Night Out {Open}

[Nightwing]

The night air was still and it was a relatively quiet night. Every now and then he would hear the chatter of voices mix with the sounds of the waves, but that was about it. He knew he needed to take advantage and be thankful for such a quiet night, because it sure as hell wasn’t going to last. The storm was already here, and it was just getting started.

He scoffed silently when he thought of Arkham City. That place had to be one of the most stupid ideas he had ever heard. But alas, he was pretty sure it was too late to start a petition. Besides, it was evident that some people just didn’t care about the opinions of people who masqueraded in tights all night long.

He watched as a group of people walked by, obviously not from the better side of life. His eyes narrowed, reading their body language. He didn’t trust them, but then again, he didn’t trust half the people in Gotham anymore. Last night he had probably taken down five criminals, and it had turned out that none of them had a record in Gotham. They had pretty extensive records in other cities, but not Gotham. This “Arkham City” was attracting criminals from all over the damned place. And he didn’t like it. It wasn’t like he was against having a little more people available for him to kick their butts; it was that the citizens of Gotham had to deal with enough already as it was. He sometimes wondered why anyone bothered to stay in Gotham, but then reminded himself that at least half the population was poor, and those who weren’t didn’t want to risk losing their riches.

He shook his head to himself and turned his attention to a different group that rounded the corner and began to make their way down an alley.

[The Flash]

Wally West was in Gotham! This ... was different. He was so used to something so very different. His streets were light and bright. There wasn't so much gross around. There weren't docks either. This was something new to him considering he lived in a landlocked area. He made a small noise, wondering if he really should be wandering around here wearing bright, screaming red. Granted, he was hard to catch and harder to hit with a bullet, but that didn't mean that he was feeling all the great wandering around here in his usual outfit.

Shrugging the feeling off, he started to sneak around the docks. The people here were shady and the places were even worse. He had crime in his cities, but this was a little different. People here lived in an almost constant state of fear and now there was this new development. Some kind of free range chicken ranch for criminals. He thought that the bad guys would think Gotham would be included in that, making it even worse than usual. It was a reason he had come here to check Arkham City out.

And while he was here, he figured he would do a little sight-seeing. He wasn't in Gotham all that often and it would really push Batman's buttons to know that The Flash was on his turf. Yeah, that was a good reason to be here, too. Maybe he could do a little catching up while he was at it.

While passing by an open alley, the speedster caught sight of a familiar shape. Ah, so Batman wasn't the only one skulking in shadows around here. His kids had taken to lurking around Gotham again, too, it seemed. As quietly as he could, Wally started forward, coming to stop behind Dick. Ya know, it's kinda creepy sneakin' around like this, man.

[Nightwing]

His lips twitched as he unsuccessfully fought back a grin at the sound of the familiar voice. So, Wally was among the heroes who had ventured to Gotham. He wondered if he had come for curiosity’s sake, or if he was following one of his own rogues who may have been in Gotham.

“Har har” he said sarcastically, amused as he turned to Flash, one of his best friends. He looked the fellow hero over, smirking at how obvious it was that he didn’t exactly belong in Gotham. He proceeded to give his friend a “man hug.”

“What are you doing here?” he questioned curiously. His stomach rumbled and he grinned cheekily and joked; “But hey, while you’re here, why don’t you make yourself of use and run down to the deli? I’m starving.”

Noticing more people join the group he was watching, he turned his attention to them for a moment. The group now consisted of about five men, all wearing similar clothing. He walked to another side of the roof in order to keep them in his eyesight.

He sent a grin toward Wally, wondering what it was like for other heroes to come to Gotham. Was it as weird as it sometimes was for him to come to their cities? Sometimes he liked to ponder the idea of what would have happened if he, Bruce, and everyone had operated in another city, one less dark and gritty than Gotham. He was pretty sure Batman would have never come into existence. If Bruce would have even become a hero at all, he probably would’ve started running around in brightly colored clothing. Perhaps he would’ve worn an adult version of the Robin costume. The image the thought brought made him snort quietly with amusement.

