@troiah ( prev. )
aching beating heart, with a steady rythym while longing its way home. through the past nearly two year gap her persona was deliberated targeted as dead, donna's mind was tangled into a web of several lies and another yet failling marriage — to have your mind and body played like you were a part of a puppet show was quite maddening. & hadn't it taken her time to realise who she truly was, to sense the pieces of her actual's life puzzle simply missing. because she didn't belong there, with those people, with that "family" ... her significant ties belonged in that tower, with the titans. that was family, her family. it personally hurt her how she simply forgot about them for nearly two whole years, and especially now that azure hues stare at his figure, still taking her existence in — still watching her every move as if she would just disappear if he dared to blink. how could she forget dick grayson? that man was her brother, and his very soul was attached to hers no matter if that was possible or not.
lips curved into the warmest smile, grounding herself next to him at the couch, hand quickly reaching for his before their fingers were linked. ❝ I'm not goin' anywhere else, I promise. ❞ her voice echoed softly, more a reminder to herself than to him. deep down, she feared her mind would come to betray her again, getting rid off who she was and where she belonged. it lingered, silent and recurring. ❝ I'm fine, or at least will be fine. ❞
shurgging, eyes travel around the familiar living room, finding comfort at the sight. ❝ I guess nothing truly changed, right? Weirdly enough, it seems like everyone was here yesterday and we were living all together again... ❞ chuckling that off, ❝ Happy tears, will you? ❞ the amazon shoke her head before staring at him, ever the observant one. ❝ Which reminds me - Roy told me something, probably because he needed me to give you shit since you obviously deserve me knocking some sense into you. ❞ maddening enough, she was truly back. ❝ What was that bullshit of ending the Titans after I ... family belongs with family, Dick. hell, you know this. ❞
DICK'S SMILE CRUMBLED into a frown, the familiar kind that appeared when donna prodded at a topic he didn't want to talk about. "this wasn't supposed to be about me," he grumbled and turned his eyes to the wall, feeling her sharp and waiting gaze on him anyway. she saw right through him like few could, and he knew all too well that she wasn't going to back down until his answer satisfied her.
"that's just it, donna. i let someone in our family die. someone too important, someone i knew i couldn't lead the titans without." his shoulders slumped, brows furrowing together at the memory of that acute loss. "if i let YOU of all people down, then what would happen to roy? garth? vic? i told you i was doubting my leadership even before it all happened, then i just..." he closed his eyes tight, shoulders slumping in defeat.
"i couldn't do it. i couldn't be the one letting my friends get killed anymore." a dam within him broke, words he's held in for two odd years that he told no one, pouring out of him now into donna's lap. "it took me weeks to look roy in the eye again after the funeral. he didn't blame me to my face, i know he never would, but i was the leaderwhen you died. that made it MY FAULT he woman he loved was gone." dick's own pain and love for donna didn't need to be stated... but as the one feeling responsible, his feelings became secondary in his mind. his grief was his penance for failure.
maybe that's what dick wanted; someone to be angry at him for screwing up, to pin the tragedy on him, but no one would. and so, in true dick grayson fashion, he did it all himself.
and then, his voice hardened, sounding more resolute, his eyes meeting hers once again. "i couldn't see a world where the titans carried on without you, so i made that call. i'm not apologizing for it, either."










