Wolfie: I do not own anything related to Batman. All I own is my oc. For now this won't follow any set show or movie. This is an AU where Dick and Damian have moved on to bigger things besides being Nightwing and Robin and Alfred is stretched thin with his work. So Bruce has to hire a new staff member, but he's getting more than he bargained for. Sorry that this is kind of short and has a month time skip. I want to get past this part so I can write the parts that I am the most excited about. Lastly I made Bruce younger so there wasn't as huge of an age gap between him and my oc. Cause originally he's about 48 in some of the movies whilst my oc is 25. Now please read, review, and I hope you like this book so far.
Chapter 1: Getting the job
Stepping out of the taxi a petite yet still masculine brunette male in his early 20's looked at the metal gates infront of him. The taxi drove away after allowing its passenger to collect his things as the young man looked at the big metal W. Glancing at a piece of paper in his hand and then at the address he was happy to see that he's in the right place. However before he could make his presence known to the security intercom the gates slowly swung open. Almost as if they knew he was already here and was expecting him to come in right about now. Taking a deep breath to calm himself the brunette grasped the handle of his suitcase and approached the massive mansion that's slightly off in the distance.
He couldn't help but look at everything he saw on his way to the mansion's front door. He looked from the perfectly cut grass to the pristine walls of the mansion that seemed untouched by weather and time. He stopped for a moment to observe the magnificent fountain infront of the mansion. He knew that it was meant for a way to help cars get back down the driveway without backing up. But he just couldn't help but look at the crystal clear water and the beautiful sculptures in the middle. The young brunette shook his head at this though, he's probably making a bad first impression by dilly dallying. So with that in mind he slowly went up to the big double doors of the mansion and was about to knock on one of them.
When suddenly the door opened as his knuckles were just inches away from knocking on the door. The young male was now face to face with an older looking gentleman in a butler suit with a stoic look on his face. Seeing as there was no need to knock anymore he lowered his hand and gave the older male a sheepish smile. This clearly was the butler of the household, Alfred Pennyworth, the man who he would be working under. He only knew this because this was the man who called him, as he had been charged with hiring a new staff member. The younger male was honestly very happy to get the job and was glad that he had good enough references to catch the eye of Bruce Wayne! Or at the very least his butler seeing as he was the one who hired him in the first place.
"Ah you must be Mr. Carter, Master Bruce and I have been expecting you." Alfred said as he stepped aside in order to let the younger male inside.
"Please, call me Ryan, Mr. Pennyworth. Sorry I took so long though, I was kinda... distracted with the scenery." The male, now identified as Ryan, said apologetically with another sheepish smile.
"Then I shall ask you to call me by my first name as well, Ryan. And that's quite alright, now please, allow me to show you to your room." Alfred said as closed the door behind Ryan when he came inside.
"Alright, Alfred... Wait, I get to live here?" Ryan asked as he looked around the entrance hall in complete aw.
"Yes, a Wayne family servant must be here to cater to the Master's needs at any hour." Alfred explained as he began walking to a set of stairs.
"Really? And um, does Mr. Wayne call on you at odd hours of the day or night often?" Ryan asked curiously as he scurried after the retreating fork of the butler.
"Yes, and I am afraid that this has caused me to be stretched thin between that and my normal duties around the house." Alfred said sounding disappointed that he can't do everything on his own anymore.
Ryan only nodded in understanding as Alfred gave him a tour of the mansion. The older male showed him the kitchen, dining room, library, laundry room, and much more. There were so many rooms in this mansion that it was a little hard to remember everything but Ryan was confident that he could. Well, hopefully after a little while of familiarizing himself with the layout of the house and the schedule that Alfred has. The place the butler ended the tour at was the room the younger male would be staying in and he was once again in aw. The room was nothing like he had expected a room for a servant to look like. It was big and spacious with comfortable chairs, a tv, a queen size bed, a desk, a private bathroom, and a large window overlooking a garden.
"This is, my room?" Ryan asked just to double check that this was the right room that they were in.
"Yes, now Master Bruce is currently busy so you have tonight to settle in. You shall meet him in the morning after breakfast, and then I shall walk you through your duties." Alfred explained as he stood in the doorway, watching the younger male with a calculating eye.
"Alright, thank you Alfred. I uh, I think I'll just unpack and maybe familiarize myself with the manor." Ryan said as he had a feeling that Alfred had things he needed to do.
"Alright, for tonight you are a house guest rather than an employee. So do not hesitate to call on me if you require anything." Alfred said with a small bow as he left, shutting the door behind himself.
