Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mount Justice
4:01 A.M.
Monday, September 3

“Dick! My pal! My amigo! My bestest friend! What is up?” Wally West, a red-haired, green-eyed, scrawny looking blur of a man, shouted with excitement. If you ask me, way too much excitement for 4 in the morning. But that’s the thing about Wally. No matter how tired you are or how much you don’t feel like yourself, he always had a way to make you smile and laugh, although it was usually by accident, considering after his chipper greetings, he didn’t pick his left foot up far enough on the stairs and tripped in a way that make me imagine all the pain that Wile E. Coyote would experience if he gain Roadrunner’s amazing speed.

So in other words, extremely fast, and excruciatingly painful. But that was all just a part of Wallace Rudolph West, son of Rudy and Mary West, nephew to Barry and Iris West-Allen, boyfriend of Artemis Crock, and the protector of Earth who goes by the code name: Kid Flash. His brain was always going fast, but sometimes his body would go twice as fast, making it impossible to keep still or in this case, not tripping.

I didn’t have the energy to respond yet, so I just nodded and headed straight for the kitchen in hopes that Zatanna was awake enough that she made her magical coffee, one that tasted like heaven in your mouth. And the gods must have been in a giving mood, because the sight of the full coffee pot, looked like it should have a halo around it.

While he was grabbing a simple black coffee cup from the cupboard, he heard Zatanna giggle, “If you’re HIS best friend, shouldn’t you know that he doesn’t function after pulling two all nighters in a row without a pot or two of coffee?”

I savored the warmth that engulfed my hands holding onto the mug, and breathed in the smell of the strongly brewed angel in a cup. After I finished the cup, my brain began to work again, allowing me to string together sentences, “How can you be this upbeat and cheery, Wally? It’s not normal.”

Wally just laughed, “Haven’t you figured out by now that I am not exactly normal. None of us are. And to answer your question as to why I am so upbeat so early in the morning, well the reason just walked in,” he finished and walked towards the figure appearing in the Zeta beam.

“Recognized: Artemis; B-07”

“Hey Baywatch, miss me?” Artemis Crock, blonde-haired, gray-eyed, muscle of a girl, teased as Wally picked her up and spun her around in the air using his speed. She just laughed and as he sat her back down on the floor, her arms wrapped around Wally’s neck as she leaned forward to kiss him, all the while, Dick and Zatanna looked away in fake disgust. The two were so happy that the blonde and the redhead were back together again and happy. If anyone truly deserved happiness it was Artemis, growing up with Sportmaster as a father.

“I always miss you, Babe,” Wally responded after the two of them decided to finally go up for air.

“Ugh, get a room you two. No one wants to see that this early in the morning,” Conner Kent groaned. Although Conner could pass as Clark Kent/Superman’s younger brother, their personalities were so different.

“You just wish that you could have what I have, man,” Wally retorted. “Also I wanted to be the first to tell you all the exciting news that also has me excited.” Wally waited for someone to ask what it was, but we all knew that if we didn’t say anything, he would tell us anyway, so I went to go and grab another cup of coffee.

“You know, you guys are no fun. Not one bit. Fine I’ll tell you. We are getting a new student!!!

note: ok so I've changed some things obviously. Currently, some of the changes include:

•Aging Dick up so that he is the same age as everyone else. 

•Mount Justice is the secret location for the original YJL: Nightwing, formerly known as Robin; Artemis; Kid Flash; Tempest, formerly known as Aqualad; Miss Martian; Superboy; and Zatanna.

•M'Gann and Conner are not in a relationship. Sorry. 

•we might see other sidekicks but we'll see. 

•they all go to Gotham Academy.

•Wally is just as fast as Barry, if not faster. 

Chapter Text

Gotham Academy

Monday, September 3

Period 6: American History 

Dick

I leaned forward, "Looks like your prediction of getting a new student was off. It's sixth period already and you know how fast word gets around here. Hell, someone would poke their head in and tell us in the middle of class, and then run so they don't get a detention just so they can be the first ones to spread the news." And it's happened before, too. The last time was about how one of the cheerleaders got knocked up and how her father was a deacon at one of the churches. 

Wally just shook his head in front of me instead of turning around to avoid getting another detention for distracting the class. He moved his head slightly past his shoulders as if he was looking at the clock, and whispered, "How much you willing to bet on this?" He leaned back in his chair more to hear my answer.

