But what Claire didn’t know—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7yV5qntAx
was that the two vigilantes sitting across from her, who only just “introduced themselves” today,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehcrTwaUTs
had already raised every internal alarm system they had.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZjmNyCgVW
Their minds kicked into full Batcave-alert mode.
This woman didn’t just know too much—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsy82QREPp
she had a handle on their most sensitive intel: identities, locations, relationships.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXvroMNOQl
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1CLRYv0eO
This was infiltration.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqtF9wpKPF
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zqNWFJ2eD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw8wbYvBJD
The burgers and fries were placed neatly in front of them, and they nodded politely—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhVGMlK1SE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdN6JfIhaK
They chewed through American cheese and existential dread at the same time.
—She’s extremely dangerous. Unpredictable.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFymVYJzYu7
—She might expose us. She probably already knows everything.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnWu6jmz9x
—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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXESA2Atr5
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNq2MuPzE8
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbkYMe39xZ
“My place, of course.”
Dick: …13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7OVBgpMyE
BEEP—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7Z6Bfizpa
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkBZgTSwyF
But it wasn’t.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDxvpB560n
Jason was right there.
And this wasn’t just any younger brother. This was Jason.
Dick turned slowly.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuqona7UD6
Jason’s face had frozen over like a glitching video frame.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhVeQaHUVE
He looked like he was thinking, “Yeah, I know ending a date at her place is a thing...13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjWtzrvq4W
but bringing me along? You’ve lost your minds.”
Jason’s brain was screaming EXIT MISSION. NOW.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4EswfXlzp
He took a deep breath, gently put down his cup, and tried to decline with some grace:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NbLBRgqfU
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh23qT97B8l
It wasn’t rushed.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtncjJEa22o
It wasn’t demanding.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVWBAoFRIz
It carried that quiet kind of knowing that made your spine itch.
“I know,” she said gently.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5v7WN6OyXb
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YrajVdL5V
—What else do you know?
Claire lazily added, as if commenting on the weather:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkqdfl32iP
“Well, obviously, you’re here for Nightwing. He’ll be at my place soon.”
Dick: ???13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Chm20XHua
Robin: ????????
The air above the table turned so thick it was practically solid.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBn7QhxkJVS
Both brothers went blank—
She didn’t just know about Robin,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsOAXFaRMy
She knew Nightwing,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNHvaW5occ
She knew where he was going,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5THfmRDd1G
She knew when he’d show up.
What the hell?
Was she psychic?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCX5IIgkvRF
Did she somehow hack into the Batcave’s core database?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQP8FU28VMd
—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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlf4k5zE2RD
Threat Level: Off the charts.
And Claire?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdzAWUsziq
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JLx39m2s0
Elegant, but clearly tipsy.
She reached for the bill.
Dick, faster than instinct, grabbed it first.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUVgTlZ0iR
His voice was calm but firm:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeYs6P78rx
“I’ve got it.”
Claire blinked at him, then smiled and nodded.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyw352ARFwc
“Then next time’s on me.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87fQxknB9b
She said it like a promise.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtQBnxWHKf
Like she already knew there would be a next time.
(And there would be.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjWfHzd8vR
She’d already cooked them dinner—long-term.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs15GW79BFE
They just didn’t remember.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tGBTW0EVa
Thanks, timeline reset.)
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoro2MKuZY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvdk6zlQQw
But it brought a dull ache to her temple, creeping from her forehead to the back of her skull.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbMjEDjy8i
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXdfWrP2YK
“How do you know Nightwing’s going to your place?”
His voice was steady—too steady.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27lJWyhVfU
Inside, he was already mentally running emergency cover plans.
One thing was clear: She didn’t know he was Nightwing.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yk7Q1LEMr
Yet.
Which left him with one big question:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSj9pVtv9JH
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwdbZHa69C
She was definitely drunk—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAqnZO0uLq
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be staring at the cop in front of her,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlhQiaWUE4
and seeing the exact same blue eyes as Nightwing.
She smiled—soft, glowing, and dangerously confident.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsvH81trxm
Her voice floated like a breeze,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiBY9qgn5V
but hit like a prophecy:
“Because—this is my city.”
Dick froze.
That line...13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRVY50orPb
It was his line.
