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They needed some way to get to Bendix and Bruce knew it. It was why he'd suggested breaking into LexCorp. He was already formulating a plan when Jon asked, "What if we don't have to break in? What if we have someone who can just walk through the door?"
"And who would that be?" Lois asked. "I'm not sure we know anyone who can just visit LexCorp."
Jon shrugged. "Well, Luthor has been asking to speak with Dick-"
"No," Bruce said firmly, almost before Jon was able to get the full name out. "Absolutely not."
"Why not?" Jon asked, frowning. "It would be perfect. Dick goes in, he mentions something about wanting better security now that people are trying to kill him in Blüdhaven, he mentions the Rising-"
The ringing in Bruce's ears sounded far too much like a flatlining heart monitor. "No."
"But-" Jon began, clearly frustrated.
"Jon," Lois scolded quietly. She turned to Bruce. "Is there a reason you don't want Dick to do this?"
Because Lex Luthor killed him. Because I had to watch as Lex shoved a pill down his throat to stop his heart. Because there was nothing I could do to stop him.
"It's out of the question," he said sharply.
"Shouldn't we ask Dick?" Lois asked. "He's an adult. He can decide himself if he wants to do this."
But the problem with that was that Bruce knew Dick. Dick would say that it was alright, would say he wanted to help, and he'd go to Lex Luthor and smile and act like a charming young philanthropist, and he'd go to Jon afterwards and fill him in, and then he'd go home and shake apart. If Bruce were there, perhaps Dick would let him help, but there was also a high chance he'd just keep up the act, keep up the smile, and wait to be alone. Whatever he would do, he would hurt, and Bruce didn't want to hurt his son.
"I said no," Bruce said, his voice cold, "and that is final."
"Well, I just texted Dick, and he says he wants to call to discuss it," Jon retorted. He pressed a button on his phone, practically radiating so there, and it began to ring.
"What's this about breaking into LexCorp?" Dick asked the moment the call connected.
"That's exactly it," Jon said excitedly. "We're not breaking into LexCorp. Luthor wants to talk to you, right? So you can go in and talk to him."
Dick was quiet for a moment, and Bruce could read volumes in the silence. "It would be easier than breaking in," he finally said.
"I don't like it," Bruce declared. "There are other ways of getting information."
"There are, but this would be the easiest one," Dick said. "And it's probably the lowest risk, especially if I make a bit of a thing out of it. There are lots of eyes on me now. If I went to visit Lex Luthor and then something happened to me, it would be suspicious."
"Dick," Bruce said, hoping Dick could read the things he couldn't say in front of others.
"I know, B," Dick said, his voice softening. "But this is worth it. What Bendix is doing is awful. Working through Lex might be our best way of stopping him."
Dick had always been stubborn. Once he made up his mind on something, it was very hard to get him to change it. It was a trait Bruce respected, but sometimes, he wished Dick would give in, just a little bit.
"I want to speak with you beforehand," Bruce said firmly. "And no unnecessary risks."
"I'll be careful," Dick promised, which wasn't really the same thing. "It's getting late tonight, so I'll head over to Metropolis tomorrow morning. B, do you want to meet in Blüd or in Metropolis?"
"Metropolis," Bruce said. He wanted to be close by when Dick spoke to Lex, and going to Blüdhaven would be out of his way. "We can coordinate in the morning."
"Okay, then I guess I'll talk to you guys again in the morning," Dick said. "And Jon, if there's anything else you need, you know you only have to ask."
"Thanks, Dick," Jon replied. He ended the call, then looked up at Bruce with a smug expression.
"I told you Dick would be perfect for this."
"Bruce," Lois interrupted before Bruce could say anything, "can we talk in private for a moment?"
Bruce followed Lois into another room and waited as she turned on a white noise app on her phone. "It makes it harder for Jon to eavesdrop," she explained. "I don't really want him to hear this."
"What is it, Lois?" Bruce asked wearily, already calculating how much time he'd have to rest before he'd need to leave to meet Dick in Metropolis.
"Why don't you want Dick doing this?" Lois asked, her words point-blank. "I can tell that you're afraid for him, but I don't know why. Luthor isn't much of a threat to Dick, is he? He doesn't have any reason to hurt him."
It wasn't about whether or not Lex had reason to hurt Dick now. The problem was, once there had been a time when he did have reason.
