I'm posting this a little early because I'm going to be busy over the weekend and will forget to post it then

There will be graphic depictions of violence so if you're not into that, you should skip this week's 

Tuesday night. Tim frowned to himself. Dick hadn't shown up. Dick's seat was left empty as he stepped out onto the stage to receive the award. He instantly felt uneasy. There would've been some sort of warning if Dick was going to be late or if he wasn't coming at all. He sneaked a look at his phone, finding that there was no warning of any kind. His unease grew. Dick never pulled this kind of stunt. Something wasn't right. Those death threats hadn't left his mind either. He'd been practically losing sleep over them. Dick would never be safe with people like that just waiting to pounce whenever they could. What if someone finally got to him and he was just bleeding out in some alleyway somewhere? God, he couldn't stand the thought of Dick being alone if and when he finally kicked the bucket. He was such a family-driven man. It would probably kill him faster. Tim shuddered at the thought.

After an agonizing hour, Tim whipped out his phone and called his older brother. Voicemail. His breath hitched. Things weren't adding up in his favour. He thought about who else to call. Bruce was off-world with Barbara and a few members of the League. That knocked out the people who had tabs on Dick's every move. He racked his brain before snapping his fingers. "Jason." He raced to find his contact and called the vigilante. "Where's Dick?" they said at the same time. Tim's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know. Oh God, he didn't know. "Have you tried Damian?" Tim asked, holding onto some hope that the brat had stolen Dick away to spite them. 

"He hasn't seen or heard from him since lunch today. He called me earlier to ask where he is," Jason informed him. Tim muttered a curse under his breath and ran to the nearest bathroom. 

"I'm going out," he said, swiftly taking out the cameras in the school so he could get dressed in peace. "Meet at Wayne Tower," he added. Jason made an affirmative noise and hung up. Those death threats sprung to the forefront of his mind. Every page with handwritten abuse, typed out murder plots, and cutout threats. They were burned into his retinas. He hoped Dick had just forgotten about everything and was hanging out with Young Justice. Maybe Bart was keeping him occupied and time just got away from him. Then why didn't he answer his phone? Dick nearly always answered his phone. In this family business, you had to.

Red Hood and Robin joined Red Robin at the top of Wayne Tower. They were just as shaken as Red Robin. "Any sign of him?" he asked on a whim.

"I've called him thrice since you didn't tell me where he is, each time no reply," Robin replied. Something must've happened for certain. 

"Is Joker out of Arkham?" Red Hood inquired. The younger pair nodded. "Fuck," he muttered. "Joker sent one of those death threats. He must've finally gotten the balls to follow through." His despise for the clown prince of crime had never been clearer. 

"He's not Nightwing," Robin muttered. "His patrol time is midnight, he would've been caught as Grayson." Red Robin's heart thrust up into his throat. That meant Dick had nothing to defend himself but it also meant that Joker knew who he was. They were in so much shit. They'd have to get one of the Martians to wipe Joker's mind. "Joker's a showman, if he had Dick then he'd show it off," Red Hood mentioned.

"And?"

"And there's been no reports of the kidnapping yet. We still have time before he starts-" he paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a large crowd outside of a TV shop. That never meant anything good. Silently, he made his way down to the shop with two confused brothers close behind him.

They gulped loudly. Joker was on TV. Dick was on TV too. He was black and blue, struggling to even keep his head up to glare at the crazed criminal. "Tracking the signal," Red Robin announced, distracting himself from the screen. He couldn't block out the evil laughter, however. "How long has this been on for?" Robin asked a shocked citizen. 

"No more than twenty minutes. That Grayson fellow looked like that when it started," they replied. 

"Has he had any demands?" The crowd shook their heads. When Joker didn't have any demands, the chances of living dropped to 0. He was just doing it for fun rather than for a reason. It was senseless. But he didn't think about one very important fact. Dick was close with heroes and there was no way in hell they were going to let Joker get away with even touching a hair on the acrobat's head. "What're you doing?" Robin asked when Red Hood began furiously typing on his phone. 

"Calling Dick's mum."

