Title: The Gone and the Dead
Summary: There's a thinner line than one would think between "dead" and "disappeared", and flipping the two happens far too easily. Until Damian Wayne crosses after a year on one side. But nothing will make him believe the death of his family. And he'll do whatever it takes to shatter that line.
A/N: Sucky summary is sucky. I saw a post on tumblr and needed to write this. There's definitely going to be more chapters. And yes, the title is based on that one book (The Dead and the Gone) that goes with Life As We Knew It. Because I suck at coming up with titles.
The post that inspired this: obsessivefannumber1 . tumblr post / 44097601823 / drakefeathers-aradian-nights
Dead people weren't supposed to be able to feel their heart beating, their chest rising and falling with breath, or the warmth of someone's hand. There wasn't supposed to be hushed voices and whispers all around. The dead weren't supposed to be breathing and wondering what was going on.
And they certainly weren't supposed to be able to open their eyes.
Damian blinked several times, trying to figure out why the sun was shining in his eyes. He was freezing, but he could feel a hand against his forehead and another wrapped tightly around his fingers. Grayson? Father? he thought, dazed. His head throbbed, and when he tried to move the fingers of his free hand, he could feel dried blood between them. What-
"Damian!" Suddenly he was being tackled, arms wrapping around his neck in a fierce hug and a face pressing against his shirt. Damian blinked again, recognizing that voice...
"Colin?" he managed to say even though the redhead was crushing all the air out from his lungs. "What—"
"Good to see you awake, Boy Wonder."
"Brown?" Damian turned his head and instantly regretted it. His vision started swimming, but through the blurriness, he could see the blonde Batgirl and that it was her hand keeping a firm, warm grip on his. "What's going on?" Why are Colin and her here and not Grayson or Father?
"It's long story." Black Bat was standing on his other side, removing her hand from his forehead. "You shouldn't hear yet."
"Tell me, Cain," Damian demanded, but there was a serious lack of force in his voice. It was all he could do to inhale oxygen from how tightly Colin was hugging him.
Batgirl, noticing his expression, put her hand on Colin's shoulder. "Take it easy, Colin," she said softly. "Let him breathe." Letting go and nodding, Colin looked a bit sheepish, but he stayed next to Damian.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Damian said stubbornly. "Where are Father and Grayson?" Even Todd or Drake. And Pennyworth. "What's. Going. On."
"Damian-" Colin started, worry pulling his eyebrows together and wrinkling his forehead, but Damian wouldn't be silenced until he had an answer.
"Father was there. He would've told Grayson and Pennyworth, and Grayson would've told Todd and Drake, and they would all be here. There is no reason for the three of you to be here without them. Where are they?"
Batgirl exchanged a look with Black Bat before looking back at Damian. "Damian? Sorry."
"Tt. What are you apologizing for?"
"For this."
A quick blow to the head and black took over his vision again.
"When are we going to tell him?"
Damian heard Colin's whisper, but he didn't move. He was silent, still, and continued to control his breathing, keeping it quiet and at a steady, slow rate. If this was the only way to find out why his father and Grayson weren't there, then fine.
"Later." Black Bat was firm.
"But he—"
"—is only going to take longer to recover if we do," Batgirl finished. "It'll stress him out, and he'll make himself get up and push himself too hard. We can tell him when he's recovered more." Tell me what? Damian wondered, still not moving or giving any indication that he was awake.
"Steph, we have to!" Colin protested. "Damian has to know..." His voice trailed off, and Damian could feel the redhead looking at him. "We have to tell him..."
"And we will," Batgirl said gently. "When he's more recovered."
"Steph? Cass?" That was a new voice. Damian didn't recognize it, but the tone told him that it was a girl around his age.
"What is it, Irey?" Batgirl said.
"Dad and Aunt Donna are going again...Dad wanted to know if you guys had another note to leave at Bruce's grave..."
"What?!" He didn't care that it hurt. Damian was on his feet, hands clenched into fists, glaring at the redheaded girl in the doorway. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Batgirl's surprise and Colin's worry, but he didn't care. "Grave?!"
"Damian-" Batgirl started.
"What grave?!"
"Bruce Wayne's," the red-haired girl said in a slight "duh" tone. Damian felt ice settle in his chest, but he spoke sharply and clearly.
"Father is not dead." He saw the redhead's eyes widen, and she started to say something, but Colin shushed her while Batgirl caught Damian by his arm and half-lowered him to sitting on the bed; he would never admit how grateful he was for it, because it felt like he was going to fall over if he tried to stand any longer. Still, he looked up at Batgirl and Black Bat. "The two of you know...he's on a mission..."
Sympathy and pity filled the others' expressions at his desperate tone. "Dami-" Batgirl started, but Damian shook his head violently, not caring that the edge of his vision blurred completely.
"Father is alive. Where's Grayson? He'll know exactly where Father is..." Their expressions deepened, and Damian's eyes widened for a second in fear. No. "Even Todd and Drake know better than that..." When no one said anything, he started to panic, trying not to show it. "What aren't you telling me?! What do you mean, Father's grave?! Where is he?!"
Colin came over and sat next to him, wrapping his arms around Damian's shoulders. "Damian..." he started in a soft tone that Damian knew well enough from when he was a child and one of his mentors was killed to teach him not to grow too attached to those beneath him. After two times, Damian had learned the lesson well. But it wasn't supposed to be a tone that anyone other than his mother used...
"No. Father is alive. He simply isn't here because Pennyworth refuses to let him leave his bed due to injuries sustained on a mission. Grayson, Todd, and Drake simply don't know..." He trailed off, each word only making their pitying expressions worse. "Stop giving me that stupid look!" he snapped at them, panic turning into fury. "There's no point to pitying when nothing is wrong! Tell me where Grayson and Father are!"
"They aren't here." Colin said the words in the same soft, gently cautious voice. "They haven't been here in a little over a year. A lotta people haven't."
"Then where are they?!" Damian didn't want to hear their answer. He pushed Colin away, getting to his feet and taking off running. He didn't know where he was going, but he was getting away.
He wasn't going to hear anyone try and tell him that they were the ones dead.
A/N: I changed up some from the tags...but I hope you like it anyways. Please leave a review for me. I'll give you virtual cookies~ ;) Even though tomorrow will be full of evil pain, today will end as a good day, I hope...