Chapter Text
The mission had been going good. Pretty good. As good as it could be when he'd been kidnapped and almost had his tongue burnt out by possible satanic worshippers.
Thank god for Batman's convenient timing and his training. The only injury his kidnappers has managed to inflict on him was a cut to his chest and bruises on his ankles and wrists from the tight rope that had bound him to the very uncomfortable chair.
Bruce gave him another worried look as he tied up the unconscious kidnappers, punching the fourth one in the nose as he continued muttering angrily in an unknown language. Dick rolled his eyes at him as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his wrists where the rope had cut in.
'What?'
'I didn't say anything.' Bruce grunted as he placed a hand on Dick's shoulder to turn him to face him. 'How do you feel?'
'A bit wrecked but I'll be okay. They were yelling a lot of stuff that I couldn't understand and it hurt my head a lot.'
'Your suit....'
'I don't know how they managed to cut through the kelvar....I don't really think that this was a basic kidnapping shinding. Though I guess the bloody pendent drawn on the floor and then muttering weird stuff as they checked me was a dead giveaway.'
'A ritual.' Bruce hummed as he pulled out medical kits from his belt compartments and handed an antiseptic to Dick. Dick wiped the sweat gathering under his mask with the back of his glove as he accepted the equipment. He carefully peeled the soaked part of his costume from his slit chest and soaked the handkerchief in antiseptic. He hissed painfully as he pressed it to his chest, unable to stop himself from flinching as burning pain flared up.
Batman paused from where he'd been scrounging the warehouse and stood to his full height, stalking towards his protege and taking the equipment away from him. 'Sit down.'
'I can do it.'
'Hrm.'
Dick sighed and hopped on to a crate, leaning back on his arms so as to expose his wounds to his father. 'So....what do you think they were up to?'
'I haven't come to a conclusion yet.'
'You can say it. I was suppose to be a human sacrifice, wasn't I?'
Bruce's hand tightened around the tiny antiseptic bottle, causing the already limited liquid to pulse out of the bottle and drop to the floor. The important thing is that they didn't succeed. Where's the knife they cut your suit with?'
'Probably in their weird costumes- ow!' he cringed away as Bruce carefully dabbed at his wound, surprised by how quickly the cloth bloodied. He didn't think his wound was that deep. 'That stings...'
'Stay still.'
'Great words of comfort.' That caused Batman to finally pause and gaze at his son, taking in his curled up position and slightly puffy face. He smoothed a hand through the teenager's mangy hair, gripping the back of his neck reassuringly. 'I'm glad you're safe.'
Dick smiled, relaxing his tense shoulders and leaning in to the touch. 'Look at you showing emotions.'
Bruce smirked and his eyes narrowed just a bit as a warning sign before he tightened his hand to pinch his neck in punishment for the quip. 'I don't appreciate the snark. Do you want to get out of here?'
'Oh thank god, I thought you'd make me sit here till you patched me up. I'm exhausted.'
'Your cut could get infected....'
'It probably won't in the forty minutes it takes to get home and to Agent A.' Dick sighed, hopping to his feet and blinking hazily. 'You coming?'
Bruce glanced back at the knocked out criminals and the dirty space. Dick sighed, testing his swollen ankle and rubbing his head where a pinching pain had arose. Maybe he could make it home on his own. He should have known Bruce would not be ready to leave a crime scene uninvestigated, especially one where Robin had gotten hurt.
'Yes.'
Dick glanced up in surprise, his vision darkening for a second before going back to normal. 'Really?'
'Hrm. I'll contact the GPD on the way back, they can round them up. Let's hope they're just satanic worshippers and not something deeper.'
'Fingers crossed.' Dick grinned as Bruce called for the car, leaning into his father's side so as to support himself. 'Can I eat ice cream tonight?'
'No.'
'But I got hurt.' Dick whined, pressing the now soaked handkerchief to his wound. 'And why won't this stupid cut stop bleeding? It's not even that deep!'
Bruce glanced behind him at the warehouse, squeezing Dick's shoulder. 'I'll contact leslie. You might need stitches. On second thought...' he pulled away and Dick groaned as the cold wind pricked at his skin. 'Stay here for a minute. I'm going to go collect the knife that cut the wound.'
