Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or any of its characters. Big surprise there. Not sure if anyone is still reading this fic but here we go. Enjoy!

Chapter Summary: "So, is it true he ain't Batman's sugar daddy?" Jason asked, jerking a thumb in Bruce's direction and effectively making him choke on his coffee. - Sequel of the previous chapter.

Bruce kind of needs saving from the two kids now living under his roof.

...

Dick slid down the shiny banister of the large staircase with a grin on his face and sprinted in the direction of the kitchen as soon as his feet touched the ground.

He and Bruce had breakfast together every day before Dick left for school and B went to work, except for when there was a meeting at WE or some other boring thing B had to be early for, like today. If Dick wanted to at least see him and wish him a good day he needed to hurry.

"Morning, B! I- uh. Hi?" Dick finished awkwardly, meeting the defensive glare of the skinny boy sitting to Bruce's left side with a bewildered look of his own.

"Good morning."

Dick stared at Bruce as the man continued staring at his newspaper and then turned back to the other boy. He took in the shaggy hair that covered a large part of his gaunt face, and the way he looked tiny and scrawny in the dirty and worn out red hoodie he was wearing- and why did Alfred leave him keep it anyway? But the most important question was why in the world was some strange kid in the Manor having breakfast with Bruce?

"Good morning, Master Dick."

"Um. Morning Alfie," He replied quietly. Dick watched as Alfred placed a plate of pancakes and glass of juice for him at Bruce's right side and then glanced back to the strange boy who was still watching him warily but hadn't stopped eating. "Thanks."

Bruce reached for his coffee as soon as Alfred left the kitchen with one last pointed look, and drank from it to give himself time to think of the best way to explain this while Jason and Dick continued eyeing each other with suspicion and curiosity respectively. If he was honest, Bruce hadn't expected to have to deal with this. He should have been out of the Manor by the time Dick woke up so Alfred should have been the one explaining this.

Alfred certainly hadn't been impressed when he watched him enter the kitchen with a frowning boy behind him. He hadn't said anything, of course, but the gaze he gave him was enough to let him know they would be having a long talk about this later. Really, if Alfred hadn't been here the whole time, and if he didn't know Dick as well as he did, Bruce would have suspected the butler was to blame for Dick's early presence.

He sighed, resigned to the fact he was going to have to deal with this, and put his paper aside before filling his mug again and taking another long gulp.

"Dick, this is Jason. He's going to be staying with us for a while. Jason, this Dick. He's my ward."

"Dick?" Jason snorted.

The boy still standing frowned. "That's my nickname."

Jason shrugged, shoving another forkful of pancakes into his mouth before turning to look at Bruce. "What's that mean?"

Bruce held back a grimace along with the urge to chide him for talking with his mouth full. It wasn't the boy's fault he didn't have good manners. "What?"

"Ward," Jason explained with an eye roll.

"It basically means I'm B's foster kid," Dick explained before Bruce said anything, walking to sit in his usual seat. "You're his foster kid too?"

"NO!"

"No."

Bruce and Jason watched each other for a moment before Bruce turned to look at Dick. "He's not my ward, but like I said, he will be staying with us temporally."

Dick still wasn't sure what was going on here, but he still nodded before turning his attention back to Jason. "Batman brought you here?"

"Yeah. He brought you here too?"

"Not really," Dick admitted with a shrug. It should surprise him to hear Batman dropped a kid here just like that, but somehow it didn't. Batman was Batman and B seemed unable to say no to anything he asked. "It was Bruce who brought me here first, but Batman brought me back when I snuck out."

Jason shot a glare in Bruce's direction before looking at Dick. "What did he do?"

"What? I don't- Oh. B didn't do anything. I snuck out because I- You know, I was being stupid and stuff," He finished with a shrug.

"What did you do?"

"I wanted to look for the man who killed my parents," Dick admitted softly. He looked up when he felt Bruce's huge hand covering his fist and offered him a tiny smile.

"Oh. You didn't find him, then?"

"I didn't, but Batman found him. He's in jail now."

"Good," Jason said. He turned his attention to his place, using his index finger to collect the leftover syrup there before sticking it in his mouth.

Bruce remained silent and watchful even when there was a lull in the conversation. He still wasn't sure how long Jason would be staying in the Manor, but it was good that the boys seemed to be getting along well enough.

Dick watched Jason for a moment longer before turning his attention to his pancakes. It took him a few minutes of careful deliberation to chose what toppings he wanted to use this time to complete his colorful masterpiece, but once it was finished he looked down at his plate with a proud smile.

"So, is it true he ain't Batman's sugar daddy?" Jason asked, jerking a thumb in Bruce's direction and effectively making him choke on his coffee.

