Chapter 9: Dick & Avery
I asked the boys again about their decision to see Jason just to make sure it was what they wanted to do
"Yes, Avery, we'll go see him, and it's like Starfire said, if we don't like what he has to say, we can just walk away, no tricks" said Dick
"You trust Kor'i too much, Grayson, while I don't, she's no to be trusted, the only people I truly trust are the three of you"
"I'm not too happy about this, I could just skip out and send the three of you to see him, but I don't trust Jason OR Kor'i" I sure as hell wasn't gonna send my brothers to see that ass on their own, I don't care if they can handle themselves, as long as I'm around, it's my job to look after them, I still had a hard time putting my faith in Dick, seeing he still believes in Jason, and knowing Dick, I knew he'd let Jason walk all over him if he allowed it, but I damn well wasn't gonna let that happen.
"Dick, for once try to see things from our perspective, Jason left us, just because he couldn't handle the fact that father won't kill Joker he threw a bitch fit and walked out on us, now, I understand that he's still family, as much as I hate admitting it, yes, he still is a part of this family, our dad still sees him as Jason Todd-Wayne, and I completely get that, but I cannot forgive him just as easily, you probably can, but I can't, and before you ask, no, I'm not speaking out of spite or anger, I'm speaking out of a broken heart, and not my heart, our dad's heart. He had plenty of time to make a call our way, just to let us know he's ok and that he was with The Outlaws, but no, he didn't do that, did he? I couldn't care less if he didn't wanna talk to me, but he could've called just to check on the three of you, to see how you were all doing, but he didn't do that either, he hasn't even called daddy to let him know he's ok, you can be as forgiving as much as you want, Dick, but I won't, not anymore"
"Well Grayson, do you have a rebuttal?" asked Damian
"No" sighed Dick "I don't, you're right, Avery, you made your point crystal clear"
"I don't have a problem with us seeing Jason tomorrow, I'm just worried about what he wants to tell us, to be completely honest, I am afraid of what he has to say, I don't want to breakdown and ruin a possible chance of getting of you guys getting on good terms with him, I know I wanted us to cut off ties with Jason, but I take it back, if you guys decide to have a relationship with him, I won't stop you, it's my job to support all of your choices, no matter what they are"
"Avery, we won't see him if it bothers you this much" said Tim putting his hand on my shoulder
"Thank you for your consideration, Timmy, but this just isn't about me, he wants to see all of us, and he will see all of us"
The guys remained quiet, not knowing what to say, even Damian was speechless, he usually had a smart retort, but said nothing.
"Guys, it's decided, now we just wait for Jason's call" I then sat on the love seat next to Dick
"Avery, may we please go now, we have to get ready for patrol in a few hours" said Tim
"Yeah Tim, go ahead"
Damian and Tim left, leaving only Dick and I in the living room
"You ok, Avery?" wondered Dick, throwing an arm around me
"No, i'm not, when will Jason leave us alone, Dick? I'm tired of talking about him, seeing him, dreaming about him, it's driving me insane, it's like a never-ending nightmare I can't wake up from"
"You have us, Ava, you know you're not in this alone, me and the boys are in this too, think how they feel knowing their brother left them behind"
"That's what hurts the most, I accepted the fact that he wants nothing with me, but he left all of you too"
"We know, it does hurt, but we got over it and moved on, Jason will always be our brother, but like you said at the very beginning, we can't keep being the ones asking him to come back home, he has to put effort as well"
"I know" I then threw my arms around Dick's neck and just embraced him, placing my head on the crook of his neck, and he returned the gesture by placing his arms on my waist tightly, putting his chin on the top of my head.
"You know, you can cry if you want to, Ava"
"I already started before you said it" I sniffed, crying into his shirt
He kissed the top of my head and I continued to cry as Dick whispered words of comfort to me, as he did so, a thought had popped into my head
'If I had never loved Jason, would I feel something towards Dick?'
Dick always made me feel safe, secure, and loved, he always my happiness and the happiness of his brothers before his own.
He was that selfless, and even when Jason turned his back on us, Dick always remained faithful to his little brother, because that's what Jason is to Dick, his little brother.
But did Dick feel something for me? I wanted to know
"Dick" I said as I looked up at him "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Avery, you can ask me anything" He replied as he gently wiped the remaining tears away from my eyes
"Do you... I mean, have you, you know, felt something towards me, you know besides sibling love?"
"Avery..."
"I know that right now isn't the right time to be asking you this, but I was curious to know, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, bu-"
"Avery, I fell in love with you the moment Selina brought you home to Bruce"
My eyes went wide in shock, then looked down in shame, If I had only known how Dick truly felt about me earlier...
Dick smiled warmly at me, sensing my guilt "Don't fell bad, Avery, I knew you fell in love with Jason the moment you saw him, so I kept my distance, although, just because you loved Jason didn't mean I was going to love you less, you're still my family, and I won't ever forget that"
"I sincerely wish I could have given you at least a chance, Dick, but Jason-"
"Shhh, Avery, you don't need to explain or justify yourself to me, I understand completely, I just want you to know that I'll always be by your side, no matter what happens"
"Dickie..." I hugged him and smiled widely, I had felt like an entire weight had been lifted off my shoulders for some strange reason
I sat there, just enjoying my closeness with Dick when my phone began to ring
Hey wait, I've got a new complaint
Forever in debt to your priceless advice...
"This is Avery Wayne"
"It's Jason, I just wanted to ask what you guys decided, will you see me tomorrow or not?"
"I thought I had told Kor'i to tell you to call in two hours"
"I got impatient"
I sighed
"Yes, Jason, we will be there tomorrow at 2 p.m. to see you, but just know, if you, Roy, or Kor'i have any funny business planned, you can bet a broken nose will be the least of your worries"
"I give you my word, Avery, nothing will happen, I just wanna talk to all of you"
"Fine, we'll be there, now I gotta go, I gotta get ready for patrol with the boys, I'll see you tomorrow"
"Alright, bye"
I hung up without replying then looked at Dick, who just smiled at me "I think you handled that pretty well, Avery"
"Thanks, now come on, we have a city we have to protect"
"Avery?"
"Yes, Dickie?"
"I just want to tell you, that no matter what happens tomorrow with Jason, I just want to let you know, that I'll stand by you in whatever you decide to do, you have my support"
"That means a lot, Dickie, thank you"
"No problem, Ava, now let's go, Gotham isn't gonna protect itself"
I laughed and followed Dick to the Batcave, leaving any and all thoughts of Jason in the dust.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it means a lot to me, what did y'all think of Avery and Dick's closeness in this chapter? Do you think that there is a romance blooming for them? I want to know myself, so please review, and I will most likely upload the next chapter later tonight, so with all that said... Laters my peeps!