thanks to Kari for review until this chapter, I will post more chapter in some time I just want to tell you ha I had no beta after this chapter so if posssible I make mistakes, I will try to keep the mistakes the less posssible. I n a few month s I will post another chapters.
Chapter Six: In dispute
As they got to Barry's house, he stopped the car in front of it.
"Let me do most of the talking. I want you boys to go to sleep after we greet her; it has been a long night."
The boys nodded and got out the car; they were the first to enter the house next to Barry.
Iris was in the living room, she had just woken up to do some research. It might have been the weekend, but she took her job very seriously. Besides, she was still so worried she hadn't been able to sleep really. It was morning and neither her husband nor her nephew had returned. She couldn't bring herself to stay in bed. When she saw them entering, she smiled with relief, but her eyebrow rose to confusion when she saw the other young man that she didn't know accompanying them.
She got closer to greet them and kissed her husband. "Hi, honey, who's your friend?"
"I'm Richard Grayson, ma'am, most people call me Dick. A pleasure to meet you," Dick said politely and shyly. Barry was right that it was better to meet her now, but that didn't mean he wasn't still uncomfortable and embarrassed about people finding out he was spanked like a toddler by his father. He definitely didn't want to be here and was looking around the house.
"He's more a friend of Wally, actually. Hon, you know who Wally and the other crime fighters really are. Dick is a member of Teen Titans. He…" Barry paused, remembering that Dick's secret identity wasn't his secret to share.
"I'm Robin as the partner of Batman. Batman and Robin, ma'am," Dick answered, aware that Barry felt uneasy.
"Oh… " Iris didn't know what to say. It was exciting to meet a new hero. As a reporter, she had millions of questions, but she doubted the young man had come for an interview. "That must have been exciting to work alongside one of the greater heroes."
Dick smiled, realizing something. "Yeah, Batman is a hero, one of the good guys. Something that would be good for most people in this room to remember. Batman saves lives; he has done a great deal to help the world, saving millions of lives. Not a criminal to be chased..."
"We're all aware of who Batman is, Dick, nobody is belittling his accomplishments as a hero," Barry cut him off, knowing where the teen was going.
Dick snorted. "It seems to me some members of the JLA have forgotten all the good Batman has done over the years, and they judge him without knowing the whole story and from a place of arrogance. He hasn't done anything outside the law, anything that isn't justified."
"Richard, that is enough, isn't it?" Barry answered dryly and seriously. He understood the boy, but his patience was getting to the limit.
Dick rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Whatever…" He was in a defensive mode.
Not understanding what they were arguing about, Iris interrupted to ask, "Honey, you want to explain to me what all this is about?"
Barry took off his jacket. "Batman and Robin are partners, but they're also family. Batman took him into custody when Dick was a little kid. He has been his partner, his mentor…"
"He's like a second father to me," Dick interrupted a bit more politely. He wasn't sure if it was so many years of Alfred instilling manners in him and his mother's teaching that he should be always well-mannered around ladies, or maybe because Iris didn't have anything to do with this, but for some reason, he felt compelled to treat her with respect and felt a tad ashamed for being so disrespectful with Barry now that she was around.
"Right, the thing is…." Barry took a big breath, not sure how to explain what happened to his wife… "Sadly, there has been a recent turn of events, and some members the JLA don't feel comfortable with the fact Dick keeps living with him… We're no longer sure it's safe… And I know that I should have called you before, but I didn't know how to address this by phone, but Dick needs a place to stay… at least for a while. So we kinda decided he would live here for some time, it will probably be an extended stay. I really hope you don't mind, I'm gonna explain why, I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner. I should have talked with you before making the decision but…"
Iris was shocked and she was still trying to absorb this information. "Well, I don't think I have a problem with him living with us, but I'd really like to understand what all this is about?"
"Well, it's that Batman sometimes over the years, like any other parent, has had moments when he had to discipline or correct Dick, but…" Barry saw the blush come over the young man's cheek. "Honey, the boys are really tired, is it okay if they go to sleep as I tell you the story?"
Iris hesitated a little, but nodded.
The boys went upstairs.
"So care to explain?"
"Bruce doesn't always correct him just by grounding or doing chores, sometimes he…."
Iris´ eyebrows knitted. "Please, don't tell me… Does he beat him?"
"Not exactly, he spanks him."
Iris gasped and took her hand to her face, she sat down.
"He's clearly abusing him, isn't he? I keep thinking about that, I cannot stop thinking 'cause I want to find way to understand him, or forgive him. I know that is wrong, but Dick, he seems so desperate to go back home, he keeps saying that it's not abuse. What kind of monster am I?"
"You're not a monster, don't you ever say that again. You're just worried about that kid and that alone shows what a wonderful, caring man I married," Iris said. "You ask me if this is abuse, and naturally I want to say yes. I mean, y'know what my father used to do me and my brother, that he used to beat us…"
"I know, that's exactly why I cannot allow Dick to go back to go home. It boils my blood to think about how that man used to treat you, he should have never… But that being said, I can't help but feel like maybe I'm making a bad decision… I dunno if I'm being biased 'cause I still see Batman as my partner and friend or because I know Dick loves him… He's his family. I feel like I'm tearing a family apart only because of my own personal moral concept."
