Villain Dick shall thrive today

The ballroom filled with shouts and screams as blue smoke filtered in beneath the exit doors, forcing the group to the middle of the room. Within the group were the Batfamily minus their acrobat preparing themselves to slip out of the situation only to return to save the night. Not like many of them wanted to given those attending the gala were the worst people they met and they dealt with Gotham's villains. Speaking of, which one had decided to make their night harder than it needed to be? Without immediate deaths, they guessed it wasn't Joker nor Bane. The smoke was blue so it couldn't be Riddler. No plants so it's not Poison Ivy. "Ladies and gentlemen, the bitch is back!" Oh no. A smile slowly crept onto their faces. Well, not Bruce's face. If they had to describe his expression, it would be pissed beyond belief. 

"What is he doing here?" Bruce hissed under his breath. They all turned their attention to the stage where none other than Dick Grayson himself stood. The fact that he still wore the Nightwing symbol across his chest angered his former mentor but that was part of the reason he still wore it. Of course, now it was on a tight-fitting cropped tank top, showing off his scarred arms and torso. His henchmen with the matching insignia flooded the room, preventing them from running off without drawing attention. He knew all their tricks and clearly didn't want them to stop the fun so soon. He took the microphone from the stand and turned it on, clearing his throat to make sure all eyes were on him. Always one for an audience even before the villainry. 

"Now, I'm going to be ever so simplistic in my demand. I want the children of Bruce Wayne to come along with me willingly. If they do so, they'll be returned at the end of the night safe and sound," he announced. The siblings struggled to hide their grins at the escape plan. Here he was still saving them from the God awful galas they were forced to attend. They couldn't ask for a better out. "If not then perhaps we should reassess a certain someone's parenting skills."

"Richard this is ridiculous!" Bruce barked. 

"Here's something more ridiculous. Letting your ward hang out with Batman for a while. Bet ya boyfriend is regretting it all now," Dick responded with a grin. He hadn't outed the family as heroes which they could appreciate. He'd concocted a story about Bruce and Batman being close and due to that Bruce allowed Dick to hang out with the vigilante hence why he was Robin. Media outlets ran away with it and concocted a dramatic love story between Bruce and Batman that was honestly a great read. 

"Richard!"

"RicHard!" the acrobat mocked. He took his gun from its holster and pointed it at the crowd, his smile remaining in place. "Gimme your kids or I'm shooting Mr Grabby Hands over there. Yeah, I remember you weirdo."

"Fine! Go with him," the billionaire huffed. They nodded and walked over to the various henchmen who put their hands on their shoulders. Nothing too extreme which was a rather nice change to the usual kidnappings they were usually a part of. Then again, they wouldn't expect any different from their big brother. Dick hummed and put his gun down and snapped his fingers, causing his men to bring the siblings to the stage before pulling them behind the curtains. The villain gave the men a harsh look that they recoiled under to ensure they didn't harm their precious cargo then turned back to the crowd.

"This has been a rather wonderful reunion, really we should do this more often, but I've got what I came here for so I'll have to say toodles. Nice seeing ya B, say hi to Bats won't you?" he concluded, giving him a wave as he skipped backstage. Bruce glared at him the whole time but it didn't do much to the acrobat. He'd had worse and at that point, the man meant very little to him.

The siblings were brought to the back of the building where they were greeted by David, the familiar ginger bodyguard Dick was dating and employing. He gave them a nod of acknowledgement before leading them to a lorry and helping each of them inside. "Did they hurt any of you?" he asked seriously. When they shook their heads, the henchmen behind the man sighed with relief. It was near comical how much they feared the consequences of doing anything wrong to them. "Good. Sit tight." There were no chairs inside but that was obvious considering it was a lorry. It was warm in there though which was something they could appreciate. There were a few lights strung up on the ceiling and two boxes strapped to the floor. Outside, they could hear motorbikes revving up and racing off. They assumed they were heading towards a base or to wherever they were going to be kept for a bit. Dick exited the building not soon after they were all put inside and ran up to his bodyguard, kissing him gently before taking his hand to be helped inside. David closed the door behind him and locked it tight before getting into the driver's seat. They heard a hum of the engine and soon got moving. 

"So, how're we feeling about the kidnapping so far?" Dick asked, taking a seat on the floor with them. He sat with his legs folded over one another and aside from everything that had happened that led to this point, they would've thought it a fairly normal interaction with him. They missed it, especially Damian. It'd been a long time since they'd seen one another thanks to busy schedules, prison terms and the looming figure of a disappointed mentor breathing down their necks. 

"I'm docking a point for the lack of chairs," Steph complained jokingly. He cackled and nodded as though he was making a mental note. "But you're doing a good job so far so I say eight out of ten."

"I have to say, the blue smoke was a good idea," Tim complimented.

"David's idea actually. I just made the formula. I'm thinking of making blue and red ones for Harls since Christmas is coming up," he rambled. 

