Robin, "The Prince of Thieves"

A/N: Hey guys, still no update for "The Start of the X," but I promise that it'll be updated really soon. I was starting to work on it today, but then I got an idea for this Young Justice AU! This started to spawn lots of thoughts and so I decided that I'd begin this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to DC.

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He knew that stealing was wrong, but he also knew that in some situations it was right. It is needed- required. If he wanted to survive on the streets and make it to tomorrow, then he would have to steal to make it there. Steal for him and steal for his family.

He didn't want Jason, his little brother, to continue being part of this life, and so he stole for both of their sakes. Jason wasn't his biological brother, no, but that didn't mean that he wasn't his brother. They had become blood-brothers that day on the street, when they first met. Jason had been scrounging around the streets and stealing small time stuff like apples, occasionally Jason would steal items so that he could get some money for food or some clothing. Then, one day Jason Todd had met Richard "Dick" Grayson, when they both were trying to steal the same apple from a concession stand.

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Richard was an orphan just like Jason. People called him a street rat or trash, but he paid them no mind. After all they weren't living his life. Richard had been an orphan since he was eight-years-old. He had to endure living in Gotham's excuse for orphanage, and at one point he even had to live in a detention facility! Just because Gotham needed to find room for him, Richard had to endure an effigy of what Gotham called care that was provided so that they could make more space in the orphanage for some other "lucky" child. Richard escaped that place after a year of enduring it, when he couldn't take it anymore, and he lived on the streets more content, free and happy than he had when he was in the orphanage.

When their hands grabbed that apple, and they caused a ruckus, by both being caught in the act, they each grabbed a different apple and ran for it! The two boys, coincidentally, ran the same way, down the same alleys and leapt the same fences.

"Quit following me!" Complained Jason.

"I'm not following you, I was going this way first." Said Richard.

"It's your fault I got caught." Jason shot back.

"What're you talking about? We got each other caught, so we're both in this together." Richard said with a sly smirk.

The boys' running slowed, and they switched into a calmer walk to appear unsuspicious. They had lost anyone that might have come after them. Richard tossed an apple into the air, caught it and took a bite of it, victoriously.

"You're pretty fast." Richard said as he walked.

"You are too," Jason replied tiredly "you managed to keep up with me."

The two boys sat on a bench in a partially run down part of Gotham. The buildings in this part were stony gray, beat up and some were even boarded up. Glass shards were on the sidewalks from old stores that had been broken into. Theft was common in this part of Gotham, but that was because no one in this part had any money. Every citizen that called this area home was broke, indebt or abandoned. It was a great place to be if you were a thief, because the Gotham police force didn't come here more often than they had to. A person could be killed here and an officer wouldn't come to the scene of the crime for a few days, and that was only if the killing was reported!

"So, shall we introduce ourselves then?" Richard offered with a casual grin.

"Why should we?" Taking a bite of his apple, Jason replied.

"Well I thought it'd be best to know my new brother's name." Richard answered with a laugh at Jason's bewildered expression.

"W-what're you going on about?" Jason, caught off-guard, asked as he choked on his apple.

"Breath!" Richard called out as he worked on the Heimlich. When Jason finally stopped choking Richard answered.

"You and I are going to be brothers, to street kids against the world!" Richard answered with a laugh.

Jason's mouth was agape. "Are you crazy? You almost got me caught today! I'd have to be insane to work with you."

"Remember, we almost got each other caught," Richard said laughing as if he were reminiscing on an elementary school prank with a friend "besides this is Gotham. This is the land of the crazies."

"Give me one good reason to work with you." Jason said, tempted. Jason wasn't dumb, he knew that if he wanted to do more than simply survive from day to day, then he'd need help.

"I have a house." Richard whispered into Jason's ear, over emphasizing the last word, as he raised his eyebrows in a "you know you want to" sort of way.

"You have a house?" Jason asked, voice full of disbelief.

"I have a house. It's a fixer-upper, but one day it might qualify as a fully fit home." Richard said temptingly.

"I want to see this 'fixer-upper' before I decide anything." Jason decided warily.

"Okay, let's go." Richard said joyously as he pulled Jason by the wrist and ran.

"H-hey, slow down! You're going to pull my arm off!" Jason hollered overdramatically, as he ran the way Richard was pulling him.

