Five: Tim and Dick, during the inner monologue curse.
Tim:
Tim. Running home. Top speed.
Dick:
Dick'll be at the door with catchers mitts.
Tim:
oh very funny Dick maybe I just oughta skip it and go right past *muttermutter dodging you, slower pace in the house*
Tim:
not like I have a ROOM here anymore just gonna be on the roof or something no wait people can see dammit there's gotta be someplace
Dick:
Tim. *follows.* Tim. *lil louder* Tim *and catches by the wrist* Calm down. Look, if it's too crowded here, you can come stay with me and Jilly. She already knows about me so- she's probably already done the math, alright?
Tim:
leggo leggo like it'd be any better in front of you-- *twisting twisting* I'll deal with it, I'll find a place, s'fine, jus'-- leggo!
Dick:
*releases, keeping the mental ow from his face because that wouldn't exactly be very helpful to Tim* Basement?
Tim:
... he probably gets it right it wasn't like I meant- I just can't deal with- he oughta know- there's too much with him and Babs and Cass and-- Yeah.
Tim:
*turning running!!* D|
Dick:
*let's him go, sympathetically watching his retreating back* Lemme know if you need anything!
Tim:
*just gonna be curled up in the basement muttering.* >_<
Dick:
*Sometime later! Wafts the ever-so tempting pizza smell down the flight of stairs* Figured you might be hungry.
Tim:
oh man that smells good almost like home on the really good nights aw hell Thaanks. *strained.*
Dick:
Don't worry, I won't ask you how you're holding up. *half-smirk and props the pizza box down beside him*
Tim:
too late you might as well have this sucks and why's he gotta care anyway it just makes it *loudly* Appreciate it, Dick.
Dick:
*chuckles* Oh boy. There's gonna be a lot of questions tonight. I guess I'll leave you to it, huh?
Tim:
it's not funny just go away there's already lots of questions I probably screwed it up on the journal already Schro will figure it out Yeah. just. yeah. if I don't find my journal I'll borrow somebody's, gotta see what I gave away and how I can salvage it
Dick:
You didn't screw anything up. And even if you had it's not like anyone would blame you. So don't worry about any of that, okay? And for the record? Schro knows how to keep his mouth shut.
Tim:
*curling up, hands over his ears* I always screw something up-- can't trust Schro even if you do-- don't know who ELSE is out there-- don't worry's easy for you to say -- okay deep breaths, calming down, could be worse, right?
Tim:
just cover your ears, everything he says you react to, it's always something new and you just gotta redirect, calm down, you can control this, it's just your own stupid mind.
Dick:
*very, very hard for him not to want to reach out and reassure him somehow, a hug, a touch, something, but knows this isn't his Tim and he knows he sometimes crosses the line with this one. it's just. hard. to watch.* Tim. Tim *puts his hands over yours and lifts at least one of them from cupping your ear* Eat. Then try and get some sleep.
Tim:
oh god he cares he needs to stop that I'll end up liking him better than the one I already know *pulling away!* like I need another Alfred to make sure I get my vegetables I just need to be- okay I don't want to be alone but it's no good I can't pull it together if I keep telling him things-- have to calm down. *hissed breath, getting angry.* This sucks and it's bullshit and I can deal with it. On my own.
Tim:
Go away, Dick.
Dick:
*the knee-jerk reaction is the answer. tell him he's not trying to replace anyone and that tim can't afford to think that way. that he doesn't think that way, that this is just his mind rambling. it doesn't mean anything. but. this was painful enough for the kid. he didn't need any more aggro. so he stands, taking with him a slice of pizza.* no hard feelings kay, buddy? *and leaves*
Tim:
*looong siiiigh, and maybe, faintly, as he leaves, Dick can hear* okay. Okay. ... Oh hey. Pizza.
Dick:
*aaand just like those night-terrors of Tim's he witnessed, it'll never be mentioned. ever*
Tim:
*... it would be the worst thing ever if he had a nightmare like this.*
Dick:
*oh shi- ttly guards the door from ANYONE going down there while Tim's sleepin'*
Tim:
*ttly would appreciate it so hard if he knew.*
Dick:
*pft. anytime, bro, anytime*