Dick tugged at the collar of his tuxedo, turning to Damian. "How do I look?"
His brother looked away from his Iphone and examined him closely. "Surprisingly decent, Grayson."
Dick smiled and lightly pinched his cheek, ignoring his murderous stare. To Damian, it was the equivalent of saying he looked good.
As his little brother walked away, muttering a few death threats, the firstborn scanned the room, where caterers and party planners were running around, putting the finishing touches on the ballroom before the guests arrived. He met Bruce's eyes and hurried to join him.
"Everything ready Bruce?" he asked.
"Yes everything is fine although I would like to get out of here immediately and run away." he replied as he ran a hand over his hair.
Dick chuckled. "Yes, I know how you feel." then smiled and elbowed him on the arm. "Are you ready to act like a silly billionaire playboy and flirt with any woman who, at the very least, breathes?"
Bruce groaned annoyed and ran a hand over his face. "Yes I am, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it."
"And here I thought in all the years you've been attending and organizing these events you'd gotten used to it." he reflected, half curious half mischievous.
His father looked at him grimly. "As if you, in case you were in my place, could get used to it."
Dick smiled. "Touché."
Bruce returned the smile slightly but then became serious. "I have a favor to ask of you, Dick."
His son interrupted him by nonchalantly raising a hand. "Yes yes, I'll take care of Jay, Timmy and Dami."
The billionaire looked at him, slightly impressed. "Sometimes you scare me by how well you know me." he muttered. The other man laughed. "Anyway, if you meet any pretty girls, don't avoid them under the guise of having to look after your brothers." he added winking at his son.
Dick rolled his eyes. "I've been attending these events since I was eight years old, and I've never met anyone interesting."
"There's always a first time, son." he said as the boy snorted in amusement. "And anyway, I never knew you were already interested in girls since you were only eight years old." he chuckled as Dick's eyes widened.
"Bruce!" he exclaimed, half horrified and half amused. "You know very well that's not what I meant!"
Bruce smiled, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Somehow I doubt that, especially with your irresistible blue eyes. They've always been my greatest weakness." he commented, punching him lightly in the arm.
Dick laughed. "Do you mean to say that they have now lost their charm?"
"Oh no, it's quite the opposite actually."
Their conversation was interrupted when they heard running footsteps and swearing. They turned and saw that Tim was running away holding a phone, chased by Jason who was shouting death threats and just behind them was Damian snickering. Bruce sighed.
"Jason is lucky Alfred is in the kitchen preparing food with the other cooks," he muttered as he started to chase after them but was stopped by Dick who raised a hand.
"Bruce, I'll take care of it, don't worry. It's my job, don't you remember?" when the man nodded in agreement, he continued. "Good, now go and talk to people. Chat. Mingle. Act like 'Brucie.' See you B!" and with that he ran toward his brothers, ignoring his father's grim look.
Sure, they were fast but Dick was faster. When he reached their steps he took the phone from Tim's hands ignoring his protests and handed it to Jason.
"I could have taken it myself," he grumbled.
"You're welcome Jay."
"Why did you have to give it back?" whined Tim, pointing at his second son.
"Because otherwise you would have killed each other."
"Too bad." muttered Damian sarcastically, getting dirty looks from the second and third Robins.
"We could always kill the little demon first." stated Jason with a smirk.
Damian returned the defiant smirk. "And you're not good enough to kill me yourself, and that's why you stoop to asking Drake for help?"
The second son clenched his jaw. "Wanna bet, Demon Child?" he said, cracking his knuckles.
"Whoa, no one is killing anyone!" said Dick, trying to calm the situation. "Not when I have to take care of you, at least." he added under his breath.
Damian and Jason looked at him grimly, and Dick kept his gaze fixed on them. After seconds of silence they stopped and muttered in agreement.
"How did you do that?" asked Tim with his mouth open in awe.
Dick winked at him. "That's part of my charm, Timmy!"
"Which you don't have." spoke Damian.
The eldest son brought a hand to his heart, pretending to be hurt. "That hurt! I never would have imagined that from you, Little D!"
Damian rolled his eyes, muttering something about Grayson's immaturity.
Dick smiled and turned to his three brothers. "Boys, I have to take care of you for the whole evening."
"I don't need a babysitter!" the three protested in chorus, and looked at each other evilly soon after.
Well, at least they are in sync. Dick thought, chuckling to himself. "Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His three younger brothers nodded. "I don't think so." he declared calmly.
"And let's hear it, why?" asked Jason irritably.
"So where to start..." he pretended to think about it by tapping his chin. "Jason, last year you almost beat a poor waiter to death just for accidentally soiling your shirt."
"It cost more than his car and apartment combined!"
He ignored him. "Damian, two months ago you held a knife to the throat of one of the attendees and threatened to kill him."
