Dick Grayson
Gotham City
Sunday, May 13th, 2009
"They're coming your way," Batman tells me over the comm link.
"Got it," I answer, pulling my grappling hook out of my utility belt and hooking it around the sixth-floor fire escape I've been waiting on since Batman entered the apartment building. The alley below is pretty narrow, only five feet separating this building from the next one.
We were in Midtown closing in on a lead about a warehouse fire Batman has been working on for months when the alarm at Barney's went off. When we got there, we found nothing… until we got to the fifth floor and there was a gaping hole in the ceiling that led up to the private residences above the store. Apparently, a well-known collector lived in one of the apartments and had an impressive collection that tempted these very professional blowy-uppy-happy thieves. So instead of taking them in mid-heist, Batman sent me outside to the fire escape to head them off.
And that's where I am now. Sure enough, the thieves burst through the service door on the ground floor of the Barney's.
"That way!" the thief shouts at his friend.
"This way?" I ask, dropping down in front of them.
"Shit! It's Robin!"
"Hi!" I grin, "Any chance I can grab that from you?"
I point to the bag hanging off the taller one's shoulder, and they stare at me, completely dumbfounded.
"Alright," I shrug, and before they can come up with some brilliant move like trying to punch me, I throw a batarang that cuts through the strap. The stolen Beanie Babies spill out of the bag when they hit the ground but they're plushies. They'll be fine. The real question is why anybody would pay $30,000 for a Beanie Baby. Or why these dummies decided that breaking into a collector's house in the middle of the night was a good idea because seriously; who's going to pay money for stolen Beanie Babies?
The thieves shout and scramble to try to pick them back up when a low voice growls through the darkness.
"Don't."
Batman steps out of the shadows and the robbers do the first smart thing they've done all night. They drop the Beanie Babies and put their hands up. Two pairs of bat-cuffs and one call to the GCPD later, Batman and I are standing on the third-floor balcony of the high rise waiting for the cops to show up so we can wrap up patrol for the night.
"Beanie Babies?" I ask for the sixth time.
"Yes."
"But… they're stuffed animals! Anyone with a sewing machine and a little bit of stuffing can make one."
"They're a collector's item."
"Obviously, that collector wouldn't have had so many if they weren't. I get diamonds, or gold or clothes being worth so much, but Beanie Babies?"
"Not my personal choice, but I doubt spending your money on Bat-related crime fighting paraphernalia is on everybody's wish list."
I laugh and the corner of Batman's lip twitches up. It's the closest he gets to a smile in costume.
"Police are here. Time to go," he says.
"Race you to the Batmobile!" I call, already swinging from my Batline. Luckily, the Batmobile is close. We always try to finish patrol near where we started, and this way, my arms aren't going to get tired before I make it back. Before Batman. Somehow, he still manages to pull ahead of me, swinging down to the street and dropping down in front of the Batmobile. I drop down behind him.
Then my mouth drops. The Batmobile is missing its two front tires and a guy in a dark red hoodie is working on a third one. He looks up. There's a moment of silence, where he stares at us and we stare back. He's carjacking the Batmobile. He's in the middle of carjacking the BATMOBILE!
The thief drops his lug wrench and bolts down the alley. Batman and I burst after him, Batman on the ground while I pull out my grappling gun and swing from balconies and streetlights. We're closing in on him, trying to box him into a corner. As he runs, he pushes garbage cans and packing crates in the way. Batman slows down to avoid getting hit by a flying trash lid and the thief ducks between two slates boarding up a warehouse door. It's a tiny space to fit through and that's another blaring alarm that something's wrong with this.
What kind of person steals the tires off the Batmobile?! Nobody's crazy enough to try that!
I scramble through the hole after him, leaving Batman to try to find another way in. The thief's hoodie falls off as he runs. The warehouse is a maze of shipping crates and wooden pallets, but I flip to the top of one and sprint across the tops, cutting off the thief. He spins around in a clumsy fighting stance. My mouth drops open again.
