#cakechoz

It was a cold winter’s day at the Wayne mansion. The air was quiet and somber. Strong gusts of wind blew through the tree branches, making the remaining leaves left to fall to the ground. Outside, rows of chairs lined up through the massive field with a casket and podium positioned in front of them all. There, the owner of the estate looked upon the open casket of his “deceased” son.

“Alright, here we go…” Bruce whispered to himself. The replica of Dick’s body was completely identical, down to the injuries he sustained during the Crime Syndicate’s attack. It could’ve fooled even the World’s Greatest Detective himself.

Playing the grieving father came easily and naturally to Bruce; he had already lost two sons and almost another after all. The Dark Knight wondered to himself, ‘Was this necessary? Is this really worth it?’ Yes, it was. With Dick’s identity out to the public, he wasn’t safe anymore. Any chance at a normal life he had now was gone. Bruce had kept many secrets from his friends and family before; many that nearly broke their trust, and this one could be the breaking point. But it was necessary. The fewer that knew, the better.

“Sir,” his butler spoke, breaking him from his thoughts. “The chairs are all set up. The guests will be arriving soon.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Bruce responded. The longtime server of the Wayne manor approached the coffin of the fallen hero, looking on with grief and affliction.

“It’s a curse, isn’t it?” he said. “The name Robin. Every person who has ever held that title has ended up in tragic death and the only one who hasn’t has suffered too much for it to be justified.”

First, it was Jason. One of Bruce’s greatest failures. He had given up too easily on him, expecting the boy to turn out exactly like Dick. But instead, he was an angry, impulsive young man out for blood. No matter how hard Bruce tried, Jason kept getting more and more vicious and eventually, he labeled him as a lost cause. Then he died. For years, the Dark Knight kept blaming himself for his death, telling himself that he should’ve tried harder to help him. Even now that he’s back, the young orphan that he took in was barely recognizable from his former self that he might as well still be dead.

Stephanie was the next Robin to go. Even after it turned out that she was faking her death, Bruce in the back of his mind wondered what if she had actually died. She was never meant to be a Robin; she was just bait so that Tim would come back and reclaim the role. Bruce never acknowledged her as a partner, let alone a hero. Even though she’s back and alive as Batgirl, he still has some lingering feelings of regret every time he looked at her.

Damian’s death was still an open wound and it still stung. Bruce never wanted him; he was child raised by the League of Assassins that was just thrusted into his care. He stood against everything Bruce stood for, killing criminals like flies and was fueled by vengeance, not justice. Bruce couldn’t stand him and Damian only improved after Dick became Batman. Taking back the title, it still took a while for Bruce to grow more comfortable with his biological son. And just like that, he was gone as well.

“Bruce,” Alfred spoke, breaking Bruce from his thoughts once again. “Promise me this. Promise me that after the funeral, there will be no more Robin.”

“I can’t promise that-”

“But you have to!” the butler snapped. “How many more children have to die in order for you to stop recruiting them?! Or does Master Tim have to die as well for you to realize this?!”

“I-”

“Please!” Alfred pleaded. “I beg of you.”

“Well, looks like Alfred’s finally getting tired of your shit, now isn’t he, Bruce?” a gruff voice said to the two. Turning their heads, they saw a man clad in military gear, a beige leather jacket, and wearing red helmet casually leaning on Dick’s casket.

“Jason…” Bruce said defensively. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to pay my respects, of course,” the former Robin answered casually. “I mean, I can do that, right?”

“What reason do you have for that? You hated him…”

“Hate’s a strong word. I prefer ‘strongly dislike,’” Jason responded. “But even then, we’re still family, am I right?” Taking off his helmet and tucking it under his arm, he ran a hand through his flattened helmet hair and said, “Now do you mind? I’ve got some things to say to him.”

