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thejusticelounge2013-02-08 08:27 am
bossymarmalade) wrote in thejusticelounge2013-02-08 08:27 am
Entry tags:
naturally, it pours
Guy didn’t remember him.
That thought ran through Dick’s mind as he wandered the halls of the Watchtower.
Guy didn’t remember them.
All the thoughts they’d shared, all the times they’d laughed, all the plans they’d made were now nothing. They had no place in Guy’s mind anymore, apparently. Not, Dick hoped, out of choice; they just didn’t exist.
Guy didn’t remember.
There were so many things Dick had been planning for them, things he was going to tell Guy that he had never told anyone before. They’d been talking about going away somewhere, just the two of them. They’d started making Christmas plans. They’d—
Dick fell against a wall, sobbing loudly in the deserted hallway. He was far enough from the medbay to not be met by any doctors or visitors to Guy. He was far enough away from any busy area to not be seen. He was alone.
Utterly alone.
He’d managed to return to work the next day, hoping that things would regain a bit of their lost normalcy. Captain Rohrbach called him into her office within half an hour of his arrival.
“Dick,” she said with a sigh, “you’ve missed a lot of work…”
“I know, Captain. I’m sorry. There’s been a lot of… other work going on, if you know what—”
“I know. And I know you’re trying your best to keep everything balanced, but it’s taking a toll on your work here.”
Dick leaned forward in his chair, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. ”There’s… I’m in the middle of a… ‘personal tragedy’, I guess you could call it. I’m trying to be here, honest. I don’t want to leave. It’s just… things have been happening all on top of the other, y’know? It’s been full duties and—”
“I know, Dick. I know.” Amy rubbed her temple, nodding absently. ”You do so much already, and I know what it does to you. We’ve all seen how exhausted you’ve been, the way you push yourself when you can barely stand.”
She sighed again and looked him straight in the eyes. ”That’s why I’m doing this. I’m putting you on suspension, Dick, in the hopes that you’ll figure out a way to get all of this to balance out. I can’t have you out in the field and you need the time to… get it together. Come see me tonight when you clock out. I’m sorry, Dick.”
Dick didn’t reply; he couldn’t. Instead, he just nodded and stood slowly, looking back at her to make sure there wasn’t anything else she needed from him. She nodded that he was excused, a small glimmer of apology in her eyes. Dick ducked his head and went back to the desk where his partner was waiting for him.
“Everything OK?” Matt asked, stepping a little closer to Dick.
Dick nodded and grabbed his jacket. ”Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll tell you on patrol.”
When he went home tonight, Dick decided, he was going to shut off everything that could possibly wake him and sleep until everything got better or someone came to check if he was still alive.
After all, it wasn’t like he had to get up for work anymore.
With no day job to keep him occupied, Dick spent the next day cleaning his apartment. He started in the kitchen, putting away any stray spices or bowls that were left lying around. Since Guy had started teaching him to cook, his kitchen had become the most organized part of his entire apartment. It didn’t take him long to put away everything, but every spice and every spoon reminded him of what meal he’d used it in, or when Guy had shown him the proper way to stir batter, or the impromptu food-fight that had resulted in Dick being spread out on the kitchen table beneath Guy, nearly mindless with pleasure.
He scrubbed the table extra hard.
Dick moved to the living room next, tidying up papers and bits of junk mail lying around. He had to admit, it wasn’t nearly as bad as his “bachelor days”; having frequent visits from a partner was good for him. He picked up his uniform from where he’d dropped it the night before, folding it and setting it in the bottom of his closet, out of sight. He looked around his bedroom. Might as well keep going.
He gathered up scattered clothes, throwing them in a quickly-overfilling hamper. Under a tangled pair of pants and a ridiculously billowy shirt, Dick found a pair of smiley-face boxers he knew he didn’t own. He picked them up tentatively, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. He remembered when Guy had last worn these. Dick had made some stupid joke about Guy being so happy to see him even his underwear was excited. Guy had said something about something else being more excited, and, once removed, the boxers were completely forgotten.
A wave of hysteria rolled over him as he thought of all the skeevy romance novels and Lifetime movies where one partner smelled the missing partner’s underthings as a reminder, and he let out a high strained breath that could only barely be mistaken for a laugh. Shaking his head, Dick folded the boxers and set them gently in the hamper. He’d wash them with his things and give them back to Guy—
No. No, that would lead to too many questions. He couldn’t subject Guy to that, not now. He’d keep them with his things, save them until…
Guy would remember him eventually. They’d find a way to get his memories back.
