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It was a terrible idea. Just awful.
And yet everyone else seemed excited about it. Why was Bruce the only sane one?
He wanted his kids to meet Dick in the comfort of his home, wanted the field advantage, so why had he agreed to this alternative?
To be fair, none of the kids had wanted to meet Dick. Jason and Tim seemed to have known, on some level, that Bruce was seeing someone in secret, and maybe Cass too but she didn’t show any signs of it, but when Bruce finally admitted to it and asked them to meet him, none of them wanted anything to do with Dick.
Bruce had been discouraged but he knew that sooner or later the meeting had to happen.
He told Dick, in his own stilted way. They had been having an impractical and almost embarrassingly romantic dinner in the manor greenhouse (their first real date, as Dick jokingly called it) and the officer had simply smiled at Bruce’s concerns and said something about how the children didn’t want to share their only parent with anyone else.
Dick didn’t seem worried by that but it only made Bruce more tense, he still hadn’t told anyone about his decisions regarding the baby, wasn’t even sure they were the right choices, but if this was how his kids reacted to a new partner, how badly would they react to a new sibling?
As usual (and Bruce really needed to stop being surprised by that) Dick sensed doubts and anxiety and came up with an idea.
Bruce should have said no. Why didn’t he say no?
It was a warm, sunny Saturday morning, brighter than usual by Gotham standards. Bruce had yet to feel sick that day and he hadn’t caught traffic as he drove to the outskirts of the city, the kids were all behaving in their seats, no hair had been pulled or toys stolen or tantrums started, no food was flying and no fights broke out. For all intents and purposes everything seemed to be going swimmingly.
Cass and Tim were playing some sort of guessing game in the back in sign language, when Damian started demanding attention.
“Baba! Baba, horses!” Damian smacked the window and pointed out to a couple of people walking side-by-side with pure white horses.
Bruce made a hummed sound of acknowledgement; they were close to their destination so it was only normal that they would be seeing animals around.
“I want to see the horses.” Damian insisted, and he finally did the dreaded deed of pulling Tim’s hair to get someone to pay attention to him.
Tim hissed and tried to smack the five-year-old’s hands away. “Dad! He pulled my hair!”
Next to Bruce on the passenger’s seat, Jason, face still stuck in a book, grumbled. “Here it comes.”
“I did not!” Damian countered, defensively.
“Did to!” Tim yelled.
“Did not!” Damian yelled louder.
“Did to!” Tim’s voice went up a few notches as well.
“Oh!” Cass gasped, pulling Tim to her side and practically shoving his face to the glass so he could see what she was seeing.
The big top had come into view, it’s massive red and yellow stripes framed in lights like a whimsical beacon to a whole different world. Around it lay the many booths, light fixtures, food carts and trucks of the still closed carnival and, in the distance, there were many massive pens and smaller tents for the animals, far back behind were dozens of trailers and trucks, and somewhere among it all was a large meadow. People were milling around like busy little ants trying to get everything ready for the first show of the season.
“Baba, baba, look! Look!” Damian screeched, pointing at a small carnivalesque tent with an artistically painted snake charmer on a billboard announcing a reptile exhibit. “I want to see the snakes!”
“Tigers are cooler.” Tim argued, pointing at a huge cage far on the opposite side of the camp where a large orange tiger was lazing about and chewing on a huge toy ball.
“But the snakes!” Damian whined.
“Dad, I’m carsick… Can we stop?” Jason frowned, looking annoyed at the arguing.
“That’s because you keep reading in the car!” Tim called from the back and threw a goldfish cracker at his brother’s head.
“Shut up, tiny Tim.” The teenager shot back, batting away the cracker.
Cass kept tapping the windows excitedly, pointing out at the performers practicing on the little meadow behind the massive tent.
Bruce repressed the urge to sigh, he had expected the excitement and all the arguing but he was just so tired lately and was already getting a headache. He parked the car as unobtrusively as he could as he addressed the hyperactive children.
“We have time to see everything, but if I see any more fighting, we’re going straight back home.” Bruce announced, trying for stern and strict but fully aware that the kids knew a bluff when they saw one. When none of the kids seemed impressed, he scowled. “Is that understood?”
There was a round of grumbling and nods before Bruce unlocked the doors and then all the kids were spilling out, running excitedly.
“Jaylad…” Bruce began, turning to the queasy-looking fourteen-year-old.
“I know, I know. Keep an eye on the little one.” Jason rolled his eyes and jogged after Damian. “Get back here, gremlin.”
Bruce took a deep breath, it was time to face the consequences of his choices. Why couldn’t he have asked Alfred to come along? He could use the back up.
Well, it could be worse, he could have let Cass and Tim bring their friend Stephanie along.
There was a tug on Bruce’s sleeve, Cass was looking up at him with a comforting a smile, she could probably tell he was anxious. She pointed at the many trailers and signed, asking where to first.
“Let’s ask.” Bruce took his daughter’s hand and they headed for the camp.
Tim was already armed with his camera and taking photos of a group of men juggling items between each other, while a few yards away Damian tried his best to drag Jason off towards a pen of ponies.
“No outsiders allowed back here.” A very large burly man with a thick accent suddenly called out, his dark skin was already perspired and he carried several heavy-looking sacks over his shoulder.
“We were invited.” Bruce explained. “We’re looking for Dick Grayson?”
“Oh! You’re the guy Dickie mentioned!” The man lit up and looked at Bruce critically from head to toe. “You’re taller than I imagined.”
Bruce didn’t know what to say to that so he said nothing, just quirked his brow and waited for more useful information.
“I think I saw Dickie talking to CC…” The man tilted his head towards a large colorful trailer right behind the big top and then flashed a sunny smile. “He should be out soon, take a look around while you wait.”
Bruce nodded his thanks just as Damian started yelling at him to come see whatever he had found.
As it turned out, Damian had stumbled on a little petting zoo and was busy chasing baby goats around while Jason sat on the zoo’s fence and chatted with a redheaded young performer. Bruce didn’t think the woman was human at all, her dark skin was too golden, her eyes had no white and glowed too green to be natural and the ends of her curly hair occasionally seemed to flicker with flame, but this was Gotham, seeing the occasional metahuman wasn’t all that shocking.
“So…” Tim saddled up next to Bruce and focused on taking pictures of his baby brother with little farm animals. “What kind of name is Dick? Sounds like someone born in the nineteen-thirties.”
“You know who he is.” Bruce countered because it was true, Alfred had taken all the kids (minus Damian) to the circus back when Dick was still a permanent part of the troupe and Tim had been immediately smitten with the Flying Graysons.
“I know, but still, what kind of name is that? It’s weird.” Tim rolled his eyes and focused his camera on the woman making Jason laugh, she was indeed very photogenic.
Bruce didn’t answer. He didn’t know why Tim was suddenly so sulky, he was a fan of Dick’s, had a poster from his performing days and everything, it was strange that he was suddenly passive-aggressive about the guy.
Cass nodded in agreement, still holding Bruce’s hand but more interested in the petting zoo lambs.
“Hey, Kori, there’s a letter from Garth!” Dick’s voice suddenly reached them, though when he noticed Bruce, he broke into a brilliant smile. “Oh, hey, B.”
The officer closed the distance between them and, while he would normally go in for a kiss or any little bit of tactile affection, this time he merely wrapped an arm around Bruce’s waist casually.
“Hello, Dick.” Bruce couldn’t help but smile a little too and leaned into the touch, he heard a fake gagging noise from Jason.
“Kori, this is the guy I told you about. Bruce Wayne.” Dick explained to the statuesque redhead, like her he seemed to be wearing tight black leggings, but unlike her, he had a blue muscle shirt.
