Don't ever ask me to write anything again jfc I haven't ever written this much in such a short time. Please don't forget that this story has dark topics, even if it can be quite cheerful at times.
Bruce liked to think that he had a fairly stable and regulated course of the day. He stood up at four in the morning, got dressed and made food for a small army and then started letting people into the clinic. Most of the time, a bunch of kids would already be waiting for him with cups in their hands and eager smiles on their faces.
He had given them his leftovers one time and somehow that had translated to him running a small soup kitchen. Well, he preferred those kids running to his clinic for food to them going dumpster diving. This was one way Bruce Kane could improve Gotham that Batman did not have the means to.
Besides, Batman was busy enough stalking the streets each evening, night and early morning. That didn't particularly leave Bruce with many hours of sleep, but he had always been a very adaptive kind of person.
X
Selina had been gone for roughly half a year now and dutifully she kept sending him postcards and letters of the places she visited. Often her visits to a city were accompanied by sudden break-ins into the houses of the wealthy or warehouses of companies affiliated with the military.
Bruce had better things to do than complain about the shiny tech Selina sent him once in a while. He had contemplated hiding all of that gear in the sofa, but after two months of that, he had ended up transferring Batman's base of operation into the basement of the house. Nobody could walk into that by accident as it was much more secure. He hid his laptop there, his workstation and all his gear.
On one wall he kept a vast and very detailed map of Gotham, and right next to it a whiteboard with a copy of that map drawn in permanent marker in which he colored in the current situation in Gotham. Who had their territory where, which places Batman had already checked out, which he still needed to go to and all that.
Another wall was dedicated to the people he was after, one profile pinned to the next one with a lot of differently colored yarn signaling their relationships.
He had run out of red yarn a while ago when Spade and Diamond had hidden it somewhere beneath a cupboard Bruce hadn't checked yet. Pink made a pretty good substitute though.
X
Gotham had always had a major problem with organized crime, but trying to find proof that no bribed cop or blackmailed judge could deny was hard. Just delivering a mob boss to the police headquarters with incriminating photos wasn't enough, Batman had already tried that multiple times with a steadily increasing amount of evidence.
And each time the bad guys got away without even a day in prison. If Batman couldn't use the police officers' reaction to the apprehended criminals to slowly learn about who was dirty and who was actually doing their job, he would have stopped delivering them after the third try.
Despite what the newspaper claimed, he wasn't insane.
Therefore Batman had to figure out a different approach. He began to start at the very bottom of the list: pointing the kids and teenagers employed by various gangs as runners in different directions, following the small-time dealers and scaring them off.
Since cutting off the head of the dragon didn't work, Batman would start at the other end. It didn't yield the results he had hoped for in the beginning, but it was the start of something.
Currently, he was trying to get a lead on the Falcone Family. While they made their money with all kinds of things, he was primarily concerned with their drugs and tendencies to get teenagers hooked up on the stuff once they had grown out of being their runners.
He had witnessed what that did to people far too often when he had still been a runner, and it wasn't anywhere near pleasant. Lately, they had been even more aggressive as well. He had heard from one of the kids he had been feeding that a big shipping of cocaine had gone missing and that Falcone was pissed.
So Batman currently spent most nights tailing dealers, decimating them and learning where they got the drugs from. He knew Gotham well, especially her darker parts. It wasn't necessarily difficult to determine their hiding spots, just a lot of work for one man.
X
Batman was following a Falcone thug through Crime Alley when it happened. He had stuck to the rooftops for now to prevent the man from noticing him. He hadn't been able to pinpoint the man's exact position in the Family yet, but it was high up enough that his information would be worth following him the whole night for.
Batman jumped on another roof and was about to move forward when a scream from the alley below him distracted him.
Down on the ground was a child desperately trying to land a hit on a group of men. A kid dressed in a neon brightly colored costume was about to get the beating of their life.
Batman cursed and abandoned the trail he had been following in favor of dropping right from the building into the brawl beneath him. Two of the men he took down with his landing alone, the next one fell with a punch aimed directly at his face. Batman was no professional martial arts fighter, but he had grown up on these streets, and he knew how fights were handled here – and how to get the upper hand. He turned around to face number four, but before Batman could stop him, the man grabbed the kid and held a knife to his throat.
"One- one move and it's over for the kid!" The man stuttered. "I mean it!"
This would have been ten kinds more impressive if the man didn't look like he was about to faint from fear and actually had a steady grip on his knife. The kid's reaction, on the other hand, was much more interesting. They stayed calm, nothing about their posture suggested that they felt threatened.
Batman slowly moved his arms up, signaling the man that he was going along with his demands.
"Ha! Not so mighty now, Bat-"
He was rudely interrupted by the knife Batman threw right at the hand that was holding the knife. The man shouted in pain and dropped the weapon, as well as the kid. Instead of running to safety though, like any rational scared child would, the kid kicked the man in the knee cap, forcing him to the ground.
"That went well!" The kid cheered and for good measurements kicked the man again.
They then jumped over the bodies in a somersault of all things and landed right in front of Batman with their hand held out.
"Hi! I'm Robin! Nice to meet you!"
X
Batman tugged the kid under his arm – he was quite light-weight, malnourished most likely – and climbed up the fire escape with him before settling them down. He scanned his surroundings, but his target must have escaped by now.
He really needed to get some kind of tracking devices.
"Thanks for the help, Batman. That could have gone wrong fast."
It had already gone wrong since the kid, Robin, had been engaged in a fight in the first place.
"Go home," he ordered. "You shouldn't be out at this time, this is no place for a child."
"I'm ten and I'm not a child anymore, alright?" Robin hissed back with a surprisingly deep amount of venom. They had been so ridiculously happy before and their whole attitude change screamed strange. Batman should have known that there was something off here.
"Besides, I need to be here," they continued, hands balled to fists. "Somebody killed my parents, and I'll find him and- and- he will pay."
"Look, Robin-"
"No!" They stomped with their foot. "I need to find him! I know his name is Zucco, he threatened Mr. Haly because he wouldn't pay? Then he did something to the ropes, I'm sure of it! And then we had to perform and my parents, they- they just fell. We're not supposed to fall, we're the Flying Graysons. Why are they dead now?"
The longer Robin talked, the more did their voice shook. Batman tentatively put his arm around their shoulders and without much hassle, two small arms wrapped themselves around his torso while a face pressed into his armor.
"It's not fair! It's not fair and I'll get him back for it!"
