Promise?

Last Words

"Just stay out, Dick."

The cool drops of rain numbed Nightwing's body as he grappled through Bludhaven.

"Stay out of the Manor? You're kicking me out?!"

His legs threatened to give out on him as he landed on a roof, a powerful cough rattling his lungs. Between the rain and the pained tears in his eyes, his vision was starting to blur. "My chest..." he wheezed, clutching the area over his heart. The numbing rain did nothing to prevent him from experiencing the pain that his heart and stomach were emitting. All he could do was hope that he had something to help him inside his apartment.

"..."

"...Fine. Goodbye, Batman."

He never thought leaving home would have been so difficult. Sure, he technically moved out years ago, but he was never banished from the house he grew up in. But Bruce did end up yelling at him to leave, and Dick had left without another word, promising himself that he would never speak to his former guardian ever again. That promise had been in effect for three months straight, with Dick only making contact with Alfred and his 'brothers.'

Maybe he should call him... He might be able to save him...

No, he would handle this himself. He didn't need Bruce. He would rather die than go crawling back to him.

Even as he thought this, his legs finally gave out and he went into another coughing fit. What was it that Deathstroke injected him with? A new poison? Whatever it was, it didn't look as though he would be getting out of it alive. Dick rested his head against the wet concrete of the roof, eyes closed in defeat. His entire body burned, his heart ached, his lungs protested against every breath he took, and he was tired. So very tired.

"Does it ever stop hurting?" A young Dick asked Bruce, eyes filled with tears. This was the first night he had spent in the Manor, and he missed his parents more than ever. But Bruce said that he knew how Dick felt, maybe he could help him now?

Bruce smiled sadly in response. "No," he said truthfully. "but it gets easier to ignore the pain."

Dick sniffled, unable to fight against the tears that threatened to fall. "I miss them." He whispered mournfully, throwing his arms around the man in a desperate hug.

"I know." Bruce responded, hugging him tightly despite of the tears that spilled all over his expensive suit. "And I'm sorry."

Dick gasped for breath, hands curling into fists in hope of relieving him from some of the pain. His veins felt like they were on fire, and a sudden sharp pain in his torso made his back arch. This pain was unbearable, and he knew that if he continued laying there, feeling sorry for himself, there would he nothing he could do to keep himself alive.

He needed to call Bruce.

Determined to get out of this in one piece, Nightwing slowly picked himself up, ignoring how the world lurched immediately. His apartment was a few buildings away from his current locating, so surely he could make it there if he put his mind to it.

His first step was shaky, and the next threatened to make him collapse, but he ignored it, forcing himself to move. When he got to the edge of the rooftop he was completely exhausted, and there was no way that he would be able to leap across to the next. So he allowed himself to fall back to his knees. As soon as he hit the concrete, he leaned over and epically spat out the contents of his stomach. Instead of feeling alarmed at the amount of blood present in his sick, he simply felt exhausted. There was no way he would be able to make it back to his apartment to contact Bruce Wayne...