Night Shifts
a/n: I posted this on ao3 yesterday I just was too lazy to post on here... butttt here we are. I'm working on burnt out chapter 5 I SWEAR its coming </3
i bet y'all cant guess my favorite color
tags/warnings: guns, uh that's it. damian appearance, out of character
dividers: @strangergraphics, @cursed-carmine, thanks!! lmk if I missed anything
not proofread!
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A cold gust of wind carried a chill down your spine as you stepped out of the gas station, the door swinging shut behind you.Â
Youâd just finished another night shift, already feeling a cramp in your left leg from your long time standing - you were lucky Danny showed up earlier than usual. You assumed this was his way of showing how he felt bad about the shooting.
You walked down the street, looking over your shoulder as you moved. The air smelled vaguely of rain and smoke. The sun was already peeking from behind the tall buildings, the orangey-red sky enveloped by the thick smog Gotham never seemed to lose.
You neared your apartment building, your thoughts briefly moving to Mrs Durnford, before refocusing on getting inside without being snuck up on. Youâd learned that early on once you moved to Gotham - try not to walk alone at night, and if you do, stay alert of your surroundings. Luckily for you, the sun was already coming up, so there was less of a chance of being caught off guard.
You stepped inside the building, feeling the humid, uncomfortably warm air hitting your face in a wave.Â
A week had passed since you'd shot the man. Life had already settled back into its usual rhythm, but your thoughts couldnât help but drift back to Nightwing. Ever since the attempted robbery, you'd caught yourself waiting for a sign he was there - a shadow in the night, a glimpse of black and blue - anything. But nothing ever came.
Despite that, you werenât surprised. Youâd done some research on Nightwing since last seeing him - apparently, he was primarily protecting Bludhaven, a nearby city. Youâd also learned that Bludhaven was just as bad, maybe worse than Gotham. You found it hard to believe that anywhere was worse than Gotham, but if it really was as bad as that, Nightwing was probably busy.Â
You shoved open the door to your apartment, key still in the lock.
Walking inside, you pulled off your jacket and hooked it on your coat hanger. After that, you took off your shoes, pushing them aside. The second you entered, it felt like a weight was lifted off your shoulders. You let out a soft noise as you dragged yourself towards your small bedroom.Â
All of a sudden, you paused. You were right in front of your bedroomâs door, but you immediately knew something was off.Â
A glow from beneath the door.Â
You knew you wouldnât have left any lights on, you couldnât afford the extra cost of leaving lights on, you knew better than to forget.
You shuffled closer to the door, pressing your ear flush to the wood. You could hear muffled sounds coming from behind it, maybe two voices? You couldnât hear what they were saying before their conversation seemed to silence itself.
You hesitated. What could you possibly do? You didnât have anyone to call, since you hadnât had any time to make friends, and the police? You sighed, gnawing at your lower lip.Â
Quickly, you turned to your kitchen, crossing it with urgency. You saw the gleam of a knife on your counter - one of your only knives - and grasped its handle in your dominant hand. You returned to the door, gripping the handle a bit tighter now that you finally realized what you were going to do.
Before you could overthink it any further, you shot a quick text to the only person you really knew, Danny, and twisted the doorknob.
Dick swung the closet door shut with a sigh.
"Nothing."
"Obviously," Damian hissed. "You left a gun with a civilian for a week. What, exactly, did you expect?â
âI wouldâve come back sooner if B hadnât gotten upset,â Dick offered, trying to lighten the situation. âI mean, they didnât seem too bad. Maybe they took it to work in case I came back.â âMaybe they sold it.â Damian countered, going through a drawer from your nightstand. He grimaced. âLook at this place, itâs bare. Theyâd likely need the money anyway.âÂ
âDamian.â Dick warned, now looking through a box under your bed. Damian huffed in response, tossing some papers onto your bed as he searched.
Theyâd spent the past 10 minutes searching your apartment for the gun, when realistically it shouldâve taken 2. Dick was sure youâd be back soon - he hoped they could at least take their leave before seeing you. Bruce had demanded Dick try to avoid talking to you - he insisted that it was a liability to get involved with someone they knew almost nothing about.
Dick understood the concern. He really did. But Bruce had a habit of looking at a person and seeing a possible threat before he saw a person.Â
Dick groaned, pushing the box he was looking in back underneath your bed. Theyâd looked everywhere, he was sure of it. He could already tell Damian was sulking - he was clearly bored in being here, even if he refused to admit it.
Dick froze, the noise of the twist of the bedroom doorâs lock almost impossible to hear - but not to him. Not with his training.
For a moment, neither of them moved. The apartment was quiet enough that they should have heard every little thing - from the front door opening, to the footsteps in the hallway, and the slow twist of the doorknobâ
But they hadnât.
