Chpt. XIII: Day Off

Dick sat in his bedroom, configuring his new cell phone. He had begun to get the hang of the way the cell phone worked. He had heard of people getting cell phones with touch screens when he was down below in Old Gotham. He never really thought much of them. While down there, he heard about loads of things. Pop culture didn't exactly avoid the area. Everyone was still caught up with things. People would steal newspapers from up above & share the ongoing news with the kids.

Dick set the phone down & took a deep breath. He wondered what he'd do for the rest of the day. He wanted to avoid Bruce, for one. He didn't want to look at him. He felt a little bit guilty for beating him so hard. He also kind of liked hitting him. It had been a while since he let off some steam. It felt especially good to hit Bruce, though.

But the way they fought, it half felt like Bruce wasn't putting in 100%. Sure, he might have been holding back for Dick, since he's still younger than Bruce. But through Bruce's moves & technique, he clearly had training. Really good training. It made Dick question Bruce. CEO of a billion dollar company...with fighting skills. It was just odd.

Dick sat up from his bed & walked over to a door that led to a conjoining master bathroom. Dick walked inside & removed the tank top that he worked out in. He stood in front of the mirror over the sink. It was a large mirror that stretched across an entire wall of the bathroom. From the mirror Dick had a clear view of the large white porcelain bathtub next to a frameless shower.

Dick stared at himself for a few minutes in the mirror. "I don't recognize myself," he mumbled to himself. "I've definitely changed. Every now & then I have the feeling I've totally lost my mind. It's a great feeling, though."

Dick turned away from the mirror & stripped his jogger pants off. He stepped into the shower and began running the water. He let the hot water stream down his head, down his body and onto the shower floor. The air grew thick with hot steam, fogging up the glass door. Dick felt his skin slightly burn in the hot water. Dick didn't care. He didn't mind, as long as the water made it hard to tell he was crying.

Dick shut the water off after a while & stepped out of the shower. He began to dry his body off with a clean white towel. He wrapped the towel around his hip & stepped out of the bathroom, feeling the cold air rush into the steam filled bathroom.

As he walked towards his dresser to get a new change of clothes, there was a knock at the door. Dick sighed softly. "Come in," he said carelessly, focusing on what clothes he was about to put on. As he pulled out a pair of boxer briefs from one drawer, he hear someone at the door clear their throat. Dick turned, expecting Bruce or Alfred to be at the door. Instead, standing at Dick's bedroom door, where he was wet & naked in a towel, was a girl with red hair & blue eyes. She looked like Dick's age. She was wearing glasses & a private school uniform. She was carrying an over-the-shoulder bookbag. She had a hand over her eyes, as though she had already seen too much. "Shit, I'm sorry!" she called.

Dick felt his face grow warm in embarrassment. He rushed to slid the boxer briefs on under the towel & rushed to find another pair of pants. He found a pair of basketball shorts & slid those on. "Okay, um, I'm decent," Dick said awkwardly as he tossed the towel onto his bed. He immediately didn't like his decision & grabbed it, tossing it into the bathroom & shutting the door.

The girl uncovered her eyes, but didn't move from the spot she stood at by the door. "Sorry, I didn't realize this was your bedroom. If I did, I would've waited downstairs."

"No, it's my fault," Dick admitted. "I just assumed you were the butler. I usually don't have people come up to my room, so I got comfortable."

The redhead smiled shyly. "Oh, well, Mr. Wayne sent me up here, but if people don't normally come up here, maybe I should go back down & wait," she said, almost sounding disappointed.

"No, no, no, it's fine," Dick called out. "Please, stay."

The redhead shook her head, laughing. "You don't even have a shirt on, still."

Dick looked down at himself, realizing that she was right. He rushed over to his dresser & threw on a white t-shirt. He turned back to the girl. "Okay, NOW I'm decent," Dick said with a charming smile.

The girl smiled back, walking over to the bed & setting her bookbag down. She sat down on the bed & crossed her legs in her navy plaid uniform skirt. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Dick couldn't help but grin more. A few dirty thoughts crept into Dick's mind. The redhead was incredibly attractive. Dick would go as far as to say a bit sexy. Yet, Dick couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere "How do you mean?" Dick asked.

