Nightwing Oneshots

Robin XXVIII

⚠️PTSD/PTSD Attack | Anxiety | Flashbacks | Mental Health Struggles⚠️

"Kinda like old times, huh, Wal?" I shouted, grinning while looking over at him.

"It's Will!" he shouted back, frowning. "Not Wal!"

I stopped, my grin falling as I realized my mistake. "That's-that's what I said!" I shouted, hoping he would just dismiss it as not hearing me correctly.

"Is it just the red hair?" he questioned.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to act confused and not dissociate or have any flashbacks.

"Your need for a Wally West substitute!" he said, pushing his clipboard against my chest. "I know that ever since he's died you've stopped talking with everyone, but I know you well enough to know that you've been trying to cover up your grieving and pretend like you don't miss him."

"A subsitute?" I said, attempting to ignore what he had just said. "That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?" he said, tapping my chest again. "Think about it, Dick. You already had Roy and Jim; you didn't need me for a mission!"

"I needed someone who knows the city," I said.

"You needed someone who knows you," he said, not breaking eye contact with me. "Stop lying to yourself, Dick; I know you miss Wally, but you can't come to me for a replacement for him, I'm sorry."

"Hey, Dick..." Wally, said, walking up to me with a guilty look on his face.

I glanced up at him from eating and raised my eyebrows, signaling for him to continue.

"So, Artemis and I have been talking," he said, sitting down next to me. "We're getting kinda tired of the hero life, y'know? We need a break. We wanna settle down, go to school, and y'know, have kids or something. We can't really do that if we're always battling superhumans and then putting ourselves and our kids at risk."

I stopped eating and stared at him. He pursed his lips in worry but I could tell he had already made up his mind.

"I understand," I said, setting down my food. I scoffed when he still looked worried. "What? I'm not gonna blow up on you for wanting a break, man."

His worried look faded into a small grin. "Sorry, I just... know how much the team means to you."

I shrugged. "I mean, yeah, it means a lot, but just because you're leaving doesn't mean we can never talk anymore. You're still gonna be my best friend, whether you're on the team or not, Wals."

He bumped my shoulder with his fist. "I know. Thanks, Dick."

We both stood up and I grinned at him. "One more mission before you go?"

He grinned back. "Oh, you're so on."

We both got our suits on and quickly left before anyone knew that anything had happened. We ended up spending the entire night fighting crime in the streets and doing simple things. It made me sad knowing that he was leaving the team, probably for good, but I was happy that we could go on one last mission together before he left.

We took a break for a while and just sat on top of a white van, casually chatting as it drove along the highway. My head was leaning against his shoulder as we watched the city lights streak past us.

"I'm gonna miss this," he suddenly said, sighing. 

"Miss what?" I asked him, not looking up but just staring at the lights.