Dick had spent the better part of a month under house arrest at the Wayne mansion with a small fleet of doctors looking in on him. He didn't remember the actual escape from the prison but from what he heard, Blue Beetle had actually carried him back to Gotham.

He was more than happy to be back in Bludhaven in his own apartment. It might not be a mansion or have a staff, or even much in the fridge, but it was his own and it was doctor free.

He couldn't help but think that he should have at least raided the fridge before he left house in Gotham. Bruce had wanted him to stay but if he had it his way, Dick would be stuck playing the sick kid until his arm was out of the cast.

With his good arm, the one not wrapped in layers of plaster from elbow to knuckles, he pulled out a bottle of water. He was in the process of pinning the bottle to his chest between cast and dark blue tank top and trying to unscrew the cap when someone knocked at his door. Dick turned his head to glare with blue eyes at the door, suspecting Alfred or maybe an actual doctor to check on him yet again.

He walked around the kitchen island and to the door. With a lean of his head to the side he looked through the peep hole. He almost dropped the bottle of water. He stood there, straight and staring at the door.

The knock came again, persistent and almost excited this time. Dick thought it was the echo of his heart. He considered not answering. He could, couldn't he? Would it be helpful?

"I know you're there." Jaime called through the door. "I could always just knock the door down.."

Dick frowned and opened the door. He stared back at Jaime. Almost none of the heroes knew his identity let alone had been to his house. Jaime grinned wider when the door opened and Dick couldn't help but feel warm and more than a little happy he'd opened the door.

Jaime's smile was full of pride and mischief. "Dick." He practically exhaled the nickname.

His eyes widened and something in his chest shuddered. He had never planned to tell Jaime his real identity. "How did you.."

Jaime scoffed and walked in. Dick stepped back to let him and then closed the door after. "Your not the only one that can do some detective work." He said proudly.

Dick raised an eyebrow while Jaime seemed to be taking a look around his place with pointed curiosity. "Did someone tell you?"

Jaime tossed him a mock wounded look. "I did get a look at your face." He reminded.

"It was messed up!" Dick protested, a faint bruise still marking his cheek and his lower lip sporting a scab from the healing split.

Jaime shrugged and sat on one of the barstools at the kitchen island. "What can I say, it's a nice face."

Dick laughed then and shrugged in a thank you before walking to the tile square his friend was sitting at. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, Dick." Jaime said, enjoying the name a little too much.

Dick sighed and gave him a sharp look while handing him the water he'd been trying to open. "You could call me Richard or-"

"No." Jaime said firmly, opening the bottle. "I'm going to call you Dick. I think this is fair. I mean, you've always known my identity."

Dick smiled and shrugged. "I guess. But you really can't tell people about it."

Jaime took a drink of the water before holding it out to the other. "You have a lot of secrets."

Dick took the bottle and raised his eyebrow under dark hair, leaning his good side into the counter next to Jaime. "Do I? I thought it was just the identity."

Jaime watched him take a drink. "Well, that and the kiss." He saw the moment Dick stopped drinking but there was another half second before he lowered the bottle and looked up at Jaime.

"I never said that was a secret." Dick said casually and set the water down on the counter, suddenly realizing that Jaime was well within arms reach.

"Really? Then why has everyone been asking me exactly how we got out of there, including Batman." Jaime said, mouth pulling into a smirk when Dick looked at him in surprise. "He said he wanted the whole story. I just figured he wouldn't have asked me if he you had already told him everything."

"Did you..." He started to ask, not sure why he hadn't told Batman himself. He'd thought about it, maybe too much, but when Bruce had asked how they got out he found himself hedging the details.

"No." Jaime assured and then laughed. "If you think I'm going to tell the Bats how I took advantage of his prodigy when he was broken and possibly dying... well, I'm not suicidal."

Dick laughed then and shook his head. "You didn't take advantage of me." He ran his good hand through his hair nervously. "If anyone took advantage.."

Jaime smiled like he had been hoping to hear that. "So it wasn't just to get out of that cell?"

Blue eyes widened for a second before he composed himself again. "It was the best way to get the collar off of you without the camera monitors noticing anything." He assured. "But you are younger than I am and-"

Jaime stood up from the stool he'd been sitting on. "Only by a few years." He protested. "And I graduated-"

"Well, technically you didn't since you were being held prisoner during graduation." Dick pointed out.

"Technically I still graduated I just didn't show up for the ceremony." Jaime countered, taking a step closer.

Dick found himself leaning his back against the high counter and staring up at those brown eyes. When had Jaime grown taller than him?

'Your pulse is rising, Jaime Reyes.' Scarab noted. 'You are not in danger.' It assessed. 'The Nightwing is wounded still. You could easily kill him.'

'We're not killing him.' Jaime said sternly before trying to ignore the Scarab entirely. He'd spent the last few weeks trying to decide how he felt about that kiss and what to do about it. "Was it just to get out of there?" He found himself asking again, his voice a little more raw than he'd expected. He had taken another step closer, his hand touching the counter between Dick's arm an his side. He had wanted to keep this light. He just needed to know.

Dick hesitated. They were standing so close now and he had no room to move back. He shouldn't let this happen. He was the older one. He had to be the reasonable one. "Jaime.." He started, not sure what to say.

Jaime felt his heart sink in his chest but managed to smile, taking a step back and reaching up and back to rub the back of his head. His cheeks colored a little in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, man, that was really uncool of me." He laughed a little and turned away, looking around at the apartment. Should he just leave? He didn't want them to be awkward.

