Work Text:
These last few months had been some of the hardest of Dick’s life. Losing Bruce had hit him even harder than he would have thought. It had ripped him open and being Batman felt like salt on an open wound. He knew it was what Bruce would have wanted, that there was not anyone else qualified to carry on his legacy, but he felt like an imposter. It did not help that Bruce’s son and his robin challenged him every chance he got. He had not felt this unsure of who he was and who he was supposed to be since his transition from Robin to Nightwing.
The cape was heavy and he felt it’s weight even when he wasn’t wearing it. There weren’t any times that the burden was absent. Right now, however, being with Barbara, it was so light he could pretend it didn’t exist. They weren’t even doing anything really; they were watching some horror movie Dick had forgotten the name of. It was one of those really so bad they’re funny ones. Barbara was sitting on the couch and DIck was laying across it with his head in her lap. His view was temporarily obscured by Barbara’s arm as she reached into the popcorn bowl on his chest. Dick made another joke about the main character’s hilariously bad fighting technique just as Barbara was swallowing her popcorn and her laughter turned into a cough when she almost inhaled her popcorn.
“You have horrible timing.” She took off her glasses to wipe tears from coughing and laughing.
“My timing is impeccable. You’re the one who tried to laugh when you should be swallowing.”
Barbara slapped him on the chest sending pieces of popcorn catapulting out of the bowl and to the ground below. “Shut up pixie boots. We’re watching a movie.” But she was laughing again and he knew she didn’t mean it. Which was good because he was going to say anything that he thought might make her laugh again. Her laughter was his anchor keeping him in this moment with her where he wasn’t batman or nightwing; not the grieving son or Bruce Wayne’s former ward. He was just himself. With her he could just be Dick Grayson. And one of Dick Grayson loved making Barbara Gordon laugh.