Chapter Text
Dick woke up feeling strangely warm. That couldn’t be right. The last thing he remembered was the chilling inability to find warmth. Something wasn’t right.
He cracked his eyes open, immediately closing them again against the blinding light. Why was it bright? He was sure he had closed the curtains before getting into bed.
Opening his eyes slowly this time, he squinted at the window and found that the blinds were opened wide.
Looking around revealed a room that was far cleaner than he remembered. Someone had cleaned his room. His brain took a moment to process before two thoughts popped up. Firstly, he wasn’t on speaking terms with anyone that could get into his apartment and secondly, he could hear noise coming from his kitchen. There was someone in his apartment.
Panic surged through him. He needed to escape.
With a shaky breath, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and promptly face-planted when they couldn’t hold his weight. He held his breath. Maybe whoever was here hadn’t heard him.
“Dick?” A voice cut through the thick silence, sending a fresh wave of dread coursing through him.
Shit shit shit shit. He crawled towards the window, desperate. Almost there.
“Dick? You awake?” The door opened and Dick froze like a deer in headlights. Jason Todd was standing in his doorway. Why was Jason here? The man wanted nothing to do with him. Panic clawed at him as he resumed his mad scrambled for the window. He was so close.
“Wha-? Dick! Stop! You’ll hurt yourself!” Jason rushed forward. The sudden movement made him flinch, and he hated himself for the whimper that escaped him. His back hit the wall. He was trapped. He was trapped and Jason was coming towards him.
“Jason, is he awake?” Two more figures appeared in the doorway. Tim was here too? Why was Tim here?
They were closing in on him, and he felt trapped. No escape.
“Dick, you gotta breathe, man. Breathe with me,” Jason urged, reaching towards him. Panic clawed at Dick's throat, and he screamed.
Suddenly, he wasn’t in his apartment anymore. He was back in the Batcave, the shadows looming like specters. Batman towered over him, his presence suffocating.
“You let the crime syndicate capture you. You let them torture you. You let them give your secrets to the world.”
I didn’t. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
“Everyone thinks you’re dead. I need you to stay dead.”
No! I won’t do it. I’m sorry. Don’t make me go. Don’t make me hurt my family. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
“Dick? Dick, it’s okay. You’re in your apartment; whatever you’re seeing isn’t real.”
Why was Jason here? He couldn’t be here. He had to protect Jason from Bruce.
“Jason is safe, Dick. We’re all safe. We aren’t in the Batcave. Bruce isn’t here.”
Tim? Nonononono. He had to get them away. He had to protect his little brothers.
“Richard! Calm down!”
Damian? Damian was dead. Another brother he had let down.
“I am alive, Richard. We're all alive and safe. We're in your apartment, and you are no longer with Spyral.”
No longer with Spyral? How was that possible? He was still in the Batca-
“We aren’t in the Batcave. We’re in your apartment in Blüdhaven. Bruce isn’t here. We’re all safe...” A voice repeated the words like a lifeline, and Dick clung to it.
Dick blinked, his vision clearing as he focused on the three figures before him. He flinched back from their gaze.
“Dick? You with us?” Jason asked softly, piercing through the fog.
Dick squeezed his eyes shut, nodding slowly. So tired. Just... tired.
“C’mon, Dickie, let’s get you back to bed, yeah?” He nodded again, the motion heavy.
Jason stepped closer, his movements deliberate. “I’m going to touch you, okay? Just to help you get to bed.” There was a pause, then Jason’s hand snaked around him. Dick tensed, instinctively flinching. The movement stopped, and Jason's voice softened, “It’s okay, Dick. We’re just getting you back to bed.”
It’s okay. It’s just Jason. But the memory flickered in the back of his mind—the rooftop, the betrayal, the anger. He wouldn’t hurt me. Except he had. Weeks ago, when everything had shattered. He deserved that. He deserved worse for everything he had put his brothers through.
Jason carefully placed him on the bed, the mattress sinking slightly under his weight. “Get some sleep, Dick. We’ll be here when you wake up.”
