A/N: I was rummaging through 'quotes to live by', already beginning to think of Senior Year, and I stumbled across one that seemed to fit a certain character in the Young Justice series: Robin. I apologize beforehand if I do not get the character right, and… the fight scene isn't so great, so just bear with me? :D Also, this is definitely a 'Father-Son' bonding fic, with no slash of any sort intended. Without further ado, the story!
Training. It happened every day, at basically the same time in the new heroes' headquarters inside Mount Justice. Today wasn't any different, especially for the youngest hero. Each day during training, Robin had to prove himself more than anyone else on the team. There were multiple reasons for it; he was the youngest, and he had no superpowers to speak of. He didn't show that this fact bothered him on the outside, but the thought wormed its way into his head as he battled the evildoers of the cities the team protected, and sparred against his teammate.
A punch nearly clipped Robin's head as he trudged through his thoughts before twisting away. Sure, he hadn't been thinking about it for more than a moment, but the lapse in concentration brought failure too close for comfort. He gritted his teeth and rushed forward with a front-kick, Kaldur side-stepping just in time. Robin landed back on his feet and ran forward with a volley of punches, one hitting its mark just below Kaldur's ribs, expelling a soft whoosh of air from the older teen. A smirk danced across Robin's face before a stream of water crashed into his chest and sent him flying backwards, landing heavily on the glowing floor. The smirk completely washed away, he glared at Kaldur from behind his mask, sopping black hair hanging around his face. His eyes glanced down to the floor, where the water almost obscured a spinning circle that declared: Robin Status: Fail.
A short laugh echoed through the training gym from Wally, not helping to abate Robin's annoyance.
"You look like a wet dog, Robin!" Wally shouted between bouts of laughter. No, Wally was most definitely not one of the most sensitive people on the team, although he proved to be in his own category; a category that could easily be titled: comic relief. The comment was made simply to exaggerate his friend's failure, as failures didn't happen very often, but he never noticed the pained expression plastered across his friend's face.
"You all right?" Kaldur asked, walking towards Robin, who had stood up and was now wringing the water out from his dripping cape. The grimace that had twisted itself onto Robin's face was replaced with a light smirk as the older teen approached.
"Yeah, I'm good, I needed a shower anyway." He replied jokingly, as a disturbance in the air announced the return of Wally, not a moment before he threw a towel over Robin's head, a gesture of peace for his earlier comment.
Robin glanced up at the clock, behind the towel, eyes widening behind his domino mask as he realized what time it was. He made a leap towards the door, which didn't get him anywhere as his cape was snatched, effectively holding him in place.
"What's the hurry, Rob? Megan'll be back here soon, and we're all ordering pizza! Enough for everyone this time, I promise I won't eat it all." Wally declared, grinning.
Robin sighed and grabbed his cape back from the redhead, "I've got to go, meeting with Batman in less time than I can get back to Gotham," he said quickly, inching towards the door. "Some other time, okay? See you tomorrow!"
And with that, he ran out of the gym, heading towards the door that would manage to announce his hasty departure to every member of Young Justice. As he made a sharp turn around a corner, Robin stopped short to avoid smacking face-first into the young speedster.
"C'mon Wally! I already said I had to go!" Robin said, trying to dodge around the older teen, who managed to block his every move.
"The Batman can wait for two minutes," the redhead replied, voice completely serious for once. "What happened back there? You like, zoned out for a minute and got you butt whooped."
"Nothing. Seriously, it's not important," he muttered, "Can I go now? I'm going to be killed if I'm any later."
"We talk, then I can run you over there faster than you'll get there... however you were planning to get there." Robin consented with an annoyed sigh, resulting in Wally crossing his arms over his chest. "So start talking."
"What do you want to know anyway? I let my thoughts cloud my focus, it won't happen again," he replied, looking Wally straight in the eyes.
"Dude, chill. I'm not here to reprimand you or anything. I just want to know what's wrong."
