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thejusticelounge2014-10-29 09:05 am
bossymarmalade) wrote in thejusticelounge2014-10-29 09:05 am
common ground
Tim doesn’t mean to eavesdrop as he’s wandering through the hallways, but he recognizes Jason’s voice and Jaime’s voice and he remembers what happened last time he walked in on them. Curious he nears them, peeking in from the open doorway. “Not kissing this time?” he asks when he sees them and notices the tension in the air.
Zee heads down the hall in search of another slice of cake. Passing by Tim, she lightly taps the back of his head, “What is it with Robin’s and spying?” she asks out loud, continuing down the hall. “Nosey.” she adds, scolding him lightly. Seeing him peering into the open room reminded her of Damian oddly enough.
"Yeah." And that’s about all he has to say on the matter. Maybe he’s being paranoid, but when it comes to the Joker, he can’t really stop himself. He manages a very faint smile in return as he nods. "Something like that, yeah. And… when I was getting him outta there, he started acting all weird and foaming at the mouth, wanna figure out if something’s wrong with him—" He cuts himself off abruptly when Tim enters the room, eyes narrowing as they flick over to him. "Even if we were, don’t see how it’s any of your business."
Tim glances her way as she walks by, not truly bothered by her words. He was nosey, yes, but at least she didn’t call him a know-it-all like Ollie did. He turns to Jason and narrows his eyes at his hostility. “Relax, I’m not here to keep you two lovers apart if that’s what you’re being so angry about. Besides, if you don’t want to be caught, do it somewhere more private,” he counters as he walks up to them, but mainly Jaime. “I came here to congratulate Jaime, is all,” he says with a much lighter and friendlier tone.
Jaime blinks. He’s about to ask about the foaming, because — seriously, like rabies? Rabies? That’s not normal, and he wants to know more, but Jason cuts himself off and Jaime feels his face flush a little at Tim’s question. Oh, man. His ears go even redder when Tim uses that word, that word that isn’t anything close to what they are. “We aren’t— I don’t even like him,” he protests, a little too loudly. Sorry if he hurt your feelings, dude, but… y’know. He manages a thoroughly embarrassed smile as Tim approaches, but it takes him a second to find words. “Cong— oh. Oh, thanks,” he replies, trying not to sound too exasperated. “There’s, uh. Cake. If you want it. …You probably already saw it.”
Jason is very glad he already finished his coffee, because he probably would have spat it out if he had been taking a sip when Tim called them ‘lovers’. “What he said, he likes me less than you do, and that’s saying something.” He’s not really offended, it’s true, Jaime doesn’t like him, but that’s not really news. Most people don’t, but for good reason. “Getting more coffee,” he mutters and then gets up to go fiddle with the coffee machine, mostly to put as much distance between himself and Tim as he can without actually leaving the room.
Zee heads back into the room with two slices of cake, passing one over to Tim as she takes a seat. “Happy birthday again.” she smiles to Jaime as she takes a large frosting filled bite of cake.
Tim ignores the cake, giving Zee a thankful nod, and watches the duo while crossing his arms. “If Jaime likes you less than I do, should we be making out all night long then?” He asks teasingly, not truly buying their dislike just yet. He is familiar with the ‘caught in the moment’-type of kiss, but they seemed so into it, so familiar with it, that there should be something more going on. Tim can feel it.
Jason says nothing, simply lifting a hand to give Tim a one finger salute without even turning to look at him.
Tim smirks at Jason, deciding to get off his back while they’re not yelling or attacking each other. He turns to the cake in front of him, imagines the calories he will consume with one bite and takes one anyway. “Did anything fun on your birthday? he asks to change the topic.
Jaime is busy being a red-faced mess when Zee wishes him a happy birthday again, and he manages an awkward smile through the fluster. Tim sure knows how to hit the right buttons. “…Uh. Just… my parents had a barbecue that was coincidentally the same day as my birthday, so there was that,” he replies, finding words and stressing how coincidental it really was (not at all). “And then I came up here. So I mean, uh. I guess,” he finishes, willing his face to stop being so hot.
"Aw that sounds nice. No presents?" Zee asks lightly. Maybe getting Jaime a small gift wouldn’t be a bad idea. She had eaten at least a fourth of a cake by now…
Tim chews in silence, taking note of Jaime’s flushed face. Is he embarrassed about the misunderstanding or embarrassed because it’s the truth? Tim will find out soon enough, he assures himself mentally.
Jaime swivels to face her, shifting in his seat. His face looks… better, now. The tips of his ears are still bright red, though. “I — yeah, I got a few. My family… they’re big into birthdays and stuff,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “What’d, uh. You guys do today?” he asks, trying to talk about something that hopefully won’t loop right back around to the jerk by the coffee machine.
"Phone meetings mostly." she shrugs. "Nowhere near as fun as a birthday." Zee can’t help but notice the dropping flush in Jaime’s face, and takes it as a compliment. Hopefully he was thinking of her (and other older members of the League) less as sir and ma’m and more as colleges at least. Maybe friends even. "Oh, and I went shopping!" she adds with a wide smile, "But that’s, you know. Shopping." maybe Steph or Babs would be more interested in her recent splurges.
Tim licks the icing off his finger. He doesn’t know a thing about shopping unless it’s online and therefore let’s the topic be. “I finished moving to Titan Tower, hung out with Kon most of the day,” he answers and realizes his birthday is coming up in 2 to 3 weeks as well. He better not visit the Manor around that time to avoid Damian’s prankster gifts, although he knows Alfred won’t be pleased with his absence.
