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He didn’t lift his head as Dick walked through the door. He simply sat staring into his coffee cup, shoulders hunched halfway up to his ears, shivering like he’d taken a dive into Gotham Harbor.
Matter of fact, he looked about as drenched as if he had. Positively dripping sweat. Paler than Bruce or Tim or Jason had ever looked, even at their very worst. Why was he on the side of the booth facing the door if not to pay attention to who came in?
Dick moved a bit slow, carefully, but not too quiet. The poor guy was clearly out of sorts. He could hear that from the phone call. Hell, he could tell that by the fact of the phone call itself. The dude’s best friend was Wally West. He didn’t even know that Dick had stayed in Gotham that night, that it was sheer luck that he was here this morning, and had a car to borrow instead of riding his bike.
When was the last time they had talked? Hal’s funeral? If so, they had literally only spoken to each other once in their lives.
“Hey, man.”
Dick kept his voice low and gentle. He figured this was a mental health crisis of sorts. He didn’t want to startle him.
Kyle’s eyes widened and his body jerked in fear.
“Oh. God. S- sorry, I— I. I don’t know why that made me ju- jump. You texted me when you parked, I should’ve— should’ve known you’d be here by… sorry.”
Dick tilted his head in a bit of concern. Wasn’t the whole Green Lantern thing supposed to be about “no fear”? Well, to be fair, this was Gotham. For all Dick knew, Kyle could’ve gotten dosed by Scarecrow’s toxin.
“No worries. It’s all good.”
Kyle nodded his head repeatedly, staring again at his black coffee. He was breathing fast and shallow.
“Early bird, huh?” Dick said, trying to draw out the person who called his cell phone, who seemed desperate for his help. “I thought you artist types ran more like us nocturnals.”
“What time is it?” Kyle asked.
Had he seriously forgotten? He would have seen the time on his phone, when Dick texted him. Kyle sent him an “ok cool” in reply. He should have remembered the hour from then.
“It’s a quarter to six.”
“Wait, in the— in the morning?”
“Yeah…” Dick said, deliberately keeping his tone light. But he was rapidly feeling more worried about Kyle’s condition. “Did you pull an all-nighter or something?”
“Huh?” It seemed like Kyle’s mind had wandered during the five seconds Dick was talking. “What? Um… no, I, uh. I don’t think so. I dunno. I don’t think…”
“You had anything to eat yet?”
“N- no, I… I wasn’t feeling exactly. Uh. I’m kinda.”
“Not feeling so good?” Dick suggested.
Kyle inhaled sharply and shuddered out a long sigh.
“What brings you to Gotham, buddy?”
It wasn’t a term he normally would’ve used for a guy he barely knew, but Kyle was clearly far from okay. He hadn’t exactly seemed clear of mind over the phone. For one, he’d called Dick. God knows who gave him the number and when and why. For two, he was in trouble and he didn’t think to hit up Wally or even Alan Scott. Third, he was a stuttering mess. At first, Dick had thought it was a bad cell signal, but now that he was face to face with him, he saw that this really was the state Kyle Rayner was in.
All he’d managed to get out over the phone was that he didn’t know exactly where he was in Gotham, that he thought “something might’ve happened” and that he might need some help. One hell of a wake-up call. Dick talked with him, navigating him through Gotham’s downtown streets by memory, as he got dressed in the dark. He managed to get Kyle to this 24-hour diner, where the guy had been waiting for the half hour it took Dick to finish putting himself together, to grab some of Bruce’s keys, and to liberate one of the old man’s less-assuming cars.
Then, a stoned middle-aged waitress came to the table.
“Can I top ya off, doll?” she asked Kyle, who startled again at someone new approaching the table.
“Oh. I’m g-... I’m good. Thanks.”
“Sweetie, it’s gotten cold. Let me getcha a fresh cup. Coffee for you, love?” she asked Dick.
“Yes, please. Room for cream.”
Once the server left their table, Kyle spoke again.
“I was d- dealing with Black Hand. ‘S usually, like… Hal’s business, y’know, but. I dunno. He was dead just, like, a second ago. And I was in New York, so I figured I’d just… fly down and handle it. Give him a break, he’s b-… he’s been through a lot.”
Dick nodded his hand understandingly. It was the most sense Kyle was making so far, since he woke him up with that phone call. The more he talked, the more his stutter broke loose from his speech. A good sign that maybe whatever was wrong with him was wearing off.
