my favourite thing on the planet is the fact that dick grayson was the first superhero sidekick ever. bro is the original. i found this out this morning and have been riding this high the whole day, my little nerd heart cant take this
Okay so this has been on my kind for the past couple days because I'm diving into some of the teen titans fics I have bookmarked and I don't think I've seen like anything similar to this but if there is please share but anyways my idea is like I have seen the hc float around my view a couple times that English may not be Dick Grayson's first language bc traveling curcius from (possibly a middle eastern place? I'm not sure) but to build off of that possibly the reason why in the teen titans Starfire's English us a bit weird is because she learned it from Dick who's firt language is not English or alternatively if someone wants to write something off this possibly when Starfire does the whole kiss for language thing she learns whatever Dick's first language is? (Up to you)
Conceal, Don’t Feel, Am I Right Ladies? (Dick Grayson x Reader)
Request for anonymous: “Could you write one where the reader is in love with Dick but becomes friends with Kori and pushes her feelings away when Kori and Dick start dating. One day, Kori and the reader get into a stupid fight and she accuses the reader of trying to steal her boyfriend because she can tell Dick is in love with the reader”
Word Count: 3,700
Warnings: Violence
Tags: @idkmanicantenglish
The first thing anyone learns about Dick Grayson upon meeting him is that he is a gigantic flirt. Since the day he could smile, Dick has always been charming and flirty, like a true showman. You’ve always known this about him, but damn, it made things complicated when you realized your feelings for him.
Trying to gauge someone else’s feelings for you when they are one of the flirtiest people you know is next to impossible, so instead of confronting your feelings, you pushed them down. That always works, right? Besides, letting unrequited feelings wreck a good friendship wasn’t worth the risk.
Dick’s unrequited feelings solidified when he started dating Kori. You completely understand the appeal-- Kori is a gorgeous, loving badass, but it still hurts to see them together. But you’re a good, supportive friend to both Kori and Dick, so you shoved your feelings down again, and you got really good at ignoring your feelings.
But on nights like this, it’s hard to ignore them, so you do what you’ve learned to do best-- distract yourself.
Tonight, your way of getting out of the Titan’s Tower was going on patrol alone. But of course, you’re distracted and didn’t notice that the mugger has not one knife, but two. You definitely noticed when the knife was buried in your side then ripped out, along with a large chunk of skin and lots of blood.
As you lay on the cold ground, the shapes above you blur together in a black blob. Your side burns and warm liquid oozes onto the sidewalk. This isn’t good. You should do something. You should call someone. Call someone? Who? Your head feels fuzzy and your body feels funny. Being stabbed should be more painful right?
A sharp wave a pain stabs your sides, making you wince. Ouch, okay, yes this does hurt. Your arms are filled with lead. The idea of lifting them is next to impossible. They are too heavy. Have your arms always been this heavy? You don’t think so…
You need to call someone. Who should you call? Dick. Dick always helps.
You slowly lift your arm, your side protesting. You groan in pain but manage to dig your phone out of your utility belt and call the first number at the top of your starred contacts.
“Hello?” Dick answers after the second ring.
“Dick,” You groan as another wave of pain shoots through your side. “I need help.”
He immediately snaps into leader mode.
“Y/N, where are you? What happened?”
“I...I got stabbed,” You wince, taking a slow deep breath through the pain. “I went on patrol…”
“Where are you?” Dick asks sharply.
You distantly hear another voice in the background. Where are you? There’s a building. It’s tall. It’s really tall. Is it tall? Or does it feel tall because you’re laying on the ground?
“There’s a really tall building…” You spot a faded name on the side of it. “It’s an old Nike warehouse…”
“Okay, Y/N, stay awake, okay? We’re coming to get you.”
We?
We? Who is we? Are there two Dicks? No, there’s just Dick. One Dick. But we?
There was something going on tonight. There was a reason you decided to go on patrol. Why did you decide to go on patrol? You can’t remember. Your head feels funny. Everything feels too thick. It feels like you’re swimming. There’s so much liquid around you, maybe you are swimming.
