Chapter Six: The Summer of a Lifetime
Bruce Wayne x Daughter!Reader
Heiress of Gotham | Previous Chapter
Summary: With things out of the way and perhaps a little more trust, maybe the reader will finally start to make some progress, and a few friends along the way.
Warnings: Spying, Being Spied On, Insects, Wet T-Shirts, Flirting,
Words: 3.6k
A/N: While this chapter may seem like it takes a lot of twists in turns in the vignettes, it's sort of meant to reflect the ups and downs and small moments we have during summer. Honestly, though, this is perfect for the introduction of certain characters and plotlines I wanted! القرف = ‘shit’
It'd been an interesting end to the school year, really, and that's aside from the fact that you'd had to deal with and go through the grief of your Mother passing. Within the few months you'd been at Wayne Manor, the family had quickly learned many things about you. Bruce had found out how frugal and tenacious you are, insistent on selling some of your old articles of clothing for money on some app he could never remember the name of, meanwhile refuting the many attempts he'd offered to take you out shopping. Who wants to go shopping with their Dad anyway? He'd been consumed with work, and therefore more time had been turned over to your brothers.
While school was out for both you and Damian, Tim had decided to take summer classes at the nearby community college since it'd make his college applications only look better. Dick, of course, was still working, and Jason, really, you had no idea what was going on with him since it seemed he had most days free and nights taken. While you'd considered the possibility that someone associated with the Wayne family had a night-time job, you also didn't want to think of someone who very quickly became a big brother to you in that manner. That was just... ew. With the three eldest gone or rarely home, you'd been left with Damian and Alfred mostly.
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“So… you’re spying on your own child because…?” Tim draws out, leaning against the motherboard as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Because it’s Bruce? You’re not the first. Thought you would’ve been the wiser, Green Bean,” Dick chides as he manually stitches another loop into his uniform. Seated on the edge of the metal table propped against the railing on the other side of the platform.
“She’s been watching television for over two hours straight. Is this unhealthy?” The man of the hour speaks, eyes unmoving from the image of you through the lens of one of his pesky drones.
“Hey, you’re the one who’s supposed to be parenting, yeah? You chose to bring her on, you choose what’s healthy and unhealthy,” the elder boy retorts, a clear sass in his tone that reminds Bruce where Damian’s gotten it from.
“Hn,” the old man groans, “That doesn’t mean I know what’s standard in teenagedom as of currently,” he grumbles more to himself than anyone.
“Have you tried, I don’t know, just talking to her?” Tim asks, an eyebrow quirking as he doesn’t try and hide the amused smile breaking across his lips.
“You’re one to talk,” Bruce teases the boy. He’s still somewhat resentful of the way he’d handled things with Stephanie a few years ago now.
A huff of annoyance leaves Tim and he rolls his eyes. Pushing off the computer, he turns to head for the stairs when he spots movement on the monitor. Dick doesn’t seem to care, rather, he’s focused on fixing and upgrading his equipment. However, Tim watches from just a few feet behind the old man’s chair. His drone follows you as you get up, bringing an empty dish and glass to the kitchen. You don’t notice, of course, as Tim knows this has to be one of the nano drones, most likely, disguised as a fly following your movements through the Manor just a few hundred feet above them.
It’s uninteresting, really, the way he watches you put your empty dish in the sink along with your glass. Your visage shifts, heading back to the living room, but doesn’t fail to notice the nano drone. “Spotted,” Tim announces, curious to see where this goes.
“That doesn’t mean anything. Most people aren’t fazed by an insect,” Bruce defends, finally taking his gaze off the screen for a mere moment as he turns to Tim. The boy watches as you step closer to the drone; the still fly on the fridge’s handle was easy to spot, and while your eyes quickly move on in an attempt to seem as if you hadn’t noticed the bug, not wanting to disrupt it or scare it away, you step closer to the fridge.
On top of the box lies an item you’ve been grateful for ever since you’d gotten your Mom to buy it offline. Easily stepping on your tiptoes you grab the object’s handle and have your finger ready atop the trigger. Now all that’s left is to catch it off-guard.
The amused look on Tim’s face makes Bruce paranoid; blue eyes racing back to the monitor, he watches as a tennis-racket swatter comes his way. Lifting the nanodrone up and off the surface he barely escapes the touch of the electric swatter. Bzzt! He’s hit. Flying across the kitchen and landing on the counter, he turns the drone around to get you in frame again. “And you thought she wouldn’t do anything,” Tim laughs. An error message pops up, screen turning red along with the artificial voice alert. Clearly you’ve damaged the drone.
“It only took twenty-five percent capacity,” Bruce announced, clicking different keys to get everything back to neutral.
This elicits Dick’s eyes as his focus shifts up to the situation before him. An amused smile graces his lips and he can’t help but sometimes pity the man. Bruce… tries. He means well, but he doesn’t always have the best approach. “Gotta say, this is better than reality tv.” His Father shakes his head and, attention returning to the monitor again after being distracted by Tim.
“You risked a drone for this? Come on, man. This is your own daughter we’re talking about,” Tim chastises, even if he’s still laughing and more than amused by this. If he wants to waste his tech, by all means, let them watch. It’s not like he can’t get more.
The men watch as you look around the kitchen, eyes taking everything in. With an occasional turn, and a flip of your hair, he’s spotted again! This time Bruce sees you coming before he can be squashed. Out of sight, out of mind, he thinks. “Honestly, I’m just lucky she didn’t spot me earlier. Ace and Titus weren’t the most helpful considering they kept tracking my movements, clueing her in. But she didn’t get me until now.”
“I’m impressed she even got you at all, honestly,” Dick comments, drawing their attention again.
“Not a fan?” Tim asks, curious to hear his thoughts. After all, he hasn’t been around as much considering things have been busy with school, and hectic with Stephanie… therefore, he doesn’t know as much about you. He hasn’t spent as much time around you as the others.
Met with a noncommittal noise, Tim watches Dick shrug. “I’ve got nothing against her aside from what she said at her dinner and obviously her hate for the BPD,” he trails off, a shudder running through him, “then again, she was kind of insane when we were moving her stuff. Threatened to kill us and all. Not really the type of vibe you wanna have running around the house, you know? At least, not mine, I’ll tell you that.” With a chuckle, Dick lifts the needle to his mouth, teeth going for the fabric since he hadn’t bothered to grab scissors.
Tim almost laughs along with his brother, that is until he processes what he’d said. “Wait, what-?!” Eyes quickly darting between him and Bruce, he’s suddenly alert. “What do you mean she tried to kill you?! What’re you talking about? Hey- why didn’t you tell me this?” He zeroes in on Bruce, determined to get an answer. “Does Damian know? Why am I the last one to find out about anything around here?” He complains.
