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It’s been about two days since Dick’s rescue from his captors. He’s been kept in the Cave under observation ever since.
Truthfully, all he wanted to do was go back to his and Wally’s apartment back in Bludhaven and sleep.
Dick flopped back against the pillows of the bed in the medical wing of the Cave he’s been occupying with a groan. “Can I please leave now?”
“I believe you are officially in the clear now, Master Dick, so I will allow you to leave. However, you are to take it easy for the next couple of days—at least.” Alfred responded as he moved around the bed to free Dick of the various wires and machines he was connected to.
“You got it, Alfie.” Dick promised with a smile as he pushed himself up off the bed.
“Would you like me to drive you back to your apartment or would you like me to contact Master Wally?”
“I’ll text Wally and let him know. Thanks though.”
“You are very welcome. Now, I’ll be in the kitchen prepping for dinner if you need me.” Alfred said before leaving the room and heading back up to the Manor.
Dick pulled out his phone and texted Wally as he wandered back into the main area of the Cave.
Dick: Just got released from my inprisonment. Mind swinging by the Manor and picking me up? 4:37 P.M.
Wally: I’d be happy to. Works out perfectly, actually. I was already on my way to come visit you ;) 4:37 P.M.
“The hell are you beaming at, Dickface?” Jason asked from his position in front the Batcomputer.
“Just texting Wally.” Dick answered as he pocketed his phone and strolled up behind the chair Jason was siting in. “What are you working on?”
“None of your business.” He replied, turning back toward the screen and minimizing a few tabs he had open.
“Oh come on, Jay. Please? I’ve been bored out of my mind the past few days!”
“If I tell you, will you shut up?”
“..Maybe.”
Jason groaned before finally relenting. “Fine. I was writing up a report on your rescue. Speaking of which, should you even be up?”
“Alfred just cleared me. That’s actually what I was texting Wally about. He’s on his way over to pick me up.”
Jason tore his eyes away from the screen and glanced back at his brother. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Don’t bullshit me, Dick. You can’t deny what I saw the other day.” Jason said, giving him a pointed look.
Dick didn’t answer, instead keeping his eyes on the large screen in front of them.
“Does anyone know? Does Wally know?”
“…No. It’s nothing, though. I just overreacted back there. Honestly, I don’t even know what came over me.” Dick chuckled, trying to play off his unease.
Jason didn’t take the bait. “They fucking tortured you, Dickface. Aren’t you always the first one to say that its not a bad thing to be messed up after traumatic shit?”
“Well, I don’t put it exactly like that—“
“I swear to fucking—”
“Alright, alright!” Dick relented, holding his hand up in front of him in surrender. “I’ll admit that I’ve had a few… difficulties… since I’ve come back—but this isn’t my first rodeo with torture. I’ll be fine, Jay.”
Jason continued to stare at him, making Dick shift slightly under the harsh gaze. Then, he let out a hefty sigh. “Whatever you say, Goldie.”
Dick was about to defend himself further when he was interrupted by a shout from the top of the stairs to the Manor.
“Dick, Wally’s here.” He heard Tim call before the clock shut again.
“Welp, that’s my ride. Don’t forget to get some sleep, ‘k?” Dick smiled as he ruffled Jason’s hair, only to get swatted off.
“Don’t forget to tell Wally about your issue with water.” Jason shot back without a hint of sarcasm or amusement.
Dick’s steps faltered slightly as he walked away, but he quickly righted himself and continued on upstairs.
Did Jason feel a bit guilty for slapping Dick in that face with that? Yes. Would he say that aloud? Absolutely not.
____________________
After saying goodbye to the other members of the family that were currently in the Manor, Dick and Wally headed back to Bludhaven.
Once back in their apartment, Dick flopped down on the couch with a sigh. “Finally!”
Wally chuckled as he passed Dick and walked into the kitchen. “Any requests for dinner? I was thinking soup and grilled cheese since that’s pretty quick and easy.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll be there to help in a minute.”
“Don’t worry about that. I can handle it. You’re still supposed to be resting, remember?”