"You look extremely tired, and I dunno the right answer, either… C'mon, I think you should sleep, we can talk more about this after you rest. Let's us just take one step at time. "
"Okay, but before that I should probably tell you that I kinda grounded the boys."
"Kinda? What for?"
"They're not really grounded, I made a decision in the heat moment when I was upset. I realized later what a jerk I was being, but I couldn't just take it back, either. But then I started to realize it was kinda a good idea: I don't want Dick going out for a while, I'm really scared he'd do something to hurt himself or I dunno… I guess by grounding them both, I'm making Wally his personal jailer. But that doesn't mean they can't do fun things while they're here. I grounded Dick and Wally cause they both got things secret to us." Barry told her all what happened as they got to bed.
In the afternoon after they all had slept.
Downstairs in the living room, Wally and his uncle and aunt were having a conversation.
"Am I not grounded?…" Wally started to ask in a confused voice.
"I know what I said in the car, but I guess I was still a bit upset about the fake IDs and the stress of the night, I apologize. I realized later I was being a jerk, but I couldn't just remove the grounding right away, it would have robbed me of any authority I might have. So, in reality I guess I'm asking you to stay here for a while until I see improvement in Dick's behavior. And even if that doesn't happen, I'd be happy to cancel your grounding after the weekend. You'll only have to stay in the house whenever your aunt or I aren't here. I'm bit afraid Dick does something really stupid, that's why later say that you're both grounded, 'cause I believe Dick is more likely to obey an order than a request, but you two can do whatever while you stay in the house. "
"Do you really believe he would do anything? I mean, he was hurt, but…"
"I would like to completely agree with you, but I don't know, and I believe Dick needs a little more help than he's willing to ask. And if I have to be honest with you, a small part of me isn't totally sure I made the right decision. I mean, Dick wants to go back home so badly that I'd like to take some time to reconsider all this, but I don't want to give him any false hopes. "
"But you shouldn't get your hopes up, young man. He's still technically grounded, right?" Iris gave him a no-nonsense look. "I believe some punishment is in order."
"What?! No! I'm really sorry, uncle Barry, and you wouldn't…"
"Mmh, I dunno, my love. What do you have on your mind?" Barry turned to his wife.
"Oh, there's just so much work to do in this house, like cleaning the dishes, doing the laundry, cut the grass, etc… I'm sure I can find more."
"Okay, okay, I can do that…" Wally nodded along.
"At a human pace," Iris quickly added.
"Oh, c'mon, please, you wouldn't, would you?"
Iris got near to her husband like she was about to kiss the man. She gave him a kiss on his cheek and an evil smile. "Oh, honey, we're really bad. We seriously made him believe his sweet uncle would punish him."
Barry chuckled. "It's your fault."
"What? This isn't funny," Wally said, a bit serious. "Guys! This is not funny!"
"You're right, Wally, sorry… Like it's also the fact that you kept secret from us for several years…Wally, I have to ask, are you afraid of us?" Barry said, putting on a straight face.
"No, I don't… I guess I just wanted to avoid having an awkward conversation with you guys, then it got harder to tell you, and then I just kinda forgot."
"It's okay, Wally, I just want to ask you, the next time there's something important to tell me, please tell me. I'll always try to help you, okay?"
"Yeah," Wally replied, a bit nervous. "What if it's something about Dick? What if Dick tells me something he doesn't tell you? I don't have to tell you, do I?"
"Wally, one of his friends just told on him so you might be the only person he has to talk to. I'm not going to ask you to tell me unless it's really serious, okay?"
Wally nodded and hoped Dick wouldn't tell him anything worse.
His relatives also informed him that they were going out to buy a new bed. And Wally went upstairs to his room.
Dick was staring the backyard while he was seated in the window seat in Wally's bedroom.
"It sucks, doesn't it?" Dick asked in a sullen voice.
A bit startled, Wally only managed to ask, "Huh?"
"Being treated like a kid."
Wally scowled. "Being grounded sucks, but please tell me you aren't comparing this to….
"I'm not!" Dick cut off him sharply. "I know very well the difference between a spanking and this, trust me, I know. But this isn't grown-up treatment, either. C'mon, Wally, I think we can hardly say JLA members treat us completely like adults… I mean, I get that you want to defend your uncle, but I'm not really criticizing his method of discipline here, what I'm really trying to say here is… that adults screw up, too, sometimes. And sure, sometimes adults get consequences for their mistakes or sometimes they get away with them, but they sure as hell don't get grounded. And your uncle could get offended for an adult lying to him, but I bet my life it wouldn't cross his mind to ground an adult. He doesn't have that kind of authority over an adult. And sure, I guess someone could say that it's due to the fact that we're both seventeen, we're not fully adults. But I'd like to argue that it's more likely due to the fact that JLA's members became our mentors when we were all a young age, around nine to eleven, and there are times they're still coming to grips with the fact that we're no longer the little kids they once took under their wings. I'll give you this, though, they tried and they mostly succeeded to treat us according to our age, even Bruce. He doesn't always treat me like a little kid, only when I really messed up. And while we're on this, that's the reason why they feel like they can pull rank with us. They can't do it with Kory, Rachel, Vic or Gar 'cause they hardly know them. They weren't their mentors and they don't have any kind of relation to them to try and tell them what to do."
