Dick Grayson one shots

Trust

Whumptober day 2: trust issues

Dick sat huddled in the corner of his cell. His knees were pressed up against his chest, his eyes staring blankly at the wall across from him. The thin blanket the court allowed him was tucked around him to help stave off the cold.

A tear leaked out of one of his eyes, trailing its way down his cheek to drip off of his chin. He swiped roughly at the tear. He had to remember why he was here.

He was aware that Bruce hadn't particularly enjoyed everything that came with taking in an orphaned child, but surely he wouldn't have gone this far just because he was a difficult child.

No...

There was a purpose in him being here. There had to be. Perhaps... perhaps he was to infiltrate the court of owls. Then Bruce would come and they would take them down from the inside... that must be it.

Bruce had been genuinely furious with him the night he'd arrived in the maze...

Dick pushed that thought from his mind. No. Bruce must be planning something, some take down. Maybe he had a tracker planted on him somewhere that his mentor was using to get the location of the court at that very moment.

Bruce must not have known what they'd do to him... He couldn't have known about the maze, the plans the owls had made to kill him and turn him into one of their talons. He couldn't have known how much it would hurt when their blades pierced his chest. How much it had hurt when his stiff lungs had been forced to expand with renewed breaths, the poison pumping through his veins even now...

No.

Bruce must not have known... because if he had... if the masked men who came to train and beat him each day until he collapsed were right in saying that he handed him over because he couldn't deal with him anymore... That would be more painful than it all.

—

Dick stood unmoving as the masked man circled him. William Cobb, the man who claimed to be his relative stood a few paces away, no doubt reveling in his work.

"Do you know why you're here Grayson?" The man asked, his eyes staring at Dick from behind his bone white mask.

Dick's jaw tightened slightly, already telling himself he wouldn't believe a word of what was about to be said. They'd tried for years to get him to turn on Bruce, the only person he had left who resembled family. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't abandon his morals or his mentor no matter how much they tortured and beat him.

It had been far longer than he'd have liked, but surely Bruce would be coming for him eventually. Dick was beyond ready to take down the court.

"I'm guessing you think you know why we're having this conversation, but that's not what I mean. I mean why you're here with us in the first place," the man continued.

Dick's eyes snapped up, meeting the steely blue eyes behind the mask.

"Seems I piqued your interest," the man said, his smirk clear in the tone of his voice. "Allow me to show you."

A screen popped up, old CCTV footage from what must have been years ago playing.

Nothing happened for a long moment, a lonely alley cat wandering into the frame.

And then Bruce was there.

Dick's breath froze just seeing the man on the screen. He was carrying a small bundle in his arms which he set on the ground, looking up and down the alley, eyes locking on a spot within the shadows before he shot out a grappling line and swung away.