“True, but I think I’m allowed to help cook. I think Alfred was referring more towards Nightwing-related stuff.”
“Alright, alright, I give. Soup or cheese duty?”
“Cheese.” Dick replied, a bit quicker than he probably needed to.
Wally shot a concerned glance toward the couch where Dick was that he couldn’t see. “O..k… Cheese duty it is, then.”
Wally got to work on heating some soup up while Dick put together some sandwiches. Wally ended up finishing heating the soup up before Dick finished with the grilled cheeses, so Wally went out to the living room and tasked himself with finding something for them to watch while they ate.
“How does ‘John Wick’ sound?” Wally asked, glancing back toward the kitchen.
Dick didn’t answer. His eyes were locked on to the pot of soup in front of him, lost in the ripple of the broth as it bubbled from the heat.
“Dick..? Hey, babe, what’s up?” Wally asked, coming up beside him and gently pulling his face toward him. Dick’s eyes followed and locked on Wally’s bright green eyes.
“I- uh- sorry.. I guess I got lost in thought.” Dick responded, forcing a smile on his face as he turned his attention back to the sandwiches cooking on the skillet in front of him.
Wally leaned against the counter beside him and watched him flip the slightly overdone grilled cheeses onto the other side. “..Do you want to talk about it..?”
Dick spared a quick glance up at him before looking back down. “Not.. Not right now. Maybe after dinner..?”
“Sure, babe. Whenever you’re ready.” Wally reassured, leaning forward and giving Dick a quick kiss. His eyes flicked back to the TV when he pulled back. “So, thoughts on ‘John Wick’?”
“Sounds good.” Dick smiled.
____________________
When they finished eating and the movie was over, they both went to the kitchen to start cleaning up. It was then that Wally noticed Dick’s hesitance towards liquids once again.
“I haven’t been able to fully shower or bathe since I came back..” Dick started, picking up on his suspicions. Wally immediately turned his full attention toward him. “They.. They waterboarded me. A lot. And- And for some reason, out of all the other things they did, that’s what stuck with me. Crazy, right? I mean, it’s not like this was the first time I’d been captured, or tortured, or waterboarded. So why is it suddenly such a big deal for me..? God, I’m sorry, Walls. I know I’m probably just being dramatic—“
“Hey, hey,” Wally cut him off, not wanting him to send himself into a panic attack. “You have no reason to apologize, Dick. You can’t always control how you respond to torture—no matter how many times you’ve been through it. What matters now is focusing on the fact that you’re here. You’re safe.”
Dick slowly nodded, taking in Wally’s words. Wally pulled him into a hug and held him as he began running his fingers through Dick’s hair.
“You can take as much time as you need to process and recover from what happened. There’s no rush. You tell me how you want to go about this and if I can help, ok?”
Dick nodded, still wrapped in Wally’s strong embrace.
____________________
The two of them left the kitchen and went back into the living room to continue the conversation.
“Where do you want to go from here?” Wally gently asked.
“I think I want to try taking a shower again. Last time.. Last time didn’t go so well… I ended up having a panic attack and completely broke down. Jason heard me from down the hall and found me on the floor hyperventilating..”
Wally sympathetically nodded. “Ok, let’s do that, then. Are you ready to go now or do you want to take some time first?”
“Can you give me a few minutes? I’ll meet you in the bathroom when I’m ready.”
“Sure.” Wally smiled, standing up before giving Dick a small kiss then heading toward the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Dick walked into the bathroom. “I think I’m ready.”
Wally nodded, standing up from where he was sitting against the tub. “Ok. How do you want to do this?”
“I think I want to try by myself first, but can you standby just in case?”
“Of course.” Wally moved to the side and sat down on the toilet seat.
Dick walked forward and reached behind the curtain, turning the faucet on. The noise of the sudden gush of water hitting the tub was enough to make Dick jump slightly, but he quickly regained himself and bent further down. After a couple seconds, he tentatively placed his hand under the stream of water. He took a minute to get used to it before reaching up and turning the shower head on. The water stuttered, then began flowing out from above.