When Dick had regained his secret identity, after Spyral, memories of his part in the events with the Crime Syndicate had been affected. To be entirely honest, Bruce didn't know what Lois remembered of the event. He didn't even know how much she'd ever known. Only a select few people had ever known what happened in that room in the fallen Watchtower.
"Lex has hurt Dick before," was what Bruce finally settled on.
Lois studied him. "Is Dick in danger if he goes to visit LexCorp?"
"Probably not," Bruce admitted, a bit reluctantly.
Lois narrowed her eyes. "How badly did Luthor hurt Dick before?"
Bruce couldn't hide his flinch quite fast enough.
"That bad," Lois murmured. "So now, you're trying to protect him so he doesn't get hurt again? Or so he doesn't have to relive what happened before?"
I'm trying to protect him because in this situation, I know he won't protect himself.
"I don't want him to be hurt," Bruce said, keeping his voice flat. Judging by the look on Lois's face, it still revealed too much.
"I know you don't," she said gently. "I know you want to protect him. I want to protect Jon too. But they're both adults, and we have to let them make their own choices. We can just help them afterwards." She hesitated, then added, "Dick will be okay, Bruce. He's strong."
He was. Dick was one of the strongest people Bruce had ever known. Bruce just wished he understood he didn't always have to be.
Dick put up a good mask the next morning in Metropolis, but Bruce could see the weariness in his eyes that spoke of a poor night's sleep, and he could see the tension in his shoulders that spoke of suppressed anxiety.
"You don't have to do this," he said, almost as soon as Dick entered Bruce's hastily-booked hotel room for breakfast. "We can figure out another way."
"This is the best way," Dick said, running a hand through his hair as he sat down at the table with Bruce. There was a spread of breakfast foods laid out across the table, but Dick ignored it. "Also, why did you book a hotel room with two beds?"
"The other bed is for you, in case you don't feel like going straight back to Blüdhaven tonight," Bruce replied. "And don't change the topic."
Dick smiled, although even that looked tired and wan. "Aww, you didn't have to do that, B. But if you want to have a slumber party, who am I to say no?"
"Dick," Bruce said, his voice a bit sharp. "You don't have to go to LexCorp. You don't have to talk to Lex."
"Bendix is a monster," Dick replied, picking up a cup of coffee and staring into its depths. "He has to be stopped. We have to stop him. And if the best way to do that is through Lex Luthor, and I'm the best way to go through him-"
"Dick, he killed you," Bruce burst out, and then regretted it when Dick flinched so badly he almost dropped his cup. "You don't have to face him," Bruce added, forcing himself to keep his voice gentle. "If you don't want to be in a room alone with him-"
"I don't," Dick admitted. "But those kids Bendix took didn't want to be experimented on either. Someone needs to help them, and if I can help, I'm going to do it, even if what I have to do makes me a little uncomfortable."
"I could go with you," Bruce offered, a bit wildly.
"It would tip Lex off that something is up," Dick replied. "If I go alone, I can probably keep him from getting too suspicious, but that won't work if you come with me."
Besides, Bruce's mind whispered viciously, it's not like you were any help last time.
"If you need me, just call," Bruce said firmly. "I'll be nearby."
"I'm just going to visit Lex quickly and then check in with Jon," Dick replied. "The plan was to head back to Blüd after that, but we can have our sleepover instead."
"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to," Bruce said. "I just thought the trip can be a bit much to do twice in one day. And… If you…"
"I think I'd rather not be alone afterwards," Dick said, voicing the words Bruce couldn't quite bring himself to say. "I might want to be alone for a little while, but mostly… I'd like to stay here."
"The bed is yours."
Dick smiled, albeit wearily. "Thanks, B."
"Text me when you leave LexCorp," Bruce added. So I know you're still safe and alive, he didn't.
"I will," Dick promised. "And speaking of LexCorp, I should head out now so I can get there on time."
Bruce nodded and stood with Dick. "Chum?" he said suddenly, as Dick was chugging the last of his coffee.
Dick's face softened. "Yeah?"
If Bruce were a better father, perhaps he'd know what to say. "Be careful," he warned, a bit feebly. "I don't- I-"
"Love you too, Bruce," Dick said. "See you later."
Dick left, and Bruce looked at the food still on the table. It was untouched; Dick hadn't eaten a thing. Bruce didn't feel much like eating either. His stomach was as uneasy as the rest of him.
It would be fine. Dick would be fine. There was no reason for Lex to hurt him, and it was a risk Lex was unlikely to take. Dick would be fine.
