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Chapter Text

Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen ddn't know when their friendshp bagan all they knew was that there wasn't really any thing that would get in the way of it.

Though diapers, school, grief, romance, failed romance, 5 years of no contact, vigilantism, sidekicks,or superhero teams, they have been there side by side. No secret could ever last between them.

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Bruce made the decision after very little debate; Why wouldn't he tell Oliver?

If it were anybody else he may have been hesitant to tell him, but it’s not.

It’s Ollie

Ollie who he’s known almost his entire life. Ollie who he told his parents he was going to marry when he was 6 years old. Ollie who stood by his side offering a silent comfort at his parents funeral two years later. Ollie who stuck up for Bruce when the bullying was too much. Ollie who helped clean up cuts and bruises after Bruce started fights. Ollie who was right there with him when he got into fights. Ollie who he shared a room with in boarding school when he eventually got too rebellious for even Alfred. Ollie who convinced his parents to send him to boarding school so he could stay with Bruce. Ollie who was Bruce’s first kiss. Ollie who celebrated with Bruce when he got into med school. Ollie who stood by him in his decision to quit med school. This wasn’t just anyone this was Oliver Queen. This was his best friend.

not only that but Oliver would understand. Bruce knew he was Green Arrow. He hadn’t been told he just kept a close eye on his friend after he was found alive after having gone missing for 5 years.

Bruce had wanted to tell him the second he decided to become Gotham’s nocturnal protector. It had taken a minute to talk himself out of confessing it to Ollie. Still Bruce has gone all around the globe to train with the best. He came back and eventually made an impact on his home. And now that he was an established vigilante, now that Batman was known by not just Gotham but the general puplic nation wide, he felt he could finally let his best friend in on the secret.

He had called Oliver and asked if he’d be willing to meet up for coffee to catch up. He would invite him over to the manor for a continued discussion, as they usually did. He'd tell Oliver while they were there. No backing out this time. This time he was going to do it. 

He set the meeting for 

"Brucie!"Oliver cheers entering the cafe Bruce had sent him, Bruce stands to greet him already seated at a booth by a window.

"Ollie,"He reciprocates," It's so good to see you." He pulls him into a hug before sitting back down

"Its good to see you too," the other man sighs, taking a seat across from Bruce," How have things been, you know, I heard that Gotham crime finally got bad enough for you guys to have your own vigillante." someone had managed to get an fuzzy picture of Batman  and posted it about a month ago making his existence known to the world,"Have you ever seen the mysterious Batman, Bruce? I doubt he could really compare to Star’s Green Arrow considering he is such a secret, but I’m sure Gotham appreciates any attempt at improvement,” The second sentence comes out teasingly and Bruce lets out a soft chuckle at his friend playing up his own vigilante persona (not that he knows that Bruce knows that’s what he is doing)

” I’m sure,” Bruce responds, with a light chuckle,” As for the first part I haven’t had the opportunity to encounter the Batman myself, but I think that is something I can count myself lucky on. I think that he offers a lot more potential for Gotham ,though. He has the ability to reach the people in ways I don’t think I could.” It feels a bit odd to refer to himself in third person, but Bruce doesn’t see a lie in a majority of the answers he’s given the biggest one being him never seeing Batman:

He sees Batman just about every night at this point but not in the way anyone else could expect. He sees Batman in the reflection of Mirrors as he wipes away eyeblack after patrol, in puddles that linger in narrow alleyways, in windows as he glides past with his grapple, but he doesn’t see Batman in the way that others do. So is it a lie or just a stretch? 

” You think?” Oliver says, his head slightly tilted to his right and eyebrows infinitesimally pinched, “ I mean Brucie be realistic you have done so much for Gotham. Anyone else in their right mind would have left the dumpster fire to burn but you have been working tirelessly to put out the flame. You were actively improving the city on your 5 year world tour. You create and fund so many charities that it’s honestly surprising you haven’t ran out of money yet. So what some guy dresses up as a bat and fights criminals in the dead of night? Big deal! You have been fighting for this city practically your whole life!” He’s gotten loud enough that people are glancing over at them. Bruce finds it sweet that he jumped to his defense so quickly though he is defending Bruce against himself ( again not something Oliver knows) Bruce knows that Oliver is technically right. He picked up where his parents left off almost immediately after they passed in the charities that the Waynes have been known for, and prior to that he was still a part of it just from behind his parents. He also set up a handful or two of his own by this point. Gotham was deemed Hell on earth by most but to Bruce it was his home and he would do anything for his city hence why he became Batman. To protect those who made up the city and try to prevent what he went through from happening to any other child. 

