Nightbunny ( PSL with bunnyhopped )

[bildungsromans]

Dick Grayson (bildungsromans) and Hana Song (bunnyhopped)

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TFLN Overflow

[bildungsromans]

( from here )

1. In other news: I massively over-caffeinated this morning. Everything is vibrating and I can see through time.
2. Can't imagine what could be worse than pet-naming your penis, but I'll let it go.
3. i just walked into a room at this party and someone yelled "dibs!"...
4. Renamed my iPod as 'the titantic' so when I plug it in it says 'the titantic is syncing.'
5. There was nowhere else for me to go. I'm like the island of misfit toys but I'm hot.
6. text him!

[bunnyhopped]

( from here )

I'm not a kid

and those taste so bad TT

[bildungsromans]

anyone who has to say they're not a kid is a kid

also, you're right

which is why i'm sticking to coffee

[bunnyhopped]

so you're saying Korea's top pilot in MEKA is a kid? k

I like coffee but it doesn't help me stay awake as much

[bildungsromans]

your point? world's greatest detective behind batman was also a kid once ;)

i think you just need to find yourself some better, more effective coffee

luckily, i know a guy

and that guy

is me

[bunnyhopped]

i'm not a kid anymore.

maybe we should get coffee sometime then? ^o^

[bildungsromans]

okay adult, you win

and because of your victory, coffee's on me
just pay me back by bringing your pretty self


shouldn't be too difficult right?

[bunnyhopped]

[ he called her pretty! While it's not as though Hana's never been called pretty before, to hear it (or read it) from Grayson has her smiling down at her screen in a really stupid way. Or at least, it feels stupid. ]

I'm always bringing my pretty self, ok? No hax required.

[bunnyhopped]

[ She knows that this is a bad idea.

For several months now, Hana has distanced herself from Dick. Thrown herself into her work with MEKA, climbed the ranks in Overwatch and become one of its most trusted and successful operatives since Winston's Recall, come to be a well-respected figure among the Justice League and its affiliated groups, too. She has done everything in her power to interact with him as little as possible, keeping everything short, succinct, though friendly - especially for the few times they've been on missions together. But anything other than that, she's stopped. No more random text messages. No more sending him random links or pictures of things that made her think of him. No more exchanging stupid jokes.

For several months now, Hana has distanced herself from Dick knowing that he's gotten involved with someone else - but even after all of this time, she still finds herself completely crushed beneath the weight of her feelings for him.

It's stupid, she knows. Idiotic. Embarrassing. She's Hana Song. D.Va. Most people would throw themselves into a pit for a chance to be with her - and many people have - but still, it's Nightwing that plagues her passing thoughts, who makes her smile and want to cry at the same time, who has her wrapped around his finger.

Nightwing who, as far as Hana's been made to know, now (thanks, Jason) - is hurting from a heartbreak.

Hana has always had the utmost confidence and respect for herself. It's one of her selling points, why people have so easily fallen behind her and come to regard her the way that they do. But the one arena in which she apparently lacks both of these things is romance, and particularly so when it involves one Richard Grayson.

She finds herself in Bludhaven now, in the presence of one very subdued, morose Nightwing.

And she knows that this is a bad idea. ]

Dick...?

[bildungsromans]

[ Dick's not surprised to find Hana in his loft so suddenly. Though she's made her efforts to keep her distance pretty obvious, his door's always been open for her in case she needed him. There wasn't necessarily any romantic sentiment attached to the gesture... it was always more of a gesture of good faith - the sense Dick's always had that he could trust Hana.

Rely on her.

She finds him standing plaintively in front of a new installation in his loft. What had once been a secret closet housing his Nightwing suit suddenly contains a new occupant: his very own version of the Batsuit. If the circumstances of Dick's heartbreak weren't harrowing enough, the recent news that everyone in the Justice League's circle has had to accept - the death of Bruce Wayne, of Batman - must have made things even more unbearable.

