"We need to find them Clark" Diana repeated.
Clark nodded for the 10th time as he reviewed the digital files they had on Dick. Bruce wasn't frugal by any means when sharing what he knew about his recently revived son. As soon as he couldn't hide Dick completely from the Justice League, there seemed to be never-ending files on Dick's biology, habits, parents, history, and 5 theories to accompany every 1 fact.
"Bruce refused to let me help!"
"You alienated him for working with Deathstroke" Dinah admonished.
Clark sent an ungrateful look her way before refocusing on Diana, "He has the entire Justice League and Young Justice as a resource and he chose a mercenary who was allegedly Dick's killer. How could you expect me to just accept that?"
Wonder Woman crossed her arms, "It's not about acceptance, you thick-headed alien. It's about being around and staying informed so that our brooding founding member has support. Bruce can be his own worst enemy at times but Batman is definitely our worst enemy when he goes off the rails"
"She's got a point" Flash commented.
Superman made a disgruntled noise in complaint.
"What? She does! Deathstroke might be able to get to the boys faster, wherever they are. But once they get there, how reliable is that guy? He might just want another crack at Nightwing. We need to get a handle on the Bats; quick"
Clark gnawed his lip over that statement. The boys were in trouble and Bruce had just thrown himself to the sharks by choosing the mercenary's aid over theirs, "We need to find him but he won't return my messages or location pings"
"Roy came back just in time so I sent him and Wally over to the manor but Alfred hasn't seen them either"
Flash looked to Oliver, "Roy just got back from the Amazon and you're sending him out already?"
Green Arrow glared, "This might be more serious than Batman ignoring us"
Everyone looked at Green Arrow in surprise; he nodded, "Bats and Wilson took off for some underground tunnel searching to rule out some untouched passageways beneath North-East Gotham. Alfred told me that was almost a month ago now but they were looking for almost a month and a half"
Dinah put her hands on her hips in indignation, "Why are we just hearing about this? It sounds like he's a missing person at this rate"
"We're having this meeting, aren't we? Besides Bruce has gone on tons of private missions off-planet and out-of-country without telling us. Half the time the boys tell us weeks later"
"He never went off to look for all his sons with one of the world's most renowned killers!"
No one spoke for a minute.
"What did Alfred say, exactly?" Clark asked while trying to keep a level head.
Oliver stood straighter, "He said they'd been searching the tunnels since the day after the boys disappeared, apparently, Wilson came to Bruce and not the other way around. Bruce had Lucious at Wayne Enterprises cook up some sort of modified breathing respirator for the face but it took a bit to perfect for field use so they couldn't try it out for longer than 45 minutes until a month ago" Oliver looked to Dinah, "They went out and haven't been back so Alfred has been doing his own searching and research with Luscious while trying to cover Bruce Wayne's absences from the Board. When I sent the boys over, he thought he might as well ask us to start taking over. Barbara's been trying to help as well but her strong suit was never detective work like it is Tim's"
"Alfred should have reached out," Diana said.
Oliver shrugged, "His hands have been full and you know Bats hates metas in Gotham without him there"
"Bruce had Lucious made a rebreather for him?" Barry asked. Ollie shook his head.
"From what the boys told me, he just perfected one that's been on backlog for a while"
J'onn cocked his head, "This does not make sense. If Batman and Deathstroke were searching Gotham's underground tunnel systems why would they need masks to support their breathing?"
Clark nodded, "It doesn't" he agreed.
"Maybe there was something that led them to the port or the ocean instead?" Ollie suggested.
"And they had to access the ocean from the tunnels? Besides I've never known Wilson to need respiratory support unless it was against toxins or sedative gases on Bane's level"
Ollie shrugged at Dinah's scrutinizing glare, "I only have half the story here, Babe"
"I think it's safe to assume there was something that forced them to access something like the ocean through the tunnels" Diana added. She turned to Superman, "We've found plenty of unreported passageways that Kaldur's father had left behind for the Light"
It was summon knowledge that Kaldur's father was Black Manta but with half the Young Justice team originating from equally as shady and untrustworthy backgrounds; there was little that was held against Kaldur. Especially after he never waivered from his team and morals after finding out. Aquaman and his apprentice Aqualad were away on a mission with some of the elite Atlantian soldiers but there was a possibility that the Light; and therefore, his father could be involved with the boys' kidnapping and this strange unknown organization. Artemis was Sportsmaster's daughter and Cheshire's sister. Superboy was LexLuthor's, Mercy's, and Superman's son. Cyborg had connections to Brother Blood. Now Nightwing had connections to an organization that might rival the League of Shadows.
"We need to start ruling out where they are. Until it's decided otherwise, finding Batman, and the boys, is our priority" Clark decided aloud. No one disagreed.
"I'll fly over Gotham today and start scouting the streets and buildings. If I can't see them, then it'll be safe to assume that they're either underground in those tunnels or they took a passageway underwater"
"Let's hope not, if they're in the bay or ocean, our job just got a loooot harder" Barry added.
Superman resisted the urge to agree but he felt that dread of the unknown sitting heavier and heavier in his stomach.
"Diana will come with me and Barry and Dinah will go to the Manor and try to sort through Bruce's most recent files to see if there is a clue as to where they were trying to head"
They both nodded.
"Arrow, I need you to meet with Lucious and find out more from him on what Bruce needed him to make"
"I can assist as well, Superman," J'onn said.
Superman nodded thankfully, "I'll need you to stay actually; in support of the team. In case the kids start asking questions or think it's smart to start investigating on their own"
"Especially with Roy back" Oliver groaned, dragging a hand down his face. Dinah and Clark agreed.
Roy had improved his ways dramatically over the last 4 years but he was still the oldest and considered a best friend by the older members of the YJ team. he'd had a rough couple of years with addiction and then an unexpected pregnancy with Aremeis's sister, but he'd made a 180. If Roy wanted to go off looking for Dicke and his brothers, more than half the team was likely to follow.
