Notes: Next chapter (chapter 6) has what we've all been waiting for. Robin and Catwoman talk. This chapter, Robin opens up to the team.
Part 1 – Chapter 5
Dick woke, feeling the comfort which came in those first few moments of waking. He realised that the arm resting over him belonged to Aqualad, due to the texture, thickness and coolness which gave a damp feeling. Then he remembered the night before and that he was at the mountain with the team.
And then he remembered why he had been at the mountain in the first place. Robin's breathing hitched and a familiar hollow feeling ached in his chest. He wanted these feelings to go away already but he couldn't help feeling lost when he thought about how little he had known about his own life.
He had been adopted and his birth parents were his current guardian and the criminal they chased at night.
"Robin?" Aqualad questioned, waking up when the little bird shifted in distress.
"Sorry. For waking you," Robin said quietly. Aqualad shook his head.
"I am usually up with changing of the tide. It is a great lapse I have allowed myself in sleeping past that. As such, I thank you for waking me."
"Um… right." It took Robin a few tries to understand what Aqualad was trying to say. It didn't help that he was uncomfortable with such formality from a friend.
"Although, if you wish to compensate for offending me in some way, could I hear about what is distressing you?"
Robin thought about telling him for a few moments but shook his head when he realised he would have to talk about what happened to his parents. The Graysons. Not only would that be difficult, with the nightmare he had the previous night, but it would also risk his identity.
Silence continued for a while until Superboy entered the room with M'gann at his side. M'gann was carrying a tray of cereals, plates and bowls while Superboy was carrying plates of pancakes.
"Where did those come from?" Robin asked curiously.
"The Flash," M'gann said. As if her words had summoned him, the Flash appeared beside her in a blur of red movement.
"Hey, Robin! How was the sleepover?"
Robin blinked and wondered why the Flash was here.
"Shouldn't you be asking Kid Flash that?" Robin countered.
Kid Flash and Artemis were sitting at the table, playing cards. Both were hunched over and slow moving, a result of neither going to sleep the previous night.
"They made bets on who could stay up the longest," Robin explained when Flash gave him a quizzical look.
"And I'm winning," Kid Flash said.
"There is no winner until one of us falls asleep," Artemis responded with a weak scoff. "And I'm not sleepy. Not one bit." Contrary to her words, her head was nodding as she spoke as she was tired and finding it difficult to hold it up.
"Uh-huh," Flash responded, not at all convinced. He decided to ignore his nephew's and his friend's antics and write it off as teenage hormones or something.
Robin tensed as Flash turned to look at him. The hero sat down next to Robin and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was supposed to be comforting but the shift in mood from playful to serious made Robin nervous.
"Robin," Flash said, "if I asked you to hear them out and listen to what they have to say, would you do it? I would be there the whole time. You can even bring Kid Flash to support you."
Robin felt terror freeze his insides and took a few breaths to try and calm down. Part of him felt it was childish to keep running as he would have to face Bruce and Selina sometime.
It might even be easier with them all wearing masks.
He nodded.
"Just let me go change."
Kid Flash gave him a worried look as he left the room.
"Seriously, what's going on?" Artemis asked. It didn't take a detective to figure out something was still bothering Robin. She was looking more awake now that something seemed to be happening. Adrenaline was awakening her senses.
"It's not my business to tell," Flash responded with a worried glance towards the entrance. Artemis looked to Kid Flash who said the same thing.
But an idea had started to take root in Wally's head. It would help if Dick could talk about what was bothering him. And that's what friends were for.
"Follow me," he said to the team.
"We are not going to push Robin to tell us what is bothering him," Aqualad said in a disapproving tone.
"We're not," Kid Flash responded with a reassuring smile. He just really hoped his idea would work.
"So what are we going to do then?" M'gann asked as she hovered over the group.
"We're going to ask." Kid Flash smiled reassuringly at them before knocking on the door to Robin's room. "Hey, Rob? Can we talk?"