After casting a quick glance back at Wally to make sure he was still there, Dick slipped out of his clothes. He took a deep breath, then pulled the curtain back and stepped into the shower.
The rush of water against his skin was immediate. Despite the shower’s decent size for an apartment in Bludhaven, he still couldn’t fully escape the spray even if he pressed all the way against the furthest wall of the shower. His breathe unintentionally hitched in his throat as memories began resurfacing.
From outside the curtain, Wally could hear Dick’s breath stutter but he remained where he was. Despite wanting to always protect Dick and come to his rescue, he knew that he needed to let Dick call the shots on this. He would call for Wally when he needed to.
Dick was in the shower for just under two minutes when Wally heard his broken voice breathe out a quiet but urgent “Wally..!”
Wally quickly stood up and pulled the shower curtain back, revealing Dick’s shaking form.
“I-I’m sorry.. I tried, but I… I just can’t…!” He breathed, hot tears falling from his eyes.
Wally reached over and turned the water off, then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Dick. “Hey, hey, it’s ok. You did great, baby.”
Dick’s legs started giving out beneath him, causing Wally to quickly step into the tub and catch him before carefully lowering them down. Dick curled into Wally, clutching onto his shirt in an attempt to ground himself. Wally held Dick close, running his fingers through Dick’s now damp hair.
After a while, Dick’s breathing and shaking calmed down.
“Feeling better?” Wally quietly asked, still stroking Dick’s hair.
“I.. I want to try again…”
“Are you sure..?”
“I want to try it with you in there too, if that’s ok..”
“Absolutely. Whatever you need me to do, Dick..” Wally reassured.
Dick pulled himself up after another minute, then helped Wally stand. They both stepped out of the tub before Dick turned the water back on.
Wally pulled his now damp clothes off, then turned back towards Dick. “Do you think it would help if I got in first?”
“..Please.”
Wally nodded then slipped past Dick and stepped into the shower. After a second, Dick pulled the curtain back again and stepped in.
Wally turned to face Dick, the brunt of the water hitting his back, and took his hands in his own. “How are you doing?”
“A bit better than last time, I think..” Dick breathed.
“That’s good.” Wally gently smiled. “Do you want to try getting further into the stream?”
Dick nodded slightly. Wally took a step back, still holding onto Dick’s hands—now just behind the spray of the water. When Dick was ready, he stepped forward—the water now steadily hitting his chest.
“Just say the word and I’ll shut the water off, ok?” Wally reminded, noticing how Dick tensed up.
“No, no. I’m fine.” Dick reassured, relaxing slightly.
They stayed there like that until Dick was finally comfortable enough to let go of Wally’s hands and turn around. Feeling brave, he tilted his head back slightly and let the water run through his hair.
Noticing Dick tense once again and his breathing pick up slightly, Wally reached out and placed his hands on Dick’s hips. “You’re ok, Dick. You’re safe.” He gently reminded.
Working slowly, they were eventually able to work up to shampooing his hair and washing his body. They were going to condition his hair, but Dick decided he didn’t want to push it since shampooing it was triggering enough by itself.
When given the ok, Wally shut the water off and grabbed their towels. Dick graciously took his towel and dried himself off before stepping out, Wally following behind.
When they were both dried off and dressed, they headed back out to the living room.
“That was stupidly hard.” Dick half-heartedly joked as he sat down on the couch.
“Progress.” Wally smiled, sitting down beside him. “I’m proud of you, though. I know that probably wasn’t easy.”
Dick nestled in against Wally’s side. “Mmhm.”
Reaching over slightly, careful not to disturb Dick’s comfort, Wally grabbed the remote. “What do you say: ‘John Wick 2’? Maybe some ice cream in a bit when one of us feels like moving again?” Wally smirked.
“It’s like you read my mind.” Dick smiled.
____________________
About halfway through the movie, Dick stirred from where he was sprawled across Wally’s lap.
“Hey, babe?” He murmured, clearly drowsy.
“Hm?”
“Thank you… for earlier..”
“Anytime, babe.”