Much Ado About Nothing (Batman : Dick, Bruce [PG] - Robin Month)
Fandom: Batman
Title: Much Ado About Nothing
Characters: Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,100
Summary: Dick's at Hudson facing his worst enemy. An English paper with a deadline.
Notes: prompt #88 - School for fanfic100 Table | Day three of the Week of Dick Grayson, which is part of Robin Month! This is not what I had planned for today, but my original plan went through. I am happy with how this turned out though and it's probably better for the series.
Dick has faced the Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze and practically every Rogue in Batman’s gallery.
But it’s college that’s going to be the death of him.
For once the excuse he used to turn down Lori had actually been real.
He does have to do his homework.
Dick stares at the blank paper in front of him waiting for five thousand words on Richard II. So far it only has two. His name.
And Dick is pretty sure that doesn’t count, or the doodles in the margins of cartoon bats terrorizing penguins and cats caught in mouse traps.
He rakes his hands through his hair, making sure to feel every bit of his scalp.
Richard the Second…. Richard II, he was… well he was the King of England. And obviously denoting some kind of importance since Shakespeare had thought to write on him. Dick sighs and flips open his notebook hoping for some saving grace, but on the days he was in class it seems all the notes he took were more doodles including a bat with a bow sitting in a tree with a robin with a cape.
Subtle.
Dick shuts the notebook and throws it onto his bed, before sinking into his chair. This has to be doable; he doesn’t have time to screw around trying to think of something. If he doesn’t get a passing grade on this paper he might fail the class. Which is beginning to be a reoccurring trend at school.
Batman and Robin had gone up against an Arkham escapee that thought he was William Shakespeare with grenades, but he mostly quoted Hamlet and Tempest, so that wasn’t going to help.
The Riddler had left clues based around Macbeth during one of his schemes. But that had only left half of Fifth Street covered in green goop and an excessive number of caldrons near their fire hydrants.
He’d gone with Carrie to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but the performance had been interrupted by Poison Ivy and he’d had to make a quick exit to the bathroom and feel like a tool of a date.
Babs played in Measure for Measure once; she was a really great Isabella. Though Dick was primarily focused on her costume-that had been interrupted by a bomb raid that hadn’t turned into anything. He had gotten to see Babs change out of her corset and into the Batgirl costume in under a minute-none of which is going to help him with this essay.
Dick taps his pencil against the desk and sighs. He would blow this paper off, but he’s already done that with the last one and his attendance’s shoddy at best.
Was Richard II the one with the hunchback? He knuckles his forehead and breathes. He’s read plenty of books, if this was a history essay it’d be cake - but he’s a little lacking in Shakespeare’s History Plays.
He can hear Bruce’s voice in his head telling him about priorities and how Batman is well versed in Shakespeare and has even gone back in time to meet the Bard and now they’re poker buddies.
Dick makes the Bruce in his head do jumping jacks for the heck of it and frowns at the paper.
Nothing.
He tries flashing it a charming grin.
Nothing.
Dick chews on his lip, glancing at the phone. Bruce probably does know and could help, but it’s not likely he’s home and by the time he got done lecturing Dick about putting this off to the last minute and school with his responsibilities as Robin, the paper would be due.
“Probably only get Alfred again, like always,” Dick grumbles and crosses his arms over his chest. The thought hits his brain like a batarang and Dick jolts up in the chair. “Alfred!”
Of course Alfred would know; Dick doesn’t know why he didn’t think about it to start with. Not only is he British, but his time spent at the theatre company could do nothing but help Dick’s paper and the lecture would probably only last ten minutes, five if Dick wheedles and sulks a little.
Dick grins and grabs for his phone, leaping up onto the desk while he does so he can sit on the edge and stretches his legs, planting his feet on the armrests of his chair. As the phone rings, he’s practically humming - until it picks up.
“Yes?” The Bruce not in his head says clearly over the line.
Dick bites his tongue before he swears and considers hanging up, before Bruce says. “Dick?”
He hadn’t even said anything!
Dick sighs. “Hey, Bruce.”
“Do you need something?” It’s too much to wish for that Bruce actually sounds hopeful; the lift in his voice is probably just annoyance.
Dick rolls the chair back and forth with his feet. “Uh… is Alfred there?”
“No.” There’s a pause and Dick wishes he could see what Bruce’s expression was, of course maybe that wouldn’t help at all. “He’s out shopping.” Another pause. “Can I help you with anything?”
Yes. “No. It’s okay, I just needed-” Dick winces and turns his “uhh” into an “a” “recipe. Yeah. I really wanted to make some cookies and I can’t remember if he uses nutmeg or ginger.” Dick holds the phone away from his ear as Bruce pauses again and the Bruce in his head gives him a look he has to gesture helplessly at.
“You really need to work on your deception skills, Dick.” It’s also too much to hope for that Bruce sounds more amused than he does suspicious.
Dick sighs. “It’s personal?”
“Oh.” A longer pause. “I’ll tell him to call you when he gets back.”
Dick tries not to wince at how easy that was and frowns. “Okay. Well-I’ll see you this weekend.”
“Yes. See you then.” Another pause, just barely long enough to notice. “Dick.”
The phone clicks dead and Dick flings it effortless back onto the hook, sinking down against his knees and groaning.
He finally gets up after a minute and slips on his shoes, at least the library is open late, and he won’t feel like a complete pariah if at least one person is working on their paper too. Maybe he can even get done in time to take Lori to breakfast.
He hears a scream and the fire alarm for one of the dorms across the way. Dick doesn’t pause as he grabs his Robin costume and slips it on and then out the window.
