Work Text:
The twentieth of February was Bring your Little to Work day in Gotham City.
It was the first one Bruce was finally able to bring Dick with him to one of his board meetings with the committee. They only happened once or twice throughout the year, the other members usually only needing his input for major events or city donations, so it was pure luck that one of those meetings happened to coincide with the day.
Bruce walked into the boardroom pushing a black buggy with a beaming smile on his face that had everyone in the room doing a double take. It wasn't as if nobody at Wayne Enterprises had never seen Bruce smile before, but those smiles were always small and forcefully polite, nothing like the one plastered across his face today.
"Good morning, everyone!" Bruce's voice was just as bright and cheerful as his expression. "May I introduce you to a very special guest who will be joining us for today." He turned the buggy around to face the room of men and women, then pulled back the hood to reveal a black-haired baby boy with forest green eyes, dressed in blue footie pajamas. The baby didn't pay them any mind, he just continued playing with the blue and white striped crocheted blankie that Alfred had made him last Christmas, sucking on the matching blue pacifier in his mouth. "This is my son, Richard Grayson Wayne. But everyone just calls him Dick."
Aws and coos filled the room in an instant as everyone in the room gave their greetings and welcomes to the tiny boy.
Once the excitement died down and everyone settled into their seats, the meeting began. Bruce's attention alternated flawlessly between the board director and his son, giving his input when it was asked of him, while also still attending to Dick. Overall, the baby was content to just play with his blankie and the toys that were attached to the buggy. Well, at least he was for the first fifteen minutes of the meeting.
It started with muffled little whimpers and the occasional agitated kick of his feet. Bruce gently shushed him and ran a hand through his silky, dark hair for a couple minutes. When that didn't help and Dick's whimpers turned into high-pitched whines, though, Bruce changed his soothing tactics to gently rolling the buggy back and forth to simulate rocking. When that didn't work either though, and Dick's whines transformed into full on crying, Bruce stood up from his seat and lifted Dick out of the buggy.
The conversation between the director and other board members slowly ceased as Dick's crying grew louder, some looking on in sympathy and others in concern.
"Shhh, shh-shh. You're okay, bubba, you're okay. What's going on, huh? What's got you so upset, munchkin?"
Bruce walked away from the table and began to pace the floor, gently bouncing his son as he did. After a few minutes passed without any sign of Dick calming down, Bruce considered stepping out to let the room get back on track while he continued trying to soothe his son's tears. However, just before he was about to excuse himself and pivot towards the door, the sound of Dick's cries shifted.
These were his hungry cries.
Bruce glanced up at the analog clock on the wall. There was still half an hour left before Dick's second morning feeding was supposed to happen, but it wasn't too surprising that he was already hungry earlier than expected. Dick's body was still that of a growing teenager after all, so he was going to need extra calories and nutrients regardless of what headspace he was in.
Problem solved, Bruce made his way back over to the buggy. He reached into the undercarriage and grabbed one of the bottles of formula there, then returned to his seat with Dick. He rearranged the boy until his head was cradled in the crook of Bruce's arm, the rest of his little body curled up in his lap. Bruce plucked the pacifier from the baby's mouth and brought the nipple of the bottle to his lips. Dick immediately latched on, his cries coming to an immediate stop now that he'd finally been given what he needed.
"There we go, baby. All better," Bruce murmured to him, before raising his head and looking up at the table of board members with a sheepish smile on his face. "Apologies, ladies and gentlemen. He was hunger sooner than I expected him to be. Please, continue, Mr. Cameron."
The director waved him off with a smile. "No apologies necessary, Mr. Wayne. Most of us here are parents and Caregivers ourselves, so we understand."
The meeting easily resumed. The discussion picked up right where it had left off, while this time Bruce primarily focused on feeding his son.
Bruce tried to divide his attention equally to Dick and the going ons of the meeting, but it was far more difficult to do with his son directly in his arms, who gazed up at him with those big, adorable eyes of his. Dick's right hand loosely clutched his suit jacket, while his left was adorably curled into a loose fist against his own little chest. How could Bruce keep his eyes off him right now?
Taking care of Dick in at any age range was a joy to Bruce, but he would be lying if he said he didn't especially enjoy taking care of him when he was in a baby headspace.
After Dick finished his bottle, Bruce pulled it away and put it back into the undercarriage of the buggy. He then snagged one of the burping cloths and tossed it over his shoulder before positioning Dick's head over it. He placed his hand between the boy's shoulder blades and started to give him firm, gentle pats on the back. Once he got Dick to burp (thankfully without any spit up involved), Bruce threw the cloth back into the buggy and maneuvered the baby into a cradle hold once more.
Bruce slipped the pacifier back into Dick's mouth, then started to slowly rock him back and forth, almost immediately causing the boy's eyes to begin fluttering. When he was this small, Dick always had his first nap of the day after his second feeding. And fortunately, his son was also accustomed to sleeping through various noise, so all the talking in the room wouldn't be an issue for him.
"That's it, baby. Close those pretty green eyes and sleep. Daddy's got you."