Young Justice Trash

#richardgraysonisoverpartyisoverparty

-thanks to @WallyandDick For requesting a part with Bruce's reaction! Leave your requests in the comments.-

-I'm currently drinking Okanagan cider by candle light (that's alcohol, btw, I'm getting drunk like mortitia Addams)

"Hey." Dick leaned in the doorway of Bruce's study. He would explain himself; but he'd done nothing wrong.

"Hello, Dick, sit down."

The teen sucked in a long breath. "No thanks."

"Okay, well, I need to ask you about this."

"Ya?" He bit his lips.

"I looked up what 'being cancelled' means, and..." He cleared his throat, reading the online definition of cancel culture. "Online shaming is a form of public shaming in which targets are publicly humiliated online. Online shaming frequently involves exposing private information on the Internet..."

Dick didn't know how to reply. "That makes it sound worse than it is."

"Dick, what happened? People are saying you said something racist, sexist.. what is the truth?"

The thirteen year old scuffed his foot on the floor. He felt like he was in trouble for being targetted. "I dunno."

"Dick."

"I just posted something to Instagram about feeling upset with my life, and, uh..." He shifted uncomfortably. "College tuition being too high, and how, if I ever want to rent my own appartment I'dhavetosafeupforthirtyyears." He rushed through the last part, looking shamefacedly up at his father.

Bruce's brow furrowed. "And?"

"Well, someone posted about how I have no right to complain about rent prices, and one thing lead to another...?"

"You were publically ostracized for complaining about the economy?"

He nodded shyly. "It's not really-"

"That's such a petty thing to be upset by, you did nothing wrong."

"Thanks." Dick muttered, suddenly finding the Berber carpet very interesting.

Bruce had no clue why Dick was acting to ashamed when he did nothing wrong. He'd read a few tweets about the situation, and they'd been relatively brutal, but Dick had dealt with incorrect information online in the past. "What's wrong? This is not your fault."

"Oh, well, this guy at school told me that someone told him that I... calledagirlawhoreand/ortriedtoassulther."

Bruce blinked. "He what?"

"And these other girls thought I said a racial or homophobic slur." He trailed off halfway through the sentence.

"WHAT?" His father stood up briskly. "Those are serious accusations."

"I know." Dick muttered, head down, it felt like he was in trouble.

"Who was saying that?"

"Bruce, they're rumors, they'll pass along..."

Bruce was pacing now, frusterated. "Why don't they just go to your social media and find out what happens."

"I dunno, too much work?"

His father sighed deeply. "You can go, I need to work on setting this straight."

"Bruce, it's fine..."

"Thank you, Dick." He dismissed.

"Uh, okay, thanks..."

An hour later, Bruce Wayne released a statement online. It was a media circus; requests for interviews, news stories, all because Dick posted two sentences to the wrong instagram.