This chapter contains:
Spoilers: Season 1 and Season 2
Random Lyrics from: Face Everything and Rise by Papa Roach
Pairings: Spitfire and Chalant
Important Extra Notes: Hey guys, sorry for the super delayed update I've been distracted by Black Ops III but no worries! Chapter 10 is here! So this is the ending and I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you guys who have read, reviewed, followed and favorited! It all means everything to me, so thank you guys! :) So, do not fear as this story will have bonus chapters to come! There will be a poll on my profile about which one shots you guys would like to see first, so head over there and leave a vote for what you want to see! Now I'll let you guys get to it—please read, review and the most important, enjoy.
This chapter is rated teen for heavy language (ahem, Jason's fault once again—he makes an appearance in this chapter), suggestive themes, some violence, trigger warnings for the mention of someone making a 'suicide pact' and be prepared for the ending . . .
NOTE: Quick disclaimer, for news anchor's report on Penguin that it isn't mine; I got the idea from the Batman: Arkham Knight video game.
NOTE #2: The part where Wally's face vibrates and how his voice vibrates—again, not my idea, I got that from the CW television show 'The Flash' (if you haven't watched it, go and watch it—it is amazing).
the streets crawl with a deadly omen
"—the crooks where found this morning and all jewelry was returned to the proper owners. Meanwhile, Gotham's notorious crime mastermind the Penguin was apprehended by Blüdhaven's very own vigilante Nightwing last night. The Penguin had been shipping out illegal gun shipments to multiple different cities from a large weapon cache in our city but the operation is now destroyed. The citizens of Blüdhaven would like to say a thank you to Nightwing, our city has never been safer."
A video popped up in the top right corner of the television screen, showing a crowd of residents shouting and holding up posters with sloppy writings of 'thank you', 'we love you' and 'marry me' on them; audio from the video crackling with the sudden trio of girl's voices.
"Thank you Nightwing, from all of us!"
Along with a quiet scream from the back of the crowd, "We love you!" that erupts a loud cheer to start.
Wally elbows Dick with his arm, sending his friend a cheeky grin. "You're just getting all the chicks now, aren't you Dickie?" The man in question rolled his eyes, looking at Wally for a mere second before returning his sight to the news channel still playing through the television.
"You're just jealous that a bunch of hot girls in bikinis send a video saying how much they love Dick through a nationwide news channel," Artemis called from where she was making a pot of mac and cheese for dinner in the kitchen; Zatanna chuckling quietly from next to her as she continued chopping up lettuce for the salad to be used as a go-with. Dick laughed from his spot next to Wally on the couch, the latter turning and throwing his hands up.
"Well it is unfair, the Flash doesn't get anything for all of the hard work he does in Central!"
It had been two weeks since the event with Raphael and things seemed to have finally started to settle down.
No other big crimes had been reported—besides some usual minor League manners for Zatanna, three attempted bank robberies successfully stopped by Wally (as the Flash) in Central City, crime suddenly spiking up in a lot of places in Blüdhaven that caused Dick to be out most the night trying to stop it all, and Ace coloring a very detailed picture of something on the hallway wall to which after many threats both Dick and Wally claimed they had no idea where he learned such a thing from—but besides all of that, life had been remotely calm for the four heroes.
It was currently a Friday night and as Ace took his late-day nap in his parent's room while Artemis and Zatanna worked together on making a dinner of fried chicken, mac and cheese, white rice and salad—Dick and Wally were seated on the couch between Brucely watching the six o'clock news.
"You have a 'Flash Appreciation Day' once each year where an entire day is dedicated to you Wally." Zatanna deadpanned from the kitchen, Artemis holding up her hand for a quick high-five.
Dick smirked as Wally went red faced, grumbling something about 'well it's not for me, it's for the Flash' under his breath.
Dick's apartment was cleaned spotless, thanks to Zatanna's amazing magic tricks, and though it was a little crowded for five people to be living there—Wally was working on changing that soon so that Dick and Zatanna could have a little space to really work on getting their relationship (this certain 'hook-up' of theirs) to work out this time.
But for now; Dick and Zee shared his master bedroom while Artemis and Wally shared the guest bedroom and had turned the walk in closet into a mini bedroom for Ace.
The living room was filled with the scent of burning oil and delightful spices, causing Wally's mouth to water unknowingly at times, and stomachs were rumbling softly in waiting (again, Wally's doing).
"It's just my point, why does Dick get all of the girls? I'm totally way better looking than he is."
Artemis scoffed from the kitchen, "Baywatch, the damn dog looks better than you."