'Creepy.'
'I want to make sure that this was just a failed satanic adventure and not something more deadly. You can never be sure in Gotham.'
'You think they used magic or something? Nothing felt out of ordinary. They knocked me out for a few minutes and when I came around, they roughed me up a bit.'
Bruce paused and spun around, so violently that Dick took a hasty step back. 'Robin....how long do you think it's been since you went missing?'
'Uh....a few hours? Four to five tops.'
Bruce stared at him before roughly asking, 'What's the last thing you remember?'
'You telling me to go stake out a possible drug transport warehouse on the East. The next thing I know, my chest is burning and I woke up to four men standing in a circle and muttering some kind of spell.'
'That...was four days ago.'
Dick froze, turning back to Bruce in shock. 'What?!? No that's impossible, I'd know if it's been a few days-'
His sentence was cut off by the Batmobile revving up to them but Dick was too busy running over the last few things he remembered and he was sure that it couldn't have been more then a handful of hour-
'Robin, you disappeared on the seventeenth. It's the twenty first now.'
As evidence, Bruce held out his telegraphic computer and Dick stared at the tiny date in the side, the dull light stabbing at his skull painfully. That couldn't....that couldn't be-
Bruce gripped his arms to stop him from swaying as he led him to the car, nudging him into the passenger seat as he talked furiously at his computer and pulling up Gordon's contact.
'Gordon, I'm sending you coordinates of a crime scene where Robin has been held captive for the past four days. The perps are bound and knocked unconscious and waiting for pick up. Seal the area off and locate a bloodied knife that might be stored in one of the criminal's compartments and clothes. Keep that in evidence and wait for me to collect it. Batman out.'
'B....I feel weird.' Dick whispered, burying his head in his hands as the pain ascended from annoying to excruciatingly painful, the million of thoughts and worry running to his head not helping. 'B-'
The car swerved sharply as Bruce continued dishing out orders. 'Pennyworth, we will be arriving at the cave in approximately thirty seven minutes. Prepare the medbay and test equipments. Robin might have delved with dangerous magic.'
'Copy that, sir. Superman is also here to discuss some important buisness. Should I ask him to come back later?'
'No. He can help.'
'B-' Dick gritted out, pressing the palms of his hands deeply into his eyes. He didn't understand where the pain had suddenly come from, he'd been alright a few minutes ago. It felt like someone was drilling into his skull and he really really wanted it to stop.
A hand squeezed his knee reassuringly as Bruce now spoke to him, his voice much softer then it had been when he'd been giving out his orders. 'You'll be alright, Robin. Just take deep breaths, okay?'
'My head...urts-'
'Stay awake....stay awake, Robin-'
'Nrgh-'
'Robin!'
Bruce gripped his knee tighter and Dick heard the engine rev harder just as he passed out.
.
..
...
....
.....
'-ick? Dick, can you hear me?'
Dick groaned, lifting his arm tiredly to press his hand against Bruce's face, pushing it away luggishly. 'Go 'way.'
'Good, you're finally awake.' Bruce sighed in relief, his voice muffled by Dick's hand. He gently pushed it away and placed it next to him back on the bed. 'And still a brat.'
'Mm.' Dick moaned, slowly sitting up and massaging his head as he looked around, assessing his surroundings like Batman had taught him to do. Out of place green blanket at the door of his bed, dark wet stone walls, a huge assortment of medicines on the white bolted down table and a large worried black bat.
He was back in the cave.
Bruce reached behind him and set the pillows up against the headboard so that Dick could rest against them. Dick yawned and sluggishly rubbed at his eyes, realising belatedly that his hand was attached to an IV.
'How long have I been out now?' Dick asked, coughing at his dry throat. Bruce reached for a chilled bottle in his bedside table and emptying the cool liquid into the glass before handing it to Dick, who chugged it down gratefully. 'Feels like it's only been a few hours but I could be wrong again.'
'Fortunately, it has only been two hours.'
