[log] Man to Man Talk
Characters: OU: Tim Drake/Robin, AU: Quatre Winner
Where: Om floor, then school
When: Backdated to Love Potion plot
Summary: Tim and Quatre take a some time to chat about the women in their lives.
Warnings: None!
Quatre turned from Wufei's door with a somewhat disappointed look on his face. he had hoped to spar with her, and still held the bo-staff Tim had given him in one hand. She would be back later, though, so he wasn't going to die over it or anything. However, he did have that feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about her, about what had happened last night.... Quatre was so absorbed in remembering it that he didn't really see anything around him.
Tim smiled a little when he saw Quatre. He could see that his friend was completely absorbed in his own thoughts, and probably wouldn't have noticed him if he was standing in front of him. Grinning a little to himself, he stepped silently so that he was just behind Quatre's right shoulder... and reached over and tapped him on the left shoulder.
Poor Quatre.... That tiny bit of contact brought out a most undignified sound as he jumped two feet in the air. But when he whirled around, bo-staff fully extended, it was none other than a brightly smiling Tim.
Tim laughed. "Good instincts. Though I think I would have been all right." His hands had already been up to try to catch the staff.
Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Quatre had already retracted his staff, and was blushing a little for the unmanly squeak. Allah, but he was grateful Wufei hadn't heard it. "Sorry....I guess I wasn't paying attention." Just to prove he was now, Quatre gave his friend a cursory scan, then smiled a but. "Your colors are bright today."
Tim grinned, blushing a little. "I'm in a good mood." The night before--spent with Cissie--had been a very good night.
With a somewhat knowing look, Quatre tilted his head. "Oh?" Both hands were behind his back now, clasped there like a child feigning innocence. When Tim didn't answer right away, Quatre nudged him playfully. "Did you and Miss Cissie have a pleasant evening?" Of course, when Quatre teased about things like that, there was no more double-meaning than, 'Did you snuggle?'
Tim laughed a little, his blush deepening. "Uh, you could say that," he said, pushing a hand through his hair in embarrassment. He cleared his throat, composing himself. "It was a pleasant interlude," he said finally, channeling Alfred.
Hiding a chuckle behind his sleeve, the other boy's eyes sparkled. "I think I felt it..... I mean....I knew you were happy." It had just added to his own happiness, which was always the best kind- when it was shared. As one hand had loosed to come before his face, he revealed his bo-staff again. Quatre moved in closer to Tim, smiling broadly. "What happened? Can you tell me? Or..." for a moment, his face clouded with embarrassment. "Or is it too private?"
"Um," Tim said, still looking embarrassed. "I probably shouldn't do tons of details, but... It was good. We... How was your night?"
"You don't have to...." Now, it was Quatre's turn to get very red. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "It was.....nice?" Lame, he knew. Wufei's pristine expression popped back into his mind, looking as it had when he kissed her.... His face flushed a deeper shade of crimson. In an effort to divert his own attention from that, he looked down at Tim's bo-staff. "Were you on your way to train....or something?"
Tim glanced down. "Uh, yeah. I would have stayed in the apartment, but Cissie's still sleeping, and I didn't want to bother her." He gave Quatre a smile that was all challenge. "You want to?"
Quatre returned the grin. "Absolutely." He had been hoping to get rid of some of the.....um....feelings brought on by sexual tension. They were alternately pleasant and painful, but he assumed a good workout would help. "How about the room in the school? The big, empty one with the stage?"
"Sure," Tim said with a grin. "There's lots of space there for us to move around in. Almost like the old training arena." He nudged his friend playfully. "You think you can take me?"
"Oh, I don't know...." Quatre laughed as they started walking down the hall. "I can try...but I'm a bit distracted today." Of course, if he had been sparring with Wufei, he would have been even more distracted. And anyway, Tim had always been the better of the two, hands-down. Quatre sometimes suspected him of being far too nice.
"One sympathizes," Tim said with a laugh. "I might be a little distractable, too. We'll have to see how it goes." He led the way toward the staircase. "So--last night?" His tone was light and a little teasing.
Quatre's face was in profile at this last question, he turned away even more, trying to hide his embarrassed smile. "I......I don't know. It was....." Stopping suddenly, he turned to look at Tim, eyes wide. "Actually....could I talk to you about that? I mean....it was really, really good....I...." Wufei probably would have found his breathless enthusiasm adorable.
Tim laughed a little. "I'm glad. What did you want to talk about?"