“I mean she tried to-“ Dick begins.
“She did not! Dick, stop exa-“ Bruce interrupts.
“Bruce-“ Tim interjects, eyes suddenly on your approaching visage in the drone’s visual. “Bruce!” You’ve got the fly cornered, with one swift sweeping wack, and a press of the button, it’ll die.
“What?!” He yells. As soon as he turns from Tim to the monitor he’s too late. Zzztt!!! They all grimace and wince. An alert pops up on screen:
‘V I S U A L L O S T’
The options to ‘connect to different device’ or ‘relay input’ lie underneath the big text, but ultimately you’d destroyed the thing. With the click of a button Bruce closes the tab and the background of the Manor’s security camera feeds linger. Alfred dances in the office as he dusts along, presumably, to music—Bruce knows his routine. On another, you’re carrying the nanodrone on the electric swatter to the trash, disposing of the ‘fly’ you’d killed. Lastly, Damian is reading, doing his homework as he sits in an armchair by the fireplace in the Library, Titus curled up by his feet.
“Dammit! This is why you can’t just be in here. You’re either here for a purpose or you’re out,” Bruce dictates. “Dick is actually doing something, Tim. You’re just gossiping.” With a defeated drop of his hands to the desk, he raises himself from his computer chair and rounds Tim.
“You still didn’t tell me what happened,” Tim argues, the anger in his voice no longer hiding. “I’m tired of being out of the loop! What happened?” he demands. A sigh weighs Bruce’s shoulders down, and as Dick finally takes in the men before him, he doesn’t dare to add any more flame to the already burning fire.
“She was involved with Marin. Alright? She thought he was coming for her, momentarily figured we were in on it. Satisfied?” Bruce responds, turning to face the boy.
They all know he’s been hurt. That he has trauma… it’s no secret. Yet, it’s only in few and far between moments that the boys are able to see things for what they are in a crystal-clear view. This is one of those times. Their warped views on good and evil, right and wrong, revenge and punishment… they blur the lines of reality in ways he’s sure that you, a civilian, would never understand, and yet… Tim realizes the weight of this.
“Who-?”
“Angel Marin. Bludhaven’s biggest mob boss,” Dick informs. A ‘Hn’ leaves Bruce’s lips as he makes his way toward the stairs, and a sigh leaves Tim. With a grateful nod in Grayson’s direction, Tim follows after Bruce.
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“You know, someone mentioned your birthday is coming up,” Bruce teases, a hint of a smile hiding behind his wine glass.
The quick flash of a smile overtakes your face before you try to hide it. None of them miss it. “Um… yeah. W-who said?”
It’s invisible, perhaps, to all besides those who know him best, however, Bruce pales at the question, faltering. While you’re good at reading people, you don’t notice. Whether it’s the subject matter or the way everyone’s staring, you simply wait for a response.
“Uh, the-“ he clears his throat, eyes suddenly downcast as he reaches for his knife and fork to cut his steak, “the social worker! Yes, she mentioned it while you were in your meeting.” Obviously a lie. If anyone truly knows Bruce the way most at the table do, they'd know he found it in your files and footprint.
“Oh,” you respond, putting on a fake smile as you too attempt to hide behind the meal. Birthdays can be a big deal for some, and others, not. It all depends, and you aren't sure where things lie in this family. You still feel like an outsider, despite their attempts, and you don't want to burden them further.
“We could have a party!” Damian suggests, to everyone’s surprise.
“You just want a party,” Jason comments with a chortle.
“Is there anything you want?” Dick asks, looking down at you from your side, putting you on the spot. His kind blue eyes stir something within you, and you turn your gaze back to your plate. Busying yourself by cracking your knuckles, your lips purse into a line. With a shake of your head, it’s clear no one is sated.
“There’s nothing you want? At all?” Bruce prods, eliciting your eye contact again. Lips pursing even more you shake your head again.
“Um,” eyes falling to your lap you collect yourself, not allowing your imagination to run wild. “You taking me in was enough. Thank you.” Voice quiet, everyone has their own reaction to your words, albeit unbeknownst to you.
“Oh, shut up! You know there’s at least one thing you want,” Jason teases from across the table.
“Oh? And what’s that since you know her so well?” Tim pries, knowing he’s setting his brother up. Jason hesitates, almost choking on his drink which elicits laughs from the boys, and an amused smile from Bruce. As bickering starts to ensue, you decide.
“I-“ all eyes turn to you, “I want a party!” You announce. With a confident smile, you figure, how bad could it be? After all, parties don't need to be big! Something sweet, the family there, and a boardgame is all you'd need for it to be considered a party to you.
“See? At least I know what she wants,” Damian chides proudly.
“Oh? Well what kind of party would you like?” Bruce asks.
“Who do you want to invite?” Dick inquires.
“What’s the theme?” Jason adds.
“Actually, isn’t your birthday coming up now that I think of it?” Tim voices his concern over to Jason.
“Uh…” Jason shakes his head a little, taken aback, “I mean, I don’t really celebrate anymore since-“
“-the same day as Alfred’s, that’s right,” Bruce saves them, an unfazed smile on his lips, “though I believe we can celebrate both, can’t we?” While you’re not exactly paying attention, to the rest of them there’s a silent, yet menacing request behind his eyes. It’s clear they’re not allowed to speak freely anymore, no matter your new seat at the table of their family.
“Okay, but mine comes first- or did you forget again?” Damian asks with a bite. Upon the silence, he rolls his eyes and goes back to his meal with the exasperated sound of his breath hitting his tongue against his teeth. An audible ‘Tt’ sound.
“I didn’t forget, Damian,” Bruce clenches his jaw and grips his glass a little tighter. Does every family dinner have to turn into a fight? “You know I was with the-“ he catches himself, “Hn- that I had to-“
“-business calls… we’re well aware, Father. Perhaps you’ll do yourself a favor and won’t miss your other child’s birthday,” Damian finishes the conversation. “Not that I count on it.”
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Walking through the pool room, you’re focused on texting Daisha, intent on telling her the good news!
‘Omg you’ll never guess what just happened! I’ll ha-‘
Splash!
A dissatisfied exclamation escapes your lips as you stare at the wet stain on your shirt. “Really?! Dam-“ looking up from your drenched navy tank top, your eyes widen and lips part.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I thought you were Damian.”
You quickly take in the super-soaker and the boy’s apologetic expression, and it’s easy enough to put two and two together. As footsteps quietly click against the tiled floors of the locker rooms leading toward the pool deck, you grab the boy’s hand and drag him back the way he’d come around the corner. There lies a linen closet between the pool, laundry room, and stairwell. With a swift hand, you open the door and shove him in, following after as you quietly shut the door.