Reluctantly agreeing, the two left the young man alone to say his final words. “So you finally kicked the bucket, huh? Heh, welcome to the Dead Robins Club,” Jason laughed bitterly. “Well that was one hell of a way to go. I always thought a criminal or stray bullet would do you in, but damn; you look worse than I did when I went.”

His smirk fading away, the Red Hood looked grimly down at his adoptive brother’s corpse. “You know, we did have our differences, but deep down, I did respect you once. You probably knew, but I was jealous of you. The way you made Bruce happy in ways that I couldn’t, how much he respected and loved you more than me, how much everybody else looked up to you. I mean, how could I compete with that?” Taking a deep breath, he reflected on his own death; the feeling, the moments leading up to it, and the aftermath. “You know, dying hurt like a bitch. Getting beaten with a crowbar and being blown up in a warehouse with your final thoughts wondering if Bruce would actually come and save you? That really sucked. But after that? You don’t feel anything. No feelings, no pain, nothing. So you don’t have to worry about that. You’ll be fine.”

Putting his helmet back on, the young man fled the scene quietly just as the rest of the Batfamily arrived to the funeral. They were all dress appropriately, formal black attire and all.

“Did I just see Jason?” Tim inquired in a surprised tone.

“Yeah,” Bruce answered, approaching his former protégés. “He came to pay his respects.”

“Him? Really?”

“Yeah, it surprised me too. Are you here to do the same?”

“Yeah, yeah, just-” Tim stuttered, “just wanted to see him before the funeral started.”

Approaching the casket, the young man just stared blackly at the body of his fallen brother. This past week, he has felt nothing but numbness. Everything that has happened felt so surreal to him. Maybe he’d lost so much that at this point, this didn’t even affect him anymore. Maybe he’s just in denial or his mind has just completely shut down from the shock. Dick was a big brother to him. He helped him through his toughest times, acknowledged his worth and importance to the team, and gave him guidance throughout the happiest and most difficult times of his life. And now he’s gone forever.

Putting both of his hands on the side of the casket and leaning over Dick’s body, Tim continued to stare at him, just waiting for something to happen.

“Are you okay, Tim?” Stephanie asked, holding his hand to comfort him.

“Yeah, it’s just- I can’t believe it. Of all people, I never would’ve thought he-”

“I know, Tim. I know,” she understood. “I’m going to miss him too.”

Cassandra approached the coffin and looked on in silence. Dick was one of the first to welcome her into the family. He was a positive influence on her, helping her break through her traumatic upbringing along with Barbara and Stephanie and making her feel like she belonged to a family; a true family. She placed a hand on his chest and bowed her head in honor of him.

“Hey Bruce, did you contact Barbara at all?” Tim asked.

“I’m right here,” her voice responded coldly. Turning around, the family turned to see the wheelchair-bound redhead near them. Cassandra read her body language; on the outside she was stoic and calm, but inside she was angry, upset, grieving. There was no telling what she would do next.

“Barbara…” Bruce spoke in a low voice.

“Well, I’m here. Here to attend the funeral of a man that you couldn’t save,” the former Batgirl spat in a venomous tone.

“Barbara, please…”

“There’s nothing you could say that would fix this.”

“I know you’re angry-”

“Oh, I’m angry? Gee, I wonder what gave that away.”

“Barbara, I tried, I really tried-”

“Well you didn’t try hard enough!” Barbara snapped, breaking her passive-aggressive demeanor. “You! The League! The Titans! None of you could save one man!” She rolled closer, brushing past the former protégés to face the Batman himself. “You were right there. You could’ve saved him.”

“You have to understand that I did, I tried my hardest.”

“Well it wasn’t good enough.”

“…I know,” Bruce admitted. “I’m sorry.”

“Like that makes everything better…” Barbara scoffed.

“Barbara, please,” Stephanie cut in. “You can’t put all the blame on Bruce. I mean, I know how much Dick meant to you-”

“You don’t know anything!” the redhead snapped. “You have no idea what he was to me! Now shut up and back off!”

