(Another version I did of I don't want to be batman)
"Stop it." Dick heard a voice from behind him as someone slapped his head.
"Ouch!" He said startled and turned to glare at Barbra. "Stop what? I'm just sitting here all innocently."
"You're never innocent." She deadpanned. "And I meant stop looking all sulky. You did fine today on the mission. We got our friends back."
"Yeah, I did fine." He turned away bitterly. "I should have done better."
"I noticed your head wasn't in the game." Barbra sighed as she sat down on the arm of his chair. They were in the Batcave, watching monitors as usual. "You never lose focus."
"I just have a lot on my mind." He said, still not wanting to look at her.
"I get it." She said. "The cave, half the league gone, you having to pretend to be Batman, Artemis and Wally. It's a lot, I know, but nothing you can't handle." Dick finally looked at her and wanted to tell her. He desperately did. But he knew he couldn't, not yet.
"Yeah." He agreed with a fake smile. He knew she knew it was fake, and he knew she knew he knew. But they both accepted that as part of the job.
"Look, this whole situation sucks, but you're handling it the best you can." She told him sternly. "And no one could have predicted anything that's happened."
Dick did the last thing either of them expected. He started laughing.
"Um, Dick?" Barbra asked after a moment. It had been nearly a year since she actually seen him laugh. And she's only seen him truly smile twice since then as well.
"I'm sorry." He said as his smile faded. "Me being tired and stressed apparently makes me burst into laughing. Good to know."
"You are surprisingly whelmed." She smirked at him, using his old wordplay.
"I'm just trying to live in the temporary aster, even if the dis has become my friend recently." He smirked back. They fell into a comfortable silence.
"I miss you." Barbra said turning serious.
"I know." Dick acknowledged. "I miss you too." Their silence turned awkward after they brought up the one topic they tried to stay away from: their former relationship.
Dick's friends liked to joke that he still managed to stay friends with all of his exes, and it's true. He did manage it. But his other breakups had been a long time coming and were pleasant.
Babs was the one breakup that was truly awful. While it was mutual, it wasn't pleasant. They had ended things badly and it took a lot for them to remain friends. He looked at her now wishing he still had her. Again, they both knew that the other party knew about their relationships since then. Barbra kept breaking up with guys and Dick had started only doing one night stands.
Without realizing it, their heads had inched so close now that if either of them moved an inch, their lips would be touching.
Dick wanted to break that space. He wanted to feel her lips on his again. But he couldn't do that to her. Not this time. She, along with the rest of the team, will probably hate him in a few weeks, a few months at most. He couldn't do this to her, even though he knew they both still had feelings for each other.
"I have to get the cowl on." He said in a low voice as he backed away gently.
"I'll see you in a bit then." She nodded, stood up, and left. Dick continued to watch her leave and stood up to grab the Batman cowl. He gave it a hard glare. He was becoming the thing he swore he wouldn't, and it was slowly starting to tear him apart.