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Sometimes, Dick hated his job.
Don’t get him wrong– vigilantism was his calling. He loved the patrols and adrenaline. The knowledge that he was helping people, saving lives, was a gift he would never return.
But standing in a bar of socialites, smelling of cigars and expensive vodka, he wondered why he hadn’t just gone into accounting.
Dick lifted a glass to his mouth, as if taking a sip of whiskey. “Spotted,” he murmured into his cufflinks. “East entrance. Red dress.”
The Bats had been watching a group of drug traffickers for months. The group was referred to as the Selachii. Sharks. They had been hovering around Gotham and Bludhaven for quite some time. The head of the group, a man named Colin Kierce, had come to Gotham for a series of deals and auctions. He seemed to have originated from London and spent a lot of time traveling between there and America.
Kierce’s second hand was a young woman. Alanna Davies, otherwise known as Missy. She did most of the recruiting. Kierce was more of a behind the scenes type of man. Missy liked to get her hands dirty.
She had been on the prowl for a few nights in the more exorbitant sections of Gotham Proper. Talking to potential buyers and establishing connections with other dealers. Some of these places really were a cesspool of immorality.
“Copy.” Jason’s voice came from the comms in his ear. It was small and hidden by his hair.
Dick glanced to the opposite side of the room. He could see Jason sitting at the bar, nursing a bottle of non-alcoholic beer. He had voiced his complaints about that before the mission.
Steph was flitting around the room, blending seamlessly with the rich patrons. She would chat briefly with one group before slinking over to another. She was looking for possible associates of Kierce’s group. Some of the more bold members would be sporting the emblem of a shark tooth, as tribute to their autonym. If a possible member was identified, Steph would rub her thumb and index finger together as a signal towards Cass, who lingered in the corner of the room. Tim had control of the security cameras and would take note of anyone in particular.
The operation had been running smoothly so far. They had been at the party for almost an hour, with each of them arriving separately. They didn’t seem to have any connection with each other. Each of them was in disguise; wigs, heightened shoes, contacts, makeup. None of them had been correctly identified so far.
While Jason and Cass were on lookout, Dick was mostly backup. He was there to do damage control for anyone that might catch on to their behavior. Missy was sneaky, and certainly not oblivious.
Dick would stand around one of the booths, drinking and exchanging pleasantries with anyone that introduced themselves. He made sure to keep a keen eye on their newly-arrived target.
Nobody had approached him in the last five minutes or so. He checked his watch and glanced to the side in time to spot Steph sauntering towards Missy. He fought the urge to smile– she would be occupied for quite some time. Steph had a knack for drawing people in.
In the midst of his thoughts, Dick was brought aware of a presence sliding up next to him. He plastered on a toothy grin and prepared to grit his teeth through several minutes of awkward introductions with some too-rich prick.
He turned and froze. Locked eyes with the man in front of him. A man he never quite expected to see again.
Tiger was in a suit. His turban was tied neatly around his head, draped over his shoulder. It framed his jaw as his fitted suit displayed his physique in a way padded kevlar never seemed to capture. That was.. man, that was weird. It should be illegal for Tiger to look so dapper. It was probably illegal.
“Evening.” His voice was rough and deadpan, just like it always was.
Dick’s smile melted into something a little more genuine. “Well, hello there. I don’t believe we’ve met.” He took a step back and held out a hand.
“Gray,” Tiger introduced. He gripped the outstretched hand with impressive strength. The corner of his lips twitched minutely. Amusement shone in his eyes– he was trying not to grin.
Smug bastard.
“Malone. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Truly.” Tiger flashed a grin. It was vicious– almost predatory.
“Care for a drink?” A gamble, on his part. He still didn’t know what his old partner was doing here.
Tiger grunted his confirmation. Ever the conversationalist.
Dick wrapped a hand around Tiger’s bicep as they walked to the bar, sitting side by side. He could feel him bristling at the close contact.
With a flag to the bartender and two glasses of scotch, they got to talking.
“Mind my assumptions, but this doesn’t seem like much of your scene. What brings you here?” Dick inquired.
“Business.” Tiger said simply. “Same as you, I assume.”
Looks like their goals may be aligned. Funny, how history repeats itself.
“Mm, you’d be correct. This is just one of many stops this week. I’ve got a flight to London in a few hours. Beautiful place, really. Ever been?”
Tiger hummed. He took a sip of his drink. “Not much of my scene. Far too wet. And the birds can be.. a little much.”
“Agree to disagree.” Dick leaned in closer, tapping the edge of their glasses together.
Clink.
“N?” Tim’s voice came through his comms. “Everything alright?”
This is the longest he had talked with anyone tonight. He had certainly never offered drinks to any other partygoers.
