Chapter 21: Happy Birthday Daddy!
It was nine am on a Saturday morning and all was quiet and seemingly normal in the Wayne manor. But as Bruce woke up from his deep slumber he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something. As he threw on a robe and brushed his teeth he thought over it, trying to pick his tired brain for what he could have been forgetting. After a few minutes of this Bruce ultimately decided it must not have been important as whatever it was failed to come to his memory.
Going on his way Bruce went into the hallway towards the dinning room only strangely enough the house was still dark. The large curtains were all still closed and it seemed as though no one had awakened in the manor yet. This was very odd as normally he was the last one to awaken on weekends. By this time of day Alfred would have prepared the manor for the day, and Dick would have either been watching Saturday morning cartoons or bouncing off the walls with morning energy.
Deciding to do a little investigating, Bruce first went to Dick's room making sure the little boy wasn't sick or anything like that. However when he reached the child in question's room he found it shockingly empty. The bed looked like his little boy had not been in it for a while as the sheets were tossed to the side and his blankie and Peanut were missing as well. This made Bruce a little nervous since he did not like it when he wasn't sure where his baby was or what he was doing. Carefully making his way down stairs Bruce looked around to see if his son was maybe hiding from him. For the entirety of his walk towards the dining room Bruce looked for any signs of his son or Alfred but was unsuccessful. Eventually the large muscular hero made it to the dining room door and opened it, unprepared for what he was about to experience.
"Happy Birthday daddy!" A tiny high voice squealed.
With a loud pop confetti greeted Bruce bright light from the windows shined through. Slowly but surely his eyes started to adjust to the light making it so Bruce could see what was before him. Balloons and streamers decorated the walls and roof of the dining room with bright colors. The table was covered in confetti and at the head of it stood, on the chair, his son. Dick had a bright smile and a party hat on while Alfred stood next to him, also with a party hat on, and a large stack of pancakes with whipped cream and candles on top lay before them.
"Happy Birthday Master Bruce." Alfred said with a cheeky smile.
He hadn't been able to celebrate a birthday at Wayne Manor for many years due to Master Bruce's insistence. But thanks to his young charges' curious nature the little boy asked him when Bruce's birthday was. Well one thing led to another and the two planned a surprise birthday breakfast for him.
"Oh I'd forgotten it was my birthday today, thank you, you two, this was very kind of you." Bruce said a little flabbergasted as he hadn't celebrated his birthday in years, thus why he had forgotten it was today.
''Twas not my idea sir, it was young master Richard who thought of the whole idea." Alfred said with a small cheeky smile.
He'd failed to mention how he'd actually left little hints about the millionaire's birthday, as to stir his youngest charge's curiosity.
"Sit down daddy, sit down we have to sing happy birthday!" Dick squealed excitedly as he ran to his father, loving celebrating birthdays, and pulled his arm to get him to his chair.
"Alright I'm sitting down Dickey, I'm sitting down." Bruce said with a light chuckle as he sat down in his designated chair.
Once he sat down the two sang happy birthday to him making Bruce feel a mix of awkward and loved as the tune went on. Once they finished Bruce blew out the candles and the three proceeded to eat. The pancakes as usual were delicious but quite messy, which became more apparent as Dick's face was covered in whipped cream and syrup. This made Bruce laugh as he cleaned off his son's face with a wet napkin.
But despite it being a rather mundane action and common part of child care it brought him great joy. For this once he wasn't cleaning up blood and dishing out pain, but instead bringing joy and care to someone close to him. He didn't have to be Batman or even everyone's hero, he just had to be daddy to one precious little boy he loved with all his heart. Which despite all the money he had was the only gift he truly wanted in the world.
"Daddy open you gifts, open your gifts!" Dick squealed, pointing to the small pile of brightly colored gifts as he finished his breakfast.
"Oh are these for me, you shouldn't have baby bird." Bruce said as he pulled the gifts closer to himself.
