BIRDFLASH AND ANGST LET'S GOOO

YES IM AWARE IM A DAY LATE WITH THIS STORY I WAS BUSY 

"This is boring," Nightwing complained to himself. He was watching the same boring door all night and there was nothing else to do. This was the worst part of being a vigilante. Sure, solving this case would be monumental for the city but did it have to be so dull to get information for? He could've left this part to some undercover cops at the station but he had this thing about finishing cases he started. It drove Wally mad but he couldn't help it. Right now he was wishing he'd kicked that habit long ago because he was going to die of boredom. He tapped his finger impatiently on the brick, beating out a song he got stuck in his head. He wondered what his family were doing tonight. They were all in the Batcave working on something but he hadn't really been listening. There'd been a dramatic fight on the TV behind Bruce as he was explaining what they were doing and by the time he fazed back in he had no idea what was going on. Bruce asked him if he was free on Saturday and in a panic, he said no. Damn his brain. He could be doing something fun right now or maybe not. He still wasn't sure what they were doing. Damian had said it would be infuriating to work with Tim but that was about it. He could always call them up and ask what they were doing but the thing they may be doing might be one of those time-sensitive issues that required radio silence. Plus they would know he didn't listen and they'd have way too much fun teasing him about his wandering thoughts. 

He was brought out of his head when he heard the familiar shrill beeps from his communicator. A distress signal. Finally some action! He took out the device and answered it immediately. "Nightwing free. Location and situation?" Instead of hearing a concise explanation and area to go to, he was met with silence. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the caller. Red Robin. He wouldn't send out a false distress call. "Hello? Anyone?" Still, there was silence. He hummed to himself unhappily. Maybe Tim accidentally set it off whilst he was roughhousing with Damian. That wasn't too out of the question. Still, he better check up on them just in case. He guessed if the pair were fighting that much then Bruce would be busy separating them and Jason would be busy cheering the pair on so Alfred was the best option for him. He hung up on the call and tried to get through to Alfred. Only, when he called, the older didn't pick up. He always picked up. Something was going on down there and he needed to know what. He decided to try his brothers and his mentor, just in case. Again he was met with the sound of a few rings then silence. He left a message but that wasn't enough for him. Nightwing wanted to go down there and check it out but he had this stupid stakeout. He'd need to get someone else. Someone who was fast. Someone who wouldn't mind. "KF, duh," he muttered. He called him next and was thankfully greeted by a voice and not a series of beeps. "Hey, can you do me a massive favour?"

"Depends what it is," Kid Flash replied.

"Can you go to the Batcave and make sure everyone is alright? I got a distress call but when I tried to answer no one was there," he explained. There was a long sigh.

"Can't you get someone else to do it? Your family hates me," the ginger complained. 

"C'mon, it's just a little check-up. I'll make it worth the effort," he said sweetly. 

"Fine but only because you're so cute. I'll let you know the situation as soon as I get there."

"Thank you Walls."

"No problem babe."

It should've ended there. Kid Flash should've called him and told him they were all there. He'd probably mention that Damian tried to kill him or a comment made by Jason about the Ginger Squad. He didn't get either of those. He was finishing up his work when he got a call from Kid Flash. "Let me guess, they fought and broke their communicators?" Nightwing replied. 

"Uh no. Are you sure they're even in Gotham tonight?" A pit grew in the hero's stomach. 

"Yea I'm sure. They've been talking about staying in all week. Why?"

"They're not here. I even ran around Gotham for a bit and I can't find them." Nightwing felt his heart rate speed up. He took a deep breath and tried to be rational.

"Did you ask Alfred if he's seen them?"

"Alf ain't here. No one is. This place is deserted too. Looks like they just left everything where it was," there was a pause then a hiss. "Weird. Tim's coffee is like boiling hot. Like it's just been made."

"Come pick me up. I need to get my own eyes on this."

Sure enough, there was no sign of anyone. All the mugs were still warm, the computers were left open on confidential documents, tools were left out and it just looked like things were dropped immediately. "This is odd," was all Nightwing could say as he looked around. The documents were nothing out of the ordinary. Typical Justice League stuff and Batman plans would surely backfire later because everyone would see it as a betrayal. Most likely because it kinda was a betrayal a lot of the time. 

"Yeah, no kidding. Can't see anything to say there was an emergency," Kid Flash replied. Nightwing hummed. He didn't like this. He didn't like any of this. He knew his family and he knew that they wouldn't just up and leave like this. 

"Are Titus and Alfred here?" 

"Upstairs. Both asleep."

