(no subject)

[batfakes]

[ Adjusting to life in the past wasn't the hardest part about any of this. For the most part, Terry could live without the automation and the other conveniences future living brought to Neo Gotham. Of course, he had to learn how to work a coffee maker that wasn't voice activated and use a manual elevator and remember to use cash because he was pretty sure if he tried to swipe his cash card, he'd be arrested. But it wasn't all bad. Not ideal, but not bad.

So if anyone asked, he'd be quick to tell them. It wasn't hard living retro. It was hard living with Bruce friggin Wayne. He'd always thought the old man was a hard ass, no question about it. But he also got a break from him. He got to go to his own home and sleep in his own bed and maybe sometimes have a social life if his own little merry band of misfits decided they'd behave long enough he could see the inside of a night club.

He thought - stupidly, foolishly he knows - that maybe a younger version of Bruce would be. He didn't know. Mellow? Chill? Not so tightly wound? But he was none of those things. If anything, he was more intense than ever. He'd spent hours interrogating Terry, vetting his story, confirmed what he could of it, looking at the suit and checking the tech in it. And at the end of it all, he still suspicious.

Terry supposed he should have been grateful Bruce hadn't just kicked his ass and tossed him into Arkham the second he popped into existence and claimed he was Batman from the future. And he was! He was even more grateful when Bruce agreed to help him get back to where he belonged. But that meant sitting tight. And it also meant no more Batman of the Future.

He tried. Terry really did and for a while, he was kind of glad to have the time off. There was time to catch up on sleep. To see movies and hang out with the other Bats, when they had the chance. He learned how to boil water and make tea from Alfred, instead of relying on a electric kettle to do it for him. It was nice seeing Bruce's life when it had people other than himself in it. But after a while? It got old. Really old and he found himself itching to get back out there again. When Bruce said no, it made Terry feel like he was going to lose it. He didn't have to be Batman, but Bruce couldn't keep him locked up in the manor forever.

But that was exactly what Bruce intended and that's how Terry found himself on the doorstep of Dick Grayson, after his latest clash with Bruce. It'd been a particularly nasty one and he just needed a few days to cool off. So he packed his shit (he didn't have much) and left. He's leaning against the frame of the door when it opens. ]

Got room for one more?

Comments

[auderes]

[ Dick's been expecting the whole Terry situation to implode one way or another, it was pretty much inevitable when Bruce is being Bruce and Terry is in a situation that he personally finds intensely relatable. It wasn't that long ago that he was gaining independence and Bruce was deeply disapproving of it, but long enough that he now recognizes where they were both being unreasonable while still having valid points, and though they've both learned from that he can only imagine what Bruce must be feeling when confronted with someone like this new, very young Batman. If absolutely nothing else it represents a complete upheaval of Bruce's plans, and he's never taken well to that.

He doesn't know all the details yet, but he knows enough.

Plus Alfred called him not long after Terry stormed out, no one's surprised that he's taken to the young man and is doing his best to help guide him along, however much time he has here with them. But there's not much he can do to solve the impasse between Terry and Bruce's stubborn refusal to let him help.

Maybe he can. He's at least going to try. ]

Hey, man. Come on in.

[ He's just pulled on a shirt, his hair tousled from where he just rolled out of bed, but he's sharp, they're all too used to waking up ready for anything. But some coffee won't hurt, so he's headed toward the kitchen after closing the door behind them. ]

So did he kick you out or am I helping to cover up a prison break?

[batfakes]

[ Terry never had the opportunity to meet Dick back home. The old man never spoke to him and Dick never stopped by to visit. He's asked why once or twice and was always given the brush off. Same with Tim and Barbara. Everyone talked endlessly about their partnership, but never what ended it. Now that he has met Dick - or at least a version of him - he can see why Bruce liked him so much. It was hard not to like him.

