UPDATED MARCH 2013
Disclaimer: See Prologue.
.:. Bound To You.:.
Chapter 5
Dick groaned and tossed in his bed. He was usually early to rise, but today waking up was the last thing that he wanted to do. However, the obnoxious sun currently glaring through the windows had a different idea. Deciding that any attempt to go back to sleep would be futile, he shielded the sun's rays with the back of his hand and sat up. Kory's wet figure laid beside him, curled up in one of his old, worn-out t-shirts.
"Kory?" Dick questioned, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "Are you awake?"
"Yes, I have been awake for quite some time now." Kory straightened out and turned to face Dick. "I did not wish to wake you up; you were sleeping so peacefully."
Dick remained silent, not knowing exactly how to proceed with the conversation that he didn't want to have.
"Dick, I apologize about the bed sheets. I did not mean to make them so dirty; I will clean them today." Kory frowned as she began to sit up. Dick noticed that the sheets were indeed filthy, but that wasn't her problem.
"Kory, don't worry about the bed sheets." He smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I have more."
Kory just nodded and turned her head to the side.
"Kory..." Dick started. His detective-centric mind reeled with curiosity and even though his heart wouldn't be able to handle any of the answers, he knew that he wanted to know the answers – no, needed to know the answers. Maybe now wasn't the right time, though. They had just woken up.
"I am going to take a shower. Do you want to meet me in the main room? I will make you some breakfast."
"Alright." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "I need to go to my room anyway; I need to change. I moved the clothes that I want to wear into my old bedroom."
"You know, you can move your stuff back in here if you like; I really didn't mean what I said last night and I shouldn't have said any of it," Dick said with a sad face.
"Okay; I will do that later." Kory seemed expressionless; a fact that was a bit odd considering that all she'd ever been was a bundle of unbridled love, passion, excitement and sometimes anger. To see her with a blank face unnerved him.
"Great," Dick smiled slightly. He was glad that the whole fight wasn't going to be a big deal, although he also knew that the fight was probably the last thing on her mind. "I shouldn't have kicked you out; I feel terrible about it."
Kory walked away from the bed and headed toward the door. "It is fine, Dick," she tried to say cheerfully, but it came out too sugary for her tastes. "We all say things that we regret. I think it would be best if we forgot that the argument ever happened."
Dick pursed his lips and looked at her intensely. He didn't necessarily want to forget that the fight never happened; obviously, there were issues to iron out. Things weren't "okay" no matter how much she portrayed them to be, no matter how much he wanted them to be. He walked over to his dresser to pull out some clean undergarments before heading into the bathroom to take his shower.
"Kory... I love you," he said as he turned around to face an empty room.
Kory left Dick's room quickly before she suffered a breakdown. If last night was any indication, she wasn't up for showing any more vulnerability. It wasn't a big deal – right? This would all blow over and in a few days, everything would be back to normal.
She stepped inside of her room and quickly shut the door. Her energy seemed to keep coming and going; just now, she barely mustered up enough energy to walk from Dick's room to hers. She sat down on the floor and pulled her knees in under her chin. She allowed a few tears to fall on her cheek before she wiped them away.
Ever since a nightmare woke her up early, her mind had been in an anxious and emotional whirl. It didn't help that his face kept haunting her thoughts; every time one of them surfaced, Kory found it difficult to function and so far, they were occurring often.
Kory was, admittedly, weak; she watched her hand as she tried to make a star bolt. Her powers were gone. What would become of her if the powers never returned? Would the Titans ship her back to Tamaran? Would Dick still want her?
Kory knew that sitting around and sulking wouldn't help the situation- she was going to force a smile on her face.
Dick walked into the main room hoping to see Kory waiting for him; however, she was the only titan missing. When he walked in, he noticed his teammates engaging in a deep and very secretive conversation. He couldn't help but shake his head and let out a deep sigh.
"Ahhheeemmm," he cleared his throat to alert them of his presence.
