“It is you,” I smile when I portal to the Kent’s barn.
“Ah, Emerald Star. A pleasure to see you,” Green Beetle smiles, walking over to me.
“You two know each other?” Jaime asks.
“Yes. It was on a mission to Mars,” I say.
“Emerald Star saved my life on many occasions. I am in great debt to you.” I continue talking to Green Beetle until Daphne and Misty manage to catch my attention.
“What is it?” I ask when I reach them.
“We lied to Nightwing like you asked. Said we found nothing.”
“So what did you actually find?”
They look past me. I turn to see Superboy and Nightwing watching the interaction curiously. I open a portal and jump through with them, landing in the apartment.
I collapse on the couch, exhausted from using so much magic.
“What we found, was exactly what was thought to be in there. Storage. It was literally full of crap LexCorp were using. But then…” Daphne starts.
“We found something else. An orange liquid. At first I thought it was just more genetic-enhancing water. But it wasn’t,” Misty continues. “My ring identified it as a product of deoxyribonucleic acid and cells.”
“Blood…” I conclude.
“Yeah, blood.”
“Of Alien origin?”
“Actually, I don’t think so.”
She hands me a vile. I go into the office with them following. In one corner is a small lab, so I begin analysing the liquid further.
“Are you and Nightwing having a fight?” Misty asks curiously.
“He doesn’t know it yet,” I answer.
“You ignored him. He does now,” Daphne says.
The analysis screening beeps and turns red. A file opens on a villain named The Creator. I read the information to Daphne and Misty, not only for their benefit but for whoever else is listening.
The Creator, AKA Blanston Vonschneider uses genetically enhanced paraphernalia to manipulate the abilities in animals to make them his own weapons.
“So he’s looking for the meta-gene in animals?” Misty asks.
“Do animals have meta-genes?” Daphne wonders.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one Daph?” Mist smirks.
“I’m a mathlete, not a science nerd,” is her reply.
“You’re a social anomaly. An acrobatic cheerleader who is also on the mathletes team and the athletics team, gets regular detentions but is an honour student and is her grade’s valedictorian.”
Sighing, I turn to them. “It’s late. Go home,” I say. Both attempt to argue, but Misty creates a platform outside the window. They stand on it and leave for the Zeta-tubes.
“She is your sister. You could have said hello,” I say, closing the window.
Dick steps out of the shadows in his Nightwing gear. “It’s Daphne. She knew I was there.”
I ignore him and stalk passed and down the hallway. I slam the bedroom door open and grab my pillow and my Minnie Mouse nighty.
“What are you doing?” He asks, folding his arms and leaning on the doorway.
“You know, I thought that we were together on this,” I say seriously. He frowns and takes his mask off as I back down the hallway to the spare room.
“Of course we-“
“Then why would you tell the others about what was happening!?”
“If it involves them, they have a right to know!”
“Well you telling them involved me, didn’t I have the right to know!?” I yell back.
This silences him and I walk into the spare room and switch the light on. Sunshine and Wipeout come bolting in to the new area.
“I could see it was getting to you,” he reasons, walking to the bed as I pull its pillows away and put my own on there. I knew I was stupid for over-reacting. I sit on the bed.
Still, I can’t believe he told everyone, without telling me first. Just the thought of everyone knowing that my care for them could hurt them breaks my heart.
That must be why M’gann is acting to strange lately!
“No, no. Hana don’t cry, please,” Dick suddenly says. When I snap back to reality I realise my cheeks are wet. He comes over and sits beside me, wiping my tears away.
“I thought we promised each other we wouldn’t lie anymore. Haven’t lies damaged our relationship enough already?” I croak out.
“C’mon, just come back to bed. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, and I’m sorry I ever told them, but sleeping separate and crying about it isn’t the answer,” he says, holding my face.
I push his gloved hands off and scoot away from him. “Yeah, well I know what your answer to everything is. Guess that’s why you want to go back to bed huh?” I snap.
That sends him out.
I change into my pjs and climb into the bed. Only then do I realise how tired I am.
As I try to sleep, different memories cross my mind of when Dick and I were just fourteen year old little kids who blushed when we kissed and held hands awkwardly when we went shopping.
He was short for his age too- of course I was and am still short for my age. Now he is at the peak of human physical condition, and I’m still short.
It’s at times like this I wonder how he even puts up with me.
Just as I am nodding off, I feel the mattress behind me sink and a warm arm wrap around my waist. He kisses my cheek and leans his head on my own. I let him.
~
“She’s been what?” I scream down the phone.
Daphne and Misty give me concerned looks.
