Batboys x Reader

Tribulation (Dick Grayson x Reader)

Hi! So, after days of begging I allowed my sister to write another story. So, yeah...this is what she wrote. So, the two requests which she included here was PunkMewtwo and @Shove_A_Cupcake using prompt 3 "I will protect you with my life" & prompt 4 "A: You'll catch me, right. B: Always". So, I hope you like it. Anyway, I love you. I appreciate you. Thank you for existing and as always remember how dope you are.
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Dick Grayson POV
My perfect dream of coco-pops and fruit loops, in bottomless bowls with automatic spoons is interrupted. Slowly, but surely, they start tipping off the table. Rivers of milk splashing out, all over the floorboards. They start disappearing, replaced by the walls of my bedroom. Poor (Y/N) is next to me, shaking like a leaf. The shaking doesn't stop, but the whimpering begins. (Y/N) is having a nightmare, a bad one. After the attack, she had been traumatized for months, tossing and turning in her sleep and cowering at the slightest possibility of threat. That asshole felt that terrorising Gotham wasn't enough, he needed to scare (Y/N) so badly she hadn't slept properly in months.

"Baby, I'm here, It's ok. Shhh baby"

Leaning to the bedside table and flicking on the dim light, I wake her. She startled, badly. Still stuck in the nightmare, she rears away. I placed a firm hand on her shoulder, guiding her back to me. Her cheeks are wet and her body is bathed in a cold sweat. The sheets are twisted around her limbs, probably because of her movements in her sleep.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm here. It's ok." I gently comfort her.

With the lights on, I can see the tears coursing down her cheeks. She is frightened, I hate that he continues to impact her like this, even so long after the fact. Coming to, she starts to sobbing. Her breathing is laboured and she isn't calming down. Eyes wild, she is searching for security, I am the only one that can give that to her. Already failing once, I had vowed to never let her down again.

"Breathe baby girl, breathe. In and out. Just like that." I whisper.

She buries her face into the crook of my neck, my heart aches for her. She clings to me. Placing her hand on my chest. I deeply inhale, starting to worry that I might run out of ways to calm her. I know better than to ask what had upset her so much. She'll talk when she was ready. Eventually, she settles, nestling into me and whispering her fears, trusting me enough to divulge her terrors. Hoping I can say the right things and make them seem less scary.

Slowly, (Y/N)'s rapid, frantic breathes subside, normalising with the occasional shallow hiccup. In the dim bedroom light, her normally smooth toned skin seems blotchy and red. With tear tracks still evident, she tilts her face out of the crook of my neck and peers up to my eyes.

"He did it, he did it all over again. I was falling and falling and-and... and I couldn't do anything to stop it." She explains.

Her breathe hitches before she carries on, "He was laughing and you weren't there to make him stop. We were on that rooftop again, but this time you... you weren't there."

It's hard to make sense of her whispers, between the hysteria creeping back in and the lump developing in her throat as she tried not to start sobbing again. My girl was so brave.

"I'm scared, I'm so fucking scared. He's going to come back again. He will, he will." She murmurs.

Every time (Y/N) inhales, her eyes go wide and she holds the air in her lungs a little longer, trying to calm herself down. It breaks me, it really really does. She deserves only the good and pure and perfect things. Instead, she had been traumatised by the most despicable abomination in Gotham.

"There's nothing to fear darlin', he'll never come near you again. You hear me? I've got you, you're safe." I comfort her.

Taking a deep breath, she steadies herself and continues, "You'll catch me, right? If it ever happens, you'll always catch me?"

I don't even need to think; (Y/N) is the light of my young life. I will always protect her, no matter the risk, no matter where or when. I am committed to her like no other.

"I will protect you with my life." I smile softly.

She tucks herself back under my chin. She is quiet now. As the tremor previously running through her body subsides, she is content being held. Safe in my arms, eyes closed, snuggling in close. Stroking her arm in methodic loops, I try to lull her back into sleep. I don't mind getting stuck with her in my lap, I'd give up sleep for her over much less than the night terrors. Whatever (Y/N) needs, she gets.

"You're safe baby, I'm not going anywhere." I assure her.

Sleepily she lifts her head, "Thank you."

"You never need to thank me, never." I reply.

Sheer exhaustion starts to take over, lack of sleep and interrupted nights are taking an immense toll. Now safe and secure, she will sleep soundly until that arrogant prick rears his horrible head in her dream state again. And we repeat this exercise, every night until one day she is healed. Sliding further down under the covers, she gets comfortable. Reaching down, I begin to stroke her head, running my fingers through her hair. Her breathing slows. Her hand, previously clenched in a fist against my leg relaxes, fingers splaying out over my thigh. A soft sigh escaped her lips, she is well on her way to a deep sleep.

Mindlessly, I continue caressing her. I know that tomorrow I will be exhausted, but for tonight, (Y/N) comes first. She needs me, and I vow that I won't let her down again.