I'm not sure if this is angst or not...I'm not even sure what angst is, but it sounds depressing and so is this story, lol. Thank you to Diamond Oceans for the idea! Disclaimer: I don't own the teen titans or father's day for that matter.
Mari Anders walked into the bar. After a long days work, she decided to meet a couple friends and have a couple drinks. That was when she spotted a man at the other end.
She didn't know why, but she felt drawn to him somehow. A closer inspection revealed that he was far over her twenty-three years, possibly around her mother's age. His black hair had a few gray locks, and he was wearing sunglasses. He must have been handsome at some point, Mari observed. It was still there, but not her definition of handsome. He was far too old for her. His face, though she could not see his eyes, was practically enamating pain and misery.
The man was currently concentrating very hard on his drink, which the bartender had just handed him. "Don't get too drunk, now, Grayson," the bartender laughed. "Grayson" barely ackknowledged her.
Mari sidled up to him. "Hi, I'm Mari Anders. Would you be Grayson, as in Richard Grayson, as in the guy who used to be one of the richest bachelors in Gotham about twenty years ago?" she asked, he reporter's side coming into play. Grayson turned to look at her, and his eyes widened so much that she could see the whites above his glasses.
"That would be me," he answered. His voice was deep, but laced with pain, just like his features. He was studying her, for some odd reason, but Mari was already caught up in her new to-be story.
"Would you mind if you answered some questions for me? I'm with the Gotham Times. This would make a great story," she said. Richard squinted at her.
"Fine." He pushed his untouched drink to her. She downed it in one gulp. Big mistake. Both Mari and her mother got drunk very easily. Something in their bloodline.
She turned on her mike and immediately started firing questions. "So, what was life like for you twenty years ago? What was it like being filthy rich, getting any girl you wanted?"
Richard sighed and waited awhile before he answered. "...I barely remember. I just know I thought I had it made, and that nothing could go wrong."
"Did something go wrong?"
"...Yes. I had to leave, for reasons I'd rather not explain."
"What's life like for you now?"
"...Not so good. Horrible, if you will. I'm still rich, but I couldn't care less. I lost it all."
"Lost what?"
"I don't want to say. She'll know when she sees it."
"You want someone to read this, don't you, Mr. Grayson? Who? A girl? I believe you were Gotham's biggest playboy twenty years ago, weren't you? What made you give that up?"
Richard, instead of answering, reached over and turned off the mike. "Let's talk about you, Mari. Your mother. Who is she?"
Mari frowned, confused as to why he would ask. "Her name is Kori Anders. She used to live in a country far away from here, Tamaran, but she moved to Gotham about five years before I was born. She was...is absolutely beautiful. She was even more beautiful when she came here, Rachel--she's my neighbor--says. Then, some thug got her pregnant, but she never talks about my father. Rachel says he was an idiot and could go to hell for all she cared." Richard winced visibly.
"I practically had four parents, my mom, Rachel, Vic, and Gar. You can see how well I turned out." Here she had to stop for a minute as she began laughing uncontrollably. Then, as quickly as she had started, she saddened. "But only one was my real one. I wish I could have known my father...I don't know, I honestly don't care who he was, I just wanted to meet him."
Richard's expression softened slightly. "Do you look like your mother?"
Mari laughed. "No, not at all. I'm assuming I'm a female version of my father, but my mom never said that. She never said anything about him. Wait...why am I telling you all this?" she looked at him suspiciously and wondered. Richard just sighed. Mari shook it off.
"You still haven't answered my question. What made you give it all up?" she asked him. Richard stared at her for the longest time. She started to get very uncomfortable. Then, he uttered one word--just one--that changed her entire life.
"Kori."
Wow, what a surprise, right? Lol. Reviews are very much appreciated!