Chpt. XXXI: Normal

Dick stepped out of the shower the next morning & wrapped the towel around his waist. He stepped through the steaming bathroom & stood in front of the foggy mirror. He used his hand to wipe away the steam & look at his reflection. He ran his fingers through his hair & rested against the edge of the sink, using his palms to prop himself up. He sighed.

Dick had been able to sneak everyone into their own rooms the night before. He was lucky that Bruce hadn't seen any of the teenagers. Logan had asked Dick where Rachel was sleeping. Dick shook his head & ignored the question. In the end, Logan had snuck out & gone into Victor's room, who he instantly hit it off with. Everyone else had slept separately.

By the time Dick managed to sneak everyone to sleep, he was exhausted. He didn't consider running into Alfred, who had been waiting outside of Dick's bedroom.

Dick groaned. "What, man?" Dick asked.

Alfred shook his head. "Sneaking in delinquents late at this hour, Master Grayson?"

Dick shook his head. "Don't tell Bruce, & I'll explain."

Alfred shook his head. "No need to explain. Master Bruce is currently in Metropolis attending a business meeting."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Metropolis?"

"Yes," Alfred nodded. "He left early this afternoon. He's attempting to successfully sign a contract in regards to his current merge with Lexcorp, trying to secure his assets."

Dick nodded. "Fascinating," he said sarcastically. "How long will he be gone?"

Alfred shook his head. "Just a day or two," he answered. "In the meantime, I will do my best to keep quiet about your guests as long as you assure me that they will not cause any sort of ruckus or severe damage to the property."

Dick nodded. "Totally dude, you got it."

Alfred stepped aside from the bedroom door, then quickly spoke again. "I've already endured teenage parties when raising Master Bruce. I hope I won't have to clean up any messes of the sort with this group."

Dick stepped towards the door & shook his head. "No, man, it's not like that." Dick turned back to Alfred. "Thanks, Al, for being cool about this. Goodnight."

Alfred smiled softly. "Of course. I encourage you to enjoy yourself while you still can. Being this lively during your youth is incredibly important in a teenage boy's life. Sadly, Master Bruce was never able to completely enjoy himself after he lost his parents. He wouldn't let himself. Not truly, anyway."

Dick stared at Alfred. He had been through alot with Bruce; that much was clear now. He knew what Bruce was like as a child. He made Bruce seem like such a downer compared to how Bruce lived now. The playboy billionaire led an extravagant lifestyle, & it seemed as though nothing would ever be wrong for Bruce. Dick shrugged the thoughts away as Alfred slowly made his way down the long spiral stairs. He went to sleep somewhat peacefully that night.

Dick nodded to himself as he stared in the mirror at his reflection the next morning. He felt calmer, now. He felt good about what he had done. For Kori, for Victor, Logan, all of them. He had given them a roof over their head for the night. Dick saw his reflection smile softly. He felt genuine. He was happy.

Dick stepped from the mirror & walked out of the bathroom door. He went to his bed where he had some jeans & a t-shirt laid already laid out. He began to dress himself, then sat down on the bed. He began to check his phone for any messages. He had none. No Roy, no Harper, & no Barbara. Not even Gordon or Bruce left him any sort of messages. Dick suddenly realized how small his group of friends was. Then the thought struck him. Suddenly...he considered that he had actual friends. Not just...acquaintances. The idea made him smile.

Dick stuck his phone into his pocket and sat up from his bed. He walked to his bedroom door & made his way downstairs. He walked through the foyer of the mansion towards the kitchen, where he found Alfred picking up a hat from the island table, & placing it over his head.

"'Sup, Al," Dick called. "Heading out?"

Alfred turned back to Dick. "Ah, Master Grayson," he said. "Yes, I was just on my way out to pick up a few groceries that is required."

Dick grinned. "Sweet, can you get some Nutella? Maybe some drinks too, while you're at it?"

Alfred nodded. "Of course. Is there any particular drink you wish for me to purchase?"

Dick shrugged. "Dude, I don't know, anything. Vodka, maybe?"