"He was insulting you, Grayson! No one can insult you but me!"
Dick smiled sweetly. It was a Damian style declaration of brotherly love.
"Yes, but you can't act like that. You just have to ignore them and you'll prove yourself better than them."
Damian nodded reluctantly and Jason muttered. "He was lucky I wasn't there at the time."
Dick ignored him (again). "And Timmy, you switched a lot of people's drinks."
Tim, at least, had the decency to blush slightly in shame. "Jason had dared me to do it." he muttered embarrassed.
"I didn't know you'd actually do it!" defended Jason.
"That's not the point!" interrupted them Dick before he smiled. "Now do you see why I have to take care of you?"
"It's not our fault you're boring, golden boy!" protested Jason again.
Dick chuckled, eyes twinkling deviously with a smirk. "And who ever said I never did anything wrong?"
The three younger ones looked at each other nervously, "But-" Tim began to speak but was interrupted by the eldest.
"It's not my fault you guys always get caught."
"What have you been up to, Grayson?" asked Damian curiously.
"I'll tell you later." he laughed mischievously. His eyes wandered around the now crowded room until he caught a glimpse of Cassandra. "Now I must absent myself for a moment to greet our dear little sister. If you get up to anything, I won't tell you anything." and with that he walked toward Cass.
Jason kept an eye on Dick as he walked away and then turned to his two younger brothers. "What do you think the golden boy might have been up to?"
Damian merely shrugged his shoulders as Tim spoke "If even now at nineteen he's up to wicked tricks, I don't want to imagine what he might have been up to when he was younger; say around eleven and twelve."
"Not only at the galas, but also at Father's." Damian commented.
A few seconds of silence passed, which was interrupted by Jason. "Behave yourselves brats! I definitely want to know all the pranks played by Dicky-Birdie. Woe to you if you mess up!" he threatened them.
"Ehy Cass!" greeted Dick as he approached her.
"Dick." she greeted him back with a small smile. Before her brother could say anything, she hugged him. "I know you were going to ask me to hug you since I wasn't home yesterday." she said once she pulled away from the hug.
"You have a point sis." they smiled at each other and he continued. "So, anything new Cass?"
She shook her head. "No. It seems to me instead that you need to take care of our siblings." she affirmed, giving a quick glance at the three boys before she returned her gaze to the boy in front of him.
He nodded, "That's right. They are such a nuisance sometimes." Cass gave him an odd look and he laughed. "Okay, not sometimes but always."
"Stupid galas. Not only are they boring, but only snobby people hit on me. I hate that!" muttered Selina Kyle irritably to herself as she pulled a strand of hair back. She passed a man in his forties addressing him with a friendly but fake smile and approached the table filled with food and drink.
He looked around for a minute or so until her eyes fell on a young male figure who was talking quietly with a girl who was around fifteen. She recognized them as Richard John Grayson-Wayne and Cassandra Cain-Wayne.
She studied the boy carefully and her breath caught: he was incredibly handsome in his navy blue tuxedo with black silk lapels and a thin matching black tie. His hair fell over his forehead, and although she was quite far away from him, she could vaguely see his blue eyes.
I never thought billionaire Bruce Wayne's eldest son would be so handsome in person. The tabloids don't do him justice.
She saw him chatting with his sister who after a while walked away and he walked toward her.
While they were talking Cassandra saw a young woman carefully studying Dick. Objectively, she was a beautiful girl. Cassandra smiled to herself.
It's time for my older brother to have a girlfriend.
"You know Dick" she began with an inocent smile immediately sending alarm bells ringing in Richard's head. "I couldn't help but notice that a girl is practically drooling over you." at his incredulous raised eyebrow, she continued with a small chuckle. "Metaphorically speaking, of course."
"Don't tell me that-"
"Yes Dick! Go get her! I bet she'll be the woman of your life!"
Richard looked at her as if she had three heads. "You never told me anything like that with my ex girlfriends."
"Because they weren't in fact. Call it a intuintion."
"I must-"
"I'll look after our brothers, don't worry. Now stop wasting time and demonstrate the charm of Richard John Grayson-Wayne!" she interrupted him for the second time in a row.
This seemed to convince him. He looked around for the girl in question until he noticed her. He greeted his little sister and walked toward the young woman. Meanwhile, Cassandra allowed herself a smile.
Cassandra Cain's intuintions are never wrong. She thought contentedly as she walked toward her siblings.
"Cain, where is Grayson?" asked Damian when she noticed that his older brother was not there.
She simply pointed to his location and three heads turned to see Dick talking to the girl. Jason studied her briefly and emitted a low whistle. "Lucky bastard!" Tim slapped the back of his head and looked at him grimly, massaging himself. "What was that for, replacement?"
"I know you were planning to join her and bother Dick but you won't."
