"The hardest choices require the strongest wills"
- Thanos ( Avengers: Infinity War)
...
After a while, Dean sneaked out of the crowd without making any noise.
'Phew... Finally got away. Fans are more difficult to deal with than police.'
Dean breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself.
At this moment, the girls in the crowd were still frantically searching for Dean.
Now that no one had noticed him, Dean quickly left the scene.
After a while, he ran into Dick, who had just come from the direction of the school building.
"Thanks for helping me back there, Dick."
Dean waved to him.
"You should be grateful to me because you weren't the one being chased by the principal for turning on the lights."
Dick rolled his eyes.
"How did it feel to be the center of attention? Did you have fun? I'm completely exhausted, and I got scolded."
"Yes, thank you very much, Young Master Dick. If you want, I'll show you some good ways to pick up girls later."
Dean shrugged.
"I want to learn the best ones, like making pigeons appear from a hat."
Dick hit Dean hard on the shoulder.
"Where did you hide those pigeons anyway? The space inside a hat is not big enough for so many, no matter how creative the technique is."
Dick asked.
"It's a secret,"
Dean chuckled mysteriously.
"Mystery adds charm to a magician."
"Ugh!"
Dick looked at Dean's fake smile with disdain, showing that he was very dissatisfied.
Dean didn't mind Dick's disdain because other men always tend to envy great men.
He turned his head to look at Dick and curiously asked, "I'm actually quite curious. Since you're related to Wayne, you can easily get a lot of girls' attention by telling them a little bit about your background. Why do you still bother with these weird tricks to pick up girls?"
Although Dick's guardian is Bruce Wayne, only a very few people in the school know about it, apart from the principal and a few teachers.
Even his classmates, who have made fun of his name, don't know that this person is the current heir of the Wayne family.
"Because I'm Richard Grayson, not Richard Wayne. I'm grateful that Bruce adopted me, but I don't want to use the Wayne family's name to benefit myself."
Dick didn't hesitate or think twice before giving his answer.
"I see, but don't you still ask Mr. Wayne for some pocket money when you go on dates with those ex-girlfriends?"
Dean smirked.
Dick's face immediately turned black, "That's different. I also make money by working part-time, you know!"
"Relax, I'm just kidding. I know what you're talking about."
Dean squinted and smiled, then his expression suddenly turned serious.
"To be honest, if I were you, I wouldn't worry so much. It's not like you have to go around saying that you are Wayne's foster son. At least when someone asks where you live, you don't have to hesitate for a long time. Just because you say you are Wayne doesn't mean you are using that name for anything."
"What I mean is, I feel like deep down, you're resisting the identity of Bruce Wayne's son. But why? He is your foster father, and you are his foster son, that's a fact."
In fact, what Dick is resisting is not the identity of Bruce's son but another identity.
An identity that was almost suffocating him, but Dick couldn't tell Dean these dark secrets.
"Maybe you're right, Dean, but I have my own way of living."
Dick said.
"...Let's not make things so depressing. Just think of what I said earlier as nonsense. Now, let's talk about something else."
Dean waved his hand and passed on the topic.
As soon as he finished speaking, Dick picked up a new topic.
"Like, when are you going to get a girlfriend?"
Dean's mouth twitched, "Why are you curious about that? I don't have any plans to get involved in childish relationships with high school girls anytime soon."
"Tut-tut, you sound like an antique from a century ago. Come on, the times have changed! If you don't fall in love in high school,it's even less likely that you will in college because everyone else has more experience than you."
Dick crossed his arms and spoke seriously, "You should at least learn to determine which girls are good and which ones aren't. I don't want to see my good friend being cheated on or cuckolded."
"Heh, I'm not stupid enough to be cheated without knowing, and the Thurston family is a traditional family. My parents only met after graduating from college and were each other's first love. Of course, I have to continue the tradition of the family."
Dean casually made up an excuse.
"Do what you want, you're already beyond help."
Dick shook his head helplessly.
After a while, the people on the lawn noticed that they couldn't find Dean. The high-spirited atmosphere slowly calmed down, and the campus dance went back to its usual routine.
But it was already late, and most people had plans for the evening, so many people, including Dean and Dick, just went home.
Dean needed to consider his next move, while Dick had to carry out his routine night patrol.
...
At the dock, late at night.
"Hah!"
Dick shouted and delivered a final kick.
He was already wearing Robin's suit, and seventeen people lay on the ground around him, covered in bruises and barely conscious.
Just a few minutes ago, Dick walked into a drug deal that was going on at this place.
'These drug dealers are part of the Thorne Gang. It seems Rupert Thorne is up to his old antics again...'
Dick thought to himself as he tied up the group with a rope.
Beep!
Beep!
Suddenly, Dick felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.
Once he made sure the ropes were secure, he used his Grappling Gun to shoot towards the opposite warehouse.
After reaching the top of the warehouse, Dick took out his phone and saw that it was a video call from Titans Tower.
"Calling Robin, do you copy?"
Once connected, a beautiful woman with tanned skin, long, fiery red hair, and green eyes appeared on the screen in front of Dick.
"Starfire?"
Seeing her on the screen, Dick's face showed a hint of joy, but he controlled his emotions and didn't let it show.
"Why did you suddenly contact me? Is there something wrong with the Titans?"
"No, everyone is doing well, and Titans Tower is still as lively as ever."
Starfire shook her head.
"I reached out to ask, when are you planning to return to Titans Tower? You used to visit every weekend, but it's been two months since you last came. We feel like we're missing something important without you."
"We all need you, Robin, and I need you too."
...
A/N: If we reach 2,100 power stones today, I will release an additional chapter tomorrow.
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