Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything was as fine as it could be, considering the fact Bruce was off-world for a mission just as Alfred was taking a break. Nothing had broken, burnt, or been blundered. Surprisingly. Dick had been placed in charge. That was not too surprising, because,  even if the eldest wasn't always the most mature, he still knew every nook and cranny of the house. It wasn't like Dick was going to really boss anyone around anyway.

It was around dinner time, the moonlight shone through the wide window. Dick and Jason were cooking, Tim, Steph, Cass, and Duke were setting up and washing the table, and Damian was taking care of his animals. Slowly, they all got settled. White cloth over the wooden dining table. Tim and Damian dashed to have corner seats, and everyone else just sat next to those they were going to speak too. Didn't matter much as they all ended up talking to each other as they ate.

Dick picked up the plates and utensils to wash them. Jason decided to clean the napkins that Damian had insisted to use. Slowly, everything was cleaned off the table, and Cass had even neatly folded the table cloth into a small square. This was much to Steph's delight, as she couldn't get it properly.

Then they got ready for patrol. Which was, well, normal. Only a few of them were going out tonight. Dick, Damian, Cass, and Tim.

Dick considered the night to be slow. Nothing happened. It was eerie, really. Typically things happened when Batman wasn't the one patrolling. Worried.

Damian considered the night to be, much to his better judgment, boring. He stopped a mugging. That was it. He then decided to merge his patrol route with Grayson. Lonely.

Tim considered the night to be straight forward. He watched a offhanded robery on a home. He figured he could just watch till the thugs left and he could round them up then. Turns out someone was still home, also turns out Tim actually had to interfere. He swooped in, and out, pretty quickly. He left the thugs there for the GCPD. Tired.

Cass considered the night to be interesting. She ended up helping more animals than people. Animals who had fallen in water, which was never good given it was *Gotham's* water. After assisting the poor things out of the cold water, she dried them and grabbed a snack for each of them. Cute.

The group had gathered in the living room after Patrol ended. Jason had gotten the fire going and afterwards he sat on a recliner. Tim had his laptop out too some spread sheet as Duke and Steph got an old closet to open. Steph was looking at the contents of the closet and took out a board game. Much to Damian's distress. Cass clapped her hands to the news, however. Dick walked in last, staying by the door frame as they— Oh god, Steph had taken out monopoly.

Tim and Damian were fighting over the wheelbarrow of all things, Tim only won because he licked the damn thing. Jason had snagged the battleship, Duke the shoe, and Step had taken the cat. Dick walked over to them all sitting on the floor. He didn't take a piece, and instead played the banker with Cass. They began to play, before an alarm rang through the house.

That never happened.
What was going on, and what was smashing things on its way towards the room they were all in?

The alarm was yelling about intruders and everyone damn near cursed under their breath. Dick quickly acted and shut the sliding door.

Chapter Text

< 3rd Person Cassandra Cain POV >

"I am the youngest, therefore, I should be first play." Damian reasoned, and she smiled. She wasn't about to argue about the order of which they played, because everyone was happy. Even if they weren't smiling. She looked at Jason who was trying to seem bored, or preoccupied, but she could tell the other was just being impatient. Her gaze slowly trailed over to her brother next to her. Dick had a small smile as he laughed at everyone else's bickering. He was at ease, even if he was being loud. Steph was chuckling as she tried to sneak past the others to snag the die. Her cheeky little smile said enough. Tim, he was... doing something on his laptop? Probably dealing with Wayne Enterprises. She saw the way he raked his hands through his hair, yet also snapped back at Damian. Damian snapped his fingers in Tim's face, much to his displeasure. Despite his defensive nature... he seemed to be having fun.

That was good. She thought.

He deserved to live life as a kid. She thought.

Duke on the other hand was so quiet, she wouldn't blame anyone for thinking he'd left during all the chaos. Cass placed a hand on the other's shoulder, and he just smiled before speaking quietly.

"I'm fine.. just- I don't know how to join the conversation.." Duke mumbled to her. She nodded. She didn't have to say anything for Duke to know what she meant. And for that. She was grateful. Dick slowly calmed down from his laughter, and she saw him reach out to the youngest. He put a hand over Damian's, which was still snapping in Tim's face.

