This is for Sincerely MNM's birthday present which I happily wrote. It was hard coming up with a plot but, after browsing through the fics, inspiration hit me. And I came up with this.
Either way, I hope all of you enjoy this :)
1.
Robin sighed with boredom as he lazily lounged on the sofa, quickly flicking through TV channels. Gotham Academy had been victim to a hostage situation just hours before, one that Batman had taken care of easily, resulting in the school finishing early. Artemis had gone home and everyone else on the team was either at their own school, hometown or carrying out their own plans.
The only reason Robin had even decided to visit the cave was because Alfred had kicked him out of Wayne Manor for the simple refusal of the older man's request that he go play outside on 'such a wonderful day' instead of brainwashing his mind through video games.
The Boy Wonder let out another sigh as he started getting impatient for everyone's arrival. Surely they had to have finished whatever they were doing by now?
"-and then you cut the cucumbers up, making sure not to go to fas-"
"-you should've seen me! I was all like 'you wanna get up in my face?' and she was all lik-"
"-next up is Our Biggest Hits of 20-"
Robin watched as the channels swiftly changed, cutting characters off mid-sentence. He stared at the TV, his thumb pressing a button on the remote regularly creating an almost rhythmic pattern.
"-Fifi and the Flowerpo-"
"-Scooby Dooby Doooo-"
"-and next we have on an epsiode of 'Hello Megan' so sit b-"
"-no matter what Mommy says, we were on a break and-"
The Boy Wonder suddenly frowned. He didn't just hear that did he? It couldn't be...
He quickly fumbled with the remote before the TV changed back to the previous channel. There was no way...was there?
"-And now, the episode you have all been waiting for...the finale of 'Hello Megan'!"
Robin's eyes widened under his shades, a huge grin starting to appear on his face. He knew he'd heard that somewhere! It was Megan's catchphrase! The one that was slowly starting to get on his nerves every time she said it. It wasn't anything personal...it was just annoying. Really annoying.
The grin wouldn't leave his face, growing even wider as he took in the appearance of the way too happy cheerleader. The TV character and Megan didn't just talk the same, they looked exactly the same too! Except for the green skin of course...but, apart from that, the whole thing was uncanny!
"Wally is going to love this," Robin grinned.
"So...Megan," Robin began casually, placing a few grapes into his mouth. "Have you watched any new shows lately?"
Megan cocked her head in puzzlement as she turned off the gas on the cooker.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh nothing...hey, Artemis. Can you turn to the Comedy Classic Network?"
The blonde glared.
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Sure, Dude," Wally answered before zipping over and grabbing the remote from the archer's hand before anyone could even register what was going on.
"Wally!"
"CCN...coming up..."
Robin beamed as the title for Hello Megan came on just in time.
"Why, look here! It's the same catchphrase as Meg-"
"This?" Kaldur shook his head, a small smile on his face. "We found out about it a long time ago."
Robin blanched.
"What?"
"Yeah," Superboy added. "It was pretty obvious."
"You can't...I'm Batman's...but..."
"I'm pretty sure everyone knew..." Artemis smirked before snatching the remote back from the unaware speedster, changing the channel to her original one. "I mean, I used to watch it every day before it got boring."
"No..."
"Dude, even I knew," Wally rolled his eyes. "Batman's protege my a-"
"Language!" Megan scolded.
"So everyone knew?" Robin frowned. It deepened even more when the answer was all affirmative.
"Are you alright, Robin?" Megan asked, concern laced in her voice. "Your forehead has suddenly gotten a bit...veiny..."
"Wait, so you're telling me you really didn't know?" Wally asked before chortling with laughter.
"Well, it wasn't very obvious..." Robin muttered.
"You're kidding right? Even Superboy knew!"
"Hey!"
"...Sorry."
2.
"Batman?"
"What?"
"You're keeping a lot of things from me about the team, aren't you?"
Batman stared at his protege, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly underneath his cowl.
"That is none of your business."
Robin groaned.
"Oh, come on! It's everything to do with me! I am part of that team!"
"Yes but those pieces of information have nothing to do with your place on the team," Batman answered in a monotone voice as he turned towards the Batcomputer, fingers running skillfully and quickly across the keyboard. The Dark Knight ignored the mumbling that came out of Robin's mouth.
"Flash always tells KF everything..."
"Well, I'm not Flash. Unlike he and Green Arrow, I keep things that need to stay private, private," Batman growled, creating a mental note to have a small word with Barry and Ollie once more.
For a while, there was nothing but silence in the Batcave except for the typical clatter of fingers pressing against computer buttons. Robin scowled at his mentor, arms crossed childishly against his chest. When he realised that tactic wasn't working, he tried a different road.