When his mother had died, Bruce had been cold and silent. He hadn't even thought about trying to find her murderer because he'd been busy trying to stay alive himself. This child, on the other hand, was filled with fury and rage. And despite all the stuttering, he had been able to tell that their accent wasn't that of a Narrows' kid, or a Gothamite in general. Parents dead, not from Gotham but still searching for their murderer here. Maybe they lived here now in state care or with a relative and the parents had been part of an accident? It didn't sound like they had done anything to warrant the murder, but rather someone else.
Batman waited a little longer until Robin had calmed down before he spoke up.
"Robin, can you tell me what happened?"
"It- it was on the afternoon of the opening night. I saw a man, Zucco, come out of Mr. Haly's trailer. They were shouting really bad about the circus having to pay money for a falcon, which is weird because we don't have any birds, or Zucco would make us regret it. Mr. Haly didn't want to pay and Zucco left, but I'm sure I saw him do something to the ropes my family uses for our act. And then, when it was time for the show, and we were performing, the ropes just- they just snapped. And we don't use a net, because we're the world's best so they just fell."
Batman remembered seeing an advertisement for a circus a while back, it must have been a few months at least, it had been right after his birthday.
"Robin, can we make a deal? I'll find this Zucco or whoever else was responsible for your parents' death-"
"Really!?" Robin interrupted. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew I could count on you, Batman."
"But," Batman continued. "You have to promise me to stay put. This job is dangerous, and I can't have you running around Gotham on your own, okay?"
Robin crossed their arms and looked up at Batman, blue eyes filled with determination. "Fine. But I want to be there when you have him."
"Deal."
X
When Bruce returned home, he was exhausted. After his encounter with Robin, who did not want to be taken home any further than the police station in Old Gotham, he had gone home straight to do some research.
Robin's parents had been part of a tragic accident that had happened towards the end of February in Haly's circus. The Flying Graysons had been a family of acrobats, which explained Robin's agility and how they'd been able to keep up with Batman so easily. The only survivor of that family was their then nine-year-old son, R. Grayson.
Figuring out that the Zucco Robin had been talking about was probably Antonio Zucco had been easy enough. The falcon Robin mentioned had been the boy mishearing Falcone and Bruce knew from his investigation of the Falcone Family that Zucco was a part of them. He was a prominent drug dealer, known to react explosively when the other party didn't play along. However, Haly's circus had set up far away from the Falcone territory, so Zucco threatening the circus for protection money didn't make any sense whatsoever. Yet the Graysons had still paid the price for Haly's refusal. Now Bruce had to figure out where Zucco was hiding out and why he had been acting so far outside Falcone territory.
The police hadn't bothered to investigate that though, as far as Bruce could tell. Maybe he should check that out in more detail.
X
"I distinctly remember being promised that you would stay put."
Batman crossed his arms and glared at Robin, who promptly ignored Batman's attitude in favor of balancing on the edge of a building on his hands.
"I am staying put, right next to you."
"That's not what I meant yesterday and you know it."
"Do I?"
Batman suppressed the urge to groan and tried to up his intimidation to the level that made grown men break out in tears. It didn't have the same effect on Robin.
"Either I stay put by your side or on the other side of Gotham, exploring on my own," the boy argued, standing his ground still with his legs up in the air.
Batman contemplated whether leaving the boy to his own devices was safer than taking him with him. His job was dangerous, going after a Falcone Family member was pretty high up on his don't-involve-anyone list, which said a lot given that he worked alone. Then again Robin was a young kid, not native to Gotham, and leaving him alone on the streets at this time would end badly.
One second passed, then two, then three.
"Fine. But you listen to every word I say. When I say hide, you hide. When I say jump, you jump. When I say run, you…?"
"Run! I got it, B. Seriously."
"Good."
Batman mustered Robin's still brightly colored uniform. The green shorts, the red shirt and the yellow cape would not help the boy stay unnoticed, or give him any kind of protection. It was the outfit his family had worn for their performances, though nobody should be able to recognize it during the night. Batman only knew because he had come across a picture of the Graysons in uniform in one of the newspaper articles covering the accident. At least Robin had enough common sense to obscure his face with a mask.
"Does that outfit even offer you any kind of protection?" He growled under his breath because Batman did not mutter.
"Does it look like it can?"
He was already regretting taking Robin along and they hadn't even moved away from their rooftop.
"Rhetoric question, Robin," Batman replied as he opened the belt buckles of the side pockets strapped to his legs.
"Here," he said and handed them over to Robin. "The right one has throwing knives and the left one smoke bombs. Only use them in emergencies."
Robin jumped up and down, and quickly put the tiny bags around his thighs. Then he opened them to first take out one of the bat-shaped knives, Selina had gotten him as a joke gift a month ago or so, then one of the smoke bombs and examined them closely.
"A batbomb and a batarang. Awesome."
"A what now?"
X
They took off in the direction of Tricorner, which was at the other end of the city, right next to Old Gotham where Batman had left Robin last night. It made him wonder where the boy had disappeared to after since he had sought out Batman in Crime Alley.
"Where are we going?" Robin asked. He followed Batman to the next rooftop with ease, incorporating way too many acrobatic forms, but still sticking to the vigilante's speed.
Batman had learned how to move fast as Bruce out of necessity, parkouring through the city to evade cops and gangs or just get his deliveries done soon enough. Robin was already much better than Bruce had been at that age, and he had managed to survive, hadn't he?
Then again Bruce hadn't gone out of his way to look for a criminal as well, at least not at that age.
"We're heading for Tricorner."
"Why?"
"For information."
"What kind of-"
"Robin, shut up. You'll see when we're there."
X
Batman hadn't directly interacted with police before today, he hadn't even planned on it. It was a bit sad, but Batman was skilled enough to break into the police headquarters undetected and, given a little more time studying technology, he'd be able to get in and out of their databases without their notice as well.
However, that wouldn't be enough for this case. He needed the information of someone who had been there the day Robin's parents died, someone who wouldn't try covering up the evidence.
They land on the rooftop of Commissioner Gordon's house. The man was honest, far from perfect, but at least he cared about this city enough to try to change it for the better and stick to the law. If somebody asked him, Batman would say that he couldn't care less about the law. It was useful and necessary and acted as an inhibitor to crime, but it certainly didn't stop anyone, nor did it differentiate between a woman stealing to keep her children fed and healthy and a business tycoon stealing from his company.
But Gordon cared, and his hands were gentle still even after so many years.
"Where are we?"
"Commissioner Gordon's home."
Robin frowned. "That's the police officer who was at the circus."
"I know."
