Fic: Two in the Bush (Kings Among Runaways, Jason/Tim)

[iesika]

I'm exhausted. I know this installment took a while - that's because it's freakin' huge.

Series Title: Kings Among Runaways
Story Title: Two in the Bush
Summary: The AU where Tim ran away from home at the tender age of mumbledyteen, and Jason got let off with a warning, the night he met Batman.
Warnings: Sexual content including minors, both disturbing and hopefully not.
Note: The series is indexed here.


Jason's glass hits the table with a thump, splashing juice over his hand and the white tablecloth. Tim and Bruce turn to look at him, and Alfred appears from somewhere with a napkin, only to step out of the way when Jason shoves his chair back in disgust. "You want us to go to school? I thought we were going to be superheroes."

Alfred is giving him a disapproving look, so he accepts the napkin and wipes his hands while Bruce speaks. "The two are not mutually exclusive," he says in that low, serious voice that isn't quite Batman's.

"Yeah," Tim adds, turning back to his omelet. They're having a 'late brunch,' which is rich old white dude for what Jason's always called 'eggs for lunch.' Jason starts sopping up the juice he's spilled just as Tim says, "Dick did both."

Dick did this! Dick did that! Jason is getting pretty sick of hearing about Dick fucking Grayson. Tim's been following the older boy around like a lovesick puppy for the last few days, ever since the bastard hugged him.

It's sickeningly obvious to Jason what's going on. Tim had attached himself to Jason on the street, where a bigger, tougher, streetwise boy with a reputation for busting teeth was a good friend to have. Now that they're safe in the lap of luxury, though...

Well, Tim wants to be a superhero, right? That's not something Jason can give him. Grayson leads the fucking Titans - and Jason isn't dumb - or blind. Before they'd ever even met, Tim had been talking about Grayson like he was some kind of absent god. Once he'd showed up at the house - home for a visit, he'd said, for his birthday...

His costume's stupid. His hair's ridiculous. His attitude is really damned annoying.

He's good looking. He smiles at Tim, all the time, and Tim smiles back bright enough to light the room. He moves like...

Jason wants to break his fucking face.

"I mean..." Tim says, uncertainly, and Jason looks up to find himself being observed. Tim is watching him like he thinks he's going to attack somebody. "...I'm really not looking forward to it, either."

Small concession. But at least Tim remembered this time that they were supposed to be on the same side. Partners, he'd said, once.

Partners. Fuck. Look how long that had lasted. Jason's not sure why he's surprised. That's pretty much how things go.

Bruce is still talking. Jason's hand twitches, and he grabs a fork to keep from showing his unease...Holds it tight in his lap and wishes it were something more dangerous. He just sits there, staring at his stupid fucking fluffy, perfect eggs.

"It's an opportunity for you to learn new things, to interact with people your own age..."

Tim's voice is dry. "That would be the part I'm not looking forward to."

"Boys," Bruce says, and Jason can't help but look up. It's something about the man's voice - Jason can't ignore him, can barely argue with him - and it drives him up the wall. "In order for us to do what we do -"

"What you do," Jason mutters, "since you won't let us - "

"Yet," Tim butts in.

"It is necessary for us to maintain at least a veneer of normalcy. In public, you'll find I play a very particular sort of well-meaning buffoon. All of Gotham thinks I'm the very definition of 'harmless,' and thus far, as far as I know, Tim is the only person to discover what lies under that facade."

The corner of Tim's mouth twitches into a tiny smile, and Jason kind of hates himself for wanting so badly to kiss it. It's the knowledge that Tim wouldn't let him - not in front of an audience, and especially not in front of Bruce - that holds him back. It makes him grip the fork even harder.

"Because I took Dick in, and because I have a history with various youth charities, it doesn't look as strange as it might for two somewhat delinquent boys to be invited into my home, but -"

The burst of anger that overcomes him is so sudden and overwhelming that Jason doesn't even know he's standing until he sees the fork fly across the table to clatter against Bruce's water glass. His chair is on the floor behind him, and Jason can hardly breathe through his rage. "They're gonna think we're rentboys," he shouts, because apparently Bruce - fucking Batman - doesn't get it. "You're sending us to some posh school full of stupid fucking rich kids with - with trust funds and private tutors and BMWs, and they're all going to think we're there because you're a freaky old man who likes the double-trouble!"

Bruce doesn't so much as flinch. He doesn't even look up - just cuts a bite of sausage and puts it in his fucking mouth. Tim, though, is out of his chair the instant Jason's hits the ground and trying to catch hold of his arm.

