i hate to see your heart break [ft.robin&jonathan]

Jonathan sat on one of the higher sand mounds in the beach, watching the waves loll about the shoreline. He looked rather... intense, for lack of a better word. His jaw was set, and his eyes were swords waiting to strike. Not really the kind of face anyone would find Jonathan wearing. The lines on his forehead were a tad too many, and there were even shadows under his eyes.

Maybe it was enough reason for people not to bother him. Jonathan knew that he was a familiar face to most, being an ex-cabin leader. They knew him, they knew how nice he was and how the smile on his face never seemed to melt off, and now the very image of him was contradicting the image he had built up. Jonathan didn't look like Jonathan. If that even made sense.

It didn't stop someone from approaching though...

"Hi, um, I couldn't help but notice the tension..."

Jonathan suddenly perked up, his eyes flicking upward to meet the gaze of a worried redhead. Only then did Jonathan realize that he was gripping the sand so much that his knuckles showed. Casually dusting his hands off, he put on a strained smile.

"Hello. Don't worry about it. I was just thinking about something."

The red-haired girl continued to give him that anxious look, and Jonathan couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

"Really, don't worry about it."

He watched her nervously fidget with her fingers, a slight pout on her lips. It was a few more seconds before she spoke. "I'm sorry, but I've been watching you for a while and you seem a little troubled - but don't get the wrong idea, okay? I'm not a stalker I swear." She took a deep breath. "Do you need someone to talk to? I mean, it sounds weird coming from a total stranger, but yeah..."

Interesting. Jonathan considered her quietly. He wasn't banking on a random camper approaching him today. Iris, he could understand. She was his half-sister after all. But he didn't even know this redhead, let alone seen her before... Maybe it showed on his face, because the girl slapped her forehead in realization.

"Oh! I'm Robin by the way, daughter of Tyche," she finished with a grin.

Jonathan nodded his head in acknowledgment. "I'm Jonathan, Aphrodite. Nice to meet you."

"Aphrodite, huh? That would explain everything," Robin said, laughing a little, and Jonathan felt uncomfortable under her now scrutinizing gaze. "Actually there's a horde of girls spying on you from over there" - she pointed to a clump of bushes a distance away - "and when I walked past I swear I heard a camera click."

A chuckle escaped Jonathan's lips before he could think. He highly doubted it was true, and Robin probably said it to try and lighten up the atmosphere. In fact, as he chuckled, he saw her smile grow wider.

"So, what's the matter?"

Jonathan sighed at the question, not really knowing how to respond. He ruffled his brown hair nervously. Robin had nice intentions and all, and he didn't want to be a snob who pushed her away. "I just lost someone important to me," he said carefully, his eyes set on the shoreline. "That's all."

Silence reigned, and Jonathan didn't bother to look at her. When she spoke again, her voice was softer than before. "To the zombies?"

"No, not like that... It's my dad."

The words were wrenched out against his will, and his chest suddenly felt a thousand times tighter. Such simple words... yet they had as much impact as a bullet train crashing into him at full speed.

For a few moments he thought Robin had left, mostly because of the silence. He had already turned away when he heard slight scuffling to his right, and his head quickly snapped to the girl who had now taken the place beside him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she murmured. Was it just him or was she not meeting his gaze?

Jonathan shrugged. Really, what else was there to say? Somehow, 'thank you' didn't sound quite right to him, even in his head.

"I really am," Robin insisted, and Jonathan noticed how she looked off into the distance, as though concentrating on the point the sea and the sky met. "I lost my dad too, you know. A few months ago. He left one night and never came home."

The sudden confession alarmed him. They hardly knew each other, after all. Pretty soon, the very words Jonathan had trouble replying to were now worming their way out of his lips: "I'm sorry."

But Robin waved him off with a sad smile. "S'alright. I'm sure I'll see him again someday," she sighed. "I ran away a few weeks ago. Not because of the sadness or any of that stuff, though it may have been part of the reason. It's just... I want to find him." She barked a laugh, a hollow sound mingling with the calm waves. "Stupid plan, right?"

A hesitant smile played on Jonathan's lips. "No, not really."

Robin's laugh became louder. "Don't sugarcoat. I know it's stupid. But at least I ended up in here... it's loads better than wandering off alone in the streets of New York - hang on, what am I rattling on about? Ugh sorry, Jonathan, everything just came out. Go ahead, spill all your inner guts out. I promise I'll listen, and I also swear to keep my mouth shut from now on."

"Athan's much less of a mouthful," Jonathan pointed out, still smiling a little. "Some people call me that."

"Athan... yeah, that's definitely much shorter. I was going to call you Jon actually, but if you prefer Athan then I'll call you that." She quickly slapped a hand to her lips, the gesture making Jonathan give a little start. "Shoot, I swore to keep my mouth shut... it's so uncontrollable. I swear I won't talk starting... now."

But what only followed was silence. Silence, silence, and more silence. The only sounds that filled the air were of the waves crashing against the shore.

It took about a minute for Robin to forget about her promise.

"Um, Athan, in case you missed it, that was your cue to talk."

Jonathan gave a short burst of laughter. Funny girl. He didn't know whether to feel relieved that he had someone to talk to, or feel irritated because of it.

He never was the type to talk about himself. Come to think of it, it may be why his emotions remain bottled up. He always shut that jar of emotions tight, careful not to even let the slightest bit of air slip. Just twist and lock and poof - no one needed to know how Jonathan Adams ticked.

And of course, today was no exception.

"Sorry, I'm just not really in the mood to talk about it," he said politely, hoping that Robin would understand.

Thankfully, it appeared that she did. She nodded and smiled. "It's okay." She hesitated. "Do you mind if I stay here though? The breeze is nice and cool. You picked a great spot."

"Thanks, and sure."

And then there was silence. Again. But like before, it didn't last long.

"I'm sorry if I came off as pushy," Robin suddenly burst out, fidgeting with her fingers like before. Jonathan supposed it was a nervous habit. "It's just... you looked so sad and mad and, and..."

"And?"

"...and I just don't like seeing people like that," Robin finished softly, almost as if she was embarrassed about it. Her next words were barely a whisper. "It makes me feel a little sad too."

Something about her words took Jonathan aback. There was a ring of something in her voice that he couldn't instantly identify. Was it sympathy? No, that wasn't it... It sounded somewhat like a child speaking, like a small child trying to bring comfort to their parent. Weird analogy, but it was the first thing that popped into his mind.

"I'm sorry for that," Jonathan finally said, unsure how to respond.

"No, I should be sorry for bothering you and all," Robin said, her smile turning apologetic.

"It's okay, Robin, I appreciate it."

Robin nodded, before turning back to the sea. "It's okay to be sad for a little while, but don't let it become a habit, okay? Smile every now and then. Besides, you look so much cuter when you smile."

"Uh... thanks..?"

"I was actually quoting one of your fangirls with that last sentence, but I agree," Robin admitted cheekily, then she half-turned and yelled, "HEY! GIRL WITH THE CAMERA! HE SAYS THANKS!"

Jonathan had to admit - Robin had a nice sense of humor. He didn't know whether she was joking or not, but he still ended up laughing his face off.

Robin was grinning widely as well. "That's a lot better."

It took him a few moments to regain control of himself. "Thanks for that."

"Anytime." She took a deep breath. "You know, I should probably take a leaf out of your book and this time - this time, I swear I will keep the silence so we can enjoy looking at the scenery. How does that sound?"

When Jonathan smiled, it didn't feel forced anymore. "Fine by me."

This time, she really did keep her promise.