”That’s sweet Ol,” Bruce sighs,” But you have to admit that Batman is reaching places I can’t.” It was a part of the reason Batman even exists Bruce knew he wouldn't reach all of Gotham with fundraisers and charity. 

Still seeming displeased by the fact that Bruce was discrediting his work Oliver huffs in resignation," Fine, I'm sure Batman is helping Gotham. I just don't think its so much that it means you are falling short. I know you are doing your best to help this hellscape of a city, and I don't think you should act like that is nothing."

"I never said what I did was nothing Oliver."

Bruce feels a bit bad dragging Oliver around like this especially since he can tell that it has upset him even with the light start to the conversation. Bruce hopes Ollie isn't too mad at him when he tells him the truth later tonight. They change topics something ore agreeable for them. They catch up  on their lives since they last saw each other, discuss charities; They lie about vacations that Bruce knows niether of them actually took, but pretended to for identities sake. Eventually they get bored of the cafe and go back to the manor.

Bruce had planned it so that it would be a weekend trip for Oliver as they both had an event they were expected to attend on Saturday evening, and offered for Oliver to stay in his usual room while he was in Gotham. It's in the family wing and where Bruce stays. With that, they bring his bags up to the room, and get things situated fo the next couple of days.

" How many times have we done this?" Oliver asks in a way that doesn't actually call for an answer."Like Bruce we have literally been friends our whole lives." He says the words like its a grand revalation,"I mean I don't think we could keep a secret if we tried. I feel like we can see right through each other."

" Hn."

"Bruce," His voice is soft, guilt bleeding into it,"Can I tell you a secret?"

Chapter Text

Oliver was only panicking a bit. Bruce had asked him to come by around 11:30pm which meant he was supposed to meet him in his dear friends 'Bat-Cave' He sees Alfred who appears cheerfully tired,who knew that those two words could go together informed by him that Bruce was still out on patrol and that he should wait for him in the 'downstairs'.

The Batmobile pulls into the cave at 12:03 am. Oliver is surprised when a child bounces out miming punches and kicks talking rapidly about-actually Oliver has no clue what the boy is talking about

Standing in shock from the sight before him, He knew Brucie was a cover for batman. He knew that his friend was capable of being self sufficient, still he questioned his friends ability to be a properly care for a child.

Yet here he was in his close friends industrialized cave staring at an elementary-schooler in a red and green leotard with a bright yellow cape bouncing in rhythm with the boys movements. 

It's midnight this kid is bouncing around this lunatics cave at midnightfull of energy in a brightly colored suit, with bruises from the nights adventure growing deeper on his skin.He meets Bruce's gaze and his old friend gives him a tired smile walking over from his bat-mobile. Oliver meets him halfway

" You know, when you told me to come to the cave I thought it meant you were dying," Oliver teases biting back the urge to voice that what he was witnessing now might be worse.

" Hn, I apologize if I caused you any concern," Bruce responds dryly.

" B check this out!" Oliver turns his attention back to the kid just in time to see him vault himself off the top of the batmobile, God when did the kid get on top off the batmobile,and do three consecutive back flips and stick the landing right in front of the older pair grinning up at Bruce who is smiling more genuinely than Oliver has seen in years.

"Nice job, chum," Bruce practically coos at the kid. "Why don't you go get cleaned up," He ruffles the boys hair, the boy leans into the touch Great so he's had the kid long enough for them to be comfortable together.

"But B," The boy drags out, glancing at Oliver, briefly in a way he surely he thinks is discreet.

"Go get cleaned up, Robin, I'll be right behind you, mmkay"Bruce says, more direct. Nudging the boy, Robin, towards the showers, He looks to Oliver and he seems so domesticated suddenly, as the boy trudges to wash off the grime brought by the Gotham night, standing in full batsuit cowl still up, Oliver's best friend somehow seems so gentle. Maybe it was the way he spoke with such softness to the boy, or maybe the way the boy was so eager to impress Bruce and leaned into him with complete trust.

"So, how long have you had him?" Quick and to the point meeting the white lenses that are covering his eyes.

Bruce lets out a sigh and pulls the cowl off revealing sweet soaked hair and sparkling blue eyes popping against the smudged eyeliner.

" About three months,"He says, a smile taking over his face," Look, I know its dumb to let him out there-"

"Dumb? Bruce that  kid isn't even in double digits," Oliver points out.

"In my defense he put himself out there with the full intent of killing a man," Bruce argues.

