This Is My Future

Chapter 16

Robin's P.O.V

Tigress walked to the computer and leaned forward against Dick. She linked her fingers and put her hands on the top of Dick's head, palms down. Her elbows were on his shoulders and she rested her chin on her fingers.

He didn't seem to care in the least.

"Like what?" Tigress asked looking at the big computer screen.

Artemis and I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, watching them.

"We need to get Mini-me and Artemis home to 2011."

"I'm not mini-you!" I growled. I sighed and looked at her when Artemis put her hand on my shoulder.

"Hey," Artemis said skeptically.

Tigress straightened up and turned to look at us. Dick spun the chair around.

"What?" Dick asked. His face was stern, but his tone was kind.

Artemis licked her lip nervously. Dick raised a brow.

"Uhh..." she hummed.

I could tell she was nervous with Nightwing. I couldn't blame her; he even scares me.

"Is..." she stopped, "Is...The Team...still active?"

Dick's face hardened and he turned back to the computer silently.

"Is that a no?" I asked in a mocking voice.

Tigress silently returned to her position from before.

"Yes," Dick grunted. "The team is still active."

"Then why don't we ask them for help?" I asked.

Dick was silent. Tigress didn't say anything, I'd assume she didn't know anyways.

I frowned noticing that Tigress was whispering to Dick. I couldn't make anything out, but they sounded like they were bickering.

"Why don't we ask them for help?" I repeated.

"Because," Dick growled. "We can't."

"Why not?" I gritted out.

Dick was silent, staring at the computer.

"Because..." he huffed.

I growled in annoyance, "Because why!?"

I heard him sigh, it sounded more saddened rather angered.

"Because..." he muttered, "I haven't seen...most...of them in almost eight months..."

I raised a brow, "Why so long?"

He sighed again and hunched over the keyboard. Tigress rubbed his shoulder.

Artemis furrowed her eyebrows. "Dick?" She asked.

"Something happened..." he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear him, "...and I took a leave of absence."

"Why eight months?" Artemis asked.

"I didn't..." he stopped and it sounded like he was fighting tears, "I meant to go back after a few weeks...then I got into a fight with Batman and decided to go a little longer...then..."

For some reason this was no where near interesting to me. I stared at him and Tigress blankly.

"Then?" Artemis asked.

He shook his head, "I didn't want to go back...I had already messed up badly...then the thing with Batman...I just...I couldn't."

I was taken aback in confusion when Tigress leaned over the chair and embraced him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head against the crook of his neck.

He sighed, "I can't go back...I haven't even seen most of them in the time I've been away."

"Who have you seen?" Artemis asked gently.

Dick straightened up in the chair. Tigress stood up straighter, she wrapped her arms around Dick's neck and held one of her wrists in the opposite hand. She left her hands like that over his chest.

I frowned at them.

Dick sighed, "You and no one you'd know right now."

"Me?" Artemis asked, sounding surprised.

He nodded.

"Why so surprised Artemis?" I asked.

She shrugged, "I just assumed the older me would respect his feelings of needing to be isolated."

I frowned again, noticing Tigress seem to smirk at that.

"Believe me, sweety," Tigress said to Artemis. "You don't let him be alone for almost anything."

Artemis grimaced lightly. "You make it sound like I have a thing for him..." she said.

Dick puffed a laugh and feigned a look of offense. Tigress chuckled.

"I didn't mean it like that," Artemis said quickly. "I mean you're great and all-"

I scoffed at that. She swatted me with her good arm. I grunted.

"But you're not...I don't feel...that for you," she said carefully. "You're more of a..." she stopped trying to think of the correct word.

Everyone waited. She seemed to have finally found the word, but it was stuck in her head.

Tigress sighed sounding annoyed, "Just say 'little brother' and get it over with."

"How would you know that?" Artemis snapped, "You just met me, you don't know my feelings for him."

Tigress laughed in her throat, "I know more than you think, sweety." She rested her chin on Dick's head with a faint smirk.

My frown depend in confusion.

"Wait..." I said suddenly.

Everyone looked at me.

I pointed at Tigress and Dick accusingly, "Are you two dating!?"