"WAHHHH!" WAHHH!"
"Come on, princess, please," Roy cooed at his daughter to no avail.
"Wahhh! Wahhh!"
Holding his daughter to his chest, the new father paced back and forth in his living room. He had tried singing. He had tried making her laugh. He had checked her diaper. Jade had just fed her an hour ago. He was running out of ideas.
"Please, baby," he whimpered.
"You look pathetic," Jade said as she sauntered into the room. "Why do I find you cute?"
The woman reached up and took her daughter from her husband. Lian fussed but latched onto her mother, still screaming her lungs out.
Roy rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his untamed hair. "Why won't she stop crying?"
Jade held Lian against her hip and searched through her pockets until she found a throwing star, which she handed to their child. Lian grabbed the star and stopped crying as she watched the way light reflected off of its smooth surface.
The girl's father paled. "What are you doing?!"
Turning her body so the pair were out of reach of Roy's desperate grab, Jade responded, "Relax, it's not one of my poisoned ones, and I dulled the blade."
"That makes me feel so much better," Roy responded, deadpan.
"Daddy's just a little worrywart, isn't he, sweetheart?" Jade cooed over their child.
His wife never looked more attractive than when she held and loved their little girl. It was unlikely that Jade would give Lian anything that could hurt her, although Jade's own childhood left much to be desired and her definition of safe wasn't much better. Despite himself, a soft smile rose on the man's lips. He loved his girls so much.
The Asian woman looked at him with fond exasperation. "You are a sap," she told him.
Roy shrugged, saying, "Just don't tell the guys."
She rolled her eyes in exaggeration and placed Lian in her pack and play. "If you're through, I came here to tell you that Artemis called. She needs me at the Watchtower for something."
"Now?" Roy asked. "It's your turn to watch Lian. I told Wally I'd check in on Dick."
"Yes, now," Jade replied, her tone firm. "Artemis needs me."
Turning to face his wife, the redhead finally noticed that she was wearing her Cheshire costume minus the mask.
"Jade, we talked about this."
Crossing her arms, she huffed, "Oh like you don't drop everything as soon as one of those two knuckleheads needs you."
"Dick has depression," Roy fired back.
"Oh please, that idiot just likes the attention."
He bit down on the anger that threatened to override his judgment. He would not lose his temper in front of Lian. His baby girl deserved so much more than he could give her.
Shifting his weight, Roy asked, "How long will it take for you to believe Artemis has forgiven you?"
Jade scoffed, "I didn't ask for her forgiveness. I'm evening the score."
Roy thought about how to respond. Any conversation regarding Jade's family could quickly turn into a minefield. He didn't want Lian dealing with these types of grenades until she was much much older. Preferably never.
"Save your preaching, Roy," Jade continued, clearly done with the conversation. "We can have this conversation when you're done being a hypocrite."
Roy curled his hand into a fist. Refusing to lose control, he spoke in a clipped tone, "And what am I supposed to do with Lian?"
Sauntering out of the room the same way she came in, Jade called, "Take her with you. Lian loves her Uncle Dick."
The archer bit back a few curses. He didn't want to take Lian with him. Dick was useless with infants. He dragged a hand down his face. He could call Ollie. Again.
Digging his cell phone out of his pocket, he placed the call.
"Hello Roy," Dinah greeted.
"Hey Dinah, I thought I called Ollie."
"You did, but I've confiscated his phone."
She didn't offer an explanation, and Roy decided that he didn't want to know.
"Okay, well look, I was just wondering-"
Dinah cut him off, "If we would be willing to watch Lian for you."
Roy grimaced. Yeah, okay, maybe he was using his mentor and his girlfriend a little too often as free babysitters.
"You are starting to put ideas in Ollie's head." She sighed. "I'm not interested in children, Roy."
Roy smiled. Personally, he thought Dinah was a fantastic mother figure, but he kept the comment to himself. "Because you already have an entire League and mini-League to babysit."
"That is not what I said." Roy could hear her eyeroll. "But yes, we'll watch Lian."
"Thank you."
"Yes, yes, you're eternally grateful, but if Ollie starts adopting children, I'll know who to blame," the blonde grumbled.
Chuckling the archer said good-bye and hung up the phone.
