Chapter Text
With as much speed as you dare to muster without tripping over your own feet, you shuffle to the far end of the safari car at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Normally you would be on these rides with your friends, but you had gotten extremely tired of playing third wheel to your best friend and her fiancé and decided it best for everyone if you went off on your own.
Not that you minded too terribly much. They had decided to brave the newest addition to the park, Pandora, and you weren’t about to set foot over there until it had been opened for at least a year; the crowds were simply too much for you to handle. So here you sit, trying to look as happy as possible when you’re flying solo.
You scoot as close to the edge of the seat as possible to allow room for other passengers in the car, and when a tall man with dark hair and a teenager, who you assume is his son, sit next to you, you offer a friendly nod before turning your body slightly away to limit your social interaction with them.
When the ride starts moving, you relax a bit, your mind mostly engrossed with all of the animals the cast member keeps pointing out. One of the young men sitting in front of you keeps enthusiastically pointing out animals to the young teenager beside him. A third young man seems to be enjoying laughing at his companions more than the tour itself. At one point the enthusiastic man turns to the strangers beside you, and you quickly gather that they are all here together.
“Bruce! Timbers! Did you see the rhino?”
“It’s hard to miss the rhino, Dick. They’re huge.” The other young man in front of you deadpans, and when he turns the flash of white in his hair draws your attention from the large rhino at the watering hole.
“You never know, Jason. They’ve both been known to fall into their phones before.” Dick says. The tour guide starts talking about one of the rarest animals on the reserve, and Dick turns back around. “Damian, do you see the Okapi?”
“No, Grayson.” The youngest boy says and rests his chin on his hand.
“Don’t act like you’re not enjoying this. You love animals.” The youngest boy, Damian apparently, simply grunts in response, but you can tell he’s invested in the animal tour as much as Dick is. They’re both desperately trying to spot the Okapi, and are growing more and more disappointed by the second. So when you spot the animal’s signature striped legs, you lean forward and point it out to them.
“See it over there? Along the edge next to the trees.”
“OH YEAH DAMI LOOK!” Dick points with a sudden burst of energy that startles you back into your seat, but the change in the younger boy’s face makes you glad you showed them the animal.
For the rest of the ride you don’t notice how the man next to you keeps stealing glances with a softened expression.
___
The wait for Expedition Everest said it was only thirty minutes long when you hopped in line.
Too bad that time had almost tripled since you’d joined the queue.
It’s hot and the fans aren’t doing enough to make you comfortable. You’d tried distracting yourself with your phone, but the battery had gotten low and, though you carried a battery charger for this specific issue, you figured it would be best to let it charge in peace.
Which led to listening to other people’s conversations.
“This is the only ride here I’m excited about.”
“To be fair, it is one of the few thrill rides in the entire park.”
The voices sound familiar for some reason. When the line shifts you lean against the rail to see the same group of guys behind you that were next to you in the safari ride earlier. The oldest man—the one who sat next to you—is watching with amusement as the younger boys talk about the ride. Though the youngest one, Damian as you recall, is more invested in the decorum than the conversation.
“I just think the Yeti is cool.” The enthusiastic one—Dick was it?—says to the boy with the white streak and another boy who you never got a good look at. Though judging by the bags under his eyes you can tell he really should try to sleep more.
“If the Yeti is so cool why doesn’t it come out here and fend of this stupid heat.” You mutter to yourself. You didn’t think anyone could hear you, but the white streaked boy—you’re pretty sure he was called Jason earlier—snickers at your remark, and your cheeks flush from the unintended attention.
“You’ve got a point there.” The sleep deprived boy says.
“It likes to stay nice and hot at this park. Though I’m not sure I’ve ever been while it’s been this warm.” You decide to try making friendly conversation. “And if you’re a thrill seeker, you’ll really like this ride.”
“Good! I could use an exciting roller coaster.” Jason says with what you swear is a devious smirk.
“Oh it’s exciting alright. Just wait until it starts rolling backwards.” One of the cast members starts calling for single riders, and you quickly raise your hand and shuffle forward in the line, leaving the boys with slightly dumbfounded expressions.
___
Music fills your ears while you try to figure out where to go next by staring at the map on your phone. You’ve picked one of the worst times to try and easily pass through the Africa section of the park, as the street dance party is currently in full swing.
You locate where you want to go on the map and start heading in that direction, only glancing down every now and then to make sure you’re going the right way. You’re actually paying attention to any potential obstacles in your path, so when somebody bumps into you from the side, it takes you by complete surprise.
Your phone flies out of your hands and lands on the hard ground, but that’s the last thing on your mind. Whoever bumped into you sent you falling into a man’s strong arms. The same man that you’ve ended up running into twice today. The action also leaves you stunned enough that you end up staring into the handsome man’s vibrant blue eyes for what feels like an eternity.
“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry!” You go into frenzy mode as soon as you come back to your senses. You take a couple of steps back and throw your hands up in nervous embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to fall into you!”
“Don’t worry about it.” He chuckles, and his deep voice automatically calms you down a bit. “He narrows his eyes at someone behind you. “Dick should have been paying more attention to what he was doing.”
“I was dancing!” Dick defends himself before going deeper into the crowd of dancers. You can’t help but laugh a little at the man’s enthusiasm; why can’t you have that kind of energy?
“Come on, Bruce. You know how he gets when he starts dancing.” The sleep deprived boy from earlier says. So that’s the man’s name. Bruce.
You’re not sure why, but the name seems to really fit.
Bruce rubs his temple and stares at the ground. “Yes, I know, Tim.” He sighs in exasperation. “Some things never change. No matter how many times I tell him to pay attention. Is that her phone?”
Bruce points to the object in Tim’s hand, and the younger boy offers a phone to you. Your eyes widen a bit as you remember that you had been holding it when Dick bumped into you.
“Yes! Thank you! I almost forgot I’d dropped it.” You accept your phone gratefully.
“Well, I managed to catch you, but not your name.” Bruce says.
The comment takes you off guard a little, and you blush a little at his words. “It’s Y/N. I guess you really should know a person’s name before falling into their arms.”
“Y/N. That’s a very pretty name. I’m Bruce, by the way. But I guess you’ve already gathered that much.” You and Bruce both chuckle a little at the statement. “These are my sons, Tim, Jason, Damian, and Dick.” He points to each of them, and, while you’ve gathered their names over the course of the day, it’s nice to officially know that you’ve named them correctly in your head.
Off to the side Dick is to convince Damian to dance with him, and Jason is standing just behind Bruce with his arms crossed. He looks like he’s holding in laughter, but you’re not sure if it’s at Dick or you.
You want to stay and talk to him some more, but you’re really starting to feel like you’re intruding on a family vacation. Bruce looks like he wants to say something else, but the awkward atmosphere proves too much for you, and you apologize once again for bumping into him before walking past him to resume your original path.
You’ve only managed to walk a few yards when a hand grabs your arm, and you spin around to face Jason. He hands you a slip of paper and gestures to Bruce behind him.
“Here’s Bruce’s phone number.”
“I’m sorry. What?” You ask, dumbfounded. This is an entirely new occurrence to you.
“Don’t let Brucie Boy fool you. He’ll never admit it, but he thinks you’re pretty, and I’m fairly certain he likes you.”
“What gives you that impression?”
“The way he looks at you.” A blush creeps up your neck at Jason’s statement.
“Look, you don’t have to actually call him or text him or anything. But I’m pretty sure you like him, too. Give him a chance. He might surprise you.” Jason turns back around and joins his family, this time leaving you dumbfounded in the middle of a Disney park.