arm, they shared a look for a minute and Tim gave a small smile. He knew Connor got him, Connor's dad was also a notable friend of his father's and they'd been inseparable since high school.
"Let him come." Connor grunts, "We'll send him off."
Tim just smiles feeling ten times better, "Y-yeah. Yeah we will."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The sounds of shattering glass made Cash and his mother look up from their usual scheduled Sunday Brunch. "what on earth-" Vicki frowned beginning to move from her chair. Cash quickly grabbed the bat out of the nearby umbrella case and motioned for his mom to sit back again. This was man's job, anyway. It wasn't like they lived in a high high rise two blocks down from Crime Alley and the center of town itself. Cash knew their neighborhood had some risks to it but his mother really shouldn't be facing anything to dangerous. Maybe just a accident. Someone dropped a plate. Although out in the middle of the hallway didn't seem very likely. Cash neared the edge of the door from his mother's front foyer and the living room beyond it. He pressed his ear into the wood trying to get a better feel for what side of the hall- left or right the danger was on.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH-" right, defiantly the right as another spraying sound of glass and shattering made him cringe back. His mother was back up closing in to get the story but Cash just shoved her back. He mouthed to her to sit back down to stay inside, he was slightly sure he could handle this. If it's too dangerous, I'll run back inside, yeah.
Slowly did he push the door back, it creaked weakly back as he pushed his sight in-between the crack. Crap, he could only see the red peeling paint of the walls outside and the ugly white carpet along the floor of the hall. The lighting was dim and dramatic too, not his style at all but he guessed it was cheap enough for his mother's expensive clothing taste. He'd have to push it some more…
Just enough to make the door open all the way and his head to peek out alone into the hallway itself. He spotted the noisy couple. A red headed hunk with about little to no body fat, in fact if Cash peered enough he could make out quite a few dodgy looking syringe marks up his arms. He placed his hands against the sides of the doorway to peek out just a bit more at them. The ginger guy had his back to Cash but the woman, his girlfriend had the typical asian maybe Japanese face. Her long black hair and powerfully furious expression made it obvious who was throwing plates.
"Please Jade! I need to see her! I need Lian!" to this the woman only raises another plate out from behind her back and throws it at him. Cash barely has time to duck back behind the wall and avoid it. He turns to the hall where his mother is just staring at him curiously. He shakes his head, closing the door quickly,It's not worth it.
"How ruuude." Whines his mother turning back to her table and extremely cold brunch. "I mean fighting so publicly..classless." she shakes out the paper and starts looking through it. Cash takes his seat too after putting the back back in the umbrella holder.
He just watches her flip through the paper while stirring the eggs on his plate. He didn't have anything to say about the couple, clearly whatever was going on really had nothing to do with him.
"This place has really gone to the dogs." Grumbles his mother flipping to the classifieds, "I know we have cheaper rent due to my broadcasting but…" she looks across the table at him from the folded paper, "You could help out a bit."
He nods back apologetically, "I will mum. I promise." She sighs and folds the paper back up in front of her again, frustrated clearly she had no idea what was going on outside. It was killing her, Cash could see it. Quickly he decided to change the topic, "I told you I got invited for dinner at the Wayne Manor…"
"You should go." She looks over at him out of the corner of her eyes because she is listening for anymore hints at what's going on. "But be wary…those boys will do anything to keep their secrets."
"…w..what do you mean?" Cash wasn't sure he understood.
"SHE IS MY DAUGHTER TOO!" a great bellow from out in the hall had mother jump up. Her eyes light up as she seemed to love this turn out. It was like one of those lifetime dramas she busied herself with when Cash was trying out different part time jobs and morning broadcasting was over. "GIVE LIAN BACK!"
"Did you hear that?" mother whispered in excitement starting to teeter toward the door again. Cash picked up the plates of eggs and announced he was going to warm them up, although he didn't know if microwave eggs were any good. "Mothers deserve their children you know." She goes on pressing ear to the door as she smiles to herself, one hand over her lips brightly. Cash clicks in the next few buttons, "I mean custody is a messy thing but-"
"He had drug pricks in his arms." Cash announced quickly turning back and leaning against the door. He wasn't agreeing or disagreeing but more than obviously kids shouldn't be in environments like that.
