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There's a ghost at Wayne Manor.
Dick was surprised to find out.
“Put the pudding back in the garbage bag, Master Grayson,” said Alfred.
“I already put it back.” Dick complained.
“But pudding's position said otherwise.”
Dick tilted his head and looked at the mess, lost in thought.
He ate chocolate pudding, but the pudding residue was strawberry.
“Come on, let's go downstairs. Master Bruce will be waiting.” Alfred stepped forward and took the child's hand.
Dick frowned as he went downstairs, turned his head to see a the pudding residue that lay on the table.
"That's not me,” said Dick, holding Alfred's hand and looking up, “Alfred, I think there's someone else in the house.”
“Maybe someone ate it while sleepwalking,” said Alfred, who apparently has rich experience dealing with kid's excuses at this age.
Dick muttered sullenly, “I'll prove it to you.”
-
“What's going on with Dick?” said the young man, holding the newspaper in his hand.
“He's much better,” Alfred said.
They all knew what they were talking about -- the little dark-haired boy just lost his parents. When Dick just came to the manor ,he often cried to sleep.
“Now he thinks there's another little boy in the room, doing bad things and blame it on him.” The older man shrugged, “He swore to look for answers.”
Bruce looked down, his mind clearly not on it,“... Alfred,” said the young man, who was in his early twenties, “He's so young...” Bruce paused, “... I don't know if I can take this responsibility.”
“Master Bruce.” Alfred patted him on the shoulder, “He's strong enough and...” the housekeeper paused, “He relies on you and trusts you... he just need more time.”
The young man lowered his eyes .
-
Dick caught the ghost in the kitchen.
He hold the broom in an aggressive manner.
“I've got you!” Dick shouted, “You little thief--”
The boy's voice paused.
A little boy -- a translucent ghost boy, to be precise -- was clutching a piece of cake and looking back in horror at Dick.
“...” Dick uttered a faint murmur, then lost his memory for a moment.
“... Hey, dude!” Something was shaking Dick ,“Get up! Look at me!”
Dick opened his eyes and found himself on the floor.
He raised his head, and a translucent apparition, floating in the air, looked at him expectantly.
After yelling (It must be a scarecrow hallucination!) and frantic denial (A ghost？Insane! That's Insane!) , Dick finally came to his senses.
“... Are you a ghost?” Dick asked.
The ghost blinked. Except for his translucent milky white body, he almost the same age as Dick. He was a little boy with curly hair, big eyes, and a round nose.“... I think so."
“So you ate all those cakes and snacks?” Dick asked, pouting,"You have no body, you can't even digest It! You've got crumbs everywhere! What's worse, Alfred and Bruce thought I ate it!”
“But I'm hungry! You can't finish them all. And they smell so good, I just can't resist.” The ghost shook his head,“I'm sorry.”
Dick frowned and looked at the ghost for a moment, He put down the broom and nodded, “What's your name?”
“Roy Harper,” the ghost said, puffing out his chest.
Dick noticed that the spooky boy had very light freckles on the tip of his nose, which were a translucent color.
“And you, What's your name?” said the ghost, “They call you Dick,” the ghost laughed so hard, “But that doesn't sound like an official name.”
Dick narrowed his eyes as Batman's words about secret identities rang out in his head, “Robin,” he said, “My name is Robin.”
The translucent ghost cocked his head, “That sounds like a nickname too...” he thought for a moment, “You don't have a last name?”
“Just call me Robin.”
“You sound rude,” the ghost seemed unhappy, “I want to be your friend. You don't even tell me your name.”
“It's a secret,” Dick said,"B tell me not to."
“Who's B?” The ghost boy said, puzzled, “I am so confused.”
Dick didn't answer.
“Tell me!” the ghost had a tantrum, “Tell me, Robin, please, please,please--" he cried," tell me your real name!”
Dick pursed his lips and clasped his hands, “You're too old to be rolling over like that.”
The ghost was hurt, his voice a little choked, and his translucent shadow was shaking, “Oh, you're the worst.” the ghost was really sad, “Ollie said don't be friends with a guy who doesn't even willing to tell you his real name!”
“Who's Ollie?”
“Why should I tell you?” The ghost snapped.
Dick looked at him for a moment and asked, “Are you going to hurt me?”
The ghost paused and shook his head.
“Do you want to hurt me?”
The ghost shook his head again.
Dick was relieved.
“I can be your friend without telling you my name,” said Dick, triumphantly, “But you must listen to me at the Manor!”
