Butler Boy - Chapter 17

“-and thiiiiii~iiis is the gym,” AJ explained, leading me into a large room that was populated by various pieces of exercise equipment. Not just that, of course. Having a normal workout room would be beneath Bruce Wayne. This was a massive enclosed space full of all sorts of specialty stuff, like a three-story climbing wall, high-wire balancing ropes strung the length of the area, and a collection of archaic weaponry racked on one side of an open mat-covered section.

I let loose a low whistle. “Neat.”

“Yeah, haven't spent much time in here... honestly don't think Bruce uses much of it,” AJ shrugged, and I pretended to believe her.

“I'd prefer a pool, honestly,” I replied, though a few of the polearms made my hands itch to grab at them.

“Pool?” My guide frowned. “We've got one of those in the rec room, but what's that got to do with... oh, you mean a lido, don't ya?”

“I mean a large body of water kept for the purposes of exercise and amusement,” I replied. “I take it you meant billiards?”

She snapped her fingers, “Right! Yeah, still getting used to things. I pick it up fast, but... Bruce has a lido, too. A swimming pool, that's what you yanks call it. It's over on the other side of the house, though, near the back. Wanna see?”

“Wouldn't mind,” I nodded. “I don't get much swim time except for the summer. No indoor pool around town except for this expensive private club. So I only swim June through September, if I'm lucky.”

“Whaddya do the rest of the year?” AJ asked, then shook her head. “For fun, I mean?”

“Skiing's a personal favorite,” I replied honestly. “We've got good slopes around Thomasville and we usually get snow from October through March... or close enough. It varies, but you can usually ski for most of that time.”

“Huh, didn't take you for the type, I guess,” AJ commented, looking me up and down. “Seem more like a nerd... no offense.”

“I'm mostly a nerd, so no offense taken,” I replied honestly, giving her the same once-over. She was about an inch shorter than me with dark hair. Her eyes were sharp and just as dark. A sky blue blouse with a darker blue skirt and black belt to compliment her hair and shoes. Overall, it was a basic – if neat and clean – outfit, though I couldn't tell if the articles were brand name or simple rack-wear. “You should see if Bruce will fly you out, I could teach you to ski. I mean, assuming...”

“Got me,” AJ grinned, “Never been before. It was always kind of a posh thing to do, not for a street kid.”

I hummed, trying my best to dismiss the awkwardness of that casual comment. “You like it here? It's gotta be a hell of a shock.”

She made a low, considering noise in the back of her throat as she threw her hands back and intertwined her fingers behind her neck, her elbows pointing towards the ceiling. “Big change, yeah... even when I was hanging with Dodge... we were always on the cheap. Motels, if we weren't squatting in some vacation home. Nosh was always from a drive-through or a can.”

She paused and twirled in the corridor we were walking through, her fingers not quite touching the ornate vase, family portraits, or ancient gas fixtures.

But they came close. So close I couldn't quite brush it off as an accident and, instead, looked to be natural grace.

“Now I sleep in this huge four-poster with princess curtains on it, I get me' outfits picked out each day from jumpers to knickers, and have three square meals – with snacks – whenever I want.” She took a deep breath. “New clothes, new books, trips to a circus, an aquarium... and overprice crap from gift shops! And I don't have to pay for any of it!”

“You got everything you wished for and it's like there's this itch at the back of your mind that won't let you enjoy it,” I nodded, stopping at a window to look into the dark abyss of the forest.

But I heard her feet slide to a stop on the long rug in the middle of the hardwood floor.

“Bugger me!” She spat – not literally – and sighed as I turned to see her slap her forehead in exasperation. “That's fookin' it.”

I snorted and chuckled. “Yeah, I get that.”

It was a sentiment I could understand on multiple levels. A new life, a chance to 'do it right,' live your childhood all over again, free of the tedium of adult concerns. Not just that, but living in a world of heroes, a world of gods and monsters like a dream come true. Even, recently, the realization of another dream, superpowers to call my own.

And yet...

“It's like... how do I deal with all that?” AJ asked, her shoulders drooping helplessly.

“I'll let you know if I figure it out,” I replied with an equal sigh. “Best I've been doing is taking it one day at a time.”

It was AJ's turn to snicker as we resumed walking down the seemingly endless corridors of Wayne Manor. “Pfft... yeah. Never made long-term plans, why start now? I guess... you do get it, dontcha? What it's like to have your life fucked up and suddenly nothing's the same anymore?”

