The Batcave was quieter than usual.

No sharp clatter of typing from Barbara, no sarcastic remarks echoing from Jason, not even Damian’s usual sharp-tongued scolding. Instead, there was the soft hum of computers, the gentle shuffle of Alfred preparing tea, and the occasional click of Tim’s coffee cup being set down—his ninth.

Tim sat at the desk, bags under his eyes darker than usual, trying to make sense of data that refused to give him answers. His fingers trembled slightly from the caffeine overload, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. Not while Dick was still like… that.

In the medical wing of the cave, the heart of the worry pulsed silently.

Dick lay on one of the pristine beds, pale and sweating, his skin burning hot despite the damp cloth on his forehead. His breath came in shallow pants, his eyes twitching beneath his closed lids—caught in some nightmare he couldn’t escape. Sleep terrors, Alfred had said gently, with that unreadable tightness in his voice.

Bruce stood near the bed, unmoving. Still in the lower half of the Batsuit, cowl off, gauntlets discarded. He hadn’t spoken in hours. Not since the last time Dick flinched and mumbled something fevered and broken under his breath. Something about the villain who’d done this—an experimental neurotoxin that no antivenom could cure yet. Two days had passed, and Dick hadn’t truly woken since.

Jason leaned against the wall, arms crossed, glancing toward the bed every few minutes. His usual bravado was gone, jaw tight and eyes worried. Even Damian sat in a chair beside Dick’s bed, unusually quiet, fingers brushing against the blanket as if to remind himself his older brother was still there.

When Dick whimpered in his sleep and his body jerked sharply, Bruce was there instantly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Not to restrain, just to ground him. Bruce didn’t say anything. Didn’t have to. The look in his eyes was enough—raw worry, guilt, fear.

Alfred returned with a tray, the clink of porcelain soft and comforting. He handed mugs around silently, lingering just a moment longer near Bruce before stepping back.

None of them said it out loud, but the room hung heavy with the same unspoken thing.

Come back to us, Dick. Please.