Hey! It seems like the flashback worked (although I only got one review... thx Bobby Corwen!), so I'll try to have one at the beginning of every chapter. Except, this chapter is more flashback than non-flashback... Ah well.
I'm dead tired, so let's get this over with: I own zilch!
The other children, Dick soon found out, were not the biggest threat here. Yes, they were casually cruel, tossing out insults and scathing remarks on a daily basis. Yes, they were responsible for the majority of his all-too-frequent injuries, and for the nights that he couldn't sleep from the pain. But really, they were just the most visible evil. The real killer was hunger.
Like in most things, the orphanage gave little thought to their charges' nutrition. A serving of over-cooked oatmeal was given to each child every morning, but that was essentially it. It was hardly enough to stave off the hunger pangs, and certainly not enough to fuel a growing boy.
At first, Dick didn't know what to do about it, so he waited. He watched the other boys, and couldn't see anyone eating at the orphanage. Three days into his stay, Dick followed a group of boys out into the streets of Gotham. He didn't know what he'd expected; a soup kitchen? Some sort of food bank?
As it turned out, there were two main food sources for orphans in Gotham. You could dumpster-dive, a concept that at once seemed both repulsive and increasingly appealing. Or, you could steal.
Dick didn't want to steal. From day one (or three), he promised himself that he wouldn't sink that low. He'd been raised to believe that it was wrong, and when he'd already lost his parents, he refused to lose their morals as well. But even with his forays into the city's trashcans, Dick wasn't getting enough food.
It was a testament to his strength of will that he lasted a month before giving in.
YJYJYJYJ
Robin liked working with Young Justice. He really did. They helped people, it was a chance to get out of Gotham, and he got to 'enjoy' a lighter atmosphere than was present between him and the Bat. So really, he liked working with them.
It was just that he preferred working with Batman infinitely more.
"Why do I have to go in with them?" he asked in a tone bordering on plaintive.
"Because I told you to."
"But it's in Gotham!"
"They did fine with you last night."
"But you couldn't be there! Now you can!"
"Are you suggesting that I would deny budding heroes a learning experience?" Batman asked, leaning back in his chair with an unholy gleam in his eyes.
"…No…" Robin muttered, "but I am suggesting you're possessive."
Bruce didn't honor that with a response.
Next chapter we find out what the deal is... Review! It'll make me happy!
Oh, and I don't have a beta, so any input on grammatical errors is good. I can't stand it when I read stuff with mistakes, so let me know so I can fix it!
