Asking Tim not to notice even the smallest of changes was like asking a wolf not to hunt. His skilled eye was innate, honed by years of training under Bruce. Even if he hadn't seen that there was something off with Jason's facial expression, the sudden shift from wanting to be bought a drink to avoiding alcohol set off a red flag in Tim's brain. The pink skin and the steam from his hair hair didn't get past him, either. Pieces started to click together in his brain and the only conclusion he could arrive at was that something had gone wrong between his shower and the one Jason took. To the point that the ability for the rest of their night to be tolerable was hanging on by a thread.
His first instinct was to get the hell out of dodge. Emotions? Talking through things? Neither were Tim's strong suit. He wasn't Dick Grayson, couldn't go around hugging everyone too tight and demanding they say how they feel. Despite that, though, he didn't try to make an excuse to leave or bite his lip and following along silently. He wasn't timid or a fragile little waif unable to handle situations head on when the need called for it. A Robin who acted that way was bound to have been eaten alive.
Jason was unhappy with him. Had he realized that Tim had been close to leaning in for a kiss and felt disgusted? God, he didn't want to believe that. If the kiss thing was mostly in his head anyway, maybe Jason hadn't even realized it almost happened. It was about the bandaging, then. Tim must have misunderstood what he perceived as them having bonded and overstepped a line Jason felt was important. Fine. He could handle this. Then the rest of the night would go smoother.
The younger of the two steeled himself, took a breath and set his shoulders. "Honestly, I'd rather have a Zesti, but that's not the point." One of his hands waved as if brushing that off. Anxiety fizzled through his veins, but that was hardly a new feeling for him. He'd survive. "Jason, if you're mad about me helping bandage you, I--" A small snort, because he wasn't about to lie to try to make things easier. "I'm not going to apologize for it. I know I probably should have waited for you to say it was okay, but you needed help. If we're going to work together on things, you have to be willing to let me lend a hand. I know you don't like me much, but I want you to feel like you can trust me." At the last bit, his voice softened.
Avoidance, thy name is Bat. With the exception of one Richard Grayson, the entire clan was terrible at the whole 'emotions' thing. Bruce because he was Bruce, Tim because he'd spent his entire life with the housekeepers, and Jason because all emotions ever did was get him in trouble. His dad would beat him for them, Bruce would lecture him if he let his emotions override the 'right' thing to do. Talia wasn't much better, though she'd tried a little harder than she probably wanted to.
He watched Tim steel himself, watched those bright blue eyes harden...and he frowned. "Bandage? What are you talking about, Timbers? Why would I be mad at you for helping me with a bandage?" Confusion was thick in his voice...but then he was thinking back to how lost Tim had looked as he'd ran to hide in the bathroom and suddenly things made a little more sense.
Well, shit.
Sighing, the older man scrubbed at his pink face with his hands, coaxing just a little more sharp ache out of the heated skin before he let his arms drop.
"I'm not mad at you and I do like you, so just wipe that stupidity right out of your head. I just...I tried to kill you, Tim. A lot. Got pretty damned close to it, too. I figured you wouldn't want me that close to you without a muzzle."
An extended silence passed between the two of them when Tim came to understand what the problem actually was. Wow, had he been on completely the wrong track. Usually he wasn't that far off the mark. Just went to show how deep emotions were still quite foreign to him.
There was caution in each step he took to get closer to Jason, but now he felt like there was a point to prove. "I'm not afraid of you, Jason. I like being near you." Tim paused just in front of him, and stared up at him with those big blue eyes of his again. "I can defend myself. I'm smart enough to know who I can trust. A lot of what happened went down the way it did because you were being manipulated, or trauma and the pit made you think it was an okay way to deal with your anger."
His hand reached forward to rest against Jason's bicep, establishing physical touch between the two of them. Nothing overwhelming, but there and solid and real. "Even if none of that was true, it wouldn't even matter. Because if I tried to punch you right now, I genuinely believe you'd do your best not to fight back too hard because you don't want to hurt me anymore." He couldn't help the little smirk that reappeared on his face. "And because I think you know I could kick your ass these days."
He was tense. Tense from the moment Tim started moving closer, but even more so when Tim's hand settled on his arm. He wasn't tense because he didn't want it...he was tense because he did. Because it was all he'd ever really wanted, honestly. To be accepted as he was now instead of how he'd been as a literal child or how he'd been when he'd first gotten back to Gotham and his brain was fucked with.
And then Tim just had to go and sass and Jason's tension released with a surprised bark of laughter. It broke the heaviness in the air cleanly and completely and Jason offered a fond, lopsided smile to the younger man before he reached out to lightly knock his knuckles against Tim's bony shoulder.
"You couldn't kick my ass if I was blindfolded and handcuffed, pipsqueak. Come on, lets go shove some food in our faces and maybe pull up a movie? Gotta let those Zestis settle before you drive and all that." He was playful, but there was an undertone of gratitude under the flippant tone. He recognized better than most exactly how hard it was for any of them to really talk about things like that, so for Tim to dig down for that little speech...it had to mean something.
