Someday We'll Look Back and Laugh
Dick never liked Wayne Tech parties because really, what's to like?
The food was awesome, and it's highly entertaining to watch Bruce take on his playboy billionaire façade because it's just entirely not him, but those two are pretty much the only nice thing he can say. He has to wear this suit, which is whatever, but then he's got to be extra cautious of what he does and how he does it because cameras and reporters are everywhere. It's a very tiring charade.
But Bruce likes to spare him as often as he can by getting at least one his friends to attend. On short notices like tonight, it's usually Barbara Gordon.
"Cheated on her husband at least twice."
"Which one?"
"The blonde with that pin in her hair. You know I don't have a thing against blondes, but she just looks like a…"
He laughs and says, "No, I know what you're talking about," and she smirks and drinks from her glass (apple cider, courtesy of Alfred).
They have this running game where they make up scandalous histories of the various partygoers to each other, and since Barbara sometimes watches those drama shows with her mom while she's doing her homework, she actually comes up with some pretty crazy stuff. It's nice having Barbara around.
Her eyes scan the room, and he can tell when she's found her next victim because her eyebrows shoot up and she gets this weird sparkle in her eyes.
"Definitely has a hidden agenda. Probably has a thing for leather."
"Wait, who?"
But Barbara just presses her lips into this line, so he follows her gaze across the room and sees a woman with dark pixie hair that's wearing a very red dress and chatting with Bruce.
He doesn't even realize he began to move until Barbara grabs his wrist and tugs him back in place. She's giving him this look that kind of makes him want to question her sanity or not. Clearly, she knows just as well as he does who that woman is, and they both know that Bruce knows, which brings him back to questioning the sanity of it all because, really Bruce?
"Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle run in a very similar circle of friends, Dick," she kind of whispers. "It would be more suspicious if they didn't talk at these things."
She has a point, but still. Selina is kind of too close to Bruce for Dick's liking and if Barbara didn't still have an iron grip on his wrist, he'd be over there in two seconds doing something about it. He can tell she thinks he's overreacting, which might possibly be true.
(Except that it's not.)
"Master Richard, why don't you bring Miss Barbara and yourself to the games' room to play some billiards?"
Alfred's standing there and taking Barbara's glass, and he notices that her hand slipped up from his wrist and is now settled at his elbow. He can sense that a few nearby eyes are trying to be all discreet about watching them and yeah, these two are probably just saving him from causing a scene.
"Sure," he smiles, and pulls Barbara a little too eagerly out of the room.
... ...
Barbara is over at the mansion after school, as usual (Commissioner Gordon likes having her here rather than home alone since they work weird hours), and they're lying on their stomachs in front of the fireplace with their homework out between them. Honestly, he'd rather spar with her for a few hours and risk ending up bruised from head to toe than finish AP Calculus right now.
When he tells her this, she gets a little smile on her face, rolls onto her back and on her feet, and extends a hand towards him.
Dick makes the mistake of taking it because when he does, she yanks him forward and tries knocking him back down. He escapes her hit in seconds and she's laughing at him when he's upright and a few feet away.
She's sneaky as hell and he's always liked that about her.
And Alfred is probably going to punish them by banning his amazingly delicious cookies for months when he finds out they were sparring in the middle of the main den, where there's a lot of furniture to damage and things to break, but he'll be sure to say Barbara started it first if and when the older man asks.
Barbara does a flip off of the back of the couch to dodge his punch and he follows, but she must not have been expecting him to or something because she turns back around as soon as she's up instead of rolling away like he anticipated and he ends up knocking right into her, sending them both tumbling over each other until he has to brace a hand against the carpet to get them to stop.
"You okay?"
She's on her back and laughing pretty hard beneath him, so she's obviously fine, and he kind of looks at her for a second. She looks really pretty when she laughs.
One of the large oak doors opens and her laughter dies down quickly, and they're both looking at Bruce looking at them with an expression that is his own version of amusement. "What are you two doing?" he asks, but he's dressed in one of the suits he has reserved for public outings (which are basically his not-dates), so they could ask him the same thing.
"We were sparring," she answers for him, and in the same breath, "Did you just come from a date?"
Bruce replies, "Of sorts," and Dick tries to ignore the way Barbara is looking at him as he watches his father walk away.
... ...
They're all stuck training in the Cave on a Saturday and Black Canary drills them until their limbs are completely sore and ready to fall off. But she bribes them with a trip to the park for some air and ice-cream, so once they hit the showers and are back in their civvies, they head down to Happy Harbor.
