"Grayson," Damian said, barely able to conceal the trembling of his voice. "Today I fought with Todd again. He came to the manor and insulted me by calling me things like squirt... he no longer calls me demon, but I would prefer just to be called by my name."
The gravestone was as silent as ever, but Damian could imagine that he heard Dick's laughter. It wasn't a mocking laugh, Dick would never mock someone who came to him for advice. It was a kind laugh. "That's just Jason's way of showing affection," he'd say.
"I know that, but I loathe it when he makes me feel like I'm inferior just because I'm younger," Damian said, running his fingers over the name carved into the headstone.
"Then ask him to stop."
"But he might make fun of me."
"That's a risk you'll have to take."
"Fine," Damian relented, standing and brushing the grass off of his pants. "Goodbye Grayson."
—
"Jason came over again today... I asked him if he would kindly call me by my name instead of those infernal nicknames. He said he would as long as I called him Jason and not Todd. So now I have to call him Jason," Damian said after he'd plopped down onto the grass next to Dick's gravestone.
"I told you so."
Damian huffed and pulled out his sketchbook, whispering a quick, "Whatever."
—
"Father took me out for ice cream today... he brought me to the same place that we used to go to together. It hurt just a bit to be there without you." Damian paused for a moment, tears fogging his vision.
Damian sniffled quietly a few times. "It f-feels like he's trying to replace y-you... but I don't want h-him to. I-I just want y-you back, not anyone else trying to take y-your place," Damian sobbed, leaning against the cold headstone.
—
"It's been a year. Why can't you just come back like me and Jason?" Damian said, wiping at his teary eyes.
—
"Drake broke his leg on patrol yesterday. He was doing something stupid, so he kinda deserved it. I contemplated leaving him there in the alley, but I knew you wouldn't have wanted me to do that... so I stabilized his leg and drove him back to the cave on my motorcycle," Damian said, sitting with his sketchbook in his lap.
—
"Can you believe that Father told me I couldn't come see you anymore. He said it was bad for my mental and emotional health," Damian said, pacing. "Who is he to advise me about emotional health. He shows about as much emotion as a potato... or maybe a rock... Anyways, I don't care about what they say, I'm still going to come see you."
—
"Hey Grayson. Sorry I haven't come to visit you in a while," Damian said, picking weeds out from the space around Dick's grave before moving on to do the same to Dick's parents' grave like Dick would've done if he were here. "I got a cat, and his care has been occupying me for the past while." Damian settled into the grass.
"I guess you probably want to know what his name is, since such trivial things are important to you," Damian said after a moment of silence. "I named him Alfred Pennyworth... I considered naming him after you... but that was too painful... Maybe I'll bring him to meet you sometime."
—
Damian laid down next to Dick's grave and let out a huge sigh. "Father is forcing me to go back to school again... like that turned out so well the first time. He claims that I need friends my own age or something like that," he paused for a moment before continuing. "As if any of the other children my age could have done something that would be even mildly interesting to me."
—
"I know I told you that nobody my age would be interesting, but today I met this boy who lives on a farm. He told me that I could come see how he takes care of all of the animals, and in the physical education class we had to climb a rope all the way to the ceiling of the gymnasium. Of course it was easy for me, but some of the other students were struggling... I think that this PE, as they call it, could possibly be used as some form of training," Damian said, genuinely excited about school.
—
Months later Damian stumbled into the graveyard and fell on his knees in front of Dick's grave.
"Grayson... I can't do it anymore... Ever since y-you... d-died... F-father, J-Jason a-and Drake d-don't want m-me any more. F-father told me to g-get out. I d-didn't h-have anywhere else to g-go," Damian said, dissolving into sobs. "N-nobody wants m-me around."
A light rain started falling, bringing a chill to Damian's bones as he knelt in front of the gravestone.
"P-please. I just w-want you back..."
Damian felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and heard a voice he never thought he'd hear again. "I'm here Dami. I'm here," Dick said.
Faster than he could blink, Damian turned and launched himself into Dick's arms, crying into his older brother's shoulder and saying the only thing he could. "Grayson," he repeated again and again, squeezing his brother tightly to make sure he was real.
"I've got you lil' D. I'm not leaving again any time soon," Dick reassured, rubbing tiny circles on Damian's shaking back.
Damian pressed himself as close to his brother as he could get.
"I'm here."