Sometimes things don't really work out or I lose interest in a particular story but then I feel bad because some of them are over a 1000 words long and as a uni student needing to get through 3000 word essays, I can't throw them away

I might continue some of these if people can give me some ideas on them or something.

So as a treat I'm going to lump them together and give you them before I go on my break. I'll be back in mid to late November, I'll still be somewhat active on here as a reader so I don't mind you sending requests. I plan to start the 12 days of Christmas in a new book to make sure they all stay together so look out for my announcements about that! I think I'll run it similar to last year where I just tell you guys to give me characters and I assign them prompts to keep it a fun lil surprise.

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I just think this would be nice and I'm kinda pulling the traditions out of my ass because I thought it would make this cuter 

"I am sure you are wondering why I brought you here," Starfire began. The team, minus Robin, had woken up to a note slid under their door to meet up in the living room right after their leader went out for his patrol. It also said not to mention anything about it to Robin either. Starfire thought she was rather clever for that adage. "I need to ask you a question."

"If you're just asking a question, you could've done it rather than gather us for a secret meeting," Cyborg commented.

"I would like your permission for me to date Robin," she answered, breezing past the comment. There was a beat of silence as they stared at her. It was no secret she and Robin had feelings for one another. If the bouts of jealousy when either of them was thought to be going on a date - or in one case meant to be engaged - to another person weren't enough to prove it then Starfire being the only one to make him a fumbling blushing mess and him making her hang on every word was. "On my planet, it's customary to ask the parents for permission to date but I'm unsure of how to contact Batman. You are all the closest he has to family that I can contact."

"That's both touching and horrifically depressing," Raven muttered.

"Of course, you have our blessing to date him," Cyborg assured her. "Honestly, it'd be more helpful if you two were dating. Neither of you is very subtle about ogling each other on and off missions." She blushed at the comment, laughing nervously that it had been that obvious they liked each other. 

"So how are you gonna ask him out?" Beast Boy asked.

"I was going to say, will you be my boyfriend and then we would be together," she answered simply. He would appreciate something simple being so straightforward himself. 

"That's a bit boring," the younger complained. "You should do something big! Like a real date."

"I would prefer to keep things between us rather," she pouted. "But maybe there is a compromise."

"Oh, we could help? We could set up the tower and make your food like a restaurant but yknow, with privacy." Starfire hummed in acknowledgement but she doubted that Robin would be very excited for her to ask in front of everyone. He was a private person even with the team. "It's a tradition here to go on at least one date before you ask someone out." 

"Well, if it is a tradition I suppose that's alright."

"Will you be my boyfriend?" Starfire asked. Robin felt his heart leap to his throat and the air was knocked out of him. He stared at her, dumbfounded and painfully aware of how the whole team was waiting for him to answer. He wanted to nod and say of course because he really did love her. He'd love for them to be together and finally have a label on what they were. Then came that logical training that had been drilled into him from Batman that told him not to make such close connections with teammates because if everything went wrong, it would ruin everything. He knew he wasn't the best at romantic and platonic relationships, so it wouldn't be too out there to suggest he'd eventually mess it all up and they'd part ways. What would that mean for the team? Would they part ways, and team up against him because of course it would be his fault or would he be demoted and kicked out? He liked this setup, he'd like even more for Starfire to be his and for him to be hers but it was a risk. If he declined this offer though, that could destroy the team also. There was no winning. It was all just diving off a building with barely enough time to get your grappling hook and he didn't know if he could grab it in time to catch himself or if he'd be a splattered mess on the pavement. He didn't know if he could take one more failure. If this family fell apart, he thought he would fall with it. Not only did he want this team to work out, he needed this team to work out. Maybe that was too much pressure to put on Starfire and their budding teenage romance. She didn't even know his real name. Oh fuck, none of them knew his real name.

The team exchanged looks with one another as one simple question had their leader staring wide-eyed and on the verge of hyperventilating. After how well the dinner had been going, they hadn't expected this to be the place where things came screeching to a halt. 

"Should we do something?" Cyborg muttered after a good minute had gone by without a word being uttered. Other than being awkward for everyone in the room, he was starting to feel sorry for Starfire. Putting on all this only to have the guy she was asking out power down right at the most important part. His teammates gave him a confused shrug.

