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Peter was working a case for the Justice League and if it went well, it could be monumental for his career. Peter was given the name of a coffee shop where he was supposed to meet up with a delegate from the League, who’d be responsible for assisting his team and providing them with any needed resources during the investigation.
Peter was buzzing with anticipation as he pulled into a parking spot and entered the coffee shop. The air smelled like coffee and freshly baked goods and he glanced around, he hadn’t been told who to be looking for, but he assumed whoever this delegate was, they would probably come to him. Peter ordered a coffee and sat at a table, watching the entrance and wondering if he would recognise whoever this person was. Would it be a hero, or would it be someone who worked on the civilian side of things? He assumed it would be an average person, the case couldn’t be very high priority if they were asking the FBI for help and not just having a hero solve the problem.
Peter looked down at his phone. The meeting time was steadily approaching and his curiosity about the case was growing with every passing minute. A shadow passed over the table and Peter looked up, seeing the last person he expected, “Neal?” Peter asked, bewildered.
Neal sat down across from him, grinning, “Hey, Peter!” Neal wasn’t dressed in his usual suit, instead wearing casual clothes, that almost made him unrecognisable at first glance.
“What are you doing back in New York? I thought you were traveling.” Peter asked.
Neal nodded, “I was for a while. I was mostly just visiting friends and family, but after a while I got bored, so...” He gestured around himself, “Here I am.”
Peter checked the time on his phone again, “Sorry, Neal. I’d really love to catch up, but I have an important meeting any minute now.”
Neal’s expression didn’t waver, “Yup! With me.” He pointed back at himself with his thumb.
Peter’s eyebrows furrowed, “What?”
“Your important meeting is with me. I’m the JL representative you're supposed to meet with.” He pulled out a flash drive, “I have all the details about the robbery here.” He passed it over to Peter, who took it bewildered.
Confused, he asked, “You’re telling me the Justice League hired an ex con?”
Neal huffed out a laugh, “You’d be surprised about the kind of people that work for the league.” His face fell slightly, “But that’s not exactly the case for me.” He hesitated, “My criminal career isn’t exactly what you think it is. All the stuff I did was just to solidify my identity.” He cringed, “I’ve actually worked for the League for years.” Peter sat back heavily in his seat.
Neal not being a criminal altered a core piece of the man he thought he’d gotten to know all these years. Neal sighed, running a hand through his hair, “It was all a cover, I couldn’t tell anyone. I was trying to weed out agents from a-” He scrunched up his face, “Cult? I guess? I was planning to tell you when I was done, but there was a family emergency and I had to run home right after I got off my anklet.”
“Family?” Peter questioned.
The corner of Neal’s mouth twitched up, “Yeah, my dad has a bit of an adopting problem and a lot of kids, means a lot of family emergencies.” Peter’s mind spun with all the possible implications.
“So, you work for the Justice League? How did that even happen?” Peter asked.
Neal scratched his ear before answering, “It’s actually a pretty long story, but I can tell you...” He leaned in and whispered, “I’m not just a civilian.” He leaned back, “I have to show you.” Before Peter could say anything, Neal was already halfway across the shop and out the door. Peter stood, rushing to follow him outside.
Neal led them down the sidewalk for several blocks, refusing to answer any of Peter’s questions. Eventually they veered off the street into an alley that was empty, save an overflowing dumpster and a rusty metal door. Peter looked around them, realising why the alley seemed so familiar, “Is this the alley behind June’s?” He asked.
Neal nodded, “Yup. So, like I said, I'm not exactly a civilian… Well, I didn’t give all that up while I was Neal and I figured the best way to explain everything was with proof and some fun visual aids.” Neal gave a small smile, before leaning down and pulling a brick out of the wall, revealing some sort of security system. He quickly fiddled with it, there was a beep and the sound of a bolt unlocking.
Neal pulled open the door and winked at him, before turning and walking into the dark. Peter only hesitated a second before following. The second the door clicked shut behind them, lights came on, temporarily blinding him. Peter blinked, letting his eyes adjust and then-
“Welcome to my New York home base.” Neal smiled.
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Dick forced out a small controlled smile, as he watched Peter take in his base of operations. It wasn’t as impressive as the Batcave or even his Bludhaven Nest, but it was much better equipped than any of the hundreds of safehouses owned by various bats and birds. The walls were lined with various pieces of equipment and weaponry, and the zeta tube built into the corner was definitely intimidating so it was easy to understand the baffled look currently plastered on Peter’s face, particularly given the FBI agent had never seen a vigilante setup before.
“Neal.” Peter said his alias’s name not as a question, but as a statement, “Shit.”
Dick’s chewed at the inside of his cheek as he stepped forward, “Peter? You okay?”
“This...This is...What the fuck?” Peter said, staring at him, eyes wide.
Dick sighed, “Okay… So I’m the vigilante Nightwing.” He paused waiting to see the information register in Peter’s brain before continuing, “Like I said earlier, I was working for the League to weed out members of the League of Assassins that infiltrated the New York FBI offices.” Dick watched Peter mouth 'League of Assassins’, “My name’s also Dick… My real name’s Dick.”
“Dick?” Peter asked.
Dick nodded, “Yup, it’s short for Richard. Richard Grayson.”
Peter spoke slowly, “Richard Grayson? As in Richard Grayson Wayne?”
Dick cringed, of course Peter recognised his name, “Yeah.” He responded, casting his gaze towards his suit and avoiding Peter’s eyes.
Peter, clearly following his eyeline, looked towards his uniform, “So… Nightwing?” He asked.
Dick nodded, eyes not leaving the case, “Yeah, I was Robin first and Batman for a while, but mostly Nightwing.”
Peter nodded calmly before suddenly he spun to face him, eyes wide and shock clearly painted across his face, “Wait! Batman!?”