"Come on, Dames... Why don't you all roll the dice twice, and we'll go by highest to lowest number? As simple as that." Damian stopped snapping and directed his attention to his brother.

"I do not truly care, Grayson, but I guess that is a fine way to go about things..." Cass smiled at the younger's response, but saw as Steph rolled the die and it bounced against the floor. They turned their heads towards it as Steph pumped her hand in the air.

"Hell yeah ! I move 6 spots." Brief silence, before the room turned into a mix of yelling and pushing. Cass put her hands up and slightly backed away. She looked at everyone, and saw that they weren't genuinely trying to hurt each other. Obviously, but she saw the slight hesitance that the other's had. The hesitance none of them would have in a genuine fight. She saw the way some of them purposefully missed. The way their eyes showed interest, but no interest in actually starting the game. Their laughter sounding genuine. Each of them.

Cass saw them all begin to die down. Their actions had become less meaningful. Jason leaned against the chair he was previously sitting on, a hand over his chest. Dick, who was now standing and handing the other a glass of water. Steph, who was frantically looking for her piece, but tried not to show her panic that she lost it. Tim was surprised to find that his laptop was now no where to be found. Cass decided to omit the detail that Damian had signed him out, closed it, and slid it under the couch as he was fighting with Steph. Duke looked around at everyone else, and when he thought no one else was looking, he moved Tim's spot to jail, and moved his up one. Cass noticed though. He knew Cass noticed. She saw everything.

More then she wished some times, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. It was like a game to her.

Sometimes.

Steph finally found her piece, and they began to play. Again. She chuckled as she and Dick resorted the money.

"...Why am I already in jail??" Tim asked, and Cass turned a blind eye. She was more so looking for the money that had been thrown during the "fight". Dick was sorting it as she handed them to her older brother.

"Well, you are a felon, Drake. I say we keep you there." Damian replied, poking the top of the piece with his finger.

"That is not how the game is played." Tim retorted, picking up his piece and moving it back to the start. Duke sighed and Steph chuckled a bit as she placed her piece.

"Wait- Duke, when did you roll?" Jason asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at the other as he pushed the piece back. He cleared his throat, much to Cass' delight. Dick did a small thumbs up to her, and she smiled.

"You're welcome." She spoke softly as Duke shrugged. Dick smirked at her response as they both turned back to the board.

"Man... it— must have a mind of its own..." Duke mumbled and shook his head. Horribly feigned innocence, but, so be it.

"Yeah right. I'm keeping an eye on you—" Jason started, and she saw him rise to sit up. However. He didn't finish his sentence. No one called him on it. How could they? When a blaring alarm came from— somewhere. When did they even have an alarm? When did— why does she hear crashing. Crashing that slowly dragged to the room they were in. Quickly they all stood up.

"Intruder. Alert. Intruder. Alert."

It was repeated like a mantra. Until it stopped. The voice slowly turning off. Almost like it was malfunctioning. Cass watched as Dick shut one of the sliding doors, and Jason rushed to put out the fire with Tim. Cass tried to see what she could hear over the insistent ringing in her ears. She saw the way her eldest brother looked over everyone. Quickly assessing the situation.

"Alright— Everyone follow me! This way." Dick yelled over the commotion and everyone did. How could they not? Typically when people try to kidnap a member of the Wayne family.. They're more discreet. Someone will get roofied, threatened in a dark hallway with a gun pressed against their back, but this? This was something they weren't expecting... but how could they not expect it? … It's fine, they all adapted well. She already saw them picking up things that resembled their usual weapons. Except Damian. Damian pulled out a hidden sword from behind a painting they ran past.

"Where the hell— Not the time‐ Where are we going Dickwing?" Jason asked, and if Cass didn't know any better, she would say Jason was trying to keep everyone in front of him. She could see the other purposefully not putting to much power into his running as they exited the original room through a different door. They rushed through the halls, and he still was doing it. He was staying behind. To make sure no one else was left behind. It was a small gesture, but she saw it. ..She'll be sure to thank him later on.