"What's the plan with us then?" Jason asked. 

"Oh, it's been so long since we all caught up! I've been meaning to ask what you want for Christmas," he explained simply. He'd been trying to keep things as normal between them as he could, continuing to get them gifts and helping them on cases. He only forwent the latter if it harmed his personal interests. It was the best they could get given their divide. They doubted that this was the only reason he'd kidnapped them though. It felt too simplistic. He already knew them inside out and he could've gotten them all gifts rather easily. It felt like he was asking something else but they couldn't think what. Considering they didn't know what else he could want, they went around saying what they wanted and watched him repeat it to remember it. They found themselves enjoying the domestic conversation despite the non-domestic setting.

After hearing their requests, Dick hummed and confirmed he knew what they wanted. Then he asked what they were doing for the holiday. "Bruce invited us all to the Manor. You leaving the family and all was hard on Alfred," Tim explained. He seemed to deflate at the answer but only for a second. He soon picked himself back up but his disappointment had been clear. He wanted to spend the holidays with them, that was clear. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Not like he once had. It only seemed to hit now that he couldn't go back over the bridge he burned nor could he lure them across it. 

"Ah, that nice," he replied quietly. "Anywho, where do you want to be dropped off? Back at your places so you can fake saving yourselves or?"

"Best dropping us off at the Manor," Steph stated. He frowned but still called to David to set a course there.

"You don't wanna hang out for a bit?" They wanted to. They really did. The only problem was Bruce would make Christmas hell for them if he found out they didn't come back as soon as they got the chance to. Yes, they were mostly adults but Alfred needed Christmas to go as good as it could get. The poor guy had to deal with the fallout of everything and although he did his best to hide it, he did miss the acrobat as he had missed Jason. None of them wanted him to suffer if they could help it since he did so much for them. Dick seemed to get the idea and once again disappointment flashed across his face. "No worries, maybe I could leave your gifts by the door on the day? Before Bruce comes out of the Cave?" They glanced around at one another and he knew that the suggestion was dead in the water. For it to be the best Christmas it could be, he couldn't be there at all.

"Grayson, I don't think you understand. We cannot see you on Christmas and you cannot see us," Damian said.

"No, yeah I was joking of course. I'll shove them somewhere or whatever. No worries."

"I'm sorry," Cass signed to him.

"It's alright," he replied. "I'll probably be busy anyway. I've got factions in nearly every major city of the US now. We're thinking about going overseas but I'm shaky about it. You know how people tend to defect when I'm not there," he rambled. He was clearly hurt but the problem was the person who hurt him wasn't there. Bruce needed to see it but even if he were there in person he wouldn't see it. He was great at denial. "I suppose I'll see you in the New Year then?"

"Yeah, around that time," Tim assured him. 

David frowned when he found Dick in his study that night. They'd dropped off his siblings easy enough and escaped before the police could catch them. All they found was a lorry left beside a foodbank. Somehow the truck was under their name despite being brand new and it was left in their care after being swabbed for evidence. Still, that kind part of the kidnapping was overshadowed by the reminder that he didn't have that tie to the family anymore. Dick was happier in this life but he could only be so happy with the life he'd led and was currently living. The ginger knocked on the door lightly, making him look up from his work and smile softly. "Hey David," he greeted quietly. 

"Still upset?"

"A little. Reopens the old wounds I guess," he answered. David strolled into the room and inspected the papers with a hum. There were beginnings of a plan to break everyone out of Arkham Asylum which only made him sigh. It was reactionary to being cut off and he knew it would only make things worse. He could care less about the Dark Knight but if it affected his boyfriend negatively then he had to step in and get him back to reality.

"This won't help," he commented. Dick hummed and leaned into his bodyguard's hand which cupped his cheek gently. The freckled fingers made him feel so safe.

"I know. I'm not gonna do it but damn do I want to," he mumbled defeatedly. 

"We...we could have our own Christmas with Harley and Ivy," David suggested, desperate to see a smile back on the other's face. "We could invite the Allens." 

"Can we spend it together? Just the two of us?" He smiled, silently relieved that he didn't have to see the speedsters. Although Barry was kind, he was a lot to deal with. He much preferred this idea.

"I'd love that," he replied. "Now, can you come to bed? That meeting is in the morning and you shouldn't spend your time in here."

"I think someone just wants to spend time with me," Dick taunted but he got up all the same. 

"Oh no, you've caught me," David deadpanned. "How could you have known I'd want to spend time with my boyfriend?"

"Just a feeling." He collected the papers and shoved them into a desk drawer before getting up. His arm snaked around the ginger's waist and pulled him close so they could share a quick kiss. They left the room shortly after and Dick found himself not regretting leaving the plan where it was. Alfred deserved a nice Christmas even if it could only be nice without him there. Worse things had happened to him, this wouldn't be the thing to mortally wound him.