Ok, so…it’s been a while. I know. I suck. I’m well aware. But you should know I haven’t abandoned this story. I was merely side-tracked by my college education. (coughcough4.0coughcough) Here I am though, with the next chapter, a chapter I’ve been dying to write for some time. I hope some of you have stuck around. If you have, THANK YOU. I promise to write more over the summer. I promise.

Chp. 27

“I’m sure I’ve told you this numerous times in our colorful history together, and I’ll probably say it many times more in the future, but you, Richard Grayson, are a moron.”

Each word, delivered with careful anger, rolled off his back, his hands shuffling through a stack of cards idly, a bag of chips sitting beside him. It was rare these days for him to spend his Saturday nights on Raven’s kitchen countertop, sifting through her belongings and eating her food. A year ago he would be out on the town, scouring Gotham for its most beautiful (and willing) women.

A week ago he would be out with Kori.

Somehow, from where he was sitting right then, those nights seemed further and further away.

But he wouldn’t be Dick Grayson if he didn’t force those feelings away, choosing instead to focus on getting the chips to his mouth and understanding Raven’s tarot cards.

“Hey, what’s the ‘Ace of Pentacles’ mean?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” She appeared from a hallway, one he knew that led to her bedroom and bathroom, her hands balanced on her hips, a menacing look glinting in her eyes. “How can you be sitting there asking me about those stupid things? You just broke up with your girlfriend!”

He wrinkled his brow, his eyes not leaving the cards as he spoke.

“We aren’t broken up.”

“So, why are you here tonight and not with her?” He could hear the annoyance in her voice and he chose to ignore that as well.

“What’s the ‘Five of Cups’ mean?”

“It means you’re acting like a hypocritical bastard.”

“And does the ‘Empress’ mean sarcastic wench?”

He heard her expel a sigh, and he peeked up to catch a glimpse of her expression, but the slimming, cocktail dress pulled all attention away from her face. Raven was a beautiful girl, something that she seemed to almost hide beneath jeans, heavy sweaters, and wire-rimmed glasses. It was on rare occasions that her beauty was slammed into his face.

“I don’t really have time to baby sit you, Richard. I’ve got somewhere to be tonight,” she continued on in her lecture, momentarily oblivious to his stare. “Now, please do us all a favor and…what?”

“Nothing,” he muttered, glancing back down at the cards. “You look nice,” he added in at the end.

Her mumbled thanks and warming cheeks was enough for him. He returned to shuffling the cards, a smirk threatening the corner of his lips.

“So when’s Vic getting here?”

“In about twenty minutes,” she answered, pale fingers reaching up to pull at a loose strand of violet that had managed to escape the intricate tangle she had at the nape of her neck.

“Where’s he taking you?”

He had assumed her to answer with something akin to, “It’s a surprise,” or “someplace romantic, I guess.” She didn’t answer right away, instead reaming silent for a moment or two. When she spoke again, her voice was low, unsure.

“This feels weird.”

“Come again?”

“Dating…with you here…it feels weird.”

He sat stock still for a moment, the room growing static with the weight of her confession.

“Well, I can go if you want,” he started, swinging his legs over the side of the counter.

“No, it’s not that.” The blush had returned to her cheeks, and her brow was furrowed in thought, her eyes watching the floor intently. “I think it’s more thedating part, than anything else.”

A wry smile twisted on Richard’s lips as he slid all the way off the counter top, grabbing a few more chips as he did.

“It seems to me,” he said in between bites, “that you already have the dating part down. At least when it comes to Victor, that is. I actually think he knows you better than I do at times.” She moved to protest, but he raised a hand in silence. “I should be going anyway. There are things I have to take care of. Have fun, Rae.”

“I will, thanks.”

With one last encouraging smile, he passed through her front door and out into the hallway. On the steps he passed Vic, whom he couldn’t help but scowl at, if only slightly.

Their meeting was brief, neither of them slowing their pace. They barely bothered with goodbyes. Richard found it difficult to make pleasantries with his old friend; the very friend who was taking one of the few staples out of his life. Perhaps he was acting a bit over dramatic; a running theme in his life as of recently.

He left Raven’s apartment building with only a slight apprehension, a plan slowly formulating in his brain. The bar Kori worked at was only a short drive from where he stood. Once there, he would find the red head, apologize for his rash actions, and then they could find somewhere private to talk.

He entered the club with little hesitance, grabbing an empty seat at the bar shortly following.

“She took the night off, sir.” Her tone was anything but that of servitude, but he welcomed it despite that.

“Oh- she did?”

“Afraid so,” she answered, sliding two beers onto the bar.

“Thanks, Mia.” He took the beer and sipped gratefully, watching as she did the same, violet eyes sparkling. Dick watched her for a moment more, before hesitantly breaking into conversation.

“Am I allowed to ask where she is?”

Black hair twisted between two fingers, the older sister took her time in answering his question. He waited patiently, finishing his beer and pulling the second to his lips, not bothering with permission.

“Now what kind of sister would I be, if I leaked out that type of information?”

She turned her back to him, preparing drinks for the group that had settled in beside him. He glanced at his watch, debating whether he should skip the interrogation and head straight to Kori’s. Even if she was out, he could still wait.

“So, you found out about him, right? Her soul mate?”

He chose to ignore her; childish and so ineffective.

“You know he was part of the reason she wanted to come out here? Every time he brought up Gotham, her eyes would sort of…glaze over. It was cute.”

“Can I get another beer?” The second had emptied too quickly. The third wasn’t much different.

“We had every detail planned out; even these little napkins with doves printed on them. And like that- poof- he was gone.”

Richard didn’t know whether to feel guilty or sick. Mia didn’t wait for him to ask before sliding a fourth beer into his hands, the empty bottles cleared away.

“We all did our best to cheer her up. My parents, especially, hated to see their baby so…broken up.” Her voice cracked, her eyes focused on the rag trapped in her hands. Had Mia always been this exposed?

“After that, her relationships lasted a couple of months at best. It’s not you, it’s her. Commitment issues and such.”

“So,” he started, his mind foggy, “she’s…afraid I’m going to not…marry her?”

The soprano shrugged, moving behind the bar gracefully. She continued filling orders, catching his eye from time to time. She knew he was watching her, and she was thrilled with it.

“So, what brought you to Gotham?”

“Escape,” she answered simply, leaning over to wipe a spill clean. “Small town life was never for me, and my family was busy.”

“With your recently dumped-at-the-altar sister,” he added in, finishing off his beer.

Mia laughed, her hands falling down onto his own.

“Mr. Grayson, I think you’ve had enough.” He chuckled, letting his eyes meet hers momentarily.

“Are you cutting me off, bartender?”

She reached beneath the counter, pulling out one last beer, her lips twisting coyly. “I think we’ll split this last one.”

The haze grew thicker after that last drink. Dirty jokes and shared embarrassments lead to frequent, casual touches. Casual touches and traded heartbreaks lead to lingering looks. It was past four when they fell into bed, a tangle of limbs and heated fingertips. In their drunken daze, there was very little pillow talk. (Though there mouths were otherwise occupied.) And in the climax of twilight they collapsed together, her name falling from his lips.

Tbc

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