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Son Of The Night
The sound of silence was never a good thing. It clawed and marked its way into his mind, and he despised it. Loathed it, because it made him think. Which maybe wasn't all that bad in the end, but these days it was terrible because Dick's mind- his heart- always ran back to one thing. That thing was Damian.
He messed up bad. After all the deaths of both Bruce and Damian. His own disappearance. Then all of them coming back and now him running again. He'd finally told Damian too. Yet here he was, doing exactly what he hated most.
He ran a hand through his messy hair and pushed off the couch. Setting the almost empty bottle of beer down next to him, he groaned. Dick decided that drinking would probably give him something to do. As always, it never ceased to make him feel worse. It didn't solve anything. Beer didn't have enough alcohol in it to do that, to make him forget his feelings.
He jumped as the phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts. Was it Damian? He sure hoped not. All the questions he would have as to Dick's disappearance. He just couldn't do it, not today and not tomorrow. Not until this ache in his chest left him. He lazily slumped his way over to the phone and picked it up.
"Dick- where the hell are you?" A rough voice growled over the phone.
"Bludhaven, as usual Jason," Dick let a sigh of relief escape him. He could relax around Jason, he wasn't pushy.
"Come pick up your brat then, he thinks I've done something to you."
Dick perked up at his words, but willed himself to calm down. He missed his bo- Bruce's boy. Right, he missed his partner, but no way could he return. Not yet. He would just have to bury himself in his work. Let the storm pass.
"Dick? You know what, I'm going to find you. You're lying to me aren't you?" Jason murmured softly. He knew that Dick was in Bludhaven. Living off the grid for whatever dumb reason he'd concocted. The demon spawn had left once he realized Dick wasn't with Jason.
"No. I just-"
"Shut up. I'm bringing you some food."
And with that the line clicked. Dick sighed and dragged himself back over to the middle of his safehouse. It was a mess, one of his lesser known ones, but a mess. He let his eyes wander over the dirty piles of clothes, empty wrappers, and bottles before sagging down into the couch. Screw cleaning, it wouldn't make any difference.
It was an hour and a half later when he heard Jason sneak in through a window. He made his presence known with the sound of his boots hitting the floor. The smell of Chinese take-out was even stronger though. Dick's stomach rumbled at the scent.
"You're ridiculous," Jason stated shortly and dropped the bag on his table. Jason sneered at the disastrous display before him. Dick was in deep. He was never a very good cleaner, but he had some sense of keeping his places habitable. It only looked like a tornado hit when he was depressed.
This time, he was majorly down in the dumps. If not from the look of his place, but the look of himself. Dick's hair was messy and untrimmed, eyes tired with deep shadows underneath, and he smelled terrible. The man wasn't even taking care of himself.
"You didn't have to stop by," Dick snapped in annoyance. He didn't even look at the food.
Jason cleared off a spot on the couch next to Dick and sank down, "Apparently I did."
He reached over and grabbed the food. Looking over at Dick he brought out the older man's favorite- orange chicken with Lo Mien. Got it every time. Dick glared subtly at him while Jason took a dramatic inhale of the food while waving it in Dick's face.
"Mmm, yummy."
"... Cut it out," Dick sighed in defeat and grabbed it from him. His stomach growled out again and he tore open the box. Jason supplied him with a fork and watched him devour the Chinese food. There were always a few meals you could feed Dick even when he was stressed. He hardly ate when he was upset.
Jason leaned back and cracked his knuckles behind his head, "What's up Goldie boy? You've been off the grid for what? Three months?"
Dick shrugged, trying to avoid the questions. Jason wasn't supposed to care, but he did. They'd developed a bond since Jay had calmed down. Apprently he had a telepathic link for when Dick wasn't feeling right. That must have been it because everytime he was about to one hundred precent give up- Jason found him. It happened vice versa as well. Brotherly bond he guessed.
"You can't run anymore Dick. I don't know what you're running from, but it's making us all nervous. Especially demon brat."
Dick stopped eating at that and leaned back. Damian was worried. Of course Damian was worried. It was immature of Dick, one hundred precent, but he didn't know what to do. How could he interact now?
