Chapter 2
“Nightwing you’re needed in the Diamond distrust now.” Oracle commanded in his ear, she sounded nervous which was a stark contrast to her nagging him about staying at the manor for a few more nights about twenty minutes ago.
“Heading over now O.” He responded.
He was approaching the coronates that Babs sent him when he heard a deafening explosion. Snapping his head in that direction it dawned on him that’s where he was heading. Picking up the pace he landed neatly before searching for people. He spotted an arm under the rubble. Dick grunted while he lifted the heavy piece of concrete to reveal a man in a wolf mask who was undoubtedly dead. He scooted over as Jason landed next to him and pulled the guy out.
“ It’s giving me.” Jason snarked.
“Hood, Not. The. Time.” He snapped back.
Jason set the guy down and then raised his hands in the air. “What’s got your tutu in a twist Goldie.”
Dick didn’t dignify that with a response. Jason froze looking just past Dick.
“What? What is it Hood?”
Dick whipped his head around to see Tim sticking half out from under a metal door. “Tim, Oh my god, shit no not again.” For a second instead of Tim it was little Jason’s crumpled up body. Dick ran over to his little brother trying to move the door off his little body, he’s never noticed how small Tim was.
Jason ran over and wrapped his hands around the other side of the door. This time he lifted as Dick reached for Tim moving him out from under the deberie. Tim’s face was covered in ash and blood but nothing seemed broken. His torso however was mangled. Dick felt bile run up his throat as he saw something white stick out of his little brother chest.
He cradled Tim’s head as he softly spoke, “Baby bird everything’s going to be ok. You’re ok.” He felt the lie roll of his tongue. He didn’t need Tim to believe it, he needed himself to believe it.
Dick touched Tim’s neck checking for a pulse. He felt tears threatened to boil over when he felt a somewhat steady but extremely weak pulse.
“He’s alive.” Dick let out a breath he was unaware that he had been holding in. Next to him he saw Jason’s shoulders sag suggesting he did the exact same thing.
There was a roaring sound that was music to Dick’s ears as a black sleek vehicle sped towards them. To Dick’s surprise it was Alfred who stepped out from the driver’s seat instead of Bruce. With Agents A’s iconic masquerade mask.
“My dear boy.” With an amazing feat of skill Alfred raised Tim out of Dick’s arms without jostling any of his injuries.
Jason and Dick quickly got up from where they had been crouching in the ruble. Dick almost tripped on his way over to the batmobile because of the man who had the wolf mask. The guy had totally slipped his mind when he had spotted Tim in the rubble. That made him feel even worse. Jason surprisingly gently touched Dick’s shoulder.
“I’ll handle him, you go with Agent A and Red.”
“Thank you.” Dick whispered to Jason, he meant it with his whole heart.
Dick ran after Alfred sliding in the backseat as Tim was placed in the back row. He ran his fingers through Tim’s hair.
—
The back of the manor slowly came into view as Alfred maneuvered the car into the hidden entrance to the cave. The waterfall parted with a low hiss as the car made its way down the long spiraling tunnel. The car stopped next to Tim’s bike that he had left to do some repairs on. That may never get done. The side door was thrown open by Alfred, his facial expression steel as he took Tim out from where he had been laid down across the backseats and also Dick’s lap.
He hurriedly followed suit jogging slightly to walk beside Alfred over to the med cot that had probably been prepared when, supposedly Jason or Babs had rung in Tim’s condition. Tim was placed on the white surface which immediately started to turn red as his blood soaked through.
“I am going to get Master Tim ready for emergency surgery. I will alert everyone when he is ready to be seen.” Alfred turned to Dick while pulling on plastic gloves and sliding a mask onto his face. Dick looked back at Tim “But-”
“No buts Master Ricard, I have called in a friend to keep you company while you wait in the manor, upstairs.” Alferd gave him the equivalent of a bat-glare but since it was Alfred it was a million times more effective. Dick hung his head and turned away from Tim and made his way towards the elevator that had been put in place when Oracle had came to the scene. Taking a glance back he watched Alfred pull the curtains close around himself and Tim only out lines now can be seen. Turning away once again, he clicked the upwards arrow and waited for the quiet ding to show the elevator had arrived.
—
Once upstairs he mechanically moved in the direction towards his room when all the sudden he was on the ground. He was about to throw the blur off him when he noticed the ginger hair and green eyes.
