The teens stayed with Rose, just as they were told. Locked in inside a room, one had passed out, the other two were tense with each other and the last felt like she would lose her mind trapped for another minute. No matter how much she fiddled with her fingers or tried to read a magazine, her brain did not stop fretting about the team that went out.
Dianna tried pacing around the room to unload her head, but the space was too small and made her dizzy. Rachel would snap at her to sit down, which turned to be a great relief to her anxiety as long as they kept arguing. But even the younger teen got worn and shrugged her off.
She sat back down and gawked at the black TV screen, playing a movie in her head ( at least the parts she reassembled ). Even that got tiring. Her whining returned after ten minutes of tranquillity. "Fuck, they're taking hours!" Something in her went off, activating a new level of agitation. Desperation. "Something went wrong. We should try to contact them. Maybe they're on the news. I'll put on the news─"
Before she could jump to her feet and leave the strict perimeter, Garfield seized her wrist, anchoring her. "Nope. We stay in here, like Dick told us, remember? Try to stay calm." He taught her a breathing exercise, gesturing with his hands how easy it was. Dianna looked away, sighing. "It's been half an hour. It usually takes this long. They're fine."
"What if they need our help?" She kept insisting, turning back to him with pleading eyes. Gar did not hesitate, not even when she clutched his arm, frantic to stop feeling useless. "We should go."
"That's also a no." Garfield sighed, reaching for his tablet and tapping here and there. Dianna peered over his shoulder, seeing the cameras of their security system. With one long swipe up, the footage moved to the larger screen for everyone to see. "There, look at the cameras and you'll see when they come back."
She watched the footage for a while. But there was little to see. The backdoor seemed unmoving, not a single sign of life; the main door had a few cars driving by and groups of people chatting and laughing. None of those were their team. No Dick, no Temi, nothing.
Half an hour turned into forty minutes of them gone. Dianna's worry resurfaced with a huff. "Can't you hack the cameras in their position? Just to check on them." Gar's arm was under her grip, trying to squirm away from her. She blinked gloomily at the boy. "I promise."
"It'll just make you more anxious," he snapped, turning his gaze away from the screen. Dianna rolled her eyes, playing with her chipping sneakers. She felt him peeking towards her, examining her rare behavior. Defeated by her true feelings, Garfield blows some air out. "I don't really know where they are."
Dianna nearly sprang to her feet in shock. There was no way Dick had left without informing them of the location. Before she had a chance to convince them to begin a search, Rachel perked up from her spot, face exposing a giant smile.
"Here." The blue-haired teen gasped. Both Gar and Dianna darted their attention to her. "They're back. They got back Jason." She frowned, studying the footage ahead. "Someone's injured."
At that, their gazes went back to the screen, hoping to catch a glimpse at the team's condition. Who could've gotten hurt? The only thing they caught was Kory's fuchsia hair entering the building behind the others. Dianna grabbed the tablet from over the hospital bed, pushing it into Garfield's chest. "Put the lift ones. Hurry!"
The device slips from his hands in the hurry, incoherent words leaving his mouth as he tried to fix the cameras. The girl shakes her head, amused by his excited clumsiness. With just two taps, he granted her wish: a perfect view of the elevator displays on the TV.
The team stood stiffly in the small area. Dick, Kory, Temi, and Jason looked ravaged, like they just went through hell, while the rest seemed pissed. Her attention veered to the stranger's feeble body between Hank and Zach. Creamy skin, dark hair, and a Superman shirt. Blood drenched their neck.
"Looks like the calvary returned home." Came a raspy call from behind them. It surprised them. In unison, Gar and Dianna looped to catch Rose pushing the grey sheets away from her miraculously healed physique. "I better get back to my room."
"You were awake this whole time?"
Rose wheeled her good eye. "Wish I wasn't." She jumped off the bed and put on some slippers before staring directly at Dianna from head to toes, then back up. "Someone's a little whiny."
Dianna did not give in. No matter how much she needed to. She suppressed the need to counter brusquely by holding her breath for a few seconds and glancing away. She quit when her eyes begun to water. "Just go back to your room. Whoever that is needs this bed. So get out."
