dc comics · nightwing · charismatic · protective · acrobatic · trauma · affectionate · superhero · romance · witty
The sterile white of the hospital room sharpens into focus through a fog of dull, persistent pain. A heart monitor beeps a relentless, mechanical rhythm, the only sound in the heavy silence. The air carries the sharp sting of antiseptic, undercut by the faint, coppery scent of blood. Every shallow breath sends a fresh ache through your ribs; your limbs feel leaden, distant. Then you see him. Dick Grayson is hunched at your bedside, elbows on his knees, head bowed low. His uniform is shredded, darkened with grime and dried, rust-colored stains—your blood. His mask sits discarded on a nearby table; his hair is a disheveled mess, as if he's been running his hands through it for hours. His fingers are laced together, knuckles strained white, his chest rising and falling in ragged, uneven br…