Dick never understood people's comparison of something being messy or cluttered to being like a circus. It never made sense to him. Anyone who believed that nonsense had obviously never worked in one. They never experienced the trust and honor that came with working in such a dangerous environment, never knew what it felt like to have explicit trust in others despite knowing that if anything went wrong, it could be their last act.

The circus was anything but a mess. A place of wonderment, a place of fantasy? Maybe.

It was the meaning of "organized," if you asked him. Sure, it was full of interesting characters, people that the average person wouldn't consider normal, but that was what was "fun and cool" about that place. It was a totally different world, a place where one wasn't judged for being strange and considered less than others; the circus had the atmosphere that he and Batman had fought for.

When he was younger, he could remember being so comfortable, even in the most dangerous situations, because his father and their friends said that it was okay. Sometimes, he wondered if that was what attracted him to being the "boy wonder" for his adoptive father, why he never understood the true danger of that world. In the circus, when someone said that they had someone's back, there was no question about it. Unlike in other businesses, there was no thought of getting ahead by hurting others because each one's gain was their gain. It was all shared.

In a strange way, even after all the years of not being a professional acrobat, he still desired for that world. It never left him. He could remember his mother's smile whenever his father mentioned that someone had a standing ovation, the sly look on his father when he'd ask the other acrobats if they had his back.

There was so much trust. He missed those days.

When Bruce had given him the task of being in charge of recruiting and also a major job in a higher up position, the bird boy was well aware that the man, who had taken him in, didn't do it because he believed in his abilities. Truth be told, Dick was sure that he had no talent besides being Nightwing and the "Robin" that his mother had named him in the days of innocence.

Bruce claimed that his charisma was enough to power him to being a trillionaire in less than a year. Dick laughed at the thought until nine months after working in his department, word came in that his department would certainly make the old man's words true. It was all thanks to the team that he had put together as a joke, a group of young adults with strange talents and well-known for odd things but especially to the partners that he had put together in disdain: Rei Hino and Connor Kent.

They had to be the hardest working, antisocial pretty people he'd ever met. The two of them were the opposite of what he wanted in his "office family." Still, they were hired by a higher authority than him. Both by Bruce, himself. There was nothing that Dick could do unless they happened to do something wrong that would either hurt the business or the identity of one of the Bat family members.

Rei was the worse though. Dick gritted his teeth whenever he knew she was coming into his office with those obnoxiously majestic violet eyes and pretty face and trying him with her sly smile whenever she thought that she had got him. She had this way of looking at him as if she were seeing into his soul and all he could do was sit there and watch her plow through the info and decide what was important and what wasn't. Unfortunately for him, she saw him as refuse so there wasn't much that he did that wasn't considered trash.

Walking out his office, he sighed as he turned to the right and saw Connor walking next to the strange girl that he had just been thinking about, his focus on her body language with him. It was strange to see her not look uncomfortable or stiff around the opposite sex outside of himself.

"Good morning Mr. Grayson," in a pleasant voice, she spoke.

Dick smiled lightly. "Morning Rei... you can call me by my first name." They had known each other for nine months and still, she was so formal.

"Hm." She nodded then looking up at him, she said, "Can I speak with you, Mr. Grayson?"

Scratching his head, he looked down, the smile fading. "Can it wait? I have an important meeting..." Barbara was waiting.

Rei didn't say anything nor moved from her spot. She wasn't going to be rude and say that it couldn't wait, but she certainly wasn't going to let him get away, he realized.

Dick could feel her waiting for an answer despite the fact that she hadn't given him a choice of whether it could wait. Looking around, he could see other workers watching them, probably waiting to see who would win in this silent argument over power. The shy and beautiful Rei who surprisingly had a way with words and the ability to win people or the handsome, sly entertainer who also was known for his slick way of speaking.

Alfred had once mentioned that he'd make a good lawyer if he had known when to shut up. Well, that wasn't his exact words. He said it in a kindly, Alfred type of way.

Dick smiled tersely. "I really have to get going. I promise... I'll talk to you about it..."