"Rob? Are you okay?" Beast Boy asked, placing his hand on the older's shoulder. The action made him jump and whip around to face him. It was truly something to shock Robin so much that he lost his almost sixth sense-like ability to anticipate everyone's next move. Something was happening here but what that was exactly, none of them could put their finger on.

"What? Yes? Yeah no yeah I'm just- I need- yep." As he stumbled through his reply, he got out of his chair and eyed every exit there was. "Gotta- uhm- air so I'll just." He ran off down the hall and presumably continued until he was on the roof. They watched him leave and then turned to Starfire who was just as surprised as they were at what had transpired.

"Is this an Earth custom?" she asked unsurely.

"Not that we know of," Raven replied. "Maybe a Gotham thing?" The alien frowned and got up out of her chair, politely putting it under the table before following after her love interest. She wasn't content with leaving it there and she had a feeling that she was right about her original approach. She should've known that he wasn't going to like it.

"I shall return momentarily," she assured them. Her request for them not to follow was silent but they could pick up on the hint and quite frankly, they didn't want to get involved in that mess. They'd rather deal with putting away the plates and table over going through the minefield that was Robin's emotions. 

Determined to find her runaway date, Starfire flew down the hallway with her eyes trained on the view out of the window in case he somehow got out of the tower faster than it would take to get to the roof. It was implausible but not impossible. Not for Robin. She couldn't spot his brightly coloured suit on the beach so she continued her path to the roof, finding the door to it wide open and feeling the draft of cold air from the night wind. She flew up the stairs before slowly stepping out onto the roof since she didn't want to make him jump at her sudden appearance. He wasn't immediately visible as she stepped out into the night but she heard his deep breaths coming from the spot beside the door.

Robin sat on the floor with his chin resting on his knees, his eyes glazed over. She didn't say anything at first. Instead, she sat down beside him and waited. She'd seen him like this on a few occasions. He said it was like a reboot when he felt the big emotions that Batman had taught him. Whilst he knew how to do it whilst remaining responsive and attentive, he preferred to be quiet to reorganise his thoughts. 

"I really do like you," Robin croaked. 

"I really like you too," she responded, pleased with how quickly he'd noticed her. Sometimes it took a while and she felt a little awkward sitting in silence when she was so used to chatter. 

"I really want you to be my girlfriend," he added. Her cheeks flushed at the confirmation he truly did like her in the same way. It wasn't exactly well hidden but he was odd at the best of times and she could've mistaken signs. If he wanted to be with her, she couldn't see what caused him to run off as he did. "I'm concerned though."

"Concerned?"

"I'm used to calculating risk. It's part of my job as the leader to recognise them and do what's best. Say we got together and things don't work out, there's a high possibility of the team falling apart. They could take sides, we might not be able to work together and then we'd have to deal with threats without that trust we all have for one another which just leads to failure." Starfire went to break his train of thought but he rattled on. "That's not to mention how your planet would react to me. You're their princess and I'm a regular human from Earth. No, I'm lower than a regular human in terms of hierarchy. I was born in a circus, Star, which I'm proud of but you're a princess! You could be forced to revoke your position or forced to break up with me and I know you'd try to make it work but I can't be what divorces you from your planet and-"

"Robin," she interrupted, gently putting her hand on his shoulder. He opened his mouth to continue but smartly closed it before he could get much else out. "What does your heart want?"

"You," he said without hesitation.

"And I the same. If you are so busy thinking about the end of us then when will you enjoy the beginning of us?" He considered it for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought. His mind seemed to quieten enough to allow him to close the gap between them and press his lips against hers. It was quick, barely even a minute, but when he pulled away he felt significantly at ease. Like everything had slotted together. 

"I love you Starfire. I'm sorry I ran away. Kinda my thing."

"I apologize for putting you on the spot. Although, if it results in a kiss then I may have to do it again." 

"I think it's my turn to ask," he replied. "So, Starfire, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"More than anything."

