Jericho

Injuries and Secrets

Nightwing held his side and winced. This Jericho really knew how to kick. He studied the man behind the silver mask. He hadn't said anything throughout the fight and for the most part, he had stayed back. He only seemed to attack when Nightwing went after Deathstroke. Meanwhile, the assassin carried on attacking him. With one playing offensive and the other defence, there was no way Nightwing could win this alone. He needed to cut his losses and get out of here. Fast.

Feigning an attack to the right, Deathstroke went to dodge and Jericho to attack. At the last second, Nightwing backtracked, flipping over the newcomer and propelling himself off the roof. He sent out a zip line to the next building, the sudden tension caused pain to spiral up his side. He let out a yelp and almost let go of his grapple gun. Distracted by pain, his screwed up his landing and rolled to the floor in an alley. With the remainder of his strength, he pulled his body into the shadows and waited. He waited a while, but no one came. He didn't know why they had let him go.

Shaking from the pain, Dick considered which was closer; home or the zeta. Finally deciding a zeta was within crawling distance, he began tenderly making his way. His body tired, shaking and unresponsive for the second time that day. Only this time, none of Joey's magic concoctions would be able to cure his pain.

When he reached the entrance to the zeta tube he almost collapsed from the effort. He activated the hidden control and sighed in relief as the lights began to spin.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

As Nightwing had dived off the roof, Jericho had gone to follow but Deathstroke had stopped him.

'Leave him. Our job is done for tonight. I think he is well and truly shaken.'

Jericho raised an eyebrow beneath his mask.

What if he contacts the bat? He signed.

'He won't. I know how Nightwing works. He will start to analyse, then become obsessive before finally burning the metaphorical candle at both ends. We're going to break him. Then we're going to take him.'

Jericho shrugged. He didn't know what his father's deal was with this Nightwing. He guessed it was something to do with the time before his surgery. Time he and his father were not seeing eye to eye. He decided he would rather not know all the details, that way he at least at deniability.

'We're done for tonight.' Slade repeated. Jericho nodded and together they began to head back to Deathstroke'storehousese, where he kept all his equipment.

As his father checked the security cameras on his wrist computer, Jericho clocked the time in the corner. It was two in the morning. He guessed Dick was probably asleep right now, he had an early shift tomorrow. He envied him, it had been a while since he had had to fight someone who put up a fight as Nightwing had. Despite the fact it had been two on one, Joey found he was tired.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

'You are not leaving this cave.' Wally frowned at his best friend as the younger tried to lift himself off one of the beds in the Medway.

'I have to go to work in a few hours Wally.' Said Dick, pain obvious in both his voice and his face. Already the bruises were blossoming like a dark bouquet down his side.

Wally helped him sit up but stopped him from getting off the bed completely. The speedster's frown deepened, he was worried Dick might have broken ribs, maybe even a bruised lung. It wasn't like Dick to show that he was in pain.

'At least let me x-ray your side.'

'And have Batman find the x-rays. No.'

'See now that in itself is suspicious!' Said Wally exasperated. He had been trying to find out from the young vigilante who had attacked him. The eldest son of the bat remained silent on the matter.

'It's nothing I can't handle Wally. You know how Bats is, I just don't want him to make a big deal out of nothing.'

'Dick, you can't breathe without shaking in pain. This is a big deal.' Wally soon realised he was flogging a dead horse and so changed tactics. 'What the hell are you going to tell your boss? You've already fallen down the stairs, had many acrobatic accidents and even a motorbike crash. You're running out of lies, Richard.'

There was a pause and Wally thought he had finally won, but the Dick looked up at him with a grin.

"Hit me in the face.'

'What?'

'Hit me in the face.'

'Did you hit your head back there too? I'm not hitting you in the face!'

Dick pushed the speedsters arm. 'Come on, if it's going to be believable I have to have a busted lip. They always go for the face.'

'Who?' Wally was so confused.

'Muggers. I was mugged.'

Wally pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't tell what he was more annoyed at, the fact Dick was being difficult (again!) or the fact that his story would actually work. Rolling his eyes, he knew it was the only way to make Dick's story believable and if he didn't do it the former Boy Wonder would find someone else. Spinning around, fist clenched he connected his hand with Dicks jaw.

'You didn't have to do it so hard! You could have knocked my teeth out!' Said Dick, cradling his jaw and the blood that was now streaming from his lip.

'You wanted it to be believable.'

'Thanks, your such a pal!' Dick started cleaning up his lip with some gauze. 'If Bats asks...'

'Yeh yeh, I don't know anything. You know lying to the Bat for you used to scare me, now I do it so often I'm starting to think he believes me.' Wally's joking tone was underlined with worry. Dick was a fragile being, contrary to what everyone believed. It didn't take a lot to send him spiralling over the edge and generally, he was his own worst enemy. Wally eyed the thin white scars that adorned his friend's arms. Unlike all the others, these were there by Dick's own design. Remnants of his time with Deathstroke. The last thing any of them wanted for Dick to sink as low as he had back then.

Wally's stare moved away from the scars as Dick stood and pulled on a T-shirt. Despite all the painkillers, he was still wincing at the pain movement caused.

'Please call someone if the pain gets worse.' said Wally, knowing it was probably fruitless.

'Wally, stop worrying.'

'Then at least tell me you have someone in that godforsaken city who will notice if you collapse. It's not like its unusual for us not to see you for a few days.'

Dick considered this quickly in his mind, a small smile playing on his lips. Yes, he did have someone who would notice. He had been replaying this morning over in his head all day. He didn't exactly know what his relationship with Joey was, but whatever it was, it made him feel good.

'Oh no, I know that look.' Wally teased. 'Who is she?'

A blush crawled over Dick's cheeks. For a second he thought about telling Wally, after all, he was his best friend. But somehow the words, 'it's a he' wouldn't form themselves on his lips.

'Doesn't matter. As long as you're not on your own.' He started cleaning up the bloody gauze and other medical equipment he had been using on Nightwing. 'Go home, sleep. And if I hear so much as a whisper that Nightwing is roaming the streets tomorrow, I will be telling Batman everything.'

Dick held up his hands in surrender. He knew when his friend meant business.

'Thanks, Wally.'

Limping over to the zeta beam, he beamed back to Blud Haven, looking forward to getting a few hours sleep before Officer Grayson was due back on duty.