Wally gasped as Zatanna and Dick exploded into brash laughter, both clutching at their stomachs as they tried to get ahold of themselves. "That wasn't funny babe," Wally muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned back to the television, glare trying to burn a hole into the fuzzy screen.
Dick and Zatanna calmed their laughter after a few more fleeting seconds, the latter walking over and leaning down to press a kiss on Dick's cheek to which he made a snippy response to after turning his head slightly so that their lips connected for a brief moment.
"Well to some of us KF, none of those other girls matter because I got the best one right here."
Artemis raised a hand, "Amen to that—Wally I think you should take some dating lessons from Dick here, he knows how to treat a girl right."
Laughter entered the room again as Zatanna let go of Dick to head back into the kitchen, Wally groaning loudly. "I can't win!" Dick chortled, slapping Wally in the shoulder.
"No you can't. Now shut up so we can finish watching the news."
Wally grumbled under his breath as they both turned back to the television screen, just as the current news story finished up and the anchor went over the next topic. "Now here is our weekly update of the current crime rates of cities around us. Star City has the lowest current crime rate even with Green Arrow disappearing for the past few months, though there has been sightings of a young girl with an bow jumping from rooftop to rooftop in evening hours—"
Wally turned, sporting a large grin. "Babe! You're on TV!"
Dick hit Wally in the chest, "Shut it, I want to hear this!" He hissed, Wally turning and shooting the dark haired man a glower.
"—tham City hasn't had too many incidents so they are third in lowest crime rates, with the Batman having locked up most of the mainstream criminals in these past months."
A lax smile found its way across the younger man's features, Wally looking to his friend with pride. As Wally had taken up the Flash identity in Central, Dick had donned the cape and cowl that would portray him as Batman on a few random nights for Gotham. Where Wally's reasons were more for protecting Barry's secret identity to be known and to keep an extra eye on Iris, Dick was being Batman for him.
No one would be able to connect the dots in the first place, Batman had no close ties with anyone, but he was putting on the suit to remind himself of all that Bruce had done for the world. Though he would never be able to be as independent as Bruce was to all of the people in the world, whenever he wore that cape he felt something.
He felt like the Batman. He felt like Bruce.
"Central City comes in second place, with crime having escalated. Though any serious crimes have been stopped by the Flash." Wally threw his arms up, flexing his muscles with a baited look towards Artemis in the kitchen.
"Hear that babe? I'm a top news story!"
Dick threw a couch pillow at Wally, Brucely letting out a soft whine as the latter shoved the pillow off him and onto the dog. "Shut it!"
"—haven has the highest crime rate right now, which puts it in first place. In other news," a picture of a body covered with a white sheet appeared next to the news anchor, "the death of Raphael Hyades is still stumping the CCPD authorities. Hyades had kidnapped Mary and Rudolph West from their suburban home, holding them hostage in Central City Park for an hour before Nightwing and Flash showed up to take care of the issue. Before anything else could happen though, Hyades shared a few words with the heroes before ending his own life."
The mood in the room seemed to darken as Artemis spared a look to Zatanna and all clatter came to a halt in the kitchen. Both headed to the living room where their other sat with tensed postures; Artemis running her hand over Wally's bicep as Zatanna turned off the television.
Hyades was a sore topic, as his words hadn't quite left the two heroes just yet.
Dick was still spending every extra hour he had to himself dissevering the words burned into his memory (that damned gunshot echoed through his ears every minute) whereas Wally sometimes would just start suddenly thinking about the manner and then have to sped off running laps through Los Angles to Florida just to stop the burning feeling in his veins from the nonexistent cure that still rested there.
"Come on Baywatch, dinner's ready," Artemis murmured in his ear, tugging at his calloused fingers.
Zatanna did the same for Dick, as all four walked over to the table in silence.
outside i see a world that's broken
It's halfway through dinner when Wally can't stand the sound of stretched silence around them any longer—after all, seconds were like minutes and minutes were like hours to a speedster. "I can't take this anymore," Artemis sends Wally a worried glance, an expression that's forlorn in the room.
Ace looks up from his plate confused. "What do you mean Daddy?"
Wally barely spares his son more than a second's worth of a glance, turn to face the three other adults who know exactly what he's talking about in the room. "I can't take it! Just, just the fact that Hyades still has us acting like his puppets even after he's been locked away and his father has been killed! It's like whatever he did to us now will forever be with us for the rest of our lives!"
Artemis puts down her fork and knife (for safety because a part of her is tempted to stab Wally with the knife for bringing up Hyades in front of Ace while another part wants to throw the fork at his face and hope to hit him) then sending her boyfriend a hallow glare. "Wally, not now." She mumbles, reaching over and tugging at his shirt's sleeve.