At least something would be all right.
That thought ran through Dick’s mind as he wandered the halls of the Watchtower.
Guy didn’t remember them.
All the thoughts they’d shared, all the times they’d laughed, all the plans they’d made were now nothing. They had no place in Guy’s mind anymore, apparently. Not, Dick hoped, out of choice; they just didn’t exist.
Guy didn’t remember.
There were so many things Dick had been planning for them, things he was going to tell Guy that he had never told anyone before. They’d been talking about going away somewhere, just the two of them. They’d started making Christmas plans. They’d—
Dick fell against a wall, sobbing loudly in the deserted hallway. He was far enough from the medbay to not be met by any doctors or visitors to Guy. He was far enough away from any busy area to not be seen. He was alone.
Utterly alone.
He’d managed to return to work the next day, hoping that things would regain a bit of their lost normalcy. Captain Rohrbach called him into her office within half an hour of his arrival.
“Dick,” she said with a sigh, “you’ve missed a lot of work…”
“I know, Captain. I’m sorry. There’s been a lot of… other work going on, if you know what—”
“I know. And I know you’re trying your best to keep everything balanced, but it’s taking a toll on your work here.”
Dick leaned forward in his chair, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. ”There’s… I’m in the middle of a… ‘personal tragedy’, I guess you could call it. I’m trying to be here, honest. I don’t want to leave. It’s just… things have been happening all on top of the other, y’know? It’s been full duties and—”
“I know, Dick. I know.” Amy rubbed her temple, nodding absently. ”You do so much already, and I know what it does to you. We’ve all seen how exhausted you’ve been, the way you push yourself when you can barely stand.”
She sighed again and looked him straight in the eyes. ”That’s why I’m doing this. I’m putting you on suspension, Dick, in the hopes that you’ll figure out a way to get all of this to balance out. I can’t have you out in the field and you need the time to… get it together. Come see me tonight when you clock out. I’m sorry, Dick.”
Dick didn’t reply; he couldn’t. Instead, he just nodded and stood slowly, looking back at her to make sure there wasn’t anything else she needed from him. She nodded that he was excused, a small glimmer of apology in her eyes. Dick ducked his head and went back to the desk where his partner was waiting for him.
“Everything OK?” Matt asked, stepping a little closer to Dick.
Dick nodded and grabbed his jacket. ”Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll tell you on patrol.”
When he went home tonight, Dick decided, he was going to shut off everything that could possibly wake him and sleep until everything got better or someone came to check if he was still alive.
After all, it wasn’t like he had to get up for work anymore.
With no day job to keep him occupied, Dick spent the next day cleaning his apartment. He started in the kitchen, putting away any stray spices or bowls that were left lying around. Since Guy had started teaching him to cook, his kitchen had become the most organized part of his entire apartment. It didn’t take him long to put away everything, but every spice and every spoon reminded him of what meal he’d used it in, or when Guy had shown him the proper way to stir batter, or the impromptu food-fight that had resulted in Dick being spread out on the kitchen table beneath Guy, nearly mindless with pleasure.
He scrubbed the table extra hard.
Dick moved to the living room next, tidying up papers and bits of junk mail lying around. He had to admit, it wasn’t nearly as bad as his “bachelor days”; having frequent visits from a partner was good for him. He picked up his uniform from where he’d dropped it the night before, folding it and setting it in the bottom of his closet, out of sight. He looked around his bedroom. Might as well keep going.
He gathered up scattered clothes, throwing them in a quickly-overfilling hamper. Under a tangled pair of pants and a ridiculously billowy shirt, Dick found a pair of smiley-face boxers he knew he didn’t own. He picked them up tentatively, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. He remembered when Guy had last worn these. Dick had made some stupid joke about Guy being so happy to see him even his underwear was excited. Guy had said something about something else being more excited, and, once removed, the boxers were completely forgotten.
A wave of hysteria rolled over him as he thought of all the skeevy romance novels and Lifetime movies where one partner smelled the missing partner’s underthings as a reminder, and he let out a high strained breath that could only barely be mistaken for a laugh. Shaking his head, Dick folded the boxers and set them gently in the hamper. He’d wash them with his things and give them back to Guy—
No. No, that would lead to too many questions. He couldn’t subject Guy to that, not now. He’d keep them with his things, save them until…
Guy would remember him eventually. They’d find a way to get his memories back.
At least something would be all right.