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Gotham is not the greatest place to live.Remember to always look forward when walking down the street, don't be distracted on your phone unless you know it's completely safe, and, just in case, when the night falls, carry around a pepper-spray and grip your keys in between your fingers, never let down your guard, always look around, be aware of the alleys but never wonder to look into one of them for too long, just in case, you know… in case you see something you weren't supposed too.Be hyper alert, but at the same time remember that, anything that happens it's not your business.That's what every mother would tell their child. And that's what's recommended by the police after any minor -or not so minor- inconvenience.But what's also true is that Gotham could be considered one of the most guarded cities. There are rumors. Rumors about the number of wings that watch over Gotham. To be more exact, about the many bats that fly over it.But during the day, it's not that bad. During the day, it's fun to go on a walk. During the day, going to work it's the least stressful time. Not this day though.October in Gotham is cold, but it's not winter yet, so it was common seeing the cafés along the street filled to the brim, it was a pest but it could always be worse.That is what Morgan Quinn thinks while trying to walk through the sea of people waiting on their coffee.Suddenly, from behind the bar, next to the coffee machine, Hope shouted to the half-asleep girl who had already reached the door for the service.“Morgan! Good Morning!!” It truly was amazing to see how happy the blonde seemed to be at 8am.“Morning, Honey.” Said Morgan while putting her curly hair up in a high bun, she couldn't control how it looked, but at least it kept the hair up her face “Someone seems happy today.” She walked around the counter while putting on her apron, getting ready for the day.The blonde nodded happily while finishing up a latte. “Yes! Do you remember what I said last week?” She asked while looking up from the drink to look at the girl that now stood before her, noticing the look on her face she didn't even need an answer she just laughed gently and shook her head gently “That my heater had broken down and I didn't have hot water at home? Yeah, Well, yesterday my landlord came by and they are fixing it right now! UGH- I can't wait to take a hot..long shower, you have no idea.”It feels like this girl lives in a constant state of inertia, once she starts talking, nothing will make her stop, She's the embodiment of a shot of espresso. Fitting.Morgan smiled up at her “That sounds great.” she now walked behind her and kissed her head, out of habit “Also, need help making drinks or do i call out names?”“Yeap, you are on calling duty, there are some drinks ready on the counter” Hope then handed her the Latte she just finished making.After a few minutes of finding herself, Morgan got in place and started to call out names. Most of the people that came in were everyday regulars on their way to work, who greeted the staff with either a groan, with a complaint saying it took too longer than normal, or the sweet people that smiled, grabbed the coffee and went on with their day, with a quick thank you or some fun comment about the customers who ‘can't seem to control themselves’. Those were the best ones.As she picked up a tall cup of coffee she turned it around and read the name out loud.“A large black coffee for Todd?”“Here”And soon as she looked forward, a tall, buffed, black haired male approached the counter, one hand raised up as he walked. She might seem like a creep, but what a man, that single handedly made her day a little better.With the biggest smile she handed him the coffee “There you go, Todd, have a nice day”He smiled back, an awkward yet charming smile, then nodded “Thank you- umm” he leaned forward to read the name-tag on her apron “Quinn” he smirked and looked up at her “Huh, such an.. Interesting name, is that a nickname or are you familiar with Harley Quinn?”“Oh- No, Quinn is my last name, I’m Morgan, Morgan Quinn” she nodded in confirmation “- And no, i'm not related to Harley Quinn, even if it looks like it because of the eyes and stuff, i mean-” She mumbled, not sure why she was sharing this type of information with an stranger, what was she doing? “I'm not crazy, I promise.” she ended it after a little breath, stopping her rant.“Well, it was nice meeting you, Morgan Quinn.” He answered back once she was done, a hint of a smirk painting his lips. He found her kinda entertaining.“Nice to meet you too, Todd.” She smiled and stared up into his green eyes for a little too long, recalling the name on the cup.“Quinn! The coffees won't announce themselves!!” Called her Manager from the back room.Morgan looked back and shouted a quick apology “Sorry, but I think I might have to cut the conversation…short..” When she turned back around he was gone, like he had never been there. She looked around to see if he was still in the shop, but nothing.Hope moved next to her “Morgan, are you okay? You look like you have seen a ghost” the blonde giggled while leaving another coffee on the counter.“I'm not really sure what happened, if i'm being honest.” Was all she said before brushing it off and going back to work.“Latte for Sarah?”