"Mr. Grayson, this is business hours... and you just came in." Rei's eyes flashed, a glint of darkness within those orbs of mystery. Without saying another word, the former birdboy turned back to his office and opened his door in a show of chivalry. For some people, those few words that she said would be taken lightly - just pointing out the obvious but Dick knew better.

Oh, hellfire would release onto Earth from heaven before he'd allow her to win. This was a threat on his job with so little words that he should've awarded her for her ability to say things in a way that could creep somebody out without them being able to logically explain themselves.

"Sit down, please, Rei."

The dark-haired woman nodded and sat, fixing her very professional skirt, a sly smile on her face when he threw himself into his own chair. She always had this annoying look like she was entertained by him, like his actions were just for her amusement. If Dick were honest to himself, he'd say that he enjoyed it. Why? It proved that she didn't view him the same as everyone else.

"Mr. Grayson, how's your day going?" It was a soft approach, Dick noted. Today must've been the scheduled argument that they had once or twice a week. One time, it had been four times in a week and because of it, the two of them took it out on everyone else. Trying to show his power over her, he had made her stay an extra eight hours to ten hours, trying to break her and instead, she waged war ever since.

"It's been good. Can't complain. No one ever listens." Dick smiled. It was as sarcastic as it was true.

If Rei was unfazed, her eyes locking into his. "The party... no one wants to do it. They all have their own plans, and frankly, your idea for us to spend the day high up in the mountains barbecuing... it just doesn't sound like very much fun for anyone but you."

The former Robin's eyes narrowed into slits. "And what do you pose we do then?" Have any better ideas? Or is this just another attempt to undermine his ideas?

Rei mentally shuddered under Dick's glare. She could see his muscles had tensed at the mention that he should cancel the party. Still, she sat very still, making sure not to make any sudden movements nor to show her fear of making him angry. "I think you should make it where people can choose to come rather than forcing anyone to just show up."

"Its a damn party. Why should I do that?"

Rei turned her head, annoyed at the sudden outburst. "I'm sure that most of them would be happy not spending their holiday at a work party, get their checks and come back to work, bragging about the things that they bought." Not just sure, she knew. They complained to her about him and had her do the dirty work for them. It didn't matter to her, one way or another. She had no family to go home to in this city outside of her mission-ready companions.

"Them or just you, huh? I haven't heard a single complaint outside of your mouth." Dick's tone was quiet and soft but the priestess had known him well enough that was when he was most angry. His eyes were furious, and his arms were folded across his chest, his biceps bulging.

Rei frowned slightly. "Please don't let your insecurities about proving you're a man..."

"Don't say shit that you don't know what you're talking about..."

Rei sat up from her seat, tossing her hair behind her, a sure signal that the real argument was about to begin. "Be quiet, little boy. Did daddy not let you have your way so now you have to take it out on me?"

Dick looked like he could've thrown the desk at those words. "Seriously, believe me, Princess... I've seen your life story and resume, you're the last one to talk." She could tell that he thought that he opened up the right wound.

"Make the stupid party voluntary!" Rei screamed.

Dick rolled his eyes, the smirk on his face proving to the psychic girl that he was proud of himself.

Not wanting to back off, Rei smiled. "When you see Barb, tell her that I said congratulations on her engagement. I heard that when he asked her to marry him, there was no question that this would be the person that she would spend her entire life with."

"Get out." She had went too far. Who the hell did she think she was? He clenched his teeth, his gut wrenched, and his heart dropped. He was about to say something else but Connor had walked in without knocking and grabbed Rei and behind him, there was Barbara.

"I was waiting for you..."

"Y-Yeah, sorry. Had to deal with some matters before the..." He stopped and stared at Barbara then sighed, her ring finger was in clear sight with a little cheap diamond that a twelve year old could afford. Who the hell was she marrying anyways?

She looked disappointed and almost sad. "Everytime I come here, she makes you late for something when it comes to me." she said softly. The look in her eyes suggested that it hurt her to imagine that another girl could make her wait when it came to him.