It's just turning evening, so the sky is a dark blue and the air is chilled and there's this refreshing breeze.
The place is mostly empty and they take advantage by storming the play structure, and Dinah sits on a bench and watches them like an amused mother watching her little kids run amuck.
Barbara climbs to the top of the swings that Conner is pushing M'gann on and is doing these flips while balancing, and everyone else looks like they're kind of nervous. It's not like they haven't seen either of them do worse (far more thrilling) tricks at higher heights, so he doesn't understand why they seem edgy, but whatever.
She lets out this laugh and tumbles, soaring through the air, and he catches her with his arms under her knees and shoulders and her hair flying everywhere.
"Don't do that!" M'gann breathes, a hand over her heart.
"Relax a little, Megs," Barbara chuckles. "Dick always catches me."
He's flashing a wide smile because he and Barbara have always had that absolute trust in each other, but it feels nice to hear her say it.
An ice-cream truck passes by and Dinah kind of cracks up because they're all way too eager about it. She pays for them like she promised, and he and Barbara get a giant Neapolitan ice-cream sandwich and split it down the middle like they always do because he prefers chocolate and she strawberry and they both like vanilla.
"Cheers," she says, holding her half up, and he doesn't know what they're toasting to but he grins and does it anyway.
... ...
"Are you going somewhere?"
It's not even a real question, just sort of a nicer way of demanding why Bruce was dressed as Batman without his cowl right now without really demanding it.
Bruce nods towards the monitor and he finds himself looking at the security footage of a museum from about five minutes ago. There's this flash of red before the camera goes static, but that's all he really needs to see because he recognizes those goggles and knows what feline they belong to.
He has a strong urge to say I told you so but decides against it.
"Want me to come with you?" he offers. Bruce shakes his head. "You know, some people can never change."
"She was," Bruce says, and yeah, Dick isn't oblivious to the disappointment in his father's voice. He kind of knew she hasn't been stealing recently, just didn't know it meant much to Bruce until now.
(Which is a lie, because even if he'd rather not, he knows how much Bruce was hoping she was finally on their side of the law.)
... ...
"It was definitely her?" Barbara asks. He called her right after Bruce left, because this is one of the things they have to talk about together.
"Yeah." He shoves his book aside. AP Biology could wait. "You should've heard his voice."
She lets out this little sigh. "She hasn't even been doing anything recently," she points out, sounding distressed. "I don't understand why she'd resort to stealing again."
And he hates to admit it, but Selina Kyle's recent criminal records have been spotless for the past two or three months. He'd been seeing less of her in the jumpsuit and more of her in designer dresses with a glass of champagne in one hand and the other in Bruce's. She was definitely one of the only tolerable socially elite "friends" that Bruce keeps because she actually possessed a personality.
"Well, there's not much else we can talk about on the matter unless we suit up and check it out ourselves. And that was not a suggestion, Dick, unless you want Bruce to ban us from crime-fighting."
He chuckles. Sometimes she knows him too well.
... ...
He's sitting in a classroom at the beginning lunch where he and some of his mathlete friends usually eat instead of the cafeteria.
He normally spends lunch with Barbara but she and the rest of the associated student body council are preoccupied almost every second of the day now with helping the juniors plan their prom. She spends all her "free time" with Artemis and is always stressed, which is kind of dumb because she's the sophomore president and shouldn't sweat over a prom that's not even hers, but Barbara is helpful like that.
"Do you think someone's going to ask her, Dick?"
"Huh?"
"Barbara," his other friend clarifies. "Everyone in office gets into prom free, including their date, right? Plus, she's really hot, so that helps. I may just ask her myself."
Dick kind of narrows his eyes and feels his fingers curling. He doesn't know why he feels a strong urge to punch them both right now. Maybe because he knows Barbara would want him to, or do it herself, if she heard what they were saying. She's never liked them, and they're his friends, but they can be total pigs, too.
"She wouldn't say yes to either of you," he says, and smirks at their reaction.
If he knows Barbara like he thinks he does, then he knows she'll probably show up without a date just to admire her work and effort and then ditch after an hour. Not that he's going to tell them that.
There's a knock at the door and it opens without waiting for an answer, and Artemis pokes her head in, makes eye contact, and says, "He's in here!"
