Title: Of all in this masquerade (Reference) (5070 words) Fandom: DCU (Silver Age; Nightwing 114) Summary: "Nice to meet you," she says, and the smile in her eyes makes him shiver. Rating: All ages Characters: Roy, Barbara, and Dick Notes: For Mary, who is brilliant. Love to Zee, Katarik, and Chevauchee for humoring me and finding my mistakes. "I don't get to Gotham all that much," Roy says, stripping off his sweaty tunic. There was a converted warehouse they passed on that last sweep where the music was still bone-thumping strong and kids were spilling out into the street. "As soon as I'm cleaned up, I'm going right back out the door." "It's late," Dick objects, following him into the shower. It makes superheroing feel more like gym class than it should. Roy laughs and turns up the heat. Sometimes he can be such a kid, even if he is Robin. "That's kinda the point. Where's your shampoo?" Dick hands it over and frowns. "I'm -- I never asked if it was okay if I went out." That stops Roy. Ollie never says anything when he does -- mostly because he's doing the same thing himself, but still. "You think he'd be mad?" "I don't know," Dick says, but he definitely sounds like he does. "He probably won't mind that you came over -- I mean, I had Batgirl for backup -- but --" he sticks his head under the shower instead of finishing the sentence. "And Batgirl is some kick-ass, drop-dead gorgeous backup." There were a few punches she threw he's gonna have to think about later, and the way she looked at him when she shook his hand -- he's not gonna forget Batgirl anytime soon. "But you're not gonna call him long distance to Korea or wherever just to ask if you can go out and play." Roy rinses his pits and reaches for a towel. "You know, Ollie's got a philosophy for moments like this." Dick turns off the water and gives him a look that makes Roy wonder, even though he knows damn well, whether he's not actually related to Bruce after all. "Yeah?" "It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission." Roy tosses him a towel. "Come on, Boy Wonder, live a little." * Roy's phone rings at 2:11 am and he has to dive for it, almost entirely still asleep. "It's too fucking late to call anyone," he whispers fiercely, praying that it didn't wake Lian. "Ah, Arsenal," says a voice -- a little off. A computer voice. Using his codename. He slumps back onto the bed. "Oh man. Oracle?" Synthesized laughter, quiet in his ear. "You got it in one. I need you to do a job for me." Roy rubs his eyes. "What, Dinah's busy?" "It's about Dick." No hesitation, there. No hint of "Nightwing." He always figured Oracle was the craziest Bat of them all, too nuts about security to even tell anybody if it was a he or a she. Dick. Over the phone. It's like an icecube down the spine. He swallows and says, "You secured my line." A small pleased noise. "Yes. He's in trouble. Are you in?" Roy scrubs a hand over his face. "How can I help him?" * The music is still loud by the time they arrive. Dick looks too nervous and Roy thumps him on the shoulder. "Come on, think of it as a recon mission." He grins. "Think how proud the boss-man will be when you tell him about all the shady activities you just know you can stop by --" Dick punches him in the arm hard enough to hurt, but he's getting it together. "Shut up. I just don't do this much." "Maybe it'll be good for you." Roy winks at the bouncer, brazening his way through, and drags Dick inside. There are lots of colored lights flashing in time to the music and the bass rumbles through the soles of Roy's feet. "What do you want to drink?" Dick gives him a skeptical look. "Nothing, why?" Roy rolls his eyes. "Fearless Leader, you need to chill." He heads for the bar. If Dick doesn't want to follow him, then whatever. There is an incredible girl standing near the bar, a little shorter than Roy usually likes women, but with red hair that he just wants to run his hands through. She stands like she's used to being looked at and it makes her feel great. He doesn't always do this, but he's got to set a good example for Dick. "Hey," Roy says to the redhead, and she raises an eyebrow at him. Not a dumb one, by the sparkle in her eye. "Can I buy you a drink?" "I don't know. Are you old enough?" He puts his hand over his heart and winces dramatically. "Oh, ow. Is that a no?" She chuckles. Her smile is as sharp as her wit, and he likes it already. "Go ahead." Dick catches up to him and says, "Oh. Babs," like there's someone here he knows. The redhead looks at Dick and her eyes widen a little. Then she laughs