'So, this is how it ends.' Robin thought, ducking to avoid a vicious attack. 'Defeated by a giant glob of clay.'
Their current mission was to protect a dingy warehouse in Gotham, as the area was being used to store secret weapons for the military. Apparently, Clayface the Play Dough monster caught word of the hidden items and attacked the surrounding soldiers. The Justice League quickly caught word of it, but with most of the Leaguers being occupied by other tasks, it was up to the Team to fight the fiend. And by fight, well...
They were getting their asses kicked.
Kid Flash was the first of the heroes to go down; his quick speed rendered useless by the sticky piles of gunk on the floor. It only took one mistake for him to slip. Once the speedster was slowed down, Clayface easily took him out.
"Updating information..." His mental systems declared, adding the clay onto the list of weaknesses in Wally's profile. Robin grit his teeth in response- he didn't need a distraction at a time like this.
Artemis was the next of the teens to go down. Her arrows harmlessly flew through the monster's thick body, and she soon ran out of projectiles to use. Without her weapons, the archer had no way to defend herself. So, it really wasn't that much of a surprise that she fell...
"Artemis and Kid Flash are down." Robin informed his remaining teammates through the mental link. "Our current strategies are clearly not working. We need a plan. I'll distract Clayface while you three come up with something."
Robin jumped to the side just as a clay fist came his way, and he threw an explosive disk at the creature. The disk went off but only managed to irritate Clayface. A much stronger fist came his way in retaliation, and he barely managed to dodge it, the mud scraping past his shoulder. As Robin clutched his wounded shoulder, a feminine screech from behind him told him that M'gann was struck by the attack.
The mind link faded away.
"We lost Miss Martian!" Robin called out to Aqualad, who was using his blades to slice through tentacle shaped attacks. Robin subconsciously hit the panic button installed on his belt, knowing that they were out of their depth this time. "How's that plan coming?"
"I'm working on it!" The Atlantian snapped.
Robin's annoyance spiked. "Well, work faster!" He snarled. Today was not the day to mess with him. He was already in a bad mood, and his supposed leader's attitude was not helping him.
He wanted this mission to be over with, fast.
The battle raged on, with Aqualad defending, Robin dodging, and Superboy throwing things at it. They had a good system going until Superboy got too cocky and landed a direct punch on him. Clayface used his gooey body to pull the clone into his mass of clay. Superboy's eyes widened, and he tried to use his other hand to push himself out, but that one was caught too. Robin watched in horror as his friend's entire form was soon completely absorbed by the clay.
They really needed a plan!
"Advice being recieved." A metallic voice suddenly chimed in his head. "Suggestion: Throw explosives into the mouth of Clayface in order to rescue fallen comrade."
Robin blinked. Advice received? From where? He shook his head- he could freak out about that later. He decided to trust the little voice in his head and wrapped his fingers around his last explosive disk. 'Please let this work,' he thought as he threw it into the gaping mouth of Clayface. A faint beeping noise sounded from the inside of the muck, and then finally exploded.
Clay flew in all directions, covering the heroes from head to toe. Superboy's unconscious body was thrown across the room during the explosion, but Robin wasn't concerned for him just yet. Did he just...kill Clayface?
Luckily, he wasn't a murderer. Unfortunately, that also meant that Clayface was still an issue.
The bits of clay started to crawl towards each other, coming back together to form the giant monster once more. Robin's shoulders slumped as the clay loomed above him. He was exhausted enough already. There was no way that he was capable of fighting another round with this one.
Aqualad growled in annoyance and charged straight at their foe, his movements slower than ever due to exhaustion. Robin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him. The Atlantian has been off his game all night, doing things that even a rookie wouldn't do. What was up with him? Looks like he wasn't the only one having a bad day.
The monster simply swatted the elder hero away from him and made a rumbling noise when he hit a wall. Was that laughter? Creepy... With Aqualad still down, Robin was momentarily alone. He dove to the side to avoid a sword shaped attack as he started to run, his goal being to get to Aqualad.