A bemused smile appears on his lips as his eyebrows furrow. “You’re his sister,” he whispers with certainty, “I’m Billy.”
Whispering back your name, he repeats it. Visibly eager on saying something else, you place your fingers on his lips to shut him up. He follows your eyesight, both of you staring through the slats in the closet door. With a keen ear, he gets the gist and remains quiet. As moments pass, you can feel the boy staring; curious, you meet his gaze only to find him searching your eyes. You can’t help but notice how pretty his are. Though you almost get swept up in admiring his features, you hear a faint creak only meters away; with a motion of your other hand, you beckon him to hand you the gun.
Transferred into your open hand, you slowly remove your fingers from his lips, cupping the barrel of the super-soaker while the other wraps around the handle, fingers ready at the trigger. With a head nod toward the door, you mouth the words: ‘On three! Ready?’
Billy seems to understand, as he holds his hands up in a ready stance to push open the doors. Together, you both mouth the countdown (which is really a count up, but anyway): ‘One… Two…’
“THREE!” Busting out of the closet, Damian is just a few feet from your right. It’s easy to spin and shoot as you’d been prepared, having watched him walk past the door together. Your brother had jumped, yet shot a few instinctive rounds of water, splashing both you, Billy, and the wall.
“القرف! What the hell! What are you doing here? Who let you play?” Damian curses, holding his gun in a stationary position once you’ve all recovered from the attack. His suspicious green eyes narrow as they dart between the two of you.
“I figured it was only fair since you didn’t let me know about your little game and I got caught in the crossfire,” you reason, pointing to your shirt with the gun.
“I accidentally shot her thinking I had you cornered, so…” Billy’s words die on his tongue. Without sparing the kid a glance, you shove the super-soaker back in his hands before offering him a grateful smile. At least you’d hit Damian once, you figure. With that, you’re more than happy to abandon the boys to their games as you walk toward the laundry room to see if your clothes are finished drying.
“You didn’t tell me she was my age!” You head Billy yell before a series of exclamations and curses follow with the sound of splashing water and rapidly receding footsteps.
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As stupid as it was to find your thoughts continuing to drift back toward a certain brown hair, green-eyed boy, you couldn’t help it. Though you’ve grown more tolerable of one another over the past few months, you still can’t believe that one of Damian’s friends is who’s on your mind. Nevertheless, fate would seem to have an amusing time linking the two of you together, constantly running into the other.
You suppose it isn’t strange after all, especially when considering he is one of Damian’s friends… however, you find him over the at Manor more and more often after the initial first time he’d quite literally bumped into you.
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“Grab me a juice box? I forgot one too—“ Damian’s voice echoes throughout the theatre as Billy yells back an affirmative answer and heads back toward the kitchen.
“Oh, hey-" You greet, backing up as a familiar figure exits the home theatre.
“Hey- what’s up?” Billy asks, a friendly smile gracing his lips.
"Was just gonna get a snack before we start," you tell him, "Guess we're headed the same way then," you tease. Walking down the hallway and up the stairs to the kitchen, you're aware of your brother's friend just a few steps behind.
“Are you gonna watch with us?” Billy asks hopefully.
“I mean, if that’s okay, yeah, I was planning on it." You respond, not thinking about it too much. After all, you want this popcorn to be good, not a burned pile of charcoal.
“Oh, I didn’t mea-“ Billy goes to correct himself.
“It’s fine. I’ll be down in a minute, I’m just making my own popcorn because the boys would eat it all otherwise,” you joke. Surely since he's friends with Damian he knows what the guys are like.
“That’s smart- that way you don’t have to share and keep passing it back and forth the whole time.” Billy adds on.
“Yeah. Do you want some? I can make another little packet,” You offer.
“Sure! I can do it though, you don’t have t-“ He argues.
“-I don’t mind! I've gotta wait for it anyway and grab some bowls. So I'll see you down there!" With that reassurance, Billy offers you one last smile before taking the juice boxes downstairs.
The older boys and your Father had insisted you pick the movie considering it's your first movie night with the family, and while most of them had been dreading what genre you'd pick, everyone ended up excited to watch a classic comedy most of them hadn't seen in years. Snuggled up under the fluffy blankets with your popcorn and the laughs of your brothers all around, you couldn't help but enjoy the fun.
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Most of the summer felt like it was spent in your room. Whether it was trying to explore the things that truly make you happy, or being lonely in a place that still feels entirely all too unfamiliar despite the fact that it's been a couple months.
The material things did help at first, the new environment, the little gifts your Father and brothers would treat you to, like those little Squishmallows you'd always seen and wanted at the store, but never bought yourself. They were more expensive than you'd ever thought to casually pay. Nevertheless, you've started to make your room truly your own. With decorating, personalizing, and getting into your own sort of routine, it seems that everyone has been slowly becoming used to this new lifestyle.
Alfred insisted that as summer begins to come to a close, you all decide on either making time for a vacation, or perhaps you and Damian get involved in extra curriculars. In the sake of preparation for school, you'd taken up driving lessons as you'll soon be old enough to begin the process of obtaining your permit. Then there was also the announcements from the school you'll be attending in the fall; with sports and clubs gearing up for homecoming, tryouts were coming up. Your Father had insisted that Damian consider a sport this year, and Alfred equally has been trying to push you in any sort of direction that'll lead to getting you out of the house and your room.
Needless to say, he wouldn't let go of the idea that your mental health could use less isolation and more friends, hobbies, and pursuance of your 'passions' even if you're not entirely sure what those are yet. It didn't take long for you to succumb to your butler (essentially) grandpa's badgering. Though you have a plan in mind for what sport you'll be trying out for, you haven't revealed them to the family. The way they seem to share everything is... still new, and somewhat unsettling to you.
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Never Grow Up
Warnings: slight mentions of child abandonment, violence, cursing, gunshot wound, weapons, let me know if I missed any :)
Pairings: Batfamily x batsis!reader
*not my gif*
Summary: Your family might have grown over the years, but your bond always stayed the same
A/N: Welcome to book place’s one year event!!
Inspired by: Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift
Please don’t plagiarize my work, you may reblog if you like but I’m asking that you don’t steal my hard work
Your little hands wrapped around my finger
Bruce looked down at you, only a couple weeks old, so tiny. So fragile. So innocent and unknowing to the horrors of the world.
You had woken up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying, so of course he had gotten up with you, especially after Jason threatened to throw you out of the window if you woke him up again.
Bruce couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
Finally, after what felt like hours of crying and screaming, you seemed to calm down and you looked up at Bruce in an innocent wonder.
He reached down and began to adjust your shirt that had moved to an awkward angle with all of your squirming.
He paused when you reached up slowly and wrapped your hand around his index finger.
Ever since your mother had dropped you off here, claiming to Bruce that you were his daughter and she didn’t want to take care of you anymore, he had vowed he would do anything to protect you.
