Dick Grayson Trash

The Man I Saw On The Stairs (Part One)

-This is what I originally had planned for the part "I Can Do It", but it seemed like too big a story at the time. Now, I'm doing it-

-Part 45!!-

-2023 EDIT: I have rewritten this as its own fic! Check my profile for "the Man in my Doorway"

Dick bounced from foot to foot, bored. He was at a Wayne tech building with Bruce. He began wandering around the room, humming a little. It was a cool late-September day, and out the eleventh story window, he watched raindrops fall. It was Thursday, and Bruce had picked him up after school because Alfred was running errands. unfortunately, now Dick had to sit around the office with Bruce until four forty-five! That's, like,  twenty years to a nine year old.

He stepped into the hallway, walking to the bathroom just to pass time. From the corner of his eye something caught his attention. He turned, just in time to see the side of a shadowy figure slipping through a door at the end of the hall. Dick's brow furrowed. what was that?

Dick trailed down the hall, reaching out and grabbing the door handle. It wasn't locked. He yanked it open and looked into the darkness, it was a stairway. He propped the door open and ran to Bruce's office doorway.

"Bruce, I saw someone go into some stairs."

"Uh huh?" Bruce sounded uninterested, he didn't look up from the computer screen.

"I don't think he works here."

"Oh, really?" He still didn't look up. "Can we talk about this later, Dickie? Things are a little busy right now."

"But-"

"Twenty minutes, Dick."

The boy backed away, leaning to look through the door. He tip-toed towards the door and slipped through into the stairway. The motion lights were already on. Dick had to remind himself; he's Robin, he can handle this.

It smelt musky, like an underground parking garage. Dick leaned over the banister, looking down: eleven stories, at least eleven doors. He looked up:  Another thirteen stories, another thirteen-odd doors.

He didn't know where the figure went. He might as well go down. Dick crept down the stairs, clutching the banister.

It took him... he didn't know how long, to reach the bottom floor. No one. He started back up the stairs, his legs exhausted. He hadn't seen or heard anyone, so maybe he could take the elevator. 

At the third floor, he grabbed the door handle and tugged. Nothing.  He pulled him up two more flights of stairs, neither of the doors opened. He kept walking, his legs were going to hurt later.

Above him, one of the doors actually opened. He heard a desperate voice. "DICK? DICKIE, ARE YOU IN HERE?"

"BRUCE?" he shouted back up the stairs.

"Dick? Why are you down there?"

Dick ran, skipping stairs, and swinging himself up by the banister. "What time is it?" He finally reached the floor.

"Five twenty." Bruce answered, grabbing him. "Why were you in here? I've been looking everywhere! You're lucky someone noticed this door was open."

"Why don't the other's open?" Dick asked. "My legs are tired!"

"These are all locked, I don't know why this one wasn't." Bruce lead him out. "What were you doing in there?"

Dick remembered why he'd gone in. "The guy! I saw a guy go in there! He wasn't wearing any uniform, he was wearing all black! I went in to see if he broke in."

Bruce sighed. "It's probably a worker. but if it was an intruder, you shouldn't have run in after him, okay? You could've been hurt."

"But the person doesn't work here! I could tell!" Dick argued.

Bruce smiled a little. "Maybe you saw one of the warehouse workers. Come on, let's go home, we're late.

Bruce held onto his shoulder all the way to the car, scared that he might lose the kid again.

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Bruce told Alfred about Dick's little escapade over dinner. The boy got sheepish when he got to the bit about Dick running off. It was a school night, and Dick had to stay home from patrol. it wasn't fair! Barbra could go out! At least Bruce promised to come home early. 

After showing Alfred that he'd finished his homework, Dick spent the evening playing videogames, until bedtime. Overall, it was a peaceful evening. Until about one am.

Dick woke up with a dry mouth. He needed water. He rolled out of bed, his eyes raising to the doorway. He froze. a person, a figure in the doorway. First he assumed it was Alfred, or Bruce, back from patrol, Dick never slept with his door closed. He watched the shadow in the doorway, not Bruce, certainly not Alfred. 

The shadow darted away, towards the stairs. Dick stood up. There was something familiar about that run, abut the way it darted around the corner. It was the guy. From Wayne Tech, he knew it was.

Dick stumbled forwards. "Hey!" He rounded onto the stairs, just as the shadow turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs. "Wait!" Dick ran down the stairs, his legs were still asleep, and a little shaky. He turned after the shadow, sprinting towards the kitchen. His adrenaline was kicking in, panic driving him. If he'd seen right, the guy would be trapped in the kitchen. "Stop!" He rounded into the kitchen, empty.

"Dick? Dickie? Where- Dick!" Bruce was sweating, and had clearly just gotten back from patrol. "Dickie, what's wrong?" His foster father grabbed him around the middle in a cautious hug. 

"There's someone in here!" Dick shouted. 

"What?" Bruce's voice spiked with worry.

"I woke up, and there was someone in my door, and I chased him down here!" Dick panted. "It was the guy from the stairs, and Wayne Tech!"

Bruce sighed a little. "It was just a bad dream, Dickie."

"N-NO! It wasn't! I saw him!"

Bruce ruffled his hair gently. "Did you see the man's face when you were on the stairs?"

"No... but I saw it this time-"

"Are you sure it was him?"

"I know it's him!" Dick argued."I Know it! I saw him move, and I knew it was him!"

Bruce rubbed his eye tiredly. "Okay, Dick, calm down..."

The lights flicked on above them. it was Alfred. "Whatever is going on here? Master Dick, what are you doing out of bed?" 

"Dick had a bad dream."

"No! No I didn't! I saw him!" Dick shouted, feeling the blood return to his face. He didn't know why Bruce wasn't taking him seriously. 

"Okay, Dickie, shh." Bruce hushed him a little. "Do you want me to look around down here?" His ward nodded a little. "Okay, uh- Alfred, will you take Dick back to bed?"

"Of course, Master Bruce." Alfred called to the boy, gently pulling him towards the door.

"I'll see you in the morning, Dickie."

Dick nodded a little. "Okay... see you tomorrow." Dick muttered. At least Bruce wa looking around. He hoped He'd never see that man ever again.

Sadly, he was wrong.