“Wally.” He breathed as the other man rolled off him and sat up in one smooth motion.
“The big guy called me in saying you needed some cheering up” Wally grinned at Dick. He couldn’t help but return the gesture. “So I was thinking of bingeing all five Scream movies or maybe all the Disney Princesses. Actually, both are great.” Wally rattled off while helping Dick to his feet and leading him towards the family living room. When they walked into the room Damian was already sitting on the couch flipping through the channels looking bored.
“Hey Dames.” Dick called while making his way over to the couch and plopping down on it.
“Richard, West.” Damian replied not turning away from the TV as he asked “ How was patrol?” Dick tried to keep his smile from faltering as he thought of Tim alone in the cave, having emergency surgery. Well he wasn’t alone Alfred was there he would take care of him. He felt bile rise to his throat again as he thought of the bone that has been sticking out of his little brother.
“Oh it was fine, nothing really exciting happened.” Dick brushed off while pushing the bile back down. He didn’t want Damian to worry until after the surgery. As little as Damian shows it he does care about Tim, in his own special way.
-+-Something is very wrong, Richards has been acting weird for the last three days. Damian has not had a movement away from him in 72 hours. He’s also been more touchy, physically. Every-time Damian walks in a room he’s swept up in an octopus hug.
Also Todd has been hanging around the manor which has been happening more often over the past year but, he’s been cooking and baking so much that Father had to run out to get eggs which is so unheard of because they never run out of eggs. Also the fact that Father went out to get said eggs was insane. Something must be wrong with Pennyworth, not that Damian cares a lot about him. He just wishes him to recover so Todd leaves the premises. West has been coming in and out also , mostly after his patrol is done in the Central. He inhales all the food that Todds has been cooking which made both parties happy. West because he gets free food and Todd because all the food he for who knows what reason, has been making.
Damian flipped onto the next page in his sketchbook as he hid in the library away from all the people occupying the manor at the moment. Save for Alfred the cat who was curled up next to him purring softly. Damian has been living in the manor for four years now, one would think he was used to all the noise that was going on constantly throughout the halls. But sometimes Damian just feels so…overwhelmed. The word makes him wince slightly. Wyanes shouldn’t get overwhelmed.
“ Dami, we all get overwhelmed sometimes. It’s natural.” Richards' voice echoed in his mind.
Sighing, he closed the book and set it next to him, much to the delight of Alfred who jumped up into his lap snuggling up to Damian. He absentmindedly stroked Alfred as his mind wandered. The one person he hasn’t seen also for the past three days was Drake. Probably off on one of his Young Justice or whatever it was called missions. Like how Cain and Brown were off planet dealing with some aliens. Damian leaned his head back on the bookshelf, he might as well get some sleep before patrol tonight in the one quiet room of the manor at the moment. He drifted slowly into sleep.
-+-
Jason slid the recently ready langasua out of the oven. With gloves on because he might be a crime lord but he’s totally out of control. He placed the dish on the counter where Wally was happily doing a plate full of potato salad. Wally wasn’t the worst of all Dickface’s friends so Jason allows it. Next to him was Conner Kent who had just flown in after hearing about Replacement’s condition.
Alfred had completed the surgery successfully but had said the next week was going to be the most telling if the kid was going to pull through. When he had given the news for some reason the first thing he thought was “What was the last conversation I had with Tim.” What was the last sentence or even word he had said. The only thing he knew for fucking sure was that it wasn’st sorry. Which it probably should have been, or also way beforehand. Jason doesn’t think he’s ever apologized for anything in his whole damn life.
Well he was raised by Bruce Sorry isn’t a word in my vocab Wayne. So it wasn’t entirely Jason's fault. Jason has his own way of making up. like giving the kid food three days after his birthday instead of on the actual day because he’s said before about how he doesn’t like getting things on his birthday, how he had asked the kid for help on a recent case relating to Penguin in the Alley, or how Jason leaves food in the Nests fridge because he knows the Tim wouldn’t eat if there wasn’t something prompting him to.
Wow two out of three of the things were food realted, Jason really need a new fucking thing. He walked over the counter and cracked an egg on the side of the bowl carefully separating the yolk. Damn, He was just a fucking kid and Jason broke his one rule to slit his throat like a mad man. Then went the extra step of writing on the wall with his blood. Jason felt green envelope his vision, he had no one to be mad at except himself.
