"Happy birthday to you…" Vic blew out the candles on his cake as his friends finished singing to him. He was now officially an adult, the third of the group to turn 18, behind Bee then Richard. Kori had just been watching in amazement during the Earthen ritual. Birthdays were not observed on Tameran, and the celebration of getting older was quite amusing to the alien princess. But she was enjoying it nonetheless.
It had been nearly a month since Richard had taken her out on the date to the fair, and their relationship was still going strong, especially since he had been taking advice from Rachel on how to control his temper.
"Glorious!" Kori exclaimed. "Please do tell! For what did you wish?"
Vic mimed zipping his lips shut. "Can't tell or it won't come true," he said, smug as he brought the knife through the cake, carving out a piece for himself. Gar followed suit, offering the next piece to Rachel who took it with a small smile. After he had gotten a piece for himself, Bee grabbed the knife and cut out three pieces and placing them on separate plates. Richard grabbed one, holding out the first bite on his fork for Kori to try.
Kori examined the treat carefully. "This one looks much more appetizing that the one I did the baking of in economics of the home." She scrunched her nose at the memory of the lava-like substance that had filled her pan and the dark smoke that had billowed out of the oven when she went to retrieve it. Slowly, she closed her mouth around the fork, humming in delight at the wonderful taste of chocolate on her tongue. "Where I come from, such celebrations are reserved for the festival of the Day of Klorthog."
"Whaza corfob?" Gar asked around a mouthful of cake.
Bee appeared next to Kori with a shocked expression on her face. "Hold on, girl. Are you saying you've never had a birthday party before?"
"I have not. However, we did have a Throknar that one could wear on their day of birth." Kori clasped her hands together and spun on the spot.
"We gotta fix that," Bee replied, shaking her head. "How old are you?"
Kori thought for a second, working out the conversion in her head quickly. "Probably between sixteen and seventeen ea — years." She caught herself, realizing she shouldn't specify 'earth years'.
"And do you know when your birthday is?" Kori shook her head at Bee's question, realizing that she hadn't observed her birthday since before she'd been sent to be with the Gordanians. She had no way of knowing what the current date on Tameran was. "Alright, well I'm making the executive decision that we are celebrating your birthday next weekend. How's Saturday for everyone?"
All around, heads nodded in agreement. Kori was thrilled and threw her arms around Bee. "I thank you, friend! I have never had someone do a thing so special for me." She turned to Richard. "And you will be there, yes?"
"Wouldn't miss it," he said, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Meanwhile, Rachel had retreated to the back deck with her jacket pulled tight around her, hood pulled over her head. Her plate was set on the railing off to her right, the cake completely untouched. The chatter and noise of the party had become overwhelming, her head threatening to burst open. She placed her fingers to her temples and squeezed her eyes shut, muttering those familiar words: "Azarath, metrion, zinthos…"
The dull sound of laughter and bass became a little louder, a little clearer, as the door opened behind her. Subconsciously, she tugged at the sleeves of her jacket to ensure her arms were completely covered, with no hint of the marks under her skin peeking through. "Hey Rae! You're totally missing it! Vic just downed an entire two-liter of Dr. Pepper and burbed the whole monologue from Braveheart!" Rachel didn't respond, but recoiled further into herself, silently willing the changeling to leave. "Hey, are you okay?" Gar asked, leaning against the railing next to her in order to try and get face to face with her, but she turned her head in the other direction.
"I'm fine," Rachel muttered, staring across the backyard, her eyes falling on the moonlit leaves gently being blown across the withering grass. "Shouldn't you being in there challenging the guys to a Mega Monkeys showdown or something?"
"It's not as fun without you in there to hurl insults and sarcastic remarks at me," he replied, gently resting his hand on hers atop the railing, causing her to flinch. At that small motion, Gar's eyebrows drew closer together. "What's going on, Rae?"
For a moment, there's no sound except the faint party noise, the cicadas, and the breeze. That is, until Rachel lets out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and responds, "Why do you care so much?" There's no malice in her voice, only genuine curiosity.
The corner of Gar's mouth twitches upward. "You deserve to be cared for." He said it as if it was the simplest thing, as if caring for her was as reactionary as breathing.
