Flight of Vengeance

Chapter 1

Nightwing sighed with relief as he jumped through the window to his apartment's bedroom. It had been an exhausting night on patrol in Blüdhaven, and he couldn't wait to get out of his costume, chill on the couch, and-

Wait. Why was the living room light on? Dick specifically remembered turning off all of the lights before he headed out. His electricity bill was running a bit high, and the last thing Dick wanted to do was ask Bruce for some money. He knew the older man would have handed him his credit card in a heartbeat, but he didn't need Bruce's help. He hadn't for a long time.

Dick went into his living room, walking silently. He had the suspicion that someone was in there. Problem was, he didn't know who. He didn't currently have a girlfriend, and even if he did, they would have called or at least texted him before coming over.

He kept his mask on as he crept along the floor, since if someone was in here, he didn't want to compromise his identity. If someone saw Dick Grayson in Nightwing's costume... Complications would arise... Though, if he kept wearing his mask, they would just wonder what exactly Nightwing was doing in Dick Grayson's apartment. It was a flawed plan, really.

Nightwing held his escrima sticks behind his back, preparing to attack. Once he entered and approached the couch, he noticed someone sitting there, as if boredly waiting. Someone short. And then-

"Finally Grayson. Do you know how long I've been waiting here for you?"

Dick frowned, and his escrima sticks fell to his side. "Damian?" he asked, taken aback. This was unexpected.

"Tt. Of course. Who else would it be?" Damian asked, though a very slight smile came to his lips.

Dick suddenly grinned and went over to wrap the ex-assassin in a big ol' hug, much to the younger boy's protests. Ever since he had taken him in during the time Bruce was "dead", the two had become quite close. Damian had been very difficult at first, and along with the stress of having to become Batman, Dick had been overwhelmed. But thanks to Alfred and his ever amazing advice, the two had continued to work together and become the new Dynamic Duo.

Slowly, over time, Damian's attitude had changed. Sure, it took a while, and DAmian still had his moments, but Dick grew to really care for him. But then of course, Bruce returned. Bruce wanted Damian to stay with him, not Dick. There had been a large argument.

"I'm his biological father, Dick! I have every right to take in my son!" Bruce had argued.

"Oh yeah? Well, guess what! I'm the one who looked after him while you were gone! And I've lived with you, Bruce--You're not what Damian needs right now. He needs someone who will actually care about him and not just how well he does on patrol. That someone isn't you!" Dick had shouted back, the bitterness of his past with Bruce clear in his tone. He didn't understand the full impact of his words till later, but he was right. Dick had been more of a father to Damian than Bruce had ever been.

Dick eventually gave in though, and Bruce got custody of Damian again. He wasn't happy with it, but he supposed that Bruce had a point...Damian deserved to live with his actual dad. He still got to see him often enough though, whenever he visited Gotham, or Damian came here to Blüdhaven. So in the long run... It turned out alright. That didn't mean that he forgave Bruce though. In fact, he still harbored ill feelings towards his old mentor.

Dick shook himself out of his thoughts, and ruffled Damian's hair. "Well, I'm glad to see you Lil' D. But uh... Why exactly are you here?"

"Father sent me," Damian replied bluntly. "He wishes for you to return to Gotham immediately. Something about an unfinished case."

"An unfinished case, huh..." Dick muttered, mainly to himself. He couldn't think of any unfinished cases he and Bruce still had laying around... It must have been from years ago, when he was still Robin, and before he went off to join the Titans. But which case was Bruce referring to? And why was it apparently so important that Bruce needed his help? They were barely on speaking terms right now...

Dick shook his head. He wasn't in the mood to work with Bruce on anything right now. "Sorry Damian, I can't."

"It wasn't a request."

Dick sighed tiredly, before taking off his mask and pinching the bridge of his nose. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking, before turning back to Damian. He noticed how the current Robin's face suddenly seemed to soften a little.

"Father wouldn't have asked for you if it wasn't important."

Dick listened carefully to those words. Damian was right. Bruce knew that Dick didn't want to do anything with him right now. He wouldn't have asked him to come to Gotham to help him work on an old case if it wasn't truly important.

"Fine," Dick decided. He stood up. "Now let me change, and then to Gotham we go."