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Damian stared out the passenger side window as Dick drove, Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls blasting from the radio, his older brother keeping one eye on the road and one on the sky, following the path of the rainbow shining the best he could through Gotham’s streets.
“This is pointless.”
“That’s the point.”
“To drive aimlessly listening to this trying to find the end of a natural phenomenon?”
“Yep. Get out, relax, spend some time without having to be anywhere or do anything
“This is a waste of time and gas.”
“This is brotherly bonding and a rare opportunity. When was the last time you saw a rainbow in Gotham?” Damian stayed silent as Dick asked that. Dick tossed his phone at his brother. “You can pick the music then. Make up for this wild goose chase.”
Damian plucked the phone out of the air, quickly unlocking it and scrunching his nose as he looked at the playlists available.
“You do know that you can’t actually reach the end of a rainbow.”
“Of course I do, Damian.”
“Sometimes I can’t tell if you do or not. Todd and Drake definitely do. But you. It could go either way depending on the subject.”
“You wound me.”
“I should hope so.”
They followed the rainbow to the outskirts of Gotham, nearly reaching the border between New Jersey and New York, before Dick spotted the descent of the rainbow, turning towards it and navigating the small twisted back streets as they got closer. Damian bit back a groan as Dick made wrong turns in roads too narrow to turn around in anyway forcing to drive in reverse for long stretches.
This continued on for a half hour before Dick pulled over, parking just off the street, hopping out of the car as he and Damian stepped out, entering the last leg of their hunt on foot, turning the corner into one of the small, hidden parks of Gotham. It was empty except for a lone woman sitting in the corner of the park.
The rainbow seemed to hit the ground exactly where the woman had set a picnic. She sat, sketching, seeming almost ethereal as the rainbow bathed her in colors, her red dress standing out in the dull green of the park. Bright blue eyes flicking up briefly to spot them before quickly returning to the page in front of her as they came closer.
“Tt. I thought at the mythical end of the rainbow was supposed to be a pot of gold. Not a picnic.”
“Well then it must be your lucky day,” she laughed, now fully looking up from her seat at the two of them. “Am I your treasure at the end of the rainbow?”
“Tt. You don’t seem concerned by the sudden appearance of two strangers chasing a rainbow.”
“Happens a surprising amount,” she admitted, gesturing to her picnic blanket, inviting them to join her.
“That must make you unobtainable,” Dick told her, sitting down, ignoring Damian’s glare aimed at the back of his head.
“Or simply elusive,” she shot back with a smile. “But you seem to have found me.”
Dick opened his mouth before Damian spoke up “I did not allow you to drag me all over Gotham to watch you flirt with the first pretty woman you see. If you wish to continue I shall leave, taking the car with me.”
“You can’t drive.”
“I have been driving longer than you have.”
“That’s a lie and it would be illegal for you too.”
“It is only illegal if you get caught, Grayson.”
“Don’t feel obliged to stay on my behalf,” she cut in. “You can leave. I won’t be offended.”
Dick stood with a sheepish smile. “Sorry for taking up your time. We’ll be on our way now before this one gets us in trouble with the law.”
“They would never catch me.”
“Damian-” he let out a breath. “One more year. You can wait one more year.”
“Well I’m not going to let you leave your search empty handed,” she said, wrapping a few of her cookies up and passing them to Damian with a soft ‘for you,’ before tearing a small corner from a page in the back of her sketchbook and scribbling something on it and passing it to Dick with a small wink. “And here. For you. Don’t be a stranger. You know how to find me.”
The two brothers departed with a small wave from the older’s side, Dick looking at the small piece of paper in his hand, reading the delicate handwriting.
Marinette
(555) 555-5555
Don’t hesitate to reach out.
Here’s a little luck charm for you, Dick (::)<
Dick frowned slightly, he hadn’t given her his name, had he? He didn't think so, And Damian certainly didn’t say it. He glanced back briefly, freezing as he stared at where she’d just been sitting, the spot now vacant as if she’d never been there. He looked around for any sign of her but the park was empty.
“Maybe there is something magical at the end of rainbows,” he muttered.
The rainbow was gone, the rare instance of sun shining was replaced once more by the dim gloom and drear of Gotham. He blinked as Damian tsked beside him.
“Richard, do not delude yourself further. There’s nothing magical here. Just your romantic ideals, and a woman in a rush.”
Dick shook his head, grinning at his brother, looking back at where Marinette had been seated. Empty spare for a few flowers he hadn’t noticed before. They looked as if no one had ever been there. He knew that was where they’d been sitting but the flowers stood upright and healthy, not crushed like they should have been but bright and in full bloom. A soft wind blew through, setting them waving slightly as he stared at the flowers.
The blaring of the car horn caught his attention, before he cursed under his breath and took off before Damian drove off without him.