I own nothing. :*(
Sapphire eyes were wide, dilated so intensely that their pupils looked like pin-pricks. No noise came from the teen's mouth, and it was silent in the classroom. Richard's mouth was open just an inch, but his lower lip quavered dangerously. Then, he finally let out a breath.
Poor Helena- the teacher was clueless as she watched the varied expressions of her class. Most of the girls were astonished and looking fearful, while Pete and his group were all smiling. The blonde in the front, though, was ticked.
She stood so fast that she almost developed whiplash. Then, Artemis turned and glared at Pete so hard that the temperature in the room almost dropped a degree. "What right-" she began, but was cut off by the sound of the door slamming shut.
Richard was gone.
His breath came short, cold sweat dripping down his forehead and the back of his neck in trickles. Tears developed in his eyes just as fast, and his hands were shaking as if he were an addict as he ran through the courtyard.
Not even the hot sun made him wince. Not even the greenest of grass made him blink. Not even the blue sky made him smile.
Richard stumbled over a peak of glass, then swore as he fell to his knees, scraping up both his palms and elbows as he slid. But, his training kicked in, even with such a loosely inclined situation. He stood instantly, plowing forward. The one part of his training that was not working was his brain.
Tears slowly leaked over Richard's cheeks, and he felt his breath coming fast and short and heavy. He was beginning to hyperventilate. Had he been in the right frame of mind, Richard might have been able to calm himself- but when you hear your parents' murderer had broken out of a high-tox facility... It was a bit chilling.
Then, the sun began to flash bright white lights in his face-
F-Flashing?
Richard hadn't even realized that he had reached the courtyard's gates. But, he realized it when he saw the swarm of reporters and photographers. Swiftly, the teen stepped backwards- but he slipped again and fell on his butt, eyes glued onto the reporters.
"Richard! Can I get a quote?"
"When did you find out about Zucco?"
"Could you let us in, Richard?"
"Richard!"
"Richard!"
"RICHARD!"
"RICHARD!"
The boy screamed in anguish as his parents fell. He could barely see his name upon his father's lips, barely hear his mother screaming 'FIUL!' over and over again, as many times as she could until-
SPLAT!
CRACK!
"NO!"
A heavy hand rested on Richard's shoulder, and he jumped, only to see the school's officer, Officer Parker- a big Black man with a mustache, six-pack, and an attitude- glaring at the reporters. "Mr. Grayson will take no statements at this time," the man practically growled as he hefted Richard into a standing position. The boy's knees were wobbly, and his face was stark and gaunt, his eyes hollow.
Officer Parker, still glaring at the flashing cameras and screaming reporters, led Richard away as fast as possible.
The boy wasn't even paying enough attention to tell when or where they came to a stop- he only walked, tears boiling over and vertigo rushing over his body, into the room. It was the councilor's office. Ms. Stephanie Cain, Richard's alphabetically placed councilor, was standing with her shawl draped over her thin shoulders. The old turtle wore large half-moon spectacles and deep red lipstick, along with her usual floral dress and high-heels too high for any woman in her late sixties.
Officer Parker set Richard down in a chair, and Ms. Cain put her shawl over his shoulders as he curled up into a ball, his chin rested on his knees as he stared at the desk. Slowly, the cop made his way towards the door, shutting it with a soft click behind him.
Click, click, cli- CLANK!
The bolts had been removed.
The boy's eyes grew wide, and he let out a shriek of terror at knowing what was to come-
He tried to look away, but it was like a live horror movie- you just couldn't look away. It was too... too... Tempting wasn't the word, but neither was attracting.
Definitely not attracting.
SPLAT!
CRACK!
"NO!"
Richard's brain was still fuzzy, clouded with memories, but he distinctly realized he was crying and was wrapped up in a quilt or something. His chest was heaving shakily, and he berated himself silently. I'm Robin, the frickin' Boy-Wonder! I- I can't be weak... No. Just- just don't think about it. Just don't-
"RICHARD!"
"FIUL! FIUL! FIU-"
SPL-
"No!" he said aloud, clutching his head and shaking. "No, n-no, no, no!"