Exhaustion finally managed to get the best of him, as he skid through an avoidable puddle on the ground. He was then thoroughly acquainted with the concrete, stars forming in front of his eyes as his head smacked the ground. Clayface took advantage of his situation and picked him up, only to shove him straight into a wall. Robin gasped as his back made contact and felt warm blood drip down from the new wound. He slid back to the ground lifelessly, his vision blurring as Clayface moved to grab him again.
But the hand was sliced away before he had the chance.
Aqualad stood in front of Robin protectively, his katanas held in a defensive position. "Can you still fight, my friend?"
Robin remembered muttering something in response, but wasn't quite sure what it was. He faintly heard Aqualad and Clayface shouting at each other, soon followed by the shattering of glass and the buzz of electricity. A roar of pain shook the building after that, but soon died down, the sound of shuffling feet being the only thing to remain.
Hands suddenly grabbed Robin's shoulders and lifted him to his feet. Robin immediately tensed and struggled against the grip, but relaxed when a familiar gruff voice spoke, "It's me." Batman paused. "You're injured."
Robin fought away the weariness and stood up straighter, ignoring the way his legs shook. "I'm fine." He said forcefully while avoiding eye contact.
Batman stared at him, looking thoroughly displeased at his poor attempt at lying. "Fine, go wake the others up. We'll meet up at the Mountain."
The boy nodded and looked down. "Yes sir." he muttered.
Batman slipped out after that, either angry at him for failing the mission, or rethinking the 'having a sidekick' thing. Or both. Normally, those depressing thoughts would be kept at bay, but today was different. In another world, a different timeline, Robin knew exactly where he would be right now, who he would be taking orders from. Today was the day...
The day he was supposed to be given away.
xXx
The Team arrived at the Mountain, clay clinging to their bodies and depression hanging in the air. No one, not even Wally, tried to lighten the mood. They failed their mission tonight, proving that they were no more than children to the League. Batman was waiting for them when they returned, the sight of him only adding onto the mental weight that Robin carried.
"I need to speak to Aqualad." The man said lowly. "The rest of you, hit the showers and go home."
Superboy was unimpressed. "Home? I am home." He said in a growl as he trudged through to the showers, leaving a clay trail on the floor.
The rest of the team followed him, leaving Robin, Aqualad, and Batman alone. Robin fought the urge to sigh impatiently. He just wanted to go home already, get some sleep, maybe-
"Just Aqualad." Batman said suddenly.
Robin blinked, knitting his eyebrows together. Confusion soon turned into anger as the words were finally processed in his slow mind. He grit his teeth and shot the Atlantian a heated look before storming out, his entire frame shaking with suppressed emotions. So what if Batman wanted to speak to Aqualad alone? That was fine with him. It wasn't like he was being replaced or anything. Was he? Batman has been distant with him lately...
Robin swallowed hard. Batman basically ignored his existence ever since the incident with Penguin and Joker. The only time the two of them exchanged words was during meals, but even those were short-lived. Dick found himself worrying that Batman was going to change his mind about keeping him around. It certainly made sense. Who wanted a son with anxiety issues? Who would keep a freak with a mini computer in his head? Why would Batman keep him around after his continuous failures?
Who would want to be associated with someone who belonged to an assassin?
That thought finally broke the dam, and traitorous tears spilled out of his eyes as he wrestled the door to the locker room open. A quick glance around the room revealed that Superboy was still in the showers, but Wally was done, sitting on the bench in his civvies, lacing his sneakers.
The speedster glanced up as he finished what he was doing. "Oh, I thought you would be with-" he stopped himself short, looking at Robin as if noticing him for the first time. "Hey, are you okay?" He was at his side in an instant, looking worried.
Dick shook his head. "No..." he muttered.
Wally frowned at his admission and guided him to the bench, sitting right next to him in case he needed a hug. Good old Wally... "Want to talk about it?"
Words came out before he could think. "I think Batman is thinking about getting rid of me. He won't talk to me, won't let me out on patrol, and treats me like a kid. On top of that, my stupid mental systems are telling me things even more often, and," he took in a shaky breath, "And that man...today was the day he was supposed to pick me up from Cadmus."