Something like maybe Tim really was comfortable with him. And maybe that was a bad idea, but Jason hoped that it wasn't.
"You better watch yourself, Jason Todd. Don't forget I beat Lady Shiva and KGBeast." The younger of the two huffed, responding with a playfully annoyed look. It was a relief that he had been able to express what he was thinking and still find a way to ease the tension that had formed between the two of them. More than anything, he wanted to enjoy the rest of their time together, even if things hadn't necessarily gone as he'd been hoping. It would be enough just to be around him.
So Tim was smiling as the two of them made their way back down to the kitchen, back to the calm he'd felt before his moment gazing at himself in the mirror. A hunger pang struck him as he smelled the food again. He swore if he didn't eat soon he was going to start drooling. Still, he was raised with manners and just helped grab forks and drinks so they could get settled quicker. The look in his eyes made just how starving he felt pretty obvious, he was one hundred percent zeroed in on the food.
"What sort of movie do you want to watch?" This was new territory for the two of them, having to find something they could both enjoy. Not that Tim was terribly particular about what he watched, as long as it didn't bore him to the point that sleep started calling his name. "I'm willing to let you pick, but I'm definitely going to judge you based on what you decide." If Jason was going to argue for something based on classic literature, it better have some sort of action or something. Otherwise he was going to have to pry Tim's sleeping body off of his couch and dump him into Redbird himself.
Despite how hard Tim tried to pretend that he wasn't starving, Jason wasn't deaf and he chuckled softly at the rather audible complaint that was lodged by Tim's stomach. It made sense, the boy never ate as far as Jason knew, surviving entirely on couch naps and coffee from occasionally questionable sources. It made him roll his eyes and while Tim poked around his rather well stocked and supplied kitchen for forks (in the drawer under the toaster) and drinks (the entire bottom shelf of the almost instagram organized fridge was stocked with water, Zesti, and some juice), Jason grabbed some plates from the cupboard and started piling them high with food.
There was way more in that bag then Red Hood had ordered and Jason scoffed as he held out a box of canoli. "Put these in the fridge, please? I didn't know they were in there or I would have put them in when we got here. I knew she was going to try to feed you, I didn't think she was going to send home half her damned menu."
In the end, they both had plates of carbonara and garlic knots, small bowls of salad, and there was at least an entire entry sized container that Jason hadn't opened yet. He left the plates on the bar, balancing the leftovers carefully as he headed to put them away.
"If you're going to judge me for whatever I pick, I may as well just enjoy it, right? Star Trek: Generations. A decent bounce point if you've never seen the originals and almost the best of both casts in one movie. Plus, Guinan. You can never go wrong with Guinan."
Jason had a beautiful, instagram ready fridge, and Tim made a mental note never to let him see the one in the Nest. It rarely had more than questionable leftovers, Gatorade, and some refrigerated coffee. He dutifully placed the cannoli in what he hoped was a good spot for it, then let his stomach lead him right back to where the plates were. "Is that what you two were talking about? I could tell she thought I was too skinny." The way she had jabbed at his stomach hadn't exactly left much room for interpretation. He elected not to mention the fact that Jason had gotten all flustered.
As soon as Jason picked what they were watching, Tim paused and looked a little suspicious. At first he wondered if perhaps Jason knew that Star Trek was one of his favorites and only picked it for that reason, but the moment he mentioned Guinan, Tim knew he was a real fan. "Of course I've seen the originals. The first movie wasn't great but Wrath of Khan? You should have seen how hard I cried the first time I saw Spock die." Poor baby Tim, emotionally attached to fictional characters in lieu of parents.
"I do like the Next Generation cast better though. Not sure if it was just because it was on TV a lot when I was younger or if they did a better job. Picard over Kirk all day every day. Guinan was great, but I always really liked Data, especially when you got to see him with Spot." Tim chattered along, clearly very happy to have one of his special interests catered to. He settled in and waited for Jason to have a seat so he could start eating. Just because he was well behaved enough not to actually stuff his face, didn't mean he didn't want to.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
babyyy :< meanwhile, tim: https://i.imgur.com/bGFAK1T.jpeg
His first instinct was to get the hell out of dodge. Emotions? Talking through things? Neither were Tim's strong suit. He wasn't Dick Grayson, couldn't go around hugging everyone too tight and demanding they say how they feel. Despite that, though, he didn't try to make an excuse to leave or bite his lip and following along silently. He wasn't timid or a fragile little waif unable to handle situations head on when the need called for it. A Robin who acted that way was bound to have been eaten alive.
Jason was unhappy with him. Had he realized that Tim had been close to leaning in for a kiss and felt disgusted? God, he didn't want to believe that. If the kiss thing was mostly in his head anyway, maybe Jason hadn't even realized it almost happened. It was about the bandaging, then. Tim must have misunderstood what he perceived as them having bonded and overstepped a line Jason felt was important. Fine. He could handle this. Then the rest of the night would go smoother.
