Chapter Text
“...and I just reversed the polarities using a hybrid algorithm from the security system from the Watchtower and M’gann’s bioship and downloaded the Zalchor’s data into the metacrystal that Superman gave us last year…” Robin explained cheerfully to the members of the Justice League who had just returned to the Watchtower after a painful all hands mission. The mission would have been disastrous had Batman not insisted that Robin provide back up from the safety of the Batcave. Through the giant screen, they could see his attention flicker from Batman to something off screen.
All eyes turned to Batman who stood with his arms folded, nodding his head as though just anyone could create a virus that rendered the invading Zalchor fleet’s control system useless while hacking into the alien tech using something that only a very, very small number of the people in the room even could comprehend. “Is the metacrystal stable?”
“Yes, but I’m going to keep the data quarantined until I can build a strong enough box to hold it,” Robin shrugged.
“That can wait for a few days,” Batman said decisively.
“Hmmm,” Robin suddenly brightened, his attention fixed on a screen they couldn’t see. “I've just finished writing a translating programs that can run through the crystal.”
“Accessed the Kryptonium library for the translation lexicon?” Batman’s lips curled up in the tiniest hint of a smile. He heard Superman sigh to his right. Batman knew Superman was slightly irritated that Robin could crack his security so easily. Batman felt a swell of pride he was careful not to show. “You can finish that later. I am wrapping things up here and will be home soon.”
“Great! Robin out.” Robin signed off and the screen went black.
“Would it kill you to tell the kid he did good?” Green Arrow asked sarcastically. A few of the tired members nodded their agreement. Robin was a bit of a sore spot for some of the League members. When Batman had first brought Robin to the group, there was a vicious backlash- Robin was too young, a child even; but over time Robin had proved himself invaluable.
Batman flashed an irritated glare. “This mission is finished. I’ll let you know when I’ve uploaded and analyzed the data.” He turned to leave. Black Canary followed him to the Zeta tube.
“Are we putting too much pressure on him?” Black Canary asked. “Robin's is…”
“He likes working with the League and his skills are needed.”
“He’s just an 12 year old boy.”
“He’s not ‘just’ anything,” Batman snapped and Zeta’ed to the Batcave.
Robin was still sitting at the comm typing quickly on one of the keyboards. Batman took off his cowl and stood over his shoulder to read the mission summary he was finishing up. “Is all of this too much?” Bruce Wayne asked after a minute. He hated to admit it, but he sometimes worried that Dinah and the others were right.
“No, I’m good,” Robin’s hands were a blur as they danced over the keyboard. “We’re still patrolling tonight, right?”
“Yes.” Bruce felt himself relaxing as he soaked up Robin’s presence. “It’s past 4. Do you want to stay home from school?” The thought of having a leisurely breakfast with his ward was appealing.
“Na, I have a Calc test.” Robin saved his work then spun the chair around, scanning Bruce for injuries. “When communications went out I was scared,” Robin said in a small voice.
“But you brought them back up soon enough,” Bruce’s approval gave his gravely voice a rare lightness.
“It took 4.23 minutes,” Robin shook his head. “Not fast enough.”
Bruce felt another stab of concern. Robin’s expectations for himself far exceed even Bruce’s absurdly high expectations. Not knowing what to say, Bruce took hold of Robin’s face and gently took off the boy’s face mask. Dick looked up at him, his blue eyes bright. Bruce traced Dick’s pale cheekbones with his fingers. “You did well.”
Dick sprang up from the chair and wrapped his arms around the tall man. “I’m glad you’re safe,” Dick whispered.
Bruce held the boy tightly basking in Dick’s affection.
Artemis almost knocked M’gann down as she stormed into the cave. “Are you okay?” M’gann asked, her eyes wide.
“I am so angry!” Artemis fumed. She looked around and caught sight of Kaldur, Wally, and Conner staring at her nervously. “Where’s Robin? I want to spar!” It went without saying that Robin was the best at hand to hand combat. He might be small, but his speed and flexibility made him unbelievably hard to defeat.
“He’s not here yet. I’ll spar with you,” Wally offered with a flirty smile.
“Not you. The mood I’m in, I’ll probably break you,” Artemis growled. “Conner.”
Conner exchanged a worried glance with M’gann. “Why don’t you tell us why you’re so angry first?” M’gann asked.