The ghost stopped complaining and looked at him.
-
Having a ghost in the Manor is a wonderful experience.
Dick was walking home from school with his school bag on his back.
“ Bye guys.” he said.
“Goodbye, Dick.” the other kids said.
“Don't forget about the school dance,” the little red-haired girl called out to Dick, face blushing.
Dick almost forgot, “Oh, of course, Janet.” He hopped into the car that was coming to pick him up, which hit his head.
Dick hissed in pain.
As soon as the car stopped, Dick jumped out of the car and rushed home. Before Alfred park the car, the boy rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of oatmeal and milk from the fridge.
Dick ran into the room.
“Roy?” Dick called.
“Roy, come out, it's me.”
The woman's mural on the wall moved slightly, and a transparent figure emerged from it.
“Oh, and you can be transparent,” exclaimed Dick, who had always thought ghosts were translucent white.
When Roy saw what he was holding, he grunted in delight, “I know a lot of things you don't know.”
“Eat quickly,” said Dick, “I'll be out on the night patrol later, and I'll throw away your leftovers,” he said, “I've been eating so much lately that Alfred already suspect me.” Dick thought, “... Maybe I should tell Bruce.”
“You mustn't talk to Bruce,” the ghost implored him, “I'm afraid of him.”
“Why fear him, Bruce is nice,” Dick wondered, “You see, this is his house, and you are a little ghost who was not invited to live in.”
“I didn't sneak in!” said the ghost unhappy, “I was invited.”
“What?” Dick asked.
“That's right, my dad,” said the ghost, “He was invited to the, uh, cherry, uh charity event, that's why I came to Gotham -- I don't like it here. It's dark, dark, humid, and my lungs are full of water,” Roy complained, “Ollie told me not to skip the dinner party, but he was too busy talking with his pilot friend, and I got pissed and ran out to the garden, and i fell into the cave.I hate it, it felt terrible.”
“Do you remember anything more about it?” Dick asked, determined to prove himself to Bruce in his first solo case.
“No,” Roy said, “I'm looking for my dad.”
“Do you know how many years you've been here?” Dick asked.
“I don't know, I can only remember little things” ghost tried hard to figure it out, scratching his hair hard. (the ghost could even scratch his hair, Dick thought.) “The last time I woke up, I was playing with an another kid. He was my age. He was so sweet, and didn't afraid of me. He asked me to play baseball with him next time,” Roy said, tilting his head, “I promised him, but when I woke up, I didn't see him. I went to the baseball field to wait for him, but he wasn't there anymore.”
Dick was at a loss. Was there any other child at Manor?
The ghost paused, “He's my second best friend.”
Dick raised an eyebrow, “Who's your best friend?”
The ghost cheeks became red (Dick was surprised) , “Oh, I don't tell you.”
“Do you remember anything else?” Dick asked.
“No.”
“All Right!” Dick wrote it all down on a piece of paper, nibbling at the tip of a pen, “I'll help you, Roy. Maybe soon you'll fiind your father.”
Ghost smiled.
“But now,” said Dick, drawing his yellow-and-green suit from his drawer, his tone becoming animated, “The most important thing is the night patrol.”
“May I go with you?” asked the ghost, shining with joy, “Pleeease,please,please! Oh,I would like to go out on a patrol, too.”
“Beginners are not allowed,” Dick said, putting on his bright uniform and wrapping his cape around him. He shook it proudly, “This is an expert matter.”
“I am experienced! Ollie used to take me with him, we caught a lot of bad guys, and I have a name, Speedy!”
“Oh,Speedy, what a name! ” Dick thought. If Wally knows it, he'd be clamoring for the name.
“Yes, Ollie is an excellent arrowman! He said I was very talented and would surpass him sooner or later.”
Dick nodded, thought for a moment, picked up the pen again, and drew a little bow and arrow under the portrait of the man with the goatee.
“So can I come with you?” The ghost said, promising, “I'll hide and Batman won't find out.”
Dick had been surprised to discover that ghosts were not earthbound spirits, that he could go wherever he wanted -- but that Roy had chosen to stay at the manor and wait for his father.
Dick shook his head, “No,” he said gravely, “You're not going anywhere.”
The ghost's face looked pissed.
“Otherwise, I won't bring you dessert next week.”
The ghost was disappointed and grumbled unhappily.
-
Dick ran to the room after night patrol, his little feet bouncing on the floor, pounding the redwood floor with excitement.
