Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was something about Gotham that pissed Robin off. Something about the way Gotham thrived in darkness, coming alive only after sundown. Criminals had unanimously decide that sleeping during the day and being degenerates at night was something normal to humans. This wasn’t true for other cities, but no, Gotham had to be different. It couldn’t be like the other cities, it had to operate on a permanent night shift.
“Just fifteen more minutes,” Robin mumbled, staring at the first rays of light peaking through the horizon. At the very least, he was grateful that Gotham had a schedule. Eight in the morning seemed to be the cutoff for criminals. Most of them weren’t bad people, at least that’s what Robin liked to tell himself. Most of them had no other option. He remembers how he felt when he was first dumped into this hellscape of a city.

Revenge was easy to find here, but difficult to get out of. It was a terrible web that trapped you if you weren’t too careful about it. Although, searching for justice wasn’t much different.

Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the rare silence of the city. People were either getting ready to retreat back to whatever place they called a home or ready to start their day.

He had maybe about two seconds of silence before life decided it was a second too many.

“Are you shitting me?” He grumbled, watching an explosion about two miles to his left. “We almost had a good day, Gotham!” He shouted against the wind, launching himself from the old apartment building. His hold on the grapple was tight, not because he was scared of falling, but because the feeling of the metal digging into his hands kept his adrenaline up.

Landing onto a roof, Robin looked on the scene. It wasn’t anything too horrible. If anything this was one of the easier morning rushes he’d had in his years of being Robin. “Isn’t it a little early for Snow cones in the Park?” Robin shouted against the wind, jumping down onto the grassy field of Gotham City Park.

“Don’t you have a bedtime?” Dr. Freeze sneered, turning to the boy wonder. There weren’t many people in the park, not yet at least. Only the occasional runner. Robin liked to think that they were transplants, there’s no way a local would be dumb enough to run while the night was still being ushered away.

Even Freeze looked a bit disgruntled to see that the Gotham morning was brighter than usual. There weren’t any clouds in the sky this morning. It was a rare treat to the people of the city.

Just as Robin scanned the area, he saw the bald freak aiming the freeze ray at a man jogging in the middle of the park. Robin feet moved on instinct, running to push the man out of the way. “Move!” His voice came, creaking a little from the panic.

He saw Freeze take his aim, and mentally prepared to take the hit. However, a cloaked figure threw something from his blind spot. The black batarang cut through the tension like the weapon it was built to be. The cold steel hit Freeze’s hand, knocking his aim. The ray shot up to the sky, a silent warning for people to stay away.

“Batman!” Freeze snapped, his brows furrowing behind the fishbowl he wore around his head. The Dark Knight stood several feet away, hidden by the alleyway shadows. Freeze couldn’t see him properly, but Robin could. Robin saw the subtle hand signal Bruce gave out. ‘Manuver A’. The simplest of things, really. Robin could do this in his sleep.

Robin couldn’t help but giggle. It had become somewhat of a legend within the Criminal Underworld. If you heard Robin laughing, but you couldn’t see him, you were about to get schooled by a child.

The plan was simple, a simple vault and high jump while the world was distracted by Batman. It was one of the first things Robin and Batman had come up with together.

There was a bit of taunting that came from Freeze. Something unoriginal that he spoke before he realized who was missing. “The Bird-” He managed to say before there were two batarangs to the side of his head, cracking the fishbowl.

Freeze stumbled back blindly, tripping on his own feet while Robin cackled in the background. “Is the bat finally getting to old for the job? Or is the birdie finally spreading his wings?” Freeze taunted, “You’ve been in a cage for too long, Birdie, do you even know how to fly?” He continued in the same cocky tone.

That shouldn’t have gotten to Robin the way it did. He felt the scowl form on his features, and for a second, Robin was no longer a playful entity, he was a trained soldier.

“You wanna talk about flying?” Robin snapped, pushing his leg out to kick against Freeze’s chest, sending him tumbling back a bit. He didn’t know what came over him really. The thought of not being taken seriously was getting to him this morning. He didn’t notice when Batman intervened until he was being pushed away from the scene, Freeze lying on the ground, curled into a ball.

“Robin, stand down,” Batman ordered, using that tone that meant they would talk about it later. Looking up, Robin saw through the cowl. Batman was angry. Robin couldn’t help but scoff childishly.

“He started it,” Robin mumbled, watching Batman tying Freeze up before he heard sirens in the background.

“Go, I’ll take care of the police,” Batman grunted, turning away from the younger vigilante.

Robin didn’t want to go, not really, but he knew the consequences of disobeying his mentor.

With a huff, Robin walked back into the alley, grappling away while the sun finished rising over Gotham.

_ + _

Dick Grayson was fifteen minutes late to first period, again. It wasn’t his fault, not really. Gotham was just a shit hole sometimes.

The black-haired boy burst into the classroom in a panic, looking over apologetically at his IB World History teacher. “There was an accident in front of the school,” Dick panted, pretending he had run a bit of a distance. There hadn’t been an accident. Not originally, but if some old rich white guy had found his tire slashed in the shape of a batarang blade, well, that wasn’t really anyone’s fault but Batman and Robin’s.

He made a beeline to his desk without another word, ignoring the warning his teacher gave him about tardiness. If it weren’t for Dick, Mr. Schultz wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly. The thought of a lecture to his integrity was almost laughable. Dick practically threw his backpack onto the floor before slumping into his seat.

“‘Morning, Babs,” He grunted, rubbing his eyes before pulling out his notebook. The redhead next to him let out a hum, looking up from her notes. “Wow, you look… interesting,” She commented lightly before going back to work.

Dick let out a small scoff, rolling his eyes. Barbara Gordon was his friend, and little else. Not because he didn’t have the ability, but because she was the only one who saw past his Wayne attachment. He was just Dick Grayson around her. That was powerful to him. Not even Bruce was that easy to be around. It was nice, to know that he could relax around her.

In reality, Dick hated Gotham Academy. He hated the stuffy uniform (they were 16 for God’s sake, why did they need to dress like preschoolers?) . He hated the snobby children of Gotham’s elite (I mean sure, he technically counted, but nuh-uh). He hated the fact that it was a thirty minute drive from the Batcave, while Gotham High School was only fifteen minutes.

But he couldn’t deny that he could get a better education here than at GHS. Not that he was taking advantage of it. He did what Bruce told him to do. Simple, done.

The only thing that was truly his, was his confidence in joining the Gymnastics Team. He had made varsity during his first year (duh) and he didn’t have plans of stopping soon. He was considered a prodigy, which wasn’t surprising considering his backstory of being adopted by Bruce Wayne was public knowledge. He wasn’t a circus freak to other students, but they also didn’t question why he was so good at a young age. Scouts were already coming in and out to watch him during training. The performer in him adored the attention, but the Bruce Wayne in him wished they would pick another kid to whisk away to a top university.

The day passed by just as quickly. It wasn’t surprising, between classes and napping, his days were pretty mundane. He was popular, sure, but that didn’t take effort. People naturally liked Dick. (ha).

Even though he was popular, he rarely had any conversations worth remembering. Not because he was picky, but there was just little that was cooler than being Robin.

Deep down, he knew there should be more to this whole high school thing. It wasn’t like the movies, and while the movies aren’t always accurate, he had to believe there was more to life than just going from class to class and being nice when people looked his way. Wally always talked about his time with friends and his adventures through Central City, Dick wanted that too. The only thing stopping him was his responsibilities. He had to put everything on hold to be Robin. It wasn’t a bad thing, but just because a burden was for the greater good didn’t make it less heavy to carry.

-*-

As soon as he got home, he saw Bruce standing by the living room. Internally, Dick groaned. Bruce waiting in the living room meant that there was a lecture waiting to happen. With the Justice League forming just a few months ago, Dick had been left on his own a lot. For Bruce to take time out of his day to scold him, it had to be serious.

“What now?” he grumbled, flopping onto the couch and tucking his hands behind his head.

Bruce watched him silently, clenching and unflinching his jaw. His pale hands pushed back his hair before he sighed. “You know, Dr. Freeze is in Gotham General” Bruce began, choosing his words carefully.

“Oh, good for him, I heard Gotham General has the best ratings of all the hospitals in Gotham, according to the Gotham Gazette,” Dick commented lightly, nodding his head before kicking his feet onto the table.

“Dick this is serious,” Bruce replied, his tone gruff.

“Oh I know, you know medical malpractice is a serious crime,” He replied, reaching for the remote.

“Richard, you put a man in a hospital this morning,” Bruce snapped, pushing the controller away before standing in front of the television.

“No, I put a criminal in police custody this morning. The hospital was just where the police chose to take him,” Dick challenged, eyes going up to meet Bruce’s steely gaze.

“You don’t actually think that, do you? Chum, are you serious?” Bruce asked, crossing his arms.

“Oh, boo-fucking-hoo, Bruce, at least now he’s not coming back for at least six months,”

“You don’t get to decide that,”

“Neither does the New Jersey justice system apparently, these fuckers just break out of prison whenever they feel like it, and then we have to pay the price. Someone has to make sure they stay in prison,” Dick snapped, fed up with the discussion. He stood, now on par with Bruce.

“You don’t get to make those calls,” was all Bruce managed to say before Dick scoffed.

“We’re a team, Bruce, I’m pretty sure my opinion matters as much as yours,” He grumbled.

“You are under my care, so you will follow my rules,” Bruce snapped, clenching his jaw.

Dick froze at that statement, glaring up at Bruce. “Do you tell that to the Justice League too? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve been a hero longer than most of them,” He growled.

“I don’t need to tell them to listen to me, they’re smart enough to figure it out on their own,” Bruce replied, taking a deep breath and straightening his back.

“Are you calling me dumb?”

“No, I’m calling you reckless,”

“What a liar,” Dick scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Listen Dick, if you can’t listen, Robin needs to get off the streets, permanently. I will not value your opinions over human lives,” Bruce announced, watching Dick’s mouth fall open.

“You’re benching me over beating up criminals?” Dick asked, his words slow and confused.

“I’m tapping you out over a concern for the safety of others,” Bruce corrected, his tone formal, like when he worked with employees at Wayne enterprises.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Dick spoke, his words jumbling together, “You don’t get to raise me in a way that teaches me that all criminals are bad, and then toss me to the side once I act on your lessons,” Dick snapped, stepping forward and poking a finger into Bruce’s chest.

“Chum, listen to me. I taught you that all crime was bad, yeah, including assault, you don’t just get to beat up people because they work for a bad man,” Bruce reminded, his tone soft, but calculated.

“He was going to freeze someone! I saved their life!”

“This isn’t about Freeze! This is about you going out every night just because you want the adrenaline!” Bruce finally snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “You don’t put on the mask because you want to make the world a better place! You don’t think before you throw a punch! Do you know how many times you’ve ignored my orders to stand down?! You know how frustrating it is to have to explain to GCPD that villains are fighting back to excuse your behavior! Either you get your shit together or you can give me back the suit!”

There was a tense moment of silence, before Dick frowned. He opened his mouth to reply, but Bruce wasn’t done yet.

“Chum, just, come back to me when you’ve figured out what being a hero means to you, there’s more to this than just adrenaline rushes,” Bruce sighed, shaking his head and going to walk away from Dick.

That scared Dick. The wording. Was he being let go?

“Are you firing me as Robin? Or your son?” He asked softly.

When his question was left unanswered, Dick bit his lip.

“Just like that, huh,” He muttered, shaking his head and going upstairs to his bedroom, locking the door behind him.

Chapter Text

“Good morning Central City, I’m Felicity Douglas, bringing you the weather-”

“Good morning Central City,” Wally mimicked, sitting on the apartment counter and pouring milk into his bowl of cereal. His red hair stuck up at odd angles, and the navy blue Garfield pajama pants were rumpled from his nightly movement.

Aunt Iris had left a few hours ago, claiming that she would be back by the evening. He hadn’t heard the exact details of what she said, too distracted by the warm feeling of the weighted blanket he had been gifted last Christmas.

Turning his head, he looked outside of the apartment. It was a cloudy day, perfect for a jog.

Maybe later, right now, he had a date with destiny. Shoving Cocoa Puffs into his mouth, Wally took the time to focus on the flavors. He had been obsessed with the taste for a few weeks now. They reminded him of a time where he didn’t have to get adjusted to the change of moving to Central City from Chicago. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine how he would eat the same thing while his mother brushed his hair, nagging him to not be late to school.

He was so focused on the food, he didn’t hear the sound of his phone ringing until the third time. He shook his head, grabbing his phone and answering the phone, ending the sound of Sexyback playing in the background.

“What the hell, Walls? I called you three times already!” Came an annoyed and slightly tightened voice from the speakers. Wally gulped down his mouthful, slurping a bit of milk.
“Sorry, I was… busy,” He replied, shoving another spoonful into his mouth.

“Obviously,” came the reply on the other side of the line. “Come downstairs, I’m outside your building,” was all that was ordered before the line was cut off.

Wally groaned, slamming his phone back down and going to his room, grabbing a Central High hoodie and throwing it up before grabbing his keys and jogging downstairs.

Pushing out the door of the building, he walked over to a figure in faded Wrangler jeans and a black Patagonia windbreaker.

“Aren’t you a little far from home?” He called, eyeing the blue duffle bag on the sidewalk.

Dick looked up from where he had been squatted, and Wally couldn’t help the way his stomach dropped.

Dick Grayson, the boy wonder, he wasn’t smiling. That never happened. Sure, the boy had his serious moments, but even his stoicism was more expected than this. Red rimmed eyes, messy black curls, and shaky hands. This wasn’t the Richard Garyson he knew.

“Dude, what happened?” Wally asked, reaching his hand out to Dick.

Dick shrugged, taking his hand and letting Wally pull him up. There was a moment of silence between the boys, both of them wanting to speak and neither wanting to open their mouths.

