Don't Fear the Reaper

5) *Uncomfy Vibes Have Entered the Chat*

Dick never wanted to be Batman. He had tried for nearly his entire vigilante career to step out of his mentors shadow. It had been why he started his own teams as a teenager and why he had moved to Blüdhaven. He wanted to become his own person. He wanted to forge his own path in life... and yet he was: back in Gotham, forced to wear the clothes of his mentor.

If Bruce was gone, truly gone, then he knew he would never be able to escape Bruce's shadow. He knew that B never wanted to force him into taking over the mantle, and yet here he was. He couldn't give it to someone else, they wouldn't be able to carry the burden.

Jason had the drive, but he was unable to rein in his darker impulses. Tim was smart, but when he lets logic take over, he looses his humanity. Damian... well Damian would  be the next Batman, but it was too soon. He was too young. He had experience, but he held on too tightly to what Bruce had taught him. Batman needed to know what Bruce would do, but still have the backbone to go against it if they saw it fit.

It could only be Dick, at least until Damian got older.

Dick walked around the manor, counting the minutes until nightfall when they would meet up with Reaper once more. He didn't like the idea of working with the guy, but they didn't have a lot of options. If Bruce was dead, they needed to know. They needed the closure. They couldn't waste their lives looking for a corpse.

Damian and Jason walked into the living room where Dick was pacing, both dressed in civies, and nodded to Dick.

"It's time."

"Wait, what?" Dick and Tim said at the same time, not sure what they were talking about.

Dick looked at his watch. "It's noon. You can't mean-"

Damian nodded. "We will pick him up from the building in half an hour and bring him back here."

Tim stared at them like they were crazy. "Here as in the Manor?"

They both nodded. It was only the 4 of them home that day since everyone else was either out doing their own thing or helping Duke with his patrol, but that didn't mean they wanted an assassin in their home. 

"He already knows who we are," Jason said with a shrug.

"He does?"

Damian rolled his eyes. "Tt- you knew that my mother and grandfather know, so why should this be any different."

"Because they assured Bruce that no one else in the Leauge-"

"And Reaper isn't in the League," Jason supplied. "Now, we gotta go. If we're late, he might leave."

Dick furrowed his brows before grabbing his jacket. "I'm coming."

"Me too," Tim added, following after them.

Damian and Jason rolled their eyes, but didn't argue.

The ride was silent for a while.

"Do you know his name?" Tim asked from the backseat.

"Reaper," Damian said simply.

Tim rolled his eyes. "Well obviously. I meant his real name."

"We do," Jason said, but his tone was clear that he would not expand on the topic.

Tim nodded awkwardly. "Gotcha. So, just Reaper. Super casual. Probably a family name or something-"

"Must you fill the silence with your mindless rambling?" Damian said, obviously annoyed.

"Be nice Dami," Dick chided, trying to keep the sliver of peace they had going for them. "Tim and I just want to know more about the man that you're apparently inviting into our house in order to see if B is dead or not."