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He could admit, sometimes, that he had a bit of an ego. Bruce has been getting on him about it recently. "There's confidence and there's overconfidence, Dick," He'd say, "You need to take this seriously." Which he didn't think was fair. He could go a bit overboard, sure. He had a flair for the dramatic, sue him. That didn't mean he wasn't taking their work seriously. Robin was blasé, joyous, and loud. Robin was everything that Batman wasn't, but Robin was still everything to Dick. Robin was his name, his way to carry on his parents' legacy and make sure that what happened to him doesn't happen to anyone else. He took Robin very seriously. Sometimes he just forgot, dancing around with Amazons and Aliens, that he wasn't invincible. Working with Superman made it really hard to remember he couldn't fly too.
"Robin," Superman's voice hums to life in his ear. Metropolis looks so different compared to Gotham and the night is no different. Even under the cover of shadow Metropolis still shimmers and glistens like a gem in direct contrast to the murky fog of Gotham just across the river. He's perched on another skyscraper just down the block from Lexcorp, using his set of enhanced binoculars to scope out Luthor's office.
"No sign of Lex on my end," Robin reports. They've been staking out the building for nearly a week now, both Bruce and Clark were certain that Lex was up to something, but they haven't been able to catch a whiff of suspicious behavior. When it came to Luthor, though, that was about as suspicious as it got.
Superman's sigh sounds painfully frustrated and Robin can relate. Usually, Luthor was practically drowning in half-baked alibis and not-quite-illegal activity, narrowly avoiding incrimination while still not exactly hiding his immoral pastimes. Somehow, there was nothing. It was like the slate was wiped clean and Luthor was leaving his sueprvillainy behind him. It made the hair on his arms stand up. "Keep looking," Batman orders gruffly as if Robin had planned to stop.
Robin hopes his sigh doesn't sound as tired as he thinks it does, "On it." He doesn't think Luthor is even anywhere near his office right now. It doesn't fill him with the boredom he wishes it would, instead apprehension stirs in his stomach. He had a bad feeling about this. Something is going to happen tonight and his body is itching to move. Sitting here and waiting like this, it made him feel like a target. He's been perched here perfectly still for hours, cape gently stirring in the cool breeze, but now he can't help but fidget. "B," he tries.
"No." Batman immediately shuts him down. Robin huffs but he knows he has nothing to go on. A gut feeling only means so much and Batman will just think he's bored. He's not nine anymore, he can handle the boredom. This is different.
"What's up, Robin?" Superman cuts in, sounding amused, and Robin can picture the fond smile on his face as he tries to see whatever he can through Luthor's lead-enforced architecture. Rich bastard.
"I just," He hums, cuts himself off, and tries to put together something tangible in his mind. Batman could respect a hunch but with nothing to go off of he won't alter the mission because of it. "None of this adds up. Why isn't Lex here? Why hasn't he been here?"
"He doesn't spend every hour in his office," Superman assures.
Robin groans, "I know that. But it's been almost a week and we haven't seen the CEO in his office once? Not even to step in to grab something from his desk? Why would he be avoiding his own building?" He pushes, trying to get them to understand that there had to be something more going on here than they thought. A realization dawns on him, a pit opening in his stomach, "Unless he knew someone was watching." He murmurs.
Batman curses over the comms. and Robin can hear the flutter of his cape over the line. "Robin, stay there." Batman leaves no room for argument but the idea of sitting here made him want to scream. "Superman, report." Only silence. Had Luthor hacked into their communications? Had he known Robin had figured him out? "Superman," Batman growls.
Robin can't do it, his stomach churns. He stands and leaps from the ledge, shooting out a line and swinging across the street towards Superman's last known location. "I'm on my way," Robin informs his mentor, knowing he's sure to get an earful later. For now, Batman just grunts. They reach the rooftop at the same time. Batman looks pissed but he doesn't so much as open his mouth to scold Robin for it so he counts it as a win. Superman, however, is no where to be seen. Batman is already scanning the area to deduce where exactly their alien teammate had gone and Robin rushes to keep up. It takes a few moments to spot in the low light but Robin still catches the dusting of green across the asphalt swiftly. "Kryptonite." He reports just as quick, crouching beside the shimmering crystal particles. "Looks like it was powdered, effective but not dangerous." The relief that washes over him is enough for him to physically sag forward. Clark's had a lot of very close calls over the years but Robin is always painfully aware that even the smallest shard of Kryptonite could end his friend's life. Batman hums, still scouring the rest of the roof for a clue as to where their partner may have been taken. Robin can see the tension bleed from his shoulders all the same, the very same relief that nearly sent Robin reeling just as present in the Batman's rigid posture.
