fly without bounds

dick grayson. nightwing. indie rp blog

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

roy flushes a little when he ends up on his back, looking up at dick with a grin.  well, alright.  if that’s the direction dick’s taking it, who the hell is roy to argue?  he hums a noise of easy pleasure into the kiss.  roy’s pretty sure he’s been kissed more in the last hour or so than he has in the last several months.  not a complaint – it’s just been a slow few months of unparalleled pining.  

it’s almost a relief when dick pulls back to speak; roy stands a chance of actually catching his breath now, even if he’d just as happily give up breathing entirely right about now.  his heart does a triple beat when dick lays next to him, and that’s not even accounting for everything dick says next.

first of all, roy offered to give the sweet nothings, not receive them.  he’s going crimson now, chancing a bashful look over at dick.  god, he loves this man, and to hear adoration from him, like this, not hidden under their usual layers, it’s about to make him well up. “ me too, ” is all he manages for a moment, choked up by the thought that he could ever possibly be all of that to dick.  to dick.  jesus.  god himself couldn’t move roy from his spot right here, right now.  

he turns his face away for a second, tries to hide just how much a couple sentences can knock him out.  when he feels like he’s not going to cry or something else embarrassing, he looks back at dick, fingers playing with the ends of his hair.  “ i don’t – how am i ever gonna top that, dick ?? ” he asks, breathlessly.  “ you’re the best person i know.  the kindest, the bravest.  basically anything good about me came from watching you, dick.  you make me want to be better – a better man, a better fighter.  you getting up for me?  that’s crazy talk; that’s all i could ever want. ” 

he clears his throat again when his voice wavers, “ s’good you want to be here – i’d follow you wherever you went. ”

it’s not a new feeling, how much love he has for roy, but that doesn’t mean dick isn’t ... stumped, of just how highly roy thinks of him. nor does it stop dick from feeling flushed, or giving into the urge to corral roy into his arms. he doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve this uncertain -- thing between them. but he knows how rare it is to see roy with his guards down like this, bittersweet with the dawning knowledge that roy probably doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves, if this is how he’s reacting. sweetly red-cheeked, almost... shy.

“ I think that’d be pretty easy, y’know. ” dick starts, gently nudges into roy’s cheek before settling there, easing into making himself right at home. “ to follow me, I mean. half the time i’m trying not to just come find you.” a quiet chuff of laughter follows, and rather than the kisses, dick feels more nervous in blindly finding roy’s hand with his, holding it between them. it’s intimate in a different way, and even given roy’s offer, dick’s almost certain roy didn’t expect to be asked to hold hands and talk about their feelings. but it’s been a busy day. dick’s saved lian, he can afford the chance to be selfish with this much.

“ got one thing wrong though. there’s.. no way. no way everything good about you came from this guy. ” and then dick’s eyes open, try to find roy’s own. even if it leaves dick completely defenseless in the end, even if there’s no taking it back, he loves roy enough to want him to know just how much he’s loved. “ i’ve ... god, i’ve loved you for a long time, so I think i’m at least a little qualified to say this. but you’ve always been good. ” a pause, as dick tries to gather himself, and a thumb gently swipes across the back of roy’s hand. it doesn’t work, all tumbles out in a rush regardless. “ you’ve always been strong. you’ve dragged my head out my ass so often i’m pretty sure i’d just be a standard .. pompous asshole if it weren’t for you. I know how much you care. how much you try to be even stronger, like you’re not -- the strongest person I know. ” 

now dick is pretty sure he’s rambling, but some things need an escape. words like this aren’t meant to be kept all stored inside, no matter how certain members of the family might disagree. but he can’t be sure of how comfortable roy is, with all this, even well-intentioned. so, with a smile a lot more confident than he feels, he dredges out the worst joke he’s got. “ so... yeah. you don’t have to top the sweet nothin’s. you’re already the sweetest somethin’ around. ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

the unexpected question sends a little shiver up roy’s spine.  he’s not sure if dick means it like that, but – yeah, jesus.  dick is gonna be the death of him.  “ sure i can, ” he agrees, drunk on the idea that dick is thinking about it too.  thinking about them and behaving and not behaving.  roy’s heart is beating unnaturally rough against his rib-cage.  “ wouldn’t want to leave you lonely, tired or not. ”  the kiss roy presses to dick’s forehead is innocent – behaved.

the ease with which roy lifts dick at the hips and all but tosses him onto the waiting bed is a littleless so, made just that tiny bit worse when roy follows him down immediately.  fingers thread through the soft strands of dick’s hair, push it back from his face, and then tilt him up for another kiss, one that’s soft and broken by the smile that splits roy’s face near immediately.

