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Dick was holding Vanni’s hand as they stepped into the greenhouse. They’d had to drive fairly far outside Blüdhaven to get to a good one, but Dick had rather enjoyed the drive himself, and the kid had seemed content to watch the cars stream by, out his window.
He was looking around as it was now, unsure where to let his eyes rest. Dick smiled, giving him a gentle tug and walking in, heading for the section the woman up front had said hosted the best indoor plants. Vanni followed, staying close to Dick, eyes darting over every blossom, every leaf- trying to take them all in.
Dick and Jason had discussed getting the kid something, to liven up his space. Jason had gone out one day, come home with this gorgeous painting of a field of wild flowers to hang on his wall- Dick hadn’t asked where he’d found it- and the kid had sat on his bed and stared at it for damn near an hour, until they’d called him out to dinner.
Dick had considered getting him a goldfish- but Jason had steered him away from that. Besides, they already knew he liked flowers, so it made sense that a plant might be a good idea.
“See all those?” Dick asked, pointing towards a large, long shelf. Vanni nodded, before taking his hand back and signing yes as well. It was one of the signs Dick had learned very quickly, with Vanni’s lessons.
Bless Cassandra, that she came out so often to teach him.
“You pick whichever one you like,” Dick offered, “And it’ll come home with us, for your room.”
Vanni’s hands moved, signing as close to really as he could get, true, and then in a rather quiet voice, “Mean it?”
Dick nodded. He gave his shoulder a squeeze, and the kid was off, taking the last few steps quickly and standing up on his toes, peering at the plants. Dick chose to stay a few steps back, close enough to feel protective, but not like he was hovering. He didn’t want to be overbearing- he wanted Giovanni to have his space.
It was shocking, if he really stopped to think about it, how much he had thought about parenting lately. There was no way to deny what he was, now, and really, Dick thought dad had a great ring to it. Especially when Vanni said it- which he was getting better at. He’d taken so well to Cassandra’s lessons, and he seemed more comfortable with vocal speech as well, now that he could give his hands something to do. Dick was trying to keep up- as was Jason- but the kid was learning far faster than them. Faster than they would have expected, in the past few weeks.
Dick pulled his phone from his pocket, taking a quick glance at it. He had a few hour until Cassandra and Stephanie were due at the penthouse for the evening. Cassandra had made a point to show up a few times a week, and Stephanie always accompanied her- though sometimes she didn’t stay. Some days she went down to the gym with Dick, or Jason, or both- and it was good, to have her as a sparring partner again. Dick missed working ith her- missed working with the whole family.
Family made him cringe a little, as he knew there were still key members he was keeping in the dark.
He shoved his phone back in his pocket, glanced up to see Vanni had run all the way to the other end of the shelves, was leaning on it and peering up at a plant. In the light, with his hair free, it was hard to see the veins on his face. Dick had noticed they seemed less prominent than when he’s first brought him home- that his skin was definitely taking on a healthier color, was beginning to resemble his far more than the ashen color he’d first boasted.
The product of a healthy environment. The idea made him smile.
He strolled over, eyes following Vanni’s gave to a small plant, with lots of violet blossoms. His dark eyes seemed so huge, and he truly deserved his nickname little owl in that moment.
“You like that one?”
Vanni nodded, and then remembering his speech, said, “yeah.” Dick smiled, reaching up and carefully lifting the pot, bringing it down to he could take a closer look. He reached out, fingers poking out from under his large gray cardigan, gently touching the leaves, and then a few petals. Dick glanced at the tag, African Violets, and thought it fitting, considering the color. Vanni took another moment to study it, before looking up at Dick. “Home?”
He grinned, nodding. “Yeah, this one can come home with us.” Giovanni mimicked his smile, broad, a pretty stretch to his lips and cheeks- and every time Dick saw it, he melted a little. He wrapped an arm around him, tugging him in closer. “C’mon, let’s go pay for this and make that drive back. We don’t wanna be late for your lesson with Cass.”
