The scream was quickly succeeded with a heavy thump that accompanied continued screaming. The butler ran back into the room whilst the three dashed up the stairs. 

Dick was on the floor thrashing and kicking at some invisible figure. There was a cut on his right temple which must've come either from the thing that caused the thump or from the travel to cause the thump. His eyes twisted side to side randomly as tears ran down his red cheeks. Jason barged past everyone, immediately going into the routine he always did. He straddled Dick's chest and held his hands together to stop them from lashing out. With his free hand, he covered Dick's mouth and kept it gritted closed. 

Bruce couldn't even fathom the situation fast enough to 1)mention how that wasn't the correct way to fix whatever this was and 2)ask whatever this was. Alfred and Tim shared the same state of confusion. The ginger shushed the other's screaming, wincing whenever another yell ripped through the teenager's throat. 

"C'mon Dickie, you can do it. Wake up now." The muffled screaming died down slightly which gave Jason some hope this would be over soon. "That's it. We're safe now remember? You got us somewhere safe. No one will yell at you this time."

It took a few minutes but eventually, the muffled screaming stopped and Dick's eyes shot open. He still wasn't fully awake yet but he was aware enough that Jason could get off him.

"Overslept," he slurred.

"I know you did. You're okay though," Jason reminded him. He held out his hand which the older cautiously took. He helped him up as Dick came to grips with reality. He rubbed at his eyes roughly then touched his forehead where he could feel something wet dripping his face.

"Bleeding," he stated matter of factly.

"I think you fell," Tim stated. The teenager looked over to the three he hadn't noticed and an embarrassed blush crept over his cheeks. 

"How much see?" he asked. They watched him in confusion. His speech pattern was so odd. There was emphasis where it shouldn't be and connections missing. Bruce barely restrained himself from calling an ambulance there and then, only stopping when he noticed that it hadn't concerned Jason in the slightest. 

"All of it," the ginger answered on behalf of the group. The embarrassed blush deepened. 

"Alfred, can you get the first aid kit from downstairs?" Bruce asked. The butler nodded and swiftly walked out of the room. It made him guilty to think it but he was glad to get out of that room. Its intensity was way too crazy. 

"Does he have a concussion?" Tim asked, hoping for something to explain his friend's behaviour. 

"Nope. English isn't his first language," Jason explained. "When he's out of it, he sorta forgets the connecting words."

"In trouble?" Dick asked. The younger shook his head, allowing him to sigh in relief.

"How about you go back to bed?" Bruce suggested. The kid still looked tired beyond belief and he didn't doubt that the sleep he did get before waking up was entirely restless. Bruce wondered how often these happened. Judging by Jason's fluid movements, it was fairly often. Yet Tim looked just as shocked as he was at the event. 

"No sleep. Give minute," Dick responded. "Get...let get." His hands balled up in frustration as he tried to get his mouth around the words in his head so he could get them out of his mind. He hated it. He'd done so well learning English and hiding anything that hinted he wasn't a native speaker only for it all to go down the drain when his brain couldn't catch up.

"Take your time," Bruce said.

"Let I get room." Even though they were incredibly lost in what he was trying to say, they waited for him. He took a deep breath and focused on what he wanted to say. His English came back to him now that he was more awake so he tried again. "Let me get my bearings," he said. He blinked a few times and grounded himself in where he was. He was in his bedroom in the Wayne Manor with his friends and Bruce. "Sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong. Do you have those often?" Bruce asked. He shrugged, not wanting to give anything away.

Before any more questions could be asked, Alfred returned with the first aid kit. He told Dick to sit on the bed and attempted to fix him up but the boy would wince away before he could even get within an inch of the cut. 

"Uhm not to be rude to you guys but could it just be me and Tim in here? He needs just us right now." The butler looked over to the billionaire who nodded. 

"Alright. If you need us, let us know," Alfred said, stepping out with Bruce. Jason climbed onto the bed and rummaged through the first aid kit. 

"Tim, what does antiseptic mean?" he asked, holding up a packet of wipes.

"It's like a disinfectant so cuts don't go nasty," he explained. As the shock of seeing what he did, he joined the other boys on the bed. When he did he was able to see the dark circles under the eldest's eyes. He always wore dark circles but these were much more prominent.

"Have you been keeping up with Joey's sleep thingy?" Jason asked. Dick shook his head.

"What sleep thingy?" Tim asked.

"Did you really think normal people naturally take random one-hour naps instead of actually sleeping?" He ripped open the packet and began wiping at the cut, causing Dick to hiss at the sting. He mouthed a sorry and continued. "Why haven't you kept up with it?"

"Too many questions. Let's just be quiet." 

They nodded and Jason continued to fix him up. He didn't think the cut was too deep so he began searching through the box for something that could just pull the edges together. He grabbed a bottle and read the description. Glue for wounds? Rich people really did have everything. This would do to keep things together. He followed the instructions and managed to close the cut, wiping any blood that escaped with the now dried-out disinfectant wipes. He pressed the sides together, waiting a few moments before letting go. Jason smiled to himself when he found that the cut stayed closed and began rooting through the box for something to cover it up.

Once a plaster was placed over his cut, he took another deep breath. He kept doing that. They wondered what was going on. 

"Dick, are you okay? I know you said no questions but I had to ask," Tim said, interrupting the silence. Dick shrugged quietly as he kept his eyes on the floor. "We got you this at the zoo," the younger continued, presenting the stuffed cuddly elephant.

Dick carefully took it from him and moved it around in his hands. His expression was near enough unreadable as he did. 

"We thought it could be like a friend to your other elephant." His eyes went glassy with unshed tears which, although they later felt guilty about it, made them feel incredibly awkward. He didn't really cry. He cried when he got one hell of a beating or something really hurt but he didn't do it at something emotional. Besides, it was just an elephant. Not even a very good one at that. It was something you bought for your kid on a whim only to find it broken or forgotten a few months later. The younger pair glanced at one another, silently discussing what could be wrong with the older. 

"I'm sorry," Dick whispered. Tears began their journey down his face and onto either the carpeted floor or the stuffed toy. 

"Sorry for what?" Jason asked almost fearing the answer he'd get.

"Everything. I didn't mean to drag you down. I just-I thought if I just did what I was told then things would get better." He smiled solemnly. "And you're still nice to me. I don't get it." He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "You should've come here, just you two. You guys deserve it. I don't."

"Don't talk like that. None of us deserved to stay there," Tim insisted. "I didn't think you cared about us so much." Dick turned to him with a regretful look. 

"I didn't want to care about you. Caring never got me anywhere. I care about you, you just didn't see me show it," he replied. They gave him a confused look, silently asking him to continue. 

He looked at the elephant. 

"Never be afraid to care for people Dick, even when the world says it's not worth it." 

The phrase had long since been lost to him but now it held new meaning. He'd lost so much of himself and hadn't really realized that he shouldn't have changed. He was such a happy kid. No secrets, no trauma, and a permanent smile. He'd almost forgotten the sensation of a pure grin of glee.  

"Guys, I think it's time I come clean about everything. I-I can't do it anymore."

"Should we get Bruce in?" Jason asked. He pondered on the question. His younger self would trust anyone but that got him into trouble in the first place. He couldn't trust himself to make a decision without bias. 

"Do you two trust him?" They nodded, Tim the more eager of the pair. "Then yeah, I guess we should."