It's why Dick's the first person he thinks of when he leaves the Manor. He didn't really have anywhere to go. His parents were here, technically (he'd even seen Warren from afar once), but that was best left untouched. Dick was the closest option and Terry didn't want to go wandering off . He knew Neo Gotham, but Old Gotham was still a bit of a maze.

He steps in and toes his shoes off so he's not tracking dirt into Dick's space. ]

A little of both. He said if I didn't like the rules, I could leave. I don't think he expected me to really do it. Thanks for letting me in.

[auderes]

You should be thanking me for not immediately selling you out like Tim would.

[ Dick says it lightly though, chuckling a bit. It's true enough, Tim would be the first one to tell Bruce, and where else could the kid go? Jason is... Jason, he'd identify with rebelling against Bruce but he can be prickly about new people. Otherwise he'd be loose on the streets of Gotham, and that's definitely worse, even if he's good there's too much potential for him attracting more attention than he can handle. There are a few big names that Dick doesn't want anywhere near any of this.

While he's getting the coffee going and digging out a mug— ]

You want some coffee?

[ All things considered he thinks that Terry is handling things as well as anybody could. He's not even sure he'd be taking it well if he was thrown back into the past, or to a different future, or anywhere away from home, he'd be stressed and frustrated and worried, probably eventually to the point of getting way too reckless to distract himself. And Terry's here, not out there kicking in doors looking for trouble. Yet. ]

[batfakes]

Yeah, thanks for that too. Bruce already wants to slag me. Thanks for not making it worse.

[ That was a risk he was taking running off to someone who probably had more loyalty to the original Batman than to this newcomer who hadn't even proven himself. Mainly because Bruce wouldn't let him, but that wasn't the point. For all they knew? Terry was a liability. Dick didn't have any reason not to tell Bruce he was here.

But Terry's grateful he's not going to. He didn't think he could sit through another lecture. ]

Sure I'll have some.

[auderes]

[ Two mugs then.

He passes one steaming cup over to Terry before turning to dump sugar and cream into his own as he mulls over how to phrase what he's thinking. It's not that he isn't loyal to Bruce, he is, to a fault, but that same loyalty doesn't blind him to Bruce's biases, as much of a force of nature the man is he's not invincible or above reproach. It's why they work so well together, they tend to counter each others' weak spots.

And trust has always been a big ask. ]

It could be worse. If you showed up maybe a decade ago even I couldn't have helped you. [ He chuckles dryly, leaning back against the counter. ] You're a problem he doesn't understand and can't fix yet, it's got him in a bad mood, and it takes him a while to warm up to new people anyway.

[ He doubts that ever changes much, no matter what dimension Bruce is in. ]

You used to doing patrols every night?

[batfakes]

[ That, Terry gets. Even with his own Bruce, trust was not something given freely. It took months to build something close to it. It didn't help that their relationship had a rather rocky beginning. Stumbling into the Batcave uninvited, discovering his secret identity, and swiping the suit hadn't exactly endeared the two of them to each other. But it was the start. And starting over had proven a lot more challenging than Terry had imagined it to be. Sometimes, it felt like all that progress they'd made hadn't meant a thing. To this Bruce, Terry supposed it didn't. ]

I get it. I'm not asking to be his best friend. Just for a chance. He did train me.

[ He sips his coffee. ]

Yeah. There's a radio and a vid-link in the cowl. Everything I heard and saw, the old man did too.

[auderes]

[ At least he doesn't have to explain that nothing is ever easy with Bruce. That's got to be another constant no matter which Bruce they're talking about. And he's really suspecting that Terry reminds Bruce a little too much of Jason moreso than the rest of them, which wouldn't make things any easier either. But that's just speculation. ]

He'd be just as suspicious of his older counterpart. That would be kind of funny to watch.

[ Maybe it would be a little too much like Bruce having a dad around though. ]

Right. Do you have the suit with you?

