Spider-proofing
There was a heaviness in the air. The only noise came from the beeping of the heart monitor in Peter's room and the solemn voice of Dr.Leslie Thompkins. Peter had remained unconscious for over 24 hours.
“His temperature has risen since last night but he's still well below what he should be,” Leslia explained to Bruce, “The broken rib has turned into a fracture and the cut on his head has closed. His enhanced healing is a blessing and a curse, he’s using up too much energy by healing so quickly. At this rate he's going to go into organ failure, and to top it off he still has hypothermia which will only speed up the process.”
“That may be due to his mutation,” Bruce said, “We don't know what is considered normal for him. Damian mentioned spiders being cold blooded, that could explain it.”
“Even then, based on these notes, he should be at least a bit higher,” Leslie said, going through the folder that Damian had dropped off earlier, “I'm not a vet or anything like that, I can only theorise based on these notes and what a normal child should be at”
Bruce nodded.
“A normal child should be around 97° Fahrenheit and he's 79” Leslie shuffled through the notes before finding the right page. “Even a spider should be at least 82.”
“Maybe we can get him a heated blanket or something similar?”
“Not without putting added pressure to his heart, he's still far below the healthy weight and…” Leslie sighed looking at the heart rate monitor, “We can't put any more stress then necessary.”
“Then a feeding tube? If we can increase his weight he may be able to deal with the added stress.”
“I do recommend a feeding tube, but even then it could take months to get him to a healthy weight,” Leslia continued, “Perhaps I missed something, he does have enhanced healing, it is plausible that this is some kind of… side effect.”
Leslie looks back through the sheets before sighing and placing the folder back down.
“The best option is to wait,” Leslie said, “His mutation complicates things. If we raise his body temperature to that of a normal child's then we could risk overheating. Even the feeding tube can lead to complications if he's not able to digest it. I've hooked him up to a nutrition I.V for now, if his temperature increases by tomorrow morning I’ll move him to the feeding tube.”
“Thank you Leslie,” Bruce said, “I'll have Alfred drive you back to the clinic.”
“I'm sorry again Bruce,” Leslie said, putting on her coat, “I wish I could do more.”
Bruce watched from the window as the car drove off before turning back to Peter. Sitting down on the bed, he adjusted the heavy blanket. Bruce was by no means a good father, he has never raised any of his children from birth, never been there to watch their first mile stones. He had already buried one of his children, and by some twisted luck, he was brought back. Peter on the other hand wouldn’t have the same cursed hand to revive him. If Peter were to die, then that would be it. Peter, as quick as he was to appear into his life, would disappear just as fast.
Death never stuck to any of his children, but it still clung tightly to them all. Peter was not a vigilante, and Bruce vowed as he watched over the small child, that Peter would not become one. He’d have one child, just one of his children that would be free from the shackles that clung to them. One child that would have a childhood where he did not have to fight. As he stood up and left the room, he glanced back at Peter. He did not know the extent of what Peter had already been through, how much of his life was already stolen. He had his normalcy robbed from him by countless people, his very essence mutilated through experimentation and who knows what else. He had his childhood taken from him but Bruce would give it back. Not with a mask like he had with Damian, but with a home.
Later that evening, Damian entered Peter's room still in his school uniform. Jason had heard about Leslie's visit to the mansion and despite Damian's opinion of his intelligence, he had connected the dots. Now there was shouting coming from the entrance hall. Accusations and empty threats muffled by the bedroom's heavy door.
Damian watched the warmed I.V drip entering Peter's vein on his left arm. He wanted to blame someone, blame his father or siblings but as he stood there watching, he only blamed himself. Even with their involvement; Damian should have done better, he was supposed to be perfect, raised to be the best at everything he did, but the embodiment of his failure laid before him.
Damian picked up the folder he had written to assist Leslie in Peter’s recovery, flipping to the allegents and repellents, he spared Peter one last glance as before leaving the room. Bruce insisted he returned to school the same day he returned with Peter and so he had little time to prepare the manor for Peter’s arrival. Heading towards the kitchen he immediately grabbed a black bin bag from below the sink and got to work.
He knew Peter would be stressed as soon as he woke up, he couldn't have anything that could increase his anxiety further. First to go was the herbal teas. Not all the flavours were listed in the file but Damian would rather be over prepared than under. Next he opened the pantry, grabbing herbs and spices along with canned fruits such as pineapple. All of it going into the bin bag. By the time he had finished going through all the cupboards, a figure had entered the room.
“Why are you raiding the kitchen?” Duke asked, confused, still in his own uniform as he grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl on the counter and peeling it. “Alfred's going to have a fit, he just went shopping”
“Alfred will understand,” Damian stated, dragging the ever growing bin bag behind him as he approached the fruit bowl. “I'm preparing the manor for Peter seeing as nobody else has begun making the effort.”
Damian snatched the orange out of Duke's hand and added it to the bag.
“Dude! I was eating that?” Duke whined but didn't interfere as Damian removed the rest of the citrus fruit from the bowl. “How is destroying the kitchen gonna help Peter?”
“Spider repellants” Damian stated as he opened the fridge.
“You know he’s not actually a spider right? Just like… spider adjacent?” Duke said, checking the pantry. “Really Damian? Did you have to throw out all the spices?”
“Yes. I would rather flavourless food than Peter dying of an allergic reaction.”
“Master Damian. Master Duke. Care to explain why you are destroying my kitchen?” Alfred asked as he entered the room.
“Peter’s allergic.” Duke said, closing the cupboard. “Damian said so.”
“And this couldn't wait until after you both got out of your uniforms?”
“Do you want Peter to die?” Damian asked as he dumped the pavlova that Alfred made earlier that day into the bag with a wet plop. “Prevention is the best preparation.”
