"Well, are you just going to stand there and stare, or were you planning to come in?", the other man asked, smirking.

Tim's shock turned to quiet fury. "I see. So this is why you've been hitting on me? Because I'm confused and you think you can just, I don't know, get an easy lay out of me? That's sick, Grayson. Really sick! How could you possibly do this? I-I-I c-can't even f-figure out w-what's wrong w-w-with..."

Tim's voice trailed off in horror as he realized he was crying. He tried to turn and run from the older man, but he couldn't see through his tears and just ended up running into the opposite wall. He sank down to the floor pounding it in frustration as he tried to stop the flood in his eyes. He felt a strong pair of arms lift him and even though he knew it was Dick, he clung to him as the other carried him into the motel room.

Nightwing held him on his lap and rubbed his back while he cried himself out. He didn't say a word the entire time that Tim was crying, for which the younger boy was extremely grateful.

Finally the tears stopped flowing and Tim composed himself,and pushed himself to his feet. Part of him wanted to stay here, wrap Dick's arms back around himself like a blanket, but mostly he wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Not only because the handsome superhero was still naked, but also from embarassment at having lost control so spectacularly.

"I need to go", he said moving towards the door, trying to get out as fast as possible.

Not fast enough, though. Before he even got three steps, Dick was in front of him barring his way.

Tim glared at him. "Don't you think you've had quite enough fun at my expense for one night?"

Dick sighed. "I suppose I deserved that. But can't you just hear me out? Just give me five minutes that's all I ask."

Tim's glare held for a few seconds more, then crumbled. He didn't really want to, but the other man seemed sincere. That in itself was rare enough to get his attention, but he also was just to tired to argue. He didn't say anything, didn't really trust himself to speak, just turned back to the chair and sat down.

Dick hesitated a moment then with a quick "Be right back" vanished into the bathroom.

When he came back out, he was mercifully wearing an oversize bathrobe. He sat down on the edge of the bed facing Tim and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I guess you could say this is one of those times that I need to be a little more subtle," Dick said with a sheepish grin. "I started seeing you acting funny, not really noticeable, unless you know what you're looking for. So I thought I'd check up on you. No one could have been more surprised than I was to see what kinds of stuff you'd been looking up on the web."

Tim's face burned with humiliation and outrage. "You read my private files?!"

"Not really read," the other man said carefully, "more like skimmed. If it helps any, I didn't actually crack your files, just retreived your search history. Your private stuff is still, well, private."

A wave of relief coursed through Tim as he thought of all the things he'd written in his journal. "Thank you." he said quietly.

Dick nodded before continuing. " To make a long story short, I decided to try and draw you out of yourself, let you see that there's nothing to worry about."

"And the best you could do was come on to me?" Tim asked incredulously.

It was Nightwing's turn to blush. "Yeaah, like I said, subtle I'm not. But in my defense, would you have talked to me if I'd just asked you?"

Tim realized that, no, he probably wouldn't have.

"Alright I suppose that sort of explains most of it. Except one thing: why try to help in the first place?"

Nightwing grinned. "I don't suppose you'd buy the, 'no Bat is an island' sort of line?"

Tim cocked an eyebrow and waited.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Dick said, laughing. "I guess," he continued seriously, "that I didn't want you to go through what I did when I realized that I liked men."

"But you're not gay."

Dick put on an expression of hurt. "Did I say I was? Nooo, I didn't. I'm bi, Tim. And though you've never seen me with a man that's mostly because, in our line of work anway, it's harder to find good men that aren't already taken."

Tim nodded his agreement. Then a thought crossed his mind. "So when you were hitting on me," he asked slowly, "that was for real?"

The older man nodded. "Don't take this the wrong way, Tim, but you're pretty naive when it comes to relationships. And all ulterior motives aside, if you're going to have a relationship with a man I'd rather it be someone I trust not to hurt you. That," he said with a wink," would be me and Batman. And since The Man most definitely is out of the question..."

Tim smiled for what felt like the first time that day. "That leaves you, huh?"

Dick grinned smugly. "So it seems."

"And these 'ulterior motives' you mentioned would be...?"

Surprisingly, Dick blushed again. "I don't know if anyone's told you, Tim, but you're one of the sexiest men on God's green earth..."

Tim had to laugh. Dick Grayson, professional flatterer, ladykiller, and the only man alive who could argue with Batman and win, uncomfortable was a sight he thought he'd never see. He was laughing so hard, that he almost missed the rest of what Dick said.

"...and I kinda...uh...have a um, small crush on you."

So here's chap two. This idea just sort of keeps flowing, so I guess I'll go with it. In the meantime, please r/r let me know what you think.