again and offers Roy her hand, all formal. "Nice to meet you," she says, and the smile in her eyes makes him shiver. Now he knows her, too. * "You're going to need extra padding," Oracle tells him while he's getting dressed. It stops him cold. "What? It's Dick." "You can refuse my advice if you must. It matters more that you get to his location within forty-five minutes. Collateral damage is your issue." Roy shakes his head. "I haven't seen him in a while, but -- I figure, we'll talk, we'll grab a beer, we'll chat --" "This is not going to be fun," Oracle says, and if a computer could sound tired, then the voice would. "Wear the armor or don't, but be out of the apartment in five minutes." The time frame gives him another start. "I can't just leave --" There's a tap on his window and a very familiar pretty face outside it, upside down. He lets Huntress in. "Hey." "She's asleep," Roy says. "My cell number's by the phone." He gets the extra armor out of the closet. "I have your phone numbers," Oracle says, unnecessarily. Huntress just gives him a rueful look. "You'd think I could do better than babysitting duty." Roy shrugs on his quiver. "I thought she'd send Dinah." Huntress shakes her head. "Busy. Here." She hands him a small communicator. "Plug in." "Just don't wake her up." He puts in the comm. "Is this thing on?" Oracle responds, "Can you hear me?" Roy hangs up the phone. "Five by five. Let's go." * "So, Babs," Roy says when she's got a rum and Coke and he's got a martini, and Dick, giving them both wary looks, is stirring the ice in his amaretto sour. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" She raises her eyebrows and gives him a look like she can't believe he said that, which is okay because he was trying to come up with something cool to say. "Reconnaissance." She winks at Dick, who gives her a really brief smile back. "You?" "Oh, I was just in town visiting Dickie here." Roy completely ignores Dick kicking his ankle. "And we were out on the town --" and she knows that, she was out with them two hours ago, he's completely failing at suave "-- and it seems like a good place to have fun. Dance for a while. Meet people." "You dance?" She's eyeing him again, hopefully this time. Maybe he doesn't sound as dumb as he thought. "I do," Dick volunteers, and Roy would kick him, but he's too far away now. "Waltzing doesn't count, Pixie Boots," Roy says, making a face at him. "Oh, shut up." Dick's face is a little red -- embarrassment, maybe, or maybe he's actually had some of his drink. "You know Donna taught me some moves." "Like what, the foxtrot?" Roy gives Babs a rueful look and shakes his head. "Kids." "And I suppose you're more advanced?" she asks Roy. "Do you do the cha-cha or something?" "No, no." It's the same game he's been playing on Dick, and he backs off. "Just -- you know --" he wriggles his hips. "You know, dancing." "That's what I meant, too." Dick glares at Roy, and Roy gives him a quick look back, but Dick isn't good at being asked to back off. "Maybe you can show me when we're done with our drinks," Babs says. By the time Roy turns to look at her, he can't tell which of them she was talking to. * "And I'm supposed to find him where, exactly?" Roy asks. "In this area. There's a collection of people down the alley to your right." He's getting so used to Oracle's voice he's starting to forget it's computerized, but when he -- she -- Oracle uses the command tones, it goes too flat to be human again. "Gotcha." He parks the bike and hoofs it. Now he can hear the sounds of a fight. He gets his first glance and stops, staring. "Arsenal," Oracle says in his ear. "Go in." Even with a crossbow in his hand, he's not ready for this. Not ready for Dick to not look like Dick, in black and red and almost his very own cowl. Roy takes a deep breath and says, "Ten-four." * She dances with Dick first. It's not fair -- he didn't buy her a drink, he just knows her better, and he didn't ask her first or anything. They're teammates, but what that means when she's so much older than him is kind of lost on Roy. They move together really well, though. Not like fighting, or sparring, but mirroring and playing off each other, doing goofy moves just because they can read each other and recover from it. Roy realizes he's been watching both of them when the song ends and he notices how flushed Dick is. The kid has no alcohol tolerance. None. The responsible thing to do would be to take him home. Babs is bringing him off the dance floor, her arm around his waist, laughing at something he said -- and they'd better not be talking shop, not here, not when it's time to have fun. "You ready to boogie some more?" Roy asks Babs. She glances at Dick and he kisses her. The little bastard. And she doesn't look all that surprised, either, but she lets him go when she breaks the kiss off. "Hey," she says, gently, "I'll be back. I owe your pal the speed demon a dance, here." Dick frowns and Roy says, "It's okay," because he figured Dick would've said if he was dating Batgirl. Batgirl's someone they could talk about, and it's not like Roy's trying to break them up. Babs grabs Roy's arm and doesn't bother to hide her strength. "Yeah, it's fine," she says, pulling him toward the floor. She glances at Dick again and says, "I'm not going to forget you. I promise." Roy tries to pretend Dick isn't watching them while they find a place big enough to move a little. "So are you -- with him?" "What?" Babs laughs. "No. No. I mean, he wants me to be, but no." She starts moving to the music, her eyes half closed. "He's a nice kid, but --" she shrugs a little. Roy laughs and says, "Yeah," and doesn't even begin to mention that he's only a year older than Dick. He can't tell how old Babs is, but she talks like she's so much more grown up than they are. But if he asks, and she says stuff about college, he'll have to tell her he's not going and it'll go to hell. "So -- that was a heck of an outfit you were wearing earlier." She turns around and shimmies a little, grinning at him over her shoulder. "You liked it, huh?" "Oh, yeah." Roy grins back. It's easy to smile at her, whether she's Babs or Batgirl. She's fucking beautiful, and it's not beer goggles talking. He's been thinking about her breasts for a while now. Maybe if he plays his cards right -- She puts her arms around his neck, dancing closer. And he didn't even say anything. "Going out like that always makes me feel like pinning somebody to a bed. Or a wall." He can feel himself flush at the thought and tries to think of something suave to say. "I -- yeah." When he smiles, it feels like Ollie from the inside. "I know the feeling." She pulls him toward her for a moment. "Too bad you've got Robin trailing after you," she says in his ear, then lets him go. "Is he a problem?" Roy asks. He's not sure he can ditch Dick, but it might be worth trying. Babs shrugs. "We work together pretty well, but sometimes things get more complicated." Roy taps the side of his nose and thinks about how weird the Teen Titans can get when someone's mad at someone else. "I hear you." * "Rose Wilson," Oracle repeats when Roy's made his report. It's the most unguarded thing he's heard yet, pained and tired even through the computer screening. It makes him want to tell -- Oracle -- to just turn it off, get Dinah to vouch for his discretion. "The one and only." Roy rubs his aching jaw. "And our boy's not pulling punches." "You shouldn't have expected him to in front of her." He gets into his car and sighs. "I didn't -- except for how I did. I guess. What the hell did they do to him this time?" "I'm not sure Wilson did anything to him," Oracle says, and a human would say that dryly. The computer makes it acrid as well as arid. "The damage was already done." "Yeah? I thought you were on good terms with Batman." "We used to work together pretty well, but things got more complicated," Oracle says. It sounds wistful and weirdly familiar. "I hear that," Roy says, and heads for home. "Speaking of hearing things, has Huntress given you an SOS?" Oracle laughs once. "All quiet on the home front." He relaxes just a little. Not a hell of a lot -- even with the extra armoring, he'll have bruises from where Dick hit him, and that's too weird to take calmly. But at least Lian's okay. "Thanks." "Not a problem." * Dick has staked out a table by the end of the song and is sitting at it, fiddling with the ice that's all that's left of his drink. If they were just buddies, Roy would put his arm around Babs' waist and say, "Let's go." But if they were just buddies, nobody would have to get into life or death situations with backup that would be pretty damn pissed off for a good reason. They can't abandon Dick without at least telling him they're going somewhere, and he wouldn't be happy about it. Babs is heading right for his table, anyway. So she gets it, or she's way less interested in Roy than he wants her to be, or both. Probably she gets it. "Hey, Teen Wonder," she says, pulling up a chair. Dick smiles at her and Roy almost feels bad. But he didn't even try to kiss her, yet, and he's not the only