The Descent

The Fadeout

A.N: This chapter was born because of all the reviews I received in AO3. Hope you enjoy it!

"I am glad that I didn't have to stake my special friend."
"Yeah, it would have been a pity for tears coming out of your pretty eyes, ruining your Emotionless Di- well, me, reputation."
"Okay, that's it!" Tim snapped as he viciously tapped on the keyboard. "Seriously. Stop with the Vampire Diaries references already!"

Dick and Jason looked at each other with matching grins before,
"No! No, no, no, no. Did I mention NO!"
"You know what? I am outta here," he huffed and left Dick's room, shaking his head.

Jason had awoken a few hours ago, his hand still clutched in Tim's. But neither commented on it, Jason asking for Dick the moment he woke up. Tim was quick to assure him that no complications occurred when he was out, and that Dick was yet to wake up.

A few minutes later, Dick woke up too, asking for Jason. And Jason, for once, didn't object to fulfil his octopus of a brother's cuddle needs. In fact, Tim thought, as Dick made him join the hug, it was a testament of how much Jason was affected by this whole ordeal when he didn't even hesitate to step into Dick's outstretched arms, or unwrap one of his arms from around Dick only to wrap them around Tim's shoulders.

Well, Tim was shocked when that happened, to say the least, but he didn't say anything, just like he didn't when Jason held onto his hand like a lifeline the whole time he was passed out.

Then Alfred came, checked Dick and Jason, and gave the prescription of rest, rest, and rest. Meaning that no jumping off of roofs or shooting bad guys for at least one month and a half for Wingnut and Hoodie - Boy. If they disobeyed, then they would face 'The Pennyworth's Wrath'. And no one in their right mind would wanna become a victim to that. Oohhh the horror of not getting Alfred's desserts or new dishes for three weeks!!

So, both men nodded their heads like obedient dogs when Alfred told his orders. Yup. Alfred may call them 'Masters' but it was evident who the real 'Master' was, in the prestigious Wayne Household.

Once Dick and Jason showered in hot water , and dug into Alfred's amazing comfort food, all three of them shifted to Dick's room because the cave was too cold for Dick's liking, while Alfred went off to do his work.

Tim had brought his laptop to Dick's room, to finish school essays and crack old cases. He tried to complete them as soon as he could. Key word being 'tried', because the moment all three of the were settled in the bed, Jason leaning against the headboard with his arm around Dick's still trembling shoulders, and Dick leaning against Jason's chest with Tim tucked in his arms, both of them started quoting The Vampire Diaries and making references of it for literally each and every sentence they talked, annoying the hell outta Tim.

Tim knew that his elder brothers binge watched movies and series together, and that they made inside jokes with references to them that no one understood. Usually though, Tim wouldn't be on the receiving end. But this time, it was as if their sole purpose was to get under Tim's nerves, and Tim hated to admit that they were succeeding.

But why Vampire Diaries? Tim didn't know. Usually, it would be Arrow, Flash or any other Marvel or DC stuff because Dick and Jason found that making fun of Ollie and Barry with Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin, or recording the Crime Alley kids saying "Avengers Assemble" only to hack the Watch Tower's projectors and play it in the middle of a League meeting, was highly amusing.

Once Upon A Time was used when teasing Damian, and Merlin and Supernatural was used against their whole family. Star Trek, Rizzoli and Isles, 9-1-1, Intern, Stardust, Scorpion, and of course, White Collar, along with a bunch of other movies and series made their appearance once in a while too.

But, never Vampire Diaries. Not until now. Maybe, Tim guessed, it was because the series hit home for both of them. So, Tim didn't have to be a genius to realise that something happened in the basement that reminded the duo of TVD.

Either way, Tim couldn't stand it. He wanted some peace and quiet, and so, he went to the library. He got what he wanted for exactly thirty two minutes, before Jason slid into the library doors.

"Dick?" Tim asked when Jason went to a shelf for a book.
"Asleep."
"What, ran out of TVD quotes and references?"
"Oh please, you know you love me," Jason replied with a wink.
"Supernatural gif ?!" Tim asked with an incredulous chuckle, which Jason joined in.

They both fell into a companionable silence, as Jason settled down in the old wooden rocking chair with a book. The only sound in the room was the clacking of keyboard keys, the creak of the rocking chair, and the rustle of a turning page.

