So I found out that it's DickBabs Execute week. Lucky for me, I just happened to have a story laying around that fitted the first prompt. So I finished it up real quick, and now here it is.
Enchanted
Dick stood next to Bruce at the charity event. On the outside, he was making small talk with Bruce's associates and smiling the whole time. Inside, the thirteen year old was bored out of his mind. He forced a laugh at this one guy's joke that was anything but funny.
He excused himself and made his way over to a food table so he could avoid hearing the joke about the Japanese golfer, again.
"That's him? The boy Mr. Wayne took in?"
Dick heard the whispers but pretended he couldn't as he continued to sip his drink.
"Yes, I still can't understand why Bruce did that."
"Why does he bring his charity case to these things anyway."
"It makes him look good to the press."
Not this again. Dick had thought that after four years people would be over the whole 'charity case' thing. He hated all the insincerity around him so he glanced around the room for something to distract himself with.
And there she was, standing not twenty feet from him. Her auburn hair was curled and part of her bangs fell in her face. Her blue eyes were accented perfectly by just the right amount of makeup and the sapphire pendant around her neck. She looked nearly as bored as he did, but it was clear it was her first or second big event because the awe hadn't worn off yet.
Barbara Gordon. The police commissioner's daughter. She was only a year older than Dick was and they had a few classes together. He had seen her around a few times as Robin. Her father was overprotective and made it very clear to Robin that he was not to hit on her.
He had made no such rules for Dick though so when Barbara caught his gaze, he winked at her. She blushed slightly as she made her way over.
"Got something in your eye?" she asked playfully.
Dick resisted the urge to use a Wally line like "just an eyeful of you, sugar". Instead he answered, "Of course not. That was simply a nervous twitch. Are you making fun of my medical condition?"
Barbara leaned closer to him and said, "So, I make you nervous?"
Damn it. Dick didn't know how to answer that right away. Barbara smirked at him like she had won an imaginary point.
"Not you," he said. "It's the shrimp I ate. I'm worried I'll get food poison."
"Uh huh," Barbara nodded, clearly not convinced.
"I'm Dick Grayson, by the way," Dick said, sticking out his hand.
"I know, we have history and lit together," Barbara said, not taking his hand.
"Yeah, but we've never officially introduced ourselves, Barbara," Dick countered, still holding out his hand.
Barbara rolled her eyes but took his hand. "Well then, it's very nice to officially meet you, Dick Grayson. I'm Barbara Gordon."
"Enchanté, mademoiselle," Dick said and kissed her hand.
"Well aren't you the charmer," she said. Dick noticed her blush and smirked.
"The ladies love it," Dick said.
"And yet I'm the only female anywhere close to you."
"You scared them all away."
Barbara gave him a smack on the arm for that. "Don't be such a dick."
"Oh like I haven't heard that one before," he said, exasperated.
"I bet you'd have less trouble if you went with 'Richie'," Barbara said.
Dick laughed. "That sounds even worse!" Barbara laughed with him.
"Hey, do you remember the history homework? I didn't write it down," Barbara asked.
"Um, not off the top of my head," Dick admitted.
Barbara looked as though that was the answer she wanted to hear. She grabbed a pen out of her purse and took Dick's hand.
"Text it to me," she told him as she wrote down her number.
Dick didn't know what else to say, so he bowed comically to her and asked, "May I have this dance?"
Barbara curtsied. "Of course, Richie."
He rolled his eyes and led her onto the dance floor. Dick placed his hand on her waist and she rested her's on his shoulder. They waltzed around the floor, never taking their eyes off the other. They danced to five songs before leaving the floor to get drinks.
"Dick."
Dick turned to see Bruce walking towards them.
"It's time to go. Alfred has the limo out front," Bruce said.
"Alright," Dick said. He turned to Barbara. "Bye, Babs."
"'Babs'?"
Dick shrugged. "You need a nickname."
"Okay then, I'll have to come up with one for you," she said.
Dick saw Bruce turning to leave.
Barbara smiled at him. "It was enchanting to meet you, Dick." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and left quickly, surprised at her own boldness.
Dick blushed as he watched her disappear into the crowd. Then followed Bruce out to the limo. He was still blushing as he put his seatbelt on.
