(closed) you better watch out. you better watch out

[eggplanting]

Who: Steph Brown eggplanting, Bart Allen, Cass Cain, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Kon-El, Jon Kent
What: Slumber party with the DC vigilante/hero kids
When: Mid-December
Where: Bart's farm in Little Love
Content Warnings: hopefully none!
Notes: Threadjacking is encouraged, as is vaguely waving our hands at the concept of linear time so that we don't have to think too hard about logistics



'Twas the night week before Christmas, when all through the house...

Pretty much everyone was stirring, because there's a party to enjoy.

Calling it a party may be a slight stretch, when there's really only a handful of them and they're not going to get up to anything more intense than playing Mario Kart and watching movies from the 90s, but Steph thought that labeling it a sleepover might sound a little immature. The idea had percolated over the last few weeks; there's a good handful of them now, from roughly the same universe, but not all of them know each other well, and while Steph might not be as tactically minded as someone like Tim, it had seemed sensible that they do a little team building.

Also, it should be fun. That's very important.

With Bart being the only one living in a space that could actually be considered a house, she'd reached out to ask if he'd be cool with hosting, and had sent out texts to the rest of their friends once she had his approval. Not being a jerk, she'd also promised to swing by early to help set up, for all the set up that needs to be done when a handful of people in their twenties hang out. Mostly it involved grabbing a few extra bean bags, setting up the TV and game consoles, and adding a few seasonally appropriate holiday decorations.

The invitation texts served the secondary purpose of assigning everyone some kind of snack or beverage to bring, most of it falling into typical junk food fare. Chips and dip, soda, pizza rolls, pretzels (the soft variety, of course), mozzarella sticks, popcorn. People are welcome to get fancier, but she'd mostly suggested things they could eat as is, or food that's easy to pop in the oven. This isn't a gala thrown by Bruce, after all. And with none of them being particularly big drinkers, she'd just told everyone it was BYOB if they want to get alcohol involved in their evening.

It's unlikely any of them would want to get wasted. While they're all strictly off duty for the evening, 'drunken misadventures' isn't really the vibe Steph is going for with this whole thing; it's meant to be a relaxing, fun evening, where they can eat, watch movies, and get into unnecessarily heated arguments about video games before crashing wherever they can find a soft surface at the end of the night. As if they're normal young adults and not a gaggle of traumatized vigilantes and lab experiments.

Later in the evening, after they've all poured outside to make s'mores around an improvised firepit, she'll probably break out some silly party games, like Never Have I Ever, or worse, card games like Uno. Because nothing says fun like arguing over whether it's morally right to use two skips in a row.

Some people just want to watch the world burn.

Comments

[mostdangerousbird]

Tim isn’t here by duress, but at the same time, he’s not feeling particularly festive. So he‘s grabbed a bowl of chips and curled himself up in an armchair, scrolling through social media and various newspaper reports. He’s wearing that far off yet hyper focused look of someone who’s trying to connect things that might not even be connected.

In short: he’s working.

[kid_flash_found]

Bart doesn't even think about how Tim wants to be alone, because that's not happening. So he plops down on the free arm of the chair and glances at the screen Tim's glued to.

"Don't make me filter your internet. You don't have enough time to break the network password before the festivities are over."

[mostdangerousbird]

“Why do you live outside cell service?” With a sigh that’s directed at Kansas instead of Bart. Tim lowers the phone, but doesn’t put it away. “Also, the festivities haven’t really started yet. I’m only keeping busy.”

[robintohood]

"It's a sleepover, not a study session," Jason says dryly.

As reluctant as he was about being in a sleepover, Jason has decided to just enjoy himself. He's surprised Tim hasn't done the same, given that Tim's closer to most of the people in the house than Jason is.

[mostdangerousbird]

“It’s never just a sleepover with this crew. Something will blow up, or crash into the field, or an archaeological will uncover an alien cycle than imprints on Kon.”

Tim shrugs with a soft grin. “I’m reading until the chaos starts.”

[eggplanting]

The ultimate solution to the problem of Tim being Tim is to just wander over and drop a Switch controller into his bowl of chips.

"I need your help committing a robbery."

Steph isn't much of a gamer, but someone has introduced her to Untitled Goose Game and it might be her new favorite thing in existence. She does love to cause problems on purpose. And it's co-op, apparently, so she can wrangle Tim into playing under the guise of asking for help.

[mostdangerousbird]

How is that a solution to a problem that didn’t need exist? Tim frowns and fishes the controller out, carefully de-crumbing it.

“I’ve sworn off B&Es for December. Don’t want to be a late entry on the Naughty List.”

later in the evening

[eggplanting]

[There was no missing Tim and Kon's little spat, not when there's only a handful of people in an enclosed space, but Steph resists the urge to go after Tim immediately. He's never exactly been good at talking about things, and it's worse when he's freshly hurt, which seems to be the case.