"Safe room. It's in the far corner of the manor. Bruce only made it because it was a decoy to hold expensive things. There's actually a nice room back there. It was a nice sentiment, but I guess we actually have to use it this time around." Dick had a smirk on his face. He was running backwards as he lead them through the hall and joked with them all. She used to be extremely good at reading Dick. However, over time, she noticed her brother slowly hiding his mannerisms. At least any of the ones that were a tell tale sign of how he was feeling. She got used to those as well, but she would only point out his feelings if they were in private.

…Right now. She could see the way his gaze darted around at each of them. His fingers curling into fists as he guided them into a part of the manor they don't explore too often. He screamed with worry. Not aloud. Only to her. He was worried he'd forget the way. He was worried someone would get hurt. He was worried. Worried.

Cass looked at the other's. Tim fell back a bit, and Jason gently put a hand on his back. Cass strayed closer to Steph, and lightly grabbed her wrist. Duke had his eyes shut closed. He was trying to do something with the small amount of light in the house. Likely trying to predict who was in the house. Damian, much to his better judgment strayed closer to the older one, making sure he wouldn't bump into anything. Eventually, they came across a wooden door. Except. As Dick opened it, the door was pretty thick. The room behind it was pretty cold as the group emptied into it. The door shut behind them, Dick lingering near the door.

"We should be safe here. For now." Dick still seemed nervous, however his usual smile was plastered on his face. She sighed, taking in this "safe room". It had a genuine safe in it, but is also had seats. Under one of the seats was sat a folded ladder. She brought her attention to a blackout window. She huffed, the eerie silence of the group weighing heavy on her shoulders, because she still could tell what they were saying. She could tell by the way Duke was rubbing his head that the alarm had given him a headache. The way Damian held his sword in both his hands, but close to his chest, had given off the fact he was zoning out. Maybe he was still paying attention to everything, but he didn't speak. The way Jason's jaw clenched as he paced around in the middle of the room. He was anxious, and the slight green tint in his eyes likely clouded his reasonable judgment. Then Tim began to speak. The way his hands shook as he got everyone's attention. He was unsure. He was confused as to why they were hiding instead of fighting, but that's not what he was verbally talking about.

"Does anyone have a device to contact B? Or maybe even Babs so she can contact him for us?" Tim asked, and Steph began to frantically check her person. Cass knew it was because Steph usually did have something. She also knew it was because Steph had actually taken it off after Cass came back from patrol. She saw her do so, but Steph was hoping that she maybe had forgotten to take it off.

She didn't.

Cass herself?.. She wasn't sure how she felt. If worse came to worse, they would drop the whole façade of a defenseless rich family, just to win the fight, but then, how would they cover it up? Cass took a deep breath as everyone began to speak over each other.

"No. We don't. Otherwise, we would've done it by now, Genius." Jason replied. There was anger in his voice, but Cass knew by now that it wasn't directed to anyone in the family. The group slowly walked into a circle. Cass could read a few main emotions from the 5 people in front of her. They were nervous, maybe, angry? And slightly off-put...

Wait. 5 people? There were 7 of them, including herself. She should be seeing 6 in front of her. She turned her head to where she last saw Dick, and he was just watching. Maybe. Maybe if she was faster. If she had applied what she knew about her elder brother. Maybe she could've acted in time once she saw the signs. She noticed Duke still trying to use his slight clairvoyance to see what would happen. She noticed his head perk up and snap towards the door.

She saw the twitch of her brother's fingers.

She saw him look her right in the eye.

She saw his hand grab the handle.

She saw him mumble something.

"Sorry."

She paused, before yelling back.

"Wait ! Dick—" She began to run to the door, but he had already slipped out as she hit the door. She fumbled with the door handle, that just so happened to loose it's screws, and fall to floor once she jiggled it. She looked back at the rest of her family. Wordlessly. They all stared, and now their body language screamed at her in different ways. Ways she wasn't able to read, as Jason approached the door.

She was too slow.

