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Bruce dropped his mug of hot coffee, gaping in disbelief at the screen before him. This could not be happening. He had to be wrong. Dick and Barbara were not kissing on the couch in the library. They were studying and being politely quiet about it. Whispering very close to each other’s face. That was all. That had to be all.
He nearly convinced himself he was seeing it wrong when Tim came in to get a new book, saw them, and turned right back around, wide-eyed and surprised. The two high schoolers immediately separated at the interruption, blushing profusely and trying to get back on track with their school work. Both of them started giggling a minute or so after, seemingly unable to get back to work.
Teenagers… in love? No. Had to be puppy love or one of those awkward friendships. Maybe kissing buddies. He heard of a lot of strange relationships those days. The man tried to ignore what the security feed had shown him on pure chance while he was working on schematics for the new League base they were building on the moon. The cameras had to be wrong. They weren’t romantically involved. Just friends.
“Where are you headed off to?”
Dick jerked around in surprise, not knowing when Bruce had left the cave and decided to join the rest of humanity. He’d been spending a lot of time in there lately, helping with the making of the League’s new headquarters (something about Joker and some mini-invasion made the one in Happy Harbor unsafe). He mostly came out when the kids or Alfred insisted, his day job demanded it, or when Selina was there. Yet here he was asking for the 4-1-1 on Dick’s life.
“Uh, the movies. A few friends and I thought we’d catch the latest Spiderman.”
“Who are you going with?” Bruce kept his voice casual; there was no need to alarm him.
“Just some friends. Barbara is picking me up in a few minutes, then we’re meeting the others at the theater.”
“Who else? What theater?”
Dick gave him a long ‘what are you doing?’ look before answering. “Tony Hendricks, Adriana Smith, Matt Dean, Cathy Wiser… Oh, Bette Kane and her boyfriend, Tom. Or was it Harry… But shouldn’t Babs be enough? Why the third degree? It’s just a movie.”
“Sounds like a group date.”
The teen blinked, silent for a moment at the suggestion. He kept himself at ease and gave a short chuckle. “No, just a group of friends. It may be a date for Bette, though.”
“Didn’t know you two were getting along.” The man recalled a high-class party where he and Bette were throwing names at each other. Well, mostly Bette was shouting at him, and he was laughing at her horrible excuses for insults. He always liked riling her up.
“We’re not kids anymore,” the acrobat drawled, smirking to himself. “She’s Babs’ friend, and the two of us talked it out. I mean, how can we judge each other by what we did when we were ten? We’re good now.”
“Are you sure you should be going out now?” He looked out the window casually, seeing the sun barely set over the horizon. “I could—“
Now Dick was laughing. “Seriously, Bruce, its Friday night. I’m just going out with friends, seeing a movie, maybe get something to eat on the way home, and I’m staying on the grid.” He waved his watch around, joking. “Barbara, Bette, and a few other high profiles are coming, sure, but we aren’t staying out late or broadcasting it. What happened? Was there a death threat?”
The man watched him for a moment then shook his head. “No. Just… keeping an eye out. Go have fun okay?”
“Always do.” He grinned at him one last time before dashing out the door to meet his ride at the gate. Bruce watched him through the window, confirming that Barbara Gordon was the one picking him up. Really, that wasn’t unusual. Dick went out with friends all the time. He just happened to have a girl as his best friend.
“Maaayyybeee I do need to let them meet the Teen Titans. Get more male friends…” His eyes nearly popped, though when he saw the two kiss shortly after getting into the car, like a couple would.
“Is anything the matter, Master Bruce?” Alfred snuck up behind him, curious to what he was starting at for the past few minutes.
“Nothing, Alfred. Not a thing.”
“Daddy,” Damian cocked his head at his father from the back seat of the car. The man’s attention was completely on the courtyard at Gotham Academy, where Dick was known to have lunch. “I hungwy.”
“Right.” Blindly he reached into his satchel and picked out a bag of snack apples Alfred prepared for him that day. Still not looking, he opened the bag and handed it to his son. His eyes were solely on the courtyard, looking for his eldest. “Here you go.”
