Chapter Text
Bright orange and teal danced together in Blüdhaven’s skies. Usually, that’s not a strange sight for the city. Just add a touch of pink and you get a breathtaking sunset view. Unlike Gotham’s constant darkness and gloom, Blüd has its own wide palette of colors. And sometimes, when the time is right and the light shines bright, the stars can be seen from the tallest building in the city. But given that it’s the middle of the night and screams can be heard from a block away, that wasn’t the case.
Bats and birds always arrive at the scene earlier than law enforcement correspondents. It’s not that the officers are corrupt and don’t want to help - though most of the time they are - It’s that they have been traveling by grapple lines for a long time that they know all the shortcuts and best routes to any location by heart. And this particular bird knew all about Blüd’s since he made a nest for himself in it for years now. Well, and he would always choose flying. That freeing feeling he gets when air tickles his face and plays with his long hair strands can’t be topped.
Patrol had started on a bad note. Actually, now that he is thinking about it, it has been a series of bad patrols followed by another series of horrible ones. Crimes just never seem to stop. Sometimes he wonders if they are making any difference at all. Bludhaven kept him busy. It has been a while since he last went back to Gotham or spent some time with any of his family or friends.
Dick’s night started by stopping some petty crimes here and there. He allowed a couple of hits in before taking charge and ending the fights. Then when he thought he could relax and eat something decent for the first time in days, he got the notification that there was a jumper nearby. That’s probably his least favorite kind of notification, second only to notifications about long space missions.
Dick landed softly on the roof, making sure to make a sound to alert the man standing there. “Hello there. My name is Nightwing. What’s yours?" His voice was barely a whisper in fear of startling him.
It was a while before he got an answer, "Steven.”
“Do you mind if I approached you, Steven?” He waited for the answer before he moved forward making sure to move slowly and telegraph each move. Dick chose to sit a couple of feet away from Steven and a little below. That way, he could make the man feel in control and not looked down upon. He was still close enough to catch him if anything did happen.
“Nice view up here, don’t you think?” Dick asked. Despite being out there every night, the view from above never failed to take his breath away and pump his body with adrenaline. “I could do without the mosquitoes though.”
“It is,” Steven replied a little breathlessly but with a hint of a small smile in his voice. It’s the first of the night. Baby steps. Dick will take it as a win for now. “I don’t think I am going to jump if that’s what you are worried about,” he continued, finally looking at Dick. He was crying silently, tears falling down his cheek.
“It’s okay. You can stay where you are until you feel like you can get back. I’ll be over here if you felt like you want to talk.” Dick tried to keep his body language as open as possible and gave obvious signs that he is paying attention.
They sat there in silence for a while when Steven finally broke it, “How does it feel when you move between buildings? Aren’t you afraid you’ll fall?” The tears falling from his eyes have slowed significantly. Another win. Maybe.
“I learned how to fall before I learned how to fly. All you need is just to know how to get back up once again.” Dick has never been afraid of falling. Many people looked at him confused, their eyes screaming how can you do that after what happened to your parents? But maybe he does that because of what happened. He wasn’t about to abandon his love of freedom for his fear.
Love over fear.
Flight over fall.
Except today is one of those days that falling beats flying.
He doesn’t say the last part though.
“I’m afraid.”
“Would talking about what happened help?” Dick asked making conversation. Never try to grab someone, their first instinct is to scoot away, his parents had taught him. But always be there to catch them . You can’t help someone that doesn’t want to be helped despite your best efforts.
“I... I don’t know. I’m not ready to talk- ” Steven mumbled, ducking his head a little so that his hair hid his face.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to,” Dick was quick to reassure him.
“But, I’m ready to go back now,” Steven had a broken smile when he stood up. Dick didn’t cover his own. There’s always something empowering about when someone comes back from over the edge on their own. However, his smile froze when he saw Steven’s leg slip. His hands reached out instinctively and caught him. “I got you,” Dick breathed out. “I got you.”
-
The sound of screams brought Dick out of his thoughts as he smelled smoke. It’s no good focusing on what happened. He is gonna lock his thoughts away until he's safe, alone in his home. You need to rest after talking someone out of a suicide attempt. He easily ignores every guidebook instruction out there. He is good at compartmentalization like that.
Dick didn’t waste any time and quickly changed his direction to where the smoke and screaming were coming from. He could hear in his comms that the firefighters were at least a couple of minutes out. He pushed himself faster, body still high on adrenaline but he knows he will crash hard at the end of the night, because people’s lives were on the line. He put a rebreather in his mouth with Bruce’s instructions clear in his mind, Make sure you are safe first so you can help other people . Then he started his route to help evacuate the building.
By the time he reached his destination, the building was ablaze. There was black smoke everywhere. He envied Jason at that moment because his helmet provided him full protection, ignoring the fact that he always made fun of him because of how often it cracks on his face. Nonetheless, he was glad he was wearing his domino mask to reduce the damage to his eyes. He couldn’t locate the fire source at first glance, so he set out to help get the people out first.
