The babysitter

Seven

After breakfast everyone left to their rooms besides Dick. Who was watching me clean up the dishes. I smirked and looked up at him, "Need something?"

"I'm just bored." Dick shrugged and followed me to the kitchen.

"You can go talk to your brothers. They seem pretty bored with school out." I shrug trying to get him to go away so I can focus on work.

"Yeah, I will later. Right now you seem like you need a friend." Dick shrugged and sat on the counter as I loaded the dishwasher.

"I have tons of friends at home." I defend.

"How long have you been at Gotham?" Dick asked.

I almost laughed. I wasn't sure how someone could see Gotham as a home with all the crime and dirty streets and no scent of strawberries and the ocean. "No, no, no. My home back in New York."

"You don't like it here in Gotham?" Dick laughed.

"Oh yes, getting robbed and losing my Burger King is nice." I rolled my eyes and closed the dishwasher.

Dick laughed before remembering something, then his face turned into a look of confusion, "What?"

"Oh, I almost got mugged then some dude in a leotard saved me. But I lost my Burger King." I started to the laundry room to finish the work in there.

"You mean Nightwing?" Dick asked.

"Yeah, that's it. Is he a recent around here?" I asked.

"Kind of. He's more in Bludhaven than Gotham." Dick was staring off into space as if he was contemplating his life.

I tried to connect the dots between what he said and something he could have been hiding before deciding not to. It was his personal life and I was just a worker. "Cool. Speaking of Bludhaven aren't you supposed to be there. You have a job."

"Oh, I get two days off because 'I saw something traumatic.'" He sounded very annoyed at the fact that he had to take time off, "'Course what I saw wasn't asterous but it wasn't disastrous."

"Is that an actual word?" I searched my brain for what Annabeth has tried to teach me but couldn't come up with much. Dick's laugh broke me from my train of thought so I shrugged and continued rotating the laundry. "So, you don't seem very disturbed at what you saw."

"I am very turbed. I've been a cop for a bit so I'm used to stuff like that." Dick shrugged.

"Turned?" I whispered to myself, "Can I ask what you saw?"

"Oh, I saw a first degree homicide." Dick said quietly.

"Oh," I said softly, "You don't sound used to it."

"I don't think you can ever get used it to, it just doesn't faze you as much as it used to." Dick shrugged. Desperately looking for something to change the subject.

I nodded, the silence was becoming awkward. After stuffing the clothes in the dryer and pushing the start button I look back at Dick, "Have you talked to someone about this? Maybe it could help just a bit."

"A few times." Dick said.

The air got more tense, "Alright."

I racked my brain for anything to get us off this topic that wasn't career related or trauma related, which ruled out everything about me. "Weren't you in a circus? I think I remember my friend telling me about that."

"Oh!" Dicks eyes lit up, having forgotten about the topic before. He has his dreams and hopes in his crystal blue eyes. You could see the passion he had for the circus, "Yes, I was. I was part of a family group called The Flying Graysons. My mom and dad were in it with me. We traveled from town to town, it was very aster."

I smirked at him, "Sounds like it."

After walking to the supply closet to get the vacuum, "What does aster mean?"

Dick laughed, "It's be opposite of disaster. Meaning good, since dis meaning the opposite of, you take it out and it's aster."

I bite my bottom lip trying to connect the dots, I never paid attention in English since I couldn't read anything that was going on, "Hmh, seems good enough."

"Have you ever been to a circus?" Dick asked.

"Maybe once. If I did I don't remember it." I shrugged and plugged in the vacuum before I could get a reply. I could see Dick furrow his brow and unplug the vacuum.

"Why not?" Dick asked, "It's the best place in the world."

"Next to the beach." I send a pointed glare, "But I dunno. I've always wanted to but my stepdad wouldn't let us."

"Us? Do you have any siblings?" Dick wondered.

"Kinda. But no. I'm an only child." I take the cord from his hands and plug it back in. Since part of the job I have it watch the kids and make sure the stay out of trouble and pick up some of the work from Alfred so he could have more relaxing time.

Any time Dick was going to unplug the vacuum I would give him a sharp glare and he would deflate like a balloon and walk away. When I got done and started to put the vacuum away, Damian came up to me. "Jackson. I would like to spar again."

"Okay, give me a sec to put this away and I'll be down there." I give him a small smile and walk away to put the vacuum cleaner up.

"So, where is your stepdad now?" Dick asked, following me back to the closet.

"When did this become interrogate Percy time? I'm supposed to be working." I gave him a pointed look. Easily avoiding the question.

"But I'm bored!" Dick whined like a child.

"You have this whole mansion, find something to do." I smirked and followed the path to the training room.

"I've done everything possible in this mansion. There's nothing new." Dick walks behind me, stepping on the back of my shoe trying to flat-tire me.

"Would you stop that?" I laugh with him but he doesn't stop, "But I'm sure you can find something new," Before he can say anything I jump in, "Without, annoying me."

Dick pouts as we walk into the training room. He sits against the bench on the wall where Tim sat before. Damian already had the sword ready for me as I walked into the mat, "Ready, Jackson?"

"Sure." I shrugged and grabbed the sword from him.

1071 words

5/19/21

Dang. It's been awhile, but I got all my project done that have been assigned. Now I only have a one pager and the math final. Then I'll be done with my freshman year.

Anyway, back into important stuff that y'all care about, do y'all want a plot in this book cuz it's weird to write without a plot in mind. Also, what should I do for the next chapter because as y'all can probably tell, it's a Dick x Percy story. Do y'all want that to be the main focus or be a side thing?

Pieces Angels and Stay Safe