"They would've woken up if they sensed something was wrong," he mumbled. "And you checked the city? No one is patrolling?" The ginger nodded. "Right." He sat down and tried to think. Not in the Batcave, not upstairs, not in Gotham, no reason to be out on a mission, no evidence of a struggle, everything was fine except for the fact they weren't there. 

"C'mon Goldie, figure this shit out."

"I'm sure they're just doing some dumb batfam stuff. You used to disappear all the time when you were a kid. Roy and I lost you for four hours before finding you in the closet."

"No surprise there."

"But B doesn't do that. Neither does Dami...to my knowledge. He has been spending time with Jay," Nightwing replied. "And that doesn't explain where Alfred is either."

"Is there a gala or something they'd be called to?"

"Bruce hardly goes to those anymore," he insisted. "Something bad has happened here. I just need to figure out what that is."

"You're not gonna sleep until we figure this out are you?" Nightwing nodded as got out of the chair. He better start getting DNA samples. The speedster sighed. "Fine, I'm giving you three days and then I get the tranquillizers. Got it?"

"Keep your hands off him West!"

"Save your breath. He can't hear you."

"God you sound like a dad," he complained. Kid Flash wrapped his arms around the other's waist and pulled him close.

"Well I am your daddy," he whispered in his ear.

"Stop." The hero couldn't help but laugh.

"Y'know if this wasn't a crime scene and your family wasn't missing, I'd bend you over this desk like old times."

"Wow that's disgusting."

"It would explain why everything was so clean whenever Wally visited."

"Master Bruce, they've been traumatised enough. Let's not add to that."

"And then I'd have a panic attack trying to delete the footage from the security cameras before B saw- WAIT THE SECURITY CAMERAS!" he shouted. He batted away his boyfriend's hands and moved to the computer. "Ugh, why did it take me so long to think of that?"

"My sexiness must've distracted you."

"I'm going to throttle him."

Rolling his eyes at his boyfriend, Nightwing went to the save files for the camera. Every hour the footage from the cameras would be saved and put into another area, hiding in plain sight. Nightwing never really got why the cameras had to be a secret because it made sense for them to be there but Batman was weird. He kept secrets for seemingly no reason. Maybe he wanted to make it seem like he had some sort of sixth sense when he went down. Nightwing scrolled through the list of times and dates before finding the newest one that fit the timeframe from when he got the call. He suspected that happened before they disappeared. He skipped through to the timestamp a few minutes before the call and watched carefully. Everything seemed normal. Tim and Damian were working on the same table which was a recipe meant for disaster whilst Jason was looking like he'd rather be literally anywhere else. Steph and Cass were talking to one another in what seemed like a private chat and Bruce was working on something at the computer but the camera angle hit whatever it was. Dick guessed it was just the work they found open when they got here. Alfred came into the shot with a platter of hot drinks for the family, nothing unusual there. When Alfred got to the table where Damian and Tim were working, the thing Tim was working on began glowing white. Damian's eyes widened and he jumped up to push the coffee lover out of the way but the white light engulfed the entire room. When it was gone, so was Nightwing's family. The footage continued but was just filming an empty room. It cut off when Kid Flash entered. 

For a few moments, Nightwing just stared at the black screen as he tried to wrap his head around it. In one blast of light, everyone was gone. Kid Flash put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him but it didn't do much. "S-so they are just gone?" the acrobat asked no one in particular. His voice shook. 

"No."

"Can't wait for this to be added to his list of regular nightmares."

"It won't once he figures this out."

"We don't know that." Nightwing hummed and took a deep breath to keep himself calm. He had to explore every possibility. He couldn't just assume they were gone. He shook off the speedster's hand on his shoulder and walked over to where Tim had been working. There was a piece of machinery on the floor that he recognised from the footage as the source of the white light. It looked banged up, probably being thrown or pushed to the floor in the ensuing panic. He didn't want to touch it, fearing what it was. He'd pick it up when he had more information. He glanced around the table to see if there were any notes explaining this but it looks like none were made. That was Tim all over. Trusting his brain to remember everything so he could write it up later. Not even his laptop was here so it wasn't like he had some sort of baseline. Even if he did have the laptop and by some miracle managed to get into it, he didn't know what to look for. He didn't know what the machine was supposed to do. He didn't know the name of it and Tim could name his files so stupidly sometimes. He leaned against the table to keep himself upright. He felt physically sick. He hadn't been this sick since he thought Kid Flash was gone forever. Nightwing shook away those intrusive thoughts that linked this loss with that of his parents. He knew his parents were dead. He'd seen them die, he'd seen the caskets, he'd seen them go in the ground. All he'd seen in this case was them disappearing. Despite the difficulty that he'd face, he'd have to try Tim's computer. Oracle would be his best bet with trying to understand this. "Wally, contact Babs for me. Maybe she'll have a clue about what's going on."