"So, the Commissioner's daughter," Bruce said. "Didn't he make it very clear not to hit on her?"
Dick blushed more. "He told Robin that."
"Ah, yes. I believe his exact words were 'not on your life, Boy Wonder'."
"See, he clearly meant Robin. Dick Grayson can flirt and hang out with Barbara as much as he wants."
"So you were flirting."
"What?! No, that was casual conversation."
"Of course."
Bruce then noticed the writing on Dick's hand. "Lots of casual conversations end with cell phone numbers written on people's hands."
Dick hid the hand behind his back. "She just wanted to know the history homework," he mumbled.
Bruce nodded. "Of course," he said again.
~ Enchanted ~
When they got home, Dick went straight to his room. He lay down on his bed and remembered what Barbara had said to him. Then he touched his cheek, where he could still feel the kiss. He replayed her voice over and over in his head, then, suddenly, he remembered. "It was enchanting to meet you" was the exact phrase she had used when she and Robin first met last year. Of course, she had added "Boy Wonder" to it instead of "Dick", but it was still the same line.
Did that mean she didn't like him? Was he deluding himself by reading too much into the kiss?
He couldn't fall asleep with that doubt circling around his head. It was about half past one and Dick was wide awake. He wished he could ask her what she meant by that.
He still couldn't fall asleep, so he took to pacing back and forth.
He probably read too much into it. Sure, she gave him her number, but that was for homework. The kiss was probably just because they were acting ridiculous earlier.
The pacing wasn't working, so he slipped out of his room and down to Bruce's study. He turned the hands on the clock and then went down into the Batcave. He quickly put on his Robin costume and left.
Dick swung from rooftop to rooftop. He paused briefly on one of Gotham's many gargoyles and looked up Barbara's address. He wasn't really planning on talking to her, but he just had to see her again. If he was able to catch a glimpse of her pale blue eyes, that would be a plus.
At 2am he landed quietly on a large tree next to her house. As luck would have it, the window next to the tree was Barbara's. Dick could tell it was her's because the blinds hadn't been pulled and he was quite sure Jim wouldn't have frilly purple curtains in his room.
Dick broke off a twig and tossed it at her window. Barbara hadn't fallen asleep and after Dick threw the fourth twig, she went to check it out. She turned on her bedside light and looked out the window. Her eyes reflected the city lights as she looked around. She didn't notice Dick in the tree; his cape covered him too well.
Barbara gave up after looking around twice and finding nothing.
As Dick headed back home, he wished he could turn time back to the beginning of the charity event. He would have sought her out from the start if he knew how amazing she was. When he finally made it home, Barbara's name was still echoing inside his head.
~ Enchanted ~
At school the next day, Dick made sure to seek out Barbara before class. He sat down on the desk in front of her.
"Hey Babs," he greeted.
"Hey Dickie," she said back.
Dick groaned.
"You've switched to that now?"
"Yup."
"Are you really going to kept doing that?"
"Until you either stop calling me 'Babs' or I come up with a better nickname."
"You know, you could just use my actual nickname."
"Now what fun would that be?"
Class started then and they were unable to continue talking, but they met up at lunch and talked before Lit.
Four weeks later Dick invited her to Wayne Manor to study for their upcoming history test.
"I still can't believe you live in here," Barbara said, looking around.
"Yeah, after about four years, the thrill sort of wears off," Dick said as he flopped down onto a couch.
Barbara sat next to him. "You would say that. Have you seen my house? I bet I could fit my room in your closet."
Dick laughed. "Maybe if I was a girl, but my closet is normal sized."
"Normal to you or normal to me?"
"I grew up in a traveling circus and then moved here. I don't think I know what normal is," Dick pointed out to her.
"Fair point but you must have a friend's house to compare it too," Barbara said.
Dick mentally compared his closet with Wally's. "It's normal sized."
"Prove it."
"If you insist," Dick said. He led Barbara up to his room.
"Wait here," he told her before slipping into the room without letting her see the inside.
"Okay...?" Barbara replied to the closed door.
Dick rushed around his room, picking up all the clothes he had left on the floor. Alfred didn't make him clean up on the weekend. For once he wished he had. He stuffed all his dirty clothes in his hamper, and shoved the papers on his desk into a dower. He didn't have to do anything with his made bed, so he opened the door.