The two boys ran for a couple minutes until they arrived at a building a few blocks away. It was an old, rundown apartment complex. The doors to the building were barricaded with giant sheets of lumber, and nailed to be close permanently. The building had been closed down because of lack of business and for structural issues. Many parts of the building were falling apart on the inside and there was random holes through floors and ceilings. There was no visible way into the place.

"Here we are." Richard said with a grin.

"Where? There's no way in." Jason said disappointed. He was hoping to have a constant place to stay.

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" Richard said with a knowing smile.

"What're you getting at?" Jason asked curious.

"You just have to know the magic word." Richard said with a sly grin.

"Pfft," Jason sputtered ", you really are crazy."

"Close your eyes."

"Why?" Jason was wary.

"Just do it. I'll say the magic word and the gateway will appear, magically."

"Right, fine, I'll give you to the count of three." Jason said as he closed his eyes.

"All righty." Richard laughed.

"1"

Jason heard a metallic clang and the sounds of something falling, then another metal sound.

"Abracadabra." Jason heard Richard say. He could almost hear a little chuckle escape Richard's mouth. He decided he should resume counting.

"2"

This time Jason heard what sounded like a rope unfurling and being thrown.

"3" and with that Jason open his eyes. The first thing he saw was a metal, fire escape ladder that fell from the third floor. The ladder reached to the top of the first floor level and then there was a rope that connected to the bottom step of the ladder. With the extension, the boys would be able to climb the ladder.

"Magic." Richard said while giving Jason "jazz hands".

"Or a rock." Jason said, identifying what he assumed Richard threw to get the ladder down.

"Don't forget the rope." Richard said as he started climbing. "Come on, it's safe."

Jason cautiously grabbed the rope and pulled his body up it. Once he got to the steps on the ladder the trip went quick. After he got to the top of the ladder, Jason was guided into the window of a room. Richard then hit the side of the ladder set, and, because of its spring, it sprang back into its curled position at the top of the escape. Richard grabbed a small metal rod and shoved it through a hole in the leg of the ladder, now if something hit it then it would stay up. Richard untied the rope and brought it into the apartment room with him.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Richard said happily.

It was a simple apartment with a living room, a kitchen area, two bathrooms, and a bedroom with two beds. The floor was a light brown, and the ceiling was white. It was one of the few apartment rooms that weren't messed up on that floor. Richard didn't know what the rooms on the upper-levels looked like, because the stairwells to there were split in the center, and, although he was an acrobat, he wasn't going to risk that trip yet. His "house" had a low-lying chandelier type thing and a high up ceiling fan. The beds were plain with thin white sheets on them and a blue comforter over each bed. The living room had a television that didn't work, because it lacked cable and electricity, a wooden table, a red pullout bed couch, two lamps on two stands that were place on either side of the couch, and four black chair around the table. The small kitchen area had a sink, a stove, a mini-fridge, an oven and a microwave. The room was decently kept even though it was in a rundown apartment complex.

"Like the place? Not much light at night, it'll need some candles or a flashlight, but it keeps the rain out, helps keep you warm, and it's safer than being out there because no one can get up here." Richard said as he gave Jason a tour.

Jason thought about it, and it was true. The building would be safer for him than trying to find different places to sleep and apparently no one else could get up there.

"It'll take some getting used to, but I think it'll work out." Jason decided. Jason's answer made Richard happy, now he'd have company.

"Awesome, we'll work together during the day and chill here at night." Richard said. "Now I think we should introduce ourselves."

"Yeah, that'd probably be smart. I'm Jason, and I'm ten-years-old." Jason said as he stuck out his hand. Richard was quick to shake Jason's hand.

"My name Is Richard, but I prefer to be called 'Dick,' and I'm twelve-years-old." Richard said.

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A/N: Before anyone says it, I know that the age differences between Dick and Jason isn't three years, but I have it as three years for the sake of the story and the fact that it's an AU. I have some fun plans for this story, the team, Batman, Wally and Roy. This is sort of a prelude chapter and the next one or two will also, most likely, by prelude chapters as well.

Side note: While I do enjoy getting favorites, and having people follow my stories I would really like some reviews too. If you enjoyed the story, then could you please write a quick review of what you thought?