The girl shrugged. "Well, I don't know, I've never done this before, so I guess this is both our first times."

Dick raised an eyebrow. No matter how he heard it, it sounded dirty. "You said Bruce invited you up here?" he asked.

The girl nodded. "Yeah, he's a friend of my dad's. He asked me to help his son get started with, like, some curriculums being done at Gotham Academy to help be caught up when he enrolls you."

Dick shook his head. "Son of a bitch," he groaned. He walked over to the door and peered down the hall, hoping to catch Bruce. He wasn't anywhere down the hall, though. Dick sighed and pulled back into the room, closing the door behind him. "Alright, do me a favor and tell me what exactly Bruce said."

The girl put her hands together on her lap nervously. "Um, well, yesterday I came home & my dad told me he got a call. It was Mr. Wayne, who he happens to be friends with. I wish I knew how. Probably through some city charity events, I don't know. My dad said Mr. Wayne had adopted a son who he wanted to enroll into school, but he was out of town for a few years & needed to catch up on some basic schoolwork. He wanted me to tutor you."

Dick sighed. He sat down on the bed next to the girl & looked at her. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Then he suddenly remembered where he had seen her before. She was the pretty redhead at the coffee shop Dick went to with Roy.

Dick smiled. "I, uh, didn't catch your name," he said shyly.

The girl smiled back. "Barbara."

Dick nodded. "And you're Dick Grayson," he heard Barbara say. "Mr. Wayne said you're a good kid."

Dick let out a scoff. "The guy doesn't even know me. He has no right to be saying that."

Barbara stared at Dick for a moment. Dick sighed. "Sorry, that was rude." He turned to Barbara & looked at her in the eyes. "Listen, Barbara, Bruce meant well when he asked you to come over. He wants me to just get back into school. He's right, I should. I just don't think I really have time right now, though. I have to focus on something else right now, & I can't afford to be distracted."

Barbara nodded. "Sure, don't worry," she said with a weak smile. "I understand. You have things to do. I don't want to keep you from that."

Dick nodded. "Just temporarily. Once I sort out everything going on, I'll definitely enroll." He looked down at his hands, smiling. "Then you could tutor me."

Barbara's weak smile grew bigger. "Alright, great. Sounds good." She stood up from the bed & halted her backpack over her shoulder. Dick noticed a small patch ironed on the backpack. Dick tried to make out the logo, but Barbara swung the backpack over her shoulder too fast. She was about to walk towards the door & turned on her heel to face Dick again. "What do I tell Bruce if he sees me come down?"

Dick thought for a moment. He grinned. "Tell him we'll meet up next weekend at that coffee shop I saw you at the other day."

Barbara smiled. Her face grew red. "I was hoping you'd remember me," she said softly.

Dick nodded. "I don't think I would've forgotten you," he said with a charming grin.

Barbara walked backwards, looking back at Dick. She almost tripped on her own feet & regained her step, attempting to not look silly. Dick let out a mild laugh. Barbara's face grew red. "Oh my gosh, that's embarrassing."

Dick shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll walk you out."

Dick sat up from the bed, grabbed his cell phone, & led Barbara out of his bedroom & down the hall. As he did, he handed his cell phone to Barbara on the dial pad, asking for her number without saying a word. He walked her down the stairs towards the foyer of the front door. Before they reached the bottom step, Dick caught a glimpse of the patch of Barbara's backpack. It was from Gotham Academy.

Dick walked Barbara across the the foyer to the door and opened the door for her. When he did, Roy stood on the other side of the door.

"Oh," Roy said awkwardly, with his hand up, about to knock on the door.

Dick smiled. "Oh, hey Roy." He turned to Barbara. "Barbara, this is Roy Harper. Roy, this is Barbara."

Barbara smiled. "Hi," she said before stepping outside. She turned back to Dick. "I'm going to hold you to that coffee," she called from the front steps.

Dick smiled and waved. He turned to Roy & nodded. "What's up, man?"

Roy shook his head. "Nothing." Roy stepped passed Dick, inviting himself in.

Dick shut the door. "Did you wanna hang out today?"

Roy shrugged. "I came to check up on you."

"I'm fine," Dick assured. He nodded to the kitchen. "Want something to eat? Alfred made this great pizza."

