Chapter Text
Dick swam through the water as fast as he could, not daring to look back behind him and risk losing speed. The water seemed to part for him, pushing him faster forward as he pumped his tail, keeping his arms pinned to his side to reduce friction in the water, no matter how much his brain was screaming at him to swim faster, use his arms to propel himself further in the water, he knew this was quicker. Even if he wasn’t as slippery as he was, he knew how to escape tight situations and worst case he was able to fold himself into tighter spaces.
But he couldn’t just be fast, no that would only let him outrun one of his pursuers, he had to be smart too, taking turns randomly as he sped through the cave system, but trying to keep an idea of where he was so he could make it back to safety. He knew if he could just get to Bruce he’d be safe, but he couldn’t go straight back to him, that was just asking for an ambush on the way. Dick had to be erratic with his movements, he could hear at least one of his pursuers behind him, gaining speed with natural athleticism that Dick would’ve envied in any other scenario.
He didn’t dare to look back, not wanting to risk even the slightest drop in speed, lest he be caught. Instead he focused on remapping his surroundings, which was the way back, he had certainly led both of his attackers astray from the main tunnel towards Bruce, surely he could find a side passage to get him back there faster. He knew these tunnels better than anyone, except for maybe Alfred, he had lived here for half his life now, he could escape them.
Dick took a sharp turn, nearly a full 180 knowing he could take turns faster than either of his pursuers and sped up. Heading back to the main part of the cave system, the walls grew wider and the currents pushed him along heading towards the area where the water pooled the most. His tail was starting to hurt, just slightly, as he picked up speed, having been chased for a while now. Salvation was nearly in sight when something heavy hit his side.
Arms wrapped around his middle, squeezing tightly as the wind was knocked out of him, Dick wheezed and floated gently off course, having been stopped abruptly. Seconds later a second body tumbled into him and the first one, not having enough time to slow down, or not caring to. A second, stronger pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and chest.
Dick coughed and wheezed out a laugh.
“Caught you!” Timmy said, his hands digging into Dick’s side making him squirm and laugh harder. Jason took that as a sign to begin his own assault and tugged on Dick’s hair as Dick tried to wiggle out of their grip.
Dick jerked his tail up to hit Jason who squawked and squeezed him tighter.
“No fair you jerk” Jason said and pulled a strand of Dick’s hair in earnest.
“All’s fair in love and war” Dick squared his shoulders and jerked his arms out of Jason’s grip. Jason might have been stronger than Tim but he wasn’t stronger than Dick. With Tim still clinging to his waist, mostly just along for the ride now, Dick lunged for Jason. He grabbed him and wiggled his way into a headlock, ruffling his hair.
“Ack! Let go of me, Dickface!” Jason cried, his hands pulling at Dick’s arm around his neck. It was slightly restrictive so Jason couldn’t escape but it wasn’t tight or painful.
“Let go of my brother!” Tim yelled valiantly, and sunk his teeth into Dick’s side. Tim was not quite used to how sharp his pup fangs were, and Dick yelped.
“Wha- Timmy!” He cried out.
“Hell yeah, Timmers!” Jason cried and bit down on Dick’s arm. It was harder than Tim was chewing on him, but Jason had mostly lost his puppy fangs and his adult teeth weren’t yet as sharp. It still hurt. Most mers showed affection through playful biting, a healthy mer was a mer with bite marks scattered across their skin and tail, but Tim was still getting used to his teeth and puppy bites were a bit different than affection bites. And Jason had bitten down just cause Tim did.
Bruce looked on at his sons with a soft smile on his face as the three boys rough housed playfully. They had all come such a long way from when he had first met them; Dick had taken to being an older brother like a bird to flight, Jason had softened around his edges and trusted them all so deeply, there was a day when he would never let Dick put him in any sort of hold like this, let alone staying in one, and Tim was giving into his instincts more, he swam much better and was growing up to be a well taken care of mer.
