Title: As far as he is able Fandom: DCU (Legends of the DCU #6 (see icon)) Summary: "Come to Metropolis. I'll make it up to you." Warning: Mild sexual content some readers may find disturbing. Notes: Entirely Te's fault. Dick used to get hugs from people all the time at the circus. His mom and dad, of course, and the bearded lady, and pretty much everybody. Bruce and Alfred are really nice, but they don't hug him unless he pretty much insists on it, and it seems rude. So he really doesn't get a lot of hugs. Superman is good at hugs. He's huge -- like Bruce, but warmer, too. Maybe because, like Bruce says, he's not human at all. Dick has to ask Bruce a lot of times before Bruce lets him go to Metropolis by himself, but when he goes, he gets a ride from Superman that's one big long hug all by itself, and then another squeeze when they get there. "I could use your help today," Superman says, and Dick tries to be Robin and look around like he's going to see something important, instead of like a tourist kid who's just going to stare at the city. "Sure, Superman. What's going on?" "Well, there's a gang in town that's been getting pretty active, and I'm not so good at undercover work." He smiles at Dick. "I know you and Batman have a lot of practice in that field." Dick thinks of being Robbie Malone, but that's a cover identity that has a lot to do with Bruce, and it's harder by himself. "Well, Batman more than me, really." He bites his lip. "Maybe you should've gotten him to come help you instead." Superman touches his chin and tips Dick's head up so he can see Superman's smile. "I'm sure you'll do very well, Robin." The gang is operating in warehouses near the port of Metropolis, and Superman gives Dick the kind of clothes he'll need to not be obvious there. They fit over his costume and he's got sunglasses to hide his mask. He drops off of one of the roofs where Superman set him and sneaks up on the place Superman says the gang is. He gets about twenty yards away before the guy keeping watch spots him -- he's not used to how bright Metropolis is, even at night -- and it takes four of them to grab him -- he knocks two of them out with kicks and one with a batarang, but the fourth one whacks him over the head but good. They get him in cuffs and drag him into the warehouse. He can't tell what they're saying, though he's pretty sure that they're speaking some kind of Slavic language based on the consonants and intonation. They keep looking at him, and one of them grabs his face and turns it back and forth until Dick yells, "Don't touch me!" Then they all laugh. He knows Superman's going to be there any minute to save him, so he's not worried. Not really. He just feels like an idiot for getting caught, and he's going to have one heck of a bump tomorrow morning. Batman won't be happy about that. He's almost positive he'll be able to slip the cuffs without their knowing it as soon as they stop all staring at him at once, and with any luck they won't take his glasses off and see his mask. They're still saying things he doesn't understand, though. One of them walks all the way around him and makes another one move, and says something that makes the others laugh harder and elbow each other. Then they give him a shove toward the back door, which he's pretty sure lets out onto a pier. The guy who's got him by the wrists won't let him slow down enough so he can think about getting out of the cuffs, and he's not sure exactly what to do about it. Screaming for Superman right now would just be weak. Superman would never talk to him again if he gave in this easily after he got himself into this situation. So he doesn't, and it turns out that there's a whole system of piers right there, with some little boats and some gigantic ships. Dick thinks of the Titanic and wishes the guy who's marching him along would sink like it did. They walk for five-eighths of a mile -- Dick knows how long his pace is, even modified like it has to be when he's being led -- and then the man pushes him toward a gangway. Now's when he's supposed to break free, kick the guy in the face or the knee and get away, but there are three guards by the gangway with guns and he's not sure he can do it by himself. He doesn't get scared until he's actually up on the deck of the ship. And it's not until he's scared that there's a sound like the air tearing and the cuffs on his wrists are gone and he's being hugged against Superman's chest again. He wants to be in the fight, to take down the guy who was holding him at least, but Superman's got an arm around him and the wind in his ears feels like they're moving at superspeeds. Dick's not sure what would happen if he let go, but it'd be worse than jumping out of a car. In three minutes and forty-three seconds, anyway, Superman stops and sets him down on the pier. "Thank you," he says. "I didn't mean to let things go quite so far." "It's okay," Dick says. "But I didn't find out anything interesting." "On the contrary," Superman says, "you showed me which vessel this particular group of traffickers was using, which was extremely valuable." He squeezes Dick's shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner; there was a minor crisis in Africa that needed to be resolved." Dick's shivering now that the problem has passed and he's sure everything's going to be okay. Sometimes he has this kind of reaction, and he's got backup rations in his belt to avert this kind of issue. "Everything's fine, Superman. I -- I just --" He reaches into his belt, even though it's inside the pants Superman lent him. Superman hugs him tightly. "Robin, are you certain you're all right?" He's not expecting the hug. Or the kiss. He's all hot under the too many layers of clothing, and being pressed against Superman's chest isn't helping. Superman's mouth against his is really slick and like being burned, except for how it doesn't hurt at all. It just makes him feel like he's losing layers of himself, instead of the layers of clothes he should be taking off. "Oh!" he says, and Superman lets him go. "Are you all right, Robin?" He's sure he's bright red from his head to his toes and that Superman can see every inch of it. "I -- I just wanted some food, really. I. I'm a little shaky, I guess." Superman kisses his forehead. "Understandable." Dick opens the ration bar he got out of his belt. "Sorry, I just need to eat." "Of course." Superman squeezes his shoulder and backs up a little, enough that Dick doesn't feel like he's going to die from overheating. "Thank you again for your help." He might die from blushing. "I wasn't any help. You might as well have tracked anybody else on that ship." "No, not at all. I knew for certain you shouldn't have been there." Superman touches his hair lightly, smoothing it back into place. "It was most helpful. Would you like to go home now?" He thinks about the way Superman felt kissing him and the hugs and how scared he was, how scared he really still is when he lets himself think about the terrible stuff that might've happened. "Please." Dick puts his arms up and Superman hugs him again. "Of course." Superman kisses his cheek like his mom used to when Dick had nightmares. Dick wishes that Bruce knew how to do that, too, because the nightmares are so much worse now, but there's no one there to make them go away. Superman's good at scaring off nightmares. Dick would tell him so, but by the time he thinks to share it, they're airborne again.
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