THE WOES OF A SINGLE FATHER ; BATFAMILY && SUPERBAT

Chapter 01

There must always be a struggle

between a father and a son,

One aims at power

and the other at independence

by Samuel Johnson

★

The figure on the bed groaned as the crimson red curtain of his room pulled apart. The bright sunshine hit his face, and the sleep-deprived man pulled his blanket over in a stubborn attempt to get another minute of precious rest.

"I would like to remind you that Miss Vicki Vale would arrive soon in an hour, Master Bruce. As your butler, I highly suggest for you to get out of the bed in this instant and tidy up your appearance. The boys are awaiting you to have breakfast together in the dining room."

With another groan, Bruce pulled the blanket off himself and tousled his messy bed hair. Reluctantly, he accepts the bathrobe offered by his butler who was standing beside him. With a few mumbling complaints, the man made his way towards the bathroom.

"What's the schedule today, Alfred?"

The male in the bathroom asked as he turned on the faucet of the sink. Cupping a handful of water, he splashed the cold water on his face to fresh up himself from the drowsiness of sleep.

"Aside from the interview with Miss Vicki, there was also a call from the elementary school today. The principal requested a talk with you about Master Jason's behavior in school."

The man sighed under his breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let me guess... another fight? Or skipped classes?"

He could already predict that today was another busy day without any breaks for himself.

★

As Bruce walked down the stairs, loud yelling echoed right into his eardrums. The source of the noises came from the dining room, and the man could only give out a groan of disbelief as he walked into the dining room along with his butler.

"Jason! That is MY croissant! Give it back to me! "

"Try and get it back then, Timmy!"

"Jay, I honestly think you should give the croissant back to Tim before Bruce arrives- oh hey, Bruce!" Dick Grayson, the eldest adoptive son, greeted upon noticing his father's arrival.

The duo who had been quarreling stopped their argument in an instant. Jason Todd rolled his eyes as he loosened his grip on his younger brother's collar. Tim Drake immediately lost his balance and fell from the chair he was standing on.

"Ow!" The eight years old exclaimed out in pain as he fell head first on the marble floor. Rubbing the back of his head, the eight-year-old watched as his older brother ate his croissant

"Jason, you're a jerk!" Tim hissed out in anger, his hands balled into fists as he tried to calm himself down. Jason only smirked back as he stuck his tongue out at the younger boy.

"Jason, apologize to Tim."

The smirk on Jason's face curled down into a frown as his eyes met with the stern gaze of his adoptive father. Stubbornly, the boy crossed his arms over his chest as he looked aside while ignoring his father's request.

"Jason Peter Todd, I am not repeating myself," Bruce said in a deadly serious tone. The noisy atmosphere in the dining room died down in an instant. Dick, who was still grinning a few seconds ago, lost his smile upon noticing his father's strict tone. Walking over to Tim, the older brother pulled his sibling up from the floor and guided him back to their seat.