Fic: 12 Years of Christmas, 5/12: Home for Christmas
Title: 12 Years of Christmas, 5/12
Authors: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Continuity: Follows Young Justice and Teen Titans and main continuity up to the OYL events of Flash 13, then deviates.
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie.
Rating/Warnings: PGish
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Summary: Cissie comes to Gotham for Christmas.
Note: Tim and Cissie have been together for two and a half years now--we are entering the non-consecutive parts. Dick and Roy have been together slightly longer--Lian has recently taken to calling Dick "Papa," although Dick’s family isn’t yet aware of this. (They alternate Christmases with the Bats and Arrows.)
Each of the twelve parts of this fic take place on a different year--they *are* in order, but they are not twelve consecutive years. We skipped over a few. Huge thanks to xenokattz for beta-reading! ♥
Part 1, Part2, Part 3, Part 4
~*~
5. Year 6: Home for Christmas
Tim was not looking out the windows. He wasn't. And even if he was, it was to check that it wasn't snowing yet, because he didn't want Cissie to have to drive in inclement weather. He wasn't watching for her to arrive. He settled himself back into his chair and did his best to look relaxed.
Dick ruffled Tim’s hair as he walked past, pausing to drape his arms over the back of the chair. “She’s late, huh?”
Tim turned his head slightly to glare up at him. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Dick tapped his chin, looking thoughtful. “Nope.”
He made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. "I hate you-you know that."
“Aw, is that any way to talk to your favorite brother on Christmas?”
He made another noise in the back of his throat. Even in jest, he couldn't really deny that Dick was his favorite brother. Not when he considered the alternatives. "Fine, I don't hate you. Now go away."
Dick shoved at Tim’s head, smirking and turning away. He looked out the window and made a humming noise. “Now who could be driving all the way out here this time of night?”
Tim glanced sharply out the window, only to see uninterrupted darkness. He whipped his head back around to glare at Dick, who was already laughing silently at him. "Very funny," he growled, and launched himself over the back of his chair, wrapping his arms around the other man's torso and dragging him to the ground.
Dick laughed, flipping Tim to pin him. “You are too easy.”
"It's times like this," Tim grunted, trying to roll Dick off of him. "That I wonder why I enjoy having you around."
“Aw, come on, little brother,” Dick said in a hurt tone, ducking Tim’s arm. “You’re hurting my feelings.”
Tim hooked his leg behind Dick's and pulled, making him lose his balance. He rolled out from underneath him as he was falling, then pounced back, landing on top of him. "My heart bleeds for you."
Dick grunted, shoving at Tim’s arm. “It’s good for me you’re so full of compassion.”
"That's me," he muttered. "Paralyzed by my bleeding heart-stop squirming."
“Why, so you can finish choking me to death?”
"There are worse ways to go."
“Gah,” Dick grunted. “You little-”
“Uncle Tim! What are you doing?”
"Hey, sweet pea," Tim said, glancing up at her with a smile. "I'm just going to kill your Uncle Dick. You don't mind, do you?"
Lian frowned, climbing onto the chair Tim had been sitting in. She leaned against the back and watched them. “Why?”
“Uh, Lian, sweetheart?” Dick called. “You remember that thing I taught you last week? Want to be a big help and-use it on your Uncle Tim?”
"Hey!" Tim yelped, sounding alarmed. He was pretty sure he didn't want to be on the other end of whatever nerve pinch Dick had taught Lian this week. "Uncle Dick was mean to me!"
“You said I was only supposed to use that in emergencies-on bad guys,” Lian said solemnly. “Papa-why were you mean to Uncle Tim? And Daddy said to tell you two to lay off, because it’s Christmas and you’re being a bad influence.”
Tim snickered from his position on top of Dick. "Yeah, Dick. Explain to your daughter why you were mean to me."
Dick grunted, rolling his eyes. “I was not mean,” he argued. “I was teasing Uncle Tim because he was pretending that he wasn’t watching the window so he could see when your Aunt Cissie gets here. Ow, Tim!”