It’s not until the morning that he remembers his paper. He doesn’t go to class anyway.
Title: Much Ado About Nothing
Characters: Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,100
Summary: Dick's at Hudson facing his worst enemy. An English paper with a deadline.
Notes: prompt #88 - School for fanfic100 Table | Day three of the Week of Dick Grayson, which is part of Robin Month! This is not what I had planned for today, but my original plan went through. I am happy with how this turned out though and it's probably better for the series.
Dick has faced the Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze and practically every Rogue in Batman’s gallery.
But it’s college that’s going to be the death of him.
For once the excuse he used to turn down Lori had actually been real.
He does have to do his homework.
Dick stares at the blank paper in front of him waiting for five thousand words on Richard II. So far it only has two. His name.
And Dick is pretty sure that doesn’t count, or the doodles in the margins of cartoon bats terrorizing penguins and cats caught in mouse traps.
He rakes his hands through his hair, making sure to feel every bit of his scalp.
Richard the Second…. Richard II, he was… well he was the King of England. And obviously denoting some kind of importance since Shakespeare had thought to write on him. Dick sighs and flips open his notebook hoping for some saving grace, but on the days he was in class it seems all the notes he took were more doodles including a bat with a bow sitting in a tree with a robin with a cape.
Subtle.
Dick shuts the notebook and throws it onto his bed, before sinking into his chair. This has to be doable; he doesn’t have time to screw around trying to think of something. If he doesn’t get a passing grade on this paper he might fail the class. Which is beginning to be a reoccurring trend at school.
Batman and Robin had gone up against an Arkham escapee that thought he was William Shakespeare with grenades, but he mostly quoted Hamlet and Tempest, so that wasn’t going to help.
The Riddler had left clues based around Macbeth during one of his schemes. But that had only left half of Fifth Street covered in green goop and an excessive number of caldrons near their fire hydrants.
He’d gone with Carrie to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but the performance had been interrupted by Poison Ivy and he’d had to make a quick exit to the bathroom and feel like a tool of a date.
Babs played in Measure for Measure once; she was a really great Isabella. Though Dick was primarily focused on her costume-that had been interrupted by a bomb raid that hadn’t turned into anything. He had gotten to see Babs change out of her corset and into the Batgirl costume in under a minute-none of which is going to help him with this essay.
Dick taps his pencil against the desk and sighs. He would blow this paper off, but he’s already done that with the last one and his attendance’s shoddy at best.
Was Richard II the one with the hunchback? He knuckles his forehead and breathes. He’s read plenty of books, if this was a history essay it’d be cake - but he’s a little lacking in Shakespeare’s History Plays.
He can hear Bruce’s voice in his head telling him about priorities and how Batman is well versed in Shakespeare and has even gone back in time to meet the Bard and now they’re poker buddies.
Dick makes the Bruce in his head do jumping jacks for the heck of it and frowns at the paper.
Nothing.
He tries flashing it a charming grin.
Nothing.
Dick chews on his lip, glancing at the phone. Bruce probably does know and could help, but it’s not likely he’s home and by the time he got done lecturing Dick about putting this off to the last minute and school with his responsibilities as Robin, the paper would be due.
“Probably only get Alfred again, like always,” Dick grumbles and crosses his arms over his chest. The thought hits his brain like a batarang and Dick jolts up in the chair. “Alfred!”
Of course Alfred would know; Dick doesn’t know why he didn’t think about it to start with. Not only is he British, but his time spent at the theatre company could do nothing but help Dick’s paper and the lecture would probably only last ten minutes, five if Dick wheedles and sulks a little.
Dick grins and grabs for his phone, leaping up onto the desk while he does so he can sit on the edge and stretches his legs, planting his feet on the armrests of his chair. As the phone rings, he’s practically humming - until it picks up.
“Yes?” The Bruce not in his head says clearly over the line.
Dick bites his tongue before he swears and considers hanging up, before Bruce says. “Dick?”
He hadn’t even said anything!
Dick sighs. “Hey, Bruce.”
“Do you need something?” It’s too much to wish for that Bruce actually sounds hopeful; the lift in his voice is probably just annoyance.
Dick rolls the chair back and forth with his feet. “Uh… is Alfred there?”
“No.” There’s a pause and Dick wishes he could see what Bruce’s expression was, of course maybe that wouldn’t help at all. “He’s out shopping.” Another pause. “Can I help you with anything?”
Yes. “No. It’s okay, I just needed-” Dick winces and turns his “uhh” into an “a” “recipe. Yeah. I really wanted to make some cookies and I can’t remember if he uses nutmeg or ginger.” Dick holds the phone away from his ear as Bruce pauses again and the Bruce in his head gives him a look he has to gesture helplessly at.
“You really need to work on your deception skills, Dick.” It’s also too much to hope for that Bruce sounds more amused than he does suspicious.
Dick sighs. “It’s personal?”
“Oh.” A longer pause. “I’ll tell him to call you when he gets back.”
Dick tries not to wince at how easy that was and frowns. “Okay. Well-I’ll see you this weekend.”
“Yes. See you then.” Another pause, just barely long enough to notice. “Dick.”
The phone clicks dead and Dick flings it effortless back onto the hook, sinking down against his knees and groaning.
He finally gets up after a minute and slips on his shoes, at least the library is open late, and he won’t feel like a complete pariah if at least one person is working on their paper too. Maybe he can even get done in time to take Lori to breakfast.
He hears a scream and the fire alarm for one of the dorms across the way. Dick doesn’t pause as he grabs his Robin costume and slips it on and then out the window.
It’s not until the morning that he remembers his paper. He doesn’t go to class anyway.