Jaime glances over, quirking an eyebrow. “You’re moving into the tower?”
Tim nods. “Bruce isn’t thrilled about it,” he says suddenly no longer interested in the cake. Dick and Alfred aren’t thrilled either, but it’s not healthy for them to gather at the Manor, not if he can’t get along with Jason or Damian. The Manor is big, but not big enough to prevent daily arguments. “I get along better with the Titans than my own family at the moment.”
Jaime nods. He… well, he doesn’t know a lot about the whole messy family thing, but he’s pretty sure Damian would be hard to get along with. Especially trying to live with him. Yikes. “They’re pretty chill,” he replies, trying to sound upbeat. “Kinda miss hanging out with them. Should visit.” He’d like to express like, sympathy or something — but he’s apparently the one person on the Watchtower that doesn’t come from a strained household or a sordid past or anything. Who would’ve thought being stable would actually be a problem? “How’s Supes?”
Tim gives short chuckle that sounds like he’s unconvinced. “Say hi when you do,” he tells the birthday boy. He can use Jaime to tame Jason’s temper, but that still leaves Damian’s wrath to deal with. Perhaps if Dick keeps his word of talking to the brat, it is possible to viti the Manor as well. Tim leans back in his seat. “Kon is being his usual arrogant self.” He actually smiles at that. “He helped me move and I still owe him a pizza.”
Jaime resists the urge to make a face. That laugh sounded a little… patronizing, but maybe he’s still on edge because of Red Jerkface. He does pick up on how Tim’s demeanor changes when he mentions Kon, though. That’s… interesting. “By helped you move, you mean he carried everything in one go?” he asks, a little teasingly.
Tim snorts at Jaime’s question. “He tried to, yes, but I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own luggage. Most of it, anyway. I handed him the heaviest bag,” Tim explained with a grin. “He looked so damn pleased with himself, seriously,” he adds with a sigh that says he predicted Kon behave like that.
Jaime just laughs. Tim’s definitely not alone in assuming he’d do something like that, from what Jaime remembers… yeah, it seems fitting. “Was really cool of him to help, though. Moving across the country’s gotta be rough.”
Tim nods, remembering the fuss with public transport because he refused to utilize Bruce’s vehicles. “Traffic was terrible. Sometimes I wish I could fly, too,” Tim comments.
Jaime leans back, setting his laptop down on the table. Not like he’s using it. “I think most people do. I’m kinda jealous of the people that can do it minus the psycho voice in my head.” pause. “No offense, Khaji.”
Tim finishes his cake in the end now that he’s in a better mood. He agrees whole-heartedly with Jaime, wondering how the boy is able to concentrate at all with a voice constantly interrupting his thoughts. Often it is difficult enough to drown out the voices of his allies. “How’s Khaji treating you these days? Does it get any easier to ignore him when you want to?”
Jaime shrugs, smiling a little awkwardly. “It’s… better. We’ve uh, worked things out. Most things. Can’t really ignore it, but it’s kind of weird and lonely when it doesn’t talk. And that probably means I’m crazy.” Laughing a little, he shakes his head. “Dude, if someone ever offers you superpowers in exchange for an angry parasite, don’t take the offer.”
Tim laughs a little at the odd deal Jaime describes. “I’ll keep it in mind,” he says giving him a sympathetic smile. “It’s admirable how you keep the upper hand. Besides, everyone’s a little crazy,” he comments with a glance towards Jason’s brooding figure at the coffee machine, wondering if he’ll be able to go over and get some coffee as well without getting maimed.
Jason It’s not a safe bet. He’s on his fourth cup of coffee now and starting to get a little twitchy. Maybe just hanging out there for ages to avoid talking to anyone wasn’t his best idea. Oh well, he’s made his choice. Time for cup number five.
Jaime laughs, a little too loudly. “Yeah, yeah everyone here is… just. You can’t be a hero without missing a few screws, apparently.”
Jason mutters something under his breath about not being a hero before downing the last of cup five and moving on to six.
Tim stands while laughing. “Exactly, learned that the hard way when Dick cheerfully told me to leap off a building when I first started as Robin.” Tim snorts at the memory and walks over to his muttering brother. He eyes him carefully and reaches over for a cup of coffee. “Hope you left some for the others,” he tells Jason to proof he did keep an eye on the man’s coffee consumption.
That’s the real reason he kills people, too much energy. just drinks 5 pots of coffee & beats up rapists to get the energy out. Jaime catches that. Thanks, Khaji. “Can’t be a serial killer, either,” he adds flatly, not looking back at him.
Jason flips Tim off again and wanders over to the windows with cup seven in one hand.
Tim glares after Jason and down an entire cup of coffee. What a jerk. He gets another cup and returns to Jaime. “What was that?” he asks absentmindedly.
Jaime sneers a little at Jason’s back. Mature. “Nothing.”
Tim sips from his coffee, wondering if he should be going so Jason opens his mouth again, but doesn’t want to because he has every right to be here, too. He nods at Jaime and stays silent.
Jason isn’t going to fight back, because he gets why both of them don’t like him, and he doesn’t blame them at all. That doesn’t mean he’s got to be happy about it though, so he’s just going to stare petulantly out into space. Maybe being trapped in an air lock for a few days wouldn’t be so bad, he’d get to stop dealing with people after all.
Jaime glances between the two. …No, no, he’s pretty sure Tim dislikes Jason way more than he does. They at least talk to each other sometimes, and occasionally it’s not totally terrible. “So… not that it’s any of my business, but what’s the deal with you two?”
