A/N: Sunday Funday! Horray! I'm going to a peaceful protest later so I'll let you guys know how well that turns out next week. Here's hoping it's mildly boring. anything else might be a little *too* exciting for little ol' me. (Fun fact, my friend Gwen is the one taking me, but I've had this chapter written long before I met her so, just know my Gwen and PO Gwen aren't alike at all.)

ENJOY!

My Robin Reversal AU:

Dick - 14, 12, 16, 18 (Sorry it's a little out of order, buuuuuut *shrugs*)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Smooth Operator

Gwen was having the BEST day of her life EVER! And by best, she meant worst. She had already woken up late on her first day of school, forgot to take a shower the night before and couldn't find her deodorant, had bedhead that refused to be tamed and apparently forgot her locker combination where she left all of her school books during the freshmen walkthrough of her new school. To make matters all the better, her three best friends throughout middle school were missing. One moved to Metropolis at the end of last year, one was still on vacation with her family in London after they managed to miss their flight, and the third was home 'sick'. Gwen knew for a fact that Kelly wasn't actually sick, but that didn't stop her friend from ditching out on her for the first day.

So here was Gwen, trying to laser eye her locker open as if she was Supergirl, because there was really no other option available to her.

"Locker troubles?" Oh, and wasn't this perfect, the circus boy from her class was now trying to be friendly with her. Gwen turned to give Dick Grayson the stink-eye only to feel her eyes go wide. She wasn't sure what Grayson had been up to over the summer, but he sure wasn't the scrawny, boney, awkward, little preteen that she last saw at the end of eighth-grade. Grayson was officially cute, and with the way he was smiling at her, she wondered if she might be able to 'damsel-in-distress' her way into a date.

"Y-yeah, I forgot my combo. You wouldn't know how to help a girl out, would you?" She asked with a bit of a pouty lip, tucking a blond strand of hair behind her ear. Even on her worse of bad hair days, this had to be enough to get Grayson to blush. The circus boy blinked at her a couple of times like he couldn't believe what he just heard/saw, and there was a small bit of pink that crept across his nose, adorable.

"S-sure! I can get it open for you!" He exclaimed excitedly, proving that as much as he had started to grow into himself (not by too much but Gwen didn't mind short guys), he was still the same hyperactive little performer that managed to 'accidentally' kick the celling in fourth-grade homeroom. Next thing Gwen knew, Grayson was close up to her locker with his ear not quite pressed against it, but near enough she could tell he was trying to listen to the clicks of the combo-lock. She figured he must be trying to mimic some movie with a spy picking locks or something equally stupid, but cute trumped stupid so she let him work. That's when she noticed the serious and focused gaze on his face as he paid close attention to the sounds of the clicking and the turning of the dial. Gwen had never seen Grayson pull a face like that and it instantly had her face flare-up in a massive blush. Right at that moment, Grayson went from 'cute' to 'hot' in her books and she was more determined than ever to make him her boyfriend.

Before Gwen could get a word in about the possibility of needing a math tutor for after school (everyone knew that Dick Grayson was the biggest mathlete in Gotham, his age be forgotten) Gwen watched as he pulled the latch and her locker door swung open. The triumphant look that replaced the focused one made her heart flutter as he looked at her with absolute joy.

"Here ya go, Gwen! See you class, we better hurry before we're late." And just as quickly as he had come, so as quickly as he was gone. Gwen blinked at her open locker, numbly gathered her books, and then turned just in time to see Dick Grayson duck into his class at the end of the hall. Within less than a minute, her little realization that the annoying dweeb turned into a cute nerd finally transformed into an all-out crush. She, was, doomed.

Jason was still on the outs with the rest of the Titans. Kori and Roy both knew this as well as why. While everyone tried to make it up to him for how they had treated him his first month on the team, Jason was not impressed with how two-faced they were being. One day they're telling him he'll never measure up to what Nightling is, and the next they're giving him compliments over the very things they used as proof over his unworthiness. Eventually, the other Titans just started to leave him alone, realizing that forgiveness and second chances were not synonyms in the current Nightling's book.

Enter in Robin.

Jason had started to bring his younger brother Dick to the tower to shove at people so that he didn't have to talk to the other teen heroes. Boy did the younger hero work his charms. Everyone was already cooing and doting on their new favorite member while Nightling would sit in the background and ignore them. Kori herself soon found time to talk and bond with the new addition to the team. She realized that Robin was not much younger than her and he liked to ask a lot of questions about her homeworld, though knew to back off when Kori's answers would start to become short and clipped. He was a charmer through and through. Soon Kori decided that it was time to make her attraction to the younger hero known.