"You know, you're always talking about trust but...everyone else has definitely more trust than we do..." Robin sniffed.
"Robin-"
"And I-"
"Master Bruce."
The two heroes both whipped around to face Alfred, immediately getting a sense of wariness at the slight frown on his face.
"Yes, Alfred?"
"There are a couple of people upstairs who insist on seeing you."
"Tell them I'm bu-"
Alfred sighed.
"I have already done so multiple times, Master Bruce but they keep on saying that it's an emergency."
"League business?"
"Wayne."
Batman gave a short, tired sigh before getting up and heading towards the elevator. He stopped abruptly in front of the doors, a thought occurring to him.
"Make sure Dick doesn't touch anything," Batman muttered to Alfred. Robin rolled his eyes at the statement as his mentor disappeared behind closed doors leaving Alfred, Robin and the Batcomputer all alone.
"Master Bruce wishes you not to-"
"No offence, Alfred. But I know," Robin commented as he sat on the seat. Alfred frowned.
"Then why are you doing what he was specifically told you not to, Master Dick?"
"Because I'm me."
Alfred sighed before starting to follow the same way Batman had done minutes earlier.
"I suppose that's reason enough. Don't cause too much trouble, Master Dick. Master Bruce won't be pleased."
"When is he ever?" Robin grinned mischievously as he typed in code after code into the Batcomputer gaining him access to some areas. He scanned through different files before landing on the one that concerned his team. He opened up the first one before taking in all the information that was scrolling through the screen.
Robin was about to close the file when one piece of information caught his eye. He quickly read it resulting in his eyes popping open for the second time in the same week.
"No way..." He breathed.
"You have a girlfriend?" Robin asked incredulously. Kaldur frowned at the question, a feeling of discomfort arising in his chest. He definitely did not want to be having this conversation.
"No, I do not have a girlfriend."
"But it says in the records...someone called...Tula?"
"Tula was never my girlfriend and she never will be," Kaldur snapped, his voice unusually angry. Robin wondered if he should press the matter any further or not. He glanced at the Atlantean and decided not to. It was bad enough that Batman would kill him for breaking into the files but he didn't want Kaldur on his back too. Robin swiftly made for the door leading to escape from the tense atmosphere.
A tense atmosphere that you started, Robin thought guiltily. He couldn't just leave after asking Kaldur that. Whatever happened between him and this...Tula person, it must have hurt Kaldur really badly.
Robin sighed.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine."
"You don't look fine."
Silence.
"You know...if you don't want to talk right now...," The Boy Wonder shifted in his position near the doorway awkwardly, wanting to leave but knowing it'd be extremely impolite. Alfred would have his head if he didn't fix this somehow. "...I mean, if you want to talk about it...then you know where I am. Not that I'd be of much help...but it might make you feel better, you know? Having someone to listen I mean..." He trailed off, unsure whether he should continue with his babbling or not.
Kaldur wasn't responding. Crap, he'd done something wrong. Now, everyone would be on his case for it. Maybe he should've followed Alfred last night in the Batcave. If he had, then this stupid conversation wouldn't be hap-
"Thank you. I appreciate that."
Robin blinked.
Well, it wasn't all that bad. Not to say it wasn't bad at all...
The Boy Wonder nodded and promptly left.
3.
"That's another day wasted by rain," Robin muttered as he stared out of the window. He watched as drops of rain trickled down the window pane, continuously and repetitively. Surprisingly, it was fun to watch which raindrop reached the bottom first. He remembered having done that very same thing millions of times before when he was younger...it could never really get too boring for him.
"So, what do you want to do Superboy?" He asked as he turned around. A snort escaped his mouth before he could stop it at the sight that met him.
"Superboy...are you knitting?"
The clone didn't respond as he focused on the two needles that weaved in and out with great difficulty.
"Uh...Superboy?"
"What?"
Robin raised an eyebrow at the gruff voice paired with the activity of knitting. If the image hadn't been right in front of him, he wouldn't have believed it.
"You're knitting."
"Yeah. So?"
"...Why?"
"Megan said it's supposed to calm me."
"...And?"
"What else am I supposed to do?"
The Boy Wonder frowned before sitting next to him, moving all the balls of colourful yarn onto the floor to create more space.
"Since when...since when have you started knitting?"
"Just last week. When you guys were at school, Megan and I were left here with nothing to do," Superboy explained, glaring at the needles that lay across his lap. "She was doing this and I wanted to know what it was. She then taught me but..."