"Well, I will admit. This is a sorry sight to see" Cobb sighed.
He appeared to have given up on his verbal assault and pestering comments. He'd entered their communal cell area earlier and had tried to get a rise out of Bruce before moving to the boys in a similar attempt. Jason was making eye contact, trying to glare the older man to death, but most of Cobb's prisoners remained silent and did not rise to the bait. They'd all watched the monitors diligently and had seen Dick slowly losing his stability and self-control before being removed from his cell. They knew that Cobb hadn't visited again until after they were left with blank cell footage to taunt them ferociously. They knew they wouldn't be allowed to see Dick so no one would give in to Cobb's barbs. They hadn't heard anything else after their last horrendous interaction anyway, so Dick's brothers and dad almost preferred not to know the worst of what Dick was going through if they couldn't do anything about it.
Lincoln shifted from where he stood behind Cobb and checked his watch. Jason narrowed his eyes on the younger man. He seemed unassuming but he and Tim had caught his reactions to Dick, and about Dick, multiple times. Tim saw him as a resource to exploit, he believed that Lincoln wouldn't hurt Dick too badly, whereas Cobb would. Jason was more suspicious of what was taking place behind the scenes. He couldn't stop remembering how Lincoln had touched and handled his older brother in his vulnerable, woozy state. He was familiar with Dick, which told Jason that he was closely involved when Dick was first kidnapped as a teenager. He wasn't sure how authentic Lincoln's concern and attentiveness for Dick was but genuine or not, Jason knew a key player when he saw one. People like Lincoln were survivors. They had the personality of rats and the egos of lions.
Jason's gaze slid to his right, Slade Wilson was proof of how authentic concern pointed at the wrong people for the wrong reasons could be disastrous.
Lincoln caught Cobb's attention and nodded, conveying something short. Cobb exhaled heavily and nodded back, "Well" he announced, "I only wanted to let you know what the verdict was. It seems the Light made negotiations behind the scenes and the League of Shadows will be arriving in the near future to acquire you 3; he looked to Bruce, Damian, and Tim.
"Black Mask has submitted complete payment so he will be sending his men to a location of my desire to acquire you at a time of our convenience" he looked to Jason. Jason tried not to let it show how much it bothered him that he was being sold to Sionis like a bag of drugs. Except Sionis wanted to drown, maul, and murder this bad of drugs.
While they didn't want to leave Dick, this might be their only chance to escape and re-group. Jason felt confident that he could handle Sionis long enough to be rescued by B or find his own way out; mostly. Ra's would never seriously hurt Bruce and that belief was pretty much extended to include Damian and Tim as well. Ra's was convinced that Tim was the next generational Bruce and he was still obsessed with his grandson taking over the League at some point.
"It will be much quieter here, but I'll be glad to be able to reconvene with our neighborhood mercenary on a more conventional level" Cobb grinned warmly at Wilson.
"You're making a lot of enemies with these decisions, Cobb" Bruised glowered at the man standing before him. He fiddled with his cufflink to give the impression he wasn't concerned with Bruce's threat. "Damian is due to inherit the League. If you continue to harm Dick, he'll bring down the entire League of Shadows and tenfold damage to you and the Court"
Cobb humored Bruce, "Are you implying I should just keep the lad for myself? I was considering retaining Timothy, but Damian would be an interesting twist. Another child destined for murder and greatness since the womb" he spoke reverently.
Damian stiffened and opened his mouth to object. Tim kicked out his leg and barely glanced Damian's ankle, shooting him a sharp look that said 'shut up'.
Bruce remained stony, "Do that and you'll have the entire superhero community plus the League on your ass. Tali Al Ghul does not take kindly to being withheld what she wants, and she's wanted Damian back for quite some time"
Cobb dismissed Bruce indifferently, "Plans will proceed as they are currently set; I don't see any reason to further our interactions so I thought I'd take this opportunity to make sure goodbyes were appropriately conducted"
Jason snorted, "Oh yeah sure, what is this? Closure session? Please"
Cobb smirked, "You misunderstand, boy. I didn't mean goodbye between myself and your filth"
He looked to Lincoln who nodded and exited the cell. He didn't go far, and looked down the hallway, motioning at someone with his hand.
"You need to give this up William. The entire Court. Stop stealing children and stop hurting my son-"
"Please Bruce, enough with the final lines. You cannot offer me redemption or salvation by releasing the Grey Son this far into his transition and evolution. Besides that boy is waist deep in unforgivables at this point"
Bruce's face darkened significantly, "You misunderstand me, Cobb" he mimicked, "There won't be any saving you. If you don't kill me now, me and my boys will hunt you down and take back my son. Then we will come for you and if you haven't wisened up and buried yourself 6 feet under this sewer… I. Will. End. You"
Cobb held Bruce's gaze and silence in their cell seemed to settle on everyone like a quilt.
"This isn't me trying to offer you a way out, you've hurt my family for too long and too much to be offered any kind of salvation. No, this was your last chance to choose a quick or long transition into nothingness. Because that is what you'll be by the time I take my son back. I'll destroy your mind and pride, I'll make sure the Court is a pile of rubble and your talons never make it beyond the rumors they are to the public"
Bruce had rarely felt this, it was a state of fury so adept and concentrated that his mind was clear and centered. His skin prickled, and his teeth wouldn't unclench but he felt like Superman on red kryptonite; nothing would stop him from fulfilling his vows.
Cobb straightened and stuck Bruce with a stare so even and cold that the shadows in the room seemed to ripple in shame and fear, "You are not worth an ounce of the respect needed to convey a threat, Bryce Wayne. You are a pathetic delusional man with no legacy"
He aggressively pointed to Jason, Tim, and Damian, "You think they will carry on your legacy? A skinny boy stuck in puberty, an arrogant sand brat, and a street rat? Don't make me laugh. You will all wither and die within the next 100 years and be forgotten within the next 200. Stop elevating your delusional masquerading as the Batman; its pathetic Bruce"
"Don't talk about my father that w-"
"Silence" Cobb seethed in Damian's face"
The youngest bat jerked away at the seething cry but did his best to maintain a stern expression and glare. He refused to admit that his brother's kidnapper intimidated him. Cobb took a calming breath and straightened his front lapels. He ran a hand through his hair, calming the few strands that he had dislodged, "The day will get away from us if we continue like this" he said with fake enthusiasm.
