Nightwing landed onto the fire escape with a soft metal clang. He gently released Danny from his hold, keeping an arm hovered around him for a moment. He watched and waited as the teen wobbled on his feet for balance. Once Danny had stabilized, Nightwing nudged him with his elbow and gestured to the dark window.

"The main entrance," He winked.

"The window?" Danny raised a brow with a skeptical look.

"Yep." Dick emphasized the sound of the 'p', before hiking up the window with a slight grunt. He climbed in first, after noticing Danny's hesitance, muttering a warning while half-way through the well-worn opening.

"Sometimes the window likes to fall down, so watch your head."

The teen glanced around one last time, before peeking his head through the window. He flinched back as Nightwing clicked the lamp that was next to him, casting the apartment in a dim warm light.

"Not the grand-i-est place I lived in, but it's not the worst. Its home either way."

Danny blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the light, then stared around the room while he slowly pulled himself in.

It was a normal looking apartment, a nice size for a single resident. The TV was on a cabinet in the corner of the room, angled towards the living room. A neutral dark blue couch in the center, with a recliner that was a couple shades off from matching, sat to the right of it. There was another chair that was more square in shape but matched closer to the color of the couch on the opposite side. The seats all looked very comfy.

The teen stumbled in once his feet hit the floor, not ready for what he had landed on. Glancing down, there under his feet was a rubber welcome mat. It was well used. Danny wiped his shoes out of habit, when he felt fluffy fabric smack his face.

Startled, he bounced back into the window and wall behind him. He took a moment, before yanking the cloth off his head. He raised a brow while looking down at the towel in his hands.

"Dick."

"What?" Danny looked up at Nightwing, as the vigilante removed the mask off his face and gave Danny a bright grin.

"My name. If you're going to spend the night at my place, might as well use my civilian name. As a sign of trust." Dick took another towel that was sitting in a basket by the window, drying himself off.

"OH! Ooohhhhh..." Danny's eyes widened as realization hit him, then he furrowed his brows in confusion. "You go by Dick?"

"Yep, it's my nickname everyone calls me by. Same for yours, right?" Dick smirked as he let the towel rest around his shoulders, his hair curled and flicked in a ruffled mess. Giving off the impression that he may or may not have a clue as to why the teen was so stuck on his name.

"Yeah... but..." The teen started, before shaking his head. "Never mind... Dick."

"Just set your stuff anywhere, I won't touch it." Dick said as he moved towards the door to the right of the small table that the lamp sat on. At least Dick wouldn't tonight, in the morning he might have a second glance if Danny is still asleep.

"You can shower first, if you like. I have some clothes my brothers left behind that might fit you. Or at least fit well enough for tonight. The bathroom's through this door and off to the left of the bedroom. This place doesn't really accommodate for house-guests." Dick opened the door flicking on the light, ushering Danny to follow by inching his fingers.

Danny forgoed dropping his stuff, as he clutched the strap of his backpack tighter. He took a glance around, then headed into the bedroom after Dick, staying in the doorway until he had a better layout of the room.

Very cautious. Dick pretended not to notice as he crouched in front of his dresser, digging around for Damian's old clothes. Maybe some of Tim's could even work, he still has a small build. He could see Danny walk across the room from the corner of his eye.

The teen stood for a moment, watching Dick in return, before moving towards the bathroom. He opened the door quietly; in fact, all his movements were very quiet. If Dick wasn't aware of his presence, he doubted he could have heard him at all.

Danny peeked into the bathroom, then pushed the door so it fell open. The bathroom was small and average. The only notable thing was the shower curtain that had graffiti on it. Symbols of different colors, little drawings like a butt with wings, and messages like: 'Clean your toilet.' 'Your shampoo stinks.' 'Thnx-3 C' 'You still haven't changed this one yet? Impressive.'

"My siblings like to leave a mark."

Danny jolted, quickly flipping around to face Dick, stumbling back as he bumped into the sink. Danny's eyes seemed to have flashed green for a moment, giving Dick a sinking feeling in his stomach as he tried to keep a friendly face. He moved back a little on his own instincts then chuckled awkwardly.

"Sorry, I tend to sneak up a lot. Old habits, Here." Dick handed Danny some clothes that were messily folded. "I left you some options, and the underwear's brand new. You can keep them."

"Your brothers won't mind?" Danny asked with a raised brow as he grabbed the clothes from Dick.

"Nah. They probably forgot that I even had them." Well Tim definitely did. Damian might question where his cat shirt went... but what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Or anyone else, Dick hoped.

Danny glanced back down at the clothes, shifting a bit on his feet. "Erm… Well thanks."

"Just toss your dirty ones on the floor and I'll wash them, then I'll make us something to eat. Kay?" Dick turned to walk away back to the dresser, but kept facing Danny.

