Fic (DCFFA): Lesson in Humility
Title: Lesson in Humility
Author: angel_gidget
Claim: Tim Drake/Cassie Sandsmark
Characters/Pairing: Tim, Cassie
Rating: PG
Word Count: 750
Prompt: #03: Sword
Summary: She'll pester him till she knows the real reason why.
Disclaimer: Me no own.
Author's Notes/Warnings: Done for dcu_freeforall. Table found here.
There's a clang and a swish, connecting into a thump which leaves him on the ground.
"Tell me."
Quick as anything, he's getting back up, and trying again.
"It's nothing."
She's persistent in more ways than one. One is good. The other... is less so.
"I don't believe you. Tell me."
"I just need practice, Cassie. I haven't done this in a while."
"And I'm still confused as to why you would even need to do it in the first place. It's not like you can fit a sword into your utility belt, Tim. Normally, you're fine with whatever weapons you have on hand to go up against every kind of psycho. Why are you getting all worked up about knowing how to fight with a sword now?"
Parry, thrust, lunge, WHAP! Ouch. She's good.
"I see that you fight with one pretty well. Are you recommending against it?"
"I fight mythological monsters. Sometimes certain nasties have to be beheaded. You fight people more often than not. Last I could tell, you were trying not to run anyone through."
Feint, feint, swish and step back. Don't forget to move those feet.
"Footwork, Robin."
"I know. I'm working on it."
"Not hard enough."
Swipe, leap, shove, whump, and---
Owwwww... That hurt. Stupid. Don't forget how strong she is. Forgetting the strength of people shorter than you is how it all started in the first place. Great. Now she's getting that worried look.
"I think we're done for the day, Tim."
"I can go for a bit longer."
"I said we're done."
"Okay."
Silence. Great. He'd hoped he could avoid awkward pauses today. He gets to his feet before she can help him up, and he tries not to look like he's favoring his left leg. She'd probably fall for it if she didn't already know exactly how hard she'd hit it with the flat of the blade. He was supposed to have dodged that one. She'd given him plenty of time, but he'd just been too distracted.
"Tim, is there some reason why you came to me for help with this instead of going to Batman?"
She just had to nail it, didn't she? And she's gotten way to good at detecting any attempt to lie...
"I didn't want him to know."
She's readjusting the tower's training mats and putting away the weaponry. She's trying to keep her voice casual.
"And that would be because...?"
The sigh is internal, but there. Truth-telling time, painful as it may be, has finally arrived. No getting around it.
"He'd... he'd think I was being stupid, or... or jealous."
She's smiling.
"And are you?"
He's considering.
"Maybe a little bit. But that's not the point."
"So tell me."
"Bruce... Bruce has a kid. A son. A real one. We only found out about him recently. He was raised in the League of Assassins by Talia, and he's a total brat. He started a fight, and I just assumed I could finish it..."
He sees the light go on in her head.
"And he beat you with a sword."
He's wincing. "Yup."
"That's... that's nothing to be ashamed of, Tim. Maybe something to work on and fix, but not..."
"I underestimated him because he was smaller than me. Because he was a kid."
"Blow to your ego?"
"Blow to my entire sense of place. I'm Robin. I'm supposed to be the kid in tights that everyone underestimates. I'm not supposed to have my own trick used against me. I'm not supposed to look down on someone's abilities because I don't like them or find them childish. It makes me wonder if I'm getting to old for the tights..."
"You're not too old for anything, Tim... except a mid-youth crisis."
"Very funny."
"No, it wasn't, but that's not the point. You can do anything you set your mind to. Not because anyone can, but because it's who you are. Well... anything except knowing when to slow down. That's the thinking that I have to do for you."
"I know when to slow down."
"No you don't."
"Yes, I do. I'm not Bruce, you know."
She's leaning over, and her hug is uplifting.
"Yeah, I know."
He's happy to note that a fair amount of that tension in his shoulders is finally gone. He hugs her back. Her hold is tight, and once again, he's reminded that her arms can pack a mean punch when they want to.
