To Have Loved and Lost
Title: To Have Loved and Lost
Author/Artist: kerrykhat
Claim: Barbara Gordon
Theme: Green with Envy
Theme Set: #6 Colors
Rating: PG
Summary: Dick Grayson reflects upon his relationship with Barbara Gordon after seeing her with Tony Stark.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros owns DC Comics, Disney owns Marvel, I own my JLU DVDs.
Dick Grayson stared across the crowded room resisting the urge to curl his fingers into a fist as Barbara Gordon looked up at the man standing next to her, laughing at something that he'd said. The man in question, one Tony Stark, smiled down at her and played with a few strands of Babs' hair that had somehow managed to get loose from the complicated looking bun at the back of her head. There was an air of easy intimacy around them, one that he hadn't expected when he had first seen them together.
"See something you don't like?" a familiar voice muttered from behind him. Dick clenched his jaw but otherwise didn't say anything as Helena Bertinelli walked up to him, a flute of champagne in her hand. She was dressed to kill in a sleek purple dress that was dangerously slit up the side, with a simple diamond necklace to accessorize the gown.
"Helena," Dick greeted her somewhat more curtly than intended. She raised an eyebrow but otherwise remained silent. "I didn't know that you would be here."
"Maybe you should read the guest list some time," Helena suggested in a matter-of-fact tone. "I mean, it is Bruce's party after all."
"Funny."
"I try." They lapsed into an awkward silence as Dick continued to steal glances at Barbara and Stark. They appeared to be in their own little world, only interacting with others when they were approached, which surprisingly wasn't that often given Stark's well-known alter-ego.
"They've been together for about three months, give or take a few days," Helena answered Dick's unspoken question, taking a quick sip of her drink. "They started working together about nine months ago, and then about six months ago they were unexpectedly introduced face-to-face." The knot that had been slowly growing in Dick's stomach tightened as his brain did the math. He had been in space with the Outsiders helping Kory deal with the threat to Tamaran, and they had stayed longer than expected. It had also been towards the end of his relationship with Kory, a nasty breakup even by his standards.
"I see," he answered, feeling his throat tighten. He could: in the way that Babs smiled at Stark the way she used to smile at him while they were dating; in the way that Stark looked like he thought he was the luckiest guy in the room; in the way that they never went very far from the other person. It was there for anybody to see.
"Did you really expect her to wait for you to come back to her?" Helena asked him quietly. Dick tore his eyes away from the couple to look back at Helena. A part of him wanted to say "yes," but he knew that was unfair to expect that of anybody, especially Barbara.
"He makes her smile, Dick," Helena added, her eyes boring into his. "Not only that, he makes her laugh like she hasn't in a long time. Sure, he can be an annoying jackass at times, but she knows that and he's trying to work on that. Just a little bit, but still."
"Let me guess, she hacks into his armor when he gets really bad?" Dick asked with a forced laugh.
"How did you know?" Helena answered with a small smirk. "Dick, I'm not sure how long this relationship is going to last--Dinah and Zinda have a pool going with some of the other ladies if you want the current odds--but it's gotten her out of her shell."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Dick questioned her.
"So you'll understand when I tell you that if you do anything that would screw this up, my threat to turn your ass into a pincushion has a bit more context," Helena replied, her eyes hardening. "But that's just if you're dumb, and you aren't dumb, are you, Dick?"
He was about to answer when a familiar voice called out his name.
"Dick!" Barbara greeted him, wheeling herself over to where he was standing with Helena. "I didn't see you come in."
"Sorry, I got distracted talking with Helena here," Dick answered as Stark walked over to join them. "Just doing some catching up."
"Speaking of catching up, there's somebody I want you to meet." She looked up at Stark and her smile brightened. "Tony, I want you to meet my old friend, Dick Grayson. Dick, this is my boyfriend, Tony Stark." The way she said the word "boyfriend" made Dick's heart ache. It was like she was still struck at the thought that she could be the girlfriend of the man standing next to her.
"Nice to meet you, Dick," Stark said, extending his hand. Dick took it and gave it a firm shake, resisting the urge to squeeze. "Barbara's told me a lot about you."
"None of it good, I imagine?"
"No, absolutely none of it," Stark answered with a straight face. Babs gave him a small punch on the arm closest to her.
"Liar," she told him fondly. Dick tried to make his smile look natural and bury the jealously deep down inside him.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I just got here and I haven't even said hello to Bruce," he excused himself. "I'll see you around, though." Resisting the urge to lean in to give Barbara a kiss on the cheek, he nodded to the others and walked away, threading his way through the crowd to the relatively empty balcony.
Standing at the railing, he exhaled the breath he felt like he'd been holding in all night. He and Barbara always seemed to miss each other, never being in the right moment at the same time. Taking a deep breath, he slowly released it as he turned back towards the glittering room and to the woman who he had both loved and lost.
