The Cave went deathly silent in the aftermath.

For those 30 or so seconds immediately after the distinct sound of a fist hitting a cheekbone, it was like they had landed in a vacuum of sound.

It was such a startling contrast to the shouting that had led up to that exact moment. The fight between Dick and Bruce hadn't been surprising. When Red Robin had called Nightwing on his private comm line to report that Robin had been shot on patrol, he had known the eldest would panic. And when he found out it was because Batman had made a mistake, Tim knew shit would hit the fan.

Quite literally.

But Tim hadn't anticipated Bruce taking a swing at Dick when the latter had accused Bruce of purposefully using Damian as a shield so he could go after Two Face himself. It wasn't even one of the worst things he had heard Dick tell Bruce in the heat of an argument, but something about it had pushed Bruce over an edge none of them had realized he could go over. Sure, Bruce could be a hard ass, but Tim had never seen him get to this point. And a quick glance at Jason, who was coiled tight with his hands clenched tightly at his side, revealed that Tim wasn't the only one caught off guard.

He expected Dick to swing back, to say something in retaliation, but instead he watched his brother straightened and wipe at the blood now dripping from his nose. From this angle Tim could see the angry mark Bruce's gauntlet had left on Dick's cheekbone and it made him wonder if there was anything broken beneath the surface.

"That's your one free hit, Bruce. I'm not the kid you used to push around to win arguments anymore. Nor am I emotionally compromised to the point that you can manipulate me into getting your way," Dick spoke lowly, voice dangerous and anger simmering just below the surface. It was rare to hear that particular tone come from Dick, but it never failed to send a shiver down his spine. For all the sunshine Dick projected, most weren't aware of the precision of the weapon he could be. "I told you if you couldn't protect him that I would. He's still legally mine."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm stating facts. I may have been disposable to you over the years, but you are out of your fucking mind if you think I'll let you hurt him the same way." Movement out of the corner of his eye pulled Tim's surprised attention from the pair, finding Jason stalking forward. And Tim knew that walk, he knew that look.

Jason was pissed and that didn't bode well for one or both of them.

"What the fuck did you mean by that?" Jason demanded, grabbing Dick's shoulder to turn him to face him instead of Bruce. But Dick didn't respond, and Tim could see his jaw clench from here. In fact, at this angle he could get a much better look at the damage Bruce had done and it was definitely looking like Dick's cheek was starting to swell.

"What on god's green earth is going on out here?" Alfred's stern voice broke through the silence that had fallen over them again and Tim spared the elderly man a glance before he moved over to where Jason and Dick were still facing each other. He could tell they were having one of their silent conversations, but that wouldn't stop him.

"It's nothing Alfred," Bruce huffed, causing Dick and Jason to tense up even more. "How is Damian?"

"Dick?" Tim spoke softly, not wanting to pull too much attention to himself. It took a moment before his brother looked over at him and Tim tensed at the look in his eyes. It was unfamiliar and difficult to put a name to. But there was something that concerned him there. He placed a hand on Dick's upper arm before looking to Jason, finding the other man already considering him with a curiosity that Tim knew well.

Jason's eyes narrowed just slightly, and Tim gave him a nod before looking back to Dick and making a show of raising his hand to the bruise on his cheek so he would see it coming. "Not broken," he muttered. Dick nodded and Jason gave a huff of air while Tim continued to poke at the cheek in question. "Who is going to get him?" He whispered as he worked. Dick jerked in surprise, eyebrows drawing down in confusion, but Tim knew Jason would get it.

"He's more likely to come with me than you. You ride with Goldie. We'll meet you." Tim as he let his hands fall away from Dick's face, satisfied that nothing needed immediate attention. It could wait until they got back one of the safehouses. "Go to the one I showed you after that Penguin fight where Ivy showed."

Remembering that night and what a mess it had been, Tim also remembered that it was one of the safehouses that Jason always kept stocked up on medical supplies. If they were going to have Damian with a gunshot wound and Dick with his face, they needed supplies. "All right," he agreed, looking over his shoulder to see Bruce watching them with his eyes narrowed and Alfred frowning beside him.

"You two want to clue me in?" Dick finally spoke up, voice just barely above a whisper and threaded tight with tension.

Tim watched Jason give his shoulder a squeeze before sending Tim a look that spoke volumes. "Come on, Dick. Get your gear. We're leaving," he told his brother as Jason walked away toward the other two men.

"Wait, Tim," Dick protested, pulling his elbow out of the younger's grip. "I can't just leave Damian. Not while he's hurt."

Sighing, Tim stopped and looked up at Dick. "We're leaving." His tone gave no room for argument, but Tim also knew Dick was practically made to argue. "Trust me. Trust Jason." Dick stared at him for a moment before looking toward the medbay where Damian was resting. Tim knew he was considering the options and that whatever he decided now would say a lot about their relationship.