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A long day was left behind once Morgan lay down on her couch. Her house was not the biggest, the typical apartment in a mediocre neighborhood of Gotham, a tiny home for a ridiculous price. An open plan kitchen connects to the living room, the only window in the room, coincidentally, the fire exit in case of an emergency, connected to the outside staircase, luckily the window extends along the wall so it creates an illusion of a wider space. A small corridor on the right hand side separates the bathroom and the only bedroom.The apartment is decorated in a fairly minimalist way, mainly because she doesn’t have the money to spend on more decoration than she has, everything she already owns is beautiful and practical. Why more?The building doesn't allow pets, and no matter how much she tries to hide one, she is positive one of his neighbors would surely find out and force her to release the poor animal onto the cold streets of Gotham. But this rule does not mean that she can't leave the window open to the fire exit so that the cats in the area can climb to a safe place on rainy days.Although rainy days usually bring more than one animal.This day is one of them.Morgan should soon get off the couch and take a shower, going to bed with wet and dirty hair is not the best idea, but she is so tired, she just wants to go to sleep and enjoy the weekend. Oh, sweet rest... Covering for your co-workers has its pros and cons; on one hand you have the weekend totally free. But getting up on a Friday at 7 am is a crime in itself. According to her.She was already fantasizing about the steam and warm water from the shower, the freshly washed towels waiting for her on the bathroom cabinet, and the leftovers from the Chinese food that she took home at Hope's insistence two days ago. She could only smile to herself while she got up from the couch, where she would probably fall asleep watching some silly series about infidelity on an island. It’s surprising how many programs with that same premise you can find streaming.But life had other plans for her. As she was walking down the room to the hall, a knock on the window was heard. “You have to be kidding me..” was all she said while backtracking.After opening the window a man in a jumpsuit stood at the other side, hair wet, suit shinny and domino mask covering his face, but what really gave him away was the big blue bat across his chest. Morgan just stood there, dry and tempted to just close the window and ignore the man, but that wouldn’t be right, not when it was her who insisted on him coming over if he ever needed help during patrol. “You look wet.” Was all she said before stepping aside so the other could get in.“And you look dry, are we pointing the obvious?” He said with a grin, closing the window once he was inside, although he didn't move from his place, he didn't want to get all her floors wet… again.“What happened now? I thought you were in Blüdhaven” Asked her as she walked to the bathroom for some towels. Obviously not hers. This has happened one too many times, she has learnt the lesson.“B needed my help around here, it's what happens when you are the best” his grin could not get wider“Mhm, of course, Dick, I'm sure Orphan wasn't busy at all” she answered with her own grin, stepping into the living room to hand him the towels.Dick Grayson, or Nightwing if you were into the whole vigilante thing, which most Gothamites were. Morgan and him have known each other for a while now, knowing his identity for about two years. After he crashed her place one night he couldn't go into the batcave and the nearest, safest option was… well, her. At first it was a shock, but after eight times, one gets used to it. It became a recurrent spot for him to go, like a safe house, he even had a spare key in case she wasn't home.After the one year mark there wasn't just him who came by from time to time, she honestly lost count of how many bats there were. After Dick told his family (Yes, she knows the identity of most of them), that her house was a safe house, after sometime the other bats got used to the fact that she was an ally, although not all of them were usual visits.It was weird, waking up from a noise in the kitchen only to walk out an find Tim Drake, aka the Red Robin, just eating cereal at 3 am in the middle of her kitchen, spotting her right away and ranting about some guy called Bernant and how bad he felt after cancelling a date because he had patrol. Or Being half asleep on the couch only to have Dick Grayson open the window at 1 am because he just needed to use the bathroom.But there were other times when they needed serious help, a bullet, a nasty cut, and sprained ankle from a bad landing, on those days she was glad she even was a nurse student dropout. Helping them was a serious task, and no matter what time it was, she locked in and got right to work, those nights were the nights they slept on her couch.“What brought you here? Do I need to extract a bullet?” she sounded so tired “please say no…” she whispered while sitting back down on the couch, grabbing a blanket from a basket from beside it before wrapping it around herself.Dick, now standing at her feet, smiled down at her before taking off his domino mask “No, i'm alright, just wanting to see how one of my favorite girls were doing”“Tired and humid, i feel like a stray cat”“You look like one”“Yeah, well, at least i don't look like i was Aquaman's practice shoot target”He smiled and rolled his eyes before drying himself off with the towel “I can tell you worked today, didn’t you free on fridays?” he asked without looking at her“Yeah, Betty got sick and I had to cover for her” she explained, no longer as defensive, almost melting into the couch.“Oh, yeah, Betty, what a bitch” he said jokingly, drying off his hair before looking back at her “Did at least something interesting happen?”“Yeah, I got to clean the coffee machine, that was for certain the best time i had today” after that and a roll of eyes she looked up at him, her face morphing into one that fell in between confusion and realization “Am i being too sarcastic?”“Yes. But you are tired, nothing out of the ordinary”“Sorry, Dick, i was just about to shower and eat, you could come back in about… two hours? I should be in a better mood by then”“Or asleep on your couch”Morgan smiled “Yeah, but it wouldn't be the first time you tucked me in, that’s why I gave you the key to this place” she shifted, getting up from the couch “besides the vigilante thing.. Of course” she finished, standing in front of him.He looked down at her, a smirk tugging his lips “Mhm, of course” his hand reached to caress her cheek with his index finger before stepping away and lowering his hand “I will be back later, try to stay awake in case in need my personal nurse, this mission is a bit risky” he said gently, the tone he tended to use when he didn’t want to freak her out.“So that's why you came by, to give me a heads up” she said as gently “Just try come back in one piece. Awooden leg won't suit you” she joked before walking past him to open the window again.He smiled at the joke before turning back around, getting out and standing still at the other side of the window “I will try, see you in a few hours, Nova” She could practically hear the smirk on his face.“Yeah Yeah...See you later, Nightwing.” She replied, defeated. Closing the window as soon as he jumped away into the night.Nova. What an stupid nickname. He explained to her a while ago that if she was going to be helping them long term, she needed a superhero name to keep her identity safe in case something went downhill. Like Oracle (Barbara) or Thaddeus Crane (Alfred). And Dick proclaimed himself in charge of her code name, and after one Monopoly night after she lost her mind over losing one of her houses, might she add she hadn't had any sleep in two days, he had found the perfect name.After a few hours, four…maybe five? To be honest she had lost count. Morgan took a shower as soon as Dick left and followed her original plan, she ate dinner and watched half a season of.. whatever that series was called..Around 2 am she went to lay in bed, still aware of her surroundings in case Dick came by again, but overall she was drifting in between conscious and unconsciousness, almost asleep until heavy bangs were heard from down the hall.She got off the bed and with a groan and after reaching for her robe, a blue one Dick got her for her birthday, she walked down the hall, yawning. “You better be bleeding out, I swear I was almost asleep, and-...”The words died in her mouth as she walked in the room and what came to view was a busted window and an unknown figure standing in the middle of her living room.It didn’t wear the usual suit she used to encounter in these situations. No. Instead it wore a leather jacket, cargo pants and a mask, not the familiar Domino mask she had grown to love. In its place, a red, shiny, scary ass helmet that prohibited her from reading the male that stood in front of her. Her eyes scanned him rapidly, noting the little things before her mind started to wake up and freak out. She focused on him, on his quick and unsteady breathing, the way his right arm was pressed against his right side as he tried to stand straight and tall, intimidating, frightening. And fuck her if that wasn’t freaking her out. This wasn't one of the bats- not one she knew at least, usually they waited outside until she opened the window, usually they introduced themselves so she wouldn't freak out.What they certainly didn't do was burst in and start a staring contest with her.Her mind started to wonder, walking backwards until she bumped into the kitchen island. What if he wasn’t a vigilante? What if she was about to get jumped in her own home because she tried to play the hero?Her breathing got quicker, holding onto the counter to feel her surroundings. Dick taught her that, she could remember the basics, couldn't she?But what if she couldn't? What if Dick was on his way here?? What if by the time he got here, she was already dead? Lifeless.. Laying on the floor?Suddenly, a distorted voice entered her ears, stopping whatever thought she could be having with one simple word. "Nova?" Whispered the man who was slowly stepping towards her before collapsing in the middle of the room, lying face down on the rug, unconscious, mere inches from her bare feet.Morgan can swear that she has never been more grateful to have a person laying in the middle of her living room. Wait, did he just call her Nova?Fuck.
