deadbeat valentine | nightwing [COMPLETED]

nine

time skip (about 3 months)
-
It was too late. By the time the boys had gotten to him, he'd been too damaged.

His brain was scrambled. He was slowly dying from one of Ivy's toxins.

They carried him into the Cave, and one look at him made me want to vomit. He was so sickly looking that I had to leave.
-
I walked into my room, and sank the floor with my back to the wall. My nails dug into my palms as I cried.

I stood up, and looked into the mirror. I hated what I saw so much that I threw my fist into the glass.

Then I remembered Damian. He was probably the most broken up, and here I was crying in my room like a teenage girl.
-
All of them- Damian, Dick, Jason, and Tim-were gathered in a group talking to Alfred.

"Pax?" Dick asked.

"Damian-"

"Your hand," he said, reaching for it.

"No, it's not-"

"Pax, I understand. Let me help. You can talk to him in a second."

He removed the small shards of glass from my hand, and wrapped my knuckles.

"Thanks."

"Anytime, Princess," he sighed as he pulled me into an embrace.
-
"Damian-"

When he turned to me, I barely recognized him. His green eyes yearned for something- I just couldn't find it. And it broke me.

"What, Paxton? What can you possibly say that will make this any better?"

I couldn't control my tears anymore.

I laughed sadly. "Honestly, I don't know. I really don't know. Can we just talk?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, come on."
-
He sat in the chair in the office and sighed.

"What did they do to him?"

"Ivy fucking raped him, Pax. And now he's dying from some sick form of an STD."

The pit in my stomach grew.

"Damian- I'm so sorry. I can't begin to understand-"

"No, you can't. I don't know what you're trying to achieve here."

"Damian, I'm just trying to help you feel better."

"Yeah, and I appreciate that. But right now, I kind of want to think about it on my own. When I'm ready to talk, I'll come to you."
-
I pushed the door to the master bedroom open, and saw him staring at the ceiling. My eyes welled with tears.

Any day now. He was going to die. No doubt about it. He got worse every day. He'd become catatonic.

"Bruce?" No answer. Tears streamed down my cheeks. "Bruce, I know you're in there. I know it's probably driving you insane not being able to answer me. But I just wanted to thank you. For the past few years. I can never repay you. I love you."

By then I was sobbing.

He looked at me.

"Bruce!"

His eyes filled with fear and. . . hate? Was that hate?

"It's. . . your fault!"

"What? No! It's not- I'm not-"

He got out of the bed, and tried to tackle me. I dodged each time.

"Bruce! What the fuck are you doing? It's Paxton!"

He threw himself at me, and pressed his fingers to my throat, cutting off my oxygen.

Dick pushed the door open, and threw him to the ground.

Alfred was there a moment later to sedate him. I sat in the corner and sobbed.
-
"Come on, love. We can talk in your room."

I nodded. I let him lead me upstairs, and into my bedroom.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I- I was talking to him, and then he went ape shit crazy! Saying everything was my fault."

"I don't get it. First, he's catatonic, now he's trying to kill you, I just don't understand."

"It's not fucking fair! Why does shit like this always happen to us?"

"It just seems that-"

"No! It doesn't! Shit always comes our way! It's-" I stopped in the middle of my sentence.

Fake Paxton was sitting on the bed. Smiling. Waving.

"Pax?" Dick asked, and turned to look. "What is- Is she back?"

"Don't worry about it. She isn't real."

"I'm not? That hurts," she pouted.

"Paxton, she's as real as you make her. And you make her pretty damn real sometimes."

"But-"

She got off the bed, and walked towards him. She ran her hands all over him, through his hair, down his sides, and nibbled on his earlobe.

Obviously, he couldn't feel it, and it wasn't real, but I could see it.

A throaty noise came from deep inside me. I balled my hands into fists.

"Paxton? Is everything okay?"

She was now grinding on him, and I tried not to focus.

"How do I make her go away?" I asked miserably.

"I apologize in advance."

"What?"

He grabbed my injured knuckles, and pressed his thumb into one.

"The fuck-" Yes, it hurt like hell. But, I'd felt worse. Growing up with the League, I was taught not to cry from pain. It showed weakness. Even now, that I understood normal lifestyle, I never cried from physical pain. Mental was a different story.

"This is real. This. What ever the hell you're seeing behind me, that's not."

She was gone when he released my hand.

"Is she gone?"

I nodded. "Yes." I threw my arms around his neck, and cried.
-
When I woke up, Dick wasn't in the bed with me. The door was closed, and it was silent in the house. My heart dropped.

Bruce. Something had happened.
-
I pulled a sweatshirt over my half clothed body, and rushed downstairs.

"Dick? Where-"

The study was open. Everyone was standing facing the window. I stopped dead in my tracks.

They turned to look at me, and it was one of the scariest fucking things in my life.

Their throats were slit, their mouths cut into smiles.

Bruce stood on the windowsill, and held a gun to his head.

"Your fault," he mouthed before pulled the trigger.

I dropped to my knees and screamed. I knew it was a dream. I just couldn't wake up.

I screamed for what seemed like hours.
-
Someone's hand was on my shoulder.

"Dick?"

"No, love. Someone just as good to you." It was fake Paxton.

"No," I said as I stood up. "No, don't touch me. Did you do this? Did you?"

"You know this is a dream, darling. You've found a way to get rid of me while you're awake, but I've still got control over your dreams. We're going to become good friends again."
-
I woke up screaming, and Dick shot up.

"Paxton!" His arms wrapped around me, and rocked me until I had calmed a bit.

My arm was hooked on his, and he whispered sweet nothings.

Once my breathing was steadied to hyperventilation, he asked, "What happened?"

"She's still here," I said pointing to my head. "Not when I'm awake, but when I'm asleep. She can still fuck with me."
-
yikessssss getting spicier by the chapter :))))