Just Robin Oneshots pt 4

8. Battinson gets his Robin

Bruce didn't like working cases that involved kids but he couldn't exactly turn a blind eye to this one. A month ago, a circus came into town. For some unknown reason, Alfred insisted he go to it. Show his face in public and pretend he wasn't wallowing alone in his luxury penthouse. He only agreed to it on the condition he wouldn't have to go to the next charity ball he was invited to. 

The show ended with the deaths of its headliner. The Flying Graysons plummeted to the ground right in front of their son who was stuck on the platform for the better part of an hour before finally being brought down. Bruce had stayed, he didn't know why, but he did. He watched the ambulance crew pronounce them dead although everybody already knew that before carting them away in body bags ready for a medical examiner to rule out any other cause than an accident. Police swarmed the scene, getting accounts from anyone who stayed alongside him. He tried his best to be helpful.

Then he overheard the now orphaned child say something to the ringmaster. 

"It was that man, Mr Haley! That man did this." Before he could eavesdrop any further, Haley was bringing him into one of their caravans to grieve in peace. Bruce knew this was no accident and he silently swore that he wouldn't let another orphan go on without justice. Not after what it did to him.

So Bruce got to work, gathering police reports when he noticed nobody had even bothered to interview Dick Grayson. Eyewitnesses said the wire snapped and they just took that at face value without thinking much about it. Chalked it up to faulty equipment but Bruce knew better. What circus whose stars were their money makers, some of the most talented acrobats in the world, wouldn't ensure their equipment was sound? Where was the sense in that? Then there was what Dick said. Someone had done this and if he wanted to know, he needed to talk to Haley and Dick. Unfortunately, the circus moved on quickly before he could think to talk to them. It'd been their last show in Gotham the night of the tragedy and not many would think of sticking around if there was no investigation going on.

Fortunately, through some digging, he found out Dick didn't stay with them. Without his parents putting a guardian in their will, he became a ward of the state and was forced to remain in Gotham. Digging further told him that Dick wasn't placed in an orphanage. Most of the state's orphanages and all of the private ones were filled up. They didn't have room for a kid who wasn't from the city and nobody wanted the bad press for denying a Gotham City kid a place over a child who had never been there before his circus came to town. 

Bruce thought he'd be placed into foster care instead but no records showed any family taking him in so he double-checked the orphanages to confirm that there was indeed no record of him being there. On a whim, he checked missing persons. Nothing. Then, as a hail mary, he checked the juvenile detention centre. A little kid left alone in a big city right after his parent's deaths would bring anyone to a life of crime. Sure enough, there he was. The only thing Bruce couldn't understand was why the date of his arrival was the day after his parents died. 

Orphanages full, no foster family involved, well. Where else would they put him. Bruce needed to speak to him and get him the hell out of there. Batman needed to pay a visit.

They were apprehensive to let Batman in but with some convincing and being generally ominous, they allowed it. He was greeted by a guard who introduced themselves as Robinson and nothing more. They wouldn't allow him to leave the detention centre with Dick Grayson but they would allow him to have as long as he needed to in his cell to get what he wanted. Robinson would have to wait outside but she happily encouraged him to take his time since she was paid by the hour either way.