RICHARD'S POV

Beep beep beep beep beep

I reached over to my nightstand and blindly felt for the snooze button on my alarm. 7:00am. That means it's time to put on this same fucking facade I wear every goddamn day, that tells the world that I'm happier than ever when in reality, I feel like I'm suffocating. I hate this stupid relationship I've been blackmailed into, and I've yet to find a safe way to get out of it. And to make matters worse, it's like the universe is dangling the fucking goddess that is Kori Anders on a string just out of my reach, saying, "Oh, you've got to be more clever than that." And if that wasn't enough, Slade got away last night. Again. I have no idea how I'm ever going to catch him. My friends are always offering to help; they've got the abilities to take down villains, sure. But if something ever happened to them on my watch? It'd fucking kill me. That's why I choose to work alone. At least I have the bed to myself this morni—

"Dickie-poo! You're awake!"

Shit. The fucking bane of my existence just burst out of my bathroom in nothing but a towel. Did we…? I check under the covers to see that I am indeed wearing nothing. Then it comes back to me. Oh, we definitely did. Over and over and over. She's probably really sore. I had a lot of pent up anger last night that translated into some very rough sex. Guess it was too wishful for me to hope I'd forget about it. That'd she'd forget about it. Of course she didn't. This bitch is fucking obsessed with me.

"Wanna go for round two?" She whispers seductively, straddling my hips over the covers.

"Wouldn't it be more like round five?" I yawn, looking anywhere but at the naked girl on top of me.

"Six, but who's counting?" She leans down and clamps her teeth on my ear lobe.

I shove her off of me. "Apparently you. But I don't have time right now. I have to meet my history partner before school to make sure we're ready for our presentation," I said, rolling out of bed and pulling a white t-shirt over my head. It was such a tease, getting to spend so much time with Kori this weekend while we worked on this project. I don't think she noticed that I was flirting, staring at her while she scribbled away in her notebook. But god, her laugh is so contagious. And the way she finds joy in the simplest of things, like the color of the socks that Bee had gotten her when they went to the mall on Tuesday afternoon. And here I was, sleeping with some whore just so her monster of a father won't try to kill my friends. She doesn't know I'm Nightwing, thank god. She'd threaten to broadcast that to the entire fucking city in order to keep me as her captive.

"I think you have a few minutes," she said, spinning me back around to face her. She had now dropped her towel, and was grinding her hips into mine, her arms draped around my neck. The look in her eyes was malicious, and I knew she wasn't going to give me a choice in the matter, so I let her close the distance between our lips. Her tongue shoved its way into my mouth, tangling itself with my own. She tastes like bile. Or maybe that's just the regurgitative reflex she triggers in me. I swear even plasmus isn't as repulsive as she is to me. But I guess round six was happening whether I wanted it to or not.

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After finally convincing Kitten that she really ought to drive herself to school, I was able to escape on my motorcycle, weaving through traffic to make it to the parking lot in record time. The bell would ring in about five minutes, and I still needed to find Kori. I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulder and made a dash for her locker. Fortunately, that's exactly where I found her, chatting away with Bee about the movie they had gone to see last night and the sheer delight that Kori found in movie theater popcorn.

"Whoa, where's the fire, Dick?" Bee chided when she saw me rushing up to them.

"Yes, should we, too, make with the haste for the exits?" Kori added, though I don't think she realized that was just a saying.

"Kor, there is no actual fire," Bee leaned in and whispered.

"Oh." Kori's cheeks flushed lightly, making her somehow look even more adorable that she already was.

"Umm.." I stammered, fumbling with the zipper on my backpack. "I wanted to give you the updates I made on the notes for our presentation this afternoon for you to look at beforehand. I only made a few minor changes, but I didn't want them to catch you by surprise." I pulled a small stack of papers out of my backpack and held them out to her. When she grabbed them from me, her fingers lightly brushed over mine, and I felt a familiar jolt of energy run up the length of my arm. The same as when I had taken her hand to help her stand back up in gym last week. I wondered if she had felt it, too, so my eyes shifted up to look into hers. They looked mildly surprised, but gave nothing else away.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Kori's mouth, and I couldn't help but to allow one of my own crooked smiles to creep onto my face. "I thank you, Richard. I must get to band practice, so we can rehearse for the game on Friday. But I will see you in gym, yes?"

"Wouldn't miss it," I replied, allowing my eyes to linger as she walked away.

"Boy, you got it bad," came Bee's mocking voice from my left. Maybe I did, and part of me wondered how she could tell, but I didn't have time to ask before the bell rang, signaling us to leave for our separate classes.

