I imagine he sticks to the cave. I haven't seen him. It's fine though.
Sure. It's quiet, but I'm starting to get used to it. I miss you in the kitchen and around the sitting room at times. Knowing you were around was nice, but I know the tower is home for you.
( he leaves the last message unanswered and, instead, grabs his sunglasses and baseball cap to pull down over his head.
the batmobile is faster for travel and while he doesn't bother to don the cape and cowl, he does grab a scarf off a chair on his way down to wayne terminus and wrap it around his neck to the point where it rests on the bridge of his nose. after all, can't have people confusing batman and bruce wayne... even if it doesn't really matter much here. some habits are hard to break.
true to his word, he shows up in a bit. fifteen minutes, give or take. the growling engine of the younger batmobile announcing his arrival as he pulls up to the side of the manor, tucking it away from plain sight best he can. the manor is out here all by itself, but. again. old habits. playing it safe.
it takes him a minute or so to make his way for the entrance, bags in hand. but he comes bearing food and... things. at least what one can pick up from kwik trip around here. )
[While the fridge wasn't empty, Dick didn't really bother to stock it either. He was the only one here that he knew about. It surprised him to know that Damian had been moving between here and the tower. He figured the young Robin preferred Bruce's company, not that he really knows much about Damian or Bruce when it comes down to it. It would make sense though, since Dick figures Damian probably spends his time taking care of his animals and avoiding him-- given that Dick still thinks Damian considers him his mortal enemy.
Hearing the Batmobile makes Dick smile. Some things in life never change. Plodding out from his bedroom, Dick opens the door wearing a tshirt and jeans. He's not really worried about anyone seeing him, because the only visitor he's had out here has been Clark, and there's hardly a worry about him seeing either of them in everyday clothing.
Dick takes a couple of the bags with a smile, happy to see someone at the manor for once, but Bruce in particular, even if they didn't always see eye to eye.]
Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it, really. I'm so bad at buying food for myself.
( it's more that damian had been keeping an eye on his depressed father. not wanting to leave him alone.
he lets dick take a few of the bags. eyes him through the dark sunglasses. coupled with the scarf he wears around his mouth, any sort of expression he might wear is hidden as he makes his way inside the manor, but. it's not as if bruce is a rather lively one with animated expressions worn often.
stepping in, he pauses. stands there in the foyer and just... takes a moment to look around the place. it's been a few weeks since he's been here and while he has left wayne tower here and there over those few weeks, it's never very far and never for very long. but it still feels the same. expansive. familiar. empty. that thought alone has something tug at him from the inside when he relates it to dick here, but. he pushes it down for the moment and makes his way for the kitchen.
the bags are filled with... well... things. bruce is by no means reliable or the best to pick things up to fill a pantry or fridge with, but. attempts were made. canned items outnumbering any fresh ones, given there's really only kwik trip to rely on currently for stocking grocery items. still, there's a few baked goods here and there in boxes and plastic packaging. bottled drinks as well.
it's only when he has the bags properly set out on the counter that he pulls the scarf down around his neck. )
[Already getting mostly used to the way Bruce carefully guards his emotions, Dick doesn't allow the shades or scarf to bother him. The groceries and kind gesture bring him back to the first day they were there and the kindness offered then. They hadn't known a single thing about one another that day, and Bruce had offered him a small fraction of his only clothing.
It's not something Dick will ever forget. It's a sign of heart, and that's something that Dick cherishes in a person no matter how much they challenge one another about making friends here. Dick has decided to fully open himself to others, and is doing better -- making friends. He feels good about it, and it shows as he goes about the business of pulling apart the bags.
He hums lightly, and laughs at a few of the things. ]
Hey, this is great. You should see the amount of cereal I've eaten. It's pretty pathetic. I think kwick trip is getting tired of me asking them to restock it.
[maybe not, but he's certainly pushing the fake cereal business. A balanced diet is nothing that Dick has right now, no matter how much healthy food he used to push back when he lived with the Titans. ]
Oh hey, you want me to make you something. I didn't even ask, a drink, food, anything?
( he tends to just grab whatever at kwik trip. canned goods, boxed bakery items, packaged snacks, bottled drinks... even if this place did have an actual grocery store or supermarket fully stocked with everything anyone could need, it's still not as if he'd have any real idea on what would be considered to pick up there. not when it comes to preparing meals anyways.
at the offer, he looks over to him. sunglasses still on for the moment. )
I'm fine.
