A/N: hello! this is my first fic, excited and nervous to finally be contributing to the community. there is no beta for this story, so if there are any blatant errors that you find, feel free to let me know.

as of right now, this story is looking to be 4-5 chapters and rated T, but i'm very much developing it as i go. i'll be working on it in my free-time, so there's no set update schedule, but i hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 1

Dick had seemed...different since he first arrived. Guarded. Too performative of his usual personality. It had felt like Bruce was interacting with "Richard Grayson," the public persona of a heartfelt kid with no real worries; just agreeable and mood-brightening. Which had the opposite effect on Bruce.

About three days prior, Dick had given Bruce a call before his patrol time, which was not unusual. His spontaneous phone calls were often done hesitantly, coming in right before it was too late and right when he had probably made up his mind to go through with it.

His hesitance wasn't misplaced, given the unspoken awkwardness both men still felt at being open or direct with asking for help or showing affection too forwardly. However, it was never unwanted or discouraged; it had just taken a while to regain the relationship they had once had in Dick's adolescence.

"Hey, Bruce!" Dick started off a little too enthusiastically "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Bruce glanced over the computer's time stamp which read 10:46; he had about twelve minutes to spare if he was sticking with the schedule he had set out for himself.

"No, I'm available for civilian communications for the next twelve minutes. What is it?"

Assuming Dick had called with a question or concern in mind, Bruce wanted to get straight to the point. It was easier on both of them to be comfortably "professional" about these rare exchanges but still familiar with one another.

Dick sighed in what seemed to be relief before continuing "Oh, good, well I just wanted to touch base real quick to see if it'd be alright for me to come by the Manor for a bit? Figured it's been a while since I last paid my wardly-dues to Alfie."

This was the first thing that stood out as odd to Bruce. When it came to sudden visits from Dick, that's what they were: sudden. The boy would be in the cave or kitchen without any prior warning of his arrival (except for Alfred being alerted in advance on occasion, those appearances usually being made with a fresh cookie in hand).

"Of course, Dick. You're welcome anytime. I'll let Alfred know to prepare your room."

"Awesome. Thanks, Bruce." The relief in his tone this time was obvious. "Well, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes," Bruce replied evenly "see you then."

And with that, he hung up. As he finished the last of his preparations for patrol, he allowed his mind to wander over Dick's unusual forwardness and sudden need to double-check with him. Whatever the reason, he was sure it would present itself once Dick arrived. With that thought, he left the cave deciding to worry about it after patrol.

—

Once Dick arrived the following afternoon as promised, however, there was no reason presented.

He had shown up in a Bludhaven taxi, which Bruce really didn't understand the need for when Alfred was always more than happy to drive Dick from his apartment, but Bruce had learned better than to press the issue.

"Hey Alfred!" Dick threw his arms wide open to embrace the old butler as he answered the door.

"Hello, Master Richard. Always a pleasure to see you on this side of the river." Alfred simply endured the embrace, a gentle pat on Dick's shoulder to return the warmth.

"I take it you have no luggage?" He asked, pointedly glancing at Dick's empty hands.

"Oh, yeah, I just figured I'd wear whatever I had here. Just staying a night or two," he answered sheepishly, preparing for the motherly-scolding he was sure to receive.

Right on cue, Alfred turned sharply, leading his guest in and adding "Well, despite what you may believe, we would appreciate to have you for more than a few days in old sweatpants and faded t-shirts, but if you insist."

As they passed through the main entrance and into the more homely quarters of the kitchen, Bruce emerged from the hall.

"Dick," he greeted in a calm manner. Peculiarly though, the person in question tensed ever so slightly at Bruce's address, something he made a small but strong note of.

"Hey Bruce," Dick smiled. Unlike with Alfred, the physical embrace was replaced with a beaming expression. "How'd patrol go last night?"

Holding his place in the hall's threshold, Bruce reported that there had only been a few skirmishes he had broken up, but no major events or arrests. After a few follow-up questions and taking a seat at the bar, Dick glanced around before asking "Is Tim not around?"

This was the second note Bruce made, though it was a much larger peculiarity than the slight tensing earlier.

"Tim is with his father this weekend, they went for a visit to his step-mother's relatives in New York."

There had been no resistance to Tim being away for a weekend, not only to deter any suspicion from his parents about the double-life he was currently leading, but Bruce was painfully aware that it was a rare occurrence for Tim's family to prioritize time spent with him. Bruce also knew that Dick was aware of this as well, and was generally very involved in Tim's life.

