But what Claire didn’t know—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0C5O3VQ1Xx
was that the two vigilantes sitting across from her, who only just “introduced themselves” today,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzYJ74NgHX
had already raised every internal alarm system they had.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSvlwdJYiz
Their minds kicked into full Batcave-alert mode.
This woman didn’t just know too much—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qZbknU8TP
she had a handle on their most sensitive intel: identities, locations, relationships.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNzBuTrcUT
She had even casually connected Nightwing to his civilian alias and somehow arranged a dinner with all three of them.
This wasn’t coincidence.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo36FoG3MRJ
This was infiltration.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWadVKTugeC
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDMdB0Tpcr
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1QOjguUq9
The burgers and fries were placed neatly in front of them, and they nodded politely—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaFx2RlQLy
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKmdlAn2Px
They chewed through American cheese and existential dread at the same time.
—She’s extremely dangerous. Unpredictable.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Gtf2vmiNx
—She might expose us. She probably already knows everything.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMWlTknyOB
—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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PRnG4K4UC
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQwcwU6BXQ
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:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhVBY9Tfbd
“My place, of course.”
Dick: …55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbHvlxmVM1
BEEP—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRc9RRaoX6
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FCoNrKyWL
But it wasn’t.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYjJF03oRI
Jason was right there.
And this wasn’t just any younger brother. This was Jason.
Dick turned slowly.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeWni5HuHk
Jason’s face had frozen over like a glitching video frame.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0EC6oCcqj
He looked like he was thinking, “Yeah, I know ending a date at her place is a thing...55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzjCTUQY26
but bringing me along? You’ve lost your minds.”
Jason’s brain was screaming EXIT MISSION. NOW.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIna3LtTRU
He took a deep breath, gently put down his cup, and tried to decline with some grace:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUQIJc8AQO
“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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleK8hAW8dX
It wasn’t rushed.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3brBV5rW9h
It wasn’t demanding.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEXv9iY0nc
It carried that quiet kind of knowing that made your spine itch.
“I know,” she said gently.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HiOW7beBd
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5c3B3mdzP
—What else do you know?
Claire lazily added, as if commenting on the weather:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLIjdggtjR
“Well, obviously, you’re here for Nightwing. He’ll be at my place soon.”
Dick: ???55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlgpB0uG92
Robin: ????????
The air above the table turned so thick it was practically solid.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fOTHCg8zt
Both brothers went blank—
She didn’t just know about Robin,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHdtQJVpbu
She knew Nightwing,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uPjBwXhBh
She knew where he was going,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTSpkB4Vui
She knew when he’d show up.
What the hell?
Was she psychic?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ914FXm1Tvx
Did she somehow hack into the Batcave’s core database?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvf6OLr1T9z
—Or was she some kind of secret weapon planted by Batman as part of a top-secret test?
They exchanged another look.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJI47FKGv2u
Threat Level: Off the charts.
And Claire?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeIlxlTXMG
After casually dropping that reality-shattering statement, she stood up—swaying slightly, like the alcohol had just caught up to her balance.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwoa1ov0oP
Elegant, but clearly tipsy.
She reached for the bill.
Dick, faster than instinct, grabbed it first.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVYonLBVrV
His voice was calm but firm:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmb3a5C5is
“I’ve got it.”
Claire blinked at him, then smiled and nodded.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEk97Q5Z5Mg
“Then next time’s on me.”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAjL8RmBgu
She said it like a promise.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7nUY8QZnM
Like she already knew there would be a next time.
(And there would be.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LfOBayczs
She’d already cooked them dinner—long-term.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7JUkyMDNX
They just didn’t remember.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYY7VibUz1V
Thanks, timeline reset.)
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8feryrybpB
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoU3u28LG3R
But it brought a dull ache to her temple, creeping from her forehead to the back of her skull.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6bB4ZQDIr
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:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrT3prNBh9
“How do you know Nightwing’s going to your place?”
His voice was steady—too steady.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirnku3p7FY
Inside, he was already mentally running emergency cover plans.
One thing was clear: She didn’t know he was Nightwing.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS787tnvZrU
Yet.
Which left him with one big question:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpc9CJv2Mxx
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLQ8YsIo4V
She was definitely drunk—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgGqfi0469
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be staring at the cop in front of her,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4o6v2pehkS
and seeing the exact same blue eyes as Nightwing.
She smiled—soft, glowing, and dangerously confident.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAJtUt52Du
Her voice floated like a breeze,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobFfbOYX9D
but hit like a prophecy:
“Because—this is my city.”
Dick froze.
That line...55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDTFq70NVb
It was his line.
Whenever he stood watch over the city under the cover of night, he would quietly tell himself:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZ5shatuyM
“This is my city.”
But today—for the first time—he heard someone else say it.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVXzBAdwVH
So naturally.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rFYJ6R90P
Like she was the one who truly belonged to the night.