*
Cassandra was sitting cross legged on the coffee table as she moved her hands, speaking the words and phrases as she did so. Vanni was on the couch at a slight angle, turned to study her though, attempting to follow behind. Behind him, one leg flopped off the couch, Stephanie was seated, brushing out his hair and toying with it.
He liked when they both stayed with him. Cassandra felt like a god, and he couldn’t believe that he could teach him to speak like this. And the fact that it was becoming easier to say the words, when he signed them- it felt like a world, opening up to him.
“I am seriously jealous of this hair,” Stephanie mused, when Cassandra had paused for a minute. “Can I do something to it Vanni?”
He nodded. He liked when Stephanie said his name, when she complimented him. It made his heart beat a little faster- a strange mix of when Dick and Jason complimented him, and when Roy hugged him. He didn’t know where to categorize it, and mot of the time just chose to smile and let it happen.
Stephanie grinned then, brushing out his hair again and then gathering it to one side, while Cassandra began saying words and asking him to sign them to her. He mouthed them as he signed, trying to get used to the feeling of them on his tongue as well- felt Stephanie tugging on his hair slightly, twisting it. It wasn’t overly distracting, but when she stopped he was almost sad. He paused, and Cassandra glanced back at Stephanie, then smiled.
“Go look at what I did,” Stephanie said, giving Giovanni a gentle push. He unfolded, made his way around the couch and into the hallway, heading for the bathroom. He slipped past the open door, flicking on the light, and leaned against the sink, studying his hair.
Stephanie had pulled it off to the side, wove it together in one thick braid. He reached up, touched the tangle of hair, before he flopped it over his shoulder, inclining his head to study it.
He liked it. He liked it a lot. He smiled, before flipping the light off and hurrying back out. He ran to the back of the couch, grabbing it and hopping up, body sliding over it easily and bounce on one of the cushions.
“So?” Stephanie had her hands folded in her lap, was looking at him eagerly.
He nodded. He reached up to his chest, signed I like while he managed out, “I like it.” Short, but still a full sentence- and it had Stephanie beaming. Cassandra was smiling too.
“Good job,” she said, nodding towards his hand, and he blushed a little bit. He was going to thank her, but the penthouse door was opening then, and Cassandra was peering up over the back of the couch, Stephanie turning and then waving as Dick and Jason walked in. Vanni turned, flopping over the back of the couch, always feeling this little stirring of excitement when they were back around him, even if they had only been gone for a short amount of time. Choosing to get in a work out together while Steph and Cass were with him.
Vanni waved as well, and Dick grinned walking over quickly. His tank top was clinging to him, and his skin still looked damp, but Vanni didn’t care when he leaned over, kissed the top of his head.
“Hey kiddo. You keeping these two in line?”
Vanni nodded, and Stephanie laughed, reaching over and gently smacking his arm. Vanni grinned then- and the knee jerk reaction in his gut to recoil, to go rigid and hit back was manageable, ignore-able. Felt like it was slowly becoming something separate from him.
“Did Stephanie do that?” Dick asked, gesturing towards his braid. He nodded. “It’s cute. Jay, look.”
Jason walked over, was rotating his neck and shoulders. He winced slightly as he paused at the couch, and Vanni wondered if he was hurt.
“Adorable,” he said, smiling, and Vanni felt like liquid, like he was boiling up and about to over flow his skin. If his dads liked it, he definitely did. “We need a shower, but how about dinner after?” Jason was looking at the girls now, who nodded. Jason stepped back again, still stretching, and Stephanie furrowed her brow.
“What’s the matter, Dick work you too hard?” Jason’s cheeks tinged at that, and Vanni was a bit confused- more so, when Dick laughed and managed out not in front of the kid. He didn’t get to ask though, as Jason disappeared first, heading for the shower, and Dick made his way to the kitchen for water, and to at least help Jason by setting out what he needed for dinner.
