136 [voice]

[batmanschmatman]

[So Dick was in a coma for that whole fiasco, and he woke up to something awesome!

And by awesome I mean fucking terrible.

So he will be focusing on that and not where the hell he's been for the last week or so.]

Tim's gone.

[And that's all he has to say on the subject.]

Comments

[Spam]

[psychic_hotline]

[Sara woke up from her own unexpected absence maybe five or six hours ago and she's been trying to catch up - rabies? Really, Barge? - but all that gets put swiftly to one side when Dick's message comes up. The two words on the audio feed don't betray a lot about how he's feeling but, well, he's just lost family. That's going to hurt.

She doesn't waste much time in going to his cabin and tapping on the door.]

Dick? It's me.

[Spam]

[batmanschmatman]

[How he's feeling is distinctly Pretty Awful, and he honestly doesn't really want to talk to or deal with anyone right now. Or ever. Ever sounds good.

So he's not getting up to answer the door, and is instead just calling over from where he is sitting feeling pretty pathetic.]

Yeah?

[Your boyfriend is very mature.]

[Spam]

[psychic_hotline]

[She sighs and rests her forehead against the door for a moment.]

Either say I can come in or tell me to get lost.

[Spam]

[batmanschmatman]

[He doesn't answer for probably long enough to start wondering if he's going to bother at all, but he does. Eventually.]

It's unlocked.

[Spam]

[psychic_hotline]

[It's as good as an invitation. Sara doesn't think for a second that he wouldn't tell her to make herself scarce if that's what he actually wanted. She makes her way in quietly, shuts the door and goes over to sit next to him. Not crowding, just close.]

Hey.

[She doesn't say anything else. Irons was the one who told her that silent company can be more useful than words - and he was an asshole in every other respect, but sometimes it's true.]

not here

[theonlyresponse]

[There's almost - almost - a brief click as he fiddles with the audio button, before his hand falls to his side and he puts the communicator away.

Can he even say something on this matter? (No, he can't.)

He lost this son a long time ago. There's no point making amends.]

[ Voice : Private ]

[surfaceshine]

If you don't answer this, I'm coming over there. Your choice.

[ Voice : Private ]

[batmanschmatman]

Door's unlocked.

[ Spam! ]

[surfaceshine]

[Normally Dean would bring some kind of distraction - beer (for him), chips and salsa, cards, the occasional random curious item found throughout the Barge, and once (memorably) a pinata. This is not the time for it, though, so the hunter just shows up empty-handed.

He knocks when he gets there but goes straight for the doorknob anyway, slipping through the door.] Dick? [No goofy greetings, no funny voices, just Dean; nor is he being timid either, though. He'd been worried about his friend anyway when he hadn't seen him, but now this - Dean knows that if Sam were gone, there would be nothing anyone could do to make it better.

It's this understanding that has brought him, anyway, because he DOES understand it.]

[ Spam! ]

[batmanschmatman]

[Dick is sitting on the floor with his back against the cough petting his cat, who is contentedly settled in his lap and purring. He barely responds as Dean enters, but does at least manage to let him know where he is by saying:]

I'm in here.

[ Spam! ]

[surfaceshine]

[Dean zeroes in on the sound of Dick's voice, but doesn't look there; knowing where the other man is gives the hunter free license to scout out the rest of the apartment, looking for anything out of place, any warning signs of what he's walking into without asking. Not that he expects it from Dick, but it's a leftover - gauging John's mood by how many bottles are scattered around, how many guns laid out for cleaning.

Only then does he invite himself into a chair nearby, eyebrows raising.]

How long?

Private;

[silvestris]

[Hesitantly, she decides to return the earlier favor.]

I'm sorry.

Private;

[batmanschmatman]

Thanks. [He does appreciate it, even if he sort of sounds a little not actually here.]

Private;

[silvestris]

...If you need a killer back scratch, you know my number.

[She gives him a lame little smile.]

[text]

[wemaketheworld]

[A loooooong wait while he tries to decide how to respond, and then:]

apologies

[text]

[batmanschmatman]

Thanks.

audio;

[ichoosefight]

[ Oh. Oh, for a moment she was so glad that Dick was awake, and now she's not sure how she feels. She misses Tim. She misses her Tim, the Tim that talked to her and didn't claim she was someone else entirely, the Tim she had finally started to make amends with.

But she knows what he's going home to, and it isn't pretty. It gets better, yes, but for a long time he's going to be very unhappy. Here he had a chance to change that. ]

Do you want company?

audio;

[batmanschmatman]

[He doesn't know. He doesn't, really, but at the same time, he's smart enough to recognize that as a terrible coping mechanism, so he hesitates instead of outright saying no.]

Not right now. We could do something later?

audio;

[ichoosefight]

Yeah. Yeah, we should.

[ Maybe she needs to cope, too. If anyone understands the extent of mixed feelings about people leaving, it would have to be Dick. He's been here nearly as long as she has. ]

I'm helping out in the kitchens, but maybe after lunch tomorrow?

audio;

[batmanschmatman]

Sure. Sounds good.

audio;

[ichoosefight]

I'll see you then.

[greenarrowed]

Seriously?

[batmanschmatman]

Why would I lie about something like this?

[greenarrowed]

Didn't seem like the little twerp to run off, that's all.

[batmanschmatman]

He didn't run off.