Chapter 18: Left in Superman's Care
It was early morning in Gotham and at the moment Bruce was basically lecturing Superman on how to care for Dick.
"Do not forget his favorite blanket and stuffed animal or he'll never get back to sleep. And absolutely no sugar or getting him to calm down takes hours of training and exercise! And don't forget he's allergic toâ." Bruce instructed with a mix of worry and absolute seriousness.
"Cucumbers I know, you've only reiterated your rule encyclopedia like five times since I got here this morning. Now go, you have a plan to catch and I'm not flying you there if you miss your flight. Dick will be perfectly fine with me, I have Alfred here too, don't forget." Clark said, putting an end to his friends' endless instructions.
"I know, I'm sorry I'm just worried. It's the longest I've ever left him in over a year, I don't know how I'm gonna make it through this next week." Bruce said, exhausted as he rubbed the bridge of his nose out of stress.
"I can tell, but there's nothing to worry about Dick is with me. I'll make sure to take good care of him while you're gone." Clark assured his stressed out friend.
"I'll try to keep that in mind. Just pleaseâtake care of my baby." Bruce said not hopeful he could stop stressing, and heartbroken to be leaving his precious little bird.
Especially after he'd just recovered from the Joker incident, the boy was just getting back on patrol, despite Bruce's protests. It worried the poor father who came so close to losing his son, he didn't know if his heart could take even the thought of another situation like that.
"Like he was my own." Clark said, knowing that despite the fact he said he would earlier, Bruce needed the reassurance his little bow was in good hands.
The two began walking to the front door, as they did so Bruce thought over the events that lead him to that moment. It was just three days ago that he got the memo of an unavoidable convention in London for the latest and upcoming tech. He thought about bringing Dick but knew he'd be bored to death. So he tried to find a babysitter to stay with Dick a week, quite begrudgingly.
He tried Barry, but he, Iris, and Wally were out of town for the week, so he tried Oliver but he was out on a mission from the league. He tried several of the female members of the league including Diana, Dinah, Shiera, and several, but they were all busy as well. His company had chosen the wrong weekend to do this, so he was left with no choice but to ask Clark. It wasn't that he didn't trust or like Clark, it was Dick liked him too much. The boy already read the man's comics, had his merchandise, and talked about how cool he was. So needless to say he was quite jealous of the man of steel, but Bruce knew deep down that no matter what he alone would be daddy so he dealt with it.
Anyways eventually the two made it to the front door where Bruce had his suitcase sitting. The bat picked it up in one hand and was about to leave when the sound of little sniffles and padded feet broke his stride. Both turned to see little Dick standing there, still in his footie pajamas, looking very sad as he clutched his Ollie and blankie for dear life.
"I came to..say goodbye." Dick said, trying his best not to cry.
Bruce initially wanted to leave without saying goodbye, not knowing if he could leave if he saw his baby bird like this. But immediately he felt guilty, now realizing it was a very selfish thing to do. So he put his bag down and crouched down with open arms.
"Come here Dickie." Bruce said with the special gentleness he only used for his son.
Dick immediately bolted into his father's arms, burying himself in his father's thick neck to try and muffle the sounds of his tiny sob's. For a moment Bruce just stood there and gently rocked his sad little baby.
"Please don't go." Dick managed to say over his tears.
"I have to go unfortunately little bird, I'll be back before you know it and Uncle Clark is going to take good care of you." Bruce said trying his best to sound encouraging and happy, though internally his heart was shattering.
"Daddy please." The boy pleaded as he lifted his face to reveal crying and sad baby blue eyes.
Oh no why the eyes and the "daddy", my greatest weakness, the man thought as he was so tempted to not go. But he knew he needed to do it, so he kissed his son's head and squeezed him tight to his chest.
"I'm so sorry I have to leave, little bird but I promise I'll be back as soon as possible if not sooner. So please be good for Uncle Clark and remember I'm always thinking of you while I'm gone." Bruce said, choking back his own tears.
"Promise?" Dick asked sadly.
"Promise, goodbye Dickie. I love you." Bruce said as he reluctantly passed his son to Clark's waiting arms.
"Bye bye daddy, I love you too!" Dick sobbed out as he clutched himself to Clark's chest.
Bruce turned around, tears threatening to leave his eyes, and walked out the door now feeling a large part of his heart was now missing. For a moment Clark just rocked his nephew and cooed at him to help him stop crying. He knew Dick was beyond sad, after all Bruce was the last dad he had and the thought of losing him was unbearable to the little boy. However after Dick's crying turned to quiet sniffles, Clark got an idea on how to cheer the poor boy up.