Chapter Text

< 3rd Person, Duke Thomas POV >

Duke's head perked up. He saw what Dick was about to do‐ why isn't he— running over? He felt stuck. Glued to where he was standing amongst the group. Did Cass notice? Who was he kidding, of course she did. The door opened.

"Wait ! Dick—"

The door shut,

and Cass' body hit the wall next to it as she tried to stop him. The handle fell to the ground with a clattering noise, and all Duke could do was stare with his mouth agape. Steph gasped and had her hands pressed together in front of her mouth as he looked over to her. Damian seemed angry?... He was not sure. He could not read the others that well yet. Damn it, maybe if he knew better, took the time to know better even, he would've acted quicker. That was just an excuse though, was it not? He blatantly saw what was going to happen. That ability of his is what lets him make quick decisions in combat. Why did he not utilize it and make a decision this time around? He wasn't sure. He watched as Jason approached the closed door and banged on it.

"Hey ! Dickhead ! This isn't funny !" Jason yelled. "Damn it, Dick ! When I see you— I swear... I'm gonna‐..." Gods he sounded mad.. he banged on the door one more time before giving up and picking up the fallen door handle. He looked more exhausted now as Duke got a better look at him. No, not exhausted, irritated? Worried? He couldn't tell. He'd have to ask Cass to help him learn more body language tips pertaining to the family in particular.

"Did Richard—" Damian started, cutting himself off quickly and looking towards the ground. Duke has never seen the younger one so silent. Not like this, at least. It felt off. Usually Damian would be lecturing their ears off. Not… whatever this is.

"That idiot."

"Did he pull out the-"

"Yeah. He pulled out the fucking screws to the handle."

"Can we-?"

"No, he took the screws with him, and I doubt there are any in this god damn room."

"What about the-" Suddenly, Jason was near the blackout curtains. When had he walked half way across the room? He lifted the cloth up. Revealing nothing. Not even the faint glow of the moon came through. Because they weren't windows.

"Window's are fucking duds. Not even windows, it's just black tapestry." Tim and Jason went back and forth, and Duke just listened. Everyone just listened. What else was there to do?...

He suddenly felt a chill go down his spine. When did it get so cold..?

"...What now?" Steph mustered out as she grabbed her bearings. Duke could just tell she hated being locked in place. ...He understood... he understood the sentiment. He cleared his throat.

"...I don't know if I'll be able to break through this door." Jason admitted, knocking on it. Duke closed his eyes and flopped on a seat in the room. He rubbed his face. Why did Dick do that?

To protect them.

A voice screamed in the back of his mind. Was he even someone Dick would do that— not a question. He'd do it for anyone... That didn't make him feel better, but this isn't about him, is it. It's about the fact he is missing… a brother? A family member?... Friend? Co-worker? … Eurghh… he'll rest for brother for now. That felt the most comforting to him, even if he wouldn't admit it. Well, the most comforting thing is the brother part, if he could get rid of the missing part, it would be much better. Dick might just be heavily injured. No way he'd be taken. Right? …Ransom, right. That existed.

"...We stay." A quiet yet firm voice broke the silence that was in the room. Duke could tell that was Cass. He didn't have to open his eyes. He'd gotten good at determining who was who just from voice, and he figured this would be grounding. This being to guess the family member by their tone and vocabulary...

"What. Are you implying that—" That was for sure Damian. He felt someone plop down on the arm rest of the chair he was on. He opened his eyes at that noise, and Steph was there. She placed a hand on Duke's shoulder. "—we just leave Grayson to fend for himself out there?" Damian's voice held fervor, but his expression was nothing of anger like his voice seemed to hold, and Cass' expression just held understanding. Everyone stayed quiet as she clarified.

"He will feel... as though he failed. To protect—..." Cass paused and looked down. She took a deep breath as she looked up at them again. Jason seemed to understand before any of them.

"...Aurgh, fucking Dickie and his stupid.." Jason began to grumble under his breath, but spoke up. "What she's trying to say is, that if we go out there and get injured, we're going to make him blame himself for not being able to protect us." Deafening silence hit the walls. Because no one could come up with an argument to that. There was no argument to make, really. They knew it as fact. Damian felt offended. Tim looked anxious. Jason sounded irritated. Steph appeared tired. Cass seemed upset. Duke felt awkward. All of that, for them. He would've done it, even if only one person was in the house. He felt sick now.