Though the new Batsuit waits in its container on the wall, Dick remains clad in his Nightwing gear. He had just started undressing when Hana stepped in. ]

D.Va.

[ He finally turns to glance at her, silently glad that she's taken to coming in through the window. Could be that he's been a bad influence. ]

Just got back from patrol.

[ Though he wants to continue removing the 'shirt' half of his costume, he refrains knowing he now has an audience. ]

What brings you down here to little ol' me?

[ Best to hide as much of his grief as he can... while he still can. The fact he's been standing in his loft in the dark isn't going to fool anyone, though. ]

[bunnyhopped]

[ Hana's growing penchant for climbing in through windows is certainly a product of having been around the Bats for some time now - but Hana would argue that it was Dick's influence, specifically.

Her eyes find the newly-encased suit, first, and she swallows thickly. Of course. With Bruce gone... it only stands to reason that Dick would don the cowl, next. And her heart aches for him all the more seeing him stand there in front of it. It's his voice that anchors her back into the moment, and she clears her throat, realizing that he'd still been in his Nightwing gear and that she technically shouldn't have said his name out loud the way she did. With an apologetic look, she straightens herself out and then reaches back to shut the window she'd just climbed through.

When she responds, her voice lacks any of its usual luster and pep, level in tone the way only people who've spoken to Hana and not just D.Va know her voice. ]

It's been so long, and with everything happening... I wanted to make to make sure you're okay.

[ There's so much that he has to bear on his shoulders, now. To have his heart broken in the middle of it all... He may try to hide his grief, but Hana knows it's there. She's played the same game. She's had people important to her die and had to put on a smiling face after. But Dick doesn't have to - not with her.

She's aware that this is a terrible idea.

Stepping closer, she glances up at him for a moment with nothing but concern and equally badly-hidden affection in her eyes. Then she closes in and wraps her arms around him in an embrace. I'm here for you, she wants to say. But she hopes the gesture is enough to convey that. She's here for him as a friend. She's still his friend, right? ]

[bildungsromans]

I appreciate the thought.

[ He's almost surprised that Hana embraces him. It seemed far too sudden at the same time that it... wasn't. He hadn't invited it, but he certainly wasn't going to stop it. Because Hana's hugged him from behind, Dick holds her hand that's touched his chest. ]

I really do.

[ He figures it must pain her to see him this way - so dark and so broken. Though Dick's had his share of lows throughout his career as Nightwing, nothing was more profoundly agonizing than losing Bruce and Rapunzel in the same week. He's now in a state he definitely can't smile or quip his way out of, however hard he tries to keep himself together. So when he sees that he doesn't need to do that in front of Hana... he realizes he no longer needs to try. ]

But... I don't know if now's the best time.

[ Dick hadn't turned completely before Hana embraced him, only turning his neck to glance in her direction when she made her presence known. But even in the dark, he could see the pity in her eyes, the sympathy... but also the yearning. Part of him just knew what rested in the back of her mind, what she'd been holding back for so long.

And he'd always known. There were boundaries Hana simply couldn't cross because Dick had been taken. But he couldn't deny that there'd been times, especially before he'd been dating, that he looked at Hana with similar eyes.

A similar yearning.

Could he capitalize on that in good conscience? Would he able to live with himself?

Maybe not.

But part of him already can't. ]

There's just so much on my plate, and I don't know where to begin, but.

[ It's then that he takes Hana's hand - the one he's been holding - and kisses it. ]

Thank you.

[bunnyhopped]

[ I don't know if now's the best time.

There's never a good time. There never was, and there never will be a good time. Even before Dick was spoken for, it wasn't the best time.

There will never be a time for the two of them. Hana knows this for a fact all to well, by now.

She averts her gaze, breaking eye contact almost as soon as he turns his head to look at her - because she knows how easily he can see right through her. She's always been an open book, she's told, and against someone like Dick, she has no defense whatsoever. So she moves her head, resting her forehead against his back almost like she's hiding from him.