A few minutes, or it could have been hours, Alfred came to inform them that Dick was awake and asking for them.

"We have to drop whatever we are doing and go meet His Prat-ness whenever he summons us because he is too spoiled to come meet us himself," Jason muttered as he closed his book and joined Tim in the stairs.
"If this was a time of war, he would have you flogged for that," Tim snickered, and Jason rolled his eyes with a small grin.

The quote that was on Jason's tongue died when he opened the door to Dick's room. Dick was a bundled lump in the middle of the bed, a pillow clutched hard in his arms. He was looking at the blank tv in front of him, eyes looking lost.

"Dickie?" Jason called softly, and Dick's gaze snapped up to look at him.

"Jay?" His voice was so unbearably vulnerable that it reminded Jason of the first response Dick had given after they had got stuck in the basement.

"Oh Dickiebird," was all Jason could say before Dick was scrambling forward towards Jason.

Jason caught him, and slowly crouched with Dick still his arms, making him sit on the bed and lean down into Jason. Jason's eyes met Tim's worried ones over Dick's heaving shoulders.

"What happened?" Jason asked to Dick, gaze still on Tim, as if asking him to wait for a signal.

"I - I thought t-that y-you didn-didn't -" Dick blubbered, unable to complete the sentence.

"Shh it's okay. I am right here, Dick. We are both fine," Jason soothed, as he finally gave the signal for Tim to intervene.

Tim slowly came and sat down beside Dick, and put his arm hesitantly around him. Dick immediately stilled. But, the moment Tim rubbed his arm and pulled him closer, Dick broke down once more, the sobs coming out loudly.

It took a while for the sobs to die down to sniffles and hiccups, the whole time the both of them holding Dick. At one point, Jason's ribs protested in pain, but he ignored it. But, Dick still refused to look at his brothers. Jason contemplated what to do for a while, and a thought struck him.

'Call Damian,' Jason mouthed to Tim, and Tim complied.

"Tt, Drake, I have - "

" - It's Dick. Talk to him," Tim cut him off and held the phone to Dick's face, which was still buried in Jason's shoulder.

"Dickie, it's your brat," Jason prompted softly, and Dick finally looked up to see his youngest brother's face.

"Dami," Dick whispered.

"Grayson. Did the two imbeciles do something moronic that upset you?" Damian asked, his own way of showing that he was worried.

"No, no," Dick said, laughing wetly. "I just had a bad day."

Jason snorted at that, as if to say, "Understatement of the century."

And, Dick kept on talking to Damian, asking about how the things were and what he thought about it. At one point, Jason got off the floor with a groan and sat on the bed, pulling Dick and Tim with him.

The three of them got comfortable until, one by one, they started getting sleepy. Tim nodded off first, followed by Dick, until only Jason and Damian were awake. After Dick fell asleep, they both went silent, neither of them hanging up, but not talking.

Slowly Jason fell asleep too, and Damian sighed softly, pulling up his book and reading it, while keeping an eye on his sleeping idiots of brothers. And that is how Alfred found them when he came to check up on them.

He smiled softly, and whispered a soft "Master Damian," to which Damian acknowledged him with an equally soft "Pennyworth."

Alfred fixed the blankets and pillows around his wards, and set the device in which Damian's face was seen virtually in a better position so that he can still see his brothers.

Once he was satisfied with the setup, Alfred bid a good night to Damian, switched off the lights, and went to retire for the night. Damian stayed awake for a long time, before he nodded off too.

When Bruce entered the room his youngest was in, he was treated with the sleeping faces of all four of his sons. He smiled a rare smile at the sight, and did what Alfred had done to his other three sons, to his youngest son. He drank in the sight one last time, before whispering a loving "Good Night," to all four of them and switching off the room's lights, quietly closing the door behind him.

Notes:

A.N: I can totally imagine Dick and Jason making quotes and references. So, to those who didn't catch it, this episode was named after Arrow Season 8's last episode. I don't know why I chose it, but I found it fitting. Also, give a thumbs up if you caught all the references and quotes, and found them enjoyable. I know that I did. I was laughing a lot when I wrote this chapter. But the laugher steadily decreased into a small, soft smile as I finished it. Seriously, I wasn't planning on this chapter at all. This is here because of you guys - give yourself a pat. Thanks!