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[The oddly casual tone to his voice was actually more surprising than the reply itself. She paused on her end for a moment, staring at the receiver in partial disbelief, before remembering herself.]

Where are you? What happened? You ran off so quickly....

[ never underestimate a bat's ability to ignore that anything is wrong with them. ]

I, uh- [ how does he say this. he doesn't want to explain this, but zee deserves to know, right? ] I think I was possessed. [ a beat, before he realizes she was asking where he is. ] I'm on the roof.

Yeah, I noticed.

[And never underestimate a worried ~~honorary bat~~ girlfriend who watched her possessed boyfriend wander off after asking her to kill him manage to make her response sound as flat as possible.]

Stay there. I'm coming up.

[ it's like they're dating or something. ]

See you when you get here.

[ and when she does, she'll probably find him off to the side, his back against the ledge, his knees pulled up to his chest. it's still a little surreal, having his mind back to himself again. almost like it shouldn't feel this quiet. ]

[No, of course not. Why would anyone assume that?]

[She moved quickly, hands shaking too badly to trust a successful teleport right then. So she took the long way, practically running up the stairs as if trying to keep ahead of the thoughts swimming in her mind. By the time she made it to the roof, her breathing was slightly labored.]

[But not too labored to still catch in her throat when she saw him in that position. He looked so...reserved. Withdrawn.]

[She didn't even bother to say anything. Just allowed the soft sound of her foosteps to announce her presence before coming to sit in front of him. Meeting his gaze before lifting one hand to reach up and gently cup his cheek.]

[ it says something by the state of his brooding that he doesn't even notice the time. whether or not she teleported, ran, whatever, it's almost like he forgot she was coming up in the first place. at least until he heard her footsteps, and looked up right as she sat in the space in front on him.

they stare at each other for a moment, robin's eyes tired and dark and a little glazed over. he's been thinking, and maybe a little too much, not leaving much room for sleep or rest or anything of the sort.

when she reaches up to cup his cheek, his face ends up tilting into her hand, if only the slightest bit. almost in apology, for disappearing like he did. ]

[Never mind the disappearing. That part was already forgiven. She'd tried it too, after all. If any thing, it was her fault for failing where he had succeeded; she couldn't get him to stay.]

Don't give me that look.

I'm just glad you're okay...ish. And by that, I mostly mean alive. [These days, it was a growing cause for concern.]

[ good thing she forgives him, because he hasn't forgiven himself quite yet. when she tells him not to give her that look, his eyes drop, trying to chuckle a little but the sound comes out hollow. ]

Yeah, no. Managed to avoid anyone who was going to listen to me.

[Yeah, no, she didn't even want to think about that possibility.]

Where did you go?

[ he shrugs, just the slightest lift to his shoulders. ]

Anywhere. As long as there weren't people around.

So you were alone.

[Having to deal with that voice inside his head. She'd seen the look on his face. How tormented he was.]

[Her thumb lightly rubbed against his cheek. Much as she wanted to tell him how sorry she was that all this was happening...what good would it do? He didn't need pity. He needed the opposite of what he had been dealing with.]

How hypocritical would I sound if I told you that, once in a while, I wish you wouldn't try to be the hero all the time?

[ he shrugs, keeping his eyes down. ]

The last thing I needed was for it to escalate. If I started trying to attack someone-

[ he presses his lips together, not meaning to reference her own possession. even if that was exactly what he was thinking. robin closes his eyes for a moment before he looked back up at her, before he tries for a tired, half-hearted smile. ]

Very. Not to mention it wouldn't really work.

[He didn't have to say it. She knew what he was thinking of: her own experience in possession. Or mind control. Whatever it was, it ended with her nearly trying to kill him. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think back to that moment in absolute horror.]

[Her hand dropped into her lap. Her eyes lowered. He might have attempted a smile, but she couldn't even muster one right then.]

There's a lot of reasons to hate this place. But I think...this...you and me, Kon and Conner, even Red...this whole thing where they keep putting us against each other...[She pressed her lips together, inhaling sharply to keep her emotions at bay. No matter how much it hurt.] ...by far, it's the cruelest thing this place has done to us.

