A/N: Hello readers! I have finals this week, so if I forget to update on Wednesday, that's why. I don't think I will, but if it does happen you'll know why. Enjoy!
"What's wrong?" Dick asked as he sat down at the table.
"What'd you mean?" Roy asked him. Dick's favorite breakfast, waffles, was sitting deliciously on a plate in front of him. Roy's own favorite, sometimes he still marveled he was allowed to have a favorite, pancakes, were in front of him.
The other boy looked at Bruce suspiciously. "Alfred made our favorites and you're still here."
"I can't go into my own office a little late?" Bruce asked.
"This only happens when you have bad news."
'Bad news?' Roy thought as he glanced at Bruce.
"He knows you too well sir," Alfred said with a slight smirk.
"Unfortunately," Bruce sighed. "Dick, you already know this, but every summer I host a party-" Dick groaned. "Hush. I host a party that acts a fundraiser."
"It's the literal most boring thing to ever exist," Dick moaned.
"That's not the bad news Dick."
"What is then?"
"I have to invite Oliver." Roy stopped breathing and his face when deathly white.
"What?! Why?!"
"Inside voice Master Dick," Alfred reminded him sternly.
"Bruce Oliver is-"
"I know what he is Dick," Bruce replied stonily. "Trust me, I know. I have to though. If I don't it'll look suspicious. I don't want him to this I have anything to hide."
"Tell him he can't come because he sent the police to your house!"
"Even then he might suspect. We have to put up as normal as front as possible."
"It is just an invitation young sir," Alfred reminded the boy. "There's no guarantee he'll even come."
"What if he does?!"
"Dick!" Bruce snapped. "I know you're upset, but we have rules about yelling." Bruce looked at Roy. The teen was staring at his plate, completely immobilized. He was pale and shaking a little bit. "Roy. Roy." Roy looked at him. "You haven't said anything."
Roy swallowed. "Ollie's coming here?" he squeaked quietly.
"Roy, I promise we will do everything in our power to keep you safe. You'll be downstairs in the Bat cave the whole time and you can watch the party on the monitors to keep one eye on him if you want."
"But…he's going to be…here?"
"Possibly. Like Alfred said, he might not accept."
"He will."
"You don't-"
"I do. I know how he thinks." Everyone was quiet. "If he thinks I'm here he won't trust the police. He'll want to search himself."
"He's not going to find you. You'll be well hidden, I swear."
"He'll find me." The resignation in Roy's voice broke Bruce's heart a little bit.
"No, he won't. We'll keep you safe, I promise." Roy didn't look convinced.
"I'm not really hungry…. Can I go upstairs?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
"Are you certain he shouldn't eat?" Alfred asked Bruce.
"I'm not forcing him to eat." Truthfully Bruce didn't want to force Roy to do anything.
"Bruce, Oliver being here will give Roy a heart attack," Dick said.
"I know Dick. I wish there was another way."
"Do you really think Oliver will come?"
Bruce sighed. "I don't know."
— —
Oliver was suspicious as soon as he saw the invitation. "Bruce Wayne's annual fundraiser?" He examined the envelope carefully, searching for any clues of Anthrax or a bomb. Finding none he opened the letter and pulled out the thick-papered card. 'You're invited' it proclaimed on the top in loopy, gold letters. Underneath was the price of a ticket, $750, as well as the time, date, and place; as well as the number to RSVP. Oliver sat on the edge of his desk as he looked it over. "So Wayne thinks he can trick me?" That's what this invitation was: a trick.
He stood up and moved around to the other side to sit in his desk chair. Without letting go of the invitation in his left hand, he opened the top drawer on the right-hand side. Rest inside was Roy's discarded mask, four electronic bugs, and a small, almost unnoticeable camera. Almost unnoticeable. Anger built up inside of Oliver. "Batman thinks he's slick going through Wayne to spy on me." He crumpled the invitation up in his hand. "As if I'd trust those incompetent fools at the Gotham PD to actually find anything." In a way this was perfect. If Batman was hiding Roy anywhere in Gotham, Bruce Wayne would know somehow. This party, even if Bruce Wayne was the most annoying man on the planet, was a perfect opportunity to find out what Wayne knew about Roy's location.
"If he's in Gotham," Oliver muttered, smoothing the invitation out. Which Oliver highly doubted. He would've thought Roy would be in Central City with the Flash or in Metropolis with Superman. However, it had been 4 months and he'd found no trace of his missing ward and the Justice League wasn't giving away anything either. Oliver slammed the drawer of his desk shut. With Roy gone there was only so much he could to alleviate his anger. "This freaking kid is going to be the death of me." At this rate, it was almost proving to be more trouble than Roy was worth. "The League can't hide him forever. I will find him. When I do he's going to regret ever stepping foot outside of this house."
