PAIRING: Richard 'Dick' Grayson x Reader
SYNOPSIS: When he hears the love of his life get kidnapped over his comm line, Dick finds her in the nick of time, bruised and bloody, but still breathing.
NOTE: This was so fun to write
"Oh, what do I have here?" She grins, clicking the little device in her ear on, like she's seen Dick to a hundred times.
It's a minute before she gets a response, the telltale 'click' over the other side indicating someone's joined the frequency.
"Did I leave it with you again?" He groans. "I've been looking for that, Bruce is gonna have my head if he finds out I found the comm after I made him replace it."
"Maybe if you didn't shuck your suit off on the floor the second you come home, and actually put it away properly, you wouldn't be losing things all the time." She shakes her head, coming to a stop at the bus stand, squinting her eyes to read the posted schedule for the next bus on route.
"The longer I spend doing that, the less time you get with me later." There's a cheeky smile on his face that she can practically hear. "And you weren't complaining about it last night, babe."
"I'd rather that than hear you sulk about it the next day." She huffs out an amused laugh. "I'll leave it on my desk when I get home. You can crawl through the window like a creep and get it when you start your night life tonight."
"Creep?!" He exclaims. "Says the woman that leaves her windows unlocked on purpose! And mopes when I don't stop by to say hello!"
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Dick swings around in his favourite chair in the cave, right in front of the computer next to the impromptu gym mats. He's smiling ear to ear as he banters, and he half wishes there was a visual aid to go with it. It's only been a couple hours since they saw each other, but he's already missing her presence.
"You're making things up." Her voice comes in his ear.
He scoffs playfully. "I've never told a lie in my life, scouts honour!"
"You were never part of the scouts!" Her giggle makes his heart settle. "And even if you were it's not like you-...uh...hello?"
Dick's smile falters. "Everything alright?"
She doesn't answer him. "Can I help you? See what?"
There's a beat of silence, Dick starts to feel uneasy. He sits up in his chair, calls her name a little more seriously.
"No, I'm good...I said I'm good. What the fuck?!"
Immediately he snaps to attention, is on his feet not even registering he stood up. "Hey, talk to me, what's happening? Sweetheart?"
"Get away from me! I don't want...stop!"
Dick calls her name out, hand pressed to his ear and rushes to the computer, trying to pull out where the signal is coming from. Dread sours in his gut, franticness taking hold.
"I...Dick? Dick!" She screams, tinny across the line and he stops breathing.
"Stay on the line." He orders, heart hammering. "I'm coming, okay? Run, I'll be there, I'll find you."
A telltale sound of a scuffle echoes through the other half of the comm, a struggled, grunts and a shriek that's cut off midway. He shouts her name, it echoes in the cave. "Are you there? Talk to me!"
"Shit!" He says tightly, watching the computer flash red.
Panic clutches him for a moment, roots him on the spot because he just heard the love of his life be...taken? Kidnapped? He knows where she was going, what route she was going to take so all he has to do is start there and he'd find her. He would. He has to.
Dick is zipping up his suit and grabbing his escrima sticks when Bruce and Damian find him in the cave, alerted by all the noise. Tightly, he gives them a run down because as much as he needs to act now, he recognises that having them with him increases his chances of ending this nightmare quicker.
'Hold on.' He thinks as he revs his bike, takes off out of the cave. 'Hold on, I'm coming.'
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Two days. Forty eight hours she's missing. Two entire days that Dick has been putting everything he has into finding her.
It's a warehouse, the stupid cliché it always is, someplace near the dock shoved in an abandoned corner where people think the water will protect them from the eyes of Gotham's protectors.
There's half a dozen men in the building, and if you asked him, Dick could not tell you how they went down. It's a blur with his one track, slightly panicked mind. He couldn't tell you any of the plan Bruce had told him and Damian, couldn't dictate where their entry point.
All Dick knows is that one moments he's racing on his bike towards the ocean, and then next he's kicking down the door to a dingy room in the back.
He lays eyes on her and for one moment, a single few seconds that he won't admit to anybody, he feels rage beyond anything he's ever experienced before. It's dark and filthy and laps at his ankles like a distorted siren's song he can't decipher the garble of. His concern is enough to wipe it away almost instantly, the relief crashing into him making his heart pound.
Slumped over in a chair, wrists tied behind her back tightly and a blindfold digging into her cheeks. Bruises bloom over exposed skin, her hair is matted on one side with bloody that is hers. He sees the cuts marring her skin, and a deeper gash on her leg that's half scabbed over.
"Hey!" His voice cracks, and Dick is on his knees in front of her immediately, hands cupping her face. "I'm here, it's okay, I'm here now." He says frantically.
Static crackles in his ears when she flinches away with a choked gasp. He blinks away the red at the corner of his vision, focuses on the moment even though his heart drops. It's not about him.
