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He sat there, glaring at his cold cup of coffee. Barbara Gordon clearly had no intention of backing off, and today had been no different. She’d come in, armed with a speech, tried to prob this Dick Grayson back to the forefront, and gotten upset when she failed, taking it out on him.
He was Ric Grayson, now. Dick Grayson didn’t exist anymore. And he wished these stupid Bats would just leave him alone. Like right now.
“I told you to leave me alone, Barbara.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not Barbara.”
Ric whipped his head up, gaze locking on a woman with red hair, darker than Barbara’s. She had kind, soft blue eyes, and she was definitely older than him and Barbara. She was dressed casually, hair cut short, and head cocked in thought.
“You’re one of them.”
“Fraid so,” the woman shrugged, sitting down across from Ric where Barbara had sat earlier. “But I’m not here to talk to Dick Grayson.”
Ric gave her a look.
“Kate Kane,” she offered a hand. “How do you feel about a drink?”
“Pretty early for a drink,” Ric fired back, ignoring the hand.
“I was thinking coffee,” Kate offered casually, sitting back and letting her hand go back to her side.
“Coffee.”
Kate shrugged. “Coffee seems like the best way to get to know my sort-of-nephew.”
“Yeah,” Ric scoffed. “Right.”
“I mean it, Ric,” Kate stated, her face becoming suddenly quite serious. “I’m not here to talk to Dick Grayson. Bruce and Barbara…they’re both idiots. They don’t understand what this sort of things does to a person.”
“And you do?”
“No,” Kate shook her head. “But you see enough of this stuff in the army. You pick up on a few things, you learn how to help your friends, how to teach them live again. They may not get those memories back, but making new ones… those aren’t half-bad, either.”
Ric studied Kate with skills he never remembered having. There didn’t seem to be a lie in her words, nor in her face. She was possibly honest about this. And, if Ric was being honest with himself…he needed someone to…
“Coffee’s fine,” Ric sighed.
Ric needed someone to listen.
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Kate became a relief, a clutch, something to grasp onto whenever she visited. She’d hop in Ric’s taxi, have him drive them to nowhere and anywhere, then pay him handsomely. Ric tried to protest, but Kate would wave him off. So he always insisted on paying for lunch or dinner whenever the chance came up.
And then, one day, after Kate had gone out of town, she brought a guest.
Kate slammed the trunk of the taxi shut as Jason Todd awkwardly slid into the back seat of Ric’s taxi, and Kate quickly and gracefully slid in next to Jason. Ric had, unfortunately, heard about Jason from Barbara.
“Ric, this is Jason,” Kate introduced. “He was helping me with a case.”
Jason didn’t say anything, just nervously dropped his gaze. Ric had heard enough from Barbara to know that Jason was his estranged brother, and honestly, Ric wasn’t looking forward to the intrusion, but he began the drive.
“Renee and I went on that date, by the way,” Kate immediately flew into their usual conversation. “Sorry to say, but Jason met her before you.”
“Wow,” Ric clipped, but it was playfully sarcastic. “This is a betrayal, Kate. A deep, deep betrayal.”
“You snooze you lose,” Kate quipped back.
“Seeing as I was snoozing when you found me, I think you should reverse that statement.”
And that…that was Jason. Who had come in with a sarcastic quip of his own. The way Barbara always talked about Jason, it seemed that he was a man of violence and rage. But the way the quip rolled so easily from Jason’s tongue.
“So, what you’re saying is, if I had been sleeping, I could’ve met your girlfriend, first?” Ric played off Jason’s jab. “Sounds to me like your girlfriend is a figment of your imagination.”
Kate let out a squawk, and Jason burst into laughter.
“I had been pretty drugged out, Kate. Maybe your girlfriend was just a figment of my drug induced imagination.”
“You’re both jerks! This was a terrible idea! Ric, pull over! I’m kicking Jason out!”
“You’d kick a poor, wounded teenager out on the street with nothing? For shame, Kate!”
