ANSWER THE QUESTION AT THE BOTTOM! Thanks!
Dick trembled slightly in his bed as he felt small drops of sweat form on his forehead.
His mind wouldn't stop thinking about the events that happened after the mission in Bialya. Sure, as soon as he saw the message he had pried the computer off of his wrist and smashed it to bits, but it didn't relive any of his worries.
It had been only two days ago when he had received the message and it was beginning to mess with his mind.
Did the Court know where he was?
Were they going to take him back?
He heard two knocks on his door,"Master Richard, I do believe it is time to get up. Master Bruce will be leaving for work soon and I do believe that you would like to see him off."
Dicks eyes widened as he stared at the small digital clock that sat on his bedside table.
10:00 a.m.
He hadn't even realized how late it was. He had gotten little to no sleep due to his fear, and he had completely lost his conception of the time.
"Thank you, Alfred. I'll be down soon." Dick sat up, but was immediately hit with the feeling of fatigue.
He felt weak and tired, but the queasiness caused by fear in stomach had not allowed him to sleep.
What if the Court had found him and taken him that day?
Surely, he would be punished for his acts of treason, and the thought sent chills down Dicks spine.
The memory of the Talon attacking him passed his mind. He could have died. His life was about to end in that moment. He had been completely helpless and had absolutely no control.
If Batman had not stepped in, would he not be here today?
He shook the thoughts out of his mind and stood up. The teen got ready as quickly as he could, and as soon as he was presentable, he made his way downstairs.
"Good morning Dick." Bruce greeted once Dick reached the bottom of the stairs. Bruce was dressed in a dark red button up dress shirt and wore black jeans to complete the look. In his right palm was a brief case, he looked cleanly shaven, and his dark hair had been slicked back with hair gel.
"Good morning." Dick replied without his usual joyfulness.
More past memories passed through Robins mind...
"Ah!" A younger Dick screamed as his Uncle delivered a hard punch to his face.
"You have to learn to defend yourself!"
Dick made no attempt to defend himself, and his Uncle made to attempt to stop. Leaving Dick to be a broken mess on the hard cement floor.
Bruce immediately took notice to this,"Dick, are you okay? You look a little pale." Dick had not told anyone about the message he received from his Uncle. He had decided to keep it a secret, but the team had reported Robins strange behavior after the mission, causing Bruce to question Dicks current actions.
"I'm okay, just a bit distracted is all." Dicks mind couldn't seem to focus on what was happening. His mind was elsewhere.
"I don't want to kill." A nine year old Richard Grayson told his Uncle.
"Excuse me?" Dick was oblivious to his Uncles rage.
"It's wrong and no one deserves to die." He was suddenly smacked in the face. He was hit more, much more, and with things much harder than a fist.
It was the first time Dick had realized who his Uncle really was. What the Court of Owls was really about.
It was the first time Dick ever truly felt fear.
"Dick, are you okay? Talk to me." He heard Bruces voice, but he couldn't concentrate on it.
He thought about his fear, his Uncle, all the pain he had been through, and it hit him hard.
"You will kill whether you want to or not. You will become a Talon. It's your destiny."
"No..."
Suddenly, he began to feel light headed, but his mind blocked that out too. The only thing he could think about was the fear coursing through his body.
"Breathe!" He felt two hands grip his shoulders,"Dick, it's okay. Whatever is happening, I can help you. I'm here to help you, to keep you safe. You have me, Alfred, the team, even the entire Justice League."
Dick actually processed his words and gasped as air filled his lungs once more.
"Dick, look at me." His eyes focused on Bruce and only Bruce,"Are you okay?"
Dick nodded slightly.
"Let me help you to the couch." He was soon leaded onto the expensive leather couches of the manors living room.
Once he sat down, he was given a small while to catch his breath before he was questioned,"What just happened? What caused that?"
Dick lowered his eyes in shame. Why did he let his fears control him like that?
"Bruce... There's something I need to tell you."
The Court of Owls sent me a message.
That was all he had to say... But he couldn't bring himself to say that...
"I broke my holo-computer on the last mission, and I just thought that- that you were going to yell at me and I didn't want to ask you for a new one and-and-"
Bruce kneeled down in front of Dick,"It's okay, Dick. I'm not the Court of Owls, nor your Uncle. I'm not going to hurt you for making a simple mistake. You don't need to fear me."
Dick blinked. He just lied. He lied to Bruce. Why did he do that?
He was still scared of the Court. If he told Bruce about the message, or anyone for the matter of fact, the Court probably would have them eliminated.
That message was obviously meant for Dick, and for him only. And Dick knew exactly how his Uncle was when it came to his privacy.
"I'm sorry for overreacting... I shouldn't have. I'm just used to the way the Court was and I wasn't sure how you would react."
"You can tell me anything. I won't hurt you or beat you, no matter what happens." He turned to Alfred,"Would you mind calling in and telling the board that I will not be at work today. Say I caught a sudden fever."
"You don't have to miss work for me."
"It's okay,"Bruce smiled,"Plus, I didn't really want to go to work today anyways."
Dick let out a small giggle.
Bruce got up, grabbed a small red blanket and made his way towards the couch. He placed himself right next to Dick and threw the blanket over the both of them.
"So, I may regret this, but since you've missed a lot, perhaps I should catch you up." Bruce started,"I'll introduce you to something most kids your age seem to obsess over."
Dick just tiled his head in confusion as Bruce reached for the remote and turned the large television in front of them on.
Bruce clicked a button and the screen turned black revealing a word written in white with a red background,"Netflix?"
"Just trust me." As Bruce searched through the list of shows and movies, Dick placed his head on his mentors shoulder. He was obviously exhausted.
Bruce made no attempt to disrupt the ebony seeing that Dick was comfortable.
"So, what shall we watch first?"
Dick searched through the list with Bruce, his fear diminishing and his heart rate slowing. Though, the lie still resided in his head. Slowly tormenting him...
So, I had originally planned for Dick to get a fever, but I didn't like the way I had set up the chapter so I just changed it to this. I probably am going to actually make him sick with a fever or flu later on, but this is it for now.
For anyone who cant tell, Dick is suffering from high amounts of anxiety in this chapter. Which is why he has the panic attack and the rest of those symptoms. I actually get this, and let me just say, not fun.
Also, very important question that you guys might like to answer!!!
Since I'm actually writing the episodes into my story, word per word. Would you like to continue to see that, but just have longer update times/longer chapters, or not have word per word with shorter chapters/shorter update times. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS AND ANSWER.