Dick didn't intend to pass out on his bed, and yet, here he was, groaning at the sound of his alarm going off. He slapped a hand down on the alarm without even lifting his head from the pillow. Laying there for a minute, he debated on snoozing in. It was so tempting to sleep in for once. He wasn't even under his blankets, but the bed was so warm.

Maybe just five more minutes... He was planning to call in today anyways, so more sleep couldn't hurt. Wait.. Why was he calling in-

Dick's eyes snapped open as he gasped to life. He pushed off his bed, stumbling backwards into the wall as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Right.. he had a guest. Dick glanced over to the door to his bedroom, fuzzy from his slumber.

Only the hum of electricity and the whirl of the ac was heard. Dick listened for a moment longer while his body took the time to become more alert. He didn't hear any stirring from the living room, but considering how silent Danny was yesterday- He wasn't certain if that was a bad thing or good thing.

The man let out a heavy breath, reaching over to turn off his alarm. He didn't want to risk it going off and waking up anybody else, especially the teen who looked like he was on death's door. If anyone needed a good rest it would be him.

Dick stretched, making his joints pop. He had a lot to do today. He needed to contact Barbara, call into work, buy some groceries, buy clothes for Danny, get a DNA sample- Dick's face scrunched up in disgust as the smell wafted into his face.

"Fewh! First things first." He shook his head, making his way towards the bathroom. He needed a shower, badly.

Dick pushed open the door to the bathroom, flicking on the lights. He groaned covering his eyes as the glittered bathroom blinded him. He rubbed at his eyes, stumbling back before getting a good visual of the scene. There was pink glitter everywhere... on the floor, ceiling, shower curtain.

Dick groaned, shaking his head, as he spotted the capsule that set it off. He reached down to pick it up, reading the note that was attached to the casing.

'Bet you can't find them all before they really SET you off. -Jay'

"Replace his ammo with glitter bullets, ONE time." Dick sighed, then grabbed a dirty towel from the hamper. He used it to pick up or at least push around as much glitter as he could with his foot. He placed the capsule on the sink, using another towel to dust glitter off the sink and toilet.

When did it even pop open? Had to be after Danny left the bathroom... Or else that poor boy would have been covered in it. How long was the glitter bomb even in there? Dick smiled a little. It was nice to know his siblings visited, even if it was out of revenge.

Dick couldn't clean up much of the glitter without getting a vacuum out, so he had to settle for a footpath he made with the towels. With that, he hurried to shower.

The warm water was nice over his aching joints. Maybe after he gets things settled in a bit, he should take a bath this weekend. That sounded nice to him. He had been spending a lot more time out on patrol than usual. The fact it was raining around this time of year doesn't help.

He frowned, letting the water run over his head. He rubbed his neck, taking in a long deep breath. He felt stupid. He was letting THIS get to him, over all the things he's been through, and yet.. He never felt right around this time. All he could think about was when he was at his breaking point.. breaking a vow in desperation. The pouring rain. Hands trailing his torso...

Dick shook his head and grabbed his soap bar and luffa, scrubbing harshly at his skin. He focused his thoughts on cleaning his skin. He didn't have time to dabble in the shower anyways. He didn't want to take a chance of leaving Danny alone for too long, whether the kid was still asleep or not. He looked like the flighty type. He had to at least get some information about him before the kid tried to disappear.

He scrubbed and rinsed off the best he could before turning off the water and hopping out of the tub. Dick dried himself off, then scurried into the bedroom to get changed, cursing that he forgot to grab his clothes out. He needed to get into a better habit of that, especially since he's expecting a guest long term.

After getting dressed and dried, Dick noticed he still had pink glitter speckled over him. Even on his clean clothes, with no hope of removing them. Annoyed, he blew a strand of hair from his face, slinging his towel around his neck.

At least he didn't stink anymore. Dick walked over to the door to the living room, doing his best to be as silent as possible while opening the door. He peeked into the rest of the apartment. Lights peered through the blinds, dimly lighting up the living room. His eyes squinted at the couch trying to make sense of the shape, then widened quickly.

"Shit."

Dick flicked the switch on the wall and rushed to the couch. Dread sinking in. He ran his fingers through his hair. The couch was empty with the blankets folded neatly to the side. Danny's backpack was gone. It was hardly like he was there at all.

Damn, he was so stupid. He shouldn't have sat down on his bed.. He should have stayed up. He should've drank that cup of coffee. He should have- Check. His eyes glanced at the clock. Okay, he's looking at a three to four hour time frame.

Dick clicked his tongue as he checked the laundry room to see if the kid had left anything behind to make the search easier. He didn't. Biting his thumb, he took a moment to think. Danny had some kind of powers. He wasn't certain what kind or how many, but the ability to gain air is one of them. Which means the kid could probably travel far- shiiiit.

Babs. Call Babs.

He stumbled through the apartment, back into the bedroom to pick up his phone. Babs would be able to hack into nearby cameras, and catch some kind of hint on where the kid would have gone. He probably should get his suit ready too. Dick held his breath as it rang.