Author/Artist: kerrykhat
Claim: Barbara Gordon
Theme: Green with Envy
Theme Set: #6 Colors
Rating: PG
Summary: Dick Grayson reflects upon his relationship with Barbara Gordon after seeing her with Tony Stark.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros owns DC Comics, Disney owns Marvel, I own my JLU DVDs.
Dick Grayson stared across the crowded room resisting the urge to curl his fingers into a fist as Barbara Gordon looked up at the man standing next to her, laughing at something that he'd said. The man in question, one Tony Stark, smiled down at her and played with a few strands of Babs' hair that had somehow managed to get loose from the complicated looking bun at the back of her head. There was an air of easy intimacy around them, one that he hadn't expected when he had first seen them together.
"See something you don't like?" a familiar voice muttered from behind him. Dick clenched his jaw but otherwise didn't say anything as Helena Bertinelli walked up to him, a flute of champagne in her hand. She was dressed to kill in a sleek purple dress that was dangerously slit up the side, with a simple diamond necklace to accessorize the gown.
"Helena," Dick greeted her somewhat more curtly than intended. She raised an eyebrow but otherwise remained silent. "I didn't know that you would be here."
"Maybe you should read the guest list some time," Helena suggested in a matter-of-fact tone. "I mean, it is Bruce's party after all."
"Funny."
"I try." They lapsed into an awkward silence as Dick continued to steal glances at Barbara and Stark. They appeared to be in their own little world, only interacting with others when they were approached, which surprisingly wasn't that often given Stark's well-known alter-ego.
"They've been together for about three months, give or take a few days," Helena answered Dick's unspoken question, taking a quick sip of her drink. "They started working together about nine months ago, and then about six months ago they were unexpectedly introduced face-to-face." The knot that had been slowly growing in Dick's stomach tightened as his brain did the math. He had been in space with the Outsiders helping Kory deal with the threat to Tamaran, and they had stayed longer than expected. It had also been towards the end of his relationship with Kory, a nasty breakup even by his standards.
"I see," he answered, feeling his throat tighten. He could: in the way that Babs smiled at Stark the way she used to smile at him while they were dating; in the way that Stark looked like he thought he was the luckiest guy in the room; in the way that they never went very far from the other person. It was there for anybody to see.
"Did you really expect her to wait for you to come back to her?" Helena asked him quietly. Dick tore his eyes away from the couple to look back at Helena. A part of him wanted to say "yes," but he knew that was unfair to expect that of anybody, especially Barbara.
"He makes her smile, Dick," Helena added, her eyes boring into his. "Not only that, he makes her laugh like she hasn't in a long time. Sure, he can be an annoying jackass at times, but she knows that and he's trying to work on that. Just a little bit, but still."
"Let me guess, she hacks into his armor when he gets really bad?" Dick asked with a forced laugh.
"How did you know?" Helena answered with a small smirk. "Dick, I'm not sure how long this relationship is going to last--Dinah and Zinda have a pool going with some of the other ladies if you want the current odds--but it's gotten her out of her shell."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Dick questioned her.
"So you'll understand when I tell you that if you do anything that would screw this up, my threat to turn your ass into a pincushion has a bit more context," Helena replied, her eyes hardening. "But that's just if you're dumb, and you aren't dumb, are you, Dick?"
He was about to answer when a familiar voice called out his name.
"Dick!" Barbara greeted him, wheeling herself over to where he was standing with Helena. "I didn't see you come in."
"Sorry, I got distracted talking with Helena here," Dick answered as Stark walked over to join them. "Just doing some catching up."
"Speaking of catching up, there's somebody I want you to meet." She looked up at Stark and her smile brightened. "Tony, I want you to meet my old friend, Dick Grayson. Dick, this is my boyfriend, Tony Stark." The way she said the word "boyfriend" made Dick's heart ache. It was like she was still struck at the thought that she could be the girlfriend of the man standing next to her.
"Nice to meet you, Dick," Stark said, extending his hand. Dick took it and gave it a firm shake, resisting the urge to squeeze. "Barbara's told me a lot about you."
"None of it good, I imagine?"
"No, absolutely none of it," Stark answered with a straight face. Babs gave him a small punch on the arm closest to her.
"Liar," she told him fondly. Dick tried to make his smile look natural and bury the jealously deep down inside him.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I just got here and I haven't even said hello to Bruce," he excused himself. "I'll see you around, though." Resisting the urge to lean in to give Barbara a kiss on the cheek, he nodded to the others and walked away, threading his way through the crowd to the relatively empty balcony.
Standing at the railing, he exhaled the breath he felt like he'd been holding in all night. He and Barbara always seemed to miss each other, never being in the right moment at the same time. Taking a deep breath, he slowly released it as he turned back towards the glittering room and to the woman who he had both loved and lost.