I just really needed this

continuation of even more Talon!Dick ig?

EDIT: TW BLOOD//SELF HARM

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/self-harm/useful-contacts/

https://www.benice.org/get-help/crisis-hotline

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/if-youre-having-difficult-time/if-you-want-self-harm/

Robin looked out onto the city. He took a deep breath as the wind whistled past him. His feet were barely on the edge of the building. Everything felt right again. It hadn't been right in a while but in this moment it was oh so perfect. He listened to the symphony of cars racing down the streets and people rushing to get home now that darkness was settling in. The stars were shining a little brighter that night. The moon glowed in the sky, only partially covered by a small cloud. The night was a little cold but he liked it that way. A bit of cold kept him cool whilst he did his job. He reached down to his grappling hook and pulled it out. His eyes scanned the skyline for the perfect place to lodge the hook. He looked on the bright side of things now. His improved sight meant that he could see further and risk more. He grinned when he found the spot but he didn't shoot the hook yet. There was no fun in that. The adrenaline rush he craved didn't come from that. It was far too safe. No, instead he took a few steps back then ran and jumped off the edge. Everything slowed down. Streetlights blurred as he fell. He twisted in the air so he could feel the wind in his face. The ground was coming closer and closer but he liked to leave it to the last minute. It gave him the best rush. He turned and shot his grappling hook. It wedged onto the stone and thrust him high into the air. He landed on the new roof moments later and collected the hook. He sprinted over to the edge of the rooftop, backflipping off of it and landing on the next building. Cackles rang through the streets as he made his way around Gotham to the old clock tower. Every night of patrol, the Batfamily would meet at the tower and check-in with one another. It was an easy way to figure out who needed a little more help and quickly ruled out who was missing in action. The clock tower also had some semblance to him. He cared for it dearly as it was there that he was finally freed from the Talon's control.

He scaled the tower and slipped inside, waving to his family cheerily. "You look like you're having a fun night," Red Hood commented, seeing his brother's happy demeanor. The younger nodded. 

"Yeah. It just feels like things are getting back to normal," he responded. He expected to get some happy words of encouragement towards his new upbeat attitude but there were none. Now that he repeated Red Hood's words in his head, they didn't sound as kind. The tone sounded strained. Forced. "What's going on?" he asked, suddenly feeling the tenseness in the air. Their eyes fell anywhere but on him. "What happened?"

"Information got out about us. Information that could only be leaked by one of us," Nightwing informed him. Robin raised an eyebrow. 

"Do you know who it is?" he inquired.

"Don't play the fool with us. We know it was you," Red Robin accused angrily. The younger took a step back in shock. This wasn't happening. No. Things were finally falling into place. 

"I didn't do anything," he insisted.

"What was I thinking taking you in? You're clearly still working for them," Batman replied. Nobody believed him but they had to. He was making progress. He was being a good kid and now they thought he was the bad guy? Robin didn't want to be the bad guy anymore. He wanted to be on their side. "I'm not! The Court and I haven't interacted since I killed my handler," he defended but his defense landed upon deaf ears.

"We don't want to throw you in Arkham so I'd suggest you scram and never speak a word about us. You may be a Talon but you're no match for all of us," Red Hood stated. His warning came with glares from the others. Robin winced at them, beginning to cry at how hard they were being. They promised to protect him. He wouldn't be protected if he was just out in the open with nowhere to go. He'd be free pickings for the Court of Owls. "Scram!"

Startled, he took the order and jumped out of the clock tower, running and running until he collapsed onto the ground. Not once did he turn back to see the family he was leaving behind. What was the point? He wasn't part of that family anymore. He'd made it to the outskirts of Gotham by the time he'd ran out of steam and stopped. Hardly anyone lived in these areas anymore other than people fleeing the law or people who wanted to take drugs in private. They weren't fit to live in. The crumbling buildings surrounded him, almost leaning in to intimidate him. He wandered through the lonely streets until he found one where the door had been removed. Sighing, he walked inside then sat on the floor when he found no one was already living there. It was cold and damp since part of the second floor and roof were missing but it wasn't like he had much of a choice of where he could go. Robin was silent for a moment, listening to a lack of noise around him. He felt so lonely. There wasn't even an animal somewhere making noise to listen to. He guessed the police had done a raid recently and cleared the place out. He was completely alone. His mind went to the clock tower. They all said it was him who did but he was sure he wasn't the one to leak anything. Then, it hit him. He was a Talon. Maybe his programming was still working without him noticing. Yeah, that made sense. He was still a bad person so the bad part of his brain was still working. He was a bad person. The worst person. Tears bubbled up in his eyes and spilled over his cheeks. He ripped off his domino mask and stared at it. Only good people could wear that mask. Good people wore masks to protect themselves from the bad guys like him. He wasn't a good person. No, he was a horrible person who'd done horrible things. His trembling hands took off his gloves and tore off the R symbol on his chest. He wasn't Robin. Robin was a good person. He was Dick, the Talon, the betrayer. He was bad.

