( closed )

[reneger]

Who: a gathering of birds and pals
What: it's a little birdie's birthday
When: dec 1st
Where: (comics)jason's central city apartment
Content Warnings: hopefully no fisticuffs in here

( about a week prior to the day, jason sent out an ominous invitation because how else is he supposed to tell people about shit? he's still recovering from both the stupid fight with junior and the numerous fights he'd been in before that with every jack and john he could find who was desperate enough to fall for him antagonizing them.

which means he's beaten enough that the several hours dickie spends in school is spent prepping snacks for the party. there's a massive sheet cake bought at one of the nearby grocery stores with generic balloons and a "happy birthday dickie" written in frosting across the top of it, along with several charcuterie plates, bowls of potato chips, and massive tubs of ice cream in the freezer.

jason figures there's enough of them they'll eventually eat through everything.

there's red, black, and yellow balloons tied to the table with all the snacks with a brightly colored happy birthday banner taped to the wall above it. be careful of the hidden knives, batarangs, and various other bat tools stashed in every potential hiding place around the apartment - jason wasn't picking those up for a party.

if it looks a little excessive, it's because that's the vibe he was going for. )

Comments

( holiday shenans )

[torchbearer]

[ kyle doesn't really celebrate the holidays.

he has no reason to. sometimes, he'd stop by to check on his mother, spend a few days with her. otherwise, he'd often find himself back with watchtower duty. it's not that he didn't like the holidays. he did and a long time ago, kyle resented the idea of being stuck with work while everyone celebrated.

but then alex died. donna died. jenny died. holidays lost their lustre.

it's different this year and kyle finds himself uncertain. not quite sure what to do. he doesn't throw himself into the holiday season, but he does pick out a few lights, even some wreaths. he hums a few christmas tunes while he's at it too. ]

what if i tag this forever later because i missed this

[reneger]

( jason doesn't do holidays. when he was young, he and his mom tried every few years or so, but they hadn't had much to begin with. after bruce had adopted him, alfred had been the one to pull holidays together. there were galas, but jason hadn't even had enough time under the wayne roof to really adjust to those. and then he'd kicked the bucket, thrown the idea of holidays out the window. when he'd gotten along with everyone, there'd been smaller celebrations - but it'd never lasted long, and now that alfred's. . . gone, he can't imagine that ever going back to how it was back home.

here, there's a now-fifteen-year-old dick grayson living under his roof along with kyle. which--changes things. a little. to the extent he's leaning up against the wall near the door that leads out of the condo like he's considering running but isn't. )

You missed a spot. ( with a nod of his head towards the coffee table, which clearly isn't looking festive enough. )

valid

[torchbearer]

[ kyle squints at the coffee table. ]

I don't think I have anything for that. I guess I could stick a wreath on it.

[reneger]

You've got a ring.

( a green one, even. kyle's creative, he'll figure it out. or - )

Red cup in the middle of a wreath. There's candy canes in the kitchen.

[torchbearer]

I'm not using the ring for everything.

[ even if that's his default mode. you have to put in extra effort for the holidays!! ]

I'll go bring them.

[reneger]

( kyle can go.. do that, jason'll stay right where he is, eyes following kyle as he moves throughout their place. )

Do we need a tree?

( look, he's even using "we". )

[torchbearer]

[ kyle waggles his eyebrows. he did not miss the "we". ]

Do we want a tree?

[reneger]

's your world, Rayner. I'm just living in it.

( alfred would get a tree. alfred is also dead. )

[torchbearer]

Your commitment to the holidays has been noted.

[ after some thought, kyle decides to generate a tree from the ring. complete with decorations, star, tinsel, the works. ]

[reneger]

It's not you. It just. . . hasn't been a thing for me. I'm not complaining.

( look he's even pushing away from the wall so he can walk over to kyle and lean right up against his back, hooking his chin over kyle's shoulder. )

We can go out. Get one of those real trees that leave pine needles all over for months after.

[torchbearer]

And I wasn't mad.

[ but he leans against jason with a smile. ]

Let's do that. It could be fun. I don't think I ever picked out a tree before.

[reneger]

( kyle leans back against him, so jason just - widens his stance a little to better support their weight. )

Alfred used to get those massive, house-sized trees. The whole manor'd smell woodsy for weeks.

( an almost pleasant memory, which jason pads out by shoving cold hands under kyle's shirt. )

[torchbearer]

That sounds nice, actually. My mom and I got the smaller trees. It was a bit harder in California.

But she loved that kind of stuff, so we did what we could.

[reneger]

I had two Christmases with 'em. First one was overwhelming, second was alright. A little much, but they're not known for half-measures. Felt a little like Annie - if Annie'd spent her nights telling Two-Face off.

( and replace the orphanage with a boys' home full of thieves. but it's close enough. )

Think we can shove it into Grayson's apartment when we're done with it? He's had it too easy lately.

[torchbearer]

We can even wrap it and put a bow on it.

[ for that extra mile. ]

[reneger]

Knew I liked you for a reason.

( his head turns, to nose in against the curve of kyle's neck. )

[torchbearer]

What, only one?

[reneger]

Do you want a list?

[torchbearer]

I would absolutely love a list.

[reneger]

( he's not sure which is the worse move to make here: not going over a list, or going over one. makes deciding which he should do a little difficult - but jason figures, to hell with it, he's cleared out all the listening bugs, no one will believe kyle. arms tighten around kyle, slowly warming fingers pressed to his ribcage. )

You're a mess. A disaster of a human being. You wear your heart on your sleeve with blaring neon lights pointing directly to it, even though you know that's a shit idea. You could kick my ass without blinking if you really wanted to, but instead you let me in under your guard like an idiot. You don't take my shit, nor do you let me get away with anything if you know I'm pushin' it too far. You're soft, but you're an ass. You make me wanna see just how hard I can shove before you snap and hold you tight all in the same moment. You're not afraid to live; you give everything your all, even knowing chances're high it'll break you.

[torchbearer]

[ oh. he hadn't really expected it but maybe he should have. deep down, he knew and yet, it still steals his breath away in an audible sound that cannot be disguised. not that he would. kyle's never bothered with that kind of subterfuge. ]

Are you still afraid?

[reneger]

I don't do fear.

( he says, even while his arms tighten around kyle. as if he might fly out the window at any moment. )

[torchbearer]

[ kyle tilts his head as much as he can so he can look at jason. he doesn't need to confirm it or drive the point home. no one knows fear like a green lantern. like this one. ]

I love you.

[reneger]

( yeah, there it is. the big reason to be afraid: to have someone, to hold them close, to know he's loved and admit it in turn just to lose it all again. kyle's trying to look at him, but jason's burying his face in against his neck to avoid it.

tightens his grip. opens his mouth, then shuts it with a shake of his head. pulls in another breath to try it again. he can lie so easily; the flirty banter comes naturally, why is this the part that's so hard. )

--ve you, too.

[torchbearer]

I know.

[ it's hard to do anything but squeeze jason's arms. kyle won't make him do anything. ]

I know you do.