[The Flash]

The Flash gave his friend a broad grin as Dick turned to him. He missed being on a team with the more light-hearted of the Bat pack. It had been fun working with a friend rather than just someone he had to take orders from. He sometimes liked being part of the Justice League, but he didn't feel like he fit in. He was younger than most and seen as more comic relief than a real contribution to the team. So he liked to smile and laugh, he occasionally accident prone, but hey! He was a damn good hero. The Twin Cities weren't in ruin while he's been the Flash.

He was better than what people gave him credit for.

Maybe a little light hearted heroics was what this place needed. Someone that liked to joke around. I'm here to see you, honey. You never call, never write. It hurts, The red head said, hand over his heart and acting like he was upset. He sniffed a little, as if holding back tears before choking back a burst of laughter. Okay, so he couldn't keep a straight face with that one, but he had tried.

He knew that he had to be somewhat quiet as well, seeing that Nightwing was obviously after people. Ignoring the request that he go get food, he followed his friend, seeing the group of men that clearly screamed that they were bad guys in a muted kind of way. He made a small noise, emerald gaze drifting toward the other hero.

Man, your stomach's louder, Wally snorted. We'll get you food once we kick some ass. How's that? He offered, looking toward the small group. They would be an easy take down for both of them on their own. Five guys was hardly something to worry about. The fact that it was five against two now was going to be hardly worth the time. Still, it would be nice working with Nightwing again.

[Nightwing]

He smirked at Wally’s answer as to why he was in Gotham. “Why do I have to be the one to make all the effort in our relationship?”

Nightwing pretended to pout when Flash denied him food, before just grinning. “Sounds like a plan.”

His eyes remained locked on the group throughout the conversation, waiting for any sort of illegal activity, so he could have a legitimate reason for bringing them down, since there wasn’t really a law against looking like a scum. His eyes darted to the side when there was new movement. He watched as a woman walked by the entrance to the alley. He sighed quietly to himself, wondering why anyone, especially a woman, would wander around the docks at night all alone. His eyes darted to the group of men, watching as their attention was captured by the woman and they slowly started to make their way toward her. Nightwing exchanged a glance with Flash. It was time to kick some ass. These creeps didn’t stand a chance.

The woman, finally noticing the men, picked up her pace. Nightwing quickly walked over to the other side of the roof. He sent a wink at Wally before jumping off the roof. He landed in a crouch between the men and the woman, causing both parties to come to a surprised halt.

“Looks like it’s just gonna be you and your hands tonight” he smirked. While the rest of the group stood frozen, the man in the front rushed him. Nightwing glanced back at the woman. “Pardon me, ma’am, but this might get a bit messy.”

He slammed his leg into the man’s gut, before quickly chopping his hand down on his shoulder, hitting a pressure point. The man crumpled to the ground. Nightwing was almost disappointed at how easy that had been. He looked up at the rest of the men.

“Tell me the rest of you are better than that, ‘cause my friend and I need to work up an appetite. We’re getting sandwiches later.”

[The Flash]

The Flash put a hand on his hip, giving Dick a look. Well, I am the one that always comes to you, mister, He sneered. He shook his head, laughing quietly. Yeah, he really needed to hang out with his heroes friends a little more. He loved hanging out with Hartley, spending time with the Rogues on the rare occasions when they were actually not trying to make his life a living hell, but sometimes it was just nice to chill with people he grew up fighting crime with. The Teen Titans had been a good time and he missed the group when compared with the one he was in now.

Shrugging it off, he moved away from Nightwing as he followed the group to get in front of them. The speedster ran down the wall to move up behind the group. For a moment, he actually stood behind the group, waiting for Dick to take out the seeming leader. So much for a gang. Couldn't even move in on a helpless woman. Good for her, of course, but that left little hope that it was going to be a good fight.

He moved forward, barely a blur, to stand among the man, leaning an arm on one of the would-be thugs. I think these guys are going to be a bit of a let down, buddy. Don't seem very smart to me, He said to Nightwing while startling the rest of the men. No one just appeared out of thin air. While that was true of most heroes, the Flash could at least give that illusion. He could run in and out of the Speed Force at will; he could perform a little magic for these guys.