That still begs the question: what happened? Robin still has a bad feeling about this and it's only gotten worse since Superman went offline. His stomach is churning, anxiety thrumming through his veins, "Bats," he says lowly, uncertain.
Batman doesn't respond. While it's not unusual it still sends another spark of doubt through him. Shit, he thinks. A soft whistle breaks the silence and Batman jerks, pulling his cape up to cover the exposed part of his face as a smoke grenade of some kind comes flying up over the edge of the roof. Robin moves too slow, caught in his thoughts, inhaling the gas before he has a chance to follow his mentor's lead. "Robin!" Batman calls just as the world tilts and goes black.
He's used to waking up tied to chairs. Not exactly something he imagined would ever be a familiar feeling but, alas, here he is. His vision is a little blurry but all the same he can immediately recognize the interior of the penthouse office they'd been staking out the past week, the wall of windows to his back providing the only light. Not a great sign.
"Ah, the big Bat's little bird," Lex Luthor's voice is painfully recognizable. A result of being one of the most well-known men on the planet, he supposes. All niceties have clearly been dropped in the privacy of his own company, his tone dripping with condescension and malice. Oh, what Robin wouldn't do to drive a fist right into that smug face. "I expected you to be out a bit longer. Resilient, are we?"
"That, sure," Robin nods agreeably, trying to shake the fog from his mind. "Or, maybe you just aren't as smart as you think you are." He smirks, lazily dragging his gaze to where Lex is loitering around his desk. He can practically hear the man grinding his teeth together.
Lex takes a deep breath and visibly composes himself, tucking something Robin can't quite get his eyes to focus on into his pocket before sauntering around his desk and making his way towards him. "I supposed that could be it," Lex hums. However, those words coming out of Luthor's mouth send unease shooting through him. Lex was not the kind of man to make fun of himself in any capacity, let alone when he has the upper hand. Lex is a narcissistic man and will take any opportunity to gloat and build himself up. Lex places a large hand on Robin's shoulder, circling around to stand at his back and face his empty office. It takes everything Robin has not to squirm uncomfortably. "Somehow, I don't think that's the case, though, Richard."
Robin's blood turns to ice, breath hitching in his throat. Shit. "You can come out now, Bruce. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your dear ward now, would you?" Lex teases, grip tightening almost imperceptibly. If Robin were in any other position he'd have to admit to himself that this was quite a good play. Currently, though, all he can feel is a building dread that has been haunting him since they left the Batcave earlier tonight.
Batman materializes from the shadows, dropping from a dark corner in Lex's office Robin couldn't hope to see into with how fuzzy his sight still is. Lex practically preens behind him, straightening up and grinning like the cat that caught the canary. God, what Robin wouldn't give to have Black Canary here right now. Dinah would be more than happy to scream Lex right out the window for him.
"Good, now the family's all here," Lex is gunning up for that gloating now, Robin is sure of it.
"Where's Superman," Robin cuts in before the monologue can start. If he's lucky he can get a straight answer now before Lex decides to ramble for the next thirty minutes.
Lex scoffs. Good, he hopes he's ruining all of Lex's evil schemes and master plans. "He's not dead, if that's what you're after. I have far bigger plans than that. Simply killing the bastard won't show the world who he really is and I won't let that alien die a hero." Ah, of course, Robin thinks bitterly, God forbid an alien defend the planet he literally grew up on. "It would do you some good to teach your friend manners, Bruce. Your little bird isn't quite up to the standards of high society, a skid mark on your family's shiny reputation."
Lex is trying to get to Bruce. That much is obvious. He's not shy about throwing their names around now, that had obviously been his major playing card, but he's testing the waters now. Poking and prodding at their relationship and trying to find a soft spot to exploit, likely with the hopes of throwing Bruce off his game. The thing Lex didn't really think about was that the angrier the Batman gets the harder he hits. Bruce holds himself back but when something genuinely important to him is on the line he becomes a deadly force.
Batman doesn't flinch. Just a looming shadow watching silently. Robin watches his eyes narrow and his jaw clench. "Come to think of it," Lex whips out whatever it was he had in his pocket and aims it at Batman with one swift motion. Batman doesn't move, though his reflexes were plenty fast enough. Batman doesn't move because if he does whatever Lex is holding will be directed at Robin and since Luthor is holding an unknown Bruce would never let that happen. Lex fires his weapon and Robin hears more than sees the thrum of electricity. Whatever the voltage, it's high enough to get through the suit. Batman falls to one knee with a grunt, visibly shaking but refusing to fall, and Robin instinctively jerks against his restraints. "I do think I'd be doing you a favor. Getting rid of him."
