My whole body freezes up after reading what the joker carved into Raya's stomach, my blood runs cold and I have to close my eyes and take a deep breath before I can turn and face the team. They stare at me with shocked looks ranging from Superboy's confused face to the incredulous look in Artemis' eyes to the sad clarity I see from Kaldurh and M'gan. I can't bring myself to look at Wally so I pull up my wrist computer to hack the comms in Tim and Barbara's suits but all I get is static. Their locations both ping the Batcave confirming what I already knew when I read the Joker's message. Somehow he'd figured out not only my identity, but Bruce, Barbara and Tim's as well. I sigh and run my hand through my hair, knowing what I have to do but terrified of what's waiting for me at the Batcave.
Artemis is the one who breaks the silence looking at me and exclaiming, "what. The actual fuck, just happened?"
No one says anything for a moment until Miss M speaks up, "R- Robin? That's who you are isn't it? She was from the circus, she knew you, she was wearing your costume, an- and the Joker, he sent her as a message," she gestures to Raya's body, "the nest you abandoned, the batcave, bird boy, Robin."
I let out another deep sigh, then I reach up and pull my mask off, even though Wallys the only one whose ever seen my eyes it feels like the right move.
"I was going to tell you guys, I just needed to work out my personal issues first, I didn't plan on any of this happening, I certainly didn't know you guys thought I was dead. When I left it was mostly to escape Batman, to escape my problems, to escape robin and everything that he represented. You guys were a constant reminder of all that and I just needed to get away, I never meant to hurt you guys, I was young and selfish and scared. I've grown a lot as a person since then but it was so easy to hide behind this mask, behind being Nightwing, this accomplished adult hero who nobody knew anything about, I was afraid telling you guys would pull me back to that dark place I was in when I left, I was scared. And as much as I know we need to talk about this more I need to go face whatever horrible thing the Joker has waiting for me at the Batcave."
"You are correct, we do need to discuss this more at a later time, if I have read this situation correctly two members of our team and a member of the Justice League are in great danger, M'gan call the bioship, we're going to the Batcave."
YOU ARE READING
Under the Mask
FanfictionDick Grayson was fed up with Batman, that's true, but he was also tired, tired of always being treated like a kid, tired of keeping secrets, tired of fighting his inappropriate feeling for his best friend, just tired. At sixteen Dick left Batman, an...
