Bruce was relieved that things seemed to have settled the past few days. The night Dick had found his way down to the cave and uncovered their prisoners seemed so recent, but in reality, was more like 3 weeks.
Damian had sprinted upstairs and returned with socks from his own drawer, stating that Richard would no doubt prefer the crazy long socks he had left in there for Damian.
Damian thrust the long socks in Dick's face and demanded he put them on his feet. The socks were Christmas-themed with bright red cotton balls on the toes and heels with glittering candy canes and elves splattered throughout.
Damian had never worn them, but after Dick's death, he had kept them like they would help Dick's memory last longer.
Dick blinked stupidly at the socks before reaching out and pulling them on. He had wiggled his toes, watching the cheap cotton balls flop around from the movement. Once Dick had both pulled up as high as they would go he looked to Damian with an approving nod. Damian had beamed, even though his approval wasn't coming from the version of Dick he wanted, the positive glint in Dick's eyes still brought the same level of warmth to the teenager's chest.
No one was sure what to do after that, Bruce had suggested they return upstairs but Dick refused to leave Lane and his friend. Dick had been obstinant and refused to budge, at which point Alfred brought down all the blankets and pillows from the previous sleepover in Damian's room and laid them out from Dick to the boys.
Bruce had stayed up all night and the boys had gradually given in to the lack of adrenaline and taken spots across the plush silk and cotton downings. Bruce had occasionally turned around to keep Dick in view and around 3 am he noticed that Dick had also curcled up and claimed the very edge of the blankets. Bruce dropped his cowl to the back of his neck and allowed himself to watch his sons for the rest of the night.
Around 10 am Alfred came down to inform Bruce that he had requested the next week off of school and work for everyone but Luscious had a few meetings he had insisted be kept over Zoom with Bruce. Bruce nodded and watched as everyone started to stir with the sound of their whispers.
Dick opened his eyes and yawned, stretching his arms over his back and contorting his back in a stretch so delicious he almost had to kick his legs out. He lay there blinking before a frown shadowed his face and he realized they were in the cave.
Bruce sighed, and just like that they had their Dick back. The next 2 and weeks went by in a blur, a happy in-denial blur. Everyone was adamant that Bruce should hold off on re-presenting Dick with the harsh facts of reality. During their second week, Dick suddenly realized he was not in school to which Alfred saved their asses to a T.
"You have pink eye, Master Dick, do not tell me late-night patrolling has made you forgetful of such a blatant fact"
"No! No sorry Alfy" Dick laughed, not wanting to admit so. Apparently, that was all he needed to make sense of the fact that his brothers were staying home as well, apparently the entire household except Alfred had caught Dick's pink eye and were recovering until Leslie cleared them.
If Bruce weren't Batman or even a pessimist, he would almost describe their in-house vacation as perfect; if it were not for the headaches.
At first, the boys tried to blame Bruce for Dick's constant headaches and migraines because of his few earlier attempts to jog Dick's memory by saying succinct purposeful trigger words like 'Slade' or "Owl' or 'talon'. All attempts had proved failures and Bruce had stopped trying at Leslie's request. She said that when Dick was ready to remember he would let them know in subtle ways.
Leslie had also noticed the headaches in their weekly therapy sessions and told Bruce that if they progressed or worsened to loss of consciousness or sporadic seizures she would suggest targeted medicine; but for now just Ibuprofen.
They noticed the headaches soon after the incident in the cave. Dick would be fine and then suddenly hiss and double over for a few seconds before the pain passed. Sometimes Dick would merely furrow his brows and stare off into nothing as he focused on the pain.
Alfred was constantly taking note of Dick's behavior so that he wasn't raw dogging a migraine but it was hard sometimes. Dick had been present in the absence of Talon but their Dick wasn't always there with them. Sometimes all they had was the Dick that had survived for and without his family from ages 18 to 22, sacrificing parts of himself to survive whatever it was that Bruce failed to save him from.
Batman had attempted to track down Deathstroke multiple times but all sources indicated that he had fled Gotham, maybe even the East Coast. While this was good news to those of the Wayne family that feared Slade's interest in Dick, Bruce had hoped to utilize what information he had as he and Tim, and sometimes Jason, were still digging through piles of digital data from Slade and his underground informants. Some names were familiar, Selina had used a few when working her way through gangs that belonged to Black Mask or Penguin.
So far, Bruce was able to discern that enough sources believed the following facts as evident enough to rely on them pretty steadily:
-There was no known chemical structure or formula compound for electrum
-The Court of Owls had been around since Gotham's formation in the early 1900s
-There was only 1 main assassin given the title of Talon but all working assassins under the Court Of Owls were administered electrum once each year
-No government or federal agency had proven the existence of the Court
-There is no way to confirm how many ancestors of Dick's have gone missing but there are no confirmed burial sights or death certificates for at least 26 past relatives
-Electrum was not permanent but sustained life, increased strength, and decreased pain stimulators in the body
Bruce looked away from the growing list Tim was working on to stare at his own list of theories:
-Mary Grayson had been experimented on while pregnant, possibly with electrum.
-Her consent to the chemicals while with child was unclear
-Tony Zuco was no longer the number 1 suspect for the Flying Graysons' death -Haley's Circus may be directly tied to the court as a source of their labor and future assassins
Bruce sighed, the list was short but growing. Unfortunately, comparing Dick's blood to his old blood sample had not proven helpful as whatever had been changed in his biology had taken place possibly before he was with Bruce. That meant there was no way to confirm any new additions to his blood, DNA, or RNA making Bruce's task of singling out any electrum in his body even harder.
