Chapter Text
Boy Wonder, Gotham's Golden Boy, Prince of Gotham — these are just a few of the nicknames bestowed upon him by his (un)desirable admirers. As the adoptive son of Bruce Wayne, head of the multinational corporation Wayne Enterprises, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and the most influential figure in Gotham, it wasn't hard to guess that he would be, next to his father, the city's most eligible bachelor. And all this despite only being seventeen years old.
If you have asked him, whether he likes this life, his answer might shock you. He hates it. Even though he appreciates what Bruce has done for him the environment he was forced to live in due to his father's influence makes him gag. He had to go to countless charity events organized by Bruce which were set up only for powdering his image. Against his will, he became the favourite of all the gossip newspapers in Gotham and all that was only in consequence of Bruce being a womanizer and he expected the same from his adoptive son as it would generate a stir. To create this image for him, he often linked him with the daughters of his business partners, although he himself treated them like air, much to the disappointment of his father and the girls. The only "relationship" he had was with Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham's police commissioner, though even that could be described as cold at best.
Even without Bruce's "support" girls would probably have been drawn to him like moths to a flame. It was fair to say he was a very handsome young man. He stood almost 5'11" tall. He had bushy, unruly hair a shade of ebony black. His face had very pronounced, youthful features, high cheekbones, a defined jawline, a straight nose, and icy blue eyes. Despite his slender frame, he was quite muscular. His skin was very fair, but not pale.
He wasn't exactly a social person, even though he attended public school in Gotham, a move he had begged Bruce who prefered private school. He didn't do this out of a desire to make new friends, but to feel like a normal teenager, not the celebrity he had been declared as by all the Gotham newspapers. Those who had the opportunity to get to know him better described him as noble, helpful, and kind, but also distrustful, withdrawn, grumpy, and impulsive.
He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. It's worth noting that Richard John Grayson (or Dick, as he was usually called), as he was known, wasn't born the son of a multi-billionaire and the prime target of all the paparazzi. He was born and raised in a circus, the son of two acrobats. Eventually, he himself became an acrobat and performed with his parents. They were called the Flying Graysons, and his parents were so accomplished and fearless that they performed without any safety equipment. His entire life was shattered at the age of nine when, during his parents' performance, someone clipped the ropes of the trapeze they were using. The trapeze broke, and they fell to the ground in front of their son, who was powerless to do anything.
It so happened that one of the spectators at that ill-fated performance was Bruce Wayne, who decided to take the mentally broken boy under his wing because he had experienced the same trauma and wanted to protect him from the darkness and from himself. He feared Dick would descend into bitterness and extreme loneliness caused by the trauma. Their relationship was rather frosty. He was raised primarily by Bruce's butler, Alfred, with whom he had a much warmer relationship and treated him like a grandfather. Although Bruce would never admit it, he loved Dick and knew he had changed under his influence.
Despite his best efforts, the teenager remained rather withdrawn. Under the influence of Bruce and Alfred, he channeled his pain into, among other things, studying, which resulted in him being very well-educated and speaking several languages. He also used the manor's gym, where he kept fit and trained in martial arts. His goal in life was to work in the police force, combating all the criminals in the city, so that no one else would have to suffer as he had.
Although Dick was naturally distrustful, a few of his peers had grown close enough to him that he gave them his trust and could actually call them his friends. The closest was probably Wally West. They met at the first Bruce's party he had to attend because Wally's uncle, Barry, was one of Mr. Wayne's close friends. He was a red-haired teenager, a few months older than him, who boasted that he was the fastest boy on Earth. Although he was somewhat goofy and mischievous, he managed to win Dick over with his openness and constant support. Unfortunately for Dick, he also had a flirty nature, so his hand often met his forehead to show his embarrassment when Wally tried to hit on other girls with his cringe-worthy lines.
The second person Bruce met at parties whom he could call a friend was Roy Harper. Like Dick, he was quite muscular, but his hair was red and cropped short. In some ways, he resembled Dick quite a bit. He had also lost his parents at a very young age and had also been taken in by billionaire Oliver Queen. Queen and Wayne were close business friends, often throwing charity events together, and just as often, they argued. However, one thing clearly distinguished Roy from Dick. Unlike Dick, Roy hadn't fallen into decadence and had decided to reap the benefits of being a billionaire's son. He was the biggest playboy in all of Gotham, and rumor had it that he had slept with more girls in the past month than he had lived in months. Due to his lack of close friends, Dick had become somewhat of a friend to Roy, though he himself has no idea how or why it happened, because sometimes when he saw his antics, he wanted to walk up to him and strangle him on the spot.
