Power verse

[loopylouise123]

Title:  A parent's love
Summary: Dick regrets his mistakes and Roy gets to see what he has missed.
Pairings, characters: Dick/Roy, Bruce, Alfred. Later: Bruce/Clark
Rating, this part : PG-13
Warnings: None
Words: 1,703
Part of the power verse. 
Notes: Used to be called 'Robin's beginning', but I changed it. 
Disclaimer: Don't own. Dammit. 

Those large expressive eyes looked up at his mother, taking in every detail he could see, soaking up information into his new brain and Mary hugged the baby closer to her chest, not removing her eyes from those true blue.

 

“Oh Jonathon.” She whispered as the baby gurgled and wiggled happily in her arms. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

 

Her husband stood next to her, one arm wrapped around her waist while the other rested on her shoulder. “He’s wonderful.” Pride filled his voice, even with the knowledge that this boy was not his biological son. “He will one day make a handsome young man.”

 

Mary sighed happily, watching with glee as her son mimicked her action. “My boy, my special little boy.”

 

The Mansion had never looked so menacing, not even when he had first laid his unsure blue eyes on the structure, not long after his parents had died. Back then he had looked up in awe, now, knowing the confrontation he was going to have with Bruce, it was with fear.

 

The night sky was awash with stars, they blinked innocently at him, almost taunting him with the knowledge of the future, written within they’re sparkling faces. It was a beautiful sight to most people, and Dick noticed Roy looking up at them with a soft smile on his face, but they seemed too mocking to be admired by his own beautiful blue orbs.

 

Their bags weighed heavy in his hands, pairing up with the lead weight on his shoulders as he started to walk towards his home; Roy following a few steps behind him, unsure, nervous.

 

Two soldiers going over the top. Away from the trenches and into enemy fire.

 

The heavy door swung inwards, and for a breath of a second he imagined a black cape swooping upwards, but it was Alfred who ushered them inside with a pleasant smile on his face.

 

 “Master Dick, welcome back.” The butler then greeted Roy without any surprise grating his features. “Master Harper, Leslie has informed me of your arrival.”

 

Dick noticed Roy’s distasteful expression at being called ‘Master Harper’. “Just call me Roy.”

 

“Of course Master Roy.”

 

Dick couldn’t contain his snort of laughter and made a mental note to tell Roy that it was useless to try and get Alfred to drop the title of ‘Master’. He had been trying and failing for years.

 

“Master Dick, Leslie has also told me of your problems you’ve been keeping hidden.” Alfred sent a disapproving gaze Dick’s way and the young man had the decency to look sheepish.

 

“Sorry Alfred, I didn’t really know what’s been going on myself and I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

 

It wasn’t Alfred’s reaction he had been worried about, and that knowledge hung in the air between them.

 

The butler eventually nodded in sad understanding. “You know you can come to me whenever you feel the need my boy.” He then took a couple of the boy’s bags and left the rest by the door. “I shall leave these in your separate rooms.” Both boys winced at the obvious warning, but Alfred was smiling when he said it. “Master Bruce is in his study.”

 

Dick nodded, wondering why he ever tried to hide something from the butler and took Roy’s hand in his, leading him away from the main hall and down a smaller one that led to Bruce’s main study, while he fought to tame the frantic butterflies in his stomach.

 

“Your butler is freaky.” Roy whispered, as if he was afraid that Alfred could somehow hear them. “How come he knew we were together when I’ve only been here once before?”

 

Dick smiled and dropped Roy’s hand, confident that he no longer needed to coax Roy to follow him. “That’s all he needed.”

 

The archer stayed silent but Dick knew that the red head was still puzzled, but he was more concerned at their approaching fate than his amusement at his boyfriend.   

 

He clutched the papers in his hand; the one’s Leslie had given him. She had said that Bruce would know what the results meant even if he didn’t. Also he knew that Bruce would deal better with cold hard evidence instead of word from mouth, or a demonstration that Dick didn’t really want to perform. Since using his ‘heat ray’ vision was dangerous and Roy said he looked constipated when he used his x-ray vision.

 

The door that looked as menacing as the Mansion loomed before them and Dick stopped nervously before it, feeling Roy’s own apprehension simmer in the air behind him. The acrobat took a deep breath and steeled his nerves, knowing that showing weakness against Bruce would only tell his guardian that something was wrong, and he didn’t want to give the Dark Knight any more ammunition than what was necessary. Though it didn’t really matter, Bruce could scare them shitless with just a toothbrush anyway.  