Finally, Dick pulled Wally closer, wrapping his arms around the ginger’s shoulders. “I think you need to come inside,” Wally mumbled, rubbing his back.

“No shit,” Dick laughed, taking a deep breath after he had his fill of affection. Sniffling, he rubbed his nose against his coat, bending down to grab his duffle bag. “Is your Aunt home?”

“Nah, she had work,”

“Okay,”

_*_

Five minutes later, Dick was wrapped in a blanket, mindlessly watching the ‘Powerpuff Girls’ reruns on the old television in the living room.

Wally tried to be nonchalant, he really did. He didn’t want to ask why his best friend had taken a 16 hour train ride to Central City from Gotham. Dick probably need space, yeah, that was it.

His leg thumped against the floor, his eyes darting from the television to the boy hunched drowsily.

“You know…. I made breakfast,” Wally mumbled, pointing to his forgotten bowl of cereal.

“Wow, you really eat gourmet now,” Dick mumbled, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

Wally sighed, standing up and cleaning the kitchen in a flash. “Okay Dude, seriously, what are you doing here? I mean respectfully, because it’s not that you’re not welcome here, I justIdunnomaybethere’ssomethingIcanhelpyouwith-” Wally rambled, speeding up his words until Dick was giving him strange looks.

Dick sighed, closing his eyes shrugging. “I got fired,” He simply stated, flopping against the couch.

Wally paused, the force of the stop sending him flying against the couch, right on top of Dick. He quickly pushed himself off, tumbling to the ground.
“What?!” He shouted, watching Dick wince.

“Apparently, I’m too violent for the streets of Gotham,” Dick grumbled, pouting his lips like a scolded child.

Wally froze, tilting his head in confusion. Dick? Too violent for Gotham? Gotham? Gotham, New Jersey? The most violent city in the US?

He had been there once, and once had been enough. There was no amount of money that could keep him protecting that stubborn city. It was like a stale piece of bread. Hard, crumbling, and frankly, a little green with mold. But hey, any place is a decent place, or whatever people said.

“You know, I didn’t think he’d actually fire me, I thought… well… never mind, I wasn’t even adopted,” Dick mumbled, suddenly interested in the skyline outside.

“Hey, it’s normal to be a bit hurt,” Wally comforted, looking up from his spot on the floor.

That caused Dick to burn a few shades darker, turning his head to the boy. “Me?” He asked with a scoff and a voice crack. “Like I’d ever be upset over something so stupid!” He snapped, frowning.

Wally raised an eyebrow, not understanding what the problem was. “Then why are you 16 hours away from home, wrapped in a blanket?” He asked, tilting his head.
“Are you always this annoying?” Dick asked, frowning.

“Hey, I just wanted to know,” Wally replied, raising his arms to show he meant no harm.

They stared at each other for a second before Dick brushed his hair back and stood up. “How about I treat you to a burger?” He offered, his smile a bit sad.

“How about you shower first, you smell like shit,” Wally laughed, shaking his head.

Dick huffed, rolling his eyes and walking to Wally’s room, turning to the redhead.

“Only if you come with,” He winked playfully, going to grab his duffle bag.

“Leave the door open for me, Dickie-Doo!” Wally called, tossing him a towel from the pile he had yet to fold.

_*_

Wally’s yellow converse shoes hit the moist pavement of 61st street while Dick rambled on about some asshole from his fancy academy that he always liked to yap about. At this point, Wally liked to think that Dick loved to suffer, because if that were him, he would’ve transferred out ages ago.

He had been thriving at Central High this semester, varsity Track and Field, all A's and B's, finally having a shot with the girl he had been making puppy dog eyes at since freshman year, life was pretty good. Dick could have the same if he let go of the part of himself that would pick the domino mask over the cap and gown. Wally knew he was smart enough to be a good student. And if Dick wasn't he was stubborn enough to figure out a way to make himself become that student anyway. That's what Wally had always admired about his best friend. Dick never gave up, even when he was told that he wouldn't find a way. People like that are rare, and they almost always burn brighter than any star in the sky.

Wally tugged the letterman jacket a bit tighter around his body, the red and gold colors wrapping around his shoulders. It was still a bit chilly after the morning sprinkle, but not enough for Wally to want to back down from a walk to Big Belly Burger a block down.

He was about to open his mouth to respond to Dick's comment about all football players being diagnosed with CTE at the age of 18, when he heard the other boy pause his words, instinctively reaching to tug his blue hoodie off. Turning his head to look at his friend, he saw Dick staring at something about two yards away.

“What’s up?” Wally asked, turning his head to try and see what was different about the scenery. There was nothing but the rush of cars and the glare of the light hitting the skyscrapers.

“Do people usually wear fur lined jackets after a light rain in this part of the country?” Dick asked, tilting his head. "Central Bank, a guy just walked in carrying a briefcase, but he had this thick blue coat with fur lining around the edges, and the ugliest pair of ski goggles I've seen in my life," He described, looking over at Wally with his brows furrowed.

Wally froze, realizing who it was. “Fuck, I don’t have my suit under this,” He groaned, rubbing his jaw and knowing he needed to rush home to change into his suit. Dick laughed, clicking his tongue.

The two walked into a dark and empty alleyway, Wally keeping watch to make sure no one was looking.

“Haven’t you learned to always be ready for action?” Dick teased, turning to the redhead, nodding before rushing to take off his jeans and hoodie in an alleyway. "Drop these off in your room!" He told Wally, tossing them over and grabbing his mask from his utility belt.

-*-

Once Kid Flash ran into the scene, he pulled his red goggles down to cover his eyes, just in time to see the explosion come from the bank building. He hated waiting, but there was no other option, they couldn’t exactly do anything until a crime happened. He learned that lesson the hard way.

“I’ll take care of the civilians, you get Captain Cold!” Kid Flash yelled, already running off to move civilians from the line of fire.

“Got it!” Robin shouted, already going to track the movements of the older man. He was hot on Cold’s tail, only taking moments to dodge blasts and objects in his way. Jumping over a mailbox, he used the metal to propel him forward, twisting to avoid another shot.

“Why does every supervillain have a freeze ray? Do you all buy them wholesale and split the cost?” He asked, using turning his head to see Kid Flash already finished securing the area. He felt the wind rush, knowing his friend had understood the game plan.

Cold glared over at the boy, coming to a stop and wildly aiming at Robin in anger. “It slows things down on a molec-” Cold was cut off with a kick to the stomach, flying a few feet back.

Kid Flash grinned, using the distraction to slide down, grabbing Cold’s freeze ray before he could even react.

“I know,” Robin grinned, cackling at the angered look on Cold’s face. “Man, I hadn’t gotten someone that easily in a while,” He joked, going to tie up the man while Kid Flash watched.

“We don’t have time for this,” Kid Flash mumbled, looking around and seeing that the rush hour was about to begin. He grabbed Cold, deciding that closing off the street for an investigation wasn’t ideal right now.

Without a care for the effect it would have on Cold, Kid Flash grabbed him and ran towards the nearest police station. After filling them in and getting the cops to send a Forensics team to study the residue of the ray, Kid Flash ran back to where he last left Robin.

Robin in question was standing next to a familiar figure in red.

“Yeah, it was light work, nothing too difficult,” Robin grunted, watching the police tape off the bank wall and escort the people back in to retrieve their belongings before leaving for the day.

“Hey, Flash,” Kid Flash greeted, going to stand beside Robin.

The Flash waved his hand, moving his head towards the scene. “Heard you guys were having fun without me,” He began, watching the two of them with slightly narrowed eyes.

“Nah, don’t worry, it wasn’t even that much of a fight,” Kid Flash shrugged, leaning over to rest his arm on Robin’s shoulder.

“Don’t tell me Central City’s getting a little to dull now, Kid,” The Flash replied, leaning closer to the two boys.

“Now, both of you have two seconds to tell me what you two are doing here. You, Kid are supposed to be at home, and you, Robin, are supposed to be on the East Coast,”

_*_

“So let me get this straight,” Barry Allen spoke, shoving a fry into his mouth, sitting a Big Belly Burger booth with Wally to his left and Dick across. “The big guy fired you… and your first thought was to come to Central City?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dick nodded, as if not understanding the ridiculousness of the scenario.

“I’m not buying it,” Barry continued, watching Wally take a bite of the burger he ordered. He loved to watch that boy eat. Barry knew how much he enjoyed food.

“I don’t need you to buy it, I’m not asking for permission,” Dick grumbled, playing with the straw of his soda cup. The blond sighed, knowing there was nothing he could really do. He wasn’t about to go back and report to Batman, not when it was so obvious that the kid didn’t feel comfortable going back.
“Okay, fine, but riddle me this, Batman,” He grumbled, using a Gotham term that he loved to annoy Gothamites with.

“Why Central City or all places? Why not a city like Washington DC? Donna and Diana are there, maybe you need their wisdom,” Barry countered, wanting to have Dick understand his own reasoning.

Dick gave him a look, unimpressed and bored. His eyes said it all. Especially when he subtly looked at Wally, who was too distracted by the food to pay attention to the conversation.

Ah. So that was it. Dick needed a brother. Someone who would understand what he was going through. Wally had already lived through this angst phase when his parents passed and he had to live with Iris.

Sure, Wally still had his anger issues, and ran his mouth a little too much, but in Barry’s opinion, Dick was the same. Maybe it was good for them to have that bond.

“Fine, I’ll see what I can do to get you enrolled in school or something, maybe I’ll tell the grump to pay your schooling while he’s still your legal guardian,” Barry offered, finally giving in.

That caused Dick to frown. “Thanks for the offer,” He began, looking around the restaurant before eyeing the windows, scanning the scenery, “But Central City isn’t my new home. It’s already got two protectors, it doesn’t need a third,” Dick sighed, sipping his lemonade.

That caused Wally to look up, swallowing the last of his fries. “You can’t keep running forever, trust me, I’ve tried,” Wally mumbled, tilting his head at his best friend. “Where are you going to make your nest?”

Dick hummed, rolling his eyes at the bird reference. “I don’t know, somewhere where I don’t have to live in the shadows,” He mumbled, shrugging while reaching for one of his curly fries.

Barry eyed him carefully. These ideas were dangerous in the mind of a teenager. He shouldn’t be thinking of layouts and shadows. Those were supposed to be his worries. Those were the worries of a Justice League member, not a sophomore in high school.

Briefly, he wondered if the same thoughts ran through Wally’s head. Iris never mentioned Wally acting off or having issues adjusting.

He had never met a child like Dick, and that made him wonder what the hell Batman was feeding this kid to have him live with so little concern to his growth and mental health.

The bat wasn’t the best colleague, but he had been under the impression that he would at least be a better mentor after having Robin under his wing the last seven years.

Wally scrunched his nose, letting out a burp. “Don’t worry about it, then, I got your back, bro,” He smiled, nodding in promise.

That caused Dick to relax a little, finally reaching out to take a bite of the burger sitting in front of him.

“Thanks.”

Chapter Text

It’s been two months.

Eight weeks.

Fifty-six days since Roy Harper last went on patrol through the streets of Star City. He was getting antsy. His hands twirled his pen between his fingers while he worked on his schoolwork.

“Fuck this,” He mumbled, tossing his pen onto the desk and standing up.

Roy had been forbidden from going out as Speedy after Oliver got a call that Roy was at risk of not passing his classes this year. Fucking snitches.

So now, he was stuck doing homework while Green Arrow was out having all the fun on a weekend patrol.

He rubbed his shoulders, heating up some meat pies in the air fryer. Roy made them a week ago while he was procrastinating his math study guide.

Glancing around the kitchen, he caught his reflection in the steel of the fridge. With his hair pulled back, Roy felt older. The shadows on his cheekbones felt more highlighted with only the dining room light turned on. He almost looked like him, like Big Bow.

Roy shook his head. No. He didn’t think about the reservation anymore. He made that mistake, he ended that life. Now, all he could do was try to make up for it.

He pulled the meat pie out of air fryer, stuffing it into his mouth. It wasn’t exactly like how he remembered, but it would do.

He ate slowly, trying to avoid going back to his studying.

Fuck, he wished he could go back out into the field.

Walking back to his seat, he decided he needed a change of scenery. Grabbing his backpack, he stuffed everything he needed, and went to his bedroom. Grabbing his flannel and baseball cap, he decided to go to the library.

-*-

The walk wasn’t far, Oliver lived in the good part of Star City, so nothing was ever too far. He was turning onto first street when he saw someone running off holding a black bag. Roy felt his heart race. Finally! Some action!

Now, maybe it wasn’t the brightest idea to follow someone without any real reason. But he felt it in his gut. This guy wasn’t just late to catch the subway. This guy was hiding something. If there was anything that he had learned over the last four years of being a vigilante, it was that his gut was never wrong. Roy was going to get to the bottom of what that feeling was.

He made sure his bag was secure and immediately took off. He felt a grin come onto his face as soon as his shoes hit the pavement. The thrill was better than anything he’d ever have. Chasing through streets, jumping off walls, this was the life.

“Running away just makes it worse!” He shouted, his heart pounding against his ribs. The man didn’t stop, jumping to grab onto the fire escape.

Roy groaned. He was already a bit winded. Fuck he hadn’t worked out in a while.

At the very least this cemented something to Roy. This man was hiding something. Or else he wouldn’t be running like this.

Jumping to grab the ladder, he grunted with the force of the pull up.

Before the man could jump onto the next roof over, Roy caught up, grabbing the bag and tugging it harshly. “What the fuck man! The fuck is worth all this?” He asked, watching the hooded figure. His eyes widened when he saw the man aiming a pocket knife at him.

He narrowly managed jump back, his eyes widening in surprise. The first rule of knife fighting was always not to do it, but he really didn’t have a choice here.