Dick cringed when the other turned away. It wasn't really in his nature to lie so telling the truth came rather easily once he decided to. "If I was going to die, I wanted to get to kiss you first." He admitted. "It was kind of a douche move and I probably could have found another way to undo your collar without kissing you."

'He admits that he is deceptive.' The Scarab said with a hint of anger. Jaime had turned around to look at Dick in surprise. 'Destroy him and we can leave.'

Dick was still leaning against the counter, those blue eyes looking anywhere but at him. "I shouldn't have talked you into it like that but..." He sighed. "You were finally eighteen and we were actually alone for once." He scrunched his face at his own words. It was a stupid excuse. "I'm willing to admit I might have a somewhat dysfunctional view of good timing.."

Jaime took three steps to close the space he'd made between them, his hand sliding behind Dick's neck to pull his face into his own, their lips pressing together. Dick tensed and for a moment Jaime hesitated, afraid he'd misunderstood again, but then those lips opened and a tongue slid into his mouth to find his. Jaime moaned and pressed his chest against Dick's, one hand going to his side to pull him closer.

'This is not constructive, Jaime Reyes.' Scarab informed him sharply.

His lips might have curled into a snarl if they weren't preoccupied. 'No more talking for the rest of the night. Seriously, if you can, just go to sleep or something.' He ordered but it almost sounded like a plea by the end, his hips grinding into Dick's and forcing a moan from the mouth against his. The sound sent shivers down his spine. His hands moved up from Dick's hip to his side, pulling at him. He wanted him closer, even with him pressed against his body.

Dick winced and let out a hiss when Jaime squeezed his side, reminding recently broken ribs of their fragile state. His lips curled in a growl at his bodies weakness and when Jaime jerked back, ready to pull away, Dick grabbed at him and pulled him forward again, slamming their hips together and making them both gasp.

"I-I'm sorry." Jaime panted, mouth swollen and hovering over Dick's. "Are you alright?"

"Shut up." Dick hissed and pulled his face down again, mashing their mouths together while his hand found the hem of Jaime's shirt and started dragging it up.

His arms came up over his head and so did his shirt. Dick dropped it on the floor and then with that same hand, the one not wrapped in plaster, he pushed Jaime back enough to break their kiss and look at him. Soft brown skin and lean muscles. He had expected him to be beautiful, had always known he was, but still some part of him was rattled when he realized that that body was free of scars. Supers.

Jaime reached forward, fingers curling into Dick's shirt to start dragging it up. He shivered when knuckles rolled against his abdomen. His heart shuddered and some part of his mind screamed for him to put a stop to this but with those brown eyes staring back at him, all he could do was lift his arms and duck his head enough for that piece of clothing to be pulled off. Dark hair was in his face when he looked up to see the surprise in those eyes.

Narrow waist and cords of tight muscles under pale skin dressed in an array of scars and bruises. They might both be heros, but they weren't the same. He stood still when Jaime's hands fell to his sides, one hand still holding Dick's shirt. His gaze skimmed over every mark but lingered long on the bruises along his ribs.

Dick lifted a hand, pushing hair back from his face even though it only fell forward again as soon as he let go. He looked away. "You should probably go."

Jaime frowned, his eyes shooting up to the other man's face only to realize those blues were turned away. "Why?" That got him those eyes again, blue staring at him, waiting, expecting him to understand. Oh, he understood, but that didn't mean he was leaving. "I've never been with another guy." He admitted. If he didn't say it now, he might never get to. "Honestly, I was never interested until you."

Dick smiled but it was uncertain. He exhaled a laugh and shook his head, looking away again. "That kiss.." He muttered.

"Your eyes." Jaime corrected, dropping the shirt and taking that step forward to have them centimeters apart. "I saw you for the first time. Not just the hero or the shield you hold, but you." His hand came up, ghosting fingers along those bruised ribs. "I don't know how I never saw you before." He whispered, his mouth close but still not touching and those brown eyes staring into blues. "But I'm not going to look away again."

Dick stared back at him, trying to read a lie in his gaze that just wasn't there. He felt the gravity of Jaime's body close to his and knew it was a matter of heartbeats until he pressed forward and collided with him.

The knock at his door was loud and yet for a half second they didn't notice it. The second roll of knuckles against plywood had Dick muttering a curse and shoving Jaime back, pointing at his shirt on the floor and shooting him a "put that on before I punch you" glare. Dick had very specific glares but more importantly, Jaime didn't miss the little smile at the corner of the other guy's mouth.

He bent down but instead of grabbing his t-shirt, he picked up Dick's tank top instead and pulled it on just before the front door opened. Artemis blinked at Dick's half dressed state but lingered on it only long enough to say "You look like shit." before walking in. She stopped two steps in to life an eyebrow at Jaime before continuing toward the kitchen with her bags of take-out. "When did Blue find out?"

Dick sighed pointed and closed the door. "He's trying out detective work."

Artemis laughed. "Well he's lucky I always buy too much food. Old habit." The last words were quieter, sadder. It had been years but she had never really recovered from losing Wally. She looked up at Jaime and smiled wide. "His name is great isn't it?"

Jaime laughed then and nodded, sitting down on the bar stool to watch her unpack food again. "Yes, it is."

I'm a tease! Who knew I could even do that? Thanks for the reviews and for trying out the pair! More to come!