Bats in the Attic (Young Justice/Batman Beyond)

Phone Booth to Nowhere

In the same way the word "befuddle" seemed to fit his current mental state, the word "homeless" didn't seem like the right fit for Dick's situation, yet he didn't have the heart to correct Jason. The correct word for Dick's current situation was instead "transient".

His current choice in lifestyle for the past year, Dick wasn't sure if he could easily explain it to his brother who – prior to coming under Bruce's wing, lived with the fear of ending up homeless and on the streets. Not that Jason was likely to admit such a thing, yet it seemed the thought of Dick being homeless did, in fact, bother Jason.

The transient lifestyle, though, wasn't new. The circus, after all, was a transient lifestyle but felt like an honest home away from home due to Bruce's outright rejection of him around a year ago. Sometimes he scrounged and slept under the stars, but other times he bartered for a hot meal and a place to stay the night.

Yet, for some reason said lifestyle didn't fill the void left by the rejection he felt a year ago. Sometimes, for a brief moment, he felt good, after helping someone out, only for that feeling to fade after a day or two. He'd come home, running straight back to what he ran away from, only to find himself still running, unable to face Bruce's wrath.

A soft drizzle started down, and Dick pulled his motorbike to the side, having found one of the cities nicer bus terminals if one ignored the fact graffiti adorned the outside of the enclosed structure. This one had a phone booth, meaning someone could call in case of an emergency, which in Gotham proved a good thing.

Removing his satchel, and the key to the bike, he headed in where he could keep an eye on his bike, but also look up at the cloudy sky of Gotham city. A grey sky above wasn't a foreign sight in the bleak city, for while Wayne attempted to keep his factories clean, others did not. Dick's hands shoved into his pocket, taking a deep breath, glad the dirt and grime which normally covered Gotham city.

The fresh air reminded him what he liked about the transient lifestyle, the sense of adventure, and yet the thing he didn't like, the loneliness, that hit hard and fast. One part of him wanted to go crawling back to Bruce, begging the man to take him back, but the other part had a sense of prideful stubbornness combined by a fear of getting rejected again.

Letting out a sigh, Dick pulled out the yearbook, turning to read Barbara's quote. "Says Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of your favorite poets, 'ever man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.' I think you know without me saying what is meant by this, regarding you and Bruce."

"Who better to talk about my current situation with?" Dick grimaced, not sure he wished to be on Barbara's scathing end of things either. Still, something felt better than nothing, and he found himself heading to the phone, hoping her current phone number was in the phonebook, but that the local gangs hadn't disconnected the phone booth.

He found himself lucky in both respects, and put some of the loose coins he'd either managed to scrounge before coming or that Jason gave him – Dick wasn't sure which, into the phone booth. The phone rang and rang, and for a moment he thought his old friend wouldn't pick up. And then, he heard it, the familiar voice. "This is Barbra Gordon."

"Hi, Barb. It's Dick. Can we talk?"

A silence came from the other side of the phone, and it felt as if his heart stopped for a bit. Dick braced himself when finally, a sigh came from the other side. "Dick, look. I'm kind of busy. You can't just call someone up like this, after taking off for over an entire year and expect for them to just drop anything."

"No. I got that. Is there any way we could meet up later?"

"Dick, seriously. I'm running late for my date with my boyfriend, could we perhaps..."