"Come in," he said to Barbara.
She walked inside and spotted the overflowing hamper. "Your floor was a mess, wasn't it?" she asked.
"Maybe," Dick answered.
She turned around to look at his desk and saw the open laptop. She immediately started laughing.
"What?" Dick asked.
"Your background," she said, pointing at the laptop and trying to stifle her laughter.
Dick looked at the picture. It was one of him and Wally making funny faces. It was shuffling through at least ten of them.
"I knew I forgot something," Dick muttered and shut the laptop.
"Alright, let's see the closet, then you can tell me all about your cute friend," Barbara said.
Dick frowned. Barbara thought Wally was cute? Seriously, Wally? "He's got a girlfriend," Dick told her. Not a total lie. He and Artemis were bound to end up together eventually.
"Bummer," Barbara said. She noticed Dick's frown. "D'awww, is someone a wittle jealous?" she asked and ruffled Dick's hair.
"I'm not jealous," Dick said as he pushed her hand away. "Why would I need to be jealous?"
"Just show me your closet, Dickie," Barbara said as she rolled her eyes.
"(1) As you wish, Buttercup," Dick said as he led her over and opened the door.
"Hmmm. It's the same size as mine. Interesting."
"Told you."
"Master Dick, Miss Gordon, your snacks are ready," Alfred said from the door way.
"Thanks, Alfred," Dick said. "Come on, Babs, I'll show you to the kitchen."
He took Barbara's hand and they left the room. As soon as they were out of Alfred's sight, Dick took off running and pulled Barbara along behind him. When they reached the stairs, he let go of her hand and slid down the banister. When he reached the end he flipped off and landed perfectly.
"Show off!" Barbara yelled as she ran down the stairs after him. When she reached the bottom, she did a handspring.
"Wow," Dick said, genuinely impress that she was so good at gymnastics.
"Anything you can do, I can do better," Barbara said to him.
"Oh yeah? I happen to be the cookie eating champion. Are you sure you want to challenge me?" Dick said.
"Bring it," Barbara said confidently.
"You asked for it," Dick said. He gave her a quick shove; just enough for her to lose her balance a bit. As she regained it, he took off towards the kitchen.
"Oh it is on, Dickie!"
~ Enchanted ~
It had been over two years since then and Dick and Barbara had become attached at the hip. They did everything together. They shared everything with each other; there were no secrets.
Aside from one...
Dick really liked Barbara and wanted to be more than just friends with her, but one thing was holding him back.
"Why don't you just ask her out already?" Artemis asked him as they walked to the zeta tube together after school.
Dick blushed.
"It's kind of obvious you like her and she likes you," Artemis continued when Dick said nothing.
"Oh like how it was with you and Wally?" Dick countered.
"Don't try to change the subject, mister."
Dick sighed. "It's just, she doesn't know about the team, okay? It's the only secret I've ever kept from her."
"Dick, when you dated Zatanna, she didn't even know your real name," Artemis pointed out.
"Yeah, and that was a main reason we broke up," Dick told her.
"Then you should tell her. I found out and I'm still your friend."
"Yeah, but secrets are a big part of your life. As far as Babs knows, I've never kept something like this from her."
Artemis gave him a one-arm hug. "You're smart, Dick. You'll figure something out."
Over the week, Dick thought a lot about whether or not to tell Barbara the truth. In the end, he felt guiltier about not telling her than he would about going behind Bruce's back to do it.
That Thursday night, he made his way over to her house while on patrol. As he landed in her tree, he was reminded of the first night he had meet her. In keeping up with his memories, he broke off twigs and tossed them at her window. This time when it opened, he let her see him in the tree, rather than hiding back in the shadows.
"Oh, hi, Robin," Barbara said surprised.
"Hello, Barbara, can I come in?" Dick asked.
Barbara nodded slowly and stood back from the window. Dick quickly made his way in as Barbara turned on her bedside light.
"So what brings you here at eleven at night?" Barbara asked as she sat down on her bed.
"I wanted to tell you something," Dick said. "But you have to promise not to get mad."
Barbara still looked confused but promised anyway.
"Now what do you need to tell me?"