Aside from those two, Dick's closest friend was Rachel Roth. A petite girl with violet eyes and hair and skin as pale as snow, she was his neighbor. He first met her when he was 11, when he accidentally bumped into her. He became interested in her because he noticed bruises on her skin, suggesting she might have been a victim of domestic violence. He managed to stop her before she escaped, and she confessed to him that she had to live with a fiery, alcoholic father who often took his anger out on her or her mother. Dick couldn't watch her suffer, so he took her to Wayne Manor and encouraged her to tell Bruce about the hell she was enduring at home. With his help, Trigon, Rachel's father, was arrested and sentenced to several years in prison, along with a lifetime restraining order against Rachel and Arella, Rachel's mother. From then on, they became close friends, developing a sibling-like relationship, and Rachel often stayed overnight with Dick when Arella had to go away.
He met the remaining three people he could call friends at the school he'd been attending for a year. The local physical education teacher, Johnny Rancid, seeing his excellent physical condition, persuaded Dick to join the school's football team. There, he couldn't isolate himself from the rest, so he decided to make a few friends. He met Victor Stone on the football field. He was a muscular, dark-skinned teenager, nearly 6'7" feet tall. He was bald, and his build could intimidate anyone, but he was also very warm and friendly. Dick valued his friendship with Victor because he felt he could confide most of his worries to him, unless it involved matters of the heart, in which case Vic would be first in line to tease him.
Through Victor, he met his other two friends — Garfield Logan and Karen Beecher. Gar was Victor's closest friend and the school clown. He was petite, with blond hair and green eyes. He was also a paranoid vegetarian (not to be confused with a vegan) who considered meat and eggs the greatest evils in the world. Not a day at school went by without him arguing with Vic about their views on tofu and meat. Karen, on the other hand, was Vic's girlfriend. She was a few inches taller than Gar and, like Victor, had dark brown skin and eyes. Her hair, like Dick's, was black, and she often wore it in two buns. Dick saw her as intelligent and kind, but also a bit conceited and bossy.
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Dick was lying in bed at that moment, sighing loudly. Today was the first day of another school year, his second at this school. He wondered what this year would be like. He didn't consider the previous one bad at all, quite the opposite. He had a good reputation among teachers, he had gotten satisfactory grades (and he was undoubtedly an ambitious student), he had a close group of friends, and yet fame still haunted him. He sighed again. He remembered that he'd once again have to deal with those psychotic girls, led by Kitten, who would do anything to get him to even look at them, even though he had already made it clear often enough that, to put it colloquially, he didn't give a damn about them. He sighed a third time.
Suddenly, someone knocked on his door, and he heard a warm, friendly voice coming from the hallway.
"Master Dick, breakfast is waiting for you. I remind you that you're going back to school today, so I suggest you go downstairs and eat." It was his butler, Alfred.
"Thanks, Al. I'll be right down," Dick shouted back.
He got out of bed, stretched a few times, and went to the bathroom to wash up. After a quick shower, he went downstairs for breakfast, where fresh waffles were already waiting for him, along with cherry jam made by Alfred — his favorite. Alfred was an excellent cook, and although he'd learned a few recipes from him, he'd probably want to learn more. He paused in his third waffle and looked at Alfred.
"Al, do you know if Bruce will be there?" Dick asked.
Alfred just shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Master Dick, but Master Bruce had to go to a business meeting in Jump City."
Dick rolled his eyes. Of course, Bruce is never home. Not that it matters, but it's a little irritating that, besides parties, he goes more often without working out at the gym than he does with Bruce, and Dick goes to the gym six times a week. In fact, these damn parties are the only times he gets to SEE his father, because he certainly doesn't get to talk. Dick sighed again, finished his waffles, and then silently went to his room to finish getting ready for school.
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Kori Anders was lying in bed in her new apartment when a loud male voice drowned out the birds singing outside the window and ordered her to get up. The voice belonged to Galfore, her dearest k'norfka. Most wouldn't have believed at first glance how wonderful and caring he was. He stood over 6'8" tall and wide, and had a scar over his right eye, giving him a terrifying appearance, though deep down he was a teddy bear. Galfore was like a father to her. He had been the closest friend to her deceased parents, who had perished in the civil war raging in her home country of Tamaran, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean. After their deaths, Galfore had decided to care for their children — her and her siblings. Komi was a year and a half older than her, while Ryan was four years younger.