Dick's fork clattered as it fell on his plate under the sound of Bruce coughing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "It means that a rich guy-"

"That's enough!" Bruce interrupted as soon as he was able to speak again, which thankfully happened before the youngest boy could say another word. "Jason, we already talked about this. I support Batman because I believe what he does is good for the city and because I have the means to do it."

"And 'cause you have a crush on him."

"Dick!" Bruce shouted. "I do not have a crush on anyone."

The older boy shrugged, reaching for his glass of juice with a completely unrepentant expression. There was an amused smirk on Jason's face as the boy looked at him with raised eyebrows, but he thankfully remained silent.

Bruce willed the blush on his face away and had to clear his throat before speaking. "Dick, you're going to be late for school if you don't eat quicker."

Dick opened his mouth to say it was too early for him to be late, but a question came to his mind then. "Jason isn't going to school?"

"No. Jason's arrival at the Manor wasn't exactly legal, so nobody can know he's here." Bruce almost winced. Was that really the kind of example he wanted to set for Dick? The boy already knew he supported an outlaw vigilante and now he was telling him it was alright if they broke the law too.

"Oh."

Bruce didn't miss the hasty way Jason looked away as soon as he glanced in his direction, nor the flick of disappointment that flashed across his face. He wondered when was the last time the boy went to school. It was obvious he had been living in the streets for some time, and it didn't sound like the people in the place Batman took him to first cared too much about the well-being of the kids in their care.

Maybe they could do something about that. Bruce was sure Alfred wouldn't mind taking in a young pupil for a bit.

"You can tell Jason about what you learn today at school once you come back. If he wants to, of course," He added with a smile in Jason's direction.

Dick frowned. That sounded cool, yeah, but it wasn't enough. "You're going to work, right?"

"I am."

"And you're going to leave Jason here all alone?"

Bruce looked at Jason before turning back to Dick. "He will be with Alfred."

"Well, yeah. Alfie is awesome and all but he has to take me to school, and then he's got lots of stuff to do all day long." Bruce already knew where this was going, but he merely arched an eyebrow. He didn't have to wait long. "I should stay here today to keep him company. He'll totally get lost if someone isn't here to show him around the Manor."

He met Dick's puppy dog eyes with an unimpressed look. Still, he couldn't deny Dick's idea had merit. Bruce had no doubt Alfred would do a fine job looking after Jason for a few hours, but maybe it would be better if Jason was with someone close to his age. It could make it easier for him to ask questions or speak freely if he was with another kid, just like the last minutes had shown.

"Alright. But we're going to have your teachers send your schoolwork and you're going to take the time to complete it without complaints," Bruce added before he started celebrating. Dick was a smart boy, but he would never choose to sit down to study or do homework when he could be moving around doing literally anything else.

"Sir, yes, sir."

It wasn't easy to suppress the urge to roll his eyes, but he settled for giving him a look. Bruce looked at Jason then, watching as the boy squirmed in his seat but met his gaze straight on.

"I need to go to the office today but I will be back soon, alright? Alfred and Dick are going to be here the whole time, so if you need anything you can ask them."

"Sure," Jason said with a shrug, but there was an apprehensive look in his eyes.

Bruce hesitated, wondering if he could call Lucius to try to reschedule the meeting or simply ask him to handle it himself. He knew and trusted the man, of course, but-

"Don't worry, B. I'm gonna take care of Jason until you're back," Dick assured him with a smile.

"Hey!" Jason protested before Bruce could say anything. "I don't need nobody to do that. I can take care of myself."

"That-"

"Alright, that's enough. Just be good for Alfred, okay? Both of you. I will be back in a few hours."

Bruce walked to Dick's side and kissed his forehead in farewell as the boy wrapped his arms around his neck and wished him a good day. He paused when he reached Jason's side, and then reached to put a hesitant hand on the boy's shoulder- only to pull it back a second later when he felt his body go stiff under his touch.

He felt a pang of pain in his chest as he witnessed the sharp contrast between the boys' reaction to physical contact. Bruce couldn't even begin to imagine what exactly would cause that kind of behavior in a boy so young.

There was no doubt in his mind now that Jason couldn't go back to living in the streets or some other unsafe place. Batman was probably already working on finding him a safe place, but Bruce was still going to make sure Jason was safe and happy wherever he went.

...

a/n: Yeah, Bruce is still a bit in denial about the fact he now has two kids. It shouldn't take him too long to realize that.

So, I know this is supposed to be about Batman and Bruce but I just couldn't resist the idea of forcing Bruce to have to explain why there was a new kid in the Manor and Dick's reaction to it. I almost added Alfred's as well but this was already too long so I didn't. I think we can all imagine how that went. 😉

Also, thank you for the reviews and favorites! I know it's been a while since I posted a new chapter, but it's great to see more and more people have continued to enjoy this crazy idea of mine and took the time to tell me so.