Dick Grayson

Nightwing

[batxbird]

pettyxdabbler​:

The look and tone that was thrown in his direction was impressive yet it also amused the magician slightly. No one could hold down a menacing glare and harsh timbre like the Bat. But the boy wonder before him came awfully close.

“Yours, however, is getting better.” He quipped back, unable to help himself. “Try an octave lower next time, yeah?”

John’s eyes tracked Dick’s movements as the younger man entered his apartment and perched himself on the arm of the sofa. Dick had a point when he said Zatanna knew he would ask John for back up. And it must be serious if she were reaching out to him.

“Alright. What to you need help with?” John conceded, already feeling like he’d regret the decision.

“I’ve been practicing.” Dick’s response was just as quick and there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

He resisted the urge to lift his heels up onto the arm of the sofa, not sure John would appreciate him kicking off his shoes to do so. They weren’t that close, after all. Dick let his gaze sweep over the cluttered room, taking in all the strange and familiar items which covered almost every available surface.

“A tracking spell. I’m not certain, but Zee might not even be on this plane of existence or universe anymore. My tech can’t find her and I wondered if there was anything in your arsenal that could help?”

[batxbird]

thexsparksxfly​:

The way Dick agreed so easily told Wally that a visit to the Wayne Manor was going to happen sooner rather than later. Wally didn’t mind, though. It was odd visiting at first but he eventually grew used to it. Now, visiting the manor was just like visiting any other friend’s house. Or apartment. Whatever.

“Pretty sure Damian only tolerates me because of you.” Wally shrugged, not bothered in the slightest by it. While Wally didn’t have any siblings of his own, he could understand the protectiveness between siblings over outsiders. He felt the same way about his teammates.

After the sounds of the shower shut off and Dick emerged from his bedroom, but the cat and Wally turned their attention to him when he spoke up. “Uh… nah, we’re cool.” The redhead stalled a little in thought as he saw what Dick was doing with his hands. His attention was diverted again as Lady K hopped off his lap and moved to circle through Dick’s legs once before moving toward the vacated bedroom.

“Up to you.” Wally looked back up to Dick at the follow up question. “It’s four blocks away, near the docks for the ferries to Gotham. We could walk it. But bike would get us there quicker… traffic pending, of course.”

He didn’t think twice about his state of semi-undress around Wals. After all they’d seen each other in much less clothing around the Tower when they all lived on top of each other. (He decided to skip over the fact it hadn’t technically been this Wally.) Leaning down as his cat wove between his legs, he scratched behind her ears, knowing she was headed for the still warm spot he’d just vacated.

“Four blocks isn’t that far, let’s walk. If you can stand to go at my pace that is.” Dick smiled, collecting his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and slipping them into his pockets as he shrugged on a jacket. Then taking Wally by the shoulders, he steered his best friend out of the apartment and down onto the street.

“So have you thought about which companies you’re sending your CV out to now you have your results? I’m guessing S.T.A.R Labs will be on the list.”

[batxbird]

thexsparksxfly​:

Another chuckle erupted from the redhead at way Dick’s voice mimicked Alfred’s slightly. “Well, he really goes out of his way to stock all the best kinds of food there.” Wally’s voice softened with gratitude. He’d have to tag a long with Dick next time his best friend visited.

At first it didn’t register with Wally what Dick had just said until the acrobat stumbled over his words slightly. But the moment was quickly recovered when Dick shoved at him to get off the bed. “Okay, ten minutes, guess I can wait that long.” Wally slid off the bed, deciding to ignore that whole ‘date’ word that had been thrown about. “If it’s any good, you can bring him along next time.”

As he exited the bedroom, Wally heard a small slightly judgemental sounding meow from the cat perched on the back of the sofa. “Oh, she already moody.” He sung back to his friend, moving closer and plonking on the sofa. “I’m sorry Lady K for neglecting to say hello to you first.” He addressed the cat, reaching out and petting her soft fur. The purring that came from the cat was loud with the attention that she received. “Aww, thanks for forgiving me. Promise to get that annoying bird out of your hair for a few hours so you can have the place to yourself. Yeah? You like the sound of that?”

“So much food.” Dick agreed, a little glint in his eyes at the thought. He never had so well stocked cupboards at his place. Maybe one day, when he wasn’t on an EMT salary. “I’m sure Dami would like that. He doesn’t seem to dislike you as much as he does my other friends.”

