Okay so I haven't updated in over a year but what're a few years between friends? Anyway, this is a sixteen-chapter (counting the prologue) story so I am determined to finish it. I will finish it. We're gonna get there!

Writing this chapter reminded me how underutilized and wonderful Alfred is. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

For the past four years, Bruce had been taking care of the four kids left at his doorstep. He'd been taking care of Richard a little longer than that. Regardless, he knew his kids very well. He had seen them grow and develop their own personalities and he couldn't be prouder of the little people they were growing up to be. Victor, for instance, was eight-years-old, smart and clever, responsible and caring, with an interest in sports. Vic didn't seem as close to Bruce as the others but you just had to look for the moments they shared, Vic curling into Bruce's arm as they watched football together, or coming to Bruce first with his exciting plans for the future. The whole family was tight-knit.

Except for the one-upmanship. It killed Richard that his siblings had superpowers. He and Kori were particularly close and had the extremest case of sibling rivalry that Bruce had ever seen. Richard didn't want to be better than any of his siblings but he was furious when he couldn't do something one of his sisters could do. Which included telekinesis, super strength, and wearing skirts. Obviously, when Richard asked, Bruce let him wear skirts. But Bruce couldn't give his son superpowers. He didn't even know where his other kids had gotten their superpowers, though he'd been researching it for years now.

And it was never just skirts or superpowers. Richard was frustrated by how well Kori wrote her letters (Rs sparked special jealousy) and how fast she could climb trees. Unfortunately, Bruce could never convince Richard that he was just as good as his siblings. It seemed like insecurity and jealousy were just the norm. Richard wasn't as jealous of his brothers, Gar because he was "little" and Victor because he was "big." But Kori and Raven were Richard's age and so Richard got far more riled up when Kori beat him at wrestling than when Gar did since Richard usually lost on purpose when he was wrestling with his little brother.

So Richard worked harder, worked non-stop. He wanted to be better than he was so he worked on his Rs and his tree climbing and his wrestling. He worked so hard to be on the same level as his sisters. Bruce was a little proud, a little worried. He didn't want his son to be a workaholic and he didn't want jealousy and insecurity to be the only things that motivated him. Raven read long books for higher reading levels because she liked it, Kori climbed trees and wrote in pretty cursive because it was fun for her. Richard did all those things out of spite.

Sometimes, though, Bruce got a glimpse of a different, happier side of Richard. He seemed to genuinely enjoy the play fighting he did with his siblings, so Bruce offered to enroll him in martial arts classes. It was an outlet for all the pent-up envy and Richard loved it. He would come back from his class and excitedly teach his siblings everything he had learned. Raven wasn't always into it but it was hard not to get swept up in Richard's enthusiasm. Bruce was a master in a plethora of fighting styles but whenever Richard learned something new, Bruce would sit down and pretend that all of this information was new to him.

The classes and the chance to teach and lead his siblings both helped Richard a lot but his favorite thing was when he faced the grading scale. Getting to show off in front of his classmates, teachers, and family was the best. Showing everyone that he could do it, that he was getting better, made him unbelievably happy. As long as he could keep pushing himself and proving himself, everything was okay.

Alfred was the first one to notice that Richard was burning himself out.

"Master Richard," Alfred said, approaching the boy as he practiced for another grading.

"Alfred! Watch me fight," Richard requested.

"I'm watching. You're doing well. You remind me of your father when he was younger."

That stopped Richard in his tracks.

"What?"

"Well, Master Bruce doesn't have any superpowers himself. He had to work hard to be as strong and tough as he is. I see much of him in you."

Richard beamed.

"But," Alfred said, adding a word of warning, "Master Bruce has also struggled all his life. Sometimes he pushes himself too far. Sometimes he forgets to take things slow and enjoy life. I don't want you ending up like that."

"But I enjoy fighting," Richard said, feeling confused. He was six and he had never seen his father at his lowest points. The concept kind of scared him.

"I know, and I'm glad you have something you enjoy. But if it ever stops being fun, or if you ever find yourself only fighting because you're trying to prove something, it's okay to stop. It's okay to rest."

"Huh. Okay. I will, I promise." Richard's agreeableness didn't surprise Alfred all that much. He knew Richard was a good kid who was in a weird place because of his siblings' superpowers. Reminding Richard of the reality that Bruce Wayne also didn't have superpowers did him a lot of good.

"I'm still trying to teach your father that lesson. I think you're going to grow up to be as great a man as him one day, if not greater."

Richard beamed again, hugging Alfred's legs. Alfred hugged back.

"I think I'm going to take a break now," Richard decided.

"Good plan, Master Richard."

"Are you going to come to watch my next fight?" Richard asked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."