I crept into the warehouse silently. Slowly crawling across the grated upper floor, I saw what I was looking for.
Dick Grayson, Nightwing, was standing above a downed Slade Wilson, Deathstroke. He had a few of his allies with him. The Cyborg, Starfire and Raven.
"Alfred, I found Dick and Slade." I said over the communicator in my mask.
"What do you plan on doing sir?" Alfred asked me.
"Well I was hoping on taking Slade for questioning, now, I may have to improvise." I said.
"Have you considered trying to reconnect with Mr. Grayson?" Alfred asked me.
I didn't answer that question.
"Maybe if I use a gas bomb, I can knock them all out and take Slade before any of them realize." I said.
"That doesn't answer my question master Bruce." Alfred said.
I didn't need to worry about Dick. I knew he could handle himself. Him and I had a falling out just after the Joker killed Jason. Then I meet two new allies, Diana Prince and Clark Kent, but Clark gets killed while we fight some kryptonian beast.
Whenever I make friends, or get close with someone, they die. I don't want that happening to Dick, so I keep my distance.
"It's complicated Alfred." I said, sighing.
I'm getting too old for this.
I dropped down just after they had bound Slade up.
"Nightwing..." I heard Cyborg whisper as he looked me in the eye.
Dick turned around and stared at me, for a moment I saw the shock on his face, but in a split second his expression turned cold.
"I'm here for Slade." I said, my voice being deepened by the microphone inside my mask.
They all looked at each other, and then back at me.
"We got here first Bats." Dick said, spitting the word Bats out like venom.
It hurt.
"I'm taking him for questioning by the League." I said and started walking towards them.
"Look Batman, we got here first and the police want him. That's who he going to." Cyborg said and stepped forward.
I kept walking towards Slade.
"Fine, it's gonna go like this..." Cyborg said and ran at me.
I ducked under his arm as he swung at me.
I ended up behind him and I kicked him in the back, knocking him forward. I then threw a baterang at him and it exploded in his face, knocking him out.
I sighed.
"I didn't want there to be a fight."
I turned towards the other 3.
I saw they were all taking defensive stances.
I sighed.
I threw one of my gas bombs at them and covered myself with my cape until the gas passed.
I saw Starfire and Raven knocked out on the ground, which surprised me.
"Didn't think it'd affect them." I muttered to myself.
The only problem, was Dick was nowhere to be found.
"Dammit Bruce." I heard him say behind me.
I turned around.
"Is this how you try to reach out!?"
I looked at him and saw the hurt and anger in his face, and I could hear it in his voice.
"Dick-" I started to say, but I was interrupted by him throwing one of his eskrima sticks at me.
I dodged it and grabbed a batarang from my belt.
"Shut up! We both know what you were going to say is a lie." He said.
I started walking towards him.
"You know I care about you, but when I let people get close to me, they die!" I said.
"That's bullshit! If you actually cared about me, or Tim, or Barbara, you wouldn't have hid away in the shadows for 10 years! You would've tried to reach out to us! You would've tried to show that you still cared. Not hide for a decade, and then pick fights with us when you return. Not try to do things in 'the name of the League' which you just formed." Dick said and walked closer so we were standing face to face.
"You know, when I heard the Batman had returned to Gotham, I figured that maybe you'd reach out to us. I guess your idea of reaching out is getting Wonder Woman to round us up, make a team for us, and have us do the dirty work you guys can't be bother to do. You just beat up my friends, I can't let you get away with that." He said and punched me hard in the face.
I stumbled backwards.
I felt the blood drip from my nose and fall in the puddle I was standing in. It was one wet warehouse.
"I'll give you that one hit Dick, because I deserve it. Hit me again, and you're done." I said, wiping my nose.
"You're angry, I get it. I was staying away for your protection. So people like the Joker didn't know Nightwing and Batman were friends, so people didn't know Bruce Wayne was friends with Richard Grayson." I said.
He glared at me.
"I'm not Jason. I've fought and bested people like the Joker many times." He said.
"Dick, I would've have done it if I didn't think it was necessary. You think I don't miss seeing you or Tim or Barbara? Of course I do, Alfred does too. I did it so people worse then the Joker didn't come after you." I said.
"The time for staying away from friends and family is over. The Batman is done playing solo..." I said and took off my cowl.
"And so am I."
Dicks expression softened a little.
But it hardened a split second later.
"You're gonna have to do something to prove that." He said.
