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thiccpersonality · 6 months ago

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You've Got My Back (So I've Got Yours)

Richard was excited.

Scratch that, he was beyond excited, he was...what does Alfred say? Ecstatic-exhilarated even.

Why you may ask?

Tonight is the night that Richard John Grayson debuts as Robin, HE a circus freak (in a fond way), gets to be seen with Batman of all people.

Tonight.

Do you know how big of a deal that is? Richard knows how Bruce barely likes to interact with people as a civilian, but Batman, he definitely won't tolerate anyone closing in on his personal space unless he says so. And he's just grateful that such a seemingly intimidating man has kindly decided to take him in, on top of letting him fight crime alongside him...nevermind that he threatened to go off on his own.

"Richard, can you stop moving for one second and put your shorts on?"

Bruce raises an amused brow at his child pouting, the boy huffing in protest of the older using his real name. "I told you to call me Dick! S'what everyone calls me, B!" Richard looks down at the green spandex shorts the other is holding out for him, his tongue poking out in concentration as he lifts each leg and slips them into each leg hole, his lips twitching in amusement when they get stuck at his thighs. "It's stuck, B!"

Richard giggles and starts shimmying as hard as he can. It's no big deal-the shorts getting stuck that is-he's had to deal with this plenty of times getting dressed for his performances in the circus.

Bruce holds tightly onto the pants and tries to hold back his amused smirk as the nine-year-old wiggles around like a worm just to get the shorts on. With a small hum, he catches Dick's attention, giving a small smile to the boy before lifting the child up and shaking him into the stubborn material, his heart feeling oddly light at the innocent sound of childish laughter echoing in the cave. "B-e-ee-e!" Richard clings onto Bruce's shoulders as he's now being held up by only his shorts, the taller having stood up so gravity would do its work and drop the boy down into the clothing. "There, all done."

Bruce lets his smile show when Richard looks at him, the boy's face flushed pink from laughter, though the joy is turned into concern at the younger frowning suddenly.

"Chum? Are you...okay?"

Richard hugs tightly onto Bruce, his chin resting against the man's shoulder as he speaks into his ear. "I-...you'll protect me, right? I've never fought crime before...but I want to do you good, B. I need to do this."

Bruce frowns and rubs the small back gently, "Of course I'd protect you. And we've talked about this before, Dickybird. You don't have to do any-and I mean any of this, do you hear me? I...I just want you to try being a kid after what happened. This lifestyle is a lot to handle, even with petty crimes, like how we're dealing with tonight. And it's a lot of responsibility to put on a child-" he gently draws Richard's head away from his shoulder so he can look the boy in the eyes-"I just want you to be safe. In whatever way that is. You don't need to fight crime to do good by me...you are good enough for me, D."

Richard clenches the Bat-suit in his tiny hands, lowering his head so Bruce hopefully doesn't see his watery eyes.

"But I want-need to do this. Knowing men exist out there like the one who murdered my mom and dad...I can't let them be free! Someone needs to do the tough stuff! So why not me?"

Bruce sighs and ignores the part of his brain where he's telling himself to say no to tonight...he doesn't want the boy to fight crime, not only because of his age, but because of the anger he still holds at the moment. But, if he doesn't teach Richard to fight and defend himself now, there's a high chance that the boy truly will run off...and then who will find him? What things could that person teach Dick instead?

There's no way that Bruce will sacrifice Richard's innocence any further, especially when he knows what he's doing and how to teach the boy properly himself.

"Okay, it's okay."

Bruce kisses the boy's temple and lowers him to the ground, allowing the other time to cool off while he tries slipping on the child's gloves.

Key word: tries.

After a few minutes of struggling with Richard's gloves, Bruce huffs out a laugh and gently grabs the boy's wrist in his hand. "You're moving around again, Dickybird. Is this excitement or are you nervous again?" Richard finally stops moving his hands around and smiles bashfully at his dad caretaker, "Sorry, B! I think-I think it's both! I know you'll protect me...but what if I'm also not ready yet?" He blinks up at the man, insecurity and worry in his gaze.

Bruce finally manages to finish slipping Richard's hands into the gloves, holding firmly but gently onto the smaller hand.

