YJ: Moments: Tender Love and Care
A/N: Even Batman understands the meaning of TLC.
To say that Bruce was concerned when he couldn't contact the Young Justice base was an understatement, but when he could not connect to Dick's communicator Bruce nearly panicked. Bruce tried to connect to the Watchtower but a beam but Red Tornado who was scheduled for the watch did not respond. Bruce could only hope that the android had discovered something amiss with the kids and went ahead. By the time Batman and the other mentors swept into the base they found it destroyed.
"Robin!" Bruce gasped as they found the children lying unmoving on the ground Kid Flash and Superboy unconscious and trapped in melted metal. Bruce was at Dick's side in an instant. To his relief he found a weak pulse on the boy. The boy's lips were blue and he was gasping weakly. Bruce pulled out a portable oxygen tank covering the boy with the mask.
"Batman?" Dick gasped weakly as he woke. "Tornado…"
"Later. Breathe." Bruce said gently. Dick's hair and clothes were damp and with the gasping and coughing Bruce could tell there was fluid in Dick's lungs. Bruce frowned and swept Dick up into his arms shielding the boy from the others. "Take care of the others." Bruce ordered before sweeping off. The other children didn't matter, what mattered now was Dick.
"Others…" Dick gasped as Bruce began heading towards the med bay.
"They are fine. Breathe." Coaxed gently laying the boy down a table and found the medication he was looking for and injected the boy with replacing the portable oxygen mask with a proper one. After a while Dick's breathing finally returned to normal. It was only then did Bruce ask. "What happened?"
"Nearly drowned, and then had the air sucked out of me thanks to a vacuum." Dick made a face. "Did you know that Red Tornado had siblings?" Bruce listened as Dick briefed him of the events with stern silence. "I know I shouldn't have let myself get caught like that should have prevented contact Red Tornado from coming in contact with the other androids to prevent him from possible hacking. And the EMP fail…" Dick trailed off when Bruce placed a hand on the boy's head in a gentle pat.
"I will be expecting a full report of your errors starting with how the base security was infiltrated and how you walked into the ambush without knowing." Bruce said sternly, but then his voice softened. "However everyone made it out alive so you didn't fail." To anyone else that would not have been seen as a compliment but Dick smiled happily.
"We should go check on the others." Dick said hopping off the med table but his legs didn't quiet hold. Bruce caught him.
"Can you walk?" Bruce frowned.
"Yeah." Dick smiled gathering himself feeling his strength return slowly, "Just a little light headed. I am good." Bruce nodded impressed by how steady the boy held himself up. As Dick took an unsteady step Bruce fell into step next to him letting the boy lean on him.
"Just till we get back to the others." Bruce said nothing in response but swept his cape protectively around Dick's shoulder.
By the time the members of the Injustice League had been securely locked away it had been nearly dawn. The other kids had been taken by their own mentors back to their homes, Even M'gann and Superboy had returned to Mount Justice to rest for the night. Dick still stood strong beside Bruce without a complaint even though Bruce knew that the boy was battered, bruised and exhausted from the fight.
"Robin. Wait in the car." Bruce ordered sternly. Robin was going to open his mouth to ague but Bruce silenced him. "I will be right behind you." Robin closed his mouth and walked towards the Batmobile.
Bruce made his way back to the Batmobile in under twenty minutes but when he got there he found Dick fast asleep in his seat. Bruce couldn't help but feel a smile tug at the corner of his lips. Seeing Dick asleep reminded Bruce of when the boy was younger and always fell asleep in the Batmobile on their way home from patrol. Bruce tenderly brushed some dry mud off the boy's face. Dick stirred.
"Batman?" Dick mumbled sleepily but did not fully wake.
"Go to sleep." Bruce said stroking Dick's hair gently. "You've earned it."
When they finally got home Dick remained asleep even as the car stopped. Dick usually woke easily especially when the car stopped moving, the boy must have been exhausted.
"Master Batman." Alfred said greeting him as Bruce got out of the Batmobile. When Bruce pulled the small sleepy boy out of the car Alfred frowned worriedly seeing the boy unconscious.
"He is just tired." Bruce said easing the old man's concern. He placed the boy gently on a work bench. Alfred let Bruce examine and take care of the boy's wounds before cleaning up the boy and changing him out of his costume. Bruce cradled the boy close to him as he took the boy up to his room.
"You kids did so well tonight." Bruce said stroking Dick's hair gently. "I am so sorry I had to send you kids, I never wanted to, but the world needed heroes. You saved the world today. Do you know that?" Bruce gently touched the bruise forming on Dick's cheek. "You are so strong. Even though you are the smallest you are the strongest." Bruce kissed Dick's forehead gently. "I am so very proud of you."
Bruce almost didn't hear the quiet sobbing amidst the tempest raging on outside his window, but years of training kept his ears keener than most. Tiredly Bruce got out of bed drew on his robe and headed out of his room down the hall towards the sound. Outside the large oaken door Bruce could hear the sniffles and ragged breaths – a nightmare. Bruce frowned, he had hoped when the nightmares that went away a year ago would stay away, but from the soft whimper Bruce could tell it did not. Slowly Bruce turned the brass door knob and pushed opened the door. Dick sat on his bed, his knees drew close to his body his face buried in his knees trying to stifle the sound of his sobs.
"Hey buddy." Bruce said sitting down on the large bed. The boy wiped at his face trying to hide his tears. Bruce petted the boy's head gently trying to calm the boy down. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah… sorry I woke you." Dick said unconvincingly, the boy was still shaking.
"I wasn't asleep." Bruce reached out and stroked Dick's hair gently. "Want to talk about it?" Dick didn't respond for a while. The two sat in silence for a while and then Dick shook his head. Bruce felt utterly helpless especially since he knew it was his fault. The training session was his idea, the kids, his kid was trapped in a hell of his design. The children were supposed to know that it wasn't real, but never perhaps it was too much, they were only children after all. Bruce could only wrap his arm around Dick's shoulder and gently rubbed the boy's arm waiting for the boy to stop shaking. The only comfort Bruce took was that Dick still trusted him enough to lean his head against Bruce's chest and be comforted by the man. Dick never blamed him for the fiasco and he never will. No matter what Bruce put him through Dick never thought any less of him. Dick is such a sweet boy with so much unconditional love Bruce only wished he could repay that with even a fraction of what Dick gave him.
"Why do they always leave me." Dick's half asleep murmur was so soft Bruce almost didn't hear it over the storm outside. "All of them died… I couldn't protect them… It was my fault… the team… you… mom… dad. Everyone always leave me…" Dick's heartbroken cries made Bruce's heart ache. As Bruce released his hold on Dick to lay the boy down and make him more comfortable the boy unconsciously clung onto his shirt. "Don't leave… don't leave me."
"I am right here." Bruce pulled the boy into his arm and settled into the bed holding the boy in his arms. It will be a long night, but this was the least Bruce could do. "I will always be right here."