— —
The night before the party, Roy went to bed feeling numb. Upon finding out that Oliver was coming he'd had a panic attack that took Bruce a few minutes to talk him out of. Now he was curled up under his blankets. He tossed and turned, tangling himself up in his blankets. At some point he managed to fall asleep, only to be awoken by the door banging open. Roy shot up in bed, blinded when the light was suddenly turned on. "Wha-" His voice died in an instant when he saw Oliver standing in the doorway. "You-you can't be here."
"Did you really think that you could hide from me?" Oliver asked as he walked closer. He was wearing a hood that cast a shadow over his face. Combined with his mask, it gave Oliver's face a dark, unidentifiable look. "Did you really think I wouldn't find you?"
"Ollie- I-I can explain-"
"Roy!" Roy's face paled at the sound of Dick's voice. "Roy!" Oliver's head turned towards the sound of the boy's voice.
"No, don't hurt him!"
"Roy-" Dick stopped when he walked into the room and saw Oliver. Before either Dick or Roy could react Oliver pulled an arrow out of his quiver and shot it at Dick. Roy stopped breathing when the blood blossomed on Dick's shirt, quickly soaking into a large circle.
"No…" Roy whispered, unable to breathe. HIs muscles started working again and he darted forward. Oliver didn't move as he ran to his friend, merely following Roy with his head. He managed to grab Dick as he fell; effectively getting blood on himself. "Dick…" Dick didn't say anything as his eyes closed and he went limp against Roy. "No…Dick…" He set his friend down in the doorway, which was a little hard to do gently since he was shaking.
"Let's go," Oliver said darkly. He grabbed Roy's arm and dragged him out of the room. Roy didn't try to fight. He was numb, barely able to even feel the tight grip Oliver had on him. He stumbled over his own feet as he was dragged into the hall.
"You killed him…"
"You killed him." Oliver looked right at Roy, sending shivers down the teen's spine. "You know how I operate. You know I kill anyone who gets in my way, but you still hid behind them."
"No…"
"You let other people get hurt to keep yourself safe."
"No."
Despite the deep shadow over his face, Roy could see Oliver smiling. "You don't really care about people. You're just like me."
"…No…" Roy tried to back up, but Oliver's grip kept him close.
"Roy?" Bruce's voice brought relief to the terrified teen. Roy twisted around, but Bruce wasn't moving to help him.
"Bruce…" He breathed. "Bruce…help me…" Tears started forming in his eyes. "Please….please help…"
Bruce looked at Dick's body, then at Roy. He didn't take a step forward. "You killed him."
"No…"
"I took you in and you killed my son."
"I didn't-" Roy could barely form a coherent thought. "Bruce, please! Please don't let him take me!"
"Why should I help you?"
"Please! Please don't let him take me!"
"Come on," Oliver said, dragging Roy back.
"Please, Bruce! Please! I don't want to go back! I don't want to go back with him!" He was crying and probably hyperventilating, but he didn't care. "Bruce I'm sorry! I'm sorry please don't let him take me!"
"Roy!"
"Please! I'll be good, I promise! I"ll behave!"
"Roy wake up!"
"I'll do anything, please!"
"Shut up!" Ollie snapped at Roy, slamming him into a wall. The momentum caused Roy's eyes to close for a moment. He opened his eyes and he was back in his bed. He realized he couldn't move and he couldn't breathe. 'Oh my god I'm dying! I'm dying!'
"Roy," Bruce said. "You need to calm down." He put his hands on Roy's face to draw his attention. "Roy look at me. Look at me. In…Out…In…Out…In…Out…" Roy tried to follow Bruce's instructions, but his brain wasn't comprehending the concept of breathing. "In…Out…In…Out…In…Out…You can do it. Nice and easy. In…Out…In…Out…" It took 15 minutes before Roy's breathing was somewhat under control. Roy looked around. Dick was kneeling on his bed, staring at him worriedly. Bruce was sitting on the edge of the mattress, looking stoic but tense. He looked down at himself and saw that he was tangled in a web of his blankets and sheets.
"Roy are you ok?" Dick asked.
"I…" Roy didn't know. His voice was hoarse, almost foreign to his own ears.
"Hold still." Dick carefully started pulling the blankets free, carefully unwinding them from Roy's limbs. Bruce helped, once again feeling out of his element and completely useless. Unfortunately, this was a feeling he was getting used to. They managed to get Roy free and he automatically pulled his legs up to his chest. "It's ok Roy, it was just a dream." Roy didn't say anything. He just buried his face in his legs.
"I'm sorry," Roy mumbled almost incoherently. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, you didn't do anything wrong."
