Proverbs 14:13 "The heart feels pain even in laughter, and in the end, joy turns to sorrow."

The ride to the manor had been a rather awkward one, consisting of Dick staring out the window and Bruce glancing over at him every few minutes. He knew what Bruce had been doing -trying to get him to open up. Dick bet that the second he started talking, Bruce would tell him how much of a disappointment he was, just like the Team had said. He'd probably say that Dick let his emotions cloud his judgement to much, or that he should've been able to handle the insults thrown his way. He'd say how Dick should be better than this. Could be better than this. So, Dick didn't talk, he already knew what Bruce wanted to say.

When they'd finally walked into the manor they were greeted by Alfred, as per usual, who carried a somewhat solemn expression. He felt for the butler, it must be horrible to see someone you care about in such a terrible state. Dick nodded his head at him, but continued forward, not stopping to talk. He ignored the hand Bruce laid on his shoulder as he shuffled towards his old bedroom. Bruce let him go, and Dick was thankful that he hadn't tried to pry anything out of him, at least not yet.

He made it to his room with no issues -issues meaning Tim- and proceeded to curl up underneath the soft comforter of his bed. It didn't smell like him anymore -why would it with him having been gone for so long- but he still managed to relax enough to fall into a light slumber. That was all a few hours ago, long before lunch. Now, as the door to Dick's room creaked open, waking him, he guessed it was close to dinner.

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6:17pm

The light from the hallway shone over Dick's eyelids as someone opened his door, shuffling in silently. Dick, not in the mood to have any type of conversation, decided to play possum and pretend he was still asleep. The person, Bruce, Wally, or Alfred, -the footsteps were too heavy for Tim's- dropped something onto his floor, sounding much like blankets. Dick peaked an eye open slightly, attempting to catch a glimpse of his intruder.

A familiar mop of red hair soon came into view. It was Wally who, according to the mess on his floor, unceremoniously plopped down multiple blankets. It was Wally who was now seated in the middle of the pile, with a pillow in his lap, letting the light of his phone illuminate his face.

Dick closed his eye and struggled to keep his face relaxed. He hadn't thought that when he said Wally could come, he'd be sleeping in the room with him. Bruce must've told him to, he realized, the man probably didn't want to deal with his disappointment of a son. Wally staying in here with him tossed some major complications into what Dick was planning. He wouldn't be able to get to anything and, knowing Bruce, he'd already swept the room for anything of concern.

'You could just leave. You aren't being forced to stay here, not yet at least,' A little voice whispered, finally making itself known after hours of silence. Dick sighed softly and rolled over, taking the thought into consideration. Maybe the voice was right. After all, Dick was doing just fine on his own, keeping himself company and protecting Bludhaven. What gave Bruce the right to force himself into Dick's life after months of silence? 'Bruce doesn't care. It's just that he has to take care of you. It would be bad press for Bruce if you died.' It whispered soothingly, yet truthfully all the same.

The words brought one phrase to the forefront of Dick's mind, Charity Case, maybe that's all he was. Before he could think on it more, the soft ruffle of blankets and the 'pat' of Wally's feet sounded behind him. Quickly, Dick relaxed his brow and hid the frown that had appeared with his thoughts. What was Wally doing?

"Dick? Hey buddy, are you awake?" Wally whispered softly, his voice barely reaching Dick's ears.

Curling himself tighter into the warm blankets, he ignored the redhead. Dick didn't have the energy for the conversation he was sure Wally wanted to have.

It was quiet for a few moments, only Dick's soft exhales interrupted the silence, and without meaning to, Dick slipped back asleep. He hadn't even heard Wally leave the room when dinner was called.

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1:35pm

On his way to the Mountain, right after leaving Dick's apartment, Wally started to think. What would he say to the Team? Would he tell them what their ignorance has caused? Maybe, but did they really deserve to know? He sighed and typed a code into the Gotham zeta beam, here goes nothing.

He entered the Mountain slowly, and walked purposefully towards the kitchen. It was just after lunch so everybody should still be here. Wally knew for a fact that Batman wasn't going to be giving out any missions today. He had far more important things to deal with after all.

He could hear voices coming from the kitchen as he approached. They must've not heard him enter. Wally rounded the corner and stood in the doorway for a moment. Connor and M'gann were sitting at the bar, flirting shamelessly. Guess she and La'gaan didn't work out to well, did they? Robin was digging through the fridge while making small talk with Bart, who was seated on the counter next to him. La'gaan was looking rather bored, seated across from Connor, eating a sandwich. Just a normal day at the mountain. Almost everyone was there.

