"Eeeeeeeeek! Save me!" A high-pitched squeal rang through the air, distress laced through the plea.

It was just after noon time in Gotham City; the sun fading away with an orange glow. Glass covered buildings could be seen clearly from the mansion's spot on the grassy knoll, towering over a small bridge that connected the city to a cluster of smaller towns close by.

Wayne manor's trusted butler was busy in the kitchen, the occasional clank of metal against metal echoing through the large room. A variety of ingredients were scattered across the counter tops, portions of each mixed into a small bowl.

"Alfie!" A small, blue eyed boy ran into the room, wide grin plastered across his face. Alfred looked up, immediately laughing at the sight before him.

Richard's eyes were wide with excitement as he pulled himself up into a tall stool. A bright red blanket was draped over his shoulders, tied loosely around his neck in an amateur knot. The bottom of the fabric trailed the floor behind him until the boy had seated himself, where it now hung low over the tall chair.

The Englishman smiled at the boy, whose elbows were now propped on table, his chin resting in his small hands.

"Master Richard. Joining the superhero business, I see?" he asked in a teasing manner.

The boy's eyes lit up. "Mmhmm! I already saved somebody!"

Alfred raised an eyebrow, twisting a spatula into his mixing bowl. "Did you now?"

"Yeah!" Dick pulled back his make shift cape, revealing a stuffed elephant with a tasseled circus throw sewn onto its back. "Well…Peanut had to pretend to be in trouble. But I still saved her. She got stuck on the chand…chan…the big shiny thing in the foyyy…foyyyerr...foyer!"

Alfred nodded encouragingly, taking pride in the effort Richard had been putting in to his English studies. While some words, such as chandelier, were giving him trouble, he'd come a long way since his arrival, often pouring over his hand-made flashcards while he ate his lunch, mouthing the words that he would later surprise Bruce with when he arrived home.

The little boy squished his stuffed animal close, glancing around the room with a curious expression etched onto his features.

"When's Bruce gonna be home?" he asked quietly. It was obvious that Richard had grown quite attached to the billionaire; he often followed the man around the manor, asking if he wanted to play hide and seek, of tag, or whatever game the boy was interested in at the time.

Alfred found it very amusing, and often joked that Wayne had found himself a shadow.

"Soon, master Richard, soon." The butler assured, skillfully whipping the batter into a creamy paste.

Dick's shoulders slumped with each passing minute, his elbows sliding out on the counter until his head rested on his arms instead of his hands. A dramatic sigh escaped his lips after about 7 minutes, followed by another shortly after. And another. The butler tried to suppress a grin as he shuffled a pan into the oven.

The front door creaked slightly; an annoyed groan coming from the other side as the sound of jingling keys hit concrete stairs. That was enough for Richard, who hoped out of chair and took off running, blanket cape fluttering behind him.

"Bruce!"

The door opened fully now, sending a blast of crisp autumn air through the halls as Bruce stepped into the house. All of stress and anger from the day melted away as the billionaire crouched down, scooping the small boy up as he came barreling toward him.

"Hey Dick. How was your day?"

Alfred chuckled to himself as he heard the boy babble away, talking about a variety things; from cartoons to cookies to sunsets. His voice was quick and excited, the occasional Romani word slurred into his stories.

Bruce walked into the kitchen, sending the older man an amused smile as he sat down, Richard propped up in his lap.

"-and then I slide down the stairs and Alfie gave me new crayons because I lost the red one and you can't color without the red crayon and I drew a picture and I watched a cartoon and it was really really cool! And I fell asleep on the couch for a într-adevăr lung timp! But I woke up before lunch and I played a game!"

Bruce smiled, looking down at the little boy in his arms. He raised his eyebrows as he spotted the red fabric hanging from Dick's shoulders.

"What's this?" he asked, pinching the end of the fabric in his hand and holding it up for the boy to see.

"Oh! That's my superhero cape! I saved somebody today! She was in trouble!" His blue orbs shone with pride as he beamed up at his guardian.

Bruce chuckled, navy eyes gleaming with mischief.

"You know... I think I heard somebody in need of saving!"

Richard perked up, squinting his eyes dramatically and pursing his lips, pretending to be listening for calls. After a few moments, he nodded. "I think you're right!"

The little boy hopped of the chair, his feet hitting the floor with a soft thud. He turned back to Bruce, adjusting his cape before placing his balled hands onto his hips in a Superman pose.

"Ok! You be Batman, and I'll be your partner!"

Alfred shook his head in amusement as the two made their way back to the foyer, the young acrobat taking the lead.

Richard ran forward, jumping up onto the couch and performing his hero pose. He glanced around the room briefly, eyebrows furrowing as he focused hard on something. Then, his face held an expression of satisfaction.

"Yes. Defiantly some saving to be done here. This looks like a job for Batman and Robin!"

Bruce raised an eyebrow from his spot by the stairs. "Robin?"

Dick laughed. "Yeah! I'm already used to it anyway. It's a perfect superhero name!"

Bruce ran a hand through his dark hair as he studied the boy's face, waiting for the sad look that followed any memory of his past life. Richard's wide, bright eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion for a fraction of a second, his smile fading ever so slightly before returning full force almost instantly.

Wayne sighed with relief. Things were getting better, little by little. He reached over, pulling a rumbled blanket from the coach and tying it loosely around the crisp collar of his work shirt. Richard cheered at the sight of their matching makeshift capes, squealing in delight as Bruce pulled the boy up onto his shoulders and broke out into a jog down the hall.

"Where to, Robin?"

"Hmm… I think I heard somebody…that way!" Richard yelled, pointing a finger around the corner eagerly.

About an hour later, Alfred had just finished preparing dinner as two tired crime fighters bustled into the kitchen, taking their seats at the table.

Richard took in a deep breath, reaching up to shift his crooked cape as he slowly exhaled. He turned to Bruce, eyes bright and happy. He reached a small hand up to the man and they shared a high five.

"Mission success!" Dick grinned. "Next time, let's take the Batmobile."

Bruce's eyes widened. Next time?

Until next time,

-Arrow.