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Dick’s introduction to the Justice League started with Superman. He was one of the few members who knew Bruce’s (and therefore Dick’s) identity, so it seemed like a safe start. They were meeting the Kryptonian on the roof of a building on the edge of Gotham, so Batman and Robin were heading over in the Batmobile. The 10-year-old Robin was rocking in his seat, clearly trying to reign in the usual boundless energy. It wasn’t working particularly well.
Bruce glanced down at his charge’s hands, which were twitching at his sides and twisting in the fabric of the cape he wore. Dick’s head jerked up to meet Bruce’s eyes, and Bruce was amused at the clear excitement in the kid’s face.
“It’s just Clark, chum.”
“It’s not just Clark, B!” Dick looked offended. “It’s Superman!”
“Clark is Superman,” Bruce raised an eyebrow.
“Bruuuuuce…..” Dick pouted.
“Names.”
“Oops, sorry!”
The Batmobile slid to a smooth stop (a much better example of the car’s excellent manufacturing rather than any driving skill of Bruce’s) and Dick was out the door at a speed that would make the Flash proud. He poked his head back in the door when Bruce didn’t immediately follow.
“C’mon! Let’s go!”
Bruce merely nodded and exited via his own door. He rounded the hood of the car and was immediately met with two small hands grabbing his own and dragging him towards the abandoned building they had parked in front of.
It was a quick climb and grapple to the roof of the building, and the pair were soon stood next to the old generator.
They didn’t have to wait much at all. There was a sound of wind whistling, and then the sound of feet landing softly on the ground. The boy in blue stood in front of them, a grin plastered on his face.
“Batman,” He nodded to Bruce, “And you must be Robin.”
Bruce glanced down at his charge, who seemed starstruck. He could tell that Dick’s eyes were wide beneath the domino mask, and his mouth had dropped open slightly. He glanced back up to Clark, who was doing a poor job of hiding his amusement.
“Introduce yourself,” Bruce prompted quietly, giving the boy a little push.
Dick stepped forward with the movement, and all at once his energy came crashing back.
“Hello, Superman!” He bounded forward, cape flaring dramatically behind him. “I’m Robin, Batman’s partner, the Boy Wonder!”
He thrust out gloved hand, and Bruce could see the tremble in his charge’s arm. Clark reached forward and shook Dick’s hand firmly.
“It’s very nice to finally meet you, Robin.”
“Finally?” Dick cocked his head.
“Batman talks about you quite a bit.”
Dick whirled around, dropping Superman’s hand.
“B!” He sounded scandalized, “What have you been saying about me?”
“Nothing bad. Don’t worry, sport,” Clark cut in with a chuckle, ruffling Dick’s hair. Bruce fought the smile threatening to cross his face.
+++
“That was the best thing ever!” Dick exclaimed as he cartwheeled across the Batcave. “Superman is so cool!”
Bruce “hmm”-ed and pulled off his cowl. The chattering continued while the two of them put the uniforms away and proceeded back to the main floor of the manor.
Once they reached the secret entrance to the cave and closed the door Dick had quieted down, the excitement of meeting a Justice Leaguer seeming to have worn off.
It was startling to say the least when Dick burst into tears. Bruce knelt down quickly, hands hovering around the kid’s arms, unsure.
“Chum?” Bruce spoke, worry and panic bleeding into his voice.
The tears had escalated into full blown sobbing, and soon enough Bruce had an armful of crying child.
The commotion drew the attention of Alfred, who had poked his head into the study, an eyebrow raised. Bruce sent a panicked look and the butler’s gaze softened.
“I shall get the young master a glass of water,” He stated, disappearing back behind the door frame.
Bruce attempted to comfort Dick while he waited for Alfred’s return, and luckily the tears seemed to have mostly stopped by the time he did so. Bruce took the glass from Alfred and handed it to Dick, who drank it slowly.
“What was that all about, chum?” Bruce asked softly, attempting to make eye contact with the kid.
Dick met his gaze, and unfortunately the question seemed to have brought a fresh crop of tears to the surface.
“I didn’t ask for Superman’s autograph!” The sobbing began again.
Bruce awkwardly took the boy back into his arms, not before removing the glass of water and setting it to the side. That was definitely not the worst this could have been.
“Oh, uh... don’t worry, bud,” Bruce wasn’t quite sure how to fix this situation. “You can ask Superman the next time you see him.”
“But that won’t be until forever!” Dick wailed between sobs.
Bruce shot another look to Alfred, whose amused expression offered no insights.
“We can ask Superman if he’d come over to the cave, and then you can ask him. How does that sound, chum?”
“R-really?” Dick sniffled, looking up from where his head had been buried in Bruce’s shirt.
“Really.”
+++
“Thank you, Superman!” Dick bounced, holding his newly signed Superman poster high over his head.
“No problem, kiddo.”
Bruce expertly hid his laugh with a cough as Dick gently passed the poster off to him and then ran back and tackled Superman with a hug.
“Bye, Superman!”
“Bye Robin. Batman.” Superman nodded to both, and then disappeared in a swish of the wind.
“Feeling better now?” Bruce asked, handing the poster back to Dick.
“Yeah!” Dick looked at the signature with reverence, “I’m gonna hang this right above my bed!”
+++
Bruce bid goodnight to Alfred and made his way upstairs to the family wing of bedrooms. He stopped outside Dick’s room, gently turning the doorknob and poking his head inside. The poster hung slightly off center above the head of the bed, right next to a homemade bat-shaped silhouette.