The same went for the talons they had sedated. They had no past blood samples to compare to so they weren't sure if one single protein or amino acid that looked strange or out of place was due to genetics deciding the talon had blond hair or if that was the electrum taking hold and binding to the person's cellular makeup.
Bruce sighed, hunching over the kitchen table as he stared at his, now cold, coffee mug. There were no words to express how relieved and grateful Bruce was that his oldest son wasn't dead; that he hadn't failed his first Robin. That didn't make the path forward any easier. Bruce was incapable of confronting any true hard details because all of his boys and Alfred were adamant that he should wait and let Dick re-adjust to them, even if he didn't realize he was. It seemed that everyone but him was willfully prepared to ignore the dangers of letting Dick have free access to the Manor and its secrets. Even though Jason had shut Bruce down early on, Bruce knew he was only being smart and thinking of the safety of his family when he ran over possible ideas and contingency plans in case Dick was a sleeper agent, was undercover, hypnotized, or worse.
Bruce found it hard to acknowledge Dick ever acting vengefully against his family, mainly his brothers and Damian but Bruce couldn't help but acknowledge that Jason was very violent and out for blood the first 4 months after they learned he was alive and running a competitive drug ring in Gotham. Bruce knew that Jason and Dick were close and couldn't be more different but both had gone through traumatic events while still legally children, away from their families, and under the influence of dangerous organizations.
The fact that Bruce had trained under the League of Shadows gave him some insight as to what kind of influence and persuasion Jason had been under while raging from the Pit. Bruce had nothing to ground himself in what level of cruel and dangerous the Court of Owls was. They were after his oldest son but so were other individuals in the underground world. Some wanted his skills or his hide but Dick had always been someone who stands out, he was born a performer and had been on stage by the age of 3 in Romania and parts of Europe.
Suddenly, a shout and crash drew Bruce's attention to the family room where the boys and Ace had been lounging for the afternoon.
Bruce stood suddenly, making his chair topple over, and jogged towards the sounds. He rounded the corner to find Alfred just arriving with wet hands and a towel thrown over his shoulder. He was staring at the boys who were trying to corner Dick in a placating manner. Jason and Tim had their hands up and were talking in lowered tones while Dick stood overbearingly above Damian, gripping his good arm.
Dick's eyes were a murky yellow with an undertone of aquamarine hovering just around his pupils. He was breathing heavily through his nose with his teeth clenched and his stance mirroring that of a bull about to charge. He was gripping Damina's good arm tightly and holding it up and away from Jason and Tim.
"Chill! Dude! It was an accident!" Jason was saying
"Di-Talon, everything is fine. It was just an accident alright? Can you explain why it bothered you?"
Bruce stepped forward letting Batman take over the situation, "What happened?" he growled.
Jason didn't look over but responded, "Dickhead flipped out because the little shit hit his bad shoulder!" he exclaimed, pointing at Damian.
Dick growled lowly at Jason. "What the fuck? Are you a fuckin' furry? Snap outta it!"
"Jason!" Tim hissed.
"He's hissing and growing at me like a dog, replacement!"
Damian was slightly struggling as Dick pulled him up until he was balancing on his toes, "Richard, release me. I am fine, this is ridiculous"
Dick didn't respond, keeping Tim and Jason in place with his unblinking stare.
Damian started to ache, "Richard!" Dick looked back at Damian with a jolt before loosening his grip and letting Damian find his feet, but he didn't let go completely.
Bruce tried again, "What happened here? Dick?"
Dick glared at Bruce for a second before watching Jason again.
"We were sitting here while Damian and Jason started to argue, Jason shoved Damian and Dick flipped out and tried to punch Jason and now he won't let us near Damian" Tim informed Bruce with wide eyes.
Bruce sighed, "Dick, Dick!... Talon!" Dick finally snapped his gave to stare at Bruce coldly.
Bruce glared right back, "Release Damian" he demanded.
Dick shook his head, "They were too rough with him, he is hurt and healing and weak"
Damian squawked beside Dick at the statement before trying to struggle again. Bruce crossed his arms, "Damian is not weak, but yes he is healing. Jason was being a rough older brother. There was never any attempt to harm Damian"
"Yes, there was! Before!"
"When?"
Dick spluttered for a minute before composing himself, "When we were younger and he had green rage. He was trying to hurt everyone!"
"Thanks for the reminder Dickhead" Jason muttered.
Bruce furrowed his brow, "Talon…How do you know about that?"
Dick froze, "He…he came back from the green and was mad and hurt and hurting. He was hurting himself and us" Dick said slowly.
"Yes," Bruce agreed. "But only we know that, and Dick Grayson…How do you know that?"
"Master Bruce…" Alfred tried to admonish Bruce. He was utilizing this moment to try and confront Dick with his memories and jog anything useful.
"I….I" Dick tried before looking down at his feet with a puzzled lost expression. During this confrontation, Dick's grip had become loose and Damian slowly withdrew his arm.
Bruce took another step forward, "Answer me. Are you Dick or Talon?"
Talon's expression became overrun with anxiety, and he tried to look up at Bruce but suddenly his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his neck jerked back as his legs collapsed beneath him. Everyone cried out at Dick fell limply to the ground and began to shake and jolt with sudden violent tremors.
"He's seizing!" Tim exclaimed worriedly. Jason fell to his knees and sat on Dick's legs, straightening them out, then he stretched his torso over Dick's and forced his chest and arms down. He nodded to Tim who quickly grabbed Dick's jaw and shoved his fist in his mouth. Dick bite down on Tim's fist and Tim yelped retracting his hand quickly and shoving the sleeve of a thick jack in Dick's mouth like a gag tie. Jason noted Tim's hand was bleeding from 2 deep puncture wounds, not a crescent moon of dull teeth marks. 'What the hell' Jason thought.
