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"Hey, congratulations, buddy." Nightwing looked at Cyborg blankly, the man who had just arrived at Titans' Tower, "What are you talking about?"
Cyborg smiled. "Look, there's no need to keep it a secret. Everyone knows now."
"Know what?" Nightwing asked again, his mind racing with what exactly everyone knew, a sense of unease.
His time as a Renegade? Slade was the type who would brag about that, but Cyborg wouldn’t smile if it were that.
His trip to Tamaran? Cyborg was with him, so not.
So what…
"The wedding, dude," Cyborg said, raising an eyebrow. "I understand you didn't want to say anything, but come on. I'm your friend! Didn't I deserve at least a little spoiler? Hal Jordan knew! He couldn't stop bragging! The Justice League meeting was unbearable!”
That didn't help one bit to figure out what the other guy was talking about. A wedding? So, one of the founders is going to marry the love of their life – in this universe. Cool, really cool.
But who? Hawkgirl and Hawkman? Weren’t they cursed? Barry? No, not him. Oliver and Dinah? Wait, they were already married, and Cyborg wouldn’t talk with him if it were them.
The truth was, Nightwing had absolutely no idea what wedding Cyborg was talking about.
So, he decided to do what he did best: lie through his teeth.
He shrugged. "You know how these things go. I couldn't talk."
"Yeah, I know. But you weren't at the League meeting; it was awkward. At least, Green Arrow seemed in the dark about it all, too."
"He's always the last to know," Nightwing said lightly. So, it’s not Dinah and Oliver’s wedding. Good to know.
"Yeah, but he's known him for years! I know exactly what kind of bets those two make. I would have thought he knew, or that he was a likely witness. But obviously you will be."
Bets? What bets?
"Was there any doubt?" Nightwing asked, with a certainty he didn't feel, wondering whose damned wedding this could be.
" Well, of course no. You knew them for ages, you saw shit. You will be extra happy to be Batman’s best man.”
Nightwing felt his heart sink. "Batman's best man..."
Cyborg didn't seem to notice his discomfort, and continued, "Well, congratulations. I'm still hurt, but I'm glad those two finally worked things out. And I'm happy for you. You always wanted Superman to be your stepdad. I bet when you found out, nine-year-old you screamed like a little..."
Dick didn't hear the rest of the sentence. A long white noise had replaced Victor's words, his legs feeling like curd. A series of words repeated obsessively in his mind.
Bruce is getting married.
Bruce is getting married to Superman.
Bruce is getting married to Superman, I won't be the best man.
Bruce is getting married and I didn't know anything.
Anger and confusion mingled in a twisted mix.
Really, Bruce? Still playing these games? Do you like to keep everything to yourself so much? Would you ever have thought of telling him? You're a damn...
Then, the realisation hit. How do you communicate with someone when you've blocked their number?
He hadn't had a real conversation with Bruce outside of Titans and Justice League matters in... an alarming amount of time, to be honest. Months? A year? More?
Dick had never thought much about it before. He saw it as fair. After what Bruce had done, he deserved for him and the others to go low or no contact, it was only fair...
Now that he thought about it, what exactly had Bruce done to make him and the others so angry? He had to do something: after all, it’s Bruce. That man was a pain to deal with. Clark was a saint to deal with him. For sure, Dick wouldn’t do that at his place.
But there was a void in his memory.
Dick tried to remember, dug into his memory, but found nothing. He couldn't remember the reason he didn’t want to talk with Bruce. There must be a very good reason, he told himself. Bruce was always so... so him. He must have crossed all limits.
It must be something like that... But that lack of confidence was wearing him down. He needed to know more.
"Ah, Victor, I have to call Tim and tell him... you know... the wedding is near, and…"
"Oh yeah, I guess you guys have a lot to organize. It's nice of you to take care of it, since dealing with Gotham is a mess and all. Batman is lucky."
Except it wasn't Dick who was taking care of anything, and he was sure that none of the others were doing anything. So, Bruce was pretty much alone for one of the most important days of his life, and none of his family of them were there for him. This made him feel a feeling of acid in his stomach. It was right like this, Bruce deserved it. But if Bruce had given up his pride, at least for once, if he had asked for help...
Dick smiled his best gala smile and ran away. Not too fast, so as not to give Victor any clue as to how upset he was, but fast enough to be in his room in less than three minutes, frantically searching for his phone.
It was a frantic search, and not for the first time he cursed his mess.
Then, finally, he found it, turned it on, and found a hundred messages from everyone else. Crap.
They'd known. Probably thanks to their friends. Jason, Tim, Stephanie, Damian, Barbara...wait, why hadn't he received any messages from Cass? And Duke?
He scrolled down the screen very quickly, but no, he hadn't received any messages from Cass. He pursed his lips. Maybe she was in Hong Kong, probably no one had informed her.
He decided to do it himself. He sent her a message.
Dick
Bruce is getting married. With Clark.
Then he went to read the others, and it was such a headache. Everyone was accusing him of knowing and not saying anything. Some angrily (Tim, and especially Damian, who had written to him, saying you said we shouldn't let him hear from us to learn a lesson. Why did you lie to me, Richard?)
