Birds of a Feather - Young Justice (Nightwing x OC)

Chapter 5

Edited 10/16/24

I remained just out of view, waiting for Wonder Girl and Blue Beetle to finish explaining what had transpired in the last hour. As I caught the last part of their conversation, I focused intently.

"...and she took out at least 20 guards! I'm not sure how long she's been there, but I'd guess it's been a while. Her reaction to being outside was... intense," Blue Beetle said quickly.

"She knew about the cave and acted completely calm on the bioship. It was like she knew exactly what to expect, as if she'd been here before," Wonder Girl added, picking up where he left off.

"Maybe we should call Nightwing and Batman for this one. I'm still not the best at interrogation..." a female voice chimed in, uncertain.

"That's a good idea," another voice agreed.

The mention of my father stirred a whirlwind of emotions within me. Excitement, fear, worry. I knew my "death" would have affected them—how could it not? I was, after all, his child. But there was another feeling too: curiosity. This Nightwing character... I didn't know who he was yet, but I had a feeling I would find out soon.

"Where is she now?" a voice asked.

"She's in the bioship. Probably listening to everything we're saying." The familiar voice, one I hadn't heard in three long years, brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. I clamped my hand over my mouth as a small laugh escaped me, the realization hitting hard. As much as I wanted to run straight into his arms, I waited, unsure how to begin.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way down the steps, letting my head hang low, my dirty, tangled hair falling over my face. I hadn't been allowed regular showers, and the grime had darkened my hair, making it almost unrecognizable. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I stepped closer to the group but kept my distance, stopping about 10 feet away.

"Hello, welcome to Mount Justice. We're here to help. My name is Super Bo—" a familiar voice began, but I cut him off sharply.

"Save the introductions, Con. I know." I kept my head down, savoring the moment. I always did have a flair for dramatics.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked, surprise coloring his tone.

"Better question—how do you not know who I am? Can you really not recognize my voice? Or have I been gone that long?" I lifted my head slowly, finally revealing my face to the group. My ocean-blue eyes scanned their stunned expressions.

"Impossible..." Connor whispered.

From somewhere near the ship, a sob broke the silence. I turned to see Megan, the Martian I considered a sister, her hand covering her mouth as tears streamed down her face. She collapsed to the ground, her cries becoming louder and more anguished.

"What did you do to her?!" a fish-like boy shouted, charging at me. Before I could react, a small body threw itself in front of me.

"NO!" Beast Boy's voice cut through the chaos. "Get away from her, Lagoon Boy!"

Lagoon Boy halted, stunned and confused, while the others looked on in similar disbelief. Beast Boy continued to glare at anyone who seemed like a threat, his small frame shaking with the effort to protect me.

Connor's rough voice broke the tension. "You're dead. We saw it. They... they killed you." His fists were trembling, his eyes glassy with tears he tried to hold back. When he looked at me again, the lost look in his eyes nearly broke my heart.

"I'm not," I said softly. "God, I can't tell you how often I wished I was, but no... I'm not dead."

No sooner had the words left my mouth than a small body slammed into me, nearly knocking me off balance. Arms wrapped tightly around my waist, and I looked down to see Gar, sobbing quietly into my chest. I bent down, hugging the young green boy close, letting a few of my own tears fall.