'Great.' Dick sighed, pressing the cool glass to his forehead, which felt heavy but had thankfully transcended from the pounding pain he'd experienced before he'd passed out. 'What happened?'
'You tell me.' Bruce commanded, his voice tight in a way that Dick knew meant he was worried. 'One minute you were chattering and the next you passed out from your head hurting.'
'In my defence, it was excruciating.'
'I know, I wasn't blaming you. What happened?'
'It just happened....you just told me that four days had passed and then my head started hurting like shit.'
'Language.' Bruce scolded, though a small smile eased over his worried features. 'But I should tell you that you're not allowed to go anywhere for the next few days. You're under supervision.'
Dick groaned, playing with his IV line before it was pulled away. 'I didn't think you'd be mad about all this.'
'I'm not mad. I'm concerned. We ran several MRI and blood tests when you were knocked out to check if any thing was out of ordinary. Your results came out negative and nothing looked out of ordinary.'
'So....why the mother henning?'
'The cut in your chest. It needed stitches.'
Dick glanced down at his bare chest in surprise, just now noticing the bandage covering part of his chest. He carefully peeled it away and stared at his chest, where indeed, five stitches had been embedded into his skin. 'Wow.... I didn't think it was that deep.'
'Neither did I but you were still bleeding when I brought you back. The amount of blood lost was concerning.'
'Well, I don't feel too bad. Kinda heavy headed but that doesn't requiring you hovering.'
'It's not just that. The abruptness of the head pain and the severity is concerning. Gordon claims that the perps they rounded up seem like amateurs and don't really seem to be smart or advanced enough to be involved in a bigger scheme but he also claims that they've only spoken in english since he picked them up, rather then the absurd language they communicated to us. You didn't remember the past four days. And the amount of blood you lost from a simple cut on your chest is also not normal. Just in case, stick to home and no extraneous activity.'
'Do I get a say in this?'
'Not really.'
'Can I at least go to the mountain and hang out with the others?'
'No.'
'Well....it's always great to work with you.'
Bruce smirked and held his hand out to help Dick off the bed, dropping his cape over the boy's shoulders. 'Can I at least go upstairs? B99's coming out with a new episode tonight.'
'I can't believe I'm saying this but you can watch your TV show on the computers.'
'Wait, really?' Dick's surprise caused him to stumble and Bruce gripped his shoulder to stop him from falling face first into the cave floor. 'You scolded me out of the cave the last time I used the computer for personal activities.'
'Special occasion.' Bruce grunted as Dick eagerly sat on the seat. 'And I have to run forensic tests on the knife that Gordon deposited.'
'The one they used to cut my chest? The only fluids you'll find on that is my blood. I don't think that'll give you anymore information about the crooks. Unless you're suspicious of me for some reason.'
'I am not.'
'.... believable.'
'I'm not suspicious of you. I'm worried.' Bruce rolled his shoulders back as he walked towards the forensic lab. 'I'm still not completely convinced that there isn't some other agenda than four satan worshippers kidnapping you and bruising you up a little.'
'Yeah, the full picture was that they wanted to sacrifice me.'
'No, I meant more on their abilities. There are too many gaps in our story and I need to make sure that they were not delving with real magic. Can you recall anything from the past four days? How you got taken for starters?'
'Uh...' Dick scrunched his nose up but he came up blank. Where there should have been multiple memories, there was a blank wall. 'Honestly the last thing I remember is seeing four kittens playing on the ground at the stakeout.'
'Try harder.' Bruce pressed, his face pinched to show his disappointment. 'Try to remember something-'
'I can't remember.' Dick snapped, irritation swelling inside him. He might have just woken up, but he was still exhausted and he was testy about the whole experience, and Bruce pushing him was not helping. 'One minute I was at the stakeout and then I woke up to the blond kidnapped kidnapper carving into my chest. Can I rest now?'
Bruce watched him silently and Dick glared back but no one could beat the bat in a silent glare off and he looked away to fiddle with the keyboard, effectively cutting off the conversation. He heard a tired sigh but Dick kept his gaze fixed on the screen, refusing to look after his father walking away.
