꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) dick & gwen.
“I dare you to try to make me cry. Bet you can’t,” Gwen’s eyes were already open like saucers, staring down their opponent like they were actually about to fight, “No sweat, I’m like a rock, baby.”
@reshieldedstart
❛❛ 𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐦 . . . 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐝𝐨 have some tear-jerking stories but that’s on level twenty of our friendship journey. it’s gonna take a little more than a dare to unlock it. ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) dick & cindy.
( @reshieldedstart ! ) “ actually … could you leave the door open ? ”
❛❛ 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 ? 𝐢 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 want the cool air to get out. people are practically melting out there ! ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) dick & donna.
PLAYFULLY SCOFFS BACK AT THEM . gods , she’s missed this . the late night talks . the bantering . they wouldn’t be a team without it . “ yes i do come from a mystical land . however , i’ve lived in man’s world long enough to develop reasonable standards . ” they retort with a light laugh . “ i have no doubt that she must’ve told tons of stories . but i’ll tell her you say hi . when was the last time you’ve seen her , anyways ? ” head turns to look towards the horizon . “ dick and donna take over new york . i like it . sounds like the premise to a reality tv show ! you think we could score a show for ourselves ? we’re a pretty entertaining bunch . ”
𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 , but didn’t they always ? dick scoffed at their scoff , much louder and playful than theirs. ❛❛ yeah ! well , it’s ! ugh , it’s um . . . ❜❜ he isn’t clever enough to think of something witty to say. plus it isn’t like goody two-shoes dick grayson to lie. dick sighed , and quickly responded to distract from his lack of an excuse. ❛❛ i don’t know. i haven’t seen anyone lately. ❜❜ dick leaned dangerously close to the guard rail , ❛❛ i heard bruce talking to her on the phone. i think the league’s getting back together. ❜❜ dick shouldn’t have been spreading that information too openly. but it was donna , he didn’t have any reason not to share anything with them. ❛❛ maybe we should . . . follow ? ❜❜ he cringed at the thought. underneath the assumption that majority of his team had given up on him as a leader ; incapable and unreliable. ❛❛ i mean if the reality show doesn’t get picked up. that’s the real priority. ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) tim & dick.
the other accepts their apology , for which tim is glad — they’ve already got to deal with yo-yo’s temper tantrums ( as if their being here isn’t all her fault anyway ) , they don’t want to have to de-escalate an argument as well . “ yeah . she’s a tawny owl , her name’s yo-yo . ” they offer a wrist for the bird to climb onto , and she hops down onto it , allowing tim to show her off to their companion . “ and of course now she’s behaving , ” they huff , though it’s not terribly sincere .
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 to land gracefully on the other’s wrist. dick’s eyes widened , in awe of the animal. ❛❛ she’s beautiful ! ❜❜ he complimented with a grin. dick leaned his frame just enough to earn a better view of the owl. ❛❛ it’s nice to meet you , yo-yo. ❜❜ he added with his grin intact. dick looked at the other , ❛❛ ha ! she doesn’t look like a troublemaker. ❜❜ dick extended his hand. ❛❛ is it alright if i pet her ? ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) conner & dick.
❛❛ okay . . . but how do i even get in ?! did you take it ? is that why you and kori broke it off ? i thought bruce was just too mean for anyone . . . i’m so lost. ❜❜
𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 of their nose in an attempt to disguise the chuckle bubbling in their chest. ❛❛ nah nah , that’s different. dating extraterrestrial beings requires a different curriculum. i haven’t graduated from that yet. ❜❜ he explained. ❛❛ bruce isn’t too mean. he’s too sensitive. ❜❜ he leaned in towards con with a smirk. ❛❛ just between you and me i think cass is gonna be my step aunt or something. ❜❜ dick stood closely beside con with a curious expression. ❛❛ soooo are you going to tell me who the lucky person you have in your life is ? ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) james & dick.