When Kori next saw the two brothers enter the tower, the Tammeranian strode right up to Robin and pulled him in for a deep kiss.

"Whoa-whoa-WHOA!" Jason cried out and separated the two immediately. "Star, you can't go doing something like that, for a NUMBER of reasons," he lectured. Kori was confused, and so was Dick.

"And why not?" She asked with a frown.

"First off, you can't just go up to someone and kiss them without asking first. That can get you in trouble with consent," Jason started to explain.

"Can I retroactively give her consent?" Dick asked from the other side of his older brother, looking flushed but smiling in a daze.

"Shut-up, you're a baby," Jason glared over his shoulder.

"Am not!" Dick whined.

"That brings me to my next point," Jason ignored him, "he's too young."

"Am not!" Dick repeated.

"Yes, you are! You're, what? Twelve?"

"I'm fourteen!"

"Still," Jason glowered, "too young." With that, Jason took Kori gently by her hand and started to lead her away.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, following him easily anyway.

"To the tower library," Jason answered. "We're going to find a Law-book and read over the topic 'Age-of-Consent'." There was a chuckle in his voice as they walked away, and Kori knew he didn't hold what had happened against her.

The next few hours found Kori glaring at a book full of stupid human rules while Jason finished telling Roy what had happened. Roy was laughing the whole time, and Kori now understood why with a book explaining her misconduct to her.

"Oh, man, who'da thought our sweet Kori wasn't so innocent? Hitting on minors like that," He giggled.

"I've been saying it for years! Starfire's just like everyone else. She's just a little ignorant of how things work and everyone tends to underestimate how much she does know because of it," Jason laughed back.

"And here I thought we were corrupting her," Roy grinned over to her. Kori glowered at him and then back at the book.

"He's only three years my junior, even by this book that's acceptable," she pouted over to Jason. Unsympatheticlly, Jason reached over and pointed to a line that Kori was trying to intentionally ignore. They were in California, meaning that until both parties were above the age of 18, Kori had to keep her hands to herself. She pouted until she realized another point. "All I did was kiss him. I believe there is a difference on your planet between sex and kissing."

Roy whistled low. "She's gotta point there, Jay."

"Did you think about that difference when you kissed him?" Jason tested her, ignoring Roy. Kori pouted at the book again. Jason just patted her on the head as the two boys began to change the subject around her. Four years wasn't that long, right? She could wait it out. And maybe if they kept it innocent enough, they wouldn't even have to wait that long to date, ... right?

Kori sighed, why did humans have to complicate everything?

She had heard the legends, challenged the rumors, and even seen pictures of the myth proven itself. Still, Zatanna Zatara felt she needed to see the truth for herself. So when she heard that her father was going to the Watchtower to speak with Batman and Nightling about a case, Zatanna was quick to talk him into letting her join him. Once there, Zan wasted no time in running up to Nightling and lifting his swooping cape.

"My Dear G-d, it's true!" She gaped. Nightling just laughed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. So do we go for drinks now or are you just browsing?" He joked.

Zan let go of his cape as she laughed at his joke and started a conversation with Batman's current side-kick. She knew he was the one who used to be 'Robin' because he started around the same time as the previous Nightling, and there can only be one. From what she heard the most previous Nights went on to become the new 'Red Hood' after what had happened to the 'Hood' before him (that being the guy she heard had actually been the second Nightling). She wondered if the Bats knew they were the only hero family with such a weird yet regulated chain of identities? For nearly everyone else, your superhero identity was a reflection of who you were, not exactly the 'one-size fits all' kind of thing they were playing at. But they seemed to make it work somehow.

Except, the current Nightling obviously needed to do something about his costume. He wore it like a disgruntled employee wore their work uniform, not to mention the whole design just looked so bulky on what she suspected was a much more stream-lined frame of a body. Essentially, Nightling needed a new look.

Zatanna and Nightling hit it off from that point as she brought up the idea of a new outfit. He told her how he was throwing ideas around the family and getting feedback.

"I'm thinking of ditching the cape all together," he told her. "I keep kicking it by accident, I'm just not used to it. At least the 'Robin' cape only came down to my thighs."

