stranger things | dick grayson

twenty nine

'Kinda messed up, Dick,' Gar grumbled from the kitchen counter. Eleanor turned to look at him, hoping he was going to stay. He saw the look on her face and smiled a little, reassuring her by saying, 'I'm not going anywhere.'

Eleanor nodded and pursed her lips together tightly to hold back her emotions. Dick moved towards her and placed his clean hand on her shoulder in comfort. She placed hers over his and inhaled deeply, looking down the hall where she watched her friends disappear for the final time.

+

'Okay, so... What am I supposed to do?'

'Hold down the fort. The place pretty much runs itself and you've got Eleanor here to help.'

Eleanor, who was in the kitchen, looked up from her coffee mug as Gar and Dick appeared, Dick carrying a bag over his shoulder.

'You got any questions, there's a manual in the tech room.'

'Yeah, hi, hey. I got a question.' Gar nervously laughed and threw his thumb over his shoulder. 'What about the unconscious naked dude down the hall?

'He's your number one job. His vitals are steady. Just check on him every few hours, but nothing to worry about. He's probably gonna outlive us all. When he wakes up, call Bruce,' Dick said and glanced over his shoulders, clearly giving those instructions to Eleanor.

Gar broke into a stupid grin and asked, 'Bruce Wayne?'

'No, Bruce Springsteen.' Eleanor rolled her eyes at Dick's humour.

'Who?'

Dick sighed a little. 'Conner will probably want to get in touch with Superman. Bruce can make that happen...'

'So he and, uh, Superman are like...'

'Just call him, okay? He's your number one job.'

'Number one job.'

'All you gotta do.'

'It's all I gotta do...'

'Thanks,' Dick smiled a little and held his hand out. Gar scoffed and slapped it away before they both pulled one another into a tight hug. They both laughed a little and stepped back, their attention then quickly going to Eleanor in the kitchen. She had her back to them both and one hand covering her face.

Dick frowned in confusion as she remained still. He placed his bag down and walked over to her, his hand going to her hip.

'You okay?' He asked quietly, although he already knew the answer.

She nodded and wiped her hand across her face, revealing her red eyes.

'Everything's falling apart,' she whispered as Dick nodded a little. 'I wish I could have done more for the kids.'

'Hey, you did everything you could for them. Just man the tower with Gar until I get back. Okay?' He hummed quietly and tucked her hair behind her ear, causing her to smile a little. 'I'll be back.'

'Okay... Stay safe,' she said and moved with him as he took a step back.

He nodded and paused for a split second before gently grabbing her chin and pushing his lips against hers. Her hands grabbed his waist gently as a frown formed on her face. The kiss felt different. It didn't feel like a see you later, it felt like a goodbye.

When they pulled apart, Eleanor sighed a little and pulled him into a tight hug.

'You'll be okay,' he said as he pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. 'Yeah?'

'Yeah,' she whispered as they stepped away from one another, their hands tightly in one another.

Dick led her over to where he had put his bag down before letting go of her hand. Gar frowned at the look on her face and placed a hand on her shoulder as Dick never looked back.