Mimic

Trouble In Paradise

Warning! This is a kinda long chapter. Almost two-thousand words.

After spending the rest of the afternoon with Garth and Tula, it was finally time for Dick and me to go home. I was glad to get away from the awkward conversations with Kaldur's friends. However, way-too-nice-M'gann invited them to stay at Mount J, meaning that I'll be seeing them a lot more. I still didn't really trust them.

"We're home!" Dick yelled as he opened the front door to the Manor.

"Why do you always do that?" I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior.

"How else is Bruce supposed to know that the light of his life has returned?" Dick asked incredulously with a grin, "And it would be rude to not give Alfie a heads up."

"Of course, my bad," I grinned.

"Dick," I whipped around to see Bruce standing behind us, a frown evident on his face. "How many times have I told you not to yell?"

"Like, a thousand times," Dick grumbled.

"More like a million times," Bruce scolded. With his annoyed expression and crossed arms, he looked like the living embodiment of a disapproving parent.

"Sorry, your highness," Dick muttered, loud enough that only I heard it.

"What was that?" Bruce raised an eyebrow. I shuffled my feet uncomfortably.

"Nothing, Bruce," Dick sighed and starting walking away stiffly. I awkwardly followed, sending a nervous glance to Bruce. The man was nice enough, but he gave me a bad feeling that I couldn't shake. 

I followed Dick to the gym, where he immediately began to perform his crazy gymnastic routines where it looked like he truly was a bird, taking flight. He always did this when he was upset. I wanted to talk to him about what the deal was with Bruce, but I knew that he wouldn't say anything until he was ready. So I starting doing flips and tricks on the balance beams, waiting.

"It's just so annoying," Dick seethed after a few minutes of silence.

"Bruce?" I asked although I was really just prodding him to go on.

"He just," Dick struggled to find the right words, "He's always in Batman mode, y'know?"

"Like, he always treats you like a sidekick, not a son?"

"Exactly," Dick exclaimed. "I mean, he respects me. But he still bosses me around. We're supposed to be family, not just work partners. There's supposed to be more than respect."

I stayed silent for a moment. It's not like I had any place talking about how a family should be. I wouldn't know.

"But he does love you," I said.

"Sometimes, I wonder," Dick admitted.

"Dick," I said gently, "How many years have you been here?"

"Almost seven."

"Don't you think he loves you? If you've been here that long?"

Dick stayed quiet.

"You're his son. And maybe he doesn't show you his love in grand, obvious ways. But that doesn't mean that his love isn't there," I told Dick, who had stopped swinging. He silently dropped down and walked over to me.

"Thanks," He said, engulfing me in a hug. "If this superhero gig doesn't work out for you, you should look into being a psychiatrist."

I laughed a bit at the irony of a girl with insane parents helping people with their physiological problems. I also blushed slightly at the close contact with Dick.