Hey all! I've actually managed to update on time, is this what being productive is like? Now, with the way things are panning out with this story, there's a good chance that this one will be longer than the original and that it will be way different. Anyways, I hope that I will be able to continue with updating every Friday night (Australia time). Story and chapter title is from the song 'Saviour' by Rise Against.
Dick had been planning to go to sleep early that evening. His usual routine of going to bed at 3am and sleeping until 6 was taking its toll and his frustration had begun to affect how he interacted with his teammates.
Finally, after days of sharp words and violent outbursts Kory had pulled him aside and insisted- no, pleaded that he rest, for his sake and theirs.
In Dick's defence, he was a bat and once a bat always a bat. His nocturnal habits were hard to kick and merged badly with the sunlight loving nature of Jump City. He was especially bad when he came away from an investigation with questions unanswered and this one was a doozy.
About a month previous, the Titans had had a run in with Slade and had recovered one of the radio-transmitters that the villain had been using. Dick had of course seen the opportunity there and was working at finding a way to track the system that the transmitter used.
It was while Dick was digging around the inside of the device that Dick received the call.
Dick had a great number of cell phones, backups and spares and a few extra to be safe. There were two of that number that he considered to be the 'major' ones, the first of those two, the one that he considered to be his personal one, was currently gathering dust in the draw beside his bed.
This was his 'superhero' phone and contained the numbers of dozens of young superheroes across the globe. Robin, grateful from the endless frustration of trying to hack the transmitter, had the phone to his ear in an instant
"Hello."
The voice that greeted him was that of a forced calm that sent ice shooting through his blood.
"Robin. I need help."
Dick leant further forward, nearly leaving his seat entirely. "Tell me again, what happened?"
The other Titans were bleary eyed and yawning under the bright kitchen lights, but Dick was wide awake.
Jinx glared at him, pink eyebrows knit into an angry line, a part of Dick knew, deep down that this was the third time he has asked that question, he shouldn't blame her for being irritated. A larger part, the detective in him didn't care.
In the back of his mind Dick felt the panic rolling around in a ceaseless rush of ohgodohgodnothimtoopleasegodican'tlosehimtoo- he squashed it down, right now he couldn't afford to panic, panic never saved anyone and it sure as hell wasn't going to help Wally.
Jinx sighed, "I needed to bake a cake, so I sent W-" Robin glared at her.
She rolled her eyes, "I sent KID FLASH to the shop-"
"Which shop."
Jinx growled, "Maybe I would tell you if you didn't keep on interrupting me! Besides, haven't I told you this already?"
"Fact checking." Cyborg supplied, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards "Rob likes to make sure that he hasn't made any mistakes."
"God forbid he get one word wrong." Raven drawled from her seat by the bench.
Dick turned to his teammates, attempting to stare them into submission, but he was too tired for it to work properly.
"Back to the story!" He snapped over Beast Boy's giggling.
"That is the story. I sent him to the shop. It was the Friendly Grocer, the one downtown. He said he'd be back by 11:30, I called you at ten to. It is now-" She glanced at the clock. "Half past 12."
Robin pursed his lips, "And you're sure you haven't missed anything?"
"Yes." Jinx stated.
"You haven't received any threats?"
"Oh yes, Robin, someone sent a 3-page letter of hatred to us and I forgot to tell you!" Jinx bent over the table, looking about 2 steps away from launching herself at the boy wonder.
"He hasn't been acting weird lately?" Dick continued, unperturbed.
Jinx slumped back against her seat, fight draining far faster than it had appeared. "No weirder than usual."
That seemed to satisfy him. "Beast Boy and Cyborg: go to the grocer, see if there was anyone there that saw him."
"Dude, it's like, the butt-crack of the night!" Beast Boy interjected. "What kind of shop is open at this time!"
Dick opened his mouth, but Jinx answered for him, "It's a 24-hour store. They're always open."
Cyborg clapped a large hand on his friend's shoulder, steering him towards the doorway. "Come on man, they might have donuts!"
Beast Boy needed no further prompting, "Let's go!" He morphed into a cheetah and sped out of the room, Cyborg quick on his heels.
Robin watched them go, before turning to the others: "Raven, Star: I need you two to check the streets, see if there's any evidence of a fight."
As they departed Dick fixed Jinx with a look that the other members of the team had nick-named his 'Bat-stare'. "Come on." He ordered, "We're going to look around your apartment."
The drive over was nothing if not awkward, if Dick was as prone to using clichés as he was at age 13 he might have said that the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. But he wasn't that kid anymore.
Admittedly, maybe building their headquarters on an island in the middle of the bay wasn't the best decision when it came to accessibility. Luckily, Cyborg was a skilled mechanic and had overcome the problem quite easily, or maybe that was just an excuse for him to build a flying car.
It was when the car reached the mainland that Jinx finally decided to break the silence. "You don't trust me." She stated.
"No." Dick replied, gaze fixed unwaveringly on the road. "No I don't."
She swallowed. "Then how come you believe me on this?"
Dick's masked face finally met hers. "Because I know that you care about Wally, maybe just as much as I do."
There was no need to mind secret identities, not right now. It was odd for Dick to admit his care for a friend that he hadn't talked to, not properly anyway. Not for years. But at the same time, it felt right. Wally was one of his oldest friends, there was no way, no matter how far apart they grew, that Dick couldn't love Wally in the unconditional way that only childhood friends truly could.
"Because I know that you wouldn't lie about this." He finished.
You may have noticed that I have difficulty writing the other Titans in, due to my inability to write multiple characters at once they will probably appear as more background characters.
Thanks for reading and please review!