Others, mocking him like the Golden Boy always on a leash (Jason and Stephanie, still no Duke.)
Barbara, on the other hand, was irritated at not finding anything and asked him how he'd hidden it so well.
He almost wanted to laugh. No, he hadn't outsmarted Barbara. Dick thought it wasn't possible. He really didn't know anything; he'd been so attached to his resolve to have nothing to do with Bruce that he'd missed a whole damn relationship. He was about to write when he received a reply from Cass.
Cass
I know.
Dick felt a lump in his throat. Why did he feel that way? The others already knew it too. And they had accused him of being the loser, Bruce's favorite. Of having made them move away to be the only one for Bruce. He wasn't that asshole. Maybe he tended to have some problems, yes he admitted, but for years it had been just them, and that affected him. Now that he thought about it, Cassandra was still friends with Kon. Maybe he had told her. He nodded to himself. Of course, that made sense, it was useless to be anxious, Cassandra...
Cass
Bruce told me.
His eyes widened. The tightness in my chest returned, it was difficult to read the message without seeing everything blurr. Cassandra knew it. Cassandra knew because Bruce had told her. None of them spoke to Bruce, but Cassandra did. Cassandra was the only one there for Bruce. His only daughter.
Dick
I thought we'd agreed to go no contact with him.
Cass
No, you made up your mind. The others followed your decision. You didn't ask my opinion.
Dick
Someone had to take charge of the situation! Bruce had crossed all boundaries, how could you forgive him?!?!
Cass
The same way he forgave me.
Dick
It's not the same, you know. He'll hurt you again!
Cass
He never hurt me. Not like I did.
Dick
Yes, he did! He...
Dick stopped.. What had Bruce done? He couldn't ask the others; it would have caused even more chaos. Cassandra, however, could answer him. But he was too proud. Something he had always reproached Bruce for but apparently the apple never fell too far from the tree, even when there was no genetic link.
Dick
You know what he did.
That's it. Now they'll argue, and Dick will finally remember the very good reasons why he and everyone else were no longer in Bruce's life. Bruce was an impossible man. It was almost certain that the wedding will be canceled at the last minute because Clark will be completely exasperated by him. Of course, nothing to see. Just the usual things Bruce did: being impossible to deal with and being a nightmare in general.
Cass
Do you know?
Dick
Of course I do! He has exceeded all limits! He didn't respect any of us! He treats us like soldiers, as if we were expendable!
Cass
He didn’t. And you know it. You wrote the first thing that seemed likely to you. You don't remember.
He hated how damn insightful everyone was. Or maybe it was just him who had made himself vulnerable. And Cassandra, like Bruce, knew how to recognize other people's vulnerabilities and use them to her advantage. What a terrible girl.
Dick
It's Bruce's fault!
Cass
No, even if you want to. You need to believe it, but Dick... Bruce didn't deserve this.
Dick
You don't know what he deserves.
Cass
I know that someone who took me in despite knowing I was a murderer deserves much more than what all of us did to him. I think he's a better man than you.
Those words shouldn't have affected him so much. Cassandra wasn't trustworthy. But the words stung, badly. And when Dick was hurt, he hurt back. Bruce was an example, after all.
Dick
If you think so don't consider me or any of the others your family anymore. You chose, Cassandra.
Cass
Then, Jon and the others will be happy to just have one new big sister.
Dick
The others?
Cassandra, however, didn't answer. She had managed to have the last word.
Dick mentally told her to go to hell. What did it matter if she had chosen Bruce?
They were right! He just had to remember why he had been so angry in the first place, and then it would get better.
Yes, he was sure of that...
Still, there were messages he had to respond to, explanations to give, and God, what was he going to say to Damian? Damian had always wanted his parents to get back together, even though he would never admit it out loud. But now it was pretty off the plate.
They were two rather convulsive hours, between accusations from those who did not believe him - always Jason, of course - suspicious silences, and recriminations.
And always the same question that buzzed in his mind: what had Bruce done that everyone had decided to go no contact with him?
(Tim had even suggested that maybe there wasn't even a real wedding, and that it was Bruce's manipulation to force them all to call him, and they shouldn't fall into the trap. It was paranoid and absurd, and Stephanie hadn't hesitated to call Tim's bullshit. Tim still believed in it, though. It was hard for him to believe that Clark could accept someone like Bruce. It would be like having to admit that he also had chances with Kon, and that he had ruined it all by himself. No, better to think it was all staged, not to think about how much he had fucked his own life.)
He couldn't ask the others. They would have been angry with him, and they would have accused him of ruining everything. It wasn't his fault, of course not. Time had only passed, anger had passed, and life had moved on. There was definitely a good reason why they were hardly in Bruce's life anymore, there definitely was! It wasn't their fault, it was Bruce's fault, it was...
His thoughts were interrupted when he realized a familiar figure flying out the window.
Dick wasted no time: he went to open the window, to come face to face with Superman himself. A familiar, almost calming sight. But unlike so many other times Dick had seen him, at that moment, Superman wasn’t smiling.