“And we saw the Big Blue Guy!” Dick boasted to the ghost, gesturing, “I sat on his shoulder and he carried me so far!”
“And he threw you up and down!” said the ghost excitedly, “I watched you fly in the air several times! It was like a gymnastics show!”
Dick paused.“... What?” The boy frowned suspiciously, “You followed me?”
The ghost looked away from the dark-haired boy and shut his mouth.
“...” Dick was pissed,“ Didn't I tell you not to follow me?”
“Oh, I am a freeeee ghost, you can not control me.” Ghost hum.
“You're so irritating!” Dick sulked, as the ghost really liked to contradict him, “You said I was the boss in the house!”
“-- But,” the ghost retorted menacingly,” I really want to go out, you have so many friends...” his voice was becoming less and less confident, “I just want to see them, your big blue guy, Donna, Wally -- I want to be friends with them too,” he said in a low voice, “I'm so lonely. Ollie isn't here and I can't find any other friends.”
Dick felt sorry for Roy. He thought for a moment, “If you want to go out, I can go out with you.” he said.
“Yes! I can shoot arrows !I can help you while patrolling.” Cried the ghost cheerfully, “I am a good archer! Ollie has trained me!”
Dick exclaimed, his blue eyes glittering, “We'll be cool together!”
“I knew!” said the ghost, “I've made different kinds of bows and arrows before. Let me show you—” before he could finish his words, he threw himself on the wall and disappeared.
Dick turned, and the door opened in the back. A young man was in the doorway.
“Why are you up so late?” Asked the dark-haired young man, apparently awakened by Dick's disco-like movements.
“Oh! I. . .” Dick stammered, “I just brushed my teeth. I'm going to bed, Bruce.”
“Have you finished your math homework?”
“I'll do it tomorrow,” Dick said, his cheeks bulging in frustration, “I'll finish it tomorrow, Bruce. I did my literature homework today.”
“Don't jump around the room,” Bruce said, “And don't rock the chandelier.”
Dick kep head down and nod.
The young man was clearly not used to talking to such little child. He nodded, turned around, and closed the door as if to breathe a sigh of relief desperately.
“Why does he always sneak up on you at night?” Roy whispered, “He's been here a few times before.”
“He's worried about me,” Dick said,frustrated by the criticism.
“Why ?”
“... Because my mom and dad passed away,” Dick said, sitting on the bed with his arms around knees, “They're all afraid I'll be too sad...” the boy didn't continue.
The ghost's eyebrows sagged, his lips pursed, looking sad, and he floated around Dick.
“May I hold you?” Asked the ghost.
“No,” Dick refused.
For a moment the ghost looked sad.“... Well,” he whispered,“I don't have a mom or a dad neither."
Dick looked up at the ghost,“What?”
“My father died when I was very young. I can't remember anything. I was picked up by the tribe,” Roy said, “After that, Ollie adopted me and became my guardian. I didn't really have a father, but I always imagined he was the one for me.”
“... Do you want him to be your father?” Dick asked.
“Of course I do... But he doesn't want me to call him dad. Ollie's afraid of that,” said the ghost, his eyes filling with translucent tears, “So I have to call him dad in private.”
Dick reached out to touch the ghost, which felt cool to the touch, and the little dark-haired boy thought for a long time, “Bruce isn't my father, either,” he said in a low voice, “I had parents..”
The ghost was silent for a moment. He opened his arms and hugged the little boy.
Dick shivered, “It's cold.”
The ghost nodded, “That's what the last guy said too.”
“You could put your hand in my glass and I don't need ice anymore.” Dick said.
The ghost began to giggled and tickle him, Dick held it in for a long time, until at last he could not help laughing.
“Oh, it's cold! It's cold!”
“You're warm-and you smell good.”
“Nonsense.” Dick said, blushing.
They played for a while, and finally both lay on the bed.
“... Bruce is nice,” Dick said, “Better than anyone could have imagined. They asked me if I wanted to be adopted by Bruce, which meant that Bruce will became my father... but I didn't want to. I am still... the child of John and Mary.”
“What do they look like?”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Because they must be very beautiful people, and if you told me what they looked like, I would know them instantly,” said the ghost, “Because you are very beautiful.”
Dick blushed, then realized the deeper meaning in the other's words,“... Roy, have you met any other ghosts?”
“Well, sometimes,” Replied the ghost.