Pride swelled up inside of Bruce as he gazed at his babies, not so little anymore. Dick was sixteen now, he had friends outside of just Bruce and his brothers, potentially making his own pod on day. Not yet, Bruce still got to hold onto his eldest son a little longer. He made such a great older brother, leading by example and letting his two younger brothers gang up on him. He took it all not only in stride but with joy. Dick was an amazing older brother.
Jason was twelve now, and by his own definition; practically a teenager. He insisted he was old enough and had enough experience to not be coddled, he could hang out with the big kids, Dick and his friends. Dick let him sometimes, allowing Jason to hang out with his group of friends, other times Jason wasn’t invited but either way Jason was growing up and growing into himself well. Despite his protests, he had gotten a lot better at asking for affection, he still grumbled his way through it, but Bruce chalked that up to typical teenager things rather than fear of being rejected or distrust of what affection could mean. Jason had come just as far, and Bruce could not be more proud.
And Tim, the newest addition, having only been around for two years now, just entered double digits at ten years old only three months ago. He had made strides in his acceptance of his instincts, when he had first come to them he would’ve gawked at the idea of biting someone so hard it left scars, of chewing on his brothers even affectionately. Now he gnaws on the two of them like nobody’s business and practically begs for his own marks in return. Tim liked to show off that he was loved, he liked the physical representation of obviously having a family. He also made strides with Bruce himself, having been terrified their first meeting, now he curls up next to Bruce whenever he wants, he doesn’t feel the need to cower in his presence or ask for permission for everything.
And Bruce? He wouldn’t have it any other way. His sons, his babies, his most precious treasure, his greatest achievement, his boys. He doesn’t know how he ever lived without them, the joy they brought into his life, the noise, the laughter, the stress. He couldn’t give it up for the world, he would never give them up.
And it all started with Dick, a little pup at the time, it’s hard to see him all grown up and big, at sixteen. All Bruce can ever see is that scared little kid.
°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
Bruce was a lone mer, no pod so to speak, and territorial at that. He wasn’t looking for a pod, he had Alfred and that was enough for him. His territory was heavily marked, he didn’t share and he liked it that way. This was his spot and he wasn’t about to give it up. Not to other mers, not sharks, not humans, no one. It wasn’t like his territory wasn’t sought after, it was a prime spot after all, the cave system he inhabited itself was vast and winding, home to many fish ready to be hunted. The system had caves that surfaced but were enclosed or otherwise unreachable from land, perfect for mers who wanted to stay away from the human eye. The territory itself was a bit closer to populated land than preferred by most mers, but most of the year the land was hardly inhabited, and rarely did anyone come out to the ocean.
All in all his territory was clearly marked and there was very little reason or audacity for anyone to challenge that sort of authority. So Bruce was very concerned by the smell of blood permeating through his territory.
A hint of the metallic smell wafted into his nose when he was in his cave, prompting him to follow it. The scent of blood alone was enough to attract mers, but blood in his territory? He hadn’t granted anyone permission to hunt, let alone have enough blood pooling somewhere that he could smell it all the way in his home.
Whoever it was, was bleeding out and fast. The water turned a murky color as Bruce got closer, the blood was high in volume to be having this kind of effect. It wasn’t just any blood either, with this much concentration Bruce could tell it was mer blood. His mouth wasn’t salivating as it would’ve had it been some kind of fish or other creature, but instead the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
This had to be some kind of massacre.
Bruce couldn’t help but swim faster. As territorial as Bruce was, if this amount of blood was wafting through the water it meant these mers had already met a fate worse than Bruce’s wrath. Bruce didn’t kill either, not other mers anyway, he knew what it was like to have family ripped away from you, he would defend his territory with an iron fist but he wasn’t about to sacrifice lives for it. So he swam as fast as he could, following the scent of blood.
Sharks were the first thing that Bruce saw, swarming above a murky cloud of blood soaked water, it was hard to see what they were surrounding. He heard it before he saw it.
A pup growl. A pup trying to growl and scare off attackers, it was small, unpracticed and probably hurt the poor thing’s throat as they tried to snarl and scare off the sharks. Bruce swam closer before he saw what was attracting the sharks, the bodies of two mers, bleeding out through massive holes in their chest and side. The sight was gruesome to say the least, the two were already dead, probably had been since the moment they were struck by whatever had pierced them. If they weren’t it was already too late for them.