So it was surprising to hear that Dick had forgotten this rather prominent piece of information regarding Tim, despite having been informed of it only two weeks prior. As if catching onto the suspicion of his uncharacteristic slip in regards to his pseudo-brother, Dick's face nearly flushed as his eyes widened in recognition.

"That's right! That's right, wow, I totally forgot..." his hand covered his mouth and slid down his face, head shaking in disbelief at forgetting something so important. Recovering from-or rather masking-his slip up quite quickly, Dick shot Bruce a good-natured smile, one he would have worn in his early years at the Manor when he was scolded for a small etiquette faux-pas.

Again, Bruce felt quite unsettled by the performative quality of this reaction.

"Well, I guess I have been a little tired lately," Dick admitted, now rubbing the back of his neck.

Taking him in fully now, Bruce did agree that Dick looked a little more ragged than he usually did by the weekend; it was always more demanding to do night work throughout the week. His eyes a little heavier, posture a little more exhausted. Even his clothing choice stood out.

Dick was wearing his usual blue jeans, but paired with a rather worn, grey hoodie, instead of his typical t-shirt and jacket or fitted sweater. The hood's draw-string was slightly drawn, covering most of his neck. The motion of rubbing it drawing more attention to this detail than before, Dick noticed that Bruce's eyes happened to glance over his neck. Almost immediately Dick lowered his hand, a little too fast to seem natural.

In response to Bruce discerning that detail as well, Dick simply stood and announced with a stretch "So with that being the case! I'm gonna head upstairs to crash a little early," he pushed his stool in and turned without waiting for a response, which Bruce usually didn't have. But this time, he did speak up.

"All right, but I do believe Alfred will be serving dinner at seven. I'm fairly certain..."

"...he expects me to be at the table, got it." Dick finished the warning, throwing one last sheepish grin over his shoulder before heading towards the main staircase.

—

Something was most definitely amiss, but Bruce was not yet sure what. If it had been an issue with a case that was important enough to come to the Manor, and presumably the cave, Dick would have been more forthcoming with information and not tell-tale signs. So assuming that it was nothing crucial to anyone's safety, it either had to be a personal matter involved in a case, or a personal matter involved in his civilian life.

Regardless, a personal matter of any sort meant it would take a while to get out of Dick. He would go to great lengths of self-sacrifice to avoid burdening those he cared for, something that worried Bruce to no end. But Dick's presence and directness in reaching out, no matter how hesitant or thinly-veiled it was, was a sign Bruce took to mean that Dick eventually would open up.

At least, that's what he had expected. The following two days had gone without any issues presented to Bruce at all, not verbally anyway. He had only seen Dick a total of three times since their initial exchange: the following dinner that evening, dinner last night, and once more on his way to the cave. The exchanges from the latter two instances could hardly be considered conversations, even combined.

It wasn't as if it were normal for Dick to spend the entire day with Bruce whenever he was at the Manor, but what was abnormal was how avoidant he was being. On top of the unusual distance he had placed between Bruce and himself, it seemed the boy was also keeping some injuries under wraps.

Dick was an adult, and well trained at that, so Bruce trusted him to know his boundaries to a logistical extent. But again, he also knew the boy to be self-sacrificial when it came to being a possible burden. In the past, Dick had spent time at the Manor to recover from injuries of some sort or the other, in his own time. Though in this instance being paired with his red-flag behaviors, Bruce decided he should push a little.

Thankfully, he was able to catch him around six pm in the hall leading to the study.

"Dick," Bruce called softly, yet firmly. By now, there was no visible tense, but the slight strain in his easy-going smile gave him away when he turned in reply.

"Hey. What's up?"

Bruce carefully considered how to set up his question before finally speaking "Would you like to spar in the cave this evening?"

The strain in his expression became even more apparent, and as if he were aware, Dick quickly corrected it.

"Oh, uh…I'm actually just getting over some bruised ribs, so I wouldn't wanna push it too much just yet." Again, an apologetic tone, accompanied by yet another uncharacteristic excuse. In the past, Dick had voluntarily (and quite eagerly) pushed for training in worse conditions.

Feeling that this was the time to strike, Bruce responded.

"Yes, I've noticed. I wouldn't want to push you too hard, but it seems...that you have a lot on your mind."

Dick seemed to blush slightly, his transparency dawning on him, and simply glanced at the floor, nodding slightly. Before he could say any more, Bruce moved past him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"There is no pressure at all, but the offer is yours to take or leave. I'll be in the cave if you need me."

With a reassuring squeeze, he continued on down the hall, leaving Dick to look after him.