Chapter Text
My parents and I used to soar, then I watched them fall, since that day I've tried to catch everyone, who knew someday I'd have to be caught
It was the early evening in Bludhaven, the sun was dipping just below the horizon scattering oranges and reds over the inky black water in a vibrant display, the apartment building, where Dick slept was silent, the lights off, Haley curled in her dog bed, and no sign of Grayson anywhere, Barbara was sat at the desk, a green light reflecting off her round cheeks and lenses
"Oracle!" Dick's cheery voice paged through to her, and even from in his apartment, she could tell he was smiling, he was like 95% of the time anyway
"Evening, Nightwing" She said with an audible eye roll in her voice "So, your case for tonight, it's a bit of an odd case"
"Oh Yeah? Tell me what I'm looking at, Oracle" He was perched on the ledge of a shipping container staring at a warehouse, he could see people hauling boxes, not knowing whether they were just workers, or criminals
"They seem to have a link to our missing persons that keep arising" Oracle said as she clicked through files, keeping an eye on Dick's camera "Be careful."
"I always am" Dick said hopping from ledge to ledge until he got to the top of the warehouse and he saw the crates "Hello...!" Inside were vials of green liquid, about the consistency of honey, by the dozens in the crates "Oracle, you getting a view?"
"Sure am!" She said running scans from he database to try and see what it was "I'm not picking up anything from my files, this is underground stuff"
He slowly opened the window and dropped down onto the elevated floor below, misjudging the height, and hitting the floor with a sharp CLANG!!
Dick's eyes frantically darted to the workers, who after hearing the clang had all spotted him. He gulped, there were easily over 10 guys in this place, and only so much he could do with his Escrima sticks, he whipped them out anyway and vaulted over the railing, so much for stealth...
"Nightwing! What are you doing?!" Barbara frantically crackled over his ears
"Uhh- solving this case?" Dick responded, throwing a kick round the side of a goons jaw
"Dammit, Nightwing!" She sighed "You can't take them all on by yourself"
"Oh, I'm sorry Oracle, I'll just bring in someone else to help me out" Dick said sarcastically, hitting another goon to the floor with a quick stick-to-the-knees manoeuvre
Suddenly Dick yelped at the shock of a cold liquid trickling into a vein on his neck
"Nightwing?" Barbara called through the intercom "Nightwing? Are you okay?!"
"Ahh- yeah-" Dick swallowed hard "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'll walk it off"
"You most certainly will not, Nightwing, you're headed straight to bed. Now." She spoke in such a way where Dick knew she meant business
"Right, okay, I'm going, I'm going" He conceded putting away one of his sticks holding out the other, which released a shot of string out dragging Dick back out of the warehouse
He gracefully glided back through his apartment window, where Barbara and a now awake Haley on Barbara's lap were waiting. Barbara got up to greet him, and check it over but Dick only let out a soft groan as he swayed and then tumbled forward, leading Barbara to have to clutch his shoulders as his face flopped into his shoulder
"Jesus Dick..." Barbara sighed picking him up and dumping his unconscious body onto the bed with a sigh as she draped him with a blanket
He's just overworked, Barbara thought as she went upstairs to sleep
In her dreams she could swear she could hear a whiny "Baaarrbbbrrraa" But it felt far off in her dream state.
The next morning...
Barbara's eyes slowly fluttered open and she was shocked by what she saw, a boy, no more than 6 years old, pouting like a sad puppy next to her, his oversized blue shirt, medium black waves and unsettling blue eyes, gave it away
"Dick?" Barbara said, a lot more awake and shooting upright
"Barbara..." He whined, his voice quiet and higher than any register she heard her Dick speak at
"Are you alright?" she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and Dick pushed himself up following her move,
He's tiny... Barbara couldn't help but think but not for long as Dick clasped around his waist, hitting against her stomach and back only slightly, as Dick's six-year-old head buried into her waist