After about 1 minute, Dick's jerking stopped but he didn't open his eyes. Bruce and Alfred had knelt down during the seizing to study Dick. Bruce shoved two fingers against Dick's throat while Alfred measured his wrists's pulse.
They both breathed out in relief when Dick's bpm came back normal and methodically slow. Bruce looked up to the boys and assure them Dick was just unconscious for the time being when he caught Damian's gaze. His youngest was still standing from where Dick had him previously restrained. He was staring at Dick's body with wide eyes and breathing very fast and very shallow.
Alfred followed Bruce's worried gaze and immediately stood up, he laid his hands on Damian's shoulders, jolting the young boy back to reality with a few blinks. His cheeks quickly became a rosy hue as he realized that he froze, but Alfred would have none of it, ushering Damian away and asking for his help preparing tea. Damian tried to protest but Alfred shushed him, "Come now, Master Damian, everyone will require something calming after that and I do not want to be alone right now" Damian nodded stiffly and allowed Alfred to steer him toward the kitchen.
Bruce looked back down to watch Dick's closed eyes flutter slightly. He breathed deeply as if it was just a good night's rest. Jason and Tim sat back as their own racing heartbeats took the opportunity to calm themselves. Jason looked at Bruce, his face devoid of emotion, "You did that on purpose you fuck"
Bruce returned the expression, "The opportunity presented itself, his memories and behavior are not singular and exclusive of each other, he is remembering meshed moments and events despite not acknowledging it"
"Well yea, obviously Bruce" Tim countered with a frown, "He is subconsciously working through stuff, but what you just did is force it"
"It was needed" Bruce defended.
"It caused a fucking seizure!" Jason snapped.
Bruce was about to open his mouth when Dick's body stirred slightly, shivering like a cold draft had blown over him. They all gave Dick their attention as bright blue eyes flickered open before focusing on everyone, "Uhhhh. No one was about to snowwhite me were they?" Dick joked uncertainly.
That was all Jason needed. He scoffed before pushing on Dick's chest to leverage himself up and onto his feet. Dick let out a hefty "oof" and watched Jason leave.
"Dickie's fine" he called back before meandering to the kitchen as well. Tim sighed at Jason's dismissal before looking back at Dick who returned his stare with a bewildered expression. "Don't ask".
Bruce noticed a few more incidents like this were triggered when Dick felt someone was in danger. It was always an overreaction but Bruce was troubled over the fact that this talon behavior emerged fast and violent in response to Dick's anxiety.
Unfortunately, soon after, another accident occurred and Bruce found Talon sitting on Jason's chest. He was admonishing him in inarticulate phrases while posing his overbearing and threatening figure over Jason. The strange behavior had been in reaction to Tim complaining that Jason was 'fucking him over' in an online poker game.
Luckily Bruce was able to extract everyone and reign in Dick. Unfortunately, Dick's normative characteristics hadn't returned. Jason had stated they were stuck with feral Dick and Tim had taken to calling him Talon in an attempt to bond with the offsetting personality.
Dick responded to almost anything now, acting like a foreigner learning new languages from every direction, his head was frequently tilted or cocked as he listened or gave his attention to whatever had piqued his curiosity. It was becoming a habit for the household to gauge Dick's attitude and emotional sensitivity by his eye color. Tim believed that heightened or negative emotions led to a more yellow and gold hue in his irises; whereas his calm state of mind and basic curiosity were usually portrayed through Dick's baby blues.
Talon had been with them for about 4 straight days now and it had been a rough 4 days. He was experiencing the headaches more frequently and was often lashing out, his eye color never staying blue for a full 24 hours anymore.
Just this morning, Damian had dragged Talon to his art studio where most of his valued art and drawings were kept. Talon had taken a seat on the floor and was silently watching Damian. His eyes devoured Damian's movements and creations. The youngest bat was unsure whether to be proud that he had Dick's undivided attention once again or insecure over how infrequently he blinked. Damian had started talking about an old art show he won first and third in, reminiscing how Dick and Alfred were the only ones to attend. Damian commented how it was one of the few times Dick had yelled at Bruce in front of others when they returned and learned that Bruce was aware of the show, but had deemed patrol more of a priority.
That memory had launched Dick into another seizure, forcing Damian to call for help as Dick's head lashed back and smashed into the hardwood floor. Alfred and Jason had come running, holding Dick down again until the tremors passed.
Most often, the boys would report to Bruce and Alfred that Dick was having some minor headaches or migraines but the amount of times the headache had escalated to a seizure with little to no warning was worrying. Tim had cornered Bruce and insisted he tell Leslie so she could prescribe something and they could sneak it into Talon's dinner. Bruce told him he would take care of it.
Currently Bruce was staring down Talon in their first one-on-one argument, "You promised I was not a prisoner" Talon growled out.
"I did. But that doesn't mean you have permission to go anywhere whenever, without one of us" Bruce responded while crossing his arms.
Talon had stated there was something at his 'home' that he needed. He said it would help him and he wanted it but wouldn't explain any further. Bruce was no idiot, they all saw him taking some sort of concoction of drugs in the apartment weeks before. "No" Bruce denied.
"Then come with me!" Talon exclaimed.
"No"
"You cannot stop me"
"Do not challenge me to make you a prisoner here"
Talon growled before narrowing his eyes and slinking up the stairs to Damian's room, his unofficial safe space.
"What's wrong?" Tim asked as they passed.
