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munninPlaying a bit of round robin with Ducky (if she’s still up.) Feel free to follow along or join in if anyone should so desire. Set post Black Orchids.
Recovery and wreckage – The band, Oracle, PG.
The Robin’s crashed out on the couch, watching a movie as a storm raged outside, whiping the palm trees inside out like umbrellas.
Every crack of thunder, every flash of lighting made Tim finch, the fear and trauma still too raw. Dick held his close, bracketing Tim between him and Steph as Tim shivered, trying to fight back the panic attacks.
In the end Alfred quietly insisted Tim take something to help him sleep and Tim relented, however he refused to leave the others and passed out with his head resting on Dick’s chest.
Dick winced as his silenced phone vibrated its way across the coffee table, just out of reach.
“I got him.” Jay whispered, carefully lifting the sleeping Robin off his elder brother and taking his place on the couch as Dick slipped away into the bedroom to take the call.
“Hey O.” Dick answered, knowing without having to check the caller id. Babs was the only one in contact with them at the moment. At Dick’s request, she was handling all the traffic so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Pretty much half the superhero community plus all the fans wanted news of them but the Robins just wanted peace, some quiet time to recover.
“Hey hunk wonder. How’s things?”
“One day at a time.” He said with a sigh as he sat down. “And some days are harder than others.”
“Anything I can help with?” She asked quietly.
“Not unless you can turn back time and work out a way to stop this from having happened.” There was a weariness in his voice, soul deep and shattering.
“You’ve gotta stop blaming yourself for this.” She chided, knowing he wasn’t going to listen. Since losing Bruce, Dick had taken the responsibility of looking after his siblings very, very seriously. “Hey I know you guys want quiet but...Tim’s birthday’s coming up-”
“I know, I know.” Dick sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.
“And I’ve got heroes from every quarter wanting to drop off presents or throw him a party.”
“O, he’s not ready. He’s still really, really fragile.”
“I know, I’ve been telling them to leave stuff with me and I’ll ship it all to Tim when he’s ready but...” she paused, letting it linger in the air.
“What’s the but O?” Dick asked, feeling like a beheading victim waiting for the axe.
“Your flashy playboy, Tony Stark keeps calling and I don’t know how much longer I can stonewall him.”
“He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.” Dick sighed and fell back onto the bed, almost hard enough to bounce. “Did he say what he wanted?”
“To drop off Tim’s birthday present.”
“Do I even want to know?”
“Wouldn’t say but he said he’s threatened you with it before.”
“Fuck!” Dick muttered, covering his face with his hands. “The bastard knows I might actually say yes this time.”
“Do I even want to know?” Oracle teased.
“I think he’s offering to set us up a recording studio.”
Oracle hummed. “That would explain why he was asking for dimensions on the games room down stairs.”
“He knows where we are?” Dick demanded, more surprised than annoyed. Oracle had gone to great lengths to keep their location a secret.
“I’ve had to asked the Big Blue Boy-scout to ‘waylay’ his jet once already. Sorry Dick.”
“Don’t sweat it babe, Tony’s slippery like that.” He stretched, groaning as his spine popped and cracked. “Look I’ll have a chat with Tim, see what he wants to do.”
“Let the poor kid sleep a bit more. Those drugs Alfred gave him must have wiped him out pretty hard.”
Dick sat up suddenly. “Oracle?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “You won’t happened to have bugged the place now would you?”
“Would I have set you up a safe house without a means of making sure it stayed safe? And before you ask,” she cut across the start of his rant. “I only have cameras on the living spaces and around the perimeters. The bedrooms are bug free.”
Dick was surprisingly touched by this; it was kinda comforting to know she was still looking out for them despite everything that had happened. “Thanks.” He said, and meant. “I’ll call you back later and let you know the plan.”
“Stay safe Boy Blunder, and look after that little brother of ours.” She rang off before waiting for a reply.
“Will do.” Dick muttered anyway, closing his phone and his eyes. This would be interesting...
Recovery and wreckage – The band, Oracle, PG.
The Robin’s crashed out on the couch, watching a movie as a storm raged outside, whiping the palm trees inside out like umbrellas.