Vanni always enjoyed dinner with whoever came to visit. With Cass and Stephanie, it was always fun to hear Stephanie go back and forth with Jason and Dick, to see Cassandra’s subtle facial reactions to their discussions. He liked to read her face- and more than once, had caught her giving him the same look.
After dinner, while Stephanie was still talking with Dick and Jason, he reached for Cassandra’s hand, gently pulling her away from the room. She followed without question, let him tangle their fingers together as he led her down the hallway, towards his room. Once he had the door open, he walked right over to his desk, pointing to the flowers he had brought home earlier, which were settled where they could get sun when his curtains were pulled open.
Cassandra leaned closer, reaching out to touch one, before a small smile spread on her face. “Are these new?”
Vanni nodded. “Today,” he said, signing out a double now to give the same meaning. “Dad,” he started, had to pause to make the rest of the words happen- and because whenever he said “dad”, he couldn’t fight of at least a small smile, “got it. For me.”
Cassandra nodded. “Did you pick it?” He nodded. “And you’re going to take care of it?” Another nod. He had promised Dick he would take care of the plant. And he’d meant it, he wanted to make sure it stayed just as pretty.
Cassandra walked away slowly, sitting on the edge of his bed- pat the spot next to her. Vanni crossed the small space, hopped up, noticed her face ahd fallen serious again.
“It’s nice to know you can give life,” she said, “and not just take it.” She settled her hands in her lap, and he sucked on his tongue, rolled her words over.
He could do that, couldn’t he? The same hands that had eviscerated and maimed- they could be gentle. He knew they could- when he touched Dick and Jason, it was gentle. The way they were with him.
“Sometimes it takes time to realize that. Sometimes it’s easy to forget.” Cass flipped her hands palms up. “Don’t give up when you feel like you forget, okay? It’ll get easier. Trust me. I know.”
Somehow, Vanni didn’t find it strange that Cassandra knew. He only nodded, didn’t ask in any language for her story. He would learn it, in time. But the wy she understood with her body, the way she read his- she could have been a talon, if he hadn’t known better. She could have been him.
Cass offered him a smile, reaching out to gently cup his cheek. Her palm was warm, and Vanni liked how she didn’t shy away from his veins- how no one in the family seemed to. How she didn’t look away from his dark eyes. “You’re going to be okay,” she whispered, very softly- and he read her lips more than anything. The voice didn’t matter, he didn’t need the sound to understand.
And he didn’t doubt her. Jason and Dick- they were showing him what it was like to be okay.
*
Dick settled his laptop on the kitchen table, well after Cassandra and Stephanie had left. Jason watched, Vanni settled in a chair in front of it as Dick signed into Skype, before he leaned in and completely covered the webcam as he clicked on a username.
Jason and Dick had mulled over one final introduction, before they dived into the mes that would be Bruce and Damian. Damian more so because they had waited so long, and dug that grave themselves.
“Hey there gorgeous,” Dick said, as a familiar and warm face showed up on their screen. “Looking beautiful as ever.”
Barbara smiled at that, her glasses sliding a fraction down her nose as she quirked up her brows. “Wonder boy. Your man know you’re talking to girls like that?”
“Oh I’m aware,” Jason offered, leaning in and giving her a wave. “Hey Barbie.”
“Jason.” Her smile stayed warm. “So what’s this surprise that is so important you two have for me?” Jason and Dick glanced at each other, and Jason stepped back, moving to stand behind the chair Vanni was still settled on.
“Promise not to freak out,” Dick said, and Babs sighed, reaching up to push her glasses up.
“That is never a good start, Dick. What did you do now?”
“I didn’t do anything,” he said, straightening up and stepping back, revealing Giovanni on his chair. “Just uh, I’m sort of a dad.”
Babs stared, her lips parting slightly, before she leaned closer to the screen. “You’re a what now?” Jason saw her brain ticking through her pretty eyes, and leaned over Vanni’s shoulder.