“Dank you.” Bruce had to smile at that. They’d been working on Damian’s manners lately. ‘Please’ still escaped him and ‘sorry’ was just a word, but it was a start. As the toddler ate his snack to hold him off until they returned to the office for lunch, he focused again on the courtyard. Dick said he ate in a tree once…
There. Right below a large tree was Dick and his group of friends. They were all older than him. Having skipped a year before entering the school system, he didn’t really have anyone of his own age to talk to during classes. All his friends were older than him.
And there was Barbara, sitting right next to him. They were talking to some other person in the group (Bruce had to brush up on the names and faces of people in Dick’s class), laughing at some joke or another. The two of them were pretty close together, about as close as another couple at the table, the two who had their arms around each other. Almost.
The man took up a set of binoculars and focused on the two of them, joking and laughing. At one point Dick stood up a bit only for Barbara to pull him back down, laughing. Bruce was taken aback when he read her lips. “…hunk wonder?”
He groaned, putting the binoculars down. Rubbing his forehead, he accepted the information at last. Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon were dating, behind his back. A sixteen year old was dating an eighteen year old. As much as he liked Barbara, Dick was too young to date. He wasn’t responsible enough, wasn’t ready for a relationship of this magnitude. Not until he was at least halfway through college.
Oh G-d. College. Dick would be graduating next year. There was no way the kid who covered the T-rex in red paint last Halloween was ready to go off on his own by then. He had to think of something before he started taking SATs, some kind of plan to keep his boy safe. If he was going behind his back to date Barbara now, what would he be doing once he was in the dorms? Panic gripped Bruce’s chest. He had to do something, fast. Dick had no idea what he was getting into.
“Daddy?” Damian’s voice brought him back to present, forcing him to push his thoughts back for a moment. “I firsty.”
“Right… Just one second.” He looked this time to find the boy’s water bottle, mentally distracted. He had to come up with something, fast.
“Dick, we need to talk.”
The teenager looked up from his textbook (studying for finals), raising an eyebrow. Bruce didn’t look pleased, but he wasn’t super angry either. Quickly, he searched his mind for any pranks or things he’d done recently that’d warrant any disapproval, finding nothing. He was a rather well-behaved person, for a hyperactive prankster. “What about?”
“Barbara.”
‘Crap.’ Dick’s eyes widened for a moment before he managed to convince himself it wasn’t anything to worry about. He shrugged. “What about her?”
“You do know she’s eighteen, right?” Bruce slid into a nearby chair, getting on eye level with the teen.
“Yeah, I was there for her birthday. What of it?”
“And you’re sixteen.” The man took a deep breath before continuing. “Even if it’s consensual, if you sleep with her, it’s considered statutory rape.”
“Who said anything about sleeping with her?!” Instantly, he was both mad and embarrassed. His face had turned red and white within seconds of each other while his voice screeched out the objection. Seeing his reaction lessened some tension in the man’s face.
“So you two haven’t—“
“Why would we?!” Gaping at the man, he couldn’t believe the accusation! The farthest they’ve ever gone was kissing, and never for very long. Something or someone always interrupted them. And besides, he was jailbait and knew it. If he wanted to make sure they didn’t screw up their relationship, they had to be very careful.
“Because the two of you have been dating.” There was a displeased tone in the man’s voice, one the teen caught easily. His face became several shades whiter, caught in the very act he’d been hoping would remain hidden for a few years more. “And dating in this day and age implies—“
“We are not sleeping together!” Dick quickly interrupted. He kept the man’s gaze as he told him this a second time. This was the undeniable truth. Even if the rest was something that made him uncomfortable talking to him. “We barely even… How… When did you…”
Bruce let him fumble around for a moment, trying to ask the right question before relenting. “I’ve been watching the two of you lately. It’s not hard to put the pieces together once you have all the information.”
