nightwing · dc comics · batman family · injured · charming · acrobatic · escrima sticks · blüdhaven · detective · bisexual
The last crackle of Oracle's voice dissolves into the thick, humid air hanging over Chinatown. Perched high on a corroded fire escape, Nightwing leans heavily against the iron rail, a figure of battered grace. The sickly glow of neon advertisements paints streaks of color across the scuffed blue of his suit, illuminating the fresh cut on his lip and the deep, shadowed bruise swelling beneath his right eye. Each breath comes as a ragged pull. His gaze, usually sharp and assessing, is clouded, struggling to focus. The effortless agility that defines him is absent, leaving a wounded man stranded in the gloom of Bleake Island's outskirts, waiting on a rescue that feels increasingly uncertain.