But what Claire didn’t know—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjxEuu0k4A
was that the two vigilantes sitting across from her, who only just “introduced themselves” today,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3jDd880uo
had already raised every internal alarm system they had.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LXxSGzn84
Their minds kicked into full Batcave-alert mode.
This woman didn’t just know too much—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wHqdhu4yB
she had a handle on their most sensitive intel: identities, locations, relationships.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1cD7iElD6
She had even casually connected Nightwing to his civilian alias and somehow arranged a dinner with all three of them.
This wasn’t coincidence.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqW7qXfNEYG
This was infiltration.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxn6P9A13cx
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhbFYY3KmZ
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5ZqxrVbJU
The burgers and fries were placed neatly in front of them, and they nodded politely—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0cPVHWovd
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wFcfXw2UD
They chewed through American cheese and existential dread at the same time.
—She’s extremely dangerous. Unpredictable.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZeWy4auqU
—She might expose us. She probably already knows everything.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRpIkrZB2y
—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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hSVSadG9v
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Pva5hirK9
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:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnimV7nZpS
“My place, of course.”
Dick: …13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E9zgW0TKr
BEEP—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCtCDFfL3f
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ttFhi6jlT
But it wasn’t.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDBwlY0BmE
Jason was right there.
And this wasn’t just any younger brother. This was Jason.
Dick turned slowly.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yemgzEnB1
Jason’s face had frozen over like a glitching video frame.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4P9F3iXgbV
He looked like he was thinking, “Yeah, I know ending a date at her place is a thing...13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnciOOzbcP4
but bringing me along? You’ve lost your minds.”
Jason’s brain was screaming EXIT MISSION. NOW.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxwg1WaJXW
He took a deep breath, gently put down his cup, and tried to decline with some grace:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk9akgsXlx
“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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPh2N2Rh0OJ
It wasn’t rushed.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oyrdTGFzZ
It wasn’t demanding.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFqQyEQ2FQ
It carried that quiet kind of knowing that made your spine itch.
“I know,” she said gently.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHWMzxXNJV
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29oYBBakos
—What else do you know?
Claire lazily added, as if commenting on the weather:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99jqjGQHIv
“Well, obviously, you’re here for Nightwing. He’ll be at my place soon.”
Dick: ???13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡconXrktfYt
Robin: ????????
The air above the table turned so thick it was practically solid.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVW5LJk5By
Both brothers went blank—
She didn’t just know about Robin,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4llJZylYw
She knew Nightwing,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiftNcHhz9
She knew where he was going,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8pKcacMZZ
She knew when he’d show up.
What the hell?
Was she psychic?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrxtrnY6v1
Did she somehow hack into the Batcave’s core database?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9pKRtXNJB
—Or was she some kind of secret weapon planted by Batman as part of a top-secret test?
They exchanged another look.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9TjiUn8gp
Threat Level: Off the charts.
And Claire?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUYjT7n7fJ
After casually dropping that reality-shattering statement, she stood up—swaying slightly, like the alcohol had just caught up to her balance.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWUqCAEsWh
Elegant, but clearly tipsy.
She reached for the bill.
Dick, faster than instinct, grabbed it first.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPKKIBLNIZ
His voice was calm but firm:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxkKRIE3pS
“I’ve got it.”
Claire blinked at him, then smiled and nodded.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPihybqZjZ
“Then next time’s on me.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLlS0kRyp4
She said it like a promise.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUY2CzrmpAc
Like she already knew there would be a next time.
(And there would be.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaj2cSftjW
She’d already cooked them dinner—long-term.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OMCgBLHUr
They just didn’t remember.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhnRfeiw78
Thanks, timeline reset.)
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWERENR7sIs
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDcd7qTgYw
But it brought a dull ache to her temple, creeping from her forehead to the back of her skull.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4g7le83Tz
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:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWe5cj7Vqp9
“How do you know Nightwing’s going to your place?”
His voice was steady—too steady.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWnZJUHiUe
Inside, he was already mentally running emergency cover plans.
One thing was clear: She didn’t know he was Nightwing.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5p723nl0C
Yet.
Which left him with one big question:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeACdxmTUu
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIJ9jo1N5P
She was definitely drunk—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbOS5k2iPw
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be staring at the cop in front of her,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13SSRT07jA
and seeing the exact same blue eyes as Nightwing.
She smiled—soft, glowing, and dangerously confident.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0tm5xfihT
Her voice floated like a breeze,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2ADHJwagM
but hit like a prophecy:
“Because—this is my city.”
Dick froze.
That line...13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgAPpvOfXI
It was his line.
Whenever he stood watch over the city under the cover of night, he would quietly tell himself:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ602Edldmoc
“This is my city.”
But today—for the first time—he heard someone else say it.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzwQEEdMhJ
So naturally.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJvpayYigs
Like she was the one who truly belonged to the night.
