Disclaimer: Can you imagine all the things you could make up without watching TV? Neither can i. Hence why I have fanfiction online and not actual original works out yet. *Sigh* Well DC owns young Justice. I just wanna see these things happen to them. Think they read minds?

Okay, now we're gonna see exactly what the differences are between the two worlds, mission wise. The League's reaction to the info is in the next chapter. More references to other works of mine! And to answer one review (I don't remember who's) Oops. Not gonna change injustice society to League any time soon though. I think in the comics it was more often society, right? =/

Also running some one shots when I can't think too much on this guy anymore. =P

Without Me

Ch. 8 – Lessons Learned

"Kid, please!" Flash begged for what seemed the hundredth time. "Get down from there!"

Dick rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh. Flash was always worrying over the high wire stunts he'd pull, and always begging him to stop doing such crazy things, even in his world. It was only a few summersaults on parallel bars, some jumps and flips through the air above them, then catching the rings for a few more turns. And when he felt like resting, all he had to do was sit on the top bar. Usually though, he just hung upside down from it, just to scare whoever was watching.

And scaring Flash was always amusing. "How many times do I have to say it for you to get a clue? I'm a professional. Been doing this since I was three. Besides," Dick threw himself into another backwards flip, grabbing the other bar and turning perfectly on it to land his feet on top. He stood perfectly balanced on the bar, crossing his arms chidingly. "This is the only way to keep up with Batman. I've defied gravity and beaten death so many times in Gotham, it'd make your head turn."

"Does your Batman really let you get away with all those crazy stunts of yours?" Flash was at wit's end watching him, and it was funny to see him panic.

"So long as I stay out of the dinosaur."

"What?" Oh the confusion and desperation on the man's face was priceless. Just too good.

Dick gave one of his wicked laughs, unable to hide his mirth. "Inside joke. No, Bruce is so used to me doing these stunts it doesn't phase him any more. He's the one who said I was a pro when I was nine."

"A pro at nine?" If Flash wasn't wearing lenses over his eyes, Dick knew the man's eyes would be bursting out of their sockets. So he decided to prove, probably for the hundredth time, just how good of an acrobat he was. He leaned back slightly to fall off the bar, but caught it just before it came out of reach. He threw himself forward and caught his legs on the other bar. Quickly he turned off of it and flew forwards to the largest pile of mats he had set up. He turned into a quadruple flip and landed in a crouch onto the mats, just barely past Flash's position. For extra flare, Dick turned into a cartwheel backwards and stopped upright just inches in front of the man.

"Yep. At nine. Don't hold back the applause. I do this merely for your enjoyment." Flash took a step back in surprise as the boy bowed dramatically. A grin reached from ear to ear on his face. "Thank you for being such a wonderful audience."

The speedster just gaped at him. "Circus indeed."

Dick kept his grin as he stood up straight, then grabbed his jacket and sunglasses before heading to the drinking fountain. He'd been at his routines and been showing off for well over three hours. Mostly he was showing off. His routines only took thirty minutes.

When Flash wasn't freaking out at his stunts, Dick told him of his team's other missions, and listened to the Leaguer's version here. They didn't know what happened at Santa Prisca, or in Bialya. They knew something was up, but hadn't a clue what. Learning about the Kobra Venom, and that the details on it were in Robin's computer helped them greatly. Apparently there was this new drug appearing on the streets and no one knew where it came from or what its uses were. Mystery solved.

Belle Reve was a disaster. The super powered villains had escaped and it made history. Each of the Leaguers were on alert trying to hunt the people down. Amanda Waller had died and Dr. Strange was in charge of the prison, now specially reinforced by LexCorp. Dick suspected there was something wrong about this arrangement, and apparently so did Batman. He wanted to put extra security measures into the place as well, but WayneTech swore off Luthor years ago. They couldn't work on the same project. Many of the former inmates were still at large.

The Injustice Society and their plants trying to take over the world bit was another problem the League faced alone. Apparently Batman rushed to make an attack team to do what his team had, this one called the Outsiders. Dick had heard of each of the members before and knew Bruce considered them for something else, but relaxed when he realized his team took care of his mentor's original plans. The Outsiders didn't do well fighting Joker and the rest. Half of them either died or went mad in the fight. They finished the mission though, and a memorial was set up for them. The society was no more.

What happened in India and the Brain was taken care of by the Doom Patrol thankfully. Their Beast Boy was the only known child hero on the planet. The lucky green kid.