"Of course! Babs will get it."

"Let's hope she doesn't take too long."

"Good idea. Whilst I do, you could send her the footage to save time?" Nightwing cackled but it didn't sound like himself. 

"Can't you multitask? Or are you just trying to keep me busy?"

"Both. Now hop on it birdie."

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The white light engulfed the room and they all squeezed their eyes closed as they shielded their faces. They expected something bad to happen but all that did happen was their stomachs dropping as though they were on a rollercoaster. When they opened their eyes, they were still in the Batcave and everything was normal. At least, they thought they were. Damian scrambled to his feet, not bothering to help Tim up and went back to his seat. "Nice going Drake. I told you your hands were too shaky," he snarled. 

"Screw you brat. My hands are fine. If you didn't install the motherboard incorrectly then it wouldn't have gone off. You're lucky I hadn't put in a location or we could've been God knows where," Tim barked back. The younger rolled his eyes dramatically and went to pick up his screwdriver to continue his part of the machine. They were trying to make a much faster Zetatube upgrade that wouldn't only take them to places on Earth but to other planets. Off-world missions were growing in numbers for years now so they needed a faster way of getting to allied planets. It would be convenient for everyone. Damian wrapped his hand around the screwdriver but his fingers went right through it. He raised an eyebrow and tried again but it wasn't working. He couldn't pick it up. 

"That's...curious," he muttered. He wasn't the only one to experience this. Bruce's hand went straight through his mug and Alfred couldn't pick up the silver tray he brought the drinks down on. 

"Replacement what the fuck did you do?" Jason asked, growing uneasy. He better not have died again. He'd be really mad if that were the case. Then again, there'd probably be a body he could see if he was dead. 

"My question exactly," Steph replied. 

"I guess the device went off and without a location, it just sent us here but not here exactly. Perhaps a different version of here or a different level of reality? Yet we're still able to be in our original physical world we just can't interact with it as we could beforehand."

"English bird brain," Jason snapped.

"We're basically in purgatory with no way of getting back."

"Dick," Cass muttered. 

"Hey!" Tim complained. 

"No not you. Dick. He isn't here," she explained. 

"That's our way of getting back. Oracle will be with him too. They should figure this out, right?" Steph suggested. "Right?" They looked to Bruce expectantly. 

"That's if he understands he didn't just lose his family all over again."

"Grayson may be stupid enough to date someone such as that West but he's got common sense. He'll know we aren't dead," Damian defended.

"Speaking of Master Wally, look who it is," Alfred announced, pointing to the stairwell. 

"Hello?" Wally called. "Anyone here?" He zipped around, inspecting anything of interest, and frowned to himself. He then ran upstairs but came back down moments later with an uneasy hum.

"Wally we're here!" Steph called, waving a hand in front of his face. 

"Logically speaking, if we can't manipulate objects then they mustn't be able to see us either. Like I said we're basically in purgatory," Tim reminded her. 

"Damn. Where are those bats?" the speedster muttered to himself. "Maybe...maybe Gotham?" He ran out but not much time went by before he returned with an ever more worried look. "Dick's gonna freak when I tell him. Ugh, trust this to happen when he was supposed to go on break."

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It'd been four days since the family went missing. They made progress but it wasn't fast enough despite Dick working day and night. Barbara was a little smarter, taking small naps throughout the day to keep herself sharp whilst not losing too much time. Wally was put in charge of domestic things. He looked after the animals and took care of the pair working hard to get their family back. It was tough but what choice did they have? The League was busy with its own things and simply didn't have the resources to spare. They doubted that they'd even be able to help. 

"Hey, Dickie? Do you think that giant penny is worth more than a regular penny?" Wally asked with a strained smile. They'd been working for so long and they were making such little progress that he could see it weighing down on his boyfriend. He hadn't slept and he hid all the tranquillizers so it's not like that backup plan was there anymore. 

"Dunno. Maybe," he muttered. He tapped away on the keyboard, plugging in new solutions but it always got to the same ending. Failure. He sighed defeatedly as he thought about what to do next. Wally watched him with a worried look. 