Landing on the roof, he started moving methodically floor by floor from the top, knowing that that’s where the smoke usually gathers. He cleared the first two easily, guiding and helping the people get out. On the next floor, he found a little girl, around Damian’s age or maybe younger, crammed tight into the corner of her room. She was clutching a brown teddy bear in her right hand. Across the room, her other toys and pictures were already melting from the heat. The smiles on the toys’ faces were starting to shift and melt into an ugly shape. The sight pulled at Dick’s heart, remembering the kids and all his pictures and memories that he failed to save when his own building and Haley's circus were set on fire. He shook his head to clear his mind. Remembering his old apartment and Haley's won’t help anyone now.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here to help.” Dick said to the young girl. “What’s your name?”
“Mummy said not to talk to strangers,” she replied, not daring to lose her tight grip on her toy.
“And your mum is right. How about I tell you my name instead?” Dick tried hard to focus on the girl instead of the sound of melting plastic dripping on the ground.
“Wing.”
“Yes, my name is Wing.” Dick smiled softly at her. “Your mum must be worried. We should get you to her, what do you think?” he asked, taking his spare rebreather out. When the girl nodded, he put it in her mouth and gave her instructions on how to use it.
“Just close your eyes and imagine you are in your favorite place. I’ll get you out of here.” Dick promised. Once he reached the window, he handed the girl, whom he never got the chance to learn the name of, to the first firefighter that finally arrived on the scene.
“Top three floors are clear. I’m going to check the rest while you put out the fire.” Dick shouted. Not waiting for an answer, he started moving again so quickly that he almost missed the be safe the other man called after him.
Never go back into a burning building , he remembered, and promptly ignored the instructions his 8th-grade teacher had given them when they were having fire drills.
On his way to the floor below, Dick made sure to close the doors and windows that he found open. That’s when he found an old couple struggling to escape. The man was coughing hard and leaning on his wife, who wasn’t doing any better, for support. He approached them immediately, took out his second spare rebreather, and helped the man put it in.
Why do you need two backups? That’s overkill. Bats is rubbing off on you . He can’t wait to laugh at Roy’s face when he tells him that he finally used both backups. Always be prepared . Okay, maybe Bruce was rubbing a bit on him. But, he is proud that it’s a two-way thing.
Helping the old couple to a firefighter correspondent didn’t take long. She assured him that they will be provided with the medical attention they need. He can already see the ambulances down there as well as the fire trucks extinguishing the fire. It’s almost out. In five minutes, the only proof there was ever a fire will be the blackened building and the smoke still reaching the skies.
Getting back to the building, he cleared the floor he was in, making sure no one was left behind. Then he went to the one below where he found a man whose leg was stuck under a table after it fell. He was kind of frantic and desperately trying to get his leg out. At least he was on the ground to avoid all the smoke and had a wet cloth on his face.
“On three, we will pull together, okay?” Dick said trying to calm the man. It was a bit anti-climatic and the leg was freed easily. He helped him limp to the evacuation route where he will undoubtedly receive help.
Dick helped half a dozen more people and gave his own rebreather to a baby who was struggling to breathe. With the help of the rest of the firefighters, they were able to get the fire under control and get everyone out.
Almost everyone. Because life has to be that cliche.
They heard crying from the second floor and Dick didn’t think. He rushed in, ignoring how his body was crying in agony and how it was getting harder to breathe from all the smoke. His lungs burned and his eyes were red from the effort of trying to keep them open.
You are an idiot, Richard. He hears Damian’s voice in his head. You know what I am capable of. Clearly, you needed my help tonight . He tutts but his tone hides how scared he was.
The sensors and IR vision in his mask helped him navigate his way. On some conscious level, he knows his suit is fire resistant but he can’t help but feel the heat consuming him. He made his way quickly to the second floor. His landing was shaky but he pushed through.
He found two kids in the third room he opened, an older girl was holding a boy while he cries. He could hear her whispering “I got you” to the boy.
“I got you.” Dick coincidentally repeated the little girl’s words back to them. “Let’s fry as hard as we can to get out, alright?” They were scared, he can see that. But the little giggle that escaped the boy’s mouth gave him all the energy he needed to get them out. He picked one on his back, the other in his arm, and started moving.
“I got you.” Both he and the girl kept repeating. “You are safe now.” He added. His hands tightened around them and tried to keep reassuring them.
By the sound of the sizzling and the smell of wire burning, he knew what was going to happen. A blown electricity circuit in case of fire was always a high possibility. He instinctively pulled the boy from his back to the front and jumped with all he has out of the window seconds before the bomb completed his momentum. It’s not a big fall. He could jump out of a second floor and parkour his way out if he was alone. As it is, he pulled his grapple hook and fired it so that he can deliver his precious cargo safely to the ground.
“You are safe now,” he said one last time before he let them into the arms of the waiting firefighters and medical personnel.