The guy charged on him, Roy moving back and raising his arm to block. He had no choice but to keep playing defense, blocking and weaving himself away from the blade.

Roy found an opportunity, going to grab the guy’s wrist, twisting it down. He was shoved back, grunting when he ducked down, seeing the man going for his neck. He stayed crouched, finding another opening, and taking his fist to the side of the other man’s head.

The man stumbled back, dropping the knife. Roy took the chance, kicking the man back into the metal of the roof’s air conditioning.

Now that the knife was gone, Roy realized that the man’s hand-to-hand was rusty. He was good with a knife, but not much else.

The man pounced on him, Roy using the air bound moment to take back the control, going to flip the man, grabbing his arm and twisting his body to slam against the concrete.

Roy grunted, grabbing the forgotten blade and holding it to the back of the man’s head, his other hand holding his arms behind his back.

“What the hell is in the bag?” He asked, wanting to know what the hell was worth this much risk.

The man grunted, the mask keeping his lips shut.

Roy wanted to groan. He had no way to grab his phone without letting go of the man, no way to tie him up, and no way of understanding what was going on.

Fuck he was so rusty.

He threw the knife to the side, reaching down to take off his right boot, struggling to hold the man and take off the shoe lace at the same time. As soon as he had the lace, Roy tied the man’s hands as tightly as he could, knowing it was only a temporary solution. Quickly slamming the man against the concrete to knock him out, Roy grabbed his phone, calling the most trusted person he knew.

“Hey, Canary, I have a problem,” He grunted, still keeping the man down.

_*_

To Black Canary’s credit, she wasn’t too mad when she found him. “Hey,” Roy grunted, finally getting off the man when she put some handcuffs on him.

Canary nodded, throwing him a spare mask to finally hide his identity.

“Thought Arrow told you to stay off the streets,” She replied, checking the man for any other weapons before tapping Speedy’s cap softly. “Yeah, well, I couldn’t exactly let the golden goose go,” He grunted, taking off the cap to let Canary search his face for injuries. Speedy knew that his foster father had a rocky relationship with the woman, but she had been there for him when no one ever had before.

“You’re clean, good job, Speed,” She muttered, Speedy huffing softly. “I’m rusty,” He grunted, going to look for the black bag that started this mess. He made sure to grab it with the edge of his flannel to avoid fingerprints. “Let’s see what’s in here,” He mumbled, gently pouring out the contents onto the concrete.

Speedy frowned at what he found. They were tubes… of green chemicals? The chemical didn’t appear to be reactive inside of the tube, but he wouldn’t be dumb enough to open them.

The footsteps falling on the roof caught his attention, and he turned to his head to source of the sound.

Fuck. He was in for it now.

“Speedy,” Came the voice he was dreading to hear.

“Arrow,” He greeted, a strained smile on his face.

Seeing the man in costume was a welcome sight, especially when Speedy had been out of commission for so long.

The man stared at Speedy for a while, as if deciding if he were proud or frustrated. “Don’t start,” Speedy mumbled before an argument could even start.

Green Arrow frowned, before nodding. “Go home, kid, I got it from here,” He grumbled, recognizing that now wasn’t the time to disagree publicly.

Speedy nodded, his hair getting in the way of his vision before he took off his cap and pushed it back.

“Do you need me to write a report about the scene or something?” Speedy asked, tilting his head at his mentor, who was overlooking the scene Speedy had left behind.

Green Arrow thought about it before shaking his head. “Nah, you’re not supposed to be on the field anyway,” Green Arrow mumbled, shaking his head and frowning.

Speedy nodded, turning around to the fire escape. He would’ve loved to stay, but he wasn’t in suit, and he was supposed to be on probation.

Before Speedy could begin the walk back home, Green Arrow stopped him. “Good job,” He said simply, and Speedy grinned.

-*-

After his bedroom, the living room was his favorite place. He was so excited to lay down and do nothing for the rest of the night. Homework be dammed.

The temptation was so strong, that he didn’t even hear his phone ring. He only felt the soft vibration before pulling out his phone and seeing the contact name. He sighed, it had almost been a quiet night.

“What do you want?” He asked as soon as he picked up.

He heard the sound of a cackle and a slap before a voice came through the line. “Why does everyone answer like that when they pick up my calls?” Wally asked, the pout in his voice evident.

“Because you never have a simple answer,” Roy sighed, “By the way, what is Dick doing with you?” He asked, confused as to why he heard the laugh of the boy wonder earlier.

There was the sound of whispered arguments before Dick grabbed the phone and pushed Wally off the bed. “I’m not really… working under Batman anymore,” Dick spoke, his voice soft and somewhat annoyed. Roy frowned.

How the hell was Dick not working under Batman? That was like getting rid of peanut butter and jelly, it just didn’t happen.

Dick had been the first of them. The first sucker who ran around in shorts and a cape.

“Wow,” he said simply, ignoring how Wally snickered in the background.

“Yeah, wow,” Dick mumbled, clicking his tongue.

They talked for a while, about everything and nothing at the same time. Dick had never been a fan of small talk, and Wally got distracted sometimes, but they made it work.

“Hey, the Justice League is gonna have a meeting in LA, something about establishing a new base out west, are you gonna be there?” Wally asked, the sounds of Dick typing away at his computer where still loud enough for Roy to pick up on them.

Roy frowned, he hadn’t known about that trip. Probably because he was still benched. “Yeah… I was thinking of going,” Roy lied, shrugging and falling against the bed.

“Bullshit, he didn’t even know,” Shouted Dick, causing Roy to roll his eyes. “Tell the little shit to clean his mouth,” Roy teased, causing Wally to snicker.

“Seriously though, Roy, you should consider heading down. It’s only what, like a two hour flight from Star City?” Wally mumbled, trying to convince his friend.

Roy hummed, considering it. His grades had improved, and he and Oliver were on better terms. It wouldn’t be a hard ask.

“I’ll text you like two days before if I do, so maybe we could hang out while the other have a meeting or something,” Roy replied, smiling.

“And maybe we can get Don and Garth involved,” Dick added through the phone.

Roy hummed, not really knowing Garth like that. Sure, they were both somewhat based in California, but Garth wasn’t the type of person to like to meet other people. He still didn’t know how Dick and Garth were friends.

Donna was fine. Stoic but fine. There was little else to her in Roy’s opinion. She was Dick but if Dick were more stuck up and neutral.

“Maybe,” He agreed, deciding that maybe it was nice to make friends outside of these two.

By the time Wally had to hang up the phone, Roy was half asleep. He yawned, sitting up on the bed, and deciding he should shower before bed. He grabbed his sweatpants and was about to head in when Oliver knocked.

“Hey Kiddo, you up?” He asked quietly, knowing it was pretty late.

Roy looked at the door and then at his clothing before sighing.

“Yeah, hold up!” He replied, going to tidy a bit before opening the door. “What’s up?” was his simple question, his long brown hair clipped back at the back of his head.

Oliver was just in his workout clothing, but he smiled softly.

“I called the school today to do a quick check up on your grades, and you’re doing better,” Oliver informed him, his gaze proud.

Roy felt the relief fill his body, knowing he was off the direct chopping block with Oliver.

“I know,” Roy grinned, brushing it off, which caused Oliver to roll his eyes.

“As a reward, I wanted to give you this,” Oliver announced, handing Roy a folded uniform. His uniform.

Roy ran his hand over the familiar material, instinctively grabbing the yellow hat. He grinned.

“Welcome Back, Speedy,” Oliver continued, his grin just as wide as Roy.

Oh, we were so back.

Chapter Text

The day was supposed to be easy. A trip to Florida to speak on an event for sea life conservation in the Everglades. Well, Aquaman was supposed to be speaking about sea life. Aqualad was just supposed to stand next to him and nod. It was Justice League business, keeping up appearances and all those fancy things, that Garth realized humans did to keep themselves feeling like they were doing enough.

He had flown in from San Diego the day before, feeling that the use of an airplane was counterproductive to sea life conservation, but he kept his lips shut. Usually, people didn’t like it when he pointed out their inconsistencies. He spent his evening by himself while Arthur dealt with the accommodations, sitting on the sand below the sea foam.

He felt more at home under the waves than on land. Arthur insisted they lived on land, at least while he was doing official Justice League business. While he was doing his best to be a fast learner, Garth was still adjusting to the way humans worked. They were quite odd, but he would never say it out loud. He tried to give them a chance. After all, Arthur was half human, and Arthur had raised him when no one else had. He thought that those moments were enough for him to believe that most humans were unlike the few soulless ones he had met while in Justice League events.

He had yet to meet many human heroes, after all. The only fully human heroes he’d met had been Batman and Robin a few years ago. They had been strong enough, even if Robin seemed to break easier than most. He still remembered the crack of the boy’s shoulder when Batman was watching him spar with much older heroes. A show of the little hero’s strength, but human limitations.

Garth hadn’t approached the Bat-themed hero much after seeing how he only cared for Robin after he was hurt.

It was good that Arthur wasn’t like that. Arthur had kept him full-bellied and healed after he found Garth eating from a seal carcass alongside a Great White Shark. He was glad to have more emotional connections after traveling alongside his parental figure.

Garth tilted his head once he noticed the darkness surrounding him. He had gotten lost in his thoughts again. He should probably head to the house they were staying at before Arthur had to let go of his duties to look for him. Standing up, he used the water to push himself forward, rising out of the ocean.

The cool breeze of the coastline greeted him, his wet hair sticking to his forehead. He felt the gills on the side of his neck take their last few breaths of water before his nose took over. Those gills were supposed to disappear when he reached adulthood, but he was still a few years shy of that. For now, his gills sat as a reminder to humans, that he was not completely like them.

Walking over to the deck of the beach hut, he washed off some sand from his feet, the familiar webbed skin between his hands and feet glistening a bit under the light of the kitchen pouring out into the outside.

‘Hey Arthur,’

Garth almost always communicated with Arthur telepathically. It was just easier for when he didn’t want others to listen to him.

The older man, sensing Garth’s greeting in his head, turned from where he was making dinner. While Garth was completely fine eating raw fish and seaweed, Arthur always insisted on having to go through the tedious process of cooking food. He also lightly suggested going through a more vegetarian lifestyle. Garth was not a fan of only eating vegetables. He at one point, was used to eating scraps, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t occasionally find pleasure in eating those same meals.

‘Hey, Gup,’ Arthur greeted, pointing to the cooked soup on the stove. Garth scrunched his nose.

‘Ate something light earlier’

Arthur raised his eyebrows, seeming surprised.

‘On the plane?’

‘No,’

‘When we got here?’

‘Somewhat,’

‘Garth did you go hunting?’

‘Perhaps,’

Arthur sighed, but didn’t argue. He knew that their differences were never large enough to cause problems, so he let it go. ‘Go get ready for bed,’ he simply replied.

Garth nodded, deciding that he should get his sleep before having to be on his feet all day. He knew he was going to feel the need to go for a swim if he didn’t sleep right now.

‘Goodnight, Arthur,’

‘G’nite, Gup,’

The only sound was the soft padding of his feet against the unfamiliar tiles of the house.

-*-

Garth was not a fan of being in his suit for no reason. The belt around his waist was used to holding tools to help others, not resting without a purpose. The walk around the conservation area was also not pleasant. The event was was filled with cameras and questions he felt were more suited for a celebrity and not the member of the greatest hero team on Earth.

He zoned out, watching the water sway near the shore. While his mind wandered, his hearing increased. His ears turned before his head did, it was easier to listen out of water, but harder to pinpoint. It sounded like a crash, but he couldn’t tell.

‘Arthur, should I take a look?’ Garth asked, knowing he could slip away without a problem. Arthur looked at Garth and then the direction of the sound, nodding.

He had been training to start going out on his own, not as an offensive fighter, but as a relief effort. He turned away from the crowd, going into a quiet nook where he could step into the ocean. His steps were light and quick, knowing that someone was in need of help.

As soon as he stepped into his home, he felt his gills open, and his ears pop from the new noises. Suddenly, he could feel so much at once, but he knew how to focus on what he needed to. His feet moved before he was aware. There were times where his instincts pulled through before his mind did. If anything, it was welcome. He knew what he needed to do, thinking got in the way.

After about 15 minutes of swimming, Garth felt like he was suffocating. It was a foreign feeling. His gills opened and closed wildly and his body panicked at the lack of air. The water around him was darkened, a deep purple hue letting little light through. He knew what this was.

Trihydrocarbon.

A strange name, but a new chemical. Something that some lab had created with little regard to the life around them. It a replacement to gasoline with less carbon dioxide released and cheaper to produce, but in exchange, it was warm. Warm enough to suck the oxygen out of water. Not for smaller creatures, but for sea life like him. In his panic, he managed to press onto the small SOS signal that he had on the left sleeve of his suit.

As soon as his nose touched the air, he gasped, looking up. There was a boat, splitting into two. What surprised him was the people. They were trying to climb out of the boat.

He whistled, waving his arms. “No! That’s dangerous!” He shouted, and he watched the people look at each other, confusion filling their faces. It hit him instantly, these people didn’t understand him.

He didn’t have any way to translate while he was alone, so he swam forward, holding onto a metal rod to pull himself onto the boat. “Anyone inside?” he asked, hoping that one of them could at least understand.

“¡Hay alguien en la cabina!” Someone shouted, waving their hands and pointing to the part of the ship that was sinking.

Garth didn’t really understand the words, but he understood the tone. He grabbed an oxygen pipe, a small tube connected to a purifier, allowing himself to breathe through his mouth. He turned to the three other men, tossing them the same device before wadding into the water.

He saw a man in the cabin, desperately hitting the glass to get it to crack. There was no way he was going to crack that open in time. Garth made a signal for him to move to the side, and he grabbed a little device. It cut through the glass, allowing for the man to move out of the cabin before it filled with water. Garth was nothing if not cautious, he swam down to explore the boat, just in case he missed someone. Seeing that there was no one, he swam back up, looking at the five men.