"Let me go!" Jason shouts, yanking against his surprisingly strong hold.

"Jason, calm down!"

"No! I'm not - I'm not going! I'm not gonna stand there and get gawked at by a bunch of fucking rich kids born with silver spoons up their asses - who've had everything handed to them on a goddamned platter-"

Tim drops his arm, suddenly, looking startled and hurt but Jason doesn't fucking care.  Jason bolts for the stairs. Tim doesn't follow.

Well, fuck him, too, Jason thinks. He doesn't think he could handle a fight with Tim right now, anyway, not without going completely insane. Or - Jason comes up short in the doorway of their room. If Tim hadn't let go when he did, Jason thinks he really might have wound up taking a swing at him. The realization makes him feel sick.

Christ, he needs a cigarette. He slips into their room and digs in his things until he finds the crumpled soft-pack he'd tucked in with his underwear. He's only got four cigarettes left, and he's been hoarding them. It's hard to sneak away to enjoy one, anyway. Tim's hated the cigarettes pretty much since day one, but ever since they moved in here, he's been bringing it up every time he smells it on him. Bruce's been lecturing him, too, about lung capacity and oxygen transport and cardiovascular health. It's just one more thing about him that they're trying to change.

He heads to the library at the end of the hall, where there's a balcony that looks out over the garden. Jason's pissed, all right, but he's not smoking inside this museum, not with Alfred around somewhere. He gets the glass doors open and he's fishing for his lighter when he hears Tim's voice from down the hall - probably in their room.

"Jason?"

Fuck. Fuck, Jason can't deal with him right now. He just wants his fucking cigarette and a few minutes of peace and quiet. The iron railing looks sturdy enough...Jason vaults over it and climbs down until he's low enough to swing down to the patio below. He lands on a table and scrambles down, hurrying around the edge of the building and out of sight, keeping to the wall in case someone looks out a window.

There's a tree near the front walk with a limb he can reach when he jumps for it. He tucks his legs and pulls himself up, then grabs the next branch, and the next. Jason's never climbed a tree before, but he's snuck up plenty of fire escapes, and it's close enough. When he's almost level with the roof, and well hidden by leaves and branches, he settles into the bend of a branch with his back against the trunk.

He lights up and takes a long drag, and it's so good it makes his whole body shudder. He's such a fucking addict. Damn it feels good, though.

The stupid, slick leather soles of his stupid, new leather shoes slip against the bark when he tries to get comfortable. He growls and scrubs them against the branch, deliberately scuffing first the soles and then the sides and tops, until the finish is ruined beyond repair and nearly all the shine is gone.

Alfred had measured them for new clothes and costumes - measured, because small, medium and large aren't good enough for rich people. Jason flinches at the memory of how he'd jerked away when Alfred had reached for his inseam. He'd tried to play it off, but the look on the old man's face said he wasn't hiding anything. Jason didn't want his - his pity, like he's damaged fucking goods. But the worst part had been echo of his own flinch in Tim's eyes, because there is nothing - nothing - worse than Tim knowing exactly how fucked up Jason is. It's why he'd tried to hide it in the first place, lying through his teeth about where the money'd come from, anything to hide his shame. It had been worth it, though, to see Tim fed, even if it had left them both fucking miserable, because Tim hadn't been fooled for an instant.

And then Tim had saved the day with his brilliant plan. Jason wonders, now, though... Well, Tim's smart. Really smart. When Jason had gotten caught, knocked unconscious and dragged back to the Cave...Tim had had a contingency plan. Only maybe it wasn't plan B after all. Maybe it had all been part of Plan A. Tim had been so happy, that first night, like they'd pulled off the world's biggest score. Had he meant to end up here all along?

Jason's not made for this kind of double-thinking. He's not made for any of this. He's not a fucking superhero, whatever Tim seems to think. It was a fun fantasy for a while, playacting with Tim on the mats downstairs. Tim's taken to this like he was born for it - the meditation and the judo and which goddamned fork to use. He's happier now than Jason's ever seen him - warm and fed and genuinely happy.

And Jason's got nothing to do with it.

That shouldn't hurt the way it does - shouldn't twist him up inside and make him want to break things. Tim's safe. Isn't that all Jason wanted for him? He's safe and he's happy and he's got Dick fucking Grayson to follow around. He doesn't need Jason anymore.

Fuck. Maybe he never did.

Tim fits here like Jason knows he never will. It's like he's come home, somehow. He's learning and growing and making himself better - making himself into something else. And Jason's supposed to be something else, too - someone else. Someone he was never meant to be.