“Could you ask if anyone knows John Grayson, the Flying Grayson --” Dick exclaimed.
“... Robin, your last name is Grayson?” The ghost was cunning.
“...” Dick rolled his eyes, “Oh, Roy you're worst.”
The ghost thought for a moment, then looked up,, “I did see ghosts of a couple in Gotham.”
Dick's eyes lit up.
“What did they look like?” Dick asked quickly, shaking the ghost's shoulder, “When did you see them? Tell me, Roy.”
“I don't know. I said hello to them long time ago. I didn't ask their names,” said the ghost, “ They seem to be a very lovely couple. Well, they said they died together by accident, leaving their only child. They appear occasionally because they miss him so much, and they wish to see him again.”
“...” Dick's eyes welled up. It sounded so much like his parents,“ Will you let me see them?”
The ghost was not confident,“...I don't know, I only saw them once.”
Dick was a little disappointed. He hid his face-Dick was ashamed to cry, especially when it came to ghost, he wanted to look tough for Roy, not a sniveling fool.
“Are you ok?” the ghost asked.
“Nothing.” Dick wiped his tears down his pants.
“You know what?” The ghost floated around him a few times, determined, “Take me to your school next Friday, and I'll help you find them.”
“Next Friday!” Dick exclaimed, “It's our school dancing party .”
“I know! I heard that, so I want to go,” said the ghost, twirling his hair and hanging it down in front of his eyes, pretend to be cool “I've never been to a dance party. I want to dance with you.”
“How can two boys dance together?” Dick wondered, “And I already had a dance partner.”
It was a little girl named Janet.
“I know, but I think I'm cooler. You see, Janet has red hair and green eyes, and I have red hair and green eyes too, and, uh, I can shoot arrows, and I can dance cha-cha! I can carry you to fly like the Big Blue Guy did!”
Dick was surprised that the ghost had red hair. Dick had always liked red hair, the beautiful, bright red of maple leaves, but the ghost was translucent, and Dick had never seen Roy has a color other than white before.
“Last time you tried to carry me flying, you dropped me and almost broke my ass.”
“I wasn't careful.” The ghost was a little embarrassed, “You look so small, but so heavy.”
“Who's small? You're not tall.”
“I'm taller than you.”
“You're floating. That doesn't count.”
“I'm taller than you without floating!”
“I'm in sixth grade. I can grow.”
The ghost cocked his head and thought for a moment, “Oh, you're sixth grade so that you can go on a date!"
“What the hell? Who said that?”
“... I saw you hanging out with Janet after school. Is this a date? I'm so jealous,” said the ghost, as he approached Dick and tried to act like a peacock, “Would you date me if I had a body?”
Dick was a little surprised, “But you're a boy...” he thought for a moment,“... even if you could, it's still weird.”
“Ollie says you have to behave well when you meet someone you are really into,” the ghost said, “Robin, you're the best-looking kid I've ever seen. I want to go to the prom with you.”
Dick's face blushed.
It made Robin look even cuter, the ghost thought, with his blue eyes, hisdelicate nose and pink lips.
But the owner of the pretty face looked shy and somewhat resistant to the offer.
“-- No, Roy, you talk nonsense all the time,” stammered the black-haired boy.
The ghost sighed bitterly.
“Do you like Janet?” The ghost asked.
“...” Dick nodded and shook his head again.” She's fine, but I don't know.”
The ghost waited expectantly for his answer, “Last time I saw her, she wanted to kiss you, but you made an excuse and ran away.” The ghost whined, .“If i want to kiss you, will you run away too? ”
Dick was getting more and more shy. He felt like he was going to explode. Roy was so shameless. The ghost was a little hooligan, he thought.
Dick loked up, “Are you going to help me or not?”
-
“I saw them, Robin!” Cried the ghost, flying through the wall into the room, “Robin! I saw them!”
The little boy with black hair looked up, his face full of surprise.
“Why, Robin, I thought you told me to find...” the ghost turned to look at the young man besides, who looked shocked.
The young man straightened up from his chair, “What is this?” He asked.
Dick stammered, “It... I... I don't know...”
The young man became serious.
“Dick, tell me everything,” Bruce said.
Dick lower his head and squeezed his fingers.
The ghost was standing next to Dick, both of them in a standing position.
Roy lowered his voice, “They all call you Dick, what a strange name.” The ghost paused, “So it must not be your real name.”
“Hush, Roy.” Dick whispered.
The young man looked at them disapprovingly.