Rose chuckled at her seriousness. She received a threatening glare from Dianna, to which she threw her hands up, acting innocent. Her feet circled the pair easily, heading towards the closed door with a smirk. Slowly, and mockingly, she reached for the handle and pulled it open, her gaze burning into Dianna's. And after so much drama, she walked out.
A curse ran through her brain but Dianna did not let it out, satisfying herself with a long sigh, instead. She had spun on her heel to complain about the girl when the elevator dinged quietly. Her lips sealed with a gasp. They were here.
Rachel was the first one to get out, followed by Garfield and Dianna, whose hands were trembling in anticipation. They raced towards the entrance, wishing to see them instantly ( at least Gar and Dianna, while Rachel began falling behind, not as excited ).
As they took the final turn, their heroes' faces came into view, the tension more detailed than in the cameras. Dianna shrugged their expressions off, opening her arms for the returning boy and forcing him into a needed hug. Blood covered her face as it settled by his shoulder, but she didn't care─ not after all the stress she'd gone through.
She drew away, frowning at him, reminded of his recklessness that nearly got him annihilated. The heels of her hands shoved him away, only for her arms to wrap him close once again. She held him tightly. "Can't believe you survived, asshole."
Jason carefully detached her arms from him, avoiding eye contact. He attempted a chuckle; it caught in his throat and he swallowed it back down. "Nearly didn't. Conner saved me. He caught me before I crashed."
Dianna had a good guess of who Conner was. The only unfamiliar face in the cameras. The man with the Superman t-shirt was carried towards the med bay in a rush by Hank and Zach, tailed by a worried Kory. That Conner. Jason's hero. Dianna's hero.
"Wait, what happened?" Garfield's voice reminded her of Jason's last words: before I crashed. It had slipped her mind as she internally thanked their unknown hero.
Jason looked down, avoiding their questioning gazes. He kept his grin up. "I fell from a skyscraper. No big deal. I knew I would make it back." Their mouths fell open at the short explanation. Why did he act so cool after all that? They would understand if he showed some sentiments regarding the accident but he refused to. He played it off with a composed character, though his eyes flickered with tears. "Anyway, I'm taking a shower."
They watched him stroll away in silence, waiting for any unconscious sign of his state. He kept his chest puffed and chin up, marching with pride ( like no one who saw death before their eyes did ). He turned towards his room and disappeared.
Dianna snapped her head in their leader's direction. "Dick." He quickly looked back, his dark circles more evident than ever. "He fell from a skyscraper?"
Dick ran a hand down his face, the story clearly affected him and those around him. Their gazes fell, preparing their brains to relive the event. Dianna and Gar glanced at each other in confusion, that was until they found out Jason's near end. "He slipped when I tried to pull him inside. The view was terrifying─"
"Deathstroke's an ass," Temi barked from the left, face deformed with hurt. Her hand hastily clutched her ribs, hissing out near swears. "I don't know how we all made it out."
Dianna did not have time to worry about her protector. Donna had stepped up and tried to argue, part of the tautness cracking as she spoke her mind. "That wouldn't have happened if you stuck with the plan."
But the fight did not occur as the brunette wanted. Temi shook her head and limped away, her grip tightening over her harmed torso. Donna was about to call her back when Dick interposed. "It's not her fault," he started. "I went in alone. I thought I could take him on my own but then he showed Jason and I. . . Let's be glad we're fine."
"I don't know if Jason's fine," Dianna chimed with the vision of Jason's tearful eyes. She knew every turmoil he did not speak. Seeing the end right before you─ she shivered at the thought, pushing back all those images she retained. Every millisecond of the accident forever pierced her brain. "Nearly dying doesn't just go away with a blink. It's traumatic. You should talk to him."
Dick considered her up and down with his caring gaze. The look she detested for making her feel flimsy each time. Why couldn't he see her as an equal anymore? She was still the same stubborn and tough girl he had befriended.