Bruce looked at the clock. 4:30 am. He'd dropped Dick off at home 3 hours ago and just gotten him from patrol himself a mere half an hour ago. Dick scooted up next to Roy and wrapped an arm around him. He kept reassuring Roy to try and get him to calm down. 'Sadly I don't think we're getting any more sleep,' Bruce thought. Which was unfortunate because the party was that night. Gentle footsteps tapped the floor behind him.
"Master Bruce?" Alfred asked. "I take it Master Roy had a nightmare?"
"More like a night terror."
"I take it then we are all up for the morning?"
"Yes."
"I shall make some hot chocolate for them then."
"I'll…I'll come with you. I could use some coffee." Bruce stood up and look down at Roy. He was still curled up in a tight ball with Dick's small arm draped over his shoulders. "I'm not exactly a big help here." He followed Alfred downstairs to the kitchen while Dick kept talking quietly. His footsteps were heavy and his shoulders were slumped. He wasn't tired per say; he was just…unsure.
"Something on your mind Master Bruce?" Alfred asked him.
"Nothing."
"Sir one of these days, you shall say that and will believe you. However," he placed a cup of coffee in front of Bruce. "today is not that day."
"It really is nothing Alfred." Alfred gave him a look. "When Roy was having his nightmare he…he was shouting Alfred."
"That's hardly unusual sir."
Bruce took a deep breath. "Please help." Alfred froze and looked at him. "I don't want to go back with him." He looked at Alfred. "Bruce I'm sorry. I'm sorry please don't let him take me." His first tightened. "I'll be good, I promise. I'll do anything."
"Master Bruce-"
"I'm bringing Oliver Queen into my home tonight. He beat Roy and I'm bringing him here."
"Sir, we both know you did everything you had to."
"My excuse for everything I do that ends with Roy getting hurt."
"Master Bruce, I have the utmost confidence that you'll keep Master Roy safe tonight."
"He thinks I'd just let Queen take him. That I wouldn't help him. Am I really that much of a monster?"
"You are not a monster. Oliver Queen is the monster. Focus on helping Master Roy get through tonight. One obstacle at a time sir." Bruce nodded. "Now, I shall take the boys their hot chocolate."
"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce took another sip of his coffee and sighed. The next 18 hours should be interesting for sure. He finished his coffee, then got showered and changed. It was close to 6 by the time he was back downstairs. Roy and Dick were at the table eating breakfast when he walked in. Well, Dick was eating; Roy was picking at his food, only putting the tiniest morsels into his mouth. He was a little pale, but looked awake enough.
"Are you eating Master Bruce, or shall I just assume you'll be running solely on coffee today?" Alfred asked, handing him a cup.
"Just coffee is fine Alfred. I have a lot to do."
"Of course sir. Master Dick, Master Roy, after breakfast I expect you two cleaned up and dressed after you eat.
"Ok Alfie," Dick replied. He noticed Roy had barely touched his food. "Aren't you hungry Roy?"
"Not really…" Roy mumbled.
"Can you at least eat one bite?"
Roy lifted his fork and forced a small bite of food into his mouth. He swallowed with difficulty. "There."
"One more."
"Dick…"
"You did one, you can do another."
Roy sighed. For some reason, the fork felt kind of heavy in his hand as he picked up another small piece of egg. He forced it into his mouth and down his throat. "Done."
"One more bite."
"Dick, I"m really not hungry."
"One bite won't kill you."
It wasn't death Roy was afraid of. All of his muscles felt too weak to lift even his fork and his stomach felt shoveled up to the point that no food could fit in it. "Why?" The question left his mouth before he could even really register it. His breath hitched and his heart rate sped up considerably. Dick, however, didn't seem to notice as he continued to eat his own breakfast.
"We have a busy day today. You'll need energy."
"Nor do I want anyone else in this house skipping meals," Alfred told them. "However, Master Dick should know better than to try and force you to eat." Dick looked down at his plate. "If you're done Master Roy, then I suggest you get cleaned up and dressed."
"Yes Alfred," Roy said. He took his plate into the kitchen, then went upstairs to his bedroom. He made his bed, one of the few chores he was given, smoothing out the blankets neatly. He took a hot shower, happy to wash off the cold sweat left over from his nightmare. He did his best to keep his mind off what was coming. Oliver was in Gotham. In less than 12 hours he'd be in the Manor. Roy swallowed and took deep breaths. He'd always found showers to be relaxing. Then again, any place where Oliver hadn't hurt him was relaxing. He got dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants since all he was doing most of the night was sitting down in the Bat Cave. During the day he wanted to burn off steam.
"Roy," Bruce said from the teen's bedroom.
Roy opened his bathroom door. "Hi."