"Do something!" Steph shouted. She couldn't stand seeing Dick like this anymore. He was working himself to death! She wanted to get back as much as everyone else but she wanted to get back to a Dick Grayson who was alive. Steph stood right next to Wally shouting in his ear to do something, to fix this like he always did. He had to do something, anything! "Why hasn't Barbara got involved? Why is no one making him stop?"

"Because we need to be brought back," Bruce replied. "There's no time to worry."

"You wanna help me walk Titus? Might clear your head and think of new sit-"

"No," Dick said harshly. He typed in another situation, something that was slightly different, but yet again was met by failure. 

"But-"

"What part of no do you not understand? I can't walk the dog, I can't play with the cat, I can't go watch a movie, I can't leave here until I bring my family back without turning them into goop or flies or killing them!" 

Things went silent followed by the sound of sniffling. Dick wiped his eyes roughly making Wally and Barbara look at each other worriedly. "I don't wanna lose it all again," he whimpered. "What if we don't get them back? I won't see them grow up and annoy me because they're all gonna be taller except for Tim because he's probably stopped growing but he might do it. He could do it if I just get them back!" 

"Babe, we're going to get them back but you need to take care of yourself. What would they say if they saw you like this?" the speedster asked.

"That I have to keep going for the sake of the mission?"

"My bad should've specified. Everyone except Bruce. What would they say?"

"I'm not that bad," Bruce grumbled.

"You are," everyone replied.

"I guess they'd say I should take care of myself," he mumbled. "Suppose Tim would say something like "I'm supposed to be the sleep-deprived one. Sleep before you break my record."" Wally smiled softly.

Tim wanted to hug his brother so bad.

"Exactly. So how about you have a little nap. Babs and I can keep working, right Babs?" Wally called. The ginger nodded. "See? You trust us to do a good job right?" Dick nodded, fidgeting with his hands. 

"What if something happens and then you're gone too?" he asked. Wally cupped his face in his hands and kissed his forehead. He wiped the fresh tears away with his thumb and locked eyes with his acrobat. 

"We'll be okay. How about you nap down here? You can sit in my lap like when we were kids?" Dick laughed weakly. 

"I'm much heavier than I used to be," he pointed out.

"And yet you're still so short."

"Hey! I'm taller than Conner!"

"Doesn't count, he's technically a child," Wally taunted. "Now how about you take a nice nap. An hour that's all I'm asking from you." Dick leaned into his touch and thought for a few moments. He didn't want to sleep. Three people working on something would make it go much faster which meant his family would come home faster and he could start trying to forget this horrid pit in his stomach. Then again, he was exhausted. He found himself struggling to translate things people were saying when it'd been his second nature for years. Could his mother tongue even be considered his first language anymore? There were so many languages floating around his head nowadays that he was almost disconnected to it. He knew languages so intimately yet with each new language he couldn't feel further from the ones he already knew. 

"Dickie?" Wally called softly. "You zoned out on me babe."

"Ugh if I hear him call Grayson babe one more time-"

"Shut up they're in love!" Steph snapped.

"Thinking," he replied softly. 

"I think you've done enough of that today. You've given us a massive head start. We can take it from here," Barbara insisted, lifting her goggles up for a moment. "You need a break." He kept staring at her, mincing over her words in his mind to understand them. He squinted a little then glanced up to Wally. 

"Cosa ha detto?" (Translation: What did she say?)

"Oh babe, you're getting overtired."

"Yeesh he must be exhausted if he isn't speaking English," Jason muttered. He'd seen it happen a handful of times. The first time was when he was Robin. He remembered that Dick had stumbled over to him, wearing that ridiculous costume, on patrol asking about where a suspect was but he was speaking in Polish. Bruce eventually stepped in and told Dick to go home. He refused. He was tranquilised. It was hilarious. 

"Extremely tired. He can't understand Misstress Barbara," Alfred pointed out. 

"I need to brush up on my Italian. Didn't get that," Jason mumbled. 

"This is torture! How far is Babs on that thing?" Steph asked. Tim glanced over her notes with a smile. 

"Pretty far. I estimate about two hours until she's able to get this running. After that, they just need to stabilize it and make sure they have the perfect frequency or else we'll die."

"So another day?"

"Depends. They need to keep plugging in frequencies  and that could take a while."

"Splendid," Damian said sarcastically.

"Naptime baby boy," Wally told him. He picked up his boyfriend and put him over his shoulder. Dick huffed and let him be taken to where Wally was working on the couch. He'd told him before about working on the couch. It was bad for his back. Yet now he was glad for it. He was gently put down and Wally sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist to pull him close.

"Damian, stop glaring at him," Bruce scolded. The younger groaned and rolled his eyes. He walked over and tried to grab Wally's wrist but his hand went right through. 