He pulls his arm from her soft grip, green eyes lock with Dick's baby blues.
"I know, I freaking know, that whenever you do try to get some type of sleep you twist and turn all night long because it feels like there's something twisting around inside of you Dickie! I know because I feel it too, the withdrawal of this damn cure!"
Ace looked at his father curiously, then his eyes traveled over to where Uncle Dick sat frozen in his chair. "What do you mean Daddy," he repeated, "that there is something twisting around inside of you? Like . . . you ate a bug?"
Any other time Ace's innocent humor would've caused everyone to laugh, considering the 'ate a bug' part came from the boy overhearing Wally talking to Artemis about how it wasn't too wise to ever open your mouth while running at super speed, but the tension in the air was thick.
Artemis reached over and placed a hand on her son's arm, "He means nothing sweetie, Daddy is just acting a little stupid right now. Wally, shut up," she growled, understanding his pain but knowing that Ace not getting any nightmares that night was higher on her list. She could calm Wally down from a night terror easily but Ace was a little bit more of a challenge.
"I'm so fuck—"
"Wally." Artemis cut him off, sending him a glare that would've caused any other person that wasn't used to her scary tactics to cringe. He easily ignored it, turning his attention back to Dick.
"You have no idea what it's like, this freaking feeling, to feel it every second of every day." Wally whispered, Artemis seething in her seat. She cared for him, yeah and she loved him, and he might've still been learning the ropes in being a parent—but Artemis knew damn sure that she couldn't have him acting like this in front of Ace; she didn't need him to have a bad image of his father.
All of these years she had done her damned best to make sure that Ace thought of Wally as some amazing man, not some guy that had just got up and left them. She had worked hard to make sure his image was never tainted. He was dumping all of her hard work down the drain, she could see it by the fearful looking starting to slowly show in Ace's eyes.
Wally's fist abruptly slammed down on the table, causing Zatanna to flinch and some of the silverware to jump.
"I can't stand not knowing what Hyades meant by talking about revenge, and then putting a gun to his head and blowing his brains out! Was it a message? Are there other people out there in the world with the cure in them just waiting to strike? Are Dick and I ever going to be sane?" His pitch raised after each new question, piercing and hateful by the end. He had stood up from the table midway, shoulders vibrating softly from the rage funneling through his bones.
Dick, who had said nothing from start to finish, stood up and looked to his best friend with a frown. "I can't stand not knowing either KF, but now is not the time to be making a scene. Not in front of Ace."
Artemis envied Dick for being able to keep his voice so smooth and calm, where she was about to launch herself and attack Wally—boyfriend or not. His vibrations quickened; arms thumping, fingers twitching erratically, legs bobbing, face phasing in and out. Artemis pushed herself away from the table, standing up and attempting to move towards Wally who took a rough step backwards at her actions.
Ace looked from father to mother wearily, not too sure of what was happening.
He didn't understand why Wally's face was disappearing and reappearing so quickly, why his lips would be clear one seconds and then gone the next, why his nose would look like there were five there instead of one. It was only when his father had spoken again that Ace had gotten really freaked out, because his voice was warped and deep and garbled and not his.
Dick and Artemis knew what was happening, all speedsters had the talent but it was only able to happen if they were highly skilled in the speed force. It seemed like Wally didn't realize he was doing it, the only reason it was happening was because his emotions were running high. He was so worked up that his body was vibrating fast enough to phase in and out of the spot, too fast for the eye to catch. His vocal chords were moving so fast that they were causing a disgusted voice to escape him, one that wasn't his.
"Baywatch," she started off carefully, eyes floating between Dick and Wally, "you need to calm down."
He said nothing, smoke rising from the carpeted floor from the friction. Dick cursed under his breath, knowing nothing good was going to come from this if Wally kept this up. So without warning he took a step forward and reached out a hand, Wally avoiding his touch like wildfire.
"Don't come near me," he croaked, eyes burning, voice cracking under the weight of emotion, "I can't stand it Dick. This fucking feeling . . . I just can't stand it."
Dick held his hands up in a surrender motion, "I know Walls. I know because I deal with the same exact feeling every damn day. You aren't alone in this and I want all of the same answers that you do but you need to calm down before something stupid hap—"
A cry of pain came from behind Wally suddenly and heads whipped around to see Ace standing there, clutching at his right hand.
i can't breathe, my heart is chokin'
Artemis' heart dropped at the sight of her son, tears rimming his eyes and grasping his hand like it was burnt, running over to him and pulling him back away from her boyfriend. Wally looks dumbfounded, eyes floating between where Zatanna stands a pace behind Dick holding his hand to where Artemis is crouched down inspecting Ace's hurt hand.