"I do not like him" Talon hissed back, stomping to Damian. Tim snorted, "You're not the first" He turned to make his way down the stairs and saw Bruce standing with his arms folded…"Hey Bruce"
"Bruce, you can't keep things from us; especially big things"
Bruce sighed before looking up at the monitors to make eye contact with Superman, Wonder Woman, and Black Canary.
Flash and Cyborg had gone to the Justice League and reported Batman's requests, along with his refusal to inform them of his reasons or let them help. Sellouts.
"It's nothing Clark" Bruce brushed off. The boys are I are wrapping up a drug and prostitution ring that turned out to be larger than we anticipated"
Superman scowled, not believing him. "Bruce" Diana sighed, "Please see reason. You have a proven history of hiding some of the most significant issues from us" Her scowl deepened, "Especially the instances that you had an obligation to report to the Justice League as a founding member"
Bruce glared at her tone, "Jason was handled well and discreetly-"
"He was handled by your teenage vigilante son" Bruce turned his glare on Canary the resident vigilante therapist.
"And that is not even the worst of what your sons have had to help with, handle, or cover for you" she added.
"Canary, this is not a therapy session, refrain from using your conversation tactics on me," Bruce said.
"You did not consult us when bringing on the first and youngest sidekick-"
"He began 2 days before the official creation of the Justice League" Bruce interjected.
"You did not ask our consent to share our identities with your family, you have repeatedly restricted metas from entering Gotham, and you kept Jason's return from us" Diana sighed, "Bruce you didn't even invite us to Dick's funeral. Alfred did"
"Enough!" Batman barked, "I am not sure what or how much Flash and Cyborg had informed you of without my consent, not the full story no doubt, but that does not obligate me to permiss you into the Wayne's private affairs"
"The kids are asking after Tim and Damian," Superman said more softly.
"And Jason's absence has not gone unnoticed, Ollie told me Roy and Kori are asking after Jason as well" Canary added.
Batman stared them all down, "This is my family and my city, hence, my jurisdiction-" he was cut off by a separate monitor alerting him to movement on the far grounds of the manor. Without another word, Bruce logged off and closed the video chat channel, bringing up his security camera feed and tapping the screen until movement caught his eye.
A single, lithe form in blue jeans and a black hoodie was scaling a large oak tree next to the secondary gate, furthest from the house. Bruce stood up and jogged over to the stairs, taking 2 at a time before he was up inside the manor again.
"Boys!" he called. Tim popped up from behind the couch and Jason and Damian craned their necks over the upstairs banister. Bruce looked up, "Where is Dick?" he asked calmly and in a tone that made their faces blanche.
"Dick said he was going to sleep like an hour ago" Tim replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Is that why I just caught him jumping the fence out to the main street?" Bruce returned.
"Fuck" Jason said as Damian bolted down the hallway, his socked feet pounding on the floor in succinct thumps.
"He's gone!" cried Damian. "No shit," Jason said.
"He's returning to his old apartment," Bruce said as he swept back down to the cave, his pace quick and sure.
"How do you know?" Jason called after him but Bruce didn't respond. He heard Jason make a snide remark to Tim but all sets of feet pounded after him as they tossed their shirts and shoes, preparing to suit up and go after Dick.
The boys were quick to throw on their gear and uniforms before taking to their bikes, Damian practically lunged for his to convey he would not be riding with Batman again.
They made it to Bludhaven in record time and Bruce directed each person to take positions on the rooftop so they could face the apartment window and prepare to enter most efficiently.
Bruce knelt down bringing up his heat vision sensors again and confirming Dick was inside before motioning for him and Jason to proceed so Damian and Tim could bring up the rear. RedHood slid a small pocket knife into the bottom of the chipped wooden window sill and popped it open. He froze for a minute to listen for any movement before proceeding, feeling Bruce move behind his back. Jason cringed as his boots made an audible thump against the floorboards before he made his way down the hallway, not waiting for the others.
Jason paused at the end of the hallway and peaked around, his eyes bulging at what he saw. Dick was leaning on his hip against the kitchen counter as he plunged a syringe into his upper arm and started to release the contents.
Without a word, Jason lunged at Dick, colliding with his body with a loud 'oomph' and taking them both to the blood. Jason felt the syringe crack and shatter under his padded stomach but luckily nothing penetrated his kevlar vest and shirt. Dick was in the midst of experiencing whatever he had been dosing himself with and was much slower reacting to Jason.
Jason straddled his hips and groin before maneuvering Dick's hands straight down to his side and under Jason's knees. Batman and the others joined the pair quickly. "He was injecting himself with something," Jason said unprompted.
Talon was glaring up at Jason but wasn't struggling against the hold. His wrist and fingers were twitching and twisting but he seemed relatively calm.
Batman crouched down beside them, "Is that what you wanted?" he motioned to the smashed syringe and liquid seeping out around them. Talon glared at Bruce harder.
"You knew he was after that shit?" Jason snapped at Bruce. "It's crack, Jason" Tim hissed.
"I'm a-was a fucking drug peddler, I know what crack is" Jason seethed, he flashed a quick look in Damian's direction before glaring at Tim. 'Oh' Tim realized.
"Why are you self-medicating with street drugs Grayson?" Damian demanded angrily.
Dick looked down his chest at Damian on Jason's left, "I heal too fast" he complained lamely, "It stops my head hurting" he stated simply before closing his eyes and taking a long deep breath.
"Yea, no shit," Jason said as he pushed off Dick to stand up, "But the hangover is gonna be an even bigger headache"
"Noooo," Dick said in a slightly loopy manner, "I can't get high or hungover or addicted. Just like Master" he added.
