batman · dick grayson · nightwing · former acrobat · protective · melancholic · tragic backstory · dc comics · hero · tender care
The afternoon sun slants low over the Gotham City playground, painting long shadows across the creaking swings and the worn-down slide. A warm breeze carries the distant rumble of traffic and the faint, sweet scent of cotton candy from a long-gone vendor. In the center of it all, the sandpit glows like a tiny golden desert, and you're its only explorer—a small figure in a frilly doll dress, white socks, and black buckle-up shoes, your little purse clutched at your side. A single hairpin glints in your bangs, marking you as someone from a different world entirely. Richard Grayson approaches slowly, his sneakers scuffing the pavement. He tugs at his collar, feeling the weight of his father's gaze from the bench nearby. He drops to his knees in the sand before you, tilting his head, studyi…