As Good as Good Gets (DP X DC Snippet)
Richard "Dick" Grayson is the golden child. In the eyes of the public, and in the eyes of the league. Dick is a sweet, caring son, a man who went from being a sidekick to being a hero. The pipeline from Robin to Nightwing had many people applauding his dedication to keeping Gotham safe.
No one knew the full story, not truly. No one but Bruce Wayne himself. And maybe a certain butler. Many don't know that Dick only became Robin to stop him from hunting down and killing the man who killed his parents.
No one really knows about the harsh fights and arguments he has had with Bruce. The times when Dick would find himself cut off from the Wayne name for a week or so. No one knows that the first person Dick warmed up to was Alfred. Having been bribed with cookies.
Things weren't always this good, trusting, happy relationship between Bruce and Dick. It had been a rough ride, a complicated one. But that was okay, because it got better.
Dick stopped being so moody and angsty. He grew up, he learned, and he changed. He became an older brother, found people that needed him. Needed him in a way that the citizens of Gotham didn't need him.
His brothers like to call him annoying. A goody two shoes who Bruce trusted more than everyone else. They couldn't fathom how someone like Dick could be so stupid and bubbly at all times.
All times, except when shit hits the fans. Despite the name calling, despite coining Dick as the stupid Wayne. They all knew better. They knew that when it mattered, Dick Grayson always pulled through. He was a force to be reckoned with when needed.
The whole Wayne family was a force to be reckoned with when called for. It didn't have to be under the guise of costumes and vigilante acts. Whether he was Officer Grayson or Nightwing, Dick was a man with his morals and values.
One night on patrol as Officer Grayson, Dick found someone who needed that force. A force willing to protect and care for the innocent. The hurt. The damaged, yet still good.
It started like any other night. A call of shots fired by an empty warehouse. There was no sighting or knowledge of any rouges being there, so Dick took the call. Told the team he'll contact them if it seems more than just a civilian incident.
The warehouse was dark, reeked of copper and oil. It didn't take long for Dick to find the trail. The liquid he found looked like the person had been dragged before walking. There was a clear struggle, even with the mess and emptiness that was the warehouse.
That wasn't Dick's biggest concern. The concern lay in just how much blood there was. Too much for any normal person to lose and still manage to stumble through the warehouse.
It wasn't just blood. It wasn't that much, but Dick could spot the strangeness in the liquid. The mixed in green that had an eerily similar color and glow as a certain pit.
Without thinking, Dick followed the trail. Barely remembering to make contact with his family. Give them an update on what he found. Words telling him to stay put for backup went in one ear and out the other.
Something in Dick's gut was telling him he couldn't wait. He needed to find the source. Whoever was currently bleeding out in this warehouse. He silenced the comm, moving further through the dimly lit building.
Then Dick found it. Or more so, he found him. It was just a boy. A boy that reminded Dick too much of the youngest Wayne. A boy sat against a wall, looking pale and weak.
Red and green coated the front of the boy's shirt, arms wrapped tightly around his middle. An attempt to stem the bleeding. A puddle had already started to form beneath the boy, and Dick moved without thinking once again.
He quickly found himself kneeling beside the boy, hands carefully reaching out. Before Dick even touched him, the boy flinched. Eyelids suddenly opened, wide and terrified blue eyes landed on Dick's.
In just that one look, Dick knew what he had to do. The haunting, terrified, and pained look in the boy's eyes told Dick everything he needed to know. The boy was in danger. Someone had hurt this kid, and it was clear it wasn't the first time.
The boy struggled weakly against Dick's touch, terrified whimpers, and barely coherent pleas spilled from the kid's lips. It had Dick's heart aching, clear as day the poor kid has been through hell and back.
It took a lot of reassurance, gentle touches, and promises of help before the kid let Dick take a look at the bleeding wound. A promise on Dick's soul had been the final thing that earned him any semblance of trust. A strange promise, but Dick was willing to make it.
That concern turned to pure anger the moment Dick managed to pull the sticky shirt away from the wound. The sight of a Y-incision cut perfectly into the skin, stitches tight on the skin, but blood still leaking heavily from the wound.
It didn't take long for Dick to realize why. Despite the perfect surgical care of the wound, a good couple of stitches had broken. Leaving gaping spots for that red and green liquid to pour out of.
The boy was deathly silent, tears streaking down his cheek as wide blue eyes stayed trained on Dick. In that moment, Dick knew he had to help. Had to get the kid to safety, patch him up, and find out what kind of monster would do this.
It didn't matter if the kid was human or not. It didn't matter if the kid had special abilities or not. No one, absolutely no one, deserved to be vivisected.
The kid was shrouded in mystery, but that mystery only seemed to grow and become clearer when Bruce had entered the scene. The boy had tensed, eyes flashing a bright glowing green.
Lazarus pit green.
It set a pit of dread in Dick's gut. His mind brings forward memories of Jason. Jason, after his revival, after his dip in that cursed pit. The same flash that his brother would get if he got too angry. Too emotional.
As much as Dick wanted to focus on finding who did this, if it had any connection to Ra's al Ghul. He couldn't. Not when the kid tried to get up, to pull away as Bruce and the others made their way closer.
Right now, Dick only cared about making sure the boy was okay. Fixing those stitches, getting him a meal, and a warm bed.
He needed to get this kid someplace where he felt safe and secure. Comfortable and protected. Dick wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the promise he had made, but he wasn't letting anyone get to the kid.
That included his family. As strange as it seemed, Dick put himself between the others and the kid. Shooting them all a glare that they had only ever seen a handful of times.