~0~
Arriving at Wayne Manor, Roy began to head towards the front door, but then he heard laughter from one of the side entrances. Heading that way, the archer found Dick and his two younger brothers. What must have been Jason had Tim hefted over his shoulder. Tim appeared to have given up struggling but was still offering token protests. Dick laughed at the pair, yet something stuck the redhead as off.
~0~
Roy paced back and forth in the Batcave, annoyed with the two younger superheroes in front of him. "How do you two always know when Dick is lying about his depression?"
"Dick's a born performer, but not even he can fake joy in his eyes," Wally offered helpfully. He was seated on one of the surfaces in the Batcave, kicking his legs back and forth.
"What do you mean?"
"Bruce taught all of us how to lie. He taught us to learn our tics and tells and eliminate them. We're all very good at lying, but Dick's too expressive for his eyes to lie," Barbara explained.
Roy stared at his fellow redheads. "I have absolutely no idea what you two are talking about."
Wally tried again, "Have you ever noticed the times Dick doesn't seem to notice you? Like he's looking through you, even though he's got a smile on his face and participating in the conversation?"
Biting back a stab of guilt, Roy replied, "No, Wally, I haven't. I was gone for five years, remember?"
"And Dick's depression started manifesting after you left," Barbara said. "Well, trust me. You will know it when you see it. You just need to know to look for it."
~0~
Barbara was right. You did know it when you saw it. Observing his friend as he watched his two siblings, Roy wondered how he never noticed before. Dick grinned and cackled, but his eyes seemed hollow and empty. A shiver ran down the archer's spine.
Shaking the feeling away, Roy called over to the trio. Jason promptly dropped Tim and eyed the newcomer. Dick slapped Jason upside the head and reminded the younger boy that Timmy still had stitches in his shoulder. Jason flushed slightly.
"Hey Roy," Dick greeted. "This is my younger brother, Jason."
The younger teenager eyed Roy distrustfully. Then he turned to his brother and said, "What is it with you and redheads?"
Dick rolled his eyes and ruffled Jason's hair.
"He's right, you know. Only 2% percent of the world's population are redheads. It's statistically improbable that your three best friends would all have red hair," Tim answered.
"See," Jason replied, crossing his arms in triumph. "Even the replacement agrees with me."
"Maybe I'm just special then."
"You are, you know." Roy barely caught Tim's whisper.
Dick ruffled Tim's hair playfully but didn't answer Tim's statement. Instead he turned to his friend. "What can we do for you?"
"Just wanted to check-in."
The acrobat pulled an unflattering facial expression. Roy didn't exactly blame him. No one enjoyed constant hovering, but Dick had brought this on himself.
"Come on, Tim," Jason called, walking towards the manor. "Leave Dick to his harem of redheads."
"You're just jealous that he's your brother and you can't have him," Roy fired back.
Jason and Tim had already disappeared into the mansion, but Roy would never forget Dick's face of disgust.
"Please never ever say something like that again."
Roy laughed, long and hard.
"If you're finished," Dick replied. "You can tell Wally that I'm fine."
The archer crossed his arms, so that was how Dick wanted to play it. Fair enough. "I'm getting tired of you lying all the time."
"I'm not lying. I'll be fine."
Sometimes you had to hit a target from a different angle. "How are the stitches?"
The acrobat eyed Roy but replied, "Fine, I got the stitches out of my arm yesterday. I'll get the stomach stitches out next week."
"That's good. Any idea when Nightwing will be back on the streets again?" The archer asked.
Dick rubbed the back of his neck. "It's gonna be a while."
"Why's that?"
"You know why," his friend spat.
Raising one eyebrow, Roy crossed his arms. "I thought you were fine."
Dick let out a guttural cry and swung a fist at Roy. Surprised, the archer did not have enough time to dodge, but his honed fighter instincts allowed him to roll with the blow. When he hit the ground, he swung his legs to sweep his opponent. Only he failed to realize that his opponent had stopped fighting.
Bending down to offer Roy a hand up and apologizing profusely, Dick caught Roy's kick straight across the face. The acrobat stumbled backwards; hands immediately coming to cover his face. Horrified, Roy jumped to his feet to see if his friend was okay. However, someone yanked on the back of his shirt and pulled. The archer turned around and jabbed with his right arm, but his aggressor had expected the move and dodged. Landing on one arm, Roy's new opponent did a spinning kick. He sidestepped the kick and pulled a knife.