All can see the bright red of his hand and the sight sickens all of them, even Wally, because it looks like a burn you would get from accidently touching the stove while it was running. It looks painful, and that's what kills Wally as he involuntarily slows down; shoulders not rocking as much and smoke from the floor smothering deliberately.
Ace's eyes never leave the unwavering stare directed at Wally's face as all the older man can do is stare at his son's burnt hand.
They all know that Ace had tried to reach for Wally in the shouting match, tried to grab onto one of his hands so he could tug at the arm and find out what in the heck was going on, but the plan had backfired. Wally was moving so fast that the action of Ace attempting to grab his hand had caused him injury.
Wally is snapped back to the present by Artemis muttering soothing words to Ace, who can't help but cry by now. "You're okay baby, it's alright. I know it hurts but you'll be alright." Wally opened his mouth but nothing came out as he whirled himself around to look back at Dick and Zatanna, both of whom meant his eyes with leaden looks that offered him no help.
He turned back to Ace and Artemis, hands shaking at his sides as Ace whimpered, whispering. "Momma, it hurts,"
"I know baby but listen, you remember what I always say to you?"
Ace seemed to think for a minute, sniffling as an answer came to him.
"T-That I'm your little speedster?"
Artemis nodded, chuckling. "Yes. That you're my little speedster. You are my little speedster and I'm always gonna keep you safe alright?"
The nickname was unintentional, just a slip of the tongue one day. But it had stuck so at times when Ace needed comforting Artemis would always bring up the nickname, the fact that he was 'her little speedster'. And even though he wasn't a true speedster and he didn't have any powers, he was a speedster at heart because he was a part of Wally's family. Of their family.
Wally raised a quivering hand, reaching for Artemis.
"B-Babe, beautiful, I-I didn't mean it I'm s-so . . . I'm so sorry. W-What can I d-do?"
Artemis barely turned her head, exhaling in regret at what she was about to say. "Leave."
Wally was taken aback, "W-What?" His hand shot back down to his side, Dick sighing from somewhere behind Wally.
"I said leave Wally." He gulped and stayed frozen to his spot, jumping when Artemis stood up and walked over to him; shoving him roughly backwards.
"Leave!" The action prompted Wally into motion as he took off by super speed through the door, Artemis letting a tear fall before turning back to Ace to tend to his wound. Dick mumbled something under his breath, heading towards the open front door but not before speaking to Zatanna in a quiet whisper so that Artemis couldn't hear.
"Will you keep an eye on Artemis for me? I'm going to go find Kid Idiot before he does something else stupid." She nodded as he moved close and they shared a quick deep kiss, and then faster than Zatanna could react h was gone and the front door was closing in his place.
i need a cure for this life i've chosen
Wally says nothing when Dick appears at his side by Barry's gravestone two hours later. The approaching nighttime hours are looming over them in the sky, moon gaping down at them by casting devious shadows across their daunting cheekbones. Wally actually wishes it was darker so Dick wouldn't be able to see the faint lines of tear tracks down his cheeks.
Wally waits a good while before breaking the silence between them effortlessly.
"Want to make a suicide pact?" Dick for a minute thinks he's joking, but then figures out that he's not because the tone of his voice is far too momentous for such a punchline.
So in reply he crosses his arms and sighs heavily, "Truthfully?"
Wally waits a moment, "Yeah."
Dick's lips screw into a scowl, "If you would've asked me that four years ago, after being kidnapped, I probably would've said yes."
"But now?"
Dick chuckles lowly, "Now, my answer would be no. Want to know why?" Wally scoffs softly.
"Go for it Boy Blunder." Dick reaches over and punches Wally in the shoulder playfully, shaking his head at the old teasing nickname the Gotham criminals used to use on him back in his Robin days—back when everything was simpler.
Back when the two boys were mocking each other just because they could.
"Because I have Zatanna, Artemis, Ace and you. Because I have Bruce in my heart. Because I have Conner, M'gann and Gar. Because I have the old Young Justice Team at my side along with everyone on the new one. Because I have Barbara, Tim and Alfred. Because I know a close-knit family of speedsters that remind me that love is everywhere; Barry, Bart, Iris and you. Because I'm honored to know who the Flash is behind the mask. Because I have my best friend right here next to me through it all."
Wally chuckled wryly, looking up from Barry's gave to glance at Dick. A genuine smile covered his face, collected emotions flashing by.
"Damn it Dick," he mutters, "what in the hell would I do without you?"
Dick moves close and pulls his best friend into a brotherly hug, patting his back. "I don't know dude, but you sure as hell would be lost a lot more often."