“I coulda flown back to the Village after, but I…”
Suddenly, he was done. Like his throat clamped around his vocal cords. The server brought back their coffees and topped Dick’s off with half-and-half.
“Man, I’m starved,” Dick said, performatively scanning the menu. The truth was, his stomach wasn’t quite awake yet. But he was positive Kyle could use some carbs right now. So he tried to set a good example.
“Can I get scrambled eggs and home fries?”
“Sure thing, baby. And for you?”
“I’m not hungry…” Kyle said to Dick, rather than the waitress.
“Hey— look, dude. They’ve got milkshakes. C’mon, milkshake breakfast. Doesn’t that sound good?”
“Kinda.”
“You like strawberry?”
He figured giving Kyle even just the three options on the menu would be too much for him to process.
Kyle gave a single nod. Then he squirmed in his booth, and spasmed with one hard shiver as tears rushed into his eyes.
“A strawberry milkshake and home fries,” Dick said. “Thanks.”
He waited until the waitress turned her back again to resume their conversation.
“So you fought Black Hand in Gotham as a ‘welcome back to the land of the living’ gift to Hal, and then…?”
Kyle shook his head. His throat really was seized up again. He was holding his breath, squeezing his eyes shut while the tears ran down. He sniffled hard and wiped his nose with his arm.
Dick saw the bruises. Not like the kind a guy got in a fight with a meta. No, a kind he’d seen a thousand times before on the streets of Gotham and of Blüdhaven.
Immediately, he scanned the rest of Kyle’s body that he could see. No cuts, no wounds except those telltale purple bruises on his arm. His face looked uninjured, but his eyes were bloodshot and shadow-rimmed. And come to think of it, his voice was pretty damn hoarse. The throat tension suddenly made a lot more sense. Dick felt ill, but not quite ready to assume his gut feeling was correct.
If he pressed him on the events of the night, after the fight, Kyle would probably shut down. Best to take it easy. It was important to make sure he felt safe.
“Kinda weird that we haven’t hung out before, huh?”
“Hm?” Kyle raised his eyes again.
“Y’know… we’re both friends with Wally and Donna. Surprised the four of us have never hung out together.”
“Uh-huh...”
Finally, Kyle picked up his coffee mug and took a tiny sip. The second after he swallowed, he burst into a harsh cough.
“You okay, bud?” Dick asked, once his chest settled down.
“Throat hurts ‘s all.”
“Yeah, you did say you’re not feeling too good, huh?”
“Yeah. Not so good. Um. I’m, uh… I’m sorry I called you like that. I j- just remembered you’re not usually in Gotham. I forgot you’re in New York like me.”
“I’m, uh, actually in Blüdhaven.”
Dick figured Kyle ought to have known that. He hadn’t lived in New York since his age had a one in the tens place. He thought he was famous to Blüdhaven.
“I always liked the name of that city. Blüdhaven with a… with a umlaut. Pretty metal. Like, like Queensrÿche. Is there a metal scene there?”
“Uh, y’know, I don’t know. I’m not much of one for nightlife.”
Kyle chuckled and cracked a tiny smile.
Thank God. The poor guy had been frozen so stiff that Dick wondered if he’d lost his touch with people. No, Kyle was just that shaken. And it was no wonder, if Dick’s hypothesis held water. God, the poor guy…
“I’m realizing now that I could’ve… I ought to have called Wally. He could’ve been here and… I mean, thanks so much for coming. I just mean, you know, like… you’re cool and you’re obviously a really great guy. I’m not even your friend, I’m like, your friend-in-law. Hah. I just feel bad that… y’know, I bothered you, and I wasn’t thinking about what time it was, and it didn’t even fucking occur to me that it… it doesn’t matter that Wally’s halfway across the country. I thought of you ‘cause I thought you were a Gotham person. Which wasn’t even right. But you came, which is… super sweet, I’m just… I’m sorry for all this…”
“Hey,” Dick said, desperately trying to establish a cool, calm, reassuring vibe. “It’s all good, man. Honestly, I’m glad we get to hang out. Y’know, if you’d happened to grow up out here instead of California, there’s like a 99 percent chance you would’ve been recruited as a Robin.”
“Huh?” Kyle cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“You got the look for it. Black hair, fair skin— okay, brown eyes instead of blue, but I think B could have made an exception.”