"Hey now better not cry anymore or the tickle monster is gonna get you." Clark said in a voice one would use when teasing a child.
"The..the what?" Dick asked, perplexed as he rubbed his little eyes of tears.
"The tickle monster, it likes to eat little boys and girls who cry because it eats their tears for breakfast. Kinda like this!" Clark grumbled as he began tickling Dick's tiny and slightly pudgy little belly with his large hand.
Dick belly laughed hysterically as his uncle mercilessly tickled him. This went on for two minutes till an out of breath Dick managed to flip out of his alien uncle's strong arms.
"Oh don't you dare run away, I'm gonna get you!" Clark said playfully in a monster voice.
"Catch me if you can!" Dick squealed as he ran off.
Clark let him have a slight head start and then ran off to find his nephew. He knew hide and seek was Dick's favorite game, but few liked to play it with him because he was honestly too good at it, becoming nearly impossible to find. Anyways the man of steel began the hunt for the little pajamaed bird, he used all his skills to try and catch him from super hearing to X-ray vision but no sign of him. Though he wasn't surprised Dick was a very smart little boy not to mention Batman probably taught him how to hide from those with heightened senses.
For twenty minutes the man of steel searched for Dick, knowing Bruce would kill him if he lost his child and on the first day too. Huffing in frustration Clark stewed as he floated in the air thinking of possible locations to check for Dick. But then he saw Ace licking his paws in the corner of the living room, giving him an idea of how to find the stealthy five year old. Clark flew down to the large dog and walked up close to him.
"Ace, have you seen Dick?" The kryptonian asked the massive German Shepherd.
Ace immediately perked up, stopping what he was doing, and then pointed his nose to the Chimney in the living room. Smiling cheekily and silently thanking the dog, Clark flew over to the chimney and put his ear up to it. Almost immediately he could hear mischievous little giggles, the little boy thinking he found the perfect hiding spot from the Kryptonian. Smiling wide, Clark flew down to the large chimney opening and then plunged right in. Within seconds screams of laughter and playful eating noises echoed from the chimney. This went on for about a minute before Clark finally came out with an out of breath little boy in his arms.
"Youâwinâuncle Clark." Dick panted tiredly.
"Hey I got you to smile again so that's my real win." Clark said kindly as he lovingly fixed Dicks now wild black hair.
"But I still miss daddy?" Dick said still feeling sad his dad had to leave.
"I know you do, Dickie, but we're gonna have so much fun today. In fact, how about we get ready, go to the park and we'll do lots of fun things today. Then later you can call your daddy before bed and tell him all about it, does that sound good?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna get changed!" Dick said excitedly as he jumped out of his uncle's arms.
"Wait up for me Dickie, I'll help you." Clark said, knowing Dick sometimes needed assistance getting dressed, he was only five years old.
Within ten minutes the two were rushing downstairs, Dick dressed, and were booking it for the front door.
"Now master Dick I hope you weren't planning on leaving without proper warm clothing." Alfred said as he held out a child sized jacket and beanie in his gloved hands.
"But Alfred it's not that cold outside." Dick whined not wanting to have to wait a second more for the park.
"Now Master Dick, it is still only 64 degrees outside. You will catch a cold or worse the flu without proper protection from the cold. Now come here and let me help you put it on." Alfred said sternly but very lovingly at the same time.
"Alfred's right you better get your coat on, we wouldn't want you to get sick now would we?" Clark encouraged, knowing if he had gotten the little bird sick he'd have to deal with an angry daddybats.
"Ok fine!" Dick grumbled as he let Alfred put on his coat and beanie.
"There we go, already for a nice day at the park. Now you two run along and I'll be sure to have lunch prepared for you by the time you have returned." Alfred said with a light smile.
"We'll be back soon Alfred." Clark said as he scooped up his nephew and the associating Robin bag Bruce instructed him to carry anywhere he took Dick.
"Bye Alfred!" Dick said as he waved goodbye.
Alfred waved back until the front door closed behind Clark and Dick, then he went to work on making lunch. Meanwhile Clark and Dick walked to the park, Clark lifting the tiny boy high in the air every once and a while as said boy held onto his muscular arm. As he did Dick released his usual adorable and infectious laugh that caused all who heard it to smile. It was hard to believe this was the son of the often very serious and non nonsense Batman/Bruce Wayne, but then again now he smiled, laughed, and even took part in silly moments because of him.