“Hello.” The woman came closer, she was as tall as Bruce himself, and shook his hand with a surprising amount of force as she stared avidly. “He is very attractive. I can see why you like him, Dick.”
Bruce was curious by the comment, how many people had Dick told about him? Had he been bragging or complaining? The officer, however, detached from Bruce and gave a little embarrassed cough, glancing at the kids before smiling.
“This is my friend, Koriand’r. She’s an occasional member of the troupe.” He explained as the woman herself gave a warm little smile.
“A pleasure.” Bruce inclined his head politely.
“And you must be…” Dick turned to the kids, motioning at each one. “Jason, Tim, Cass and Damian? Did I get everyone right?”
He had, but none of the children were impressed, instead Tim was staring with eyes too shrewd for a nine-year-old, Cass was staring too but it was more curious in her case, Jason was frowning and refusing eye contact while trying to act aloof, and Damian had chosen that moment to cling possessively to Bruce’s leg.
“I’m Dick.” The officer introduced himself as warmly as he could and got no reply.
Koriand’r must have sensed some tension because she chose that moment to pat Dick’s shoulder.
“What was that about a letter?” The redhead seemed to want to make an escape.
“Oh, right. Here.” Dick handed her an envelope and Bruce (who wasn’t at all snooping) noticed Atlantean script on the piece of waxed paper.
“Thank you. I’ll see you later?” Koriand’r placed a kiss, just a little peck, on Dick’s cheek.
“You know it.” Dick grinned and waved as she began to walk away with a lovely sway of the hips.
Bruce didn’t like it; he swore that he wasn’t jealous but seeing that easy affection between the beautiful metahuman (or was she something else?) and his… And Dick, made him feel an irrational irritation, a nagging annoyance that chewed him up inside and made him stupidly uncomfortable. He kept his mouth shut though, he’d deal with those feelings later.
As soon as the lovely metahuman was out of sight, Dick spun around to face the Waynes again, his grin still firmly in place but looking rather shaky, nervous even.
“So… Want a tour?” The officer waved at the area in general.
“What kind of name is Dick?” Tim harped on stubbornly, taking a photo of Dick’s face in the process.
”Yeah, sounds like an old man’s name.” Jason added with no small amount of disdain.
Dick just laughed with ease. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“Don’t be rude, Jay.” Bruce admonished.
“What? It’s true.” Jason shot back.
“Did you expect some grouchy old man?” Dick sounded amused.
“I sure as hell didn’t expect a pig.” Jason sneered.
“Jay…” Bruce growled out warningly.
“It’s ok.” Dick waved the matter off. “All cops are bastards, right?”
“Fuck, yeah.” Jason agreed enthusiastically.
“Jason!” Bruce scolded, harder and louder.
Bruce felt like he might be somewhat to blame for Jason’s contempt for the police, being Batman and all, and Jason wasn’t usually this ill-tempered and rude at all, Bruce knew he was just lashing out because he never liked any of Bruce’s partners, but none of that was an excuse for bad manners.
“Relax, B.” Dick pat him in the back with a mischievous grin. “It’s Gotham, he’s not all that wrong.”
“Yeah, B, chill.” Jason emphasized the B just to mock him but he seemed a little more cautiously at ease now.
“Do we get to see you on the trapeze today?” Tim was trying so very hard not to sound excited but his eagerness was showing.
“Do you want to?” Dick’s smile softened into something proud and kind.
“Yes.” Tim retorted, hiding behind his camera again.
“Then yes, I agreed to do my old routine with my parents while they’re in Gotham.” Dick motioned at the massive circus tent.
“Can we meet them?” Tim really couldn’t contain his enthusiasm any longer. “Please?”
“I don’t see why not but they’re busy right now. How about I show you around first?” Dick offered, looking at each child. “Anything special you guys want to see?”
“I’d like to see the redhead with the seasoning for a name rehearsing. I heard something about fire.” Jason didn’t even look at Dick as he spoke, trying to be nonchalant.
Dick chuckled. “You’ll have to wait a while but sure.”
Cass tugged on Bruce’s sleeve and pointed at a little colorful cart in the distance before making a little sign.
“Maybe later.” Bruce replied with patience but, as usual, fighting the urge to just spoil his kids rotten.
“What’s up?” Dick asked, looking between father and daughter.
“She wants popcorn.” Bruce explained.
“We can do that.” The officer (or perhaps that was the wrong title for him at that moment? He didn’t feel like an officer in this element, his element) clapped his hands and motioned for everyone to follow him before he hesitated. “I mean, if it’s ok? I don’t want to ruin their lunch or anything.”
“Cass always has an appetite, you couldn’t ruin it if you tried.” It was Jason who replied but Bruce nodded in agreement.
“Ok, well, do you like sweet popcorn?” Dick looked at Cass, as friendly as he always was.
Cass nodded enthusiastically and that was how Dick ended up steering everyone to get treats, spoiling them the way Bruce had resisted doing.
In no time at all Cass was showing Bruce a bag of popcorn that was as pretty as it was tasty, each piece caramelized into a different color so it was like eating a veritable rainbow, Jason ended up partaking too but Tim preferred churros and Dick got him a special kind stuffed with strawberry jaw.
For his part, Damian demanded cotton candy but there was nobody operating that cart at that time so Bruce said no and, as a result, Damian threw a tantrum by stubbornly demanding the treat and lying on the floor, kicking and pouting until Bruce was forced to pick him up just to get him off the dusty ground.
Despite his young age, Damian wasn’t usually so misbehaved and infantile but Bruce had a feeling all this bad mood and babyish attitude was because the kids were still resistant to Dick.
The officer (acrobat?) chuckled and said it wasn’t a problem, moments later Dick himself was making a large colorful cotton candy flower.
“Some fairy floss for the little man.” The acrobat smiled charmingly as he offered the boy the treat.
Damian snatched the sweet out of Dick’s hand rather rudely and chomped down before Bruce could admonish him.
“Damian, what do you say?” Bruce demanded, holding Damian over his hip. The child just frowned and kept eating.
“Don’t worry about it, B.” Dick seemed unbothered once again, maybe even amused by Damian’s attitude.
Bruce wondered if Dick really was that patient or if he was making a purposeful effort so the kids would like him. Either way, he was grateful.
“I swear he’s not usually like this.” Bruce promised but Dick just chuckled and shook his head.
While they all ate their snacks, Dick showed them around.
There were jugglers and clows practicing in the meadow and Dick introduced each one, the clows were smart enough to wear furry outfits and animal makeup instead of their classic character looks because it was Gotham and Gothamites had a natural dislike for classic clowns. Jason, in particular, gave those performers a wide berth.
The man from earlier was there too practicing by crushing things that shouldn’t be crushable with his bare hands while a lady perched on his shoulder; on the other side was a woman swallowing swords and doing knife tricks while another was wrapped in chains and in cuffs, working on an escapist act.
There were acrobats and other performers stretching around their own trailers, people in various stages of dress and testing out makeup looks, a magician practicing some trick with his assistant, an older man walking a bunch of dogs, a group of teenagers moving gear and props back and forth, a man polishing knives, a woman braiding her impossibly long hair that was strewn all over the grass, and many others.
The kids were fascinated by it all but Bruce could see that they were still looking for trouble, still doing their best to antagonize their father’s new boyfriend.
At some point, Cass broke away from them to rush to a group of young gymnasts training a floor routine to some upbeat music, she was so excited in approaching them that she knocked down a whole human pyramid. Bruce tried to scold her but before he could, she was pointing out a weakness in their structure, a weakness that would have made them fall anyway- that seemed to assuage the annoyance of the performers and had two girls, the apparent leaders, grudgingly thanking Cass.
