Entropy [5]

Dancing After Death

14
Dancing After Death

"What do you want from me, Alister?" Dick asked, resigned. He leaned over the table in the lab. The parts of the Motherbox scattered across the table.

"I want you, for once, to admit you've been dragging your feet on the Motherboxes. Don't just dismiss my concerns because you don't feel like dealing with your feelings. Talk to me."

"All we do is talk, Al. Talk about the kids, the wedding, everything. Hell, all we talk about is this fucking Motherbox that you're so hellbent on fixing when you have no idea how it even works!"

"That Motherbox could be the key to getting me home."

"I thought this was your home."

"It is, but so is Thanagar, and right now Thanagar needs me more than Earth."

Dick sighed. "I need you," He said. "I need you more than Thanagar. Can't you see that?"

"I'm sorry are you dying? Are you being ravaged by a war? No, you're just trying to control everything like always."

"Control? I'm not trying to control anything, I'm... I'm worried about you."

Alister scoffed. "Save it, Grayson. Don't try and tell me how you feel now because it won't work. You're not going to emotionally manipulate your way out of this."

"Emotionally mani-" An exasperated scoff escaped Dick. He pushed his hair out of his face. "Do you hear yourself right now? When have I ever emotionally manipulated you?"

"The entire time we spent together in the Titans? Or did you forget that's why I left your ass in the first place."

"Sorry, I thought you left me because of what happened to Jericho? Or how about the first time when you decided to leave because I did what you told me to do and stayed loyal to my girlfriend? You left me to go fuck Wa-"

Dick's brows pierced. He knew very well what he wanted to say, but his brain went blank. Who had he forgotten?

"Wally," Alister said for him. "His name was Wally. I can't remember anything about him aside from his name and the way he made me feel. Don't you see the problem there?"

"The only problem I see is my fiancé imagining another man."

Alister rolled his eyes. "Don't even go there. Whoever he was, it wasn't like that between us. He was a friend. A friend I-."

"A friend? You fucked him. He must've been pretty damned friendly."

"I'm gonna need you to relax, Community-Dick-Grayson. You do not get to shame me for being friends with someone I slept with. Do I need to remind you of Dawn? Kory? Barbara?"

Dick raised his hands. "Alright, alright, fine. I'm not fantasizing about any of them, am I? I proposed to you. I want to marry you."

"Do you though? Because we've had six months to make it official and every chance we get, you put it off. You put everything off. Because we're all just living on Dick Grayson's time."

"That's not fair. The both of us have been putting it off because of everything going on around here. You can't blame me for that."

Alister sighed. "I don't, I'm sorry. I'm just tired, Dick, I'm so goddamn tired. I haven't slept in days, I can't focus but I can't afford to give up." He said. He pulled his head into his hands.