Jason and Tim scowled at Cobb's superficial insistence that their conversion was mutual; as if they were all a group of friends that were taking too long with a conversation over lunch. Cobb looked behind him and everyone saw some sort of silent communication pass between Cobb and Lincoln, his second.
Jason watched Lincoln with a venomous gaze. He despised the man and everything about him. He initiated their kidnapping and every time he'd seen him and Dick, he treated Dick with a familiarity that was poised and far too casual. Jason wasn't sure how genuine it was but he despised the behavior and the man behind it all the same.
Lincoln nodded and stepped away.
Cobb gave Bruce and the boys an appraising decrepit look while Lincoln stepped away for a few seconds, "As I was saying…I would be remiss to not allow a proper goodbye; seeing as how this should be the final interaction between the lot of you. I trust Al Ghul to keep the majority of you in line or I've severely overestimated the Demon's Head"
He and everyone else looked back towards the hallway just outside the cell, "I thought the least I could do was arrange this before Sionis and the League arrive to pick up their new belongings"
Bruce's eyes jumped from Cobb to the hallway as he waited to see what Cobb would throw at them next. The man was a sadist and loved to see how far he could bend people and their hopes through his twisted words and manipulation. Bruce didn't doubt that the man was an authentic sociopath as he was so far removed from common decency and empathy, that it was slightly startling. At first glance, William Cobb looked like a well-to-do retired businessman with multiple grandchildren and a scheduled brunch every Thursday. Internally, his heart couldn't be more twisted and blackened. Suddenly, 2 steps of footsteps echoed down the way Lincoln had left. Slade, Bruce, and the boys watched as Lincoln reemerged with someone slightly taller and with much darker hair. He was dressed in full combat gear as if he was preparing for a field assignment; he held himself like he was going to war but wasn't sure if he would despise it or enjoy it too much.
Bruce forgot how to breathe for the following 60 seconds.
Jason always knew he was destined for less. Not that he was born less deserving, merely the fact that he wasn't born into an easy life with nice people. Even as a 10-year-old on the streets of Gotham, he knew that being born to an addict mother and an absent father was not ideal for any type of success in life. He was determined though, if life was going to drag him down from the start then he'd go kicking and screaming. If he was going to be a poor street rat then he'd be the most obnoxious antagonizing hoodlum Gotham ever saw. He was successful for about 2 years….and then the Bat happened. He got ahead of himself and overestimated his skills. He assumed that the Batman would never suspect a child to meddle with him, much less his famous Batmobile.
It was late, probably 2 am in summer and Jason was making his way home. He'd learned from past experiences that if you were alone in east Gotham, you better learn to make yourself the most invisible person or the scariest. Jason knew he wasn't big enough to be the scariest, although sometimes he felt that big and formidable on the inside. He'd seen Robin and Batman jumping roofs above his head when suddenly he turned the corner and there she was. Even in Gotham's dirtiest neighborhood, the large sophisticated car shined and glistened with fresh wax. It oozed wealth that Jason could only glimpse through TV and movies. He'd only gotten the first 2 tires off when Batman caught him. His stomach fell through his feet and past all 7 levels of hell.
'This is it', he thought. 'I'll probably get drowned in the river or thrown into prison with 50-year-old gang members; just for messing with the Bat's stuff'. Everyone knew a criminal was a criminal in Batman's book.
He never would have been able to foresee what his future entailed from that one act of thievery.
At 10 years old he was living with Batman and a pseudo-big brother.
At 11, he was an orphan, and 2 months later Bruce Wayne's newly adopted son.
At 13, he was Batman's Robin.
At 15, he was dead.
At 16, he was full of life and mourning his big brother.
Jason knew that if fate had left him untouched and unaffected then he would've been the first to die out of their rag-tag family. If Bruce hadn't intervened in each and every one of their lives, he would have taken after his mom or his criminal dad and ruined his life before it had a chance to begin. Even Dickhead and his happy-go-lucky trailer life would have been more supportive and comfortable than his down-in-the-ditch apartment life. Tim and Damian both came from equally polar but wealthy families and had substantial foundations set for them at birth. No, Jason knew that he was born with nothing, but had been given the tools to make everything. He would never admit it but this was probably why it was so easy for him to be angry and aggressive in life. He knew what he had, how lucky everyone in his life and their line of work was to even be alive. Call it exaggerated gratitude and humbleness if you must, but Jason knew he couldn't afford to let what he had go.
The emotionally negligent adoptive dad, the abusive younger sibling, the apathetic middle sibling, the helicopter pseudo grandfather, and the most tenderhearted big brother. He hated all of them for the weakness they were. He hated how much of a disappointment Bruce turned out to be and yet he still felt like he would never be able to repay the old man for giving him the skills and tools to shape his own future and destiny. Bruce made him hateful and angry and bitter…but he made him strong and that was what everyone needed to be to survive. He hated Tim for replacing him as Robin. He hated that the replacement gave him perspective as to how Dick felt when Jason stole Batman's tires and was rewarded with the title of Robin. He hated how insecure and desperately lonely Tim was because Tim's place in the Wayne household meant that Jason was now a big brother and he hated how much he didn't entirely detest the replacement as much as he wanted to.
Damian was the hardest hurdle for Jason to get over. Jason was always used to being Dick's favorite; the center of his universe. Whether it was from Jason's lack of self-control or his aversion to getting along with others, Dick was always at Jason's side, placing himself in front of others that would judge or exclude the belligerent younger brother. Then Damian Al Ghul happened. He was dropped on Wayne Manor's doorstep and tried to kill Jason on day 1.
