In the Shadows: A NightWing

6

When Dick walked into the kitchen Vega was put on a kettle and Nycole was sitting at the dining room table messaging her feet. This scene was foreign yet comforting. Living in the Wayne manor the disorganization of family life was almost non-existent, granted that he and Bruce would have dinner together at a dining room but they were never disorganized.

Vega was talking over Nycole, and Nycole was paying more attention to the pain in her feet, neither talking to Richard but both completely aware of his presence.

"Baba, I'm going upstairs," Nycole walked over to Dick and pulled him with her. Nycole's room was still packed, "Don't mind the mess but if I let you down there you'd get the world's worst scolding."

"About what?" Dick leaned against the door frame while Nycole searched for something to wear.

"Never coming to visit, leaving, not keeping in touch," Nycole sighed, "Basically over the fact you left without looking back."

"That's not fair. I didn't have a choice when I was underage. Bruce Wayne took me in and gave me a new life. What was I supposed to do? Say no? End up in an orphanage?" Dick was looking down trying to keep his temper controlled.

"I don't blame you. I get it," Nycole signed, "It just would have been nice to have still been a part of life." He looked up to see Nycole topless wearing a black bra, she was still looking at the pile of clothes in her suitcase.

"W-well, " he cleared his throat, "it's not like you tried to keep in contact either." Nycole stood up, holding a sports bra in her hand and she walked over to him.

"You're joking, right?" Her face was red from her anger but her voice was eerily calm, "I tried to find you for a year, Richie. A whole year, 365 days, 8768 hours, I tried until I realized you didn't want to be found. Every year since then I've asked about you, once Cyanide Youth became a thing I searched for you at every show! You never wanted me to find you! I'm amazed you even came to this last show." Tears were running the length of her cheek, she rushed past him.

"I didn't know you were looking for me."

Without turning to look at him she simply answered, "And you have the audacity to assume I didn't."

That made Dick angry, "You assumed I didn't want you in my life!"

"NO! I ASSUMED YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE FOUND! I DON'T BLAME YOU FOR WHAT HAPPENED. Fuck, Rich, I get it your entire life got destroyed. You saw your parents die. You really don't think I understand wanting something else, something stable, wanting to change life." Nycole desperately searched his eyes for the memories of the boy she once knew, "I can't even begin to imagine that pain. None of that however negates the people who knew you, the people who loved you; you weren't the only person who saw the people they cared about die or be taken away."

"They were my parents."

"They were my friends. Both Your emotions and mine are justified. Both are truths." Nycole walked into the bathroom leaving Dick standing in the door frame of her room. She walked out wearing a black sports bra and her hair in a ponytail; Dick noticed how lean she was as she walked back into the room grabbing sneakers and socks.

"Where are you going?" she was walking down the steps already.

"You make me want to punch things so I'm going to the gym for a while." Dick was following her out the door.

Dick got into his car as she started to run.