Hush
Comrades
The three metahumans crowded the entryway, gazes rapt on their convalescent team member.
M'gann's hand rising to cover her mouth and her soft whisper of, "Blue…" brought to light the pressing matter at the moment…
Robin's eyes had gazed back at his teammates unveiled and wide, betraying a secret he had sworn to keep hidden from them: his identity.
"Shit!" Robin cried, head falling into his palms as the color drained from his face.
"Language!" Black Canary hissed, brow furrowing in distaste at the boy.
"Fucking idiots," Red Arrow muttered darkly to the trio at the entrance, glaring fiercely.
The blonde adult took a bruising grip at Roy's upper arm, growling, "What did I just say?!"
To which the archer responded with a gruff wave of his other arm towards the three teens, remarking, "You do realize what just happened, right?!"
"Yes," she sighed, looking off-put. This was going to be a real bitch to explain to Batman. "You three: enter and shut the door."
They obeyed, casting worried glances at Robin's deteriorating mood as the boy yanked at his hair; Wally attempting to calm him.
Aqualad placed a hand on his chest while his other hand bared his palm upward. "I apologize," he said sincerely, gaze touching each of the original occupants of the room. "It was not our intention to compromise Robin's ident—,"
"I'm so screwed!" Robin cried out, cutting Kaldur off mid-sentence. His hands were shaking at this point.
"Yes, I'm sure you didn't," Dinah said sternly, moving to join Kid Flash in comforting the youngest teen. "But as it stands, you've successfully done so and the repercussions of this offense will not be pleasant."
"We won't tell anyone!" M'gann proffered, looking guilty. She felt primary fault in this situation, as she had informed Connor and Kaldur of Robin's awakening and in the shock and relief did not consider Robin's potential manifestation.
"You're damn straight you won't!" Red Arrow growled, causing the alien to shrink back.
Superboy stepped forward, seething. "We won't speak of it so lay off!"
"Just shut up!" Robin yelled, covering his ears with his palms in distress, ignoring the jolt of pain from the outburst. He shook his head, feeling his stomach churn and his spine chill. Batman was going to kill him! Bruce had given him one undebatable condition when this group had formed and that was his identity was to be kept secret—Wally and Roy the obvious exceptions due to prior knowledge.
And he had stupidly looked up when the door had opened, not thinking about the fact his face was completely exposed… "Crap…crap, I'm so screwed…" What if Batman removed him from the team?! Robin felt ill from the thought.
Kid Flash leaned in and lightly pinched his friend's cheek. "He won't," Wally remarked as though he knew what Dick was thinking. The acrobat looked at his friend worriedly, about to protest when the speedster reiterated his comment and stared directly into his friend's cerulean eyes.
Robin sighed after a few tense moments, resigned. There was nothing he could do about it now. His heart continued to pulse in a fervent thrum beneath his breast, hands yet clammy as he faced his teammates, remarking in a shaky voice, "G-Guess the cat's out of the bag…"
Wally's hand tentatively found the raven's and squeezed it in comfort. Roy scoffed loudly and crossed his arms above his chest, irate.
Aqualad slowly nodded, concern and guilt riddling his face. He shared a gaze with Miss Martian and Superboy before meeting gazes with Robin. "If I am not mistaken…you are Richard Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne?"
Robin visibly flinched at the mention of names but nevertheless bowed his head in affirmation.
"Which would mean…" Kaldur began.
"Bruce Wayne is Batman!" M'gann chirped, looking shocked, earning a glare from Red Arrow.
"Big deal, so what?" Connor said, returning a heated stare at Roy. "It's not like any of us had our identities hidden."
The eldest red-head bared his teeth in a snarl-like smirk. His rebuttal was acid: "Last I heard you didn't even have an identity."
Aqualad and Miss Martian quickly moved to restrain the young clone as did Dinah with Roy; maddened pressure boiling between the two.
"That was a low blow, Roy," Kid Flash growled in Superboy's defense.