"Mm. Dick? What the Hell- shouldn't you be done patrolling?" Barbara picked up, sounding as if she had just woken up. Or was about to fall asleep, Dick had guessed while taking a second glance at the clock."I am, but-""Then it can wait-""No! It can't- listen!" Dick hissed."Okay okay.. sheesh. Don't yell in my ear." Barbara yawned into the phone."Okay-" Dick wasn't sure where to start as he paced back and forth with his phone to his ear. He was shaking his free hand trying to calm himself. "Look- can you access cameras in about a thirty to fifty mile radius from my apartment from the time period of three am to now?""Dick... is this about-""No just.. I don't know. I.. I kind of did a Bruce... I found this kid last night. I took him in, he looks really bad Babs. Had an armored blob chasing him-He's a meta I think. Now he's gone. And-""Hold on, pretty boy. Run it by me from the top." Babs grunted, sounding as if she was sitting up.

Dick recounted his tale to Barbara, while he paced his apartment. At the end he flopped down onto the couch, massaging his head with a deep sigh.

"So he up and ran away after you fell asleep?" Sound of her pouring something fresh into a cup. Dick assumed it was coffee."'I'm so stupid.""A bit. But don't worry, I have the cameras searching for the kid now. I picked up one from your apartment complex already..." Barbara then chuckled, "Looking for black hair and blue eyes, I'm guessing?"

Dick pulled his hand down to his face and groaned into it.

Barbara snorted, "You weren't kidding when you said you pulled a Bruce."

"Nn." Dick retorted."Don't nn me."

Silence hung between them for a minute. Dick bounced his leg impatiently as he felt pain of lack of sleep and stress burning at his eyes. Maybe once off the phone, he'll try and swab anything for Danny's fingerprints or DNA- Dammit Jay. Dick smacked his head. That glitter probably covered anything he could use in the bathroom.

"Hey, Birdboy. How about you go get some rest? I'm sure Danny didn't make it far, even if his powers let him. I'll call you as soon as I find something.""I can't-""I'm not just talking about sleep. You won't be of any help to Danny or the city if you keep it up. Take a breather. Go to the gym, get some coffee, and a little breakfast. I'll let you know if I find anything. Ok?""Yeah, sure. Thanks Babs. You're the best.""And don't you forget it."

Dick said his goodbyes, hanging up the phone. He let out a deep sigh, placing his phone down on the table. He still needed to call in his work, but part of him wondered if he should go in anyways. Maybe research the police database, to see if there was anything pertaining to Danny. Either way, he was going to be late-

He stood up, and cursed as he bumped his knee into the table. He hissed as he lifted his leg up to rub it when his eyes spotted something underneath the table. Dick shoved the table aside and reached down to pick up a piece of paper towel. It was hastily written with ink.

"Thanks for the offer, but I have something to do." Some lines were scratched out as if he had thought about what he was going to say. Including, he 'didn't give the couch a fair test' and 'sorry', that was marked out. By how Dick found the note, he wasn't even certain the kid meant to leave the note out for him.

Either way, Dick's skin was crawling. Because of how he found Danny, he didn't have a good feeling about what the kid meant. He picked up his phone to make another call, while pulling out his suit from where he stashed it.

It had been two months since Danny disappeared. Barbara could only find fuzzy recordings that might relate to Danny, which were at a weird time and place relative to Dick's apartment. Considering Danny was a meta, it wasn't too far-fetched they were related to him... And it was one of the few leads he had.

Dick did manage to dust some of Danny's fingerprints off the laundry detergent, but that also came inconclusive. Danny seemed to have burnt his fingerprints off of his left hand. What partial ones he could find didn't yield any results.

They also searched databases several times for missing kids around the ages of eleven to fifth-teen. Each search they looked for wider distances and longer time-frames of being reported missing. Dick was keeping up with each new report of a boy with black hair that had gone missing, but still ended up with dead ends.

Dick even put the handwritten note into the database to try and find anyone with similar writing, but of course that failed too. Without a picture or clear video of the teen, it seemed he had nothing to go by. As if the kid hadn't even existed... Which crawled at Dick's skin. Anxiety nipping at his heels, telling him he had to keep searching. Something had to come up. Anything.

The only bit of comfort was the strange spotting of camera corruption throughout the city. Which gave him hope the kid was still around.. alive. He had been keeping up with police reports of shoplifting, but the only thing of interest was of a cranky gas station owner who kept a list of all small things that were missing from his inventory. Not much of a hint, but considering it was food or drinks that were missing.. It meant someone was sneaking in there with intent to eat. Another common thread was that the store owner's camera had malfunctioned a couple times.

Dick marked that gas station as part of his patrol route, with his patrols growing longer and starting earlier, especially on his days off. Often he withheld sleep or kept with light meals he picked up on the way. He needed to find this kid, before something worse happened.

Barbara had been hounding him to rest, but grew tired of her words falling on deaf ears. So, she turned her efforts to dig deeper to find Danny, searching the database for births with the name Danny or any variant of, between the years they estimated Danny to be. Dick prayed they would find something soon.