“And how do we know that Master Peter is allergic to my pavlova?”
“He's allergic to fruit.” Duke said.
“Citrus.” Damian corrected closing the fridge. “I will hand you a list of possible allergens once I am finished.”
“Very well.” Alfred relented with a sigh. “And you didn't think to donate the wasted food? You know how Master Dick is with food waste.”
“Tt” Damian muttered as he carried the bag out of the room with Duke following close behind. “I will inform you when I've finished.”
Duke and Damian went unbothered as they moved through the mansion. Potted plants such as lavender added to the collection of waste along with the essential oil collection from Cass's room. It wasn't until they passed by the commotion near the front door before they were stopped. Jason and Bruce were standing a few feet from the door, while a tired looking DIck stood between them with his hands raised ready to step in if either of them went for each other.
“Why the fuck would you bring him here?” Jason shouted, “The last thing he wants is to wake up in his kidnapper’s house.”
“I’m his father, it’s only right that he recovers at the manor.” Bruce said calmly, “It’s not like I’ve brought him to the cave.”
“Oh that’s a huge improvement, instead of an interrogation in a strange cave you’ll interrogate him in a strange bed?!” Jason shouted.
“Jay, listen,” Dick said, “He needed to go somewhere and I get that Bruce is shit with kids but where else could we take him."
“Don’t take him anywhere!” Jason turned to Dick, “You should’ve let him stay… I don’t know but anywhere would’ve been better than here.”
“We don’t know if those people are still after him,” Bruce said, “It’s in his best interest to stay here.”
“So what? You can add to your collection of child soldiers?” Jason continued shouting, “He’s a kid Bruce and for some reason any kid that crosses your path ends up fighting your battles.”
“He won’t”
“Bullshit.”
“We don’t even know how he got to Gotham,” Dick said, “Remember how we found him? Chances are whoever brought him here are still after him.”
“So he escaped the bad guys and you just brought him back?” Jason asked incredulously, “Really? That’s your plan? It’s not like you’re going to keep him hidden either, you’ve already got him a birth certificate. Peter Wayne. Really? You’ve just put a larger target on his back.”
“I see no issue with the name change, he is my son after all,” Bruce said, not sparing a glance as Damian dragged a large bin bag behind him with Duke following behind with a shovel. “If he has the Wayne name it will make it harder for someone else to kidnap him.”
“He has a point Jay,” Dick said, taking a step back to let Damian and Duke pass as they approached the front door, “As far as we know Peter is a victim of human trafficking, if he’s publicly recognised as Bruce’s biological kid it would at the very least keep them away.”
“I’m pretty sure both you and Tim were kidnapped because you were Bruce’s kid, ransom money from a billionaire and all that.” Jason said before glancing at Damian and Duke as they left through the front door. “What the fuck are they doing?”
“Who knows?” Dick said, “Back to the kidnapping; it wasn’t a big deal. A lot better than human traffickers. We were in and out in a couple hours without a single bruise.”
“Kidnapping is a big deal Dickhead,” Jason said, “I’m telling you what Peter needs is a normal environment.”
“This is a normal environment, Bruce already said he wasn’t going to get him into the vigilante stuff.” Dick said.
Jason looked at Dick and pointed to the door that Duke and Damian left through.
“Pretty sure they’re burying a body.” Jason deadpanned.
“No they’re not…” Dick said as he quickly made his way past Jason, “I’m just gonna check up on them. This isn’t me agreeing with you by the way, they’re probably just gardening or something”
“When have they ever gardened?”
Dick hesitated a bit before leaving.
“I’m staying here until he wakes up,” Jason said pointing a finger at Bruce, “Any attempt of an integration i’m clocking you immediately. Got that?”
“You know where your room is.”
Dick jogs up to the pair outside as Duke begins digging up one of Alfred’s flower beds with the bag beside him and a manilla folder on the ground. Damian is close by glancing between each type of plant and his phone.
“Duke, are you burying a body, yes or no?” Dick asks.
“No.” Duke said as he shovels the pink chrysanthemums into the bag. “Why would I do that?”
“Blackmail or something I don’t know.” Dick said, peeking into the bag. “Is that pavlova?”
“Yeah. I’m helping Damian.” Duke said as Damian came over with another empty bin bag as their current one was getting full. “Thanks Dami.”
“Right. Okay, and why is he getting you to dig up the garden?”
“They're poisonous. Sophie said so.” Damian said as he tied the first bin.
“Who’s Sophie?” Dick asks as Damian hands him his phone.
“Sophie Hassani.” Damian states, looking back at Duke, “After this you need to remove the marigolds. I’ll begin in the green house while you finish here.”
Dick is reading the article on the phone Damian gave him; ‘14 Indoor And Outdoor Plants That Repel Spiders by Sophie Hassani’. He looks at Duke.
“Peter isn't actually a spider, just…” Dick sighed as Duke continued shoveling the flowers, “He’s not gonna die from marigolds.”
“I know.” Duke said.
“Then why are you doing this?”
“I don’t want to do my homework.”
“Fair enough,” Dick sighed, glancing towards the greenhouse that Damian had entered, “Does Damian also not want to do his homework or something?”
“Nah, I think he’s really shook up about Peter almost dying.” Duke said leaning on the shovel looking in the same direction as Dick, “If destroying the garden makes him feel better then what’s the harm?”
“Does Alfred know?” Dick asked.
“He caught us in the kitchen but I don’t know if he knew we were heading for the garden next.”
“Right. Okay.” Dick pocketed Damian’s phone, “I’m gonna see if I can talk him out of killing the basil.”
“Good luck.” Duke calls over his shoulder as he goes back to shovelling.