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Fuck Fuck FuckWhat was she supposed to do now??Nova was her undercover name, only the bats knew that, it wasn't possible this man didn't know them, didn't know who she was.She didn't quite understand what was going on, she didn't understand why Dick would give her information up to other vigilantes without her consent. Or at least a little heads up. It was one thing when his family paid her their little visits in the wee hours of the morning, but it was quite the situation to allow masked strangers to break her window to disrupt her house at 5 in the morning.Morgan stayed in the same spot for a few minutes, leaning, resting on the kitchen counter while her hand moved to comb her brown curls back, keeping them out of her face.
Her mind was racing a thousand miles an hour. And before she knew it, she was running across the room to secure and close the window shut, closing the curtains right after. This was going to be the last visit of the night, of that she was sure.Without thinking she walked towards the unconscious man in the middle of her living room, stopping when she reached his head, looking down at him unsure of what to do.Her hands were shaking, but she's lived through enough similar situations to know that this stranger needed her help. And urgently, apparently."Fuck... Okay- Morgan.. You can do this" Was all she told herself before setting off, trying to stay calm as she practically flew to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. After a complicated couple of hours, Morgan managed to heal the guard enough to keep him out of harm.She had dragged the man to her bathroom, and, not knowing how, pushed him into her bathtub, stripping him of his brown leather jacket and the rest of his clothes, well, pants, she wasn't about to have naked men in her house. She also discarded the numerous weapons that he had on, keeping the red helmet on his head, guarding his identity and dignity in some way, she better than anyone could understand how exposed one can feel in a situation like this.After several DIY tests; taking his pulse on several occasions to make sure he maintained continuity and doing a general checkup to make sure there were no wounds that seemed more superficial than they really were, concluded that the poor thing probably had a concussion, judging from the superficial wounds, bruises and blows to the back and shoulder area. Also a bullet wound in the left shoulder, but as far as the dried blood indicated, that hole had been in place longer than the rest of the wounds and with no longer the bullet inside.
Not to mention the multiple stab wounds in his side, probably what he was holding on to during their first encounter. When she first put him in the bathtub, the blood didn't stop, gushing continuously as she desperately tried to close the wound with her limited surgical material.She lost count of how many hours had passed, but when she was done dealing with the stranger, her first thought took her to her bedside table.
She never thought she would put them to use, but thank goodness Hope liked to give absurd gifts.He handcuffed the stranger to her bathtub, to the shower tap.Just as a safety measure. Morgan changed her clothes and put her pajamas in the wash, unwilling to risk her favorite pajama pants for a pile of dried blood.
Do you even know how hard it is to remove blood from garments? Because she does.It was almost 8 a.m., Dick will be asleep until 11 a.m. at minimum. But a message doesn't hurt."Dickhead, explain to me why a masked stranger came into my house last night?""Armed, might I add.""Come by as soon as you see this, or you're banned from my apartment until further notice."After sending the messages to Dick, Morgan sat on the couch. Trying to relax in the usual comforting silence of her house, but still keeping her senses on high alert in case of any movement near the bathroom. ...She doesn't know how it all happened, the night had been long and the poor Morgan was just trying to do a good deed. After a while in silence she fell asleep on the sofa. When she woke up, she didn't know how much time had passed, she didn't even stop to look for messages from Dick, the only thing she was sure of was some low grunts and a metallic sound coming from the bathroom.The stranger had woken up.Her body acted before her brain could and stood up before she knew it. She slowly approached the bathroom door, listening from the other side of the door for any sign that the man was awake and there hadn't been any other sound. As she listened, her blue eyes lingered on his garments a few inches from the door, along with all of the stranger's weapons.It would be safer if she borrowed one of them, right?Squinting the door wide enough to let her voice in, Morgan hid behind it, both hands around a weapon she didn't know how to use."Identify yourself. I'm armed." Morgan tried to sound threatening, but the tremor in her voice gave her away."You are a very bad hostess, did you know that?" His voice was as distorted as she remembered it from when they met last night in her living room."Do you think this is a joke? Tell me who the fuck are you or you're going to leave this house worse than you entered it"Silence."Speak or... I'll shoot you""Mhm... nice pajamas"What?Morgan was so focused on the gun in her hands and the man's voice that she hadn't noticed that as she spoke, she was steeping deeper and deeper into the bathroom. Leaving the door wide enough for the man to see her reflection in the mirror. Fuck.She closed her eyes and let out a dry chuckle, too scared to look back at him in the mirror, she could feel his eyes on her, which made her grip the gun tighter, step into the bathroom and point directly at him. If only looks could kill.He raised both hands as far as he could, which wasn't much because of his injuries. He had broken the handcuffs, half of it still attached to his wrist. His eyes fixed on her, although she could not see that.“Do you even know how to use that?” He asked, voice gentler than before as he took a step forward.“Yes. Now back off and tell me who you are” Her whole body was trembling, taking a step back at the same time he did only to bump into the counter, like what had happened in the kitchen that very same night. Meanwhile her mind was racing, he was stepping forward, very slowly approaching her.“Speak!” She said louder, eyes fixated on the Red helmet.The man approached enough, the gun almost resting on his chest now, the situation felt like he was trying to tame a wild animal by the way he moved. He slowly reached to hold the barrel of the gun, guiding her to lower it so it was pointing to the floor. She let out a muffled cry, biting her lower lip to not make much sound, eyes lowering to the gun. She didn't want to see what was about to happen next.The man let go of the gun “Red Hood” he whispered before taking a step back “Thanks for the stitching, Nova”Morgan could hear, apparently Red Hood, walking out the room, but she couldn't find it in her to look up from the gun, that weapon that now had a weird shine to it because of the sweat her hands produced, fucking hell.It took her a few minutes to clock that this Red Hood guy was still in her house and all his weapons were just outside the bathroom. Morgan scrambled out the bathroom, almost tripping on the towel left on the floor of the hall. The place where all his stuff was.