"I just told you! I started thinking about something else, like being late. Can we please go now? Maybe you won't reprimand me, but Batman will if I'm not there, like, now." Robin replied, hints of sarcasm slipping into the urgent message. The redhead shrugged his shoulders, to say 'this isn't over yet,' as he took hold of the Boy Wonder's arm and shot through the mountain and out into the cold night, miles from the base before the computer could finish announcing their departure.
The two managed to get to Gotham in record time, still late enough to earn scathing glares from Batman.
"Er.. Thanks, Wally. See you tomorrow," Robin said sheepishly, noticing the redhead's agitated actions resulting from the glares shot at him.
With no more than an apologetic look and a grin, he was gone in a blink, headed back towards Mount Justice for the promised pizza. After all, he had run a passenger to Gotham, and now - Wally stopped short, throwing a spray of dust up from his feet. The redhead began thinking, and from the outside one could nearly see the gears turning in his head. He was already in Gotham, wasn't he? And didn't he want to know why Robin was always so freaked out about disappointing Batman? A devilish grin slowly spread across his freckled face. Yes, he was going to stay in Gotham for the night, and spy on the Dynamic Duo. Perhaps it was a suicide mission, but Wally thought the risk was worth any information he could gain.
He looked down at his clothes, silently thanking science that what he chose to wear was composed of darker colors. With a wicked gleam in his eye, the redhead turned and dashed back towards where he dropped Robin off, although moving quite a bit slower and sticking to the shadows. If he was discovered... Wally shuddered at the thought, imagining the Batman literally ripping him to shreds. He stopped to look around, trying to locate the Dynamic Duo somewhere in the shadowed night. However, he didn't see them anywhere.
"What the... I left them here like, a minute ago!" Wally hissed under his breath, hiding in the shadow of a building by the 'drop-off' spot. He turned in a slow circle, grinning when he saw a flash of pale yellow on the rooftop of a nearby building. He was content to wait all night to get the information he was looking for, whatever that was. Instead of running, the young speedster walked casually through the shadows, glancing up every now and then to find the two that were invisible if one were not looking specifically for them. "Gotcha," he hissed under his breath, trying to make as little noise as possible to avoid being detected.
Batman and Robin sat on a roof of one of the many buildings in Gotham city, a comfortable silence stretched between them. The two remained close to perfectly still, the only movements the slight rise and fall of Robin's chest, the all-black clad hero acting like a gargoyle. Batman's armor was made more for strength, allowing for the suit not to rise or fall with his breath, versus the lighter, more flexible fabric of Robin's which was made specifically to allow for the young Boy Wonder the advantage of agility. Robin retreated into his thoughts, letting the still Gotham night make them easier to understand. His muddled thoughts had now become clear, blaring a single statement that was too fitting for him.
You're only human.
The phrase was widely used within the world, but it reminded the Boy Wonder of exactly what he was not, and what he was. He was just a human. He didn't have any super powers, he was the youngest, and had to work harder than the rest of his team to prove himself, and he felt every single hit more than the rest of them. A soft sigh escaped between his lips as he continued to think, not noticing that Batman's gaze had shifted from looking over the city, to him.
"Robin."
The sound brought the Boy Wonder swiftly out of his thoughts, making him snap his head and eyes towards his mentor. A stirring of unease shifted through him. Normally, Batman would never speak when they were out watching over the city at night, and he always stressed the element of surprise, which would be ruined with noise.
"You're worried about something."
The Batman's voice was gruff and quiet, as usual, but the words were not a question, but a statement. Robin answered with a noncommittal huff, attempting to brush off the topic. However, he knew that once his mentor had tuned into something, he didn't like not getting answers, and this was clearly one of those times.
"I suggest you speak, having your attention elsewhere is likely to get you killed." The statement was blunt, and to any by-stander that happened to pay any mind, it might have seemed insensitive. However, Robin was used to the Batman's off-hand way of dealing with things, and understood that he cared enough about him to mention the consequences. A small smile spread across the brooding boy's face, and he let out another soft sigh before beginning.