The man he was leaning on flinched, ready to move to throw a punch at the scarlet speedster. Wally moved faster, a few well aimed punches and the man was down. A second man ready to attack was down as well, having only gotten a step closer to the Flash. Green eyes drifted from the two downed men over to Nightwing. These are the scourges of Gotham? This is what puts everyone's panties in a twist? He asked, shaking his head.

He looked to the last two men standing, seeing them staring at their downed fellows. I have better bad guys and I don't live in Crime Central. You need to kick it up a notch, He told the men, trying to bring all focus on him so Nightwing could just knock them out with ease. He was also speaking the truth. There really had to be a better brand of criminal here to call for all the horror stories that surrounded his city.

[Nightwing]

He grinned and almost laughed when Wally startled the men. He shook his head to himself. “Tsk, tsk, I think you’re right, Flash.”

He watched, highly amused, as Flash beat up the thugs in a blur. He pretended to yawn and check a nonexistent watch. “I think you’re getting a little slow there, buddy.” That wasn’t true, of course, but he still smirked in amusement at his own joke.

He rolled his eyes at Flash’s comment, the grin not leaving his face. It was such a refreshment to work with a hero who was able to joke as much as him. Sometimes he just wanted a laugh when he told a joke, instead of a grunt and occasional twitch of the lips. “Nah, these are just the wannabes.”

He moved in on the last two men, moving up silently behind them. He pulled their underwear up in a wedgie- it was their fault for wearing their pants so low –earning grunts, before knocking their heads together. They both crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Nightwing stared at the unconscious thugs for a moment, before sighing. “Well, that was boring. At least I got some nice quips in there.” He shrugged, before looking up at Flash.

“Can we go get sandwiches now? I’m craving turkey.”

His eyes widened when he heard a store alarm and gunshots in the distance. He sighed. Was a turkey sandwich too much to ask for? He looked to Flash, grinning despite his disappointment. Maybe now they’d at least get a decent fight in there. “I’d race ya, but we both know how that would end.”

[The Flash]

Wally raised a brow at the thugs, unimpressed by how lame they really were. Gotham was supposed to be the big bad city that had a perpetual rain cloud over it. If these guys were a terror to deal with, then he didn't know how people functioned here. Honestly, this caliber of criminal was nothing to worry about and he couldn't understand why people considered this a terrible place to live.

Green eyes drifted from the thugs as Nightwing addressed him. The comment on his speed was hardly a stinging one. Still, it earned the vigilante a childish reaction. The speedster stuck his tongue out at his friend, taking a page out of Jai's book. The kid was a little smart ass sometimes and that was often an answer for everything. Given that he knew that he was faster than everyone, he could afford such a lame "come-back." He didn't chuckle though, knowing that it had to be ridiculous to see a serious hero sticking his tongue out at anyone.

While he was being a distraction, he couldn't help but watch as Dick finished off the bad guys in the funniest way possible. The red head's chuckle turned into a full on laugh, doubling him over. Wedgies? Really? That had to be the funniest thing he had seen any real hero do. That was grade school crap that the bullies pulled. Man, it was just damn amusing to see someone he had grown up with pull a stunt like that.

Yeah, food, He tried to answer through the laughter. It was a real effort to try and control himself, unable to forget the mixed look of shock and pain on the criminals' faces. That was going to be his benchmark for best thing ever for a while now. He cleared his throat, standing straight.

Now I'm damn hungry, Wally commented, taking a couple of steps forward. He blinked as gunshots cut through the air. Awe, man. He hoped this new issue would be so simple as taking care of these fools. Turning to Nightwing, he smirked. Does the princess need to be carried? He asked, holding out his arms to the other man. While he had no problems jogging to the crime scene, it would be faster if he just ran them both there. Though, it would be a touch awkward since he only ever carried Linda. At least she wouldn't have to be jealous; Dick never seriously hit on anyone but women. Mrs. West would be in more danger than him of that.

[Nightwing]

Nightwing grinned at Flash’s obvious amusement to the stunt he just pulled. He shrugged. “They should’ve pulled their pants up.”

He scoffed at Wally’s statement that he was a princess. “I resent that title, but sure. Why not?”