Ric couldn’t help but laugh at the banter. He knew Kate had mentioned talking to Ric’s other siblings and some of his sort-of-siblings. She’d mentioned them wanting to meet him, but doing it on his terms. So, yes, he was a bit upset when Jason showed up. But judging by how tense Jason was, how he winced and gripped his side in pain, how he seemed to struggle to breath; Ric had a feeling Jason needed this.
And after the week Ric had without Kate, he kinda needed it too.
They ended up at a safe house of Jason’s in Blüdhaven, and by the looks of it, the place hadn’t been used in months, maybe a year or two. Ric only vaguely heard Jason awkwardly apologize before Kate was breezing past them with the bags of groceries and necessities.
“Bathroom,” Kate instructed to Jason, to which the younger agreed, hobbling sloppily to the bathroom. “Ric, darling, could you wipe down the kitchen for us. I’ll start cooking us something in a minute.”
Ric did clean the kitchen. And the small dining nook. And the living area. That could probably needed a better dusting. He had a mind to go clean out the bedroom, too, but Kate stepped out of the bathroom as he made his way to the room.
Jason didn’t follow.
“Just give him a few minutes,” Kate waved off Ric’s concern. “He’s had a bad time.”
Ric winced. Barbara had mentioned Jason was the Red Hood. Crime Lord. Former Robin. Killer. Ric and the rest of the world had seen Red Hood shoot the Penguin and “kill” the man. He’d even seen the footage of Batman beating Red Hood to a pulp. In all honesty, Ric was surprised Jason had managed to stay away for as long as he had.
“Is he really going to be okay?”
Kate paused, hands frozen where she was setting down a bag of potatoes.
“I don’t know,” Kate admitted. “Bruce…I don’t know what he was thinking. Even I could see the blank. I know everyone’s been high strung lately, but…”
“Why are they high strung?”
Kate bit her lip, contemplating. “There was…an attack…on Sanctuary. A place for heroes to go to therapy. I’ve never liked the place. It’s run by machines, but the League thought it would help. Recently…there was a massacre. Several heroes…died. Jason…Jason his best friend, and shortly after he shot Penguins, his friends were ripped away from him.”
Ric’s eyes blew wide. Something inside him stirred, longing to walk into the bathroom and hold his little brother. But that…he wasn’t Dick Grayson. He couldn’t do that. So why was the urge so strong.
“I know I said I’d bring your family to you on your terms, Ric, but I was afraid if I let Jason out of my sight, then…”
Kate didn’t need to finish that statement. Ric understood. He’d thought about it himself. Kate was like an angel, pulling people in when they needed her the most.
“I’m glad you did,” Ric admitted, the words coming out without his consent, but they were still so very true. “Thank you, Kate.”
Kate’s smile was soft, but sad and a little bitter. “Bruce has always had a way of…pushing others away. Of hurting those he should protect. I think it stemmed from his parents. That isn’t an excuse. Believe me, I’ve been on the end of his fury. But in the process of shoving others away, he kept breaking himself. I think Dick saw that. And, honestly, Ric, if that’s how Bruce is going to act, then I’m glad you got out of there.”
“And Jason keeps going back.”
“Yeah…”
Not anymore. Not if Ric could do something about it.
But first, he was going to clean up that bedroom.
-------------------------
He kept coming back to Jason’s safe house. And Jason stayed at his safe house, too. It became a bit more lived in. Jason even cleared out the second bedroom (which…why?) of its weapons storage, and set it up for Ric. It was kinda nice to have a place to go back to.
Even if he did completely embarrass himself in front of Bea Bennett.
Then again, Jason wasn’t supposed to be home the day Ric decided to bring Bea back to the apartment. There was some sort of case that Jason was supposed to be on, today. Not…not sprawled out in the living room.
“Jason?”
He was sat on the couch, looking both dejected and a bit mortified at being caught home. Ric knew it was paranoia more than anything.
“Ric, hey, I- oh. Uh…hi?”
Jason looked a bit panicked looking at Bea, even looking down at himself to insure he wasn’t wearing any of his gear. Thankfully, he was not.
“Hello,” Bea waved back, clearly confused
“I didn’t think you’d be home,” was what slipped passed Ric’s lips.
