FAULT LINES ━━ titans [REWRITING]

SEVEN.

"It itches," she mumbled, eyes trained on their hands, he eventually removed it, guilt flooding his veins and he dropped his hands.

Silence descended like a cloud on their shoulders, then a laugh filled. Dick felt a nostalgic grin spread over his face and he shook his head as he let out another chuckle, pressing his knuckles to his lips.

Abby looked up at him, her voice still hoarse and unsteady from the tears, but half smiling at the sound of his laugh, "What?"

"This... this just reminds me..." he met her gaze, smiling, "When we met, for the first time. Do you remember?"

Of course she did. How could she not?

Abigail paused, closing her eyes to reminisce as the edges of her lips curved up, "Oh my God. That was so embarrassing. So fucking mortifying. Aunt Dinah was—."

"Fucking hilarious?"

She shot him a playful glare, the two of them letting a quiet ripple of laughter settle over them and for a second, she forgot everything that had happened. All the death and loss and pain. Amy was still alive. Dawn was still awake. Rachel was still home with her mother. Dick was still lying next to her every morning.

Abby felt herself fall into her thoughts and eventually, Dick's eyes began to flutter. His face relaxed as he slowly began to drift off, and Abigail soon found herself following suit, her mind drifting into the past. Back to when she used to fight crime alongside her family, back to when she was a hero. They were happier days, better days.

"Tremor!"

The small girl's head snapped towards the source of the voice. Her aunt stood on the edge of the rooftop, her blonde hair the colour of stars and moondust under the silvery light. She was like Artemis. Moon kissed and dusk soaked and full of the wild. Untameable. Unbeatable. Born from the night and the darkness and chaos.

Today was always hard for Abby. Every year for the past five had been. Barely a week after her birthday — the day her mother left. It had been okay to be distracted at first. But for the past year, she had been fighting crime alongside her aunt and they did not want a repeat of the disaster which was last year.

"Sorry, Canary!" Abby replied, hurrying across the gravel to bound onto the roof next to her aunt.

Dinah smiled down softly at the teenager, though her eyes spoke of grief and sadness. Sara was Dinah's sister after all. The blonde turned back to the city before them, pushing her baby sister from her mind as her icy eyes scoured the skyline. She was looking for something, for someone. There. Two figures, darting across the night, nothing more than silhouettes and shadows against the pale moon light.

"You see 'em, kiddo?" Dinah asked, exchanging a bright eyed look with her niece.

A toothy grin spread across Abigail's face as she spotted the other duo. Ollie and Roy.

Abby looked to the blonde mischievously, "We can totally beat them, B.C."

Dinah grinned, and jerked her head to the side, signalling for the brunette to follow; then she took off down the ledge, jumping down onto the fire escape and over onto the balcony of the opposing window. Abby tried her best to copy her, launching herself from the roof and down onto the rickety metal staircase below.