On Day 2 he made an attempt on Dick and Alfred and by day 3, Dick was forcing the kid to hug him.
No matter how threatening or dangerous Damian proved himself to be, Dick seemed to want to force the issue of integrating him into their warped family. He placed himself in Damian's life and development so persistently that everyone could easily say Dick was a parent and brother to Damian. Jason witnessed it clearly. The more Damian lashed out, the more Dick insisted on meeting his aggression with care and empathy. Dick Grayson never failed; at anything, so eventually even Damian gave in to Dick's efforts and became an honorary Bat and Robin. Jason may not be the most emotionally sophisticated member of their group but he knew he was jealous, envious, all of it. Why was the brat who wanted to hurt and kill them all being given so much attention and love from the last person who should be sharing it?
In the beginning, Jason contemplated how effective he would be in winning Dickie's attention back if he acted out again, if he fell back into his disruptive, immature ways. There were a few incidents but overall, Jason found it easier to stew in his irritation and anger than to actually reach out or act out. To this day, Jason wasn't sure if his internal acceptance of Damian was because the kid had grown and made the genuine effort to belong with them and reject the League of Shadows or if it was because he knew he'd gain more gratifying acceptance and attention from Dick for doing so. He knew that Dick viewed him as a friend the older they got; whereas, he still viewed Tim and Damian as his younger siblings. He saw part of his duty to them as a brotherly obligation so Jason desperately hoped that Dick's demeanor towards him highlighted his desire to show Jason recognition and care instead of an obligation he felt entitled to follow through on.
He would never truly know because his ego would never let him broach this subject with Bruce's Golden Child.
Still, even when he returned from the dead and was mad with pit rage, Dick was the only one that was truly there for him; advocating for him. He had rarely seen Dick draw a line in the sand between himself and Bruce and when he learned that Dick not only did that but went after the Joker…..Jason had never felt greater devotion.
It was one of the many reasons he hated Dick. The number of times he'd defended Jason or supported him to Bruce and authority figures had put him in debt to Dick for at least 4 lifetimes. He was ashamed when he let his irrational anger take over, targeting much of his hazy green rage at Dick and Bruce. It was too easy to hate Dick for his perfect grades and winning smile, for his exemplary fighting and acrobatic skills, and for his emotional endurance and compatibility with others. Dick was perfect and Jason could only ever see his own faults because of it.
No, the old man was the only one to truly deserve his rage. He knew on some level that Bruce cared for him, but the fact that Bruce didn't avenge him or let the Joker stay dead seemed to draw a line between him and Jason. The fact that a boy 1 year older than Jason had the emotional maturity and cognizant skills to bond with and support Jason, infuriated him. Bruce, their father figure was so unyielding, so obstinate in his black-and-white morals that Jason had to learn the man's love language or grunts and nods of approval in order to convince himself he wasn't as big of a failure as he assumed. Over the years, the line between them began to fill with cement and other permanent materials. The only way past their wall now was if Bruce scaled it himself.
Despire how awful and immovable he had proved to be with the replacement and Demon brat, Dick was the only one who had any legitimate reason to resent Jason. He'd stolen his vigilante title, the one named after his deceased mother. He hadn't tried to get along with Dick or apologize for the first few years under Bruce's care. To say that Jason had been very troublesome for Dick Grayson would be a severe understatement. Regardless, Dick never treated him how he should have. Never shunned him or pushed him away. He'd gotten mad at little things or frustrated with Jason's lack of ability to be conventional, but he'd never withdrawn his love or affection for Jason. Never. The one person who had every right to hate Jason…and he didn't. At least, he didn't show it outwardly.
Sometimes, Jason wondered if Dick would ever explode from all the negative emotions he smothered. All the destructive urges he kept bundled up inside his soul. He knew they were there. He'd seen aspects of his hidden personality and demeanor emerge in fights with enemies or arguments with Bruce. These moments where Dick would kick out at the perfect angle for the attack to be considered lethal, or where his eyes would blaze in fury and his words would end in a snarl as he argued with Bruce over something that wasn't even his responsibility to fight for. Richard Grayson was forced to sacrifice his entire life at the age of 8 and had never stopped giving parts of himself. The self-righteous fucker.
Richard Grayson was the only genuine friend he'd ever had. Richard Grayson was the only person who'd die and kill for him. He also hated Richard Grayson with a passion because he was the one person Jason wanted to save and couldn't.
Dick
Richard
Dickie
Golden Boy
Dickhead
Boy Wonder
Robin
Nightwing
The amount of names and titles that Dick had held over the last 20 years was more than most people collected in a lifetime. Sometimes Jason looked back and wondered if Dick ever lost part of himself every time he gained a new monicker or moved on from a previous one.
Did Dick still resent him for taking Robin? Did Dick resent Nightwing because he felt he wasn't ready to move on from Robin?
Sometimes Jason worried that the Dick he knew wasn't the true individual that Dick felt he was. It frustrated Jason because he knew his adopted brother would never admit to faking any form of affection towards the ones he loved but he knew that Dick's toxic habit of people-pleasing had started at an early age and snowballed to the point of it being a serious disorder. There was a reason that disorders had to be diagnosed by external professionals- because the source of the damaging behavior was too deep for the one in question to identify right from wrong. Authentic from superficial.
It wasn't that Jason doubted Dick's love and care for him or the others, but he wondered sometimes if Dick were to truly drop the happy-go-lucky facade and act with 100% self-interested intent….would Jason be able to recognize Dick? Would he still be a priority?
When Jason understood who had made an entrance beside Lincoln, Jason knew that he had another reason to hate Richard Grayson.
Tim was 12 years old when he first stepped foot inside Wayne Manor without his parents. He'd been to galas and fundraisers plenty of times but had never had the chance to see it from the point of view of a permanent occupant.
