Dick had a secret. It was one his parents had taken with them to the grave, never telling another soul. Dick had been warned never to tell anyone. He had magic.
Dick could form ice at will, although removing it was another matter. He'd been learning how to do that when his parents had been murdered. He'd been taken to the Juvenile Detention Center, and locked up like he was the one who killed them. The only reason anyone came near him was to tease him, making him want to cry. Was this a punishment for having his power?
Bruce Wayne had rescued him a few days later, having been there when his parents were killed. He'd found the poor boy in a freezing cell, ice creeping onto the bars. He was in nothing but a thin jumpsuit, frost laying in his hair. Bruce had immediately pulled him into a hug, shaking the frost out.
Dick had kept his powers a secret as long as he could, only using them when he was alone. Bruce came to start questioning why there was ice in the library, or frost on the stairway. He had a feeling the newest addition to his family had something to do with it, but he wanted Dick to come to him. He wanted Dick to trust him.
Bruce found out completely by accident. Dick had been in his room, and had been quiet for some time. Now, for a child as energetic as Dick, this was concerning. Bruce had slowly opened the door to see Dick sitting at the window, watching the storm.
Dick was scared of lightning. He once told Bruce it was because it reminded him of his parents, and the way they died. Bruce thought Dick might be scared of the storm, and slipped into the room. Dick was too absorbed by the storm to hear him.
Dick put a hand on the window pane, but quickly withdrew it. Bruce was surprised to see ice spreading, and had no doubt once he saw it that Dick had done that. Dick had created that ice.
"Dick?" Bruce asked softly, putting a hand on Dick's shoulder. Dick jumped, holding his hands to his chest. He was shaking, and Bruce knew something was wrong. He sat by Dick, pulling him into his lap.
"How long?" "My whole life." Dick whimpered. "You could have told me." Bruce said softly, running his fingers through Dick's hair. "I was told not to tell anyone. I can't make it disappear. It's dangerous." Dick sounded like he was a second away from crying. "It's okay, Dick. It's not dangerous. I can help train you. I can help you get to the point where you can remove it. It's alright, Dick."
"You're not…sending me away?" "No. I would never do that. I want to help you, Dick." Dick pressed into Bruce, crying softly. It had been months since someone wanted to help. Bruce held Dick carefully, letting the boy cry. Dick didn't usually cry, so Bruce knew Dick needed to get the tears out.
The next few years were training years. Dick learned to control his ice, to make it stop spreading, and to make the ice stronger. He couldn't figure out how to make it disappear, no matter how hard he tried. When he wasn't training, he wore gloves, which kept his ice powers from going out of control. He felt better, like he had more control in his life.
When Wally came into his life, Dick had to hide again. He knew it was probably wrong, but he felt Wally would hate him for it. He was different from Wally. Sure, Wally was an easy going guy, but Dick didn't know what set him off easily. Dick was a freak of nature, Wally was a guy who, as far as he knew, was completely human.
Dick was planning on keeping his powers a secret again, when Bruce managed to convince him otherwise. He told Dick Wally was different, like him. Dick reluctantly agreed, but made Bruce promise to bring his gloves, just in case.
He and Wally were in the park, and Dick was trying to work up the courage to tell Wally. Wally knew something was up with the young boy, as he'd never known Dick to be so quiet before. "You alright?" He asked softly, nudging Dick with his shoulder." "Yeah. I'm fine." "You don't seem fine."
