“It was only six feet,” muttered Dick.
“What did you just say?”
Dick sighed and rubbed his face. “I know you woke up in a grave and it was very traumatic for you, but you’re acting like this is the only time it had ever happened to anyone. You just had to dig straight up. Do you hear me complaining about it?”
"I'm sorry, did my ongoing trauma from being beaten to death and then waking up in a confined box make you feel uncomfortable, Dick?"
"You just keep going on about it like you're the only person who has ever experienced this. It sucks. No question. But getting out for you was basically on easy mode."
"It tore my fingernails off. I almost SUFFOCATED."
"That is part of being in a coffin, yes Jason."
“What are you talking about?” Tim walked into the room, towelling his hair dry from his shower.
“Being buried alive.”
“Digging myself out of my own grave.” Jason and Dick answered simultaneously.
“Well which is it?”
Jason glared at Dick. “Digging myself out. Dick here thinks that I’m blowing things out of proportion by being slightly upset about that building partly collapsing on me tonight.”
“Well, that is a conversation I can’t contribute to, so I’ll leave you both to it and go to bed.” Tim dropped the towel in a laundry basket and started to walk away.
“Tim,” Dick reached out to catch his arm. "What do you mean, which one?"
Tim shrugged a shoulder. "Well the only insights I have about being buried alive are 'sit tight and wait for rescue and slow your heartrate so you're not using so much oxygen' so I don't really think I need to be here. Good night."
"When have you ever needed that? And if you did, you didn't try to dig yourself out?" Jason said skeptically. "That's your view? Stay in one spot and wait for help? Because trying that in Ethopia worked so well for me."
"I was under a concrete slab. There wasn't much that I could do."
Dick tugged Tim around to face him more fully. "And when was this exactly? I don't remember that case report."
"It was during AzBats; that's why you haven't read it. And I was fine. Steph eventually got me out."
They stared at each other. Dick looked away first. "I wish you'd had more support back then."
Tim smiled, one side of his face quirking up. "You had your own problems."
"Wait a minute. Back up. When was this?" Jason interrupted.
Dick looked back at Tim. Tim rolled his eyes up slightly. "When Tim here was a little baby Robin. Thirteen or so."
"Excuse you, I had had my fourteenth birthday by then. I had my licence."
"Oh I'm sorry, when he was fourteen years old. And far more grown up."
"That's right."
"You were buried alive under concrete?" Jason sounded incredulous.
"It happened. Why, did you think you were the only one? Dick once tunneled out of a grave sideways and almost fell off a cliff into the sea."
"I didn't think you knew about that time," Dick said, his voice soft.
Tim grinned. "You left some notes in your own computer system about it."
"Stalker."
"You like me that way."
"You've both also been buried alive?" Jason threw his hands in the air.
"Mmhmmm." Tim yawned and stretched, walking towards the stairs.
"As I was saying, it can get a bit tiring listening to you go on about it," Dick added, following him.
"I DIED!"
"Yes and you never ever let any of us forget it." Dick slung an arm over Tim's shoulder, then turned his head back to look at Jason. "Want some hot chocolate before bed?"
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