Hiya, I'm feeling better since last night. Turns out wearing out of prescription contact lenses isn't a smart idea.

EDIT: TW MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH/BLOOD

Nimble fingers typed rapidly as they finished another case report. It was the fourth one they'd done in the last hour. They were working faster than they'd ever worked before all because their owner, Richard Grayson, would break down if he slowed down for even just a second. Beside him was a disgusting concoction of coffee and warmed up Powerade. Richard didn't care though. It was keeping him awake and that was all he needed. Alfred watched on disapprovingly as he picked up a partially eaten sandwich. At least he was eating even though it wasn't much. "Don't you think it is time for bed Master Dick?" he asked, replacing the sandwich with a roast dinner. Why did he even bother?  Richard wouldn't eat much of anything. "No I don't. I have patrol now anyway," Richard answered. He didn't have that playful tone in his voice anymore. Not since that night.

He got up and marched over to his motorcycle. "Shouldn't you take a night off? You've been going on patrol every night this month." Alfred said in a last ditch attempt to get the boy to stay. In all seriousness he was afraid that Robin would get himself killed trying to make up for Batman being gone. "For the last time Alfred I can't take a night off. Not until Bruce is back."

"What if Master Bruce does not return? You can't keep doing this for the rest of your life," Alfred protested. "He will come back. It's my life and I'll do what I please with it. I'm not asking you to stand by my decisions so you can stop trying to change my mind." Alfred sighed and nodded. Stubbornness had only grown with the boy. There wasn't time to thoroughly go through his plans on what to do with Batman missing but the butler could see now that this was one event Batman hadn't planned for. He watched Robin race out without a goodbye, only a burning feeling of frustration and fear towards Bruce. "Please let him come home safely." he muttered. "I can't lose both my boys."

That night

A strong scent of sea water filled the air as Batman and Robin stood at the end of the pier. Robin smiled up at Batman as they were about to enter a building that held Gotham's new designer drugs. "Remember, stay close to me and never break contact," Batman commanded. Robin nodded eagerly. It always warmed Batman up to see his protégé grinning at danger. "Got it Bats. Let's party," he said with a smile.

Sorry I'm too lazy to write a real plot to this sort of thing. Just imagine a really cool fight scene

The last man was down and Robin looked around, rather proud of himself. Robin now noticed that Batman wasn't around. "Batman?" he asked. A weird unhealthy mix of panic and worry washed over him, causing his stomach to flip. "Where did you go?" he muttered. He pressed the button on his comm unit only to receive static. He felt his breath hitch as he ran outside. Just even seeing Batman talking to a cop or running off to help someone would've been enough. But there was not a soul around. "Batman!" he shouted out into the night, his eyes darting for even a glimpse of Batman. His surroundings were quiet and calm compared to the chaos of feelings sweeping over him. He pulled out his tracker only to see that the blue dot that represented his mentor was gone. Even if Batman had died, which he didn't believe was in any way possible, it would still be there. The only way it wouldn't would be because he turned it off.

With panic driving him, Robin ran to the Batmobile and instantly called the Watchtower. The League would help. They had to. "Robin B01 to Watchtower, come in Watchtower," he said. If they knew where Batman was he could spare Alfred of the fright he had. "Black Canary 13 to Robin, what's the issue?" she asked in a chipper tone with a smile to match. That smile soon faded when she saw the eleven year old looking at her pleadingly. "I need a location on Batman now. Last seen Gotham's South Pier at boat house fourteen," he answered. Black Canary nodded and typed in his code to the Justice League tracker. By the looks of her face, the result wasn't good. "His tracker has been disabled. Have you tried his comm unit?" Black Canary suggested trying to keep him calm. "It's just static," he croaked. He felt like sobbing. How could he have lost Batman so fast? Why hadn't he noticed sooner? What should he do now? Would Alfred even keep him around if Bruce wasn't there? What would the police force do without Batman? What's Robin without Batman? 

Seeing the boy begin to shake, Black Canary attempted to calm his nerves. "Hey Dickie, it's going to be alright. We're going to find him. You just need to wait. I'll notify Alfred," she told him with a soothing smile. "Do you promise you'll find him?" he asked, his bottom lip trembling. 

"I promise he'll be home before you know it."

That was a month ago.

