Fic: Clean Sweep
For bradygirl_12 's birthday request! It took a little while to get all written up, between computer problems and unfriendly writing conditions, but it's finally here! I don't know if this is anything like what you were thinking about, but I hope it pleases!
Title: Clean Sweep
Author: Singer
Characters: Bruce, Dick, Alfred, Ollie, Hal, Barry
Pairings: n/a
Rating: Pg
Disclaimer: Not my Characters... *despondent face*
Warnings: un-betaed
Summary: Bruce ponders the transitions in his young ward's life.
Bruce Wayne had always considered himself to be a self-assured man. He wined and dined with the most influential people in the world. The paparazzi didn’t get a second glance from him. He could face down any of Gotham’s worst without flinching, and he had time blocked off in his day planner for handling international crises.
When it came down to it, there were truthfully only two things in his life that could truly shake his confidence: housework and parenting. The one he avoided at all costs. The other had wormed its way into his heart when he wasn’t looking. And he wasn’t talking about Mr. Clean.
He could still remember those first few days when he brought Dick home. He had been so quite, almost nothing like the exuberant boy of today, treating the manor like a museum. For a while, Bruce had worried that he’d make a mistake. That there wasn’t room for laughter and light in his house after all the years of somber silence. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for raising a child.
It wasn’t until more than two weeks after Dick’s arrival that he realized that it was getting better.
As soon is he entered the manor he realized something was off. He could just faintly make out the sound of giggling, coming from somewhere farther inside. He had to take a moment just to appreciate the rarity of the sound, before setting aside his notes from the last meeting and following it.
With all the stealth he possessed, he had approached the laundry room, of all places. Inside, he found Dick, who had apparently come to help Alfred fold clothes, with one of Bruce’s gray sweaters. He had one of his arms stuck through one of its sleeves and the rest of it draped over his back. A brilliant smile graced his face as he tossed and flicked the cashmere fabric that extended past his hand in an impersonation of and elephant’s trunk. More giggles interrupted his attempts to trumpet.
And that had been the beginning of it. Smiles show up more often, laughter comes more freely, and more housework is done. Bruce got used to finding his ward helping in the kitchen, snitching cookies and helping with dishes, or in odd corners of the manor, dusting the places that were harder for Alfred to reach. The two had even come to an agreement; Dick could swing from the chandelier as long as he was polishing the crystal while he was up there.
And little by little, Bruce’s home became Dick’s home too.
Recently, Dick had been spending less time at home and more time at the brand new Titans' Clubhouse.
Bruce caught himself wondering how his ward was doing, handling the pressure of leading a group of young heroes. Was he adapting well? Was the team working smoothly? Would they follow Dick’s lead?
All of the worrying made him somewhat concerned about how he’d handle Dick’s college years…
He caught a part of Hal and Ollie’s conversation as he took his seat at the Justice League conference table.
“-and then Roy just started to do the dishes. With out being asked or anything! He’s never done something like that before.”
“No kidding?”
“Yup. I asked him about it and he just said they weren’t going to do themselves! I don’t know how he suckered me into helping.”
Barry zipped up next to them, the last one into the conference room again.
“You don’t say. Just yesterday Iris was on the phone with Wally and she mentioned that we were doing some spring-cleaning. Next thing I know he’s dashed on over-“
Bruce privately smiled to himself. It sounded like Dick was doing just fine.
END.