"Can everyone just stop?!" Robin cried, at his wit's end; his ribs flared in pain mildly. The room fell silent at the outburst. "It's my fault all this happened… I've been trained better. I should have reacted better," he explained, looking downtrodden and anxious, but resolute in his assessment. "Batman…forbid the disclosure of my identity because it would put the both of us at an even higher risk should that information be leaked. Don't take it personally, Batman doesn't really trust anyone…I mean, beyond Alfred and myself. So you see, it kinda is a big deal…And I doubt he will take this well…"
"What if we pretend we don't know who you really are? Bruce-I mean Batman wouldn't know, right?" M'gann tried, smacking her forehead at her ill-timed error.
Dinah sighed, remarking dryly, "Yes, I'm sure calling him by his name wouldn't be a total giveaway, but rest assured, he would come across the details of this unfortunate event eventually."
Wally nodded quickly. "She's totally right. Papa Bat's got some freaky way of finding out everything!"
Robin winced at the comment, making Kid Flash regret his statement instantly. "He won't take you off the team, Rob," he amended.
"You can't be sure of that," Robin remarked bitterly. "It's very likely to be his course of action when he finds out. He'll see it as a jeopardy to both myself as well as him. If he doesn't, he may just disband the entire team."
A slew of complaints immediately emerged at the comment. "What?" M'gann cried out distinctly. "He wouldn't do that, would he?"
Robin fixed her with a look and she immediately felt herself silence. It was so strange to have Robin look her in the eyes with his own, unmasked; to see the depth of blue that was both beautiful and strangely powerful from such a young boy.
"Think about it, Megan. Would you, Kaldur or Conner be able to maintain such a secret under torture?" It was a rhetorical question, but they all felt a chill overcome them at the near challenge in the boy's tone. "You three haven't been trained like I have, nor do you have such a close connection with myself or Batman that you'd be inclined to keep it. Wally and Roy are another case; we're practically brothers…should any attempt be made to extract information we all would likely take our silence to the grave."
The three metahumans in question felt the severity of the situation dawn on them. It was not as though they would sell out their comrades in the face of torture or death, but they now understood why such information was kept from them in the first place. Kaldur scrutinized their youngest team member. He was still just a child, younger than all of them but he had this wisdom about him—evident in such times as these—that humbled him. The look in his eyes—which he'd never seen before today—was intense and riveting. What had he gone through to mature him at such a young age?
"…Wait…How come I'm in the base? Where…where is Batman anyway?" Robin suddenly pipped up, as though it just occurred to him.
Dinah chipped in quickly, barring any comments from the three metas yet near the doorway, "Batman along with several of the League members have gone out on an intergalactic mission to settle some 'quarrels' amongst opposing alien races…" A sharp look silenced the questions she could see bubbling in the lips of Superboy, Miss Martian and Aqualad alike. "They are not expected to return anytime soon…the influence of gravity of their destination affects the time they experience relative to ours."
The thirteen-year-old looked a tad lost for a moment, brow furrowing in distress as he could recall no such mission coming about. Last he remembered Bruce was to host a party at the mansion to meet with other corporate heads wanting to collaborate with Wayne Industries…
"But…" he started—before a flash of visions hurtled through his thoughts with the force of a truck slamming into him.
…Falling…
Shouts and movement…an explosion…
…Red…
Wally reached out in time to steady Robin as his eyes rolled back and he fell sideways.
"Dick!" he shouted, startled.
Roy nearly vaulted to the other side of the bed, apprehension rolling off him in waves.
"My head…!" came the pained reply through gritted teeth, his hands flattened over his ears, as if the action alone could quell the swelling agony that pulsed within his skull.
Wally's complexion paled when the tension in his friend's form suddenly dissipated and went limp against his chest. "What's wrong with him!" the speedster gasped out, mild panic seeping into his words.
Black Canary was next to him in seconds, abetting to settle the now semi-conscious Richard back on the bed. He looked a bit agitated and out of breath, but he wasn't slipping into unconsciousness. She had worried he would react in such a way to the elapsed information, but lying to him was out of the question. Richard was always a tad too sharp for his own good and "suspicious and anxious" would not be a state healthy for a child with post-traumatic retrograde amnesia. His closeness to Bruce was obvious, despite the boy's mild defiance streak; she had to risk some discomfort to avoid the stress that would no doubt slow his recovery and augment his negative mental state.
