preciousthingsareprecious:

Only Happiness

Warmth tickled the back of his neck and eased Dick into wakefulness. The realization that there was pressure on his chest, and small arms wrapped tightly around him jerked him awake. He looked down to see a mess of dark curls, long eyelashes brushed against his Gotham Knights shirt, and a tiny form pressed close to him that was all Damian.

Damian who’s face seemed scrunched closed. Who’s grip was one of a child desperate for something. Though what that was Dick wasn’t sure.

Dick shifted, legs slipping down the sheets from where he’d apparently curled against Damian, and pulled the child just a little closer savoring his warmth and the smell of Dick’s own shampoo on him.

Had he come in after patrol? Why had he come at all? Dick was only recently in Bludhaven and he’d seen Damian last week. His hand tangled in his brother’s hair, smoothing back sleep tousled curls, letting the soft, just barely damp, hair bring back memories.

“Go back to sleep.” A tired voice mumbled, “You are supposed to sleep in today.” A yawn.

“And why is that?” Dick whispered, a smile touching the corners of his lips. Damian’s desperate hold seemed not for him at all, but for Dick. He wondered what he’d missed.

“ss my job.” The sleepy voice murmured, “That’s what they thought I’d be best at. Keeping you in bed and sleeping.”

They? Dick frowned. What had he missed? Or forgotten? Had he somehow gotten hurt last night? But he felt fine. No illness wearing down his bones. No ache spreading through him like fire. He didn’t even feel lingering effects of a toxin or days spent recovering.

Which begged the question of who set Damian to keep him asleep? Who had directed his little brother to snuggle close and act as a human restraint against Dick getting up too early? Obviously it would work. Dick need only think about how little sleep Damian himself got and he was willing to keep the kid close just to make sure he was the one getting proper rest.

“You are not sleeping.” A green eye opened to give a sleepy glare.

The sun that was still streaming against Dick’s neck was playing across Damian’s face. Warming the dark skin with soft light and making his opened eye glitter like a jewel.

“Have I ever told you that I love your eyes?” He said, his own voice slow and sweet with sleep.

Damian’s nose wrinkled as he frowned, “Stop it, Richard. Go to sleep.”

“But how can I when I’ve got you to talk to?” Dick asked.

And now here, as surprising as it always was, Dick felt a spike of pain in his heart. A memory of the days when he’d been sure he would never get to talk to Damian again. The words ‘we were the best Richard’ dancing through his mind. Phantom memories of a made up scream of anguish. Green eyes widening falsely in front of Dick’s face because he had not seen it. Had not heard it. Had not been able to stop it.

Like he had sensed Dick’s fall into failure, Damian pressed his face into his chest, fingers at his back gripping Dick’s shirt.

“I am here.” He whispered. “I am fine.”

He had a scar that covered his chest. A white jagged thing that screamed wrong against the sun kissed skin everywhere else. He had nightmares and freezing terror at a blade turned the wrong angle.

“That is not what this is about.” Damian said, voice muffled by Dick’s shirt. “I was not supposed to upset you. Today should be a day of happiness only.”

“Oh, kiddo.” Dick sighed, and pressed his face into his hair, “I am happy. I’m happy to hear your voice and see your face and love your eyes.”

He did not say ‘I’m happy to have you alive again. To be allowed to mourn the fact that you had such pain and still deal with its consequences.’ Because that would only hurt Damian and ruin whatever sweet plans he had come up with.

“Will you tell me why it’s your job to keep me tucked away in bed?”

Damian hummed and curled a bit closer, “Will you go back to sleep if I do?”

“That depends on the answer.”

He could almost feel the frown against his torso.

“Mr. Kent asked me to.”

Well that answered nothing, and only gave Dick more questions. He pulled his face reluctantly away from his brother’s hair so he could look at Damian, who was still curled against him. Like being there would erase any hurt Dick had.

And honestly? It did. Even if it was a temporary fix that lasted about as long as the warmth of Damian lingered in Dick’s arms.

“And why did Clark ask you to?”

“Because.”

That seemed all Dick was going to tease out of him at the moment. Damian closed his eyes and pretended to fall back asleep. Maybe in an attempt to lure Dick that way. The sun was warm and so was Damian. Warmth pressing in on Dick from two sides when he got so little sleep anyway was a sure promise that he could fall back asleep. Especially now that he knew Damian wasn’t here because he was hurting.

Dick let his eyes start to drift closed again. Heavy with sunlight and the comfort of a family member in his arms. He really was tired. And mystery or not. Seeing him last week or not. Dick loved being able to snuggle Damian close.

“I was dead for your birthday last year.” A tiny, almost inaudible, voice said. “Everyone else thought you were too.”

Dick’s eyes snapped open.

“I’m sorry.” Damian whispered again. “If anyone should only have happiness on their birthdays it is you, Richard.”

He didn’t seem to have realized that Dick was still awake. And Dick didn’t want him to know quite yet in case he said anything else. He made sure his breathing was even and deep.

The pieces clicked together. It was the right time of year. Spring just peeking its way into existence, days warm enough to linger in, nights chilly enough to keep him cool on patrol. Damian wishing him happiness. A chance to sleep as late as he’d like. Clark coordinating something mysterious.

“Today will be the best. Even if I have already messed it up a bit.” He was serious, like he was laying out a plan of attack for a mission. “Everyone has come. Even Father and your infuriating friend Wallace. You will have to thank Mrs. Kent and Pennyworth, but I suspect you will guess they organized it.”

Little hands balled his shirt tighter in them, “I hope it erases whatever sadness you had last year. I’m sorry I was dead. I would not have stood for you being alone. I–” his quiet voice cracked and then went silent. His knees curled closer to himself balling tightly against Dick. “I love you, Richard.”

And now Dick couldn’t stop himself from pressing a kiss into Damian’s hair, “I love you too, Damian.”

He had to hold tight as Damian tried to jerk away, embarrassment flushing his cheeks, “Richard! It is not polite to eavesdrop.”

“Is it eavesdropping if you were telling it to me?” Dick smiled against his hair.

“You were supposed to be sleeping.”

“And now I am very much awake and excited for this surprise party. Do you think we’ll surprise them if we go out now?” Dick asked, and before Damian could answer or react he scooped him closer and stood on the bed, tucking Damian under his arm.

He had to hold tight as Damian started kicking and squirming, “Put me down, Richard. You can’t go out yet.”

Dick hopped down off the bed and heard Damian oof, “How about we make a deal?” He asked, “I’m not putting you down because it is my birthday and if I want to carry my brother I will, but I’ll give you a piggyback ride and we can enter into the unfinished preparations triumphantly.”

His brother huffed and crossed his arms, glaring up at Dick from his overturned position. “I thought you liked surprises.”

“I do.” Dick grinned, “But I like surprising better.”

He didn’t wait for Damian to agree, only hoisted his brother up and over his shoulders to settle on his back. “Ready to go?”

“Kent will not be surprised.”

“But the others will.”

“Tt.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Damian wrapped his arms around Dick’s neck and leaned himself over Dick’s shoulder just far enough to look him in the face, “Fine. But allow me to wish you a happy birthday now.”

Dick smiled at him, “Sure thing, Dames.”

He was expecting a solid happy birthday, so when Damian leaned a little bit further and kissed his cheek he couldn’t do anything but freeze until his brother had leaned back and resettled himself against Dick’s back, pressing his face there, “Happy birthday, Richard.”