Meaning: Serenity, morality


Sometimes he doesn't know why he even puts on the suit anymore.

Every day, he fights a never-ending war. He saves lives, but he loses some, too. He stops bad people, but he doesn't always get praised.

And he keeps families together, but somehow he always feels alone.

It's a thankless job, one he sometimes fails to see the purpose of. Will people even remember him if he's gone the next day? He doesn't know. He doesn't even know if he's making an actual difference, because it feels like a new thug rolls onto the scene every other day, one bigger and more menacing than the last.

For all the light this job promised, sometimes it feels like he's swinging right out into darkness.

He struggles to see the bigger picture. He struggles to find motivation to keep going.

But then he sees her.

Her smile. A smile that can look the devil in the eye and make him reconsider his life choices. He remembers the first time she showed it to him. Her father had just brought her into the cave and was talking with Canary, and his teammates were in a psychic conversation with each other. The two of them were just staring at each other like dolts, and whether it was out of excitement, awkwardness, or something in between, she sent him the cutest, shyest grin of her life.

Her hair. Blacker than the shadows he hides in, more full than a glass of water. It feels rich, like a forest he can run his hands through. He loves the feeling of her silky strands tracing over his fingers as he pets her scalp. And he especially loves how it sometimes parts around her head like a glimmering aura of black when she's lying down. It helps sell his crack theory that she's half-angel.

Her eyes. Brighter than the sun and holding more light than the heavens. People say eyes are the window to the soul, and if that's really the case then he doesn't think he's seen a soul more pure than hers. And he'll never tell anyone, not even her, but when he was designing his Nightwing uniform, he picked out that very same blue for his insignia. So that whenever someone sees it, they'll get a glimpse of that purity. So that he could maybe, just maybe, spread a bit of her innocence, her light, to those who need it most.

He sees all these things, and then he remembers why he fights. He fights to preserve people like her. To make sure that no matter how cruel or unforgiving the world can be, that the goodness inside humanity will still persevere.

And so long as she lives, so long as her goodness shines through, he'll never stop fighting.