"20?" I whispered without hesitation. I wasn't concerned. I had the upper hand. I knew that there was no new student coming. And as for how I knew this: Gotham Academy should really upgrade their security. But what Wally doesn't know won't hurt him. 

I got a quick nod in reply and I chuckled to myself. This was going to be so easy.

Halfway through class, a knock on the door, interrupted Mr. Hyland's infamous lecture about the British. Every head in the room stared intensely at the door in hopes of uncovering something scandalous or secretive. Ms. Reznecheck walked through the door, followed by a blonde-haired beauty. She looked different than Gotham Academy's usual rich girls. She had a sense of danger to her, a vibe that shouted that she was clearly from the wrong side of the tracks. Dark eyeliner highlighted her intense storm-like eyes, making it impossible to tell if they were blue or gray. She was wearing an electric blue, leather jacket whose sleeves only went to her elbows, ripped dark blue jeans, and a shirt with a black and white photo of a sign that said, arrived at: Hell. And to complete the look, she finished it with black combat boots. But the thing that set her apart the most were her hands. 

Or rather the gloves covering the hands. They were gray fingerless gloves, like the kind that you get with the 3-in-1 gloves. Almost like she was hiding something. Mr. Hyland motioned for her to take a seat. Only the only open seat was in the very back right next to me. As she walked towards her desk, everyone stared openly. The closer she got, the more it seemed that her face hardened. 

Mr. Hyland caught everyone's attention once again with the constantly used threat of detention that was also constantly being given out. Her bag hit the floor with a thump as she slumped down in her seat and crossed her arms and legs and looked towards the front with a look of boredom. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Wally was staring just like me. He held out his hand and made the pay up sign and I could barely hold back a groan as I dug in my pocket for a 20. His face gave me the impression that this day would go down in history as the day Wallace Rudolph West got something right, that Dick Grayson didn't.

I sneaked a peek at her one last time. Something about her just didn't seem to add up. Why wasn't her transcripts in GA's records? 

8th Period: Study Hall

Study hall. The American teen's favorite class period next to lunch. Well for most people. Not really me. 

It's mostly due to me never having homework. It also doesn't help that none of my friends are in it, either. Most of the people in here are GA's most elite. Or I guess the rich. There wasn't a single kid in here whose parents owned one house. No, in fact, the minimum number of houses these kids have is three. 

Until today. 

Until she came in.

And changed everything. For better or for worse, I have no idea. And on her first day here, the new girl got the most coveted seat in the room. The one next to me. Every girl in this school seemed to have a personal mission to discover every one of my secrets. Instantly, I could see every feminine eye in the room, went from normal to snake slits in a matter of seconds.

But she didn't care. Didn't even look phased. Who was this girl?

Deciding there was only one way to find out right now, I did the old-fashioned asking, "I'm Dick. Dick Grayson. And you are?"

She turned her head and for the first time, actually looked right at me. She clearly did not like what she was seeing. "Someone who doesn't care." and with that, she looked away.

I could feel my eyebrows furrow together. I don't think that this has ever happened to me. I wasn't even flirting with her, and already she shot me down. 

But if there is one thing I love more than anything else, it's a puzzle. A mystery. And this girl from the wrong sides of the track was the biggest of them all.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, September 5
Rogue’s Refuge
Gotham
4 PM

Carter

The sound of deep laughter catches my attention as I walk through the doors for my first shift at Rogue’s Refuge, a seedy diner/bar that thrived in the heart of Gotham’s underbelly. According to the rumors that circulated around the pub, the only reason it survived, no, thrived, was due only to the fact that it was under the protection of the Rogues, a group of humans and metas with a deadly reputation.

I could care less. The pay looked amazing, the hours were perfect, and the guy who interviewed me— Leonard Snart I think he said was his name— had given off a vibe of honor. That he wouldn’t try anything funny, or try to cheat me out of anything. I slid my leather jacket off as I continued walking, when I located the source of the deep laughter in a booth with several people filling its seats. Genuine smiles graced their faces, each one unique to their owner.

