ic contact

[asterbatics]

 

"Your call has been forwarded to an automatic message system.
ROBIN is currently unavailable.
Please leave your message after the beep—"

BEEP!

Comments

[action]

[asterbatics]

[ rob's eyes go wide at first, feeling like he's punched in the gut the moment the question comes out. which, really, is an overreaction and he shouldn't be that upset about it. it happened, and it's a very good question.

he stands there in silence for a few moments following, just looking at him.

because it's not fair that it still hurts. it's not fair that he still, at times, feels like he's that kid standing at the bottom of the circus ring. it's not fair.

the other boy would know.

so rob takes a breath, blinks, tries to pull himself back into a semblance of someone who was not grappling with the memory. ]

That night. [ does he need to go into details? ] At Haley's circus. He was in the audience when- [ that's when he cuts himself off, watching to see if he has the same reaction. if it actually happened to him too. ]

[action]

[pixieboots]

[ Asking was a mistake. Dick flinches as if he'd been struck, hating himself for the pain on that face, for the way seeing it reflected in someone else can start the invisible feed of the memory in his head before he's even ready for it. The fall that lasted a lifetime. Their blood soaking through his leotard. His eyes sting behind his mask, and he drops his eyes again. ]

Yeah... [ His throat is tight. ] That's, um. [ The answer. The reason. With clumsy fingers he reaches up and tugs the mask off. The last piece he can offer. ]

[action]

[asterbatics]

[ it's almost worse, seeing it play out on the other's face, rather than feeling it himself. worse, because it is someone else feeling it. he doesn't want to focus on what it was like in the moment, but he also doesn't want to see the other boy struggle with it himself.

it's almost like he can't watch it, like he's seeing something private, but then he's reaching for his mask and rob's eyes go wide again.

oh. oh. it's...weird. whelming, in more ways than he thought possible. like looking into a mirror without realizing there's a mirror there - awkward, tense. his eyes stay wide for a moment, breath caught in his chest, but it's-

it's true.

another moment or two pass before rob feels his chest start to work again, his brain screaming don't be freaked out this happens here but his body unable to move. another moment, then another two, before he swallows. nods. okay

he hasn't taken his mask off since he got here. almost a year, and he's always managed to keep it on - even around his friends, even around wally - who knew his identity - and all the other's who knew through haven's weird info dumping. it had been his one real link back home, but in watching him pull off his mask, rob feels his stomach turn.

he reaches up, peeling the mask off from his eyes. dick had been the first one to offer it up, and now rob is matching him. ]

[action]

[pixieboots]

[ He sucks in a rough breath, quick and heavy before he means to. He'd been expecting, he'd be ready.

And yet...

He takes a step closer at last, closing in on the chasm of open space in between them. His eyes flick back to the roof for a moment; an instinctive desire to spare the other boy's dignity. Then his eyes are on him again. His fingers reach out for a moment and then stop before they touch the unfamiliar fabric of the sleeve. He blushes again and steps back. ]

...So this is weird.