Feedback: Hell, yes.

Note: Years ago there was a several chapter story in canon about Dick up at Hudson University; he's been dumped by his girlfriend for not being around enough and is quickly replaced by her new beau, a fellow who (no surprise) turns out to be a bad guy. Robin, or rather Dick, busts the guy and ends up walking away from his ex.

This is a rethinking of that set up.

Person of Interest

Dick had been at Hudson for almost two months and it wasn't going well.

Closing his door behind him he picked up the phone and made a call.

After a few rings—"Hey, you busy?"

"Robbie, my friend, what, you have a hot date and she has a friend for me? I knew there was a reason why we're friends."

He smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "Not exactly but I could work on it. 'You have a minute?"

"Shoot."

"It's, it's like..." He trailed off for a moment, trying to figure out what he wanted to say and why. "You ever have the feeling that you've made a mistake, maybe a series of them and the only thing that will fix them is to back up and start over?"

On the other end of the line Roy's voice lost it's swagger and changed to that of a concerned friend, well, relatively speaking. "What's going on, Dick? 'You in trouble?"

"No, I don't think so it's , I dunno. Robin isn't working out here and because I'm so busy trying to solve some cases I, this is stupid."

"No it isn't, what's happening?"

"Robin isn't accepted here by almost everyone, it's like I'm an interloper and because I'm spending so much time trying to solve some cases my grades are slipping."

"Your grades are slipping? You're Mr. Four-point-zero."

"'Used to be but that was then and this is now. Plus, the pisser is that the classes aren't that hard, I just don't have time to do the work, write the papers."

"Cut back on your case load."

"Yeah, I know." He stopped and shifted on the bed, laying down on the pile of pillows. "And my girlfriend just dumped me. She said that I'm not around enough and I'm too unemotional."

"Ouch. Look, what do you say I take a drive up there and we'll see what we can do to turn that frown upside down."

What the hell, was Roy using again? "...Excuse me?"

"I'll see you in a couple of hours and we'll hang put. 'Misery loves company, right? You tell me your problems, I'll tell you mine."

Well..."Yeah? 'You sure?"

"'See you in a little while—as Roy and Dick, okay?"

"'Sounds real good. Roy, thanks."

"That's what friends are for, Robbie. I owe you."

Stretching his arms and rolling the kinks out of shoulders, Dick's smile broadened. God it was good to have friends. The last few weeks, okay, ever since he'd arrived at Hudson things hadn't exactly been going his way.

There had been Robin problems because neither the administration nor the students trusted him, not sure if her was there to protect and serve or to gain PR for himself. The only group which seemed happy to have him there was the New Carthage Police Department which was easily overwhelmed by anything larger than a kegger gone out of control. He'd been granted jurisdiction in the area easily enough but he was still an outsider and the new kid on the block.

Then there were his classes; he hated them. Bruce had pressured him into declaring a business major and he hated business. He knew he was expected to take over for Bruce eventually but, cripes, talk about something he didn't want to do.

And Dick Grayson, he was having trouble fitting in as well. In a way he was used to that since to function as Robin he knew from long experience that he would be unable to have close friends, a roommate, frat brothers or join any sports teams but...wasn't all that stuff a big part of going to college in the first place? He couldn't even live in the dorms like everyone else, he had to have a private place in a private boarding house so that his secret identity wouldn't be compromised.

He was lonely and felt like a fish out of water, something he wasn't used to. All his life he'd bee able to adapt, make friends easily, fit in wherever he went—until now. He felt off-balance, unsure of himself and he didn't like it but wasn't sure what he could do about it.

Frustrated and depressed about everything and then being dumped by Lori a few days ago he'd done something he knew might be a mistake and, even if it wasn't, was certainly something he'd have a lot of explaining to do when he saw Bruce for the Thanksgiving break in a couple of weeks.

It wouldn't be pretty.

Two and a half hours later Roy Harper, he pulled off the highway at the New Carthage exit, followed the signs to the Hudson campus and made a few turns til he came to the street where Dick had rented a room.

He'd been thinking on the drive; this wasn't like Dick, not at all. Dick was, he was like the most together person on he entire planet, never lost his cool, never screwed up, always in control. On the phone he sounded overwhelmed, snowed under and depressed—sooo not like him. Well, hell. Maybe it just meant that he was human after all. A few beers, a shoulder to cry his troubles on and he'd be okay; this was Dick Grayson they were talking about. Robin, f'chrissake, leader of the Titans, Batman's right hand bird.

He'd be fine.

Roy pulled up to the slightly seedy boarding house Grayson had ended up in instead of the dorms; privacy so Robin could fly without dealing with a nosy roommate and all of that. Well, maybe old Dick should have seriously embraced the idea of being a college student instead of continuing the split personality concept.

But the street was cordoned off with yellow police 'crime scene' tape. There were at least half a dozen squad cars, lights flashing blocking the road. Stopping his car a block or so away Roy walked as close as he could get, close enough to see the police leading someone down the walk in handcuffs and place him in one of the squad cars.

It was Dick Grayson.

"Excuse me, officer, what's going on?"

"'Murder suspect, just taking him down to the station for some questioning."

What the hell?

TBC