"Okay, fine!" Wally sharply replied. Partly, he wanted to negate all his friend had said, but he sensed that Dick had made a valid point somewhere. "But at least my uncle doesn't feel like he had to degrade us to impart discipline."
"Bruce doesn't degrade me," Dick replied, trying to make himself feel better.
"That might not be Bruce's intention, but he does, c'mon, he so does. Otherwise, why do you feel so ashamed? There's reason why you don't want anyone in our team to know, there is a reason why you're so worried that Kory would dump you. I don't believe she would, by the way… Y'know, I don't have a girlfriend, but if I did, I know that I wouldn't be worried that she would dump me only cause I got grounded or punished in any other manner." Wally paused for a brief moment, knowing this had to be harsh for his friend to hear. "Dick, y'know, I'd love to say to you that Bruce spanking you is not abuse, but only 'cause I believe it'd make you feel so much better. But I can't, 'cause I don't really believe on it, but I can tell you this, nobody is against you here."
Not really wanting to focus on Wally's words about Bruce, Dick tried to slightly change the subject. "Do you really think she wouldn't dump me?"
Wally shook his head. "No, I don't. I mean, Kory comes from a different culture. I'm not sure Kory knows what a spanking is, but even if she did, I don't believe that would be her reaction. She might be upset for you smoking, and with Kory's temper, man, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. I dunno if Kory knows what smoking does to your body, but I'm sure some of us could explain."
Dick groaned sadly to that, he was really embarrassed about his previous behavior. "I'm really sorry about that, y'know."
"Y'know, what I don't understand is why would you do it? I mean, I was more than a little shocked to learn that Roy had been doing heroin, and now you…"
"I didn't really plan all that much… I… I know I was really sneaky about it, but I… not at first... I'm just…"
Trying to get his friend to stop rambling, Wally interrupted, "Dick, you're allowed to make mistakes…"
Dick snorted to that. "Oh, but am I really? ... I dunno… You didn't seem to agree with that type of judgment when you basically treated me like an idiot back in the car?"
Wally kept quiet for long moment after that. "I'm the idiot. I keep trying to help, but that's not what I'm really doing here, right?"
Dick was baffled. He had really been expecting Wally to get angrier with him. Dick didn't really believe he deserved such kindness. He wanted to fix things somehow. "Wally, you aren't an idiot…You were right to be upset. You only were worried, I knew exactly that was how you were gonna react… I… I believe the problem is that lately, I haven't liked myself… How about I start from the beginning?"
Wally nodded. "You said something about some boys from your class were doing? Were you trying to fit in?"
"Maybe, at first, with that beer and the weed. I was a bit curious. It kinda seemed like something I'd do once and never again… And y'know, I don't really have many friends in school…"
"Those idiots keep bullying you only cause Bruce adopted you?" Wally asked, knowing Dick had complained a long time ago because Dick's classmates bullied him for not coming from a rich family. Actually, some of Dick's classmates had been really snobbish about it.
"Yeah, comments and jokes have changed over the years, but y'know somehow they even found out that I'm a Romany… I dunno… And some of them were assholes enough to accuse me when something went missing at school last year. Apart from Bruce and Alfie, Scott and Leo were the only ones that believed me when I said I didn't steal it… They hadn't even said that stupid joke that Bruce adopted me only 'cause he was some kind of pervert… Y'know, I'm not supposed to mind them, I'm used to hearing jokes about me. But of course I do mind. Just 'cause I'm used to it that doesn't mean I enjoy it, I only never do anything about it 'cause I could really hurt someone… But the point I was trying to make is that Scott and Leo were the only ones that treaedt me like an equal there… And things got a bit more complicated when I kept doing not only to fit in. I was kinda upset 'cause I wanted to built the courage to… I know this part doesn't make sense at first here, but… just hear me out, okay?" Dick saw Wally nodded.
"Y'know, I skipped a grade, and I'm… or rather I was supposed to start college this year, right?"
"Yeah, but you lost me, here, pal, what does college have to do with anything of this?"
"Just hear me out, I don't… don't really wanna go, okay? It is that simple, but I couldn't tell Bruce anything about it, so… I guess maybe I just wanted something that I could control. For once I wanted to feel like I get a say in personal decisions. That's why in part I did it the first time before I liked it, I saw it as something I could get away with." And that was what ashamed Dick even more, that the first time he had done it out of spite.
"You don't wanna go to college? But I thought you liked school, I mean, you always have such good grades…" Wally focused on that because he was still trying to wrap his head around what his friend was telling him.
Dick huffed. "Wally, I get good grades 'cause I'm supposed to, I mean… Can you imagine the kind of lecture I would get if even dare to bring home any grade lower than A?" For a brief moment, Dick pondered the few times he had got an A minus, that had not been fun. "Anyways, that's not the point here. The point is that I don't wanna study anything related to business, I just don't see myself working in Bruce's company. But, it isn't like I intend to live from Bruce's money forever… I… I'd just rather get myself a job… I'm not completely sure what I wanna work as, but maybe I could be a private detective… I mean, I know I'm not such a good detective as Bruce, but I've learned a lot thanks to him. I think I could be decent at least... But I couldn't tell that to him, and I guess that's what got me so frustrated that day. By the end of the of it, I wasn't sure if I really was angry with Bruce or with myself... I mean Bruce didn't do anything wrong, I just couldn't bring myself to have an honest talk with him and tell him I didn't want to go."
