A/N: My favourite word is 'Rendezvous' which I just remembered I originally heard from Young Justice. But my word of the day is 'Centric' as in Tim centric!
Kaldar and Tim exchanged looks, behind his new, well-fitting domino mask Tim raise an eyebrow at the tension that had surrounded the team since the first time he'd met them. "Well... I guess I'll just go find Robin.." Tim started walking in the direction Batgirl had just disappeared to.
"Wait Ti-Red Robin, I know Robin's still mad at Artemis and the others but this can't go on, it might affect missions. It could be a hazard."
Red Robin sighed "I'll talk to him, later when Batgirl and KF aren't there." Aqualad nodded thankfully as Tim left the room.
Tim thought about how he would approach Richard with the subject, but no ideas came to mind, he guessed he would just blurt it out and hope for the best. He typed in the code to Robin's room and was greeted by the bird, the bat and the speedster "Hey guys!"
Dick grinned and replied "Hey Red!" Robin had taken to calling him Red instead of his full superhero name Red Robin, it was less awkward that way. Tim was thinking of changing his name permanently to Red but Richard had told him he could be Robin when he changed names. Dick hadn't actually chosen a new name yet but he wanted it to be something cool like Batwing or Night Crawler or something (He refused point blank to be called Bat Boy, I guess it was too close to brat boy and after a life time of being called Boy Blunder by the Joker he wanted a name that was impossible to make fun of).
Batgirl had taken off her mask and was now Barbara Gordon "Okay so Robin, KF how was your last mission?"
Wally groaned "A disaster!" Then regretted it as he swung round to cut off Dick before he started up on dis and asters and whatever else.
"Heavy on the dis!" He looked Wally right in the eye as he said this knowing his butchering of the English language would annoy the older boy "Totally not feeling the aster!"
They talked for an hour eating snacks that Robin had stored in his room and sipping cups of lemonade from the mini-fridge but then Batgirl and Robins Bat Coms rang and while Batgirl's was a simple normal phone ring, Robin's was Batman's old theme song
'Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na BATMAN!'
Kid Flash did a spit-take and sputtered "Batman let you keep that as his ringtone?"
Robin brushed off the question and answered it still eating a cookie, Batgirl had put her mask on and sat next to him so they would be on one screen "Batman." Robin nodded professionally despite the cookie crumbs around his mouth.
Batman replied gruffly "Robin Batgirl," Commissioner Gordon came into view "Bane is back and usually I wouldn't bother you but he's working with Penguin and they've got hostages. So put the cookie down and get back to Gotham."
Robin stuffed the last of the cookie into his mouth and said, slightly muffled due to his full mouth, "We're on our way Bats." The screen went dark. "Well KF, Red; I guess we have to go."
KF huffed like a spoilt child"Yeah yeah, you always do this!" Then his tone changed completely "Don't die though."
Robin smiled "We won't." The two heroes raced from the room checking their gear as they did so and Zetad to Gotham appearing in an alleyway near the base of one of the many, many sky scrapers. They shot their grappling hooks in unison and went flying upwards, as the hooks disconnected from the building Robin did a back flip and landed in a fighting stance with a boa staff in his hand, while Batgirl spun round horizontally in mid air three times and landed next to Robin in a throwing position with two bat-a-rangs in her hands. They stood silent as the wind settled for a second for a cliché hero moment and they seemed to go into slow motions, Batgirl's red hair glittered in the wind and Robin's cape swayed dramatically, then they unfroze and separated.
The Commissioner stared at them and blinked not really knowing what he had just seen while Batman rolled his eyes under his masked and for once joked in front of the Commissioner "You two are so dramatic you might as well be Superman's protégés." Then he went serious again "Come on we've got a criminal duo to catch."
Batgirl placed her hands on her hips "I guess we're on hostage duty?" Batman nodded and then they all jumped off the building and followed Batman to Bane and Penguin's location feeling the wind whip their faces through the fabric partially covering their faces as they swung from building to building with ease.
LINE BREAK / BACK AT MOUNT JUSTICE / BACK TO ROBIN'S ROOM
Wally West and Timothy Drake sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes before KF finally asked "So... Red, did Rob tell you about how he wants to change names?"
"Yeah, he point blank refused Bat Boy."
Wally smirked "You said that too? You should have seen his face when Roy suggested it."
Tim chuckled "I wish I could have! Dick said when he did change names I could be The Robin. I guess he's planning on getting a new costume too." Wally smirked then he sped off and came back with some paper and pencils, five seconds later Wally had drawn a picture of Richard in a Batman costume. Tim snorted and rubbed away the cowl and replaced it with his classic Domino mask. "Much better."
Just then M'gann came in "I saw Robin and Batgirl rush out of here a while ago so I thought I'd join you two, is that okay?"
Wally sent her a flirtatious smile "Sure beautiful, just take a seat we're just drawing up Robin's new costume!"
Megan ignored his flirting and looked at the paper in Tim's hands, she stared at it for a second thinking hard "Something's not right..." then she gasped and whacked her head lightly "Hello Megan! It's so obvious!" She grabbed a rubber and proceeded to rub out the cape so it was just a one piece suit "Okay there!"