Eventually the two made it to the park and Dick bolted for the playground like a mad man. Clark took a seat at the bench and carefully watched the little boy play. He laughed and smiled as he watched Dick energetically swing and flip from bar to bar on the monkey bars. It was as if the little bird could actually fly like he could and it was mesmerizing. He didn't even notice a woman staring at him from the neighboring bench.
"Your son is quite adorable and skilled at those flips, and you two look so similar. I'm sure you must be very proud ." The woman commented kindly.
"Oh he is quite adorable isn't he, but he's not my son, he's just my nephew. Though you should see him and his dad, they could practically be twins." Clark commented with a light chuckle.
The thing was Clark meant every word, it was true he and dick looked quite similar with their coal black hair and baby blue eyes. But Bruce, despite only being Dick's adoptive father, looked uncannily like Dick. It was honestly kind of freaky and many members wondered if they were actually distant family members. They had the same coal black hair, blue eyes, face shape, nose shape, and many other features, making them look like biological father and son.
"Oh then you and your brother must look quite alike too. Actually now that I think about it, have we met somewhere before? I swear I've seen your face somewhere." The woman chuckled.
"Yeah we do I guess, and no we haven't met before. I actually get that a lot so that's not much of a surprise. Anyways I've been rude, I didn't even ask your name. Also which one is your kid out there Miss?" Clark said nervously as he tried to change the subject as quickly as possibly, lest his secret identity be revealed.
"Oh, I apologize then, I probably just met someone who looked like you once. Anyways my name is Janet, Janet Drake, and my son is that little dark haired two year old over in the sandbox. Oh look out boys are playing together, how adorable!" The woman pointed out.
Clark turned and smiled as he saw Dick playing so sweetly with the little toddler who was less than half his age. It was actually a nice change, Dick had always been the youngest in almost every circumstance so he was considered the baby and often treated as such. But here he was playing so kindly and so much like a big brother with a child he'd never known before, perhaps the example of Wally and Roy wasn't all just mischief and wildness.
"Come on Timmy scoop the sand in the bucket just like that, good job!" Dick encouraged and cheered as he kept a small red bucket steady.
Little Tim Drake squealed as he was praised, immediately taking a liking to this older boy.
"Dick's a very sweet little boy. He's always good at playing and sharing with others." Clark said proudly on his nephew's behalf.
For fifteen minutes the two watched as the toddler and little boy played in the sandbox, Dick displaying pure patience and kindness the entire time. But eventually the younger of the two started to run his little eyes and yawn, signaling his watchful mommy he was tired.
"Oh I believe it must be nap time for my little Tim, and it's probably a good idea I change him too. I'm sure he has a diaper full of sand by now. Come here sweetheart, let's get you all cleaned up and ready for your nap." The woman said in a very sweet tone as she scooped up her sandy toddler.
Tim didn't make a single noise about nap time, but tiredly snuggled his mother's chest.
"Thank you for being such a good friend to my Timmy, Dick, he had so much fun today." Janet thanked Dick.
"You're welcome, he was so much fun! I liked being the older kid for once!" Dick said adorably.
"I'm sure you did, now say bye bye Timmy! Say bye bye to Dick." Janet encouraged her sleepy baby.
"Bye bye." Tim mumbled with a tired smile and wave before closing his eyes again.
"Bye bye Timmy! I hope we meet again someday!" Dick said as he waved back.
With that Janet carried Tim off and was soon out of sight, making Dick bolt over to Clark.
"Uncle Clark! Uncle Clark! Come push me on the swings!" Dick squealed as he pulled at his uncle's large arm.
Clark gladly followed and pushed his nephew on the swings, doing so carefully due to his super strength.
"Higher Uncle Clark, higher!" Dick cried out joyfully.
Clark complied and pushed Dick a little harder.
"Higher!" Dick squealed joyfully.
Clark with a wide smile gave one last big push on the swing, only it was stronger than he anticipated. Without warning the swing went flying around the pole it was attached to, making Clark's heart stop for he knew Bruce was going to kill him. However much to his relief Dick joyfully flipped off, pulling multiple complex aerial stunts as he fell back to the ground. With great skill and precision the little boy landed steadily on his feet in his tumbling pose.
"Dickie are you alright, are you hurt?!" Clark asked frantically as he ran to his side and crouched down to properly look for injuries.
"I'm ok Uncle Clark, I do that all the time!"