"If you aren't ready, then that is perfectly fine, Dicky. You can stay home with Alfred and I can go out alone, there is absolutely no pressure to do this...thing that I do." At Richards dejected look, Bruce sighs softly and grabs the boy's chin gently in his hand so he can tilt the boy's head up. "However, I wouldn't bring you out tonight if I didn't think you could do it, you hear me? If there is something that you can't do, I'll be there to help you-"

Richard's eyes shine with something that Bruce can't describe...gratitude? Trust? No one has ever looked at him like that before, like he's a hero. "If I fall...you will catch me." Richard finishes with a small smile on his lips, his posture loose and relaxed at the older man's words. "Thanks, B."

Bruce smiles back with a slight nod, his face getting serious as he puts on his mask. "As soon as you put this mask on, you'll become Robin, Batman's partner. Your identity is something precious, so remember to keep it secret unless it's absolutely necessary to reveal it to someone. And above all else, Richard, I'm proud of you no matter what. So, if you ever decide this life isn't for you...I will still support you as your d-" he cuts himself off from that three letter word, what is he doing? He's not even anywhere close to being a father figure to Dick...and he doesn't want to feel like he's trying to replace the child's real father.

"Partner. I'll support you as your partner."

Maybe he cut himself off quick enough for Richard to not hear his slip up? The boy definitely seems distracted enough looking at his gloves...but the look in his eyes as he stares at Bruce causes the older to stiffen up nervously.

Richard blinks once-twice, before giving a large smile and looking at the domino mask in the large hand. Hopping one leg to the next in excitement, "Can you put it on for me, please?!" Bruce relaxes and nods with a small smirk on his lips, attaching the mask securely to the boy's face and stepping back to get a good look at the nine-year-old.

There's something absolutely horrifying about the sight before him, I mean, what kind of man is he to allow a child to fight crime?

But.

There is also a swell of pride at seeing this small nine-year-old boy ready to fight for justice. Bruce knows that Dick has a lot of anger now...but, he won't give up on him, he'll make sure that he uses that anger for good; he'll teach him how to control that and put it into something productive like boxing or screaming out his frustrations or writing, cause if it's the last thing Bruce does, he won't allow Richard's trauma to make him bitter and cold...not as long as he's under this roof.

Bruce won't have a repeat of himself for this innocent little boy; his boy.

"How do I look, B?"

Bruce snaps out of his thoughts at the innocent question, exhaling out all his nerves, imagining the anxiety and stress as nothing but smoke to expell from his lungs.

"You look ready."

Robin beams up at Batman, following the man to the Batmobile and holding his hand for that extra bit of comfort as they head out into the night.

XXX

Robin remains in the Batmobile, his small hands wringing together nervously as he watches Batman fighting a group of robbers. Luckily it wasn't anything too serious...and it doesn't look like any of the men have guns, but they were still trying to steal someone's car, and Robin doesn't need to tell you the reasons as to why that's a big no-no.

It's...fascinating watching Batman fight, it makes Robin feel as though he's in a dream-a good dream he supposes-that such a man like him would take in one lone circus freak like himself.

Yet.

There's also something terrifying at seeing Batman in action.

Robin worries that he won't be able to live upto a figure-a man-like Batman is. The only skills he has are tricks he's learned from the circus, and yes, him being lithe helps him with the acrobatics portion of crime fighting, but other than that...he's just a boy in a suit, right?

Robin's eyes widen when seeing one of the thugs sneak up on Batman holding a crowbar, his body moving on autopilot as he shouts for the Batmobile to let him out, sighing in relief when the car listens and opens the roof. "Batman, look out!" Everyone seems to freeze at the sound of his voice, the small group of robbers turning to look at the boy with wide eyes when they see a child in green spandex shorts and a bright yellow cape.

Robin sticks his tongue out in concentration as he fumbles through his belt, ignoring the shaking of his hands as he grabs his very own Birdarang and throws it as hard and precisely as he can, the man with the crowbar raising a curious brow at the small grunt that escapes the young boy when chucking the bird shaped toy.

The man blinks rapidly, processing the sound of metal clanging to the concrete floor loudly as the weapon fails to reach its intended target and falls to the ground.

The group of criminals look at each other before laughing loudly at Robin, the one attempting to hit Batman in the head pointing at the boy with his crowbar. "That's cute! And who exactly are you supposed to be?" The man looks down and squints at the 'R' symbol printed onto the leotard, snorting loudly and gesturing at his friends to get a look at it. "Look here, fellas. It's R for Retarded."