“Barbara, there’s no need to lash out at everyone else,” Bruce intervened. “It’s me you’re mad at-” She interrupted him with an uppercut to the jaw. He let that one in; it’s the least he deserved.

“Miss Barbara!” Alfred held her back along with Cassandra.

The Oracle, still seething with pent-up anger, said, “You were so close. Yet you couldn’t save him.” Shaking off their grips on her, she turned her back towards them and rolled closer to Dick’s casket. “Get out of here. I want to be alone with him.”

The Batfamily agreed, not wanting to face her wrath and left her to be with her former love in peace. Pulling out a small box from her pocket, it revealed a diamond ring. Around her neck was an identical ring on a gold chain. Dick had proposed to her almost a year ago, but she told him to wait. Now it was too little too late.

Barbara remembered back when they met when she was only fourteen years old. Dick was an energetic, flamboyant young boy, always ready to jump at the first call of trouble. At first, he annoyed her a lot. Eventually though, their relationship grew to a more playful and teasing friendship, which then blossomed into a romance that bonded the two on an intimate level. Though the two eventually broke off and went their separate paths, those feelings were still there, buried beneath all of the tension and stress.

Lifting herself up on the side of the casket, she looked upon the lifeless body of her would-be fiancé. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at his damaged face. Barbara took the ring out of the box and slipped it through his finger. She then took her ring off of the chain and slipped it around hers. Holding his limp hand, the tears finally flowed and she wept her heart out. The moment she saw him flatline on the live broadcast was when her heart shattered into a million pieces. She regretted not saying yes earlier; it would have be one less regret she would have on her chest.

The funeral was beginning. Almost everybody in the superhero community was gathered here today. The League, the Titans, the Society; everybody that knew or looked up to and respected Dick was gathered here.

Bruce approached the podium with the speech in hand. He prepared himself for it; he really needed to sell this. Lining up his speech and clearing his throat, he began.

“Thank you everybody for coming. Today, we are here to mourn the loss of our beloved Dick Grayson. Dick was a good man, an inspiration to us all. He was a trustworthy friend, loyal, kind, and loving. He touched many of you in ways that not even I could. He was the heart of the superhero community.”

Bruce paused for a moment before continuing. “I remember taking Dick in when he was just a young boy. He had recently lost his parents to the tragedy of crime and he need guidance. He was afraid, traumatized and angry. I took him in to make sure that he didn’t go down the same path that I did. At first, I was afraid that I couldn’t steer him in the right direction and that he would go down a dark path, but that wasn’t the case. After his mourning and grieving, his colors shined through. His optimism and upbeat nature brought a kind of hope that I haven’t seen in my life for a long time. Though it wasn’t always like that.”

Bruce’s throat tightened and he was unable to get his words out for a brief moment. “Dick and I had our fair share of arguments. There were many times that we disagreed on certain topics. Those disputes sometimes turned into heated debates, some even escalated into a physical altercation. But even then, we still managed to forgive each other. I raised him into the man that he is now, and that is one of the proudest achievements that a father can have. I watched him grow from a young boy into the mature adult that he is-” Bruce quickly corrected himself, “-was.”

It was time to conclude this. “Dick Grayson will be remembered by all of us. Last week, our community had lost an important member. Last week, I lost my partner, my best friend, and my son.” The Batman turned to look at his “deceased” son and looked on solemnly. This wasn’t real, but it sure felt like it. “I’m going to miss you. Thank you for being a part of my life.”

Exiting the stage, the rows of superheroes got up and went in a single-file line to pay their final respects to the fallen hero. Many of them were struggling to hold back tears and others were outright crying and sobbing. All of them remembered fond memories or stories about the famed Dick Grayson, from his early beginnings as Robin to his tenure as Batman and of course, his most well-known identity as Nightwing. Bruce’s speech had moved the heroes, and those that didn’t know Dick personally wished they had gotten to know him sooner.

