“So, Master Bruce… this is the child who stole two of your Batmobile tires?”
A voice—aged, clear,29Please respect copyright.PENANAdIFeN6FZV6
drifted from the shadows of the Batcave.29Please respect copyright.PENANAQvez6kKw9E
It was impossible to tell whether it was surprised or amused.
Alfred stood there,29Please respect copyright.PENANAeR3BxygJw2
holding a silver tray29Please respect copyright.PENANAhjyD4vsrYd
with freshly brewed hot milks and two biscuits.29Please respect copyright.PENANA6QbBn888S0
His eyes fell on the boy,29Please respect copyright.PENANA3kpyxrL1wJ
who looked absolutely unrepentant—29Please respect copyright.PENANA9W6QnDfSJ8
in fact, slightly proud.
Batman frowned,29Please respect copyright.PENANAuLY0gq0ip2
his brow creasing into shadow.29Please respect copyright.PENANAiC7ARUygN4
“The first time he did it, I was so pissed,29Please respect copyright.PENANA4U1xpYewLm
I circled the block twice before daring to come back to the car.”
That first time—29Please respect copyright.PENANAcqNrRZaerX
he hadn’t even spoken.29Please respect copyright.PENANAIRi7ontjwV
Just grabbed the kids, one in each hand,29Please respect copyright.PENANAEpIRqwyi7I
and dropped them back near the church in the slums—29Please respect copyright.PENANAhnq428XHvb
the safest place he could find.29Please respect copyright.PENANAv1FbiJjkLQ
He’d given them one warning:29Please respect copyright.PENANApqygyuO38q
“Don’t come near the Batmobile again.”
Jason hadn’t cried.29Please respect copyright.PENANAEH2rFtMQMg
He looked angry.
Nana had kept her head down,29Please respect copyright.PENANA6ZLrrF5Rcu
but her hand had clung tightly to the back of Jason’s shirt.
They got no answers about Robin.29Please respect copyright.PENANA6hIEmP7PAm
Just that cold word “Go home,” left behind in the wind.
Three days later—29Please respect copyright.PENANAiekuN7miuE
same place,29Please respect copyright.PENANAwX4yZR8tWK
same car.
This time,29Please respect copyright.PENANA0iExR9XpED
four wheels gone.
“Master Bruce,” Alfred said dryly,29Please respect copyright.PENANAGOD3427FlH
“I sincerely believe that if this child turns to crime,29Please respect copyright.PENANAdkGzcO8fOW
we may never see your Batmobile’s tires again.”
“…Each of those wheels is taller than him.29Please respect copyright.PENANA8OQLKYLvf3
How did he even—”29Please respect copyright.PENANA5pSDAUBemQ
Batman muttered,29Please respect copyright.PENANA9F9V0gtbFo
somewhere between shock and disbelief.
Alfred calmly added,29Please respect copyright.PENANAFyJ3Bk9iGQ
“He also recalibrated the tire pressure.29Please respect copyright.PENANAugwqp1KsP3
Perfectly balanced.”
This time,29Please respect copyright.PENANAofdr14nqdS
Batman was silent for a long moment,29Please respect copyright.PENANA2oCQTgtCqX
eyes on the two children.
Then he sighed.
He knew who they were.29Please respect copyright.PENANAJgNuXzjhVG
After dropping them off that night,29Please respect copyright.PENANAaobsm0LeIU
he’d looked into it.
Jason Todd—29Please respect copyright.PENANAfIyPdGNn0E
no mother,29Please respect copyright.PENANARsZc9rH1oJ
an alcoholic and violent father,29Please respect copyright.PENANAWArGn1YKqm
currently missing.
Nana—29Please respect copyright.PENANATb5WPQj1z2
from a crumbling orphanage,29Please respect copyright.PENANAE5qQDsrCLx
records say she’s mute,29Please respect copyright.PENANAEJ9qnMoQw1
but she’d never had a diagnosis,29Please respect copyright.PENANAuczkxGHvBP
never any treatment.
He knew what happened to kids like them—29Please respect copyright.PENANAxqmeu51vYw
especially without guardians.
Some of them needed just a little time29Please respect copyright.PENANAkav4dxl0NL
to walk the wrong path.
The pair standing before him now?
Definitely a “buy one, get one free” type.
One moved,29Please respect copyright.PENANAEN6QLEFXe2
the other followed.
