I'm just going to rewrite the whole Mirage thing - what was said was still said but I fixed how it should be dealt with after because oh my fucking god the amount of victim-blaming is just way too much  

TW: MENTIONS OF RAPE AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION BUT NO DETAIL

https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/sexual-harassment-helplines

https://victimconnect.org/resources/national-hotlines/

Dick couldn't stay there anymore. He couldn't bear his team laying into him like this was all his fault. It wasn't. Well, maybe it was. Maybe he should've known it wasn't Starfire. The rest of the team seemed to think so including Starfire and he trusted their judgement. He had to when he trusted them with his life on a daily basis. Maybe it was really narcissism that drove him to get on his motorcycle and keep going with no real destination to head to. His ego might be trying to save itself from criticism. No matter what it was that forced him out, he was going. He let the sound of the passing cars and the roar of his engine pass over him as he drove through the streets. He needed to get as far away as possible to somewhere he could be completely alone. Just him and his thoughts. He glanced up at the road signs. There was a beach not far from here. If he drove far enough he could probably get to a secluded area. He nodded to himself before making the turn. Maybe sitting by the water would clear his mind. Playing with the sand could help too. It was nice to let it pass through his fingertips, watching it return to the ground. 

As he drove, he couldn't help but think about how fucked this all was. Mirage disguises herself as his girlfriend, unbeknownst to him, to anyone for that matter, and then- he didn't know what to call it. Sex was the coldest term he could think about it. Well, there was an even colder term he could add but he didn't want to face that reality. He shivered uncomfortably. Her fingertips were still haunting his skin. What would make that go away? He could feel it clear as day. He could remember it all clear as day and he hated that he could. Those eyes. God, how could he have not seen they weren't hers? There was no love in them. He doubted there'd be love in the original ones now though. Yet again, he ruined it all. Dick thought of the magazines, the posts, the articles. Man whore. Couldn't keep it in his pants. He was disgusted with himself. The team were right. He should've known. This was all his fault. 

Everyone was quiet. None really knew what to say or how to say it yet they all felt the same. They'd done something wrong. After an interview, they discovered Mirage's plan. They were so confident that they were right. That her sleeping with Nightwing was his fault too but as questions were answered and they got through the process, an officer came up to them. 

"Mirage is bragging about what she did to Nightwing. Poor guy," she said.

"Poor guy? He slept with her!" Starfire exclaimed, scowling at the woman. The officer raised an eyebrow as though she was confused by the reaction but surely it was obvious why she was upset. 

"But she said she was imitating you when it happened?"

"Yea," she responded. She wasn't backing down and her fellow heroes were right there supporting her. What did this civilian know? They saw Nightwing for what he was. He'd take it wherever he could get it so to speak. No wonder he had the reputation he had and they were stupid enough to think everyone else had it twisted.

"And he didn't know she wasn't you right?"

"He should've known," she snapped.

"Okay let me put it this way. Let's say Nightwing is a girl at a party and Mirage is a guy who spots her. This girl is having a great time, drinking and dancing, and then she decides to take it a step further by taking a party drug her friend bought her," the officer explained. The team decided to humour her and follow along. Obviously, she was some sort of fangirl of the hero and trying to protect him at all costs. "She takes the drugs but has a bad reaction and can't find her friend. She's lost and it gets too much but that guy comes over and offers help. Her perception of the world is different from his because she's taken drugs and is heavily intoxicated, yes?" They nodded. "He decides to be nice and help her home but then he thinks to himself that he needs to be repaid for doing such a good deed. He brings her upstairs and has sex with her. Is that okay?"

"No, not at all. How does this pertain to the Nightwing situation exactly?" Wonder Girl inquired. 

"Nightwing's perception of the situation was his girlfriend who he must love and trust had sex with him. The reality was that wasn't his girlfriend. Therefore he didn't consent to that interaction," she concluded. 

"But he should've known it wasn't me!" Starfire growled.

"Starfire, if you were in the same situation, would you want to be blamed for this? He must be feeling violated that he trusted someone only to find out it wasn't who they really were. I know if we were to deal with a case, as bizarre as it is, we'd treat this as a serious offence," she explained. She sighed, seeing that the hero was still furious. "Just think about it. He never had informed consent. I don't know about you but I'd be more worried about how he was feeling than whether he should've known or not."

They decided to humour the officer and think about it but the more they thought about it the more she made sense. They'd feel violated if they were in the same position. Putting your whole trust in someone, allowing that person to be intimate with you only to find out it wasn't even the right person. Starfire had been missing beforehand too. He was probably so glad to have her back that he said yes to whatever she wanted and Mirage took her chance. So they sat in silence as they thought about how to approach this. They'd blamed him immediately. They made him so uncomfortable that he left. Nobody knew where he'd be now. Eventually, Starfire stood up. "Where are you going?" Garth asked. 

"I need to find him. It may take me a while. He's a hard man to find when he wants to be."

"Do you want help?" Donna asked. She shook her head.

"No. I want to find him first."