“I wasn’t, but then something came up and, look, here, you two… do you, I guess. I’ll get out of your-”
“Wait!” Bea cried out! “Aren’t you going to at least introduce me?”
“Oh!” Ric paused, looking between Jason and Bea. “Right. Bea! This is…” Here Ric had to pause. This is my little brother, Jason.” And that made Jason’s eyes widen. Dick hadn’t called him brother in public. Or at all. “Jason, this is Bea, my…”
What was Bea to him?
She was more than a friend, but she wasn’t…she wasn’t his girlfriend. Not yet, at least. But Jason seemed to understand.
“Ah, one of those situations. Don’t worry, he’ll figure it out eventually. Well, it was nice meeting you, Bea.”
“HEY!”
“Enjoy your night, you two!”
“Jason, wait!”
Jason paused at the door, jacket half on. With a tilt of his head, Ric made sure Bea was comfy on the couch, and Ric joined his sister in his bedroom.
“You alright?”
“Yeah,” Jason nodded. “I’m okay. I…I thought I had a lead on Artemis and Biz.”
“Oh,” Ric said.
“Yeah, I…I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll just head out for a few hours. Get some coffee or something. You have a good night, alright?”
“Only if you promise to come back.”
“I will,” Jason promised. “I swear it, Ric. I’m not going to stay away because you’ve gotten yourself a girlfriend.”
Ric was a bit relieved at the promise. Jason had yet to break one. With that promise between them, Jason set out with a little call over his shoulder.
“Rickie, I got leftovers in the fridge. Don’t let this man cook, Bea, you’ll regret it.”
“HEY!” Ric protested as the door shut behind Jason.
“You’re brother’s sweet,” Bea hummed as Ric joined her on the couch.
“And obnoxious,” Ric grumbled. But it was fond.
Bea hadn’t run in terror, and Jason had come back later that night, both a huge relief to Ric. Kate, of course, had teased him about Jason being the first to meet Ric’s new girlfriend first, where they both agreed that Jason just had a bad knack of being in the wrong place at the right time. Jason thought they were both weird, but that was neither here nor there.
------------------------------------------
“He what!?”
Jason had been on the phone for an hour with Tim. Timothy Drake-Wayne. Another of Dick’s little brothers. Ric had been keeping the topic away from the other Bats. Kate and Jason were one thing, but actually meeting the others was terrifying.
And Ric knew that Jason was still in contact with some of the Bats. Not all of them were like Bruce and Barbara. But Jason had gotten a call from a friend of Tim’s, and Jason had called Tim, clearly trying to psychoanalyze everything Tim was saying.
It seemed like Jason had finally gotten whatever he’d been trying to get.
“No, stay there, Baby Bird, I’ll be there soon. Don’t go out. Don’t call anyone else. Okay, maybe Cass and Steph. You can call them. But no one else. Especially not Babs. And don’t go near Bruce, you hear me? Just sit tight.”
Jason clearly hung up after that, shuffling around his bedroom. He looked frantic, worried, angry.
“Ric, I’m gonna be-”
“Bring him here.”
Jason paused. More like froze in place. Then his head snapped to Ric completely.
“What?”
“That was Tim, right? I could hear you through the bedroom door,” Ric continued, not breaking eye contact with Jason. “Bruce…he did something, didn’t he?”
Jason broke eye contact, the only answer Ric needed.
“Bring him here, Jason. He’ll be safe here.”
Again, Jason’s gaze whipped up to Ric. “Are you sure?”
No. No he wasn’t sure, but a kid was in danger.
“Yes. Bring him here. Pack whatever you need to and bring him here.”
Jason nodded, striding across the room to hug Ric, an embrace Ric gladly returned.
“I’ll be back, okay? I promise.”
“I know. Just come back in one piece, kay?”
Jason gave him a grin. A grin that made Ric’s stomach drop. There was a chance Jason couldn’t keep that promise, and they both knew it. With a shaky grin, Jason was gone. Ric scrambled for his phone once he was sure that Jason had begun his drive to Gotham.
“Kate! It’s me! I think Bruce did something! And-and Jason went back, but-!”