  “ what’s behave mean to you ?? ” he asks, rolling away onto his side and propping up on an elbow.  “ should i just lay here and tell you sweet nothin’s till you do get tired ?? ”  roy thinks he probably has enough worth saying to manage it for the next ten nights, at least.  fingers take a leisurely walk up dick’s arm, because now that the wall’s down, there’s no stopping the need to touch.  

“ besides, you don’t gotta behave on my behalf. ”  roy doesn’t exactly mean to say that – he doesn’t want dick to feel any sort of – any pressure.  and roy certainly doesn’t want to letwant ruin this.  throwing himself headfirst into how much he wants anything and everything with dick hadn’t exactly gone the right way last time.  “ or do ??  what i mean is. anything’s fine.  whatever you want… ” roy thinks it’s probably too soon to remind dick that roy would bring him the moon if he asked, so he lets the unspoken hang in the air between them.

the thing is, the kiss to the forehead is so -- new? unexpected? strangely intimate? -- dick forgets to expect roy handling him down onto the bed. not that dick puts up a fight, but there’s not even a second to prepare himself for the shiver it sends down his spine, nor how his heart is suddenly beating like a drum. it’s all just ... so much, part of everything dick had slowly started to tuck away as hopeless. and now? now it threatened to ruin him, from the elated laugh that bursts free, right down to the warmth spreading through to his face. try as he might, dick would always have hoped for this. roy’s a part of him as much as flying, or any costume. now, everything is just starting to catch up to that fact.

of course, that doesn’t mean dick isn’t going to just lay back and take all of this. he gives as good as he gets, even on his worse days. the kiss sends his toes curling as much as any before, and obviously, roy’s ramblings are just the right combination of enticing and endearing. dick is tempted. sorely tempted. but if there’s anything to derail, it’s sending... this careening down a similar wormhole to before.

so, dick turns the tables. there’s a gentle touch to roy’s hip, the only flash of warning before he’s pushing the archer flat to the mattress, with dick hovering above him. “ well you do come up with a few good options there, romeo. ” he muses, hands following the line of roy’s chest before unable to resist chasing him for another kiss. it’s meant to be just one, but it’s soon followed by more, soft and as cherishing as they could possibly be until he returns to himself. “ but... sweet nothings is a new offer. m’gonna pick that one. can see how tired we are after. ”

with that he draws back with a smile, just enough to feather another kiss to roy’s cheek, and finally lay curled around him. “ i’ll start. ” is the only option roy’s given, because really -- dick’s had this list down for a while. there’s fondness, deepset admiration, and simple ... love right there. sometimes, he thinks roy doubts those more often than most. thinks roy needs those more often than he’ll ask. “ there is... nowhere, i’d rather be right now, than with you. ” it’s a tentative start, followed with a soft touch to roy’s cheek, a gentle touch to his lobe. but he’s warming into it now, heedless of pushing too far, too fast. “ there’s nowhere i’d rather be most days. just -- to see you. know you’re okay. be with you. you’re my reason to get up, some days. nothing seems as bad or as horrible as it probably should do, knowing you’re around. ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

roy is half a second away from making a pathetic noise when dick pulls back, separates them just a little.  but.  yeah.  dick is right.  roy needs to check on lian, and he needs to check on the guys in the dumpster.  “ you can go change, if you want ??  i’ve got plenty of stuff around. ”  he lets go of his lingering hold on dick’s arm with a soft sigh.  he presses his lips together when he realizes he’s beginning to smile like a loon.

he’s going to have to steal a few more kisses tonight.  but first, lian.  roy makes his way to his daughter’s room.  all in all, it takes him a little longer than originally planned.  when he’s finally done getting his fill of a safe, sleepy, happy daughter, the cops are showing up to deal with the guys in the dumpster.  which, unfortunately, means that roy doesn’t have time to suit up and beat them bloody, but he does get the chance to explain the situation to the cops and assure them that the masked hero that stopped the would-be attack left long ago.  they get his story, load the guys up, and then…well.  then all that’s left to do is go find dick again.  

