Just Robin Oneshots Part 2

Nightwing is a badass pt 3 ig??

been stressed lately so I hope that didn't reflect on the story

The team was admittedly terrified. Captured wasn't a good position to be in yet here they were sitting on the floor of some old building, tied up, powers suppressed, weapons gone, watching their leader try to take out twenty guys almost twice his size. They would've cheered him on but gags were obstructing their ability to. Their brains worked tirelessly to think a way out of their situation to help Nightwing but the only plan that would work was sit back and hope Nightwing was able to get them out of it. He was doing well but they could tell he was slowing down. They couldn't blame him. His body was working more than it should and they could tell he was silently regretting not calling for more backup whilst he had the chance. "Jokes on you guys, I'm just schooling these kids on what it takes to be an infamous badass," he declared, kicking the legs out from under another brute and dodging a punch that came a bit too close. They knew things were getting worse. His quips had been decreasing thanks to the goons upon goons coming to beat him up and take all the credit. Though, they didn't disagree with his statement. He really was showing them what it took to be an infamous badass and by God, they hoped he stuck around to give them the lesson more in-depth. 

The game changed when the guys thinned out and only the strongest were left. It wasn't in their favour, however. Nightwing was low on smoke bombs, deciding that using them now would make their exit a whole lot harder. So he mustered up all the strength that was left in him and got on fighting. In theory, it should've worked. In practice, it didn't. His strength wasn't even half the strength of the three henchmen left. One came up behind him and, because the team's muffled screaming of caution wasn't too different from their muffled cheering, got the jump of the hero. He pushed Nightwing to the floor, sitting on his stomach and wrapping his hands around his throat. Nightwing tried to push against him but the two remaining men grabbed his arms and restrained him whilst the guy on his stomach did the dirty work. Eventually, his struggling slowed. Then it stopped. His eyes fluttered shut and his limbs relaxed. The men released their respective grip on the hero and left him on the floor. The team of young heroes was in shock. Robin prayed this was a sick joke. Wonder Girl screamed into her gag like no tomorrow. Lagoon Boy, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy were stuck staring at their leader's motionless body. Blue Beetle refused to look at the scene any longer. All were begging for this to not be true despite all the odds. How were they going to tell the League? That Nightwing fought to save them whilst they just sat there and watched? That he wouldn't have been there in the first place had they not been captured? That they suggested he not call Batgirl, Miss Martian and Superboy and he trusted them to be right? They'd be outcast if they were lucky.

Footsteps caught their attention followed by a rather menacing laugh. They looked up to find the mobster they were after in the first place, admiring her thug's handiwork. "What a shame. I know many people who would've paid a pretty penny to do the same thing. Though, they would've made his death a lot more tortuous," she mused. "You kids should thank my men for not making it a lot longer than it needed to be." They glared at her, to which she took mock offense. "Ah well, call it building up good karma for what I'm gonna do next." As she grabbed her gun and began to load it, cursing about her useless employees for not doing it for her, the team noticed movement from Nightwing. They wondered if that was just a part of his body slowly recognizing it was dead. That was until the white lenses of his mask opened. A smirk fell on his face and he gave the team a cheeky wink. They were too shell shocked to even believe what was happening before them. He brought his index finger to his lips, signaling for them to keep his lack of deadness a secret. They returned their focus to the woman failing to get herself ready to off them so as not to give away the fact Nightwing had been resurrected. Nightwing silently and carefully crawled across to the woman, knocked her legs out from under her and wrestled the gun out of her hands. At this point the three henchmen had returned upon hearing their boss cry out for help, only to be met with a shot to the legs. They fell down and cried with agony whilst Nightwing tossed the gun to the side. He got off the mobster and cuffed her. Then his attention fell solely on the amazed teammates. "I swear I shot them none fatally. Batman would kill me if I didn't," he announced. Although his voice was hoarse and cracked, they felt reassured by his misplaced jolliness. Nightwing started untying and removing the collar on Wonder Girl first since she was closest and was immediately rewarded with a tight hug. Now, this was an Amazonian tight hug and, after being thoroughly throttled, Nightwing didn't have much air left in him. "Love the sentiment but I think you're doing a harsher number on me than those thugs," he wheezed. She instantly let go with an embarrassed smile. 

"Sorry."

Once they were all untied, Nightwing found himself in a group hug that he didn't have to initiate for once. "Jeez, if I knew nearly dying was all I had to do to get a hug, I'd do a lot more," he joked.

"Don't you dare! I thought you were really dead!" Kid Flash exclaimed. He received nods from the rest of the team, backing his statement. 

"It was just some light acting," he replied. "Well, sort of acting. That guy was a little harder than I thought and knocked me out for a second or two but I'm back," he assured them. They stared at him in awe. Nightwing was something else. They wondered if he was really fully human or just a really well-hidden alien. "You should rest though. Beetle says that guy did a number on your throat," Blue Beetle suggested. Nightwing waved a hand dismissively and hit a button on his communicator. 

"I've been choked out enough times. My throat should be made of steel by now," he croaked.

"You're such a badass," Beast Boy cooed. The older grinned, almost blushing at the compliment. What could he say? Compliments were great. 

"Aww stop, you'll have me as red as a tomato," he replied. 

"That's Wally's job," Robin muttered candidly, nudging Kid Flash with a wink.

"Seriously though, we should get those guys an ambulance because there's a lot of blood," Lagoon Boy stated, grimacing at the crimson liquid. Nightwing glanced over and hit another button on his communicator, presumably for some medical assistance. "How did you even know how to shoot them? I thought Batman was strictly no guns?" Beast Boy inquired.

"Knowing how to shoot one can be the difference between life and death sometimes. Plus Batman technically didn't teach me how to shoot them." He winked at Robin, whose mouth dropped. There was only one other person who could've taught him. 

"Oh, you've so gotta tell him to teach me too."