No Nuance November

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 Dick knew when he was being followed. It was hard to hide from him.

Something that aggravated him was the fact that it was Bruce who was following him.

Did he not think that Dick wouldn't know? How could he not, he'd trained Dick for god sake. If Dick didn't know that would be more telling of Bruce's teaching.

He hadn't seen Bruce in a while, not since he left. Everything was too fresh and raw. Dick just wanted to get settled in this new start. Wanted to fully get a handle on being on his own, truly, for the first time in his life.

It was liberating to not have to ask permission or be aware of where his former partner was at any given moment.

Dick made his way to a quieter part of the city. There was a reason Bruce was here and Dick knew it wasn't to check on him. Given what Dick had heard he didn't think Bruce had the time to follow Dick around like that.

He stopped on the edge of a cathedral.

Sometimes he'd start his route here so he could listen to the choir before he left. One of the better choirs he'd heard. There weren't many churches and it was nice to find them occasionally so he had a semi safe place to direct people too if needed.

Bruce landed on the other end of the rooftop, covered by the shadows like he always does.

Dick felt the muscles in his back grow tense. He needed to avoid a fight and be the bigger person. He could do that.

"What do you want?" Dick asked, turning to face him fully.

"I am going off-world for a while." Bruce answers curtly.

Dick furrows his eyebrows. "What? The kid can't handle Gotham for a few days? Don't trust him?" Dick can't help but jab slightly even if he knows he shouldn't. "Or you care more so you won't throw him to the wolves like you would me."

He hears Bruce suck in a breath. The most emotion he's ever seen displayed in public from Batman. "Dick-"

"Oh, save it." Dick snaps. He turns away again.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you could hold down the fort while I'm gone." His voice is tight with the same emotions Dick felt, which only grates on Dick's nerves more. Did he think Dick was just going to forgive and forget?

He bit back the retort on his tongue.

Was he asking for help? Bruce never, ever, asks for help. Too proud or whatever.

He was here asking for Dick's help.

He will admit to being a little too shocked to have something smart to say.

Instead Dick stares at him. He can't quite believe what he's hearing. It's so... so not Batman.

"I leave on Wednesday." Bruce finishes before disappearing fully into the shadows like the drama queen he's always been.

Dick would replay the conversation over and over and over in his head for days afterwards.

Bruce had asked for his help. Had come all this way to ask Dick to take care of something for him, to watch over his most prized possession. To protect his most prized possession. He wanted Dick to handle Gotham while he was gone. It wasn't something Dick hadn't done before but the circumstances were very different now.

Dick, for argument's sake, was essentially an outsider. He didn't live and/or operate out of Gotham regularly anymore. He'd left being associated with the Bat. He was independent. Everything Bruce avoided when it came to dealing with Gotham. Everything had to be done in house.