But what Claire didn’t know—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLCazMMQnU
was that the two vigilantes sitting across from her, who only just “introduced themselves” today,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pgrjjCS51
had already raised every internal alarm system they had.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnyFxnB7Xn
Their minds kicked into full Batcave-alert mode.
This woman didn’t just know too much—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCCVfpUlr7
she had a handle on their most sensitive intel: identities, locations, relationships.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVLiQIyRS3
She had even casually connected Nightwing to his civilian alias and somehow arranged a dinner with all three of them.
This wasn’t coincidence.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcsBkttrjx
This was infiltration.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8N0GYa7e3z
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5zAB0nAfE
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmYwgP7o0v
The burgers and fries were placed neatly in front of them, and they nodded politely—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUPZQIjIJu
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlF58wST4I
They chewed through American cheese and existential dread at the same time.
—She’s extremely dangerous. Unpredictable.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjtuorEi14
—She might expose us. She probably already knows everything.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuEnky7Iwa
—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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfBXDX3842
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhwqiLQbKY
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:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4NWOMUT9m
“My place, of course.”
Dick: …269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIsuGoxZG8
BEEP—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Uux45k8sH
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXr7kJV1If
But it wasn’t.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAISleRVJgy
Jason was right there.
And this wasn’t just any younger brother. This was Jason.
Dick turned slowly.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCUmApGpbB
Jason’s face had frozen over like a glitching video frame.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvYlPjSf3i
He looked like he was thinking, “Yeah, I know ending a date at her place is a thing...269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nwXgKzs1J
but bringing me along? You’ve lost your minds.”
Jason’s brain was screaming EXIT MISSION. NOW.
269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9IWdRZDqK
He took a deep breath, gently put down his cup, and tried to decline with some grace:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhzrw6XQuo
“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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeejroTKT6
It wasn’t rushed.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3hRWjuybg
It wasn’t demanding.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuUWJrZKiQ
It carried that quiet kind of knowing that made your spine itch.
“I know,” she said gently.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvLKiK3roo
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjv5u02yF1
—What else do you know?
Claire lazily added, as if commenting on the weather:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMs0YtLHng
“Well, obviously, you’re here for Nightwing. He’ll be at my place soon.”
Dick: ???269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjAA5SVKuN
Robin: ????????
The air above the table turned so thick it was practically solid.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyfxSmQ37N
Both brothers went blank—
She didn’t just know about Robin,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5V0jz1wVL
She knew Nightwing,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQzkUtUsDo
She knew where he was going,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0C15kUc2ct
She knew when he’d show up.
What the hell?
Was she psychic?269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpRzCfkiV5
Did she somehow hack into the Batcave’s core database?269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiVztOOFmK
—Or was she some kind of secret weapon planted by Batman as part of a top-secret test?
They exchanged another look.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoFm7ExcjY
Threat Level: Off the charts.
And Claire?269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhaAmvYuRB
After casually dropping that reality-shattering statement, she stood up—swaying slightly, like the alcohol had just caught up to her balance.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzF840J9mj
Elegant, but clearly tipsy.
She reached for the bill.
Dick, faster than instinct, grabbed it first.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCmu81LGnd
His voice was calm but firm:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1utLqT3Jd
“I’ve got it.”
Claire blinked at him, then smiled and nodded.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPQFMyNqrb
“Then next time’s on me.”269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDHh2ktDhX
She said it like a promise.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFOxBk0jSb
Like she already knew there would be a next time.
(And there would be.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVFoBeJBTq
She’d already cooked them dinner—long-term.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqhMLVp0nT
They just didn’t remember.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfGt9M9vnX
Thanks, timeline reset.)
269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZv4F0yzkXR
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJkBgvcr0w
But it brought a dull ache to her temple, creeping from her forehead to the back of her skull.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfxesLR3JM
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:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgNu1i90nj
“How do you know Nightwing’s going to your place?”
His voice was steady—too steady.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUph1LhInqJ
Inside, he was already mentally running emergency cover plans.
One thing was clear: She didn’t know he was Nightwing.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgxGzf7DAM
Yet.
Which left him with one big question:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzmM9kzG6y
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSa1NAXcjbf
She was definitely drunk—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFo1CJRnhB
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be staring at the cop in front of her,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6T8w3bEPt
and seeing the exact same blue eyes as Nightwing.
She smiled—soft, glowing, and dangerously confident.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrN311wkiHO
Her voice floated like a breeze,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfaKhHixJc
but hit like a prophecy:
“Because—this is my city.”
Dick froze.
That line...269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufdP752qcT
It was his line.
Whenever he stood watch over the city under the cover of night, he would quietly tell himself:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXSelEpsqQ
“This is my city.”
But today—for the first time—he heard someone else say it.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhAjBVm12U
So naturally.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRyKKdtdha
Like she was the one who truly belonged to the night.