"But you haven't gotten the hang of it yet."
Superboy nodded in frustration.
"Well then, good luck with that," Robin commented as he got up, confusion still etched on his face.
"Do you want to help?" Superboy offered, raising his needles to emphasize the question. Robin sighed, contemplating his suggestion before sitting back down.
"Sure. Why not. Got nothing else to do."
The Boy Wonder bit his lower lip as he glanced at the materials that were being placed onto his lap by the older boy.
"Just want to add that I have no idea what to do..."
"Well, first of all, you're supposed to put that there and then that there. Then place them together and weave it through..."
4.
"Sorry about this, Mrs Crock," Robin apologised as he shrugged at the woman. "Batman has a tendency of dropping by. Often uninvited."
"No need to explain. I understand fully. And please," Paula Crock smiled, eyes twinkling. "Call me Paula. Mrs Crock is too formal for me."
"Very well, Paula."
They both glanced over at Artemis' bedroom, catching a glimpse of Batman foraging around for something that he needed. Robin made a mental note not to tell the archer of their visit; if she knew, she'd skin him alive.
"So, Robin right?"
"Yes."
"Are you on Artemis' team?"
Robin smiled politely.
"I am."
"Who else is on it?"
Robin hesitated slightly. Would they want that kind of information being divulged? But it couldn't do any harm, could it? As if sensing his discomfort, Paula smiled guiltily.
"Sorry. Sometimes my curiosity just gets the better of me."
"No, it's alright. It's just me, Artemis, Miss Martian, Aqualad, Superboy and Kid Flash."
Mrs Crock looked surprised at the final name that cropped up on the list.
"Kid Flash? You mean, the Kid Flash of Central City?"
Robin nodded.
"Well, no wonder Artemis enjoys being on the team so much," Paula grinned playfully as she sipped some tea from her cup.
"What are you talking about?"
The Asian woman laughed at his expression.
"Artemis wouldn't want me telling you this but...she used to have a huge crush on Kid Flash."
For what seemed like the umpteenth time, Robin felt his jaw drop at the newly revealed piece of information. Honestly, what was it? Let Robin know everything week? A pathetic name but still!
"She what?"
"A huge crush. She had posters up on her wall and, every time he appeared on TV, she wouldn't let me change the channel until she was definitely sure that he wouldn't turn up again," The woman laughed at her daughter's past antics which had often closely bordered on obsessed. It was a wonder that Artemis hadn't been blabbing about it every night she came back home!
"Really? That's interesting. Our Artemis absolutely hates Kid Flash," Robin spluttered, the words still being processed through his head. Artemis used to like KF? That. Was. Rich.
"Don't tell her I told you," Paula shook her head. "She'll be livid if she finds out."
"Trust me," The Boy Wonder shivered. "I wouldn't dream of it."
5.
Something weird was going on.
It was Friday. By this time, the Cave's kitchen cupboards should've been bare and the fridge should've had no food in it whatsoever. No unhealthy food, that is. But everything was still fully stocked. There was no need for Megan to go shopping this time. No need for Batman's daily lecture about the grocery bill. It was...abnormal.
"Wally?" Robin asked, knocking on his door. "You alright?"
The Boy Wonder could hear distinct shuffling about behind the door before it was thrown open, the speedster smiling brilliantly at his friend.
"I'm fine. Why ask?"
"Mostly because the kitchen is still full. With junk food," Robin answered dryly, his gaze sweeping the room behind the red head. No candy wrappers. No cereal bar coverings. No empty sweet jars. Something weird was definitely going on. "Alright. What's up?"
"N-nothing."
"You're lying," Robin glared through dark sunglasses.
"I'm just tired since it is pretty la-"
"Is that a salad on your bedside table?" The Boy Wonder's eyebrows shot up at the sight of something healthy being eaten by Kid Flash. He thought he knew his best friend inside and out. Obviously, he was wrong.
"Dude, what are you-?" Wally snapped as Robin barged his way into his room. "So not cool!"
"You're eating healthy stuff! You never eat healthy stu...ff" Robin paused as he took in a whole grain cereal bar wrapper that was lying next to the bed. He stared before opening the drawer where he knew Wally kept his secret stash of junk food. Which he occasionally stole some chocolate from. But, instead of sweets, there was-
"Muesli? Really?"
"Don't tell anyone!" Wally hissed, shutting the door behind him.
"Healthy food? What is up with you?"
Wally took a deep breath before slumping onto his bed.
"Aunt Iris is making me eat healthier food because she 'believes it'll give me more energy than that junk food will ever do'."
Robin smirked.
"So, you're never allowed to eat junk food?"