Quatre now looked sidelong at him, eyes shining. "Last night....but only if you promise to tell me what happened with you. If....that's ok?" Even at his happiest, Quatre was still concerned for his friends.
Tim started to blush again. "Um. All right."
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Quatre turned to look at him. "You don't have to, if you'd rather not." he said gently. Then, a smile quirking at his mouth, "But...I can't help feeling curious."
Tim shrugged a little. "It's okay. I'm just... I don't usually kiss and tell except with Dick, but..." he cast a quick glance at Quatre. "I guess I have more brothers now."
Quatre looked so visibly pleased by this that he seemed to shine all on his own. Taking Tim's hand, he said earnestly, "You know you can tell me anything in confidence....anything at all. I..." he looked away. "I haven't ever 'kissed and told'....but I know I could tell you, at least." Between them, it wasn't bragging, but the brotherly sharing of happy feelings.
"I know," Tim said, smiling. He gestured toward Quatre. "By all means, though. How did it go?"
The snow crunched beneath their feet, and the sky was a crisp blue. Quatre stared at it for a moment as they walked, hands thrust in his pockets, and his breath blowing out in white puffs. "It wasn't what I expected." he murmured. "I wasn't planning it at all."
"Oh no?" Tim asked, looking amused. These kinds of things were almost never what was planned on. Like with Tim and Cissie, it have probably just... happened.
Quatre's mind seemed to be running along those lines, because he then asked, "Was it that way with you?" Anything that made Tim happy was worth hearing about.
Tim laughed. "Yeah, pretty much always. We don't usually plan for anything, but it just ends up... happening."
Quatre chuckled. "It is nice, though....isn't it?" Well, nice wasn't exactly the word- too tame. He hunched into his coat a bit, thinking. "Did it catch you completely off-guard?"
Tim thought back to the night before. "Yes," he said finally. "But not unpleasantly." He felt like the distinction ought to be made--Tim didn't often love surprises.
Quatre bumped him playfully as they walked. "I think Miss Cissie was pleasantly surprised, too? Or did she plan it? Girls often do that kind of thing, you know." The blond nodded sagely- he had 29 sisters, after all.
"I'm thinking it was a surprise," Tim said with a laugh. "To both of us. We were just hanging out--playing darts, actually, and... well. Things led to each other, and. Yes. Surprise," he finished, a little lamely.
It wasn't far to the school. By the time Quatre answered him, he was holding the door open. "It was the same for us. I invited her for tea and a chat." he rubbed the side of his face, frowning confusedly. "I'm not even sure how we got to....."
"Well, I cheated at darts," Tim admitted. "And then we both started cheating pretty blatantly, which turned into tickling and all sorts of silliness."
The blond let out a full laugh at the image. "Oh no....Tim cheating? That's not possible!" Their coats were deposited by the door, before they moved into the spacious room beyond. It was cold, but the sunlight shining through the windows brightened it up considerably. "How exactly did you do it? Walk right up to the dartboard and put it in the bullseye? My sister Freida used to try that."
"Oh, but it is," Tim said, grinning. "I'm a terrible cheater. It's at least half of what Robin is taught. How to cheat to gain an advantage. And we cheated by distracting each other." He laughed. "Badly."
"I *have* to hear this..." Quatre continued laughing. he extended his bo-staff, then fell into first-position. "Should I be worried about you cheating while we spar?" Of course, his note was teasing. He knew Tim would never do such a thing, unless they were goofing off.
Tim grinned a little. "Well," he said slowly. "I don't think I'm very likely to come up behind you and kiss your neck while we're sparring, so you should be safe from that at least..."
The image made Quatre blush, but he chuckled at it. Tim was just teasing. "I should hope not! I love you, but not in that way..." He waited for his friend to get into a ready position. "That does sound very distracting, though. Poor Miss Cissie..."
"Don't feel too bad," Tim grumbled. "She's just as bad as I am."
The blond tried not to look to pleased by this. "Oh? Hoisted with your own pitard?"
"Yes. And she used her dart to knock my last dart off course!"
The blond's eyes went wide. He whistled appreciatively. "She must be incredibly good." Then, because he was in such a good mood himself, his teasing side came out. "No wonder you had to cheat." The blond moved forward to strike, but in full view of Tim. The sparring had begun.
