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drabble! / pre-prologue / bubble I
warnings: mentions of neglect, mentions of death (jason lol), English is not author's first language, a side-character OC as childhood friend, BUBBLE BEE, not proof-read.
pairings: yan!platonic!batfam x reader
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Your happy memories with your family, excluding Alfred Pennyworth, were like metal set out in the open for three years. Utterly brittle, absolutely terrible.
When you first came in, you were... how old are you again? Four? Five? Pretty sure it was four... Yeah, four... You were found unconscious in an abandoned building after Batman heard a child's screaming after glass shattered nearby.
You were on the ground. Alive, but had a head injury. There was a nearby shovel around your body, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what made you unconscious. Problem is, there was no evidence found on the shovel to prove that. Whatever, it's okay; you're okay.
But after that, you don't know what happened.
The earliest memory you can remember after that incident is playing with your bubble wand in the gardens as Alfred watched nearby, sipping tea. But the memory of you being taken into the manor? Getting introduced? Having your own gala like your siblings? If you even had one... Nothing.
"No use of crying over spilt milk, [Name]. Keep moving forward." Was what "Sister" used to say to stop you from diving back into the past too much.
And they were right. So you looked forward to your new life, your new family, your new lifestyle.
Let's start with your family, shall we?
Bruce Wayne. Billionaire owner of Wayne Enterprises. You're not exactly happy or pleased with this man as your father.
As the owner of Wayne Enterprises, he is naturally a busy man. So you completely understand why he never spends time with you. He was just too busy.
Then it was your eldest brother, Richard Grayson, or rather, Dick Grayson. Charismatic and charming, a sun in the cold, dark manor. Who wouldn't love him? He was kind, empathetic, and was the first sibling who supposedly welcomed you in. Although there was no proof of that, you trusted Alfred's recollections.
He led you to your room, was nice to you, and promised to be the best brother ever. Promised to play with you one day. Promised to make some bubble solutions together with [favourite color] dye. Did he fulfill those promises, though?
Not really. Hell, not at all.
The thing is, being someone as charismatic as Dick, you are bound to have many, many friends, and making various promises and plans means you are signing up for forgetting something important.
And one of the many things he's forgotten is your plans to bond together. And to you, although it hurt, that's fine. He has many things going on in his life. So you completely understand; he won't change anything just for you.
Jason Todd, your second-oldest brother. Unlike your bond with Dick, you both actually clicked. He was almost like Dick, happy and positive; you and he actually conversed! It wasn't much, but it was something. You two were almost close, almost at the line of siblings.
But this was about the time when your suspicion started. Whenever you and Jason tried to hang out, he was suddenly whisked away just like that. Dick too. As children, why were they always gone? Shouldn't children have lots of time to play, just like in the books?
The logic wasn't adding up in your little head, so you trusted your Intuition to guide you.
It was the dead of night, and Alfred had tucked you in to sleep a few hours ago. When you were sure the butler was gone, you jumped up from your bed and started to sneak around when you heard doors opening and footsteps on the ground.
You pressed your little head against your door, just like how those books showed when children wanted to listen to see if their mother was asleep or not, so they could steal cookies. Pretty sure enough, that led you to the discovery that Mr. "I'm Batman" is actually Bruce Wayne after quietly exiting your room, popping your head out of the place you were hiding in, and witnessing the act of your father taking off the ridiculous cowl while talking to Alfred.
You suppressed a gasp as you slid back into your hiding spot. But thanks to your amateur skills, the butler saw your sparkling, shocked eyes in the corner of his eye. As your supposed father went off to wherever he was supposed to go, Alfred calmly walked over to your hiding spot and picked you up.
"Why, isn't Master [Name] up early today? You're in big trouble, young master." Was what the butler said while carrying you to your room.
Of course, you got a long explanation and lecture from the butler in your room.
"So Batman is Daddy?" You questioned, your big ol' eyes staring innocently back at the butler's blue ones. "And my brothers are heroes too?"
"Yes, Mx. [Name]," Alfred said as he set your small body on your bed.
"...so will I become a hero too?!" You said excitedly, slightly bouncing on the bed.
"If you wanted to, Mx. [Name]," the butler said, already tucking you in. "But you must be certain with this: this is a secret, and it stays between you and me, and it will stay that way. Am I through?"