He arches an eyebrow and watches Bette hold open the door so Barbara can walk in. She looks completely drained and he gets up and goes to her without having to be asked, because he's half-worried she's going to pass out any second. He looks at the two blondes for some sort of explanation. If Barbara's going to keep looking like this halfway through the day, he's not giving her up to them anymore.
"She's not feeling well," Bette says, and he gives her a look. Obviously. "She goes home with you, right? The office already called her dad and yours. They said Alfred is on his way."
He nods and grabs his bag, then takes Barbara's when Artemis hands it to him and walks her to the office to wait.
"I'm not sick or anything," Barbara mumbles. "I feel fine."
"Obviously, you don't."
She sticks her tongue out at him and closes her eyes, leaning back in her chair. "It's their fault. They asked officers to help with prom and they know how I get."
"It's because you get stuff done." She smiles and leans her head against his shoulder. "Do you plan on having a date for prom?"
He doesn't know why he asks, but when she laughs a little and murmurs, "I'm probably just going to show up for a second so I know they didn't screw things up and then drop by the mansion," he smiles widely and is kind of glad he did.
... ...
She takes a nap on his bed and he sits down beside her with his laptop balanced on his knees and his earphones plugged in. Alfred got her to eat some sliced fruit and drink tea with honey before she crashed, and since Alfred is pretty much an expert on stuff like this, he knows she'll wake up better than ever.
He laughs at the e-mail Wally sent him from Central City (Keyboarding is the stupidest elective ever. HELP ME!) and feels the bed shift.
Barbara turns over so that she's on her side facing him, looking at him from underneath her long eyelashes. Her color is back and she looks a thousand times better.
"What's so funny?"
"Wally's suffering mid-week heroism withdrawal," he tells her. "Go back to sleep."
"I feel fine," she insists, giggling as she tries to knock away the hand he covers her eyes with. "Stop it!"
He chuckles and swipes some of her bangs away from her face, and pushing her hair over her shoulder. She's laughing breathily and meeting his eyes with this wide smile, and when she sits herself up, her face is really, really close and he can count every one of her freckles.
And then there's a knock and the door is opening, and his face is definitely warm as he looks away.
"Hi, Barbara," Bruce greets. "How are you feeling?"
"Um, better." Her voice is a few octaves higher, and when Dick steals a glance in his peripheral at her, her cheeks are flushed.
Bruce just nods and walks over to them, and Dick would feel a bit annoyed (okay, he kind of already is, but whatever) at the interruption if he didn't know Bruce enough to know it's something important.
Barbara must be thinking the same thing, too, because she clears her throat and asks, "Don't take this the wrong way, but why do I have a feeling this isn't just a fatherly check-up?"
He sits down on the edge of the bed. "We need to talk."
... ...
"In other news, the Justice League seems to be keeping themselves in new company…"
Six pairs of eyes snap towards the TV, which, until that second, had just been on for the sake of background noise as they lazed around the living room. Barbara sits herself on the arm of the side of the couch Dick is on, arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes appear to be looking forward from behind her shades, but he could feel her watching him.
He likes that she just knows to be near him.
The image on the screen switches to a shot of Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and Catwoman standing atop a building in Metropolis, with the tagline 'IS THE LEAGUE LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS?'
"Recently, sources have stated that they've seen Batman and Catwoman together more frequently in Gotham City, and it is believed that the known thief has actually developed a partnership with Batman after helping the caped crusader in his crime-fighting back home. Is it possible that the League is extending a permanent place for the former cat-burglar of Gotham as an official member?"
The screen freezes as it is paused, and Artemis is looking at the pair. "Wait, does that mean Catwoman is on our side now?"
"More or less," Barbara shrugs.
"And you couldn't have told us this sooner?" Wally questions. "I mean, she's smoking hot and all, but—ow!" He glares at Artemis, rubbing his arm.
"Technically, we did just tell you," Dick says, laughing at his best friend and gesturing towards the screen. "Batman's orders."
"Look, I'm all for change and personal growth," Donna interrupts, "but can we really trust her? I mean, I'm not questioning Batman or anything, but he and Catwoman have… a history…"
Barbara shrugs again and says in this simple tone, "I trust her."
Dick laughs. "And you guys might want to consider investing a little faith in her, too, since she's going to be chaperoning our mission next week."
... ...
He swings around the building and retracts his grappling gun, leaping forward and rolling onto the next rooftop until he's on his feet and standing still, brushing off his costume.