"ARGH! I'm going to kill West!" he yelled in aggravation. 

"Let them live you loveless gremlin," Steph said.

"Father, how can you allow them to-to just touch like that? It's offensive to everyone's sensibilities."

"Y'know you seem kinda jealous. Dick can like more than one person," she commented. He glared at her. "Besides when we get back, you'll have his full attention."

"I better," he muttered under his breath. 

Dick yawned to himself and let his eyes slip closed. "Only an hour. That's it."

"I know. I'm setting the timer right now," he replied. "Sweet dreams Dickie."

Dick was running. He needed to run. He needed to run until he found them. They were somewhere around here but where? Where were they? He didn't like this. He wanted it to stop. Why was he always alone? He didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted to be with them. Where was Wally? Babs? Anyone? No. No! This was all wrong why weren't they here? Wait, what's that? A light was coming towards him or rather he was running towards it. Did light mean safety? He needed to run to it anyway. He had to. He kept running and running but he was getting so tired. There were figures in the light. Oh-oh! That figure was Batman! That meant Bruce was there. He noticed a shorter one with a sword. Damian! Damian was there. Yes! He was going in the right direction. Then the light was getting further away? No, he was slowing down. His stupid body couldn't keep the speed up. He could push through it. His lungs burned and his body ached. They were so close. He called out for them but he didn't have the voice. Nothing came out. No no, he needed to talk! He needed to shout! He needed. He needed them! Stop taking the people he loved! Stop making him live alone! STOP IT! STOP IT PLEASE! PLEASE!

"Stop," Dick mumbled, tossing his head restlessly. Wally shushed him gently and ran his fingers through his hair to coax him back. He groaned unhappily before jumping awake, his breath taken away. He grabbed his chest almost as though he was trying to grab the air that was running from him. 

"Bad dream?" Wally asked. He nodded silently. "It's okay. Whilst you were asleep we made massive progress. We found a frequency that works. Turns out 420 isn't just a fun number." Dick cackled quietly.

"You've never smoked a day in your life."

"And you have?"

"A couple of times for undercover work but forget that! You found a frequency that works!" he jumped to his feet, holding his head for a moment thanks to the headrush. 

"Goldie ain't so gold after all."

"He smoked weed twice in his life; you murder people Jason. This isn't a point to feel high and mighty about."

"Wow, rude."

"Yes we have so you can sleep a little longer," Wally replied. He caught the acrobat's hand and dragged him back down to the bed. 

"But-"

"Babs still needs to fix the machine. It'll be an hour before we can do anything so how about you go back to sleep?"

"But-"

"Ugh is this family allergic to sleep?" Steph asked. Why couldn't he just accept that he was burnt out and needed longer to rest? He certainly needed and must want it. There was nothing he could do to speed this up so he may as well sleep. 

"Like you're any better Brown."

"I know my limits brat."

"Baby, you've stayed up for long enough. I'll wake you up before we get them back and then you'll have more energy to greet them right?" Wally offered, trying to convince him. "Or at least rest? We could play some games, get you a meal that's actually healthy, maybe give you a shower because no offence it's been a while."

"Wow, such a gentlemen," Tim deadpanned.

"Truthful though," Cass replied.

Dick studied the other's features for a moment then sighed. It would be nice to feel clean. He didn't have the time to shower properly. The most he did in terms of hygiene was brush his teeth. That was usually because Wally forced him to do it and he could do it at his desk with a cup of water. Yes, this did gross out everyone in the room. 

Aside from Damian. He found it quite practical. 

He supposed it would be a good way to waste some time before they got his family back. "A shower but that's it," he relented. He stood up and began walking to go upstairs, deciding if he was going to shower then he'd use his private one. There were cameras in the Batcave he'd rather not catch him naked if he accidentally walked in view of one of them and he kept getting the feeling that he was being watched by someone. He didn't know who and it was probably just the sleep messing with his head but either way, he wanted to be upstairs where he felt like the eyes couldn't follow him. As he got to the stairs, he suddenly found himself in the arms of his boyfriend. "Uh, Walls?"

"Someone's gotta make sure you don't get heatstroke in the shower."

"I'm not that incapable of looking after myself."

"Bet," Barbara pitched in. 

"Listen to your gingers dumb dumb."

"I hate both of you."

"Yeah yeah. We'll be back in thirty Babs."

"Just don't fuck in there. I don't think Alfred would want to deal with that once we get back."

"No promises!" Wally exclaimed as he ran upstairs. 

