[DC] Nightwing, Want a Wife?

Dick doesn’t know what happened.

He only remembers that one moment, he lost everything.

Fire and explosions devoured his room, his city, his life.

The next moment, he woke up in an unfamiliar room.

This isn’t Blüdhaven.

That messy room, piled with equipment, turned to ash in the explosion.

This room, though, is cozy.

He sits up in bed, and the comfortable blanket slips off him.

Dick sees a framed photograph on the bedside table.

In it, he’s got his arm around a girl he doesn’t recognize. The Dick in the picture is smiling brightly, looking... happy.

Is this a dream?

Has he finally passed out?

Or is this some other kind of conspiracy?

“Dick!”

A cry, choked with tears, yanks him from his thoughts.

“You’re finally awake!”

The next moment, a warm body throws itself into his arms.

Before Dick’s mind can catch up, his arms have already tightened around her, the gesture as natural as if he’s done it a thousand times.

“If the doctor’s shot had gone just a little farther, you might never have woken up...”

Your tears brush against his chest, hot and damp.

For some inexplicable reason, his heart gives a painful lurch.

But...

“I’m sorry, miss.”

He uses all his strength to push the person in his arms away, trying to make his voice sound as cold as possible.

“Do I know you?”

*

Dick soon figures out what’s going on.

Clearly, this is a parallel world.

And you, who just threw yourself into his arms, are his girlfriend in this world.

There are no superheroes in this world.

And, of course, no villains.

No superpowers, no aliens, no magic, none of that strange future technology.

Just ordinary crime and ordinary life.

And... parents who are still alive.

His parents didn’t die that night at the circus.

They simply changed careers in the face of new media and became stunt performers.

Dick himself is a cover model.

You’ve been together for eight years.

You got engaged at the beginning of this year and planned to marry at the end of it.

A week ago, the two of you went out for a date night.

Then this world’s Dick was shot while trying to stop a robber.

He never woke up again.

Not until Dick inexplicably came here from another world and took over this body.

He understands that his first priority is to find a way back.

But first...

He looks down at you in his arms, eyes brimming with tears as you timidly ask, “You don’t remember me?”

For now... he’ll pretend to be your fiancé.

At least, he won’t let you be so sad.

*

There’s nothing special about you.

You work at an ordinary company, you’re a little scatterbrained, timid, and occasionally petty.

But Dick understands now.

He completely understands why the Dick in this world fell in love with you.

There’s no way to describe what makes you special.

You’re simply wonderful.

He starts unconsciously waiting for you to come home.

Starts remembering how you like your coffee.

Starts expertly pulling the blanket back over you when you kick it off in the middle of the night, without even opening his eyes.

Starts... falling in love with you.

But he can’t.

He’s found a way home.

He has to leave you.

Otherwise...

Otherwise, it would be too cruel.

To him, or to you.

Before it’s too late.

He has to go.

He has to cut his losses before it’s too late.

*

Dick is home again.

Gotham, not Blüdhaven.

Thanks to you, Bruce takes him in while investigating the accident.

Dick’s room at Wayne Manor is huge and luxurious.

And yet he misses the little room where he lived with you more than anything.

The little floral blanket. The table piled with all kinds of trinkets. The cozy warmth that somehow made him feel at ease.

He stole a little piece of your life, and now he’ll spend the rest of his life remembering it.

But it’s all right. This is just a moment of weakness.

You’re in another world. You’ll be better off without him.

You’ll find someone more suitable, get married, grow old, and forget all about him.

Dick thought it all through.

He’d made peace with it.

Until that day...

Gotham, in a dark alley.

Several criminals surround a girl.

He swiftly deals with the trouble, and the girl cowers behind him in a panic.

Another tourist who came to Gotham without doing her research, he thinks.

Then he turns around.

And sees your face.

All his hard-won acceptance crumbles in an instant.

Why are you here?

You shouldn’t be here.

But you are.

Right in front of him.

Panicked, eyes brimming with tears, exactly as you were the day he left you.

All he has to do is open his arms, and he can pull you into them again.

But the question is:

Should he?

V2’s battered wings, but with some scenes omitted.

Theme: Love can give people a new life.