Robin looks down at the symbol, something he felt proud of earlier that day, but now feels sad and even embarrassed over at these men-criminals-laughing at him.

His eyes water with embarrassed and angry tears, his face growing hot at the men continuing to make fun of him. "I-It's Robin! I'm Batman's partner and you'll respect me as such! So take it back! I'm not retarded!" Robin balls up his fists and tries to stand just a little bit taller when the men look at him again, his posture slumping a bit in defeat when the group of robbers somehow manage to laugh even louder and harder at him.

"You gotta be kiddin' me, Bat's! A kid!? Have you really stooped so low as to have a kid out here askin' Gotham for respect?"

The criminal in front of Batman turns to look at him questioningly, hoping that the vigilante will reassure them that it's all just an elaborate joke, that maybe the Dark Knight of Gotham truly does have a sense of humor.

Instead, what he receives for his harsh words is an icy look from the Bat himself.

It scares him-no, horrifies him to be looked at like this by Batman. I mean, he and the boys have seen the other look upset...but why does Batman look so...so...furious?

"H-Heya, Bat's...I's just joki-"

Batman grips the man in front of him by his greasy shirt, pulling the criminal in until they are face to face, the front of his mask harshly digging into the other's cheek as his deep voice rumbles protectively in the now trembling robber's ear.

"Do I look like I'm in the mood for jokes, Tony?"

The criminal; Tony, swallows nervously at his government name being used. Stuttering and sputtering while shaking his head frantically, "W-W-What!? No! Course not, Bat's! I'd be stupid ta think ya have a sense of humor..." He trails off at the look the other gives him...is there a right answer for that? Tony's thoughts are interrupted at the grip on his shirt getting tighter, a panicked squeak escaping him at his airway being restrained.

"Then why are you laughing at my partner Robin?"

Tony struggles to swallow against the collar of his shirt digging into his throat, the other robbers making a shocked noise at realizing this is in fact not a joke, but that-as usual-Batman is very serious about this situation.

Crowbar man almost drops his weapon in shock, "You mean-" at Batman's venomous glare being turned onto him, he quickly shuts his mouth, hard enough his teeth clack together from the force of it . "Of course! You wouldn't lie to us, B-man!" Batman grunts in agreement and nods towards Robin, "You made my kid very sad with those comments. Tell me. Is he crying?"

Crowbar man stutters and looks at Tony for help on what to do, the man responding with a kick to the other's leg in panic.

Clearing his throat nervously, CBM takes a peak at the boy, praying to anyone that will listen that Robin won't be crying...because if he is, he and his friends are all-in the eloquent words of his beloved grandma-deep horse shit. (she worked on a farm, okay?)

He almost exhales loudly in relief at seeing the boy just looking extremely embarrassed, upset and sad, luckily not to the point of tears...okay, maybe the child looks like he'll cry, but the point is: he isn't! CBM quickly turns to look at Batman, "No! He's not crying! I admit...he looks a bit upset, but I swear he's not crying! Just...have mercy on us and please, for the love of God and all things holy, let Tony breath!"

Batman looks at Tony and quickly releases the young man's shirt when seeing that the other was turning purple.

He takes a moment to calm himself down and slowly sets Tony back down onto his feet, steadying the light-headed man with a warning grip on his shoulders.

"You three listen to me very closely-" he pauses to add to the air of murderous and angry parent before continuing-"This is Robin's first appearance. He obviously wasn't very confident when coming out here, but he did so anyway because he has a good heart to keep Gotham safe from filth like you. We are starting off with petty crimes and even pettier criminals; no weapons involved. So I don't understand why you have a crowbar-" he turns the glare back onto CBM, holding his hands out for the weapon and gripping onto it when the man hurriedly deposits the metal into his gloved hand. "And I definitely don't understand why any one of you would think picking on a child would be a good choice to make in front of me."

The three young men look at each other before each trying to plead their case, stopping immediately when Batman raises his hand to cut them off.

"Robin...Robin is more than just my partner, he's my child, my son. So, what you three are going to do is continue fighting us; however, when Robin hits one of you, you better act as if it's the worst thing you've felt in this world." Batman holds his glare with the three stooges before releasing them from his paralyzing glare, Tony immediately sending CBM to go 'fight' Robin. "Y-You heard the man! Go on and fight the kid, and for all of our sakes...please make it realistic."

