Bats in the Attic
Bedfuddled
The word "befuddle" seemed like the best word to describe his current mental dysphoria, as his bright blue eyes recognized the person in front of him. Dick swallowed, the cogs in his head trying to figure out the inconsistencies running through is mind.
Particularly, one of the certainties running through his head regarding his past lay in the fact he knew Jason was dead, yet right there in front of him, Jason stood, his hands shoved into his pockets, his jaw set in that firm stubbornness Dick felt only possible from the person in front of him. The glint of mischief in his eyes also screamed the Jason in front of him was most certainly alive.
"Jason?" The name came out of Dick's throat strained, his fingers deftly folding the letter shut before shoving the object inside the pocket of the jacket he wore, hoping the person in front of him didn't see said action. Further words refused to come out of his mouth, his eyes blinking at the all to physical ghost in front of him.
"Hey, Dickie Bird. Long time no see." Jason seemed calm. "I guess from the way your mouth is open, you're a bit surprised to see me?"
Again, Dick's bright blue eyes blinked, but his mouth continued to open and close like a fish until he actively made the decision to look away from the other young man. He took a deep breath, trying to form some kind of thoughts in his head, but also words in his mouth. Dick also moved to stand up, feeling the situation got rather uncomfortable. "Um, Jay..."
"I get it. I'm a mess. Always have been, so you were surprised to see me when I hate dad so much actually makes sense." Dick swallowed, the confusion in his mind remaining. His eyes narrowed, noting Jason referred to Bruce as dad rather than the man's first or last name. His mouth also hung open, making his confusion rather evident. Dick watched Jason's eyes blink. "It's something else. Almost like I've got a booger sticking out of my nose making me look like an idiot."
"It's not that." Dick felt his breath his out between his teeth, his anxiety evident at least to himself. His hand shot up in a defensive manner, palm out, his bright blue eyes avoiding direct eye contact when he said the next sentence. "Well, sort of. It's..." The young man drew air into his lungs deeply. "How to put this..." A thought crossed his mind. "I'm just a little confused."
"A little confused?" Jason's voice remained calm. "I'm the one who's confused. I don't see you for months, and..."
"What?" Dick's chest tightened, his confusion growing even more.
"What do you mean what? For some reason, you got it through that thick skull of yours that you wanted nothing to do with us, and took off for over a full year. This is me trying to be civil about the whole thing."
The tone Jason used, Dick recognized as the first sign of frustration from said individual. "That's not..." Swallowing, he slowed his speech. "That's not what I meant. I'm just a tad ... caught off guard."
"Look, Alfred's going to have dinner ready soon, and you know how he is about us being late for meals unless we've got a good reason, so why don't we head downstairs and join the rest of the family? You can tell me what kind of mods you've done to that sweet ride of yours."
Quickly grabbing the yearbook from the top of the box, Dick found himself following close behind Jason, his confusion growing. On top of calling Bruce "dad", Jason used the word "family" just like Alfred did earlier. His bright blue eyes looked at the wall instead of Jason's back. "I don't know if I'm staying."
"What do you mean you don't know if you're staying?" The stairs to the attic creaked under the feet of the two young men. Jason stopped at the bottom, looking up at Dick who still stood on the stairs. His eyes narrowed in irritation, a look quite similar to the one Jason gave him when Bruce's other ward said something about being civil. "What did you mean by that?"
Dick's bright blue eyes avoided eye contact, his mouth opening slightly, allowing a pause of silence before he started speaking. "It's complicated. I'd rather not go into it."
"Whatever." Jason turned, continuing down the hallway. The tone of voice Jay used indicated frustration, possibly, but also the other young man's dour outlook on life. Dick looked at the ground, his hands shoving into the pockets of his jeans in the same manner as Jason. The obvious disappointment in the voice of the other sent a shudder down Dick's spine, reminding him of the reason he avoided coming home.
He'd disappointed Bruce, and now Jay.
A silence fell between the two as each took a few more steps, unable to say anything in the thick atmosphere created by communication breakdown. Dick's eyes looked at the walls of Wayne manner, not noticing any physical change to the place, yet in the back of his mind, something told him the world he saw wasn't the world he remembered.
Thoughts of the letter flickered through his mind, and his mouth opened, words slipping out unbidden. "Do you know who Huntress is?"
Jason stopped walking, making Dick nearly collide with him from behind. A silence fell between the two, before Jay turned to look at Dick, his mouth pressing into a frown. "You, of all people, are asking who the Huntress is?"
