The next morning was cold and cloudy in Jump City, the sun seeming to have forgotten to wake up. Richard had borrowed Vic's car while the handyman of a roommate worked to build a new motorcycle for the young hero.
Traffic was light, being a Sunday morning. So, Richard pulled into the girls' driveway much earlier than he had anticipated. What could he possibly say to her that would make everything okay? He knew he needed to get out and knock on the door, but he found himself unable to unbuckle the seatbelt and step out of the vehicle.
He imagined her face as she opened the door, eyes full of fire, probably sleepy. Maybe she'd throw her arms around his neck, having forgiven him after having the chance to sleep on it. Or maybe she'd refuse to make eye contact, be at a loss for words like she had been on the phone last night. It was so unlike her to not have anything to say. And he had caused it. Richard sunk further into his seat, a hand to his forehead. Why had he thought it was a good idea to drive over here, again? It's seven in the morning. Would she even be awake? He should just go back home.
But he couldn't stop his rebel feet from finally pulling the rest of him out of the car and up to the front door. What the hell? He'd made it this far. To turn back now would be foolish. So, he raised his fist and gently rapped his knuckles on the hard wood.
For a moment, there was no answer. No jiggling of the locks. No padding of footsteps on the other side. Nothing. He started to turn away, then he heard the door open. "Look who finally showed up. What the hell do you want, Dick?" Bee put a little too much emphasis on his name, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the young hero.
Richard rolled his eyes, his right hand scratching his neck as he shrunk away from the slightly shorter girl opposite him. "I suppose you want to yell at me too? Gar and Vic already gave me an earful." The early morning wind bit at his ears and raised chill bumps on Bee's arms, prompting her to step aside and let him in. He took a seat in the center of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and gazing at the space between his feet.
Bee gently closed the door. "She's asleep," she stated simply with a slight nod in the direction of the hallway, then took a seat next to him. "Consider yourself lucky."
Heaving a sigh, Richard ran a hand through his hair. "It was Slade." His eyes remained trained to the floor. "He threw my bike in the ocean. I had to walk home. He's planning something, Bee. I don't know what it is, but it can't be good. I just wish I could get ahead of him."
"Anything four superhuman friends can help with?" Bee fiddled with the rings on her middle fingers, feeling the joints next to her shoulder blades twitch lightly as her wings flickered in and out of existence.
"Maybe," he replied softly, his gaze now lifted toward the hallway. The only thing that was important to him anymore was making sure Kori was safe. "I'll let you know as soon as I know more. Just promise me you'll protect her."
Bee suppressed an eye roll. "You know as well as I do that she's fully capable of protecting herself."
"But she shouldn't have to!" he exclaimed, he voice rising. "Do you know what she's been through? Why she sleeps with the light on? The girl's literally a fucking princess where she's from, and her bastard king of a father traded her off as a fucking sex slave, Bee!"
Bee's composure didn't falter at her friend's rising temper, but her eyes did widen slightly upon hearing this confession. There was a brief silence, then the sound of a door closing in the hallway. She stood up and started in the direction of the sound, pausing in the doorway. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I promise nothing bad will happen to her if I can control it. And maybe, Dick, you should consider being honest with her."
Richard gave a slight scoff. "You ready to take your rings off?" Bee didn't respond. "That's what I thought." He hung his head as Bee disappeared into her bedroom. The room was quiet with only the distant sound of the shower running to keep him company. Was it always this cold in here? He supposed it was just his nerves, anxiety over seeing Kori after not being there for her last night. Keeping his heartbeat steady took a lot of concentration, so he almost didn't notice as Rachel silently walked into the kitchen and prepared herself a glass of herbal tea before taking a seat next to him on the couch.
"Rachel, if you're here to tell me that I fucked up, you might as well get in line," Richard huffed, but the girl didn't say a word, simply sipping from the hot mug between her hands. After a couple seconds, she placed the cup on the coffee table in front of her and gently rested her right palm on his shoulder. Richard immediately felt the effects of her powers calming his raging emotions. "Thanks," he whispered.
Rachel got back to her feet, grabbed her tea, and started back for her room. "Sounds like she's getting out of the shower. She should be in here soon." Then he was alone once more, waiting—now less anxious—for his girlfriend to walk in and see him. He was suddenly too aware of how the collar of his shirt felt like it was clinging to his neck and how the stillness of the room made his ears seem to ring.
