A Bird Of Many Feathers

Finding the bat [flashback]

Alone

Alone

Dick was left alone again.

But it was normal, as much as Dick hated to admit it. He had been living with Bruce Wayne for almost six months, and they only talked during dinner. At least when he was there, which wasn't often.

Bruce owned a really big business, he couldn't be there for him all the time, Dick understood that. But Bruce was only at dinner twice a week if he was lucky. And half the time it was because Alfred dragged him from where ever he went after he came home.

Dick tried to be as good as possible in hope that his adopted father figure would notice him and talk to him, maybe even praise him.

Sadly, everything went unnoticed, he couldn't even remember he liked being called Dick, not Richard.

And in the seemingly endless hours by himself, thoughts kept echoing in his mind. Was he not smart enough? Was he not good enough? Was he not wanted? Was the billionaire regretting taking him in?

Thoughts like those swirled around his young mind, the thoughts never left his mind. They nagged him relentlessly. One day he couldn't take it anymore and he went to ask Alfred, Alfred never let him down.

Unlike others in his life.

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It was way past his bedtime, but Dick couldn't care less, he had to know what was wrong with him. He had to know why Bruce disliked him so much, that he almost totally ignored him.

Seeking out of his bed he went to the kitchen to find Alfred. He found him making coffee.

He was about to go talk to the old butler, but as soon he mustered up the courage, turned and started down one of the many, many hallways of Wayne Manor.

Wanting answers Dick followed. Alfred walked down many different hallways

He stopped at a giant grandfather clock. Was was Alfred taking coffee to the grandfather clock? You could read it from the other side of the hall, so why was he there?

Was there a secret room behind it and Bruce was in there working on something super secret, and he couldn't spend time with Dick because of it as well as the fact that he probably has no skills with children once so ever?

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No, Alfred probably is just looking at the fine craftsmen ships of the grandfather clock. Yeah, that makes more sense.

Quietly Dick ran back to his room, so no one would know he was ever out of bed. He stayed in the shadows and made his way to his room.

As soon as he made it he got under the blankets that trapped him in his nightly nightmares.

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Dick was in his room staring at his ceiling thinking.

Why was Alfred looking at the old clock? He was bored of asking himself the same questions over and over again, it was time for him to get some answers.

Seeking out of his room Dick went to look out the window to make sure that Alfred wouldn't cheat him. Sure enough, Alfred was trimming the brushes.

He was busy. And Bruce was a work, so Dick could now go check out the clock.

When got to the hallway that had the old grandfather clock he hesitated.

Was this worth the risk? What if he got caught? What if...? Was he scared of a clock? No, he lived here, even if Bruce didn't care he took Dick in and now he has to deal with him.

Dick made his way down the hall until he was face to face with the old grandfather clock. The clock itself wasn't anything amazing to him, there was plenty of expressive things in the manor.

No, it was the rug under the clock that Dick was interested in. It had marks on it like something repeatedly was sliding on it. There was also the cool breeze that seemed to come around the old clock.

Dick, already this far to turn back, decided to push the clock to the side. Dick didn't know what he was expecting, really he was just holding he didn't knock over the giant old clock.

Unlike his adoptive father figure, he had no money to his name.

The clock easily slid to the side with a little push. What he saw was two elevator doors opening. Stepping inside the doors closed behind him, and made their way down.

After a little less than a minute, the doors opened to a giant cave. The cave had an endless amount of bats. He wasn't even kidding.

Also, the bat-themed, well, everything. He had no clue what any of this was.  Not knowing what was done here he kept to the shadows.

It was NOT because he was terrified of the bats, nor the thousands of desires they carried.

Looking around he found some sharp bat-shaped boomerangs. Then something called, bat shark-repellent spray.

Dick started to wonder what Mr. Wayne's thing was with bats.

Dick froze.

No.

He couldn't be.

Could he?

No, it's just a story.

But, could Mr. Wayne be a vampire?

No, Dick thought rationality. If Mr. Wayne was a vampire the ladies he bought home would've turned into vampires and then in their new state they would drink from the closest thing, him or Alfred, but that hasn't happened so that wasn't an option.

Dick didn't know what to think, but he knew one thing. He was terrified.

This was almost as bad as when his parents fell. He knew they were going to live or die. Those were the only options.

Now, well, countless. Or it was a number Dick couldn't count to. Either or.

He had been creeping around and didn't notice he was up against a wall until he hit it that is.

Pure terror reached throughout his body. Lost in thought no longer he looked around himself.

He saw it.

Mr. Wayne was weird. He had an entire cave to play dress up. A suit designed after a bat, to go along with his bat cave theme.

This was weird. Dick thought as he scrunched up his nose. Fear a distant memory he made his way back up the elevator thing and to his room. Finding out your guardian had a weird cave took a lot of a child.

The next morning Dick woke up to Alfred drawing the curtains open. He had breakfast (by himself) then sat on one of the many couches to watch TV.

He found he enjoy it very much.

Cartoons were interrupted by a news broadcast. That's when he saw it .Bruce in his weird bat costume punching a clown.

That made him sad. Did Bruce not like clowns? He adopted him, so he must like acrobatics. This lead Dick to thinking about Mr. Wayne's opinions on other Crucis acts.

“Batman is now fighting the Joker in the downtown area.” the newsman said

Was this like wrestling? Alfred told him it was a faked sport of some kind, an enteemant of some sort.

Could that be what was happening?

Dick hadn't the faintest clue all he knew was that Bruce was Batman. And possibly was wrestling a friend.