Disclaimer - I don't own X-Men Evolution or Young Justice. This is written for International Fanworks Day 2023 where the theme is crossovers as well as a bingo fill for Bingo Crossover 2022. And if one is interested in a place to drop crossover ideas for others to take on, check out Fusion AU Fest where I'll take on a prompt if I know the fandom and there isn't anything I'm not into writing. Prompt: Any story with the Brotherhood interacting with Dick Grayson and/or Jason Todd along with the system of Gotham which beats kids down, although the preference is between Dick Grayson and Lance. No pairing any of the above characters together and no stories which aren't rated of are of the explicit rating.
Hit the Rock to Break
"Fuck."
A cold sweat spread across his body, his muscles trembling as the memory remained fresh in his mind thanks to the nightmare. A hand reached up to run through his hair as robin-blue eyes closed as he tried pushing that particular memory into the back of his mind.
It hadn't been pleasant those few days at the Juvenile facility with foster children intermingled with the youth who'd committed crime. Backward, the whole thing was, yet the whole thing sent a definite message of not being wanted, that those left to the system were nothing more than scum which in turn left the taste of survival of the fittest in the mouths of many who went through.
Which, of course, meant someone as small as himself would end up targeted to make sure they knew his place, not to mention everyone seemed to know he'd come from the circus, that he was—well, different even from those who were different. Dick pressed a palm against his forehead as he tried forgetting about the larger youth who delighted in shoving his preteen self up against the wall, mainly since Jason was in the other room and—
There came that mewling sound that arose from acute panic, and Dick bit down on his tongue, knowing the walls at the manor were paper thin, the place having been built in an older time. He sucked in a deep breath, not moving when the door to his room opened. He didn't hear it as the memory continued looping in that eidetic brain of his.
"What's your problem?"
Dick flinched, then glanced up, smiling at Jason, who looked far from thrilled at being woken up in the middle of the night. "Nothing. Just thinking."
"Liar," Jason said. "And I don't get what you could be having a nightmare about. You weren't stuck in the system ever."
Dick opened his mouth to say something about seeing his parents fall from a great height, yet that wasn't something Jason seemed to care about whenever Dick mentioned that his parents were dead. It was, after all, the norm for those who went through the system to have a lack of family in some shape or form, and Jason was in that category. "Hold on. I did go through the system."
"Sure you did," Jason said, turning to leave.
"Yes. Well, you weren't small for your age," Dick said, a slight hiss appearing in his voice.
Jason paused and glanced over, his interest there even though he was likely trying to hide it—poorly, as he usually did. "And what? Surely you could have just beat them up? I mean, it's you?"
"And what? Be the only one getting in trouble because I'm Romani?" Dick said. "Not to mention I'd just been…."
"Romani?"
Dick paused, frowning. He tilted his head, thinking carefully over whether that conversation had ever come up—his ethnicity.
"What is Romani?"
"I'm actually half," Dick said low. "Half-Romani."
"You mean from Romania?"
"No. Not," Dick closed his eyes. "You know. Travelers?"
"Travelers?"
Dick swallowed, flinching.
"Hey! Don't do that! I didn't say anything wrong."
"Gypsy."
"Dirty gyp?" Jason said, unable to hold his tongue the way his foster brother could.
"Don't call me that. Please."
"No. I wasn't. I mean," Jason let out a sigh. "I thought the kids were calling you that because you came from the circus?"
"No," Dick swallowed. "My family—the Grayson family. We're Romani. I say the Grayson family because my mom wasn't. She was gadji—an outsider, which to some made me gadjo as well. So they were probably glad to know Bruce took me in." He saw Jason's eyes go wide, and then he sighed, patting the bed. "Come here."
"Why? I'm not the one who had a nightmare. And I'm not going to coddle you, Grayson."
"Wouldn't want it, but obviously, your curious, so I'll answer what I can. What I'm comfortable answering." He watched Jason sit on the end of the bed, wishing the other boy would be closer. Their cultures, though—Dick looked out the window knowing things were different for them. "So. Ask."
"You're Gypsy?"
