Title: Origin Stories
Summary: Will wants to know Robin's origin story, but Dick refuses to spill. So instead, Will lets some personal information go in hopes of receiving some in return.
Warnings: Mentions of death.
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I do not own Robin or any other heroes that may be seen or mentioned. However, I do own Will Nelson. I also don't have anything against the name Stephanie (you'll see why I'm saying this later).
A/N: I'm back! Sorry for taking so long. But since most of you wanted to see more interactions between Will and Dick, I thought why not? Also please keep in mind that while the entire story will be rated as T, the chapters will be rated differently. If you want to know the rating, look above. If you want to really help me please read the author's note at the end! Now that that's done with, I hope you enjoy and feel free to review!
Will tapped his pencil against the table, glaring at his math homework. Tap. Tap. Tap. He turned and looked out the window of the library, letting his thoughts drift.
It had been nearly a month now since Dick (it had been strange using each other's first names at first, but eventually things grew less tense) had saved him. Will had nightmares for at least a week after the incident. But really, who wouldn't? While he wanted to remain tough, even Will had to admit the entire situation had been pretty terrifying. But it was in the past now, and while he sometimes felt a bit uneasy, the nightmares had stopped. True to Dick's words, however, his wound scarred.
Will nearly had a heart attack when he undressed to take a shower and noticed the pink line that ran down his leg. Dick said it would fade in time, but for now he was stuck with such an obvious marking.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The friendship between Will and Dick had a rocky start. They weren't used to acting so, well, friendly towards each other. And the trust between them was there but shaky at best. Too much had happened in the past to simply let it all go in favor of recent events. But gradually, the two began to grow closer. It had started when Will broke away from his previous group. It felt weird leaving people he had hung out with for years, but he knew he couldn't be friends with someone who bullied anymore. He wanted to get away from all of that as best as he could. Then, Will started making appearances with Dick in public. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to be seen with the younger teen, more like nervous to see the other students' initial reactions.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The first time this happened, Will broke away from the sea of people walking in the hallways and stepped next to Dick, the two of them continuing to walk. Several people who noticed gaped, then nudged their friends who looked in their direction. Will stuffed his hands in his pockets and anxiously looked around. It was the whispers he was nervous about the most. He had to deal with the same thing-people gossiping-after his dad died. And, just as he feared, the other students began to murmur and mumble in hushed tones. Even so, the words still reached his ears.
"Is that Will walking with-with Grayson?"
"You think he lost a bet?"
"When did they get all chummy?"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A sudden bump to his shoulder made Will stop focusing on the muttering around them. He looked down at the small, but reassuring smile Dick was giving him and gave the younger teen a light nudge back. The students were so stunned at the sight, all the whispering around them immediately halted. Later, Will made sure Dick knew he wasn't ashamed of being seen with him in public.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Soon enough, Will could be seen eating lunch with Dick everyday. And after two or so weeks of this, they finally hung out after school at a popular Mexican restaurant only three blocks away from the school. He remembered how surprised he was when Dick suddenly had to leave from the restaurant in the middle of one of their meetings. Now though, he didn't even bat an eye when the blue-eyed teen apologized profusely before bolting from the restaurant. It was obvious he was donning the cape and mask after leaving.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It wasn't until recently the two teens began going to the library after school to do homework. When Dick had first suggested it, Will had scrunched up his nose and stared at the younger boy in disbelief. "Seriously? The library?" It wasn't the fact that they were studying that bothered Will. Contrary to popular belief, he tried to keep up his grades as much as possible; he knew his dad would want that for him. But Will always blasted music while he completed his homework (partly to annoy Stephanie), and the quiet environment of the library was uncomfortable. It made him bounce his knee and tap his pencil against the table to create any noise. Even so, Will was completely and unconditionally bored.
Tap. Tap. Ta-
"Enough!" The sigh across the table made Will turn and stop his incessant tapping. Dick turned back to his own homework, furiously jotting down answers to the math problems with startling speed.
"How are you even doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"That," Will cried, quieting slightly when the librarian gave him a stern look. He gestured towards the math problem that Dick had just completed in record time. "I dunno," the younger teen shrugged. "Just comes naturally to me I guess." Will looked down at his own sheet of paper and grimaced when he saw he hadn't even finished a quarter of the problems assigned. Before he could reply, sharp whispers pierced his ears. He turned around and glared at the table full of students a couple down from their own. They were gaping openly at the two of them, and Will resisted giving them a very rude gesture.
"Hey, ignore them," Dick told him quietly, but after a couple more minutes of the murmurs around them, Will stood and roughly shoved his uncompleted homework in his backpack. "Let's go," Will growled angrily, so Dick sighed and agreed. He put his homework back in his own bag more gently while also pulling out a hoodie and sunglasses. As the two walked to the door, Will finally gave in and swung around, flipping the students off while ignoring the indignant squawking of the librarian who shooed him out the door.
