The Long Road

Culmination

Santa Prisca

June 19th, 2016

00:16 ECT

"Kaldur, this has been a good night." Dick said reassuringly, placing his escrima back into his leg holster as he walked over to where Kaldur stood. "Maybe the best we've had since the three of us took off for Cadmus five plus years ago."

He lifted his hand and placed it reassuringly on Kaldur's shoulder, but his Atlantean friend still looked troubled.

Wally stepped forward as well, leaning on Kaldur's other shoulder. "C'mon, enjoy the moment my friend. You've earned it."

Kaldur finally nodded, but turned his head to glance back at Black Manta, still sprawled out and unconscious in the pool of water behind them. Dick frowned as he noted his comrade's discomfort, but Wally gave him a quick smile.

It was a good smile, a genuine smile. It was one that said, "I know. But we can deal with it."

Dick immediately felt relieved. Although the two of them hadn't had a "falling out" in the strictest sense of the term, things had been undeniably tense between the two of them ever since Dick had asked Artemis to go undercover in order to help Kaldur infiltrate the Light.

On more than one occasion since, when Dick had delivered status updates to Wally, things had gotten heated. Wally, worried out of his mind for Artemis' safety, lashed out at the only person he could. Most of the time, Dick bore his friend's rage in silence. Sometimes, he yelled back. In the back of his mind, Dick feared that even if he had managed to bring Artemis back safely, Wally would still never forgive him for sending her into danger in the first place.

It wasn't just regret about the state his relationship with his best friend that had taken its toll though. With Batman gone, he'd been forced to cover for his off-world mentor, while also handling the analytical and strategic work his mentor usually handled for the entire Justice League, and his duties as the Team's leader.

It was overwhelming to fulfill all of those responsibilities alone, with no one on the Team he could turn to for help.

Once, when he had been younger and more naive, he would have gladly taken the job as leader of the team. Batman had always made it seem so effortless, so glorious.

And then he had experienced first hand the weight of the responsibility that leadership brought. His friends went from being partners to being his subordinates: their lives were in his hands. He was forced to balance the necessity of sending them into danger with the desire to keep them safe. 

Bitter experience with Jason had driven the home the point that anything they did was fraught with danger.

There were so many times he wanted to drop the ruse, reveal his and Aqualad's plan to the rest of their friends, or to Batman or one of the other senior leaguers. But the more people who knew the more likely their plan would have failed; anyone who knew the truth might have inadvertently cast suspicion on Kaldur by holding back in a fight, or had the truth unwillingly ripped from their mind by a psychic individual like Psimon.

And so, as Nightwing, he had been forced to mostly sequester himself and bear his burden in silence. A year and a half of keeping secrets, telling lies and weaving elaborate webs of deception had taken their toll on him mentally and physically.

Now that things were over though, Dick felt like he could finally breathe. His plan had worked.

The sense of relief was overwhelming. He looked forward to being able to re-connect with his best friend, and going back to the easy days of stopping small-time criminals and doomsday cults, rather than inter-galactic conspiracies.