A blistering wind swelled between the buildings, reaching up and over before surging across the rooftop and rushing over two hunched figures.
The larger of the pair scanned the streets below. Intel had hinted that Thorne's crew was going to be getting a drug shipment from an unknown player, potentially enough to keep all of his dealers supplied for months. Unfortunately, none of the thugs he'd interrogated knew exactly when the exchange was going down.
Five hours into the stake out and there wasn't a sign of either party.
Batman turned his gaze toward the surrounding buildings, ignoring the biting chill that another gust brought with it. No signs of life. This was looking more and more like a waste of time.
At least this was good training for Jason. This was only his third week of being Robin, but already Bruce could see that patience was going to be a difficult practice for him. They seemed to have made some progress tonight. His grumbling and pacing had died down about an hour ago.
Actually, Jason hadn't done anything for a while now. Glancing over at his partner, a small smile tugged at his lips.
Curled up beside an old air conditioning unit, Jason had succumbed to sleep. Batman wasn't surprised; this had turned into the boy's latest night so far.
Another burst of cold air drove across the roof, causing the boy to curl further into his cape, trying to shield his bare legs. Shivers racked his small frame, his hands tightly clenched in yellow fabric. Bruce really did need to speak with Alfred about switching to a slightly warmer costume. The temperature was only going to drop further this time of the year.
Unclasping his own cape, he laid it on the roof beside the huddled form, folding one end over a few times for a makeshift pillow. Easing the kid away from the old metal, he gently picked his partner up, placing him on the improvised bed and tucking the excess material snugly around him. He watched with satisfaction as his boy sighed and burrowed further into his black cocoon.
Robin taken care of, Batman turned back to his surveillance. A cat had wandered into view and a few drunken bums had settled beside a stoop a few buildings over, but other than that, there had been no changes. Promising himself that he'd only spend another hour waiting, he shifted his thoughts to more productive things, like how to get his son back to the Batmobile without waking him.
And the best way to reward lying scum.