Dick arrived in Gotham four hours after he got the call. Without even bothering to enter through the manor, he showed up in the cave in his civilian clothes, his Nightwing bag slung over one shoulder. Tim was scanning video footage from the area on the night of Jason's disappearance, and Bruce was nowhere to be seen.

"Tim!" Dick exclaimed. Tim was shocked out of his concentration. "Where's the big bad bat?" He asked with a smile. Everything Dick did was with a smile, no matter what was happening. It was infectious. Tim smiled right back at his older brother, of a sort.

"Oh, hey Dick," Tim greeted. "The bat's out scaring some goons, like he does."

Dick gave a short exclamation of laughter.

"Yeah. sounds like him."

With nothing left to say in greeting, Tim went on to the matter in hand.

"So, we still don't know much. Oracle hasn't caught any definite footage of him." Tim frowned, his brow furrowed, pausing.

"Yet. She's working on it. Bruce is out doing his thing, but he hasn't sent back any information yet. Really, all we know is that he was-"

"Is," Dick cut him off.

Tim looked at him with pity in his eyes, but went on anyway.

"-is, alive. Looking at the video, it doesn't look like he had help, but with our line of work, who knows."

Dick nodded. "Alright. So what do I need to do?"

"Bruce didn't leave any instructions for you."

Dick frowned.

"That doesn't sound like him at all. This must have gotten him really messed up."

Tim agreed. "Definitely. But you know him. Pretending he's fine while he takes out his frustration on some helpless 'informants'."

Tim gestured his head at the large monitor with Batman's cowl feed coming through on it. Bruce was yelling at some cowering figure, as per the usual.

"Alright. Should I head out to keep his head on or do you want to?"

Tim smiled, but stayed where he was.

"You go. I've got research to do here. Think you can keep from killing each other?"

Dick smiled, went up to ruffle the teen's head, and headed off to get dressed.

—

Batman was nothing but frustrated. He'd gotten nothing from any of his usual informants. No one had seen a black-haired, teal-eyed orphan wandering the streets. He really hoped that Jason was just too good to be seen, but that worried him.

Why hadn't he come home? Why was he not being seen? Where was he?

Bruce still wasn't able to ask himself the question that Batman had been considering since they first saw the footage.

What if he's already dead?

Just the thought had Batman moving faster, more angrily through the shadows.

He was dangerous when he got like this, he knew. He was more violent, hastier, and less level headed. He knew he needed to get his head on straight, he knew that he needed to calm down, but really, he didn't want to. His son could have died a second time because Bruce and Batman just weren't good enough or fast enough or there enough. He wanted to be angry at himself, because he deserved it.

And so he was angry, except his inward anger manifested itself outwards. He was angry at anyone who was in front of him.

And then Nightwing was front of him. Dick was in front of him. It didn't matter which, they were the same person. Completely and fully.

And so Bruce was mad at Dick, and mad at Nightwing, and mad at himself.

"Nightwing," he ground out. "What are you doing here." It wasn't a question, it was a reprimand.

Dick frowned in the dark, cold, and tremendously wet alley.

"You called me here, remember?" His head turned slightly to one side, like a confused puppy, and he smiled.

"Nice to see you, too."

Every word that came out of Bruce's mouth was low and raspy, the Batman voice clouded by emotion. That cloud was only detectable to someone who knew both Bruce and Batman very well. He was just too good at masking himself.

"You should be out trying to find something."

Dick started to shift on his feet. This didn't signify anything about Dick's feelings, as he couldn't stay still if his life depended on it.

"That's exactly what I would be doing if you were thinking straight."

Angry Batman did not like to be told that he wasn't thinking.

"I know what I'm doing." It was almost a shout, but justly barely quiet enough to be considered a statement.

"Yeah? Then calm down. Angry Batman will not help find him."

And the part of Batman that was still the cold, logical thinker knew that Nightwing was right.

He ground his teeth. "Fine," he growled. "Just get to work."

Nightwing rolled his eyes behind his white lenses, and smirked.

"Yes, mighty lord Batman," he replied, his voice dripping with lighthearted sarcasm, "where do you want me?"

"Crime alley."

And then the shadow was gone, and Nightwing laughed.

—

stop looking stop laughing stop

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