𝐂𝐈𝐑𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐘 ━ peter parker

ⅰv. "you forgot our playdate?"

◦

ㅤㅤㅤ"WHEN WERE YOU going to tell me?" Bruce called out from across the gym, voice echoing like rolling thunder past the empty apparatus. Dick grimaced uneasily from the treadmill, pace not faltering as he urged his legs to continue. The fact that he could hear the man even through his headphones was scary - anything that managed to somehow be louder than a Jimmy Page guitar solo was. He didn't even want to look over towards his guardian for fear of what his face might show - he didn't have to. Dick could hear the billionaire's stormy footsteps from a mile away.

Like Dick, Bruce was dressed in his conditioning gear, ready to put both himself and his ward through the workout of their life (as he did every day). But Bruce managed to appear a much more formidable figure than the teen, clean cut muscles rippling with every angry stride. 

Dick tried not to let it show on his face that he had heard the man call out to him: A dangerous game. Ignoring the Bat was almost as bad as... well. Dick refused to acknowledge his mistake - he'd go down with whatever boat he managed to get out of the port... If he ever managed to set sail at all.

"Don't think I can't tell when you're ignoring me, Richard," Bruce hissed, and oh boy. He brought out first names. That hurt. The last time Bruce had called him Richard, Dick had been thirteen and so desperate to one up the newcomer that he'd deliberately sabotaged Batgirl's coms. Not a great first impression (apparently he was slacking in that area). And now, three years later, he was facing down the beast once again - only this time Barbara wasn't there with her heart of understanding-gold to save him. "I know you can hear me."

Dick couldn't tell if the thud thud thud filling his ears was the sound of him running, the drums in his ears or if it was his heart hammering in his chest. Bruce Wayne loomed over him now, a scowl on his face that he usually saved for the more villainous types. With one swift movement, a strong hand came up to rip the Bluetooth device from Dick's head; gone were the sound of sweet, sweet guitars trying to drown Bruce's words, replaced instead by the sound of his feet slamming into the treadmill and the Batman's somehow louder-than-life silence.

Dick blinked, plastering on an innocent, wary smile as he inched his face towards the man. The Wayne held the running machine's cord in hand, disconnected from the mains.

"Bru- er, Bruce," Dick croaked out, voice cracking. When had he gotten so thirsty? "Hi. Is it time for training already? I haven't finished my... warm up... yet..."

Bruce narrowed his eyes and Dick was forced to slow as the machine gradually powered down, excuses tumbling around his mind even as his words tapered off:

"I got a call from Alfred this morning."

"Oh really? That's nice of him," Dick played coy. Bruce wasn't impressed, folding his arms across his chest as he watched the boy awkwardly come to a stand still.

"He said the device I planted on the Midtown Tech student has been deactivated."

"I mean it's impressive that he found it, really. You were super thorough, putting it on a shoe-"

"Instinct tells me you had something to do with it," Bruce finished, ignoring his ward's jibes.

"You always think I have something to do with everything," Dick scoffed, reaching for his water bottle. He felt every inch of Bruce's piercing blue eyes on him as he swallowed his first sip. "Frankly, it's unfair."

"What's unfair is me being right about it all the time. When were you going to tell me, Dick?" Bruce retorted, repeating his previous statement. "Challenging my authority is one thing, but sabotaging a surveillance mission is-"