Jason frowned and Damian exhalled at the statement. Deathstroke was involved more than they had realized and Dick was accidentally giving more and more evidence as to how as time went on.
"Who is Master?" Bruce demanded. "Is he Grandmaster?"
Dick frowned. "No, Master is way nicer. Master doesn't hurt me unless I deserve it…." Dick seemed to trail off as if second-guessing that statement as soon as it was spoken.
Bruce frowned at how variable Dick's speech patterns and verbiage were, it wasn't consistent at all.
"You're saying that your immune system doesn't allow you to feel the effects of most drugs?" Tim asked to move them on from a topic that would get Bruce heated and off-topic; without a doubt.
Dick nodded but started squirming so Jason allowed Dick to sit up fully.
"Except cryo capsules?" Tim confirmed.
Dick scowled but nodded.
"But, wait, why did gas sedatives work on the other talons?" Dick scowled at Tim's reference to his trailed brethren.
"They are not lesser but they are weaker. Much weaker. Grandmaster told me"
"Do you know that the Grandmaster is named William Cobb?" Bruce asked suddenly.
Dick jerked upright at the statement but Bruce continued.
"Do you know he is your biological grandfather by multiple generations? You are aware, aren't you?"
Dick shook his head in denial, "We, we are family" Dick said hesitantly.
"Did you know your blood relative had kidnapped you and tortured you?"
Dick scrambled to his feet and backed away, putting the kitchen island between them. "We can return now…"he tried but Bruce kept on.
"Answer me, Dick, were you aware that you are blood-related to the leader of the Court of Owls, the man who kidnapped you and tortured you?"
Tim tried to step in and stop Bruce from forcing Dick into another seizure but hesitated when he saw that both Jason and Damian were watching Dick as if they were more curious about his answer than the after-consequences.
Dick shook his head vehemently, "Is that a no? Or an 'I don't want to answer'?" Bruce demanded, Bruce was slowly deforming back into Batman.
Dick's eyebrows drew together in obvious anxiety as small puffy breaths started to escape his opened lips, "I-I. Grandmaster informed me when we met. He said that, um, he said explained it was just another reason for my belonging, that we were true family and that Haley's Circus was only meant to be temporary"
Jason was still eye level with Dick on the floor, "Dick did you ever put it together that Haley's might've sold you or your parents out to the Court? That Zuco might not be their actual killer?"
Dick jolted at that before snarling at Jason, "No! Pops would never!"
Jason smirked, "So you do remember other stuff, huh?"
Dick scrunched his eyes closed and brought his hands up to his hair, clenching in a way he usually did with minor headaches. "I don't like this. We can return now" Dick tried again.
Jason sighed, "Sur-"
"No"
All eyes whipped to Bruce as he became eye level with a frantic and dejected Dick. Bruce took off his cowel and forced Dick to make initmate eye contact.
"You are my son and they are your brothers. We have been tiptoeing around this issue long enough" Bruce took a breath before reaching out at grasping Dick by his upper arms, just beneath his shoulders. Bruce tried not to flinch at how solid his 17-no 22 year old son was.
"Father, this is not an appro-"
"Yes it is" Bruce interjected. He looked back to Dick's wide sky blue gaze, not a hint of canary yellow anywhere.
"You were shot at 17 years old while patrolling as Nightwing in Gotham. You were kidnapped before we could find your body and taken somewhere secret, most likely underground in Gotham. You were taken by the Court of Owls and they tortured you into becoming like them because they wanted to make use of the drugs they had pumped into you and your mother, Mary Grayson, while in the womb"
Dick was visibly shaking but unable to break eye contact, his pupils were locked onto Bruce's cold cobalts. Bruce kept on like the bullheaded alpha he believed Batman was required to be.
"You were robbing a Star Labs of their cryo liquid samples when we found you and discovered it was you a short time later. You have been having memory issues on and off for weeks and have been staying with us" Bruce gripped Dick even more firmly before leaning in. Jason and Tim weren't sure if Bruce was totally in control of himself anymore, he was breathing heavily and grasping Dick like he was mercury and would melt into a liquid if Bruce didn't maintain constant forceful pressure.
"You are my son and I want you back. Now!"
Bruce had never been the most adept at handling emotional turbulence, especially after Dick came to live with him and Alfred and became the emotional communicator in the household. He learned to compensate for all of the lacking and absent adults in his life. While this was awful and detrimental to state about a child, Bruce would always be grateful for Dick's adaptive personality so willingly picking up the slack, even as a traumatized 9-year-old.
At the yell, Dick flinched so violently he loosened Bruce's hold and scrambled back, expecting to hit a wall. He kept meeting air for a few seconds and scrambled to his feet, falling into a defensive maneuver position with his back left leg poised and slightly bent and his arms raised just above his chest and below his chin.
"Fuck old man" Jason seethed and he and his brothers tried to approach and calm Dick.
Bruce ignored him and stepped forward as well.
"No! No, please stop it. I can't-I should've tried harder. But it was so hard and he was everywhere but you were always there. No…. You were gone and I was alone. I survived but I don't feel like myself at all!" Dick's hands were back in his hair and clenched before he blanched again, "My hair?!" He tried to pull at it as if it was long enough to see it and make sense of the lack of hair along the sides of his scalp.
"Seriously Dickhead?" Jason quipped. "Jason!" Tim hissed.