 

Dick knocked on the door twice, two short sharp raps telling Bruce that it was him, not Alfred that was entering. He pushed the door open; holding it ajar for Roy as the archer awkwardly stepped in, his green eyes already focused at the man on the desk.

 

Bruce was looking up at them, his eyes shifting between his ward and Roy in small confusion before his expression became blank, and Dick knew that he had read both their body languages quicker than either of them could hide their nervousness. Dammit. 

 

The man stood in greeting. “Dick, Roy.” He began shuffling the scattered papers he had been reading and putting them on a small, separate pile on one of the shelves. “Will Roy be staying the night?” His tone was indifferent, not angry or accusing as Bruce looked at the clock.

 

Dick bit his lip. “Yeah… and hopefully for a lot longer than that.”

 

His request didn’t go unnoticed and Bruce nodded once as he turned to face Roy. “You may stay as long as you want until the summer is over.”

 

He didn’t say, ‘until Ollie wants you back’, and both boys were grateful for that. “Thank you sir.” Roy said, not looking into Bruce’s eyes, as he was afraid of what he might see there, or what he himself might give away.

 

There was silence for a few moments more and it took Bruce to raise an eyebrow before Dick grabbed a hold of himself and remembered that he had lived with this man for eight years. He held out his hand that gripped the papers. “I think you need to see these.” A new confidence was found in his voice and he let Bruce take the papers out of his strong grip.

 

Roy moved closer to his acrobat and Dick soaked up the comfort in his presence, but his eyes never left Bruce’s face as he tried to search for some type of reaction, some sort of emotion that wouldn’t suggest what he feared Bruce might feel.

 

The reaction was instant. As soon as the world’s greatest detective sussed out what those results were telling him his whole face hardened, his eyes turning stone cold and he read through the two pages at a quicker pace, his lips thinning and his face knitting into a frown.

 

It was an eternity before his guardian levelled his gaze with his own and stared hard at his ward. “These figures suggest that these powers of yours have been manifesting for some time.” Dick really tried not to flinch. “Why didn’t you inform me earlier?”

 

If there was one thing he had learnt while he had lived with Bruce it was to always be honest with him. Lying never worked and it only made everything ten times worse than it already was.

 

 “Because I was afraid.”

 

“Afraid of what?”

 

Dick could no longer look into his guardian’s eyes. “Afraid…”

 

“Afraid that I would condemn you.”

 

Dick bit his lip but didn’t correct him, feeling shame run through him as he heard the hurt in his guardian’s words, even if Roy couldn’t.

 

“I would never.” The conviction and promise was enough for Dick, and Bruce was rewarded with the teenager’s gaze returning his.

 

Roy watched their interaction with unwanted jealously; he saw what they had and knew that Bruce cared deeply for Dick. Even if he couldn’t tell if it was love and even if Dick always said that Bruce didn’t care that much about him, Roy knew better. Living with Ollie had taught him what a relationship shouldn’t be like, and even if Bruce Wayne was the most emotionally detached person on the planet, the man couldn’t deny that he cared for his ward; and Roy desperately wished Dick could see that, see it the way Roy saw it.

 

“I’m sorry.” Dick’s apology snapped Roy back into reality and the teenagers both watched Bruce nod, satisfied and then look back through the papers.

 

“This also says that your powers are far from finished developing. I suggest you tell me what you have gained already so maybe I can guess what you will receive next.”

 

It sounded reasonable. “X-ray vision and heat vision.”

 

 Bruce made a small sound at the back of his throat. “Do you have control over them?”

 

“Yes, Roy helped me.”

 

The man glanced at the red head, a satisfied look on his face and Roy felt himself flush. “Perhaps then he can hep you with the rest.” Bruce then walked over to the phone. “I’m going to call Leslie, it says here she wants your results to be looked over by Star Labs, but I want a full analyse myself before anyone else has.” He then looked at them and Dick knew they were dismissed. “I’m going to take a blood sample tomorrow.”

 

Dick nodded and hoped that everything he needed to say was said through the return gaze he gave his guardian. “Thank you.”

 

Bruce smiled briefly and dialled Leslie’s number, not looking up as the teenagers left the room and closed the door behind them with a soft click.

 

They stood outside for a few moments, both silent as they tried to recover.

 

“That went better than expected.”

 

Dick looked up at Roy. “We haven’t told him we’re together yet.”