“Whatever train of thought you’re on, cut it off. He didn’t… well, Dick didn’t get any of the fun of making a kid. He would’ve been like, thirteen. Too young.” Babs was still staring, and Jason glanced back at Dick. “Babe, how about you take little wing and give us a second?”
Dick glanced back at the screen, and while Jason knew he wanted to be the one to stay and explain this, Jason thought it might be better if he did it. And he wanted Vanni out of the room for a second, while he went into it. Finally, Dick reached down, took Vanni’s hand and gave him a gentle tug, saying quietly, c’mon kiddo, let’s give Jay a minute with our friend, and then we’ll come back. Can we check on your flowers?
Once they were gone, Jason settled in the kid’s chair, sliding up to the table. “Ready for story time, Barbie?”
“I don’t think I have much of a choice. Tell me Dick didn’t get his dick wet that young, please.”
“‘Course not. Listen, he’s not… not actually Dick’s son. He is Dick. An exact clone, DNA wise. Tim checked for us and everything. He… found Dick, god, probably a month ago now. He was a talon-”
“Jason!”
“Hear me out,” he said, feeling like Barbara’s stare alone might split him into a thousand pieces. God, she really was terrifying. “We know it wasn’t safe, but he’s a kid Barbara. He’s a kid and he had nowhere to go. He ran away from the Court. They did lord knows what to him. He wouldn’t speak at first, he could barely eat, he was terrified of us touching him. He was like a trauma survivor- is a trauma survivor. That’s how we’ve been treating him.”
Barbara licked her lips, but gave Jason a subtle nod- her silent invitiation that he could go on, she would contain her thoughts.
“He’s fourteen Barbie. You remember Dick at fourteen, I know you do. And this kid is so small compared to him- lord only knows what they did to get him like that. He hasn’t really told us anything, and I don’t think he wants to. But he’s making progress- he’s started speaking. It’s still mostly just a few words or half sentences to simple sentences, but it’s a start. And Cass is teaching him sign language-”
“Wait, Cassandra-”
“Yeah, Steph has been bringing her. So-”
“Jason, Jason. Who… who knows about him?”
Jason paused, licked his lips. “Aside of Dick and I? Tim, he met Tim first. And Roy Harper and his daughter Lian. Cassandra and Stephanie. And now, you.”
There was a pause, and Jason knew what was coming. “Bruce-”
“Has no clue. We haven’t told him. Damian as well.”
“Shit Jason.” Babs pulled her glasses off, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“I know, I know. But you know the old Bat like we do, he’s going to see Giovanni and he’s going to see a damn key to the Court-”
“Giovanni?”
“Yeah that’s… that’s his name. We helped him pick one. We couldn’t just call him Talon. We want him to have an existence outside of what he was- a separation. So he can see there’s so much more than what he was. Whatever they did to him, it doesn’t have to be his whole life. Not anymore.” Barbara said nothing, just kept up that look, and Jason knew she had a thousand thoughts before he could even blink. “But if we give him to Bruce, he’s going to see a talon.”
“Or a scared kid,” Babs countered, “Like he did with Dick, with you, Tim. Hell, with all of us. Maybe he’ll see that instead.”
Jason sighed. “I would love it, if he did. But you know him too. He’s dealt with too much hell fro the Court, he’s not going to think that in a month we’ve reformed a talon.” Jason chose to keep Vanni’s relapse to himself, didn’t think it was necessary for Barbara to know. “But we know we have to tell him. We’re bracing for it. We’ve been lucky to keep Vanni under the radar as long as we have. We just… well, we wanted you to know. It just seemed rude, having you hear through the grape vine.”
“I appreciate that.” She settled her glasses back on. “So, can we have a proper introduction? I hope I didn’t scare him off.”
Jason smiled, before he leaned over the back of his chair, calling to Dick. His boyfriend popped his head in, grinning.