Kyle let out another soft laugh. The sound bolstered Dick’s confidence a little bit. He was making progress in helping Kyle feel safe. Just had to keep going, long enough for the guy to say what actually happened, find out how he could help.
“Nah, I wouldn’t have been a Robin. I hate working out. I’m not a circus guy like you, or some martial arts prodigy like your little bro. I was just… a dweeby kid drawing manga all day.” Another soft hint of a smile. Kyle shook his head as he gave another breathy laugh, followed by a cough. “Dude, I can’t even do a cartwheel. Wally has spent the past year training my ass off, and I still sometimes throw up after a run. It’s super embarrassing.”
Dick laughed quietly, too. “I still think you would’ve made it. Tim used to get sick after workouts, especially during that first year. Times when B and me thought we weren’t even working him that hard. He was a determined li’l guy, though. He’s come a long way.”
“Guess that’s all it takes,” Kyle said. “Determination, right? ‘Least that’s what Hal says… Hah— I’ve got abs for the first time in my life now. It’s kind of cool. Got Wally to thank for that.”
He sniffed again and used one of the paper napkins to blot his nose and eyes.
Then, the waitress returned to their table with their food. Dick thanked her, but Kyle just immediately started working on his milkshake. Dick thought he saw some new pain rising on Kyle’s face as he drank. He pretended not to be watching him so closely, took a bite of his own home fries.
“Milkshake was a good call,” said Kyle. “Feels nice.”
“Must be one killer sore throat, huh?”
Damn it, maybe Dick had pushed too far with that one. Kyle’s eyes suddenly overflowed with tears. He drew his shoulders up and in toward himself, folded a bit over the diner table. A barely audible cry of pain made its way out. Dick could tell that Kyle tried to push it down.
“Hey, Kyle…”
Now Dick was really unsure of what he was doing. But he didn’t really have to imagine much to put himself in Kyle’s shoes. He just thought of what he would’ve wanted. After what happened on the rooftop that night. Instead of crying and throwing up alone in his apartment.
He thought about it, reached across the table, and placed a steady hand on Kyle’s shoulder. It didn’t seem to hurt anything. Kyle didn’t flinch when Dick touched him.
“You’re okay, buddy. You’re safe here. I’m glad you called me.”
Kyle seemed kind of frozen, like when his throat got too tight to let him talk just a little bit ago. Dick decided to model a good, deep breath and a long, slow sigh. Kyle tried to copy him right after. As he released the breath, his shoulders relaxed just a touch, and Dick removed his hand.
One more deep inhale and sigh, and Kyle spoke again.
“Yeah, I, uh… I think something bad happened. Last night.”
He stopped and took another long sip of his milkshake.
“Like, I don’t remember what… I dunno what exactly… Someone was… um. I woke up in a weird apartment. Which, y’know, I don’t really… I actually only hooked up once in college, I didn’t like the vibe, I guess I’m kind of, like… sentimental? Like, I date and everything, but the whole one-night thing is… I don’t know how guys like Hal do it, it makes me feel…”
“I getcha,” Dick said. “I’m the same way.”
“Yeah? Cool. It’s kinda… in LA, they think it’s kinda weird for dudes to… I dunno, I just think love is nice. I don’t think that’s bad.”
“Of course not.”
“Right. So it was weird, I woke up in this bed and I… I didn’t know where… It’s weird!—” Kyle raised his voice a touch then, before dropping down to nearly a whisper. “I was, uh… I’d been, um, sleeping on my stomach, and I don’t… I don’t do that, I never do that, I’m always on my side. And um. I was naked and I woke up lying on my stomach and… God, I… So I threw up in this person’s bed, I guess I must have gotten really drunk, but… I only had the one beer. Almost postive, just the one beer. I’m a, y’know, I’m a lightweight, ask Wally. Two beers and I’m like, goofy. Three beers and I’m asleep. I just… y’know, won a cool fight, warm summer night, different city, I wanted a beer is all. Before I flew back to Bleecker Street. I wanted to try your guys’s… that Gotham Lager, I’d heard it’s good, Guy says it’s good so I wanted to try it. And I only had the one drink and I was gonna go home.”
Kyle aggressively stabbed at a few of the potatoes and shoved them in his mouth. His hand shook slightly as he used the fork.