"Kay... um I'd rather wash them myself. Thanks." Wise. Dick would have to wait if he wanted to get his hands on any clues that would help to figure out more about the kid's situation. Long game.

"Alright, champ. No pressure." Dick turned his back on Danny to grab himself some clothes to change into.

He'll have to change elsewhere. He didn't want Danny to feel trapped, especially with how cautious the teen was being. Plus, it would be pretty awkward if the boy poked his head back out, while Dick was struggling to take off his wet suit. Definitely would not help the situation.

"Champ?" He heard the teen mutter with a pause of silence, before the door creaked close with a click once in place.

Dick let out a heavy sigh. He took in the moment of silence, stopping his shuffling for clothes. The sound of water turning on in the shower allowed him a brief moment with his thoughts. Dick couldn't believe he pulled a Bruce. He brought an unknown meta teen into his home, with known enemies, and revealed his identity to him... B would be furious. Despite the hypocrisy on his part.

"Argh! Hot Hot Hot Hot!"

Dick smothered a snort into the crook of his arm. He probably should have warned him about the tabs being mislabeled. Okay Dick, just focus on one thing at a time. He grabbed his clothes and walked out of the bedroom…

Danny let out a deep sigh as he felt the now warm, and not burning hot, water. With the clear break in his string of bad luck and the clarity showering gives, he could undoubtedly say... he's an idiot.

He groaned into his hands as he rubbed his face. What dumb-ass just goes along with some random person in a suspiciously tight suit to their apartment. This one, apparently. Not like Danny had much of a choice. He could have refused and left, but that option wasn't much better. Sam would have chewed him out regardless, if she could.

He felt a sharp pang in his chest, that he promptly ignored, choosing to focus on the wound on his arm instead. It was a thin cut, almost fully healed. He traced his thumb on the slash. Reckless. He was so reckless and foolish to think- That he could… He shut his eyes tight, refusing to let himself break down now.

This wasn't the place, Fenton. He snorted, blinking back tears that burned his eyes. He wondered after all this, would his family still proudly call him one. He doubted it. Either way, he had to be careful not to spill his family name out loud. He couldn't let anyone know who or what he was. Luckily, his first name was rather common and, even more so, that his appearance is rather plain. Or at least it was.

He rolled his tongue over his oversized canine. Not enough to be eerie at first sight, but he would have to be careful about showing his teeth. Avoid anything to paint him as abnormal. Too bad he already failed at that. At least to Dick, he'll have to be more careful.

Danny shook his head, stealing the shampoo Dick had up on a shower rack. He focused on washing his hair and skin. Just focus on getting clean. Not the scar on his chest, or the fear that heavily weighed on his shoulders, nor the mistakes that he had made. One small thing at a time.

He hopped out not long after rinsing the soap from his skin. He could have scrub gunk off his body for hours, but he feared getting lost in his thoughts again. He pulled a towel out from under the sink. Danny quickly jumped back phasing halfway through the wall as a metal ball fell out of the rolled towel. It popped open showering the bathroom in pink glitter and colorful streamers.

Danny blinked, confused and frozen with shock. He held his breath, glancing at the doorway. He stared as if expecting someone to kick the door down at the slightest of noise... but there was none. He slowly looked back at the mess, furrowing his brows, until it hit him. His eyes danced back to the shower curtain. Ah, siblings.

Danny snorted, stepping out of the wall and solidifying himself. He tossed the towel over his head, ruffling his hair dry, while using his feet to uncover his stuff under the glitter. He rested the towel on his shoulders and reached for his stuff. He phased the glitter right off of his backpack and clothes. There wasn't much fun in ruining a surprise.

He tossed on the clothes Dick had picked out for him. The pants were loose pajama bottoms, but the draw string kept them in place. The cat shirt had a picture of a stretching cat with the caption, "Purrrrfection~!". Low-tier pun, but Danny's lip curled up at it. It fit about as well as any loose t-shirt would.

He neatly grabbed his stuff and the towel he used up into his arms. Then quietly he phased through the door, turning off the light as he went. He double-checked the bedroom for Dick before visibly turning solid again. There, all clean. And not a speck of glitter to be found... which might contradict his earlier plan.

It was worth it.

Emerging out of the bedroom, Danny felt his nerves rise again as he listened to the sounds of movement from the kitchen. He held a tight grip on his clothes as he cautiously peeked around the corner into the kitchen…

Dick was busy cleaning the dishes that had piled up in the sink. The pizzas were in the oven, cooking two at the same time. One was a supreme and the other was a meat lover's pizza. He wasn't sure which one Danny would like, but he figured the two of them would devour both pizzas regardless.

"Um..." A soft voice uttered.