"Romani. Or Roma. However, some are fine with being called that. I—well, I don't like it because I grew up with it being used as a derogatory towards thus in the circus whether we were Romani or not."
"You said you were in the system?"
"Beifly. Before Bruce stepped in, sometimes I wonder," Dick looked at his lap, covered with the bedsheets. "I wonder if he would have stepped in if the guy who killed my parents wasn't looking for me because I could testify against him. For cutting the ropes. I don't know what would have happened had Bruce not stepped in and got me out of there."
"The foster home you were in?"
"No," Dick said. "They'd placed me in juvi. But you know that's what they do to kids here in Gotham when houses or full. Or, I think the empty ones don't want to take the dirty Romani kid."
"What do you think would have happened to you?"
Dick frowned. "I don't like thinking about what happened. Had to have my arm in a cast for a couple of weeks."
"That was it?"
"Yes. But it still…."
"Yes, but doesn't that mean someone stepped in."
"Someone," Dick closed his eyes. "Oh. Yeah. He did. And I'd likely have ended up like that kid."
"Who?"
"Who, indeed. I guess that's why I had that nightmare," Dick said, reaching for his computer and bringing up a hologram. "This is the kid who stopped the others from beating me up. I doubt he remembers me unless he remembers how he got in trouble—that I got him in trouble. He's not in the Gotham system anymore."
"Then where?"
"On the streets sometimes. Currently, he's with this group called the Brotherhood."
"The," Jason frowned. "Wait. Do you mean that group is out towards Bayville? That has powers that the Justice League is worried about?"
"He's their leader. But I can't help but wonder—maybe he would have turned out differently. Particularly," Dick frowned.
"What?"
"Well, I've looked at their records, and there is never any mention of their powers, so even though powers are known about—we've superheroes like Superman and villains like Poison Ivy, they don't flaunt them. It's typical delinquent stuff, but it doesn't look like from the satellite images that the place they're staying is being properly cared for. And," Dick closed his eyes.
"Have you talked to Bruce about this?"
Dick closed his mouth.
Jason sighed. "You haven't. You haven't because you usually don't want to be a bother or a burden to anybody else."
"Yeah, well. You don't like me, so there is definitely no point in coming to you for help when I'm feeling the aster at night."
"Because you don't want to go to Bruce? About your nightmares? Because you think he'll freak out or something?"
"He will freak out. He always does. Nightmares, a slight sniffle. It drives me nuts."
Jason looked away. "Kind of wish he'd," and then a pause.
"No, you wouldn't," Dick said. "You wouldn't want Bruce being a helicopter parent. You, of all people, would hate it."
"Yeah, but he does it because you're perfect."
"No. He does it because," Dick frowned. "No. Bruce does it because" and then he ran a hand through his hair. "The nightmares—there was a time I used to end up in Bruce's bedroom every night so that I could sleep. And I'm known for having self-destructive behaviors."
"Wait? No. I'm the one with self-destructive behaviors."
"Well," Dick tilted his head. "I guess that's something we have in common?"
"Yeah, right. You don't go picking fights with people."
"No. I pick fights with myself instead. I push myself until I make myself sick, so that I don't have to think about all those dark thoughts running through my head. I'm lucky to have Wally because he's good at chasing those dark feelings away. Most of the time."
"But not today because you're worried about this kid? What's his name?" Jason reached out, taking the computer. "Lance Alvers. Earthquake abilities? Pretty cool."
"Maybe. But he's been kicked out of multiple schools. And," Dick took a deep breath.
"And?"
"At the last one, before the one, he's attending in Bayville—he hacked the school computers."
"Of course." Jason rolled his eyes. He tilted his head. He would be a smart ass like you."
"Jason."
"I know. I know." He took a deep breath before flopping onto the bed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're going to go to Bruce in the morning. Talk to him about your friend, and you're going to be honest with him; mister tells me all the time to trust adults but isn't doing so. And we'll let Bruce figure out something about those kids. The Brotherhood."
"Fine," Dick said.
"Get some sleep, dick head," Jason said. "Bruce can do something. Wait and see."
Jason was right, but his presence made sleeping easier.