He didn't want to fight with Bruce. Nowadays, him and Bruce were usually at odds with each other and a lot of their nights ended up in arguments. Bruce loved him, Dick knew that, but he was very protective and very driven towards his own goals. But it had been nine days since their last fight and Dick was too exhausted to argue back today. He just....he needed a break.
The theme song blared against the stone wall and he lowered the volume because while Bruce might have backed off right now, he'd definitely get scolded if he disturbed his work too much.
He leant against the head of the chair, zoning in and out as he watched the characters interact and mess up their new case.
He was cold. So cold-
'-Et animam pro anima-'
There was darkness around him. So much darkness. It pressed down against him, mobilizing him and inhaling him. It swarmed around him, choking him and drowning him. It felt horrible. If felt-
Like loneliness.
'Fidelis servus est sanguis.'
His breath fogged in front of him as he looked around wildly, on edge and terrified. He couldn't move, he was immobilized, he couldn't see or hear anything but he knew something was out there, something was trying to get to him-
'Tirn contra carorum ad serve dominus ejus.'
He flinched as something stroked his cheek, the touch rough and wet and something he'd never felt before-
'Who're you?' he rasped, terrified and trying to get away from the touch but finding he couldn't. He couldn't even turn his head, it was like he was paralysed.
'Don't try to fight it, Richard. You can't escape me, not again. I finally have my perfect puppet.'
'Daemonium pariunt.'
The touch burned. The hold on his chin was constricting, he couldn't move, everything burnt and he couldn't see and the longer he stayed trapped, the more terror grew inside him.
'You're never getting away from me....you're going to fulfill your purpose Richard and you're not going to do that on the side of that wretched bat.'
Pain burst in his head and Dick moaned in pain, trying his best to pull away, even though he was growing weaker as time passed.
'My toy. So recourceful, so smart, so well equipped. The only people who could stop me now are the league and they would never hurt their little Robin....we're going to be indestructible.'
A slicing pain erupted on his chest and Dick choked, feeling his chest growing warm and sticky. He blinked and then he saw it-
A shadow. A demon. The Reaper. He didn't know what he was looking at but oh god, oh god, that was the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen, and he was leaning in closer now and it was smiling a bloody smile and it smelled foul-
'You belong to me now.'
Dick jerked awake, his hastiness causing the chair to jolt to the side. Sweat dropped from his forehead and nose to the floor and Dick took deep breaths to calm himself down as he straightened the chair again. The ending song mixed with the pounding of his blood in his ears and Dick used the beats to ground himself before opening his eyes to look for his dad because no matter how infuriating Bruce was, his presence was calming and reassuring-
-unblinking eyes stared at him from the dark corner of the cave and Dick screamed as he took in its familiar horrifically molded body and twisted face.
The chair banged loudly as it clattered to the floor and his eyes darted to the piece of furniture before remembering what he'd seen and scrambling to his feet, heart pounding in his ears as he rounded back to the corner where he'd seen-
Nothing.
There was nothing there.
Dick?' Bruce was suddenly next to him and was squeezing his arm and Dick blinked, not having heard him approach. Made sense, the only thing he could hear was his blood pounding in his ears. 'Are you okay?'
Dick didn't answer, looking around widely to find that....that thing which had just been there! What if he was hiding around or-
-his pulse was dropping and Dick swallowed thickly as he noted his tremors. He....he must have imagined the creature. He couldn't even remember what it looked like or why it was so familiar....
'Chum? Do you need to lie down?'
'I'm fine.' Dick replied, wiping his sweaty face as he pulled the chair back up. 'Just....got startled.'
Bruce didn't move and Dick could feel his calculating gaze trained at his back. 'Did you have a nightmare?'
'I....guess so.'
'You guess so?'
'I don't- it's been a long day.' Dick sighed, straightening up and hiding his hands behind his back so that Bruce wouldn't notice them shaking and ask him even more questions. 'What medbay room can I sleep in?'
'..... Three.'
'Goodnight then.' Dick replied quickly before pushing past his mentor and hobbling to the last medbay.
His steps faltered when he swore he saw something shift on the dark corner of the top cavern. He shook his head furiously and hurried his steps.
He was fine.
He was completely fine.