Wally's eyes widened at the end of his spiel and pulled Dick into a bone crushing hug. "Dude, I'm sorry. I had no idea that you were so stressed. Some friend I am." Before Dick could argue against the last statement, he was speaking again, "Listen, whoever that guy was, he can't get to you now. You're safe here, remember? And about your databases, we already determined that you aren't spying on us. You don't have to worry about it, I swear." Wally smiled reassuringly. "As for Bats...I'm sure he won't just toss you out. He changed since you joined the Team, he's a lot less darker than before. He's probably just having a hard time adjusting to having a kid in the house. Trust me Di- Rob, he won't get rid of you."
It couldn't be that hard to adjust to a kid in the house. It wasn't as though Bruce had to take care of him anyways. Alfred fed him and made sure he went to bed at decent times, and Dick was able to handle anything else. All that Bruce had to do was talk to him, and that really shouldn't be an issue.
His thoughts went back to the Man, his former 'Master.' He wanted to be able to talk to his guardian about his fears, but with the man ignoring him, it was impossible. Even if he did talk to him, would Bruce think that he's stupid for being scared? Everyone assured him that he was safe now, but Dick still felt as though the Man would come after him no matter where he was. It was pathetic, really.
Dick opened his mouth to voice his thoughts when Aqualad suddenly entered the room. "Batman asked for me to inform you that he is ready to leave, whenever you are finished in here." The Atlantian said quietly.
Dick pried himself away from Wally, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Whatever." He muttered, standing. "I need to shower."
Aqualad nodded briskly and headed to the other side of the room. Wally stood up next to Dick, frowning. "Will you be okay? You could totally crash at my place if you need to. Bats isn't the best when it comes to emotional support, and I know that the Mystery Man is going to be on your mind all night."
Dick smiled weakly. "I'll be fine." He said, though the lie sounded lame even to his own ears. With Wally's unconvinced look, he continued, "If things get bad, I'll call you. Okay?"
"Yeah, okay." The speedster definitely wasn't content with this decision. "Just be careful, alright? Don't...don't fall back onto old habits. When things are hard, remember that I have your back."
Old habits? Oh, he meant drugs. "Will do. Thanks for everything Wally."
"That's what best friends are for, right?"
Dick nodded absentmindedly and proceeded to head to the shower stalls. It wasn't until he was stripping himself of his uniform when the full meaning of those words struck him. Best friends.
xXx
The first thing Dick did when he returned to the Bat Cave was disappear into the training room. Sweat dripped down his face from the strain he was putting on himself, his body still recovering from the battle with Clayface. His arms shook as he used the rings to pull himself into a flip.
"Just Aqualad." He muttered darkly, teeth clenched in anger. He pulled himself up and swung off of the ropes, landing on a nearby platform. His body protested against the strict training and as a result, he stumbled and fell.
Not good enough.
Batman is definitely getting rid of you.
And then what?
Who will protect you from that man then?
You know what he'll make you do.
Dick didn't realize that his arm was moving until he felt a solid object move from under his fist. A quick look down revealed that he dented the wall. His frustrations didn't dwindle away at the physical contact, they only became stronger. He still wasn't good enough, he would never be good enough. Never.
Alfred walked in at that moment., holding a water bottle and a towel. "Master Dick? Master Bruce wishes to see you."
Oh, so now he was important enough to be spoken to. "Fine." Dick said shortly, brushing past the old butler. "Where is he?"
"Outside, by the garage." There definitely was concern in his voice.
"Mm." Dick grabbed the bottle of water as he left, pouring the liquid down his throat while he made his way through the manor. When he stepped outside, he was greeted by a cold breeze as well as a neglectful guardian. "What is it?" He asked, a little more harshly than needed.
The answer he received was something being thrown at him. Dick instinctively caught the object and stared down at it. It was an ordinary basketball. "What's this?"
Bruce smiled a little. "Training." He declared.
