Do you think Dick ever actually does crumble from the weight of being there for everyone else … Like having that many people depending on him? What would his friends and family even do

camsthisky:

Yes.

Like, this kid drives me insane sometimes. There’s this panel in Grayson where Dick straight up says:

And if that doesn’t sum up how much Dick takes everyone else’s problems and makes them his own, I don’t know what does. And it drives me absolutely insane, because Dick blames himself for Jason dying, for Bruce dying, for Damian dying, and probably for Tim “dying” too. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me.

That’s not even the worst of it. Because Dick did crumble. It’s literally the whole reason he infiltrated Spyral in the first place. Damian was dead, Dick was suffering under the weight and guilt of something he couldn’t prevent–had no way to prevent seeing as he was unconscious–and then he was captured and unmasked and used as a tool to blow up Bruce and prevent Batman from getting to the Justice League in time.

And then Bruce asks him to save the family while also tricking the family into thinking Dick was actually dead? Dick gave in. Dick crumpled. And Bruce did nothing.

Maybe if Damian had been alive, he wouldn’t have, but nobody else stood a chance when it was Bruce pulling the strings.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m completely convinced that Bruce loves Dick with his very being. But I also think that Bruce was hurting, too, and he chose the mission, which he could handle, and ignored his feelings, which he honestly couldn’t. And Dick suffered for it. The family suffered for it.

Dick takes on everyone else’s problems and he’s human enough to falter. And his family will care. Of course they will. But there’s a difference between caring and doing something about it. And I honestly only have a vague idea what his family would do when Dick falters. Be there for him is the obvious thing, but besides that? I don’t know.