Chapter 12: Not you, not never

Warnings: Some swearing but nothing too bad.

Chapter 12. Not you, not never.

The house was as full as it could be. Random people would reach out for Dick and hugged him and tell him happy birthday. Dick, used to that kind of hypocrisy and fakeness, would smile at them and respond with sweet but emotionless words. Mostly he only said a silent "thank you" and then he returned dancing with Mark.

The music was loud and the room was too full. Dick was literally standing on Mark´s shoes as he hugged the taller one by the neck. He tried to keep calm but his heart was pounding like crazy and that damn blush on his face denied disappearing. So instead of focusing his attention on Mark he decided to try to look for his teammates.

Wally and Artemis were the easiest ones. They were at the other corner making out like if they were in a room by themselves. Wally´s hands worked fast through Artemis body as the girl kissed Wally´s cheeks, neck and lips. Dick had to look away. Maybe he had Mark and he knew that Wally was far off limits but still, it hurt. So he decided to keep looking. Zantanna and Megan were dancing together as some guys tried to heat on her. Luckily the young witch knew exactly what to do and Dick smiled as he noticed how the girl would hit the guys with her elbow every time they tried to get to near to them. Kaldur and Connor were still sitting on the same couch, each one with a red cup between their hands but neither of them drinking them. Connor had his eyes fixed on Megan while Kaldur just stared at Dick with an annoyed frown.

Dick glared at him and then he returned his attention to Mark who was pulling him closer, if that was even possible.

"Do you like your party?" he asked as he leaned over Dick.

The younger one nodded. "How couldn´t I. I am finally having some fun, my friends are here and I am dancing with…"

He stopped talking just in time before he spit out the coolest and most handsome guy in the whole school. Mark smiled at Dick and hugged his hips.

"Cool, because I am dancing with the cutest guy in Gotham."

Dick blushed and looked down. Mark was able to say those stuff without second guessing. Why he couldn´t be like that? Why he couldn´t just let the things fall into places and be happy with the result?

Mark took him but the chin and made him look up. The room was almost dark except from the neon lights that flashed through the crowd at the rhythm of the music. Dick was over thinking once again. Mark was leaning closer and closer to his face. He could feel the taller guy heartbeat going faster and, for the first time in those 2 weeks, he could see a soft blush on his cheeks. Damn it! He was going to kiss him. He was going to have his first kiss, with Mark and in the middle of a dance floor surrounded by drunken teenagers.

He sighed and for a moment he felt tempted to just turn around and run away. Of course the idea of kissing Mark wasn´t bad; it was beyond great in some way, but he was scared his superhero duties would get in the way. He was not a normal teenager that could hang out with friends whenever he wanted. He had duties as Robin and it wouldn´t be fair for Mark to stick to that. The last thing Dick wanted to do was hurt Mark.

He closed his eyes and Mark´s lips touched his softly. It was a soft and tender kiss but it left Dick breathless, it was a new sensation and Dick felt numb for not knowing what to do. Mark moved away slowly but Dick didn´t let him. With his arms he pulled him to kiss him again.

"I can assumed I got you hook up." joked Mark making Dick smile as well.

"Shut up." he hissed and then he kissed him again.

This time Mark opened his mouth and sucked Dick´s lower lip making him feel electricity through his whole body. He tried to copy Mark´s moves but he felt too clumsy and sloppy. When they pulled away Dick looked down trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I am your first kiss, right?"

Dick nodded. "I am that obvious?"

The music was a little bit softer and less loud. People around him kept dancing pushing them around but Dick and Mark ignored him.

"You shouldn´t be ashamed. After all, I have experience and nobody was born knowing." he joked as he hugged Dick tightly.

"You know." Dick turned and caught Kaldur still looking at him; he could read the anger on his face and also his shock. The younger one smiled slightly. "I am a fast learner."

Mark laughed. "Then let´s keep practicing."

Dick closed his eyes and waited for Mark´s lips that never came. Instead, he felt Mark´s arms letting him go and he almost fell to the floor after someone shoved him aside. He opened his eyes, ready to punch whoever had pushed him away. Suddenly he felt his blood going cold as he watched his tutor holding Mark by the collar of his shirt and shaking him violently.

"Who are you and what the hell do you think you are doing with Richard?" shouted Bruce as he kept shaking the guy.

Dick stood up and ran towards his mentor, ready to defend Mark.

"Bruce!" he shouted as he pulled the man´s arms to catch his attention. "Let him go!"

The music was off and the lights were on again so everyone inside the house was staring at the scene before their eyes. Wally, Artemis, Zantanna and Megan were trying to get towards Dick but the crowd didn´t let them pass through. Wally shouted something but Dick didn´t hear him. In fact, he couldn´t think about anything that getting Bruce off of Mark.

"Don´t you dare to hurt him, you idiot!" shouted the teen as he kept pulling Bruce.

