Dick sighed, he was in one of his safe houses.
A week ago. A week ago he had 'taken a break'. A week ago he gave his position back to Aqualad. A week ago he lost his best friend and another brother, all in one.
He had done everything. He had screamed and cried till his throat was raw and his eyes looked like they would permanently be red and puffy. He had gotten angry and tossed objects around; his wall looked like it was repeatedly smashed with a mace. He had cried for hours on. He had stared blankly at the wall. He had remembered then laughed at a memory but it would quickly become a sob.
He had down other stuff as well. He tried smoking, it disgusted him though. He had gotten himself so drunk that he woke up a day later in his bathroom; that had been a mess to clean. He had depressedly eaten so much he basically went into a food come for 37 hours. Now he had been sitting next to his overturned couch, on the wooden floor. He had been staring at the wall for over ten hours, no TV, no music, no communication, he had ripped his phone cord out and smashed one of his cell phones, the other was somewhere under his bed ( that now had a splintered headboard) and would vibrate continuously but he let it. He had gotten up to use the restroom but then came and sat back down again.
Now he was begin to wake, as if from a blurred daze.
This had hit him hard, so hard. It was his best friend since ever, a brother. Another one.
This was just brining back horrible memories. The training exercise that had gone horribly wrong years ago. His parents, Wally, and his little brother. His Littlewing. Jason. He had lost two brothers now.
He felt so hollow.
But he knew it couldn't last. He had to get back up.
As it is he had told Bruce he was working on an unfinished case.
* * * * * *YJ* * * * *YJ* * * * *
(Flashback)
"Dick." It was more of a question.
He had been heading to the Zeta Beam when Batman stopped him.
"What happened to no names in the field?" he said rather weakly. He was starting to crack.
"Dick." He said slowly again. "I'm sorry." Though he hardly showed it, Bruce had cared for Wally to. He had known him since before he got his powers.
"We all are." He said softly.
Batman paused for a moment's thought then said. "Are you going to . . . retire?"
He sighed. "No, I don't think I ever can but I am taking a break from this, the League and stuff. I'll go stick more to Bludhaven. Well once I finish what I have in Gotham."
"What do you mean?"
It's funny how most people here Batman as cool and collected but not people who knew him years on end. You began to here the slight rises and when it would get low. When it quickened and when it was slow.
And Bruce was able to tell on Dick. He did, had, on all his sons.
Dick's attitude picked up to one that Bruce had grown to know in his teen years. The same he had when he left. "Yeah, I have a case to finish in Gotham. You know what; actually we had been on it. Together. So when you left I tried to finish it for you. Surprisingly the case file was hidden with such tight encryptions that not even me or Babs could get in." He half turned to him and his eyes were narrowed behind the domino mask and shoulders tense.
Something came across Bruce's face, almost like a realization and relief but then he stiffened. "It's not of your concern. I have been on it and it's my case, my city. You are no longer involved, you stepped away from it, remember?"
Dick felt the anger rise in him. "But I did get involved because he had crossed Bludhaven, granted briefly but he still crossed it. And it was my footage and my leg he busted, so yeah, I have been involved in this. As a matter of fact we all did, me, Tim and Babs!"
Batman's eyes seemed to have widened then narrow and his shoulders knotted with tension. "What happened? What did he say?"
"Red Hood didn't say much except for taunts. But he did ask about you."
"What did he do?"
"Actually he was taking out other street thugs, but by killing them. Babs tried to get at him but he disappeared. Tim . . . he held him for awhile but we got to him."
'You let Tim get captured!" now his voice did rise noticeably.
Dick narrowed his eyes. 'We didn't let anything. But it did happen. But he was fine.' Dick did feel guilty about it but he was surprisingly fine. "Except he started asking questions. Questions that I have too. What are you hiding from us Bruce?! Who is Red Hood?!"
Batman kept his cool mask. "Leave it alone, Nightwing."
"What aren't you telling me!?"
"It's not your concern!" he cut sharply.
"Yes it is! Because something big is up! I need to know! We need to know!"
"It doesn't matter to you!"
'You can't decide that! And you can't control me! I will take care of this case! We will, so don't be surprised if I borrow Tim every now and then. He's my brother! Family business you know, it's what they do!"
And with that he left.
He didn't notice Bruce shaking his head. 'You're right Dick. But you have no idea how close of family business this is."
* * * * * *YJ* * * * *YJ* * * * *
Dick sighed again and looked at the pictures on the ground around him. One of him and Wally when he was twelve in Halloween. They had gone in each other's costumes. Them at some fancy party but goofing off. One with the whole team at a carnival, they had gotten their faces painted. One of them on double dates with Artemis and Zatanna. There was one of him and Tim. Then one of Tim, him and Wally hanging out at the Manor. The Jason. One of just him and one of him being hugged by Dick. He was pushing him off but he had a smile twitching at his lips. One of Wally holding Jason piggyback style like he used to Dick. One of Artemis and Jason back to back with fierce smirks and one of all of them. Then a picture of him jumping over a rooftop, that one was taken by Tim when he had started following around with his camera. He had given it to him when he first came and learned the truth.
Amazingly he seemed to have run out of tears. He finally got up and began the work of putting things back together.