still the mun's favourite batman, tho.

[punliners]

Look, I get it, all right? You're working with the old man now, and he's one heck of a handful. Sure, I'm not a big fan of scoring second billing, but when you get right down to it... I don't really mind the vacation.

[pause.]

Wow, I actually just called Gotham a vacation. That's it, I'm officially losing it.

[HANDS IN THE AIR he is nhft.]

Comments

[punliners]

[Oops emotions. He sort of... debates with himself a second and then he sighs, slips his jacket off his shoulders and tucks it around hers.]

Wanna talk about it?

[It is bad judgement o'clock.]

[tenofspades]

[Melanie stiffens a little once he puts his jacket over her shoulders, but it doesn't take long for her to relax. Things are... odd between them, especially after she and Batman last talked about him.]

Not a lot to talk about. I was more of an accomplice to them than a daughter - I just hadn't realized it until a while ago.

[punliners]

[Just like he was an easy out more than a-- no, he isn't going to throw that in her face.

Though it's an effort.]

What turned it around?

[tenofspades]

They decided that pretending they were kidnapped and having me steal for them was a good way to test my loyalty. [Moving on.]

So how's your family?

[punliners]

Oh, they're fine. Matt's doing good in school. Mom's-- busy, but that's pretty normal for her.

[He shrugs.]

[tenofspades]

Sounds nice. [WELL this is... uncomfortable.]

[punliners]

Can't complain.

[He probably doesn't have as much sympathy as he should, and his conscience kicks in after a moment.]

So... that letter you sent.

[tenofspades]

I know. Batman already told me you got it. [And made it pretty clear that Terry was done with her, too.]

[punliners]

I never read it.

[He was so damned mad-- hard enough to separate out the feelings of Batman and Terry after her betrayal.]

[tenofspades]

Hm. [She's not surprised, really. With how messed up things were between them, Melanie isn't sure why she had even bothered.]

Can't say I blame you.

[punliners]

I was pretty mad, Mel.

[That much is honest, at least. Even if saying it makes him feel... petty, somehow. Like the sort of guy that'd get angry about an old flame and not betrayed by the same.

No. Keep your head in the game, McGinnis.]

But I think... I think I get why you did it.

[Not the note, obvs. But the rest.]

[tenofspades]

At least one of us does. [No, Melanie gets why she did everything. It was because she loved her family. Because she wanted them to see her as a daughter, and maybe if she worked hard enough, they finally would. But they wouldn't... they probably never would.

The signs were all there, and she's not sure why she never noticed them until recently.]

[punliners]

Don't be like that. You're smarter than this, Mel.

[He knows it. He's known it since the first time he met her. That's why-- that's why he wanted so much for things to be different between them.]