roy’s full of nervous energy, now that there’s this legitimate chance that he gets to go back up and sneak another kiss.  each kiss previous is like poking holes in a dam, and something is getting ready to burst free.  it feels a bit like a dream, as roy goes to find dick again, in remarkably comfier clothes.  silently, he takes dick’s hand and presses a gentle kiss to his palm, fingers drifting up his arm to brush against bruises just beginning to blossom.  “ lian said she doesn’t like being princess damsel.  she wants to be a knight next time. ”  roy laughs, a low, hoarse timbre.  “ i can put you in a bath, if you’re sore, ” he offers, “ or a bed if you’re tired. ”  

dick lets himself take the offer without preamble, the thought of roy trying to smother his smile safely keeping him afloat on cloud nine. he can still feel the weight of roy’s lips on his, the relief on roy’s face when it appears all is safe still clear in his mind. now alone in roy’s room, dick finally lets the smile on his face grow until his cheeks just ache with it. so, sure, he might have apologies to make for the rest of those on patrol for ditching, but he can handle that. what he can’t handle is walking out now, closing the door behind roy as though there was anywhere else he’d rather be right now. as though a part of him hasn’t loved roy for as long as he could remember. 

right, he could do this. he just had to manage the ... rush it’s given him, roy looking at him like that. the suit and weapons are shucked free, and dick shamelessly rummages through for something of roy’s that’ll fit. at least that’s not changed. the amount of clothes they’ve all swapped throughout the years, dick’s pretty sure he’s ended up in wally’s sweatpants and a shirt of roy’s that used to be frequently stolen by kory. comfortable, familiar, and the furthest thing from battle armour for what was coming up ahead. it might be a struggle, but dick... wants to try and be vulnerable this time. at least this once, by choice.

vulnerable is definitely how he feels by the time roy emerges, but hand it to roy to make that worthwhile in the space of a few seconds. dick thought he’d outgrown the immense butterflies that came from a teenage crush, but here they are again. “ she would make a great knight. but here i’m hoping there isn’t going to be a next time. ” dick admits, his palm slipping back to the back of roy’s neck, playing gently with the short hairs at his nape. he thinks of her face when uncle nightwing arrived, and once again, he’s glad that roy did not have to keep that with him. not tonight.

“ if i’m not tired, can you still put me in a bed? ” he muses, both arms coming to settle loose around roy’s shoulders. it’s not that dick is after a repeat of last time, exactly. really, he isn’t, regardless of the familiar heat coiling in his stomach. but a bath can wait. sex can wait. but dick has wanted to kiss roy until they fall asleep since scaled shorts, and now.. now he’s not sure he can wait much longer. “ if i’m lonely, can you put yourself with me? I can behave. ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

roy’s stomach flips when dick kisses him again, and his heart is so far up his throat that dick runs the risk of tasting it soon.  he can’t let go yet, so his hands stay on dick’s face, a thumb tracing the high curve of dick’s cheekbone.  roy’s struck, not for the first time, with the knowledge that, given half the chance, this is the altar roy would be happy to worship at for…for a real long time.  of course dick is right – roy would do anything for dick, for the people dick loves, but it’s another thing to see it in front of him so plainly.  

a word, too much and too soon, wants to force its way out of roy’s mouth, make itself known.  love, love, love.  but roy’s been choking on it for so long now that it’s second nature to tuck the word back away, to promise himself there will be a time to say it.  instead, “ lucky hits ?? ” roy asks, frowning as he gives dick a once over.  dick’s been known to write off stabbings as lucky hits, and roy would really feel bad if he planted one on a guy who had been stabbed recently.  

but the suit seems in order, nothing to indicate that dick’s in danger of bleeding out anywhere.  which means roy is forced to frown at the suit instead.  dick probably has somewhere to be, huh?  roy hugs dick as tight as he can manage, suddenly, running a hand up the seam at his back.  roy stops himself shy of tugging at the zipper, afraid that dick will misunderstand.

roy doesn’t want to take dick to his bed prematurely again – except that of course, he really, really does want that –  what he really wants is to peel off the costume, the disguise, so that dick can’t go anywhere.  whoever’s waiting on nightwing right now can keep waiting, right?  “ stay, ” roy manages, finally.  finally.  “ stay with us tonight. ”    

the thing is, when roy harper asks something of him, dick can only - helplessly - say yes. never mind the fact that dick... well, dick has spent long enough imagining what it would be like to stay. not on the weak excuse of passing out on the couch, and not in the midst of the torrid web of grief that once held them together. he might get a mouthful for it later, but — second chances are a rare thing, and dick has put in too much time to let this one pass.