Tim tenses and gives Jaime a warning look, not entirely sure it’s wise for him to know about their past. His eyes shift to Jason’s back. “We never got along,” he offers lamely.
"Got pissed when I found out he replaced me and beat the shit outta him a few times," he says bluntly, not caring whether or not Jaime knows. He can’t think any less of him at this point, so he doesn’t see why he should bother hiding it.
Jaime blinks. “Oh.” …Yeeeep. Sounds like Jason. The warning look is noticed, although he’s choosing to kind of ignore it. He’s nosy and… well. Really nosy. “Do all the Robins have a thing about being replaced, or is that just a Jason thing?”
Tim grits his teeth and his cheeks flare bright red in anger and embarrassment. “You are such a jerk, Jason. Dick never gave you a hard time!” he growls at the broader man. “And to make matters worse I got the new Robin on my back as well, claiming I never did the Robin act justice!” Tim exclaims in fury and frustration if not a bit of desperation. By now his entire face is flushed and he is breathing harshly. Only Dick is ever kind to him and he kind of wishes he was here right now.
Jason finally turns around to glance at Tim, one eyebrow rising. “Oh please, Dick was pissed as hell when he found out, he tied me up and shoved me in a phone booth.” He should stop there, but probably because he’s incredibly jittery at the moment, he keeps going. “Dick got over it pretty quick, cause he knew it was Bruce he should’ve been pissed at. And you’ve gotta stop listening to Damian, he’s just trying to show all of us up cause he wants to make daddy proud.” There’s a pause as he sips at his coffee. “You did just fine as Robin, little bird,” he says softly, and then his attention is back on the window. One nice thing a day is about the max he’s got in him when it comes to non-Dick brothers.
Jaime raises an eyebrow. That was… nice. That was a lot nicer than he was expecting from Tim’s reaction. Uh. …Is this even Jason? Is this Clayface or something? Body snatcher? He glances over at Tim, shrugging a little.
Tim opens his mouth and closes it, trying to gather his thoughts and the proper words to voice his state of mind. ”Thank you, I guess.” Not that it makes up for all the shit he put me through, Tim thinks with a red face. He lifts a hand to his head and sighs, feeling a headache coming up. Angry Jason is easy to deal with, but kind Jason? What the hell.
Jaime glances between the two again, and leans towards Tim. “You think he’s a pod person?” he whispers. Well, it’s not really a whisper, it’s more… breathy talking. He’s not even being quiet.
Jason glances back at both of them, expression somewhere between amused and annoyed. “What? It’s possible for me to not be a jackass once in a while. Don’t get used to it,” he adds quickly, finishing his coffee. “Just got a lot on my mind right now, alright? Don’t need anymore shit to deal with.” The last part is more of a mutter to himself as he goes back to looking at space again, still vaguely debating hiding in an airlock for a while.
Jaime takes this as a cue to leave the two for some… bonding time. Or something. He leans forward and picks up his laptop, unplugging it from the outlet next to the couch. He rolls it up and sets it on top of the computer, glancing over at Jason again. “I’m just… yeah. You guys have fun,” he says, standing up and backing towards the door. Yeah, he’s gone. Outie. 11:48 AM
Tim is uncertain, watching Jason closely. Perhaps this is the Jason Dick sometimes talks about, the Little Wing he had grown to like, the one he assures Tim will like also. Still, it is odd to have Jason talk to him instead of yell or threaten; giving advice and even a compliment doesn’t happen often. Tim gets to his feet when Jaime leaves them. “Ah but!” Words fail him and then Jaime’s gone. Great. Tim looks back at Jason and feels the urge to ask. He has to ask, doesn’t he? “Do you… want to talk about it?”
Jason feels like Jaime leaving them alone is probably a recipe for trouble, but having him there makes things two against one and he can’t decide which option is worse. Still looking out the window, he shrugs. “Not really. D’you actually wanna listen to the guy who beat the hell outta you whine about his problems? You don’t hafta force yourself to be nice to me.”
Tim looks at his empty cup and sits back down, deciding the distance between them is for both their safety. Is this a good or bad idea, his mind is still gauging the situation. “It didn’t sound like you had to force yourself to be nice to me just now. I can return the favour,” he replies carefully.
Jason lets out a breath and scrubs a hand over his face. “Look, it’s just… a lot of things happening at once. Y’know how a lot of little things sometimes pile up on bad days? It’s like that, but every one of those little things would make a pretty shitty year on its own.”
Tim does know what that feels like. He won’t tell Jason how his violent approach and Damian’s pestering, amongst other things, caused him to actually flee the country. With everything building up, he had to get away from it all before he said or did things he’d regret. “I have my fair share of bad days, so perhaps I can relate,” he mumbles. “Of course I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about since I’ve been gone, but.. you sound tired rather than fed up by it.”
Jason slowly he nods. “Yeah, think that’s about right, just tired… and frustrated cause there’s nothing I can do about most of it.” He stares into his empty cup as he leans forward, forehead pressing against the glass. “Doesn’t matter how hard I try, I can’t stop it.”
Tim leans back in his seat and suppresses a mighty sigh. Boy, oh boy. That sounds just like his own frustration, all right. Perhaps he and Jason are more alike than he thought. Tim cringes slightly, starting to feel guilty about his previous outburst. “I heard talking about it helps,” he offers with a wry smile. He isn’t one to talk, none of them are. “But that’s not a very Bat-thing to do, is it?” he quips and stands. He wanders over towards his brother and shows his empty cup. “Want another one?”
