A/N: Don't own Batman or Teen Titans, if I did the losers at CN wouldn't be cancelling them at the end of season 5.
Dark Musings
He knew he shouldn't be here, that he should have let him know well before entering into HIS city. But Robin didn't care, not in the least. 'I've sacrificed just as much as he has here,' he thought with a slightly petulant mind set.
Truth be told, neither of them had especially gotten along since his split with Batman and starting of the Teen Titans. Even though Bruce had bankrolled the whole project, he'd left him alone to run it as he saw fit.
Richard Grayson grimaced in the darkness, all but lost in the shadows as he waited for his mentor, guardian and father figure to make his appearance. It was only a matter of time before he got here to find out why he'd returned.
As if reading the young man's thoughts the Dark Knight of Gotham seemed to materialize beside him. Robin had never even heard him coming.
"What are you doing here?" he asked gruffly, fulling enveloped in the persona of the Batman.
"Came to talk," he replied with a similar tone, though there was no mocking in it, it was simply the way the talked when on patrol.
"You of all people know better than to just show up," was all the man said, his eyes constantly roving the streets below them.
Robin let the silence thicken for a moment before responding. "I know, but it was important," he told him simply.
Batman crouched down next to him, his long cape blurring the almost nonexistent silhouette further to the point of virtual invisibility. He was content to wait it out, knowing that Robin would get to the point.
"You were right you know," Robin told him, not keeping him waiting.
The only response the boy wonder heard was a noncommital grunt, as if it alone were a sign for him to further explain. There was a lot Batman was right about.
"I got close to someone, VERY close," he continued, mimicking his mentor's pose and posture, finding a sense of comfort in it as they both scanned for trouble. 'Familiarity breeds comfort,' he thought.
Batman looked at the boy...or rather man. Richard had grown in the time away from him, and it showed in his stance, his attitude...his very aura.
"Someone figured that out and used it against me, almost killed her," the younger man told him, his voice, though neutral still held traces of pain the event had caused him.
"Relationships don't work with men like us Dick," the man said, finding that even though he didn't want it to, his father persona superceded the Bat.
Robin smiled ruefully, shaking his head. "I know, I know...but something, well, kinda happened, and she could almost read my thoughts," he elaborated.
Sighing heavily, he looked down at his gloved hands. "One thing led to another, and..." he trailed off.
"You fell in love with her," the Batman said, no teasing being condescending in his voice over the observation.
"Yeah, HARD," Robin told him quietly, swallowing hard at the memories of it.
Batman waited for almost 5 minutes, letting him come to terms with speaking his mind and feelings to him. His patience was rewarded when Dick continued.
Looking up to the starless night sky above, he blinked behind his mask. "I caught up to him a little while ago...but it wasn't about justice anymore Bruce. I wanted REVENGE," he said, tension in his tone and body at the memory of the battle.
Bruce had actually heard of the battle Robin had waged with the man called Slade, and how deadly it had almost become. Rather than confront his protege and adopted son, he was going to let him come to terms with not only his actions but his own demons as well. 'Lord knows I've got enough of my own issues,' he thought with dark humor, memories of a certain dark haired princess that was dominating his thoughts of late.
Glancing over to the ever unscrutible mask of the Bat, Robin sighed. "In the end it took both Cy and Beast Boy to pull me off him. I freaked out the team with my actions, but I just couldn't get her face out of my mind and how much he hurt her," he admitted to him.
"Did you kill him?" asked the Batman directly, not allowing him to wallow in his guilt and self pity any longer.
"Well, no..." he replied uneasily, almost surprised by the question.
Batman finally turned and looked at Robin directly, holding that gaze for a long moment before speaking. "There have been many times I've almost lost control and killed someone Dick. You can't do what we do and not walk that fine edge. EVERYONE comes into contact with that darkness at some point and time," he admitted to his son, revealing a deeply held secret of the Dark Knight.
Robin was held enthralled by his words, beginning to see a new side to his father and former partner.
Seeing he held the boys undivided attention, Batman continued. "What's important is that you KNOW where that line is and what it's warning signs are. Wanting to kill someone and actually doing it are two different things. So long as you don't ACT on those thoughts, you're fine," he told him finally, giving the boy wonder a slight and crooked smile.
Robin couldn't help but chuckle at the rare moment of levity from the most feared creature of the night in the underworld. "I just, ya know, wanted to tell you an' all...that you were right," he said, looking back down at the streets once more.
Batman nodded at his friend, "Sometimes that doesn't make me feel any better Dick. I wish that I wasn't right about things like that," he admitted softly, revealing yet another hidden tidbit to the young man.
Standing, Batman pulled his grappling gun from his belt, aiming it at the distant roof top. "It was good to see you again. Next time stop in and see Alfred, he misses you," he said, firing the gun and disappearing into the night.
Robin watched him fade into the shadows he claimed as his own. "I miss you too Bruce," he whispered to the night, before turning back and disappearing into the shadows.
A few moments later, a lone figure pulled a helmet on, starting the heavily customized bike that he'd made, making his long trek back to Jump City, and Raven. The woman that held his heart, and his love.
End of Chapter notes:
Just something that struck me while reading some TT fanfics. This is dedicated to HeyBats, DC Lady, and Sora-Mizu Duo. I'm an avid follower of their work and enjoy it immensely. I hope you all find this as enjoyable. RnR if it moves you to do so.