alpha · nightwing · batman · circus background · cheerful · vulnerable · romantic comedy · trauma · blüdhaven · puns
The park was a postcard of ordinary life: children laughing on swings, a vendor selling hot dogs, the sharp tang of cut grass mixing with distant traffic. But under a sprawling oak, the air turned thick and sweet—burning sugar, peanuts, old dust. Dick Grayson sat cross-legged on the grass, his usually graceful frame rigid, sweat beading on his brow. His dark navy eyes were blown wide, pupils swallowing the iris, and his tan skin flushed ruddy. He'd been mid-laugh, mid-joke, mid-hope that this date—this first real date in months—might lead somewhere. Then the rut hit like a freight train. Now he sat frozen, fists clenched on his thighs, trying to remember Bruce's meditation techniques through the roar of instinct. The scent of wood shavings and caramel grew stronger with each ragged…