Why's it your job all the time? Bat stuff will keep if you need some time to deal with some stuff.
[It finally clicks. The need to be available for the Mission - for all his teams, not just the Bats - at any given time. So much he can't even let himself work through it because if he lets himself fall to pieces, he's afraid he'll spend too long not being Useful until he's got it together again.]
[Even though it's obvious he's nearly in pieces already, even though he doesn't even feel safe in dreams, sleeping surrounded by his closest friends, even though pretending he's not struggling can't be healthy.]
You're more to all of us than the constantly on-call steady guy. You know that, right? You don't have to always be that to matter to us, to deserve a place next to everyone.
You didn't lose that place because you got caught and because you got hurt. And you won't lose that place by doing something other than keeping it perfectly together.
[He didn't need to be perfect at all times, or at least perfectly composed regardless of his actual feelings, to deserve a place next to a legend like Batman. He didn't need to do it to deserve a place next to any of the more powerful Titans.]
And you sure as hell won't lose it if something gets in the way of the mission for a little while.
no subject
[It finally clicks. The need to be available for the Mission - for all his teams, not just the Bats - at any given time. So much he can't even let himself work through it because if he lets himself fall to pieces, he's afraid he'll spend too long not being Useful until he's got it together again.]
[Even though it's obvious he's nearly in pieces already, even though he doesn't even feel safe in dreams, sleeping surrounded by his closest friends, even though pretending he's not struggling can't be healthy.]
You're more to all of us than the constantly on-call steady guy. You know that, right? You don't have to always be that to matter to us, to deserve a place next to everyone.
You didn't lose that place because you got caught and because you got hurt. And you won't lose that place by doing something other than keeping it perfectly together.
[He didn't need to be perfect at all times, or at least perfectly composed regardless of his actual feelings, to deserve a place next to a legend like Batman. He didn't need to do it to deserve a place next to any of the more powerful Titans.]
And you sure as hell won't lose it if something gets in the way of the mission for a little while.
To hell with the mission right now.