fingerstripes | IC Inbox + Friendr

[ That anyone, let alone a near total stranger, would think "potential parental figure" and land on him at all is more than a little daunting. But he admires that self-analysis, and it hits him how much Taako must care about Jon to even ask. How much he must care about Clark. ]

I appreciate the thought.

Jon's welcome with us anytime. His dad and I go way back. But I know how these things can mess with a kid's sense of perspective. I don't want to push for a step he's not ready for.

[ He remembers well how it had felt to be taken by force from the only home he'd ever known. As much as he loves Bruce, it's a hurt that's never left him. A hurt that had only compounded the loss of his parents. Jon's been through it twice now. He hesitates. ]

You getting a sense from him that he might want to make the change now?

[ He'd been hoping to coax him out Clark's house with time. ]

[ Godamnit now she thinks he's being cagey. His pinches the bridge of his nose, unseen. ]

No no. Of course not. I meant what I said, Wanda. You can ask. I promise I'll answer.

[ But why. He wants to ask. Why now? ]

Can we talk about this in person?

Putting my cards on the table here: we ran away from home at like eleven and never gave a shit about family so I don't like, get it, you know?

[He can kind of understand why a parent would play an important role, but he's bad at empathizing most of the time, and having any kind of positive relationship with an adult is so outside his realm of experience.]

But I think he wants to stay in that house.

Are you aware of anyone else who... knows?

[Captital K Knows, really, but he's trying to be subtle.]

Yes, of course. You can pick the time and place, Dick...I just didn't want you to be unpleasantly surprised.

[The way she'd hope he'd do for her if it ever happened.]

Edited 2017-08-29 02:31 (UTC)

[ His mouth quirks up, a wry little smirk that says he gets it, sure. He ruffles Damian's hair once before he lets him go, suddenly a little embarrassed. Suddenly aware he's stepping on territory someone else fills for this boy. Territory Damian might rather he stay away from. ]

No thanks to pint-sized me. [ Tossed over his shoulder, as he's heading to a beat-up looking crate he'd shoved haphazardly under the work bench. ]

[ Oh. Oh that hurts more than it should, even though it's expected. Deserved.

But it's so like her to want to give him a heads up before she spells it out. Give him time to process. Her heart is kind, and stupidly that's the thing that makes his eyes well up. ]

No it's fine. I understand.

You free at seven? There's something I need to do at nine.

[ Scheduling your breakup around your superhero nightlife nbd ]

Yes, of course. Should I meet you somewhere?

[Since he's...fitting her in, apparently.]

We can do this another night if tonight doesn't work for you.

[She'd just thought that they'd have the evening together but apparently not?]

No I've got time.

[ Haha this is fine. He wipes his eyes and practices his poker face. She wants to know. He intends to tell her.

He sends her the address to a secluded rooftop near housing. A rare spot with a publically accessible outer stairwell and a beautiful view of Quarentine. A spot very much like the one where they'd kissed for the first time.

It's also private, and quiet, and easy to escape from if you happen to be Nightwing. ]

[Quiet and secluded works for her. There's always her place or his but...at his there are brothers. At hers, there are mice. And a roommate. She takes the location of a rooftop as something of sentimental value and for that reason exhales. This will be fine.

At least, while he explains his scars. And then she'll tell him about her powers and it will probably well, end. Some things are too good to last long anyway, right?]

Perfect, I'll see you then.

I can't say I really relate to that, but I get it. I lost my parents at around that age.

[ Which is... actually a lot more than he typically just spells out for a stranger.

But both of them care about Jon. It won't help Jon if he can't do his part in taking an offered hand. Building a bridge. ]

I know Clark had others. But what matters to me more right now is who Jon trusts.

I can crash with him for a little while if

[ Well. He doesn't know. ]

I'd like to if that would help.

[Ah.]

Way I see it, you're gonna have a lot easier time helping than I am.

[It's not that he's trying to avoid the responsibility, he's just... pretty self aware, enough to know that none of the emotional shit is stuff he can help with.]

Hey, Dick, umm, we should talk.

[ just ignore that slur in his voice.]

I know you have a lot going on right now, and I'm notrying about to pile on that, but, yeah call me.

I think you've already helped a lot. [ He's kept Jon safe. Protected Clark's secret.