But just as her arms loosen around him, just as she thinks to pull away and give him space, she feels the press of his lips against her fingers. And she wishes, so badly, that she had the power to freeze time if only to stay in that moment for as long as she wants to. But in the end she musters the will to pull away, herself, taking her hand back from him and stepping away.

There's never going to be a "best time." ]

I know.

[ God, she's such an idiot. Why the hell did she even come here? ]

I'm sorry. About everything that's happened.

[ Without thinking, her hand lifts and her fingers curl against her chest - the hand that Dick had held, had kissed - almost like she's trying so desperately to hold onto what just happened. ]

I just... want you to know that I'm here for you, okay? I always have. And everyone else, too.

[bildungsromans]

Duly noted.

[ Dick finally turns to face her, unfazed by her sudden withdrawal of her hand. Regardless of what just happened, he can't hide forever... not when the world and the people he cares about still need him. ]

And appreciated.

[ He can't seem to stop looking at Hana's hand, which she herself seems to be appraising - even while her eyes are still on Dick. ]

Maybe...

[ Though Hana had backed away, Dick didn't sense fear or discomfort at that moment... only hesitation. Which is why he steps forward to close the distance between them, but not before offering a tentative hand - to see if she is indeed willing to reciprocate. ]

...I should show you just how much I appreciate it.

[ Should Hana take his hand, Dick will pull her in close, catching her lips in a fervent kiss. He'll come at her with an energy unlike anything he'd displayed in the night thus far, as if... as if he's using Hana as some sort of emotional release valve. He's certainly bound to vent all his pent-up frustration, his heartbreak through his forthcoming actions - through wrapping his arms around the small of Hana's back and kissing her like he hadn't been kissed in years. It'll be more than she's expected, but maybe...

It'll still be what she wants - however much of a mistake this may be, however bad of a choice that it is. ]

[bunnyhopped]

[ She sees that outstretched hand before his words filter in, and she takes it. Of course she does. She's played this out so many times in her head, thought about how badly she'd wanted such a simple gesture like offering his hand so many times.

It dawns on her, just as he's pulling her in close, how terrible of a mistake she's making.

And yet she does nothing to stop him when his lips crash against hers - and she kisses him back. Her arms wrap around him in an embrace once more and while her eyes want to close on instinct as they kiss, she manages to keep them open, half-lidded - because she's afraid that if she closes her eyes, she'll open them to find that this was all just a figment of her imagination, of her wildest dreams. She can't help the quiet whimper she gives against his lips, either, merely a product of how hopelessly she's wanted a moment like this for so long, only to finally have it like this - as an encounter they'll both surely come to regret.

Awful. This is an awful idea. Dick is in a fragile, emotional state, and she's taking advantage of it. But - he was the one that reached out with his hand, and...

Hana has so very rarely in her life felt like she hates herself. But this may just be one of those times. ]

[bildungsromans]

[ Dick's not even relieved that Hana returned the kiss. He's not even sure how to feel, except...

...that he feels guilty. And he can feel it in his core. But it's the fact that he doesn't want to want this that makes him want it more.

So when he feels Hana kissing back, he presses onward, holding her close as his kisses venture beyond her lips. He quickly leaves a trail of kisses on her cheek and her neck, freely exploring any exposed skin with his mouth. Even now, he's not shy when it comes to sucking on the skin a bit, or even biting the skin of her neck - as if the heat of the moment could bring out his playfulness, even in all this grief.

Any smile he wears doesn't last, though. However hard he tries to distract himself from his own melancholy, it just comes back stronger, more forceful - like the energy expended to resist it only makes its power grow.

Dick doesn't seem to realize this as he continues attempting to distract himself. He starts by briefly distancing himself from Hana to properly discard the top of his suit. Though he has yet to remove his mask, Dick remains clad in Nightwing gear from the waist down.

He's thoroughly intent on kissing Hana, on touching her, feeling her all over him. Intellectually, he knows that it's her and it's her that urges him onward... but it's not necessarily Hana that he's thinking about.

Not completely.

Still, it's nothing she needs to know. Not when she already seems so... preoccupied.

