HOMEMADE DYNAMITE !
❝ JUNIOR LEAGUE. ❞

ABIGAIL LANCE HAD TAKEN A BULLET BEFORE, in fact, she'd taken more than a few bullets before. It seemed to come hand in hand with parading around the streets at night in black leather — however, it didn't stop her shoulder from hurting like a bitch whenever she so much as moved; and it didn't stop the concern she was feeling about how much blood she was losing.

"It's Jason Todd, by the way," the boy in tricoloured armour finally announced to Abby, breaking the silence.

She barely spared him a glance, all but ignoring his arrogant tone as she pulled out the car keys from her pocket, watching more droplets of scarlet blood splatter on the floor.

"Shouldn't we stop and patch her up?"

The new Robin's voice reached her ears from behind her, where he and Dick were dragging Adamson's unconscious form across the rough concrete of the parking lot. Life still moved on outside, the streets of Chicago overflowing with people completely unaware of the assault that had just happened in the building they were passing.

"She can hear you," Abby snapped, looking over her shoulder, "Getting me patched up is gonna be the least of our worries if we're not out of the car park before the rest of those gunmen show up."

"Right, but you won't be much help if you've passed out from blood loss," Jason pointed out.

"I'd still be more help than you," Abby smiled sweetly.

They stopped by the car Abby and Dick arrived in, the former unlocking the trunk and opening it, only to let out a sharp hiss and begin cursing as she thoughtlessly used her wounded shoulder. Dick appeared at her side, lowering her arm and lifting the hatch of the trunk the rest of the way himself.

Jason stood behind, arms folded as he watched Abby frown in pain. "You sure about that one?"

The brunette turned to look at him with a bewildered glare. The boy did not know when to shut up.

"It's not you," Ava reassured Abby, her tone flat, "He's always this annoying."

"I've told you, it's part of my charm," he brushed her comment off.

Ava looked to him, eyebrow raised. "What charm?"

"Okay, kids," Abby interrupted, stepping between the two, "Time out. Help Bird Brain with the unconscious supervillain."

She caught sight of Dick, who was already struggling with moving Adamson, his face caked with dried blood — not just his own — and a grimace plastered across his lips. He looked like shit, and she knew she looked the same. Fantastic.

After a moment, she realised standing around doing nothing was near enough pointless, and made her way around the car. Pulling the door open, Abby dropped into the passenger seat with a huff, head leant back against the headrest. Dick entered the car the same way, a few moments later, letting out a long sigh. She rolled her head to the side to look at him.

"What the fuck just happened, Batboy?"

He met her gaze with a raised eyebrow at the nickname before his face relaxed. "I think we just met our replacements."

"Yeah let's not call them that," Abby groaned, sitting up, and grimacing again, "My pride has taken enough of a beating today."

He watched her quietly for a moment. "Abs. Let me look."

"It can wait," Abby reassured him, "Barely skin deep."

Dick scoffed, turning back to the wheel, "Sure it is. The trail of blood you left really supports that."

"It hardly even hurts," Abby protested stubbornly.

"Liar." Dick Grayson saw straight through her.

She scowled but soon became preoccupied with frowning as she noticed the lack of sidekicks in the car, and a pained glance over her shoulder showed they weren't still by the trunk either. She turned back to Dick.

"Where'd the half-pint and Katniss go?" Abby questioned, brows knitted together.

He looked up from his bruised knuckles gripping the steering wheel. "Went to get their civvies. Said they'd be back."

"And you just let them go?" Abby blinked, beginning to climb out the car. "Dick, there are armed killers on their w—."

Dick's hand landed on her undamaged arm, holding her back. He gave her a pointed look. "They were trained by Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen. They'll be fine, Abby."

She held his gaze for a moment before huffing and leaning back into the car. Her brows were tight with complexion. After a moment, her voice came out hesitantly.

"Do you think the Junior League back there is half as good as our team were?" Abby questioned, her brows quirked. "I know the League have been looking for new blood since the Team and then the Titans disbanded... but do we really need any more teenage boys dressed like colourful chickens running around?"

Dick turned to throw her an offended look. "You really think I look like a colourful chicken?"

Abby reached over to place a comforting hand on his arm, only for her voice to come out full of snark. "Yes."

"Very funny, Lance," Dick replied, shrugging off her hand.

She laughed to herself, the two falling into a comfortable silence before the teenagers reappeared at the backseat doors, grinning ear to ear. As they clambered in, the engine started up in the car and a few minutes later they were pulling out onto Chicago's streets, Dick wiping the dried blood from his nose with a tissue.

"Can't believe it," Jason finally blurted out, unable to stay quiet any longer, "Here we are together, in the same car." He glanced at Abby. "Don't get me wrong, Tremors, you're just as much of a legend — it's just... wow... Dick Grayson in the flesh. So cool."

