people always ask āwhy doesnāt nightwing compete in the olympics?ā like babe. heĀ did. accidentally.
it started because bruce said āmaybe go to collegeā and dick heard ādevelop a new personality and flee the countryā. next thing anyone knows heās in romania qualifying for menās artistic gymnastics under a fake name. the funniest part is heās the adopted son of one of the most photographed billionaires on earth. āwho is this mysterious gymnast? šā would last approximately six minutes before anyone chronically online goes ā?? isn't that??? richard grayson???ā. (it is quite literally the worst-kept open secret in history). (the fake name didnāt last very long).
and still, everyone pretends itās normal. like, yeah. ofĀ courseĀ the acrobat heir to the wayne empire ran away to do elite gymnastics on a global stage. that tracks.
except the olympic committee is sweating through their suits because how do you deal with someone who is
a global celebrity and established philanthropist
actually qualified athletically
also somehow immune to media training
because dick will just casually give post-routine interviews like: āi train about 6 hours a day, plus core, flexibility, patrol⦠uh, patrolling my thoughts :) mental patrol. positive patrol. yeah.ā the press laughs because they think heās joking. bruce is at home gripping the armrest and tearing out his hair
they try to put him through media prep because they want gotham to have SOME good press but dick just does not get the memo. like he genuinely believes heās nailing it while saying things like: āyeah no, i donāt really get nervous. i just pretend iām vaulting over a burning car haha.ā
fans are making thirst edits, sports analysts are crying, and every commentator opens their segment with āyes,Ā thatĀ richard grayson.ā
and every time he does a routine, thereās always likeĀ oneĀ move thatās not illegal so much as āthe FIG code of points literally does not know how to categorize that.ā the judges just quietly agree to let it slide because there is no rule that says āthe gymnast may not perform a vigilante-adjacent aerial manoeuvre.ā and through all of it dick is genuinely just trying his best and being stupidly sincere and uncompetitive like āiām just grateful to be here :)ā while absolutely assassinating the scoreboard.
clark interviews him once for the olympics broadcast (good olā āfamily friendā nepotism) and is sweating theĀ entireĀ time because this is his most globally televised story yet likeĀ do not mention batman. do not mention acrobat double life. do not mention chasing a dude off a train last tuesday.
and dick just smiles like sunshine and says āi donāt really believe in limits. b says pain is temporary and so is death if you have the right connectionsā and clark nearly chokes on-air.
he wins medals, gives one to alfred, and spends the after-party dodging wealthy diplomats from subtly asking if heād like to join the CIA