***TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER***
Nightwing stared down at his wrist and sighed softly. His other hand held a razor, which he had just finished with. Blood streamed down the knotted skin in a river. He thought he's be happier. And he really was. He had a team who loved and respected him, and a city of his own to protect. So why did he feel so empty? He supposed it was because he had left knowing they would think he had committed suicide, but that was his own choice. And he had to throw them off of his trail. Especially Batman. His new team didn't know about his past, except Raven. Nightwing rolled down his sleeve and pulled on his glove, clenching his fist inside it. No one else ever would. The alarms suddenly started blaring above his head, and he raced into the central area quickly.
"Cyborg! What's going on?"
"Unknown personnel in central park. Six of them. And four appear to have superpowers," the boy said as he typed away on the computer. Nightwing turned to Raven.
"Can you get us there?"
"Of course, Nightwing," she said softly. Starfire touched his shoulder gently.
"But Wing of Night, did you not say that this next mission would be one without your guidance?" Nightwing bit his lip.
"I did, Star. And I'm not going back on my word, but I still want to be there in case things get messy," without Batman holding him to a specific style, he had thrived. And now was easily one of the best fighters in the world. Superior even to Batman. Raven called up a portal, and they all stepped through it and into the night.
NIGHTWING*3*NIGHTWING*3*NIGHTWING
"This is so boring," Artemis said. Again. "Why are we here?" Aqualad answered her this time.
"Because Batman received word that Deathstroke may be hiding in this city," he said lowly. "Now please, stop complaining, before you give away our position!"
"Too late for that bro," Aqualad whipped around and came face-to-face with four heroes whom he had never seen in his life. The small green one was the one who'd spoken.
"Titans go!" They launched into battle. Aqualad leaped at the green boy, only to be taken down when he suddenly turned into a jaguar and jumped on him He was held to the ground, claws digging into his sides and teeth growling in his face. That is the fastest I have ever lost a battle. He thought as he looked into the electric green eyes in his face. He heard his companions struggling around him, but wasn't able to turn and look.
Kid Flash zipped through the streets, on the run from the orange red-headed girl. He heard a shout behind him and realized that M'gann had finally gotten to her. He continued to run, though. If he could find a safe place to hide. He could call Batman and Robin. Robin, as in Jason Todd. Not his own little Dickie-bird. It had been two and a half years since he'd committed suicide. They'd never found the body, and assumed Joker or some other villain picked it up. Either that, or he was down at the bottom of the ocean. A little while after the death, Wally realized why it had affected him so much more than the others. He loved him. To be honest, he had known for a while, he just hadn't wanted to admit it to himself. Dick was gone now, but he still loved him. He always would.
"Going somewhere?" he froze in his tracks at the menacing growl that shuddered through him. He stared around, his green eyes shining in the half-light the streetlights provided, but he couldn't see anyone. "Will you never learn?"
"Who's there?!"
"Apparently not," Kid Flash whipped out his communicator and sent out an SOS signal just before a blade sunk into it. He inspected the silver object. It was made in a very similar fashion to the Batman's, but in the shape of a bird. Not a bat.
"Nice bird-a-rang," he chuckled. The voice stayed silent. Kid Flash pulled out the knife and through it toward where he had last heard the voice. It hit the wall with an echoing clang.
"You missed."
"Yeah, thanks for the info," KF said, feeling anger rising inside him. That was another thing. No one was the same since Robin had died. He looked around in the shadows, watching for any movement.
"You know, for the fastest boy in the world, you can be pretty slow," there it was again! That voice, deep and rumbling. The one that lit a fire in his soul.
"I've heard it before," he said shortly. There! Just there, he saw the man, dressed in a black suit with a blue bird on the front, leaning against the streetlight in front of him. But as fast as he saw him, he disappeared.
"And yet, you hardly ever listen, do you Kid Flash?"
"How do you know who I-"
"Please. Who doesn't?" Kid Flash nodded slightly.
"True," he said smugly.
"But not everyone knows you like I do," the man was suddenly revealed, walking out into the light. His face appeared from the darkness, smirking arrogantly, and Kid Flash found himself wondering where he had seen that smirk before. "Nightwing's the name. Don't wear it out," he said, extending a hand for KF to shake. As he reached out a gloved hand and grasped Nightwing's he suddenly got the feeling that he had made a very grave mistake. His feeling proved true when his hand was grasped in a vice-like grip and he was flipped over and onto his back in the street. He groaned at the force of the impact and made to stand, but a foot on his chest made it impossible.