From down the hall, a door could be heard opening and then closing again, and careful footsteps padded in the hallway as they approached the living room. There she was in the doorway wearing a sports bra and a pair of athletic shorts, her fiery hair dripping down her back. Richard stood up. "Kori," he said, barely more than a whisper. He took quick strides over to her and pulled her close to him, breathing in the sweet scent of her vanilla shampoo. "I'm so sorry."
Kori slowly slid her arms around his torso and returned the hug, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent more tears from spilling over onto her cheeks. She'd already cried off and on almost the entire night. The last thing she wanted was to let Richard see just how hurt she was, for him to suspect even for a second that she knew of his secret identity. It was too soon to bring it up.
Richard was the first to pull away, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and looking into her large emerald eyes that seemed to scan his face. "I'd like to spend the day with you, if you'll have me."
Kori nodded, still unable to form any words to speak to him. She simply followed him out of the house after grabbing the hoodie he'd let her keep a few weeks ago, letting him open the car door for her and not questioning why they weren't on his bike. She kept her gaze blankly staring out the window the entire drive to the park. Neither spoke for uncertainty of what to say. There was no music from the radio. There was only the sound of the wind blowing past Richard's open window. This made Kori a bit chilly, but she didn't let on about it. Her Tameranian body would adjust to the temperature quickly enough anyway.
Upon arriving at the park, Richard grabbed a basket and blanket out of the back seat, carrying both with one arm so he could offer the opposite hand to Kori. She hesitated, but laced her fingers with his, allowing him to guide her to a clearing. The grass was starting to brown and leaves crunched under every footstep. When he found a spot he deemed suitable, Richard unfolded the blanket and laid it neatly on the ground. "I thought you might enjoy a nice brunch picnic." The two of them sat opposite each other on the soft blue and white checkered blanket, and he began to unpack the basket, laying out various fruits and vegetables and croissants. Kori didn't hesitate to take one of the flaky rolls, happy to give her mouth something to do so she wouldn't feel the need to talk.
Richard popped a grape in his mouth, savoring the feeling of the skin breaking between his teeth, welcoming the distraction from the awkward silence. But once the sweet fruit had been swallowed, he could bear it no more. "Kori, will you talk to me?" he pleaded, searching her face for any emotion. It was so unlike her to not have her heart firmly attached to her sleeve, and it bothered him that for the first time, he had not any idea what was running through her mind.
The princess gently placed the croissant down in front of her, thinking hard about what she should say. She wasn't ready yet to mention the mysterious letter, and she felt as if they had already talked enough about him missing her party on the phone last night. She sighed softly. "I do not know what to say." Her voice was scratchy from underuse and a long night of sobs. Clearing her throat, she continued. "I am the okay, really. I have given you my forgiveness."
She didn't sound okay, but Richard didn't want to push her to talk about it. So they continued their meal in the same awkward silence as before. Once Kori had her fill, she scooted to seat herself right next to her boyfriend, resting her head on his shoulder. This simple gesture both shocked Richard and eased the tension that was residing in his temple just a little. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. What he wouldn't give to be everything that she deserved…. But there were some things that were best left unsaid if he was to keep her safe. And those unspoken words he worried might just be their undoing.
After a quiet, but less awkward, drive back to his house, Richard held her hand as they walked into the living room to find Vic and Gar in one of their daily video game battles, trash-talking each other. The couple ignored the quarreling as they made their way to Richard's room undetected. After crossing the threshold, he turned to her and gazed into the depths of her emerald eyes. Kori absentmindedly reached a hand up to his face, her thumb lightly rubbing the scar under his eye. She immediately recognized it from when she'd first seen it bleeding the night she had decided to be just friends with Nightwing, but she kept that to herself as his breath imperceptibly hitched at her touch. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, only hoped that she didn't know it was the very same scar.
He needed to distract her from it, so he slowly leaned in and pressed his lips upon hers. Her eyes fluttered shut as she welcomed his kisses. She shoved every anxious thought to the back of her mind as she allowed her tongue to become entangled with his. His advances were gentle and cautious, so unlike his normal hungry and passionate ones. But he feared scaring her off, he feared moving too quickly after such a disaster of a night. He feared what he knew deep down to be true, he really didn't deserve her.