Now that Alfred was gone Ryan was all alone in his room as he sets his suitcase next to the dresser. Then, in a momentary laps of maturity, he took a running start and threw himself onto the bed, laughing as he bounced slightly in the process. Now that he was on the bed he noticed the faint smell of honey and sandalwood wafting up to his nose. It was quite the pleasant smell as he couldn't help but hug one of the pillows close and nuzzle into it with a sigh of content. He's never met Bruce Wayne, he's only ever heard stories about him, and now he's actually working for thee Bruce Wayne. If this was a dream he honestly never wanted to wake up, cause then he'd be back in that dingy apartment. Skipping meals just to be able to pay the bills, having to work by candle light since he can never pay the electric bill.
All of that was over now as he had a place to stay rent free, a place that only requires him to help out around the house and he gets paid for it. This was the best thing that could ever happen to a guy like him, and he wasn't going to waste this opportunity. Meanwhile down in the Batcave Bruce was typing away at the Batcomputer doing a background check on none other than Ryan Carter. His eyes were fixated on the information that was on the screen as Alfred walked up to him with a tray in his hand. He too glanced at the screen to see a picture of Ryan as well as a contemplation of all the information Bruce found. Said male only gave his trusted butler a quick glance in acknowledgment before looking back at the computer.
"How is he settling in?" Bruce asked curiously as he read the information on the screen.
"Quite well, sir. He is a polite young man, albeit a bit nervous, and mentioned familiarizing himself with the house once he's unpacked." Alfred stated as he set a coffee cup next to Bruce and poured out some coffee from a coffee pot on his tray.
"Good, good." Bruce uttered with a nod as he picked up his cup and drank some of the coffee, his eyes never leaving the screen.
"Are you sure it is necessary to conduct a background check on him, sir? He had excellent references and not a single blemish on his records." Alfred said, feeling that it is unnecessary the conduct a background check on Ryan.
"I need to be sure he can be trusted, Alfred. If he is going to work here, eventually he'll need to know about my... nightly habits." Bruce explained as justification for why he was preforming this background check.
"I understand, sir." Alfred said as he noticed his employer stopped on a certain piece of information in the background check. "Oh my, switched schools due to being bullied for... homosexuality?" He asked wondering if he read that right.
"Yes, seems he's from a town where they are quite homophobic. His parents moved him to Gotham High after the tormenting nearly drove their son to suicide. He was in therapy for months, and everything has seemingly been kept off the books for the sake of not bringing shame to the family." Bruce said as he also read that bit of information as well as what came after that.
"That poor boy, and yet it didn't stop him from being polite." Alfred said feeling sympathy for Ryan and what he went through.
"This is the only thing from his past that needs to be kept any eye on." Bruce said as he didn't mind the homosexual part, it was the suicide part that worried him.
"Shall I keep a therapist on stand by should the need arise?" Alfred asked as it was better to be safe than sorry about something like this.
"Maybe, for now we shouldn't mention that we know this bit of information." Bruce said since it would be insensitive to let his new employee know that he knows this.
"Yes, Master Bruce." Alfred said as he gave Bruce's cup another refill of coffee before leaving the Batcave.
Stepping out of the secret entrance behind the grandfather clock Alfred made sure the clock slid back in place. Then he headed to the kitchen to put away the tray and clean out the coffee pot when he saw the soon to be new servant in there. He seemed to be finished unpacking and was now making himself a snack before turning in for the night. Which is understandable seeing as it is quite late and this should be the time that normal people would be going to bed. Though Bruce and Alfred aren't exactly normal people anymore, not after Bruce decided to become Batman. Turning to go sit at the kitchen island Ryan nearly dropped his sandwich when he saw Alfred standing a few feet behind him. Setting down his plate that contained his sandwich the younger male laughed sheepishly at his own reaction.
"Alfred. I um, I didn't here you come in." Ryan said whilst retrieving a water bottle from the fridge.
"Yes well, Master Bruce does say I am... light on my feet." Alfred said as he puts the coffee pot in the sink and the tray away.
"Oh, I was just going to have a snack and go to bed." Ryan said as he glanced at his untouched sandwich.
"Alright, but I suggest not making a habit of it. Your duties will make you quite tired, so it is best to eat at the appropriate time." Alfred explained causing Ryan to nod quickly in understanding at that advice.
"Yes Alfred, I'll keep that in mind." Ryan stated as he watched Alfred rinse out the coffee pot.