Overlooking the help Jason required, Dick brushed her request off, making her feel guiltier for not being able to speak up about the topic. If only she could break through that hard and painful shell, she wouldn't have to rely on Dick or Temi to talk with him. "He needs some time alone. I'll try to talk with him later."
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Gar awkwardly spoke, side-eyeing Dianna in question. He must have felt the weird vibe around her. Unlike Dick, who seemed blind by her uneasiness, sending them to sleep or watch a movie since 'there was nothing else to do for now.'
She could not believe he had gotten so tight over the years. He used to be the first to spot when someone was feeling down or acted strangely, even when they weren't his friends. Worrying so much about their progressions, he became insensible to their emotions; pushing them hard because he could do all this stuff as a teenager.
The worst part was, his intensive training was working on them. Dianna couldn't sleep right now. She felt the need to keep going, just like the adults were. "I'll see if Kory needs help with this guy, Conner."
Dianna made a beeline towards their infirmary, entering softly to not disturb. Kory smiled up at her and invited her closer with a nod. She passed her a cloth and resumed setting things up, focusing on the man's vitals as the younger woman patted his chest from blood residue.
The bullet wound seemed to have closed up, leaving circular scars on the impacted areas, plus darkened vessels that looked worrying. She wiped even more, taking a closer look at the spreading contamination.
"They were special bullets. Must be the only thing that could put him down," Kory explained, her voice still low as they worked around him. "Hey, look at this."
Kory tried to get the IV through his skin, but the needle curved like it was made of paper. Dianna curiously drove her fingers against his arm, feeling the flexible membrane. "That's weird." She tried not to get caught up in the enigma, brushing any other doubt away. "Okay. I might have a solution. I know there's an alternative to hydrate him. It was in the list of meds I made after reading one of my books. Just gotta find them among these cabinets."
"You're reading medicine stuff?"
Dianna blushed at the question, embarrassed to admit the reason she read diverse informative books. She dropped to her knees before the cabinets, tricking her brain onto speaking up. "A little bit of everything, really. I'm trying to prepare for any situation. Not feel useless, y'know?"
"That's great. You might save his life."
Ignoring the compliment, she continued seeking the medication for their rescue. His strange marks lingered in her brain; the sealed wounds, but putrid insides. "We should call Temi. Maybe she can help him cure."
Dianna glanced over her shoulder at the sudden silence. Kory's gaze had fallen and a frustrated sigh left her lips. "She already tried on our way back. Nothing changed. It drowned her powers. She couldn't even heal herself later."
She comprehended they were still shaken up from the mission. She'd seen it in their eyes. The visions were fresh. But her interest was too much to ignore. The question was blurted out as soon as Kory finished talking. "What happened out there?"
As expected, Kory let out another sigh and begun fidgeting. Dianna turned back to her quest, allowing her some space. A comfortable sensation washed over the room. "We tried to take on Deathstroke. Turns out old Titans were right to fear him," the admittance flowed out of the black woman's mouth, soon followed by a grumbled curse. "Don't tell Dick I said that. He doesn't want you guys to worry."
"So he leaves us in the dark, where we only worry more." She pointed out with irony, tossing an expired bottle towards the trash. "Great caretaking skills."
Heels clicked in her direction, soon coming into view Kory's golden platforms. The woman spun and rested against the closed cabinets, those where Dianna had already searched in. "Well, he's doing his best."
"No, he isn't. That's the thing." Dianna stopped again, holding tightly onto two bottles and scanning them with frustration. Metoprolol and Sublocade. Not what she needed, yet her hands did not let go, their grip tightening around the containers. "He's done better in the past. He's just lazy. And old. And an ass."
Her gaze finally moved up from those familiar names. View unfocused, she tried to hang onto the positive things Dick had done since she came back. But rather than rummaging through the depths of her mind, she opted to concentrate on the three letters of the container in the far back.
Dianna let out a yelp, reaching towards the medicine as though it were gold. "Here it is! ORS."