Fortunately, nobody could stay angry at Cassandra for very long so after Dick made some introductions the girls asked if Cass wanted to practice some simple moves with them, only to soon discover that the girl was actually very flexible and strong enough that she could hold her own with more complicated moves.
They didn’t know Cass was an expert martial artist and knew the human body like nobody else, and Bruce wasn’t going to tell them, but he did like seeing Cass so happy and interested in acrobatics and the dance moves. Dick noticed too and asked if Cass ever considered dance classes or rhythmic gymnastics, Bruce made a mental note to ask her about that later.
The boys soon grew bored though, they started to wander off to see different people practicing their own acts.
Tim ended up in a heated discussion with a mentalist, trying to figure out the guy’s tricks and proving to be just as smart and observant as the man by debunking half of his supposed psychic tricks. Dick seemed amused by that but mentioned that they used to have a real psychic at some point, but he hadn’t stuck around for very long, this led to Bruce admitting he had a childhood friend who was a world-renowned magician and, as it turned out, Dick had heard of Zatanna and had plenty of questions.
Jason was mostly watching over Damian as they went from animal to animal, he acted all annoyed but didn’t hesitate to pet the horses with his little brother and was delighted by the magician’s pet bunnies. At some point, a moody ostrich tried to snatch up the rest of Damian’s cotton candy and Jason playfully yelled at the animal just to make Damian feel better, he nearly got pecked but Damian was laughing so he kept it up, however that didn’t work out so well when the moved to the llamas because Jason antagonized the animals to amuse his brother.
Dick noticed and called out, trying to warn the teen but he was too late because a llama had already spat on Jason’s face, causing him to screech and back away, wiping gross glob off his face while Damian laughed his head off so hard that he fell on his butt.
Bruce snorted and gave a small huff at their antics but Dick was already reaching out and offering Jason a rag to wipe himself with, the acrobat was making a valiant effort not to laugh but he gave Jason a little apologetic I-tried-to-warn-you look.
After that Jason’s mood was a little soured. Cass rejoined them and tried to cheer him up but he kept finding reasons to snap, especially at Dick.
When they came across the tigers and the lions in their wheeled cages, stopping to watch the animals being fed by their caretakers, Jason saw a chance to nag.
“Aren’t these things too small for them? Aren’t they miserable in there?” The teen pointed at the cages.
“They’re used it, it’s just for moves, soon their temporary pens will be up and they’ll have lots of space to play until the next move.” Dick explained calmly, like someone who had explained this a million times before.
“They’d be happier in a jungle.” Jason countered.
Dick nodded a little sadly. “Maybe, but they wouldn’t survive.”
“Why not?” Jason was skeptical.
“These cats were born in captivity, they never learned to live in the wild, all of Haly’s animals are rescues, gotten from terrible private zoos and abusive shows. Some, like Alba there, are even part of conservation efforts and are only with us for a few months a year.” Dick pointed at a huge white tiger, and then turned his attention to a smaller lion chewing on a chunk of meat. “And Chester there has feline HIV and wouldn’t be accepted in a reservation. Either way, most of the animals are only with the circus for the North American leg of the tour, the rest of time they stay in a private sanctuary.”
Jason frowned and crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath about how he didn’t know that but refusing to recant on his position. He was rescued from more awkward conversation when Bruce had to dive past him to catch Damian before he could squeeze his little body between the bars and climb into the tiger’s pen.
Damian proceeded to try to throw another tantrum because he didn’t believe the tigers would hurt him.
“Damian, no. They could eat you.” Bruce scolded, heart still beating a mile a minute from the close catch despite his cool demeanor. Damian whined and he scowled. “I said no.”
“But Jawna is nice!” Damian argued in Arabic, still trying to pull away and get to the tigers.
“I don’t care, this isn’t Jawna.” Bruce countered and then turned to Dick to explain. “His mother has a pet tiger in Khadym. Don’t ask.”
“Oh.” Dick nodded and crouched down to look Damian in the eye. “These tigers are usually nice but they don’t know you, kiddo, so they could get scared and they’re still very big cats so they could hurt you by accident. Besides, they’re eating now, it’s better if we leave them alone, ok?”
Damian seemed to appreciate being reasoned with instead of outright commanded so he softened a bit, his pout stayed firmly in place but he stopped struggling so hard.
Dick chose that time to encourage them to continue the tour, he talked animatedly about the other performers that weren’t around or hadn’t been seen yet and managed to easily and cheerfully guide everyone away from the animals.
Bruce couldn’t help but think that Dick was good with kids, it made a little part of him feel warm and it wasn’t just affection and admiration, it was also relief, Bruce had been unbelievably tense about how Dick would handle meeting the kids or how badly the kids would behave around Dick (they had been little nightmares with Selina after all) but so far it was working out without any major disasters.
They came across a man practicing his routine with a young boy, both seemed to be contortionists and were turning themselves into the human equivalent of chewed bubblegum. Most of the kids quickly moved on, walking past a lady that was hanging colorful sequined outfits to dry, towards some props that they could play with, mainly a small trampoline. But Jason lagged behind, watching the contortionists with critical eyes and when Dick went to get him, Jason had that argumentative look on his face again.
“That guy is an addict.” Jason commented, pointed carelessly at the contortionist. Luckily the man was too far to really hear it but Bruce did and frowned.
“Who, Peter?” Dick glanced back and then at Jason again, his smile gone but he still seemed at ease. “Why would you think that?”
“I know track marks when I see them.” Jason frowned once again and Bruce just knew he was thinking about Catherine.
“It’s rude to talk about people’s problems behind their back, Jason.” Dick replied steadily. “But if you must know he’s been working very hard on his recovery and we don’t judge.”
“You don’t?” Jason was once again skeptical but also mildly, maybe even pleasantly, surprised. “You don’t think he should be in jail?”
“No, it’s a sickness and people like that need support and healthcare, not punishment. It’s the people that sell to them that deserve jail time.” Dick gave his opinion seriously and full of conviction.
Jason blinked, clearly stunned silent for a moment. Bruce knew what he was thinking, knew that he was remembering his own mother and how she had suffered, and he knew instantly that Dick had given the right answer.
“Hm… Maybe you’re not such a bastard after all.” Jason murmured, subdued and finally looking away.
“Thanks, I try my best.” Dick joked. “Does this mean I can see your dad without you hating me?”
“I didn’t say that.” Jason frowned, a tiny blush blooming on his freckled cheeks. “But… I guess the old man can do whatever the hell he wants.”
Dick just smiled as they stepped up to Bruce, who gave Jason a pat on the back, encouraging him to join his siblings. Only Damian didn’t go play, he once again attached himself to Bruce’s leg when Dick got too close and placed a hand on the older man’s shoulder.
“You’re good with them.” Bruce commented casually and Dick grinned.
“They’re good kids, B. You’re worrying over nothing.” The acrobat leaned in to place a peck on Bruce’s cheek.
Damian chose that moment to shove Dick and try to climb his way up to his father’s arms.
“What’s up, little man?” Dick looked at Damian.
“I don’t like you.” The boy frowned.
Dick tilted his head. “Why not?”
“Baba is mine.” Damian almost snarled.
“Hey, we were here first!” Tim called out from the trampoline, just to antagonize his little brother.
“Mine!” Damian shouted back, clinging tighter to Bruce.
“I’m not trying to steal him, Dami…” Dick tried to explain.
“Damian.” It was Jason that corrected him. “You don’t get to call him Dami yet.”
“Damian.” Dick agreed. “I just want everyone to be happy.”
“I hate you.” Was Damian’s stubborn reply.
“Damian!” Bruce began to scold but Dick held up a hand to stop him.
“Any way I can change your mind?” The officer asked, still pleasant and unaffected.
Damian actually seemed to ponder this. “Elephant?”