"Will we ask him for details?"
"I will ask him for details. You will stay silent and stay here."
Batman dropped from the rooftop down to the fire escape.
X
Robin did not stay on the roof.
Batman didn't know why he was even surprised anymore. It's been barely over twenty-four hours and the kid had disobeyed all of his orders already. This investigation would be a nightmare.
Batman knocked against the window of Gordon's apartment. He lived alone with his daughter, who was about Robin's age if he remembered correctly, and probably would not appreciate Batman breaking into his apartment.
Soon enough Gordon appeared in front of the window and Batman had to give him credit for not making a sound and just aiming at him with a gun.
Batman stepped back from the window with Robin peaking at Gordon from behind his cape. Gordon opened the window with one hand, the other still holding onto the gun. His eyes darted at Robin for a second before focusing on Batman again.
"Who are you and what do you want? I warn you, I'm-"
"Antonio Zucco," Batman interrupted him. "A member of the Falcones. He's responsible for the murder of the Grayson family at Haly's circus six months ago. I need to know what information you have on him."
With furrowed brow, Gordon corrected his aim once more. "I'm asking you again, who are you? And who is the kid?"
"I'm someone who can do what you can't, and the child is none of your concern. Newspapers said that the Graysons' death was a tragic accident, but we both know that's a lie. Just give me the information you have and we'll be on our way."
The man hesitated and Batman couldn't, shouldn't, blame him, but he was on a schedule. He didn't have all night.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because we both care about this city."
He didn't tone down the hoarse, dark growl he had adopted as Batman's voice, but he let enough of Bruce sicker through to make the man understand. Gotham accent was harsher than others and the pronunciation of those from the Narrows, Crime Alley, the Bowery, and the likes was even more prominent. They tended to drop the softer consonants and vowels in favor of harsher sounds and heavier aspiration. It was a recognizable accent, and no matter what you looked like, if you were near a crime scene and the police heard you speak like that, you were prime suspect faster than you could even finish your sentence.
Gordon mustered him and slowly lowered his gun, but he didn't let go.
"Alright, let's talk. But not here."
Gordon looked back to the entrance of the kitchen. "I'll meet you on the rooftop. I heard that's where you prefer to be either way."
X
Gordon took a few minutes until he reached the rooftop. Robin had stayed silent the whole time, so different from the chatter mouth of before. When he finally arrived, Gordon had put on a coat, a bulletproof vest and was still holding onto his gun. His other hand, however, was sporting a cigarette.
"Why does Gotham's Batman want to know about the death of the Graysons?"
"I've been keeping track of the Falcones for a while now. They sell a lot of drugs to minors and I want them gone from my streets."
Gordon snorted. "Yeah, I've seen your work against them. It's not enough to hold them down, though."
"Not yet. If I can gather proof that Zucco killed the Graysons on Falcone's orders though, it might be enough."
"That is if he did. Zucco disappeared magically since the incident. There has been no official investigation, but I did some digging, and Zucco hasn't really come up anywhere since the murder. He seems to be hiding. From whom I don't know though, we certainly didn't go after him."
So the question was what was Zucco afraid of? By all means, he should be celebrating that he got away with murder and possibly a good sum of protection money-
That was if Haly's paid. They didn't give any more shows in Gotham after that first opening night, they packed up pretty fast and Zucco, for all his aggressiveness, was a coward. He wouldn't return to the scene of the crime, which meant that he probably didn't even get any money. He was a known dealer though, selling a lot and earning a lot. He shouldn't need the extra money, except if he fucked up. Messed up like losing an entire shipment of cocaine and not having enough money to pay back his boss. He wasn't running from the police, he was hiding from Falcone.
"Thanks for the information, Commissioner. We have what we need, Robin. Let's go."
"What? But we barely-"
"Now."
X
Batman sent Robin on his way, wherever that may be since the kid wasn't telling him and wasn't willing to leave before Batman had. It was a little frustrating not to know where he was disappearing to, but Batman respected his boundaries. He certainly wouldn't have appreciated anybody butting into his business at that age. He hadn't told Robin where to meet him the next day, but he sincerely hoped that the boy would stay away from now on.
Of course, Batman rarely got what he wanted.
He had been hunting down another Falcone thug one moment, and the next Robin was by his side, throwing himself off the roof right onto the man's back.
"Did you see? Did you see?" He asked excitedly, standing next to the groaning man on the ground.
He definitely shouldn't reward a kid's violent behavior, but- "Well done."
The following interrogation went surprisingly smooth despite Robin's endless chatter of 'I'd really just tell him, he gets so cranky otherwise. How old are you? Have you been selling drugs for long? Your parents didn't teach you any manners. Spitting on people isn't nice. Batman is the good cop here, or the better cop. You don't wanna see me in action.'
Batman wasn't sure how exactly Robin adjusted his intimidation factor, but since the guy was talking within seconds, Batman decided that it didn't matter.
The detective work obviously wasn't what Robin had imagined when signing up for tracking down his parents' killer. He was impatient and started getting annoyed and angry after a few hours, though Batman privately suspected that his attitude had more to do with the fact that he was a tired child way past their bedtime.
Yet Batman couldn't deny that it was enjoyable to have Robin around. Sure, the kid only listened to half his orders most of the time, but at least always when it counted. He could not shut up for the love of god and as a ten-year-old child, he should really be spending his nights somewhere safe far away from the Bat.
But still, Robin somehow managed to make the dark not as terrifying and lonely.
After a week of nightly meet-ups, Batman brought along a bulletproof vest he had taken from the arms' dealers at the docks a while ago, as well as knee and armguards he had bought this morning second hand as part of a skateboarding set. Batman had tried to make the vest at least a little bit smaller so that it would not hinder Robin's flexibility and hoped his adjustments would be enough. The kid needed more protection if he stuck around and the black of the vest would do something against the bright red of Robin's uniform. The less color attached to Robin, the better.
Robin was already waiting for him by the time Batman reached their rooftop. The moment the boy saw the vest, his eyes lit up in excitement and he started jumping up and down.
"Finally! Real armor!" He cheered and immediately demanded Batman's help with putting it on.
As soon as the vest was secured, and the guards in place, he went through a couple of flips, jumps, twists and turns before concluding that it was alright, but a bit loose.
"I can fix that," Batman said and held out his hand again. The sooner that was done, the less time he would spend worrying about dragging a kid along.
"Good! I'll grab something for the color then!"
Before Batman could stop him, Robin had rushed off.