It's a kid. He looks even younger than I am!
"Leave me the hell alone!" He shouts, raising his fists like we're about to throw down.
This kid stole the tires off the Batmobile?! Those things weigh forty pounds each! What the hell?! How?! Why would he try something so stupid?!
The shock and adrenaline from the chase are wearing off, and up close, the kid looks pretty rough. He could use some food, a long shower and an even longer nap. I raise my hands to show him I'm not armed.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Robin."
The kid snorts, "No duh."
"I mean, I'm one of the good guys. I just want to know what you're doing."
The kid freezes for a second before throwing his head back and snarling, "Why do you give a fuck?"
I shrug and try a different tactic.
"Okay. Let's start with this. What's your name?"
"Fuck you."
I can't help myself from grinning, "That's a cool name. How do you spell it?"
The kid glares at me, his eyes darting around the space while he looks for a way out. He glances at the boarded-up doorway and the walls of crates surrounding us, then back at the ground.
"You know, this will go a lot faster if you actually bother to answer."
"What, so I don't inconvenience you while you're dragging me off to juvie?"
I blink.
"Juvie? Look, Fuck You, we just spent all night chasing dead leads around the entire city, some guys almost blew up half a block for a pile of beanie babies, and at this point I just want to get home. I have school tomorrow. So, if the faster you give us our tires back, the faster we can leave you alone."
The kid freezes, caught in some impossible decision before he kicks at the ground and mutters something under his breath.
"What?" I ask.
"It's Jason."
"Cool. I'm Robin," I hold out my hand for him to shake but he ignores it.
"I know," Jason glares at me. He draws himself up and says, "The tires are behind the building. There's a yard and a hole in the fence."
He tries to push past me and slip away. I step in front of him before he can pass through the crates, blocking his exit.
"Why did you steal them?"
"Hey, leave me alone! You said I could go if I told you where they were."
"No, I said this would go faster if you answered my questions."
"You don't scare me. I don't have to tell you anything!"
I grin at him reassuringly, watching his confidence waver. I don't want him to be scared. I want answers.
"I'm not supposed to be scary. That's Batman's job. My job is to ask a million questions and annoy people into telling the truth."
Jason tries to push past me again, but I hold my ground. He lets out a frustrated yell and growls, "Fine! I needed the money! Happy?!"
I pause. He's four inches shorter than me and he's got to be at least two years younger than me. He shouldn't be stealing tires for money, let alone be on the streets at one in the morning on a school night.
"Where are your parents, Jason? They're probably pretty worried about you."
Jason is quiet for a long time and I wait through the silence. He finally hisses, "They're gone. Mom… they're gone."
"I'm sorry."
I decide to take the risk and move closer to him, "My parents are gone too."
Jason looks up at me in total confusion, "But what about Batman?"
"Batman's not my real dad. He just helped me find a new home."
"Really? Batman?" he asks in disbelief.
"Yeah. You know, he might even help you too, if you want."
"I'm not going to an orphanage! Or a foster home. I hate them."
"Some of them aren't so bad. You just have to find the right one."
"I don't need your help."
That's definitely a lie but I don't want to scare him off. So, I nod seriously and sit on a nearby crate. Jason eyes the gap, but doesn't try to make a break for it.
"What do you want then?"
"What?"
"You said you want money, which is why you stole the tires. You took a big risk taking the tires off the Batmobile, so that means you already have somewhere to sell them. But you probably can't get a lot of money from that place since you needed to take the risk at all. Well, you made a really good effort. Seriously, you must be crazy strong to lift those things. It just didn't work out."
"So?"
"So, what do you want to happen next?"
Jason scowls at me, "I want you to take your stupid tires and leave me the fuck alone."
"Sure, that sounds good. We put the tires back on the Batmobile, head back to the Batcave, and you go back to… living on the streets, right?"
Jason's scowl deepens and I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes. But then I remember I have a mask on, so I roll my eyes anyway.