As he looked down at you with soft features, he couldn’t help but smile softly, “Hi, honey.” He whispered.
And it’s so quiet in the world tonight
It was weird.
All night you had been completely silent, no screaming, no crying.
While Alfred, Dick, and Bruce were all gratefully taking this opportunity to sleep without worrying about having to get up every five minutes, Jason on the other hand, didn’t like how quiet it was, it felt as if something was wrong.
As silently as he could, he snuck through the halls and into the nursery that Bruce had immediately had put in as soon as you showed up.
Don’t get him wrong, Jason didn’t like you at all. Nope. No way, no how. You were just an annoying baby that moved right into the manor not too long after him, which was only about a month ago.
He had still been in the process of adjusting to his new life, and then a baby was thrown into the mix, so if anything, he hated you.
As he opened the door and crept into your room, he didn’t really know what he was expecting. But he certainly wasn’t expecting you to be wide awake, just staring at the ceiling, not screaming and not crying like you always did whenever you were awake.
Even as you watched Jason approach you, you didn’t scream out and begin the waterworks that he was inevitably waiting for.
Pretty soon, Jason was standing right over you, staring down at you with just as much curiosity as you were to him.
Jason hesitated before slowly reaching down and gently picking you up.
All you did was stare up at him, and he continued to stare down at you.
Your little eyelids flutter cause your dreaming
Jason sat with four year old you on his lap, bouncing his knees up and down as you giggled every time you went up, almost flying in the air if it weren’t for his hands holding your sides, keeping you from going airborne.
Dick sat on the other side of Jason, secretly snapping a picture on his phone before turning his head back to the cartoon that the two had put on the tv for you. Though it seemed that they were enjoying it more than you were.
Bruce was out for the day with Alfred and they hesitantly trusted the boys to watch you, after a whole lot of begging on the younger ones' parts.
“Higher, Jay!” You called suddenly, still giggled.
The boy smiled slightly before bouncing you higher, causing Dick to look at the two of you nervously.
“You know, Jay, I think she’s going high enough.” He said, not taking his nervous gaze off of you, ready to leap forward at any moment if you were to fly out of his younger brother's arms.
He just shrugged, continuing to bounce you higher.
Fifteen minutes, and almost a heart attack, later, your giggled stopped and Jason’s leg slowed, and he looked down to see if you were okay, only to see you leaning against his chest with closed eyes and even breathing.
“Dickie,” Jason hissed, trying to get his older brother's attention.
He hummed in return, not looking away from the new cartoon.
“She’s asleep.”
That made Dick look over and he cooed over you in adoration.
“I think she’s dreaming.” Jason continued softly, watching you.
Dick nodded in return, snapping another photo.
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light
“No, daddy!” You screamed, running away from an exhausted looking Bruce.
“It’s way past your bedtime, honey.” He practically begged, just wanting to go and get a nap in before he had to go on patrol.
You ran around the dining room table again, forcing Bruce to try and go after you.
Jason walked into the room calmly sipping a cup of coffee, “Wow, B. The five year old is faster than you.”
“Shut up.” The order man grunted in return, “Or help me get her to bed.”
His adopted son pretended to think about it, “Nah, I’m good.” Before turning on his heel and going back the way he came.
Bruce grumbled under his breath, promising himself that he would give Jason an earful later about respect.
He stopped running when an idea came to his mind, “Hey, n/n. If you get ready for bed then I’ll give you a surprise.”
You slowed your running in curiosity and looked at your father, “What kind of surprise?”
Bruce shrugged, “Guess you're going to have to see.”
The curiosity that you were feeling got the best of you and you quickly ran up the many stairs and got into your pj’s and hopped in bed.
A couple seconds after, Bruce walked in with something behind his back, which made you crane your neck to try and see what he was holding.
He bent down at one of your outlets without saying anything, plugging something in with his back covering what he was doing, then stood up and flicked off the lights.
You looked at him in confusion before he said, “Look up.”
So you did.
The sight above you made you gasp, it was the bat symbol on your ceiling, from the nightlight that Bruce had just placed in.
Batman had always been your favorite Gotham vigilante and you told your family about it all of the time, though your two brothers constantly tried to tell you that Nightwing and Robin were way better.
Bruce was able to slip out of the room unnoticed as you continued to stare up at your ceiling, not taking your eyes off of it until they started to droop.
And pretty soon, you were peacefully asleep.
To you, everything’s funny
You waddled down the stairs, scurrying into the dining room with a large grin on your face, following the delicious smell of Alfred’s pancakes.
When you got there, you were greeted with the sight of your father, Alfred, your brothers, and even your new brother, Tim, who just joined you guys at the manor about two months ago.
Six year old you had been ecstatic to gain a new brother, thinking that you could get away with more than you could with your other brothers.
“Good morning, n/n!” Dick called cheerfully, rushing over and scooping you up in his arms before plopping you down into the seat next to his and across from Tim.
“Morning, Timmy!” You exclaimed excitedly, still in the phase of becoming joyful whenever you would see the new face.
He hummed lazily in return, head in his hand as if he was putting his entire weight into it against the table. There were dark circles under his eyes that insinuated yet another restless night for him.
Sitting in front of him was a bowl of cereal, barely touched, with a spoon resting in it.
Just as you were about to turn to your own breakfast, Tim’s arm fell under the weight of his head and his eyes were closed, making him fall face first into his bowl.
Everyone looked up in surprise as the boy shot straight up in his seat, now fully awake.
Before anyone could even ask if he was okay, you let out a loud laugh. You laughed and laughed and laughed.
You were laughing so hard that you had doubled over slightly against the table with your arms wrapped around your stomach, “Silly Timmy!” You exclaimed, pointing a finger at him in between giggles.
He grumbled under his breath, taking a napkin and harshly wiping milk off his face, “Glad someone finds it funny.”
You’ve got nothing to regret
Bruce stood before you with his hands on his hips and his eyebrows raised so high that they were lost in his hair.
“Care fo explain?” He asked sternly.
You shook your head back and forth quickly, trying to put your hand over your mouth as if it would hide your giggles, “No, daddy!” You cheered back, trying to keep up your innocent act.
“You’re six now, Y/n,” He reminded you, “You should start taking responsibility for your actions.”
“But I didn’t do it!” You protested, though your wide grin told a whole different story.
“I suppose the vase just fell over on its own then,” Your father said sarcastically.
You jumped on that story, nodding your head vigorously, “Yeah! It fell over on its own, daddy!”
He sighed, bending down and scooping you up into his arms, playfully poking your stomach, “You’re too stubborn for your own good…” He trailed off before snickering slightly, “I suppose you get that from me.”
