GSOG Chapter 29
At the station, Jim Gordon enters one of the interrogation rooms, the one where Artemis sits, still not handcuffed, leaning back in a chair, arms crossed. Jim steps in and sets a tape recorder down, for records.
"Ok, Miss Crock, tell me in your words what happened." Jim says as he sits down, papers in hand.
"I did it, I won't deny it. I punched her in the face and broke her nose. I kicked her in the chest. She was let off easy." Artemis explains, not changing her position.
"Do you know why you did it?" He asks. Artemis pauses a moment, remembering seeing Dick, her little brother, sobbing so hard, trembling and terrified. The strong, stubborn, playful, dorky kid she cares for so broken down.
"I saw one of my friends hurting. He's still just a kid…" Artemis says, her tone softening. She sits forward. "I couldn't… He was almost completely undressed and sobbing, I knew what that meant. The… um... The same thing… happened to me when I was little… And the fact this happened to someone so small and innocent…" She clenches her fists. "All I could see was red, all I could think was, someone hurt my friend." She explains. Jim is writing on the papers. "When I heard Bruce Wayne's voice, yelling, I knew if he was at our school, it would be for very few reasons. One of which being there for my friend, Dick, for some reason or another." Artemis explains.
"Can you describe what you saw there?" Jim asks.
"I saw a small boy, half dressed, bruises on his neck, pants undone, shirt unbuttoned and pulled down… Being held tight by his father, sobbing… I saw my small friend who never failed to put a smile on my face, so playful and bubbly, just absolutely distraught… My anger got the better of me…" She explains. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for my friends… And seeing him so hurt… Again… But in a totally different way… You…" She trails off. "You don't… Quite… get over something like that… Knowing he went through that hurts my heart…"
"I understand. And I'm sorry for what you have gone through yourself." Jim says. "I won't keep you any longer, but do stay in Gotham, alright?" Artemis nods, and she's allowed to go, being given her stuff back. Immediately she calls Wally.
Wally's in class, nearly nodding off as he's VERY bored, but he stirs when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. Artemis is calling him… His heart sinks immediately and he gets up from his desk.
"Mr. West, what are you doing?" The teacher questions.
"I gotta take this!" He says, holding up his phone to show and goes out into the hall, answering her. "Artemis? What's up? Is everything ok?"
"No…" She says softly, her voice quiet. "Dick's hurt…" Wally feels his blood run cold…
"What happened?! How bad?!" Wally questions, feeling like he's about to cry himself. Dammit, why can't Dick be left alone!?
"He was… He was almost r*ped…" Artemis's voice cracks. Wally almost drops the phone from shock. Hearing this, he lashes out and punches massive dents into some lockers.
"Who did it?" He questions. He's met with silence. "Artemis, who did it?!" He demands.
"A girl at our school… I don't really know her, but… God, Wally… He…" She trails off again, taking a shuttering breath. "I never saw him so scared… Even at the hospital…" Wally hangs up the phone, running out of the school at normal speeds, but he bolts at super speed once he's away from civilian eye, taking a zeta-tube to the Batcave. He heads up immediately, exiting through a secret passage in Bruce's Study and running out of the room. He doesn't even notice that Bruce is in there at the moment, bolting upstairs at normal speed in case Melinda is around, today was supposed to be her first day of work, but she likely came home for her brother, that's what Wally reasons. He runs down the hall, to Dick's room and bursts in, looking at his boyfriend curled up in bed, still wearing his gym clothes, but he's no longer wearing Bruce's suit jacket.
"Dick…" He says softly, going to his side immediately, sitting on the edge of his bed and places a hand on his arm. He startles, looking up at him. He takes a quick sharp breath in as sobs take over again, hugging Wally tight. Wally brings him close, onto his lap and just holds him, letting him cry it all out. He can see the bruises on his neck peeking out from the bandages. He's so shaky… "I'm so sorry…" Wally himself wants to cry, but he keeps it together, for Dick's sake. Dick grips to his jacket.
"She wouldn't stop… I… I couldn't stop her…" Dick says.
"You better not be blaming yourself, Dick… It's not your fault…" Wally says softly.
"I… I have the skill and strength to stop her… but… I-I couldn't… I'm Dick Grayson, not Robin… If I was Robin, I could have fought harder…" He closes his eyes. "But I am Robin… I should have fought harder… I could have prevented all of this!"
