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Sometimes, Phil expects to see Techno right there at the door of their house. Swinging into like he used to, with his hands full, always determined to do something or other.
Sometimes, he almost makes the mistake of thinking Techno is right there in the kitchen, making some sort of potato heavy dish or sneaking another bite of whatever baked confectionery Nikki had brought over last.
Other times, it’s hard not to imagine he’s right outside, feeding the dogs or having funny little conversations with his polar bear Steve.
Phil would have liked to think, before, that he wouldn’t ever get used to Techno.. not being there. By his side. Telling Phil he’d give him the world if he’d ever ask.
But life has weird ways of working. He sets the table for one less without thinking. He doesn’t make Techno’s bed. It’s already made. He doesn’t make Techno the extra cup of hot chocolate. He feeds the dogs himself, and then the others.
He still half expects Techno to bound through the door one day. But he doesn’t.
Techno hasn’t crossed that doorway in years.
.
“Hey Indigo!” Stephanie greets.
“Hey violet.” Purpled tosses back. “How’s it been?”
Tommy leaps onto the roof after Purpled. He lands beside Steph, off balance. He brushes himself off. “You guys have the worst fucking nicknames.” He says.
Purpled watches Steph eye Tommy’s new, red costume up and down, then catches her gaze. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” He asks, giving her a rare grin.
Steph beams back and oust an arm around Tommy’s shoulder. “Don’t be a buzzkill, Red.” She tells him, and he groans.
She sits down and leans back, so Tommy follows her example. They’re all pretty good friends now, Steph and Tommy and Purpled and Cass and even Tubbo and Ranboo when they visit. It’s weird to think they didn’t even know each other a few years ago.
They did have something else, back then.
Even when they’re all together like this, almost happy, there’s something like a hole in Purpled’s chest.
Sometimes he forgets and then he remembers and it gets hard to breathe.
How could he even forget?
“Hey, Purp?” Steph calls. “Sit with us, dude.”
Purpled smiles, and pushes his thoughts aside. “Coming.”
.
Cass sits curled up on top of the desk. She doesn’t look down at the reports Tim has given her. Jason stands beside her, leaning against her. He’s not looking at them either.
Tim paces. He’s always pacing, these days.
These days, being, the last few years.
He throws a case file at the table. Cass catches it swiftly and sets it aside. Jason raises an eyebrow.
“What crawled up your ass this morning?” Jason shoots.
Tim glares at him.
“Seriously, was it the clone or the conspiracy theorist?” Jason asks. Cass snorts quietly, but Tim still hears.
“Don’t call them that. And no, what the fuck.”
Jason gives Cass a funny glance. “Are we sure?” He asks, grinning.
Cass just shrugs unenthusiastically. She’s on one of her off moods today. They’ve gotten worse ever since it’s happened.
“Fuck, focus, Jason!” Tim throws another case file at him. He lets it fall. “The GCPD is asking B, they’re that desperate.”
Cass rolls her eyes. “Always desperate.”
“How are they even still employed?” Jason agrees. “The guy they’re after’s been killing more people than they’ve ever locked up, anyways.”
“That’s why they want it done.” Tim cuts in, .
“We all know who fucking did it, Tim. So does he, but he’s ignoring it.” Jason replies, halfway annoyed at this point. “It’s not like we’re gonna arrest him anyways.”
“Big brother..” Cass starts, but doesn’t finish. Tim sighs and sets his hands down on the table, clearly having given up.
Jason bites the inside of his mouth and closes his eyes. Things have ended so upside down.
.
Nikki sighs and wipes the table. The Gotham student rush hour is over, so the bakery is oddly empty. Not that she likes the busy moments too well, since she’s technically the only employee there and she has to do all the work, but it’s pretty disconcerting, since there’s always someone there.
Phil comes around occasionally, but he’s rubbish at waiting tables so he only bakes. He’s sort of rubbish at that, too, but it makes him smile everytime so Nikki never complains. The kids visit, bringing along their new Gotham friends with them. Dick’s father Bruce drops by sometimes, which is funny and sad all at once.
Their families are obviously connected, but it feels like their binding thread has been severed.
Part of the reason Nikki moved to Gotham is to feel closer to the both of them.
.
Babs sees him walk upto the grave, looking worse for wear than she’d last seem him.
She rushes ahead, ignoring the safe past at risk of breaking her wheels. It doesn’t matter. No one has seen him in months, and no one has talked to him in years. Not since it happened.
He hears her coming and turns back. Babs expects him to dash, but surprisingly, he stays put.
“Hello, Barbara.”
“Hey Techno.” She tries giving him a smile, but she can’t.
He looks at her sadly. She moves forward yet and moves her hand, taking his into hers.
He doesn’t pull away, but he doesn’t look her in the eyes.
“You know there’s people looking for you, right?” She asks, raising an eyebrow. He snorts.
“Can’t kill a bunch of people without them getting on your ass about it. They deserved it anyways.” He smiles, but it doesn’t look like a smile at all. It looks pathetic.
She examines his hand. “These are new.” She states, gesturing to new bite marks on his arm.
“The voices got worse without him.” Techno replies simply.
She can’t bring herself to say anything in reply, so they just stare at the gravestone.
It reads, ‘In loving memory of Richard Grayson: Hero, Brother, Son, Husband.’