She runned to the living room to find the window, once again, wide open, and the guy nowhere to be seen.The man was gone, vanished into thin air.
She approached the window to look outside, searching for any sight of that red chrome helmet before taking a step back and closing the window. He wasn't here anymore.The Red Hood was gone.
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Morgan had gotten up at 6 in the morning to go to work, it had been 3 days since she washed her hair, and her curls were no longer very defined, so she opted for two braids, and because of course it is impossible to find two hair ties of the same color in her bathroom drawer, that forces her to combine colors according to her work uniform: jeans, a white shirt, and a dark gray apron. But how boring would it be to go with gray and black hair ties, right? Blue and lilac, now that's a good combination. After putting on some makeup, a bit of blush, mascara, and a tinted lip balm, the bare minimum to maintain a decent appearance throughout her shift. She gets on going.The café was about to open when she arrived. After checking in, she started preparing the bases for the milkshakes and in the process, made sure there were enough cartons of milk in stock to last an entire shift.
It's not ideal to have to make an express run to the supermarket in the middle of rush hour.
Hope was also doing her own thing, putting all the pastries in the display while humming a song from Into the Woods, she was, truly, really lucky that they almost always had shifts together, it's so nice to have someone like her in her life, especially considering that most of her nights consisted of being a hideout for the wounded vigilantes. Anyway.When it was time to open, as always happens, everything started quite calm, the calm before the storm, or so they call it. Around mid-morning, at 8 a.m. like a clock, people began to arrive, some new faces but mostly all the usuals from the café.
In her head, Morgan was waiting, looking for the boy, reading with disappointment all the names in the orders in case any were his. Todd.
But none were.Around 10 a.m., the second peak of the morning, Morgan had to switch tasks, swapping for Hope to call the names of the drinks. And she's not even kidding that at the third name she called, a man stood in front of the bar counter, creating a shadow over her and the Caramel Macchiato for someone called Megan.“Morgan, we need to talk” Dick’s voice echoed although he was…kinda whispering? As she looked up to see him, she noticed.
He looked a mess, dark circles under his eyes and a busted lip, although it was almost healed. But still charming in a way, this man couldn’t look bad for the life of him.“Unless your name is Megan, no we do not” she answered dryly before calling out the drink, giving the woman a default smile before it dropped when she looked back at Dick.
She still cared about him, and the first thing she wanted to ask when she saw him was the why about his lip being like that, but she was still mad. She was about to make him beg a little, explain himself into forgiveness.“Please, Morgan, i want to explain it all to you, but you won't answer me, this was a last resort” He rested his elbow on the counter, leaning against it to get closer to her.She grabbed another drink, reading the name and calling for it before looking back at him. “I'm still mad, and this isn't a great time, I'm at work” she said before walking away into another section, ready to drizzle chocolate syrup into a cup for the next coffee.Hope thanked her while grabbing the cup as Dick just followed her around from the other side of the counter.“I know but please? I own you an explanation-”“Dick, not now.”“Morgan, please.” He followed her again as she went back to her original spot, calling for another drink.“I'm sorry, It was my fault, I should have warned you-” He bumped into a customer. “But in my defense, I didn't think he would ever go to you! It was just in case of emergency”“Like that makes it better” She scoffed before calling out a Frappé for John. “And again, this is not the time.”“Then let's talk in your break, please please please, i brought you an apology gift” His smile looked so punchable.Morgan looked up at him and then at Hope, who gave her one of her unsure smiles before nodding to the clock on the wall. She followed her nod and saw the time, spending a second too long looking at it.“That is not a noo…” Dick purred gently, biting his lip, holding back his smirk.Morgan sighed and with a growl pointed at the man with her finger. "My break is in 10 minutes, wait in the employee room, you know the password." She lowered her finger and waved for him to move away from the counter. "And for your sake, I hope that what you bring as a gift is something to eat."With that she continues to call names while Dick happily just skips to the door.-After ten minutes.
Morgan enters the room, closing the door behind her, leaning against it while looking at Dick, who was sitting on one of the old faded sofas."You have 15 minutes."Then Dick begins to yap. He tells Morgan that Red Hood is a crime lord who is somehow associated with the bats, who only appears when the situation calls for it because he doesn't have the best relationship with Batman and avoids working with him for long periods of time. Dick explains that that night, the situation was so dire while they were fighting Scarecrow that when Black Mask appeared in a sort of truce in between them to defeat the bats, Dick, in a moment of utter desperation, called Red to have some chance of winning. He doesn't remember much of that night due to a blow he received to the head; he only knows that he woke up in the Batcave almost 24 hours later.