Raven and Victor straightened their posture while Gar, due to being surprised, changed into the form of a mouse. Dick looked over to his shape-shifting friend and said "very fitting" before watching him morph back to his green, humanly form. Both Victor and Raven turned their heads to avoid his gaze.
"Rachel, you too?" He said disappointed, causing Raven to cross her arms over her chest and sink into her chair. "I didn't assume you to be the gossiping type."
"I don't like being called by that name – "
"Dick, we were just talking about the fight and Kory losing her powers, nothing more." Victor emphasized. "I'm sorry for the gossip, but Raven –"
"Victor, don't you think that Kory's business should stay Kory's business?" Dick asked, catching the "nothing more" emphasis.
"Not if her powers, or lack of, are going to affect the dynamics of the team," Raven cut in. "Plus, I felt something was wrong. When I mentioned it to Gar and Victor, it turned into the discussion that we were having when you walked in."
Dick growled. He knew that Raven was right, but he still didn't like his and Kory's personal business to be the topic of conversation at breakfast.
"Sorry, but right now I only have Kory in mind and speaking of," he took another quick look around the room even though he knew she wasn't in there, "have any of you seen her this morning? She was supposed to get dressed and meet me in here."
"We haven't seen her pass through here and we have been here all morning. Maybe she's taking a shower?" Gar suggested.
"GOOD MORNING ALL!" Kory bounded into the room with a smile plastered on her face. "Oh isn't it such a beautiful day?"
Dick glared at her skeptically as she walked over and greeted the others.
"Garfield, Victor," She took them both into a hug. "Raven."
"Kory." Raven responded, bracing herself for the hug that followed. To her surprise, it was significantly less intense than her hugs usually were.
"How is everyone this great morning?"
Everyone gave a simultaneous "good" except for Dick; he remained silent. His eyes hadn't left her since she walked into the room. This chipper attitude was just a facade to throw everyone off and there's no way that she thought he would buy it.
"Dick, are you going to cook me some breakfast. You promised me, did you not? I would like a vegetable omelet please."
While he was making his and Kory's food, Dick could overhear Gar making conversation with her; he always made conversation seem so effortless with everyone. Even if he was as annoying as a fly, Gar's friendliness and enthusiasm more than made up for it. Dick had never been jealous of his flamboyant youth before, because Dick, too, never had a problem striking up a conversation with anyone – except today.
When the oven beeped, Dick made sure the omelet was done before putting it on a plate; he announced to her that it was ready and slid the plate on over to Kory who still remained in her seat at the table with Gar.
"Delightful!" she exclaimed.
"So Dick, I never knew you were a whiz in the kitchen. Since when do you know how to cook?" Gar asked. "I don't think I have ever seen you cook before."
Dick took a bite of his omelet and smiled at its taste. There was no way Alfred would let him leave Wayne Manor without knowing how to cook an omelet – not to mention bake a quiche, roast a turkey, create a perfect pasta sauce.
"I know a few things," he said while taking another bite of his delicious food and watching carefully as his girlfriend ate, or rather played around with, hers. She cut up her omelet into little pieces using her fork before taking a small bite.
"He is indeed a very good cook, Gar," Kory saw Dick looking at her and nodded in his direction. "Thanks."
"How come you don't cook more often then?"
"Because Gar, I don't cook for just anyone. Maybe one day, if we start dating, I'll cook for you, too." Dick smiled.
"Damn bro, no need to throw out the sarcasm. Sheesh! I am outta here." Garfield abandoned his seat with his trademark dramatic flair and started walking towards Victor who was already starting up Rock Band. Dick normally would have felt a pang of guilt before dismissing it, but Dick just wanted to be alone with Kory, who now, had only taken two bites of food.
"Is the omelet not good? Would you like me to make you something else?"
"No, Dick, it is great. I am…I am just not that hungry, that is all." Kory stuttered; she had hoped that he wouldn't notice. But, of course, that was just wishful thinking; there wasn't much that he didn't notice.
Dick lowered his voice. "Is everything okay? I mean, are you okay...with everything?"
