Work Text:
“Batman, zero-two.” The zeta tube said as Batman walked through and went right up to where Robin was standing, talking to the rest of the team.
“Robin.” He announced, placing a hand on his ward’s shoulder.
“Batman.” Robin said back, still just short enough to have to look up once he turned around to face the man. The team looked at each other, this was an unusual interaction between the two, it was not tense but it was not at ease.
“Change out of your costume and come with me, your wardship ends in two weeks, we have to get you American Citizenship.” Batman explained and the team could see Robin light up at the idea of officially being an American citizen, the kid (yes they still call him a kid, he’s the only one left out of the original six who is not legally an adult, Connor’s circumstance aside he is documented as twenty one now) ran off to change into his civilian clothing while Batman nodded to the group of young heroes and awkwardly stood there to wait for his ward to return.
Wally spoke up, “Why haven’t you adopted him yet? You’re running out of time.” His query earned an elbow in the side from Artemis.
“Hm? Why would I?” Batman asked back, as if Robin was not practically his kid.
“I agree with Wally, Robin has been at your side for a decade and I’m sure that he sees you as a father figure, do you not see him as your son?” Kaldur asked, he had grown comfortable speaking with Batman over the last five years, even if the man was still very intimidating.
“They would not let me adopt him when he was a kid, I fear that they would try to remove him from my custody if I try again now. I planned on trying to give him adoption documents for his eighteenth birthday, but I must remain aware of the possible consequences.” Batman explains, just in time for Robin to turn the corner and join back with the group in his civilian clothes and blacked out sunglasses, “Ready D’?”
The team looked at each other after the dynamic duo had left, “Did… Did Batman call Robin, ‘D’?” Wally asked, looking quickly between his teammates.
“He… did.” Connor confirmed, just as shook up as Wally.
“The Bat must be more trusting of us now if he let something like that slide.” M’gann pointed out, smiling a bit at the revelation.
“So Robin’s name starts with a D? Hm… I have a plan.” Artemis said, looking around at the little group.
–
“Hey Drake, can you hand me that file?” Wally asked, looking over at ‘D’, he did not get a response, “Derick?” He asked again, exaggerating the ‘kuh’ sound.
“Wally, who are you talking to?” Robin asked back, turning to face his friend.
“Oh no one.” Wally lied sheepishly, grabbing the file that he needed and speeding off.
“Hey Damian, how’s your day been?” M’gann asked as she entered the common space.
“Getting me confused for my little brother now are we?” Robin asked back, “He’s off with Batsy right now, but my day was fine.”
M’gann telepathically told the others of the new information she had learned, it was big, it could even narrow down the search for a name.
–
“So his name starts with D and he has a little brother named Damian? That’s not all that much to go on…” Kaldur said as he typed the information into the cave’s computer.
“Well, we also know that he’s about to turn eighteen, that he is a ward of someone, and that he’s a senior at Gotham Academy.” Wally says, leaning over Kaldur’s shoulder.
“Wait… Gotham Academy? I’ll be right back.” Artemis said as she ran off. She came back a few minutes later with a yearbook from her graduating year, “If he’s a senior now, he would have been either a junior when I graduated.”
The group crowded around the book and looked through the prior year’s junior class, writing down names that started with Ds, then they went back and crossed off everyone with a different hair color or skin tone than Robin.
“So we have Dan, Devin, Desmond, Diego, Daxton, Dustin, and Dillian.” Connor read, rewriting each name into a neater list.
“Back to plan A!” Wally shouted as he wrote down his own copy of the list and zoomed away.
–
“Alright Daxton, send me the coords and I’ll head that way.” Artemis said and she walked past Robin, placing a hand on his shoulder as she did.
“Daxton?” He asked, but was promptly ignored.
“Good morning Desmond.” Connor said as he walked into the kitchen one morning, greeting a confused and tired Robin.
“What is with the names?”
–
“Guys!” Wally said, running into the dining area where his teammates, minus Robin, were playing a board game, “Remember when we went to the circus undercover and Robin went by the code name Dan Danger? What if he just played us all and used his real name?”
“No way would he do that, it’s so… utterly stupid.” Artemis pointed out, and then she thought about it. The whole table thought about it.
“Oh my god his name is Dan.” They all said in unison and ran off to find him.
–
Wally stormed into the common area first, with the others following close behind, and grasped at the first curse word he could think of calling Dan , “Dick!”
“Yeah?” Robin replied very nonchalantly before his brain caught up with him, “Wait, how do you know my name?”
“Yeah we know- wait what?” Wally skidded to a halt, the others behind him following suit.
“You... You called me by my name?” Robin said back, looking just as confused as them, he surveyed his teammates, they surveyed him.
“Is your name… Dick?” Kaldur asked tentatively, worried about offending his long time friend.
“Yeah? Did… I’m confused.” Robin, Dick , responded. He searched Kaldur’s face for answers.
“Wally called you that as an insult, we thought your name was… Dan.” Connor explained, watching the realization cross Dick’s face.
“Don’t tell Batman?” Dick asked.
“Don’t tell Batman.”