â...You said they wouldnât be back yet.â Damian whispered, words laced with quiet accusation.
âI said I thought they wouldnât be back yet.â Dick corrected, though the distinction felt pretty useless now.
Both boys turned towards the door, hands on their respective weapons. The anticipation only built further as the noises seemed to stop outside the door, like you were also listening.
The door slammed open, a gleaming knife coming into view.
You stepped into the room, knife raised. A slight tinge of fear clouded your mind, but you shook it away, putting on the most threatening face you could muster.Â
Your eyes scanned the two figures, pausing on the second oneâs masked face.
The second you recognized the familiar face staring back at you, your panic was replaced by a completely different emotion.
Irritation.
âSeriously?â Your grip on the blade faltered, lowering slightly. âWhat are you doing here?âÂ
Nightwing let out an embarrassed laugh, his hold on his escrima sticks also loosening. He rubbed the nape of his neck, muttering something into his comms before straightening up.Â
You remembered that Nightwing wasnât alone in the room, offering a half-smile, albeit an awkward one, to the familiar boy - Robin. He didnât return it, of course, instead huffing and looking away.
Youâd seen a few pictures of Robin online, but you always assumed he was a little bit older. Now that you got a good look at him, he was both younger and shorter than youâd originally assumed. Which was okay, but it surprised you that someone that young was out fighting crime.Â
âWe came to get the gun,â Nightwing tried to explain, seemingly guilty about the whole ordeal. âIf it makes you feel better, we did knock.âÂ
âWhat good does knocking do if no one was home?â You grumbled, before sighing and setting the knife down on the dresser to your left. âI brought it with me to work. I figured youâd show up or something.â
Nightwing shot a victorious glance towards Robin, who huffed, before turning back to you. You glanced around your room, the fact that theyâd gone through your stuff finally sinking in. You didnât really have anything to hide, but knowing that some of your more private possessions had probably been seen by the duo wasnât very comforting.
Nightwing seemed to read your mind, an apology already on the tip of his tongue, but you shook it off, steering the conversation back to the weapon.
âMy bagâs in the kitchen, if you wanna come out.â You finally said, already moving to bring the knife to its own spot.Â
The two followed you out, talking to each other under their breath. You ignored it, already rummaging through your bag for the handle. Soon enough, you pulled out the gun, handing it over to the taller vigilante
âThanks,â Nightwing turned the gun over in his hands as he scanned it, before looking up to meet your eyes. âSorry, again.â
âItâs okay.â You let out a soft exhale, leaning back slightly against your table. âAt least you remembered to come back.â
Your eyes darted towards Robin, who was sort of inching towards your window. You threw Nightwing a wry grin, motioning to the younger vigilante behind him. Nightwing looked over his shoulder, before letting out a tired laugh.Â
âThatâs it?â You asked, raising an eyebrow.
âThatâs it.âÂ
âOkay, then.â You finally sighed, stretching out your sore arms.Â
You looked back to Robin - who had already half-opened your window - crossing your arms as you shifted your weight.Â
âYou can use the front door, you know.â You offered, hand gesturing out towards the door. âMuch easier than crawling out of the window.â
Nightwing opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.
â...Fair point.âÂ
Robin, however, didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
âThe window is closer.â
You looked at the perfectly functional door beside you.
âIt is literally six feet away.â
Robin turned away, a faint redness creeping onto what was visible of his ears. He didnât respond, dropping out of the window onto the roof of the next building. You let out a soft laugh, turning to Nightwing as he also crawled out.Â
You walked over to the window as he disappeared, looking around to see if they were still there - if they were, they were damn good at hiding.
âBye,â You called out into the darkness, unsure if the pair were even listening.
For a moment, all that answered back was the distant sound of Gotham traffic - engines rumbling, the gentle patter of rain dripping from the gutters - you slowly began to close your windows, untilâ
âTry not to shoot anyone else,â Robinâs voice answered dryly, echoing from somewhere below you.
You couldnât help but let the corners of your mouth quirk up, humming softly as you closed and locked your window. You scoured through your bag once again, pulling out your beat-up water bottle and opening it tentatively.
You pulled out your phone, remembering that youâd texted Danny earlier tonight. Quickly, you checked your chats - he hadnât even seen it yet. You dragged a hand down your face, deleting the text thread. You sent a quick apology text before laying your phone face down on the counter.
You thought about your week, recapping its events in your head as you took a sip of water from your bottle. Honestly, you had no idea what to make of any of it.
But for some reason, you had a feeling that wasn't the last you'd see of them.

