“You want to see the elephants?” Dick’s brows pinched a little in confusion.
“I want an elephant.” Damian demanded and Dick bit his own lip to stop himself for laughing (Bruce thought the look was much more attractive than it should be).
“Really? Maybe you could help me take care of my best friends and then you can decide if you’re ready for that?” Dick offered with a playful tone of someone that was up to something.
“Friends.” The little boy repeated, a little confused.
“Best elephants you’ll ever meet.” Dick explained.
Damian lit up immediately and accepted the challenge.
It was Dick’s cue to gather everyone around and lead them to the far end of the camp where the largest tents (other than the big top) were located, inside were two impressive elephants, one of which perked up when Dick came in and immediately stomped over to him, tipping a head down for him to pet.
“Hey, Zitka.” Dick actually hugged the huge beast. “How are you, darling?”
Zitka wrapped a playful trunk around the man’s waist and tried to lift him up. Dick laughed softly and turned to Damian.
“These are Zitka and Elinor. Want to help me take care of them?” He asked earnestly.
Damian ran forward immediately but the other kids seemed interested too. For the next hour Dick proceed to let them help out, it was hard work shoveling and disposing of the mountain of waste the animals produced overnight, it was just as hard to restock their food and water and washing them was a whole problem in itself that led to all the kids ending up soaked to the bone and splashing water and mud on each other.
It was hard and although Dick made it fun, he also made it sound purposefully harder than it was just to wear Damian out, Bruce was sure Damian was going to nap like the dead that afternoon. Nonetheless, Dick rewarded the hard work by letting Jason feed pieces of watermelon to the animals and helping Tim and Cass climb on Elinor while she splashed water on them with her trunk; as for Damian, Dick offered to pick him up and showed him how to balance on Zitka’s trunk to climb onto the animal’s back and go for a little stroll.
Bruce sat on the sidelines through it all, he loved watching them and chose not to participate simply because he wanted to give Dick a chance to bond with them on his own. Also, Bruce was starting to feel sick again and he really didn’t want to show it, so he just sat on a bale of hay with Tim’s camera for safe-keeping, occasionally snapping a picture or two (Tim wouldn’t mind, especially if it meant having photos of the elephants and his muddy soaked siblings).
“Oh my, what a mess.” Someone gasped a few feet from Bruce, he recognized the British accent and turned his head to find none other than Mary Grayson.
Mary looked as lovely as Bruce remembered her, with her lovely bronze skin, dark chestnut hair now with a few threads of silver and bright amber eyes; she wore a skintight white tank top that Bruce suspected was actually a leotard with a long navy-blue skirt over it.
Suddenly Bruce felt doubly nauseous, the reason he’d been so anxious to come hadn’t just been because of Dick meeting his kids, that was inevitable; no, the real worry had been about himself meeting the Graysons for the first time in years. He really shouldn’t be nervous, the Graysons were perfectly pleasant people to be around but it was one thing to meet them casually through Alfred, it was another thing to introduce himself as their son’s partner (his much older partner at that).
“Hello, Bruce.” Mary greeted with a dimpled smile very much like Dick’s. “It’s been a long time.”
“Hello, Mrs. Grayson.” He greeted politely.
“You’ll make me feel old. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Mary?” She reprimanded gently and watched him nod before she glanced at the happy kids again. “Are those your children with my boy?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, they’re going to need some dry clothes before lunch.” Mary chuckled. “But I’m sure I have enough of Dickie’s old clothes for all of them while their own dry out.”
“Thank you but I can just take them home…” Bruce began and, much like Dick liked to do, she raised a hand to silence his objections.
“Nonsense. You’re having lunch with us and that’s final.” The woman announced. “Trust me, you don’t want to reject a Rom’s food.”
“No, of course not. I just didn’t want to impose.” Bruce knew he couldn’t say no now, offering food was a big deal for Dick’s people, rejecting the offer would offend them deeply and that was the last thing Bruce wanted.
“And you’re not.” Mary smiled reassuringly and then waved at her son and raised her voice. “Dickie! Enough playing around, it’s almost lunch time.”
Dick gave a disappointed ‘aww’ along with the kids but waved at his mother with a smile. For a moment he looked like a young boy himself and it had Bruce thinking, for the millionth time, that he was probably way too young to be saddled with a baby, probably too young to be Batman too (never mind that Bruce himself had been just as young when he donned the suit).
Nonetheless Dick obeyed, the took Damian safely in his arms and dismounted the elephant with a flip, he then went to help Tim and Cass but she had already jumped off with ease; Tim was the only one that needed help and not because he couldn’t do it but because he was afraid of taking a wrong step and hurting Elinor, Dick had to reassure him that the elephant had tough skin and wouldn’t even feel him, only then did the boy climb off.
Mary introduced herself to the children and soon they were marching after Mary towards the Grayson caravan. All the while Dick actually held Damian’s hand and asked him what he thought of the elephants now, Damian mused on this but gave the surprisingly mature answer that he’d wait until he was bigger before he took one home; Dick praised the boy for his response but didn’t bring up dating Bruce again, just having the kid willingly holding his hand was victory enough.
“Maybe start with something smaller. Like a dog?” Dick suggested playfully.
“Or a cow!” Damian countered, grinning.
“Where would you put a cow, little D?” Dick laughed.
By the time they reached the caravans, Mary ushered the youngsters to Dick’s old wagon and immediately fussed about getting all the kids in clean clothes while she took theirs to wash and dry. Bruce kept telling her it was fine but she just pushed him to the Graysons’ trailer and told him to go tell John they had arrived.
Bruce was helpless to do anything else, so he approached and found John Grayson behind the wagon manning a grill and humming as he cooked lunch.
“Good morning, Mr. Grayson.” Bruce greeted awkwardly.
“Hm?” John turned absentmindedly. “Oh, Bruce! Good to see you again.”
“Likewise. Your wife told me to inform you we’ve arrived.” Bruce explained as he gave the man a more thorough look.
John Grayson’s hair and handlebar mustache were much too black to be natural at his age but his sapphire blue eyes, very much like Dick’s, were framed by faint lines, as was his smile; nonetheless, the man still looked as muscular and nimble as always and the fact that he still performed the same routine after so long spoke volumes about his strength. Bruce could only hope he’d be as in shape as the man when he started approaching fifty.
“Oh? Where are your little tykes?” John glanced around in search of the kids, having been informed that they were coming too.
“Dick managed to make a mess of them while bathing the elephants, they’re changing into dry clothes.”
“That’s my boy alright.” John laughed heartily and gave Bruce a fond look.
There was some small talk, Bruce tried to be respectful but he was really bad at pleasantries, he’d learned to script them over the years but he often still missed some cues or said the wrong thing and while he could get away with it when he played clueless Brucie, it was harder when he was trying to be himself.
John didn’t seem phased by his blunt replies and just kept talking until one particular topic finally caught Bruce’s attention a little more.
“Dick has been talking about you so much since we arrived, I hadn’t realized you’d gotten so close.”
That had Bruce shifting uncomfortably, he wasn’t sure how much Dick had told his parents but he already had a bad feeling about it so he chose to stay quiet and merely gave a very vague half-shrug.
“In fact, maybe you could answer something for me.” John continued, undeterred and as chatty as his son. “You see, Dickie turned down an offer we got for marriage with this nice Rom girl. Said he already had someone he loved but he hasn’t really told us anything about it when we asked.”
Well, that answered that question. Dick really hadn’t said anything and Bruce was afraid of what was coming next but he still kept quiet.
“Maybe you could tell me more about this mystery girlfriend Dick has gotten?” John gave a conspiratorial little look, almost wiggling his brows.
“I think you should ask him…” Bruce began just as Jason walked up to them.