Catwoman didn't understand why Robin was no longer joining his family on the streets for patrol. She hadn't heard about him getting seriously hurt and he wasn't the type to just quit being a hero so she was left at a loss for why he was gone all of a sudden. She decided to ask Batman when they had one of their little meetups in costume. Honestly, she didn't want to see him but she couldn't help but let her curiosity get the better of her and set up a meeting. "Where's your little friend?" she asked when he was within earshot.

"Who?" he replied.

"Robin. Acrobat. Former Talon," she recited to jog his memory. He scowled at the ground upon the clarification. She didn't like that reaction one bit. She'd seen his love for the boy and the expression he showed now could easily be considered as hatred. "Still a Talon," he corrected.

"What? Since when?" He didn't mention anything about returning to the Court. Though she wasn't that close to him yet so it would be understandable as to why he didn't say anything about it. "Information got leaked. The only way for it to get out was through those who worked closest to us. It was obvious that he was faking in order to get close to us." Catwoman cringed. He obviously didn't know. 

"What sort of information?"

"Why does it matter?" he asked. She bit her lip, wondering how to put this.

"Just tell me," she demanded.

"It was the chemical formula to our smoke bombs. It was leaked so that they could be used against us." Catwoman gasped harshly, gaining his attention and making him even more suspicious of her. "What?"

"Where is he now?" she asked. He shrugged.

"We told him to run. He's most likely back with the Court," he explained. She paled instantly. "Selina, what's with your sudden interest? Have you heard anything?"

"I'm the one who leaked your smoke bombs! He didn't do anything!"

With one sentence, Batman's world came crashing down around him and guilt washed over him like a giant wave. She'd leaked it. How could he not have thought of that? He just assumed it had to be someone closer but she had all the time to steal it. It would've been so easy. It would've been so much easier for her to get it than Dick. He had no hand in making them and hardly spent any time in the Batcave anyway. "Tell me you're lying," he mumbled. "Tell me you're lying and I didn't just send my boy away for no good reason!"

"I didn't know you'd react like that! I needed to keep an alliance, I meant no harm!" she argued. 

"You meant no harm? Selina a little boy is in grave danger because of you!" he shouted back venomously. 

"I'm not the one who sent him away! You did that! That's on you!" Batman couldn't argue back. There was no argument to be had. He was in the wrong and so was she. He shouldn't have been so quick to say Dick was wrong. It just looked so obvious. If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, it's a duck. Turns out it was a cat in this case. "I need to find him," he stated, activating the holographic keyboard from his glove.

"No shit!" she snapped. He tapped on the keys and found the tracker he'd put in his suit. It was for emergencies and right now he was so thankful he'd put it in. "Where is he then?" she asked, coming closer. He took a step back. He couldn't even look at her right now. She'd broken his fragile trust in her and in the process broken Dick's trust in his family. His chest tightened just at the thought of what Dick could be going through. When he saw that the tracker on the outskirts of Gotham, he felt slightly relieved. The Court of Owls didn't operate there so at least he wasn't instantly their clutches. But Batman could only be slightly relieved. Where he was had been the hotspot for people who wouldn't be merciful to anyone, not even a child. Granted, he was a Talon but his worry didn't stop. He quickly tapped on the journey of the tracker out of interest. It had hardly moved within the last three days, the time since they sent him away. "I need to go. Don't even think about talking to me after this stunt," he warned, swiping the hologram away. She sighed and took off, knowing that there was no point in trying to defend herself. She could only hope that Dick was okay for the most part so his anger wasn't increased.

Batman raced to his Batmobile and uploaded the coordinates to the inbuilt GPS. He put on autopilot whilst he contacted his vigilante sons. He had to let them know their brother wasn't who they thought he was. "Ooo a group call? Who's getting humiliated this time?" Red Robin asked. He could almost hear the younger's smug grin. 