Rachel just shook her head, staring at the railing that held between her hands. "Gar, if you knew wha—"
"That you're some sort of spawn of the underworld? So what? You're no less human than I am. I'm like 98% animal," he said, staring intently at the side of her face. "Look, all I'm saying is that if he's not treating you right…" He paused to gently place a hand on her shoulder. This time she didn't flinch. "I will."
For the first time that night, Rachel looked up into his green eyes, and she didn't see jest. Only sincerity. Then without warning, she flung her arms around his neck and clung to him. Gar didn't hesitate to pull her into him, hold her tight. And he didn't let go until she pulled away first.
Back inside the guys' house, everyone is oblivious to the exchange happening on the back deck, busy with selecting a movie to end the night with. They settled on the most recent Fast and Furious film, all cozying up on the sectional to watch it.
Richard propped his feet up on the coffee table and Kori snuggled up to him. As Vic was getting the movie started, Richard pulled out his phone and opened the camera. "Hey, Kor. Look up," he said, and she faced the camera as Richard kissed her cheek, causing a cute grin to spread across her face as he clicked the button and snapped a selfie. "I needed a new wallpaper for my home screen."
About ten minutes into the movie, Rachel and Gar returned. He made himself comfortable on the rug, leaning back against the sofa, and she sat cross-legged in the spot between Vic and Kori. Nobody spoke about how they had disappeared from the party, respecting the privacy that they could sense they needed by the tension that entered the room with them.
————————————
When Kori walked into the living room on Sunday morning, her hair dripping water onto the carpet from the shower she'd just taken, she found Bee redecorating. There were strings of lights hanging around the perimeter of the room, and a pile of more lights at Bee's feet as she worked to string them around a large artificial pine tree by the window.
"Please, what is the joyous occasion that brings about the use of so many tiny lights?" Kori asked, approaching her roommate with curiosity.
"Oh hey, Kori," Bee said, turning her head to the red-head behind her then back to the tree. "Just putting up the Christmas decorations. Did you not celebrate Christmas back home?"
Kori shook her head. "No. But on the Day of Klorthog, the city have a parade of glorrk where everyone would mash their spudlings and zorkaberries and share them with their neighbors. Do this 'Christmas' involve the sharing and consumption of wild fungus?"
Considering the fact that half of the words that just came out of the Kori's mouth were completely foreign to her, Bee decided it was safe to assume that the Day of Klorthog was nothing like Christmas. "Umm, I don't think so. Christmas traditions include more like exchanging gifts, dinner with your loved ones, decorating a Christmas tree…" Bee's voice trailed off as she bent down to open the box of colorful baubles. She reached in and grabbed one, then held it out to the other girl. "Here, why don't you join me? It's more fun with friends."
Kori carefully took the ornament, holding the hook delicately between her thumb and forefinger. She watched as Bee hung one on the tree herself, then found a spot near the top of the tree to place her own. Together, the two of them added more and more ornaments and ribbons and garland until there wasn't any space remaining.
Kori stepped back with an awestruck smile on her face as the fairy lights twinkled and reflected off the surfaces of the baubles. When she turned to Bee, she was holding out a sparkling star. "This goes on the very top. You wanna do the honors?"
So with the star in her hand, Kori climbed up the little step ladder so she could reach, then proudly placed it on the uppermost branches of the tree, giggling with delight. "Oh, it is glorious!" she squealed, clasping her hands together. Earth customs were often very strange to her, but this was one she figured she could get used to.
————————————
Friday night slowly turned into Saturday morning as Nightwing did his usual patrol of the city. Around 3am, as he was about to turn in for the night, a red flashing light accompanied by a loud beeping came from his communicator strapped to his utility belt. Pulling his bike over to the side of the road, he picked it up to see an alert from the police department. Slade had been spotted at the pier. Nightwing was growing more frustrated with the Jump City law enforcement with every passing day, as they seemed to prove themselves incompetent of any help beyond alerting him of where the trouble was. With a heavy exhale, he returned the communicator to his belt and kicked hard off the ground, speeding towards the pier.
When he arrived, there was no immediate sign of the villain, only the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The wind made the air bitterly cold against his face as he removed his helmet and started his way down the beach as quickly as his feet would carry him as they sunk into the sand with each step. Under the pier, Nightwing would have the advantage of being able to look up through the gaps in between the wooden planks and watch for Slade's silhouette against the moonlight sky. As he was watching from his spot on the bank under the pier, he happened to hear the faintest beeping noise, almost unnoticeable against the sound of the water, but years of training made it loud and clear to his ears. It seemed to be coming from the far end of the pier.