----------------------------------------------------------------

Christmas. It was supposed to be the best time of the year. A time you spent with family and exchanging gifts but for Nightwing, this would be a time of working and visiting graves. You see, three months ago, his family died. Well, he didn't know if they had for sure died but they went missing and periodically he received pieces of them with notes that told him the graphic details of their death and proceeding dismemberment. The body parts were nothing too graphic like a head in the mail or a foot. Rather, it was locks of hair, pieces of skin, teeth and a small chunk of bone at one point that when tested were confirmed to be that of his hero family. So far he'd received everyone: Damian, Bruce, Steph, Duke, Cass, Tim, Jason, Kate, Harper and Barbara. He'd never forget having to tell Gordon that his daughter could be presumed dead. He promised the commissioner he'd do whatever he could to find her but that would never bring the man peace. Nothing ever could when someone experiences something as unnatural as a child dying before their parent. There was some guilt in the relief he felt from Alfred dying before they'd gone missing. The butler would've been distraught to receive the pieces they'd been mailed. It would've made lowering the empty caskets even harder, he thought. Dick didn't know who took his family but ever since they went missing, he spent his time working to find the criminals who took them away far too soon. It had taken a lot of work to get something as little as a location but it was worth it. Even if there was no family to save, he wouldn't let them die without vengeance. Heroes tried to slow him down and attempt to remind him that revenge wouldn't bring them back. No matter how much blood was spilt, it would do nothing to resurrect the dead but he didn't listen to them because they simply didn't understand that there was nothing left to lose. Today was no different.

Dick had been staying at one of the safe houses for the time being to avoid being taken as his family had. Part of him was self-aware enough to recognise he'd chosen one where he hadn't been with his family so he'd escaped the painful memories there. His apartment was all too painful to be in nowadays. Being there also meant he was quick to prepare for whatever met him at the location, having a whole weapons room at his disposal. Word must've gotten out that he'd gotten this information as Clark decided to let himself into the house uninvited. He'd gotten used to the drop-ins despite how annoying they were. It wasn't like they were going to listen to his threats to stay out of it. 

"I heard you got a location," Clark announced. He hummed in response and continued to get ready. He was already in his suit but he needed to stock up his belt and check his taser escrima sticks.

"I did," he answered plainly. His voice was croaky from disuse. Aside from yelling threats and investigating leads, he hadn't spoken much since it happened. He used to talk every day but he'd done his best to be silent. Talking didn't feel as comforting as it once had when his favourite people to talk to were gone. It's not like the people he was investigating were up for much conversation either.

"Are you going after them?" He nodded and put on his belt, hearing it click together at the buckle. In the belt was something new. A weapon he didn't use and had been taught to never use unless forced to. Arguably, the death of his family had forced him but he doubted that Bruce would've ever listened to that reasoning. Jason would be happy about it though since it had been one of his now resting on the acrobat's hip. "Why do you have a gun?" He didn't respond but his hand absentmindedly rested on the handle of it before he moved on to collect other pieces of equipment. "Richard, why do you have a gun?" the older pressed.

"It's none of your concern," he snapped.

"It is my concern when I think you're doing something you will regret," Clark said carefully. Always so careful talking to him as though he was a fragile glass sculpture that would topple over and smash with a slight breeze. He was in fact hardened by the experience, his once open heart now turned to stone and gatekept for his own protection. "I've known you for years, I was the one that told you about Nightwing in the first place, I care about you. All of that tells me this is not a good idea."

"You can't stop me," Dick said sternly. It was almost a request to try something just so he could prove it. He stared at the older with a steely glare to confirm that he would absolutely fight until he couldn't in order to get the people who took his family. Clark deflated upon seeing it and rubbed his lips as he thought about what to do next. As he did, Dick continued to get ready as though he wasn't even in the room. Nothing was going to get in the way of him now. He'd lost far too much to let people stop him now.

"You're right, I can't stop you but we've lost too many already," Clark concluded. He put his hand on Dick's shoulder and the acrobat paused his prep work. "You're the last of them, Dick. We can't lose the last piece of hope for Gotham."

"There will always be another hero," he replied slightly wistfully. None had come up so far but there would be eventually. Some other kid would lose something dear and decide they had to stop it from happening to everyone else. Little did they know that they would begin a cycle that took so much more from them.

"But they'll need you to guide them. We can't afford for an unhinged vigilante to take over." He sighed, knowing he was right. New heroes would always need that guidance to ensure they didn't become blind to the purpose they began with. "I won't stop you from going after these people. Losing everyone so suddenly hurt me too so it's not like I want the culprits to go free but I can't allow you to kill someone. The only way I can do that is if Diana and myself come with you."

"She's outside isn't she?"

"She is. She's worried about you. We all are." He sighed and let his shoulders relax.

"When can you be ready?"

"We already are. Just the three of us." Dick nodded and moved away from the hand that stilled him. He took a USB stick from the computer he'd been working on and handed it to the super.