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"Hey, Dick! You ready for the game on Friday?" Roy asked, approaching me in the locker room.

I smirked. "You bet," I said, throwing my shirt into my locker and pulling out my gym shirt.

"Yeah, you are! And I bet Kitten will give you a little something if we win," Roy teased, wiggling his eyebrows. He was probably the only one who actually knew how much I couldn't stand the girl.

I grimaced. "Don't remind me."

Roy chuckled. "Dude, what are you even still doing with her? The sex that good?"

Deciding to ignore his second question, I answer in a low voice, "I won't be much longer. I'm gonna dump her. I just gotta work a few things out first."

Roy looked impressed. "About time! But how you gonna keep her from making a meal of that new girl you've been making googly-eyes at for the past week when you inevitably hook up with her."

I rolled my eyes. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Dude, it may as well be stamped on your forehead."

I sighed. Great. That's probably why she's been keeping her distance from me. I've probably been acting like a total creep. "Well, I don't plan on hooking up with her."

"Could've fooled me," Roy chided, leaning back on the lockers with his arms crossed over his chest.

"She's too pure. Hooking up with her would be an insult to her. It'd have to be more than that." I pulled on my socks and shoes, then closed my locker.

"Okay. Well, I call dibs on being being best man at your wedding." Roy teased, humming the bridal march. I brought my hand up and slapped him on the back of the head as we headed out of the locker room.

Kori was already out, stretching her mile-long legs. She saw me and jogged over, her red ponytail swinging lightly behind her. "Hello, Richard."

Roy gave me a weird look, and I knew what it was about. No one ever called me Richard. Dick just seemed more fitting, especially with the way I tended to play the field. But like I said, Kori is just too pure. It didn't seem right for my nickname to come from her mouth. I just shook my head at him, not wanting to discuss the matter right now. "Well, I'll just leave you lovebirds to it then. Don't do anything stupid," Roy said, walking away and picking up a basketball and dribbling it in front of him.

"Umm. I do not believe you have sprouted wings or a beak. Have I?" Kori asked, the language barrier tripping her again. I figured most English idioms didn't translate into her first language.

"Still look normal to me," I said with a small smile. I'd kill Roy for the comment later, but it honestly didn't sound all that bad. If I were to be anyone's lovebird, at least it was the green-eyed goddess standing before me. I suddenly realized I was staring and pulled my gaze away to watch as our classmates slowly filed out of their respective locker rooms and mingled around the gym awaiting instructions. I suddenly remembered something she had told me over the weekend while we had been putting together our presentation, about how Bee was helping her with home economics. "So, have you mastered how to use a blender yet?" I asked, suppressing a chuckle.

"Oh yes! Turns out you must put the lid on it before you turn it on!" she said excitedly.

I smiled at the mental image of what catastrophe must've given her that revelation. "It definitely helps. Well, when Bee also teaches you how to cook a steak, let me know. I may have to come over and help taste-test it." I give her a wink, but she just looks at me a little confused, so I move on. "I bet you'll be the best cook in the class by the end of the semester."

Kori studies her feet as they shuffle on the gymnasium floor. "I would not be so sure. Everyone is already so far ahead. I had never even heard of the tiny wave before."

"Do you mean the microwave?" I ask.

"See? I still have so much to learn. And my classmates are not as patient with me. Especially not…." Kori's voice trailed off. There was something she didn't want to tell me, but I didn't feel it was appropriate to pry.

"Have they said anything to hurt you?" I ask, casting a look of concern over at her. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and it made me furious with whoever had put them there.

"They, um," she whimpered, not meeting my gaze. "They call me names. But you do not have to worry about me, Richard." Kori shot a halfhearted smile up at me. "I am stronger than I look."

"Wow. You must be pretty damn strong then," I say, placing an arm around her. "But if you ever need help getting them to back off, I'm here."

Kori just stands there for a moment with a puzzled look on her face, before deciding to say, "Well, if you could perhaps ask your girlfriend if she does truly believe that no one would miss me if I were to perish…."

My eyes went wide. I don't know what I had expected her to say, but I never dreamed it'd be that. "She said what, now?" I put a hand on each of Kori's shoulders. "I need you to be very clear with me about this. What you just said is very serious, and I need to make sure I understood you correctly. Did Kitten tell you that you should kill yourself?"

Kori stared right into my eyes for a second then found renewed interest in her feet. "Not exactly. She asked if I had a death wish when I grabbed the pan out of the oven without the use of the mitts for the oven. Then said, 'Don't worry, no one will miss you if you do.'"