“It’s stupid. Dumb. No, it’s completely maddening. There’s this kid at my school, right? He’s like 9 or something. He’s some kind of super genius, right? Well there are these meatheads who make it their business to bully everyone. This kid is like their favorite target. They’re always saying stuff to him and usually he just ignores them, which drives them crazy, but eventually the bells rings and they have to leave him alone. Well, today we were at extended lunch and they start messing with him. Before I knew it, they were holding him down and punching him.”
“Is the boy okay?” M’gann exclaimed.
“Yea, I think so. But get this. When the teachers asked him why his uniform was all messed up, he said he tripped. He totally protected those jerks.”. Artemis threw her hands up in the air. “I swear, if I ever see them bother that kid again, I…”
“What kid?” Robin asked as he walked into the main room already wearing his body armor and face mask.
Wally, who knew Robin’s true identity, easily guessed who the young boy Artemis was talking about. He studied Robin, trying to figure out how to pull him aside and check on him. Robin didn’t look like he was hurt, but Robin was almost inhuman at being able to hide his pain.
“There’s this kid who keeps getting picked on at my school,” Artemis scowled.
“Woah, I’m sorry I asked.” He asked, unconcerned about Artemis’s story.
“Come on,” Artemis grabbed his arm. “We’re sparing.” She started dragging him in the direction of the gym.
“Wait! Rob, you and I were going to work on that thing today,” Wally said following them. If Rob was hurt...
“Shut up, Wally. He’s mine.” Artemis snarled getting into position.
Robin just shrugged and waited for her attack.
Robin was always the last one out of his room. When he stepped out wearing his spare Robin suit, Wally was waiting for him. “Hey, want to come over my house?”
Robin shook his head. “Can’t. Patrolling tonight.”
“I can’t believe you threw Artemis 8 times before she gave up. That has to be some kind of a record.”
“She was unfocused,” Robin shrugged with a grin.
“Yea,” Wally walked along side of him. “Hey, what’s going on at school?”
Dick’s smile faded. “What do you mean?”
“Is Mitchell still hassling you?” Wally asked straight out.
“Wally,” Robin sighed.
“Tell me! Is he still bothering you?”
“Wally, it’s fine. Really. It’s better for him to pick on me than someone else.”
“Rob, you’re not a human punching bag. You don’t have to put up with that. Can’t you just put him in his place?”
“B wouldn’t want me to,” Robin shrugged.
“Does he know he’s beating you up?”
“It doesn’t matter. You know how he is. I can’t disappoint him.”
“Rob,” Wally put his hands on Robin’s shoulders. “Will you tell him at least? Let him know?”
“I… I can’t, Wally. Look, I’ll handle this. I have to go.”
“If I hear anything else…”
“Good bye, Wally.” Robin said shaking off Wally’s hands.
Wally sighed as Robin went through his Zeta tube to the Batcave.
Superman hovered over Gotham for a few minutes as he listened for Batman’s heart beat. He would never admit it, but Bruce’s heart beat was one of three that he could pick out no matter where in the world he was. The others, of course, were his mother and Lois. Superman very quickly found Batman on the roof of a tall building.
As Superman flew close, he could almost taste the tension bleeding off the other man. Superman wasn’t so foolish as to think that his presence had gone undetected and it hurt him that Batman was so unwelcoming. Superman tried to reach out to the other man so many times, desperately looking for something, anything that would crack Batman’s frosty exterior, but his efforts were always briskly rebuffed.
“Can I help you with something?” Batman growled, not even bothering to look up from what he was watching.
Superman took a breath and landed quietly a few feet behind the dark knight. “Hello to you as well,” he said with only the slightest edge of temper.
Batman didn’t respond. Superman bit back his annoyance and looked down to see what held Batman’s attention.
In the alley next to the building Robin was facing off against 6 well armed men. There was a woman and child huddled against the wall, clinging to each other. Two of the men grabbed for Robin, but Robin easily slipped past them, cackling merrily.
“Aren’t you going to help him?” Superman demanded, preparing to fly down.
“No.”
Batman’s voice stopped Superman short. Superman whipped his head around and looked at Batman incredulously. “There are 6 armed men down there!”
Batman didn’t respond.
Superman looked back down just in time to see Robin disarm two of the men and tangle them in a wire. Three more rushed at him, but Robin shot him grappling hook and jumped out of their reach. He twisted and caught the three men in a net that he secured to the ground. The final man took out his gun and started shooting at the boy. Robin just cackled and leapt over, kicking the gun out of his hand with one foot, and kicking the man under neath the chin with his other. The kick flipped the man over, causing him to hit his head and lose consciousness. Robin quickly secured him then made his way over to the woman and child.
