Summary: Dick/Connor Bonding. Takes place a week or so after the team discovered Dick's identity
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
Dick was having the time of his life. Not having to hide his name or his eyes from his friends was beyond refreshing. He could finally just be himself. Sure, his friends had to see some of the baggage he carried every day, but that was a small price to pay in order to finally be able to hang out with them as Dick Grayson instead of Robin.
Another perk of sharing his ID was that he didn't need to hide how blatantly rich he was. Which is why he and Connor were currently walking around Metropolis, searching for gifts to get their girlfriends. Happy Harbor High was having it's prom tomorrow. Dick, who lived in Gotham, obviously wasn't invited, but when did that ever stop him? He planned on surprising Zee and showing up so that she wouldn't be bored alone. Zee had initially opted to sit it out, but Megan really wanted her to go, and it's pretty hard to say no to the Martian, so she accepted. Just so long as she doesn't go out with anyone else. If someone asks her out, they're getting a birdarang flung so far up their-Dick and Connor approached a jewelry store, and Dick guided Connor in. He, like Dick, was relatively new to the whole relationship thing, except his situation meant that he was still extremely juvenile.
"Why would they like some shiny rock around their neck?" Damn, he's even more clueless than I am.
"Uh...I guess they like the way it looks. This stuff is expensive cuz it's shiny and shaped into these fancy things. I think they just like how shiny it is."
"Okay...I don't get it." Dick clapped his back.
"Yeah...me neither." Connor was looking for a necklace for M'gann, and Dick was looking for something for Zee. What do I get her? Dress? Nah, she probably already has one. Necklace? Nothing I get could outdo that Valentine's one. Ring? Ha, WAY too early to be getting her a ring. Earrings? Maybe...Dick found some star-shaped earrings that weren't overly big or bulky. He looked over to Connor, who had just picked out the shiniest thing in the store. He sighed and nodded. Yeah. Thought that counts, I guess…
Dick paid for both the items, as expected. Connor offered to pay-he had been learning how to be a gentleman from Clark-but of course Dick took the bill after asking Connor what money he would use to pay. They were about to walk out and go home when sirens were heard in the distance. Dick looked to Connor. "Uh, I don't exactly have my suit on me." Before either of them could speak, a red and blue blur sped past them, dropping a duffel bag with Dick's suit in it. He smirked and went off to change as Connor ran after Superman, helping him put the fire out. By the time Robin arrived on the scene, the fire was out. Bruh. What did I just change for?
Dick and the Supers spent a good chunk of the evening just stopping crime in Metropolis. They eventually ended up sitting on the side of a rooftop eating ice cream. "Not that I'm not glad to see you both, but what are you doing in Metropolis?"
"Uh, my school has this thing...prom, I think it's called." Clark hummed and nodded.
"I see. You wanted to buy M'gann something?"
"Yeah. And Dick wanted to get something for Zatanna." Clark nodded.
"Well, I'd tell you how my prom went, but it was kind of a disaster. I went with this girl, Lana, and, uh, I accidentally stepped on someone's toes while dancing. Broke the poor kid's foot." Dick burst out laughing.
"Ha! Man of Steel's not so quick on his feet, huh?" Clark semi-glared, but couldn't help laughing himself.
"In my defense, they don't teach you how to dance on a farm. But, uh, yeah. Sent that guy to get a cast. We did eventually become friends, but it wasn't the best start to our relationship." Connor looked on curiously.
"Lana? What about Lois?"
"Oh, this was years before we met. Lana was great, she was my first. But, uh, we didn't work out. It's fine, I guess. We just figured we were better as friends." Clark saw the slight look of sorrow in both boy's eyes, and he continued. "Trust me, our relationship wasn't the best. Nothing like what you two have with the girls. Believe me, you don't have to worry about this." Dick smiled, and Connor continued to talk with Clark before he eventually had to rocket off to see Lois. The boys were left on the rooftop, and Dick could tell Connor had something on his mind.
"What's up?"
"It's...you know we all saw into your mind when you went into that coma, right?"
"Yeah, Bruce told me."
"Yeah...I, uh, I saw you in that talk with Canary. You said you didn't wanna be Batman. I...I was wondering...did you feel...confused when you realized that?"
