Making Waves

Chapter 22

Walking around her apartment the next day, it was as if a throbbing concussion had cleared. Months of seeing double everywhere she went and all it had taken was one moment for two blurry shadows to meld into one. It should've been stranger than it was. It should have taken longer to get used to, trying to figure out where one ended and the other began, but interestingly enough, it wasn't. Not a single thing about it was strange.

The second he had gingerly pulled her mask away and leaned in, everything in her had just settled. Warm and content, like curling around a fire after days spent searching for home out in the cold.

Dick was Nightwing and Nightwing was Dick and Percy couldn't stop thinking about the way he had said her name, full of relief and soft awe and deep-seated familiarity. The memory made her skin tingle.

Her phone vibrated noisily against the marble countertop of the kitchen, startling her out of her reverie. She had set out a bowl for food, but now realized she had been staring into its empty cavity with a stupid little smile for gods knows how long. Blinking it away, Percy gave the screen a quick glance, and the expression returned, tenfold.

Before she knew it, she was rushing out of her apartment and jogging down the stairs. Maybe with anyone else, she might have tried to curb her enthusiasm, but instead, Percy pushed open the heavy glass doors with more strength than probably necessary.

"Hey Sef," Dick called out, grinning wide. He had been leaning against the brick wall of the building but straightened at the sight of her. The small paper bag in his fingers crinkled as he shook it invitingly. "Brought you lunch."

Even now, with hair swept neatly back in a somewhat professional look and that slightly creased police uniform shirt, Dick still looked like Nightwing. She knew what people always said about hindsight, but Percy had no idea how she managed to miss it for so long.

"Wing," she smiled, instinctively.

And now that she was walking to him, all she could think about was yesterday, curling her hand into the wet strands of his hair as he kissed her over and over again, only pausing to laugh because she had unknowingly caused the water level to swell until it began to spill over onto the docks. Percy's ears warmed as Dick took a few steps forward to meet her halfway.

"You probably shouldn't call me that out in public," he teased. There was a thread of sincerity in his voice, but he hardly seemed concerned.

Percy pouted. "You started it."

Dick's lips quirked, almost smug, and he shook his head lightly.

"Seph," he corrected, "With a 'ph'."

Her jaw dropped. "That's not fair," she argued, "It sounds the same!"

He didn't even respond, just continued to smirk, looking so utterly self-satisfied that Percy wanted to wipe the expression off of him.

Oh, she realized, the thought taking a second to hit her, she could do that now.

Percy gripped under the knot of his tie and gently tugged him in, closing the distance between them. There wasn't a single shred of resistance, just a soft, surprised breath cut short as she kissed him deeply. Finally pulling back, satisfied for now, though she doubted she would ever get enough, Percy returned his teasing smile.

"Now that's not fair," Dick breathed, sounding as far from upset as possible.

She could see a slight flush crawling up from under the collar of his shirt. The ring of blue around his pupils had shrunk. Realizing what she had done, out in the middle of the city sidewalk, Percy dropped her hold on the tie and tried to take a step back, but Dick's fingers tightened around her hips, not letting her pull away further. She glanced down at them, not even registering when he had placed them there, and snorted.