dick’s answer raises more questions than it answers — namely , if you know it’s always rigged, why is there any point in rigging it — but he doesn’t voice those thoughts aloud . instead , rhodey shrugs . “ there are some costs that are too great , no matter what kind of person you are ; there are lines even the worst people don’t cross . but not everyone you show mercy to will respond in kind … i learned that the hard way . ” and not everyone on the same side shares the same values , so where he might want to spare a life another soldier might not hesitate to shoot to kill . “ besides , any weight is nothing compared to the several hundred pounds that my armour weighs ” he jokes . “ more seriously , though , it’s a weight that i would take on a million times over if it means that those i care about are safe . ”
𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 together. strong enough for his knuckles to flush white. the statement began to register in his mind , ❛❛ i’m still learning. ❜❜ the response is . . . innocent but there’s an ominous energy that surrounded it. dick was lost before , now he’s lost more than ever. the world felt unforgiving , cold. he didn’t know how much warmth was left in him. ❛❛ you’re smart. ❜❜ he reminded him of alfred ; wise in the good way not the condescending way. ❛❛ do you have kids ? sorry if that’s too personal. i feel like you’d be a good dad. ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) jon & dick.
&
“Yeah, yeah. And how’d that turn out for you?” He’d never been fond of Gotham. It had been the family farm with its wide clear skies and shitty satellite internet, and, for a little while, it had been Metropolis and its gleaming glass towers and golden sunsets. Jon belonged in the sunlight and the open air; Gotham was grim and damp and claustrophobic, a place only a family like the Waynes could survive. They’d only spent time there on Official Business (which usually meant visiting Damian in an honest-to-god actual real mansion). New York wasn’t Hamilton, or even Metropolis, but it wasn’t Gotham, either. It was somewhere in between. Something he could work with. Jon leaned over Dick’s shoulder, watching him scroll through his pictures. “Wait, no, go back,” they said. “Please tell me that was a picture of you all wearing matching Christmas sweaters.”
Jon laughed and leaned against the railing just an inch too far; gravity hadn’t been a concern of his in a very long time. “Hmmmm… Wow. Okay. I’m gonna go race track. Easy. Less room for him to hide.”
𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 on the road , dick took what he could get with gotham. it wasn’t comparable to metropolis’ swanky skyscrapers or kansas’ open fields but it was home for most , if not all his life. new york shared it’s similarities with gotham. it’s seedy neighborhoods , internalized crimes. it followed big cities like a sick shadow . . . the only difference was he didn’t hear the echo of a maniacal laugh terrorizing the open streets.
𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡 , 𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐤 scrolled a few images back to show jon the picture in question. ❛❛ it’s a wayne family tradition apparently. ❜❜ dick always believed that the waynes were functional in a non-traditional way. they were far from nuclear but they functioned in their own unique way. he zoomed in on alfred’s image who’d grown much older , haggard through the years. his health coming in question more often than not. dick missed him. ❛❛ alfred would tell me stories. ❜❜ he added with a soft , audible sigh. dick licked his lips , ❛❛ oh ? so now you’re that confident ? ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) tim & dick.
tim looks up abruptly , realising their mistake . “ no , no ! not you ! i was talking to my bird … ” that sounds worse , really — but hey , as long as the other person knows they don’t have anything against him , they can live with being seen as weird . they kinda are , after all . “ i swear , i didn’t even realise you were there . ”
𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞 and titled his head slightly to the side ; registering what the other had confessed to him. he nodded his head. ❛❛ okay. yeah. a bird. ❜❜ surely he had experienced weirder scenarios. ❛❛ it’s fine. ❜❜ dick reassured with a gentle wave of his hand. ❛❛ so you have a pet bird ? ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) conner & dick.
❝ wait ! . . . they have classes for that ? ❞
❛❛ how do you think your folks got together !? there’s a reason why bruce isn’t settled down yet , bro ! don’t be like him. you gotta enroll asap. ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) donna & dick.
