Persie certainly wasn't used to being in the same room with as many people as this unless she was in a lecture hall or on the subway at the busiest point of the day. She didn't feel claustrophobic or trapped though, in fact she basked in the noise of all these people - her family - made, laughing, chatting and teasing each other. It had been so long since she'd last spent a Christmas that wasn't just herself and Paul with Nico dropping in for several hours before he went down to Hades to visit his father. This year was a new year and one she knew would be amazing if this Christmas was anything to go by.
She was sprawled between Wally's legs as he reclined against the leather armchair in the huge lounge room of Wayne Manor. Dick had somehow managed to convince his guardian that it would be a brilliant idea to convince his guardian that it would be a brilliant idea to have people over for Christmas and he had to have agreed but Persie got the impression that Dick had neglected to inform the man on just how many people would be attending if Bruce's slightly pinched expression was any indication.
Wally's arms were warm around her waist and he kissed her behind the ear as she leaned back against his chest and flipped idly through the book she's been given from Dick who had somehow managed to find one written in perfect Ancient Greek so she was able to read it without too much trouble from her dyslexia. Bart was suddenly crouched beside her and a moment later the wind from his speed whipped her hair against Wally's face.
"What'cha got?" he chirped, large brown eyes wide with excitement (And probably too much sugar) Persie angled the boo for him to examine and he squinted at the symbols on the cover. "What's it called?" he asked.
"It's a collection of Greek Fairy tales." Persie said with a smile, running her hand down the leather cover.
"Can you read me some?" Bart asked looking ecstatic at the very idea and the twins hearing the words 'fairy tale' toddled over, leaning on Persie's legs and beamed up at her with their tiny teeth bared in smiles.
"Us too! Us too!" they chanted together dissolving into giggles when Wally ruffled their hair.
"Maybe later, brats." he said giving them a gentle push. "Go back to your mummy. And take B with you." they giggled but took Bart's hands and he allowed them to lead him half bent over to the other side of the room where Barry and Iris were seated together on one of the long couches beside Jay and Joan Garrick who each lifted a twin onto their laps with a smile.
"One more present guys!" Tim called out and Dick smiled lazily from where he was laid out on another couch, phone in hand no doubt texting his boyfriend whom he had refused to let them meet yet.
"Who is it for Timmy?" he asked his brother.
Tim squinted at the label on the narrow rectangular package. "Wallace and Persephone."
Wally and Persie both grimaced at the mention of their full names but Persie accepted the box that Tim passed her and Wally leaned over to watch as Persie unwrapped the box. There was a long and old-fashioned looking key nestled among the dark blue velvet of the box. "Who is it from?" Wally murmured against her neck and Persie shrugged, picking up the label from where it had fallen
when she removed the ribbon and held it up for Wally to read, the looping script and small print too hard for her to decipher.
"From Bruce." Wally read and all eyes turned to the billionaire who shifted uncomfortably and averted his eyes.
Bruce cleared his throat. "I spoke with your parents." he said softly. "And I believed that you were mature enough and old enough."
Wally nodded slowly. "Yeah, thanks and all but um...what is it?" "It's a key." Bruce said and Dick laughed.
"Yes but they don't know what for."
"It's the key to an apartment in New York." Bruce explained looking uncomfortable. "It's been in my family for years but no one's ever used it. I was going through the books a few weeks ago and found it. I was going to sell it but Dick suggested it might be a good present. I asked your families about it and they agreed that you were mature enough. You've both got full-time jobs and are perfectly capable-" he broke off when Persie touched his arm and he looked up at her curiously.
"Thank you Bruce." she said earnestly. "It means a lot to us."
"Yeah." Dick snorted under his breath. "You can have sex whenever you want."
Persie glared at him but turned back to Bruce with a smile. "Thank you." she said softly and the emotion in her words made them heavy and he even more awkward so he just nodded and looked over at Wally who smiled back at him with a grateful nod.
"You'll have to get most of the furniture and pay the bills but you won't need to pay rent." Bruce said once Persie had sat back in Wally's lap. "Since the flat technically belongs to me rent is irrelevant but you will need to look after it yourselves and acquire all the fittings and things."
"Cool." Bart breathed and Nico scowled from where he sat beside the now bouncing Bart on the couch. "When I'm Wally's age can I get my own place?"
Barry snorted and Iris wacked his chest. "We'll see, sweetie." she said.
"Yeah maybe when you grow about three decades in maturity." Wally scoffed and Bart pouted at him.
"I've got my own place." Nico murmured only slightly smugly and everyone turned to look at him incredulously. "What?" he asked. "My dad got it for me. I refused to go back to camp and I couldn't stay in the Underworld all the time so he got me my own place. I'm emancipated."
Bart threw himself to the ground moaning theatrically. "Why me?" No one answered him and the twins used the opportunity to flop onto him giggling. "Why is it always me?"
"Why not?" Tim asked from the side as Nico grinned. "You seem like a pretty good target."
Paul looked up from where he was talking with Rudolph and Mary calling out. "Play nice kiddos or I'll have to do some cooking."
Nico and Persie immediately stopped smiling and Paul smirked in victory, Rudolph and Mary
chuckling from beside him. "Must be pretty bad cooking." Mary commented. "Is it on par with Bruce's?" Dick asked with a grin.
"Put it this way." Persie said. "He tried to cook once a few months after mum...died and it put me out of commission for three days."
Dick laughed. "That's nothing. Bruce cooked once when Alfred was in England." he sat up and leant forward for dramatic effect. "Ace wouldn't eat it."
Wally gasped and then howled with laughter while Alfred tutted and Bruce flushed dully. "Who's Ace?" Persie asked.
"The dog I had when I first came here. Huge black Great Dane. Awesome animal." Dick said with a reminiscent smile.
"That thing ate everything." Wally said. "He ate his own crap, rotten eggs, birds that had been dead for a couple of days." he grinned at Persie's disgusted expression. "We gave him weirder and weirder stuff just to see what he would eat. The result was everything except-"
"Except what Bruce cooked."
They all chuckled and Bruce sunk slowly into his chair. It was strange seeing him like this. Persie had only seen Bruce as Batman before and only seen him as Bruce Wayne in the papers or on TV. Batman and Brucie both had a perfect reign on their emotions, able to either maintain a perfect stony exterior with absolutely no visible emotions or act like a ditsy and scatterbrained man wearing his heart on his sleeve. This might just be the real Bruce they were seeing now. This confident yet shy man who hid smiles but not well enough, enough so that they could see them before they vanished. This man who showed his love quietly yet still showed it. This was the real Bruce Wayne and Persie realised how rare of an occurrence this was and the subtle looks that Tim and Dick kept shooting both their adoptive father and each other only added to that. This was her family now. She had lost her last one but she would dig in her nails and never surrender this one. Ever.