Dick immediately hopped into his lap and was joyfully bounced on the older man's knee. As Bruce did so he opened the first gift which was a small box wrapped in red paper with a silver bow. Tearing open the paper the box opened to reveal a beautiful silver Rolex with gold accents. That wasn't even the best part on the back was engraved, Love Alfred and Dickie.
"Thank you, you two, this gift is very thoughtful." Bruce said with a genuine smile as he snuggled his baby bird.
"Keep going daddy there's more!" Dick squealed as he bounced of his own volition on his father's lap.
As requested Bruce kept going from there opening his gifts to find a picture of him and Dick for his desk, new dress shoes, and an adorable hand written card from Dick. It was a simple celebration but nothing made the man who had everything happier as he was surrounded by those he truly cared for.
Once lunch was done Bruce and Dick suited up to head for the Watchtower. The Justice League had a meeting scheduled that day, not even on his birthday did Batman take a break. Once everything was ready the two went over to their personal Zeta Tube portals and programmed them for the Watchtower. Almost instantly the two were consumed in a white light and disappeared from the Batcave, now traveling through the advanced teleportation technology.
In the blink of an eye the two found themselves in the Watchtower, only it was pitch black. Batman looked around for the light switch but to no avail the lights didn't come on no matter how he fiddled with it. If that weren't weird enough the Bat noticed how quiet it was in the Watchtower. This put him on edge because the superhero hub was never quiet, so something suspicious was going on. Together the two silently walked around but found nothing giving Batman a bad feeling.
"Daddy, I think I heard something from the rec room." Robin whispered as he pointed to the dark doorway of the rec room and went towards it.
"Wait Robin, don't go in there!" Batman whispered yelled.
But Robin went in anyways sending Batman chasing after him in a panic. However as soon as he got through the doorway the lights flashed on and Batman was blinded.
"Surprise!"
Batman let his eyes adjust and soon enough saw the entire Justice League including the protégés standing in front of him and a whole party set up surrounding them.
"Happy Birthday Batman!" Everyone cheered.
"What is all this?" Batman asked, feeling a mix of shock and confusion.
"I told everyone about your birthday daddy I wanted you to feel special!" Robin squealed happily as he ran up to father.
"So the little guy helped us to plan a little surprise party." Wonder Woman chimed in.
"We know it's not your favorite thing to be surprised but we figured it was a special occasion." Flash added as he tooted a little horn to emphasize the occasion.
"Huh look I'm flattered butâ" Batman started to groan before a little sniffle interrupted.
Batman looked down and felt his heart crack as he saw Robin with a sad look on his face.
"Do you..do you not like it daddy?" Robin asked sadly as he grabbed Batman's cape as if to desperately plea he didn't do something his father didn't like.
Immediately knowing he was about to say something very heartless and ungrateful Batman decided to put aside his abhorrence of surprises away. So the hero crouched down and hugged his son tightly to his chest.
"No Robinâ. I love it." Batman said as he pulled away and managed a small light smile for his baby boy.
Overjoyed Robin threw his arms around his father's neck and gave him a crushing hug. Batman stood up and once again held the boy tightly in his arms, stroking the boy's soft thick black hair delicately. Many of the members oohed and awed at the sight, while some cheekily chuckled or smiled as they had caught the terrifying and scowling Batman being soft and lovey. Batman simply ignored them, focusing on his beloved and thoughtful baby bird he held in his arms.
After a few moments of adorable cuddles the festivities went from there. They started by playing a few games, the first being a three legged race between all the mentors with their protégés. They cleared the living room and had Green Lantern stand at the finish line to see who would cross first. All six pairs, consisting of Robin and Batman, Speedy and Green Arrow, Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter, Kid Flash and Flash, Aqualad and Aquaman, and lastly Superboy and Superman, lined up at the starting line. Then with a loud roar of the blow horn the teams were off.
Everyone laughed and cheered as the watched some of the teams struggling quite badly. The worst being Kid Flash and Flash as their speed kept throwing them off without their second legs to help keep them on course, sending them twisting around in all different directions. Next to them were Speedy and Green Arrow, who in the great tradition of teen and adult father son relationships argued on the best way to move together. In the middle were the two alien pairs the Martians and Kryptonians who were just having fun mostly and weren't really competing. Not to mention the two protégés might have also been slightly distracted by one another as their crush grew.