All they were doing was patrolling Gotham while Batman had League business. It was simple, especially for him and Barbara, but the others were afraid enough of the city, especially at night (not that they'd ever openly admit it), that this mission could pass as another test for the Team instead of a test for Catwoman.
Which is exactly what Batman is going for.
"How does it feel having little kids to check in with every half hour?"
She laughs and shakes her head, not even looking around to face him as she says, "Like way too much responsibility. And you're not that little."
The last thing he expected was to be making conversation with Catwoman on a rooftop in the middle of patrol, but he finds himself doing exactly that as he cackles and replies, "Well, I hate to disappoint you but babysitting the Team is a fraction of the responsibility that comes with the title of being a League member. At least we're more entertaining than most of the members."
"I'll take your word for it." She sits on the edge of the roof in a way that would've made him nervous if it were any other woman than this one. "I don't even know if I want to become one."
"Trust me, you do."
She looks over her shoulder at him. "You sound confident."
"I know Batman, and I've been around you and him long enough," he shrugs. "This is what you both want."
"I'm going to humor you and ask why a thirteen-year-old boy such as yourself would know exactly what either of us wants."
"You keep coming back, don't you?" He walks over to stand near her, looking out over the city. "As much of a pain it is for me to admit it, especially since Batman will probably kill me, but he wants to be with you just as much as you want to be with him, and one of the only things stopping you two is that he has the League and you have criminal strings."
He looks at her, and she has this look that may or may not be a smile. He almost feels like returning it.
Almost.
"Aqualad to Catwoman: Poison Ivy is making her way to your location. Batgirl is already on her way to intercept from the North. Will you require more assistance?"
"Not necessary. The bird and the bat are all I need," she smirks, still looking at Dick. "Ivy used me. This is personal."
Dick cackles and shoots his grappling hook as she is running and jumping off of the side of the building. "I can't wait to see the look on Ivy's face when she sees that you're with us!"
She laughs into the night. "Be sure to take a picture for Batman when I knock her out."
Dick smirks.
She may not be all that bad, after all.
... ...
They all go to the mall to go shopping because it'll be prom season in a few weeks, something very convenient because it makes it not at all suspicious for him, Artemis, and Barbara to have prom on the exact same night. Donna and Kaldur don't even attend a school to go to prom to, but they're participating in the charade of it all to entertain M'gann's thought that they'll just crash Happy Harbor High's prom.
He's in the middle of adjusting his red tie when Donna waltzes into the men's dressing room in a sparkly black dress that turns heads and drops jaws.
"Donna," he hisses, trying to pry his elbow free when she grasps it, "You can't just come in here!"
She rolls her eyes. "Oh, hush. Barbara's spoiling the fun of it all and asking for you to come and look at her dress, so here I am."
It sounds out of character for the girl, unless Barbara is just looking for an excuse to bail on dress shopping (which seems more in character, actually), so he lets Donna drag him across the store and into the girl's dressing room.
"Alright, he's here. Are you happy now?"
Barbara is in this deep purple dress with beading around her torso that disappears into the waves of her skirt, and her hair is pushed over one shoulder with some silver clip in it. She smiles widely when she sees him, like he's just saved her from the two psychotic hyenas Harley Quinn dares to call her "pets," and rushes over to him, ushering him back outside and a few dress racks away.
"Thank you," she breathes, removing the clip from her hair. "I really didn't have the heart to tell them I was considering not going to prom, especially after they started fussing over the dress…"
"You look amazing, Barbara," he kind of blurts out, and she blinks and looks at him, cheeks coloring slightly. He smiles. "Why would you not go to prom?"
"I just… Prom is only fun when you're friends go, and I know I'll have Artemis and Bette and everyone, but it's not like we're juniors so I feel weird about it. And besides, I don't have a date."
"Really? Is it because no one's asked you or because you've said no to everyone that has?"
She grins a little, looking down. "The latter."
"Playing hard-to-get?"
She laughs and cries, "No!" as she swats at his arm. "I just don't think prom is going to be that great unless I—"
"Would you take me as your date to prom, then?"
Her words die on her tongue, and he doesn't even realize that she had been holding onto his arm until her hand is suddenly squeezing it. She's looking at him, her eyes wide and lips parted.
"I… what?"
He shrugs his shoulder slightly, his smile growing a little wider. "If I asked you to take me as your date to prom, then would you go?"