Robin sensed something spiraling out of control.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMyC24PzbE
He raised a hand like an emergency stop sign.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmW8WToL6jO
“Wait, Claire, Dick can’t go to your place.”
Jason couldn’t play the obedient kid anymore.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCroAfLcA7S
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4ZpqLnk1q
“Why not?”
Robin gritted his teeth.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wbgBsvoEJ
“Because... because... they’re love rivals.”
It was the most explosive, absurd, yet somehow believable excuse he could come up with on the spot.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlgFfW3Ema
Better that than the truth.
Dick turned to him with a look that screamed:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLUnpUWbra
“What the hell are you saying?!”
Claire froze, blinking as if trying to focus her gluey brain. Her eyes slowly widened as realization dawned.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZxQgzJN17
She turned to Dick with the gleam of gossip burning bright in her gaze.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1e8sap8UW
“Didn’t expect you to have a juicy backstory.”
Then, a flash of clarity cut through the fog of her drunken thoughts:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRilb1sdzYU
“Wait—you said you didn’t know each other.”
Robin felt his soul leave his body.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QhkTQYHFd
But he still forced out a reply:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9GRIFVJHu
“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:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdT6T5UnSR
“So you like the same girl, huh…”269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1ywUQGgtM
She didn’t sound surprised—just mildly intrigued.
Then she raised a hand and pointed at Dick, her tone calm and dismissive:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAjesWjZXU
“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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCiKuFf801
His mouth twitched—unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
Eventually, he managed a sentence—wry but polite:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4zy5rGeo1
“I’ll walk you home.”
Claire nodded.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQUAgxXekp
But this time, she didn’t say anything more.
She just kept walking ahead, steady-paced and silent.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29Ow4dinDR
The alcohol still lingered, but her tone had lost its playfulness—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGDAntQ3rW
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,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIpaLp3Knz
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”,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEF7Sa9kZo
or “You better explain later”,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAIQNuHWka
or just “My head hurts.”
Dick nodded—small, but clear.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKidc0GE5O
He knew this wasn’t the end.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYwrin6CJA
Just the beginning.
Robin followed Claire up the stairs to the third floor.
She opened the door, pointed toward the balcony, and said casually,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZJvNnevFZ
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulTiZqcCHO
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9qsAysNBI
Not pretending.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sRMUuL0fT
Not spying.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIQyTTP0lc
Not scheming.
She’d simply laid down—unguarded, vulnerable.
His eyes swept the room for hiding spots—nothing.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLz6HAHBH3i
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQA2vAkkiU
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—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5W0f91xiVL
Then both turned to look at the woman asleep on the bed.
She was curled on her side, breathing steady, cheeks still flushed.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvLttQ2FeR
One hand rested lightly on the edge of the blanket—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvTAXoN80I
Even in her dreams, she hadn’t fully let her guard down.
The two brothers stood at her bedside.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdDK1O9zD6
Saying nothing.
Only the wind filled the room, rustling the curtain with a soft whisper.
Silence.
Then—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5eBDutTtJ
Robin shrugged.
As if to say:269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9UJzth3ER
“Your problem now.”269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡms1Vu5g6WD
“I’ve got nothing.”
Nightwing sighed.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtf7jIEGjEN
Staring at the woman who made him rush between identities just to keep up—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWGfEayE8G
he wasn’t sure if he felt exasperated… or something stranger.
She’d said he’d arrive.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡic4lFNmFUL
And then she’d just… laid down.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIFLscUnHJ
Like she knew he’d come.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcjURp3v3t
Like it wasn’t a guess—269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1OCsAcBwJ
but part of some rhythm she trusted without question.
And now, here they were.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkT7i9EI9yI
The three of them—once again—drawn into the same space.
269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJg0sXJUbtb
The next morning, sunlight poured through the slits in the curtains, casting soft, angled streaks across the room.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KbIGEtPCE
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLirQdWSneP
Her head was clear—clearer than usual, even.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnZZ8sVkQm
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPhsojIeu1
She remembered the cocktails.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9fpS4Ayt8
She remembered the walk home, the chilly wind… and that she’d said something outrageous.
And then…
Did she lie down?269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNn0G0Z8NY
Was Robin there?269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7khj7xe3M
Did she say something weird?
She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjdGc9w5Hp
“I really shouldn’t have had that drink…”
What had they talked about?269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGspPRCynDz
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.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKVcWfE2sh
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,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSx5raZrjew
like she was catching up on an old soap opera—half amused, half pitying.
She stayed sitting in bed for a long while.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdq2GuhpCYa
Her feet didn’t touch the floor.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLnIrwxezR
Her back rested against the wall, and both hands pressed into the sheets,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTnkx6CzMz
as if trying to coax gravity into letting her stay just a bit longer.
But eventually, she swung her legs over the side.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZL7URSuMA7
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,269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8pye6YnqI
today… the café still had to run.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXCt1u8GCY
《End of Bonus Chapter》
ns216.73.217.14da2
and then Add to home screen.