"See!" his mother snapped her fingers and shook her head before pressing her against the door again listening, "Sounds like they've exhausted themselves..I'm betting he'll just leave…" soon enough the faint sounds of footsteps and finally the loud crack of the halls door motioned his exit. "Wish I could do something to help.." crooned mother as she just tapped the wood of the door, "So sad…really…did you see his face. Maybe I can report him-"
"Mom getting into people's personal life on TV is exactly why the Wayne's won't let me in." Cash groaned, trying not to throw to much of a temper tantrum here. He was 21 but not really all grown up yet.
"I meant to the police, honey." She responds both cockily and darkly. He bites his tongue and turns back to stare and urge the microwave to finish. "I wonder what you think of me…do you know how much I've done for you? For us?"
"I know." He says, "I know you have."
"You're father will break apart if he hears you talk like that." She announces and sits back down finally annoyed with him more then with the news outside. Mission success. Cash puts the finished heated plates out and watches her reread the newspaper, at least she'd given up on the classifieds. His mother really likes it here, such things going on.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Night falls and although Dick isn't entirely sure who's coming to dinner he knows Bruce will be out with Talia. He greets her when she comes in but for the most part he needs to help Alfred focus on the large meal there supposed to have made. "Who is this person for dinner?" Alfred asks calmly as he's cutting the carrots for the salad. Dick feels compelled to tell him it's a big socialite friend so Alfred makes really delicious specialtys but instead- "Just some kid from Tim's grade. I think he really meant no harm but you know how Timmy is."
"All to well." Sighs Alfred finishing the carrots quickly. "Master Damian excused himself although I'm sure with the right amount of pressure he will join us too."
Dick pauses and hums to himself looking up at the kitchen's ceiling curiously, as if he can see patterns in the twinkling chandelier lights, "Hmm…that means Colin is out too."
Alfred nods and adds some of the carrots to the soup quickly as he turns around. Dick unties his apron while looking around for any of his sisters. "Babs, isn't out is she?" Alfred shakes his head, he doesn't seem to think so. Dick is glad, his sister although half with different mother's is quite important to his level headedness. With everyone in the family no one is as calm and collected as Barbara. "Steph? Cass?" only Alfred knows where they all are at all times. He'd had too since raising them and carrying most of them to the park and around the grounds kept him in consistent alert. Alfred was impressive and his capability to multi taski made Dick envious.
"Upstairs. Cass I believe said she must meditate with her work finished." Dick nodded, he'd worked today too. His younger sister was sure to have a migraine or too starting out. Father had always stuck them in the beginning position of 'complaint clearance'. Your main job to answer phones and listen to people bitch you out about some Wayne product gone wrong or they want returned- usually unrightfully. Dick still cringed recalling it.
Steph was probably then joining her sister since her and Cass were attached at the hip. Where the hell did that leave Tim-
"I'm here." Connor and Tim made their entrance to the kitchen, both looking primed proper and ready probably finished with a good long work out. Dick eyed his younger brother carefully. As far as Connor and Tim were concerned he couldn't trust them with each other for long. He'd always gotten some sort of vibe off Tim that Damian only considerably added too with words like 'faggot' and 'queer'. They weren't exactly hate speech, he knew Damian too well for that but Tim was just a easy target for their younger brother. "Er, we're here." Tim looked back and smiled at Connor who gave a cool kurt nod to Dick. Dick waved to him still not sure what to make of his brother's relationship with the bulky son of Clark Kent.
"You'll be joining us Master Kent?" Alfred had noticed and quickly begun to pause with that knitted brow expression he wore when things changed drastically again.
"sorry, I didn't think it would be a problem?" Tim offered quickly although the tone he used and the smile he offered made Dick glare at his brother. Tim really was pushing it again.
"O-of course Master Timothy." Alfred bowed and turned back to the fridge.
"If it's such a big deal I'm sure we can just give Connor all of someone else's meal." Tim muttered turning away toward the dining room table. Sometimes he'd sit there and enjoy a lemonade or shake with Dick before a early morning running but now he just looked like a cocky son of a bitch. One legged crossed out over the one in front as he laid back and looked up at Dick as Connor took the seat beside him.
