Work Text:
“So I found this waterfall,” Roy said, slinging his leg over the chair and crossing his arms over the back of it, watching Dick intently.
Dick just hummed, not even taking his eyes off the screen. His posture was terrible, which meant he was tired as fuck as he tapped at the keyboard.
“I said–”
“I heard you Roy,” Dick said, still not looking over. “So what? We see stuff like that all the time.”
The lights were off and they were alone in the room in the middle of the night and Roy used to like that, used to like staying up late with Robin and teasing him until he started to fall asleep on the keyboard.
That felt like a million life times away and Roy was as tired as Dick looked.
“Yeah,” he said, voice heavy, “But that’s part of work and shit. I’m talking like day hike, out with some food or something. It’s this really out of the way trail I don’t think it’s even in a lot of the guide books for the area. You know. A day off.”
“I don’t have time–” Dick said and he had gone from depressed lethargy to unstoppable force and Roy was starting to regret all over his part in that.
“Make the time, Rob,” he said and Dick froze, finally looking over at him and Nightwing mask had white out lenses so Roy had no idea what his face booked like.
“That’s not my name anymore,” Dick said softly, and there was pain hidden back there.
“I know,” Roy grit out. “But shit all else is getting through to you.”
“You don’t need to get through to me,” Dick said, already turning back to the screen. “There’s nothing that needs to be gotten through.”
“Bullshit,” Roy snapped and he was tired, so tired he wanted to lay down on the floor at Dick’s feet and just fall asleep there. Maybe just holding on to Dick would be enough to get him through the night. “You’re so stupid tired you’re gonna make a mistake sooner rather then later.”
“I’m not–”
“Lian misses Uncle Dick,” Roy cut him off and Dick stared at him again.
“That’s low,” he hissed.
“Yeah, well, I fight dirty,” Roy said, flexing his arms and leaning harder against the chair back. “Everyone in this room knows that by now. So. Are you gonna take a day off or am I gonna have to knock you out?”
“You’re the one who wanted me on this team,” Dick said, and his whole face was tight, Roy didn’t even to see his eyes to know that. “You’re the one who pestered and begged and forced me out of–”
“I just wanted you to come see a waterfall with me,” Roy said, cutting him off again because he really couldn’t go through this again. “Dick, you have to take a day off.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” Dick said, his spine going straight and tight and Roy buried his face in his hands, wishing he was old enough to get away with commanding Dick around.
He idly considered calling Bruce but was pretty sure he wouldn’t actually just make things worse by blundering into any of Dick’s old wounds he’d caused. Slade, if Roy had any idea how the fuck to get ahold of him, might be a better option except Roy would be playing Russian Roulette with whether Slade was in in a helping mood because he actually liked Dick alive and sane, or in mood to tear Dick apart from the inside out.
Roy made a note to make sure Slade didn’t run into Dick now, because Dick was fragile enough it would takenothing else to break him. If only Dick would admit he was falling apart at the seams, if only Roy hadn’t thought this would help.
Instead he was feeling like Dick was slipping away more and more while he watched.
“Dick,” he whispered. “Please.”
There was silence before Dick shifted. “Roy,” he said, voice small and Roy had to look up. “What do you want of me?” The question was endless, deep as the ocean and Roy had no idea how any answer could encompass the beat in his chest, the way he stared at Dick sometimes and just wanted.
“I want you to be happy,” he said finally.
Dick looked at him and there was pity there. “Are any of us?” he said and the answer hung in the air between them until Roy had to get out of there, had to leave. He just let the door shut behind him, leaving Nightwing at the computer and didn’t even try to get a parting shot in.
He still had the picture of the waterfall in his back pocket and it stayed there for a while.
When he quit he stuck it on Dick’s computer monitor.