“So, Master Bruce… this is the child who stole two of your Batmobile tires?”
A voice—aged, clear,31Please respect copyright.PENANAMabmJm1y4J
drifted from the shadows of the Batcave.31Please respect copyright.PENANA8N4Zu37OHQ
It was impossible to tell whether it was surprised or amused.
Alfred stood there,31Please respect copyright.PENANAl925yUdn2v
holding a silver tray31Please respect copyright.PENANAxA5ONdkV3Q
with freshly brewed hot milks and two biscuits.31Please respect copyright.PENANAFUgclaenXy
His eyes fell on the boy,31Please respect copyright.PENANAlpTRwwGEXS
who looked absolutely unrepentant—31Please respect copyright.PENANAnp8KF2UCso
in fact, slightly proud.
Batman frowned,31Please respect copyright.PENANA8HanrbPZLA
his brow creasing into shadow.31Please respect copyright.PENANAyEwTIVn6h7
“The first time he did it, I was so pissed,31Please respect copyright.PENANAWuLUmF6aO4
I circled the block twice before daring to come back to the car.”
That first time—31Please respect copyright.PENANABOH5lq5eLM
he hadn’t even spoken.31Please respect copyright.PENANARxOOdTrEtb
Just grabbed the kids, one in each hand,31Please respect copyright.PENANAi5DMlcOT5p
and dropped them back near the church in the slums—31Please respect copyright.PENANAJr88i63TuG
the safest place he could find.31Please respect copyright.PENANATqVREQai5M
He’d given them one warning:31Please respect copyright.PENANAtFANQaSpao
“Don’t come near the Batmobile again.”
Jason hadn’t cried.31Please respect copyright.PENANAGWGckSWKhU
He looked angry.
Nana had kept her head down,31Please respect copyright.PENANAxReqxnmCr6
but her hand had clung tightly to the back of Jason’s shirt.
They got no answers about Robin.31Please respect copyright.PENANAR4Q16BpfFG
Just that cold word “Go home,” left behind in the wind.
Three days later—31Please respect copyright.PENANA17j4jJrcbF
same place,31Please respect copyright.PENANAu0kEoCwEyK
same car.
This time,31Please respect copyright.PENANAuHhIg4IacT
four wheels gone.
“Master Bruce,” Alfred said dryly,31Please respect copyright.PENANAvLYgyefxv2
“I sincerely believe that if this child turns to crime,31Please respect copyright.PENANABrZEhYXDrn
we may never see your Batmobile’s tires again.”
“…Each of those wheels is taller than him.31Please respect copyright.PENANApOB3pS0YRN
How did he even—”31Please respect copyright.PENANAlHseJyctJ6
Batman muttered,31Please respect copyright.PENANA1Z6QNPs0mv
somewhere between shock and disbelief.
Alfred calmly added,31Please respect copyright.PENANA3owGmTEmk5
“He also recalibrated the tire pressure.31Please respect copyright.PENANAUIyZUo23qq
Perfectly balanced.”
This time,31Please respect copyright.PENANATwje1bmebz
Batman was silent for a long moment,31Please respect copyright.PENANATkOhPjvGgA
eyes on the two children.
Then he sighed.
He knew who they were.31Please respect copyright.PENANAY9njlrCLMc
After dropping them off that night,31Please respect copyright.PENANAVbT6hHptyn
he’d looked into it.
Jason Todd—31Please respect copyright.PENANA09HoI173ui
no mother,31Please respect copyright.PENANAb5a9jsL5sq
an alcoholic and violent father,31Please respect copyright.PENANApCIi5mZOIg
currently missing.
Nana—31Please respect copyright.PENANAnPTFQVoCfd
from a crumbling orphanage,31Please respect copyright.PENANAdAIousIJ6E
records say she’s mute,31Please respect copyright.PENANAZpPDuFEDDe
but she’d never had a diagnosis,31Please respect copyright.PENANAbkaDJcZESs
never any treatment.
He knew what happened to kids like them—31Please respect copyright.PENANAybDnKipFl9
especially without guardians.
Some of them needed just a little time31Please respect copyright.PENANAdbKvyqJpLF
to walk the wrong path.
The pair standing before him now?
Definitely a “buy one, get one free” type.
One moved,31Please respect copyright.PENANA9Os1O4jgXC
the other followed.