When it came to the FOG, Flash had little answers. There were no known tech labs being attacked by some kind of mist. Whatever managed to keep those nanites at bay was a mystery. Dick suspected if he asked this Batman about it, he'd get his answers.

The League personally took down, and kept down, Amazo. The GPS in the machine was deactivated after the M.O.N.Q.I.s appeared. Ivo though escaped.

Everything else though, all the missions and stories Dick heard over the year, they were all mysteries. Flash hadn't heard any of them or never knew what the end results were after certain events. That Nelson was dead and Fate's helmet may or may not be in the hands of some psychotic 'magical' kid unnerved the man. Harm was a rumor in Manhattan, one no one could pin down quite yet. He never heard of these 'New Gods' Conner had met, nor did he know a thing about what took place in Atlantis.

But the incident in Taipei, that he did know about. Apparently they were looking into something related to it at that moment. Or rather, the moment Robin had arrived.

Once Dick had finished drinking from the fountain, he put his glasses back on, wondering what kind of case Batman was having the League look into. Knowing him, and since he didn't have a team to do the behind the scenes work they did, he'd be trying to press how important the investigation is before forcing the founders into doing something about it. Automatically Robin wanted in, a habit of his. Any mission he could prove he was Batman's equal was one for him. He'd follow the man anywhere if it meant another minute with him.

It took all of his self control not to trick Flash into telling him more about it. This wasn't his world. He should only be focused on finding a way home.

Still, he was certain he gave Flash, and whomever was watching and listening over the cameras there (likely Batman and maybe a few others), all the information he had to help them. J'onn was right. He still believed in the League. If they needed his help, he'd give it to them, gladly.

He just needed something to do until he got home.

Robin peaked over his glasses to the speedster. Maybe they could spar for a bit? He was pretty sure there wasn't much more he could tell them, at least in general. Maybe a few specifics on cases in Gotham, but really nothing else to do with the League. No, sparing with Flash probably wasn't a good idea. The man wasn't too keen on it in his world, and this Flash was still freaking out over his acrobatics. Imagining the face he'd make when he felt one of his punches was enough to make Robin snicker.

"What are you laughing at?" The speedster cocked his head, trying to contain his frantic parental feelings.

"Nothing. Well, nothing yet. Maybe another day. When you're less freaked out."

The man blinked. "Less freaked out? What, were you planning another dangerous stunt?"

"More or less." Robin grinned impishly as he walked back to the mats, stretching his arms. When he reached them, he started stretching his legs before picking one of them up to put them away. It was something he did every time he practiced in the cave, a habit he formed back with his parents. Stretching while putting everything away was just what he did.

"You're beginning to sound like Batman." Flash's eyes narrowed shrewdly. By now, Robin made it clear even though Batman had taken him in, he wasn't quite like the dark knight. Laughing and smiling were seemingly foreign concepts to the bat, but never to this bird.

Robin just shrugged as he pulled two mats over to the stack. He did a few slow flips to stretch out his back and stomach before taking the last of the mats over to the stack. "So," he started once they were neatly away, "any ideas on what to do next?"

The speedster shrugged. "Ummm… dinner?"

The boy gave him an are-you-kidding-me look before answering. "Way too early."

"A snack then?"

Robin rolled his eyes, wrapping his jacket around his waist for the time being. "If you're hungry, go ahead and get something to eat. I'll just hop into the library and find something I haven't gotten to yet. Meet you on the couch. Deal?"

Flash gave him a skeptical look, not sure if leaving the kid alone for five minutes was such a good idea. Robin didn't really blame him since he had kind of vanished earlier when he went into the gym. Difference was, he wasn't as depressed as he was before. He wasn't going to 'escape' and he wasn't going to curl up in a corner for a few minutes either. Robin had no reason to leave the cave, just to find something to do until he could get back home.

"Deal," the man answered with some hesitation. Robin nodded with a smile and the two of them left the gym to go their separate ways. Truth be told, Robin wanted to take a shower after his workout, but felt bad about having to change clothes twice in that day. Flash forgot to buy pajamas or an exercise outfit. He'd just have to endure until he went to bed that night. Maybe he could just wear boxers and one of the Batman shirts at night, and when he decided to do more routines the next day (if he was still there), he could just wear the Green Lantern one. Yeah, that'd work. Or not.