Alfred stared at Dick & rolled his eyes. He adjusted his hat & walked past Dick. "If you really wish to drink liquor, the real alcohol is in Master Bruce's office."

Dick watched as Alfred walked out of the kitchen, out of the foyer, & out the front door. Dick had the largest smirk on his face. He was now home alone AND knew where the liquor was.

Dick wrapped two hands around his lips & called out through them. "THE COAST IS CLEAR, GUYS!"

Dick waited for a brief moment. After a while, he heard steps rushing down the halls. He first saw Logan & Victor tumbling down the stairs. "Is there breakfast?" they both called from the foyer.

Dick glanced back at the kitchen, then to the two boys as they slid by. "No, but I can cook something real quick."

The two stared at the kitchen in amazement. "Gee," Logan started, "this is a really sick pad, dude."

Victor nodded. "Hell yeah, you got yourself that luxurious lifestyle!"

Dick shrugged. "It's not mine, but thank you," Dick said. He was about to turn to the stove to begin making something when he saw a bright pink streak zoom through the foyer into the kitchen.

Suddenly, the pink streak was Kori was standing beside Dick. She peered her head over Dick's shoulder. "I heard someone say something about breakfast being made…"

Dick laughed softly. "Yeah, Kori. I'm about to cook for you all."

Kori smiled. "Oh, that is wonderful!" Kori moved towards the island & took a seat at one of the stools placed around it. Logan & Victor followed suit.

Finally, Dick caught a glimpse of Rachel floating slowly through the air towards the kitchen. SC-169 was walking slowly a few steps being Rachel. Dick smiled. "Are you two hungry?"

Rachel shrugged. "I could eat," she said solemnly. SC-169 stayed quiet.

Dick nodded. "Okay, well, take a seat & tell me what you're hungry for. Waffles? Eggs? Pancakes?"

"It's 2:47 PM, Dick," Rachel grunted.

"Pancakes!" Logan cried out.

"Yeah, I say pancakes too, man," Victor said nonchalantly.

Kori rose a hand up. "I am sorry to ask, but what exactly is a pancake?"

Dick slowly turned to SC-169. "What do you think, man? Pancakes?"

SC-169 glanced up at Dick & shrugged. "That sounds fine," he said softly.

Dick nodded. "Okay, gimme a second, guys," Dick said.

Dick began rummaging through the fridge to remove the ingredients needed to make pancakes. He remembered his mother cooking him pancakes while they would travel. He tried to remember the required ingredients. He knew he needed milk & eggs. He needed flour too, right? Dick did his best, but eventually he began creating the batter.

As Dick stirred the batter, he heard Logan speak. "So, I don't think I caught your name last night."

There was silent behind Dick. After a sudden clearing of a throat, SC-169 spoke. "You didn't," he said softly. "I, um...don't remember my name. Or anything."

There was another brief moment of silence. Dick continued to stir the batter in order to fill the dead awkward silence with some sort of sound. "So, you're an amnesiac?" Logan asked. "That's kind of cool, though. Like, you're that crazy hot dude who's just searching for himself that all of the babes would be pouncing onto."

"Yo, you got a guy-crush or something?" Victor scoffed under a laugh.

"Hardy-har-har!" Logan called. "Nah, bro, this breathtakingly beautiful gothic babe down here is the love of my life, not pretty boy over here," Logan joked, nodding from Rachel to SC-169.

"In your dreams, you little shit of a twerp," Rachel hissed at Logan.

Logan let out a soft chuckle. He cleared his throat once more. "No, but if I look at you & think of a name for you…" Logan began observing SC-169, as though he would find clues about him in his physical appearance. "You look like you would be named Conner."

After a brief moment, Dick turned around to look at the group. Everybody was eyeing SC-169, who awkwardly stared back.

"I could see that," Dick said.

SC-169 glanced to Dick. He raised an eyebrow. Victor chimed in from across the tabletop. "You know what, I bet his name really could've been Conner," Victor added.

Rachel nodded. "Conner suits him."

Kori smiled. "I would enjoy getting a new name as well," she said.