Between the two mers bleeding out, in the middle of the swarming sharks was a pup, a little mer who couldn’t be in double digits left, valiantly snapping at the sharks that swam too close to what Bruce could only assume was his parents corpses. The boy was crying and shaking but still protecting them as best he could.
Bruce could feel the anger rushing through him, there was no point in being angry at the sharks, and he had no idea what had done this to the poor mer parents, but he was still angry. This poor boy, the same boy Bruce had once been, was suffering, desperately trying to keep the bodies of his parents safe, he was so young, so innocent. And yet he was made to suffer. Bruce was angry, not at the sharks who were only trying to survive, but at the situation, at the circumstances that caused the pup to be here.
Bruce rushed forward, towards the shiver of sharks, a loud, adult growl in his voice. It was stronger than the boy’s had been, it was a warning, as he sped towards them. He snapped his jaws at the sharks, placing himself in the middle of them. The boy’s growls died off and Bruce heard a whimper. He would check on the boy in a moment, but first he needed to get rid of the sharks, they wouldn’t hesitate to feed on the corpses or the boy himself. Get rid of the threat first and then check on the boy, was the only course of action in Bruce’s mind.
The sharks mostly retreated, as being threatened by an angry mer was not something many of them were inclined to deal with, mers didn’t often hunt sharks but they were one of their few natural predators. A couple sharks stayed, bolder and unwilling to give up the sweet smell of mer blood, Bruce charged at them, scratching at their skin, and biting at their fins. Superficial wounds, after all they were just hungry creatures, it was more of a warning, telling them he was serious. He would do more but they seemed to get the message and swam off.
Bruce panted and watched as the last shark turned and fled, he waited until he was sure they wouldn’t come back before he turned towards the boy and his parents. Bruce softened, the boy looked terrified, his arms were covered in his parent’s blood, he had probably tried to stop the bleeding not realizing how pointless it was, or maybe he had but didn’t care and just wanted to save his parents. Bruce could relate to that. His eyes were wide, pupils blown and he flinched as Bruce turned to him.
“Hey-” Bruce started before the boy bolted, he swam incredibly fast, faster than Bruce had ever seen a pup swim before. Bruce wasn’t sure if the boy was hurt, he could assume not from the way he was moving but adrenaline was a hell of a drug and the boy was clearly scared of Bruce now too. He wasn’t going to let the kid get hurt though.
Bruce swam after the frightened pup, slowly but keeping him in sight as best as possible. Noticing Bruce following, the pup let out a frightened chirp, a call to his parents or anyone for protection as he swam faster. The boy managed to get to a rock wall, a mountain that had risen up from the ocean floor, he squeezed his body between the rocks and wedged himself deep inside the crevice. It couldn’t have been comfortable but the boy did it with relative ease.
Bruce peered into the crack, the boy hissed at him and swatted a clawed hand, his claws would be sharp, Bruce didn’t particularly want to be scratched today. It had been a long while since Bruce last interacted with a pup, he was rusty but the boy shouldn’t be going through this alone, he needed to know Bruce wasn’t a threat. Bruce let out a couple of light clicks, coming from the back of his mouth rather than his throat, different from a growl. It was gently, calm telling the boy he wasn’t a threat. The boy’s eyes narrowed at him, he didn’t move from his spot.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Bruce said gently, keeping up the clicking noise, soft and gently. “I know you’re scared, I was just trying to help ward off the sharks.”
The boy hissed at him again, but it was less harsh than before, progress Bruce guessed. The poor boy had just lost his parents, then had to protect them from sharks and was now hiding between cold and pointy rocks just to try and keep himself safe.
“You did a good job protecting them,” Bruce said and the boy went still. “It must’ve been hard with all of those sharks around, the blood in the water, but you did it. You held your own. You protected them.” There was a sad sound coming from the boy, a mix between the hiss and chirp from earlier, trying to call someone that was no longer there, asking for help and mourning all at once.
