Dark, grey clouds overshadowed the city's skyline, making the dark town look even darker. A light drizzle dropped to the ground, or in this case, the roof, of one of Gotham City's taller structures. Instead of continuing on with her daily patrol route, a certain occupant perched herself on top of this building's rooftop, in order to have a few minutes to herself. Being a vigilante may have a significant impact on a person's physical and mental wellbeing. Barbara was beginning to give in to her pessimistic views of the world, as her mental health had once again taken a toll. A long, heavy sigh escaped the lips of a certain batgirl, her red hair poorly tied into a ponytail, and her body curling up as a way to protect herself from the cold air, or maybe even the world around her. Barbara Gordon was well aware of the fact of taking on the hero role would come with drawbacks, such as not being able to save from civilian danger or gaining fresh scars from a tough day in combat, because coming home to seeing your body covered in painful cuts and bruises, wasn't always the best feeling. If she had the chance to mention every single disadvantage that came with playing hero, the list would be infinite. The rain clouds spread themselves across the city as she tilted her head to look at the storm clouds floating above her, a few drops of rain fell onto her forehead, rolling down her cheek and onto her throat. Barbara's mind wandered once again, and she got lost in her thoughts. Her mind seemed to be swirling around her worries today, her doubts, the things she dreads the most, all of which had just decided to come crashing down on her, putting her in a foul mood. She despised the fact that being a hero involves making difficult decisions, and that making the wrong choice could easily end someone's life. Barbara didn't want to be in a situation where she might have to sacrifice someone, whether that person was a hero or a civilian. She couldn't be the one to purposefully endanger someone's life for the sake of the mission, even if that was the only way to go. Losing someone is her biggest fear, she dreads the day where she will lose someone she loves, the world was cruel but death was even cruller. Death doesn't care how much you love somebody, how old they are, or even if you've fought alongside them for years; it takes whatever it wants and you must learn to accept it (even if the healing process isn't as simple as it sounds). Death causes pain to all in the course of getting what it desires. The sound of a grappling hook being attached to the building's rim, and footsteps walking across the gravel snapped the young girl out of her thoughts,( after all, she was trained by THE batman, she had to notice the little things like these). Turning her head around, she saw the one and only nightwing, the teen wonder, Dick Grayson, her best friend, potential lover, despite the fact that she denied all accusations of them liking each other. His hair was unkempt and sticking up in all directions, but that was nothing new; his olive-colored skin seemed to be dripping with raindrops. She took a moment to study him, and he did the same, simply running their eyes over each other's bodies, memorizing every detail as if it were the last time they'd ever see each other. He didn't say anything (which she appreciated) and moved over to sit beside her. While swinging his legs off the ledge casually, Barbara locked her gaze on the side of his head, thinking about the tension they had, how they both were "best friends" who desperately wanted to cross the line to become something more. Barbara knew they couldn't date, not while fighting in a city like Gotham, it was too dang-
"Babs," Dick murmured quietly, interrupting her train of thought. She acknowledged him by looking up and nodding. Dick stretched out his hand to help her off her feet and said, "Let's dance."And as always, she accepted, dancing was their thing, whether it was at a gala, in the school hallways, or even on random rooftops during patrol, doing this dance around their obvious feelings for each other. They were swaying to the sounds of the wind and thunder, letting the purple lighting paint the sky. Barbara was afraid of losing Dick, and she wanted to protect him at all cost but she knew he was capable of looking after himself; after all, he wore the cape and mask long before she did. She knows he's been through a lot, seeing and experiencing life-changing events ever since he was a kid. As he spun her around, the rain seemed to pick up its pace by coming down harder and soaking right through their costumes. And as the rain continued to fall with such force, they both carried on with their dancing with no intention to stop anytime soon. Kinda cliche dancing in the rain on a random building's rooftop. She felt as if it was unusual for her to love and care for someone who wasn't her dad, but she did so unconditionally for Dick Grayson. She couldn't lose him today, tomorrow, or anytime soon; she wants them to be able to have sleepovers like they did when they were kids; she wants them to laugh until their ribs hurt, and she wants to make sure they have their annual Disney marathon. Perhaps she simply wishes to have a future with him, one in which they are more than "just friends." It was a slow burn at first; when she first began to have feelings for him, she did all she could to suppress them, claiming that she couldn't be in love with her best friend, but after a while, she gave in and accepted her feelings for him. She found herself realizing she couldn't fall out of love with him, but it's not like she wanted to; she wanted to keep loving him no matter how much it hurt her. When he dips her to the ground, their foreheads brush against each other and their noses gently press against each other. She just had to lean up to close the distance between their lips, and instead of kissing him as she wanted to, she grinned up at him, and he returned her smile with a toothy grin of his own. Ohgodohgodohgod she really really couldn't lose him. Why did living in Gotham cause her so much anxiety, even as a civilian? Her father is the police commissioner, and her best friend is the ward of Gotham's richest billionaire, so she should be used to receiving phone calls informing her that one of them is in the hospital but she wasn't, and she couldn't help but think about how this "close call" could've resulted in them being killed. Dick must have sensed her body tensing up because he definitely noted the way her face scrunched up; a look of concern flashed across his face as he simply tightened his grip on her while murmuring something along the lines of "you need to loosen up more barbie". Barbara couldn't help but look at him, tilting her head to make sure she was in direct contact with him and locking her eyes on his. He had his eyes on her as well, even though she couldn't see them, she knew they were looking right at her behind his mask. She wished she could see his eyes; she hated the domino mask that concealed his piercing blue eyes. Barbara seemed to have forgotten that she was looking at his face as dick sent her a smooth, yet easy grin and he didn't mummer this time as he said "see something you like babs?" Barbara didn't miss the sound of playfulness and cockiness in his voice. Barbara's face flushed as she struggled to form the right words to reply with. Barbara's fears about the future started to fade away as the rain pounded in their ears and dripped off their faces. Dancing with Dick definitely helped to take her mind off these feelings, even if just for a brief moment. She knew her troubling thoughts would return, and possibly would be there for the rest of her life, but she let them stay in the back of her mind for the time being because all she wanted to do right now was dance with the boy in front of her. They were a duo, whether as a civilian or a vigilante, it's always been them fighting alongside each other, having each other's back when no one else could, trusting one and another with some of the deepest secrets; they were a puzzle piece, they work best when together. Barbara felt safe with him, in his embrace, while he's holding onto her when no one else can, she knew he felt safe around her as well, right now barbara felt as if any villain who's lurking around had nothing on her, as these same villains were the main reason for more than half of her worries. They continued to sway to the rhythm of thunder and rain, letting the wind blow bits and strands of hair onto their faces. Gotham is known for its misery, but maybe, just maybe, the two of them will build happiness, fighting against the evil of the universe.