“You’re swimming?!” Dick demands.
“Huh?” You ask, dazed.
“You said you feel like you’re swimming, are you in water?!”
That was out loud?
“Um… I don’t think so…” You hand splashes in a nearby puddle. Something is wet around you.
You lift your hand, but it’s red and melting. No, not melting, it’s bleeding. When did you hit your hand? Your hand hits the ground again with a wet thump. More red splashes up. The ground is bleeding? No, wait. The ground isn’t bleeding, you’re bleeding. A lot.
You lift your bloody hand again.
“Uh oh,” You whisper, then everything goes dark.
. . .
You wake up with a groan in your bed at Titan Tower. There’s an IV in your left arm and a temporary heart monitor set up next to your bed. You got stabbed, right.
Your head lulls to the right and you see Dick nodding off in a chair near your bed while Kori scrolls on her phone. She looks up at the sound of your groan, her eyes flooding with relief.
“You’re awake!” She exclaims, nudging Dick.
Dick jerks awake, notices your eyes are open, then tackles you into a tight hug.
“Thank God you’re okay,” He mutters into your hair, holding you tight.
You squeeze back then Dick releases you with a relieved smile.
“How are you feeling?” Kori asks.
“Sore,” You answer honestly. “What happened?”
“You don’t remember?” Dick frowns.
You shrug.
“I remember going on patrol, but everything after that is foggy.”
“You got stabbed,” Dick tells you, his eyebrows furrowed together. “You called us to help you.”
“Right,” You nod, regret hitting you hard.
You could’ve just stayed at the tower and hung out with Garth or Victor, but no, you wanted more distraction. What were you even distracting yourself from? You couldn’t remember then you look more closely at what Kori is wearing.
She’s wearing a flattering dress and lovely jewelry. Her makeup is done perfectly and Dick is wearing a nice button-down with a tie. Why are they dressed up? Oh crap.
Last night was Dick and Kori’s one year anniversary.
They were both very excited about their plans, which they both separately told you. Of course, being a good friend, you listened and got excited for them, but when it came time for the night, you slipped out on patrol before seeing Dick or Kori to avoid the ugly jealousy and hurt you knew would bubble up in your stomach.
But of course, your plan completely backfired when you called Dick in the middle of his romantic evening with Kori to save you from bleeding out. Some friend you are.
“You lost a lot of blood, so you’re bedridden for a few days,” Dick tells you. “Doctor’s orders.”
“Great,” You groan, laying back then an itch builds in your throat, throwing you into a painful coughing fit that leaves you gasping for breath with tears in your eyes and a deep ache in your side.
“I’ll get you something to drink,” Dick offers.
You nod tearfully, still taking deep breaths to calm yourself down, but you don’t miss the way Kori pulls Dick down by his tie into a kiss. He kisses back then kisses her head with a small smile before hurrying out of the room to get you some water.
Kori moves, sitting next to you on the bed, stroking your hair. You take another deep breath, a tense silence between you two. Kori is an expressive person, so even when she tries to hide her feelings, she’s very obvious. By her stiff movements, set jaw, and irked eyebrows, you know she’s angry.
“What’s wrong?” You ask in a hoarse voice.
Kori raises her eyebrows.
“You’re asking me that?” She scoffs. “You got stabbed. I should be asking you that.”
You wave her off.
“Getting stabbed is old news. You’re angry. What’s wrong?”
“It doesn’t matter right now. What matters is you’re okay,” Kori dodges the question.
“Kori, come on, I’m fine! Besides, I’ve been hurt way worse! I want to know why you’re upset.”
“You almost bled out,” Kori snaps. “We found you, soaked in your own blood. I don’t think you realize how close you came to dying!”
“But I’m okay,” You insist. “We come close to dying all the time. Please, I want to know why you’re upset.”
“It’s not important.”
“It is if it’s bothering you!”
“Leave it alone, Y/N,” Kori snaps.
“No,” You respond stubbornly. “You’re one of my best friends. I want to know what’s wrong.”