Bruce grabbed his jacket and left the room, heading for LexCorp.
Just in case.
heading out of lexcorp now, Dick texted about an hour later, which meant he hadn't noticed Bruce sitting at an outdoor café next door. bug successfully planted. going to check on jon.
Good, Bruce replied. I'll be at the hotel when you're done.
Dick sent back a thumbs-up emoji. Bruce watched him as he walked away from the LexCorp building. He was hiding it well, but Bruce could read his tension in his shoulders, in his back, in his stride. He was rattled. Of course he was. He had every right to be.
Bruce watched him until he was out of sight, then he dropped a tip on the table and left.
He could, if he wanted, follow Dick all the way to Jon. Part of him did want to. He didn't like the idea of letting Dick out of his sight, not after he'd just visited Lex. It was both for Dick's sake and his own; watching Lex kill Dick had been awful for Bruce too, and he didn't think he'd be fully convinced Dick was alright until he had the chance to check him over fully. But Dick wouldn't thank Bruce for following him around, and he'd go to the hotel afterwards, so Bruce headed back to the hotel room instead. He kept one hand curled around his phone, just in case Dick texted or called. He couldn't risk missing it.
It took a bit longer than he'd expected, and Bruce spent that whole time waiting anxiously, but finally, Dick texted him a simple omw. Bruce knew it was about a fifteen minute walk from Jon's to the hotel, and sure enough, he got another text from Dick sixteen minutes later. i'm downstairs, let me in?
Bruce left the room and headed down to the lobby, where Dick was sitting on a couch. He stood with a wan attempt at a smile when Bruce stepped in.
"Are you alright?"
"Can we just go upstairs?" Dick asked, leaning against Bruce for a moment.
"Of course, chum," Bruce agreed, leading Dick upstairs. They went up to the room, and Bruce locked the door behind them both with the hotel's lock and a small device of his own. When the door was secured to his satisfaction, he turned around to see Dick sitting on the edge of one of the beds, his face buried in his hands.
"Dick?"
Dick's shoulders were shaking. Bruce took a step towards him, hesitated, and then sat down on the bed next to him, close enough that Dick could reach out if he wanted.
"Chum?"
"Sorry," Dick whispered, his voice thick with tears. "Sorry, I'm fine, I'm-"
"You don't have to be fine," Bruce said, putting a tentative hand on Dick's shoulder. "I'm here. Let me help."
Dick made a small, strangled sound, and then he whirled around and buried his face in Bruce's chest. It was a familiar pose, although it had been a long time since Dick had last done this; when Dick was young and grieving his parents, he would unabashedly ask Bruce for comfort whenever he cried. As he got older, he asked for comforting less and less, and Bruce didn't know how to offer it. But when Dick did ask, when he curled up in Bruce's lap like this, Bruce still knew exactly what to do.
"It's okay," he whispered, running a hand through Dick's hair. "It's alright, you're alright. You're safe. I've got you."
Dick made a choked noise. "It- It was fine," he sobbed. "It was fine, I'm fine, I don't know why I'm still- Why I'm still so-"
"You have every right to be afraid of Lex Luthor," Bruce murmured. "God knows I am."
"Y-you're scared of Lex?"
"When it comes to him getting anywhere near you? I'm terrified."
"I'm fine," Dick whispered, "and I was fine before, he brought me back, I don't know why-"
"I've got you," Bruce said gently, combing through Dick's hair and scratching at his scalp just a little bit, the way he knew Dick liked. "I've got you, Dick. You're alright. You're safe."
"He killed me," Dick whispered. "He killed me, and I- Bruce, I'm so scared, and I'm so tired of being scared."
"I've got you," Bruce whispered. "Nothing will happen to you while I'm here, I promise."
He was there when Lex killed Dick. He couldn't do anything. But now, he had his son in his arms, and if anyone tried anything, he would do whatever it took to stop them.
Dick clung to Bruce, sobbing, and Bruce held him tight. "I've got you. You're safe. It's okay, Dick. You're alright."
He didn't know if his words were actually helping. He didn't know if he was making Dick feel better at all. But Dick was still clinging to him, and Bruce wasn't about to let go. He would protect Dick with everything he had. He would keep him safe. He'd failed before, but he wouldn't fail this time.
"I've got you," he whispered again into Dick's hair, and he hoped Dick could feel the weight of the promise.