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Chapter 11
Paragon
Robin
Dick liked being right.
It was satisfying to figure other people out, discovering the intention behind their motivations and putting that knowledge to practice was invigorating.
But sometimes being right was a bitter-sweet taste, especially when it came to being right about the wrong kind of people.
The Boy Wonder stood outside the holding cells under Mt Justice thinking of a way to make himself appear like he wasn't thinking 'I told you so'.
But it was impossible because Robin had told him. He knew this was going to happen.
But Ethan hadn't listened.
Yes that's right. Ethan. Ethan Tucker. Son of Mary and Thomas Tucker. School drop-out; part time thief and wanted criminal.
It was strange to finally be able to put a name to their meta-human.
Everything there ever was to know about Ethan Tucker they now knew, from his birthday to last grade he got for his history exam, one finger print scan and his entire life was accessible to them in seconds.
Miracles of technology.
The doors aren't going to open themselves.
Robin squared his shoulders and pushed the access panel.
The holding cells were rarely used as it was League policy to avoid bringing villains back to their bases. In fact Dick had heard rumors that these cells had seen more use by Arrow and Lantern after they became too rowdy during a few late night drinking contests back in the day.
But for now the cells held only one occupant who sat against the wall long legs drawn up against his chest with his arms dangling over them.
Ethan was still in the same leather get-up from the night before with the exact same inhibitor collar around his neck. Bruce kept the collar on as a 'security measure' and while Dick understood his caution it seemed a little over the top.
"Hey there" Dick smiled brightly but the other teen didn't respond to his enthusiasm, instead he leaned his head against the wall staring blankly infront of him.
Dick didn't let it deter him.
"Hows League hospitality so far?"
Ethan silently kept his gaze focused on the wall.
"This isn't an interrogation...I'm just checking up on you"
He finally looked at him with suspicious eyes.
"Why?"
"Why? I..."
I wanted to.
"...-Batman's orders, just making sure you're okay"
"Okay?!" Ethan glared heatedly at Dick.
"She stabbed me in the back! Lied about everything! And you want to know if I'm okay? I'm just fucking peachy thank you!"
Robin winced at his tone. When they had returned to the court room last night they found Selina missing and her accomplice unconscious on the ground, bloody and bruised with one of Batman's own inhibitor collars around his neck.
It hadn't gone down well with either of them.
There was little guess work about what happened and the blank spots were filled in following Ethan's questioning.
Surprisingly the meta had been forthcoming with them, answering every question honestly even allowing Martian Manhunter and Black Canary to conduct their own separate interviews. But he was easily riled up and prone to emotional outbursts, the events of last night were raw in his mind, it was obvious he had taken Selina's deception hard.
"I didn't mean to upset you, we're generally concerned"
Ethan shook his head angrily.
"I bet you are, can't decide if its going to be Belle Reve or Blackgate can you?"
"That's not..."
Robin considered his words he didn't know for certain what the plan was yet, their mentors were discussing how to best deal with the situation.
"...I know you're hurting I get that, I really do, I'm only trying to help"
The faintest glint of moisture could be seen in the corner of Ethan's eyes but he blinked it away wrapping his muscular forearms around his knees.
"You warned me" Pain laced Ethan's voice drenching it in sad vibes.
"You warned me about her, what she would do...you told me I didn't know her, and I didn't listen, too stubborn, too stupid"
Dick moved closer sensing the angry evaporate from the room
"Hey, don't call yourself that"
"But it's true, I teamed up with a snake and let it bite me"
The Boy Wonder chose his words carefully.
"This is what Selina does...I'm sorry you found out the way you did, but you're not the only one whose ended up hurt for falling for her"
Ethan looked at him puzzled.
"What?"
Dick stood there gaping like a fish thinking of the best way to put in.
"Y'know...you've got the hots for her?...I just assumed you had it bad"
So many expressions danced over that chiselled face; confusion, shock, disgust.
"What?! No way! I'm...I'm not...never mind"
Dick was confused, he had been certain that was the reason why Ethan followed her around like a lap dog. And even though he hated her guts Dick wasn't blind, Selina was a stunning woman, most teenage boys his age would have been thrilled to hang around her.