I’d give all I have honey, if you could stay like that
“Jay Jay!” You cheered, immediately hopping into your elder brother's arms as soon as he exited the batmobile.
With a small chuckle, he caught you effortlessly before bringing you to a tight hug to his chest, “And how’s my favorite little sister doing this evening?” He asked jokingly.
You laughed loudly, shaking your head at his silly actions, “I’m your only sister!” You accused.
He pretended to think, “Hmm, is that so?”
Before you could try and reinforce that, Tim and Dick exited the vehicle as well, “Timmy! Dickie!” You cheered, causing Jason to scowl at the pair for pulling your attention away.
Dick squealed excitedly, rushing over and ripping you out of his grip and into his own, “N/n!”
Tim reached over and ruffled your hair slightly in affection.
“Daddy! Daddy!” If it was possible, your face lit up even more as your father appeared, shedding off his cowl and striding over to you.
“Hey there, honey.” He greeted with a small chuckle, gently removing you from his eldest sons grip and bringing you into his own, “Isn’t it a little past your bedtime?” He teased, playfully rubbing his nose against yours.
You giggled at the tickling feeling and pull back slightly, “Nuh uh, daddy! Grandpa said I can stay up to see you!”
“Is that so?” Bruce threw a playfully accusing glare to Alfred in the corner of the room, who held his hands up in surrender with a small smile, “Come on,” He huffed teasingly, “Let’s get you to bed.”
“Dickie!” You exclaimed, straining to look over your shoulder at the boy, “Airplane! Airplane!”
With a wide grin, the boy skipped over and carefully removed you from your fathers arms and laid you horizontally so that you could spread out your wingspan and pretend you were flying.
“We should call it the batplane,” Tim snickered.
“Batplane! Batplane!” You chanted in return.
Everyone’s eyes softened as they watched you laugh loudly.
Oh, darlin’, don’t you ever grow up
“Go fish!” You exclaimed sassily, giggling wildly at the feigned expressions of horror that your entire family wore all around the table.
Dick let out a fake groan, dropping his head into his hands, “How do you always win this game?”
You shrugged happily, humming slightly as you picked up the cards, “I’m awesome.” You giggled again.
“Who wants cookies?” Alfred entered the room with a soft smile, it widening slightly at the sound of all the children’s excited squeals.
Dick, Tim, and Jason all shot up out of their seats and began shoving and tackling each other to get to the tray of desserts first while Bruce just ran a hand down his face tiredly.
“Uh, uh, uh,” The older man calmly sidestepped the herd of boys, “Miss. Y/n gets the first one because she is not acting inappropriately.”
You giggled again at their groans of protest, happily reaching for a cookie and leaning up to plant a quick kiss on Alfred’s cheek, “Thank you!” You chirpped, plopping back down into your seat and munching on the treat.
Don't you ever grow up
“What is this thing?” Damian asked in disgust, looking down at your grinning form.
Bruce sighed, bending down and picking you up, you automatically wrapping your arms around his neck in return, “She is your little sister.” He introduced, “Y/n, this is your brother, Damian.”
“More brothers!” You cheered.
Damian scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, “That thing is not my sister.” He declared stubbornly, turning a harsh glare your way.
“Don’t talk or look at her like that,” Your father scolded with a scowl, but your smile didn’t drop.
“It’s nice to meet you, Dami!” You giggled a little bit, looking up at him with wide, adoring eyes.
“Damian.” He corrected through gritted teeth, “My name is Damian.”
“She’s your sister,” Bruce hissed at him, “You have to learn to deal with that.”
“Dami!” You giggled wildly, making Bruce tighten his grip on you so you didn’t slip out by mistake.
The boy glared at you in a way that promised danger until your father had to step away with you in fear of something actually happening.
“I know you don’t like it,” The man said softly, “But you’re gonna be staying with me at the manor now, and you’re going to have to get used to her.”
The young boy crossed his arms over his chest and began grumbling under his breath. Though, his glare did lessen a bit after those words.
Just stay this little
“What do you think you are doing?” It had been four weeks since Damian moved into the manor, and he had avoided you at all costs.
You whipped around with wide eyes, “Dami!” You squeaked in shock, looking up at your elder brother nervously, “I was just-“
“Have I not specifically informed you not to touch Titus?” He seethed, standing in his bedroom door menacingly.
You looked down guiltily and began shuffling your feet, dropping your hand that had been softly stroking the dog's soft fur from where he was perched on the bed, “I’m sorry,” You mumbled.
The boy scoffed with a roll of his eyes, “I do not want your pathetic apology.” He told you matter of factly.
“Titus is just such a sweet puppy,” You sadly looked up at the dog that had perked up in wonderment as to why you stopped giving him attention.
That made Damian pause, “Oh… yes. He is a good dog.” He replied hesitantly.
“Sorry for bothering you,” You mumbled again, trying to make your way past him.
“Wait,” He surprised both you and himself with his word, but you froze nonetheless, “I suppose it would not hurt for you to pet him for a few more moments.”
A wide grin broke out and your face and you automatically dashed back to the creature and began rubbing behind his ears excitedly.
“I love animals,” You began rambling happily, “They’re so adorable and sweet. I would like to have more pets, I need to tell daddy that we don’t have enough. Maybe I’ll get Jay Jay a snake, I think he’ll like one-“
For the first time, Damian looked at you in a different light. Instead of just seeing some eight year old nuisance, he finally saw a kid only a couple years younger than him that might possibly share some common interests. Maybe having you as a sister wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up
“Where are you?” Jason called in a sing-song voice, fighting off a smile as he pretended not to be able to hear your poorly muffled giggles.
He stalked down the long aisles of the bookcases in the library, where he had heard your little feet scamper off into during the beginning of the hide-and-go seek game.
Even though you were now ten years old, you weren’t any better at the game than you were at four years old, but Jason never had the heart to tell you that.
“Are you... over here?” He dramatically rounded one of the corners, raising his voice as he spoke even though he knew full well that you wouldn’t be there.
The sound of your laughter only increased at his failure and the smile grew on his lips as he strode closer and closer to your ‘hiding spot’.
“Now,” He mockingly thought out loud, “I wonder where she could be…”
Right on cue, he threw open a small closet that was tucked in between two bookcases, emitting a shrill shriek from your lips at the sudden brightness and your brother's face grinning down at you.
“Found ya,” He teased.
You laughed, “I wanna do it again, Jay!” You eagerly jumped up and skirted past him, “Count again!”
He chuckled, but placed his hands over his eyes and followed your instructions.
Don't you ever grow up
“And how was your day today, Miss. Y/n?” Alfred asked with a small smile, glancing over his shoulder to where you sat propped up on the counter, kicking your legs back and forth.
“It was good, I saw a puppy today!” You exclaimed excitedly, seemingly having waited for that very question so that you could share the good news.