They watched Dick fall asleep, the tension in the room slowly easing as his breathing deepened. But as soon as he was out, Jason ushered his younger brothers out of the room. They stood frozen in the middle of the living room, the weight of what just happened hanging heavy between them.
“What the fuck was that?!” Jason whiper-yelled, his voice a mix of disbelief and anger.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like what he was hinting at. He was terrified!” Tim ran a hand through his hair, his eyes wide with concern. “I think we really screwed up, Jay.”
They had. Holy shit, had they fucked this up. Dick was flinching from touch- Dick Grayson, cuddler and hugger extraordinaire, was flinching from touch. It had sent him into a panic attack! They had missed something, something big.
“He seemed worried that Father was here,” Damian interjected, frowning as he crossed his arms. “That Father would hurt us.”
Jason's stomach sank. “Tim, can you pull up the Cave’s security feed for the day after Dick died?” He prayed he was wrong, that maybe this could explain what was going on.
“Sure, just give me a sec,” Tim walked over to the couch where his laptop was left earlier. The clacking of keys echoed in the silence as he worked. “That’s odd”.
“What is?” Jason asked, walking behind the couch to look over Tim’s shoulder.
Tim pointed at the screen. “There’s two hours of footage that's missing. I think Bruce turned off the cameras.”
Shit. That didn’t bode well for his prayer.
“Father never turns off the cameras, Drake. Surely you are mistaken.” Damian said, standing next ot Jason, his tone sharp.
“I’m not mistaken—” a pause “—and don’t call me Shirley.” Tim’s deadpan response drew a fleeting smile, breaking through the tension.
“I did not call you Shirley, imbecile!” Damian huffed, irritation flickering in his eyes.
“It’s just a joke, baby bird. No need to get mad,” Jason said, unsurprised that Damian didn’t get the reference. He turned back to Tim, heart racing. “No cave video, nothing for a whole two hours?”
Tim shook his head. “Nothing. It wasn’t deleted or encrypted. It just... doesn’t exist.”
Jason felt a chill run down his spine. What the hell was Bruce hiding? He exchanged a glance with Tim and Damian, the unspoken fears hanging in the air like a storm cloud. They needed answers.
Someone is in my room.
That was the first thing Dick realized when he woke up. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the darkness. The shadows obscured most of the room, but there was a figure lying on the bed next to him, just out of reach. For a moment, panic clawed at him again, but then his tired brain caught up.
“Damian?” he whispered, his voice hoarse. He wanted to reach out to ruffle his hair, but he resisted.
Damian rolled over, blinking as his eyes adjusted, before looking Dick up and down with that sharp, assessing gaze he’d inherited from Bruce. “How are you feeling, Richard?”
Dick blinked. How do I feel? That was a loaded question. Bad, because he’d freaked out in front of his younger brothers. Bad, because he had made them worry. Bad, because his head was pounding and his chest still felt tight. Bad, because—because everyone hated him.
“I’m fine,” he lied. He didn’t meet Damian’s scrutinizing glare. He couldn’t. His gaze wandered around the room instead, avoiding his brother like the plague.
Damian sighed, but didn’t push him. “Are you hungry?” he asked, his voice softer than usual.
“No,” Dick replied. His stomach growled, betraying him. Damian raised an eyebrow, giving him a pointed look. “Maybe a little,” he relented.
“I will tell Todd you are awake and to make food,” Damian said, getting to his feet. “You are welcome to join us in the kitchen.”
Damian left the room, and the door clicked shut behind him, leaving Dick alone with his thoughts. He had no intention of leaving the comfort of his room, unwilling to face his brothers yet. He stared at the window. I could leave right now. He could probably make it this time—no Jason to stop him
But he shook his head, forcing the idea away. Running wouldn’t solve anything. As much as he wanted to disappear, he had to face his brothers eventually. Might as well get it over with. Then they could all go back to ignoring him.
Reluctantly, he dragged himself out of bed and padded toward the small kitchen. His steps felt heavier than usual, like he was dragging himself through molasses.