( the words are soft. like his movements. setting things out for dick to look at and do what he likes with. )
Not sure how long this will all last, but. Kwik Trip stocks daily at least.
[No one actually said Dick could cook all that great, even when he did attempt to do his best. Mostly the teens stuck their noses up in the air at the things he created. They did drink his protein shakes for some reason.
He didn't make those here. He probably should, but it took effort and he still hadn't gotten around to doing that yet. It was probably for the same reason he couldn't bring himself to work out in any of the training rooms around by himself yet. It wasn't home, and he was still allowed to miss it.
Dick pulled out a beer for himself and cracked it open. He set a bottle of water out in case Bruce changed his mind. ]
Do they? I don't usually get there that often. I've been trying to get out more lately. I checked out that new city, the one with the snakes, kittens and the dragon. Have you seen the dragon yet. It's unreal.
( with the groceries laid out, bruce removes his cap and sets it down on the counter. quiet. pensive. before he finally decides to take the sunglasses off, too. he watches the way dick moves about β how he sets the bottled water down for him while grabbing a beer for himself. his thoughts drift a little, yet still manages to hear what it is he says. )
No.
( swallowing, he gives a brief shake of his head. looks down as he takes the bottled water in hand. )
[Nothing in the kitchen has been changed from how it had been originally set up, so Dick stores things in the same places that Bruce would have placed them had he gone shopping for the manor.
He notes the quietness, but doesn't bother to intrude on it anymore than he has with the causal conversation. If there's something further bothering the other, Dick knows it'll come up eventually if it's meant to. He might be learning slowly. Prying is a very meticulous skill, and Dick has found it not very useful in their handful of conversations.
Popping up to sit on the countertop, he leans back on one hand and considers Bruce for a second.]
Went out on some reconnaissance with Barbara. That woman can move, but mostly observed from a rooftop earlier by myself and with some kid. It's fucking amazing. I never thought I'd see anything like it outside of a storybook. I mean, a real live dragon. I only hope that he or she doesn't get riled up and try to cook us for dinner.
( there's a bit of a look he gives when dick goes and mentions barbara. one that reads a little disgruntled almost, but. it's fleeting. bruce twisting the cap off the bottled water and allowing himself to take a slow drink from it.
licking over his lips, his gaze drifts around the kitchen. )
Are you really ok here? ( a beat. ) Being here by yourself, I mean.
[The question surprises him a little, and Dick lets out a long breath. Maybe back when his plush was destroyed he would have said he wasn't. He was within inches of throwing in the towel. After helping Bruce with the Batmobile, and feeling so completely leftout of even knowing that he'd left, Dick had been rather crestfallen.
After what came on the other side of it, Dick's taken a new approach and has been trying to tell himself that his circumstances are what he makes of them. They always have been, and it's always been his burden to take care of himself and others, not the other way around. It's time he got back to that.
Taking another small sip from the beer, Dick glances around at the near stark silence of the large empty space and lifts a shoulder.]
Someone's got to be here, and if that someone is me, that's alright. I don't mind so much anymore. Honestly, I'm better with people, but I'm learning to get along by myself. It's good for me.
( bruce's gaze drops as he chews on dick's words there. staring to the bottle of water he still holds there in his hand. after a moment, he sighs. pinches the bridge of his nose. )
I uh... I'm sorry. ( a beat. ) For not being here.
[He takes a spot, and thinks for another second. Looking at the way Bruce pinches his nose, he reaches over and touches him softly for a second and then drops his hand.]
I mean, I wish you'd told me you were leaving, but after the dolls and shit, I got over it and am really doing better. I give you my word.
( at the mention of the dolls, he thinks back to his own. sees the twisted face of his mother there behind his eyes. reaching for him. strangling him. damian trying to get her off him. it has him suck in a breath sharply before he lets it go, shaky, and eyes fall shut. again, he swallows. )
I didn'tβ I wasn't supposed to. I didn't mean to have it seem that way. That I... left.
( genuinely. he didn't. things have just been... difficult for him. )
[That look. Dick worked with enough people, destroying dolls, watching faces grow twisted and sullen that he knew the look. It made him swallow. The last thing Dick wanted was for Bruce to feel any loss again. He'd only had his for a short time, and it was bad enough.
Jumping off the counter, Dick moves to Bruce's side and stands there, letting it be known that he's not leaving. He's not the type to run when things are shitty, and he doesn't hold a grudge. No matter how shitty his attitude was earlier on in their stay here.]