He can't take this shit. He won't take it. Jason's been all over the house - he knows the layout and where everything is. He can wait until the sun is rising and Batman is sleeping and leave Tim in that giant bed. Clear out all the silver and anything he thinks he can pawn and just go. Tim likes it here so much, he can fucking stay. Jason's gone it alone long enough, he can do it again, no problem.

He's gone fucking soft, relying on other people. Look at him, hiding in a tree just to have a goddamned cigarette! The weather's finally changed, and he's got a little cash put by. He can get a little more - enough to get out of Gotham, to New York or Boston or somewhere without crazies. Somewhere that doesn't kill you by inches.

It's a good plan. It's warm enough he won't freeze, and Jason knows how not to starve. He's almost old enough to hire, legal like, and he's picked up enough new skills and tricks to be worth picking up as muscle until then. He won't be standing on corners freezing his ass off anymore. Hell, it'll be easy looking out for just himself, without some kid dragging him down.

His stupid fucking clothes are strangling him, making his throat tight and his skin hot. He pops the buttons on his collar and yanks up his stupid sweater-vest. It's a fight to get it up and over his head, between the balancing act he's pulling and the lit cigarette in his hand. He gets his ears caught, and then has to let go to grab the trunk, because the branch is shaking. When it stops, he tugs the vest off, cursing.

Grayson is hanging from the branch above him like a fucking monkey, dangling from his knees, his stupid hair standing on end. "Get stuck?" he asks, cheerfully.

"Fuck off!" Jason snarls.

Grayson ignores him. "I thought I smelled smoke. You know, those things will kill you."

"So will a fall from this height," Jason says, and kicks him. It's one of the fancy kicks Bruce had taught them, aimed for Grayson's pretty-boy face, but it never connects, because even upside down, Grayson's better than him. He catches Jason's foot and yanks, and Jason has to scramble to keep on the branch. "Shit!" he yelps.

Grayson somehow manages to unfold and sort of roll down to Jason's level, all without letting go of Jason's foot or knocking them both to their deaths. "I don't think I've ever actually fallen out of a tree," he says, conversationally, and crouches down in front of Jason. "Not while the tree was still upright, anyway."

"I hate you," Jason growls, kicking wildly with his other foot, because at this point he'd be happy just to take Grayson down with him.

"I never would have guessed." Grayson grins like an idiot and drops Jason's ankle to let him scramble back onto the branch. "But we're kind of like brothers, now, so I guess you'll have to learn to love me."

Jason gets himself into a stable position. "If I were planning to stick around," he mutters, without looking up. Fuck, he lost his cigarette. He considers going down for it, but it was pretty much to the filter anyway. Jason's body cries for the lost nicotine, though.

"Aren't you? You've been training."

"The fuck do you care?" Jason snaps. "You don't want us around. You made that clear!"

"Hey, I apologized for that, bud." Grayson sighs, "Look, it was kind of a shock, okay? I came home for a visit and found some kid in my colors being molested on the floor-"

Jason's vision goes white around the edges. He feels his face heat, and for a moment he thinks he's sliding sideways off the branch, but when he blinks, he's still upright. "I wasn't-" he protests, " I wouldn't-"

"Whoa, whoa, kidding - " Grayson says, his hands up in defense, but it's so much like Jason's own fears that he's barely even hearing him.

"He's the one - I've never - I would never push him into anything!"

"Easy!" Grayson says over him, looking shocked and a little panicked. "Easy, okay? I believe you. I didn't - I mean - It's kind of obvious you're nuts about each other..."

Jason's rage drains from him, slowly, but the fear lingers. "...obvious?" he asks.

Grayson grins. "I think it's cute."

"Cute?"

Grayson seems to warm to the subject. "I can tell that you two had to take care of each other out there...It's sweet. But things are different, here, okay?" He looks at Jason through his hair, and his smile is gentle, now. "He's not exactly my type, you know. A little young for me."

Jason can feel his ears burning.

"You don't have to worry about anything like that here, okay?"

Jason ducks his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I've noticed you don't seem to like leaving him alone with me, so I thought I ought to tell you to rest easy. Mostly I go for redheads. Mostly women, too, though there's been exceptions. This one time - "

"I don't want to know!" Jason interrupts, and covers his ears with his hands. "Jesus, you think I want to hear about you getting your freak on?"

Grayson laughs and tugs on Jason's wrists until he lowers his hands. "I'm just trying to say... Look, my best friend is a recovering junkie, my girlfriend was a slave - I grew up in a circus! My favorite playmate had flippers for hands and I learned long division from the bearded lady. I'm really kind of a laid back guy. You don't have to worry about me trying to pass judgment, or something."

