Rising Robin

Chapter IX: Breakfast

Dick stood at the kitchen counter waiting for the coffee machine to drip the coffee into the glass container. He looked at a nearby clock hanging above a window. It was almost 11:00 AM.

Dick sighed heavily. He was surprised he hadn't slept in longer. Bruce had kept him up the night before. He had pestered Dick the night before with questions about the arrest. He had asked what Detective Gordon had asked Dick. Dick told Bruce everything, but Bruce kept worrying. He was paranoid till Gordon had called Bruce himself. The two talked, & Bruce eventually backed off of Dick. Dick didn't go to bed till after midnight, though. He couldn't managed to get himself to sleep. He kept having nightmares.

Dick shook his head. He didn't want to think about it. He just focused on the coffee dripping into the glass container.

After a few moments, the glass container filled up almost halfway. Dick shut the coffee machine off and poured it into a white mug. Just as Dick was about to take a sip, there was a knock at the front door.

Dick sighed and took a quick sip of the coffee, then walked to the door.

As Dick opened the door, he immediately wished he had looked through the peephole in the door. It could have been a businessman Bruce was expecting. Maybe it was a Playboy Bunny coming to visit Bruce. Maybe it was a random stranger coming to rob Bruce. But when Dick opened the front door, he found the teenage boy Dick saved from the alley the night before.

The boy wore the same red hoodie he wore the night before. He had a few scars & bruises around his face, most likely from the fight he endured, possibly from elsewhere. He was a few inches taller than Dick, & surprisingly looked a bit more muscular. Dick wondered how the he couldn't have managed to fight the attacker off on his own.

The boy smiled. "Hey," he simply said.

Dick nodded. "Dude, how the fuck did you know where I live?"

The boy's smile faded. He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, well, I remember seeing you leave with Bruce Wayne. It's not that hard to find a millionaire's mansion."

"Billionaire," Dick corrected. "Dude, aren't there, like, guards at the front gate or something?"

The boy looked back behind him and shook his head. "No, just a big metal gate with a big W on it. There was a intercom on a keypad by the gate, but I didn't think I could use that without an appointment or something."

"So you sneak onto my property?"

"I'm not about to call to see if Bruce Wayne has a free lunch break to take the time to let me thank his son for saving my ass."

Dick opened his mouth, ready to respond quickly, but that last part caught him off guard. "I'm not his son," Dick said softly.

The boy stared at Dick for a moment, dumbfounded. He scratched his head, like an ape would when confused. Then he snapped his fingers at Dick. "Right, you said your name was Mason."

Dick pursed his lips. "Grayson," he corrected. "Dick Grayson."

The boy nodded, holding his hand out. "Sorry, my bad. I'm Roy Harper, in case you didn't catch that last night either."

Dick shook his hand. Just as he pulled his hand away, Dick heard footsteps approaching from behind. He spun around quickly, almost startled. He only found Alfred walking over slowly.

"Master Grayson," Alfred started. "Good morning."

"Morning, Al," Dick said as Alfred approached him at the doorway.

"You know, sir, it's my duty to tend to welcoming guests," Alfred said softly.

Dick looked up at Alfred, slightly confused. Then it registered through his head. "Oh. You answer the door around here. Oops."