Dick found himself making eye contact, finding himself befuddled even more. Plus, he noticed Jason was taller than him. He found himself speaking after a pause speaking in a rather hesitant manner. "Yes?"
"Yeah. If you of all people don't know who she is, how do you expect me to know?" Jay's eyes narrowed, indicating a slight irritation. "Please tell me you haven't been gone for over an entire year pursuing a girl?"
"I... uh..." Dick's bright blue eyes blinked, his lips pressing slightly together. "Um, maybe?"
"Oh, Dickie. Seriously. Of all the stupid things..." Jason stopped short as a door opened, and a young man Dick didn't recognize stepped out. The young man turned to look at him, his eyes blinking, his mouth opening slightly. Jason's focus seemed to shift away from Dick just as the door to the room next door also opened, another young man stepping out.
"What stupid thing did he do?" The first piped up. "And when did he get back?"
Dick watched the younger of the two stranger's eyes widen, almost as if in excitement, before the small figure who came out of the second room hurried over to greet him. "Richard."
He felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly, as the boy in front of him called him by his full name rather than his nickname. Jason sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes closing. "Uh. What stupid thing did Dickie Bird do? Like, when doesn't something stupid he does not involve a girl?"
The older of the two-young man let his mouth form a circle. "Oh. Which one is it this time?"
Dick felt his stomach lurch, his facial features twisting up, the thought of becoming like Bruce crossing his mind. A memory of his annoyance at all the females attempting to seduce Gotham's most eligible bachelor, but also using his young ward to do so crossed his mind, making him cringe. Jason shrugged his shoulders, acting indifferent to the situation. "Huntress. He's been pursuing Huntress for over a year."
"Say what!" The older of the two seemed rather off-put by the mention of the Huntress.
Dick attempted to glance away, only to catch the look from the kid. The look was one which could kill, but the young man couldn't help but feel the murderous intent coming from the young man. The word "replaced" flickered through his mind as he looked down at the riled up preteen, or maybe the person was a very young teen.
"Not the Huntress. Not her of all people! I'd rather you date Cat..." The boy paused, almost as if he said something wrong, changing his train of thought. "Poison Ivy, than her."
"Uh..." The young man felt his throat tighten, his confusion growing. In his confusion, words slipped out of Dick's mouth again. "Who are you two?"
Jason visibly tensed up, his head turning to look over his shoulder at Dick, while the two strange youth's eyes widened in horror. The youngest's eyes narrowed, his small arms crossing his chest in defiance. He let out a sound of irritation, which made Dick grimace. "Very funny Richard Grayson. You know who I am. I am Damian Wayne."
"I've got to go." Dick felt his teeth against his bottom lip, his worry growing as he headed to the front hall. From behind, he heard Jason let out a deep breath.
The older of the two strangers spoke up, panic in his voice. "Wait. What about dinner? You know how Alfred gets when we miss a meal unless we've got a good reason."
"I already told Alfred and Jason I'm not staying." Dick's eyes narrowed, realizing his tone of voice sounded cold. He couldn't look any of them in the eye, as he came closer to the front foyer. He looked down at the watch on his wrist, knowing full well Bruce wouldn't be home for quite some time, what with his work schedule.
"Little Wing, wait..." Jason's voice was unusually soft but sounded slightly worried.
Dick footsteps quickened, the urge to get out before Bruce got home from work building up. He heard footsteps behind him, his eyes narrowing due to only hearing two. Instinctively, his body wanted to react to the fact he knew three followed, but he heard only two, yet he fought back the urge and instead focused on the urge to get out of there.
Only to freeze upon reaching the foyer.
"Dick?"
Bruce stood at the bottom of the steps, home earlier than usual, staring up at his oldest ward with shock. Dick wasn't sure who was more surprised, Bruce or him, as he'd expected the man home much later, due to Wayne's work schedule. The young man felt his back tense up between his shoulders, and lower back.
Looking away, he found himself unable to make eye contact with Bruce, and instead started down the stairs in the foyer, unable to say a single word to the man who raised him after his parents died. He stopped in front of the man, his mouth opening, only to close, not wanting to delve into what he'd done to upset Bruce.
"Dick."
"Look, I just came for something of mine, and will be out of your hair." Glancing up from the floor, he saw Bruce's mouth open to say something, only Dick spoke quicker, again, not wanting to know what happened to make the man so disappointed in him. The world around him at that moment, it simply wasn't his world anymore. "I'm leaving, so sorry for intruding."