The panic rising in Ric was almost hysterical, now. He needed…he needed…
---------------------------------
It was three days before Ric heard anything. He called off work, attempted to go to the coffee shop, saw Barbara, caused a scene, went home and puked up his guts, and was now cuddled with Bea on the couch.
He hadn’t wanted to drag her into this, but he was so, so glad she was here.
Kate threw the door open, and Jason stalked in carrying a fast asleep teenager who was sporting a bruised face. Ric and Bea had both jumped up when the door flew open, both staring wide-eyed at the teen. And to Ric’s dismay, he noticed that even Jason seemed to be in pain.
“Thanks, Kate,” Jason nodded, already heading to his bedroom.
“Are they going to be alright?” Bea asked, clearly having also noticed that Jason was injured too.
“Yes,” Kate nodded. “Jason’s strong, and he’s got this weird knack for healing quickly. Tim trusts Jason to take care of him. It might be rocky for a bit, but they’ll pull through. And you must be Bea, I’m Ric’s cousin-once-removed, Kate. I’m sorry we had to meet like this, but I have a car full of kids, and-”
“You got them all out?” Ric cut in quickly.
Kate bit her lip, glancing back to door Jason and Tim had entered.
“Things in Gotham are…there’s a lot more going on in Gotham than just my idiot cousin. Even if Bruce had some how convinced Jason and I that he’d never do it again, we had to get those kids out. Its not safe for them. We all had to leave Gotham.”
Ric’s eyes blew wide. Wider than they already had. There was something in Gotham, if what Kate was telling him was true. Something scary.
“They can stay here,” Ric insisted.
Now it was Kate’s turn to look at Ric wide-eyed. But it was Bea who spoke.
“Are you sure, Ric?” she questioned, dragging Ric from the moment. “You had talked about taking it slow.”
“I’m going to have to agree with Bea on this one,” Kate added. “But we’re not leaving Blüd. At least, not anytime soon. I’ve got a Penthouse I’ll be taking the kids too, but we thought it best that Jason and Tim stay together. The others might be…around, to keep an eye on Tim. But they’ll try to stay out of sight till you’re ready.”
Ric couldn’t deny he was a little bit relieved by that. He still wasn’t sure how Tim would react to Ric instead of Dick, and had the others all surged into his apartment, well, that was a nightmare Ric wasn’t prepared for.
“Okay. Thanks Kate, but you’ll keep me posted, right?”
“Of course,” Kate agreed. “And if you see a few…fancy meals show up, just assume they’re from Alfred.”
Alfred.
The man used to show up nearly as often as Barbara. Always checking on him. Sometimes calling him by the wrong name. Ric hadn’t exactly been kind to Alfred in that time. But as Kate came into Ric’s life, well, Alfred seemed to leave. Ric wondered if Alfred had also listened to Kate’s lecture.
“And…Barbara…?”
“Staying with her friend, Dinah,” Kate assured, much to Ric’s obvious relief. “Dinah’s agreed to keep Barbara away.”
“Thanks,” Ric nodded. That was a weight lifted that Ric sorely needed. “If you need anything-”
“I know, Ric,” Kate agreed. “You just rest, okay? I know things have been pretty stressful right now.”
And that right there was an understatement.
“Take care, Kate.”
With a fond wave goodbye, Kate left, leaving Jason and Tim in Ric’s bedroom, and Bea and Ric in the entry way.
Bea…
“I guess I owe you an explanation.”
“Not until you’re ready.”
He loved this woman so much.
---------------------------------
Ric debated making everyone breakfast that morning, having had Bea stay over for the night, and with Tim and Jason both injured, fast asleep in the next room. But Ric really was a terrible, terrible cook. Dead awful, actually. How had he survived liked this as Dick Grayson? It didn’t make sense. But then.
“Supposed to still be sleeping,” she stated in a choppy voice. Not tone. Voice. “Did I wake?”
“No,” Ric shook his head at the girl. “You’re…Cass, right?”
Cass perked, giving him a pleased smile. “Jason and Kate?”
“Yeah,” Ric nodded. “Is that breakfast?”
She nodded eagerly.