He also told her how much he trusted him and, for that reason, he had shared her information, in case he needed it. But this happened almost a year ago and in his defense, he never thought that Red would show up there, he was too proud to show vulnerability to strangers. He doesn't know what made him change his mind about Morgan, well, Nova. But he was immensely grateful, because the last time he saw him, he was in the medical wing of the Batcave with Alfred, double-checking that Morgan's work on his wounds remained stable, and after seeing those stab wounds... He could only think about what would have happened if he hadn't given him her location.Morgan could only notice the desperation in his voice when Dick narrated what had happened; he really must care about this man. She had only seen him like that when it came to his family. But even after opening up, she noticed that she lacked information about why a crime lord like Red Hood would be in contact with people like them, vigilantes who, in essence, were against their interests. She had to ask Dick about their connection, but not right now."I know you're angry and I should have warned you, but..." Dick moved the plastic bag that was waiting next to him on the sofa onto the small table in front of him, opening it to reveal a lemon tart.
"It's from that place you like and never buy from because, according to you, $9 for a pastry is a robbery in broad daylight." He pushed the cake slightly to the center of the table before looking at Morgan with a small apologetic smile.Morgan looked at the tart and after glancing at him, she slowly approached the table and crouched in front of it."Do you have a fork?""It's in the bag" he smiled and moved to the edge of the sofa, leaning forward before whispering."I appreciate it, Morgan... I really do.""Don't swear, you only left me 4 minutes to eat" she smiled up at him before reaching for the fork.-Time went on and Morgan was back to work, walking behind the counter while fixing her apron as Dick followed her close behind."Hey, mind if I get a coffee? Sleeping 4 hours isn't a good look on me," Dick said as he walked around the bar to go to the cash register."Oh, so now you're skipping the line, huh? How clever" Morgan rolled her eyes before walking towards him, smiling as she put in the password to take his order."What? There's no line, I'm literally in front of you.""There are orders already made, your won't coffee be the first to come out" Morgan grabbed a small handful of printed papers to show them to him, all the orders that were left to be made. "But you can stay and annoy a little longer.""Of course he can, you never bother, Dicky" Hope interrupted while cleaning one of the coffee machines."Thanks, Hope, always so nice” Dick smiled at her and then looked back at the brunette. "Let's see if something sticks to you.""Ha ha, very funny.""Always."With that, Dick headed to an unoccupied area near the counter, talking to the blonde who blushed at the slightest compliment from the elder Wayne.
Morgan read the orders slowly, checking which ones had already been delivered and which ones were still pending. Until…Among the papers, an order caught her attention, a name she had been waiting to see again for a week: Todd. Her gaze immediately turned to the café's customers, searching among the crowd for that boy, and when she didn't recognize him in the shop, she looked at the paper again.It wasn't marked as delivered, which means he had to still be here.Hope and Dick could swear they've never seen Morgan make a coffee faster in their lives. She was focused on making it perfect, and between steps, her gaze drifted towards the sea of people occupying the café."Morgan, is there a problem? Have you seen a food critic?" the blonde asked as she looked out over the crowd."No, it's him, he's back!" she said in a half-whisper that left Dick bent over the bar counter."Who, who's back?"Hope let out a squeak and turned to face Dick, a bright smile on her face.
"Todd! The handsome guy who came in last Friday, Morgan, has been reading all the orders waiting for him to show up for the last 6 days.""Wait, Todd? What-""Don't tell him those kinds of things" Morgan said as he approached the counter next to them "Please be quiet.""Coffee for Todd?" she said loudly, the smile on her face could be heard in her voice.A moment of silence between the three of them as they waited expectantly. Morgan was holding the drink in both hands, ignoring the heat that came off as she searched for a familiar face, Dick seemed to do the same.
Suddenly a tall man with black hair and a large physical build entered their line of sight, eyes on Morgan as he approached with a small smile on his face, almost imperceptible to anyone who wasn't staring at his face already. Morgan noticed it."Hi" Morgan said once the man came to the counter, just looking at her, ignoring (not known if on purpose or not) the other two people present."Hey, Morgan" She could hear the tease in his voice, amused by her.After a moment of intense eye contact, Morgan put the cup of coffee down in front of him with a shy smile, "Your coffee." She extended her arm to gently push the cup closer to him, making it visible that she had placed a heart drawn in sharpie beside his name on the cup."Thank you" He noticed and reached out to grab the coffee, maintaining eye contact."I like your hair today" said the man before taking a sip of the coffee.Morgan blushed and fixed her braids before answering."Thank you - I like your jacket a lot too... very nice color" said the brunette before looking him in the eye again."Thanks, I like blue..." he said with such conviction that one would think he wasn't talking about the color of the jacket.
The moment couldn't have been simpler, but they seemed to exchange words with a few seconds of eye contact. Was he telling her that he liked her eyes?As she was about to answer, the moment was interrupted by a throat clearing noise coming from Dick, who was looking at Todd with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile adorning his face. Todd turned to look at where the sound was coming from and feigned surprise."What a surprise to see you here, Dick, I thought you'd be back in Bludhaven" His tone changed to something more familiar, teasing?"We agree on that, this is quite a surprise, Jason." He replied in the same tone of voice.Morgan looked like she had been struck by lightning and had been paralyzed in place.
"Wait, do you know each other?" She looked at Dick and raised an eyebrow in an accusatory manner"Yes, you could say that I have seen him more often than not" Jason replied. Apparently that was his name."It's my little brother, Morgan"Okay, Morgan was going to have a stroke right then and there. Like, how does the only boy who catches her attention out of everyone she sees every day, happen to be Dick's brother? A thousand questions were on her mind.
Siblings?
Because she was certain she had never seen him before?
Because why hasn't she ever heard of a Jason before?
Was he also a vigilante?
