Chapter Text
“You cannot hide from me Damian,” his father hissed out. Damian held his breath as Batman stalked past his hiding spot.
I cannot be loud, but my chest feels tight. Is this really my father? It has to be, there is no way it is not. But why would he do this? Why would he try to kill me? When did breathing become so hard? Was that the sound of fighting? Has someone finally answered my emergency beacon? I need to calm down. I cannot feel my hands. Has the fighting stopped?
Damian peers around the corner to locate Batman. As he does, a batarang flies inches from his head. He ducks back around the wall. “Father?” Damian’s whispered word quivers with pain and fear. He can feel the blood dripping from his hand. Damian tightens his grip on his abdomen as blood seeps through his clenched fingers. The Batman had just tried to kill him. There was no mistaking him for anyone else. He was dressed like his father and he acted like his father too. This was no imitation. This wasn’t Clayface. This wasn’t a clone. This was his father , his flesh and blood.
There’s sound but Damian can’t focus on it enough to tell what it is. Does he hear fighting? Damina sees this as his opportunity to flee. He rushes across the rooftops nearby. He only makes it a couple blocks before he can’t move any longer. His vision starts to blur. He collapses to the floor. His mind is blank and fuzzy. Before he blacks out, a figure lands in front of him. For the first time in his life, he hopes it's not his father.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dick has never been so terrified in his entire life. Damian’s emergency beacon had gone off over an hour ago and now he was in surgery. Dick had never seen his brother look so weak and fragile. It scared the shit out of him.
No one knew exactly how he was (except Alfred and Leslie, obviously) or what was happening. But as soon as Damina can be moved, they’re getting out of Gotham. Dick is going to bring as many of his siblings with him. Until they can find Bruce, Dick will keep them all in his apartment in Blüdhaven. Space be damned.
We almost lost Damian tonight. Bruce has gone insane and no one, not even fucking Superman , knows where he is. Barbara and Tim can’t find anything about him. And when did the walls start closing in? Whatever, it doesn't matter. I just need to think. I- I can’t think!
Dick turns around and heads out of Leslie’s clinic, Tim close on his heels. Everyone had shown up when they had found out what had happened, well almost everyone (Barbara was still at the Clocktower trying to find Bruce and Cass had gotten on a plane as soon as she had heard what happened).
“Dick, please stay. Damian needs you to be here for him. You can’t run away, I know you want to but you can’t. The rest of us need you too. And you need us,” Tim sounded so small and so, so scared.
Dick stops in front of his bike. He looks back at him, “I can’t be in there any longer, I just-” Dick abruptly sucks in air, trying to hold back a sob. “How could he do this?” It comes out as a whisper.
Tim rams into Dick with a hug and Dick immediately wraps his arms around him. “It’ll be okay, Dick. You’re not alone. Everyone is here. I promise, we will fix this. And we will make sure no one else is hurt by him,” Tim whispers reassurances while Dick silently cries into his shoulder. Dick can only hope Tim is right. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to handle Bruce hurting anyone else.