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It's while you're walking home late one night that it all comes out. You sigh as you weave through a back alley, knowing that Dick would be furious if he knew that, not only were you walking home alone after dark, but you're taking shortcuts through more dangerous parts of the city. But you're tired and you'd had a long day and you couldn't stand the thought of dealing with a creepy cabbie, so you decided to walk, slipping through side streets as all your thoughts swirled around wanting to be home.
But of course, it's not that simple. Of course, you're cornered by three guys who are incredibly interested in the contents of your bag. And… of course, you grew up the way you did, in Gotham of all places. You're not scared, you're just tired and fed up and want to go home.
You don't even have a chance to move, though, before Nightwing is dropping from a nearby roof and dispatching the men in front of you. You cross your arms and huff while you lean against the brick wall. You tilt your chin up as Nightwing stalks towards you and somewhere in the back of your brain, where your sensible self-preservation instincts are buried, an alarm bell rings. Nightwing is all power and presence and danger as he stands tall before you, close enough that you can see the way his muscles strain against his suit.
You level your gaze with his, waiting for him to make the first move as he stares back at you - you've had your fair share of run-ins with vigilantes and you know that not all of them are as friendly as Batman and his crew. So you wait, holding yourself steady until Nightwing makes the first move.
"Are you hurt?" is all he asks. You arch a brow, his voice pinging some sort of recognition in your brain as you try to place where you've heard it before.
"Pretty sure you showed up before anything had a chance to happen, hm?" you quip back and notice the way his fists ball. Okay, you think. Not in the mood for banter.
"You should be more careful," he responds, and there's a levelness to his rage that reminds you of something but you just can't place it and -
"I'm as careful as I need to be," you snap back. "There are a lot of people in this city who need a guardian angel more than I do - you should go find one of them." So much for not provoking him.
He doesn't do anything, though. He's wound up, that much is clear; he's tense and angry and frustrated and you're not completely sure why or… why you know all of that about him.
"I found you," is what he finally offers, softness seeping into his voice in a way that makes your stomach flip.
"Hm?" you respond, worried that if you speak, you'll break through the blanket of softness that enveloped you both.
"I found you. Always - I'll always find you. I'll always be here," it's the gentleness that does it, that clicks the last piece of the puzzle into place and forces a huff of breath out of your lungs.
"Is that so?" you murmur back. His hand unclenches and looks as if it's reaching for you for a moment before it falls back to his side and he steps back.
"Of course," he clears his throat. "I always will."
"And why's that?" you press, finally knowing what you're pressing for.
"I'm going to make sure you get home safely. Come on… other people are waiting for their guardian angel," he says, stiff as a board as he closes up. You cock your head to the side.
"Go on then," you prompt. "I can get myself home."
"And I'll make sure of it. Come on."
"No," you shrug. "I'd rather go alone."
"I'm trying to keep you safe." There it is, that dangerous, angry edge seeping back into his voice. You recognize it so clearly this time around.
"And I said no," you push. "I don't need protecting, and you can't save someone that doesn't want to be saved."
"Sometimes when people refuse it is when they need it the most," he growls back, fists balling again. You scoff and cross your arms, slouching against the alley wall.
"Dick saviour complex Grayson, huh. You never let it go, do you?"
Time sort of just… stands still after that. Dick stands before you frozen and your heart melts a little, knowing how rare it is for him to be caught like this and how he must be reeling right now.
"Come on," you say gently as you push yourself off the wall and start walking down the alley. "You were gonna walk me home, right?" He doesn't respond, but you hear his footsteps ever so slightly following behind you, and wonder if he's doing it intentionally so that he doesn't spook you, or if you've done enough spooking and he's still in shock. You glance behind you, but his mask keeps so much from you. You sigh, then, halting as you wait for him to catch up.
"Hey…" you say gently when he stands in front of you, anxious in a way you've never seen him before. "You ok?"
"How long have you known?" he asks quietly.
"About… three minutes I think," you respond lightly. His eyes snap to yours and he huffs out a laugh.
"Oh…" he says. "Oh, that's not so bad." you laugh and take his hand, pulling him further out of the alley.
"No, it's really not, is it? Your teasing is gentle. "Now come on, Nightwing, you promised to make sure I get home safe. We can talk about this later, okay? But - you should know… it's okay. It's all okay." He stops walking, then, pulling your arm gently so that you swing around and face him.
"Really?" he prods gently.
"Really," you assure. "I mean… if I had a problem with vigilantes I wouldn't be here, right? And I did, uh… have some suspicions that you hadn't quite retired after Robin"
"Yea," Dick laughs. "I guess that was bound to happen. But, you're right, we can talk later. Come on, now - I promised to get you home safe." you smile up at him, letting him keep your hand firmly in his as you walk side by side.
"Oh," he continues. "And don't think for a second this means I've forgotten about you being out here alone late at night. We're gonna be talking about that, too." You groan and he laughs, pulling you into him to press a kiss to your forehead.