Chapter Text
Friday was here. And Bruce Wayne was proudly picking his kids up from school himself. Alfred had approved of the choice, under the stipulation that Bruce did not take the kids out for treats before coming to the manor. He did not want that to become an expectation of the children and start bad habits. Alfred also wanted the extra time to prep the large portions of after school snacks after getting a run down from Jason, Selina, and dr. Leslie Though it wasn’t last minute, it was between his normal grocery orders. He’d have to move up to the next one. Alfred also noted though it was nice for Bruce to be the one to pick up the children again to bond and show he is invested in them, it would be him doing the next pick up. He didn't want Ellie and Danny to get invested in the habit of their father doing pick ups for it to become an issue when Bruce cant or wont drop a commitment for the task.
Bruce had the suv in the pick up car line, so he could accommodate all the kids. He found the easy smile he had for passersby didn't feel that forced. He spotted his kids coming down the stairs and out the gate. Ellie doing a slide down the concrete safety wall. Danny was talking to Jon about something excitedly. Damian beside Jon, looked disinterested but Bruce recognized it as scouting his surroundings. Duke and Izzy were taking up the rear chatting. Another student bolted past them once they reached the gate. Colton who caught Danny's head to mess up their hair as he bolted past. Danny laughed and shook out their hair shouting something at Colton Bruce couldn't make out at this distance but he saw Colton turn to face them and shake his head with some parting words which seemed to cause Danny to sag, but nod. And Colton took off to a car farther forward. Ellie took Danny's hand and seemed to be trying to cheer him up. Jon wrapped an arm over Danny's shoulder. The group turned towards him and the car. Izzy split for her own trek to the bus stop. This was when Bruce noticed the strange appearance of Danny's pants. He didn’t quite parse it out till they were just a few car lengths away leaving Bruce himself confused when the kids opened the car doors. “Danny, are you wearing your skirt on top of your pants?”
“No, I'm wearing maps. The one you got me is longer remember. Like kino.” Danny corrected him, getting in the back seat with Jon and Ellie. Duke and Damian were currently in a rock paper scissors battle for the front seat. “I brought pants for her. And her mom said she was ok with it and would hide it from her dad. And because I have a long skirt and Pome has a long skirt, maps mom is gonna try to convince her dad to let her get a long skirt too. We just have to figure out how to get olive one too. She’s not the same size as everyone. But we are going to match. Like the heathers. Oh and riko and izzy are gonna match too.”
“The heathers?” Bruce asked.
“Musical, a nice highschool musical.” Duke siad.Damian tried to use his distraction to slide into the front seat. Duke slammed her hand into the frame to block him. “You didn’t win. And I am getting dropped off before you. Sit your happy ass in the back.”
“Boys.” Bruce said sternly.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!” Ellie cheered from the way back.
“We don’t encourage that Ellie.” Bruce corrected her.
“I can sit in the way back Damian. You can sit with Jon.” Danny said tossing their bag further back.”
“Look at Danny resolving conflict back there. You gonna be rude or get your butt in the back?” Damian narrowed his eyes at Duke face pinched.
“Come on Damian.” Jon patted the seat Danny had vacated. “I’m going home after we get to your house.”
“Tsk.” Damian stepped back to the rear door relinquishing the front seat. “This is not a win Thomas."
“Yes it is.” Duke said, taking the front seat. He looked back over at Bruce staring at him and buckled his seatbelt and dropped his book bag on the floor. Once all of them were seated and buckled in. Bruce maneuvered out into the moving traffic lane to head north back to the manor. Bruce just shook his head for his part on the kids normal fussing over shot gun.
“No, Danny shows preference towards my company over yours Thomas." Damian sniffed.
Duke raised a thumbs up over the back of the seat. “Keep favoring him if it gets me shotgun please? I appreciate your sacrafice.” that got a glare in the mirror from Damian and laughter from the other 3 kids.
Bruce just shook his head fondly. “Danny, did you get dress coded?”