Batman stood quietly for another few seconds.31Please respect copyright.PENANAkGNhoDK9dZ
Then turned and said:
“They’ll stay.31Please respect copyright.PENANAYKpguhpnfU
For now.31Please respect copyright.PENANAB3ugx8BktT
Observation.”
Alfred gave a slight nod.31Please respect copyright.PENANAFlmbVH1p8G
Though he said nothing,31Please respect copyright.PENANAybeSb2hck7
his expression seemed to say:31Please respect copyright.PENANAI5Bqkm33BC
I thought so.
The children stayed still.
Jason’s eyes were still wary—31Please respect copyright.PENANAVeJhSVBvvy
but also sparkled with something he couldn’t quite hide: excitement.
Nana stood quietly,31Please respect copyright.PENANA33YE4JoXfR
her fingers nervously twisted behind her back,31Please respect copyright.PENANAJ1xNMVv1Hc
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 children31Please respect copyright.PENANAXyfXWz45BQ
with the grace of someone serving nobility.
“You’ve both done well, children,” he said gently,31Please respect copyright.PENANAUAsSrtydYz
his voice as composed as ever.31Please respect copyright.PENANAX3HBIdvkp4
Then he added:31Please respect copyright.PENANAFFIXhagCoq
“As for young Master Robin…31Please respect copyright.PENANAlORFvIhpL7
he is currently engaged in a temporary,31Please respect copyright.PENANAqXlcaJl6A3
emotionally-motivated… personal journey.”
Jason bit into a cookie,31Please respect copyright.PENANAuUouC4ZwSs
frowning.31Please respect copyright.PENANAojl1GTAm1V
“…What does that mean?”
Nana tilted her head in confusion,31Please respect copyright.PENANAwPSN07z1th
signing: “Left?”31Please respect copyright.PENANAZGSyCeNLh7
Then “Robin?”
Alfred smiled,31Please respect copyright.PENANARvKaGo53dv
his hand gracefully folded across his wrist in a formal gesture.31Please respect copyright.PENANAP2WkzkwBm1
“He has, shall we say…31Please respect copyright.PENANA2FyC97hPV7
run away from home.”
Both kids’ eyes went wide.
Then they looked at each other—31Please respect copyright.PENANAQX4xtcP0t7
the same expression on their faces31Please respect copyright.PENANA8jzCgG0D6u
as if they’d just read that Gotham was going to have a week of sunshine.
Across the room,31Please respect copyright.PENANAoxY1b2KWMe
Batman sat in front of the computer,31Please respect copyright.PENANAsuFyqy3wmZ
scrolling through city surveillance.31Please respect copyright.PENANAQRl66exZrA
He gave a grumpy huff,31Please respect copyright.PENANALpFNlyNCOG
his silhouette full of quiet annoyance.
Alfred, mildly reproachful:31Please respect copyright.PENANAYw6BDNn2Nx
“Master Bruce,31Please respect copyright.PENANAglrUgPNmJT
if you softened your tone just a little,31Please respect copyright.PENANAvtGX7WEXRC
I do believe the young master would return immediately.”
Batman didn’t reply.31Please respect copyright.PENANApd7HwtXuZe
His shoulders moved slightly,31Please respect copyright.PENANApT7NCPpYc0
like he couldn’t even be bothered to argue.
31Please respect copyright.PENANAvVmmcKKft2
Luckily, it was summer break.31Please respect copyright.PENANAjuE3OXIRIG
The kids didn’t need to go to school.31Please respect copyright.PENANAkwxi120WnV
They were temporarily housed in Wayne Manor.
When Jason and Nana stepped out of the Batcave31Please respect copyright.PENANAQTSLRHa0ZC
and passed through the hidden passage to the upper floors,31Please respect copyright.PENANAGZ8yLHFMgT
they both froze.
It was a world they had never seen.
An endless arching hallway,31Please respect copyright.PENANA6pDzEfyoBL
a chandelier hanging from the ceiling like a broken piece of starlight,31Please respect copyright.PENANAi6gAA197oH
soft Persian rugs underfoot,31Please respect copyright.PENANAxR6gjQGKL7
air scented with cedar and sun-warmed fabric.
Nana instinctively grabbed the back of Jason’s shirt,31Please respect copyright.PENANApbfP4gn0Ts
as if afraid she’d dirty the floor just by being there.
“Welcome to Wayne Manor, children,”31Please respect copyright.PENANAatIsikZU57
Alfred said from behind them,31Please respect copyright.PENANAycF8LNNwop
his expression gentle.