Batman stood quietly for another few seconds.29Please respect copyright.PENANAS4rmL3Ous5
Then turned and said:
“They’ll stay.29Please respect copyright.PENANA5vxDtK85oB
For now.29Please respect copyright.PENANAxBgFc5Pg78
Observation.”
Alfred gave a slight nod.29Please respect copyright.PENANACAjXHPiuZ7
Though he said nothing,29Please respect copyright.PENANAr9i34XST7d
his expression seemed to say:29Please respect copyright.PENANAGJe5GEb3hN
I thought so.
The children stayed still.
Jason’s eyes were still wary—29Please respect copyright.PENANAnEhw4RPdT6
but also sparkled with something he couldn’t quite hide: excitement.
Nana stood quietly,29Please respect copyright.PENANAKnbIlGr5ly
her fingers nervously twisted behind her back,29Please respect copyright.PENANAwYPu2LoXlm
but her gaze never left the vast machines and glowing lights around them.
Batman looked at them.
If a kid could steal four tires off the Batmobile just because he was worried about Robin…
Maybe he deserved a chance.
Alfred placed the cookies and warm milk in front of the two children29Please respect copyright.PENANAq24W9Y7CCk
with the grace of someone serving nobility.
“You’ve both done well, children,” he said gently,29Please respect copyright.PENANAEh72LjHS2U
his voice as composed as ever.29Please respect copyright.PENANARu9HNOCtAR
Then he added:29Please respect copyright.PENANAifJK99GpWg
“As for young Master Robin…29Please respect copyright.PENANAW5j5wSLB0X
he is currently engaged in a temporary,29Please respect copyright.PENANAisYafg2OLX
emotionally-motivated… personal journey.”
Jason bit into a cookie,29Please respect copyright.PENANAv3ekCTCa1r
frowning.29Please respect copyright.PENANA5OlA5q0Sg4
“…What does that mean?”
Nana tilted her head in confusion,29Please respect copyright.PENANAgln85YsusX
signing: “Left?”29Please respect copyright.PENANAnIHky2462c
Then “Robin?”
Alfred smiled,29Please respect copyright.PENANAzjgHQ06FAq
his hand gracefully folded across his wrist in a formal gesture.29Please respect copyright.PENANA7E4BHezNsz
“He has, shall we say…29Please respect copyright.PENANAJSl3lYyLto
run away from home.”
Both kids’ eyes went wide.
Then they looked at each other—29Please respect copyright.PENANAkVGkdNrRHp
the same expression on their faces29Please respect copyright.PENANAqIgcp6GgRd
as if they’d just read that Gotham was going to have a week of sunshine.
Across the room,29Please respect copyright.PENANA75ZQrWg1MZ
Batman sat in front of the computer,29Please respect copyright.PENANAR6m40z83N5
scrolling through city surveillance.29Please respect copyright.PENANAiHMWg8luc1
He gave a grumpy huff,29Please respect copyright.PENANAegTxXKniia
his silhouette full of quiet annoyance.
Alfred, mildly reproachful:29Please respect copyright.PENANASsO4dK6G9c
“Master Bruce,29Please respect copyright.PENANAtAN1fYhcwX
if you softened your tone just a little,29Please respect copyright.PENANAfSFdACF46s
I do believe the young master would return immediately.”
Batman didn’t reply.29Please respect copyright.PENANAZWWAWWnWx6
His shoulders moved slightly,29Please respect copyright.PENANAxnfD5WhkKJ
like he couldn’t even be bothered to argue.
29Please respect copyright.PENANAasiUYEI2pb
Luckily, it was summer break.29Please respect copyright.PENANA5dEXXWQwYX
The kids didn’t need to go to school.29Please respect copyright.PENANAl2ZJhFERmf
They were temporarily housed in Wayne Manor.
When Jason and Nana stepped out of the Batcave29Please respect copyright.PENANA5rMz3XvQ9u
and passed through the hidden passage to the upper floors,29Please respect copyright.PENANAdbrw2d95s7
they both froze.
It was a world they had never seen.
An endless arching hallway,29Please respect copyright.PENANAhU2SDziG2i
a chandelier hanging from the ceiling like a broken piece of starlight,29Please respect copyright.PENANAtDuGfZO0cx
soft Persian rugs underfoot,29Please respect copyright.PENANArBc8s2zIFo
air scented with cedar and sun-warmed fabric.
