Friends with the Enemy

47) Gang Trouble

Dick lost track of time as he remained on his knees in the nonstop rain. He continued to sob while his mind spiraled to the sound of rain droplets hitting the ground.

Too many bad things were happening as a result of his carelessly and naivety. He wasn't even over the events of his first mission and now he had more complicated feelings to deal with. It felt like he could hardly breathe before something heartbreaking struck in his life.

Oswald- oh gosh, he thought he could trust Oswald more than anyone. His Ozzie... no, he wasn't Ozzie anymore. Dick had been stripped of the privilege to call him that. The man was Penguin now.

Dick didn't understand why Penguin reacted as badly as he had. Yes, Dick kept a secret from him, and he had every right to be mad, but the level at which it reached? Dick never thought Penguin would have looked at him which such disdain. He had always known Penguin was temperamental. He hadn't cared. It was a facade- partially, at least. Well, that's what Dick had thought. Just as he thought that Penguin had begun to change; to become more trusting. Maybe even kind.

Dick had never once believed Penguin was the monster everyone accused him of being.

He had been a fool.

Now Penguin knew about Robin's identity. Gosh. That meant that Batman's identity was revealed, too. If Penguin had enough of a brain to put the obvious pieces together, that is.

Bruce had warned him about Penguin, he really had! So had Selina and Doctor Thompkins. Why hadn't he listened!?

He knew why. Because he was so blinded by his ideologies of friendship that he had shoved logic and loyalty for his family aside. Perhaps Oswald had been right in that sense. It was stupid. Childish.

Penguin was a criminal. And not just any criminal- a mobster. Dick had known from the first day they met that he was dangerous. He'd killed a man! Though it had been a henchmen doing the work nor had Dick actually seen the act being committed, Penguin admitted to being the one to make the order.

Then he had the nerve to make Dick believe it was... okay? He had given a speech about revenge that made Dick conflicted, unsure of what morals were right or wrong. He knew that Dick didn't like it but tried convincing him anyways!

Then Dick began lying for him. He lied so much for him. It pained him the more he did it. Whether it was to sneak off and meet up him, or to text him behind Bruce's back. Oh, Bruce. Dick felt terrible for choosing Penguin over him. Why did he ever think that was okay? He had been right all along. Penguin was dangerous, unpredictable, and... a bad influence on him.

It took him screaming and threatening to kill him to get Dick to realize it.

And as terrible as it sounded, he was glad it happened.

Dick sniffled as he weakly got up from the soaked ground. He looked down at his wet self. He was still mad at his himself; he had acted so foolishly. But... he was beginning to acknowledge that Penguin deserved to be mad at, too. Penguin wasn't a good person. And Dick... he was just a kid. He had made a mistake.

And now he learned his lesson. The hard way. As usual.

Dick, still getting wet in the rain, blearily searched for Ivy at the spot she said she'd wait for him at. She was nowhere to be seen.