Chapter Text
This is how it ended: they saved the world, the new year began, the Watchtower played a tinny version of Auld Lang Syne, and when Dick turned towards Wally, he was kissing someone else.
Okay, not just “someone else.” It’s Artemis, and Wally told her that he should’ve done it a long time ago. And then Zatanna grabbed Dick’s shoulder, and her lips were on his in a cold mockery of what Artemis had now. Of what Dick used to have.
After a quiet, forced smile at Zatanna, Dick looked back to Wally and Artemis. She was still in his arms, laughing at something he’d said, and when he put her down he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Dick turned away.
“I’ve got to go find Batman,” he said, brushing off the hand Kaldur tried to lay on his shoulder. “We need to talk.”
There were bigger issues than his stupid crush on Wally. His stupid...whatever he’d thought they’d been. And he was Robin, so it was his job to figure them out. He squared his shoulders and forced a confident smile as he walked away.
#####
41 minutes before the ending:
Dick’s breath caught in his throat as he got to the Watchtower. Wally was pressed against his side as they waited for the rest of the Team to arrive.
“Breathe, babe,” Wally whispered.
“I’m trying!” Dick said. His tone shifted, slower and sadder this time. “I’m trying.”
What’s our status? Kaldur thought at him as the last of the group assembled around Dick. Dick pulled up the status screen on his wrist computer.
RT did it. Wirelessly bypassed security for us as soon as he arrived. Savage shouldn’t know we’re here.
Move out, Aqulad thought.
Wally leaned his head towards Dick.
“We’ve got this,” he whispered. And quicker than Dick could think, Wally’s lips were pressed to his, warm and chapped and familiar, and Wally’s hand was cupping the side of his face. Dick leaned into the kiss, all too aware that this could be the last. That they could fail, and they probably wouldn’t even live long enough to see the consequences.
There were a million words Dick wanted to say, but they all stuck in his throat. He settled on “Be safe.”
“See you on the other side,” Wally said. He mock-saluted before he scooped up Artemis and ran away. Dick’s chest actually hurt as he watched him leave.
“Come back to me,” Dick said, so quietly he might as well have just been moving his lips.
Conner heard, though, and turned toward Dick and offered a reassuring smile. Dick didn’t realize he was smiling back until he’d done it. At least if this was how they went, they’d go down fighting. He trusted Artemis to have Wally’s back, and he trusted Conner to have his.
#####
3.3 hours after the ending:
Dick sat at the table in the Watchtower as Roy broke down. It wasn’t the first time he’d sat there; he’d been to meetings with Bruce before. Bruce claimed they were instructional, but Dick thought he might just want someone on his side. Whichever way, this wasn’t the way he’d wanted to earn a real seat at the table.
Roy stood up and left, choking back tears. Dinah reached for his hand, but Roy jerked it away. She and Ollie followed him, close on each side, and Dick’s chest hurt as he watched him walk away.
“Something else is wrong,” Kaldur said as soon as Roy left the room. Dick shoved his emotions aside.
“The entire League was under Savage’s spell for just over a day,” Dick said, pulling up files on his wrist computer. “We’ve accounted for most of that time, but these six went missing for a full sixteen hour we can’t account for.”
Bruce had been quiet ever since Dick found him. It was unlike him not to pick up on Dick’s emotions, even if only to tell him to put them aside until after a fight, or to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. Bruce was usually hyper-aware of everything around him, cataloguing every detail, but it was like he was tuning out the world, lost inside his head. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He’d followed Dick to the control room, let Dick do the speaking. Dick’s stomach dropped.
“Sixteen hours…” Bruce said. His Batman voice wasn’t as convincing as usual. The force behind his growl was gone, and Dick would bet that behind the mask he was pale and shaken. “What did we do?”
Everything went quiet. No one wanted to even try to answer that question.
“We’ll figure it out,” Dick said. He tried to keep his voice steady, but the words came out in a poor mimicry of the Batman voice. “Later. Let’s go home.”
He didn’t look for Wally as he left, just slipped his hand into Bruce’s as soon as they were alone in the corridor.
“We’re okay, Robin,” Bruce said. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself too.
“I know,” Dick said. He sounded about as convincing as Bruce.