Cass. The silent ninja. The best of them. That’s what Jason always said. Her and Tim were the best of them. She was also trained to be a living weapon, and if she didn’t want to be seen, she wouldn’t. So, judging by that knowledge and the guilty expression on Cass’s face; she wanted to be seen.
Handing over the food, Cass gave a little grin and then left back out the window. She seemed really sweet. Why couldn’t he have met her before Barbara?
He kinda of wished she had stuck around.
But he wasn’t ready for that yet. Not with Tim in his house. He needed to get to know one sibling at a time.
As Ric opened the containers, Jason stumbled into the hall.
“Please tell me Alfie didn’t send pancakes,” Jason begged.
He did.
---------------------------
Tim was quiet. Timid. Ric wasn’t entirely sure how to interact with Tim at first. Tim kept mostly to himself, only really talking to Jason and greeting Ric on occasions. At first, Tim was just walking on eggshells, but it appeared that there was something different about this silence from Tim was different. He wasn’t walking on eggshells anymore, but, it was like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
“Just say it,” Ric stated on a day when Jason was out. “Whatever it is you want to say, just say it.”
“Uh…”
“Please. Just… tell me. Whatever it is you’re trying to say, just say it.”
“Um… I remember your parents.”
Ric…Ric blinked.
“Not like, Bruce and them. I mean John and Mary Grayson. You’re birth parents. I was, uh, I was wondering if you…wanted to know about them.”
Ric blinked again.
His…parents?
“Jason and I have been talking about what to tell you cause you really have said that you don’t want to have that many ties to Dick Grayson, and we’ve already kinda fallen back into your life already, but I felt like part of you might still want to know, but Jason and Kate weren’t sure, so I’ve been trying to-”
“Would you tell me about them?”
Now it was Tim’s turn to blink in surprise. “Yeah…Yeah! Of course I would! They were your parents, Ric!”
Pulling a chair out, Ric plopped himself down. “Then please. Tell me.”
“John and Mary were acrobats, a skill they passed onto you. And the day I saw the three of you fly, well, it was both one of the best days of my life, and one of the worst. I saw them fall, too.”
As Tim talked about that day and discussed all the research he done on Ric’s parents and family, a part of Ric he didn’t realize was missing slotted into place. It was almost like Ric could breathe again.
---------------------
Ric adored Kate. Admired her. Would forever be grateful to her for letting him be him. Jason was his brother, maybe even his best friend. He could lean on and trust Jason, and he liked to think Jason could do the same. Tim was a spunky little kid who had a way of being utterly sarcastic and funny, and Ric was so proud to call the kid his little brother. Cass, how little morning ninja, always sneaking in early in the mornings, often with food. She was wonderful to sit with in silence as they sat together. And Bea, lovely, wonderful Bea. The light of his life.
But there were others Ric still needed to see. Others who were waiting.
“I will be heading to Gotham.”
Ric blinked down at the tiny ball of fury that held a striking resemblance to Bruce that had shown up on his doorstep. This had to be Damian, of course. There was no one else I could be. But why…?
“Didn’t the others say that was a bad idea.”
“They’re all fools,” Damian spat. “Which is why I am telling you. You will clearly have no objections to me going.”
Definitely a bad idea to go to Gotham.
“Okay,” Ric hummed. “Want to come inside first. You look like you’ve been running all night.”
Damian seemed to hesitate, clearly startled by the moment.
“I…”
Damian and Dick had been close, and that was the reason Kate had been waiting to bring Damian to Ric. They had debated Stephanie or Duke next, and Kate was a little peeved that Cass had been coming around early, but as there was no harm, she agreed not to lecture the girl. But this was a complete loop in the game.
“Jason made sweet potatoes.”
Something in Damian melted and he scuffled inside. Jason had made the to give to Damian anyways after he heard the lid was down. So it made sense that since Damian was here, he could just give them to the kid.
And try to stop him from making a mistake.
“So, why go back to Gotham?”
“Because Father needs me,” Damian stated.
“Oh…kay. I didn’t think Bruce was in Gotham?”
“Father stayed. The rest of us were forced to leave. But I cannot let father fight alone.”