"Alright, say we do that. What happens to you after that? There's not that many jobs available to homeless nine-year-olds, so taking tires isn't going to be a one-time thing. Best case, you steal just enough to get by, nobody notices. But say you get picked up by the cops or someone isn't quite so forgiving about having their tires stolen? Juvie is the best possible outcome."
Jason's still glaring at me, but there's real fear in his eyes and he's starting to sweat.
"Or… I can give you another suggestion. Cooperate with us. Help us get the tires back on the Batmobile, and give Batman honest answers to the questions he's going to ask you. Then, we'll help you find somewhere more permanent."
"I told you, I'm not going to another shitty foster home!"
I take a deep breath.
"Look, Jason… we're more alike than you think. I know what you're feeling right now. You don't want to go to juvie, and I'm sure you've had more than your fair share of crappy foster homes. But I've been there. When my parents died, they didn't have room for an orphaned circus brat, so one of my case workers decided it would be fine to just stick me wherever there was room. If Batman hadn't helped my foster dad track me down, I would probably still be where they left me. So yeah, I get why you're afraid and I can promise you, juvie sucks even worse that you can imagine."
"What?! You were in juvie?"
"Yeah. A week after I turned eight."
"But you… you're… why?"
"Everywhere else was full and my social worker didn't care if another kid slipped through the cracks. Nobody stopped him. Nobody noticed."
Jason meets my eyes and I can almost see the wheels turning in his brain.
"I promise, when I tell you that Batman can help you, I'm telling you from experience. He's the one who'll help you when no one else cares."
Jason hesitates.
"A—and he won't be mad about the tires?"
"Not as long as you put them back," Batman says. Jason jumps a foot in the air.
"What the hell?!"
"Watch your language," Batman says firmly, channeling Bruce so hard I think I'm seeing double. This isn't Batman… this is full on Bat-dad.
"He doesn't let me swear either," I tell Jason with a grin, moving back to give him a little more space to the sides now that Batman is covering the exit. But Batman doesn't say anything, or try to take over the conversation. Instead, he crosses his arms patiently and waits for me to continue.
"Well?!" Jason demands, pacing the small space nervously, "What are you waiting for?"
"We're waiting for you to decide," I say, "What do you want?"
Jason looks back and forth between me, Batman and the blocked escape route, "I… how do I know you're not going to just throw me in some shithole and walk away?"
He's scared and it's impossible to blame him. I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
"I'll stay with you. I'll go with you to the police station, and I'll wait with you while Batman makes the arrangements with the foster home and Child Services. I'll even go with you to your foster home and stay until you feel safe."
"Wait… really?"
I nod, "I told you, I'm not letting anyone else go through the same thing I did. I'll stay with you as long as you need."
"What if I hate it?" he shoots back.
"Then we'll try again until you find one you don't hate," I shrug.
Jason looks at the ground, thinking hard. Finally, he looks up and nods.
Jason squirms on the bench, watching an officer sort through the stack of papers Batman filled out before he left.
"It's going to be fine," I tell him.
"Not that," he grumbles, "I just… don't like it here."
Looking around the police station, I don't blame him. The roof of the Gotham City Police Department is way nicer than the inside and I forgot just how strong the smell of caffeine and sweat is. Plus, I don't have to worry about CPS coming after me or trying to send me back to a foster family that I hate.
"It shouldn't be much longer. Batman has already made some calls, and once he gets the paperwork streamlined, the foster should be here soon."
"You don't know who he's getting, do you?"
I frown, "You've been with me the whole time. He hasn't told me anything yet. But I trust him."
Jason leans back in his chair and pulls his arms tightly around himself.
"Must be nice," he mutters.
"Why don't we talk about something else?" I offer, "Do you like any sports?"
"I play soccer sometimes. Jacob and Arvene are always playing pickup at Fred Wolfe Park."
"Would you ever want to join a team?"
Jason shrugs, "I can't… I mean, I couldn't before. I guess it would be fun."