"I can see that, but maybe you shouldn't tell your daddy about this for my sake. Now I believe we have lunch waiting for us, so how about we head back?" Clark said as he dusted off Dick.
"Awwwhhh do we have to?" Dick asked as he flashed his baby blues.
"Yes I'm afraid we have too, now come on Alfred's waiting." Clark said as he affectionately scooped up his nephew and started to walk towards the manor.
It wasn't long till they came back and had a lunch of grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup ready for them. Ravenously the two devoured the lunch and went back to playing together. First they played with Ace throwing his ball, playing tug of war, and having Clark chase the two as Dick rode on the giant dogs back. Following that they watched Mr. Rodgers together, Dick snuggled up on Clark's lap, and enjoyed some quiet time before Dick's nap. The little boy had fallen asleep in the last few minutes of his favorite show so Clark silently flew him to his bed and let the little boy rest.
From there Clark took that time to catch up on work and write some reports and articles. However throughout the duration of his work time he kept feeling anxious for the boy to wake up so they could play more. He'd spent time with Dick and the other protégés before but never like this, he'd never taken care of them before. He'd never been picked to do so due to his lack of child care experience and the fact that he was usually quite busy. This was his first time and honestly he had loved every minute of it.
He loved being there to care for Dick and feel relied on like he never had before even as Superman. The little boy looked at him with such trust and love and brought so much joy to him in that one day, it was no wonder Bruce had changed so much. At the same time he also recognized how much work it was, the boy had endless energy and a back for getting into trouble. But he wouldn't have given that day for anything, it was so fun and fulfilling, making him look forward to the day in which he himself would have children.
Within an hour Dick woke up from his nap and the two went back to playing. Clark flew the little bird around the manor eliciting joyful laughs from him. The two then did a little bit of training, Clark teaching Dick a few new moves to help take his opponents down even if they were ten times his size or strength. This only added to Clark's joy as he discovered the fulfilling happiness of teaching and watching a child learn brought.
After their little sparring match the two then played an intense game of chess, it was Dick's favorite board game because of the strategy element. Clark was thoroughly impressed by the boy's skills, finding it difficult to get around the little boys strategy. Unfortunately for him it proved to be quite unbeatable as Dick took his king five moves later with his rook.
"Ha I win!" Dick squealed excitedly, Bruce usually beat him so it was nice to win.
"You were very good Dickie, looks like your daddy taught you well." Clark said happily as he cleaned up the board.
"Dinner is ready sirs." Alfred announced as he came to them in the living room.
"Yeah Dinner!" Dick squealed as he ran to the dinning hall.
Clark smiled at the boy's excitement as he walked behind him to the dining room. Once the two entered they were greeted with a steaming Lasagna, steamed broccoli, and fresh baguette bread. Immediately the two went to town, devouring the delicious food before them. Afterwards they had ice cream sundaes for dessert and watched Toy Story together. The entire time Dick was snuggled to his uncle's chest, feeling just as safe with him as he did his daddy.
Once the movie was done it was Dick's bedtime so the little boy went upstairs to brush his teeth and get his jammies on. As soon as he was done he and Clark called Bruce so he could say goodnight. Within seconds the anxious father answered the phone and talked with his son about his day. Dick animatedly told his beloved father about all the fun he'd had that day, but still told him how much he missed him.
"I miss you daddy, are you gonna be home soon?" Dick asked, a little sad.
" I miss you too, baby bird, but I'm afraid I still have a while. But I promise we can call every morning and night till I come home. Is that ok?" Bruce asked, feeling his heart ache for his precious child.
"Ok daddy, I love you." Dick said feeling both sad and happy.
"I love you too Dickie, good night." Bruce said as he made a kiss noise into the phone.
"Goodnight." Dick said with a smile as he made a kiss noise back.
"Are you ready for bed Dickie?" Clark asked as he offered his hand, knowing that asking about the phone call wasn't the best idea if he wanted to avoid tears.
"Mmmhm." Dick answered with a small smile as he took his uncle's hand.
Together they walked up the stairs and straight to Dick's room, where he was promptly tucked into bed.
"Goodnight Dickie, sleep well." Clark said as he ruffled the boy's hair and left a kiss on his forehead.
"Goodnight uncle clark, thank you for the fun day." Dick said with a content smile as he returned the kiss on Clark's cheek and then laid his head down.