X
Robin returned an hour later with old cans of spray paint in various shades of green, red and yellow. Batman was tempted to just kick them off the roof when Robin wasn't looking but the boy's excited smile prevented him from taking drastic measurements. As soon as he was sure that the vest fit, Robin took it and the guards off again and began to spray paint them.
His left arm guard ended up neon green, the right one forest green and his leg guards were an interesting shade of olive with yellow edges. The vest, however, was definitely Robin's masterpiece. The shoulders were a hot pink turning strawberry red, crimson and finally a color Bruce associated with the lipstick Marie wore. On top of the red coating, Robin sprayed a bright yellow R.
"And? What do you think, B?"
That Robin had no self-preservation skills whatsoever and that if Batman ever left him alone now, the kid would one-hundred-percent get himself killed within the next hour.
But Batman couldn't say that because Robin looked at him like he had hung the moon and the stars and there was a fine line between crushing dreams and being truthful.
"I think that when the bad guys see you, they know it's game over."
He didn't say that they'd think that because Robin's colors would be followed by Batman's darkness.
X
Their investigation was slowly moving forward. Not as fast as Batman would like to, but at least they were getting places. And when they weren't on Zucco's trail, they were beating up gangsters, cleaning up Gotham one idiot at a time. Gotham's Bat was supposed to serve the whole city after all, and the Bird that had taken to following him didn't mind. Batman was actually pretty sure that Robin would skin him if he didn't keep up with his regular patrols.
Eagerly Robin waited on him every night – and yes, it did worry him that Robin could apparently slip away from his home each night without anybody noticing. He had gained some weight, and there were no bruises that didn't come from their work, so Robin wasn't homeless as far as Batman could tell, but that didn't make it right either way. Robin deflected all questions about his home life like a professional as well. The smallest inquiries would make him suspicious and so Batman had stopped trying too hard to get him to talk about it. Instead, he let Robin take the conversation to whatever place he wanted it to be.
The whispers about the Bat's bright little companion, so small and delicate right up until the moment they broke your kneecaps and forced you to the ground, however, stayed.
X
Selina didn't often call him, usually only when either of them had another panic attack and needed to calm down, or when she wanted to share how she pulled off another successful heist. She had gotten good, great even. She'd always been a talented thief, but Bruce was sure that by now she was on a level he could only ever dream of reaching.
The important thing though was that usually she stuck to sending him letters and postcards, so her call in the morning had been a surprise.
"Word on the street is that the big terrifying Bat got himself a little baby bat," was the first thing he heard when he accepted Selina's call.
Bruce was tired, he hadn't even had his first cup of coffee yet and he knew that Selina was aware of that.
"It's a bird," Bruce replied. "And good morning. How do you even know about Robin? You're not anywhere near Gotham."
Selina laughed. "In Gotham, out of Gotham, I still know how to read."
"The papers haven't printed anything about Robin yet, though."
Bruce had paid attention to that. He had wondered whether the Commissioner would say anything or how long it would be until somebody else talked, but no paper had mentioned Robin so far.
"Trust me when I say that I read far more interesting things than the newspapers. I just wanted to know where you picked the kid up and whether he sleeps in my room or on the sofa."
"Robin came to me asking me for help catching his parents' murderer. And why would he stay with me?"
"You've been keeping him around for at least two months now and he's an orphan. You've got a bleeding heart, Bruce, of course he'd be staying with you."
Bruce couldn't see Selina but he knew that she was rolling her eyes at him. He hated it when she talked to him like he was oblivious, revealing all the secrets he didn't want her to know because that would mean speaking about them.
"Well, he's not staying with me. The cats, however, have permanently claimed your bed."
"Greet my babies for me and tell them I love them. Where is Robin staying if not with you?"
"I don't know. He isn't telling me. Besides, he's well fed and healthy so his home must be alright."
"And you're respecting his privacy?" Selina asked with an inappropriate amount of disbelief in her voice. Bruce tried and failed not to take it to heart, because he really wasn't that bad about needing to know where everyone was all the time.
"He doesn't want me to know, Selina. What am I supposed to do?"
"Offer him a place? You obviously trust him as Batman, and when you're like that, you're even more suspicious of people than usual. The kid could be staying anywhere, doing god knows what to stay as healthy as you perceive him. Nobody necessarily has to lay a hand on him to hurt him. We both know you can earn a pretty penny by doing nothing more than just undress-"
"Selina!" Bruce interrupted her harshly. "He's not- I'd know-"
"Would you, Bruce? Look, I'm sorry, that was out of line. All I'm saying is that you should just offer him a place. You let me stay despite knowing I wasn't telling you everything and we worked out eventually. Just do it now before you regret it later."
Bruce sighed and gently massaged his temple. "Why do you always have to be right?"
"Because that's what best friends are for. Now that we've covered that, I gotta tell you what happened last week because it certainly won't hit the news…"
He began to prepare for the day with Selina's chatter at his side. It was a welcomed sound, familiar and warm and feeling so much like home in a way he could barely describe in words.
He'd offer Robin a place tonight. Most likely Robin would deny needing it but insist on Batman unmasking himself. That was alright as well, Bruce guessed. He did trust the kid for reasons he couldn't quite explain with words, and it would be only beneficial if Robin knew he had somebody in his corner.
X
Tonight, Batman had come to his and Robin's roof early. It was situated right on Crime Alley's border to the Bowery, and from the top of the empty water tank on top of the house he could see pretty far in all directions. However, without knowing precisely what he was looking for, he wouldn't have been able to spot Robin. For all his colorfulness, he was great at hiding and disappearing in Gotham's fog.
Batman reached into one of his pockets to pull out a small sandwich wrapped in foil. He had started to carry snacks with him about a month ago. Perhaps even longer, he just remembered getting ready for patrol one evening and thinking that a child of Robin's age would probably get hungry after so many hours out on the street. True enough, Robin had gotten used to being handed food by Batman during patrol. The past weeks had been marked by a lot of changes, more than Batman thought he could handle at once. Just by looking around their roof he could spot so many, starting by the fact that nowadays he had something declared a distinct roof. All around the area Robin and he had spray-painted targets for Robin to aim batarangs at and learn how to properly use them. He still couldn't believe he had let himself be talked into making more of them. It was an unnecessary extravagance, but Robin insisted that they added to their style. Then there was the rough miniature map of Gotham he had forced Robin to memorize, the first aid kit stashed away between two boxes, as well as the blanket Robin had been gifted by a group of homeless teens they had saved. Unfortunately, their horror at Robin's shorts had not encouraged the boy to switch to longer pants.