They hug each other for a while and then Wally tells Dick of his plans for after he makes up to Artemis. Dick tells him that for Wally being such an idiot most of the time, the plans are the best ones he's ever heard.
my pain is a blessing in disguise
After Dick is sure that Wally is okay they part ways near midnight, Wally heading home to go and apologize to Artemis and make sure Ace is okay (with a message for Zee that he would be getting home a few hours later and not to wait up for him) he heads to the abandoned rooftop of the warehouse Aeron had held them at for so many years and waits.
It's another twenty minutes before he hears the click of a grapple gun as the man swings onto the rooftop next to Dick to join him, landing with finesse and fingers already tracing over the triggers of his pocketed hostlers faster than Dick can blink.
"You came."
The masked man nods stiffly, still fingering the triggers of the guns. "Don't know why. What do you want kid?" Jason does his best to keep his voice even, because it's his brother standing in front of him and he's afraid that Dick's figured out everything.
Dick simply shrugs, taking a long glance around him.
"This is where Wally and I were held captive for four years. Nice place isn't it?"
Jason feels his stomach churn at the mention of their captivity. He kicks himself everyday over not discovering everything that had been happening sooner. "I care why?"
It comes out more bitter than Jason had whispered it because of the mask on his face (that was usually so fitting any other day but suffocating around his face right now) and he does care. He cares so much, damn it.
"I fucking hate you Dickie, you know that right?"
Dick turns around and faces the red mask head on, noticing the man still has his red hood pulled snug over his head. "You don't. But I just wanted to tell you anyway." He doesn't know how to say what he's thinking really; it's not like he can just be like 'by the way, are you my dead brother Jason?'.
Dick moves towards Jason and tugs him into a tight hug, laughing as he struggled to get away.
Jason's hand still fumble with the flaps to his hostlers, Dick thinking the man seems hesitant of the entire situation. Which Dick would agree completely on.
This was a stupid idea, asking this stranger who had saved his life to come and meet him after months of searching for how to reach him.
Now was his chance to ask why, just why, he had called him 'Dickie'—a name only Wally, Bruce, Jason and Tim (now including Zatanna and Artemis) knew about? But the words seemed clogged in his throat, bothering his stomach.
After another tense moment of silence, Dick can see the man reach for his grapple gun to try and leave, and the words; God, they just blurt out because Dick doesn't want to lose his one chance at answers. "Jay wait,"
"I love you too brother," Jason groaned, muttering a string of curses under his breath, "even when you act like a little troll."
The masked man laughs. Jason actually laughs at Dick calling him by his name, a breathy laugh that is filled with far too much relief to be sane. Dick feels his own lips tug into a smile, one that's huge and lights up the rooftop. It was him. Jason was alive.
Jason is busy beating up a dummy in the Bat Cave one day, letting out a good amount of his pent up rage from his earlier failed mission on the beaten material. He's too busy screaming and shouting out curse to hear Dick make his way into the room.
"I knew you would figure it out someday," Jason mutters, red mask meeting concerned blue eyes. They had moved into a position where their legs were hanging off the roof and sides touching. Jason had told him the story about surviving, about the Pit, about the deal.
About the change inside of him that he knew had happened.
It was just supposed to be an easy recon mission with Dick and Bruce. But he had done something impulsive and Dick's position was comprised, resulting in the Joker getting the upper hand and kicking the living shit out of him.
"I'm not the same Dick," after the two had been speaking with each other for about an hour, sharing stories, Jason speaks what he knows they are both thinking about. Dick sighs from next to him, eyes watching the bright moon above them.
"That doesn't matter. You're still my brother."
Jason knew it was his fault Dick had gotten hurt. It was always his fault.
"Am I really Dickie? After all of the fucking shit I've done, all I've killed, all I am." His voice is small and he raises a shaky hand to the back of his mask, clicking a few buttons so that a hissing sound comes from it as it falls off—Jason catching the red menace with clumsy hands. Dick looks over and into the eyes he swore he would never forget.
You don't forget family, no matter how far they stray.
"Jay?"
His cheeks are caved in more than they should have been (from living in crappy hotels with messed up meals, Dick thinks), with hostile eyes that don't hold the same fire as they used to, paled lips, a sullen jawbone that is daunting but malnourished with not eating correctly and hair that is dyed a different color.
The biggest difference by far is the 'J' on his cheek, that looked burned on in a brand from a good time ago.
He freezes in place at the sound of Dick's weak voice from behind him, turning around to see the tired eyes of his older brother staring knowingly at him. Jason scrambles for something say, settling on a safe route, "You're supposed to be in bed. Resting."
Memories flash through Dick's mind. The good, bad and ugly. But he knows that it's Jason in front of him underneath all of the differences.
It's Jason. It's his brother.