I grab Kori's hands and examine her palms. Not a single trace of a burn or scarring. Just flawless skin that was like silk under my fingers. This was puzzling, but didn't concern me as much as the other bit of information she had just given me. "Kori, I want you to believe me when I say that's not true. Bee would miss you, Rachel, Vic, Gar…" I tilt her chin up to look me in the eyes. "I would miss you." I notice tears start to well up in those gorgeous green eyes again, and without thinking, I pull her into a tight hug. I feel her own arms wrap around me, so tight I find it difficult to breathe. But I don't dare say anything. If crushing my bones would take every one of her tears away, I'd die under the weight of the entire fucking moon just to see her smile.

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After an hour of lifting weights in gym (and Kori proving that she really is stronger than she looks by out bench-pressing every single person in the class my a mile) the two of us walk together to lunch, where I sit with our friends for the first time since the semester started.

"Well, look who decided to join us!" Vic teased.

"Not gonna spend lunch eating out, er, with your girlfriend?" Gar added, wiggling his eyebrows.

I shot daggers at him, replying, "I'm ending things with her." Then I returned my attention back to my lunch tray as if I hadn't just given them the best news they'd heard all day.

Everyone at the table turned to stare at me, some mouths hanging open full of food. Even Rachel couldn't help but to peek over the top of her book at me. "Well, alright!" Vic exclaimed, raising a hand for a high five, but I just ignored it. "What made you finally see the light?"

My eyes darted to Kori beside me. She looked tense, so I decided it was best not to reveal what she'd confided in me earlier. "I don't appreciate the way she treats my friends." The corners of Kori's mouth lifted in a soft smile.

"So, when you going to drop the bomb on her?" Bee asked. I noticed Kori's eyes widen. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Not literally," I say to her in a low voice, and she visibly relaxes and continues to eat her mustard-topped pizza. Then I turn my attention back to Bee. "Actually, I need to talk to you about that. Could we step outside for a moment?"

A crease forms between Bee's eyebrows as she contemplates what I could possibly want to talk to her about, but she stands and says, "Um, sure," and follows me out to the quad. Once we have found a spot far enough away from anyone who might overhear, she turns to me expectantly.

"First of all," I say, looking at her. "Thank you for everything you've done for Kori. She really needed someone, and I'm so glad that you were there for her." Bee just humbly shrugged it off, waiting for me to get to the point. I take a deep breath. "Okay, so here's the deal. Something really bad could happen when I break up with Kitten, so I really need your help."

Bee raises an eyebrow. "What's she gonna do, tell the school that you're gay. No one would believe her anyway."

"No," I shake my head. "Look. She's been blackmailing me, threatening to have her dad come after you and the others."

Bee scoffs. "Ooh, I'm so scared."

"Bee, listen to me! Her dad's Killer Moth," I say urgently. Bee still looks unworried. "Look, I know that you, Vic, Rachel, and Gar are perfectly capable of taking him. But Kori isn't like us. If he comes after her, if he hurts her…"

"Hey, Dick. It's okay. Breathe, we've got this. He's not going to lay a finger on her, and neither is Kitten," Bee says calmly.

I nod, mostly to reassure myself. "I need a plan to get Killer Moth arrested before he has the chance to do anything."

"Okay, then let's talk strategy."

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When we returned to the cafeteria, I didn't even have the time to sit down when I heard her voice like nails on a chalkboard, screeching at me, "Dicky-poo! There you are!" I cringed. Guess we're doing this right now. I had really hoped I wouldn't see her until after school, but that would've been wishful thinking. And now, thanks to her shrieking, the entire lunch room was staring at us as she flung her arms around me. I peeled her off of me and she gaped at me, offended. "Dicky-poo, what are you doing? I haven't seen you since we made love this morning!" she exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear.

I cringed. "Is that what you call it?"

"Well, of course that's what I call it! We're in love!" she said, her voice dripping with seduction. I had to hold back my gag reflex.

"Actually, Kitten, I don't love you." I stated, bracing myself.

"WHAT?!" Now, probably the whole city could hear her high-pitched screech. "What do you mean you don't love me?!"

"I think even someone as dense as you can figure out exactly what that means," I said coolly. "We're over."

"Argh!!" she screamed, then lowering her voice, added, "Unless you want your precious friends to pay for your fucking mistake, I suggest you take that back."

I scoffed, "Not even in your dreams." And with that, Kitten stormed off. Nightwing may have to patrol half the night tonight, but regardless, I was sure to wake up in the morning feeling free.