"You don't know that… From what it sounds like, she was strong enough to hold you, you're practically impossible to hold when you don't want to be held. Please… It's not your fault, babe… It's hers for doing what she did…" Wally tries to reason. Dick curls in more, sobbing again. God, why does he have to be hurt so much… Wally just pets his head, trying to help sooth him. "And at last I see the light…" he starts singing. "And it's like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright. And the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I see you… Now that I seeee youuu." He kisses the top of Dick's head. Dick eventually exhausts himself unconscious, drifting off in Wally's arms. Wally continues to hold him. He wishes he could make this girl pay…
Bruce looks out the window of his study, looking at the sunny skies, yet today is so dreary. He sighs and takes out his phone, pressing the speed dial for Selina.
"Bonjour (Good morning (French), Selina speaking." Selina answers, even though she wasn't from France in any way, she loved the language so much, it was amusing to Bruce, but he wasn't in the mood to smile.
"Our boy's hurting again…" Bruce says into the phone. He's met with silence.
"What happened?" She finally says after probably a solid ten seconds of silence. Bruce explains everything to her, but not giving every detail, just the more pertinent stuff. "Oh my god, my baby…"
"I told him I'd call you, I figured you'd want to know of this sort of thing. You had a hand in raising him after all." Bruce explains. He hears a shaky exhale from the other person on the line.
"I'm on my way, no protest." She says firmly.
"None given." Bruce states. Selina hangs up and messages her supervisor to let her know there's a family emergency. She doesn't wait for a response before grabbing her coat and bag, leaving the building. She climbs into her car and pulls out of her assigned spot, she'd grapple her way across the city which would be faster, but she can't risk that. She may be worried, but she does have to be reasonable. She thinks back though… Back to the first time she met Dick.
-Flashback-
News stories were everywhere about Bruce Wayne having taken in a boy from the circus, a horrible tragedy that left the little one without a family. Leave it to the bleeding heart that is Bruce Wayne to adopt a child with a similar backstory to his own. Selina wanted to meet this boy though. She likes Bruce, a lot, and if she's to be in his life, she needs to meet him. She waits for the boy to be settled first before making a sudden appearance.
She approaches the manor doors, knocking on them, waiting for Alfred out of politeness. The old man does soon open the door.
"Good Evening, Mistress Selina. This is a pleasant surprise." Alfred says, he's always enjoyed her presence, even though she follows a life of crime, she's still a good person, an anti-hero of sorts. Doing bad things for good intentions, and a little selfishness too here and there… Alfred allows her in. "What brings you by?"
"I think you know, Alfie." She says, smiling a little playfully.
"Master Dick, I presume?" Alfred asks. Selina nods. Bruce steps out of his study.
"Cat." He greets.
"Bat." She greets back, smiling at him. "I'm here to see the boy you've brought into the house."
"May as well." Bruce agrees. He looks toward the top of the stairs, around the corner, Dick is peeking out, looking down at them. "Come on out, Dick. It's ok. She doesn't bite." Dick slowly comes out from around the corner, coming down the steps. He's so tiny and adorable. He stands before her, looking up at her with those adorable silvery-blue eyes, like a stormy ocean.
"Look at you, little sweetheart…" She coos, kneeling so they're more eye level. "You seem like you'd like shiny things." She opens her purse and takes out a small rock, it's small, red in color. "Red jasper. You can have it." Dick lifts a hand and takes the rock carefully, looking at it curiously.
"It's like a red lily." Even his voice is adorable. "Thank you." Selina smiles happily.
"Of course, sweetie." She shuts her purse, looking at him again. His eyes are wide, marveling at the intricate markings, smiling so wide. "Gosh, you're so precious!" Dick stops looking at the stone and looks at her. "It's decided, you're my little kitten now." She reaches a hand up, brushing her fingers through his hair affectionately. Instinctively, he leans into the touch. "Mon Chaton (My Kitten (French)." His smile is soft. And seeing how well Dick has taken to her makes Bruce smile. He's still rather timid and shy, but she's the first person Dick's seemed totally comfortable with off the bat.
-End Flashback-
She pulls into the driveway and climbs out of her car, running up the porch steps and doesn't even bother to knock, just bursts in. She's expected anyway.
"Dick!?" She calls out. She runs upstairs, two steps at a time. She runs down the hall and enters his room, seeing Wally is already there, holding Dick in his arms, having him sit in his lap. "My baby…" She says softly, going over to the two boys. Wally looks up at her, sadness in his eyes, then he looks back down at Dick, who's still asleep against his shoulder. She reaches a hand to his tearstained cheek, stroking it gently. "How could anyone do this to such a sweet, loving boy…?"
