New arrivals? [ Somehow the moments where he can't get a read on her at all are always the ones that set his nerves on edge. More than seeing her afraid ever could.
He wouldn't be here for good news. ]
...The one time I couldn't be there. [ The one time he'd been stuck, cooling his heels behind a closed door while Steph dealt with whatever was out there by herself. ]
So who is it? Two-Face? [ If he says it out loud maybe it's a fear that won't be true. ]
This was her first time here, but she knows you back home. Um - both identities. [Just so he's warned.] I didn't tell her you were here, thought I'd leave it up to you how you wanna deal with it, but I think she'd like to see a familiar face, even if you haven't met her yet. [a beat, and:] She seems really nice.
She knows the other guy? [ It's genuine curiosity this time more than it's worry or resentment. Somehow it just seems a little petty now, wallowing in how angry he is at someone he's never growing up to be.
He works up a smile and tries... tries hard to take what she's saying at face value. ]
Hey, who hasn't been there? I can talk to her. Last time I think she only recognized the R.
[It's said casually, but the Robin part is important, letting Dick know that even if this is someone he hasn't met, she's still not expecting the things of him that Steph or Babs do.]
I'm sure she'll appreciate that. Maybe that Starfire was from a different universe or just from earlier, but I dunno.
She told me she was a Titan. [ Which is a whole new level of weird by itself, when the Titans he knows are only weeks old. They're just getting started, he only has four members to look after, and sometimes even that many had felt like too much responsibility. ]
[She's quiet for a moment, but it's clearly contemplative, looking over him as she thinks of what to say. His future is a complicated thing for him, she knows that, and she just - wants to help, wants to make it so it isn't something scary or something he has to change.]
You did a good thing, with the Titans. There's a lot of kids who wouldn't have had a home without them.
[She decides not to mention that these days, all the Titans are really good at is dying.]
Yeah? [ Whatever might be there in her expression he latches on to the compliment instead. Anxiety about why he's really here or not he can't quite hold back the grin. They're his team and he's proud of them. ]
You - [gently, she reaches out to bop him on the nose. It's a playful gesture, Steph just trying to diffuse the tension a little more.] - got it right. Even if the timelines are different, they're still your Titans.
Yeah. Yeah I guess they are. [ If Steph says it it must be true. He can feel his cheeks warming up, but it's a pleased blush and not a shy one. ]
...I know they say time stops while we're dimension hopping but sometimes I keep worrying anyway. I run the team because I'm the guy that knows how to handle them.
Once we beat the UE I guess. [ And his tone shifts a little; it's been a while since he's really thought about going home in a way that doesn't just feel abstract. It's been forever since he hadn't known even trying could turn their universe into another Elmer's World.
But maybe one day. Just maybe.
He pushes up from his crouch and hefts his grapple again, as if that was the plan the whole time. ]
Let's hit the trains. Then you can tell me why we're really here.
Hey! [ He sets the grapple and takes the leap he's been waiting for. It's weird not having his costume, knowing that there's no one down there who'd even notice the difference either way.
But it's fun. He's missed it so much it should hurt a lot more than it does. He throws in an extra flip just because even though it won't help him catch up to Steph.
How bad could it be, really? He's been cooped up too long not to let this be fun. If it's not Two-Face he can live with it.
He'll just keep repeating that in his head over and over, as long as he has to. ]
[She's a little more subdued in her flying, but she's relieved that he can relax and enjoy himself, even if it's just for a little while.
She'll ruin it once she finally tells him about Bruce, but for now they can enjoy themselves and have a little respite from the stress of the last few months.]
[ It's a little surreal - it's not like he can't see that her body language is off even from here, but he's still laughing while he finally rights himself in the air and uses a fire escape for extra momentum on the next leap. ]
Just wait'll we pass the tracks. You'll wish you packed that extra grapple. [ Nevermind that in this place she'll never need to pack one at all.
Wouldn't be the first time. [ It's halfway mumbled into the wind, and even there it gets a smile.
He doesn't think he's really come close to underestimating Steph in a long time, and that's why he can't quite quell that nervous tension in his chest. ]
[ He laughs, a light sound that carries even through the odd acoustics of the room. ]
Hey, I get the same thing. Nobody thinks a kid like me could hold his own in any kind of fight.
[ In fact he's pretty sure Steph still qualifies as one of the people.
