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schizoauthoressTitle: Roll With It
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: G
Spoilers: none
Prompt: "Give me a couple and I'll write a drabble about them as parents." unit82717 on Tumblr asked me for Dick/Steph
Warnings: none
Word Count: 462
Summary: It wasn't supposed to be like this, but they'll make the best of it.
Word of the Day: troth, noun: Faithfulness, fidelity, or loyalty.
Note: Not a ship of mine, but I gave it a shot because Unit is good people.
Roll With It
Steph scrubbed at a particularly difficult corner of the casserole dish, where the cheese had gone too crispy on the lasagna when she baked it. And she pretended that she wasn’t listening to Dick act out ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’ to her daughter.
She hadn’t expected this. When she had given birth to the girl, and given her up for adoption, she was supposed to be ensuring a good life for the child. The Pattersons were supposed to stay in Trenton, where Dr. Patterson’s practice was, where Mr. Patterson’s restaurant was doing so well. (Steph hadn’t known that when the adoption went through, but the temptation of finding out matched with the pervasiveness of Oracle’s information network gave her the details.) Steph’s daughter was supposed to be safe with her new parents.
But they had come to Gotham City. An opening at Arkham Asylum for an experienced psychiatrist had lured the Pattersons — Seth and Dr. Elisa and Nancy Jean — into danger.
Steph scrubbed harder. Dick was complaining in the youngest princess’s falsetto that her prince was not rowing fast enough, while Nancy Jean giggled sleepily at how the girl was being tricked.
The Joker had gotten to Dr. Elisa, and Batman and Batgirl had been too late to save her or her husband. Steph had known, when Nancy Jean ran to her and cried against the bat on her chest, that she wasn’t going to let her daughter go. She couldn’t. But…
"I think it’s clean, Steph," Dick said behind her. He turned off the running faucet and gently took the scrubbing sponge from her hands. Steph looked up at him, startled. "She dropped off right at the end, like usual. You okay, hon?"
"You’re good to her," Steph said, and she hadn’t really meant to, but now that those words were out, the rest of them tumbled free, "and you don’t have to be. I’ve trapped you, haven’t I? Because you wanted to be with me and then my daughter comes back into my life and you never asked for this—"
"Hey," Dick turned Steph around and ducked his head a little to meet her eyes, "it’s not like that. I don’t have to be here, Steph. We’re not married or anything. I’m here because I want to be. Because I want to be with you."
"I just feel…" Steph looked away. "I feel like I’m taking advantage. Like I’m forcing you to be a dad."
"You aren’t, Steph." Dick laughed softly. "Ask Damian. I’m a dad whether the kid wants me to be or not."
"Oh god," Steph had to giggle at the reminder. "I guess that’s true."
"Totally true. Now, come on. America’s Got Talent is on tonight, and I think I owe someone a foot massage…"
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: G
Spoilers: none
Prompt: "Give me a couple and I'll write a drabble about them as parents." unit82717 on Tumblr asked me for Dick/Steph
Warnings: none
Word Count: 462
Summary: It wasn't supposed to be like this, but they'll make the best of it.
Word of the Day: troth, noun: Faithfulness, fidelity, or loyalty.
Note: Not a ship of mine, but I gave it a shot because Unit is good people.
Roll With It
Steph scrubbed at a particularly difficult corner of the casserole dish, where the cheese had gone too crispy on the lasagna when she baked it. And she pretended that she wasn’t listening to Dick act out ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’ to her daughter.
She hadn’t expected this. When she had given birth to the girl, and given her up for adoption, she was supposed to be ensuring a good life for the child. The Pattersons were supposed to stay in Trenton, where Dr. Patterson’s practice was, where Mr. Patterson’s restaurant was doing so well. (Steph hadn’t known that when the adoption went through, but the temptation of finding out matched with the pervasiveness of Oracle’s information network gave her the details.) Steph’s daughter was supposed to be safe with her new parents.
But they had come to Gotham City. An opening at Arkham Asylum for an experienced psychiatrist had lured the Pattersons — Seth and Dr. Elisa and Nancy Jean — into danger.
Steph scrubbed harder. Dick was complaining in the youngest princess’s falsetto that her prince was not rowing fast enough, while Nancy Jean giggled sleepily at how the girl was being tricked.
The Joker had gotten to Dr. Elisa, and Batman and Batgirl had been too late to save her or her husband. Steph had known, when Nancy Jean ran to her and cried against the bat on her chest, that she wasn’t going to let her daughter go. She couldn’t. But…
"I think it’s clean, Steph," Dick said behind her. He turned off the running faucet and gently took the scrubbing sponge from her hands. Steph looked up at him, startled. "She dropped off right at the end, like usual. You okay, hon?"
"You’re good to her," Steph said, and she hadn’t really meant to, but now that those words were out, the rest of them tumbled free, "and you don’t have to be. I’ve trapped you, haven’t I? Because you wanted to be with me and then my daughter comes back into my life and you never asked for this—"
"Hey," Dick turned Steph around and ducked his head a little to meet her eyes, "it’s not like that. I don’t have to be here, Steph. We’re not married or anything. I’m here because I want to be. Because I want to be with you."
"I just feel…" Steph looked away. "I feel like I’m taking advantage. Like I’m forcing you to be a dad."
"You aren’t, Steph." Dick laughed softly. "Ask Damian. I’m a dad whether the kid wants me to be or not."
"Oh god," Steph had to giggle at the reminder. "I guess that’s true."
"Totally true. Now, come on. America’s Got Talent is on tonight, and I think I owe someone a foot massage…"