Avoiding Past And Future

(91) Cold Hearted 3

November 11

As it turned out, Dick had a few sets of civvies already set aside should the occasion arrive unexpectantly. They didn't have too much free time to play dress up, however. Flying home, they helped out in Gotham for just a moment before Alfred called them home for a snack.

If an ecto charged smoothie and a protein smoothie counted as a snack when it had enough stuffed in there to could as a whole meal.

For Danny especially as Alfred refused to let him leave for the debrief without having everything with him for a second one. The equipment Frostbite gave the man to keep an eye on Danny's ecto levels betraying just how drained he really was. Nevertheless, they did good today. No amount of mildly off-putting smoothies could tamper with their pride.

Waiting for everybody to return to Mount Justice, and having the Zeta's functioning again, the pair of trouble makers found themselves meandering towards the kitchen. Shades in place and most of the less than pleasant scars hidden under comfortable fabric, they looked like they would have before everything blew up. It was somewhat intimidating to walk around without their suits. After a month of no civvies, it felt like something was missing. That soft drag of their cape, the comforting pressure of their gloves, the softer footfall of their shoes. It felt different.

But it felt oh so right at the same time.

Though, it did also remind them of what happened the last time they were in civvies. And just how wrong things went since then. But that shouldn't matter anymore, right? Progress was being made, they were healing from the physical injuries and some of the mental bits are piecing themselves back together as well.

That just left the bits outside of their own control.

As out of their control as Cheddy glaring at them in the hallway was. That cat really did not like whatever undead vibe Phantom brought. Most animals didn't, Cheddy just chose to glare rather than run away. Or he just lost the energy to run away earlier in the day when the loaf of orange chaos refused to get in the carrier and made them be late to the party.

But it did point out a glaring issue Robin had hoped could be ignored. Of course that would have been the easy way of getting out of one of the messes they found themselves in and if history has proven one thing, it's that easy never comes as often as they'd hope. With a sigh Robin squeezed Phantom's shoulder. Words didn't need to be spoken as one walked ahead to follow the orange doom while the other went to make his second dose of green sludge.

Trying to ignore the judgmental aura radiating off of Cheddy, really Cheddy had no business judging him when the chub himself was being a pain, Robin followed silently. He knew these hallways better than Cheddy knew food, it didn't take a genius to know they were headed over to the souvenir room. How he knew where to go was beyond the young hero, but it would be unwise to question Cheddy's ability to do anything.

Robin contemplated what to say. He had weeks to think about what to say to everybody. Countless hours spent alone with his thoughts when he struggled to sleep, both from general pain in his ankle and overthinking. Yet now that it was actually time to socialize again, it was like all that preparation evaporated. Sure, the party went relatively fine but that was just superficial. The tensions of conversations unspoken thickening the air around them as nobody quite dared bring it up. How would one even do that without ruining the entire party?

But the party was over, the mission coming to a close, and the final objective of showing up still lingered in conversational purgatory.

Cheddy didn't seem to amused by it either. Belly swinging from side to side as his pace picked up the closer they got. Simple steps turning into little bounces as he trotted forward.