It must've been a pathetic sight ( Kory's scoff confirmed so ). Dianna was on her knees, hugging a plastic bottle like a child with their favorite toy. Wearing that giant, proud smile, she bounced to her feet and began preparing the solution. One glass of water, two capsules.
Kory watched her beat the effervescent drink until the last piece of pill dissolved into the fluid. Dianna hoisted the glass, presenting her work to the woman. Kory gave her a tired smile, moving away from the furniture like she had remembered all her responsibilities. "Think you can handle it for a sec? I'll go call Dick."
Putting the glass down, she glanced at Conner, still peacefully asleep; holding his secret story behind his sealed lips. "Yeah, we'll be fine."
The moment Kory left the room, Dianna began to work. Her fingers cradled his cheeks, forcing his mouth agape as she reached for the solution. She leaned closer to observe her work, make sure that every droplet passed through his lips. On impulse, he began swallowing the liquid, eyes fluttering open with struggle.
She whispered random encouragements, paying close attention as the final thread of water dropped. "That's all. You did great," she spoke to the semi-conscious man, moving away to fill the glass with even more water. Behind her, a hoarse voice mumbled something, too low and incoherent to understand. Leaving the glass behind, she stepped towards the bed. "What was that?"
He was sleeping again, face relaxed and mouth shut, just like before. Dianna sighed, she would have loved to get anything from him, even if it was a plea for more water.
On the other side of the room, the door opened, and in walked Dick, Kory, and Dawn. They were already discussing Conner, pointing down at the unconscious stranger in the bed. Dianna sat down in a chair, allowing the 'adults' to inspect him for the billionth time. "He isn't healing the slightest. Whatever they shot him with left some sort of toxin behind."
"Maybe we should take him to a hospital," Dick stupidly offered. All three women turned to him, wearing equally amazed frowns. Hospitals were always their last resource, and they were just agile humans. Someone with Conner's abilities couldn't be taken to a mundane place like that.
Dianna stroked her forehead anxiously, cautioning herself to approach them like her parents ( though she was grown, Dick still saw her as the young friend he had hugged goodbye thirteen years in the past ). "He's got superpowers. You can't take him to a hospital."
"Yeah, he's safest here," Dawn backed her proposition, raising her opinion for Dick to recognize ─that's the awful way things usually worked around here. He agreed with the blonde. Fuck him. Glancing at Dianna's scowl, Dawn continued. "I think you should call Bruce. He catalogs these things. He might know who he is."
Silence followed for longer than it should have. Dianna studied Dick, waiting for his answer. He was distant, distracted by nothing. "Dick?"
He snapped out of it, scanning the room to find everyone staring at him. "I'll call Bruce." He walked out, leaving their preoccupied questions stuck in their tongues.
Kory and Dawn shared an irked glance, suggesting Dick was behaving oddly, but there was nothing they could do. He wouldn't let them. Catching Dianna watching, Kory fiddled with her nails, trying not to trouble her. "Any trouble when I was gone?"
She shrugged, pretending she hadn't read the situation. "He woke up for a second."
"Did he say anything?" Dawn rested against the bed. Her eyes moved between Dianna and Conner.
Yes. He had. Well, maybe. She had heard something. It wasn't necessarily speaking or trying to communicate. "No." She lied. If she hadn't comprehended him, there was no reason to stir the conversation that way. She was just saving time.
Conner did not commit to the small lie. A blink after her answer, he opened his mouth. He spoke an unknown tongue, secure of every word that escaped his lips. The sounds began to click in Dianna's mind. They were repeating themselves, each time more desperate and fading into whimpers.
Kory walked up to him, focusing on the sounds he emitted. Unlike Dawn, who was confused, Kory's expression was sympathetic. She was understanding him.
"He's from Tamaran?"
They let the sequence repeat one more time, trying to make zero noise, let the black woman listen for any change. "It's Kryptonian," she finally responded, getting back to her spot. "A dead language. Which also explains why we couldn't get the IV in. His skin is completely impenetrable."
"Cool." Dianna grinned, recalling the way the needle had bent with ease when pushed against his soft skin. He whined softly, getting their attention back. The same words filled the air. "What's he saying?"
