Of Fire and Flames (A Nightwing Love Story)

Chapter Fourteen ~ You like me?

Ever since I woke up from my coma (that apparently lasted a week) three days ago, Nightwing's been following me around like a lost puppy. So I finally gave up trying to outrun him. It's way to hard to balance cup of tea and hobble around on crutches at the same time, let alone try to outrun an uninjured ninja.

I go into the closest room, I set my crutches to my side and plop down on the couch, careful not to hit my injured foot or spill my tea. He closes the door behind us and he walks over to the couch, gently lifts my feet up and sets them down on his lap. We just sit there in silence.

"Can we please talk about this?" I ask him.

"What is there to talk about?" his shoulders slump, "You were pretty clear."

I furrow my brows, "How was I clear?"

Nightwing grabs his mask and rips it off, Nightwing's eyes, that I now know are a light shade of blue, shine with fury. His face contorts with failed words until he pulls his hands from my foot and points out the right side of his face and a scar I've never seen. A scar that runs from his eyebrow to where the edge of his mask would be.

"How did you get that?"

"A run in with the Joker when I was fourteen. I was lucky that was all he did to me, and now I'm sure you're disgusted with me and I know you don't like me, at least you don't like me like I'm starting to like you. You should just go back to Superboy, you'd be a better match for him."

I can't contain it anymore, I throw my head back and laugh. Apparently it was the wrong move, as Nightwing stood so suddenly my foot dropped off his lap and the couch and hit the ground, I yelp. And it was a good thing I did because it kept Nightwing from storming off more than a few feet away.

Talking to his back is worse than talking to his face, not because it's scared but because I have a hard time concentrating. Especially when I notice his dimples. I take a deep breathe to stifle another giggle that's trying to escape,"I'm sorry, Nightwing."

"So you say, but I wonder if you actually mean it."

I snort. How could such a great detective be so clueless? "It wasn't your face, you idiot.... actually it was, I like your face. I like your face a lot. especially those blue eyes of yours."

He turns to look over his shoulder, clearly thinking twice when he realizes that I'm looking at the scarred side of his face, so he turns and so I can see the unscarred side. His eyes narrows, but he turned slowly towards me "Then what was it?"

Apparently I took too long to answer him, because he turns away from me and was about to walk out of the room. I panic and blurt out something I wasn't planning on saying, at least not for awhile, "Oh for the love of - I think I like you, Nightwing."

He stops and that was enough of a reason for the rest of it to come tumbling out,"I think I like you. And I've never liked anyone before, at lease not the way I like you and it's scary, I have no feelings for Superboy. I only see him as a brother. But I want to get to know you the real you. But you ether ignore me or follow me around like a puppy! So make your stinking mind up!"