“Girlfriend? But he’s dating my dad.” The teen commented innocently, wearing a faded band t-shirt and old baggy jeans that were a bit too big for him.
“Jason…” Bruce whispered in warning.
John’s eyes widened with shocked, mouth agape. He slowly looked from Bruce to Jason and then back to Bruce, his surprised expression slowly turning into a confused frown.
“Is this a joke?” The man demanded, disbelieving.
“It’s really a matter you should be discussing with your son.” Bruce decided Dick had to be the one to explain this to his parents because if he tried to do it, he was sure to overstep or say the wrong thing.
John’s expression went blank for a moment. He stepped up to grill and removed the food before shutting it and setting everything aside, then he wiped his hands, took a long breath and turned slowly back to Bruce with a deep scowl.
“You and my boy?” John’s voice was low but simmering with restrained outrage. “You? Seriously, Mr. Wayne?”
Bruce didn’t miss the formality, the shift to his last name. It made him uncomfortable.
“Like I said, this is a talk you should be having with Dick.” He insisted.
John opened mouth to say something, by looks of it something irate, but before he could Dick popped up around the trailer, already talking.
“Hey, Dad, have you seen my old…” Dick shut up as he noticed how stiff everyone looked and the expression on his father’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Richard John Grayson, tell me it’s not true. Tell you’re not in a relationship with him.” John waved at Bruce with a flourish, didn’t seem to know how to move without being theatrical.
“Oh. Well, yes…?” Dick rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. “I swear I was going to tell you today.”
“Oh, you were? You were going to tell me after I found out? How convenient!” John snapped much too loudly and tossed his hands in the hair.
“Dad, you’re making a scene.” Dick replied, drily but calm.
“I don’t like it.” The older acrobat crossed his arms stubbornly.
“Dad.” Dick frowned.
“No. How can you even go out with this?” John pointed at Bruce much too heatedly.
“Exactly what part of this do you have a problem with?” Bruce couldn’t stay quiet anymore and waved vaguely at himself with a scowl. “Just to be clear.”
“You need to ask?” John started pacing with nervous energy.
Jason scoffed, arms crossed and pressing close to Bruce, almost protective, muttering under his breath. “God damn homophobes.”
John reacted to that like a slap in the face, gasping and stopping on his tracks, taking a step back with a hand raised to his chest as if he were literally clutching pearls.
“I am NOT a homophobe, boy!” John Grayson sounded appalled.
“Then what’s you damage, man?” Jason rolled his eyes. “Is it the age thing? ‘Cause that I get.”
“It better not be! You’re the one who always told stories about mami and pappus.” Dick countered, irritated.
“No, no. It’s not that.” John waved his hands dismissively.
“Then what in the hell do you have an issue with?” Dick was the one to toss his hand up this time, mirroring his father.
“I don’t want you with this gadje!” John finally blurted out without thinking.
“Dad!” Dick practically yelled, a little outraged. “Are you really bringing race into this?”
“Oh, the white guy gets discriminated for once. I dig it.” Jason smirked at the drama.
“Jason, be quiet.” Bruce hissed.
“It’s not about race, Richard.” John countered, uncomfortable. “He’s a rich white boy, he doesn’t understand our ways, he’s never been discriminated a day in his life.”
“He is a man that likes men.” Dick pointed out, wryly. “There’s enough hate around for that.”
“Exactly. I’m from Gotham too, you think I don’t know his reputation? Bruce Wayne, the womanizer?” John kept talking as if Bruce wasn’t even there. “The moment your relationship comes public, it will be a scandal, he’s not used to that discrimination, he won’t be able to take it and then he’ll break your heart.”
“Pardon me, but I resent those assumptions.” Bruce finally spoke up, he wanted to let Dick handle this, didn’t want to care what people thought of him, wanted to be the bigger person but he had had enough- John Grayson had no idea the amount shit he’d had to put up with his entire life. “You’re underestimating me, I can weather whatever comes our way.”
“I mean, he is Jewish, for crying out loud.” Jason muttered offhand.
“Jason, for the last time- stay out of this.” Bruce ordered in a low voice, he knew Jason was feeling protective but his kids shouldn’t be the ones to protect him.
“You’re wrong dad, he’s the strongest person I know.” Dick told his father, even though he was looking at Bruce with fondness and admiration and reached out to wrap and arm around Bruce. “And you’re just grasping at straws to start a fight, I know you don’t really think like this. Tell what the real problem is.”
The expression on John’s face was pure shame as he averted his eyes. “Everyone will think you’re just with him for his money...”
“Let them! I don’t care what strangers think." Dick held onto to Bruce a little more tightly.
“But I do!” John countered, sounding pained. “I don’t want you to be judged like that, chavvie. We struggle with such awful stereotypes every day and you’ve worked so hard to become the man you are today, you don’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“Dad…” Dick sighed. “I can handle it.”
“You shouldn’t have to!” The older man argued and, truthfully, Bruce understood.
“You know what? Maybe you’re right, but you’re forgetting one thing.” Dick let go of Bruce just so he could reach out to place his hands on his father’s shoulders.
“And what is that?” John was frowning, looking conflicted.
“I’m a grown man and I make my own choices. And I love him so it’s all worth it.” Dick looked at Bruce and smiled fondly, Bruce couldn’t help but return the affection with a curve of his own lips before Dick had to look back at his father. “Which means, all you can do is either accept it and support me or suck it up.”
Bruce wouldn’t call himself a romantic, had always managed to somehow botch that part of his relationships by being too practical, but at that moment he was starting to understand the appeal. He was a bit stunned and moved, he wouldn’t say he was swooning but it was close, his face might not show it but his heart was definitely beating too fast and he could feel a tingling warmth curling somewhere inside his ribcage.
Dick had told him he loved him before, the things Dick was willing to do for him more than proved he loved Bruce, but he had never said it quite like this, practically yelling it to the world and not caring who heard, fighting for it with such resolve. Bruce didn’t know if he would have done the same, didn’t know if he was capable of it, and his admiration for Dick just grew more and more with each passing minute.
Nonetheless, he didn’t want to be the reason Dick lost his parents, he just couldn’t do that. He knew how important family was, he didn’t want to ruin whatever Dick had with his parents because he knew Dick would regret it and he would never forgive himself.
“Dick, perhaps I should leave for now.” Bruce murmured, hoping his absence would lessen the tension.
“Don’t you dare.” Mary, who had apparently been standing back and watching, stepped in before Dick could and she rounded angrily on her husband. “John Frederick Grayson, apologize this instant.”
“But Mary…” John whined.
“No buts, I know you’re just shocked to see your boy with a man and you’re worried, I know you’re trying to be protective but you’re doing this all wrong.” Mary scolded, with Tim, Cass, and Damian behind her and looking curiously at the adults. “Do you forget he saved our lives all those years ago? Dickie might not even be here if it weren’t for him.”
“You have no idea.” Dick mumbled, probably referring to the times officer Grayson and Batman fought side by side.
“What?” John must have heard because he turned back to Dick.
“Mom’s right.” Dick quickly corrected. “You need to stop freaking out about this.”
“Fine, fine, I get it.” John Grayson wilted a little and practically pouted as he faced Bruce again. “I’m sorry, I was being stupid. You have our blessing, but if you break my boy’s heart…”
“I won’t, Mr. Grayson.” Bruce assured, he knew that if he ever broke Dick’s heart Dick himself could kick his ass and even if he didn’t, Bruce would never forgive himself anyway.
“And for crying out loud, call me John already!” The older acrobat huffed, looking flustered.
“Yes, sir.” Bruce tried very hard not to smirk, didn’t know if his amusement was appropriate.
Dick chose that moment to hug his father, whispering something in his ear in a language Bruce didn’t understand but that made John nod and mellow out a little and hug back, protective and clingy.
