opposite_forces | Hawks and Doves

"Hey..hey, breathe." Her hands gently cradled his face shushing him as that temper of his rose in a wave she could feel.

"It wasn't you, and deep down I think I knew it couldn't be. But yeah, it was scary and he was a bastard whoever he was. It's going to take time for everyone to come to terms with this, especially you. But you are strong enough to get past this, I know you are, I've seen that strength for years."

Not only did she have a naturally calming effect, bringing order to the chaos of his rage, she knew him. Dawn truly knew Hank, and hold hin him now solidified her certainty that he could never have done the things his impostor did.

His anger cools instantly at her touch. She's always been able to calm him down -- even better than Don was.

"I can live with everyone else thinking I'm a psychopath. I know better," he admits. It's not totally true -- he's pissed that his name was used to cause some incredibly evil acts. But he can live with it if he has to. He's fine if everyone else in the world hates his guts. Everyone... except her.

He looks at her. "But... where does that leave us?"

Right to the point, he always was direct. Dawn eased him with a gentle push, setting him down in the chair. Sher herself perched on the arm, her fingertips still stroking down his cheek a moment longer.

"The truth is that I don't know Hank. I'm not sure any other answer I could give you wouldn't be a lie." Truth was not always pretty, but it was truth.

"But I'm willing to talk if you are."

He lets out a deep breath. It's not the answer he was hoping for, but it's better than he feared.

"I don't know what there is to talk about," he shrugs gruffly.

"How you're doing, what you're doing. How things are going with your brother... how you feel about me."

There was a lot to talk about, the problem might actually be where to start.

"Well, I've returned to the world after being absent for 6-odd years, to discover that my brother is alive again, which is awesome -- but everyone else seems to think I turned into some evil psychopath who tried to destroy the universe and kill you. I found out our child was actually Hawkman and Hawkgirl's child, and he's now Dr. Fate, somewhere out there in the mystic joojoo realms. I have no memory of anything from the last 6 years, and last I remember, I was with you." He lets out a long sigh, almost done with his rant. "I loved you then... and I love you now. For me... nothing's happened that should have changed that."

"It's been a long six years, a lot has happened. Granted it wasn't you, but still there will be people who need time to understand."

Her hand took one of his own, fingers weaving between his and holding tightly. "I.. I need time too. And it's not because of you. There is just so much, Don's back, Holly's with me. We've been helping the Titans. I'm dealing with a lot of the same things you are from a different perspective. I've never stopped loving you Hank, but I think taking things slow is the best way to get back to where we were, or better then we were."

Hopefully he would understand, she just couldn't jump back into things blindly. He shouldn't either.

"So... we're taking a step back?" he asks, frustrated. "I guess that's better than, 'let's just be friends...'"

"Not really a step back, more of a..holding pattern." Another softly spoken bit of humor to lighten his dark mood.

"You can't tell me you don't have any questions or issues with all that's happened, if we just jumped right into things there is bound to be some problems. If we take our time and ease into it I think it will work better for both of us."

Come on, she was practically the personification of mediation of course she would feel this way.

"All that's happened is I woke up and found out a bunch of stuff happened," he retorts, annoyed, but then the expression fades. "Look, I'm sorry. You have to understand how much this is to take in. I'd never hurt you... and if you need space, you've got it. It's just..." He drops off, frustrated by a lack of words to explain how he feels.

"And I had a child, and had the life I'd lived taken out of me. Want to admit it or not we've both been through things that are a shock to anyone." It was important she make that clear, they both had been taken out of rightful time and displaced into a life that was never meant to be, or so it had seemed.

"So here and now...I am still trying to figure all this out. It means I am trying to figure myself out, what I want. But I know how I feel about you and I can't walk away from that. I know you'd never hurt me, but I've been hurt. We both have to work through that, and we can if we work together. No matter what," And her she used her free hand to gently lift his jaw so his gaze met her own. "I trust you, and nothing not partnership, friendship or love can exist without that."

He quiets. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just be you." She leaned over to rest her head against his. "Well, won't this be a colorful story to tell grandkids someday?"

He gives a rueful chuckle. "I suppose," he admits, giving her a smile.

"Well... if we're going to go back to a holding pattern... can I take you out sometime?"

"Holly would have beaten you senseless if you hadn't asked, and me if I didn't accept." She laughed softly and squeezed the hand she held before letting it go.

"To tell the truth I'd be a little offended if you didn't ask me out."

Hawks and Doves

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