"I was wrong," Batman stated.

"About what?" Nightwing replied. He almost didn't want to tell them but he had to. It would look bad if he came home with someone he named as a traitor out of the blue. They had to know even if they'd hate him for the next week. "It wasn't Dick who leaked the information. Selina did," he announced. The line went quiet for a while until Red Hood shouted

"You promised me you knew for sure!" Batman winced at the yell but he supposed he deserved it. He shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. He should've thought about other possibilities. "I know! She only just admitted it. How was I supposed to know? We all thought the same," he defended.

"We all thought the same because we trusted your judgment, Father," Nightwing pointed out. He was right. Thanks to their trust, he'd planted the seed of doubt in their heads and made them biased towards the outcome. They hadn't given him a chance to even defend himself because they trusted him wholly. "I've found his tracker and I'm bringing him home. The Court mustn't know he's out of our care and I'd like to keep it that way." Affirmative noises responded. None of them really wanted to talk to him anymore. "And boys? I'm sorry."

"You're saying it to the wrong people," Nightwing replied before hanging up, his brother's following suit. He deserved that. Guilt wracked through his body and he almost wanted to throw up at the feeling it was so intense. He'd sent that boy out at the mercy of the world without a second thought. He'd slept fine that night. That hurt to think about now. How well he'd slept thinking he'd protected his family once again. He'd never forgive himself for that. Had it been possible, he would never sleep again.

The car raced through the empty streets before finally parking outside a dilapidated house. Ivy was growing around the brick and parts of it crumbled off due to the long term neglect. The house had never been finished judging by the lack of window panes or someone just smashed/ stole them. It was grey and dreary, no place for a child to be on their own yet that was where Dick was. Batman gulped as he got out of the car and walked inside, nervous to see the state of the acrobat. He immediately was taken aback by the sight that greeted him. He wasn't prepared for it. Dick was curled up with his knees close to his chest with his hands knitted into his hair, pulling on it harshly every so often. He looked like he'd been crying for ages but there were no tears left so his eyes could only glaze over. His arms were covered in scratches that were no doubt self-inflicted. Some were deep, others were shallow but a lot of them were red and raw with the early signs of infection setting in. He was pale and sickly, either due to the stress of crying so much or due to the incident. He mouthed words but his voice was too quiet to hear any of it. Batman stepped further into the house, catching Dick's attention. He flinched at his presence and pressed his back up against the wall, too weak to do much more. "Dickie," Batman muttered, wincing at the sight of his youngest. "I'm so sorry." The torment he must be going through was something Batman didn't want to think about. He didn't want to know what was going through his head when he made those scratches or when he decided to pull at his hair. He got a little closer and Dick paused repeating his words. "What're you saying, chum? You can tell me."

"I'm a bad person," he repeated quietly, his voice strained and cracked. He sounded like he'd been crying for as long as he'd been awake. Batman shook his head, his chest tightening again to no end. "No, you're not a bad person. I am. I accused you of something you didn't do and I'm so sorry," he apologized. He had to fight back tears when he saw the younger tremble then shake his head vigorously. "Dick, please listen. You're not a bad person. You've done so well as a hero. You've helped so many people," he reminded the boy. Dick unknitted his fingers from his hair, not bothering to brush off the hairs he'd been pulling out that had stuck to his hands. 

"I did?" he asked. Batman nodded.

"And you can still help people. How about I take you home, okay? I'll make this up to you and you can keep helping people," the older offered, slowly holding out his hand. Dick looked at it then looked to his guardian. He didn't really have a choice. The Court would eventually find out he wasn't in the possession of Batman and come find him. At least with him, Dick had a warm place to stay and was somewhat safe. "Will you do it again?" he asked, referring to being kicked out. Batman shook his head. 

"For as long as I live, I will never ever do this again. You don't have to stay with me but please accept my help for now." Yet Dick was still hesitant to take his hand. He began to bite at his nails, watching Batman's gloved hand like a hawk. "Do you still love me?" Batman couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They ran down his face as he nodded. 

"Of course and I promise to love you even if it's the last thing I do."

"The others?"