"I wasn't thinking that!" he defended himself. At his younger brother's skeptical look, he confessed with a sigh. "Okay, maybe I was thinking about it BUT I won't do anything."
Damian crossed his arms. "I don't like that girl. Grayson better not decide to date her."
A smirk appeared on Jason's face. "What, Demon Spawn? Jealous and worried that the golden boy won't pay attention to you anymore?" Damian blushed and punched the second son's arm, causing him to wince slightly in pain. "You little damn bast-"
"What's going on here?" suddenly appeared Bruce Wayne, a glass of champagne in his hand.
"Nothing!" the two brothers shouted at the same time.
Bruce looked at them slightly suspicious before he noticed his daughter's presence "Cass." he greeted her with a warm smile returned by Cassandra. He noticed the absence of his eldest son and frowned slightly. "Where's Dick?"
"Right there." indicated Tim with a nod of his head.
Bruce followed the movement and smiled.
I told you, Dick.
Dick turned away from his little sister and walked toward the girl. When he was a short distance from her and was able to look closely at her, he momentarily forgot how to breathe.
The young woman was wearing an elegant red dress that came to just above her knees. It was simple but at the same time amazing, incredible. She also wore accessories, all gold: a bracelet on her left wrist, a necklace and an earring on her left ear. Her black hair was gathered in a bun with a few strands covering her face. Her eyes were a beautiful emerald green, though they were strangely familiar but he put that aside for now.
When he arrived in front of her, he smiled his characteristic smile at her showing all his charm and making her heart beat faster.
Calm down Selina, it's just a smile! A damn fantastic smile...
"Bored?" he asked smiling at her, noticing how less than enthusiastic she was.
Selina looked directly at his blue eyes and almost swooned at their beauty. She had never seen such beautiful eyes and for a moment lost herself in them but recomposed herself.
She smiled back at him. "Very." she admitted. "I don't know how you put up with these kinds of events, Mr. Grayson."
He shrugged. "Force of habit, I guess. And, please, go ahead and call me Dick, Miss...?"
"Kyle. Selina Kyle. But just call me Selina, and please, let's be on a first name basis, if that's okay." she introduced herself, extending a hand to him, which he took and kissed gently, making her smile genuinely.
Dick, who was still holding her hand, smiled back. He heard that the hired orchestra was playing a slow waltz. "Would you like to dance, Selina?"
"I'd love to but unfortunately the waltz is not in my style."
He continued to smile at her. "Growing up with Bruce Wayne has its advantages. Follow my example and trust me."
She nodded and he led her onto the dance floor, holding her hand the whole way. He put his other hand on her waist, slowly guiding her through her first steps. She watched him confidently as she recited the steps in her head. It was easy to follow as he guided her through the dance. They continued like this for about 30 seconds, both of them comfortable with each other's presence.
"You learn fast." noted Dick as they continued the dance.
"I'm a quick learner."
Indeed, her every movement was fluid, simple and elegant. She reminded him of another woman's movements but he could not remember who.
The boy smiled broadly and pulled her closer, his hand slowly sliding down her back. She inhaled shakily, savoring the sweet smell of his cologne.
"You know, you are really gorgeous Selina."
Selina felt her cheeks heat up heavily and felt her heart miss a beat and then speed up uncontrollably.
Pull yourself together Selina! For God's sake, you are Catwoman! You have to be the one to conquer the boys and not them to conquer you! For some strange reason, though, Dick doesn't seem like just any guy.
"Thanks. You're pretty cute yourself." she smiled at him, still flushed from the compliment.
Dick's smile became even wider and brighter.
"Falling is like flying." Selina whispered softly.
"If I fall, I'll take you with me." whispered Dick just as softly in response as he spun her around the moment the song ended. They smiled at each other.
"That was nice." commented Bruce Wayne's eldest son about the dance that had just ended. The girl nodded in agreement with a beautiful smile on her face. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No but thank you for the offer."
Then they both heard the orchestra continue playing and Dick offered his arm to Selina. "Do you want to keep dancing?"
Selina pondered his offer for a couple of seconds before she linked her arm with Dick's. "Yes, I'd like that."
The two continued to dance for the duration of the gala. They danced almost all kinds of dances and both really enjoyed the evening.
"So" Dick began once the last dance was over. "did you have a good time this evening?" he asked, masking his anxiety very well as he waited for the girl's answer.
"Very much." admitted Selina with a genuine smile. "But only because you were there, otherwise I would have been bored out of my mind." she added, winking at him.
Dick chuckled and smiled at him as well. "So since we both weren't bored to death, how about we exchange phone numbers and keep in touch?" he asked, hiding his hope.
It's been a long time since I've felt this happy.