"Heard that too," he says with a faint nod. "Sounds weird, lots of feelings and emotions everywhere, gotta be messy, dunno if it’s really for me." Even extremely tired and more than a little gloomy, his sarcasm never quite fades. He drums his fingers against his empty cup before nodding. "Sure. Y’know what they say, eighth one’s the charm," he says, managing a very faint wry smile to match Tim’s, though it doesn’t last the trip over to the coffee machine.
"Ah feelings, are those edible?" Tim picks up where Jason has left, grinning faintly at the man’s sarcasm that usually ticks him off. Right now, without the obvious glares and hostility between them, it’s rather funny to be ignorant grumps together. "Heart-to-hearts are messy, better avoid them," he says agreeing and filling Jason’s cup before his own. He’d comment on Jason getting no sleep with all this caffeine in his system, but perhaps that’s exactly why he’s downing the stuff like Jäger shots. Part of him is relieved he’s drinking coffee instead of alcohol. "Let’s not tell Dick we can talk together without growling and biting, he’ll make us hug," he mumbles into his cup.
Jason nods, he sips at his coffee, his free hand twitching a little as his side. Not sleeping actually sounds just fine to him right now. He’s been doing a lot of that lately, old nightmares coming back and getting worse and making in nearly impossible for him to get more than an hour of sleep at a time. If there was alcohol more obviously available, he would probably be going for that instead, but caffeine’s an acceptable substitute. “Yeah, definitely wanna avoid that. Pretty sure I’m allergic to hugs, I’ll break out in hives or something.”
Tim looks at him sideways. It’s odd how content he feels, just standing here with his brother. He notices how twitchy Jason is, the hint of fatigue in his eyes, and feels sorry for him, knows he should never speak those words. If Dick was here he’d be embracing him by now, forcefully of course. Sometimes they do need that, a physical reminder that they aren’t alone, that there are people who care enough to want to help them. Tim settles for a gentle nudge of his shoulder against Jason’s arm (damn, when will he grow and be as tall?). “You’re breaking Dick’s heart,” he says with a light chuckle.
Jason isn’t quite as content, a million different things still going through his head, but at least they’re kind of getting along for the moment which is something of a relief. With a soft huff of a laugh, he lightly nudges back. “Eh, he’s got plenty of people to hug, I’m too prickly anyway. I’m like a cactus, y’know?”
Tim snorts into his coffee, wiping his chin after lowering his cup. It is probably not the most charming sight or sound. “I don’t think he cares,” he lets him know and finishes his third cup. “I guess you two are opposites. Dick would hug a traffic light if the mood’s right,” Tim jokes. He imagines Dick hearing about this and pouting at him, but if making fun of Dick gets them to act civil, Tim knows their older brother won’t mind. Damian on the other hand… “At least you’re not in denial, unlike Damian. I have pictures where he is snuggled up against Dick, yet he denies it all.”
Jason can’t really argue with that. “Yeah… he’d probably hug an actual cactus if he thought it would make it happy.” It’s making fun of him in a very affectionate way, really. Alright, Dick would probably pout a little if he heard, but still. Letting out a little huff, he shakes his head. “He probably thinks admitting that he likes Dick’s hugs makes him weak or something. Kid’s got a lotta issues like that to work out.”
Tim lets his imagination run wild, grinning a little at the simple animation of Dick hurting himself repeatedly while trying to hug a cactus. Oh, does that make him a sadist? His grin falters only a little. “I wonder how much Damian truly hates me. Is it a fierce rejection of some sort or is he convinced liking me will be in his disadvantage?” Tim scratches as his chin throughout his mumbling. “You seem to get along with him just fine.”
Jason cocks an eyebrow. “Dunno if it’s that he hates you… think he’s probably jealous. Dick and Bruce both like you and if he’s grown up with assassins, gonna guess competition to be the best is pretty big there. He’s just a kid and he finally found his father, he doesn’t want anyone taking him away.” With a wry laugh, he shakes his head. “You haven’t heard how many times he’s reassured me that I’m getting a knife to the back as soon as I do something that bothers him, and that’s after I tried bribing him with a kitten.” A small frown slips onto his face as he glances at Tim. “Kinda seems like you’re assuming a lot here, little bird. C’mon, you know me, you really think I get along with anyone easily, especially Damian? We’ve all got issues with each other.” He pauses. “Except maybe Dick… nah, probably him too, bet he’s just better at handling his like a normal person by talking about ‘em or whatever.”
Tim isn’t sure if he’s okay with the smile that threatens to appear on his face when Jason calls him little red, again. It’s not quite like Dick calling him Timmy, but it feels domestic, almost fond and secretly that’s all he has been craving: a bit of fondness to reassure his position within their twisted little family. Jason is right, Tim thinks begrudgingly. He has been assuming a lot, not thinking with his head but with his heart. Damian’s attacks are always personal and that’s how he received them, not honestly trying to understand where the boy’s anger comes from. Great detective work, he grumbles mentally. “You’re saying I’m competition, not a threat..” Tim says with an understanding nod. “It just seemed like you two could talk without all the usual fuss. Guess I was wrong. Sorry, I’m not as good at reading people as I wish to be,” he apologizes sincerely.
"Yeah, think that’s a big part of it anyway. Not gonna pretend I’ve got the kid all figured out, but he knows Robins have been replaced before, and I’m willing to bet he’s a little scared of losing his spot, even if he won’t admit it." Honestly, even though the kid grates on his nerves, Jason can kind of understand where he’s coming from a lot of the time.