“ of course I will. ” dick manages, shifting just so until his arms can wrap tight around roy’s shoulders. it’s by all means one of many things he wants to do together, yet it feels like the most important. there’s something about roy, for the number of people who love him, getting the opportunity to show that is...tricky. if not to save him any embarrassment amidst the usual myriad of heroes and knocked out villains, then because roy deserves all ten thousand suns worth, not a lacklustre version deemed normal or work-appropriate.

“ i’ll stay as long as you want. ” dick promises, removing his domino to meet roy eye-for-eye. his suit is still tight, confining the bruises doubtlessly colouring his torso, but that’s fine. he’s had far worse, and if it comes to it — he doesn’t mind roy seeing. badges of honour, if that’s what it took to keep lian dozing safely and roy sane with his family. that concern is future dick’s problem. now, looking at roy in earnest, he can feel the thing between them in each and every heartbeat. feels nothing but love as he brushes a kiss to roy’s stubbled cheek, nothing but at home as he rests their foreheads together for one, two, moments. and then, finally takes a step apart. “ now... your perimeter is safe. but if you want, i’ll keep watch, and you can check lian’s okay for yourself? ” 

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

roy can only assume that the poor babysitter has been sent home for the day – she’s a semi-distant family friend: trustworthy but not exactly keyed in to everything this family deals with.  maybe roy should have given her a better warning, but the trip out was only for an hour or so.  it had seemed unlikely, at the time, that anything could have happened in such a short window.  well.  that’s what roy gets for leaving lian with anybody without superpowers or electric sticks.

still spluttering, roy tries to let his brain catch up with this whole thing.  somewhere, idly, he knows that means that dick has an alarm here somewhere, too, but oddly enough, nothing about that bothers roy.  it makes his stomach feel a little too hot, though.  

yeah, yeah he does.  he wants to check on lian, and he wants to shake the guys in the dumpster until their brains slip out their ears.  all that being good and true, roy feels stuck in place, staring at dick as he sets his gun down on the counter.  he reasons that dick must have been out on patrol, suited up and armed, and there’s probably something important on hold because dick came here instead, kept lian safe and stayed with her, too.  

roy steps a little closer, runs his hands over the blue from dick’s shoulders to elbows.  he takes a shaky breath, looking for something to say.  there’s nothing to say, nothing to convey how fucking grateful and awed roy is right now, and nothing to convey how badly he wants dick to stay without sounding like some sort of baby.  

    “ you – you are… ” roy trails off, at a loss still.  it’s not adrenaline or grief that drives roy forward this time – simple adoration and relief instead.  he cups dick’s face in his hands and kisses him deeply, knowing full well as far as appropriate thank yous go, it’s a gesture pretty far down on the list.  “ you’re incredible, dick.  thank you.  fuck, thank you so much.  you’re incredible, ” he repeats.

here’s the thing. dick knows that roy’s going to be grateful, it’s pretty much number 1 fact of roy harper: lian matters most. any questioning about bat-grade alarms around the place is probably going to come later, when roy’s had the time to think about it. so, dick has time on that front. no need to worry. except he’s not used to roy being shellshocked for this long, and dick starts to wonder what he’s missed.

until familiar hands fall upon him, and something in dick just swoops. like the first step off solid ground, into high, freeing air. now for once, he’s speechless, worried that a single word could break whatever moment this is. it’s new territory, nothing he’s ever seen written across roy’s face for him, and dick is humiliatingly aware of how far he’d go to see that more often.

and then, there’s the kiss. there’s no making the same mistake twice; this was to be cherished, not swept aside like before as a brief reprieve from crushing grief and devastation.   it’s true, this may not last. roy might be doing this in the heat of the moment, a one-off that would doubtlessly leave him secretly heaertbroken. but dick is enraptured - sinks into it with a short sigh, clutches roy like it would hurt to let go. it usually does.

