Havoc (Black Dahlia #2) || Dick Grayson [Titans]

UNEXPECTED

After leaving Gar to his work, Dick excused himself to take care of a few things and I went up to the roof as I'd begin to make a habit of since Jason left. I'd made myself my own little space up top where I could sit among some flowers, feeling more at home than I did with the others. When Dick first found me he offered to get a greenhouse installed but I immediately turned it down. He'd already altered one of the rooms to be a soundproof fortress when I needed to practice or let out one of my cries. I never asked him to and I didn't want anyone thinking that I was doing so consistently.

Dick rolled his eyes when I told him as much, but he left it alone knowing he wouldn't be able to convince me otherwise.

Besides that, I think he knew there was more to my reasoning and decided to let me keep it to myself. I was more grateful for that then he could know. I'd been reborn in dirt at least twice now and ever since I've felt more of a need for sunlight than before. If I stayed inside for too long without so much as standing briefly at a window, I started to feel claustrophobic. I could barely understand it myself, let alone explain it to Dick.

And as oddities went, it didn't necessarily seem like one we needed to be concerned with at the moment.

Right now, the sun felt blissfully warm on my skin as I laid with my legs hooked over the ledge and stared up at the sky. Beside me, Krypto laid his head against my stomach, snoring lightly as I scratched along the top of his head. We laid like that for an hour before I felt myself start drifting to sleep, feeling as though something were trying to drag me under. Then Krypto's head thudded against my fingers, startling me awake as he whined. I looked at him curiously, his body was still relaxed so whatever had woken him couldn't be bad. "What is it, boy?" Krypto let out a quick bark and before I could blink, a rush of wind breezed over us followed by a shadow.

"There you are-- oh, hey Maddie," Conner said, shooting a smile. "I didn't know he was up here with you. I was going to take him for a walk." Krypto growled at him, low in his throat, and the two of us looked at him in surprise. "Or not..."

"I don't think I've ever heard him growl at you before."

"Because he hasn't," Conner said, looking somewhat hurt. "I wonder what that was about." Krypto put his head down again, closing his eyes. Conner stared at the pup another moment before shrugging it off. "Whatever. Mind if I join you guys?"

"Sure, but don't hold it against me if I fall asleep," I yawned slightly. "This sun is just amazingly relaxing." I joined Krypto in closing my eyes, listening to Conner shuffle over and sit beside me. We stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, but the more time passed the more I could feel Conner's eyes on me. It was weird and beginning to border on uncomfortable when I finally spoke. "If you stare at me any harder, you might trigger your heat vision and put a hole through me that I don't think even the plants could bring me back from."

"Sorry," he apologized immediately, though I was pretty sure he was still looking at me.

"Something you want to talk about?"

"How do you know when you're in love with someone?"

My eyes flew open as I sat up so fast Krypto let out a yelp of protest before going back to sleep beside me. My gaze fell on Conner whose cheeks flushed an almost crimson color. I didn't know where he was going with his question, but I already felt awkward about it. "Uh, can you repeat that?" I said awkwardly, hoping to find that I'd heard wrong.

"How do you know when you're in love with someone?"

I cringed; definitely didn't hear wrong. "I'm just going to cut straight to the point here," I said. "This isn't your way of saying you think you're in love with me, is it?"