That's when he noticed his attacker was none other than Jason Todd.
"What the hell?"
Jason charged him again. Roy barely had time to shift his grip, so that the knife wouldn't accidentally injure Dick's brother, which meant he failed to block the punch Jason aimed at his gut. Roy dropped to the ground and rolled away. He sprang up with his knife in a reverse grip a few feet from Jason.
A sharp slap of metal knocked the knife out of his hand. Tim stood between them; his Bo staff extended, pointed towards Jason.
The current Robin stared at his predecessor. "It was just an accident."
Jason nodded.
"Master Timothy, I do hope you haven't pulled your stitches with that stunt," Alfred cried from the side entrance of the manor.
Sheepishly, Tim folded his Bo staff and headed towards the ruler of Wayne Manor. Dick had already been led inside.
"Sorry," Jason responded curtly.
Roy waved the apology away. "I'm glad to know Dick has someone looking out for him."
"He's got too many," the teenager grumbled.
Dick probably felt the same.
"Well, I'm not here to hurt him."
Jason sneered. "And yet you still did."
Wally was right. Dick's younger brother was a punk.
"I think your death hurt him a lot more."
It occurred to Roy that provoking a newly resurrected teenager was not his best idea, but Jason didn't try to punch him again. Instead he stomped towards the manor with fists clenched. The archer followed.
Inside, Tim had his shirt off while Alfred prodded his shoulder. Holding paper towels under his nose, Dick sulked on a kitchen chair next to the pair. Yeah, Dick was definitely getting tired of all the hovering. As much of a mother hen as the man could be, he didn't stand being coddled well.
After finishing with Tim, Alfred stared down the boys in the kitchen. "Now, will someone please explain to me what happened?"
Dick removed the paper towels to reply, but Jason beat him to it.
"Dickhead's friend looked at me funny, and I started a fight. I hit Dick by accident," Jason stated, daring anyone to contradict him.
Roy was flabbergasted. This was not the picture that Wally had painted of a punk who constantly tried to interfere with Dick's friendships, nor did it fit with his interactions with the teenager so far.
The eldest rushed to correct that statement.
"Keep those paper towels under that nose for a full ten minutes, Master Dick," Alfred said without turning around. The butler stared at Jason and raised one single eyebrow. The boy shifted under the weight of the gaze, and Roy wondered just how old Jason was.
Tossing his hands up, the teenager growled, "Fine. Dick hit his friend." The way Jason said friend assured Roy that the teenager did not see him as one. "His friend kicked him in the face. I overreacted. Tim put a stop to it."
"Next time begin with the truth, Master Jason. For punishment, you can take Mister Harper and Master Timothy into the den and entertain them until I'm finished with Master Dick," Alfred declared.
Jason looked unhappy with that decree, but he didn't challenge the elderly man. Roy didn't hold the same qualms.
"Actually, I'd rather just stay with Dick," he stated.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Richard will be spending the next six minutes considering the repercussions of his actions." Dick looked murderous. Alfred was unfazed. "No matter how angry we are, we do not punch people."
"Unless they've broken the law," Jason added helpfully.
Dick snorted, causing his nose to gush more blood and Alfred to chase them out of the kitchen.
Once they entered the den, Jason turned to face him.
"So we have video games where you can murder pixels because that doesn't offend someone's delicate sensitivities," the teenager told him, dripping sarcasm. "Or I can put a movie on, so we don't have to pretend to like each other."
Roy felt his lips twitch. He couldn't help it. He liked this stupid punk of a kid. Anyone who was willing to dive on an Alfred grenade to protect his brother was okay in Roy's book. Plus, Jason was raw; honest, in a way Dick rarely was.
"Let's murder some pixels," the redhead responded. "I haven't done that in a while."
Jason looked surprised but recovered quickly and busied himself with setting up the console. Roy joined Tim on the couch.
"You don't get a vote?" Roy asked him.
"I perfectly happy with either choice," he stated.
The kid sounded so prim and proper. It rubbed Roy the wrong way. How old was this kid anyway?
"Ignore him," Jason said as he sat between them on the couch. "You and I are going to play on the same team because Timmy is a menace."
The current Robin looked far too innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah right," Jason groused.
