Disclaimer: I don't own YJ or any of its characters


"Stop him!"

He smirked, running through the thick crowd of people. He was being chased by an angry apple vender, which he may or may not have just stolen seven apples from. Okay, maybe the "may" was more accurate.

Er, a lot more accurate.

Dick Grayson ran with the cloth sack of juicy red apples in his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the vender catching up. This man was faster than he had originally planned. 'Okay, new plan' He thought, heading into the nearest promising alley way. Only to see a dead end. 'Crap!' Dick thought, turning around to see the vender close behind him. He couldn't escape.

"Ha! Got you now you little thief!" The man taunted. He looked at Dick with a self-satisfied smirk, he was coming closer. Way too close.

Dick quickly looked around. He saw a stair case with a garbage disposal underneath it. "Perfect" He muttered to himself. Running to the side and flipping from the trash disposal to the stair case, he was effectively getting away from the vender. He ran up the steps faster, climbing to the rooftop.

Dick finally stopped once he heard the faint curses and foot steps of the angry man, allowing his heart to slow down and catch his breath. He munched on one of the apples, looking over the now setting sun, sitting on the horizon. It was right over Gotham, and looked like a beautiful ball of fire.

'Isn't that basically the sun? A ball of fire?' He thought. Dick loved to solve problems, when his parents were alive they would solve problems all the time. Whether it was school or basic everyday things, it was fun. It was amazing. It was everything he wanted his so called perfect life to be.

He missed his parents. Dick had overheard more than once ungrateful children, talking to or about their parents in disrespectful ways. It always made him angry, do people think about what they would do if their parents were gone? Dick wished everyday his parents were still here, talking with him and making cookies, giving him bear hugs and kisses..

It was all unfair. All because of one mean and horrible man, Dick had lost everything. Everything.

And now, his life was a crazy, unfair, mean, cruel one. Stealing from people, for example. His parents had always told him stealing was wrong. He knew it was the only way he would live, but even now, after a year, he still got a twisted feeling in his stomach every time he stole something. Whether it was something cheap, like bread, or something expensive, like a watch, Dick always felt like it was wrong. Even if he knew it was the only way he would ever survive. Ever survive in this cruel, unloving world.

As he watched the sun go down, he looked around, seeing the slowly decreasing about of people. As he watched, Dick saw a few boys playing soccer. Man, how he missed playing with the other kids at the circus..

He wished he had real friends.


Wally West had never had a good life.

As he walked home from school, he kicked nearby dirt clots and rocks around onto the sidewalk and grass. He had been picked at and pushed around again today, and had nobody to talk to about it. Not to any friends (not that he had any), not to his unloving and uncaring parents, and mostly, not to his uncle.

His parents thought he was a freak like his uncle, but they had never cared about him anyway. So, that much didn't surprise him in the slightest.

However, ever since he had developed super speed, his uncle slowly stopped seeing him. And it hurt. His uncle was always the one there for him when his parents wouldn't, but now.. he didn't want to see him anymore. He didn't want a partner, he just wanted a normal kid. Just like his parents did.

He was a science nerd, or a freak. Whatever you wanted to call it. And because of this, his parents slowly started believing the same. He was a freak. He wasn't athletic or tall, handsome or charming.. He was a nerd, a freak. Some people, no, nobody wanted him around.

He used to think having a high IQ was a good thing, till he reached middle school. Having a high IQ automatically made you a bullying target, or a homework machine. Each was bad enough in their own way.

As he reached the front door of his ugly brown house, his parents pretended he wasn't there.

"Mom? When will dinner be ready?" He asked once he got enough courage, slightly flinching at the cold look his mother gave him.

"Not fast enough for you you little ungrateful, unhuman freak"

He sighed. Wally was used to the verbal abuse, so he just went up to his room without, well, trying not to think so much about it. Wally had often thought if he ran away, would things be better? The only reason he stuck around in the first place was because of Uncle Barry, but now.. he wasn't so sure.

'Why am I thinking about this? I might as well. Uncle Barry doesn't even want to see me anymore, my parents never cared, and I've never had any friends that didn't use me as a homework machine. So, why not?'

It was this logic that had him grab two boxes of protein bars, his backpack and coat, extra clothes, and shoes.

He was done living the life of a freak.


"Roy! Get your butt down here!"

He sighed, getting up from his bed and going into the living room. Living with a millionaire has its perks. And big fancy living rooms are one of them.

"What were you thinking? I told you to study for your test, and what did you do? Sneak out and get yourself almost killed!" Olbier loudly scolded, Roy just rolled his eyes.

"I can take care of myself! I'm not a little kid." He shot back.

"Technically, you are. You're two years away from being eighteen, which makes you a kid and me your legal guardian." Oliver said, dangerously calm." Which gives 100% permission to ground you from patrol for a week."

Roy's jaw dropped, "What?! That's not fair! You can't do that!"

Oliver glared at him, "Yes, I can. And I just did."

Roy made one last poison-filled glare at his mentor before storming up the stairs, slamming his door and locking it.

'It isn't fair! He always takes everything I care about!' Roy thought bitterly.

He knew Oliver cared, but was so busy with Justice League stuff that he never had any time for Roy. But one of the only times Roy gets to spend with him, he takes away?! If Roy was honest, he couldn't care less about patrol. It was spending time with his mentor that he cared about. And now, that was being taken too.

That's when Roy got the idea.

The brilliant idea.

"if he really doesn't want to spend time with me, then I shouldn't stick around."

That's what he thought when Roy took his backpack, filled it with necessary supplies with his bow and arrows, and snuck out the window.

He was done with his uncaring mentor.


Well.. what did you think?

This has been rolling around in my brain for quite some time, and I thought I'd finally make a story out of it. So, I hope you enjoyed! Please review!

-SofieButterfly