#i also wanna put hyperlinks to the other chapters but idk how haha

[cyoza]

adrenaline; part six (final chapter)

Hello!

This is it! The final chapter!

I wanted to kind of mimic part three where Dick is sharing what happened with his parents and kind of end it kinda of open just in case I wanted to do a sequel later. Especially now the show has been renewed for season 3 (very exciting). I also wanted more softness and allow Kory to have her emotions rather than be the badass queen we all know her as; she’s been through it this season and it’s sometimes forgotten. 

But yep, this is the final chapter, thanks everyone for all the support and sticking with me! I've really appreciated it!

Hope you enjoyed reading!

part one 

part two

part three

part four

part five   

- 

‘Careful, Kory!’ 

Dick stood from his seat on the chair next to her bed and began fussing around her, wrapping an arm around her back and supporting her as she sat up against the pillow. Kory fought the urge to swat him away, feeling more than frustrated by his almost smothering attitude. However, as much as she was exasperated by his hovering, on some level he had a right to be worried. The simple move of lifting herself up knocked the wind out of her and swept a wave of exhaustion through her. In the few hours she’d been awake, she had felt her strength return to her at a snail's pace, again aggravating her to no end. Arguably the strongest person on the team, it was unnatural for her to feel so incapacitated and she was finding it hard not to take it out on the people swarming around her.

Moments after awakening, the team had poured in after hearing Dick’s cries of relief. They had then dotted themselves around the room unwilling to leave her except to retrieve things for her; water, food - pretty much anything she’d asked for appeared in her hand within minutes. Whilst Kory appreciated it, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the constant attention, especially when she was still slightly disoriented from spending such a long time unconscious. Dick being Dick, sensed this and pushed everyone out of the room not long after so she could take a breather. Nonetheless, he stayed put, refusing to leave her side. It helped that he didn’t force her to talk, just being a presence close to her but jumping to attention if she so much as lifted a finger. Even still, she could tell that he was growing impatient, wanting to hear what happened to her as much as he tried to hide it. So she cleared her throat and began to talk. 

‘I guess you’re wanting me to explain what happened whilst I was away.’ She started but Dick cut her off almost immediately. 

‘Kory, it’s okay if you’re not ready. I’m just so glad you’re okay.’ He reassured, placing himself on the empty space next to her on the bed and gripping her hand. 

‘No, no it has to be done. For everyone’s safety.’ She stated gravely, igniting a flash of confusion in his face. ‘It’s been a rough few weeks I’ll be honest. But I guess I’ll start at the beginning. Remember a while back, when I said I had a jump start in getting my memory back? It wasn’t entirely just a jumpstart, I got everything back. I remembered being a princess, everything back in Tamaran. I knew what it would mean to go back. And I tried to put it off as much as I could, I wanted to stay. I wanted to be free here. Back home, you know, everything gets decided for you. How to dress, who to marry, your entire life. But here...you guys just get to be. And I wanted that. I wanted it bad..’ Kory broke off, her voice growing hoarse as her throat swelled with tears. 

Dick said nothing, looking forlorn as he listened to her talk, squeezing her hand tighter; an action that said ‘I’m here, you’re safe.’ So, she continued. 

‘The ‘jump start’ part was thanks to a visitor from there - Royal Protection Services to be exact. He was sent here to take me back and I was going to go, I didn’t want to escalate things and it was my duty after all. But then Rachel called and I knew I couldn’t leave. I already didn’t want to go but hearing that she needed me just, I don’t know, cemented it, if that makes sense. But then I got a call another, that day that I told you I was leaving. It was him, the Royal Protection Services, Fiddei -’ Her voice cut out yet again but this time it was accompanied by a glimmer of liquid in her eye. 

Dick’s chest tightened as he watched her raise her gaze to the ceiling in an attempt to push back her tears - this person was obviously important to her and this couldn’t have ended well. The wretched feeling in his chest got even worse when he realised she felt like she had to be strong in front of him. Even moreso, when he remembered how many times he’d laid himself bare in front of her without fear of judgement and here she was holding herself back in front of the one person on earth who would never judge her. 