So she gives him time to breathe and lick his wounds — he really is like a cat sometimes — and when the party starts winding down, she goes searching for him.

When she finds him out on the porch, she only wraps her coat tighter around herself and plops herself down next to him, shoulder to shoulder with a gentle lean. She doesn't say anything yet, choosing to just sit in silence so Tim has an opportunity to talk if he's ready, or he can just enjoy her delightful company in peace.]

[mostdangerousbird]

[ There’s a delayed lift of his head when someone comes out on the porch, a belated fuck is it Kon no I’m safe. Mostly safe.

He turns back to staring at nothing and sipping the steadily emptying bottle. It’s more like his head rolls back, tipping back as it turns when it absolutely doesn’t need to. He is not sober. When she leans against him, he sways. ]

If I say ‘m fine, are you going back in to report on me?

[kid_flash_found]

Bart's all over the place, making sure everything is as good as he can get it. Extra freezer chest full of microwave junk foods? Check. Extra microwaves and toaster ovens? Check. Coolers and ice? Check. Instant water kettle, teapot, coffee-maker, and other warm beverage accessibility? Check, check, and double check.

He's also broken up the massive basement gaming den into a couple smaller areas for both video and tabletop games, mostly classics that they'd all know, and then set up a large area with plenty of pillows, beanbag-chairs, and even the odd inflatable for lounging in front of a giant projection screen for proper movies.

Outside is still insanely snowbound, but he did clear out and put up canvas windbreaks around the fire pit to help, as well as a second projector if they want it.

He just wants a chill (but not chilly) place to be something close to normal. Like weekends at the Tower when they're not responding to the latest crisis.

[eggplanting]

"Hey," Steph is careful to catch Bart's arm when he's zipping past at one point; it's just a light touch to get his focus, not intending to hold him, because she's used to dealing with Bats who aren't big on being grabbed at random. "You know you're supposed to enjoy yourself, too, right?"

Being a good host is all well and good, but she wants to make sure he doesn't miss out on the actual fun, especially since this was sort of her idea. If anyone's going to be fussing at people, it should be her.

Which is, actually, what she's doing right now, so at least she was right about one thing!

[kid_flash_found]

"Who says I don't enjoy running around like a chicken who heard someone brush against the Grubterra bag?" Bart asks, grinning and letting her catch him. No headless chickens for him. The girls are pets who happen to produce eggs, thanks.

[robintohood]

Jason found it bizarre that he would be invited to a sleepover. To call the other vigilantes his friends isn't accurate given his history and his violent methods as the Red Hood. And with his upcoming death anniversary, he felt even less inclined to be social.

But he got dragged here anyway and with the very snowy weather outside, he might as well make the most of it. He's made himself comfortable on a bean bag and has positioned himself more towards the edge of the group.

If they're watching a movie, he'll sometimes do snarky commentary. He's also not above playing party games. In between all these social activities that he's not used to though, he sometimes steps away to take a quiet moment to himself. It's also so he can offer Kat-El company. He hopes the little furball isn't overwhelmed by all the extra humans tonight.

[kid_flash_found]

It really didn't take long for the fuzzball to find Jason. The party isn't overwhelming, exactly, because Bart often takes the cat out where he can be around a lot of people like at children's hospitals for publicity. There's something special about knowing you have to earn the right to have contact with an animal that seems to help the more troubled kids come out of their shells. But that doesn't mean the little beast isn't going to claim his share of Jason's bean-bag chair nest.

Bart, on the other hand, knows Jason isn't much of a talker, and gives him a little bit of space at first. But eventually he stops by. "I hope you're not pulling away because you have better things to do than join the round-robin games of Mario Kart."

A beat. "Uh, that wasn't meant to be a codename joke, we just don't have enough slots on the system for everyone to play at once."

[eggplanting]

Is Steph aware that it's close to the day Jason died? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, she isn't going to comment on, knowing him well enough to assume that it isn't going to be something he wants to chat about.

But she does flop down on the beanbag right beside him, making herself fit with the determination of someone who made their own vigilante costume at fifteen to kick their dad's ass.

"Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC? You have three seconds to answer." She's probably in the middle of an argument with someone and needs back up. Or she just needs to know the answer to this very important question.

[exponentially]

[ he got the invite and was a little bit surprised about it, honestly. he sort of has connections with some of the people here, but not like they do with one another. still, they'd needed a little help with setting up, and if jon's good at nothing else, he's great at picking up heavy things and moving them. he figured then that if it got awkward for him to stay afterward, there are dozens, hundreds of things he could be out in the world helping with: it wouldn't be hard to make his excuses and leave.

still, he's full of fairly wholesome midwestern charm for most of the evening. he plays mario kart or other multiplayer games with anyone willing to join in (he's even a little bit competitive about it, if rusty at first); he curls up on a couch or beanbag to watch a movie (pardon him if he dozes off on someone's shoulder); he's happy to start the firepit outside (heat vision, so convenient) and eat far too many roasted marshmallows.

if he gets a little distracted sometimes, head tilted like a puzzled dog, well.. it's hard to ignore work, even out in the middle of nowhere. ]

[kid_flash_found]

[Bart had heard the guest list, and while he hadn't yet had the opportunity to meet the newest S, he wasn't about to say no. And getting help early was also nice, even if it was mostly getting everything moved to be more convenient for party snacking.]