[ It won't be the most popular idea he's ever had, but Terry needs something to do, something important that isn't just basically taking an extended vacation, he understands that, and who else would be better qualified to keep an eye on him? He can (mostly) manage Damian after all, and that's a tall order. Terry seems pretty reasonable, all things considered. ]

[batfakes]

[ Terry cracks a smile at that. It's true if the roles were reversed, suspicions would run just as high. That part, he did not miss. Not even a little. ]

Next time I go dimension hopping, I'll bring the old man with me.

[ you know, for the laughs.

Dick's getting his hopes up as he looks at Dick over the lip of his mug. A careful sip and then he's setting it aside and glancing at the bag his suit's tucked away in. It's technically twice stolen property. Bruce's been tinkering with it, trying to understand the tech behind it. Terry swiped it on his way out. He didn't have a choice if he wanted to get the thing back home in one piece. ]

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

[auderes]

I'm thinking that I can either find a way to patch in to your mask or fit it with something that will interface with the tech I've got.

[ Babs will help. Probably.

Dick can tell that Terry's trying to play it cool, act like it's no big deal, and of course he would. Bruce had set down a hard 'no' when it came to letting him go out in the suit, and that tended to be the end of things around here unless it was a really dire situation. This isn't dire, but Dick's still decided that he's going to do this, and handle the responsibility if anything goes sideways. What's the point in turning down help, when it's important to Terry too?

It's not just some side hobby for him, that's pretty clear. ]

You won't stand out that much, and as long as you're not going out alone... [ He's already pouring himself another cup of coffee, and rummaging to see if he has any bagels left. ] You've never worked the city with a partner, have you?

[ Yeah, he's used to Bruce watching, no doubt obsessively keeping tabs on him, it's a little different with someone out there. ]

[auderes]

[ Dick is not pleased.

It's bad enough that he's been running in circles, basically chasing his own tail, trying to pin these guys down, trying to figure out exactly where these weapons have been getting into town and exactly who's behind it. That's par for the course, one of the endless struggles the city's thrown at him, and he wasn't going to tell Terry that he couldn't help, as if he wasn't good enough to tackle anything worse than the average mugger or attempted bodega robbery. And he couldn't expect Terry not to follow a lead either, even though he did say not to dig into it without backup on hand— it doesn't matter. What matters is that Terry is in one piece, and after Dick gets him out then he'll work on making the most out of this break in the case.

They're probably expecting a full on assault, not just a rescue mission. Dick's going for a more subtle approach that may or may not turn into a full on fight. He doesn't really want to dive into an all-out brawl here and now, leaving this place intact will make it easier to track down to the source later, but it all depends on how hard it is to get Terry out of here. If he's gotta do more than knock out a few strategically placed lookouts? He will.

No obvious alarms have gone off by the time he makes it to the cramped space where Terry's tracker is transmitting. After dropping the two guards at the front, with a slightly louder scuffle than he would have liked, he stops to analyze the door itself, checking for any potential tripwires. ]

You done in there, pal?

[ He'll stay vague, just in case Terry is actually somewhere else. ]

[batfakes]

[ Terry could admit this had been reckless.

They'd been tracking these guys for weeks and there had been hardly any movement and after too many nights of listening and doing nothing, Terry had decided it was time to force them into some action. It was reckless. It was rash. Maybe even a little boneheaded. And it had worked. Anything to get the job done is what he would have told Bruce. And for the most part, it worked for him. But there were a few times it decidedly didn't. He'd put this little mishap somewhere in the middle.

He knew where the smuggling operation was operating out of it. But only because they'd chucked him into something he could only describe as a utility closet. It's a trap and they couldn't have broadcasted it any louder, considering they hadn't bothered to even restrain Terry or jam his ability to call for help.

They expected Batman - the real one or whatever. Who they were getting would be less inclined to yell at him for being reckless.

He can hear the scuffle outside and when it's quiet, he steps back from the door, half expecting it to swing open wide. But he hears Dick's voice instead and it's honestly the most beautiful sound in the world. ]

My hero.