HANDS REACH UP TO tug at her hood so that it rests a little more comfortably . “ yeah , yeah . i get it , ” rolls their eyes at him . “ you’re homesick , ” she’ll tease . her head turns to face dick , eyes immediately landing on his phone screen . “ i’m glad you agree that this is a step up from gotham , though ! i was waiting to see how long you were going to deny it . ” a hint of a smile graces the amazonian’s features as dick swipes through his selection of photos . she doesn’t miss the way he’s quick to dismiss bruce , no matter how subtle he thinks he’s being . “ you’re seriously asking if i’d rather fight a clown ? the guy’s got more lives than me ! now the dude with two electrical whips on a race track sounds interesting . i think i could take him . you ? ”
𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 never allowed mourning to depart , it was strange to have donna back in their life. however he couldn’t complain. the group needed their heart of the team back. ❛❛ oh shut up. ❜❜ he responded with a scoff. ❛❛ you come from a mystical land. everywhere looks like a shithole in comparison. ❜❜ he explained with a shake of his head. ❛❛ your sister used to tell me stories about it when i was a kid. tell her i said hey. ❜❜ his politeness for the league wouldn’t allow him to say otherwise. dick glanced at donna. ❛❛ our mentors might have something to do with that. ❜❜ he clicked his tongued before scooting down the rail to stand closer to donna. ❛❛ you and me could take down anyone , anything , anytime ! ❜❜ he extended his arm to dramatically gesture to the skyline. ❛❛ dick and donna take over new york ! it has a nice ring to it. ❜❜
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꙳ ⋆ ⌕. ( 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. ) thorn & dick.
❝ why would you want to live in a shit hole ? ❞ thorn hadn’t been in gotham long , in fact the time they did spend in the city was mostly holed up in pamela’s home. never saw the city outside of bedroom window panel: though , if they had gotten their hands wrapped around the crime ridden infestation — surely there would have been a longer tug towards the polluted shit hole. not that thorn cared much for the other’s business , but she can’t help the way her eyes shift over dick’s shoulder. unfamiliar faces hugging at the other , it looked warm . . . uptight and far from whatever dynamic the isley’s had. there’s a disconnect from thorn , a shift in their place as they press a lukewarm coffee to their lips. ❝ clown , but just because there’s no fight. what about you ? ❞
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 , dick thought. his hand tangle the strings of his hoodie as he contemplates an answer. ❛❛ because my family lives there. ❜❜ despite their dysfunction dick not only valued his found family but adored them. believing that if it wasn’t for them he’d be venturing into a dangerous path. ❛❛ they make it worth it , plus we live in a mansion so --- ❜❜ he trailed off , cringing slightly that he’d come to the point in his life where he’d hold money in such a high regard. it wasn’t like him to do so , but he wasn’t feeling like himself lately anyways. ❛❛ electric whip dude. the clown gets old and boring after awhile. ❜❜ he answered with a shrug. dick pointed at thorn’s coffee , ❛❛ that’s probably gross by now huh ? let me get you a new one. ❜❜
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。꙳ 𝟎𝟎𝟏. 🐣 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 . . . BRUCE.
HE COULD VIVDLY REMEMBER THE EVENING when a bat fought for its breath on the mantle of his father’s portrait. the sordid image remains in his conscious to remind him why he adopted the title as the caped crusader , the batman. while the death of thomas and martha wayne was a motivator for bruce to become the myth he quickly established a boundary - - - because if he didn’t what good would come to the citizens of gotham ? a city consumed with crime it didn’t need yet another FREAKSHOW terrorizing the streets. he had his code : JUSTICE NOT VENGEANCE ; and after those agonizing years in the himalayas it was a difficult code to forfeit. along with the code bruce carried secrecy that he rarely considered to be a burden. it wasn’t difficult for a LONELY MAN to have secrets. with everyone at an arm’s length bruce’s absence on multiple occasions big or small rarely caused any suspicion. the emotional weight of batman didn’t exist during these times. it was him , alfred and the sinatra record he liked to listen to after trudging the gotham city sewers. the image he painted for himself seemed to be permanent until the doors of the dark manor opened and entered a tiny bluebird.
MEETING DICK GRAYSON WAS NEVER intentional. but neither were miracles. fifteen years ago bruce wayne was running late to a circus show. he approached the pinstriped tent and only inches away from it he could hear the morbid screams ; a suitable reaction to the tragedy of THE FLYING GRAYSONS. the aftermath of the tragedy left a sole survivor that bruce believed he had an obligation to. he followed him , adopted him and provided him a life . . . a chance. what bruce failed to predict was the weight he carried from loss wasn’t singular to him and soon enough dick would desire to resolve his survivor's guilt. at the time the LOGICAL solution was to create another alter ego that would be personal to dick and operate as an EXTENSION to batman. when it all began the lines were concrete but as time passed and the weight of what it meant to be a hero only increased and those lines became blurred. bruce’s negligence to reinforce them is what brings them here at an odds. the similarities between them remain but bruce’s remarkable inability to rationalize with dick is what keeps them apart.