"Directions to the location. It's in the Pennines."

"Thank you. We'll make them pay, I promise. Can I convince you to leave the gun?" Nightwing didn't verbally answer, just walked past him to collect more items. "I thought so but it was worth a shot."

Diana looked sad when she saw him and he could take a guess as to why. Many more scars now marred his skin since the last time they met and his mouth was set in a permanent frown. He knew he didn't look the same as he once had and he was well aware that was a bad thing but that's what grief did to people like him.

"Hey Dick," she greeted softly as though he were a timid child. He wished that was the case. He wished he was Robin again during the good years when everything still felt shiny and new but those days were gone. Now he was hardened and the name Nightwing now inspired fear rather than hope despite the good he'd done previously. Maybe he should get a new name. Maybe he shouldn't. He hadn't thought past revenge so far. "How've you been?"

"The usual," he responded dryly. Her eyes travelled to the gun on his waist before flicking up to Clark's eyes questioningly. The super just shook his head so she didn't ask about it. No doubt she was coming up with some plan to get the gun off of him. He wouldn't expect any different. "You got the location ready?"

"Locked and loaded," she commented, her eyes unintentionally drifting to the gun as she spoke. He hummed and chose a seat further to the back, close enough to jump in if needed but far enough to show he didn't want to chat. He wasn't in the mood for small talk. He wanted to think about what he'd do when he saw the man behind it all.

"Y-you're alive?" Superman said softly when he saw them all. They looked different, a mix of dyed hair and strategic scars for identification but he knew it was them. Seeing them made his stomach twist with concerned confusion. How could they be standing just mere feet from him working on computers as though it was nothing? Wonder Woman ran in shortly after and stopped at the doorway, frozen with shock.

"Of course we're alive," Damian stated as though it was common knowledge when it most certainly wasn't. "We've been undercover-"

"You made us think you were dead!" the super roared before he could explain any further.

"We had to "kill" ourselves to gain the trust of the gang," Bruce answered. He barrelled on through before he could be interrupted again in the same calm voice he always used. One that made him sound cold and emotionless at all the worst possible times. It seemed to be the thing to shake Wonder Woman out of her shock as she stormed up to the man and poked at his chest harshly.

"None of you told us anything. You didn't even tell Dick!" she shouted. The group looked confused at this and glanced at Bruce who shared their confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked gravely. She rolled her eyes, clearly thinking it was an act.

"You never told any of us you were going undercover," she repeated through gritted teeth. His eyebrows furrowed and his frown deepened as he shook his head.

"Dick should've been told. I told Tim to send a coded message," he replied. All eyes fell on Tim who narrowed his eyes at his mentor for throwing him under the bus.

"No, you didn't. You said Jason was going to handle it." The eyes fell on Jason.

"He told me you'd do it because I had to tie up a loose end." Attention returned to Bruce who was still staring at Tim, his face draining of colour by the minute.

"When I asked you if it was done, you said it was. What did you think I was talking about?"

"I thought you were talking about the samples we used to send out as our identifiers!" There was a heavy silence in the room as it dawned on them that no one had told Dick they were purposefully disappearing.

"No one told him we weren't really dead?" Barbara asked.

"This is what I mean about communication in this family," Kate chimed in.

"Oh he's gonna be deeply traumatised," Harper commented. "Like, unhinged traumatised."

"He's got a gun!"

"Called it."

"Why didn't you take him with you?" Wonder Woman asked. "You just upheaved his family and left!"

"After the Spyral situation, I assumed he'd never agree," Bruce explained. "Is he here?" The heroes looked at one another and then realised they'd left the person on a warpath to kill the man who took his family alone.

"Fuck!" they exclaimed before running out of the room.

"So undercover work over?" Harper asked. Her response was everyone running out of the room so she shrugged and followed. 

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I used this resource for the later part of this and I feel the need to mention that I'm white and therefore don't experience racism on a daily basis. People discriminate against me for things I can hide which isn't the case for POC. I tried my best to present this in the correct way and please correct me if I'm wrong in any way.