“I just want to help, I didn’t mean to scare you too.”
“Your territory.” The boy mumbled.
“What?”
“This is your territory.”
“It is.” Bruce said, “Are you afraid I’ll be mad for tresspassing?” The boy nodded.
“I’m not mad,” Bruce assured. “I want to help you, I like to keep my space but I would never turn away a mer that was hurt, and I could never harm a pup.”
“‘M not a pup.” The boy said, despite the fact that Bruce could clearly see his puppy fangs when he hissed at him. Bruce hummed in response, letting little clicks in to try and comfort the boy.
“Well you’ve certainly been taking on a lot of responsibility, and doing things even adults couldn’t do.” Bruce said softly. “You were very brave back there, keeping away those sharks, I’ve known some very big mers who wouldn’t have done what you did.” The boy was quiet for a moment, before Bruce heard a sniffle.
“I had to protect my parents.” He said, his voice small and cracking.
“I know,” Bruce said. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” The boy nodded but didn’t speak for a long time, Bruce didn’t ask again, he just waited, leaning against the rock.
“There was a boat,” The boy said at last, “And there were spears, and- and my parents tried to swim away, Tata tried to grab me but he was hit first” He sniffles. “And- and Mamma pulled it our of him but then she was hit too and I- I didn’t know what to do. But they started to pull her up and I couldn’t let them take her! So I pulled until it came off too, but there was so much blood and- and then, then sharks came and I- I couldn’t let them eat my parents.” The boy wails from inside the crevice, Bruce wants nothing more than to wrap the poor pup up in his arms and comfort him. But he couldn’t reach him. The boy continues to sob and Bruce can only click in comfort. Spearfishing is illegal out here due to the mer population, but that doesn’t stop some people. It’s rare that fishermen would spear fish into a mer pod but it’s not unheard of, especially if it was only the three of them swimming together.
As his cries slowly start to quiet into hiccuping breaths, Bruce steels himself and brushes his hand over the entrance to the crack.
“You know, I lost my parents to humans too.” He says softly, the boy sniffles a bit and makes a questioning noise. “Many years ago when I was about your age I was out for a swim with my parents, there was a boat and that boat was looking for mers specifically, they had a special net that is very hard for us to see and my mother got tangled in it, my father tried to help her and the two of them got pulled up towards the surface. These humans were hunters, you see and didn’t want to catch them but wanted mer trophy’s. I was able to cut through the net with my teeth but it was too late for them.” Bruce tried not to get too graphic with it, he didn’t talk about how as he chewed on the net he saw the blades of the hunters thrusting into his parents over and over again, as blood filled the water making it hard to see. He didn’t talk about how his parent’s lifeless bodies floated down to the ocean floor afterward, still tangled in the net. He didn’t talk about watching Alfred detangle the bodies, how much more blood came out.
“I know how you feel, angry, scared, sad, disbelieving. You’re probably in a bit of shock too.” It was even harder knowing that this was probably an accident, spearfishing gone wrong. Most humans left mers well enough alone, not willing to get bitten or scratched at, this was probably just a case of illegal spearfishing and the boy’s parents just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once they pulled up the spears, bloody and without a catch they probably realized what happened and left.
“I’m sorry.” Bruce said. “I can’t help bring them back, but I can help you bury them if you’d like?”
The boy didn’t say anything, and Bruce sighed to himself, wondering what else he could do for the pup to get him to come out. Maybe get some food, who knows how long they had been swimming for, or maybe the promise of protection in his grotto.
Then the boy peaked out from the crack, looking up at Bruce from his hiding spot, he had a mess of black hair, tan skin that might’ve looked more at home in tropical waters or at least warmer waters than these, and light blue eyes that met Bruce’s deep blue ones. Tears shone in the little boys eyes and sniffled once more.
“You’ll help me bury them?” He asked softly. “You’ll help me give them a funeral?”