"That is not why I have you pinned on the floor, you jerk." Tim glanced up at Lian, maintaining a firm hold on Dick. "He suggested that Aunt Cissie might already be here, and then laughed at me when I looked for her."
“That was mean, Papa.” Lian frowned at them. “Alfred’s going to be mad at you for fighting in your good clothes. You’re getting all wrinkled.”
Tim looked back at her thoughtfully. "Do I have to get up? He's pretty comfortable to sit on."
Lian giggled and Dick scoffed. “Lian! Help me out here!”
Lian grinned down at them. “Remember how you told me not to fight in school? That’s why Daddy says you’re being a bad influence.”
Dick groaned and dropped his head to the carpet.
“Hey!” Lian cried, looking out the window. “I see a car!”
Tim jumped off of Dick and glanced over where Lian was looking. "Hey, I think you're right," he said with a wide grin, ruffling her hair.
She grinned up at him, bouncing excitedly. “Is it Aunt Cissie? Is she here?”
"Let's go see," he said, scooping her up and throwing her over his shoulder. "You know, someday you're going to get too big for this," he said with a slight grunt.
Lian scoffed. "This, from Uncle Tim who hauls himself around Gotham on his arms."
"Okay, someday you'll think you're too big for this."
"Maybe," she conceded as they made their way to the front door.
As soon as Tim opened the door, Lian squirmed and jumped out of his grasp to bolt down the stairs. She ran around to open the door as Cissie cut the engine. “Aunt Cissie, you’re finally here!”
Cissie laughed and hugged her. “I am!” She winked at her. “If you let me get out of the car, you can help me carry the presents in.”
Tim made his way toward the car only slightly more sedately than Lian had. "Hey," he said with a smile, hauling Lian back from the car door.
Cissie’s smile widened into a grin as climbed out of the car. “Hi,” she said, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Hi yourself," he said with a wide grin, leaning into her hug as he struggled to keep hold of his armful of eight year old.
Lian groaned and squirmed. “Let go!”
Cissie laughed and let go of Tim to hug Lian and kiss her forehead. “Here,” she said, opening the back door. “You can take…” She made a big show of picking one of the shopping bags full of wrapped gifts, and holding it out to her. “This bag inside for me?”
"Okay!" She seized the bag by the handles and raced into the house with it, managing somehow not to trip or fall in her headlong dash.
Tim smiled at Cissie. "Alone at last," he murmured, wrapping her in a tight hug and kissing her lightly. "Glad you could make it."
“Hmm.” She kissed him back and made a face. “I got caught in a traffic jam coming into Gotham. Ironically. But,” she added with a grin, “now I’m here! Merry Christmas.”
"Merry Christmas," he grinned, kissing her again. "Can I help you bring anything in?"
Cissie beamed at him, squeezing him briefly. “You totally can.” She winked at him, grinning wickedly. “Lian already brought your present inside.”
He made a face. "The unfairness of life. I guess I can wait for it, though." He tossed her a grin. "Is there anything you need your big, strong, very masculine boyfriend to carry for you?"
“Hmm,” she said, letting go of him long enough to tap a finger against her chin. “There’s another bag of presents, and my duffle bag,” she said, wrapping her arms around him again. She smiled up at him. “But my big, strong, very masculine boyfriend would have to let go of me first.”
He eyed her with mock skepticism. "He's not so sure he wants to do that."
Cissie nodded solemnly. “I know. Your girlfriend isn’t so sure she wants that, either.” She leaned up to kiss him. “Missed you,” she whispered against his lips.
He let out a small sigh and wrapped his arms more tightly around her. "Missed you, too."
“Hmm,” she murmured, touching her forehead to his. “We should probably get inside before they send a search party after us. Or before Lian realizes her present is still in the car.”
Tim laughed. "Good idea. Now point me to the heaviest bag so I can assert my masculinity." He paused, grinning at her. "Do you need me to carry your purse, too?"
She grinned back at him. “I know you love me if you offer to carry my purse when Dick might see you.”
