Koriand'r & Dick Grayson: Short Stories

Closer

Summary: AU. It's been five years since Dick and Kori last saw each other both having gone their separate ways after high school. Dick now works at Wayne Enterprises with his father and runs into an old friend while out at night.

Dick looked down at his watch for the tenth time in the last twenty minutes. His date was over half an hour late and it was obvious she wasn't going to show up, yet Dick wasn't as sad or perhaps as angry as he should be. He and his girlfriend, Barbara, had not been doing well for some time now and everyone who knew the pair could see that they were a ticking bomb. Any day they would break up and no one would be surprised by that fact.

Sighing, Dick left his table and made his way over to the bar glad that the place wasn't as crowded as one would expect to be during a Friday night. Ordering his drink, he took a seat, tapping his fingers against the counter as he waited. The night really wasn't going as he had hoped.

Once his drink was placed before him, Dick nodded his thanks to the bartender, already making plans to keep the drinks coming through the night. Dick was only on his second glass when he was pulled out of his unhappy thoughts by a musical laugh. Looking to his right he spotted a very familiar young woman with beautiful ruby red hair, who was laughing at something her companion had said. Turning to get the bartender's attention, Dick saw her emerald green eyes shining with happiness, which made him stop and stare at her for a moment. He only knew one person who had green eyes and red hair just like that. That someone he had not seen in a couple of years but he was certain that she was now sitting just a few feet away from him.

Being who he was, Dick had never been shy around others so he decided to approach the young woman, knowing that if he was wrong he could simply say she looked like someone he knew or go the easy way out and blame the alcohol, even though he wasn't drunk.

With her back turned to him, she failed to notice him approaching but her companion did and seemed to point it out to her since she turned around. Now Dick was completely certain that she was definitely who he thought she was.

"Richard!" she exclaimed with a beaming smile, standing from her seat to wrap her arms around him in a hug.

"Kori," he answered, returning the hug. It felt almost as if the time they had spent apart had not happened at all. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight..." he said once she released him.

Kori's smiled at his words. "I was expecting to see you either. Well at least not tonight," she replied with a small shrug, happy to see her old friend. "You seem well."

Even though things weren't going as he expected in his life, Dick couldn't help but smile. Kori had always been able to make others around her smile without even trying. "I'm good," he responded with a nod. "But what about you?"

"Me? Oh, I am okay. Just enjoying the night."

"Yeah, I heard," he smiled, remembering just how she had laughed a few moments ago, not minding who was around to hear her.

A soft blushed covered her tanned cheeks before she spoke. "Well, Ryan has always been able to make me laugh," she looked over to where her companion was sitting, a drink in his hands. "You remember him, don't you?" Dick nodded. Of course, he remembered Kori's younger brother, though he had been just a boy last time he saw him.

"It certainly has been a while," he said after a minute. "We should get together sometime... invite the others as well," he offered, hoping she would accept as they had so much catching up to do.

Kori nodded eagerly at his words. "Oh, that would be very nice. I've been meaning to call the others, especially Rachel," she leaned closer to him as if she was sharing a secret with him. "I hear she and Garfield finally got together," she smiled, happy for her friends. "About time if you ask me..."

"Yeah, they took their time," he nodded with a smile, she was right about Rachel and Garfield taking their time. "Anyway, I should go and let you get back to your brother but hopefully we'll see each other again soon."

Kori nodded before changing her mind. It had been so long since she had last seen her best friend and she was certain her brother wouldn't mind if she changed their plans. "Richard," she called as she took his hand before he left. "You don't have to go. We have all night to talk."

"What about your brother?" he asked, he really did not mean to interrupt their night out.

"He won't mind, Richard," she smiled as she pulled him over to where she had been sitting. "Besides, I see him almost every other day," chuckling, Dick allowed himself to be pulled along, taking a seat next to Kori. Before he could say anything else Kori turned to her attention to her brother, having a quick conversation with him. It ended with Ryan nodding as he took something from his sister before he left, waving his goodbyes to the pair. "He's the sweetest," Kori said her attention back on Dick. "Unlike my sister..."

"I remember her," he said, a small formed on his face. Kori's sister wasn't a nice person. Far from it. She loved messing with her sister. "Can't say I care to know how she is," he added with a shrug before calling the bartender over to order a new drink.

Kori giggled at his words. "I don't even know what she's up to these days," she answered before ordering herself a drink as well. "But tell me, what have you been up to?"

As the night went on the pair talked about what they had been doing in the last couple of years. Kori told him about her current job in her father's company though she had been asked to do some modeling from time to time. She told him about some of the exciting things she had seen during her recent travels and Dick smiled as he listened. Kori had always been adventurous and he was glad she was enjoying herself.

Dick told her about his job at Wayne Enterprises and about some of his past and current relationships. He told her about Barbara and she listened to all of it. That was the first time he had really spoken to someone about what had been going on between himself and his girlfriend and something made him realize he was only with her because he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"You have to tell her, Richard," Kori said, placing a hand on his arm as she spoke. "Then perhaps you both can find someone who can truly make each you happy," she offered that small piece of advice though she wasn't an expert on relationships. Her longest relationship had lasted only a few weeks before she ended it.

Dick agreed with a nod. Tomorrow he would give Barbara a call or simply go to her apartment if she didn't answer her phone or didn't show up. "Thanks, Kori."

"That's what best friends are for," she smiled before taking a sip of her drink. She was already beginning to feel a little tipsy.

"You really are the best, Kori," Dick returned the smile before looking down at his watch. It was already past midnight. Time really goes by fast when you are enjoying yourself. "I should probably get you home. I wouldn't want your father to be angry at me," he added, making Kori giggled. She might be in her twenties but she was still her father's little girl.

"I don't want to go," she admitted, sounding almost like a child.

"Neither do I," Dick found himself confessing. He really had enjoyed his time with Kori more than he had his dates in the past. "But we'll see each other again."

Kori nodded at his words. "Can I just do something? Just in case..."

"In case of what?" he asked, a little confused as to what she meant.

Instead of using words to answer him, Kori leaned up to kiss him, which surprised him only for a moment. Her lips were sweet and intoxicating and he simply couldn't get enough of her. He leaned down to deepen the kiss, one of his hands moving to caress her cheek. Kori smiled against his lips before she pulled back, beaming as she looked at him.

"In case we don't see each other," she answered his earlier question.

Dick chuckled. "We are definitely seeing each other again," he said before leaning down for another kiss much to Kori's delight.

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Author's note: Hi there! Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I really hope you guys enjoyed it.

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