True to his word, he didn’t take longer than ten minutes to shower and find fresh clothes. Ambling out of the bedroom, he shook his head as he saw the two of them snuggling on the sofa. “I can leave you two alone if you like?” Dick chuckled, doing up his belt and starting on his shirt. “We walking or taking the bike?”

[batxbird]

pettyxdabbler​:

John let the quip about his appearance slide, instead focused on the expectant look. He wracked his mind trying to remember what he did to earn such a look but didn’t have to wait long as Dick soon supplied him with the answer. “Ah, that.” The magician’s response was almost flippant, leaving his excuse purposely open so the younger man wouldn’t get the impression he was reliable. “Something more important came up.”

The nonchalance dimmed on John’s face as Dick brought up Zatanna, sighing he pushed the door further open and wandered back into his apartment and plonked unceremoniously into the armchair. “For starters, she didn’t send me anything. That message was for you so what are you going to do about it?”

“You can cut the act John. It’s not that good.” Dick narrowed his eyes, giving the mage a look that asked him to remember who’d trained him. All of the Robins could easily see through facades.

Right, Zee’s name would bring out the serious side to the warlock. Following John into his apartment, he closed the door behind himself and perched on the arm of the sofa. “I have no magical ability, so I need you to quit pouting and help. I don’t know what you did to piss her off enough to only ask me for help. But she knew I’d have to ask you for back up.”

[batxbird]

darkxknight​:

The corners of Bruce’s lips turned slightly upward at Dick’s remark, imagining quite accurately what was going through the other man’s mind. While it went against every fiber within him to find out everything there was to known about who any of his sons were with, Bruce knew he had to have faith and trust in them to make their own decisions.

Bruce watched Dick for a second more before sighing and leaning back into the chair. “I’ll speak to Lucius. We can make Wally an offer but at the end of the day it is his decision.” He spoke honestly. “He might want to moved closer to Central City to be near his family.”

The tiniest of smiles on Bruce’s face let Dick know that he had accurately called out the behavior of the elder vigilante. Also the struggle he must go through resisting the temptation to check up on every friend, crush and other half each of his sons showed interest in. And yes, Dick might have done the same with regards to the women Bruce had attracted over the years. With a little help from Al.

“I’m sure Lucius would like a capable apprentice? But you’re right. It’s his call, you just sign the checks.” Dick teased. Of course he’d considered that Wally might want to move closer to his family. Though thus far he’d seemed happy to hang out in Blüdhaven. “Would you like a coffee, or a grilled cheese, or both?”

[batxbird]

pettyxdabbler​:

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A loud knocking startled the man from his slumber. With a sharp breath and a grumble, John Constantine pushed himself up off the sofa he had passed out on the night before. He looked a fright, clothes crumbled and hair in all manner of disarray, but John didn’t care. He wasn’t out to impress.

Thump! Thump!

“Alright, alright!” John called out, getting up and making his way to the door. “This had better be good.” He muttered under his breath as he swung the door open. He eyed the visitor critically, lips curling into a slight smirk.

“Well, this is unexpected…”

“Wish I could say the state of you was unexpected,” Dick quipped as the door was opened to reveal a very crumpled warlock. He gave John an expectant look, before huffing out a sigh and folding his arms across his chest. “You forgot about our meeting?”

“Look, I know there’s weirdness between us. But we both care about Zee, and she needs our help, why else would she have sent that message?”

[batxbird]

thexsparksxfly​:

Wally let out a surprised yet relieved laugh at the sight of his results. Mirth continuing at Dick’s tease at being a ‘dorkasaurus’.

“I don’t doubt the strictness of your family butler, man. Just don’t think he’d be that invested in my studies.” It was sweet, in Wally’s opinion, that Dick helped and included him. But Wally wasn’t entirely sure that easy acceptance was a shared by all of his best friend’s family.

“We could try that new burger joint that opened over near the park.” Wally suggested, with a smile. Talking about food was second nature to the speedster and he had always made a note of finding out about the latest places around to grab a bite. “I heard everything is cooked fresh and they even have vegetarian options that’s more than just a lettuce leaf.”

“You’d be surprised. He quite often asks after you. Though usually that’s in relation as to whether he has to restock the pantry.” If a slight hint of an English accent slipped into his voice when he spoke, it was only out of fond mimicry and nothing malicious.