He spent the first few months in a daze due to the shock of moving in with Bruce Wayne and Batman at once, coupled with his parent's passing at such a young age. He once heard a therapist say that it was a tragedy because if his parents had died when he was younger he could've moved on with fewer scars, and if his parents had died any later, he might've been able to move on and grow more quickly from the tragedy. But no, he was the perfect age to be scarred and stunted and understand exactly what happened.
The only thing that kept him from crumbling into an emotional heap of uselessness was Dick Grayson. Tim saw very little of Jason Todd in the beginning. Tim thought Jason just disliked the new addition to the Manor; like sibling rivalry and jealously. He was right to an extent, but Jason resented that Tim came from everything Jason had yearned for in life and still got to move up on the social ladder per se. Tim's family was nestled in the top 1% of Gotham's earners and income and when his parents died in a tragic house fire, Tim managed to stay in that top 1%.
Jason resented Tim and his luck in life, and his presence seemed to push him even harder into the arms of their oldest brother, Dick. Dick was 14, maybe 15 when they met informally, but the first thing Dick ever did wasn't to say hello, or welcome, or even that he was sorry for what Tim was going through. No, he looked Tim in the eyes and engulfed him in a hug to tight that Tim felt the air escape his torso. Jason scoffed and Bruce and Alfred stayed quiet as Tim Drake-Wayne fell apart in Dick's arms. Shaking and trembling with sorrow and pain. He was scared of what was to come and in denial that his loving mom and dad were truly gone for the rest of his life.
Dick never said sorry or mentioned his parents. He always emphasized how he and Bruce and Alfred were always open to talking and if they weren't enough then Alfred could find the best therapist on the East Coast.
Dick spoke about his parents and life in the circus a lot. Tim originally thought it was to comfort him and assure him that talking about parental figures outside of Bruce was actually very normative and welcome in a household full of orphans. Later, Tim realized that his move-in made Dick relive his transition into Wayne Manor. Dick Grayson the acrobat was the most loved and adored kid in his traveling family unit. He had all the attention an ADHD child performer could want, coupled with an overwhelming love of open-minded free-spirited parents. Dick never wanted more or anything else but he had to make do when his parents died as well. Looking back, Tim suspected that talking about his past wasn't just a reassuring way to get to know Tim and open up to him, it was Dick's coping method. He'd admitted once that he forgot what his mother's face looked like once and had his first panic attack. The next day, Bruce purchased or replicated every poster and newspaper picture of the flying Grayons for Dick. Since, then Dick had most likely been fearful or forgetting any more of his past and roots because if his past was gone, then what did that make him? Who was he? Jason never spoke about his parents to Tim; he said it was just Dick and his never-ending blabbermouth.
Tim understood that Dick wasn't mentally prepared to reidentify himself so he clung desperately to his past. He spoke Romani around the house and with Bruce, he continued to improve and practice his acrobatics and gymnastics, and he made sure that every single Wayne Manor member knew everything about Haley's circus and their most famous trapeze performers. Tim theorized that Dick was attempting to ensure that if he ever forgot or died, that his and his parent's legacy would live on in stories through Bruce and his brothers. That was what he'd grown up on at least' grand stories and personal moments being shared between strangers across the globe.
At one point, Tim worried that he'd never get Dick back after Jason's death. The second Robin's death crumbled the Wayne household for a while and Tim was very uncertain as to who would survive the change after.
Jason died young and came back traumatized and scarred; understandably, but Dick and Bruce were also never the same. Tim was always sent to bed early but one night he'd snuck down into the cave and watched Dick and Bruce for a while. He watched them bond 1 night and argue and fight the next. It was these stolen moments where Tim learned the most about his adoptive father and brother; what they were capable of overcoming and how they dealt with death at their lowest.
Tim wasn't exactly sure what night it had been but he knew it was after 1:20 am in Spring. He'd crept down and found his usual hiding spot amongst the bats on the far side of the cave to watch for a few hours. It was here that Dick crossed the line and made Bruce snap, he'd accused Bruce of throwing Jason into Robin too young, of taking his mantle and his mother's name when he wasn't ready, and of throwing Batman and Robin off balance. Bruce had taken the verbal assault until he didn't. He'd lashed out and reminded Dick that he should have been here if he was so concerned about parenting a boy 1 year younger than him.
Dick stood still for a moment, just one moment before his bright sparkling blue eyes narrowed in spite and frustration, "I was away with the team on YOUR orders!" he spat loudly, "YOU didn't tell me Joker was causing issues. YOU didn't tell me that Jason was missing for all of patrol. YOU didn't tell me that Jason's funeral had happened until after I came back!"
Dick stepped up close to Bruce, breathing heavily through barred teeth, "You were Batman, how can you not take responsibility!? Now Jason's just another casual-"
Tim audibly gasped as Dick's head snapped to the side but his voice was smothered by the echo of the smack. The bats around Tim rippled and shuffled as if the echoing sound had left a visible disturbance in the cave's air.
Bruce's expression didn't falter but his voice did, "Dick-I-"
"Don't" Dick seethed. His head was still turned but his eyes had snapped back to stare at Bruce with a focused feral look to them. Without another word, he stomped out of the cave. Tim didn't see Dick for a few days after and when he did Bruce was sprinting into the cave, carrying Dick's limp form. His mask was nowhere to be seen and his chest and fingers were stained with blood nearly black. Alfred had jumped into action and ushered Tim out of the cave, locking the Grandfather clock entrance until 8 am the next day. Tim never thought he was as intelligent as everyone commented on, he'd heard many people remark over how witty or quick he was for his age. Bruce even said that his deduction skills were far above average for someone with no proper training. It didn't take a genius to deduce what had happened when Gotham Gazzet printed that Joker had been shot by an unknown assailant and revived by the Batman before being taken into protective custody and watched at Arkham.
Dick stayed in the cave's medical wing for a week recovering and Tim never asked Bruce what happened or why there was resuscitation technology stationed by Dick the first 2 nights.