Ms. Cain sat back, biting her lip. Richard was a freshman, and therefore, she had only known him a year- but she had known Tim for much longer. And the other ebony had told her much about his 'family'- especially Richard. The two seemed to have an indescribable bond...
Then, the door was shoved open. In charged a red-head, his eyes wide and his nostrils flaring like a bull. Behind him was Tim- the older boy's eyes were full of compassion and worry.
They saw Richard at the same time, and Tim found himself holding the younger teen to his chest. Richard grabbed onto his foster-brother's vest in a death-grip, shaking violently as he tried to keep from crying.
"Who?" was all Jason asked, his face red and his knuckles white as he clutched at air. His fists were so tight that his finely manicured nails bit into the calluses on his palms, drawing the slightest of thin red blood.
"P-P-P-"
"Pete..." Jason snarled, his lip curling up.
Tim stroked Richard's hair, hushing him and gently rocking back and forth. Ms. Cain had left a few moments before, most likely to call Bruce or Alfred. The three brothers were the only ones in the room.
All at once, Jason spun on his heel.
"Where are you going-"
"To take out the da** trash that screwed with my prihor."
Tim tried to stand to hold back Jason, but a) Richard was still holding onto the older teen's vest harshly, and b) the peeved carrot-top was gone.
The smaller ebony couldn't stop crying, his shoulders shaking and small whimpers coming from his lips. His body was shivering from the fever that came with his grief. Alfred had already helped the eight-year-old bathe and had placed him in some of Jason's clothes, though they were still rather large on him. His nose was running, and his eyes were blood-shot. His lips were dry and bleeding from cracked skin, and his tanned skin clashed against the paleness of his face.
Bruce was in the front room, talking with the Commissioner, and Jason was already tucked in bed. Damian was with his father, conveying what he had seen in as straight a voice as he could muster. Alfred had gone to argue with several of the police officers about getting Richard's things, especially his stuffed lion, Leu.
That left Tim alone with the newly-orphaned boy.
Richard had curled up into a ball at the foot of Bruce's bed, as the 'family' had only arrived moments before, and Alfred felt it was improper to just shove the boy into a room instead of gradually explaining to him that this was where he might be living for a while- or at least until the Circus took him back.
But Tim knew that most likely wouldn't happen.
When his parents had died, Tim had been sent to an orphanage, and wasn't even allowed to stay with his uncle. They had called him an 'alcoholic' or something like that, and wouldn't even allow the boy to see him. Richard didn't even have any family in the circus, so why would he get to stay there?
Tim sighed as he saw Richard's sobs slowing. 'Finally...' he thought to himself. Slowly, Tim made his way onto the wooden chest right next to the foot of Bruce's bed. Richard pulled away instantly. 'Wow... He's a lot more observant than I thought...'
Tim didn't make any moves. He just sat there until the silent sobs turned to snores.
Jason thundered into the classroom, his eyes screaming bloody-murder and his chest heaving. Helena stood, but Jason was already forward-
BAM!
He slammed Pete into the wall, making cracks spread in the plaster. Artemis's eyes widened, and she let out a soft gasp. She had seen Jason Todd in the papers, but his anger-management issues... Well, those had been in the tabloids.
The three boys who were Pete's 'posse' charged forward, but Jason turned and punched two of them out. Artemis felt her jaw drop slightly as she watched him kick the other in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him across the room.
Then, the pissed red-head turned back to Pete, slamming him into the wall again. "Alright, Arnold... What did you say to my little brother?"
Pete didn't seem phased, and Artemis was almost sure he was a sociopath.
"I simply brought up Zucco's break-out."
Jason's eyes widened a tad, and he swore under his breath. Then, he pulled Pete forward until they were nose-to-nose. "I swear, Arnold, I won't hesitate to put you in a body cast if you ever mess with my little brother again..." He smirked. "In fact, I might just give you a little preview-"
"Jason," came a deep and angry voice.
Then, a hunky young man in a business suit and with slicked-back hair walked in. Or, more like sprinted. He grabbed Jason's wrist in a death-grip, his snarl lifting his upper lip. "Jason. Stop."