"So... same time next week?"
"You know it, Robin."
Author: angel_gidget
Claim: Tim Drake/Cassie Sandsmark
Characters/Pairing: Tim, Cassie
Rating: PG
Word Count: 750
Prompt: #03: Sword
Summary: She'll pester him till she knows the real reason why.
Disclaimer: Me no own.
Author's Notes/Warnings: Done for dcu_freeforall. Table found here.
There's a clang and a swish, connecting into a thump which leaves him on the ground.
"Tell me."
Quick as anything, he's getting back up, and trying again.
"It's nothing."
She's persistent in more ways than one. One is good. The other... is less so.
"I don't believe you. Tell me."
"I just need practice, Cassie. I haven't done this in a while."
"And I'm still confused as to why you would even need to do it in the first place. It's not like you can fit a sword into your utility belt, Tim. Normally, you're fine with whatever weapons you have on hand to go up against every kind of psycho. Why are you getting all worked up about knowing how to fight with a sword now?"
Parry, thrust, lunge, WHAP! Ouch. She's good.
"I see that you fight with one pretty well. Are you recommending against it?"
"I fight mythological monsters. Sometimes certain nasties have to be beheaded. You fight people more often than not. Last I could tell, you were trying not to run anyone through."
Feint, feint, swish and step back. Don't forget to move those feet.
"Footwork, Robin."
"I know. I'm working on it."
"Not hard enough."
Swipe, leap, shove, whump, and---
Owwwww... That hurt. Stupid. Don't forget how strong she is. Forgetting the strength of people shorter than you is how it all started in the first place. Great. Now she's getting that worried look.
"I think we're done for the day, Tim."
"I can go for a bit longer."
"I said we're done."
"Okay."
Silence. Great. He'd hoped he could avoid awkward pauses today. He gets to his feet before she can help him up, and he tries not to look like he's favoring his left leg. She'd probably fall for it if she didn't already know exactly how hard she'd hit it with the flat of the blade. He was supposed to have dodged that one. She'd given him plenty of time, but he'd just been too distracted.
"Tim, is there some reason why you came to me for help with this instead of going to Batman?"
She just had to nail it, didn't she? And she's gotten way to good at detecting any attempt to lie...
"I didn't want him to know."
She's readjusting the tower's training mats and putting away the weaponry. She's trying to keep her voice casual.
"And that would be because...?"
The sigh is internal, but there. Truth-telling time, painful as it may be, has finally arrived. No getting around it.
"He'd... he'd think I was being stupid, or... or jealous."
She's smiling.
"And are you?"
He's considering.
"Maybe a little bit. But that's not the point."
"So tell me."
"Bruce... Bruce has a kid. A son. A real one. We only found out about him recently. He was raised in the League of Assassins by Talia, and he's a total brat. He started a fight, and I just assumed I could finish it..."
He sees the light go on in her head.
"And he beat you with a sword."
He's wincing. "Yup."
"That's... that's nothing to be ashamed of, Tim. Maybe something to work on and fix, but not..."
"I underestimated him because he was smaller than me. Because he was a kid."
"Blow to your ego?"
"Blow to my entire sense of place. I'm Robin. I'm supposed to be the kid in tights that everyone underestimates. I'm not supposed to have my own trick used against me. I'm not supposed to look down on someone's abilities because I don't like them or find them childish. It makes me wonder if I'm getting to old for the tights..."
"You're not too old for anything, Tim... except a mid-youth crisis."
"Very funny."
"No, it wasn't, but that's not the point. You can do anything you set your mind to. Not because anyone can, but because it's who you are. Well... anything except knowing when to slow down. That's the thinking that I have to do for you."
"I know when to slow down."
"No you don't."
"Yes, I do. I'm not Bruce, you know."
She's leaning over, and her hug is uplifting.
"Yeah, I know."
He's happy to note that a fair amount of that tension in his shoulders is finally gone. He hugs her back. Her hold is tight, and once again, he's reminded that her arms can pack a mean punch when they want to.
"So... same time next week?"
"You know it, Robin."