Nightwing retrieved his grappling hook from his belt using it to silently swing his way over the water, the noise becoming louder has he got closer. Then he found what looked to be a pipe bomb strapped to one of the metal beams. It had a timer on it that read 1:27, 26, 25….
The hero whipped his head around, scanning the area as he reached for the wire cutters in the pocket attached to his belt. He disengaged the bomb with very little effort. This was too easy, certainly a distraction. Just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard a loud behind him and salt water sprayed over him, drenching his suit and hair and making his grip on the underside on the pier slip. He tried to tighten his grasp, but he plummeted into the water below him.
It was dark and cold, and for a moment Nightwing couldn't tell which direction was up. His ears felt like they might burst. His eyes stung, his mask having been forced off his face from the surge of the current around him. There was no point in searching for it. He just need to focus on getting back to the surface so he could breathe.
Nightwing noticed the weight of his utility belt seemed to be dragging him in one direction, so he reasoned that swimming in the opposite direction would bring him towards safety. So, he fought to move his limbs in the icy water and pulled himself upward until the water broke around his face and he coughed hard as he drew precious air into his aching lungs.
What had caused that splash? Whatever it was, he was sure it was still there, so he swam towards the shore. Being in the water was only a disadvantage.
Once he was safely on the beach, he did a 360, scanning the area for any sign of Slade. Nothing.
Frustrated, he started running back to his bike, his suit feeling heavy and slowing him down. But when he got to where he'd left it, it was nowhere to be found. He checked his communicator for any more tips from the police about the villain's location. Turns out, it's not waterproof, and no matter how many times Nightwing angrily smashed the buttons, there was no turning it on.
Suddenly, Nightwing felt a heavy blow applied to his ribs, knocking him to the ground.
"It really is a shame, Robin. You seem to be going easy on me." Nightwing clenched his teeth at the use of his old hero name. Only one person was ever so condescending as to still use it, infantilizing him. As if he was still dependent on Batman to fight his battles. He opened his eyes to find Slade standing over him, and struggled to his feet. "Or should I call you Richard since you've ditched the domino mask?"
"What are you planning?" Nightwing growled, ignoring Slade's taunts.
"You see, Richard. You may be careless with your secrets, but you'll have to try harder than that to discover mine." Slade launched a fist towards Nightwing's face, but he dodged at the last second. "I'm really good at keeping secrets actually. So don't worry, I have no intentions of telling anyone who you really are."
Nightwing's face contorted with rage as he prepared a roundhouse kick to Slade's chest, but the villain caught his foot in his hands and threw him back down onto the sand face first. Nightwing spit the sand out of his mouth. But when he turned back around, the masked man was gone.
————————————
It took Nightwing several hours to walk home. He was almost certain Slade had thrown his bike in the ocean. As the sun had crept over the horizon, he had to be more and more stealthy to avoid the passersby as they started emerging from their houses to let their dogs out or go to work.
When he did finally emerge at his hideout, he peeled the damp suit from his chafing body, and took a hot shower, his aching muscles relaxing in the heavy pressure of the stream.
He didn't know how long he was in the shower, but once the hot water ran out he decided he should probably get out. He slipped into a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans then sauntered to his bedroom. The alarm clock on his bedside table read 8:47am as he fell onto his bed, his eyelids too heavy to hold open any longer.
————————————
Kori watched her dress twirl in the mirror of her bedroom, the flowy lace moving spectacularly around her slim frame then falling back to rest just above her knees. Bee had applied makeup to her face for her just before retreating to her own bedroom so she could get ready herself. Red really was her color, Kori decided as she puckered her lips.
"Oh hey, Kori! This came in the mail for you, by the way." Bee had reappeared in her the doorway, holding a white envelope addressed to Kori. The red-head took it and saw that there was no return address. Her nose scrunched in perplexity. Who would be sending her mail? She had barely torn the flap of the envelope when she heard the doorbell. With a loud gasp and a huge smile on her face, she tossed the piece of mail onto her bed, forgotten, and made a dash for the front door.
