Batbros Forever

Scared

Bruce had what Alfred liked to call 'trust issues' that manifested themselves in a very secretive lifestyle. Granted, some of it was necessary. They couldn't have just anyone coming over to the Manor for fear that they could be enemies of Batman or gold-digging civilians.

Unfortunately, this made socializing a bit harder for Bruce's boys. It was hard to make friends when you only saw each other in school, and they could only make excuses about why their house was off-limits for so long before the other children decided they weren't worth the hassle. Still, the boys made due.

More of the Justice League members had kids now, and those Bruce trusted were allowed at the Manor. And of all the young proteges, no one spent more time there than Wally West and Roy Harper. Dick and Wally had been best friends since before they began their hero careers, while Jay and Roy had been adopted around the same time.

Despite the age difference, the four boys were quite close, and their mentors would often bring them together for sleepovers and the like. This time it was Bruce's turn to host.

III

The boys were in Dick's room packing for their main event of the night.

They were going to camp out in the woods behind the Manor, and they needed to make sure they had all the supplies to not have to come back inside till morning. They were talking animatedly about the fun they were going to have when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Dickie?" Tim called, sticking his head through the doorway. Roy and Wally snickered at the nickname, but the Wayne boys ignored them. "Alfred said to give you these." Tim said, holding out a container of freshly baked cookies. Jay and Wally pounced on the still-warm treats and shoved a few in their mouths.

"Hey, those have to last all night." Dick warned, snatching the bowl and shoving it in his pack. "Can I come with you guys?" Tim asked, looking hopefully at his big brothers.

Dick and Jason exchanged glances. They didn't want to hurt little Timmy's feelings, but they also didn't feel like babysitting him all night. "Sorry kid," Roy answered for them. "But this camp out has a height requirement, and Jay just barely passes."

"Yeah, we're gonna be telling scary stories and stuff. We wouldn't want you to get nightmares." Wally added, trying to be a bit more tactful. "I would not." Tim huffed, standing up as straight as he could to look taller. "Sorry Timmy. Jase and I will take you out some other time." Dick promised.

Tim pouted, but the older boys were already going back to discussing the night ahead of them.

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With Jay and Dick off in the woods, dinner was much quieter that night. "You ok Timmy?" Bruce asked, noticing the boy had barely touched his food. "I want to sleep in the tent with Dickie and Jay." Tim whined.

Bruce thought for a minute. Tim was one of the youngest of the League kids by quite a bit, so he didn't have anyone to invite over. Bruce sighed. He didn't want to do this, but Tim looked so upset, and he hated that more than he disliked the idea of what he was about to propose.

"How about you call your friend Stephanie and have her come over?" He suggested, and his son's face lit up. "Really?" Tim asked, snapping out of his mood. Bruce hardly ever allowed civilians over to the house at least not until they'd had full background checks.

"Sure. It's a bit late notice for a sleepover, but I don't see why she couldn't come over and play for a few hours." Bruce smiled. Tim jumped from his chair and raced to phone his friend. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all.