Disclaimer: take a look at part one
Yeah, decided to separate it after posting becase it really became too long for one page and I posted it way too late at night. IE- so few review that I thought it was embarrassing. Not a two shot. Enjoy!
Friendly Patrol - Part 2
"Here." Conner handed over a small single serve ice cream cup to Robin who waited patiently in a nearby alleyway. Both had rinsed themselves off at a faucet outside a church building. They also raided a donation barrel for a quick button down shirt that Superboy could use to visit a gas station and buy them some reward ice cream. Robin paid.
"Thanks." The teen wonder took his triple chocolate with brownies cup and dug in greedily. The boy of steel wondered if he should have bought a sandwich too, but settled down on their ledge with his caramel apple cup.
"No problem. Anything's good after getting put through the ringer like that." The clone opened his cup and slowly started on his favorite flavor. Frankly he was surprised that station had it in such small quantities. "This always how patrol goes for you?"
The bird shrugged, rolling one shoulder to ease the tension in it. "Sometimes. Tonight's been pretty quiet really. If there was a serious case, we'd split the time between patrolling and digging up clues. Sometimes it's all stakeout work. Back in November, I was stationed on one rooftop every night for two weeks before we got results. We had three days of rain in the middle of it and I can't just bring an umbrella with me. Agent A threw a fit when he found out where I was stationed."
"Who's 'Agent A'?" It was something he always wondered. Every bat referred to someone who seemed to care about them, and even command the Batman, called Agent A. The only other thing he knew about this guy was that he was definitely male. Nightwing had corrected them when they said he was his mother. "You guys keep talking about him but I don't think I've ever met him."
Robin blinked, looking at the boy of steel silently for a moment with his spoon in his mouth. He didn't say anything for a moment then must have figured out something. "He's kinda like the grandfather of the family," he stated, pure and simple. "Civilian. He supports us best he can but honestly I think he'd be happier if we all quit and stuck with civilian life."
"And everyone listens to him," Conner concluded for him. The kid nodded. "Even Batman?"
"Batman especially. Agent A raised him." Robin finished off his ice cream before looking up to the sky. "Superman apparently listens to him too, as do half the League, the ones who know him that is. He's kinda a… Bat-secret."
The kid gave him an amused look before getting off his ledge and stretching. "We've still got some ground to cover before sending you home. Ready to roll?"
"You eat too fast," the clone grumbled before stuffing himself with his dessert.
"Sorry, habit," the teen wonder said with a laugh. "Nightwing tries to steal mine if I don't eat it fast enough. And Batgirl, she'll taste test it before I get a chance. And there's not much to begin with…"
"What does Batman do?" Learning the strange dark family's nightly rituals was kind of fun.
"Oh, we don't tell him." Robin chuckled at the thought. "Or Agent A. Both of them are health nuts for one and this is a protégé thing for another. The three of us go on patrol together, run across something harder than normal, then go for ice cream. We usually end the night with ice cream if the boss isn't around too. Been getting it a lot lately."
"That why the store had so many different kinds?" Conner thumbed over to where he bought their treats.
"Actually it has a lot because everyone wants ice cream this time of year. Gotham gets pretty hot and humid. There's a trash can just over the next ledge." He thumbed towards where they had to go next, trying to get a move on it. "Come on. We're almost done.
"Oh, by the way, happy birthday." Robin jiggled his empty ice cream cup playfully.
For a moment the clone was confused by his act, then realized the ice cream was his present. He smirked, shaking his head. "Thanks."
"And this is where we stop." Both boys landed neatly next to the zeta-beam site around three in the morning. Both were sweaty and tired, ready for a good night's rest. Conner looked over to his teammate for a moment and remembered how the kid gradually opened up through out the night. More since they beat Killer Croc together. He was still as secretive as ever, but that was only natural. He was a bat. Secrets were in his blood.
"Just gotta check in with Nightwing and we can call it a night." Robin tapped his com, the corners of his mouth twitching again. Conner was beginning to pick up that twitch of his. Any time the kid was secretly laughing about something, it would happen. Why he was hiding his smiles was beyond the boy of steel.
"Robin to Nightwing. Patrol of Gotham completed." There was a brief pause before the kid broke out into a broad grin. "Pretty good actually. Few burglaries, a couple muggings, broke up a fight or two, quiet night really. Oh, and we took down Croc. …. Yes I mean we. Superboy did most of the heavy lifting, I came up with a strategy. Getting him out of the sewers was fun. …. Of course we celebrated! What? You think I'd skip out on ice cream? I know you used to sneak it when I went to bed! …. Oh yeah, that's mature. Wait 'til your girlfriend hears about this."