Jason yanks his hands away. "Did you just compare me to a circus freak?"

Grayson's dangerous look is ruined by his childish smile. "Do you have something against circus freaks?"

This time, Grayson ducks the kick instead of catching it, swinging around the branch and back up, and nearly knocking Jason off again in the process as the branch shakes wildly. Jason takes a moment to adjust to a more stable position, straddling the branch, and then asks in a quiet voice, "Did you go to school?"

"Huh?" Grayson asks.

"Before you came here." Jason doesn't look up from his hands where they grip the branch between his thighs. "You said - if the bearded lady was your math teacher, you probably didn't go to school?"

"Only in the wintertime, down in Florida. Until I came here. Why? Oh!" His eyes get wide, "Ooooh. He wants you - "

"To go to some stupid posh school."

Grayson cocks his head. "Wesley?"

"Yeah, I guess." Jason frowns up at the light filtering through the leaves. He's too tired to be angry anymore. There isn't a lot of point, anyway.

"I went there for a while. The girls are cute."

Jason's frown twists. Not that he thinks Tim even likes girls, but that's really the last thing he needs. "The fuck do I care?"

Grayson laughs. "Point. Actually, I really kind of hated it. I got Alfred to help me talk Bruce into letting me go public."

Jason blinks and lowers his head to look at Grayson. "Yeah?"

"Here's a tip," Grayson says. "Alfred is always on your side. Unless you're wrong." His smile turns sheepish. "In which case...you're wrong."

Jason snorts. It's becoming pretty obvious to him who's really in charge in this fucked up little family.

"And he can talk Bruce into anything. But in this case...I think I can do the convincing for you."

"Really?" Jason can't help the note of surprise in his voice. Why the hell would Grayson want to help him? It doesn't make any sense.

"Sure!" Grayson stands. He doesn't even bother steadying himself with his hands, first - just rises smoothly to his feet and puts a hand on the branch above them. He turns toward the house, and Jason's pretty sure he's planning to climb up onto the roof. Well, at least that explains where he came from. What was he doing up there? Everyone in this house is fucking crazy. Says the boy in the tree.

"I..." Jason starts, and then breaks off. Why is he even saying it? It's none of Grayson's business. But Grayson's turning back around and Jason's looking at his hands. "I haven't really been to school since I was twelve."

Grayson whistles, low.

"Yeah." Jason winces. "Yeah. Shit, I know-"

"No, no," Grayson says. "This is me not judging. I flunked out of Hudson, you know."

Jason looks up. Grayson's standing there with both hands over his head, sort of leaning on the branch above them. "Yeah?"

He nods. "Bruce made a really big deal about me getting a college education...but honestly, I know what I'm going to be doing with the rest of my life. It doesn't require a degree. Bruce taught me how to find out what I need to know - how to educate myself, I guess. I learn new stuff every day, and it's way more relevant to me than anything I'd get in a classroom. I can pick up girls and interrogate criminals in six languages. They don't teach you that in school."

Despite himself, Jason smiles a little.

"And I can talk dirty in two languages that didn't originate on this planet," he continues, grinning almost evilly. "But Bruce won't teach you that part. You'll have to learn for yourself."

Jason...blinks. "What?" he asks stupidly, and then gets his mouth under control. "Wait, what? Like, aliens? You...Aliens?"

Grayson laughs, his head thrown back, and he's still entirely too good looking, but maybe Jason doesn't want to punch him anymore. "I did say I was laid back. Oh, I'm going to have fun introducing you guys to my friends this weekend."

Jason sits up. "What?"

"The party. Wait, nobody told you?" Jason's sudden distress must be obvious because Grayson laughs again, more softly. "Don't make that face, kid."

"Like, a fancy party? A rich people party?" Oh god, Jason really will run away. He's on the next fucking train.

Grayson snorts. "The kind of party where Kid Flash eats all the chips and we end up by the pool so Aqualad can stick around and Changeling can try to do inappropriate things to the girls with octopus tentacles. Bruce will get into an argument with Superman about something stupid and Diana will knock their heads together. Some lame villain will show up... Oh!" He turns and looks at Jason with sudden delight. "Oh, you don't know how great it is that your boyfriend's in the biz. You don't know how many dates the Condiment King has ruined! But when you're dating another hero you just have a team up and then go back to the restaurant - or, you know, don't go back to the restaurant, but you're my little brothers now so I'm not going to think about that part."