She blinks and seems to be fighting a smile for a second or two, but then she's laughing a little and blushing again (she's been doing that a lot, recently), and kind of exclaims, "Yes!" between giggles, so he releases the breath he didn't realize he was holding and shakes his head at her. She's absolutely crazy, but he supposes he's crazy for her, so they're even that way.
There's a chorus of squeals from the dressing room, and suddenly the girls are rushing out and pushing him away to get their arms around Barbara.
He looks around as Wally, Conner, and Kaldur are all rushing over like they're ready for an attack, and he laughs at them because the girls' screams must've alarmed them.
Wally barely gets out, "What's going—" when Artemis grasps his arm and exclaims, "Your best friend finally got the balls to ask Barbara out!"
"Hey!"
... ...
He's at Barbara's house to do homework for a change, since Barbara told him how her parents (really, just her mom) were dying to see him again after she told them he asked her to prom. Mrs. Gordon has always had a soft spot a mile wide for him, and he's pretty sure he's in Commissioner Gordon's good graces since his daughter spends almost all of her time with him, so he didn't mind coming over.
Alfred was supposed to be picking him up, and not until dinner a little later, so when he and Barbara are in the living room and hear Mrs. Gordon chatting with someone at the door, the last person they expected it to be was Bruce.
"Dick, your father's here to drive you home," Mrs. Gordon announces one they're done exchanging small talk.
Barbara eyes him but puts on a smile and walks over to Bruce, greeting him with a, "It's good to see you again, Bruce," as he kisses the top of her head.
"You as well, Barbara. I'm sorry to have to take Dick away from you so early," he tells her, eyes wandering over her shoulder and at his son, "but I actually have a free afternoon to spend with him."
Despite his curiosity, Dick's ears perk up a bit after hearing that, and he hooks his bag over his shoulder and walks over. Barbara squeezes a little when she hugs him, obviously just as skeptical as him, and watches from the door until they're in the car and driving off.
If Bruce doesn't tell him what's going on right now, he's going to lose it.
They're en route back to the mansion and he's two seconds away from blurting out his question when Bruce finally says, "Selina cancelled our plans today."
Oh. Well.
Dick glances at his father, not sure what to say.
Bruce has patrol tonight and Dick is willing to bet Selina was feeling conflicted about having a date with Bruce Wayne as herself, and then a date with Batman as Catwoman.
And the thing is, Batman knows the woman as both Catwoman and Selina Kyle, and Selina is well aware of this. She just doesn't know Bruce Wayne is the man inside the Batman costume.
It's never been much trouble before, other than the typical few close-calls that come with a secret identity. But Selina's probably the longest-lasting girlfriend the playboy billionaire has ever had, and having that relationship growing more and more serious as the one she posses with Batman does as well probably isn't easy on the woman so long as she's still convinced they're two entirely different people.
Dick sighs and pushes a hand through his hair. He's going to have to say the right thing here.
"I think you should tell her."
Bruce doesn't respond, but Dick notices the subtle pressure he puts on the gas that pushes their speed up a few miles per hour. He's listening.
"You guys have been playing this bat-and-cat game since before I came around," he continues. "She was a thief when she first started out and now you've convinced the others—or at least Clark and Diana—to offer her a position in the League. It's obvious you're committed to the idea of having her around, and she keeps putting on that costume, which means she's just as committed."
He glances at Bruce, whose eyes are still fixed on the road.
"The problem isn't that you love her. The problem is that she loves you and possibly Bruce Wayne, too, and I'll even push myself to say that it's making her guilty."
This time, Dick catches him when Bruce steals a look at him from his peripheral.
"And I know you think I don't like her, which shouldn't matter anyway. But even if I was never her biggest fan, I'll admit my opinion of her has gotten… better. She's changed because of you, and you've changed because of her. That's why I think you should just tell her, because you both need each other and the only thing getting in the way is the mask."
The only thing that can be heard for a few minutes is the engine.
It seems like forever before Bruce says, "You seem… Perhaps I'm not the only one who's changed."
Dick shrugs. "Barbara calls me a 'work-in-progress.'"
Bruce slows the car to a stop in front of the steps, where Alfred is not-so-surprisingly waiting for them by the front door, and cuts the engine. "And just so you know," Bruce says, making Dick pause as he is opening the door to look at him, "Your opinion always matters to me, Dick."
He smiles. "Love you, too, Dad."
... ...
