Nightwing: Heartache

Part 39: Rooftop

December 24, 2:12am
Gotham City

Things were...not great with Jason. He was back, but he was different, understandably. From what Alfred told Dick, the kid was struggling.

Bruce and Alfred had brought Jason back to the manor to finish his recovery, but apparently it had been a slew of fights, sulking, and traumatic flashbacks as Jason got his bearings, got used to his own mind again.

When Dick had gone over to visit tonight, Alfred told Dick Jason had run out. Bruce was sulking in the Batcave. It was a pretty intense fight, Alfred relayed to Dick.

"Perhaps the boy needs space," Alfred said, "or perhaps he needs someone other than Master Bruce to talk to."

Dick had checked the old Team HQ under Mount Justice, a couple of Batman's safehouses, and the rooftop Batman had trained all of the Robins, but Gotham was a big city.

Okay, think Nightwing, if I was a traumatized teenage boy who just got my memory back after being murdered, resurrected, and brainwashed into an assassin for years, where would I go?

Oy, Dick thought.

Wait.

Dick sprung into action, scrambling down the nearest fire escape to the zeta tube below. He knew where Jason was.

**

Nightwing pulled himself onto the roof of the an apartment complex, his movements silent. He crouched, observing the boy on the opposite side, sitting with his legs dangling over the edge. He was wearing Dick's old Gotham Academy Mathletes sweatshirt.

"Hey," Dick said softly as he approached. He didn't want to spook Jason.

"I knew you were there," Jason said without turning.

"I know." Dick took a seat beside him and pulled off his mask.

"How'd you know where to find me?" Jason looked over the open green park on the outskirts of Gotham. A soft breeze blew through the night and out here the stars were more visible.

Dick shrugged, "lucky guess I suppose. I knew you probably didn't want to go to Bruce's favorite rooftop, but you always seemed to like my favorite."

"It wasn't intentional," Jason snapped, "I just needed to get out. Run. Next thing I knew I was here," he looked down at his hands then balled them into fists, "you said this place always helped you breathe but it's just like every other damn roof in the city!"

Dick carefully kept his face neutral, looking over the wide expanse of grass below them. "That's not true," he eventually said, softly, still looking over the park, "because this is the only rooftop in Gotham close enough to that park when Haley's Circus comes to town."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dick watched Jason's hands relax. He was listening. "You can't see inside the tent, obviously," Dick continued, "but this is as good as it gets without buying a ticket. You can hear everything from up here, all the acts, the crowd, the applause, the music. And then after, you can watch all the families streaming out. But the best part is watching the circus pack up. I can see every person from up here, the costumes, the groups, even Haley. He's always the last one to get in the truck."

"I didn't know that," Jason whispered.

"Oh yeah," Dick grinned, "the day after there's still confetti and cotton candy sticks everywhere, for days it seems like the smell of popcorn in the air, and for weeks afterward, you can see the holes where the stakes for the tent were. This rooftop is definitely not like every other rooftop in Gotham. It's special."

"Dick, I-"

"You didn't know," Dick gently placed a hand on Jason's shoulder, "how could you know until I told you?"