Dick dropped the glass in his hand into the sink, clasping the ledge of the counter tightly. His eyes snapping to the teen, who flinched back. The vigilante let out a deep sigh, releasing the ledge. His hands ached. This kid was way too silent for it to be natural.

Dick relaxed his shoulders and smiled weakly at Danny. "Did anyone tell you that you're quiet as a mouse?"

Perhaps even quieter.

Danny raised a brow, slowly relaxing his hold on the laundry in his arms. "No? Usually people see me coming."

"Maybe you should start walking in their blind spot." Dick winked, pushing himself away from the sink. "Then they'll hear where I'm coming from."

Danny stared at him for a moment, then snorted away a laugh. His cheeks puffing out in his efforts to resist the laughter at Dick's pun. Dick counts that as a win.

"Don't you mean where I'M coming from?" Danny smirked.

"Nope." Dick emphasized, tapping his finger in the air at the 'p' sound. His eyes glancing down at the laundry in Danny's arms.

"Washing machines back here. Need a hand carrying anything?" Dick pointed with his thumb behind him towards a room off to his left.

"I've got it." Danny said, clinging a little tighter to the clothes in his arms, as he stepped around the half-wall that separated the kitchen and the living room. He peered into the room beyond Dick, then back at the man.

Dick stepped off to the side and Danny slid by him, keeping his distance. Was he ever this distant when he was younger? Dick couldn't remember. Despite clearly remembering how he ended up under Bruce's wing, most of his memories were a blur from around that time.

Not like their situations were the same. Danny seemed... defeated, not angry. He doubted a promise of a better way to get vengeance would work. He was also older, and clearly been on his own a lot.

"Where's the-'' Danny looked back to ask, after tossing all his clothes into the washer machine.

"It's on the floor, to the side." Dick pointed to the general area the detergent was.

Danny nodded as he picked up the detergent, turning back to the machine.

Dick couldn't help but realize how scrawny the teen was. He knew it wasn't right to compare as his brothers were older than Danny, but he still looked too bony. His skin was pale, almost sickly so, and dark circles surrounded his eyes. It made the kid's eyes even brighter in comparison.

The thoughts of how Danny got to this point ate at him. Danny might not even legally exist. Considering the rogue that was hunting him, it seems like he might have been an experiment. However, Danny didn't seem that out of place in a normal home. Perhaps kidnapped instead? He really hoped that was the case, as it would be easier to find-

"Uh, Dick?"

Dick jolted out of his thoughts, feeling rather embarrassed for staring so long. He hoped he didn't freak the kid out. Quickly, he composed himself. "What's up, kiddo-Danny?"

Danny squinted his eyes at Dick for a moment. He shook his head, then asked, "Do you smell something burning?"

…Oh no… The pizzas!

Dick's eyes widened as he whipped back towards the oven, which indeed smelled of burning food. He yanked the dish towel off the oven's door, and half-shoved on an oven mitt. Then, he hurried to pull the oven door open and drag out the pizzas, dropping them haphazardly onto the stove top with a hiss.

"Hot hot hot!" Dick tossed the dish towel aside while he shook his hand in an attempt to cool it off.

"You okay?" Danny rushed over.

"Aaaahh ahaha... Yeah yeah, I'm fine." Dick awkwardly chuckled away the shame as he used his foot and knee to close the oven door. He let out a deep sigh at the sight of the pizza. The cheese had burnt spots, the edges of the crust were blackened, and the pizza curled a bit.

"Oof, looks like I really messed up dinner." Dick rubbed the back of his neck, cursing internally at himself.

"I can go out and grab something from the convenience store just around the corner. They sell hot dogs or sandwiches. I wouldn't trust their burgers though." Dick offered as he reached over to turn off the stove. Dick regretted not going grocery shopping before tonight.

Danny bit his lip, looking over the pizza. He looked hesitant to take the offer. Guilt?

"It's just around the corner. It wouldn't take long. Ten minutes, max." Dick didn't want the kid to feel like a burden. Cursing at himself for forgetting to put a timer on the pizzas.

Danny grabbed the closest kitchen utensil, which happened to be a knife, and lifted up one of the pizzas from the pan. He glanced under it, even bending over to get a better view of the underneath.

Danny turned to look back at Dick with a smirk on his face, "You got any ranch?"

Dick blinked, "...Yes?"

Surprisingly, at least to Dick, the burnt pizza soaked in ranch made it edible. Tasty even... as long as you like the taste of ranch that is. The two sat across from each other at the small table that was against the wall and to the left of the kitchen. Each had two slices of both pizzas. A bottle of ranch sat between them and each had a glass of milk. Dick needed to finish the gallon off before it expired.

"I never thought to save the atrocity of my cooking with ranch." Dick mused as he took a bite out of his pizza.

