Chapter Text
Lance Bruner Pov:
Lance would continue his walk back to the house as the sun rose, from this far back you could just see Alfred busy himself around the house through the windows, occasionally stopping at one to open it, then nodding to himself continuing with his day, to early for anyone else to be up yet, the air should be frozen around him but he felt nothing.
It was one of the good parts of being a ghost the cold and warmth didn't get to you, you felt.. nothing.
He'd stop a few metres from the house watching as some of the other ghosts floted past him into the kitchen, and to the back door, it was the only day and time of day youd see some of them. Pancake day.
The smell would flow through the house and the smell would attract them, some could smell them, muttering about syrup and blueberries, others just seemed to like looking at them.
Lance couldnt smell the pancakes unfortunately all he could smell if he tried was gunpowder, so he rarely every tired to actually smell or breathe in through his nose to focus, just mouth to feel....
Another ghost would stop about 5 steps away from the door, an older woman, Lance recognised her as the one that could allow the alive as they called it, to feel her own emotions, a mother, by what he had pieced together based on their.. limited conversation.
Lance had started calling her happy, she was the only one that really made any sense anymore... Some sense.
Hed sigh before looking uo at the sky and shutting his eyes tightly before taking a few steps closer.
"Happy, good morning."
"Lance, son in kitchen, yippee."
"Bruce is up already?"
"No. Other son."
"Oh.. the sunshine, yeah.. it shines in there every morning."
"Noo!"
He saw Alfred's face scrunch as she gets upset, the pancake in the pan burning.
Maybe her power was to bring misery.. like those ghost movies.
"Alfred?"
Shed turn away clearly that wasnt the right answer.
Hed move to look through the window trying to see who she was talking about.
"Oh. Grandson.. you mean my replacement."
"No replace."
"Yes yes I am always your 2 grandson."
"3rd."
Hed then start counting them out on his fingers in the order of Bruce's adoption.. or unwilling take on.
"No. Im the 2nd, it goes Dickie boy, me, Jaybird, Sandra and Timbers I guess but he ain't really cuz of that distant uncle or whatever.. death glare ie the blood one and then the new kid.. again technically."
But when he looked up she was not listening, focused completly on the man in the kitchen, yes she spoke like somewhat of a child, but that was much better then the howls and growls that came from the others.
He had a guess to who she was, well it was less of a guess more of a fact, but he had no reason to really mind, she didnt really remember who she was or how she died and that was not his job to break, she was happy, no point in reminding her of the feeling of a cold peace of metal sizling and burning as it buried itself into your flesh and the sudden heat washing down you-
"I like Duke, its nice to have someone in the house who knows what non privileged gothams like, ever since Steph started staying at her mother's more everyone here always sounds so.. uptight."
Alfred looked over his shoulder slightly at the boy as he scraped the burnt pancake into the bin.
"I mean.. posh- no uh."
"Is high-class the word your looking for."
It was said more as a statement as Alfred moved to begin plating the pancakes for jason, then moving back to make more, Lance had liked Alfred, when he was alive, had being the word.
The man was a soilder not a parent, and he raised Bruce like one, the man should never have been a father figure.
But maybe thats why lance liked him so much.
It reminded him of his biological father.
Lance sighed, the other ghosts had began moving away some making growling and groaning, one yelled something about them coming, he was insane, but it did make lance flinch, happy would enter then begin an attempt to fix jasons messy hair.
Lance would move closer through the door a moment after her sitting across from jason they where at the kitchen table so no one would sit on top of him, and it was far to early for anyone else to be awake it looked to be that jason has the early shift.
So no worries about being sat on.
He liked doing this, sitting in the kitchen and acting like he was part on the conversation, particularly when he got all, interperspective like this.
Act..
Alive.
He scoft at the thought, in no universe would he have lived out of his teens, he leaned back listening to the conversation.
"Yeah! Thats the word... i just..mn."
Jason spoke with a mouth full of pancakes, he chewed it down before continuing.
"I mean, your all.. high class, raised and lived high class, I mean, other than Dick, and he had his own.. issues."
"You can say that again-"
"He has had a tough life."
Lance got slightly offended, and happy would look up before turning and walking off.
"Wait where are you-?"
But she was already gone, Lance just shook his head, it was common for them to walk off without explanation.. He really hopes he isnt slowly falling into that.. Jason had continued his conversation.
"I know, but I have to, and I mean I was his first sibling, he wanted to adopt me for Christ's sake, you'd think he'd talk to me more, at least not pretend he understands."
"Yes, I suppose I can understand how master Richards attempt to be.. wise could be, hard to deal with."
"Wise isnt the right word more.. Fatherly."
That was said with a hint of disgust.
"Of course Dickie boy is the fatherly type, its kinda clear that bruce was more his older brother then actual father–"
"Master Richard loves you very much he means nothing by his, want for you to move on."
"Yeah yeah I know, but still.."
Jason took another bite of his pancakes, and Lance tilted his head, clearly jason and himself had very similar views on Dickie boy, to.. dad like. To an annoying degree... But.. lance wishes he could go back to that...
"Nope nope nope!"
Lance stood and walked off going to find someone else in the house the point was to not think about his life and being alive again!
Maybe they left the TV on?
Oh.
Bruce sat in his usual chair clearly trying not to let jason know he was home, nervous as always, the TV was on though, and on something he hadn't seen in a while, Bruce's favourite movie