"You look…better."
Roy ducked his head. "I'm sorry I disturbed you earlier."
"You didn't, I hadn't even gone to bed yet."
There was a moment of tense silence. "Did you…need something?"
"No, I just…wanted to check on you."
"Oh…." Another silence. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Even more silence. "Try not to worry about tonight."
"I'll….try."
"I know you're scared, but it has to be this way. If I do anything to make Oliver more suspicious, he might do something stupid and drastic like breaking in. If he did that we wouldn't have time to hide you." Yeah, that didn't terrify Roy or anything. "Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good." Then more silence.
"Are…can I go?"
"Go where?"
"Just to the gym. If that's ok."
"Of course, that's fine. We'd have a lesson today, but I have work to do before the party."
"It's ok, I understand."
Bruce stepped aside to let Roy pass. Roy slipped past him and walked quickly down to the gym. He knew Alfred was cleaning more intensively than normal due to the party, as he had been for the past few days, but today most of it was being focused on the rooms where the guests would be. The ballroom, the dining room, the foyer, the den. Bruce's study was off-limits, which Roy figured was supposed to make him feel better. Once inside the gym, Roy hesitated for a only a second before going over to his punching bag. Bruce had gotten him a punching bag that was much better suited to his own size and strength. He stepped to it and didn't hesitate before punching it. He punched and kicked the bag with preciseness. The bag moved only slightly with the force of the blows. It wasn't the psychical act of hitting that Roy needed it was just movement. He could focus on making sure his punches and kicked were correct and how much force he was using so he didn't think about the party.
After a while, his fists started to ache a little bit from the hitting though, so he stepped away from the punching bag. Roy was slightly out of breath as he walked over to the mats. Normally he only practiced acrobatics with Dick around, but his young friend was off doing who knew what. Probably helping to get ready for the party in some way. Roy put his arms up and threw himself into a handstand. He helped himself up, keeping his back and legs aligned. He couldn't point his feet up as straight as Dick could, but he gave it a valiant effort. He dropped his legs down so his back was arched and his feet were flat on the floor. He pulled his feet back up and put them back down in front of himself. He pushed himself into a standing position. He did a handspring and landed easily on his feet. The next couple of hours were spent flipping, somersaulting, and other various acrobatic moves. He kept his mind focused on what every muscle and body part was supposed to be doing. In smoothly transitioning from one to the next. He was so engrossed that he didn't notice Alfred come in.
"Very good Master Roy." Roy fell out his handstand in surprise. "You are making excellent progress."
"Thanks, Alfred."
"I would suggest you get cleaned up…again. You and Master Dick should eat, then you must retire downstairs."
"Yes, Alfred." Another quick shower and a fresh change of clothes later, Roy was eating lunch in the dining room with Dick.
"What were you doing?" Dick asked Roy.
"Working out in the gym. What were you doing?"
Dick made a face. "Listening to Bruce practice his speech."
"His speech?"
"Yeah, the speech where he thanks everyone for coming and talks about what the charity does that's getting the money and how great it is that so many people showed up and gave money."
"Does he do this every year?"
"Yeah. This year the money is going to organizations that help kids from abusive homes."
Roy froze. "Really?"
"Yup."
Huh. Well then. Roy finished eating quickly and went upstairs. He grabbed a book, then joined Dick in the study. Bruce was there as well, looking over some papers. He looked up when Roy came in. "Ready?" he asked.
Roy nodded. "Yes."
"The night will go by before you know it," Dick assured Roy as Bruce moved the hands on the grandfather clock. They followed him downstairs to the cave. "You'll be safe down here."
"Right," Roy whispered.
Once they got down there, Bruce went over to the Bat-computer and quickly made sure Roy couldn't get into the files. Not that he really expected Roy to go snooping around through the Bat-computer, but he still didn't want to take the chance. He brought various feeds from cameras placed around the house. "OK Roy, you can watch everything here. We're securing the entrance just in case, but no one has any knowledge that this exists and everyone should be staying out of my study anyways."
"Ok…"
Bruce could tell this wasn't reassuring to Roy. "No one will find you down here, Roy. Oliver won't find you. I promise, you'll be perfectly safe."
"O-Ok."
Bruce nodded. "Alright. Just…try to stay calm, ok? The night will be over before you know it."
"Ok…"
"Good luck," Dick said quietly, giving Roy's hand a squeeze.
Roy sat down and watched Dick and Bruce go back upstairs. He sighed and looked at the monitors. Alfred was directing the caterers on where to put the food. "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."
— —
The book helped a little. It gave him something to focus on. As it got later though, Roy found it harder and harder to focus on the book. At one point he found himself re-reading the same page four times. He sighed and slammed the book shut. This was just getting tedious. The time read '7:00'. People would be arriving any minute now. The entrance opened and Roy turned around.
