Chapter Text
To quit. He needs to quit.
For some reason, these words were coming more and more often to Alfred's mind. It had nothing to do with his employers and their wonderful son. No. It was just that something was pulling Alfred home. Back to the UK.
Here he meets Martha and Thomas Wayne. And their son in Martha's arms, Bruce Wayne.
After dinner, after waiting for everyone to go to their rooms, Alfred decided to talk to Master Thomas.
Thomas, as usual, went to his office to deal with the paperwork. He would be working late again, not giving his body a chance to rest. At this thought, Alfred sighed heavily. "Well, this will come back to him in the future," he thought.
Alfred knocked on Master Thomas's office door, waited for permission, and entered.
"Did you have something you wanted to talk to me about, Alfred?" Without looking up from his papers, Thomas asked. From the way he said it, it was clear that he already had a guess as to what the conversation would be about.
"Yes, Master Thomas. I would like to discuss my upcoming opportunity to resign with you," Alfred said confidently, looking at Thomas. His gaze conveyed that he had already made up his mind and was only waiting for confirmation from Master Wayne.
Thomas looked up from the paper and studied Alfred. The atmosphere in the office was tense. In the silence, Martha could be heard mumbling in the distance as she tried to reason with Bruce so that he could go to bed.
"Maybe you'll take a paid vacation?" Thomas spoke without taking his eyes off Alfred.
"No, Master Thomas. I fulfilled my father's last wish. And I would like to go back home," Alfred said confidently.
Silence.
After a couple of minutes, Thomas's voice broke the silence. "Well... It seems like you've made up your mind. You can be free whenever you want. Just say goodbye to Martha and Bruce before you leave. I'll give you your next month's salary and pay for your ticket home." Thomas nervously rubbed his eyes and brought his hand to his face. It seemed like he didn't want to part with his butler, who had become a friend to him.
"I don't need it. Thank you for your kindness, Master Thomas. I'll leave you this afternoon as soon as I finish my business. "Alfred replied sadly but resolutely.
"Alfred. You've done a lot for us. Consider it a parting gift. Better not think about it and go get some sleep. Lowering his hand, Thomas watched as Alfred bowed to him and left the office. After looking at the papers for a couple of minutes, Thomas realized that he couldn't concentrate, so he left the office. /I should tell Martha about this/ he thought, and went to their shared bedroom.
✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧
It's morning.
Martha and Thomas have already woken up and gone to get ready.
*Knock-knock*
Bruce's butler knocks on the door.
There's silence..
/ Bruce always had a hard time getting up early in the morning / - Alfred thinks. Opening the door, he sees a picture that is usual for him.
The bed is in the middle of the room. On it, diagonally lying a boy. His body was half covered by a crumpled blanket. Bruce again threw off the blanket in his sleep, and even tried to take off his nightshirt. Apparently, it was terribly hot during the night.
"Good morning, Master Bruce, it's time to get up," Alfred said in a calm voice, opening the window to let some light into the room.
"Just a little more," Bruce mumbled, turning over on his stomach and burying his face in the pillows.
"If you don't get up, Master Thomas will leave without you. Didn't you want to go with him? He finally allowed you to visit his workplace," Alfred reminded Bruce of his desire to see his father's workplace.
Suddenly, Bruce jumped out of bed and ran to his parents, shouting, "Dad, don't forget to take me with you!"
Master Thomas would definitely not be bored at work. Alfred's mouth twitched slightly. He grinned, imagining Bruce interrogating his father while Thomas struggled to answer his questions.
After breakfast, everyone thanked Alfred for his efforts and went to get dressed.
After that, standing at the front door, Alfred said goodbye to Bruce, Thomas, and Martha, saying that he would never forget them. They left for work.
Alfred had one last task to complete before leaving. By noon, Alfred had finished his tasks and began packing his belongings.
After packing, he took one last look at his former room and began descending to the first floor. After leaving the house, Alfred locked the front door and put the keys in a secret place that only Thomas and Martha knew about. After standing there for a while, Alfred took a deep breath, called a taxi, and headed to the airport.