“You two beauties done in here?”
“Dick.”
“Grayson.”
Dick only grinned, disappearing for a minute and reappearing, Vanni’s hand in his own. He led the kid over, and Jason hooked an arm around Vanni’s waist, pulling him over. He settled happily on Jason’s lap, who pointed at the screen.
“Little wing, this is our friend, Barbara. And babs- this is our son, Vanni.” Giovanni leaned in closer, offering a small wave, and Jason watched as Babs smiled softly at him, offering up her own.
“Hi there,” she said, “You look just like your dad.”
Jason watched as color rose in Vanni’s cheeks, and he reached up with his oversized sleeves, trying to hide it. His eyes were focused on the screen, roaming along Barbara’s face, back up to the calm waves of red hair that framed her face, back to her eyes- and then her hair again.
Silently, Jason smiled, turning and pressing a kiss to the kid’s temple, as Dick launched into conversation. He looked like his dad, and he was way more like Dick than any of them realized, he knew in that moment.
*
Dick heard the clap of thunder in his sleep, was jarred awake by the noise. His eyes shot open and he listened, for a moment, as he reached out in the dark, found the bed empty next to him.
Jason hadn’t come home yet. He sat up, reaching for his phone, saw it was only just after midnight- it could be an hour or three before he came back. With a sigh he swung his legs over the bed, stood up and stretched, before he made his way towards the door, and into the hallway. He headed down it, pausing at Vanni’s door, which wasn’t fully closed, and gently pushed it open.
“Little owl?” he whispered, “Are you awake?” He heard shifting, and watched as Vanni sat up in his bed, nodding. “The storm wake you up?” Another nod. Dick wouldn’t blame the kid for a moment for hating thunder- it seemed like a family trait, at this point. So, with a smile, he folded his arms and asked, “You wanna come sleep with me? Jay’s not back yet and I don’t really wanna bed down this storm alone.”
Dick had barely finish speaking when Vanni was tossing his blankets back, hopping out of his bed and hurrying over. He took one of Dick’s hands, squeezed it, and Dick smiled, guiding him out of the room and back into his own room. He watched Vanni hop up onto the bed, happily settling in the middle, before he climbed in himself. He pulled the blanket up, settling on his back, as Vanni scooted closer, slid in against his side and rested his cheek on his chest.
Dick wrapped an arm around him, gave him a squeeze just as another round of thunder cracked. Silently, Dick hoped Jason would be home soon, that it wasn’t too bad out there.
He felt Vanni tensing against him, and glanced down. “You know, when I was really little and I couldn’t sleep because of storms, my mom used to tell me stories.” Vanni glanced up at him, and in the dark, Dick could just make out those gorgeous, haunting eyes. “Want to hear one?”
Vanni nodded, settled his head back down, and Dick reached up to stroke his long hair.
“Okay, this one was always strange and I loved it. It’s about a snake that became a king’s son-in-law.” Vanni raised his head again, looking confused. “Yes, a snake. You know, the animal.” He nodded. “And son-in-law means he married the king’s kid. In this case, his daughter.”
Vanni’s face twisted, and Dick chuckled.
“Get back down here and give it a chance kiddo.” Slowly, he lowered back against Dick’s chest, so that Dick could resume playing with his hair. “So, it starts out with this old couple. Like, really old. And they don’t have any kids, and they’re upset about that. So the woman, she tells her husband to go out and find them a son, so there will be someone to take care of them soon.” Dick paused for a moment, glanced down- but Vanni’s eyes were still open, he could just see his eyelashes flutter as he blinked, gazing out into the dark room. He had one hand on Dick’s bare ribs- and his fingers didn’t feel as cold as they used to. They were warmed already from Dick’s skin, but even beneath that- the chill of his bones seemed gone.