Rachel sighed. "You KNOW your name, Kori."

Dick laughed softly, then turned to SC-169. "Do you like that name?" he asked.

He looked up at Dick & smiled softly. He nodded. "Yeah...I think I want to be called Conner. For now. At least until I find out who I really am."

Dick smiled. "Hey, there you go. We're already making progress for you!"

Dick turned back to cooking the pancakes as the group began to delve further into discussion behind him.

"So, brother, tell me, how DID you manage to fix yourself up with this fine ass mansion?" Victor asked.

Dick sighed. "Well, that's a weird story. But basically, out of nowhere, Bruce Wayne tracked me down & brought me here. Technically, I couldn't do anything because he's my legal guardian."

"Wait, so we're in Bruce Wayne's house?" Logan asked.

Dick nodded. "Yeah, but he's out in Metropolis, so we won't be seeing him for the next day or so."

"Wait," Logan said. "Bruce Wayne...eats in this kitchen?"

"Another guy-crush," Victor hummed.

Dick rolled his eyes. The group began to bicker among themselves. Conner had suddenly began to smile, taking part in their jokes with his subtle laughter. Dick felt good about this very moment.

Dick eventually had a pan filled with pancakes stacked on one another. He set the pan straight on the tabletop & set out plates for everyone. He then scavenged the fridge for syrup & grabbed a few bananas & strawberries. He placed them all around the pancakes for everyone to eat with their pancakes.

"Hey, um, you got any nutella?" Logan asked with his mouth full of banana mush.

Dick groaned. "You know, I fucking wish I did right now. I sent our butler out to go get some."

"And this nigga has a butler!" Victor called.

Dick shrugged. "Yeah, well, for the record, him & Wayne are kind of a pain in the ass whenever they're around."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Quit complaining."

Logan nodded. "Yeah. I figured it'd be awesome to live with a billionaire & a butler."

Dick bit into his pancake. He shrugged. "I guess...it's nice to have a nice house. But it doesn't make it a home...you know?"

A brief moment of silence washed the kitchen out. Dick noticed everyone look down at their plates & softly nod in agreement. He realized that he hit a soft spot for everyone around the table. Each & every one of them had been taken from their home, one way or another. Each of them was lost in some sense. None of them had a real home at the moment.

Kori looked up at Dick. "What...DID happen to home, Dick?"

Dick turned to Kori. She stared straight at him with her big open green eyes. He looked away. "I, uh...I was orphaned when I was young. My parents were killed in the circus. Ever since then, I've just been around."

Rachel nodded. "That's how you knew Cheyenne," she said softly. "You knew her from an adoption agency or something?"

Dick sighed. "We met in an orphanage, but yeah."

"Wait, who's Cheyenne?" Logan asked as he cut his third pancake.

"She was our friend," Kori answered. She turned to Dick. "She was also one of Dick's old friends, I believe."

"Was?" Logan repeated.

Victor nudged Logan's shoulder hard. "Dude," he grunted.

Logan stared at Victor, then suddenly guilt washed over his face. "Oh. Sorry," he said, turning to Dick.

Dick bit his lip, then turned back down to his pancake & began cutting it.

Victor cleared his throat. "So, um, the circus?" he asked. "How did that happen? Like...a lion got loose, or…?"

Dick shook his head. "No, a mob boss set our circus on fire to get at the owner."

"Oh," Victor nodded. He took a bite of his pancake, then looked back up to Dick. "Wait, 'our' circus?"

Dick looked back up at Victor. "Yeah, I was in the Haley Circus. I was a Flying Grayson."

Victor stared blankly at Dick. Dick turned to Logan & Rachel, who both shared the same look. Kori had no idea what Dick was talking about, & Conner had no memory of anything. He had finally found the group of people who didn't know him as a Flying Grayson.

Dick shrugged. "It's alright," he said softly. "My parents & I were awesome acrobatics."

Everyone continued to eat their breakfast. Logan cleared his throat, interrupting another brief silence. "So," Logan started, "we should, like, keep going."

"Keep going with what?" Rachel asked.