He would’ve asked them what happened, but the language barrier wasn’t going to let them communicate much. “Someone will be here to pick you up soon,” Garth spoke, his tone soothing to hopefully reassure them that everything will be okay. Sure enough, Garth saw a familiar rush of water coming to them. Aquaman. And behind him, a rescue boat. Garth made sure that the men were secure on the roof of the boat before going to collect a sample of the contaminated water to send for testing.

-*-

Garth wasn’t the type to do a further look into cases once they were out of his hands. He saved people, and that was usually the extent of it. Looking into cases was Dick’s thing. Maybe Donna’s if she was feeling particularly vengeful, but not his.

So when Dick called him, questioning how his solo mission was, Garth was pretty surprised.
“How did you even hear about that?” Garth asked, knowing League files were pretty confidential. Arthur had made sure that news outlets hadn’t known that it was an Aqualad only rescue. So how did Dick find out?

“Batman powers,” Dick replied, typing something in the background of the call. “Did you hack the computer system again?”

“I hacked the Bat-computer again,” He replied, practically grinning through the phone. Garth sighed, knowing Dick was too much like Batman for his own good. “But how was it?” Dick pressed, wanting to know every little thing.

“Fine,”

“What do you mean fine? How was independence just fine?” Dick whined, expecting some big story.

Garth always forgot that Batman didn’t give Dick the freedom that Arthur gave Garth. He didn’t have to be held on a leash like Dick was. Which was ironic because Garth thought Dick was the most responsible young hero out of everyone.

“It was fine, Dick, it was low-stakes… nothing too difficult,” Garth sighed, deciding to give the boy whatever information he wanted.

They conversed before the line went a bit more quiet than before. In the need to fill the silence, Dick blurted out, “How would you feel if we formed a team?”

Garth froze, considering the proposition. Garth didn’t work with people. He rarely sought out anyone other than Arthur. The idea of teaming up with someone as dedicated as Dick wasn’t his ideal, but he couldn’t really say all of that out loud.

“I guess I’d like it enough,” Garth mumbled, beginning to wind down and get ready to hang up.

Even long after Dick had left the phone, the thought remained in Garth’s head. What if he choose to work with others? Would he feel something other than the need to help, for the sake of helping?

Chapter Text

Flying into a new city before the sun even rose was never one of Donna’s favorite things. Scratch that, flying into unfamiliar territory in general was never something Donna enjoyed. Not that she hated traveling. She loved it. The only problem was the reason she usually flew to new cities. Official business, a problem that needed solving, usually involving people who were in over their head or in imminent danger.

Sighing, Donna fixed the red fabric of her unitard. She had recently redesigned it. The little blue shorts she usually wore weren’t doing her any favors now that she was sixteen.

She fiddled with her hair as well, testing to see if she still liked the ponytail she usually wore it in. “I think it looks nice like that,” Came a voice, and Donna turned to see Diana Prince, standing in her gear, looking like the royalty she was born to be. Donna let her black hair fall in it’s natural state, staring into the mirror. “I look too much like you,” She commented, blinking at the image staring back at her. She supposed looking like Wonder Woman wasn’t too bad. People wouldn’t question her authority if she looked like the second version of the greatest woman in the country.

Diana scoffed, tilting her head and smiling softly at her reply. “Maybe you should stick with it, the world is in no surplus of Wonder Women,” She smiled.

Donna smiled back, but didn’t know how to feel. On the one hand, taking up the mantle was her dream. But on the other, she didn’t want to be Wonder Woman 2.0. She had spent her whole life in Themyscira hearing about how Diana was the one to look up to, the best of them.

Sighing, she looked over at the clouds and pulled her shoulders back, getting ready to stand tall in front of everyone. Unlike others, Donna didn’t have the luxury of being able to fail.

“Wearing my hair down is a hassle to brush,” Donna replied, deciding to braid her hair, trying something new, but not having it be too different to her usual.

“You’ll learn to care for it,” Diana chuckled, leaning over and tucking one of Donna’s stray hairs back.

-*-

“Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl have arrived!”

The sounds of the workers fluttering around, giving instructions and rushing to give Wonder Woman important information was something that felt too comfortable to be worrying. She had been Wonder Girl for less than a year, but there was something comforting about the chaos. This is where Wonder Girl belonged. Trying to make a difference one case at a time.

She looked around at the skyline. It was always lovely to see the sunrise, watching the city light up in the sunlight and knowing that those people placed their trust in heroes like her. Her lips perked up in a small smile, nodding her head at nothing in particular and following Wonder Woman to the inside of the building.

Just last week, she had been in Houston, helping a Justice League investigator with stopping an illegal arms trade. Things like that weren’t the most interesting, but Diana promised her that she would be on the field soon. Something about not wanting Donna to experience a mission without the proper clearance.

‘Soon.’ She thought, closing her eyes and humming.

Soon she would be fighting alongside Wonder Woman, just like Dick was fighting alongside Batman, and Garth alongside Aquaman.

She walked into the familiar lounge area, where she would wait until Wonder Woman was done with her debrief. It was fine, Donna knew she was ready, but she would hold off.

‘Patience is a virtue,’’ She reminded herself while setting her lasso down next to her.

She had about three seconds of peace before a flurry of red and gold ransacked through the room, followed by a laugh that she knew all too well.
“Do you two know how to enter normally?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Dick seemed quite comfortable being in Wally’s arms, a little too comfortable if anyone asked her.

“No,” They both snickered in unison before Wally set Dick down and went to grab a granola bar from the counter.

Donna watched them both, and then looked over at the doors to the meeting room. She couldn’t imagine those two being official members of the Justice League.

“Do you guys think today is the day?” Wally asked after scarfing down his food.

Dick and Donna gave each other a look. “I hope it is,” he grumbled, sitting down on the seat across from her.

All of them, except for Wally, had been here before this building was built. They watched their mentors grow long before anyone else agreed that they belonged.

The room was silent as they imagined what the next few hours had in store for them. However, like anything related to the Justice League, things were never silent for long. Green Arrow and Roy walked in, Green Arrow complaining about how this had been the first time he’d ever run late for a meeting. Roy shrugged and broke apart, walking into the room with the rest of the younger heroes. It was natural at this point. They weren’t allowed in that meeting room. It was just the way things were.

“Hey,” Roy mentioned casually, falling into the couch next to Dick. The boys had clicked quickly.

Donna lifted her hand in greeting, placing her hand back down to sigh. They were all bored, to some degree. Wally was practically vibrating in his seat.

Garth was the last to walk in. He moved with a familiar relaxed pace. Donna envied him sometimes. Nothing ever seemed to affect him. “Good Morning,” He mumbled, choosing to stand by the couches. Donna recalled that he didn’t like how his moisture stuck to the leather.

Donna hummed, looking over as Wally scowled. It was always amusing to see rivalries between the boys.

It was rare to have them all together. She was more familiar with all the workers than she was with them. She zoned out for a second before turning when she saw Dick lazily raise his legs to the coffee table between them.

“No but, I say we’re ready for something more,” Dick groaned suddenly, throwing his head back and putting a hand over his eyes.

“Are we even welcome here? Genuinely?” Roy added, getting up to grab a glass of water.

“I mean, they just shove us in here, say ‘Make yourself at home!’ and then leave us,” Wally shrugged, eyeing the snack bar once more.

“And every single time,” Dick sits up before continuing, “they promise a real upgrade, but none of us can even think of stepping in there,” he grumbled, pointing a finger towards the meeting room, with the words.

“Arthur says to take things step by step,” Garth replied in his usual monotone voice. His laid back nature had always surprised Donna. Perhaps he just didn’t care as much as the others did.

Dick scoffed. “Oh really?” he challenged. “We’ve been doing this for almost a decade.” He eyed all of them before continuing. “And they’re still treating us like kids,” he grumbled, as if that weren’t the truth, “I’ve been thinking, and I know we deserve better than this.” Dick urged, exchanging glances each of them.

Donna hadn’t really given it much thought. After all, they were just kids. Even if they were heroes longer than some Justice League members. She looked down at her uniform, getting lost in her own opinions.

When none of them spoke up, Dick stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

She looked up, watching him carefully. He took a breath before reaching up to take off his domino mask. “Bru- Batman fired me,” He confessed, pinching his nose and sighing.

Donna felt her body tense at that. She hadn’t known that was possible. At least not for him. Dick was the golden boy, the best out of everyone sitting here. If he got kicked out, what did that mean for all of them?

Wally looked between everyone, judging reactions. Donna met his eyes and it clicked instantly. He didn’t look surprised. If anything, he looked frustrated.“You knew,” She accused, turning to all of the boys.

None of them looked surprised. “All of you knew,” She concluded, looking up at Dick, who nodded grimly. “And none of you thought to tell me?” She asked, looking over at the rest of them. Roy raised his hands in surrender. “That wasn’t really our story to tell, Don,” He replied softly, looking over at Dick.

“I- I told them not to,” Dick sighed, looking at her. The tips of his ears were bright with shame. “I- I wanted to tell you in person,” he confessed, taking a step closer to where they all sat.

Both Donna and Dick always thought that they would join the Justice League together. Dick always said they were ready for it. But how would he do it if he wasn’t even by his mentor’s side anymore?

Sure, he could be working as an unknown hero, but that didn’t seem as special. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she knew he was meant for something more.

“You could’ve come to see me,” She said simply, keeping her voice level. “Are you even allowed in here?” She asked, looking over at the others who shrugged.

“I haven’t been kicked out yet,” Dick shrugged, looking over at the door nervously. “Just hoping I don’t run into the bat,”

There was something about watching Dick trying to ease tension. It would’ve been amusing if she hadn’t seen the way his jaw clenched.

She bit her lip before nodding. “Let’s hope it stays that way,” She agreed, wanting to move past this. If the other boys knew it meant he was okay. For now at least.

“He’s staying with me,” Wally added, easing the tension between the two of them. Donna looked over at him, finding herself nodding.

There was a bit of silence before Roy spoke. “So, is he a snorer?” Roy asked, noticing how everyone needed a breather.

That caused Dick to scowl while Wally shook his head with a grimace. “Worse. He’s a sleep-talker,”

-*-

After spending the afternoon spilling secrets and stories, it seemed that joining the League wasn’t a priority anymore. At least not for now.

Donna always thought that they would try to become their own heroes before joining the League. It would be odd to be stuck with the name, Wonder Girl long after she stopped being one.

While in the middle of one of Wally’s rambles, the entire building let out an alarm. All of them stood up, looking around for threats. Garth covered his ears, still unable to fully control his hearing. On instinct, Donna saw Roy reach for his bow and arrow.

Dick slipped on his mask before looking around with narrowed eyes. The door slammed open as both Batman and Wonder Woman burst out, running past the group to reach the outside.

Roy was the first to move, knowing they might need some assistance.

Before he could leave, however, the Flash ran in front of them, closing the doors. “Stay put. This is official League business,” he explained, reading the room.

“Why?” Wally questioned, a frown forming. He wasn’t used to being denied access by his mentor.

“You’re not officially cleared to handle this,” Flash replied sternly.

“Since when?” Wally cut angrily, taking charge for everyone since he was the most comfortable with talking back.

“I meant you’re not cleared to work under the League,” he explained. Donna knew that was a lie. Any one of them would be able to work perfectly with their respective mentors. Annoyance filled her body. In part because Dick was already being pushed aside. Dick who had been worked with Batman longer than the League had even existed. In fact every teenager in this room had more experience than most of the current League members.

“He has a point,” Garth began, calming himself after the alarm had stopped ringing. “We were trained to work with our guardians, not the League,”

“Can it, Frog face,” Wally snapped, turning back to the Flash.

“Obey orders, and stay put” the Flash said calmly before running outside, making sure to close the doors.

When the members left outside, Garth was the first to look away from the door. Wally gave him one last glare before stomping his foot lightly.

“When we’re ready?” Wally scoffed, “How are we ever supposed to be ready when we aren’t allowed to do shit?”

“The time will come,” Garth replied, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again, only to be met with light glares from everyone.

“That’s easy for you to say! You’re allowed to work on your own!” Wally exclaimed in annoyance.

Donna felt that familiar tug of jealousy at the mention of working alone. Garth had earned that right, after all.

There was a gap of silence before Roy spoke up. “How about instead of arguing, we try and find out what’s going on?” He asked, setting his bow down and eyeing the computer in the now empty meeting room.

Donna watched a grin paint itself onto Dick’s face. “You read my mind,” He replied, walking over and turning it on. “Let’s find out,” He mumbled, leaning over the keyboard and quickly getting to work. His training with Batman had made him good at cracking codes. Donna was impressed, she never picked up on those human tools as easily as he did.

“Access Denied” spoke a robotic voice after a while.

Dick laughed softly at that. “Wanna bet?” he challenged, typing in a few other keys before overriding the system.

There was a soft green glow to the screen before the voice spoke once more, “Connecting to building cameras,”

“Same system as the Bat-cave,” Dick grinned, letting out a joyful cheer. “Built this system with Bruce from the inside out,” He clarified after Garth raised an eyebrow.

As soon as the system loaded, all of the cameras were available. Roy watched with his arms crossed and leaned in.

“Camera 14B,” He mumbled, seeing all the chaos. Dick grunted, opening the screen for a closer look.

Donna raised an eyebrow. The streets were filled, something she rarely saw.

“A protest?” She asked out loud, leaning in and going to rest next to Roy.

Garth shook his head, picking up on the way the police were starting to line the streets. “A riot,” He mumbled, watching the people push back.

Dick narrowed his eyes, reading one of the signs, “Stop Conipien” he mumbled, tilting his head. He had heard of that company before. Somewhere in old files. It was as old as Wayne Enterprises, but somehow, it had stayed under wraps.