Tim clicked his fingers "He needs a different emblem he can't use that one, that's Batman's." He tried to draw a bird on the chest and Wally laughed at his sad attempt "I'd like to see you do better!"
"Okay, I will!" he took the paper and drew a waaaay better bird and coloured it bright blue to contrast with the black of the suit. He looked smugly at Tim "You were saying."
"Shut up Wallace." He took the paper back and adjusted the collar so it was higher "This is the best costume ever! Except from mine."
Wally grinned immaturely "And Wonder Woman's"
Megan looked scandalised and blushed but at the same time she looked furious "WALLY! Wonder Woman is a respectful, female warrior! You can't degrade her costume like that!"
Wally looked horrified and stuttered "Oh no... uuuum Megan I wasn't- I mean I didn't mean to.. uuuh.
Megan huffed and then she was calm and happy again "Don't worry about it Wally. I know what you're like, you didn't mean any harm."
The two boys sighed with relief as she dropped the subject. Tim tried to continue the conversation "Anyways, Robin's costume..."
Wally looked thoughtful "Right. We still need a superhero name."
Megan smiled "How about Bat Boy!" The two boys burst into fits of giggles and Megan went back to thinking "The Shadow?"
Wally cringed "I don't know Megan, 'Shadow' doesn't really sound like him..."
Tim suggested "Bat Wing!"
Wally raised an eyebrow "But that emblem is clearly a bird, we can't call him Bat Wing."
Wally suggested "I want to say Night Crawler 'cuz it sounds cool but he's a bird and birds don't crawl."
Megan's eyes lit up "Night Flyer!" The two boys shook their heads and she depleted "This is hopeless, let's just let Robin decide I mean we already designed his costume."
This used to be 'Chapter 9: But are there just Statements?' but now it's just a
LINE BREAK
When Robin and Batgirl arrived back at Mount Justice they groaned rubbing their sore arms from where Bane had whacked them before they could take out the tube that gave him the super serum,also from when they almost got trampled by civilians and got shot at by Penguin armed with no other than his classic laser umbrella.
Robin groaned "Uuuug I swear I'm never going to move again!"
Batgirl agreed "Who knew civilians could be so... so stampede-y!"
They groaned as they walked into Robin's room to find Wally, Tim and Megan gathered around a piece of paper surrounded by minuscule bits of rubber (eraser). Wally looked up from the paper while Tim continued to draw, his tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. KF grinned at the loud groans being emitted from the teen duo "Tough mission?"
"Understatement of the century!" said Batgirl as she flopped onto a red armchair and sighed
"There's understatements and overstatements but are there just statements?" asked Robin
It was silent for five seconds until Wally dead panned "Yes. Yes there is."
"Huh, I guess I must be delirious from over work." Robin lay on his bed "So what have you guys been doing?"
Megan said cheerfully "We were working on your new Bat Boy costume!"
Batgirl snorted whilst Robin sat up and snapped "We are notcalling me that!" At Megan's crestfallen face he sighed "Sorry Megan didn't mean to yell, thanks for helping me out with the costume." He held out his hand "Tim, pass it over."
"One...Second" Red Robin was still scribbling furiously on the paper "DONE!" He exclaimed cheerfully he grinned and handed it to Robin
Robin nodded his head in approval "Awesome. Wait how comes I don't get a cape?" KF gave him a look as if to say'like you don't know' "Is this because of that time I got it caught in the door on a mission? Because that only happened once, I swear!"
Barbara, Megan, Tim and Wally all started laughing. Wally snorted "Oh my God Rob, you're too easy, Batgirl, M'gann and Red didn't know about that."
"Now we do!" Batgirl giggled
Robin blushed "Yeah yeah. Now besides Bat Boy what names do we have?"
"I believe a Night Crawler was mentioned." Tim recalled
Megan added "I suggested Night Flyer!"
"I'm sticking with Bat Boy." Wally shrugged
Robin looked at Barbara "Babs you're my last hope!"
"I got nothing, sorry Rob."
There was silence for a second and then Tim said unsurely "You know, I'm sure Artemis would have a cool name for you." This suggestion was met with a hostile look from Robin and a defensive one from Batgirl. Wally winced slightly at the sudden ferocity emitting from the two bats.
"We are not going to Artemis." Robin said sternly
Tim sighed "Look Dick, I get you're mad at her and the rest of the arrows even Roy but you need to talk to her. This could get in the way of missions, this could-"
"Just because Artemis isn't professional enough to let her personal life be separate from missions doesn't mean I'm not either. It won't affect me in the slightest."
"But-"
"No."
"But Kaldur-"
"NO."
"What about-"
"What part of NO don't you understand? Just drop it!"
Tim sighed "Fine."
There was an awkward silence as the tension settled "Sooo..." said Wally finally trying to re-break the ice "How's Penguin doing?"
"He's in Arkham Asylum, like all the other whack jobs in Gotham."
Megan tried to join in "well that's... good." And failed miserably
