YJ: Daddy Issues

At first Dick thought he was seeing things. The blond hair caught his eyes. His first thought was: No, Bruce valued their secret too much to do this to him. Then he saw her, there was no mistake. Artemis standing there in civilian clothes talking to a few girls in the hallway of Gotham Academy. Artemis was at HIS school. Dick slammed his locker shut in frustration surprising his friends, what the hell was Bruce thinking?

"Hey dude what's wrong?" Mark asked.

"Nothing." Dick smiled and reply dryly. "The door was stuck."

"Dick come here! There is someone I want you to meet!" Melissa called to him waving him over to Artemis. Dick took a deep breath and walked up to the girls.

"Dick this is Artemis, we've decide we are going to call her Artie." Dick stared at Artemis for a moment his face blank and the girl stared back. "Do you guys already know each other? She is being sponsored by your dad after all." The anger that was in Dick's chest burned a little hotter.

"No." Dick said curtly extending his hand. Artemis took it. "Bruce sponsors a lot of kids. I don't get to meet all of them. It is nice to meet you." Dick said half heartedly shaking Artemis's hand. "Now if you will excuse me.

Bruce was sitting in his study when the door slammed open, he had expected this, and that was precisely why he brought his work home with him. Dick marched in, still in his school uniform and slammed down a school file on the desk with Artemis's picture and a sponsorship letter.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Dick yelled.

"Sponsor a less fortunate girl so she could get her education." Bruce replied barely looking up from his paper work. The dismissive attitude only pissed Dick off more.

"First you forbid me to tell them my identity then you go and put her in MY school? You could have put her in any school, but no, you had to put her in MY school. And not even giving me a heads up about it!" Dick threw his hands up in frustration.

"I don't trust her." Bruce finally said with his Batman tone, "I put her there so I could watch her, we could watch her."
"Great now I am spying on a teammate. Fantastic!" Dick said with an exasperated sigh before storming out of the den.

Bruce had hoped the conversation would have gone better once he had told Dick the truth, but the boy was still angry. Bruce decided to leave the boy alone for a little while to cool off. Half an hour later Bruce found his little bird in the lab in the Batcave typing furiously at a keyboard. Dick must be really mad. The boy had several distinct levels of angry: First he would sulk in his room and study or do homework, second he would train and when he was really upset he would code to get things off his mind. Bruce sighed, by the rate Dick was typing he was really pissed off.

"Dick." Bruce said walking into the lab.

"What?" Dick snapped not looking up from the screen. Bruce turned the boy's chair around so he could look Dick in the eye.

"You are not mad that Artemis is at your school. You are not mad that I needed to talk to Aqualad alone, because you know I have my reasons. Why are you mad?" Bruce said with sincerity. Dick looked away showing Bruce that he was right. For a few moments Bruce could see Dick's mind working as the boy tried to figure out his own feelings.

"It's just... We use to be partners..." Dick murmured still looking away, "You use to tell me everything... It's different now... I am just like one of them..." Suddenly Bruce realized what had gotten his adopted son so upset. He pulled the boy in for a hug.

"You are still my first priority. I only allowed the formation of Young Justice because you wanted it. You will always be my partner and I will always trust you, always." Bruce said to the boy in his arms. "But I am also responsible for the well being of the rest of the team now. My time is spread a little thin, so I trust that you will remember that you are still the most important to me." For a moment the two remained silent until Dick broke the silence.

"I am sorry I for behaving like a brat." Dick mumbled his apology into Bruce's shoulder.

"I am sorry I didn't keep you in the loop more." Bruce said stroking Dick's hair affectionately. The two pulled apart and Dick smiled up at Bruce who ruffled his hair slightly. "Come on, I think I hear Alfred's cookies coming out if the oven."