“Whatever you want, I’ll help you.” Bruce said, mer burials were important, scary even, some pods put more emphasis on them than others, but just leaving the body out to be eaten was unheard of. Alfred had prepared Bruce’s parents according to their culture, the waters around here were temperate but winters could get cold, which meant different customs than tropics or arctic mers. Bruce wasn’t sure what the boy would want out of a funeral but he was damned if he wouldn’t give it to him.
“My name is Bruce, what’s your name?” Bruce asked, the boy shrunk into the crack again a bit but then came out fully. He was so small, Bruce wonders if this was what Alfred saw when Bruce lost his parents.
“I’m Richard but I don’t like that, so I go by Dick.” He said, wiping his nose with his arm. His tail was still grey with pupscales, but a blue shimmer rippling through them, Bruce knew his scales would be a brilliant shade of blue one day.
“Okay, Dick. Let’s go give your parents the send off they deserve, okay?” Bruce asked gently, reaching his arm out to put it around Dick’s shoulders, but giving him plenty of time to move away, instead Dick darted forward and crashed into Bruce’s side, squeezing him tightly around his middle. Bruce let out a soft ‘oof’, as Dick sobbed into his side. Bruce slowly wrapped his arms around the crying boy, holding him close but not tight, he wasn’t restricting the boy, just comforting him.
“Why did it have to happen?” The boy sobbed.
“I don’t know.” Bruce replied, running his fingers through Dick’s knotted and slightly bloody hair. “I just don’t know.”
°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
Bruce decided, in a split second decision that he can’t bring himself to regret, to bury Dick’s parents next to his own. It wasn’t far from the grotto where Bruce had planned to bring Dick back to anyway, even if he wasn’t staying, but if he did stay it would be close by for Dick to visit them if he’d like. If he didn’t the grotto would be a landmark for Dick, to come back whenever he’d like to visit his parents.
Either way there were two new grave stones next to Martha and Thomas Wayne, Bruce tasked Dick with carving the stones as best he could, if only to avoid the boy handling the bodies more than he already had. Bruce took his time, digging at the sand, and laying rocks down in a formation that would allow for the bodies to stay in place despite the shifting sands and strong currents. Once the bodies were mostly covered, besides their faces (which Bruce did his best to try and relax the muscles in their faces so they looked peaceful and not in pain), Dick said his goodbyes and Bruce covered them up.
Dick cried again, clinging to the rocks that covered them and Bruce let him cry, didn’t tell him it was okay, didn’t try and pull him away, because it wasn’t okay. The boy just lost his parents, he was allowed to mourn and cry, he would pull away when he was ready.
The grave stones read ‘John Grayson’ and ‘Mary Grayson’ with smaller matching grave stones that read ‘Tati’ and ‘Mamma’. Bruce was man enough to admit he was teary eyed as well, looking at the graves. He liked to think his parents didn’t mind sharing their grave site, they were always such welcoming people. They would’ve loved Dick.
When Dick was ready, Bruce pulled him aside and put his hands on his shoulders as Dick sniffled and rubbed at his face.
“Hey chum,” He greeted with a small sympathetic smile. “Do you have anyone else to stay with? A pod or other family?” Dick teared up again but didn’t cry, making Bruce feel like an asshole but the question was necessary.
“No.” He choked out, shaking his head. “We- we used to travel with a pod but- uhm we stopped and were going to settle for some reason and- and uhm, yeah.” Bruce nodded, a migratory pod then, usually families only settled when they were looking to expand, they had probably settled when Dick was born and were going to try again but…
“Okay,” Bruce said gently, petting Dick’s hair. “Do you want to stay here with me? I- I know it’s hard right now, and you need support. I can’t leave you out here alone, if you want I can try and find your old pod but you’re welcome to stay here with me if you’d like?” Dick looked up at him, his eyes shining and wide.
“Stay with you?” He asked. Bruce nodded with a smile.
“Yes, I live here in this grotto, and you already know how far my territory stretches, the grotto itself is attached to a cave system that spans pretty far, lots of places to explore. I live here with my adoptive father, Alfred. He was part of my parents' pod and when they died he took care of me. What do you say, chum?” Dick sniffled a bit and looked down, thinking about it.
