For Stacy. Who asked for Bartfic. :)

He sees things he's pretty sure he's not supposed to see. Hears things he's pretty sure he's not supposed to hear.

Like Vic and Gar fighting, when no one else is at the Tower. Bart did laps, trying to find out what was going on, without being seen.

And--Vic was angry. Gar was drunk. ("Drinking?" the poster at school said. "Tell an adult! We can help!" But Vic already knew, and it didn't seem to be helping.)

"You're nineteen--" around the Tower again, "--doing, coming--" another lap. "--smashed!"

"--off, Vic." Gar staggered, and Bart adjusted his run. Then he was gone, and back. "--cast party."

Vic shouted his words almost over Gar's. "You haven't been--" Bart put on a burst of speed to hear the rest, "--any plays!"

Gar just started laughing.

When Bart came back around again, Vic looked miserable, and Gar was crying.

Bart ran.

("Friends in trouble? Ask a parent for help!" the posters at school said.)

He ran home. If Jay knew--

"--something wrong with him. None of us have been as . . . as . . ."

Bart screeched to a halt and waited, around a corner.

"Hon, he grew up in a video game. He's going to be a little..."

Sometimes, he heard things he thought he wasn't supposed to hear.

"Spaztic? Jay, he can't slow down for anything! Lord knows Wally acts like he's ADHD sometimes, but he doesn't hold a candle to--"

Sometimes, he didn't want to hear them.

Bart ran.

He couldn't think about Jay and Joan. He needed to find someone who would know what to do about Gar. Tim would know what to do. Who was more adult than Tim? Okay, not officially an adult, but he was definitely an authority.

All Bart had to do was find him. Don't think about Jay and Joan and how they worried. Nothing to worry about. The world was just too slow. ("Trouble at home?" the posters said. "Tell a teacher!" But Bart couldn't tell a teacher what the problem was. He couldn't explain the speed.)

It took him a while to find Tim. He knew the teen was in Bludhaven, but he didn't know where in Bludhaven. Vibrating through houses took time.

When Bart saw him, he stopped.

Tim and Batgirl, sitting on Tim's bed. Tim's head was in her lap. She petted his hair and, for a moment, Bart thought she looked right at him. But no--he hadn't paused long enough to be seen. He was sure of that.

Still, he wavered in the doorway. Tim was hurting. Tim was supposed to know everything. Tim was supposed to be the strong one.

Sometimes, he saw things he didn't want to see.

Bart ran.

("Tell an adult!") He ran back to the Tower. Gar was throwing up in the bathroom. Vic was making coffee in the kitchen, swearing softly at the coffeepot.

Bart hesitated, then was gone again before Vic saw him. That adult already knew. That adult was still angry.

("Tell a parent, a teacher, or any adult!" the posters said.)

Sometimes, Bart wished he could just go at normal speeds, and not see or hear things he didn't want to know.

Bart ran.

********

Back to the Batcave
Back to the living room