"He's fine," she assured them all, placing a hand on Wally's shoulder to calm his reactive nerves.
"Why'd you tell him that?!" the red-head growled hotly.
Her icy blue eyes studied the teen for a moment, noting how easily his anger flared when it pertained to Richard suffering. "Because it's not something we can keep from him," she deadpanned.
The hot itch beneath his skin at the actions of Black Canary dissipated all at once. She was right, he realized. The whereabouts of Batman was not something that should—or could—be kept from Robin. Wally lamented, muttering a crumbling apology to the woman. He flushed, feeling even worse, when she threaded her hand through his ginger locks gently, as though she understood his sentiments and forgave him.
"What's going on?" Conner interjected brusquely, stepping forward, eyes rapt on their youngest teammate. What was this tightening in his chest?
Dinah turned toward the clone but addressed the three teens collectively, "We can't discuss it here. I need you all to give us some space right now. I will disclose the details of Robin's condition when I deem him stable enough to leave alone."
Aqualad nodded curtly in understanding, turning around and placing a firm hand on Superboy's shoulder. "Let us leave for now," he intoned. "Robin is in good hands and our presence here does nothing to improve his state currently."
Conner looked as though he wanted to protest but a beseeching glance from M'gann and the tightening grip of their leader had him clench his jaw shut and consent. The three metas exited and Kaldur shut the door behind them quietly.
"…Wally…" Robin called out dimly after a minute, one hand splayed over his brow, partially concealing his grimace while the other reached out blindly.
The speedster immediately grasped the outstretched hand, assuring his teammate of his presence. "Yeah, Rob? I'm here, buddy."
"…Why…why can't I…?" he started, trying to piece together the fragments of information he'd collected in the short time he'd been awake. Clearly he was missing a large portion of memory if he couldn't remember Bruce going on such an important mission, much less the cause for his current state of body. Dragging his hand down his face, and accepting the pulsing migraine would remain for a while, he changed his course of questioning. "How much am I forgetting?"
Dinah gently placed a cold pack against the boy's head, Dick proffering a pained smile as thanks. Of course it wouldn't take long for Robin to ascertain his mental condition. He was more coherent now than he was earlier.
The speedster bit his lip, exchanging a look with Roy and Dinah. After a moment of silent communication, the younger red-head turned back to the Boy Wonder, remarking, "You've always been a smart cookie, Rob," Richard frowned at the reference and Wally grinned wide. "But don't you worry your pretty little head about deets like that while you're healing."
Robin flushed and jabbed Kid Flash in the kidney, earning a squeal of pain. Roy burst out laughing.
"I'm heading out to speak to the team…I'll have Red Tornado bring some food in. Considering you haven't eaten in a week, I'm certain you're hungry," Black Canary mentioned after a beat.
"PIZZA!" Wally cheered, pumping a fist into the air.
And, although perhaps not the most nutritious of meals for a convalescent boy, she acquiesced upon observing Robin's contented state alongside his non-biological brothers as they jested. Memory aside, she felt relieved he was conscious and recovering. He was not a stranger to fractures or bruising and the laceration on his skull was healing cleanly. Knowing Richard, he'd be up and moving despite the fractures in a few days; stubbornness was contagious in that family…
Sooooo~ I did this thing... Gotta be honest, I haven't been attending my fanfics in a while...I have no excuses other than school and work... Seriously when the heck will I be done with school?! Kit's Computer: Computer:
;D I UPDATED! How many years has it been? *shudders* I don't even want to know...
Me: I fucking hate chemistry. Idk what possessed me to think I was gonna be a pharmacist! That was traumatic...
Me: *gasps* I'm insulted! Everyone clearly knows that I'm apparently allergic to getting my crap together! That would make me a..."normal functioning adult"...! *gags* I can't...!
Computer: Idiot...
Me: Fuck you, you inanimate tech machine! I'm sleep deprived and I don't need any sass from you!
Computer: One day you may very well be institutionalized for your strangeness (crazy).
Me: ...They won't let me in. I don't shut up...
Computer: ...What?
...
Hope you all like it! Lemme know what you think with a review! Because we writers are suckers for reviews! xD
- Kit