Just Like a Pill (5/?)
Based off the YJ_anon_meme prompt:
"So, Robin is actually a girl, but dresses and acts like a boy because of what happens to little girls in Gotham. The team find out and have to deal with not only their betrayal, but having to completely change their expectations.
Bonus! The guys start getting protective, and Robin shows them that she doesn't need them to save her."
Warnings: Nothing but drama
A/N: So, the second phase of team confrontation! I kept them as close it in-character as I could considering the genderbent circumstances, forgive me if I've slipped as you cringe. I think I caught all that but you never know. This is unbeta'd so read at your own risk.
Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of it's characters
Part V
For a moment, there is absolute silence as the rest of the team currently not cowering/sitting on Robin’s bed tried to digest what they’d just been told.Wally was, of course, the quickest to recover. “You can’t be serious.” His tone was so cold, so angry, Robin shuddered. “In all that time you, Roy, and I hung out. All that time you said I was you’re best friend. You’re a girl.” Never had that statement sounded more like a condemnation than it did now. “And you never told me.”
Robin took a shaky breath and looked up, almost losing her nerve when she saw the expressions of her teammates, especially Wally. “Wally, I didn’t-“
He cut her off sharply, his eyes practically glowing with ire and disgust. “No. You didn’t.” And then he was gone.
Robin focused on breathing through her nose and not allowing her jaw to tremble as she turned to look at the rest of the team. Artemis looks almost as pissed as Wally so Robin quickly averted her gaze to the others. Kaldur looked disappointed and Megan actually looked a mix of confused and pitying which is somehow almost worse.
“Robin.” Kaldur begins slowly, seeming to have trouble finding his words. “This …is not at all what I would have expected of you.” And with that one sentence she’s almost in tears again. Kaldur, in the brief time she’s know him, has kinda become a big brother to her. Someone she wants to impress, to be proud of her. Like- “Or Batman,” he adds, “because clearly this is not something you were keeping a secret because you wanted to.”
At his words, Robin choked on a sob and shook her head violently. “Are.” She croaked. “Are keeping a secret. I’m dead if Batman finds out you know.”
Artemis looked repulsed. “So a girl sidekick’s not good enough for the great Batman?” She sneered, “and you’re just going along with it. Green Arrow’s right, you don’t have a mind of your own. Just Batman’s good soldier.”
Insulted, Robin was able to calm herself down enough to give Artemis a cold look. “I was nine when I started going on patrol with Batman.” She hissed. “Do you know what happens to little girls in Gotham? Do you know how many times I was captured in my first few years and being a “boy” saved me from a fate way worse than what I got?” She let out an angry, bitter, sound that was more than a sigh but less than a scream. “Batman refused to allow me on the streets as a girl because he knew it would be serving me to the Gotham underbelly on a silver platter. I wouldn’t have had a chance of keeping my innocence intact -in any sense of the word. No matter how careful he is, Batman can’t be everywhere at once and he certainly isn’t perfect.” That was why she was Bruce Wayne’s “son” too. Attempting to extort money out of Bruce via kidnapping Richard was something that happened with a depressing amount of frequency.
“So Batman did it to protect you?” Megan asked hesitantly, still looking like she was trying her best to comprehend but just not getting it. “That makes sense when you put it like that but… we’re a team …aren’t we?” She looked so sad and so confused and Robin felt like such shit emotionally, physically, and just in general.
“Batman …doesn’t like telling anyone anything. Ask your mentors how long it took to get him to reveal himself to some of the League.”
“Okay. So you had to keep your “horrible female-ness” a secret. Okay.” Artemis stated, still sounding like it was still anything but okay. “What I’d like to know is how exactly the great Bat thought that was gonna fly when you started actually looking, ya-know female. I mean, you’re thirteen. Give it a year or two-“
Robin broke in, deciding if she was if for a penny she might as well be in for a pound. “And Robin dies. I told you, I’m dead if Batman finds out you know. That was-”
“Batman will actually kill you?!” Superboy broke in for the first time since his oh-so-helpful big reveal, sounding horrified and suddenly scooping her into a rather uncomfortably tight hug.
“No!” Robin squawked, scandalized by both the manhandling and the statement. “Robin dies. Robin is male. I …I will noticeably not be. Thus I can’t be Robin anymore. That was always the plan.” Batman’s hours of planning really didn’t sound so good in the current situation.
