Nightwing: Heartache

Part 52: Shadowblaster Premiere

February 25, 7:48pm
Hollywood

Three years ago, Willa would have shrunk away from prying eyes. She would have felt her skin crawl at the feeling of hundreds of pairs of eyes trained on her. But now, today, she did not shrink, she did not wither under the sunlight of eyes. She stood tall, her spine straight, and an easy smile on her face. She let the attention wash over her as easily as the dress she wore.

She had learned quickly that fashion could be as powerful as the words she spoke. The clothes, the armor, she chose wove a narrative and told her story. Tonight, she wore a sleek black skin tight gown, with blue accents. Some would say the dress was a more feminine, formal version of Nightwing's costume...

She walked the carpet alone, save for saying hello to her castmates and crew. She breezed by the reporters, never giving them enough time to ask her any questions about Dick or Nightwing. She smiled a little wider for pictures, aware of one set of eyes burning just a little bit brighter than the rest.

No one noticed Dick, moving silently just inside the theater, blending in with the shadows, but Willa did. She met his eyes and smiled, letting her eyes drift over the tailored suit and blue tie. He definitely cleaned up well.

"Willa!" She turned to see Evan jogging down the carpet accompanied by the pops of cameras and cheers of the crowd. She squealed and let him pull her into his arms. He held her out at arms length, "you look gorgeous!"

"Thank you for coming," Willa hugged him again. He had to leave tomorrow night for New Zealand, but tonight he was here, supporting her. She led him to the open door and his eyes widened slightly as he noticed Dick.

Dick straightened and extended a hand. He shifted, just a tad nervously. Obviously Willa had told him her and Evan were never actually dating, but that moral compass of his didn't like the idea of infidelity. Evan raked his eyes over his body before taking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

More pops of cameras went off.

*
February 26, 2:15am
Hollywood

Ryder threw the afterparty for the premiere, which was awesome, but it also meant that Willa had to stay well into the night.

Willa slipped into Dick's lap, leaning her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her back, and she could hear the grin in his voice. "You ready to go home?"

She set her champagne glass down on the table, "are you trying to take me home, Dick Grayson?"

He snorted and pushed her glass away, "I think you've had enough."

"It's just a bit of fun," she giggled, "I think Evan might be in love with you."

"Well it's nice to know I have options."

Willa laughed, then leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I also had a very interesting conversation with one of Lex Luthor's interns."

Dick turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow.

"It seems they overheard Lex and Granny having a weird conversation about some new technology."

Dick sat up straighter, "Apokoliptian?"

Willa shrugged. She ran her fingers up his tie, "dunno. But I do know Gretchen won't be home the night of The Great Khan premiere. She said that tonight."

Dick smirked, "you are a little trouble maker."

She shrugged again, laying her head back down. "Take me home?"

"Let's go." He stood them both up, a protective arm around her waist. She winced and paused to take her heels off. When she caught up with Dick he placed his suit jacket over her shoulders and took her shoes from her hands.