“So the old man, he goes out into the woods. He was gone three days, but he couldn’t find a son for them, so he came home because he was hungry. On his way, he found a tiny little snake, and he carried it home with him. The snake was so little that he fed it milk, to help it grow- and after nine days, it had gotten nice and big, and it lived in a jar. And it learned to talk.” Vanni lifted his head, looking at Dick, who laughed. “I know, isn’t it crazy? A talking snake.”
Vanni nodded, and Dick rolled him over, so they were on their sides. The kid resumed his snuggles, settling in under Dick’s chin, as Dick rubbed his back through his tshirt. “So the snake is talking, and he tells his father he’s ready to get married. And who does he want to marry? Well, the king’s daughter. The old man doesn’t know what to do, and he goes to his wife all worried because he can’t just go to the kind and demand his daughter’s hand in marriage- but the snake said he could give anything the king asked for, so he goes.”
Dick paused again, and for a moment, let the sound of the rain outside fill the room. There was another rumble of thunder, less threatening this time- and Vanni didn’t tense in his arms. “So the old man, he goes to the thing and tells him he wants his daughter’s hand in marriage. And the king laughs and tells him, if he clears out a whole forest, and plows it, and plants seeds, and they grow, and he makes a cake from what grows for him, all in a single day and night, then he can have his daughter.”
“So the old man, he goes home and he cries because he can’t do that, it’s not possible. And the snake asks why his father is crying, so he tells him, and the snake, he says he can do it. He can do anything. So the old man says,” Dick paused, cleared his throat, and when he resumed it was feigning the old man’s voice poorly, “alright darling, if you think you can manage.” That earned him a breathy giggle, and he squeezed Vanni tightly. “My mom did the voices better, sorry kiddo.”
“Continue,” Vanni whispered, glancing up, and Dick smiled.
“Yeah? Okay. So the old man, he wakes up in the morning and the snake has done everything, and he’s left all the stuff out for a cake. So the old man bakes it and hurries over to the king, to tell him everything he asked is done. But the king, he has one more request before he’s giving his daughter to this man. He says the old man has to build a golden bridge to link their homes, and it has to be lined with apple and pear trees.”
“Is he going to eat them?” It came out very softly, and Dick nearly beamed over the fact that it was a full sentence. He had felt Vanni’s hands twitching in their hold on him, as if he had wanted to sign the question as well.
“He probably wanted to. Can you blame him? We’ll have to get Jason to pick up some pears, I want some now. You’ll like ‘em kiddo, trust me.” Vanni nodded, looking at him now, and Dick laughed at himself. “Oh, sorry. Off topic. So, the old man, he goes back home, and he’s crying again, because he can’t do that in a single night. But the snake, he again tells his dad it’s okay, he can do it, not to worry.” Dick leaned down, gave Vanni’s forehead a gentle kiss. And when he spoke, it was nearly into his skin. “So the old man goes to bed, and during the night the snake thinks about all these things, and they happen. That’s how he did it before too. He just has to think.”
He heard Vanni yawn softly, beginning to relax more against him.
“And the bridge was so bright that the king woke up at midnight and thought it was the middle of the day! But when he saw the bridge he was so stunned he didn’t care. So the old man came the next day, and the king told him to fetch his son, he was going to give him his daughter’s hand in marriage. So the old man, he goes and gets the snake, and brings him to the palace. And the princess, she’s terrified at first, because there’s this big old snake that her dad says has to be her husband!”
Dick chuckled to himself for a moment. “But the snake, he told the princess not to be scared. That he wasn’t what he looked like. And he flipped into the air like he was flying, and when he landed he was a gorgeous prince, dressed in gold. Turns out, anything he wished for happened. So he wished for family, and he got that. He wished for love, and he got that. He wished to change who he was, and he became exactly who he wanted to be.”
Dick paused, glancing down- and realized Vanni was asleep. His breathing was an even, gentle puff against Dick’s collarbone, his grip lose. Dick smiled, kissed his forehead again, closing his eyes.