“Did this puppy happen to live in this manor?” The man hummed in curiosity.
You shook your head back and forth, getting even more excited, “Nope! My teacher brought it into school today and his name is…”
Alfred just listened and nodded along with your joyful rambling, loving the way you got so excited about small things, even as you got older.
It could stay this simple
Many years ago, a tradition had started between you and your siblings that every Friday night before they went on patrol you would all have a movie night in your at-home theater.
Bruce had joined you that night and you were all lounged around on various different couches and chairs comfortably, watching whatever movie Damian had insisted upon watching.
Your father leaned back in his seat with a contempt sigh, grateful for some time to relax after a long day and what would surely turn into a long night.
The credits began rolling, and instead of hearing you and your siblings begin to chat loudly amongst yourselves, it stayed dead silent.
He quickly snapped his head over in alarm, only for his eyes to soften.
You were leaning your head against Dicks shoulder with his head on top of yours, sleeping soundly on a nearby couch. Tim, Damian, and Jason were also asleep on their nearby pieces of furniture.
A small smile tugged at the ends of the man’s lips and he stood up silently, he would let them all rest. He could survive one night without them.
I won't let nobody hurt you
“I’m gonna kill you!” Your classmate roared, reeling his fist back and getting ready to release it in your face.
Unwavering, you stood your ground with your arms in front of yourself protectively as you stared him down, completely unafraid.
He was a stereotypical mean boy jock that just so happened to make the wrong comment in front of you. And when you called him out on it, he had been less than happy. Everything quickly escalated from there into a full out fist fight outside after school.
Easily, you ducked and side stepped his pathetic attempt at a punch, sending him stumbling forward because he made the rookie mistake of putting all his weight behind it.
Reaching over, you socked him in the face in one swift motion, sending him flying back down.
“You bitch!” He cried, emitting some laughs from the onlooking crowd due to his embarrassed state.
Quickly, he got up and went to lunge at you.
“What is happening?” Damian’s voice made everyone freeze, your older brother having been able to intimidate everyone in the school.
The boy froze at the sound of the older boy and slowly turned towards him with wide eyes, paling even further at the sight of his glare.
“Sh-she-“ He tried to stutter out.
Damian paid him no mind, calmly turning to face you, “What happened?”
“He tried to hit me after I called him out for being an asshole,” You spit out.
Menacingly, your brother turned to said boy and the onlooking crowd held their breath in preparation for what was to come.
A fury seemed to set in the already embarrassed boys gut, because he let out a scream of rage and went to lunge at both of you this time.
“What the hell is going on here?” Yet another booming voice stopped all further action as none other than Jason Todd came stomping angrily through the crowd towards you and Damian.
If everyone was scared of Damian, then they were down right petrified of Jason.
Everyone in the school had heard the horror stories of when your brother ran amok in the halls and reeking havoc during his high school years.
Quickly, everyone scrambled away from the scene, except for the boy, whose collar Damian was holding onto.
“He tried to fight our sister.” The boy informed your older brother calmly.
“Is that so?” Jason turned to him with his eyebrows raised mockingly before he smiled in a similar manner, “We can’t have that, now can we?”
Won't let no one break your heart
“Where are you going?” It was an innocent question, simple even, but it still made you freeze in your steps nonetheless.
Slowly, you turned on your heel to face your brothers, who all now looked up from whatever they were doing in the living room to stare at you in curiosity.
“You look nice!” Dick chirped.
“Thanks,” You tried your best to keep your voice from wavering, failing.
Jason however, wasn’t as easily distracted as your eldest brother, “Where are you going looking so nice?”
From beside him, Tim raised an eyebrow, piecing it together pretty quickly. Unlike the rest of your brothers, who for the most part were slowly but surely getting it.
It was silent for a moment before Dicks eyes widened in horror and he shot to his feet, “You’re going on a date?” He shrieked in horror.
You blew out a huff of air, “It’s no big deal.”
“I beg to differ!” He had begun dramatically doubling over and hyperventilating.
Jason narrowed his eyes, “Who are you going on a date with?”
“A date?” Damian looked back and forth between everyone in confusion, “You all told me that she was only fourteen and therefore not allowed to go on one until she was much older.”
You threw your head back with a groan, “That’s not true! I am more than old enough!”
“We just don’t want you getting hurt,” Tim tried to reason calmly.
“You’re too young to date!” Dick sobbed, stumbling over and throwing his arms around you in a tight bear hug.
Jason stood, crossing the room and looking down at you sternly, “I agree with Dickie-Bird, I don’t think you should go on this date.”
“What do you even know about them?” Tim offered, “Probably not enough to risk going on a date.”
“I do too know enough about them,” You grumbled, prying Dicks arms off of you.
“Tell me their address right this minute and I will judge if they are worthy enough!” Your youngest older brother declared.
Everyone ignored him.
Jason sighed through his nose, “We just want what’s best for you,”
You softened at that, relaxing in Dicks death grip that was intended to keep you from leaving the manor, “I get that,” You reassured them, “But you also have to realize that I’m growing up. And with that comes different things. Like dates.”
All four of them hesitated, “I still don’t like this,” Tim said after a moment, “But youre right.”
“I want you to text me every five minutes so I know that you’re alright.” Jason said, immediately followed by sounds of agreement from the other three.
“No,” You groaned.
“Fine… every ten minutes.” Tim reasoned.
You stood there for a moment, contemplating his words before ultimately deciding that the only way you would be getting out of there anytime soon was to agree to their terms.
“Fine,” You sighed, “Dick. You have to let go of me.”
He just stood there for a moment, sniffling slightly, before hesitantly pulling away with a look for complete sadness overtaking his features.
“Guys, I’ll be fine,” You reassured them with a small smile before slowly backing away and walking out the door.
“She’s growing up,” Tim stated after a moment with a frown pulling at the ends of his lips.
And no one will desert you
“Hands in the air!” A voice boomed through the building, causing all festivities to halt in their places automatically, “We’re robbing this damn joint!”
Immediately, everyone in the room went to the ground with their hands raised, Jason dragging you down alongside him with a soft curse, “I told Bruce this charity gala wasn’t a good idea.” He muttered.
You locked eyes with your father and Damian, the only other two there, from across the room and he silently begged you with his eyes to do as the people said and stay down.
Multiple figures with masks and guns moved up and down the room, shoving anything expensive- looking enough into some sacks that they carried.
Your entire body tensed when one of the people froze in front of you, slowly looking down at you and your brother.
With wide eyes full of fear, you allowed your hand to latch onto your brother's wrist as he shifted his body to be between you and the man.
“Hey, get a load of this!” He called in a mocking way, “These are those Wayne kids!” Clearly he hadn’t noticed your father and other brother on the other side of the room.