I nodded. “Not exactly like yours. I didn't get to be saved by a superhero or anything, just a pair of idiots who picked the wrong hole to throw me in. But... suddenly everyone's got my life under a microscope and... everyone wants something from me, you know?”

I held up a hand, my fingers fanned out, and started knocking them down point by point. “Advice about money, the press wants interviews, talk about what it felt like when I thought I was going to die, are you really a genius... It just goes on and on.”

“I saw some of that... read that interview with that reporter, too. The only one that said they'd actually talked to you. That Sullivan-girl,” AJ explained.

I snorted. “I saw the one where you cursed out that reporter,” I gave her a smirk.

The girl colored and looked away. “Plonker cunt deserved it askin' if what Bruce n' my relationship was.”

“She was a bitch,” I nodded. The question hadn't exactly been that, but it'd been close enough. One of those very specifically-worded pieces of bullshit that made an accusation without actually claiming anything. In this case, it had been something concerning 'sleeping arrangements' with a 'notorious playboy.'

The implication was clear and, after AJ had flipped her shit, Bruce had told the woman she'd have a copy of the restraining order he'd be filing by the end of day. Ostensibly on the basis that she'd aggravated a traumatized child's state both intentionally and with obscene remarks.

Not something a normal person could get to stick, but... well, once I got close to his income bracket, I was going to ask Bruce for the contacts of his legal team. Assuming it wasn't all done in-house, of course.

“People suck,” I finally said into the silence.

“Struth,” AJ gave a nod. “Though Bruce said you don't.”

I felt myself smile. “That's high praise.”

Especially from him.

“Yeah, he said you told him about this circus kid who's parents were gonna' get cement shoes from a mobster or somethin' like that,” AJ stated, her eyes childishly wide as she stared at me, large and soulful – yet piercing all the same. “What's up with that, anyway? How'd you know?”

I snorted, not bothering to hide my smirk as we walked into an enormous room that smelt of chlorine and moisture.

You sent her to get answers, didn't you Bats? Eh... 6/10. It's her first try, so I'll go easy.

“Huh?” AJ asked, blinking at the noise I'd made.

“Nothing, just... this is a big pool,” I replied, taking a deep breath within the large, indoor space. It was warm and damp, several smaller pools situated to one side, with slatted doors that were labeled for changing, sauna, cold soak, and even a massage room.

AJ grinned, then nodded. “Yup... wanna take a dip?”

I eyed her with a raised brow. “I have a girlfriend, just so you know.”

AJ blinked, then sputtered as her face went red. “A-ah-meant I'd loan you a suit! Not going starkers!”

I chuckled, relieved. Most of me had thought she was either joking or had something like that in store, but... I didn't know her. And this was Gotham. Moreover, she was one of Bruce's broken birds, and they all had a few dozen issues apiece.

“Sorry, sorry,” I waved her off as she flipped me the bird. “I thought you'd gone weird with all the money and everything. I think a lot of Burce, but he does have a reputation, you know?”

“Pst,” AJ rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking away irritably.

“Still wanna go for a dip?” I asked as a peace offering.

“Not anymore, wanker,” AJ replied, giving me the evil eye.

“I'll tell you how I knew about the Graysons,” I offered.

She stilled and, after a moment-too-long of consideration, she asked, “Who?”

I rolled my eyes. “The circus people I told Bruce about. You wanna know or not?”

“You actually going to tell me? No kiddin?” She pressed, frowning.

“Scout's honor,” I smirked and, as her mouth opened. “Yes, I'm a real boy scout, I'm not kidding.”

AJ blinked, then snorted, and nodded. “Alright, fine. I'll show you where the spare suits are. You can keep whichever one you pick. Bruce has a couple of dozen in storage, I think.”

You think, sure. You've been here, what... two weeks? And you already know where the pool stuff is stored off-season? It's almost like someone made a priority of telling you all of this.

Idly, I wondered what hook she would have given if I'd been more interested in the exercise room. Would she have offered rock climbing? Or to show me some tricks on the balance beam?

Some people would call what I was feeling paranoia.

And, yeah, they'd be right. But paranoid doesn't mean wrong.

Especially when one was dealing with Batman.