Selina on the other hand barely managed to hide her happiness and smiled radiantly. For Dick, that smile could light up the whole room. "I'd like that, Mr. Grayson." she joked as she took her phone from her purse.
"Me too, Miss Kyle." Dick joked back as they exchanged phone numbers.
"Well" Selina began. "it's getting late. I'd better get going. See you Dick!" she smiled at him. Dick smiled back at her and the girl departed.
Once she moved out of his line of sight, Dick allowed himself a smile that almost split his face in half and felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. He turned and saw none other than his adoptive father.
"Looks to me like you had a good time." Bruce commented casually, unable to hide his smile.
Dick sent him an amused look. "You know, I'll bet the tuxedo I'm wearing that you had your eye on me for most of the evening." the billionaire's smile grew and the 19 years old chuckled.
"That girl looked nice." his father observed casually.
"You have no idea." replied the last Flying Grayson without even thinking half a time and his eyes widened comically and he felt the blush rise to his cheeks.
Bruce laughed openly and Dick could only smile happily. His father's genuine laughter was rare, and moments like these where he laughed openly he jealously guarded them in his memory.
Bruce rested a hand on his firstborn's shoulder and smiled sincerely. "Dick, don't let this girl get away. She seems like the one for you."
His son chuckled. "You know Bruce, you're not the first to tell me that. Cass had told me something like that, too."
"Well, then it will be true son."
Dick smiled and changed the subject. "So, I hope the boys haven't done anything wrong. By the way, where are they staying?"
"Right behind you, lover boy." he heard Jason's voice behind him. He turned and indeed with him were Tim, Damian, and Cass.
"And for the record, we didn't do anything." Tim spoke.
"Just as you recommended, Grayson." Damian added.
Dick looked at his sister in confirmation, and she nodded. "Although it was hard to keep them quiet. I don't know how you manage them, Dick." in response he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Natural talent, I guess."
"So, Dicky-Birdie, tell us about your new girlfriend." Jason practically ordered, his blue eyes lighting up dangerously.
"None of your business." replied the acrobat simply, absentmindedly shrugging.
Tim tilted his head, a wicked twinkle in his eyes. "But how Dick? Aren't we a family, and as such, shouldn't secrets not exist between us?" he asked innocently.
Dick narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Do you want to hear those stories or not?"
"Sure. And you'd better tell us them Grayson!"
"What stories?" intervened Bruce who, up to that moment, had been simply listening to his children.
Dick almost gasped. He had forgotten that his father was right beside him. Before he could answer, Jason preceded him with a wicked smile. "All the pranks the golden boy here has pulled at the various galas."
Dick could feel Bruce's gaze right on him and turned nervously to face him but, instead of the frown he expected, he saw a smile on his face.
"Bruce, are you ... smiling?" asked Cass confused. Her four brothers also mirrored her confusion.
Bruce chuckled. "Yes. Well, you see, unlike you who always get caught" he sent a bat-glare to Tim, Damian and Jason making them nervous. "Dick has never been caught."
Dick widened his eyes. "Wait! Are you telling me now that you always knew every prank I pulled?" the billionaire nodded. "And why didn't you tell me?"
Bruce simply shrugged his shoulders. "I liked your pranks even if you sometimes crossed the line." he paused, thinking hard. "Better to say often."
His sons looked at him as if he had lost his mind, which was likely since Bruce Wayne aka The Batman had just admitted to being amused by his eldest son's pranks.
"Golden Boy is just your favorite." muttered Jason, who was ignored.
"You know, one of your best pranks is when, at age 11, you added laxative to most people's drinks." casually observed Bruce.
The rest of the people widened their eyes wide and looked at Dick, who chuckled.
"You put laxative..." began Tim stunned.
"To drinks?" finished Damian horrified.
"How the Hell did you bring laxative without getting caught by anyone?" asked Jason in amazement.
Dick smiled and winked at him. "A mage never reveals his tricks, Jay."
"People felt bad, I guess." declared Cass who covered her mouth to keep from giggling.
"You can't imagine. You should have seen how people were running away from the gala with their hands on their stomachs. Of course, I know it was cruel but it was also exhilarating at the same time. In just over half an hour at the gala there were about a quarter of the total people left." confessed Bruce.
A nervous Tim turned to Dick. "You wouldn't do that to us, would you?"
Dick smiled mysteriously, making all his brothers nervous.
"Remind me never to piss off the golden boy." Jason commented.
"Now, would you like to hear the stories of my other pranks?" asked Dick. The others nodded and then turned to Bruce. "B, do you want to listen to the stories too?"
He shrugged with a small smile. "Why not?"
Dick smiled excitedly as they set out to return home. "Well, now I'll start telling you about the time I hid a fake snake in a snobby gentleman's bag and how he ran away from the gala screaming at the top of his lungs like a sissy..."