Ric tried to fight the face spasm that occurred. Was Bruce serious?
“Here, you…eat those,” Ric stated awkwardly, already heading to his bedroom. “I’ll be right back.”
Digging into his drawer, Ric pulled out an old phone that he hadn’t touched since he woke from his coma. Turning it on, he immediately navigated to a name he’d heard mentioned.
ME: Listen, I know you’ve probably heard that I don’t want to talk to anyone. That my memories are gone and that I’m not part of the “life” that Bruce is. But I’ve got his son on my doorstep about to make a mistake because his father is an idiot. Whatever is going on in Gotham, Bruce needs help, and he’s clearly too stupid to ask for it, himself. So this is me, asking.
Shoving the phone in his pocket, Ric left the room and saw that, thankfully, Damian was still there. Sitting peacefully, eating his potatoes with a distant stare on his face. The poor kid. Ric wasn’t Dick Grayson, but having lost pretty much everything, he could understand the pain Damian had to be going through.
“Why don’t you take a nap, alright,” Ric offered, motioning to his bedroom. “You’re in no shape to help Batman this worn out.”
Damian seemed to contemplate that as he finished the last of his sweet potatoes, but he seemed to realized the truth in Ric’s words and dutifully walked over to the bedroom. With Damian successfully taking a shower, Ric pulled out the phone.
1 New Message
CLARK: I’ll handle it. Take care, Ric.
Ric breathed a sigh of relief.
Tim and Jason came back later, looking beyond worried and freaked out. They clearly had no plans to discuss anything with Ric, but when Ric shushed them and pointed to his bedroom, it wasn’t hard to see why the two were so panicked. They relaxed immediately at the sight of Damian fast asleep, curled around Zitka.
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“You need a bigger place,” Bea stated as they ate breakfast with Cass one morning. “With all your siblings coming over, I think you need more space.”
“Yes,” Cass agreed. “All stay together.”
“After the Justice League’s sudden appearance in Gotham, Batman still hasn’t been heard from, but it appears that the temporary “heroes” and the threat they provided, along with the attack from Bane, have also disappeared. However, it can also be noted that many of Gotham’s beloved vigilantes are also still missing-”
Jason turned the television off immediately as he exited his bedroom. “Thank you, Summer Gleeson for your astute observations. Absolutely wonderful.”
The sarcasm dripping from Jason’s tongue made Cass giggle, and Jason reached out to ruffle her hair with a playful grin as Cass proceeded to swat at him. It was peaceful. Domestic.
“You two still doing date night, tonight?” Jason cocked his head towards Ric and Bea.
“That’s the plan,” Ric nodded, studying his little brother. “There a problem?”
“No,” Jason shook his head. “There won’t be.”
As Jason walked into the kitchen, Cass huffed but didn’t elaborate. Just shoved a crepe into her mouth. Deciding to ignore it for now, Ric copied her motion and gave Bea a shrug. He wouldn’t let anything disrupt date night.
---------------------
Date night did seem to go off without a hitch. They talked, ate, laughed. It was amazing. Perfect. Ric truly loved his siblings, and he loved his job, but it was nice to have a moment just him and Bea.
“I loved tonight,” Bea hummed as she leaned into Ric’s side, hand clasped with his. “It was perfect.”
“Yeah. It was. And it’s not over yet.”
“But you’re-”
“It was their idea,” Ric assured quickly. “Jason and Tim planned this awhile ago. They’ve been pestering me about it, too. They’re all at Kate’s with the others. Tonight is about us.”
Bea’s expression softened. “I’d like that.”
The night really was perfect.
The Bats spent their time intercepting visitors who were desperate to see Ric. Tonight was about Ric and Bea, and no one was going to ruin their brother’s night.
-------------------------------
“You’re lucky.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Kate’s glare was harsh, furious, and far less than Bruce deserved at the moment. He could barely meet her gaze.
“You’re either an idiot, or a fool, and at this point, I’m not sure what’s worse.”
Bruce’s head hung lower.
“You could have died because some stupid carbon copy of your father came into your life. If Ric hadn’t texted Clark, you could have lost your son.”