Dick looks unamused, "So are you."
"I don't care how different you are now Jay, you are still my family. And you are welcome at the Manor, or my apartment. Do you know how happy Al would be if he saw you? Or Barbra?" Jason's lips tripped into a smile, one that spoke volumes to Dick.
He was lonely.
Jason sends another punch the dummy's way. "It's my fucking fault you're hurt. If I wasn't so damn careless you wouldn't be hurt!"
Jason and Tim didn't really get to bond, of course part of that was because they had only known each other for two months before Jason had 'died'. Dick faintly thinks they would've been close friends if they had gotten the chance to get close to one another.
A part of Dick even thinks they would've bickered more than Jason and him used to.
"Jay," Dick takes a step forward and grabs his shoulder, spinning the younger boy around to face him, "this shit, these bruises? They aren't your fault. I'm fine. Remember how I always tell you that I'm here to keep you safe? Well, this was me doing my duty. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"I'm not coming back home Dickie. I can't. I can't go home and then get the looks. I can't." Jason's answer is clipped but nothing Dick doesn't expect.
He was always a bullheaded bastard.
That's when Jason moves forward and collapses into Dick's arms, the older catching him with a pained grunt as he brushes across one of his bandaged injuries and holding him tight in his arms.
Jason exhales, "I'm sorry about Bruce. I heard about it through the news. I'm sorry I wasn't there Dickie."
Dick feels the tears on his bare torso, the way they dampen the white bandaging covering him. But he doesn't mind. He simply holds Jason until he runs out of cusses to mutter and muffles shouts to scream about. He shushes him, running his hands through Jason's sweaty hair. "I'll always be here for you Jay. Damn it I always will."
Dick shakes his head, "There's nothing you would have been able to do. What's done is done."
After Jason is calm enough to feel embarrassed over his breakdown in front of Dick, he continues beating up the dummy as Dick watches from where he sits in the chair by the bat computer. "Hey, Jason. Promise me one thing." His voice causes Jason to stop moving and listen carefully.
They talk for two more hours until Jason decides it's time for him to return to reality. They bid their farewells with smiles at first, and awkward looks.
"Don't ever leave me. Okay?"
But then Dick can't take it anymore as he reaches forwards and tugs Jason into the tightest hug he's ever given. Jason is froze for a second and then is reminded of their hugs when they were younger and the hugs Ace had given him. And he's reminded of the warmth—the caring warmth of being hugged by someone who loves you.
"I'm going to miss you Jay, you little troll," Dick mumbles into his shoulder, Jason smiling.
"I'm gonna miss you too Dickie."
Then Jason pulls away and they both laugh softly before he grabs his grapple gun from his belt and aims it far away. With a final look to Dick before he returns the red mask over his head, Jason Todd—Red Hood—leaves.
Jason smiles to himself, sending an upper-hook to the dummy's jaw. "I'm never going to Dickie. Trust me."
He's reminded of a promise from years ago when they were younger, when he had gotten hurt and Jason had felt so guilty and Dick had made him promise that he would never leave. He's reminded of that promise now as all he can do is watch as Jason jumps from rooftop to rooftop; never to be seen again.
Dick knows somewhere inside that this was their final goodbye, that Jason was going to skip town and find a new place to live.
He was always running from something and this time it wasn't death after him.
No, Dick was sure he was running from the hope that had somehow found him again. Jason always hated change. Dick was sure that hope, that same hope that had reunited two brothers again, had scared him away.
But he understood.
Everyone had their demons, everyone had their angels.
Jason just didn't let either stick around with him for too long.
i feel it cutting and it's cutting like a knife
Dick stealthily sneaks into their shared room, getting changed in the pitch black hours of three in the early morning. Then he climbs into bed, careful with gathering Zatanna in his arms and pulling her close to the front of his chest. She snuggles into his hold and he freezes, afraid he had woken her.
But then she raises her head to press a tender kiss to his neck, sighing softly.
"Wally said that you told him to tell me not to wait up."
Dick exhales, "Yeah, so you could get some sleep."
Zatanna laughs gently as his hands stroke up her back, "I don't like rules too much Dick, you know that." He hums in reply, closing his eyes in peace at the feel of his girlfriend so close to him, at the warmth all around them. "Was it him?" She mumbles a few minutes later, Dick smiling.
They had talked about Jason for a while here and there because Dick couldn't shake the feeling that it was him behind the mask. Hell, his emotions were still flying high after they had just caught up for four hours that night; so it wasn't a surprise that Zatanna had remembered.
"Yeah. It was. Jay's alive, different but alive and that's all I can ask for."
