[ Why am I so pathetic? Dick feels like he should be offended by that. By principle, if nothing else. There's mercy in his own tongue being melted out, in a way; after Damian speaks (and that hurts, somehow, hearing feelings so similar to his own being spoken by Bruce's son, by his brother--) his mouth moves, reflexively, to say things, but no sound comes out.
He can't reassure Damian. Not that he's ever any good at that, probably. How pathetic does he have to be to make everyone else worry about him so obviously? His hand hovers over the tablet. Lack of inhibitions or not, needing to type it out... ]
I can't save anyone. [ it's at least not his own voice coming out, though dick isn't sure if that makes it better. ] All I ever do is watch people I care about die in front of me, or show up after they've vanished. [ his parents, jason, aquagirl, ted kord, wally, the entire ship-- he types more surely now, like venting into a diary; ] Everyone keeps calling me a leader, but whenever I try, I just get people hurt. I don't even want to lead. I'm too afraid of becoming like Batman. I'm afraid of being like the man who raised me and inspired me to be who I am. How pathetic is that?
[ he stops, because-- because inhibitions or not, damian is here, and damian just said-- that should be enough, right? he doesn't want to add to it. but he does, just once: ]
And I'm a lousy brother.
[ he's failed jason twice, and now damian-- maybe tim really is better off if dick never comes back. ]
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He can't reassure Damian. Not that he's ever any good at that, probably. How pathetic does he have to be to make everyone else worry about him so obviously? His hand hovers over the tablet. Lack of inhibitions or not, needing to type it out... ]
I can't save anyone. [ it's at least not his own voice coming out, though dick isn't sure if that makes it better. ] All I ever do is watch people I care about die in front of me, or show up after they've vanished. [ his parents, jason, aquagirl, ted kord, wally, the entire ship-- he types more surely now, like venting into a diary; ] Everyone keeps calling me a leader, but whenever I try, I just get people hurt. I don't even want to lead. I'm too afraid of becoming like Batman. I'm afraid of being like the man who raised me and inspired me to be who I am. How pathetic is that?
[ he stops, because-- because inhibitions or not, damian is here, and damian just said-- that should be enough, right? he doesn't want to add to it. but he does, just once: ]
And I'm a lousy brother.
[ he's failed jason twice, and now damian-- maybe tim really is better off if dick never comes back. ]