#changescatalyst

and that was why, while out on his supposed patrol, roy connected to the coms system in order to rely a message to dick. he’d carefully planned this out, and he was certain that this would be a success. the mission would be completed. 

  “nightwing?? hey, so i ran into some trouble near the library. talons, and more than i can handle. i need help,” he stated over the com system. “like, now.”

   “so, i’m gonna admit that it was mostly my fault that i wasn’t around on ol’ st. patrick’s day ‘cause of some stuff i had to handle. but, hey. there’s no reason that i can’t still get some celebrating in, right?? i’m thinking you and i grab some alcohol and have fun just hanging out. and y’know, i won’t say no to a kiss either. i might not be irish but i’m gonna play the red head card.”

$ for an accidental text 

[ dick grayson ] that’s definitely not all there is to see. but if you’re busy… 

[ dick grayson ] gOD shit fuck that was not for you, baby bird. delete that. 

[ dick grayson ] now. 

% for a curious text 

[ dick grayson ] i know that it’s absolutely none of my business, but you and babs... ?? 

& for a loving text 

[ dick grayson ] i have a spare room, y’know. if you ever need a place to crash for the night. 

♀ for a heartbreaking text 

[ dick grayson ] i can’t bare to watch any of you die again. i won’t survive it. 

[ dick grayson ] you’re all full of so much light. you have so much hope and so much good in you. there’s so much that you can give the world, baby bird. and there’s so much more that the world can give you. there’s whole other cities, other cultures, other lives you’ll never know and. 

    their recent mission had been a failure, and it was no thanks to roy making sure that it would end up like this. not that anyone had to know that besides himself -- that would ruin everything that the court wanted. “y’know, if we could have at least got one person, we might have been able to find a lead to the court. but it’s like they knew we were coming.” he paused, turning to glance at dick. “most of the team knew about the mission, but still, things were kept quiet. someone had to have leaked the information, or something. it should have been a success, but they were gone.” best way to tear a team apart?? take away the trust between its members. 

    there was a flicker of concern in his eyes, one that even he couldn’t hide. it always did become more difficult to conceal emotions whenever you grew close to another. whatever it was that colin had wanted to bring up, damian knew that it was important to him. he didn’t want his boyfriend to think that he couldn’t speak with him about something, especially if it was important. moving closer, he carefully reached a hand out to grab at colin’s wrist, gently holding it in his grasp. “you can speak to me about anything, colin. at any time, no matter what it may be. i am here for you, and i hope that you know that.” 

   he pauses for a moment, glancing down as he moves his hand instead to take colin’s hand in his own. lifting it up, he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of his hand. “i care about you, and if there is something that is bothering you. if you are not ready to speak about it, that is fine as well. i am here whenever you wish to do so.”

     he hesitates outside of dick’s room, shifting slightly as he glances around inside. of course he already knows what the room looks like. damian has been inside on more than a few occasions to bother his eldest brother ( and on more occasions than he’d admit fallen asleep there ). even if he had been caught, damian still hesitates outside of the room. there was still a part of him that saw what he needed as a weakness. there was no way that he could ever completely erase everything that he had been taught within the league, but he could learn that things were okay. that he was allowed to feel things and want things. opening his mouth, he promptly shut it quickly before he pushed the door open wider. 

   “i did not have the intention to wake you, even if that is the case.” damian would have much preferred if dick had remained asleep. it would have saved him some embarrassment. with his previous night terror, and now this, it was starting to become more and more obvious that things were starting to get bad again. and damian didn’t want to admit that. it meant that he was weak. he should be able to handle night terrors and not run off to someone else in the middle of the night. “i couldn’t sleep either,” the teen finally admitted, hesitant as he spoke. he inched inside of the room slowly, uncertain as he made his way closer to the bed. it had been a while since things had gotten this bad. years since those memories made him suffer like this. 

   but he knew that dick would never judge him for that. his brother had always been there through it all. had been there when he had first been brought back and everything had plagued him. still hesitant, damian finally crossed the room and before he could change his mind and run out, he carefully climbed into dick’s bed and laid down, making sure he didn’t directly look at the other. he didn’t want dick to see that he was having a hard time with all of this. he didn’t want anyone to know how hard it was.