He should have asked Robin earlier whether the kid needed or wanted to stay with him, though he honestly had no idea what to do if Robin agreed. He'd have to see about getting him back to school and figure out their housing situation. Selina had implied that she'd be alright with Robin sleeping in her room, but he wasn't going to let that happen while she wasn't home to properly speak her mind. He could always just sleep in the basement and give Robin his room, it wasn't like he spent much time in it in the first place.
Before his thoughts could drift too far away, Robin had reached the roof, turmoil written into his every movement.
"Robin, what's going-"
"I've got a lead on Zucco," Robin blurted out. "Come on, come on, we have to go!"
"Stop," Batman ordered. "Slow down. Where did you get the lead from?"
"His niece! I stopped by her on my way here, just to check on her again and see if her step-dad had finally left them, but she was waiting on me! She told me Zucco had stopped by and threatened her mom for money and she gave me an address and we really have to go now!"
They had stumbled upon Zucco's niece on accident. The girl had been hit by her step-father when he and Robin interfered, chasing the man off. She had been very thankful and eager to help when she had heard that they were chasing after her uncle. She apparently didn't like him very much since the Falcones now regularly dropped by her home to check whether Zucco had shown up there, despite years of no contact to his sister. That he had done so now meant either that the man was getting desperate, or that Robin and Batman were walking into a trap.
"It could be a trap."
Robin rolled his eyes.
"I know, but we have to check it out anyway, just in case it's not. We have to be sure, B. She said Zucco's hiding out in East End."
And with that Robin took off, not sparing a second glance at Batman. So what else was he supposed to do but follow the child?
X
Robin was reckless and doing far more riskier jumps than usual. Already five times Batman had moved closer to him to be able to catch Robin should he fall. He was focused solely on reaching Zucco in time, disregarding his surroundings completely. It wasn't easy to keep calm during the night when confronted continuously with so many horrors, but it was necessary. Once your emotions instead of your logic started to determine your direction, you put yourself in harm's way.
But precisely that was why Batman stayed at Robin's side.
X
Zucco's new hiding spot was a tiny warehouse belonging to a small nondescript company. Robin had wanted to rush right in, but Batman had been able to get him to do a perimeter check first.
When that turned out to be alright, nobody could hold Robin back from sneaking into the building. They found Zucco sitting on top of a few boxes, smoking a cigarette. He was tall and broad, but his face was ashen, pale and sunken in. He must be tired from the months of watching and judging by the way his right hand was tapping against his waistband where his barely hidden gun was tucked in, he wouldn't take well to surprises.
Batman turned to Robin, only to see the youth's muscles tensing. "Robin, don't-"
But it was already too late. Robin had jumped down on the man, kicking him off the boxes.
"You," he snarled and punched Zucco in the face. "It's your fault! It's all your fault!"
Cursing, Batman followed Robin and with a swift grab managed to pull Robin off Zucco and shield him as the man had finally got a grip on his gun and fired. The bullet hit Batman's torso, and the hit must have shocked Zucco enough for the split second of hesitance Batman used to jump behind a couple boxes with Robin. If he and Robin got out of this alive, he'd ground the kid and send Selina a lot of thank-you flowers for the armor.
The gunshot had seemed to tear Robin out of his mindless onslaught, forcing him to rethink.
"B?"
"I'm fine," Batman grunted. He was pretty sure the place where the bullet had hit him would bruise. "We need to get the gun out of his hands."
"Easy enough," Robin hissed and took out one of the batarangs.
They had practiced this countless times, Robin's hands were steady and his breathing was even. He looked around the corner, avoiding Zucco's second shot by a hairsbreadth, and threw the batarang. Zucco let out a pained cry and Robin ran around the corner again.
Sure enough, the gun was lying on the ground and Zucco's hand was bleeding. Robin rushed to the weapon and as soon as it was in his hands, he aimed it at Zucco.
The drug dealer froze and slowly his expression twisted to a terrified one.
"P-please, don't shoot! I'll do everything! I have contacts! I can get you money or weapons. Whatever you want!"
"I want my parents back!" Robin shouted and shot Zucco in the leg. "You killed them and I want them back! Can you do that? Can you give them back?"
Zucco screamed and dropped to his knees, pressing his uninjured hand against the wound.
"I'm- I'm sure we can… we can reach-" He stuttered, but Robin didn't listen to him.
"I don't care about what we can-"
"Robin, that's enough."
Robin didn't look away from Zucco, he kept his aim and eyes right on his face. His hands, however, had started shaking.
"He killed my parents, Batman."
"I know."
Bruce slowly stepped closer to Robin's side, coming to a halt right behind the boy.
"He deserves to die!" Robin cried out, tears running over his cheeks. "It's not fair that he gets to live! He's bad, he's a murderer."
"And you're good, Robin," Batman said. "You're such a good kid and your parents wouldn't want you to step so low for revenge. You don't have to commit a crime to make up for another person's actions. They want you to be happy and this won't make you happy."
He reached for the gun and Robin's grip on it loosened. Batman disarmed it and threw the parts far away from the kid.
Then, perhaps a bit clumsily, Batman pulled Robin into a hug. Just like that first night, Robin pressed his tearstained face into his torso and quietly cried with trembling shoulders.
"I just want my mom and dad back. Why did they have to die? Why them!?"
"I'm here, Robin. I'm still here and I won't leave. I'm proud of you, you did great…"
Batman continued to talk until his throat was too hoarse to keep speaking and Robin couldn't cry anymore. He didn't say that everything would be alright, remembering how much he had hated to hear those words. But he could promise that he would stay with Robin. He wasn't exactly sure whether his words really reached Robin, but since he seemed to calm down, his presence must be helping one way or another.
X
They left Zucco in front of Commissioner Gordon just outside the police office. Zucco confessed everything from the Graysons' murder to many minor and major crimes Batman hadn't known about. He didn't connect Robin to the Graysons' murders though, unlike the Commissioner who kept glancing at Robin. He hadn't said anything on the way to the police station, nor did he move around much, caught up in his own thoughts.
Gordon didn't ask them anything about Zucco's condition and let Batman and Robin go without as much as a comment.
It was almost too easy to slip back into old habits after that. They moved away from the police station and headed for the roof they usually said their goodbyes on. When they reached it, they just sort of stood there with neither moving. Robin always waited for Batman to disappear and now that he wasn't, they reached an impasse.
"Look," Batman said. "I should have done this before, but I want you to know that you have a place with me."
"Thanks, Batman," Robin muttered.
