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thejusticelounge2013-02-08 10:24 am
bossymarmalade) wrote in thejusticelounge2013-02-08 10:24 am
Entry tags:
he's just not that into you
“Cream’s in the fridge. Better sniff it to make sure it ain’t cheese yet,” Guy warns Cass and Dick as he slides the mugs of coffee onto the breakfast bar one at a time.
Dick fetches the cream and the sugar on his trip back to the breakfast bar with the ease of someone who knows how this kitchen is set up. He checks it and pours it into his mug. “Thanks, Guy. Um, sorry for crashing on your couch.”
Guy drinks his black. “No skin off my nose, Nightshift. For future reference, the two rooms at the end of the hall are the guest rooms.”
“Yeah, I know,” Dick nods, “I guess I just forgot since I don’t usually stay—” He looks back down at his coffee and takes a long drink, ignoring the heat scalding his tongue. “Thanks.”
His host watches Dick a few minutes, and makes idle small talk with him, a little relieved that Kyle and Cass are occupying each other with conversation in the living room, but now and then Kyle is glancing over at them, as if monitoring from a distance, and giving Guy significant looks including pointedly looking at Dick. His meaning was clear. “Dick…” Guy finally says, in a quiet meaningful tone, “I think we better have a talk, huh?”
Dick is already considering a second cup of coffee. “Yeah, I… think we should.” He cracks a thin, slightly-strained smile, and pours his coffee, taking it back to the bar where they’re talking. “Whenever’s good for you, really. I’m free anytime.”
“Now okay?” Guy raises an eyebrow, glad for Dick’s nod. “Hey Kyle, me an’ Dick are gonna check somethin’ on the roof. C’mon, Dick.” Kyle didn’t need to say anything, but Guy could sense by the sudden shift in tension in the room that the other two were feeling relieved Dick and Guy were talking. Everyone was feeling the stress of this, and now thanks to Ollie taking it upon himself to reveal all, Guy knows why others had been dancing around the subject of Dick Grayson.
Dick follows Guy upstairs, and is gestured to take one of the two hammocks to sit on.
“I needed some air…” Guy confesses, then adds, “Cass seems nice. I wish I knew her, could remember her…” He really sucked at being indirect. He even felt clumsy at beating around the bush. “Anyway….” he sticks his thumb in the belt loop of his jeans and sits on the other hammock.
“Yeah, she… she’s a good kid,” Dick replies, worrying his bottom lip. He looks up at Guy for a moment, then looks away, not sure if he wants to start whatever’s about to start.
Guy considers how to go about this, then comes right out with it, “Ollie told me some shit yesterday. At the time, I figured he was bein’ an ass. When I told Kyle about it, he…well, he didn’t disagree he was bein’ an ass, but, he didn’t contradict anythin’, either. An’ Kyle…he hasn’t lied to me, not ‘bout anythin’. But if Ollie were bullshittin’ me, Kyle woulda told me, which means Ollie was tellin’ the truth…”
Dick nods and clears his throat quietly, “…What did Ollie tell you?”
He casts his gaze down at his hand, and rubs it against where his other hand used to meet his arm. Was it still called a wrist if there was no hand to go with it? Thanks to his ring’s accelerated healing power and the surgeons in the medbay, the cauterized wound had been treated, the bones fused together and skin from his arm stretched down over the end and sewn together to form a smooth, less disturbing-looking stump. After only two weeks it appeared …natural, like he’d been born that way. “He said you an’ me were in a relationship. A….” He had trouble even saying it, “A… gay one.”
He follows Guy’s gaze to his arm and nods. “We were. He’s not lying. We were…in every sense of the word.” He glances up to Guy’s face, “We were very happy.”
“I keep thinkin’…if Tora woke up from a coma, an’ didn’t remember us…it’d fuckin’ kill me…”
Guy finally lifts his eyes to meet Dick’s. “I’m sorry.”
Dick opens his mouth to reply, but feels himself start to tear up instead. He gives Guy a watery smile. “It’s not your fault, Guy. I just wish I could do something to help….”
