Dick was shaking with excitement. He could hardly sleep last night. See, today was his twenty fifth birthday. And his "adopted" father, Death (yes, Death), agreed to take bring him back to Earth for his birthday.

Dick had not been on Earth since he was about ten, fifteen years ago. He did not remember much about Earth or his life then. Sometimes, Dick would get flashes of memories: a man and a woman smiling at him, bright lights and cheery music, flying through the air. But they were usually too fast for him to grasp completely, so Dick did not bother thinking about them much.

Of course, Death had explained the entire situation to him before. Dick's parents had died, but for some unfathomable reason, their souls could not be reaped because Dick's soul had latched onto theirs. Dick assumed this meant that he loved them very much since only souls that clicked together perfectly could meld.

But it was not Dick's time to die yet. So the reaper was not allowed to take his soul. Death was notified, and even he was baffled. So Death and his twin brother Life carefully brought both Dick's parents' souls and Dick to the Palace of Death, where no living being had ever stepped.

Life and Death carefully extracted Dick's soul from his parents', but in the process, a part of Dick's soul had broken off and went with his parents'. From then, Dick lived at the Palace of Death, under the protection of Death himself.

And Dick was content at the Palace. It was dark and a bit gloomy, sure, but it was pretty fun. The amazing architecture was the best thing to do acrobatic tricks off of, and as much as Death chided him for it, the throne was so much fun to climb on. It was the perfect place to do flips off of. Not to mention, some of the younger reapers were great company.

It did not even bother Dick that he was the only human there. It did not bother Dick that he could not remember his life on Earth.

Then, four months ago, Death went to Earth to reap a specific soul. Dick was left alone at the Palace for a long time. He was bored, and as he lounged on Death's throne, he thought about what Death could be seeing down on Earth.

Dick knew a few things about Earth, as it was his origin planet. A ball of green and blue with wisps of white clouds. It was one of Life's favorite planets since he could be creative and give life to practically anything, unlike on some other planets.

So when Death came back for a short while, after a small mishap with his mission, and in a human form no less, Dick wished for the first time to return to the planet. He had asked Death, who had complied.

Then, a month later, another being came to stay at the Palace of Death. Obviously, Dick was ecstatic. Though Kal-El was a decade or so older that him, and he was not exactly human, he had lived on Earth for his entire life.

Clark, as he liked to go by, was cool. He had so many stories to tell, about Earth mostly, but about a few other planets as well. And, he could fly. Dick had never done thirteen flips in a row while falling before, mostly because he could not get high enough, and he had thrown himself off the top of Fate's tower before.

(He had been grounded for three weeks, not even Earth weeks, and Fate scolded him so harshly, Dick swore he got physical wounds. Fate never let him past the tenth floor of her tower again.)

But today was his twenty fifth birthday. Today, Life and Death would accompany him back to Earth, where he could see the place of his birth again.

"You ready?" Life asked, touching Dick's shoulder gently. Death stood on Dick's other side, arguing quietly with Clark.

Dick nodded enthusiastically. "Utterly."

Death, well, he goes by Bruce in his human form, scowled at Clark, who grinned sheepishly. He bit back some scathing response, spun on his heels and walked towards Life and Dick.

Clark followed, hugging Bruce from behind and held on tighter when Bruce tried halfheartedly to shrug him off.

"Happy birthday, Dick," Clark said, smiling cheerily. Dick loved Clark's attitude. It was a refreshing change from the gloom and doom of Bruce, in any form.

"Thanks," Dick said, breathlessly from barely contained excitement.

"You taking him to Gotham?" Clark asked, murmuring the words into Bruce's ear.

"Yeah," Bruce grumbled. "And I am not bringing you pie. I am not going to run errands, Clark."

"But-"

"Do you think your ma would appreciate if I showed up at her doorstep asking for a pie for her dead son?" Bruce snapped. It sounded like a topic they had been over several times.

"She'll understand."