"Nice outfit," he told Dick.
"Shush," Dick said with a frown. "I hate wearing my suit."
"You look ridiculous."
"Good, because I feel ridiculous." Dick set a plate of food down. "Stole this from the caterers."
"Thanks."
"Wish I could stay down here with you."
Roy did too. "I'm sure the party will be fun."
"Highly doubtful. They're always boring. Pretty much everyone coming is an adult."
"No other kids?"
"Depends on the function. With this party, it's hit or miss."
"Do you know if any are coming tonight?"
"No clue. Maybe the Drakes will bring their son. He's really young, but he's cool. Really smart too." He sighed dramatically. "I'd better get upstairs before Bruce notices I'm gone."
"He's probably already noticed."
"You're probably right. I'll be back down here as soon as the party is over. Promise."
"OK." Dick went back upstairs and Roy turned to his plate of food. He picked at it a little bit, but his stomach felt like it couldn't handle any food at the moment. He forced himself to eat a couple of small bites, but nothing more. It wasn't long after that until guests started arriving. Roy managed to calm down a little bit as he watched the men and women dressed in the fanciest clothes he'd ever seen. He couldn't hear what anyone was saying though, so he could only watch them talk and drink. His eyes strayed back to the camera in the foyer and his chest constricted. His heart started thumping and paralyzing fear started creeping through his brain. Oliver had just arrived.
— —
Upstairs, Dick was working his way through the room with ease. As much as he hated these parties, and he really did hate them with a burning passion, he was always a hit at these events. The ladies loved to gush over him, telling him cute he was and pinch his cheeks. Even though deep inside he wanted to smack their ridiculously jeweled hands away, he smiled and told them all how pretty they were in their dresses. (Some who he knew were of the even wealthier variety got a 'You're the prettiest woman in here' for good measure.) The men were a different matter. They were usually polite, not nearly as adoring as their wives and girlfriends. They'd ask Dick about school and his grades. Sometimes the nicer, older men would tell him he looked very handsome in his suit. Dick responded with polite questions about their health and children, many of whom he went to school with. (Those who he knew were more affluent all got a compliment on their businesses and charity donations.) He was just talking to a woman who might've been flirting with Bruce at the last party, when he caught sight of Oliver. A dark look flashed his face, but he quickly banished it.
"Excuse me, ma'am," Dick said, stepping away. He let himself blend into the crowd for once happy about his small size.
"Master Dick," Alfred said, setting a hand on his shudder gently, effectively stopping him in his tracks. "I do believe you were instructed to stay away from Mr. Queen."
"I wasn't going to go near him."
"Of course not."
"Besides, aren't we supposed to keep an eye on him?"
"Which you can do from across a room."
"I can't, I'm short."
"Stay away from Mr. Queen, Master Dick."
Dick huffed. "Fine." He watched as Bruce approached Oliver. "Bruce has it handled anyway. For now."
"Indeed." Alfred glanced off to the side where a small group of reporters, the 5 who had been grant permission to cover the event, were standing. One, in particular, a man with black hair and glasses. "Let's just hope Master Bruce remembers he can't punch Mr. Queen here."
Over on the other side of the room, Bruce was using every single ounce of self-control he had not to break Oliver's hand. "How've you been Oliver?" he asked casually.
"I've had better times," Oliver responded. "One day at a time."
"I don't think I ever told you, but I'm sorry about Roy."
"Thank you."
"Do the police have any leads?"
Oliver sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Commissioner Lance has been dodging my calls lately."
"I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Sure. Oh god." Bruce didn't have time to ask before Lex Luthor appeared at his side.
"Evening Oliver, Bruce," Luthor said before taking a sip of his champagne.
"So glad you could make it," Bruce said politely, not really meaning it.
"Lex," Oliver said with a nod.
'Of course, the two of them are on a first name basis,' Bruce thought, taking a sip of his own drink. Standing there with the two villains made him extremely exhausted. No one else, except maybe Clark, understood how tiring it was to control yourself around people who you knew deserved to be punched.
"Quite the party Bruce," Luthor said. "Where is the money going again?"
"The Wayne Foundation will be distributing it among three different organizations that help kids from abusive homes." He definitely didn't miss the muscle that twitched in Oliver's jaw.
"How noble." Luthor glanced around, then lowered his voice. "Speaking of which, have I told you two what happened when I was attacked by Green Arrow?"
"If I wanted to gossip, Lex, I'd with the women," Oliver complained.
"This is hardly gossip Oliver. Gossip implies everyone else knows and trust me, no one else would know this."
"Dazzle us then."
