Steady On Forward

A/N:

WARNING Chapter Contains: Sexual Assault and PTSD Flashbacks

As previously mentioned, you can skip from the ✹ to the ✹‖ to avoid the triggering section if you wish.

Since it's referenced in this chapter, the comic pages containing Dick's rape by Tarantula in Nightwing (Vol. 2) #93 are linked under 'External Link' at the bottom of the chapter (desktop users only, unfortunately) for those who didn't read/don't remember and want a refresher on what exactly happened. Obviously warning for rape/SA in the comic pages.

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"Who the hell are you?" Dick grunted as he fought a woman in a simple black domino mask.

She was the one who had been stalking one of the ER nurses at Gotham General Hospital; and her peering over the side of a rooftop facing the exit with a gun on a night he was working late didn't look good. Thankfully, Dick had gotten the drop on her and kicked it out of her hand and over the side of the building before they'd started fighting.

What he couldn't figure out was why she was fighting instead of running. She didn't seem to have any sort of established costume, just dark athletic wear and the domino, and the gun was certainly not the type of rifle ideal for shooting from such a distance. Everything screamed random amateur with a grudge, but she was fighting him...and she was pretty good.

Perhaps she figured he would catch her even if she ran, and that she may as well go down fighting. Really there was no telling until he took her down.

"It's none of your concern who I am, pretty boy." Her teeth flashed as she grinned, dancing out of the reach of his Escrima Sticks, and landing a hard kick to his wrist. His left-hand Escrima Stick went flying and clattered across the rooftop.

He twisted his hand quickly to grab her foot and yank her off balance. She crashed hard onto the rooftop on her back, and Dick took the moment to grab two Wingdings out of one of his gauntlets while she was down. "Really?" he said. "Because I'm pretty sure I bring down criminals, and it's looking like you are one. You know, what with the waiting with a gun after stalking a nurse here for days," he said.

She quickly rolled to the side and back up onto her feet, backing out of his reach again and managing to dodge both of the Wingdings as he threw them quickly one after the other.

"You don't operate in the law either, Mr. Vigilante-Wing."

Like those two things were comparable. Ugh.

Dick didn't dignify that with a response, and decided to take a risk, since she was moving out of his reach again and again so quickly. He took a running start and flipped over her head, reaching out to strike her from behind with the remaining Escrima Stick. He landed a hard hit with a small electric shock on her shoulder, but just as he made contact, she turned, jabbing her elbow up and back, striking him in the side of his head on his way down. He felt his communicator pop out of his ear, and it bounced away over the rooftop.

Well that had been stupid of him to try. He stumbled, and dropped to his knees, fighting dizziness.

"I've got to admit, they weren't exaggerating. That was pretty hot, Nightwing. Too bad I saw it coming."

She shook her arm out, chasing away the feeling of the electric shock as she stepped forward toward him. He tried to strike at her with the remaining Escrima Stick, but she stepped on his wrist and it fell from his grip. She kicked it across the roof. ✹