Far ahead of them were Batman and Robin, and Aquaman and Aqualad who were neck and neck. This was because Robin just rode on his father's leg. Which some might call cheating, but with the dynamic duo's massive weight and height difference it was by far the safest option since no one wanted the little bird to get hurt. Meanwhile Aquaman and Aqualad moved in perfect sync making the two very fast. Everyone cheered as the two teams got closer to the finish line, only for them to tie.
Both heroes shook each other's hands, neither really caring who one or lost. From there the party went on with several more family friendly games like bobbing for apples, which Batman did not take part in, and charades. But then they played more adult games like cards, pool, and even a game of beer pong. Though Batman forced them to only fill the cups about a sixth full, not wanting a single drunk person around his little boy.
After the games they brought out a huge chocolate cake and sang Batman happy birthday. As they did so the dark knight seemingly kept up his cold facade, though some did swear they saw the tiniest smirk on his face by the very end of the traditional tune. After they ate cake, which was quite delicious since it was secretly made by Alfred, they had Batman open presents. There weren't many, since few knew what to give to the man who had everything, but there were a few nice gifts. Though in all honesty Batman preferred it that way, as it was only drawing more attention to himself. By that time he thought all the festivities were done, until Superman walked up to the front.
"Alright if I could have everyone sit down please, I would like to present my gift to the birthday bat." Superman instructed as he pulled out a piece of paper.
Everyone followed the Kryptonians instructions, taking a seat wherever they could find one. Most of the protégés sat next to their mentors, or in Robin's situation on their lap, besides Miss Martian and Superboy who "mysteriously" ended up sitting next to each other.
"So I tried to think of what I could get the man who has everything for his birthday. But let me tell you when living off a reporter's salary and having a kid to provide for those options are limited. So I thought I'd use my writing skills to provide something a little less expensive but at the least heartfelt. So I present to you a poem of my own making that I hope will touch all your hearts, Rules to Care for My Baby."
Batman's ears twitched a little, intrigued as to what the poem was going to be exactly.
"On the surface I may seem purely callus and smart
The world's greatest detective with all brains and no heart
But those who do know me know that there is a key
A singular small key that is most precious to me
It's care is important and of great worth and weighty
The one that I call my sweet little baby
So if I trust you with him, even less than a day
There are a series of rules you must honor and obey.
Rule 1: Take good care of my baby, he's loving and sweet
If I find you're neglectful, my fist you shall meet."
Everyone laughed at this unspoken but true rule, meanwhile Bruce merely held his child to him tighter, to make clear that the stated rule was in fact true.
"Rule 2: Don't you dare make my sweet baby cry
If I see but one tear, you must want to die
Rule 3: Be patient and kind, he's learning and still small
Do the opposite and find, you'd wish you weren't born at all.
Rule 4: Hug him and kiss him, be sure he feels loved with a flood
Or else find that you body will be covered in blood"
This went on for another few rules, making people laugh, cringe in pain, and awe with delight all at the same time. All the while Batman just held onto his child and tried to keep himself from smiling. He loved his baby boy and to have a poem that expressed that was the greatest gift he could have ever received. Robin all the while just snuggled into his daddy, reminded by the flying hero's poem how much he was loved. He knew from day one that he would be protected by Bruce, but to know that protection truly came from a place of pure love made his heart soare.
Eventually the poem was finished making everyone cheered as Superman produced a framed copy of the poem to Batman. From there the party went on, but Batman just sat in place holding and rocking his baby. Of all the gifts the man had ever received, nothing was or would be as precious as sweet Dickie Grayson, the light of his life. The same went for Dick for after losing the two people he loved most no one came as close to the love he felt for them as his daddy did. The party was a great success from there and nothing made that more clear than the image of Batman standing on the dance floor swaying with a very happy looking Robin in his arms, a smile visible on his face.