A/N: This story was written for the Batfamily Christmas Exchange 2016. It's quite a departure from what I usually write (I'd never written Bruce/Dick before! Or, well, any pairing really), but I enjoyed writing it nonetheless.
Thanks to the wonderful Black Friar for the lightning-fast beta!
1. (Jason)
What the fuck is Golden Boy doing in my territory? Jason thought, watching a black and blue shape swing past, a couple of rooftops away. Bold move, Dickhead.
Nightwing didn't seem to have noticed him and Jason decided to follow.
About half a mile later, Jason spotted another dark shape on a rooftop. A familiar anger stirred in his gut at the sight of the pointed Bat-ears and the billowing black cape.
Shit.
Jason fought the initial urge to get right in both of their faces and demand an explanation for crossing into his territory without a proper heads-up or permission, and decided to hold off on all-out confrontation until he had a better idea of what the hell they were doing here.
Making sure to stay out of sight, he watched as Nightwing landed beside Batman. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but Nightwing was smiling a lot and Batman seemed…uncharacteristically responsive. They moved further back into the shadows and Jason had to use every ounce of stealth training he'd ever had to get closer without being noticed.
Nightwing was backed up against a wall, Batman crowded in close and they were-
Whoa, hold the phone. Hold the fucking phone! Are they…kissing?!
Jason stared, aware he would've been catching flies with his mouth if he hadn't been wearing his helmet.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?!
2. (Tim)
The Batmobile screeched to a halt on its designated platform in the Batcave, tires smoking and the smell of burned rubber in the air. Tim looked up from the research he was doing on the computer, half-rising from his seat. Something was up.
Batman leaped from the Batmobile and stalked to the driver's side, yanking the door open. Tim's heart skipped a beat when he watched him just barely catch a very limp and seemingly unconscious Nightwing as he fell out of the car.
"What happened?!" Tim exclaimed, rushing over to help Bruce support Dick. Batman had slung Nightwing's right arm over his shoulders and wrapped an arm around his waist, and Tim quickly slipped beneath Dick's other arm. It was slick with blood.
"What happened?" Tim repeated as they maneuvered the limp body between them to the examination table in the Batcave's small medical bay. "Why didn't you call ahead?"
"Communicator shorted out. EM-pulse," Bruce grunted.
Tim could feel Dick's side heaving against him, his breathing labored and erratic. He ducked out from underneath Dick's arm so Bruce could lift him onto the examination table.
"I'll get Alfred," Tim said, racing to the stairs.
Alfred wasn't in the study so Tim made a beeline for the kitchen. "Alfred!" he called before bursting through the doors, "Alfred, we need you!"
The usually unflappable butler turned around with a startled expression on his face. "Good heavens, Master Tim, whatever is the mat-?"
"Dick's hurt! It looks bad!"
Alfred paled, but he followed Tim back the way he came without another word, yanking his apron up and over his head and tossing it aside as he went.
When they got to the cave, Bruce was leaning over Dick – who looked disturbingly pale – hands applying pressure to the wound in Dick's abdomen. Alfred, lips set in a grim line, quickly assessed the situation and gave Tim orders to gather the instruments he needed while he scrubbed up and got to work.
It took over an hour to stabilize Dick. Alfred got the bullet out, but Dick had lost so much blood it was touch and go for a while. It was another four hours before Alfred declared Dick out of the woods and they were able to transfer him to his old bedroom for recovery.
Three hours later and Bruce had yet to move an inch from Dick's bedside. Tim had taken a few catnaps, sprawled in a chair on the other side of Dick's bed. Every time he'd woken up, Bruce had been sitting in the exact same position as before, eyes never leaving Dick's face. It was kind of unnerving.
Shifting his own gaze to Dick, he concluded that his brother was looking a lot better even though he was still very pale.
Rolling his stiff neck and shoulders, Tim sat up. "Coffee?"
Bruce glanced over and nodded before returning his gaze to Dick. "Thanks, Tim."
Tim yawned as he made his way to the kitchen. It felt strangely empty without Alfred there, but he knew the butler was getting some well-earned rest after working so hard to save Dick's life. Luckily, Alfred had taught all of them how to make proper coffee and soon Tim was carrying two steaming mugs up the stairs.
At the sound of quiet voices, Tim paused just outside Dick's bedroom.
"How are you feeling?" Bruce was asking, standing close to the bed.
"Think Alfred's got me on the happy pills," Dick replied, slurring his words a little, but Tim could hear the smile in his weak voice and his heart felt suddenly lighter now that it was clear Dick was really going to be okay.
Bruce brushed Dick's dark hair from his forehead. It was a very tender gesture that Tim had seen Bruce do only a handful of times before and, now that he thought about it, he'd only ever seen him do it with Dick.
He watched as Dick responded with a smile before reaching up with a shaky hand and curling his fingers into Bruce's robe. Dick tugged weakly and Bruce obligingly leaned down, Dick lifted his head a little and-
Tim's eyes widened. Oh. Oh.
He…really should've seen that coming. How had he not seen that coming?!