It's not long before she loses the jacket. And the sweater. The hat had already fallen off in all their kissing.

Before Hana knows it, Dick's already cradled her onto the bed. He's on top of her, all over her, kissing her and being kissed back endlessly. Yet he doesn't seem to ever look her in the eye... not even once. Though it's her face he's cupping in his hands every so often, her lips he's lavishing with his own, and her body that he can't get enough of touching...

Dick seems to be looking past her.

As if all he can see - all he wants to see - is someone else. ]

[encrimsoned]

[ Jason can remember the exact number of times he punched Dick in the face moments ago.

Twenty two punches.

Not a single blow held back.

Yet the beating Jason delivered could barely do justice to the sheer and corrosive rage flowing through his veins. Stuck in a state of unbidden fury, his fingers still tremble thinking about the worst possible betrayal he's had the privilege of discovering: Dick's betrayal - Jason's own damn brother's betrayal - of Hana's trust. Jason had cared for her before, almost to the point of affection... only to graciously back off and admire her from a distance when he could see that Hana had her eyes on Dick.

But now, in hindsight... what good did it do to keep his distance?

Initially, Dick had defended himself. In his period of weakness, it seems, he made excuses for himself about the weight he's been forced to bear. But Jason could only hear this bullshit and tell Dick what a damn hypocrite he is - after all the things Jason has had to endure, he's never used someone the way Dick used Hana. And yet Jason's the bad apple? The black sheep? Dick's lost the high ground, and as far as Jason's concerned... it's been revoked for life.

So it's clear Jason still feels for Hana. And though Dick ultimately relented, ultimately allowed Jason to finally strike him, knowing he had been in the wrong... Jason wasn't satisfied. Dick being so badly bruised, accepting retribution for what he's done... that wasn't enough.

Not until Jason found Hana. Not until he saw how she was holding up after this clusterfuck.

Fortunately, it didn't take long.

Jason arrives at a greasy bar in Gotham City's East End. From what he knows of this area, it's not exactly the safest place to drown one's sorrows, let alone walk without any company at night. As such, any concern Jason had for Hana has escalated to downright panic - the kind only his Red Helmet can conceal.

Which is why, when he arrives at the bar, he doesn't come as Jason Todd.

But as the Red Hood.

And all it takes is one haunting glare at the bartender for the entire bar to be emptied in no time flat. Of all places, Jason's reputation precedes him in the East End.

The bartender's about to yell at the only straggler left. But Red Hood steps behind her to address the bartender. ]

Nope, boss. She stays.

[ He tosses the bartender a fat stack of cash before ushering him to leave. ]

Now take your tip and leave before I break something.

[ As soon as the bar's completely empty, Jason makes no attempts to crowd Hana. He simply sits on the stool next to her, meticulously removing his helmet and placing it on the counter. ]

He hurt you.

[ He hesitates to make eye contact. Best not to look at her, or show that he's doing so - it might also be considered crowding. ]

Don't try to hide it. I already know what he did.

[bunnyhopped]

[ Funny that she should end up at this particular bar, but it's the only joint in Gotham that she knows she can get real soju at. As it turns out, liquor exports from countries besieged by killer robots are hard to come by.

In any case, Hana has barely moved from the moment Jason made his rather grandiose entrance into the bar, up until now as the two of them sit alone at the bar together. She'd recognized the voice as Red Hood's - as Jason's - but she hasn't even looked at him.

She's afraid to find out what he thinks of her. Especially once his words confirm that he does, in fact, know about her and Dick's... arrangement. That he knows that D.Va and Nightwing have been filling empty nights with hollow intimacy and depravity. She's ashamed because even though Jason says it like Dick is the only one doing any hurting, Hana is equally responsible. She's the one that showed up to his apartment that first night. She's the one who let this happen. She should be stronger and braver, enough to stop this from continuing but Hana isn't the brave one. That's D.Va.

So she doesn't look at him - until she sees him set his helmet down onto the counter. Only then does she glance over to him, her eyes searching his face for some sort of sign - that maybe even after what she's done, he doesn't hate her.