“ you’re, uh.. you’re welcome. ” dick replies, embarrassingly stunned, and no small part of him accounting for hypothetical dates; kisses, proposals and everything in between. the romantic always got away with him. their noses nudge against one another, and dick can’t resist from a second kiss. softer this time, but with no less longing. if roy can take one? dick can claim a reward of his own, too. “ you know what i’d do for you both. I know you’d do the same for me. and that, uh.. that makes any lucky hits worth it. ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

logically, it’s possible for this to happen even when roy is there.  his family has a certain level of notoriety, and a certain level of disregard for secret identities.  which – is not a great combination when raising a kid, a kid that roy so desperately wants to keep out of this life whenever possible.  it’s one thing to visit her superpowered aunts and uncles – it’s another thing to have to witness the less pleasant parts.  which, yeah.  lian’s done before – she’s been breaking thumbs since she was three, courtesy of some very special training from dinah, but…

god, roy loses the train of thought as soon as it comes, not even sure what he’s thinking about except gotta get home, gotta get back.  he has to make sure she’s safe and if so much as a hair on her head is out of place, then somebody’s going to regret it, possibly multiple somebodies.  except – when roy crashes through the door unceremoniously, bow and arrow swapped for the quicker, cleaner bullets.  except the scene isn’t what he came in expecting.  sure, some things are tossed around – there’s a clear sign of a struggle, but no one’s screaming or crying, and roy can hear the opening notes of mulan.  

   “ dick ?! ” roy whisper-shouts, shocked but mindful that there might be someone still here.  “ you – how the hell did you get here so fast ??  what’s going on.  i thought there was… dick, what happened ?? ”  roy’s pretty sure he’s fucking sweating from just the run up the stairs.  this isn’t making any sense.  

dick has come across a fair few family emergencies in his time, but it was a different brand of terror entirely when notified of roy’s alarms going off. if not because he knew roy wasn’t around, but because lian was supposed to be sleeping the night through. the thought of lian, scared by herself against an intruder or worse is what brought dick, grappling line pushed to the limit, and said intruders taken down with prejudice. and minimal apartment destruction, but what’s a little ikea trip between friends.

calming lian takes longer than the trip as a whole, and as she finally starts to drop off in a disney movie with uncle niwwing, dick is pretty set on sitting guard for the night. or, until the door crashes open, and dick sneaks out of lian’s room and leaves it locked behind him. these kind of guys rarely have backup, but there’s an eskrima stick in hand all set to throw, and — oh. just roy, windswept and harried.

he’s not quite sure what to admit here — hey, I placed one of my alarms in here, hope you don’t mind? — but first stop is a finger to his mouth, motioning to the door behind him. “ they  didn’t call us flying graysons for nothing, red. take a breath, it’s all alright. ” the stick is sheathed again, and because he’s tired of weapons for the night, carefully pushes down roy’s gun from where it’s pointed. “ lian’s almost out for the night, if you wanna speak to her. they grabbed her, but she’s okay, one little bandaid did the trick. guys are tied up in the dumpster and not going anywhere ‘til the cops come, in case you wanna shake something out of them. ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

roy’s writing checks he can’t catch.  no problem making eyes at dick, but the second lips touch his cheek is a whole other thing.  nothing about all this is anything like their…blip of the past, but the same sort of weird, desperate want is heavy in the pit of roy’s stomach.  roy has to remind himself, silently, that he isn’t allowed to go for a full on make out with his daughter sitting right there.  thank god for enforced self restraint.

he lets lian kiss his face a few times for good measure, and he steadfastly ignores the way she’s humming some romantic disney bullcrap and eyeing dick with way too keen of an expression for roy’s liking.  “ okay, killer, scoot along, ” he says, scooping her up for a kiss to her forehead, “ i think i’ve been defeated or saved or whatever you call that enough for right now. ”  roy is about ten seconds from calling the knight manager and complaining about this rough treatment.  

when lian skips away, roy finally pulls himself up off dick and turns to face dick.  “ you know, if that’s how you go about your hero schtick, throwing anybody with scales and a penchant for treasure under the bus ??  i can’t imagine how you’ve got damsels falling all over you. ”  roy grins, almost leers.  “ must have something to do with those pretty eyes. ”  he returns dick’s kiss on the cheek, hops up off the ground, and offers dick a hand up.  “ let’s get a pizza. ”  

dick feels abruptly seen, the second that lian starts her musical accompaniment. it’s bad enough he’s given an inch in restraint, and now there’s a slightly off-key disney soundtrack to go out there with it. for the first time he’s almost glad to watch as she obligingly toddles away, which brings along the weirdest sense of guilt yet. guilt is familiar. for taking advantage in the past, not giving what he should, and now.. not being grateful for who’s probably his biggest (most important) supporter in all this.