It’s probably why he and Damian manage to tolerate each other, whereas Tim he doesn’t get nearly as much. “It’s fine. We can talk about some stuff… mostly plans to mess with you or mommy issues, y’know, common ground.”
Common ground. They all need more of that.
Zee heads down the hall in search of another slice of cake. Passing by Tim, she lightly taps the back of his head, “What is it with Robin’s and spying?” she asks out loud, continuing down the hall. “Nosey.” she adds, scolding him lightly. Seeing him peering into the open room reminded her of Damian oddly enough.
"Yeah." And that’s about all he has to say on the matter. Maybe he’s being paranoid, but when it comes to the Joker, he can’t really stop himself. He manages a very faint smile in return as he nods. "Something like that, yeah. And… when I was getting him outta there, he started acting all weird and foaming at the mouth, wanna figure out if something’s wrong with him—" He cuts himself off abruptly when Tim enters the room, eyes narrowing as they flick over to him. "Even if we were, don’t see how it’s any of your business."
Tim glances her way as she walks by, not truly bothered by her words. He was nosey, yes, but at least she didn’t call him a know-it-all like Ollie did. He turns to Jason and narrows his eyes at his hostility. “Relax, I’m not here to keep you two lovers apart if that’s what you’re being so angry about. Besides, if you don’t want to be caught, do it somewhere more private,” he counters as he walks up to them, but mainly Jaime. “I came here to congratulate Jaime, is all,” he says with a much lighter and friendlier tone.
Jaime blinks. He’s about to ask about the foaming, because — seriously, like rabies? Rabies? That’s not normal, and he wants to know more, but Jason cuts himself off and Jaime feels his face flush a little at Tim’s question. Oh, man. His ears go even redder when Tim uses that word, that word that isn’t anything close to what they are. “We aren’t— I don’t even like him,” he protests, a little too loudly. Sorry if he hurt your feelings, dude, but… y’know. He manages a thoroughly embarrassed smile as Tim approaches, but it takes him a second to find words. “Cong— oh. Oh, thanks,” he replies, trying not to sound too exasperated. “There’s, uh. Cake. If you want it. …You probably already saw it.”
Jason is very glad he already finished his coffee, because he probably would have spat it out if he had been taking a sip when Tim called them ‘lovers’. “What he said, he likes me less than you do, and that’s saying something.” He’s not really offended, it’s true, Jaime doesn’t like him, but that’s not really news. Most people don’t, but for good reason. “Getting more coffee,” he mutters and then gets up to go fiddle with the coffee machine, mostly to put as much distance between himself and Tim as he can without actually leaving the room.
Zee heads back into the room with two slices of cake, passing one over to Tim as she takes a seat. “Happy birthday again.” she smiles to Jaime as she takes a large frosting filled bite of cake.
Tim ignores the cake, giving Zee a thankful nod, and watches the duo while crossing his arms. “If Jaime likes you less than I do, should we be making out all night long then?” He asks teasingly, not truly buying their dislike just yet. He is familiar with the ‘caught in the moment’-type of kiss, but they seemed so into it, so familiar with it, that there should be something more going on. Tim can feel it.
Jason says nothing, simply lifting a hand to give Tim a one finger salute without even turning to look at him.
Tim smirks at Jason, deciding to get off his back while they’re not yelling or attacking each other. He turns to the cake in front of him, imagines the calories he will consume with one bite and takes one anyway. “Did anything fun on your birthday? he asks to change the topic.
Jaime is busy being a red-faced mess when Zee wishes him a happy birthday again, and he manages an awkward smile through the fluster. Tim sure knows how to hit the right buttons. “…Uh. Just… my parents had a barbecue that was coincidentally the same day as my birthday, so there was that,” he replies, finding words and stressing how coincidental it really was (not at all). “And then I came up here. So I mean, uh. I guess,” he finishes, willing his face to stop being so hot.
"Aw that sounds nice. No presents?" Zee asks lightly. Maybe getting Jaime a small gift wouldn’t be a bad idea. She had eaten at least a fourth of a cake by now…
Tim chews in silence, taking note of Jaime’s flushed face. Is he embarrassed about the misunderstanding or embarrassed because it’s the truth? Tim will find out soon enough, he assures himself mentally.
Jaime swivels to face her, shifting in his seat. His face looks… better, now. The tips of his ears are still bright red, though. “I — yeah, I got a few. My family… they’re big into birthdays and stuff,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “What’d, uh. You guys do today?” he asks, trying to talk about something that hopefully won’t loop right back around to the jerk by the coffee machine.
"Phone meetings mostly." she shrugs. "Nowhere near as fun as a birthday." Zee can’t help but notice the dropping flush in Jaime’s face, and takes it as a compliment. Hopefully he was thinking of her (and other older members of the League) less as sir and ma’m and more as colleges at least. Maybe friends even. "Oh, and I went shopping!" she adds with a wide smile, "But that’s, you know. Shopping." maybe Steph or Babs would be more interested in her recent splurges.
Tim licks the icing off his finger. He doesn’t know a thing about shopping unless it’s online and therefore let’s the topic be. “I finished moving to Titan Tower, hung out with Kon most of the day,” he answers and realizes his birthday is coming up in 2 to 3 weeks as well. He better not visit the Manor around that time to avoid Damian’s prankster gifts, although he knows Alfred won’t be pleased with his absence.
Jaime glances over, quirking an eyebrow. “You’re moving into the tower?”
