Dick Grayson One-Shots { requests open }

fUcK yOu bRuCe

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𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗽 (𝗶𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆): n/a

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 1102

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Dick gets in trouble after coming home drunk.

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: just a lotttt of angst/borderline neglect?

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Bruce glanced at his watch: 12:47 AM.

17 minutes after curfew. The man sighed, worrying that perhaps something had happened while Dick was out. The kid was never late— never. But, then again, it was only 17 minutes. It wasn't nearly time to panic yet. After all, Dick was a teenager. Teenager's stay out after curfew— that's what they do. Nothing abnormal there.

Yeah, well, Dick isn't a normal teenager, a voice inside Bruce spoke. Dick knew what would happen if he was late— he'd be benched from missions and patrols. The boy had always followed the rules because of that exact reason— he couldn't stand to lay around the house while Bruce went out and fought the bad guys.

"Would you relax, Master Bruce?" Alfred chuckled, setting a cup of tea on Bruce's desk. "This isn't the first time he's been late."

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the butler, "When has he been late before, Alfred?"

Alfred had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he innocently stated, "Well, whenever you're not home, sir."

"Jesus Christ," Bruce exhaled sharply. He stared intently at the older man, "Why haven't I heard about this before?"

Alfred sighed, but a smile still remained on his face. "Master Dick can be quite persuasive when he wants to be. Besides, Master Bruce," he chuckled a bit, "I seem to recall you getting into your own trouble when you were his age..."

Bruce grumbled some unrepeatable words under his breath as he turned back to his computer. "Yeah, whatever. Just tell me when he arrives home."

Alfred laughed a bit, "Of course, sir."

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2:54 AM

"This is ridiculous, Alfred!" Bruce exclaimed. "I'm going out to look for him!"

Alfred did his best to calm the distraught man, "Don't you think that's a bit extreme, sir? Why don't you just track him?"

Bruce scoffed, "Don't you think I tried that? He hacked into and disabled it!"

Alfred almost looked impressed as a soft sigh escaped his lips. "Then you've little chance of finding him out there anyway. He'll come home, Master Bruce. Just wait a bit longer."

"He's fifteen, Alfred!" Bruce practically yelled. "What could he possibly be doing at three in the morning?!"

"I- I don't think you really wanna know..." an amused voice slurred from the other end of the room.

Bruce whirled around to see Dick standing in the doorway, a lopsided grin on his face. Immediately, he stood and rushed over to the boy. After deducing that his ward was uninjured, Bruce let his anger take over, "Where the hell have you been, Dick?!"

The kid laughed boyishly, raising his eyebrows at Bruce, "Um... out?"

Bruce felt his entire face heat up as pure rage coursed through his veins, "Are you fucking drunk?!"

Dick thought a moment, a stupid smirk on his face. "Maybe...?"

Bruce had to resist the urge to slap the kid right then and there. Didn't he know it was dangerous enough for sober kids on the street? It horrified Bruce to think of what might've happened if Dick had been taken or hurt...

"Perhaps you should take a breath, Master Bruce," Alfred started, glancing worriedly between the hero and his sidekick. "Getting angry won't help the situation at all right now."

"Yeah, what- what he said," Dick slurred, amusement laced in his voice.

"Why the hell would you do this, Dick?!" Bruce practically growled, ignoring Alfred's suggestion completely. "You know you can't just risk everything like this! What if you'd slipped up and said something revealing to someone?! Or gotten yourself kidnapped by someone looking for a payday?! Or, God forbid, got yourself killed?!"

Dick just scoffed, his blue eyes skimming all over the room, looking extremely out of focus. "Like you- you'd really care..."

Suddenly, Bruce went quiet. He just stared at the boy he'd raised like a son. After what felt like forever, he gathered the courage to ask in a low voice, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Finally, Dick's ocean-colored orbs met Bruce's, a certain disdain mixed in with his dazed expression. "You don't- you don't love me," the kid slurred. "I'm just a- a weapon to you."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "You know that isn't true."

Dick laughed manically, "Isn't it, though?! You- you've never given a shit about me! I used to watch J'onn with- with M'gann and Barry with Wally and- and all the others! They- they were always so happy to see each other! But you?! You always just walk right past me! Like I don't mean anything!"

Bruce felt as though he'd just been slapped across the face. Did Dick really think that? Had Bruce really been so cold? He knew he wasn't exactly father of the year, but he'd never noticed how bad it'd gotten...

"Dick..." Bruce started softly, expression softening. He stared at the boy he'd raised as a son.

The older man could still remember the first time he met Dick. He'd been at Haly's Circus that night... he'd seen the Grayson's fall... he'd comforted the young child that mourned his parents...

That exact minute, he'd swore to protect that mourning child— no matter what. However, it seemed he'd failed at shielding Dick from the worst thing possible— himself. He let his coldness and issues put a wedge between him and the boy. And, now... Dick was paying the price.

"I don't- I don't care if you hate me, Bruce," the kid slurred, a heartbroken grin on his face. "Really- I don't. I stopped caring a long... a long time ago. So just- don't bother saying anything 'cause it doesn't- it doesn't even matter anymore."

Bruce was at a loss for words. He never knew... he never... saw. Was he really so blind that he couldn't see what had been happening in his own home...?

"Come, Master Dick..." Alfred sighed softly, laying a gentle hand on the drunken boy's shoulder. "Let's get you upstairs..."

And, just like that, Dick was gone— whisked away by a man that was probably more of a father to him than Bruce had ever been...

But something else happened in that moment, too. Bruce realized something. He realized it wasn't too late to fix things— it wasn't too late to be a good father to his ward.

And that's exactly what he planned to do... he was going to fix things— fix everything. He was going to become the father Dick deserved... no matter what...