“Do you have access to the files in the system?” Roy asked, turning to Dick.

Dick grinned and cracked his fingers, “Anything for you,” he cooed, ignoring the way Donna snickered.

While Dick got to work, Donna noticed how the heroes were in a discussion.

“Trouble in paradise,” Wally grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Seems like it,” Roy agreed before Donna shook her head. “Probably just making a plan,” She mumbled, trusting the heroes.

“Let’s go with that,” Wally grumbled, giving her a small look.

Dick clicked his tongue, grabbing their attention. “Alright, Conipien. A company focusing on genetic engineering, specifically for agriculture and livestock,” He looked over at the others. “That can’t be the reason so many people are taking the streets,” Garth mumbled, tilting his head.

“Maybe people are sick of cotton candy grapes,” Wally mumbled dryly, turning to look at the snack table before humming.

“Let’s see,” Roy mumbled, turning on the TV before flipping through channels to look for something that explained it. He stopped at the local news channel.

A reporter’s voice filled the room. “We’re interrupting our regularly scheduled programming with a report of a mass protest forming by the building site for the new Justice League base here in Los Angeles,”

The angle of the shot was different than the one they had on the cameras. This one showed Superman and Wonder Woman trying to calm the crowd, hovering over the front of the crowd.

“This protest began after the mysterious figure, known as ‘Fae’ began posting warning posters, accusing Conipien of releasing toxic chemicals into the Los Angeles river. While experts claim that none of the claims appear to be true, residents demand an explanation to the noise and light pollution caused by the newest plant built on the outskirts of the warehouse district,”

Roy clicked his tongue in annoyance. “No wonder the people are mad,” He grumbled.

Donna hummed, focusing on the first thing. “Who’s Fae?” She asked, tilting her head.

Dick typed into the computer, but nothing came up. That was strange.

“Maybe this case is too small, or too recent,” Garth suggested, tilting his head and sighing.

“In that case, maybe we should investigate,” Dick suggested with a shrug. “Do a bit of field work,” He added, feeling a small grin form.

Roy grinned back, standing back to his full height. “I could use a stretch of my legs,” He agreed, looking over at Donna.

She turned to Wally and Garth, wanting their input.

Wally nodded. “Solve their case before they even realize they have one,” he reasoned with a smirk.

Garth turned to Donna, “I’ll go if you go,” He mumbled, shrugging and watching her bite her lip.

Donna sighed, looking down at her hands. Wonder Woman was going to kill her for this.

“I’ll stay back and cover for you guys, just make sure not to cause a ruckus,” She mumbled, going to grab her lasso.

Dick and Wally looked at each other before snickering. “Challenge Accepted.”

Chapter Text

The sound of silence was unusual around the warehouse at the end of the road. Fae raised her head, adjusting her mask to fully cover her nose. She hadn’t thought that today would be the day when Conipien gave her a chance to explore. They had slipped up, letting the building go unguarded for longer than usual. Moving through the foliage, she was about to move to the building when she heard movement.

She froze, ducking down and pressing herself against a tree.

“Are we sure this is the place?”

“Yes, KF, I’m sure,”

“Really? This looks like a whole lot of nothing,”

Her brow furrowed at the voices. This area was usually empty. Rising, she moved forward, freezing when the voices also froze.

“What was that?”

“Whatever it is, it has a breath,”

Fae was quick on her feet, jumping back and narrowly avoiding an arrow that was shot her way. However, before she could relax, the arrow exploded, turning into a net. She grunted, falling to the ground as she lost her balance.

Her limbs struggled against the rope before she saw three figures above her. She took in their costumes, freezing when she recognized a familiar Flash symbol.

“Holy shit,” She whispered, blinking up at them.

“You’re Kid Flash,” She mumbled, looking at the others, “And Speedy… and Robin,” She added after a second.

Her eyes lit up and she sat up with a struggle. “So you finally read my messages!” She smiled, tilting her head. “Okay, great, are you guys looking into Conipien too? I have some more intel, I was just waiting to get a response after my last three messages,” She rambled, her voice growing excited.

They were here, the Justice League was here to finally respond to the calls she had been sending for months. The thought filled her with pride. She was finally going to give the people the answers they wanted.

Or so she thought. Robin stepped forward, his face pinched beneath his domino mask. “What messages are you talking about? Who are you?” He asked, his tone a mix of confused and authoritative.

She froze and began tilting her head. “The mail… I’ve been sending letters, petitioning the Justice League to come and investigate Conipien for months,” She replied, surprised that he didn’t know. “I’m Fae,” she introduced, attempting to stick out a hand between the thick rope of the net.

Speedy reacted before anyone else, grabbing one of his arrows and ripping through the rope. He reached out to shake her hand, allowing her to step out. “Speedy,” He introduced, more out of politeness than anything. She knew who they were.

“Can you tell us more about the letters?” Robin asked, causing Kid Flash to turn to him. “You’re trusting her that fast?” He asked, his tone surprised.

“We got nothing else to go off of,” Robin reminded, giving Fae an expectant look.

Fae furrowed her brow, but ended up nodding. Maybe the information got lost in the files or something.

“How about you fill us in while we go take a look?” Speedy suggested, turning to the warehouse.

“Actually, yeah, we might not have this opening for long,” She agreed, beginning to move ahead of the boys.

-*-

Robin wasn’t 100% sure about Fae. They had little information on who she even was. She could easily be playing them. But he had no other option. She had the intel they needed, so he would work with that.

He had to give it to her, she could keep up with them. That in itself was a strength. Not many could have been able to.

Turning his head, he nodded to Kid Flash. “Go,” He ordered simply, watching the other boy smirk and take off to scout the area before they got there.

“Do you always have to send him before anyone else?” Speedy grunted, shooting an arrow with rope tied to it’s end, moving to scale the wall.

“It’s strategic,” Robin shrugged before shooting his grappling hook and using it’s mechanics to carry him up.

Fae watched them both before closing her eyes and imagining herself floating. She opened her eyes, looking at the open window as she got closer and letting herself fall as soon as she had a good grip on the windowsill.

“So you’re a metahuman,” Speedy concluded, eyeing her carefully.

“I guess, I mean I just started floating one day,” She replied, setting her feet on the floor of the building.

“Anything else we should know?” He asked, following Robin to where Kid Flash had told them to meet up.

“I think I photosynthesize,” She replied, her feet forming a nice rhythm as she kept pace.

“Good to know,” He replied, opening the door to an information room.

The room was dark, with the only light coming from a singular computer sitting on a table with papers scattered around it. Robin plugged in his hard drive while Speedy looked through the files.

Fae took a second to check their surroundings, pulling her green hood back a bit to get a better view. The building was dark, empty of people, but well taken care of. Someone had to be consistently using this space.

“Heat scanner says that there’s no one in here,” Kid Flash told the group, switching the lens in his goggles.

She nodded, turning on her heel to walk back to the room they were in.

As soon as she did, she heard movement, before the sound of an elevator pinging echoed in the space. She turned, narrowing her eyes to get a better look.

“Did you-” Kid Flash cut her off with a nod. “Yeah, I thought I was hearing things,” He replied quickly.

They looked at each other before turning to the others, “We should check that out,” She urged, imagining that Robin had the data he needed.

Robin nodded, taking out the hard drive and putting it into his belt.

“How could KF’s heat scanner be wrong?” Speedy mumbled, looking at the elevator and expecting something to pop out.

“Only one way to find out,” Robin mumbled, fiddling with the electric doors of the elevator and getting them to open.

They all looked down, not expecting a dark void to be revealed. “What kind of warehouse had so many underground levels?” Fae asked, hesitating to move closer.

No one responded. She let out a small sigh, remembering that she was the newbie. They probably expected dumb questions.

Robin and Speedy both moved to create hanging ropes for themselves, just like when they scaled the walls. Once they were going down, Kid Flash jumped onto Robin’s beginning to slide down.

Fae took a deep breath, deciding to take the same route instead of floating down. She didn’t have good control over her powers yet, and didn’t want to find out where the elevator met the ground.

By the time she got to the same floor as them, Robin was once again hacking the doors open.

Before anyone could say otherwise, Kid Flash sped off, trying to scout.

The sound of slamming feet distracted her, and she quickly realized what it meant. “Kid! Wait!” She shouted, but it was too late.

Kid Flash ran straight in front of the noise, freezing as he saw them. They looked like humans, or close to that. But each weren’t fully there. Some had tusks, others had scales and antlers.

Fae took off to defend Kid Flash, but froze when they both realized that the creatures were completely ignoring them.

The other two caught up, and they stared.

“Should we look into that?” Fae asked, her breath hitching at the sight of them. Their eyes were empty, and she didn’t hear any noise coming from them other than their movement.

“I have a feeling we’ll figure it out, let’s go,” Robin replied, turning in the opposite direction.

-*-

They moved around the building, finding a lot of rooms with generators and other crates of machines. They all made sure to take photos of what they saw. The boys with their communicators, and Fae with her phone.

When Robin found another computer, he plugged in his hard drive.

“This is a lot juicer than the one above,” He mumbled, reading through files. “They’re mixing DNA’s… to create living weapons…”

Fae leaned over, furrowing her brow. “Super strength… hearing… flight… woah,” She whispered, her brain not wrapping around the information.
“It’s like creating a metagene… in everything,” Robin simplified, his eyes wide in amazement.

“Okay… but for who?” Kid Flash asked, trying to find names in all of the information.

“I don’t know… but we should look at this,” Speedy mumbled, getting their attentions. He flicked his fingers, sending the hologram of information in front of the other three.

“Animorphs?” Fae read, trying to open the document further.

“It’s encrypted, give me a second,” Robin grumbled, rolling his eyes at that thought of more work.

-*-

Speedy heard it before he saw it. His ears were hit with a deafening screech that caused all four of them to duck their heads and cover their ears. He turned, seeing a creature with blue skin running off before grey creatures burst in.

They looked like kids, but had ghostly skin and claws. When they opened their mouths, Speedy saw sharp teeth, they looked like tiny sharks waiting to eat them.

Robin moved first shooting up and using his grappling hook to swing out of the room.

Speedy glared before moving to dodge one of the kids that aimed for his neck. He grabbed his knife and slashed, aiming to wound, not kill.

Kid Flash wasn’t doing much better, dodging and weaving as the shark kids ran around them.

Fae was nimble, taking the chance to jump from different crates and managing to get out.

“GO!” Kid Flash yelled, managing to get enough space to begin to speed out.

Speedy grunted, pushing off the creatures before bolting out and turning the corner. Fae panted, glaring at Robin as he hacked a door to open.

Kid Flash rushed at him, stopping before he reached the end of the wall. “Way to be a team player, Rob!” He snarled, glaring at the hunched figure.

“Oh please, you had that handled,” Robin replied, rolling his eyes and shooting him a smirk.

“You seriously think that?,” Fae snapped sarcastically, putting her hood up fully. It had slipped a bit during the rush, revealing small brown curls.

“Just hurry up!” Speedy snapped, watching the creatures get closer.

The doors opened, and they all got inside before Robin snapped them shut once more.

Fae felt the floor move and realized they stumbled into an elevator.

“Why are we going down?” Speedy asked, adjusting his arm strap and grabbing his bow just in case.

“Yeah, out is up,” Wally agreed, pointing at the roof.

“I’m not leaving before seeing the rest of it, the Animorphs are on floor 60,” Robin replied, resting against the wall.

“Oh, and who decided we would keep looking?” Wally murmured, eyeing the other vigilante.

“I think it’s time to call the league,” Speedy mumbled, taking off his cap to push his hair back before slipping it back on.

“No,” Fae interjected, holding her hand out. “I’m not letting go of any chance I have to put an end to this,” she continued, looking at Robin before nodding.

“Sorry, but I don’t think you realize that cases like this never end where they start,” Wally scoffed, crossing his arms and staring at both of them.

Before any of them could reply, the elevator stopped, opening it’s doors into a room that glowed.

Kid Flash felt the anger leave his body as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. This place was a chemist’s wet dream.

Vials and chemicals filled the walls, each connecting into something new. It was an organized chaos.

While Robin got to work hacking the computers, Wally took a look around. He noted the formulas, recognizing a few chemicals that should probably never be mixed together. He stopped at a particular tube, noting the components. It was like the chemist was trying to make an IV, but on steroids.

As he kept looking, he heard Fae call out to them.

“uhhh boys, you might want to look at this,” She called, staring up at something on the wall.

-*-

Robin was the first to step forward, turning on the lights to the tube. He was fiddling with the other systems when the others gasped.

“What the fuck is that,” Speedy mumbled, his hand over his mouth.

Sitting in that tube, surrounded by green fluid, was a boy. He couldn’t have been older than thirteen. They had seen mutants outside… but this boy looked fully human.

Fae looked at the boy and closed her eyes. “Fuck, the rumors were true,” She mumbled, realizing she was in way too deep.

“The IV shit… that’s for him,” Kid Flash mumbled, snapping his fingers and rushing to look at the chemicals once more, to find any clues.

“Robin, get to work,” Speedy ordered, snapping the boy out of his shock.

Fae swallowed, opening her eyes and stepping closer, almost scared of messing something up.

“I got something!” Robin called to Kid Flash, beginning to read. “Biological Creation number 1837A. Simplified Name: Beast Boy. Mix of Animal DNA grown in a simulated womb… in captivity for the last four years… FOUR YEARS?!” Robin shouted, unable to contain his disgust.

They all looked at each other. “There’s no way this has stayed under wraps for this long,” Fae mumbled, realizing that this had started before she was even a vigilante. These cracks had just now begun to show.

“He’s been educated and raised by the company,” Robin mumbled, skimming through files.