Superboy suppressed a laugh as the conversation progressed. He heard the two of them banter before, but never quite like this. Like any kind of PDA in the batclan, they didn't show it between themselves in front of others very often. There was more seen among the protégés than with Batman though, and Nightwing, when he let loose, was quite a hugger. Banter and teasing though, that was frequently seen. Sometimes when you closed your eyes and just listened to them, you thought it was a late night family comedy.
"I really should be getting home now," he interrupted, wanting to say goodbye. Robin almost broke off his conversation with his predecessor when he looked back to him. Conner smiled broadly. "See you tomorrow?"
"Probably…. No I'm saying good night to Superboy." The kid returned to his com, his face starting to contort at something said on the other end. "No I'm not giving him a good night hug and kiss! That's just…. UHG! I'm so going to kill you one of these days! Plus twenty lighting will strike you dead!"
"Uuhhh… Rob?" Now he was confusing the clone. "Is everything okay?"
"Then orcs are going to dance on your grave! Not even the lich king will be able to bring you back! … I am not talking Ra's! Pick up one of my gaming manuals one of these days and do some research for once! Sheesh! … Oh just shut up." Robin turned off his com, exasperated. He shook his head for a moment before giving the boy of steel an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Old arguments."
"What were you talking about?" Conner gave him a bewildered stare, really wondering how the topic had gone from reporting on their patrol to some strange 'gaming' reference.
The kid gave him a disbelieving look. "Really? Am I the only person on the team who plays Wizards and Warlocks?"
"Ummm…"
"Ugh…" Robin shook his head again. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before explaining. "It's a paper and dice based RPG. Very old fashioned these days but my friends and I around here enjoy it. I play it when I get the chance. Can't exactly visit my old clubs anymore."
"Old clubs?"
"Yeah…" The teen wonder took one look at his face before saying more. "Detective and mystery clubs. It was a long time ago. Don't exactly have time for them anymore, and I solved all those cases ages ago."
"Wow."
"Yeah…" Robin looked past him to the out of order phone booth. "Well, you better get going."
"What about—"
"Nightwing or Batgirl will help me get home if I can't make it on my own," he answered quickly, taking away what doubts were plaguing the clone's mind. "I'll be fine. See you later."
"Later." Conner stepped into the phone booth, then stopped to look back to his teammate. "Hey. For what it's worth, I had fun tonight."
Robin grinned. "Me too."
Smiling, the clone closed the booth and let the zeta-beams work their magic. He didn't see the teen wonder's grin grow almost to devilish proportions.
Recognized – Superboy B04
"SURPRISE!"
Conner jolted almost two feet in the air as nearly everyone he knew the past five years leapt out of the shadows of the cave to greet him. Almost a second after at least three people had flashed cameras in front of his face and taken shots of his shocked expression. He hadn't been pleasantly surprised by something in years.
Once the cameras were done, Wally started the singing, quickly joined by everyone else in the room.
.
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Conner!
Happy Birthday to you!
.
Then Wally persisted, quickly joined by Nightwing, both with impish grins. Artemis followed suit.
.
And many more…
.
Happy Birthday to you!
You live in a zoo!
You smell like a monkey!
And you act like one too!
.
"HEY!" The clone objected loudly midst all the laughter around him. But this tenacious teasing trio were not done yet.
.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Birds are flying everywhere!
People dying everywhere!
But Happy Birthday, anyway!
.
Happy happy birthday Conner dear!
Happy days will come to you all year!
If I had a wish than it would be!
A happy happy birthday to you from me!
.
"KNOCK IT OFF YOU GUYS!" All this friends did was laugh, ready to drag him into the next room where all the party favors and food were.
Recognized – Robin B20
Conner jerked around to see the kid he left in that alleyway appearing behind him, smothering a smile and a laugh behind his gloved hand. He scowled at him as others tried to tug him away. "You knew!"
"Well yeah." Robin worked hard to smother the laugh inside him. This had to be hysterical for him. "How else do you think Nightwing convinced me not to go solo tonight?"
"Would you have taken on Croc if you had?" Some skepticism entered his voice. Nightwing told Conner he was there to lighten up this boy wonder, make friends with him. He thought he succeeded until then. Had it all been a play between them just to have this party go unnoticed?
The kid shrugged, rolling his shoulder again as he followed the others to the common room for the festivities. "Probably not. I'd have stuck to the regular low lives then called in backup for him. Might have gone to bed early. Must say, this was definitely a better night than most though." Robin grinned in earnest. "I haven't enjoyed a patrol this much in a while. Wally really met Artemis in swim trunks? Hilarious."
"You were listening?" The clone told him that story near the beginning of their route that night. He thought the kid was ignoring him.