Since then, The League and Robin had to cover for the vigilante's absence. Martian Manhunter had posed as both Batman and Bruce to quell the nerves of the press. Robin's patrols were now every night and his schoolwork was beginning to suffer. His sleeping patterns were all kinds of wrong. Right now he had gone two days without a wink of sleep. It was becoming dangerous for him to work but no amount of pestering could prevent him from going out. Wonder Woman and Superman were determined to put an end to his behavior and force him to stop working this hard. Alfred had informed them that Dick hadn't slept for a while and would most likely get hurt more than he would like on patrol. If he wouldn't listen to him then maybe he'd listen to heroes like him.

Diana and Clark arrived at the cave as Dick just finished up a patrol. He was sitting on the desk having his arm bandaged up. "What happened?" Clark asked as they rushed over to him. 

"Wasn't paying attention. I thought I had a lead on Bruce," he answered solemnly. He sported a growing bruise around his right eye, a busted lip and a deep cut that was now being bandaged up. "Oh Dickie," Diana sighed, hugging him a little.

"If you've just come here to gawk at my injuries I suggest you leave. I'm not in the mood for a lecture," he told them sternly. He resembled Bruce which shook Diana up the most. There was no child like wonder in his voice. It was drained, tired, just depressed. She never thought she'd see the day that Dick wasn't the spontaneous lovable little boy she'd come to love. "We're not here for that, it's about Bruce and your behavior," Clark explained. Dick's ears perked up and his eyes brightened with hope. "Did you find him?" he asked eagerly. They shook their heads, successfully killing the hope. "Oh, then it can wait till tomorrow," Dick said.

Alfred sighed and finished up the bandages. "You can't be going out again after this." he said in a tired voice. "I can and I will. I'll find him." Diana and Clark exchanged apprehensive glances. 

"You aren't going out. You'll come back missing that arm," she joked. He gave her a quick glare and jumped down from the table. He pulled his sleeve back over the bandage and grabbed his utility belt. "I'm going out. Someone's gotta find Bruce." he stated gravely. Clark stopped him by grabbing his hand. "We are trying to find him Dick," Clark assured him. 

"And you've done such a great job so far haven't you? The time it took for you to come here and try to lecture me could've been spent on trying to find Bruce!" Dick shouted frustratedly. "Black Canary promised you'll find him and yet here we are one month on with no Bruce! Do you see him because I certainly don't!" 

"We've been trying Dick you know that. These things take time," Diana told him.

Dick ripped his hand from Clark's loose hold. "Tonight sucks. Last night sucked. This whole month sucked and now here you are saying I need to be patient! I don't want to be patient anymore! I want him back!" he yelled with tears flowing over his cheeks. "I need him back and you aren't doing anything! I have to be Batman and Robin then I have school and reporters on my back constantly! I need him here!" He was shaking, his hands were white knuckled from being so tightly held in a fist. Diana went to hug him but he backed away. "Dick we're trying," she tried to tell him. He was too angry to listen at this point. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing without him Diana! I need my mentor! You have to try harder!" Dick was in full on sobs and craved for Bruce to give him a tight hug. "It's going to be alright," Clark insisted. Dick glared daggers at him. "Stop saying it will be because it's not! I've lost too much to lose my Dad but by the looks of it he's already gone!" he screamed. Diana was tearing up seeing him like this. He was so helpless and scared for the future. They couldn't help. Hell they were just as scared as him!

Then they saw a figure run into the cave and instantly scoop up the sobbing Robin. It couldn't be. Yes it could! There was Batman, beaten and bruised, comforting his son as best he could. Dick's eyes were wide open in shock but he soon relaxed and grinned at the sight of his mentor. Sure Bruce had looked better but he was here. That's all he wanted. That's all he needed. "Never ever do that again!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around him. 

"I promise I won't. I never will..."

Dick sat staring at the Batman uniform he had been forced to wear ever since Bruce went missing. "We were never good at keeping promises were we?" he asked the glass case, lightly touching it. "Our family has grown since then and I just hope to God you come back so I can shout at you for leaving," he said with a sad chuckle. "Don't leave me here."

"Grayson, what are you doing?" Damian asked, seeing his brother look teary eyed at the uniform. "Nothing Dami, just remembering old things. Let's go get ice cream," he said walking past Damian. "It's two in the morning Grayson."

"It's never too early for ice cream."

"You're an actual child."

"And you love me for it," Dick countered, earning the tiniest of smiles from Damian.