"I mean it, Robin. I know you haven't said anything about where you're staying, but if you need a home, you can have one with me."
Robin's eyes widened. "What do you mean…?"
"I have a spare room." Well, he was working on it either way. "And if you want to move in with me, you can. I don't want to replace your parents." Bruce added the last part hastily before Robin could object. "But I want you to know that you can have a home by my side should you need it."
For a moment Robin said nothing, then he rushed to Bruce and hugged him again. This time without tears.
"Thank you, B. You're the best. I need to grab some stuff though. That might take a while. I'll get my things to the roof tomorrow evening, can't get out beforehand. Where do you even live? In a cave? In the sewers? Do I get to see what your face looks like?"
Bruce couldn't help but smile. He looked around but didn't see anybody who could spy on them. Satisfied, he looked down at Robin's smiling face again and slowly pulled off the cowl.
"Nice to meet you, Robin. I'm Bruce Kane."
Robin gasped and gently reached up with one hand, poking Bruce's cheek. "Woah. You're young! I thought you were older."
Bruce snorted. "You think an old man could fight like this?"
X
Robin promised to meet up with Bruce the next day as early as he could, though that apparently wouldn't be until the regular time anyway, and denied Bruce's offer to help him get his belongings. In turn, Bruce promised that they wouldn't go on patrol tomorrow, but instead explore Bruce's apartment. Even his insistence that it was nothing special and tiny didn't discourage Robin.
"See you tomorrow, B!" Robin shouted and ran off the roof, dropping a few meters and landing on the next one.
Batman waited until he couldn't see Robin anymore before he retreated home himself. He had an apartment to clean up.
X
Bruce called Selina as soon as he returned home. She didn't answer the phone though, so perhaps she was out on a heist again. He left her a voice message retelling the events of the night, then he got started on tidying up the apartment. Bruce wasn't a messy person. He had never had many belongings and held what he possessed close to his heart. Everything had a place and that was where he could find something should he need it.
However, a place being neat didn't necessarily mean that a child could stay there. Robin had agreed to move in enthusiastically with whatever belongings he still had, so he probably expected space to put them. Bruce took a look at Selina's bare room and decided that he'd let Robin have his, it was bigger either way, and since Robin could not sit still under the threat of death, more space was for the best. With a sigh, Bruce began to move his clothes into Selina's room. They had shared one room and a bed for years, she wouldn't mind sharing again, if she returned any time soon. She would maybe also let Robin have her room, but Bruce didn't think a phone call alone could resolve that.
In the end, it wasn't much that Bruce had to move around, which was a relief as much as a disappointment. He had expected to accumulate more things over the years since he earned more money, but besides a few more shirts there really wasn't much. He'd have to recheck the batbudget, vigilantism devoured more funds than he had expected.
And now, with a kid staying here, Bruce would have to think of making cuts on other ends. He'd have to send Robin to school as soon as possible, get him clothes, feed him and buy toys or at least get him something to entertain himself with when Bruce was busy at the clinic.
Though, maybe Robin could help out there in his spare time.
Bruce tried to imagine Robin running from one patient to the other, fixing smaller injuries and balancing on the wooden chairs in the entrance hall.
It would be good first aid training for him, but that was where Bruce would have to draw the line. No matter what Robin and his own experience said, the kid shouldn't have to work just because Bruce couldn't think of anything to keep him off the streets and out of trouble during the daytime.
It was bad enough that Robin accompanied him on nights. Bruce needed to take his measurements first thing in the night. Robin needed a uniform with better protection, preferably in black. If he started living with Bruce, he would probably agree more readily to changes as well. Otherwise, Bruce could probably ban him from the TV? Or maybe ground him?
His thoughts came to a sudden stop, and Bruce decided that he had reached the moment where his mind drifted off into a very uncomfortable space, asking for a definition of the relationship he had with Robin.
He wasn't Robin's father, he didn't want to be his parent, but Robin wasn't Selina either who was his best friend but not his responsibility. He didn't have to make sure she had brushed her teeth or provide her with food, she'd done that all on her own.
Bruce froze.
He was really going to do this, wasn't he? Living with a child full-time, attempting to get Robin into adulthood without any incidents such as starvation, drug addiction, gang affiliations, prostitution or murder in the Narrows.
He was so out of his depth. Bruce tried to call Selina again, but the beeping tone of her voice message sounded like her bell-like mocking laughter.
Groaning, Bruce dropped onto his bed. He'd figure it out, he always did. Now he needed to get some sleep.
Of course, that was precisely when his alarm clock rang.
X
Batman arrived an hour earlier that night, waiting patiently for Robin to turn up. He had brought an extra bag in case Robin needed some help carrying his belongings and sat down on the edge of the building to get a little more comfortable.
The hour waiting turned into two, then three and four and too soon it was morning again, Batman was exhausted, and Robin hadn't shown up at all. Maybe the boy had spent the entire day asleep, crashed after last night's action. Just because he had seemed alright again at the end of the night, didn't mean Robin was actually okay. Bruce certainly hadn't been fine after witnessing his mother's death, and he doubted he would have been okay seeing her murderer somewhere on the streets at Robin's age.
He wasn't even sure if he would be alright if he met that man today.
When the sun finally came up, Batman decided to call quits and return to his apartment. Robin would show up tomorrow, cheery as always. For now, Bruce had a clinic to open and other lives he needed to save.
X
During Crane's time, the clinic had actually treated about as many humans as animals. The injured men and women Doctor Crane took in were emergencies most of the time or had wounds that couldn't be explained at a hospital without dirty cops showing up asking for hush money about that bullet wound.
Of course, the more impoverished people who couldn't afford a real doctor or the hospital had come to Crane as well. Those were usually the patients Bruce got to treat. They hadn't paid all that well since they simply didn't have the money.
Those were the people that showed up on Bruce's doorstep the most nowadays. He didn't get many pets to treat anymore, which was great because everything above or below a dog or cat was kind of out of his level of expertise. Not a lot of gang members showed up anymore as well, which had to do with his reputation.
Nobody died in his clinic, but he didn't mind treating assholes last because they had broken into Mrs. Fernández's store last night and now had the gall to show up on his doorstep when she was sitting right there.
And Bruce had gotten into too many fights as a teen with only his status as a doctor protégé keeping him safe against harsh life-threatening revenge.
Doctor Crane hadn't cared as long as Bruce's eyes had still been able to see and his hands ready to work. There were a lot of things Doctor Crane never had to do, such as ordering vaccinates for children on the black market for example or feeding people besides his apprentice.
