Work Text:
Bruce wasn't stupid. He knew he was pushing his luck but work was becoming harder and harder to push off onto Tim who seemed to thrive in the bloodthirsty cooperate setting. He was running out of excuses to explain why he wasn't showing face in important meetings and his board of directors was losing patience. Although he had the funds to maintain his lifestyle even if the business went under, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for tanking his father's company even if he didn't show as much care to it in the last few years.
Unfortunately, the next meeting he agreed to go to fell right in the middle of an undercover mission in England he'd planned. It wasn't life or death. He needed to know just how far a gang reached before he threw himself in the middle of it and spending some time in England to see where it stemmed from would paint a fuller picture. Theoretically, he could go in without the information but he'd have to spend a lot longer watching from afar in the states. He didn't want to lose out on nipping this in the bud before the gang linked up and absorbed smaller groups.
A few people came to mind.
At first, he asked Tim. He emphasised that whilst the mission was low stakes, the information would help them out in the future and when he wasn't working, Tim could explore the country. His pitch failed though. Tim had a date and he'd already cancelled three prior so he was on his last warning before he spent the rest of the year on the couch.
Next was Cass. He added that Steph could go as well to sweeten the deal although he dreaded to think the chaos they would get into. They'd probably end up getting arrested abroad. Not even as Orphan and Batgirl. They could cause enough trouble as their civilian selves. Again, he was turned down. They were working on their own case which took priority.
With a hail mary, he went to Jason who laughed in his face. Upon reflection, Jason would've probably taken the flight to England and spent the entire time running up a heavy sum on room service before saying he couldn't find any evidence of the gang.
Damian offered to go. He almost agreed but he knew his son well enough. There was no way he was going to England unaccompanied.
There was one last person who was on Earth and potentially free to go. This last person was also left stranded after Bruce lost his memory and everyone thought he was dead. Bruce knew he shouldn't ask. It was one thing to fuck up but another to be blind to the consequences fucking up can have on another person. He knew he should cut his losses and hope that he can find another point in time where Gotham wouldn't implode without him there. Then again, he couldn't be sure this meeting would satisfy the board. His life might get even busier and before he knew it, the gang he didn't look twice at was suddenly becoming a big contender.
"I need a favour," Bruce began.
"He doesn't need a babysitter, you're being paranoid," Dick replied cheekily, not looking up from his phone.
Sometimes, the older admired how easily he seemed to fall back into his old ways even after everything. Other times, he feared what allowed for that to happen. Was it the quiet relinquishing of hope for things to change? Or was it clinging onto that hope with everything he had? Bruce wasn't sure if he ever truly apologised or if he'd trained Dick to not expect one anymore.
"It's for work." The acrobat sighed.
"I already asked him to take the explosive out."
"A favour for me that's related to my work," Bruce specified. Dick glanced up from his phone and upon seeing his mentor's serious expression, he maintained eye contact.
"You have my attention."
"Would you be available next week? The entire week?"
"It's a bit short notice but if you can get Blud cover then yeah, I can be. It's been pretty quiet big battle-wise. Why?"
"I need you to go to England."
A series of emotions fluttered over Dick's face before he settled on a frown. His hand tightened around his phone as if he were mere seconds away from calling for help. He shifted slightly but didn't make any decisive move to leave the conversation dead in the air. For a moment, he remained quiet in thought, continuing to stare at his mentor as though he was waiting for the gotcha.
"For?" he prompted which was much more than Bruce had expected.
"A stakeout. A gang with English roots has been making a name for themselves and I want to know if this is international or someone defecting to make an American alternative. Preferably, you'd be undercover but not making personal contact with them," he explained quickly before Dick could change his mind.
"I don't know, B," he muttered apprehensively.
"I know the last time was under... undesirable circumstances."
"Is that what we're calling it?"
"But I can promise you that it won't happen again. Everyone will know where you are and I'll be available."
"So, I can call you and you'll answer?" Dick questioned. He nodded. "And I can come home whenever I want?"
"This isn't Spyral. Nobody will be in grave danger if you need to come back."
"Not need. When I want to. Promise me I can come home whenever I want to."
