A buzz from his phone pulled Dick out from his thoughts and back to the present. He checked his phone to see several texts from Tim, Wally, and Roy along with texts from Donna, Jason, and several missed calls from Oracle. He guessed she had probably called to ask about the mission. Dick was surprised at receiving so many texts from everyone. He had been so involved in his thoughts, that he hadn't noticed the phone buzzing. It was a good thing since he really wasn't in any mood to talk with anyone right now. Ignoring the notifications on his phone Dick got up to get a beer for himself. God knows he needed one right now. He just wanted to unwind for the weekend. Taking several sips from the bottle, Dick focused on his last thought.
Starfire was her own hero here on Earth, and she was no longer the naive alien who landed on a strange planet all those years ago. She had successfully led the Titans after Dick's departure from Jump city and mentored the younger generation of Titans, showing them the ropes and training them to become great heroes. She had worked with the three Robins that came after Dick and they had nothing but respect and praises for her. She had embarked on several arduous space expeditions with Cyborg and Green Lantern, saving not only Earth but also other planets. She had worked together with several members of the league. She had fought against as well as alongside Superman and Wonder woman themselves and she had stood her ground, earning their respect for her warrior spirit and her battle inputs. So, who did Dick think he was to just take the lead on her mission that J'onn had asked her to attend to and not factor her input at all?
No wonder she felt disrespected by him.
Kory was right of course; she always had been right. Why was it so easy for him to fall back into old habits, more importantly, why did he expect her to just follow him blindly? Which got Dick to thinking about some of their Titans battles. Had he always been like this? Had he never factored in Kory's input before? Was he so adamant to prove his worth to Bruce? Dick had always valued Kory's input in his heart so why did he make her feel this way?
And more importantly, what she said next had totally thrown Dick off balance, did he do that not only on the battlefield but also in their relationship? Did he really stage-manage their relationship? Much to Dick's dismay, Kory had called him Junior Batman. Was he indeed becoming a junior Batman?
Dick was ever so grateful to Bruce for taking him in after his parent's death and even more grateful to Batman for showing him a better use of his talents, training him, and showing the path to being a vigilante. Dick living in Gotham had witnessed the rising crime rate and he was determined to make something of himself. Being mentored by Batman to use his acrobatic skills for the purpose of crime fighting had opened a whole new world for Dick. Dick grew up in a circus with loving parents and friendly folks and would have gone on to becoming a performer himself alongside his family and running the circus. His life plans had completely changed because of one corrupt criminal who turned Dick's whole world upside down. Honestly, if it weren't for Bruce, Dick didn't know what would have happened to him. So, in a way, Dick feels like he owes it to Bruce, and for that reason, Dick needs to hold up to his sense of duty, even at the sacrifice of his love.
As great as things could go, one disagreement had changed his life again when he found himself moving to another city in order to make something of his own, away from the shadow of the bat. Dick always believed that the fates or destiny itself had guided him to the city of Jump when he had no destination or plan. Or it was his guardian angel who set him unto the path of a very beautiful and fierce warrior princess.
It was only through pure serendipity that Dick had met his best friend and the love of his life!
It had been love at first sight for a young Dick Grayson. Kory had shown Dick a new attitude towards life, something completely different from that from Batman. Kory had shown Dick freedom, the value of friendship, and the strength of love and trust. Dick may have been attracted to Kory for her breath-taking beauty, but more so than anything he had fallen in love with her freedom.
How Kory made love out of nothing at all, Dick would never know.
Dick remembered the night after a rather difficult mission Kory had found him dwelling with his depressing thoughts alone. Her soft words and comfort had enabled Dick to break down in front of her, showing her his vulnerable side and confiding in her his fear of turning out to be exactly like his mentor. Bless his golden angel, who had done everything she could to help him transition from Robin to Nightwing and become his own hero away from the grips of Batman. Out from the shadow of the bat, Nightwing was his own light.
And for a while everything was perfect.
However, Batman's influence is hard to suppress and whenever Dick would go back to Gotham, he would end up becoming more and more like Batman, deadlier the foe, the more Batman-like he became, and eventually Dick moved to Blüdhaven leaving Kory and the Titans behind to start his solo career as a vigilante.
Circumstances and fate ordered him back to Gotham to take on the mantle of his old mentor when he had disappeared. It was a difficult time for Dick as Tim was in search of Batman, Jason on a mad rampage, and Dick had to handle and mentor a rather hot-headed and stubborn Damian. In a moment of weakness, Dick had called Kory for comfort, and she would have come and been his support if he had only asked, but the bat in him had dismissed her just as easily. Dick did see her in-between, having casual flings when things got too much. He needed her to ground himself and would end up meeting her for a night once in a while and leaving her with an empty space on the bed next to her in the morning.
Even after Bruce resumed his mantle Dick didn't have the guts to bring Kory back into his life. Bruce had convinced Dick that he did a good job on his own and that Dick didn't need a distraction in his life if he wanted to clean up the streets of Blüdhaven. Dick found himself agreeing to Bruce's words even though he knew Bruce was manipulating him, but he believed it to be the right decision for both of them for the greater good.
or was he just hiding his selfishness and cowardliness behind the pretext of the greater good?
Kory was correct as always, in a way Dick had stage-managed their entire relationship to get him to this point in his life. But was it all worth it in the end when he sits alone drinking beer on the day before Valentine at his empty apartment in Blüdhaven?
Dick always wanted to protect Kory's shine, he wanted to shield her light from ever getting tainted, ironically only to taint it himself when he hurt her.
Dick sighed as he rested his head on the back of his couch. Opening another bottle, he checked his phone again to find another missed call from Oracle. He still wasn't in the mood to socialize but one message caught his eye.
"Heard you ran into Kory, how is she?" the message read. Dick smiled at Tim's message. Tim adored Kory, and Dick suspected he might be slightly infatuated with her, from the way Tim would gush and blush around Kory. Who could blame him, Dick was used to people being infatuated to straight-up being love-struck by his girlfriend. Tim and Kory had worked together when Tim had joined the Titans. He and Kory had formed a bond as she had been there for him when Dick wasn't, lifting Tim up from his doubts and insecurities, helping him become the leader he is today.
Dick had gone into a mad frenzy when he woke up one morning to learn that his brother and his ex-girlfriend had gone missing. After finding them, he had confided in Kory once again about his repressed feelings and emotions, and this time she hinted her disappointment in him that he was beginning to sound a lot like Batman. He gave excuses again but did manage to confess the loss and fright he felt when he woke up to the news of the two people he loved the most in the world, missing. Unbeknownst to her, Dick had crossed a few lines that day to find and free them.
And yet again he let her fly away.
"She's doing good, busy with league business" Dick typed and started at his phone contemplating whether to hit send or not. Dick didn't want Tim to figure anything out as he wasn't ready to share his feelings with anyone just as yet and Tim being the best detective among all would be the first to catch on. Taking another sip from his bottle, Dick realized the bottle to be now empty. He should stop now and just take a nap before his patrol tonight. Yet somehow Dick finds himself in the kitchen opening yet another bottle of beer instead of heading off for a much-needed nap.
Dick entered the living room, casually flipping onto the sofa without spilling his drink, and recalls the events after the defeated stance he held in front of Kory when she called him junior Batman. He opened his mouth to defend himself before comprehending that they were the same excuses he had given her time and again. In an exasperated tone, louder than he intended to, he asked her what she wanted from him, emphasizing the word want while squishing an alien plant beneath his feet and inhaling some of the green fumes from the pollen of the alien plant. He regretted his tone as soon as he had said it as her face clearly expressed her shattered heart.