batfakes | (no subject)

[ Adjusting to life in the past wasn't the hardest part about any of this. For the most part, Terry could live without the automation and the other conveniences future living brought to Neo Gotham. Of course, he had to learn how to work a coffee maker that wasn't voice activated and use a manual elevator and remember to use cash because he was pretty sure if he tried to swipe his cash card, he'd be arrested. But it wasn't all bad. Not ideal, but not bad.

So if anyone asked, he'd be quick to tell them. It wasn't hard living retro. It was hard living with Bruce friggin Wayne. He'd always thought the old man was a hard ass, no question about it. But he also got a break from him. He got to go to his own home and sleep in his own bed and maybe sometimes have a social life if his own little merry band of misfits decided they'd behave long enough he could see the inside of a night club.

He thought - stupidly, foolishly he knows - that maybe a younger version of Bruce would be. He didn't know. Mellow? Chill? Not so tightly wound? But he was none of those things. If anything, he was more intense than ever. He'd spent hours interrogating Terry, vetting his story, confirmed what he could of it, looking at the suit and checking the tech in it. And at the end of it all, he still suspicious.

Terry supposed he should have been grateful Bruce hadn't just kicked his ass and tossed him into Arkham the second he popped into existence and claimed he was Batman from the future. And he was! He was even more grateful when Bruce agreed to help him get back to where he belonged. But that meant sitting tight. And it also meant no more Batman of the Future.

He tried. Terry really did and for a while, he was kind of glad to have the time off. There was time to catch up on sleep. To see movies and hang out with the other Bats, when they had the chance. He learned how to boil water and make tea from Alfred, instead of relying on a electric kettle to do it for him. It was nice seeing Bruce's life when it had people other than himself in it. But after a while? It got old. Really old and he found himself itching to get back out there again. When Bruce said no, it made Terry feel like he was going to lose it. He didn't have to be Batman, but Bruce couldn't keep him locked up in the manor forever.

But that was exactly what Bruce intended and that's how Terry found himself on the doorstep of Dick Grayson, after his latest clash with Bruce. It'd been a particularly nasty one and he just needed a few days to cool off. So he packed his shit (he didn't have much) and left. He's leaning against the frame of the door when it opens. ]

Got room for one more?

Threaded | Flat

[ Dick's been expecting the whole Terry situation to implode one way or another, it was pretty much inevitable when Bruce is being Bruce and Terry is in a situation that he personally finds intensely relatable. It wasn't that long ago that he was gaining independence and Bruce was deeply disapproving of it, but long enough that he now recognizes where they were both being unreasonable while still having valid points, and though they've both learned from that he can only imagine what Bruce must be feeling when confronted with someone like this new, very young Batman. If absolutely nothing else it represents a complete upheaval of Bruce's plans, and he's never taken well to that.

He doesn't know all the details yet, but he knows enough.

Plus Alfred called him not long after Terry stormed out, no one's surprised that he's taken to the young man and is doing his best to help guide him along, however much time he has here with them. But there's not much he can do to solve the impasse between Terry and Bruce's stubborn refusal to let him help.

Maybe he can. He's at least going to try. ]

Hey, man. Come on in.

[ He's just pulled on a shirt, his hair tousled from where he just rolled out of bed, but he's sharp, they're all too used to waking up ready for anything. But some coffee won't hurt, so he's headed toward the kitchen after closing the door behind them. ]

So did he kick you out or am I helping to cover up a prison break?

[ Dick is not pleased.

It's bad enough that he's been running in circles, basically chasing his own tail, trying to pin these guys down, trying to figure out exactly where these weapons have been getting into town and exactly who's behind it. That's par for the course, one of the endless struggles the city's thrown at him, and he wasn't going to tell Terry that he couldn't help, as if he wasn't good enough to tackle anything worse than the average mugger or attempted bodega robbery. And he couldn't expect Terry not to follow a lead either, even though he did say not to dig into it without backup on hand— it doesn't matter. What matters is that Terry is in one piece, and after Dick gets him out then he'll work on making the most out of this break in the case.

They're probably expecting a full on assault, not just a rescue mission. Dick's going for a more subtle approach that may or may not turn into a full on fight. He doesn't really want to dive into an all-out brawl here and now, leaving this place intact will make it easier to track down to the source later, but it all depends on how hard it is to get Terry out of here. If he's gotta do more than knock out a few strategically placed lookouts? He will.

No obvious alarms have gone off by the time he makes it to the cramped space where Terry's tracker is transmitting. After dropping the two guards at the front, with a slightly louder scuffle than he would have liked, he stops to analyze the door itself, checking for any potential tripwires. ]

You done in there, pal?

[ He'll stay vague, just in case Terry is actually somewhere else. ]

[ Back home, Bruce wasn't really in any condition for training Terry directly. And in reality, it wasn't entirely necessary. He spent several years in the company of some of the more unsavory elements of the neighborhood he grew up in. Learning to fight meant learning to survive clashes with other gangs of kids or Jokerz if they were feeling adventurous. He took up wrestling in high school and that helped too. The rest came from Bruce's simulations and holograms. Terry's style is scrappy and unrefined but it worked for him.

Living here has brought some refinement to his moveset, though, now that Bruce was able to be more involved in his workouts. He often left Terry sore and bruised and sometimes Terry wondered if he had to work him over so hard. It always felt like he was trying to prove a point. That Terry wasn't good enough yet or something. Either way, he's grateful when Dick offers to help him out instead. He wasn't looking for an easier time or anything. He could do the work. He just wanted to do it outside of Bruce's scrutiny. Training with Dick sees an improvement with his final readout and only really proves to Terry that Bruce is too hard on him for no reason other than he can be.

When they're finally back in Dick's apartment, Terry steals the shower first and spends a good few minutes letting the warm water just flow over him, soothing the quiet ache in his muscles before he finally scrubs himself clean and gets dressed. When Dick is done, he'll find Terry sitting on the couch, towel still draped over his damp hair. ]

I don't usually let anyone pin me down without taking me to dinner first.