When Dick entered the room ten minutes later, Roy knew what Jason had meant. Tim was a demon at video games. He had killed Jason and Roy multiple times, and Roy had only managed one headshot.
The acrobat sank into the easy chair, holding an icepack against his swollen nose. Roy flinched at the sight.
"Sorry about that."
Dick waved his apology away. "It was my fault."
Roy wanted to ask what he had done to set his friend off but figured the conversation was better left for when they were alone.
"Don't worry about it. Dick's been real pissy lately," Jason added helpfully.
Dick sputtered in response. "I have not."
"Oh please!" the youngest Wayne turned his attention from the screen to look at his brother. "If your idiot friend didn't have super speed, you'd have hit him last week." Wally could have informed Roy that the two had almost come to blows. "I saw the tree you punched the other day. You're going to regret that when Alfie finds it."
"You're punching trees?" Roy asked. According to Wally, Dick was mostly lethargic these days.
"Alfred locked him out of the Cave," Jason responded helpfully.
"It was only one tree," Tim clarified.
"Shut up!"
Roy knew that look. Dick was planning an escape attempt, and by the look of things, it was imminent. He knew he should have this conversation in private, but Jason and Tim were good informants. As far as the archer was concerned, Dick had lost the right to privacy when he decided to patrol without Kevlar. If you were going to make idiot decisions, you got treated like an idiot.
He waited a beat for a silence to fill the room.
"So," Roy began, intentionally dragging the word out. "What's the escape plan?"
Dick stiffened in his chair. If looks could kill, Roy Harper would have met the afterlife.
"I'm not planning an escape attempt," the acrobat responded, voice tight.
Jason snorted. Tim looked incredulous. Yup. Roy was glad he had kept them for this conversation. It was easier to blindside Dick when you charged at him from multiple perspectives.
"When you were eleven, you zetaed to Star City because you broke your arm on patrol, and you were tired of Batman's coddling," Roy stated.
"When I was alive," Jason began and Dick melted at the wording. "You ran off to Bludhaven every time you and Bruce had a fight."
Tim looked at Dick with an apologetic expression. "You ran off to Bludhaven Police Academy three weeks ago."
"Why would he run to the police academy?" Jason asked, looking around the room. "You're planning on being a cop?!" Launching himself to his week, the second Boy Wonder started pacing in the room. "Is there anything you do that's not perfect?! I'm Dick Grayson. I'm a fricking Golden Child, and I fight crime both day and night. Someone should give me a gold star."
Dick threw himself out of his chair. "It's not about that! Believe it or not, but my decisions are not about showing you up!"
Perhaps having this conversation with Dick's brothers had been a bad idea. The eldest of Bruce's partners stormed out of the room, followed by the second eldest, stomping off in a different direction.
Next to him, Tim sighed. He put the console controllers away and shut down the system, but not before killing both Roy and Jason one more time.
"Give Dick twenty minutes. He'll be in his room for the next three to six hours, staring at the ceiling," Tim told him.
Roy didn't like the image that painted of his friend. He changed the topic. "And Jason?"
"Most likely in the Batcave or one of the manor's libraries. If you'd rather deal with Jason, I'll go to Dick," Tim offered.
The truth was the Redhead would rather go after Jason. Jason, with all his flaws, expressed himself clearly. He already felt like he had a clearer understanding of him than he did of Dick's depression. And anger. Well, Roy was intimately familiar with anger. He didn't want to deal with this ugly thing eating Dick alive. It was easier when Dick was yelling. But to just sit with him in his darkness – Roy didn't think he was capable of that.
But. Dick was his friend. Dick needed him. And for once, Roy was going to be there.
"No, it's fine. I'll go after Dick."
~0~
After waiting the specified twenty minutes, Roy approached Dick's room in the manor. Unsurprisingly, the room was dark. He didn't bother knocking. There was no reason to give Dick time to compose himself.
The original sidekick sat on the floor, leaning against the footboard of his bed with his arms wrapped around his legs. His eyes were closed, and his head rested on the top of his footboard.
"I suppose asking you to knock is pointless," Dick said.
The defeated quality in his friend's voice made him regret his actions. This wasn't one of those times when Dick needed sense knocked into him, but that was the only support Roy knew how to give. He approached the bed.
"May I?"