"She's amazing," Tim said, grinning with pride as he blocked Quatre's opening strike. "She's been able to hit a bull's eye since she was three. I'm pretty good with the batarangs and birdarangs and shuriken, but... I'm not in her league at all." He came forward again with a few easy strikes. They were still warming up, after all.
Quatre blocked them easily enough. He loved sparring with Tim and Wufei, though it was a different dynamic between each of them. Wufei was almost intensely focused, where Tim was almost casual in comparison. Not that Tim was lax- he put everything into what he did- but if someone messed up, he was more likely to just shrug it off. "I saw Miss Cissie at target practice once, just after she first came here. I don't think I've ever seen anyone that skilled." Even Heero, who was a deadeye. A few, more focused attacks were leveled at Tim this time. Quatre wasn't anywhere near his level, but he had talent, at least. "I think you said her mother was an archer?"
Tim nodded, turning aside each of the attacks Quatre came at him with. "And--her father, though I'm not sure she exactly knows that. I'd--appreciate it if you didn't mention it." He advanced on Quatre again, with a few stronger attacks. He felt a little like a teacher trying to draw out a student's moves and see how well he'd learned his lessons, which was... actually pretty cool.
"I won't." Quatre promised, and as always, he meant it. There had already been enough trouble over her father, anyway.... The next few attacks took more concentration, but he managed alright. He was even able to return a few blows in the same way. That was the thing about Quatre; he learned VERY quickly. After a short silence, punctuated only by the sound of their staffs meeting one another, he asked, "How long have you known Miss Cissie?" It was almost another question, but he would save that for later.
"Thank you," Tim said feelingly. He'd discovered a lot about Cissie's family at her request that he hadn't exactly shared with her yet. He wanted to have his evidence when he did, and that... was all locked in his laptop back home. He glanced up at Quatre's question, drawn a little out of the trance that the rhythm of the spar and his thoughts had put him in. "Hmm? Oh--about four years. Why?"
Quatre's shrug was lost in his next move. "I was just curious." He let the conversation drift for a few minutes, concentrating on their movements, and his thoughts. They were divided pretty evenly between the two 'houses'. "How long have you been in love with her?" he asked at length, breaking through the rhythmic 'clack, clack'.
Tim faltered in his block, earning him a sound rap on the knuckles from Quatre's staff. "Um." He could feel his face heat. "A year or so--knowing it. A little more than that when I didn't realize it yet."
Quatre hadn't meant that to distract him, and winced as staff met knuckles. "Sorry..." he murmured, halting until Tim had recovered. If Wufei, the one he knew at home, had seen him do something like that, Quatre would have just earned himself a well-placed nerve-attack. He gave Tim an encouraging smile. "I'm sure she loved you from the beginning." What was there not to love?
Tim gave Quate a rueful smile. "You don't have to stop for that. I'm fine, and I've fought through a lot worse." He shook out his hand and got a grip on his staff again. He shook his head a little. "No--we were friends for a long time--very close. She was sometimes the only person who got what was happening in my head."
"Which is what makes her so perfect for you." Quatre said, getting back into position. Whatever this statement would do to Tim, it was the truth. Quatre had seen it ever since her arrival.
Tim blushed deeply, and ducked his head a little before getting himself back into ready position. "Um. Thank you."
Quatre didn't attack right away, but looked slightly appalled at himself for disconcerting his friend. "Sorry....it's true....but I really should learn not to say such things."
Tim laughed a little. "It's not a bad thing. You just... surprised me a little. She makes me--very happy."
Quatre beamed at this. "I know....and I'm so glad to see it. So very glad." They began to move against one another once more, motions becoming more fluid. "Miss Cissie has a very bright soul, like yours. You complement one another so well...it really is a joy to watch."
"Thank you," Tim said, meeting Quatre's staff strike for strike. He started to play a little bit, throwing in some acrobatics--it felt good to really work out sometimes, and he didn't think Quatre would mind. "So--your turn."
Quatre didn't mind the acrobatics at all, in fact, he rather liked watching Tim perform the complex flips and tumbles. Tim had a kind of grace that approached genius, maybe met it. The only problem was keeping his focus on the task at hand, when he would gladly stand and watch his friend enjoy himself. Of course, Quatre enjoyed sparring as well, and working out to become stronger. It was especially good in cold weather, when the limbs needed warming up. He wanted to improve anyway, but it was also to become better for Wufei. As his thoughts strayed, he almost missed Tim's question. It made him pause too long, and Tim's staff caught him in the elbow.