Jason freezes. Boyfriend. Dating. Are they? He's never thought of himself as anybody's boyfriend before - or anybody who would have a boyfriend, for that matter. Jesus, that sounds gay. They aren't dating, though. Dating is, like, taking somebody out to the movies or dinner or whatever. They're just messing around, right? They're partners sure, but...

Grayson ducks, suddenly, and crouches beside him. "Speaking of," he whispers, "somebody's looking for you."

Jason can't see anything for the leaves. He opens his mouth to ask, but gets shushed. Grayson motions him up, but Jason just looks at him like he's crazy, until Grayson rolls his eyes and holds out his hand. "It's just like the beam," he whispers.

Yeah, sure, except the beam doesn't move when he does. They really are high up, and the branch was fine for sitting on, but Jason's not sure how well he trusts it. Still, if Grayson can do it... He braces himself with one hand on the trunk and the other on the branch, and gets his feet under him. God, he's going to burn these stupid shoes. Grayson's wearing sneakers, the bastard. Jason takes his hand anyway, and stands. There's a gap in the branches, and from this angle he can see down to the front door of the house.

Tim is standing on the doorstep, maybe twenty feet from the tree, He's got one hand on the knob, and he looks a little lost. Jason can't see his face from up here, but his whole posture is off, somehow, like he's not sure whether to go in or out. He finally shuts the door and takes a few steps out onto the front walk, looking down the long driveway, toward the gates.

He stands there for a long time, and Jason just watches him. He doesn't get to watch Tim, much - not without Tim knowing. At least not when he's awake. He's filled out a little since they met. His shoulders are a little broader, and he's definitely taller. He's still a shrimp, but he looks like somebody who can maybe take care of himself. Jason knows he can handle himself in a fight. Even before they started all this crazy training, he was pretty tough.

He looks good. The slacks and button-downs suit him better than they do Jason. Tim never looks like he's playing dress up or something, the way Jason feels. He'd let Alfred cut his hair, last week, and he's got it spiked a little bit with gel. It makes him look older. Jason likes it.

Down below, Tim turns slowly around, back toward the door. He changes direction suddenly and spins into one of the crazy kicks Bruce taught them, his whole body tilting as his leg pistons out, parallel to the ground, and his foot strikes one of the big terra cotta planters by the front door. The pot is huge - half as tall as Tim - but it topples over despite its size and cracks against the brickwork with a dull, ringing sound, spilling dirt and ivy onto the ground.

Jason drops down to the branch, and then swings down to the next one. He can't see Tim until he's almost to the ground, but he can hear him make a broken kind of sound, and then there's more smashing noises. Jason hits the ground running, and Tim whirls at the sound. Jason's startled to see tears in his eyes. "What happened?" He asks, breathing heavy from the climb.

Tim takes a step toward him and then stops. He turns away again and wipes his face.

"Tim-"

"I'm fine," he says, and his voice is thick, but he's not crying anymore.

Jason hears himself make a frustrated sound. "You're not fine, you're breaking things."

Tim doesn't turn around. He shakes his head, and then, after a moment he says, "I couldn't find you," in a voice so small and quiet Jason can barely hear it.

Jason feels his guts clench. God, he's such an asshole. "Tim," he says again, and tries to make it an apology.

"You were so mad," Tim continues. "I thought-" He stops. He turns around, and except for the flush of his cheeks, Jason can't tell he's been upset at all. "If you want to leave," he said, his voice quiet but sure, "I'll go with you."

"What?" Jason asks. He can't wrap his brain around it. "I'm not -"

"Promise you won't leave without me."

"I'm not going anywhere." Jason says, and he realizes all at once that it's true. Tim is here. Tim is happy here. Where the hell else would Jason want to go? It was one thing to make stupid plans when he was mad - like a little kid who stuffs all his toys in a suitcase and makes it two blocks before he realizes it's supper time. He wouldn't actually carry through on them. He wouldn't have made it to the gate before missing Tim. Not to mention Alfred would probably shoot him if he tried to make off with Wayne family heirlooms - and then look very disapproving while he bled out all over the carpet.

Tim doesn't look reassured, though. "I mean it," he says low and serious, "we can do whatever you want. We can go. We can go where-ever you want."

"Jesus," Jason says. He steps forward and yanks Tim into a rough hug, "Stop, okay, I told you I'm not -"

Tim doesn't stop. "We can - " he presses his face to Jason's neck. "We can leave. Gotham. If. I know you hate it here."

God, no. Jason squeezes Tim until he's lifted almost off his feet. "Tim," he chokes, because - because -

Tim wouldn't leave Gotham to be with his dad. He lied to his mother to stay here, let her go off without him to start her new life, took to the streets to starve and beg and steal, froze on the floor in shithole squats when a single phone call would have meant hot food and central heating. Tim loves this stupid, fucked up city - loves it like you love a person, hard and deep and completely fucking irrational.