It's alright. There's no hard feelings, okay. I know where you are, and you're here... now. I can find you still. That's what's the most important to me.
( it's easy enough to hear dick's movements β to know that he's there beside him without having to look up. because he can't. look up. look at him. not at the moment, anyway. all he can do is stare to the bottle of water he holds there in front of him, fingers wrapped in gauze that he should change at some point.
his expression goes hard. another brief shake of his head and he's dragging teeth there over his bottom lip. )
No. It's not alright. I haven't let you be around despite telling you you can stay here. I haven't... been here. In general. Just barely.
[First Bruce tells them in no uncertain terms that they can't be friends, and now he's bothered that he wasn't here. It's one of those contradictions that Dick knows only makes sense for Bruce, but Dick hates that the other male has to go through. The ups and downs of his emotional turmoil -- Dick has fought through so much of that being here already.
How much did he unload earlier. He let himself fall into tears, and then became overly emotional. He still worries about that. Now he's here with Bruce, and can feel the concern trying to etch its way into his features. He's not gotten much better at hiding it lately. ]
I know I'm not alone, Bruce. You're not either. Here or there, neither of us are, like it or not. I get that, even if we take time to come back together at times. Neither of us push really well if you know what I'm saying.
( he's been trying to make sense of the things he's been dealing with here. of things that have the potential to come to be at some point for him. it hasn't been easy for him and some part of him knows he's let himself sink into it all, but. there's still a small flicker of hope. there always is. even if sometimes he can barely see it.
dick goes and says what he does and bruce just rubs a hand over his face. it's not fair dick often gets dealt this hand with him. he needs to turn it around. )
You shoulder a lot more than you let on. ( a beat. ) Because you feel like you have to, don't you?
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Sure. It's quiet, but I'm starting to get used to it. I miss you in the kitchen and around the sitting room at times. Knowing you were around was nice, but I know the tower is home for you.
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Is there food there?
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the batmobile is faster for travel and while he doesn't bother to don the cape and cowl, he does grab a scarf off a chair on his way down to wayne terminus and wrap it around his neck to the point where it rests on the bridge of his nose. after all, can't have people confusing batman and bruce wayne... even if it doesn't really matter much here. some habits are hard to break.
true to his word, he shows up in a bit. fifteen minutes, give or take. the growling engine of the younger batmobile announcing his arrival as he pulls up to the side of the manor, tucking it away from plain sight best he can. the manor is out here all by itself, but. again. old habits. playing it safe.
it takes him a minute or so to make his way for the entrance, bags in hand. but he comes bearing food and... things. at least what one can pick up from kwik trip around here. )
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Hearing the Batmobile makes Dick smile. Some things in life never change. Plodding out from his bedroom, Dick opens the door wearing a tshirt and jeans. He's not really worried about anyone seeing him, because the only visitor he's had out here has been Clark, and there's hardly a worry about him seeing either of them in everyday clothing.
Dick takes a couple of the bags with a smile, happy to see someone at the manor for once, but Bruce in particular, even if they didn't always see eye to eye.]
Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it, really. I'm so bad at buying food for myself.
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he lets dick take a few of the bags. eyes him through the dark sunglasses. coupled with the scarf he wears around his mouth, any sort of expression he might wear is hidden as he makes his way inside the manor, but. it's not as if bruce is a rather lively one with animated expressions worn often.
stepping in, he pauses. stands there in the foyer and just... takes a moment to look around the place. it's been a few weeks since he's been here and while he has left wayne tower here and there over those few weeks, it's never very far and never for very long. but it still feels the same. expansive. familiar. empty. that thought alone has something tug at him from the inside when he relates it to dick here, but. he pushes it down for the moment and makes his way for the kitchen.
the bags are filled with... well... things. bruce is by no means reliable or the best to pick things up to fill a pantry or fridge with, but. attempts were made. canned items outnumbering any fresh ones, given there's really only kwik trip to rely on currently for stocking grocery items. still, there's a few baked goods here and there in boxes and plastic packaging. bottled drinks as well.
it's only when he has the bags properly set out on the counter that he pulls the scarf down around his neck. )
I wasn't sure what to get so...
( there's a little of everything, really. )
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It's not something Dick will ever forget. It's a sign of heart, and that's something that Dick cherishes in a person no matter how much they challenge one another about making friends here. Dick has decided to fully open himself to others, and is doing better -- making friends. He feels good about it, and it shows as he goes about the business of pulling apart the bags.
