Hello again! New Chapter!

Also, this chapter is dedicated to tashy-lou, ,my lovely new beta reader! Thanks a lot girl!

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Chapter 10 Grounded?

Dick took another outfit out of his closet and tried it on. Normally his room was flawless, but that Thursday night it looked like Wally had made a tornado inside it. He checked himself in the mirror and frowned. No, that wasn't it. He took his shirt off and tossed it on the floor among twenty others that were already lying there. He checked his jeans and decided that they were his best option. Tight but not so tight that they showed everything. Now all he was missing was a shirt and shoes.

He knelt in front of his shoe shelf and stared at the shoes. He had all kinds which made it even harder to pick one pair. He chose his newest black converse and tried them on. A goofy smile appeared on his face as he checked how they looked with the jeans: perfect. He stared at himself in the mirror and smiled at his appearance. Just a few more minutes and he would be fifteen. Just twenty four more hours and he would be at an amazing party with all his friends, Wally, and...Mark.

He sat on the bed and stared out the window. He wanted to look perfect because he wanted Mark to see him not as the circus freak in advanced math class, but as Dick; or, in this case, Robin.

He sighed as he remembered that little detail. His friends didn't know he was Dick Grayson, but Mark didn't know he was Robin, sidekick to the Batman. He needed an awesome excuse to keep his identity hidden, unless- no, that was not an option. Bruce would never let him tell his friends at Young Justice his real name.

"Richard Grayson!" Bruce called from the other side of the door. Dick stood up and grabbed a random shirt from the floor.

"Yes, Bruce?" he said as he opened the door halfway. Bruce was still in his Batman suit and he looked pretty pissed. Dick gulped involuntarily.

"Guess who received a call from your school this afternoon?"

Dick stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him. He knew that it wasn't a question that expected an answer. The kid looked down, trying to look ashamed even though he knew why they had called and he didn't feel ashamed at all.

"You missed school on Monday," Bruce stated. Dick smiled. He didn't know about the fight he'd had with his Spanish teacher that morning.

"And they just called you?" Dick asked in a mocking way. Bruce frowned. Dick smiled as he realised he'd just caught him in the middle of a bad lie.

"That is not the point. School should be your first priority."

"I have a good reason to skip some classes."

"Tell me." Bruce crossed his arms across his chest and Dick mimicked it.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand." Dick said in a soft voice. That was the truth, if Bruce knew about his little chat with the Card Dick would be in big trouble. Bruce sighed and then took off his mask.

"In that case, you are grounded." He said emotionless. Dick felt his blood run cold.

What?! Grounded?! The day before his birthday?!

"Bruce-" Dick tried to say something, but Bruce didn't give him a chance. He was now heading downstairs with his eyes locked on the floor. Dick leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He had asked for it, as Barbara would say, but in some way he knew that no matter what he did he would end up losing. He couldn't be Robin and Dick at the same time. Richard was supposed to be at school, but Robin was supposed to confront the Card, he was a superhero after all.

"Are you grounding me as Dick or Robin?!" He screamed from the edge of the stairs. Bruce turned and gave him a confused look. "because if you look at it from Robin's perspective, I was only following your orders so you have no reason to ground me."

"I specifically told you to stay at school!"

Dick shook his head. "You told Richard to stay at school, but as Robin I had to answer the call of duty, as you would say."

Bruce was beginning to get frustrated. "Richard and Robin are the same person, for god's sake!"

"No, they are not!" Dick shouted as he ran down the stairs. "And that was something I wanted to talk to you about, Bruce. I don't want to do this anymore. I can't keep doing this anymore!" Dick was breathing hard. This was now or never. "I want to tell the team my real identity."

The room was silent for a few seconds. The light was dim and in the background Dick could here the clock announcing that it was already midnight. He had just turned fifteen. He smiled at the thought and really hoped that Bruce would give him permission to tell his friends who he was. He looked expectantly at his mentor, his heart beating like crazy.

"No."

One word, two letters, and it made Dick's world crumble down around him.

"And you are still grounded, as Dick or Robin, whichever you prefer."

At that the hero left the boy alone in the living room with his hands balled tightly into fists. He bit his bottom lip and then he ran upstairs to his room. He closed the door with a slam. He hen locked the door and unplugged every security device in his room. He managed to make his room Bruce-proof in less than two minutes but still he felt uneasy. Like he was being watched and, at the same time, judged. That was how he always felt when he was with Bruce; judged. For a moment he wondered what he would say if he knew he was attracted to boys, or that he talked to the Card and has actually accepted a gift from him.

He tried to remove these thoughts from his mind but they were determined to stay stuck there. Suddenly he remembered something, something that Mark had taught him two days ago.

Dick was having lunch with Mark under the shadow of a big tree, talking about some new rock band which Mark had found last night. Dick was sitting between Mark's legs and the other boy was holding him by the hips. As the weather was still chilly in Gotham, Dick was thankful for the warmth of Mark's body.

"So, how have things been with you and Bruce?"

Dick sighed.

"Okay, he's not that mad at me for being gone for three days, but I know he is watching every step I take. Like he's just waiting for me to mess something up."

Mark nodded as he started tracing small circles down Dick's arm.

"Are you okay?" He asked with real concern in his voice. Dick raised his shoulders in a shrug.

"I'm not sure. It makes me kind of upset, but I can't manage to let it out. I want to scream and all that stuff, but I never can."

Mark hugged Dick's hips even tighter and put his head between Dick's shoulder and neck. Dick blushed when he felt Mark's lips suddenly brush against his neck, but he remained quiet.

"I understand." Mark whispered against Dick's neck, "but I have a tip that could help you."

The older boy moved a little as he freed his arms from around Dick and wit his right hand he pulled up his left sleeve. Dick stared at his arm covered in long, but not deep, scars, speechless.

"What happened?" asked Dick as he turned to kneel in front of Mark. The older boy caressed his cheek as he smiled at the blue eyed boy.

"I made them."

Dick shook his head.

"It doesn't make sense" he whispered as he looked down towards the scars once more.

"It helps the pain and frustration to go away for a while." Mark held Dick's chin and made him look up into his dark eyes. "I know it's not the best way to deal with stuff, but it helps me."

"Aren't you afraid of the dangers?"

Mark laughed. "I' not stupid enough to let myself bleed to death. The cuts are always superficial and I've learnt to clean them when I'm finished." He paused for a second, "Do you want me to teach you?"

End of Flashback

Dick stared at his reflection in the mirror. The bathroom door was closed and locked. The warm water kept running down the shower and Dick saw the steam that was covering the mirror. He sighed as he grabbed the sink in order to keep his balance and avoid a fall. He closed his eyes as some tears escaped. A sharp pain made him bite his bottom lip so he could silence a scream.

Mark was right.

He could control his pain.

He was in control of his body.

He was in control of who he was and who he wanted to be.

He could make decisions on his own.

He had the power.

He looked up and found himself unable to see his own reflection in the mirror. He wiped his left hand across the mirror leaving a trail of fresh blood.

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