"But he-"
"I know. Let him go..." The ebony turned an icy gaze over to Pete, who- if Artemis peered harshly, she could see- shivered. The archer smirked.
There was a long, pregnant pause. Helena was still at the front of the class, in shock of what she should do or not do-
Jason pulled away, letting Pete drop to his knees. The young man- who Artemis now recognized as Damian Wayne- let out a sigh. Artemis could see the yearning in his eyes as he glared at Pete. He wanted to put the football player in a body-cast, just like Jason.
Her smirk turned to a grin.
"Your bast*** of a little brother really needs to grow a pair."
Artemis mentally face palmed.
Jason whirled around and held Pete up into the wall's indention again, only this time- his fist collided perfectly with the brunette's jaw, emitting a loud crack into the classroom. Helena was about to jump forward, but Artemis beat her to it.
"Hey!" she shouted, pulling the red-head off of Pete. Damian aided her cause with a bit less force. Pete was moaning, clutching his broken and bleeding jaw, as he sat on the floor. Artemis succeeded in pulling Jason away, then shoved him towards the door. "Hey, genius, you can't do that! Sure, he's a jerk, but you broke his jaw-"
Jason broke her off with a glare, then spat at her feet. "Bug off, bi-"
"Jason."
Damian had stern eyes on his younger 'brother', a frown over his features. The fifteen-year-old was still glaring at Artemis, but Damian pulled him away, sending an apologetic glance towards the teacher. "I'm sorry-" Though his eyes still showed pride in his brother's actions. "We need to go."
And just like that, the brothers were gone.
"I'm Kat Grant with the news repo- here! I'm just getting some information... A convict, named Tony Zucco, who was charged with the murder of Mary and John Grayson, and the attempted murder of their young son, Richard Grayson, has recently broken out of prison-"
Wally's jaw dropped, his eyes wide. He was in his Current Events class, doodling mindlessly as he ignored the gigantic, 70's-style TV. Then, he heard Robin's name, and his head popped up.
All of the students were ignoring the TV. After all, this was Central City, and they were watching Gotham news. It didn't apply to them.
A short, live video feed of Bruce Wayne appeared over the screen.
"Mr. Wayne!" shouted a reporter. "Can I get a quote?"
Wally didn't catch what Bruce said, but he assumed it wasn't very nice, as the reporter grinned. "Can I quote you on that?"
On screen, Damian charged past and jumped into the Porsche, leaving Bruce to deal with the reporters.
Nice, Dami... Way to be a team-player.
Suddenly, the ginger's phone vibrated in his pocket. Eagerly, he flashed it out (hehe) and flipped it open. Man... I still have a flip-phone! I really need to talk to Uncle B about an upgrade...
There was a picture of Richard, clad in civvies and his signature glasses, and the message below, "how fast can u b the manor?"
Wally looked up at his teacher, who was snoring. "gimme 5 min"
Bruce scowled as he pushed past the reporters, sliding into the passenger's side of Lucius's car. The old Black man ran a hand over his cropped, curly white hair, and revved the engine. "Damian went to pick up the boys." He pulled away, the engine roaring in the distance. Peering past his shoulder, Lucius sighed when he saw Bruce hunched over, massaging his temples. The billionaire's jaw was clenched tightly, his shoulders tense. "Do you want to go or meet them at the Ma-"
Bruce's phone rang, and he whipped it out, answering instantly. "Bruce Wayne."
"Bruce, it's Clark."
Bruce growled. "What do you want?"
"Bruce, there are reporters swarming the school. I can get the boys out, but it'll just cause another big uproar if you come."
The man was about to object, but he was cut off. "Bruce, trust me."
Silence.
Pause.
"Fine. Tell Damian I'll meet them at home."
"Got it. And, Bruce- don't do anything stupid."
"No promises."
Sorry if anyone is OOC. Especially Bruce- I just love writing Daddy!Bats!
Anyways, any questions, comments, praises- REVIEW!
Also, I have hero!names for Damian and Jason:
Nightwing and Red-Hood...
Any ideas for Tim? Preferrably something that's really in the comics, but it doesn't have to belong to him. EX: Secret or Arsenal (But not those) :))))
REVIEW!