"Okay, why couldn't you just tell him?"
"Huh?"
"From where I see it, there wasn't a reason not to tell him, or would that idiot have hit you just 'cause you don't wanna go?"
"Wally, for starters, I get that Bruce might not be your favorite person in the world, but could you just not call him an idiot? I still see him as a father to me, so can you avoid calling him that?"
Wally nodded, "Yeah, sorry… I… well… I…"
"It's okay, just don't do it again. And I don't believe Bruce would spank me if I decided not go to college. I mean, Bruce did always say that spankings are for important things, and I guess he had also made clear that my studies are important… But to tell you the truth, I was worried about Bruce's disappointment. Y'know, he always says he's disappointed when he had to punish me…And I hate it, I hate to feel like I failed him one more time. And I guess I was worried about what if this just gets him too angry and disappointed? What if this is just like the last straw? What if I screw up so big that he doesn't want me around anymore?"
"Oh, Dick, you shouldn't think like that, I'm sure he'd want you around no matter what…"
Dick stood up and walked to sit on the bed. "How do you know…? Man, you didn't see the way he said it when Clark and Oliver came to take me from my home, like he just gave up before even trying…"
"Dick…"
"Let's just change the subject… How is it? To be grounded by the Flash… What does it mean?"
Wally wasn't sure how to tell, so he straight said it, "We aren't really grounded."
"What?"
"Yeah, my uncle has this thing, he doesn't really believe much in punishment. My aunt tried once, many years ago, but it only lasted like three hours 'cause my uncle talked her out of it. Instead, he focused on helping me correct my mistakes."
"What about last night?"
"He was pissed, and then he didn't know how to take it back… But you're a bit more grounded than I am."
"You aren't serious, are you?"
"I get to go out, but you don't…"
"That sonabitch!"
"Dick!"Wally couldn't help but squirm under his friend's glare. "We can still do whatever in the house, y'know, like watch TV, play videogames…"
The young teen threw the pillow he was holding. "You think I care about that?! … I want my family back!" He took the other pillow that was on the bed and tried to hide his face as he lied his back on the bed. Of all people that could have gotten to know his secret, ithad to be Barry being one of them.
The young speedster sat down next to his friend. "Dick, I'm sorry. I know, I'm trying to…"
Dick took the pillow off his face and sat up, "It's okay, Wally. It's not your fault, I'm frustrated. It figures, you're so spoiled."
Wally chuckled. "I'm not spoiled."
"You so are. Not only have you never been spanked, you've never been even grounded."
"I've been grounded. Back when I lived with my parents, I was grounded once. And I haven't really given my uncle or aunt reasons to ground me much. So I believe his methods work."
"What about all the lying?"
"Okay, fine, I was wrong by lying, but other than…"
"Your grades suck."
"They don't, they're average. Crime-fighting takes a lot time, my uncle gets that, so he doesn't ask me to be perfect."
"You can study way faster than a regular human being."
"Yeah, but you gotta understand what you're studying. Oh, c'mon, I know Bruce must be a pain in the ass with school, but you don't have a leg to stand on."
The young boy shrugged. He stayed silent for a few seconds. "Wally, if I tell you something, can it stay between us?"
"I dunno…"
"Please, I just need someone to talk…"
"Is it about Bruce? Is it something worse than you already told us?"
"It's about Bruce, but no, it isn't worse," Dick replied, not seeing how could it be worse. So his friend nodded. "The day Bruce spanked me… he also washed my mouth with soap for being too disrespectful,"tThe boy mumbled.
Wally stood up. "He did what?!" He was feeling outrageous; he was ready to go punch Batman. He truly felt let down now by someone he used to see as a hero. The spanking thing had disappointed him, but not to this level.
"Calm down! Your uncle and aunt could be back any second… Please swear to me you aren't gonna tell."
"Was this a regular thing? How many times did it happen?"
"Only twice. I don't curse too much around him, and I really deserved it. I…"
"I don't give a damn if you cursed so much that you could make a sailor proud. He was out of line…Isn't that dangerous?"
"I dunno… Maybe…but not much, I think…Wally, please, we had an agreement! You're not gonna…"
"I should…"
"No! You can't! Please! Please, don't!" Dick covered his face with his hands; he couldn't believe he was so stupid to make everything worse.
Wally saw his best friend being so upset. He couldn't help but feel like it was touching a weak spot. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna tell, I was upset." He tried to take Dick's hands into his.
"You mean it?"
"Yeah, my uncle Barry already has plenty to be mad at Bruce for, he doesn't need more information… So how does soap taste?" The young teen offered a small smile to the other.
Dick chuckled. "It tastes awful, trust me, you don't wanna know."
"Dick, what you said back in the car, y'know about Roy no longer being your friend… That wasn't the truth, was it?" Wally dared to question.
