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The thud sounded against the wall and Jason jumped as Wally skidded to a stop right next to him. He frowned. “What was that?”
“Your older brother.”
Jason's eyes narrowed as he folded his arms over his chest. He didn't know where they all got off calling Dick his brother but he wasn't. They weren't blood, and it wasn't even like that on paper. Dick was still just Bruce's ward. Jason was “lucky.” He'd actually been adopted.
Another thud shook the wall, and the rest of the team joined them. “What was that?”
“Nightwing.”
“Should we be worried?” Artemis asked with a frown. “I mean, the guy has been kind of off his game since he got back.”
“No, Rob's fine.”
“Robin is fine,” Kaldur said, putting his hand on Jason's shoulder. “It is Nightwing we discuss, and Artemis is correct. His behavior has been erratic of late.”
“I think we should check on him,” M'gann said. “He's still not willing to let me link his mind with mine or anyone else's. I can feel his anger, though, and his frustration.”
“He's fine,” Wally said. They all looked at him. “Fine, but don't go in there unless you want a book to come right at your head.”
“A book? Since when—”
“Nightwing's doing his homework.”
“Oh.”
“As soon as I stepped through the zeta tubes, I was warned to dodge flying books,” Barbara said as she leaned against the door frame. “What did they ever do to you, Grayson?”
“You're lucky Superboy is on a mission. You know the rules,” Dick said, and she rolled her eyes. She did know the importance of keeping their identities a secret, and normally she was better at it, but right now he needed the reminder of who he was.
“I do, and if you're not careful, you'll end up breaking them yourself,” she said, pushing away from the door and picking up his textbook. “You know you're actually fortunate, right? This book is easier to understand and better written than the one I had to use.”
Dick grunted. “It's not the book. It's... everything. I swear they're punishing me for 'taking a year abroad.' They tripled my usual course load because of those damned paparazzi pictures, and if homework didn't suck before, it does now.”
She carried the book over to him, setting it beside the others. “This is nothing you can't handle.”
He shook his head. “I would rather take on the Joker than read one more page.”
She laughed. “Now I know you're exaggerating.”
“No, I'm not,” Dick insisted. “Going out and roughing up bad guys, taking down gangs and going on covert missions? All of that is easy. It's almost like breathing it's that much a part of us. You don't even have to think about it. At least... I don't. I mean... It wasn't until I put on body armor and went out to get Batman back from the Joker that I felt like myself again. Doing that was easier than talking about what had happened on that mission. I didn't have to think. I just... acted. It was perfect.”
She rolled her eyes. “It's not like being a hero is a completely thoughtless occupation. It's not. Most heroes are geniuses, too—though sometimes, for smart people, they can be really stupid. Like you right now. You're smarter than this. You can handle all of this and more. Just... pretend you're preparing for another mission. You can do it.”
Dick laughed. “It is so sad that I have to trick myself into doing my homework.”
“No one ever said being a hero was easy.”