When Alfred picks them up from school the following day, Dick sees that it's Bruce's car instead of the limo, and there is an all-too-familiar figure sitting in the passenger seat.
Barbara holds onto his arm as they walk over, and he wishes he could say that he's surprised when the women pulls off her shades and Selina Kyle has this huge smirk on her face. But he's not, so he just looks beside him and watches Barbara's expressions shift as Selina greets them with a, "Hey, little birdies."
He laughs when Barbara squeals.
... ...
They only last about an hour at the prom, which they were all expecting.
Not that it doesn't look amazing (because it does; Barbara sure as hell didn't slave over the last few months for nothing). But Barbara looks uncomfortable and Artemis is pissed, and while Dick's not all too thrilled either, Wally is about four seconds from losing his temper and lashing out and the next guy whose eyes happen to fall below Artemis's face. This is what happens when your girlfriends are… well, them.
Barbara grasps his arm and whispers, "Let's get out of here," as she walks by, before taking Artemis's elbow and walking towards the doors.
He and Wally are quick to follow, and as soon as they're outside, Barbara and Artemis are laughing with their arms linked together and their cheeks flushed.
"Well, that was a disaster."
"No kidding," Dick agrees. "Wally looked ready to rip every guy's head off if they even glanced in your direction."
Artemis smirks as she walks over to her boyfriend, and the redheaded speedster scowls but finds himself smiling as she pulls him down into a kiss.
"You know," Barbara says, turning their backs on the otherwise preoccupied couple, "Alfred would be highly disappointed. We didn't even have one dance like he wanted us to."
"We could go back in there," Dick reminds, "just for one song."
She cocks an eyebrow. "Or…"
"Or we could pop open the trunk of Wally's car, change into our suits, and go join Bruce and Selina on patrol."
She tips her head back as she laughs, lacing their fingers together. "That plan sounds a thousand times better. Let's go."
... ...
He doesn't remember the last time it rained this hard in Gotham, but he also doesn't have the time to think about it because all he needs to do is find Barbara.
"Miss M, did you manage—"
"Her end of the telepathic link isn't responding, and neither is Catwoman's. I'll keep trying, but—"
A shrill scream shatters the air, not too far away, and Dick skids to a stop on the rooftop, mud and pebbles and water flying everywhere. He doesn't have time to formulate the question when Donna is frantically crying out in their minds, "Robin! Robin, it's Catwoman, she's… Oh my gosh, I don't know how long she's been out like this but—"
And really, he was already making his way in her direction before she started thinking anything, but now he's running as fast as he can, blinking through the wall of rain.
He finds Donna crouched over a figure that's flat on its back against the gravel of a factory rooftop, and when he gets closer, he sees that there's blood everywhere and Selina's goggles are in pieces and Donna is trying to apply pressure to Selina's side.
"Selina," he chokes out, dropping to his knees, and she grasps at his cape.
"Joker did this." She seems to see straight through his mask, meeting his eyes as she tells him, "Barbara went after him."
And that's all he needs to hear before diving off the side.
... ...
There was a lot of blood, and the bullet would put her out of commission for at least two months, but the doctors are telling them that she'll make a full recovery.
Dick releases the breath he was holding and lets Wally clap his back reassuringly, glancing at his best friend and really needing the smile the redhead gives him. "She's going to be just fine," he repeats, gripping his shoulder firmly and squeezing.
He nods and stands up, turning to the doctor. "Is she…"
"Yeah, she's awake," he assures. "She's been asking to see you ever since she came to."
"I'm going to go find Artemis," Wally tells him, and Dick nods. It's been one hell of a night and Artemis is probably waking up soon, too, as well as M'gann and Kaldur.
The doctor leaves him as soon as they've reached her door, and he pokes his head inside. She's tucked underneath a lot of blankets, and her hair is still damp but pulled into this quick braid she does whenever she wants to keep it out of her face. Her costume is on a hanger and sealed in a plastic cover, and he feels his heart sink a little when he sees the stains and rips and drops of watery-red blood.
"Hey," she says in this soft voice, smiling at him, and the room already feels a hundred times brighter.
He walks over and pulls up a chair beside her, slipping a hand under the blankets and finding hers, grasping her hand. "How are you?"
"Way better," she says. "How are you?"
He laughs breathily and runs his thumb over her knuckles. "Now that I know you're alive," he replies, "Better."
She squeezes their joined hands. "You're mad at me for going after the Joker, right?"