“Dickie, does this mean I get to be a mami to all these babies?” Mary sounded hopeful with a little sparkle in her eyes as she pet Tim’s hair and held Damian’s hand.
“Mom! It’s a little soon to be asking that, we haven’t even discussed it with them yet…” Dick was blushing as he let go of his father and moved back to Bruce’s side, a cute red staining his face and the tips of his ears.
“I’m game, I never had a grandma.” Jason interjected with a shrug, stepping forward to join his siblings.
Cass signed an enthusiastic yes and smiled brilliantly at Mrs. Grayson, she was wearing a too-long flowery yellow skirt with a well-worn loose button-up, both of which probably belonged to Mary herself.
“I kinda agree.” Tim added with his own little blush, also in old faded clothes that looked comfortable nonetheless.
“Really? Does that mean you guys like me now?” Dick sounded hopeful in the most endearing way as he slipped his hand into Bruce’s.
“Again- I didn’t say that!” It was Jason’s turn to get flustered. “We just met you.”
“Yeah, we like her, not you.” Tim pointed at Mary, pouting a little, but Bruce knew that pout, knew Tim was just being proud and embarrassed.
“Heh, it’s a start.” Dick chuckle and tipped his head onto Bruce’s shoulder.
Mary smiled and pulled the children to her into a half-hug. “Why are we still standing around? Let’s get some food into you children, you’re all so skinny.”
Everybody started heading for the table that was set outside in the sun but Dick lagged behind with Bruce.
“You ok?” The young acrobat asked softly for Bruce’s ears only, his hands reaching up to cup Bruce’s jaw. “You look pale. More than usual, that is.”
“I’m fine.” Bruce nodded even though the morning sickness had intensified, but it was nothing compared to the warmth in his chest from Dick’s concern and protectiveness.
“I’m sorry about my dad.” Dick lowered his hands and wrapped them around Bruce in an embrace.
“He was just surprised and looking out for you. He’s a good father.” Bruce wasn’t upset, he was too tired and, truth be told, he understood where John was coming from. Besides, the reveal had gone so much better than he expected.
Dick still looked at him with some worry but he ended up nodding and pulling Bruce along to join the others.
The food was good, there was no denying that- there was a dish made from a variety of grilled meats with fried potatoes and salad, there’s was some sort of friend corn bread too and sweet tea. However, no matter how good the food was, Bruce couldn’t really eat much, his stomach felt too wobbly.
It was just another reminder that he was running out of time to make a proper decision about the baby, but then again Bruce had already decided, he just hadn’t been able to wrap his head around it yet. Besides, he still had to figure how to tell his family and what to do about the other variables.
Bruce sat between Cass and Dick, with the latter trying to chat with Damian and Jason as they ate. Cass finished her food before anyone else and asked for seconds, Bruce ended up giving her most of what was left on his plate.
‘I like him.’ Cass signed at him discreetly, glancing at Dick.
‘You do?’ Bruce signed back.
‘Like how he moves. Strong, kind, honest, good.’ Cass explained with a smile. ‘He really loves you.’
‘I know.’ Bruce gave a quiet little smile of his own.
‘You love him.’ It wasn’t a question, Cass was just stating a fact.
“Hn.” Bruce gave a very neutral grunt without actually answering.
‘Good.’ She smiled and shoveled the last of the food into her mouth.
“What an appetite.” Mary commented cheerfully as she gathered the empty plates and looked at Cass. “I don’t want to assume but she can hear us, yes?”
Bruce gave a curt nod, it was an understandable question for someone that only communicated in ASL. “Cass can’t talk much but she hears just fine.”
“Alright.” Mary beamed at the girl. “Would you kids like dessert? We have baklava.”
Cass nodded and clapped her hands but Tim, sitting quietly next to his sister, gave Bruce a questioning glance.
“Not for Tim. He’s allergic to nuts.” Bruce explained apologetically.
“Oh, that’s alright, we have honey cakes too." Mary pat Tim’s shoulder gently.
As expected, the kids loved the pastries and by the end of the meal John seemed to have softened enough that he no longer looked like he was sucking on a lemon whenever Dick touched Bruce in any way, they even chatted animatedly bout the plans for the rest of the day. However, Damian was getting fussy, his hands and face were all sticky from the sweets and he was clearly exhausted, the problem was that his siblings were not.
Mary offered the bed in the caravan for the boy to take a nap and Bruce agreed, he allowed Dick and John to take the rest of the kids to the big top where they could watch Koriand’r and a few others practicing for the evening show while Mary cleaned up and Bruce put Damian down for a nap.
It didn’t take very long for Damian to fall asleep beside him on the Grayson’s cozy bed, his tiny hands fisted in fluffy red comforter as he curled into a pile of pillows. Bruce pet his short messy hair gently and then quietly got up to help Mary.
As it turned out, she didn’t need any help, in fact, she was waiting just a few feet away in the little kitchen area of the trailer and immediately handed Bruce a cup of tea and offered him a seat next to her.
“Thank you but this wasn’t necessary.” He didn’t want to be rude but he didn’t really think he could stomach anything else, not even tea.
“Try it, it’s ginger, it will help.” Mary took a sip of her own cup as she watched him.
“Help?” He blinked, confused, but tried the tea, it had been sweetened and wasn’t too overpowering.
“I noticed you didn’t eat much and skipped on the sweets. You also look a little green.” She chuckled, encouraging him to keep drinking.
“Hm.” Bruce hummed, not sure what to say and drowning himself in his cup to buy some time. “Thank you.”
“You don’t seem at all concerned by it.” Mary commented with a shrewd look so much like Dick’s that Bruce almost got goosebumps. “How far along are you?”
Bruce choked on the drink and sputtered for a moment. “Excuse me?”
“Please, don’t try to hide it. I know the signs.” Mary offered him a napkin and those knowing eyes glanced down Bruce’s torso.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He lied as he cleaned up the mess he had made of himself.
“Bruce.” Mary said the name sternly, staring right into his soul, and when he wouldn’t reply she insisted a little more. “If I’m going to have an extra grandbaby I’d like to know.”
“I’m a man, Mary.” Bruce countered bluntly, trying not to gulp nervously.
“I know.” Mary grinned. “But I also remember, all those years ago, how Alfred bragged in his letters that he was taking care of his beloved Wayne daughter only to later state that he was wrong and it was a son all along.”
“Hm.” Bruce hummed a noise that neither confirmed nor denied her words and chose to hide behind his tea cup again just to avoid looking at her.
“That’s why Dickie has been talking about you so much and been so eager to tell us about your relationship now, isn’t it? It couldn’t wait for our next trip to Gotham.” Mary surmised, tapping her fingers on the table and still staring avidly at him.
“I don’t know what Dick has in mind.” He murmured in to his tea.
There was a little lull, neither of them said a word for a moment while Bruce busied himself drinking his tea; Mary had been right, it really was settling his stomach, which would be nice if not for the fact that he now felt anxious and on edge for a whole different reason.
“Do your children know yet?” Mary finally broke the quiet and refilled his cup.
Bruce mulled the question over, he didn’t want to admit that she was right but she already seemed so certain and he really didn’t want to lie, not to Dick’s mother. It surprised him, normally he prized his privacy so much that he wouldn’t give a damn who he had to lie to but he cared so much for Dick and, by extent, he cared about Dick’s happiness and his parents were part of that happiness.
“…Not yet.” He admitted hesitantly.
“I see.” Mary nodded to herself. “Have you two decided what to do yet?”
Bruce shook his head and swallowed some tea, he just didn’t know what the correct answer was, what she expected to hear.
“Well, when is it due?”
“Spring.” Bruce murmured, still waiting for Mary to start reprimanding him. She didn’t.
