I don't own the characters, I don't make profit... and yes, Nightwing might have a death wish...
He just stepped.
That's all it took.
One step.
His twenty something life never flashed before his crystal blue eyes.
The air rushed past his face.
He smiled.
This was the life.
Nothing but one hundred floors of thin air, snowflakes, and Gotham air pollution and the ground, and nothing else in between them.
He wanted to yell, to scream in joy and excitement. But that wasn't what this was about.
Nightwing brought up his forearm and fired off his grapple, and as always it hooked onto the building across from his destination.
He loved falling through the air. There was nothing quite like it. Fast cars, fast bikes, fast planes, fast women. No nothing could match this. Ok, well one thing could. But lets not go there he thought. Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow. But not tonight.
His black form slid through the air and he snapped off the grapple, his body responded and he began an artistic spin in mid air before sticking the dismount.
"What ya think kiddo and kiddette?" he asked from across the rooftop.
"Not bad Nightwing, I give it a four point nine. Your hair moved." Came the response from Robin as he smiled at his older brother.
"Twirp." Shot back the older of the Batclan. "What about you Wonderchick?"
"Erm, well, erm, to be honest I can't comment I never saw you land." The young blonde said in a quiet voice.
"It's ok, don't worry about it. I still get the drop on Donna and Diana most of the time. Even when they are looking right at me." The elder of the trio continued. "You see it helps when you don't dress brighter than a stripper at Christmas." The former Robin said looking over at the current one.
"Hey…. That was a cheap shot, you use to wear this thing with green and bright yellow. At least my costume is a darker shade of red and yellow and has a nice full size black cape to keep me covered if needed." The younger of the two Robin's shot back.
"Well I didn't design mine did I?"
"Excuse me, Elvis collar ring a bell?"
"Boys! Boys! Can we maybe keep this conversation to ourselves?" Wonder Girl butted in with a chuckle. "We can't let everyone know we are up here or I will have Donna and Diana asking what I am doing in Gotham, never mind Batman…" "Don't worry, Bats wouldn't bother. I had a chat with him." Nightwing responded cutting off the young woman before she got too far into it. Before the quizzical looks on Robin and Wonder Girl's faces froze in the Gotham night air Nightwing decided to cut to the point.
Flipping up into the air Nightwing landed perfectly on top of the stairwell that led from the building's inner staircase onto the roof, and dropped into a seated position.
"I think its time I end a few relationships."
"What do you mean Wing?"
"I mean between me and Starfire and me and Oracle."
For Nightwing, words could not describe what came next.
Wonder Girl cussed.
Robin smirked and held out his hand as Wonder Girl slapped a crisp twenty into his gloved hand.
"Hey, what the?"
"I bet Robin you were gonna ask us to watch Gotham or about the Titans or something business related. He said you wanted women advice." The young blonde finished with a sigh.
"But how…?"
"Oh come on Wing, you have more luck with women than Bats, but just. You have spent the last two decades sleeping less than three hours a day on average and haven't had a proper date in nearly as many years." Robin said with a grin.
"Ok then Lover Boy Wonder, what would you suggest?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Come on Robin."
"You aren't gonna like it."
"ROBIN JUST TELL HIM!" Wonder Girl yelled. "Some of us don't have our thermals on." Her teeth began to chatter and Nightwing just looked at Robin and raised his eyebrows. It wasn't really noticeable to Wonder Girl, his mask hid them quite nicely but Robin could tell. Thinking quickly he unclasped his cape and draped it over the young blonde's shoulders and fastened it shut at the front using a hidden magnet to keep it from opening.
She blushed, he blushed, and Nightwing was sure he had an idea.
"Ok, maybe I will cut to the point. You and Oracle are great, but she wasn't the one you spent Valentine's with last year. Neither was Starfire."
"I know that Robin, but I was needed."
"Yeah so you were, that stuff may work with the other Titan's but I know where you were. Just remember who you are talking too next time before you try and bluff your way out of a corner." The younger of the two men smiled.
"Guess your right. But how did you know?"
"Come on, last year the only two people left in my life were you and Bats. It's not like him to spend Valentine's Day anywhere but at work is it?"
The conversation drifted onto why Wonder Girl was actually in Gotham anyways, something Robin and Wonder Girl blushed at a little, before going back to what Nightwing was going to do.
When it did he simply smiled and walked over to Wonder Girl and gave her a hug.
"Look after him."
With that Nightwing pulled away and smiled at Robin before vanishing into the darkness.
A jingling noise soon followed and Robin snatched a set of keys out of the snow filled sky.
Looking at Wonder Girl he smiled and wrapped an arm around her cloaked form as she took off into the night sky.