"Furious."
She laughs softly. "I figured as much, but you'll get over it." He grins and reaches over, pushing her bangs from her forehead. "How about Selina? I didn't get a chance to ask the doctors…"
"Bruce is with her right now," Dick informs. "He came in after you guys went into surgery. He was… a mess, more than I was, but a lot better at hiding it, of course. The doctors said that Selina would be fine and that she'd be good as new in a few weeks, just like you. When the doctors came and announced that everything was already, he kind of bolted down that hallway. Could've given Flash a run for his money."
She closes her eyes. "He hasn't said it, but she's his world. One of his greatest fears will always be leaning that he lost her."
"So is mine, and yet the person I'm terrified of losing will probably just tell me that I'll get over it."
She hums contemplatively, grinning widely. "That sounds about right."
He chuckles and shakes his head, rising from his chair to lean over the rail as he places a hand on her cheek. She opens her eyes again, and he's so close that he can count every one of her lashes as she slides her other hand up his arm and rests it at the base of his neck, pulling him down and pressing their lips together softly.
When they part, he leans his forehead against hers and she pushes her fingers through his hair. "I saw him looking at rings the other day."
"Yeah?" Her breath warms his cheek.
"I think he had a little black box in his utility belt," he whispers. "I'll bet…"
"It took me getting shot to get our first kiss out of you, and you want to talk about your father and your future step-mother?"
He laughs and mumbles, "Right. Shutting up," before pressing their lips together again.
A/n: The idea sounded interesting in my head and then it took a life of its own. But I'm sharing it with you anyway because I have a sudden urge to see Dick/Babs and Bruce/Selina in the YJ universe (well, I have since Barbara's little cameo, but it's stronger than ever right now) and figured maybe others might share the same feelings. It probably could've used a lot more work, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!
Also, I had an "extended ending," but I felt the fic ended at a good place, so I cut it out. But as a treat, I've added it below, so if you like it, you can pretend it's an extension; if not, you can ignore it (:
Selina walks over to him when he's finally got a chance to rest his feet, and sits on his knee in her big, white dress, swatting at him playfully when he makes a theatrical groan at the added weight (which is like, two pounds, but she also would've swatted at him if he'd pointed that out).
"Shouldn't you be dancing with my father or something?"
She hums and twirls some of his hair around her finger, looking across the room. "He's a bit preoccupied."
He grins and follows her gaze where Bruce is standing with Clark and Diana, the pair chatting with the boy in his arms.
"Don't you have a girlfriend you should be dancing with?" she teases.
"She's also a bit preoccupied," he replies, "and, might I add, with your other children."
Almost as if she had sensed being talked about, Barbara walks over to them with a pouting baby in one arm and the other holding onto a girl with curly blonde hair. Selina gets off of his knee and the young girl rips her hand from Barbara's grasp and runs, jumping into her mother's arms at the exact moment she opens them. "Where have you been, Steph? Where's Jason?"
She shrugs her shoulders and Selina laughs.
"I'd check the chocolate fountain if I were you," Barbara advises. "I heard laughing underneath the table a little while ago."
"Why didn't I think of that earlier?" She shakes her head. "Come on, Steph, you can help me clean up your brother since he'll probably need it."
Dick stands up, watching Selina disappear through the crowded reception hall before turning to Barbara and the baby whose cheek is squashed against her neck, eyes sleepy. As soon as he looks at Dick, though, he sits up a little more and stretches his arms out, and Barbara laughs and lets Dick take him from her arms.
"Damian's always loved you the most."
He laughs. "Well, Tim and Steph and Jason absolutely adore you, so I guess one of my adoptive siblings had to break the trend."
"They love you just as much," she insists, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I hope Bruce and Selina stop the adoption at four because, including you, they've matched the Brady Bunch."
"You might have wanted to tell Bruce that last week before he got on the phone with a friend from China." Barbara gapes at him, eyebrow cocked. "Her name is Cassandra, by the way. Bruce was showing me photos of her and everything. I think you'll love her."
"When have I not loved any one of them?"
She kisses Damian's head. The boy was fast asleep against Dick's shoulder.
"They have half of the entire League beating down their doors to be babysitters, but," she shakes her head, "they're still crazy for wanting so many kids."
Dick shrugs. "They're in love, and they want to make a difference in as many lives as they can."
She beams and whispers, "We are never having this many kids, alright?" into his ear before pressing their lips together.