Every crack of thunder, every flash of lighting made Tim finch, the fear and trauma still too raw. Dick held his close, bracketing Tim between him and Steph as Tim shivered, trying to fight back the panic attacks.
In the end Alfred quietly insisted Tim take something to help him sleep and Tim relented, however he refused to leave the others and passed out with his head resting on Dick’s chest.
Dick winced as his silenced phone vibrated its way across the coffee table, just out of reach.
“I got him.” Jay whispered, carefully lifting the sleeping Robin off his elder brother and taking his place on the couch as Dick slipped away into the bedroom to take the call.
“Hey O.” Dick answered, knowing without having to check the caller id. Babs was the only one in contact with them at the moment. At Dick’s request, she was handling all the traffic so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Pretty much half the superhero community plus all the fans wanted news of them but the Robins just wanted peace, some quiet time to recover.
“Hey hunk wonder. How’s things?”
“One day at a time.” He said with a sigh as he sat down. “And some days are harder than others.”
“Anything I can help with?” She asked quietly.
“Not unless you can turn back time and work out a way to stop this from having happened.” There was a weariness in his voice, soul deep and shattering.
“You’ve gotta stop blaming yourself for this.” She chided, knowing he wasn’t going to listen. Since losing Bruce, Dick had taken the responsibility of looking after his siblings very, very seriously. “Hey I know you guys want quiet but...Tim’s birthday’s coming up-”
“I know, I know.” Dick sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.
“And I’ve got heroes from every quarter wanting to drop off presents or throw him a party.”
“O, he’s not ready. He’s still really, really fragile.”
“I know, I’ve been telling them to leave stuff with me and I’ll ship it all to Tim when he’s ready but...” she paused, letting it linger in the air.
“What’s the but O?” Dick asked, feeling like a beheading victim waiting for the axe.
“Your flashy playboy, Tony Stark keeps calling and I don’t know how much longer I can stonewall him.”
“He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.” Dick sighed and fell back onto the bed, almost hard enough to bounce. “Did he say what he wanted?”
“To drop off Tim’s birthday present.”
“Do I even want to know?”
“Wouldn’t say but he said he’s threatened you with it before.”
“Fuck!” Dick muttered, covering his face with his hands. “The bastard knows I might actually say yes this time.”
“Do I even want to know?” Oracle teased.
“I think he’s offering to set us up a recording studio.”
Oracle hummed. “That would explain why he was asking for dimensions on the games room down stairs.”
“He knows where we are?” Dick demanded, more surprised than annoyed. Oracle had gone to great lengths to keep their location a secret.
“I’ve had to asked the Big Blue Boy-scout to ‘waylay’ his jet once already. Sorry Dick.”
“Don’t sweat it babe, Tony’s slippery like that.” He stretched, groaning as his spine popped and cracked. “Look I’ll have a chat with Tim, see what he wants to do.”
“Let the poor kid sleep a bit more. Those drugs Alfred gave him must have wiped him out pretty hard.”
Dick sat up suddenly. “Oracle?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “You won’t happened to have bugged the place now would you?”
“Would I have set you up a safe house without a means of making sure it stayed safe? And before you ask,” she cut across the start of his rant. “I only have cameras on the living spaces and around the perimeters. The bedrooms are bug free.”
Dick was surprisingly touched by this; it was kinda comforting to know she was still looking out for them despite everything that had happened. “Thanks.” He said, and meant. “I’ll call you back later and let you know the plan.”
“Stay safe Boy Blunder, and look after that little brother of ours.” She rang off before waiting for a reply.
“Will do.” Dick muttered anyway, closing his phone and his eyes. This would be interesting...
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Thin, Thin Ice
Date: 2010-07-29 02:56 am (UTC)"What?" Short and vehement and all of Jay's tiredness in one quiet word. When Dick doesn't answer he puts his wrench down and collapses backwards. "Well?"
"How are you holding up?" Jason's cruel laugh reminds him entirely too much of Red Hood and he leans over and kisses him to stop it. Jason stills but doesn't reciprocate and when he opens his eyes they are dull.
"I'm hurt, i'm actually fucking scared and I don't know any more." He turns his face away from Dick and Dick can't help cradle him. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know." Dick has cried enough for the day so he just holds Jay to him. "I have know clue... I almost feel like we should start from the... I have an idea."