The tide was slowly creeping up the beach but Dick couldn't find it in himself to care. He watched the sunset whilst his thoughts surrounded him. He felt claustrophobic despite the miles of empty space. No one was around. He was alone. But was he truly alone if she was in his thoughts the whole time? He felt dirty. Completely wrong. He wanted to skip town. Start over again. He wouldn't get a team this time. He'd be on his own if he decided to start again. Being with other people was too risky. All he ever seemed to do was hurt people. All people seemed to do to him was hurt him. No, he'd be on his own this time. Truly alone. No friends, no family, no Justice League, no Titans, nothing. Just him. He hated being alone but it seemed better than being with other people at the moment. Dick laid back against the sand and looked at the sky. Could his parents see him now? Making all these stupid mistakes? They probably thought the same as his friends. If Bruce caught word of this he'd probably lecture him. Trust no one would be the main point. Of course, there'd be some good old insults put in there for flavour. If he was really "lucky" it would be in front of someone else. That new Robin would do the trick. 'Hey new kid I know we don't know each other very well but the general consensus is that I'm a whore.' He felt that horrid pit in his stomach growing. He thought if it kept going it would swallow him up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Running was probably the best solution. Another country would be cool. He knew plenty of languages and he doubted anyone would haul him all the way over to the other side of the world just to drag him back. He wasn't worth it. "There you are!" No. No, he didn't want to see her. He sat straight up and frantically looked around. There she was. Starfire was just a few feet away, floating above the ground. She must've flown over whilst his eyes were closed. He was frozen under her gaze. "I was looking and I couldn't find you- doesn't matter. We need to talk." They were breaking up, he'd accepted that but he thought he'd be able to run and avoid the actual conversation. It was bad enough when Barbara broke up with him. It hurt for so long. It still stung now. He stared at her, not saying anything. What if this wasn't Starfire? Could he trust his judgement anymore? 

Starfire went to sit beside him but he flinched away, scrambling back to maintain their distance. She could've cried there and then. He looked frightened and she couldn't carry the weight of his cause of fear being her. She sat down where she was so she could keep her distance and sighed. This would be difficult but she had to admit when she was wrong and for the sake of her boyfriend, she hoped she hadn't left it too late. "I was too hasty before. I didn't think-"

"Fuck off Mirage," Dick spat venomously. He didn't look at her but instead glared at the sand. "I know Star wouldn't forgive me for this so you're wasting your time." He brought his legs up to his chest and directed his gaze back to the sunset, wishing to find some comfort in it. "You're not touching me again." Those words were so quiet yet so devastating. She'd made this already horrible experience so much worse out of what? Because she didn't give him time to explain? Because she was so sure she was right? If she could rewind time, she'd approach it differently. She couldn't say she wouldn't be mad but maybe she'd be mad at the right person and she wouldn't have put someone she loved so much through more pain. It's not like he needed much more. 

"It's really me this time. I promise."

"Prove it."

"Your real name is Dick Grayson and your middle name is John after your father," she listed without fault. He eased up a little but not as much as she wanted him to. There was some silence between them, both trying to get comfortable around one another again. It didn't feel right. Something had been broken and neither knew how to fix it. Starfire knew she needed to be the one to do the work though. Whatever had broken, she'd broken it and she wasn't going to make Dick deal with it. 

"We're breaking up aren't we?" Dick asked quietly, his voice barely any louder than the waves crashing against the sand. She turned to him, shaking her head.

"No no no, we aren't," she said quickly. "Unless you want to." He chewed on his bottom lip anxiously as he thought about his answer. He squeezed his arms and opened his mouth to speak but promptly closed it. He dropped his eyes from the horizon but still couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze. Everything was so complicated now and his mind was full of conflicting voices. He didn't do anything wrong but he did so everything wrong. He was innocent but he was guilty. If his mind could pick a side this would be much easier. 

"I cheated on you Star. I'm disgusting."

"Stop it," she stated sternly.

"Stop what? Repeating your own words? I can take you breaking up with me Star but I can't take you luring me into a false sense of security before doing it," he told her. He continued when he mistook her guilty silence for thinking about them. "I didn't mean for her to touch me like that. If I knew, I swear I wouldn't have let her. I know I have a reputation but I'd never cheat." She stood up, unable to keep her want to pace at bay. She walked towards the sea before walking back. Dick watched her boots make imprints in the sand with a curious expression. It looked like she was gearing up for something. He assumed it would be a verbal assault. He'd deserve it. 

After repeating the short walk enough times, she stopped and stood to face him. "Richard I love you more than anything. I was so upset that I let it cloud my judgement. You have remained faithful to me throughout our relationship and I should have known you'd never hurt me by cheating. No less with a criminal," she announced, speeding through her words but not stumbling on them. Dick darted his eyes up to her and studied her expression. She looked genuine and her green eyes were glazed over with tears. She played with her fingers as she carried on. "I understand if you want to break up with me or if you simply need time away. If you're worried about the team, they've had the same change of heart I have. There is no trickery here. I promise you I'm being truthful." Dick turned to her a little with a solemn look. She took that as some sort of progress. "If you need me to leave, I will. If you need to be on your own and want a break from the team don't feel like you can't."

"Never really liked being alone," he croaked. "But things keep happening that make me think it'll be better that way. I don't know if I can be alone. Even now I want you to give me a hug and tell me everything is okay but you're part of the reason I feel so shit." He felt his bottom lip tremble as his eyes burned with unshed tears. He wanted the comfort so badly but then would that be rewarding her for making an awful situation that much worse. So there was no comfort and going to stay in a hotel whilst he figured out his feelings about everything or there was getting comfort now but feeling weird later. Would he feel obligated to forgive her and the team if he asked for what he wanted? Did he even know what he wanted? "You were always so good at silencing the voices but you just confirmed what they said. I don't need that."  He stood up and began walking back to his bike. 

"Wait, what's your decision?" Starfire called. 

"I'll tell you when I make it."

"What? So what am I supposed to do? What is the team supposed to do?"

"Right now? Leave me alone." He dusted off the sand that had stuck to his clothes and then got on. He didn't turn back to look at her nor did he say anything else. He simply left and Starfire had to watch. She wanted to reach out, pull him into the tightest hug ever and say sorry over and over until she made up for it. That wasn't happening. She didn't know if it ever would happen. Only time could tell.