" Bruce, where did you even find this kid?" Oliver almost laughs remembering how at the Wayne's funeral Bruce told him the he would find his parents killer and kill him in cold blood. He didn't end up doing it, Alfred probably talked him out of it, but Oliver remembered it well enough to know that Bruce might have earned whatever this, apparently homicidal, kid ends up putting him through.

"The circus."

"The circus?"

"The circus."

"Bruce, please, for the love of all things holy, elaborate."

" He's an acrobat," Bruce says plainly.

"Bruce."

" Are you familiar with Haly's circus?" Oh.... Unfortunately that was all Oliver needed to know

"I've heard a few things about it," Oliver tries to say it in a way that doesn't automatically equate to ' everyone knows about the circus that had a technical difficulty resulting in two casualties'and, from the look on Bruce's face, it doesn't have to be said.

" Robin's real name is Dick Grayson," Bruce states plainly," His parents were John and Mary Grayson, who you might know as the two acrobats whose cables snapped in the middle of a trapeze act. Dick was there and saw it happen. He also saw someone out of place prior to the show tampering with the trapeze cables.The cops didn't listen to him and wrote it off as a tragic accident. Dick wanted vengeance for his parents. I was in the crowd that night, saw his parents fall, and had been working the case as batman even before I got cleared to foster him. Once I was fostering him he was sneaking out to find his parents murderer on his own. I caught him and tried to get him to stop. After that didn't work I offered an alternate much safer way to do it that didn't include an 8 year old becoming a killer."Bruce explains it in a way that indicates he had planned this conversation out before Oliver got here.

" And that safer way couldn't be keeping the kid at home while you found the killer?" Probably not the best thing to say in an obviously scripted interaction but sue him surely the genius Batman could have found a way to keep the EIGHT YEAR OLD out of it.

" I would have never considered that, Ollie, honestly you are so smart. Who am I kidding? I should have just kept the kid at home. Why did that never occur to me?" The words are sharp with exhaustion and sarcasm, which was to be expected." He wouldn't just stay home even after managing to put together my identity; especially not after that. I tried, Ollie, promise you, I tried."

" I believe it," Oliver laughs, " The kid doesn't strike me as the type to just give in. I'm sure he loves the grapple guns."

The tension in his shoulders practically melts as he replies with a fond:

" He does."

Oliver takes a moment to look at his friend. His stupid, genius,  leather and kevlar batsuit wearing freak of a friend who has the softest smile Oliver has seen on his face in over a decade. Just talking about this kid brings life back to Bruce, he can tell.

" Anyways," Oliver says, cutting through the momentary quiet of the cave," I do believe you told him you would be right behind him? And I don't know how much longer I can stand the smell of your sweat and whatever Gotham typical grime you were exposed to tonight so you should go clean up, and then we can do proper introductions."

And so that's what they do. When Bruce returns he is in sweatpants and a T-shirt  all the black around his eyes nowhere to be seen, hair damp, and an energetic eight year old bouncing along at his side. 

" Dick this is a close friend of mine," Bruce starts, hand on the boys shoulder," His name is Oliver Queen."

Dick eyes him, suspiciously, an unreadable frown onhis face that makes Oliver fight the urge to squirm.

" Ever hear of Green Arrow?" Oliver asks, jokingly trying to ease the growing tension in his body. Who would think that his best friend would have a kid that is so unnerving? Okay its bruce's kid so its kinda predictable.

"Are you Green Arrow?" The kid asks, seriously.

" Sure am," He chimes," And you are Robin, right?" Oliver has no clue how kids work but he's trying

"Yeah, I am," Oliver resists the urge to let out a sigh of relief, as the kid stops treating him like a suspect.

" It's a cool name. Where'd it come from?" Oliver sees Bruce visibly relax as they settle into a steady conversation, cutting in every so often with a comment of his own; Like when Dick says his favorite superhero is Superman, or When Oliver mentons something dumb the two of them did in high school.

The conversation lasts until Dick starts to grow tired and Bruce deems it bedtime. Going up to tuck him into bed before coming back to his office where Oliver was waiting.

"What do you think Ol?" Bruceasks closing the door softly before taking a seat on the desk.

" He's a good kid Brucie,"Ollie says with a slight yawn," I think you are gonna do fine by him." 

" You think?"

" Yeah, I do."

"You are more than welcome to stay, you know. Star is a good distance away and its 2 am now."

"Oh, I would be staying the night even if I wasn't welcome, you know that, right?" Bruce laughs before bidding goodnight trusting Oliver to find his way to the spare bedroom he has used since they were kids.