“So, what? You were just going to fake your death, traumatize us all and come back a month or so later as a girl?!” Artemis asked derisively.
Robin remained silent.
“You are kidding.” Kaldur deadpanned.
Superboy nearly broke her ribs. “You have got to be kidding.” He snarled, mildly scaring her. Superboy seemed to sense he was crushing her a bit too much and consciously loosened his grip just slightly.
Kaldur narrowed his eyes. “Batman had more planned for Young Justice than just being a team running missions under him.”
“He …he wants you to be prepared.” Robin defended.
Kaldur raised a hand to silence the girls before they could voice any opinions to that and closed his eyes, seeming to need a moment to gather himself. “We-I need some time to grasp this and think clearly again. I cannot make any calls as team leader about this at this time. Megan, Artemis, Superboy-“
“I’m staying here,” Superboy interrupted.
“You are?” Robin had to do a bit of exemplary contorting to join the others in giving him a look of befuddlement, but she managed it.
“You said Batman would make you leave if he knew we knew. You’ll tell him if we leave you alone.”
Superboy shrugged. “You may have lied, but I don’t want you to leave. Not yet.”
Before Robin could protest Kaldur nodded. “For now, that is a good idea. There are no cameras or bugs in the bedrooms.” Kaldur watched Robin as he spoke, seeming to read her reactions as to whether that statement was true or not. Robin gave him a tiny nod. Batman was going to kill her anyway. Might as well go all the way. Well …maybe not all the way. He might actually break his code and kill her kill her if she did that. “Megan, Artemis, we should go. Nothing constructive will be said here. Collect your thoughts. We’ll reconvene in my room in one hour.”
With that Robin watched her friends walk out without looking back. She stared at the closed door for several moments. Then she stared at the clock. It wasn’t until she turned her attention to her disregarded communicator still lying on the floor -thankfully un-stepped upon- that Superboy spoke.
“Was all of this; were all of us, really just a mission to you?” He asked. He sounded like he was frowning deeply again, but at least he was not longer yelling at or squishing her.
Robin sighed, emotionally exhausted. “Did it really seem that way to you?”
Part 6.
"So, Robin is actually a girl, but dresses and acts like a boy because of what happens to little girls in Gotham. The team find out and have to deal with not only their betrayal, but having to completely change their expectations.
Bonus! The guys start getting protective, and Robin shows them that she doesn't need them to save her."
Warnings: Nothing but drama
A/N: So, the second phase of team confrontation! I kept them as close it in-character as I could considering the genderbent circumstances, forgive me if I've slipped as you cringe. I think I caught all that but you never know. This is unbeta'd so read at your own risk.
Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of it's characters
Part V
For a moment, there is absolute silence as the rest of the team currently not cowering/sitting on Robin’s bed tried to digest what they’d just been told.Wally was, of course, the quickest to recover. “You can’t be serious.” His tone was so cold, so angry, Robin shuddered. “In all that time you, Roy, and I hung out. All that time you said I was you’re best friend. You’re a girl.” Never had that statement sounded more like a condemnation than it did now. “And you never told me.”
Robin took a shaky breath and looked up, almost losing her nerve when she saw the expressions of her teammates, especially Wally. “Wally, I didn’t-“
He cut her off sharply, his eyes practically glowing with ire and disgust. “No. You didn’t.” And then he was gone.
Robin focused on breathing through her nose and not allowing her jaw to tremble as she turned to look at the rest of the team. Artemis looks almost as pissed as Wally so Robin quickly averted her gaze to the others. Kaldur looked disappointed and Megan actually looked a mix of confused and pitying which is somehow almost worse.
“Robin.” Kaldur begins slowly, seeming to have trouble finding his words. “This …is not at all what I would have expected of you.” And with that one sentence she’s almost in tears again. Kaldur, in the brief time she’s know him, has kinda become a big brother to her. Someone she wants to impress, to be proud of her. Like- “Or Batman,” he adds, “because clearly this is not something you were keeping a secret because you wanted to.”
At his words, Robin choked on a sob and shook her head violently. “Are.” She croaked. “Are keeping a secret. I’m dead if Batman finds out you know.”