“ you’ve been looking into my pretty eyes too much if you’re seeing a bus and damsels in here, roy. ” he teases, and tries hard to avoid thinking about that exact scenario. to his credit, he’s got that down to a t by now. or it would, if roy didn’t manage to burst all that in a second. even got the cheek to be blasé about it, like he’s not sent dick tunnelling down into flash memories of their time of past. weirdly so, considering a kiss to the cheek is far from similar.

“ don’t forget the bargain. you owe us dessert, too. ” because if roy can play it cool, like hell is dick going to fall behind. that’s part of what makes them them, dick figures. the push to do better, stand equal, and then leave the rest for later. he hauls himself up with roy’s hand,  drapes the blanket right over his head (because he can, and a spluttering roy is pretty fantastic to see), before hopping up on the counter. “ so we’ve done the entertainment, getting the dinner, what comes next? ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws‌:

no, problems don’t disappear just because dick is here and things are fun and good and bubbly in the harper household today.  but – well. roy thinks there’s something to be said for how far away the problems feel, now.  and how up front and here the fun feels.  but he tables those feelings to think about later – he’s been tabling those feelings for years, what’s a few hours more? 

 and besides, the current karate shops to the knees and hip are interrupted by the sudden net of a blanket thrown around him.  “ i’ll never surrender, ” he declares, playfully thrashing around in dick’s hold, up until the moment that lian delivers the final blow – an impressively sturdy punch right in the stomach.

abruptly, roy goes limp in dick’s hold, head lolling back against dick’s shoulder.  beseeching eyes search out dick’s face, and roy musters his most powerful of pouts, bottom lip pushed out ludicrously and eyes dewy and adoring.  “ have mercy on me, knight.  i wanted to be rescued, not laid low by my two most devious knights. ”

dick’s seen more than his fair share of battles and spars by now, yet still winces the second lian punches his friend in the stomach. if there was any doubt out there that she was roy’s daughter, that would’ve cleared it up. at least she’s not got to the weapons stage of things, dick reasons with himself, and lets himself fall to kneeling on the floor with all of roy’s heavy weight on his hands.

it seemed a good idea, at least, until roy’s face is suddenly right there in high definition. not to mention, an enraptured audience of one. or, the look on roy’s face, something that twists dick’s insides irreparably into something far too close to complete and utter yearning. this was a bad idea, awful idea. donna’s mutterings about a lack of self preservation come into clear context now, when he should be busy laughing, and instead he’s distracted by what’s suddenly his favourite patch of freckles in existence. now would be a wonderful time for lian to give him a punch to the stomach. 

“ devious? I think you better mean miraculous, if we’ll be doing you a royal favour. ” dick laughs, weakly, and loosens an arm to beckon lian towards him with a little high five. before she clambers on her dad all over again, of course. “ if the stories are right... guess this oughta do the trick. ” and there, a small kiss to roy’s cheek is dick’s reward for the torture, before pretending to mull it over. “ mm. still seem a little scaly to me. better check if my fellow knight here has your true love’s kiss, I reckon. ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws‌:

roy needs to get off all this talk of frills and searching.  roy doesn’t own any petticoats, who does ??  but suddenly he’s thinking he should go buy a set, if it’ll get dick to root around in ‘em.  god, roy’s sense of actually hot and hot if it could conceivably work on dick are so tangled up, perpetually warped.  he needs therapy – so much fucking therapy.  “ this is my first time inviting somebody to a petticoat party.  i don’t play damsel often. ”

dick’s right about one thing for sure, though, lian is smart enough to see some of the pieces.  and sneaky enough to listen in on roy’s calls.  there’s a whole extortion situation going on already, plenty of candy bribes to keep her from spilling the whole situation to uncle nightwing.  thank god she’s too young to start demanding cold, hard cash.  

luckily, the conversation pivots enough that roy stops embarrassing himself unintentionally and starts down the intentionally path.  he feigns a look of terror at having been ousted so rudely.  “ oh, you know. just – ” roy takes off running, “ damn you, detective princess knights !! ” he calls over his shoulder.   

he winks back at them just in time to watch lian shake her fist ruefully in his direction and echo him with an equally dramatic, “ damn you !! ”  oh, god.  he’s definitely not going to win any father of the year awards, teaching his little girl swears. 