Ryan was a typical boy for his 13 years. He stood around 5'3" tall, had curly red hair, green eyes, and was quite tanned. He was competitive and had a mischievous nature. He often played pranks on her oldest sister, Komi (much to her fury), whom he disliked, sometimes involving Kori in them. He also enjoyed spending a lot of time playing on his console.
Komi was a tall woman, standing over 6' tall, with hair the color of ripe blueberries and slanted gray eyes, though she wore contact lenses to give her irises a violet tint. Her skin was deeply tanned, much like Ryan's. She was by far the most difficult of the three siblings. She often used her position to bully her brother and sister, and Galfore had great difficulty taming her rebellious nature. Eventually, after turning 18, she requested her own place to live, wanting to distance herself from her perceived "worthless siblings." Galfore ultimately decided to give her his apartment in Jump City, where they had lived since escaping from Tamaran, and he, Kori, and Ryan moved across the country to Gotham.
Kori rolled over in bed again, trying to keep her eyes closed as her k'norfka entered her room to wake her and spoke in his deep voice.
"Kori, I know you're awake. Please stop struggling with the covers and get up. Today is the first day of a new school, remember?"
Kori sighed, accepting that she could not escape the inevitable. She opened her eyes and looked at her k'norfka, nodding, then climbed out of bed and onto her feet.
She had a rather unusual appearance. She was tall and slender, standing around 5'11" tall. She had flaming red hair that fell to her waist, except for two strands that framed her face. She had a small, slightly upturned nose and jade-colored eyes. Like her siblings, her skin was incredibly tanned. Some would say she had a model's figure, but she took such opinions with a grain of salt.
She did not like Gotham. The atmosphere there was gloomy and rainy almost every day, and the sun was scarce. She missed living in sunny Jump City. She had a life there, attended school there, and made a few friends she already missed (especially Donna). Unfortunately, Komi had forced her, Ryan, and Galfore to move here, for which she harbored a slight, though still, grudge.
Today was the start of the school year at the local high school, and she was not thrilled about it. Apparently, she had adjusted her gloomy mood to the weather outside, where a sudden downpour from the dark clouds constantly threatened, but which still did not arrive.
She went downstairs to eat the pancakes waiting for her, and after breakfast, she went to change. She put on a green tank top for her first day, layering it with a purple cotton sweater, a knee-length denim skirt, and finished it off with black calf-length boots.
She prepared a backpack for her future books and packed her school supplies, a lunch, her phone, her wallet, and an umbrella in case of the aforementioned rain. She put on her headphones and left the house, heading to her new school.
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After packing all the essentials, Dick went with Alfred to drive him to school. He convinced him not to take the limo but to take one of Bruce's many cars, as a limo was a symbol of wealth, and Dick wanted to keep displays of his financial status at school to an absolute minimum.
Upon arriving at school, Dick immediately put on his tinted sunglasses, got out of the car, and headed toward the auditorium, where Principal Slade Wilson was to announce the start of the new school year. Naturally, this didn't go without a few flirtatious glances from his "admirers," which he rolled his eyes at under his glasses. Upon entering the auditorium, he immediately spotted a familiar bald bruiser and the girl with two buns sitting next to him. He walked over and took a seat next to them. He exchanged his trademark greeting with Vic and gave a small nod to Karen.
Then he saw Rachel enter the classroom, practically dragging Garfield by the ears. Incidentally, Dick had offered Rachel a ride to school today, but she had politely declined, claiming she had to take the responsibility of kicking Garfield out of bed, as he would never have made it to school on time on his own. Dick shrugged at the scene with a little smile, and Karen giggled.
Dick didn't pay much attention to the assembly itself; after all, it was the same old principal's chant he used every year: Welcome to all the new students at our school, thanks to the teaching staff, announcement of sporting events, blah, blah, blah...
After 40 minutes of "rambling", as Dick called the principal's speech, the students were assigned to their classrooms to await their lesson plans and textbooks. Dick and his friends were assigned to the class of their math teacher, Madame Rouge, who also occasionally taught French. Rouge was a strict and demanding teacher, whom most students disliked because she gave difficult tests.
