Nightwing One Shots

breathless.

"Tag, Dami, you're It," Dick laughed as he appeared from seemingly nowhere and tapped Damian on the shoulder.

Damian let out a roar of frustration. He shook his fist at his older brother who was now swinging away in the distance. "I'll get you, Grayson. You can't run from me forever!"

Dick's teasing cackles echoed in his ears. Damian muttered some curse words under his breath that he hoped Bruce would never hear and began chasing after Dick.

He found his brother in a darkened alleyway. Damian masked the concern on his face when he noticed Dick was hunched over, panting hard.

"Are you okay, Grayson?"

"Yeah," Dick wheezed out. "I just didn't realise how exhausted I would be after that little chase."

"Perhaps you should stop hanging around Todd so much," said Damian seriously. "He smokes a lot. Or maybe you're just out of practise."

"Shut up, Dami," Dick laughed and shoved Damian playfully. Much to the world's surprise, Damian didn't retaliate. Only Dick Grayson could push Damian and get away with it.

Suddenly, Damian lurched forward and smacked Dick on the chest. "Tag! Eat shit, Grayson!"

"Why, you little-"

But just as the two boys began to chase each other, a dark, ominous shadow appeared, blocking their path.

"Nightwing, Robin, I expect you to both act sensibly while on patrol, not partaking in silly, childish games," came the deep, cold voice of Batman. He glared through his cowl at them. "And, Robin, watch your language."

Damian curled his lip distastefully. "I apologise, Father - I mean, Batman."

"Yeah, sorry, B," Dick said with an easy grin. "It's just been pretty quiet tonight so Dami and I were just curing our boredom."

"If you're bored, come with me," said Batman. "Red Hood and Red Robin have been getting a lot of action where they are."

Dick rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Ooh-"

Damian rolled his eyes. "Tt, not that kind of action, Grayson."

They followed Batman to where Jason and Tim were busting up a small gang who dealt drugs.

Dick whooped as he swung into the battlefield. "Here comes the cavalry!"

"Tt," Damian sighed as he snuck in silently and began taking down thugs; a stark contrast to Dick's dramatic entrance.

"Tag, you're It!" Dick yelled as he beat up thugs with his escrima sticks. He flipped up onto a nearby rooftop with the help of his grappling gun to dodge the thugs' blows. He stood back for a few moments, watching his brothers and father fight. The world didn't stand a chance against the Bat Family.

He cried out all of a sudden as a bullet ripped through his shoulder. He teetered on the edge of the rooftop before he found himself tumbling to the ground. The wind rushed past his ears as he shot out a grappling line. But it fell short and an old memory flashed in Dick's mind. He was falling alongside his parents.

He hit the ground hard, and the impact caused him to cry out in pain. But when he opened his mouth, no sound came out; nothing but a weakened gasp. It felt as if his entire body had been shattered. He couldn't move, couldn't see past his blurry tears, couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe.

Someone was shaking his shoulder. Dick released an agonised whimper as the bullet in his flesh dug in. Through the blood pounding in his ears, he could make out the sound of Batman's voice.

"Nightwing, buddy, you still with me?"

Bruce seemed too far away. Dick reached out to grab hold but his fingers passed through thin air.

"I've got you, bud, just hang on a little longer for me."

Where were his lungs? Why weren't they working? Dick could feel panic and fear clawing at his throat, blocking his windpipe.

He wasn't aware as Bruce picked him up and carried him back to Wayne Manor. He felt detached from his body entirely; trapped in a state of breathlessness.

~~~

When he awakened, he found he couldn't move. His entire body ached, as if he'd been hit by a truck, or fallen off a roof.

There was a thick white bandage wrapped around his chest. He gasped as it squeezed the air out of his lungs.

"Hey, Dickie, glad you're awake." Bruce was sitting beside his bed. He frowned when he noticed the expression of panic on his son's face. "Dickie, what's wrong?"

"Bandage," Dick managed to wheeze out. "Too tight."

Bruce eased his son into a sitting position and readjusted the bandage round his chest. He breathed out a relieved sigh when he saw his son visibly relax.

"That was quite the fall you had there, chum," Bruce said with a fond smile.

Dick let out a pained chuckle. "Well, they don't call me Humpty Dumpty for nothing."

END.

~~~

a/n:

ew, i kinda hate that last line. nobody's ever called you humpty dumpty, dick smh