it’s not particularly surprising that roy is exceptional at this drama, considering ... well, it’s roy. who he’s seen dramatising a papercut, and shrugging off dislocated joints in the same breath. doesn’t mean it’s not still entertaining though, and when lian curses back at him dick has to do his damn best not to bust his gut with laughter. it comes out in a splutter of course (he’s only human) but he’s fairly confident he’s totally nailed it as a splutter of furious outrage and wrath. “ there’s no hiding from the truth, fiend! ” he calls, immediately bolstered by the little girl in his arms cheering. man, he could get used to having this kinda back-up.

still, he can’t spend too much time focusing on that wink or acting skills. not now lian is looking to him with a look that could rival the smallest puppy. no, dick isn’t biased in the slightest. he sets her down with a laugh, arms her with a couch cushion, and ruffles her hair. “ c’mon, let’s go smite that lizard, shall we? do your worst, oh valiant knight. ”

in retrospect, maybe he ought to apologise to roy for sicking his little girl on him like that, but damn if it doesn’t make his heart do flips in his chest as she immediately goes chasing after him. it’s not like dick’s problems or concerns mysteriously disappear, when he comes to the harper household, but sometimes he can believe they’re not there. be it from catching roy’s eye across the room, or watching a pretty impressive throw from a kid that doesn’t even reach his hips.

not able to just stand by watching, dick grasps an old blanket from the couch, waiting for lian to go for another ... cushioned blow as he “sneaks” behind. except not really, when he’s humming the pink panther theme, lest to actually catch roy by surprise. he takes the shot, and soon a blanket is corralled around roy with an ‘oof’, and dick’s arms trying to keep roy still. “ any last words, or are you ready for my knight’s final blow? ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws:

roy’s pretty sure he saw a show once where maidens gave handkerchiefs as tokens of gratitude – that happened in shrek, right ??  roy is annoyingly taken by the hand to his cheek, stomach flipping treacherously in answer.  hopefully, batman hasn’t been supplying his family with butterfly-detectors while roy wasn’t paying attention.  that’d be embarrassing in the extreme.

  though – roy’s pretty sure he also saw a ‘show’ once where tokens of gratitude were much less family-appropriate.  hm.  maybe roy needs to stop taking social cues from shrek or adult films.  maybe.  roy stirs at dick’s slap ( rude ass ) and takes the other’s offered hand.  with the help and lingering stomach-flutters, roy scrambles to his feet.  there’s something about the scene before him that’s making roy weak at the knees.  it’s no secret that lian adores dick, but – god, to watch it is something else entirely.  roy sneaks in close to give lian a matching smooch to the other cheek.  

and if his eyes linger too long on dick’s face, then it’s nothing, okay?  it’s certainly not any kind of yearning, or whatever.  “ if you’re hoping for something in my petticoats, you’re gonna have to look yourself. ”  oh, god.  roy, no.  bad.  except, he gives a little slap to dick’s cheek to mirror the one he received.  “ besides, the hardwood hasn’t been treated yet, can’t let you warp it with another indoor water fight. ”

here are some things you just don’t get used to. for dick, it’s that disgustingly sappy feeling he gets watching roy and lian together. or, being privileged enough to be allowed to see it. it’s nothing new. not the delight from lian at the sudden cheek kiss, or the complete Fondness written all over roy’s face, but it still starts a sizeable storm in dick’s chest to have the front-row seat to it. 

it only gets worse at any mention of roy’s petticoats, for the love of god, and that’s one hell of a confusing image. namely where the thought of roy and frills immediately clashes, but dick knows without doubt he still wouldn’t turn it down. god, he was whipped. at least he’s literally slapped back to attention, before lian’s disney induced sixth sense can start blaring out can you feel the love tonight. not that it’s happened to date, but he knows she’s smart enough it’ll probably come out any day now. 

“ wow. do you slap everyone after you invite them to the petticoat party? ” dick fights back a laugh, and just tries not to look too interested in the idea. damage control time, on himself. ideally before he goes and blows this out the water. “ y’know, you’re making it reaaaal hard for the knight princess team to smite like this. some might say that’s a sign of a dragon in disguise. what’d you say you were doing in this kingdom again, oh ‘damsel’? ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws‌:

roy scowls right at dick, wiggling his fingers back with a look of faux-fury.  lian’s busy jabbering about how yes, yes, yes, they do need a damsel in distress.  roy sighs, long and labored.  “ maybe i want to be a knight princess, too !! ” he protests.  but despite the objections, roy puts the back of his hand against his forehead and swoons off the couch completely, sprawling dramatically on the floor at dick’s feet.  

lian rewards him by jumping onto his stomach and knocking the air clean out of him.  wheezing a tad more than he’d care to admit, roy sits up a little and hooks his chin over dick’s knee, batting his eyelashes dramatically.  

