And now! Onward my soldiers!
To bad I don't own any soldiers.
I also don't own DC or the heroes.
Please enjoy!
August 26, the Watchtower
Nightwing wasn't sure what he was expecting. A slap, a barrage of shame filled insults, a teary hug? What he wasn't expecting was to be tackled into the wall and find his breathing cut off from two, heavily muscled teal, scaled arms.
"Gah." Nightwing got out before the shouting started.
"You WHORE! How could you even think about coming near us! You even touched Jaime! How the hell could you touch his face without thinking of how dirty you are, bastard! You've made us think you were perfect, amazing and willing to do anything to fight ht enemy! But instead you run around behind with the enemy? You WHORE! You damn, damn, whore! Do they pay you too? Why not? Do you sell information? What the hell were you thinking! How could you do this to us?" L'gann shouted, spittle hitting Nightwing's face. Nightwing was dazed but quickly came to his senses. L'gann loosened his grip to let Nightwing answer.
"L'gann, release him!" M'gann demanded. Conner stopped her. The other present heroes who had actually politely ignored the Bats, Superman, Wonder Woman along with Green Arrow and Black Canary, ran over.
"L'gann, we order you to drop Nightwing!" Wonder Woman said. Superman and Green Arrow were assisting Batman, who had gotten knocked aside in L'gann's charge.
"No. I want to hear what he has to say." Conner said, holding onto M'gann.
"Let Nightwing down!" M'gann said. Nightwing glared down at L'gann.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Nightwing hissed, already understanding what had happened. M'gann blushed.
"We listened in on your conversation." She admitted. Nightwing growled, but L'gann tightened his grip.
"Release him.' Batman said, sounding feral. Nightwing coughed as L'gann loosened his grip.
"Tell me, L'gann, how does it feel to use a move on the person who taught it to you?" Nightwing's voice was raspy, but the area was quiet so the words echoed. L'gann froze in his angry trembling.
"What…?" L'gann glared at Nightwing.
"It feels sick right? You respect someone so much, and learn a lot from them. Then they do something unforgivable. You can't see why you admired them. You begin to hate them and you use what they taught you against them. It hurts, because you can't forget you once looked up to this person. Do you have and freaking idea? At All?" Nightwing's voice rose. Others opened their mouths, but Nightwing wasn't done. He couldn't hold it in. Nightwing just began shouting at them; everything that made him ticked off came out. He had unknowingly switched to his native language. He shouted about how he gave up so much for them, time, peace of mind, his health, family time. How half his life was spent lying to everyone, and the other half was spent hiding the truth. Nightwing shouted at how he was tired of always supporting everyone and making sure no one got hurt. He shouted about how when someone was in trouble, he was expected to fix what went wrong. Then, no one remembered what he did. Yes, Nightwing felt under-appreciated, he felt like everyone was always waiting for him to mess-up. Was this enough of a mess-up? Had Nightwing finally let everyone down? Was everyone satisfied?
Nightwing was panting as L'gann just dropped him. L'gann took many steps back, returning to normal size. His eyes were wide in fear. Everyone was shocked. Nightwing's tone, since no one knew the exact words, told them what he had said. M'gann was crying and ran up to Nightwing and hugged him. Nightwing stood up and threw her away.
"Get off. I don't need your pity!" He stormed out. M'gann felt like someone had just stabbed her in the heart. She let out a squeak as they heard him shout something in Romani at the computer as it announced his exit.
"Nightwing, Richard!" She called, Conner held her back. "He is hurting so much, Conner. He feels so betrayed." She sobbed. She dropped her head and saw the envelope, some pictures had been scattered. She didn't focus on them. Most were a younger Nightwing in bed with the sheets low and another figure. She couldn't feel anything as she skimmed over them. One caught her attention. As Black Canary slowly, with slightly teary eyes, picked up the pictures, Conner noticed the writing on the back. Everyone began reading what was on the back. M'gann didn't. She was sure the letters were blackmail, and whoever sent it, well, they had obviously just helped that person. M'gann felt everyone's anger and guilt rise. She pulled out the one that had caught her eye. Some strong feelings were attached to it.