Now, Batman reacts. The lenses on the cowl widen before falling into a fierce glare, "Luthor," Batman growls, lips pulling back into a snarl, and Robin knows without a doubt that the Batman is scared. There's a gentle swish behind him and suddenly Robin can feel that gentle Metropolis breeze. Batman is trying to pry himself off the floor but his body doesn't seem to be cooperating. "Don't." Batman demands but Luthor pays him no mind.
Luthor's hand moves from Robin's shoulder to the back of the chair he's strapped to and with minimal effort he drags the chair back towards the windows. Robin pulls at his bindings, trying to get some wiggle room, even just one hand would be a help, but Luthor isn't stupid enough to give him leeway. "I can't imagine what would have prompted you to take in a circus brat," Luthor tuts, placing Robin's chair at the very edge of his now very open floor-to-ceiling window. Robin is positive they aren't legally allowed to do that. Batman is still struggling through the aftershocks, willing his disobedient limbs to just listen. "You see, Richard,"
"It's Dick, actually," Robin cuts in, voice shaking just slightly.
Lex doesn't seem impressed, "You aren't fit for Bruce's world. That Manor is no place for a gypsy like you," Robin sneers instinctively and Batman audibly growls a few feet away. "The Wayne legacy shouldn't be tainted by filth like you." Luther grabs Robin's shoulder again and tips him back, back, back until he's teetering over the edge. Metropolis is shining, soft, and warm. It's alive and bustling even this late. Robin doesn't fear the height, no never, but he's tied down and helpless and the idea of tipping back and tumbling over, splattering across the pavement, strips him of all his bravado.
All he can see is the dizzying height over his shoulder and city lights blurred by the drug in his system and the sudden stinging in his eyes. "Wait," Robin gasps, tugging to try and get free as violently as he dared in his precarious position.
"Luthor!" Bruce yells, just as much a plea as it is a threat.
"Say goodbye, Batman," Luthor mocks with his accomplished grin locked in place.
"Bruce!" Robin calls, desperate, as Luthor sends him over the edge and gravity drags him down. The wind whips through his hair and leaves his cape flying all around him in a frenzy. His heart is hammering beneath his ribs as he thrashes and struggles, panic making his chest impossibly tight. Even after becoming Robin he never thought, not even for a second, that this was how he would go.
Once a Flying Grayson, always a Flying Grayson, he supposes. Maybe this was just how his family was destined to go out; plummeting through the air in some sick sense of irony. He can feel the fabric of his mask soaking up his tears and he's stupidly grateful it won't be obvious he was crying before he died. A naive, hopeful part of him is waiting for Batman to dive out the window in a desperate, last ditch attempt to catch him but another part, a part of him mature far beyond his years, is pleading that Bruce doesn't have to watch.
He's not sure if he believes in an afterlife. He's seen a lot of things both as a carnie and as a hero. He's seen confirmation that Gods exist, that the God exists, that ghosts are real. He doesn't know what dictates who goes where, he doesn't know the deciding factor in whether you get to move on or to which Heaven or Hell you go to. He doesn't know if everyone gets to go somewhere after death. He hopes that when he goes he'll get to be reunited with his family. That he'll see Bruce there too, one day.
He doesn't want to die but he's a realist. He doesn't want to die begging to live.
His fall comes to an abrupt stop and he swears he feels something in his calf snap against the leg of the chair. For a second he thinks that maybe this is what death felt like. He wonders if his parents' deaths had been as painless as this. He hopes so. But then he's going up. The wind is a gentle caress and when he finally blinks away the tears in his eyes he glances up to see the family symbol of the house of El and golden hair. "Kara?" He mumbles, she looks down at him and frowns gently.
"You're alright, wonder boy." She assures as if that's what he was asking.
"Clark?" He asks instead.
"I don't know, I just heard.." She trails off, pursing her lips as something dark shadows her face.
He nods. Supergirl will find her cousin, he has no doubt. Batman and Robin could handle Luthor. But, when Supergirl lifts him back into Lex's office, Lex is already a bloody pulp on the floor and Batman is standing, chest heaving, a few feet away. "Bats," Supergirl calls out gently and Batman whips around and freezes. Oh. Yeah. Batman wouldn't have known. Bruce wouldn't know his ward didn't go splat.
"Hey," Robin rasps as Supergirl tears his restraints away with ease, excusing herself to go find Superman. Like they didn't know she was trying to give them privacy. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. Batman doesn't hesitate to surge forward, dropping to his knees in front of Robin and reaching out to cradle his partner's face in his hands. "I'm okay." He promises. He thinks he means it. Batman pulls him forward, crushing Robin into his chest and wrapping his cape securely around the both of them. Dick wasn't ready to die, not yet, and he hopes his parents would be okay waiting just a while longer.