grab your hat, get your coat, the cellar door is an open throat (open/closed)

[overlyprecocious]

Who: Tim Drake overlyprecocious, others
What: catch-all post for late April/early May. some post-Jason fight things.
When: late April, early May
Where: Dick's apartment, other places tbd
Content Warnings: dissociation, references to childhood neglect and abuse, (so far) light reference to food insecurity

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[overlyprecocious]

“Yeah,” he says, which is true from a certain point of view. He’s… lost time… before, but never as Robin. And he’s been around some pissed-off people before. He’s reasonably confident it wouldn’t happen if it hadn’t been family.

So. It’s not lying.

[mostdangerousbird]

It’s not the most suspicious answer when Tim’s had time to think about it. A thorough response would be more suspicious- it would shop preparation and possibly invention. Defensiveness, too, would be a red flag.

There isn’t really an answer that TH would completely trust, but he’s still going to keep an eye on Tim. “You can tell me if it does. I think we need to keep anything between us honest.”

[overlyprecocious]

“Okay,” he says, still not lying because if it happens again, telling TJ is certainly an option that he’ll consider, depending on when and how it happens. So. That’s fine.

[mostdangerousbird]

"I'll make it worth your while," Tim says. Not to offer a bribe (he is offering a bribe), but as a fair trade to prompt unprompted exchanges of information.

(He knows that he would find ways to rationalize his secrets. Subtle reinterpretations of the parameters, shift those goal posts back.)

"I'll answer a direct question about me every time you come to me to ask for help or advice. It has to be about me. I won't tell you anyone else's secrets. And asking for help has to be related to your coping mechanisms for stress and grief. Don't bring me a jar of pickles and tell me it's stuck."

[overlyprecocious]

That's. Hmm.

It at least makes the idea of telling TJ more interesting than I tell him and he probably tries to bench me. Because that's still probably a high probability.

"Okay." It's not a promise or anything. But he'll think about it.

[mostdangerousbird]

“Good,” TJ says with a nod. Although Tim’s started to clean up, he hasn’t. He’ll go when Tim goes and go with him only if asked, but there’ll be no cues from him that this is time to leave. Like what TJ wanted was the only think that mattered. “I should tell Bart and Bolt about this place. They’ve got good ice cream.”

[overlyprecocious]

"It's pretty good," he agrees, although when it comes down to it, he didn't end up eating all that much of it. The conversation got a little too heavy for light snacking.

[mostdangerousbird]

"So," Tim says as he slaps his hands down on his thighs and then stands. It's a very Dad move, but not necessarily their dad (at all). More of a 'hey slugger' dad on tv. "Where to next?"

[overlyprecocious]

“Do you… want to go somewhere else?”

He’s pretty sure they just had The Conversation that TJ was aiming for. They don’t have to keep hanging out if he doesn’t want to.

[mostdangerousbird]

“Yeah, I do. I think we should have a standing rule to never offer something we don’t actually want.”

Don’t offer, not don’t accept. He’s leaving room for when they disagree and have to come to an accord.

TJ may have the conversation he wanted, but this is still the conversation he needs to have.

[overlyprecocious]

"That's not how the Rules of Polite Society work," he says, somewhat wry. It's definitely not how Polite Society works in the Drake house. Things are offered that it would be rude to accept, and no is not always an acceptable answer.

[mostdangerousbird]

“Where did you get the idea that I’m polite society?” Tim’s teasing, but it’s true. “You’ve seen my place. That look like I’m welcome in polite society?”

[overlyprecocious]

He shrugs up a shoulder. "Once a Drake, always a Drake?" It's not quite a comforting statement of belonging to him, admittedly, so much as a reminder that you're always expected to play by Drake rules.

[mostdangerousbird]

"Polite society rules were never for Drakes," Tim counters. "Aquila non capit muscas."

The eagle does not hunt flies. They're above even that. Not that Tim buys into it, but the real family motto does seem to apply here. "Now you were telling me where you want to go?"

[overlyprecocious]

"If there's somewhere else cool around here that we haven't hit up yet...? Cause if not, I should probably go. Um, I have some homework to do."

Seeing as how the school finally caught him and started him going. He's got some things to catch up on, which are made slightly trickier by the fact that, for example, literature and history don't quite match up with what he knows from his home world.

Once they determine that no, there's nothing much else either of them had in mind, he thanks TJ and heads home to catch up on some reading assignments.