The past is like a broken mirror; hard to look into. You spend so long trying to run from it. Escape it. And still it catches up with you. Like you haven't left it behind at all. Call that over exaggeration if you may, but to Dick Grayson, it was stone cold facts shoved into his face. Unmissable, and yet unavoidable. Much like now, with him standing before an apartment building in the seediest part of town, where no one ever slept.
In there lived the one person he prayed to heaven's most high, that he'd never see again. After all these years of leading a normal life, attempting to restore peace in even the darkest of places, there he was. His worst fears surfacing like a fish gone belly up. Just the thought of facing them was enough to quicken his heartbeat. Bruce once said the hardest road we could ever face is the one right back to ourselves. Dick was young, but believed he had some idea of what his guardian meant. Except now, he knew, and didn't need to nod along, pretending he did. This path, he tried so hard to evade it. Overlooked possibilities of coming across it. But again, pasts are tricky. Ever so.
Climbing up the stairs seemed difficult for him. Him. Someone who scaled the tallest buildings, threw batarangs at perfect accuracy. Hell, he even fought alongside Batman, all while wearing an embarrassing ass costume. So why couldn't he do the simplest action? Tackle his apprehensions head on? Dawn and Hank were counting on him - well more like Dawn was than her condescending boyfriend. Behind him, Rachel kept close, bright blue eyes pensive and vapid, gazed at the massive seedy structure constructed from brick and broken dreams. Every split second, he caught them trained on him, urging him to enter the building.
Her patience wore thin, same as his. His body still made no move. Rachel broke the barrier of silence which befallen over them. "Are you sure we should do this, Dick?" she asked, her eyes did not stray from the gloomy display before them. He blinked, hard, struggling to come in terms with reality, and where they stood. His tight, expressionless face melted away, and an easy smile found its way onto his pursed lips. "I know she'll help us, that way we can save Hank and Dawn." From his peripheral, he saw the purple-haired teen furrow her brow, unconvinced by his assuring words. Dick understood why.
Few days ago, she lost her mother, learned people wanted her dead, and grappled with the realization that a dark force worked inside her. Rachel is young and should do what every other kids her age did nowadays. She should go to school, have a job, and perhaps a boyfriend. Not running away, surviving what could be a cult on their trail. So it didn't come much as a shock when she counted against meeting someone who Dawn warned was a cold-blooded killer. It pained him to even drag her into his own personal affairs. But she needed his help. Had practically begged for it when they first met. Hank and Dawn were the answer. He planned on leaving her with them as soon as he rescued the two. But first things first, he had to go inside this damn building. Gathering a breath, he felt the stiffness in his shoulders release. And with that, now calm, and his heart beating normal, he went in. And Rachel followed.
~
Apartment room 12B, the rusted plaque once gold and proud, read. The inscription etched on its dirt colored surface was unmistakable, yet his fist hovered the door. This is the right one, though hard it'd been to find, still. Wayne Industries' top of the market tracking equipment never steered him wrong before. So why the hesitation? Dick nibbled his bottom lip. Perhaps, deep down, part of him wishes he was wrong this time. Despite the mentality Bruce spent years establishing in him. One that told him his instincts were never wrong. The brilliant mind of a detective. The other half scolded him for hesitating, for over analyzing the situation. Whatever lied beyond this door, however, didn't concern him. This was all for Rachel, her safety. For the sake of her future. He sighed through his nose and knocked. His knuckles grazed the grainy wood and peeling paint, weathered by age and carelessness.
Dick swore he heard movement over the loud television. Eventually, an answer came."Who is it?" they asked. No doubt it belonged to a woman. It sounded deep, and husky. Wrapped in mischief. He swallowed thickly. They expected an answer. Guilt ate at him like a predator gnawing at its prey after it had played right into its claws. He opened his mouth, the first thing that came to mind escaped. "Um... Pizza Delivery." Rachel nudged him, confused.
"Really, pizza delivery?" she whispered. He rolled his eyes at the haughty raise of her brow. The dig did little to rattle his notable temerity.
"It's all I could think of." was all he said.
For a second, it grew quiet behind the door. His heart seized from anticipation at what might happen next. They didn't buy the lie, but he predicted they'll still open the door. He counted the mere seconds before the door flung open and there stood a woman. She froze at the sight of him, staring wide-eyed with her mouth agape. What looked like a kitchen knife fell out of her grasp and clattered onto the floor. Broken from her state of paralysis, she leaned against the door frame for support, but smirked. "Look what the cat dragged in." Hardly a minute passed and already she starts with the bird puns. Though, he denied his mind the permission to wander, Dick didn't imagine how, why, or when. A string of questions hung loosely, waiting until later for inquiring. Instead, he focused on now, and Rachel.
"Jade." he told her name to her face, aloud for the first time in years. It left a bitterness on his tongue, stinging in so many ways which only he himself knew of. But his face remained neutral even as that smirk she wore, promising only hell, grew twice as wide.
"Hello, Birdie. Long time no see."
~
Author's Note
First off I just wanna say Happy New Year!! May the year bring y'all joy, success, love, and maybe a new president who doesn't tan using Cheeto dust. Now second, I can't wait to write more and offer ya'll a peek of what goes on in my mind. Thank's for sticking out this long to see what happens next. Till the next chapter lovelies , which will be updated very soon.
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