A couple of his friends glanced over at him with nods, not stopping what they were doing.
“You reckon they’re worth anything if we take ‘em?” Another one called out, and you had to physically restrain yourself from letting out a whimper, all other gala guests smartly choosing to stay silent.
The first one shrugged and moved as if to grab you, causing Jason to immediately shoot to his feet with a glare that could put everyone in the room six feet under, “Don’t you dare touch her,” He warned dangerously despite the gun pointed to his chest.
Right on cue, the doors slammed open and in rushed none other than Dick and Tim, suited up as Nightwing and Red Robin, quickly taking over the situation and knocking out all the robbers.
Jason turned to you as guests began to scramble out, “Are you alright?” He asked quietly.
All you could do was nod, throwing your arms around him and burying your face in his chest. You had never been in as much danger as you had just been in that day. And it terrified you.
“You’re alright,” He whispered softly, rubbing your back comfortingly, “I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got you.”
Just try to never grow up
“Shut up!” Jason snapped, elbowing Tim harder than necessary, making the boy stumble a bit from where he stood.
The younger of the two whipped around and glared at his brother, “Elbow me one more time.” He challenged through gritted teeth.
“You wanna go-“
“Alright, alright,” You got between the two with a huff, giving them each a small push apart, “Break it up, we have bigger things to worry about then you two breaking each other's faces.”
“Yes.” Damian agreed with narrowed eyes, “Wait until after we have surprised Pennyworth, like civil beings.”
Dick just kept on humming happily and mixing the ingredients for cookies in a large bowl that rested on the counter, “I can't wait to see the look on his face! Oh, this was such a good idea to surprise him for his birthday!” He gushed.
“Well, n/n is pretty good at coming up with plans,” Jason momentarily let his fight go and walked back to the bowl and carefully watched it.
“Here,” Tim walked over and picked up the bowl, “Let's bring this over here so we can-“
He cut himself off when his foot caught on the edge of the counter and he was sent stumbling forward, making the bowl tip over and land right on none other than Jason.
Silence rang through the kitchen as everyone froze in pace, mortified at what they had just witnessed.
Jason slowly turned his head up, “Why, you little-“
“Hey! Hey!” Dick scrambled forward and grabbed the arm Jason had begun winding up to punch Tim, “Let’s not get into this again. We can remake the dough-“
Using his other hand, Jason took a large handful of dough off of his shirt and flung it straight into Tim’s face, your eyes widening even more at the sight.
Next thing you knew, dough began flying every which way, hitting everyone in its path. Less than a minute passed before you were all covered head to toe with chocolate chips and unbaked cookie dough.
“What is-“
You all froze at the sound of Alfred’s voice, pausing a moment before all whipping in his direction. The older man was looking back and forth between all of you with slightly parted lips.
“Surprise?” You squeaked out.
Never grow up
You yawned, “This is more boring then the time we had to sit through dads speech about the importance of sleep.”
“Agreed,” Damian grumbled from beside you, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning down further into his seat, “I suppose father has a knack for talking for obnoxious amounts of time and not once making it of any interest to us.”
The two of you continued to stare at Bruce up on stage, giving a speech about one thing or another and trying not to fall asleep.
“If he tired dragging us to one more of these things,” You mumbled, eyes dropping slightly, “I say we pull a Jason and steal the tires off of his car.”
“Agreed.” Your brother grunted.
You're in the car on the way to the movies
“Movies! Movies! Movies! Movies!” You and your siblings all chanted in sync.
Bruce let out a tired groan, running a hand down his face as he pretended not to notice the way Alfred was chuckling slightly from the driver's seat.
“If you all keep being this loud, you’re going to get us kicked out of the theater again.” He reminded you tiredly.
Jason scoffed, “Don’t act like you can’t just buy the theater so that they can’t kick us out!”
“I can't keep doing that everytime one of you messes up.” Bruce stressed.
It was silent for a moment, then the chanting started again, twice as loud this time.
“Movies! Movies! Movies! Movies!”
And you're mortified your mom's droppin' you off
“Dad,” You grumbled, dropping your head into your hands, “I told you not to drop me off!”
Bruce looked over at you sternly, “Is this still about us being billionaires?” He questioned.
“I just don’t want people treating me any differently if they know!” You insisted.
Somehow, you had been able to keep it away from your new, out of school friends that you were the daughter of the Bruce Wayne. And you planned on keeping it that way.
“There’s no reason to be ashamed of who you are.”
“It’s not that I’m ashamed, dad,” You told him, “I just don’t want them being nice to me just because we have a lot of money.”
That made him pause, and after a moment, he pulled over to the side of the road.
You show him an appreciative look and quickly leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before hopping out of the car, “Thanks, dad! I love you!”
He smiled softly, “I love you too, sweetie. Have fun.”
At fourteen, there's just so much you can't do
You threw your head back with a groan, causing Tim to glance over at you sympathetically, “This is so stupid!” You complied with a grumble.
“I know,” He agreed.
“Why do I even have to do this?” You crossed your arms tightly over your chest and sunk farther down into the chair you sat in at a desk in the batcave.
“Cause it’s homework and getting an education is good for you,” The boy hummed.
“Easy for you to say,” You scoffed, “You’re naturally smart. You don’t have to worry about this.”
He sighed, moving his chair over next to yours, “Alright, what do you need help with?”
You perked up immediately, face lighting up like a Christmas tree, “Yes, yes, yes! You’re the best brother ever!” You gushed.
“I said I would help you, not do it for you.” He warned and you waved a dismissive hand.
“Yeah, yeah, same difference.”
And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots
You let out a scoff, rolling your eyes and crossing your arms over your chest, “Don’t act as if they didn’t start when they were way younger than me!”
Bruce rubbed his hands down his face in frustration, “But I don’t want you to feel like you have to be like them.”
“I don’t!” You protested angrily, “I want to be like them! I want to help people!”
He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, “This is not up for discussion, Y/n.” He told you firmly, “It’s too dangerous.”
Your mouth dropped open and you gaped at him, “Too- too dangerous?” You seethed, “So it’s alright for my brothers to go out every night fighting crime as this city vigilantes with you, but not if I do it?”
“Yes!” He finally snapped, “Yes, alright? I don’t want you getting hurt! I will not let you go out there and risk your life every night. The- the boys have their reasons for doing it, but you don’t have any reason. I need you to stay here. Safe.”
You recoiled slightly at his words, “You think I can't handle it?” You whispered.
His head shook back and forth again, “That's not what I said, and you know it. You can handle yourself, I just don’t want you to need to.”
“I want to help people!” You insisted desperately.
“Help them in a different way.” His tone was final, leaving no more room for discussion, “Because I will not let you fall into this life. I couldn’t stop them from joining, but I sure as hell will stop you.”