Whenever he stood watch over the city under the cover of night, he would quietly tell himself:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxVNp0ISdj
“This is my city.”
But today—for the first time—he heard someone else say it.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡah5daZegjI
So naturally.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXRtQIkiUT
Like she was the one who truly belonged to the night.
Robin sensed something spiraling out of control.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkgfbQncQz
He raised a hand like an emergency stop sign.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs652d60VsX
“Wait, Claire, Dick can’t go to your place.”
Jason couldn’t play the obedient kid anymore.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9Ttfagbbn
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgb1lZTmuH
“Why not?”
Robin gritted his teeth.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpkqoQfb9S
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhBGrBJDhv
Better that than the truth.
Dick turned to him with a look that screamed:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fwqUArYqv
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cqjYvHAQw
She turned to Dick with the gleam of gossip burning bright in her gaze.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLfxxHKFqV
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpeTIp2YFJ
“Wait—you said you didn’t know each other.”
Robin felt his soul leave his body.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZObbydR1T
But he still forced out a reply:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIINE8HzH1
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoBzmuMODi
“So you like the same girl, huh…”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogDAdVi9QR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9xtnp0kmH
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98v8uO11kD
His mouth twitched—unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
Eventually, he managed a sentence—wry but polite:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0MAOs39z9
“I’ll walk you home.”
Claire nodded.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKSglDOsHt
But this time, she didn’t say anything more.
She just kept walking ahead, steady-paced and silent.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeGzIJR6mE
The alcohol still lingered, but her tone had lost its playfulness—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRg9bXPhi5A
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uwEopIIyQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xvbmNCwhr
or “You better explain later”,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgXAqIMygL
or just “My head hurts.”
Dick nodded—small, but clear.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaX0riIgan
He knew this wasn’t the end.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKAWLHKXEU
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTo7jb2EkbC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfIZklMaHo
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPiOlbg7T6
Not pretending.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTtGMUMDsw
Not spying.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QvMNt3rXT
Not scheming.
She’d simply laid down—unguarded, vulnerable.
His eyes swept the room for hiding spots—nothing.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA99nUXqAc1
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMRVN1kH8P
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNLaCMYhHR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIahnzAlMXy
One hand rested lightly on the edge of the blanket—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHXkHm6wHN
Even in her dreams, she hadn’t fully let her guard down.
The two brothers stood at her bedside.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9U2nMt6Pme
Saying nothing.
Only the wind filled the room, rustling the curtain with a soft whisper.
Silence.
Then—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxb3ZwNBQ5n
Robin shrugged.
As if to say:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7jhOfpIu8
“Your problem now.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8RMkQ8RaU
“I’ve got nothing.”
Nightwing sighed.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0e4etd5PN7
Staring at the woman who made him rush between identities just to keep up—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLQagdjzdQ
he wasn’t sure if he felt exasperated… or something stranger.
She’d said he’d arrive.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ujmUJtfKP
And then she’d just… laid down.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFUzVrVZts
Like she knew he’d come.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2IPTEDNVb
Like it wasn’t a guess—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YDhNP5cvw
but part of some rhythm she trusted without question.
And now, here they were.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8szhj8rXK
The three of them—once again—drawn into the same space.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQqD8YaGmg
The next morning, sunlight poured through the slits in the curtains, casting soft, angled streaks across the room.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPfcnw9dHb
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9bz1ORYQ8
Her head was clear—clearer than usual, even.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNPsi0wIBT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtTeJbcvB4
She remembered the cocktails.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEYJWVBA5e
She remembered the walk home, the chilly wind… and that she’d said something outrageous.
And then…
Did she lie down?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQB2EcesZC
Was Robin there?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRTkljIW0b
Did she say something weird?
She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5816WEtsV
“I really shouldn’t have had that drink…”
What had they talked about?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEONE0HUARM
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBdaEgJZW4
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAbHyKF8yT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxr9EaINuF
Her feet didn’t touch the floor.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVXIeDkfvu
Her back rested against the wall, and both hands pressed into the sheets,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtj3Ynpja4f
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4uP3RU7Fh
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnri86qa1N6
today… the café still had to run.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvuCUt3ziZ
《End of Bonus Chapter》
ns216.73.216.148da2
