Veil of Shadows ๋࣭⭑⚝ Dick Grayson

6 ๋࣭⭑⚝ Excuses, excuses

"Of course they love it."

She rolled her eyes playfully, though the woman couldn't see it.

"It's how I managed to win over Bruce." A bubbly laugh bubbled up from her throat.

"Won us a nice car..." She nodded in agreement, balancing her phone on her shoulder while she twisted her partially wet hair with a towel.

"It's a fair trade. You entertain the bird, and you get to stay in a place that doesn't have rats."

"We lived in New York. That place is run by rats." She snorted, tossing the towel onto a hanger as she walked out of the bathroom.

"Our choice of payment ever since has been Bruce Wayne."

"Every art student's dream." She sighed dramatically as she collapsed onto the couch.

"Who knew art supplies could be so expensive?" She paused, hearing another ring from the other side. "Sorry, Julie. Something came up. I'll hit you up later, 'kay?"

"Hm-sure, yeah. Bye." She heard a beep and set the device down, stretching her neck. Her gaze landed on her duffel bag on the other side of the couch. She crawled over, rummaging through it before pulling out her tablet.

She began sketching again, feeling restless, and decided to entertain herself by drawing the same circle repeatedly, about fifteen times, until she felt satisfied.

Midway through, she heard a door creak open slightly, and a conversation became clearer.

"So, you and Dawn."

"No."

"You realize it's impossible to lie to me, right?" Rachel raised an eyebrow slightly, sensing his dishonesty.

"When we were kids." Dick gave in and provided a vague answer, slowly walking toward the door. "Good night."

"So, did you and Jules happen when you were infants?"

"Excuse me-"

"Nevermind how you look at Dawn. You see it as a mistake. What about Jules?" She pressed, clearly irritated with his lack of answers.

The man stared back at her, stunned, his hand hovering over the door handle. "We never happened. Good night," he muttered, gripping the handle.

"Why did you hurt them?"

He froze again, turning to her. "I didn't mean to."

What a pathetic excuse. She bit back a laugh and a scoff.

"That's not an excuse."

Atta girl.

"Yeah, well, it's all in the past."

Is it really, though? Bird boy.

"Not for her. And especially not for Jules."

Dick twisted the handle, pausing as her words lingered in the air. He glanced back at her before muttering, "Get some rest," and the door swung open and shut behind him.

He exhaled, thinking he was finally alone.

"What an insightful girl, huh?"

She couldn't help but snicker when he flinched at the sight of her.

"You should rest up too," was all he said before walking off.

Leaving her to drown in her thoughts, chewing on her cheek.

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.

Bzzz... Bzzz... Bzzz...

She groaned softly, shifting slightly. She felt someone's hand on her leg, followed by more shuffling on the other side of the couch. The buzzing grew louder before it stopped completely.

Her vision was blurry, but she could make out Dick's dark silhouette on the phone, mumbling something like, "I'll be there..." before silence followed.

"Be where...?" she croaked, her voice soft and raspy.

"Nothing. I just have somewhere to be. Go back to sleep."

She pushed herself into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes before swinging her foot to the ground.

"I'm coming with you."

"No. No, Jules, I just have something to handle. It's not dangerous."

"Shut up, I'm coming."

"No, you're not." He lifted her legs, gently turning her back to her sleeping position.

"I'm making sure you won't ditch us." She glared at him sleepily.

"I'm not going to ditch you or Rachel. I promise," he said, sounding sincere. She hesitated, then sighed as he gently pushed her back down, grabbing her jacket and draping it over her lap.

"Somehow, I still have my doubts," she muttered in frustration.

"I know..." He nodded softly, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on her forehead before grabbing his coat and hurrying out the door.