"Huh?"
"I-I mean, what did you wanna be? If not Batman, then who are you trying to be?"
"Honestly, I still have no clue. I'm piecing it together as I go along. I just knew I couldn't end up like him. Bruce is the best, but he lets the mission dictate his life. He can sometimes forget what's really important in life and just be blinded by his demons. I...I didn't want that to happen to me." Connor nodded. "This isn't about me, though, is it?" He sighed before responding.
"Ever since I woke up in that pod, my whole life has just been...how can I becomeSuperman's replacement? I...I don't want that to define me. I wanna be my own person. But...how can I do that when I'm literally a clone of him?" Dick nodded.
"I'm saying this in the nicest way possible, but you and him are pretty damn different already. You don't really need to worry about becoming Superman if you don't want to. Just...be yourself. Trust me, it was hard admitting to myself that I didn't wanna be like Bruce, but it was the right move. I gotta be my own person. Same as you."
"How?"
"Just follow your heart. Who do you see yourself as, and who do you wanna be? Let those questions guide you. Don't base everything you do off Clark. Think for yourself, and you'll figure all this out. I haven't really tried to distance myself from Bats, I've just...kinda started thinking about what I should do more than thinking about what he would do. And don't think you're letting him down by becoming your own person. Trust me, all he wants for you is for you to find your own identity. I learned that from experience." Connor nodded and let a smile form on his face.
"Thanks. It's, uh, it's nice having someone who can...relate to this." Dick nodded, grinning back to him and lightly elbowing his arm before letting himself fall off the skyscraper, pulling out his grapple to swing off to the Zeta tube, cackling all the way down. Connor smirked and jumped after him.
When they got back, Connor went straight to Megan to give her the necklace, and Dick snuck into Zatanna's room, knowing that she and Arty were hanging out. He placed the earring box on her bedside table before leaving to mess around with Wally.
Zee returned to her room later that day to see the box. She opened it to find the earrings, and immediately knew it was Dick. Zee smiled brightly at how sweet his gesture was and blushed a bit as she read the note he left.
You really don't need these to look asterous, but I thought you might like them. Good luck with prom tomorrow. If anyone hits on you, just remember I know every pressure point on the human body. Love you, Dick.
There's still a few characters I haven't really focused on Dick's connection to, the biggest one being Barbara Gordon. I am thinking of having her feature in an upcoming chapter, but until she becomes Batgirl, there's not much I can really do with her character, which kinda sucks (if you have ideas for her, or any character, for that matter, that would be appreciated). I've already said I'll bring Donna back, but that's coming up shortly, and it'll involve Roy as well. Donna will join the team soon according to the timeline and where we are right now (This is like 7 months after Auld Acquaintance, so Donna would be joining in a year or so according to the timeline. Gar would move in with the team following his mother's death in about 4 months, so I'll probably write a chapter on that, but truth be told I don't really love the Beast Boy/Dick Grayson friendship. I know this is like a cardinal sin to a lot of people, but I didn't really like the Teen Titans show as a whole. It just wasn't for me. Young Justice did what it did, but way better IMO. I prefer Gar and Cyborg's relationship, and I really like Gar and Damian's friendship, and that kinda works out considering that I'm pretty sure it's canon that Gar ages slower than normal, so he would be around Damian's age when he joins the fold. I'm probably gonna introduce Victor Stone as around their age when he joins the Teen Titans, but that's way down the road). I am kinda overdue for a Dick/Kal bonding chapter, and I have an idea for it, but it's still a little bit down on the to-do list. If you guys want to see any particular interactions between Dick and a specific character, just leave a suggestion with who you wanna see Dick feature with. I kinda wanna do a chapter with the whole team bonding so that I don't have to do each of them with Dick specifically, but I have no clue what the premise of that chapter would be so that's not on my list for now, not until I get a proper chapter idea. The chapter suggestion for Dick being jealous/overprotective towards Zee has been noted. Right now, it's number 4 on my chapter to-do list. Just wanted to give a heads up to the person who suggested so that you don't think I ignored it. It'll be up in a few days to a week or so, taking into account my upload speed, so I hope you can wait that long for it. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Next chapter up soon.