What's Up With Nightwing

Chapter 10

"It's fine, Alfie." Dick assured,

"I promise you, its not." Quickly Dick walked Alfred away from me to calm him down. Dick didn't think I heard him when he said,

"Don't worry, I'm used to it, I've had nine months to get used to it." He even gave a laugh to it just to ease Alfred's mind but it made mine worse. Bruce, Tim, and Damian all came in, jumping out of the Batmobile,

"What was that, Jason? You were way off the reservation!" Bruce yelled,

"I was mad okay!" I found myself yelling back,

"Doesn't matter how mad you get, you don't go off plan like that, you put everyone in danger!" Bruce got right up to me,

"Bruce, I was finishing things, I wanted him dead!" My glance fell on Dick, he was shaking but when he saw my eyes he turned away,

"Doesn't seem to matter, Jason, we got Deathstroke anyway." Tim informed passing me to the batcomputer,

"Yeah, guess we didn't need you after all, Todd." Damian passed me as well to Tim's side. Dick sighed with relief,

"Yes, Slade's been put away." Bruce said making his way to Dick,

"Thank you, Bruce." He smiled slightly,

"You're safe now." Bruce put his hand on Dick's shoulder making sure he understood,

"I know I am." Dick assured. I was a screw up, again, for the millionth time. Just couldn't keep it together could I?

"I just want to say, I'm sorry." Bruce spoke, saying words I never thought he knew, "I wanted so bad for things to go back to normal and for us all to just forget this past year that I ignored your cries for help. I-I-" Bruce put his hands to his eyes, oh my gosh, he was crying, Bruce Wayne, Batman, crying, "I should have listened." He said in a weak voice before Dick embraced him tightly,

"I forgive you." Dick uttered, letting his tears not Bruce's shoulder. I was, I'm gonna say it, I'm gonna say it, proud, there I said it. I was proud of Bruce, I was proud of Dick, as well, for forgiving Bruce, Lord knows I would never. I just prayed Dick would find it in his heart to forgive me for what I did to him, but something in my head screamed that he wouldn't.

~~~~~~~

When I went upstairs I changed into streetwear and left my bedroom only to be stopped by Alfred before I could even get out of my doorway,

"I'm going to give you the count of three to give me the keys to your transportation." He uttered laying out his white gloved hand,

"Alf-"

"One." He started and I immediately put my keys into his hands, "now, master Jason, I do hope you were going to apologize to your brother rather than bounce from bar to bar?"

"I wouldn't know how, he thinks I'm no different than Slade."

"Well, the violent aggression and intense demeanor you let guide you is probably the similarities he's getting lost in."

"Great..." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes,

"Master Richerd is in the training room." Alfred sauntered off spinning my keys on his index finger. I sighed and went down to the cave. Dick was in sweats and a superman shirt, training like no ones business. Everyone else was upstairs doing other things, it was just us,

"I owe you an apology." I spoke into the quiet atmosphere. He stopped and hung his head before turning to look at me,

"Really, Jason, it's fine. I'm a superhero, I get smacked all the time." He said with a cocky tone and a small smile as he breathed heavy from his workout,

"You weren't expecting it." I meekly let the words out bringing my eyes down to the ground,

"What are you talking about? I like never expect it."

"I mean you weren't expecting it from someone you trusted." My eyes met his as his smile faded and his true emotions became clearer. I could see his walls were falling and that mask of shallowness was slipping, "I lost control of my emotions, I messed up."

"Well we all make mistakes." He laughed, throwing back up his fakeness,

"Dick, stop pretending!" I yelled,

"I'm not." He said with calmness,

"Tell me the truth,"

"That is the truth!" He got loud with me,

"No, it's not! Just let it out, yell at me, hit me back, just do something!" I exclaimed, stepping closer until we were a few feet apart,

"Okay, fine!" He shouted back, "I'm not fine, I'm scared, I'm scared all the time, I'm scared of making you mad, scared of opening up, scared of getting hurt, I-" I pulled him into a hug he resisted for a second before hugging me back, "I can't seem to get a grip."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I sobbed into his shoulder.