Dick sighed heavily, the city was covered in a dense fog. It had rained on and off again this week. He felt like a cold was settling in as he held back a cough. He looked at his radar, frowning. Nothing, again. 17 hours of patrolling straight, and he hadn't even been notified of a glitched camera in the city.

He stood up and stretched, his joints popping. Maybe he should've listened to Babs, and get a good day of rest. He was off tomorrow and he was starting to feel like he was losing his touch. He coughed painfully, clutching his bruised side. His body seemed to agree. He decided, after he'd finished staking out whatever deal the local mob was making, then he'd go home and rest.

Easy.

So he thought, until he had found himself tied up to a chair. Bound rather tightly by used fishing nets on his torso, hands, and ankles. Huh. Someone actually passed knot-tying class for once.

"Lookie who's awake, a little birdie.""Actually, it's Big Birdie." Nightwing winked, as he tried to get a feel of the netting. It was tight enough to cause his fingers to go numb."oof-" Nightwing grunted as he was smacked roughly in the back of the head with a hilt of a gun. Bastard."I know I get hit on a lot but this is ridiculous! Did you guys ever think that perhaps I'd rather have flowers instead? Catch more birds with honey, than vinegar as they say."

That earned him another slap in the back of the head, or it would have if he didn't dodge the attempt and smash the offender's hand against the beam that the chair sat in front of with his head. Earning him a satisfying screech from the guy.

He could have sworn he heard a snort of laughter in his left ear as the guy on his right kneed him in the ribs. Nightwing bent over with a wheeze, as far as his restraints would allow him anyways. At least someone found some humor in his jokes. Or his pain. Either one.

"Leave him. Once the boss gives the okay, he'll get his due." The guy in front of him, with a five o' clock shadow and a cigarette in his mouth said, blowing smoke into his direction. Gross."Whatever. Son of a Bitch." The guy to his right cursed, he had a scar on his cheek and was shaking his crushed hand."Woof." Well that earned him a glare, but otherwise he was left with silence. Tough crowd. Well, he guessed it was the perfect time to take in the environment.

There were four people in the room, two behind him and two in front of him. One was staring out a boarded window, submachine gun in hand. The mini leader of them, who was standing in front of him, went to talk on the phone, pacing around a pile of boxes. He had a couple of pistols on his hip.

He couldn't see the guy that was to his right, but he could hear him grumbling as he leaned against something that creaked under his weight. More crates, he assumed. Sounds of it, he was cleaning the pistol he had whacked him in the head with. Muttering something on the lines of we should have tossed him in the ocean.

Rude.

And then there was someone to his back left. He couldn't get a good reading on the guy. He just knew he was there. Surrounded. Nightwing silently clicked his tongue.

The sun was up, peering through the window. So they had to be facing the east side at one of the docks. Fishing docks, he had guessed by the amount of nets he could see, including the one tying him to the chair.

He moved his foot to see if they were as tight as the ones on his wrists, unfortunately they were. He wondered which boy scout turned mob grunt was out of these four. Probably the one he couldn't read.

A gun fired as a bullet bounced and left a mark in the concrete in front of Nightwing's feet.

"Don't move." The mini-leader spoke, gun pointed at him, while still on the phone.

Dick grinned sheepishly in reply.

The man turned his attention back on the conversation through the phone, his gun still pointed at Nightwing, "Uh-huh. Yeah. Got it, Boss."

The guy flipped-close the phone, shoving it into his pocket. He took the cigarette from his lips, taking a deep puff from it. Then he exhaled, surrounding his head in smoke while tossing the cigarette to the ground, crushing it under his foot.

"Alright, I got word of what to do from the Boss." He gestured behind him at the guy stationed at the window. "MV you make sure no one interrupts us.""Johnny, you take care of Nightwing, but make sure you use that pretty pistol we 'borrowed' off of the west side goonies."

Nightwing raised a brow. So they were going to try and stage his death. Good luck pulling that off.

"Happily." Nightwing felt a rough grab of his hair, and it being yanked back into the metal column. He hissed in pain, glaring up at the scar faced man. God, his breath stunk.

Nightwing felt cold metal pressed under his chin, shoved so hard against his throat it was gagging him a little. He glared as he wiggled, trying to get out of his ties. But he could barely move. If he could catch the guy off guard.. Then maybe he could-

The mini-leader had his hand firmly pressed on his shoulder and a leg keeping Dick and the chair in place.

He really should have listened to Babs. He definitely won't be any help to Danny or his family once he is dead. He doubted how likely he could survive a bullet to the brain twice, especially positioned like this. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he closed his eyes.

Before the trigger pulled all he could think about was how sorry he was to his family. He should have taken his own advice he often gave them.

He felt a cold chill on his skin, as if he was wrapped up in a cold embrace. He wondered if it was his parents who were grasping him. He'd like to think that.

Then the trigger was pulled, and a bang echoed.