Pushing off the doorway, Wally made sure to announce his presence as he entered, "Hey guys, what's up?" He asked casually. Maybe someone would ask if he found Dick.

Everyone in the kitchen turned and smiled at him, each giving off their own greeting.

"Wally!" M'gann started, "Where have you been! You said you'd be back in a few hours, and that was last night!" She spoke, worry clearly present in her voice. Connor rested a hand over hers, giving her silent support.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him, patiently waiting for an answer they already had. He'd told them yesterday where he was going and why.

"Why didn't you answer your phone when we called?" Connor asked, "Everyone was worried about you."

"I didn't want to answer, that's why," Wally snapped, "I was dealing with something far more important than your little phone calls," he finished with a sneer. How could they forget that he'd gone to find Dick? He'd told them specifically that he'd gone out to find Nightwing. Did they really not have a thought to spare for their friend?

The Team looked hurt by his reply, especially Bart, who's face now held a small frown. He hopped off the counter and stepped closer to the speedster, "What are you talking about Wally?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest, "We haven't done anything to have you snap at us like that. What's wrong?"

Wally walked forward and braced his hands on the table, "Yeah, me. You haven't done anything to me. Instead, you hurt one of the most important people in my life, and do you care? No!" Wally heaved in reply, throwing his arms up in anger, "But no, nothing's wrong," He added sarcastically.

"Hurt?" Jaime growled, confused, "We haven't hurt anyone important to you!"

Wally was silent for a few moments as he attempted to contain his raging anger. We haven't hurt anyone important to you. The hell they didn't!

Taking Wally's silence as his chance to speak, Robin added, "If we've hurt someone close to you, why don't you just tell us who they are so we can stop fighting already. It can't be important enough to argue about."

Wally's blood was boiling now. How could Timmy, Dick's little brother, the brother he cared for more than anything in the world, say that? He must've known something was going on with Dick, "Not important! So the health of your fucking brother means nothing to you!?" Wally spat, "When was the last time any of you self-righteous asses got up and checked on him? Huh, when was the last time any of you checked up on Nightwing?" he yelled, and his friends finally understood what he was talking about.

"Nightwing? Nobody cares about Nightwing, the guys a traitor. He didn't tell us his plan and that caused people to die. How can we trust him after what he's done. He should've told us his plan. So Nightwing? He can just go die for all I care," La'gaan snapped.

And that was it, Wally was done. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He can just go die for all I care. Wally stomped away from the table and walked closer towards his friends, who had all gathered together behind the bar. Locking eyes with his angered teammates he spoke, "You really mean that don't you? All of you?"

M'gann looked down at her feet and Connor crossed his arms, turning away slightly. Everyone kept their gazes focused on the floor, but what angered Wally the most, was Robin trying to leave the room.

"Does it really mean nothing? All those times he was there for you? Comforting you? Saving your life? Does it really all mean nothing?" Wally looked down at his feet, balling his fists, "He trusted you, and this is how you repay him?" He glared at Robin as he spoke this and the boy turned away, looking rather chastised, halting his escape.

"Every time one of you made a mistake, he forgave you, but the one time, the one time, he messes up, you just abandon him without even trying to understand!?" Wally shouted, his voice hoarse with emotion. He scoffed, "Some friends you are. Don't expect me to answer the phone if any of you start calling," and with that, Wally turned sharply, heading for the zeta tube.

He didn't want to be in the room with them anymore. It disgusted him, knowing that his friends managed to hurt Dick like this. How could they not notice what their words were doing? It was obvious, Dick's whole demeanor had changed. The once bright and bubbly acrobat had turned into this quiet and dull shell of himself.

"Wait, Wally! We didn't mean it like that!"

He stopped walking, and without turning around, shouted back the his former teammates, "Fuck you!" and throwing their words back at them, "You can go die for all I care."

"Wally, stop," Connor demanded, "We can talk about this. I don't understand why you're reacting like this, Nightwing's fine. We just saw him a day ago."

"No we can't," Wally replied, turning back to face him, "We can't talk about this until you learn that words can hurt people too. And not to mention that you didn't even tell him I was alive. How can you expect me to sit down and make friends with people that would do something like that? It's cruel and I don't want any part of it. And no, Nightwing's not fine, and it's your fault. Goodbye."

And he left.

