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1.
The first time it happens, Dick is far too tired to register what’s happening. He’s just coming back from grocery shopping, something he’s been putting off for a week now. If he wasn’t running out of food to an alarming extent, he might have put it off just a little longer.
Dick unlocks the door and lets himself into his apartment, greeted by the usual emptiness he’s used to. At least until he realizes the TV is on and someone is sitting on the couch. He’s not sure how he missed that, but his lack of alert behavior is a testament to how tired he is.
Setting his groceries on the counter, Dick carefully stalks over to the couch where he finds Damian perched on the couch, idly flipping through channels, a bored expression on his face.
“How did you-” Dick realizes it’s Damian and, therefore, him breaking into his apartment isn’t the most surprising thing he’s ever done. “Nevermind. Just…why are you here?” he asks.
Not that he isn’t happy to see his little brother. He was always trying to find time for them to hang out, but Damian is often way more focused on his training. Him willingly visiting him out of the blue like this is just shocking, to say the least.
“You’re the only tolerable person in this family, and you haven’t visited the manor in a while.” Damian gives up on finding anything he likes, tossing aside the remote. “I was beginning to think you might not stop by.”
The grin on Dick’s face is blinding. Damian missed him. He won’t say it, but he really missed him. Dick can’t even describe how unbelievably happy that makes him.
“Aw, if you were lonely, you should have just said so.” Dick ruffles his hair, laughing as Damian pouts and bats his hand away.
Damian crosses his arms, though he doesn’t seem stiff or grumpy like he might with most people. Just keeping up his stubborn front. “Tt. I don’t get lonely, Grayson.”
That’s the biggest lie Dick has ever heard. He knows better than anyone that Damian does in fact get lonely. He’s a kid, it’s to be expected. But he doesn’t bring it up, knowing that the poor kid might not appreciate it.
“Sure thing, Li’l D.” Dick collapses onto the couch next to Damian. “I just went shopping, so we can watch some movies and eat some popcorn,” he suggests.
“Only if I get to pick,” Damian insists, an excited look on his face. Dick doesn’t point it out because he knows he’ll make an effort to get rid of it. It’s nice seeing him act like a kid, so he doesn’t argue and lets Damian pick a movie while he fetches some popcorn.
2.
Maybe Dick should be worried about how easy it is for his siblings to sneak into his apartment. At least he’s home this time.
Dick is peacefully eating breakfast and watching TV when he hears a window slide open. This time, he’s more alert and ready, just in case it’s not one of his siblings. But thankfully, it’s just Jason. Still in his helmet and combat gear.
Jason doesn’t look injured, thankfully, but appearances can be deceiving. Dick sets his plate aside and rushes over to help as Jason climbs through the window. Jason stands, taking off his helmet now that he’s safe.
“Are you okay?” Dick asks immediately, checking him over for any injuries he might have missed.
“I’m fine.” Jason brushes him off, though he’s secretly thankful for the concern. “I just needed to lay low with someone for a little while, and you’re the first person I thought of.”
Dick is touched that he trusts him that much, but now he’s worried about what the hell his brother must have done. Honestly, he probably doesn’t want to know. As long as no one comes banging on his door, he’s willing to help.
He sighs, running a hand through his hair as he gives Jason an exasperated look. “Alright, just…promise me no one saw you come here.” The last thing he needs is anyone spotting Red Hood climbing into his apartment and piecing together that Dick is Nightwing.
Jason pauses for a second. “I can mostly promise that.”
“Jason!”
“I’m kidding! I made sure no one was following me,” he says, hitting Dick’s shoulder playfully. “I’m not dumb.”
Dick rolls his eyes. “How long do you need to stay here?”
“Maybe a week?”
“Shit, what did you do?” Dick exclaims, placing his hands on his hips.
He watches as Jason waves off his concern, heading to his fridge instead. “Nothing good, but some people aren’t very happy with me right now.” So nothing new. “Hey, you got anything to eat? I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”
This is going to be a long week, and Dick knows that. He’s just glad Jason trusts him, and this might be the closest he’ll get to hanging out with his brother in a long time, so he’ll take it.
3.
Dick learns to expect his sibling at this rate. He makes sure he’s stocked up on snacks and actual nutritious food. Despite being the children of a literal billionaire, he knows they don’t always eat the best. He’s guilty of that himself.
This time, he comes home to find Cass eating cereal and sitting cross-legged on the counter. He barely even bats an eyelash the moment he notices her.
“Hey, Cass.”
She smiles and nods in acknowledgement as he shrugs off his coat, throwing on the back of a chair. He grabs a bowl and pours himself some cereal, Cass pushing the milk over to him.
If Dick is comfortable with anyone, it’s Cass. She might not be the most talkative, but he could still hold some very nice conversations with her, and he just likes having her around.
“So, what brought you here?” he asks absentmindedly as he eats.
“Bored,” Cass answers when her mouth isn’t full.
Dick’s not surprised, nor does he blame her. Their siblings weren’t always around, so Wayne Manor can feel hauntingly empty, save for Alfred’s company. “Well, you’ve come to the right place,” he says.
After dealing with both Damian and Jason, he’s more than happy to keep Cass some company. She’s definitely not as loud or stubborn as either of them, at least not that he’s aware of.
“How about we order some food later and find a movie?” he suggests.
Cass brightens up and nods excitedly. It’s enough to make Dick feel less weary than he was before, like seeing her smile lightens his mood with little effort.
“Alright, it’s a plan. I hope you like Disney movies because Damian didn’t let me watch any last time.”
4.
By now, the colder weather is starting to set in. Gotham isn’t the warmest place to begin with, but it’s even worse in the fall, and freezing in the winter.
Dick takes more warm showers now than he did before, especially after a long patrol. The Nightwing suit isn’t exactly warm, and he makes a mental note to put something in the works to remedy that before winter approaches.
Just as he hops out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist, he grabs his suit and leaves the bathroom to clean it in the meantime. He stops on his way to the laundry room, nearly jumping when he spots Tim sneaking in through the window. He really should get used to that.
Tim gives him an apologetic look when he realizes he’s caught his brother at a bad time. “Didn’t mean to barge in,” he says. “I just need your help.”
“Well, the door might have been a better choice.” Dick teases. “Let me actually throw some clothes on and I can see what I can do.”
He changes quickly and meets Tim back in the living room. Tim already has his computer open on the coffee table when Dick sits next to him.
“Alright, what’s up, Timmy?”
Tim pulls up some schematics and slides the computer over for him to glance over it. “I’m making some upgrades for my car, but I was having a little trouble with some of the plans. You’re just as good at building things, so I thought you might be of some help.”
Back when Dick first built his own car, he remembers having his own problems, though he learned a lot while working out the issues.
“Is it okay if I fix some of this?” he asks. Tim nods and Dick starts typing away and fixing whatever issues he spots. He knows his brother is smart, but sometimes a second opinion helps. He’s glad that Tim is getting better at asking for help, and he’s more than happy to lend a hand.
As soon as Dick thinks he’s fixed what he can, followed by an occasional explanation of what he was changing, he hands the computer back to Tim. “See how that works out for you.”
Tim sighs in relief. “Thanks. You’re a life-saver,” he says, closing the computer.
He’s just happy to help. Dick can’t help but noticing Tim seems tired and paler than usual.
“When’s the last time you ate?” he asked. “And I mean more than a granola bar.”
Tim pauses, knowing that Dick won’t let up until he’s honest. “This morning.” It’s late, so he hasn’t eaten in several hours. Not his worst record, but Dick won’t stand for it.
“Come on, I’ll make you something,” Dick offers. He’s not the world’s best cook or anything, but he knows how to follow a recipe.
Though he hesitates for a moment, Tim accepts his offer and gets up to at least help. Dick just wants to be sure that his brother is eating well and keeping his energy up.
5.
Dick is getting much better at expecting his siblings to pop in whether he’s home or not. It’s the most time he’s had with them lately, so he’s not mad about it at all. Actually, he kind of likes having his place open to them. It’s a good show of how much they trust him, which means the world to him.
The funniest instance, and perhaps his favorite, is when Duke frantically shows up, looking around for any other family members who might have spotted him. Dick lets him in, worried that something horrible happened.
“You look horrified,” he observes. “Is Damian terrorizing you again? I can tell him off for you.” Duke shakes his head and follows him over to the couch.
“No, I’m hiding,” he says. “Steph convinced everyone to play Hide N’ Seek, but she added a twist, and it got really intense, so I’m cheating by hiding here with you.”
At least he admits to cheating. Dick can’t help laughing hysterically, because it sounds like something him and Wally would have done. In fact, he’s sure they had.
“Ah, that makes sense. Damian’s gonna kill you when he finds out. And maybe Jason.”
Duke doesn’t seem nearly as worried as he expects. “I just wanna actually win for once. Cass is always the last one hiding.” That doesn’t surprise Dick either. He knows firsthand how good Cass is at staying hidden when she wants to.
“I promise I won’t tell, but if anyone asks, I didn’t know you were hiding.” If his brothers find out he knew, he’d be dead along with him, and he’s not ready to handle that. Cass might be more forgiving. She might even get a kick out of it.
“Got it. I never said anything about the game.”
Dick lets him stay for as long as he wants, though it’s only a few hours before Duke receives a call from Damian, which is when they find out he cheated. Dick gets a good laugh out of it, and Duke just seems proud of himself for outsmarting everyone, especially when he hears how long they spent searching for him.
Plus, Duke got some snacks out of it, maybe even some pizza, but he keeps that to himself. Damian would be even more prepared to attack him, perhaps even a bit jealous, if he knew he spent most of the day hanging out with their older brother instead.
Either way, Dick has a good time hanging out with Duke. He hasn’t had many chances to really have some one-on-one time with the kid, and he reminds himself to carve out more time to make that happen again.
+1
Now that winter finally hits Gotham, Dick is doing what he can to stay warm. The snow came for the first time a few days ago, so it’s harder than it sounds. Just his luck, though, the power in the whole building is out. He doesn’t know how long the power outage will last, but he’s freezing thanks to that. No amount of blankets seems to totally be enough.
Dick has no clue how long until the problem is fixed, but he doesn’t think he can really handle the cold for longer than he already has. Instead, he throws his coat on, bundles up, and heads out to his car.
He quickly drives to Wayne Manor, knowing it’ll be much warmer there, and he doesn’t mind having to see Bruce and the rest of his family.
By the time he arrives, Alfred is hurrying him inside and taking his coat. Bruce is the first person alerted to his presence and invites Dick into his study.
Dick remembers loving the fireplace in the study, especially on days where Bruce was particularly caught up in Wayne Enterprises related work.
The moment he’s near the fire, Dick sighs in relief. This was definitely the right move.
Bruce laughs and sits back in his chair, taking a break to spend some time with his oldest son. “Apartment cold?” he asks.
“Yeah. The power’s out for a while, and there was no way I was going to stay there until it’s up again,” Dick says. Besides, the extra company is sort of a bonus for him.
“Well, you can stay here for as long as you like. You know your old room is always open,” Bruce assures him. “I’m sure Alfred will be happy to make you something to eat as well.”
As much as Dick likes living on his own, there’s a certain comfort to being back home, even if only for a while. It isn’t even about knowing how well off he is here, but more about seeing his family and knowing they’re all okay.
“Thanks, B.” Dick stretches now that his limbs aren’t frozen stiff, a feeling he hates more than anything. “Are the kids around?” he asks.
Bruce nods. “You’re not the only who stopped by. Jason is here, too,” he says. “I don’t know how long he’ll stay, though.”
It’s nice knowing Jason and Bruce are a little closer now and less likely to be tense around each other. Dick remembers when that wasn’t the case, and he’s glad things are changing for the better.
“Well, since we’re all here, I was thinking we could all play a game together.” There was nothing he loved better on a snowy day than playing board games and hanging out with his family. They don’t get to do that often, so he takes the opportunities when they present themselves.
“As long as it doesn’t get too out of hand this time.” Bruce stands, rubbing his face. “I don’t see why not.”
“You and I know we can’t promise that.”
Bruce laughs and ruffles his hair. “I can still hope this time will be different. I’ll have Alfred grab some blankets, and you can gather everyone to agree on a game.”
Dick didn’t have to be told twice. He ran out and quickly rounded up his siblings for a game. Being buried in a pile of blankets was probably the best way he could be spending his day, and he was decidedly pretty glad the power went out. As much as he didn’t mind his siblings sneaking in and hanging out with him, he just wanted to use what time he had with them regardless of where they were. At least he knew they were safe and alive, which might have been a sad observation, but it was a reality of his life.
Even though the game (they all agreed on Monopoly) quickly devolved into chaos, he wouldn’t have it any other way. He wouldn’t know what do with himself if his family was anything short of chaotic. That’s just how they were, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.