person here who's responsible for keeping the kid happy. "You guys look dangerous out there." He yawns. "And man, it's late." Roy laughs. "You aren't that old. How are you tired?" Babs reaches over and tousles Dick's hair, making him splutter. "Three o'clock curfew?" "It's not like we were just sitting around all night, you guys. Don't you want to sleep?" Roy winks at Babs, who raises her eyebrows back at him. "Not yet," she says. "But we should get you home." "I didn't know you were such a lightweight," Roy says. Dick gets up and smacks his arm. "I didn't know you were such a lush. Can we go already?" Roy rolls his eyes. At this rate, even if the kid's madly in love, he's never going to score. He's got to stop acting like such a dork. "We only got to dance once." "And it's my car." Dick yawns again, and this time it's contagious. "I'm going home." Babs falls into step with him easier than Roy does, and Roy ends up following them out, catching bits of what they're saying. Something about "okay to drive" and "get it in the morning," but they end up at Dick's car. And Babs' bike, which he hadn't figured on, but it is a nice bike. A little rough for a girl her size, maybe, but as soon as he thinks that he remembers she's Batgirl. "Nice ride." "Thanks." She puts her hand on his shoulder and swings him in for a smooch. He's only a little blurry from the booze and the lights, and okay, so it is late at night, but he can appreciate a good swift kiss as well as the next guy. "So you're coming over?" he asks her when she gives him a little nudge and lets him go. She laughs and looks at Dick. "You let your guests invite people over, now?" Dick looks at the ground and shrugs. "I don't care. Whatever." "Dick," she says, quick and serious, and he looks up. "If you don't want -- I mean, I can go home. Or we can just hang out. It's okay." "If you want to." He looks from her to Roy, and something hardens in his expression. "If you want to spend time with a couple of high school kids, anyway." It's not exactly true anymore, not since this summer started, but it's close enough -- and mean enough, in that getting-even way, that Roy's not going to argue. Plus, it gets Dick a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek, which makes Roy jealous but if it makes things easier, he can cope. "That's not all you are," Babs says, and Roy can see Dick relax. "You can come over anytime," Dick says, and now he's smiling again. "It's not like Alfred will tell on us, as long as we do some training tomorrow." Babs grins back at him. "First thing after lunch. I promise." Roy shakes his head. "That sounds too early. But let's get out of here already." "I'm driving," Dick says firmly, and Babs laughs. "Fine," Roy says, and tosses off a salute to Babs. "See you there." * Roy doesn't expect a lot of chatter from Oracle, who must have better things to do than chew the fat with B-listers like him. Kind of like how you don't just go out for a drink with Superman. So when the comm comes back to life with a soft, "Arsenal?" after he says goodbye and thanks again to Huntress, he actually jumps a little. "Hi again." He pulls off his boots. "What can I do for you?" A computerized sigh is a strange thing. "I should've made you carry a camera." Roy shakes his head. "God, you Bats." Oracle coughs. "Not like that. How was he?" "Tired," is the first word Roy comes up with. "And still fast. Just -- worn out." "Hm." "So -- who sent him on this mission, anyhow?" Roy peels off his shirt. "Or -- he's not really working with Slade, is he? Not -- not by choice?" "I wish I knew," Oracle says. It makes Roy's stomach turn over. If Oracle doesn't know -- Roy tries to keep his tone light. "Next time, you should make me carry a tazer and handcuffs." "That might not help." Oracle sighs again. "Besides -- are you fast enough?" "Bet I could take you," Roy says without quite thinking about it. God knows who or what he's talking to. "I can see those scars on your chest," Oracle says, and maybe Huntress planted cameras in his apartment, but it might not be true. The scars are in his medical history by now. "Sure looks like Slade's faster than you." That's like a cold finger down his spine, but he shakes it off. "Yeah, but you're not him, because you wouldn't have asked me to go find out where -- where Dick is." Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to use his real name. "Unless I was pulling a double-blind on you," Oracle says, then there's a click like clucking your tongue. "But no. I'm not that fast, physically." Roy yawns. "Faster than a speeding pixel?" "Faster than a speeding kilobyte." There's a pause, and then Oracle says, "He didn't look happy, did he?" "No." "Good." * "So," Roy says after a long, long silence that gets them almost all the way out of Gotham. "Batgirl." "Yep," Dick says, keeping his eyes on the road. His hands are at ten and two on the steering wheel, and he's going too fast, but he always does. It just seems especially weird out in the burbs. "She's cute." "Uh-huh." Roy taps his fingers on his knee, trying to figure out how to get a rise out of Dick. "I think she likes me." Dick scowls, but doesn't speed up noticeably. "Maybe." "Maybe?" Roy puts his feet up on the dashboard. "You saw her kiss me, didn't you?" "For all the good it'll do you." "Yeah? Why, does she do that a lot?" Dick shakes his head a little and pulls into the estate driveway. "No." Roy blinks. "So -- what's the problem?" Dick parks the car in the drive and turns to glare at him. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong except you'd better not --" he shoves his door open too hard and gets out. "I'd better not what?" Roy gets out quickly and follows him up the stairs of the manor. "Come on, she's not --" He's not expecting Dick to trip him right now, and he'd probably face some serious damage, except Dick catches him by the lapels, too, and pulls him in. Up close, his breath is still too sweet from the drink, and he's furious. "Don't be an asshole. Just -- don't." Roy gets his feet under himself and tugs his shirt back into place. "Tell me what I'm not supposed to do, then." There's the sound of a motor coming up the driveway and Babs stops her bike in a brief scrape of gravel. Dick opens the door and says, "Don't make me hate you," which isn't anything like clear enough, but Babs is coming up the stairs and it's not the right time to ask for details. * "How dangerous do you think Rose Wilson is at this point?" Oracle asks. "Depends on whether she's with her father. Or -- or Dick." Roy shakes his head. "I don't know why he's -- no. No, he wants to save her." "Possibly," Oracle says. "Or possibly he's invested in her success as an assassin." "No." Roy lies down on his bed. "It's Dick." Oracle hums a little, skeptically. "Working with Slade." "He's done it before," Roy says defensively. "As part of the Titans." Roy pulls the pillow over his head. "Well, yeah, but --" "I wonder how long it will be before he goes out on his first hit." He sits up, even though there's no one there to see unless Oracle really does have a camera in his room. "He would never!" "Ah," Oracle says, and that's another sort of terrifying in the computer voice. "You don't think so?" "He hasn't yet," Roy says with all the certainty he can manage, but then he has to ask, "Has he?" A pause. "Not to my knowledge." From anyone else, it wouldn't be comforting. But -- it's Oracle. Roy lets himself flop backward. "Good. Now we just have to get him to see reason." Oracle laughs at that, a real laugh. "Good luck." * Alfred is either asleep or giving them space to be wild and crazy kids, which is cool with Roy. He's never quite adjusted to having somebody around who's not the official grownup and yet still way older than the official grownup. Dick says, "You guys thirsty?" and leads them to the kitchen before they get a chance to respond. Babs walks through the hallways like she knows the place really well, which she probably does. "Kind of, I guess." "Okay," Dick says, and instead of getting out anything interesting, or even offering, he makes cocoa. Babs raises an eyebrow at him, but she's not asking for booze. Roy's not going to insist, not when Dick's already halfway pissed off at him. "You think it's okay if we put on music?" he asks. "In my room, sure," Dick says, giving him a hard look. "Anywhere else would probably wake up Alfred." Babs chuckles. "He wouldn't be grouchy about it." "He doesn't get grouchy," Dick agrees. "Just dry." "So we wait," Babs says. She knows the kitchen well enough to find the marshmallows hidden behind the coffee in a cupboard way in the corner. Roy takes one and starts fidgeting with it to keep himself from groping her or doing something else dumb. "Sure, okay." "Or we could watch TV, but I don't think there's much on this time of night." Dick gets out mugs and pours the cocoa. "Roy, the graham crackers are right behind you. Grab them." He's turning before he thinks about it -- no fair using the Teen Titans command voice in the kitchen, but it worked. "What, they don't count as evil incarnate like marshmallows do?" Dick grins at