Guarding the Prince (Part 3)

Dick hated Metropolis. Well, that wasn't completely true. He really did love Metropolis. He loved anything to do with Superman. He just didn't want to be here. Especially when it had to do with something as arbitrary as a threat against his life. It wasn't like it hadn't happened before, the real question was what was so different about this time. Why did Superman care now? He had always allowed the Bats to handle this kind of thing before.

And a better question? Why did they have to come to Metropolis? The manor had insane security. Not to mention the Bat Bunker. And there were plenty of safe houses in Gotham, so why did Superman suggest coming all the way to Metropolis? The team wouldn't question his orders like Robin would, so his motives would never be analyzed.

Dick really needed to talk to Bruce about the thoughts swirling around in his head, but he needed to get rid of his stupid friends to do so. Maybe Alfred could drug them or something. It would serve them right for accepting this mission. Even if they had no clue what shitstorm they were entering. Dick supposed that he couldn't blame them. But he could trick them.

"Bruce, crezi că înțeleg romii?" Bruce, do you think they understand Romani?

Bruce cocked his head slightly and glanced at the confused looks that the team was shooting his son. Careful to make sure that he had an 'American' accent while he spoke, Bruce said, "Nu. Ce ai trebuit să-mi spui fără să știe prietenii tăi?" No. What do you want to say to me without your friends knowing?

"Există ceva despre această misiune. De ce trebuie să fim în Metropolis din toate locurile. Ceva îmi spune că Clark păstrează secrete." There is something about this mission. Why do we have to go to Metropolis of all places? Something tells me that Clark is keeping secrets.

"Stiu. Știe consecințele acțiunilor sale, așa că trebuie să aibă un motiv bun." I know. He knows the consequences of his actions, so he must have a damn good reason.

"Crezi că știe cine a făcut amenințarea?" Think he knows who made the threat?

"M-aș paria pe asta." I'd bet on it.

When a new voice broke their conversation, Dick jumped slightly. "Tinerii Maestri, este destul de nepoliticos să vorbești într-o altă limbă în prezența celor care nu o înțeleg. Dacă nu a fost un stimulent suficient, echipa de eroi tineri devine suspicios și neliniștită." Young Masters, it is quite rude to talk in another language in the presence of those who do not understand it. If that wasn't a great enough incentive, the team of young heroes is getting suspicious and restless.

Dick gave Alfred a cowed look. Oops. Apparently subtle wasn't his thing. Letting his natural accent slip out a little, Dick gave an apologetic smile to the team. "I'm sorry. Bruce and I have only begun speaking english full time recently. I still slip when I'm excited or stressed, which doesn't really help the bullying."

Artemis was the first to react. She narrowed her eyes like she knew that he was lying, which was impossible. Dick was a really good liar. "What language was that?"

"My native language. Romani. Bruce started learning it when he started looking into taking me in. I didn't speak much english back then."

M'gann perked up. "Oh! I just learned english! I used to only speak Martian! I learned by watching Earth TV shows. How did you learn?"

"Well I learned a little when I was a member of the circus. I learned more from the place the system stuck me at. I didn't really get access to a TV until Bruce took me in, and at that point I was far more interested in exploring and trying out the gym equipment that Bruce bought for me."

M'gann seemed to deflate slightly, and Dick almost felt bad. Almost. Meeting your favorite celebrities never turned out well. "Oh."

Giving her a forcefully warm smile, Dick turned to face Bruce. "How's the Metropolis apartment stocked? I mean is there gym equipment? How many rooms? Is there a TV?"

Wally gave Dick a weird look. "Dude. Haven't you been there before? I mean, it's your house."

Dick rolled his eyes. "No. Bruce stays there when he has business in Metropolis. I stay in Gotham with Alfred because I have school. When I go to Metropolis it's usually because Bruce has a business trip in a different country and Alfred is going with him. I stay with my Uncle Clark."

"I was not aware that Mr. Wayne had a brother."

Dick looked at Kaldur in surprise. It was the first time that the leader of teen heroes had addressed him in quite a while. "He's not my real Uncle. He's Bruce's friend."

When Dick didn't add any more information, Bruce let out a small sigh. "To answer your earlier question Dick, it's a penthouse. Two-stories, five bedrooms, a rooftop pool, and a mini gym. And before you ask, yes there are uneven bars, rings, and a pommel horse."

"Have I ever told you just how much I love you?"

"Yes, and I'd prefer it if there was not a repeat."

"You're no fun."

Bruce rolled his eyes, but one corner of his lips twitched up into a small smirk making his amusement clear. "Oh? I'll remember that the next time I'm shopping for your birthday."

Dick gave a mock gasp, a hand flying up to cover his mouth. In a voice that clearly showed that he was close to laughter Dick said, "How dare you? You went to far. Threatening my birthday presents, what kind of monster are you?"

"The kind that can ground you if you continue speaking that line of thought."

Dick huffed and crossed his arms. Bruce was no fun, though it was probably a good thing that Bruce put an end to this debate. His teammates were staring at him like he had grown a second head. Which was understable when he remembered that his friends watched trashy celebrity gossip shows.

Dick's musing was cut short when he saw the high rises of Metropolis appeared. It wasn't just him, everybody else fell silent too. Apparently, they all felt the magnitude of the situation. As soon as they arrived in Metropolis it all became real. Which meant it was time to get serious.

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It took ten minutes for the team to secure the penthouse. It took even longer for them to figure out how to divvy up the five bedrooms. The team wanted to share rooms with Dick and Bruce in case there was another attack. Dick wasn't so thrilled with that idea and neither was Bruce.

In the end, they didn't get much of a choice though. Especially not with Alfred backing up the team. Nobody would ever win a battle of wills against Alfred. Dick did however, manage to get alone time to make a phone call. "Bruce, I'm going to call Ms. Lane and let her know that I won't attend classes for a few days."

Bruce gave him a nod, and Dick walked away taking his phone out of his pocket. He had to play this carefully. Conner could be able to hear his side of the conversation. He would need Lois to lead the conversation where he wanted it to go. He wasn't that worried. He had pulled off harder things before.

She picked up on the third ring. "Lane."

"Hello Ms. Lane. This is Dick Grayson. I just wanted to tell you that I'd be in Metropolis in a few days due to threats that were made against me."

"Oh? Are they credible?"

"Credible enough for Superman to request our immediate relocation. And for the sidekick team to guard us 24/7."

"Sounds interesting. Any idea who made the threats?"

"Nope. Though I am curious. Must be one hell of a threat for this much fuss."

Lois let out a small laugh and then a sigh. "Tell you what, I was just looking for a good story to make the headlines. I'll let you know what I find, and send you and your father a copy of the article I write for your approval."

"Thank you. You're a lifesaver."

"Duh. You should see what I have to do for Clark. That man is always running off somewhere."

"No kidding. You should see what happens when he babysits me."

"Oh Dick. I do so enjoy our conversations, but I really have to go. I have a story to investigate."

Dick smiled when she hung up without so much as a goodbye. By the end of the night, he would know who made the threats against him and Bruce. And perhaps, with that information, he would know what exactly was going on with Superman. All he had to do was wait.

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A/N: Well that was kinda shorter than I wanted, but I figured that it was better to publish something than nothing at all. I hope you liked it. The Romani is really Romanian, and it is from Google Translate. So if you speak Romanian and find something weird, it is not my fault. I don't speak a lick of Romanian, so...

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