CBM stutters and attempts to protest, but the look Batman is giving him shuts him up and sends him on his way over to Robin, the man pausing when the boy stiffens and settles into a fighting stance.

"B-Be still!"

Robin finds it odd that the man listens to him so easily...but he won't complain about an opening showing itself to him so easily.

His hands tremble as they reach into his belt, grabbing another Birdarang and chucking it as hard as he can at the man, gasping softly as the man shouts in pain and stumbles back from the force of the weapon. Robin pulls out a pair of handcuffs and tightens them onto the dazed criminals wrists just a tad too tightly, the boy stepping back and looking at the man, his eyes wide as he processes the fact that he just took down a thief.

"Oh. My. Gosh..." Robin whispers and looks back and forth between the bound criminal and Batman, the excitement slowly seeping into his body as he shakes with the attempts at suppressing the feelings. However, he's just one small little child and hops up and down while pointing at the now awake robber. "Batman, I did it! I did it! Did'ya see me!? He laughed at me and underestimated me and then he walked over trying to scare me-I was a little scared-BUT, then I 'membered what you taught me and threw my birdarang at him and then he fell down and then I cuffed him!" Robin pants loudly to try and catch his breath, his smile wide and proud while watching Batman walk over with the other two robbers.

"I saw you. Good job, Robin, I'm proud of you for being brave tonight-" Batman (in his still bitter feelings of Tony and his crew making fun of his child) harshly tosses the two men to the floor next to CBM, nodding his head slightly in approval of their acting-"It seems you'll have their respect in no time if you show them your skills." Robin feels his heart flutter in excitement at the gloved hand ruffling his hair, his smile quickly disappearing when remembering what the man with the crowbar tried to do to Batman.

A loud slap echoes through the surprisingly quiet street, Robin glaring harshly at the now stunned man.

"Robin!"

The boy turns to look up at Batman with a pout on his lips, his gaze unapologetic as he holds the older man's gaze. "What?! I'm not gonna say sorry!"

Batman sighs softly and kneels down to Robin's level, "You...you can't hit the criminals after you've already caught them, understand? We can't abuse our power. And it's not right to hurt someone just because of what they say about you, actions speak louder than their words ever can."

Robin's eyebrows furrow in confusion as to what Bru-Batman means, it taking a second for him to truly remember the man's earlier insults before he looks angry again and turns to kick the bound man in his stomach, sniffling innocently at Batman's scolding tone. "I didn't slap him cause what he said to me...he...he could have hurt you, B. A-And you promised to have my back...so why should I not have yours? You're my dad, so-" he cuts himself off and shrinks under Batman's intense stare. He's messed this up for himself, didn't he? Bruce didn't almost call him son in the cave...Robin probably just imagined it and became too hopeful-vulnerable from the excitement and adrenaline, that he let it slip.

Batman blinks in shock behind his mask before pulling Robin into a hug, shooting a glare over at the three blind mice for their cooing at the cute scene before them.

"No! I mean, you're fine. I think-you-I..." Batman furrows his brows and pauses, taking a moment to breath steadily and gather his thoughts together, his gaze never leaving Robin's uncertain yet hopeful one. "You are my son. I never said anything because I didn't want you to think I was trying to replace your real father...so, don't worry about what you said. I think the same thing about you."

Robin feels himself slump in relief, wrapping Batman-his dad-in a strong hug and hiding his face in the man's neck.

CBM can't stay quiet anymore and loudly aww's at the sight, sniffling at seeing how soft the Bat can be. "I wish I had a dad like you growing up, maybe if I did I would be better off now? You're a lucky kid Robin...and just so you know, you give a mean slap, but I won't hold it against you. You're kind of a cute kid-" at Batman's deadly glare, he corrects himself-"I mean, you are definitely for sure a totally adorable kid."

Tony nods his head, "Yeah. I think your fiery temper has a charm ta it-" he tilts his head in curiosity-"Ya know how to break into cars? We could use a guard dog."

The other lackey elbows Tony for the question and starts apologizing to Batman, "I'm sorry for his behavior! He doesn't know what he's saying-" he elbows Tony harshly in the side again-"You can't ask a freaking kid to commit crimes, Tony-and no, I don't care that you did it when you were younger, we should have standards."

Tony huffs and settles back down, "But why not? B-man over there is allowing him to fight crime."

