Teen Titans – ReBeL Yell: If I Had Stayed a Renegade

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Meeting My Future Self : Part One

That line, " Nightwing, huh?" We all know it's no joke, so hold onto your time machine – bottoms!

In Nightwing/Grayson from future AU, POV!

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~ This place doesn't look like Jump City to me…~

A lurking figure; one that donned a dark trench from going undercover, a vigilante uniform and suit well below it, with his mask off as his long black hair served an even bigger purpose to have the character's cover from being blow.

In his TIME.

THIS?

Was most certainly, something else.

The figure in his blue and blacks saw a teenager, maybe seventeen riding the skies, rooftop to rooftop after a martial artist called Katana. He recognized her well, seeing that her body was also still quite young.

And his, that boy's.

Now, the figure picked up his pace, recalling what could and would happen.

For this had all happened before.

In his time, he'd escaped an entrapment to a mad man and was no longer in service to that… very evil and cunning person.

In this time, it was too soon to discover how far "he'd" already fallen.

As the trench - coated character picked up speed, he saw the one item in the boy's grip that would ultimately ruin and settle who this boy was intended to become.

He charged in, barreling the boy back into a narrow wall upon those lone rooftops, as Katana dashed away to salvage her honor. Her very life now no longer held pinned against those cold bricks, below.

"Rrra!!" The unlucky boy thrashed; dark hair flicked about over his masked sight, as the trench cost on the other's back flapped about, from the up – gust of this windy tower they had landed in.

" Easy, kid." The figure stayed calm, his sympathetic eyes now a darker blue, a loss of his innocent nature within them shining back in firm warning. "I'm not the enemy, and you can't take that life…"

"I…have to…try –

"I know. Caught in the middle of one of his legally binding ploys, right? But it won't last. I'm here to help, so just stop fighting. I w-

"Get away from me, jerk! I'm losing my –

Jerk? Was he ever that fresh? That wouldn't cut it.

Nope.

Time to get serious.

"No." As if this were a fox and an elephant, the older adult did not move his body away from the boy's, effectively pinning him down while following a pressure point to later move the body to another location.

The boy fought for a few seconds more, then that masked face went slack, as the figure dropped his arms to look back up at the night sky, wondering what fate had in store for them back home.

/

It was a very bad idea, but Nightwing had the gear to traverse, as he'd never planned on stopping his younger self from becoming a full - fledged murderer.

Well, actually he had. More than once.

That night would have created an opening, and Slade's test for his fearsome protégé would have changed their fates forever.

Dick Grayson had to see it, because this could all happen just like before.

Not a dream, as the boy felt a snowflake softly hit his cheek, then another.

Not just another cold reality inside some dystopian bubble.

And not a drama to realize one's errors in it or how they'd eventually as said - individual.

Yet a sign that everything was going to be…

Buried in ashes, as Jump years later was not as it seemed once the boy had fully opened up his eyes.

"Welcome, to our future." The figure removed his trench coat and had placed back on a more V – angled mask to cover his stranger blue orbs.

"The Titans' future, as it should be."

/

As the unofficial title of "Renegade," Dick Grayson of the past believed it to be an illusion.

He blinked, rubbing his eyes like a child who's somehow spotted Santa Claus on a trip to the kitchen.

"What happened??... The future? And you are…??" He pointed at the vigilante, rather reluctantly.

"Nightwing." Nodded the figure in blue and black, to the boy in black and red – orange.

The boy shook, his head gasping in a sharp breath, for three years it seemed… the lying, cheating…maiming….

He HAD to be dreaming. "I hit my head, when you –

"It's not a hoax." Nightwing said, amused by how his past self was as skittish as a titmouse. "All of this city is real, right down to the future city's groundwork and with the effort our team put into preserving its future and prosperity."

"But….it looks like…... this??" Renegade exclaimed and threw out an arm to dramatically emphasize the situation. "This isn't my city, or Sl –

" He doesn't run this future." Nightwing stomped on that man's name, knowing the obsession had to die.

"He never did." Nightwing stared into the boy's, stricken features and saw a deep longing to return to the present.

