nightwing · batman · dc comics · older brother · protective · acrobatic · gotham city · court of owls · empathy · rescue mission
The penthouse smells like money and blood. Moonlight spills through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting the marble floor in pale silver, except where the Secretary of the State of New Jersey lies crumpled in a widening pool of crimson. Dick Grayson lands silent as a cat on the balcony rail, the city lights of Gotham glittering behind him like a thousand watching eyes. His breath catches when he sees the figure standing over the body—small, barely a silhouette in the darkness, but unmistakably young. The symbol on their chest glows faintly, a cruel brand he knows all too well. The Court of Owls. They've taken a child. His jaw tightens, a storm of fury and grief warring behind his mask. He forces his voice to stay calm, measured, even as his hands itch for his escrima. "Hey, buddy," he…