“You’ve been watching me?” He gaped at him in disbelief. The man’s casual air about it really disturbed him. “For how long?” Still no answer. Just watching him, unemotional. This really started to rile the teen up. “You’re acting like a stalker, Bruce.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you just told me at the beginning of it all.” The first words in explanation were an excuse? The acrobat just shook his head in disbelief.
“I didn’t because I knew how you’d react. You royally freaked when I went on my first date a couple years back. Remember?”
“You were too young,” Bruce insisted, his face and voice becoming stern. “You’re still too young.”
He couldn’t believe this. The teenager looked at him as if he was crazy. “I’m sixteen.”
“Too young,” the man insisted, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Especially for women Barbara’s age.”
Dick looked away slightly before responding. “Because she’s eighteen? Because she’s a legal adult and I’m not? Is that your only objection? Our ages?”
“Mostly.” The CEO came back to his feet, looking over his son shrewdly. “Barbara Gordon’s a good person, and I respect her very much, but I don’t want you two seeing each other romantically. You’re too young for any of that.”
“Bruce, I’m sixteen! Even the Mormon kids are told to date then!” He couldn’t believe this. Was Bruce really going to forbid him from being with the girl he liked? Really liked?
“You’re not Mormon. You’re too young, and that’s final.” Dick bit his lip, knowing there was no arguing with this man. He didn’t change his mind easily. More than likely, he’d be landed with a bunch of new rules because of his ultimatum.
He was right. “No kissing, petting, or holding hands. No dates, even group ones.”
“But—“ the teen tried to object weakly, only to be ignored.
“You’re to be home by seven unless it’s school-related or you’re with an adult I approve of.”
“That’s not—“
“You fail to follow these rules, and you can kiss that car you want goodbye.” That shut the kid up in a jiffy. Once the school year was out, they were going to get his driver’s license and his first car. It was a promise Bruce made to him the previous year, when he first asked him to teach him how to drive. Dick had been looking forward to getting that car all term, working hard to earn it with his grades and passing driver’s ed. “Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” His low, deflated tone only matched his heartbroken pout. Some guilt crossed Bruce’s face seeing it, but quickly vanished. He never was one to show his true feelings, unlike the boy before him.
“Look, Dick,” the man tried in an attempt to cheer him up, “it’s not as bad as it seems. You’re just not ready for romance quite yet. Give it a few years, and you’ll be glad you waited. I’m just trying to protect you.”
“I don’t always need protection, Bruce,” Dick insisted, though he didn’t look at the man before him. The teen was thoroughly miserable by the ultimatum, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
“Your dad’s a real piece of work, you know.”
Dick jerked his head over to Babs in the hallway. It was only yesterday he was basically threatened into breaking up with his girlfriend, ordered to really. He hadn’t had time to talk to her about it yet, to work something out. “Huh?”
The brilliant, lovely redhead before him gave a short huff before leaning against the locker next to him. “I don’t know how he found out, but your dad, Bruce Wayne, told my dad about our relationship. You can guess where that went.”
“He’s not my dad.” He slammed his locker shut, growling to himself angrily. Bruce was really crossing the line this time. Bringing in Bab’s dad, the commissioner… He was ready to start busting heads now. How could he do this to him?!
“Well, he sure acts like it.” Barbara pouted and glared at the ground at the same time. This really wasn’t fair. “Dad said I can’t go to prom with you like we planned. He has to meet my date, and he has to be my age, or I’m grounded until college starts.”
“We could both go stag and hook up there,” Dick suggested after a moment. There had to be a way around this.
“My dad’s one of the chaperones.”
Dick threw his head back in frustration. They were stuck. Prom was a big deal to them, and all their plans were thrown into the abyss because of one snoopy man who wouldn’t let his oldest date. Both angry at their parents, they weaved through the hallway crowds to their one class together. There had to be a way around this!
“Like I said before, Wayne’s a real piece of work.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” A fire sparked in the teen’s chest, and it wasn’t ready to be quenched any time soon.
