But what Claire didn’t know—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjxiw5QeVC
was that the two vigilantes sitting across from her, who only just “introduced themselves” today,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbOvztI9nF
had already raised every internal alarm system they had.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllvKcJNYLe
Their minds kicked into full Batcave-alert mode.
This woman didn’t just know too much—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreBBL7jAwS
she had a handle on their most sensitive intel: identities, locations, relationships.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmonzOiiQvP
She had even casually connected Nightwing to his civilian alias and somehow arranged a dinner with all three of them.
This wasn’t coincidence.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkBenbh80a
This was infiltration.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsG9GAIXcXr
If she wasn’t intentionally getting close, then she was... some kind of meta.
Thankfully, the food arrived.
It was like the trumpet of salvation sounding across a battlefield.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyqCArjHY4
Both snapped out of their tactical calculations at once.
And thanks to Alfred’s lifelong etiquette training, no matter how internally wrecked they were, externally they would still sit up straight and eat like gentlemen.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW0m6Jfx01
The burgers and fries were placed neatly in front of them, and they nodded politely—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlLcZXzKCB
time to eat first, survive the crisis later.
But their guard never dropped.
Each bite of burger came with a side of intense eye contact and silent strategy meetings.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2jPTXoHjo
They chewed through American cheese and existential dread at the same time.
—She’s extremely dangerous. Unpredictable.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxfBfo2KoM
—She might expose us. She probably already knows everything.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9fngBcQn9
—How did she even reach Nightwing’s civilian persona? That’s priority one.
They silently agreed: Contain this first. Then move to extraction.
But the universe had other plans.
Claire, seeing their plates empty, calmly set down her utensils.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQZGtR61Qy
She wiped her hands with delicate precision—elegant, efficient. Like she was preparing for the next item on the itinerary.
She glanced at the two men still wiping their mouths, gave a small approving nod, and said in the tone of a cheerful tour guide:
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Both of them: !!!!!!?????
Dick nearly choked on his own spit.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1rkgwJNWY
He swallowed it with effort, forced a crooked smile, and asked carefully:
“Uh... may I ask... where are we going?”
Claire tilted her head, voice light as a breeze:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdp4XZ5O3D
“My place, of course.”
Dick: …16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk0FpUvCMW
BEEP—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbw5s0RLn8y
His brain short-circuited.
If it were just the two of them, sure, maybe this could be chalked up to some kind of flirtatious momentum.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxw4LX9C9S
But it wasn’t.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Tk93rSjgn
Jason was right there.
And this wasn’t just any younger brother. This was Jason.
Dick turned slowly.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyt2Ue4IT4
Jason’s face had frozen over like a glitching video frame.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6wH5Y42Gz
He looked like he was thinking, “Yeah, I know ending a date at her place is a thing...16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGa2FQLnl6H
but bringing me along? You’ve lost your minds.”
Jason’s brain was screaming EXIT MISSION. NOW.
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyirOWlOMTL
He took a deep breath, gently put down his cup, and tried to decline with some grace:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMBCiNPEer
“I’ll sit this one out. Just remembered—I’ve got... stuff.”
But Claire turned toward him, cheeks slightly flushed, wearing that same familiar smile she often gave regulars at the café.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUh6TKSDFn
It wasn’t rushed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLExVdRuzwq
It wasn’t demanding.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rvwiJLO1A
It carried that quiet kind of knowing that made your spine itch.
“I know,” she said gently.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17Vrv51hJQ
Like she was saying, “You like two sugars in your coffee, right?”
I know what you're thinking. I know what you’re about to do.
Robin’s inner sirens went off.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8dZv6R6F5
—What else do you know?
Claire lazily added, as if commenting on the weather:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEy4sTjBe9K
“Well, obviously, you’re here for Nightwing. He’ll be at my place soon.”
Dick: ???16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6koEvG2T0U
Robin: ????????
The air above the table turned so thick it was practically solid.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDU5eN5ayk3
Both brothers went blank—
She didn’t just know about Robin,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosuCFP2hGj
She knew Nightwing,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYiVP437jE
She knew where he was going,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkP3OiVCp6
She knew when he’d show up.
What the hell?
Was she psychic?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4HBIFudlF
Did she somehow hack into the Batcave’s core database?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yN1pyuMuI
—Or was she some kind of secret weapon planted by Batman as part of a top-secret test?
They exchanged another look.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIGfGh4zuy
Threat Level: Off the charts.
And Claire?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqN9VKmPaCv
After casually dropping that reality-shattering statement, she stood up—swaying slightly, like the alcohol had just caught up to her balance.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltYa7dMD7A
Elegant, but clearly tipsy.
She reached for the bill.
Dick, faster than instinct, grabbed it first.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHj1iqzY9M2
His voice was calm but firm:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFXJtD4mgd
“I’ve got it.”