The irony of it all being that Hana is, herself, unaware of Jason's feelings for her, at least of anything beyond a friendship that crackles an awful lot like a firecracker. She's so blinded by her love for Nightwing that she hasn't ever considered that others may have feelings for her.

At length, she looks back down at her drink. ]

... I wasn't going to hide it. I knew you'd find out eventually.

But this isn't all on him, Jay. I'm... using him too, aren't I? I'm being selfish.

here she is!!

[bunnyhopped]

[ Countless many know about D.Va - the Hero of Busan, some call her, Korea's golden girl, a symbol of hope for a people downtrodden by two decades of warfare waged by the omnics. They know about Hana Song, too, the girl wearing the flight suit, piloting the mech, mercilessly gunning enemies down with her bunny blaster to protect her country - the girl who was simply just really good at games that rose to the occasion and became a hero.

Some people know about the White Tiger. Not so much outside of Korea - but one trip to Seoul or Busan and it's easy to catch wind of the masked vigilante that prowls through the streets at night, righting the wrongs of those who seek to take advantage of people who really need help - who may be protected from the threat of an omnic attack by D.Va, but aren't protected in their own streets, against other people.

But barely anyone knows that all three are, in fact, one in the same.

Those who do - like another former pro-gamer friend of hers who'd taken to brokering information - sometimes argue that Hana is taking on too much. She's already got a lot on her plate as D.Va, why does she need to take up another mantle and be the White Tiger? To which she answers - it's not enough. What good is it to protect her country when the people living in it are suffering in their day-to-day? As D.Va, she can't exactly act as law enforcement on the ground. That's the police's job, and as part of a different branch of the military, it would be disrespectful of her to try and do their job, even if the police force doesn't actually do their job - too busy trying to 'keep peace' in the cities, where people are continually displaced and impoverished by the war.

But as the White Tiger, she can protect them.

Exhibit A: a warehouse within the ports of Busan, well into the night, where human traffickers attempt to coerce young women into 'work' with the promise of being able to leave the war-torn country. White Tiger had been on their trail for weeks now, and she'd been tipped as to where their next 'operation' was going to take place. She intends to stop said operation and get some information out of the lackeys participating.

She's found in the months that she's now spent as a vigilante, though, that plans don't always go the way you want them to, as is certainly the case for this. Because when Hana arrives to the scene, it's - all over. The bad guys have been busted and the victims are being assisted by a tall man in black and blue. ]

Nightwing?

[ The disbelief spills out of her before it even occurs to her to not reveal herself so soon. She's still new to this. But she recognizes that get-up, that symbol on his chest, and the weaponry. That's Nightwing, alright. ]

What are you doing here?

[bildungsromans]

[ As soon as he's acknowledged, Nightwing sheathes his eskrima sticks behind his back. ]

Your job.

[ He turns to meet the gaze of a fellow vigilante, the infamous White Tiger. ]

You must be the new kid. I've heard a lot about you.

[ Nightwing extends a hand, almost businesslike as he hopes White Tiger will oblige him. ]

You do good work. I'm impressed.

[ Though Nightwing brought a grim scowl to the fray as he subdued this den of human traffickers, he wears a small grin as he addresses White Tiger. While he does want to show he's unfazed by the mess he'd just cleaned up, he can't deny his own excitement at the prospect of acquainting himself with some new blood. ]

Consider what I did tonight a courtesy. A friendly pat on the back, if you will.

[ He raises his grapnel gun and aims for a high point in the distance, though. ]

We'll see each other soon.

[ On the one hand, Nightwing doesn't want to overstay his welcome. On the other hand, he's starting to realize he's a bit nervous around her. Not because he's intimidated, but because...

Because of something he's unwilling to name at the moment. ]

[bunnyhopped]

[ She does indeed take his hand and shake it and gives a bow of her head, as is customary for her. But anyway First of All, ]

I'm not a kid.