"Gross," the family said in unison.

The warm water against his skin certainly helped ease the tightness in Dick's muscles. He'd been hunched over a desk for way too long and the position he napped in wasn't much better. He should see a chiropractor or something. He rolled his shoulders back to try and get some of the tension out but it unfortunately remained. "You alright Dickie?" Wally called as he squirted some shampoo into his hand. He slapped it onto his boyfriend's head with a cheeky smile before gently running it through his curls. 

"Just sore. Bad posture will do that to ya," the acrobat responded. He batted the speedster's hand away and scrubbed the shampoo in himself. Wally was much too soft. They'd be in there for hours if they did it his way. 

"I did tell you to take a break." He hummed.

"Nevermind that. How're you?" he asked. 

"Better now we're alone together. No offence to Babs but I much prefer being able to hold you without the gagging noises in the background," Wally replied. He snaked his arms around his boyfriend and pulled him close. They locked lips for what felt like the first time in forever, melting underneath each other's fingertips. "God I missed that," the ginger stated, sneaking a shorter kiss before moving to get the conditioner. There was some comfortable silence between them as they applied the gloopy liquid to their hair. 

"Thanks by the way," Dick said awkwardly.

"For what?"

"For being here. You've done more than I ever could've asked of you," he explained. He leaned against Wally's chest with his arms hung loosely around his waist. He was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. Yet he couldn't drift off to sleep. One because he was standing up and two because he didn't want to delay the return of his family. He was planning to play this cool. Pretending he wasn't ever worried and was always sure they were coming back. They didn't need to know about all this. 

"You all tuckered out baby?" Wally teased, watching his eyelids droop. He pouted and stuck his tongue out. 

"Leave me alone I'm just comfy."

"Mhm sure. Totally not falling asleep on me."

"I'll fight you."

"I'd like to see it."

"Meanie." 

They remained in comfortable silence as they washed off the suds and enjoyed being alone for the first time in what felt like forever. Wally couldn't help but laugh at Dick's sleepy face and slow movements. He looked like he was trapped in slow motion. "What?" the acrobat asked, feeling the ginger's eyes on him. 

"I swear as soon as your family comes home, you're sleeping. You can barely function," he replied. Wally's voice was light but there was a certain air of sternness about him. He was clearly understanding of the situation they were in. Dick's family was gone and if he were in the same position he wouldn't sleep that well either even without the past that his boyfriend had. But at the end of the day sleep was essential and he could see how much it was wearing down the other. 

"I can function just fine. A little slower than usual but fine all the same," Dick defended. 

"Babe." One word but it felt like more. 

"Alright, I'm not great. I'm sluggish, I feel like shit and there's a migraine just waiting to kick my ass. I tried to sleep but yay nightmare and I don't doubt that that's going to be repeated for the next couple of weeks," he blurted out. He stared at the drain, watching the suds go down the drain. "It's weird. It's almost like it hasn't hit me yet that we're actually getting them back. I feel like I've had too many chances with these sorts of things. Jay dies but comes back. Bruce "dies" and comes back. Damian dies and comes back. You "die" and come back." He glanced up at the ginger who was staring at him worriedly. Those emerald eyes shone with concern. "Even I've died. Granted, it wasn't for long and it wasn't as painful as the others."

"Where are you going with this?"

"One day, there'll be a time when we don't get that person back. 'Suppose one day I'll be grieving and I won't see that person again. I need to come to that realization but events like these just make me hold onto hope. Makes me think why I couldn't have my parents back, why I even bother to mourn." Wally laced his fingers in between Dick's and squeezed. The acrobat looked like he needed grounding. 

"We live in weird circumstances Dickie. I can't tell you to lose that hope when events have proven it can happen. All I can do is help you through whatever comes our way." He winced at seeing the look of utter despair in Dick's eyes. 

"Who's to say you're not next?"

"No one does but one thing I know is I'll always be here. You just might not have this rocking bod to look at whilst I am." Dick cackled quietly, making the ginger smile. He kissed him as though that would lock that smile on his face. "How about we get you dry, get you to eat a decent meal - don't think I haven't seen you skipping eating - and indulge in some cuddling whilst we can before your family comes back and beats my ass for looking at you?" Again that got the wonderful cackle that was music to his ears.

"Sounds good to me," he replied, stealing a kiss. 

Barbara finally let go of the breath she'd been holding and swiped the sweat from her brow. She sat back in her chair and stared at the machine that had caused them to work overtime for the last few days. She pushed her goggles up and rubbed her eyes. This definitely deserved a lie in tomorrow. 