After the discovery, you finally knew the main reason why your father and brothers didn't have time. They were HEROES! So whenever they left, you just sat there, happy knowing that your family was helping the city become a better place! And as time went on, just when you and Jason were about to get close, fate had the best idea in mind!
But he came back...! He looks... different. Acts different too. He's angry, rebellious, arrogant, if you will- completely different from the Jason you knew. Still, you tried to slowly warm up to him instead of jumping into his arms, knowing it would cause much more problems. But your attempts were completely disregarded as he went on to become Red Hood.
Perhaps this is why "Sister" taught you Integrity? But can this really be used in this context after you found out he revived due to the Lazarus Pit? But you understand, he changed, and will never be the same again.
Then, we've got Tim Drake. Genius of the family. Intellectual, intelligent, and an absolute workaholic. You believe that this boy here lives on caffeine and... caffeine. Just pure caffeine.
Other than that, he doesn't interact with you much; hell, did he even talk to you? I mean, he had cases to crack, investigations to solve, and definitely won't ever have time for you in the slightest.
Cassandra Cain, though? You thought of her better than the rest of the family. She has a difficult time with language, be it speaking or literature. But the lack of traditional conversation doesn't mean you can't see her compassion for everyone. And unlike everyone else who literally just focuses on their work, you find out that she loves ballet and acting.
You both barely communicate, as she would prefer to lurk in the shadows, and you're fine with that. She didn't have many reasons to talk to you anyway; she was a vigilante, and you are not. So why should she communicate with a sibling that's outside of family matters?
Stephanie Brown, the outgoing and headstrong girl. You admired her for the same reason. And with her past with the Cluemaster, you liked her determination to change for the better.
But of course, just like Dick, she had many relationships to catch up on and create. Sometimes, when you focus hard and experience enough, repeating factors will always happen.
Damian Wayne. Oof, this guy? While you were happy that this menace of a child was the first to see you, you weren't exactly happy with how the conversation went. Buddy straight up pulled a sword on you after Alfred had just opened the damn door. But you can't be fazed... How could you, when you've seen your family's shenanigans from afar for so long?
So, you just slowly pushed the sword away calmly as Alfred introduced you to Damian. This boy probably thinks of you as unworthy of the family's pride or something. Not worthy of the last name Wayne when he found out that you weren't a vigilante like the rest of the family.
Duke Thomas. The person who is often titled "the only sane one". But in this family, NO ONE is sane. Enthusiastic and smart is what you'd usually describe him as by default, but the more you understand him, the more you'd describe him as chaotic and creative.
Unlike everyone else in the family, you have a normal relationship with him. You both often exchange a few words, but that's about it. This dude has school, and you do too. So it's bound that you both barely have any chance to properly bond.
But the person you respect and love the most? Of course it's Mr. Alfred Pennyworth. This man single-handedly raised you and your entire "family" all at the same time. AND he still found time for you! You call him "Papa" after Bruce Wayne here forgot to sign you up for preschool. And ever since then, you turned that title to Alfred, since he's the only one who fits it. He cares for you, he worries for your education, and he loves you like his own child.
While you love Alfred deeply, he has an entire manor to keep together, which means he can't be there for you most of the time. And when humans lack something, they'll always use another way to make it up for it. And for you?
You'd blow bubbles for the sake of preventing yourself from drowning in an abyss called depression. Alone in the gardens, playing with soap solution sounds lonely and impossible for such a big family you're a part of. But fate works in many ways.
You thought that this would be your life for all of eternity, sad and alone with soapy hands.
Until you met your loyal and eternal companion, Bubble Bee. Or rather, "BB", as you may call it.
You both met purely by chance when you snuck off to one of Gotham's nearest beaches. It was after Tim Drake was welcomed into the family. How did Alfred not notice? It was during one of his much-needed vacations, when he was sent back home to England, and most importantly, when you were most free.
Too bad, since you had declared a visit to the nearest beach as a necessity, not a luxury. Ah, how proud you are of your younger self.
You managed to get there when the sun was up high. You'd guess it was probably 12 pm or 1 pm. It's a miracle you made it there alone unscathed. As you walked against the sand and looked around in wonder, eventually walking to a field of coconut trees, you met it.
Light blue with a normal blue stripe across its comically palm-sized square body, wings that seemingly don't need to flap to fly, and its face... An embodiment of ":0". Is it adorable? Yes. To you, at least.