I don't want to fight, Robin. Anyone, let alone you. But I feel like, half the time, that's all we ever end up doing.

Pretty sure that's the point.

[ he notices how the mention affects her, and regrets bringing it up. but in that same vein, he knows that trying to ignore the connection would have been worse. it's hard on them both, them all, but ignoring it won't help anyone.

part of him thinks reach out and take her hand, but he's worried about his own hand. about how much it'll shake. instead he tightens his hold on his arms, wrapped around his knees. ]

Kite, Haven, Yao...it all just circles around itself. They take what they know will affect us most, and feed it right back to us. [ his eyes are back down to the ground, again, thinking back to all of them and what's going to happen. what else could happen. ]

But we have to survive it. With all of us here, we can.

[He didn't reach for her touch, and it hurt a little bit...considering how physical she could be...but, at the same time, she somewhat understood. He wasn't as physical as she was, despite what most of their interactions tended to suggest. She knew that.]

We've made it this far. Somehow.

['Because we're together.' was the unspoken sentiment.]

[And it was true. Each obstacle. Each turnaround, they'd gotten through because there were friends and loved ones there to help them. Robin, whose bed she was able to return to night after night. Kon, who was very quickly becoming one of her closest friends, and a kindred spirit. Conner, who was from a different time than them, and yet it didn't seem to matter. Among others.]

[Even when they were separated for a while, they regrouped in the end. Recharging in one another's presence every moment they could for what came next.]

[Slowly, so as not to startle him in his current state, she leaned forward. Placing her forehead against his shoulder. It was an awkward angle, with the way his knees were pulled up to his chest. But she needed the contact.]

Have I mentioned how glad I am you're here with me?

[ he wasn't. at the circus, maybe, with how everything and everyone got passed around. it was one giant family, usually. but his years living with bruce wayne had closed him up a bit. reeled in his need for touch and to be touched. not that he liked or disliked it, really, it just didn't come second nature.

and when dealing with his own, internal problems, he usually just curls up in on himself. he doesn't think about what it might mean for her, which might normally be something he thinks about. instead, he just sort of chuckles - short, hollow, but it's something. ]

Pure force of will.

[ but he looked up at her, with that. gave her a very small smile that spoke more than just about anything else he's said so far. it does mean because we're together, with all the gratitude he feels. towards her, kon, conner, beast boy wasn't as close but still a reminder. a link to what he's familiar with.

it keeps him together.

when she leans forward and sets her forehead on his shoulder, he lets go of his knees. just to make it less awkward, really, his arms falling into his lap. robin ends up leaning his own head forward, setting it back against her shoulder too-

he might not initiate contact as often, but he's not going to turn away from it. it hides his smile, though, so he ends up tilting his head to rest against the side of her's. something to show her he heard her, he's glad for it. ]

Maybe. [ well it is him. ] Though, honestly, I feel like you're the one grounding me half the time.

[She was practically on top of him by this point. If he didn't mind, she certainly didn't.]

That's ironic...considering, when I'm with you, it feel sometimes like walking on air.

[ definitely doesn't mind. though of course, he's still partially caught up in the idea of how awesome it would be if he could just curl up in on himself, so there's that.

but he huffs a little, closer to a laugh than anything. ]

Seeing as you actually can, I'll take your word for it.

Look who's talking.

[Mr. Acrobat. She might not still know his full name and life's story, but there were some things that were obvious to anyone.]

There's more than one way to fly, you know.

[ okay, that might get a tiny little smile out of him too. slow and steady, zee, but it's working. ]

Yeah, but my flying is equal parts falling.

[She could be patient when she wanted to be.]

Falling with style.

[ he sighs a little, but it's fairly joking. ]

Well, yes. But still falling.

So who said that had to be a bad thing?

[Screw the rules!]

...feeling a bit better?

Usually the impact at the end.

[ but it's said with that small smile and a slightly more joking tone. ]

A little. [ a beat, and then- ] Thanks for coming up.

Hey, anytime.

You would and have done the same thing for me. [She gives his fingers the lightest of squeezes] Together, remember?

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