Bats in the Attic (Young Justice/Batman Beyond)

Secreted Away

The smoke and haze of Gotham felt much like his muddled mind. Taking a deep breath, Dick Grayson wondered if he would ever make sense of the fog in his head, let alone the lack of purpose in his life. Sitting on top of his motorcycle, his bright blue eyes stared out at the city, attempting to take in the city he'd not seen in more than a year, as he attempted to make sense of his chaotic life.

Everything started a little over a year ago, maybe two, when Dick found himself waking up in a hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling bleary-eyed, his mind wondering where Bruce was. A slight turn of his head revealed Bruce Wayne nowhere in view, but Alfred Pennyworth, the faithful family butler sat in the chair next to him. He remembered taking a deep breath, and how people rushed in to see how he was doing.

Bruce didn't come, nor did Dick get any real answer regarding why he ended up in the hospital.

Alfred proved shut mouthed about the whole thing, particularly after Dick responded to something the butler said. Alfred's reaction clued the young man into the fact his own behavior was perceived as strange, but even Barbra acted in a cautious manner when she came to see him. She chose her words carefully, as if not to give something away.

Therapy proved painful.

For someone as active as a Flying Grayson, the thought of living with a permanent physical disability was terrifying. The coma also distorted Dick's sense of time. All throughout the therapy, the man who chased away Dick's childhood fears was nowhere to be seen. Bruce finally showed up when the hospital finally chose to release their patient.

The meeting between the two proved awkward. The man couldn't look his ward in the eye, but Dick couldn't ask the important question. "What did I do? What did I do to make you angry at me? To make it so you don't want to talk to me? Is it that I never, ever called you father, or something far worse?"

Dick didn't stick around to see if Bruce would offer an answer, as the manor proved at the time an uninviting place. However, the attempt to find some purpose away from Gotham proved fruitless. Almost as fruitless and painful as Jason's death felt. Dick's eyes squeezed shut, frustrated that for some reason he couldn't remember how his younger brother died, only that said death was met with Bruce's usual coldness.

Revving up the engine, Dick's bike roared to life, and he proceeded to the place he hoped never to come back to, and yet running from one's fear – that was the cowards way out, and Flying Grayson's weren't cowards. He arrived at Wayne Manor, parking his vehicle in a place he hoped wouldn't be noticed, and removed his helmet.

The manor contained memories, both good and bad.

Taking a deep breath, his bright blue eyes looked up at the towering buttresses of Wayne Manor, noting how nothing had changed since he left. The young man attempted to sort through his memories, both remembered and forgotten, only to find his mind hitting a mental wall he'd struggled to get past ever since coming out of the coma. His arm wrapped around his motorcycle helmet, his lips pushing together, unsure of how to approach the place.

He didn't want to see Bruce, yet...

"Master Richard." Alfred's voice drew Dick's bright eyes away from the buttresses to the front door. The Wayne family butler stood at the entrance, as if expecting him, but then again, motorcycles weren't known for being quiet. The man's next words weren't expected either. "Welcome home."

"Home." Dick looked up at the walls again, trying to fixate on the idea of home. The feeling made him wonder why he'd ever left, yet that particular memory remained missing, beyond the mental wall the coma constructed. Taking a deep breath, Dick allowed his bright blue eyes to drift down, looking straight at Alfred in what was likely a nervous manner. "I don't know how long I'm staying."