“Dr. Strange tried to. But Mr. Hammer was in the office. And he said it was technically within dress code based on the wording in the handbook. It said students were required to pick from the approved pieces of clothing to form their daily attire, and must include appropriate tie, vest and socks with the approved uniform. It does not state how many from each category. Mr. Hammer even gave me a permission slip to show any other teachers who tried to dress code me.”
“Like how we get around Jason's rules?” Ellie asked.
“Yeah!” Danny said to her excitedly. Bruce did not counter their behavior. And lies to himself it’s not being petty, it’s prioritizing Ellie and Danny's comfort for the car ride. Bruce was enjoying it just a tad that Jason was getting a small taste of trying to wrangle intelligent contrarian children. He did not find the irony in that from Alfred's standpoint.
“If you have a problem with dr. strange or any of your other teachers i want you to inform me pleas Danny.” Bruce said to his child. “Same goes for you Ellie.”
“Why?” Danny asked leaned to the side to make bewildered eye contact with Bruce. “I’m not going to snitch on myself. I’m not that stupid.”
“That is debatable with how often you slip when chatter boxing. Though your thoughtlessness is appreciated and beneficial to us more than not.” Damian pointed out.
“Thoughtless isn’t stupid Damian.” Jon corrected him.
“It’s not snitching on yourself.” Bruce corrected Danny.
“It’s not like you’re going to take my side over the teachers after you get their side. And they will twist it no matter what that it’s my fault. So what’s the point?” Danny snipped tucking back behind the seat out of Bruce’s view.
“That’s not true. I will listen to you, just like your mom would.” The car got a little cooler. Jon was turned to look at Danny in the back. Ellie was in his view in the rear mirror looking confused between Bruce and Danny. “Danny, you tell your mom when you have trouble with your teachers or school don’t you? Ellie you do?”
“Jason said we had to listen to our teachers and their classrooms were like their haunt. So we had to follow their rules like a haunt owner. And i can’t fight for the haunt unless I can teach the class. So I have to respect the haunt owner.” Ellie informed him with a shrug. “I don’t know how you tattle on a haunt. You play by their rules, fight or leave.”
“Danny?” Bruce prompted again.
“Adults don’t believe me.” is all Danny snapped out. “The fentons always took everyone elses side. I… i don’t want mom to. The only adult who ever listened to me and believed me was tim.” Duke was looking at the back now too.
“Is that why you haven't told any of your teachers about the bullying? Or your mom?” Bruce asked. His concern growing for his youngest two safety at school if they didn't feel they could trust their teacher or even their mom out of fear. He commends jason for trying to explain the functions of school under systems Ellie understood, but more clarity was required. Danny didn't respond. “Has something happened at this school to give you that idea or is this how it was at your old school?”
“Mr. Gorcherosk didn't even believe me when I told him my name!” Danny shouted annoyed. “I need to not be a freak so dash stops beating me up or stuffing me in the lockers. Cause he's the best football player. So he's not ever in trouble, it's my fault he wont leave me alone. Sam's family is rich and helps fund stuff at school so im in trouble for lunch lady making a mess of the school with tuck, cause sam and tucks extreme changes to the school menu her off. Atleast sam knows its wrong and helped us. All its gonna do is get me in trouble and blamed for sebastian harrassing me. Cause im a nothing but a freak and hes rich and important.”
“Anyone blames you for Byron's behavior, I will have their tongue.” Damian said darkly.
The car got quiet after Damian's outburst. “Why their tongues?” Ellie asked seriously.
“So they may not speak such lies again.” Damian answered.
“You need a tongue to talk," Ellie asked. Jon squealed when Ellie stuck out her tongue and seemingly pulled it out.
“Why would you do that?” “Put it back Ellie.” Both boys in the back said. Danny was laughing though at Ellie's attempts to speak without her tongue. Bruce was happy the back windows were tinted.
“ I can’t wait to patrol.” brue caught Duke mumbling to himself.
“Ellie please reattach your tongue. I don’t want you to drop it in the car and lose it.” Bruce slowly got out. He felt some tension leave when she did as asked. “Danny, do you want to talk about Sebastian Byron? Or Clemente Byron?”