❝ dick. are you out of your mind !? ❞ bruce lifts his brows with his eyes darting in dick’s direction. his forthright behavior wasn’t entirely new to bruce. the two had shared a handful of heated arguments but it was incomparable to the DISRESPECT he was greeted with today. ❝ i’m not THREATENING you with my death. it’s inevitable. it’s a goddamn miracle i’m still here today and we can’t keep depending on miracles. ❞ the feeling of discomfort sits high in his chest , high enough for it to be translated onto his expression. being held ACCOUNTABLE wasn’t something he needed someone else to do for him. his laundry list of mistakes followed him like a sick shadow. ❝ your inability to accept criticism shouldn’t encourage you to insult me , dick. even more so when you know damn well i carry those mistakes with me. but unlike you i choose to learn from them not keep them at bay to use as LEVERAGE in an argument while drinking a pink drink at starbucks. ❞ he struggles to keep his anger at bay but a singular exhale allows him to keep his composure.
HE FOLLOWS DICK OUT THE DOOR the contrast of the quiet cafe to the bustling city life rings in his ear. he reaches outward to earn a grip on the younger’s arm. he gives it a pull , ❝ i’m not afraid you’ll be better. ❞ he admits over the heavy street traffic. ❝ because you already are. ❞ he holds each side of dick’s arm and looks down at him. ❝ i’m afraid people will take advantage of that. you’re a good kid , dick. ❞ his sincerity is present. if it wasn’t for dick the hope he earned for the subsequent robins wouldn’t have existed. he was more than a prodigy but A PILLAR in the legacy of batman.
what weighed more ? the survivor's guilt or the mantle he was expected to uphold . . . the death of his family , or the death of a son’s future ? richard grayson wasn’t an orphan groveling in the streets of gotham then saved by a messiah in a tom ford suit , but a beloved son from a loving family. during his evolution as robin a part of dick believed that he would be able to heal. his idolization of bruce was rooted in his ability to create an an image of strength and justice after an unspeakable tragedy. dick wanted to paint the same image but as time progressed he realized that the paints in his palette weren’t the same as his adoptive fathers . . . and the image he needed to complete required him to find a new set of paints ; shades of bright blues contrasting his bleak blacks.
bruce was able to fill a role in dick’s life but failed to replace what he needed most : a father. in dick’s quest to ensure that his successors wouldn’t suffer the same fate , he lost his chance to integrate into the family himself. filling the role of not only batman but the compassionate patriarch the wayne family needed to function. he felt a sense of betrayal when bruce decided that his personal desires outweighed his personal obligations. dick assumed that he was far more interested in gallivanting with his laundry list of romantic partners instead of being a dad. guess being a billionaire playboy sounded a whole lot cooler than billionaire dad. but these were all assumptions , nobody really knows our fathers anyway.
dick’s weakness was and remains to be his tender heart. with his emotions kept at the surface it was easy to get lost in the tide. it felt foolish to allow himself to act on emotion in front of bruce , who time and time again reminded dick the dangers of it. his warning in the cafe earlier rang in his ears louder than the street traffic. absent-ish father , sure. but he did have good advice. dick felt a tug on his arm before it being followed by a pull. he doesn’t fight it as he doesn’t see the point in doing so. he knew it was bruce fighting for a second chance , like he always did.
brows knitted together he’s unable to look at the older man. instead his sight is attached to bruce’s chest ( considering that was his eye-level ). ❛❛ i’m getting really sick of your shit , bruce. ❜❜ he confessed. ❛❛ the only person taking advantage of my kindness is you. because out of everyone i know , you know where to hit where it hurts. ❜❜ he inhaled a breath. ❛❛ and it’s because you want me to stay. but you can’t keep me by your side forever , bruce. you can’t. you have to let me go. ❜❜ he didn’t suggest , he pleaded. dick looked up at his elder. the presence of tears kissed his lashes. ❛❛ i will always be there for you. for the family , you’re my dad and i love you. but you need to let me do my thing , yeah ? yeah. ❜❜ he fumbled over his words but meant every one of them. ❛❛ i’ll --- i’ll help you though. i’ll always be there. ❜❜
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。꙳ 𝟎𝟎𝟏. 🐣 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 . . . RHODEY.
