To [Not] Be A Bat

Secret's Out

"Surprise it took you this long to realize she's been sneaking out, nonetheless visiting Jason and myself." Dick casually said, placing down some tea on the table, Bruce simply eyeing it. "You know, I had my fair shares of-"

"She's not you Dick." Bruce said, picking up the cup. Cinnamon wafted its way to Bruce's senses.

"Of course she isn't. She's-"

"You grew up with a loving family-"

"So did she." Dick defended, remembering the file he composed for Marinette. It's also how he confirmed that Marinette was indeed Bruce's biological daughter.

"You have a heart."

"And she doesn't?" Dick asked, Marinette's accusations about Bruce being confirmed. He really wasn't spending anytime with her. Not even as Batman, and that said a lot.

"You were obedient. Satisfied-"

"She's trying to get close to you." Dick finally said, trying his best to keep himself composed at the things Bruce finished labeling him as. "You haven't been allowing her to get to know you."

Bruce frowned at this, watching Dick drop some sugarcubes into his cup.

"I'm just trying to-"

"Protect her?" Dick scoffed, motioning at himself. "Look where your protection got us all."

Bruce's frown turned into a scowl.

"She isn't ready to play Gotham's game, Dick. It's not Paris." Bruce attempted to reason, but knew it wasn't enough when he heard Dick sigh.

"Then show her. Let her join you-"

"No. Out of the question." Bruce got up, pacing in the small space he had.

"And you wonder why she's acting like this." Dick said into his tea, missing how Bruce sharply turned to look at Dick.

"Excuse-"

"The more you keep pushing her away-"

"I'm not." Bruce denied.

"-the more she's going to be doing things behind your back." Dick looked at Bruce, his cup making a noise as it was placed onto the coffee table. "Do you want that?"

"Of course not, I-"

"Then stop. Pushing. Her. Away." Dick ran a hand through his hair. "I agree with you; she needs more experience fighting without magic, but her reflexes have been improving since I started training her."

"You were training her?" Bruce said with narrowed eyes.

"Because you weren't." Dick growled. "If you ask me, she's a better-"

"I expected more from you." Dick let out a dry laugh.

"You always did. And I hated it." Dick's eyes turned dark, something Bruce rarely saw from his usually happy son. "You expected me to be you."

"Of course I did. You are my son." Bruce said, placing his hands on Dick's shoulders.

"Sure didn't feel that way." Dick said, pushing Bruce away from him. "If anything, you saw me as a tool, as a replacement as your days started to trickle down."

"Dick, you know that isn't-"

"I should've known better than to expect you to understand any of this." Dick muttered, turning to Bruce. "I have patrol in an hour and I want to check on my gear before I go. So please, leave."

"I'm not leaving until I know where Marinette is. She wasn't with Jason so-"

"She's not here." Dick cut off, walking over to press something under his dining table, a wall exposing a few weapons. "So look for her-"

"Jason said she was here."

"And you believed him?" Dick asked, picking up his escrima sticks. "Even Tim knows better than to trust Jason wi-" Dick promptly shuts up when Bruce picks up Marinette's sketchbook that was buried between the sofa cushions.

"She wasn't here, was she?" Bruce said, still frowning as he ran his fingers over the worn out cover, noticing a ribbon sticking out. Quickly turning to it, his eyes widened. Dick slowly approaches the frozen Bruce, his own eyes filled with shock, Dick grabbing the book and holding it close to his chest. "H-How long was-"

"You forced her to-"

"But you approved of it Richard!" Bruce said, raising his voice into a growl. "She's a child!" Bruce grabbed Richard by the collar.

"She's old enough to decide what she wants to do Bruce! And she needed someone who believed in her decision!" Dick defended. "She needed someone to be there to have her back! Someone who gave her the support she needed, something you never gave me nor Jason since the day you met us!" With that, Richard pushed Bruce once again from him, walking out of his own apartment, a duffel bag at his side.

Bruce plopped onto the sofa, letting out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes to recall the name on the sketchbook paper.

Ladybird.

Next to it, written in perfect french, a few lists of materials and routines. Routines had covered sparring sessions with Richard, weaponry with Jason and even archery with Roy. Bruce ran his hands through his hair as he saw the maroon and black design for Marinette's costume, the domino mask haunting him.

But what haunted him the most was the intricate way Marinette had planned on debuting. By teaming up with Red Hood and Nightwing, Marinette was planning on taking down the very person Bruce wanted her far away from...

Joker.

Fearing the worst, Bruce dashed out of Richard's apartment, hoping that history wouldn't repeat itself.

As he got inside his car, Bruce prayed that he would make it in time to stop Marinette.

He couldn't afford to lose his only daughter, one of his children.

He couldn't afford to lose one... hell, he wouldn't be able to bear to go through something like that ever again...

Never again...

Never...