[ he stops petting junpei's head for a second, though he keeps up the light petting to his back, but he brings his now freed hand over to put an arm over his eyes for a second ]
They're not... supposed to be tough. [ and... that's the problem, really. ] I did mathletes in high school?
[There's a confused sound because why did you stop that?? But he doesn't...ask. Instead he lets that question hang and settles for an incredulous one instead.]
You...really are kind of a nerd, aren't you? [But he sounds a little pleased anyway.]
[ it's fine he can move the hand that was on junpei's back a bit up and up until he's petting the head again, because. why not. he keeps his arm over his face though, even when he lets out a short laugh. ]
You say that like it's a bad thing. [ or like it's a surprise, more likely ] And I like dork better, thanks.
And you being you, you ran with it as a compliment to taunt them? [It's kind of easy to picture what a young Dick Grayson would be like.] Nightwing sounds pretty lofty for a kid.
[There's no way that Junpei isn't passingly familiar with DC in actual Earth but I'm ignoring it.]
Me being me, I gave them way better taunts to use. [ it's said with a smirk, but... he hums a bit at the question ] Yeah. I was Robin, back then. [ sometimes (more often, lately) he misses the simplicity of those days, and he's soft and warm and tired and wistful, and the breath he lets out is long. ] Changed a few years back. I felt like I'd earned the right to graduation.
[He might not look like it, but he's listening. Robin makes sense, of course, and the change does make him sound older and stronger. Instead of saying so, he decides to go with something stupider.]
Baby bird to a big bird. I'm suspecting a pattern here. [Hm.] Why Nightwing? Just because?
A friend of mine gave me the idea. [ he wonders how much he should tell, for half a second, but-- it's his name. ] It's a legend on his home planet. Said it reminded him of me.
[ it's remiss to say home about krypton, but it's the shortest answer to that one. ]
[There's something a little interesting about that, and part of him wants to ask more questions simply for the sake of asking. Dick is the kind of person who really only says what he has to in regards to himself, and while Junpei can't exactly say anything since he does the same, he wonders enough.
Instead of pressing about planets and people Dick knows, he settles on a nod.]
Weird how names other people come up with stick with you. [He gets that Dick picked it himself, but like. Same idea.] Nightwing does sound cooler.
Hey, I never said it wasn't! Way cooler than my nicknames and I already told you I messed up and didn't get a codename during the Nonary Game. Maybe I'm just jealous.
[He's joking, but also Dick please. It's an interesting response.]
[Junpei will never know about Tim probably. I assume it's Tim. I hate DC timelines.]
...hah. [That wasn't even what he was thinking of, but.] No, that's very you somehow. And I can truthfully say no one else has ever thought of that before.
[Hm. Maybe should've put more thought into this, but sometimes you have to give information to get information. So he shrugs, both at letting Dick take it as a compliment and to downplay his answer.]
Someone I knew used to call me Jumpy. Cute for a six year old, a little harder to be taken seriously as an adult.
[Except. Yeah, of course he misses it. Akane stopped calling him that a while ago, and the expression on his face is both soft and nostalgic somehow.]
Yeah, well...[He laughs under his breath.] Not exactly what I wanted a room full of strangers to know, but some things stick with you for a long time. Jumpy is why I never got a code name.
[It feels like an overshare, but hm.] But thanks, I think.
[There's a snort.] Is it really a code name if it's a real name? [But..he shakes his head a little.] Lucky for me everybody else settled on Junpei instead.
Shut up. [Still not mad.] Ace, Snake, Santa, Clover, me, June, Seven, Lotus and the Ninth Man. That's what everyone came up with. It almost sounds like a spy operation if you don't know what it's about.
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They're not... supposed to be tough. [ and... that's the problem, really. ] I did mathletes in high school?
[ that's a thing, right. ]
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You...really are kind of a nerd, aren't you? [But he sounds a little pleased anyway.]
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You say that like it's a bad thing. [ or like it's a surprise, more likely ] And I like dork better, thanks.
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No, no. It's...cute, I guess. [Still amused. ] Dick Grayson, the flying mathematic wonder-dork. Seems appropriate.
[It's something to think on because he's not surprised, but he likes learning all the same. ]
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My nickname as a kid superhero was "Boy Wonder", actually. So.
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Of course it was. Self-given or did someone else decide for you?
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[There's no way that Junpei isn't passingly familiar with DC in actual Earth but I'm ignoring it.]
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Baby bird to a big bird. I'm suspecting a pattern here. [Hm.] Why Nightwing? Just because?
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[ it's remiss to say home about krypton, but it's the shortest answer to that one. ]
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Instead of pressing about planets and people Dick knows, he settles on a nod.]
Weird how names other people come up with stick with you. [He gets that Dick picked it himself, but like. Same idea.] Nightwing does sound cooler.
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Robin's plenty cool!
[ dick will defend to death his old mantle, that's why he keeps passing it down?? and also because blabla sentimentality, bla ]
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[He's joking, but also Dick please. It's an interesting response.]
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though since his offense was mostly fake he just. grins a bit instead. ]
What, you don't like JT?
[ it's a bad nickname, dick, live with it. ]
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...hah. [That wasn't even what he was thinking of, but.] No, that's very you somehow. And I can truthfully say no one else has ever thought of that before.
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I'm choosing to take that as a compliment. So what nicknames were you talking about?
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Someone I knew used to call me Jumpy. Cute for a six year old, a little harder to be taken seriously as an adult.
[Except. Yeah, of course he misses it. Akane stopped calling him that a while ago, and the expression on his face is both soft and nostalgic somehow.]
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Jumpy... It's still kinda cute for an adult.
[ it's light and teasing, and he can say that shit because they've had sex one too many times, lbr ]
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[It feels like an overshare, but hm.] But thanks, I think.
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I had a teammate whose code name on the field was her actual name, so. I can't judge on your bad luck.
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[ because her boyfriend died. haha. anyway; ]
That's too bad. A whole group of people calling you Jumpy sounds like a riot.
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Shut up. [Still not mad.] Ace, Snake, Santa, Clover, me, June, Seven, Lotus and the Ninth Man. That's what everyone came up with. It almost sounds like a spy operation if you don't know what it's about.
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