catgirl ! crushed (nightwing)

«chapter forty-one: getting him back»

"Damian is stubborn and strong willed," He cuts me off. He smiles as if remembering a good memory, moving deeper into the room, closer to me, "I sometimes think he learned it from you."

He looks up at me, and my heart rate quickens at how he is looking at me. I shake my head, "It's probably is his genes, but the recklessness and going out on his own even though we told him not to, that one may be on me."

He chuckles a little, "Don't completely blame yourself. We all did it at some point."

"Sometimes I think Damian is karma for everything I put others through," I voice, making him smile a little, and I find myself smiling too.

"He is my karma too. Good and bad," He whispers, his eyes on the floor between us again.

We fall into a silence before I mutter, "We can't lose him. We can't lose anyone." His eyes slowly meet mine. "I won't lose any of you," I shake my head before I whisper, "It's Damian, Dick. They have Damian. How are we going to get him back?"

"We will," He reassures me, "Brooke, I promise you I will get him back to us safely. We will figure out a plan and we will get him back. Barbara is looking through everything she can, Jason and Tim are out searching now while Bruce contacts everyone he can about this."

"I should be out there," I shake my head, "I should be helping." I impulsively look for my suit.

"Brooke, you are still healing-"

"IT'S DAMIAN," I all but shout at him. My eyes looking at his trying to get him to understand. I have a responsibility for him. I know Dick feels the same way. Yes Damian is not my blood, but he is... I feel responsible.

I just didn't realize he viewed me as that either. Not until I found out he had listed Dick and I as his emergency contacts at school. And that thought right now is breaking me.

"I know," He closes his eyes painfully, "Trust me, I know. But you are going to have to trust me. This isn't your situation. It's mine. They are targeting me. I promised you if you weren't out looking then I wasn't either but because of that, I need you to follow my lead and trust me."

We did promise that. That fact is the only reason I am not out right now looking for Damian. If I am off the streets then Dick is too.

I throw my suit down, and sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here then?" I question, turning to face him again. "You don't have an update, you have nothing new. Why are you spending time here then?"

He studies my face for a few moments before he says softly, "Because I care about you."

My eyes lock on him, making me question, "You came just to check on me?"

"Like I said," He admits, "I care about you, Brooke." I open my mouth to say something, but I am not sure what. I close it as he adds, "They knew hurting you would get to me, Brooke, and they weren't wrong." He walks closer to me, and before I even realize I've backed up, he pins me to the wall, his body so close to mine that I can't move past him without touching him.

"Dick-" I cut off as he looks down at me, his finger tips tracing up my arm, sending tingles through out it. His eyes stare so tensely at me I hardly feel it though, my senses feeling blurred and overcome with him. His scent is all I breathe in as I take a shallow breath in, making my senses go haywire.

"Brooke," He mutters back as if I only meant to say his name and wasn't trying to say more.

His eyes fall to my mouth, causing my heart rate to quicken. I shake my head, "You are going to regret this," I whisper my eyes falling to his too, "Don't. Because you are going to hate me for it."