Jason noticed his shift in behaviour at Damian's name. He rested a hand on Dick's shoulder. What were the comfort words? Jason scrunched up his face in thought. Comfort words, comfort words...
"So... what the fuck is going on between you and Demon Spawn?"
Close enough.
Dick snorted at Jason's attempt. He raked his hand over his face. He could trust Jason to keep this private. The man didn't gossip anyway unless it was to his advantage.
"I... I wanted to adopt Damian," He glanced over cautiously at Jason before sputtering out excuses, "B-but only, you know, because I basically rasied the kid while Bruce was gone and I mean now he's back and I'm glad he's back-"
"He thinks you're his father." Jason stared coolly and took a bit of Dick's Chinese.
Dick stopped dumbfounded, "How would you know?"
Jason chuckled and looked the smaller man in the eyes, "You don't have to ask to know Dickie-Bird. The kid is torn right now. Between you and Bruce. He treats you with some damn great respect and then turns around and argues with you. He listens to you and then back talks you. If that's not a parent/child relationship- I don't know what is."
Dick frowned, "But why does he... not call me his father then?"
"The same reason you don't call him your son," Jason rolled his eyes, "You're both scared. Damian doesn't know it's okay to have more than one father and you're scared of Bruce. Perhaps Damian too."
Dick pulled an arm over his face. What a mess. He'd left for a few months and in that time he'd probably destroyed that could-be relationship. His sapphire eyes burned a hole into the wall. Even he knew he fucked up bad. Jason stood up and wrapped an arm around Dick's shoulders, dragging him up too.
"First of all, clean yourself and this damn safehouse up."
Wayne Manor
Damian threw more shurikens into the dummy. His teeth were bared as he shredded through the flimsy material. Father would scold him later, of course, but he didn't care. As of lately Damian was getting in more trouble than he'd ever been in. He was snappy, impatient, irratated, and distracted on and off the feild. As of right now he was benched and soon to be grounded by Bruce.
He was also far too tired these days. With a sweaty hand he droppes the sword and sat down, leaning against whatever remained of the figurine. He wasn't sleeping right. Mixes of PTSD, fighting, and... Grayson's disappearance kept him up at night.
He hated everything. Hated Bruce, hated fighting, and he despised Grasyon. How could he have... why? Why did he leave him? Was it okay to feel this way? After Grayson told him how he felt, that he wanted to adopt Damian, he dissapeared. Damian simply couldn't find him.
"Master Damian, I believe you should retire to your quarters..." Alfred came in holding some tea. The shredded scraps of material lay strewn around the boy like feathers. Alfred give out a little huff and made his way over to the teen.
"I know you're upset, but you need to rest."
"I don't need rest, if Batman can run on less than three hours of sleep so ca-"
"Batman has problems of his own. Damian Wayne does not need to add those problems to himself."
Damian shrugged and pulled himself up. He lazily took the tea with a quiet murmur of appreciation. For some reason he just felt... empty. Sometimes he couldn't feel anger or anything else. Just being numb or lonely. He felt awful lonely.
He made his way up the stairs and into his room. Tonight was going to be another sleepless night. It was normal anywhow.
Alfred watched the young man enter his room and then shook his head. This whole family was a mess. Always had been and always will be. Of course, Master Richard's dissapearannce was certainly uncalled for. The butler strode off to find Master Bruce, it was about time he actually did something.
He knocked on the door to Bruce's study, "Sir. We need to talk about young master Damian."
"Come in Alfred," Bruce replied dismissively while looking over case files.
Thunder clashed in the background, jolting Bruce out of focus. He didn't realize how badly it had been storming. Lightning lit up behind closed curtains while Alfred quietly closed the door behind him. Bruce didn't even want to know what had happened this time.
"What did he do now?" Bruce groaned and rubbed his temples.
"Master Damian clearly needs your guidance Bruce" Alfred stood next to the man, "Ever since Master Richard dissapeared he's clearly fallen into a state of... simply being lost."
