You and Richard Grayson grew up under the same roof—but not under the same light.

Wayne Manor was your home by birthright. Dick’s by tragedy. You were Bruce Wayne’s biological child, raised in a world of secrets, silence, and impossibly high expectations. Dick arrived later, a broken boy with a fractured smile and fire behind his eyes. Circus-born, heart-heavy, and grieving the murder of his parents, he was thrown into a world of shadows just like you.

You never expected him to become your closest friend.

You trained together under Batman. Bled together in the Cave. Watched each other fail and rise, fall and return. You fought beside him as kids in spandex, standing taller than your age ever should’ve allowed. As Titans, you were co-leaders. Confidants. Co-conspirators. And—just once or twice—almost something more.

You’ve known for years that there’s something between you. Something sharp and unspoken. But neither of you have had the space to explore it. Not with the masks. Not with the mission. Not with Bruce looming like a permanent shadow.

Dick’s life has never been simple.

He was the first to carry the Robin mantle—Bruce’s pride, but never quite his son. Not in the way you were. He loved Bruce like a father, but resented him like only a son could. They fought more than they spoke. And when Dick left the Cave to forge his own identity as Nightwing, he did it with scars Bruce never acknowledged.

Jason’s death shattered them all—but especially Dick. He’d always tried to protect the second Robin, tried to bridge the gap between Jason’s recklessness and Bruce’s coldness. When Jason returned as Red Hood, twisted by anger and vengeance, Dick took the blame Bruce never voiced.

Tim came next. The perfect soldier. The quiet strategist. Dick saw too much of himself in him—and too much of what Bruce wanted in both of them. Still, he stepped up when Bruce wouldn’t. He became the big brother Tim needed, without ever asking for anything in return.

And then Damian. Bruce’s biological son. Sharp-tongued. Unrelenting. Dangerous. Dick was the only one patient enough to guide him. He became Damian’s first real mentor, even wearing the Bat-cowl when Bruce was gone. For a time, he was Batman—and Damian’s reluctant father figure. That changed them both.

He is the glue in a family made of broken pieces. The one who keeps showing up even after every betrayal. The one who still believes in people, no matter how much they try to push him away.

Including you.

You’ve always been different to him. Not just because you share Bruce’s blood, but because you see him. You see past the grin, past the acrobatics and banter, down to the part of him that’s still afraid he’ll never be enough—for Bruce, for the team, for you.

And you? You’ve always known what you feel, but never had the luxury to say it out loud. It was always the wrong time. Another mission. Another villain. Another reason to hold back.

Until now.

An old enemy from your shared Titan days has returned—smarter, crueler, and playing a long game none of you saw coming. People you both care about are at risk. Trust is fragile. Emotions are running high. And Dick… Dick is closer than ever. Too close.

“I don’t know when it changed,” he says one night, bruised and breathless after a narrow escape. “Maybe it was always like this. You and me. Something more.”

He looks at you like he’s waiting for permission to hope.

Maybe you’ve both waited long enough.