Thanks for helping with the furniture. I didn't really want to trust the scouts with getting the firepit right. They may be me, but they aren't me at my best and brightest.

[He'd have to think about running a gas line for a more permanent set-up if his place keeps being used as a retreat. Not that he minds.]

I'm going to do a final check on the girls for the evening to make sure they're all in the coop before folks really come in.

[eggplanting]

[She hadn't thought much of invite Jonathan; she doesn't know him well, but he's brand new and a little younger than most of them (not that she's 100% clear on how old Kon and Bart are) and it seemed like the right thing to do, to help him get to know them better.]

Think fast, Kent.

[This is all the warning Jon gets before Steph throws a marshmallow at him.

He just looked like he could use one, is all.]

[robintohood]

[Jason polite enough to just lightly nudge Jon off of his shoulder when the movie's over. he had noticed on and off tonight the distracted looks Jon keeps making and figures something's going on with him]

Had a good nap?

[The question is asked with a dry tone]

[lowercase_el]

[Kon's been peripherally around most of the evening but he definitely has a lot more history with the others, so he's been chatting with them a bit more.]

[But now it's Jon's turn, as he sits by the bonfire.]

Hey, Jono, think fast.

[He tosses him a box. It's not huge but still a slight handful, wrapped in newspaper because wrapping paper is more expensive.]

[mostdangerousbird]

[ Sometime after Tim starts drinking, he goes to find Jon Kent. He’s not drunk but he’s trying to keep himself to a level of annoyingly buzzed.

Being neither a heavy nor frequently drinker, he has overshot the mark. There’s a slur threatening the edges of his words and he’s markedly looser than normal. ]

Hey. I didn’t know what to get you for Christmas.

[ It’s abruptly apologetic. Jon’s Damian’s friend after all, not Tim’s, so it shouldn’t be a shock that he’s empty-handed, except for his own personal rum bottle. ]

After the party, if you want better security on your phone or your computer - let me take care of it.

[lowercase_el]

[Kon shows up with his usual flashy entrance, with bags of stuff. One bag is full of presents, the others hold some of the junk food he promised, as well as some large clinking bottles.]

Party-goers, rejoice! For I come bearing pizza rolls! And also a little grown up juice, but let's be real, we're too square to get wasted, so I figured I'd bring a little of the classy holiday kind. Like the old-timey sippin' drinks you'd read about in Dickens novel.

[Lightly spiked egg nog, hot toddies, actually figuring out what the hell wassail is, etc. Stuff that's relatively light on alcohol, high on flavor, where the alcohol adds a lil' something taste-wise.]

[...unlike the time he supplied less classy drinks in large volumes at his and Tim's (though Tim denied he was co-throwing it, despite being a clear accessory) party in the Fortress of Solitude the one time.]

I'm officially your holiday mixologist for the evening.

[Rather than Jason, the actual bartender. (Listen, he did research for this. He wants to figure out how to do it. For science.)]

By the way, Hood, thanks for being our official supplier.

[Yeah, he can't afford alcohol, he just stole it from the Descendant with superspeed. He may be on Team Boyscout, but he's still a lil' rascal sometimes.]

[Alongside making some dranks (fairly well), he can be seen doing just about anything through the evening. Playing video games, going all in on s'mores, giving out gifts, and party games are all potentially on the itinerary for the night.]

[robintohood]

[Jason makes a mental note to himself to triple check the bar's inventory before the next time he attends/forced to go to a party]

You're welcome and I'll send you the bill when we all get back to Central. You actually know what you're doing with the stuff?

[Despite his mildly annoyed and deadpan tone, he's also curious to what Kon can make]

[eggplanting]

On a scale of one to waking up in another state, how much alcohol is in the nog?

[Steph hadn't been planning to drink anything, but she's a fan of eggnog and can probably handle a glass or two without getting tipsy.]

[mostdangerousbird]

Is that why you showed up at work the other night?

[ Tim will deny any and all knowledge and participation in the SuperRager.

Particularly since Bruce still gives him a look when he’s even holding a champagne at a gala. It’s just not worth the trouble. ]

You do know that almost everyone here is underage? Possibly everyone - good luck finding out how old Jason is. If someone can’t handle new powers and alcohol, we’re a gang of unregistered metahumans breaking into guild housing.