Dick Grayson (Police Officer AU)

Aurora Borealis

Dedicated to BadassRobin thanks for always reading my trash!

The next few days were hard. Jamie had cracked 91 of the 100 locked codes, each time he solved one, a harder one would appear.

It infuriated the British male, mainly because he couldn't focus with Dick so close to him, aka Dick being in the same room.

He sighed heavily as he rubbed his tired eyes, slipping his glasses onto his head in the process.

"Getting close?" Tim asked with a raised brow, looking up from his own laptop.

"No... and yes. It's very difficult." Jamie pointed to a line of coding, "See, these numbers are in binary, but then these ones seem out of place. I can't find a pattern, so I don't know if it's an actual code or if it's all random."

Tim nodded with focused eyes, "I see..." he scooted closer and stared at the screen as well, "Hm... if I weren't always so sleep deprived I would try figuring it out. I'm an adept hacker myself, I just do things legally." He teased.

Jamie scoffed with a small smirk, "Live the dangerous life." He chuckled. Then he sighed, "Though, be prepared for heartbreak if you do."

"..." Tim looked at Jamie's solemn face before asking a question, "Will you tell me what happened between you two?"

An awkward silence passed between them before Jamie slumped into his seat, "Well... it might help me focus better if I let out everything..." he sucked in a breath and begun to tell his love life story.

I was always a quiet person. I did as I was told and never questioned a thing. My family wasn't a poor one, but they treated me like I was.

Days on end they would force me to live the life of a struggling child, I didn't know then but it was a lesson on gratitude.

I was so angry I went onto the internet for things to help me get my revenge. I found sites about hacking, and since I was already smart with maths and science, I figured it would be simple enough.

I was all too correct.

My parents, one day, had done something that I thought was unfair. I went up to my room and hacked into their bank accounts, wiping it all clean so there was nothing left.

I transferred the money to a secret bank account, only wanting to scare my parents, but once they found out they were distraught.

My mother and father got into a huge argument and split up, when I tried to explain what happened: I was kicked out.

I lived penniless on the streets until I found a way to make money. I found information people wanted, I hacked websites, I hacked electronic banks... I did whatever I could for a dime.

I got so good that spies from other companies in different countries sought me out. I was living my life, I thought I was happy but I never was...

But then, one exchange went wrong. I took a job to hack a person's background to erase it of all the bad data.

Richard-Dick- Grayson had found something wrong immediately and sent in an investigation.

I was found in my apartment with only my laptop. I put up a good fight, though, as I knocked Dick unconscious. The chief sentenced me to jail for a few months to clear my head.

Every day Dick came in to ask me why I did what I did. I always ignored him or told him to go away.

But... one night I had a nightmare. I woke up paralyzed and Dick came an hour later. He saw I was hurting and went inside the cell, hugging me tightly, assuring me I was safe.

Then he asked me a different question:

"Do you like the life you're living?"

I finally gave him a reply. I told him no. I hated how vulnerable I felt, but I also didn't want to let go. I wanted to feel safe. To feel someone's warmth.

Dick was that warmth for me.

We grew closer and closer, eventually realizing our feelings for each other.

He spoke to me with sweet nothings and always brought me things to help bring me joy.

But on the last month I were to be in jail, Dick stopped coming.

And on my final week he comes in to tell me he can't love me anymore. That it's too hard to love me, to love his job, and to love Damian all at once.

I didn't speak to him again until I got a call from Bruce telling me to come in the station.

He offered me a position as an on-call jacket for when it was needed in exchange I would have all my charges cleared and I would be safe from probation.

I said yes and was informed Dick was to call me once every month to check up on me.

Fast forward to now...

"After I arrived on this case for the first day I spent my night hacking Dick's profiles, trying to see evidence of him loving me... but all I got was heartache." Jamie finished the story with a pained smile.

It left Tim stunned, he didn't know anything about the case. Bruce kept his word and wiped Jamie clear of his criminal record.

"Wow... I am so sorry..." Tim awkwardly apologized. He looked into his lukewarm coffee, seeing his frazzled reflection.

Jamie laughed bitterly, "It's fine. It's not like he even regrets anything, and I don't either, but he doesn't regret the things that should have been." He bemused, a forced smile on his face.

From outside the departments office, stood Dick Grayson with a guilty expression and his hands in his pockets.