"You better lose that smirk before tonight." Snapped Dick wanting to remind Tim that he was both the eldest and responsible for anything when Bruce was out and Selina was working.
"You shouldn't have invited him over." Connor says and it's the first time he's pushed himself into a conversation between them. Dick glared over at him, no matter how close he was with Tim- he wasn't Tim's brother. He'd carried Tim when he'd been little, he'd showed Tim how to walk, what was good to eat and how to flip backwards. He sat beside Tim's bed when he got sick and when the flu took them all out he made sure Tim was better first. He didn't appreciate this at all.
"Ssh." Hushed Tim while glaring down the table, "He's trying to make me apologize. It won't work."
Dick snorted, "you're acting like Damian." And turned away knowing that piece alone would slowly unravel in Tim's head and make him go crazy. "Almost done, Alfred?" he circled the edge of the counter top as Alfred finished stirring the soup.
"I suggest you stay close to this friend and keep an eye on Master Timothy." Alfred whispered to Dick as they stood side by side in front of the stove, "who knows what will happen once Jason shows up too." Dick nods, knowing well enough. The Vale kid would be his responsibility tonight.
Unfortunately as the doorbell rang announcing his arrival both Connor and Tim glanced at each other over the intricately ornate white tablecloth and smirked under the shimmering crystal chandelier. Things were about to get very ugly.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"are we going to let them go in?" asked Colin carefully eyeing Damian as the car pulled slowly close to the curb. Charlie was trying his best to move away from the barrel of the paintball gun and hit the brake efficiently at the same time. Damian pushed himself up to the passenger seat leaving more from for Colin to curl up under the glove compartment on the floor.
"No." Damian pulled back his gun as he reloaded it with a quick crack of his wrist along the loader below. "We get them as they walk out along that carpet inside." Damian spots the cameras and noise outside even before Charlie starts to lay his hand on the door handle to open it. Damian pointed his gun right at Charlie's face, barrel locked on his eyes, "You give our position away before the designated time and I will make your life hell and this job history." Charlie swallowed once again deeply and nodded. Damian lowered the gun to just point into Charlie's spine, he stumbled out then door wiggling open before him. Damian pressed himself into the large passenger seat as Colin bit his tongue while crouching forward and pointing the water gun up. "Get on the driver's seat." Snapped Damian, Colin looked at him in surprise, "We need good straight shots. No mistakes."
"Then we get away." Nodded Colin quickly clambering up, they both waited then eyes locked on the red carpet and the street side full of paparazzi ready to see Bruce and his newly reinstated beau clamber out of the car. Charlie opened their door and Damian lifted his fun enough with Colin's as they rolled down the window of Charlie's seat just enough to perfectly aim.
"I got a lock." Colin said. Damian made sure his was connected too and he murmured for them to hold it until- his mother passed right in front of the press. Her black stilettos clacking the edge of the red carpet as she smiled as brightly and seductively at the few male reporters. "Hold." Damian ordered, he knew what to wait for. One sign would signal their attack and he would not move until then. That signal would be exactly what he'd thought about all night, something she'd do that he found obnoxiously annoying.
Her long ebony strands of hair were flipped back over her darkly toned skin before she began to smile again, gripping Bruce's arm. Her lace black dress gloves only adding classiness to the magnificent trill of feathers and cloth of her similar black gown as she walked perfectly beside his father's black suited form. A movie picture perfect couple- "NOW!" he shouted and both of them pulled down on the trigger. Because his mother and father were both in such close range the shots of ice cold water and paint splattered both the black dress and suit making them entirely ridiculous.
Talia spun around hair whipping out behind her as her eyes were so widely scanning for the sight of the attacker she obviously by instinct and the sound of his yell alone could recognize, "DAMIAN!" she shrieked. He pushed Colin back, twisted the keys in the ignition and as planned pushed down on the gas with every inch of strength he had. "DAAAAAAAMIIIIIIIIAAA-" her scream died out admist the uproars of horns blaring and traffic buzzing around them.
"LEFT!" cried Colin as Damian jerked the car that way quickly. "Ahhh, right- right- now left-" Colin kept a heads up from the passenger side reporting where to go.