finding a young vigilante on a rooftop is an unsurprisingly common experience for rhodey , though usually both he and they are in their suits . to have neither be in a suit is an even rarer experience ( except for with miles , of course ) & he relishes the lack of pressure it brings . no risks of his conversational partner vanishing into the night , nor himself being drawn away by an alert . would you rather is something he has fond memories of playing in university , and a good way to get to know people — though , the question the young person supplies raises an eyebrow . “ is this a trick question ? like , is the warehouse rigged with explosives ? although , thinking about it , i’d rather fight vanko on the race track , ‘cause if i fought him he wouldn’t have been coming back . that would have saved us a lot of pain later on . ”
the shadow of an older , wise adult constantly loomed over the young vigilante. dick wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of having such figures in his life. he valued them but he seemed to prioritize independence lately to fulfill his urge to graduate from sidekick , vigilante , to finally hero. dick snorted , ❛❛ i’m not good at tricks , mister rhodes. ❜❜ his response is polite , like the good kid he is --- or the good kid he’s expected to be. ❛❛ of course it’s rigged , it’s always rigged. when you least expect it , expect it typa deal. ❜❜ he explained the fantastical idea that could only exist in gotham city. dick scratched his head. ❛❛ i’m guessing you’re the get the job done regardless of the cost kinda guy. how do carry that weight ? ❜❜
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꙳ 🐣 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 . . . @reshieldedstart !
❛❛ that’s because it is a shithole. ❜❜ dick reassured with a bit of a grin. soft yet sad. a mix of feeling that slowly became a permanent fixture on dick’s expression ; regardless of how often he attempted to disguise it. ❛❛ but it’s my shithole. okay ? i practically grew up there. ❜❜ he swiped past a few images on his camera roll --- one with hayley , another with babs , an obligatory found family photo , and then finally one with him and bruce. dick scoffed and promptly locked his device before slipping it into the pocket of his hoodie. his elbows propped on on the railing and his eyes locked onto the city skyline. the new york lights mimicking daylight. ❛❛ so yeah , this place beats gotham city. you win that round. ❜❜ his eyes flickered to the guest beside him. ❛❛ okay. my turn. ❜❜ he tapped his chin playfully. ❛❛ would you rather fight a dude with two electrical whips on a race track or a maniacal clown in an abandoned warehouse ? ❜❜
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dick just can’t catch a break :/
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。꙳ 𝟎𝟎𝟏. 🐣 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 . . . JESSICA.
@reshieldedstart jessica jones open starter !
“WATCH IT!” the woman hisses unamused as someone had the audacity to bump into her on the busy street. people these days didn’t seem to have a sense of decency did they? annoyed jessica practically snarls at the person in front of her, “ do me a favor and pay attention to where the fuck you’re walking!” she was definitely coming off as far too aggressive and rather blunt, but jessica never really had the patience to deal with people’s bullshit. “ i can’t deal with this right now, so how about you apologize for ramming into me, and i’ll agree not to punch you in the face?” seemed like a very good deal to her, “ deal?”
the street was busy but dick had something a busy street didn’t , rhythm. with his gymnastics background the previous robin was able to glide his way through the streets with ease. the method wasn’t foolproof and this incident was proof of it. though dick was sure his footsteps were accurate enough to prevent it. he cocked his head backward a bit . . . taken aback by the woman’s vicious nature. ❛❛ hey ! don’t talk to me like that. i might fall in love with you. ❜❜ wrong time for a joke but it was fitting for dick’s nonchalant nature. ❛❛ i’m down for the type of woman who can kick my ass , but c’mon. ❜❜ he shrugged. ❛❛ it was an accident. besides , you’re the one who bumped into me first. ❜❜
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