The Games | Muse is pissed

[the_hit_list]

Listen, Mun - this is a bad idea. There's no way it's going to work out in your favor or mine. I take up a lot of your time, and you've got two other kids bouncing around in here that won't shut up about how terrible they've got it. I'm the one you put in the Arena.

Yeah, okay. Fine. I miss Kon. That doesn't mean that I want him here. He's died once already, and I can't deal with that again. It's bad enough that Steph's here with me, and Bruce - now you're going to offer apping a character somewhere in trade for Conner Kent, just to put me through having to see my best friend die again?

I fucking hate you. I can't take much more of this. Don't lie to me; it's not so I can have someone to talk to. I don't want to talk about my feelings. I'm not allowed to have them.

Comments

[flyingg]

[Considering the setting... yep. That place is likely to give even bats PTSD.]

What? What's gotten up his-- I mean, what's gotten into him?

I know. I know you will. Just don't forget to take care of yourself, as much as that's possible. We're human and all that. Okay?

[There would be a lot more hugs, then. A lot. Needed on both sides.]

[the_hit_list]

[Tim pulls out of the hug and shrugs at first, looking down and then away. He tries to speak normally, but suppressing the guilt, anger, and fear makes it sound tight, somehow, and small.]

I haven't been able... I couldn't watch the recap they did of my death, but the man who killed me... I hit him more than once.

With a sai.

[Even keeping his head turned, Tim has to shut his eyes to continue.] I think I killed him, too. I - I didn't really mean to, but. I can tell, just from how Bruce sounded.

[flyingg]

[Dick listens to all of that. Then considers it for a moment.]

[Then just. Reaches to grip Tim's shoulder, solidly, and doesn't let go.]

[He can talk about how that place is kill-or-get-killed, and nothing in their lives has taught them to just lie down and give up. He can talk about self-defense. He can talk about a million other things, but none of them matter.]

[It's Tim. It's his little brother. It's the kid who stood up alone against Ra's al Ghul and didn't fall to the siren's call. It's the boy that Dick does trust, even when he doesn't believe, absolutely. And Tim's been through something horrible.]

[So Dick is just... there. As simple as that.]

[the_hit_list]

[Tim is quiet for a few minutes, but he doesn't shake the hand off his shoulder. He doesn't even try to, just stands there for a minute running through the various interpretations. The one that stands out is that Dick doesn't think less of him for any of this. He decides to go with that, because it makes the emotional load feel lesser.]

Thanks, Dick.

[flyingg]

[Tim might, when he's feeling more himself, remember how Dick was after the Joker. After Blockbuster. He does understand, way too well.]

Anytime, little brother.