Had writers block all Wednesday. Then right before I got to bed I get inspiration for this fic. Ended up staying up until 3 AM writing. Good news is I finally got a story with more than two speaking characters in it.


It was just a side effect of the fear gas. A lingering aftershock of paranoia, left over after the antidote had neutralized the majority of the toxin. His brain's attempt to understand everything it had just felt, convinced that after all that terror something had to be wrong. Everything couldn't just be fine. He couldn't have just watched his little brothers' dying gasps all for it just to have been some fucked up hallucination.

Long experience had taught him that he couldn't rationalize this feeling away. He wasn't Bruce. He wasn't able to stoically tell himself that it had all been in his head and continue on as if nothing had happened. He needed to physically assure himself that everything was okay before he could really truly believe it.

Thankfully, Bruce understood without having to be told. The Batman could be a socially inept incompetent when it came to his loved ones. Especially when doing so meant he could dismiss said loved ones' arguments, but sometimes, like right now, he could show why he was the world's greatest detective. Before Dick had even clawed his way back to reality, Bruce had wordlessly pulled up a video feed on the bat computer of Titan Tower. On it, Tim was alive and well laughing at some antics of his fellow Titans and friends. No crumpled broken mess of blood and bones at the foot of a skyscraper. Just a happy little brother enjoying his weekend.

Bruce waited to speak until after he managed to pry his attention away from the screen, "Damian's in the main living room." His voice was clipped and efficient, but he'd removed the cowl for the conversation. Letting Dick meet his eyes. One more of those small things that showed he both cared and understood what Dick needed. He hugged him quick and tight before departing, taking the stairs to the manor two at a time.

As promised, Damian was sitting on the living room floor, pieces of homework spread out around him. He was working on some sort of history paper. It took quite a bit of research to separate out what he'd been taught as a child and what his teacher expected to hear. "Grayson?" He questioned, surprised by Dick's sudden harried appearance in the doorway. Dick knew he should slow down, calm himself before moving. Damian tried to hide it, but he was sensitive to Dick's moods. If Dick was uncomfortable or distressed, Damian was doubly so. He couldn't do it, though. He could still hear the echo of Heretic's weird childish voice. It was impossible to be rational when he remembered so clearly what it felt like to hold the boy's lifeless corpse.

He was kneeling beside Damian without really registering the steps he took in-between. His hands reaching out and yanking the kid's shirt up of their own volition. "What are you-Unhand me this instance!" Damian squawked, trying to grabbing at the hem of his shirt and pull it back down. Early age assassin training or not, he was still an eleven year old boy and Dick was a full grown vigilante. There wasn't much he could do to stop Dick from manhandling him without the aid of sharp objects. Sharp objects which he had been convinced through a lot of heart to heart talks were not necessary to carry in the manor.

The lifted shirt revealed Damian's chest, and more importantly the closed and healed scar where the sword had pierced his heart. Dick ran his thumb across it, assuring himself with physical touch that it was no longer leaking his youngest brother's life all over the floor. Damian went rigid at the touch. "Grayson" he hissed. Dick pulled his eyes away from the boy's chest and back to his face. The emotion there were easy to read. As bad a memory as it was for him to have held the empty remains of his Robin, Damian was the one who died. Dick knew for a fact the boy still had nightmares.

"Sorry" Dick whispered, dropping his shirt and pulling Damian into a hug, "I'm sorry. I just, I just needed to know you were…here" He tightened his hug, burying his head into his shoulder, "I love you, okay" Maybe, if he just held him close enough long enough he could stop remembering what it felt like for Damian's skin to go cold.

"Grayson?" Damian's question was quieter this time. Dick could hear the concern in his voice. He was probably scaring him with his antics. He was a horrible older brother. Damian deserved so much better than this, and if he didn't clear things up quick he was going to draw all the wrong conclusions.

Dick pulled away from his shoulder. He cupped Damian's face with his hands and plastered on one of his trademark smiles. "I'm alright. Every thing is okay. I just had a bad run in with Scarecrow earlier. I'm sorry." It bared repeating, "I didn't mean to scare you." He tried for comforting, but he was certain Damian could hear the tightness in his voice, the leftovers of not quite forgotten fear.

Damian scowled at him, "I wasn't scared." His protest was followed by a quick once over of Dick's appearance, "If it will make you feel better, you may continue engaging in your physical affection, though" Damian spread his arms to the side in a gesture to return to hugging him. The smile Dick gave him as he took him up on his offer wasn't faked.

Jason was probably going to murder him for the mess he'd made of his security system. After some unashamed on his knees begging and ego stroking, Dick had managed to wheedle the location of the Red Hood's current safe house out of Oracle. He'd gotten definite vibes that she thought he was being ridiculous, but he'd spent one too many evenings assuring himself at a cold headstone that things were done and over with to pass up the chance to ease his persistent fears with a living breathing version of Jay instead.

He was in his civilian clothing as he settled himself on the couch to wait for his brother to get back from patrol. Bruce would have sedated him if he had tried to leave the manor as Nightwing. The man had raised him, and he knew all too well Dick couldn't be trusted to not try and stop some crime or other if he left in his suit. They had a very firm rule, that Bruce broke constantly, about going back out to fight crime the same night as being gassed with a mind altering substance. It was a compromise he was willing to live with in this case.

Fighting Scarecrow and recovering from the gas had taken most the night, so he wasn't waiting long before Jason finished his own patrol and arrived home. He wasn't surprised by Jason pointing a gun at his head as soon as he spotted him. He just refrained from making any furtive movements until Jay placed exactly who had broken into his home. He waited until Jason had finished his scan of the room to ascertain that Dick was the only one there before he moved towards him. He stopped a couple feet away from his brother. Not moving to hug him just yet. Unlike Damian, Jason very much could stop him from any unexpected touching, and he wasn't shy about doing so.