When he reached the kitchen, he found Tim and Damian sitting at the island, both watching Jason cook what seemed to be pancakes. Dick held his tongue from making a comment about having pancakes for dinner.
Without a word, he slumped into the chair next to Damian’s, far enough away that he wouldn’t touch his brother. The silence that followed was awkward, suffocating. He could feel it pressing down on him, the weight of everything unsaid hanging in the air. He hated it. Hated that he’d put them all in this position. Hated that his choices had hurt them. If he hadn’t faked his death and joined Spyral, maybe this would have been fun.
But instead, he had messed everything up. I’m an awful brother, he thought bitterly, sinking deeper into his pit of self-hatred. He didn’t deserve to be here.
A plate was set down in front of him, jolting him from his spiraling thoughts.
“Eat up, Dickie,” Jason said, taking a seat on the opposite side of the island. The awkward silence stretched between them, only disrupted by the clanking of forks on plates and the sound of chewing.
The silence was broken when Jason cleared his throat. “We have some,” he hesitated, “we have some questions for you.” All three brothers turned their gazes towards Dick.
“Yeah?” he replied in a small voice, feeling a knot tighten in his stomach. This wasn’t going to end well. He pushed the food around on his plate, refusing to look up.
“We checked the Cave’s security feed for the day after we were told you died. There’s a two-hour gap that’s missing. We were wondering if you knew why,” Tim said, his tone steady but laced with concern.
Did he know why? Yeah, he did. That’s when Bruce ‘convinced’ him to go to Spyral. To betray his family.
“No,” he lied, still staring down at the plate.
“Dick, we know something happened between you and Bruce. We want to understand what went down,” Jason said. Dick scoffed, unable to contain his frustration. That was rich.
“You want to understand what happened? You couldn’t be bothered to listen to my explanation on that rooftop, and now, months later, you want to understand?!” He stood up, anger and hurt spilling over. “This was fun. I look forward to you all ignoring me again tomorrow.” He turned to walk away, but Jason caught his arm before he could.
Dick flinched at the contact, and Jason released him immediately, raising his hands in surrender.
“We were wrong, Dick. I was an asshole, and I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself. But—” Jason paused, searching for the right words, “Jesus, Dick, when we found you curled up and shivering in your bed a few nights ago, you damn near gave me a heart attack. You thought you were hallucinating, and you wouldn’t stop apologizing, begging not to go. It was the scariest thing I’ve seen in a long time.” He stood and met Dick’s gaze with earnest intensity. “I’m sorry I was such a fucking asshole, and I’m sorry I was such a horrible brother.”
Dick could see the sincerity in Jason’s eyes. “It’s okay. I deserved it for faking my death and lying to you.”
“But that’s not true, is it? There’s more to the story than that. We don’t want to hear what Bruce said, Dick, we want to know what really happened from you,” Tim said and damn, why did his little brother have to be such a detective?
He looked at both of them before settling his eyes on Damian, who hadn’t said anything yet.
“We wish to know what Father did, Richard” Damian said and the sincerity in his voice made Dick sit back down.
“What do you want to know?” he asked, knowing he would probably regret this. There was a reason he hadn’t told them. But Bruce isn’t here to tell you what to do, his mind reminded him.
“Let’s start at the beginning. What really happened when you got captured?” Tim asked.
“I don’t really remember much of that. They strapped me to a bomb that was tied to my heart. Bruce found me and tried to disable it, but the only way to stop it was for my heart to stop. So Lex Luthor gave me something to stop my heart, then he—”
“Wait,” Jason interrupted, his eyes wide. “You actually died?”
“Technically, yeah. But only for a few minutes, so it doesn’t count.”
“Bullshit,” Jason growled, his voice rising. “Bullshit it doesn’t count. Dick, you were actually dead!"
“It’s fine. It’s not like I told you.”
“That doesn’t make it better!” Jason exploded, the chair flying backwards as he shot up. Dick flinched, but Jason took a few calming breaths before continuing. “Just because it was a few minutes doesn’t mean it doesn’t count, Dick. That’s not how it works.”
Dick watched Jason pull his chair back up and sit again, before continuing to talk.