And here he is, living in Batman's fucking house, training to be Robin, and he'd give that up? For Jason?

"Hey," he says, suddenly hoarse. He tucks his cheek down against Tim's, presses his nose into the warmth of his hair. "I'm happy wherever you are, kid. And you're happy here. I just - " He looks up at the tree. At some point, Grayson had taken the opportunity to disappear. "I just needed some air."



END



We're currently hammering out how to present Tim's backstory, so please don't murder me for the little teaser. Jason knows, now, but you still don't.

Comments

[shiny-glor-chan.livejournal.com]

Heeee. You're a tease, but I love you anyway. Oh god, the Jason voice in this is so spot on.So we get to read Tim and Jason meeting the Titans at the party because oh god, do want. <3

Also, this fic 'verse is the best pick-me-up ever. <3

And the tree scene was heeee. <3 Wonderful. Loved it.

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I'm still planning that one. First, though, there will be porn.

But you've got to wait until I get a chapter done of my Big Bang fic. That's the new rule I've set myself. ^_^;

[faile-neume.livejournal.com]

*flaily* I /love/ the bits you've added! Dick talking about superhero parties and Jay thinking about how much Tim loves Gotham. The line about Alfred shooting Jay and then looking disapproving is hilarious and very Alfred.

This is so good Jessie!

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like it. ^_^

[faile-neume.livejournal.com]

^_^

*looks disapproving* Shouldn't you be writing CtH though?

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I am. Right now!

I declared Friday that I could take a break to get this out. I didn't expect it to be quite so long, though.

If you're not going to be online I think I'm going to go sit somewhere quiet with my notebook and get some draft out. The computer is too distracting.

[faile-neume.livejournal.com]

Good girl.

That's pretty reasonable, I just figured I should bug you in return for you bugging me about study :P

I'm not going to come online because after I eat breakfast I'm going to walk away from the computer so I can get a few solid hours of study doing. Computers are definitely too distracting.

[wierdbot.livejournal.com]

Oh, those boys. I want to hug them and strangle them at the same time. Always. There is never a time where I feel otherwise.

The boys' opinions of Alfred is always amusing and Jason's POV always manages to be so freaking heartbreaking. And Tim breaking things and being willing to leave because Jason doesn't like it... Oh, boys.

Can't wait for more!

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it - even if you want to murder my characters with your bare hands. ^_^;

This is Jay's lowest ebb for a while. He's had himself a little epiphany.

[zenithjolt.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! *super sonic squeal*

This chapter was FANTASTIC, oh boys! *hugs them tightly* i love Jason's thought processes here, this was so sad and sweet and just wonderful. Dick, as Jason has discovered, it great, and i loved their little conversation. Man, i am loving this 'verse so much. That teaser of Tim's history was totally evil and sounds great. Emotions flying around in this, fantastic job!

[iesika.livejournal.com]

*removes earplugs*

I guess you liked it, then? *grin*

Jason and Dick had some stuff to hash out - and we all know Dick talks best when he's either fighting or perched in an impossible position.

[ladyblkrose.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much as this is such an interesting 'verse. I really appreciate Jason's voice as he struggles with what he hears, what he expects, what he wants and the reality of it all. And the love that shines out between he and Tim is just to shiney and fresh, just makes ya wanna pinch their widdle cheeks or something. Dick's big brother talk he had with Jason was excellent, presenting the reality of living as a superhero, it's perks and distractors, acknowledging Alfred as the true head of household and wanting to introduce his new little brothers to his friends, all good all the way through.
Okay Porn next as you mentioned then on to the party????????.
Thanks for a wonderful romp through your world.

[iesika.livejournal.com]

This is such lovely feedback, thank you! I'm so glad you like the verse so much! I, too, want to pinch Tim and Jay's widdle cheeks, though possibly not the same cheeks you mean. *smirk*

Dick's the best brother to Tim in the comics. He's getting a chance to do right by Jason too, here, since he didn't meet him until he'd had a little extra time to mellow before being faced by a new Robin. You know he's got to feel for poor Jay, too, with his rough childhood and how he's sort of getting dragged along for the ride.

And /everybody/ knows who wears the pants in the batfamily - and it's nobody in tights!

[anthraciteowl.livejournal.com]

And there's the Dick we know and love, complete with amazing balance, miraculous smile, and brotherly instincts. I wish Jay and Dick had been like this in canon.