Dick shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. Then he took a deep breath and took off his mask.
Barbara stared at him in shock.
"Dick?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Dick said sheepishly.
Barbara still looked at him in shock.
"You're Robin."
"Uh huh."
"The Boy Wonder?"
"That's me."
"So you're saying the one time I kissed Robin as thanks for saying me from Two-Face, that was you."
"Um, yeah," Dick said, blushing.
"How could you not tell me?" Barbara asked. She didn't sound angry, just crushed.
"Believe me, Babs, I wanted to. I really did. And I hated keeping it from you. But Bats wouldn't let me tell anyone. I'm actually going behind his back by telling you right now," Dick explained.
Barbara took a deep breath.
"I hope you understand how hard I'm trying to keep my promise right now," she said to him.
Dick nodded.
"And I really appreciate it," Dick told her.
"Alright, one last question," Barbara said.
"What?" Dick asked.
"Just for the record, that was you running around in tights and pixie boots at the age of nine."
Dick blushed even more. "I grew up in a circus. That was normal for me."
Barbara laughed. "Dickie, there is nothing normal about that. I don't care where you grew up."
Dick just stood there and endured it. Her laughing was better than her yelling.
"Hmm, Pixie Boots," Barbara muttered. "It does have a certain ring to it."
"Oh no way," Dick protested. "That is where I draw the line. You have been using 'Dickie' for the past two years; you are not allowed to change my nickname now."
"Relax, Dickie. I don't think I'd be able to change it even if I wanted to," Barbara said.
"Good."
Then Dick's communicator went off.
: : Robin, there's a jewel robbery in progress on fifth and third. : :
"On my way," Robin answered. He put his mask back on. "Sorry, Babs. I gotta go."
Barbara shrugged."It's fine. Knock out some thugs for me."
"Will do."
Barbara kissed him on the cheek. Both of them blushed and Dick left.
~ Enchanted ~
"Hey, Arty. Hey, Babs," Dick said as he greeted the girls as he walked into school the next day.
Artemis said hello and Barbara walked up to him. At first, it looked like she was going to give him a hug, but she punched his arm instead.
"Shit." Dick clutched his arm. "Okay, I deserved that. But could you have chosen somewhere without a knife wound?"
"Oh my gosh, I didn't know! Sorry, Dick," Barbara apologized.
"It's fine," Dick said.
"I take it you took my advice," Artemis observed. "I'm surprised she didn't punch you when you told her."
"She knows?" Barbara asked Dick. "Who else did you tell? Does Wally know, too?"
"She figured it out on her own, and Bruce let me tell Wally," Dick quickly explained.
"Great, now I'm just the oblivious friend," Barbara said, throwing her hands in the air.
"I knew him as Robin though," Artemis pointed out. "All I did was figured out that he was Dick."
"Wait, so you're a hero too?"
"Oh no, she's a villain," Dick said.
Both girls glared at him.
"Yeah," Artemis answered Barbara's question. "I work in Star City with Green Arrow."
"Your hero name is your real name. How does no one figure that out?" Barbara said.
"Guess it helps that I live in a different city," Artemis said with a laugh.
"Yeah, that would do it," Barbara said and laughed too.
Artemis then left them to go to her fist hour. Dick said he would walk Barbara to her's. They were almost to the door when he stopped her.
"Hey, Babs, I had a question I wanted to ask."
"Shoot, Dickie," she answered.
"Um, I was sorta wondering if you wanted to go out after school today," he said, looking down.
"'Go out' as in, a date?" she asked.
Dick nodded.
"Is that why you told me the truth last night?"
"That and because of the guilt slowly eating away at me," Dick answered.
Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes.
"Sure, I'll go. But you're buying," Barbara finally answered.
"You will? Great," Dick said. A bright smile now lit up his face.
Barbara smiled back. She then noticed the clock behind Dick's head.
"You better hurry or you'll be late. If you get detention, we'll have to cancel," she reminded him.
"Gah!" Dick then took off down the hall. "See you at lunch, Babs!" he yelled over his shoulder.
Barbara laughed and walked into class. She'd never felt happier.
(1) From "Princess Bride"
Those two are just so cute :3 I'll be posting another story tomorrow if I can manage to write in between studying.