"I promise you can home whenever you want," Bruce repeated. His memory of Spyral was fuzzy but he knew there were plenty of missed calls Dick had made, not knowing why his mentor wasn't picking up and painfully aware that he couldn't leave without the go-ahead without putting everyone in danger. Bruce never had the heart to listen to them. He dreaded what he'd find.
"I'll go but I want a schedule. I'll call you at the same time every day and I can text with whoever I want."
"Dick, this isn't a secret mission. Anyone can know where you are and you don't have to be radio silent."
"I want it out there that I can," the younger insisted. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "For my own peace of mind."
"I promise you, I won't repeat my mistakes."
"I'm trusting you on this Bruce. This is a leap of faith. I won't forgive you if you let me fall."
"I won't let you down." Dick cracked his knuckles nervously as he thought it over, going over the conditions in his head like he was trying to find the loophole before someone else did. He hummed when he felt he'd said his piece.
"I'll go."
They decided Dick would call every day at four EST. Their conversations varied. Dick would give him any information he found that day and if he didn't have much, he would fill out the time by sharing what he did when he wasn't watching the gang. Without hearing the confidential parts, anyone would think they were a normal father and son discussing how a vacation was going. Bruce couldn't deny he liked hearing about it and pretending this was the only time he'd sent his son abroad.
On the day of the meeting, Bruce left his phone off. It was a matter of respect to the board of directors and would hopefully buy him some time between the next meeting he'd be forced to attend. He didn't think about telling Dick about it since the meeting was set to finish at three and any anxieties he had could be soothed by the knowledge he could contact someone else to talk to or to pick him up. He left his phone in his breast pocket and turned on the charm that kept Batman far from billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne.
The meeting was excruciating. He'd rather try to get information from Joker than sit through another one. Every topic was debated to the point where he assumed nobody wanted to agree because they didn't bring up the idea first. There were countless PowerPoint slides and no matter what he contributed, he seemed to split the group. Half would give wolfish grins and half would glance at him wondering how on earth the business was still going. He tried to make notes but most of them were just scribbles made to look like cursive. He had no idea why he had to be present for a meeting that seemed to go nowhere.
When they stood up to shake hands and congratulate one another, he wasn't sure what they'd decided on and he didn't really care. He'd have Tim look over the notes the secretary had written and go from there. How his son managed to sit through all of these without tearing his hair out was a feat in itself. He gave handshakes that were a little too harsh and overlooked the mutterings about him finally stepping up but being nothing like his father. What these people thought of him was as valuable as a used plastic cup.
Leaving the room felt like leaving a gritty battle. His body was free of bruises and cuts but his mind was exhausted from the mental gymnastics. The secretary followed behind with her laptop under her arm and listed off various dates he could set the next meeting for. He told her to pick whichever one worked best and made a sharp right into his office, locking the door behind him so no slimy shareholder could try their luck with the latest shady plan to gouge the price market. Bruce rested his back against the door for good measure until he was sure he wouldn't be interrupted then went about closing the blinds to give himself some privacy. He'd have to thank Tim profusely for taking over most if not all business proceedings.
Bruce sat in his office chair with a huff and pulled out his phone to turn it back on. As he rubbed the weariness from his eyes, his gaze landed on the clock. It was five. He swore under his breath and silently urged his phone to hurry up turning on. When it did, his home screen was swamped by messages and countless missed calls.
4:02 PM
Tim: Hey, are you still in that meeting? Dick asked btw
4:10 PM
Damian: Father, I suggest you contact Grayson. Sincerely, Damian.
4:15 PM
Jason: Where tf are you? Dickface is gonna off himself if you don't answer
4:30 PM
Barbara: Could you check in with Dick? He's not answering me.
4:55 PM
Clark: Hi, just letting you know I picked Dick up from England and brought him home. He seemed really shaken up. Do you know what happened? He wouldn't tell me anything.
Panic flooded in and he quickly tried to call Dick back. He went to voicemail.
"Sorry, I was in a meeting and it ran over. I'm free now if you want to talk."
He hung up and put his phone on the desk, watching it intently. He tapped his finger against the wood and when five minutes passed with no call, he decided the last place he should be is work. He snatched it back up and sent Dick a text. He hoped he wasn't getting a reply out of spite and maybe the acrobat would at least look at his phone when the notification popped up.
