wintershepherd | [TUSHANSHU] IC Inbox

[She doesn't even bother replying.]

[The moment Zatanna saw Jack's announcement...caught a brief glimpse of some of the conversations...well, she was in such a rush, she didn't even bother to grab her jacket. In an instant, she was up and out the window. Climbing over the branches with a practiced ease. Coming to sit on the edge of his windowsill. And she knocked.]

[ It's not Jack who unlatches the window for her but Baby Tooth, chirping worriedly at her and pointing towards the bedroom. The console is quiet for the moment and Jack is on his stomach, one arm dangling off the edge of the bed and tracing lazy whorls of fernfrost on the wooden rings that make up the floor. Despite repeated assurances to the faerie that he was all right, the utterly listless, empty look he wore said otherwise. He barely even shifted his gaze in Zatanna's direction as she entered. ]

[A single glance from Baby Tooth was all it took to realize her suspicions were confirmed.]

Yeah. I know.

[Somehow, she remembered to stop long enough to give the little fairae a small pat on the head in reassurance before heading to Jack's side. Kneeling on the floor, she leaned forward and placed a hand on his head. Stroking his hair, like she always did whenever he needed comfort.]

Hey.

Talk to me. Please?

Hey Zatanna.

[ The words were right but the tone wasn't; he was awake and alert, just lacking any of his usual spark. ]

I'm just taking a break.

[For a moment, she said nothing back. Her lips pressed together, not liking the sound of his tone...but he wasn't in any immediately danger (that she knew of), and the fact that he was at least attempting to talk....]

[Still. She hated seeing him like this.]

What happened?

[A fairly open-ended question, leaving him room to give as much or as little detail as possible, with the silent promise that, no matter what happened, she wouldn't judge.]

[ He doesn't pull away from her hand in his hair but neither does he lean into it like normal. Baby Tooth lands nearby, her jeweled eyes worriedly on both of them. ]

It was like I said.

Gonna need a little more than that to go on.

[She tried to smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't come close to working.]

...in your message, you said something about accidentally letting loose some of your snow, and then going back and trying to remove the magic from it. Is that why you're so...[Not Yourself]...why you're feeling like this? Did you use too much energy?

[ Baby Tooth chirps again, pressing a hand against her chest and then nodding at Jack sadly. ]

No... I feel all right. A little tired.

[Two opposing answers, and the evidence favored Baby Tooth's]

Yeah, well...and you know I say this with love, Jack...you don't really look alright.

Does this, by any chance, have everything to do with what Kyle told you last Spring?

He was right.

[ "Kyle was right. Pitch was right." ]

He can be sometimes. It's one of his more annoying habits.

[Of course, that didn't necessarily mean Zatanna agreed with him.]

But not about you. Trust me. I thnk I've known you long enough by now to know you're one of the good guys. One of the best, even. Whatever he thinks about your powers...you've done way more good than harm.

He knew this would happen though. And I... I even had the nerve to tell him he was wrong.

[ There's something clenched tightly in Jack's other hand, tightly enough that hoarfrost has coated pale fingers and is slowly creeping icy patterns up over his wrist. ]

That what would happen?

[She still doesn't know the whole story. And by now she's learned to try and figure out as much as she can before making snap judgements. Even though she's still sure whatever happened wasn't his fault.]

That I'd end up hurting someone, Zatanna.

[Okay. That could mean a lot of things. Emotionally. Physically. Accidentally.]

[Neither her expression nor tone faltered, and the only change in body language was for her to shift so she could get more comfortable. Continuing the light stroking of his hair. Like a mother soothing a child...or a sister to a brother.]

Whole story. From the top. Don't skip on the details. I can do this all night if I have to.

[ Unfortunately recounting the whole thing again, even to Zatanna, is the last thing Jack wants to do right now. So rather than respond, he just closes his eyes again and lets her play with his hair. ]

[It took a great deal of effort not to sigh in frustration on her part. She had no idea how many times the boy had already relayed the conversation to others, only that he was basically refusing to repeat the occurrence for her sake.]

[But she had told him she would stay all night if that's what it took, and she certainly wasn't about to back down now.]

Okay. Well, in that case, you're giving me permission to completely leave it up to my imagination.

I'm guessing...somebody got hit by your snow glitter again, and it went pretty badly. [Well, yeah, that much was pretty obvious.] Was it an accident?

[ Jack sighs for her. ]

It doesn't matter, does it. It's done now.

It does matter, because you're hurting, and I hate seeing you like this. I know you. I know you'd never abuse your powers or use them to hurt someone on purpose.

But I can't help if you won't talk to me, Jack. You know there's a chance I could end up saying the wrong thing even if I know exactly what's going on. What chance do you think I have if I'm left to make it all up as I go?

[ Baby Tooth speaks up again, cheeps and trills and gesturing with her hands. Whatever she says is impactful enough that Jack buries his face in the mattress and groans loudly. ]

I am not.

[ then to Zatanna: ]

Fine, the magic getting into the snow was an accident, but Spock got caught in it and it made him-- sick, somehow, it threw his mind all out of sorts and then he had to go into a coma or something for a few hours to fix it. Happy?

[You are, was on the tip of her tongue, but she held back for his sake. That much was painfully obvious.]

Okay, first of all, like you said? Accident. And second...there was no way you could've known something like that was going to happen.

In fact...I'm pretty sure I've never heard of somebody getting sick from too much happy before. [Although, from the brief conversation she'd had with the strange Vulcan man, she supposed if it were to happen to anybody, it would be him.]

[She completely ignored the Happy? question for obvious reasons, instead counting back with a question of her own:]

Let me ask you something: remember when I screwed up and accidentally let a wild spell loose on the entire Turtle?

[Normally, she would never gave gone this route...but even as she was speaking, it surprised her just how close the parallel suddenly was. Except, if anything, her "crime"--if you asked Hayley--was far worse than his.]

What if I told you that somebody did get hurt while I was trying to fix it? Would you tell me I should never use my magic again because it was all my fault?

Of course not.

[ He didn't see why that was the same thing. He assumes someone might have injured themselves in an unfamiliar body, or something to that effect. ]

You shouldn't be on the line for something another person did. This was something that I did.

[She tried not to grin, his answer being entirely expected. Of course he would be quick to defend her. Just as she was defending him now.]

Actually, it was something I did, Jack. My spell. My screwup. I'm not saying I should be blamed, either...[okay, maybe a little blame]...but that's my point.

We're in the same boat here. You don't want to see it, but it's kind of really true. We both accidentally used magic that caused someone else to get hurt. We both didn't mean to. So how come you have you take all the blame while I get away scott-free?

[ Jack is silent for a moment and then sits up, sliding to the edge of the bed and wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly, tucking the crown of her head beneath his chin. He had told Damian to stay away from her else Jack would show him exactly how him exactly how much Zatanna meant and they had not been empty words-- the opposite in fact. She meant more to him that he would ever find words for. ]

You're so important. [ punctuated by an extra squeeze ] You really are, Zatanna.

[It was ironic how much warmth could be felt in that hug, despite the fact that she could feel literally goosebumps from the chill his skin radiated. She returned it with equal strength, releived to see him getting up.]

So are you, and don't you ever forget that. [A pause, and then, daring to risk the moment with a pun:] Besides, I love a good cliche and all, but the last thing we need around here is a Blue Christmas.

action - After Jack's Network Post

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