"Bruce couldn't have put literally anyone else in this family in charge? We really need to get his Martyr Complex under check..." Tim, joked? Kind of... Trying to lighten the mood, Duke supposed. It didn't seem to work, until Steph smirked through her tearful eyes and replied in a similar tone.

"I think you'll find that a savior complex fits him more." Steph spoke in a usual matter-of-fact tone, as to mock the other in a way. Tim rolled his eyes. "Not kidding, by the way, me and Babs actually discussed it as a one off when we were joking around." That earned several confused looks, but Duke was mostly chuckling at the fact—

"You've been psychoanalyzing him?" Jason asks, a huff of a laugh in his stern tone. Duke couldn't have put it better. She shrugged.

"I've done it to all y'all, and in my defense, Harley was the one to instigate the conversation by talking about some kind of syndrome, and then I just got curious, so, I did research…" Steph reasoned. She was heard and listened too, but no one really replied. It was quiet again. Duke was just about ready to start clawing at his skin‐ How could they know when they could exit this, "safe room"? And even more so, how could they exit it? ...He never had this problem with We Are Robin... but now he's surrounded by all these extremely competent people... How would his ideas be any better compared to them?...

Wow, okay, time to stop sulking.

And, at first, Duke believes that's his own thought, but it's not. Not really. A voice broke over whatever hidden speakers B had scattered through the manor. Something about a lock down, and that it was a protocol..? But who would've initiated that? The people who had broken into the manor? Or, ... or Dick did. Why would he lock them in with the intruders? Unless they were gone. Maybe that was Dick's signal they were good to leave.

"Wow. Okay guys, time to stop sulking. We have to try and get out of this locked door." Duke hummed in response to Jason's voice, and he stood up.

"What are we going to do, Jason? You said you might not be able to break through the door with how thick it is, and as much as I hate to admit it, you're strongest when it comes to physical blocks." Tim responded, and Duke could swear he saw Damian roll his eyes at that last comment. Duke looked at the door after seeing Damian hold tighter onto his sword.

"I don't know, Tim. There's more than just me here, maybe if we all—" Jason started, gesturing to how many, 6, people were in the room. Duke tuned him out, and he walked closer to the door as the others spoke.

"I think what would happen is we'd trample over each other and someone would dislocate their shoulder, slamming against the door like that." Steph replied, slightly sarcastic as she replied to Jason's idea. Duke saw Tim nod in agreement with Steph. Duke crouched down, examining the hole in the door. He peeked out of it and saw that the lights were still on, but some of them were broken. He also spotted one of Dick's shoes just laying on the ground. He huffed and furrowed his eyebrows, putting his hand into the hole. He's done this kind of work before. Kind of. He's definitely opened a broken door like this before. He hummed and pushed on the mechanism. Didn't budge, but it did hurt his finger a bit.

"No one is to dislocate their shoulder, yet I am inclined to agree with Todd.. Pushing yourself into a door like that would in fact simply cause injury, but I possess a sword. Surely you remember that?—"

"Hard to forget. Where did you even get it?" Steph inquired, walking towards the younger one.

"Saw him pull it out from behind a painting. Didn't even know it was there." Jason grumbled.

"How is that relevant exactly?" Tim asked, not to Jason, but to Damian, who huffed and rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying, before I got rudely interrupted. I could be of more use. Not only with my sword. I… I am inclined to help as much as I am to agree with Todd." Damian was talking again, that's good, Duke thought. The kid had been more eerily quiet than usual, as though he shut down the minute his brain processed Dick leaving and running into danger. Duke hummed, looking around the room. There wasn't anything thin enough to move the mechanism with. Nothing that wouldn't snap, at least. Okay, that's fine, next thing to try...