"The only reason they sided with me is because I made them biased. They care about you so much." Dick moved forward and cautiously took his hand, making Batman sigh with relief. He couldn't take much more of seeing his ward so distressed. "Can you walk to the car?" he asked. The younger shook his head. His body was trembling at the thought and he hadn't walked in days. He didn't doubt that his knees would just buckle and he'd collapse to the floor. Batman carefully picked him up and rested him on his hip, easily carrying him to the car. Dick wiped away some of the older's tears, not liking seeing them. "Don't cry."

"I'm sorry. It's just, you did this to yourself," he said, gesturing to the younger's arms. Dick followed his eyes and seemed as though he'd just noticed what he'd done. 

"It hurts," he muttered. 

"I bet. I'll make it better," Batman replied.

The car drive was next to silent as they drove back to the Batcave. Dick had been inspecting his arms for the first time since he'd made the marks. He'd been in a sort of trance of destruction these last few days. He didn't even know he'd made them. He saw small clumps of hair on his hands and checked his head. There were small patches where hair was missing. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see what he looked like. He almost jumped at the person staring back at him. Pale, sickly, thin, tired. He could go on and on and none of the adjectives would be positive. As the adrenaline of being too upset to function wore off, he became very aware that he was hungry and he was thirsty. His mouth felt dry like bones an archaeologist just dug up. "Who did leak the information?" he asked out of interest. Batman hesitated to reply. 

"Selina," he answered.

"Oh. I like her," Dick said, disappointed in the woman. She'd been near enough considered family at this point so her betrayal couldn't have come easy to Batman. "Well you won't be seeing her for a while," he responded bitterly. He glanced at the former Talon in the front seat. She shouldn't be what they were talking about. "Have you eaten or drank in your time away?" Dick laughed hollowly. It was haunting to hear when he'd heard the bright laugh Dick normally had. "You make it sound like a holiday. No, I didn't." Batman tapped on the dashboard and a compartment opened up. There was only a bottle of water since he didn't have a chance to refill it with snacks but it was something. Dick took it hesitantly and screwed off the cap. "Don't drink too fast. You'll throw up," Batman reminded him. He nodded and slowly chugged the bottle. His mouth still felt dry somehow. He noted he was probably severely dehydrated if that were the case. He'd need an IV. He really didn't want an IV. They were annoying and he didn't like the feeling of them under his skin. He didn't even remember having an IV at any point but he felt very sure he didn't like them. "Dick, I'm so sorry. It just seemed so obvious that the new leaks were from a new person," Batman explained, trying to come up with a good excuse but they fell flat. 

"Stop saying sorry," Dick ordered. "I would choose the Talon too. It could've been some old programming, I could've been trained to lie and the whole thing of you saving me could've been a rouse." He sighed to himself, beginning to pick at the scabs absently. "I don't blame you for having no faith in me. I don't." Batman would've crashed the car at that comment if the autopilot hadn't kicked in. 

"I still have faith, it was just a lapse of judgment. You should believe in yourself," he replied, almost demanding him to trust himself. 

"How can I? There are bits of my memory missing. The clearest parts are the worst parts. I could be programmed to act like this and not even know," he argued.

"You don't know that's the case. I've never heard of such a thing from The Court," Batman argued back. 

"You've never heard of a reformed Talon either. Things happen."

They got home before Batman could continue the argument and end it positively. Right now, they had more urgent things to deal with. He got out of the car and heard a soft thud on the other side. He slid across the hood and was by the passenger side door in seconds. Dick was on his hands and needs, shaking. He could hardly keep himself up so Bruce took the initiative to pick him up and carry him to the med bay. "Thank you," Dick mumbled. As they walked in further to the cave, they were met by all of their family glaring daggers as a certain guardian. "How about we take care of Dick this time?" Tim suggested in a bitter tone. The air was thick with tension, an argument in the midst of brewing. He noticed that Bruce's stare had hardened at the comment. "He's my son," he defended. Dick did his best to hide his shock at that comment. He wasn't much of expert on families but he was pretty sure Dads weren't supposed to kick out their son when there was a secret organization that had abused him for years lurking out there waiting to strike. Then again, he wasn't an expert. "And he's our brother. One I didn't believe because of you. He's better in our hands than yours," Damian protested. Now that shocked Dick too. Again, not an expert, but what brother wouldn't make sure their younger brother had somewhere stable to stay when out of their care when it could mean the difference between enslavement and freedom. Alfred walked towards Bruce and opened his arms expectantly. Knowing not to go against the butler, Bruce handed over the hurt child he was holding. "Master Dick, let's get you patched up," Alfred said in a calm tone. "If you all want to fight, you can either keep it quiet or take it outside. I won't have any of you scaring this child more than you already have," he added, addressing the room. 