[auderes]

[ It's way too soon to be relieved that he's found Terry, that he's in one piece and Dick won't catch hell about this later despite the fact that, all teasing aside, he's not actually a kid and he's not a side-kick on his first day. They still have to get out of this place, and then figure out how to dismantle it, unless they're forced into some kind of direct confrontation and they can't risk letting all of this slip through their fingers. Dick didn't plan for that, and while he's not at all averse to improvising this isn't his first rodeo and he knows it's always better to get some recon under his belt before he tries anything drastic.

If possible. Sometimes it's not.

He did kind of manage to put the other conversation they had tonight, before all of this went downhill, aside, focusing instead on the immediate situation, but he definitely hasn't forgotten about it, and hearing Terry's voice, actually seeing him once he's pried the door open, brings that right back into focus. He's... honestly not completely convinced that it wasn't some kind of misunderstanding, maybe some kind of joke? As unrealistic as that would have been. Occam's razor would suggest otherwise.

First things first— ]

Are you alright?

[batfakes]

[ Thankfully, Terry isn't a stranger to Kobra and how they operated. This version seemed to be in its infancy, all things considered so dismantling it might not be the daunting task it is for him back home. It may not be all the same, but there seemed to be enough overlap that they could at least slow them down until they figured out how to bring their operation down for good. Aside from that, he's not doing it alone. Most times he prefers the solo act. Right now? When it's Dick? He doesn't mind the company at all.

He grins as the door is pried open and there's Nightwing standing in the glow of the hallway. Terry's only ever seen the suit in the display case back home. Seeing it in action does make his stomach drop somewhere in the vicinity of his knees. He doesn't mean to stare, but god, he didn't expect it to look this nice on him. If Dick thought their previous conversation was a joke, maybe the way he stares now helps put that theory to rest.

One awkward cough later Terry nods to answer his question. ]

Fine. Roughed me up a little, but nothing I'm not used to. Let's get out of here before more of them show up.

[auderes]

[ Dick does plan on following up on the fact that Terry's dealt with these people before, whatever differences they probably have been dimensions and decades it's hard to believe that it would be a coincidence that they would be here after Terry was dropped into their Gotham. And if nothing else they're causing plenty of trouble with or without intentionally yanking people into the wrong dimension, he doesn't intend to let them dig in here. It's already hard to throw a rock in this town without hitting an assassin, they definitely don't need another entire faction of them setting up shop, whether or not the League would take kindly to it. Bad guys fighting bad guys sounds good in theory, it always turns out messy, and gets a lot of innocent people hurt in the crossfire.

It's... a good thing that Terry has his own version of the suit. They all evolve over the years, some more drastically than others, so it makes sense, though it's still hard to imagine Bruce wearing it. In any case Terry's made it his own, it reminds Dick more of Jason than anything else, which makes this less awkward than it would have been if he kept glancing and thinking that it was Bruce at the corner of his eye.

But no, it's definitely Terry under that mask, staring, though not in a way that makes him uncomfortable. It feels complicated, yeah, but he doesn't not like it.

Maybe he likes it more than he should. ]

Right, and I'd rather not spook them into clearing out and relocating.

[ Back out the way he got in then, through the narrowest, dustiest corridors and access panels that he could navigate without getting himself cornered into some dead end. He could call back up if he needed to, but he'd get teased relentlessly for that kind of rookie move. ]

How did they get the drop on you anyway?

[batfakes]

[ Kobra and the League of Assassins will clash eventually. In Terry's Gotham, the League had lost much of its influence as Ra's' body had deteriorated and he took over Talia's. So Kobra was essentially an unchallenged presence, outside of Batman of course. They won't find that to be the case here. League aside, there were far more Bats here than in the Gotham they'd come from. They weren't going to have an easy time with whatever they were planning on either side of the coin.