And Tim ... wow. He loves Jason more than Jason knows. But Jay will never make him act on it, because he loves Tim just as much.

In other words, ahhhhhhhh. And, also, yes!.

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I wish Jay and Dick had been like this in canon.

Jason showed up too soon I think, and they way he was sprung on Dick was really kind of nasty. Dick was decent enough to realize none of this was Jason's fault, at least, but it makes it hard to build a good relationship - especially with someone who's deliberately trying to be a shit to you. ^_^; Then Tim is later, and brings out all the lovely family-needy qualities that make us adore Dick so.

And Tim ... wow. He loves Jason more than Jason knows. But Jay will never make him act on it, because he loves Tim just as much.

Not on purpose, anyway.

I kind of love how everyone seems to think the main conflict of the story is over...

[anthraciteowl.livejournal.com]

That sounds like some pretty heavy foreshadowing. So what should we, your loyal fans, be bracing ourselves for? Is it from the street or from the Manor?

[glymr]

Ahh, that would be telling!

[anthraciteowl.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Why is that a problem?

[iesika.livejournal.com]

Neither!

[anthraciteowl.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Is it from the past?

[iesika.livejournal.com]

Nope!

[ladymirth.livejournal.com]

I AM DYING BY INCHES FOR SHEER LOVE OF THIS VERSE OH MY GOD!

This is such a woobie chapter. I just want to cuddle everyone. Or jump everyone. Except Alfred, because he would disapprove.

Not to mention Alfred would probably shoot him if he tried to make off with Wayne family heirlooms - and then look very disapproving while he bled out all over the carpet.

You don't mess with the goddamn Alfred!

Mostly I go for redheads. Mostly women, too, though there's been exceptions.

Whoever might those exemptions be? Roy, of course is obvious, even though I can't see him with Wally. I wonder whether all those rumors about Garth were true? Not to mention Slade. XD

Ooh, teaser! Coolest Older Brother Ever!Dick, Crippling childhood trauma!Jason (He sounds more like Dean Winchester every minute) and Abandonment Issues!Timmy. You are pushing all the right buttons, my friend!

Y'know, I can see Tim being in love with Jay and crushing on Dick at the same time. Tim can't help it, anyway. Even if he wasn't a born freak of nature, Dick's superpower is making people within a 5-mile radius horny for him.

MOAR! MOAARRR!

[iesika.livejournal.com]

If you are dying by inches, you should move out of Gotham. Jay says.

Except Alfred, because he would disapprove.

Of the jumping or the cuddling? I'm pretty sure Alfred approves of circumspect cuddles. He'll pretend to be startled, though. Jumping's probably right out, however.

Whoever might those exemptions be? Roy, of course is obvious, even though I can't see him with Wally. I wonder whether all those rumors about Garth were true? Not to mention Slade. XD

There's a hint about at least one of the exceptions in his line about dirty talk. ^_^ I asked special permission from kirax2 to stick that in there, because she's not so fond of the pairing... ^.^;

Mmm Abandonment Issues!Timmy. If you like that, wait til kirax2's backstory's finished. Talk about abandonment issues!

Y'know, I can see Tim being in love with Jay and crushing on Dick at the same time.

Tim's still working some things out. It won't take him long, though.

Tim can't help it, anyway. Even if he wasn't a born freak of nature, Dick's superpower is making people within a 5-mile radius horny for him.

Also bending the laws of physics for purposes of gymnastic entertainment, though the two go hand in hand.

Seriously, though, I would not be at all surprised to find out some day that Dick is a low level meta.

[hyperactivator.livejournal.com]

I love this so much!

[ladymordecai.livejournal.com]

I love Jason/Tim. (When I first started reading it, it was my favorite canonically impossibly pairing. Just because it's not impossible anymore doesn't mean I like it any less!) I love how you present them, as a united front, I love how they dealt with Dick and Dick's "Nightwing, asshole" phase, and I love how true to the characters at the time they are. I'd love to see a little more Bruce--they're Robins after all, in function in not entirely in name, and Batman will always matter to Robins.

I'm intrigued by Tim's backstory, definitely want to know what happened to Jason's mom (Jason's real mom, not his biological mom), and can't wait for them to meet the Titans. I suspect the Titans will love Jay and think Tim is a little weird.

I keep trying to think of who's around in this time period, but Jason's so in between generations that there's really nobody. It's pre-YJ and post-New Titans. Even Changeling's a few years older than Jason. Hmm. Where's Barbara?

Love the story, love the characters, can't wait for more!

[iesika.livejournal.com]

This is the best sort of feedback! Thanks for giving me such lovely, meaty comments!