"Oh Rei?" Dick's mind went back to what she had just said about the woman in front of him, a part of him wondered if it were true. Was it really that easy to replace him? "She just likes to pick days to complain."

Barbara frowned. "Is that so? Wasn't it the same way with the alien girl?" It always seemed like, especially lately, that she always chose to avoid saying his ex's name.

"Yea-no... Rei is different." Dick went through his desk, pulling out a manila folder and handing it to her. "I talked to Bruce about paying for your weeding. He said that he could help as long as you keep it in the country, have your father pay a little and it can only be slightly above average - nothing that Paris Hilton would plan."

Barbara smiled gingerly. "Thanks. You're the best!" Her eyes connected with his and for one moment, it felt like they would kiss but she stopped and blushed then went back to looking at the choices in the folder, her face redder than it should've been for looking in his eyes. "You really are a good friend, Richard." Using his full name and calling him a friend was a sure sign that he wasn't imagining that reaction.

A smile brewed within. There was still a chance. Rei was wrong about her; every time that Barbara came up, she took every chance to throw a jab at his ex. Still, for now, he'd respect her and allow her to believe marrying this jerk was the right thing. Soon, she'll come running home; it wouldn't be long. He was sure of that.

"Anyways," Barbara played with a pen that laid on his desk, her eyes serious but he could tell that she was trying to look like she was playing around. "Oracle says that Nightwing has found another female companion, what do you know about that?"

The dark-haired male chuckled, quietly watching her hands and how she scribbled on a notepad, a bad habit that he'd seen her do whenever she got nervous. "I thought O was retired." He decided to not answer the question but rather figure out what she was doing looking him up.

Barbara smiled. "O's father thinks that she's addicted to facebook and instagram. Whenever Oracle goes online, she tells her father that she needs to update one or the other." Obviously, Dick could tell, she was proud of her excuse to her father. Surely, though, the commissioner had to be checking those things often.

The lie couldn't be kept up that long, he was sure that she had to know that.

"My status is updated every three hours automatically, and a picture is added every week, a new video every three months." She had this big smile that he figured that meant that she thought he'd be impressed by her mind. Truth be told, if it had been anyone else, he would've been mind-blown, but it was her.

Barbara was amazing at everything. Smart, beautiful, and witty, he'd be more impressed if she were to do something stupid. He would've asked how all that was going to work, but decided against it, knowing that he would be up all night with the technicalities of it. She would probably tell him the HTML code, step by step of how everything worked.

He chuckled. "Your dad is probably thinking that you've gone crazy, eh?"

She nodded then started to play with the pencil again. Sighing, she looked up at her ex, no longer trying to appear like the discussion of his newest pairing in the past few outings was some kind of joke. "Does Bruce know about you and Sailor Mars?"

"There's nothing going on between Nightwing and the sailor warrior," he stated simply, resting his back on the wall. As bad as his relationship was with Bruce, he wasn't willing to disrespect him by going after a person that he and his entire group stood against.

Now, if the question had been whether he and the female hero helped one another if they happened to be in the same area, that would be a different thing altogether. Or if she had asked how he felt about her, that also would be a totally different answer.

"I think you two would make a wonderful couple." Dick heard Barbara say softly, putting the pen down and playing now with the engagement ring on her finger. He watched the ring with wary eyes, wondering if she'd do a miracle and take it off and realize that what she was missing was right in front of her.

It'd been only a few years prior that he had asked her to marry him, and she had told him that they weren't ready. What was different now? Why did she look at him as the kind of guy that she could be ready to spend her life with and with him, she changed her mind?

"Why?"

Barbara's eyes widened. Surprised by question, she answered, "You just look cute together.. and-"

"No why now?" Dick tensed up, trying to keep his body from shaking. Apart of him was scared of the answer. But still, he needed to know.

"Richard, this isn't the time for that." She looked away, pouting her lips. "Just be happy for me."