Dick sipped his coffee and simply waited for Kyle to continue.
“I’m just… I’m just so worried. Like I’m completely knotted up inside and I… My throat hurts, Dick, like really hurts like I got… you know. And my insides are… it’s so disgusting, I feel like…”
He pushed the potatoes around his plate, then started fidgeting with his ring.
“It’s still charged. My ring. I don’t know if it got… Like, if it was off of me then? I didn’t take it off… I mean, I don’t remember taking it off. But I thought, you know, it’s supposed to protect me… But I woke up, like… like that. And I feel like I’ve been knifed. And I kind of remembered… I think some guy was, you know, he was behind me. I don’t know about that part. I dunno.”
He blinked away a couple tears. His face was getting red instead of the ghostly pale color from before.
“I’m not supposed to say this, I’m not supposed to be this way, but I’m scared, Dick. I’m so fucking scared.”
“It’s okay. I know. I’m just glad you’re here now, your phone was charged… you’re here now. You’re okay.”
“I sort of… I fell out of bed. I put some water on my face and wiped off the… yeah. Um. I didn’t like, stop and check anything out. Like I said, I… I feel like I got knifed in the… you know. Uh… my clothes were there so I got ‘em on. My phone and wallet and keys were still in my jeans and my ring was on my finger so I got out of there and then I called you.”
“Damn… Kyle. I’m. I’m so sorry, man. I’m just really sorry.”
“I feel like I’m still hungover? B- but I know I only had one drink. D’you think I’m right about that? Maybe I forgot something, maybe… maybe I…”
“I believe you, Kyle. You had one beer.”
“I had one beer,” he agreed, assertively. “My head, though… I feel so fuzzy still. So like, maybe nothing happened? You know me, vivid imagination is like, my whole thing.”
“Why would you make up something like this, buddy?”
Kyle shrugged, biting his trembling lip.
“You didn’t make it up. Pal, you’ve got bruises on your arm.”
“Huh?” Kyle turned over his forearm in front of him, looking for the damage.
“It’s your bicep… ya know what, don’t worry about it. Just… you trust me, right? You called me, so I know there’s something in you that trusts me. Please keep trusting me. You’re not crazy, man. What you think happened, it…”
“Oh, God…” Kyle’s voice finally broke. He pushed his plate and milkshake glass far away from him, folded his arms on top of the table and pressed his head there. “Oh God, what the fuck…”
Again, Dick dialed up his low, calming voice. He reached over and lay his hand on Kyle’s forearm.
“You’re going to be okay, man. I’m here. I’m with you. I’ve got you. You’re safe and you’re going to be alright.”
He grunted in pain as his chest tried to start sobbing. He must have used some of that special Lantern willpower to push that back down.
“How did… how’d it happen. I’m supposed to be… I was supposed to be Hal’s replacement, I’m supposed to be… whatever. Not this. This kind of shit doesn’t happen to people like…”
“It happens, Kyle. Happens to anyone. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault.”
“My head’s, like, splitting open. You know when you’ve eaten like three edibles and you really should’ve stopped at one? I’m like, spacey. Spacing. Out. Ugh, and this pain in my… It’s like I got torn clean open. I can’t think of anything that’s ever hurt worse.”
Kyle’s breathing was picking up speed, soon to go out of control. Dick knew he had to slow him back down, otherwise Kyle would just feel worse and worse. He’d been there. Not in the exact same ways, but he’d been there. Same park, different ride. It all hurt. Physically hurt, but the pain went way beyond injured body parts.
“You’re… you’re not alone, you know.” He firmly rubbed up and down Kyle’s forearm, before he stopped and gave him a squeeze. “I’ve, um, I’ve never told anyone this. Not even Bruce or Clark or Wally or anyone. Yeesh… Okay, yeah...”
It took some focusing to psych himself up. But Kyle needed to hear this.
“So, yeah, there was this girl last year, who she… y’know. She made me… It’s not the same as what happened to you, she didn’t drug me and she didn’t… I wasn’t… she just… she made me give it to her. And it’s the scariest thing that ever happened to me. I got so sick. And I was so scared. I know it isn’t the same thing, but…”
“But you get it,” Kyle said. He put his hand onto top of Dick’s and squeezed it in return, keeping his head down and his eyes shut. “I am scared. I’m really scared…”
“I know. It’s okay to be scared about it. But I’ve got you, buddy. I’ve got you.”