They were led upstairs separately.
The hallway was wide enough31Please respect copyright.PENANAs6gpj9mLGU
for three horses to race side by side.
Jason’s room had a private bathroom,31Please respect copyright.PENANAmyHiRmfhZp
a desk,31Please respect copyright.PENANA2KHawvsJWd
and a leather chair so grand31Please respect copyright.PENANAsUYyXWslq8
he didn’t dare sit in it at first.
When Alfred led Nana to hers,31Please respect copyright.PENANAqlFM9ccvP9
he frowned slightly.
“Miss Nana, I must apologize.31Please respect copyright.PENANA52xy0EEQ83
This room is currently not quite suited for a young lady.31Please respect copyright.PENANAXDAkw1W2Gl
We didn’t have time to prepare,31Please respect copyright.PENANAyqV95v3OUC
but in the future,31Please respect copyright.PENANAFkICCF5L3h
I’ll see to a proper space just for you.”
Nana blushed,31Please respect copyright.PENANASTSC4Etxtw
waved her hands quickly,31Please respect copyright.PENANAMcX5ir5HDY
and signed: “This is already perfect.”
31Please respect copyright.PENANAfoFIZ0EhmL
That night,31Please respect copyright.PENANA1KVnkNje1p
the hallway was quiet.
A small girl in new pajamas carefully turned her doorknob,31Please respect copyright.PENANAcPIhAVmt7m
peeked out,31Please respect copyright.PENANAFtlnvWepNn
then tiptoed across the hall.
She knocked twice.
The door opened.
Jason—also in pajamas,31Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8ht3cQ6E7
his hair a mess—31Please respect copyright.PENANAt8JfAthoM2
looked at her.
His eyes lit up.
They stared for a second,31Please respect copyright.PENANA1vdTRphuBK
hands beginning to move.
“Too big. Can’t sleep.”
“Me too.”
Jason reached out,31Please respect copyright.PENANAcvDPzrHJxB
took her hand,31Please respect copyright.PENANAVkHzE0KYfP
and led her in.
31Please respect copyright.PENANAOTdNHCkCHB
Alfred stood in front of the monitor,31Please respect copyright.PENANAjO9JY2zwSO
sipping his tea.31Please respect copyright.PENANAvD7u1hgo8w
His eyes landed on the two small figures on the screen.
He smiled,31Please respect copyright.PENANAkz2Xw5ivzf
his voice calm and unhurried:
“Master Bruce,31Please respect copyright.PENANA9rLJ8p8BBo
those two children…31Please respect copyright.PENANAZhVYXBVAx2
they seem very close, don’t they?”
Batman said nothing.31Please respect copyright.PENANAtjF7iws67C
He stared at the monitor for a long time,31Please respect copyright.PENANAqoBpBA1GTE
silent.
Inside the room,31Please respect copyright.PENANAxuhYXBMvQx
the lights were off.31Please respect copyright.PENANARQJCjzzI7a
Night draped itself over everything like soft silk.
Two children lay on the bed,31Please respect copyright.PENANAe0cmpO6BOW
heads resting together,31Please respect copyright.PENANAxbf0WfWfar
hands moving in soft signs.
Today’s thoughts.31Please respect copyright.PENANA3GTGp99Cn1
The Batmobile.31Please respect copyright.PENANAqbbSTfFZ4t
Alfred’s milk—it smelled better than church milk.31Please respect copyright.PENANA1U2RXjozkD
And…31Please respect copyright.PENANAbNVXcv9a5C
the bed.31Please respect copyright.PENANAJDDNc6b8pe
It was way too soft.
Their hands slowly stopped.
Breathing slowed.
And soon,31Please respect copyright.PENANAFRYHBjnGIR
they both fell asleep quietly31Please respect copyright.PENANAgnjHoVO4oo
beneath Gotham’s night.
Day Three.31Please respect copyright.PENANALy6lBmuoEo
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.31Please respect copyright.PENANAiAfVSbQrLp
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—”31Please respect copyright.PENANA2RlieLxupr
He paused, tilting his brows.31Please respect copyright.PENANADUeP0X9YGI
“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.31Please respect copyright.PENANA16dVJ9W7br
“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.31Please respect copyright.PENANAFPzq48Ntte
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.31Please respect copyright.PENANALvszuhS2Gp
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.31Please respect copyright.PENANAfUDGaKM22E
“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.”
ns216.73.216.251da2