noitatnacni | 000 | Appointments

[So was that House of M stuff crazy or what? It was the best of times, and Dick was fortunate enough to have remained blissfully unaware of how harsh things became near the end of it.

He'd said a lot of things over that period, some of them bordering on hurtful once Zatanna started trying to break the spell. And then it was over, and everything wonderful was gone again.

There was no approaching Dick for the first several days. The traps around his apartment had changed significantly, and if Zatanna tried to visit him during the route he'd taught her, she'd find entry barred.

He doesn't emerge until the evening of the 10th, and only then to check on certain people and beeline to the battledome. If he's visible at all, it's only in a series of flashes or the audible whoosh of his cape. In Zatanna's case, he enters her apartment at an hour he expects her to be asleep, slipping into her bedroom and watching over her. It's his way of being close without being forced to enter awkward discussion.]

[She’d tried to see him before that night; of course she had. But there had been no getting in short of using magic, and Zatanna knows better than to try, not because she can’t, but because Robin’s just lost his parents again, and she played a part in it. Even if it had been to help him, she’d also helped make him an orphan again. Not the sort of thing she can just forget about.

Which is why she’s not asleep when Robin comes in. Sure, her room is dark, and Zatanna’s lying in bed. But she’s just staring up at the ceiling, wondering what her dad would say if he were there and himself. Maybe wondering what she’s going to say if Robin ever talks to her again too. She really hasn’t gotten anything figured out on that front though, which is why she’s left fumbling for words when he breaks into her room.]

Robin?

[So what was that about awkward discussion again?]

[He's not sure what it means that she's still awake. Zatanna is someone who values the sunshine and daylight. He's startled when she speaks, cheeks flushing red. Hopefully she won't be too upset with him for invading her quiet space.]

Yeah.

Hey.

Hey.

[He's safe for the moment, at least. Zatanna's not thinking about the hour, or the fact that he meant to sneak into her room while she was sleeping. Instead she gets out of bed, turning on a lamp before she turns to face him.]

How are you?

[How is he? Back in full costume, as if capes and masks are enough of a shield to function properly.]

I'm fine. Same as always, I guess.

You should go back to sleep. Sorry I woke you.

You didn't.

[Yeah, sure. He's dressing normal again, great. But fine?]

Look, you don't have to hide it. I know you're not okay.

Edited 2013-10-14 23:34 (UTC)

I will be. It's not like it's anything new. I'm sorry you had to see it, that's all.

[He rubs one of his elbows awkwardly. So they were just jumping right into uncomfortable conversations?]

[Yep. Was he expecting something else?]

Robin. [Zatanna sighs softly, wondering just what it's going to take to get him to actually admit the truth.] I lost my parents too. I know there's a lot more to it than that.

[And also that she can't fix it, but she doesn't think keeping it all in is going to help. Even if there was one person he could trust, then maybe it'd be easier.]

They left when I was just a kid. We already took care of the people responsible. What happened last week was just a fantasy. [And that was it. It didn't have to be something deeper than that.]

From what I hear, you and Jason did a good job getting to the bottom of it.

Are you telling me that, or yourself? [Even if it didn’t have to be, that didn’t mean it wasn’t. Zatanna had seen Robin—Dick during that fantasy. She can’t remember a time when he’s been happier.]

Kind of. It was really Teddy who put an end to it. We just kind of helped find Billy and got involved in the fight.

[Which still feels like more than enough to make her responsible.]

[He ignores the first part. It leads to places he doesn't want to go. He's much more comfortable with making inspirational speeches.]

He wouldn't have been able to do it if it wasn't for you. You kept going even when it was hopeless. You both proved yourselves as heroes then.

[Of course he doesn't say anything about the part that really matters. It kind of hinders the effectiveness of that inspirational speech a bit.]

Thanks. [Zatanna huffs out a soft breath, then takes a step closer to Robin. He says she's a hero; he probably really believes it. But it still doesn't feel right to her. Not when she thinks about that fantasy, and how absolutely happy he'd been.]

I'm really sorry, Robin.

Don't be sorry. You did what had to be done. You made a tough call, and it was the right one.

Yeah, I know.

[She really does, at least on some level. But it wasn't easy. Hasn't been. She glances down, already sure of what he's going to say--even if it doesn't stop her.]

I can still be sorry for what you lost though. Even if it wasn't real.

It was real. [Not the most recent set of parents, but the original ones? Very real.]

But I'm not that person anymore. There's no need to be.

There's no need for you to be happy?

[Because that's the big difference. Not giving up crime-fighting and the mask, not even having a family. Robin had been absolutely happy with his life, and Zatanna has to wonder when the last time he'd felt anything close to that had been.]

There's no reason to prioritize it.

Right. Because it's not like you're a person who deserves it or anything.

[Geez Robin. Times like this? She gets why Artemis likes hitting things.]

Not until I get us home, I don't.

...Wow. You know, one day I'm going to figure out how to make you realize how ridiculous you sound when you say things like that. Especially to me.

[Since they're kind of together and all.]

You've got your own version of me. You'll survive.

I'm not talking about after we end up back home. [Nope, definitely not opening that can of worms.] I mean here and now. And I also mean you, not my Robin back home. You two aren't just interchangeable parts.

Edited 2013-10-26 00:52 (UTC)

Of course we aren't. he's the one you want. I'm just standing in until you can sort it out.

...You can't be serious.

Edited 2013-10-26 01:45 (UTC)

[He stares at her impassively, not quite ready to backpedal yet.]

000 | Appointments

October 10th

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