"I… to be honest, I dunno…a part of me really wants to forgive him, 'specially 'cause I know the big doofus didn't do it out of malice, he was trying to help me… But… but am I really gonna lose my family cause of it?"
Wally didn't know what to answer.
Oliver got to the clinic. He was a little nervous. The memory of him punching Roy played again in his mind. He hadn't been able to get it out of his head since all this started. A part of him didn't want to be there, but he forced himself to do the right thing. They let him into a nice private room. Roy was there.
"So what happened? Is Dick okay?"
"We'll talk about that in a second, but first I'd like to know how you are? How are you holding up here? Do they treat you well?"
"I'm okay, I mean…I'm not gonna pretend this is easy for me, but I dunno, I guess I'm doing better than I expected."
"That's good, very good." Oliver eyed the male nurse. He was a muscular man. He knew why he was here, but maybe it wasn't a good idea for him to be here for the next part of the conversation. "Could you just leave us alone for a few minutes?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Queen, but I'm not supposed to leave you alone while visitation. It's a policy of the clinic, I'm sure you understand."
Oliver chuckled. "I'm sure that if you value your job, you'll leave us alone. You know, I put a lot of money in this clinic and I can assure you your boss won't be happy if I'm not. Leave now, before I decide to have a word with your boss." The man didn't say another word, he got out of the room. Oliver was currently broke, but he had gotten the money for the clinic from friends, a big part from Bruce. Remembering that made him feel guilty.
"You may want to sit down; you're not going to like what I have to say."
"Oh no, Ollie, I knew Dick would hate me, I knew this was a bad idea."
"Dick doesn't hate you." Roy looked at him a bit confused. He was regretting his decisions, but he was desperate to believe that. Oliver thought 'at least, I hope he doesn't'. Of course he didn't dare voice that thought in front of the young man there. "Maybe he isn't very happy with you now, but give him time, he'll forgive you."
Roy didn't exactly believe what Oliver was saying, but he decided to drop it for now. He had to know the whole story first. "Can you just tell me what happened?"
Oliver did.
"You promised me you wouldn't tell anybody else!" Roy yelled, feeling betrayed.
"I didn't tell anybody else, I keep my word."
"Oh please, you practically told Clark, you forced him. This is great, just fucking great, my best friend hates me and all thank to you," Roy said spitefully.
"Hey, I know you're upset, I can understand you being angry with me, but I still would like you to treat me with some respect."
Roy rolled his eyes. He walked a few steps toward his window, wanting to put some distance between himself and his mentor. He sat in the window seat. "Yeah, whatever," he said with sarcasm.
Oliver decided to ignore this behavior; he knew there wasn't practically much to do about it. "You and I have to discus another matter."
"What is that?"
"Care to tell me when you were planning to mention the fake IDs?"
Roy's sudden anger was leaving him. He remembered what Oliver was talking about, and he figured out that he was in some serious trouble now. "Oh yeah, how did you find out about that?"
"God damn it, Roy, Barry told me, he called me before I came here. But you're supposed to tell me those kinds of things even if you get into trouble with me. You better be thankful you're not Bruce's kid"
Roy shuddered at that thought. He tried to tell himself that Oliver was only saying that because he was mad, but he couldn't totally shake the feeling that he might not. "You wouldn't," he said with more confidence than he felt.
Oliver put his hands on his hips before crossing his arms. "Don't test me, boy." For a while, neither of them dared to speak, Roy mostly because of self-preservation and Oliver was just too mad, he didn't want to say anything wrong. He sighed. "Let's clarify a few things: you made several mistakes back then, and I know honesty is something we're trying to work on still so I'm willing to let it go for now, but I hope that in the future, you're more forthcoming with the truth."
"How did Barry find out?" the young teen asked, not wanting to focus too much on his wrongdoings.
"How do you think? Unluckily, your friends are not so good at keeping secrets."
"Great, so I not only managed to get my best friend spanked and separated from his family, but I got my other friend in trouble. I'm sure Wally must hate me, too. I sure know how to maintain friendships," Roy said sarcastically, feeling guilty.
Oliver couldn't help but feel pity for his son. He felt some of his anger starting to leave him. "Roy, I understand you must feel pretty guilty about it, and you're not going to change your mind easily, but you should stop. Dick made his owns decisions. You are not responsible for Dick's punishments and neither are you responsible for Wally's screw ups. I'm sure they don't blame you."
"You're only saying that 'cause you wanna make me feel better. While I appreciate the intention, dad, you can stop with the lies."
Oliver registered the part where Roy called him dad; he rarely referred to him as that. He went to sit near the boy and patted his knee. "I'm not lying, I'd really like you to believe me. But I know you're under a lot of stress and self-loathing, but could you at least try?"
Roy started crying. "I'm so sorry about everything."
Oliver opened his arm to hug him. "Hey, come here…" Roy let himself fall into the embrace. "It's going to be alright, okay? I promise." He really wanted to apologize for punching him in that moment, but he wasn't brave enough.
Two days passed. Barry, Clark and Oliver decided that today they could do the goodbye meeting. So they showed up at Bruce's house with Dick. The boy ran toward Bruce the second he saw him, crushing him in a hug, he was so happy to see him. He stayed there for a short time before he broke the hug and went to hug Alfred, he had missed him as well.