"It's just that you're the type she usually likes around; strong, tall, handsome"
Ethan blushed adding color to those pale cheeks.
Cute. What?...Focus.
"You sure you didn't like her...?"
"I'm sure...it wasn't like that, she's old enough to be my mother and..."
Ethan stopped speaking, cautiously looking at Robin deciding if telling him his thoughts would be worth it.
"And?...you can talk to me...you can trust me" The Boy Wonder spoke with his deepest sincerity hoping it would encourage Ethan to open up, the meta-human steadily held his gaze and Dick's pulse began to beat faster. When Ethan looked away Dick tried to chase his eyes with his own wanting to stare into those bright green orbs again.
"I don't know who to trust anymore"
Dick felt a pang in his chest realizing Ethan didn't believe him. The wariness was understandable, betrayal really made you consider the intentions of those around you much more closely. But Dick didn't give up there.
"I'm not her Ethan. I'm one of the good guys and I've dealt with the backlash that comes with Catwoman before, I know how it feels to be screwed over by someone you trust"
When Selina had first gotten together with his Father it had been good. Bruce smiled and laughed more than any other time he remembered, he was open and funny, always making jokes, Alfred had even caught him sending stupid romantic messages in bouquets of flowers addressed to a Miss Kyle. But when their professional interests began to cross paths it got ugly fast.
"You know my name?"
Dick had missed the look of surprise the other teen gave him from hearing his name come out of Robin's mouth.
"Yeah, we know everything, sorry I should have mentioned earlier, there's nothing you could say at this point that would shock me"
Ethan looked bewildered and Robin decided it wasn't wise to force this any further.
"I'll respect your decision to keep to yourself, but I'll be around if you want to talk"
Robin made his way to the exit.
"Wait..."
The Boy Wonder stopped and looked at him, then decided to mirror Ethan's position on the floor. It took awhile for Ethan to talk but Dick didn't rush him letting the other male gather his thoughts.
"It's just...for so long I was alone, Mom was stuck in the hospital and my Dad he..."
Dick watched Ethan swallow the lump in his throat. He already knew about Ethan's Father, he'd seen the digital death certificate.
"...his gone and it was just me, on my own all the time...I tried to get by, tried to do things the right way, I tried but it was too damn hard and nobody gave a shit"
Ethan spat out the last words clenching his fists.
"I got desperate enough to do things the wrong way, and then she appeared, came out of nowhere offering to help me with all my problems and I said yes...because for the first time in forever there was someone there again, someone I could talk to, someone I could rely on...and I wasn't alone anymore"
Dick's heart went out to him, he knew how it felt to be left alone without your parents there to guide you.
"I really thought she had my back in this, I thought she would keep her word...I trusted her"
Ethan voice rose, emotions spiking high, Robin decided to bring him back down.
"You were alone and she took advantage, that was wrong of her, it's on her conscious not yours" Dick spoke compassionately which seemed to sooth Ethan who huffed looking down at the floor with sad, shiny eyes.
"I was just an opportunity to exploit, she never really cared"
Dick frowned hoping that wherever Selina was she was feeling at least a shred of guilt. Robin wondered if there were others like Ethan out there, those who had been used and discarded by the thief, there had to be some. It might even be an effective way to track her down. He filed the thought away for later.
"Selina won't get away with this, there's only so far she can run from us"
Ethan mumbled something Dick didn't quite catch then unzipped his leather jacket so he could stretch his shoulders more freely. Dick caught glimpses of firm skin that promised a much more pleasing display under the leather but his inner Robin reined in his focus.
"I don't care about getting back at her...this...this was all on me" Ethan said with a dejected voice.
The Boy Wonder didn't really know what else to say, he wanted Ethan to understand the error of his ways and he seemed to have a decent moral compass. But Dick didn't think piling the blame onto himself was the best way to deal with this.
Ethan turned his head towards him still partially watching the floor.
"What's going to happen to me?"
Okay...his been open with me...better give something in return.
