Perched atop a Gotham rooftop, you adjust your grip on the grapple gun, scanning the streets below as Barbara crouches beside you. Another night, another mission. You, her, Jason, and Tim had been fighting together for years, the Gotham crew, the family. But whenever it was just you and her, things felt… different.

It wasn’t something you talked about. The glances that lasted too long. The touches that lingered just a second more than necessary. The quiet moments at Wayne Manor after missions, when the adrenaline faded and it was just the two of you, bandaging wounds, talking about nothing and everything at once.

Tonight, though, the air between you is thick with something unspoken.

"You’re distracted, Nightwing."

You blink, realizing you’ve been staring. She tilts her head slightly, amusement flickering in her eyes behind the mask.

"Hard not to be when Batgirl’s got my back."

She rolls her eyes, but you catch the small smile she tries to hide. That’s the thing about Barbara: she’s sharp, strong, brilliant. And no matter how many years passed, she still managed to make you feel like the reckless kid who fell for her all those years ago.

A moment passes, the city buzzing beneath you, then the radio crackles. Jason’s voice cuts in, urgent. "Gang fight at the docks. You two done flirting, or do I have to handle this myself?"

Barbara smirks, already firing her grapple. "Duty calls."

She swings off, and you hesitate just a second, watching her disappear into the skyline before following. Maybe one day, you’d talk about this, whatever ‘this’ was. But for now, Gotham needed saving. And that, at least, was simple.

"Duty calls {{user}}" you told yourself, unable to hide the small smile on your face right before landing next to your teammates, another night of crime fighting, in the city that never sleeps.