“And if a snake can change who he is,” he whispered, “so can a bird. You can be anything you want, kiddo.” Another kiss to his forehead, and Dick squeezed him tightly. “An owl can become a robin, if that’s what he wants. He just has to wish it so.” Dick settled back into his pillow, keeping his arms locked around this kid, Giovanni- his son- and chose in those moments to believe the ideas from the old story. The ideas that probably weren’t even the true meaning, but it had been what he’d taken away from them, when his mother had told them to him, too many years ago.
When he’d been small and scared too. When he’d wanted to wish things into existence.
Then again, Dick was fairly sure that desire had never faded away. His wishes had simply changed.
*
He drifted, like that- came too sometime later, when the rain was just background noise, and the bed was dipping as Jason crawled in.
“Careful,” Dick mumbled, his arms still tight around Vanni. “I got lonely.” He heard Jason chuckle, and realized he hadn’t even opened his own eyes. He chose not to as he felt Jason’s mouth on his forehead, felt the brush of his hair as he dipped down to kiss the back of Vanni’s head. “Patrol go okay?”
“Wet and boring,” Jason whispered, sliding closer- and then there was his hand, on Dick’s waist, his arm draped over the kid between them. Dick cracked his eyes open, took in Jason’s shadow in the dark, and smiled to himself.
“I told him a story,” he offered, his voice sluggish and heavy.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. The one about the snake.”
“Who married the princess?” Dick nodded and yawned, and Jason chuckled. He’d sat through all of Dick’s stories more times than Dick could count- and honestly, he was thankful Jason had. It helped, sometimes, when his mood was sour and he felt like he wanted to slip into a far too Bruce like brood- when he wanted to wallow in the ache of the memories of watching his parents fall.
The stories reminded him of the good. And Jason- he listened, every time Dick needed to share.
“Yeah. He passed out before I was done though.”
“Guess you’re retelling it over breakfast.” Jason rubbed the curve of his waist softly. “It’s been a while since I heard it anyway, I wouldn’t mind a refresher.”
Dick’s smile grew. “I promised the kid pears.”
Another chuckle. “Yeah? Well, guess I’m going grocery shopping too. Now- get some sleep pretty boy. We gotta talk in the morning.”
Dick sighed, pressing his face down into Vanni’s hair. He smelled like Dick’s shampoo, but past that, when you got to his skin, it was Jason’s soap. This lovely melding pot of the both of them. “‘Bout?”
“You know, babe. We can’t keep this from Bruce forever. We’ve… gotta do that. Gotta take Vanni to the manor.” Dick let his eyelids flutter, trying to pull himself from his half sleeping state- but then Jason was snuggling closer, and the kid between them gave a happy sigh, boxed in by warmth from both sides. “Not now, wonder boy. Go back to sleep. In the morning.” Jason yawned. “After breakfast. After you tell me a story. Always love hearing your voice.”
Dick tried to laugh- but nothing came out. Because oh, the times Jason had complained that he was too chatty were countless, but yet he didn’t doubt it. He had too many memories of those gorgeous eyes focusing on him while he talked. Too many times Jason had chimed in and taken over some of the stories that had been Dick’s favorite.
Dick didn’t fight the wave of sleep trying to wash back over him. Yes, in the morning. He’d get to wake up to Vanni’s sleepy, dark eyes, and Jason’s tussled hair. Kiss them both- the tip of Vanni’s nose and Jason’s ever-waiting lips, and over breakfast, he’d retell the story. Maybe he’d do the voices better. Maybe he’d remember the exact timber of his mother’s voice, the perfect stresses she’d given to specific words when telling the stories.
Maybe he’d channel everything good that he could, and for a moment, they’d stay locked in this world where nothing bad could happen, not when they could wish it all away. Not when they could wish for a never ending home and with a click of their heels, the wish was granted.
Maybe they wouldn’t have to face the reality that it was all going to change.