“Why clemente?” “Why the 3rd Byron?” Danny and Damian asked at the same time. Damian turned back to Danny. “Is another of his line shown you ill will or unscrupulous behavior towards you?”
“Clemente is in my chemistry class. He has barely spoken to me. He asked for a pipette once. And i told him his bunsen was to high. And you could tell because of the flame color. He and Tristan corrected it. He missed a day this week. And I had his lab partner Tristan."
“Did everything go well when you had Tristan for a lab partner?” Bruce added on.
Danny once again peaked around the seat looking at him confused and worriedly. “Yeah… did mr. Langstrom say I was a bad lab partner?”
“No, no he said you did very well. And he was proud you stepped out of your comfort zone and agreed to partner with someone else in class.” Bruce let him know.
But Duke’s attention was back on Danny again. “I thought Mr. Langstrom assigned you to Tristan?" Duke asked Danny.
“No he asked me to be his partner. Cause mr. langstrom was going to assign kyle to him. And he didn’t want to work with Kyle." Danny answered. “He felt really irritated when mr. langstrom said kyle would be working with him. I think he asked me cause i was there and you weren’t.”
“It was nice of you to partner with him so he wasn’t mad all class.” Jon said proudly to Danny. Bruce mentally noted Danny could have agreed due to the nature of how ectoplasma reacts to hostile emotions and it was a chemical they were used to working with, so it was a safety precaution or way to control their environment.
“Tristan didn’t do anything to make you uncomfortable or ask you strange questions?” Bruce continued his questioning.
“No. mostly talked about our assignment. He asked if I was friends with maps and Damian. He also said it’d be cool to partner again if we needed to, if I was ok with it. Was I not supposed to?”
“No, it’s perfectly alright. I’m very happy you were able to work with some other students. I was only concerned because I wasn't sure if Tristan was friends with Clemente or Sebastian. I was concerned he was a proxy for them for more harassment.”
“I don’t think clemente is close with his brother.” Duke corrected both Bruce and Damian. Mostly Damian because he was worried for the boys’ safety. And if Sebastian and Clemente hadn’t shown back up at school the next day he might have been worried Damian or Tim might need an alibi to Bruce. He had been a bit shocked to find out the bruising on Sebastian wasn’t from Damian when he had confronted the little assassin. “But I also don’t know of any beef between Kyle and Tristan. Do you want me to ask Danny?” Bruce would tell him what he wanted, but it was important to Duke that he ask Danny what he wanted.
“No. He didn’t like talk shit about Kyle or anything. You can just not like people.”
“This was a productive conversation Danny.” Bruce encouraged Danny. “I appreciate your willingness to discuss school with me. Do you really think we couldn’t have this kind of conversation about negative situations?”
Danny hid back behind damaian’s seat again. Duke cringed at Bruce’s poor attempt at a bit of second hand embarrassment. “We can handle our own school issues on our own father.” Damian quickly came to Danny’s defense.
“You don’t have classes with Danny Damian.” Bruce pointed out he caught Duke mouthing Tim to him out of the corner of his eye. “What about Tim? Would you be willing to be discussing any bullying issues or harassment from teachers or staff with Tim?”
“Danny shrugged mr. b.” Jon informed Bruce. That was better than a no,and Duke was giving him a hidden thumbs up and the drop sign.
“Tsk, you are being to opened ended father. I realize you don’t wish to lead them, but informing them where you believe a threat is come from would be beneficiary." Damian corrected his father.
“Dr. Strange and I have some… hostile history.” Bruce carefully worded his answer. “My meeting with him was concerning. I am worried he will try to be vindictive towards all of you to get at me. I do not have any evidence of wrong doing in his current position to get him removed. So if he does anything out of the norm or that makes any of you uncomfortable I want to be informed to build a case of harassment for removal. Ellie, Damian that includes you. If you are not comfortable telling me. Please let one of your brothers know. Or your mom. Your mother wouldn't blame you for something that's not your fault.”
“Tsk,” “ok.” “Danny shrugged mr. B.” Bruce turned a quick look at Duke. “Right. Will do.” His last child spoke up.