Roy, obviously afraid of Bruce, retracted his neck.
-
Dick said, “He's a free ghost. He can fly around, but he just doesn't want to leave here.”
Bruce picked up the ghost with two fingers, turned it around a few times, and watched carefully.
Roy was clearly afraid of Bruce and stiffened like a cat with squeeze in the back of its neck.
“... Sir?” Roy said.
“Your name is Roy William Harper?” Bruce asked.
The ghost nodded.
“When did you come here?”
“I don't remember,” said the ghost, his voice trembling, “I didn't mean to, sir. I've become a ghost here, my father must be looking for me all around. I'm here to wait for him-”
“Are you sure he's looking for you?” The young man asked.
The ghost paused, his face has the saddest expression Dick had ever seen.“... I don't know,” his translucent shadow quivered, “I.....I want to see him."
Bruce was surprised.
The ghost shuddered and sobbed, “Oh... I miss Ollie, but Ollie... must be out there with that pilot... I miss him,” he cried, “He's not coming for me, is he? Because I didn't listen to him... He must have left with the pilot...because I didn't behave well...I am a bad kid…”
Bruce looked lost, “... Kid... wait...”
The ghost gave up, “But it's been so long, why hasn't he come?” He burped, “I really really want to see him...”
Dick looked sad and held the ghost's hand -- it felt like cold Jello.
“... Stop,” the young man said, “Harper, we'll help you, okay?”
-
“Oliver Queen, borned in the Star City in 1890, he is heir to the Queen Group, spent two years on a deserted island after a shipwrek,"Alfred read , holding up an old newspaper, “He became Green Arrow, and adopted a Navajo orphan, Roy William Harper. They disappeared while visiting Gotham in 1924.”
Bruce watched the 20th-century newspaper in silence, where a blond man in a suit smoking a pipe.
“Missing?” Dick said, “But Roy became a ghost.”
“Yes, it says here that the body of the orphan who fell into the cave was found months later, but Oliver Queen is nowhere to be found.”
“Roy...” Dick looked sad. He had long known what death meant, “Why? Mr. Queen didn't become a ghost -- but Roy did.”
“Maybe it's the unfinished wish.”
“Ufinished?” Dick asked, lying on his stomach, elbows propped up, with open brown paper books in front of him, his calves drumming on the floor out of upset.
“Dick, stop kicking,” Bruce said.
“Yes, Master Grayson,” said Alfred, “It's just a saying that ghosts stay because of unfulfilled wishes, and that wish becomes an obsession, and when that obsession is fulfilled, they will disappear.”
“Disappear,” exclaimed the boy, in a flash of sadness and fear, “No, please, Roy, No,” Dick said, pleading as he looked at the young man beside him, “Bruce, we can't make this happen.”
“We'll find out where Oliver Queen is,” Bruce said, “There are other ways to help Harper stay, Dick, trust me.”
Dick looked half convinced, but still sad.
“But what if bad things happened,” said the boy, with tear under his eye-lashes, “I want Roy to stay.”
Bruce didn't say anything.
The boy looked at them for a while, no one gave a convicing answer, he ran away disappointed.
Bruce and Alfred looked at each other in the room.
A cool breeze blew in, and the ghost came through the wall, exulting, “Guys, I know how to find them!”
The ghost saw Bruce and was silent with fright. He looked around the room for a while with his head bowed, but could not find Dick.
“What's wrong?” He asked, “Where's Robin?”
“... Master Grayson is out and will be back in a moment.”
“He said he wanted to see his parents,” the ghost, floating around the room, spinning, “I think I found them!”
Bruce sat up straight.
-
“Are you sure?”
“I'm sure of it!” said the ghost, “It's a full moon. They'll be here. I asked them. They described a boy your age, with black hair and blue eyes. I'm 99% sure it's you.”
Dick said nothing. He took a deep breath. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest.
“Come on,” said the ghost, grabbing Dick by the ribs and flown as hard as he could, “Let's go, it's only for one night, and it'll be over when the sun comes up.”
Together they lay on the roof and looked at the moon in the distance.
Batman was standing on the roof not far away.
The Moon was hidden by dark clouds. The wind blew and the clouds dispersed slowly.
The bright moonlight shone down and cleared their sight. Two translucent figures appeared on the distant hill. When they got closer, they could clearly see the outlines of a man and a woman.
Robin called out “Mommy and Daddy!” and tried to rush up, but his froze and nearly fell off the roof.
