Don't Fear the Reaper

7) Shots Fired... Literally

Tim's head was muddled. He didn't know what to do. Part of him, probably the part that was just Bruce's voice, wanted to get the kid back there. He wanted to take him in and help him heal. The other part, also part Bruce, told him not to trust the kid. He was an assassin, one who was scarily good at his job.

There was a reason Bruce didn't like powered people in his city, and it had nothing to do with them being meta or magi or whatever they were. It wasn't because of bias or hatred or fear of the unknown. It was because there was little you can do to stop them unless you knew exactly what they were capable of.

They knew nothing of Reaper.  

The kid could show up and attack or kidnap one of them, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. They saw him attempt to summon the dead and disappear into a shadow, so what else could he do? Could he revive someone? Could he kill someone with a touch? Could he spy through the shadows without even trying?

He was a complete mystery. Tim wanted to ask Jason or Damian, but both had been in terrible moods since the kid left the week prior.

"We gotta go guys," Dick said with a yawn, gesturing for them to follow him to the car.

Tim wanted to ask why Dick was to tired at 2pm on a weekend, but they all knew.

Dick was never meant to be Batman. Dick was light and joy and goodness. Batman, he was the darkness. Batman was the monster in the closest for all the bad guys out there. Dick, no matter how hard he tried, could never fully be that person. Dick was the one in the family who kept them together. He sacrificed himself for their protection time and time again, and though Bruce would choose saving their lives over a mission, there would be a moment of hesitation. It wouldn't be long, but it would be there, and that's what Batman needed  to be. Dick could never be that person.

"Okay, remember, Bruce is on vacation where?" Dick said, going over the cover story.

"Bora Bora," they all responded dutifully. It made Dick feel better when they rehearsed together.

"He left?"

"A week ago."

"He'll be back?"

"Soon?" Tim guessed.

"Never," Jason replied.

"When hurricane season hits in November," Damian said.

"Bruce Wayne never existed, you sound crazy," Steph said with unblinking eye contact.

"Pass," Cass stated.

Duke face palmed. "In a few weeks."

Dick groaned. "God, this is going to go terribly. Duke gets a gold star. Bruce will be back in a few weeks."

Jason scoffed but kept quiet.  

"Let's just go," Tim said before getting out of the car, instantly being bombarded with flashing camera.

Once all the seven were out, they walked together through the herd of reporters and climbed the few steps to the stage. Dick went up to the Wayne Enterprises podium and gave the classic Wayne Smile™️ before the crowd silenced their questions.

"Thank you all for coming out today," Dick said, projecting confidence. "It's been a while since I've spoken at a press conference, so I'll keep it brief. There has been a whole lot of gossip recently about Bruce Wayne, our father, and we just wanted to address it real quick.

"Bruce isn't missing or dead— though this is Gotham, so I can see why you might think that," he continued, pausing while the reporters chuckled. "I am actually very proud to say that Bruce is on vacation. He's been working himself to the bone the last few months over Wayne Enterprises absorbing both Tetcher Inc and Galfin Tech— trying to make sure as many people could keep their jobs as possible— and we finally sat him down and forced him to take a break. Bruce is finally getting some R and R while we hold down the fort here in Gotham."

The crowd began asking questions, but before Dick could pick someone, a shot rang out.

In an instant, Dick was on the ground and security had swarmed them, pushing them towards the entrance of the WE building. Jason rushed forward and dragged Dick with them before the doors locked and the police cleared the area.

Tim held pressure on Dick's shoulder while the security guards called in back up and medical.

"Call Kate and Lucas," Tim muttered quietly, making sure the guards didn't hear.

"I need to call Bruce before he hears about this in the news," Steph said loudly as she stepped away from the group and into a hallway.

Dick groaned. "Of course," he muttered. "Of course I get shot."

Tim tried to hide the smile that pulled at his lips, still very aware that the media could probably see through the glass doors of WE that they were shielded behind.

"We need to move you all away from the glass in case the shooter tries to get another shot," one of the guards said.

"Tt- the glass is bulletproof," Damian said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And the shooter is most likely apprehended or gone by now."

Duke let out a nervous laughter and elbowed Damian slightly before looking to the guard. "Sorry about him. He gets snippy after people try to kill our family members."

Damian glared at him but didn't say anything else.

The side doors flew open and a medical team rushed in, making quick work of loading Dick onto a stretcher.

"Jason and I will go with him to a hospital," Tim said, moving with the stretcher towards the ambulance. "Everyone else, get back to the manor."

The group nodded before Tim, Jason, and Dick were out of the building and in an ambulance. 

A/N: IK this is short, but I decided that unless it's necessary, I won't be combining chapters. I wrote them at a certain length, so I'm sticking to it. 

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