Police officer Will Jones was sitting comfortably at his desk. He had arrived a few minutes ago at the station.
He saw his partner and friend Dick Grayson walk in with the biggest smile he had ever seen on his partner's face.
To be honest, the smile was so big that it was slightly disturbing.
It could have competed with the Joker's smile.
Will narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Dick smiling is not a rare occurrence, rather it is rarer for him to walk in without smiling. But this smile... it's too much even for him. So something pleasant must have happened.
So Will, good friend that he was, decided to investigate the nature of the smile.
"Good morning Will!" he greeted him happily.
"Good morning Dick." he greeted him back. He watched him sit down at his desk and turn on the computer.
Let's begin with the questioning.
"So Dick," he began, trying to sound as casual as possible. "you seem to be in a good mood."
To say he is in a good mood is even an understatement.
Dick shrugged his shoulders, still smiling. "Because I am." he replied simply.
"Any particular reason?" he asked casually.
The acrobat shifted his eyes from the computer to focus his attention on his partner. The smile, of course, was still there. He leaned back on the back of the chair for a more comfortable position. "Maybe yes, maybe no." he replied enigmatically.
Will groaned annoyed. Obviously Dick was not going to make it easy for him. But he wasn't going to give up so easily.
Or at least not yet.
"Come on, man!" he almost whimpered. "It's pretty obvious that something happened to make you so smiley."
"Why? Don't I smile very often?" he asked innocently.
Will looked as if he wanted to pull out his blond hair one by one.
Dick chuckled to himself.
It's always nice to annoy others.
"Come on, you know what I mean!" insisted Will.
"I do? Then enlighten me, because I really don't know what you're talking about." as he spoke, Dick had taken on a serious look, although he didn't know how long he would be able to hold it before he burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, Will bit his lip in an attempt not to curse at him in a hundred different languages.
Dick would probably answer him in a hundred and one different languages. Somehow he was always ahead of the others. He admired him for that. And at the same time he hated him.
He took a deep breath to calm himself from the idea of killing him before he opened his eyes wide when he recalled a conversation they had had days before.
One name came back to his mind: Selina Kyle.
Apparently Dick noticed his realization by the way he ran a hand over his face and muttered insults concerning him, even though he was still smiling.
"I assume from your smile" Will began slowly with a smirk. "that you took her on a date and everything went well."
Dick merely nodded happily. "It went better than I ever thought it would." he admitted.
Will congratulated him by giving him a friendly pat on the back.
A half hour later, a policeman (whom Dick recognized as Officer Liam Miller) approached their desks.
"The commissioner wants to see you right now. He is waiting for you in his office." and, as quickly as he appeared, he walked away.
For a moment both Dick and Will blinked in confusion before they exchanged a glance.
"We wouldn't want to keep him waiting." Dick spoke as he rose from his chair.
His partner performed the same action. "Why do you think he will want to see us?" he asked as they walked toward the commissioner's office.
"No idea, brother."
"Why do you think he will fire us?" he asked in a slightly frightened tone of voice.
Dick rolled his eyes. "Please don't say bullshit. We're two of his best agents at his disposal." and then he added softly enough that only his partner could hear him. "And besides, we're not corrupt."
Will nodded and straightened into a less tense position "Yes, you're absolutely right."
"As always." he mumbled with a small and playful smile. Will heard him and threw a light punch in his shoulder.
They arrived at the door of the commissioner's office.
They both took a deep breath before Will spoke. "All right, you knock."
Dick gave him a dirty look (not in the bat-glare style) "Why me?"
"Because...because I say so." of all the reactions he expected, he certainly didn't expect his partner to chuckle. "What's so funny?" he asked bitterly.
Dick smiled deviously at him. "You're afraid."
His left eye twitched slightly. "I'm not afraid of anything!" he retorted.
"Prove it." he said with a smirk.
"How?"
"Knock."
"Well-no wait! You got me!"
Dick laughed as he watched Will frown heavily. However, the two were interrupted by the door opening, revealing Commissioner Noah Johnson looking not very happy, with his arms crossed over his chest. Immediately, the two straightened into a more professional posture.
"Instead of deciding who gets to knock, come into my office." he said severely.
Both Will and Dick were embarrassed as they awkwardly entered the office.
The office was not very large. The walls were bare except for a few glued newspaper clippings. They were probably about the most difficult and complex solved cases.
The desk was slightly larger than Dick's and Will's. It was covered with papers and various notes. There was also a picture, which Dick suspected was of his daughter.
"Sit down." the commissioner's voice brought him back to reality as he pointed to two chairs in front of his desk.
For a moment, as he sat down, Dick's mind took him back to the days when he was called to the principal's office and had to wait for Bruce.
He is still not sure if those were good times or not.
"I'm very sure you must be wondering why you've been summoned to my office." he began, firmly aiming his gaze at the faces of his agents who nodded.
"I must admit that your cooperation is one of the best, if not the best, in this district." he saw the two officers exchange smiles and could not help but lift his lips a few inches before turning serious again.
"This is evidenced by the percentage statistics that place you in first place in terms of catching criminals. I am impressed, to tell you the truth. I never before expected such strong and solid cooperation as yours.
"Consequently, I have made a decision that will affect you both." he tried to create suspense and succeeded, noticing how nervous the two partners were. He chuckled to himself as he spoke.
