Robin one shot part 3!

You forgot me

That morning, the acrobat woke up with a giddy feeling. They hadn't been able to celebrate his birthday last year but this year they had the time and he couldn't wait to see what they'd come up with. He was hoping for some decorations and maybe some presents but most of all he was looking forward to them all being in the same house together. Since they had a mission tonight, everyone was staying over to make it easier to work. Shorter commute, less likely to get kidnapped halfway there etc. There were plenty of reasons and Dick thought that one was his birthday. Everybody knew that he liked everybody close to him, especially around events. Family was important to him. He got dressed and composed himself since he didn't want to be too excited about what was planned then looked at his phone expecting to see a few happy birthday messages. The only notification was from his banking app which reminded him of his balance. He frowned to himself and unlocked his phone, tapping on various messaging apps in hopes that he just hadn't received a notification for some reason. There was nothing there. His eyes flickered to the date to make sure today was definitely his birthday and his heart sank when it was confirmed. He shook his head. Maybe they were just busy or were waiting until later on to send him a text. After taking a deep breath to assure himself that it would all be okay, he made his way downstairs where he got a second load of disappointment. There were no decorations for him. Nothing at all. Not even a banner or a rogue balloon. Perhaps Alfred would put them up later or he was waiting for other people to wake up to help him? Maybe he should offer. No, today was his birthday. The decorations would be up later or maybe this was all eco friendly. Decorations were a lot of waste. Yeah, they were just reducing their carbon footprint, that was it. 

His hopes for a good birthday were dashed once more when he sat there at breakfast and not one person said happy birthday. Were they playing a prank on him? Dick hoped they were but why would Bruce be in on it too? He wasn't the type for pranks. "Ugh, Grayson you're not a child. Stop playing with your food it's disgusting," Damian complained. He guessed he'd been pushing his food around more than actually eating it. Hunger wasn't really on his mind right now. Instead, he was being eaten away by anxiety. Did they not remember? He thought they'd remember. He'd been a good brother to all of them and remembered their birthdays. He was a good son too despite all the arguments that had happened over the years. Yet, if those things were true then why weren't they wishing him a happy birthday? He winced at the implication of being a bad brother AND a bad son. His mind raced to find every slight there had been since his last birthdays when he came across a worrying pattern. They'd forgotten before. Not year after year but occasionally. Bruce forgot his eleventh so he spent the day waiting for a surprise party that never came. Then his seventeenth was forgotten because the titans were so busy that year. His twentieth wasn't acknowledged in the slightest by anyone until the day after. Hope had always remained for a good birthday but it appeared he was wrong to be so hopeful because it had once again happened and this time there was nothing big going on. There were more people too. Someone was supposed to remember and remind the others. There were supposed to be alarms, calendars, and big signs saying hey it's your favourite acrobat's birthday! It's not like he wanted presents either. Birthdays were a day of acknowledgement and appreciation. A day when the attention was on him and he was shown that he was accepted by his family and friends. Did things change without his knowledge? He didn't do anything wrong in the lead-up. "You alright?" Steph called from across the table. His eyes flitted up and he gave her a smile.

"Yeah, just didn't sleep all that well. I might get a nap after breakfast," he told her. 

"Aww widdle Dickie still need a nap time?" Jason taunted. 

"I'm not taking flack from the guy who reads Shakespeare for fun," he retorted.

"Dickhead."

"Nerd."