But what Claire didn’t know—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6g1h7ylAVC
was that the two vigilantes sitting across from her, who only just “introduced themselves” today,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rwDrt8lkL
had already raised every internal alarm system they had.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvm0vSzHYxo
Their minds kicked into full Batcave-alert mode.
This woman didn’t just know too much—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hDnDLHQJe
she had a handle on their most sensitive intel: identities, locations, relationships.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRY00WCqtIE
She had even casually connected Nightwing to his civilian alias and somehow arranged a dinner with all three of them.
This wasn’t coincidence.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJBZVFKRdW
This was infiltration.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0rbJp9H0f
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06LkN2YX4S
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMVj0UkK8v
The burgers and fries were placed neatly in front of them, and they nodded politely—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau7Dgsuool
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RkfnBULe5
They chewed through American cheese and existential dread at the same time.
—She’s extremely dangerous. Unpredictable.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjKp2kmGNZ
—She might expose us. She probably already knows everything.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMfRwRZSTW
—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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFXaD3WsOS
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0WVsWz4G0
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:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUd9nYWUHIQ
“My place, of course.”
Dick: …248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIcYwH7bqp
BEEP—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6Avxz2aDq
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnklvfT5nt
But it wasn’t.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMA7dXXSsr
Jason was right there.
And this wasn’t just any younger brother. This was Jason.
Dick turned slowly.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OQ9dDHmPI
Jason’s face had frozen over like a glitching video frame.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2Ak4u4vQc
He looked like he was thinking, “Yeah, I know ending a date at her place is a thing...248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzAwzkFsD7
but bringing me along? You’ve lost your minds.”
Jason’s brain was screaming EXIT MISSION. NOW.
248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8adyPwhhu9
He took a deep breath, gently put down his cup, and tried to decline with some grace:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0Ea1sMdQJ
“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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUC7UuL114
It wasn’t rushed.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAYjiZs5rp
It wasn’t demanding.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakrXvQV7vC
It carried that quiet kind of knowing that made your spine itch.
“I know,” she said gently.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHDViAGhEt
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hx3Bt3UYO
—What else do you know?
Claire lazily added, as if commenting on the weather:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadQ5edVWFL
“Well, obviously, you’re here for Nightwing. He’ll be at my place soon.”
Dick: ???248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlMSwuSg5J
Robin: ????????
The air above the table turned so thick it was practically solid.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2E1K27DZl
Both brothers went blank—
She didn’t just know about Robin,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtECBUUaZB
She knew Nightwing,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTroFoM3gS
She knew where he was going,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzTx7R7OAs
She knew when he’d show up.
What the hell?
Was she psychic?248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Dp6iHPXWg
Did she somehow hack into the Batcave’s core database?248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZnUdSXAOc
—Or was she some kind of secret weapon planted by Batman as part of a top-secret test?
They exchanged another look.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKrWUtrvjz
Threat Level: Off the charts.
And Claire?248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mWRPds2Db
After casually dropping that reality-shattering statement, she stood up—swaying slightly, like the alcohol had just caught up to her balance.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡET1Y0XWYvY
Elegant, but clearly tipsy.
She reached for the bill.
Dick, faster than instinct, grabbed it first.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvCswNud2F
His voice was calm but firm:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnq3gr69mj
“I’ve got it.”
Claire blinked at him, then smiled and nodded.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7KltxJdlf
“Then next time’s on me.”248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvRBzrtyVr
She said it like a promise.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hNu6EGJPD
Like she already knew there would be a next time.
(And there would be.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7iBfMbYhg
She’d already cooked them dinner—long-term.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoaBAYlzXy
They just didn’t remember.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2L5cFdla8L
Thanks, timeline reset.)
248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ljMafIE4e
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AkbKJ9hP3
But it brought a dull ache to her temple, creeping from her forehead to the back of her skull.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CBFdHtVUZ
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:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2AJA2olNc
“How do you know Nightwing’s going to your place?”
His voice was steady—too steady.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmP0BtO87t
Inside, he was already mentally running emergency cover plans.
One thing was clear: She didn’t know he was Nightwing.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3epVsQnz4m
Yet.
Which left him with one big question:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDY38rVx5s
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcANiNaVTL2
She was definitely drunk—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN36jsCARbe
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be staring at the cop in front of her,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbi1vuWKdqO
and seeing the exact same blue eyes as Nightwing.
She smiled—soft, glowing, and dangerously confident.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6QFgoAvIK
Her voice floated like a breeze,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlV5D8Tx36y
but hit like a prophecy:
“Because—this is my city.”
Dick froze.
That line...248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEKJ4ugIm1
It was his line.
Whenever he stood watch over the city under the cover of night, he would quietly tell himself:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBtElx6SwH
“This is my city.”
But today—for the first time—he heard someone else say it.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RKBTrhcoN
So naturally.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSsGCqQ1YF
Like she was the one who truly belonged to the night.
