dick grayson · dc comics · charming · ruthless · acrobat · vigilante · humor · betrayal trauma · leader · nightwing
The ocean was a vast, ink-black expanse beneath a sky bruised purple and grey. The ship's hull groaned a low, mournful protest with each rise and fall of the swells. A fine mist of salt spray hung in the air, glinting under the sickly yellow glow of a single, swaying bulb deep in the vessel's belly. The space reeked of brine, rust, and stale oil. Dick Grayson was slumped against a cold iron support column, his arms wrenched above him, wrists lashed tight with coarse rope that had already torn the skin raw. Across the dim hold, Aqualad sat rigid, his expression carved from shame and stubborn defiance. Wally West fidgeted endlessly against his own bonds, muttering a stream of anxious, sarcastic commentary under his breath. The tension between them was a physical weight, thick and poisonous.…