Dick Grayson one shots

Come home P2

Whumptober day 20: Emotional angst
AlinaPetrosyan7 , SIMPBOOTAS

Bruce sat in a rocking chair positioned near the head of Dick's bed. He watched over the acrobat, almost scared to leave his side. A book was balanced in his lap the reading glasses he'd found himself needing recently balancing on his nose.

His gaze shifted to his son's face as he shifted.

Dick's face was pinched, a distressed whimper piercing the relative stillness of the room.

Bruce set his book aside, removing his glasses.

Dick stiffened in his sleep, his muscles tensing, his eyes darting back and forth under his eyelids. His breathing stopped for a long moment, and Bruce was just getting ready to shake his shoulder when he sucked in a breath, shooting up in bed.

His eyes were unfocused, sweeping the room but not seeming to actually see what was around him. Silent tears trailed down his cheeks, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You alright bud?" Bruce asked, keeping his voice as soft and gentle as he could, squatting down by his son's bedside as not to tower over him.

Dick flinched, startled out of his fog. He swiped roughly at the tears on his face, clearing his throat and not quite meeting Bruce's eyes. "Yeah," he said, his voice just a bit shaky. "I'm fine."

Bruce wondered how many times Dick had awakened similarly from other nightmares, grasping his arms tightly to himself in hope of some sort of comfort.

He sat on the edge of his son's bed, placing a hand on the acrobat's shoulder.

Dick flinched away from his touch, and Bruce immediately withdrew his hand.

"I-I'm sorry," Dick whimpered, tucking himself into a tighter ball "D-d-don't hurt me," he whispered, not realizing what he'd said for a moment. When he did, he looked up at Bruce, panic flashing over his face.

"Hey," Bruce said. "It's okay, you're safe here. I won't hurt you... I won't let anyone hurt you," he soothed.

The tension in Dick's shoulders eased minutely, more tears spilling over his eyes and down his cheeks. He rubbed them away with the heel of his hand, taking in a shaking breath. "I'm so scared B... scared that he'll come after me. I can't—" his voice broke, a rough sob forcing its way from his throat.

Bruce held out his arms, relieved when Dick scooted close enough to lean into his embrace. The acrobat buried his face in his father's shoulder, his shoulders shaking with his sobs.

Bruce pulled his son close, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "I'm here bud," he whispered when Dick's sobs had finally calmed to sniffles. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Dick gradually relaxed, falling asleep in the safety of his father's embrace.

—

Dick awoke still tucked in his father's arms, the reassuring presence of the busy billionaire calming his anxiety. He hadn't been abandoned. Bruce was still there.

He allowed himself to enjoy the comfort for a few more moments before pulling himself away from the hug. He immediately missed the warmth the embrace had brought, but he pushed thoughts of climbing back in bed away, determined to have a productive day. He hadn't had one in a while.

—

Dick sat on the couch with his brothers. It had been almost a month since Bruce had retrieved him from Titan's tower, and even longer since he'd been rescued from Slade. He should be getting better.

Everyone expected him to bounce back from the incident, everyone other than Bruce no longer treating him with the extreme care they had when he'd first returned. He supposed that was mostly due to his rather well refined acting skills. If he wanted them to think he was fine then they would.

The problem was, everything was still far from fine. He'd been meeting with a therapist weekly alongside Bruce, trying to take what he learned and apply it, but it just didn't seem to be working. He wanted to be better already, to not instinctively tense when anyone knocked at the door, to be able to sleep alone in his room without getting nightmares.

His therapist kept telling him to take it slow, to not try and force himself to be whole again, but he almost couldn't help it. It was what he'd done for so many years after all.

—

Dick sat sandwiched between Damian and Jason. They'd somehow managed to gather everyone together for a movie night, a miracle in and of itself. Being siblings, there was some arguing between which movie or show would be watched, something Dick was glad not to be dragged into.

Bruce finally settled the debate with a vote, a newer movie selected.

An uncomfortable pit grew in Dick's stomach as he began to watch the movie. It was a newer show, the story of a child trafficking ring being brought down.

Dick couldn't help but see himself in the sad broken spirited kids being dragged off against their will. His mind overlayed his own trauma on each scene.

Panic pumped through him, his heart rate increasing even as his breath grew shallow. His eyes were trained on the TV screen, but he didn't seem to see the movie. He was locked in his own memories.

Jason was the first to notice that Dick had frozen, the elder having not reacted as he would've to a joke Jason told.

"B... something's wrong with Dick," Jason said, his voice hinting at the panic he was trying to hide.

Bruce immediately turned off the TV, coming to kneel in front of his son.

Tears glinted in Dick's unfocused eyes.

Bruce grabbed the acrobat's hands in his own, squeezing them to try and draw the attention of his eldest.

Dick's gaze remained locked on the Black screen.

"Breathe with me bud," Bruce instructed, counting breaths out loud, each number punctuated with a slight squeeze of his hand.

Dick's breath evened considerably, the acrobat eventually adding his shaking voice to Bruce's, counting his breaths.

"You're not there anymore," Bruce said, looking Dick in the eye.

Dick bobbed his head, shifting his gaze down to Bruce's face.

Bruce smiled a slightly melancholy smile. "You back with me?" He asked.

Dick nodded. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I should be better by now," he said with a self depreciating laugh.

Bruce wrapped his son in a hug. "Nobody's expecting you to be fine all the sudden Dick," he assured the younger. "Healing takes time."

Dick let out a shaky breath. "But... but I'm supposed to be fine... I have to be okay... b-because... because...I-I..." he trailed off, not able to put a reason to his feelings.

Bruce continued to hold onto his son. "Healing takes time Dick," he said softly.

Dick let out a soft whimpering cry. "I... I just want it to stop... to go away so I can be normal again."

"It'll come with time," Bruce said. "And we'll all be here every step of the way to help you.

Dick glanced at his brother's faces, a thread of joy tugging at his heart. He wasn't alone. Not anymore.