Red Knight - Jason Todd x Ariana Wayne (OC)

Chapter 1

With things having gotten more chaotic at home, Ariana decided to spend more time at Titan Tower. She needed to get away from her father's increasingly more volatile moods. She did have her own apartment at King's Court, but that was one she shared with Dick and when he wasn't around, it felt empty. At least at the tower there were a few other people there.

"You have no left except for missions. Are you not well Ari?" Kori Anders A.K.A Starfire inquired.

Ari looked up from her computer and smiled to her friend and co-leader of the Teen Titans. "Trouble at home Kori. Dick and I would rather not be at the manor unless necessary." She sighed and looked at the picture on her desk. "Sadly he's on a mission with the Young Justice team so I figured I'll just keep hanging around here. There's plenty to be done; finishing this program, training the others." She pursed her lips and looked at the Tamaranean princess. "Sorry, just haven't had the chance to vent yet."

Kori just smiled and then got an idea. "We need creamed ice. It will do you good to get out and everything is made better with the creamed ice." Ariana was going to argue, but the look in her friend's eyes made her decide against it. Instead she asked to be allowed to finish her current line of coding. When she did, she saved her work and logged off then the two young women went to go get some ice cream.

The two of them just talked and gossiped like typical teens while sitting at a picnic table. A young man walked over and took a bite of Ariana's ice cream. "Hey Ari, Kori. What's up?"

"So not whelmed with you stealing my ice cream Dick." She gave her boyfriend a mock angry look. It probably would have been more believable if her eyes weren't sparkling from a smile in them.

Dick, ever the drama queen, put a hand on his chest and gasped. "Is that any way to greet your long lost boyfriend?"

Ariana laughed and raised a brow at him. "Who said you were lost?" She grinned and moved over on the bench she was sitting at so Dick could sit beside her. When he did she kissed his cheek. "I did miss you though babe." Kori awed at them and giggled before saying she was heading back to the tower.

"Come with me, I want to spend some time together. Just the two of us." Dick stood up and held his hand out to her. Ariana took his hand and he helped her up. She then linked their fingers as they made their way to a zeta tube to head to King's Court.

Once they were inside, Dick pulled Ariana into his arms and held her tight. His usually cheerful demeanor was gone and in its place the rare serious side was. "This last mission was actually an exercise and it hit us hard. Really hard." Tears started to fall from his eyes, he wiped them away and continued to vent to her. "We almost didn't make it through the training. Things went horribly wrong and all I could think about was how I wasn't able to be there with you. How I'd failed to stay by your side like I promised. The mission in the training was compromised." He sighed and buried his face in Ariana's hair, the unique mix of shampoo and perfume giving him comfort. "Bruce trained us to sacrifice everything for the mission and I learned that I can't do that. I won't do that."

Ariana held him tight as she cradled his head against her neck while he cried on her shoulder. He needed to get it out, it would do nothing but harm if he kept it in. "It's okay Dick. You're not Batman and there's no reason for you to be him."

He sighed and shook his head. "Robin stays with Batman remember? Just like Batgirl." He was referring to how when Ari had left that she had also left behind the cowl which forced her to take on her new identity, Shadow Hawk.

"Then quit like I did. Leave the mask behind and start anew. Just because you started out as Robin doesn't mean you have to stay that way." Ari knew that Dick was more than just the Boy Wonder. More than just the sidekick of Batman. "Come on, let's go curl up in bed and watch some Disney movies for the rest of the evening. I'll make some popcorn."

Dick's frown was replaced by a bright grin. "Alright, but I reserve the right to sing along with each and every song." Ariana scoffed and chuckled. He wasn't completely happy, she knew that. But she'd take this step up. It killed her inside to see her loving boyfriend so upset.