"Come on, man…" Nightwing's face appeared in front of his own, that sexy smirk playing on his face.
"That was a bad choice, Mr. Flash," he said. His eyes suddenly narrowed, the smirk fell from his face, and his voice, if possible, got even deeper. "You're in my territory now, not yours, Wallace," Wally's eyes shot wide as his name left Nightwing's lips. They stared at each other for a moment before a whizzing sound interrupted the silence. Nightwing didn't move anything but his left hand, where he caught one of Robin's blades in-between nothing but two fingers. He turned to look at it. Inspecting the craftsman ship of the metal.
"Not bad. But...the old Robin could have done better," he chuckled darkly. Nightwing finally, finally, moved his foot off of Kid Flash's chest and stood.
"Stand down," Batman's voice came from the shadows. Nightwing ignored it and threw the robin back to its owner.
"Long time, no see, eh Batsy? How are things in Gotham?" he folded his arms behind his back, and Wally admired his posture, his confidence.
"I don't know who you are, kid, but I've never seen you before," Batman said. And with a simple step to the side, Nightwing had avoided the kick that Batman had thrown at his head.
"Have you forgotten me that fast?" Nightwing's hand whipped up and caught Robin's foot in mid-kick. He looked down at the startled boys face, a bored expression on his own. "I see you've forgotten the…real Robin just as fast as you forgot me," he said with a growl. He gripped Robin's foot and whipped him around, throwing him into the wall behind him. Batman jumped forward with a snarl as Robin dropped to the floor.
"I have never forgotten the first Robin! But he's dead now, and I needed to move on!" Nightwing and Batman engaged in a full-out fist fight, and for a minute, it seemed that Batman had the upper hand, then there was a change, and soon Nightwing began to show his real strength.
"But must you have moved on so soon? I know Dickie would have been devastated if he heard the news. Hardly a month since he'd died, and you replaced him with some kid off the streets," he pouted. "How sad." Batman launched himself at Nightwing furiously.
"What do you know?" he roared. Nightwing laughed softly and sidestepped every punch, every kick that came his way.
"So angry. I thought you knew better," and with a swish, Nightwing pulled out his escrima sticks and crouched, ready for a real fight. "Now, Robin, would you care to join us? How about you, Kid Flash?" Nightwing gestured to both of them. Robin attempted to rush him, throwing a flurry of hits at his upper body, flipping and landing gracefully. Nightwing yawned as he blocked the blows. Then Robin finally got one in, a kick just above the collar bone. Nightwing stepped back and rotated his arm experimentally, a smirk growing on his face.
"Not bad, kid. But…" he paused, staring menacingly at the boy and watching his face grow into an expression of fear. In a flash, he was there behind him, whispering into his ear. "You've still got a lot to learn." He grabbed Robin's arm and twisted it, flipping him over his back and onto the ground behind him. Kid Flash and Batman stormed him at the same time. "Now we're getting somewhere! Raven! Hold them and get over here!"
"Yes, Nightwing!" Nightwing waited until the absolute last second and jumped out of the way of Batman, directly into the path of Kid Flash. Within a few seconds, he looked down at the stab wound in his stomach, pulling out a small dagger and tossing it behind him, looking at the growing blood stain on his suit.
"Huh. Forgot about that trick. It won't happen again." Robin was up again, and Nightwing found himself facing three assailants. One with years more experience, one with super-speed, and one martial artist. Robin jumped at him, Batman at his side, and together they tossed a flurry of blows at Nightwing, who hissed when Batman landed a well placed kick on his right arm, snapping the bone in half. He worked through the pain, soon shaking of Robin. It took a bit more time with Batman, but he eventually prevailed.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" All three of his opponents suddenly found themselves bound and gagged in impenetrable black magic. Nightwing grunted.
"Nice timing, Rae," he said, holding his arm. Raven ran over to him in concern and reached for his arm.
"Let me see, Nightwing," she said. Nightwing pulled his arm out of her grasp.
"It's fine," he said insistently. Raven shot him a look and grabbed his arm, leaning in to whisper into his ear while making it look like she was just inspecting the bone.