“La’gann’s injurred as well, but yes, she was taken this morning. And…that’s not all.”
“What else is there?”
“Han, Lagoon Boy and Superboy know. I had to tell them.”
Oh great.
I hang up; he deserves no goodbye.
“What is it?” The girls ask me. They sit on the living room floor, going through clothes that I don’t fit or want anymore. They always do this, and I have too many clothes anyway.
“M’gann was captured by Tigress and Deathstroke this morning,” I say.
It seems to need to sink in for a minute, before they jump up and start yelling. “Woah woah! Calm down, I’m sure she’ll be-“
I stop speaking, looking past Misty and at the TV. I reach for the remote and turn the volume on. A news report of Incognito attacking Taos appears.
Red Butterfly and Blue Beetle are there. Fighting him. Together. Just the two of them.
Looking up at Daphne, I could see a storm brewing.
She marches out the door.
“Go and make sure she doesn’t do something stupid,” I sigh, taking Misty out. My protege nods, smiles, hugs me and then runs off.
“She’s adorable!” Kat gushes. I turn to see her carrying stuff to her apartment.
“An ex-student, Misty, visiting from Central City,” I say.
“It’s now or never,” Doctor Fate suddenly says into my com.
I say goodbye to Kat and walk back into the apartment. I change into my uniform just as Dick walks through the door. I walk to the balcony.
“Where are you going?”
“Mission with Doctor Fate,” I say.
He stares at me for a while. Glares, more like it. “Seriously?” He finally says. “Where is this ‘mission’ Hana?”
“Can’t tell you.”
“What happened to ‘no secrets’?”
I sigh heavily, then turn around to him. I walk over. He stares down at me suspiciously, weary of what I might do. As usual, I just want a hug.
Standing on my tippy-toes, I wrap my arms around his neck, leaning my cheek on his shoulder. He returns my hug warmly. As usual he smells amazing.
“I love you,” I whisper, slightly muffled by his neck.
“Not as much as I love you,” he replies.
I feel my heart explode. We stay in the embrace. I feel so tiny in his arms.
Okay, okay. It’s because I’m short.
“We both know you’re going to be Midnight’s number one. My number one. She’s got two to go and then she’ll start killing. I think Conner’s next, but Doctor Fate thinks there might be a way to get more information on her,” I say quietly, leaving out the exact purpose of the mission.
“You sure you don’t want me to go?”
I lean back, smile and then wrap my legs around his waist. I kiss him, knowing that I am despicably lying to him again.
Later, I leave.
“I do not like to be kept waiting,” Doctor Fate snaps when I enter the Watchtower.
“Sorry,” I say, not wanting to give reason as to why I took so long.
“You will call him out of his house. Distract him. I will enter the premises and take the book. Once it is in my possession, I will transport the two of us back here. Understood?”
I nod and try to remain calm as the portal opens.
~
Jaime knew he’d be in trouble the moment she saw him. He found Daphne at their usual spot, the lake by his house.
“Hey,” he says softly, sitting next to her on the bench and kissing her cheek.
“Hi,” is her stoney reply.
“Let’s walk,” he suggests. He holds her hand and leads her around the empty lake.
“You can say it,” he sighs, preparing for their first fight. When she smiles at him however, he becomes confused. “Or not?”
“I’m not mad,” she grins, “jealous, I’ll admit, but not mad. I don’t want to be that jealous girlfriend who controls her guy.”
“So you’re fine with me hanging out with Red?” He puts his arm around her waist carefully. Daphne giggles softly, smiles, then shakes her head.
“No.”
Jaime blinks for a second, letting the words sink in. “Then why-“
“I’m not mad now, but I might be if it keeps happening. I’m your girlfriend Jaime. I may not control you, but that doesn’t mean I like you hanging out with other girls. I mean how would you feel if I hung out and fought crime with La’gann 24/7?”
The boy frowns. “You do hang out with La’gann 24/7,” he points out.
“No,” she says, stopping to face him completely. “I stopped doing that the moment we kissed on the bio-ship. I don’t want to fight about it. I just…I just want you to know that you spending so much time with another girl- a girl that’s my worst enemy, is upsetting. If you want to keep doing it, then do it.”
Jaime stops to think for a second as she lays down in the grass. When he makes a decision, he kneels down, cups his girlfriend’s cheek and kisses her softly.
“I promise I won’t hang out with her anymore Daph,” he says. She smiles.
“Thank you,” she says back. He lays besides her and their fingers tangle up.
“Come take a walk on the wild side…let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain…you like your girls insane…” she mumble-sings ‘their’ song, Born To Die by Lana Del Rey.
~