Tim nods. “Bruce isn’t thrilled about it,” he says suddenly no longer interested in the cake. Dick and Alfred aren’t thrilled either, but it’s not healthy for them to gather at the Manor, not if he can’t get along with Jason or Damian. The Manor is big, but not big enough to prevent daily arguments. “I get along better with the Titans than my own family at the moment.”
Jaime nods. He… well, he doesn’t know a lot about the whole messy family thing, but he’s pretty sure Damian would be hard to get along with. Especially trying to live with him. Yikes. “They’re pretty chill,” he replies, trying to sound upbeat. “Kinda miss hanging out with them. Should visit.” He’d like to express like, sympathy or something — but he’s apparently the one person on the Watchtower that doesn’t come from a strained household or a sordid past or anything. Who would’ve thought being stable would actually be a problem? “How’s Supes?”
Tim gives short chuckle that sounds like he’s unconvinced. “Say hi when you do,” he tells the birthday boy. He can use Jaime to tame Jason’s temper, but that still leaves Damian’s wrath to deal with. Perhaps if Dick keeps his word of talking to the brat, it is possible to viti the Manor as well. Tim leans back in his seat. “Kon is being his usual arrogant self.” He actually smiles at that. “He helped me move and I still owe him a pizza.”
Jaime resists the urge to make a face. That laugh sounded a little… patronizing, but maybe he’s still on edge because of Red Jerkface. He does pick up on how Tim’s demeanor changes when he mentions Kon, though. That’s… interesting. “By helped you move, you mean he carried everything in one go?” he asks, a little teasingly.
Tim snorts at Jaime’s question. “He tried to, yes, but I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own luggage. Most of it, anyway. I handed him the heaviest bag,” Tim explained with a grin. “He looked so damn pleased with himself, seriously,” he adds with a sigh that says he predicted Kon behave like that.
Jaime just laughs. Tim’s definitely not alone in assuming he’d do something like that, from what Jaime remembers… yeah, it seems fitting. “Was really cool of him to help, though. Moving across the country’s gotta be rough.”
Tim nods, remembering the fuss with public transport because he refused to utilize Bruce’s vehicles. “Traffic was terrible. Sometimes I wish I could fly, too,” Tim comments.
Jaime leans back, setting his laptop down on the table. Not like he’s using it. “I think most people do. I’m kinda jealous of the people that can do it minus the psycho voice in my head.” pause. “No offense, Khaji.”
Tim finishes his cake in the end now that he’s in a better mood. He agrees whole-heartedly with Jaime, wondering how the boy is able to concentrate at all with a voice constantly interrupting his thoughts. Often it is difficult enough to drown out the voices of his allies. “How’s Khaji treating you these days? Does it get any easier to ignore him when you want to?”
Jaime shrugs, smiling a little awkwardly. “It’s… better. We’ve uh, worked things out. Most things. Can’t really ignore it, but it’s kind of weird and lonely when it doesn’t talk. And that probably means I’m crazy.” Laughing a little, he shakes his head. “Dude, if someone ever offers you superpowers in exchange for an angry parasite, don’t take the offer.”
Tim laughs a little at the odd deal Jaime describes. “I’ll keep it in mind,” he says giving him a sympathetic smile. “It’s admirable how you keep the upper hand. Besides, everyone’s a little crazy,” he comments with a glance towards Jason’s brooding figure at the coffee machine, wondering if he’ll be able to go over and get some coffee as well without getting maimed.
Jason It’s not a safe bet. He’s on his fourth cup of coffee now and starting to get a little twitchy. Maybe just hanging out there for ages to avoid talking to anyone wasn’t his best idea. Oh well, he’s made his choice. Time for cup number five.
Jaime laughs, a little too loudly. “Yeah, yeah everyone here is… just. You can’t be a hero without missing a few screws, apparently.”
Jason mutters something under his breath about not being a hero before downing the last of cup five and moving on to six.
Tim stands while laughing. “Exactly, learned that the hard way when Dick cheerfully told me to leap off a building when I first started as Robin.” Tim snorts at the memory and walks over to his muttering brother. He eyes him carefully and reaches over for a cup of coffee. “Hope you left some for the others,” he tells Jason to proof he did keep an eye on the man’s coffee consumption.
That’s the real reason he kills people, too much energy. just drinks 5 pots of coffee & beats up rapists to get the energy out. Jaime catches that. Thanks, Khaji. “Can’t be a serial killer, either,” he adds flatly, not looking back at him.
Jason flips Tim off again and wanders over to the windows with cup seven in one hand.
Tim glares after Jason and down an entire cup of coffee. What a jerk. He gets another cup and returns to Jaime. “What was that?” he asks absentmindedly.
Jaime sneers a little at Jason’s back. Mature. “Nothing.”
Tim sips from his coffee, wondering if he should be going so Jason opens his mouth again, but doesn’t want to because he has every right to be here, too. He nods at Jaime and stays silent.
Jason isn’t going to fight back, because he gets why both of them don’t like him, and he doesn’t blame them at all. That doesn’t mean he’s got to be happy about it though, so he’s just going to stare petulantly out into space. Maybe being trapped in an air lock for a few days wouldn’t be so bad, he’d get to stop dealing with people after all.
Jaime glances between the two. …No, no, he’s pretty sure Tim dislikes Jason way more than he does. They at least talk to each other sometimes, and occasionally it’s not totally terrible. “So… not that it’s any of my business, but what’s the deal with you two?”
Tim tenses and gives Jaime a warning look, not entirely sure it’s wise for him to know about their past. His eyes shift to Jason’s back. “We never got along,” he offers lamely.