Luther smirked. "You've heard the rumors about Green Arrow's little sidekick going missing, right? Oliver, you must've heard."
"I've heard rumors yes."
"What about it?" Bruce asked carefully.
"When I was attacked by Green Arrow, Superman came and got rid of him. Afterward, he told me that the reason Green Arrow's sidekick was gone was that the Justice League had taken him."
'Clark better be ready to search for kryptonite on the Watchtower for hours,' Bruce thought irritably.
"Is that so?" Oliver asked.
"Straight from the boy scout himself," Luthor confirmed. "What's more, the reason the League took him? Apparently, Green Arrow was abusing the boy."
Bruce got some satisfaction to how stiff and uncomfortable Oliver suddenly got. "I'm glad they intervened then," he said, taking another sip of his drink.
"Did he tell you where the Justice League is keeping the boy?" Oliver asked.
"No, but I really don't care. Honestly, I hate that murderous archer. If he drops dead tomorrow I wouldn't care."
"That makes two of us," Bruce agreed. God the situation was so bizarre he was agreeing with Lex Luthor.
"The Justice League took a boy who's under-aged, that's kidnapping," Oliver said. "That's a crime. Don't you think that would make the Justice League hypocrites?"
"I suppose," Luthor said.
"Hypocrites or not, no child should be abused by a trusted adult," Bruce argued, trying very hard not to Bat glare. "The League did the right thing."
"I think it should be up to the adult in question to decide what's best for the child," Oliver responded.
"Are condoning child abuse, Oliver? The senseless beating of a helpless child by a full grown adult?"
"I'm not condoning anything Wayne. Don't put words in my mouth."
"Really? It sure sounded like that to me."
"What about you? Are you condoning kidnapping?"
"If Speedy was being abused, I'd be more apt to call it a rescue."
"Kidnapping is kidnapping."
"And abuse is abuse."
"Excuse me, gentlemen," Clark Kent said. "I'm so sorry for interrupting, but I was wondering if I could I talk to you, Mr. Wayne?"
"Of course Mr. Kent. Luthor, Oliver, excuse me." Bruce stepped away and followed Clark away from the other two men. "What do you want Kent?"
"Excuse me for saving your skin."
"I don't need you to save me," Bruce hissed angrily.
"Oh yeah?" The stopped on the far side of the room and Clark took out his pen and notebook so he could pretend to take notes. "I heard your conversation, Bruce."
"Congratulations, you have super hearing."
"I could hear your heart rate too. You were going to end up punching Oliver."
"I was not."
"We both know you were."
"He deserves it."
"I'm not saying he doesn't."
"For the record, this wouldn't have come up if you hadn't told Lex Luthor," he emphasized the name, "about what was going on."
"I told him about how much of a bastard Green Arrow is, sue me."
"Don't tempt me."
"Just keep your cool."
"Don't lecture me."
Clark smiled. "At some point, I still need that interview."
"You know me, just make something up. Or go interview Dick, he'd love it."
"I'm sure he would."
Bruce left Clark so he could continue to mingle and chat up people most likely to give charitably. He positioned himself so he could watch Oliver. It was smart to keep his distance so he didn't punch the man, but they needed to watch Oliver for any suspicious activity. 'Maybe he'll give me a reason to throw him out.'
— —
The hours seemed to drag to the point that they feel like days. Roy managed to keep himself from freaking out, but it was kind of close at times. 'In…Out…In…Out…' he cadenced in his head, forcing his breathing to follow the steady rhythm. He watched the cameras the whole time, never taking his eyes off Oliver's location. It was strange in a way he couldn't describe. This was his first time seeing his guardian in about four months. Honestly, he hadn't really changed that much. Physically at least. He was smiling as he talked to women and clearly attempted to charm them, but that smile just made Roy uneasy.
'He's clearly not losing sleep over you being gone,' a voice in his head whispered.
"That's because he doesn't care about me," Roy reminded himself.
Everyone once in a while Dick would get close to Oliver, making Roy nervous, but he never came into direct contact with Oliver, so it was ok. For the most part, Oliver seemed to stay in the ballroom and foyer. However, towards the end of the night, Roy was watching Dick when his gaze ventured back to where he'd last seen Oliver. Except Oliver was now gone. Panic gripped Roy's mind as he searched the different cameras to find him. When he did though it didn't make him feel any better. Oliver was in Bruce's study. Roy's breathing started getting shallower and quicker. 'How did he get in there?! Didn't-Didn't Bruce lock that door?!' Roy backed away from the Bat-computer it like was going to hurt him, but his eyes never left the screen. 'He's going to find me! He's going to find me! He's going to find me!'