"I don't wanna fight you Dick." I said, putting my cowl back on.
"You just knocked out my friends, and you're a vigilante. I have to." He said and ran at me.
He swung at my head with his eskrima stick and I blocked it and hit it out of his hand.
I then kicked him in the stomach and he stumbled backwards.
He ran back at me and faked a punch. I fell for it, as my judgement was clouded and he kicked my legs out from under me.
As I tried to get up he grabbed my cape and threw me back down to the ground.
He then jumped on top of me and proceeded to unleash a flurry of punches at my face, a few of which connected, bloodying my nose and bruising my face.
I kicked him of of me and stood up, getting ready for his next attack.
I knew how Dick fought, I just had to wait until he tired himself out.
He ran back at me and kicked me in the stomach. As I stumbled backwards he proceeded to punch me in the face, and kick me to the ground.
"I hope this is getting your anger out, I'm not even trying." I said and stood up.
"Neither am I." He said and flipped behind me, kicking me in the back.
He went to kick me again, but I grabbed his leg and flipped him over my shoulder.
I then tried to punch him and knock him out, but he caught my fist and wrapped his legs around my arm, flipping me over onto my back.
He then tried to punch me but I blocked it with my arms. I tried to kick him but he stayed on top of me, pinning me to the ground.
I brought one of my arms down to my belt and grabbed one of my grappling hooks. I punched Dick in the face and shot the hook, flying up onto the second floor.
He climbed up after me but I swung my self and kicked him through the door, outside and into the thunderstorm.
"We don't have to fight Dick." I said as I walked outside.
He was in his hands and knees. He looked at me and spat blood.
"Yeah, we do." He said and stood up.
I ran at him and he ran at me.
We both punched each other hard in the face, but neither of us recoiled.
I proceeded to round-house kick him, but he blocked it with his arm and tried to throw me to the ground. I flipped over him and triedto kick him again, but he blocked it again.
We both tried to punch each other again, but our fists hit each other right as lightning flashed behind us.
He then round-house kicked me in the face. I punched him in the face. He punched me in the face, I kicked him.
Our fight lasted two and a half hours.
He ran and jumped off the side of a box, punching me in the face and knocking me to the ground.
I was on my hands and knees and I spat blood.
We were both really beat up, our suits scratched and ripped, our bodies and faces battered and beaten, but we kept fighting.
Me, being the older one, tired out first.
Eventually it got to the point where I could barely keep up with Dick, and he started landing more and more hits on me.
He punched me in the face, then kicked me in the stomach and I fell on one knee.
"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" He screamed as he jumped up and punched me in the face, knocking me down on the ground, dazed.
He placed his hands on his knees and started panting, as I wiped the blood from my nose and stood up.
Once he saw I had stood up he got into a defensive position, ready to attack again, but I put my hands up.
"You win." I said, holding my stomach and panting.
He backed off immediately.
"Good." He said and started walking back to the warehouse.
"Dick!" I called as he walked away.
He turned around and looked me in the eye.
"I'm- I'm sorry." I said.
"I know, I am too." He said, turned around and walked back into the warehouse.
I smiled.
"Alfred, send the jet, I need a ride."
NightWing POV:
Before I walked back into the warehouse, I looked back but Bruce was gone.
I walked inside and saw Raven had woken up, as had Cyborg, but Starfire and Slade were still out cold.
"You look horrible man." Cyborg said and picked up the 2 unconscious people.
"Just had to work out some issues." I said in response.
Raven looked at me, trying to read my emotions through our link.
I smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm gonna find out just exactly what happened Dick, you aren't charming your way out of this one." She said.
"I know babe." I said and walked out.
The next day I woke up, sore, covered in cuts, scrapes and bruises.
It was 2 in the afternoon.
I threw on some pants and walked out into the living room of the tower.
The only one in there was Raven, and she smiled at me.
"This came for you in the mail." She said and handed me a letter.
It read "invitation to a party at Wayne Manor. Personal guest of Bruce Wayne. Invitation includes your plus 1"
I smiled and opened it.
"You said you wanted me to reach out." Was all the inside said.
"Well, I know where we're going this weekend." I said to Raven.
Finally, finally I could fix things with Bruce.
A/N: This idea came to me as I was reading about some stuff for the new titans show. I know it's rushed but I'm happy with how this story feels. This is a oneshot. I don't plan on adding any additional chapters, but I may make a longer DC story, once my Marvel one is finished.
Thanks for reading.
~Maca56