“It’s a date. I mean.. you know what I mean.” Dick flashed a smile to hide the slight fluster, then pushed at the Speedster to vacate his bed. “Just give me ten minutes to shower and then we’ll head out. I might try the veggie option, I kinda promised Dami that I’d cut back on the meat eating.” Clambering to his feet, he stretched elaborately for a moment before padding through to the bathroom. “Do me a favor, go fuss your buzz buddy. She’ll be moody if you don’t.”

[batxbird]

darkxknight​:

“Is that so?” Bruce murmured at the new information. While he was curious about who his sons were forming friendships with, Bruce also knew he needed to relinquish a bit of control and allow them to build their own connections.

Still, Bruce would probably investigate further as to who the girl was and run a background check. It didn’t hurt to be cautious.

“Nothing.” He answered Dick’s seemingly defensive reply of ‘what’, face morphing to calm indifference.

“And it has nothing to do with the fact Gotham is only thirty minutes away from Bludhaven, while Kord Industries and Palmer Technologies are based in Star City… on the other side of the country. Correct?”

“Yes, and you don’t need to pull CCTV to run her face through the Bat Computer.” He knew what Bruce was like and he also knew what Dami’s reaction would be if he found out, which he likely would. They didn’t need a family feud kicking off. Not when the family had in question had access to a cave full of weaponry.

“Hmm.” Dick’s eyes narrowed ever so lightly before he shrugged and gave a little smile.

“Well... I mean, yeah. Save him the commute. I know he can run fast, but that doesn’t mean he has to all the time.”

[batxbird]

darkxknight​:

Bruce hummed, a twitch of a smile breaking his normally stoic features at being called out so blatantly. The advice to take a break was something they both had heard often but never adhered to.

Shifting the topic to talk about Damian seemed a far more safer option than delving into one’s own faults. “If he has, he has chosen to not inform me about them.” Bruce replied, although they both knew if Bruce wanted to, he had ways of finding out the answer.

Another hum along with a subtle raised eyebrow questioned whether it was really the same. A beat passed and Bruce schooled his features again, however there was still a small knowing smile present on his lips. “His resume found it’s way onto my desk applying for a junior position in the applied sciences division. Assuming you don’t happen to know how it got there.”

A matching smile appeared on Dick’s face as the topic of heeding advice was sidestepped in favour of talking about Dami’s problems instead. “There was a girl at the arcade he enjoyed talking to. Not sure if she was from his school or not.” He mused, glancing across to see Bruce’s reaction to the little tidbit.

“What?” Dick knew that hum too, sometimes he swore his adoptive father didn’t realise how well Dick knew him. “Ohhh yeah, I’m sure he applied to a lot of places. Kord Industries. Palmer Technologies. But I figured Lucius could use another capable staff member. Better snap him up before the competition, you know?”

[batxbird]

thexsparksxfly​:

After Dick took the phone Wally’s hands moved back to his legs, fingers drumming a nervous beat. “I know, I know.” The encouragement brought a more genuine smile to his face but his eyes still betrayed how worried he was. Wally watched Dick for any clue as to what the email said, shock at seeing the look of delight.

“I did?” Wally shoved himself back into Dick’s personal space to get a look at his phone. “I did!” The speedster repeated, grinning from ear to ear. The tension in his body he felt moments ago completely vanished. “I honestly thought I bombed out on that last test, but that’s my best score… can you believe that?”

A little chuckle of disbelief and relief escaped Wally, soaking in the congratulations. “Thanks, man. Couldn’t have done it without you. You were the one to push me to study.” The burst of energy the speedster had exhibited before now simmered to a low crackle. “We should celebrate. You hungry?”

“You did, Dorkasaurus.” Dick grinned, laughing at the look on his friend’s face. Not at all bothered by the fact Wally was back in his personal space, behaving kind of like an excitable puppy. “Yes, Wals, I can. You studied hard and here are the results to prove it.”

“You’re welcome, and if I hadn’t, Al would have. Believe me, he’s much more strict than I am.” Another chuckle escaped him at the next suggestion and he nodded. Of course any celebration would involve food when there was a Speedster suggesting it. “I could eat. What do you have in mind?”

[batxbird]

thexsparksxfly​:

“It’s totally okay, man. I know how those long shifts turn your brain to mush.” Wally brushed off the apology, forgiveness given without a second thought. There was so much his best friend had to keep track of that it really wasn’t a problem that he had forgotten the date.