"Eve. Where's Eve?"
"Who the fuck is Eve?"
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Eve was Conner's mom, to put a name into their strange relationship. Yes, she had brought him into this world. In a lab. Fusing two astounding people's DNA ( a hero and a mad genius ). She'd taught him everything about the realm beyond the laboratory walls, but never permitted him to go out.
She had arrived at the Tower the next day, by noon. Only Artemisia, Dianna, and Kory were wide awake at that time. It had been a long day for everyone. The alert had forced Temi to her feet, leaving her coffee behind to establish a conversation with the energetic woman. She spoke too much too fast, hard to catch up with.
Most of her words had ended tangled, shoved away by the many descriptions given by the blonde. Artemisia hated appearing rude, but getting to the missing point seemed primal right then. "What did you say your name was?"
"My name is Eve Watson. Please let me in." A low talk had come from the kitchen, gradually raising. Artemisia had leaned closer to the device. "Look, I know this doesn't make any sense, but I was led here by a dog. Is there someone named Conner there?"
Her brows had risen at that. What were the chances? But most importantly, what did she want with him? She could be involved with those who shot him down, for all they knew. Artemisia had taken a skeptical step back from the camera.
"Let her up." Kory's determined tone had frightened her. The woman stood behind her, analyzing their visitor. She slowly turned to argue, or get some insight on the decision. Kory had ignored her, stretching her finger to permit Eve inside. "Conner was asking about an Eve. It can't be a coincidence."
From the other end, the blonde sighed with relief and hurried in before they changed their minds. Once they welcomed Eve to the house ( and questioned her every single detail about her and Conner ), she told her story. The miracle that occurred thanks to science. She then explained how Conner got loose and why he was pursued, the reason he laid in their infirmary.
They reunited her with Conner, giving them only a few seconds before pressing about his troubling health. Kory was nearly begging for the woman's aid. She had begun to feel useless after hours of caring to no result.
Eve shook her head, grabbing onto Conner's cold hand. A tear fell across her cheek. "Maybe if I'd gotten here sooner, but the kryptonite poisoning has gone too far."
"Seriously? Is that the best you've got?"
The woman scoffed, letting go of Conner. His hand dropped from the bed, inciting the dog to rush towards it and begin licking. "I am a scientist. I'm not God," Eve deadpanned.
Dianna called for Krypto, the dog, and he hurried towards her, standing guard by her side. She petted him slowly, building some trust. "You're like a God to him. You literally created him. You know how his body works. There has to be a way. Please, try."
Eve looked between the two of them, then glanced at Artemisia, who stood by the door, avoiding a subject she barely knew. Scratching the left side of her face, the woman began thinking. "In order to save him, we would need a level of radiation that can't be found on this Earth," Eve started, taking her time to fix her ideas and use understandable language. "We would need to fly him to the sun, and we don't have time for that. By now, in order to heal him, we would need to bring the sun here."
Kory grinned from ear to ear. Her preoccupation fled her body. "Well, why didn't you say so?"
"What do you mean?" Eve blinked at the black woman, startled by her positive reaction to something that should be impossible.
Still carrying her proud smile, Kory explained about her special abilities, slipping in that she also was an alien. "My powers, they come from the sun. I have enough radiation to stimulate his healing. But we need to contain it. Temi, you up for the task?"
Her name came as a surprise. She hadn't expected to be involved, only stand guard in case Eve was untrustworthy. Mirroring the stranger's expression, she agreed to help.
They started by making a clearing by the window, a precaution for the least expected error. Then, with help of Eve, they took Conner out of the bed, passing him to Kory. She had an inconvenient moment figuring out where to grab him, given that he was butt-naked. She settled by looping her arms under his, hugging his upper back. "All right. I'm ready."
Artemisia turned to the expecting trio, who had found themselves a spot with a view into the infirmary. "You three stay back. This may get a little crazy." Approaching Kory, she began to call for any source of water in the room, gathering enough to engulf the pair. "Okay. Let's do it."