TW: Themes of racism

Here are some resources I used and some resources to help:

https://www.unicef.org/parenting/talking-to-your-kids-about-racism

https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/how-to-teach-your-kids-to-fight-hate-an-age-by-age-guide/#main

https://www.aashna.uk/

https://www.baatn.org.uk/

https://www.linesforlife.org/racial-equity-support-line/

This would be Dick's first birthday after his parents died so Bruce and Alfred wanted it to be perfect given the circumstances. He'd been excited too which they hadn't been expecting but they weren't going to discourage. If he was ready to move on then he was ready to move on. When he asked to have a birthday party, Bruce was quick to say yes and get the invitations ready. The school had issued a rule that everyone in the class had to be invited to parties if invitations were being handed out in order to avoid people being left out. He had a suspicion they never kept to the rule as Dick hadn't been invited to any parties since joining the school which didn't make much sense considering it was full of rich kids who would beg for five parties whenever they got another year older. God forbid what it would be like when they hit double digits. Bruce had been naive to think that Dick wanted the party because he had friends to invite so he went all out. These would be children used to extravagant wealth and he had to put on a good show to ensure they were impressed. Hopefully, they'd go back to their parents and sing Dick's praises so there would be fewer huffs at the sight of him at galas. The poor boy stuck out like a sore thumb. Bruce bought only the best food and party favours, he put up plenty of decorations and got the best entertainers he could find. It was supposed to be a great time and it would've been... had anyone shown up.

Dick sat by the door anxiously waiting for his party guests, his eyes flicking between the door and the window. He couldn't sit still and kept checking outside to see if anyone was coming up the drive, seemingly forgetting that if someone was coming in they'd have to call through to the house for the gates to be opened. Every time he saw a car come close, he'd sit up a little further and watch carefully only to deflate when it drove by. 

"Maybe they're just late," Bruce suggested as he and Alfred hid in the kitchen. Time kept ticking by and they couldn't stand to watch him get continually excited and disappointed so they took refuge in the kitchen. Every so often they'd peek around the corner to check up on the boy or ask if he wanted anything to eat. He refused each time he was asked for fear of eating something before the guests arrived. "Could be bad traffic."

"Sir, I think we both know that's not the case," Alfred responded. The butler sighed to himself and rubbed his temples. He could never understand why children were so cruel to Dick. He was the sweetest kid there was, always wanting to play and share. For God's sake, he was sacrificing what little innocence he had in order to protect the city. Yet, it didn't matter to the elite's children who'd heard their parents speak ill of the boy. It was no secret that there was a backlash from taking in a boy from Dick's background and complexion but they hadn't expected it to be as bad as it was. At least they won't underestimate the society they interacted with.

"It has to be the case. Look at him," the billionaire gestured to the doorway where they kept sticking their heads out to check on the boy. "I can't very well tell him that no one is coming." It would break his heart and Bruce couldn't be the one to do that. Granted, he'd just be the messenger but still, it would hurt to deliver the news.

"I'm not saying to tell him that and definitely not with that tone but I think we should be letting him down easy sooner rather than later. He's not eaten all day because he's waiting on them and he hasn't touched his presents," he pointed out. "I doubt anyone is coming any time soon. They're already hours late."

"I'll cancel the entertainer but let's not tell him until we're sure no one is coming." Bruce got out his phone and began typing out a message to them. He'd lose the deposit but he was literally a billionaire so that wasn't his main problem. His main problem was a potentially upset ward. "I'll take him out for a fun patrol to make up for it. Go after Kiteman or Polka Dot Man."

"I don't think taking him out to punch middle-aged men is the correct response here," he dissuaded quickly. "I'm afraid you'll have to show some more emotional support."

"I can't take him for a drink Alfred, he's only a boy-"

"You can still talk about emotions through means other than alcohol." Bruce gave him a dumbfounded look, making him pinch his nose and sigh in exasperation. "There are these amazing things called hugs that do wonders."

"There's no need to be sarcastic."

"All I'm saying is that at one point, we might need to have that difficult conversation about why the aristocracy doesn't want their kids with him," Alfred told him. It was a conversation neither of them wanted but they knew it was needed at some point. They'd just hoped it wouldn't be until Dick was older. Bruce had already made it his personal mission to ensure he didn't come in contact with negative media but things slipped through. He didn't know what it was like at school considering his ward never mentioned anything but it was in his nature not to talk about bothersome things.

"I don't want to tell him," Bruce said quietly. The butler put a hand on his shoulder with a sympathetic look.

"No one ever does."

