A/N:Welcome to "Wings of A Robin II"! Or WOAR for short. I shouldnt be putting this up but why not?
If you had read the first "Wings of A Robin" and loved it, there's a good chance you will like this.
This takes places five years after WOAR.
Rated T: For torture and swearing (maybe), blood etc...
DISCLAIMER: I solemnly swear that I do not own Young Justice. Just the plot.
Chapter 1
"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all the way...Oh what fun it is to ride a one horse open sleigh...hey!
"Jingle Bells...THWACK! Batman smells! THWACK! Robin laid an egg! THWACK! The Batmobile lost its wheel, THWACK! And Joker got away...HEY!
Jolting upright into a sitting position, eighteen year old Richard "Dick" Grayson awoke from a troubled sleep, breathing heavily as beads of light perspiration formed on his face. The famous holiday song was playing merrily on the alarm clock beside him and Dick slammed his hand on the snooze button to silence it. The song had twisted into Joker's version...the song that haunted him every Christmas and the last few weeks. Wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, Dick glanced back down at the clock and noticed it was four in the afternoon.
"Better get ready" he said out loud and rolled out of bed, stumbling his way to the dull cramped bathroom of his apartment.
Splashing cold water on his face several times, Dick glanced up and studied his reflection in the mirror. He looked awful, his thick shaggy black hair was tangled, his azure eyes bloodshot. He had been working serious overtime for BHPD and had to managed to "convince" a co-worker to take his shift for Christmas week. He had been trying to get as much sleep as possible between his nightime patrolling but the dreams...the nightmares kept him from getting a full day/night's rest.
His mind drifted back to the incident, it had been exactly five years since that night.
Running a hand down a well defined abdomen, he traced a long scar that ran across. A scar that Poison Ivy had made with the thorn whip she had used on him. He had several more on the sides and lower back. His hands then flew up to his shoulders and felt the scars from the teeth of the crowbar had punctured into his skin.
It had been a horrible experience...
Images of the torture began to flash vividly through his mind and Dick leaned forward on the bathroom sink counter, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Get a grip Grayson" he muttered over repeatedly until the images dissipated then he reopened his eyes, and sighed. That had been happening a lot lately too with the nightmares but thankfully not when he was out patrolling on both jobs. Still it was bothering him...
Turning around, he started the shower water, stripping off his pajama pants and boxers and stepped into the frigid cold water. Letting the water soothe him, Dick closed his eyes and hoped that this Christmas would be as joyful and tragic free as the last four had been.
The Joker had been unusually quiet over the past four Christmases, which Dick wasn't certain if it was a good or bad thing. It was usually bad but he was just glad that nothing had happened during those times.
Though, another event involving the Joker began to resurface in his mind. As if the Injustice torture hadn't been horrid enough, a year ago the Joker had shot him and changed everything. He remembered it all too well...
Gotham City
"Oh Bird Boy, you're slackin'!" the pasty white faced, ruby lipped villain called down as he peered over the railing, a wide grin on his face.
"Bats should ground you for being so slow!" The Joker said and laughed.
A seventeen year old Robin glared up at the villain, pulling out a grapple hook and fired it, hearing a satisfying metallic sound as it caught and latched to a railing.
"Oh phooey, you and your toys. You should be growing out of those things at your age" the Joker complained as the Boy Wonder began to ascend towards him. The Joker twisted and ran up the next flight of stairs as Robin flipped onto the landing. Then two flew up the remaining flights and burst out onto a wide rooftop.
"Fall back Robin. I'll be there in a few minutes" Batman's voice buzzed in his ear through the com-link.
"I got this" a determined Dick replied, taking shelter behind the steel door as gunshots rang out.
"Robin" his mentor growled in warning.
"Robin out" Dick replied cheerfully and took out his com-link. He knew he was disobeying and being reckless but taking down the Joker was a priority.
The gunshots ceased and Dick slowly appeared from the steel door, to see the villain twirling his revolver around.
"Looks like you got nowhere to go Jokey" Dick commented confidently as the two began to circle each other.
"Yes it looks like I am cornered with nowhere to go. You got me fair and square Bird Brat." The Joker replied, with a feign sigh.
"Drop the gun" Robin demanded, drawing out a handful of bird-a-rangs.
The Joker paused, tapping the barrel thoughtfully against his cheek.
"As much fun as that seems, how about I drop you instead?"
Dick dropped his weapons and leaped, twisted, and somersaulted as gunshots were fired. But then he felt an intense hot burning pain in his right shoulder. The impact of the bullet caused him to stagger backwards and before he could regain his balance, he slipped off the edge of the rooftop, hearing the insane crackling of the Joker's laughter.
"Bye Birdie...hope you can fly!"
