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Dick stood under the umbrella and stared at the ornate black marble tombstone, pup resting on his hip. Thunder rumbled lowly across the city, lightning crackling a decent distance away from them but inching closer. He knew he wouldn't have much time until he had to drive back, but he couldn't make himself leave just yet, staring at Bruce's rain covered photo.
"Hey, Bruce, it's been just over a couple of weeks since the Gotham Knights had formed in our grand attempt to save Gotham. You can imagine how well that's been going." He sighed softly. "Jason's been... Jason, and Tim thinks you had some vendetta against him because you had some things you never told him. Hell, I'm sure there are things you still never told me, and even Alfred. By the way, the Court of Owls are real and let me tell you, you do not want to go through their fucked up version of a corn-maze. I think Hellraiser's labyrinth would be more fun than that, and those Talons." He shuddered slightly, thinking back to the impossibly high stacks of Talon coffins? Caskets? Sleeping chambers? He wasn't even sure what to call them, but whatever they were, he wasn't a fan of them.
"I didn't have much to update on you about that, but I wanted to stop by and tell you that Emi took her first few steps all by herself. Yay!" He cheered quietly, lightly jostling Emilia in his grip. "Alfred thinks she's a real hoot -- for once, no pun intended. Says she's as spirited as you were at her age, which then kinda made me laugh, thinking of you as a pup this small. It just kind of sucks that you weren't here to see it. Babs got tons of videos of it and Jay's been a real help. I think he'd be a good dad someday, you know? He just has that look on his face when he holds her, it's sweet, seeing the big guy be the big softie he is."
Bruce's picture stared back at him, thunder crackled closely, and Emilia whined unhappily at the noise, simultaneously when his earpiece chirped to life and Tim's voice filled his ear. "Oh, sorry, didn't realize you were back at the cemetery. You okay?"
"Yeah, Tim, I'm okay. What's up?"
"Well, we just found out where some of those Man-Bat things are nesting. We're about to go out and get them. You wanna come with?"
Dick thought it over for a moment. "Yeah, I'll head back now. See you at the Belfry. Okay, well, I've gotta go, B. I think things are finally going our way again. Turn of the tide and all that, right? I'll come back and talk to you soon."
If only Dick knew just how true those words would be.
Finding Bruce in the wreckage of the Batcave had been one thing, but having to fight him was another. He was beyond grateful that his fellow Robins and Batgirl were with him, Tim and Barbara fighting off Talia from getting to Bruce while Jason held Bruce as Dick worked on trying to bring him back to focus, to break through the haze of the Lazarus Pit's madness. By the grace of whatever it was in the world, Talia had been brought down and Bruce had been more or less knocked very unconscious, leaving them to only deal with a wave of Talons. Only some Talons.
"Guys, I've hacked into the Batwing and I can make it to blow up, bring this cave down on top of them, but we gotta get out of here and fast." Barbara said, watching the engines of the Batwing flare to life as the Talons slowly moved towards them.
"Nightwing, you first, I'll bring B up right behind you. Robin, you make sure Batgirl's got a hand to pull her up with." Jason instructed, securing Bruce's bulk better over his shoulders with. He made a mental note to start lifting heavier after they got out of this. If they got out of this, anyway. It was a long climb back up, and having to haul Bruce's unconscious body on top of an already sore body, it was going to be all but impossible, but he had to try.
"Got it," Tim shot off a shower of icy fireworks, sending the Talons into a screeching, hissing fit just as Jason started off for the exit, Dick right on his heels.
Thankfully the exit had been more forgiving than the entrance had been, more spacious and a lot less having to squeeze through narrow cracks in the walls that made the others laugh at Jason trying to fit through. There wasn't anything to laugh at now, however, running from explosions and stumbling through hard quakes and shakes. "I can see a lift, we're almost there!" Dick shouted.
"Better be, he weighs more than a truck!" Jason growled.
The Bat colony all but threw themselves onto the lift, Barbara pressing the up button in frantic distress. It rattled but started its ascent, but none of them relaxed just yet, watching over the edge so they could be prepared for a stray Talon that made its way out, but so far, they didn't catch a glimpse. They all knew that even if the newest Voice hadn't made it out, there were bound to be even more backups waiting in the shadows, waiting to take up their role and bring more havoc. Their main focus was on Bruce, making sure they got him out in one piece, or any piece at all. He was still breathing, Jason made sure of that, able to feel his unconscious breathing on his shoulders, but that wouldn't mean anything until they got him somewhere stable.