"No, I am not taking a stop in Kansas."

"It's not even that far from Gotham," Clark argued. "And you can teleport."

"No."

"Bruce."

"No."

Life cleared his throat. "As much as I love a good argument for juicy gossip," he interrupted. "But time moves quicker on Earth. In ten minutes, it might not be Dick's birthday anymore."

Clark sighed, unwinding his arms from Bruce, pecking his cheek one more time. "I think I'll pay your sister a visit." He grinned at Bruce's alarmed expression but flew away before Bruce could say a single word.

"He just likes teasing you," Dick commented. "We all do."

Bruce shot him a glare.

"It's especially funny when you can't control the emotions from showing on your face," Dick said. "Unlike the rest of us, you're not used to the whole human form thing yet."

"I know that," Bruce said through gritted teeth, irritation flashing across his face, proving Dick's point. "Let us just go."

Dick exchanged an amused and slightly exasperated look with Life.

Life smiled and gently put a hand over Dick's eyes, and he was plunged into darkness.

When Life removed his hand, seemingly a moment later, Dick was standing outside. Blue skies stretched from horizon to horizon above him. People rushed around them, talking on phones, pulling small children, all rushing from place to place.

None of them paid the three of them any attention.

"Welcome to Earth," Bruce said quietly. He let Dick take in the world around him.

"Wow," Dick breathed. It was glamorous. It was beautiful. It was everything yet nothing like what he imagined.

"Come," Bruce said. "I'll show you around."

Dick found everything amazing. It was all new and all beautiful. Dick quickly found out that they were invisible to other humans, but he did not mind. He knew the issues that could arise were they not invisible.

They watched the sun set on a tall building. Not as tall as Fate's tower, nor was it the tallest building in the city, but it was the perfect place to watch the golden orb sink below the skyline.

"What do you think?" Bruce asked after the sun disappeared, painting the sky in bold reds, oranges, and purples.

"I have no words," Dick said honestly. "I love it all, and I can't get enough of it. The people, the food, the sights, everything."

"Then, perhaps you would like to spend some more time here?" Bruce asked.

Dick's eyes lit up. "Really? Can I?"

"Of course. Until your birthday is over back home. That gives you about two Earth weeks."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Dick crowed. "That'd be amazing, thank you!"

Bruce smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Now, I must be heading back. My brother and I will come for you in two weeks' time. Be ready."

Dick nodded. "I will. Thank you, B. For everything."

Bruce stood. He patted Dick with his gloved hand. On Earth, he could not touch Dick without Dick dying, whether it was his time or not. In the Palace, Death's powers were neutralized. Anywhere else, they were... well, deadly.

"Happy birthday, Dick," Bruce said before blinking out of existence.

Dick sat on the top of the building, watching the last of the colors disappear into a deep black-blue. Then, twinkling lights appeared. It took Dick a moment to realize that those were the stars.

They looked so tiny on Earth, compared to their actual sizes. Dick had taken a trip to a star planet before, with Life. He did not spend much time on the planet since Life's powers could only sustain him so long on the burning surface of the star, but it was certainly an experience Dick will never forget.

He watched the stars, trying to guess which one was which. He watched the city come to life again at night, and it was a whole different view from what it was like during the day.

Dick was enamored all over again.

Dick did not know how long he had been sitting there. He was not very good with Earth time. A few hours at least.

But he was startled out of his thoughts when someone landed on the rooftop behind him.

Dick turned around to see a dark figure walking towards him.

"Who are you?" the figure growled. They pointed a strange contraption at him. Dick made a puzzled face and titled his head. He stood up.

"Hi," Dick said. Apparently, the invisibility had worn off. "I'm Dick."

The figure was silent for a moment. "I didn't ask for your name, idiot. Who do you work for?"

Dick was not sure what the figure meant. "I... don't exactly work for anybody," he said. He could not just go out and say that he occasionally helped Death out with taking people's souls.