He hums lightly, and laughs at a few of the things. ]
Hey, this is great. You should see the amount of cereal I've eaten. It's pretty pathetic. I think kwick trip is getting tired of me asking them to restock it.
[maybe not, but he's certainly pushing the fake cereal business. A balanced diet is nothing that Dick has right now, no matter how much healthy food he used to push back when he lived with the Titans. ]
Oh hey, you want me to make you something. I didn't even ask, a drink, food, anything?
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at the offer, he looks over to him. sunglasses still on for the moment. )
I'm fine.
( the words are soft. like his movements. setting things out for dick to look at and do what he likes with. )
Not sure how long this will all last, but. Kwik Trip stocks daily at least.
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He didn't make those here. He probably should, but it took effort and he still hadn't gotten around to doing that yet. It was probably for the same reason he couldn't bring himself to work out in any of the training rooms around by himself yet. It wasn't home, and he was still allowed to miss it.
Dick pulled out a beer for himself and cracked it open. He set a bottle of water out in case Bruce changed his mind. ]
Do they? I don't usually get there that often. I've been trying to get out more lately. I checked out that new city, the one with the snakes, kittens and the dragon. Have you seen the dragon yet. It's unreal.
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No.
( swallowing, he gives a brief shake of his head. looks down as he takes the bottled water in hand. )
I uh... haven't gotten out there. Not yet.
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He notes the quietness, but doesn't bother to intrude on it anymore than he has with the causal conversation. If there's something further bothering the other, Dick knows it'll come up eventually if it's meant to. He might be learning slowly. Prying is a very meticulous skill, and Dick has found it not very useful in their handful of conversations.
Popping up to sit on the countertop, he leans back on one hand and considers Bruce for a second.]
Went out on some reconnaissance with Barbara. That woman can move, but mostly observed from a rooftop earlier by myself and with some kid. It's fucking amazing. I never thought I'd see anything like it outside of a storybook. I mean, a real live dragon. I only hope that he or she doesn't get riled up and try to cook us for dinner.
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licking over his lips, his gaze drifts around the kitchen. )
Are you really ok here? ( a beat. ) Being here by yourself, I mean.
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After what came on the other side of it, Dick's taken a new approach and has been trying to tell himself that his circumstances are what he makes of them. They always have been, and it's always been his burden to take care of himself and others, not the other way around. It's time he got back to that.
Taking another small sip from the beer, Dick glances around at the near stark silence of the large empty space and lifts a shoulder.]
Someone's got to be here, and if that someone is me, that's alright. I don't mind so much anymore. Honestly, I'm better with people, but I'm learning to get along by myself. It's good for me.
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I uh... I'm sorry. ( a beat. ) For not being here.
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[He takes a spot, and thinks for another second. Looking at the way Bruce pinches his nose, he reaches over and touches him softly for a second and then drops his hand.]
I mean, I wish you'd told me you were leaving, but after the dolls and shit, I got over it and am really doing better. I give you my word.
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I didn'tβ I wasn't supposed to. I didn't mean to have it seem that way. That I... left.
( genuinely. he didn't. things have just been... difficult for him. )
I'm sorry.
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[That look. Dick worked with enough people, destroying dolls, watching faces grow twisted and sullen that he knew the look. It made him swallow. The last thing Dick wanted was for Bruce to feel any loss again. He'd only had his for a short time, and it was bad enough.
Jumping off the counter, Dick moves to Bruce's side and stands there, letting it be known that he's not leaving. He's not the type to run when things are shitty, and he doesn't hold a grudge. No matter how shitty his attitude was earlier on in their stay here.]
It's alright. There's no hard feelings, okay. I know where you are, and you're here... now. I can find you still. That's what's the most important to me.
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his expression goes hard. another brief shake of his head and he's dragging teeth there over his bottom lip. )
No. It's not alright. I haven't let you be around despite telling you you can stay here. I haven't... been here. In general. Just barely.
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How much did he unload earlier. He let himself fall into tears, and then became overly emotional. He still worries about that. Now he's here with Bruce, and can feel the concern trying to etch its way into his features. He's not gotten much better at hiding it lately. ]
I know I'm not alone, Bruce. You're not either. Here or there, neither of us are, like it or not. I get that, even if we take time to come back together at times. Neither of us push really well if you know what I'm saying.
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dick goes and says what he does and bruce just rubs a hand over his face. it's not fair dick often gets dealt this hand with him. he needs to turn it around. )
You shoulder a lot more than you let on. ( a beat. ) Because you feel like you have to, don't you?
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