Through half-lidded eyes, Dick could just make out the green hair and purple coat of the Joker. He hissed in pain as the clown laughed, his high pitched cackles ringing through his head. Everything hurt so much. He tried to remember why but all he could get were flashes of crowbars. There was a cane in there somewhere too. His head fell forward as he tried to get some focus on where he was. He let out a small groan as he recalled walking to Tim's awards evening. He took a shortcut to Tim's school, a side street that led straight to the school entrance. There was a second set of footsteps. Then a third. Then a fourth. He turned around just to make sure he wasn't being followed when something sharp pierced his chest. An electrical shock went through his body and he was left on the floor, unable to move. A rag covered his mouth and manic laughter played through his head. He was dragged out of his remembrance by a hand tugging at his black hair, forcing him to look up. Joker's face greeted him. "Might wanna take a step back, close-ups aren't your thing," he mumbled, seeing the cracks in the man's white face paint. The Joker scowled at his small smirk. He slapped the acrobat harshly, reopening the cuts that had just begun to clot and scab. "Still don't know when to shut up I see. I have to admire it honestly," the clown responded, standing up straight. He snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, Dick was thrust backward. The action made bile rise up but he managed to choke it back down. "But I don't want any interruptions whilst I talk to your Daddy," Joker stated. Dick didn't understand until a tea towel was placed over his face. His eyes widened when a gush of water hit the towel, making it increasingly hard to breathe. In fact, he couldn't breathe at all. He tried to swallow the constant flow of water but it didn't work. The water tasted off. Almost as though there was chlorine in it. Were they going to poison him? He gripped the chair. His heart raced as he panicked. He couldn't breathe. He needed to breathe. Joker wouldn't make him die like this right? He was a dramatic killer, this was too boring surely. The towel was removed and he spat out any water left in his mouth. He sucked in as much air as he could but the towel was replaced and the process began again. They wouldn't let him pass out. He wished to pass out. He couldn't help but to also yearn for something more permanent if it meant he was released from the pain he was in. The weeks he was going to spend aching dawned upon him. He would be housebound for ages. He'd go stir crazy.

Joker finished his taunting and the process was finally ended. He was tipped forward again, causing him to cough up any water he'd failed to swallow. Nausea hit him like a brick and it took all his strength not to throw up. He let a whimper loose, instantly regretting it when Joker chuckled. He'd shown weakness at the worst possible moment. "Aww, are you getting tired, Dickie?" Joker complained. He delivered a swift smack, trying to shock Dick awake. That didn't work but he was a stubborn man. When he wanted a reaction, he'd get it. Dick wondered what Joker was going to do to him to get a reaction. Everything felt so numb that he doubted another hit would give him what he wanted. The Joker didn't hit him though. He snapped his fingers instead. A knife was plunged into Dick's thigh, making him cry out in pain. "There we go. Nothing like a good stabbing to wake someone up." Dick glared at him. Apparently, not everything was numb. "I wonder where the bat brats are now? Watching their brother die as they deal with more important things? Maybe they're in space somewhere." Dick gritted his teeth. They'd find him, before or after the Joker was done with him he couldn't be sure.

The crazed maniac opened his mouth to spout more taunts when there were yells from the hall leading up to them. "Oh, it appears I'm mistaken," Joker commented. He pulled out the knife that had been left in Dick's thigh, causing him to yelp, and walked behind the acrobat. Dick thought he was running away until a gloved hand grabbed a handful of hair. His head snapped backward and cold steel met his neck. The doors to the room where they were slammed open. There were a few more grunts of pain and Dick's eyebrows furrowed when he heard splashing. Where the hell was he? "Joker, step away from Grayson," Robin ordered.

"Now why would I do that when I have the higher ground?" Joker replied. Ah, that metal pressed against Dick's neck was a knife. Great. 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Red Robin warned. Dick looked up to the roof and smiled.

 "You're screwed," he croaked. The Joker followed his eye line only to find a metal boot inches away from his face. That metal boot belonged to Wonder Woman and she was pissed. Majorly pissed. Joker fell to the ground, his knife leaving his hand and sliding far away from him. In a last-ditch attempt to end Dick's life, he kicked Dick's chair harshly. He fell back and was instantly engulfed in cold water. The cold made him gasp but that caused chlorinated water to fill his mouth. Now he realized where they were. Joker brought him to the leisure center. Odd but he had more pressing matters to worry about like surviving. He tried to free himself but that was near impossible thanks to the tight ropes. His chair weighed him down too, giving him even less time to get out of there.

