The Blind Bird [FINISHED]

Chapter 16

"Well I was chained in a cell for a year while they experimented on me. I guess that's semi the cause why I like being alone because I was very alone in there." Dick started, clearing his throat.

"You didn't have any cell mates?" Jason asks.

"No, what did you think it was, Prison?" Dick asks sarcastically. "I was alone in the cell. Think of it as solitary confinement. It wasn't a daily visit either. I wouldn't eat for a week sometimes." That made Jason actually shift and sit forward, actual concern in his face. Thankfully, for Jason, Dick was blind so he couldn't tease him.

"Did you get tortured?" Jason asks.

Dick gulped and nodded. "Of course." He says.

"What type of torture?" Jason pushed.

"Well... When I became Deathstroke's protégé, things got more complicated. My vision was dying away slowly so that caused problems. When I failed at doing something at first it was just whipping but then he got creative and started freezing me, starving me, torturing me, mentally ruining me, and then it got to electrocution. That was probably the worst. I think the electrocution caused my vision to go completely blind to be honest. Or it sped it up." Dick finished, his voice becoming low and scratchy.

Jason sat there frozen in shock. He hasn't experienced anything that bad. He was only beaten by a crowbar. He wasn't taking torture for 3 years. He felt very scared for Dicks life.

"Don't start feeling pity on me." Dick interjected Jason's mental thinking. Jason gulped and then looked down and sighed.

"Who wouldn't feel pity after hearing that?" Jason asks lowly.

"I don't want pity! Don't give me pity! Pity is evil and that's all I've been getting since I've gotten back!" Dick shouted frustratingly. "Since his presence makes me freeze, everyone thinks I'm too emotional to do anything. Since I show weakness, which I'm not fond of, I get pitied for being the young one! I don't need it! I don't want it!" Dick shot up from his seat and stormed off into the other room. Jason sat there for a moment before snapping out of it and running after him.

"Hey! No ones pitying you!" Jason gripped Dicks arm, causing the other to hiss in pain and rip his hand back to his chest. Jason's eyes darkened, seeing sudden guilt crawling into Dicks features.

"Dick, let me see your wrist." Jason demanded calmly.

"I'm fine. I sprained it during my last mission. Your tight grip caused it to hurt." Dick glared, turning around to walk away.

Jason jumped forward and gripped Dick's arm, ignoring the fuss. Even if Jason was at least a head taller than dick, he was bigger in masculinity since he is 18 and Dick is only 16. Dick put up a fight until Jason pulled up the red jacket he was wearing and saw 6 dark, puffy, red lines almost crisscrossing horizontally up his wrist. They looked fresh. About a day fresh and Jason held his hand tighter and glared.

"You did this to yourself?! Why?!" He shouted.

"I don't need to tell you!" Dick shouted back.

"This isn't healthy dick! This won't help." Jason says.

"You can't tell me that! Even though we shared a common name doesn't make you responsible for it! I barely know you." Dick shot in.

"This isn't something even a stranger should look away from, Grayson. How long have you been doing this?" He asks.

Dick glared and felt Jason's aura fill with legit concern. This made Dick choke up on the lump starting to form, but he couldn't show him. So he sucked it down, ripped his arm out of Jason's and pulled the sleeve down roughly.

"Yesterday was the only day I did it. Happy?" He asks before running to the Zeta tubes, leaving Jason there in his thoughts.

He was wondering if he should tell batman or leave it a secret. Should he try to expose Dick and force him to tell his team? For Jason, the second one sounded less of a death sentence to him. It was just how he was gonna show how much support Dick needed that is the question. He sighed and walked back to the Zeta tubes with his mind swimming in questions.

*young justice*

The reason the team took a day off was to try and plan a hang out day and surprise Nightwing. They wanted to show him support by buying him some new clothes that Wally knew he'd like and some barbeque food. They wanted to give Dick a day of support and no missions for about a week so that they could all be glued to him when they got back. They got Bruce in on this, although he was against it at first, but they plead a very good case.

"All this shopping is making me huungry!!" Wally complained, stretching his hands in the air to stretch his back.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Your always hungry. A walk from the kitchen sink to the stove will make you hungry."

"So, a grown man has gotta eat." He says.

"We can do pizza!" M'gaan suggests. "I haven't tried Pizza since I've been on earth!"

Wally about choked on his air, coughing and wheezing to a stop. "You haven't... Tried pizza?! How long have you been on earth? 4 and a half years?!" Wally shouted, causing Artemis to slap him on the head.

"We are in public dummy!" She whispered loudly.

Wally rubbed his head with a pout on his face. "Ow, okay, I'm sorry." He says, then looks at M'gaan, Conner and Kauldur. "Pizza it is." He says.

"Sounds fine to me." Connor says, grabbing M'gaans hand and going into line.

"I can't wait to see Dick! He's going to be back to himself in no time! This little party we have planned will be the best party yet!" Wally shouted happily.

Little did they know, it was about to get much worse for our little bird.