DickieGotMeOnHereBO1 this one's for you :) thanks for your comments
Dick groaned as he came to, squeezing up his face at the feeling of what he assumed to be a feeding tube in his nose.
He managed to pry his eyes open after a few minutes, noting the presence of Bruce, Alfred, and the youngest of his replacements.
The feeling of gnawing all consuming hunger was gone, much to his immense relief.
The moment Alfred noticed Dick's bright blue eyes blink open he jumped into action, raising the bed into more of a sitting position.
"Thanks Alf," Dick mumbled, his voice slightly scratchy.
The four of them fell into an awkward silence after Alfred's nod of acknowledgment.
"So..." Bruce started, rubbing the back of his neck. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
Dick stared at the man for a few long seconds. Such a simple question... such a complicated answer. "Better," he mumbled.
Some of the tension left Bruce's shoulders when he heard that. "Good," he said. "You gave us quite the scare there."
Dick chewed on the inside of his lip, anxiety rising in his chest. He wondered how many tests Bruce had done on him while he'd been unconscious... what he'd found.
Seeming to sense some of his anxiety, Alfred chimed in. "You were only unconscious for an hour or so," he said, resting a hand on the acrobat's knee.
This gave Dick some sort of relief, some of the tension bleeding out of his muscles.
"We figured it would be best to get some food into you before we did any tests," the butler continued.
Dick nodded, pushing himself up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
"Perhaps you should take it easy Grayson," Damian said, his distain clear in his voice.
"I'm fine," Dick grumbled, fiddling with the feeding tube that was fed down his esophagus.
"Perhaps it's time the two of you get to bed," Alfred said, shooting both Bruce and Damian a look.
The pair grumbled, but eventually went on their way, leaving Dick alone with his grandfather figure.
"How I've missed you dear boy," Alfred said, pulling the acrobat into firm hug.
Dick sighed, resting his head on Alfred's shoulder.
"It's been 7 years," Alfred said quietly, squeezing the boy just a bit harder. "Where have you been all this time?"
Dick tensed slightly. "It's a long story," he mumbled.
Alfred released the younger, sensing that the past years were something he didn't want to talk about. "Let's get you all checked then," he said.
Dick stood and ran through a few different stretches as directed by Alfred, making sure everything worked as it should.
There wasn't much point to all the tests. Dick could tell he was completely fine. Other than being slightly under weight that is.
Alfred eventually seemed satisfied, and had Dick lay back down so he could remove his feeding tube.
Dick shuddered at the sensation of the tube sliding out of his throat, grateful it was gone.
"I'd like to do a bit of routine blood work, and then I'll help you settle down in your room," Alfred said, wheeling over a tray with supplies for the blood draw.
Dick tensed at the sight of the needle, his breath hitching when Alfred donned gloves and started getting everything ready. 'It'll be fine... he's a friend,' repeated in his mind like a mantra.
Despite exercising every ounce of his mental willpower, he flinched violently when the needle pressed into his skin, scooting himself away so quickly he fell off of the hospital bed and onto the ground.
Alfred was by his side in an instant. "Are you alright dear boy? You seem as if you've seen a ghost," he said.
Dick shied away from the butler, not quite all the way there. All he could see was the stabbing brightness of the overhead lights, his nose still filled with the sterile smell of alcohol.
"Master Dick? Can you hear me?" Alfred said, resting a hand on the younger's shoulder.
Dick's mind snapped back from its wandering, and into his hyperventilating body.
The creases between Alfred's eyes made Dick think that he'd been trying to get him to respond for a while.
"I-I'm o-okay," Dick whispered, voice shaky. "C-can we not d-do the blood draw today?" He asked, his voice quieter than before.
"Of course Master Dick," Alfred said, regaining his composure and helping the acrobat to his feet. "Now... let's go find you some new sheets for your bed."
Dick nodded and followed Alfred as if in a daze, barely noticing when the man wiped the bead of blood from the inside of the acrobat's trembling arm and covered it with a bandaid.
—
An unfamiliar reflection stared back at Dick from the mirror in his bathroom. 7 years... it had been 7 years since he'd been taken. 7 years since he'd caught more than a passing glimpse of his reflection.
He looked different, more like his father than he had all those years ago.
Dick let out a choked sigh. What would his parents think of him now?
He removed the blue contacts from his eyes, cleaning them with contact solution before putting them in their case. As much as he'd like to, he knew you weren't supposed to wear them to bed.
Golden eyes stared back at him from the mirror.
Wrong.
Unnatural.
Monster.
Murderer.
Talon.
YOU ARE READING
Secrets hurt
FanfictionAfter Dick Grayson finds himself on his own, stripped of his title as Robin and his position in his family he drops off the grid for years. When he returns things are far from what they used to be.