Dick's eyes were glistening with tears that refused to drop as he tried to keep distance between Tim and Jason. Jason tried approaching closely and Dick snarled, throwing a punch at Jason's sternum. Jason jumped back and away from the brutal swing, cursing when he saw Dick's fist leave the edge of the porcelain countertop in rubble and dust; the skin on his fist shredded, peeling, and dripping scarlet. Tim grabbed Jason's elbow to hold him back from advancing and placed his other hand on Bruce's chest behind him to keep Batman in place as well.
"Dick, please" Tim tried before suddenly releasing both men and ducking as Dick chucked a butcher knife block holder in their general direction. The dusty block of wood hit the faucet with such force that the neck bent in an instant. The left handle flew off and scattered to the floor noisily behind all of them. Dick's eyes were erratic and held a deranged level of franticness in their pupils, the way they jumped from reach person and dilated with each breath he took. Bruce was surprised that Dick's eyes hadn't taken on that strange golden hue yet.
Damian had broken out of his frozen stupor and made his way around everyone behind the kitchen counter and to Dick's side, all without being noticed.
"Grayson," Damian said as he reached for Dick. Dick jumped violently and took a few stumbling steps away from Damian, hitting the living room wall and knocking his older sticky notes to the ground. Dick's attention was drawn away like a 12-year-old with untreated ADHD at the falling colors. He picked one off his shoulder and read it aloud, "Pick Dami up from skatepark….Make Dami go to the Skatepark first"
Dick looked up, his eyes and expression begging for answers that wouldn't confuse him or hurt his head and heart. Damian stepped forward again, "Gray-"
"Don't call me that!" he yelled at the ground. His voice cracked at the end and everyone was left in silence, save for heaving breathing.
"Sorry, Richard" Damian replied quickly. "Please" Dick gasped as tears finally started to have their way, trickling down his cheeks, dancing around the corners of his lips and chin. "Don't call me that" he muttered as his knees gave way and he collapsed backward against the wall and slid to his butt. This time he ignored the colorful squares that fluttered at his movement.
Damian fell to his knees before Dick gently, Dick didn't move or react to Damian this time so he started to scooch forward inch by inch until he was face to face with his oldest brother. He watched Dick for any quick movements or reactions before he twisted onto his hip and reached forward for his middle. Like second nature, he felt Dick's firm arms wrap around his head and back, drawing him in tight enough for Damian to call in constricting. Some may call it too tight but Damian would never make the mistake of criticizing Richard's affection, never again.
Dick was frozen with his arms and fingers clenched tightly around Damian, but Damian wiggled until his mouth wasn't confined against Dick's chest, but just under his ear and neck instead. "Richard, please talk to us. Batman is trying to help you. You are our brother and I know this hurts but we are hurting too. Please-please, work with us. I want you back Richard. The Richard I know would never leave me, he would also be logical and listen to what Batman is explaining" Dick didn't reply but somehow gripped Damian even tighter.
"Richard or Talon, or whoever, you are all the same and you cannot leave us! I will not allow it. Pennyworth is distraught because of you and-"
"I'm sorry Dami" Damian froze, "What?" he breathed
Dick's tears were starting to seriously dampen the top of Damian's head and hair. He drew in a long shuddering wet breathe as he tried to hold back a sob. "I-I'm so sorry. I was all alone and sometimes I forget and it's hard not to act like they want me-wa-wanted me to act and -and I" Dick broke off as he drew in another sobbing, shuddering breathe.
"It's so hard to remember it all at once, it-it hurts so bad and you weren't there. Where was everyone, Bruce and Jay- and Tim. It hurt and no one was there and they knew me-" Dick couldn't continue in broken gasping sentences as he just started to cry in gasping wet breaths and coughs. Like a child that was still trying to hold back their tears but couldn't stop the damn from breaking in the end.
From where Damian's head was turned and perched against Dick's neck he could see that Bruce, Tim, and Jason had approached and were now surrounding them. Dick hadn't reacted so his eyes must be closed, Damian concluded.
Bruce reached out and laid a gloved hand on Dick's head. Dick's breath caught at the movement and his eyes opened to stare at his family surrounding him. The tears were leaking uncontrollably and he couldn't taste anything but salty pain on his lips. Bruce threaded his fingers into what hair he could grasp and watched as Dick's lips continued to move in a soundless repetitive movement, 'I'm sorry' seemed to be the only thing Dick could say at the moment.
Dick was slowly becoming more aware and sensible of himself and he reached out to Tim and Jason. Tim extended his hand readily while Jason crouched down and offered a small grin, Dick grabbed their wrists and yanked them into him. Their chests hit Damian's back as they rushed to balance themselves.
"Stop apologizing Goldie, we'll figure this shit out" Jason appeased. Dick's tears had ebbed slightly but he continued to mutter the words without any sound as he clutched his family.
"Dick, we need to go back home and we want you to come with us and work with us to heal. Like Damian said" Tim told Dick.
Dick nodded readily and Tim doubted he was very aware of what he was agreeing to.
"You also have to promise to stop taking drugs. I know they don't inhibit you or hurt you like normal people, but they're bad all the same. If you need more help with the headaches you have to tell us or Leslie or something Ok?"
Dick nodded again and readjusted his firm grip around Tim's forearm. Tim smiled back at Dick to help ease his behavior, knowing that Dick was responding to him and his voice while in shock, not because he was actually consenting.
Bruce drew Dick's attention to him, probably sensing the same things about him as Tim and Jason were. "Relax, Dick. We are going to head home right now and get some deeply needed rest and then we will tackle tomorrow together, alright?"
Dick nodded just once as he held Bruce's gaze.
