Author Notes: So, this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story; or it will be once I upload the next chapter. It's me toying with the idea that every member of the Team has a mask, whether we see it or not. Some are simple. Some are more complex. But they all have one. I hope you enjoy it and please review.
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. It belongs to DC Comics and Cartoon Network.
Chapter 1: Nightwing
His mask was constant.
It didn't matter if they were fighting a villain or relaxing at the Cave; no one ever saw his eyes.
When he was younger it was because Batman always told him to never tell anyone what his secret identity was. It had been drilled into his mind since he had become Robin. And when he was thirteen, it was the most annoying thing in the world.
When he grew up, though, he understood.
By the time he'd become Nightwing, he'd learned the true importance of the mask. It kept the people you cared about safe. It meant your girlfriend was less likely to be abducted from her apartment in the middle of the night. It meant your friends didn't have to be afraid to open their front doors. He knew all of that. That's why he put up with the mask.
He did it to keep those he cared about safe.
Very few people had ever seen his face without the mask.
There was Batman, but that was obvious.
And Alfred, who was also obvious.
And there was Tim Drake, the new Robin, but he was pretty obvious, too.
Then there was Batgirl. Their situation was... complicated.
When he'd only known her as Barbara Gordon, Nightwing had kept his identity safely guarded. She was one of his best friends and he didn't want to ruin that. He didn't want to see her get hurt. To her, he was only ever allowed to be Dick Grayson.
Then she'd become Batgirl. That made everything unimaginably complicated for him. Trying to explain to her who he was and why he hadn't told her about everything was confusing for both of them, but knowing the secret also made things a bit easier. He didn't have to worry about her finding out unexpectedly, because she already knew. And, being Batgirl, she was already in danger.
Then there was Wally. He was the first person outside of the Bat Family that Nightwing had ever told about his secret identity. Wally was his best friend and he trusted him. That trust and that secret had shaped and kept their friendship strong. They had been like brothers. They still were.
And there was Zatanna, who waited the longest. They'd been dating for over a year and a half when he finally asked her if she could keep a secret. Even then, he'd trusted her with more than his heart. He'd trusted her with his best kept secret. She hadn't let him down. She never let anyone else know that she knew. She never let on. It was between the two of them. It made things easier. He was able to stop worrying about accidentally forgetting his sunglasses when they went out together or letting his real name slip when he told a story. He could drop the mask around her. Back then, it was almost easy.
But then they'd grown up.
Not much had changed. He'd gotten taller. He'd seen friends die. Relationships had gotten even more complicated. And through it all, the mask was still there.
Some people would always know who he was. He knew he couldn't change that. There were some things you could never take back. They would always have to keep his secret.
But they were a select few. They were trustworthy.
His family knew. His best friend knew. His girlfriend knew.
All the people he was never supposed to tell. All the people he was supposed to keep safe. All the people he cared about. They all knew.
If they had all been civilians it would have been different. Very different. They would've been in danger. They would've been at risk. They would've been threatened every day of their lives.
But they weren't civilians. They weren't on the outside looking in. No, they were in the heart of the battle. Fighting side by side. They were in just as much danger whether they knew who he was or not.
Telling them wouldn't kill them, so he let them know. It showed just how much he cared about them.
They were the only ones allowed to know. The only ones he let in.
To everyone else he was either a hero or a civilian, a vigilante or a regular guy. He was never both.
He knew that. He couldn't be everything to everyone. But he also knew that there were certain people who he could trust. People who were set apart from the others.
He had two sides. Two masks. You could see one or the other. They didn't mix.
Just like how you could never see both sides of a coin. It was either heads or tails. There was no in between.
But there was a razor's edge where his two masks met.
And every coin had an edge. And every now and then, every once in a million years, that was where it landed first. The people who knew both sides, the people who saw both masks were the people who saw that edge. They were the people who truly saw him.
He kept them close and he kept them safe.
If he could have saved them all. If he could have kept them all out of it. If he could have just shown them one mask, he would have. But that wouldn't, couldn't happen.
They knew both of his masks, both of his identities, and they always would.