She sighs then snaps:
“Why did you call Dick last night?! You knew what night it was!”
You sigh, knowing this was coming.
“I...I know… I’m sorry, Kori. I totally forgot.”
“I’m glad you’re okay, Y/N, I really am, but you could’ve called anyone else in the Tower.”
“I know, it’s just… Dick was the first person I thought of and I wasn’t thinking straight, I’m sorry.”
“You always do this.”
“What?”
“You always do this,” Kori snaps. “Anytime I finally get any alone time with Dick, you swoop in and take him with you.”
“I…” You blink, speechless.
“Any time we try to do a date night outside of the Tower, there’s some emergency or case you need help with. On Dick’s birthday you insisted we should spend with the team. On my birthday, you wanted to make it a girls’ night out. We never get alone time.”
“Kori...I…” You don’t know what to say.
While you weren’t intentionally trying to sabotage their relationship, Kori is right. You never noticed how often you interrupted, but now you wonder how long Kori has been angry about this.
Dick walks back in with a cup of water to a tensely quiet room.
“Everything okay…?” He asks slowly, handing you the water.
You take a few sips then nod.
“Yeah… Dick, can you let me and Kori talk privately?”
“Uh…” Dick hesitates and glances at Kori who nods her head. “Sure…”
He leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. You turn to face Kori as best as possible.
“Kori, you have to believe me when I say that I was not doing any of that intentionally. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to come between you and Dick.”
Kori scoffs.
“Once or twice would make sense, but this many times?”
“I’m sorry, I really am! I didn’t know I was doing it!”
“Please, you had to notice after a certain point. I know I told you about last night and I’m sure Dick did too.”
“You did… I just… I swear I forgot until this morning.”
“How convenient,” Kori snaps.
“I’m not lying.”
“I might have believed you if this was the first or second time, but you do this every time without fail.”
“What, you think I left last night wanting to get stabbed?” You snap.
“There is a tower full of very capable Titans and all of them were here last night. You could’ve called any of them! I find it hard to believe the only person you could think of was Dick.”
“What are you trying to accuse me of?” You growl.
Kori laughs humorlessly.
“What does it sound like?! You’ve been in love with Dick and have been trying to steal him from me!”
“I… What?” Hearing it out loud really made it all real. Were your feelings that obvious?
“You’re in love with Dick, I can tell. And your response is sabotage apparently.”
“Kori, I--”
“No. Don’t try to tell me you don’t have feelings for him,” She snaps. “I can tell by the way you look at him.”
“No, I… I do,” You sigh. “But I promise I haven’t been trying to steal him from you! Not intentionally…”
Kori sighs and looks away, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Yeah…” She says. “You’re right. For it to be stealing, that would mean he doesn’t want to go.”
“Kori…” You say softly, your heart breaking at the sight of your friend crying. “Dick loves you. He and I… We’re just close friends.”
“No, you’re not,” Kori shakes her head, pressing her lips together. “He looks at you the way he looks at me. Dick is in love with you too.”
“He’s known me for years, but we’ve never been romantically involved! He’s dating you!”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Then Kori stands up and leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.
You sag into your pillows, a million contradicting thoughts racing through your head. Dick… has feelings for you? There’s no way. He’s Dick! He could have anybody he wants. He’s never shown any interest in you. He’s flirty, you can never tell when he’s actually flirting and when he’s not.
Even if Dick does feel the same, you can barely feel excited if it means Kori will be left heartbroken. She’s one of your best friends! You couldn’t hurt her that way! Dick is her boyfriend! That’s extremely unfair to her!
Dick pokes his head into the room.
“Is everything okay? Kori just left crying, but she won’t talk to me.”
You stare at your bed for a moment, then slowly look up, the confidence you’ve never felt giving you the courage to ask the question that’s been burning on your mind for years.
“Do you have feelings for me, Dick?”
He blinks, fully stepping into the room.
“What?”
“Do you have feelings for me?” You repeat.
He frowns.
“I’m dating Kori.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
Dick frowns again and sits at the foot of your bed.