Dick looked behind his mentor and noticed the basketball hoop. The invisible weight on his shoulders lessened as he realized that Bruce was actually trying to spend some time with him. The boy rolled the ball around in his hands, a grin finding its way to his face. "One on one?"
Bruce's smile widened. "If you think you can handle it."
xXx
After their game, the two of them went into the dining room for a quick bite of food. As Dick shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth, Bruce spoke. "May I ask you something?"
Dick swallowed his food. "Sure. What's up?"
"You were angry with me. Why?"
A blink. Dick slowly put his spoon down. "Are you seriously asking me this?"
"Yes."
Trying not to be angry again, Dick answered, "Why do you think? You've been ignoring me for days, you refuse to take me on patrol, and..." he trailed off, unwilling to continue.
Bruce stared at him. "And what?" He sighed. "I haven't been purposely ignoring you. As for patrol, I want to wait until you're ready. Your last mission in Gotham proved that you need more training."
"No I don't. It was a one time thing!"
"No arguments." Bruce said flatly. "And you didn't answer my earlier question. What else are you mad about?"
Dick scowled. "Nothing."
"Dick, there's obviously something wrong."
"Just leave it, okay?"
"No, I will not 'just leave it.' As your guardian, it's my job to keep you-"
"It's your job?!" Dick was on his feet in seconds. "What's in your job description, then?"
"Dick-"
"Is ignoring your child part of your job? How about throwing his life away to save Gotham? Wait, no, that's your job as Batman, isn't it?"
"Is that what this is about?" Bruce stood. "Dick, you don't understand-"
"I understand perfectly fine, Bruce! I thought I meant something to you, that you actually cared! But you can just toss me into the line of fire for the sake of your-"
"I can't." Bruce said suddenly.
Dick paused. "You what?"
"I can't." He repeated. "I can't toss you into the line of fire. I...can't."
Blue eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean?"
Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're wrong, Dick. You are the most important person in my life right now, my son." Dick took in a sharp breath at that word, startled. "That night, you told Gordon that I was your father. It didn't fully register in my mind until then, but I realized that you really are my son. When you asked me if I could throw your life away for the greater good, I hesitated. Never before have I had someone that I couldn't let go of."
Dick stood there, shocked silent.
Bruce ran a hand through his hair. "I know I've been an awful parent so far, but I'm trying. The truth is, I don't want you to patrol with me because on that night, when I saw Joker's hands covered in your blood, I was scared. I don't want you to die. It's selfish of me, but I want you to stay here, where I know you're safe..."
If Dick was shocked before, there was no words to describe what he was feeling now. "Bruce," he started hesitantly, "I'm not a little kid. I messed up that night, I know I did, but I'm learning from my mistakes. I'm perfectly fine now, see?"
The detective looked disgruntled. "No you're not. Dick, you've been through so much, I find it hard to believe that you can even smile anymore."
Dick paused, unsure of what to say to that. "Someone has to smile around here." He decided to say.
When Bruce pulled him into a strong hug in response, Dick finally felt the last of his anger extinguish.
xXx Later, in the Mountain xXx
Robin was grinning from ear to ear when the last of his teammates entered the mission debriefing room. He was so ready for their new task, his entire body twitching with excitement. There was no way that they could fail this one. There was absolutely no chance!
Kid Flash glanced at him and subtly rose a brow, as if silently asking him if he was okay. It wasn't quite like bat-talk, since the silent question was entirely too obvious, but Robin answered with a grin anyways. Oh yeah, he was more than okay. He was so feeling the aster now!
With everyone there, Batman looked at each of the gathered teens before speaking, "The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Biyalian desert-"
As Robin listened to Batman's explanation, the chip in his head suddenly announced, "Mission successful. Moving on to Stage Two."
xXx
AN: I think I'm going to have to start updating once a week. School's been keeping me pretty busy, so it looks like I'll only have time to publish things over the weekend. Oh well.
Also, DON'T MAKE ANY PAIRING ASSUMPTIONS.
Thanks for reading! See you next week!