Lips pursed in silence, Renegade rose and dusted the snow off of his arms. He finally composed himself, finding this creep's demeanor to be slightly…soothing.

"I don't care how this happened. All I want to know is if there is any way to get back to my… time…" He grumbled out the word, not daring to admit that if it were possible, that they had…gone through space and time…

He gulped.

AND that if he were stuck in some alternative reality where Nightwing knew the ropes to time - travel…

Getting back meant he'd have to win over this pretty boy, someway

"Maybe we can, or maybe not." Lied the time traveling hero. The Titan known as Warp designed the device, I use it in my suit... Unless you're that desperate, kid." Chuckled the vigilante as Renegade's hope wilted, before Nightwing took to finishing his explanation, "The item I used wasn't out of juice just yet, but the last time a Titan had pointed out the importance of securing the present day for we heroes, the option became limitless for a while. We had to pull the plug, until…"

(NW is talking about HOW LONG IS FOREVER. Since Renegade skipped over two to three years with being Slade's perfect apprentice, that episode would have happened, but without Robin to celebrate Blorthog with his team. A. Lot of dialog is being kept from the Tt 2003 com8c where Nightwing comes to the heroes' time to save Robin.)

"I'd like to see you try to do as much as you can in this time, since you made all of this happen in the first place in my world..." Renegade crossed his arms with a huff firmly over his lankier chest.

" Did I?" Wondered the vigilante, aloud. ( He's talking about Renegade staying Slade's apprentice and how that has affected the heroes' current future.)

Well, if it was a tour the kid wanted so badly, who was big brother NW to let this kid down so soon?

Too easy, and he already KNEW what this kid's motives were BECAUSE he'd lived it, in this exact same scenario.

"This has all happened before; on countless worlds where we as heroes have to make a choice, and something leads us down the wrong path." Nightwing leaped on ahead and ran in a dash down a snow capped hill. He'd test this kid's gall here, see if he was serious in listening to teacher.

Renegade, as if light as air, took off right after, yelping for the crazy older costumed character to slow –

Yet, he gasped.

There it stood, still a beacon of hope as Renegade almost went flopping into the snowbank on his tush. Nightwing watched as his younger self took in the vivid scenery; the scent of the sea, since long gone. Only global cooling to an extreme blanketed the bay where once too, had been that caped boy wonder upon her shore.

Yet now, sadly no more.

/

"Did you remember, something?"

As soon as Renegade had recovered his cool and collected demeanor once more, he'd found Nightwing, leaning up against the city's pier's extended walkway.

"Why did you bring me here?" Rasped the confused, demanding student with an owlish expression.

"I thought it would bring back something important for both of us, just on a whim, maybe." Half lied the vigilante as his legs started to move on ahead again, the boy stumbling on along to find an end to this game the older male was currently playing.

"If you are trying to change who I am, then I think it's about time that I –

" Annd…right on schedule!" Nightwing was on in a dash once more, as Renegade gawked and ran right after, but not into the open waves!

/

He was gripped and tugged to sit on something that, had a motor …it was floating in mid air and also matched the shades of blue and black for Nightwing's suit.

"YOU OK, KID??" The vigilante shouted over the whirring beat of the humming mechanism; a kink in future tech that still had yet to be resolved by this city's top mechanics. Like driving a mower…

Or a Hummer…

"What???" Renegade tried to shout back, but he instead was hoisted onto the flying cycle as his legs dangled by the water, heart racing as he clung tightly to Nightwing for good measure. Now he knew how Starfire felt…this wasn't fun unless HE was at the wheel…

"HANG ON TIGHT!!" With a loud whoop, the vigilante and screaming ex – hero sailed off at the highest velocity towards the other side of the snow capped, blanketed bay.

It was too late to turn back now, as the sun of day soon cascaded across the sky line. Nightwing grinned, the wind in his hair the best part about the experience.

Not telling Renegade about it being nighttime was funny, but not necessarily wrong. He had to see the dawn here in their world for good reason.

To regain his trust in a brighter future.

To see the bigger picture.

Without any "master or apprentice" nonsense to ruin this precious moment!l