Thinking about the due date made everything very real.
April had been doctor’s guess; Bruce had gone to Leslie a few days earlier and she’d immediately shipped him off to a private OB-GYN colleague of hers that was experienced in transgender reproductive health and that she considered trustworthy enough.
Doctor Tomlin had immediately insisted on a ton of blood work and an ultra-sound, Bruce had been apprehensive about it all until the moment he saw the tiny bean on the screen and the doctor guaranteed everything was fine.
As usual, Bruce hadn’t actually realized how stressed and worried he’d been until the moment he felt that weight lifting. He didn’t even argue when the doctor started rambling about all the rules he needed to follow and medication he needed to take, in fact, that had probably been the moment when he had decided to go through with the pregnancy, even if he wasn’t quite ready to admit it to himself at the time.
He still didn’t feel ready to talk about it but it was so real now.
“Just like Dick. My little Spring robin.” Mary smiled nostalgically, breaking him out of his thoughts before she gave him another sharp little look. “Are you getting married?”
Bruce nearly choked all over again and it took all his willpower not to spill the rest of his tea.
They hadn’t even considered the option.
Would Dick even want to marry him? Would he want to marry Dick?
Personally, Bruce didn’t care much for a piece of paper saying they were together, there was a certain safety to it and in a practical sense it was useful, but Bruce didn’t care much about all the pomp and circumstance of a ceremony. And yet…
Sharing a name? A home? A family? Knowing nobody could possibly dispute their feelings for each other or tear them apart? It sounded right.
And yet, Bruce still didn’t know. Everything was moving way too fast for his comfort and he had nearly been engaged twice already and both times had crashed and burned spectacularly, what if he just wasn’t cut out to be a spouse? What if Dick didn’t want to be shackled to him forever?
Yeah, Bruce hadn’t thought about the topic and he really didn’t want to think about it now.
“I don’t mean to sound old-fashioned but that sort of thing is important to us.” Mary added when it was clear that Bruce wasn’t going to reply. “Nonetheless, I trust Dick to make the right choices. I trust you to do so as well.”
He made a little grateful noise of agreement and nodded. Mary placed a warm calloused hand over his and squeezed gently.
“I won’t tell John for now, I think he needs to process the relationship first.” Mary promised and then smiled wistfully. “Do remind Dickie to keep me in the loop. Please?”
Bruce agreed, of course, and the conversation fizzled out from there.
For about an hour, Bruce had peace and quiet while Damian slept and Dick entertained the rest of the kids and the Graysons went about their preparations for the show that evening. It was a blessing because Bruce’s social batteries were drained for the day and he needed the small reprieve.
By the time the rest of the kids returned, Damian was awake again and it was time for the performers to start getting ready so Bruce made sure the children got back into their own clothes and then he herded them away with promises that they could enjoy Haly’s miniature carnival until it was time for the show.
Before they left, Dick turned Bruce to him and kissed him, just a gentle momentary thing in front of everyone (ignoring the kids’ eye rolls and groans), he said it was for luck, as if Dick needed any luck performing an act that he had perfected his whole life.
For the next few hours the kids were unstoppable.
There were little rides for children but not even Damian cared about those, he only had eyes for the pony rides and wouldn’t stop until they finally visited the snake charmer’s tent. Jason won prizes for everyone in sharp-shooting booths and ring tosses, but of course, Bruce was the one that ended up carrying most of the toys. Cass kept pulling everyone one way or another to see all the booths and tents and nobody could deny her, she loved the merry-go-round and even won a goldfish at one point (much to Damian’s delight).
Tim wanted pictures of everything and Bruce had to remind him repeatedly to save battery for the actual show or he wouldn’t be able to photograph the Graysons in action, the boy was a little disappointed but he knew Bruce was right, eventually he forgot all about his disappointment when he saw the most nerve-inducing ride where two people were strapped to a steel ball and slingshot into the air with elastic cables.
Bruce probably shouldn’t have said yes when Tim wanted to ride it with Jason but his opinions on safety might have been a teensy bit skewed given that he was Batman, and boys did end up getting flung into orbit in that deathtrap (Bruce regretted his decision half a second before the ride even started and his heart jumped to his throat halfway in), only to return to the ground still shouting and laughing like little adrenaline junkies.
The kids also stuffed themselves with carnival food- ice cream, waffles, candy, and deep fried everything. Half of Damian’s treats had to get eaten by his siblings or Bruce himself because the boy overestimated his own appetite, wanted to try everything, and Bruce didn’t know how to same no.
At some point Jason actually made himself sick trying to stomach both his fried cookie dough and Damian’s candy apple at the same time, he still didn’t believe in wasting food even after years as a Wayne, and Tim and Cass couldn’t stop laughing when he puked into the llama enclosure, they kept calling it revenge for that morning.
Millions of whimsical colorful lights glittered around them and lit up the night by the time Bruce decided to guide them all to the big top, the carnival area was already packed and Bruce wanted to avoid the crowds as much as possible. They found their seats, with Damian on Jason’s lap, Tim with his camera ready and Cass leaning against Bruce’s side.
It was a great show, better than Bruce remembered from years before.
The only hitch was when the clowns popped in, despite their animal costumes and looney antics they made the mistake of jumping up among the spectators for some crowd interaction before getting to the ring and several people were startled. One of said people was Damian, who ended up spilling his juice all over Jason, much to the teenager’s horror, Bruce had to tell them to settle down and offer his own jacket to Jason to replace a now sticky soaked shirt.
Jason was having a bit of an unlucky day but it didn’t stop him from enjoying the show.
Koriand’r ended up being truly impressive, apparently she could literally fly and her act consisted in feats of strength and a light show of green and orange flames. Bruce was curious enough that he made a mental note to get more information about her, after all he liked to keep tabs on all the metahumans around Gotham.
The climax of the show, the headliners, were, as expected, the Flying Graysons.
They were announced as being a special act with the Gotham-exclusive presence of Dick Grayson, and showed up in red, green and yellow uniforms, like otherworldly birds of paradise with glittery makeup sparkling under the spotlights.
Tim couldn’t stop taking pictures and whispering about the different moves being used, Cass was absolutely mesmerized as the Graysons flew through the air like it was second nature, Damian’s mouth was open in an awed little ‘O’ and he wouldn’t even blink as he watched and clapped with the audience, even Jason had his phone out and was filming the whole thing.
And Bruce… Well, Bruce couldn’t take his eyes off Dick.
Quite a few of the moves the Graysons used were moves that Batman used on the streets to some extent, he couldn’t even deny that the Flying Graysons had been inspiration for that in the past, but watching Dick now was… An experience.
Bruce couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have that level of trust and coordination with someone on the streets of Gotham, more specifically, what it would be like to have Dick flying and fighting by his side (and definitely not as officer Grayson). The whole thing felt like a bit of a dream but the idea stuck with him.
When Dick did a flawless quadruple somersault mid-air, Tim gasped so loud that his siblings jumped in their seats and shushed him but Bruce understood the awe, he knew only a handful of people in the world could pull that off. It was beautiful, everything about Dick was beautiful.
He was almost disappointed when the act ended and the Graysons bowed out and the ring went dark. Almost, because a minute later the ringleader was announcing a special treat, a Gotham-only act.
Swaths of sky-blue silk unfurled from the top of the tent and Dick took the spotlight again, completely alone this time. He had shed his family colors and wore skintight sparkly black, royal blue and gold, his hair still windswept and glittering in the light.
Dick caught sight of Bruce and winked before grabbing onto the swaths of fabric and climbing them with ease.
What followed was an enthralling display of skill, gracefulness and power.