Happy for her? How was he supposed to do that? Hell, he couldn't even marry Starfire because he was still in love with her. Did she think that he wanted to think of her on two occasions? Both day and night, his heart stayed on the girl he'd practically grown up with. The first female that he took on the streets with, protecting this damned city.

"I'm very happy for you." He lied with a convincing smile. Entertainers were used to smiling even on their worse day, and this was no different than the day when he found out right before a performance that his grandfather had just expired.

Barbara smiled that pretty smile, a look that should've been criminal. Placing her hand on his cheek, she kissed his forehead. "Thanks again. We should have lunch soon.. my fiance would like to meet you."

"Can I bring a date?'

"Um.." Barbara's face turned slightly red. Frowning slightly, in a coarse voice, she said, "yea, sure."

"Maybe I'll find Sailor Mars and bring her then."

The red-headed female didn't seem to find his comedy all that funny. "I bet she's ugly in real life." she finally said spitefully, rolling her eyes.

Dick grinned. Chuckling darkly, he whispered in her ear, his lips close enough to grace her lobe and touch her skin. "I've seen her in person," he paused, letting it sink in. "She's beyond anything you can imagine.." He didn't know why he said that. No, that was a lie. He knew why. The former robin needed to see her react, wanted to know the woman that he loved wasn't completely gone.

Barbara frowned and moved away from him. "I'll see you tonight." She cut him off sharply, her lips in a grim line. "You'll be there, right?"

Backing up, the former boy wonder nodded. He didn't say much else to her, his eyes focused on the glass window, watching Connor having a quiet/respectable argument with Rei. He had seen them do it before where he could tell that his friend was upset and unsure how to say it to the Asian beauty. He wondered what they were talking about; Connor looked so serious and while Rei didn't appear all that affected, he knew her well enough to tell her body language.

She was good at not appearing emotional, but her eyes never lied.

"Are you listening?"

Dick turned and shook his head then realizing that was the wrong answer, he nodded then started speaking way too loudly, "Yeah, of course. I always listen, don't I?" He smiled as if trying to confirm his words.

Barbara scowled. "Why are you talking so loud?"

Lifting an eyebrow, he coughed into his hand and continued watching the two people outside. "Yeah, sorry... I'll be there at seven."

The red-headed woman couldn't seem to hide her disdain. It was obvious that he was trying to excuse himself out of the conversation. Even broken up, Dick couldn't help but feel annoyed that she would expect him to do things that he was supposed to do when they were together. She was still trying to control him, trying to make him listen, act as if he still had to pretend like he wanted to hear her opinion.

It wasn't worth the time to act like he cared. Why the hell did Rei have to mention the issue with Barbara being engaged? Dick could feel himself getting agitated and though he knew it was Barbara's fault, his mind and heart couldn't deal with looking at her.

"Hey, look." Dick cut her off, unsure of what she was even saying. "I have a few associates that I need to talk with so I have to get back to work." Waving his hand dramatically through the air, he looked like an orchestrator of his own circus, he said, "Text me or something and I'll get back to you." Unfortunately, he was using his 'business' tone, the voice he used on partners when he didn't want to be bothered and judging by his ex's face, she knew it.

Lifting her purse off his desk, she didn't say anything but turned back to look at Rei and sighed then looked at him, indignant. "Will we ever go back to being friends?"

I thought we were. Dick grimaced. What kind of question was that? She knew as well as he knew that was impossible. Sure, he tried to imagine that one day he'd be okay with just being "friends." Even when he had first agreed to the first breakup, he knew that they were going to be together. That was how it was always meant to be.

It sickened him every time that she decided to bring a new boyfriend around as if she needed his approval. What for? In his opinion, none of them were good enough - they could never protect her the way that he did. They would never know her the way that he knew her.

Still, he shakily grinned. In the circus, he was an acrobat but in real life, he was a clown. She had to know it. Barbara had to know that he had been playing a clown since he took on the Nightwing lifestyle; she had to know that when Bruce was considered dead and he took on Damian and the mantle of Batman that he had lost his identity as the "high flier," the "innocent acrobat" and became the "clown" that stood before her now.

