Chapter Text
Gotham's anniversary party was at Gotham’s city hall, to better accommodate the reporters who were coming from all over America for the event. The party guest list was exclusively composed of the five founding families. In attendance were the Kanes, the Waynes (of course), The Elliots, The Crownes, and the Galavans (used to be Dumas). The party was supposed to be a reunion of sorts, as if we didn’t all have grudges and hated each other for some reason.
Nevertheless, it’ll be the first time in decades that the five families have done something symbolic together “for the sake of Gotham seeing important people together” or some dumb reason like that.
The Kanes and the Waynes have a little truce right now. Well, at least they get along with Bette and Kate well enough. Bette and Dixie have been besties for years, terrorizing their parents as an unstoppable cousins duo. Kate, closer to Bruce’s age, comes over for Sunday dinner, much to Alfred’s delight and Jayda’s entertainment.
Nobody during the car ride looked thrilled at the prospect of arriving at the destination, however, the show must go on.
At least Kon would be there with Clark as an intern for the daily planet. He said it was an “apprenticeship experience.” Tim wasn’t really sure what the point was, her boyfriend always seemed to prefer the farming life to the reporter life, as long as she had known him. However Tim wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, she was mostly just glad that he would be here.
She scanned the paparazzi as their limo pulled up to the ancient Gotham building. Looking around at her siblings, they all seemed to be getting into character. Dixie with her glittering midnight blue dress was smiling and taking selfies with their youngest sister, Damiana, presumably to send as snapchat streaks. Damiana was not smiling at all. She never did at these parties. Her ruffled green skirt and black collared top with Mary Janes seemed to emphasize the 16 year old’s serious demeanor rather than give her a youthful bounce.
Jay was breathing on the window that was facing away from their father. She then started finger drawing a smiley face with very pronounced eyebrows. Tim sighed, looking away. That’ll be tomorrow’s headline. “WAYNE HEIR, CHILD AT HEART”.
She glanced back at her sister. Jayda was wearing a ruffled black dress. Roy’s favorite black dress. She knew that Roy and Wally were supposed to meet them at the function later in the night, even though they weren’t supposed to bring ‘outsiders,’ surely society considers marrying into the family as family, right?
Across from Jay sat Duchess, clad in a velvety, light beige dress. She was fiddling with the cuff of the long sleeve, sitting up straighter as the event came into view.
Tim’s gaze dropped to her lap, where her brown purse was, before looking up. Sitting across from her, both looking out the window facing the party, were Bruce and Alex. They were dressed in matching black tuxes, although instead of matching the black tie Alexander had on, Bruce was wearing a red bowtie that Jayda had decorated with Pokémon stickers in her fourth or fifth grade art class. Bruce likes to brag about his children. Much to the Wayne kids’ embarrassment sometimes.
Tim herself had on a shimmery silver dress that Alex had found for her and Alfred had insisted she wear it. They both have an eye for these sorts of things, and Tim hates shopping so she’ll typically just go with it.
“Tim?” Tim’s gaze flickered up quickly. Her icy blue eyes met her father’s, so much like her own. “Everything alright?”
She nodded. “Just tired.” It was true, this was the third night in a row she had been awake. At least nowadays she could blame it on adulting, because in her defense, being twenty-one was hard.
“Alright gang,” Bruce turned to address everyone in the car. “You guys ready?”
Jay rolled her eyes. “Let's get this over with, old man.” She declared getting up, albeit bent over, climbing over people and flinging the door open without waiting for Alfred to open it for them.
As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Tim, ignoring Bruce’s exasperated sigh, hopped out unladylike after her sister.
If I don’t disappoint my dead parents at least once a day, then the day isn’t over yet. Tim thought to herself, fighting the urge to apologize for her behaviour. Bruce doesn’t really care all that much anyways.
Her glee was short lived however when the first camera flash went off. She then remembered what she was supposed to do and how she was taught to behave at society events.
Jayda had already strutted into the party to find her husband so Tim waited patiently for one of her siblings to emerge. Duchess came out first. Laughing like she had just heard a great joke, Tim linked her arm through her sister’s and together they walked into the party after Jay, smiling and waving to the cameras as they went. Tim glanced back only once to see Alex helping Dixie out of the car while Alfred stood beside it. The phenomenally aging butler looked like he had just witnessed darks in the same laundry basket as lights but was hiding his expression well.
The attendant at the door greeted the two of them, checked to make sure they were on the list, then guided them inside. Their heels clicked on the natural stone style flooring as the two were ushered into the general-assembly-room-turned-ballroom where the main bulk of guests would be entertained tonight.