Dick looked around the adults. "Do they really have to stay?"
"Sorry kiddo, but this is a supervised meeting. We'll try to give you a bit of privacy though," Barry said, holding up a book.
"What are we gonna do?" Dick changed the subject, knowing that was a lost battle.
"Whatever you want, Dick."
Dick knew that wasn't exactly an honest answer. What he really wanted to do was to send Oliver, Clark and Barry to their homes, and stay there without anyone bothering him. But he knew better than to ask that. "Well… maybe we can play a card game."
"Sure thing, chum," Bruce said, looking for a deck of cards in the house.
Bruce had gone to find a deck of cards. As he was going back to the table, he could see Dick was glaring at Clark and Oliver. He had kind of dreamed of the day that Dick would wouldn't worship the Kansas man so much anymore. He had never liked the fact that Dick called him uncle. They weren't related so he didn't know why Dick insisted on that, maybe it was just to annoy him. But now that his wish had finally been granted, he wasn't sure why he wasn't happy about it. Maybe it was because deep down, Bruce and Clark were friends even though he pretended that they weren't.
"Can at least Mr. Queen go? I'm sure Barry and Clark are more than enough, and he could stay at the house - just not in this room."
"Dick…" Bruce said but Oliver cut him off.
"That's okay, I don't like staying where I'm not wanted, I'll go read outside. But Dick, before I go, can I ask you for a favor? You can be as mad as you want with me, but please could you forgive Roy? He didn't mean for any of this to happen, he was just deeply worried about you. I swear he only had your best interest at heart. So I'm asking you to forgive my son."
Dick blinked, not really wanting to be honest with Oliver. "I'll think about it," he offered, not wanting to talk with him much, either.
Oliver nodded and went outside. Dick sat for a few seconds and tried to pretend that Clark being there didn't bother him, but it did. So he thought 'I can kick out Oliver, so I'm gonna kick out Clark if I want.' He stood up, crossed his arm and leaned against the chair.
"I want you out too; Barry is the only one who can stay."
Clark gazed at Dick. He knew the kid wasn't very happy with him, he wasn't used to that. "I can't go. If at any moment you decide to run away or something like that, Barry might not able to stop all of you."
"So now you don't trust me. I didn't know how much of a jerk you can be."
"Richard, that's enough," Bruce warned.
Dick just shook his head. "No, no, no. I want him to go, he isn't welcome here. Now go before I decide to make you go with my fists."
"You can't really do anything to me, you know this. "
"Do you wanna test me? I'm sure there is kryptonite around this house..."
"Dick, you know there is but I'm not letting you use any to attack Clark. Stop this now."
Dick knew what he was about to say was wrong, and that Clark didn't really deserve it, but he thought that maybe if he managed to hurt Clark's feeling, maybe he would go. And he convinced himself that he didn't care. "I hate him, I don't wanna ever be his friend again, and I really want him to go."
Clark tried to think that Dick was really saying this because he was mad, but he was hurt that Dick sound so sincere. "Alright, fine, I'll go. But Dick, I want you to think that you don't have much reason to be angry with us. Apart from this meeting, Barry is making the same decisions that Oliver and I are, and you're no angry with him, are you?"
Clark went out. It didn't take him much time to find his friend. Oliver was drinking from a canteen. He had left the book in the grass and was lying against a wall. "Isn't a bit early for that?"
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Oh, back off, boy scout. I don't drink that much, and it isn't like we're really supposed to read, right?" Clark didn't say anything else, but he still held that concerning gaze toward him, and it was really bothering him. So he tried to change the subject. "So, the kid also kicked you out of the meeting. Maybe you should go back in. I don't think is safe."
Clark shrugged."I'm not returning, at least for a while. He seems so pissed at me. I don't really want him to hate me, but I don't know what to do to make him stop." He was feeling a bit sorry for himself.
Oliver chuckled. "Sorry, please don't take my laughter like I was enjoying your suffering. But, hear me out for real this time? That kid doesn't hate you. He's plenty mad, and he just found someone to vent."
Clark gave him a small smile. "Thanks, I'd like to have you confidence."
Oliver gazed at the grass. A part of him was happy that Clark was here. He was trying hard not to show it, but he felt like shit, and he needed a friend. He sighed. "I know what I'm going to say is going to sound horrible, I know I was wrong. But most of the things I did and said two days ago I didn't 'cause I was really worried so much about Dick, but 'cause I was mad with Bruce and I wanted to find a way to hurt him. And you know, maybe if the kid had been cooperative when we first gave him the chance, I might have let him stay here. I don't have a policy so against spanking."
"You mean you don't see it as abuse, have you already forgiven Bruce?"
"I got my share of spankings when I was a young boy; I never felt abused by my old man. It was a different time back then, anyways, he never spanked me past the age of ten. I can't really stay angry with Bruce even if I wanted to. I'm bit ashamed to say that the thought of spanking Roy has crossed my mind over the years more than a few times, especially when he was younger. I just was so mad then. I don't know how, but I managed to get myself out of the room, and then I didn't have the heart to go through with it. Don't you think I'm a bit of hypocrite if I judge Bruce for doing something that I felt tempted to do, too?"