-----
He drags Jason to the living room where Staph sits with Tim. He finds and drags Damian and Alfred too.
He gathers everyone but Tim around him and explains the plan.
"We're going to get him used to touching again, later i'll call a few friends to help, but for now..." He looked all of them in the eye. "Just follow my lead, okay?"
He put them in a circle and Tim watched them warily.
"Okay little brother," he started with his cheeriest, albeit somewhat fake, smile. Tim seemed to be taken aback by this, "first lesson! The handshake."
He was perhaps being a bit melodramatic, but he held his hand out to Jason who took his hint and shook it. He repeated the process with the others and then finally held his hand out to Tim.
Gently, and with hesitation he took it. He was then guided into shaking hands with the others.
Dick considered this a good start. He smiled a little more gently and with a lot more sincerity.
warmth in winter, part 1
Date: 2010-07-29 11:24 am (UTC)Dick’s grand plan of ‘lean on each other’ trust exercises ended with Steph dumping Dick on his ass; Jay doubled over, clutching his chest, aching with laugher as Damian tripped over his own feet. Even Tim made a decent attempt to join in on the fun with a neat feint that had Steph scrambling right herself before she face-planted onto the carpet.
“You,” Dick announced, pulling Tim into a hug, “are cheating.”
Tim gave him a slight if warm smile. “You didn’t exactly explain the rules.”
Dick hummed a laugh as Tim yawned against his chest. “Need to get some more sleep babybird?”
Tim said nothing but leant into Dick’s arms.
Over Tim’s head, Dick caught Jay’s eye. Jay nodded.
“D?” Dick said gently, “How ‘bout you, Steph and Tim crash out for a while? I’ll join you in a bit.”
Damian glanced from Jay to Dick and back again, nodding gravely as he took Tim’s hand and lead him towards the bedroom.
Steph watched her two older brothers with sharp eyes, tracking their unspoken conversation. Despite their closeness since leaving Gotham, the boys’ relationship had been...stained of late. And that was the last thing they needed right now.
Dick flicked his head towards Jay’s bedroom as Steph followed after her younger brothers.
warmth in winter, part 2
Date: 2010-07-29 11:24 am (UTC)The older Robin looked up into Jay’s eyes, seeing darkness and heat. “Jay?”
“Yes.” Jay growled, pressing Dick into the wood, catching his brother’s wrists and pinning them by his sides. “Dick?”
Dick sighed, a inch shy of purring as Jay’s hot breath ghosted over the skin of his throat. “Yes.” He shivered as Jay’s lips grazed his neck with the subtle threat of teeth. “Just don’t...” mark me.
“I won’t.” Jay didn’t need Dick to finish that sentence. He ground his hips against Dick’s, tangling his fingers in Dick’s hair. “I need...”
“I know.”
Jay growled, trailing sharp kisses over Dick’s throat, just shy of leaving a mark. He twisted sharply, throwing Dick towards the bed.
Dick huffed as he connected with the mattress, falling sprawlingly as Jay pressed him down. Clothes scatted as they rushed to strip each other.
As Jay shed his shirt, Dick ghosted a hand down his chest, tracing the edges of the wound dressing. His touch was imbued with worry and regret. “I...”
“Don’t!” Jay growled, grabbing Dick’s wrist and pushed him back down. He kissed Dick fiercely, biting his bottom lip. “Just don’t!”
Dick moaned up into his kiss as Jay pushed his thighs apart. It had been so long...
Jay rolled them over, reaching for lube in his top draw. “Be sure.” He demanded as he slicked his fingers.
“I am.” Dick hissed, spreading his legs over Jay’s thighs, taking his own weight as Jay slipped two fingers into him, deep and fast. “Jay...”
The next kiss silenced Dick as Jay slipped out and bent the aerialist in half.
Dick moaned into Jay’s mouth, silencing himself with Jay’s tongue as his brother pushed in. As much as they both needed this, Tim didn’t.
“Need something to shut you up?” Jay purred, rocking in hard.
