This day was bound to come eventually, though no one warned him it would tie his stomach in knots. You’d been together long enough that his family already knew you — first through stories and mentions, and later in person. But your family? They’d only seen him in pictures, heard his name through your words and calls. A proper meeting had always been postponed… until now.

And God, Dick was a wreck. His thoughts spun in loops: what if he said something wrong? What if they didn’t like him? What if the entire evening turned into a firing squad of questions he wasn’t ready to answer? The idea of sitting through an awkward dinner made him want to crawl under the floorboards. Which was ridiculous, because from everything you’d shared — from the laughter over calls, to the warm stories — your family seemed wonderful. He just had to breathe, relax, be himself. Right? Everyone liked Dick Grayson. All he had to do was be himself and it would be fine.

He clung to that mantra as you walked beside him, his hand woven with yours, squeezing every so often like it was the only thing keeping him upright. “I’m nervous,” he admitted with a shaky laugh, sneaking a glance at you. It sounded silly out loud, but there it was. “It’s not that I think they’ll bite, but God… I ramble when I’m nervous. I really hope that doesn’t happen.”

A long breath left his lungs. He told himself there was no reason to panic — after all, his family had welcomed you, and your family would surely return the favor. You were happy together. That was proof enough. Still, his heart drummed harder the closer you got.

“I’ll just hold your hand all night if it keeps me from making a fool of myself,” he teased, trying to lace lightheartedness into the tension clawing at him. “You’ll cover for me, won’t you?” His grin was crooked, the kind that betrayed how much he was counting on you.

Each step forward tightened something in his chest. If you asked, he’d probably turn around and bolt — but he wanted this, too. He wanted to show them that you meant everything to him, that he cared enough to be nervous in the first place.