Within seconds Dick was fast asleep and Clark quietly closed his door, leaving him to dream. From there the man did a little bit more work and then got ready for bed, feeling tired from his busy and playful day with his nephew. As he got ready all he could think about was how Bruce did something like this everyday, took on so much responsibility and tried his best to make sure the boy felt loved and safe. It couldn't have been easy, but it honestly was fun and so fulfilling. Letting his head full with dreams of a family and of him playing with a dark haired little boy with blue eyes that looked almost exactly like him.
However not even an hour into his sleep a shrill and blood curdling scream woke him from his dream. Clark shot up in the guest room bed, using his super senses to see where the horrid shriek came from. As he did so he saw a small fork running to his door, which within moments revealed to be Dick practically breaking into his room. The poor little boy was panting, a cold sweat on his brow, and a noticeable and large dark spot on the crotch of Dick's blue footie jammies.
"Dickie are you alright?! Why did you scream, why didâ?" Clark asked frantically as he got out of bed and crouched in front of Dick, only to be greeted with the smell of pee.
Clark took a good look at the boys face and by the look of pure fear and embarrassment could tell the boy had just had a nightmare, and not just any one but one so bad it made the poor little boy wet himself.
"Did you have a nightmare Dick?" Clark asked gently as he placed his hand comfortingly on Dick's shoulders.
Dick simply nodded his head as little tears leaked from his eyes.
"Did you wet the bed too?" Clark asked as he then stroked the little boy's face tenderly.
Dick about sobbed as he nodded his head furiously, mortified he did such a thing.
"Hey now shhh shhh, it's perfectly normal for that to happen with a really bad nightmare. Now why don't you go into the Bathroom and take off those wet clothes, I'll be there in a moment to help you clean up." Clark said very kindly as he ushered the boy to the bathroom.
Once in the bathroom, Clark quickly called Alfred on the house phone and explained the situation, prompting the butler to go clean Dick's mess. After that was done Clark walked into the bathroom to find Dick completely naked and in the fetal position as he sobbed his little eyes out. Clark immediately began to fill the bath and then took a soft white towel and wrapped it around poor little Dickie. He then cradled the poor boy in his arms as they waited for the bath to fill up. Soon enough the bath was full and Clark went to work at cleaning off the sad little boy.
They sat in silence as Clark helped clean off Dick in the warm bath water. To say Dick looked sad as he sat was an understatement, he looked positively distraught with a grief he wouldn't voice. Eventually Dick was nice and clean so Clark scooped him up in a fluffy white towel and helped him dry off. After unplugging the bath he carried the little boy back into the bedroom where Alfred had left a fresh pair of underwear and footie pajamas for Dick as well as his bat blankie and Peanuts. From there Clark helped Dick get dressed and then brought him into his bed, figuring it wasn't the right move to send him back to his room. For a few minutes the two were silent as Clark held Dick close to him, then he asked Dick about his nightmare.
"What was your nightmare about little guy, why were you so scared?" Clark asked tenderly.
"I was on a Justice League mission and everyoneâ.died, and it was all my fault." The poor little boy started to sob out.
Clark quickly went to work at cooing and calming the boy down, he knew Dick's nightmares were horrific but not like this. They brought so much strife, guilt, and stress a child shouldn't have nor didn't deserve. He knew it was even worse because Bruce wasn't there, but he would have to suffice for now.
"Dickie, it was just a dream, it wasn't real. I know that we sometimes feel like it's all our fault when things go wrong, but we can't think like that. You are a great hero and you have never let anyone down both as Robin and yourself. You are the light in so many people's lives and we all love you. Tragedy happens in all our lives but that doesn't make you responsible because you lived." Clark explained as he rocked Dick in his arms.
"Really?" Dick asked, wondering if his uncle meant it.
"Really, now go to sleep, and know I'm here to protect you Dickie and that I love you." Clark said as he kissed the boy's forehead.
In that moment Dick smiled, he knew his daddy loved him and believed in him. But to hear it from someone else, someone he deeply respected and looked up to made it all the more clear. It wouldn't make his nightmares go away, but it would bring him comfort that it was all going to be ok. Within minutes he was asleep again, and finally at peace from the images of his dreams. Clark smiled and looked at the child, he hoped one day he could be that source of comfort and wisdom for his own child always, just like Bruce was for Dick.
Then tired and ready to finally sleep Clark got under the covers, Dick in his arms, and closed his eyes. The man of steel clutched the boy tightly, holding onto him like the dream he had for his own family, the thing he truly desired most in this world.