Oliver looked around the space, moving carefully and deliberately. "He knows I'm here! He knows I'm here! He knows I'm here!" Roy started shaking to the point that he couldn't stop. Oliver suddenly looked around and his gaze landed right on the camera. Looking into his eyes Roy was suddenly overcome with helplessness and fear. "Ah!" he screamed, scrambling away. He crawled backward, still watching the screen intently. "He's going find me… He's going to find me…" Roy was in such a blind panic that he didn't notice Oliver had moved away from the camera. His chest was constricting and his mind had gone on a loop of pure panic. "I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back." He curled up into a ball on the floor. "I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back-"
Upstairs in the study, Oliver froze when a tiny voice behind him said, "You're not supposed to be in here." He turned around to find Wayne's ward standing in the doorway. "No one is allowed to be in here."
"I was just getting some air."
"Inside?"
"Away from people."
"Then go outside."
Oliver frowned. "You should show your elders some respect."
Dick bit back an 'only if they deserve my respect'. He huffed. "You're the one who's trespassing."
"I was invited here."
"Not into this room."
"Listen here, kid-"
"Bruce!" Dick called, never taking his eyes off Oliver.
"Fine, you little-"
"If I were you I wouldn't finish that sentence," Bruce warned him, suddenly appearing behind the kid. The kid smirked at him. "This room is off limits, Queen."
"I was just stepping away from the party for a minute."
"And breaking into my personal study?"
"Trespassing," Dick nodded.
"Shut up you little-" Oliver hissed, but Bruce intervened.
"You can't talk to him like that," Bruce said darkly. He kept a firm grip on Dick's shoulder, ready to move him away from Oliver if necessary. "I think you should leave." He stared Oliver in the eye, as if daring the other man to challenge him.
"Fine."
"Dick, go re-join the party while I show Mr. Queen out."
Dick nodded and left, but not before giving Oliver a dirty look. He slipped away before Oliver could react though, and Bruce had his hand gripping Oliver's arm, so he couldn't follow the self-righteous 10-year-old. "There's no need to escort me."
"I think it'd be for the best." Thankfully most people were in the ballroom waiting for Bruce to give his speech, so the foyer was mostly empty. He opened the front door, happy to have a reason to throw Oliver out. "It's one thing to send the police to my home, it's another to go snooping through my stuff."
"I know you're involved," Oliver growled. "You know where Roy is."
"I'd be careful before you start accusing me of kidnapping Queen. I can and will ruin you."
"You don't scare me, Wayne. You have something to do with Roy going missing."
"You're crazy."
"Besides me, you were the last person to see him. You know where he is."
"You're just grieving. We both know statistically what the chances are that the police won't find Roy alive."
"He's alive. I know he is and you have something to do with it."
"Can you prove it?"
"No."
"Then you have nothing. We both know what a bastard you are Queen. Stop pursuing your conspiracy theories and leave me alone."
Oliver jerked out of his grip. "I'm watching you, Wayne." He stomped off and Bruce had to take great care not to slam the door. It took a couple of deep breaths to keep himself calm before he gave his speech. Luckily he needed to take a quick detour to lock the study door again. As he walked into the ballroom to give his speech he tried not think about how terrified Roy must've been. Unfortunately, they couldn't go check on Roy without arousing suspicion. So he read his speech, thanking people for coming and giving money, doing his best not to wonder if Roy was having a panic attack or a flashback. That got significantly harder when he talked about the need for support for children who'd been abused and talked about the kind of challenges that those children can face. It made him feel like a hypocrite.
The party seemed to drag after that. Every minute that passed felt like 10. Bruce had Clark keeping an eye out to make sure Oliver didn't try to sneak back in (if the Boy Scout was going to be here he was going to be he was going to be useful) and Dick thankfully wasn't trying to sneak off. When the guests finally started to leave he didn't miss Dick trying to sneak off down the hall. He caught the boy's eye and gave him a nod. It was late enough he could tell people that Dick had gone to bed, and most people were gone always. He spent the next hour saying goodbye to his guests, thanking them graciously for their donations.
"I can oversee the cleanup sir," Alfred said.
"Thank you, Alfred, I'll be in my study."
"Of course sir."
Bruce made a beeline for his study. He stopped just looking enough to put the checks he collected in the safe before he went downstairs. Bruce wasn't really sure what he expected to see, but it wasn't Dick kneeling on the ground next to Roy, who was curled up on the ground in a ball.
"He won't stop shaking," Dick said as Bruce joined them. Roy was shaking like he was freezing, but his skin felt only slightly cold when Bruce touched it.
"Roy," he said. "Roy it's ok." Roy didn't say anything. He didn't even acknowledge them.
"Come on Roy." Dick shook Roy's shoulder gently. "It's ok, Oliver is gone."