Robin sensed something spiraling out of control.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFREnwYQHfY
He raised a hand like an emergency stop sign.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhMxIEkQE4
“Wait, Claire, Dick can’t go to your place.”
Jason couldn’t play the obedient kid anymore.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEOCw5JR1L
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5Hml0PCK2
“Why not?”
Robin gritted his teeth.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8xPVACfYj
“Because... because... they’re love rivals.”
It was the most explosive, absurd, yet somehow believable excuse he could come up with on the spot.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJG4jp3X93v
Better that than the truth.
Dick turned to him with a look that screamed:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcijeUuiXN
“What the hell are you saying?!”
Claire froze, blinking as if trying to focus her gluey brain. Her eyes slowly widened as realization dawned.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKkHkJcZOz
She turned to Dick with the gleam of gossip burning bright in her gaze.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqeT6F5boB
“Didn’t expect you to have a juicy backstory.”
Then, a flash of clarity cut through the fog of her drunken thoughts:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3M1wwllFNK
“Wait—you said you didn’t know each other.”
Robin felt his soul leave his body.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QSMpH4vWr
But he still forced out a reply:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewp8tKhfI9
“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:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgCZ59KC92
“So you like the same girl, huh…”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbJRfRQ53e
She didn’t sound surprised—just mildly intrigued.
Then she raised a hand and pointed at Dick, her tone calm and dismissive:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPy4my3r12S
“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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKvBZGzJct
His mouth twitched—unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
Eventually, he managed a sentence—wry but polite:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqrb7Q5yD8
“I’ll walk you home.”
Claire nodded.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsIstw4JuW
But this time, she didn’t say anything more.
She just kept walking ahead, steady-paced and silent.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6AeFnJ0Kc
The alcohol still lingered, but her tone had lost its playfulness—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEVLkHtYh6
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,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDyb33FPbn
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”,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtNdSOKFTf
or “You better explain later”,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu5Ezjemu2
or just “My head hurts.”
Dick nodded—small, but clear.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9slTAKyYh
He knew this wasn’t the end.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtI23MeG3q0
Just the beginning.
Robin followed Claire up the stairs to the third floor.
She opened the door, pointed toward the balcony, and said casually,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbwQgBeehV
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOIqui4gS9
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5haWcROcKt
Not pretending.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamL6XpLwPt
Not spying.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡideN9XvUE9
Not scheming.
She’d simply laid down—unguarded, vulnerable.
His eyes swept the room for hiding spots—nothing.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN2h4hJ0jl
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcna0bdPArI
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—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiy5sAoa8KQ
Then both turned to look at the woman asleep on the bed.
She was curled on her side, breathing steady, cheeks still flushed.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1v6yisP7dI
One hand rested lightly on the edge of the blanket—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupKvCw1Qvf
Even in her dreams, she hadn’t fully let her guard down.
The two brothers stood at her bedside.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeu7hbMyg8a
Saying nothing.
Only the wind filled the room, rustling the curtain with a soft whisper.
Silence.
Then—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTbuOTNmzo
Robin shrugged.
As if to say:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8Q6bvydny
“Your problem now.”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyPRtLKskv
“I’ve got nothing.”
Nightwing sighed.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1QIZmFn1f
Staring at the woman who made him rush between identities just to keep up—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77L3qIyqPE
he wasn’t sure if he felt exasperated… or something stranger.
She’d said he’d arrive.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGHfZ6wLvE
And then she’d just… laid down.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEfm47ZCrA
Like she knew he’d come.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERdlyCCg8F
Like it wasn’t a guess—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r8N8CZt6h
but part of some rhythm she trusted without question.
And now, here they were.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvduhI1UlKj
The three of them—once again—drawn into the same space.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9P7MSlbR3
The next morning, sunlight poured through the slits in the curtains, casting soft, angled streaks across the room.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAedr2dwfl
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SdRU9Upgf
Her head was clear—clearer than usual, even.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxr2ecBEcRQ
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VyaS0Ka6R
She remembered the cocktails.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoonlyNmRps
She remembered the walk home, the chilly wind… and that she’d said something outrageous.
And then…
Did she lie down?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwayOFJ1OXD
Was Robin there?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0xX6b9XRl
Did she say something weird?
She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TzKrpf8I7
“I really shouldn’t have had that drink…”
What had they talked about?55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofmImf3ZGB
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ikC9qhinF
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,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRduVU7E71F
like she was catching up on an old soap opera—half amused, half pitying.
She stayed sitting in bed for a long while.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCdlBIcgb7
Her feet didn’t touch the floor.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLFAsdyaV8
Her back rested against the wall, and both hands pressed into the sheets,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEO4AMLY4M
as if trying to coax gravity into letting her stay just a bit longer.
But eventually, she swung her legs over the side.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhqOBevp9c
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,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYADj3KKQy
today… the café still had to run.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDCSVoz3JN
《End of Bonus Chapter》
ns216.73.216.206da2
and then Add to home screen.