Dick, as usual, sat in the third row by the window and waited for the schedule. Vic sat down with Gar right behind him, and Rachel and Karen in front of him. Suddenly, Madame Rouge appeared before his eyes.
"Grayson, even though you're my best student, rules are rules. Please remove your glasses."
Dick restrained his irritation and obediently complied with the teacher's request. He seemed to have forgotten her stance on wearing such accessories in the school. No one tolerated his sunglasses more than she did.
Later, he received his schedule and was about to leave the classroom and head to the library for his books when he felt the teacher grab his arm.
"Grayson, you stay here for a few more minutes," Rouge ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.
Since Dick generally tried not to cause trouble when he didn't have to, he refrained from rolling his eyes and nodded, signaling to his friends not to wait for him.
Dick stood leaning against the wall for a few minutes, wondering why he was being held. He didn't need to be under special observation by the teachers because of his behavior. On the contrary, most of the teachers were very pleased with his work. He didn't have any beef with anyone at school, except for Walkers, of course.
Later, Madame Rouge emerged from the office, but strangely enough, she didn't leave alone. Another student was also with her. And Dick would have sworn on all the holy books of all the world's religions that he had never seen a more extraordinary girl in his life. And he had already had the displeasure of meeting plenty of them, Kitten at the forefront.
She had the most vibrant red hair he'd ever seen. Lush and beautiful, reaching down to her waist. Her skin was incredibly tanned, he swore it was golden. She was a little taller than him, which was remarkable in itself, as he wasn't short himself. Furthermore, she had an incredibly slender figure, which, combined with her height, made her legs seem endless. But what captivated him most were her eyes. Two magnificent jade eyes staring back at him, like stars. Combined with her outfit, Dick decided she was undoubtedly the sweetest creature he'd ever seen. She bit her lip slightly, revealing her stress.
Madame Rouge cleared her throat, forcing both teenagers back to reality and, in the process, causing a blush to appear on Kori's cheeks.
"Grayson, this is Kori Anders, our new student. I'd be grateful if you could show her around the school and point out all the important issues."
Dick knew that when Rouge said I'd be grateful it was really a command, but this time, with a hidden glee, he decided to comply with the teacher's request.
Dick gestured for Kori to follow him so he could show her around. He started with the cafeteria, where he told her about the quality of the school food.
"So, Ms. Mae-eye is the school cook. Generally, the school food is quite good, and Fridays are the best because you can order pizza then..."
He stopped when he felt something on his hand and saw Kori grab his hand, then clear her throat.
"Thank you so much for showing me around, but if you would not mind, I would like to know your name."
Richard almost slapped his forehead in embarrassment. He forgot to introduce himself! What a gaffe. Wait, that means she doesn't know me. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't introduce myself right away.
"Right, sorry. My name is Richard, but most people call me Dick."
Kori nodded slightly, then tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked back at Richard. Besides seeming genuinely nice, he was also... handsome. He was dressed in a white T-shirt and a black zip-up hoodie, with sunglasses perched on top. He also wore loose, long jeans and gray sneakers. His ebony hair seemed to have a life of its own, but what caught her attention most were his electric blue eyes. She snapped out of it when Richard started to say something, but she couldn't make out what it was.
"Excuse me, could you repeat that?" she asked, a noticeable blush on her cheeks.
"I asked if you had your schedule and locker key yet, because I was planning to show you all the classrooms and tell you about the teachers, but also show you the locker room."
Kori nodded. "Yes, I already got my schedule and key. Do you wish to see?"
Richard raised his eyebrows in surprise, but nodded. After receiving her schedule, he looked at his own and pondered.
"Hmmm, we are in the same class. Well, I won't tell you about the teachers for painting and other artistic subjects in general, because I don't go to them, but I will be happy to tell you about the other teachers"
Kori listened attentively to the opinions of all the teachers who had the pleasure of teaching Dick, and learned, among other things, that Professor Mod was a true British man who hated all things American and dreamed of the United Kingdom recolonizing the United States. Rumors had it that he wore underwear whose design was supposedly inspired by the British flag, which made her choke in disgust, but also giggle.
Besides, Dick had warned her not to upset Madame Rouge in any way, because his friend Gar was getting a two-hour detention every day for the rest of the week for throwing a paper airplane in class, and the incident had occurred on Monday. As she could guess, Gar was much calmer in her class after that.