"Not much I can do about that Alfred. If Dick chooses to leave then there isn't much I can do abou-"
"You'll have to be his father."
Bruce quirked up an eyebrow. Sure he wasn't the best with kids, but he had been more of a father to Damian lately. He was strict with him and treated him like a person, not an age. He knew how to handle Damian and he thought he was making process. At least... in the being a father department. Not their relationship, neccasarily.
"What do you mean Alfred?"
Alfred thought about how to say it. He wasn't sure if Bruce was completely aware, but Alfred himself witnessed it. There was not a singular doubt in his mind about it.
"When you were... gone so to say, many different events transpired. Roles were rearranged and relationships retried. One of those was most certianly of Master Richard and Damian's bond."
"So... are you saying?" A hint of fear struck Bruce.
"Master Dick became Damian's father. In a way, he had become more than you ever were, Master Bruce." Alfred stated it simply. To the point without any need for exaggeration or to sugar coat it, "He still obviously views you as his father, but with the loss of his other he has lost control."
Bruce let out a strained breath. Of course, it was only natural that Dick had taken on that position as well as the mantle. He should have seen it before. He'd originally dubbed it as a bortherly relationship, as a dynamic duo. Now all the signs were clear. Alfred had mentioned how distressed Damian was when he had left. Now those same signs were back again.
"We'll have to find Dick. Make him come back from... whatever the hell he's doing."
Alfred shook his head, "More rather you need to do what Master Richard did and bond with the boy. He needs you Master Bruce," He opened the door, "Retrieving Richard only proves that you're incapable of being his father."
Bruce leaned back into his chair as Alfred left the room. Shadows danced across his face while he thought long and hard. How? How could he have let this happen?...
<《º//||\\º》>
The next family dinner was when Dick finally reappeared. They all had known he was alive, off somehwere in Blüdhaven. Jason had reported him as alive to Damian earlier that month the night after talking to Dick. Damian wasn't easy to forgive of course and pretended to pissed at him. Jason knew the kid was looking forward to tonight.
He didn't come very often to these things himself. So when he showed up on the doorstep with Dick by his side Alfred was quite surprised. He broke out into a smile and welcomed the two boys into the manor. Jason glanced over at Dick with a smirk on his face. He tried to appear confident. Flashing that dumb little smile and laughing with Alfred. He apologized for being gone so long and promised to visit more.
Jason knew that internally there was an entirely other battle being fought. He had that nervous look in his eyes. The slight push of his fingers against each other. Sometimes he would clutch the bottom of his shirt. The smile, the laughter- it was out of nervousness. That was Dick, redirecting his stress into something else. Making it positive.
"Relax. Demon spawn are known to be able to sense fear," He whispered with a wicked grin.
Dick threw him a lopsided smile before laughing, "Yeah and then he'll kill me."
Dick sighed and looked around the manor. It had been a long time. He can't believe he agreed to coming. He just hoped it would be a good starting point to reconciling his relationship with Damian and Bruce. Just a mere wish probably. They were both stubborn, hell, all of the Wayne family was stubborn.
In short, he was prepared for the worst.
It didn't take too long before his biggest fear to appear.
"Grayson?" The voice called out from the top of the stairs. Dick heard it all. The slight waver to his usual confident tone. The bafflement, the sadness, just everything. Because that's how well they'd known each other.
Dick looked straight up into unwavering eyes of kryptonite. Damian sure as hell was one of Dick's weaknesses. The fact that his eyes looked like the precious gem only made it more tragic. Or only more hilarious. Depended on the mood he guessed.
"Hey..." He answered with a soft smile. Apologetic. With a simple greeting he tried to convey a hundred feelings. If he could say everything he wanted to say in that one moment he would. But he couldn't and maybe it wouldn't matter anyway.
Damian was shell shocked to see him there. His mind went numb from all the feelings that came rushing foward. Four months and for some stupid reason it had felt like forever. Four months of being lonely and listless. He grit his teeth and held onto the railing. He didn't know what to do.
"Tt- idiot."