Bruce took what he could get and moved on to who was surprisingly becoming his easiest child. “Ellie, how was your day? Did you have anything exciting happen? Or anything of note?”
“We learned about flowers and plants today. And plant cells. And I have to make a plant cell over the 3 day weekend! And I want Danny to help.” she said excitedly.
“We can probably call Sam. I bet her and aunt Pam could make you a giant real one.” Danny said to her. The temperature becoming less cool in the car.
“Would it be ok if I helped you with your homework sweetheart?” Bruce offered,not wanting Ellie to bring a giant single celled creature to school for safety reasons. “Even if it’s just a method of making one from materials you can do? I’m not sure it will count if it’s your aunt and brother making one genetically.”
“I don’t have powers like that. I’d just make a containment device that would keep up atmospheric pressure enough for it to metabolize at that large of size. While being visible.” Danny answered.
“That is surprisingly forward thinking of you.” Damian said.
“Damian.” Bruce said in a scolding tone.
“Tsk.”
“Yeah, but if I don't like it. I’m going with aunt Pam.” Ellie answered Bruce’s question.
“I will try my best to meet your very high standards Ellie.” Bruce said to her with a smile in the mirror.
“They are!” Ellie said proudly. “I want to make the best!”
“We will start on researching during your after school snack. And then take a break for you to work on your other homework before dinner. We will break for dinner with you other siblings coming home to join us.”
“I’m not coming home for dinner tonight. I let Alfred know.” Duke was quick to interrupt. He did not want the kittens to go looking for him if he wasn’t there.
“And after dinner if your other homework is done. We can compile the items needed for your project. And see where we need to go from there. I’d like to take some time this evening to go over a few things about yourself if you are willing.”
“Is Jon gonna be having dinner with us?” Ellie asked.
“No, I'm going home after we get to the manor.” Jon told her. “My dad’s out of town. So I'm staying home with mom to be the man of the house and watch the city for him.”
“What’s man of the house mean?” Ellie asked him.
“It means I'm the oldest man in the house. So it’s my job to make sure everyone is safe and taken care of.”
“Does that mean Jason is the man of the house when he is over? Or is it Danny? And why wouldn’t your mom be doing that? She does anyway?”
“Uh… I don't know… dad just told me I was the man of the house while he was gone. And i needed to hold down the fort while he was gone and take care of my mom for him and the city if something happened while he was gone and i could do it for him and make him proud”
“That sounds sexist.” Danny said to him with a frown.
“B can I just get out here. Please.” Duke asked. He wanted no part of this growing shit show. It’s why he volunteered to take an extra long shift to give the others more time to get out on the streets who would be joining them. Hoping to only be back at the manor in time to say either goodnight or goodbye to the kittens.
“We are almost to your drop point Duke.” Bruce declined.
“Your mom is way stronger and better than your dad anyway. Bet she handles everything when he’s home too.” Ellie said to him.
“At home, yeah. But mom’s not a super hero. She’s just a regular hero.” Jon answered.
“So why do you need a man of the house then? What makes being a man special that you’re the head of the house, not your mom?” Danny asked. Duke made eye contact with b and just shook his head no.
“I don’t know… I still listen to mom.” Jon said. “But mom tells dad what to do more than he tells her too…” Jon said while thinking hard about it.
“Did your dad tell you that in front of your mom?”
“No.”
“Tsk, of course not. Your mother would have his tongue.” Damian said with an eye roll. “She is of much stronger constitution than your father.”
“What is it with you and tongues today?” Jon asked Damian.
“I’m begging you. I want out. Now.”
“Release him father so I may claim my birthright. Thomas' abandonment of this evening has shown his unworthiness to the seat he holds.”
“Ya know what no. I'm staying right here now till we get all the way there.”
“Jon’s taller than you. Wouldn’t he get to have shock gun next?” Ellie asked.
“That sounds rea…”
“Finish that sentence Jon and I will strike you.”
“No hitting in the vehicle please.” Bruce scolded Damian.
