Summary: Takes place right after the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own DC

Grayson tailed a group of Blockbuster's thugs as they walked out of their coffee shop on their way to the docks. He had already paid a visit to Bruce's mini-Batcave in Blüdhaven, gotten a proper utility belt and domino mask from it, but he refused to wear the batsuit. Okay, maybe he was still a little sensitive about the whole Jason Todd thing.

It didn't take long for him to mess up their operations, he was still trained by the Batman, after all, and so in a matter of mere minutes, Dick had every thug on the floor unconscious, not a scratch on him. Alright. Better blow these crates and get outta here. Dick planted all the explosives he had brought with him before grappling away to detonate them, making sure all the thugs he had knocked out were safe. Don't exactly have a place to store them, crooked department and all, but I can't just let them go. Damn, what do I do with you guys?

He tied the criminals up to a totem pole before smirking and grappling away. Cops'll probably release him anyways, buuuut that's just a temporary setback. Once Blockbuster is down for the count, these guys'll go running. He walked up to one of the thugs, carrying him up to a nearby rooftop. He'd seen Bats do this several times before, so he was just hoping he could replicate it.

The thug woke up and started screaming for help once he realized Dick was dangling him off the side of a roof. "Alright, Chuckles, let's cut straight to the point. Your boss, I wanna know nearby gun shipments, drug cartels, anything of value to him. And if you don't wanna talk, then we can find out just what happens when someone hits the concrete dropping at about 80 miles an hour."

"Y-you won't d-drop me!"

"Wanna bet?" Dick shook the man a bit, scaring him enough that he started to splutter out information. He smiled once he got the location of two other major nearby gun depots. "Thanks." He tossed the man to the rooftop, watching him catch his breath a bit. "See, normally I'd just hand you over to the cops, but from what I've heard, they're just as bad as your guys, maybe worse. So, best I can do is..." Dick knocked him out swiftly with a hit to the back of the head before running off to the first gun depot.

Grayson made very quick work of the first depot; the guys on watch duty were probably very new, plus Blüdhaven crooks weren't exactly used to fighting ninja vigilantes like Gotham crooks were. He moved over to the second depot, and things were a bit harder here. The crooks must have gotten a heads up, because they were far more on guard than the last two were. And without a proper suit, Dick was lacking a lot of his gadgets.

He had to stick to the shadows, analyzing every single step the guards took before moving in. Two on the left, three on the right, one up top, four in the warehouse. Better take the top guy out first, baddies having a birds' eye view won't help me at all. Dick grappled up to the top balcony, quickly incapacitating the guard up there before moving to the left. One of them is covered by the other. Better take that one out first. He snuck up to and incapacitated the first guard before the other started to turn. He pulled the unconscious one into a covering with him before using his grapple to drag the second guard to his corner cover and take him down. Just like the good old days. Once he was out cold, Dick snuck over to the other side, analyzing their movements before smirking. Seem to follow a triangular pattern, taking them on this way will only get me a bullet in the head. Just gotta make some noise...He threw a batarang to a metal crate, and the sound caught the thugs' attention.

"You two, check it out. I'll stay here." Dick's smirk widened as they walked off to check on the crate, and he quickly incapacitated the leftover thug. He ran towards the others as they approached the crate, and in a singular spinning motion, he kicked both of them down before either could react. Alright, bozo battalion is down, now let's go inside. He grappled up to a wall vent, landing on an upper walkway in the warehouse and immediately analyzing the situation. Four hostiles, all armed. Guarding every single entrance point. Too much light in the room, no way I could stick to the shadows here. No cover to hide behind either. Only way I'm gonna be able to do this...He dropped a smoke bomb into the room before landing on one of the thugs. The other three quickly grouped up, but the smoke persisted long enough for Dick to take out two of them. He lunged for the final one just as the smoke cleared, knocking him clean out with a blow to the head. Alright, now let's see what we've got. Dick planted explosives on all crates, but just as he was about to turn around, two of the thugs he had incapacitated before approached him, their aim directed right at his chest. Fuck, how'd they recover so fast?! This is NOT asterous, sooooooo not asterous...The thugs smiled before opening fire, and before Dick could flip away, a blue and red blur burst into the warehouse, shielding Dick from the bullets with his torso. Grayson smirked as he recognized his savior.

"If I were you, I'd put the guns down." The henchmen meekly nodded and dropped their guns before surrendering, and Dick tied them up and brought everyone outside with Superman's help. As they watched the warehouse go up in flames, Grayson turned to Clark.

"Not that I don't appreciate the help, but what exactly are you doing here?"