“I think- I think I want to stay with you, at least for now. Maybe- maybe if my pod comes back I’ll go with them but- but I wanna stay here now.” Bruce nods.
“Okay, you are always welcome with me, chum.” Dick smiles, a small thing mostly an uptick of his lips but it was progress, better than he was earlier.
Coming home reeking of blood and a pup that was more or less clinging to his hand was decided not the weirdest thing Bruce had done, at least not in Alfred’s eyes. He simply raised an eyebrow as Bruce sheepishly shrugged and introduced Dick.
“Well, Master Dick,” Alfred said. “Would you like to get washed up, we have soaps that specifically get the scent of blood out.” Dick looked up at Bruce who nodded encouragingly.
“I would.” He muttered.
Alfred and Bruce led Dick to the wash room, holding soaps of various scents and purposes, and left him to his devices as Alfred made up his room and Bruce filled him in on what had happened.
“I couldn’t just leave him there, Alfred. He was just so scared, so small, so… sad. He needs stability and I can provide that.” Bruce said, as Alfred made a little nest for Dick to sleep on. The room was perfect for a child of Dick’s age and needs too, it was an off shoot cave, next to Bruce’s own, small but not tiny, and inside had a mini cave for Dick to nest or wedge himself in if he felt like it, not small enough to get stuck but small enough to provide cover and comfort. Dick was old enough and had enough body mass and practice to sleep on his own, without the need of a parent (or guardian) to sleep with tails intertwined, even the soft currents of the grotto would have a littler pup unable to stay in place. Dick however, was old enough to not need it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want it. That being said it was presumptuous to assume he wanted to sleep anchored to Bruce, no this room was for Dick, to have his own space, to make sure he knew that he was welcome, and safe but that Bruce wasn’t trying to replace his parents.
“You sound as though you are trying to convince me, sir. I understand intimately what it is like to have a grieving child you could not bear to leave alone.” Alfred replied wryly, Bruce rolled his eyes. “Whom are you attempting to convince, Master Bruce? Myself, or yourself?”
Bruce scoffed but he knew Alfred was right, he was trying to convince himself this was a good idea, that bringing Dick in was the right thing. But the truth was, he wasn’t sure. He knew Dick needed someone, but could Bruce really be that someone? Bruce hardly spoke to other mers, he didn’t have friends, his territory was pretty isolated and close to the land. Some of the cave systems lead to above water. While the town was sparsely populated as it was, and even less people came to this side of the shore due to the deep drop off and easily to get lost in cave systems, it wasn’t the safest place for a pup who just lost his parents to humans. Bruce had settled here because it had always been his home, but Dick? Dick had been part of a migratory pod, settling in one place, so close to those who killed his parents? It might not have been the best idea. Not to mention the fact that Bruce had no idea how to raise a child, especially one with needs like Dick, he was traumatized and needed special care and attention, could Bruce really handle that? Sure he had Alfred, who dealt with a very similar type of child but who knew if Dick was going to be anything like Bruce was.
But wasn’t sure if he made the right choice, but he was sticking with it, 100%. If he wasn’t good enough for Dick he would become good enough. Dick deserved it. He put his trust in Bruce, a stranger, because he had no other option, so Bruce would just have to be better. For Dick.
°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
Bruce expected a lot of things out being a guardian for a young pup, what he didn’t expect was how much his personal space diminished in just twenty-four hours. While Dick slept in his own room, he also made Bruce sleep there too. The first night was the only night without nightmares, Dick was far too exhausted to dream at all, let alone have nightmares. But after that? Dick had anchored himself to Bruce every night. Their tails intertwined, Dick sleeping on top of Bruce’s chest (right against his heartbeat). The nightmares still came but Dick could be calmed with the heavy beat of Bruce’s heart in his ear.
Beyond that Dick took to swimming next to Bruce pretty much everywhere he went, holding his hand, climbing on his back, hanging off his arm. Bruce had expected Dick to take a little while to warm up to him but he was clearly clingy. Dick was prone to mood swings, one second hanging off Bruce, the next he was set off and yelling about how much he hated him, only for him to turn around and bury his face into Bruce’s chest. Bruce understood, Alfred gave him knowing glances that told him Bruce had acted similarly when he was Dick’s age. Bruce knew he was a difficult teenager but his early years were mostly lost in his memory, he could only assume that what Dick was going through was normal and he needed their support through what was probably going to be the most difficult time of his life.