Robin frowns at their conversation and lifts his head up from Batman's neck, "I threatened to run away and fight crime myself! B didn't want me out tonight, but if he didn't I would have left." CBM's eyes water even more and he sniffles, "You mean to tell me that Batman didn't want to lose you to this world, so he allowed you to fight crime?" Robin tilts his head at the man and pouts, "I think he just doesn't trust me fully yet."

Tony sighs and shakes his head, "Trust is earned anyway. Even with criminals like us, Batman was right when he said that your actions speak louder than words ever could...though words are still nice too, ya know? You gotta back up what you say with actions, and even though you looked kind of scared tonight, ya didn't hesitate to defend the Bat." The man nods in approval and bumps into his men to get their attention, "Seems like B-man found a good partner after all guys."

Robin looks at the group of criminals curiously for their behavior, they aren't exactly what he was expecting. He thought that these men tonight were God awful, irredeemable individuals...but CBM just wants a dad and Tony got into crimes young, so who knows what brought them to this point?

The sound of police sirens causes Robin to hide under Batman's cape with a surprised yelp, he doesn't think he's quite ready to meet the people Batman has worked with for years now.

But luckily enough, Batman notices that too and makes sure to leave the three criminals where they can be seen by the police and slips away into the dark alleyway and to the Batmobile, setting Robin gently down into his seat and turning towards the boy with a small, proud smile when he settles into the driver's seat. "So how does ice cream sound?"

Robin smiles brightly and whoops in excitement, his legs kicking out excitedly as he starts chanting what flavor he's going to get.

XXX

It's a few weeks later and three criminals are playing a game of poker until their game is interrupted by an officer calling out their names. "Tony Esposito Bianchi, Marcus Hamilton and James Irwood! There's some letters for you three."

The three men look up in shock before scrambling towards the officer with grabby hands for the letters, it's rare that the three get any messages from outside, is it family? Marcus opens his first, licking his lips in excitement at the thought of who it could be, his brows furrowing at seeing childish handwriting. "Dear CBM (Crowbar Man), after lots of thought towards my actions during our fight, I'd like to apologize for kicking you in the stomach. Even though you were a jerk, I may have went overboard, and I don't regret slapping you for almost hurting Batman. However, I assumed the worst of you when it turns out you don't have a daddy to teach you goodness...sorry about my temper and-" he pauses to read the multiple crossed out words before settling on the correct one-"assumptions. I hope your stomach and face gets better, Robin."

Something...odd settles in Marcus's chest, something warm, touched and endeared by this odd little boy he made fun of. Though his attention is caught when noticing a little extra something scribbled onto the paper.

"P.S. If you ever need a dad, I think Batman has room for plenty here. P.P.S. dad helped me write this and says he's sorry for saying you were filth...whatever that's about! :)" Marcus looks up at Tony and James with a smile on his lips after reading the letter, the three silently conversing before coming to an agreement.

"Robin is definitely for sure a totally adorable kid, guys. And we'll make sure Gotham filth never touches him."

(So...Robin adopted three new criminal brothers and most likely (definitely) reformed then just by being adorable, he's truly already a great hero! 😂

As it was implied with Robin writing the apology to them for Bruce, he didn't mean to say they were Gotham filth, the only reason Batman did is because he was mad they hurt his son's feelings XD. Much like Robin, he pondered his actions later and felt bad for saying that to them, because ultimately, he desires for everyone to have a chance at doing good and he just implied with his words they weren't anything (as far as he's concerned).

I was going to title this story as 'Robin's Firsts' and have it be a multi chapter story about each Robin's first night out on patrol as Robin. But...I obviously didn't make it multi chapters, however, if you guys want it that way or even just as a series...I can work on it! But as usual, be patient with my horrid schedule XD.

Also, I wrote Robin hitting Marcus (CBM) because I read everywhere that he was a feisty and angry little boy. So, I decided to add that bit somewhere by having him slap and kick the poor guy XD, and yes, Bruce will have a talk about how Robin needs to control that. I just want to focus on the cute stuff.

If anyone enjoyed this small, simple and silly little story, you are much appreciated! Kudos, bookmarks, comments, silent support and all the more is always appreciated! You all are the greatest, and if you love reading good dad Bruce Wayne as much as I do, well, I literally love you. 😂

You all remember to stay safe, happy, healthy and of course lovely as always. 💛)