He must've made some kind of noise because they startled apart and Bruce stood ramrod straight as if someone had poked him in the back with a knife.
Dick, on the other hand, just gave him a smile. "Oh, hey Tim," he said casually, as if he hadn't just been caught kissing The Batman.
3. (Damian)
Damian resisted the sigh of relief that threatened to escape him when Nightwing touched down on the rooftop a few feet away. His former partner hurried over, a concerned frown on his face as he knelt beside him and an unmoving Batman.
"Robin, what happened?"
"Poison Ivy dosed him with something," Damian replied, looking back down at his father, whose face was covered in very fine, silver glitter.
Nightwing sucked in a breath. "This should be fun," he muttered. "Any indication of what we might be dealing with?"
"None," Damian said, watching impatiently as Nightwing checked Batman's vital signs. "I already did that. He seems alright, but he will not wake up."
The words were barely out of his mouth when Batman stirred.
"You were saying?" Nightwing commented, before reaching out to put a hand on Batman's shoulder.
Damian scowled but said nothing, too focused on his father's movements.
"Batman? Can you hear me?" Nightwing asked.
Batman groaned, but turned his head towards the sound of Nightwing's voice. "Yes, I can hear you," he responded, and Damian's frown deepened at how different his father's voice sounded. He was used to Batman's low rumble and his father's slightly more casual tone when out of uniform, but now he sounded like…he sounded like…
Brucie.
"That's good," Nightwing replied. "Are you alright? Feeling any pain?"
Batman still had his face turned towards Nightwing. "No, no pain," he replied, slurring his words. And then Damian's mouth fell open because Batman actually smiled. "I'm good, Dick."
Nightwing lifted an eyebrow. "I'm glad you're feeling okay, B., but no names in the field, remember?"
"Right, sorry. I was a little distracted…by your face. It's so…beautiful," Batman said in that same Brucie-voice and now both Nightwing's eyebrows shot up, while Damian could only stare.
"Uh…thanks?" Nightwing responded, and when Damian glanced at him he looked both amused and uncomfortable. "Can you stand? We've got to take you back to the cave."
And there was that ridiculously wide smile again. "For you I can do anything, Nightwing."
Damian gaped. Was his father trying to seduce Nightwing?
Nightwing chuckled. "Oooooo-kay, definitely time to get you back to the cave," he said, offering Batman a hand up.
Batman stood, but he was clearly unsteady on his feet so Nightwing slid under his arm and shouldered some of Batman's not-inconsiderable weight. "Lead the way to the Batmobile, Robin," Nightwing grunted, and Batman turned his head towards Damian for the first time.
"Oh. Hello, Damian," Batman said with another smile, this one much softer than the ones he'd turned on Nightwing. He leaned sideways to ruffle Damian's hair, almost dragging Nightwing off-balance. "You're a good kid."
Damian scowled, trying to will away the heat that was rising in his cheeks and the odd feeling in his stomach. "No names in the field!" he snapped, and stalked away.
They made it to the Batmobile without further incident. Nightwing opened the back door and lifted Batman's arm from his shoulder, trying to manhandle the much bigger man into the backseat. As he did so, Damian watched as Batman raised his other hand to…squeeze Nightwing's left buttock.
Nightwing yelped and Damian bristled. His father was…pawing at Nightwing?! Unacceptable! Even if the man was currently not in his right mind.
"Father, unhand him at once!"
His father, looking entirely unrepentant, smiled broadly at Damian and opened his mouth but Nightwing shoved him the rest of the way inside the car and shut the door on whatever the man had been about to say.
"Whew!" Nightwing breathed, leaning against the car for a moment, before turning to Damian. "It's okay, Robin," he added when he noticed the glower on Damian's face.
"It is not!" Damian insisted. "He should keep his hands to himself!"
"Aww, Robin, are you defending my honor?" Nightwing asked with a grin.
Damian scowled, and Nightwing's infuriating smile grew even wider.
"That's very gallant of you," he said, ruffling Damian's hair. Then he grew serious. "Look, Robin, your dad isn't really himself right now."
"Excellent observation, Nightwing, I had not noticed," Damian said, scowl deepening. "Regardless, how are you not bothered by him…violating your personal space?"
"Well, because your dad and I- we're…together."
"Together? What do you mean?" Damian demanded.
"Well, we're a couple. Like, a romantic couple."
Damian gaped. "You- you and father are…dating?!"
"Yup."
"But…father…he is your-"
"Yup."
"And you are his-"
"Yup."
"I…see."
Nightwing chuckled. "C'mon, kiddo, let's get B. home and back to normal and we'll talk about it, okay?"
For once at a loss for words, Damian could only nod.
They got into the Batmobile, Nightwing behind the wheel.
Seconds later, Batman's face appeared between their two seats. "What took you guys so long? I was getting lonely all by myself."
Nightwing sighed and Damian rolled his eyes, sinking further down into his seat. This was going to be a long ride.
4. (Alfred)
Alfred consulted his pocket watch one last time before heading up the stairs to Bruce's bedroom, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of coffee and some freshly buttered toast.