You tilted your head at it in confusion.
It did the same back with its entire body, mimicking you.
...it didn't take long before you decided to follow in Bruce Wayne's footsteps and adopt the little fella. Did it look alien? Yes, so what? It's not harming you at all, look- it's even blowing bubbles at you!
So you opened your bag, and it snuggled inside, fitting perfectly. It seemed to giggle as bubbles started emitting from its mouth before eventually popping.
You made it back home safely before the sun set, running back home with urgency as you had completed your goal of visiting the beach. Unfortunately, your family still didn't notice your disappearance. But it was once in a lifetime when you felt your family's negligence was a blessing in disguise.
"This is your new home now, little one!" You said excitedly as you quietly closed the door to your room, setting your bag down as it slowly came out of the bag to examine your room.
"Welp, I can't understand bee language... so you'll have to tell me what you want through body language!"
It didn't respond to you after that, but it did immediately search for something around your room. It flew quickly, from your wardrobe to the sink, from your bed to your mirror, until finally it set its eyes on your table.
More specifically, that clean box cutter you've got.
That night, under the moonlight's supervision, you and BB made a "blood bond" by exchanging a drop of blood like those cliché dramas. Now, you were younger back then, so you didn't really put much thought into how dangerous it was, but hey- it was really worth it. Because from that day on, you can-
"Bzt. Bzzz buhz" (Hey. Stop daydreaming.)
BB smacks your face with its body, calling you back into the real world.
"Buzz buhz buzzz bubzt bzz bzt" (You still got homework to do.)
...you can understand BB now.
And to prevent your so-called "family" and dear Alfred from finding out about you adopting a creature as a buddy, BB and you made an agreement on "when a family member comes into view, the bee will act as a plushie". You've been running with that cover-up for years, and it works extremely well.
Moving on to another aspect of your life, school. Much surprised that you have a life outside of sulking, wishing your family saw you...
Ever since preschool, you didn't have much friends. Not that you were socially awkward, you just didn't have anyone to actually connect with you on a level. You'd often get called "childish" for your love of bubbles by your classmates,
Except for a boy you met back in fourth grade.
He was a transfer student from Russia. A quiet boy, eyes constantly down, shoulders slumped, with a hoodie concealing 90 percent of his face and body, extremely introverted. You didn't pay much attention to him; he's kind of like those stereotypical quiet kids at the back of the class, if you may.
You wouldn't, if it weren't for the damn teacher arranging him to sit with you. Said it was "for loners' icebreaking", my ass. And it made you even madder when it actually worked. You and Boris get along well, impossibly well.
So after a few months as deskmates, you both practically became inseparable. You have been best friends for ages, even until now, when you are both in high school in the same class, same seat as in fourth grade.
He calls you "bubs" and "bubbles", a short nickname for "bubbles" in the former, referencing your love for the fragile balls of air.
You call him "buns", in reference to his love for baking and tendency to bring you his special baked goods. Just thinking about it makes you-
"BUZZZ BUZT BUHZZ!!" (STOP DAYDREAMING ALREADY!!)
"My dear? Are you talking to someone?" Alfred's muffled voice comes from outside your bedroom door as you slap a hand over your mouth, and BB falls dramatically on your table, already acting like a plushie.
"Just Boris, Papa! I'm on call with him!"
"Well, you might want to put that aside for now, my dear. Your family has just finished eating."
"Oh! Dinner time! Coming, Papa!"
You quickly threw the pencil you were holding onto the surface of your homework, already rushing to get to the door.
"I'll be back with fruits, BB!" You whisper-yelled to the bee, who merely blinked at you as a sign of affirmation before you ran out of your room, rushing to the dinner table. It's not nice to keep an old man waiting, after all!
Alas, if this were the life you had as [Name] Pennyworth Wayne, there's nothing you'd ask for more.
Especially not since this is the beginning of the end.
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ik i said no upcoming posts after the pre-prologue but whatever lemme feed my readers before my exam (literally tmr im so cooked💔)
oh yeah to any russian ppl out here reading this, PLEASE TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT YALL, MY RESEARCH ISN'T ENOUGH FOR ME TO WRITE OUT BORIS
taglist: @ghostlyworld @wegottastayfocus
