Shutterbug Station 2024

Out of Reach

Final Bonus Day

Prompt Quote: "Do you think we're friends in every universe?"

Category: Angst

Submission: Fanfiction

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Tim flopped onto the couch of the private parlor room.

He really wished he didn't need to attend these galas, he wasn't the only one of course but seriously he deserved to just...not. Just not.

Tim laughed silently to himself, he sounded so mature.

"What's so funny," a sweet but amused voice asked. The door clicked behind her.

Tim brought himself up on his elbows, "Oh you know the usual. Underestimated heir, condescending groups of old men, bleh." Tim shifted onto his back on the last word, "So fun."

Zoé rolled her eyes with an amused and exhausted expression, "I hear that." She laughed and laid across the sitting chair beside the couch, "Everyone keeps asking if I'm looking for a man to take over so I don't have to "worry my head over the company." Like who are these people?"

Tim sighed, "Yep." He popped the p at the end. "As I said, so fun."

Zoé huffed staring at the ceiling. Tim looked over at her, she lay across the chair, legs hanging over the arms. He smiled, Damian would be threatening her to exit his seat that she was so rudely, incorrectly seated in. He wanted to reach for her hand that hung down the seat freely.

Usually, she wore florally decorated dresses, didn't matter the event or the strict dress code. She wore flowers, whether the host didn't complain because of her father or his didn't matter, she got to have all the fun in the world with it. Tonight though she wore a deep blue suit, with some yellow highlights including a single yellow rose pinned to her suit.

She had been his gala buddy since he'd found her hiding at his table, she'd immediately started apologizing and tried to run. He'd always had to chase her after her, even when she was walking he barely kept up somehow.

Tim's eyes slid shut, it had been a lot of fun, sticking together for a decade at these events. Even when he had to leave her to save them.

"Hey, Tim," Zoé's voice was quiet.

Tim looked over at her, "Yeah?"

"Do you," she pursed her lips, squinting at the ceiling. "Do you think we're friends in every universe?" She turned and looked at him after asking.

Tim's throat dried and his eyes stared at her a little too wide. He knew the answer, the real answer. Every single answer had only made him flitter out, more and more, a deeper pit of despair.

"What about Kon or Zoé? What do they think," he yelled at the man before him.

"Zoé is dead, killed, but it doesn't matter," the future him shook his head. "Once I fix it everything she'll be back, like it never happened."

Tim took a step back glancing between the gun that kept being readjusted and his future counterpart, "But what would she think, of any of this?"

"It doesn't matter, she'll be back, everyone that was killed by him will be back," Batman- no, he wasn't Batman, this wasn't Batman, the man sneered at him.

Tim's mind wandered to Kon's return from his multiversal travels. He'd once asked, "How's Zoé in those other Universes? Do you know?"

Kon rubbed his neck, "Oh man, uh. Most of them I didn't really listen. The ones I did I didn't hear her."

"Oh," Tim blinked with a frown. "Okay."

Tim blinked back tears and cleared his throat, "I'd like to hope so."

Zoé nodded, and sighed. She gave him a sad smile, a knowing smile, the one she had when she had undeniable proof, "I'd like to hope so too."

Zoé got up, "We should get back before they say we ditched or something."

"Yeah, yeah," Tim sat up, "I'll be out in a second."

Zoé looked him over, he didn't know when she started doing it so analytically, "Okay, see you out there Tim."

Tim's vision locked onto the cornflower in her hair, he opened his mouth to say something but she was at the door. He shouldn't bother, he'd just watch her lovingly, even if she didn't turn back this time.

Tim looked away once the door clicked shut once more. He pinched the corners of his eyes. He swallowed and looked back to the door. Tim pushed himself up from the couch sprinting to the door.

"Zoé," Tim called. She was at the end of the hall but she had already slid past the doors and was waving at someone. Someone else had already gotten her attention.

Tim took a step forward and stopped. She was always out of reach, every event, every dinner, every night. Zoé Lee was a few feet away from him, there was someone taking her away, something he needed to do away from her, and he could never make it up.

Maybe he wasn't supposed to be at her side. He'd be just a few paces behind her, like always.