"It seems the main point you're missing is that you didn't, even if the thought crossed your mind, Ollie. We're only responsible for the actions we follow through with, not for the thoughts that come to our minds. But I guess I can kind of understand you. My folks never did that to me. Though I'm not sure if it is because they don't believe in it or they because they knew it wouldn't have any effect on me… Anyway, like any other parents, they still made their own mistakes, but I don't judge them very much because of it. I'm sure you don't wish to judge your father harshly. Therefore, you felt you're being too harsh with Bruce."
Oliver shrugged. Maybe there was some truth in what Clark was saying, but he knew that wasn't everything about it. "There is something else I have to tell you about. I have wanted to deny it, but we should talk about it."
"Which is?"
"I… The night I found out Roy was doing heroin, I punched him in the face. I don't know what came over me; I just know I was so angry, so scared. I want to apologize to him, but I'm a coward. I know what you must be thinking of me. I made all these accusations about Bruce being an abuser, but the only abuser is me."
"I… I don't see you as an abuser."
"You don't?" Oliver asked, baffled.
"Let me be clear, what you did to Roy was beyond wrong, and it'll never happen again," Clark stated seriously and barely containing his anger. "What's more, you'll apologize to him and hope he's much more benevolent than I'm feeling right now, but what are you telling me only happened once, right?"
"Yeah, but I don't see how its so difference from what Bruce did, or even worse…"
"'Cause it was a mistake. You didn't plan it , you didn't threaten him. Or did it more than one time… You know, if it only was the three licks with the belt, I could forgive Bruce, but four times... And I'm sure Bruce wasn't soft in any of those."
"Well, probably he wasn't…"
"And one more thing, don't tell Barry anything about it," Clark cut off Oliver's line of thought.
"Why not…"
Barry appeared in front of them just then, but it didn't seem like he had heard what they were talking about.
"What are you doing here?"
Barry held up an appeasing hand. "I know, but I couldn't stay there, I felt too much like an intruder. I trust they're gonna keep their word."
"So what are we going to do meanwhile?" the young reporter inquired.
"We could argue the subject of forgiving someone and working out something for everybody to be happy again?" the archer suggested.
"Oh, you can't be serious, there's no way…" Barry was ready to argue.
"I know you both don't like this idea much and I'm not thrilled about it, either. But we, all of us, see how Dick is feeling. What we're doing to that boy is wrong… Maybe we could come to an agreement with Bruce."
"No. After what he did to him, I'm not ready to forgive…"
"And even if we could… It's just too dangerous… After what Dick told me, I don't believe there's any turning back…"
"Are you talking about the cigarettes?" Oliver asked. Roy had told him about it in his confession, but with all that happened, he had kind of forgotten until now.
"What are you talking about?" the man of steel asked, confused.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Your nephew made another mistake down the road. The night they threw that party, he smoked cigarettes a bit, and he had been smoking ever since. Not much, according to Roy, but still. Luckily enough, my protégé was wiser than him and didn't participate." He looked over to Barry for confirmation, though he wanted to trust Roy.
Barry nodded. "Yeah, so we can't. If Bruce gave him three licks for that party, I'm sure Dick would get a full spanking with the belt for the cigarettes. And I'm not letting that happen."
"I can't believe Dick would, he's usually so smart…" Clark was commenting, still startled by the news.
But Oliver interrupted him. "Why should he even know about it? The boy quit, didn't he?"
"He feels guilty about it. He might try to pretend he doesn't, but if we let him go back, he's gonna confess sooner or later. I bet that's a major reason Roy told you, apart him feeling guilty, isn't it?"
"Well, maybe… But… this is a good thing."
"How?" Clark asked.
"Don't you see it? We need something to trust Bruce again. If he doesn't spank him over this and just grounds him, what more proof do we need?"
"I'm not sure we should…"
"And we aren't going to… I know Dick is gonna hate me, but even if we could make a deal with Bruce, I don't think it's good for that boy to keep living here," Barry stated. He wasn't about to give in.
They spent several hours arguing until it was late at night. They decided to go back to the room. They informed Dick that it was time to leave, but the teenager wasn't happy.
"Why can't I just stay here? Please, I don't wanna go!" Dick was begging the three adults in front of him.
"We have already talked this over, Dick, you know why. Now, let's go," Barry said in a stern voice.
"But he's not gonna hurt me, he loves me, I'm sure he's never gonna do that to me again. Not after this. What harm is there if he isn't laying a hand on me ever again?"
"Maybe he won't, but you can't keep living here, anyway. You can argue all you want, but my answer is still going to be the same."
"Well then that's just too bad 'cause I'm not leaving." Dick was glaring them.
"I'm sick of this argument, we're all going now or…"
"Or what? How are you gonna force me to leave? Are you gonna beat me into submission? Go right ahead, be a bunch of hypocrites!" Dick snapped.
"Of course we're not going to hit you, but Clark can carry you out even if you don't want."
Bruce didn't like the idea that they might carry Dick out of there kicking and screaming. He already felt pretty guilty about all that had happened, so he knew that if there was going to be a person that might convince Dick to cooperate, it was going to be him. "Barry, can I speak with Dick? I promise I'll make him see reason."