“We can guess what kind of education he’s had,” Kid Flash scoffed, turning to look at the tube. “Poor kid…”

“We have no choice… we need to tell headquarters,” Speedy announced, pressing his communicator and hearing static on the other side.

The other two tried the same thing to no avail.

“We’re in too deep,” Fae mumbled, turning to the tube and sighing.

“Even if we can’t contact them… we can’t leave the kid like this,” Kid Flash mumbled, looking at the tube as well. “It’s inhumane,”

Fae nodded, turning to the other two who looked grim.

“I’ll open the tube,” Robin mumbled, already hacking the system.

The tube slid open, and the boy spilled out alongside the green goo.

Fae watched in amazement as the boy twitched, switching from a chicken to a lemur while maintaining his green color.

She almost let herself relax before his eyes snapped open, and he shifted into a giant Rhino. Before anyone other than Kid Flash could react, the boy slammed into Robin at full force, knocking the wind out of him. Fae moved to push the shifting boy out of the way right as he switched again, turning into a bull. She held on until he shrugged her off, sending her flying against a tube and shattering it.

“We’re on your side!” Kid Flash snapped, trying to think of a solution.

He looked back at the tubes of chemicals before running over. “I really don’t want to hurt you!” He shouted, charging at the now Tiger.

He threw the vial into it’s mouth, watching as the sedative worked.

The boy tumbled to the ground, turning into a dog as he fought to calm down.

Fae was the first to react, moving closer to him. “Hey… you’re okay… just… deep breaths,” She whispered, looking up at Wally for an explanation.

“It’s a calming chemical… like Melatonin but more… suited for bigger animals,” He mumbled, leaning down to check on the boy as well.

Before anyone could begin to make a new plan, the room filled with a purple dust, and Kid Flash suddenly realized what was going on. “Don’t breathe!” He warned, but it was too late.

Speedy’s head fell, laying next to the boy, who was now back in a human form.

Robin was next, hitting the ground from where he had just recovered from the hit.

Kid Flash and Fae shared a look before the world went black for both of them.

Chapter Text

The bell to the corner store is what woke Aurora up. She had fallen asleep at the counter. Again.

“Shit,” She mumbled, sitting up quickly. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, hopping out of the seat. Her tan legs were sore after sticking to the plastic seat for too long. The shop was empty, except for the movement of someone fixing the drinks they kept in the cooler.

She walked to the movement, seeing a familiar head of brown curls. They looked just like her own. “Oh, it’s just you Mom, you scared me,” She smiled, relaxing once she saw a familiar silhouette

“You know, I had the craziest dream, I was-” She cut herself off, realizing that she couldn’t tell her mother about being Fae, even if she phrased it as a dream. “I was failing my history class,” She corrected, “Which is like the dumbest thing ever… I don’t even know why my mind goes there sometimes,” she froze her ramble realizing that her movement was odd. She kept walking forward, but her mother didn’t get any closer.

She stopped, looking down at her hands. She looked fine, no dizziness or fuzzy spots. Turning, she walked to the front of the store, stepping out.

The light his her face, but it wasn’t warm. It was like if the sun was replaced with an LED light. She scrunched her nose, looking around to see if anyone else noticed.

It was then that she realized there wasn’t anyone else. The usually full street was empty, usually cramped parking spaces were deserted. That was definitely odd. These streets were never empty. Not even cars rode by.

“What the hell?” she mumbled, turning on her heel and going to check on the other vendors. She entered what she thought to be a barber shop, but froze when she entered a blank room instead. Irrational panic filled her throat, and she let out a scream, realizing she wasn’t experiencing anything real.

-*-

The bitter tastes of roots coated her taste buds as she shot up. Fae coughs, ripping roots from her face as she looked around. She was still in the cave, still laying on the floor. Dirt and roots were scattered around her, dirtying her costume and staining her skin.

She tried to remember what had happened before she passed out, and her eyes widened. The investigation, Conipien, and the boys. She stood, looking around for the boys who had been laying right next to her. She didn’t have to search for long. After stumbling, she noticed movement in one of the tubes. Looking up, her heart stopped.

There, in the same green goo Beast Boy was kept in, three new bodies lay. Robin’s mask was still on his face, but his head was tilted in a way that she knew would hurt later. Kid Flash’s hair floated above his head, his goggles keeping a bit of it down. Even Speedy was trapped, his bow resting outside the tube like a mockery. It was just out of reach.

“Fuck,” she mumbled, realizing she was the only one spared.

The thought filled her with dread. Why hadn’t they put her in there, or taken her away? Was she not considered as important? Her thoughts kept spiraling as she leaned back, taking deep breaths that weren’t helping as much as she’d like.

How the hell was she supposed to do it alone? She needed to get them out.

Fae felt the bile rise in her throat. She wasn’t a hero, not to this degree. She dealt with petty theft, at most she got shot at with rubber bullets. This was different. This was all on her.

She didn’t even get down here on her own. How the hell was she supposed to get out? How was she going to get them out? For the first time in a long time, she was completely frozen.

While she spiraled, she heard the door open, her instincts kicking in as she quickly climbed up into a vent, kicking the filter and narrowly avoiding the figure.

She heard a voice speaking over a communication device. “Of course we managed to control 1837A. He was well trained and took down the heroes before we used the sleeping powder,” the man spoke, his face just out of view for Fae.

“As for the three heroes, they are now properly sedated next to 1837A. We had reports of a fourth hero, but are unable to confirm their existence,” the man continued. Fae furrowed her eyebrows, confused as to why they had ignored her when she lay next to the pile they currently had captured. She didn’t give it much thought before the voice spoke up once more.

“Of course, we will prepare to dispose of the threats tonight, once the chemist finishes the final doses of the poison.”

Her heart stopped. No matter what, she needed to get them out of there. She had no choice but to step up. To hell with whatever her mind told her.

As soon as the man stepped back out, Fae jumped down from the vent, her boots making a sound once they hit the ground. Quickly, she tried to find a way to get the boys out.

It took a while, mostly since she had never seen technology this advanced before, but she managed to get the green goo out of the tubes.

Kid Flash was the first to react, looking up and narrowing his eyes. “What the hell?! Why did you put us in here?”

Fae froze, trying to come up with an explanation.

“How do you know she put us in here?” Speedy asked, struggling against the collar pinning him to the cold metal.

“Uh, because I’m tied up like a fucking hog while she’s standing pretty as a picture!” Kid Flash replied, his fear showing in his tone.

“I’m trying to get you out,” Fae clarified, looking down at the console. “Would be helpful to work in some peace and quiet,” she grumbled, shooting Kid Flash a look while he scoffed.

-*-

There was about two minutes of silence before Kid Flash broke it again. Speedy felt a familiar headache forming, and he remembered why he tended to avoid missions with the speedster.

“So good mission Robin, we try to save a kid, and this is how we get repaid… great bonding idea,” he grumbled, picking a fight out of frustration.

Robin raised his eyebrow. “Last time I checked KF, no one forced you to come with us. You had the option to stay back, just like Wonder Girl and Aqualad,” was his reply, trying to fix his gaze on anything other than Fae trying to work the controls.

Speedy heard a small whimpering sound and realized the kid was awake. “How about you both shut up, and we ask our new friend some questions?” Speedy urged, needing Kid Flash to shut up for a longer period of time.

He heard Beast Boy let out a small noise of acknowledgment. Speedy couldn’t see but his hearing was pretty good, and under the clicking noises of Fae’s poor attempts at bypassing a firewall, he heard a sigh.

“In this home, I have been taught proper things, I know how to shift forms… and how to fight… I know things… like the sun… and the moon,” Beast Boy had a soft voice, with a hesitant tone, as if he expected a scolding for speaking out of turn.

“Okay… that’s a start,” Speedy acknowledged, nodding his head as best as he could.

Robin was the next to speak, his mind working quickly. “If you help us, we can show you what they look like, better than any image that they can show you,”

Speedy closed his eyes, letting out a breath. Of course Robin would immediately think of how to change this situation to end up in his favor.

“I-I don’t need to,” Beast Boy replied after a moment of hesitation. “M-my home provides me with enough, I don’t need to leave until I’m ready,” he continued, his tone slowly growing more confident.

“Yeah, well your home is a fucking test tube, Buddy,” Kid Flash grumbled, glaring at Fae for taking so long.

With one last attempt, Fae bypassed the system, causing the tubes to pull themselves open and dump the boys out into the floor.

Robin groaned, stretching his neck. “Batman would have had my head for taking so long,”

Fae rolled her eyes, putting a hand on her hip. “A little thanks goes a long way, you know,” She grumbled, sighing when the boys stood up, Speedy grabbing his bow.

“I think the whole league will have our heads if we keep making messes we can’t clean up,” Speedy replied, watching the others get settled.

“Thank you,” He continued, turning to give Fae a smile and a nod.

“Thanks,” Kid Flash mumbled reluctantly.

Before they could leave, Fae turned to Beast Boy. “If you want to stay, you can get back into your tube and wait… but if you want a life of your own, you can always step out into the sun with us,” Fae offered out her hand, holding it in front of him.

“Pretty sure it’s past sunset… so the best we can do is the moon,” Kid Flash interjected while Robin elbowed him.

Beast Boy considered his options before nodding his head. “O-okay, I want to see the moon,” he mumbled.

As they took off, Robin made sure to get one last scan of the room, before throwing three Batarangs into the wall and blowing the place up.

-*-

Fae was getting used to running through long and empty hallways. She kept pace with the others while whipping her head, trying to keep her guard up. Even with the adrenaline, she felt her body growing tired. She had never done such a long mission before. Patrols only ever lasted about five hours.

She thought she was hallucinating when she saw creatures peeling off the walls. They were brown, with a thick and shiny texture to their skin. She scrunched her nose, realizing they were like human cockroaches.

It seemed she was already behind, considering she saw Robin run up to the creature and flip onto it’s back, stabbing it without hesitation.

Her eyes widened. He was brutal, not even giving the creatures a chance.

“A little backup would be nice!” He snapped, realizing no one else had moved.

Speedy immediately started aiming arrows and shooting, taking care of the ones still crawling along the walls. “There’s too many!” He grunted, flicking up his cap to see better.

Kid Flash nodded in agreement, flipping around and rushing to the other side of the hallway. “Guys, shouldn’t the goal be to escape and not fight?” He asked, looking for a way out.

Beast Boy huddled in a corner, not willing to fight his own siblings. They were grown together, even if they weren’t related by blood. He couldn’t do that.

Fae turned to him and nodded, turning to the green child. “Let’s go, Kid Flash cleared the way,” she urged, letting him transform into a squirrel and jump onto her should.

The other two made sure the coast was clear enough before rushing after them. “Their blood stinks,” Robin mumbled, wiping it off his cheek while they rushed to the nearest exit.

“Left!” Beast Boy squeaked, his tone going high pitched due to his new form. Kid Flash immediately followed orders, deciding that the kid knew the layout better than they did.

“Right!” he squeaked again before he shook his head, “Your other right!” he yelled before Kid Flash hit a dead end.

“There is no other right!” Speedy clarified for the boy, catching his breath.

“Great going squirrel boy! Are you sure you want to leave?” Kid Flash snapped, raising his arms and sighing.

“No, this could work,” Speedy defended, shooting a hook into the vent and using it to pull the metal out.

Robin grinned, immediately hacking the sensors. “I like the way you think,” he laughed, jumping into the vent before anyone else.

Now that they had bought themselves a bit of time, they found the stairs.

“Finally!” Kid Flash grinned, putting his goggles back on and booking it.

They were so close to being out. The closer they got, the more static filled the communicators.

“Speedy to base! Can anyone hear me?” He asked, pressing his ear device while running.

There was more static before he heard Aqualad’s familiar monotone. “Base here, we finally have a connection,” He spoke, the sound of typing audible.

“We need back up!” Robin shouted, already prepping a plan. “We have a hostage and a rapidly escalating situation!”

Fae swallowed, watching as they communicated with their own team. It gave her some relief. They were almost out.

“I don’t care about protocol, just get your asses over here!” Kid Flash added, opening and closing the doors to different floors as he tried to find an exit.

“Aqualad and I are on our way, any other information, any wounded?” Wonder Girl spoke into the device while Aqualad stood up and grabbed two portables.

“There will be if you keep stalling!” Kid Flash snapped, finally getting to the floor they wanted.

The other three rushed to even try and keep pace with them.

All around them, sirens sounded, and there was a loud noise before the communicators were shut off again.

“Fuck!” Kid Flash snapped, watching the doors to the end of the hallway begin to close. Even with super speed, he might not make it. He was still going to try anyway.

He was almost out, but the door was quicker. It snapped shut, and Kid Flash ran straight into reinforced metal.

Fae watching him roll onto his back and land on his ass. She felt Beast Boy burrow himself into her hood, trying to avoid watching what would happen next.

“They locked the building down,” Robin mumbled, already stopping to try and hack the doors open.

“Thanks for that valuable information, my head hadn’t noticed,” Kid Flash grumbled, closing his eyes and sighing.

“I’m not going to get this down fast enough,” Robin told them, his frustration evident.

In that moment, Fae heard murmuring. “I’m never getting out… I’m stuck here… I need to see the moon,” She heard, feeling Beast Boy jump off her body.

She looked up, watching in amazement as he transformed into a giant beetle, using his strength to burst through the wall and fly onto the main warehouse.

Kid Flash whistled. “If it works,” he mumbled, grabbing onto Robin as he shot his grappling hook to pull them out. Fae looked at Speedy, taking his hand before closing her eyes and floating.

She lifted him out, setting him down while she hovered.

Robin had just opened his mouth when the ground shook under them.

They all turned, watching Beast Boy now take the form of an elephant, hitting himself against the pillars.

He did that before turning and hitting himself again on the other side.

Her brow furrowed before she realized what he was doing.

“Beast Boy! No!” She shouted, but the damage had already been done.

