Bruised Ego (Batman Beyond, PG, Matt, Terry)
Title: Bruised Ego
Author: Mimic
Characters: Matt, Terry, Max mentioned.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't play for keeps. DC owns them.
Notes: Maybe-sequel to this drabble. Hopefully all my Matt!Robin bunnies are slain now.
Feedback: I'll take anything and everything you want to give.
Word Count: Just under 400.
The first time wasn’t as hard as Terry expected it to be. He remembered the gut wrenching pain he felt whenever Max got caught up in the crusade. It was the reason she stayed behind the computers, and the reason she left for Metropolis three months ago. He expected it to be the same way with Matt.
Instead he found himself with a weird mix of reminiscence and laughter as he pulled the bandages from Matt’s clumsy hands, and began to wrap the bruises on his fists himself. Matt grimaced down at him, but the look was ruined by the blush on his cheeks, the glum look in his eyes.
The silence stretched between them. Bruce’s silences had always meant something, but his own were much more awkward, he wasn’t actually good at the grim and silent deal. He half wished Bruce was there now to tell him what to do, but he was Batman now, and he had his own Robin to worry about. He couldn’t be the student anymore, he didn’t even have the right to be.
It had been Matt’s first night of patrol, and he had made just as many mistakes as could be expected, but he had given much more than he got. He knew Matt wouldn’t see it that way, he would be replaying every wrong move, and thinking of every way he could have stopped it from happening.
He finished with the bandages on his fists, and moved behind him to start taping his ribs. Nothing was broken, Matt would just be very sore for the next couple of days. It wouldn’t change his desire to go out the next night.
“You did good,” he said, and since he was behind Matt he could smile and not feel like a fraud.
Matt’s shoulders slumped. “I messed up.”
“Sure you did,” he felt the wince under his fingers, and couldn’t help but chuckle, “everyone slags it their first time.”
“But what about -“
Terry cut him off. “Everyone does. You’ll get better.”
The tension in Matt’s body tightened before releasing. Terry felt the relief he was radiating, and smiled to himself even though it hurt. Brue wouldn’t have said anything like that, but, and Terry moved away from Matt here so he wouldn’t grip too hard, he wasn’t Bruce. Matt was his Robin, and he was Matt’s Batman.
Author: Mimic
Characters: Matt, Terry, Max mentioned.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't play for keeps. DC owns them.
Notes: Maybe-sequel to this drabble. Hopefully all my Matt!Robin bunnies are slain now.
Feedback: I'll take anything and everything you want to give.
Word Count: Just under 400.
The first time wasn’t as hard as Terry expected it to be. He remembered the gut wrenching pain he felt whenever Max got caught up in the crusade. It was the reason she stayed behind the computers, and the reason she left for Metropolis three months ago. He expected it to be the same way with Matt.
Instead he found himself with a weird mix of reminiscence and laughter as he pulled the bandages from Matt’s clumsy hands, and began to wrap the bruises on his fists himself. Matt grimaced down at him, but the look was ruined by the blush on his cheeks, the glum look in his eyes.
The silence stretched between them. Bruce’s silences had always meant something, but his own were much more awkward, he wasn’t actually good at the grim and silent deal. He half wished Bruce was there now to tell him what to do, but he was Batman now, and he had his own Robin to worry about. He couldn’t be the student anymore, he didn’t even have the right to be.
It had been Matt’s first night of patrol, and he had made just as many mistakes as could be expected, but he had given much more than he got. He knew Matt wouldn’t see it that way, he would be replaying every wrong move, and thinking of every way he could have stopped it from happening.
He finished with the bandages on his fists, and moved behind him to start taping his ribs. Nothing was broken, Matt would just be very sore for the next couple of days. It wouldn’t change his desire to go out the next night.
“You did good,” he said, and since he was behind Matt he could smile and not feel like a fraud.
Matt’s shoulders slumped. “I messed up.”
“Sure you did,” he felt the wince under his fingers, and couldn’t help but chuckle, “everyone slags it their first time.”
“But what about -“
Terry cut him off. “Everyone does. You’ll get better.”
The tension in Matt’s body tightened before releasing. Terry felt the relief he was radiating, and smiled to himself even though it hurt. Brue wouldn’t have said anything like that, but, and Terry moved away from Matt here so he wouldn’t grip too hard, he wasn’t Bruce. Matt was his Robin, and he was Matt’s Batman.