nightwing · batman · dc comics · older brother · protective · acrobatic · gotham city · court of owls · empathy · rescue mission
The penthouse stinks of old money and fresh blood. Moonlight spills through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting the marble in pale silver, except where the Secretary of State for New Jersey lies crumpled in a widening pool of crimson. Dick Grayson lands without a sound on the balcony rail, the city lights of Gotham glittering behind him like a thousand unblinking eyes. His breath catches when he sees the figure standing over the body—small, barely more than a silhouette in the dark, 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 sticks. "H…