Chapter Text
"If we weren't meant to be, seems to me you should've sensed the difference."
The words have been ringing in Dick's head for weeks, unrelenting as his friends— his family keep increasing the distance between them.
It's not— he was tired. That's an excuse. Miriam is an excellent actor. That's throwing blame. Miriam is an illusionist— but he can't say that it didn't happen. He was trying to place why the condom wrapper was different when they were only halfway through the box. He should've let his paranoia lead him to questioning the woman who looked like his girlfriend while they were exhausted and in his room—
The woman who looked like his girlfriend, and had smiled teasingly and asked if they could do it like this. And the compliments had been off but he had been tired. He had thought she was trying something new, because Kori likes trying new things.
Dick is late. And usually he doesn't worry when he's late, but usually he and Kori don't do what he let Miriam—
It's only been five weeks. He's only late by a few days. It only happened once. Miriam said that it only happened once, she had used a condom.
Miriam said 'yes' when he asked 'Kori?'.
He spent a week thinking—
How could he be sure that was the first time she'd impersonated Kori? What if she'd stepped in before they knew about Team Titans? What if every time Kori had suprised him it hadn't been—
How can he be sure she hadn't said yes before?
How many times had she been there while he was sleeping—
How many times had she not let him say no?
Dick has to check. Which is why he's in the medbay, the door locked, while the other Titans are having a movie night he is no longer welcome at. The only reason they haven't made him leave, is that Kori forgave him.
"I am not offended by the sex, Dick. We both know that Tamaran differs in reguards to multiple partners and concubines. I just wish you had told me you were no longer interested in the monogamy I fought for with you."
"Kori—"
"I suppose I'm flattered, that she had to look like me to ease your conscious. No, don't deny it, Miriam told me. I love you, Dick. And I forgive you. But I think we should take a- a break. So Miriam doesn't have to look like me."
"K-Kori, pl-ease don't—"
"I'll tell them to give you space, Dick. I-I wish you both the best."
Dick wipes his eyes, as his blood results and the urine sample analysis complete.
He takes a deep breath, ready for the negative to soothe his frayed nerves.
He glances at the results, and feels his knees try to give out.
No.
No.
-----
Wally West had searched for both Nightwing and Dick Grayson for 18 months, and had only stopped because Batman had, 18 months after Dick went missing, shown up with a letter that had been left on his doorstep, and a new Robin.
Hey B,
Stop looking for me. I'm okay. Tell your new kid I like his spunk. He could be a great Robin. Nightwing too, if he gets tired of you.
Yes, I was watching. No, I'm not going to stay in Gotham. Don't bother checking.
I'm going civilian. I'm not coming back. I promise I
Take care,
D.
Wally, and most of the Titans, had found it absurd and disheartening. Dick was so torn up about cheating that he gave up his entire life?
Roy had been the one to voice it, in the debate over if the letter meant they should actually stop searching.
"Maybe... Dick can't trust himself to make the right call."
"I should've kept him by my side."
"It's not your fault, Kori."
They had stopped searching, but Wally had always assumed Dick would come back.
But with three and a half years of radio silence since the letter that wasn't even meant for them...
Wally was starting to suspect he would never see his friend again, because he had made one mistake and decided to punish himself by giving up his entire material and social life.
Hell, for all Wally knew, Dick had finally taken a long walk off a tall building with no gear because they weren't around to catch him.
Wally shook himself off. He was in California for a reason. To meet up with Nightwing, the new one. Bruce had asked Barry to ask Wally to keep an eye on him, and Wally wasn't going to say no. The kid was only 15, even if he was forming a small team all on his own.
Dick was even younger when they decided to form the Titans.
"YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!" Wally's head snaps up. He's next to a pretty deserted playground, and a young child with bright cherry-pink hair and lime-green sunglasses (Wally probably wouldn't allow a kindergardener to die her hair, but what does he know?) is kicking furiously in a woman's grasp.
"He told me to pick you up," the woman says, clearly frazzled. Wally should keep walking, he's seen kids react poorly to babysitters before.
However, he's also had to deal with far too many kidnapping cases. He just needs a bit more—
"YOU DON'T KNOW OUR CODE PHRASE!"
—Yep. That'll do.
Wally veers over, smiling brightly. "Hi there! I couldn't help but overhear the commotion. Is she alright?"
The woman's eyes go wide, but the kid awnsers first. "She's trying to take me to a snecodary ovation! I'm supposed to wait here for Daddy."
"Her dad is—"
"She doesn't know my code! She's a stranger!" Wally is honestly impressed. The kid looks a little young to be in school, so her parents must've done the stranger-danger work themselves. He wishes more people would.
Wally lets his smile turn mean. The woman gulps, and loosens her hold enough for the child to wriggle out of her grasp. "I was just—"
"Leaving." Wally pats the woman's shoulder, letting one of the trackers Roy made for him stick to her annoyingly soft sweater.
The woman bolts, probably think she's going to get away scot-free since he didn'tcall the police.
He'll deal with her later. Maybe ask Nightwing to tag along.
Wally turns, but the kid is no where to be seen. "Kid?"
A snap and a twig falling come from the tree he's next to. Wally cranes is neck, and sure enough, the kid who's probably too young to have lost any baby teeth yet is about ten feet up on a branch that can hold her, but would definitely break if he tried to follow.
"You don't get to kidnap me neither!" The kid's voice wobbles, and Wally realizes she's crying.
No shit, she was about to be kidnapped two minutes ago, and he's also a stranger.
"Okay. I promise I won't." Wally backs away from the tree, and sits down, clasping his hands behind his back. "I just want to stay with you to make sure that lady doesn't come back before your dad gets here. If I promise to keep my hands behind my back like this, will you come down from there? I don't want you to fall."
Wally is expecting the kid to admit she can't get down, and have to keep negotiating so he can help, but the kid sniffles. "You promise?"
"Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a lolly in my eye," Wally swears. And because the kid is five at most, that's all it takes to get the kid to climb out of the tree with suprising ease, sitting at the roots and watching Wally cautiously.
"You're very brave," Wally tells her.
The kid wipes her nose on her bare arm. Gross. "I know."
Wally bites back a laugh, keeping his smile small and sincere. "My name's Wally."
"'M Wren." Wren's hair doesn't seem as pink as it was. Infact—
—her hair is turning blue. Ah, fuck. Who leaves a meta child alone at this young?
"So, when will your dad get here, Wren?"
Wren shrugs. "Dunno. I got lost. This is where I'm 'posed to go when I get lost."
"Why's that?" Wally really, really hopes he's only going to have to make one home visit regarding this situation.
"Because I don't have our andress merimized yet, and all the houses look like twins." Wren points to the playground. "But this is the only playground with a cream truck. Daddy checked."
Wally tells himself to get his mind out of the gutter, glances over, and sure enough, there's a little box-like structure on the edge of the bark dust that has grooves and different colors of the weird playground plastic material to look like an icecream truck.
And, running from the other side of the park, is a man. "WREN!?"
That voice...
Wren springs up, sprinting across grass and then bark, curving around the ice cream-based landmark. "DADDY!"
The man looks a bit younger than Wally, with raven hair falling out of a knot on the back of his head. He skids to his knees, tugging his daughter into his arms, patting her down as if he's checking her for injuries...
But Wally knows that exact pat-down sequence.
"—was a scary lady but Mr Wally made her let me go and then he cross-his-hearted that he wouldn't kidnap me if I got out of the tree—"
Wally is closer to them than he realized. He must've followed Wren, and he suddenly wishes he didn't when her father looks up.
Because he knows those eyes.
"Dick?"