The Justice League had gone up to pay their respects to him. The older members remembered fondly of Dick’s growth into the hero he was now. They were surprised to hear that the infamous Batman actually had a sidekick and they worried that the young boy would get himself killed on the harsh streets of Gotham. But he didn’t; instead, he became more skilled and adept in his heroics and even teamed up with the sidekicks of other heroes. They soon acknowledged his worth as a hero when he decided to strike out on his own and cherished his short tenure on the League as Batman and Nightwing.

The Justice Society came up next. From their old memories of Earth-2, they remembered their Dick Grayson being just as brave and bold as this one was. He lived a longer life, taking his Bruce’s daughter, Helena, under his wing to protect Gotham long after his death. The two continued to protect their city up until the Anti-Monitor wiped Earth-2 from existence. Though this Earth’s Dick had gone through darker and harsher times, he still kept the same core and light that their Dick had.

Finally, the Teen Titans were the last to go. Dick was the youngest out of the original Titans, yet he led them with confidence and determination. When they broke up and reformed, he again was made their leader and was the glue that held them all together through thick and thin. Though he eventually left, his impact made a lasting effect on the future generations of Titans for years to come.

The most recent members such as Superboy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Blue Beetle remember him as the founding member that always gave them the best insight and they were more than willing to let him lead just so they can experience being under his famed command. Older members such as Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire remembered him as their beloved friend who they knew that they could rely on no matter what.

When they approached him, the Tamaranean princess stopped to give her former love her final goodbye. She caressed his face slowly and intimately as she kissed his forehead one last time. Her tears started to flow as she sobbed and held onto his lifeless body tightly, not wanting to let go. Cyborg and Raven had to pry her off and carry her off-stage to let the rest of the Titans pay their respects.

The last Titans remaining were of course the ones who were with Dick since the beginning. Garth, Donna, Roy and Wally approached their deceased friend’s casket apprehensively. As the line drew closer and closer, it became harder for the four to hold in their emotions. They had all known him since they were kids and now he was gone. As the rest of the heroes saw them coming up, they prepared themselves for an emotional scene.

“Daddy?” Lian asked her father innocently. “What’s Uncle Dick doing?”

“He’s… sleeping,” Roy answered with hesitation. “Uncle Dick’s had a long day, so he needs to go to sleep.”

“When’s he gonna wake up?” she asked with her childlike naïveté. “His birthday’s coming up, and I have a present that I wanna show him.”

“…soon,” Roy answered hesitantly. “He’ll be waking up soon. Don’t you worry about it.” The archer let his daughter onto the ground and told her, “Go play with Aunt Dinah. We need a moment here.” The young girl nodded and pranced off to her aunt, unaware of what was actually happening right now.

“Garth,” Wally finally spoke. “Please tell me you know a spell that could bring him back to life.”

The Atlantean shook his head. “No, I don’t. Even if I did, it’d be too great of a cost, plus it might not even be the same Dick that we know.”

“This isn’t fair…” the speedster muttered. “It’s too soon... he doesn’t deserve this…” More tears started to build up in his already reddened eyes. His throat tightened and he was shaking and trembling, about to break any second now.

Donna looked longingly at her deceased friend, unsure of how to feel right now. The sight of Dick’s lifeless body hurt her and she struggled to keep her composure. Memories of their younger days emerged, filling her with waves of nostalgia and sadness. The days where the five of them faced silly villains and when on wacky adventures, back when everything was much simpler. The childlike joy and fun that they experienced. The wishes they made of hoping that nothing would ever change between them. It was too much for her. The Amazon finally broke out into tears and buried her face into Roy’s shoulder, crying profusely.

Her outburst got Wally to break as well. The speedster fell on his knees and sobbed, banging on the side of the casket and resting his head against it. “I should’ve been there! I could’ve saved you!”

“Wally, you need to get up,” Garth pleaded, trying to pull his friend back on his feet.