"Okay," he finally agreed, and Tim gave him a nod before heading over to where he had left his gear, Dick's not far from it. There was a moment more of hesitation before Dick finally turned away and grabbed his own gloves and helmet. "I'll follow you?"

Where Tim would have usually thrown out a snarky remark and a smirk, he instead nodded and hopped onto his own motorcycle before turning the engine over. Once he was sure Dick was set and ready to go, he gave one last glance behind them to see Jason and Bruce nose to nose and Alfred no where in sight. He wasn't sure what it meant for the situation, but he couldn't find it in him to care at the moment. Not when he had just seen his adoptive father punch one of his brothers. Not when it wasn't the first time, apparently. No. He almost hoped Jason would return the favor and knock Bruce down on his ass. Almost.

But that wasn't a thought train he could go down at the moment. He had more important things to do, like getting Dick out of there and fixing up his brother's face once they got to the safehouse. Which didn't take as long as he thought it would. Of course, with it still being the early hours of the day, most of Gotham was either still asleep or just waking up for the day. It made it easier to store their bikes in Jason's hiding spot and sneak into the building without anyone seeing.

"This is Jay's?" Dick looked around, frowning as they stepped inside and tugged off their helmets. He paused and looked at one of the posters hanging on the wall. "Roy must use it," he muttered. Tim let him wander around as he made his way into the kitchen to grab the supplies under the sink and an ice pack in the freezer.

"Here," he called out, tossing the pack toward Dick who caught it easily and gave him a small smile of thanks. "Will you tell me what you meant?" Tim asked as he opened the medical kit and began digging through it to make sure they had the things they would need for Damian. When no response came from his brother, he looked up and found Dick frowning as he stared out the window. "Dick?"

Blinking, the older man looked over at him and waved a hand. "Don't worry about it, Timmy. Ancient history, and all that." Unfortunately for Dick, Tim was too good at reading him now and knew when he was deflecting. So Tim watched him, taking in all the signs he had memorized over the years. The tight line of his shoulders, the clenched fist at his side, the white knuckles of the hand pressing the ice pack just a bit too hard to his bruised cheek. They told Tim more than Dick was willing to at the moment.

"How many times."

It wasn't a question and Tim wasn't going to let Dick get away with brushing it under the rug, not this time. Not this topic. "Just drop it, Tim. I'm already going to have to fight Jason on this. Just...it's not important."

Tim scoffed. "It was important enough to use against Bruce." Which, throwing back at Dick at the moment was probably a bit of a low blow, but sometimes you had to play dirty to get Dick to talk.

"Look, don't act like you don't know of at least one other time he used his fists against me." The words were accusatory, but the tone was defeated. It made Tim furrow his brows, trying to think of what Dick could possibly mean. "I know there's no chance you haven't come across Bruce's cowl footage from after the Crime Syndicate, before I joined Spyral."

But Tim had no idea what Dick was talking about. And it must have shown on his face because soon enough Dick had closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest.

"Fuck," he muttered.

"A little help here," Jason's voice cut off anything either of them were planning on saying and Tim hurried over to take some of Damian's weight from Jason. A quick scan of the teen showed the blood seeping through the bandage at his shoulder and the light sheen of sweat on his forehead. The ride must have been rough. "Let's get him on the bed."

Dick rushed ahead of them and fussed over the bedding so they could get Damian comfortable with minimal effort from the pair carrying him. Jason let out a grunt when they set Damian down, leaning just slightly upright on the pillows Dick had stacked.

"I'll grab the kit and change the bandage," Tim muttered, looking at Jason before leaving the room to grab the supply kit he had been looking through moments earlier. He paused on his way back into the room to grab the ice pack Dick had been using but dropped to hurry and help get the bed ready for the youngest of them. "Dick," he called, handing the ice pack back to him as he moved onto the side of the bed where the wound was. Dick frowned but took the pack, pressing it back to his cheek.

"What-" Damian tried to speak as Tim went to work on the bandage. The teen cleared his throat and clenched his jaw for a moment before slowly releasing a breath through his nose, all signs of how much pain he was in without showing it on his face. "What happened, Richard?" He asked, voice a bit raspy with the pain he was fighting.

"Nothing." "Bruce."

Tim looked between Dick and Jason as they both answered, Dick sounding calming and Jason with the expected anger. Honestly, he expected this from both of them. Dick would forever be shielding Damian from what little bad the teen hadn't already been exposed to. And Jason would never sugar coat anything that had to do with Bruce. Even if their relationship had been improving up until this point.

He wasn't foolish enough to think that would continue with what they witnessed tonight.