Tim's backstory is in progress, though I'm saving Jason's mom (along with Tulio and Manny's) for a Christmas fic.

Bruce isn't the focus of their lives, because for each of them, the other is the most important person in the world. Jason in particular doesn't entirely trust any of these people, yet (to be fair, they haven't been living in the manor for very long, here, and have yet to debut on the streets). They're going to continue to revolve around each other rather than Bruce...Unless of course something separated them in a sudden, tragic and terrible manner. Hypothetically. If, you know, Kira or I liked angst. And character developement.

Barbara is, of course, invited to the birthday party.

[glymr]

*points to iesika's comment* Pretty much what she said. I'd also like to add that Jason is a bit older in this story, and he and Tim have actually been living all right for a couple of months (thanks to Tim's ingenuity, but still). There's a fundamental difference between comics!Jason, who was dragged off the streets by Batman when he was younger and starving and stealing tires and turning tricks to survive, and KAR!Jason, who is older, wiser, and overall better fed (though still hungry enough to be impressed by a spread Alfred puts together...and who wouldn't be?) And, as iesika says, Tim's relationship and inside knowledge of the bat-family and their interactions are going to color Jason's reactions a great deal, both for the better and the worse.

Unless of course something separated them in a sudden, tragic and terrible manner. Hypothetically. If, you know, Kira or I liked angst. And character development.

Ah-HEM. Yes. Well, moving right along, nothing to see here, folks...

I'm still working on the backstory fic...it's turning out to be pretty long (for me), but it's starting to come together pretty well.

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I'm still working on the backstory fic...it's turning out to be pretty long (for me), but it's starting to come together pretty well.

It really is. Wee Timmy is going to make everyone BAWL.

[merelymine.livejournal.com]

Jason is getting pretty sick of hearing about Dick fucking Grayson.

Oh, JAY. You're so adorably jealous. And god, he's just about to explode from it through this entire conversation. Poor boy.

I love that he scuffs up his shoes in a fit of spite. <3

"I don't want to know!" Jason interrupts, and covers his ears with his hands. "Jesus, you think I want to hear about you getting your freak on?"

Uh, yes. Dick always wants to share. :D He's wonderful here, talking to Jason.

They're just messing around, right? They're partners sure, but...

Oh really, Jay? Hahahahaha. You keep telling yourself that.

Tim loves this stupid, fucked up city - loves it like you love a person, hard and deep and completely fucking irrational.

I love this line. And Tim is offering to LEAVE, just if Jay wants it. OH BOYS.

I want Tim's backstory BADLY. Also, your Jay-voice is maybe one of my favorite things ever, but especially about these stories. So very good.

[snake-easing.livejournal.com]

Okay, yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. They're just so spot on. And Alfred is in charge of everything. As he should be. And he'd shoot Jay and then look disapproving about Jay bleeding. Yes. And Dick is fixing things with Jay, even though Dick fucked things up last time. And Tim and... They're all perfect. I just thought you should know.

[iesika.livejournal.com]

Thank you for informing me. ^_^

Coming from you, that's such a huge compliment. I loved All The Stars so much. It kind of inspired one of the other short AUs in the piece that started this verse, because Shiva-Trained Assassin Tim lives in my head now.

[snake-easing.livejournal.com]

Shiva-Trained Assassin Tim lives in my head now

I'm glad!

Heh, well, maybe that's not so pleasant a state of affairs for your head.

But it is great to hear, thank you. Tim is someone who seems like he could easily have gone either way.

Uhh... Skip in Plot...

[dylogger.livejournal.com]

How does Jason know that Tim lied to his parents when Tim tried to keep it from him? I don't remember Jason finding out about it.

Re: Uhh... Skip in Plot...

[iesika.livejournal.com]

At the moment, we're saying it happened off panel - Keep in mind that this story has not been written entirely in chronological order. We're currently planning a fic dealing with Tim's family and related issues that will cover that gap.

[ilovedccomics.livejournal.com]

I loved the interaction between Dick and Jason in this. When Dick was telling Jay that he knew how to say dirty things in two languages I was all like DICK WE DONT NEED YOU GETTING YOUR FREAK ON! Then I was all like 0_0 and I screamed DICK SHOW US HOW YOU GET YOUR FREAK ON! And then my parents were freaking about me screaming fo him to get his freak on and then I cried because my parents think DC Comics is just a phase I'll show them that there wrong though. Mwahahah.

I love everything Dick said. I bow down at his butt... 0_0 I mean feet but man that ass is FINE. Dick get freaky. Mom not you oh god.