The ghost came forward and held him in his arms, and the two of them floated shakily.
“... No,” Robin murmured, lying in the ghost's arms. He pinched the ghost's translucent body and sniffed
The ghost glanced at him, puzzled, “Robin, What's wrong?”
“That's not my mom and dad,” Robin said, his blue eyes slowly filling with tears of disappointment.
The ghost froze for a moment, then looked guilty of having done something wron.“... Robin, I didn't mean it.”
“It's fine,” said Robin, in a thick nasal voice, “I know it's hard, I don't blame you.”
Suddenly some noise made them turn their heads.
In the distance, Batman act weirdly. He stands up straight, his back trembling, his chest heaving.
The two figures drifted closer, it was a tall man, a beautiful woman on his arm, even from a distance can also be seen as a lovely couple.
The woman smiled in Batman's direction and said, “My boy.”
Batman hung his head, his shoulders shaking. He was almost out of control.
“We've been dying to see you again, son,” the man said, “How have you been all these years?”
Batman takes a deep breath and nods, after a long silence.
“Let's go,” the ghost whispered as he picked Robin up and flown, “We'll leave them to it.”
It was a long, gentle night, and Robin and the ghost were floating in the air for a long time.
Robin lay in the ghost's arms.
Until Robin fell asleep, tears still in his eyes, his hair swaying in the gentle wind.
The ghost looked at the misty sky and held the boy in his arms.
-
“I love party!” the ghost,flying about the room, “Alfred made me a suit!”
“Be quiet,” Dick said, “We can dance outside.” After all, a translucent ghost in a suit is scary for other kids.
“I can dance cha-cha!” The ghost hummed, hopping on the carpet with his translucent feet.
“Come on, Roy,” Dick urged.
“Wait.” There was a knock on the door.
Alfred stood outside the door, “Master Harper, we have a cake for you.”
“Oh! Today is my birthday,” the ghost announced, “And I will make a wish.”
As time goes, more and more information about Roy's life was gathered, such as today is his birthday.
“How old are you?” Dick asked.
“I'm twelve years old,” said the ghost, blowing out the candle, and the wind was so cold that Dick narrowed his eyes, “I also want to meet Donna, Wally, Garth and be good friends with everyone!”
“It doesn't work if you speak it out loud.” Dick said.
Roy covered his mouth with both hands and blinked several times, “ I'll make another one.”
-
Janet got sick.
The teacher was sorry to tell Dick that she had caught a cold and couldn't make it to the dance tonight.
The dates are pre-arranged so that Dick, the star kids at school are left alone.
Dick, on the other hand, was relieved -- Dick was a little shaken by Roy's desire to be his dance partner, but Dick had a already say yes to Janet. It made Dick feel guilty every time he talked to that little girl.
Dick slipped away from the ball, and on the balcony he whispered the ghost's name.
“Roy!” Dick said, looking around, “I'm here.”
No answer.
Dick was a little disappointed.
“Roy, where are you?” Dick asked, even lifting the vase from the balcony to look, but the familiar ghost did not appear.
Where would he go if he wasn't Here? Dick's heart sank.
Footsteps came from behind, mingled with the whispers of the crowd.
Dick frowned, turned, and looked indoors.
A little boy in a suit with green eyes and red hair smiled to him.
Dick was stunned for a moment.
“... Can I have a dance with you?” The little boy blinked his green eyes at him and laughed mischievously.
Dick stared at the red-haired boy, his nose curled up, his freckles twitching with a smile,and he has bright white teeth -- and most of all, his sly green eyes.
He laughed like a bad boy, Dick thought.
Dick was too stunned to speak, his mouth open, his hand held, his eyes never leaving the boy's face.
“I told you I could dance the cha-cha,” the red-haired boy whispered, putting his arm around his waist and leaning close to the dark-haired boy's face, biting his ear.
“Roy?” Dick's voice trembled and his ears turned red.
“It's me.”The redhead boy smiled to him.
The other students stopped and looked at them.
“Boy and another boy can't dance together! ” shouted one of the kids.
“... but there are no more girls to match with them.”
Roy turned a deaf ear, and his feet began to tap to the rhythm -- Roy and Dick were both dance the man's part, stepping on each other's feet constantly.
“Well, Robin, I'm taller than you, too,” Roy whispered as he leaned closer to Dick.
Dick blushed, “Stop it.” He was so shy, especially in front of so many people, “Stop it.”
They danced for a long time.