Dick laughed a little at that and started up the stairs to be greeted by a tackle. Damiam rushed Dick and enveloped him in a hug. A quick one to let him know he enjoyed his presence, but was mad at him. Dick chuckled and simply dragged Damian back into it. Wrapping his arms around the boy tightly.
"I'm sorry Dami. I won't do it again I promise." He whispered softly while stifling his own feelings. A stinging pain tugged behind his eyes. His throat constricted and his chest tightened. He felt hurt. Hurt by his own actions.
"You better not Grayson," Damian chided nervously. There was a sense of hope blooming inside of him. A warm feeling crept up his body. Damian found himself staying in the hug before Jason coughed.
"Cute. Adorable, but I'm hungry and Bruce won't start without you two," he tapped his foot impatiently and headed back to the dining room.
That's where Dick encountered his other fear. He was talking casually to Damian. Asking about his studies and training. What he'd done for the last few months. He got short, straight to the point answers. They were all sitting down. Dick noted that it was only the three of them and Alfred. He helped to set the table with the Butler and Damian.
"Dick. It's good to see you," A rough voice called out from behind him.
Dick turned around to greet Bruce. He smiled at the man before enveloping him in a hug. Bruce awkwardly accepted it. Bruce was Dick's father after all. They seperated quickly and Dick cleared his throat.
"Good to see you too B-man." He laughed nervously before fidlding with a long strand of hair. Jason had convinced him to trim it and style it. Anything shorter than that awful mullet he had years ago.
Alfred announced that it was time for dinner and they all sat down. Dick engaged everyone in conversation. At one point it was mostly him and Bruce because something new had occured he noted- Jason and Damian were quite chatty together. That was new. And it made hin feel happy, but a little bad. He missed out on their bonding.
After Bruce finished talking about his new case Damian piped up.
"Father, can you pass me a napkin?"
"Sure," Bruce and Dick replied reaching across the table.
Dick froze.
Whoops.
He quickly retracted his hand and shoved some food in his mouth. He just messed up big time. Trying to be as engaged in his meal as he could, he heard Jason stifling a laugh. He cast an embarrassed glance at Jason before shoving another bite into his mouth. Bruce awkwardly sat there and fiddled with his fingers. Damian held a faint blush as he brushed the tip of his mouth with the napkin.
Alfred sighed, "About that, Master Jason. Would you please accompany me to the study? I have some old books you may be interested in..."
Jason nodded and leapt up from the table following Alfred. A few seconds later, down the hall, he was holwing with laughter. Dick squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. What an ass.
"Yeah... uh, Bruce. It was an accident I swear-"
"It's fine Dick." Bruce replied shortly. He didn't look angry or anything, just a little midly confused. And maybe even happy. It was faintly there. Was it... pride?
Damian looked up at them confused. Apparently all three of them had no idea what was going on.
"So does that mean?"
"You may not adopt him, but I don't mind sharing the title. You deserve it more than I do anyways," Bruce left that hanging in the air, "It's awkward for sure though."
Dick smiled and laughed. It would be. Having your one of your sons being the father to another son. Too bad. Know that he had permission from Bruce, all he needed was Damian's approval. Which they both knew he already had. Bruce let them be, walking down the halls and muttering something about Jason inder his breath.
Damian sat awkwardly in his seat.
"I'm still calling you Grayson."
"That's okay," Dick chuckled. But he was so calling him his son from now on.
"Who are you?" The man in front of him cried out as Damian tied him up for the cops.
He loved that question. So many different answers. He was a nightmare, grandson of the demon, a trouble maker, former Robin, son of the bat, and son of Nightwing. He could be so much more, but he was happy with this.
"I'm the son of the night," He chuckled and knocked the guy out with a swift punch to the head.
Police sirens wailed in the distance as he scaled the wall and raced across the rooftops. After a few minutes his comm link crackled.
"Damian. Get your ass back home. It's family game night for crying out loud!" Dick's voice rang in his ears.
"Baba, I am cleaning up the streets-"
"Don't care. We do that every night anyways. Come home or I swear I'll ground you."
At one point Damian would have used the argument that he wasn't his father.
That didn't apply these days.