But she's family now - and she's turned her whole life upside down just to keep him safe. Which counts for a lot no matter how unnecessary he knows it is. ]
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He wouldn't be here for good news. ]
...The one time I couldn't be there. [ The one time he'd been stuck, cooling his heels behind a closed door while Steph dealt with whatever was out there by herself. ]
So who is it? Two-Face? [ If he says it out loud maybe it's a fear that won't be true. ]
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[She keeps her tone light, wry, as if she doesn't have terrible news to deliver.]
Have you met Starfire, back home?
[She really hopes he has, because that might be a little bit of good news to soften the blow of what's coming.]
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Oh, you mean- she has red hair, right? And she can fly? [ It's a strange and distant memory, but she's a pretty girl and those tend to stick. ]
I don't know her from home. We only met the one time, and it was here. She's back again?
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[It's kind of amazing.]
This was her first time here, but she knows you back home. Um - both identities. [Just so he's warned.] I didn't tell her you were here, thought I'd leave it up to you how you wanna deal with it, but I think she'd like to see a familiar face, even if you haven't met her yet. [a beat, and:] She seems really nice.
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He works up a smile and tries... tries hard to take what she's saying at face value. ]
Hey, who hasn't been there? I can talk to her. Last time I think she only recognized the R.
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[It's said casually, but the Robin part is important, letting Dick know that even if this is someone he hasn't met, she's still not expecting the things of him that Steph or Babs do.]
I'm sure she'll appreciate that. Maybe that Starfire was from a different universe or just from earlier, but I dunno.
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But she's not even the only one.
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[It's weird to think about the Titans back then, before being a member meant signing your own death warrant.
The statement gives her pause, though.]
Only one of what?
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[ And that's history again which he's... he's learned by now how much harder the knowing can be than the not knowing, sometimes.
And he's pretty sure this time that it's not what she'd really brought him here to talk about. ]
It's just weird, that's all. Where I come from we're kinda still brand new.
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You did a good thing, with the Titans. There's a lot of kids who wouldn't have had a home without them.
[She decides not to mention that these days, all the Titans are really good at is dying.]
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I guess he had to get one thing right.
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...I know they say time stops while we're dimension hopping but sometimes I keep worrying anyway. I run the team because I'm the guy that knows how to handle them.
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[And he won't remember any of this, but she doesn't say that part.]
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But maybe one day. Just maybe.
He pushes up from his crouch and hefts his grapple again, as if that was the plan the whole time. ]
Let's hit the trains. Then you can tell me why we're really here.
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[It's a confirmation and a reassurance, said like she believes it.
Because she does; no matter what it takes, they're going to stop the United Earth, and then they're going to make the Initiative send them home.
But she bites her tongue on anything else she might have said, and just smiles, bright and sharp.]
Race you.
[Without another word, she's gone, shooting off her grapple fun and heading off towards the train line.]
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But it's fun. He's missed it so much it should hurt a lot more than it does. He throws in an extra flip just because even though it won't help him catch up to Steph.
How bad could it be, really? He's been cooped up too long not to let this be fun. If it's not Two-Face he can live with it.
He'll just keep repeating that in his head over and over, as long as he has to. ]
Who said you could have a head start?
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[She's a little more subdued in her flying, but she's relieved that he can relax and enjoy himself, even if it's just for a little while.
She'll ruin it once she finally tells him about Bruce, but for now they can enjoy themselves and have a little respite from the stress of the last few months.]
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Just wait'll we pass the tracks. You'll wish you packed that extra grapple. [ Nevermind that in this place she'll never need to pack one at all.
Pretending is part of the game. ]
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If you think I'll need an extra grapple, you're underestimating me.
[And that's clearly dangerous.]
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He doesn't think he's really come close to underestimating Steph in a long time, and that's why he can't quite quell that nervous tension in his chest. ]
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Don't worry, everyone makes the same mistake.
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Hey, I get the same thing. Nobody thinks a kid like me could hold his own in any kind of fight.
[ In fact he's pretty sure Steph still qualifies as one of the people.
But she's family now - and she's turned her whole life upside down just to keep him safe. Which counts for a lot no matter how unnecessary he knows it is. ]
Until I show them where they're wrong.
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[She manages to keep her tone light, depsite how bitter she feels about the truth of those words.
Robin's just a distraction, just a card to play, a kid in bright colours to distract fire while Batman sneaks around in the shadows.]