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Sometimes, Dick really thinks the world is out to get him. Because if it isn't—then why is he here?
“So you're really a god?” Billy, in front of him, asks, bouncing on the balls of his heels.
“Uh, yep,” Dick confirms, smiling tensely at him. “That's me. Apollo. And you are…”
“Billy! My mom's Tyche,” he says, beaming. Gods. He’s so small. And Dick can’t even make up an excuse to run away because they’re deep in the woods, alone. Why is Billy here, anyway?
“What are you doing in the woods alone?”
“Oh, well.” Billy smiles sheepishly. His hand clenches around something in his pocket—his phone, probably. “I was just…I wanted some privacy. Camp’s pretty crowded, you know?”
Dick inclines his head. “Still. You’re, what, ten? You shouldn’t be here alone.”
Billy scowls at him. “I’m twelve.”
A year older than Damian. Gods. If he lived in Gotham, Bruce would have snatched him up ages ago. He fits the bill, anyway, with his hair and his eyes. And his last name, too; Batson. If that isn’t a sign then Dick doesn’t know what is. But Billy lives in Fawcett, not Gotham, so alas, it’ll never happen.
“Okay, okay.” Dick holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Twelve. My bad.” He doesn’t say anything else for a moment, scanning Billy for injuries. He seems fine, at least physically, so… “Are you okay?”
“What?” Billy blinks at him, startled, likely confused at why a random god who isn’t related to him is asking if he’s alright. “I’m fine.”
Liar.
“You sure?” Dick coaxes. “You can tell me if you’re not.”
“I don’t know you,” Billy deadpans, and yeah something’s wrong. And he’s right—Billy doesn’t know him. Not as Apollo. But maybe…should he? Billy is damn good at secrets but it feels wrong to unload another one on him, especially when Tim still doesn’t know. But Dick can tell there’s something up, and, well, Roy may be right about his hero complex.
“Yeah, you do,” he sighs, and shifts with a blink. Billy gapes, stunned and speechless, and Dick grins at him. “Um. Please don’t tell Batman.”
“You—what—holy shit!”
“Language,” Dick says automatically.
Billy snorts. “Okay, yeah, I believe it. Can’t beat that big brother instinct, huh?”
Dick messes up his hair a little. “No, I can’t.” He lets Billy lean back to escape his touch before repeating his earlier statement. “You can talk to me, Billy.”
Billy falters. “It’s really nothing. Just…got in my head again, I guess.”
Dick softens, tugging Billy into a sidehug. “Tell you what. Why don’t you stop by the tower sometime soon and I can teach you a few moves? As Billy.”
“R-really?”
“Really.” Dick grins.
Dick hangs out in the tower for the next few days. It's nice, really nice, because he's been in Gotham for a bit now and he loves his family, he really does, they can just be a little…stifling at times.
He goes on a few missions with the Titans, saves some people, gets back in the thick of it, and he loves working with his friends. There's a bond there, one that can never be broken.
Billy shows up when Dick is sparring with Donna. Dick spots him out of the corner of his eye and is barely able to jump over a leg sweep. He gets his footing back, using Donna's back as a launching pad and getting her in a chokehold.
“Yield,” she says, so Dick lets up. Donna wipes her forehead. “That was fun.”
“Yeah,” Dick agrees. “Yeah, it was.”
She grins at him and waves at Billy. “You two have fun now.”
“You don't have to leave,” Dick says, tilting his head at her. She just shakes her head and ruffles Billy's hair on the way out. Dick watches her leave with a fond sort of exasperation. When she's gone, he turns to Billy. “Okay. First things first: let's see how flexible you are.”
“Okay,” Billy pants, two hours later. “Wow.”
Dick laughs and tosses him a water bottle. “You good?”
“Yeah. That was. Thank you.” Billy takes a long drink, tipping his head back against the wall as he breathes. Dick sits on the bench next to him, a towel around his neck and his own water in his hand. Billy's good. Strong legs, lots of stamina. More flexible than Dick was expecting, so he got to show Billy a few more complicated moves, since Billy knew a lot of the basics.
“Anytime.”
“No, I mean—” Billy runs a hand through his hair. “You got me out of my head, and I—I needed that. So. Thank you.”
Dick's smile softens. “Like I said. Anytime.”
Billy matches his smile with one of his own. “Hey, uh. Are you okay?”
“Hm?” Dick blinks at him. “I'm fine.”
Billy squints at him. “Liar.”
It's the exact same exchange they'd had just a few days ago, only switched, and Billy has no qualms about being blunt. It's enough to startle another laugh out of Dick.
“Isn't Apollo the god of truth? So why are you lying?”
“I…” Dick trails off. “I am fine. Really.”
“Physically, maybe.” Billy sits down, groaning. “Look, I know I'm just a kid and you won't talk to me, but—but I'm here. If I can help…”
“You are helping,” Dick says. “You are. This, teaching, acrobatics in general. It helps. You're a good kid, Billy.”
A hint of pink dusts Billy's cheeks. “You're a good teacher.” Then, “Can…can we do this again sometime?”
Dick grins at him. “Absolutely. Just let me know when you're free.”