Abby cast him a sharp look. "Don't call me Tremors, short stack."

"Hey, I'm not short," Jason rebuffed angrily.

"Whatever you say, half-pint."

Dick cleared his throat purposefully, looking to Jason, "So, uh, Jason. How long have you and Bruce been...?"

"Together?" Jason finished inquisitively.

"That sounds legal," Abby muttered under her breath.

Jason spoke over her comment, "Eh, almost a year."

Dick's eyebrows quirked and Abby let out a low whistle. He looked to the woman in the seat beside him, "Almost a year."

Jason nodded before continuing, "Yeah he caught me boosting cars. Guess I chose the wrong one..." his lips turned up mischievously, "or the right one."

Ava's head popped up. "Yeah, unlike every other living soul who literally hightails it at the sight of the Batsignal, Jason tried to steal the Batmobile's hubcaps."

Abby let out a choked laugh as Dick turned to Jason, glancing away from the road in surprise. "You tried to steal the Batmobile's hubcaps? And just like that, he took you in?"

"Guess he saw potential," Jason shrugged, voice losing it's arrogant edge.

Glancing over her shoulder, Abby's sarcastic comment died on her lips, her gaze softening as she saw the sincere expression on the boy's face.

She mustered up as much candour into her voice as she could, "Bruce is usually right about that kinda stuff. Besides," her voice took on a sly edge, "you can't turn out worse than Dick."

Dick let out an unsurprised scoff, muttering under his breath unimpressively, "Asshole."

Abby let out a laugh.

Jason smiled softly, before his attention reverted to Dick, "So, what do you think of the new suit? Upgrades are pretty sick, right? The new tunic is made with zylon fibres — six times stronger than kevlar."

"Wow," Abby drawled dryly, "Maybe you should've taken the bullet to the shoulder instead of me."

"Seriously, bro," Jason continued, sitting forwards, voice cocky, "You could hit me with a flame thrower from ten feet and I'd be like 'That all you got?'. I mean... no offence, bro, but you gotta admit the old suit was a little outdated."

Abby caught Dick's jaw tighten in the corner of her eye. "I don't know, half-pint, never been a fan of cheap knockoffs."

Dick's lips curled up into a faint smile and after a moment he glanced back at the duo with a frown, "How did you pair find us, anyway?"

"The tracker," Jason shrugged nonchalantly.

Abby and Dick exchanged a look. Dick's eyes hardened. "What tracker?"

Jason's brows knitted together. "In your arm?"

Dick's face fell slack, his voice emerging angry, "There's a fucking tracker in my arm?"

Abby's fingers stopped tracing lines on the scratched, grey plastic interior of the car door beside her. Her movements fell still. The look that now shadowed her bruised and bloody features made Ava shift further back into her seat.

"Well that's uncomfortable," Ava mumbled quietly.

Jason frowned in confusion, "Don't you remember him putting it in?"

Abby's eyes widened momentarily, surprise and worry melding together. He didn't even know? Her brow furrowed and her jaw hardened, muscles coiling. Her gaze dropped to her bloodied boots, brown irises dark and disapproval etched into her tight lips.

"No," Dick muttered, focusing all his attention on the road as a grimace set into his features.

After a moment, Ava piped up from the back, "Do we actually know where we're going?"

"We gotta find somewher to put that guy," Dick replied stoically, nodding his head back to Adamson in the trunk.

Jason's eyes lit up, the concern from Dick's memory lapse fading. "Can I suggest somewhere?"

"ACCORDING TO BRUCE, the design of this place is inspired by Frank Lloyd," Jason chatted as the quartet reached the penthouse of the large glass skyscraper — Bruce's hidden safe house.

Abby raised her eyebrow at Jason. "Do you even know who that is?"

"Do you?" Jason countered snappily.

"No," Abby replied flatly, "But I'm pretty sure his surname isn't Lloyd, kiddo."

"What?" Jason questioned with drawn brows.

"Wright," Dick offered tensely.

"Right? I mean back off, Tremors. I know the guy's really into lines and shit, that's enough isn't it?" Jason shrugged flippantly.

Tremors. Abby's face twisted into a scowl. Dick's hand brushed her elbow briefly in silent consolation.

Her mind wandered, just for a moment, at the nickname. Wandered back to a rooftop in Washington and the look on her friend's face as she was thrown from the highest storey. She remembered the fear in Hank's voice as he told her Dawn lay in a coma, of the pain in his eyes as he saw Abby herself hospitalised. Remembered losing Rachel and nearly losing Dick. Hank and Dawn were still out of the game — and Rachel was gone. Again. So was Jess and Gar and Kory. Nora had vanished as quickly as she came.

