Aftermath

Denying them the chance

"Ah, thank you." Dick snapped from his haze as Jason placed the plate in front of him. Jason grunted in return and sat down beside him. They ate in silence for several moments before, to Dick's surprise, Jason spoke.

"Where is the replacement, anyway?"

"Tim? He stayed with Barbara and Jim last night." Dick replied, pleased that Jason was asking after him. "He proposed yesterday."

"No kidding?" Jason turned to Dick with a shocked look and grumbled in approval.

"I'm so happy for him." Dick smiled.

"Is that why you were crying and staring at the wall?" Jason asked unconvinced, tapping his fork against the plate. "Because you were happy?"

"I-" Dick started before he sighed and averted his gaze. He hoped he didn't have to talk this out. He had hoped his answer earlier had been enough to appease Jason's snooping. "I ran into Selina yesterday."

"Catwoman? I thought she had left after Bats saved her?" Jason seemed confused.

"I don't know, but I was in the botanical gardens doing... something." Dick started, remaining vague. "And she appeared out of nowhere, she asked about Bruce's funeral."

Dick hadn't realised his hands were shaking until Jason covered them with his own. He let out a wobbly breath and took his hands back, shoving them onto his lap.

"I guess it just reminded me that Bruce is gone," Dick smiled sadly at Jason and shrugged minutely. "It got to me."

"But you haven't let it affect you before. So why would it now?" Jason asked sceptically to Dick's meek, uncomplicated reason.

"It just did, okay?" Dick began to turn defensive, picking his plate up and heading to the sink.

"Bullshit." Jason snapped back. "She must have said something else."

"She didn't, Jason," Dick pinched his brow and clutched the sink tightly.

"This doesn't make sense." Jason huffed and stood. "How could that possibly trigger you going into that kind of comatose state? You know Bruce is dead, I don't see how Selina-"

"He's alive!" Dick exclaimed as he spun around and flinched away at the pitying gaze Jason was swift to wipe from his features.

"Dick, what do you mean he's alive?" Jason asked quietly.

"Exactly that, Bruce is alive. He's out there somewhere with Alfred. I just have to find them." Dick told Jason, utterly religious in his belief. He clenched his jaw as Jason tried to find the right thing to say. "You think I'm crazy?"

"What? No! No." Jason shook his head and scoffed. "I'm the last person who could say that. I just..."

"I know it's a long shot." Dick agreed with Jason's hesitation and nibbled at his lip in distress. "But what if I just let it be and it turns out I was right, that they are alive?"

"Wouldn't the old man have given you a sign by now?" Jason tried to reason with him. Dick sagged his shoulders and sank to his knees. He had been hoping every morning he woke that he would receive some kind of indication that Bruce was trying to contact him; to let them know that he wasn't putting them through all this earth-shattering pain without letting them know he was okay. But each evening as the sun went down, without any message, Dick's heart cracked just a little more.

"What if I'm doing all this, and he's truly gone?" Dick whispered into Jason's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around him comfortingly. "And I'm denying Tim- everyone, the chance to mourn him?"