Her chuckle caught him slightly off guard. "Of course, why wouldn't I be okay?" She noticed the frown that crept upon his face. The last thing she wanted was to be a burden. "Please do not do the stressing out. Really, I am fine."
"Kory, it's okay to be emotional; in fact, it's common to be very upset in these kinds of situations. I can try to help you feel better if you let me."
Kory allowed her smile to fade. "To be honest Dick, I am a bit saddened and weak, but I am not going to let that get in the way of my work. All I require is a few days to heal; I am very happy that you are there for me, but I really do not wish to relive any of the memories right now." Not to mention, she didn't want to release any details about him; the last thing she wanted was trouble. Dick going after him would only create problems.
He backed off, not wanting to push her; at least she acknowledged that she was feeling something. Assuming that in a few days, she'd be ready to move forward with finding this thug and subjecting him to justice, Dick backed off the topic. "Kory, I understand; just know that I'm here when you are ready to talk about things."
"Yes, of course." She quickly gave him a peck on the cheek. "I think I am going to go play on the Rock Band. Victor promised that I could sing!" she said, replacing the fake smile on her face. "Would you like to play as well? Garfield told me that you were having problems the last time. Perhaps with a little practice, you could become sufficient?"
Dick remembered attempting to play with them the day before. He started to correct her, but decided against it. "Maybe later Kor... I think I'm going to go out and get some fresh air."
Raven watched Dick open and shut the door. Victor, in strictest confidence, told her what happened and Raven couldn't shake away the guilt that kept speaking up within her; she tried to suppress it, but it was becoming slightly overwhelming. She needed to tell someone, Dick in particular, or else she was going to explode, maybe not physically, but definitely mentally. Besides, he needed to know, or moreso deserved to know, why his fight with Kory even happened in the first place.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on telepathically connecting to him. Dick, can we met at the coffeehouse at Baker and 6th? We need to talk; it's important.
Furious. He was furious.
No, he was beyond furious; Dick glared at Raven as she told him her side of the story. He tried to listen to her as she spoke; however, Dick could only think about how she disobeyed his strict orders to stay out of his head and she had lied to Kory. Then she audaciously asked to meet her at this coffeehouse knowing that he wouldn't cause a giant scene.
.:. That is exactly right..:.
Dick gritted his teeth in sheer anger. There she was entering his mind,again. Did she ever learn?
"Raven, stay the fuck out of my head!" he said softly through his teeth. "I will not tell you again!"
"Dick, you haven't said a word in at least two minutes. I'm sorry and I know you're upset; you have every right to be, but you have to understand that I had to tell you. My emotions about the situation are interfering with my daily routine. I thought that maybe if I talked to you and Kory, then I could help fix the whole situation."
Dick scoffed. "Trust me, there's nothing you can fix." He stood up from his chair and grabbed his coffee. "I'm leaving."
He walked out the door hoping that Raven wouldn't follow him. He really didn't feel like dealing with her right now.
"Dick, please wait!"
Of course she had to follow me, she can't just let well enough alone.
"Dick, whatever it is that you need or want to say to me, I want you to say it. I, of all people, know the importance of controlling and channeling one's emotions; however," Raven chose her words carefully. "I'm afraid that some ways you choose to channel your emotions aren't the best."
Dick glared at her before dropping his head to stare at his shoe.
"Instead of going out and looking for someone to 'beat to a pulp', it would be better for you to actually communicate your anger towards me and get it out in the open. I feel terrible, Dick. I deserve whatever you throw at me and if I have to follow you around like an annoying little kid before you yell at me, then so be it." Raven walked around to face him. "You're my teammate and my friend; I care about you."
Dick looked up from the ground and met Raven's concerned gaze. "Raven, stay the fuck away from me right now. Stay out of my life, my relationship and especially my head. I'm so pissed off at you right now! You entered my mind, invaded my privacy and then on top of that, lied to Kory...saying I had plans for her..."