"There are some great rec leagues. Memorial Park just put in a brand-new field."
Jason is quiet.
"Do you play any sports?" he asks.
"I fight crime. That's sort of the only extracurricular I have time for."
"So… what you're saying is I could probably kick your ass on the field?"
I snort, "You wish."
"What, are you scared?"
"Please, I'm not scared of Batman, you think I'm going to be afraid to lose to a nine-year-old?"
"You're not scared of Batman?" Jason asks curiously. I shake my head.
"Nope. He acts all tough, but he's really just a giant nerd. You think they call him the World's Greatest Detective because he runs around punching evil clowns?"
Jason snorts and I grin back at him. There's a commotion at the front suddenly as all the officers stand up and start whispering to each other. Jason looks around nervously and I crane my neck to try to see. Someone just came into the precinct, and by the sound of it, it's someone important.
Ugh.
Why couldn't Batman have just told me who he was going to send? I wish I could tell Jason who it is, but I have no clue either. I watch the captain leave his office to come personally greet the new visitor, but I can't see who it is until she leads him to a private room. Then my jaw drops open.
Bruce?!
What the hell?!
I knew Batman would find somewhere safe for Jason, but I didn't think for a second that he would be the one to take Jason in himself. And why didn't he tell me?!
"Jason?" One of the desk officers comes over, "Are you ready to meet your new foster dad?"
Jason glances at me quickly, and I can see that his nerves have just jumped a thousand percent. Clearly, he's seen Bruce in the news before.
"Do you want me to come in with you?" I offer. He thinks for a second, but then shakes his head and lets the officer lead him into the room that Bruce is waiting in. I watch them go, mind racing a million miles an hour.
When the hell did Bruce decide he wanted to foster Jason? Will Jason be okay with it? I wasn't exactly crazy about Bruce the first time I met him. And living with him before I knew he was Batman? He was weird and distant and I always felt so alone. If it hadn't been for Alfred, I don't know if I would have even stuck around. Of course, after I snuck out to hunt down Zucco, everything changed. It was like a switch had flipped. Batman is an incredible mentor, and the closer I got to him, the closer I got to Bruce. Now, I can't imagine not having him as my… mentor? Foster dad? And what's going to happen with our secret identities? Is Bruce planning to just keep them a secret from Jason? That's not fair to him, and I don't think I can do it either. And is Jason going to want a foster brother? He might like me as Robin, but I've never had a brother before and he hasn't either. What if I'm awful at it and he hates me?
Someone sits next to me, breaking me out of my thoughts. I jump when I realize who it is.
"Alfred?!"
Alfred smiles at me and winks, "Good to see you again, Mister Robin."
"Did you know Bruce was planning this?" I whisper. Luckily, none of the police officers care much about the sidekick and driver might be chatting about.
"I'm afraid Master Bruce has a rather unfortunate tendency of not sharing information with me, much as Batman appears to have kept you in the dark."
I snort.
"I bet they'd get along really well."
"I rather think not," Alfred answers loftily, "Master Bruce is hardly one for theatricality. You would never catch him running around in one of those ridiculous outfits."
I burst out laughing, and after a second Alfred's mask slips and he joins me. One of the sergeants looks over, but goes back to his paperwork. When we calm down, I take a deep breath.
"Do you think this is a bad idea?"
Alfred thinks for a minute.
"To be perfectly frank, I have absolutely no idea," he looks around the precinct, then says, "I had more than my fair share of doubts when he announced his intentions to foster Master Dick, but I daresay that decision has been more rewarding than I thought possible for all parties involved."
I grin at him and the only thing keeping me from hugging him is the fact that I'm still in uniform. Alfred smiles sincerely and continues.
"I believe there is a chance that the outcome may be similar in this case."
The next forty minutes pass slowly. Alfred makes small talk and I try not to yawn, but for once, he doesn't say anything about me being up so late. When the door finally opens, we both look up in anticipation. Bruce looks determined, and Jason looks completely dazed. Bruce leads him over to where Alfred and I are sitting.