The millionaire changed his attention to Dick and his frown became even wider. He was upset, it was too easy to read and that scared the hell off the team. Almost everyone made the connection quite quickly; Bruce and Dick were like son and father so it was pretty obvious the secret identity of Batman. Bruce finally let go Mark but with a quick movement he grabbed Dick by the arm and started guiding him to the door.

"Let go!" shouted Dick as he tried to break free from his father grip. "I swear to you if you…"

Bruce shoved Dick against a pillar outside the door and made him look him in the eyes.

"If I don´t what Dick?" shouted Bruce.

"Let me go!" answered back the teenager.

Bruce just buffed and then he tried to make Dick enter into the car where Barry was waiting with his arms crossed up his chest. Some of the teenagers that were watching Bruce and Dick´s arguments used the perfect opportunity and started taking video and photos of them. Other just whispered around them but mostly were looking at Dick with worried eyes.

"DICK!" Mark shouted making the duo turned around. Mark was standing on the door frame with Conner holding him so he wouldn´t run and tried to punch Bruce. Dick took the chance and pulled away from Bruce.

"Please." He whispered as he took some steps back from Bruce and the car. "Just listen to me."

Bruce rubbed his eyes showing how tired and annoyed he was feeling. "Get in the car." he ordered with a calmer tone of voice.

"It´s my birthday and all my friends organized it for me. Please, let me stay for a couple of hours and then you can ground me for the rest of the month if you want." he tried to make Bruce understand and, with a little bit of luck, make Bruce let him stay with Mark. Of course; Bruce was not the kind of man that would give up easily.

"Get. In. The. Car. Right. Now!" he made an especial emphasis on the last word.

Dick shook his head. "No, I won´t."

He heard some gasps around them.

"I am not saying this a third time."

"Just this time, please Bruce." he begged between teeth. He couldn´t believe he was fighting Bruce, and in public from all places. The man walked closer to Dick and whispered so nobody could hear him.

"So you can get drunk and probably get into bed with that punk?"

Dick saw red.

"He is way better than the whores you pick up from your fucking parties of rich brats!" he snapped.

Bruce put his hand up about to slap him but Dick was faster and was able to hold Bruce´s hand. He knew better than anyone that Bruce wasn´t going to hit him hard so he was able to stop the hit.

Wally and Barry lost all the color on their faces. Artemis and Zantanna blushed at the comment while Megan and Connor just looked at Kaldur at the same time not understanding what was happening. Kaldur just shook his head slowly.

"Enough!"

"As always, exactly when you say so, right?"

"We can talk this in the mansion."

"What if I don´t want to go?"

"Don´t make threats with me Richard. You know better than that."

Dick bit his lip and glared at him defiant. "What is it Bruce? Scared I am not the same scared little 12 year old boy?"

Bruce huffed one last time and with a quick movement he shoved Dick inside the car and closed the door with a loud slam. Dick tried to opened the door but it was locked.

"Damn it Bruce! Let me out!" he shouted as he started hitting the window. Bruce ignored him and sat on the driver´s seat. He turned on the engine.

"You are a fucking bastard, you know that?" said Dick as he gave his adoptive father a killer look. Bruce peeked at him and then he pressed the accelerator.

"I am sick of it!" he shouted as he stormed into the mansion. Alfred, who was waiting for the two masters, stared at them with a shocked look. Dick passed next to him without even noticing him which was odd in the young Grayson. He opened his mouth to ask him what was going on when he heard Bruce voice.

"Dick, my patience has a limit and you are just about to cross it!" shouted back the millionaire as he entered to the house and dropped his jacket to the sofa. Dick was starting to run up the stairs when he stopped him by grabbing his arm tightly. Dick winced and tried to pull away. "Do you understand what you just did? Kissing that boy and going to a party with alcohol being only 15? You just humiliated the whole Wayne´s Industries! You humiliated me!"

Dick glared at Bruce and then pulled his arm so hard he managed to escape Bruce grip.

"Bruce, it was party! It had absolutely nothing to do with your Industry. The only thing who was humiliated back there was me!"

"You are the guard of the owner of half of Gotham and also the sidekick of Gotham. You are not a simple teenager; for god´s sake. You need to understand that, and you have to do that now!"

"You are the one who doesn´t want to understand!"

Suddenly the teen remembered something and passed next to Bruce as he ran down stairs and entered to the living room. He turned on the lights and started searching for his cell-phone in his bag-pack. He checked his missed called and sighed as he read the 24 missed calls and 10 messages from Bruce. He deleted them without second guessing.

"This isn´t over Richard." Dick didn´t even turned to face his protector. He was too worried reading the message Mark had just sent him. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Why should I listen to you?" hissed Dick as he closed his cell-phone and put it on his pocket. "You never listen to me!"

He wasn´t in the mood and he knew it was worthless trying to talk to Bruce. He had ruined everything. He had the guy. He had his friends around him. He was finally having five minutes of fun and then he came and ruined everything. It was unfair and, yes, he was right, it was embarrassing. He had just become the joke of the school. Like if it wasn´t bad enough to be the rich weirdo of the school (again, thanks to Bruce).