I'm on my way over.
Bruce grabbed his coat and made a quick getaway, avoiding as many people as he could as he rushed through the hallway and hailed a taxi. The driver gave him a funny look when he said the address but changed his tune when he realised who was currently sitting in the backseat. He tried to make conversation but Bruce was glued to his phone making for a very awkward drive.
Bruce handed over a wad of cash to the driver and told him to keep the change even though he was quite sure he wasn't going to try in the first place. He was half tempted to start scaling the fire escape since he knew it would get him up there faster but he compromised and dashed up the stairs instead. The elevator would leave him itching to move and he didn't trust his luck enough to believe it would break down halfway up.
When he got to the door, he didn't bother with knocking. Dick had given him a key since he got the new place only for emergencies and he considered this an emergency and a half. He nearly broke the key in the lock as he shoved the door open and closed it behind him.
"Dick?" he shouted into the apartment.
"What?" a voice snapped. He turned to the side and found Dick stood in his small kitchen, a mug of tea in hand and a scowl set firmly on his features. "Is knocking illegal now or did you just forget?" he asked sharply.
"Dick, I-"
"I don't want to hear it. I asked for so little and you couldn't even do that. A call once a day at the same time every day."
"I didn't mean to miss your call. I was in a meeting."
"That you couldn't warn me about ahead of time? You could've just told me it was today so I could prepare myself but no. I called and you didn't pick up. No explanation."
"I forgot."
"You know, it's getting a bit too easy for you to forget about me and honestly at this point, it's my fault. Really it is. You keep breaking your promises no matter how small and still, I keep trusting you to keep your next one," he replied. It would almost be preferred if he shouted. If he screamed and cried because he was exhausted by all Bruce put him through. Instead, he spoke casually with no more emotion than he would hold for a low-level case. "Am I that hard for you to remember?"
"Of course not."
"At least it was England this time," the acrobat muttered. "Next time you try to get rid of me, you should do what they do with kittens. Tie me in a bag and throw me in the river. Might work out better for you. If I don't drown, I'll at least catch something."
"I don't want to get rid of you."
"You sure don't act like it."
"I never meant to leave you the first time." Dick slammed his mug on the counter, creating a sizeable crack and almost spilling the contents onto both his hand and the floor. He couldn't seem to care less though. People often forgot just how expressive he could be when he was angry. The emotion lashed out without need for words but he was certainly going to give them a voice.
"Well, you did! I called you over and over. I begged to come home and you weren't there. You left me in a foreign country knowing nobody would look for me! At least this time you gave me the luxury of having people to call."
"I didn't intend to miss your phone call! The meeting was set to finish at three but it ran over. My phone was turned off as a show of respect. You could've stayed in England, I'm sure Tim told you about the meeting in the first place when you asked," Bruce told him. He knew he wasn't in any position to defend himself but it was his nature to do so. He couldn't take a hit and sit with the pain of it without trying to land his own blow.
"I couldn't stay because I was scared," Dick replied, his voice cracking slightly. "I thought- I thought I was back in that hotel calling and calling with no answer. No news. Asking the answer phone if I could go home." He shook his head. "I misspelt every text because my hands were shaking. I called Clark because I didn't know if you'd told our family to leave me there and before you try to say that you wouldn't, that our agreement didn't allow for it, you've done it."
"Dick-"
"You broke your promise and I spiralled. Yeah, that might've been an overreaction but can you really blame me?"
"I'm not blaming you. This was a miscommunication."
"It was a breach of trust," he corrected swiftly.
"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention."
"I don't give a shit if it was."
"What do you want me to do? I can't go back in time. All I can do is apologise and do better next time."
"But you never do better. You make the same mistake. I'm tired of letting you." He took a deep breath. Whatever anger he had now mellowed into disappointment and resentment. "Get out of my home. I need space."
"Alright," Bruce agreed.
"I want my key too," he said as he held out his hand expectantly. "I don't trust you with it." The billionaire paused before taking out his ring of keys and taking it off. He handed it over and then held it pressed into his palm.
"I'm sorry."
"And I don't forgive you. Get out."