Disclaimer: We don't own Batman
Full summary: In the turbulent months after the gassing, Batman comes across an orphan boy by the name of Alvin Draper. He's adopted into the Wayne family, and Bats takes his first step down the road to his future. DickxTim
Warnings: Slash, spoilers, language, and violence
Pairing(s): DickxTim
Fic type: AU, romance
Bizarre speaks: So, I'm seriously looking for concrit on this chapter. There's something that I just don't like about it.
The Interface
by Bizarre Aubrey
Chapter V: Grapples
The following days were long and agonizing for everyone. Alfred at last resolved to drag Bruce out of his study, by his hair if necessary, and make him interact with his children. Young Mr. Wayne wasn't thrilled about the prospect, but he eventually relented. It was during these brief periods of contact that Bruce noticed a pattern forming. Every time Tim left for school, Dick looked unhappy. Bruce began to formulate a solution.
Bruce wasn't even sure how the two of them had met or why they were so attached now. Tim had explained about his timeline and Dick's role in it, but Dick didn't know about any of that. The Grayson boy spent a lot of time pacing around, his pacing often involving halfhearted handstands and walking atop tables. It was a depressing, in a sad clown kind of way.
Bruce couldn't take for long.
"So, Dick," he interrupted, leaning against the doorway. "Have you had any schooling yet?"
"Mom taught me," the kid answered, crouching on a chair in a way that made Bruce's legs ache.
Bruce nodded thoughtfully. "How old are you?" he wondered.
"I turned sixteen on the first of spring," Dick answered, his shoulders slumped and he looked up a Bruce dolefully.
Bruce tried to think up something else to say. But, Bruce still felt like he needed his father! How was he supposed to be one?
"How did you meet Tim?" he asked after much deliberation.
Dick blinked at him slowly for a long moment before he seemed to realize something. "He showed up a few days before the show and just hung around…" he shrugged. "He seemed to know me so well…we just kinda bonded."
Bruce's expression crumbled a bit. Tim said he knew Bruce in the other world too! Why couldn't he bond with the little brat?
"Right," he droned. He was ten seconds away from doing the only thing he was good at, when it came to these kids: leaving.
Dick unfolded himself gracefully from the chair and moved towards him with intent. "Thank you for taking us in, Mr. Wayne," he said.
Well, Bruce noted, maybe he could at least bond with this one.
"We can be a whole dysfunctional, slightly insane, family of orphans," Dick added cynically and left the room.
Or not, Bruce corrected.
It was a disheartening to know that he had taken in the two orphans in Gotham who wanted nothing to do with him. What else was he supposed to do with them?
Bruce let out a loud puff of air, and headed for to the entrance of the Bat Cave. It was the one place in the house that was really his. He knew he'd be able to think there, not as though his attention was being demanded so much upstairs.
He stared at his terminal for an extensive stretch of time, just going through files in no particular order. He found the one he'd begun on Alvin Draper, and deleted it. Then went to find the one about Alvin Haywood. Once that was gone, he began a brand new one for Tim Drake, and then entered Dick Grayson. He'd acquired two sons in the past five months. He wondered how many other people could brag about that?
As he entered the information about Dick, he found his mind wandering. No clues Gordon had said. And…Bruce had fucked up. He should have looked himself. If he wanted to catch the Grayson's murderer he would have to start from square one.
x x x x x
Usually, Batman made a habit of only going out at night. Bruce made an exception this time. He rose and changed into his suit right then. He had a lot of ground to cover and not much time.
The first place he went to visit was the remains of the circus. The carnival people were all packing up miserably. Their high wire act had been murdered and their owner had committed suicide, taking whatever clues he'd had to the grave. Batman spent several hours talking to every person he could find and not getting any closer to his goal.
He looked at what was left of the crime scene himself and like Gordon found nothing. It was time to head into the city and begin probing the scum there. He went back to the Manor in order to change into a disguise.
When he got there, Alfred told him that Tim and Dick had gone out. Bruce felt his skin prickle. Tim was a sneaky, deceptive little bastard. Bruce wondered what kind of trouble they were getting into now.
"Keep an eye out for them, Alfred," he ordered, hurrying to get his disguise.
