A/N) Being a preteen/teenager and having a secret identity always takes a toll on relationships.
Here's one take from me ;)
"Here you go."
Dick startles as a poorly printed school newspaper smacks down on top his chemistry homework.
"What's this?" He looks up at Babs, she's dressed in a weird 1920's styled news cap with a pencil tucked behind her ear and a strawberry lollipop bulging her cheek.
"Read the headlines Dick." She rolls her eyes at him and Dick looks down again, eyes widening some.
"Robin, preteen boy wonder. How can you be sure he's twelve?"
"I said preteen Dick, not twelve, he could be ten, or even like a really large eight-year-old for all we know." She doesn't sound convinced.
"Why are you writing about Robin now?"
"Because," She brushes a lock of hair over her shoulder and sits on the opposite end of the library desk he was occupying dutifully. Bruce said no more crime fighting until he catches up.
"Because he's hot news right now and I've got up close images of him. Curtesy of some stealthy investigative reporting."
Dick smiles. He let her take those pictures. "Ok. . . but don't you think Robin might get offended?"
She blows a raspberry at him. "Please, like he reads the Gothamite Ace. No one outside of school reads these Dick. Besides, Dad thinks this is better than going through his gruesome case files."
Well, Dick can't fault the guy for hoping his daughter had found a less dangerous Hobby to peruse.
"Ok. . . Just don't hurt yourself getting pictures. I hear crime fighters don't like news reporters."
She grins at him, eyes sparkling with that excitement they do when she knows something could get challenging. "Doesn't mean I can't do it."
He knows better than to argue.
Shoot, he's late.
So very late.
He'd promised Bab's he'd be there at seven to finish their lab report. That burglar on eighth was a bit quicker than expected. Took way too long to track him down and then Ivy decided to wish Gotham a happy Easter and sprouted killer weeds in every egg hunt park.
Ugh.
She was gonna be so angry.
"What took so long?" She snaps the second he walks through the balcony door from her room. Her dads not home, thank goodness.
"Sorry... car trouble." He means it as a joke.
She doesn't laugh. "Whatever, I already filled out the basic, just finish the analyses section." She seems extra moody to day.
Maybe it's not completely It's fault.
He finishes the report silently.
He misses her birthday.
Joker had escaped. Riddler had gone into hiding and Harley was being a really bad damsel in distress. It took five days too long to shut them all down.
Barbara doesn't answer his phone call.
He apologizes at school.
Lame excuse.
She takes the package of Strawberry dummy's and sighs at him.
"Glad to see I'm still on your list of 'to remember' things."
He feels that comment.
He misses their monthly movie hang out.
It was that new one, lame and overpriced, 'attack of the giant squid people'. They said it was gross.
She ended up watching it alone.
Dick apologizes.
She accepts. . . she sort of seems resigned at this point and just brushes his lateness off now.
Another missed project.
She fails that one.
It was a joint thing, can't pass without the other partner.
She'd cried. . . he doesn't now why or when, she doesn't tell.
_He feels awful.
Being on the brink of puberty and having your own issues as well as a fear of losing your one best friend is hard. He can't tell anyone about the difficulty he's having.
Bruce wouldn't understand.
Alfred would ask if he wants to take a break from Robin.
He doesn't know anything anymore.
A year's passed, they graduated eighth grade.
Babs gets honors.
He barely squeezes by, with all those missed assignments and late assignments and half-done assignments.
"Congrats Babs."
She smiles at him and gives him a white rose from the bouquet the principal gave her."You too."
He smiles weakly.
Then her dad comes in and whisks her away gushing.
He feels kinda alone.
Summer is awful.
He doesn't see her much.
She brushes off his excuses and tells him it's ok, they can get sundaes next week.
She goes to an all-girls summer camp. She writes him. Dick writes back, twice.
Being Robin in the blistering city heat sucked this year.
It was a long summer.
He hates every lonely minute of it.
There's a new girl.
Bette Kane.
She arrives at the beginning of their semester
Babs and her hit it off in Organic Chem IIt. They even partnered up, he was out the first week because of a broken leg, courtesy of a violent encounter with ninjas.
Bruce has been really focused lately, he's going to Ethiopia next week.
Dick's stuck with Bernie. . . the least smartest kid in class, sits waaaaay in the back.
He watches Barbara laugh.
He feels something sink into his gut.
"What's up Gray-dork, missing your girlfriend?" Bernie sneers, and picks his nose obviously.
Dick ignores him as he watches the new girl whisper something in Babs' ear. Barbra laughs again.
Dick realizes the sinking feeling is jealousy.
"Sorry Dick, I can't tomorrow, Bette and I are heading of for the annual ice skating competition in Gotham park."
"I can't Dick, it's Bette's birthday today. I need to go shopping."
"Me and Bette already teamed up for the classics literature club."
"I'm helping Bette with her computer science, she sucks at it."
"Oh, did you know Bette's a fan of Robin too?"
"Bette's a good gymnast."
"Wanna come to our next hang out?"
"Bette and I are-"
"Bette and I-"
Bette, and I-"
"Bette.
"BeTtE.
"Bette."
"Bette and I."
Dick stops asking.
The newspaper Barbara writes still goes on, it's more speculation now since she doesn't have time to stalk mini heroes anymore, what with her new best friend and all. Dick frowns at the latest column.
"Boy wonder seems to be on hiatus."
Yah, because Alfred insisted he take a break and let his previse wounds heal decently.
But there it is, speculations as to why, or when, and what's worse. . . Barbara's been speculating with Bette.
He glares at the headlines, wishing he had Superman's laser vision.
"Hey Dick."
Dick startles and frown harder when he sees Barbara slid in the desk, she's alone today, he wonders where Bette is bitterly.
"How it going, we haven't talked much lately huh?"
No kidding.
"Where's Bette?" He sounds more bitter then he means too.
She looks at him sharply. "Out sick, she sat in the rain ton long yesterday and caught a cold."
"Oh, so that explains why you're talking to me today. Nice to know I'm second choice now." Ok, he's being petty, he doesn't care.
He's tired, sore, and angry all the time. Bruce's been really focused on that ninja case for months, his body hurts from being beat and falling off an escalader, his head hurts, Alfred needs to check that, he's behind on school work, he wants to drop out, and his best friend doesn't care.
Granted she doesn't know. . . but still.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She gets defensive.
Dick glares. "There's no Bette, you remember I exist. Simple. Way to ditch your friends Barbara."
"Ok, first of all, you sound like a drama queen, second of all, I didn't ditch you, you ditched me!"
He shocked at this. "What're you talking about, every time I call or ask you to go hang, you're with Bette, or Bette this or Bette that."
"You're just jealous, besides it's not like you've been around much anyway! How many times did you forget or ditch me? How many excuses did you give, I just thought you wanted some guy space or whatever? What's wrong with having a friend that doesn't forget our meetings, or project's, or birthdays!" She sounds nearly hysterical. Her eyes water.
Dick realizes he's not the victim completely here. "Those weren't my fault."
"Then who's fault were they Dick? Because it sounds an awful lot like you didn't wanna be my friend anymore." She's controlling her tears now.
Dick fists his hands. "I wasn't. . . I didn't mean. . ."
"No, I get it. You wanted me to hang around and wait for you, then I found a friend that is there all the time and you get all weird." She sniffs and stands. "Newsflash Dick, I'm not your possession and you suck at balancing your life." She storms away leaving him steaming and embarrassed.
She's right though. . . even if she didn't know how right.
He sucks at balancing his life. Both of them.
Dick groans and grips his hair. Why is everything so complicated now?
Motivation is your superpower.
Please review and help me not drop this thing completely.