Dick tucked his hair behind the ear without a comms unit. Their usual wellness signal.
Tiger smirked. He must know the Bats were listening.
“What about you, Mister Gray? Where do you come from?” Dick continued.
“Around. I’m a bit of a traveler– I’m sure you understand.”
“Ah, of course. Wanderers always seem to find each other, hm?”
“Indeed.” Tiger’s tone may have sounded casual to those listening in. To Dick, it was the closest to mirth he had ever heard from the man.
“Not much of a talker, are you?” Dick teased. It wasn’t something he would ever say to a stranger while undercover like this, but he couldn’t resist the opportunity. “Something more solitary may suit you better.”
Tiger grinned again. “One could say. There are a few in mind.” He leaned into Dick’s left ear, directly in front of the comms. “Bird-watching, perhaps.”
Oh, that cheeky little bastard. That was sure to send alarm bells ringing in the Bat’s minds.
As if on cue, Jason spoke up. He could be seen pretending to fix his cufflinks across the bar. “N, who the hell is this guy?”
Dick smiled. He rested his chin in his palm, as if taking a glamor shot. If he leaned forwards he could probably press their foreheads together.
“A generous offer,” he said. “One of your hobbies?”
“Not particularly. I prefer something a little more exciting.”
“Oh, who’s to say it won’t be? You never know. Might see something interesting.”
“I doubt it.” There was a disgruntled undertone to his voice.
Dick barked out a quiet laugh. “Always the charmer.”
“For you? Never.” Tiger muttered. He raised an eyebrow before throwing back the rest of his drink and standing up. Dick followed suit, leaving his own glass mostly untouched on the bar.
Tiger held out a hand, mimicking Dick’s earlier stance. As their hands gripped together, Dick was unexpectedly tugged closer to the taller man. He wrapped an arm around Tiger’s waist– there was a dagger strapped to his hip.
They parted, properly shaking hands. Dick felt something press into his palm. A hard drive.
“Let’s not meet again.” Tiger gruffed.
Dick smirked. “You wish.”
Tiger leaned into his ear again, tilted so his lips could not be read.
“You’re an idiot, Grayson.”
“You love it.”
Dick let go of their hands and adjusted his sleeve to conceal the hard drive. In a display of dramatics, he bent forwards and picked up Tiger’s non-dominant hand with a gentle grasp. More gentle than he could remember being with him. He pressed a soft, melodramatic kiss to the top of his knuckles.
“Your majesty.” He winked. People were staring.
Tiger yanked his hand away from the grasp. He wiped it on the lapel of his suit with a scowl. “Get out of here, thirty-seven.”
“As you wish.”
Dick smirked. He turned and sauntered away from his old partner.
He lifted his hands to fix his collar. “Report,” he murmured.
Steph’s voice came through the comms. She had turned away from the crowd and ducked through a door a few minutes ago. “Four confirmed,” she responded. “Two potentials.”
“Information acquired. To be reviewed.” Dick glanced to the side and spotted Missy walking out of the building, red dress flicking behind her. “Exit A. Got into a black car, tinted windows. Driver matches Kierce’s profile.”
“Copy,” Tim sounded. “On their tail with the Bat.”
As Cass slipped unnoticed from the same exit, Jason tousled his hair. “Got it.” He grunted. “Dickwad, that wasn’t part of our plan. Who was that? He knows your fucking name.”
Dick ducked into the alley outside of the bar. Tim had previously confirmed the lack of cameras pointing towards it. “An old friend. Seems like he caught wind of the case like we did.”
“Okay, yeah, cool, how the hell does he know your name?” Jason demanded.
“He’s an old contact from Spyral,” He tried not to sound too reluctant to reveal this information. “We can trust him. He’s saved my ass more times than I can count.”
“Of course.” Jason grumbled.
Dick sighed, then lowered his tone to sound softer. “You guys know I wouldn’t ever go back to Spyral. I’m done with that shit. Tiger and I spent a lot of time dismantling them. I didn,t know he would be here, honest.”
“Alright, alright. We get it. Let’s get back to the cave, I need a real fuckin drink.”
“No drinking on the job!” Tim protested, mostly just to disagree with Jason. “And you don’t drink much, anyway. I’ve seen your apartment.”
“Hey! You don’t know what I do in my freetime.”
“Yeah? Besides dramatically stare out the window, like a fair maiden waiting for her husband to return from the war?
“What the fuck does that even mean-"
Dick tuned out the rest of the conversation as the squabbling continued. He slipped out the small device from his sleeve, turning it over in his hands.
He smiled. With newfound energy, he spun on his heel and strolled out from the alleyway.
He had work to do.