Dick shrugged in response, and Roy lowered himself onto the ground next to one of the best men he knew. The pair sat in silence for a moment. Roy was used to silence. During his quest to find the original Roy Harper, the clone had gotten used to being alone. He never had Dick's need to chat. But sitting in silence, while his friend struggled unnerved the archer.
"What are you thinking?" He tried.
"Honestly?"
"Yeah."
There was silence for a long time. Roy resigned himself to sitting in silence when Dick broke it.
"I'm thinking about how much better everything would be if I hadn't returned to the manor," the acrobat replied.
"Bull!"
Dick still didn't open his eyes. "I don't have the energy to fight you, Roy."
"Good," Roy spat out. "Then listen. Tim and Jason adore you. I don't know the full story, but no one is that protective of someone they don't love. Alfred is controlling because he loves you. I'm sure Batman is hovering being his usual overbearing self. So don't tell me for one second that, life would be better without you here. Your family loves you."
"They shouldn't."
Roy saw red. He stood up to avoid socking his friend. "No, you don't get to throw away all that love because you're having a bad day."
Dick didn't even respond; Roy's anger grew.
"You're smarter than this."
The acrobat still didn't respond.
"Where's the list?"
Another refusal of to do anything.
"Dick. Where's the list?"
Finally, his friend sighed. "It's on the nightstand."
Roy grabbed it. "Read it."
Dick didn't move.
The redhead growled, "Fine, I'll read it. You repeat."
"I'm not in the mood, Roy."
"I don't care. Repeat after me. Dick Grayson is a good man."
Dick didn't, so Roy kicked him much lighter than he wanted to.
"Go away," Dick responded.
"You want me to go away? Then repeat after me. Dick Grayson is a good man."
Dick's glare turned murderous, but he complied. "Dick Grayson is a good man."
"Dick Grayson is a good friend."
Dick's voice sounded sarcastic, but he repeated, "Dick Grayson is a good friend."
By the time, they got to the end. Dick had stopped fighting. Roy was bemused to note that Jason had added his own colorful commentary at the end.
"Why can't I believe any of this?" His friend asked.
Exhausted, Roy squatted next to his friend.
"I don't know," he replied. "But I'm here to cram it down your throat until you do."
Dick smiled lightly. "Thanks Roy."
"What's the update on the therapist front?"
"Bruce is vetting counselors. I think he wants one that I won't have to lie to," Dick responded.
"At all?" A nod. "That's going to be tough to find. Why don't you talk to Dinah until then?"
Dick stared at the carpet. It took him a moment to form the right words.
"I don't want her to think less of me."
Roy nudged him. "You know she won't."
"I'll think about it."
The clone dropped the subject but returned to his original inquiry. "Do you have an escape plan?"
Dick gave a humorless laugh. "I have five, but I can't leave." Roy waited for Dick to continue. "If I leave, Jason and Bruce will destroy this manor. Jason will disappear. Alfred's heart will be crushed, and Timmy won't have a mentor."
"So your plan is to trade your sanity for the sake of your family?" Roy responded incredulously.
His friend shrugged. "It's my job."
"No," Roy roared. "Your job is to get better."
"Okay."
Springing to his feet yet again, Roy paced. He needed the ability to punch depression in the face. That would make him feel so much better. He wondered if Miss Martian could pull Dick's mental illness out of his body turn it into a physical shape that he could beat up. Wait. Could Miss Martian pull mental illness from someone? He filed that thought away. Surely, Artemis would be willing to talk to the Martian about it.
"You can't stay here if it's going to kill you," Roy said instead. "You know there are places you could go."
"I'm staying."
"Dick."
"No Roy, you don't get it," Dick screamed. "The manor is keeping me alive."
The archer froze.
"Shit," the acrobat fumbled. "I didn't mean it like that."
"Explain."
Dick scrambled into a standing position. "I'm not on watch or anything," he attempted to reassure. "I just meant that." The acrobat pinched his nose. "I hate myself less when I'm not alone."
Roy's heart started beating again, and he pulled his friend into a hug. "Idiot, you've never been alone." Neither mentioned the tears that soaked Roy's shirt. "I'm sorry I left," he whispered. "I'm here now."
Author's Notes: I have been waiting for Roy and Jason to meet! Remember when I said friendship was really important to me? I love all the friendships.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next up: Jason.