“Pleas-” Dick gagged as Jay pushed his fingers into his older brother’s mouth, his eyes watering. It hurt, burning in all the best ways. The fire in Jay’s eyes, the need was fierce and wrong and beautiful.
Jay growled as he ploughed Dick into the bed, groaning as pleasure mixed with pain as the wound in his chest pulled.
“Jay.” Dick reared back, reached up to touch his brother’s face but Jay grabbed his wrist and slammed him back to the bed. “Jay please!”
Jay tightened his grip and groaned, arching his back as he spilt into his brother.
“Jay?” Dick whined, unfinished and unfulfilled.
Jay pulled out and flipped Dick over, pushing him onto his knees. He wrapped his damp hand around Dick’s cock and squeezed hard, jacking him sharp and fast.
Dick whined and whimpered, writhing under Jay’s touch. It barely took seconds before he stiffened and moaned, painting Jay’s hand with his cum.
Jay let Dick fall back to the bed, lowering himself down at his side as they both fought to catch their breath. Jay rolled onto his back, tolerating Dick’s touch as his older brother checked his injury. “Stop fussing Dickie.”
Dick sighed, pressing his forehead to Jay’s. “I...”
“I know.” Jay breathed tired, letting Dick snuggle against him, sleepy and content. “See, you don’t need that showboat Stark for this.”
“No...” Dick breathed, letting himself relax. “But I need him for other things too. And not just him.”
Jay stoked his hand through Dick’s hair. “So what’s stage 2 of getting Timmy back on the level?”
Dick sighed. “Roy.”
~~~
Alexiel? I’m looking at you if you’re still around.
Conversations 1 - it became about Roy and Dick entierly.
Date: 2010-07-29 01:00 pm (UTC)They had played again, leaving each other in giggling fits. Tim hadn't looked weirded out, or sad, or anything, at Dick and Jason. He had smiled silently and... maybe, Jay though, maybe Dick was on the right track.
Maybe they all were.
Roy knocked at their door in the mid-morning - they looked at him enter the living room, leaded by Alfred, with expressions varying from amused to... well. Slightly freaked out for Tim, but it was totally because they could only see Roy's arms and legs and not much else of him.
"Thank you, Mister Harper," said Alfred, taking some of the packages Roy was carrying. Food, by the look of it. And if eyes were not deceiving, as well as noses, that was Martha Kent's apple pie leaving toward the kitchen.
"Hi guys."
"Roy?" "Roy, what the fuck?" "... Did you bring everything?" "Steph?"
Roy laughed and put everything down, before throwing himself on the couch, between Steph and Tim in Dick's arms. Tim was still looking at the pile of things, not at Roy - he had barely flinched when the redhead had sat down.
"Roy?" asked Dick again, an eyebrow raised.
"I've been changed into a transporter," Roy said, dramatically raising a hand to his head.
"Woe is you," sarcastically called Jason.
"Hey! I got books, movies, food, clothes..." Roy started to tick items off his fingers, "power cords, the replacement pedal you asked me for," he said to Steph who raised her arms and let out a 'YES', "your co- er, the things we don't talk about," he quickly said at D's glower, "my princess insisted on a Twister game which I refuse to play if Dick's in the game because that's blatant cheating, and best of all," he finished, folding himself in half to grab at a brown bag and dragging a book out of it, making the cover face Jason, " 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance'."
Jason growled, and threw a pillow at him. Roy retaliated. Steph rolled her eyes and jumped into the fray. Damian snorted, found his comics and sat in a corner not too far from Tim and Dick. Tim watched them, relaxing minutely. Dick began laughing.
----
Conversations 2
Date: 2010-07-29 01:00 pm (UTC)Later, when D, Jason, Steph and Tim were too busy looking through the pile of stuff in the living room, Dick dragged Roy to one of the bedroom - Steph's, if the purple top and the sketchbook were any indication.
Roy, breathless and grinning after the brawl, had sat against the couch, near Tim's legs. He had patted one and asked "So, how is looking after the lot of them going?" to Tim, had shot an amused glance at the younger man. Tim had flinched at the touch, a reflex. Roy hadn't looked at him with pity or sadness or- he had just looked at Tim, had waited for him. Tim had closed his eyes and said thanks.
Dick and Roy still needed to talk.