“You were saying?” Batman asked, the tension in his shoulders easing.
Superman shut his mouth and stared at Batman. He had no idea Robin was that good.
“I can’t always be with him,” Batman said after a moment. “It’s good to know he can hold his own in tight situations.”
Superman looked back down. Robin was walking the woman and child away. “Yea,” he said softly.
Batman finally turned to him. “Was there something you wanted?”
“I wanted to give Robin another metacrystal,” Superman said holding out a long crystal.
Batman looked at it for a moment before taking it. “Then you aren’t angry he found a use for the other crystal.”
“I think what he used it for was pretty close to their original purpose. The primary purpose of the other crystals are to hold knowledge and make it accessible. I wasn’t sure how they worked before he did it the other night.”
“He’s good with figuring things out,” Batman shrugged.
“I think he’s a little better than good,” Superman said wryly.
Batman’s lips curled up slightly. “Give him time and he’ll revolutionize how we do things.”
Superman was warmed by the pride in Batman’s deep voice. It was the first time outside of a league meeting that Batman was even vaguely cordial to him.
There was a soft chirp from Batman’s wrist. “I have to go.”
“Of course,” Superman said, hoping that the conversation was some kind of turning point in their… Acquaintance.
Batman looked at Superman for a moment before jumping off the building. Superman’s breath caught, but then saw Batman swing away.
“…and you’re just his ward,” the blond haired bully sneered, holding the small boy by the hair. “That means he’s going to throw you away when he’s tired of you like the trash you are.”
Artemis saw red. She ran over to the group of kids around the two boys. She pushed her way through the crowd and kicked the blond hard behind the knee causing him he fall and drop the small boy.
The boy’s vivid blue eyes widened as he fell.
“Keep your hands off him, you creep,” Artemis snarled at the blond.
The blond looked at her in surprise before sneering. “Well, if it isn’t the new scholarship kid. More trash.” The kids around them laughed.
Without a thought, Artemis slapped the blond hard. “This trash is about to wipe the floor with you.” Artemis snapped. “And I will if I even hear a whisper of you picking on this kid or any other kid. You got me?”
“Bitch!” the boy spat. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”
“I don’t care who you are!” Artemis yelled.
“What is going on here?” One of the teachers demanded, walking through the crowd. She looked from the blond to Artemis to the other boy who was still on the floor looking on in horror. The teacher stilled when she caught sight of the boy on the ground. “Mr. Grayson, I believe we’ve had a discussion about antagonizing the other students.”
“What?” Artemis shrieked. “You’re going to blame this on him?”
“Oh, the new girl,” the teacher said dimly. “I think you both should go to Principal Skinner. There is no tolerance for trouble at Gotham Academy.”
Artemis’s eyes bulged as she looked around at the sneering faces of the students. She turned her head and caught sight of the resigned look on the boy’s face. She watched as the boy gathered his books and stood up. Without meeting her eyes he slowly made his way through the crowd of students. The students refused to move, knocking the boy’s shoulders as he tried to pass through. Artemis fumed. She glared at the students and they quickly parted for her. She hurried to catch up with the boy.
“Are you okay?” Artemis asked as they walked side by side.
“They are going to call your parents. If you get caught again they will expel you,” the boy said softly. “Don’t get in trouble for me.”
Artemis stared at the kid. “You’re welcome.” She said sarcastically.
The boy didn’t look at her. “I’m serious. You’ll get into trouble if you get expelled.”
“That’s what you’re worried about? Those kids are beating you up!”
“I’ve handled worse than Mitchell,” the boy shrugged.
“Sure you have, kid. Look. If he gives you any more trouble, let me know. I’ll take care of him.”
“I’m fine. This is not worth you getting into trouble over.” He walked in the anteroom of the Principal’s office.
Mrs. Winchester, the principal’s secretary, looked at the boy disapprovingly. “Mr. Grayson, back again. I think Principal Skinner has been more than patient with you. I’m afraid this time we are going to have to call your guardian.”
The boy’s shoulders stiffened.
“HE didn’t do anything!” Artemis’s voice cracked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.” The woman said looking at Artemis over the top rim of her glasses. After a moment her smile grew unpleasantly. “You’re the new charity case. Your mother’s disabled, isn’t she? She’ll have a hard time getting down here to pick you up.” The woman made a clicking noise with her tongue.
Artemis suddenly felt sick with the realization that they were actually going to call her mom over this. Her mom would lose her mind. And the team! If she got expelled she might be kicked off the team! Artemis blinked tears out of her eyes was she furiously looked away.