Roots and vines crawled out of the ground, covering the heroes while the building fell around them.

“What the hell is going on!” Kid Flash shouted, feeling his throat tighten at the rapidly reducing space as the concrete fell against the vines.

“I-I don’t know!” Fae replied, shaking and feeling the need to throw up.

Robin furrowed his brow, “The building is falling, but where did this come from?” he mumbled, flinching when a particularly big slab of concrete fell against the vine. It folded a bit but didn’t break.

Speedy watched Fae with narrowed eyes, keeping his thoughts to himself. They had bigger problems.

“Do you think the kid is okay?” he asked, feeling the building still.

Right as the moment calmed itself, the vines snapped, and the concrete fell around them. Fae let out a groan, but knew it could’ve been worse without the vines.

-*-

Silence was the first thing Speedy noticed when his ears stopped ringing. Kid Flash and Robin were never silent after something like that.

He turned his head, checking up on the two. Kid Flash was stretching his arm, mumbling. “We need to get out,” He repeated, closing his eyes and seeming so small.

Robin looked over at him before reaching out to pull his hand away from his arm. “We will,” He grunted, holding his side.

The second thing Speedy noticed was Fae. She was pale, and shivering in a way he had never seen before. “You good?” he mumbled, causing the other two to turn their heads.

Fae nodded, swallowing. “Yeah, just… felt dizzy all of the sudden,” She mumbled.

“Tell me about it,” Wally groaned, holding his stomach.

The silence stretched as they tried to formulate a plan. Robin and Speedy spoke in hushed whispers while Fae rested against a piece of concrete that seemed stable enough.

She heard movement, and saw Kid Flash shoot his hand out. “Dude!” he shouted, holding a small green mouse in his hand. “Do you have any idea what you just did?!” he continued, glaring at the mouse.

Beast Boy froze before curling up in his hand. “I-I couldn’t let them keep torturing the others… this seemed like the best option,” He spoke, his tone higher pitched than before.

“That’s not your call to make,” Robin replied, pausing his conversation to stare at the boy.

"You did it in my bedroom," Beast Boy pointed out, staring up at the domino mask.

“How about we just find a way out? He already did it,” Speedy sighed, pinching his nose.

In the silence of the moment, they heard footsteps.

“Robin! Kid Flash! Speedy!” Shouted a familiar voice.

“Aqualad!” Kid Flash yelled back, perking up. “I’ve never been more relieved to hear your boring ass voice!”

The was a loud noise before the light hit their faces once more.

Fae looked up, her eyes widening in amazement. “Holy shit…” she gasped, staring at Wonder Girl as she lifted up a slab of concrete.

“Wondie, Aqua, I think I love you guys,” Robin gasped, taking the hand that Aqualad offered, and letting the hero pull him out.

Aqualad grunted, pulling out the boys before focusing on Fae.

“Is this the civilian?” He asked, pulling out an emergency kit and throwing one to the each of them. It had water, a few crackers, and the basic first aid supplies.

“No, actually, that’s Fae,” Speedy grunted, opening the bottle of water and pouring it into his mouth.

Fae smiled, waving tiredly and popping a cracker into her mouth under her mask. “Hi,” She spoke, not caring that she was stuffing her face.

Wonder girl floated to her, their noses almost touching. “Explain,” She said simply to Robin, circling Fae.

“Before that,” Kid Flash interrupted, holding out Beast Boy to the light. “That’s the moon, just like we promised,” he grunted, watching the boy jump down from his hands and transform back into his human shape.

Aqualad and Wonder Girl stared at the kid and then at Robin and Speedy respectively. “It’s a long story,” Speedy answered, waving his hand. “Just let him enjoy it,”

Beast Boy stared, his eyes sparkling before he turned to the four of them. “Thank you,” he smiled, turning into a cat and going into Speedy’s lap.

Fae smiled, realizing that this kid really was just a new creature on this earth.

“Let’s check up on you,” Aqualad told Beast Boy, gently running a hand over his fur to feel for any injuries. Beast Boy seemed to enjoy the movement, turning onto his back and letting out a sigh.

“Mission accomplished,” Kid Flash grunted, sitting on the floor.

“Is that what you call this?” Came a voice, and everyone looked up to see Superman floating above them.

-*-

Fae felt her heart stop for the third time in one evening. The Justice League came to a stop around them. Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Shazam, Black Canary, everyone.

“Fuck,” Kid Flash cursed, preparing himself for the scolding of a lifetime. The sound caused Fae to stop, realizing that if Kid Flash was scared, then she was definitely never seeing the light of day ever again.

She turned to the others and saw a similar look on their faces. Only Beast Boy seemed unbothered, dozing off on Speedy’s lap.

Batman stepped forward, staring right at Robin, his expression hidden under his mask. “Explain,” he snapped in a cold voice.

Robin flinched before sighing. “We wanted to solve a case… and we thought it would be easy… but we found things, Batman… they were experimenting on living creatures,” He simplified, taking charge for the team.

“Their end goal seemed to be creating an army of Animorphs… creatures like the green cat sitting on Speedy’s lap,” He continued, swallowing before gently grabbing Beast Boy.

The boy raised his head, lazily putting it back down. “Can you turn into a squirrel real quick?” Robin asked, gently rubbing his cheek. Beast Boy opened his eyes before he shifted, causing the League to take a step back.

“Obviously he can do animals that aren’t as cute, but he was stuck there. We don’t know what they did to him,” Kid Flash interjected, watching as Beast Boy climbed to Robin’s shoulder and rested there.

The fact that Beast Boy seemed content in a moment of high tensions such as now said enough about his typical environment.

-*-

After getting every side of the story, The League let the team rest while they discussed what to do.

Wonder Woman was the first to walk over, resting her hand on Wonder Girl’s shoulders. “No matter what the others say, I think you all did well,” She began, looking over at all of them.

“Especially you, Fae. You don’t know any of us, but you placed your trust in our symbols,” She continued, looking at the girl while Fae blinked back.

Wonder Woman turned away, looking to Beast Boy, who now sat comfortably in a small puddle that Aqualad had created for him, his squirrel fur sticking to his skin. “He is rather cute, but we need to keep him safe, we don’t know what he went through,” She sighed, gently rubbing his head before pulling back.

She stood, to her full height, nodding to the teens. “I’ll see what I can do to help you,” She promised, walking back to the other adults.

“How cooked are we?” Kid Flash asked, falling onto a slab of concrete.

“Pretty badly,” Aqualad replied, eyeing the discussion circle.

They chatted, getting to know Fae a bit more and exchanging perspectives on what happened.

When Batman turned and walked over with Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and Aquaman, they went silent.

“Conipien will be investigated,” He announced, looking at each of them. “We will salvage what we can from the wreck and use your documentation as further evidence. But let’s make one thing clear-”

“You should have called,” Flash interrupted, glaring at his child.

“We did,” Kid Flash replied, sticking his tongue out.

“You should have called one of us,” Wonder Woman corrected, easing the tensions a bit.

Batman glared at both of them before continuing.

“End results aside. We are not happy. With any of you,” Batman began, giving a pointed look to both Wonder Girl and Aqualad. “You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered civilian lives,” He continued, giving each of them a glare and holding it when Robin glared back. “None of you will be doing this again,” He concluded, watching Fae with his eyes narrowed.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but we are not listening to you,” Speedy replied, kicking himself off the rubble and standing tall. He stared straight at Batman, his gaze challenging.

“Speed-”

“No, Green Arrow, we did good work out there. Without your permission,” He stressed, standing up for his team as the oldest.

“We’re trained to do this, and it’s what we will continue to do,” Wonder Girl added, stepping forward as well.

“You can’t punish us for being good,” Aqualad spoke, shrugging his shoulders.

“If this is about the incident at the hall, then you’re going about it the wrong way,” Flash interjected, crossing his arms.

“Is there a right way? Because it’s been years since I started, and I don’t see any recognition,” Kid Flash snapped, the weight of all the years of fighting finally snapping his patience.

Robin sighed as he stepped in between the others. He tilted his head and looked over at Batman, “Look… I know I have my flaws… but I think I speak for all of us when I say that I’m ready to use what you taught us, or why teach us at all?” He kept trying to tell his mentor that he’d been trained by the best, that he was prepared. He was just as ready for the fight as any one of the League members. It was useless to try and protect heroes who grew up seeing the worst of the world.

When silence followed, Fae stepped up, crossing her arms. “Look, honestly, it’s simple. You come to my city, then you play by my rules. Get on board with my work being done, or get out of my way. Because as far as I’m concerned, no one gave a shit about this until I started digging,” She rambled, her eyes shinning between her hood and mask.

Her words seemed to corner the mentors, who agreed that she had a point. Wonder Girl noticed the exact moment when the mentors began to begrudgingly agree. Wonder Woman couldn’t help her smirk. Flash looked over at Batman. And Batman stared straight at Robin before his shoulders shifted.

Batman shared a look with the others, before he slightly nodded, skimming them over. “We’ll take that into consideration,” He spoke, turning around.

Aquaman stepped forward. He was always more outwardly concerned with his child. It was sweet, to everyone but Aqualad. “You kids should go back to the hideout. Rest and we’ll update you on Beast Boy,” He spoke, recognizing the sag in their shoulders.

While the others turned and checked on one another, Fae lingered, wondering where she fit in all of this.

Wonder girl turned around, watching her. “Come back to the hideout with us, you don’t have to stay long, but I would like get to know you better,” She urged, her tone polite.

Fae hesitated. It was a wonderful offer, but had she earned it?

After realizing she was overthinking, she nodded. “I’d like that,”

"By the way, my name's Donna, what's yours?"

"I'm Aurora"

Chapter Text

“Woah! Check this out!” Wally cheered, jumping onto the gray couch of the Compound. He turned to look at the others, frowning at the unimpressed looks. “What? This is going to be our place for the next few years, get used to it,” He grunted, shoving his bags under the coffee table.

Roy shrugged, going to join him, sitting down on the armrest and setting his backpack by his feet. “I guess he has a point, we should enjoy it,” he decided, watching the way the mountains curled around the city in the distance.

Aurora looked at the two before she eyed the windows as well. Her city was falling into new hands, and they weren’t even aware. She wrapped her arms around her body, hesitating before stepping closer to the edge of the couch.

“Hey,” She mumbled, placing her hands on the edge and nodding at Wally. The boy in question grinned and turned to the others. “There’s no way these two are funnier than all of you,” He teased.

Dick grunted, but made no move to go closer. He had been on edge all day since he got off the plane from Central City.

They had a break of about three days to pack and get ready for the move, but being back in Batman’s court was never ideal. He knew he was in for talk in about an hour. He could feel it in his bones.

“Wally’s right, you should all enjoy the perks, it’s a new location,” Flash announced, stepping into the living area, standing next to Dick. He whistled, looking over to the built in kitchen and dinning room. “You know, we didn’t even get this level of luxury when we first started,” He commented.

Dick huffed and stared. “Yes you did, I was there,” he replied, furrowing his brows.

“No we didn’t, this is all the latest tech, we didn’t even have holograms back then,” Flash countered, pulling back his hood to reveal a head of blonde hair.

It always surprised Dick when Barry decided he was done playing Flash. He had no problems doing it. He wasn’t lost. Not like Dick was.

“As much as I agree with the Flash, you must realize that this is a privilege, and it can be taken be taken away if you disobey the league regulations,” Wonder Woman interjected, walking in alongside Aquaman and Batman.

Donna stood up straighter, while Garth nodded at Aquaman.

Batman cleared his throat, and all eyes fell on him. Dick felt his chest ache. He hadn’t attempted to speak to Batman since he had left to Central City. Dick tried to tell himself that the phone went both ways, but he was mostly hurt that Batman seemed to be doing fine.

“We’ve noticed the difference in fighting ability between our older members and new recruits,” Batman gave Aurora a subtle glance before everyone followed, watching the girl turn red at the face.

Dick couldn’t remember what it was like to be new. But based on the sympathetic looks, it wasn’t nice.

Aurora nodded after a moment, looking at the trio. “So we decided to establish a residency system. Starting with Wonder Woman, each hero will stay three weeks in the compound with you, until we find a permanent replacement,” Batman continued, looking over notes on his pad.

Dick opened his mouth and spoke before he even processed his own mind. His emotions were too high. “So you’re passing us around since none of you want the responsibility? Typical,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Batman ignored him, simply opening the compound security system. “We need to collect your biometric data to use as a unique code. After today, the doors will only open for approved guests,” Batman warned, setting up the scanner.

“Robin, step forward,” He ordered, moving his head to the scanner.

Dick rolled his eyes but moved, knowing exactly what to do. He let the scanner move along his iris and fingers, his eyes following the movement like he’d done it a thousand times.

“Please provide a voice sample for vocal recognition,” commanded a robotic noise.

“Batman sucks,” he replied, letting out an amused huff. Somewhere in the background, Wally laughed brightly. Batman, for one, did not look amused.

“Sample recorded,”

“Profile Created: Robin: A01”

Dick stepped away from the device and watched Donna step up. “Donna Troy,” She said simply, causing Wally to roll his eyes, “Boring,” he mumbled, shaking his head.

“Wonder Girl: A02”

Watching Roy step up, Dick took the chance to move around a bit, stretching and bending down to touch his toes. Garth followed, but had a slightly different process since his eyes were sensitive to light. He didn’t pay it much mind either.

He looked up when Wally stepped forward. “Hottest man alive,” he spoke while looking over at Dick and winking. Dick chuckled, leaning back on the wall.

Aurora was the last one up. Dick still didn’t know what to make of her. She was kind enough, but she was too sheltered. She didn’t even know how to fight. Not like they did.

“Carnation,” She said simply, looking at the device.

“Fae: A06”

“Carnation?” Roy asked, confusion lacing his tone.