"Well, sharing," Logan said. "Like, Dick, you told us some heavy stuff just now. Tell us more. LIke, is Dick a God-given name? Or what about Rachel's fine ass? Where the hell has SHE been all my life? Is Victor a thug or softy at heart? Is Conner, like, a life-size Ken doll or something? Come on. We should share something. We could start with our powers or whatever."

"Hah!" Victor called out. "Yeah, speaking of powers, what the fuck is yours, kid?" Victor asked Logan.

Logan shrugged. "I don't know. Being green, apparently."

"Maybe it's your color-blindness?" Kori suggested with such sincerity.

"Maybe it's your dipshit-ness," Rachel muttered.

"Now, real talk, what is the deal with you?" Victor asked Rachel. "Like, you're clearly some type of goth, but...what the fuck is THIS going on?" he asked, gesturing to her cloak she wore.

Rachel took a deep breath. "Well, I'm half-human, half-demon, & my dad is kind of evil."

The group stayed silent for a moment.

"Evil, like...a dick?" Logan asked.

"Evil like the Devil."

Logan nodded. "Cool. My dad was a doctor."

Dick smiled to himself. The situation that had unfolded before him was incredibly outrageous. Nothing about their conversation would make any sort of sense in any other life, but right there, in that moment, it didn't matter for Dick. He was okay with it all. For a second, everything felt normal.

"My father was Myand'r, king of my home planet Tamaran," Kori announced.

"What the fuck, yo? A demon AND an alien?" Victor cried. "Aw, hell nah."

"No, dude. A HOT demon & a HOT alien," Logan said with a huge smirk on his face.

"Kid, I swear to god, I will destroy your soul," Rachel spat at Logan.

Logan grinned. "And I believe you, demon babe," he joked.

Rachel rolled her eyes & bit into a pancake. "Dick, how long do I have to be cooped up here with this twerp?" she asked Dick.

Dick thought about it. He considered the possibility of them not having to stay in the mansion all day. Bruce would be gone for at least another day. Alfred would be gone, & if he did show up, he may not bother to check on Dick & the gang. They could honestly have a day out for themselves.

Dick considered Cadmus, & the possibility of them hunting down everyone. But Cadmus would've found them already if they were still looking for them, right? It's not like they went exactly off the grid. The military organization would've found them if they were really looking into the missing patients. They might've been focused on other issues since the raid, such as the mass produced chemical weapon that Dick destroyed. Cadmus was busy. The gang was safe for the night.

Dick smiled. "We go out tonight," he announced.

Everyone turned to Dick. He went on. "We're fine. I'm convinced Cadmus isn't going to show their face again, or at least for a while. Plus, we've all had a hell of a few days. Lord knows I'm sure as hell tired of shit. We could all use a break. We need to wind down. So yeah, we should all go out tonight."

"Where do you propose we go tonight?" Kori asked.

"Let's hit up a club," Logan suggested. "I used to know dudes who would sneak into the Iceberg Lounge. It's pretty mad crazy."

Dick smiled. "Iceberg Lounge," he said in agreement.

Victor shook his head. "Logan, dude. We can't go to a club. I'm half-robot & you're Kermit the Frog."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Dude, it's a nightclub. Nobody is going to see you."

Victor scoffed. "Clearly you've never been in a nightclub."

Dick glanced to Rachel & cleared his throat. "Do you think you could…" Rachel stared at Dick with an intense look, as though daring him to finish his sentence. Dick bit his lip, but challenged her anyway. "You probably know a spell that can help them blend in, right? Like a Cinderella with a Fairy Godmother type of thing?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Dick. "Did you just call me a fairy?" Dick raised an eyebrow at Rachel. She continued. "You're the fairy, bitch."

Dick sighed. He nodded softly, then continued to eat his pancakes. After a brief moment, Rachel nodded. "But yeah, I know a concealing spell."

Dick looked up at Rachel & smiled. She gave a faint smile back. Dick turned to Logan & Victor. "I gotchu," he said. He turned to everyone else. "Ladies & gentlemen, we are hitting the clubs tonight."