Claire blinked at him, then smiled and nodded.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQnK6cy0cU
“Then next time’s on me.”16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonpEGMYcIT
She said it like a promise.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVrbdZ0x6C
Like she already knew there would be a next time.
(And there would be.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbmSXze1pR
She’d already cooked them dinner—long-term.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChgzK8KjBO
They just didn’t remember.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1maBchqqN7
Thanks, timeline reset.)
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50MFDjht9p
The three of them stepped out of the restaurant.
A cold breeze swept past, snapping Claire’s mind briefly out of its alcohol-soaked haze.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjyNmwO67C
But it brought a dull ache to her temple, creeping from her forehead to the back of her skull.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNO0zFG1guq
A hangover before the night was even over.
She shoved her hands in her coat pockets, turned to the two vigilantes, and said:
“Come on. Follow me.”
Dick finally worked up the nerve to ask:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77YUiUfADn
“How do you know Nightwing’s going to your place?”
His voice was steady—too steady.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzI7tQVXDJ
Inside, he was already mentally running emergency cover plans.
One thing was clear: She didn’t know he was Nightwing.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlmsONzpcA
Yet.
Which left him with one big question:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDxKo6uQKy
How the hell was he supposed to get ‘Dick Grayson’ and ‘Nightwing’ into the same room at the same time?
Claire looked back at him, cheeks still flushed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHZsS3Ovfk
She was definitely drunk—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUxuL89vfu
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be staring at the cop in front of her,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXukmrOCauT
and seeing the exact same blue eyes as Nightwing.
She smiled—soft, glowing, and dangerously confident.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsNFvgSS0f
Her voice floated like a breeze,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiq3ZzMo11
but hit like a prophecy:
“Because—this is my city.”
Dick froze.
That line...16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHzU1NcmmI
It was his line.
Whenever he stood watch over the city under the cover of night, he would quietly tell himself:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEm6Uolq6AZ
“This is my city.”
But today—for the first time—he heard someone else say it.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OITzMAe72
So naturally.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTbqIpa8F8
Like she was the one who truly belonged to the night.
Robin sensed something spiraling out of control.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHLbSzGZ60
He raised a hand like an emergency stop sign.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO03wBCSUU6
“Wait, Claire, Dick can’t go to your place.”
Jason couldn’t play the obedient kid anymore.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1oYM5bqgX
Someone had to step in and stop this rapidly escalating mess of a romantic-horror identity farce.
Claire turned her head, voice still hazy but filled with genuine confusion.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXvcVFHvXL
“Why not?”
Robin gritted his teeth.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTjBRY3uim
“Because... because... they’re love rivals.”
It was the most explosive, absurd, yet somehow believable excuse he could come up with on the spot.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsr1nHkHA7r
Better that than the truth.
Dick turned to him with a look that screamed:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjDJCVc0mW
“What the hell are you saying?!”
Claire froze, blinking as if trying to focus her gluey brain. Her eyes slowly widened as realization dawned.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObXclyuo6v
She turned to Dick with the gleam of gossip burning bright in her gaze.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5dQyPcM61
“Didn’t expect you to have a juicy backstory.”
Then, a flash of clarity cut through the fog of her drunken thoughts:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVgiiTFwic
“Wait—you said you didn’t know each other.”
Robin felt his soul leave his body.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3U9chrsw1
But he still forced out a reply:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhXkP6XQfx
“Right… but I know Nightwing. He often says there’s this cop—Dick Grayson—his romantic rival.”
Claire nodded, murmuring like someone piecing together the latest drama at a café:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ953iIPCAy8
“So you like the same girl, huh…”16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3YFzIwLns
She didn’t sound surprised—just mildly intrigued.
Then she raised a hand and pointed at Dick, her tone calm and dismissive:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66Wq1wZzXE
“Alright. You can go now. Thanks for dinner. I’ll treat next time.”
Dick stared at this woman who’d just used and dismissed him like an old umbrella.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2X3bZYze3S
His mouth twitched—unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
Eventually, he managed a sentence—wry but polite:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgCOpXrLzt
“I’ll walk you home.”
Claire nodded.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshW9pVLt4v
But this time, she didn’t say anything more.
She just kept walking ahead, steady-paced and silent.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIfnfsGt6F
The alcohol still lingered, but her tone had lost its playfulness—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQv8Fbpm292
replaced by a deeper calm.
The two men followed quietly.
They crossed neon-lit corners and passed under dim lampposts until they finally arrived at—
Claire’s café.
This time, Dick remained outside, watching the other two go in.
The streetlight cast his shadow long and thin,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wDp6lDy3j
stretching all the evening’s chaos into a single, quiet silhouette.
Just before the door closed, Robin turned back and gave him a look.