“Lex gave me an adrenaline shot that restarted my heart once I was out of the trap. Then B-Bruce brought me to the cave.” How the hell was he meant to tell his brothers what happened in those missing two hours?
“Then what happened?” Tim asked, his tone encouraging.
Dick swallowed past the lump forming in his throat. “He—he told me you guys thought I was dead. Really dead. Then he said he had a mission for me that I needed to stay dead for. I refused.” Maybe he could just leave the story there; those were the most important things.
“B wasn’t happy, was he?” Jason asked rhetorically.
Dick shook his head, his heart pounding. He couldn’t tell them. Especially not Damian. Bruce was his father.
“Is that why you keep flinching from us? Because of what B did during those two hours after you refused?” Tim asked softly. He paused before giving a small nod, then shook his head.
“It’s not that bad. We just… we just sparred,” he said in a small voice, trying to convince himself. He was fine. He didn’t need their pity.
“You don't need to lie to us, Richard,” Damian said, reaching across the table, palm up. An open invitation. Dick took it, squeezing his youngest brother’s hand. It was the first positive contact he’d had since before he’d died. God, he had missed it.
“He told me it was my fault I’d been captured, that it was my fault I’d died. He said he knew he was hurting me, but that I was the only one who could do it. We wrecked the Cave. Then he sent me away. Spyral wasn’t any better. No one could see our faces, no one knew who we were. In the end, everyone was turning on everyone. So many deaths and so many lies. Everyone was betraying everyone, and there I was in the middle of it.” He looked up, meeting Jason’s gaze. “You guys have no idea how much I missed you. How much I wanted to come home. How much I wanted to just sit on the couch and watch a movie with my whole family. I would have killed someone just to be able to hug you guys.” God. When was the last hug he’d received?
Jason stood, still looking Dick in the eyes, and opened his arms wide. Dick choked on his breath, feeling the knot in his throat swell. He got up and collapsed into Jason’s embrace, feeling him wrap tightly around him. He heard the scrapes of two more chairs pushing back.
“Can the baby birds join the hug?” Jason asked him. He nodded, and moments later, he felt two more bodies joining the hug.
He couldn’t help it. He started to cry. He’d been wanting this for so long, and he’d finally gotten it: a touch that wasn’t hurting him. His shoulders shook with each sob. Jason whispered comforting nothings into his ear, holding him close. He was safe; his brothers had him. He didn’t have to pretend or lie anymore.
When his sobs subsided, Jason asked softly, “How would you feel about a movie night, Dickie?”
The question nearly sent him into another round of tears. He nodded into Jason’s chest, overwhelmed. The surrounding arms released him but never fully let go. He felt Damian’s small hand wrap around his right while Tim took his left. Jason kept a reassuring hand on his shoulder as they slowly shuffled to Dick’s couch, sprawling onto it in a comfortable heap. Dick leaned his head onto Jason’s shoulder, savoring the warmth, while Damian pressed himself against his other side. Tim settled on the floor, his back resting against Dick’s leg, a grounding presence.
“What do you want to watch?” Tim asked, reaching for the remote on the coffee table.
“Dick, did you know that the baby bird over here has never watched Airplane?” Jason said, gesturing towards Damian.
“What?” Dick said in mock offense, “That needs to be rectified.” None of his brothers commented on his shaky voice.
“That settles it. Tim, find Airplane. We need to subject Damian to that level of stupid.” Jason ordered. Tim huffed out a laugh.
“You got it, boss. One unbelievably stupid movie coming right up!”
Damian let out a disappointed sigh. “If I am to be subjected to a stupid movie, I'll need popcorn.” He squeezed Dick’s hand before getting up and heading to the kitchen.
“Great idea! I can’t believe we almost had a movie night without popcorn.”
Moments later, Damian returned with a bowl of popcorn and they started the movie. In that moment, Dick felt a profound sense of happiness wash over him. The nightmare was over. He was home, surrounded by his family, and everything felt right again. He allowed himself to believe that maybe—just maybe—everything would be alright.