#####
2 months, 2 days before the ending:
“Doesn’t it bother you when he kisses other people?” Artemis said, eyebrows raised as she looked at Wally. They’d all headed to the mountain that night to just be together, to try to put the Team back together as the effects of the training simulation lingered, and somehow Dick and Wally had managed to convince everyone that spin the bottle was a great team building activity.
M’gann’s spin had landed on Dick, and she’d looked down and laughed as Dick took the initiative, moving across the circle to her. She blushed and giggled, then leaned forward to peck Dick on the lips. Dick grinned at her, and they both broke out laughing.
Wally shrugged. “Naah. I know where I stand.” Dick returned to the spot next to him, leaning his head on Wally’s shoulder. Wally smiled and gestured towards Dick. “See? I’m his favorite.” Dick had lifted his head then, stuck out his tongue and said “Maybe not! Maybe I’m leaving you for Roy!”
“Betrayed by a fellow ginger!” Wally said, clutching his chest and gasping. Dick shoved him, and they dissolved into laughter as Artemis rolled her eyes.
#####
7.4 hours after the ending:
Dick lay in his bed wrapped in blankets, fighting the urge to climb into Bruce’s bed like he had as a kid with nightmares. But Bruce wouldn’t be in bed anyway. He’d be in the Cave, like he always was when he was upset. Dick clenched his fists in the covers. Alfred had told him to get some sleep (“At least one of you should.”), so he should probably at least pretend to.
The first hints of sunrise crept through the crack in the curtains. Cold, grey light, the particular kind of winter-in-Gotham light that made him wonder if he’d ever really see the sun again. He sighed, rolled over, and picked up his phone.
please be ok, he texted Roy.
And then he just laid there, waiting. After three minutes, he shuffled through his phone and put on Coldplay on shuffle. It was better than the silence. A song and a half in, Roy texted back.
I’m fine dickie. Go to sleep.
“Yeah right,” Dick muttered. i just want to… don’t shut me out, ok?
Ok.
Dick laughed bitterly at Roy’s reply. you’re gonna ditch this phone, aren’t you?, Dick said.
Stop acting like you won’t be able to find me
I don’t want to have to look. what happened to “i’m here for you dick”??
Roy Harper said that. I ain’t him.
so you don’t care anymore?
Never said that.
then talk to me! Dick wasn’t crying. He was Robin. And Robin didn’t cry.
See ya around, baby boy.
please. roy. please.
He waited for the message to say it had been delivered. It never did.
#####
1 day, 9 hours before the ending:
“My father is Sportsmaster,” Artemis said. “And he’s sending my sister, Cheshire, to fly me to Santa Prisca too.”
Wally’s eyes widened in realization. “That’s why…”
Artemis hung her head. “Yeah. I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out.” Dick was sure that if he were closer, he’d see tears glistening in her eyes.
“I knew,” he said, and Artemis started upright. She looked at Dick, panicked, trying desperately to hold herself together.
Dick smiled. “Hey, I’m a detective. But it never mattered. You aren’t your family. You’re one of us.” He watched as Artemis’s shoulders relaxed and she began to breathe again.
Artemis smiled. “Thanks, Boy Wonder.”
“Anytime,” Dick said. He reached for her hand. “We’re with you, all the way. I’m with you.”
Wally stepped forward, leaning an arm on her shoulder.
“We’re good, okay?” he said. “You’re not them. You’re you.”
Artemis elbowed him gently, smiling. “Thanks.”
She turned and smiled at Dick then, and the smile curled warm and golden through his chest.
#####
1 day, 12 hours after the ending:
“Dick, I’ve known you since you were nine. You might be able to lie to Batman, but you can’t lie to me.” Dinah leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees, fingers interlaced. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” Dick said. He pushed his sunglasses farther up his nose.
“You don’t have to shut me out, you know. You could take off those glasses and look me in the eyes, for starters.”
“I know, ” Dick said. He didn’t move.
Dinah sighed. “You’ve been through a lot in the past couple days. You had to take down your mentor. One of your friends betrayed you.”
“He didn’t betray me, okay?” Dick snapped. He glared at Dinah behind his sunglasses. “None of this is Roy’s fault.”
Dinah’s face crumpled for a moment, but then rearranged itself into her usual calm gaze. “I know that. It’s just that--”
“I’m fine.” Dick said. He stood up to leave.
“Okay,” Dinah said. “I’ll be here when you need me.”
Dick slammed the door as he left.