Veil of Shadows ๋࣭⭑⚝ Dick Grayson

6 ๋࣭⭑⚝ Excuses, excuses

"Of course they love it."

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

"It's how I was able to win over Bruce." She could hear a bubbly laugh emerging from her throat.

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

"It's a fair trade. You entertain the bird and 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 on a hanger and walking out of the bathroom.

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

"Every art student's dream." She sighed dramatically as she plopped down on the couch.

"Who knew art supplies could be that 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 simply placed the device next to her, stretching her neck and catching a glimpse of her duffel bag on the other side of the couch. She crawled over, rummaging through the different contents before pulling out her tablet.

She started to sketch once again, feeling bored, and decided to entertain herself by repeatedly drawing a circle about fifteen times until she was satisfied.

Midway, she heard a door creak open slightly, and a conversation became more audible to her.

"So, you and Dawn."

"No."

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

"When we were kids." Dick gave up and just gave her a vague response, 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 pried, obviously discontented 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 gripped the handle.

"Why did you hurt them?"

He froze once more, turning back to her. "I didn't mean to."

What a pathetic excuse. She held 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 Jules."

This time, Dick twisted the handle and paused briefly as her words settled in, glancing back at her briefly. "Get some rest," he said before the door swung open and closed behind him.

He let out a short breath, thinking he was finally alone.

"What an insightful girl, hm?"

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

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

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

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.

Bzzz... Bzzz... Bzzz

She let out a soft groan, shifting around slightly on the spot. She then felt someone's hand on her leg, followed by more shuffling on the other side of the couch. The buzzing got a bit louder before it stopped entirely.

Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the dark figure of Dick on the phone, mumbling something along the lines of, "I'll be there..." before silence ensued.

"Be where...?" she forced out in a soft, raspy voice.

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

She rushed to push herself up to a sitting position, rubbing her eyes before swinging her foot down to touch the ground.

"I'm coming with you."

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

"Shut up, I'm coming."

"No, you're not." He lifted up her legs and turned her back to her sleeping position.

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

"I'm not going to ditch you or Rachel. I promise," he urged, seemingly genuine. She faltered and sighed as he gently pushed her back down, picking up the jacket she was using and draping it over her lap.

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

"I know..." He nodded softly, leaning down to quickly give her a peck on the forehead before grabbing his coat and rushing out the apartment door.