I take a shower quickly, keeping an ear out for Dick. Ha. His name makes me giggle.
You'd think I would know better than to follow strangers home, but… I can't explain it. He doesn't give off that vibe. In fact, he reminds me so much of Danny. I think if being an astronaut doesn't work out for him, I'm going to recommend he be a cop.
And I know trusting people hasn't exactly worked out well for me in the past. But I figure, he doesn't know I'm half ghost. I doubt he even believes in ghosts, let alone halfas. Even if trusting him does go sideways, I have my powers to get myself out. Still, I don't think it'll come to that. Dick is just… good.
My foot aches, but I'm not too worried about it. It'll probably be good in the morning. I wince as I step out of the shower, though it feels heavenly to be clean again. Unless I score enough to buy a hotel room, I don't often make sure I'm clean.
When I exit the bathroom, dressed in the same worn clothes and ponytail I'm always in, I see that Dick has changed into sweats and a t-shirt. He's working on his laptop, his phone pressed between his ear and shoulder so he can type. Spotting me, he smiles and hangs up without saying goodbye.
"Who was that?" I ask, not really worried, though I guess I should be.
"My brother." He pauses when I look at him before adding, "A different one. I have a few."
"How many is a few?"
He shrugs. "I lose track."
"You said 'his' dad," I recall from his earlier comment, taking a seat on one of the dining room chairs. As he talks, I take the ace bandage from the first aid kit and wrap up my foot.
Approval flashes in his eyes, though at my comment or my expert wrapping skills I'm not sure. "Yeah. My dad isn't really my dad. He adopted me. He's adopted a lot of people, but the particular brother I was talking about before is Damian, his only biological son. He loves to rub that in all our faces."
"Adopted?"
"My parents died when I was nine."
"That sucks." But, I mean, my only parents are my DNA source and his evil stalker, so… Sorry not sorry? I can't wrap my mind around losing someone close to me. All I have is Danny, and we're not even that close. I mean, we are… It's just… complicated.
He gives me an odd look. "That's one way to put it."
There's a knock at the door. I tense, but Dick just laughs and goes to answer it.
It's food.
He pays the guy and sets the bags on the table in front of me, skirting around so he can get out plates and silverware. "You don't have food here?" I ask, accepting the tableware from him.
He laughs. "Almost none. I never have time to go shopping. And I can't cook anyway."
I fill my plate with the steaming dish, which I think is chicken Parmesan. My body will probably be delighted at the nutrition; my past four meals were McDonald's. We eat in silence for a minute, both inhaling our food, until I break it with, "Tell me about your family."
He smiles and sets down his fork. "I was adopted by Bruce when I was nine. I was the only one for a long time. I moved out when I was nineteen, and soon after Jason was adopted. He was… is" I notice the emphasis on is but don't question it. "A wildcard. He hates us, he loves us, he lives with us, he sabotages us, it all depends on his mood.
"Jason left a year or so later. Another year later, Tim came around. He wasn't adopted then, because his parents were still alive. He was interested in Bruce's work and stayed with him while his parents traveled. Not even a year later, his parents were attacked and his mother was killed and his father was put in a coma. So then Bruce adopted him. He's heir to the company, because he's annoyingly ingenious." His expression and tone of voice change slightly with the information, trying to brush past the awful parts with a lightened tone.
"Now Damian," he continues, "just kinda appeared. Bruce didn't know he existed. Damian was raised by his mother, but left her when he was ten. He's thirteen now and hates everyone except me. No one can hate me." He says it with an angelic smile. "There are a bunch of family feuds going on right now and I'm the only one not involved."
I gesture him to go on with my fork.
"Damian hates Tim, and the feelings mutual. Jason and Bruce had a falling out, and they fight all the time. Tim and Jason fight sometimes but usually stay out of each other's way. Jason and Damian can either agree with each other or get in a screaming match. And those are just my brothers' feuds. I also have a couple sisters, though we're not as close. Stephanie lives there sometimes. She and Tim are… dating? It's complicated. Then there's Cassandra. She and Bruce are really close, but she's like a recluse Damian. She doesn't like anyone, but stays out of their way. Every once in a while she and Jason will try to kill each other. Barbara is over there a lot, though she's not in the family. She and I have dated. She's great." Something else flashes in his eyes… something like… pain? Maybe anger? Whatever. She's his ex, so I don't judge.
Another eating silence begins.
This time, Dick asks me a question. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
Ugh. I don't want to make up a cover story, and there's no way I'm going to tell him the truth.
"Tell me something you're willing to tell me." Hm. That was unexpected.
He eats while I think.
"I travel," I say at last. "You wondered why I was on the streets. It's because I travel all over. I'm too young to work, obviously, so any money I do…" I try not to smirk. "Happen upon goes to traveling fees. Planes, boats, the works. I really like trains."
"Where have you traveled?"
"All over. First I went to Australia, and then up to New Zealand, because it was close. Then the New Guinea Islands, Japan, China... Mongolia, too. It's beautiful there. I traveled along Kazakhstan for a little while, sometimes zigzaging across the border into Russia, before I dipped down into all the countries beneath that. For the past year, I've been in Europe, because it's so… close together. I wanted to see everything!
"Then I came back to America. I've only been here for… A month? Maybe two? I lose track. I haven't been to South America or Africa yet, and I really want to see Canada."
"How do you choose where to go?" Admiration is glittering in his eyes, like he's impressed with my ability to get all over. To be honest, I'm kind of impressed with myself. Well, I'd be more impressed if I didn't cheat.
"At first it was convenience, just kind of moving wherever I could go, but now I have this list I'm trying to complete."
"What kind of list?"
I debate whether or not to tell him I'm just stalking heroes. I shrug, deciding it's not that big a deal. "I made a list of heroes. They're all over America, and cities with superheros have very interesting people."
His eyebrows raise before he laughs. "Catch the elusive Nightwing?"
I smirk. "Yeah, I saw him."
"And you're still here?"
I sigh, thinking of Jack. "For now. I have something I need to see through." I'm deflective on purpose, and luckily, though Dick clearly notes this, he doesn't push.
"Do you have a passport?" he asks instead.
"Yes… Though it's not with me right now. I don't carry my stuff on me in cities."
"Smart. Bludhaven has some phenomenal pickpockets."
Now done with our meal, Dick starts to box up the remainders and put them in the fridge. I, being the selfless person I am, help by putting the dishes in the sink and rinsing them with water.
"Would you like to stay here tonight?" Dick asks. "I have a guest room."
Should I push my luck? I haven't slept in a real bed since Atlanta, when I scored a criminal money cache and splurged on a hotel suite. I debate with myself over the character of the man in front of me one more time. Am I sure about him? I think so. And again, I always have powers up my sleeve. "Sure," I respond finally. Then I look over the living room again. "Do you have video games?"
Dick nods and opens a drawer by his TV, pulling out consoles and games. As he does this, he asks me to tell him about one of my adventures.
He hands me a controller as I launch into a very complicated tale of the time I accidentally joined an underground revolution and unwittingly played a part in the destruction of a totalitarian government.
It starts to speed up in the next few chapters...
Have you guys seen season 3 of Young Justice? I can't wait for the fanfiction on that to come out!
~Disclaimer, Disclaimer~