#((except not really

-> Being the child of Bruce Wayne came with its ups and downs, the man is good, your father? He tries his best.

But you’re quiet, the most you’ve ever reached out for something was when you need a form signed for school. Despite having dealt with more difficult children than yourself, he for some reason gave up sooner with you than the others. Maybe it was the fact you really were his blood related child? No, he wasn’t this way with Damian.

Maybe it was the fact you chose not to be a vigilante, to be normal. Everyone was surprised when they heard that from you, guess they all expected it. The only person who didn’t care was Jason, he was relieved if anything, he was also the one closest to you before— it happened.

Never had it ever crossed your mind that this would be the reason your family began to isolate you, whether on purpose or not. Dick became elusive, only appearing before you to keep up the older brother image, Jason hardly ever came home, not that it was strange, Tim despite being the closest in age to you was always locked in his room or out on patrol, Cass was, quiet to say the least, not unusual. Stephanie tried but you were not compliant to her trying, not on purpose but it was just the way things were.

Damian grew to ignore you after your lack of reaction to him and his words, and Duke was the nicest, didn’t push, always greeted you even if it wasn’t reciprocated. Watching them come into the house, one year after another only further pushed you down the list of importance, it’s only thanks to Alfred’s consistency that you still even had a plate at the table. You saw in his eyes he was apologetic to the happenings around you, yet you insistent that it was not necessary for him to speak with your dad.

Speaking of the man, his priorities skewed with the new attendance of people in manor. It’s hard to remember the last time you even spoke to him without the conversation ending in ten seconds. God, you haven’t even gotten some of their contact info, you’ve got Dick’s from years ago, Jason’s as well, though you’re sure his number has changed in recent times— Duke and Stephanie’s, and your dad’s which you don’t use. Their texts dwindled down overtime.

It did hurt, a subtle ache in your chest whenever they had dinner without you, or left without goodbye. Thankfully you weren’t without your own company, Isla and Oliver, you made friends with them on your first day of middle school and stuck together since. Keeping your relations to the Wayne family secret until you were sure they wouldn’t leave you over it.

Or use you, both were viable options.

But they didn’t care, if anything, opening up about your estrangement only led them to resent your family. Ironic given that Isla was a huge Red Hood fan and Oliver was partial to Nightwing.

You kept their secrets though, no reason to share it.

It was only one day that things changed, your room, the original one, in the middle of the hall surrounded by everyone else’s. It became far too loud and hard to sneak your friends in without being noticed, so you moved— not out, can’t until you’re legally eighteen, but into a more quiet part of the house, turning one of the abandoned guest rooms into your sanctuary, close to another exit so your friends didn’t have to run out the front door every time. With Alfred’s help of course, it was already fully furnished, just needed to move your valuables down.

Taking down your clothes, posters and pictures, everything to make your room feel like home. You also may or may not have gotten a mini fridge and snack drawer using Bruce’s money, it didn’t make a dent in his account so he wouldn’t notice, now it was much easier to house your friends. The freedom helped push away the ache you’d have, the one you’d get when you laid in bed knowing that not a single person would question your lack of presence at dinner.

Oliver and Isla were more than happy to welcome you into their homes as well, Isla lived with her mom, dad in metropolis since they were divorced. Oliver with his older brother, mom and dad, kindly you informed Alfred of every single departure because it’d be cruel not to, and you also asked him to keep your absence hush from your family.

Annoyingly, even though they ignored you most of the time they still questioned your disappearances when they didn’t first ask Alfred, playing it off like they cared but it was truly just the hero in them making sure you didn’t get into trouble. Maybe that counted as caring.

For once in your life thing managed to move at a steady pace, you kept your outside life with your friends seperate from the one you hardly had with your family, can you guess who threw a wrench in that plan?

I can.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

-> that’s the prologue completed, it’ll preferably be short, only around a chapter or two if I can help it. But I have a habit of writing too much, so we have to wait.

First piece of writing on this account, hope it’s alright.