“I’ve already lost them.”
Kate slapped him. Outright struck him across the face.
“Definitely a fool,” Kate tsked. “Now you listen and listen here, Bruce Thomas Wayne. Those kids would die for you. Despite everything you’ve thrown at them, they love you. You haven’t lost them, but you sure messed up who they are. And if you don’t figure out how to fix it they’re going to spend the rest of their lives as broken shells of human beings. So here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to stay in your Manor, alone, with nothing but Alfred and you’re thoughts, and you’re going to think over everything you’ve done in your life. No Batman. Not until I say so. Dinah and I will be taking over Gotham. Do you understand?”
Bruce nodded.
“Good. Now I suggest you start thinking.”
And with that, Kate left.
------------------------
Ric let Kate know that the door was open for Stephanie and Duke whenever they wanted to come by. He was looking for a new place with more room, but for the time, his siblings rotated in and out of Ric’s current apartment. Jason was a permanent, his forever roommate (at least till he got married, Jason’s words, not his), was the only constant member, but it was something that brought Ric some relief.
As for Bea, well, she was becoming a permanent in his life too.
But that wasn’t the point of this thought (as amazing as they were), the thought was about the two members of his family he hasn’t seen yet.
“You need to be gentle, Brown!”
“It’s hard to be gentle when she bites!”
One such he was fairly certain he was about to meet as he heard sharp whispering in a nearby alley. One such voice being familiar, and the name on those lips similarly familiar. Glancing into the alley, adjusting the groceries in his arms, he caught sight of Damian and a girl who had to be Stephanie Brown.
In Stephanie’s arms was a dog who was clearly squirming around, probably frightened.
“What’s are you two doing?” Ric questioned as he walked into the alley, causing both Damian and Stephanie to freeze and whip their heads up to Ric.
“We found her being abused,” Damian stated quickly, motioning to the puppy in Stephanie’s arms. “We could not leave her. She has already lost a leg, but she is too scared.”
Ric looked to the sad, small, grey puppy that trembled before them. She had clearly bit into Stephanie’s hand, but thankfully not deep. Still, the poor puppy was terrified, and judging by the lack of a limb, she had every right to be.
“Hey,” Ric cooed, passing the groceries to Damian and crouching before Stephanie and the puppy. “Hey, girl, hey, it’s okay.”
The puppy squirmed before stilling, staring at the hand Ric was offering. She sniffed his hand then made to bite, but Ric didn’t pull away, and her teeth closed on his hand. Ric winced, but knew Jason would be able to patch it up. And when the puppy realized Ric wasn’t going to retaliate, she licked at Ric’s hand and squirmed towards him. Stephanie let her do so.
“You’re a little biter, aren’t you,” Ric cooed with a little chuckle as the puppy snuggled close.
“Maybe we should call her Bitewing,” Stephanie joked.
Damian gave Stephanie a glare, and the blonde clearly realized her mistake, but Ric just laughed. “I was thinking more along the lines of Haley. What do you think, girl?”
Haley yipped in excitement, licking at Ric’s chin. Taking that as a yes, Ric tucked the puppy against his chest and turned back to Stephanie and Damian. Stephanie who’s hand was bleeding almost as much as Ric’s, and Damian who was saddled with Ric’s groceries.
“Come on,” Ric motioned with his head. “My apartment is closer than where you two are staying. And we need to look at our hands.”
With a glance at Damian, to which the younger urged her forward, the two followed after Ric and the newly dubbed Haley.
“IS THAT A PUPPY!” Bea squealed immediately in delight upon seeing the puppy. “OH MY GOODNESS, SHE’S PERFECT!”
“What the heck happened to your hand?” Jason demanded as Bea took the puppy. His gaze also caught on Stephanie. “What did you guys even do?”
Ric just grinned. “I adopted a puppy. Can’t you tell?”
Jason rolled his eyes, took the bag of groceries and handed them to Tim, and dragged both Steph and Ric to the kitchen table where he could treat their hands.
What a way to meet his other sister, right?
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He met Duke the day he found his apartment. In fact, the reason he found Duke was because Duke was walking around with his friends, who were visiting from Gotham, on the same day Ric, Jason, and Bea were walking to yet another apartment.