"We are friends." Dick finally said with an unethusiastic dolefulness that he couldn't eclipse from his voice even if he tried. "That's what you wanted, and that's what we will always be."

"It looks like mom and pops had an argument again..." Connor could hear an associate say from a distance.

"And, it appears like they had an argument with our stepparents too..."

"How bad do you think they'll make it for us?"

Three people turned into the whole office speaking on the same subject. It was a well-known joke that Rei and Dick were Mom and Pops in the office, and Barbara and Connor were the stepparents. It had started with one person who had called himself being the "cool guy" and hitting on Rei by calling her "Mami" and when he was about to be written up for "sexual harassment," everyone came to his rescue, saying that she was like the "mother" of the office.

Connor was sure that Rei knew better to believe the lie but chose to not write him up but later, the same guy saw Dick say something obviously more flirtatious towards her while telling her to do something and being sarcastic, she told him, 'Yeah, whatever, daddy.' He was sure that it meant nothing because those two always said stupid quips and often called each other sarcastic nicknames when the other tried to control the other.

Still, even to him, he could see there was a difference in their relationship with one another in comparison to others. Whether he liked it or not, he had to deal with it.

Still, that day, the entire office had a field day with the joke of her and their main boss being "Mom and Pops," claiming that they obviously messed around. The other half of the joke was that their stepdad, Connor, was losing her.

Sighing, he watched her. There was something odd about her that he couldn't put his finger on, but it kept him interested and wanting to learn more. It may've been the fact that she was possibly quieter than him or the fact that she had this mysterious aura about her that he couldn't shake off.

"Let's go to Subway at lunch, okay?" Rei said, looking at the specials on her computer screen. Had they not been three weeks ahead of schedule on their work, he'd told her to take it off.

He didn't say anything back. She was obviously trying to play dumb with him though he knew that it was as much an act as he knew that when she pretended not hear the rumors about her and their boss that she heard them just as clear as he heard them. "Why can't you answer my question?" he asked.

Rei's eyes narrowed. "Honestly, Mr. Kent," she said in an undertone, "you act like you're jealous that I argue with him and not with you." Connor scowled. She obviously knew that he didn't like how she acted around him, the way that she so callously allowed others to make whatever rumors up and pretend not to notice.

"You know that's not what this is about," Connor hissed, pulling her chair closer to him, making her face him face to face. He could hear people whispering in the background, no longer speaking about Dick and her relationship but about him and her. He didn't really mind the subject change even if he would never admit it. He told himself that it was because if the rumor about Dick and her was true, he could lose his position but apart of him knew that wasn't true.

Rei stayed silent, looking away, a reddish color on her cheeks.

"Rei, you have to be more careful around him, you know that."

The ravenette sighed then looked up and Connor knew that it must've been Dick because her attention was no longer on him.

"You must be planning on buying me lunch, eh?" Yeah, that was definitely him.

Rei smirked and her eyes glimmered at the sight of him. "Only if you give me the money to buy your lunch." She was always quick-witted, her sarcasm never at an exhaust.

"I don't think Connor would like that." Dick evidently liked the rumors about him and her. Connor groaned. The idiot did this crap on purpose, he knew it. Whenever he saw him and Rei talking, Dick almost always came to make a point almost as if he were saying to him, 'look at how I can make her react.'

Rei rolled her eyes with this certain glint of excitement that almost looked like she wanted to laugh. They both knew it was true even if she wouldn't admit it, and it was those moments that he realized that he would never be able to take away whatever her relationship with Dick from her and take over that part of her heart.

Dick sat beside them on an empty desk with his arms crossed but not hiding the fact that he was staring at her with lustful eyes. He was practically drooling over her.

"Yo boss... don't you have some things that you gotta do or something?" Connor finally mumbled, annoyed.

The Kryptonian's muscles tensed when Dick completely ignored him. Had there been no ordinary humans in the room, he would've thrown him across the room and through the elevator out of sheer exasperation.

"Did you get my text?"