“No…I mean…” He draws in a breath, “I’m sorry, Dick. I’m straight. It ain’t a question of remembering you. I’m not… into you. An’ normally, I just wouldn’t give a shit anyway, but…Tora deserved better, an’ you probably do as well, an’…an’ I’m sure you’re a great guy, but…”
Dick drops his head and stares at his knees. He can’t keep it together looking at Guy. After a few shuddering breaths, he nods, finally trusting himself to speak again. “I… understand.” He works his mouth, trying to speak, but nothing sounds right to say. He rests his head on his hands, nodding. “I understand….”
The Green Lantern nods, and stands up. He brings himself to full height and squares his shoulders, ready to take from a man what women have done countless times when he’s wronged them. “If ya wanna belt me…go ahead. Ya might feel better.”
Dick shakes his head quickly. “No, I… I should go home. I’m not good company right now, I…. Do you mind if I stay up here for a few minutes?”
“I don’t mind, man, but…” he feels at a loss as to what to say. “I didn’t want this. I… look, you….we… If you wanted, we could hang out. Y’know, like…like me an’ Kyle do. I just…”
“I—” Dick swallows hard, trying to find his voice. “Yeah. I’d like that. Just… give me some time….?” He looked up at Guy, keeping his gaze just unfocused enough to keep from crying openly here.
“Yeah…sure, man. Ya really sure ya need to go home right away? Maybe…one of the others should go with you, y’know?” He steps forward, and slowly, cautiously, lays a hand on Dick’s shoulder as remains seated on the hammock. “I’m sorry…”
Dick looks away, but moves his shoulder up in Guy’s hand, trying to feel as much of his touch as he can. “I’ll… I don’t know if…” He takes a deep breath and reaches up to brush Guy’s knuckles before quickly moving his hand away. “I’ll be down in a bit to collect things. I’ll be all right.”
Guy nods, and silently levitates into the sky rather than head back downstairs. He needs to think. He needs to pound asteroids.
[Ring Txt] If Dick’s gone from the roof in five minutes, someone should check up on him.
[Ring Txt] I think I just fuckin’ broke his heart.
He watches Guy fly away until he can no longer see him. It feels like his world was just ripped apart and there’s nothing he can do about it. He enters in the coordinates for Bludhaven on the Zeta pad, not trusting himself to be around anyone now. He hates to be alone, but needs to be. He doesn’t think he can bear being around people now. He looks up in the sky as the Zeta beam sends him across the country.
Dick is falling again, but this time there’s no one to catch him.
Dick fetches the cream and the sugar on his trip back to the breakfast bar with the ease of someone who knows how this kitchen is set up. He checks it and pours it into his mug. “Thanks, Guy. Um, sorry for crashing on your couch.”
Guy drinks his black. “No skin off my nose, Nightshift. For future reference, the two rooms at the end of the hall are the guest rooms.”
“Yeah, I know,” Dick nods, “I guess I just forgot since I don’t usually stay—” He looks back down at his coffee and takes a long drink, ignoring the heat scalding his tongue. “Thanks.”
His host watches Dick a few minutes, and makes idle small talk with him, a little relieved that Kyle and Cass are occupying each other with conversation in the living room, but now and then Kyle is glancing over at them, as if monitoring from a distance, and giving Guy significant looks including pointedly looking at Dick. His meaning was clear. “Dick…” Guy finally says, in a quiet meaningful tone, “I think we better have a talk, huh?”
Dick is already considering a second cup of coffee. “Yeah, I… think we should.” He cracks a thin, slightly-strained smile, and pours his coffee, taking it back to the bar where they’re talking. “Whenever’s good for you, really. I’m free anytime.”
“Now okay?” Guy raises an eyebrow, glad for Dick’s nod. “Hey Kyle, me an’ Dick are gonna check somethin’ on the roof. C’mon, Dick.” Kyle didn’t need to say anything, but Guy could sense by the sudden shift in tension in the room that the other two were feeling relieved Dick and Guy were talking. Everyone was feeling the stress of this, and now thanks to Ollie taking it upon himself to reveal all, Guy knows why others had been dancing around the subject of Dick Grayson.
Dick follows Guy upstairs, and is gestured to take one of the two hammocks to sit on.
“I needed some air…” Guy confesses, then adds, “Cass seems nice. I wish I knew her, could remember her…” He really sucked at being indirect. He even felt clumsy at beating around the bush. “Anyway….” he sticks his thumb in the belt loop of his jeans and sits on the other hammock.