"Well..." he began hesitantly, looking back over the city, usual sarcastic personality hidden for the moment. "I've just been thinking. Everyone on the Young Justice team has powers, and can do all these amazing things. I'm just... a boy with a muddled past and high-tech toys." Robin finished with a grimace, turning his gaze back towards his mentor's. Batman was silent for a moment as he mulled over his protege's words.
A very slight smirk appeared on his cowled face. "Then, am I just an adult with high-tech toys?" He asked softly, humor clear in his gruff voice.
The eyes behind Robin's domino mask widened slightly, realizing what he had said. "No! Not at all! I-" he stammered, voice quick but low.
"I was only joking." At this, the Boy Wonder relaxed slightly, the relief clear on his masked face. "Robin," Batman started again, this time in a more serious tone. "You're only thirteen. The other members of your team are at least two years older than you. And yet, you manage to keep up with them, literally and figuratively. Except for that Kid Flash, he could probably run circles around you. However, nothing an outstretched foot wouldn't fix." The smile on Robin's face slowly grew wider as Batman continued in a gruff, but quiet, voice.
"In all honestly, you are far ahead of any normal thirteen year-old. You shouldn't worry. You've had to deal with more than most adults I've met, and still you manage to lead a great life, and keep up with your studies and training. Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. Don't turn into one of those people. Robin, you're fine." Batman finished, gaze locked on his ward's. The 'pep talk' of sorts was short and quiet, but it did more to ease the Boy Wonder's thoughts than any hour-long heart-to-heart talk could have. The blue eyes behind Robin's domino mask shone, a smile lighting up his face. Just the boy's face made the man behind the cowl happy, as the very small smile on his own face showed.
"Thank you, Batman." Robin said quietly, looking back over the city.
"No thanks necessary, but you're welcome, all the same." Batman's eyes gazed over the quiet city for a moment before slowly looking to his right, staring right into the shadows. His hidden eyes met the vibrant green ones of Wally West, who had heard the entire conversation. Wally's eyes widened as he realized he'd been caught, stepping back a step, ready to run in the opposite direction for his life. However, Batman's face twisted into a slight smirk, and his head barely nodded before the hidden gaze flicked back to the city laying out before the Dynamic Duo.
Wally instantly knew it was his cue to leave, and a small smile found it's way onto his face as he slipped farther into the shadows on the ground, quickly losing sight of Batman and Robin sitting in the shadows on the rooftop, putting distance between the two and him before he would run back to Mount Justice. He now understood the bond between the two, as much as anyone could, anyway. The redhead was brought back out of his memory of the scene by a loud growling from his stomach. A sheepish grin replaced the small smile as he remembered the pizza likely waiting for him back at Mount Justice. Wally West broke into a fast run through the cities, making it back to headquarters in no time. He took in a deep breath as the delicious scent of pizza hit him as the Mountain announced his arrival.
"Welcome back," Kaldur said as the redhead zipped into the kitchen, and wasted no time in piling a plate full of pizza, and quickly beginning to eat it.
"Thanks for saving me pizza!" Wally said as he downed the first piece, tearing into another one.
"Where have you been?" the team's leader asked curiously from his spot on the couch in front of the TV.
Wally shrugged softly, thoughtfully munching on the pizza. "Just took a quick run, no big deal." With that, Kaldur turned back to the TV, leaving Wally to replay the scene of Batman and Robin in his mind. Batman really did care about the little bird, Robin was happy, and Wally had a box of pizza all to himself. In Wally's mind, the night couldn't have gone better. 'They really are a Dynamic Duo.' the redhead thought.
Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.
Malcolm S. Forbes
A/n: Well, that concludes my first Young Justice story! Hopefully the ending wasn't too bad. They're always so difficult to get just right. I hope you liked it, and if you have any criticism, praise, or just want to say hi, feel free to click that lovely little button down there that says Review! Remember, don't sell yourself short, you're always taller than someone else. ;]