"The higher ups are talking about it now, and from what I've heard nobody is planning to send you to Belle Reve or BlackGate, so that's a good sign, I'll get back to you later once I know for sure"
That seemed to be enough to satisfy him for now, the meta let some of the tension go rolling his shoulders then looking at Robin mischievously.
"So I'm handsome huh?"
Dick brows rose.
"What?"
"You said 'strong, tall, handsome', you totally think I'm handsome"
He rolled his eyes feeling his cheeks heat up.
"Okay, I think visiting time is over, yep" Robin's usual voice was laced with uncomfortable embarrassment as he got to his feet. Ethan smiled to himself pleased with the response he got out of him.
"I'll drop by later, let you know what's going on"
"Looking forward to it" He even had the cheek to wink at him.
Dick stared not knowing how to respond other than to throw back a smart remark.
"Stick around yeah?"
Ethan laughed.
"Don't think I'll be going anywhere anytime soon...go do Robin stuff"
Dick left with a smile hearing the door close behind him.
Red was a color he preferred to keep exclusively on his costume. But at least he managed to lift Ethan's spirits some, not to mentioned he had unloaded some of that emotional baggage weighing him down. There was more there beneath the surface, Dick could see it rippling beneath the waves but it wouldn't serve a purpose to force it out of him. The playful flirting was probably a way for him to make light of it all, regain control of the situation before it got too real, it was a common thing for people to do when faced with heavy emotions.
A soft crunch drew Dick's attention to a familiar red-head leaning against the wall up ahead.
"Sooo you going to tell me who's in there or is it still a notsosecret secret"
Wally.
The speedster bit into the apple in his hand and Dick mentally praised him for eating something other than junk food.
"You know I can't tell you" Dick's tone was dismissive which made Wally frown as he followed his friend down the corridor.
"Come on I'm your bestie! Is it a bad guy? Oh! Did you bring Two-whats-his-face here?!"
"No...how do you even know about that?"
"Oh please, you've been bitching about that bad guy forever, but that's not important, whats important is you're hiding something from your favorite speedster"
Wally took another messy bit into the apple then eyed the red tinge on Robin's cheeks.
"Wait, are you blushing?"
"No." Dread quickly filled Dick knowing his friend would read into it.
"You are!"
Wally suddenly gasped grabbing Dick's arm as bits of apple tumbled out his open mouth. Dick cringed.
"It's a babe isn't it?!"
"What? No!"
Wally grinned wickedly.
"Oooh totally is! She cute? Does Big B know you've gotagirl?! C'mon tell me!"
"There's no girl Wally."
Wally made an 'o' shape with his mouth and Dick had to refrain from slapping himself.
"So it's a dude...dude, you dog! So, is he hot? Howlong youbeing seeing him? Whenyougettingmarried?!"
"Wally shut up..."
The speedster made a sad face then lightly shoved his friend with a grin, Dick returned the gesture shaking his head.
"Seriously though, something we need to be worried about?" All of the earlier playfulness in Wally's voice gave way to a serious tone.
"No, nothing to worry about, but I'm not sure what's happening, B said he was talking with Canary over it, I'm going to see what they plan to do"
"Awesome, and on that note I'm going to get more food"
"You just ate"
"Yeah but I'm hungry so later dude"
Air whizzed past his ears as his friend super-sped off to the kitchen. Dick's own stomach growled reminding him he hadn't eaten himself since late last evening but he would see to that later he needed to talk to Bruce first.
It had been a long night and no matter what victories they had won from shutting down Dent's base of operations they failed to catch the villain himself, it turned out Dent had indeed set a trap for his mentor and if Robin hadn't got there in time Gotham would have been short one vigilante.
Bruce wanted to continue pursuing Two-Face but Dick insisted they go back, persistently nagging his mentor that Selina was up to something.
He was right of course.
One unconscious meta-human later and they had to decide what to do; chase Dent, chase Selina or help Ethan.
It hadn't been much of a decision Ethan was unconscious and injured they couldn't just leave him there. Plus Bruce didn't want the authorities to have him, meta-humans faced extreme prejudice in the judicial systems with near all criminal cases ending up with imprisonment in specialized facilities like Belle Reve. And if the hunch Robin had was anything to go by he knew his mentor was aiming for a better path of redemption for the teen.
