Love Does Not Fix Everything, chapter 2

“Jason, get out of there!” Bruce yelled for the fifth time and cursed under his breath when the boy did what he wanted anyways.

After the meeting, they had taken the kids to an uggly and annoying hamburguer place they loved, and even though Bruce didn’t like the boy’s eating junk food, he had agreed in order of not having to deal with them for at least one more hour. Besides, Barry and Clark had volunteered to sit in the table just beside the playground area with the children, which gave Bruce even more time and space away from his current source of stress.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything, Bruce?” Diana couldn’t help but notice the man hadn’t ordered a thing, and all of them were almost finishing their meals.

“This food, if you can call it that, is poison.”

“It’s shitty, but the kiddos like it.”

“Hal’s right. Besides, they get tired faster in that huge jungle gym.” Not like Oliver preferred to take the kid home full of energy.

“Of course they get tired, all these fat and sugar don’t give them any kind of energy.”

“While this… ‘Food’ is clearly disgusting, I don’t think there’ll be a problem for one time the kids eat it,” Athleantan food was way better, but Aqualad looked so excited to go with his friends, that Arthur couldn’t bring himself to reject the invitation.

“Yes, Bruce. Besides, your children always eat well, Bruce. One time they eat a burguer won’t do them any wrong.” Dinah understood the man’s worries, but they were kids and their immune systems were good.

Bruce sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his face.

“I don’t care that much anymore, I just hope they fall asleep earlier or something…”

When adopting Jason, Bruce had known it’d be a little more difficult than raising Dick, but he hadn’t expected it to be that difficult. He was pretty sure not even Gotham criminals treat them as agressively as Jason when throwing a full tantrum. He had bit marks and bruises from kicking, biting and punching all over his arms  and even on some other parts of his body. Just that day before snapping at the hall, he had to remind himself for not the first time that The Dark Knight of Gotham wouldn’t cry because of a little boy’s tantrum… at least not again.

For a while, the  man had the luck of being able to enjoy a couple of hours without having to watch or interact with his sons, but son enough arrived the moment he had feared.

“Well, Wally and I have to go. There’s homework waiting for us at home.”

“We should probably head home too,” Clark was holding the hand of a very displeased Conner, who obviously had wanted to stay but complied when told they had to go home.

Oliver, Hal and Bruce left for the playground in order to get their children, but while Dick and Wally went to their guardians as soon as they were called, Roy and Jason weren’t in a rush.

“You know what?” Oliver got tired of standing there calling the boy like a fool while being ignored. “Fine, stay there if you want, I’m going home.” Dinah shot the archer a disapproving look as he turned around and pretended to leave. Way to go, Ollie, pegadogists would be really proud…

As much as Bruce and Dinah wanted to smack a psychology book on Oliver’s head, soon enough Roy got out of the playground and ran to catch his mentor’s hand. Maybe… 

“I’m going home, Jason!” Bruce grabbed Dick’s hand as if he really were leaving.

“Bye!” jason waved his hand at them, because he was having fun and no way he was going back to that huge scary house yet.

“I’m really leaving, because it’s late and it’s going to get dark soon.” Bruce even took some steps away.

But Jason kept on playing…

“Noooo! We can’t leave without Jay!” Bruce almost face palmed. He was scaring the wrong child.

“Cut it, Dick,” he started walking away, but got no response from his youngest.

Dinah felt bad and patted her friend’s shoulder.

“I don’t think it works on everyone, Bruce,” she gave him a sympathetic look before going with Oliver.

“You know what? I’m sick of this,” the man told Diana, starting to take off his shoes, “I’m done being that… child’s joke.”

“Bruce, what are you going to do?” Diana took Dick’s hand.

But instead of answering, the man walked decided towards the jungle gym, catching the curious look his youngest was giving him.

With determination written all over his face, he aimed his huge body direct to the entrance of the playground. It was very tricky path towards Jason's location, but nothing impossible for Gotham's Dark Knight.
The man pushed his upper half as far as it could go inside the dirty playground before trying to turn a little... And failing miserably.

The CEO of Wayne Enterprises struggled a bit as discreetly as he could, but even Jason peeked from where he was when the man took too long to move.

"Bruce?" Diana dared to ask. She could sense Dick getting anxious. "Everything okay?"

The man grunted, but gave up after one last struggle. He sighed before speaking up.

"I'm stuck..."

That could not be good.

.

The way back home was the most silent Dick had ever had. Bruce was serious sometimes, but never had he ever not spoken a single word on the way home before.

It had been funny when Bruce's huge body had gotten stuck on the playground, but then some staff at the restaurant had had to took off some parts of the jungle gym in order to get Bruce out and things had gotten a little bit more serious.

Under different circumstances, Dick could have laughed or at least giggled a little, but Bruce's face when he got free... Well, even Jason had got silent and ran to the car when the man looked at them.

Even when it was a little nice to have his new little brother to be good and quiet for once, she didn't like it that Bruce had to be so angry for it to happen... It was just not fair.

Dick felt really bad for thinking that way, but ever since Jason arrived, Bruce was always angry and tired... Dick loved playing with Jason whenever his little brother wasn't crying or throwing a tantrum. Even if it has been kind of difficult for you Jason to open up with him, they had really gotten to like each other, the loved someone to play with all the time, and Jason always ended up having fun whenever Dick wanted to play with him... The other boy almost made him feel as safe as Alfred did.

However, even if Bruce liked Jason as much as Dick and Alfred did, he was not bonding with him that well... And it put the man in the worst mood ever. Bruce never had time to play or read stories to him anymore, and he never smiled either because he always had 'bad days at work'.

Dick looked at his little brother, who was asleep against the window, and at Bruce's scowl in the front mirror before sighing sadly. Being a big brother wasn't being as fun as he first had thought.

"What?" The man spat as soon as he heard the child, but Dick's look just turned from sad to upset.

"You're always mean now."

That caught Bruce by surprise. What on earth...

"Listen to me, little boy, I don't appreciate you talking to me that way."

“I don’t appreciate you always being mean.” 

“I’m not mean, I’m your fahter, and…”

“No, you’re just Jason’s father.”

“Richard, stop being rude before I run out of patience.”

“Like always,” Bruce heard Dick mutter.

“Dick!”

“I can’t talk, I’m trying to sleep,” Dick curled himself against the door and leant his head on the window. He heard Bruce talking, but he didn’t bother answering anymore.