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6:30pm

Dick awoke to the rhythmic shaking of his shoulder. It was a rather pleasant awakening, if he compared it to the many times he'd been forced awake. Not to harsh yet determined all the same. This time however, no matter how pleasant it was, he hated it. Dick didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to do anything.

"Hey, Dick, I need you to get up. You need to eat something."

Dick rolled over, pulling the blankets up over his head, "M'not hungry," he mumbled into his pillow.

The shaking never let up, and the person started talking again, effectively preventing him from dozing off, "I know Chum, but you need to get up. Come on."

Dicks eyes snapped open and he was grateful his head was under the blankets. Bruce was the only person that called him that. He uncovered his head and peaked out, any awkward tiredness he had left immediately, leaving him fully awake and alert.

"Hi," Dick mumbled and started crawling out of the blankets. He knew Bruce wouldn't leave until he got up, so there was no point in fighting. Every movement made Dick want to groan. The bruises from last nights patrol had left him rather sore, he felt terrible.

Bruce chuckled, "Hello, now come on, Alfred kept your plate warm. Timmy just got home too, so you can say hi to him as well," he said, laying a hand on Dick's back, urging him forward.

Dick sat up with his feet hanging over the edge, not making any movement to stand. He wanted to get up, he really did. He knew he should get up, Bruce wasn't patient with things like this. But, it was just so hard to do. Everything took so much effort, and in the end, it left him feeling drained, emotionally and physically. Dick was starting to question whether or not leaving his bed was even worth it anymore. Maybe he should've never left his apartment.

"Dick," the hand pressed a little more firmly, "Come on."

Waiting just a moment more while he built up the energy to move, Dick replied softly, "Okay."

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4:45pm

Wally entered the manor a little before five o'clock, greeting Alfred as he walked by the kitchen. Normally he'd stop and have a chat with the man, ask him what plays he'd seen, maybe even ask for a book recommendation. But not today, right now, he needed to find Bruce, and Wally knew exactly where he'd be.

Walking quickly through the halls, he stopped when he reached a pair of large oak doors. Taking a moment to ready himself, Wally took a deep breath and knocked, opening the door a crack, "Bruce?"

"Hmm," Bruce looked up before glancing back down, "Wally, how'd it go with the Team?"

How'd it go? It went terrible, the Team is full of assholes that don't care what comes out of their mouths if it makes them feel better. That's what Wally wanted to say at least, and maybe he would later. First, he needed to talk about Tim. Something was definitely going on with him, and Wally wanted to know what. Walking across the expensive carpet and taking a seat in front of the desk, he spoke seriously, "I think you need to have a word with Tim."

Bruce looked up from his paperwork, a confused look momentarily adorning his face, "How so?"

Wally sighed, there was no easy way to say this. How do you tell someone you think their son is one of the reasons why their other kid is depressed? Raking a hand through his hair, he chose his next words carefully, "I think Tim might be one of the reasons why Dick is...depressed."

There, he said it. He finally said it. Wally just hadn't expected it to be so hard to admit. Dick was depressed. He was depressed and hurting and Wally wanted -so badly- to help him get better.

Bruce leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his desk, "What do you mean?" He questioned, his face holding an impassive expression.

"Well, when I was at the mountain, I kind of got into an argument with everyone," he swallowed thickly, "and Tim, well, he acted like he didn't even care. He didn't even say anything to defend Dick when everyone was blaming him. I don- I just don't think Tim is as innocent as he lets everyone believe," Wally finished truthfully, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. No matter how Bruce reacted, he was just glad he managed to get it out. Bruce was quiet for a few moments after Wally finished his speech. What the man was thinking, he couldn't guess.

"I'll have a talk with him," Bruce paused, and Wally waited as the seconds soon turned to minutes, "Wally? Do you mind sleeping in Dick's room? I'm afraid he'll try to do something if he's left alone."

Wally nodded, standing up to leave. It must've been hard for Bruce to actually ask for help, let alone admit that something was wrong with one of his sons. The man had turned into a helicopter parent after Jason's death, creating more and more rules to keep his remaining children alive. It was actually one of the reasons why he and Dick stopped talking in the first place, "Yeah, sure, I'll go grab some blankets. Do you want me to bring him down for dinner? He hasn't really eaten anything today."

"If he's awake you can try, but I'll get him in a few hours if he's still sleeping," Bruce replied, picking his papers back up, ending the -for once- pleasant conversation.