"Dick, I haven't seen you in two weeks."

Dick shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I've been recovering."

"Oh, bullshit!" Roy waved to the door behind him. "You've been fooling around with school girls, haven't you?"

"I just met her today," he said.

"Okay, so you ARE a man whore."

Dick squinted at Roy. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"TWO WEEKS!" Roy cried. He let out a frustrated moan & turned away, running his hand through his hair. He began to take deep breaths. He turned back to Dick. "Two fucking weeks since our worlds changed. You met a witch, you were reunited with your childhood love, & we were attacked by a fucking demon hunter all in one night. On top of THAT, you found out the stories about Cheyenne were true. She's got powers, dude. All of them did. This changes everything. I can understand you're shaken up by it all, but I was there too. I saw you passed out & your eyes glaze over, like you were gonna die. I saw that guy fucking conjure fire. I saw that one chick fly, then the other chick throw fucking plasma shit, & Cheyenne threw you across the warehouse. A neon lion came to life. I saw all that too.

"Dick, don't act like you're the only one fazed. I was too. I needed someone to talk to. We didn't exactly have time that night. After that, I kept coming over asking for you. You kept sending Alfred to tell me to leave. Dick, I don't have anyone else in this town. I really don't. I needed a familiar face, man. You're all I've got, & you disappeared when we needed each other the most."

Dick sighed. The words stung with truth. Dick had been coping with everything horribly. He hadn't handled it well. He hadn't spoken to Bruce or Alfred about it. He talked to himself in front of the mirror, but there was no response back. No consoling. Nothing. Dick realized Roy was right. Roy was all Dick had.

"Familiar faces," Dick said softly with a weak smile.

Roy let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, man, familiar faces."

Dick began walking over to the kitchen, where Roy followed him. Dick went to the fridge and pulled two cans of cola soda & set them on an island in the middle of the kitchen. Dick sat down on one stool & Roy sat on the other. They cracked open their sodas & began sipping. "It's not just the whole Constantine thing that's been bugging me," Dick admitted. "Did I ever mention Nolan Drake?"

Roy shook his head. Dick sighed and began explaining. He told Roy about him being out on the streets for a few years, & finding his way down into Old Gotham. He explained how he had become stuck down there & having to win his earnings to survive. He spoke of how he escaped Old Gotham with a bang, creating heat & bringing the GCPD to Old Gotham. He lastly mentioned how when Dick was brought into custody, he ran into an old acquaintance who knew Nolan Drake's plans. He told Roy how he was now paranoid about what Drake could do.

"That's why you wanted us to leave Gotham with you," Roy said softly.

Dick nodded. "I wanted to at least save Cheyenne from this, from Nolan. She didn't want to leave, though. I don't know if I'll ever get another chance to take her away with me."

Roy bit his lip. Dick eyed him for a moment. Roy looked as though he were struggling to find the right words for whatever he was about to say. Then he spoke. "I went back to Chinatown yesterday," he started. "Most of it had been burnt. The building is still up, but...it's completely black, man. I couldn't find anything. It's all burnt ash now."

Dick swallowed. The sound of the explosion echoed in his mind. "Why did you go back?"

"I was hoping I'd find them," Roy answered. "Or maybe clues. I dunno. I just kinda miss them. Something about them. They were like a little band of misfits. Outsiders, really, since they were all kinda hiding from the world with their powers. I like them. I want to see them again."

Dick nodded, somewhat agreeing with him. He felt like an outsider, just like the girls. Roy continued. "I want to find them, Dick. I'm not forcing you to help me, at least not until you feel ready for it. Take some time off, recuperate, & we'll talk."

Roy & Dick finished up their sodas. Dick then took his phone out & asked Roy for his number before he left. As Dick walked Roy to the door & let him outside, Dick noticed another figure walking from the front gate of the mansion towards the door. He was a few dozen meters away, & Dick couldn't exactly make out who the figure was. The person was tall & skinny. Dick watched Roy hop onto his bike & speed off to the gate. He passed by the figure & kept going. Dick rested his good shoulder against the doorway, watching the figure make his way to the door.

"Master Grayson?" Alfred called from behind Dick. Dick turned to face Alfred. "Finally out of bed, are we?"

