Archive of Our Own ^beta

 

Adjusting his sunglasses, Bruce sighed. With the throbbing headache threatening to burst out of his skull and with every bruise marring his body screaming each time he moved wrong, the young billionaire was now regretting taking this sudden leap in career choice. Sure punching criminals at night hadn't yielded the exact result he needed; Bruce shuddered thinking of the Riddle and how that path to vengeance had turned out, but Wayne Enterprise? Being a CEO? Was this really something he wanted to do? Something he could do?

 

"Mr. Wayne, are you alright?"

 

Biting back a wince and adjusting his sunglasses again, Bruce let out a soft grunt of acknowledgement. "Of course, Ms. Pierce. Lead the way."

 

The chirpy secretary gave him a bright smile and waved her hand at the double door across the hall. "Your tour is coming to an end Mr. Wayne because we are finally here!"

 

"Where?"

 

Ms. Pierce smile grew two inch wider and Bruce would be disturbed by that nature defying action if he wasn't already dead on his feet and too exhausted to pay this creepy woman any more attention than the simple action of nodding along. "Your office of course," she said, voice sing-songy and excited. Bruce bit back the nausea that came with trying not to grab at his head.

 

God why hadn't he double dosed on those painkillers?

 

And… turning around to stare at the giant mahogany doors, Bruce heart twinged at not even recognizing his father's office at first sight. How long had it been for him to feel so alienated in a space he used to run around in as a child?

 

"Thank you Ms. Piece," he said, stepping past the young secretary and making his way down the hall. "I appreciate the tour but I believe it is time that I get to work."

 

"You are welcome Mr. Wayne," the brunette chirped behind him but much to Bruce's charging her click clacking footsteps did not seem to fadeaway but instead appeared to come closer as the woman apparently had decided to follow him all the way to his office. 'Great,' he thought. 'Fantastic. There goes any chance at getting a small nap in.'

 

Before he could reach for the door, Ms. Piece was there like a summoned demon, catching him by surprise and throwing upon the door in a flurry of motions befitting someone putting on a show. "Welcome to Wayne Enterprise, Mr. Wayne," she exclaimed, smiling at him even wider.

 

Bruce gave himself a silent pat on the back for not flinching or throwing up at the unexpected motion. God, maybe deciding to come back today of all days; being paraded around for nearly an hour and half. Meeting every person worth any notice and being drilled with every piece of intel he'd missed out on for the past 20 years was not such a good idea. Especially after going toe to toe with the criminal underworld of Gotham when he'd accidentally stumbled upon a weapons deal during his patrol. Yeah, maybe this was not such a good idea.

 

"Mr. Wayne," an unfamiliar voice, distinctly unchirpy, broke through Bruce's hazy mind. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir."

 

Bruce blinked.

 

There, right in front of him stood a kid. Probably no older than fifteen, staring up at him with an unreadable expression. Hair dark, long and pulled up in an elegant ponytail. Body dressed in an ill-fitted suit and left hand clutching a folder while the right held onto an elegant wooden cane.

 

Bruce blinked again. "Excuse me?" What was a kid doing here, in is father's office?

 

"Um, didn't Ms. Pierce---" the kid seemed equally confused now, eyes flittering between him and the oblivious Ms. Pierce who appeared to be content running around the office cleaning up nonexistent dirt on his father's desk. "I…" the kid trailed off.

 

"Ms. Pierce," Bruce sighed. "Who is this?"

 

His secretary only offered him a brief look over her shoulder before going back to rearranging the bookshelves. "Your assistant of course," she said. "Timothy Draper. Brilliant young man he is. You will love him."

 

Said young man or more accurately young boy grinned up at him; eyes alight with emotions too deep and too confusing for Bruce to decipher. "Nice to meet you Mr. Wayne."

 

No, just no. He was not doing this.

 

Bruce should have never let Alfred encourage him into coming back so soon. He should have just stuck to punching criminals in dark, dirty Gotham back-alleys.

 

"Mr. Wayne?"

 

Taking off his sunglasses, folding them up carefully and then sticking them equally as carefully into the front pocket of his coat. Bruce finally reached out to grab the extended hand the kid had offered after he scrambled to stuff the folder he'd been holding under his elbow. The kid had been on the way to awkwardly drop it but Bruce reaching for it now made the kid freeze and they were momentarily caught in a moment where the kid was retreating while Bruce was coming forward and well….yeah.

 

"Pleasure is all mine, Mr. Draper," Bruce said softly, brutely beating the awkwardness back by firmly grabbing for the lifeless hand and shaking it twice before releasing it; mind briefly stuttering on the details of those callus palms and scar ridden knuckles. 'Kid must come from the streets,' he thought with hint of regret. 'Maybe if I'd checked upon the Renewal Mr. Draper wouldn't have---

 

But those were dangerous thoughts and Bruce was loathe to let himself spiral like that again. Last time had been ugly and coming back to sobbing into Alfred's arms as the old butler cradled him against his chest was not something he wished to repeat. He could only fix his mistakes by moving forward. No reason to dwell on the past.

 

"Tell me Mr. Draper," he asked, staring the kid in the eyes; taking in the pale skin, the two bright blue eyes and the hunched over figure and overly friendly smile. "Why are you here? I don't know much about business but I'm quite sure children are not hired as assistant to the CEO?"

 

That unreadable thing flashed through the kid's eyes again; too quick for Bruce to grab a hold off, cut up and examine, before his expression warmed and his lips quirked up once more. "I'm excellent at what I do Mr. Wayne," he said. "And I've already graduated from collage and I have worked for Wayne Enterprise for the past 8 months so while I may not look it, believe me, I am quite qualified for my position."

 

Resisting the skepticism that threatened to crease his brows, Bruce stared the kid down, silently impressed when the boy didn't budge. "How old are you Mr. Draper?"

 

"Nineteen," the kid answered.

 

Oh…. so not a child child then. Hell, Bruce only had eight years on this kid. He looked fifteen! Who'd starved him?!

 

"Nineteen?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"Huh?

 

Had he actually asked that out loud? Bruce could have slapped himself. What a stupid question. And by the look of Ms. Pierce's stiff back and the baffled expression on the kid's face they thought so as well.

 

Coughing awkwardly, Bruce made his way into the office, avoiding the kid's gaze and making his way over to his father's old desk to gently guide Ms. Pierce out of the office; desperately needing something to do after that ridiculous question. "Well then," he said. "I guess I best get back to work. Thank you for your hard work today Ms. Pierce. I got things from here." With that he pushed her out of the room, closed the door behind him and sighed loudly.

 

"Rough day?"

 

Opening his eyes where he'd briefly closed them, Bruce met Mr. Draper's strangely understanding gaze. "Yeah," he said. "You could say that."

 

"I'm sorry to say it won't get any better Mr. Wayne."

 

"Can't say I'm surprised," he muttered.

 

Draper grinned, eyes crinkling at the corners and Bruce found himself almost returning it. Almost.

 

It would be a long day indeed but his new assistant didn't seem half bad and now that he'd gotten rid of Ms. Pierce, maybe he could finally give his brain some rest from all that chipper and start focusing on fixing his father's mistakes and restoring his family name.

 

Yeah, this was the start of something new. A renewal of a renewal even.

 

Gotham would see a new chapter of the Wayne name and Bruce was going to make it count for something this time.