Bruce caught a smear of red on Roy's wrist. He reached out gently and pulled Roy's towards himself. The fact that Roy was completely limp and didn't fight was extremely concerning. "Oh, Roy…" Roy's hand and forearm were covered in bite marks. Some of them had broken the skin.
"Bruce. Look." With Roy's arm moved Dick could see his face. It was covered in scratches. Most of them were bleeding, covering his face in blood. Roy's eyes were wide and unfocused.
"Roy," Bruce said as he and Dick pulled him into a sitting position. He moved in front the teen as Dick kept him upright. "Roy are you ok?"
"Come on Roy, say something."
Bruce put his hand on Roy's shoulder, half-hoping he'd pull away. "Come on Roy. Oliver is gone. It's ok." Roy still didn't say anything. "Dick go get something to clean his blood with." Dick nodded and ran towards the Bat cave's infirmary. While he was gone Bruce shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Roy. He was still shaking, and deep down Bruce knew he wasn't cold, but he didn't know what else to do. "Roy, Oliver doesn't know you're here. He didn't find you and he's gone now."
Dick returned and Bruce took a swab from him. He gently started wiping the blood from Roy's arm and Dick wiped his face. Luckily the bite marks weren't that bad, even the ones that had broken the skin. "It's ok Roy," Dick said to his unresponsive friend. "It's ok now." He finished Roy's face and grabbed a new swab so he could do the other arm. Once it was clean he gently put the arm around his shoulders and leaned into Roy's side. "It's ok Roy. You're safe."
Roy finally reacted, swallowing. "I'm sorry…"
"It's ok," Bruce said, still very concerned. Roy's gaze was still slightly unfocused and the shaking hadn't stopped. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."
"He-he was here…. He was here and I just…." Roy couldn't even explain his own behavior.
"You don't have to explain yourself." If Roy had been like that since Oliver broke into the study…. Bruce felt like a terrible person. He could hear soft footstep coming down the stairs to the bat cave. He stood up to see Clark giving him a worried look. "What'd you want?" he asked as he approached.
"I just wanted to see if Roy was ok," Clark said. He cast a look over at the red-haired teen. "Clearly he's not."
"Oliver broke into my study. Roy must've thought he'd be discovered."
"So that's why you threw him out."
"I shouldn't have brought Oliver here."
"You did what you had to."
"Explain that to Roy. He scratched up his own face and bit himself."
"You're doing a good job, Bruce."
"Go home, Clark."
Clark nodded. "Alfred told me to tell you it's safe for Roy to come up."
"Good, he needs to get some sleep." Although Bruce doubted Roy would actually sleep. Clark went back upstairs while Bruce watched Dick help Roy stand. He was impressed that despite the fact that Dick was half Roy's size he supported the teenager admirably.
"You're safe Roy," Dick said gently. "Oliver didn't find you. You're safe." Luckily it looked like Roy's shaking had just about stopped.
Bruce followed the two of them up the stairs into the manor. "Are you all set taking him upstairs?"
"I got this."
"Ok. go slow."
Dick nodded and guided Roy to the stairs, still talking gently. Alfred passed them on his way into the study, giving Roy a worried look. "So Master Roy didn't fare so well?" he asked as Bruce rubbed his face.
"Oliver broke into the study, so no."
"It was a difficult situation."
"We have to do something Alfred."
"Sir?"
"He's still so… We need to do something more to help."
"What would you suggest sir?"
Bruce considered it. "You know my idea. I think it's time to discuss it with Roy."
"I support this sir, but only if you're certain it will help."
"It will. The League won't like it, but we don't have many options."
"Then it appears we must act. Shouldn't you at least warn Master Dick?"
"No, I don't want him to know until I know what Roy wants to do. I don't want Dick influencing him either way."
"A wise decision sir."
"I'll talk with Roy tomorrow. We'll see what he says."
Meanwhile, Dick returned to Roy's room after getting his PJs on. Having already been in sweats, Roy didn't really need to change. Which was good because his brain still wasn't working at full capacity. "Come on Roy, you need to sleep," Dick said. He turned off the light and pulled the blankets over the two of them. He snuggled up next to Roy. "You ok?"
Roy took a breath. "I don't know…"
"That's ok."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, Dick. I can't control my own behavior or reactions. It's not ok."
"You'll get better."
"What if I don't? What if I'm just this…helpless and scared forever?"
"Bruce, Alfred, and I will still be here for you if you are." Roy didn't say anything. "Try to sleep. You really need it." Dick was tired himself, but he stayed awake to wait for Roy's breathing to eventually even out. He smiled to himself as rested his head against Roy's shoulder. "It's ok Roy," he whispered. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I'm here. I'll protect you. I promise."