Façade:
Summary:
Everyone almost always thought that Dick wore his heart on his sleeve, that if he was feeling anything, you'd know. They were wrong. How could he be a Bat by being so darn bad at concealing emotions? The answer: he wasn't.
Nightwing has always been one of the best at hiding emotions. Not your traditional blank face, but the cover-everything-up-with-a-smile veneer. And what made him so good at it was because he could summon up the feeling of happiness from inside him, even when he didn't want to smile. Insofar, no one except Batman had cotton on yet.
After the truth came out about Nightwing's deceit, everyone, with the exception of the Bats, had been mistrustful of him. It wasn't obvious, gods forbid that the Team was ever obvious, but he had picked it up anyway. He was a Bat after all.
Then came the worst day of Dick's life; the day Wally died. He hadn't meant for this to happen, but he still felt responsible; the what if questions kept resounding in his head. He hadn't broken down then, he couldn't; he had to be the strong one, no matter how much he wanted to just kneel down and cry, all he could do was furrow his eyebrows and clench his fists. Maybe this was his punishment.
The Team had gathered in the living room of their temporary hideout, a sombre mood casted upon them. Artemis was hiccupping, her tears long since dried, and M'gann was hugging her, oozing comfort.
"Hey," Nightwing murmured to the archer, one hand comfortingly lying on her shoulder, "you alright?"
Red-rimmed eyes glanced at him before going back to the floor. "I'm fine. Go check on the others, I'm sure they need you."
The ex-robin nodded, gave a reassuring half smile to Artemis before starting to make his rounds.
Every hero was comforted by their leader, and the mood felt lighter after a few hours. When they all went home, no one noticed him slipping into Wally's old room, – kept pristine, clean and untouched throughout the years, even if the redhead had retired because Dick could never let go of his best friend – quietly ling on the bed after changing into Wally's old clothes (those he left here for emergencies).
The smell of Wally engulfed his senses and Nightwing could finally peel off the mask and become Dick Grayson again. Then, the tears started, silently making their way down his cheeks. He closes his eyes and tries to sleep so he can dream of Wally. It was the only way he could see his best friend again.
When the rest of the team went looking for him later in the afternoon, because he didn't show up for debrief, they would find him curled up in Wally's bed, dried tear tracks on his face, and sleeping peacefully. And they would wonder how they didn't see the grief that their leader has hidden so well.
Omake:
Batman silently swoops into the room after all the other heroes of the Team had left, scoops up the son he has failed to protect and swoops back out just as silently. And through it all, Robin is watching in the shadows. He was the one who alerted the Batman of Nightwing's breakdown. Because Robin could also see through masks; he wears one every day.