THE WOES OF A SINGLE FATHER ; BATFAMILY && SUPERBAT

Chapter 12

But piece by piece, he collected me up
Off the ground, where you abandoned things
Piece by piece he filled the holes that you burned in me
Six years old and you know
He never walks away
He never asks for money
He takes care of me
'Cause he loves me
Piece by piece, he restored my faith
That a man can be kind and a father could, stay

"Piece By Piece" by Kelly Clarkson

  ★  

Willis Todd wasn't a fan of news. The man could care less about what happened around the world. As long as he could find targets to pickpocket, he wouldn't starve to death any time soon.

However, Willis watched the news during his days in prison. Life in prison was boring. He was not allowed to do a lot of things as a prisoner. Watching the news was one of the activities he could do without causing a scene.

It was how he knew his son was adopted. During the first six months of serving in the prison, Willis had received the news of his wife's death from a friend. He was not worried about his son's whereabouts even if his friend told him about the boy's disappearance.

He wasn't a good father. Willis knows. However, he did what every father would do - he taught his son how to survive on the streets. The boy was blessed with the skills of pickpocketing, burglary and scamming. He could survive on his own without his mother. Willis was confident about it.

However, the man had never expected to see his son being adopted by Bruce Wayne. Emotions came rushing through his mind like adrenaline as he was shocked by the news.

The news showed a video where Bruce Wayne went shopping at a local comic store with Jason. When they walked out of the shop, they were holding a stack of comics in their hands.

The news also showed an interview which contained Bruce Wayne announcing his official adoption of Jason.

The camera zoomed towards the boy sitting next to the billionaire. His messy hair was gelled up. His skin -- often covered in dirt and bruises -- were clean and smooth like a newborn. His teeth were perfectly white. He was also smiling bashfully on the camera.

'This is not Jason.' It was the first thought which came to Willis's mind.

Jason was a bitter child. He didn't know how to get on someone's good side. He said the word 'fuck' like it was an ordinary thing to do. He didn't like to smile. He always wore a nasty scowl on his face. He also has a bad temper.

Willis tried. He really tried to act like a father figure. However, no matter what he'd done for Jason, the boy always seemed unsatisfied. If your child didn't appreciate what you had done for them -- how could you love them?

How did his child change? How dare he change? While his father was serving time, how could that brat enjoy a life of luxury?

How dare he?

Once he was released from prison, Willis did research. He tried to track down Jason's whereabouts. Since the boy was now known as the adopted child of Bruce Wayne, it wasn't hard for the father to find his son. It only took three days for him to earn information on which school Jason was attending now.

Willis sat on the bench in front of the school. A lit cigarette hung lazily between his lips. He was dressed in the best clothes he had. However, he still couldn't blend into these surroundings. The suspicious gazes from the security guard prove the point.

'This is why I hate coming to places like this.' Willis thought. He rolled his eyes as the guard shot him another glance.

He could take this opportunity to pickpocket the rich children. However, he had better things to focus on.