"You have a few minutes."
Bruce grabbed gently the young teen by his shoulders, made him turn his back to the other adults and walked a few steps to put a bit more distance between them. "I know you don't want to go, but you're going to have to, anyway."
"But…"
"Come on, Dick, don't make a scene. You really want them to take you out of here kicking and screaming?" Bruce could see the sorrowful expression that registered on Dick's face. He was very sad, but he just nodded and without thinking gave him a hug. He started crying a bit, and Bruce almost joined him.
"I'm so sorry! Dad, it's entirely my fault! I'm sorry, please forgive me!"
"Hey, don't say that, nothing of this is your fault…"
"Yes, it is! If I hadn't thrown that stupid party, I… I..." Dick was having trouble talking, gasping for air while he was bawling.
"Richard, chum, hear me out. You were already punished for that, okay?" He put his hand on Dick's shoulder, separating himself a bit from him, and brushed away the tears on the young boy's face. "If anyone is guilty of this, it's me, okay?"
Dick shook his head and hugged him harder. "I don't wanna go."
"I know, we're going have to play along for now. Dick, why don't you go ahead and wait for them in the car? I need to have a few words with them before..."
"There isn't anything we need to talk about, Bruce."
Bruce looked seriously at them. He wasn't demanding much and he felt he deserved that someone would hear him out. After all these years of being a team, they owed him this much.
"Please, I won't take much of your time."
"I'd say that's reasonable, and I don't see why not." Oliver knew very well why his partners were glaring, but he shrugged, not giving it much importance.
Barry rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll listen to you, Bruce."
Dick gave one hug to Alfred before going.
"I'd like to start with that I'm aware you don't approve of my parenting methods, but he's my son. You can't seriously take him away from me. Maybe there's some middle ground…"
"There isn't, and I'll tell you why. You don't even see it as mistake, I bet you're not even sorry…"
"Oh come on, Clark, spare me the crap. And you're not really whom I'm worried about, I pretty much know what you're going to say… But Barry, come on, I'm sorry for what happened to your wife, but I'm not him."
"Don't mention her, she has nothing to do with this!"
"Wait, what?" Oliver asked, not knowing why he was the only one that wasn't following here.
"Barry's wife, Iris West, and her brother Rudy, both of them were victims of child abuse by their own father. He used to be a good parent, but all changed after the death of his wife. He turned to alcohol and he beat them frequently until they were old enough to defend themselves."
Barry should have known he would look into that, best detective… He hated him in that moment. "I already told you, leave her out of this," he warned.
"But you brought her into this first, didn't you?"
"You, son of a bitch…" Barry started walking toward him, but Clark and Oliver stopped him.
"So, is this true?"
Barry didn't answer, but he didn't have to. Oliver got an answer from everyone's faces.
"Why didn't you tell me? There is a difference between a spanking and a beating…"
"Because it wouldn't have changed a thing. I'm not doing this 'cause of my wife, okay? I'm only doing this to protect Dick, and Iris' past is private."
"You can repeat that silly sentence over and over in your head, but is it true?"
"Y'know, what? That's it, you don't change, do you? I don't even know why I entertain this silly idea to talk with you, Bruce, I'm leaving." He turned in the direction of the door.
"You're free to leave if you wish, but young sirs, if you were so nice to hear the words of an old man?"
Barry halted, and Clark and Oliver hadn't gotten to react. "Master Bruce probably won't say because he's too proud for that, but he's sorry for having to punish the young lad. He loves him very deeply, like a son. He has brought great joy to this old house… And you're good men. He's just seventeen, he shouldn't have to put up with the pain of losing his family again. Can you please at least consider?"
"You knew what happened, but you didn't intervene. Dick loves you like a grandfather, how could you stand aside and let him be hurt that way?"
Bruce was about to defend him, but Alfred realized that so he spoke first. "It's alright, Master Bruce, I can defend my actions alone. I wasn't very fond of the decisions that he took regarding the young boy's behavior, but I also knew they didn't come out of maliciousness. I didn't do much because I thought it wasn't my place. And, I guess to some point I agree, the young master needed to be disciplined somehow."
Barry nodded and left. They saw it as discipline, he was sure there was nothing left to argue here. Clark went after him.
Oliver was about to leave him when Bruce's next words stopped him.
"So tell me, please, you finally got your memory back, huh?"
"Huh?" The other man raised his eyebrow.
"Oh, please, that boy tells me everything. I didn't remember at first, and then when I did remember there were Clark and Barry. But I know you punched Roy not so long ago, he told his friends about it…"
"It was a mistake, I shouldn't… Wait, this isn't some kind of thread, is it?"
"I'm just saying that maybe you should try to talk your friends again. Clark might forgive you, but Barry…"
"Oh, you… Just a few hours ago, I tried to defend you. I thought there was an honorable man worth saving, but you, Bruce, you're beyond help."
"I'm just a desperate father trying to keep his family, like any father would."
"Well, maybe you should try to improve as a father, maybe then it would gain you a few points with Barry. Instead of researching his wife's past." He left as well.