"In..." Out of the corner of his eye, Dick saw Bruce tense up as he walked past, heading for the front door of the manor. He couldn't see the look on the man's face right after, as the young man found himself heading through the door.
The front door clicked shut behind him, and Dick took a deep breath before moving towards his bike. With one hand, his fingers opened his satchel, slipping in the yearbook, before he swung his leg over the back of the motorcycle. The young man's hands reached for the helmet, only to stop short upon see the kid standing in front of him, his arms spread wide.
"Stop. You're not leaving Richard. You're staying." The boy's face scrunched up, making him look almost like a rather ugly pug. Dick grimaced at the face, his body tensing up. Glancing at the door, in the back of his head he found himself wishing Bruce would come out, only to see Jason instead.
The young man stood on the steps, watching rather unamused. Letting out a deep sigh, Jason finally started down the steps, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Come on Dames. Let Dickie Bird be."
"No." Dames continued to stand in front of the motorcycle, preventing Dick from leaving. "He can't leave."
A groan escaped Jason's lips, his long legs bringing him quickly over to the bike. "Dames, he's got his reasons for staying away."
"Don't care. We're a family, so why isn't Richard staying?" Damien's face twitched slightly, making his grimace look even more pug-like.
Dick took a deep breath. "Because I messed things up with Bruce, that's why." The other two didn't respond and instead stared. "What?"
Damien's head turned, his glare turning towards the manner before he took off. Jason watched, his mouth twisting with amusement. "Oh boy. The old man is going to get an earful from Dames. The thing is..." Jay turned to look Dick in the eye. The seriousness Dick saw in Jay's eyes made him flinch. "You and I both know you didn't do anything to mess things up with the old man."
"No. I did something. I had to of, else..."
"Yeah, you really did lose your memory, didn't you?" Jason's eyes darkened, his mouth pushing together into a deep frown.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Dick glanced down at his helmet, which hung from one of the motorcycles bars. "Why would you think that?"
"Because you don't recognize Tim or Damien. And..." Jason took a deep breath, looking away. "... while I may not have a bugger in my nose, you did look at me as if you'd seen a ghost. Because I am one, aren't I? You recognized me, but in your mind, I should be dead."
"That..." Dick felt a chill run down his spine. He felt his hands begin to tremble, his eyes closing. "It's complicated Jay." Taking a deep breath, Dick decided to admit something else. "I don't even remember how you were supposed to have died."
"Wait. You don't remember?" Jason's voice strained. "Do you remember Batman and Robin?"
"Do I?" Dick's eyes sprung open. "Batman's the dark knight of Gotham, and Robin is his sidekick."
A whistling sound occurred as Jay took a short breath. "Wait? Did you just call Robin a sidekick?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"That's all you remember about Batman and Robin, Dick? That Robin is his sidekick?"
Dick's shoulder's shrugged. "I guess I could remember a couple of cases. And I could recollect some of the villains Batman dealt with over the years. But beyond that specifically, I'm not sure what you're wanting me to remember unless you mean they were involved. With what happened to you."
"Yeah. That's it." Jason's voice softened, yet sounded pain. "You might say it's because of Robin specifically that I'm finally home. Not Batman. Robin."
"Oh. Sorry I don't remember Jay."
"Why?" Dick frowned, glancing at his jacket pocket. He pulled the letter out, handing it over to Jason. "Found this among my stuff."
Jason opened the envelope up, his eyebrows shooting up as he read the letter. "Um, Little Wing... about this letter..."
"I was hoping you knew something."
"I told you, I don't know who she is." Jason frowned. "You had a one-night stand with her?"
"You make it sound like a bad thing."
Jason shook his head, handing the letter back. "I'm just still trying to wrap my head around the idea."
"I'd better get going."
"Wait..."
"Jason, I'm not staying. No way you're going to try and talk me into staying."
"I'm not going to try." Jason shoved his hands into his pockets. "Dick. I've got to ask though. Do you have any plans? Beyond coming home to Gotham? Or are you homeless like I think you are?"
"Jay..." Taking a deep breath, Jason reached out for Dick's hand. Dick flinched, his entire body tensing up as Jason shoved some money into his hand. He swallowed, looking at the crumpled change. "Jay, I can't."
"You will. You will because you'd do the same for me, and have. If you need anything, call. I won't tell Bruce either. Just, don't shut us out. We're your family. And be careful. Gotham's not a safe place."
"I know. I can take care of myself."
"Seriously. Bruce would have a fit if he knew. Alfred as well."
"See you later."