Jason took in the way Dick gravitated towards Bruce's softer voice. The fatherly voice that only Dick had ever truly received on a consistent basis. While Bruce had never been a true father or really meant to be one, he had been the most competent with Dick when they were both young and malleable and in desperate need of each other's love and support. If Bruce had raised Dickie like he had Jason or Tim, or god forbid Damian, Dick's people-pleasing and maladaptive tendencies would've been so bad Leslie would've diagnosed him and prescribed meds instead of social practices.
Bruce had faced his first hurdle when he took in Jason, a street rat with a chip on his shoulder. He wasn't sure how to connect with a child as hard and rugged as Jason, Dick had been such a people-pleasing breeze at 9 years old for him. Tim had gained a support system but not a father when he was brought into the fold. Bruce was hard and cold and broken from Jason's previous death. Damian did more than half the work between their father and son relationship initially. Talia had filled his head with so many romanticized ideals of Bruce and Batman that Damian was eager to connect with Bruce and eager to turn everyone else away. Once he realized Bruce wasn't ready or prepared to be the father of Damian's dreams, and his young big brother Dick was, Damian faced some serious transition turbulence and shocking emotions.
Bruce had helped Dick to his feet but no one tried to pry Damian apart from Dick's torso until they had to start grappling back to their bikes. Damian had turned to Dick and told him he was forbidden from straying far from the group. Dick had smiled a small meek smile and promised to stay right next to him. Bruce had led the way back while Tim and Jason brought up the rear. Tim and Jason rode their bikes around to meet the others outside the Batmobile. Damian informed Bruce that he and Richard would be riding in the back of Bruce. Bruce acquiesced and commed Alfred, asking him to remote Damian's bike back to the cave. _
Ther arrived back late to find Alfred waiting. Bruce took one look around the cave and the control monitors before saying, "Where's Batgirl?"
Alfred sniffed before turning away, "Miss Gordon received an alert and learned of your activities before heading over. She had some very strong Earl Grey and has taken to the couch for tonight"
Barbara had been bugging Bruce insistently for the last few weeks to stop by. Bruce convinced her that Dick needed isolation to transition well back into subnormal life and since Barbara had seen the change in Dick's unconscious form for a few minutes when he was initially brought back, that seemed to placate her. Unfortunately, she had taught Tim a lot and was able to hack into the Bat computer without an issue. She would no doubt threaten to bring the JL or YJ into this mess if Bruce didn't permit her access to the Manor after this.
"Hah! Alfy drugged Babs" Jason snickered.
Bruce sighed before turning to Damian and Dick as they removed themselves from the backseat. Alfred looked up at Dick over the movement but kept his distance as Dick had not been receptive to very much familiar or emotional connection as of late.
"Hi Alfy" Dick welcomed shyly.
Alfred's eyes widened before he approached rapidly and swooped the taller muscular man into a bold hug, forcing the younger man to bend to accommodate the elderly man. "My boy" he breathed quietly.
Dick sniffed but hugged Alfred back just as tightly. Alfred pulled away with a sniff and corrected his collar, "I believe everyone here has had a strenuous night. I believe our first night's regime would be best to fall back on for now" he replied.
Jason and Tim didn't reply as they made their way upstairs to Damian's room and began throwing blankets over the floor again. By the time Dick, Damian, and Bruce joined them, they were lounging on their phones and prepared to ignore every elephant in the room. They had Dick back and had made some semi-emotional and mental progress tonight. That translated to severe progress for their toxic family.
Dick didn't say much but was maneuvered down to the ground beside Jason and Damian. He was given a hoodie and sweats while Bruce stood awkwardly in the doorway. Dick tugged off his t-shirt and threw on the hoodie but didn't reach for the sweats. Clad in black boxer briefs, Dick let himself lean back into the familiar smell of Bruce's cologne, Damian's deodorant, and Alfred's preferred laundry detergent. He only meant to close his eyes and take a deep breath, solidifying himself in the moment but he never got the chance to open them again.
Bruce nodded to Tim and Jason, watching Damian ignore everyone else in favor of curling into Dick's side once again.
Alfred stopped by shortly before they were all asleep to pick up their discarded uniforms and boots before locking the windows. He gave each of them a once over before shucking the dirty laundry higher into his arms and striding out, making sure there was a door stopper in place.
The next morning found Bruce and Tim downstairs while Dick and Damian helped Alfred prepare breakfast. Jason was bouncing between the two groups as 'he didn't like the old man and the replacement enough to be down there' but 'he didn't want to help cook' either. Barbara had awoken early and waited until everyone was downstairs before jumping on Dick. Luckily, the sudden introduction went well and Dick hugged her back tightly, tears re-emerging. Damian had explained most things on behalf of Dick with supportive nods from Dick and questions from Babs.
Ever the intuitive and emotionally competent Bat, Barbara had easily picked up on the shifts in Dick's behavior. Luckily, there seemed to be no more reactions or sightings of 'Talon' but Dick was sliding from quiet to boisterous and elated and subdued quite quickly. Damian was overcompensating with much of the conversation but he was glad to do so.
Many times, something would be mentioned to which Dick needed clarification on or could not remember at all, Babara was thrilled to step in and help in any way she could. Reminiscing a lot about their times training together before the other boys were adopted or their days at Gotham Prep.
Dick was leaning against the counter listening to another recount about a time they snuck out to train Barbara behind Bruce's back. Dick had a small smile and was nodding along, interjecting a few times when he remembered what happened before Babs said so.
DIck froze, his eyes steadily on the counter while he held his breath. Barbara rushed to reassure him of whatever conditioned reaction he had fallen into, "Yea! That's right Dick. Bruce was sooooooo mad, but by the time you used your Robin charm on him, you were barely grounded for a week" she said with a chuckle. Dick kept his head bowed but smiled slightly at that.
