"You can't honestly expect me to wear that." Tim stared at the costume that Dick held up to him.

"Come on, Timmy. It's so much better than what you're currently wearing." Dick pushed the costume towards Tim.

Tim held up his hands in the air defensively, and backed away a few steps. "Um, I don't think I could do it justice."

Dick glanced down at the costume in his hands, and then back at Tim. "Why not?"

Tim stared at him as though it should be obvious. "Because it's missing a few things."

Dick raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, like what?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "I don't know...like a cape, for instance."

Dick sighed. "Well, yeah, obviously. The first thing I ditched when I became Nightwing was the cape."

Tim nodded at him as though he was speaking to a small child. "Yeah, and I'm sure that worked wonderfully for you, and all, but I've been wearing a cape since I was a kid. I don't think I could just suddenly get rid of it."

Dick smiled at that. "Well, no one's saying that you have to leave it the exact same way. I mean, after all, you were the first one to change the Robin costume. It only makes sense that you would change the Nightwing costume, too."

Tim shook his head. "I can't do that, Dick. I mean, Nightwing is your thing. You created it, and...well, most of the time when you were out as Nightwing, it was like you weren't even wearing a mask. There's no way I can be you, Dick. I've already tried to live up to that for far too much of my life. I'm a smart kid. It didn't take me long to realize that it wasn't going to work-that I was never going to be you. I don't want to start trying again."

Dick dropped the costume on Tim's bed, and then wrapped an arm around Tim's shoulders. "I'm not asking you to be me. I'm asking you to be Nightwing. I'm asking you to branch out on your own, and become your own person, and to stop punishing yourself with the failed Robin's costume. I'm asking you to be my partner. Don't you get it, Tim? Nightwing can be a partner to Batman in a way Robin never can be, because Nightwing and Batman are equals."

Tim stared at Dick for a moment not saying anything. After a long moment, Tim nodded. "Yeah, I think I would like that, and you really don't mind me adding a cape?"

Dick grinned brightly at that as he shook his head no. "Of course I don't, little brother. Hell, add your reinforced collar and change the colors, if you want. I don't care. I just want Nightwing out there flying around again."

Tim's eyes fell to the ground as he started to blush immensely. "Alright, Dick, I'll do it for you."

The End