She sighed heavily, shoulders dropping. Not even the pain of the bullet could piece the numbness washing over her.

"Okay, Picasso, that's enough art history for today," Ava puffed patronisingly as she passed by with two silver cases.

Abby broke free from her thoughts. Ava's retreating form, her head of blonde hair and her black jacket, it held a ghost in it's shadow. Amy. The guilt in her chest threatened to crack her ribs and crush her heart at the memory.

A soft gaze caught hers. "Abs?"

Her brown eyes lifted, meeting Dick's. She smiled half-heartedly. "I'm fine. Tired, s'all."

"Just hold out a little longer. We're nearly there," his words were spoken with warmth, they were sincere, but she could tell he didn't believe her.

Dick and Jason followed Ava out of the corridor and into a small square room containing a lift and a glass wall that showcased two sleek, black sports cars behind it. It reminded her of Ollie, in a strange way. It was comforting. Abby lagged behind the trio, grimacing at the occasional droplets of blood hitting the floorboards.

Jason scoffed at Ava's comment. "Well, Bruce has a load of places like this. He calls them safe houses, but they're more like condos."

"It's a security thing," Abby stated, gaining the attention of the other three as she appeared in the room last, still clutching her shoulder. "Ollie has a few about. It's in case a teammate gets badly injured or is in need of a place to lie low, shit like that. You'll find a lot of League members use or have them."

"Anyway, I've never been to one before," Jason finished, glaring slightly at Abby.

Dick cast him a brief glance, and Abby didn't miss the faint smugness in his words. "You'll like it."

He stepped forwards, planting himself directly in front of the retinal scanner positioned to the right of the elevator, waiting patiently as the red hologram scanned his face. But surprise took over his stoic expression as Access Denied appeared on the screen, red rays flashing.

Turning around, he noticed the bemused expression on Abby's face and glowered warningly. "Don't say it, Lance."

She held up her spare hand in compliance with an innocent expression, though her lips curled up mischievously and he couldn't help rolling his eyes at her. It came almost naturally, like his body acted on instinct, like it was a reflex.

Jason stepped forwards, his voice mild, "I've got this."

After a moment, Dick stepped back. His expression was shadowy, eyebrows taunt and eyes jaded. It must've been hard, watching your role, your title, your place, be taken by someone you've never met. By a stranger. Abby pushed her own demons from her mind and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, squeezing softly.

Jason stepped up to the retinal scanner, the hologram tracing his features and eyes before turning a bright, emerald green. Access Granted appeared and the lift doors slid back, opening the lift to the safe house.

"Guess he changed the locks," Jason shrugged, glancing back at them.

Abby turned to Dick with wide eyes and a grin, all sympathy replaced with bemused annoyance, "That is honestly what I was gonna say when you were denied."

"Yeah, I know," Dick sighed patiently. 

Ava followed behind Jason, the two teens waiting patiently for Abby and Dick. The latter wore a frown, hands gripping his own case so hard his knuckles were white. The situation clearly wasn't sitting well with him.

"Y'know, Grayson," Abby smiled lazily as she walked past, "Maybe your fun-sized replacement isn't soley annoying after all."

Dick watched her go, a small smile worming onto his face again. Naturally. He caught himself, wiping the smile away. Now wasn't the time for old habits, or the time for dwelling on the past. He pressed his lips into a line, stepping into the elevator.

Now, the most important thing was rescuing their friends, wasn't it? But he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop the small seed of conflict in the back of his mind, the cold whisper in his ear that told him he was lying to himself.

That the truth was, the most important thing was protecting the person whose smile took him back to being fourteen years old. That, despite everything he'd been trying to convince himself of, the feeling in his chest when he saw her had no rival, no equal, nothing that could come close. Ever since she appeared in Hank and Dawn's apartment, he had been fighting a guilt that threatened to devour him. And maybe, just maybe, keeping her safe would make his skin feel like his own again.

She said it was a mistake, kissing him, and he didn't blame her for thinking so. Or, since he knew her better than that, saying so. The weight of the fear that he still didn't deserve her was crushing him. He was afraid letting her in would end in as much pain as it did the first time. There were too many demons in his shadows for someone who strived to stand in the light.

He owed her more than that.

NOTE!
yo,,,, the end of this chapter is a disgrace. i honest to god don't know what to think of it. i know it doesn't really seem to fit dick's characterisation but at the same time i feel like it really does and it's just confusing i don't know what i'm doing anymore ffs how do you english

ALSO — 5K VOTES & 110K+ READS??? HOLY SHIT KIDS THANK YOU SO MUCH 🥺 i'm grateful for each and every one of you. oh!! and GORGEOUS new cover courtesy of the fantastic and extremely talented kendi !!

now, lemme hear what you thought of this shit show of a chapter! i hope you guys liked it ❤️