The figure stepped closer. He was dressed in black and dark grey clothing, and a worn, brown leather jacket. A dark red kind of triangular symbol emblazoned on his chest. And a bright red helmet covering his entire face. He looked ridiculous in other words.

Dick burst out laughing. He could not help it.

"C-Can you see from under that?" Dick asked. "Doesn't it, I don't know, block your peripheral vision? But it is pretty shiny. Where'd you get it? And what's that?" He pointed to the odd black object in the man's (he was pretty sure this was a man) hand. "Are you offering it to me?"

The man did not move. "I can't tell if you're shitting me."

Dick's expression turned horrified. "That is disgusting! Unsanitary and absolutely preposterous!" Then, he paused. "Wait, that would not actually make much sense in this context, so did you mean something else? Is there something I'm not understanding here?"

"... I meant, I can't tell if you're joking."

Dick brightened and smiled. "Ohh, that makes more sense now. And no, why would I be joking? I'm no comedian and certainly not as funny as-" he stopped. He had been about to say "some of Death's reapers", but that probably would not go over too well. "Never mind. Anyway, what are you doing up here?" Dick asked. "Are you watching the stars too?"

The man did not answer. He slowly lowered the odd object though. "You should probably just go back home. It's dangerous out here at night."

Dick's smile faltered. "Oh... sorry, did you want me off the roof? It's okay. I'll find somewhere else to watch the stars." He started to walk towards the building edge.

"No, I meant, go home. It's dangerous."

Dick turned back towards the man. His face was slightly puzzled. "How so?"

"You're in Gotham City. What do you think?"

Dick shrugged. He waited for the man to elaborate.

The man huffed. "The criminals?" He waved his hands like it was obvious. Dick just stared at him blankly. "For fuck's sake! Have you been living under a rock? Gotham City is the most crime ridden city in the world! How do you not know this and live here?"

"I don't live here," Dick said, still confused.

The man growled in frustration. "You know what, just- just go back to wherever you're staying tonight. I won't shoot you this time because you seem harmless enough, but if I find out you're actually working for some crime lord or something, I won't hesitate to disembowel you."

Dick gave him a confused, a little worried, and a touch alarmed look. "Okay...? Um, good night, I guess."

He stepped off of the side of the building, letting himself free fall.

Halfway down the side, he jolted to a stop as an arm latched around his waist, and he started shooting upwards again.

"Hey!" Dick said, a bit angrily.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" the man with the red helmet screamed. "You nearly fucking died!"

Dick stumbled onto the roof of another building. He spun around and crossed his arms. "What did you do that for?"

"I saved your life, idiot!" the man screeched.

"Saved my life? I wasn't dying!" Dick protested. "I was getting off the roof like you wanted!"

"By jumping off the side of the building?!" the man yelled, gesturing down towards the city.

Dick pouted. "I could've stuck the landing."

"Yeah, in a crumpled, bloody pancake!"

"You have little faith in my skills," Dick said with a slight scoff. "I've jumped off higher."

"Are you suicidal or simply crazy?" the man asked, sounding breathless and bewildered. "I can't understand you, man! And I just met you! For all I knew, you were trying to kill yourself!"

Dick rolled his eyes. "Well, now you know." He harrumphed. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find somewhere else to watch the stars." He walked towards the edge again.

"I'm not letting you jump off," the man said gruffly. He stood between Dick and the edge of the building. "I'll take you back to whatever hotel you're staying at."

Dick sighed heavily. "I told you, I don't live here. I don't have a- a hotel or whatever that is. I'm just wanted to watch the stars."

"You have nowhere to stay?"

"No," Dick said.

The man was silent for a few moments. "C'mon," he finally said. "I'll take you somewhere." He held out his hand.

Dick stared at the hand for a few moments. "Okay," he said. He shrugged and took the man's hand.

The man froze in bewilderment for a moment again. Then, he shook his head and muttered something under his breath. He pulled Dick to his side and put an arm around Dick's waist.