"Looks like she's pretty much done. Once she puts in the frequency we should be back," Tim announced. There were sighs of relief at the prospect of going back. It was beginning to get very annoying just sitting there listening to dull conversations. 

"Thank fuck for that. Can't wait to get home and never do this shit again," Jason replied. If this is what he got for playing house then he was never playing this game again. 

"Should we tell them that we could see them the entire time?" Steph asked. 

"Why wouldn't we?" Damian replied, getting a few nods in agreement.

"Well, Dick got really emotional. We saw things that we weren't meant to see y'know?" she explained. They'd seen Dick be stuck in grieving, unable to fully accept that his family was gone but knowing that getting them back would be difficult. He didn't know when he first found them missing that they'd come back. He didn't know that they were right there watching him destroy himself in the pursuit of getting them home. 

"Misstress Steph brings about a good point. Master Dick was unaware we could see the state he was in. Admitting that we have indeed watched them whilst they were in the cave could be embarrassing at best," Alfred pitched in. 

"Goldie is always emotional. The guy is straight out of a shitty soap opera. He'll be fine," Jason insisted. So Dick got a bit self-destructive and upset when he didn't know where they were, who cares! It's only been a few days and he'll get over himself. 

"Now that Brown explained it, I suppose it would be rather uncomfortable for him. Though I find that it won't be that damaging."

"The knowledge we got from this is valuable. He's gonna know about our experience here one way or another," Tim added. "He's smart, granted not the smartest, so he'll know."

"His reaction was natural. Nothing to be ashamed of," Cass said, agreeing with her brothers. 

"I'll be the one to explain it," Bruce announced. This got a slew of sceptical looks. "What?"

"You're not the best at this stuff," Tim informed him.

"I'm aware but I've known him longer than all of you. Though you may doubt it, I know how to spare his feelings," he defended. 

"It's your funeral Bats," Jason replied. 

Barbara was just about to get up and fetch the couple when said couple appeared on the steps. Dick was in Wally's arms, clearly about to drop off to sleep. The gingers shared a solemn look at how exhausted he was from this. Wally was already sure that this debacle would be nightmare fuel for a while and he wasn't looking forward to it. "Hey Dickie, I'm pretty much done now. You ready?" she asked. That seemed to give him a second boost of energy and he nodded, looking to Wally to let him go. He did but he kept his hand on Dick's waist, maintaining contact. He was going to cling to the guy like a koala once they got back home. "I'll put in the frequency and set it off. Once I do, we should run to the weapons room just in case. I don't know if this is stable enough to last once we get them back."

"Will it?" Cass asked Tim. He shrugged.

"No clue. We should probably duck as soon as we're back to avoid shrapnel."

"Great so I can leave this hell hole then get decapitated. How joyful this experience has been," Jason muttered.

"I'll set it off whilst you two wait in the room. I'll be able to get there much faster than either of you," Wally said. They nodded, agreeing that he was the best choice. "Remember Dick, you say your hellos and get the greeting stuff out the way then it's to bed. Got it?"

"Yes, dad," Dick taunted. 

"Correction: Daddy," Wally whispered in his ear, kissing his rosy cheeks after. 

"I'm going to kill West."

"Get in line," Bruce replied.

"Guys can you not?" Barbara asked, making gagging noises. "You can be gross at home."

"We can but why would we keep it there?"

"For my sanity."

Barbara and Dick waited in the weapons room, the latter was incredibly anxious that it was almost rubbing off on the other. "Dick, it's okay. My calculations are all right and I'm sure this is going to work." He hummed, his eyes trained on Wally's movements. He followed his hands carefully as they twisted knobs and turned up dials. Part of Dick wished he was the one to do it whilst the other reminded him that he didn't trust himself in some way. If Wally messed it up then it would almost feel better than if he did it himself. "Just let yourself relax okay? Maybe you should take a vacation after this?" she suggested.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you need the rest and Wally could do with a weekend of you all to himself. I've heard enough talk of him wanting to fuck you to last a lifetime," she replied. 

"That's just Wally. He's always like that," he pointed out. "You weren't much better either."

"Hey!" She gave him a dig in the arm with a laugh. "You just bring out the horny in people."

"With this body, I wouldn't expect any different," he cackled. He thought about what she suggested for a moment. It would be nice to have a getaway. Just them and no family to threaten to kill Wally whenever he did something mildly sexual. "I guess some time away will do us good. Doubt my job is gonna like it."