This Bruce was young and had a lot to learn about disguises. The best he could do in his current stage of development was to change his clothes, glue on a fake goatee, and put on some sunglasses. Oh, and of course, leave his hair uncombed. He nodded to Alfred on his way back out and went to get an appropriate car. Anything too expensive would look out of place downtown.
Bruce spent the afternoon and most of the night wandering around, trying and failing to gather information. Finally, at some bizarre hour of morning, Bruce really didn't care to know, he literally ran smack-dab into two very familiar figures. What were Dick and Tim doing out here in the middle of the night?
Tim and Dick were in an alleyway, Dick was scribbling down something onto a piece of paper, which he then shoved into his pocket and Tim was carefully removing a pair of high heels from his feet and pulling on pants.
Tim didn't even jump when Bruce dropped down beside them. Dick did. He stared with wide eyes.
"Holy shit," he began to say.
Bruce made a sound to cut the boy off, and made a small waving motion with his hand.
"You're making a habit out of this, aren't you?" Bruce wondered, leaning down and picking up one of the stiletto shoes. He really had seen Tim crossdressing, that day…
"You can't go anywhere downtown without a girl on your arm," Tim replied, pulling on a t-shirt now. "And I'm the only one who can pull it off." Dick was looking back and forth between them until Tim spoke up. "Dick, it's fine, it's just…dad…" the word came out of his mouth as if it were something foul, but Dick got his meaning.
Bruce felt compelled to hit the boy, for being so insolent.
"Go home," he ordered tightly. "Stay home. I can call Alfred and have him lock you two in your room, if I have to."
"Dick heard someone threaten the owner," Tim murmured. "We came downtown to see if any of the bosses would have been interested in the circus. We've narrowed it down to Zucco, Mefodi, and Cesare."
"You two go home," Bruce repeated. "I can handle it. Better yet, I'll drive you myself."
Tim stuffed his hands in his pockets and didn't say anything, but Dick burst out.
"No, these were my parents! I have to help with this," he growled.
"Listen." Bruce's tone was restrained. "It's my job to keep you safe. Got it? I won't have you out in the middle of the night, hunting down mob bosses alone."
The two boys exchanged a look. "We aren't alone." Then, a light blinded Bruce and a motorcycle that had been hidden behind a dumpster roared to life. That sneaky little fucker had been in the Cave. The kids got on the bike, Tim in front. He cast Bruce an apologetic glance.
"It has to be this way," he called over the rumble of the bike. "We all have to do this together." He didn't know if he could be any more pointed about it, but then he took off before Bruce tried something irritating like gassing them. Tim wouldn't put it past him.
Bruce swore loudly, as they left. He would find them. He would go home, suit up, get the Batmobile, and find them.
There had been tracers on that bike, but Tim had removed them. So all Bruce could do was wander like an idiot and he knew he wouldn't find them. He felt hatred and some grudging respect for Tim Drake.
As he drove through the city he input the three names that Tim had given him. Zucco, Mefodi, and Cesare. Cesare was out of town, so he would have to be the last person Bruce checked in on. For now, he input Mefodi and went to have a little talk with the man.
x x x x x
The crime lord, unsurprisingly, didn't look happy when a six-foot bat jumped down in front of him. Bruce was laughing with glee on the inside.
"How do you feel about clowns and elephants?" he wondered with an air of informality.
"W-what the fuck?" the man stammered backing up a few paces and reaching with a shaky hand for a gun that wasn't there.
"How do you feel about clowns and elephants?" Bruce repeated. "Ever been to the circus?"
"What's this about?" the guy asked, now he was just quaking. "I haven't done nothin'!"
"The recent murder, of two high wire performers," Bruce informed him, approaching with deliberate steps. "I'm sure you heard all about it. Now, I'm looking for is who was behind it." With the ninja speed he'd learned from Ra's al Ghul, he was suddenly inches in front of the man. "Was it you? Someone you know, perhaps?"
"No!" the poor bastard shook his head violently. "I had nothin' to do with that!"
"You're sure?" Batman growled in warning. "I'd hate to find out you're lying and have to make a return trip."
"I'm not lying!" the man cried out in terror, he was desperately pressing on an alert button. Bruce could hear the boss' soldiers coming up the stairs.
"I hope you're right." Bruce hissed, then leapt back up to the window. "For your sake." He said as his farewell.