Robin sensed something spiraling out of control.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgn9aTCeo4K
He raised a hand like an emergency stop sign.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ134vEcf4KU
“Wait, Claire, Dick can’t go to your place.”
Jason couldn’t play the obedient kid anymore.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KtHHO1kxE
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6tLz4FfjM
“Why not?”
Robin gritted his teeth.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UHbNMBQpN
“Because... because... they’re love rivals.”
It was the most explosive, absurd, yet somehow believable excuse he could come up with on the spot.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNp7C34Uii
Better that than the truth.
Dick turned to him with a look that screamed:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFqU5a10Be
“What the hell are you saying?!”
Claire froze, blinking as if trying to focus her gluey brain. Her eyes slowly widened as realization dawned.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmabb4K01fz
She turned to Dick with the gleam of gossip burning bright in her gaze.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecmX0zh8WD
“Didn’t expect you to have a juicy backstory.”
Then, a flash of clarity cut through the fog of her drunken thoughts:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1UCGpe7d7
“Wait—you said you didn’t know each other.”
Robin felt his soul leave his body.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSm5eBPPLK
But he still forced out a reply:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ1HVaNvNV
“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:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfSI3HUPux
“So you like the same girl, huh…”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcO39W5dwyp
She didn’t sound surprised—just mildly intrigued.
Then she raised a hand and pointed at Dick, her tone calm and dismissive:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycPqIyS5Uj
“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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2iTFPfdzo
His mouth twitched—unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
Eventually, he managed a sentence—wry but polite:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVG2R5cxNVz
“I’ll walk you home.”
Claire nodded.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dch0ny8ui
But this time, she didn’t say anything more.
She just kept walking ahead, steady-paced and silent.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6s5DRwvvF
The alcohol still lingered, but her tone had lost its playfulness—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqY9NkdK2ng
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,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzGx9kyCg9
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”,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqisdhNWdkn
or “You better explain later”,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbida92ygOv
or just “My head hurts.”
Dick nodded—small, but clear.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvAijKzlJf
He knew this wasn’t the end.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCw5K7Mitx5
Just the beginning.
Robin followed Claire up the stairs to the third floor.
She opened the door, pointed toward the balcony, and said casually,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdsx7IrOX2
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMeprANNdT
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeAAaHHpea
Not pretending.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT558Xs2WjZ
Not spying.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnDCsgq3QD
Not scheming.
She’d simply laid down—unguarded, vulnerable.
His eyes swept the room for hiding spots—nothing.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GT3n59aw2
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oX8iM8Tj8
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—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFHwVdLMzi
Then both turned to look at the woman asleep on the bed.
She was curled on her side, breathing steady, cheeks still flushed.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wjauxUrqj
One hand rested lightly on the edge of the blanket—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VDmDrZI7E
Even in her dreams, she hadn’t fully let her guard down.
The two brothers stood at her bedside.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSiishYWlW
Saying nothing.
Only the wind filled the room, rustling the curtain with a soft whisper.
Silence.
Then—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡue9ZMZz41f
Robin shrugged.
As if to say:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IObeWowqT
“Your problem now.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQab9UUSOMW
“I’ve got nothing.”
Nightwing sighed.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdXBzgGX7s
Staring at the woman who made him rush between identities just to keep up—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61wsozTjnI
he wasn’t sure if he felt exasperated… or something stranger.
She’d said he’d arrive.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteKwHxgO82
And then she’d just… laid down.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7nCeYC99q
Like she knew he’d come.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3cL2frWWf
Like it wasn’t a guess—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOyb8GpsME
but part of some rhythm she trusted without question.
And now, here they were.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5P8wJWcAu
The three of them—once again—drawn into the same space.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSpLJ6Yycx
The next morning, sunlight poured through the slits in the curtains, casting soft, angled streaks across the room.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8A25hsUM4r
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCacSq44o4
Her head was clear—clearer than usual, even.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fvlXHA3nj
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMI4sh0Lm6
She remembered the cocktails.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2G301bvEp
She remembered the walk home, the chilly wind… and that she’d said something outrageous.
And then…
Did she lie down?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80X8ySdrrZ
Was Robin there?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaIX060t7n
Did she say something weird?
She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KJUcwsofT
“I really shouldn’t have had that drink…”
What had they talked about?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYTUzRaDyu
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIxT2IHSQx
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,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3cjETuVq5
like she was catching up on an old soap opera—half amused, half pitying.
She stayed sitting in bed for a long while.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFLInTBGu6
Her feet didn’t touch the floor.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMLsnnVrCY
Her back rested against the wall, and both hands pressed into the sheets,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm79a23Spye
as if trying to coax gravity into letting her stay just a bit longer.
But eventually, she swung her legs over the side.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVUVvJNBOV
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,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2TstIVU5p
today… the café still had to run.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9Ar8F81Aq
《End of Bonus Chapter》
ns216.73.216.12da2