"I can't believe you just let that happen," Will told Dick, who was now wearing both his tinted sunglasses and red hoodie. When Will had first asked about the outfit Dick had told him it was so that no one recognized him as Bruce Wayne's ward. Which made sense, of course. "Flipping them off wouldn't really change anything either," Dick snickered and Will's lips twitched as he recalled the looks on the students' faces.
"No," Will agreed, "but it made me feel better." Dick simply shrugged and the two boys continued to walk in silence. No one on the street gave them a second glance. Will snuck a glance at Dick and his eyes once again caught the attire he needed to wear. "Doesn't that get annoying? Always having to put that on?" Will questioned.
"It's better than having crowds of reporters following me everywhere."
Will hummed and dropped the subject. Still, he couldn't help the giddy feeling he got when remembering the teen next to him was Robin. He often wondered how Dick even became the well-known bird in the first place; every hero had an origin story, didn't they? And why the name Robin in the first place? The more he let his thoughts linger on this topic, the more he wanted to ask. Will glanced around at all of the people hurrying down the sidewalk and decided this wasn't the best place to start discussing this sort of topic.
"Feel up for some Mexican food?" Will questioned casually. Dick tugged up his sleeve and quickly checked his watch before shrugging in agreement. "Yeah, sure. The usual place?"
"Maria's?"
"Maria's," Dick repeated with a grin.
Maria was a kind, middle-aged women who ran her restaurant expertly (which usually meant waving around a wooden spoon threateningly at the employees who were slacking off). Her chocolate eyes always seemed to twinkle merrily and she usually wore her dark hair in a neat bun. She never failed to remind her employees that a tidy appearance meant a tidy and orderly restaurant. Will and Dick happened to stumble upon her cozy place on a rainy day and since then came back constantly to enjoy the delicious food and sweet presence of Maria.
After walking in silence for another couple minutes the pair arrived at their desired destination and quickly shuffled inside, breathing in the smell of great food. They grinned upon seeing Maria hurrying up to them with a bright smile. "Boys, boys, welcome back! The usual table?" They nodded and were led to a secluded place in the back of the restaurant; it was a perfect spot to discuss certain topics without worrying about others overhearing.
"Now, what would you two like to drink?"
"A Sprite, please," Dick responded after Will asked for a root beer. Maria rolled her eyes, a warm smile forming.
"Ah, of course. I should have known." And then she scurried off, most likely to retrieve the requested drinks. As soon as she was out of earshot Dick asked, "So, what did you want to ask me?" Will's jaw dropped in surprise.
"How did you know?" Dick only smirked. He was still wearing his hoodie and sunglasses, just in case a customer came into the restaurant and spotted him. But the two teens thought Maria probably knew who he was; nothing happened in this restaurant without her knowing. Before either of them could continue speaking, however, Maria returned with the drinks and pulled out a notepad and pen. "What sounds good today, sweetheart?" she asked, looking at him expectantly. Will flushed, as he always did when Maria called him 'sweetheart,' and glared at his companion who was snickering into his fist.
"Uh, I'll just have the chicken chimichangas and an extra side of rice and beans." Maria nodded and quickly wrote down the order before turning to Dick. "And you, honey?" Now it was Will's turn to chuckle, but the other teen didn't seem as embarrassed as Will had been. "Just the usual, please!" Will frowned and watched as Dick took a big gulp of his soda.
"I can't believe you order the same thing every time!"
Dick's brow furrowed. "Cheese quesadillas are good!"
"They're just so bas-"
"Don't even finish that sentence," Dick growled, thrusting his fork at Will threateningly. Will laughed and put his hands in the air.
"Alright, Alright!"
A comfortable silence fell over the pair as they sipped their sodas. Finally, Will figured it was now or never and blurted, "What's your origin story?" Dick froze, and his blue eyes raised.
"My...origin story."
"Uh, yeah. You know, how you became Robin?" Will whispered the last part, glancing up and making sure Maria was still in the kitchen. "I...," the younger teen trailed off, eyes staring at the table, body still completely frozen. The Sprite he was happily sipping at was pushed off to the side, completely forgotten. "Dick?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Dick finally said, his voice surprisingly cold. Will's brows furrowed. Dick had never spoken to him like this before, even back in his bullying days. His eyes were drawn to Dick's hands, which were clenching the table so hard his knuckles were turning white. "Dick, are you-"
"I said I don't want to talk about it!"
Will flinched back in surprise and stopped talking. The once tranquil environment was now cold, and when Maria returned with two plates, she seemed to notice it as well. "Are you alright, boys?" Will cleared his throat and nodded while Dick flashed her an astonishingly convincing smile. Maria relaxed slightly, but her eyes were narrowed as she set down the plates of steaming food on their table. "Alright then, enjoy!"