"I don't know…" Wally says softly, his voice crackling. "It breaks my heart, and makes me so angry… Someone… hurt… my best friend, in such an awful way… She didn't manage to go all the way, but she did more than enough…" He closes his eyes, pressing his head against Dick's. "He blames himself… He thinks he should have fought back harder… But how could he…? Yea, he's strong, yes he's capable, but… he can only do so much, especially when he's still recovering."
"It's common for victims to blame themselves… God knows there are those who will also… It's up to people like us to prove they're not to blame. Dick isn't to blame for what happened…" Selina says. She moves, taking a seat next to Wally, looking at Dick. "I sometimes forget he's not the same little boy I met almost five years ago, instances like this don't help… But he'll always be my little kitten." She reaches a hand over, running her fingers through his hair.
After some time, he opens his eyes, seeing Selina.
"Mami…" He mumbles.
"Hey, baby…" Selina says softly… "How do you feel?" He closes his eyes again, curling his head down a bit. She runs a hand through his hair again. "Mon cher chaton… (my dear kitten (French)"
"I-I'll be ok…" Dick says softly, his voice is so quiet, kind of rough and shaky.
"Yes, you will…" She agrees, brushing the hair off his face. "You're so strong…" She pulls him up out of Wally's grasp and into her lap, holding him close. He immediately snuggles into her hold. Dick would normally be embarrassed basically being cradled, especially in front of his boyfriend, but right now he doesn't care and he knows Wally understands, won't make him feel bad for it. Dick's been through so much lately and this was just the last straw in a slew of just hell, for almost an entire month now.
"I just… Want my life to be ok again…" Dick states quietly. "I don't want to feel so scared anymore…"
"I know… And I'm so sorry, baby… You don't deserve it…" Selina says softly. "Hey, why don't we go out to eat for lunch. My treat. It'll let me get to know Wally better. Are you up for that?" Dick pauses, looking away, then looks at Wally, whose beautiful green eyes lit up in hope for food. Dick smiles a little and looks at Selina, nodding.
"Yea… Let's do it…" Dick says quietly. Selina smiles softly and kisses his head before letting him go.
"Go ahead and get dressed, I'll let Bat know." Selina says. Dick nods and climbs off the bed, walking over to his dresser and closet to find something to wear. Wally gets up and walks with him. She watches the two, Wally is very close, as if ready to catch him should he start to fall. His movements are slow, he's closed in. Maybe some time out with trusted loved ones will help. Selina gets off the bed and heads downstairs. She opens the door to the study, shutting the door behind her.
"Selina." Bruce says quietly, looking at something on his computer.
"Bruce." She says back. "I'm taking the boys out to eat. Would you like to join us?" Bruce looks up at her, sort of surprised. "It's my treat." Bruce looks at his computer, then back to Selina, her bright green eyes shining against her dark skin, hopeful. Bruce sighs, smiling a little.
"Alright. Just give me a moment more." Bruce agrees. Selina cheers, that same child-like enthusiasm that's rubbed off on his boy. He looks at her with soft eyes. Maybe… he can start dating her again. He's been broken up with Talia for quite some time now, surely it's been long enough to be in a new relationship. Well, a different relationship… Selina steps out to give him the moment he requested. He sits back down, looking back at his computer. He's been researching everything he can about what this lawsuit could entail. They have plenty of proof, eye witness accounts, security camera recordings, pictures, surely she'll be put in prison for a while. She's a legal adult, and Dick is well under the age of consent, so that wouldn't be a substantiated argument. Bruce also has the best lawyers in the country, surely they'll win this. For Dick's sake, they have to…
Meanwhile, Dick has found clothes to wear, just a black t-shirt with a band name on it, a fluffy, blue zip up jacket and some dark jeans with natural wear and tear. He doesn't care about dressing around Wally, they've seen each other without most of their clothes plenty of times. Wally takes notice of the scratches down his chest. It makes him so angry… Someone violated his best friend… Someone but him was touching his boyfriend! His fists clench as he argues with the protective and possessive sides of himself, obviously the winning vote is the protective rather than the possessive. Dick doesn't need a possessive boyfriend right now, he needs a protective best friend.
