“May’ve? I think its mostly all your fault. No offense, of course, but do you know what exactly it is you’re doing?”
❝ Do you really think I’d be wearing this suit if I didn’t know what I was doing? It’s not a fashion statement, you know. ❞
Alright, so maybe Stray should have been concerned that he’d been caught opening up the building’s skylight. But the girl didn’t seem to care about what he was doing; only the broken glass at her feet.
❝ Every moment presents an opportunity. If you sit back and wait, you’ll nevershine. ❞
Tim had agreed that it was a fair trade: he stole some information for Riddler, and he and Selina got v a l u a b l e s in exchange. Though Stray didn’t see the need for the Riddleman who had accompanied him thus far, because he had made it clear that he preferred to operate when alone.
❝ What? Oh, no, you aren’t interrupting. I was just studying for an upcoming test for my classes. I’d appreciate a break, to be honest, ❞ Tim admitted.
Always playing the part of a quiet, studious college kid when out of costume. Selina had perfectly worded it as the suspension of disbelief. He'd never be suspected.
Damian wanted to flee and do real detective work. He hated dealing with the two thieves, but Father had insist he collect information. “You both were in the area when two men were shot last night. We need to know if you saw anything,” he grumbled, glancing away.
His jaw clenched, and he glared down at Stray. “That’s disgusting,” he scoffed.
Stray didn’t fail to notice how Robin avoided his gaze upon the admittance of needing information. It would appear that he was embarrassed to be needing to ‘stoop to the level of a lowly thief’ for his investigation. Tim hummed, “and why would I tell you what I know, hm? You didn’t even ask nicely.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender, letting out a chuckle. “Hey, that’s what Catwoman told me. Is she wrong?”
Dick almost wanted to curse the other for being so damn attractive. But he guessed that was the Cat way, flirting and flaunting their attractiveness to get what they want. Now the question was, what did catboy want from him? He let a mischievous and slightly amused smirk play across his features.
“Renegade,” he took a step forward, closing more space between them as a grin grew from his earlier smirk, “and it is lovely to meet you Stray.”
Stray blinked to feign innocence, although his gaze remained intense and calculating. His eyes flickered over Renegade’s features, but Tim found that he couldn’t tell what Dick was thinking. He was really getting into character for this undercover mission, Tim thought with a twinge of amusement. This was typically where Dick would back off or give an excuse for needing to leave, but–
"Renegade?” Stray repeated, lips curving into a smirk. He tilted his head upwards, not phased whatsoever by the lack of personal space that remained between them. “And what, may I ask, are you rebelling from?”
Dick’s smirk grew, laughing lightly at Stray, shaking his head. He took a step forward, slowly taking the other man in once again. He hadn’t been aware Catwoman got a side kick, though he guessed it was only a matter of time.
And taken, he thought, adding onto the other’s list. But the other man didn’t need to know that. Harmless flirting wasn’t going to hurt anyone. He hummed, arms moving up the cross over his chest. “Only if I get one in return.”
Tim could feel the other man’s eyes looking him over again, and he had to stifle a laugh. This is what his life had come to: Dick Grayson was shamelessly checking him out. But it only fueled Stray’s own flirtatiousness, and he glanced up at the taller male through long eyelashes when the distance between them shrunk further.
“A fair trade, I suppose. If you’re ignoring the fact that I asked first,” he mused. “I’m known as Stray.”
Gotham wasn’t Wally’s type of city, the redhead always found it a little creepy.
Maybe because the Twin Cities he, and Barry patrolled were different from here. But, this was where his best friend lived, so he would occasionally have to step in for a visit. If neither of them were too busy; now running into someone else was totally not on the agenda. He opened his mouth to retort, but stumbled on his words for a second, w confused look on his face.
”Wait, what—-” Oh no, not a weirdo, please.
Stray had successfully caught him off guard. A very immature part of him mentally punches the air in victory upon seeing the bafflement on Kid Flash’s face. A light snicker escapes from the thief’s mouth, lips quirking into a grin.
He shifts from a crouched position to a sitting one, remaining perched above the redhead. Tim crossed one leg over the other and hummed in amusement.
“I’d make a joke about a cat catching your tongue, but bad puns tend to be turn-offs.”
Dick had to to stop himself from doing a double take when he turned the other man. He raised an eyebrow, making no effort to be subtle as he looked over the young male. Something seemed oddly familial about him, but Dick shook off the feeling, knowing he wouldn’t have forgotten someone like that so easily.
“I could say the same for you.” He let a smirk tug at his features as he looked back up at the man’s face, head tilting to the side slightly.
“And I’d have to say the same, once again.”
“Oh?” Tim thinks that he really should have anticipated that Dick would flirt back–because, well, he's Dick,–but he didn’t. So the bafflement that appears on Stray’s features isn't entirely feigned. He places a hand on his chest, a smile tugging at his lips in mock flattery.
“Cute, costumed, and charming?” (Tim has always liked alliteration, shh) “Well aren’t you the whole package. And may I have a name to seal the deal?” he asked with a wink, not sparing an ounce of playfulness.
Being Batman was something Dick hadn’t wanted for a really long time. Part of him still didn’t want it, but he knew that Gotham needed Batman, and that was more important than what Dick wanted. So whether or not it was Bruce under the cowl, they wouldn’t know. It was all in the name ; Batman was all they cared about.
But he also didn’t want people to think Nightwing had up and left them, either. So donning the ( old? ) suit had been something he had been planning, leaving Damian with some research to do and having good faith he wouldn’t go out without him. But this—- this guy was unexpected and Dick had cautiously made his way over, brows knitting together.
❝—-I hope you’re talking about the view over the city.❞
He stopped when he was at a safe distance, but close enough to catch the other if need be. Lips pressed together and his chin rose a fraction, brows rising.
❝I haven’t seen you ‘round before.❞
Timcouldn’t blame Dick for wanting one night of freedom from the cowl. After all, he was used to seeing the best in people, whereas Batman forced him to view people as puzzle pieces, in a way: seeing which one would cause the most damage to Gotham if he pulled it out.
It was obvious that Nightwing was trying to block off any escape routes by the amount of distance he left between them, but the tactic only brought a smirk to Stray’s features. The vigilante’s approach was slow and cautious (always wary of the unknown, hm?), but the thief remained relaxed and uncaring. Popping a hip out, Stray loosely folded his arms over his chest.
❝ I don’t plan on running, you know. Wouldn’t want to miss the show~. ❞
Of course, Stray wouldn’t know that it was actually Nightwing himself that now donned the cowl, so Tim played ignorant. He kept his tone playful but direct for his next response. Under the orange lenses of his goggles, his eyes gleamed with intensity.
❝ You leave Gotham for even a little while, and you miss a lot. Speaking of which, where have you been, hm? ❞