Then he pauses, feeling her hot breath fanning out across his neck as she curled into him more. And another, albeit impulse, thought smacked into him. What better time than 3:17 on a Saturday morning when they were both half asleep?
"Zee?"
"Yeah," she murmured, eyes slipping shut once again.
"I love you. Alright? I do and I swear I'll love you through everything and anything. When I look at my future, I see you and a little girl with your hair and stunning eyes. And when I look at you," he muttered, "I see the definition of beauty. I see the person I treasure the most in this messed up world. I love you."
If she wasn't so tired and if it wasn't such an emotional moment she would've taken him right then and there. But this was something more than the heat they had always shared, this was serious and this? Was theirs.
Zatanna says nothing for a minute, searching for his hand and then finding it and interlacing their fingers drowsily.
But then when she does speak again with a raspy voice tainted by fatigue, damn if it isn't the most beautiful thing Dick's ever heard.
"I love you too Dick . . . when I look at my future, I see the last name Grayson after mine and I see your parents with us down the aisle because even though they aren't here they will always be with you and I see that little girl with your blue eyes and your mother's first name. I see us together. I see my unending love for you."
His lips split into a grin so wide that he's surprised his face doesn't break as he pulls her closer, pressing his face into her hair. They stay pressed closed together like that until falling asleep and both dream of their future with the last name Grayson tagged onto everything.
but it feels like the tide is turning
In the upcoming weeks everything is slowly changing for the better.
Dick visits Wayne Manor every other day to check up on Alfred, who teaches him how to make homemade Pork Chops with buttered corn on the side and Fried Chicken (he only burnt himself on the grease seven times while Alfred rolled his eyes so many times Dick thought he was going to lose his sight), but they also talked about anything and everything. He was like Dick's grandfather, who was now more lonely than he would admit without Bruce to talk to but Dick made sure that Tim and Barbara kept on eye on him whenever he wasn't over fooling around with the older man trying to teach him how to cook in the kitchen.
He takes care of the bat family, as shattered as it is, because it's the only family Dick has left.
He spars with Tim whenever he can, making sure he teaches him every trick in the book until a fire burns bright enough inside of him that it's like Jason is right there next to him.
Dick also hangs out with Barbara more, because she helps him with Zatanna, but also because she's only a few years younger than he is so she understands his troubles and stress better than everyone else (the many years they had known each other had only heightened that).
But all in all, he takes care of the bat family because he wants to make sure they all heal from the tragedies that had struck them.
Wally and Artemis make up; the former buying Ace a new fancy dinosaur toy at the end of each passing day to reassure the boy that such a thing, him getting hurt like that, would never happen again. Their trust as a family is healed and when Wally suddenly brings the two on a secret drive to Central City he reveals a brand new house for them to live in. It's two stories and it's beautiful, with five bedrooms and two bathrooms and polished hardwood floors.
She kisses him senseless, only stopping when Ace voices his playful hate on their love (after that Wally had scooped him into a hug and they ran through the house as Artemis yelled at them from afar).
A zeta tube was added to the abandoned house next door for emergencies of any kind (along with one closer to Dick's apartment back in Blüdhaven).
Wally visited Aunt Iris and Bart every chance he got, whenever he wasn't running around as the Flash or trying to convince Artemis to sleep with him again, and he took care of them with a full heart. Though the guilt within still was as bold as ever, so he visited Barry's grave every night after Ace had been put to bed.
They were happy, even if Artemis still didn't have a ring on her finger but unknown to her—Wally had a plan for that too.
The old Young Justice Team helped Dick with being the leader and helped out the Justice League when they needed it. Conner and M'gann got engaged (Wally had talked Conner into it, Dick and Kaldur having to go back and fix anything that wasn't proper for M'gann's sake) and Gar was excited beyond belief, though that might've been from the fact that the two had also got official papers done to make sur he was adopted as their son.
Kaldur took over most of the duties as leader for Dick, as he was happy alone.
As for the other members floating around; La'gaan healed, Cassie and Tim became boyfriend and girlfriend after a while of bickering, Jamie and Bart were now true best friends (kind of like a new Rob and KF, as Wally had joked one time), and Oliver heals over time with help from Dinah.
Everything is mended now—like as if the world is in a tranquil moment of peace for a while.
Everyone knows its because all of the crooks out there had heard about what Nightwing and the Flash had been through; a saying was evening going around about how 'the two showed their past scars so proudly that any thug who saw them cowered in fear of what the hero survived'.
But neither let it go to their heads. It was their job to save the world at the cost of theirs, right?
lightning strikes my heart is storming
Artemis was confused.
Wally had taken her out to a fancy dinner, dressed up at that, and not once had he pissed her off with a cocky comment.