Once in the library, Robin found it hard not to remember the days when he and his friends would play cops and robbers there. Sure Roy was sixteen and Wally thirteen, but it was good practice, or so they told themselves. They brought nerf guns and everything. Wally shot Superman in the eye one time and Roy got Robin when he shot through J'onn. Both aliens had joined in after a minute, and somehow conned Diana and Hal into the game. Flash was disappointed he missed it. He and Green Arrow were in a meeting with Batman, and the second it was over, the dark knight found his ward to cart him back to Gotham. Robin had to hide the toy before it was confiscated. Batman didn't even like toy guns.

Idly, Robin checked his old hiding place to see if it was still there. Instead of his secret toy, he found someone's playboy, a small box of Oreos, and a flash ring. Apparently other leaguers felt they had to hide things sometimes there. But why the ring? Replacing the books hiding the spot, Robin shook his head. Playboy had to be Oliver's, and the Oreos had to do with J'onn. Those two were just so predictable.

Slowly Robin toured the library, scanning titles as he went. "Read it, read it, read it, sounds boring, read it, dullsville, read it, sheesh… did they copy Bruce's study or what?"

He gave a heavy sigh before finding the classics. They were on his school's reading list, so why not? Until he could get back home, school was pretty much out of the question. "Maybe I should pick up some textbooks while I'm at it," he muttered to himself. Dick Grayson may have skipped two grades and won a mathlete competition, but it wasn't because he was a natural. He studied hard, and he only studied because he wanted to be Robin. Sure when he was little he skipped a grade, but he did it back then to be with the circus more. Now he wanted to be Robin all the time. The faster school was over, the more time he'd have as Robin.

So he picked out two classic pieces of literature, then started hunting down textbooks. He managed to find a geometry book, an American history text, and a chemistry book before he decided it was enough. His teachers would be satisfied if he kept up with this much work. Even his English teacher who hated his plays on words would be satisfied if he kept up with his reading.

Robin gave a heavy sigh as he glanced at his stack. It was a lot more than he planned on, but at least it was something. Slowly he left the library and headed toward the common room where he promised Flash he would meet him. Knowing the man, he would be chasing after him in a minute or two. Robin just had to be headed there to be in the clear. Explaining how long it took with just mentioning school would be enough.

Sure enough, just as Robin was near the common room's threshold, Flash was starting to take off to find him. The man blinked in surprise. "I was…"

Robin raised his stack for the man to see. "Figured I should keep up my schooling while I'm here. Any spare notebooks hanging around?"

Flash gave the stack another look, taking in the titles. "Whoa. Kid, this is—"

"I'm a freshman. High school. Skipped third and sixth grade. Miracle really, considering how many days I miss." Robin bypassed Flash, making his way to the coffee table and setting his books down. No time like the present to learn something after all. "So are there any notebooks around here? I don't think I've ever seen any. Not unless we brought them for school work."

Flash almost seemed to gape at him, and Robin couldn't blame the man. He went from giggling acrobat to serious student in the blink of an eye. It was always fun to keep him guessing.

A/N: Two notes before I ramble: He's Robin when he's covering his eyes, and Dick when he's not. His somewhat wacko behavior comes from all the sugary food he had that morning. =P Gotta love him.

So yeah, the Outsiders. They're a real group in the DC comics originally made by Batman to help him get Lucius Fox to safety. They stay together for quite some time last I heard, dunno how long. All I know is the second group of outsiders is led by Nightwing and Arsonal, and they kinda do the whole black ops thing. So Dick as a kid hearing about the people Bats is thinking of making into a black ops group isn't that far fetched. But since they had to rush to get the help, the team didn't really become a team in time to watch each other's back here. So just a mention, no cameos. Look them up sometime.

And about Dick's schooling, I decided to get closer to reality on this one. He's 13, skipped two grades, and landed himself at Gotham Academy as a freshman in the series. This seems to be cannon. he won a mathlete, but that'd have to be in 8th grade. Freshmen don't study calculus! If he skipped another math class (and I read in the comics that numbers aren't Dick's thing) he'd be in geometry! I know, I took prealgebra in 7th grade. I had siblings done with math before their senior years. Now since he's east coast vs west coast, I can't say exactly what order his science or history classes would be in. Out west chemistry's for juniors, same with american history, so I'm still throwing him ahead via me. sad isn't it, but I wanted to have him working on something he'd really have to work on. From my freshman year, I remember taking a boring earth science class and no history. Sophomore - Biology and World history. Didn't want Dick looking through bio textbooks and I remember Chemistry equations were hard. Plus Dick does learn chemistry from batman to make cures and the like. So I thought this was pretty believable. Oh, and reason he hates missing school: usually means he'll have to make it up double later and miss out on being Robin.

Yes, I'm huge on education, but I'm no teacher. =P