I instantly recognized Leonard with his closely shaven salt and peppered hair, intense blue eyes, and a draw in his voice that made it very distinct that he paired with a smirk, was sitting very close next to a beautiful blonde with his arm around her, as her face lit up in laughter at something he said. My eyes dialed in to her left hand and spotted a simple silver ring resting on her ring finger. Sitting directly across from the blonde, was another woman who looked a little like Leonard. With light brown hair, the woman and Leonard could just be close friends, but her eyes made me guess they were siblings or at least cousins, with the same intense blue eyes. Unlike her brother, she wasn’t sitting really close to the man next to her. They looked close but not in love like the two acrossed from them. The man gave off a criminal vibe, but didn’t feel like a threat, or at least not one that I couldn’t handle. He had an almost shaven head, with a couple scars that were barely visible, and I found myself noting that everyone at the booth had blue eyes. The four of them gave off a feeling of family, a bond that had been put through both good and bad, survived, and made the bond even stronger.

I took all of this in within the seconds that it took me to make my way over towards the booth to find out what Leonard wanted me to do. When he noticed me walking towards them, he slid out of the booth and gestured towards the others at the booth, “Everyone, this is Carter Warren, Rogue’s Refuge’s newest member. Carter, this is everyone.”

This got an eyeroll from the blonde, while the other two just laughed.

“Ignore him, Carter. He thinks he’s funny, but we all know the truth. I’m Sara, this idiot’s fiancée, and that’s his sister, Lisa, and his partner in crime, Mick,” the blonde, Sara, finished for Leonard. Lisa gave me a warm smile, while Mick just nodded his head with what sounded like a grunt, although I couldn’t be sure. I forced myself to keep my face from revealing any emotions, not allowing any weakness to break through, although I found it was a little harder to do than usual.

Leonard interrupted my train of thoughts, when he told me to follow him as he led me towards the bar table, and went past it and walked through the two way door, one that reminded me of a little of the one that led to the Forman’s kitchen in That 70’s Show, but matched the darker wood and theme of Rogue’s. I quickened my pace to try and keep up with him, lying my jacket on the closest bar stool and pushed the door open, to find the kitchen.

This wasn’t the first time I had worked in a kitchen, but this was definitely the nicest and cleanest one I’ve seen. The floor wasn’t stained different colors, the walls weren’t splattered with what was a 50/50 chance of being either food or mold. The pans were clean and hanging on a rack on the wall. Under the pans was a knife set that looked like they weren’t going to break, and a container of spoons that looked usable. The oven was up to date and the fridge wasn’t ancient. I could definitely work here without any complaints. A long strip of wall was missing from the wall connecting the bar to the kitchen as a way to communicate and allow fresh air in.

I turned to look at Leonard and finally voice my question, “So I’m working back here?”

Leonard smirked, “Yep. Sometimes you might be behind the bar, but that will rarely happen, since you’re not old enough to work the bar. Unless you have a problem with that.”

I shook my head and reached up to tie my hair with a hair tie that had been resting on my wrist. I tightened it quickly, and pulled my sleeves up my arms a little, not wanting to wreck my limited amount of shirts, and popped my knuckles, “Let’s do this.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, September 5
Rogue’s Refuge
Gotham
11:30 P.M.

Carter

“Congratulations, Danger, you survived your first shift,” Mick chuckled. “Most people never make it that long.” It was just Mick and I left at Rogue’s since closing at 11. Lisa was the first of the group to leave, claiming she had plans. At this, Leonard gave her a look and thus began the silent sibling conversation between the two of them. With the way Leonard huffed, Lisa must have been the victor, and she left with a smile on her face, as she hugged Sara and kissed both Mick and her brother on the cheek and then left.

Leonard and Sara weren’t far behind her, stating that it was movie night at home and Sara was finally getting Leonard to watch The Italian Job, stating that it should have been ingrained in his DNA to have seen every sort of heist movie ever made. I felt like there was an inside joke behind that, but I shoved it to the back of my mind, storing it for later use if I ever needed it.

A variety of people seemed to make Rogue’s their second home. From those who looked like enforcers for the mobs, to those who looked like they just needed to escape for a little while, all the way to students doing homework while having a nice meal. Maybe this place really was under the protection of a group of humans and metas, for no one was even a little concerned about eating and laughing and talking in the heart of Gotham’s underbelly.

Despite my best efforts, even after just one day at Rogue’s, this place and the people within it, all starting to grow on me. Only a little, but still a little too much. I forced myself to crush those thoughts to dust, as I turned to face Mick, reaching for my jacket in the process, “Danger? What’s that, some sort of pet name?” I tried to keep my voice dead and uncaring, but judging by the barely detectable smirk that’s ghosting across his face, I failed.