"Eh, it wasn't that bad. I still could have eaten it even without the ranch. Ranch just makes it easier. Plus I like it." Danny sharply chomped on his slice.

"I can see why." Dick hummed. It was a nice comfortable silence as they ate. He watched Danny devour his pizza. As if it was one of the best meals he had in a while.

Maybe it was. Dick soured at the thought. His eyes glancing down at his plate.

Dick wondered if Danny would get sick if he gave him more. Would it even be a bad thing if he had another reason to stay because he ate too much? Dick finished off his second slice, using a napkin to wipe his fingers after licking the ranch off. He slid his plate over towards Danny, who gave him a raised brow.

"You're not going to finish that?" Danny asked.

"Nah, I'm full. I ate a pretty big lunch on patrol. Kind of a mistake on my part really." Dick lied with ease.

Danny skeptically furrowed his brows, but took the plate and placed it on his own. "...Thanks."

"No problem," Dick took a sip of his glass. He partially wished he had a cup of coffee instead, but he didn't want to pull an all-nighter... again.

His eyes flicked over at the living room, particularly at the cat-shaped clock on the wall. Hmm. He would be cutting it rather close. He guessed it wouldn't matter, as he had planned to call in to work. He also had plans to contact Babs. If anyone could find something about Danny's backstory, it'd be her. He just wanted something, anything to go off of.

"So, any plans? Ya know, after you hang around tonight." Dick asked, bringing his attention back to Danny. He wanted to dig something out of him, even a crumb would do.

"I thought you weren't going to ask." Danny grumbled while he chewed, but there wasn't any animosity in his tone.

"I promised not to ask about what happened to you," Dick wagged his finger with a hum.

Danny glared and muttered out, "Dick."

"That's my name," Dick winked with a grin causing Danny to roll his eyes.

Dick took another sip of his milk, then asked. "Any place to go? Someone to turn to? Like a friend… or?"

The teen just stuffed his face and mumbled out, "Mouth. Full."

Dick snorted as he rested his cheek on his hand. He'll let the kid have his little victory as he watched Danny struggle to chew in payment for his actions.

Still, he took Danny's avoidance of the questions as a "no." Or at least no one that's trustworthy or liable. Dick frowned in distaste.

"Ya know… If you need a place to stick around, you're welcome here. For as long as you need." Dick hoped Danny would take the offer.

Danny sucked the ranch off his thumb, grabbing his glass with his other hand. He quickly chugged down his milk, washing down what pizza he had left in his mouth. Danny placed the glass down on the table and wiped his mouth with a satisfying breath. Leaning back, the teen began fidgeting in his seat, as if mulling on his words.

"I..." Danny started to speak, then closed his mouth again. He puffed his cheek. His eyes glanced over at the clock. His tongue rolled in his mouth. He smiled faintly, glancing back at Dick.

"Thank you. I'll... I'll think about it." Danny stood up, picking up his dishes. "Actually, I'd rather sleep on it. Who knew running for your life would really tire you out."

"You don't have to clean up," Dick said as he hurried to stand.

"Psh. The least I can do is clean up my mess." Danny's voice slipped a little into a crack. "Besides, you already broke a glass."

"Touché." Dick sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Alright, I'll set up the couch. You can sleep in the bed-"

"No offense, but I'll sleep way better on the couch instead of some stranger's bed. Even if it's harder than a rock." Danny interrupted as he washed the few dishes he had by hand.

"My couch is very comfy!" Dick chuckled as he walked around the teen to grab the extra sheets and blankets from the laundry room.

"I'll be the judge in that."

"Suppose you will."

It didn't take long to set up the bedding on the couch, and even less time for the teen to plop down on it. Dick chuckled as he watched Danny sprawl out with a happy sigh.

"Comfy?"

"Very." Danny stretched happily, then curled up into the blankets.

"Told you so."

"True test will be when I wake up. If I get a sore neck, it's immediately a negative ten." Danny retorted. He was barely able to keep one eye open.

Dick shook his head, "Alright. I'll give you that IF you wake up with a sore neck. Want me to leave a light on?"

"Nah, I like the dark. Creature of the night and all that." Danny jest.

"Pfft, Alright. Night Danny." Dick said as he turned out the lights after double checking that the "main entrance" was locked.

"Night... Dick." Danny yawned, then he awkwardly paused before saying Dick's name.

Dick let out a light laugh and closed the door behind him...

Once the door was closed, Danny stared out into the living room. Closely he listened to the sounds around him. It felt like ages since he had a warm bed. He curled around his pillow. His eyes felt very heavy. It was tempting to take Dick up on his offer.

Still…

Danny pushed himself up, rubbing his tired eyes. He had business to take care of.