Bluejay: The Protégé of Black Canary

The Manor

With my hand in his, Dick pulled me away from our friend group. I didn't dare look behind me, for fear of the grinning, suggestive looks that any one of them could have been giving me. So, with my cheeks pink, I allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. My heels clicked softly on the polished floor as we wove past the other billionaire oil barons, the fashion models and the philanthropists.

Does the room suddenly feel warmer for some reason? When we finally reached the designated dancing area, my heart began to thump painfully in my chest. A gentle melody was pouring from the orchestra, and there were about a dozen other couples smoothly dancing in a perfect waltz. Dick turned around, a small smile playing on his lips. He must have sensed my nerves because he softly said,

"Don't be nervous. Just follow my lead, okay?" He told me.

"Alrighty, I'm trusting you." I mumbled.

Delicately, he shifted his grasp on my hand and placed his other on my waist. My stomach tingled, and I put my free hand on his shoulder. Dick closed the distance between us, taking a step close to me. My fingers twitched with nerves.

"This okay?" He asked politely.

I didn't trust my squeaky voice, so I just nodded. Beaming, he began leading the simple waltz, and we fell into circle with the other guests. I unconsciously gripped his shoulder, trying desperately not to step on the toes of his thousand-dollar shoes. I could feel the eyes of the other guests watching us. Watching me, this plain girl dancing with the son of one of the wealthiest men in the world.

"Have you ever danced before?" Dick asked curiously.

"Once." I admitted. "A friend was nice enough to try and teach me."

"He sounds like a nice guy." He smirked.

"He is." I muttered distractedly, taking a glance down at our feet.

I cursed, flushing as I accidentally stepped wrong, throwing us off rhythm for a moment. I apologized, but Dick didn't seemed concerned. Instead, he just pulled my body closer to his and lowered his head to my ear.

"Here, just relax. Ready? One, two, three. One, two, three." He spoke softly into my ear, his breath tickling my neck.

Doing as he said, I relaxed my muscles and fell back into step with him. We moved as one, stepping smoothly to the music. Heat bled from where his hands were touching me.

"I was telling the truth earlier, you know. You really are beautiful." Dick whispered.

I smiled so wide that my cheeks began to hurt. He didn't say I looked beautiful, or that my dress was beautiful. He said that I was beautiful, and no matter how much I tried to brush it off, I felt like I was glowing. Hiding my smile, I kept my chin near his shoulder.

"There! See? You're as pro as Shakira!" He told me brightly.

Holding my body gently, Dick continued to lead us through the waltz. Suddenly... something about the way he was counting under his breath and the way he was holding me struck a chord of familiarity in the back of my head. I raised my eyes to look at his.

"You...remind me of him." I told him, my eyebrows pinching.

I don't know if I imaged it or not, but I swear I almost saw him finch. I felt Dick's fingers pressing into the skin of my waist.

"Who, your friend?" He chuckled. "He must be incredibly talented."

I was tempted to roll my eyes and retort with; no, more like egotistical. But instead... I found Dick was right. They both shared each other's best qualities. And even though I might have still felt a little miffed from being cut from yesterday's mission, I couldn't help but smile as I thought of Robin.