“Can I kiss you?” the red-haired boy asked.
“What?” Dick felt blood rush to his face.
“No one will see us. We'll be quiet.. We can get under the long tablecloth of the Table.”
“Boys can't kiss each other.”
“Why can't good friends Kiss,” Roy lied, blushing, “Ollie and his friends kiss.”
“You're talking nonsense,” Dick said incredulously.
“Then why do they spend every day together?” Roy said, “Hal said he came to see me but he actually wanted to be with Ollie.”
“... Roy!” Dick tried to refuse, but his movement was weak.
At some point, they climbed under the tablecloth, which covered all sides, and Roy held the candle in his hand, and they could only see each other in the dim light.
The red-haired boy held the candle to his chest and drew his face closer to Dick.
Too hot, thought Dick, too hot, blaming the damn candle.
“May I?”
Dick shook his head at first, then blushed and nodded.
Roy closed his eyes, his eyelashes quivering.
Dick's face turned red. He thought, oh no more. He felt his heart beating frantically
The boy kissed him.
It's a feather-like kiss.
Dick felt like a steam train with its horns blaring wildly. His ears were smoking. OH, MY GOD. OhH MY GOD. He feels... so hot ........ He feels like he's gonna... ... exploded!
“That's sweet,” the little red-haired boy said. He licked his lips like a cat. At this moment, the boy looked more like he was eating a sweet candy than kissing, “I want to kiss you again.”
Dick tried to push him, Roy spoke like a hooligan, but at the same time he want to move closer.
The red-haired boy squinted his green eyes and grinned like a sneaky cat.
God, it's so stuffy under the table. Why else would Dick be out of breath.
There was a noise outside. There was a sound by a man.
“Hey! Stop, you silly fools .” A man's voice came, “This place has been hijacked. No one is allowed to cry-let your rich parents pay the ransom to bring you back home.”
Dick froze. Roy and he hid under the kitchen table. No one could see them. It was a perfect time for a suir change. The black-haired boy began to undress his clothes, revealing the Robin uniform inside.
“Hey, this is my chance,” he said to Roy before lifting the tablecloth, “You stay inside, Roy.”
Roy was confused.
Outside there was the sound of a fight.
“-- Oh, you damn brat --”
“Wait, Batman's not here today. Let's see what will happen.”
Roy poked his head out to find Robin being pulled by his cape and tossed around like a punching bag.
Roy drew a small bow from his suit -- something he had smuggled in. He licked his lips, squinted, and drew it toward the man.
The man let out a cry of pain and let go of Robin, “Damn it! Damn it! You dirty brat!"
Robin kicks the man in the jaw again and manages to get away.
“Robin!” Cried Roy, “Are you all right?”
“Of course,” said Robin, “I'm Robin!”
“Damn you, you damn little brat -- we're gonna get you sooner or later, and Batman's will pay --”
“You are not able to do it,” Robin said, launching something that caused the men at the other end to scream in pain.
“This is a great place. A hundred years ago, Green Arrow died here for his little sidekick -- and so will you and Batman!” the man cursed.
Robin opened his eyes wide, moved slow, eventually get choked by a man. He coughed so hard.
Roy flipped over the table and lunged forward, red-eyed, gasp a kick at the man.
The man staggered, raised his pistol, and fired where the red-haired boy was.
There was a thud.
Roy lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he found himself in Robin's arms.
Batman on the side.
“Roy...” Robin saw him awake and sobbed, “Roy...”
What? Roy wants to know.
Why is everything so vague? Why he can't speak.
Finding himself powerless, Roy held out his hand, only to discover that he was becoming more and more transparent.
The Birthday wish is gone.
Dick, who usually liked to play cool, who especially did not like to cry in front of Roy. Now the boy was crying a river.
“Roy, Roy...”Dick sobbed, “Oh, Roy, don't go.”
Alfred stood aside, his eyes drooping.
... Oh, Ollie's dead.
Roy finally realized it, and he felt his eyes burn, his long-held question was answered, his faith fading, and Roy feeling himself lighter than ever.
“Roy... It's all my fault,” Dick sobbed, “I shouldn't have let you hear that.”
Roy struggled to make a move.
【What's Your Name? I don't know yet.】
Dick got it.
“Richard Grayson,” Dick repeated, sobbing, “Richard John Gray.”
【Goodbye, Richard.】
Dick shook his head, tears streaming down his face, but he could no longer hold on to Roy. The ghost boy's body was spreading like a fog, “Roy, no. You can call me Dick. I like you call me Dick.”