The quesadilla Dick was defending only moments ago no longer seemed appealing to him. Will munched on his rice as he thought about what could have caused such a reaction. He supposed most origin stories in comic books were rather tragic, mainly to attract readers. But when he had asked Dick he had foolishly assumed his story would be some sort of epic adventure or sudden realization that he was born to fight crime. And his parents would have-
Oh. Will had the strong urge to bang his head on the table. His parents! The birth of Robin had to have been caused by his parents' death. And now I just made him remember it all. Will grimaced and looked back up at Dick who still looked agitated and was pushing his guacamole around with his fork. Despite his sudden realization, Will was still curious. But it was a curiosity that was tinged with sadness for his friend.
An eye for an eye, Will thought. Maybe if I tell him about my...my dad, he'll talk to me. Will swallowed roughly and took a deep breath before he spoke:
"My mother died giving birth to me, so I never got to know her." He watched as Dick stopped picking at his food, but still didn't look up from his plate. "I knew my dad though. He was...he was the best. He died a little over a year ago. When I was twelve he married Stephanie; said something about me needing a mother around the house while he was away at work. She didn't used to be so, well, mean. I mean how cliché would it be if I had a cruel stepmother named Stephanie?"
Dick had finally put down his fork and was staring at Will intently. "Her name wasn't even Stephanie to begin with, it was Lucy," he added upon seeing Dick's confused look. "She changed it after my dad died, I never found out why. But my dad never stopped loving my mom, and I think Stephanie knew that. But, one day my dad was driving me home from school, and-"
"You don't have to tell me."
Will surprised himself with answering, "I want to." This wasn't about giving information to receive some in exchange anymore. I want to tell him. The thought gave him the willpower to continue.
"We were driving home when a man ran a red light and crashed into us. The police said he was drunk, but that didn't change the fact that my dad didn't come out of the car alive." Will ran a hand down his face. "After that, things changed. Stephanie grew bitter, changed her name, and started wasting all of Dad's money on useless things to get her mind off her grief. And you know what happened to me..."
Will watched emotions flash across Dick's face, but couldn't see any pity. For that, Will was grateful. "I'm sorry," Dick finally said and Will nodded with a small smile on his face. He was relieved when the other boy didn't ask any questions, he didn't think he could delve deeper into the painful memories. Dick stared at Will intensely, searching for something in his eyes. "I suppose you expect to hear my "origin story" in return?"
"Originally," Will admitted, "but not anymore." Dick smirked and he nearly sighed in relief at seeing the familiar expression on his friend's face.
"Right answer. I really shouldn't be telling you how I became Robin, but...," Dick trailed off and sighed. "But here it goes: when I was still in circus, one day I...I saw a man. He was tampering with our trapeze. But I was scared, so I didn't tell anybody. So when my parents went on the trapeze for their act...they fell." Dick cleared his throat. "Batman was in the crowd. He took me in and helped me find my parents' murderer. And then I became Robin."
The quick explanation left Will completely speechless; he just didn't know what to say. When he looked at Dick he was pleased to find the teen looked rather relieved. It must have felt good to get something like that off his chest, to get it out in the open for a friendly face to hear, especially since his teammates didn't even know!
"Wait...you said Batman took you in?" Will realized with a start. Dick nodded with a smirk; he could practically see wheels turning in Will's mind. The article Will had read popped into his head.
Bruce Wayne Adopts Richard Grayson!
No way. "So t-that means Bruce Wayne is Batman!" Will was careful to keep his voice down but the shock was still evident in his words. Dick cackled and nodded. "So, you finally figured it out. I was wondering how long you'd take!" Will could only gap at his still cackling friend and blink stupidly ahead.
"B-but they're so different," Will choked out when he finally gained his voice again.
"Exactly," Dick smirked, and proceeded to gobble up his quesadilla as if the previous conversation never happened.
A/N: Once again I'm so sorry for taking a long time to update. I really love feedback so tell me what you think. If you have a request for a moment between these two feel free to leave a review with the idea or PM me.
Also, PLEASE HELP! There was a Robin meeting the Justice League story I really liked but now I can't find it! Here is a description: Batman took Robin (who I think was younger than he is in the YJ show) to meet the Justice League. Batman and the other League members went into a meeting room and Batman told Robin to stay outside. That was supposed to be a test or something. I think Robin wanders off and then feels the base(it was either the Watch Tower or Mount Justice) being under attack. The Justice League are captured so Robin needs to free them. One of the villains was the toy guy. I think his name is Toymaker? He angers Batman by threatening to use his toys on Robin. That's all I remember, but I hope it's enough for one of you to tell me the name or author of the story. Thanks!