Tim gave a slight shudder. "I do love you. Enough to endure Dick's teasing a hundred-fold."
Cissie hugged him tighter. “That is so sweet.” Then she sighed and let go of him with another quick kiss. She turned to the car and dragged out her duffle bag, holding it out for him. “If you will take this, my gallant and ever-so-chivalrous boyfriend, I will be able to manage my purse just fine.”
"If you insist," he said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "You sure I can't carry anything else? I still have both hands free."
Cissie smiled over her shoulder at him as she pulled the last of her bags from the backseat and shut the door. “I’m good, I promise,” she said. She grinned and darted in to kiss his cheek. “I’ve really missed you.”
"Mm, me too. Now let's go in before Dick comes out looking for us-he's been an insufferable ass all night."
She raised an eyebrow, following him to the steps. “Has he? How come?”
Tim rolled his eyes as they continued into the house. "He seems to think I was watching out the windows for you."
She smiled and bumped shoulders with him. “You mean you weren’t?”
"He was," Dick said with a grin. "It was a little pathetic. Merry Christmas." He leaned in and gave her a hug, taking the bags from her.
“Lay off,” Roy said, lightly smacking Dick upside the head as he came to greet Cissie. He hugged her and whispered, “Dick’s right, though, he was glued to the window.”
"Lying liars, the lot of them," Tim grumbled. "I sat in a chair like a normal person."
“This is true,” Roy said, crossing his arms and glancing at Dick. “He did sit in a chair.”
Dick winked at Cissie before leaving with the bags of gifts. “The chair next to the window.”
Tim watched him go thoughtfully. "I should have ground his head into the carpet a little bit more."
Cissie laughed helplessly until Lian poked her head into the hall. “Are you coming?”
“Patience, Grasshopper,” Roy said, scooping her up and following Dick.
Cissie turned to Tim and grabbed his hands. “I’m glad I’m here.” She grinned. “And I’m glad you were waiting for me.”
"Of course I was waiting for you," he murmured, pulling her into a hug and kissing her on the forehead. "It's not Christmas without you here."
~*~
Tomorrow, part 6: It's a Wonderful Life
Authors: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Continuity: Follows Young Justice and Teen Titans and main continuity up to the OYL events of Flash 13, then deviates.
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie.
Rating/Warnings: PGish
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Summary: Cissie comes to Gotham for Christmas.
Note: Tim and Cissie have been together for two and a half years now--we are entering the non-consecutive parts. Dick and Roy have been together slightly longer--Lian has recently taken to calling Dick "Papa," although Dick’s family isn’t yet aware of this. (They alternate Christmases with the Bats and Arrows.)
Each of the twelve parts of this fic take place on a different year--they *are* in order, but they are not twelve consecutive years. We skipped over a few. Huge thanks to xenokattz for beta-reading! ♥
Part 1, Part2, Part 3, Part 4
~*~
5. Year 6: Home for Christmas
Tim was not looking out the windows. He wasn't. And even if he was, it was to check that it wasn't snowing yet, because he didn't want Cissie to have to drive in inclement weather. He wasn't watching for her to arrive. He settled himself back into his chair and did his best to look relaxed.
Dick ruffled Tim’s hair as he walked past, pausing to drape his arms over the back of the chair. “She’s late, huh?”
Tim turned his head slightly to glare up at him. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Dick tapped his chin, looking thoughtful. “Nope.”
He made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. "I hate you-you know that."
“Aw, is that any way to talk to your favorite brother on Christmas?”
He made another noise in the back of his throat. Even in jest, he couldn't really deny that Dick was his favorite brother. Not when he considered the alternatives. "Fine, I don't hate you. Now go away."
Dick shoved at Tim’s head, smirking and turning away. He looked out the window and made a humming noise. “Now who could be driving all the way out here this time of night?”
Tim glanced sharply out the window, only to see uninterrupted darkness. He whipped his head back around to glare at Dick, who was already laughing silently at him. "Very funny," he growled, and launched himself over the back of his chair, wrapping his arms around the other man's torso and dragging him to the ground.