"So," she said, "You really don't remember anything…about… you know?"
"No" Dick replied forlornly. "I'm sorry, I'm trying. Everyone needs me to remember it all. I will I promise, I just gotta piece stuff back together" Babara reached over and calmed his apology with her hand, she grazed her fingers over the back of his hand for a second before withdrawing. "It's fine, just checking you know?"
Dick smiled back slightly, "It's weird. I've never had memory problems but most people who know they have memory issues have noticeable gaps, like they know something is there it's just blocked or they can't remember it clearly. My head doesn't feel like that, it's more like I feel like I have everything straight but when I try to recount it all chronologically the logic behind it all falls apart. I remember a little bit of the Court's training but I couldn't tell you where we were. I don't ever remember being shot or, gah-there is just so much that you guys are saying that messes it all up"
Dick's brow clenched in frustration and he stabbed angrily at the apple fritter in front of him. "It's quite alright Master Dick, you are home with family and while last night was quite strenuous for us all, it was progress. You just need to focus on healing. Dr. Leslie will still be coming by to speak with you as well, about anything bothering you"
Dick grumbled over that but didn't reply.
Jason was just coming down the stairs when he heard Tim's voice, "What the hell Bruce?! How could you do this to him!"
Jason lept down the last 5 steps and jogged over the voices around the corner to find Tim standing over Bruce in his chair before the monitors. Tim was holding a small clear bag of blue powder and a scrumpled piece of paper in one fist while he seethed at their adopted dad.
Jason didn't try to hide his approach, "What's wrong now?" he said.
Tim whirled around and chucked the bag at Jason's chest with a small thump. Jason caught the bag by a corner before looking at them with a raised eyebrow. "Bruce has been drugging Dick with a powdered version of the cryo capsules, that shit that hurts Talon's"
Jason's other eyebrow joined his first as he looked to Bruce for an explanation. Bruce stayed silent but returned Jason's stare. Jason threw back his head in a dramatic chuckle, "Oooooh Brucie, just when things are goin' good you just have to go and fuck your kids over again dontya?"
Bruce glared but didn't reply. Jason turned to Tim, "How do you know it's not just a sample of that shit?"
Tim glared at Jason with a stare that said, "Really?" "He hasn't denied it either"
Jason sighed, "Good point"
Bruce crossed his legs, drawings attention back to him, "It was only supposed to be a practical experiment, the dose was so minuscule and low that side effects would present themselves without any severe harm-"
"Severe harm?!" Tim exploded on Bruce. Jason mentally applauded the replacement. "He has been having seizures and memory lapse and behavioral episodes for weeks! Never mind the headaches that drove him to take actual crack, Bruce!"
Bruce sighed over that and his forehead crinkled in concern, "That was not my intention, I anticipated him having a lesser reaction because the electrum may be part of his biology and not just in his bloodstream like the others. The dose was so small, that entire bag would last us 5 years with a weekly meal dosage"
"You've been dosing him at every meal?" Jason asked shocked. "No wonder Goldenboy's had issues" He smiled scornfully at Bruce. "You don't deserve us, but you really don't deserve him, damn Bruce, and even after your little speech last night?"
Bruce glared at Jason, "I never lied. I love Dick, I love all of you dearly. You can't deny the fact that he is some form of meta now and no one can tell us why or how; with proof. Dick still poses a danger, a small one but even he doesn't remember or understand himself"
"He poses as much threat to us as we all do to each other" Jason spat at Bruce. He pocketed the baggie and looked at Tim, "I'm flushing this" Tim nodded. Jason was fuming inside, but it felt like a very warm buried kind of heat; like if someone put a sauna stone under a sherpa blanket. He was mad, well he was always mad, but for some reason, it wasn't his knee-jerk reaction to punch Bruce or lash out too aggressively, most likely because the replacement was on his side for once. Maybe it was the next stage of grief, he thought mirthlessly. Jason was finally realizing that Bruce was an unsalvageable addict to self-harm and no matter how many times his family forgave him, he would find a way to hurt someone else or take things a step too far; always. Jason thought he was special, just not as loveable as the rest of the Wayne household and that was why Bruce found it so easy to make harsh backup plans and expect the worst of Jason. But seeing Bruce treat Dick this way…the first Robin in Robin and Batman, the light in Bruce's self-darkened tunnel. If Dick didn't deserve 100% of Bruce's love and support then none of them really did.
Tim looked back at Bruce, but at least his earlier rage-fueled trembles had subsided, "Bruce you gotta stop. If you keep treating us like everything but your kids I'll help Jason take Dick and run. Let's be honest, Damian would support Dick faster than you any day too"
Bruce glared, "You will not take him or any others. You are all my sons and it is safest here. That is not debatable. I will admit the doses did not offer anything useful so even before Tim found the powder, I had committed to stopping but Dick seems to be coming back to himself more already."
He leveled a stern look at his boys, a mixture of Bruce and the Bat, "I would never hurt Dick, you know that"
Jason smirked ruefully, "Just keep telling yourself that, Bruce. Just keep telling yourself that"
He looked over to Tim who was shredding a paper he had clenched in his hand, "Better be careful or this family won't even be friends for much longer. You're making it too easy to pick sides in a family where there should be no sides"
Before Bruce could reply, Tim stepped forward again, "Promise, Bruce" he said seriously. "Promise us, you will try, and not just say yes and then hide away like you did when I was adopted or something. We all know you have the potential to actually be present. You have to try because when we get Dick back and he learns of certain things, you might lose him again." He looked to Jason, "I know we won't though"