Slowly, their lips parted. "I'm not good enough for you, Kori," he whispered.
The space between her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" she responded just as softly.
He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "I'm sorry." Turning away, he found himself plopping onto his bed.
"You must not keep with the apologizing," Kori replied, taking a seat next to him. "My love is stronger than one forgotten birthday."
He chuckled lightly, his hand finding hers once again. "Glad to hear it." Gently, he stroked her thumb with his own. Kori tried to block out the reminder of what he was hiding from her with that mannerism she'd first noticed from his alter ego. Her eyes scanned the room for anything to distract herself, landing on the photo frame on his dresser. It contained a photo of the two of them from a date they'd had a week ago when he'd first told her he loved her. She had not said it back right away, having been caught off-guard. Love like this was so incredibly rare on her home planet. But as he had dropped her off at home that night, she had practically tackled him into the bushes with her onslaught of kisses, deciding that she did indeed love him, too.
And she still did even with her new-found information. But what was she supposed to do with it when she had a secret of her own that was quite possibly even bigger? The questions she had for her boyfriend burned on her tongue, but that's where they stayed, leashed inside her so the wild things couldn't do more damage to her fragile heart.
"You can't escape the truth, Rachel," Melchior hissed. "You know what you are. You know you're only destined for destruction. But I can help you to contain it. Only I understand the real you. And only I will ever be willing to put up with your darkness."
Rachel placed her hands over her ears, unsuccessfully trying to block out the sound of his voice coming from inside her mind. "Go away, Melchior," she growled, writhing uselessly on her bed. She looked down at the many deep red scratches that covered her pale skin in the mirror across from her. He had never touched her directly, but he didn't have to. He had forced himself into her mind. Intruding on all of her thoughts and inserting unwelcome comments loudly into her inner ears, making her go crazy with the urge to get him out. She couldn't stop herself from clawing her nails into her own flesh. Down her neck, up her arms, across her stomach. Anywhere she could reach, trying desperately to avoid digging her fingernails into her face where they'd be hardest to hide.
She hated that she had allowed herself to trust this guy. She hated that she had let him make her believe they were the same. Hated that he had convinced her to let him travel into him mind, where he now refused to leave. He'd been there since homecoming, and now she couldn't escape him, or his disparaging words. Any amount of meditation only seemed to give her a precious few hours of peace before he'd reappear at the very forefront of her mind even louder than before. She was losing sleep and losing control.
Outside her window, the sky was dark, clouds hiding the luminescence of the moon and stars that usually would stream a soft light into her bedroom. No such light was visible tonight, but the street lamp would occasionally reflect off of some passing owl as it would fly in circles in the yard, seemingly in search of a mouse. How she longed to be that mouse right now, so some giant creature could put her out of her misery.
But all she could do was continue to scratch at her exposed skin, drawing more and more blood to the surface, willing Melchior to seep out of one of the wounds, until eventually he decided to quiet down enough for her to sleep.
Kori and Richard lie there snuggled together in his bed, still fully dressed in their street clothes on top of the covers. She had fallen asleep in the crook of his arm which was now beginning to go numb, but he didn't dare move it. She looked like an angel curled up next to him with her hair cascading in all directions behind her. He gently placed a kiss on her forehead, taking in the scent of her shampoo. God, he loved that smell. It was nearly intoxicating, made him want her even more, but he'd take things at her pace, follow her lead. His animalistic desires could wait however long she needed.
On his bedside table, the screen on his phone lit up with a call from Bruce. Richard rolled his eyes and sent the call to voicemail. Whatever it was would have to wait until the morning. It's not like he'd be any help to Gotham from all the way in California anyway. So he turned out the light on the table, leaving the two of them in darkness. She'd sleep through the night without it since he was there. But he honestly wasn't sure if he would.
Visions of the Joker and Gotham and Barbara (though he'd never admit that one) kept flashing before him every time he'd close his eyes. But eventually, he did fall asleep.
When morning came, Kori had been the first to wake up and had already left the room by the time Richard finally opened his eyes. Realizing he was alone, he flipped over to grab his phone. As expected, there was a voicemail there from Bruce.
'Dick, you need to come to Gotham immediately. Looks like the Joker has made a new friend. I think you know him. Goes by Slade.'