All I got was a slight nod. Mick, I slowly started realizing, was more of a man of actions, than he was of words.

My brain screamed at me to let it go, but curiosity always kills the cat, and mine apparently has a death sentence. “So, why’d you pick Danger? Why not Blondie or something?” I dripped with sarcasm.

Mick just shrugged though, “Well, for starters, Sara already holds the title for Blondie. Can’t have two of you running around. It’d be a nightmare...”

I waited a couple of seconds for him to go on, before I asked, “So why Danger?”

His smirk grew. “It just fits you,” was all he said before heading towards the door and gesturing towards the outside world. I rolled my eyes at his antics, before shrugging on my leather jacket and following him outside, just as he turned the light off and locked up. The two of us stood their for a minute in awkward silence before we both turned in opposite directions and began walking.

When Mick was out of view, I allowed myself to break character for a few moments, letting go of a giant sigh, and closed my eyes, wondering why the hell I came to Gotham. I felt a prickle of awareness engulf my senses, as I felt myself look up towards the tall buildings surrounding me. For a second, I could have sworn I saw a figure of a person up on one of the rooftops, but it was gone in a blink of an eye.

I wanted to tell myself that it was just my imagination at work, that nothing and no one was there. But past experiences taught me to trust my gut. And my gut was telling me that I wasn’t seeing things, that there really was a figure up on that rooftop. But something else inside of me was whispering not to be afraid. That I could trust in that figure. That it would keep me safe.

I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts, and began walking towards my crap apartment. But I also made sure to take a couple of detours just in case I was wrong.

Wednesday, September 23
Apartment complex’s rooftop
Gotham
11:45 P.M.

Dick

Everything felt like it was in slow motion. Like time willed itself to slow down just for this moment as her storm-like eyes landed on me. I knew that I had a split second to get out of sight, but a small part of me wanted to be seen. Wanted her to know that I was out there, watching over her in the heart of Gotham’s underbelly. But it was those thoughts that willed me to move out of her sight. It was crazy, but there was something special about her, about this girl and the unknown variable that she represented. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t have the upperhand. It bothered me.

The other reason, though, for why I forced myself to stay hidden from her sight, well it was just as mysterious as the girl itself. Every now and then, Bats and I checked up on Rogue’s Refuge, the only clean thriving business establishment in The Underbelly. Which is why we checked up on it from time to time, especially considering who owns Rogue’s.

The infamous, Captain Cold, otherwise known as Leonard Snart, leader of the Rogue’s and the of the most powerful and elusive humans, aside from the Joker, that Bats had ever seen. He ran the Rogue’s with a code of honor, something that made Barry Allen, AKA the Flash, believe that Leonard could be something more than a villain or even a criminal. He could be a hero. All of the Rogue’s could be one. At least according to Barry anyway.

Sharing the position of second in command were Lisa Snart, AKA the Golden Glider: Leonard’s younger and only sister; and Mick Rory, AKA Heatwave: Leonard’s longest and closest friend who had a love for flames.

But the newest member of the Rogue’s was a little bit of a surprise. Sara Lance AKA the White Canary: a woman long thought to be dead, until 5 years ago when she came back to life, only for her to have a falling out with her sister, Dinah AKA the Black Canary, and her father, Quentin Lance. As far as Bats knows, Dinah and Sara have yet to talk since the falling out. So imagine Dinah and Ollie’s surprise when they learn from Quentin, who has mended ties with his youngest daughter, that Sara was engaged to Leonard Snart, despite knowing his past.

And now, seeing her walking out of Rogue’s with Mick following behind her, only increase my curiosity ten-fold. The worst part is, that I can find nothing about her, not even her home address, anywhere. I must be losing my edge, considering that all I’ve found out about her is her name: Carter Warren. At least now I can add a scrap piece more to the file that I’ve started on her to include her unknown connection to the Rogue’s.

“Yo, Nightwing. You there?” Wally’s voice sounds through my earpiece, tearing me away from my thoughts about Carter. I pushed her to to the back of my mind as I forced myself to concentrate on Wally.

“Yeah, KF, I’m here. What’s up?”

I swear I can hear the smirk in his voice, as if he somehow knows what I was thinking about just moments ago, “We’ve got a B&E in progress. Thieves are in a getaway car, and are thinking that they are about to get away with it. They’re headed for the corner of Douglas and Grant. Beat you there.”

I smirked, “We’ll see about that.”