She stared deeply into Kory's eyes, watching them turn green as she summoned her energy. Her water began swirling around them, starting at their toes, crawling towards their heads. The threads then expanded, creating a liquid shield.
Inside the crystal clear water, Kory's beam grew stronger, blinding to look at. Artemisia fastened her head to the left and closed her eyes, all while she attempted to stay focused on protecting herself, Dianna, and Eve, as well as everyone in the building. Quite a heavy burden.
The room recovered its usual lighting. Artemisia blinked away the yellow flashes that clouded her vision, making out Kory and Conner's figure above the charred floors. The veil of water dropped as the boy took a step away from Kory, scanning her face.
"Hi." Kory smiled at him, slowly letting go of his body, hands lingering around in case he couldn't balance.
Eve came running towards Conner, the dog tailing her. His eyes landed on her face, becoming brighter. She wrapped her arm under his, guiding him back to the bed. "I can't believe that worked." She waited until he laid down, then covered his naked body with a sheet. She turned to face the other women in the room, beaming. "Thank you."
"No problem." Artemisia smiled at the warming pair. She glanced at Kory, who was gathering her stuff to leave. Spinning towards Dianna, she caught her leaning on the door, looking down. "We'll give you guys a moment. If you need anything, press that button over there."
The trio left, closing the door behind them to give the family more privacy. Artemisia's grin grew bigger. She was happy they had accomplished that with no huge effort. Everything felt great.
Until it didn't. Seconds later, and whipping her content, yelling came from the kitchen ( it's always the goddamn kitchen ). Shaking their heads, they headed towards the argument. It was still too early to start a confrontation, they could all agree on that. Whatever the reason was, it was serious.
They found a strange scene. Hank, Dawn, Donna, and Zach were standing by the counter, glaring daggers at Jason. Rachel was near the teen, hands curled into tight fists as she accused him of doing something. Jason was looking between them with exhaustion.
"What's all the yelling about?"
Their intense gazes darted from the teen towards the three women. Dawn stepped up the explain the drama: someone had drawn crosses in Rachel's mirror and she was sure Jason had done it. Jason wheeled his reddening eyes at the incrimination.
"Cute idea with the bourbon bottle. Not my type though. I'm more of a sour mash guy." Hank called as he walked around the isle. His hardened face was back, confronting the teen as though his disappearance hadn't turned his head for hours; like he hadn't been willing to sacrifice Rose for him. "You ever go in my room and pull that shit again, I'll forget what team you're on."
Artemisia couldn't believe the man. He hadn't changed the slightest. He still acted like an asshole. She marched up to him, shoving her hand into his chest, unafraid of his muscles. "Hey, be careful with what you say."
Hank's jaw hardened as he removed her hand, jerking her away. Artemisia sent him a warning side-glance, stepping away from him and anyone who seemed mad at the teen for stuff they had found. Why target him specifically?
"I don't know what happened, guys, but I didn't do it," Jason said with a broken tone that encouraged Artemisia to slip closer, trying to catch his eye and receive consent to help him. The teen's attention was nowhere around her, staring at the group with watering eyes.
Not a single stubborn soul felt compassion towards his mental health, not even when he was one move from breaking down. Dawn, the empath of the team started elbowing him closer to the edge. "What about the picture of Ellis?"
"The orange soda bottle?" Donna gave the next push.
"Dennis O'Sullivan's file?" Zach's angry voice was a new tone. Scary. It led Jason to frantically shake his head, not admitting any of the things they mentioned.
"Wait, I got weird shit like that, too." Dianna sounded confused. Sad. She did not glance at Jason as she told her encounter, unlike the rest. Artemisia could see she didn't blame him. "A fucking train toy in my bed. But I─"
Rachel talked over her, taking away the focus before Dianna could voice her opinion on the matter. "He did it to you guys, too?"
"You people are insane!" Jason finally stood up, though the crumbling point was right below him, he was struggling for a few more seconds before sinking. His face was dotted red, lips quivering as he justified himself because not even Artemisia could. "I'd rather be with Deathstroke than you assholes. You think everything's my fault."