"Good, now I shall see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Now have a pleasant night, Ryan." Alfred said as he left the kitchen to attend to other things around the house.
"Yeah, you too Alfred." Ryan called out just before Alfred left as he was once again alone in the kitchen.
With a small yawn Ryan ate his sandwich in silence as he thought over everything that had happened in the span of a week. On Monday he was working a job that barely paid his bills and living in a tiny apartment. Now on Sunday he's living in a mansion working for Bruce Wayne and he sold his apartment. Seems like things really do pay off for those who are patient and wait for something good to happen to them. With his sandwich now finished he put the plate in the sink, shut off the light, and returned to his room with a half drank bottle of water. As he was preparing for bed he noticed the faint sound of a car off in the distance but quickly shrugged it off. Wayne Manor probably inst that far from a few of the forest roads that lead in and out of the city. So it probably isn't all that uncommon to faintly hear a car driving somewhere off in the distance below where the manor is.
After getting ready he shut off the lights and slipped under the warm soft covers of his bed. Casting a glance at the digital clock on the night stand he noticed that it was nearly midnight. With a small sigh he shut his forest green eyes, slowly slipping into a blissful sleep. Completely unaware of what his new boss was currently doing whilst he was asleep in bed. The next morning Alfred woke him up bright and early, saying this is the time he will have to get up at from now on. He also mentioned that he would only be waking him this once as he sleepily glanced at the time on his clock. Mentally groaning at the time that read 5 o'clock as he slowly dragged himself out of bed and put on the uniform Alfred laid out for him. The uniform was a butler uniform like his except it was tailored to fit his body perfectly, same can be said with the shoes.
After a slight struggle with the tie Ryan met up with Alfred in the kitchen just in time to help with breakfast. The two men worked in a comfortable silence as they made enough food for three people but only brought one plate to the dining room. Seeing as Alfred was busy rinsing out the pans they used he sent Ryan to give the food to the only person in the dining room. As he walked in he noticed a raven haired man in his early 30's at the head of the table with a news paper. That was obviously Bruce Wayne, who else would be in this house at 6 am casually reading a new's paper in pj's and a bathrobe? Quietly walking over the brunette tried to set down the plate, silverware, and cup of coffee without interrupting his reading. However as he finished and looked up he noticed a pair of piercing blue eyes looking at him over the edge of the news paper.
"So, your the young man that Alfred hired. Ryan Carter, right?" Bruce asked with a dazzling kind smile as he sat his newspaper aside.
"Yes, it's nice to finally meet you Mr. Wayne. I mean, Master Bruce." Ryan corrected himself with a shy nervous smile as forest green eyes stared into piercing blue eyes.
"It's nice to meet you as well. Sorry I couldn't meet you last night, I had some... business to attend to." Bruce said with an ever present kind and dazzling smile on his face.
"It's ok, your a busy man and I understand that. Now if you'll excuse me sir, I assume Alfred has alot planned for me to do after breakfast." Ryan said as Bruce nodded in understanding and allowed him to go.
With a grateful smile and a small bow Ryan scurried his way back to the kitchen in order to have his own breakfast. Then after breakfast it was a day full of work around the house and a few errands that Bruce asked him to run. His only breaks being when it was lunch and dinner as well as when Alfred or Bruce didn't need him to do anything. Not that he minded though, he liked knowing that he was helping lessen the burden that was Alfred having to do everything on his own. Though unbeknownst to him his playboy boss was subtly watching him as he does certain tasks that were assigned to him. Noticing that when Ryan was cleaning the windows he had impeccable balance atop the ladder. When he thought he was alone and nearly dropped a few books he had dusted Bruce noticed that he had some good reflexes. By then he had been observing him as he does the jobs assigned to him for about a month now. And honestly he noticed many good things about this new servant as he wondered if he should bring him in on his, nightly habits.
Ever since both Dick and Damian moved on from the hero life he has been in need of a new side kick. Every night it is getting harder and harder to fight the villain's and criminally insane of Gotham on his own. Which results with him coming home with more and more injuries to the point that Alfred was worried he may not come back at all one night. Bruce understands his butler's concerns and he had to admit those concerns were rubbing off on him as well. Though as much as he wanted a new side kick that would have his back during a fight he also didn't want to drag someone else into this life. Not after what happened to Jason and then Barbra at the hands of the Joker when they were his side kicks. He was just too conflicted to make a decision, even though Ryan Carter seemed like the perfect candidate for a Batman sidekick. However, only time will tell what will happen now that Bruce has this shy yet sweet young man in his life.