Of the other teachers, Dick greatly admired Professor Immortus, his — and her — future history teacher. Even though he was old, his voice held such passion as he recounted historical events that even Gar listened raptly, while he was distracted in almost every lesson. Sometimes it felt like Immortus had witnessed every single event he recounted. He was that good.
Richard also warned her about Professor Walker, who taught chemistry at the school. It was because of that last name. Richard had been downright bullied by the teacher, mostly at the behest of his daughter, Kitten, because he refused to go out with her. This had kept him on the receiving end for 90% of the previous school year, even though he'd still managed to get an A. Kori sensed from the way Dick spoke about Kitten that she was a fanatic to him, and that she'd clung to him like gum to a shoe, which also fueled Kori's dislike for her.
Besides, he mentioned that Professor Mallah teaches Biology. He normally works as vice-principal, but in the spring, he started teaching biology after the previous teacher, Professor Isley, known colloquially as Ivy, packed up when she was told to remove her flowers because their scent was bothering the students. Dick's words implied that Mallah was less strict than Rouge, but just as ruthless when a student got on his nerves. As she could easily guess, Gar had gotten on Mallah's nerves, but she was surprised by how — by throwing a paper ball with a message to Dick. Dick didn't even have time to notice it when Mallah picked it up and read it. Gar, of course, became the most diligent student in biology after that lesson.
Of the other teachers they shared classes with, she learned from him that their physics teacher, Dr. Light, was terrified of Rachel, whoever she was. If she wanted to know what Rachel had done to the teacher, she would have to ask her, since he wasn't there when it happened.
Johnny Rancid, on the other hand, had a very interesting life outside of school. Sure, he was a PE teacher, and Dick thought he was really good at his job, but he was also a lover of dangerous animals. He supposedly kept a snake at home. Besides that, he was the lead singer in a local rock band called The Undeads.
The last teacher Dick considered important was Professor Futterman, who preferred to be called Lenny, though his students often referred to him as Control Freak. He taught computer science. Although he was a really good teacher, he was quite manic, and students sometimes saw him as a lunatic. Besides, he liked to joke.
As they talked about their teachers and showed Kori each classroom, they arrived at the library to pick up their books. The librarian smiled and handed Dick his new books, which he ignored, unlike Kori, who smiled back.
They then went to the sports hall and the PE locker room. Then they went outside, where Dick showed Kori the football, basketball, and volleyball fields.
Kori noticed athletes running on the football field and asked Dick to come over to check out the students practicing. Vic spotted his friend and approached him. Dick returned the look and greeted Vic again in his trademark manner.
"So why did Professor Rouge hold ya down? And perhaps you'd like to introduce me to your companion?" Vic asked.
Dick rolled his eyes and replied, "Vic, this is Kori Anders. Professor Rouge asked me to show her around the school since she's new. Kori, this is Victor Stone, a close friend of mine both on the pitch and at school." Drawing her attention to the muscular giant standing before her with a wide grin. She wasn't intimidated by him, having lived with a giant herself for several years now. Vic spoke with a smile.
"So, lil' lady, is Dick a good guide, or is he just naggin' like usual?" he asked, earning another eye roll from Dick.
"Oh yes, Richard is a very good guide. He showed me around the entire school, giving me lots of tips about the teachers and school life in general," she replied with a grin on her face.
Vic's eyes widened for a moment, then returned to normal, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. He spoke again, this time to Dick.
"Well, Dick, I hope you don't miss next practice, because we really need such a wide receiver like you. I also wouldn't mind if you brought some company to your next practice", he said with a suggestive look on his face, earning a murderous glare from Dick and a confused look from Kori before turning back to practice when Rancid called him.
Dick went to take Kori to the last places he had to show her. A sort of common room and locker room. The common room was actually a space similar to the cafeteria, but instead of a food buffet and Ms. Mae-eye offering her baked goods, there were two pool tables, two foosball tables, one air hockey table, and three chess tables. Besides these, there were a few empty desks, probably reserved for students who came to study or hang out with friends without playing any of the games offered. Principal Wilson made sure no student even thought of stealing anything from the games. When Mammoth, one of the school's bullies, decided to steal a puck from the air hockey, Principal Wilson personally handed him a two-month detention, which he couldn't avoid, no matter how hard he tried. This was enough to deter other students like Mammoth.