After that Dick seemed to withdraw into himself. It was strange to feel the brightest person in the world slowly dimming himself. Dick didn't go on patrol and didn't engage with Tim as much. He was barely around for dinner and Alfred became so worried about his late night excursions with Roy that he asked Bruce to start tracking Dick's favorite sneakers.
Alfred never approved of tracking Dick, Jason, or Tim.
Tim and Alfred were the only people who got occasional glimpses of the old Dick. He'd try to smile or ask them how their day was but the genuine interest or happiness wasn't present. Bruce, Barbara, Wally, and everyone else couldn't seem to draw out the old Dick either. Eventually, Bruce gave Robin to Tim. When he'd looked to Dick for approval, he was taken aback by how lifeless Dick's eyes were. Almost akin to someone who was in a coma with their eyes open. Tim accepted it to please Bruce but it never felt right, which was probably why he was the one to hold Robin the shortest out of his brothers. Damian Al Ghul's introduction to their rag-tag family was the first change in Dick for a long time. Even Jason's return hadn't brightened Dick's lively soul completely. As if what he and Bruce had gone through during Jason's death had punctured a whole in his upper right chest and he'd been leaking effort ever since./p
Tim isn't immature enough to deny that he wasn't impossibly jealous that the 10-year-old demon from hell was the first one to start successfully returning Dick to them, but he was. Tim was furious and jealous and spiteful for so long. He was confused and hurt that a vengeful dangerous child assassin was what it took Dick to start feeling like himself again. He would never admit it now because of how much Damian had improved and opened himself up because of Dick, but Tim was hurt that he wasn't enough for Dick.
Damian seemed to keep Dick on his toes and keep his interest centered on his family again. He was around much more and started patrolling as Nightwing with Bruce and Tim, he spent more time With Tim and Damian on the mats and made an effort to take the brothers out on the weekends. He always justified it to Tim as a way to integrate Damian into Western civilization and into a normal childhood but Tim wondered if Dick was trying to recreate what he had with Jason in little Damian.
Jason wasn't as wild or violent but he was a rough-around-the-edges kid from the slums of Gotham. Tim suspected that Dick was trying to not only bond with Damian but also tame his wild side and make up for all he thought he'd messed up with Jason, but with Damian. Dick was always showering Damian with little gifts and funny trinkets and they eventually all found a new balance. When Jason returned and lashed out at Dick and Bruce, Damian jumped to Dick's defense immediately. After Jason was somewhat healed and in control of his pit madness, Wayne Manor settled into an all-new normal. Most days were fantastic as Dick loved nothing more than his new larger family and younger brothers. He found a different kind of friend and brother in each of his younger brothers and it seemed to heal something in Dick that Bruce had broken long ago; on accident.
It was fair to say that life was perfect from then until Dick died. Then Wayne Manor genuinely broke. It didn't fall apart or crumble…it broke irreparably.
Dick was the glue holding the Bat family together and no one had genuinely acknowledged it until he wasn't there to hold it together. Jason withdrew and fell into harsh crime and drugs with Roy, Bruce lost himself to the Bat, Alfred seemed truly depressed, Damian had no one to show him blatant acceptance, and Tim lost his big brother and friend. The one person who kept him from finding depression before puberty found him. Life sucked for a long time and eventually, they all learned to make do in a world a little less bright. For a few years, Tim resented Dick because of how much space and love he took up in their lives. He gave them so much in return all he asked for was their utter devotion and love, breaking them all when he died and vanished. Tim wished that Dick was more like him or Jason so that his death wasn't such a tragedy in the end. Almost like the saying 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all' Tim disagreed, he'd rather not go through pain twice just so he could have good memories to taunt him later on. Tim got over his parent's death, but he never got over Dick's.
He learned to let go of it all when he saw the spiral that Jason and Bruce fell into. Damian didn't spiral in the same way but all his emotional progress seemed to vaporize quickly. The small boy knew that the one person he was working toward this progress for was no longer there to smile at him and tell him good job over not punching his middle school classmate.
When Dick returned, so did Tim's spite and resentment, but so did his hope. Dick coming back was such a Dick move honestly. He knew how much his family needed and depended on him so of course Dick Grayson would be the only one to crawl out of a literally grave to make his way back to his family. Lost, in pain, amnesic Dick found them 5 years later. Even Jason didn't come back to them of his own accord, he was thrown into the pit and sicked on them by the Al Ghul's in an effort to dismantle and break the Batman.
Tim saw the anger in Jason's eyes too, the fact that Dick's death broke Bruce in a way that Jason's didn't seem to. They were all certain that if Bruce had ever successfully found Deathstroke the Terminator, he would have strangled him to death. Tim could understand Jason's anger and why it felt like no one could live up to Dick in Bruce's eyes.
The first Robin
His first son
Tim could easily see how hard it was for Jason to hate his big brother too. Jason was one of the biggest assholes he'd ever met but it was hard to judge the guy when he wore his heart on his sleeve. The first person to show him unconditional love without strings attached. Jason hadn't trusted Bruce Wayne for a long time, but he did trust the bright-eyed kid who had spent some time in Juvie and come out the other side with a smile. He couldn't help but feel like he owed Dick his life and his love when Dick was the only one to avenge Jason and in a way that broke everything Bruce stood for.
Tim thought he understood a lot but when Lincoln came back with an additional person, Tim knew he didn't really.
_
Damian was not naive enough to think he could claim he would be fine without Richard in his life.
At some point in his life he used to think that he wasn't naive at all, that he was clued in and attentive to the harsh realities and intricacies of the world. Richard was the primary person to show him how little he truly knew. Damian used to think that being raised as an heir and assassin, a natural killer right from the womb, made him unique and special in a good way. He used to fantasize about all the enemies he would vanquish in his grandfather's name and how his biological father would come to revere and adore him for his triumphs. Bruce Wayne could not have been further from his mother's depictions.