He balanced the tray on one hand and knocked politely before entering. Alfred never waited for a response; Bruce and mornings didn't go well together and he usually didn't wake up until Alfred opened the curtains to let light into the room. Quite aside from that, Batman had spent a long night trying to rescue Nightwing from the clutches of the Court of Owls.
"Good morning, Master Bruce," Alfred said, carefully setting the tray down on the nightstand. Years of practice ensured he didn't need light to be able to maneuver around the darkened room without crashing into anything.
As expected, there was no response, other than the quiet breathing coming from the bed.
Alfred moved to the large windows and pulled the curtains aside without preamble, allowing bright morning sunshine to pour into the room.
A loud groan rose from the bed and Alfred turned away from the windows. "Rise and- good Lord!" Alfred blurted, freezing on the spot.
Bruce wasn't alone. He was sleeping with his arm across another man's chest. The man was dark-haired, slender and…
"Master Dick?!"
"Huh?" was the initial mumbled response. And then suddenly the smaller figure on the bed bolted upright, clutching the sheets to his chest and blinking wildly at him. "Alfred!" He glanced down at Bruce, who was still struggling to escape the clutches of sleep, and looked back at Alfred guiltily. "Uh…good morning? Bruce and I…we uh…um…"
Alfred reminded himself to close his mouth. He cleared his throat politely, trying to regain his composure. "Well, good morning, Master Dick," he said, "it is good to see you, sir, if not surprising. I trust you slept well?"
"Slept-? Uh…yeah. It was great!" Dick's eyes widened. "I mean, I slept great! And uh…you?"
Alfred could feel his lips twitch. It wasn't often that he saw one of his charges – and this charge in particular – so tongue-tied. "I slept very well, thank you. Would you like some coffee and breakfast?"
Dick was still looking at him with wide eyes and sleep-ruffled hair, but finally managed a small smile. "Coffee would be great, Alfie. And um…some cereal?"
"Very good, sir. I shall return shortly," Alfred said. "In the meantime, perhaps you could wake the bear from hibernation?"
Dick nodded. "Thanks, Alfred."
Alfred strode out of the room and smiled when he heard Dick hiss, "Bruce! Jeez, would you wake up! Alfred knows!" just before he closed the door behind him.
Right. Well then.
Two coffees, toast and a bowl of cereal in the mornings it is.
5. (The family)
Christmas Eve at Wayne Manor had always been special to Dick, but this year was extra special: for the first time in, well, ever, the whole family was in attendance. Bruce and Jason had finally managed to come to some sort of understanding and so Jason had actually joined them at the dinner table tonight.
So far there hadn't been any casualties, so Dick was considering the evening a success.
Now if only Bruce would quit avoiding him, everything would be awesome.
He knew why Bruce was avoiding him. They'd agreed to tell their family about their relationship tonight – well, the ones that didn't already know anyway – but it looked like Bruce was getting cold feet.
Dick had been trying to catch his eye from across the table all night, but Bruce seemed determined to ignore him. He could feel Bruce's eyes on him sometimes, and yet every time he glanced at Bruce, the man was looking away.
Dick tried to focus on the conversation Steph and Tim were trying to have with him, but it was difficult to hide his frustration and if this was going to continue for much longer he was gonna scream.
The harsh sound of a fork and knife clattering against a plate startled them all into silence.
"For fuck's sake, would you two stop being idiots and fucking kiss already?" Jason said, glaring at both Bruce and Dick. "You've been making eyes at each other for the past two hours, it's killing my appetite."
Another silence followed and Dick thought Jason should consider himself lucky Alfred wasn't currently in the room or he'd have given Jason a mouth-washing for his language.
When the silence stretched, Dick snuck a glance at Bruce, worried about an impending explosion. Instead, calm eyes were looking back at him and Dick grinned. Finally!
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Who're supposed to be kissing?!" Steph spoke up suddenly, glancing between Dick, Bruce and Jason. Then her eyes widened. "Oh my god! You mean, Dick and…? Oh my god!"
"Were you unaware of their relationship, Brown?" Damian asked.
"Yes! What, are you telling me you all knew?" Steph said, looking around at them all, disbelief written all over her face. She turned to Cass. "You too?"
Cass just smiled enigmatically.
"Seriously?" Steph groaned.
"Of course we knew. It was obvious," Damian said with a disdainful snort.
"Hey," Tim spoke up, "you only know about it because they told you."
"Yes, well." Damian sniffed. "I always suspected."
"Seriously, I don't care how you all found out. I just can't believe none of you told me!"
Dick took pity on her. "It was supposed to be a secret, Steph. I'm glad everyone else was better at keeping it a secret than Bruce and I were!"
Steph pouted. "Yeah, well, I'm with Jason. There'd better be some kissing tonight!"
Dick grinned at the look on Bruce's face. "Oh, don't worry, Steph. We'll put on a show for you, right, Bruce?"
Bruce glared at him and Dick laughed.
Oh yeah, best Christmas ever.
End.