He's grateful Dick doesn't say anything about his staring. It's embarrassing enough to do it while they're out in the field. He'd really rather they didn't talk about it just then. Maybe later when they were back in Dick's apartment. He keeps up with Dick easily enough, the way he moves hallmarks of Bruce's training. He knew Dick's question was coming. You didn't have to be a detective to figure that out. So he's not thrown by it at all. ]

They had a laptop they were hovering over and I assumed it had information on it. Wanted to get a look at it myself. One of the goons wasn't as knocked out as I thought.

[ Beaned him right in the back of the head. He still doesn't know what they hit him with, but he did remember waking up with a massive headache. ]

Still got the intel though.

[auderes]

[ It's a little challenging to carry on a conversation while they're prying themselves through the winding path that Dick took to break in, especially since he's particularly talented at exactly this kind of thing strong and flexible and almost unnaturally good at knowing exactly where the best handholds are, and exactly how to balance his weight to land both silently and steadily. It would have been a challenge to try to navigate someone else through it, but Terry's right behind him and watching his every move, so it works. He's not intentionally showing off, just... doing his usual thing. Which does tend to be pretty indistinct from a performance at times, admittedly. He can't help it.

He's not going at a break-neck pace though, especially not now that he knows Terry's taken a good solid hit of some kind, for all he knows he could have been drugged with something too, it's hard to say what they would do to keep a Bat down for the count. God knows he's had plenty of experience with concussions himself, it's probably a miracle that his brain still seems to be in fairly good condition after how many times it's been severely rattled. ]

We can go over that back at my place.

[ He won't really breathe a sigh of relief until they're back out in the cool night air, and even then it's still cautious. They'll have to make sure that they're not being followed, which is a definite likelihood if their escape has been noticed. He's absolutely not going to lead anyone to his apartment, though that's almost certainly nowhere near as exciting a locale as they would be wanting. ]

... I didn't distract you, did I?

[ Is he actually worried that he was indirectly responsible for this? No. Mostly no. More so he's wondering if they're even going to talk about that, or if it was... a fluke? Somehow? ]

[batfakes]

[ A challenge but not impossible. When it was quiet and safe to do so, Bruce and Terry would have debriefs over the comm line, discuss different angles of the case, argue when they disagreed, or if things were personal? Talk through it. It's different having Dick here with him instead of in his ear, but it's familiar enough that it doesn't throw Terry too badly. He can still keep up. He's not as graceful as Dick in how he moves; he lacks the same finesse and ease and fluidity. But he's clearly not an amateur. He's always taken being Batman seriously and kept up his acrobatic training, even after being totally displaced.

What is a challenge, is not stopping to admire Dick. It's not a performance and they're not in a place for it. Terry's gotta keep the quips to himself.

It helps that Dick isn't going so fast that keeping up is impossible. He can follow Dick's lead and wiggle his way through each tight passage until they're out in the open air again. Terry waits until they've cleared the building before he even begins to offer an answer. ]

No. It wasn't you. [ not in a way that Terry could blame him for anything. He should have stayed focused. He knew better and still got caught out. That would never be Dick's fault. ]

I've just had a lot of time to think about this. About us. I mean if there is an us. [ ahem ] Which way we heading?

[batfakes]

[ Back home, Bruce wasn't really in any condition for training Terry directly. And in reality, it wasn't entirely necessary. He spent several years in the company of some of the more unsavory elements of the neighborhood he grew up in. Learning to fight meant learning to survive clashes with other gangs of kids or Jokerz if they were feeling adventurous. He took up wrestling in high school and that helped too. The rest came from Bruce's simulations and holograms. Terry's style is scrappy and unrefined but it worked for him.

Living here has brought some refinement to his moveset, though, now that Bruce was able to be more involved in his workouts. He often left Terry sore and bruised and sometimes Terry wondered if he had to work him over so hard. It always felt like he was trying to prove a point. That Terry wasn't good enough yet or something. Either way, he's grateful when Dick offers to help him out instead. He wasn't looking for an easier time or anything. He could do the work. He just wanted to do it outside of Bruce's scrutiny. Training with Dick sees an improvement with his final readout and only really proves to Terry that Bruce is too hard on him for no reason other than he can be.

