Nightwing: Heartless

Part 45: Dinner with Friends

Wally leaned over and hugged M'gann, "now you can join the exclusive club of 'SOs over enemy lines'. It's very exclusive."

"Artemis was taken too?" Willa asked. The mood had sobered a bit. Dick's hand had stilled on her arm.

"No," he finally said, "she's undercover with Kaldur."

"Oh." Willa blinked away her surprise as she watched Wally spin the straw in his drink, jaw clenched. "Artemis seemed pretty tough too."

M'gann placed her hand on Wally's, "she is."

"She knew the risks," Wally said, half to himself and half out loud. Willa felt Dick subconsciously tighten his arm around her shoulders and she rested a hand on his knee under the table. It happened whenever Dick thought too much about risks, about being with her. It scared her. Not the danger part, but the rational part of her brain that told her that's the way he would leave. The guilt would become too much and he would abandon her.

"So who did you date?" Willa asked Dick to change the subject and broach a lighter topic. It worked. Dick looked over questioningly and Wally laughed. "Come on," Willa prodded, "M'gann and Superboy, Wally and Artemis..."

Dick blushed but it was Wally that answered, "Robin over here only had eyes for Z."

"Z?"

"Zatanna," M'gann answered with a smile.

Of course it was Zatanna. Dick only ever hung out with gorgeous, powerful women. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Willa exclaimed.

"It was a long time ago. We're friends now," Dick answered sheepishly, his cheeks still pink. Willa wouldn't have pegged him the shy type when it came to past relationships.

"What did you do to her?" Willa asked pointedly, which caused more laughter from M'gann and Wally, "please tell me you didn't cheat on her."

"Of course not!" Dick exclaimed, "Bruce just always said she shouldn't come before the mission and we just realized we saw each other as the mission, you know, not anything more. It wasn't worth it." Dick reached under the table and took her hand which got a small 'aw' from M'gann.

"You are so gross sometimes,"Willa said and covered her face with her hand.

Dick laughed and wrapped both arms around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "anything for you."

Willa blushed and shook her head, embarrassed at the public attention but Wally and M'gann didn't seem to mind. They watched, M'gann's hand still on Wally's in a show of friendship, and seemed genuinely happy for Willa and Dick. The waiter came to take their order, interrupting, and M'gann excused herself to the restroom.

Willa jumped up to follow her, Dick already knew her order, and caught up to M'gann in a few jogs, "M'gann, can I ask you for a favor?"

**
Later, after dinner, Dick walked Willa back to campus. It was a few miles but Willa didn't mind. They walked in a comfortable silence through the early night, hand in hand, Dick's jacket draped over her shoulders. Even if she wasn't cold, it was almost like a security blanket, and she suspected Dick liked putting it on her maybe more than she liked wearing it.

"Do you think you'll come back to school any time soon?" Willa asked. Public word was Dick Grayson was transferring to some elite college in the UK, but Willa knew the truth. Things were heating up between the forces of good and evil, a battle she had no place to be in, but was subject to watch and know. "It would have been nice to graduate with you this spring."

"I know," Dick said, "I plan to come back, finish my degree in person, but things are pretty hectic right now. I can only split my focus between so many things." Willa bit her lip. She knew he hadn't meant for it to sound like that, but she didn't like to feel like a burden. Dick noticed his misstep and stopped walking, turning to face Willa. "I would gladly devote all my attention to you, Will. Go back to school, if..."

Willa ran a hand through his hair, "if you didn't have this noble sense of duty. I know."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Willa took both his hands, "I will not be the girl that holds you back just because you are great and I like attention."

Dick laughed, "you're pretty great too, you know."

"I know. Just in a different way. Very few people can do what you can, Dick. I know that puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. I just want someone to save you every once in a while."

Dick pressed his forehead to hers, "I save you, you save me, yeah?"

"Yeah." Then she pressed her lips to his. He gently cupped her face and she wrapped her arms around his waist. She didn't even care if people were walking by, it felt so good to kiss him.

"Are you sure you don't just want to go to my place?" Dick asked against her lips.

Willa smiled, pulling away to think clearly, "I can't. Unlike you, I have class tomorrow."

Dick sighed and nodded then looked up at her. She recognized that look and took off running. She was no match for him though and squealed when he picked her up from behind and spun her around, laughing, before setting her down again. He slung an arm around her shoulder while she slipped her hand into his.

"Why so quiet all of a sudden?" Dick asked.

Willa looked at the stars. It was a clear night, just before the summer breeze turned to a chill. Over a year since they had met. "I just thought something to myself tonight." Dick waited for her to continue, watching the sidewalk while she watched the stars. "I was thinking about how you would leave me," she felt him stiffen, just a hair, imperceptible to someone who didn't know him better, but he was easier to read than he would like to admit. "I was thinking about how you would leave me," she said again, "and how much I don't want that to happen."

Dick chuckled softly, "Will, we both know it's you that would leave me."

Willa looked into his eyes, dark blue in the night, as beautiful as always, "never."

"Never," he repeated.

It was foolishly optimistic. Foolishly naive, idealistic, silly, but Willa couldn't help but smile. In her mind, Willa knew the odds, the variables outside their control, but in this moment, she chose to believe him. She chose to be here, with him, feeling his arms around her and she could pretend they would be there forever.

"I do love you, you know," she said softly and kissed his hand, "I don't know why I haven't said it before."

Dick smiled even wider, if that was possible, pure joy and love in his expression. He kissed her again, "I love you."

"I love you."