The younger of the two steeled himself, took a breath and set his shoulders. "Honestly, I'd rather have a Zesti, but that's not the point." One of his hands waved as if brushing that off. Anxiety fizzled through his veins, but that was hardly a new feeling for him. He'd survive. "Jason, if you're mad about me helping bandage you, I--" A small snort, because he wasn't about to lie to try to make things easier. "I'm not going to apologize for it. I know I probably should have waited for you to say it was okay, but you needed help. If we're going to work together on things, you have to be willing to let me lend a hand. I know you don't like me much, but I want you to feel like you can trust me." At the last bit, his voice softened.
XD!!
He watched Tim steel himself, watched those bright blue eyes harden...and he frowned. "Bandage? What are you talking about, Timbers? Why would I be mad at you for helping me with a bandage?" Confusion was thick in his voice...but then he was thinking back to how lost Tim had looked as he'd ran to hide in the bathroom and suddenly things made a little more sense.
Well, shit.
Sighing, the older man scrubbed at his pink face with his hands, coaxing just a little more sharp ache out of the heated skin before he let his arms drop.
"I'm not mad at you and I do like you, so just wipe that stupidity right out of your head. I just...I tried to kill you, Tim. A lot. Got pretty damned close to it, too. I figured you wouldn't want me that close to you without a muzzle."
no subject
There was caution in each step he took to get closer to Jason, but now he felt like there was a point to prove. "I'm not afraid of you, Jason. I like being near you." Tim paused just in front of him, and stared up at him with those big blue eyes of his again. "I can defend myself. I'm smart enough to know who I can trust. A lot of what happened went down the way it did because you were being manipulated, or trauma and the pit made you think it was an okay way to deal with your anger."
His hand reached forward to rest against Jason's bicep, establishing physical touch between the two of them. Nothing overwhelming, but there and solid and real. "Even if none of that was true, it wouldn't even matter. Because if I tried to punch you right now, I genuinely believe you'd do your best not to fight back too hard because you don't want to hurt me anymore." He couldn't help the little smirk that reappeared on his face. "And because I think you know I could kick your ass these days."
no subject
And then Tim just had to go and sass and Jason's tension released with a surprised bark of laughter. It broke the heaviness in the air cleanly and completely and Jason offered a fond, lopsided smile to the younger man before he reached out to lightly knock his knuckles against Tim's bony shoulder.
"You couldn't kick my ass if I was blindfolded and handcuffed, pipsqueak. Come on, lets go shove some food in our faces and maybe pull up a movie? Gotta let those Zestis settle before you drive and all that." He was playful, but there was an undertone of gratitude under the flippant tone. He recognized better than most exactly how hard it was for any of them to really talk about things like that, so for Tim to dig down for that little speech...it had to mean something.
Something like maybe Tim really was comfortable with him. And maybe that was a bad idea, but Jason hoped that it wasn't.
no subject
So Tim was smiling as the two of them made their way back down to the kitchen, back to the calm he'd felt before his moment gazing at himself in the mirror. A hunger pang struck him as he smelled the food again. He swore if he didn't eat soon he was going to start drooling. Still, he was raised with manners and just helped grab forks and drinks so they could get settled quicker. The look in his eyes made just how starving he felt pretty obvious, he was one hundred percent zeroed in on the food.
"What sort of movie do you want to watch?" This was new territory for the two of them, having to find something they could both enjoy. Not that Tim was terribly particular about what he watched, as long as it didn't bore him to the point that sleep started calling his name. "I'm willing to let you pick, but I'm definitely going to judge you based on what you decide." If Jason was going to argue for something based on classic literature, it better have some sort of action or something. Otherwise he was going to have to pry Tim's sleeping body off of his couch and dump him into Redbird himself.
no subject
There was way more in that bag then Red Hood had ordered and Jason scoffed as he held out a box of canoli. "Put these in the fridge, please? I didn't know they were in there or I would have put them in when we got here. I knew she was going to try to feed you, I didn't think she was going to send home half her damned menu."
In the end, they both had plates of carbonara and garlic knots, small bowls of salad, and there was at least an entire entry sized container that Jason hadn't opened yet. He left the plates on the bar, balancing the leftovers carefully as he headed to put them away.
"If you're going to judge me for whatever I pick, I may as well just enjoy it, right? Star Trek: Generations. A decent bounce point if you've never seen the originals and almost the best of both casts in one movie. Plus, Guinan. You can never go wrong with Guinan."
no subject
As soon as Jason picked what they were watching, Tim paused and looked a little suspicious. At first he wondered if perhaps Jason knew that Star Trek was one of his favorites and only picked it for that reason, but the moment he mentioned Guinan, Tim knew he was a real fan. "Of course I've seen the originals. The first movie wasn't great but Wrath of Khan? You should have seen how hard I cried the first time I saw Spock die." Poor baby Tim, emotionally attached to fictional characters in lieu of parents.
"I do like the Next Generation cast better though. Not sure if it was just because it was on TV a lot when I was younger or if they did a better job. Picard over Kirk all day every day. Guinan was great, but I always really liked Data, especially when you got to see him with Spot." Tim chattered along, clearly very happy to have one of his special interests catered to. He settled in and waited for Jason to have a seat so he could start eating. Just because he was well behaved enough not to actually stuff his face, didn't mean he didn't want to.