He nodded his head, no longer trying to keep his tears back. They were dripping down his face, falling all over the table. When he spoke again, it was in a hoarse whisper.
“Dick, how long do you think it takes to… to know if, like… to know if you got… maybe he gave me, you know… I’m so scared of…”
“I can take you to the doctor,” he said. Kyle didn’t need to finish saying all the dark and deadly things he was worried about inside his body. “They know what tests to do. They deal with stuff like this all the time.”
“I don’t want to go… Like, maybe later. Not right now… For now, I… ugh, I dunno. How long does it take for this shit to leave your system? I feel so out of it. And like, how do I know… I’m not exaggerating or… you know, maybe I just feel gross about what I did and so I’m trying to… I’m sorry. I’m… I think I’m gonna throw up.”
Quickly, Kyle straightened himself a bit, slid out of the booth, and stumbled out the door.
Shit, shit, shit. The last thing the poor guy needed right now was to fall and hurt himself even worse. He was already in such bad shape. Dick followed right behind him, anxious to get a steadying hand on him, keep him from getting any more bruises or worse.
Even coming down from Rohypnol, Kyle was fast. He’d already gotten around the corner of the building, down the alley, and he was hunched over, hands on his knees, beside the restaurant dumpster.
“You’re okay. You’re okay, buddy. I got you, you’re okay…”
Dick used one hand to support Kyle’s forehead and push his hair back, the other to hold onto his shoulder, ready to come in for a save if his knees went out from under him. Kyle didn’t have very much on his stomach. It wasn’t long before he was done and was left panting and coughing.
Then Dick’s heart rate jumped for a second, before he willed it back down with a deep breath. The effort and the strain of vomiting must have upset one of Kyle’s wounds that had probably clotted earlier. Dick wasted no time in slipping off his zip-up hoodie.
He rubbed Kyle’s shoulder blade as he offered him the hoodie.
“Hey… tie this around your waist.”
“Huh?”
Kyle coughed again. Dick didn’t really know if he was clearing his throat or if it was just angry and inflamed from the trauma last night— either way, he knew Kyle was hurting.
Dick made his voice as soft as he could, while still being audible. “You’re bleeding.”
Kyle flinched at the words. Then his knees buckled.
It was easy to catch him. Dick got him around his waist and the back of his shoulders. Poor guy was only limp for a second or two. He was coming back around before Dick even had to shift his weight.
“I’m good, I’m okay, sorry.”
“Please don’t apologize, pal. Here…”
Dick went ahead and wrapped the hoodie around the waistband of Kyle’s jeans and tied it in front. It easily covered the little bit of blood that had seeped through his pants. Thankfully, he didn’t appear to be bleeding that much. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Didn’t mean it didn’t feel like death.
As much as he hated to have Kyle on his feet any longer, Dick knew it would be worse to have him wait outside alone. So he helped him walk back into the diner. Dick pulled out his wallet, found a couple twenties, and left them on the table. He couldn’t remember what the total was going to be, but math didn’t matter right now.
There was a bench right outside the diner. Dick helped Kyle to sit down there. Kyle immediately folded forward, holding his head in his hands.
“Do you want to go to a hospital?”
Kyle shook his head.
“I want to go home. I need to take a shower. I need to get my skin off of me. What happens if you put bleach inside you?”
“You get severely burned and poisoned at the same time. Let’s not do anything like that. I know you’re scared…”
Kyle seemed really to be trying to regulate his breathing.
“What would Hal do, if this had happened to him?” he said to himself. “Who am I kidding, he wouldn’t have ever let something like this happen…”
“Hey. No way.” For the first time this morning, Dick’s voice became something stern and heavy. He turned toward Kyle and put both his hands on his shoulders, gently pulling him up so they could be eye to eye. “You didn’t let anything happen, Kyle. Someone drugged and hurt and violated you. You didn’t do anything to deserve that.”
Kyle couldn’t keep his eyes there where he could meet Dick’s. He squinted them and looked down at his lap again. But he was leaning a bit into Dick’s hands. Just a little.
“I don’t know why Ganthet let me have this ring… I’m not, y'know... macho like Hal or Guy or John. I mean, look at me, so far I’ve puked my guts out, started bleeding out my ass, and I can’t stop fucking crying.”
“Apart from the bleeding? Sounds a lot like me when— when that person, when she assaulted me.”