Hours went by and eventually, it just got too late to pretend that people were still coming. Dick eventually moved away from the window and began cleaning up which gave Alfred the go-ahead to do the same. Bruce watched from the doorway, silently promising to never work with the parents of the kids if no one showed up to next year's party but he was wise to the business and knew he couldn't make such a promise sustainable. Business meant he had to work with people he wouldn't want to be anywhere near. Money was money no matter who made it. 

"I'm sorry for wasting food," Dick said. It was one of the first things he'd said since waiting for people to come but it was probably one of the worst things he could've said.

"Don't be sorry," Bruce assured him. "It's not like it'll put a dent in my bank account so don't worry about the food." His reassurance didn't really work on his ward. Dick just continued to clean up the decorations with no real care to preserve them for next year. Bruce watched awkwardly for a while as he tried to think about what to say. They'd spent the best part of the day waiting around with no payoff and there wasn't really a way to get around that. What was there to say? Was this the time to start explaining why people wouldn't show up? "Maybe next year we'll have more of a turnout."

"You mean any turnout at all," the younger corrected. Definitely, not the time to bring it up and his reassurance were definitely not as effective as he'd hoped.

"Dick-"

"No one showed up. Do you see people here? I don't. Unless Diana's invisible jet is parked outside or J'onn is just standing silently in the corner no one showed up," he ranted with a cynical tone that felt unfamiliar to hear from him.

"Master Dick, I understand you're upset but you mustn't let it get the best of you."

"Get the best of me? I invited everyone in my year group, even people who were in Babs's class and planned all of this but it was all a big stupid waste of time!" Dick took a shuddering breath and rubbed at his teary eyes. "It doesn't matter. None of it does. Clearly, nobody likes me at that stupid school." He ran off before either could make an attempt to comfort him and following stomps upstairs they heard his door slam closed. They winced at the noise and glanced at one another.

"This is one of those cool-off moments, isn't it?"

"I believe so, sir."

"Hey, Dickie!" Barbara greeted as she entered the cave. She held a neatly wrapped present in her hands and wore a bright smile as she walked over to the birthday boy but he didn't react with his own bright smile in return. That didn't stop her from sitting beside him and shoving the gift into his hands excitedly. Maybe he was just having a party low or missed all the new friends he'd made. It was no secret he struggled to get along with others as much as he pretended he wasn't and she'd hoped the party had gone well enough that she wouldn't need to worry about him making friends anymore. Although she didn't mind having him hang around at lunch, she'd prefer it if he were kids his own age so he wasn't alone when she graduated. "Happy birthday! Sorry again about not being able to come. Dad said I had to finish my homework if I wanted to stay tonight and I had it backed up for ages so by the time I was done it was too late to stop by."

"It's fine," he replied glumly. He picked at the wrapping but made no real attempt to rip it open and see inside. The ginger glanced over to Bruce for some answers only to find him looking concerned. So definitely not a party low then. "No one else showed up anyway." She frowned and put her arm around him, pulling him into a side hug. He let himself be pulled toward her and put his head on her shoulder.

"What do you mean no one showed up?"

"Exactly that! No one showed because nobody likes me!" he cried, all of it becoming too much all at once. She shushed him gently and nodded her head for Bruce to come help but he gave her that nervous look. His dad abilities were still rough around the edges so he stuttered, hesitated and stopped altogether when faced with things beyond a simple pat on the back. She rolled her eyes and collected her friend in her arms, walked over to the man and plopped Dick down in his lap before arranging Bruce's arms to hug him. He mouthed a thank you to her as he held his ward closer and in a more comfortable position.

"There we are. Now, why don't you talk about why this is upsetting you? Besides the obvious because I distinctly remember you saying you didn't care about what other kids think of you." He was of course civil with the rich kids he went to school with and actively tried to make relationships with them but he always said he didn't care about what they thought about him. She was surprised when he said he was inviting his classmates but didn't think much of it past the point of it being polite and a nice thing to do.

"It's dumb," Dick argued, rubbing at his eyes as the tears continued to flow.

"It's not dumb," Bruce defended. Luckily he'd been reading a bit on talking about problems with your child before Barbara showed up but he hadn't finished the article so hopefully, the ginger could keep pitching in.

"Everybody likes Robin, even some of the villains so I thought maybe if people saw me out of school they'd like me too. I thought I didn't care how many people showed or how many liked me but no one showed!" They didn't say anything whilst he paused briefly to chew on his bottom lip nervously for a few moments before continuing his point. "What if people only like Robin and not Dick? I'm the same person but maybe I'm doing something wrong as myself."