Dick laughed, flipping Tim to pin him. “You are too easy.”
"It's times like this," Tim grunted, trying to roll Dick off of him. "That I wonder why I enjoy having you around."
“Aw, come on, little brother,” Dick said in a hurt tone, ducking Tim’s arm. “You’re hurting my feelings.”
Tim hooked his leg behind Dick's and pulled, making him lose his balance. He rolled out from underneath him as he was falling, then pounced back, landing on top of him. "My heart bleeds for you."
Dick grunted, shoving at Tim’s arm. “It’s good for me you’re so full of compassion.”
"That's me," he muttered. "Paralyzed by my bleeding heart-stop squirming."
“Why, so you can finish choking me to death?”
"There are worse ways to go."
“Gah,” Dick grunted. “You little-”
“Uncle Tim! What are you doing?”
"Hey, sweet pea," Tim said, glancing up at her with a smile. "I'm just going to kill your Uncle Dick. You don't mind, do you?"
Lian frowned, climbing onto the chair Tim had been sitting in. She leaned against the back and watched them. “Why?”
“Uh, Lian, sweetheart?” Dick called. “You remember that thing I taught you last week? Want to be a big help and-use it on your Uncle Tim?”
"Hey!" Tim yelped, sounding alarmed. He was pretty sure he didn't want to be on the other end of whatever nerve pinch Dick had taught Lian this week. "Uncle Dick was mean to me!"
“You said I was only supposed to use that in emergencies-on bad guys,” Lian said solemnly. “Papa-why were you mean to Uncle Tim? And Daddy said to tell you two to lay off, because it’s Christmas and you’re being a bad influence.”
Tim snickered from his position on top of Dick. "Yeah, Dick. Explain to your daughter why you were mean to me."
Dick grunted, rolling his eyes. “I was not mean,” he argued. “I was teasing Uncle Tim because he was pretending that he wasn’t watching the window so he could see when your Aunt Cissie gets here. Ow, Tim!”
"That is not why I have you pinned on the floor, you jerk." Tim glanced up at Lian, maintaining a firm hold on Dick. "He suggested that Aunt Cissie might already be here, and then laughed at me when I looked for her."
“That was mean, Papa.” Lian frowned at them. “Alfred’s going to be mad at you for fighting in your good clothes. You’re getting all wrinkled.”
Tim looked back at her thoughtfully. "Do I have to get up? He's pretty comfortable to sit on."
Lian giggled and Dick scoffed. “Lian! Help me out here!”
Lian grinned down at them. “Remember how you told me not to fight in school? That’s why Daddy says you’re being a bad influence.”
Dick groaned and dropped his head to the carpet.
“Hey!” Lian cried, looking out the window. “I see a car!”
Tim jumped off of Dick and glanced over where Lian was looking. "Hey, I think you're right," he said with a wide grin, ruffling her hair.
She grinned up at him, bouncing excitedly. “Is it Aunt Cissie? Is she here?”
"Let's go see," he said, scooping her up and throwing her over his shoulder. "You know, someday you're going to get too big for this," he said with a slight grunt.
Lian scoffed. "This, from Uncle Tim who hauls himself around Gotham on his arms."
"Okay, someday you'll think you're too big for this."
"Maybe," she conceded as they made their way to the front door.
As soon as Tim opened the door, Lian squirmed and jumped out of his grasp to bolt down the stairs. She ran around to open the door as Cissie cut the engine. “Aunt Cissie, you’re finally here!”
Cissie laughed and hugged her. “I am!” She winked at her. “If you let me get out of the car, you can help me carry the presents in.”
Tim made his way toward the car only slightly more sedately than Lian had. "Hey," he said with a smile, hauling Lian back from the car door.
Cissie’s smile widened into a grin as climbed out of the car. “Hi,” she said, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Hi yourself," he said with a wide grin, leaning into her hug as he struggled to keep hold of his armful of eight year old.
Lian groaned and squirmed. “Let go!”