"Fuck your job, your dad is Bruce Wayne. He has enough money to pay for your lifestyle for the next eighty years without making a dent in his bank account. Besides you can always go back to stripping."

"Oh don't tempt me," he joked. "I'll think about it. Let's concentrate on getting everyone back so I can pass out for the next ten years." The speedster finished up the settings and set the machine off, dashing into the weapons room and to his boyfriend's side. He immediately took his hand in his and the trio stared as the machine started up.

A loud humming noise slowly built up and it got so loud they were having to cover their ears. Dick glanced to Barbara who gave him a reassuring look, reaffirming that this was how it was meant to sound. He then returned his eyes to the machine before a blinding light shot out and a vibration so strong that it knocked them off their feet burst through the cave. 

They all ducked down and put their heads between their legs, hoping to avoid anything that would end their lives prematurely. They winced at how loud the sound was and felt sick once the vibrations came. "Is this right?" Jason screamed over the noise.

"No fucking clue!" Tim shrieked back. Suddenly everything went white and then they were all plunged into darkness.

There was a collective groan as everyone tried to get a handle on their surroundings. Although the noise had stopped, it was still playing in their ears and the vibrations were still being felt in their bodies. Wally was the first to open his eyes and was greeted with confirmation that the plan worked. There, although clearly disorientated, was the family that had gone missing not long ago. He shook Dick and directed his unfocused gaze to the group. A smile instantly appeared on the acrobat's face and he hugged Wally tightly, kissing him on the lips then did the same to Barbara - excluding the kissing part. He jumped up and helped the pair to their feet before running over to the group to do the same. "Next time you think of a vacation to another dimension, tell me first. I would've asked for a postcard or something," Dick joked, easily slipping into a nonchalant tone. They didn't need to know about how much they worried him but little did he know, they'd seen everything first-hand. Unfortunately, his lying was useless. 

"Believe me, it was a surprise," Tim responded, playing along. 

"And it will not be happening again," Damian added. He sent a glare to Tim to emphasize his sentence. 

"How're you feeling?" Barbara asked as she and Wally helped the remaining members up. "Any dizziness, nausea or migraines?" They shook their heads, making her breathe a sigh of relief. "Good! I wasn't in the mood to put you in induced comas so your bodies could stabilise."

"Lucky us," Jason grumbled. "You look like shit Goldie."

"Wow, thanks. Really know how to be grateful," the acrobat replied snarkily. He helped Bruce up but raised an eyebrow at his concerned gaze. He went to ask what was wrong but found himself being pulled into a tight hug by the older. 

You wouldn't think something so simple would be so important but when Dick found himself in that hug with Bruce, it felt like his world has suddenly gone back to normal. Dick hugged him back just as tight and buried his face in his chest. "We saw," Bruce mumbled quietly. The smaller held his breath for a moment and leaned in more. His eyes began to water and he tried to blink the tears away but that just made them run down his cheeks. He did his best to hide his face from the others, covering up his shaky breaths as much as he could. They were all watching him. Mostly because they were shocked that Bruce had been the one to initiate a hug. Partly because Dick looked so small in his arms. There wasn't much of a height difference but it was more of a feeling. Dick looked small, fragile, rundown. Wally hated that it'd gotten this far but they went as fast as they could. His family hated that this happened in the first place. After a few moments, Dick pulled away and wiped his face, trying to dispose of the evidence and smiled. 

"Well, now we've rescued you from wherever you were, I'll go home with my wonderful boyfriend. I'm guessing you know why," he stated.

"Indeed. You need the sleep and fattening up Grayson. One meal simply won't do," Damian argued, jabbing him in the ribs. The older laughed off his comment and rustled his hair, knowing full well it annoyed him. He was given a pass this time though. 

"You're always welcome to eat here whenever your schedule permit, Master Dick, and the same goes for you, Misstress Barbara. I'm sure we can bear sharing you with Master Wallace," Alfred mentioned.

"Doubt it," Steph muttered under her breath. 

"As much as I'd love to stick around and get roasted by all of you," Wally announced. He ran to be beside his boyfriend and lent down a bit so Dick could get on his back. He got on and the ginger took a hard grip on his legs to keep him stable during the run. "We best be going."

"I'll call you guys tonight to check up," the acrobat said.

"No, he won't. He'll be asleep if I have anything to do about it. Ciao."

The pair were gone before they could say much more but that was okay. Dick just needed to be there to see his family was back and was here to stay. At least, they were here to stay for now. Who knows what the future may hold?

You fucks better like this - it's 7000 words

All jokes aside I had this idea for a while and I'm glad I finally got it out of my head