"I am your father and you HAVE to listen to me!" Bruce took Dick by the arm and made him stop and face him.

"You are a moron!" Dick shouted. "And you are not my father! Fathers don´t do what you do."

"Am I sorry?"

"This whole thing about being the perfect hero and the perfect son and the perfect student and the perfect person is driving me insane. Don´t you get it? Everything I have done through these 7 years has been according to your wishes, to your expectations!"

"Come on Richard, it is not true." Bruce rubbed his temple tired. "Don´t you think you are over reacting. It was just a party and you gained it, you ran out of the mansion without my permission."

Dick tightened his fist on his sides. "This is not about the party! This is not about you grounding me an hour before my party! It is about our whole relationships as son/father and hero/sidekick. It has never just about the party!"

Bruce stared at him confused and then turned around as he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. Dick hated when he did that. He hated when Bruce acted like if this was only one thing more on his bucked list; Deal with the over-hormonal teenager.

"Why do you still keep secrets from me?" asked Dick making Bruce turned around to see him. "Why do you still treat me like a kid?"

Bruce sighed. "Because you are still a kid. You are not ready to be on your own. I know it. I know you are not ready to become a defender of Gotham by your own."

Dick frowned. "What do you mean I am not ready? I was the first sidekick in the whole league and you had trained me for years! If I desired it, I would be able to go by my own and save this hell of a city!"

"You are not ready; you are still impulsive and over-emotional."

"And that is bad?" cried out Dick in disbelief.

"In this city, in this business; yes."

Suddenly it hit Dick.

"You are trying to make me be like you." He whispered. Bruce looked up to his guard and Dick knew he had nailed it. "You want me to be as cold and emotionless as you. Is that your definition of a good superhero? A robot with pulse?" Dick was walking in circles and over gesturing everything with his hands. He wanted Bruce to really listen to him this time. He wanted him to understand what he was doing wrong, but the man wouldn´t even look at him. "But the thing is that I don´t want to be like you!"

"You are acting like a child." Bruce turned around again and started heading towards the Cave.

"And you are acting like a monster!" Dick looked around and found something that would make Bruce react and finally pay attention to him. The cards that Bruce used to read some nights stood there, immobile on the table next to him. They had Rachel´s hand writing and Dick had never the chance to peek in any of it. With one quick movement he took the one that was on top and ran towards the fireplace. Bruce gasped surprised but he didn´t lose his composure for too long.

"Dick." He tried to keep calm but his voice gave away that he was near of getting furious. "Give that letter to me now!" Dick frowned and then looked at the letter and then to Bruce.

"I am never going to be you…" He could feel his heart beating too hard and too fast but he was trying to make a move. For once he wanted to make Bruce understood he didn´t want to be Batman´s perfect sidekick anymore. He needed him to understand that he wasn´t the same kid he had saved years ago. He was his own person and for now on he was going to follow his wishes and desires, no matter what Bruce thought about it.

"Richard put it down now!" Bruce took a step closer but Richard did the same in order to keep him distanced from the Batman.

"A real hero would never act the way you are acting…"

"A real hero?" Dick couldn´t believe what he was listening. He wasn´t a real hero? He was just some kind of cheap companion that followed Batman´s shadow like a lost puppy? "Like you?"

Bruce stood quiet as he gave Dick a Bat-glare.

"I would rather die before becoming a real hero like you!" He opened his hand and let the letter fall into the fire.

He was breathless for a moment. Bruce face was priceless, and not in the good way. His eyes were wide open and his face was as pale as a ghost´s. Maybe he had gone too far.

"Dick." He said in a whisper

Dick felt guilt and fear filling him up; Bruce gasped and then started walking towards him with his usual bat glare. Dick gulped and closed his eyes. When Bruce´s hand hit his face he didn´t count it would be so strong. He lost his balance and fell backwards. He heard Alfred gasp.

Richard opened his eyes and looked toward the fireplace where the card was only ashes and then his eyes landed on Bruce which was staring at him with empty eyes. Dick wanted to cry for the pain and the anger he was feeling but he managed to lock those feelings and keep with his neutral face. The atmosphere was so tense he felt like the time was frozen and a single movement or sound would break everything.

Beep, beep, beep. Mark´s ringtone was the thing that broke the whole balance of the bat-family. Bruce was too quick and before Richard could react he had his cell-phone between his hands. Richard couldn´t stand up or make any sound as he saw Bruce open the mobile and started reading the message. Dick would never knew what Mark wanted to tell him because the moment Bruce finished reading it he threw the mobile against a wall.

"Go to your room."

Dick shook his head slowly. It wasn´t that he didn´t want to go. It was that he couldn´t move. That was the first time Bruce hit him as a punishment and he didn´t knew how to react anymore.

"NOW!" the moment the screamed echoed through the whole mansion Dick stood up and ran upstairs as he cleaned some tears that were falling down his cheeks.

So here is the newest chapter and also the longest I have ever written. Please, send your reviews and opinions :D