JADE (young justice/robin)

43. crisis

"What about it?"

"Full invasion by the team, old and new." He was smiling, clearly more excited than I was. "You being part of the old, of course."

"I'm not old."

"In this case," he grinned, "Yes. Yes, you are."

I looked through the briefing despite already knowing my answer. "You don't need me there."

"I want you there, though."

"I'm retired."

"So is Wally, but he's going." He was whining like a child. "Artemis will be there too."

"Hm. Is she going to reveal to all her friends that she didn't actually die?"

His smile fell. "I'm going to tell the team the truth before the mission. And I'm counting on them being just as upset as you were, which means I'd really like some support that doesn't hate me on the mission."

"Dick." I tried to spell it out slowly for him. "I'm. Retired."

"I know, but it's just for this summit."

Before that it was to just rescue the team. Then, just a training session. Just a League meeting. Now, it's just a summit. "I don't want to change my mind."

"I'm not telling you to." His gloved fingers were starting to play with each other. "I'm just having a hard time doing this by myself. Barbara was helping a lot, but after she found out about the Artemis thing, she still won't really talk to me."

I knew it wasn't what he was trying to imply, but the focus of my argument couldn't help but shift towards her. "I'm not a Red substitute."

"I'm not trying to substitute you for her," he defended. "I just meant it's easier when someone who understands is here to help clear my head, like you or Barbara, or even Wally."

"Clear your head or your conscience?"

"I don't know. Both?" I could see the guilt spread across his face. "Look, Kaldur is going to come back after the summit, which means I won't be leading the team anymore. Once that's settled, you can retire and I can come home before four in the morning."

Honestly, that was all I really wanted. If I had to punch my way through one more lousy mission to get that, I could deal. "Can you come home before four tonight?"

His arms grabbed my hips, pushing my back towards the zeta tube. "Yes," he kissed my forehead, "I," then, my nose, "Can," until we were standing at the zeta tube, listening to our designations being read out while our lips were locked.

By the time we were both in bed, neither of us could fall asleep. We lied down, facing one another; brilliant blue eyes staring into cold grey ones. My finger was outlining the features of his face slowly, almost as if drawing him could immortalize the way he looked right now. "Do you think we're good for each other?"

Sometimes I wondered if he had super hearing always being able to make out my quiet words. Sometimes I couldn't even hear myself. "Of course I do."

Each time the tip of my finger ran down a part of his face, I'd come to a new realization about the way it looked. How there was a bump in the bridge of his nose that I hadn't noticed before. How his beautiful jaw angled differently from the way I'd remembered it to. "Why?"