Jason squared his shoulders at Dick's approach, but he did put the gun away. "First, how did you find this place? Second, why are you here?" Jason demanded. Jay was inspecting him. Eyes glancing him up and down, as if he could ascertain his purpose if he just looked hard enough. It hurt a part of Dick's soul that Jason's default reaction to him was suspicion. Nights like tonight made him wish so hard it was almost physically painful, that he had back the Little Wing who used to greet his unexpected visits with excitement instead of mistrust.

He didn't let any of that pain show on his face, "Oracle, and because I wanted to visit you." He chirped. All his little brothers were uncomfortable with him showing weakness. They seemed to have this mental image of him as some sort of perpetual cheerfulness machine that didn't have off days. It was bad enough he had freaked out Damian earlier. He didn't need to repeat it with Jason. Especially Jason, Jay had enough of his own problems. He didn't need Dick's.

Jason was giving him a disbelieving look, and Dick batted his eyelashes back innocently. Dick had been an entertainer practically since he could walk. He could sell a smile and a fake good mood to even the most skeptical audiences. Jason sighed, not accepting the act "Look Dickiebird, either tell me why you're here or get out. I'm tired, and I don't have the time or the energy to beat around the bush with you."

"Honest, just wanted to hang out. Cross my heart." He added the crossing gesture to emphasize his words, "It's been ages since we spent non-patrol time together."

"So you decided to 'hang out' at 4 AM in the morning" It was a good point, and Dick really didn't have a response for it.

"You know what screw you." There wasn't any venom in his voice, just exhaustion, "I'm going to bed. What ever the hell you want, you can get it in the morning." Jason punctuated his statement by pushing past Dick and heading towards his bedroom.

"Do you mind if I spend the night?" Dick blurted out. It really was a desperation play, but going home now was just asking for a long night of nightmares.

Jason halted his trek to the bedroom spinning back around towards Dick, "What?"

"Do you mind if I spend the night? Like you said its 4 AM, the Manor is really far away. Do you mind if I just crash here for tonight?" His first question had been spur of the moment, but now he was committed, with all the confidence that induced.

Jason stared at him, looking at him as if he was parading around with a big sign that says 'something is wrong'. He really was a terrible older brother, "Are you and Bruce fighting?" He ventured.

The question surprised him. Not that he didn't love his brother, but if he were fighting with Bruce, Jason would not be his first stop. That's why he had the apartment in Bludhaven, "What, no, Bruce and I are fine." Dick replied.

"How about the Demonspawn, you fighting with him?" Jason queried immediately.

"No!" He said a little stronger than what was probably necessary. He was defensive of his and Dami's relationship, so sue him.

"The replace-" Dick cut him off before he could continue through everyone he knew "I'm not fighting with anyone Jason. I just want to spend the night." God, what did Jason think about Dick's relation with the rest of the family, if these were the first things that popped in his head when he asked to stay the night.

Jason sighed again, rubbing his forehead as if Dick's presence was personally responsible for all the stress in his life, "Fine I'll grab a pillow and blanket for you." Jason started to move to turn. No, that just wouldn't do. If he wanted to sleep in a separate room, he'd just go back to his own bed at the manor.

"Can I just sleep in your bed?" For most people that would be an awkward question, but for Dick that was really the only option that made sense. He liked to be able to hear loved ones when he slept. It was a left over from the childhood safety of his parents trailer. Everyone close enough he always knew where they where. Dick would volunteer to sleep somewhere else in the bedroom for Jason's comfort, but he had checked out the apartment when he arrived. The only other place to sleep was the floor.

"Are you freaking kidding me!" Jason yanked on his hair in exasperation.

"Please" Dick gave him the best pair of puppy dog eyes he could manage. He'd been told on multiple occasions that he should try and weaponize them if he ever planned on taking over the world.

"God dammit. Fine! If you steal the covers I will shoot you." Jason was giving him his serious face. As if threats would stop Dick.

Dick gave him a winning smile in return, "Thanks" he said. He meant it too. He gave Jason's arm a squeeze as he passed and headed to the bedroom.

"I'm serious." Jason turned and followed him, "I will shoot you if I wake up freezing and you're wrapped up in a blanket burrito"

Jason continued to grumble at him the whole time they got ready for bed, and Dick felt a thousand times better than when he'd first stepped into the apartment for it. A dead Jason couldn't engage in back and forth or threaten his life and limb for the crime of blanket stealing. Jason's grouchiness was a constant reminder that his brother was okay now. As soon as they were both in bed, Dick threw his arm over Jason's chest and curled in against his side. It was something he had done to all his loved ones at some point. Snuggling up to sleep was a universal human language for I'm here, you're here, and we both care. With their lives, it was something that he didn't get to say verbally enough.

"Could you at least wait until I'm asleep before you do your human octopus act" Jason grouched. The fact it didn't get said often enough didn't mean that said various loved ones wouldn't complain about it. Something about the big bad vigilante ego, tended not to lend itself well to cuddling. Dick let his feelings on the matter of said ego be known, by throwing his leg over Jason's in addition to the hold he already had. If Jason really didn't want to cuddle, he could throw Dick off. Otherwise he was going to sleep with his little brother safe and sound in his arms.

"I hate you" There was no venom in Jason's tone.

"Love you too Little Wing" Dick whispered. He buried his head into Jason's chest, and let his brother's breathing lull him to sleep.


End Note:

Went through and edited whole story for grammar and weird sentences. Might be worth a reread.