"C'mon, you know people like you and Robin. B, Alfred and I love you very much. I'm willing to bet the other heroes don't see Robin and Dick as separate people, they just see you," Babara assured him but it fell on deaf ears. He wasn't content with the run-of-the-mill assurance anymore. He wanted to know why there was a difference.

"Then why are my only friends other heroes or adults and not any other people my age? If I was so good then I'd be liked," he asked, almost pleading for a substantial answer that didn't come straight out of an after school special on being yourself. They could hazard a guess to the answer but both were careful not to state it outright.

"The problem isn't with you," Bruce began. "It's with them."

"But why? Why do heroes like me but kids who are supposed to be my friends don't? What's wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you," Barbara told him sternly. She looked over to Bruce with a pained expression, one that said she couldn't be the one to tell him why the upper classes of Gotham didn't like him. He wasn't the first foster kid to enter a rich family nor would he ever be the last but that wasn't the reason. They knew that he was the first in a different way that was looked down upon and she didn't have the heart to be the one to tell him.

There was some silence as Bruce moved Dick to look at him and thought through his words carefully. With his ward staring at him with those big innocent eyes, he didn't want to say the reason why but he couldn't keep it quiet. Dick was inquisitive and he'd find the answer on his own but it could be worded in the worst of ways. This conversation was inevitable and he'd been reading up on it in case Dick couldn't get over what happened today without some sort of deeper reasoning but that didn't make it any easier. 

"Dick, this is no way your fault. The people who are around us aren't the most open-minded in terms of your heritage," Bruce began. "It's our hypothesis that the other children don't interact with you very well because you're from the circus and you're not from the social circle. You, uhm, you don't look like everyone else and they don't particularly like that." The younger stared at him as he explained then looked away as he soaked it in. Worried, the billionaire sent a look to Barbara who returned it with a placating expression. He just needed to wait and fight back that urge to say more fluff around it that would no doubt lead to him digging his own grave. Eventually, Dick looked back up having thought through it. His body language was tense and he didn't say anything for a good minute. Neither attempted to fill the dead air though.

"They don't like me because I'm different? That's why no one came today?" he asked slowly. Bruce nodded sadly. "Oh. Does that mean other people wouldn't like me if I wasn't Robin?"

"Of course not," Barbara said, jumping in before the billionaire could make an attempt. "Other heroes would like you no matter what and people you save would probably still appreciate you if you saved them as Dick Grayson." It hurt to say probably but there were some terrible people out there who couldn't appreciate anything that came from someone they hated for no real reason.

"So, no one from my school will ever like me because I'm not like them?"

"No, they will. It's just that some people are going to have a difficult time getting past that hurdle but those people aren't worth your time. There'll be new people who don't care and older people who learn that their bias was wrong to have as they see other people not like them," she insisted.

"But I love where I came from. Why do they have to learn to stand it? Why do they have to meet other people? I don't hate them for being from Gotham."

"They don't want things to change for the better, they believe bad things because they don't want to admit them and so many before them were wrong. Some just think they're better than others," Barbara explained.

"So people aren't going to like me and there's nothing I can do? They'll just see me and hate me?" They nodded and he deflated further. He couldn't believe that people would hate him without even trying to get to know him. "Even people I help?" They hesitated before nodding again. He hummed and leaned further against his mentor. "This birthday sucks."

"We'll make it up to you," Barbara insisted. "Next year, we'll invite some League members and I bet by then you'll have some other friends in school. Maybe there'll be some other proteges your age by that time?" He nodded numbly. In times like this, he really missed the circus. Everyone would've shown up and he wouldn't need to worry about people hating him because of matters out of his control. It wasn't fair but as he'd figured out far too early, life wasn't fair.

"I wish I knew that before I planned the party and wasted your time," he mumbled. Bruce shook his head and kissed the younger's forehead.

"Don't worry about that. How about this? We'll do whatever you want today and tomorrow to make up for it," he suggested.

"Is Condiment King out?"

"He should be."

"I wanna take down Condiment King." The heroes nodded. They couldn't change the circumstances surrounding this event but they could do everything in their power to deal with the fallout. They prayed that this time next year, Barbara would be proven right. Until then, they were going to make the most of Dick's birthday.