Dick lifted the poor boy up in his arms, cradling the crying child close as he led the way out of the warehouse. Ignoring the questions or confusion coming from Bruce and the others. As Dick walked, feeling the trembling boy clinging to him, he made a rather obvious realization.
Maybe the eldest son really was more like Bruce than he expected. Just a few short moments the the boy, a boy that Dick didn't know his name, and he was ready to pull out adoption papers. To give the boy a safety he so desperately needs.
Give him the chance that Bruce had given him all those years ago.
532 notes
·
View notes
Caller ID
Sylus/Reader | 930 words | AO3
Sylus learns what you saved him as in your phone.
A/N: Infold is a coward for not letting me name him Big Ca-Cawk in my phone. Anyway…uh, vague timeline somewhere after the Immobilized memory.
“I can’t believe you actually saved me as ‘Kitten’ in your phone,” you grumbled for the fourth time that afternoon, pacing back and forth in Sylus’ office at Onychinus base. You were still upset by the whole incident on that trip with the Evol Linkage tethering the two of you together. Through that unfortunate situation, you learned something that, honestly in hindsight, really shouldn’t have been all that surprising. It still didn’t make you any less annoyed.
“What’s the matter, sweetie? Upset?” Sylus leaned back against his desk, arms crossed over his chest, and deeply amused by the many changing expressions on your face.
“Yes, I’m upset!” you turned and yelled at him, “I have a name, you know.”
“And it is a lovely name,” Sylus acknowledged with a haughty smile, “One that so many people use to call you. How many people call you ‘Kitten?’”
“…Just you,” you conceded with a weak glare, still unhappy.
“Exactly,” Sylus responded with an easy smile, happily choosing to ignore your scowl. “I want you to have a special name only I am allowed to use.”
You muttered under your breath to yourself, completely baffled, “…but why did it have to be ‘Kitten?’”
“Did you say something, sweetie?”
“Nope!” you responded with a forced smile. Just as quickly as you had finished answering him, a sneaky little thought suddenly flashed through your mind, making your cheeks burned for a moment. You quickly composed yourself, hoping Sylus didn’t notice your brief distraction. “Forget it, it’s just a caller ID. You will be the only one who will see it anyway…” you said before quickly adding under your breath, “hopefully…”
Sylus looked at you curiously as you started to walk by him. He grabbed your arm. “Hold it,” he said, “What is with that expression?”
You looked up, feigning ignorance. “What expression?”
“That look,” he said, his eyes darting all over your face. He loosened his hold on your arm, and said with a frown, “You look guilty. What are you hiding?”
“Nothing!”
Sylus gave you a disbelieving look. He held out his hand and you looked at it in confusion before he spoke up sternly, “Your phone. Hand it over.”
You shook your head, glaring at him again. “No! Why should I?”
“I want to see what you saved me as in your phone.”
“Sylus. I saved you as Sylus.”
“Oh, really?” He smiled, causing you to feel a sense of unease.
“Really,” you stated firmly, trying to maintain as even of a voice and expression as you could.
“Then…” he strode toward you slowly, making you back away from him with each step he took. For every step you took back, it seemed like Sylus’ long legs quickly covered the distance, surpassing it even. It didn’t take long before you found yourself cursing under your breath when your back hit the wall, and Sylus leaned over to trap you against it. You protested when his hand slipped behind you, pulling your phone out of your back pocket. He smirked. “Oh, good, it’s still unlocked.”
“Sylus, hand it back!” You tried to reach for your phone, but Sylus easily held it out of your reach with his imposing height.
“I will, sweetie, don’t you worry,” he said, opening the contacts app in the phone. “Since you said I am saved as just ‘Sylus,’ there’s no reason I can’t take a peek now, can I?”
“Uh…”
Your face paled as he scrolled through your contacts list, watching as his confident smile slowly disappeared, being replaced with an annoyed frown.
“I don’t see ‘Sylus’ in here…” He looked at you accusingly, “You’ve never saved me as a contact?”
“N-no!” you quickly yelled out, then adding weakly, embarrassed, “You’re in there…”
Sylus looked at you in disbelief, but he resumed scrolling through the contacts list one more time. On the second search, he realized you had saved everyone by their respective name, but there was one contact who stood out from the rest:
“Big…Ca-Cawk?” Sylus clicked on the contact and he recognized his phone number attached to the ID. “Big Ca-Cawk.”
You looked away ashamed.
“What does that even mean?”
“I have to go,” you said hurriedly as you swiped back your phone amid his confusion. You immediately raced out of the room, passing Luke and Kieran with a quick goodbye, before darting out the door to your waiting motorcycle. You quickly sped off and headed toward Linkon City.
Meanwhile, Sylus remained in his office, confused, as he crossed his arms over his chest, pondering the odd name you had given him. As he remained baffled, both Luke and Kieran strode in, both also confused, but for a different reason.
“Miss Hunter sure was in a hurry just now,” Kieran said.
“Yeah,” Luke agreed, “She only said goodbye to us and then bolted out the door like a bat out of hell.”
“Did she?” Sylus questioned with a deeper frown as he leaned back against the wall. “You two. Does ‘Big Ca-Cawk’ mean anything to you?”
“‘Big Ca-Cawk’?” Kieran repeated, confused.
“Big Cock.”
Both Kieran and Sylus immediately looked at Luke, who shifted nervously under their surprised gazes, “Is that not it?”
“Big…Cock,” Sylus repeated hesitantly.
The three men stood in the room staring at one another as an awkward silence took over. About a minute passed before Sylus cleared his throat, “If you two will excuse me, I have a call to make to a certain naughty kitten.”
Luke and Kieran watched confused as Sylus left the room with a pleased smirk plastered on his face.
550 notes
·
View notes