"Greetings, friends!" Kori exclaimed as she threw open the door to find Gar and Vic standing there with a few gifts in their hands. Kori put an arm around each of them for one of her signature bear hugs.
"Is Dick here yet?" Gar asked, holding up a box about the size of his hand. "We brought his present. Looked like he forgot it."
Kori shook her head. "No, not yet. I'm sure he will do the arriving soon."
Vic's eyebrows drew together as they walked into the house and placed the gifts on the counter. "He's not here? He wasn't at home. Knocked on his bedroom door and everything. Haven't heard from him at all since yesterday."
"Don't worry about it," came Rachel's voice as she sauntered into the room. "It's only 2 o'clock. He's probably just buying her flowers or something."
"Well, Kor, how about a game of Mario Kart while we wait for him to get here?" Gar asked, ears almost noticeably perking up.
So for the next hour, Kori, Vic, Gar, and Bee battled it out race after race, with Bee winning almost every game, closely followed by Vic. Gar, much to his chagrin, regularly came in anywhere from 4th to 8th place. Kori gleefully had hardly a clue how to play the game, but was just thrilled for the quality time with her friends. But she couldn't help how her eyes would regularly wonder to the front door, just waiting for it to burst open and reveal her boyfriend. The laughter of her friends at Gar as he was hit by multiple red shells in a row suddenly seemed further away.
Time dragged on and finally everyone agreed they should go ahead and have cake, and Richard could just get some when he arrived. Rachel carefully lit the 1 and 7 candles that topped the flowery cake, while Kori took a seat behind it. Everyone else pulled up a seat around the table, then began to sing off-key.
Happy birthday to you.
Kori smiled half-heartedly at her friends, then back down at the cake. He said he'd be here….
Happy birthday to you.
The smile slipped from her face as she felt her eyes beginning to well up with tears.
Happy birthday, dear Kori.
She allowed herself one more glance towards the door. Still firmly shut.
Happy birthday to you.
The first tear rolled down her cheek as she blew out the candles. 'I wish Richard was here.'
————————————
"Here! Open mine first!" Bee exclaimed, thrusting a small bag into Kori's lap. Removing the tissue paper, the red-head found a tiny velvet box. She delicately pulled the top open to reveal a dainty gold bracelet with a tiny star charm that had a green gem stone in the center.
Kori's eyes went wide in awe of the beautiful piece of jewelry. "It is beautiful," she said, her voice just a whisper. Bee helped to clasp it around her wrist then showed her the matching one on her own.
"It's a friendship bracelet. Mine has a yellow stone," Bee said, just before being squeezed in one of Kori's tight hugs.
"I thank you," she said. Upon returning to her seat, she was immediately met with another present.
"Ooh! Open mine next!" Gar nearly shouted, holding a large, poorly wrapped box up close to her face. Kori tore through the paper and ripped the box open, sending multiple bottles of mustard bouncing to the floor.
Kori gasped. "Oh thank you, friend Gar! This shall last me at least a month!" She picked up the bottles and placed them back in the tattered box and shoved it to the side.
Next to her were the remaining three presents. She selected the one in simple violet wrappings, no ribbons or bows. It had a small tag on it that read 'From Rachel'. Kori smiled up at her introverted roommate before opening the gift. Inside was a book titled 'The Night Circus'. Kori wasn't much of a reader, but she knew that any book recommendation from Rachel was to be trusted. "This looks intriguing!" Kori stated honestly. "Thank you."
Placing the book to the side, Kori glanced down at the two gifts still beside her. She picked up the smaller one. "From Richard". She looked up at the door hopefully, then let out a sigh of resignation before putting it back down and opening the bag from Vic. Reaching inside, Kori pulled out several small hexagonal disks and a remote, her brow drawing in confusion from not understanding what she was looking at. Vic noticed this and spoke up. "They're lights. You stick them to the wall and you can light them up any color you want. You can even sync them up to music. I know how you like to keep the lights on in your room, so I thought, you know. Why not make the lights more fun?"
That did sound really neat to the alien girl. "I am most excited to try them out!"