Dick hesitates. Makes himself think of Jon and not himself, and crushes that reflexive flutter of fear in his chest. ]

So I don't know how much he told you about... anything. But there's parts of my life that aren't easy to talk about. Things Jon's not necessarily ready to see. [ God he hopes he'll get where he's going with that. ]

What I'm saying is don't feel like you have to be a stranger.

[ Jon needs friends who can live without masks. ]

[At the end of the day, Taako won't ever really get the secret identities. He's worked for a secret organisation, sure, but that was to keep everyone and their mother from going after the relics.

But then, he's never loved someone who wasn't more powerful than him, so he's never had anyone he needed to protect.]

I get you, pumpkin.

[He suspected that maybe this guy was from that part of Clark's life, but it's not something that Taako needs to know.]

There's not a whole lot anyone could do to keep me away, you don't gotta worry about that.

I'm glad. [ More than he can say, honestly. ]

So how did you and Clark meet, if you don't mind me asking?

I know it's a waste of everyone's time to tell you to stop drinking, so imagine we covered that in my stony silence.

[ Though he sounds closer to tense (worried) than stony. ]

Gods, there's a question 🤔🤔🤔

I think the first festival when I arrived? Whatever the fuck it was called. He thought his baking could outdo mine and I was his arch nemesis from that day forward.

Lets pretend it worked, I stopped drinking when I left the bar. Anyway, I'm calling to hopefully be proven wrong. Are you sitting down, Dickie?

[ No. No he’s not and he doesn’t intend to, not now, not-

He takes a breath. ]

Hit me.

I think Timbers went is gone. I've had an idea of it a few days, but tonight I went to Trixie and no one's seen him for awhile, Dick.

Who knows how long, he didn't call on my birthday, which didn't seem like him.

[ Tim. It hits like a punch to the gut, and as soon as Jason says it he knows it's true. It hadn't occurred to him to wonder. To go chasing Tim down yesterday, that day before that. When was the last time he'd even seen him?

Because the truth is this Tim avoids him, for reasons he's tried not to take personally. Because he thought he'd been giving him the space he'd needed. Clearing room for them to reconnect. To fix whatever mistakes that other Dick Grayson had made. His heart thuds. ]

Hold that thought.

[ He calls back thirty minutes later, after he's checked the file at City Hall, done a run-through of local police reports, and yelled at the man unlucky enough to be sneaking a long smoke break instead of hopping to his request.

He's in Tim's room now, sitting on the unmade bed. ]

He's gone.

[ Jason spent that time making coffee and working on sobering up with a quick shower, he had to work in a couple hours. He was an old hand at making himself look put together when he was falling apart. So when Dick called back he sat the cup aside, and did indeed sound less slurring.]

Poor smoke break dude.

Jason sighed some. ]

Fuck this place, he couldn't have just... why would he do that?

[ He leans against the counter. Thinking about the fact he skipped Tim's funeral. In a way it gives him a bit of hope, maybe Timbers was gonna cheat death like they all do. But if Tim faked it like Dick had done in his time... boy he'd raise ten kinds of hell. ]

Do you want me to come over, to help you tell Little D, or how should we handle that?

[ Its not a conversation he's looking forward to, but he'd also never really had the impression that Tim and Damian were particularly close. It's his own reaction he needs to manage now. Too many people depend on him.

He'll see Tim again. He knows that. There's no reason for the hollow ache settling in the middle of his chest. The sense that he's lost something.

Maybe that's what he hears in Jason's voice. ]

...I wouldn't mind the company.

[ He doesn't particularly want to talk to anyone butJason right now. ]

Send me your address again.

[ He knew it but he felt less stalkerish acting like hearing forgotten. Or didn't know. He moves grabbing his messenger bag and jacket and moves towards the door carrying his coffee cup.]

I'll be there within a few minutes.

Edited 2017-09-11 21:16 (UTC)

[ Dick sends the address, which is actually Clark's address now. He's staying here for Jon, because it's what Jon needs right now and being here is all he can do when he can't do anything else. On most days he doesn't mind.

Today it feels like a mausoleum.

But he gets up anyway, pulling himself together enough to realize he still lacks the will to change out of his rumpled police uniform. To contemplate packing Tim's few meager belongings up like unclaimed baggage. He collapses on the sofa instead, eating greasy chips straight from the bag and half-wishing now that he hadn't made the offer to Jason, because it will hurt if he doesn't show up. ]

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