A/n: So… yes I'm behind already with Whumptober, but to be fair, by the time I actually realised it was even October, it was already like the third or fourth day and I was busy okay? Important thing is, I'm doing it now and even though this is a short-not-very-whump-y fic to start with, I promise I will get better as we go along and I'm no longer playing catch-up. For now, just go ahead and read.


"Dick. Dickhead. Dick!"

He groaned, and he heard a familiar sigh of relief.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" A skin colour and red blob filled his vision, his vision taking too long to focus on Jason holding up his middle finger.

"One, Jason. The worst one."

Jason grinned as he helped an unsteady Dick up, and Dick only noticed now that his brother's helmet was off, in his arms instead of over his head which was odd considering they were out in public. Of course, the iconic domino mask was still there, but even that wasn't enough to hide the small signs of Jason's concern, the signs that were as glaringly obvious to Dick as if they were on a brightly lit billboard in the country.

In another circumstance, he would have addressed that, or teased Jason but his head was spinning too much for him to bother with that just yet.

"What… what happened?" He managed to get out, as his brother helped him over to a safer and comfier spot in the alley.

"Doesn't matter. Just relax. I need to just do a quick check that we weren't followed."

"Jason, what? What are… what are you even doing in Bludhaven?"

Though the mask covered the younger man's eyes, the worry was evident when he whipped back around to check on Dick. "Do you not remember? You didn't get a concussion or anything did you?"

"… I don't think so… why… look, Jason, it'd really help if you just briefed me on the situation because I'm trying to stay relaxed, but you're not making any sense and now this place is spinning while I'm trying just to fill in all the gaps."

Jason frowned. "That's not good. Maybe you did hit your head…." He reached out to check Dick's head for injuries, but his older brother swatted it away.

"Jason, please!"

"Fine, I'll tell you! We were being chased by some guys - who are dealt with now so don't worry - but we ended up on the roofs and you tripped and fell off the edge. I managed to stop you from splatting on the ground, but you were breathing way too hard then passed out. Happy?!"

Dick could barely nod, too preoccupied with Jason's words as they started to trigger memories in his mind. He remembered the chase now, then his stupid slip-up which had resulted in him actually slipping off the side of the building. He remembered his thoughts then, that he was going to die, poetic justice that it would be the same way his parents did. The same memories of their mangled bodies on the ground far below, no safety net to catch them, had filled his mind then as they did now and suddenly his chest was hurting, but he couldn't tell if it was his heart or his lungs.

"Dickface, hey, don't do this again. Just breathe, okay? Listen to my voice, because I swear to God if you pass out again, I'm going to drag your ass into that dumpster over there and I'm not joking. I think I hear those guys coming after us again and I need you to be… not like this. So, breathe, in… and out… there, yeah, keep doing that."

He clung to his brother's voice like an anchor - or more like a float really - as it dragged him out of the dark depths of his mind and past. With each breath, the images faded a little more until finally they were gone, and his breathing evened out. Not a moment too soon either as less than a minute later, shouts came from above as shadows fell over them.

Glancing at Jason, Dick smiled and nodded, his brother mirroring his actions with a devious grin of his own. As the younger man put his helmet back on and grabbed his guns, Dick took a last deep breath to push out the last remnants of his bad memories before the two brothers turned and looked up at their five enemies, soon to be no more than limp bodies in some obscure part of the city.

A gunshot sounded and the fight began.


A/n: See, short and sweet (even if the latter is the opposite of what it's supposed to be). I saw safety net in the prompt and my mind immediately went to Dick so here we are, but this will not be the last of his whumping this month. Jason might even get in on some of the action too if I so feel like, but I have a list of whumpees I can cycle through from different fandoms but we'll see where this goes. God this year is going by quick.

Anyway, stay safe and see ya very soon.

- CrowofArcadiaOaks