After a long struggle, Dean finally managed to slip out of the chaotic crowd.
"Phew… I finally escaped," he muttered, letting out a long breath.
"Fanatics are honestly harder to deal with than the police."
Behind him, the girls who had been packed tightly around the center of the lawn were still frantically searching, their eyes scanning everywhere as if Dean might suddenly reappear out of thin air.
Dean didn't dare slow down. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, he quietly left the scene.
Not long after, he spotted someone jogging toward him from the direction of the academic building.
It was Dick Grayson.
"Hey, thanks for earlier," Dean said, lifting a hand in greeting.
Dick rolled his eyes immediately.
"Oh, you should thank me. You weren't the one chased down and lectured by the dean of students for 'randomly turning on classroom lights.'"
He crossed his arms and continued, clearly irritated.
"So? How does it feel being the center of attention? Satisfying? Meanwhile, I'm exhausted and got scolded."
"Alright, alright," Dean laughed, raising both hands in surrender. "You worked hard, Young Master Dick. How about this—I'll teach you a few more practical magic tricks sometime. The kind that actually help with picking up girls."
Dick's eyes lit up for a second.
"I want the strongest ones," he said seriously. "Like pulling pigeons out of a hat."
Dean barely had time to react before Dick punched him hard in the shoulder.
"Hey!" Dean protested.
But Dick wasn't done.
"Seriously though," Dick said, narrowing his eyes. "Where did you hide all those pigeons? A top hat only has so much space. No mechanism could fit that many birds."
Dean's lips curved into a mysterious smile.
"A magician never reveals his secrets."
He leaned in slightly.
"Mystery is what makes a magician attractive."
"Ugh," Dick groaned, looking at him with undisguised disgust. "You're unbearable."
Dean didn't mind at all. After all, outstanding men were always envied by other men.
He tilted his head and asked curiously,
"Honestly, I don't get it. With your connection to the Wayne Family, girls would line up instantly if you revealed even a little information. Why go through all these weird methods?"
Dick didn't hesitate.
"Because I'm Richard Grayson, not Richard Wayne," he said firmly.
"I'm grateful that Bruce Wayne adopted me, but I don't want to use the Wayne name to gain personal advantages."
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Then why do you still ask Mr. Wayne for pocket money when you're dating your ex-girlfriends?"
The air instantly froze.
Dick's face darkened.
"That's different! And I work part-time jobs too, okay?!"
Dean laughed quickly.
"Relax, relax. I'm just kidding—I know all about it."
Then his expression turned serious.
"To be honest, if I were you, I wouldn't be so conflicted. You don't need to announce that you're Wayne's adopted son everywhere. But when someone asks where you live, there's no need to hesitate either. Accepting that you're part of the Wayne Family doesn't mean you're abusing that identity."
He paused.
"It feels like, deep down, you're resisting being Bruce Wayne's son. Why?"
Dick looked away.
What he was resisting wasn't Bruce Wayne's name—
It was another identity, one that weighed on him every night.
An identity that left no room for hesitation, weakness, or escape.
But those were secrets he could never share.
"Maybe you're right," Dick said quietly. "But I have my own way of living."
Dean sensed the change in mood immediately.
"Hey—forget I said anything," he said, waving his hands. "Let's change the topic."
Dick smirked.
"Alright. Then tell me—when are you getting a girlfriend?"
Dean's mouth twitched.
"Why are you suddenly interested in that? I have no intention of getting involved in childish high school romances."
Dick clicked his tongue.
"You sound like an old fossil. Times have changed. If you don't date in high school, college will be even worse—everyone else will have experience except you."
He folded his arms.
"At least learn how to tell which girls are decent. I don't want to see my friend getting completely fooled someday."
Dean scoffed.
"I'm not that stupid. And the Thurston Family is traditional. My parents only met after college, and they were each other's first love. I'm just continuing the family tradition."
It was, of course, a perfectly fabricated excuse.
"Hopeless," Dick sighed, shaking his head.
—
Eventually, the crowd on the lawn realized Dean had vanished. Their excitement slowly cooled, and the campus dance finally returned to normal.
Since it was already late and many students had evening plans, a large number of people simply went home.
Dean and Dick were among them.
Dean needed to plan his next move.
Dick needed to begin his nightly patrol.
---
Late Night — Gotham Docks
"Ha!"
With a sharp shout, Dick delivered his final kick.
Now dressed in his Robin uniform, he stood amid the aftermath of a brutal fight. Seventeen men lay scattered across the ground, bruised, groaning, barely conscious.
Moments ago, this dock had been the site of an illegal drug deal.
Now, it was a crime scene.
"These guys are from the Thorne gang…" Dick thought as he tied them up tightly with rope.
"Looks like Rupert Thorne is getting restless again."
Beep—beep.
Dick felt his phone vibrate.
After double-checking the bindings, he fired his grappling gun and swung onto the roof of a nearby warehouse. Only then did he pull out his phone.
It was a video call—from Titan Tower.
"Calling Robin. Can you hear me?"
The screen lit up, revealing a tall girl with glowing green eyes, wheat-colored skin, and fiery red hair.
"Starfire?" Dick said, a faint warmth surfacing in his voice.
It was Starfire.
"You contacted me so suddenly," Dick said. "Is something wrong with the Titans?"
"No," Starfire replied, shaking her head gently.
"Everyone is well. Titan Tower is as lively as ever."
She looked at him seriously.
"I called because I wanted to ask… when are you coming back?"
Her voice softened.
"You used to return every weekend. But now it has been two months. Without you, everyone feels as if they have lost their backbone."
She hesitated, then added quietly—
"We need you, Robin."
And after a brief pause—
"I need you too."
The night wind swept across the docks.
Dick remained silent, staring at the glowing screen, his grip tightening just slightly around his phone.
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