“I’m so scared,” Kyle said, shaking his head. “And I just can’t get over the… the worry that maybe I… Like maybe I wanted it? Maybe I just made a bad decision and I’m panicking now because I regret it… But I only had one drink. I only had one and I was gonna go home…”
“It’s not your fault someone hurt you. You didn’t want or deserve any of that.”
Kyle shook his head slowly. That didn’t seem to mean disagreement this time. He seemed to get it. At least on an intellectual level, he accepted it. It was bound to take his feelings and his body longer to catch up.
“Can I be honest with you, buddy? I’m kind of worried about you being alone right now. I know you can handle yourself, but I also know I would feel a lot better if you had someone to be with you for a while.”
“I can’t stay with Wally, he and Linda have got the babies… and Connor and I haven’t been getting along so much… and Guy is off planet, and John’s… and Donna is… Hal’s got so much going on… I just…”
“How would you feel about my place? In Blüdhaven? It’s less than an hour from here. Place is a mess, but the couch is comfy. Honestly, it’s better than my bed. I know I’m being pushy, but… I just, I know how it feels. Not exactly how it feels, but I know I was afraid to be alone.”
Kyle sat there in silence, no sound except for his tight, contracting breaths and the sniffs that accompanied his nonstop flow of tears.
“I’m sorry someone did that to you, Dick.”
“Thanks… It was difficult, probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever been through. But we can survive it. You’re handling it smarter than I did. You called for help. I’m really glad you did.”
“…My place on Bleecker Street is a mess, too,” he said, laughing a bit through his tears. “I never figured out how to keep house. My mom was a slob like me, so I really never had a chance.”
“I was raised by Alfred Pennyworth, so I really have no excuse,” Dick said. “In the circus, we had to be really tight and organized, too. So the mess must be just authentically Dick Grayson.”
“I think I can go to the doctor,” Kyle said, clearly processing their conversation on a bit of a delay, “just not today. I think I can go tomorrow. I just can’t have… I don’t want…”
“My living room’s a mess but my shower is clean,” Dick said, drawing him back to the present. “You can live in there, all day if you need to. But I will make sure you get another bite to eat once you’re feeling a bit more settled. Other than that, you just do what you need to do.”
“Yeah?” Kyle looked at him with wide, watery eyes. “…Thanks. I really… It’s a lot, man… Thanks.”
Dick smiled, a real one this time, creasing his eyes.
“I parked just one block down. You ready to hit the road?”
Kyle nodded his head. He coughed and sniffed and wiped his tears.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll always be here for you, man. Like I said, you really should have grown up on the East Coast, so you could’ve been a Robin. I think you’ve got the stuff.”
“Does the big guy take adult trainees?” Kyle said, smirking in spite of the tears still standing in his eyes. “Might be good to have a back-up career, in case the ring gig doesn’t work out.”
Making a joke, in spite of everything. It was the best sign Kyle could give that he had what it took to make it through. Him getting the ring was not a mistake. Kyle couldn’t have made that any clearer.
Dick clapped him on the shoulder, lightly so as not to hurt him, when he was already so injured, but with enough firmness to let Kyle know he didn’t see him as fragile. A tightrope act. But was there anything Dick was better at? Between the two of them, and their abilities, they could make sure Kyle wound up okay.
“I’ll trade ya,” Dick said. “You get vigilante lessons from the Big Bad Bat, and I get to take that ring for a spin.”
“No way in hell,” Kyle chuckled. Still tearful, but smiling. “How is that a fair bargain?”
Dick reached around and put his hand on Kyle’s back, to let him know it was okay to lean on him. A wave of reassurance rolled over his soul as Kyle put his arm over Dick’s shoulders, to let him help.
“God… I’m so tired.”
“I know. It’s not a long drive to Blüdhaven. You can sleep in the car if you need.”
Kyle nodded his head. “I don’t know if I can sleep. I feel like I need to stay awake. I’m scared of what happens if I… y’know, if I pass out.”
“What happens if you pass out… is I watch out for you. I know your body doesn’t know it right now, but you are safe, Kyle. You know it.”
“I know it,” he echoed.
“Takes your body some time to catch up. But it does… Promise it does.”
“What if he gave me…” Kyle gulped.