It was worth it, though. Bruce was doing good work here and he was improving the situation in this part of the city.
Perhaps it wasn't the vigilantism that ate up so much of Bruce's earnings.
X
Batman waited for Robin again that night and like before the little bird didn't show up.
Nor did he come the next night, or the one after.
Robin had a quick tongue and didn't mind telling Batman to back off. He had done so in multiple far more dangerous situations in the past.
Something had happened, and Batman was going to figure out what.
He just hoped it wasn't too late yet.
X
Months ago, Batman hadn't been good enough to hack into the police databases undetected. Back then he had still been working on his crappy first laptop and barely gotten started on learning computer language.
But Bruce had always been a fast learner and a smart kid. He had gotten himself a high-school education without any aid, and he was pretty sure that he was a more competent doctor than some of the people right out of medical school.
Never mind that he had grown up in a colorful neighborhood. One could say what they wanted about the Narrows, but people of all ethnicities lived her. It was a dark place, and there wasn't a lot of light, but there had always been color. Not picking up bits of other languages was impossible with how interwoven different languages were in the slang spoken here. Languages were something Bruce was exceptionally good at.
Mastering one made up of zeroes and ones really wasn't all that difficult for Batman.
He figured out which orphanage Robin had been brought to within thirty minutes. He hadn't even needed to dig deep.
X
Showing up at St. Aden's Orphanage as Batman seemed unwise, to put it mildly, but he also didn't want to arrive there as Bruce Kane in case his questions arose suspicions. He didn't have the money to pay off more cops this month. Instead, he went to a second-hand store and bought the ugliest green suit he could find, a yellow dress shirt with black stripes and a pair of sunglasses. Once he put on the clothes, he walked straight, his head held high. He didn't bother with side-glances, and to every Gothamite it would be clear that this man was here for business. Perhaps he was a little crooked, but not overly dangerous. The kind of man you could get a beer with and hear him confess a thousand minor thefts without having enough evidence to trace it back to him.
Matches Malone walked into St. Aden's Orphanage with a cigarette in his mouth, he extinguished only when one of the younger nuns could be seen glaring disapprovingly like she didn't drink a bottle of red wine every Sunday after mass.
Malone entered the administrative office of the orphanage and found an elderly nun squinting at a computer, carefully typing in once sentence one tap at a time.
"Excuse me," Malone spoke up, North Jersey accent rolling off his tongue smoothly.
The nun looked up to him and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Yes? How can I help you, Mr…?"
"Matches Malone," he replied. "I'm here to see Robin Grayson? The boy should have been in your care as of March first, this year."
The woman frowned and Malone wanted to sigh. He should have known that even in Gotham people would question strangers asking around in an orphanage.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat his name, please? My hearing has gone bad in this old age."
Or perhaps nobody cared here as well.
"Ro-bin. Gray-son."
"Richard you said?"
"No-"
"Lovely boy, so lucky too!" The nun interrupted Malone. She held onto her cross and nodded. "He had to spend the first months in juvie because they couldn't find a place for him until one opened up here. Poor boy, he was so frightened and angry, but he got better lately. I'm telling you it was God's spirit and the masses. They do wonders for the souls and I'm so happy that poor circus boy got adopted. Lord knows what could have happened-"
"Not Richard. His name is-" Malone stopped. "Wait, what did you just say?"
"Well, he got adopted a week ago. Lovely family. A man and his wife with already one son Richard's age. They insisted that they wanted him, after barely exchanging a few words or taking a look at the other kids. They knew he had a good heart from the first moment on."
"What's the family's name?"
"What's it to you?"
The nun politely folded her hands and leaned back in her chair. So that was how things were run here.
"I'm an old family friend," Malone admitted and began to take cash out of his wallet. "I couldn't get here sooner, I was traveling the country on business. I work for an insurance company, you know? I just wanted to make sure Richard's alright and take care of him. His parents would have wanted him to stay with me. Of course, if he's happy with the family, then he could stay there, but I gotta make sure, you know?"
Bruce wouldn't eat as much as he usually did next week, but at least he had a name and an address.
X
It didn't take long for Batman to figure out that Robin- Richard - the boy's name was Richard and he should really stick to it – was definitely not staying with the family that had adopted him. They lived in a small house in a nicer neighborhood and Batman could see why the adoption had gone through so quickly. Coming across homes willing to take in children in Gotham was rare, never mind finding good ones. He observed the family for two days before he concluded that Richard wasn't in their house at all. He didn't show up in any window, and the houses in this area didn't have a basement to hide him in due to too much water in the ground.
But Batman was at the right address, looking at the right family, so where was Robin?
He waited until night time to break into the building. The father was still awake, working in his office while the mother and son were sleeping. Batman entered the house through the living room, passing the gun cabinet. It wasn't even locked. Without a sound, Batman took out the two guns and took out the munitions. The last thing he needed was anyone shooting at him while he interrogated the father.
Batman continued on, passing by the bedroom and the son's room and finally entered the office. He had wanted to do this calmly, silently. He didn't want to alert anyone, but as the father was typing away on his laptop, Batman saw the tiny green bag next to the desk. It was the same shade as Robin's mask and an old and worn stuffed elephant was sitting next to it.
He recalled Robin's tales of the circus, how much he missed traveling, performing and his best friend in the whole world with the exception of Batman – an elderly elephant lady named Zitka, wearing a red hat, just like the miniature version Robin had of her.
And then Batman lost his calm.
Marcus Brown didn't know what hit him until after Batman already had his hands on him.
"Where is he!?" Batman roared and, with his hands on the man's throat, pushed him against the wall, his head banging against it with a loud crack. "Where is the boy you adopted? Where is Richard? Answer me!"
"I- I don't know who you're talking about!"
"Don't lie to me! You have his things right here!"
Behind him, Batman could hear the mother and the child approach. They didn't enter the room, but the child screamed and the woman began to sob.
Batman didn't care.
It happened too often, kids just disappearing and never resurfacing, ending up in brothels or being sold to sick people. He couldn't let that happen to Richard. He should have interfered earlier, should have asked the boy where he was living, if he needed a safe place to stay. It was all his fucking fault, Bruce felt like throwing up.
"Where is Richard!?"
" He- he- they-"
"Tell me where he is!"
"They took him!" Brown shrieked, wetting himself in fear.
"Who?"
"The people in the masks! They- they- paid us. We just had to take the boy for two days and then they took him. I had a debt and I needed money, they would have taken my son and- I couldn't. I just couldn't. Nobody would miss a brat like him."
