#there's a lot of fics where robin (usually jason) befriends hal specifically to piss off bruce but I felt like doing something different

[incorrect-green-lantern-quotes]

The Bird & the Airman

(How Robin met "Uncle Hal")

Dick just about had a heart attack when he stepped out of the elevator into the Batcave and found a stranger taking apart the Batplane's engine, whistling cheerfully as he did so. Absurdly, the man wasn't even dressed like one of Gotham's colorful rogues or a League ninja- instead, he wore a brown leather jacket over faded blue jeans and scuffed work boots. Fortunately, he seemed to be totally engrossed in his sabotage, so Dick quickly pulled on his domino mask and crept over to where his utility belt was stored.

None of the gadgets appeared to have been tampered with, so Robin quickly extracted a bola and hurled it at the intruder. His aim was true, and the man yelped as he toppled over and landed face-down. In a muffled voice, he grunted, "That's not funny, Bruce!"

Robin's alarm doubled at that. Who was this guy, and how did he know Batman's secret identity???

After sure his mask was securely in place, Robin grabbed the largest batarang he could find before rolling the intruder onto his back. Holding the sharp edge of the batarang to the man's neck, he growled, "Who are you? How did you get in here?!"

"Robin?" The stranger looked nonplussed for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Sorry kiddo, I should've figured you wouldn't recognize me like this."

The man's hand twitched at his side, and Robin's eyes only caught a glimpse of the ring on the middle finger before a flash of emerald light erupted from it.

The Boy Wonder blinked his eyes rapidly to clear his vision of dancing spots, then noticed that the intruder's clothes had been replaced with a much more familiar green, black, and white uniform. Green Lantern sat up and glowing green hands formed around him, unwrapping the bola and freeing his arms. "I guess Batman must've forgotten to tell you that I was coming over."

"I-uh... what??" Dick stammered, his mind still grappling with the realization that he'd attacked a member of the Justice League. "Oh man, Alfred is gonna ground me for the rest of my life!"

Green Lantern chuckled. "Well, only if he finds out. I'm certainly in no hurry to admit that a pre-teen got the drop on me. Bats would never let me hear the end of it."

Hearing the older hero joke so casually did make Dick feel better about the whole mess. "I'm really sorry about attacking you. I thought you were a bad guy who'd managed to get into the cave somehow."

"No worries, I know Spooky's real strict about the whole secret identity thing. But you seem trustworthy enough." Green Lantern winked, then his uniform vanished, leaving him in civilian wear once more. He held out his hand. "I'm Hal Jordan, test pilot and aerospace engineer for Ferris Air. I help Bats design and build all his jets."

Well, that explained why he was here. Dick shook Hal's hand. "Do you need any help with that?"

"Sure!" Hal quickly began explaining the inner workings of the jet engine he was reassembling while Dick handed him the parts he asked for. Most of the technical jargon went completely over Dick's head, but he nodded along anyway. Then, Hal asked, "Say, does Bruce let you fly this thing?"

"No... he won't even let me drive the Batmobile until I get my license." Dick grumbled.

"That's rough, buddy." Hal commiserated. "I knew since I was a kid that I belonged in the sky, but had to wait until I turned 18 and joined the Air Force to get there. Hopefully Bats won't keep you on the ground as long."

"I've always felt more at home in the air." Dick admitted. "My mom, she gave me the name Robin because as soon as I could hold a trapeze bar, I could fly like a bird."

"Your parents were the Flying Graysons, right?" Hal seemed to anticipate Dick's obvious question, because he continued with, "Batman didn't tell me your identity, but it's not hard to figure out if you already know that he's Bruce Wayne."

"You knew my parents?"

"Not personally no. I saw them perform once, years ago when Haley's Circus came to Coast City, and my God... I've never seen anyone soar like they could, not even among the other Green Lanterns."

They fell into a companionable silence as Hal finished reassembling the engine, then used his ring to put it back inside the jet.

"There, all that remains is to give her a test drive." Hal wiped his hands on his jeans, leaving grease marks. A wicked grin spreads across his face. "Usually I do that with Batman, but it seems we're ahead of schedule thanks to your help, and one good turn deserves another. Whaddya say Robin? Wanna see how a Green Lantern flies?"