Nana instinctively grabbed the back of Jason’s shirt,29Please respect copyright.PENANAY44E2QjWQN
as if afraid she’d dirty the floor just by being there.
“Welcome to Wayne Manor, children,”29Please respect copyright.PENANAglYbk7M0RD
Alfred said from behind them,29Please respect copyright.PENANAmNzQOqabSR
his expression gentle.
They were led upstairs separately.
The hallway was wide enough29Please respect copyright.PENANAbKxfwa5ljC
for three horses to race side by side.
Jason’s room had a private bathroom,29Please respect copyright.PENANApZswrIaCBj
a desk,29Please respect copyright.PENANAOd2KpuQRew
and a leather chair so grand29Please respect copyright.PENANAzFoejJUgo0
he didn’t dare sit in it at first.
When Alfred led Nana to hers,29Please respect copyright.PENANAqidp8PTnqm
he frowned slightly.
“Miss Nana, I must apologize.29Please respect copyright.PENANAp3wRmYp7WY
This room is currently not quite suited for a young lady.29Please respect copyright.PENANAsrxP9RCjR3
We didn’t have time to prepare,29Please respect copyright.PENANAO7xMCQrB2g
but in the future,29Please respect copyright.PENANAfZJSiRmntZ
I’ll see to a proper space just for you.”
Nana blushed,29Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8z3Ey1vaB
waved her hands quickly,29Please respect copyright.PENANAK67AKQaLlF
and signed: “This is already perfect.”
29Please respect copyright.PENANAGHZ5XOrnsW
That night,29Please respect copyright.PENANAZVt0olykiY
the hallway was quiet.
A small girl in new pajamas carefully turned her doorknob,29Please respect copyright.PENANAIohf5rVrjw
peeked out,29Please respect copyright.PENANAKcHvGl0rpg
then tiptoed across the hall.
She knocked twice.
The door opened.
Jason—also in pajamas,29Please respect copyright.PENANAMTzekU2pR6
his hair a mess—29Please respect copyright.PENANAbVuSSOZCzR
looked at her.
His eyes lit up.
They stared for a second,29Please respect copyright.PENANAHbm0tmSWEy
hands beginning to move.
“Too big. Can’t sleep.”
“Me too.”
Jason reached out,29Please respect copyright.PENANAiUUmGOebyd
took her hand,29Please respect copyright.PENANAEjigwzz8yo
and led her in.
29Please respect copyright.PENANAfcGzHqm3k6
Alfred stood in front of the monitor,29Please respect copyright.PENANA4njj3TlpXF
sipping his tea.29Please respect copyright.PENANAvSwbLrsYP2
His eyes landed on the two small figures on the screen.
He smiled,29Please respect copyright.PENANAO2LLYbdQJW
his voice calm and unhurried:
“Master Bruce,29Please respect copyright.PENANA573KI3EIDq
those two children…29Please respect copyright.PENANAojMMOUnfpp
they seem very close, don’t they?”
Batman said nothing.29Please respect copyright.PENANAQxWPZpKiZY
He stared at the monitor for a long time,29Please respect copyright.PENANAFB7OwVUElm
silent.
Inside the room,29Please respect copyright.PENANAdbzDoneJPf
the lights were off.29Please respect copyright.PENANA4g5XV3eggA
Night draped itself over everything like soft silk.
Two children lay on the bed,29Please respect copyright.PENANAuK6deiJeWb
heads resting together,29Please respect copyright.PENANAESfgiWiMZX
hands moving in soft signs.
Today’s thoughts.29Please respect copyright.PENANAAYQaTpnVZR
The Batmobile.29Please respect copyright.PENANAw9KmG55B2B
Alfred’s milk—it smelled better than church milk.29Please respect copyright.PENANAukiExaTCGj
And…29Please respect copyright.PENANAEhnH2rQBss
the bed.29Please respect copyright.PENANAyWsy2kokgF
It was way too soft.
Their hands slowly stopped.
Breathing slowed.
And soon,29Please respect copyright.PENANA3YQsYSze4x
they both fell asleep quietly29Please respect copyright.PENANAgkyQnpuknj
beneath Gotham’s night.
Day Three.29Please respect copyright.PENANA3WGNFEG4La
Morning sunlight poured into the grand study of Wayne Manor. A soft carpet lay beneath the tall windows, and by the window stood an old wooden desk with two thick-cushioned chairs—just enough for two children to sit side by side.
