2/2 But Brad probably asks a lot of questions initially to try to get to know Alfred, like: “How do you stay in shape? You’re pretty spry for an old dude.” Let’s assume Alfred is ex military in this version, so that’s his explanation, and Brad accepts it. Until Brad sees a misplaced batarang or tool from a fight he completely missed, and all the pieces fall into place. He can’t stay quiet. “Guys, don’t freak out, but… I think Alfred might be Batman.” Bruce nearly chokes on his coffee.
Oh I LOVE the idea that Brad is suspicious of Alfred.
Concept: one of the inspirations for Batman is Mary Roberts Rinehart’s 1920 play The Bat. It features a masked bat-themed criminal. Her work has remained popular in Gotham because it fits the noir aesthetic. Her novel The Door is also the origin of the “the butler did it” trope.
Maybe Brad has never met an actual honest-to-god butler before and his only exposure to them has been through pop culture, so he just kind of assumes Alfred is quietly scheming and hiding a dark secret.
That’s way smarter than my Brad & Alfred headcanon:
Alfred calls Brad ‘Master Bradley’. Brad keeps trying to get him to stop, as much because he’s literally got “Brad” on his birth certificate as because of discomfort with the form of address; but Alfred cannot bring himself to address a living human being as Brad.
Tags:
#Batman #fanfic #headcanons #embarrassment squick? #oh look an update
Brinens and Things - Tumblr Mirror 
One thought on “missroxyspamcake asked: Glumshoe, I’ve had an idea about Brad Wayne for while now, and that is that he is unlikely to suspect the Bat Fam of being superheroes. But he’s probably more likely to suspect that ALFRED is up to something, if only that Alfred is lazier than he looks (he often suddenly disappears when Bruce does, probably for a smoke break, Brad tells himself). The others are used to having a butler around by now, and Alfred is very careful of course. 1/2”