"Don't get all up on your high horse right now. We're trying to figure something out, not backhandedly insult each other." Tim spoke carefully, and Duke was suddenly so happy the other wasn't on any caffeinated drinks. Tim being anxious typically made him snappy and witty, and sometimes made it where he just would not think before letting those snide remarks out.. The group needed someone calm, ish, to be able to reason with them all. Which Tim, Duke has discovered, is great at. Duke stood back up and felt Cass' impending presence behind him. He felt her hand on his shoulder. He's glad he learned to not get jumpy at that. He turned to face her with a smile.

"Idea?" Cass asked, gesturing to the door. Duke hummed and shrugged a bit. He turned his attention to the hinges. The room hadn't been used in at least the time Jason had lived here. Which was near at least a decade. The hinges seemed to have been neglected while the room was practically kept dust free. The rust growing on the metal made him hum in thought. The hinges weren't anything special, it seemed. He dragged his finger down the metal, but was stopped by Cass, who nodded her head towards Jason. He looked in the other's direction, and he quickly shook his head. Cass tilted her head in slight disappointment. He slightly bit his lip, squinting his eyes. Cass raised an eyebrow. He sighed and looked to the side. She shrugged. He took a deep breath and relented. He hated having to speak to the others. Not because it was difficult, but because, even after being fostered, he wasn't necessarily family. He didn't think he was. He wasn't adopted. Neither was Steph, but she seemed to have no problem with bickering or talking to the others like family. Speaking of which, she was bickering with Jason and Damian. Tim was on her side during it. Dick also wasn't officially adopted until way later, Tim and Jason made sure of that apparently. However, when he found out Cass didn't speak much, he found himself grateful. He didn't know why at the time, and he didn't ask about it until Cass decided to tell him about it. However, he'd gotten used to just talking to the other through body language, and he thinks that Cass noticed that. It was a lot better for him anyway, sometimes. Especially when he just didn't feel like talking or interacting too much. This was important though. He took a deep breath.

"Hey—" Duke started, but noticed that the usually just petty bickering had turned to an actual argument. He suddenly felt like he should retract backwards into his skull and never speak again. Cass huffed beside him, and he nodded.

"Hey, Jason! I-" Duke spoke a bit louder this time around. Jason sharply turned his head towards him and Cass. Suddenly he didn't feel too safe in this ‘safe’ room, but he took a deep breath and continued as the bickering died down. "I have an idea, to propose." ...No one said anything, but Jason raised an eyebrow. Why did he decide to address him directly again??...

"And?" Jason tilted his head a bit, prompting Duke to continue. He cleared his throat.

"The hinges and nails are somewhat rusted, and could probably be—" Duke was cut off by Tim who was probably figuring out his idea as soon as he said the word hinges.

"Pulled out because they're on the inside of the room—! ...Sorry." Tim sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and Duke just smiled and did a thumbs up at the apology. Jason walked up to Duke, who moved out of the way once he realized he was walking towards the door and not to him. Jason looked at the hinges and put his hand over the rusting metal. He gripped it and was actually able to move it.

"Might be able to rip it out of the wall. They ain't no stainless steel type." Jason looked over his shoulder at the others.

"Well?..." Damian prompted. Jason just rolled his eyes, but Duke watched as the older man put both hands over the top hinge. He pulled down, and, with a small grunt, the nails that were holding up the hinge were slowly ripped out of the door frame.

"...Easier than I expected." Jason muttered as he crouched down to the second hinge. He did the same, and Duke held the door from falling with a large thud. Jason stood back up and helped him place the door flat on the floor. The first one out was Damian, looking around. Duke exited and quickly picked up Dick's shoe that was laying on the floor. It was still laced up, so it was likely to have been yanked off his foot. ... The idea that someone had grabbed him by his foot sent a chill down his spine. Everyone else had already spilled out of the room, he noticed as he looked up and around him. He placed the shoe back down.

"...We should hurry up and search the manor. We need to check if Dickhead is still in the goddamn house."

"Right."

"Okay."

"Affirmative."

A nod from Cass.

"Mh."

"Glad we're all still on the same page." Jason had spoken with a grumble in his throat it seemed. He was clearly upset. The group made short work of deciding to not split up at first, in case the intruders were still in the house. They didn't like what they found.