"Got pissed when I found out he replaced me and beat the shit outta him a few times," he says bluntly, not caring whether or not Jaime knows. He can’t think any less of him at this point, so he doesn’t see why he should bother hiding it.
Jaime blinks. “Oh.” …Yeeeep. Sounds like Jason. The warning look is noticed, although he’s choosing to kind of ignore it. He’s nosy and… well. Really nosy. “Do all the Robins have a thing about being replaced, or is that just a Jason thing?”
Tim grits his teeth and his cheeks flare bright red in anger and embarrassment. “You are such a jerk, Jason. Dick never gave you a hard time!” he growls at the broader man. “And to make matters worse I got the new Robin on my back as well, claiming I never did the Robin act justice!” Tim exclaims in fury and frustration if not a bit of desperation. By now his entire face is flushed and he is breathing harshly. Only Dick is ever kind to him and he kind of wishes he was here right now.
Jason finally turns around to glance at Tim, one eyebrow rising. “Oh please, Dick was pissed as hell when he found out, he tied me up and shoved me in a phone booth.” He should stop there, but probably because he’s incredibly jittery at the moment, he keeps going. “Dick got over it pretty quick, cause he knew it was Bruce he should’ve been pissed at. And you’ve gotta stop listening to Damian, he’s just trying to show all of us up cause he wants to make daddy proud.” There’s a pause as he sips at his coffee. “You did just fine as Robin, little bird,” he says softly, and then his attention is back on the window. One nice thing a day is about the max he’s got in him when it comes to non-Dick brothers.
Jaime raises an eyebrow. That was… nice. That was a lot nicer than he was expecting from Tim’s reaction. Uh. …Is this even Jason? Is this Clayface or something? Body snatcher? He glances over at Tim, shrugging a little.
Tim opens his mouth and closes it, trying to gather his thoughts and the proper words to voice his state of mind. ”Thank you, I guess.” Not that it makes up for all the shit he put me through, Tim thinks with a red face. He lifts a hand to his head and sighs, feeling a headache coming up. Angry Jason is easy to deal with, but kind Jason? What the hell.
Jaime glances between the two again, and leans towards Tim. “You think he’s a pod person?” he whispers. Well, it’s not really a whisper, it’s more… breathy talking. He’s not even being quiet.
Jason glances back at both of them, expression somewhere between amused and annoyed. “What? It’s possible for me to not be a jackass once in a while. Don’t get used to it,” he adds quickly, finishing his coffee. “Just got a lot on my mind right now, alright? Don’t need anymore shit to deal with.” The last part is more of a mutter to himself as he goes back to looking at space again, still vaguely debating hiding in an airlock for a while.
Jaime takes this as a cue to leave the two for some… bonding time. Or something. He leans forward and picks up his laptop, unplugging it from the outlet next to the couch. He rolls it up and sets it on top of the computer, glancing over at Jason again. “I’m just… yeah. You guys have fun,” he says, standing up and backing towards the door. Yeah, he’s gone. Outie. 11:48 AM
Tim is uncertain, watching Jason closely. Perhaps this is the Jason Dick sometimes talks about, the Little Wing he had grown to like, the one he assures Tim will like also. Still, it is odd to have Jason talk to him instead of yell or threaten; giving advice and even a compliment doesn’t happen often. Tim gets to his feet when Jaime leaves them. “Ah but!” Words fail him and then Jaime’s gone. Great. Tim looks back at Jason and feels the urge to ask. He has to ask, doesn’t he? “Do you… want to talk about it?”
Jason feels like Jaime leaving them alone is probably a recipe for trouble, but having him there makes things two against one and he can’t decide which option is worse. Still looking out the window, he shrugs. “Not really. D’you actually wanna listen to the guy who beat the hell outta you whine about his problems? You don’t hafta force yourself to be nice to me.”
Tim looks at his empty cup and sits back down, deciding the distance between them is for both their safety. Is this a good or bad idea, his mind is still gauging the situation. “It didn’t sound like you had to force yourself to be nice to me just now. I can return the favour,” he replies carefully.
Jason lets out a breath and scrubs a hand over his face. “Look, it’s just… a lot of things happening at once. Y’know how a lot of little things sometimes pile up on bad days? It’s like that, but every one of those little things would make a pretty shitty year on its own.”
Tim does know what that feels like. He won’t tell Jason how his violent approach and Damian’s pestering, amongst other things, caused him to actually flee the country. With everything building up, he had to get away from it all before he said or did things he’d regret. “I have my fair share of bad days, so perhaps I can relate,” he mumbles. “Of course I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about since I’ve been gone, but.. you sound tired rather than fed up by it.”
Jason slowly he nods. “Yeah, think that’s about right, just tired… and frustrated cause there’s nothing I can do about most of it.” He stares into his empty cup as he leans forward, forehead pressing against the glass. “Doesn’t matter how hard I try, I can’t stop it.”
Tim leans back in his seat and suppresses a mighty sigh. Boy, oh boy. That sounds just like his own frustration, all right. Perhaps he and Jason are more alike than he thought. Tim cringes slightly, starting to feel guilty about his previous outburst. “I heard talking about it helps,” he offers with a wry smile. He isn’t one to talk, none of them are. “But that’s not a very Bat-thing to do, is it?” he quips and stands. He wanders over towards his brother and shows his empty cup. “Want another one?”
"Heard that too," he says with a faint nod. "Sounds weird, lots of feelings and emotions everywhere, gotta be messy, dunno if it’s really for me." Even extremely tired and more than a little gloomy, his sarcasm never quite fades. He drums his fingers against his empty cup before nodding. "Sure. Y’know what they say, eighth one’s the charm," he says, managing a very faint wry smile to match Tim’s, though it doesn’t last the trip over to the coffee machine.
