Flashback Chapter 22 Fallout

Nightwing stormed onto the roof of Titans Tower and sat right on the edge. How could Bruce do that do him?

After a moment, Cyborg followed him. "Dick, stop taking it out on us. Whatever B's done this time, it's not our fault, and it's not the kid's fault either."

Nightwing snorted. "You have no idea."

"I know that he doesn't seem too happy to be here."

A babble of voices on the stair announced the arrival of Wonder Girl, Starfire and the guest. "He's really like you," Wonder Girl told Nightwing. "But not the old, happy-go-lucky Robin you."

"He's more moody Nightwing you," Starfire finished.

"So he's a Little 'Wing," Cyborg smirked. "I'm sure you two can find something you need to discuss. Ladies?" Cyborg, Wonder Girl and Starfire left.

After a moment, Nightwing sensed the guest sit next to him.

"What did I do?" Robin asked dejectedly.

"You don't know?" Nightwing asked. "B never told you, huh?"

"Told me what? I've barely said two sentences to you!"

"Well maybe you should think about what you said!"

Jason kept scrolling though the files on the computer in front of him as he heard a motorbike zoom into the cave.

"Who the hell are you?" the newcomer yelled. "And what the fuck are you wearing?!"

Jason turned, and saw Dick Grayson, his new big brother, for the first time. "I'm Jason Todd-Wayne," he replied. "And this is my Robin suit."

Dick was speechless. His face showed shock, anger, betrayal. As that moment, Bruce entered the cave.

"Dick," he said. "I'm so glad-"

"SCREW YOU!" Dick yelled. With that, he started his bike up and left without another word.

"What was that about?" Jason asked, but Bruce stayed silent.

"So?" Robin asked. "What was that about?"

Nightwing sighed. "Two things. First, do you know how long it takes for adoption paperwork to go through? Usually months. For you to be Todd-Wayne by then, B would have had to file the paperwork pretty much as soon as I got my own place."

"I was kinda exaggerating," Robin admitted. "My paperwork still isn't through yet; we'd only just filed it then."

"Oh," Nightwing said, slightly embarrassed. "Well, it felt like as soon as I left, B had just got another to take my place. And the other thing…you know where the name 'Robin' came from?"

"Well, I did think Robin Hood, but Alfred said something about the bird," Robin shrugged.

"Dammit, Bruce, keeping secrets again?" Nightwing grumbled to himself. "It was my mother's nickname for me, 'cause I was born on the first day of spring. And Bruce knows that. Why the hell did he think the name was his to give away?"

"Oh hell, I'm sorry," Robin muttered. "I…he said he'd make a suit, and I assumed he meant Robin suit, but he hadn't actually said Robin. He might've meant something else…" His hand drifted to the 'R' insignia on his chest. It was actually a shuriken disguised as part of the suit; a little addition after the third time the first Robin had his belt cut off. The current wearer freed it and held it out to his predecessor. "I'll come up with something."

Nightwing took Robin's hand and closed his fingers around the shuriken. "Mom's been gone a while now; I'm moving on. I think…I think she probably would want me to take my little brother under my wing. You're Robin now."

"Thanks," Robin said, returning the 'R' to its niche. "You know, B had just wanted to square things with you before my first night on the streets. But you left, so…" He reached into a small pouch on his belt and pulled out some papers. "This is for you."

Nightwing took and unfolded it. His eyes skimmed it, then widened. "You're kidding. He formally adopted me? He always said he never wanted to try to take John Grayson's place."

"He filed the paperwork the same weekend he got your apartment," Robin explained. "I think he wanted to show that you were still his son, and thought making it legal and binding would help. But you never stayed still long enough for him to tell you. He also gave me these; he said you'd explain what it meant."

Nightwing opened a small box. Inside were two silver and black discs with rings on the top. "Pendants," he murmured, pulling out the chain with his parents' wedding rings. Robin pulled out a similar necklace, but with just one ring.

"Why has Bruce given us jewellery?" he asked.

"There's an old family legend," Nightwing said. "Supposedly Wayne Manor is built on part of the ancestral hunting grounds of the Miagani, the tribe of the Bat People. They had a sort of deity, a guardian spirit, called Man of Bats. This spirit would defend the tribe, but would only reveal himself in his full strength when the moon covered the sun in the middle of the day, and casts the land into shadow. So the Miagani have this eclipse symbol as a holy image. The Waynes adopted it as their emblem at some point.

"Does Bruce believe that?" Robin asked dubiously, before he acquired a suspicious look. "Or is that where he got the idea for Batman?"

Nightwing chuckled. "It was from all the bats in the area – they used to scare him when he was a kid – and those bats were most likely what gave the Miagani their name. Bruce didn't really have an opinion one way or another, until he was exploring the caves beneath the manor prior to setting up the Batcave, and he found some of the cave paintings they'd left behind. He's blocked off that section now though."

"So…it's kinda like the family crest?" Robin concluded.

"Close enough," Nightwing agreed, adding the pendant to his necklace. "Tell Bruce I appreciate it all, but he better have a damn good reason for trampling my heart into the ground while he was at it."

"Got it," Robin nodded. "Brothers?"

"Brothers," Nightwing agreed. "Now, as you elder brother, it is my duty to tell you every embarrassing thing about our father I know…"

AN: Sorry for being late!

This is the final chapter of this part of Flashback, so it'll be some weeks before the next update here. Also this week, Black and Red, and the first chapter of Trek of the Avengers (you can probably guess who's in that).

Next week: The beginning of the end in Family Ties, as the end of the arc fast approaches. The ongoing adventures of little lost birdie Red Robin and his friends, old and new, in Little Bird's Vengeance. And the first chapter of a zany new story, Love and Mayhem. Although this one's been giving me trouble for months, so I can't guarantee it'll be ready. If it isn't, I will provide the next installment of Death's Avenger instead.

Please, please, please review!

See you soon,

Katara