Barely aware of the pain, Dick rapidly dug out a grapple hook and randomly fired it, hoping it would latch onto anything stable. As he descended towards the alley below, the hook latched and Robin was yanked to a stop, his shoulder giving a sharp painful throb as he hung over a closed dumpster. Dick groaned and let go. Twisting his body he landed on his side and rolled off, slowly clambering to his feet and holding his injured shoulder, feeling the warm thick blood run down his arm and soak into his uniform.
"Robin!"
A shadowed bat-like figure dropped down before him. Dick tried to say something but his vision began to grow fuzzy and darkness overwhelmed him...
Shaking his head Dick sighed and washed up. Getting shot hadn't bothered him but it sure as hell had bothered the Dark Knight and caused a rift in thier relationship...
Dick woke up, staring at the vast stalactite ceiling that was naturally the Bat Cave. Sitting up slowly, wincing as a stab of sharp pain radiated from his wound. Glancing down, he noticed he was on a medical bed and also noticed he had been treated, bandages wrapped over his shoulder and part of his upper chest.
"Ah just in time to take your medication and eat, Master Dick" Alfred greeted as he came into view and ambled to Dick.
Dick glanced up and grinned at the loyal butler.
"Just my luck" he replied and took the medication that Alfred handed him with a glass of water.
"How are you feel, sir?" Alfred then inquired as he left and came back a moment later with a tray of food and sat it down before the teen.
"I'm fine" Dick answered, his stomach growling at the sight of food. Digging in, he took a bite and groaned as he chewed the Italian food full of flavor.
"This pasta is amazing" Dick complimented swallowing the mouthful.
"Thank you Master Dick. It is pleasing to see your appetite is still intact"
As he ate he glanced around the Cave, noticing that Bruce wasn't there.
''Alfred, where's Bruce?"
The butler opened his mouth to answer but a new voice answered.
"I'm right here. Alfred could you leave us for a bit? Dick and I need to talk"
"This really cant be good" Dick thought, setting the plate aside.
Alfred nodded and started to walk away, casting a worried glance behind him.
Once he was gone, Batman scowled disapprovingly at him.
"I told you to fall back and you disobeyed."
Dick swung his legs off the medical bed and let them dangle.
"I had him and could have taken him down."
"I don't give a damn if you did or not. You disobeyed and nearly got yourself killed."
Dick met the intimating glare of the Dark Knight.
"Its part of the job hazard right? As you can see I'm fine."
"A few mere inches closer and you would be far away from fine and in a coffin."
The two gazed at another.
"And honestly I am not happy with your attitude or actions in last few months" Batman added.
Dick swallowed, anger and frustration flowing through him.
He wasn't a kid anymore for crying out loud.
"Guess I got lucky and I'm not a kid anymore Bruce."
"Then stop acting like one."
"Stop treating me like one."
"You have been and still are being reckless."
Dick shrugged his shoulders, wincing slightly.
"Sure when it comes to Joker, yeah. Can you blame me? After what he did?"
"No I don't blame you at all. But this has to stop."
Dick frowned, not liking the choice of words.
"What are you saying?" he inquired, dreading whatever would come out of Bruce's mouth.
"You're done. You're fired."
Dick froze, swallowing hard as the words sunk in.
"No I'm not." he said quietly.
"I won't let you get yourself killed."
"I won't let it happen."
"It nearly happened three times Dick! I refuse to lose you!"
Dick lowered his gaze, hurt overlapping the anger and frustration.
"You can't do this...You need me."
"I need you alive."
It was silent for a few minutes.
"What am I suppose to do? Robin is who I am!" Dick burst out angrily.
"Robin is part of the team in which I make the rules, you seem to forgotten that. You can live a normal life."
Dick snorted leaping off the table.
"My life was never normal or ever will be. Fine you want me gone I'm gone."
With that he had left, lost and hurt. He then sought advice from the Man of Steel, who gave him the idea of becoming Nightwing, after a well known Kryptonian legend. Then Blüdhaven became his new Gotham.
Shortly after, Jason was murdered by the psychotic clown.
The Joker had impacted him in more ways then he liked.
He really needed to stop thinking about this. It was Christmas Eve and he wanted to have a good time. This year he was taking Barbara Gordon out to dinner before they headed out to the Christmas party at Mount Justice.
Stepping out of the shower,drying off, and wrapping the towel around his waist, Dick plodded back to his bedroom and to his closet. Selecting a crimson red dress shirt, a green tie, and black slacks, socks, and dress shoes that he got at the last minute, Dick got dressed and splashed some cologne on. Finally ran a brush through his hair.
Grabbing his car keys he set out to pick up his date...
A/N: Hopefully you liked that and it made sense! It will get better :)
Reviews of all kind will be great and appreciated and maybe an update!