“Either.” Wally answered, his fidgeting starting up again. Pulling his phone of out his pocket, the redhead offered it to the other man. “Quickest way is to check the emails. I can’t bring myself to do it, though. What if… I don’t know… being in the speed force scrambled my head and I don’t the answers anymore?”

Wally already felt behind after being trapped in the speed force and missing out on a few years. Life had moved on without him and no matter how fast the speedster ran, he still felt like he was playing catch up.

At least there was one constant he could count on and, honestly, Dick Grayson’s friendship was probably the best constant to have. The other man always seemed to find a way to include him in his life as well as give him some purpose. If all else failed, Dick would still welcome him onto the team.

 “Of course yous do. Who else can you send out to fetch the pizza and have it back in under twenty seconds?” Despite the light joke, there was relief in Wally’s voice.

“I think my brain is fairly mushy without the shifts.” Dick chuckled, relieved that he was so easily forgiven. Watching his friend closely, he noted each tiny fidget and betrayal of unease in his mannerisms and expression. He had been the same when he’d awaited his results from school and the EMT examinations.

Looking at the phone, he gave a little nod, taking it a moment later and opening the mail app. The first unread message was from Wally’s university. “Wals, you’re smart and you’ve been studying hard. The speedforce can’t touch that, I’m sure.” Giving his friend a last reassuring smile, he opened the email, expression changing to one of delight at he read. “You passed.. wow, nerd, your grades are really high.”

Turning the phone so Wally could see the screen, he clapped him on the back with his free hand. “Congratulations, man. You can pretty much apply for all those fancy tech and science positions you were looking at. You’re way over qualified for pizza delivery now.”

[batxbird]

darkxknight​:

“Good,” Bruce murmured softly, letting Dick take whatever comfort he needed. “I know it is redundant for me to say so as you’ll just disobey it anyway, but you should take some time for yourself. You’ve worked hard.” The pride Bruce felt for his son’s work ethic remain unspoken.

Bruce nodded, his chest lifting with a deep sigh. Each of his boys were unique and required a different upbringing, but Damian was proving to be the biggest challenge. “He’ll learn.” Eventually. The last thought unvoiced but they were probably both thinking it. “Being around people his own age will teach him more than what he would learn by remaining at the Manor.”

The look was rebutted with a slightly scrutinizing one, blue eyes watching Dick’s mannerisms as he spoke of the speedster. “You’re quite fond of him, aren’t you?”

“You can say it.” Dick smiled, leaning back to look up at Bruce, “I’ll take it under advisement, but remember I grew up with a guy who never takes time for himself.” He was teasing just a little as he spoke, knowing they were both as bad as each other sometimes.

Damian was on a difficult learning curve, one Dick was sure he could master eventually, but the progress would be slow. Being brought up by Talia, he didn't have the people skills most people cultivated at school and by socialising. So when he was suddenly part of a family of four brothers it was a challenge for him to adapt. “Has he made any friends at school?”

Oh, he knew that look. Bruce was reading him and he knew it was an easy task for his surrogate father. “I am. Of course I am. He’s one of my best friends. Just like you’re fond of Clark.”

[batxbird]

darkxknight​:

A small upward tick of his lips came in reply to Dick’s greeting, however Bruce’s concern was still evident in his eyes. He knew Dick was dedicated to helping and capable of handling a large workload, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see his eldest son burn out.

“Have you got the next few days off?” Bruce inquired, moving to sit on the sofa.

He nodded, understanding the veil of secrecy they each kept and the duties they must upheld in their civilian lives. “Damian has seen the successful results your team has achieved and wishes to replicate that.” and surpass it. Bruce left that last part unspoken. They both knew how competitive the youngest Robin was. “The problem lies in that his team do not have the same foundations yours had. They are not friends… but that is something Damian needs to figure out for himself.”

“I’ve heard that you have been going out solo more often than not of late. How you stopped letting the speedster tag along?”

Dick knew the concern fueling the questions, something similar had been behind Bruce firing him as Robin after he was shot; and in every communication between the two of them while he’d been with Spyral. (Despite it having been B’s idea to send him there in the first place.)

Dropping down onto the sofa beside his father, he took advantage of the unguarded moment to rest his head down on a strong shoulder. “Yeah, a few days. Then back into a regular shift pattern.”