“Yeah, she… she’s a good kid,” Dick replies, worrying his bottom lip. He looks up at Guy for a moment, then looks away, not sure if he wants to start whatever’s about to start.
Guy considers how to go about this, then comes right out with it, “Ollie told me some shit yesterday. At the time, I figured he was bein’ an ass. When I told Kyle about it, he…well, he didn’t disagree he was bein’ an ass, but, he didn’t contradict anythin’, either. An’ Kyle…he hasn’t lied to me, not ‘bout anythin’. But if Ollie were bullshittin’ me, Kyle woulda told me, which means Ollie was tellin’ the truth…”
Dick nods and clears his throat quietly, “…What did Ollie tell you?”
He casts his gaze down at his hand, and rubs it against where his other hand used to meet his arm. Was it still called a wrist if there was no hand to go with it? Thanks to his ring’s accelerated healing power and the surgeons in the medbay, the cauterized wound had been treated, the bones fused together and skin from his arm stretched down over the end and sewn together to form a smooth, less disturbing-looking stump. After only two weeks it appeared …natural, like he’d been born that way. “He said you an’ me were in a relationship. A….” He had trouble even saying it, “A… gay one.”
He follows Guy’s gaze to his arm and nods. “We were. He’s not lying. We were…in every sense of the word.” He glances up to Guy’s face, “We were very happy.”
“I keep thinkin’…if Tora woke up from a coma, an’ didn’t remember us…it’d fuckin’ kill me…”
Guy finally lifts his eyes to meet Dick’s. “I’m sorry.”
Dick opens his mouth to reply, but feels himself start to tear up instead. He gives Guy a watery smile. “It’s not your fault, Guy. I just wish I could do something to help….”
“No…I mean…” He draws in a breath, “I’m sorry, Dick. I’m straight. It ain’t a question of remembering you. I’m not… into you. An’ normally, I just wouldn’t give a shit anyway, but…Tora deserved better, an’ you probably do as well, an’…an’ I’m sure you’re a great guy, but…”
Dick drops his head and stares at his knees. He can’t keep it together looking at Guy. After a few shuddering breaths, he nods, finally trusting himself to speak again. “I… understand.” He works his mouth, trying to speak, but nothing sounds right to say. He rests his head on his hands, nodding. “I understand….”
The Green Lantern nods, and stands up. He brings himself to full height and squares his shoulders, ready to take from a man what women have done countless times when he’s wronged them. “If ya wanna belt me…go ahead. Ya might feel better.”
Dick shakes his head quickly. “No, I… I should go home. I’m not good company right now, I…. Do you mind if I stay up here for a few minutes?”
“I don’t mind, man, but…” he feels at a loss as to what to say. “I didn’t want this. I… look, you….we… If you wanted, we could hang out. Y’know, like…like me an’ Kyle do. I just…”
“I—” Dick swallows hard, trying to find his voice. “Yeah. I’d like that. Just… give me some time….?” He looked up at Guy, keeping his gaze just unfocused enough to keep from crying openly here.
“Yeah…sure, man. Ya really sure ya need to go home right away? Maybe…one of the others should go with you, y’know?” He steps forward, and slowly, cautiously, lays a hand on Dick’s shoulder as remains seated on the hammock. “I’m sorry…”
Dick looks away, but moves his shoulder up in Guy’s hand, trying to feel as much of his touch as he can. “I’ll… I don’t know if…” He takes a deep breath and reaches up to brush Guy’s knuckles before quickly moving his hand away. “I’ll be down in a bit to collect things. I’ll be all right.”
Guy nods, and silently levitates into the sky rather than head back downstairs. He needs to think. He needs to pound asteroids.
[Ring Txt] If Dick’s gone from the roof in five minutes, someone should check up on him.
[Ring Txt] I think I just fuckin’ broke his heart.
He watches Guy fly away until he can no longer see him. It feels like his world was just ripped apart and there’s nothing he can do about it. He enters in the coordinates for Bludhaven on the Zeta pad, not trusting himself to be around anyone now. He hates to be alone, but needs to be. He doesn’t think he can bear being around people now. He looks up in the sky as the Zeta beam sends him across the country.
Dick is falling again, but this time there’s no one to catch him.