This one had a smiling 11 year old raven headed boy with bright blue orb-shaped eyes. His mouth was open as if he had just gotten really good news. There was a figure wrapping his arms around the young boy. M'gann caught her breath. The figure was paler than even a sickly Nightwing. The man also had deep, black eyebrows, but stark white hair. The man was smiling, his left eye a bright, light blue/green. His right eye was covered with an eye patch. This man was smiling, and looked really relaxed in his winter jacket, holding the young Dick Grayson. But as M'gann looked closer, she saw a tear running down Dick's face, and more on the lower lid of his eye. His hair may have been cropped, but M'gann recognized the face of her kidnapper. Slade looked completely happy and carefree, but Dick looked like he was forcing his expression, but only those who had known him for years would be able to tell. M'gann felt a cold stone in her gut. Of course Nightwing knew how to get Deathstroke to come to him. She cried harder and felt others looking over her shoulder.
Slade loved Dick, and maybe, once, Dick had seen Slade Wilson as a father.
Jason put out his cigarette as soon as he slipped in the window of the rickety window frame. He wasn't stupid. Smoking in a place that had that much alcohol in the air was a bad idea. He followed the trail of five beer cans to the couch. He looked down at the black-haired figure that was rubbing the rim of a beer can.
"Dick, didn't know you drank."
"I dow." Dick slurred. Jason sighed. He took away the can, and Dick just slid limply off the couch.
"Mine." Dick said. Jason rolled his eyes.
"You are so wasted." He wanted to laugh, but knowing Dick had been 'missing' about two hours and five cans of beer were on the floor, Jason thought he should probably make sure this doofus didn't die from alcohol poisoning. Jason went into the bathroom and poured out a cup of water.
"Drink.' He said, returning to Dick and sitting him up against the couch. Dick drank greedily and Jason had to slow him down by barely tipping the glass.
"Drink, slowly." Jason corrected himself. The glass was emptied, and Jason went to fill it back up. "I'm not sure what you're going to do. It looks like you drank a lot in a little amount of time. I'm going to shove so much water down your gullet that you''' be pissing as you drink." Jason was actually really worried. Dick just lolled.
"Hay don get who wa jus a try'n to help." Dick said slowly, forcing each word out. Jason rolled his eyes.
"I have absolutely no idea what you are trying to say. Drink." Dick gargled a bit, but obediently drank from the glass. He kept filling the glass and making Dick drink until Dick just fell asleep when he was filling the glass. Jason sighed and quickly calculated how much water Dick had consumed in the last hour.
"Well, I'm not as good at math as that ass Timmy, but I think I've gotten you to drink twice as much water as beer. You're still going to have one hell of a hangover. Dick fell to his side and let out a deep breath. Jason sighed and pulled Dick out of the way, and pulled out the bed.
"Here ya go, buddy." Jason hefted Dick onto the springy bed and rolled him over so he was lying on his side. "If you start vomiting, I don't want you choking." No answer. Just deep, deep breathing. Jason sighed and felt Dick's forehead.
"You let him fall asleep?" Jason whipped around to see the black suit slip through the window, the setting sun outlining the sleek body.
"Hello Barbra." Jason smirked. She rolled her eyes and pulled down her cowl.
"I can smell the alcohol, and I see the cans. What happened?" She demanded. Jason shrugged.
"Got call about an hour ago to find the Golden Boy, was told no one could find him for the past two hours. Found him, already wasted. I made him drink so much water, he'll probably be pissing soon." Barbra sighed, and kneeled next to the bed and tucked some hair behind Dick's ear.
"Hey, he won't remember anything… wanna three-"
"Don't finish." Jason chortled.
"I actually like Dick. I was just joking. Unless of course, you're interested in this body." Jason said, doing a little eyebrow dance. Barbra rolled her eyes, and turned back to Dick.
"I don't pity him, but I wonder how he feels." She said softly.
"Why?"