Cissie laughed and let go of Tim to hug Lian and kiss her forehead. “Here,” she said, opening the back door. “You can take…” She made a big show of picking one of the shopping bags full of wrapped gifts, and holding it out to her. “This bag inside for me?”
"Okay!" She seized the bag by the handles and raced into the house with it, managing somehow not to trip or fall in her headlong dash.
Tim smiled at Cissie. "Alone at last," he murmured, wrapping her in a tight hug and kissing her lightly. "Glad you could make it."
“Hmm.” She kissed him back and made a face. “I got caught in a traffic jam coming into Gotham. Ironically. But,” she added with a grin, “now I’m here! Merry Christmas.”
"Merry Christmas," he grinned, kissing her again. "Can I help you bring anything in?"
Cissie beamed at him, squeezing him briefly. “You totally can.” She winked at him, grinning wickedly. “Lian already brought your present inside.”
He made a face. "The unfairness of life. I guess I can wait for it, though." He tossed her a grin. "Is there anything you need your big, strong, very masculine boyfriend to carry for you?"
“Hmm,” she said, letting go of him long enough to tap a finger against her chin. “There’s another bag of presents, and my duffle bag,” she said, wrapping her arms around him again. She smiled up at him. “But my big, strong, very masculine boyfriend would have to let go of me first.”
He eyed her with mock skepticism. "He's not so sure he wants to do that."
Cissie nodded solemnly. “I know. Your girlfriend isn’t so sure she wants that, either.” She leaned up to kiss him. “Missed you,” she whispered against his lips.
He let out a small sigh and wrapped his arms more tightly around her. "Missed you, too."
“Hmm,” she murmured, touching her forehead to his. “We should probably get inside before they send a search party after us. Or before Lian realizes her present is still in the car.”
Tim laughed. "Good idea. Now point me to the heaviest bag so I can assert my masculinity." He paused, grinning at her. "Do you need me to carry your purse, too?"
She grinned back at him. “I know you love me if you offer to carry my purse when Dick might see you.”
Tim gave a slight shudder. "I do love you. Enough to endure Dick's teasing a hundred-fold."
Cissie hugged him tighter. “That is so sweet.” Then she sighed and let go of him with another quick kiss. She turned to the car and dragged out her duffle bag, holding it out for him. “If you will take this, my gallant and ever-so-chivalrous boyfriend, I will be able to manage my purse just fine.”
"If you insist," he said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "You sure I can't carry anything else? I still have both hands free."
Cissie smiled over her shoulder at him as she pulled the last of her bags from the backseat and shut the door. “I’m good, I promise,” she said. She grinned and darted in to kiss his cheek. “I’ve really missed you.”
"Mm, me too. Now let's go in before Dick comes out looking for us-he's been an insufferable ass all night."
She raised an eyebrow, following him to the steps. “Has he? How come?”
Tim rolled his eyes as they continued into the house. "He seems to think I was watching out the windows for you."
She smiled and bumped shoulders with him. “You mean you weren’t?”
"He was," Dick said with a grin. "It was a little pathetic. Merry Christmas." He leaned in and gave her a hug, taking the bags from her.
“Lay off,” Roy said, lightly smacking Dick upside the head as he came to greet Cissie. He hugged her and whispered, “Dick’s right, though, he was glued to the window.”
"Lying liars, the lot of them," Tim grumbled. "I sat in a chair like a normal person."
“This is true,” Roy said, crossing his arms and glancing at Dick. “He did sit in a chair.”
Dick winked at Cissie before leaving with the bags of gifts. “The chair next to the window.”
Tim watched him go thoughtfully. "I should have ground his head into the carpet a little bit more."
Cissie laughed helplessly until Lian poked her head into the hall. “Are you coming?”
“Patience, Grasshopper,” Roy said, scooping her up and following Dick.
Cissie turned to Tim and grabbed his hands. “I’m glad I’m here.” She grinned. “And I’m glad you were waiting for me.”
"Of course I was waiting for you," he murmured, pulling her into a hug and kissing her on the forehead. "It's not Christmas without you here."
~*~
Tomorrow, part 6: It's a Wonderful Life