"Both of you have been promoted to detective. And, as such, you will get a raise in your pay."
The young men blinked before the realization hit them.
"Is this all true?" asked Will incredulously. The commissioner merely nodded with a small smile on his face.
"We thank you commissioner!" said Dick as he gratefully shook his boss's hand.
"You're welcome. You've earned it. You may return to your work." he said as he shook Will's hand, who nodded and walked out of the room with his partner at his side.
"I can't believe it!" whispered Will excitedly as they stood outside the room.
"Me neither, man!" replied Dick with equal enthusiasm. He couldn't wait to get home and call Bruce to tell him the news.
Besides, they could finally gain access to crime scenes without being bossed around by incompetent and arrogant detectives.
He was loving that day.
"This calls for a celebration!" said Will as they headed down a hallway.
Dick nodded excitedly several times. "Absolutely. As soon as our shift is over, my place for a beer?"
He wasn't much of a drinker but he indulged once in a while. Especially on occasions like these.
"I'll be there!" and with that they returned to their desks to continue their work.
Will had been at Dick's house for about an hour to celebrate their promotion before returning to his fiancée.
Dick was watching television when he heard his phone ring. He smiled softly as he saw who was calling him.
"Ehy Selina."
"Ehy Dick. How was your day?"
"Very well actually. How about you?"
"The same. You know, I was scrolling through the Gotham news on my phone when I read some interesting news."
"What news?"
"The headline read: Bruce Wayne's eldest son Richard John Grayson-Wayne, the Bludhaven police officer, has become a detective. When were you going to tell me?" her tone might have sounded angry but Dick knew she was actually joking.
Dick groaned inwardly.
I can't believe it. I've only been a detective for a few hours and already it's been made public.
"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. I actually still have to tell Bruce, hoping he hasn't already read it."
"I don't think he has. The news came out about fifteen minutes ago. Anyway, detective eh?" Richard could hear her typical mischievous smirk on the other end of the line.
"Yeah. I'm very happy about that. Since my shift ends early tomorrow, would it be okay if I came to Gotham and took you to a bar?" he asked hopefully.
Even though I saw her yesterday, I already miss her. God, what is this girl doing to me?
"You don't even have to ask, Dick." she replied softly.
Dick smiled. "Well, see you tomorrow then."
"See you!"
As soon as the call was over, he ran to his room and opened it with such force that he was almost surprised that it had not broken. He grabbed his personal laptop, sat cross-legged on the bed, and smiled broadly. He pressed the start button for the video call with Bruce.
Bruce was in his office at the Manor. He had just finished filling out paperwork when he glanced at his computer and saw that he was receiving a video call from Dick. He smiled to himself as he answered. He didn't even have time to say hello when his son began to speak.
"Ehy dad!" he greeted with a big smile.
Bruce felt his heart melt when he heard his firstborn attribute that title to him. Of course, he had called him that many other times before but each time it was always a good feeling.
"Hello chum." he greeted him with the nickname he had been using for him ever since he was welcomed.
"I have some very interesting news to tell you!"
Bruce saw that he was slightly bouncing on the bed and smiled sweetly. Whatever news it was, it must be positive.
"Tell me."
Dick's smile grew. "I've been promoted to detective!"
Bruce, though slightly surprised, did not show it and smiled proudly. "Congratulations, son! I'm really proud!"
Somehow (of which Bruce suspected was not humanly possible) the firstborn's smile grew.
"So," Bruce began after a few minutes of quiet chatter. "how did your date with Selina go last night?"
Dick's face immediately turned red but he smiled. Even a blind man would have seen the happiness he radiated.
Okay, maybe not.
But that's not the point.
"It went very well." then his eyes narrowed to slits. "How did you know?"
A smirk appeared on Bruce's face. "Because I'm Batman." he replied in the voice of the Caped Crusader.
Obviously they made sure the line was secure and not interceptable.
Dick groaned annoyed. "Bruuuce, you've been answering me with that line ever since I became Robin! You should have realized long ago that you can't use that as an excuse!"
His father chuckled. "I sure can because I-"
"If you say 'I'm Batman' I swear I'll hang up the call." Dick interrupted him with a serious face but the older man could see his small smile.
Bruce raised his hands in fake surrender. "God, you're annoying." he muttered and ignored the indignant 'ehy' "Anyway, would you like to patrol with me here in Gotham tonight?"
Dick assumed a puzzled look. "The others?"
"Jason has a fever, Tim has to study for an important test tomorrow and Damian is still slightly injured from yesterday's patrol."
The new detective nodded and smiled. "The return of the original Dynamic Duo?"
Original Dynamic Duo.
The two of them have always worked in perfect synchrony. Sure, Batman had other Robins but none of them understood him as well as Dick did. The two of them only needed a glance to understand each other. They had a level of understanding unattainable for anyone else. With one glance they could even have an entire conversation.
Sometimes, Dick missed the times where it was just him, Bruce and Alfred.
He would certainly miss his loving (in their own way) brothers, though.
Bruce smiled back and nodded. They talked for a few more minutes until they ended their call.
Bruce sighed.
My eldest son just became a detective. Time goes by too fast. It seemed like yesterday when I brought him to the Manor for the first time.