A/N: Thanks for commenting, JessicaRae95! :)
Dick knew that the sound of a body, even one as small as his, landing on a steel beam would attract the attention of Zucco. He would have to be fast, so he took the time to figure out a plan. The nine-year-old could hear Batman fighting outside, but he knew it wouldn't take very long for the hero to get through the men Zucco had left out there. Dick figured he had about two minutes to plan and carry out the attack.
It was risky, and if he didn't execute it almost perfectly there was a very good chance that he would die. But this man had killed his parents, and Dick wasn't going to back down just because his plan was risky. Besides, the nine-year-old reminded himself, Bruce and Alfred had told him that he had almost died three times in the detention center. And he had almost drowned because of the man below him. If he could survive all of that, he could survive this.
So, he jumped. A good portion of his plan depended on Tony Zucco turning and taking a few steps away from the stairs. Luckily, that was exactly what the mobster did when he heard a 'thump' almost directly above him.
Zucco moved to his left, attempting to discover the source of the sound. He walked face-first into a pair of small feet. The hit made him stumble back, but he was much too heavy for it to knock him down. Retrieving his balance, Tony fumbled for the gun trapped in his back pocket. Just as he pulled it free, a ball of flesh slammed into his chest.
The second hit was much harder than the first. It knocked the wind out of the mobster, and he fell flat on his back. His beady eyes closed as the panic of not being able to breathe began to permeate his mind. Then Zucco heard the 'click' of a gun's safety mechanism, and the familiar sound made him open his eyes.
Dick landed on the crossbeam in a crouch. Immediately, he grabbed the edge in front of him and pushed to a handstand. He quickly shifted his grip to the back edge and allowed himself to begin falling.
Tony Zucco moved to his left, and Dick was proud of himself for guessing correctly. His feet hit the man's face at the end of his swing, causing a stumble but not a fall. The nine-year-old allowed himself to take a backswing to gain power, then he flew for the first time since that fateful night over six months ago.
As he swung forward, Dick kicked his feet toward the ceiling. When his body was parallel to the floor, he let go of the beam, arched his back for maximum speed, then leaned forward and threw himself into a tight front flip. Dick's body hit its target – the thick chest of Tony Zucco. The man fell down and Dick rolled over the head of black hair and immediately stood up. Turning around, the nine-year-old clenched his hands into fists and knelt down to finish the job.
A 'click' made him pause. It sounded metallic, and Dick heard footsteps behind him.
"Stand up, turn around, hands up."
Dick did as he was told. A gun was pointed straight at his chest. The man behind the gun was an experienced, cold-blooded killer. But, this time, he was just a distraction, meant to hold Dick's attention until Zucco recovered. Tony made it to his feet just as a Bat-a-rang crashed into the back of the other man's head.
Batman was frozen in shock, but not for long. His intelligent mind quickly evaluated the situation: Zucco – on the ground and incapacitated, not a threat; man pointing a gun at Dick Grayson – immediate threat. He snatched a Bat-a-rang from his utility belt and threw it perfectly. The man with the gun fell forward, his head hitting the ground with a sickening 'crunch'.
But Batman had been wrong on one small but important part of his evaluation. Tony Zucco was not incapacitated, as he had seemed to be from the hero's perspective. In fact, he was now standing up, one thick arm around Dick's throat and holding a gun to the boy's head with his other hand.
Dick's hands were latched onto Zucco's arm, pulling at the fat as he desperately tried to get air. His light-blue eyes were wide with terror, and his feet were sliding around the dust-covered cement of the floor, trying to find some kind of traction.
"If I were you, Batman, I wouldn't move," Tony sneered condescendingly. "Because if you do, the last of The Flying Graysons will join his parents in that big circus tent in the sky."
"If I were you," Batman retorted, his voice low and dangerous, "I would let the boy go so I wouldn't end up in a body cast."
"Empty threats, Batman, are not at all intimidating. I could put a bullet in his brain before you could even open a single pocket on your utility belt."
It was an accurate statement. Batman had no chance of saving Dick, and the fear of losing the boy was beginning to cloud his thoughts. The Caped Crusader had no response to Zucco's taunting words, and the terror in Dick's eyes made the hero's body tremble. He couldn't lose Dick, not after everything the boy had survived, and not like this.
"You know I'm right," Zucco observed with a chuckle, interrupting Batman's dark thoughts. "So, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to back out that exit," he flicked his head toward the door behind him, "and then I'm going to throw him in the water. Which means you'll have a choice to make: save him, or come after me."
Batman instantly made the choice. He had no idea if Dick was a good swimmer, but being tossed back into the water where he had almost drowned would certainly cause the boy to panic. And that panic would fill his body so completely that he wouldn't remember how to keep himself above water. Batman chose Dick over Zucco, and he was positive that the mobster already knew it.
"Let him go, right now, and I'll give you a head start," Batman growled, desperately hoping that the criminal would compromise.
Instead, the mobster burst into loud laughter. The movement of his flabby body in reaction to that laughter caused his arm to loosen its grip on Dick's neck, and the nine-year-old sucked in oxygen. But Zucco was laughing too loud to hear the boy's quiet gasping.
A plan formed in Dick's mind. A plan that – if it worked – would both save him and allow Batman to capture Zucco. Batman was staring at him intently; he had noticed the slight change in body positioning and was trying to figure out a way to take advantage. Dick lifted one corner of his mouth in a half-grin, and winked.
Batman narrowed his eyes, wondering why the boy was smiling where there was a very good possibility that he was about to die. The wink confused him, but he was fairly certain that Dick was about to do something that would either help him escape or get him killed. Batman really hoped it was the former.