Once Dick has his shirt on, his shoulders noticeably relax, as if being without something covering his chest made him tense. Dick takes off his gym shorts so he can pull the jeans up, and Wally of course tries not to stare at his boyfriend's rear as he bends over… That's inappropriate! He doesn't need someone ogling him right now… Wally mentally kicks himself and turns away, looking out the window. He hears a shaky sigh and turns back to look at Dick who is trying to zip his pants and button them, but… images instantly fly to his mind… He closes his eyes, willing them away. It just happened though, surely he's ok to feel traumatized by it…
"You ok…?" Wally asks. He steps over and places a hand on his arm. Dick stiffens up and swipes his arm back, nearly hitting Wally in the face, but he stopped just short. Dick starts trembling, stepping back, eyes wide.
"M sorry…" Dick says softly.
"Hey, man, it's ok. You're a little jumpy right now, I shouldn't have tried to touch you." Wally says, his voice just as soft. "What's going on?"
"I just… I-I don't think I can wear pants like these… They're just… They're too similar to my school khakis…" Dick explains. "She nearly had them off of me…"
"Shh, it's ok… It's ok." Wally assures, he gently rubs his arm. "Do you have any sweatpants? Leggings?" Dick nods and turns to his dresser, looking for some sweatpants, getting the jeans off and putting the other pants on.
"I just… Didn't want to look too frumpy or something…" Dick states, his voice still so quiet.
"No one's going to care, and even if they do, they're not in your shoes. Kinda hard to fit in size five men's anyway."
"I'm size six…" Dick argues.
"Oh yes, size six, such a difference." Wally teases, smirking. Dick glares, but his lip twitches like he's trying to fight a smile. Dick rolls his eyes and slips his jacket onto his arms, zipping it up until it was a little above his chest, but just before his clavicles, so his necklace was still seeable. "I don't think you look frumpy, you look comfy." Dick smiles a little, looking at his boyfriend. "And cute, as always."
"Thanks, love." He says softly. He finds shoes and slides them on, not caring about socks right now. The two leave the room and head down. Selina is already waiting by the door, soon, Bruce steps out of his study, walking out, he's messed up his hair, is wearing a fake mustache and glasses.
"Are you coming with us…?" Dick asks.
"If that's alright. Think anyone will recognize me?" Bruce asks, gesturing to himself.
"Not really." Dick states, he glances at Wally, who's trying not to bust out laughing. "May as well get it out of your system now, Wall…" Which he does, bursting with laughter and falling back on the stairs. One would think he was hit with Joker Venom.
"You look like Clark Kent with facial hair!" Wally shouts. Selina curves her lips to help herself from laughing, seeing the resemblance.
"Except he's shorter." Selina finally speaks up, giggling softly.
"Oh, not you too…" Bruce mumbles, slumping his shoulders a bit. His reaction was enough to make Dick giggle a bit. Wally finally catches his breath, halting his laughter, but still some giggles manage to slip out. Dick takes his hand and pulls him up as he pulls him back down the rest of the way to the base of the stairs. Melinda's come out of her room, curious and confused.
"What's going- oh… Uh… Bruce?" Melinda asks, tilting her head slightly.
"Yes… If you didn't know me, would you recognize me?" Bruce asks.
"Definitely not at first glance, I'd have to really stare at you, but then I'd think Clark Kent grew a mustache." Melinda mentions, causing Wally to laugh again.
"I was right!" Wally shouts.
"We're going out to eat, would you like to join us?" Selina asks.
"Oh, I'd love to, but I'm working from home." Melinda says.
"I'm sure your boss's boss's boss's? boss wouldn't mind." Selina says, glancing at Bruce. Bruce nods to confirm. Melinda smiles and runs back to her room to grab her things. She's out in moments with a purse and a jacket, and her shoes of course. They head out the door, Bruce takes the driver seat of course. Wally, Melinda, and Dick take the back, with Dick in the middle as he's the smallest. Selina of course rides shotgun. They make their way out of the driveway, Dick is leaning onto Wally's shoulder, finding comfort there, especially as the speedster wraps his arm around him.
"How long is he going to be traumatized by this?" Wally wonders internally. "My poor sweet baby…"
AN: So, no one has voted on my poll, I'm gonna keep it up for a while, but I have a few ideas of how I'd like to have Dick become a woman. If he was born that way and is trans-masc, or if Zatanna uses a spell to make him a woman, or if Klarion casts a spell to make him a woman. I haven't decided. That's even if he does become a woman, soooo. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!