The next man he went to find was Zucco, who was probably going to pose more of a problem. Mefodi was street level, but Zucco was well known and well feared. He'd have a high-class security system.
Bruce didn't think he was going to have any trouble with it though.
He was Batman, after all. Once he got inside the building, he found seven guards, two Wayne wards, and Zucco's corpse. First priority, get rid of security and rescue the boys.
Dick and Tim didn't seem to need saving though. They fought off the guards just fine. When the room was quiet, Dick walked towards Zucco's body and stared down at him.
"Bastard was dead when we got here..."
"It might not have been him," Bruce said. Tim shot him an irritated look and began to look through the deceased's effects. He found the ticket to Haly's, he found the ledger where the Haly payment was missing. They all knew it had been him. Dick stared at the body for what felt like a millennia. Did he feel cheated? What?
"He can't hurt anyone else now," Dick finally muttered.
Bruce said nothing for a moment, before gesturing for the door.
"You two go home," he ordered for the last time. "I'll call Lieutenant Gordon to get an official investigation going."
Dick gave him an odd look before he left with Tim. This time they did go. Bruce just hoped they actually went back to the Manor. He would call Alfred soon to make sure they were there. First he needed Gordon.
When James showed up he surveyed the scene in shock.
"You didn't kill him, did you?" he asked.
"No." Bruce inclined his head and sat on a table. He felt a pang of regret. "He was dead when I got here."
Gordon turned to one of the other cops and told them to get an ambulance. "But you think this was the guy, from Haly's?" the lieutenant carried on.
"Yes." Batman confirmed. "All the proof you need is in that bag." He pointed to the tickets and such.
Gordon went through the bag. "I saw that your friend, Wayne, took in the Grayson boy too," he noted. He was glad there was evidence, but it didn't really matter if Zucco was dead.
"Yeah." Batman established. "He has an unhealthy soft spot for orphans. Good for the kids."
"There should be more people like him. I don't think Gotham realizes just how many kids lost their parents in the gassing," Gordon murmured, closing up the evidence bag and turning back to him.
"He loves this city." Batman brushed it off and got back to his feet. "He wants to take care of it as best he can." He watched Gordon work, before heading for the door. "I think you've got it covered here. I should go."
Once he was in the Batmobile, Bruce called Alfred. The boys had come home and were now in for the longest lecture of their collective lives.
When he got there, Tim was trying to diffuse him by saying he was tutoring Dick.
"You two can take a break," Bruce said, trying to keep his cool.
"Bruce, it had to be that way," Tim muttered.
"No," Bruce shook his head violently and glared at them. "It didn't. I told you not to go out so late! Do you know how dangerous it is, where you were, at this time of night?" He gestured wildly for the window. "What if something had happened, huh? What do you think I would have done then? You're both my responsibility. How am I supposed to be a father if neither of you will let me? I told you to go home! You didn't listen!"
"No, Bruce, it…" Tim looked at Dick with wide eyes and fear. "It had to be that way. I don't…that's how it goes. The timeline. I went with Dick to make sure he would be alright, but all of this was supposed to happen."
"Fuck the timeline!" Bruce shook his head. "Fuck it! Destiny isn't my problem – you are! I don't claim to know what's best for you, but I at least expect you to give me the time of day when I try to keep you safe!"
Tim frowned. "Keep me safe?" he repeated. "You're more incompetent than I am."
Dick winced. "Knock it off," the acrobat muttered. "Bats, if you're worried, train me."
"No!" Bruce shook his head, growing more and more frustrated by the minute. Tim had told Dick he was Batman! "I don't want you trained, I want you to actually sleep when you're supposed to! Both of you."
"I'll train him if you won't," Tim interceded.
Bruce collapsed into exasperated confusion.
"What?" He wondered helplessly. "First, stop undermining me. Next…what?"
"You trained me, he trained me, Shiva trained me, who trained under Ra's al Ghul, just like you did. I can train him," Tim explained.
"I don't know any Shiva," Bruce shook his head, rubbing his now throbbing temples. "And you're not allowed to train him."
"Why not?" Tim asked.
"Because I'm going to." Bruce relented, turning away from both boys. "Get some sleep," he muttered, opening the door to go to bed himself. "We'll start after breakfast."
Bruce would probably have been thankful that he missed the part where Dick jumped on Tim and kissed him senseless.
To Be Concluded...
