FicWad

Dick awoke hours later in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. After seven years, that nightmare still wouldn't leave him alone. He felt himself preparing to cry. He still felt the presence of that night in his bones. The sounds of the crowd's oohs and aahs, the sickening snap of the ropes, his mother calling out to him in her final moments, and the awful thud as they hit the ground. He was crying. The sight of his parents bloodied and broken bodies would never leave him as long as he lived. He knew the nightmare was coming- it always came at this time of year- he just never knew exactly when they'd come. He sat there for several minutes, crying silently to himself. It hurt him more than anyone- except possibly Bruce- knew. He always kept the nightmare bottled inside around his team. Now that he was home, he let it out. All of his heartbreak manifested itself in his pitiful tears. He looked the picture of childhood innocence- but his childhood was over at the age of nine. Now sitting, he looked around his dark room. It's gloom only served to frighten him further. He shook his head, hoping to clear it. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was Robin- fearless leader of the Teen Titans. But Robin was a façade. Underneath the mask was a scared little boy who had lost everything he'd held dear to him at the tender age of nine. Now, the true face beneath the façade came out. Dick spent a few more minutes crying before he laid down and tried to go to sleep. He pulled the silky sheets up to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut. He then found his bed too uncomfortable to sleep on. He pulled a sheet around his shoulders and let it drag on the floor as he walked toward his destination. Soon, he was there. He curled up into a ball in the arm chair beneath his parents portrait in the library. He always went there when sleep couldn't find him. Seeing their painted faces always calmed his mind. Soon, he was fast asleep, and entering the dream realm.