Chapter Text
It’s indeed a lovely day with its clear sky and the sun shining through. Dick walks through the deserted cemetery, his only company is the gentle breeze that caresses his face. He can hear the leaves rustling in the grass and the scent of trees and the bouquet of flowers held closely.
The small grip he has on the flower arrangement —filled with lilies and roses, his mom’s favorite flowers— briefly tightens at the sight of so many rows upon rows of graves. He doesn’t remember there being so many the last time he visited. These are probably new.
(He doesn’t know how to feel about that.)
Dick continues to walk, his sight set on the headstones resting on top of the hill. The cemetery is well maintained, he notices as there is grass and leaves everywhere. There were brightly colored flowers on some of the graves. Even the headstones of graves looked peaceful.
He stops at the marble engraved with the names of his parents and goes on one knee to lay his fingers on top of the stone and trace them.
In loving memory of Mary Grayson and John Grayson
The comfortable silence stretches until Dick decides to speak first.
“Hi Daj… Dat.” It feels somewhat awkward talking to them, knowing they won’t respond. If he closes his eyes he can imagine them answering back. “It’s been a while, uh?”
“I’m sorry for not visiting lately. There's a… lot going on with my life,” was a nice way of putting the mess that was his life. He clears his throat, thinking of what to say next. “I’ve joined the police force. So far I like it, even though it can get… sometimes stressful. Blüdhaven is the same as usual.”
The wind blows through his hair.
“... Kori is fine, by the way. Wally told me she wants to travel again. And um, I miss you guys. Yesterday was your anniversary and it was hard.” The tears pricked his eyes. And the sadness Dick kept so carefully tucked away threatening to burst out. He shoved it back down. He wasn’t going to cry in front of his parents.
“Anyways, I want you to meet some people,” he turns around and the rest of his family—Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Damian—are waiting for his cue. A small smile appears on his face. It had been Bruce’s idea for them to be there if he wanted. ‘For moral support’ He’d said and for once, Dick agreed he didn’t want to visit his parents alone.
“You can come here if you want.”
“Are you sure?” Tim asks. He looks nervous as if he doesn’t know if he’s silently overstepping or not.
He nods his head.
“Yeah, I think it’s time,” he says, reassuringly. “ Ma, Pa. There’s some people I would like you to meet.”
He goes to grab Tim’s hands and starts introducing them, one by one. As the rest of his brothers started talking to Dick’s parents, he felt someone rest his hands across the top of his shoulder. He looked up and found that it was Bruce smiling at him.
It was a fatherly smile.
The gentle squeeze made Dick know that despite the hardships and everything life would throw back at him everything would be okay. Despite his Ma and Pa not here with him, he still had a family. People who would sometimes annoy him (who doesn’t, after all?) but still deep down they cared and loved him for who Dick was.
He didn’t have to endure all the pain on his own.
Dick wasn’t alone in this.
He was loved.
And so, keeping this illuminating piece of information in mind, Dick gave Bruce one hopeful smile back.