Roy slowly closed eyes.
-
White ceiling.
White bunk.
Roy found himself awake, and he moved his hand -- his hand was not transparent, it was even weighed down, and he looked up with difficulty to find the man with the golden goatee lying on his stomach beside the bed.
“Ollie?” Roy said.
The blond man was startled awake. He froze for a moment, then jumped up and kicked over the chair with a loud sound.
The man hugged him tightly, “Roy, oh, Roy,” the man whispered, “My boy.”
“What's the matter?” Roy asked, “Are we in heaven, Ollie?”
The Blond Man shook his head, “Roy... Your soul is missing. Hal and I looked up everywhere. We ran into the space-time turbulence of the universe and got lost,” the blond man said.
“... So we are still alive?” Roy asked, looking over at the edge of the bed to see Green Lantern and Batman.
“Of course,” said Oliver, his voice trembling with relief and horror, “Your body is preserved by the green lantern ring, and we already have put your soul back in.”
“So I'm not a ghost,” Roy said, “I'm a real little boy now!”
“Yes,” Oliver's beard quivered, “You're my treasure kid,” his voice choked with sobs, “God, I'm so scared, Roy... I think about you every day.”
“I'm a little man now,” Roy announced, but couldn't hold back his sore nose and wept in the blond man's arms, “Ollie... You're so late. I've been waiting for you for a long long time.”
“I'm sorry, son.” The blond man held him, his throat choked with sobs, “After all these years, I was afraid I'd never find you again.”
“I missed you too, Ollie.”
The blond man hugged him and didn't let go for a long time.
“... Thank you for waiting for me,” said the blond man, who lowered his head and kissed the boy‘s cheeks as hard as he could, his beard making the red-haired boy giggle.
“Roy --” A boy's voice came from outside.
Roy turned and saw the familiar yellow-green figure, Robin standing outside the door.
Little Robin jumped up and hugged him.
“Roy.” Dick's voice was nasal and throbbing, and it was clear that he had been crying for a long time.
“I was so scared,” Dick sobbed, “I was afraid you'd disappear.”
“I didn't disappear,” Roy said, stretching out his arm and flexing his muscles, “Look, I'm fine.”
He held Dick -- Dick was smaller than he was, and his nose was pink and his lashes were wet like a little girl's.
It took Dick a good while to get better -- but then he suddenly became painfully shy and began to rave about the bad guys he had met that day.
“It's all their nonsense, or else you wouldn't have disappeared... you scared the hell out of me.” Dick's blue eyes were filled with resentment, “Batman promised me he'd kicked their ass the next time.”
Roy nodded and his stomach growled.
“I'm so hungry,” Roy said, reluctant to let go of Dick. He was still holding Ollie's hand.He didn't wanted to let go neither, but he really wanted to eat.
“I brought you something to eat, strawberry pudding,” Dick said.
“Lunch first, dessert later,” Alfred said.
Roy wolfed down his food and spilled a lot of water-not noticing that Alfred was leading Ollie, Hal and Dick out.
“... Roy,” Bruce said.
Roy looked up at Bruce at the window, “What's the matter?”
The young man looked a little hesitant ,"I am the person who asked you to play baseball with .”
Roy paused for a moment, his green eyes widening in amazement, “Oh! You're so tall and big now, Bruce,” the red-haired boy thought, “I slept too long. I forgot your name.” He felt a little guilty, “I broke the promise. I'm sorry.”
“I always thought it was a dream,” Bruce said, his voice pausing, “And ……thank you.”
Roy nodded, “It's a piece of cake, Bruce.” He thought for a moment, “You've changed so much. You weren't scary when you were a kid.”
“... Now?”
The little red-haired boy thought for a moment and shook his head, “You just wear black.”
Bruce didn't say anything.
“... When I fell asleep, I felt like I went to theheaven,” Roy Whispered.” Well, I saw Uncle John and Aunt Mary. They're Dick's parents, aren't they?”
The young man paused and nodded.
Roy said, “I'm gonna tell you till he gets back...”
The sun poured down from the window and warmed him. Roy squinted lazily, loving the feeling. When he was a ghost, no matter how much he basked in the sun, he was cold.
Bruce nodded.
“I can't wait to see him,” Roy said happily, propping his chin up, “And Ollie,” the boy squint, with his red hair disheveled, and his calves pounding on the bed, “When are they coming back?”
END