"Get Jason on the phone." Damian gritted his teeth swiveling the car through the city and knowing he had to be closer to Crime Alley now. "Tell him we need to crash at his place."
Colin quickly started typing on the onscreen call center in the limo when a giant crunching sound rang out from behind them. Someone had rear ended them. "Son of a-" Damian cursed, he'd wanted to get his mom not total his dad's limo. Colin glanced over his shoulder as Jason finally picked up the phone on the third ring-
"Hey brats. What are you up too?" came the chuckle out over the speaker phone.
"Why ask if you already know…" Damian grit his teeth trying to quickly screech out of the assholes way that hit them. He wasn't signing any information over or-
"Well you might wanna run because Dad's behind you." Jason sighed sounding bored, Colin even heard the click like he was having a beer and watching them on TV.
"where? How close?" Colin tried glancing back then saw the reflection in the taxi that had hit them from behind. He could see his father's dead stare expression as the taxi ghosted along behind them.
"Yeah, right there. Sorry, kiddies. But my place isn't open right now. I got a dinner to go too. See you all there." Jason hung up clearly entirely amused and Colin could only slowly turn to look at Damian.
"So…should we leave town?" Damian screwed his face up and gave a very similar glower that the man just following them was giving.
"No, we be men and face the music. Only I think dad now remembers why he left mom in the first place…"
"Why's that?" Colin lay his head down against the window pane as they slowly drove back up the hill to the manor and their demise.
Damian just smirked to himself, not one bit scared or of ill content, "Me."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Dinner had barely gotten under way when the phone rang. Cash nervously sat between Dick and Tim who were both trying to mimic the other ones actions so no harm came to the Vale at any point or the most. Still the phone rang off the hook and Cash looked across the table silently at Stephanie who just smiled at him, "Alfred doesn't like calls during dinner."
"They are mighty persistent aren't they…" Alfred murmured from his spot just nearby it. He sent the children all one look as if to say 'once am I doing this and may none of you repeat my actions' as he picks it up and answers, "Ah…yes. Master Jason."
The clatter of silverware echoed out as Tim nudged Cash's arm particularly hard. He hasn't eaten anything yet because everything he reaches for Tim or Connor immediately pick it up. Dick feels sorry but even when he offers rolls Tim offers them to someone else. He's so frickin petty it's beginning to drive Dick crazy.
"I see…on TV you say? …no, sir. You must be incorrect. Excuse me, a high speed pursuit you say?" everything sort of stops then as Alfred looks around the table and breathes the two names that make even Dick and Tim forget their disagreement, "Master Colin and Damian?"
Dick is up and Steph isn't quick behind. Babs looks over at their guest and offers him a drink, no one wants a Vale seeing this. Cass stays put even as Connor and Tim go to see with Dick. Alfred hangs up and turns back to the table, "I swear..this is a strange night."
"It's alright." Cash accepts the wine from Babs as they sit back at the table, "I suppose having so many siblings makes things strange."
"We're all a little different." Admitted Babs, "but we all really…like our privacy." Her words made Cash's face fall a bit. He nods slowly back, all the while Cass eats quietly and with barely any noise.
"Lady Cass…are you really so famished?" Alfred sighs over the sight of her hunkering over the food.
"I spent all day over a damn phone. Let me eat my fill." She then glances to one side at Tim's chair, then frowns. "Didn't Dad ban Connor Kent from coming over?"
"no." Babs blinked, "Why would he?"
Cass shrugs, "I don't really know or care. But I'm pretty sure I heard him say so."
Barbara turned back to look at Cash with the same worried look she'd had before when mentioning 'privacy'. Her deep brown eyes behind stylish purple spectacles and auburn fiery hair framed her face delicately and she really was a very beautiful woman, fit for the part of eldest Wayne daughter. Cash really felt like a meager peasant in her presence and lowered his gaze as she tilted her head to one side, so her spectacles slid just a bit down the bridge of her nose. "I hear you're Vale's son?"
"I am." Cash replied.
"but not a reporter?" she asked gently. Alfred seemed surprised and perhaps because he hadn't known or Dick hadn't told him did he now understand why the boy hadn't been allowed in to watch the TV with the others. Alfred was just as keen at keeping Mr. Wayne's secrets of course, he'd served him since he was a child. Now his children and one day their children…if he lived that long.