Robin sensed something spiraling out of control.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3joiDfrXY1
He raised a hand like an emergency stop sign.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0ugMpL7jW
“Wait, Claire, Dick can’t go to your place.”
Jason couldn’t play the obedient kid anymore.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkk0WRihbrO
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1f7rKRdds
“Why not?”
Robin gritted his teeth.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluHDFEharT
“Because... because... they’re love rivals.”
It was the most explosive, absurd, yet somehow believable excuse he could come up with on the spot.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74WDrDc4wV
Better that than the truth.
Dick turned to him with a look that screamed:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwl4TpggBu5
“What the hell are you saying?!”
Claire froze, blinking as if trying to focus her gluey brain. Her eyes slowly widened as realization dawned.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7LW0IG7tk
She turned to Dick with the gleam of gossip burning bright in her gaze.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcpBPRfQ9D
“Didn’t expect you to have a juicy backstory.”
Then, a flash of clarity cut through the fog of her drunken thoughts:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDob8CcyPu
“Wait—you said you didn’t know each other.”
Robin felt his soul leave his body.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPGCsPnu2g
But he still forced out a reply:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF2IoZ8sP0
“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:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDoTDqjEdc
“So you like the same girl, huh…”248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjx7HzoNja
She didn’t sound surprised—just mildly intrigued.
Then she raised a hand and pointed at Dick, her tone calm and dismissive:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfvotOQahj
“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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhh9kmkECII
His mouth twitched—unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
Eventually, he managed a sentence—wry but polite:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8Gh3IhUlp
“I’ll walk you home.”
Claire nodded.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJLaCKCynG
But this time, she didn’t say anything more.
She just kept walking ahead, steady-paced and silent.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPUzen2BuV
The alcohol still lingered, but her tone had lost its playfulness—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwYAl2p38K
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,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkBRGrVMVO
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”,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkXGp8oLOi
or “You better explain later”,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHwUz15Llx
or just “My head hurts.”
Dick nodded—small, but clear.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAuInMhAoS
He knew this wasn’t the end.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANB1nFYYAN
Just the beginning.
Robin followed Claire up the stairs to the third floor.
She opened the door, pointed toward the balcony, and said casually,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxdyuqzDif
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxWvoM8yD5
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDZC8StNlf
Not pretending.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatHzbvVGJE
Not spying.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKFI5tn6xt
Not scheming.
She’d simply laid down—unguarded, vulnerable.
His eyes swept the room for hiding spots—nothing.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzttQ6KLYu
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjn3LzqFji
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—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqbNNGqLWM
Then both turned to look at the woman asleep on the bed.
She was curled on her side, breathing steady, cheeks still flushed.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUD23Ox6dI
One hand rested lightly on the edge of the blanket—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbztsicYdM
Even in her dreams, she hadn’t fully let her guard down.
The two brothers stood at her bedside.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3AK54NRN8
Saying nothing.
Only the wind filled the room, rustling the curtain with a soft whisper.
Silence.
Then—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaufBZIVEPx
Robin shrugged.
As if to say:248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8qRSzpzCX
“Your problem now.”248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcNssC82m0
“I’ve got nothing.”
Nightwing sighed.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuVB9IJ2Gz
Staring at the woman who made him rush between identities just to keep up—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTnfZJ9phv
he wasn’t sure if he felt exasperated… or something stranger.
She’d said he’d arrive.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpU4aiiRGRY
And then she’d just… laid down.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufAmRSJ8hs
Like she knew he’d come.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cOuD5XEU7
Like it wasn’t a guess—248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaSaK9PnaG
but part of some rhythm she trusted without question.
And now, here they were.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMI614hZu6
The three of them—once again—drawn into the same space.
248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aimc6FRWN
The next morning, sunlight poured through the slits in the curtains, casting soft, angled streaks across the room.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdkrWUNXTX
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSP8ZL2t7yB
Her head was clear—clearer than usual, even.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniTzBMStZA
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIQ3NKf5Ef
She remembered the cocktails.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡle4M6lXQzj
She remembered the walk home, the chilly wind… and that she’d said something outrageous.
And then…
Did she lie down?248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvCyh9qbKq
Was Robin there?248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcLBKK3rPc
Did she say something weird?
She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDXEwgClie
“I really shouldn’t have had that drink…”
What had they talked about?248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pRfFgNj2U
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.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgm481DUz1I
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,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73syPJcdB5
like she was catching up on an old soap opera—half amused, half pitying.
She stayed sitting in bed for a long while.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHsrkFTiBu
Her feet didn’t touch the floor.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUhqXEJajo
Her back rested against the wall, and both hands pressed into the sheets,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcRiTTjl2L
as if trying to coax gravity into letting her stay just a bit longer.
But eventually, she swung her legs over the side.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuhWgIMFTE
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,248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOS3kByQ31
today… the café still had to run.248Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0MZSsMHBy
《End of Bonus Chapter》
ns216.73.216.23da2
and then Add to home screen.