Now they were walking along a beach he had raced them two, hand in hand as the sand got stuck between their bare toes and the sun lowered slowly behind the horizon in a furry of stunning colors. Purple, pink, orange and yellow mixed together to create a stunning picture.
She was waiting for the punchline; for Wally to want something in return (probably some wild night in a hotel room or embarrassing her by making her sing his favorite song with her horrid singing voice) but no requests came. And only when the sun had disappeared from the sky did they stop walking.
Wally turned towards her and released her hand from his hold, reaching into the pocket of his tux and pulling out a small dark red box before kneeing in front of her. She chuckled, pulling her hands up to cover her gaping mouth.
Damn, she should've saw this coming.
"Artemis Crock, I love you. I love you more than anything else in the world, more than my speed even. I know at first we hated each other but I think I did that because I wanted to hide my feelings for you, and we've fought over the years but I find myself not wanting to do anything without you. So, beautiful," she melted right then and there, as she always did when he used that nickname since that faithful mission in the desert, "will you marry me?"
She removes her hands from her face and grins. "Hell yes Baywatch."
He's so happy he speeds towards her, her back hitting the sand with a soft thump before he slips the ring on her finger and kisses her with the most passion he's ever used with her. His lips detach from her mouth to only whisper eight small words that remind her of a certain New Year's Eve kiss.
"I should have done this a long time ago."
And as he presses a heated kiss to her neck, she mumbles two words back. "No kidding,"
i will face everything and rise
They are sitting on top of a building in the middle of Central City; one has their feet hanging off the ledge while the other leans against an air conditioner unit—watching the cars speed by below wordlessly. They are dressed in tedious civilian clothes with bland colors and dull stains.
The one in the front has on a simple red tee shirt whose hem is ripped in different spots with a faint mustard stain on the right shoulder, along with a pair of black jeans and some grey converse. To finish off his look; a blue baseball cap was twisted backwards over his hair, with black sunglasses over his eyes. He had no idea if anything matched, he had never been too good with that area—even back when he was a nerdy teenager.
But the person who had helped him match clothes for the past few years wasn't around so he had just grabbed whatever he could off the grimy shelves of the thrift store.
The man behind him was dressed more professionally, obviously experience from years before still lingering with him. A crisp black suit adorned his bulky form with an undone blue tie around his neck, along with black dress pants and some polished boots covering his feet. The only thing out of place for that man's look was the dark blue bandana covering his hair, making him look oddly different but surely unrecognizable.
The silence between them was smothering and the man leaning off the edge of the building suddenly let out a dry chuckle, shattering the peace. "Is it even possible to kill the Batman?"
The man behind him sent over a punitive glare in return, "You tell me."
The former laughed again, shaking his head. "I never thought it was possible." The man behind him rolled his eyes, about to not answer but deciding that the man in front of him had a valid point. He didn't think it was possible either until it had happened.
"I didn't think it was possible either."
The man in front turned his head with a large grin, "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
The man in front lets out a bark of laughter as he stands up and moves towards the man behind him. "It's crazy, isn't it? All of this?" He slings an arm around the other man's shoulders, the two watching the clouds glide through the sky. The man with the bandana pushed away from the other man, exhaling.
"I don't know how it's possible but," he pauses for a moment, "but I'm grateful."
"Me too."
The silence encases them again.
angels keep falling from the sky
"I, I don't want to wait any longer."
"We have to."
"We've been waiting long enough, they deserve to know—"
"Enough. We can't tell them, we have to wait until we have enough answer to give." The man in the bandana's final words stop the other man from saying anything else as he walks towards the ledge of the building; staring down at his city below with a straight face.
His ears unexpectedly pick up on the faint sound of gunshots and he turns his head to see a bank under lockdown by a bunch of crooks. The man turns to tell his friend but before he can he hears a whooshing sound and turns back around to see the man tied up on the ground, reporters swarming around the hero.
The Flash stands proud at the front of the bank.
The man with the bandana comes up next to his friend, crossing his arms. "Looks like the Flash is keeping an eye on the city." He comments curtly.
i'll take the broken wings and learn to fly
The first man, the one in the red tee shirt, can see the smile on the Flash's face; he can basically feel the excitement flowing off of the hero from up on the rooftop. He registers what the man next to him says gradually, a grin spreading its way across his face as he watches the Flash bid farewell to the reporters and speed away.
"Yeah, it looks like he is," the man with the red tee shirt whispers, watching the red blur as it weaved through parked cars and trees.
"You must be proud." The man retorts brusquely, but a smile is spreading across his face as well at the information.
"I am." The man with the red tee shirt follows the blur until he can't see it anymore. "Good job kiddo."
end