Dick Grayson, Richard Grayson, and Nightwing are all the same person. But thats not quite true. All of those are just titles of personas from over the years. Dick Grayson, loving older brother and support for anyone who may want want it. Richard Grayson, astute ward of the Bruce Wayne, the perfect son. Nightwing, hero to those in need and villain to those who who intercept him. He is all of these, yet none of them.
Dick is the eldest brother, first Robin, etc. He's the Boy Wonder. But thats also a title of the past, isn't it? Dick Grayson is all of the above, but he's also a fraud. Richard Grayson, the smile the press require, demand. The oh-so-lucky son of Brucie Wayne himself. A cover. Then theres Nightwing. "Nightwing" was not his first, or last even, vigilante title. He's been Batman himself. But Nightwing is who he is, the easy-going, humorous hero you can count on to save the day. But thats just it, isn't it? Nightwing's not permanent, never was, so how could Nightwing possibly be the hero everybody needs, if he's not even going to be around when needed?
Of course, these aren't his only titles. There's been 'Dickhead,' 'Robin,' and the aforementioned 'Batman' himself. Hell, he's been called thousands of things, all over the span of his 28 years of life. So what makes these titles so special? Or rather, what sets them apart from all the rest?
Nightwing, because thats who he is, what he is, at the moment is trying to find the answer to this himself when he hears Oracle over the comms. Her voice is terse, and for the first time in years, Nightwing knows she may just snap. She was there, Oracle - because thats who she is right now. Not Barbara Gordon, not Babs, and certainly not his loving (ex)girlfriend. - when Catalina forces herself onto him, kissing him against his will. He knew it looked consensual to any possible bystanders though, and of course Oracle just happened to be one of them. Dick Grayson was dumped in seconds, leaving no one who loves him. After the Spyral incident, his whole family is mad at him. Not that it was really his fault, but that would only cause more arguments. So, he keeps his distance. Now this isn't a very Dick Grayson thing to do, but Dick is a fraud, and he isn't ready for the disappointed glares, the screaming from his otherwise quiet brother, and worse yet, the looks if grief.
Oh. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to him that his siblings seemingly grieved a brother who never actually died - even though he did, and goddamn did it hurt to die. He remembers how it first felt to hear Jason was alive, albeit without context of how, and just how angry he was. He did that to his siblings. Every last one of them, wasting around grieving somebody who seemingly never died. Man, he really did sound like an asshole.
That train of though is interrupted by the loud cries of what sounds like a young man, followed by the sound of a lady. His eyes dart around the area, before eventually landing on a man in his early twenties, and a woman at least ten years older than him. Nightwing freezes when he realises the man is pushed against…a garbage can? Of all things. The woman is shorter than him, but still seems to tower over him in presence alone. The man could easily push her away, if it weren't for the fact he seemed frozen in place, clearly not expecting this situation. And was he…hyperventilating, too? Nightwing, no, Dick, freezes. The woman in front of the young man is no longer a regular citizen, but Tarantula herself.