At the exact instant that Kitty pushed the glowing red button, Wally West grabbed the pair, pushed them into a corner, and then lifted the table in front of them. He had less than a second before the blast hit them, but he was fast enough to construct a makeshift shelter. The table took the brunt of the explosion, shattering into a shower of splinter. The residual force still lifted them off their feet and sent them crashing to the ground. Wally was lucky enough to be thrown at another booth, his acceleration decreased by the soft chair he landed on and the mushy fish-and-chips he had smashed through on his way. He looked up at the flaming remains of the restaurant, searching for wounded bystanders.

He pulled an unconscious man out from under some rubble and put him safely by the door, which had been spared the brunt of the explosion. As the adrenaline rush died down and he caught his breath, he noticed a sharp pain in his left cheek. He ran his fingers along it and pulled a sharp piece of plastic rhinestone that had drawn a scrape along his face. She really did Bezazzle the bomb. It must have been launched like a piece of shrapnel. He discarded the glittery jewel and scanned the rubble. A few bystanders were still conscious and seemed to be helping the injured. He scanned the scene but couldn't find Dick.

He buzzed bout every corner of the building searching for Nightwing. Dick emerged from behind a half-standing wall. Wally smiled at him, but Dick looked troubled.

"Behind you! " he shouted, right as a blunt object struck the back of his head. The speedster fell on the hard floor, ash mixing with his read hair as he returned towards his attacker. Kitten was brandishing a metal stool, grasped between trembling fingers. Although she was smiling, se didn't look happy at all.

"This is all your fault! " she screeched as she struck Wally on the forehead, knocking him out. She threw the stool aside and advanced towards Nightwing, her gait stilted and awkward. "Now sweetie, I think it's time to stop pretending and admit that we're just meant to be together."

"Kitten, come to the police with me and we'll talk this over."

Kitten growled. Her eyes watered as she said,"No, dammit, I'm sick of talking. True love isn't about talking things over, it's about taking what you deserve." She reached into her purse revealed a silver revolver with a pink handle. She fired a shot into the ceiling, prompting a few terrified shrieks from the remaining restaurant patrons.

"Now stop this ridiculous behavior right now."

Nightwing sighed, "Kitten, I..."

He didn't get to finish because she shot him in the knee. He collapsed to the ground in agony. The Kevlar padding could only take so much. Kitten nonchalantly brushed some stray strands of hair from her face and walked towards him. Each step resembled the movement of hands on a broken clock. She nudged Nightwing in the stomach with the toe of her high heels, flipping him over onto his back.

She knelt down beside Nightwing and placed her palm along his stomach. Even through the body armor she could feel his diaphragm rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. She turned her head and gazed at his face. His messy black hair and recently acquired cuts failed to deter her. Kitten poked the barrel of the pistol into his temple. She stroked his cheek and lightly touched the edge of his domino mask. He softly gripped her wrist and pushed her hand away, returning her longing gaze for the first time all day.

The bomb blast had left Kitten dazed and numb, so she didn't pause to consider her emotions at that moment. Without any hesitation she leaned in and kissed Nightwing's lips. A brief second of pure bliss was shattered when he bit her lower lip. She gasped in pain for a split second, enough time for Nightwing to jerk the gun from her hand, sliding it across the diner's tile floor. Kitten's expression turned from shock to rage as she grasped Nighwing's arms. Her sharp fingernails poked through the armor and scraped his skin. Although he was pinned to the ground, his trademark smile emerged on his face. He slammed his forehead against hers, sending her back against the wall. She slid lazily down a wallpaper depicting a bustling Gotham from the 1950's. She passed out and slumped to the floor.

####

"The EMT's are offering blankets if you want one."

Wally shrugged. "No thanks. I'm good." He looked around at the blazing wreckage, as police officers and paramedics scuttled in and out. "This feels like the ending to Die Hard or something. "

Dick laughed. "If this were the end of Die Hard, we'd be making out in the back of a limo while "Let It Snow" played over the credits. "

Wally grimaced. "No thanks, dude. You're actually a pretty good kisser, but that's enough for me, thank you very much. I think we should make some sort of pact or something not to kiss another guy for as long as we live."

There were both quiet for a second. "I'm not sure I can do that, Wally." he said hesitantly.

"Why's that?"

With a concerned tone, Nightwing said, "Well, you know..."

Now Wally was concerned too. "No, I don't know."

"Because I'm... bisexual." There was a slight hint of nervous tension in Dick's voice as he said the last word, a tension that Wally didn't hear very often. "I figured you knew that already."

"Dude, I thought you were just really friendly." Wally put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "You could have told me that."

"I assumed just you knew. I don't talk about it very often, and I've never had a boyfriend, but I never tried to hide it."

Wally smiled. "If you ever do get a boyfriend, I hope your first date goes better than this. I would usually take a disaster like this to be a sign from above that it isn't meant to be."

Dick chuckled. "I hope karma gives me a lot of aster to balance this out."

"Seriously though. No more secrets, okay? I thought we'd have learned this by now."

Nightwing shrugged. "I never thought of it as a secret... But while we're at it, I still slept with a nightlight until I was 15."

"I knew that. Wayne Manor is really creepy at night."

"You knew that but didn't know I was bisexual?" said Dick, confused.

"We'll I don't know! My superpower is speed, not being observant!" Wally threw his hands up in the air in mock frustration.

"I can tell. Your phone's been vibrating for the last five minutes."

Wally pulled his phone out of his wrist compartments. He winced at the series of long, profanity-laden text messages Artemis and Jason had left them. They didn't have a ride home and were stuck in a basement with Killer Moth. They'd probably stop complaint when he told them how his evening had gone. Because they'd be laughing too hard.

Sometimes, life can be really unfair. You're stuck in a diner with your best friend, his staler, and the concentrated essence of pure awkwardness. On top of that there's a bomb, hostages, and a lunatic who thinks moths are threatening.

Still, I got to spend an evening with my best friend in the whole wide world. Can't be that bad.

The End.