The Jest of Robin

17: Free Bird

Wayne Manor, April 1, 2010, 11:35 EDT

It is always portrayed that in any movie or tv show, funerals are always held as it rains. Either that, or it is the brightest, most sunny day in the year because producers, authors, or anyone wants to show that the world isn't on their side. That you don't always get what you want, that sometimes the saddest day of your life is someone else's happiest moment.

Ever since he's been in Gotham, there are rarely any days in which rain doesn't fall from the sky. He isn't old enough to remember if it's always been like that, or if the weather decided to change its course when crime began to overrule, but there are rarely any days where there isn't at least a light sprinkle.

The constant abundance of rain helps in some ways. It makes sure every funeral has the somberness that is expected, even though they are supposed to be about "celebrating the deceased and the life they lived while they could." The thing is, most of the people who come to funerals, they didn't know the deceased. Not really. Sure they may have been coworkers for a few years, maybe they were friends from High School, or maybe they were past lovers. That doesn't mean they knew who they were. They didn't know every single thing that person went through, they didn't know the struggles, the pain, the excitement, the joy. They don't know that person. Hell, maybe the only person who truly knew them was the one they were burying in the ground. How can you possibly celebrate a life you didn't understand?

Rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing dozens of robins seemed like a pretty okay way for Dick. He used to do it with his parents, helping fallen robins when they were traveling with the circus. Once Bruce took him in, they didn't have enough time to do it every time a hurt bird was found, so they would keep them safe until the first of April, and release them all at once. It was always meant to be a sacred thing that would happen, meant to only be shared with a few. Him, along with his mom and dad. Then him, Bruce, and Alfred.

Eventually it was just him and Alfred, because Bruce wasn't able to join, either he was recovering from a particularly nasty fight, or he was pulled into a meeting at Wayne Enterprise. It didn't bother Dick. Sure it was unfortunate some of the time, but he understood. Bruce Wayne was an extremely important person in Gotham, he was important before Dick came along, and he's going to be important far after Dick is gone. One thing was for certain though, Dick would give anything to have Bruce there today.

Dick sat on one of the benches in the garden by the fountain, occasionally leaning over to run his hand through the clear water. It was almost noon, the time they would usually release the birds. Barbara had left a few minutes ago to get lunch from them, and she said she would try and find Bruce as well.

He said he would be here. He said he was coming. But he's never here this late. They're supposed to sit and talk until noon, then release the robin's together. He's not supposed to be alone. Especially now. His arm itched, he craved the joker serum he was given, he missed his friends, and he didn't understand why his mentor would leave him like this. Leave him and isolate him from his friends. It was obvious he needed them, secret identity be damned. He leaned into the fountain more, and grabbed a smooth stone.

He ran his fingers gently over the stone, before tossing it as hard as he could into the air near the hedges of the garden. He reached for another stone before he heard Barbara coming back. He let go of the stone he'd picked up and turned to face her. She was carrying a tray with two sandwiches, drinks, and fruit. "Hope you're hungry. Alfred prepared a literal feast."

Dick gave her a small smile. He no longer wore the bandages around his face, so the blistering red skin would be able to breathe and heal more naturally, or something like that. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt to allow her arm to breathe as well, and a pair of black and blue sweatpants. Once Bruce let him get up without any help, he made sure to stay clear of any mirror. He didn't want to know how badly he was fucked up, so he kept his eyes away from mirrors, or his body. He took a sandwich from the tray and took a bite.

"Did you find B? Is he coming?"

"No, I'm sorry Dick, he wasn't anywhere inside. His car was still there, but that's not saying much. Alfred did say he would be back soon though. I'm sorry." Dick shook his head and gave another smile. This one definitely didn't reach his eyes. "No, don't be sorry Babs, it's alright. Maybe it'll just be the two of us releasing the Robins today then. It's fine. Thank you for getting the food for us. Really, it's just what I needed."

Barbara reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Alfred said he would be down as soon as he could. He just needed to clean the kitchen for lunch."

Dick nodded again. "Oh yeah. No, yeah, cool. Can't wait." He cleared his throat before taking another large bite of his sandwich to stop himself from rambling any further. Barbara smiled softly at him, leaving any sign of pity out of it. She knew him, and she knew he had no place in his life for any pity. So she wouldn't treat him with such. She was one of the first people he told about his background in the circus, from traveling, to his parents' deaths. She wouldn't betray that trust with pity. She took a bite of her own sandwich.

At noon an alarm on his watch went off, and Dick gave a soft sigh. He brushed his hand off on his sweats, and walked with Barbara to the bird cage. He looked at the tally mark of how many he and Bruce had rescued and gave a soft smile. 25. It sucked that there were so many, but the fact that they are all ready to be returned into the wild was an incredible feeling for him. They would soon be free.

He gave Barbara a soft look and she gave him a reassuring smile and nod. He reached up for the latch to let them go when he heard someone yelling his name. He let go of the latch and turned around. His face lit up and he began running toward the voice. He was met halfway by another ginger, who definitely ran too fast for someone pretending not to have superpowers. "Wally, what are you- how are you- I- What?"

"I don't know. I guess Bruce spoke to Batman, and he let us come."

"Us?" As he asked the question, more people and voices came out of the manor. Artemis, Connor, M'gann, Kaldur, Alfred, and Bruce all walked out of the manor. Dick felt tears prickle in his eyes, but for the first time in a long time, they were happy. His team came to meet him and gave him a group hug. He could feel the pitying look in their eyes, but he could get over that, because they were here. "You're here."

"Well yes of course. We love robins. And you are our friend Dick. Of course we came." M'gann said with a soft laugh. They all pulled away, and Dick wiped tears away from one eye. He walked over to Bruce. "What made you change your mind B?"

"I just want what's best for you chum. And Miss Gordon can be extremely compelling when she wants to be."

"She threatened to burn down the manor didn't she."

"That she did." Bruce said, giving Dick a hug. "Now, are you too old for a piggyback ride?"

Dick gave a soft smile. "Never."

With a little bit of help, because of his ribs and arm, he was on Bruce's back, on their way to the robins' cage. "C'mon, let's free those birds.

(Word count: 1384)

(Hey guys, sorry for how late this chapter is. My only real excuse is that I've been stressed because of tech school, and I have no brain. No creative juices decided to flow until this very moment, where I am watching Trollhunters. I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm sorry it's as late as it is, and that it isn't as long as normal. The story is close to coming to an end, I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am. Let me know what you think of the story, and I will see you all next time! I love you all, Peace Out!)