Dick smiled. "The hot redhead did the trick," Dick admitted.

Alfred laughed. "Splendid," he cheered. "Do remember to not let people in again. That's my duty."

Dick bit his lips. "Oh, right, okay. I'm just considering going for a walk. I think I will." Dick reached the doorknob & began closing the door behind him. Dick turned back to the figure approaching him to the front door.

"Sweet pad," Rodrick called out from the bottom of the stairs.

Dick almost snarled at the remark, stepping down the stairs fast. He rushed down towards Rodrick & threw a right fist into Rodrick's jaw. Rodrick flew back, down onto the bottom steps. His head slammed against the concrete hard. Rodrick cried outloud.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" Dick growled. "What the hell are you doing here!"

"I need your help!" Rodrick whined, holding onto his broken jaw.

"With what?" Dick walked down the steps towards Rodrick. "For all I know, you're serving as a spy for Drake!"

Rodrick struggle to stand up on his feet. "You know damn well I'm not, after what I told you at the GCPD."

"Oh, your family?" Dick said. "Have the GCPD really found them, or are you lying about that too?"

"They haven't told me a damn thing, Dick!" Rodrick bent down and lifted his left pant leg, revealing a metal bracelet around his ankle. "What they DID tell me is that they're going to keep track of ME, make sure that I don't go off plotting with Drake. It doesn't even make sense."

Dick looked down at the bracelet. "GCPD is tracking you?" he asked.

"Yeah, man." Rodrick looked back down at the bracelet, as if still curious about the device. "I feel like they're gonna use me as a spy for THEM. Probably get me back into Drake's ranks & lead GCPD to him."

"But you won't," Dick remarked snidely. "Because you're probably still working with Drake."

"You're right, I won't lead GCPD to Drake, but not because I'm working with him, but because they haven't done jack shit for my mom & little sister." Rodrick took a few steps forward, closer to Dick. "I have a few leads to go off of from Old Gotham. I'm going to go do what the GCPD was supposed to do & find my family. I need your help though. I can't risk getting snagged by Drake. I need protection."

Dick rolled his eyes and scoffed. "There are so many things wrong with this. Let GCPD find you if Nolan grabs you. It'll lead them to Nolan & you'll be safe. And there's no way in HELL I'd risk MY life protecting YOU from Drake, when you may very well be screwing me over again."

Rodrick sighed. "Help me do this, Dick. Help me find my mother & sister & I swear to God I will be forever in your debt. I'll side with you & fight Nolan."

Dick crossed his arms. "Am I supposed to just take your word for it?"

Rodrick shrugged and threw his arms up defensively. "You could. It's all I can offer at this point, man. Nolan is prepared for a fucking siege. Nobody in town is prepared but us. There's not much else you can do."

"You could get out of town," Dick suggested. "I figured you'd be the one to be halfway to Mexico by now."

"I'm not leaving my family," Rodrick said. He brought his leg up, showing the bracelet again. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

Rodrick set his foot down. "But that's the difference between us, Dick. We have different drives. Different motivations. I've got my family I'm looking out for. From what I can tell about you, you've got not much else to lose. You lost your parents. You've lost your soul to the Devil himself in Old Gotham. You've lost your innocence. I'm sure here or there, you've lost a few friends. Maybe a girl. At this point, you're clearly alone. I bet in that mansion you're even more alone. So come on, Dick. What have you got to lose?"

Dick shook his head, not wanting to agree with anything Rodrick said. "So I have to just take a leap of faith with you & fight Drake?"

Rodrick nodded. "I am. The motherfucker threatened my family."

In all that had happened, Dick didn't feel comfortable in trusting Rodrick with his life. Dick didn't even trust Rodrick with his money. But, sadly, Rodrick had a point. Dick had nothing else to lose. He needed to stand up against Nolan Drake. No one else could.

"He's threatening my home," Dick said in a low voice.

Rodrick nodded in agreement. "You & me both, brother. He's got to fucking go."

Dick nodded, then turned back to the mansion. Bruce & Alfred didn't need to know where Dick was. He had been cooped up in his room for two weeks. It was good to stretch his legs. Go outside. Hunt a teenage maniac.

Dick began walking to the garage, where his fully repaired bike was waiting. "Tell me where we start looking first."