Dick suddenly opened his mouth and bit down on Zucco's arm as hard as he could. The man spit out a swear word and yanked his arm away, causing Dick to drop to the ground. Without even pausing to line up his shot, the nine-year-old made a fist and punched straight up.
Zucco screamed in pain as the small but deceptively strong fist slammed into a place where no man ever wants to get hit. He dropped the gun and fell to his knees. Dick rolled out of the way, and Batman was by his side three seconds later.
"Him," Dick gasped, his body beginning to tremble as the realization of what had just happened flooded his system.
Batman shoved the mobster down and slapped his Bat-cuffs around the thick wrists. Then he grabbed Dick's arm, pulled him up, and practically dragged him away from the evil man.
"What were you thinking?!" the Caped Crusader demanded heatedly. "You almost died!"
"I'm a survivor," Dick answered breathlessly. "You said so yourself. I couldn't let him get away!"
"You are no match for a man like Tony Zucco," the hero said harshly, the angry tone rooted in the fear that was still filling his mind.
"But there he is," Dick countered with a small smirk.
"You got lucky," Batman snapped.
"No, I used my brain."
"We're done talking for now. I'm taking you home."
Batman called the commissioner from the Batphone extension in the Batmobile to let him know that Zucco and eleven other men needed to be picked up. After double-checking Dick's safety Bat-belt, he shifted the vehicle into drive and pressed hard on the accelerator.
The Batmobile was halfway to the Batcave before Dick had the courage to voice the thought that had popped into his head immediately following his fight with Zucco.
"I could help you."
Somehow, Batman knew exactly what that meant. He internally growled and refused to acknowledge the comment.
"You could teach me how to fight. I'm a quick learner."
The hero studiously ignored the words. His hands were clenched so tightly around the steering wheel that he was surprised it hadn't snapped in half.
"I've been working on getting stronger. And I'm fast."
Batman pushed his foot down harder on the accelerator. The quicker he got them to the Batcave, the sooner this conversation would be over.
"Just think about it. Alfred told me that sometimes you take a while to make decisions. It's okay, I can wait."
Less than a minute later, Dick was asleep. The combination of a moving vehicle and the adrenaline crash had made his already-tired body become exhausted enough to fall into a peaceful slumber.
Batman glanced over at the boy as he coasted into the tunnel. The thought of putting Dick in danger night after night terrified him. But…it was an interesting idea. And Dick was a quick learner, and he could be trained. And Bruce had noticed that the nine-year-old had gained some muscle, and the kid was really fast, which could help if he ever got in a fight….
"What am I thinking?!" the Caped Crusader exclaimed quietly, horrified that he was actually entertaining the idea of a nine-year-old crime-fighter.
Dick opened his eyes when he felt the Batmobile stop moving. He unbuckled his safety Bat-belt, then grabbed of the edges of the vehicle and jumped over the door, landing lightly on his feet.
"I've got it!" he exclaimed as Batman strode toward the Well-Known Criminals file.
Hoping this was about a different subject, Batman stopped and turned to face his ward.
"Got what?" he asked suspiciously, slightly worried about the excitement flashing in the boy's expressive eyes.
"Robin," Dick stated with a giant grin.
"It's…a bird," Batman replied, hoping that Dick was telling him that he wanted to take up birdwatching.
"I know that," the boy responded with a laugh. "It's also what…"
He paused, his face sobering and a shadow passing through his eyes. Batman stayed quiet, unsure of the emotion but knowing it had something to do with a painful memory.
Dick swallowed hard and continued softly, "It's what my mom used to call me."
The Batcave fell silent; even the bats paused their squeaking for a moment of respect.
"Anyway," Dick said, forcing a smile back onto his face, "it's a good name."
"I agree. You probably reminded her of a robin as you flew through the air."
"Yeah," the nine-year-old whispered, the shadow passing through his eyes again.
"I'm sorry, chum," Batman said gently as he took off his cowl.
Shaking his head, Dick replied, "No, wait, let me tell you why it's a good name!"
"Okay."
"Close your eyes and listen carefully. No peeking!"
Dick waited until the man's eyes were completely closed.
"Ready?" he asked.
Bruce nodded, and Dick grinned as he began backing away.
"Batman and Robin – a hero and his sidekick!" the boy crowed delightedly.
Bruce's eyes popped open, shock burning brightly in the dark-blue circles. To his surprise, Dick was already disappearing around the corner of the tunnel that led to the service elevator.
"Batman and Robin," Bruce muttered, hating that the names slid so smoothly out of his mouth. "Batman and Robin."
They fit together perfectly, and Bruce frowned.
"No, no way, absolutely not, he's nine!"
"I could help you. You could teach me how to fight."
Dick's words bounced around in his head.
"A nine-year-old cannot learn how to fight well enough to take on criminals," Bruce grumbled, attempting to ignore the fact that Dick had taken down Tony Zucco by himself.
"But there he is. I'm a quick learner."
"And you're intelligent," the millionaire stated to the empty Batcave. "Strong, too."
There was a long pause.
"Batman and Robin," Bruce mused softly.
In the tunnel, where he could hear but not be seen, the future Robin grinned.
THE END
A/N: Wow, I can't believe I finally got to the end! Thanks for staying with me through the long waits between chapters. Thanks for all the comments and support. I know there are several loose ends here, sorry. Maybe I'll tie them up in a future story. Or not. I never really know what's going to come out of my mind. ;-) Thanks again for reading! :)