"Bruce called. Said you two were having a fight and he needed my help." Dick sighed before nodding.

"Yeah...Zee and I already talked about it. I'm gonna make things right with him, just...after all this Blockbuster stuff is behind me."

"I don't doubt it. But in any case, I'm assuming you're looking for some advice?" Damn, and they call Batman the world's greatest detective. Dick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah...it's just...the new Robin. I-I'm fine with him, but...seeing him use that name, it just kinda...stings. I was Robin. It's the name I used for 10 years. Without it...I don't know, I guess I didn't expect moving on to be so hard. I don't know what I am without Robin." Clark placed a hand on his shoulder as they walked to the other side of the roof they were on.

"Well, if you want my opinion on that, I think you're one of the greatest people I've ever met. Lois says you remind her of me, and that's honestly one of the biggest compliments she can give me." Dick looked to Clark incredulously.

"Really? I-I've looked up to you for most of my life. You're almost as much of an influence on me as Bats is."

"Heh, that goes both ways. You're the most hopeful and positive guy I know, Dick. I'm sure you'll figure out the answer to your question soon enough."

"Yeah...I guess. It's just kinda hard, y'know? Without Robin, I don't know what I am." Clark sighed as a thought came into his head.

"You know, your situation...it reminds me of this old Kryptonian folklore. Not exactly, of course, but the similarities are rather jarring."

"What's the folklore?"

"In the city of Kandor, one of the largest cities on the planet, there used to be these two heroes. Flamebird and Nightwing. They were a lot like Batman and Robin, if I'm being quite frank. They were protectors of the people, symbols of justice. They would swoop down from the skies and take out criminals and thieves before they could do any harm. Like a pair of birds in the sky. However, as the years passed, they started to drift apart, and one day, Nightwing got fed up and left Flamebird behind to pursue justice on his own terms. He became his own hero, kinda like you, in a way. He was a symbol of hope, a beacon for the people to look up to, and if I'm being honest, nobody fits that description better than you." Clark was obviously underplaying his own heroism, he was the Champion of Earth for crying out loud, but nonetheless, he meant everything he said. Dick absorbed the information and thought about that last bit. Well, I didn't exactly have a falling out with Bats when I left, but...a beacon of hope. Never saw myself as that. Nightwing, huh? Yeah, it could work...

Grayson turned to Clark, taking his hand firmly before shaking it. "Thanks for this. It...it helped a lot. And, uh, I just got one question."

"Yeah?"

"Nightwing. Do...do you mind if I-" Clark laughed.

"I mean, that was kinda my whole point in telling you the story. Yes, I would be honored. If there's anyone I trust to uphold those values, it's you." Dick smiled before pulling him into a hug.

"Hey, just something you should know, you're not so bad yourself. I...I've looked up to you all my life. If I am this...beacon of hope...it's cuz I learned from watching you." Clark grinned before breaking off the hug.

"That goes both ways, Dick. You've had more of an impact on me than you realize." He turned to hear the sound of children screaming in Metropolis, and he sighed. "Gotta go, the everlasting battle for justice, you know? See you soon, Dick. I look forward to seeing what you come up with." Dick waved goodbye as Superman rocketed off to save the day, and he had a massive smile on his face as he pulled out his cell and dialed up Bruce.

"Did you put him up to this?"

"I just asked him for help."

"Heh, well, it worked. Thank you, Bruce. And...I'm sorry about earlier."

"Don't be. You were right. We can continue the sappy talk after you've dealt with Desmond. Good luck, and call me if you need me." Dick smiled as he hung up. Bruce wasn't the best with emotions, he really tried with Dick but he wasn't always there, certainly not over cellphone. They would have their talk once he got back, and they would make up with one another, he was sure of it. For now, he had work to do.

Bruce called Clark after hanging up with Dick, and the Man of Steel answered right away. "Thank you, Clark. It means a lot."

"What's this? I think I need to get my ears checked, because it sounded like the Dark Knight just said...thank you?" Bruce chuckled.

"Don't let it get to your thick head."

"Y'know, from what I saw, Dick really coulda used a suit back there. He's kind of lacking equipment right now."

"Trust me, I already have Lucious working on that."

"Well, if you want my input...add a bird to the center."

"A bird? Taking the 'Robin' thing a bit too seriously, aren't you?"

"Trust me, I'll explain later. Just, add the bird. Something tells me he'll appreciate it." Bruce smiled.

"Alright. I'll tell Lucious. Thanks again, Clark." Bruce hung up and smiled. A bird? If you say so...

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