The cave…
As Nightwing stepped off of his custom built bike he looked up at the main computer area and smiled. There was no better man to get relationship advice from in life anyways than this man. A man who was responsible for some of the greatest mere mortals to ever walk the face of the Earth.
As Nightwing stopped beside the high backed computer chair the man in the chair looked up with a look of disdain and grimaced.
"Master Richard, how many times. If you insist on riding that suicide cycle in the snow, please make sure you are dry before coming into the main area. You have a habit of leaving puddles all over the floor." Alfred said in his normal English manor before returning to the computer screen.
"Oh but I did, this is just hair run off, honest. My hair was wet before I got on the bike." Nightwing replied as he reached up to take off the mask that obscured his face.
"So Master Richard, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I thought I was to believe you were not arriving at the manor till Christmas Eve two nights from now, and unless you are wanting a spin in the Batmobile then I am not sure what you are looking for."
"Yeah I was gonna ask, why is the car here?"
Alfred could only grin. Pushing away from the computer console he got up from the chair and took the mask from the young hero and sat it on a table top before heading off to a workbench and returning with a small device.
"Hey Alfred, forget the mask, why is the car here? Come on, you know I won't stop asking." Dick was enjoying this, Alfred knew it, and the fact Dick knew that Batman had simply taken the jet out instead only added fuel to Dick's fire of curiosity.
"Why is the car here, and while I am asking, where is Bruce?
"Master Richard, I will only answer your questions on one condition."
"You got it, name your condition." The young man said, more eager than ever to know.
"When Master Bruce terminates me from my contract, please don't send me to San Francisco to tidy up after the Titans. I have seen how they leave the kitchen. I am afraid not even I could keep it clean."
"Done, and if it helps I will buy a nice big apartment instead of the wee small one I live in now, you can be puttering around all day if you like."
"As you wish Master Richard. Now as for Master Bruce, the reason the car is here, is because he is in bed with a case of the sniffles. He sneezes every other minute. I had to send him to bed and the only reason he agreed was because Batman cannot be seen to have the sniffles, it would be, how did he put it, a waste of his time."
Dick could only snigger. Bruce with the cold, wait till Clark found out. Every coffee Bruce ever poured would be an iced coffee in seconds.
"Before you think about it, don't tell Mr Kent. I don't need Bruce switching to tea. He would drink my private stock before faster than I could keep up with him."
"Okay Alfred, Scouts' honour."
"So my boy, why might I ask are you here?
Transmission for Batman, Wonder Woman calling.
The computer's voice bought Dick a moment more of dignity and he couldn't accept the call fast enough. Within seconds one of the smaller screens was filled with the Amazon Princess's face and already Dick felt himself feeling warmer inside, just an effect Diana seemed to have on him. He always remembered when Diana had thanked him for taking care of Donna one day when they were younger and he had given up his time to take care of her. Diana was still not used to men sacrificing themselves for women in any shape or form, and seeing the young Robin give him time had made her smile.
"Hey Diana, what can I do for you?"
"Richard, I was expecting Bruce?"
"Well he is a little busy just now, anything I can help with."
"I suppose so Richard, well I was trying to contact Cassandra and haven't been able to reach her. When I couldn't I traced her comm. signal to Gotham. I was wondering if Bruce knew why?" Diana asked in a worried tone.
"Well actually I saw her earlier on, she was out for a stroll with Robin, you know how teens are, they are probably just chatting or watching a movie. Chatting about Canary and how she gets away with that costume of hers, or why Superman wears red briefs on the outside of his blue costume, you know kids stuff." Dick said with a smile.
"Well as long as you are sure they are together and are safe. That is good enough for me. Thank you Richard. Speak to you…"
"Wait, Diana, what are you doing for Christmas?"
Alfred looked up, Diana looked taken back, and Robin woke up from his sleep to find a blonde covered head resting on his lap.
Dick had already come up with a plan and not the Batman, the Boy Wonder Robin, or the Amazon Princess Wonder Woman would be ready for what was to come.
The comm. line closed and Dick smiled. It wasn't that innocent smile either. It was that they are gonna kill me smile. But still it was worth it.
Walking over to Alfred Dick placed an arm on his shoulder and led him away from the main computer area over to the stairs that led back to the mansion.
"So Alfred, should we tell them what I have planned?"
"Master Richard, why don't you tell me first? Then I can tell you how far you will have to run when Master Bruce learns of your plan."
"Well Alfred, I have always wondered, what would happen if Bruce had to spend Christmas with a gorgeous Princess."
"Start running now boy, he will never forgive you."
"Ah but Alfred, that's only half of it. Wait till you see what I have in store for Tim."
Alfred grinned, Batman and Robin both happy and Christmas… Hell might just have frozen over.