A/N: Hmm, I seem to like writing Richard. No complaints here, though!
Disclaimer: If I owned DC, I would know where in the world Greg is going with Invasion.
Relief
When Mal had said Gama Team has run into trouble, Dick's heart had near enough stopped. He had already lost Jason; he couldn't lose Tim as well. "'Just don't die,' I said," he mumbled. "Way to jinx it, Grayson." He turned the Supercycle around, headed for New Orleans. Good or bad, he had to be there.
~YJ:I~
He almost lost control of the Supercycle when he saw and heard the explosion. He wanted to scream, to yell, but he checked himself. He was Nightwing, a hero, one of the overseers of the Team, former protégé of the Batman, the first Robin, and someone who had a standing invitation to join the Justice League. He couldn't do anything but look on silently and hope Tim was alright.
~YJ:I~
When he saw Time's dark head appear from the water, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He ignored the looks from Batgirl, Wonder Girl, and Bumblebee and maneuvered the Supercycle closer to the water and the three teens.
As he glanced around, Dick suppressed a smirk at the situation befalling the younger heroes. The sight of the League surrounding Blue Beetle, Lagoon Boy, and the third Robin reminded Dick strongly of five years before, when he, Aqualad, and Kid Flash had rescued Superboy from Cadmus. He blanked his face and turned to Tim.
As he locked eyes with Tim, he saw the younger boy looked so upset with and unsure of himself. Dick couldn't have that. So he smiled and, leaning heavily on the Supercycle in relief, exclaimed, "Dude! Way to get your feet wet!"
~YJ:I~
When they got back to Mount Justice, he let it all out, not caring that most of the Team was present and seeing his walls break down.
Dick patted Tim down, checking for injuries, to the latter's embarrassment. Finding none, Dick pulled his brother into his strong, built chest, arms going around the younger and face burying into the still-wet hair. He knew he was shaking, but he didn't care.
~YJ:I~
Tim was slightly surprised to find himself trapped in his brother's shaky embrace. "Di-Nightwing, let go," he said. "It was just a mission that went awry. We're all fi-"
"We never told you what happened to him, did we?" Dick cut him off. Tim stiffened, then shook his head. 'Him' could only be Jason Todd, second Robin and Tim's immediate predecessor.
"No," he said softly, wondering where this was going.
A pause, then, "It was an explosion." Tim's head snapped up, the lenses on his mask widening. "Joker did most of the work, admittedly, but there was still a chance he might have made it if not for the explosion. That's why-" he cut off, and knelt so he was eye-to-eye with Tim.
~YJ:I~
"That's why," Dick restarted, "I'm so incredibly relieved that you're okay. I can't lose another brother." He felt tears prickling at his eyes, but blinked them away. Tim nodded silently. Dick smiled softly and said, "You did good out there, little brother."
A/N: Just so ya'll know, I was choking up a bit as I wrote the last section or two. Before anyone says anything, yeah, I know there was most likely no way Jason would have lived. It was either the explosion did him in or he succumbed to the injuries. Let's say Bruce told Dick there might've been a chance of survival to try to make it easier for him, 'kay? Anyone else have mixed feelings about Invasion? It's good, but I'm worried about the rest of the team we have no word about. I loved the interaction between Dick and Tim, though, and the mini-reference to Jason ("Just don't die, okay?" plus their faces when Dick said it). I now have a new headcanon for the birds for those five years. And it actually makes sense, yay! To me, at least. And I'm liking Jaime(Blue Beetle). He's gonna be funny, I just know it. Am I the only one getting the feeling Nightwing has taken over as combat trainer and the Team's general, and that Captain Atom is now the one in charge of the League?
Now enough of my rambling. What did you think? Of both the story and Invasion?