"But it's Bruce's fault!" Jason argued.

"And it's your fault too for not sticking up for your younger brother. You all agreed to bring him into this family despite his past yet you were all very quick to use said past against him," Alfred retorted. Dick sighed. He didn't need to be a family expert to see the problems arising. The butler swiftly left the room and went to the Med Bay, taking the young boy with him.

"I told you Kyle wasn't to be trusted," Damian growled, folding his arms unhappily. He didn't set his gaze on Bruce. He didn't want to look at him anymore. Once again Selina had come in and ruined things. She'd done it before and he should've known that it would happen again. "I bet she pinned this on him," he added under his breath.

"My allegation against Dick was founded by myself. It was the simplest solution," Bruce defended. "Believe me, I'm just as angry at her as you are." The boys rolled their eyes at him. 

"Yeah right. In a week you'll be fine with her and bringing her over. Then when she steals something else maybe you can pin it on one of us to switch it up," Jason replied sarcastically. He went to defend himself but shut himself up. They were right. His relationship with Selina was always complicated and he didn't doubt that they'd continue to be close even after this. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm not perfect and I make mistakes."

"Mistakes that could've gotten Dick back in the hands of the Court," Tim reminded him.

"Nothing stopped you from going after him yourselves," Bruce argued. They could've gone after him if they wanted to as could he. All of them failed to do something. He wasn't going to allow any more guilt upon his shoulders that he didn't deserve. His sons had to share some of it too. "You stopped us by saying he did it! You accused him of still being a Talon and we trusted you!" Jason yelled. However, Damian and Tim decided that the older's argument was valid. 

"He was a child after all. We promised to help him and we didn't," Damian stated. "No Talon wishes to be a Talon in the first place." The younger huffed out the rest of his anger and folded his arms with a grumble. 

"We all messed up. I accept I messed up the most. All that matters now is helping Dick again and gaining his trust back," Bruce announced. There was a resounding agreement to his statement and they decided to join Alfred in the med bay.

Whilst they'd argued, Dick had been given a protein bar but they doubted that would keep him going after not eating for so long. He looked dreadfully tired yet so wide awake. His body longed for sleep whilst his mind was too active to even have a passing thought about resting. He glanced over to them meekly before returning his gaze to his feet. "Are you okay with us being here?" Tim questioned, noticing the boy tense up. He nodded, shyly meeting the other's eyes. 

"Unless you tell me to run away again," he morbidly joked.

"Hand on heart, we will only tell you to do that when what you're running from might kill you," Jason responded. A shy smile grew on the pair's faces, still awkward around one another. "Sorry about your arms," the older offered. Dick looked down at the cuts. They hurt. A lot. More than they had when he was in the car. Probably because he was done with his distraught high. "It's okay," he replied. "Felt worse." That wasn't particularly reassuring to hear but they understood his sentiment. He just didn't want to worry them and make them feel any more guilty than he already did. "You'll need an IV. You're severely dehydrated and I don't think we can solve it by just drinking lots of water," Alfred claimed, already setting up the bag. The younger cringed. He didn't want it. He should be okay with it. He didn't have a reason to fear needles. At least, he didn't remember anything that gave him a reason. Just flickers of things. "We can stay with you if you want," Tim suggested.

"You don't mind?" Tim stepped forward and carefully held the boy's hand in his. It was smaller than his which always made him smile. Despite his capability, Dick always looked so cute and fragile. Maybe that's why he was chosen to be a Talon in the first place. Nobody would suspect him of such awful crimes that they knew he'd committed. It was the perfect cover. "Not at all." They brought chairs around to the left side of the bed, leaving the right side empty for now so that Alfred could work quickly and easily. "Are you scared of needles?" Jason asked out of curiosity.

"I think so. I don't remember why though," he answered. He was really trying to remember. It was really bugging him not knowing. The missing parts of his memories always annoyed him. He was desperate to know the information he couldn't get to. "Some fears are irrational," Damian stated.

"But this doesn't feel irrational. It's like I just forgot why."