When they're finally back in Dick's apartment, Terry steals the shower first and spends a good few minutes letting the warm water just flow over him, soothing the quiet ache in his muscles before he finally scrubs himself clean and gets dressed. When Dick is done, he'll find Terry sitting on the couch, towel still draped over his damp hair. ]

I don't usually let anyone pin me down without taking me to dinner first.

[auderes]

[ Dick knows better than anyone that Bruce is hard on people, on everyone, and especially on every Robin he's ever had. And Terry kind of fits that category, except not, there's a lot going on that has nothing to do with Terry's abilities, just because of where he came from and what that represents, it all compounds. There's not much anyone can do about it though, they just have to work through it in their own ways. As for him, specifically, he's not treating Terry any differently than he did Jason or Tim or Damian— at least when it comes to the suit.

It doesn't matter if he's the Batman or not, or how Bruce feels about the inevitability of getting old and losing the physical capacity to keep up, Terry's working hard, and he's getting better every day.

He's not going easy on Terry of course, that wouldn't be doing him any favors. But his training isn't like Bruce's.

Outside of the suit, on the other hand... that's something else entirely, and it would have been hard not to feel it when they've pushed themselves so hard physically, even if that wasn't the point of having their hands on each other with so much intensity.

So he's not at all surprised that it's still on Terry's mind too, as he's strolling out from the bathroom, freshly showered and damp too, in a clean t-shirt and sweatpants. ]

I guess we did that a little out of order, huh?

[ Dick settles into an easy sprawl next to him, still feeling warm and relaxed from the shower, and, honestly, from earlier in the evening too. ]

But I don't think you let me do anything.

[batfakes]

[ It's something he really appreciates about Dick. He's honest without being overly critical or harsh. Unlike Bruce, who barked corrections if Terry so much as breathed out of turn. Dick's got a way with words that makes Terry reflect on how to improve without necessarily dwelling on how it was delivered. And Terry might be slightly biased. While Dick had him pinned, there'd been a fleeting moment where all Terry wanted to do was kiss him. It passed just as quickly as it had come to him, but he couldn't really deny it existed.

They've kind of, sort of been dancing around this thing between them anyway. Sitting closer when they're on the couch together or brushing by one another while they navigate the kitchen for some quick breakfast before the day starts. But Terry's been a little more careful about being direct while they were still figuring things out. So it didn't bother him really. He just likes having Dick close.

Sparring with him is about as close as he could get with their clothes still on. It's got him wired, but not in a bad way. It just makes him shift closer when Dick sits next to him so that his arm brushes against him if Terry moves just the right way. ]

I wanted to take it easy on you, actually. Looked like you were having a hard time keeping up.

[ He grins. ]

Next time, I won't be so nice.

[auderes]

[ Dick was definitely thinking about kissing him too, when they were tangled up together and he had Terry pinned down between his legs, even though there was nothing overtly sexual about it. That's just what they were bringing into it, he would have needed to be incredibly oblivious to not notice the tension that's lingered between them. And... there's a non-zero chance that he might have been, if they hadn't already kissed, but they had, and he's absolutely noticing it all now. Even thought about making a comment about it, just something to let Terry know that he's not stuck in some kind of intense moral dilemma about it.

It's complicated, sure, but isn't it always with him? With all of them?

But Terry seems to be fine, he's not overcompensating by being evasive or apologetic or distant, which actually puts him ahead of a lot of other people Dick could name. It's nice, just letting things be and not worrying about it any more than what comes by default.

A smile plays across his face when Terry just incidentally brushes up against him, he'll just casually slide that arm over the back of the couch, conveniently putting his fingers at the back of Terry's neck while leaving an open invitation for him to shift even closer. ]

If that's true then you're saying you wanted me to pin you down.