So he shifted even closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek bringing her eyes back to him. The action seemed to break the dam because the next thing he knew she gave him a tremulous smile before the tears tumbled down exponentially. It was a beat before she continued. 

‘My sister. She,um, she killed my parents. Everyone important. Fiddei, he came back to warn me and she took over his body. I had to kill him. Everyone I knew and cared about - just gone. By someone who was supposed to be on my side. And the only other person from my planet who was close to me, who understood me on some level, she made me kill.’ She let out a sobbing gasp. ‘And I tried to get back here to regroup but she just kept sending soldiers after me. It kept getting tougher and tougher to fight them alone and it was taking longer and longer for me to recover. I barely made it back here, I was just so...tired. But I kept thinking if I could just make it home, if I could just get to you, there was a chance I could be okay.’ She whimpered. 

Dick was overcome with her admission, not knowing what to do. He wanted to envelop her in his arms so she was never hurt again, he wanted to cry with her for all she’d been through, more than anything he wanted to find her sister and kill her himself. Yet, all he could manage was a tense press of his lips and a stroke of her cheek, very aware that any other manoeuvre could damage her further and potentially halt her recovery. But he also knew that she needed more than that. 

‘You’re home Kory, and you will be okay. I promise you. Even if it kills me, I will make sure that you end up okay.’ 

- 

Kory had drifted back to sleep not long after dropping the bombshell on him, clearly exhausted after such an intense recollection. Dick, on the other hand, was still completely wired. Unable to stop the one thought that was running circles in his mind; Kory could have died. She could have genuinely died. And in her death, not only would humanity be destroyed but he would be long before that would even come close to happening. 

They hadn’t discussed his earlier declaration, its importance paling in comparison to the situation they now had. Especially when you factored in that they still had Slade running amuck to consider. But he couldn’t help but think about it. He prayed that she knew it wasn’t out of desperation but that every part of him was genuinely, irrefutably in love with her. And he didn’t know that she knew. If everything else went to shit in the future, he wanted that to be the thing that survived to her. 

‘Hey, what time is it?’ Kory croaked, pulling him from his thoughts. 

He instinctively stood up from the chair to get closer to her,  in case she needed anything. 

‘It’s half 8. Everyone’s just having dinner, unsurprisingly it’s pizza.’ He informed her, prompting a breathless chuckle from Kory. 

‘Why aren’t you  with them? Have you had anything to eat?’ She inquired, worry coating her voice. 

‘Kory, you’re the one in a cot, why are you worrying about me?’ He asked with a roll of his eyes. 

‘Because I know you, Dick. You put everyone else first and yourself last.’ She paused, apprehension overtaking her. ‘Besides, I found something out. Turns out that the theory that people who are comatose can hear their surroundings is true. So...I heard you talking but it didn’t seem like anybody else was here - I didn’t hear anybody else here. Who were you talking to?’ She questioned hesitantly. 

Dick’s heart dropped to his feet. Shit.This is the last thing he wanted to happen. God, she was going to think he was insane - maybe he was insane but he certainly didn’t want her to think that. He ran a hand over his face, not knowing what to say. He knew he had to be honest but how was he going to tell her what had been happening with him. So instead he did what he knows best to do - avoid the subject. 

‘Kory, it doesn’t matter right now, there’s so many other things to focus on that are more important.’

She gave him a disbelieving and frankly concerned look but didn’t object, either deciding that there had been enough sharing or was too tired to argue with him. However, if the glint in her eye was anything to go by, it didn’t mean that she would be forgetting about it anytime soon. 

‘So this situation with Blackfire...I know we already have so much to deal with but-’ Dick cut her off. 

‘We’re behind you. All the way.’ He reassured her. 

‘Always.’ The word didn’t come from either of them but from a new voice by the door. 

Both Dick and Kory turned their gaze to the door to find Donna, Rachel and Gar piled into the door frame. 

‘What do you need?’ Rachel spoke again, eyes hard and dark.

Kory felt a warm pride bloom in her chest as she looked at all three of them. They were willing to fight for her without needing an explanation, just that she needed them. They were her family now. 

She knew then that maybe everything would be okay; as long as she had them behind her.