"Don't," Jason growled, pointing a finger at Dick who had opened his mouth to say something. "You don't get to lie or brush this off. You suggested this wasn't the first time and if that's the case then we deserve to know. He deserves to know."

But Dick didn't respond. Instead he turned his eyes onto Damian and Tim locked eyes with Jason. The older man's expression was grim and Tim felt his probably just looked exhausted. They had all dealt with Dick's stubborn nature, but he wouldn't win this time. Not with all three of them pushing.

Not with what Dick had accidentally revealed before Jason and Damian had arrived.

"Tell us about after the Syndicate." Tim turned his eyes onto the bandages he was taping to Damian's wound, which thankfully hadn't torn any stitches. The teen narrowed his eyes on him and Tim attempted to give him a smile. He wasn't Dick and he wasn't good at comfort, but at least he and Damian had gotten over the feud they had suffered for so long. At least they trusted each other now.

With a shuffling sound, Tim glanced over to find Dick sitting on the edge of the bed near Damian's feet with his eyes gazing off at a spot on the wall. "I didn't want to go. I..." They watched him take a deep breath and release it slowly. "I begged him to let me stay. But he had already planned out the whole thing. Had my funeral and told the world I had died. Said it was the only way to make sure none of it happened to anyone else in the family."

"But that has nothing to do with Bruce punching you tonight."

"It doesn't seem like it, but his words were not going to be enough to convince me," Dick turned to Jason, who had moved to lean against the closest wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"And by that you mean...?" Tim considered what Dick said earlier and what he was saying now. "The cave was trashed after your funeral. Alfred said he had never seen so much damage. And how it almost seemed too much for one person to do. Even Bruce."

The silence blanketed them for the second time that night and this time it was suffocating. Whereas the air felt sucked from them earlier, this time it felt like it was weighing him down to the point that it would crush him where he sat with a hand still on Damian's shoulder.

That point of contact clued him into the fact that Damian was shaking. Small tremors rippling through his muscles. A barely contained anger. And Tim didn't blame him. Damian had been dead and Dick had been devastated. He said it was the only reason the Syndicate had been able to get the drop on him to begin with. That if he hadn't been so destroyed by Damian's death, his focus wouldn't have been in pieces. That they would never have grabbed him without a fight. And that was enough to make the teen upset, but then throw in this new piece of information?

"He beat you into submission," Jason's voice finally broke the silence, cutting through it like one of Damian's katanas cut through flesh. Effortlessly and deadly. "That's what you're not willing to just come out and say. He took an emotionally compromised man who had been beaten and strapped to a literal bomb, and beat the ever loving shit out of him to get him to do what he wanted."

"Richard," Damian whispered.

"You know what the time was like, Jason. Tim. You both know what everyone was like," Dick tried to reason, ignoring Damian's almost-plea. "None of us were our real selves, Bruce especially."

There was a loud crash and Tim jerked as he snapped his eyes onto Jason, finding him breathing heavily and his eyes rimmed green. "Don't make excuses for him!" Jason pushed off the wall and Tim noticed a dent next to him, assuming the crash had been a fist hitting the wall. "None of us might have been the real versions of us, but none of us beat the shit out of people we supposedly cared about just to get them to submit! You don't get to brush this off like it's no big deal. You don't get to do that because if this had happened to any of us, you wouldn't let us."

"That's different."

"The fuck it is," Damian cut in. Tim watched Dick's eyes go wide as he looked at the teen. "It's only different because you think you are not worth the same as the rest of us. You value your life less than ours, but the same cannot be said for us." When Damian's hand landed on Tim's arm, he looked over and immediately jumped to help him sit more upright. "Father is not infallible and your loyalty to him is a disservice to yourself. And I for one will not stand for it any longer."

"I'm with the kid," Jason interjected, crossing his arms over his chest again. Tim noticed the green had faded from his eyes, but his body was still one large ball of tension. "This stops now. I can't do anything about what happened in the past, but if he lays a finger on you again and I will put him in his own grave."

"You know they're right, Dick." Tim spoke softly, keeping his own emotions out of it because Damian and Jason had enough for all of them. "There's more than you're telling us, we all know it. But this can't happen again. And when we tell the girls and Duke, they'll all say the same thing." In fact, Tim cringed inwardly thinking about how Cass and Barbara would react once they heard.

"No," Dick turned his wide eyes on Tim. "You can't tell them. They don't need to know."

Tim sighed and shook his head. "They do. They might already know what happened tonight, who knows where Babs has her cameras and mics set up down there. But we're a family and we don't keep these kinds of secrets. They always backfire on us. It's time we learned that lesson."

Jason moved over and set a hand on Dick's shoulder. "You can't preach the family line to the rest of us and not think we'll use it against you."

"Yeah, okay," Dick nodded, looking between the three of them before settling on Damian. "Okay."