Then there was only one present remaining, its bestower still absent. With one last look at the front door, Kori unwrapped the small box. It was a smart phone. She tapped the screen and found a photo of Richard kissing her cheek as the background. The photo from last weekend. She felt the tears start spilling down her face rapidly, dropping onto the screen. She put the phone aside and stood from her seat. "Excuse me," she said, barely audible, then hurried to the bathroom and locked the door behind her as she sunk to the floor and wept into her knees.
Before long, there was a gentle knock on the door. "Kori?" came Bee's voice.
Through her sobs, Kori simply said, "He said he would be here."
"Want me to kick his ass for you when I get home?" Gar asked from the other side of the door, clearly trying to lighten the mood. But Kori didn't laugh, didn't smile. She just continued to let the tears stream mascara down her face and stain her dress.
"Perhaps we should let her be alone for a bit," Rachel reasoned. Her words were followed by the sound of several pairs of feet fading into the living room.
"Look, Kor," Bee said, being the only one still standing outside the bathroom door. "I know Dick, and I know he wouldn't have missed your party if he didn't have a damn good reason. He's crazy about you." But her words may as well have fallen on deaf ears. Finally, she returned to the living room with the others.
Once Kori's sobbing had lessened to just a few hiccups, she stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked rough. So she washed the makeup off her face, then retreated to her bedroom. She discarded the dress and slipped into a pair of pajamas and flopped down on the bed, her arm hitting something slightly cooler than the bed sheets and grabbing her attention.
The envelope from the mystery sender. She placed a finger in the tear that she had started before the party, and opened it to find a card. The front read "Happy Birthday" in big bright letters. As she opened the card, she felt something fall into her lap. She ignored it and first read the swooping cursive words written in the card.
"Kori, I just wanted to give you a little something for your birthday that I figured no one else was giving you. The truth. Best wishes!"
The truth? Who was this and what did they know about her or her friends? Could she even trust this person? She looked down at her lap. There was a folded up sheet of paper there. She opened it up and her jaw dropped. On the sheet of paper was a photo of Richard next to a picture of Nightwing.
They were the same person.
It all suddenly started coming back to her. The way he'd stroke her thumb when he holds her hand. The faint scar on his right cheek. The way he smells. How everything about Nightwing seemed so uncannily familiar.
Kori wasn't sure how to feel. She wanted to be angry, but Richard wasn't the only one keeping a secret. So, could she really fault him for that when she hadn't told him that she's from a whole different planet?
There was a knock on her door, and she hurriedly shoved the evidence under her comforter before getting up and opening the door. There was Bee holding all the gifts Kori had left in the living room.
"The guys just left. They wanted me to tell you they'd yell at Dick for you." Bee handed her the items, and Kori gave a half smile. "Do you need anything?"
"No, thank you," Kori replied. "I would just like the time to myself."
Bee nodded. "I understand. Well, just knock if you decide you want to talk."
Kori gave a small nod before closing the door between them. She placed her armful of gifts on the dresser when suddenly the phone began to vibrate. She took a look at the screen: Richard. Apparently, he had already put his number in her contacts for her.
Kori hesitated, but decided to pick up the phone and answer. "Greetings," she said halfheartedly.
"Kori," he said, sounding almost surprised that she had answered his call. "I'm so sorry. I'm such a fucking idiot. I was out all night and when I got home, I was so exhausted…"
Kori didn't hear his words as Richard continued to ramble in her ear. He was out all night, probably fighting crime as Nightwing. That thought echoed in her mind, blocking out all other sound.
"Kori?"
She shook her head as she came out of her stupor. "Hmm?"
"I said, will you forgive me?"
"Oh," Kori said. There was silence for a few agonizing seconds as Kori thought about that. She decided now wasn't the time to confront him about his secret, and took a deep breath. "Yes."
Kori could hear the lift in his voice as a smiled crossed his face. "I promise I'll make it up to you." There was another awkward silence. "So, I see you got your present."
"Mmhmm," Kori hummed, not really having much to say to him at the moment.
"Do you like it?"
"It is nice."
Silence.
"So, um, would you like me to come over?" Richard asked.
Kori shook her head. She wasn't ready to face him. "I think I am just going to go to bed."
"Okay, Kor," he replied, sounding resigned. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight." He paused. "I love you."
The remorse in his voice stung Kori, physically wincing at his words. She didn't want to go to bed angry. So, she took a deep breath then replied. "I love you, too."