Dick closed the door, and leaned against it.
"Roy, what is al-" He didn't had the time to finish his sentence - Roy had smothered him into a hug, the too strong arms impossible to escape. Dick sighed, relaxed into the embrace.
"You look like shit, Robbie."
Dick sighed again, because 'I know' didn't really answer anything. "What's with all the stuff?"
Roy huffed a warm breath, didn't release Dick. "You should have seen all they wanted me to take, and Dinah's a hard woman to say no to."
A beat.
"I should be yelling at you."
Roy released Dick, kept his hands on the other's shoulders.
"We didn't need help, and Jay was just out of surgery - do you have any idea of-"
"Dick, Dick- Dick!" He shook him a little. "Listen to me, alright? Just listen." Roy took Dick's face in his hands. "You know Jay. You know him. He'd had followed you, bleeding or not. I do hope I kept him from doing something very stupid, like bleeding to death. And. It's ok to ask for help. I get that it's not how you guys work, but circumstances changed since-"
Dick closed his eyes. Roy stroked the bruised skin below the lids.
"You can ask. Anytime. Anyone. For anything. Just like you asked me to come now." Roy shook him a little again, caught his Robbie's eyes. "And I'll keep telling you that until you get a hint, got it?"
Dick huffed, again; let his head fall to Roy's chest.
"How're you doing? And I'm asking about you. I saw how's Tim."
Dick took the time to think about it. "One day at the time," was the muffled answer.
"Well, I'm here right now." Roy hugged him again. "You're still not allowed to play Twister."
finding the beat
Date: 2010-07-30 12:25 pm (UTC)“Being you and being freakishly flexible is cheating.” Roy answered, wrapping his arms around Dick’s waist. “So what do you need?”
Dick sighed. “I need...I need someone to help me help Tim. He needs...people...interaction.”
“I can do that.” Roy whispered. “And Jay?”
“He’s not ok Roy.” Dick admitted. “He’s really...”
“Yeah. I got that.” Roy sighed, “So how we gonna play this Robbie?”
Dick shrugged. “One day at a time?”
Roy nudged Dick with a grin. “So we start with today.”
***
Steph and Damian had the Xbox out and were hammering each other at some racing game. Tim was on the couch, his head resting in Jay’s lap, smirking as Steph leant into the corners, willing her car around the track.
Roy tapped Tim’s feet gently. “Budge up babybird.” He lifted Tim’s feet as he shuffled up into Jay’s lap to make room for the archer.
Dick leant in the doorway, watching them play as Roy’s hand drifted to Jay’s, their fingers entwining as Jay’s chest heaved in an almost relieved sighed.
Time to talk to Tony.
***
Hi Tony.
How’s the plan coming along? Tim’s...getting there but we’re still working it. He seemed pretty keen on the idea of spending time with JARVIS, you know they’ve always had...actually there’s sensible way to point out that my little brother is in love with your computer!
I hope things will settle enough that you can come round soon. I could use the shoulder right now.
<3 Dick.
Tony responded almost intently to his email.
Hey beautiful boy.
How’s everything going? No, sorry, shouldn’t ask. I promised I wouldn’t push.
I’m working on new security for your place. Your scary spymaster took some convincing to hand over the plans but he...she...its demanding copies of all my designs and layouts. I’m not going to get IP raped over this am I? Look I know you trust the creepy voice of doom but...Fury’s going to nail my ass to the wall if this stuff hits the open market...probably shouldn’t be adapting designs commissioned for the Avengers for this but you boys are worth it.
I have long suspected Tim and JARVIS were flirting behind my back. I’d be offended if it wasn’t so hot. I’ve almost considered designing a cyborg body for JARVIS just so I could...
Never mind. You don’t need me to finish that thought.
I’m putting together a cut down version of my two-timing AI on a laptop for Tim, at least to start off with. I can expand and wire him up to the house later if you want but I can have mini JARVIS ready by tonight. Not sure how to get him to you though, the spymaster made it abundantly clear what would happened if I stepped into the field of fire again. Mostly involving my testicles and vast amounts of explicit detail. Who is this Kal-El anyway? And what did I do to piss him off?
Love you beautiful boy.
Tony