Finally, they reached Bruce’s Mercedes, the cheapest and least attention-grabbing vehicle Dick found in the garage. He unlocked the car with the key fob.
“I know it feels huge and terrifying. But you’ve got so many friends who’ll help you through it, no matter what might have happened.”
“Friends like you,” Kyle said, a weak smile crossing his face as Dick helped him ease into the passenger seat.
Dick smiled in turn. “Absolutely. We gotta set a good example for Bruce and Hal, ya know? Teach the older generation that Mid-Atlantic vigilantes and Green Lanterns can get along… Thank you for trusting me, Kyle. I promise you, it’s all gonna be alright.”
“I believe you, Dick. I believe you… I love Wally to death, but I don’t know if I could believe him if he told me that. But you’ve… I’m sorry it happened to you…”
“But it gives me some cred, yeah?” Dick turned on the ignition, released the parking brake, feathered off the clutch and pulled out onto the street, heading towards Blüdhaven. “You are going to be okay, Kyle. Bruce always taught me not to deal in absolutes, but I’m absolutely sure of this. You’re safe, and your body is going catch up with you and know you’re safe.”
“Do you think… I hate to… um…”
“What do you need, friend?”
“When I’m ready. Like maybe tomorrow, in the morning. Do you think you could… you could go with me? To the doctor. I know we’re not close or anything, but…”
“Of course. That’s what friends do, buddy.”
“I’m really glad Clark gave me your number.”
“Oh. Clark did that?”
“Yeah. He said I could count on you… If I was ever in trouble.”
Dick felt his cheeks flush. For the first time this morning, he was the one with tears in his eyes. For the first time in his life, he was without words.
“He really knew what he was talking about," Kyle said. "You’re good at saving people…”
It was clear that he was exhausted and more. Confused, sore, wounded, violated, dazed, bleeding… afraid. He shivered as the air conditioner blew on him.
Dick turned the cooling off, just let the car blow the warmish filtered air from outside into the interior.
“How about you try to sleep some while we’re on the road? I always found it was easier to sleep in a smaller space… after it happened with me. You don’t know how many times I slept in my own bathtub. Or caught some Z’s while Tim was driving… Looking back on it, that’s when I should have been afraid. Go on, lean your seat back.”
Kyle did as Dick suggested. He crossed his arms over his chest and pressed his head against the window.
“Close your eyes. You’re okay now. I got you, buddy. You’re safe.”
“I’m safe…”
Kyle’s breathing slowed down and grew steady. It must have taken a crazy amount of willpower for him to stay awake for so long, with the last traces of Rohypnol still running through his veins. It was nice that he truly felt safe enough to sleep now. Humbling to receive that kind of trust from him. Dick hoped that he was worthy. That he really was giving the best help he could possibly give. After all, he came to Kyle, vetted by Superman.
Suddenly, Dick remembered that every single one of Bruce’s cars was prepared for emergencies, not just the cars he regularly used. Keeping his eyes on the road, he twisted his body around to grab the neatly folded blanket from the back seat. It was extremely soft and heavy. Dick unfolded it and draped it over his sleeping friend in the passenger seat.
Just like that, the crease between Kyle’s brows smoothed out, and he sighed. Dick noticed his friend’s eyes moving back and forth underneath his closed eyelids. In REM sleep already. Hopefully the dreams were neutral at worst. There would be plenty of nightmares to come as Kyle worked the trauma through his system. For now, he deserved peace and comfort.
Really, he deserved it forever, but healing didn’t happen that miraculously. So for now, a small miracle would be enough. A Green Lantern ring was a miracle. Hal’s resurrection even more so. For Kyle’s wounded body and mind to cut him a break, that surely wasn’t too much to ask.
And if Dick could help that miracle proceed in any way, well, what else was he on earth for? If Kyle felt safe sleeping here in the car, he could make the ride home to Blüdhaven last for hours. He would go until they ran out of gas.
In blackest night… that was where he grew up. Became the man he was today. It was where he learned to be a light. What did Nightwing mean, if not hope in the dark? If it was too dark now for lantern light, Nightwing was still here.
Pink and orange flooded the horizon, seeping through the blue and gray clouds like hot melted wax. The sunbeams reflected on the surface of the bay, as he drove them across the bridge.
“Brightest day is coming, Green Lantern,” Dick murmured, careful not to disturb his friend’s rest. “And ‘til then, Nightwing is here for you in the dark.”