November 7; 8:40am
Robin stared at the book in her hands, absentmindedly flipping through the pages before stopping at one, eyes trained on the picture.
"I see you've found dad's photobook," Zatar said walking up beside her.
"This was a photo taken at the League's first Christmas Party," Robin told him, rubbing her finger over the photo. "It was also the first time I met your father," she murmured under her breath before closing the book.
"He used to talk about the little girl near my age who kept running around headquarters all the time," Zatar smiled sadly, as he accepted the book, placing it inside one of the boxes.
Robin winced, smiling slightly. "Hey, you can't blame me, I was nine."
Zatar smiled before closing the box. The magician looked around the house, his smile disappearing and now replaced with a frown. "I… I've never seen the house so empty…"
Robin frowned as well, looking around the almost empty house, the only things left were packed up boxes and furniture that were going to be left behind. Batman said that they weren't going to sell the house and that ownership was going to be under him until Zatar was off age, whatever Zatar wants to do to his house was the magician's choice but until then, Batman would remain as the owner and help keep its condition.
"Is that everything?" Robin asked, trying to take Zatar's mind off things.
"I think so," Zatar said, looking around.
Robin hummed before carrying one of the closed boxes, Zatar doing the same with the one he just closed. The two of them walked out of the house to see Wally and Artemis walking back.
"Are there any more?" Artemis asks them.
"Nope, we think we got everything already, or at least everything Zatar wants to bring," Robin tells them.
"That's good, I'm tired of not walking back and forth at normal speed," Wally complained but took the box Robin was carrying, the thirteen-year-old silently handing it over.
The four of them walk over to the nearest Zeta-Tube and are teleported back to the Mountain where they see Batman talking to Black Canary but they ignore them, walking to Zatar's assigned room, the magician and speedster placing the boxes on the ground.
"If you need anything, we'll be at the kitchen, Miss Martian is making cookies," Artemis said, grabbing the speedster's arm, pulling him out of the room.
"She is?!" Wally smiled as he's brought out the room, leaving Robin and Zatar alone in the room, the door closing behind him.
Robin looked back at the magician, Zatar looking down on the numerous boxes in his room.
"You wanna talk about it?" Robin asked, worried about what her friend was thinking off.
"I- Not really," Zatar confessed. Robin hummed, eyes downcasted before leaving the room, allowing the magician to be alone and let everything for him settle in.
She hears the door close behind her before the sounds of muffled crying. Robin swallows down the want to go back in and comfort the teenager, instead, she walks towards the lounge where she sees Kaldur sitting by himself.
She throws herself over the couch and plops herself down, laying down and taking the whole couch for herself.
"I assume all of Zatar's belonging are packed and in his room?" Kaldur asks her, sounding tired.
"Yup," Robin answered, throwing her hand over her eyes.
"How's… How's he fairing?" the leader asked cautiously.
"Why are you guys avoiding him?" Robin asked, eyes closed under her sunglasses and arm. She hears Kaldur move around in his chair, obviously shocked at her bluntness.
Kaldur coughed into his hand, trying to compose himself. "His father is alive, just… not in control, but even if that's the case, you guys are avoiding, Zatar," Robin threw herself into a sitting position before turning to face the leader, face serious and slightly angry.
"Ever since we came back from Roanoke Island, everyone's been treating him all different, can't even stay in the same room alone with him, the only person who's been indifferent, besides me, is Conner!"
"He needs space," Kaldur insisted but it looked like he was just trying to convince himself.
"He needs his friends," Robin denied.
"Yes, he needs space but that doesn't mean we should leave him alone. We should know this by now, especially," Robin feels herself choke up a bit. "Especially after the simulation."
Kaldur flinches at the mention, ever since the team all sat down and talked to one another after their private session with Black Canary, it was almost like an unspoken rule to never bring up the simulation ever again.
"This is different," Kaldur tried to say but Robin cut him off.