“Where did this come from?” He asks.
“Kori accused me of trying to steal you from her and said you’re in love with me.”
Dick silently stares at his lap, one hand fiddling nervously with his tie.
“Do you--”
“Yes,” He says quietly. “And I have for a long time.”
You want to be happy. You want to be over the moon, but Kori’s heartbroken face is the only thing on your mind.
“What the hell?!” You demand. “What do you mean you have for a long time?! Then what the hell have you been doing with Kori?! Why have you just been leading her on?!”
“I’m not trying to lead Kori on!” Dick tries to defend himself.
“Do you love her?” You ask.
“Yes!” He replies instantly, but his head drops and he adds quietly. “...But it was never the same way I felt about you…”
“Why did you feel the need to string her along for this long then?” You snap.
“I didn’t mean to! I swear… I just… I never knew if you felt the same and I was scared to ruin our friendship so I tried to ignore my feelings… But they never went away.”
“So you used Kori as a distraction,” You scoff. “And I bet you didn’t even consider what kind of effect that would have on her.”
“No, Y/N, it wasn’t like that--”
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get out. I want to be alone.”
Dick looks like he wants to say something else, but he doesn’t. Instead, he slowly stands up and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him quietly. Millions of thoughts swirl around your head. You groan, falling back against the pillows. What a mess.
. . .
For the next few days, you follow the doctor’s orders, staying in bed and allowing your body to heal. You eventually start wandering around the Tower, effectively avoiding Dick and Kori. You’re still extremely angry with Dick’s manipulation against your best friend… And Kori? You don’t even know what to say to her…
Finally, you work up the courage to go talk to Kori. She deserves the truth. You knock softly on the door. She opens the door, eyebrows slightly raised.
“Can we talk?” You ask.
She steps aside, letting you in and you both sit on her bed.
“I’m sorry,” You say for what feels like the hundredth time. “You were right. I have been in love with Dick for a long time, but I never thought he felt the same so I always tried to push the feelings down. I never meant to come between you two though, I swear.”
Kori nods along, looking down at her bed before admitting to you:
“Dick and I broke up.”
You look up, ready to comfort her, but she holds up her hand and shakes her head.
“I broke up with him.”
You sigh, looking down at the bed.
“I have no idea what to do, Kori.”
“Go talk to Dick. Get everything out in the open.”
“I don’t know if I want to date him,” You admit.
“You don’t have to,” Kori tells you. “But you need to talk to him.”
You nod then go find Dick.
. . .
“I’ve had feelings for you since we were…” You pause, trying to remember the right age. “About thirteen?”
Dick sighs with relief, a small smile starting to form.
“Yeah… Yeah, I have too… Well, not that long. I think I realized how I felt about you when we were like… Seventeen, I think?”
“And I was also scared to ruin our friendship, so I get it,” You admit.
“So, where do we go from here?” Dick asks. “I’m assuming you know Kori broke up with me.”
“Yeah, she told me… Honestly, I don’t know,” You tell him. “Yes, I have feelings for you and you have feelings for me, but I don’t think we should date… Not right now. You just got out of a long, fairly serious relationship. Believe it or not, Dick, being single is healthy.”
He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
“You’re not the first person to tell me that,” He grins.
You chuckle, feeling a rush of affection for this adorable idiot.
“Also, we definitely shouldn’t date while Kori is still on the team and while we live in the Tower with her… That’s just not fair to her.”
“Okay…” Dick nods. “But… When? Because I don’t know how well I could maintain a friendship. I’ve liked you for a really long time, Y/N.”
“I don’t know…” You tell him slowly. “And I know that’s frustrating, but I don’t know… I think I need to leave the Titans for a little while,” Dick’s face falls. “Not permanently,” You assure him. “But I haven’t had time to be on my own yet.”
“I…” Dick sighs. “Yeah, I get it. I’ll miss you.”
You smile sadly and kiss him on the cheek.
“I’ll miss you too.”
. . . One Year Later . . .