-+-
Tim cracked open one of his eyes, light flooded his vision making him close it again. Then carefully and slowly he opened both eyes to find himself in a lab, a brightly lit lab. One he hadn't seen before, he looked down to see he was standing up leaning a little over one of the many mechanics in the lab. There was a man next to Tim, he had a goatee and glasses, Weirdly he had a shirt that read “Stark Industries” on it.
“Peter can you…yes perfect. Not bad for a Spider-boy.” The man clapped him on the shoulder excitedly as a suit of armour made out of a material that Tim’s never seen before light up.
Tim looked down at his hands only to be shocked when he saw them covered in some sort of red fabric with seemingly a web spread throughout it. Before he could say anything he was practically thrown away as the world around him darken again. This time when he woke up the room was darker and he was laying down. He could hear a very, very loud heart motor, bats shrieking at the top of their lungs it seemed, and the pitter-patter of water dripping throughout a large open space.
“My dear boy!” Alfred filled Tims view above him. “You're awake, you must be thirsty here, drink this.” He was handed a cup of water while being propped up by more pillows being added behind him.
Where..why?” Hid voice scratchy from non use. Before he could finish his sentence the water cup was being pushed in front of his mouth.
“ Drink Master Tim.” Alfred sternly said. Tim raised the cup to his mouth, the water did in fact help his throat which had been aching slightly. He went to put the cup down on the side table next to his medical cot but it wouldn’t come off??? To avoid questions that Tim didn’t know how to answer he brought the cup into his lap and flooded his other hand over it. Why was it sticking? Did he get something on his hands in the explosion? That’s the only reasonable explanation that he could think of.
“Wait there were two other looters. A guy and a girl both of them also had an animal mask. I think one was a lizard, but I can’t remember the other one…” He tapped the cup with his ring finger which was the only one not currently stuck to it.“ Master Tim, I don’t believe that those people should be your top priority at the moment.” Alfred responded kindly, putting his wrinkled hand lightly on Tim’s shoulder.
“But what if they stole something important or dangerous. It was Lex’s lab. Who knows what he was playing around in there?” Tim looked up at Alfred with a steely expression.
“Master Tim with all do respect you had a bone poking out of you three days ago. You are not allowed to leave this bed for a few weeks and I’m not even starting the conversation of patrol.” Alfred sending back his own steely glare which melted his own.
“If you are feeling up to it I will allow the others to come and see you, if not I’ll tell them to buzz off a little longer.” He took his hand off Tim and moved from his side to in front of his bed and straightened his suit.“I..think I need a minute just to gather my thoughts.” Tim broke eye contact to look down at his cup. That he still couldn’t let go of.
“As you wish, see you in a little while, Master Tim.”
-+-
Ok so Peter was officially freaked out as he stood (?) in a house that was definitely not his house with people he in fact did not know. There was a tall man late twenties with black hair and a hoodie that read “Best Bro” with the best part obviously crossed out a few times over its career. This man was currently hugging a slightly taller man who had a white streak in his hair who looked on the verge of shooting something and/or trying not to smile.Peter tried to speak but nothing came out. He tried to walk away or at all but it was like his body wasn’t responding. It was at this moment he realized he was short, like 5’2. Ok so not his body, noted. But then whose?
Then he woke up head on Tony’s lab table with a blanket thrown over him. The lights were still on but Tony was long gone. His head felt weird like he just got thrown across the room by a member from the Sinister Six type of weird. He lifted his head off the table and rubbed his eyes, stretching as he pushed against the table, standing up. Eh whatever the problem was either a future Peter problem or a never Peter problem. We would prefer the second option but that’s usually not how his luck runs.
Tapping a button on his wrist his suit slowly came into form around him. Peter made his way over to the window that Tony had actually put in just so he could get in and out of the lab easier. Lifting the window sill he slipped out into the New York night.
-+-
He looked at the web that connected all Spiders to one another. The weaver grimaced as he spotted a tendril of golden web shooting out into space far off where the map should end. He directed himself onto the tendril following it along until all of the golden glow dies, save for the singular piece of web. “Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne.” Was sprawled out in golden cursive. His masterpiece has an ink splotch, and he intends to cut it out.