"I always listen," a smile calming down on his face. "I just don't always have something to say. Anyway, not to be rude, but I'm just going to grab some cake and go home."
"What?" Nightwing finally made it close to the two of them and nearly tackled Robin from behind, lounging on him like a sloth. "But you just got here!"
"I'm tired!" the kid objected loudly, trying to shove his big brother off. The guy was heady. "I've been patrolling all night and I've been up since six yesterday! I don't run off coffee and cereal!"
"Ah… the joys of childhood."
"Get off me!"
"Not until you promise to stay a little longer!" Nightwing pouted childishly for Robin's sake, and possibly to make others laugh at the scene, but he gave Conner a knowing look. Catching it, the clone relaxed. The patrol that night was for both their benefits. His old friend hadn't lied. "You really need to be more social."
"I have a dungeon crawl scheduled at noon," the kid said through clenched teeth. "Let me get some sleep before the sun rises."
"Nuh uh. You're gonna sleep through the day just like every other bat here."
"Quit trying to turn me into a vampire!"
"Not likely. The day you willingly donate blood is the day you truly become one of us!"
"Just get off me!" Robin was starting to whine, making others in the room laugh.
"No way!"
"Hey Conner!" Cassie came up to him, carrying over his cake. Five candles were set ablaze on top. She grinned excitedly. "Make a wish!"
The clone took one look at the cake, then to the two batboys still bickering fondly. He remembered Superman for a moment, sadly wishing he was there and that he too could argue with him that way. Well at least he had some friends in the mean time. Conner looked back to the candles and blew a short puff of air, one wish firmly set in his mind.
The smoke from the candles dissipated above the cake, earning a cheer from all those who knew him well. He smiled fondly at them all as Cassie put the cake on a table so they could cut it. Conner took the first slice, then walked over to the brothers, still bickering and teasing.
"Beats those booty shorts you used to wear," Robin snapped at Nightwing who gave a mocking gasp.
"It was a leotard and you know it!"
"Completely yellow cape? Pixie boots? What were you trying to do? Attract gay pedos?"
"Says the boy who smells like the wrong end of a wet dog."
"Killer Croc. Gotham sewers. And it used to be worse."
"Hey Rob?" Conner started, suppressing the twitch on his own lips. "Remember what you asked me earlier on patrol?"
The two blinked innocently for a moment before donning comprehension came on the kid's face. "Yeah? Got one?"
"Yep."
Without any invitation, the clone threw the cake into their leader's face. Everyone who was paying attention's jaws dropped, most starting to smile. "Ooo…" "Oh no…" "Heh heh heh…" "Burn…" "Dude…"
Nightwing just stared at him in complete shock, unable to respond quick enough.
Robin managed to wiggle out of his grasp while in this stupor, stumbling to Conner's side. Both grew devilish grins of triumph before the teen wonder tugged on his new friend's sleeve. "Run."
Both of them bolted out of the room as fast as they could, taking advantage of Nightwing's current mental state to get a good head start. They needed it because soon the acrobat was roaring after them with equally large slices of cake. Everyone else just hung back and laughed, and swore they heard all three of them laughing their heads off, evil cackles and all, before even one of them managed to actually eat a piece.
END
A/N: Okay, couldn't help it, had to make those two gang up on Dick. Had to have the brothers bickering, had to show what sleep deprivation can do to people. I made Tim chattier the later it got, had to have him come in last minute to see what everyone's reactions were. and I had to make Conner oblivious to a lot of it.
As for other bits, kudos to those who can spot all the comic book references with Tim. Tim really is the Robin most like Batman, and has been seen taking it too far in different versions of the future because of the bad things that happen all around him. So dick's concern is quite validated. Having prank wars in the manor sounds pretty normal for them too. Tim secretly laughing at Conner sounds accurate to me, and him having a great poker face. The whole thing with the ice cream, I think i picked it up somewhere else. Oh, and Wizards and Warlocks is a game in the DC universe referring to D&D. Yes, I played it too. My brother kept nearly dying in it and I (the healer) kept getting a lot of XP because of him.
Gee, my brain is frying from this one. Just wanted the two of them to go on patrol really and see how they could become friends. No idea what Conner's actual birthday is so I just picked the say they found him. Originally had a first bit where Nightwing told Robin to take Conner on patrol to distract him, but I was mostly doing everything from Conner's POV so I cut it out. In the end, the two became friends. Not too sure how the party scene went in my head (brain fried) so I'll probably edit that better later.
Also, if you can name where each of the birthday songs came from, congrats. I learned them all as a kid.
Until then... TTFN!
P.S. FYI, still have poll on profile. vote if you want.