In short order, I'd picked out a set of swim trunks and was showing the changing room while AJ went to grab one of her own. She sent me a parting shot as she closed the door, even, “And no peeking, perv!”

I yelled back through it, “You're the one who thought I meant naked!”

A frustrated cry was my only answer.

As I took off my pants, though, I blinked as I saw I'd accrued another set of tickets. A bronze for visiting Gotham... and a silver for Wayne Manor in particular. Which... huh, I guess visiting iconic places could get you a ticket. Neat. I'd have to make time to at least pass through Metropolis and a few other places for easy scores.

Still...

[Visit Gotham... For Some Reason]

“Yeah, you and me both, buddy,” I muttered, shaking my head and stuffing both of them back into my pocket. Along with the others. Deep down. I didn't need the temptation right now.

A few minutes later, though, I was setting my things on one of the fancy beach chairs that were placed around the area. Real wood and metal, not plastic. Complete with thin cushions meant to dry easily. All of it with brand-name labels I was unfamiliar with.

“You gonna' jump in or-” AJ started as I heard the door swing open.

Then she stopped, staring at me. Her jaw hung slightly. Her eyes subtly widened. Her face flushed bright red. The skill which would go forever unnamed informed me – with utter certainty – exactly what her response indicated. She was wearing a brown one-piece swimsuit with white highlights that didn't quite cover enough of her upper chest to hide how the blush dove a little low.

“Was planning on it, yeah,” I nodded, pointedly ignoring her realization that I had a burgeoning four-pack of abs, decent pecs, and surprisingly thick arms.

As long as I picked the right clothes, no one really noticed my developing musculature. Once it his summer, I'd stop needing to hide as much simply due to not having to attend PE.

“O-oh,” she muttered, shaking herself as I shrugged and jumped in. The pool was definitely heated, but still cool enough to feel refreshing. I kicked off the edge of it and began moving through the water, sighing as I surfaced and thankful again that I kept my hair short.

I felt the water shift and knew that AJ had jumped in.

“Okay, I needed this,” I sighed as I slowly swam across the length of the pool. “This is nice.”

“So spill,” AJ called out, sending a half-hearted splash my way. “How'd you know?”

I hummed, taking my time to answer. “Some writer once said something to the effect that... what was it? 'What if' were the two most terrible words in the English language. Or something like that. I can't remember.”

“What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?” AJ asked, paddling awkwardly on the shallower side of the pool.

Silently, I added another strike to my little theory.

“Alternate history is my favorite genre, you know?” I asked, as if she hadn't spoken. “It's basically people writing what they think would have happened if history went differently. Like... what if China hadn't started a war with the Soviet Union back in '69?”

AJ was quiet for a moment, thinking that puzzle over. “So... what would have happened?”

“Batman would still be fighting crime in Gotham, for one,” I replied candidly, smirking slyly at the way her footing slipped and she went under briefly. “But, that's kind of my point, I guess. Even if you change something huge... there's stuff that will happen anyway.”

“Mate... you've totally lost me,” AJ stated, and I could see her shaking her head in disbelief as I turned to her, water sluicing from her hair as it moved from side to side.

I sighed and cupped some pool water to rub over my face. I really hoped Bruce had rigged up some recording equipment so that he would get it, at least. But, I guess I needed to be a little less obtuse and metaphorical. “Okay, so... let me ask this, then. If you could have any superpower, what power would you want? Purely hypothetical.”

AJ pursed her lips and leaned back in the water to float for a moment. “Hmm... I guess... nah, wouldn't wanna know what people are thinkin. Ew. Ah... flight, I guess? Yeah, flying would be nice. Like that Super-guy over in Metropolis.”

“Alright... so, let's say that you're in a jam – a tight spot – and you accidentally say something you shouldn't have. Some made up word that just rolls off your tongue while you're dying down in a basement without enough air to breathe, okay?” I asked her, and her gaze sharpened.

“What'd you say?” AJ asked, naturally curious and growing more invested in the story.

“A name,” I sighed. “I said something's name. By accident. Not some demon or devil... more like... an alien. From outside our dimension. And he says he'll give me a superpower.”

“So... what was it?” She pressed, swimming out a little further as I leaned back and began to float. “The name... and the power you got?”

“Heh... I won't say it again,” I snorted. “He... well, hypothetically. He might have... shown me something. You ever heard the term 'Orrery of Worlds?'”

