A/N

Okay, I've got something for y'all to read, it's really short but I'll let you have it if you read this, okay? pretty please? with a cherry on top?

sigh.

anyway.

I have to finish 'Shadow' if I'm going to stay sane, but once that's done I'll have... no other fics to write?

(When In Rome is crying in the background but I am electing to ignore it)

anyway.

Y'all loved a lot of what I wrote in Whumptober, and asked for sequels... very often. ahem.

so, let's put it to a vote. If I were to expand on any of the one shots I wrote during Whumptober, which would you want it to be?

Some big ones I can tell you I definitely have ideas for are:

The Absent Heroes AU, where the heroes stopped heroing but all their kids still end up being heroes. 

The Amnesia Grayson Mob AU, where Dick just woke up on the side of the road with no memories but it seems his past is darker than he thinks. 

The one where Deathstroke took Dick, but the league thinks he's dead and now Dick's been brainwashed and believes that he should stay with Slade.

The one where Dick was taken by the Light to be a weapon and now is coming back with a vengeance.

The Time Travel one.

The Demon!Dick one.

Or any of the others you particularly enjoyed.

okay? I wanna hear what y'all want? hmmmmmmMMMMM?

anyway, as promised, here's your short piece of nothing. not much happens, it's just a short bit I wrote cause I had a particular couple seconds of angst-ness in my head that I wanted to write. 

So, in short, Dick had made a mistake.

I mean, that was nothing new. In the past couple of years, ever since he'd become Robin, when had he not made mistakes? Really? When?

But, this really took the cake.

And he was kicking himself for it now, whenever Cobb wasn't kicking him physically, because there was stupid and then there was whatever the fuck kind of stunt Dick had pulled.

Sure, when finding out you were supposed to be given to an ancient murder cult that used to run Gotham the natural first step is to wonder what in the fuck, in general. However, he probably shouldn't have decided to have one of his notorious Dick Grayson rambunctious rebellious teenager moments and decide to investigate without Bruce. Because now here was.

Almost dead.

He didn't know how he was still fighting, on his feet, breathing, but he was managing.

He'd opened the coffin, this was on him. the murderous rage he was faced with should have been unsurprising.

The talon, slumbering inside the coffin, had snapped their eyes opened and decided to fight first ask questions later. Dick had dodged a few moves and then hastily announced who he was and stated that he was there for information. at that point the Talon had calmed and told him a few things: his name was Cobb, he was Dick's great grandfather, he had been put to sleep after a battle and...

Cobb had looked around, stumbling through the maze and the rooms, Dick following at his heels worriedly.

The court was no more. Reduced to rubble and ash and cobwebs.

"so now what?" Dick had asked.

Cobb had turned, slowly. He levelled a cold dark look on Dick, but it still seemed to hold a flicker of... something. Dick tried not to think of the fact that he recognised that something from Bruce's gaze.

"now, we rebuild," Cobb had said, stalking closer, "you are the Gray Son. You were prophesised to bring the court back to glory. It is no coincidence you are here now."

And, of course, Dick had no interest in starting a membership with a Gotham murder cult. At least not today, maybe ask him on Sunday, he might consider it.

But today? No thanks.

So, uh...

He ran.

Look, can you blame him? Talons were supposed to be near immortal, according to rumour. Dick did not want to test his fighting skills against this guy.

Cobb seemed unhappy with that decision, considering he'd been following him through this maze for the past five hours now.

Dick had lost the energy to run or the will to sneak, now he just hoped he could keep the strength to fight.

"do not fight your destiny, Gray Son!" Cobb said, dodging several hits with ease, then catching Dick's punch and twisting him, holding his arm painfully, "you could be powerful."

"I'm good thanks!" Dick hissed, beginning to feel a pit of fear in his stomach. he wasn't in uniform, he had no weapons or trackers or distress beacons. He'd left the house fresh out of another argument with Bruce. No one was coming. He was completely alone, miles underground with a psychotic immortal great grandfather.

He managed to twist and jump, freeing his arm and vaulting away. Cobb was quick, though, and he caught up. Before Dick could fully stand from his handspring a punch hit him in the gut.

His breath ran out of him, he hunched.

Cobb tried to grab him but he stumbled back. Cobb strode forward, slow, knowing that Dick was running on fumes. He hit him in the knee, swift, and Dick fell, still failing to breathe.

Cobb stalked around, standing behind Dick. He reached down and picked Dick up, for a moment Dick wanted to close his eyes and believe that it was Bruce, coming and saving him, picking him up to carry him home. But no. Cobb's arms didn't hold him up in support, they didn't hug him, they encircled around his neck in a tight headlock.

Dick struggled, fighting, but he couldn't breathe. His chest heaved as he tried to get oxygen in but Cobb had winded him and now his arms were tight against his throat.

His arms flailed, trying to break free, he kicked. Cobb was holding him off the ground, seemingly unaffected by his attempts to release himself. Dick couldn't get out. He wanted to throw up, to scream, to cry-

Never mind, he was crying. He couldn't breathe, but tears were spilling out.

"please," Dick hissed, "please don't do this, I don't-"

"shh." Cobb hushed him with a voice that sounded almost like it was trying to comfort him. "I will make it quick, grandson, and when you wake you will be unstoppable."

Dick sobbed, "I don't- please, I-"

Cobb broke his neck.

He dropped Dick's now-lifeless body to the ground. His blue eyes were still open, wide, staring unblinkingly.

Cobb picked him up by the back of his shirt, dragging him away to the room he knew all to well. The one where new Talons were made. The court was in ruins, utterly destroyed. His grandson, the Gray Son would be the first to be reawakened in a long time, and his rebirth as the Talon he was always supposed to be would usher in a new age.