And if that's the case, why hadn't she met him before?But Morgan limited herself to a.."Brothers?" With that and a groan directed at Dick, Morgan raised her finger and pointed at Dick, a silent warning "You and I might have to have another talk."Dick nodded "Gladly, but I have to have another talk first, Jason?" His gaze went to his little brother, who with a small movement of his shoulder cut the conversation short and looked back at the brunette behind the counter."Nice to see you again, Morgan, Gotham really is smaller than it seems, what a coincidence" Jason gave her a small last smile and took a step back "I'll see you around" And with that he turned around to face Dick before smirking and walking away without saying another word."yes.. see ya'" she whispered, holding in a big smile as he walked away. Once out of sight she turned to Hope and hugged her tightly, letting out a high pitch squeal, the blonde did the same.Dick watched the scene and groaned "Oh please, no, Morgan, You can do way better, anyone but him".Morgan stopped the squeak and looked back at him, still embracing her friend "You." She broke the hug to get closer. "How about you explain to me why I didn't know you had another brother?""Studying abroad and stuff, I see him so little that I forget he isn't dead" He joked."I have a few questions, and you better answer them honestly.""I believe I can do that... Yeah, I think I have enough information now" He said, recalling their last conversation."Good, you better." She groaned once again. "Fuck, of all people, why your brother? This is absolutely not fair.""I will come by tonight, I have to go now," said Dick while holding in a laugh. "Have a good shift."And with that, a wave and cheeky grin, Dick walked out of the shop, leaving the two of them alone, and as much as they wanted to stop and chat all evening about what just happened, they were at work. And what a work they had to do, the place was fully stocked again. So back to work it was.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A month has passed since Dick and Morgan reconciled, and you could say that Dick won her back through her stomach, because since the accident with Red Hood, every time Nightwing appears at Morgan's window, he brings with him some kind of dessert or even dinner for her.What has also happened this past month is that Jason Todd, Dick's brother (to Morgan's dismay), has become a regular customer at the café where she works, and thanks to some small talk here and there, Morgan has gradually been relaxing around him.She no longer overshared or talked too much in conversations because of nerves, and although she couldn't deny that Jason was attractive, she has learned to stay focused and consider him somewhat a friend, as has happened with the vast majority of the Wayne children. And Bruce, who sends baskets to Morgan as a thank you on special occasions, as well as money to cover his children's expenses, which, after insisting that it is not necessary (and trying to return it) on multiple occasions, Morgan appreciates it immensely. Those boys spend more than she wants to admit.Anyway.Returning to Todd, Morgan isn't quite sure why a guy like him would be interested in someone like her or a place like the café, Dick has talked about him a few more times the last month and has hinted to her that his brother rarely is seen at the same place more than a couple of times, but that doesn't matter now, because on an unfortunate day when Morgan had only slept 3 hours, thanks to Red Robin, Jason showed up at the café around 11am and while she was multitasking between staying awake and making a coffee, a few words came out of Jason's mouth, words that she did not expect. At all.“Would you like to…have dinner sometime?”What?Morgan had to be hallucinating. She slowly turned to look at him, forgetting the coffee, which was slowly filling the coffee mug she was holding.Jason, whom was dressed in a big black denim jacket covered in colorful fabric patches, was leaning over the counter, already looking up at her, but without one of his little, almost imperceptible smiles. This wasn’t a look that fit him, he looked awkward, and nervous, and-“Shit!-” The coffee overfilled the mug, scolding her hand and breaking as she let go of it, she had been lost in thought and forgot what she was actually doing for a second, and maybe also making intense eye contact with him for more than a few seconds, because the moment she screamed his eyes shot from her face to her hand, quickly jumping to action, he reached and grabbed a cloth that rested on the other side of the counter, reaching to grab her arm gently to move her away from the mug on the floor and wipe away the hot coffee that dripped from her hands.She just watched in shock as this man who she barely knew out of a few conversations as he waited for his coffee, was now fully leaning over and reaching behind the counter to help her. When she fully registered what was going on she grabbed the cloth from his hands and turned around, opening the tab and rinsing her hand under the cold water, staying still for a few minutes. She could hear Jason going back to a standing position and off the counter. Thank god the coffee shop was almost empty.“Sorry- give me a few minutes and i will make you another coffee-” She turned off the tab and wrapped the cloth around her knuckles as she walked around to grab towel to clean un the coffee she spilled on the floor, it would be better if she used a mop, but she was nervous and overwhelmed, she couldn't think straight. It seemed like all the progress she did to stay chill and charming around Jason disappeared at his words. Words she still didn't answer.“Morgan-”“Yes- yes- give me a few seconds please” She kneeled on the floor, her jeans at risk of getting wet with coffee, and whipped away as much liquid as she could, picking up all the broken pieces of the mug as she could.“Morgan”She truly didn't want to get up from the floor, but him calling out for her wasn't good either. He sounded worried, and she could feel him watching her from over the counter.Morgan got up with all the pieces and just walked to the trash without looking back at him.This was an incident that had happened more than she wanted to admit, this wasn't the first time she dropped a mug, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but something about Jason watching her be a mess in such a mundane act truly made a rouge appear all over her face.“Morgan” He called again, facing her back as she took in a deep breath. “Are you hurt?” His tone gave him away. How worried he looked and how nervous he seemed to be when he first asked her.That made Morgan register the true meaning of those words.“Yes!” She turned around and faced him. Face red and hands clenching the cloth she was holding, fidgeting with it as she took a step closer to him.His face morphed into confusion and his eyes scanned her all over, looking at her knees in case she cut herself with the broken pieces of the floor or for blood in her hands in case she did cut herself when she was picking the pieces up.“What?-”“Yes” She said again, a warm smile spreading on her face “I would love to have dinner sometime… with you.”Jason looked up at her and even if she couldn’t tell, he could swear she was one of the prettiest sights he has ever seen.