"No, ma'am." Cash shook his head, feeling a bit like he was being interogatted. He held onto the bottom of the chair, "I'm not interested in that sort of thing."
"You're lying." Cass says sitting back up and glaring across the table at him. He glances over to her now, not sure where to look between them. "You're completely full of it."
"He did look down to the left didn't he." Chuckled Barbara.
Cash's nose wrinkled up in annoyance, "Who doesn't look down to the left?"
"Now he's changing the subject." Sneers Cass obviously enjoying this as much as her sister.
Cash glanced between them both before uneasily collecting himself just enough, "I really originally came here with bad intentions." He admitted, "For my mother…"
Barbara looked carefully at him, "Your mother…Vicki Vale…"
"Yes, I wanted to help her get a lead here." Cash swallowed carefully now looking down at his food, "but I see she doesn't need me for that." He glanced this time purposefully to the side where Dick and the others had gone to watch the show. "Obviously it will be on the news and my mother will have the story she wanted."
Cass tapped her lips with her napkin and she leaned back with Barbara in perfect synchronization, they both glared Cash down entirely not buying it. "what makes you think we'll ever believe you suddenly changed your mind?"
"I really don't care." Cash said calmly, he looked at Cass then Barbara then Alfred, "I swear. I don't care about Wayne or your company or whatever is going on here." He waved around, "The only thing that's annoying is how much I watch you all and wish I had siblings." He paused then reconsidered, "Well…maybe none of them too much like my mum."
Alfred even mirrors a small chuckle as he turns away.
"Alright," Barabara seems to consider this, "If you really don't care. You'll get lost."
Cash nodded, "I plan too."
It seemed he wasn't lying there. He looked dead at her and even began to get up, "I swear I have no further intention of leaking stories on you people."
"Good." Barbara just nodded and motioned to the door. Not even cool, collected Barbara seemed to put down her wall around him and that meant the young Vale was out once again.
Cash excused himself, thanked the butler for the meal and began to move back through the halls in the opposite direction of Dick and everyone. Or so Cash had thought- He neared the foyer when he heard the angry whispers coming from the well crafted grey circular marble, the halls of Wayne Manor caving in on all of them as they were lined with dark brick and set stone. "See? I told you. One whiff of this and he'll know everything-"
"Don't act like the good little boy, Timmy." Dick's voice answered the original angry hiss and Cash tried to quickly blend into the darkness just beside the rising staircase out of the foyer where the two argued. "Don't you think I know Dad banned Connor from coming over? Don't you think I could have him catch you?"
Tim whacked Dick hard in the shoulder then recoiled as he snarled, "What kind of threat is that? You don't even get it!"
"You screw around with him, right?" Dick murmured back, eyes never alighting from their locked position on Tim. Both were so deep in this melodramatic farce they didn't even notice the horribly hidden Cash whose head was peeking out from behind the stairwell's wooden pegs. "I'm pretty sure someone should tell you the walls aren't soundproof!"
Tim was so furious he actually turned around, made a full circle and swung back to face Dick once he had. Cash had barely ducked out of the way in time as he continued to watch with jaw agape, "Are you calling me gay?" Tim bit back a dark bordering on maniac laugh, "Have any proof?"
Dick didn't answer instead he did the one thing that would make Cash and his lovely cellphone kings to the Wayne fortune and permentaly locked in for what would feel like centuries. Dick grabbed his brother's head, fingers locked into the ebony strands of hair and shoved his lips up against Tim's roughly.
Holy Dicks Wayne I did not see that coming…
Impressivly though, Cash was still able to lift his phone in time, maybe because the kiss took quite a bit longer then either part originally planned but he snapped a picture…or two. Cash then shoved it back in his pocket when both looked up at the flash and over at him. He lifted his hands up from behind the staircases wooden pegs with a smile and 'V' sign before lady lucky really proved he was on Cash's side.
The front doors slammed open, even before Dick or Tim could move from horror shocked expressions on him or take their first steps toward him- Through the doors emerged Bruce Wayne carrying in both hands well above and in front of him to struggling bodies known as Colin Wayne and Damian Wayne. "GROUNDED."