"Hang on," he said, pulling out a contraption similar to one that was pointed at Dick before. Something shot out of the end, and a moment later, the man pulled them off of the side of the building.

Dick was delightfully surprised for a moment. Then, they went up to another building. Then, they did it again, and again, and again.

Dick decided it was not too bad. Sure, it was not compared to free fall and flips, but it was pretty fun. Like a large swing.

They landed on a rickety metal fire escape. They were not very high up anymore. Only six floors up. Dick made a disappointed noise. The man in the red helmet tapped the glass window.

A moment later, it opened, and a man poked his head out.

He had glasses perched on his nose, and his brown hair was streaked with white. A large mustache sat under his nose, like a fat, hairy worm. The man looked from the man with the red helmet to Dick then back again.

"What's this, Hood?" the man asked.

"I need a favor, Jim," Hood (whose name was Hood?) said. He gestured to Dick. "Can you take him for the night?"

The man's eyebrows shot up. "You couldn't put him anywhere else?" he grumbled, looking at Dick. Dick gave him a bright smile, and then went back to examining the potted plants.

"I don't really know what's wrong with him. But he's harmless," Hood said. "A bit odd. Tried to jump off a twenty story building to get off the roof."

"So he's like you."

"Without a grappling gun. I think he's just a bit confused. I'll be back tomorrow," Hood said quietly.

Then, a voice from behind the older man asked, "Who's there, Dad?"

Another head squished through the window. A girl with long red hair. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Her eyes landed on Dick first, then they shifted to Hood.

"Oh, hey, Hood," she said. "Who's this?"

They all looked at Dick. Dick stood up and smiled at them. "I'm Dick."

They just stared at him a moment longer. None of them introduced themselves. Hushed conversation continued without him again. Then, the girl backed out of the window, and her father followed, fixing Dick with another glare.

Hood turned to Dick. "You'll stay here tonight," he said. "I'll send someone to check on your tomorrow. And don't you dare try anything. Barbara has my number, and I will come find you."

Dick smiled. "Okay," he said. "Oh, and hey, I'm sorry."

Hood paused where he had started to climb over the railing of the fire escape. "For what?"

"It must have sucked to grow up with a name like Hood," Dick said honestly. "But don't worry. It fits you! Kinda like Robin Hood, yeah?"

The man twitched, but he said nothing.

From inside the building, the girl, Barbara laughed. The man took off into the night, leaving Dick a little confused, on the fire escape.

Barbara stuck her head back through the window. "Well, come in, Dick. It might be a bit hard to climb through the window, but you should manage."

It was no problem for Dick at all. He slipped through like water and stood in the small kitchen, in front of Barbara and Barbara's father, who still glared at him.

"You have a very nice home," Dick commented.

"Thanks," the man grunted. He glared at Dick for a moment longer. Then, he turned around and started walking off, muttering to himself, "I swear if that boy starts bringing around more strange men..."

"Okay, good night," Dick called after him.

Barbara laughed. "Don't worry about Dad. He's... He worries about me. So, Dick, where do you come from? Tea or coffee?"

Dick made a face. "What are those?"

"Seriously? You don't know what tea or coffee is?"

"No..."

"Geez, you must've hit your head hard," Barbara said. "No matter. What do you know?"

Dick thought about it for a moment. "Well, I think Gotham is a very beautiful city, and Earth is the most amazing planet I've ever been on. And you are the nicest and prettiest person I've seen today."

Barbara laughed. "I don't know what drugs you've taken, but you're certainly funny. Tell me more, Dick."

She set a steaming mug of murky brown liquid in front of Dick. She held a similar mug in front of her. She drank it, so Dick copied her. His eyes lit up. "And this is the best thing I've ever drank before!"

Barbara laughed.

A/N ~ Hey, it's been a while since I've done anything here! Apologies. But this is a JayDick story, a sequel to Gift of Death (Superbat), but you do not have to read GoD to read this. Enjoy!