Dick was surrounded by complete darkness. The only thing visible to him was his outstretched hand, plushie of Red Hood he was clutching to him with the other hand and himself.

"Bruce?" he called into the blackness, his voice echoing slightly. "Tim?"

Nothing beside the sound of his own breathing and pounding of his heart.

"Jay?" Dick threw into the abyss hopefully.

"Here," was the answer from somewhere to his left.

"Jay!" Dick cried, running in the direction the voice came from.

"I'm here," the voice said with a chuckle. It was wrong somehow, but Dick didn't pay it too much attention too busy in his haste to get to his little brother.

"Jay, where are you?" the little Nightwing stopped after some time without reaching Jason and looked around in the black.

"Right here, little birdie," the painfully familiar voice replied, causing Dick to freeze in fear. It definitely wasn't Jason.

White hands reached for him and Dick stumbled back, tripping over nothing and going down.

"Jay!" Dick screamed, scrambling away as the hands moved closer and got a hold on his ankle. "No, no, no!" the kid tied to free his legs as he was pulled toward green haired head with crazy grin stretched across white face slowly emerging from the darkness around them. "Jay!"

"That's Uncle J to you, birdie," Joker chuckled pulling him closer still until he was hovering over the struggling boy face to face.

Dick froze in terror as Joker's head came closer and closer. Red lips stretched in a wide grin surrounded by white filled his vision, blocking everything else.

"No!" Dick wailed and headbutted the clown, trashing to get free.

"Ow, fuck!" another voice cursed and the hands released him.

The boy scrambled back, but didn't get far as he pressed his back against the headboard.

"Dick?" yet another voice asked worriedly.

Dick blinked. He was in his own bed in his room at the manor. To his left Tim was half laying on the bed, looking at him with concern. Jason was sitting on Dick's right side, prodding his nose carefully and glaring into distance. Dick's forehead throbbed.

Oh.

Oh.

"I'm so sorry!" mini Nightwing cried. His body lurched toward Jason, but he remembered and managed to stop himself, hugging the toy instead. He shouldn't show his worry, affection or neediness if he wanted his brothers to stay. But it was hard to do that, when he was shook to the core and wanted nothing more than wrap himself in Jay's safe embrace.

"'S alright. I don't think it's broken," Jason soothed, frowning at him. He saw the aborted move and despite his doubts about Dick actually wanting him to be there, pulled the boy to him. Dick didn't fight him, but didn't hug him back either. Aw, fuck. He exchanged a look with Tim.

"You're lucky I didn't have my helmet on," Red Hood teased, "you would crack your head open."

Dick didn't answer, just endured Jason comforting him in silence. Jason sighed at a loss, rubbing Dick's back soothingly. The little body in his arms trembled and Red Hood didn't know if it was from fear, stress, suppressed emotions or mix of all of that.

"Come on, Dick, none of that," Jason commanded, gently cupping kid's face and tipping it up to look a t him. "I told you I don't mind. I'm sorry I left. I didn't mean to. It's just… Bruce made me so angry I stopped thinking and just had to get away. It wasn't your fault. It had nothing to do with you. I didn't leave because of you."

"R-really?" Dick questioned uncertainly, hopeful expression lightening his face.

"Really," Jason confirmed leaning down and carefully nuzzling Dick's nose with his bruised one and then kissed his forehead. The kid threw his arms around Red Hood's neck in response and buried his face in his throat, letting out his pent up emotions with a shudder.

"It's okay. It's alright. Everything is fine," Jason crooned, petting Dick's hair as he cried.

He raised an eyebrow as Tim suddenly moved closer and plastered himself to Dick's back, wrapping his arms around Jason's shoulders and trapping the kid between them. Jason grunted at the added weight and all he could do was to make sure they landed on the bed as he lost his balance.

"Get off, Replacement!" Red Hood groaned from under the pile. He was not a pillow dammit!

Dick giggled and Jason couldn't help but smile at that.

"Nope," Tim declared, making himself comfortable. "I want cuddles too."

Because of course Red Robin was deprived of affection too. Dammit. If Dick conditioned them to crave it why they were so opposed to it when it was given?

"Fuck my life," Jason muttered. "Fine!" he sighed. "Just for a few moments."