“Would you?” He could help the smile on his face at the thought, but it quickly faded away, waiting for her response.Morgan simply nodded and, with the prettiest smile he has ever seen, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before reaching to grab a napkin and the sharpie she used to write down the names on the cups.“If-..You are willing to wait until the end of the week..i'm free the weekend” She whispered before holding the napkin out to him, the blush spreading to her ears.Jason looked down and grabbed the paper, fingers brushing for a brief moment as he took the napkin and read it. Her phone number, with a heart besides it.He looked up at her only to find her already looking up at him, with a nod and a chuckle he tapped the counter twice with a finger.“Yeah. I think I can do that” He whispered back.The moment was turning more intimate, without comparison to previous moments when the mug hit the ground.“You think?” She asked with a giggle.“Well” He smirked “Waiting that long seems a torture… But i’ll manage”The smile that appeared on Morgan’s face was something one could not put a price on, it almost hurt him when she looked away.She covered half her face with her hand in an attempt to hide from his gaze and once her own gaze reached the floor, she remembered where she was. And the fact that coffee was still spilled all over the floor.“Fuck-” she whispered before looking up at him once again “Sorry, Jason, but you may have to wait longer for your coffee, because i still have to clean this up” She pointed to the ground to indicate what she meant. And suddenly Jason remembered the reason he was here in the first place. Well, second reason.“Right, you are at work” he hummed and pointed to an empty table “I will leave to let you work.”She thanked him and he walked away, not before making sure he had the napkin on him.With that Morgan turned around and walked to the back to grab a mop. Not before bumping her fist in the air once she was out of sight as a celebration.That was for sure a date.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was Wednesday and Morgan was counting down the days for the weekend to arrive. She had told Hope what had happened as soon as she clocked in that same day, and since the cat was out of the bag, they spent all night at Morgan’s house to pick an outfit for the weekend, but because Jason didn’t sent a confirmation or the plan they just had to prepare a bunch of possible outfits, just in case.She was excited, but it did worry her that he hadn’t called or texted her yet, but Dick had told her at some point that his brother was kind of a ghost most of the time. Maybe he will text her later in the week.He had to, right?Right??-Jason had been a mess the rest of the day.What was he thinking? He didn't do dates, and even if he did, he wouldn’t ask for one like he did. He thinks that the nerves and the sweet smiles she dedicated to him were the set off, but why he did what he did didn't matter anymore, especially not when he was at a rooftop at 3am.For a week straight he has been searching for the culprit of a new drug that was beginning to gain notoriety in Crime Alley, a new class of opioids that are entering the market with surprising speed, Elysium or E-FK-40, the new designer drug that, despite being 8 times stronger than cocaine, is sold for half its price thanks to its cheap production method, is sweeping through the lower neighborhoods of Gotham at an unprecedented speed, and Red Hood (and the other vigilantes, though he doesn't see it as necessary) needs to stop this epidemic before it reaches the upper echelons, the bunch of snobbish drug addicts (If you ask Jason), or it starts to be used as instruments of torture by the city's villains. The effects of this lavender blue pill include; dilation of the pupils, drowsiness, disorientation, slow breathing, and in extreme cases, loss of consciousness, mostly leading to death. But what makes this drug addictive is not the consequences of taking it, it's the high it gives you; it's such a strong narcotic that some swear that once you take it, you become Superman. It gives you so much energy that you could orbit the sun, and just a few minutes after ingestion, it generates a rush of delirium so intense that it could be compared to the Joker's laughing gas. It starts to affect the brain and often causes hallucinations.A true gem, if you ask Jason.That's why it's a Wednesday, at the break of dawn, and he is on the rooftop of a building near the port, one of his goons has heard that in attendance, an exchange is going happen and if Jason manages to locate the seller, even if he is just one of the big boss's men, if he follows them long enough, this little fish could lead him to the biggest fish.But Jesus Christ. It's been almost four hours and he has run out of snacks to eat.Now laying on the cold, somehow managing not to drift asleep on the floor he can feel the soft thud vibrating through the roof.“Nightwing” Red hood groaned, still lying chest down, looking forward.Dick, in all his Kevlar glory, slowly walked up to him, he didn't see it yet, but Jason was sure that stupid smug smile was on his face. He could feel it.“Red Hood” Nightwing called, staying behind him. “Mind if I bother you for a while?”“Fuck off”He laughed under his breath and just walked closer, sitting down beside him.“Any movement?”“Yeah, you and that fucking paper back you are carring around” He looked over to finally acknowledge the other. “Can you keep it down? I'm trying to catch a rat”Dick just slammed the bag besides his shoulder.“At least have some real food, those chips you eat are frightful”Jason let out a big sigh as he sat down and then looked down into the bag, a Batburger and a soda. A small, and I say small, smile grew under the helmet.“Did you get fries?”“Yeah, i ate them on my way here”“Fucker” he mumbled under his breath before reaching behind his red crome helmet to push the the flap at his nape and take it off. After leaving it on the floor and sitting down properly on the edge of the roof he turned to take the food out of the paper bag.“Hope you know i'm not paying you shit” Said Jason before taking a bite of the burger, groaning in pleasure at the flavor.“Figured” Dick smiled and just looked forward as the other ate.A few minutes passed and only the sound of the ocean could be heard. Jason had learned that with Dick, the silence it's always a bad sign, so after taking another bite he just leaned to sip on the soda, looking back at his brother.“What?” Jason hummed.“What?” Dick asked.“What do you want to say? You are never this quiet and knowing you, this food is a peace offering” He said like it was obvious. “What's going on?”Dick smirked and let out a dry chuckle, leaning back and resting on his elbows, looking up at the sky.“Morgan” He simply said.Jason knew what he meant by that, but still, he has learned to not speak unless a direct question is asked, he has a problem with running his mouth in the most troubling occasions, like that time he dissed Alfred’s cooking because Tim had helped him, only to find the butler at the door frame seconds after.Safe to say he never did it again.“What about her?”“Why did you go to her?” It sounded more like a demand than a question.“I wanted to know what I was working with-” Jason went back to eating his food, trying to avoid the following conversation. Words dying as he bit the burger.“Mhm” he nodded slowly, waiting a couple of minutes before asking anything again.