On the way to the locker room, Kori decided to resume her conversation with Vic.
"Richard, what was Vic up to with the company at practice?" she asked, confused.
Dick rolled his eyes and then replied to the girl.
"Oh, you see, like Vic, I'm on the high school football team, and I missed practice today, so he probably got some idea that my priorities in life have changed."
"What priorities?"
Dick regretted his answer because now he had to answer that Kori's question, something he definitely didn't want to do, but he had to.
"Well... I don't want to sound arrogant, but I deal with a lot of unwanted attention from the opposite sex at this school, but I brushed it all off because they only had one thing on their minds."
Kori nodded, immediately getting the hint, but then her face darkened, which didn't escape Dick's notice.
"Is something wrong?"
Kori stopped, turned to Richard, and said.
"Well, I wanted to apologize for making you miss your football practice..."
Dick raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Was she apologizing to him for coming to this school and needing guidance? He had to clarify.
"Stop talking nonsense. One missed football practice won't change my life dramatically, and I'll also add that I don't consider the time spent with you wasted."
Kori blinked, surprised by the answer, then bit her lip. HE claimed he did noo regret a single moment spent with HER. She felt her cheeks heat up and decided to change the subject.
"Well, perhaps we could head to the locker room now? I would like to put away my books."
Dick couldn't help but notice the change in Kori's cheeks, and his lips curved into a smile at the sight. He knew perfectly well that if he wanted to, he could melt any girl, but not every girl was Kori, so making her feel so embarrassed gave him immense satisfaction.
"Yes, of course. Follow me, please."
Dick led Kori to the locker room, descending the stairs one level below the ground floor. Although the locker room was underground, it still had wide and spacious hallways, which kept students from feeling crowded. Of course, there were lockers everywhere.
"What's your number?" Dick asked.
"Um, wait, let me check... 512," Kori replied.
"Oh, my locker is pretty close to yours. Mine is 504," Dick smiled, though he briefly wondered why he'd told her that, and then walked toward the girl's locker.
Kori clapped her hands in satisfaction and followed Dick.
Dick showed Kori her locker, then walked over to his own, key already in hand. He put most of the books he deemed less necessary at the moment in his locker and waited for Kori to do the same.
Then he and the girl returned to the ground floor and headed for the exit. Alfred had already been informed to pick him up. As he stepped out of the building, he immediately felt raindrops falling on his head. It was pouring... again. So he went back inside, but to his surprise, Kori did not stop heading for the exit, instead pulling an umbrella from her backpack and opening it as soon as she stepped out of the building.
Are you walking home? – asked Richard.
Kori turned her head to him and smiled. "Yes, I only have 3 miles to go home, I already covered that distance on the way to school."
But it didn't rain this morning! - Dick objected - Do you want me to give you a ride home? – he suggested.
Kori raised her eyebrows in surprise and zoned out for a moment.
He wants to take me home! Her inner self screamed. Not only had he shown her around the school, admittedly at Madame Rouge's request, but he had also answered all her questions without showing any irritation, told her everything he knew and felt needed to be told, and even more. And now he wanted to take her home through a few droplets of water falling from the sky.
What am I supposed to do? she wondered, then her mind began to give her excuses to refuse.
I mean, I would gladly take him up on his offer, but my house is not that far away, and I had that umbrella ready for a reason.
Suddenly, Richard's hand appeared before her eyes, and he began speaking into her ear.
"Hello, is anyone there? Earth to Kori!"
Kori woke up and blushed for what seemed like the fifth or sixth time that day, but this blush was definitely the most expansive.
"Ummm... thank you so much, Richard, for the offer..." she began tapping her fingers together. "...but you really do not have to do that. I prepared for this weather, and three miles is not that far." With that, she quickly headed toward the school gates to forestall any further protests from Richard, then headed home, leaving the boy at the door.
Richard stared in the direction Kori had gone into the house for a few more minutes, then felt a buzz in his pocket and saw Alfred's message, saying he was waiting for him at the gate. He slung his backpack on his back and shifted the car into sixth gear, to minimize getting wet on the way from the building to the car. The ride to the manor was silent, aside from Alfred's standard questions, mostly confined to the ceremony. Dick couldn't get a certain redhead out of his head the entire trip, and vice versa, but neither of them knew that.