Artemis looked repulsed. “So a girl sidekick’s not good enough for the great Batman?” She sneered, “and you’re just going along with it. Green Arrow’s right, you don’t have a mind of your own. Just Batman’s good soldier.”
Insulted, Robin was able to calm herself down enough to give Artemis a cold look. “I was nine when I started going on patrol with Batman.” She hissed. “Do you know what happens to little girls in Gotham? Do you know how many times I was captured in my first few years and being a “boy” saved me from a fate way worse than what I got?” She let out an angry, bitter, sound that was more than a sigh but less than a scream. “Batman refused to allow me on the streets as a girl because he knew it would be serving me to the Gotham underbelly on a silver platter. I wouldn’t have had a chance of keeping my innocence intact -in any sense of the word. No matter how careful he is, Batman can’t be everywhere at once and he certainly isn’t perfect.” That was why she was Bruce Wayne’s “son” too. Attempting to extort money out of Bruce via kidnapping Richard was something that happened with a depressing amount of frequency.
“So Batman did it to protect you?” Megan asked hesitantly, still looking like she was trying her best to comprehend but just not getting it. “That makes sense when you put it like that but… we’re a team …aren’t we?” She looked so sad and so confused and Robin felt like such shit emotionally, physically, and just in general.
“Batman …doesn’t like telling anyone anything. Ask your mentors how long it took to get him to reveal himself to some of the League.”
“Okay. So you had to keep your “horrible female-ness” a secret. Okay.” Artemis stated, still sounding like it was still anything but okay. “What I’d like to know is how exactly the great Bat thought that was gonna fly when you started actually looking, ya-know female. I mean, you’re thirteen. Give it a year or two-“
Robin broke in, deciding if she was if for a penny she might as well be in for a pound. “And Robin dies. I told you, I’m dead if Batman finds out you know. That was-”
“Batman will actually kill you?!” Superboy broke in for the first time since his oh-so-helpful big reveal, sounding horrified and suddenly scooping her into a rather uncomfortably tight hug.
“No!” Robin squawked, scandalized by both the manhandling and the statement. “Robin dies. Robin is male. I …I will noticeably not be. Thus I can’t be Robin anymore. That was always the plan.” Batman’s hours of planning really didn’t sound so good in the current situation.
“So, what? You were just going to fake your death, traumatize us all and come back a month or so later as a girl?!” Artemis asked derisively.
Robin remained silent.
“You are kidding.” Kaldur deadpanned.
Superboy nearly broke her ribs. “You have got to be kidding.” He snarled, mildly scaring her. Superboy seemed to sense he was crushing her a bit too much and consciously loosened his grip just slightly.
Kaldur narrowed his eyes. “Batman had more planned for Young Justice than just being a team running missions under him.”
“He …he wants you to be prepared.” Robin defended.
Kaldur raised a hand to silence the girls before they could voice any opinions to that and closed his eyes, seeming to need a moment to gather himself. “We-I need some time to grasp this and think clearly again. I cannot make any calls as team leader about this at this time. Megan, Artemis, Superboy-“
“I’m staying here,” Superboy interrupted.
“You are?” Robin had to do a bit of exemplary contorting to join the others in giving him a look of befuddlement, but she managed it.
“You said Batman would make you leave if he knew we knew. You’ll tell him if we leave you alone.”
Superboy shrugged. “You may have lied, but I don’t want you to leave. Not yet.”
Before Robin could protest Kaldur nodded. “For now, that is a good idea. There are no cameras or bugs in the bedrooms.” Kaldur watched Robin as he spoke, seeming to read her reactions as to whether that statement was true or not. Robin gave him a tiny nod. Batman was going to kill her anyway. Might as well go all the way. Well …maybe not all the way. He might actually break his code and kill her kill her if she did that. “Megan, Artemis, we should go. Nothing constructive will be said here. Collect your thoughts. We’ll reconvene in my room in one hour.”
With that Robin watched her friends walk out without looking back. She stared at the closed door for several moments. Then she stared at the clock. It wasn’t until she turned her attention to her disregarded communicator still lying on the floor -thankfully un-stepped upon- that Superboy spoke.
“Was all of this; were all of us, really just a mission to you?” He asked. He sounded like he was frowning deeply again, but at least he was not longer yelling at or squishing her.
Robin sighed, emotionally exhausted. “Did it really seem that way to you?”
Part 6.