"Okay," He opened the door, and closed it behind him as he spoke, "I'll see you later."

Wally let out a breath and leaned against the doors for a moment. Everything was moving so quickly and he didn't know what to do. His mind wandered back to the conversation -argument- he had with the Team. It was a little harsh, he realized, the things he said to them. But it was Dick, and they wouldn't stop. They just wouldn't stop saying those things -lies- about him. Dick did everything he could to keep them out of harm's way on that mission, disregarding his own safety along the way. It killed him, not being able to tell anyone, but Dick knew the risks. He just wished the Team did too.

Wally hoped they pulled their heads out of their asses soon, before something that they can't fix happened. Dick wasn't okay, that much was true, and it was Wally's job as his best friend to help him get better. Only, the hard part was arriving quickly, and that was finding out whether or not Dick was cutting himself, and Wally could only pray that he wasn't suicidal. He couldn't lose his best friend, not after he just got him back.

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Dick fumbled his way down the stairs, with Bruce following close behind. Tim just got home, which meant he hadn't eaten dinner, which meant he'd have to sit at the table with him. Dick glanced at the clock that was hanging in the hall facing the kitchen. 6:53pm Had he really slept the whole day?

Dick fiddled with the end of his sleeve -thank god Bruce hadn't made him change his clothes- as he spotted Tim at the kitchen table, silently eating. In the corner of his eye he could see Wally hanging around Alfred, asking for fourths. Normally Dick would've had some kind of joke ready, but...not today. Maybe tomorrow. Dick dragged his feet towards a chair at the table, not saying anything, he could make it through dinner. He had to make it through dinner. The sooner he showed them he was fine, the sooner he could leave.

"Master Dick, how nice of you to join us," Alfred said with a smile, "I made beef stew for dinner, I hope it's to your liking," he added, placing a steaming bowl in front of him. It smelled great, and Dick realized just how hungry he was.

"...Thanks," Dick mumbled, risking a glance up at the man. He was smiling with such warmth, it made Dick want to cry. It'd been so long since someone had smiled, really smiled at him.

Bruce sat down at the head of the table, soon followed by Wally, each with their own bowl of stew.

"Hey Dick!" Wally greeted from his spot next to Dick, "How'd you sleep?" He asked, taking a bite of stew.

"Master Wallace, do not speak with food in your mouth," Alfred interjected from behind the counter.

Wally ducked, his cheeks flaring red at the scolding, "Sorry Alfred," he said after swallowing and turned his attention towards his bowl.

Dick looked up to answer and saw Tim staring at him like a hawk, he froze for a second before replying, "I uh, I slept good I guess," He did. That was probably the most sleep he'd gotten in two weeks. Tim was still watching him when he looked back, holding him under a scrutinizing gaze.

"That's great man," Wally added, trying to break any awkwardness that had formed. Dick had to give Wally kudos for trying, but Wayne family awkwardness at the table was pretty common.

"Tim," Bruce finally spoke up, drawing the tables occupants attention, "How was the Team today? Anything interesting happen?"

"Uh, no not really," Tim answered casually, "M'gann made lunch and burned cookies like usual. It was actually a pretty average day to be honest."

"Really? Wally told me he visited you guys. Did you play any games or do some training?" Bruce questioned further, and Dick was getting rather confused. Was Bruce mad at Tim? Normally he'd never ask about superhero stuff at the table, at least he didn't when Dick was still living here.

"No, nothing like that. We all kinda just...talked," he finished awkwardly, waving his free hand in the air.

Dick could sense that something was off between them so he chose to keep his head down and mess with his stew. He popped a chunk of meat into his mouth and began to chew as Bruce spoke up once more.

"Timothy, I know."

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Hello everyone! First of all I would like to apologize for the cussing. I don't ever cuss, but I felt it was necessary here, so sorry if anyone is upset about that.

Next, I would like to say that I'm surprised this story has gotten so long. Originally, I had planned it to be a one-shot based off of a song I heard. Dick was going to die in the end, but as I was writing the first chapter, I realized it wasn't going to work that way. The song was the cover of 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash, so if you listen to it and read the first chapter, you'll see how the two correlate.

So, how did you like this chapter? I know the POV switches are a little strange, with them not going in order of time (Sorry about that). If anyone needs any clarification as to the order of events, just let me know.

I think that's it for now. Let me know what you think in the comments, any favorite parts? Lines? Paragraphs? I'd love to hear from you.

Til next time,

Rachel