You stared at him for a moment in an eerie silence before turning on your heel and storming out of the room, slamming the door shut harshly behind you.
Bruce flinched slightly at the noise and dropped his head into his hands.
But don't make her drop you off around the block
“I just don’t want them seeing the car.” You tried to reason, using your fathers excessive amount of money as an excuse.
“You sure about that?” Jason turned his head from the passenger seat with a smirk, “Sure you’re not just embarrassed of me and Dickie-Bird?”
You groaned, sinking further into the backseat and burying your head in your hands, “Please just drop me off around the corner.”
Your brother feigned worry, “But how will we know that you got to the movies safe, then?”
Dick snickered slightly, but pulled over where you asked nonetheless, “Come on, Little Bird. I know you used to hate this just as much as she does.”
“But we love you!” Jason teasingly called as you hurriedly exited the vehicle and slammed the door with more force than necessary, fear of someone hearing him taking over.
Their laughter did follow you all the way through the doors of the cinema, though.
Remember that she's gettin' older too
“What is it- what happened?” A look of complete horror and desperation painted your features.
You had just been getting ready to turn in for the night when you had heard a lot of commotion coming from the batcave, which was rare considering your family wasn’t normally back from patrol for at least another four hours. And even then, they always stayed as quiet as they could as to not wake you.
Alfred sighed immediately moving to gently grasp onto your arms, “Master. Bruce was shot, but-“
“Dad was shot?” You looked like you were about to throw up, but you tried to stumble past Alfred to go farther into the cave, nonetheless, shaking off his grip.
He gently reached out and grabbed you by the shoulders, trying to halt all further movements from you, “But he’ll be fine,” He continued his previous sentence reassuringly, “And I don’t think it’s wise for you to have to see him like that. He wouldn’t want you to see him like that.”
“B-but-dad-he-“ You began to become overwhelmed as you frantically stuttered things out, trying and failing to form a coherent thought.
“He’s right, n/n,” You hadn’t even noticed Dick approach the two of you until he was right in front of you and speaking.
Your head snapped over to your oldest brother, taking in his soft expression as he gently tried to urge you to calm down.
Vigorously, you shook your head back and forth and pushed away from both of them, heading straight for the room you knew they all went to whenever one of them was injured.
You pushed the door open, ignoring the way Tim shot out of his seat beside Bruce’s bed as you did so, your breathing becoming a shaky and uneven pace.
Bruce slowly moved his head to look at you, and when he did, his eyes turned sad in a way you grew to despise, “N/n-“
“Are you okay?” You asked in a panic-filled tone, rushing over to his side.
A blanket lay over his body so you couldn’t see where he was shot, “Yes, I’m fine.” He had the audacity to chuckle.
“This isn’t funny.” You snapped, “How is this at all funny?”
He quieted for a moment, neither of you paying any kind of attention as Tim slipped out of the room after giving you a small squeeze on the shoulder.
“You’re right, it’s not. I’m sorry.”
For the first time in your life, your father looked small to you, weak. He was always strong and determined, sure. But never had you seen him look like he did now. And it scared you.
“Dad-“ You hadn’t even realized when tears had began to roll down your cheeks, but they did and you tried to bite your bottom lip to stop sobs from slipping through.
“Come here,” He prompted softly, and you didn’t hesitate.
You rushed over to his side and fell into the chair Tim had previously been sitting in, your hand shooting out and holding onto his tightly.
“I-I don’t want to see you hurt,” You admitted tearfully.
“I know, I know.” He reached his other hand over and softly moved a piece of fallen hair out of your face, “I hate having you see me like this.” He paused, “But I would hate seeing you like this even more.”
Your eyes shot up, “Dad-“
“You know how you feel about me being like this?” He continued, “I would feel ten times worse if it was you out there instead of me, that’s the reason I don’t want you out there. Because I wouldn’t be able to handle it if something were to happen to you.”
Silence fell over the two of you like an uncomfortable blanket for a minute before you slowly nodded your head, “Okay,” You whispered, “Okay, I’ll stop trying to go out with you guys. But only if you promise that all of you will be safe. That’s the only reason I ever wanted to go in the first place, to make sure you guys were all alright.”
He squeezed your hand in appreciation, “I promise you, n/n, we’ll all be safe.”
And don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJs getting ready for school
You sang loudly to the song playing over the speaker as you spun back and forth along the kitchen floor, packing your lunch for the day.
Perhaps the music was too loud, or you were too much in your own world, because you didn’t even notice the way your brothers all crowded in the doorway, laughing quietly at your antics.
Naturally, Dick had his phone out and was recording the moment that no doubt would be used as blackmail later, but none of them could shake the soft smiles they felt unconsciously growing on their faces at the sight of it.
You looked so young and carefree, like you were five again.
Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up
“They’re really beautiful,” You admitted with a dreamy sigh, leaning further back into your seat to look up at the sky filled with thousands of stars in complete wonder.
Your father hummed in agreement from beside you, “They are.”
About a week ago, you had been complaining to him that you were hardly ever able to see any stars at night due to the bright city lights, so he decided to surprise you by taking a night off of patrol and bringing you up, over the clouds in the batplane to see them. Just the two of you.
“I can’t believe that I’m seeing them this close,” Your wide, full of wonder, eyes were yet to tear away from the devastatingly beautiful scene.
A comfortable silence fell over the two of you, each observing the various constellations at your own pace.
“Dad?” The man’s head lulled to the side to find you already looking at him, “Thank you.”
He smiled softly, leaning over and gently kissing your temple, “No need to thank me. I’m glad we did this.”
Don't you ever grow up
They were the loudest in the audience by far. But you couldn’t find it in yourself to be even slightly embarrassed. If anything, your grin only widened at their proud features.
Their claps and cheers of your name were enough to make your legs move across the stage as you graciously accepted your diploma before waving it in the air excitedly at them.
All in the front row, your father, honorary grandfather, and brothers all jumped up to keep their clapping, even Damian didn’t pretend not to care.
Tears shone in each and every one of their eyes as they watched you were about to take your final steps off the stage, officially having graduated high school.
Of course, there was an immense amount of pride and joy in their hearts, but there was also a sinking feeling inside that made the tears keep rolling.
The second you stepped off of that stage, you would no longer be a child. You would be off to college. You would have grown up.
Deep down, they all knew they had been dreading this very moment for as long as they could remember, but they never really anticipated what would happen when the day actually came.
But instead of voicing these thoughts and ruining your day, they continued to let their applause boom through the auditorium.
The Superior Robin ❤️- @ineedmorefanfics2 @sambucky8 @spidyyparker @i-writes-things @ladyagagaslefttoe @xbergiex @kiyomi-uchiha777
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