Bruce Wayne was emotionally incompetent, narrow-minded, and could easily be diagnosed with every meticulous ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder variant that existed. But he was also caring and protective, he often lost himself to his vigilante persona in the name of making a better future for his family. When Talia dropped Damian off at Wayne Manor's doorstep with simple instructions to make himself worthy of the Batman mantle and get to know his renowned father Damian had no idea what to expect. Since Bruce didn't know he existed, neither did Bruce.
Damian found it hard to admit how shameful he felt when looking back at his first year with his father. He was so determined to eliminate the surprise competition that he came very close to squandering relationships with people he would now die for.
He remembered the first time Richard had tried to hug him on his first day getting settled. He had throat-punched the oldest ward and then had been congratulated on his quick reflexes. Richard was the hardest struggle and burden Damian had to overcome in retrospect. Todd was simple to understand and easy to deal with. The rogueish street orphan disliked many but Richard and Alfred had broken through his rough exterior and cold demeanor meant to scare off and intimidate others. Drake was the newest addition and Damian easily perceived him as the weakest link at first. He was desperate for Bruce's and Richard's attention still, and was the most inexperienced fighter on top of it.
Bruce was difficult to bond with as both father and son were emotionally constipated and socially awkward. Damian gave it his best effort with his mother's orders in mind but along the way, he realized that things went severely astray.
Richard was the most consistent and befuddling aspect of his day-to-day. He would frequently replace Damian's entire sock and underwear drawer with bright colorful articles of clothing or insist that he pick Damian up from school in place of Bruce of Alfred.
To this day Damian isn't able to pinpoint when his resolve started to shift or crumble but he knew it started with Richard. The one person he attacked and hurt the most with his words and actions was the one person most consistently around to offer attention and support. He was always using ridiculous nicknames like Dami or Little D or Baby Bird. Damian hated them, and still does to some extent but he despised the belittling names in the beginning. Richard would frequently have one-sided conversations with him where he would share his thoughts on the day, tidbits of facts about his own childhood in a traveling eastern European circus, or commentary on the Wayne household and its occupants.
Damian thought he was being clever by letting Richard ramble on and reveal his secrets and weaknesses or any deficiencies in the manor's stronghold, but he was never able to do anything useful with the information. If anything it merely gave him a more well-rounded view of Richard and the other orphans, their struggles before Bruce found them.
Damian did not like the moments when he caught himself studying Richard in the cave. He watched as the oldest adoptee warmed down from sparring with some acrobatics and gymnastics. He had a whole section of the cave dedicated to his childhood performance career. Richard had started training Drake on the basics and left him to practice on the balance beam while he took to the uneven bars closer to the mats. Damian watched the older teen as he hefted himself up before swinging around and slowing himself at the top, maintaining his balance with just his forearm strength and core balance. He started to gain speed and momentum with each loop around the bars before smoothly launching himself across and under the bars to the next set of uneven bars. His legs were either tucked into his lean chest or extended out in a way that exuded control and elegance from his fingers to his pointed feet.
At some point Damian lost track of his original motive and just found himself watching. He enjoyed seeing some grace and professionalism in a simple exercise and warm-up. A part of him wondered how amazing it would be to watch Richard truly perform from a Hightower and net with shining bars and enough room to do the quintuple flips he always spoke of.
Father had gotten Richard a gymnastics membership, at every local center that offered the sport, the week he took in Richard but unfortunately, the cave offered less than ideal space due to the amount of safety and rigging equipment required for a safe practice to Richard's full capability.
Before he realized it, Richard was approaching with a coy smile gracing his lips. His bare chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath. He unwrapped his chalked palms and fingers as he watched Damian, "What's up Dami?"
Damian narrowed his eyes and fought to keep the red in his cheeks to a minimum, "None of your business Grayson. I don't answer to you"
Richard held up his hands in mock surrender, "I wasn't trying to imply that Little D. Just wondering why you were watching? Do you want to learn some? My parents had this one act called-".
"Tt, I could care less about the trivialities of past circus acts Grayson"
Richard's expression stayed fixed in place but Damian noted smugly that he was able to dim that brightness in Richard's eyes just a tad.
Damian turned on his heel and swiftly made his escape back to his room. Richard went out that night to spend with Wally and Artemis from the young justice team but Damian found that while Richard was off enjoying himself he was stuck at home agonizing over why the darker shade of blue looked so wrong on Richard's face. Richard came back late that night, trying to hide the slight sway in his steps and the haziness in his gaze. Damian expected him to forcefully wish him a good night as usual but was surprised to hear Grayson's bedroom door close with a finality that left Damian wanting.
Damian couldn't keep himself away for long. He finished his school work quickly and was always making himself available in the cave for practice or additional training and found he had more spare time on his hands than he'd liked. During this downtime, Damian found himself back in his usual spot watching Richard train Tim or practice himself.
It happened again and again until at some point, he'd come down into the cave and found a new chair in place of where he usually sat or leaned. He'd looked at Richard immediately but the older boy had acted like he wasn't aware of his presence as he continued to flip and spin.
The month after Damian was practicing his own balance control on the balance beam while Richard introduced Tim to the pommel horse close by. The more time he spent with Richard the more Damian realized how much space and attention the older boy naturally took up. Damian would find himself wishing for Richard to crack a joke during patrol or smile inappropriately during a debrief. It started out as amusement and Damian was self-aware enough to realize he crazed positive attention from the older boy. It was hard not to. Richard was so jovial and positive all the time that it felt like a sunflower in California being moved to rainy Ireland and expected to be just as perky. How could a sunflower flourish in a field where it was always searching for the sun?
This only escalated once Damian opened up about his mother and insecurities about living up to his grandfather and father. Richard often distracted him by taking him shopping for art supplies and going to the zoo for animal encounters. Damian's protests would often be turned around on him until he gave up and found himself having fun.
The month Richard learned of his interest in art had been an expensive month for his father.
