Conversations Real and Imagined

[daringyoungman]

There are certain advantages to having Batman as your legal guardian. One of those is a particularly high tolerance for weirdness.

"Hey, Bruce?" Dick asks, without looking down from the top of the computer banks where he's playing Kingdom Hearts on his DS.

"Yes?" Bruce doesn't look up from the computer where he's uploading the mission logs from their latest take down of the Mad Hatter.

"You ever heard of Milliways?"

"Restaurant at the End of the Universe?"

"Oh, you have?"

"I've read Adams, Dick."

"No." Dick swings his legs around to face Bruce, but doesn't stop playing. "Not from a book. This is real. And a bar."

"Then no. Why?"

"Cause I've been there. I found a dimensional portal in Mount Justice. And now I find it whenever I'm looking."

"Interdimensional travel?" Now Bruce looks up at him. "What identity are you using?"

"Robin. Well, Robin in civvies, with the dark glasses like when I'm hanging with the Team. There are people there from hundreds of 'verses, probably more. Some people, but not all, have heard of Batman, so if they ask I figure it's safer to be Robin than Dick."

Bruce nods.

"Be careful, Dick. Interdimensional travel can be dangerous."

That's not a no, though. That's more or less approval to keep going. So Dick doesn't ask anything else.




Later, when Bruce is at a Justice League meeting, Dick stays home rather than heading straight to Mount Justice, sitting in front of the massive computer bank instead of on top of it.

He doesn't look away when Alfred arrives with a plate of cookies, but he does grab one. As good as anything in the bar, always.

"The Question," Alfred reads over his shoulder. "You know, that's the first time I've seen a search on this thing turn up blank."

"It means he's not active in our universe," Dick informs him. "Or isn't yet, anyway. Hey, Alfie?"

"Yes, Master Dick?"

He changes his mind. "Nothing."

It's not an Alfie conversation, really. If anything, it's a Bruce conversation.

It's not one he wants to have.

Hey, Bruce, guess what? I met a guy from an alternate universe, and he says that I'm going to die.

Did you betray your secret identity?

No, I didn't tell him who I was. He just wanted to talk about Robins.

How did he say you were going to die?

The Joker.

Dick's not exactly sure where he'd go from there, but he suspects that at some point Bruce would ask:

Are you scared?

Duh, Bruce. Everyone's scared of the Joker. Even you are, a little bit.

Will it compromise the mission?

And then, Dick doesn't know what to say, because that's what's worrying him.

Until he realizes:

No.
No, I've been scared before and it's never stopped me. I've made mistakes, but I can deal with my fear.
No, I'm not going to stop. I made a vow, with you, in this cave. I said I would join your fight to rid the city of criminals, and I will.
I will.

I'm not going to let my fear get in the way.

And after that, why bother having the actual conversation?

Dick creates an alert for any faceless vigilante or one calling themselves "The Question," and pulls his glasses on.

Time to join the rest of the Team.