"Hey, Superman," he greeted, trying to maintain a calm tone, without yelling at him and accusing him of stealing his father Bruce, "Aren't you supposed to be at the Watchtower now? Or are you eager to ask me for permission? A bit late for that, don't you think?"
He had come out more bitter than he intended, but he kept smiling. If there was one thing Dick was good at, it was smiling despite the pain.
Superman didn't take the bait, "So, Victor told you."
"Yes. Rather rude not to inform the family first, but it's not like Bruce considers us..."
"Don't do it," Superman interrupted, and Dick swore he noticed a red tinge in his eyes, "Don't blame Bruce for everything like you always do. You have decided that you no longer want to be part of his life. You left, and the others followed you, as always. Because you're the one everyone looks up to, the guy who can never go wrong."
Dick's mouth felt dry. It was almost funny how Jason had told him the same thing, but referring to him and Bruce.
You always go back to old bat daddy, don't you? You are his wonder boy, his favorite son. In the end, you always come back.
Except it wasn't true. He was not the favorite. No one saw it, but Dick did. Dick wasn't perfect.
"If the others followed me, it's because Bruce was wrong," he replied, dryly, "I know you think he is a wonderful person, but Big Blue... he is..."
"He's what?" Superman dared him to say, without getting closer, but Dick felt the hairs on the back of his neck. "Come on, what did you mean? What is Bruce that makes him such a monster that you all think he deserves to be alone?"
"I didn't say he's a monster."
"You hinted at that, Dick. What, are you unhappy that Cassandra and Duke are still part of his life, and that you have lost? Or you hate that he was able to get on with his life."
Dick exhaled through his nose. Ah, that's why Duke hadn't written to him. He said, "It wasn't about winning or losing. It was that Bruce doesn't respect people's boundaries, he's paranoid, pressing, he doesn't respect any of us..."
"So is that why? A year and a half of silence because he worry about you all? Is your pride unable to bear to need him? Is this why you left? Is this why Damian now lives with you?"
Dick grimaced. That was not the reason. At least, it didn't seem to him.
"You know what he did, don't try to defend him..."
"What did he do, Dick? What made you so angry?"
Dick was about to answer, but he closed his mouth again. Here's the thing. He didn't remember it. He knew it was a very good reason. Otherwise, why would the others follow him?
Just because he didn't remember, didn't mean it wasn't reasonable or valid.
But Superman knew him. He had seen him grow up. And he understood immediately.
"I can't believe it... you don't remember."
"Superman..."
"No, I was here because Bruce wanted to give you and others a chance. But I see that you don't deserve it."
"He wanted to give us a chance? Him?!" Dick squeaked, incredulous, as confused sensations overlapped inside him, too tangled to be able to give them a precise name.
"Yes, because apparently the one who always has to apologize is Bruce, isn't it? But after a year and a half, you are stuck in your positions, without even remembering why. You're doing it out of pride, and no other valid reason."
"Of course there is, Bruce..."
"You don't even remember why you were angry with him!" Superman screamed, all outrage at an injustice he couldn't solve, "You act so high and might all the time, people love you. But you don't find even a shred of affection for a person who has always loved you, and who has always forgiven you everything, even when you did not deserve forgiveness. If so, then there is no need to say anything else."
He didn't like where he was going. His heart began to beat fast in his chest,"Wait, Big Blue..."
"Bruce wanted to invite you to the wedding," the Kryptonian continued, looking at him with a stern gaze, like a punishing god, "You wouldn't have been the best man, that's already a task assigned to Oliver. But he would have liked to see his children there, happy for him for once, without having to worry about Gotham, Joker or whatever. But I see you don't care about anything but making him miserable. Got it. Don't bother coming, Dick. Not you or Jason or the others."
"Why not? He is... we're his family," he corrected himself at the last minute, realizing that he was about to say Bruce is our father. He knew it wasn't correct. Not really. Bruce had welcomed them. He had taught them everything. But he was not their father. Not really.
(Except he was. None of them had had their own father in their lives long enough, had they? Bruce had always been there. He was taken for granted. They could leave, but when they returned, Bruce would be there.)
Superman narrowed his eyes, "A year and a half ago you decided that he is not worth it. So, no, you are not his family. Not anymore."
"We are! He... you can't cut us off!"
Superman snorted, "I didn't do anything at all. This is all your doing, Dick. You've been saying for years that Bruce is not your father, that he is nothing to you. Why would you come to the wedding of someone you don't care about?"
Because it wasn't true! Dick cared! Jason cared! Bruce mattered to all of them! If only Bruce were less proud and unable to speak...
But here's the thing, isn't it? After a year and a half - God, a year and a half, it had been so long, and he hadn't even realised it - Bruce had tried, but he hadn't found any open door. And why keep trying? Why seek out people who so clearly preferred their pride and despised you?
Bruce had forgiven Cassandra and Duke. He would have done the same to them if they had done something before. But they had not done so. They had chosen.
And they had chosen badly.
"Superman, please. Can you tell him..."
But Superman was already gone, his task was done, leaving Dick with the knowledge that he couldn't blame Bruce for the mess he was in and that he should break the news to the others that they were officially unwelcome at his dad Bruce's wedding.