Batman let go of the man in utter disgust and he fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. His family rushed to him, holding onto Brown with their lives.
"They wore white owl masks! I don't know anything more, I promise. I promise. Please, don't hurt us- please don't."
"Be glad," Batman hissed.
Glad that Batman had better things to do then stay and beat his opinions into Brown. He reached for Richard's belongings and picked them up. Brown and his family recoiled in fear when his hands were a little too close to them.
Batman turned around and left without another word.
X
The first thing Batman did was check up on all stores and gangs whether they had white owl masks, and he only returned home when he could definitely exclude that possibility. He didn't bother to change his outfit, he would be going out again soon enough. He carefully sat Richard's things on the sofa and began to look in his belongings for clues. A bunch of clothes and photos were all the bag stored. His Robin outfit was missing, though Bruce couldn't tell whether that was because Richard was wearing his uniform while being taken by the men in masks or if he had hidden it beforehand.
He was at his wits' end. He needed help.
Bruce dialed Selina's number, hoping she'd pick up. He didn't know who else to turn to. He didn't have anyone in this city.
The phone ringed only once before Selina answered.
"Hello, Bruce. I've been wondering when you'd call! Finally gonna introduce me to Robin?"
His mouth went dry and he forgot how to breathe. No word would come out and he didn't know why he couldn't just say something-
"Bruce? Bruce, are you there?"
"H-here," he stuttered. He hadn't had a panic attack in weeks. Why was he having one now? He had more urgent matters to attend to, he needed to find Richard. He couldn't be weak now.
"Bruce, I need you to breathe with me. In and out, just like always. Come on, we'll do it together. In."
Bruce breathed in.
"And out."
He followed suit again and orientated himself by Selina's words, breathing with her until he could do it on his own with her just chatting about how lovely Central City was and how he really had to visit it someday.
"Better now?" She asked after what felt like a lifetime.
"Yes, thank you."
"Is that what you called me for?"
Bruce slowly got up from the ground and instead moved towards the sofa. "No, it's not. I need your help, Selina. It's about Richard."
"Who is Richard?"
"I mean Robin. His real name is Richard. He's missing and I don't know how to find him."
Silence followed with Bruce trying to calm his breathing again and Selina thinking.
"What happened to him?" She finally asked.
This was why Bruce missed her. Selina didn't try to make things seem better than they were. For all that she was a deceiving thief, she was honest with him.
"He was adopted by a family who had done so to get money. They took him, Selina. It's been a week and Richard is still missing and I don't know where to look or what to do. He could be dead or worse and if I had just listened to you and taken him in earlier-"
"It's not your fault, Bruce," Selina interrupted him harshly. "You are not responsible for other people's crimes. This is not your fault. Repeat after me, this is not my fault."
"Selina, we don't have time for this. I need to-"
"You need to repeat my words. This is not my fault."
"This- this is not my fault. Now, please, I need your help."
"It'll be a few days until I can be in Gotham. If you have money for a plane ticket, I can be there faster, but I'm not sure how much help I'll be. I'm better at retrieving things than finding people."
Bruce cursed and once again wished that she hadn't moved away. He felt incredibly selfish for wanting her back here when he could tell that her time away was helping her find a ground to stand on. But Bruce didn't know how to do this on his own, he didn't know where to start. Even if Selina claimed that this wasn't what she excelled at, she was still much better than she gave herself credit for, never mind that her presence would help him stay focused for longer than two minutes.
"Is there any other information you have on Richard's disappearance. You said the family took him in for money. Did they tell you who paid them?"
"People in white owl masks," Bruce repeated the man's words. "It's so fucking stupid, and it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. There's not a single gang that uses white masks or owl masks, or a combination of both and I already checked the stores, but none of them sell white owl masks for Halloween or whatsoever."
"You're sure they said white owl masks? Bruce, this is important. Was it really white owl masks?"
Selina sounded worried, afraid even. Terrified like she had been years ago up on that rooftop after their encounter with death at the docks.
"Yes, I'm sure. Why? Do you know something?"
She stayed silent long enough that Bruce worried whether something had happened to her as well.
"Have you ever heard that nursery rhyme?" Selina finally spoke up.
"What nursery rhyme?"
Selina laughed, bitter and humorless. "Right, I forgot, your mom was an immigrant. It's an old Gotham nursery rhyme. My mom used to recite it on her better days. I still know it."
Selina cleared her throat, then she began to speak.
"Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send The Talon for your head."
Bruce didn't think his mother had ever recited a nursery rhyme like that. Most of her lullabies had been Italian, but the words still sounded familiar, like Bruce should know them.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know how there are catacombs beneath Gotham? You can enter them from the sewers."
"No one goes there, though. You know that."
That was common knowledge. You could hide out in the sewers for a while. Some gangs and smuggling rings operated there, but they were easy enough to avoid. However, nobody went deeper than the sewers.
"But why?" Selina pressed.
"Because everyone who does disappear…" Bruce trailed off. "You think Richard is there. Why and what does it have to do with that rhyme?"
"It might be nothing, but there have always been whispers. My mom used to say that owls were living down there, sleeping by daylight and attacking Gotham by night. It doesn't make sense, and my mother certainly shouldn't be cited as a reliable source. I know it's not much or what you wanted to hear from me right now, but all I could think off when you mentioned white owl masks was this."
"Thanks, Selina. It's more than I had before."
Bruce stood up, looking outside through the window. The sun was rising and the city was getting busier again.
"I'll be there in two days, Bruce," Selina promised. "Don't do anything stupid."
"It's been seven days already, five of those with Richard captured by those masked people. I'm past stupid, Selina. I'm desperate. Don't forget to feed the cats when you get here."
"Bruce-"
He ended the call. He needed to repack his pockets, and then he had a boy to find and bring home, no matter what it took.
I need all of you to remember that Bruce is 21 years old here and since I tweaked the time line, only 11 years older than Dick, which puts him somewhere between older brother and father figure. Meaning he will totally lick his pudding so Dick won't eat it but is also down to read bed time stories.
Before anyone complains about Dick just straight up shooting Zucco in the knee, he spent about half a year in juvie instead of the 3 months he does in some canon and this is all in all a darker Gotham. Despite how cheery he acts and is at some parts, Dick is a traumatised ten year old child who has been without a stable caregiver for half a year and the first person he forms a close relationship to is the myth like vigilante Batman.
Bruce on the other hand is much younger, constantly exhausted, overworked and suddenly responsible for a child. Of course, he starts to freak out when his kid is gone.
Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter!