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“No, no, no, no…Grayson!”
It was the voice first, the harsh, high sound cutting through the blackness, that pulled him out of the dark. It was muffled and faraway, like he was underwater. Was he drowning? What had he been doing before?
“This…no…this is imposs…”
Then, it was the grip on his shoulders, the small arm hooking under his knees.
“Grayson…? Please… please, Grayson…”
Finally the sensation of cold came through the haze, as he felt himself coming closer to the light. It surrounded him, and for a moment he felt like he was sinking in it. But… no, it wasn’t cold, not really anymore. The cold was disappearing. Being replaced by a quickly spreading warmth. Suddenly there was the weight of gravity, pushing down on his body as he burst from that frigid prison.
But the sensation of lifting didn’t stop. It stretched on, for an obscenely long time. Soon, there was the push of a wicked wind around him, too. But that grasp on his shoulders never lessened, and neither did that warmth. In fact, that warmth continued to grow, continued to radiate from whatever was holding him.
The voice was talking still, but quieter now, obviously not to him. But it was something, it was an anchor for his mind, something he could focus on as his goal. It was familiar, and he needed to figure out why. The wind continued to whip around him, but it didn’t matter. The heat had settled, was seemingly impenetrable from outside forces.
And just like that, the feeling of rising reversed to a gentle falling. This didn’t last as long, though. Soon, he heard the crunch of boots landing, an exhausted exhale, felt a solid surface appear under his butt.
But the person didn’t let go. Instead, the person clutched at him tighter, rearranged him in their grasp, pulled him against a chest.
“Please, Grayson.” The voice sounded terrified, near wrecked. But it was closer now, and he could work with that. He kept fighting, driving forward. “I…I just got you back. I just found you again. Please don’t make me lose you once more. Please don’t make me – us, your family, your brothers – lose you for real this time.”
And then it clicked. That voice.
It was Damian.
And that knowledge was all that he needed. Instantly, the white light was no longer in front of him. Instead, he was engulfed in it, jumping through it.
His eyes fluttered open.
He took in the dirty rooftop, took in the softly falling snow, took in the dark, clouded sky. But most importantly, he took in the small masked boy he was leaning against.
He’d known. Bruce called him almost as soon as he’d gotten his son home. Sent some photographs as proof, too. But told him he couldn’t come back to see him, not yet. What he didn’t know, however, was that Damian was back out in the field. He didn’t know Damian had taken back up the Robin mantle.
But he wasn’t thinking of any of that. Right now, all he could think about was the fact that Damian was…luminous. He was encompassed by a faint golden aura, outlining his body against the purplish-black clouds above him.
Behind the mask, Damian’s bright blue eyes were wide, watching as Dick blinked rapidly, staring up at him in confusion.
“Grayson?” Damian whispered. “Say something. Please, say anything.”
“You’re…” Dick gave a light cough, trying to stay focused. “You’re glowing.”
And all of the sudden, he wasn’t.
As Damian’s light disappeared, so did the warmth. The chill of the snow and freezing temperatures tumbled over him in a wave.
“I wasn’t glowing.” Damian lied briskly. “You didn’t see that.”
“I’m hurt, not blind.” Dick returned. And…he couldn’t help it. Even with Bruce’s proof, he was having a hard time believing it. Believing they had been this lucky twice. Jason was a miracle in himself, but Damian…
He leaned away to get a better look and reached up, cupping Damian’s face. Damian twitched slightly and looked away, almost like he was ashamed. When he spoke, his voice was trembling. “I thought…Father said you were dead. When I saw you in the alley, I didn’t…I couldn’t believe that…”
“Yeah, it’s all a bit messy.” Dick chuckled. He tried to keep his elation inside. Though, he might not have had a choice. His body was full of complete agony; he could barely move. “But don’t try to change the subject. Damian, you were-”
“It just happens!” The boy blurt out. “I…I’m trying not to. It’s…hard to control.” He paused then. “But…you were cold. Your skin was practically blue. I didn’t know how long you were there, so I guess I just…you needed to be warmed up so…”
“But-”
“I have powers now.” Damian hissed, almost in distain. “When I was revived, they were developed. Through the alien technology, Father believes.”
Well, Bruce hadn’t mentioned that.
“Super strength. Energy and emotion based magic. Flight. The whole shebang.” Damian listed off. He opened his mouth to continue, but Dick cut him off.
“Flight, you can fly?!” He asked excitedly.
“How do you think we got up here?” Damian snapped. “But…I can’t carry you far. You’re too heavy. I just didn’t know if your attackers were coming back so I took you to the closest safe point I could think of. Father will be picking us up from here.”
“…I see.” Dick murmured, dropping the hand from Damian’s face. He kept staring though, trying to compel himself to wake up faster. The cold was helping, and he was trying to ignore the shiver starting to vibrate through his bones. Dick’s hesitation must have made Damian nervous, for he peeked up shyly. Dick just smiled, tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. “I missed you, bud.”
Damian nodded slowly. “…I…am glad you’re not dead.” He glanced up then, at the sound of a jet. No Bat-plane in sight, but a clear sign it was nearby. “…It seems we have a lot to talk about.”
“We do. But later.” Dick suddenly jerked, a cool shudder running down his spine. When – if – he went back to Spyral, he would have to bring up the suggestion to not have t-shirts as part of the uniform.
Damian laughed, and it was a pretty great sound. Maybe the best in the world, right now. But that could be the lingering dizziness talking. Out of nowhere, Dick felt that warmth again. Dim at first, but heating up quickly. It was coming from a specific spot, from the fingers latched to Dick’s shoulder. Dick could see the yellow glow in his periphery as he tried to sit up slightly, wrapping his arms as firmly around the child as he could. It had to be an uncomfortable position, but Damian let himself be pulled into the embrace, let himself be crushed against Dick’s chest.
“Yes.” Damian agreed, sounding incredibly relieved as Dick buried his nose against his hair. “Later.”
Because this time, there would actually be a later. Because Damian was alive, and they all were going to get the second chance that they never deserved. Because Dick wasn’t going to leave his family, his brother, ever again.
Dick couldn’t help but dig his fingers into the bright yellow cape. Squeeze his eyes shut as his tears threatened to overflow. “Thanks for rescuing me, Damian.”
“It’s my job.” Damian mumbled. “From now on, your protection – and Father’s and even our siblings – is my only job.”
Dick nodded absently. No, that wasn’t his job. His only job was to be a child, to be safe. He put his hand on the back of Damian’s head, holding his as close as he could. “Please don’t leave us again, Damian.”
Damian huffed, and Dick got a taste of the super strength as the younger clung to him tighter. “I won’t if you don’t.”
There was a loud whoosh! above them, and Dick glanced up as the Bat-plane suddenly appeared from the clouds. Even through the veiling snow, he could see Bruce through the windshield, slumping in his own relief at finding them. Dick smiled, leaning his head against Damian’s. “Deal.”