Nightwing: Heartless

Part 46: Picnic

It was a gorgeous day. It would probably be one of the last days fit for a picnic until spring. The sun was shining, a warm breeze floating through the park, and Ethan had grabbed one of the coveted areas of shade under a tree. Kate spread the picnic basket while Chris set the cooler down on one corner. Abby set down a grocery bag full of chips and cookies on another corner, effectively holding the blanket down against the wind.

Willa's eyes drifted to her boyfriend, who was opening bottles of beer and Coke and handing them out. The muscles in his arms flexed as he popped off the lids. He noticed her watching and shot her a wink, walking over to bring her a bottle and kissing her cheek.

"I'm glad you could make it today," Willa said. He had been busier than usual. The Reach was bombarding the public was images of Blue Beetle and plugging their food line. Willa knew the truth but it was hard to watch her friends eat it up. Dick had mentioned something about a temple when explaining why he couldn't make their plans but Willa didn't feel the need to know all the details about his missions. It wasn't her life. Willa had her own life and didn't feel compelled to add superhero secret keeper to it more than she had to. She worried enough, about Dick but also about all the kids younger than him, risking their lives everyday without knowing all the details.

"Yo, lovebirds!"

Dick spun around and caught the cookie Chris had thrown at them. Willa laughed at Chris's shocked face and grabbed Dick's hand to lead him over to her friends. They all sat down and pulled out the sandwiches.

"Have you heard back from that nonprofit, Willa?" Kate asked.

Willa nodded, "I got an interview." Her friends exclaimed in excitement and Willa held up her hands, "calm down, it's just an interview, and even if I do well I still have a few rounds-"

"Oh, shut up and just enjoy this, won't you?" Abby asked, laughing.

Dick nudged her shoulder with his, "that's what I said."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, "she told you about the program?"

"Of course."

"And the two year, intense commitment, Boston?" Ethan pressed and Willa hid a smile. Of course Dick knew about it. She was sure she had heard back so quickly because she had Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne as references. If she was dating the son of powerful people, why not use them to get herself to a place where she could take them down a peg one day?

Dick edged his hand towards Willa's on the blanket, so their pinkies were touching in response, "I know all about it."

"Are you planning to make some trips to the UK, then?" Kate asked while she picked a strawberry out of the bowl of fruit.

"Whenever I can," Willa answered innocently. Another perk of dating Dick was the knowledge of zeta tubes all over the world. So it didn't matter where Willa went after graduation or where Dick was on a mission. It took literally a minute to cross the world. Her friends didn't know that though. She placed her pinky over Dick's and watched him smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"What do you think you'll all do after graduation?" Dick asked, changing the subject.

"I'm applying to med school," Kate asked, failing to hide her pride, "I finally got the score I wanted on the MCAT."

Willa beamed at her, "Kate is going to be the best cardio surgeon since Christina Yang." Kate blushed but didn't argue.

"I'm going to take a year to travel," Abby chimed in, "take a break from school."

The rest of them went around, in various stages of certainty. Chris was looking for a marketing job, Ethan was applying to grad programs, Dick spun the usual lie of taking over some UK operations for Wayne Tech. It was funny, talking about the future, surreal. They were children, babies even, and yet they had to think about moving out on their own, starting real jobs, having real relationships.

Abby leaned over to Dick, "you'll come to graduation, though, right?"

"Of course."

"Then please swear you won't propose during it. It would be sooo cringey."

Dick practically choked on his food and Willa could feel the color drain from her face. Abby watched the reactions and howled with laughter, rolling onto her back. Apparently everyone knew about the joke except Willa and Dick, because Kate wiped tears from her eyes she was laughing so hard and the boys were clapping Dick on the back, congratulating him.

"You guys are the worst," Willa said after they had calmed down.

"It was kind of funny," Dick admitted with a small laugh and leaned over to kiss her cheek again, "love you."

"Try not to choke when you say it," Willa teased.

"You should have seen your face, Will. I wasn't the only one panicking."

Willa finally relented and joined in on the joke. They passed the next half hour just hanging out, eating cookies, and tossing around an apple. Enjoying the afternoon in each other's company. Until Dick's phone buzzed, of course. She saw his face darken and knew it was business. He looked up apologetically but she shook her head, waving off his apology and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Be careful," she whispered as she pulled away. He got up, excusing himself, and holding Willa's hand until he was too far away, disappearing into the park.

"He's always got somewhere to be, doesn't he?" Kate asked, taking Dick's spot beside Willa.

Chris scoffed, "he's just that important." You have no idea, Willa thought. But she just shrugged instead.

"It doesn't bother you at all that he's kind of flaky?" Abby asked. "I love him to death, but babe... he missed your birthday party last week."

"He was busy," Willa answered. Had it stung when he didn't show? Yes, it was very Taylor Swift, 'The Moment I Knew', but she understood. How could she possibly be mad when he was saving the world. She was a hero's girlfriend and she knew what that entailed. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell her friends that, so he just looked like a bad boyfriend.

"If he's putting things above your relationship now, what's going to happen when he moves to another continent?" Abby asked it gently, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"I know I'm important to him," Willa continued, "I know it's hard to understand, and a little complicated, but it's ours, okay?" The finality in her tone ended the discussion. Willa loved her friends, and knew they had good intentions. If the roles were reversed, she would have similar thoughts, or if she didn't know Dick's other life, she probably would have broken up with him by now for how often he had to cancel, but she did know. She knew his work came before her, before anyone. The many vs. the one. She understood. And she was okay with it. She had to be. She wasn't that selfish.

"Okay, babe," Kate relented. Then they all went back to having a good time, enjoying the peace before the chaos started.