"Different how? It was real for us was it not? You knew the feeling of losing your mentor, the very person you look up to. You know the feeling of emptiness after losing someone you care for right before your eyes," Robin glared at the Atlantean. "You're supposed to be the leader, why can't you see that none of you are helping Zatar?"
"What's going on?"
Robin ignored the Martian and the rest of the team entering the room, still frowning in disappointment at their leader. When he had no reply, she couldn't help but scoff, turning to face the rest of the team.
"I can expect this from the rest of the team but form you, Wally?" Robin spits out and she hates herself for sounding more hurt than disappointed as she stared at the redhead.
Wally placed his hands in the air, looking between the Atlantean and the Girl Wonder, not sure what was happening. "W-what? I don't even know what you guys are talking about."
Robin huffed before turning to face Kaldur who couldn't even look at her in the eye. "Kaldur, you know better than to push him away when he's so fragile. Zatar needs us now more than ever and if you can't see that… I'm beginning to doubt your leadership skills once more."
Robin doesn't wait for anyone to say anything, getting up from the couch and walking out of the lounge room, leaving Kaldur to deal with the rest of the team. The Girl Wonder sighs, wiping away the tears that gathered at the corner of her eyes.
She stops in the middle of the hallway before leaning against the wall. She closes her eyes, thinking. She knew it was a low blow to bring up the simulation and to accuse Kaldur of being a bad leader but with all the stress of there being a possible mole and losing Zatara to the Helmet, she needed to remind Kaldur that it was no excuse for him or the rest to treat Zatar like that.
She noticed how Miss Martian could barely talk to Zatar, how Kaldur was always cautious, and how Artemis didn't want to be alone in the same room with him. The only one who was indifferent was Conner, something she was grateful yet angry for. But Wally? She didn't expect him to just allow all this, to be pulled away by Artemis like that, overlooking Zatar's pain.
She hears the door beside her slide open, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"R-Robin, were you there the whole time?" Zatar stuttered, eyes red and swollen.
The Girl Wonder lets out a small smile, pushing herself off the wall. "Nope, I just came actually."
"O-oh, okay… I'm just going out for some water," the magician says, about to walk past her.
"Actually," Robin says, making him turn to face her again, looking slightly confused. "I was waiting for you to come out, care for a walk?"
The magician looked hesitant but nodded. Robin smiled, grabbing his arm, shocking him, and started to drag him down the hallway.
"W-wait, where are we going?" Zatar asked.
"Going to chicken out on me?" Robin teased as they reached the hangar, pressing a button on the wall, the gate opening up. She drags the magician out of the cave and up the side of the mountain.
"Are we allowed to go here?" Zatar asked, looking back.
"Loosen up, Zee!" she laughs. "I used to go here all the time when the League still used to use the Mountain as their base. Besides, we're wearing casual clothes! To anyone else, we're just two teenagers climbing up a mountain."
Zatar keeps quiet at that, allowing her to drag him up the side of the mountain. When they reach a certain point, Robin smiles, turning back to face him. "Well, we're here."
Zatar looks around, confused about what he was supposed to see. "And I'm supposed to see what exactly?"
Robin playfully rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses, knowing that the magician could tell what she just did. "Duh, cause it's right here," she says, pushing away a tall grass out of the way. Zatar gapes, walking forward, Robin smiling behind him before following the magician.
"My brothers and I used to play up here all the time, came and found this," Robin told him. "Would be more beautiful if it was sunset though but thought you would need the space."
"I-It's fine," Zatar says absentmindedly, eyes still trained on the view of the Happy Harbour. Robin smiles walking near the edge of the cliff before taking a seat on the ground, turning to face the magician, and patting the ground beside her. Zatar sits on the ground beside her, eyes still trained on the beach city down below.
Robin looks down at the city as well, "You can let it out, no one's here to hear or see you."
She hears Zatar's breath hitch for a moment before she hears him start sobbing.
Robin smiles sadly before humming a song her mother used to sing. She's long forgotten the song's words, but she still remembers the nights her mother and father would tuck her in bed, her mother singing the sung the song she made.