"Jason, this is Alfred Pennyworth. He's been working for my family since I was a kid."
Alfred stands up and shakes his hand firmly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jason."
"You too…" Jason says slowly, still in shock.
"I believe Master Bruce has a bit more paperwork to deal with here, but I would be more than happy to take you to the manor. I imagine you've had quite a day."
Jason immediately looks at me, "Is he coming?"
"Yes," I say before either of them can answer, "I promised I'd stay with you until you were ready."
"Very well," Alfred says, retrieving his coat from the chair, "Master Bruce, I will be back when you have finished."
"Thank you, Alfred. Robin, always an honor to see you," I blush. The corner of Bruce's lip twitches up and I know he's teasing me, "Jason, I shouldn't be here too long. I'll see you soon. Okay?"
Jason nods like he barely knows what's happening, "Okay."
"Shall we?" Alfred asks, leading the way to the door. Jason looks around the precinct one last time, his eyes always coming back to Bruce. Then he looks at me, and I smile reassuringly. He nods and follows Alfred out the door. I glance back at Bruce, looking for some sort of clue about what I should be doing, but he just smiles. It's not part of his vapid playboy act. He just genuinely looks happy… and really nervous. Maybe he doesn't know what he's doing either.
I hurry out the door before Jason thinks I abandoned him.
"You drive a limo?!" Jason shouts as I approach. Alfred chuckles and opens the door for him. Jason sits in stunned silence the entire ride home, except to turn to me and ask, "Am I on drugs?" at least fifteen times. I try not to laugh at him, but it's close. When Alfred finally pulls into the long driveway and the manor comes into view, Jason's jaw drops.
"You live here?!"
"Indeed, we do, Master Jason."
"Is… is he kidding?" Jason turns to me. I grin at his stunned expression.
"About living here?"
"Uh…Master Jason?" Jason says.
"No, that's really a thing he does."
The car pulls to a smooth stop, and Jason and I climb out. He can't stop staring. He looks exactly the same way I did the first time I saw the manor.
"Welcome to Wayne Manor," I tell him. Alfred leads us inside and Jason takes one look around before his face turns pale. So, instead of overwhelming him any more than he already is by giving him the grand tour, Alfred takes us straight to the kitchen and pushes a mug of hot chocolate at each of us. The three of us sit around the counter and listen while Alfred tells us stories about his life in England. He's halfway through the story about how his Uncle George accidentally got himself engaged to a duchess when my communicator beeps.
"Do you have to go?" Jason asks me, immediately on the defensive. I look down at the message.
"In study. Bring Jason."
"Batman wants me to see something in the… Mr. Wayne's study," I say, looking at Alfred for cues. Alfred straightens and claps his hands together.
"Ah, of course. Jason, you may as well come along. I'm sure you'd love to see more of the house, and I believe Master Bruce will be arriving shortly."
Alfred leads the way, and Jason follows close behind. I chug the rest of my hot chocolate and run after them.
Bruce isn't in his study. Shocker.
Jason is looking around cautiously, and Alfred is going through the piles on Bruce's desk as if looking for the mysterious thing Bruce Wayne told Batman that he would show me. I glance down at my communicator, but then I hear something moving. It's the elevator to the Batcave. Alfred must hear it too because he lets out a huge sigh.
"Jason, I believe there is something immensely important you must know."
"What?"
"Master Bruce tends to be infuriatingly dramatic."
And then the hidden door slides open, revealing Batman standing in the entrance to the Batcave.
"AWESOME!"
AN: The next chapter brings the time skip! We have to get to the formation of Young Justice somehow, and as much as I love these characters, I don't want to write two years' worth of filler. But for now, Dick has a new younger brother and Bruce has a new son. Sure hope his conveniently-timed appearance doesn't distract Batman from any cases or strange fires he may have been looking into.
It sure is mysterious!
Anyways, hope you liked it! Be sure to let me know if you're enjoying it.