"It's just me. You're safe I swear, I've got you, honey. You're okay."
She's trembling as the ropes around his wrists fall away and the blindfold comes off. It takes a second for her to adjust to the light again, but the second her vision clear and see's Dick kneeling in front of her, worry, relief and grief swimming in his expression, something in her breaks.
A sob pushes past her lips, horrible and scared. She's kept it together for the past two days, but it's all spilling out now at the sight of him, and the relief that hits her like a truck. It's entirely overwhelming.
He whispers her name, heartbroken, and then his arms are around her, crushing her close. Dick talks in a hushed tone, soothing and reassuring. Telling her he's here now, that she'll be okay, that he'll take care of her. Never again, he tells her with such conviction that it makes her cry harder.
Damian's near the exit, standing guard, and Dick is grateful for the privacy. He knows Bruce will take care of the logistics of cleaning up whatever this operation was. Right now his priorities are only in making sure his girl is okay.
"Can you stand up?" There's so much gentleness in his voice. Mindful of the injuries he can see, Dick helps her stand through her hitched breaths and shaky inhales, clutching onto her and taking almost all of her weight. "There you go. We're going home, okay? It's over."
Swallowing roughly, she manages a nod. Fuck this warehouse, and fuck those people. She never wants to see them again, doesn't want to stay here any longer than she has to now that she's calm enough to claw back some of her coherency.
The first steps makes her wince, aggravates the gash in her calf.
He inhales sharply beside her, and then she goes weightless as Dick pulls her into his arms, carrying her out to the Batmobile.
Too tired to argue, she leans back against his shoulder and squeezes her eyes shut.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"This might sting." It does, Dick cringes with her in sympathy as the antiseptic touches the torn skin around her wrists from the rope. "Sorry."
"Not your fault." She mumbles, eyes trained on the ceiling, right next to the bright lights. Bandages wrap around various parts of her body, two gashes stitched close by Alfred. The bruising inspected was deemed surface level, just nasty in colour, and she holds an ice back to her cheek as Dick fusses over wrapping her wrists and forearms.
Guilt is heavy in the lines of his shoulders; it's evident in the way his eyes are frantic to find her every time he turns away, but equally as quick to flicker away from holding her gaze when they do.
The only thing punctuating the silence is the rustle of fabric and the slight squeak of the stool every time Dick moves. When he's done securing the bandage, he brings her hand up and presses the back of his against his forehead, bowing his head, taking a second to breath.
She watches him tiredly, doesn't interrupt the thoughts clearly racing through his mind for a moment. Shoulder's rising and falling steadily, it's only when his grip tightens around her hand that she speaks.
"You found me." And he sits up to pay attention to her instantly. "You can stop acting like I'll dissapear."
"You did disappear." He says after a beat. "And I was too late."
And with that it all come spewing out. Dick's never been one to tuck his heart away.
"I'm sorry." A hoarse whisper. "I'm so sorry. I should've gotten to you sooner. They hurt you, and when I saw you slumped over in that chair I thought..." He can't even verbalise the thought, it's too painful, so he sucks in a long breath instead. "You should've been safe."
Unable to hear him beat himself up any longer, she moves her hand to cup his cheek, tilting his head up until he meets her eyes.
"I don't blame you, Dick. You can't be everywhere at once." She says, a weak smile. "And you did save me, so there's no point in entertaining 'what if's' right? I knew you'd come."
The immediacy of his reassurance makes her smile widen.
"Then that's all anyone can ask of you." She intertwines their fingers, softens when he looks up and his eyes are watery. "Come here."
Dick melts into the hug, holding on like he's frightened she'll slip through his fingers. She shifts to relieve the pressure on her leg, and pulls him forward until he's laying next to her, settled in the medbay cot that's definitely far too small to fit two grown people.
The fabric on her shoulder is suspiciously wet, and all she does is rub his back soothingly with a hand slipping under his shirt to palm at the warm skin, tears prickling her own eyes.
It's a good few minutes before he settles down and builds his composure back enough to pull his face away. His eyes are red-rimmed and his nose is flushed, but Dick looks down at her with such love and reverence it's devastating.
She meets him halfway when he tilts his head down to kiss her softly. "I hope you know I'm not letting you out of my sight." He says against her. "At least for the next five years."
It makes her crack a smile. A real one. "I can live with that."
"Good." He kisses her again, a little more firmly before settling back down at her side. "'Cause you're stuck with me. I'm loving you forever."
"A burden I must carry." He smiles, pulls her to his chest carefully.
It's not okay right now, but it will be. It's a brand new day tomorrow, and it'll come with its own challenges when it comes to dealing with the fallout of this experience, but knowing that they're in this together make it much more bearable.
His lips pressed to her forehead, she lets her eyes shut and basks in the feeling of safety he brings her.
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