He walked up to Flash and put a hand on his shoulder, before leaping up. He twisted himself in the air so that he would hopefully land on Flash’s back- if the speedster didn’t move out of the way, that was.

“Sorry to crush your little fantasy, but the only way you’re carrying me is through a piggyback.” It was so easy to joke with Wally. It always made him slightly nostalgic, as he remembered his old pixie-boots days. Those days had a carefree air about them, going on missions with the Titans during the day and prowling the rooftops of Gotham at night. Now, everything was so serious. Relationships were twisted and lives were lost. The criminal element had also begun to take itself a lot more seriously. Plus, the public’s opinion of vigilantes was fluctuating as always. Now, with this Arkham City mess, he was needed in Gotham more than ever. He hadn’t thought it was possible for the city to become anymore unpredictable. But Gotham never pitched straight. Curveballs were her specialty.

[The Flash]

Wally gave a small cough, trying to get the last of the laughter out. He had actually never thought about giving the bad guy a wedgie. It was actually brilliant in its simplicity. No one would ever expect it, it would distract anyone on the receiving end enough to get the upper hand. Yes, brilliant it was. He would have to use it one day, annoyed as his Rogues would be about it. Well, James would get a kick out of it most likely, but everyone else would just scowl.

Saving those thoughts for later, he grinned at Nightwing. He was so a princess despite what anyone else thought. The red head was going to stick with that little joke for a while now. He readied himself as Dick started over, knowing that the little circus monkey was going to try and be slick. He held out his arms, ready to catch his friend's legs for a little extra support.

Piper's never so picky, He muttered, sparing a glance at his friend. Hold on tight. It was the vigilante's only warning. A single step and they were almost flying passed buildings, moving so they were a blur of red and black. Within moments they arrived to see a man wounded and his attacker standing over him. Sirens started to sound, still a way off.

The Flash shook his head, both at the man with the gun and knowing that the pair of heroes most likely looked ridiculous. Oh well. Man, this place is pathetic, He said more toward Dick. Seriously? A single bad guy now? We're gonna be so bored. It might not be entirely true. This guy might have friends in the shadows, or on their way, but still. Booooring.

[Nightwing]

“Wonder why” he commented good-naturedly to Flash’s comment about Piper. He felt a familiar exhilaration when Flash began to run. It was a rush, going at such a speed. It almost matched the rush he got when he jumped off buildings. Nightwing really was a daredevil at heart.

He had the briefest moment of vertigo, however, when Wally stopped. Luckily, he got over it quickly. He looked and saw a man with a gun standing over a man who was obviously shot and, most likely, was the store owner.

He ignored Wally’s comment on the place being pathetic. It was just an off night, that was all. He leaped off Flash’s back, having probably looked ridiculous a moment earlier. He kicked the gun out of the man’s hand, before taking a step back. He looked to Flash and gestured toward the man.

“Shall you do the honors?” The man was already making a break for it. Nightwing raised an eyebrow, glancing at Wally. “I don’t think he’s heard of you.”

Nightwing glanced around the store. It was some sort of 7-Eleven. His eyes widened and he picked something up from the frozen section. “Dude, they have those microwave burritos! I’ve been looking for these forever.”

The grin vanished from his face and he dropped the burrito when a bullet whizzed past his face. The guy had some back-up. He could hear the sirens approaching, hopefully one of which was an ambulance for the man that was shot. It wasn’t a bad wound, just one in the shoulder. Nightwing grabbed the man and set him in one of the aisles, to keep him safe from the gunfire.

“Don’t worry, sir, we’re professionals.”

[The Flash]

The Flash smirked at Nightwing. The were reasons why Hartley was easier to deal with. Well, in certain respects. It was just easier sometimes for him to carry people in his arms. He felt like he could balance a little better from sheer practice, but Hartley was just less picky in general. However, he was a smart ass that had no issues making Wally eat his words. He would take a single incident and make the speedster twitch with it for months to come. Even still, the musician was his best friend.