“Nope,” she shrugged, releasing the word with a pop of her lips.

“Well... If this actually happened and wasn't some kind of fever dream cooked up right before I managed to get the door open down there...” I sighed and grabbed a ledge, pulling myself from the pool and leaving my legs to dangle in the water. “Well, I'd have seen a lot of things. Possibilities. Stuff that could happen, stuff that won't ever. Bunch of presidents we never had. We'd have lost Vietnam if Russia hadn't nuked China, for instance. Closer to home... I saw a kid in a circus watch his parents fall to their deaths.”

AJ blinked up at me, her eyes widening.

Yeah, I didn't say anything about that, did I? I didn't tell Bruce that Dick had survived.

“Which... makes me wonder,” I hummed, thinking aloud to myself. “About Fate and Destiny and all that stuff. Because... if his parents had died, Bruce would have adopted Dick. Probably, at least. I tell Bruce, he saves them, then...”

“He takes me in, instead,” AJ muttered, frowning.

“But he met you before he would have gone to Haley's Circus that night,” I stated, kicking my legs in the water idly. “So... did that talk I had do something else? Not just change the Graysons' lives?”

“So... what, me being here is an accident?” AJ asked, a little morosely, looking away.

“A happy one,” I replied with a nod, then shrugged. “Me being alive is an accident, too, so you're in good company.”

She snorted, her frown flipping into a smirk. “So... that's it? You see things?”

I shrugged again. “I saw things. A snap shot, I guess. Or a bunch of them. Maybe a series of films or episodes would be a better analogy. It's... whatever.”

“So you know-” AJ cut herself off.

“I know a lot of things, yeah,” I chuckled. “Like... back when I invested in Bruce's company... I really thought he'd just fucked off to the mountains to live like an Appalachian mountain man or something. Dyed his hair, grew a beard, kicked up his feet for a few years and just got away from it all, did a business degree by teleconference or mail-order or something. Maybe some fake glasses, too, just for good measure.”

Seriously, Clark I hope Bruce gives you some shit over that in this timeline.

“Still believe that?” AJ asked, looking at me piercingly.

“It's definitely what I'll tell anyone who asks,” I replied, meeting her look evenly. “Like I said, I know a lot of things. A lot of secrets. None of them are mine to tell... well, except my own. My brother and sister know... some stuff. But only the secrets that were mine to share in the first place.”

“That simple, huh?” The girl asked, frowning at me.

“The idea of it, yeah,” I nodded, laughing self-deprecatingly. “In practice, it's all messy and complicated and boils down to whether someone believe you when you tell them what might have happened... or think that this lucky, stubborn thirteen-year-old kid's brain was starving to death of oxygen in an old bunker and imagined something impossible.”

AJ giggled, smirking as she slipped back into motion and started swimming again. “Yeah... I guess that'd be pants, to go through something crazy like that and have people laugh at you for it.”

“The nice room with the white padded walls would be pretty pants, too,” I replied pointedly. “If I didn't know how to keep my mouth shut.”

“So... why tell me, then? Some girl you just met, that you don't know from Adam?” She asked, looking back up to me. “I could tell your 'rents and they'd freak.”

“Bruce trusts you,” I told her bluntly. “Enough to ask me and report back to him, so that means I trust you.”

Her face colored and her shoulders drooped. “Dammit... you weren't supposed to figure that out.”

I shrugged. “Most people wouldn't. And most people would find it morally questionable to send a thirteen year old in to ask questions. But, hey, Alfred trusts Bruce, so I guess I should, too.”

“Alfie?” AJ asked, her irritated look shifting to one of surprise. “What's he got to do with this?”

“As long as any Bruce Wayne has an Alfred Pennyworth at his side... well, let's just say that even if I respect the hell out of Bruce... Alfred is someone I actually look up to,” I explained.

“Wait, wait, wait... Alfie? That Alfie?” AJ pointed off to the side where we'd come from. “Okay, maybe you are mad as a hatter.”

I shivered slightly at the unknowingly prophetic term, then snorted. “Nope. Alfred's one of the most amazing people in the world, a totally great guy, and he's a stone cold badass.”

AJ stared at me, her finger still pointing. “...okay then. Butler Fanboy Weirdo.”