    “ oh, please, ” he asks again, definitely hamming it up more than necessary, but lian’s giggling again, so it’s pretty worth it.  “ i’m just a helpless damsel.  i need help from my lovely knight – ” he tickles lian’s sides at that, “ – and from the – handsome princess ?? ”  roy puts every ounce of beseeching he can muster into the eyes he fixes on dick, and it’s nearly impossible to resist snickering himself.  “ there’s a dragon, buddy.  you’re not gonna leave me alone with a dragon, are you? ”

despite best efforts, dick is horrifically charmed by the whole display. particularly lian’s definition of helping, by downing said muscled damsel all by herself. the first snicker is smothered somewhere deep, and dick works to look as put-upon as he can possibly summon up. “ well, I suppose it’s royal duty to help all the rugged damsels in our kingdom . . . ” he ponders aloud, and with lian’s giggling shoots her an exaggerated wink. “ very well. we’ll save you from a fate of extra crispy pancakes. but you’ll owe both of us a token of your gratitude. ”

alright, perhaps this exact scenario has been painted in a couple bedtime stories by now. maybe dick gets a little ahead of himself, giving roy a little stroke of the cheek before slapping it lightly to get him to nudge up. but lian gets the drill, even consumed with laughter as she is, and scrambles up in time to get scooped up with a quick raspberry to her little cheek as he stands. “ I hope you’re hiding the most royal water gun somewhere in your petticoats, sweet maiden. ours were cruelly confiscated after the rubber duck wars of ‘18. ” namely, the time he may have snuck lian too many treats to stage a little welcome home for roy. a recording being kept safe in donna’s hands somewhere. dick grins, maybe just a little mischievous, and offers his hand. “ how about it? ”

[nvghtwxng]

redarrws‌:

@nvghtwxng

roy’s excuses are gonna wear thin, eventually.  it’s not that requests for babysitting services start off as a ruse, but – yeah, roy once again finds himself surreptitiously cancelling plans, so that he doesn’t have to get up from the couch with lian and dick.  truthfully, there’s really no place better he can think to be.  so what if it’s a gross misuse of a pal’s offer to babysit?  

“ looks like i’m in for the night, ” roy says, probably trying too hard to sound casual about it.  he slips his phone in his pocket and turns a slightly bashful look to dick.  “ won’t cramp your plans too much if i crash, right ??  i’ll pull my weight, order the pizza.  hell, i’ll even put up with manicures, ” roy offers.  it’s all pretty performative – dick isn’t gonna say no.  lian sure as hell isn’t gonna say no. 

it begs the question, though, why doesn’t roy just call and ask dick to come over for a night ??  

dick really ought to stop bribing the others for a better shot at babysitting duties by now, but that’s just another item on a growing list. in his defense, it can’t be helped. there’s a growing number of bats out there right now, and blüdhaven is almost a memory. he’s got a little time to spare. if he makes a little extra for the harper household, then that’s out of the goodness of his heart. really.

doesn’t stop dick from raising a brow however, at what’s probably roy’s second cancelled plan in a row. he might be a bit of a spoiler for lian, but he’s not exactly a bad babysitter, to need this kinda supervision. “ you don’t put up with manicures, roy. you succumb to an hour of paint and us feeding you pizza. ” dick laughs, incredulously. he’d make a point of wiggling his fingers to make a point, but lian is pretty happy on his lap, using that same hand to shoot bad guys in the tv adverts.

of course dick isn’t complaining, supervision or not. moments like this keep his name up top of the volunteer list, second only to dinah. he’s not going to say that though. “ you’ll have to ask this l’il freedom fighter for permission. add dessert and maybe we’ll let you be damsel in distress when we play knight princesses. ”

[blue-birdwatcher]

Sometimes the lines get blurred Sometimes the only thing between you and them is the mask and cape

[ohdickie-deactivated20131202]

The Batman taught me, guided me, trained me. What I am I owe to him. What more can I say? And Superman. I grew up in your shadow, too. You taught me honor, selflessness, and the true meaning of the word 'hero.'