him. "I had some yesterday. Let's take this stuff upstairs." Roy's tempted to do something to show off with the cocoa -- he can do way harder things than just walk upstairs without spilling, and Babs is right there and watching. But so is Dick, so he doesn't. Dick gets first dibs on a place to sit, and he gives Babs a choice, so they end up sitting on the bed. That means Roy gets to choose the music, anyway, which he does, flipping through Dick's collection until he finds a signed Beatles album, right across the pedestrian crossing. He puts it on and Babs laughs. "This is a little relaxed for this time of night, huh?" "You think so?" Roy leans against the bed near where her legs are dangling. "It's not like we've got anything to smoke." She reaches down and tousles his hair. "This would be one dumb place to do it." Dick snorts. "Let's stick to cocoa." Roy toasts him and sips. "Thanks." "So what are you studying, Roy?" Babs asks. He gets a little tense and stares into the brown, bubbly depths of the cup. "I -- nothing right now. I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with -- everything. Who I am." "Everybody's trying to figure it out, all the time." Babs tosses a marshmallow into his cup with excellent aim. She should've been Arrow Girl. Maid Marian. Something. Roy turns to grin at her and realizes Dick's already half asleep, backwards on his own bed with his head on Babs' lap. "Yeah, I know." Roy sets his mug by the end of the bed and gets up to turn off the music -- the sun is coming soon enough he can't stand to hear it sung about. He gets onto the bed, kicking off his shoes, so he can sit next to her. "I just feel lost, sometimes." Babs kisses his cheek. She's petting Dick's hair, too. Roy's pretty sure this isn't what having a big sister is like, but he can go with it. "It's okay. At least you've got something to do at night, right?" "Yeah," he agrees. "Keeps me out of trouble." He kisses her lightly, and she squeezes his shoulder. "Sometimes, anyway." Babs smiles, then yawns. "I think Robin's got a good plan." It wakes Dick up halfway. He looks up at them with sleepy eyes and says, "Robin what?" Roy has the distinct feeling that he's not going to be able to get Babs to kiss him with anyone that cute around, and then he wonders where "cute" comes from, about Dick. But he is tired, and he wouldn't put it past Robin to drug the cocoa, including his own. "Turn around, will you, so we can sleep." Dick sits up, yawning, and lies back down again the right way around, pulling the blanket up around himself. "You staying the night, Babs?" She pets his hair again. "I guess I might as well." With a few quick movements, she takes her bra off under her shirt and gets under the blankets, patting the bed next to her. "C'mere, Speedy." Roy can't stop yawning either, and he's not totally sure he can find the guest room or the light switches. Plus, this way he gets to hug Babs. "This isn't normal Bat-procedure, is it?" "No," Dick says, and turns off the light. He turns over and it's pretty clear that they both had the same plan about the Babs-hugging, but Roy's way too tired to argue about it. He's going to ask about the drugs in the cocoa. In the morning. "Too bad," Babs says, and interrupts herself with a yawn. "It's warm." "Yeah," Roy agrees, but he's not sure he does it out loud, and then he's not sure he's awake. * "What's the next step?" Roy asks. Oracle goes quiet. Roy thinks for a few seconds that something horrible has happened and plans for long-term interventions will have to wait until the acute problem has gotten sent back into outer space or bashed into submission. "You're not going to be able to drag him back," Oracle says, subdued. Roy takes a deep breath and lets it out again. "Maybe not. He sure wasn't glad to see me. But you've got connections. Batman --" "No," Oracle says immediately. "He wouldn't help." "Robin, then." "I doubt he'd be of any use." Roy runs a hand through his hair and misses having enough length to actually feel something when he does it. "Can you call -- not Batgirl, but the girl who used to be -- she was -- they were really close." The pause there is too long. The Tokyo Tower has blown up. The Eiffel Tower is in flames. Something is terribly, horribly wrong and he's taking Oracle's attention. "No," a woman's voice says in his ear. He knows that voice -- knows her, and knows -- nothing. "No, she wouldn't be able to help at all. Goodnight, Arsenal." "Wait," he says, but she's gone, off the line. "Dammit."
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