All hell broke loose when the Alfred began putting in the IV. The sensation triggered something in Dick. He glanced over at the bag and suddenly the clear liquid was a weird colour. Not quite yellow not quite gold. Alfred wasn't there anymore. A man with thick goggles and a mask that covered the bottom half of his face had taken his spot. He wore a clean white coat, his bald head shining in the clinically bright lights, and he wore blue latex gloves. Dick shivered upon seeing it and squeezed his eyes shut to make it go away. Now he remembered why he didn't like needles. He opened his eyes again. The man was still there. Where was Alfred? His eyes darted around his surroundings. He caught glimpses of the room he'd just been in but just as soon as he saw them they turned back to the clinical room of the Court of Owls. He'd spent many hours in there. Too long a time. He felt like his body was tied down. His breathing picked up, getting quicker and quicker and shorter and shorter. He tried to shake his head but it felt like it'd been fixed in place. He began to second guess the two realities. Which one was the real one? He could still feel the scratches on his arms so the one where he was with Bruce was there was real. Then why couldn't he see that reality? Surely he should be able to. He tried to shake his head but it felt too restricted. The needle was now fully in and the disgusting mixture was running from the IV and into his veins. He remembered it burnt. It burnt like fire was going into his veins. And it hurt. It hurt so much and he called out for someone to help every time they put the needle in. Nobody ever came. His mind would always go back to his uncle. He would save him. His uncle had to save him because he was family and family always cared for each other. His uncle never came. Dick thought that nobody ever cared to find him. Who would? The only people that really cared for him were dead in a grave somewhere he didn't know. He heard a man paid for the funeral. A Mr. Bruce Wayne. He knew the family. Who didn't? Was that why he imagined himself being there? Was this his reality? Maybe he made it all up in his head that he'd been saved in order to escape the truth that he was never going to escape. Dick wanted it to stop.

"Dickie, it's okay, everything's okay," Bruce said in a hushed tone. His tone and repetition of the phrase lured the boy back into reality. He looked around in a panic before his eyes fell on Bruce. His chest ached from breathing so unevenly and there was a buzz in his head from the lack of oxygen. Dick studied the room. Yes, this was how he remembered it. It wasn't too harsh all be it a bit medically sterile. He looked at the IV bag, feeling very reassured when he saw the clear liquid. "What happened there, chum?" Bruce asked. He petted the boy's hair to keep him calm. Dick would sleep tonight with all the stress he'd been under. He looked exhausted already. "I think I remembered," Dick mumbled, maintaining his staring competition with the IV bag. "That's how they did it," he added.

"Did what?"

"Made me a Talon. They'd put in an IV then leave. Felt like hours. Burnt." Dick could hardly make a full sentence. He was too busy getting used to the memory coming back in his head. It slotted into place on the timeline but it was one of many blocked out memories. There was more to discover and they'd all be just as grim to remember. He just hoped they wouldn't come back so suddenly and awfully. "Wasn't a nuisance was I?" he questioned.

"Not at all. You just went a bit quiet and your breathing picked up," his guardian informed him. "I think you should get some sleep."

"But I'm not tired."

"I think you will be when you try and relax."

It took some coaxing and a warm drink to soothe Dick to sleep but it was worth it if it meant he'd get some rest. Bruce sat beside him the entire night, stroking his hair to keep him comfortable whilst Alfred wrapped and stitched his arms. "We'll need to keep an eye on this behaviour," Damian spoke up. The brothers had been watching the younger sleep, just to make sure he was okay. That and they now didn't trust Bruce to be alone with him. "What do you mean?" Jason inquired. He'd sobered up a lot from his anger towards his mentor now. The sight of Dick so terrified without a moment's notice helped him remember there were more important things to be angry over. That didn't mean he forgave Bruce. In no shape or form did he forgive him. This was just a truce to be called off whenever he preferred it to. "The scratches are self-inflicted, look at the skin under the nails and the direction of them," the older explained. "It's simple to see that he has self-destructive tendencies. We should keep them in mind in case there's some bad news we have to tell him. I doubt he'd do it on a mission, old training would prevent it, but it's still a possibility." They guessed this was Damian's brotherly love kicking in, making him worry about their youngest. Had Dick been awake to see it, he might've been teased for it. Maybe if he was, this whole thing wouldn't be as horrible as it was. At least they'd know he wasn't trusting them out of necessity rather than truthfulness. "Do you think he was like this before?" Tim wondered aloud.

"Perhaps but that doesn't matter. He'll never be the boy from the circus. Not after everything," Bruce answered pessimistically.

"I wouldn't be so sure Master Bruce. He may just surprise you," Alfred differed.

over 5000 words of just word soup