“And why do you keep visiting the café?”Jason almost choked.He didn't want to admit how much he liked it, it was the only place he had right now where he could go and hang out to feel some kind of routine. The mundanity of waking up early to go and buy a coffee that was way too expensive was something he didn't have in his usual life. It was something he missed.It felt so real that even if he knew this kind of life would never be for him, he could play pretend until 1pm.He also didn't want to admit the way his chest got warmer when the sight of Morgan smiling reached him, the way he enjoyed her silly comments here and there about any topic he cared to start.She is kind, warm, and special…She was something he couldn't have.Morgan was out of reach, and maybe, just maybe, that's why he felt so much for her.It scared him. Losing something he yearned so hard for, and yet he didn't own. Something he couldn't lose.But he would never admit it. It's one thing to care and another entirely different to yearn, and it's his reason behind the wall he has built. To this very moment he didn't know why on hell's earth he would be having this kind of thoughts or feelings, he has spent all of his short new reality teaching himself that he didn't need anyone else but himself to be in total control of his own life. If he didn't pay any mind to what he couldn't see, he wouldn't be at risk of losing it. Again.But she suddenly appeared. And she stayed in his mind.“She makes good coffee.” He hummed, trying his best to act nonchalant.“Mhm”Fuck him. He knew that sound.“I'm not lying. There is nothing more to it.”He could feel Dick’s eyes piercing through him from under his domino mask. Fuck. Did he hate having brothers that cared enough to know him.“I swear. Dude you must have fallen off a building on your way here, there is nothing more to this. Just making sure she is clean.”“MHM.” Dick hummed again.“Fucking FINE” Jason groaned. Crossing his arms.“I KNEW IT”He hissed, reaching to cover Dick’s mouth with his gloved hand. “SHH Dude! Stay quiet-” he half whispered, keeping his voice down.Dick just hummed against his hand and looked down, biting him so he would put his hand away.When he did, Dick just held one hand up.“Okay okay. SO… If you are going to keep this up, you need to know the rules. That is Morgan’s house and we are just guests, so we need to know the basic rules. You won't believe the shit she gives me if one of us breaks them.”Jason sat looking towards Dick as he talked and held his hand up to stop his ranting.“Wait. I do want to put some rules down, i don't want my identity to be out there” Sceptically he tapped the soda cup.“Yeah, well, you will have to go as Red Hood and talk to her like an adult. Besides, she needs to warm up to you after the last shit you pulled.”After thinking about it for a few minutes, Jason gruntled and leaned back against the cold rooftop.“Shit… spit those rules out”-Morgan was as happy as can be. She didnt work tomorrow and none of the bats had called her. Tonight was for her.She was in her favorite PJs, a loose lavender set, a lace-trimmed camisole tucked under a gray sweatshirt of dubious origin; she couldn't tell if it belonged to her father or an ex-boyfriend. Long pants made of thick, fluffy fabric, perfect for the winter that was already approaching. Her hair was in a messy braid from having worn it all afternoon, and her feet were in the cow slippers that Damian had given her after making him some blueberry muffins for his last birthday. She loved that kid.The oven was on, warming the whole living room, and inside was a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Her dinner.Could this night be any better?Soft music played as she washed the dishes. The cookies didn't have much time left, Morgan thought as she dried her hands with the kitchen towel.But suddenly, a soft knock was all she could hear, it was a sound she had grown used to, one that could be heard above the soft music that lingered in her apartment and that she had accustomed herself to detect from any point of the house.Did it bother her that one of the bats had crushed her night alone without a warning? Of course, but she did like having them around, and she can bet that whoever is outside (She guesses Damian or Cass by the soft knock) is freezing and hungry.As she walked down the room she rounded her coffee table to turn off the music. Reaching to open the window without really looking who was outside.“You better have a good excuse-” she said quietly in a teasing tone.Only when she poked her head out did she see the Red Hood standing in front of her window, on the fire escape, looking down at her, waiting.She took a step back into her apartment but did leave the window open, a cold breeze getting past her and in the house while Red Hood took a step forward to the window, both arms resting by his sides as his eyes scanned her, well, at least as far as she could tell.Morgan took in a deep breath and remembered all that Dick had told her after this man’s last visit.“So, you work with Nightwing” That came out harsher than intended.“Yes”“And he told you about the-”“Yes.” He interrupted her.Of course Dick had told him about the rules, this man was standing outside, waiting for her to open the window and let him in, and he was also barehanded, hands on full display so she could thrust him into her home, no threats, no guns. Good.“Alright…” She hummed once she had inspected him. “Well…I guess I should present myself then” Morgan fixed her hoodie and her hair before looking up with one hand stretched towards him.“Hi. My name is Morgan Quinn, even if you might already know that.” She laughed gently, of course he did.“Please do not call me Nova, It's a thing Nightwing tries to make happen, but it comes off as quirky. I'm 22 years old and this is my home”It sounded like she had practiced this speech before.“Welcome”And at that, Hood just stood in place, looking down at her hand before shaking his head and sighning. He reached to gently shake her hand, pulling away rather quickly.“Hey. Sweetheart-” He whispered “I get that you have some rules but i do too” Hood said quickly, trying to sound serious but coming out as cocky, it didn't help when his hip buckled as he sat on it, arms crossed over the large red bat on his chest.Morgan just stood there, almost mirroring him, lips becoming a thin line as she waited.“Okay, so” He hummed “Im Red Hood and my rules are that you aren't going to know either my age or my name.” He said before pointing at his helmet “And the helmet stays on.” After a moment of silence Morgan just let out a quick laugh before covering her mouth, holding it in, it would be rude to laugh at something as serious as this.At Hood’s obvious confusion and discomfort she just nodded and looked up at him.“Alright, Hood.” She said with a smile. “Fair. Anything else?”“Well..no?”“Good, good, boundaries, I like it. You should teach the others what that word means.” She joked, An affectionate tone hidden under the comment.Hood was taken aback by the sudden joke and nickname, but warmed up to it as soon as it came out of her mouth.“Come on in. Guns in the basket and shoes under the window. There are cookies in the oven.” With that she turned around. A clean invite in.Jason lingered a few more seconds in place, just watching her walk away before following suit.Yeah, he could see why his family liked her so much.