Bruce couldn’t say he was sick of, or even perturbed by Dick’s mood swings or his clinginess, but the one thing he was concerned about, was the fact that Dick would not let him leave the cave system.
The fever and desperation that Dick had when Bruce first went to swim out to go hunting had scared both Bruce and surprised even Alfred. Dick would stubbornly not let him leave, trying to physically stop him and when that didn’t work Dick would be hysterical until Bruce was back in the cave and holding him, pressing his ear to Bruce’s chest.
The fear was normal, a trauma response, unwilling to let Bruce suffer the same fate as his parents did, they were protected by the cave. No spears from above, nothing to surprise them, nothing would hurt Bruce, take him away from Dick. But it wasn’t realistic, Bruce couldn’t stay in the cave forever and Dick couldn’t either. Bruce had to go out and get food, hunt some fish bigger than the schools that swam through the cave. Alfred was much too old to be actively hunting and even if he wasn’t it was Bruce’s job, he could provide.
But all of the logic in the world couldn’t quell Dick’s hysterics when Bruce would leave the cave, he wouldn’t follow Bruce, which, as much as it broke Bruce’s heart to leave a wailing child behind, it was a lot easier to hunt without said child clinging to him. Bruce started to make the most of his time out, hunting in bulk, doing what it could to store food so he didn’t have to go out as often. But it wasn’t a sustainable practice, Dick couldn’t cry himself sick until Bruce came back and Bruce should be allowed to come and go as he pleased.
Beyond their hiccups with leaving the cave, life with Dick was pretty good. As he got used to being around Bruce and Alfred, his personality shone through, a charismatic little devil who very quickly became the light of Bruce’s life. He got into every little bit of trouble he could find, getting stuck in little bits of the cave, breaking into places Bruce hadn’t even found before, always getting into Bruce’s stuff. Dick was full of moods, good ones and bad ones but Bruce could never find it in him to regret it at all. Especially not with moments like these.
“Bruce, Bruce, Bruce, Bruce!” Dick said excitedly swimming up to him, until he crashed nearly face first into Bruce. He looked up at him with a wide grin, his teeth caked in blood.
“What did you do?” Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes. Dick’s face didn’t dim and then he proudly presented a fish to Bruce.
“All by myself” Dick said smugly. Bruce was… extremely proud. Hunting wasn’t an easy thing, even for a pup as fast as Dick, as sharp as their teeth and claws are, pups aren’t nearly as coordinated for something like hunting, especially small fish like the one Dick has just caught. Bruce hadn’t really understood having pride in children on little things, but right now? This felt huge, it felt amazing that Dick had done this, every little thing he did felt like a massive accomplishment and he couldn’t help the swelling of pride in his chest.
“Good job,” Bruce said with a smile, pulling Dick closer. Dick giggled and pressed himself closer into Bruce’s side, clearly proud of himself.
“I’m the Apex predator of this grotto!” He announced, a pup growl in his voice.
“Oh yeah?” Bruce asked, an eyebrow raised.
“Mhm!” Dick confirmed smirking up at Bruce.
“So you think you can beat me?” Bruce asked.
“Of course I can! I outran you when we first met.” Dick boasted. Bruce jammed his fingers in Dick’s side and began to tickle him.
“Then you better hope you haven’t gotten slow in your old age, chum.” Dick laughed and squirmed until he managed to get out Bruce’s hold and swam down the cave as fast as he could, Bruce hot on his tail.
Later that night, when Dick had fallen asleep against Bruce’s shoulder, Bruce didn’t hesitate to rest his pup on his chest and wrap his tail around Dick’s. The deep blue, almost purple scales, covering the gray blue-shimmer scales of Dick’s. He would forever mourn the way Dick came into his life, but he would never regret taking in his perfect pup.