“Hey, Duke,” Jason called to the boy as they passed.
“Hey, Jay,” the kid who was clearly Duke (not that Steph hadn’t showed him a million pictures already). “Apartment hunting?”
“Yep,” Jason grinned. “Ric, this is our other brother, Duke, and is friends; Riko, Isabella and Daxton.”
“Nice to officially meet you,” Ric grinned at his brother. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Duke, who Ric was aware he’d never really had much of a chance to get to know, gave an awkward shrug. But it was clear Duke’s friends had his back.
“Any chance we can help you apartment hunt?” Isabella questioned mock-innocently as Duke tried to stop her. “The more people you have the more ground you can cover.”
Duke…Ric looked right at Duke, watched his little brother’s reaction. Dick Grayson hadn’t had the chance to bond much with Duke. But Ric…Ric could make it happen. And Duke looked as if he wished to have that relationship, too. So…
“What do you say, Bea? Care to have my little brother and his friends along?”
“I don’t see why not,” Bea grinned. “It’s nice to meet you Duke. I’m Bea.”
“Nice to meet you. I’ve, uh, heard a lot about you.”
“Oh?” Bea shot Jason a look, to which Jason grinned unapologetically.
“What, you expect me not to talk about the best thing that ever happened to my brother?”
Ric wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or to glare at his brother. He went for the glare, but Jason seemed to see threw him. It was nice, being able to banter with Jason.
“To the first apartment!” Riko declared with glee as she pointed in the wrong direction. To which Jason and Isabella quickly pointed her the right way. “That way!”
And there they went. Off to apartment hunt.
Moldy.
Not dog friendly.
Nosy neighbors.
Sketchy lighting.
Too thin walls.
Hours and hours of searching different apartments and they were seemingly having no luck. But then…
“This place is…”
“Perfect,” Ric finished for Bea.
“Yeah,” Bea nodded. “But there’s no way this place is in our price range.”
A nice, big, spacious, open apartment with two floors. Plenty of room for guests, and four bedrooms. A beautiful, amazing place that even welcomed dogs.
“Actually, the place is being discounted for you,” the realtor stated. “A gift from someone higher up.”
Jason’s gaze narrowed, Duke tensed, and even Ric had a few warning bells.
“Who, exactly?”
“Ah,” the woman flipped through a few papers. “One Melinda Zucco. Current Mayoral candidate. She said this is a bit of an apology, and that she will talk to you if you have questions.”
Zucco? Like…Tony Zucco? The man Tim said was responsible for his parents’ deaths.
Jason looked furious, but he quickly sighed “Later” to let him know this could wait.
“I think we’ll take it,” Jason nodded, getting a look from Bea and Ric. “It truly is perfect.”
Yeah. It really, really was.
“Think we can convince Jason to make dinner for us?” Duke whispered to Ric, who gave a mischievous grin in return.
They could definitely do that.
-----------------------------------
It took weeks to decorate the house. Mainly because they refused to move in to the house until they had tracked down Melinda Zucco. But that was a different story, and once they had gotten their answers, they were here, now. Apartment decorated and full of people.
Kate had brought over wine and sparkling grape juice. Jason had cooked up a feast, and Ric had his family scattered around the room. It was amazing, beautiful. Everything Ric never knew he wanted.
Bruce and Barbara weren’t here. Neither was Alfred, though the old man had sent over a rather nice goodie basket and a letter that had Ric in tears. But Bruce and Barbara weren’t here, and honestly, it was hard to miss someone you didn’t truly know. So, yes, Ric was happy. Content.
“Actually, Ric, there was one last thing we wanted to run by you,” Tim spoke up after getting nods from the others. “How do you feel about at least meeting the Titans?”
Ric blinked.
“You want me to meet more people?”
Ric was positively scandalized.
“Nothing you’re not ready for,” Kate assured gently. “We can pace it of you’d like.”
Ric looked to Kate, the woman who had started this. Who had given him the gift of his life that he had now. He could do that. He could pace himself.
After all, he had his family with him.