"What was I supposed to tell her? She had her hopes up because, of course, she didn't expect you to forget a six-year anniversary. Kory—Starfire- has matured greatly over the years, but when it comes to you, she's still naïve. She came to me and begged to know if you were going to do something. I couldn't very well stand there and tell her that the love of her life had nothing planned; it would have broken her heart – I couldn't do it... I just thought that maybe I could fix the situation. You are right; I shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place."
"You should have stayed out of it."
"I'm sorry Dick, but Kory is my friend; I cannot and will not stand idly by while –"
"Stop it right there, Raven." Dick stopped her. "You asked me to vent to you and now you are going to turn this around to make me feel even worse than I already do. Do not do that. I'm not the bad person here; do you understand? If you told her no to begin with, you wouldn't have had to lie. And yes, Raven, I know she is still naïve to some things; you are trying to make it sound like I don't love her!"
"Actions speak louder than words, Dick."
For the first time in the conversation, he was speechless. He racked his brain for an immediate comeback, but couldn't find one. He didn't know what angered him more: the fact that she had the nerve to tell him that he hadn't been acting as if he loved Kory, or the fact that deep down, he knew that he couldn't disagree. He knew he had been neglecting her – Kory told him so herself. Still, Raven had no room to talk about his relationship. She had no idea what was going on with Kory right now; she had no idea just how guilty he already felt.
"Raven, let me tell you something since you aren't exactly the poster child for emotional availability; keep your opinions to yourself. I should have known that I would be walking into a trap when I agreed to have coffee with you this morning. I don't need anyone to tell me how shitty of a person I've been; I already know! I'm tired of all of you trying to sneak into my life and snoop around. What pisses me off even more is that this... behavior...isn't even you. The Raven I know doesn't mend broken fences and do you want to know why? YOU SUCK AT IT." Dick walked over to the trashcan and violently threw his half-empty coffee cup into it. "Just leave me alone for a while; tell the others that, too. I don't want anyone else's 'friendly advice' because I'm fine. I am leaving now, do not follow me."
Dick spent the next thirty minutes walking aimlessly around downtown, trying to calm down from his conversation with Raven. Dick didn't drink often; he usually reserved that kind of debauchery for special occasions. However, the events of the last month and a half were enough to drive him insane – he couldn't think of a better reason to have a beer.
JumpCity's downtown area didn't have too many bars and clubs; it was more of an area for shopping. Aside from the theatres and opera houses, there wasn't much to do downtown after dark. There was one place though – McCauley's Pub.
He saw the neon in the open sign lit up and stepped into the establishment; everything looked the same since the last time he'd visited – he took great comfort in that.
Dick started to frequent McCauley's a few years ago as a failed attempt to spy on Jump City's "nightlife" and had actually found that he enjoyed the company of the older Irish bartender and a few of the bar's patrons. Everyone was friendly and treated him like family; in some ways, the environment reminded Dick of his time with the circus. No one noticed that whenever he came in, he rarely drank anything alcoholic; if they did notice, they didn't care to ask questions about it.
He took in a deep breath, headed straight to the bar and sat on one of the stools.
"Dick, ol' boy! It's been a while since I've seen ye here! How ye been?" asked Ken McCauley in his thick Irish accent. The detective in Dick wondered if it wasn't slightly emphasized.
"To be honest, I have been better…"
"Oh ye, I heard about you and the missus. I'm greatly sorry. But, 'ey… if there's anythin' I've learned from me experiences in life, it's that things happen fer a reason."
"Yeah…wait…what?" Dick became flooded with confusion. "How did you know about that?"
"Well, ya dame was in 'ere last night looking all kinds o' dim an' I gave 'er a couple of drinks for 'er troubles and she mentioned that you and her were no longer. Befer she had mentioned dat I's beginnin' to wonder how you let 'er out of the house by 'erself." Ken said while drying out a pint glass with a rag. "Pretty lass like that has a lot o' admirers I bet."
Kory had come to the bar a few times with Dick and enjoyed it, but he never thought that she would come here alone.
