Friends with the Enemy

39) Finding Out the Truth

Dick wished he had a lamp.

There was a source of light, but it was incredibly dim from where he was, and it was at the end of the long cave-like passage way. Dick kept fanning with his hand, trying to get the dust particles away from his face.

There were lots of questions spinning in Dick's mind. Why was this in the Manor? Where did it lead? Was this Bruce's secret lair?! Was it normal for rich people to have a hidden underground lair?

The darkness began to fade away the more he walked. Soon he found himself in the strangest yet coolest place he'd ever seen. There were weird machines, computers, and cars. This place was bigger than he originally suspected since he saw more stairs to his sides.

Dick flinched when he heard the faint sound of the flapping of wings. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, unsure if he were seeing things or not. Did he just see a bat? EW! He quickly moved in the opposite direction, his eyes still focused on where he saw the winged animal rather than where he was going.

He walked right into something with a painful CLANG and fell to the dusty floor yet again. The nine-year-old groaned and grabbed onto his throbbing head with one hand. He opened his eyes, his unfocused gaze trailing from the bottom of the glass vault to the center, where a dark suit loomed over him.

Batman's suit.

Dick's jaw went slack and his eyes the size of the moon. He quickly shut his mouth and got up, his heart and mind racing.

Batman's suit was in a secret tunnel in Bruce's manor. Alfred said that Bruce called Batman for help. Batman is tall and muscular. So is Bruce. Bruce was always defending Batman.

Bruce is Batman.

Dick almost gasped aloud. He clasped a hand to his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut.

He needed to leave now.

He bolted to the direction he had entered but before he could get too far, a hand grabbed onto his wrist and held him back. Dick fearfully looked up at the person, and made eye contact with a worried looking Bruce.

Dick's breath hitched before he wrenched his arm away and glared at Bruce with mistrust.

"I can explain," Bruce began. His brows were pulled upwards while he slowly lowered his hand.

Said boy shook his head. "Y-you never told me-"

"It was to keep you safe," the billionaire quickly inputted.

"You took me away! I was happy with Selina! I could have gotten revenge!" Dick hissed, his eyes beginning to glisten rapidly. He took a step back. "I trusted you..."

Bruce's heart was shattering. Dick wasn't supposed to know. He was supposed to remain ignorant to who he was- believe that he was still some playboy. Those bright, kind eyes shouldn't have been looking at him with such venom. "Dick, you're a child. You can't be on the streets with criminals and go killing people. As Batman, I have to take you and bring you into an orphanage."

"No, you didn't have to do anything! And why adopt me, Bruce? Why?!" Dick questioned, anger and pain expressed in every vowel. "Is it because you knew Selina would adopt me?!" Saying the words aloud released the small waterfall in his eyes.

Selina said that she and Batman sometimes worked together. She knew all along that Bruce was Batman, and never told him. What made things worse was that if Bruce knew that Selina was Catwoman, then that meant Bruce specifically adopted him so that Selina couldn't.