Rei clicked out the subway page, apparently resigned on the idea of lunch. "Yeah, but that was horrible. How was that even funny?"

"Are you serious?" Dick exclaimed, excited, a smile on his face.

"Your ex girlfriend's dry humor would've been funnier.." Rei smirked as she opened up a document and with her hand, she pointedly asked him to take a look at it.

"Yeah. I dunno.." Dick sighed then jumped off the desk and leaned over behind her, purposefully making sure that his body language matched a boyfriend's over his girlfriend to which she pushed him away and sat at another chair. "She's... not... that... oh, is this my speech for the event next month?"

Connor glowered. "Naw, it just happens to be written like a speech." The sarcasm was evidently not lost on him.

"It's pretty good, did you both come up with this?" He went business mode.

Rei smiled slightly. "Connor did most of the work. I just edited and added a few lines."

Dick raised an eyebrow at Rei then looked at Connor. "Good job then. I'll let 'Mr. Wayne' know about how outstanding your work has been."

"Hey, you ready for lunch?" Connor suddenly asked, glaring at Dick darkly. He looked like he wanted to kill him.

Rei frowned slightly. "Yeah, give me a moment..."

Standing up, Connor grabbed his suit jacket and folded it on his arm then said, "I'll meet you outside in my car." Pausing, he looked at the other male in their working space, "Let's go somewhere better than Subway. I'll pay."

Rei's eyes widened and smiled lightly. "O-okay, that sounds good, but.." before she could say anything else, Connor walked away.

She waited a moment before getting up, letting Connor get far away from her and Dick. As soon as he was without being in earshot, Rei's eyes darkened, a storm cloud brewing within.

Dick chuckled lightly. "Are you upset that you'll be leaving me?"

"No." Her voice was darker and angrier than it had been when Connor was by them. "Do you do this stuff on purpose?"

"Do what?"

Rei's expression hardened. "Make him upset.."

Dick smirked. "You wear a pretty nice mask in front of him, you know that?" His expression darkened. "It's not like you're dating, are you?"

The priestess frowned. "No, but he is my partner... and," she whispered but paused, a thought glossing over her mind but she pushed back.

"He's jealous?" Dick finished her sentence. "So now your lunch will be awkward and all that good stuff, huh?"

Rei stayed silent.

"If it makes you feel better, your attention being on me when he was talking to you would've made the same thing happen..."

Rei's heartbeat quickened, her mind suddenly on Kaidou and how she felt seeing him with another woman. For some reason, she felt like Connor was "her" in that instance and she was "Kaidou" despite the fact that she knew that wasn't her and Dick's relationship, but was that how he perceived it?

Rei stood up and Dick followed suit. He looked down at the girl that he was more than half a foot taller than and smirked, "Would you like to talk in my office again... where we can have this talk privately?" The sarcasm rolled off his tongue slickly.

She could tell he was getting revenge for what she said about Barbara earlier but making Connor the victim by going after her.

"Don't mention our texts around him..."

"Does it mean anything to you?"

Rei looked at the office and without words, they both walked into it and Dick closed the door though she didn't move away from the door, her back to it and he leaned into the door, his face near her face, his cologne intoxicating. "Please don't make my partnership with him difficult," she said softly, her eyes soft and beautiful.

"How am I doing that?"

"He thinks that there's more to you and I because of the things that you say..." she responded, her eyes looking into his determined to make him understand.

"Rei," Dick purred, "I'm sure it's more your fault than mine..."

"Wha?"

"You talk about Barb whenever you get a chance," Dick said with a chuckle then added, leaning into her ear, her face turning completely red. "And the way you look at me. We may not be together and have never done anything but even I can tell that you like me more than you would like to."

Rei's eyes widened then out of instinct, slapped him then walked out and saw Connor had been waiting by the elevator, scowling. God, why did she agree to this lunch?

"Mr. Grayson, I'll send you a new draft of that speech after work, tonight," she said, looking down, unable to look at Connor.

Dick smiled. "I'm sure you will."