Dick practically stormed Bruce’s office, slamming open the doors while marching in. The enraged scowl on his face was like nothing the man had ever seen before on his face. The teenager was royally mad at him. “Dick. What are you—“
“Why’d you tell her dad?!” He didn’t stop when Damian peeked over the couch to see what was going on curiously. He’d never raised his voice like that around anyone. “Isn’t it bad enough you told me off from seeing Barbara?! Did you have to bring him in on this?!”
“Dick—“
“You shouldn’t have gotten him involved, Bruce!” He threw his hands in the air, berating the man in frustration. “Now she’s in trouble with him, probably won’t go to Prom, and it’s all your fault!”
“My fault?” The man gave him a slightly offended look.
“Yeah! Your fault! She didn’t do anything wrong! And you just have to paint it—“
“Dick, she’s eighteen!” Disbelieving anger flew across Bruce’s face. How could this kid not understand? “How else can someone paint it? I just presented him with the facts!”
“He didn’t need to know!”
“Yes, he did!” Bruce slammed his fists against his desk. Why couldn’t this boy understand? He was doing this for him! “For both your sakes, I had to tell Jim. I thought he took it rather well.”
“Only because he agreed with you! He practically leapt at the chance to join your self-righteous crusade to make our lives miserable!”
“I’m not trying to—“
“Well, you’re doing a good job of it anyway!”
“Richard John Grayson!” Hearing his full name made the teen pause for a moment. Bruce’s scowl nearly matched Dick’s. “For one minute, listen to yourself! You’re being very irrational about this. Not dating, not going to prom, it’s not the end of the world. I’m just making sure you don’t make a horrible mistake. You’re just sixteen years old. I’m trying to protect you.”
“Quit protecting me so much! I can take care of myself!” Dick bit back, unconvinced and still angry. “I don’t need coddling! I need space!”
“What you need is perspective! Think for a minute! What will happen when a relationship at your age goes south? What can happen if the two of you get caught in the heat of the moment and go too far?”
“We won’t!”
“Dick, you can hardly control your hormones right now. What makes you think you can stop yourself later?” It was a valid point, one that made the man act earlier. “I had to tell Jim to make sure you two didn’t make a mistake you would regret later and would hate each other for.”
“This from a guy who really can’t keep it in his pants!”
“DICK!” Now that was taking it too far. But the boy wouldn’t let up.
“Think about it for a moment! Just how many relationships have you had? And how many of them have panned out? Are you married? Do you have a steady girlfriend? And don’t say Selina counts! You know you’re not steady! You’re hardly the person I’d go to for relationship advice!”
“Oh, and you think you’re ready for one?”
“Yeah, I am! More than you are! I keep my promises and try to work things out rather than shove her out the door with some diamond to make up for leaving her high and dry!”
“You don’t understand what you’re talking about! You’re sixteen years old!”
“Old enough to make my own decisions!”
“Not ones like these! You can’t handle what you’re asking for!”
“I don’t recall asking for anything!”
“Dick!”
“I think I know what the real problem is.” The teen pointed an accusing finger at him. “You don’t trust me! You think I’m still some irresponsible kid who can’t do anything without some adult supervision, like live my own life! You don’t trust me to do it on my own! I’m not a little kid anymore! I can take care of myself!”
“I’ll believe it when I see it!”
This shut the teen right up, glaring at him with pain-filled eyes. Unwittingly, the man had confirmed one of Dick’s worst fears. “You really don’t trust me.”
“It’s not a matter of trust, Dick. It’s just—“
“You think just because I’m a teenager, I can’t handle myself. Well, newsflash for you!” He shook as he shouted his last statements. “I’m growing up, and that means girls and dating! I’m more than capable of handling it! The only thing keeping me from anything is you! So cut it out!”
“Dick!”
The teenager didn’t bother to listen to any more coming out of the man’s mouth, too angry and upset to hear another word. Blocking out shouts from Bruce and crying from Damian, Dick ran out of the room, far from his eyes or anyone else’s. He needed to get away, far away. He didn’t want to hear another word from the man who still thought he was a kid. And probably forever would.