"You don't need to act tough in front of them. You just beat Batman, I think accepting help for a broken bone is in order. They have no idea who you are anyway's," she hissed. Nightwing sighed and let her mess with his arm, creating a simple splint with her magic and binding it tightly to his arm. The rest of the team arrived, and Nightwing finally saw the rest of the Young Justice League, who were all inside of a large transparent cage. Robin and Batman were bound side-by-side against it, and Kid Flash had been placed in his own bubble, which now merged with the cage, reuniting him with the rest of the team. Nightwing stepped toward them slowly and stopped in front of them.
"What are you all doing here?" he asked menacingly. Cyborg stepped up next to him, adding his own imposing presence to Nightwing's. Aqualad stepped forward in the cage and began speaking.
"Please, let us speak to your leader," he said, eyeing Cyborg. Nightwing stepped forward and gripped the front of his outfit, pulling him against the bars of the cage. He was much smaller than Cyborg, yes, but he was just as powerful. Aqualad was still judging on size.
"Then speak to me," he growled, releasing the frightened man. Aqualad stumbled back until M'gann caught him, Red Arrow by her side. Artemis jumped forward.
"Hey!"
"Artemis! Stand down. We are in his city," Aqualad admitted grudgingly. "We're here to investigate a lead we have on a criminal hiding out here. May we have your name?" Nightwing smirked. They really didn't know who he was. How amusing.
"How rude of me! I'm Nightwing. And this is my team, the Teen Titans. Introduce yourself, please,"
"I am called Starfire. I am the princess of Tamaran!" Starfire said enthusiastically.
"Wattup? I'm Beast Boy! I turn into animals!" Beast Boy said, turning into a dog for emphasis.
"I'm Cyborg. Half man, half robot," Cyborg said. Nightwing noticed with some satisfaction that M'gann flinched back in fear at the gaze he gave them.
"Raven. Half-demon," Raven said, giving Nightwing a glance as her eyes shone red for a moment.
"We are-"
"Oh, I know who you are," Nightwing interrupted Aqualad mid-sentence. The team froze. Nightwing walked up to Artemis, who glared deeply at him.
"Artemis Crock. Daughter of the Sportsmaster, fantastic archer, and not always as angry as you pretend to be." Nightwing smirked at her startled expression before moving toward M'gann.
"Megan Morse. M'gann M'orzz. Miss Martian. A real sweetheart, yes? Innocent in the ways of the earth. Niece of the legendary Martian Manhunter. But you refuse to reveal your true identity to the team." Her eyes filled with tears as he finished his monologue, and Superboy came over to comfort her.
"Connor Kent. Superboy. The boy who isn't a boy at all, but rather a clone of the great Superman. Whom you wish you could be." Superboy glared at him deeply.
"Roy Harper. Speedy. Red Arrow. In the same position as Superboy aren't you? You're a clone of the real Roy, and you just can't seem to find him. Great archer, terrible at holding your temper." Roy glared at him, clenching his fists as he walked over to Kid Flash.
"Kaldur'ahm. Aqualad. Leader of the Young Justice League. Protégé to Aquaman. Calm. Steady. But there's still something you're not telling the team, yes?" Aqualad bowed his head, shame written across his features.
"Wallace West. Kid Flash. Mindless flirt, but you refuse to come out to your friends. You told two people, and one of them…is gone. The other is standing right behind you. You're funny, optimistic. But here's a word of advice. Listen to your friends. They may be trying to tell you something, but you won't stop and listen." Nightwing reached forward and pulled Wally forward, secretly slipping a note into his glove. Wally's eyes were filled with fear as he pulled himself away from the younger man.
"Jason Todd. Robin. Batman's new sidekick. You took over after the first Robin died. You thought of him as an older brother, which, in a way, he was. An orphan, Batman found you on the streets and took you in." Jason's eyes squeezed shut, and he turned his face away from Nightwing.
"Nightwing! You're side!" Nightwing looked down to where Raven was pointing. He had forgotten about the stab wound. The cloaked girl flew over to him and placed her hands on the patch of blood. "I can only stop the bleeding temporarily. We'll need to dress the wound once we get back to the tower," she said. Nightwing nodded and allowed her to work while Cyborg stepped forward.
"Here's the deal. You have one week. This is our city. Our crime. You get one week to find and take this criminal, whoever he may be. In that week you will have free reign over the city. You may go where you like, sleep where you like, eat where you like. Tell them that you are there with the blessing of the night, and no one will question you. However, you still must pay for whatever resources you use. And if you're not gone by the end of the week," Cyborg's eye narrowed. "So be it."