Bludhaven is a pretty shitty city if you’re being honest with yourself. It reminds you a lot of Gotham, but if you expected to actually discover something about yourself and further explore your identity as the Black Hawk, you couldn’t go to Gotham where Batman would promptly kick you out. So instead, you’ve ended up in Bludhaven, an equally shitty city.
The time away from the Titans has been good for you. While you miss your friends like crazy, especially Dick, you’ve learned a lot about yourself. It’s been a good year.
As you reflect on your time in Bludhaven while staring out at said city in your Black Hawk armor at a strange hour, a familiar voice startles you.
“You know, there’s this girl that I’ve really liked for a long time and by some miracle, it turns out she also likes me,” Dick sits down next to you in his Nightwing uniform, continuing his monolog. “Some crazy stuff happened and she needed some time to herself. But in that time, I never thought she’d manage to find a city worse than Gotham.”
You laugh, grinning at Dick.
“So, might I say,” Dick finishes. “Fancy seeing you here.”
You laugh again, shaking your head.
“You’re ridiculous.”
Dick shrugs with a grin.
“It’s part of my charm.”
“Oh, is that what people tell you?” You tease.
“All the time,” Dick grins. “It’s good to see you,” He nudges your shoulder.
“It’s good to see you too,” You smile back.
“So, Bludhaven, huh?” Dick asks.
“Yeah,” You sigh, staring out into the city. “It’s not that bad.”
“Really?” Dick asks with raised eyebrows. “I hear some pretty crazy stuff about Bludhaven at the station.”
“Nothing that can top Gotham though.”
Dick laughs.
“Ain’t that the truth. Gotham is truly one of a kind.”
“Besides, Bludhaven is pretty cool if you know where to look.”
“I’m sure you know all the good spots.”
“Of course,” You grin.
“You’ll have to show them to me sometime, maybe this Friday?”
“Dick Grayson, are you asking me on a date?” You ask.
“Depends,” Dick looks sheepish for a moment. “What’s your answer?”
You laugh.
“I would love to go on a date with you.”
Dick grins, wrapping his arm around your shoulder in a side hug. You lean into the hug, but pull away and stand up.
“It’s been a year since I’ve seen you, give me a proper hug,” You demand, holding your arms open.
Dick grins and stands, wrapping you in a tight hug. He kisses the top of your head, and you pull back, so you can see his face, his arms still wrapped around you.
“So, Nightwing, huh?” You ask.
Before you left, Dick was playing with the idea of Nightwing, but given his costume, he seems to have made a decision.
“Yeah,” Dick nods. “I needed something new… Especially when Bruce decided he could give Robin away apparently,” His face twists into a sour look.
You heard about the new Robin. He is strong, and effective. He doesn’t move with the same grace as Dick does, but with speed and force, making him a menace. While you’re sure there’s a lot to unpack about Bruce Wayne’s newest adoptee, Jason Todd, you’ll have plenty of time to talk about that.
He sighs, resting his forehead against yours.
“I missed you… a lot,” His arms tighten around you.
“I’ve missed you too,” You admit.
Even though the year apart has been good, you couldn't help but to see Dick in everything, whether it was a new movie, successfully pulling off a new trick, or feeling the wind against your face as you swing through the city. You’ve missed your best friend.
You run your fingers through his dark hair, resting your hand against his cheek. His eyes flicker down to your lips, his nose brushing against yours before Dick pushes forward, pressing your lips together in a gentle kiss. You grin through the kiss, especially when Dick pulls you close against his chest.
“You know, I thought the first kiss came after the first date,” You tease.
Dick rolls his eyes with a grin.
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you for seven years. I was not going to wait another two days,” He grins then kisses you again. “Besides,” He murmurs against your lips. “I don’t hear your complaining.”
And you wouldn’t because you’ve been dreaming about this since you were thirteen. It’s good to be back.
Maybe one day my fics won’t have someone get stabbed or injured. I don’t know why my imagination is so violent. I would also love to play with the idea of Dick and Jason’s relationship when Bruce first brought Jason home because Dick was an ass. I hope you enjoyed!
