Getting to know you

Answers don't always come quickly

"What do you mean, that was your note?" Kaldur asked. "Just that. July third, 16:35. I sent a note to the League, telling them something foul was going on at Cadmus. But instead of them going, you went. You freed Superboy, and you became a team." Dick was shaking as he explained. "So, what you're saying is you basically created the team. You're the reason we exist." Conner summed up. "Pretty much. I never thought that would happen."

Wally was smiling. "I don't see why not. You never were the best at staying on the sidelines." "Yeah, but I never thought I would make a team, then join it in the future. It's just a little strange," Dick said, holding his arms. He looked uncomfortable. Wally could understand why. Learning you're joining a team you created could be a little rattling.

Wally grabbed Dick's hand. "I hope you don't expect us to treat you different," Conner said, an eyebrow raised. "Not at all. I don't want to be treated different. I hate being treated different. I'm just a person. I'm not a fan of treating anybody different." Dick squeezed Wally's hand. It had happened to him one too many times.

"Is he ok?" M'gann asked. "I'll tell you guys why he's tense, but you need to keep it secret. Don't tell anyone, even him, you know this. Can you do that?" "Yeah. You know we can." Artemis sent a soft glare to Wally, in case Nightwing saw and thought it was towards him.

"You remember I told you he was kidnapped when he was nine, right? He was kidnapped by the Court of Owls. He was abused, verbally, physically, and mentally. He was treated like he was nothing for seven years. When he escaped, he found the bats. He was finally treated like he was worth something, like he mattered. Like his life had a purpose besides being a punching bag.

"Then a man named Markus kidnapped him. Made him feel worthless again. He locked Nightwing in a cage, telling him he was a gypsy brat who wanted to rule the world. He used some drug on Nightwing, and it hurt him. Bad. It took months for him to even begin to recover, and by that time he'd developed PTSD.

"It got really bad, to the point he avoided any people he didn't know. It took a lot for him to get back out there. He panicked when Batman told him he was meeting the League. Luckily, the League didn't treat him different than the bats, and they treated him like a human. They played around him, and he realized they wouldn't hurt him. He relaxed, and found not everyone wanted to hurt him.

"It's why he was nervous when he came here. He knows we won't hurt him now, but he didn't know that before. And we're bigger than the League, so there are more people who could hurt him. Since you didn't try to treat him differently, he knows you aren't going to hurt him. He's learning to trust you guys. He just needs time."

Dick was awkwardly picking at his sleeve. The team had gone silent, staring at him With eyes blown wide. It was getting uncomfortable. He didn't like being the center of attention. He squeezed Wally's hand twice, their code for getting unwanted attention.

"I think it's time to get Nightwing home. I don't need to have a Bat on my back for not getting him home on time. See you guys later." "Bye, guys. It was nice meeting you." Dick waved sheepishly. The team waved and said goodbye, and they left the room.

They went to an alley in Gotham, and Dick slid down the wall. "You ok, Dickie?" "Everybody was staring at me. Did I do something wrong?" Dick was trembling as he looked at Wally. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. You did good, if Artemis didn't slap you upside the head," Wally chuckled as he sat next to Dick. Dick leaned his head against Wally's shoulder, intertwinning their fingers again.

"Then why was everyone staring at me as if I had three heads? Did I mess up? Reveal what I was?" "No! No, you didn't mess up. It wasn't you. They were curious about what happened and why you were so nervous, so I told them the basics. You were kidnapped at nine, you escaped, but were kidnapped again, and it rattled you. They just didn't think someone as sweet as you could have gone through all that." Wally kissed the top of Dick's head before resting his cheek on the soft hair.

The duo sat there while Dick calmed down, Wally keeping a lookout for any criminals. Dick jumped when his comm started ringing, the peace broken. "Hello?" Dick's hands were shaking again. Wally grabbed it and gave Dick a strange look.

"Dick, there's an emergency. You need to get back to the cave RIGHT NOW." Bruce's voice was urgent. "B? What's going on?" "I'll explain once you get back, but you need to get back immediately." "O-Ok. KF and I are on our way back. Nightwing out."

Dick and Wally stood up and walked to the entrance of the zeta beams. "Wait. What do you think happened?" Dick asked, grabbed Wally's arm before he could walk in. "I don't know, but if he wants you there that badly, we should go." Dick nodded and gently let go of Wally's arm.

They teleported to the cave, holding hands. Dick's nerves were being shot, one by one, making his stomach feel heavy with dread. Something had to be bad if Bruce was that urgent. "What's going on?" The rest of the family was surrounding the computer. Bruce sighed.

"Tony Zucco has escaped."