It might’ve meant “I’ve got this”,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiIq6Q0CJy
or “You better explain later”,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQpFDMBSZg
or just “My head hurts.”
Dick nodded—small, but clear.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWx65HWQGaa
He knew this wasn’t the end.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6McIZVgD3Y
Just the beginning.
Robin followed Claire up the stairs to the third floor.
She opened the door, pointed toward the balcony, and said casually,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKLbXZYWMC
like she was announcing her morning routine:
“He’ll show up at 11:11. You wait here. I’m going to lie down.”
She said it too naturally—like she was used to expecting mysterious guests.
Then—without another word—she just… collapsed onto the bed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIih63TqPjF
Right in front of him.
Robin: …
He stood there, staring like she’d just cast some kind of spell trap.
But she was actually asleep.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjMrycAGgL
Not pretending.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdqI2p8nrf
Not spying.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ557ZV3SJ0
Not scheming.
She’d simply laid down—unguarded, vulnerable.
His eyes swept the room for hiding spots—nothing.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65hMVk20kv
He pressed an ear to the wall—silence. Only his own heartbeat.
A few moments later, a familiar thwip echoed from outside.
Nightwing had arrived.
He was already changed—still catching his breath, a few strands of hair sticking to his forehead from rushing over.
Robin was ready.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx02vVlNG8w
He walked over and opened the window.
Cold air rushed in, snapping his senses back into focus.
Nightwing climbed in, landing with a slight wobble, eyes scanning the room urgently.
Their eyes met—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrxSAJnbw8
Then both turned to look at the woman asleep on the bed.
She was curled on her side, breathing steady, cheeks still flushed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4s3TcKyXsE
One hand rested lightly on the edge of the blanket—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0B4PvQ3Mr
Even in her dreams, she hadn’t fully let her guard down.
The two brothers stood at her bedside.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3PtoAy4kv
Saying nothing.
Only the wind filled the room, rustling the curtain with a soft whisper.
Silence.
Then—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzUZDo1DYo
Robin shrugged.
As if to say:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9ftvc4m2e
“Your problem now.”16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjcUvwcFZ5
“I’ve got nothing.”
Nightwing sighed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguWpX3I88V
Staring at the woman who made him rush between identities just to keep up—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUaaewlSrx
he wasn’t sure if he felt exasperated… or something stranger.
She’d said he’d arrive.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGGfDU3o7f
And then she’d just… laid down.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoosvdPisF
Like she knew he’d come.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuruwCrA0GF
Like it wasn’t a guess—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7DKVZRUFs
but part of some rhythm she trusted without question.
And now, here they were.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO5auPDkpb
The three of them—once again—drawn into the same space.
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gMbUF7Fxc
The next morning, sunlight poured through the slits in the curtains, casting soft, angled streaks across the room.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ654qlVsPS0
Claire awoke to the sound of familiar music—gentle, slightly old-fashioned jazz that tugged her gently out of sleep.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, realizing with mild surprise that she didn’t have a hangover.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQB0KTOPfx
Her head was clear—clearer than usual, even.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPk4Z28UjPB
It felt like some lingering anxiety had been washed away along with the alcohol.
But—
Her memory of the latter half of last night was… fuzzy.
She remembered dinner.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSd8ZMZpGgk
She remembered the cocktails.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk05H1YxjUp
She remembered the walk home, the chilly wind… and that she’d said something outrageous.
And then…
Did she lie down?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88NYlsigeK
Was Robin there?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QxiuFEwYx
Did she say something weird?
She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IsqpKWt7B
“I really shouldn’t have had that drink…”
What had they talked about?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamyRHVc795
She tried to recall, as if piecing together a dream scattered across the corners of her mind.
Ah, right.
Nightwing and Dick are love rivals.
That line leapt into her mind with startling clarity, like a scene from a forgotten film reel.
She remembered pointing at Dick and telling him to go home.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUurw1sd92
Said something like, “Thanks for dinner, I’ll treat next time.”
Claire rubbed her temple and couldn’t help but let out a small, wry laugh.
“So they’re in love with the same girl…” she murmured,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTjB0TaKxb
like she was catching up on an old soap opera—half amused, half pitying.
She stayed sitting in bed for a long while.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdjyQOQWLK
Her feet didn’t touch the floor.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDDaE3YPCX
Her back rested against the wall, and both hands pressed into the sheets,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAX3hjFVlU
as if trying to coax gravity into letting her stay just a bit longer.
But eventually, she swung her legs over the side.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvPbvi0Yit
The moment her feet touched the wooden floor, she knew—
It was time to get up.
Time to open the café.
No matter how chaotic last night had been,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdgbXHNXN3
today… the café still had to run.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjuOTBYd0x
《End of Bonus Chapter》
ns216.73.216.169da2