"Don't worry about it Dami! Bruce is busy but if he could he'd leave his board meeting to come buy twice as many pallets for you"
"Don't be ridiculous Grayson this is getting quite expensive and Father will be upset. You did not even ask to take his card"
Dick rolled his eyes playfully, "Trust me Little D. Bruce always knows when we jack his cards or cars. Besides this is fun!"
Damian sneered, "Tt, we should be at home enhancing our skills. That is the only acceptable way to bring honor to the Wayne name and Batman legacy"
Dick's expression fell into something slightly more serious, "Dami, the one thing Bruce wants most in this world is for us to be happy. If painting and art supplies make you happy, Bruce is happy"
Damian gave an unimpressed look back, but the older boy persisted, "If art was the only thing that made you happy Bruce would be bankrupt trying to buy the legal rights to it for you. Trust me, losing your life to crime fighting is the last thing Bruce wants to prioritize. He may be horrible at showing it but seeing you adjust and be more comfortable and start hobbies" Dick gestured around them at the art store, "Will make any day a little better for him"
Damian fidgeted slightly at the grand statement, "This is still entirely unnecessary"
Dick shrugged looking unconcerned, "So is therapy but it still helps loads!"
He reached for Dami and ran a hand through his locks once in a comforting manner, "Let's go! I'll keep the receipt if you're still that indecisive OK?"
Later Damian would come to realize just how much he doesn't know about his adoptive brother; his almost-father figure. When he finally got over himself and learned to appreciate having Richard in his life he thought he was just a constant ball of sunshine that was impossible to burn out. But in reality, the sun gets marginally brighter before it burns out. Damian thought he couldn't surprised anymore, and then he learned that Deathstroke the Terminator was obsessed with his brother and had kidnapped him for a short stint to force him into an apprenticeship. Damian thought he couldn't surprised anymore, and then he learned that Father had hit Richard and no one had done anything about it. Damian thought he couldn't surprised anymore, and then he learned that Todd had died, but Richard was the only one to truly avenge him. Tim warned him to never bring it up, letting Damian know that everyone knew but didn't acknowledge it because Jason's brother had to act as his avenger and Batman's first Robin had taken a life; the ultimate betrayal to their code. It was one of the biggest unspoken rules in the house, alongside trying to actually confront and comfort Todd over his pit experience. While Damian would never admit to being concerned about Todd's mental health and welfare, he did find it strange that there had been no recourse or consequences for his grandfather and mother stealing and reviving Todd without his father's knowledge; before sicking him onto Gotham.
Damian thought he couldn't be surprised anymore, and then Richard died.
Damian had never felt more hatred towards the world. All his life he'd been molded and ordered in every which way. He did not like to title or demean himself with words like weapon or soldier but at the end of the day, for the first 9 years of his life that is exactly what he was. Richard was the first to grant him true autonomy and let him find his own preferences and choices. Richard was the only one to remind him that everything in the past either wasn't his fault or could be recounted for, that no mistake was too great. To this day, his emotional need and dependence on Grayson left him feeling weak and pathetic, but he couldn't deny how much he needed the older boy. He needed the encouragement and motivation, the confidence boost and the superficial chats, the forced hugs, and attention. He needed Richard Grayson's love like a moth needed a light. Richard was his saving grace and then the world took him from him.
How dare the world take one more thing from Damian Wayne. If he were older and was allowed infinite freedoms to come and go as he pleased, he may have turned out more like Todd and his make-shift thug lifestyle. Alfred did his best to keep Wayne Manor running smoothly while keeping Damian and Tim within reach. There was little Bruce could do to reign in Todd and his violent outbursts after Richard's death but luckily Grayon's memory and Alfred's guilt trips kept him around at least 1 night a week.
Damian remembered one week where he thought father would lash out at Todd for his demands that they find Richard's body and use the pit to revive him. Bruce was adamantly against it, no matter how many times Todd insisted it would be fine.
"I had a rough start but I'm managing it fine B! If I can handle it then it would be a walk in the park for Dickie"
"I'm not debating this with you Jason, we haven't even found him yet but the answer is no"
Todd's eyes had flared with unrequited vengeance and fury before he stormed off.
Later that night when it was just Damian and Drake at home, Damian had sought out the older boy and found him in his room, "I thought Father and Todd were going to get physical" he admitted. He looked around Drake's room to keep from making eye contact with the other boy. Drake's room was a complex befuddlement of neat and messy. He had organized piles in certain areas of the room that seemed to be thrown together based off-topic or project completeness while there were sections of utter cleanliness that screamed OCD.
Tim looked up and watched Damian with a sad expression, "I'm not surprised; I mean it's Jason after all"
Damian nodded as they both fell silent, "I shouldn't be surprised to hear that Todd has lashed out at Father. He needs more self-control" He sneered but there was no real malice behind the action.
Tim looked down at the abandoned laptop in his lap, "No, Jason's never hit Bruce outside of sparring"
Damian looked quizzically at Tim, "Father?-"
"No" Tim supplied quickly, still avoiding eye contact.
Damian was growing more and more confused, "You can't be serious? Richard would never-"
"That's because Dick never did…"
…
…
Damian's eyes widened in realization.
Damian thought he couldn't surprised anymore, and then Richard came back from the grave.
Damian barely had time to process that his stone, his foundation of growth and empathy in a person had been returned to him. He had come to accept that the rest of his life would be more depressing and contrite than the previous few years had been, and then Richard returned. He was changed from all the hardships and abuse he had suffered but Damian was more concerned about helping to heal Richard in the same way Richard healed him from the Al Ghul legacy. Vengeance and retribution could come later. Unfortunately, Damian was starting to acknowledge that he really was more naive and gullible than he would like to believe because after only a year of having his brother back, he'd begun to hope that their pleasant somewhat normal life was returning and that Damian was free to be weak. Weak and dependant, but happier than he'd ever felt.
Damian thought he couldn't surprised anymore, and then he saw who walked back in with Lincoln.