"Ah feelings, are those edible?" Tim picks up where Jason has left, grinning faintly at the man’s sarcasm that usually ticks him off. Right now, without the obvious glares and hostility between them, it’s rather funny to be ignorant grumps together. "Heart-to-hearts are messy, better avoid them," he says agreeing and filling Jason’s cup before his own. He’d comment on Jason getting no sleep with all this caffeine in his system, but perhaps that’s exactly why he’s downing the stuff like Jäger shots. Part of him is relieved he’s drinking coffee instead of alcohol. "Let’s not tell Dick we can talk together without growling and biting, he’ll make us hug," he mumbles into his cup.
Jason nods, he sips at his coffee, his free hand twitching a little as his side. Not sleeping actually sounds just fine to him right now. He’s been doing a lot of that lately, old nightmares coming back and getting worse and making in nearly impossible for him to get more than an hour of sleep at a time. If there was alcohol more obviously available, he would probably be going for that instead, but caffeine’s an acceptable substitute. “Yeah, definitely wanna avoid that. Pretty sure I’m allergic to hugs, I’ll break out in hives or something.”
Tim looks at him sideways. It’s odd how content he feels, just standing here with his brother. He notices how twitchy Jason is, the hint of fatigue in his eyes, and feels sorry for him, knows he should never speak those words. If Dick was here he’d be embracing him by now, forcefully of course. Sometimes they do need that, a physical reminder that they aren’t alone, that there are people who care enough to want to help them. Tim settles for a gentle nudge of his shoulder against Jason’s arm (damn, when will he grow and be as tall?). “You’re breaking Dick’s heart,” he says with a light chuckle.
Jason isn’t quite as content, a million different things still going through his head, but at least they’re kind of getting along for the moment which is something of a relief. With a soft huff of a laugh, he lightly nudges back. “Eh, he’s got plenty of people to hug, I’m too prickly anyway. I’m like a cactus, y’know?”
Tim snorts into his coffee, wiping his chin after lowering his cup. It is probably not the most charming sight or sound. “I don’t think he cares,” he lets him know and finishes his third cup. “I guess you two are opposites. Dick would hug a traffic light if the mood’s right,” Tim jokes. He imagines Dick hearing about this and pouting at him, but if making fun of Dick gets them to act civil, Tim knows their older brother won’t mind. Damian on the other hand… “At least you’re not in denial, unlike Damian. I have pictures where he is snuggled up against Dick, yet he denies it all.”
Jason can’t really argue with that. “Yeah… he’d probably hug an actual cactus if he thought it would make it happy.” It’s making fun of him in a very affectionate way, really. Alright, Dick would probably pout a little if he heard, but still. Letting out a little huff, he shakes his head. “He probably thinks admitting that he likes Dick’s hugs makes him weak or something. Kid’s got a lotta issues like that to work out.”
Tim lets his imagination run wild, grinning a little at the simple animation of Dick hurting himself repeatedly while trying to hug a cactus. Oh, does that make him a sadist? His grin falters only a little. “I wonder how much Damian truly hates me. Is it a fierce rejection of some sort or is he convinced liking me will be in his disadvantage?” Tim scratches as his chin throughout his mumbling. “You seem to get along with him just fine.”
Jason cocks an eyebrow. “Dunno if it’s that he hates you… think he’s probably jealous. Dick and Bruce both like you and if he’s grown up with assassins, gonna guess competition to be the best is pretty big there. He’s just a kid and he finally found his father, he doesn’t want anyone taking him away.” With a wry laugh, he shakes his head. “You haven’t heard how many times he’s reassured me that I’m getting a knife to the back as soon as I do something that bothers him, and that’s after I tried bribing him with a kitten.” A small frown slips onto his face as he glances at Tim. “Kinda seems like you’re assuming a lot here, little bird. C’mon, you know me, you really think I get along with anyone easily, especially Damian? We’ve all got issues with each other.” He pauses. “Except maybe Dick… nah, probably him too, bet he’s just better at handling his like a normal person by talking about ‘em or whatever.”
Tim isn’t sure if he’s okay with the smile that threatens to appear on his face when Jason calls him little red, again. It’s not quite like Dick calling him Timmy, but it feels domestic, almost fond and secretly that’s all he has been craving: a bit of fondness to reassure his position within their twisted little family. Jason is right, Tim thinks begrudgingly. He has been assuming a lot, not thinking with his head but with his heart. Damian’s attacks are always personal and that’s how he received them, not honestly trying to understand where the boy’s anger comes from. Great detective work, he grumbles mentally. “You’re saying I’m competition, not a threat..” Tim says with an understanding nod. “It just seemed like you two could talk without all the usual fuss. Guess I was wrong. Sorry, I’m not as good at reading people as I wish to be,” he apologizes sincerely.
"Yeah, think that’s a big part of it anyway. Not gonna pretend I’ve got the kid all figured out, but he knows Robins have been replaced before, and I’m willing to bet he’s a little scared of losing his spot, even if he won’t admit it." Honestly, even though the kid grates on his nerves, Jason can kind of understand where he’s coming from a lot of the time.
It’s probably why he and Damian manage to tolerate each other, whereas Tim he doesn’t get nearly as much. “It’s fine. We can talk about some stuff… mostly plans to mess with you or mommy issues, y’know, common ground.”
Common ground. They all need more of that.