“Hey, if I had to choose being Batman's sidekick or Alfred Pennyworth's, I'd totally take Alfred,” I declared unapologetically.

“Alright, I'll be Batgirl or whatever and you can be Butler Boy, then,” AJ smirked at me, thinking the name was going to set me off.

“A butler is a servant who cleans up messes and takes out the trash,” I replied haughtily, looking down my nose at her. “There is no more honorable a profession than seeing faithfully to the needs of others. Masked vigilantes could learn a thing or two from such noble souls.”

AJ snorted deep in her throat, then broke down laughing.

And splashed me.

…

The cave was silent, save for the sounds of two children laughing and splashing.

“A stone cold badass,” Bruce stated, his cowl pulled back exposing his unmasked face, a grin tugging at his lips.

“Is that jealousy I detect in your voice, Master Wayne?” Alfred asked, dipping slightly to pour the tea. “I must warn you, it's hardly becoming of a man your age.”

“Well, at least he has good taste in role models,” Bruce hummed, not commenting on the way the older man's ears had gone crimson.

“Though the fact that he knows anything of my past well enough to praise my character... well, it does lend credence to his claims, sir,” Alfred stated, clearing his throat slightly.

Bruce sighed as he watched his ward play with the boy from Colorado. “I think his story's true. But it's not the whole truth.”

“How so?” Alfred pressed, fighting down a fond smile at the sight of the children playing. It had been... too long since the laughter of children was common in Wayne Manor. No matter how rough the girl was, he'd see to her every need simply for that reason alone.

“Whatever this thing he called out to was,” Bruce thought aloud, “he didn't say what kind of power it gave him. Just that it showed him something. This 'Orrery of Worlds.'”

“I suppose that would be a lie of omission, then, if your deduction is true,” Alfred nodded. “Though... I'd say he's earned the benefit of the doubt, wouldn't you, sir?”

Bruce frowned slightly. It was unlike Alfred to speak up on someone's behalf like that, at least in the face of a direct accusation. The older man always did try to see the best in someone, to give them the benefit of the doubt. “The Graysons?”

“And Miss AJ,” Alfred pointed out. “I'm not blind to the fact that, after the young man's call, you brushed up on potential contingencies should your identity be found out, sir.”

Bruce considered himself many things, but willfully obtuse wasn't one of them. “You think that by being ready to counter Dodge's plan to blackmail me, that allowed me to save AJ.”

The Dark Knight fell silent at Alfred's meaningful shrug. “You must admit, sir... the pieces do line up neatly.”

“Hmm,” Bruce rumbled, an unhappy agreement.

“Well, regardless of potential revelations... you do need to prepare for dinner, Master Bruce,” Alfred reminded him. “I'll ready something a bit more casual for tonight while you shower off the soot from the dock fire. Do take care to use the red bottle this time, the excuse about chimney ash will only work so often.”

Bruce chuckled, shaking his head, and rose to ascend to the manor above. “I'll try, Alfred. Also, see about getting AJ and Arden out of the pool soon, will you?”

“Of course, sir,” Alfred nodded. “It's days like this that make me wonder where you would be without me.”

There was a moment of silence as Bruce's foot slipped, Alfred stilling as the words left his mouth.

“I think we should take care to never need to find out,” Bruce said firmly, his eyes flicking back to Arden Villin as he took a jump off the diving board.

“As you say, sir,” Alfred said, clearing his throat again at his faux-pas. “As you say.”

~~~

Woo... this was a doozy. Big, important conversation.

I think it went pretty well, but I'd be interested in feedback on it. Took a lot of effort to get Arden to the point of talking clear enough to get his story across in a pseudo-deniable way, but still keep the imperfect voice of a thirteen year old - if a mature one - behind what he was saying.

Anyway... hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next up is A Hand We're Dealt, and...

Well, that chapter may be delayed due to inclement weather. For those watching the news, there's this whole 'polar vortex' thing going on and a huge line of freezing rain/sleet/snow coming in for the weekend. Historically... my area is in the deep south and does not have a good track record of dealing with winter weather.

I may be trapped at home over the entire weekend with the roads iced and impassible, is what I'm saying. Which would normally be great for writing, but if that happens, the power is almost certain to go out.

So we'll see! If the power stays on, I'll have the chapter up over the weekend as usual. If the power gets knocked out, it might be Monday or so before I can post it.

Thank you for your patience and support!