“I don’t think he understands that teammates can be friends. He needs to stop seeing them as... employees.” A shrug followed, “but I guess being brought up as an Assassin first and a person second does that to you.”

Giving Bruce a look, he sighed, “The speedster is called Wally. And I kind of channeled Alfred, told him he needed to focus on his college work these past few months rather than patrol.”

[batxbird]

thexsparksxfly​:

The first uttering of his name from Dick floated through Wally’s rambles but didn’t really put a stop to them until another of his nicknames were said. “… oh, right, sorry.” Wally settled, his movements stopping although his made no effort to vacate the side of the bed he occupied.

Seeing the frown, Wally decided to drop the guessing game and just remind Dick what the day was. “Kinda… maybe…” The redhead shrugged, smile still apparent. “Today’s the day we find out if all my work at college has paid off and see if I’ve finally graduated.”

“Either way. Means I’m back in, full time, if the team still needs me.”

“Oh shit, yeah! I’m so sorry I forgot.” Dick sat up a little, giving Wally a look, assessing his friend for a moment. He was nervous, that much was obvious. But Dick was certain that his best friend had earned his degree, so he could be the calm one. “Do we have to go get your result from the university? Or have they mailed you?”

Running a hand over his hair, he waved off the other query, “of course we still need you. Dami has your namesake, B has Barry. I think I’m entitled to a speedster on my team too.”

[batxbird]

darkxknight​:

Bruce worked his jaw at the response - willing himself to not comment on the unlocked door. Despite knowing Dick could handle an intruder should they enter, there was still more security in locking the door before going to sleep. But Bruce wasn’t going to comment, there were more important matters that took priority.

“Dick.” He greeted his eldest son with a nod of his head as he entered the apartment, then looked back to the pile of mail he had in his hand. “You haven’t been home in a few days, I see.”

He placed the pile on a nearby table and then looked again toward Dick. “Damian also mentioned you haven’t been answering his calls. Is there something going on?”

“Hey, Dad.” Dick managed a sleepy smile at the sound of Bruce’s voice, and the expression was clear in his tone. Sitting upright, he took a moment to let his senses focus; then pushed himself out of bed, padding across to the living area to greet his visitor. “No, I’ve only been back a few hours. It was my 72 hour stint on call, so I spent it at the fire house.”

A slight look of guilt crossed his face at the mention of his littlest brother. “I couldn’t really talk Titans when I was at work. Dami’s been asking me for pointers, but there’s only so much I can say. I fell into leadership... I didn’t really want it and he doesn’t understand that.”

[batxbird]

thexsparksxfly​:

Before the last syllable could be uttered from Dick’s lips, Wally entered the apartment with a flurry of activity. Of course, he shut the door after himself and then - within milliseconds - he was joining Dick on his bed with a bounce and an invasion of personal space. “Come on, man. I thought you be up and swinging from rooftops by now. Or did you forget what today is?”

The redhead was a bundle of rapid speech and high energy, which wasn’t unusual for the speedster. But it was clear to those that knew him that there was a little more spark in his step than ordinary.

“Today’s the day!”

“Wals...” Dick struggled to keep up with his friend’s rapid chatter, so much so that he actually gave up at one point. A valiant effort was made to cocoon himself once more, but the redhead’s lightly vibrating body stretched out beside his was difficult to ignore. “KF, I’ve been on call for the past 72 hours... so yeah, I’m not sure what day it is.”

He felt bad, obviously something exciting was happening and he’d forgotten which made him a bad friend. Possibly a bad hero/vigilante too. A little frown tugged at his brows as he tried to work out what was supposedly happening that day. Something with the Titans? The League?

“The day, though? Sounds important.”

[batxbird]

“Ughhh.” Dick cracked open one eye as his phone vibrated on the nightstand, reaching out blindly to swat at it and sending the device clattering to the floor. Though at least the buzzing stopped. “Good. More sleep.” Of course that wasn't going to happen, not when the smart watch still on his wrist started to ring. He tried his hardest to ignore it but in the end it met the same fate as the phone, ringing muffled by the rug and then silence. Until a tiny, familiar voice emanated from the speaker. A pissed sounding voice saying they were outside. Lifting himself up onto his elbows he hollered in the direction of the front door. "It's unlocked."