"Not to mention it'd show off certain 'assets' more readily, right?" Zan snickered. She half expected him to blush or something, but he just got a cocky smirk as he joked back.

"All the better to distract." He gave a wink and suddenly Zatanna was the one blushing. Forget the guy's butt, that smile of his should be illegal!

All too fast, Zatara Senior and Batman had finished their discussion, leading the two teenagers in opposite directions.

"Everything alright, Child? You're flushed," Zatara asked his daughter with slight concern.

"I'll be fine, just need to rethink a few kinks is all," Zan responded absentmindedly. The way her father went red was enough to make her smile, even if he did his best not to react in any other way. Nope, she'll never change, and it was time to plot how to get revenge on Nightling.

Babara was sitting at the computers in the cave, her wheelchair angled so she could watch everyone get ready to go out enviously. She was still coming to terms with her new restrictions, though she still hung on the hope of a full recovery that the doctors kept dangling over her head. PT really was doing Jack-all for her so far, though, so she wasn't sure how much of it was actual hope versus delusion fed by idiot medical professionals. Considering Leslie seemed to agree there might be a chance for her, she had to swallow the insults she wanted to throw. If anyone knew what they were talking about, Leslie was probably it.

Of course, Dick couldn't just leave it alone at that either.

Dick was in a constant state of wanting to show Barbara that she was still as amazing as ever as well as trying to keep her hopes up for a chance at the use of her legs again someday. His most recent attempt had him talking his old circus manager Pop Haley into letting the last of the Flying Grayson's take his dear friend up the trapeze. Haley, of course, made sure they had a sturdy net below.

Afterwards, Dick had tried to pull the old 'Grayson Charm' at the end of their 'not-date', because Barbara kept reminding him they weren't dating, and tried to get Babs to head home with him. She laughed in his face and thanked him for a good time. He pretended to pout but laughed off the rejection the same as every time before. She wasn't sure how well he was actually taking it, she never could 'read through' it. But the pain in her chest only grew sharper each time. She wanted to date him, really she did. But there was no denying Dick had a reputation when it came to relationships, and with hearing some stories from Stephanie about her own relationship troubles, Barbara grew weary of the idea.

As far as she could see, Dick was like a doorway. The door was a 'pull to open' kind, but it was also 'one-way', you couldn't open it from the other side to go back through. Once through, you were through. You could try and go through the doorway as slowly as possible, maybe even try to plant your feet and stay right in that spot, never moving, but the door closes automatically, and you could either exit smoothly on your own or get shoved out with a swat on your rear. Either way, the door would close, you'd be on the other side, and it doesn't open from that side. You can't go back after that. So yes, Barbara was scared to hope that she was different than all the other girls that had hoped they'd be the one the door didn't close on.

Starfire was close, she was almost the one. But when the door slammed on her, Jason refused to speak to Dick for nearly a year.

Dick looked over to her, seeing her staring openly at him, and he started to pose, making her giggle a little. She had helped him redesign his costume a year ago, removing the cape, and the 'N' now looked more like a little 'lifeline' symbol as the two lines on either side gracefully swept up his shoulders and down his arms, ending in little silver stripes down his middle and ring fingers. It screamed 'sex' in a weird way that both dazed and confused many. Dick was nearly oblivious to this fact as he thought it was all about practicality, then again he was a performer at heart, and 'nearly' oblivious was also 'somewhat' aware.

"Nightling," Batman called over to him. Damian looked exactly like his father used to when he wore the suit. "If you're ready to go, then get going, Batgirl and I will be out shortly." Dick pouted over to where Damian and Kate were scowling over at him. It felt strange to see Batgirl scowl, but Kate Kane tended to march to the beat of her own drum, a drum that was genetically linked to the man next to her, however far that gene was stretching.

"Alright, alright, yeesh," Nightling rolled his eyes behind his mask, giving a slight head roll to let them know that's what he did, before he turned on his heel and walked toward his bike.

Barbara sighed and turned back to the computers. If only Dick knew the hearts he broke on the daily, maybe he'd be able to change into someone she wouldn't be so scared to love. Then again, it was just one of those things that made the man who he was, and it wasn't fair of her to wish he'd change at all.

A/N: I've gotten comments before about either Dick would end up with either Kori or Babs, but to be honest, I'm Team Bachelor and Dick isn't a 'settle down' type for me. Sorry guys! Here's look into the future!

R&R if you liked. (Need a default response? Just say 'Smooth Playah Grayson!'. I'll take it.)