“It’s my favorite flower,” She replied with a kind smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” He replied, fixing his cap to keep the hair out of his head.

-*-

Donna watched Batman pull out another file, showing it on the holograms. “Your dorm arrangements,” He said simply before Aquaman took over.

“We decided to have you room with another member, both as a bonding exercise and to teach you that working in a team won’t be as easy at it seems at first,” He explained, pointing at the names.

“Obviously we had to group you two ladies together, but as for the others, we grouped you in order of identification number,” Aquaman explained, letting the kids come closer to read.

Donna turned and smiled at Aurora. She was kind. In a way that Donna hadn’t seen in a while. The way she treated Beast Boy had left a good impression on all of them. It was what Donna needed more experience in. Maybe, if Aurora needed more combat experience, Donna could also gain experience in providing comfort.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an outraged cry. Of course, it had to come from Wally.

“There’s no way I’m sharing with that fucking fish!” he shouted, looking over at Garth with an unapologetic expression, “Sorry, is that a slur to your kind?” he asked with a hand over his heart. Garth gave him an unimpressed look before turning back to Batman. “I’m also not feeling approval over the arrangements.”

Batman gave them both a look. “That’s the good thing about being in a team, you learn to get over it,”

Dick snickered, looking over at the two boys. He didn’t mind Roy. They were friends, so it made things easier. He looked over at Roy and nodded, already planning how to divide any space they would share.

“We’ll leave you children to settle in while we check over the last security details,” Green Arrow spoke, taking control of the system to run a few checks.

“Wonder Woman will go over your housekeeping rules after you settle in,” Aquaman mentioned, giving Garth a firm nod when he finally looked up. “We trust that you will do well,” he continued. Garth nodded in response.

Dick wondered if he’d ever had that ease with Batman. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted that anymore.

Before anyone moved away from the room, Aurora raised her hand. “I had a concern,” She voiced.

Batman stared at her, and she took it as her cue to speak. “Where’s Beast Boy?” She asked, biting her tongue.

The older heroes glanced at each other, as if remembering that the children were never informed of that matter. Aquaman was the one to answer her question. “Based on examinations, although he is physically twelve years old, his mental age came out to reflect the learning of a toddler. We will place him in the proper location to make sure he is properly developed before giving him the choice of being a hero,”

Aurora frowned, but nodded. If it was for his best, then she would accept it. After all, they were the ones who had the most experience with this type of craziness.

“Will we be able to see him?” Roy asked, leaning against the window.

“Of course, as soon as we have clearance, we wanted to bring him to visit the compound,” Green Arrow replied, staring at his ward.

Roy nodded and seemed satisfied with the answer.

The silence settled while everyone let the nervous energy build.

“Well then, you kids should start decorating your rooms! Make this place your own,” Barry ordered playfully, patting Wally’s back. Wally gave it about two seconds before he ran off, yelling about how he wanted to check out the mountains before unpacking.

“Welcome home, young ones,” spoke Diana, nodding at them before they each left their own way.

-*-

Aurora realized she had a lot of plants. It had always been her thing. Well, her father’s thing, but now it was hers. She placed a few pots on her side of the windowsill.

“Lemon Balm, Rosemary, Chamomile, and Aloe Vera,” She mumbled, placing them all where they would get good sunlight. Her Pothos was tucked in a quieter corner.

“I know… the move was not good for you,” She mumbled to her plant. Her father told her that talking to them was good, so she would listen and obey.

“We have to share now, and technically, you have more room than before,” She told them, looking over at her rosemary.

Now that her plants were situated, she put her energy into decorating her bed. Pink cotton sheets were her go-to. They had been a bit of a splurge after she passed her algebra class.

She made her bed, throwing on plushes. Her duck plush had been with her since the beginning, and it showed. One of his plastic eyes was replaces with a button, and his head was lopsided. Many said it was old, but she always considered him to be well-loved.

Her desk sat empty, only carrying a table lamp and her favorite books. She’d find trinkets to give the room personality later. This would do for now.

Aurora turned her head, looking at the other side of the room. There was a visual divide between her and Donna. Donna seemed to be going for the minimalist style of room decoration. There was a singular camera on her desk, and photographs that Aurora didn’t want to intrude on. The cutest part was definitely the albums she displayed. Donna was vintage. Aurora could work with that.

Feeling peckish, she decided to go to the kitchen to see if she found a bit of fruit.

Stepping into the hallway, she heard Diana, Roy, and Garth talking. Being careful to stay quiet, she willed herself to float, moving closer to the door and watching them. She had no reason to spy on them, but curiosity was always healthy.

“It might be odd to live with someone else. Especially someone I am not too familiar with,” Donna spoke, eating a bit of hummus with celery.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice if we want independence,” Roy replied, tapping his fingers against the marble counter top.

“It would’ve been easier to share with someone I was close with,” Donna mentioned, taking a bite of her snack.

“I thought you liked her?” Garth asked, twirling a pearl between his fingers.

Donna shrugged, finishing her bite before speaking. “Liking and trusting to live with are two different things,” She stated plainly.

Aurora felt her heart fall. She thought she had earned her place against the team during the mission. Maybe it was because she hadn’t fought by Donna’s side. It didn’t matter. It still hurt a bit.

“Well I trust her,” Roy spoke, unknowingly knocking her out of her spiral . “She proved herself when the building fell. She could’ve left us to die. But she didn’t. I owe her my life for that,” he affirmed.

Garth felt eyes on him, and he looked to see a pair of green eyes staring back. Aurora ducked away as quick as she could, but not quick enough. His skills were sharper than hers.

‘You’re not good at this,’ came a voice in her mind. She froze, tilting her head.

‘I’m still very new to this,’ She replied, realizing who it was. ‘How are you doing this?’

‘Atlantians communicate like this often. It usually doesn’t work with humans. You get more strange by the minute,’

Aurora smiled faintly. ‘I’m going to take that as a compliment,’

‘It wasn’t.’

She snickered, before letting her feet touch the ground. Concentrating on both things at the same time was a bit of a struggle.

‘Should I walk in?’

‘I don’t think it matters,’

Aurora didn’t get the chance to decide. Garth and Donna walked out, walking towards the other direction. Garth turned to look at her and nodded before he turned the corner. His purple eyes watched her like a puzzle he couldn’t quite decipher. She figured that he wasn’t going to attempt to figure her out. But unfortunately for him, Aurora was going to learn everything she could about her team.

-*-

Roy hated being the oldest in this scenario. He had just gotten used to living alone with Oliver, but this was a huge shift. It was like living with his cousins again, before he left Spokane. If he closed his eyes and reminisced, maybe Los Angeles could feel like his home had back then. Except for the fact that these weren’t his cousins. This felt like boarding school. No one had any idea what to do with them. That reminder left a bitter taste in his throat.

There was still so much left to do before he could relax. Everything was still in boxes, and he needed to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. The last time he moved, he only had the clothes on his back and Big Bow’s weapon in his hands.

His only comfort was that Dick was just as bad as unpacking. Clothes had been left all over the place, and Roy was convinced that Dick had left his smoke bombs on the bed. That wasn’t going to be fun to clean if the boy forgot what he put there before going to bed.

He focused on washing dishes instead, letting the familiar movement relax him. At least it did, before he heard shuffling.

The footsteps were too hesitant to be Dick, and too slow to be Wally. Garth and Donna had just walked out, and they wouldn’t be quiet walking in. That left one person.

“How are you settling?” Roy asked, turning to face Aurora. If no one cared about this girl, he’d take it upon himself.

She looked at him before shrugging. “I’m not used to it. It feels as if I’m going to wake up, and have everything be a dream,” she replied, looking through the fridge.

“Yeah, that’s about how it felt for me too,” He replied, setting the plate to dry.

Aurora looked at him, pursing her lips. “How do you get rid of it?”

“You don’t. It’s kind of always there, but you get used to it,” Roy spoke, drying his hands with a towel.

“What if I don’t get used to it? What if I feel like no one on the team likes me,” She blurted, surprised by her own confession.

Roy raised his eyebrows before putting it together. “Why would you say that?” He mumbled.

She nodded, looking down at her hands. “I don’t know. I just see you guys and you’re all so amazing and well-trained. It's like another world. I just learned basic self defense and called it a day,”

Roy scoffed at that, shaking his head. “Trust me, we might be well-trained, but you don’t want to be us”

He thought back to how many times Dick had to have his body checked up after sparing with a hero who forgot he was a child. Donna had gotten her first period while on a mission with him. Garth was… well Roy wasn’t sure what to think of Garth. Not to mention whatever it is that Wally was going through while trying to live up to his own expectations.

“You guys have something. You work together well. People admire you for doing the right thing. You don’t see it, but you’ve inspired others,” Aurora sighed, crossing her arms. Sure, they weren’t Superman or Wonder Woman quite yet, but she could see that spark. Aurora wondered if she could have that spark too.

Roy considered her words, his shoes tapping the wood. “We had to go through hell and back to earn it,” He replied, shrugging his shoulders. His hands twitched, before he let silence linger. Roy was never good with words. He was a good listener, but listening wasn’t as visible.

Aurora hummed, looking outside into the mountains that guarded them. There was a whole city that was unaware of what the Justice League was planning. A city of hardworking people, who for the most part, got up every day to make their worlds better. She knew why they did.

“Everyone does”

-*-

Dick could get used to the sunshine. He understood why Uncle Clark got his energy from the sun, this was nice. However, the company made it difficult to truly take it in.

They had been walking for a few minutes now. Just them and the scenery.

Bruce always looked like he was preparing for the worst. His eyes always held a storm. Before Dick learned English, he learned to read Bruce’s quirks. So he knew what was coming.

This was technically the first time that the two had interacted since he’d left Gotham. Masked encounters didn’t count. Not to Dick.

When Bruce paused, turning on his heel, Dick looked up.

“I’m sorry,”

“What?”

“Are you going to make me say it again?”

Dick nodded dumbly, frankly flabbergasted at the way the apology came out naturally. Bruce rarely apologized. He rarely had a need to.

Bruce sighed and reached forward, placing a strong hand on Dick’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Chum. In an effort to educate you, I isolated you. That was my own fault,” Bruce spoke with that cadence that reminded Dick of back when he had first met Bruce. It was awkward and slightly monotone, but with a blanket of care that couldn’t be ignored.

Dick looked up at his mentor and sighed. “You made me feel as if I were replaceable,” he spoke, shaking his head while turning to look at the scenery. “I know I’m not your kid, but I was your Robin,”

Dick hated how this moment felt. How he felt like Richard John, not Dick Grayson. He promised he’d never feel like that again, and here he was. Familiar tension built in his jaw before he forced himself to relax, opening his mouth.

“I know I haven’t been the best, but you promised to never let me slip away. You promised,” Dick’s voice broke before he shut himself up. He wasn’t going to do this with everyone still inside.

Bruce for his part, never broke his gaze away from Dick. His eyes were a heavy weight, but Dick would be lying if he said that the weight was an unwelcome one. Bruce sighed before he spoke, watching Dick to see his reaction.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I know I’ve messed up, but I want to put in the work. I want to mend this,” Bruce promised, “So talk to me, what do you want to do?” He asked, watching Dick pause.

Dick looked up, not knowing how to reply. He didn’t know where to start. Too many things were mixed and he stopped knowing where Dick ended and Robin began.

He decided to just start talking and find his way from there. “Bruce, I’m not eight anymore. I don’t need to be protected… I became Robin for me. For my mom. For my dad. To make sure that their mystery was solved. I’m not going to let anyone control that legacy,”

Dick’s eyes met Bruce’s and he faltered at the softness in his eyes.

“You were out of line asking me to give it up. The only woman who can take it away is the reason why I started,”

Words tumbled out and Dick didn’t really know where it was going, but he needed this.

“I think I want to be here. Gotham is nice, but I don’t want to lay down roots there,” Dick cut himself off before he revealed too much, but the words ‘I don’t want to be like you’ burned on his tongue.

“I’ve been calmer here and I have people to depend on,” Dick thought back to Wally, who welcomed him with open arms. To Donna, who accepted the fact that he lied, without demanding to know why. Maybe he wanted a house that felt full. Maybe he was tired of the emptiness of Wayne Manor.

“Acrobats travel, I think LA is what I need, for Richard John, and maybe Dick,” He added. Third Person was embarrassing, he hadn’t done it since he was young. Yet nothing else felt like an appropriate way to describe the feelings brewing in his chest.

“So I guess, what I’m asking is to let me stay, but don’t pull away from me,” Dick concluded, nodding his head and licking his lips.

Bruce watched Dick, his eyes unreadable before he smiled. “You know, it’s been a really long time since you told me you wanted something directly,” He replied, his face relaxing before he turned to the house.

“I’ll let you stay, but you have to fly back to Gotham on long weekends, and I’m staying here at least two weeks every six months. You’ll also have to call and send me a report every week,” Bruce told him, setting a few rules. They were simple enough. Fatherly concerns wrapped in logical conclusions.

Dick nodded before he could even finish processing. He felt the bright smile paint itself onto his lips.

“This is going to be hard, isn’t it?” He grinned, excited to learn how to tumble once more.

Bruce nodded, finally looking at the view once more. “For one of us more than the other,” He admitted.

Dick chuckled, shaking his head. Even now, Bruce didn’t seem to think he was capable. That was okay. Baby steps were the only way to fly.

“I’m giving you your own funds,” Bruce commented, and Dick shook his head. Leave it to Bruce to fund everything he could.

“Credit Card or a Stipend?”

“Cash, and a centurion when you prove yourself,”

“Bet,”

The two turned to walk back inside the compound. Dick walked side by side with Bruce, asking a question that had been on his mind since he first moved into his dorm.

“Is this a bad time to ask for a gymnastics center?”

“Chum, I’ve already taken care of it,”

“Thanks B,”