Dick Grayson one shots

Come home

Dick sat on his bed in Titan's tower, knees curled up to his chest. This was the only place he was allowed to be alone anymore. Nobody trusted him after Slade.

Why should they?

Why should they care that he was far more traumatized by what had happened than any of them would ever be.

It seemed they didn't understand he'd done it to protect them... he done it again... to protect them.

Why couldn't he make them understand that he hadn't wanted to go with Slade... that he wasn't plotting to return with one of them in tow.

He'd stayed with the man all those years ago under threat of death, and this time had been the exact same.

Why had he let himself fall for it? Let himself be lured into that trap again...

Dick turned his phone over and over in his hand it had been a while since he'd had it, and he was almost afraid to turn it on... afraid he'd learn that nobody had bothered to care where he'd been for the past year and a half.

He hadn't been on good terms with Bruce when he'd left, but surely his siblings would've reached out... right?

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the device, breath hitching when he saw he had several missed calls from various family members. His siblings had needed him... and he'd left them.

He scrolled back to the oldest of the calls. It wasn't surprising that it was Damian.

"Grayson, I require a call back. You haven't been to the manor in several months and the hoodie you left no longer smells like you..." Damian started, pausing awkwardly as if realizing he'd almost admitted something close to the fact that he missed his eldest brother. "Just return home soon."

Dick chuckled, his throat thick with tears as he scrolled to the next one.

"Heyyy Dick. I just wanted to check in," Tim said. "Haven't seen you in a while... uhh let me know if you're doing alright... or... uhh let me know if you're not doing alright... just... just give me a call back."

Dick wiped at a tear as the message ended, chuckling softly at the awkwardness of Tim's message.

"Send me a text when you're on your way home Master Dick, and I shall have cookies waiting for you when you arrive," Alfred had said in his voice message.

Dick played a more recent one.

"Look Goldie. You know this family can't get along without you. I've had to play mediator goodie goodie too many times. It's getting old okay... let me know if... if there's something I can do to make the manor feel like home for you again... I know I was one of the reasons it stopped feeling that way to you all those years ago," Jason said, clearing his throat in a poor attempt to hide the fact that he was getting choked up. "We need you here Dick... we need you to come home."

Dick squeezed his eyes closed, clenching his jaw as he tried to keep himself from sobbing. He wanted to go home.

The most recent voicemail was from an unknown number. Dick hovered his finger over it for a moment before pressing the play button.

The audio started with a melancholy sigh. "Dick," Bruce's voice spoke. "I want to apologize, which you know isn't easy for me," he continued with a self deprecating laugh. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to drive you away... and... and everything I haven't done that makes you want to stay away. I know you've gone through a lot, most of which is my fault in one way or another." There was a long pause. "I just hope you can forgive me. I've really been trying to change, going to therapy and all that... I... I'd like to talk to you sometime, work through everything we've... I've buried over the years. Be safe... uhhh... and... and know that you're welcome home. We all... I... I need you to come back home."