[ — which is very much a D.Va, Hana Song thing to say. As the White Tiger, though, she doesn't speak with the same bubbly, chipper notes that she does when she's streaming or making an appearance as D.Va, different still from her regular voice as Hana. She may be a rookie as far as vigilantism goes, but she's not a kid.

She's still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Nightwing is here and that he's taken care of business here - but why?

Is there something even bigger going on, such that someone as big as Nightwing is in Korea?

She snaps into action when she sees him take the grapnel gun out, the hand that had just been shaking his now outstretched toward him, toward the gun. ]

Wait!

Why are you here? In Busan. Is something going on?

[bildungsromans]

[ Nightwing would love to reveal why he's here, that he's been trailing cells of the Court of Owls to Korea... but there's a reason he considers White Tiger 'new blood.' The Court of Owls are no laughing matter, and having them cross paths with a relatively new vigilante - even while on a team-up with Nightwing - will only end in tragedy.

That's Nightwing's take, at least.

Once White Tiger comes at him with such questions, he refrains from firing his grapnel gun after all. ]

Let's just say the traffickers were my break from something much bigger.

And far worse.

[ He doesn't want to tell her she's 'not ready' for it. God knows how many times he's been told that by older superheroes in his day. ]

If you want in, [ God, Dick, the risks outweigh the benefits. Don't-- ]

We'll talk. Just follow me.

[ He finally fires his grapnel gun. ]

The cops will be here any minute.

[ And naturally, the wire pulls up him into a distant rooftop. ]

[bunnyhopped]

[ I knew it, Hana thinks, I knew something was up. A Bat doesn't just show up this far out of their territory for anything. Certainly not to bust local business in Busan.

Almost as soon as she's paused to contemplate that thought, though, Nightwing's effectively disappeared, and she looks up just in time to see him abscond toward a rooftop. ]

R...ight. Okay.

[ Hana glances around once more just to make sure there aren't any stragglers or more bad guys hiding (there aren't any, of course, which just speaks to Nightwing's thoroughness) before she gives herself a running start before activating her the rocket boosters on her boots. They aren't too unlike the boosters on D.Va's mech - powerful in bursts, but not exactly for sustaining flight. So she uses them to take her up to places that she can use to climb up and then propel herself further. It's not too long before she manages to catch up with Nightwing on that distant rooftop. ]

[bildungsromans]

[ Good. As expected, White Tiger arrives on the rooftop, expecting a talk.

But Nightwing opts to speak with his actions. He tosses a wingding in White Tiger's direction, testing her - seeing if she has the reflexes to actually catch it.

Whatever she decides to do, Nightwing already charges in her direction with an eskrima stick in each hand. Though he literally just contemplated his own sympathy for the new girl, that doesn't mean he isn't going to put her through the ringer. He refrains from opening with a stick strike, though, and instead performs a somersaulting axe kick. He's going to let White Tiger's reflexes decide if the kick actually connects.

These days, though, superheroes fighting each other is as cliche as can be.

Luckily, this isn't a fight so much as it's an initiation. ]

[bunnyhopped]

[ She's not sure she wants to try catching a bladed thing spinning through the air between her fingers, but she does have reflexes enough to dodge the thing by going down low into a squat, fingers splayed on the rooftop. ]

Hey! What the hell?!

[ She doesn't receive an answer, of course, at least not a verbal one - as he's already charging toward her with his signature eskrima sticks. She kicks off with her feet to try and leap out of the way of his incoming strike. Hana had been drafted into MEKA for her almost inhuman reflexes when it comes to piloting; that they've translated into hand-to-hand combat seems natural, but she is still fairly new to it, only having learned martial arts as part of her military training. So her landing isn't as clean and finessed as she would have hoped but she reaches behind her back to reveal her own eskrima sticks - only that she connects them, both ends extending to form a bo staff. She takes a stance, ready to try and block or parry any incoming blows from Nightwing. In the meantime though, she calls out: ]

I have no idea what you think you're doing, but I'm not your enemy, here!