Jason and Nana had come here early. Ever since they discovered this room, filled with what felt like the knowledge of the entire world, they had been excitedly darting through the shelves—leaping from stories of knights to dinosaur encyclopedias, flipping from plant guides to Sherlock Holmes, like two owls who’d just found a secret treasure trove.
Now they sat quietly by the window, each immersed in their own book.
Alfred had placed some black tea and cookies on the desk. The warmth filled the room. Sunlight fell across their profiles, and the children would occasionally point out fun sentences or pictures to one another before diving back into their pages. It was a rare moment of peace.
Alfred watched them with deep satisfaction and whispered to Bruce beside him, “Such a tranquil moment, sir. They’re both good children—I’ve always believed that children who love to read never turn out bad.”
Batman didn’t respond immediately. His gaze lifted from the reports in front of him and lingered on the two small silhouettes at the far end of the study.
There was hesitation in his eyes.29Please respect copyright.PENANASdKjMAbkUP
He had seen too many villains who loved to read.
Just then, a door creaked open softly.
Footsteps entered, familiar yet out of sync with the calm rhythm of the mansion—full of youthful energy.
Alfred’s face lit up with a rare smile. He turned and said, “Master Dick, you’ve finally returned.”
“Of course, Alfred,” the voice was warm and light, straddling the line between a boy and a young man—like a spring breeze in the afternoon. “I missed you. And when I heard we had two new members at home, I had to rush back. Otherwise, Bruce would give them a hard time again.”
The two children in the study poked their heads out at the sound.
A tall teenager stood in the doorway, eyes gentle, a friendly smile on his lips. His gaze landed on them immediately—soft and calm—as he slowly walked over.
“These must be Jason and Nana, right? I’m Dick. Just call me Dick. Welcome—”29Please respect copyright.PENANAQsqS7Zo3RJ
He paused, tilting his brows.29Please respect copyright.PENANA91xfULs2cC
“Wait a minute... Aren’t you the girl who was crying at the junkyard that night?”
Dick stepped a little closer, trying to recall the blurry scene from that late night. It was that voice, that desperate scream of “Robin” that had pulled him across the city.
Nana stared at him blankly, eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty.
That’s when Jason instinctively stepped forward, like a wall against the wind, subtly nudging the girl behind him.
Dick noticed the motion and let out a laugh.29Please respect copyright.PENANAs6ykb6hD9f
“Oh right—I forgot to mention. I’m Robin. Nice to meet you.”
As he chuckled, he extended a hand to the girl.
Nana blinked, and her eyes suddenly sparkled.29Please respect copyright.PENANAR4qK2K8MIB
She didn’t say a word, just reached out from behind Jason’s right shoulder and gently took Dick’s hand, her face glowing in a way Jason had never seen before.
Jason stood beside them, watching the historic handshake between one tall person and one small one, his expression unreadable.
He muttered internally.29Please respect copyright.PENANA1c1dqR1sOU
And in his mind, he drew a giant red X over the title “Robin.”
On Dick’s third day back home, he began to get a sense of the daily rhythm shared by the new additions to the household.
He noticed that Nana barely spoke and communicated mostly through sign language. Jason would occasionally supplement with simple questions or emotions—but most of the time, he used sign too. Their coordination was so smooth it was like watching a well-rehearsed pair of dancers.
But something even funnier happened.
One morning, Dick, feeling eager, headed to the library and grabbed a copy of Beginner’s Guide to Sign Language. He decided to teach himself a bit and surprise Jason later by showing off.
He memorized all 26 letters and even practiced three times in front of the mirror.
But when he finally gathered the courage to talk to Nana, he stared in confusion at what she signed—it didn’t match the book at all!
Puzzled, Dick turned to Jason for answers.
Jason shrugged and replied matter-of-factly, “We made up our own system. It’s faster that way. Plus, we change it every two weeks so no one can crack it.”
Dick was stunned for a second—then burst into laughter.29Please respect copyright.PENANAsjeluuqNie
“So basically... this is your version of kids’ secret code? What are you two now, an underground intel network?”
Their encrypted communication reminded him of Bruce’s face whenever he encountered unreadable ciphers.
“Well, you know...” Dick grinned and added playfully, “Batman hates codes he can’t break.”
ns216.73.216.109da2