Red Robin ran to the swimming pool whilst Robin took out the camera and Red Hood joined in beating up the Joker. He dived in and silently thanked Bruce for making him go to all those swimming lessons. He swam down to the depths, pulled out a birderang and cut through the thick ropes. Then he took hold of Dick and swam back to the surface. Dick gasped for breath, fighting off the temptation to pass out. "Oi midget! Little help!" Red Robin yelled as he struggled to push Dick out of the water. The younger was by their side in seconds and got Dick onto the poolside. He helped Dick cough up the water which was mixed with the lunch they had. He shuddered but kept a poker face. "Bout time you guys showed up," Dick joked as his body convulsed in shock. 

"You're a hard man to find," Red Robin responded. The acrobat gave him a smile right before his eyes rolled back and he slumped forward. Red Robin caught him and, after making sure he hadn't died, let out a sigh of relief. "Is he alright?" Wonder Woman asked, letting Red Hood cuff Joker up.

"We should get him to hospital."

Dick opened his eyes with a whine. He felt someone petting his hair softly and cracked open his eye to see who it was. "Hey D," he greeted, making Diana smile. 

"Hey Dickie, how do you feel?"

"Like I got run over by a truck," he replied. "Anything broke?" She nodded, her smile failing for little more than a moment. 

"Fractured cheekbone and a few cracked ribs. Looks like Joker was more focused on the water aspect of hurting you," she informed him solemnly. He hummed and leaned further into her hand. 

"Where are the boys?"

"I sent them on a few errands so I could have you all to myself," she said, making him grin. 

"Aww, I love you too D." She rolled her eyes lovingly, placing a light kiss on his forehead. "Did you give Joker a few good hits from me?"

"Let's just say he's in a body cast," Diana admitted. "Jay may have shot him but that's neither here nor there," she muttered. Of course, Jay would shoot him. He was surprised that he only got a shot in. Dick was content for a moment until he realized that the Joker knew his secret identity. He sat up quickly, successfully winding himself. "Hey, sit back down. You're only going to hurt yourself," Diana said, coaxingly pushing him back down. 

"But Joker he knows-"

"Not for long. M'gann has that covered," she informed him. He was still uneasy but he wasn't about to fight against the Amazonian. 

"How long has he been awake for?" Tim asked from the doorway. Damian swiftly barged past him and stole the seat beside their eldest brother. 

"A few minutes," Diana answered. They nodded and sat on either edge of his bed. 

"I'm sorry we didn't get to you faster," Tim stated.

"You got to me fast enough and that's all that matters," Dick argued. He, by chance, glanced over to Jason, noticing his guilty look. "Hey, can Jay and I have a minute alone? May as well give the gun safety lecture Fresh Prince of Bel-Air style."

Once alone, Dick patted the chair Diana was sat on. Jason hesitantly sat there and began to nervously play with his hands. "What's wrong lil wing?" he asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Jason replied defensively.

"And I don't have a black eye," Dick taunted. "C' mon, you can tell me." Jason bit at his nails before responding. 

"I knew Joker was gunning for you." Dick sat up in surprise, letting out a whine of pain. 

"How?" he choked out.

"One of the death threats. I recognized it from a case I did."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Dick exclaimed. Sure he didn't want to make Jason feel guiltier but he was currently sitting in a hospital bed in a hell of a lot of pain with a lack of patience. "I thought he would get you when you were home! I thought I'd be able to protect you!" He put his head in his hands, realizing what his decision caused. Dick sighed. 

"Well there isn't much we can do about it now, is there?" he muttered. "Next time, you let me know. I'd rather not be beaten to a pulp so you can play protector." Jason looked up at him with a serious face.

"There won't be a next time if he knows what's good for him." Dick shook his head.

"Guys like him don't have much self-awareness I'm afraid. But at least he's out of service for a while," he said. "Do me a favour and don't burn down my apartment whilst I'm recovering." Jason scoffed. 

"I think I can handle that."

Any suggestions for something fluffy I can write, I can only be angsty