But it still sucked.
Two-Face remained at large, Selina was officially number one on Robin's list of assholes and they had endless amounts of work piling up on them.
Just another day on the job.
Robin found his mentor sitting in the conference room with J'onn and Canary, having just finished up a conversation the three League members looked in his direction as he entered.
"Robin good to see you, hows our guest doing?" Canary smiled pleasantly at him as she spoke.
"All things considered, good, we talked about things, seemed to clear his head"
"That's good to hear, he seems like a good kid despite being a hot head" Robin nodded in agreement.
"His defensive, probably worried about what's going to happen...speaking of which"
Canary tilted her head in Bruce's direction urging him to speak.
"We have come to an agreement on a suitable course of action"
"Which is?" Dick felt a ball of nervous energy gather in his gut.
"After interviews with both Canary and Manhunter we've observed there to be no obvious threat-"
"No threat" Canary corrected.
"...at this moment in time, we've agreed to offer him an opportunity to help himself and help others"
Totally called it.
"The team? You're thinking of putting him on the team right?"
"Yes, do you have objections?" J'onn said calmly.
"No...well, some, but no personal objections" Dick found the idea exciting overall it meant Ethan would be sticking around and it was a much better alternative to imprisonment. But he had some professional concerns.
"What do you mean?" J'onn asked.
"Many of us already had the training and experience needed for the team before we joined, wouldn't it be dangerous to throw a rookie into missions? I know he can fight but what we do is different from beating up street thugs"
J'onn nodded knowingly.
"He would have appropriate training provided before being assigned to missions, our main concern is what would happen if local authorities gained jurisdiction over him"
The League had many enemies out there who would be more than happy to exploit Ethan's position. The Boy Wonder's chest tightened at the thought.
"Regardless, our goal from the beginning was to expand the team to include a wider variety of people willing to make a difference, as for his level of experience it isn't an issue, both M'gann and Superboy were in the same boat when they joined" Canary rose to her feet readjusting her gloves.
It was true, although M'gann had her Uncle's guidance to rely on and Superboy had the entirety of the Cadmus data base downloaded into his head.
"So I guess that's that then, cool, when do we make the announcement?"
"J'onn and I will speak with Ethan in a moment but we will wait till tomorrow to inform the rest of your team, everyone could do with some rest..."
Canary laid a hand gently on Robin's shoulder.
"...make sure you get some as well"
Dick nodded watching her and J'onn leave the room, after the doors closed behind them he sat down next to Bruce at the table.
"Anything on Selina or Dent?"
Batman shook his head.
"Dent's men aren't talking and Selina covered her tracks from the start"
Of course she covered up any leads.
A moment of silence passed as his father drummed his fingers on the table, an odd habit that Bruce did when thinking.
"You know about his parents?" Robin nodded slowly at Bruce's question.
"Both were GCPD officers, Black Mask's men put them in the hospital, Dad didn't make it"
The only silver lining to that story was the crime boss known as Black Mask was reaching his tenth year behind bars with no chance of parole.
And yet somehow Gotham's citizens were still recovering from the maniac's actions.
Dick had been with his parents in Haly's Circus back then, but he heard gruesome stories about Mask's attempt to forcibly seize control from the Falcone family. Many lost their lives and Bruce being Bruce blamed himself for it. It wouldn't surprise Dick to learn that Bruce blamed himself for Ethan's situation as well.
"At least we can help him, undo some of the damage" Robin said with optimism.
Bruce nodded solemnly. "We keep him with the League and he won't have reason to repeat past mistakes"
"Exactly...so...code name? Gotta have one for the team, any ideas?"
His Father's mouth formed a witty smile.
"...Paragon"
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Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
So some context, I want to explain the reasoning why Ethan's hero name is going to be 'Paragon'.
A paragon is defined as a thing/person that is a perfect example of a particular quality. In this case B deciding to call Ethan 'Paragon' is because he sees Ethan as a Paragon for Justice (You might have seen the story title...) against the past actions of Black Mask, something good coming from that dark time.
Anywho that's not 'important' to know I just wanted to explain further.
Au revoir for now.
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