"Titans! Back to the tower now," Nightwing called. Everyone headed off in their own ways of flight, and Nightwing turned back one last time before he followed. "I'll be watching," he said. Then he stepped into the shadows and disappeared. The cage and bindings vanished, letting everyone move freely once again. Wally stepped forward and watched the team leave. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into the eyes of Artemis.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked. Wally wiped his eyes and nodded slowly. Artemis looked at him.
"Team, I think it's time we had a meeting." All seven teens crowded in the center of the street and looked to Batman.
"I'm leaving. Gotham needs me. Jason, stay here. I can manage on my own for a week. And Aqualad," he looked at the tanned boy. "Respect them. This is their city, and we don't need enemies as powerful as them." Aqualad nodded once, and Batman turned away. The team gathered and began walking away, looking for a place to stay for the week. Eventually they settled for a small grove of trees on a cliff on the east side of town. Wally sat on the edge, staring out at a large, T-shaped tower about a quarter mile from the shore. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Aqualad walking toward him.
"Hey, man," he said softly. Aqualad sat next to him, looking at the domino mask he held.
"You know, Wally, Robin knew that you loved him," he said. Wally stared up at the stars.
"Did he?" he asked. "I never really told him."
"Wally…" Aqualad sighed and stood, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you need to talk, I'm here. Please don't hold back," he said as he began walking back toward camp. Wally hesitated for a moment, and then stood and ran after him.
"Hey Kaldur?"
"Yes?"
"I…" Wally trailed off. How was he supposed to come out now? After all these years of mindless flirting, just to keep them off his trail? He took a deep breath and continued. "That thing that Nightwing was talking about, that I had been keeping from you? Well…I-ugh…I'm gay," he said. Aqualad looked a little shocked, but kept his cool.
"Why did you not tell us?" he asked.
"Because…because gay people aren't appreciated. Much less gay heroes. I just…" Aqualad smiled.
"Thank you for telling me."
NIGHTWING*3*NIGHTWING*3*NIGHTWING
The titans returned to the tower, exhausted and ready for bed. As Nightwing bade his team-mates farewell for the night, he was interrupted by Beast Boy.
"Hey, Nightwing? How do you know so much about them?" Nightwing froze and looked at Raven. The cloaked girl nodded encouragingly.
"Just tell them," she said. Nightwing sighed slowly.
"You might want to sit down. We're going to be here for a while," he said. A strand of his ebony hair fell into his eyes, and Starfire tenderly brushed it away on her way to the living room. Raven walked up to him with a roll of bandages in her hands.
"Shirt off," she commanded. Nightwing laughed and unzipped the back of his suit, letting it fall around his ankles, Raven handed him a pair of jeans, which he pulled on, and then she started cleaning and wrapping his wound while he thought about what he would say to the team. Raven, seeming to read his thoughts, spoke without looking up. "They won't judge you, you know," she said. Nightwing nodded.
"I know…" he whispered. Raven sighed as she turned over his wrists.
"Nightwing…" she muttered. "I thought you stopped!" Nightwing pulled his hands from her grasp, hissing as he moved his broken arm. Raven said a few words under her breath, and the bone instantly mended. Then she looked up at his face and touched his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Raven."
"No, don't apologize to me. It's not your fault that you feel the way you do," she said. "But…this won't help anything."
"I know, Raven. But…" he paused at the sound of laughter coming from the living room. "How am I supposed to tell them?" Raven looked into his masked eyes. She saw nothing but the white film that was stretched over them, hiding the sapphire blue she had grown to love.
"No Nightwing. No Robin. Just be Dick," she whispered. "You'll find a way." Nightwing nodded and hugged her quickly as he pulled on a black sweater and together they walked into the living room, where the rest of the team awaited an explanation.
"Titans," he said. "We're going to have a meeting now. Beast Boy asked me a question, and I'm here to answer it, but first you must promise me that you will not tell anyone the things you learn in this room. Ever." The team nodded, and he looked down at the ground, trying to figure out how to word this.
"So, uh, Nightwing…who were they?" Thank you Cyborg.
"They were my old team," he heard a gasp from Starfire and looked up to see the shocked faces of his friends staring at him. All except Raven, who just nodded encouragingly. "I was once a member of the Young Justice League, but I left on bad terms. As you could see, they didn't recognize me,"
"Who were you then?" Nightwing sighed at Beast Boy's question. He reached up and pulled off his mask. No one but Raven had ever seen his face. No one but Raven knew who he was. He looked up, and chuckled softly at the perplexed faces that looked back at him.
"I was Robin."