“Someone call Doctor Thompkins, get her over her asap, but turn off the lights and sirens when she gets here. We should get him checked out with her before we bring him home.” Dick said, fighting off the urge to fall into the role of a mate rather than a teammate. He couldn’t let himself be too hopeful, not yet.
They couldn’t stop just yet, continuing their run away from the wreckage of the manor until they were at the entrance gate, the perfect spot for Jada to come to a stop to. It was a weak effort, but Jason placed a spare domino mask he kept on his person over Bruce’s eyes, doing just the smallest part he could to save his identity.
“Jesus, what the fuck happened here?” She asked after making her way around the back, Dick and Jason setting Bruce gently onto the gurney.
“A lot,” Dick sighed, “can you help him?”
Jada tilted her head slightly and started to wash her hands. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m gonna need all of you to give me some space.” She ushered them out, pulling gloves on, and pulling the doors shut with her foot.
The rest sat down on the ground, Jason leaning against the bumper of the ambulance. “That sucked,” he exhaled, pulling his helmet off to wipe sweat from his face and to catch his breath easier. “He’s an even bigger bastard than I remember him being before. Damn Pit turned him into a freaking tank.”
“I can’t believe he was alive this whole time. What are we going to do? The whole city thinks Bruce Wayne is dead.” Barbara whispered, laying flat on her back on the road.
“I don’t think we should worry until after he’s stabilized and we get him back to the Belfry.” Tim added worriedly, pacing back and forth while pressing his fingertips together anxiously.
“You’ve got a point.” She retorted.
Dick let the conversations become background, staring at the doors of the ambulance and willing for Jada to open them and announce he was fine, he was stitched up, cleaned up, and could go back home. He wouldn’t believe they got this far just to have Bruce slip out of their fingers again, slip out of his own fingers. He needed Bruce, not just as a mate, but as his mentor, as his everything. A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up to see Jason squat beside him, jostling him slightly. He dropped his head onto Dick’s, a silent way of giving him his support, and Dick leaned into it appreciatively.
An hour had gone when the doors finally opened, Jada tossing away bloody gloves with a heavy sigh. “He’s sleeping, and will be for quite awhile. I was going to send you guys home with something but, horrifically enough, I think I saw some of his injuries piecing himself back together. You need me to drive you guys and your fucked up zombie mentor back home?” Of all the things she had seen, this had been by far the strangest.
“Yes, please, we really appreciate it, Doctor Thompkins, we owe you one, big time.” Barbara reached to shake her hand but Jada waved it off, giving her a pat to the cheek instead.
“No need, love, the only favor I need is for you to get Batman back on his feet. For all of us.” Jada smiled and shut the doors, rounding back to the front so she could drive them back into the city.
Dick rested his head on Bruce’s bare chest, smelling of blood, sweat, and antiseptic, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care less, more than satisfied to feel the ever familiar scratch of his chest hair on his face.
“I gotta say, Bruce, stay at home dad life looks pretty hot on you.” Dick mused from his place at the doorframe. Since he had Emilia to take care of, he had only found it fair that he take her to move into one of Bruce’s penthouses in Gotham, not wanting her to wake everyone up in the middle of the night with her crying.
Bruce had, for obvious reasons, moved in with him as well, and was still on house arrest until he healed well enough to don the Batman uniform once more. For now, he sat on the floor in lounging clothes, Emilia standing up with his help and wiggling through her giggles. He gave a small smile to Dick. “Until we figure out how to bring Bruce Wayne back from the dead, you may see it for longer.”
Dick stepped inside and shut the door, setting his bag down to move into the living room. He scooped Emilia up and held her to his chest, taking her place to sit down in front of Bruce, smiling cheekily up at him. “That’s fine with me,” he nosed at his scruffy jawline, purring deeply in his chest, “I’m also digging the scruff.”
“You are?” Bruce questioned then hummed, hugging around his mate and pup, rubbing his neck along the top of Dick’s head. “I wasn’t sure if I should keep it or not. Can’t say I’ve been allowed to be this hairy before because of WE.”
“Looks like I’ve got to enjoy what time I have left with it, then.” Dick nipped playfully at Bruce’s chin, sitting up more and twisting his upper half so he could properly kiss him, relishing in the feeling of being wrapped in his arms again.