The door slid open to reveal a fully uniformed Robin.
"You dressed fast," Superboy commented. He took a long time to get dressed. One, because he had trouble with the zippers and buttons and things and two, because he was always trying not to tear his clothes and sometimes failing.
"Part of the job," Robin responded flatly. He turned to Kid Flash. "What do you want?"
"Can we come in?" Kid Flash asked.
Robin considered it for a moment and moved out of the way to let the team in. Robin couldn't help wondering if he was going to regret this.
"Kid Flash wants you to tell us what is making you sad and quiet," M'gann said as she entered.
Definitely going to regret this, Robin decided with a glare at his friend. Kid Flash sighed at M'gann's way of bring things up and faced his friend's accusing glare.
"I'm not saying tell them your name or circumstances. But surely Robin, Boy Wonder, can find a way to explain the situation. Use code names or something, dude!"
"It is amazing how you can sound like you have thoughts things through and then ruin it all with one word," Artemis scolded Kid Flash, referring to his use of the word 'dude'.
"Team, please. We aren't here to fight each other," Aqualad said. He turned to Robin. "You do not have to tell us anything if you don't want to."
"Although it's probably a good idea to get it out there," Kid Flash said. He almost seemed to shrink at the disapproving glares the rest of the team sent him.
Robin smiled a tiny smile at the sight and the way Kid Flash backed towards him like Robin would protect him.
"Do you want to know?" he asked the group. He could feel Kid Flash nodding from behind him.
After a few moments, Superboy nodded once too. M'gann said she would and Aqualad repeated his statement from earlier. Artemis also agreed that she wanted to know and said that if someone had hurt him, they would soon know the sharp end of her arrow.
"Would you really shoot Batman?" Robin asked.
"Of course," Artemis responded. However, she did have to think about it for a few moments.
"What did Batman do?" M'gann asked.
Use code names. Robin thought about how to do that for a moment and realised it was simple to take real names out of it.
"Before I explain, you do need to know something about me. I came to Batman when my parents died. Witnessing their deaths was the worst day of my life and I'm not going to go into that today. However, a few days ago, I overheard something. Batman and Catwoman arguing.
"From their argument, I learnt that the people I thought were my parents, the ones who raised me, taught me to fly and loved me, aren't my birth parents. That I was probably adopted. My birth parents are Batman and Catwoman." It felt really weird to say that out loud. Robin wrapped his arms around himself as they erupted in Goosebumps.
"Seriously?" Artemis questioned.
"Seriously," Kid Flash responded, wrapping his arms around Robin's shoulders in a half-hug. "Flash confirmed it. Robin's parents are Batman and Catwoman."
Artemis gave an impressed whistle.
"Who is Catwoman?" M'gann asked.
"She's a thief in Gotham," Robin explained. "Her M.O. is stealing jewellery and cat related artefacts. She also wears a leotard and hood which looks like it has a cat's ears."
"Let me see if I've got this right. The people you grew up with as your parents aren't your parents, Batman, who took you in when they died, and Catwoman, a thief, are?" Aqualad questioned.
Robin nodded in confirmation.
"So, you thought Batman wasn't your father but now you've learnt he is. And all those rumours about Batman and Catwoman being together aren't lies," Artemis summed up.
"Oh, we already knew they weren't lies," Kid Flash pointed out. "Although, maybe they aren't together anymore and are still friends because of Robin."
"I wouldn't call them 'friends'," Robin pointed out.
"Friends with benefits?" Kid Flash suggested.
"What does that mean?" M'gann asked and Robin snickered while Kid Flash frantically changed the subject.
"I don't really understand," Superboy said to Robin. Some of the other team members were in the same boat as Superboy. M'gann shyly nodded and Aqualad muttered an apology for not being able to understand as well as he could have. "But, if you need anything-"
The computer announced the arrival of Batman and a guest.
The team looked to Robin when he unnaturally stiffened.