"Well, Dick was being blackmailed, and told Batman he would do anything for the team. Anything. L'gann freaked out, and the team agreed with L'gann. I think Nightwing misinterpreted our reaction. My thoughts were that no one should do so much for another. L'gann said he had personal experience with someone saying they did everything for another, but really weren't. Everything was out of control so fast… Jason, it is all our fault, again. And once again, Dick suffers. I can't believe he drank though! He says drinking is just making an excuse to admit you are weak."
"He probably felt weak, so he fell into his own trap, and wanted an excuse to feel weak, so he drank." Jason said softly. Barbra stroked Dick's face, her mind back at the scene three hours ago.
"Megan! M'gann!" the younger YJ heroes raced through the halls and found the small group of heroes in a huddle. The older adults seemed so lost, and M'gann was sobbing. Batman was obviously livid.
"M'gann, what happened? We heard shouting. Where is Nightwing?" Gar asked. M'gann took a deep breath, but that only caused more tears to fall.
"You guys. Why didn't you just wait? Why did I agree to let us listen?" M'gann asked in a quiet voice.
"M'gann?" Gar asked, even Conner backed off so the adopted siblings could be together.
"Gar, Nightwing said he would do anything for the team. What has he done back when you were with him on the Teen Titans?" M'gann asked, desperately grabbing Gar's shoulders.
"Um, I need something more specific…" Gar mumbled, unnerved by his sister.
"Anytime with Slade!" M'gann clarified. The air became charged.
"Um, Slade once kidnapped him…" M'gann widened her eyes hinting Gar should go on. "For about six months. For the first month we just couldn't find him. Then, a new villain roamed the streets. Everyone called him Renegade. It turned out to be Nightwing, but it took us the whole second month to figure it out. He was trying pretty hard for us to not learn. The third month, we kept running into him, and it was brutal. We could see the comm. in his ear, and we all felt betrayed at how he followed every order. One time he didn't follow an order though, and we learned why." Gar paused to shiver, but continued before any questions were asked, "If Renegade didn't do what he was supposed to, we got electrocuted to death slowly by these nanobots infecting the team on the mission where Nightwing disappeared, unknowingly.
"After that, Renegade disappeared for the fourth month. In the fifth month, he came back and cleaned the floor with us. By then, we were pretty hopeless, but every time we woke up from a fight, a note was in our hand. It explained what was in our system, and the way to destroy the nanobots. The notes included a layout of the factory Slade was hiding in, and how to get in and out to destroy the machine that controlled the nanobots.
"Went in. Slade was furious but he wasn't surprised we were there. He had created a hand-held machine to activate the nanobots. Nightwing didn't know about it. The nanobots were breathed in, but he injected them straight into his system. Slade turned off the machine and we were able to destroy it. We were so estatic Nightwing was back, but he was different, more determined. For the rest of the year he was as paranoid as Batman, sorry sir!" Gar looked up, not realizing what his story had just told the elder heroes.
"He got that information, expecting you guys would use it to free yourselves." Robin said.
"And we blew it." Gar laughed. He grew somber quickly. He saw the envelope. Superman suddenly shot the envelope and all the pictures inside burned to nothing.
"Um, guys?" Bart questioned.
"Find Nightwing." Batman demanded. The group disappeared, but Robin held Batgirl back.
"What happened?" He asked, the younger YJ members crowded around. Batgirl sighed.
"Once again, Nightwing with-held information from us, except this time that information only hurt him, and no one else." Batgirl said simply. She ran off leaving the team baffled. She gripped the only picture left in her hand.
Barbra stroked Nightwing's hair one more time.
"Well, he is asleep; we should stay near him, in case anything happens. I'll send Batman a text. Then, I'm going to bed.
"Where are you going to sleep?" Jason asked.
"There." Barbra pointed to the spot next to Dick.
"I feel very uneasy that you would be next to him while he is so venerable. I'll sleep there." Jason gestured to the other side of Dick. Barbra nodded her consent.
Within the half-hour, the three were squished on the bed, with two large comforters over-lapping over Dick. They were all asleep before the silent snap of a silent camera clicked.
I am so happy, because I thought of a cool twist in my story! So excited to keep typing!
Please review!