Artemisia called out his name, breaking through that wall of hesitation. He ignored her, turning his back on them. She didn't have the chance to try again. The elevator dinged and Dick stormed inside the main area, gun in his hand and a rare gaze on his eyes.
"He's here," Dick susurrated, browsing the whole room with wide eyes. "Deathstroke is here in the Tower. He took pictures of all of us."
"Dick, talk to me." Hank approached him, trying to ground his mind, explain further his exclamation. He stopped at the sight of the gun. "What's with the gun?"
Dick paid no attention. He was analyzing the team one by one, lost in thoughts. His head snapped to the left, focused on a vacant space. "Jason." And with that, he took off after the teen.
No one emitted a sound, processing his behavior. It was certainly unique.
"What the fuck was that?" Kory broke the perplexed silence. The room gained its noise, but the friction remained. More questions were to be asked.
"He said Deathstroke was in here," Dianna stuttered out, pausing to read over Dick's words. She lowered, disturbed about his declaration. "That's impossible, right? He can't get in and make these sour pranks on us."
"He's a sick bastard," Hank reminded from his spot. Artemisia flinched at the thought; Deathstroke pressing the button, the bombs going off, Jason falling with an earsplitting scream. . . He is a sick bastard. "He could do that, walk among us but not kill us, only fuck around with our minds, make us turn on each other."
Kory let out a frustrated exhale, making her point with just that action. Just in case someone did not catch it ( Artemisia glared towards Hank ), she uttered it. "We literally just did that with Jason. He's one step ahead of us."
A pensive quietness fell on the room. It was the opportunity to speak up, so Dianna took the chance, partake in adult speculation, be equal. "I knew Jason wouldn't play with my death. He out of all people knows─" she cleared her throat and folded her arms atop her chest. "You guys were too stuck-up to realize he didn't do shit. You fought to bring him back, only to turn against him?"
"The orange soda is something delicate," Donna attempted to explain herself, too ashamed to admit their misdeed. Everyone was guilty of Jason's breaking: Dianna had not spoken up, Artemisia had stayed behind, the rest kept blaming him after he'd denied everything. "After I saw it in my bed, it haunted me for the rest of the day. Maybe I was stuck-up and shouldn't have blamed him."
Artemisia shook her head at Donna's repentance. "A bit too late to realize that. We should take it easy on him. He isn't the Jason we all half-hated anymore."
"Don't tiptoe around him," Dianna corrected. It had been the error that caused her to close up, believing their point of view; it was a sensitive subject that would harm her. "He's still a person. Fucked up, but still a person." The girl clocked over the room, spotting their shameful faces.
Artemisia bobbed her head at the teen, suggesting she had got her words. She would initiate an internal change, for her and everyone. Things did need to adjust around here, they just needed the motivation to do so. And this was the right timing.
"Did you guys see the look on his face?"
Rachel rose her crystal eyes towards the older teen, shaking her head. "I didn't─"
"He was crying." Dianna vented, addressing each one of them. She was usually self-preserved. Seeing her scowl at them like that was a shock. They had tired her. "Look, we all deserve to be mad. I get that. The stuff we found wasn't pretty. But we're all going through shit. Maybe think about the other person next time, listen to them."
The air was frangible, threatening to snap at any second. And if it didn't, it felt like any of them would; just a wrong sigh and they might implode. No one spoke, because what was there to argue? Dianna was right. They had been idiots. Careless.
Kory's face rose with relief, staring past Artemisia's shoulder. One by one, they attended to her jovial gaze, finding two figures approaching them casually. They brought their own strain; they're like oil and water, they coexist but never combine.
Not yet, at least.
Dick's dark expression insinuated he wished to involve them, solve a general problem. Something bigger than them, than Deathstroke and the Titans. Jason plummets to the couch with a sigh. Dick ignores him, looking at them. "I need to tell you something important. It's time you all knew the truth. The whole truth."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I hate to announce that from here on, the chapters will get shorter with many time jumps :(
On a positive note, it means often updates so... take it as you wish✨