(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.”

[kid_flash_found]

"Because it's nice to be someplace a little less in the middle of everything sometimes," Bart says. "You know this is supposed to be fun, not work, right? You can take the night off."

[mostdangerousbird]

“This is a night off!” Tim gestures at the thrifted Nordic sweater that he’s wearing - while it’s not an ugly Christmas sweater, the black-and-white sweater is certainly wintry.

He’s not wearing the costume, he’s not on patrol, he’s not undercover. Tim is trying, but, admittedly, he doesn’t feel the need to completely unplug when he’s among friends. This isn’t like Robin’s house party: there’s no pressure to be ‘normal.’ “I know how to have fun.”

[kid_flash_found]

"You just can't turn it off, huh? Some part of you is always on duty." He feels kinda bad for that, because while he can switch gears in the time it takes to put on his suit, Tim's, well, always on.

"We could boot up a game and see how long you can keep up. Fancy a spin on the Rainbow Road?"

[mostdangerousbird]

“Sorry, Bart, but the part of me that wants to know everything is me. It always was.” He shrugs a little and pockets his phone.

Maybe it’s why he’s a good Robin. He doesn’t like apologizing for it. Feels kinda dirty about saying sorry when he wants to argue that he has to spend more time scanning internet discourse to see what it says about clones after Kon’s post. This is a party, not a debate. As he said, he knows how to have fun.

“Sure, if I can pick my character first. What gen console?”

[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.”

[robintohood]

"Speaking from personal experience, huh?" Jason says with a raised eyebrow. "I thought the whole point was to just relax and have fun."

[mostdangerousbird]

“I’ve got stories you wouldn’t believe,” Tim says with a wide grin. “But you don’t want to talk shop.”

He does put the phone down though. “I never said it was boring. It can be fun. Mildly terrifying, but often fun.”

[robintohood]

"So it's chaotic fun then," Jason says as he offers a bowl of chips. "Got any examples?"

[mostdangerousbird]

Tim thinks about it. There’s a couple different expressions that all equate a certain fond amusement. Finally… “Someone else in this farmhouse has driven the car.”

[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.”

[eggplanting]

The de-crumbing it is an important part of the process. It's another distraction for Tim, so he stops thinking about whatever he's thinking about.

"I think it's a little late for that, you're already kind of a criminal." With being an unaligned vigilante and all that.

[mostdangerousbird]

"A smooth criminal." He doesn't step on the joke by laughing at it.

Tim finishes cleaning off the controller. "I've never heard of this game."

[eggplanting]

Steph makes a show of rolling her eyes to hide her amusement, but this is a familiar sort of nonsense.

"It's fun. You're a goose, and the whole point is to annoy everyone you cross paths with, mostly by stealing their stuff." Low stakes chaos that hurts absolutely no one is basically the same for Steph as when they give tigers those pumpkins full of meat.

[mostdangerousbird]

"I need something for these moments where there are multiple retorts, but one will step on the other. Do I say, no, you're a goose? Do I point out that, actually, I'm a Drake?" Tim munches on a handful of chips with affected deliberation. "And then it's too late, the moment has passed."

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?

[eggplanting]

[The fact that Tim is drunk is troubling, but at least he's here, safe and being watched over.

It speaks to something being very, very wrong, though. She doesn't know that she's ever seen him like this.]

No one sent me here and I'm not reporting back to anyone, promise. I just wanted to be here.

[It doesn't matter what happened between him and Kon, even if Tim was in the wrong, she's gonna be here for him.]

[mostdangerousbird]

[ She’s seen him more hurt, and more angry, but he’s never been drunk before. It’s a unique set of circumstances - coming to a party with people he’s upset with who have, in his estimation, told him that he’s not allowed to be upset with them. Being prodded to have fun and do “normal” things - it usually works, but after a few people do it, he starts to feel henpecked.

When Tim’s ability to grit his teeth reaches critical capacity, he lashes out. At least this time he’s not fighting Dick in the street. ]

Kay. The party’s in there though. With the eggnog and response-ible choices.

[eggplanting]

[If she was going to give up just from Tim being short with her, she'd never have gotten anywhere in life.]

And you're out here drinking yourself silly.

[She'd try to take the bottle if she didn't think it'd result in an argument.

Maybe after she's softened him up a little.]

So I'll stick around for a bit, if that's alright.

[mostdangerousbird]

[ Raising the bottle in a mock toast, Tim giggles and stretches his legs out on the stairs like he’s getting comfortable. ]

Isn’t it great?

[ He takes a small sip to prove … a point he used to have. ]

I’m leaving them alone, and they’re not worrying me, so ev’rybody gets what they want.

[ The overly enthusiastic pointing at himself on I and me matches the broad swing of his arm towards the house on they and them. He’s not normally one to gesticulate. ]