"Last time I saw 'er she was sitting with some lad at the table yonder." Ken said pointing to a table towards the back of the bar. "I should say that he had quite the eyes fer 'er. If it makes ye feel better, she was too sad to be havin' any of it."
Dick began to feel the jealousy boil within him. He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up from his seat. He just needed to go back to the tower and clock in some workout hours. That would make him feel better.
"I need to get going Ken; I just stopped by to say hey. I will try to come by more often, old friend. I miss this place."
"Please do, Dick. We miss ya 'round here."
Dick walked to the door before turning around.
"Hey, Ken, do you happen to know the name of the guy she was with last night?"
"Na, sorry lad I don't; I have only seen 'im in 'er a few times. But if he comes 'round again, I'll make sure he knows to keep away from 'er."
"Oh…" Dick's face dropped. "Thanks anyway." He opened the door.
The tower was spotless; in fact, Dick swore that at one point, he saw the kitchen floor sparkle. He couldn't remember the last time that the tower was this clean. He continued to walk through the common room and into the bedroom corridor, the entire time in awe about how any of the Titans could have cleaned the tower – this well – so fast. He had yet to pass an area untouched by cleanser. He was glad that none of the Titans saw him come in; he just wanted to change clothes quickly and hit the training room.
He secretly wished that Kory would be on the other side of his bedroom door listening to his iPod and reading a magazine – as she usually did. For some reason, in his mind, that would mean that everything was okay, but realistically that thought couldn't be further from the truth.
He walked into his room and saw Kory laying in his bed and staring at the wall. He decided to put his work out plans on hiatus because he and Kory really needed to talk. He walked towards her side of the bed, avoiding the debris that still littered his bedroom floor.
"Hey Kory," Dick said, pushing her hair out of her face. She stared back at him, appearing almost catatonic. "Are you feeling any better?"
When she heard his voice, she snapped out of whatever trance she was in and threw on a fake smile. "Oh yes Dick, I am feeling much better." She started to sit up when Dick pushed her back down. "Is everything alright with you?"
Dick couldn't help but feel frustrated. He knew that she didn't feel okay; why did she insist on lying about it to him?
"Kory, I know you aren't 'fine'. No one in your situation would be 'fine'."
"But I am! I do feel a bit weak still, but honestly I do not have feelings of depression or despair."
"I just wish you wouldn't lie to me; I wish you would trust me with what you are feeling," he brought the palms of his hands up to cover his face. "I wouldn't be able to handle it if you started hiding things from me, Kory. It would drive me crazy" He removed his hands and looked at her. "I can't take that sort of thing."
She frowned. Her intentions weren't to make him upset, she just didn't want him worrying about her. "It is not my intention to 'drive you crazy'."
"Then don't."
"How can I prove to you that I am okay? Ask me what you want to know," Kory really didn't want to talk about it, but if that is what it would take to make Dick feel better, then she would make that sacrifice.
"I don't have many questions, Kory, that can't wait until later," he didn't want to make her relive the entire experience, but since she opened it up for discussion, he decided that he may as well ask the one that had been bothering him the most. "Who did this to you?"
"...I don't remember..." she looked away from him as she lied; she couldn't bear to look him in the face, "I can't even remember the details of his appearance. I am sorry if this disappoints you."
"No, Kory, not at all; it's okay. I shouldn't have even asked. Maybe you'll remember something later."
"...maybe..."
Dick sighed. "So you are sure that you are feeling okay? If I find out your lying, it's going to break my heart."
"I am fine. I would let you know if I were not. Please do not let your heart break; I am keeping nothing from you." Kory couldn't understand why Dick wouldn't leave her alone about this. This morning she had made it clear that even though she didn't feel well, she was going to be perfectly fine. "Everything will be fine, you will see."
The statement didn't reassure him any, it just made him feel worse. Dick felt his insides twist into knots and he really had to fight the urge to throw up. He only wished that he knew how Kory was feeling about the situation, but because she wouldn't let him in, he couldn't know. At that point, all he could think of to say was, "yeah... we'll see."