“Let me go, Garth!” he shook him off. “You came back! Donna came back! Why can’t Dick?!”

“Donna and I had supernatural forces on our side, Dick was just a mortal.”

“I miss him so much…”

“I miss him too, Wally, and I would give anything to get him back, but there’s nothing we could do now,” Garth’s voice nearly broke at the end. He continued to pull his friend away, but to no avail. “Roy, help me out.” The archer complied and let Donna quickly walk off-stage as he took Wally’s other arm and pulled him away.

“No!” the speedster kicked and screamed, trying to free himself. “Dick! DICK!” As the whole scene unraveled, the audience watched in silence. Watching the usually humorous and quick-witted Flash break down like that was incredibly unnerving and heartbreaking to watch.

“Okay, it’s time for the burial,” Bruce noted, unsure of how much more pain and anguish he could take today.

As the coffin was laid to rest, the Batman separated from the crowd and went to reflect by himself next to a nearby tree. During his self-contemplation, a familiar presence approached him from behind. Bruce knew exactly who it was.

“Clark.”

“Hey, Bruce,” his friend greeted. “How are you holding up?”

“Just fine,” he answered. “I should be more devastated about this, but at this point, everybody I care about is dying right in front of me. It’s like I’m going numb. It’s only a matter of time before the next person passes away.”

“Bruce, don’t say that-”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” the Batman said, turning around to face his friend. “Everybody that I care about just keeps dying. I don’t know how to feel about this anymore.”

“That’s why you have us,” Clark said, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder. “You know, I remember the very first time I met Dick. The look on his face when he first saw me was priceless,” he smiled sadly. “The awed and starstrucked expression on his face was something I could never forget.”

“Yeah, I remember that too,” Bruce gave a small smile in return. “Well, looks like Lex got away with this one.”

Clark’s expression changed from a bittersweet smile to hidden anger. “Yeah. The government granted him and all of the villains amnesty for stopping the Syndicate from destroying the planet while we were out of commission.” The Kryptonian’s jaw clenched and his fist tightened with rage just at the thought. “I hate that man so much…”

“I know that feeling,” Bruce responded. “I remember that feeling when I thought Alexander Luthor killed Dick during the last crisis. I was so close to breaking my one rule and killing him. I guess this time, this one managed to do it.”

Clark sighed in exacerbation. “You need to get some rest, Bruce,” he told him. “Gotham’s been quiet all week, I could hear it. Take your time to recover, I don’t want you to go crimefighting in the state you’re in now.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Bruce replied. “Maybe.”

Unbeknownst to everybody, the real Dick Grayson was with them the whole time. He had cut his hair, changed his look and wore a mask that altered the structure of his face, courtesy of Mister Terrific himself. When he looked in the mirror, he couldn’t even recognize himself. Which was good, because now nobody could tell who he was.

Dick witnessed everything that happened before, during and after his funeral. He saw all of the people who attended and mourned for him. He witnessed his family giving their final words to him. He witnessed the two loves of his life breaking down and crying for him. He even saw his best friend create that scene in front of everybody.

The whole time Dick was there, he was so tempted to just rip off the mask and show everybody that he was okay. But he couldn’t. He made a promise to Bruce that he would retire and start a new life. That meant giving up his old one.

As the funeral wrapped up, the former hero left to meet with his rendezvous. As he left, he caught Bruce’s eyes and the two nodded farewell at each other. He took one last look at his old life, all of his friends, family, and the legacy he’s made, and turned around and didn’t look back.

Nightwing died when the Crime Syndicate unmasked him to the public. Dick Grayson died when Lex Luthor suffocated him to deactivate their bomb that would’ve destroyed the country or worse. His new identity will soon be given to him.

Getting into a black limousine, Dick was handed a file case with “Spyral” stamped on the front. “Welcome to Spyral. Are you ready to begin your first mission, Agent 37?”