[ As if that's some kind of revelation. ]

[batfakes]

[ It's complicated but what about being trapped in Bruce's orbit isn't? He's used to complicated, could deal with it. Bruce has trained him to navigate those kinds of problems. Granted, he probably hadn't expected Terry to apply those lessons to a situationship with Dick, but what the old man didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

The point is, Terry likes this. He likes the easy way they've slipped into a routine and Terry doesn't feel like he's in the way anymore. He likes these little moments between them that feels comfortable and easy to exist in. They're not making things harder for themselves. Just letting it see where it takes them.

Right now, it's taking Terry closer, curling up a bit closer against Dick's side. His fingers on the back of his neck make him smile at nothing in particular. ]

I don't know what you mean. I'd never do something like that.

[auderes]

[ This is all so much easier now that he's past the point of internally debating on whether or not he should, and if so is he letting it spiral away from them too fast before they know what they're getting into, at this point it's settled well enough to convince him that it's not a passing curiosity for either of them. Which isn't to say that he's got everything all figured out, he definitely doesn't, he just knows that he's decided that it's not worth ignoring and later wondering what might have been if they'd given it a chance, Even if it doesn't turn into anything serious, or, the other very possible option, something that would end abruptly when Terry goes home.

Because as well as he's adjusting and handling this whole thing, this place isn't home, and Dick doesn't think that there's anything anyone could do to change that, even if they wanted to try.

He's not thinking about that now. His attention is on stroking his fingers against Terry's neck, not bothering to pretend that it's anything but open affection, and not very platonic affection at that. Of course he's not going to drag Terry toward him, but if he's moving anyway Dick won't resist the impulse to gently urge him to lean in, if not for a kiss then at the very least a brushing tease of one. It's all way too easy.

Which is kind of what got them into this in the first place. ]

Would you rather be pinning me down then?

[batfakes]

[ Home is starting to feel like a nebulous concept. He doesn't doubt Bruce is working on reversing whatever Kobra has done to send him spiraling into a place that's home, but off just enough to feel surreal. He still thinks of Neo Gotham as home, even as he adjusts to life here. But it's also starting to feel distant. Like his hometown he's moved away from. It's a weird sort of feeling.

It isn't something he spends a lot of time thinking about now that he has things to do again. He's living now, instead of waiting for something to happen. And a lot of that is thanks to Dick. Bruce certainly wouldn't have been open to him operating again without Dick's influence. Even if he's put limits on him, it's still more room to breathe than he had when he first got here.

Terry tilts his head up toward Dick, a half smile tugging his lips. ]

And I can think of a few things I'd do while you're down there.

[auderes]

[ Terry's already right there. It takes so little effort to lean forward and press their mouths together, his fingers curling at Terry's neck, not at all subtle in either holding on or encouraging him to press into it too. Dick could make a dozen different excuses as to why now, when they're running high on the exertion and the adrenaline of a good fight and there's no injuries, outside of a few harmless bruises, to tug at his attention, an unnecessary distraction. But honestly? Now that they're here, with the way things have been going lately, he doesn't feel the need to even try to excuse anything. It's not like he has to explain anything to Terry.

He can save that for the side-eye he'll inevitably get from other people. That's coming, he can feel it, if it hasn't started already. Bruce is mildly frustrated with him already, though it's impossible to know for sure exactly what's going through his head, he has plenty of reasons to disapprove of any part of this as it is.

They can worry about that later. ]

I'm not completely convinced that you would know what to do with me.

[ Dick has to tease, a smile quirking his lips when there's a breath of space between them. His other hand is already drifting, his fingers trailing along Terry's leg where it brushes close, then digging lightly against those soft, thin pants. He was so careful last time, and while this isn't completely reckless he will tug Terry into straddling his lap, if he's getting closer anyway. ]