Dick dragged his legs out of the building after making sure everything was fine. Or not fine per se as a building was just on fire, but passable.
“Do you need medical attention?” the firefighter, George, asked once he saw him.
“Did we get them all?” Dick asked, ignoring his pain, breathing difficulty, and George’s question.
“All the building's occupants were accounted for,” George said. Dick felt the weight that was squeezing his chest lighten slightly. It’s been a very long night. “Five people were treated here on scene. One died and Two were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”
He failed someone tonight and almost failed seven more people. He made a mental note to check back on them.
People trust him with their lives; maybe, just maybe, they shouldn't.
“Thank you, George. You did well.” Nightwing’s leader's voice leaked through. He was glad to show the man that he appreciate his help and having someone on his side. After that, Dick pulled his grappling line and shot.
When things get hard, Dick goes up. He knows he must go back to his apartment or maybe even Gotham to start treating his injuries. But now that he landed on the relatively quiet roof, he feels like a muppet whose lines were cut. He has no energy left. He is going to rest here for five minutes before he gets going. Just five.
This day was super long and hard. The way it started really didn’t help any. He was hoping for an easy patrol for a change but his prayers apparently weren’t answered. His thoughts from earlier crept back into his mind when he heard another alarm go off.
He was tired. So so tired.
As Dick lay there, his face pressed to the cool roof floor, he pulled in a tired, shallow breath. His lungs need to be checked urgently. Time slowed, and darkness began to close in on him like the heavy velvet curtains that signaled the end of their circus performance act. He doesn’t know what alerted him and made him look up except for the fact that he felt another presence on the roof. He is sure he didn’t hear anyone approach, his trained skill set would alert him if that were the case.
The girl that approached either can fly or appear from thin air. Dick took a second to place where he saw her before when his memory reminded him of the little girl that he saved at the end. Between a blink and another, her whole appearance changed. Now, she didn’t look that much older than Tim. She was wearing a floppy hat over her black hair, hiding her black eyes. She was wearing a silver amulet with an ankh.
“You are here,” Dick said breathlessly. He just knew instinctively who she was. He took another breath and faced the fact that his body was starting to shut down. “I waited for you.” she flinched at that. He didn’t think Death could flinch.
“You saved me.” It was a statement as much as it was a question. Her eyes were warm and her tone soft. For a blink, Dick saw his mother. Or who he remembered her to be. It’s been a long time that he forgot how she looked and talked. “Why?”
Dick’s memory supplied him with the little girl that he saved in the end. The one who was whispering reassurance in the little boy’s ears. He wondered, was she there to save the boy or take his soul away? He would never know since the boy was relatively okay the last time he saw him in the firefighter’s arms. Was she here now to take Dick’s soul instead? Dick… he wasn’t ready. His family wasn’t either. But if he was honest with himself, he would appreciate the rest.
“It’s what I do.” he coughed a little and finally said when he realized he was losing time. “Save people.”
Except for the one he failed tonight.
And all the other names he has written in his notebook back home.
“You misunderstood my question.” Death was looking directly at Dick’s eyes as if the mask was mere glass. “No. You knowingly sidestepped it.” She sounded a lot like Donna when she was done dealing with his bullshit. Dick snorted at the image. Then was pained at the idea of not getting to call Donna, or any of his friends, back after the number of messages that were left unanswered from his side.
“Lady, I was born on a tightrope. I know how to sidestep topics.” Dick replied with a lopsided grin. It was an effort to keep even that. He was also brought up with Batman as his father, he didn’t say because she already knew that. She knew everything.
“You’re not afraid, are you?” Death asked, her hands brushing hair from falling into his eyes.
“Should I be?” Dick replied, his eyes starting to flutter closed.
“People usually are. But not you. Never you.” She actually sounded amused when she said that but then her demeanor suddenly changed to a serious one that he nearly got whiplash. “Why did you save me when you don’t want to be saved?”
Ah
Well, that’s a question he doesn’t have an answer for nor does he have the energy to think it through.
“Why did you save me when you could have let me fall with my parents?” he shot back, eyes finally closed.
He should switch his emergency beacon on but he can’t move his hands to do even that. His family probably already got a notification of his vitals and that his lungs were shutting down. He never wanted to scare them. But it’s not like he can do anything.
He’s thinking about all the people he’s going to leave behind. He has always known that there was a huge possibility of him dying in the field. Dying a hero, saving people. He just never wanted his last moments to be alone. He wondered if Death would be kind to deliver his final words to his family, friends, and loved ones but then decided against it. He doesn’t want any of them to meet her any time soon.
He distantly heard ”you have to see something.” before he lost his fight with consciousness and the act’s curtains swept closed. He was finally getting the rest his body desperately needed. The kind of rest that only comes with death, he supposes. And she was here after all.
He didn’t expect to open his eyes again. And he certainly didn’t expect to see a big sign with huge bloody letters written on it,
WELCOME TO ROT-AM