More shortfic, Titans angst style
Eventually, the next bit of "Leaning On" will get posted. It's 2/3rds written, but the last third is being troublesome, other fics in the 'verse are poking me, and then
merfilly put out her challenge and I spent the day writing drabbles. Oh, well. It'll come, I promise!
This is the fic I was talking about in the below post. I always kind of want to read stuff about Cassie, but there isn't much because the peak of her character was in YJ, and DC seems determined to ignore everything that happened in that title, and in SB and Impulse. Anyway--I tend to hold to the "if you want to read it, write it" school, so this is my vaguely random offering. These shorter stories are very weird for me, and I'm also not sure about my Cassie-voice, so concrit would be welcomed in and offered hot drinks.
Title: Stabilizer needed. Specifics unknown.
Fandom: DC comics
Pairing/Characters: Cassie
Rating: PG
Summary: Because I’m failing my best friend.
Disclaimer: DC puts them through the angst, I just try to mediate it.
Author's Notes: Angst warning. Title and summary from Teen Titans #37.
Word Count: 528
Why didn’t you tell me that only reason why you walked away
Is you were afraid I might leave you
Catie Curtis - Now
What’s down there is terrifying. No good ever comes from trying to thwart life and death-hasn’t this Crisis taught us that? Hasn’t Red Hood taught him that?
I shiver and press my forehead against the cool stone wall that hides the entrance to Robin’s Frankenstein lair. I guess their trip around the world did wonders for Batman, and even Nightwing’s feeling chipper-more like he was when Donna knew him, when he was a Titan-but Robin is still broken inside. Gods, I don’t know if there’s anything that has a chance of helping him anymore.
That kiss. I shiver again, because no kiss should ever feel that way. I’ve been kissed and done my fair share of kissing, and this is the first time it felt like stepping on a grave. Kon isn’t the only one who’s dead; Tim is, too. His girlfriend, his father-both killed on top of the crazy life he led as Robin-and then in the middle of everything falling to pieces around us, he lost the last person holding him together.
As I watch, a teardrop falls off my cheek onto the stone floor, and I let out a helpless laugh, turn, and slide down the wall to sit on the floor, knees pulled up to my chest.
Tim isn’t the only one who might as well be dead.
I have a list, in my head. It starts with Cissie, though maybe it shouldn’t, because she hung around for a really long time after she quit. She has a life. I don’t know where everyone on the list is, but most of them are dead, or so out of contact that they might as well be. Anita. Traya. Slobo. Snapper. Secret-Greta’s a good friend, but she’s not really the scary ghost-girl who introduced me to Young Justice. I haven’t seen Bart since he vanished into the Speed Force, and I know he’s alive and mostly well, but I miss Kid Flash. Hera, I miss Impulse. Kon, and just his name makes me close my eyes.
Tim.
Maybe even me. I hardly remember who I was back in Young Justice.
I’ve been burning for a year without getting any closer to finding whatever I was looking for.
Mostly the anger is fueled by the lasso, now. Magic gives back what you put in, and I stored a lot of rage there.
I give it up. I let it go. We’re all dead, Slobo and Kon and Tim and Cassie.
Empty, all I see is the inside of my eyelids.
Quiet.
Then there’s a grating sound, soft behind the layers of rock. Tim, futilely going through the motions in his lab.
No.
No!
I stand and wipe the tears from my eyes as I turn. Back into the lab. Back into the grave for the living. I can’t, I won’t, he’s still my friend, he always will be! This is not the end. We are still here, my flesh and bone proclaim it. My heart, my soul-my will, my strength, I won’t abandon him.
Float above the waste scattered on the floor, fluids from a horror movie set. Swallow the wince when Tim flinches.
Hold on when he tries to pull away.