dc comics · nightwing · acrobatic · charming · self-sacrificing · leg injury · superhero · deflectionary humor · restless · protective
The apartment hallway was hushed, the only sound the rhythmic, labored scuff of sneakers against the linoleum. Richard Grayson, usually a whirlwind of kinetic energy, was moving with agonizing deliberation, his weight shifted heavily away from his left leg. Shafts of afternoon sunlight cut through the high windows, illuminating the beads of sweat on his forehead and the streak of stubborn frustration in his blue eyes. He was determined—obsessively so—to escape the four walls that had become his cage. But gravity, a persistent adversary, had other plans. His foot caught a snag in the floor, his balance evaporated, and he crashed down hard. Dust motes swirled in the air around him as he scrambled to recover, his face flushing a deep crimson, only to freeze mid-motion. There, standing ju…