The red head watched as the gun man started to run, thinking he could get away. Oh, the delusions of these poor saps. While criminals might have had a better chance if it had just been Nightwing, tonight, this guy was far from so lucky. You would think people would keep up on the cool heroes, He whined, pouting a little at his dark haired friend. With a small sigh, he took a slow step.

A moment later, he was standing in the man's way. The shooter stopped short, almost falling backwards as he tried to backpedal. What are you? the man hissed, eyes wide as he stared at the speedster. Bored, Wally answered with a small smile. He stepped forward and pulled a move right out of a movie. Well, minus the yelling. He lifted his leg and kicked the man straight in the chest, sending him to the ground.

Also, worst nightmare. Hi, how are ya? The hero grinned down at the man as he tried to catch his breath. He grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, dragging him to his feet. Now, let's go stop your friends from shooting at mine. He wandered back to the scene of the crime, moving at an almost leisurely pace by his standards. He trusted that Dick would be able to avoid being hit by a rogue bullet.

He couldn't take it on complete faith, however, seeing as that he could do something to keep the other man from being hurt. He tossed the first shooter at the group that was starting to form, all armed and ready to kill the vigilante and shop owner. Two men went down, causing a pile of three. The others paused, turning to look at what had happened.

[Nightwing]

Nightwing used Flash’s distraction to his advantage, standing up and throwing several wingdings over the top of the aisle. They knocked the guns out of the hands of two of the five men left standing. Another wingding came around and knocked one guy in the head, causing the man to stumble forward and drop his gun.

Nightwing jumped out from behind the aisle, narrowly avoiding the gunfire from the two men left with fire arms. He sent his fist into one of the disarmed men’s gut, before grabbing the man’s head and hitting it against his knee, causing the man to instantly lose his sense of balance. He then turned the man around and pushed him to the ground, before pulling out his escrima sticks. He used one to knock the gun out of one of the two armed men’s hand, while at the same time hitting him in the chin with the other. The man stumbled backwards. Nightwing glanced quickly behind him to see the cop cars arriving with an ambulance. He flipped performed a couple flips as he avoided gunfire from the last thug with a gun. He smirked.

“You guys are so busted.”

[The Flash]

The Flash watched as food came flying. That poor food. While a noble cause it had, it was going to waste. Bad guy flavor never did well on anything edible. He frowned as the food hit the floor and the men he had knocked over started reaching for their guns. Hello. Disarmed. That means you give up, He said stepped toward the one man's outstretched hand. He stepped on it and found his balance while doing so. Swinging his other leg, he found the right speed to knock the guy out without doing too much damage. He would walk up with a broken nose, but that was about it.

The other man cowarded next to his friend, still trapped under the first and original assailant. Now that they were taken care of, he wanted to make sure the three men Dick had disarmed weren't going to try anything. In a blur, he kicked all the guns to a far wall, well out of reach of the men. Making a fist, he came at them. And look, they were being such good little criminals and lining up. He made his punch seem continuous, hitting all three men across the jaw despite the varying heights. The force of his hit made them fall, adding to the pile he was creating.

The last man standing stared at the heroes, gun shaking in their general direction. Did you know that it takes an average person minutes to choke someone into unconsciousness? He asked, stepping forward. The man flinched as if violence was actually coming his way. I can cut that down to seconds. Wanna see? Wally had an almost evil grin on his face, silently daring the man to try something. Instead, he just dropped his gun then dropped to his knees.

The last gunman laced his fingers on the back of his head like a good criminal. He had been in trouble with the police enough times to know the drill. That was good seeing as a handful of cops swarmed in, guns at the ready. Hi, officers. Look, a present, The speedster said, motioning to the bad guys. Really, all they needed was big red bows.

[The Joker]

The police sirens were interrupted by the sound of guns blaring and laughter echoing down the street.
A large purple van sped by the scene. It had markings on it of a crudely drawn pair of red lips parted in a grin with large black circles for eyes.
Several muscly thugs with clown masks on hung off of it, shooting their machine guns into the sky and at buildings now and then.
Once the van passed the scene, one of the thugs lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it into the midst of the officers, the bottle exploding and causing flames to erupt and spread slowly.
The van turned a corner and headed down a nearby alley, the laughter of the Joker echoing through the streets.