"Only once or twice."
"Have you asked the Flash for help?"
"Dude, when up against Aunt Iris, he has no power."
"Good point."
Robin grabbed one of the granola bars and peeled off the wrapper, stuffing the food into his mouth.
"It doesn't taste half bad though."
Wally gave a small smile.
"That's the only good part really. I miss pizza!"
"Well, good luck having...something you're not used to."
"Help me!"
Robin grinned, taking another bite out of the granola bar.
"At least she isn't making you eat French cuisine. Or banning junk food completely."
"Don't even joke about that!"
6.
"Where's Robin?" Megan asked.
"Off somewhere. London I think. Batman wanted him there for something," Wally informed, glancing at the pizza box that lay on the counter with hunger.
"Lucky. He's having fun in London while we're stuck here," Artemis complained.
"He's with the Batman though," Superboy added.
"So he can't be having that much fun," Wally grinned, instantly brightened by that thought.
"Hey guys! Dick Grayson is on TV!" Megan quietened everyone, turning up the volume on the TV as she did so. For some reason Wally just couldn't understand, she had a small interest in the millionaire heir of Gotham City. Not big enough to be called a crush, no that was reserved for Superboy Wally thought dryly, but it was still there.
"He's in London too. Visiting an old friend apparently," Kaldur informed everyone.
"I would kill to be him," Artemis announced. "Fun. Parties. No responsibilities. Money. Power."
"Babes on each arm," The speedster muttered as he glared the image of thousands of girls creating a crowd around the millionaire's son, shouting his name in hysterics.
"Pathetic really but fun to envy," The archer sighed.
"Is it just me," Superboy began as he stared hard at the screen. "Or does Mr Grayson look a lot like Robin?"
Everyone fell silent as they observed the screen, studying it closely to look for similarities.
"They do have...alike features..." Megan concluded.
"And, is it a coincidence that they're both in London at the same time too?" Kaldur mused.
"I don't believe in coincidences," Wally frowned.
"Then...if-supposedly Dick Grayson is Robin-then...Bruce Wayne would have to be...Batman..." Artemis declared, her eyes widening at the possibility. "You don't think...?"
"No, that guy is smiling," Superboy said as he pointed to the image of Bruce Wayne.
The team gazed in wonder at the pair that stood in the middle of the cameras and reporters, smiling and basking in the glory of the attention they were receiving.
"One minute," Wally jumped up, retrieving his phone. "I've got a text. From Robin. It says that he's in...France right now..." He trailed off, glancing back and forth between the TV screen and his phone. "But that...can't be..."
"Well, bang goes that theory," Artemis sighed.
"I really thought that could've been him," Megan mumbled. "Really, it's uncanny. Maybe he's Robin's twin that was seperated at birth?" She offered.
"You have been watching too much of those soaps, Megan," Kaldur smiled. "Anyway, that was too obvious. Robin and Batman would take better care hiding their identities. They wouldn't flaunt in public where everyone could see them."
"Yes but," Wally said. "Hiding in plain sight is a very good strategy."
"But that wouldn't apply to them," Artemis argued.
"How would you know? You're not them!"
"I know because they're not dumb enough to do that!"
"Well, Miss Expert-on-Batman-and-Robin, who do you think they are?"
Kaldur sighed at the usual antics of the archer and the speedster.
"Can you imagine what it would be like if that really was them?" Megan smiled.
"It would at least solve some...issues in our team..." Kaldur admitted.
"Either way, I'm starving," Superboy grumbled.
"Oh, I found this new recipe online just this morning and I was planning on making it today..."
In London
"Well, did you do it?"
Dick grinned.
"Text is sent and all. If they're watching this, they won't have a clue."
Batman grinned charmingly for a picture before facing his son and protege.
"Good. We don't need any trouble from your team added onto all of this too," He muttered causing Dick to chuckle.
"Don't worry. After all, we are the Dynamic Duo. And they don't call us that for nothing."
"I hope not. I like to think that I've earned the fear and respect through kicking thugs off the streets of Gotham," Bruce grinned, winking at a nearby female reporter who immediately proceeded to blush heavily.
"Trust me, they won't suspect a thing."
And fini. That's the end. I really hope all of you guys enjoyed it because I had a lot of fun writing it even though I got stuck for ideas a lot of times.
I hope you got the references to the TV shows at the start(ahemFriendsahem). I couldn't help myself :)
Now, if you would so kindly drop a review, no matter how small or big. It would really help me be encouraged to write more and know that people out there really do appreciate my efforts. So thank you in advance.
Adios 'till next time amigos ;)