The rest of the trip went better after Damian took up post in the front seat after Duke got out. A little bit of a scuffle over Duke shutting the door instead of leaving it open for Damian. Bruce reminded Duke to check in. and they were off. Damian put on some classical music to help distract his siblings for most of the car ride.
Danny did speak to Bruce. “Um, I have a book report. But it’s not due on Tuesday. I have a whole week.”
Bruce remembered that noted on the syllabus from Mr. Scarlet. And it was taking work for Bruce to continue to mentally call him that after what he had discovered. “That was a group project wasn’t it? Pairs correct? Who’s your partner?”
“Colton.”
“I bet he isss…” Ellie teased him.
“Stooooppp.” Danny said back to her.
“He’s not much of a partner.” Jon grumbled. “He told Danny to do it himself.”
“No he didn’t. He said we couldn’t work on it together at his place cause of his dad. And he didn’t want his dad to know where we lived. So I should just pick the book and send it to him and do the written part. And he would do the presentation part in class. Cause i don’t like that.” Danny corrected Jon.
“I agree. Colton was concerned his father would test their ruse or put Danny in an uncomfortable position. It was a strategic choice. Colton knows Danny is doing worse in the subject than he is.” Damian corrected.
“That’s still all the work.” Jon pointed out.
“No it's not. Colton said he’d check my power point too.”
“Damian, how do you know Colton has a better grade in English than Danny?” Bruce asked his son.
“I may not be the most proficient in the family when it comes to hacking father, but the school’s systems are childplays.”
“Damian we’ve been over this, do not hack things unless it is imperative for a case or safety.”
“It was an important matter. I was not going to make a wild accusation without evidence. I thought Colton’s claim of helping Danny with any subject was false and over exaggerated. However it appears to not be the case. Though marginally.”
“Danny, does Colton know about your powers?” Bruce asked. Because he was not in fact sure with how his kids talked about things in public.
“I don’t think so. Olive does. And Riko and Izzy.”
“Thank you for telling me that.” Bruce said clearly.
He frowned however when Jon leaned over towards Damian to ask “is your dad ok?”
“We have a big library at the manor. One of us I'm sure can help you find a book. If not, we can find one to purchase for an e-reader.” Bruce chose to acknowledge his child over Jon’s comment. “We can congregate there for homework time. That’s usually where your siblings do their work.”
“We do ours at the kitchen table so our family can help while cooking or hanging in the living room.” Ellie told him.
“We can work at the dining table if you prefer, but if you remember Ellie that room isn’t really tied to other social gathering areas. The manor isn’t really designed like your mothers home. All the rooms are separate for privacy and use.”
“The library is the preferred space for a reason, Ellie.” Damian informed his sister, “you will prefer the openness of the library more I assure you.”
“The library is nice.” Jon agreed.
“Ok, we can try it your way.” Ellie said.
Once they arrived at the manor Alfred met them at the door. “I’ve arranged snacks in the dining room buffet style. Please help yourselves, young masters and mistress." Alfred said kindly to the kids. Jon said his goodbyes before heading home. Damian took his siblings ahead to the dining room. Allowing Bruce to have a moment with his father figure. “How was the pick up master Bruce?”
“It could have been better, but it was informative.” Bruce said handing over his business attire in a dress bag so it hadn’t bothered his youngest. It had been stored in the trunk. “Will dinner be at the normal hour? I intend to check some messages then join the kids to help brainstorm some ideas for school assignments.”
“No. Dinner will be postponed an hour to make sure the children all arrive on time and to give master Danny and mistress Ellie time to decompress before the evening meal. Master tim intends to bring along some of their supplements. I would very much like to have access at the manor to all of the children’s needs, master Bruce.”
“I will discuss that with Danny and Tim tonight and Selina at our exchange.”
“Has ms. Kyle given you a time to expect her to pick up the children?”
“Not yet. But I hope it will be in the morning or later.”
“That’s rather optimistic of you master Bruce. Careful not to get too caught up in your office.” Alfred dismissed Bruce. “I’ll bring you a spot of tea to your office.”
“Thank you Alfred. I do not intend to.”