It was easy to imagine that Dick was some sort of metahuman himself- he moved so lithely like gravity held no power over him, he could twist himself as if he had no bones, could hold up the entirety of his body weight on a single hand with only the frail looking silks for support, his suit glittered like a cluster of stars when he moved as fluidly as liquid, he did splits and flew and flipped and spun with no safety net and no fear whatsoever, smiling the whole time.
It was hypnotic, beauty incarnate. And Bruce knew beauty, he’d dated people like Talia, Selina and Khoa, he knew what gorgeous looked like and in that moment it all paled compared to the grace and strength of Dick Grayson.
It ended with Dick doing a vertiginous drop only to catch himself on the silks at the last second and flip flawlessly onto the ground, bowing at the roaring applause and cheering of the public.
Dick clearly loved this- he glowed under the attention of the masses, thrived on the adrenaline and the stardom, took pride in his skill, was made for the theatrics.
Bruce couldn’t understand why he would ever give that all up for a lousy cop job and a secretive love life.
Bruce was still so dazed by the performance that he barely noticed the show wrapping up, he only really paid attention again when the Graysons popped up amid all the other performers for one last bow before the spectators started filing out in droves.
The Waynes lagged behind, Bruce had too many kids to keep an eye on, he’d rather let the crowd thin before they left and by the time they did, it was to go backstage for a final farewell.
The kids that had been so reluctant to even say a word to Dick when the day began now couldn’t stop talking about him- Cass was starstruck, Tim wanted to know if he could teach them some of those moves and Jason was suspiciously quiet as he carried a tired but still excited Damian on his back.
Mary and John spotted them at once and called them over to where they gathered with a few other performers, happy to hear the children ramble about show and glowing with pride under their praise. As for Bruce, he felt himself pulled away before anyone could notice, until he was concealed between some equipment and the tent wall with Dick smiling in front of him.
“How’d I do?”
“Oh. Hm…” Bruce didn’t have words to answer that, he was sure his face and ears were turning crimson just thinking of Dick’s sinuous form tangled in those silks, and he just didn’t think anything he said would do him justice.
Dick grinned at his flustered appearance and jokingly mimicked Bruce’s deep bass. “Hm…mazing, Dick. Can I get a private show sometime?”
“Sorry.” Bruce cleared his throat. “You were remarkable.”
“Remarkable, huh?” Dick leaned in, arms snaking around Bruce’s body. “Is that your way of saying I impressed you?”
“Very.” Bruce nodded, his own hands resting on the acrobat’s waist, his gaze flickering between the glitter framing Dick’s eyes, his messy hair like a night sky, and the pretty curve of his lips.
“Yeah?” Dick leaned closer and kissed him, a slow passionate meld of their lips as he pressed up to Bruce and spoke into his lips. “What about the outfit? You like that?”
Bruce hummed appreciatively and gave a little nod, holding Dick closer, possessively even, and kissing him again. He always enjoyed cataloguing all the different kisses this man gave him.
“There’s another outfit I could look good in if you’d let me.” Dick chuckled between kisses and if Bruce wasn’t almost completely sure that he was referring to the batsuit, he would have expected a birthday suit joke from Dick.
“You haven’t changed you mind?” Bruce raised a hand to Dick’s face, combing back a stray lock of hair that had fallen onto his eyes.
“Nope. I’m just waiting for you, B.” Dick reached up and draped his arms over Bruce’s shoulders.
“It’s not as easy as this. Not as glamorous either.” Bruce gestured vaguely at commotion behind them, vaguely in the direction of the ring and past the excited voices of those who lingered.
“Bruce… I don’t care about the glamour.” Dick turned serious, cupping Bruce’s jaw to make him focus on his face. “Sure, I like the adrenaline, but what I care about is making a difference and protecting what’s important to me.”
Bruce could hear the unsaid words, that what was important was him, them, what they had together.
“You’d be giving up a lot of your life.” He warned, like he had done a dozen times already, the only difference was that all those time’s before he hadn’t actually thought he’d accept Dick’s crazy offer.
“For our baby? For you? It’s a no-brainer, I’ll wear the cowl as long as I have to.” Dick had to stand on tiptoes but he managed to tip his forehead to Bruce’s, enjoying the closeness in their little stolen moment of intimacy. “My life for yours- it’s an easy bargain.”
Bruce had no idea what to say to that except for the one word he wanted to say, and for once he decided to stop overthinking it.
“…Ok.” He agreed with a little sigh, letting himself relax into the affection.
“Ok?” Dick seemed a little surprised and tilted his head just enough to get a better look of Bruce’s stoic face. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He held the acrobat even tighter. “But you can’t get yourself killed.”
“I won’t.” Dick promised.
“And you have to do what I say.” Bruce added, knowing he still had much to teach his officer.
“Aye aye, captain!” Dick chuckled and nuzzled his cheek. It was sickeningly sweet and Bruce loved every second. Maybe he had been a little touch starved before Dick.
This time Bruce was the one that kissed first, deep and thorough and all-consuming, wanting to soak in the affection, loving how Dick somehow made him feel like… Like he was enough just as Bruce, like he didn’t need to a CEO, a philanthropist, a crime-fighter, or anything else in order to deserve everything.
When they finally broke apart, just a little breathless, Dick was smiling again, wide and dimpled, so big it looked like it should hurt to smile so much; because this wasn’t really about Batman, this was about what Dick being Batman meant for them- it meant they were going through with the plan, they were having the baby. And they were doing it together.
“Your mother knows, by the way. About the baby.” Bruce gave Dick an amused look, specially when the younger man winced.
“How’d she take it?” Dick’s smile turned sheepish.
“Not too bad.” Bruce gave a little shrug.
Dick was about to say something else, when suddenly they were interrupted by voices nearby.
“Dad!” Tim called, loudly. “Daaaad! Where’d you go?”
“Dad, the gremlin is acting up again!” Jason yelled at the same time as Damian repeatedly called for his baba.
“You should go.” Dick planted a little kiss on Bruce’s cheek. “I need to do damage control with my mom. Can I come by tomorrow?”
Bruce gave a little grunt of agreement and they were about to share one last little kiss (because they just couldn’t seem to let go) when Jason came around the stack of props that hid them, he had Damian still on his back and when he spotted them, he immediately called his siblings over.
The teen fake gagged. “Do you mind not hogging my dad all night, Dickhead?”
Damian squirmed off his brother’s back and ran over to shove himself between the two men until Bruce picked him up, the kid was sucking on a lollipop (as if he needed any more sugar) but looked grumpy and jealous, probably because he was tired.
Tim and Cass showed up seconds later, the former also looking worn out and yawning but he couldn’t help the starstruck way he looked at Dick, and Cass just kept looking suspiciously between Dick and Bruce, like she knew something nobody else did.
Bruce announced that it was time to go home and Dick said his farewells to all the kids, promising that they could visit the circus whenever they wanted for as long as it was in town.
They stumbled on Dick’s parents on the way out and Mary insisted on hugging each child as they said their goodbyes. The thought of inviting them for a meal at the manor crossed Bruce’s mind but he’d let Dick talk things through with them first.
Several other performers that they met throughout the day waved at the family as they made their back to the car and fifteen minutes into the ride home almost all the kids were asleep, only Jason, once again in the passenger seat, was still awake looking out at the starry sky and passing landscape.
“This one’s here to stay, isn’t he?” Jason murmured, refusing to look away from the window.
“Is that problem?” Bruce kept his tone low, trying not to wake the others.
“Just… Don’t scare this one off.” Jason grouched.
“Do you actually like him, Jaylad?” Bruce tried not to smile as he glanced at the kid.
Jason frowned and slouched in his seat, grumbling reluctantly under his breath. “I just think you need the help, you have too many kids and Alfred deserves a break.”
Bruce didn’t answer but he let himself smile.