"Ow! Um...well..." Quatre had to pause to get his concentration back, and sparring with Tim always meant he had to work harder anyway. Quatre's tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth for a moment as he concentrated. ""What....did you want to know?" He didn't exactly know where to begin.
Tim held back for a bit while Quatre was gathering himself again--this was a gentle spar, after all, and there was no need to press the advantage. "Whatever you'd like to tell me," he said with a smile. "What happened?"
Yes, the Wufei at home would have had a fit with BOTH of them....Batman might have been annoyed as well. They were being very nice with one another, as usual. But Quatre appreciated it, as always. "Well....I guess I can start at the beginning." A few more blows were exchanged, before he continued. "I asked Wufei over for tea....right? Well, I love spending time with her, but I think something must have been affecting me..."
Tim laughed. "Oh?" He had an idea of what the "something" might have been. Strong emotions tended to allow people to react more freely than they might otherwise have done--as they had done with Cissie and himself.
Quatre stepped back, readying himself for Tim's next move. He was coloring a bit, but obviously enjoying the memories. "A few weeks ago, some of our friends set us up....thinking we needed help deciding what to do with ourselves, I guess." As he didn't say they were wrong, Tim could draw his own conclusions. "Well, we decided to let ourselves....become involved." Again, he flushed, this time more obviously.
Tim grinned. "I remember that," he said, going in for a series of attacks meant to tire the opponent if he did nothing more than just block. "And I think it's a good idea. You two seem to make each other happy."
Quatre smiled through the blushing. "I don't think I've ever been happier than when I'm with her..." he did block, but also moved in with a few strikes of his own. "I feel like I....like I belong...." As much as he was thinking about her, his happy state of mind seemed to make him more fluid in his movements. He executed an impressive pattern of attack at that moment, something he had learned from her. If she had seen it, she would have been proud.
Tim raised an eyebrow. "You didn't learn that from me," he said with a laugh as he blocked each pass methodically. "Did Wufei teach you?" he asked, his voice gently teasing. In reality--he was happy for his friend. Quatre seemed more relaxed.
He was, luckily, relaxed enough to continue through his sudden consciousness. "She did." And figuring he might as well, he showed Tim another move she had taught him, which required more 'acrobatics' than he usually employed. Not nearly as much as Tim could do, and not approaching the Chinese girl's level, but still very different. "I was hoping to spar with her today...not that I didn't want to spar with you, too!" Tim was still very precious to him, and any time spent with him was good.
Tim grinned. "I understand, and I don't particularly mind being a second choice in this case. That's really remarkable, though. How long have you been working on it?" He was curious. Quatre had rarely employed much in the way of acrobatics in his fighting, and so the change was an interesting one--good for Quatre, as it made him better and less predictable.
hat's what Wufei had been going for when she taught him. "About three months." he ducked his head with an embarrassed smile. "You should have seen me the first time...I was awful." Wufei had tried not to laugh, but he didn't blame her, really. "I'm glad you think it's good! Your opinion means a lot to me." More than he could ever express. "I've retained what you taught me as well..." Quatre flipped over one of Tim's attacks, with fair form, if not as elegantly as Tim.
Tim shrugged a little. "Everyone needs time to practice. I wasn't all that great when I started out either. Dick is the natural acrobat in our family." He shook his head with a wry smile as he followed Quatre's movements. "I swear, the man is grace personified. And you're getting a lot better. The trick is to remember to have fun with it, even while you're working with it."
"I guess that's the hard part." Quatre admitted. "I'm not naturally inclined to be at ease when I fight. It's always kind of..." He tilted his head a moment. "I don't know. Do you and Miss Cissie ever train together?"
"We used to, when we were younger," Tim said, smiling a little for the old Young Justice days. "And we do occasionally now. I've been trying to help her get her self-defense back up to par, and maybe teach her a few Robin tricks."
"Self-defense is a good idea," he nodded. "Especially around here." A playful smile tugged at his lips. "And if it gives you the chance to be together...."
Tim blushed a little. And the chance for contact... But he didn't say that out loud. "Yes. It was--part of my Christmas present to her."
Quatre looked keenly at him, right in the middle of parrying. "Her Christmas present?"
Tim nodded, looking a little embarrassed, still. "I didn't like the idea of her feeling helpless if someone tried to hurt her again. So--yes." He shrugged a little and took the opportunity to try to flip Quatre's staff out of his hands inhis distraction.
It worked, to Quatre's chagrin. He looked very silly flailing his arms out to grab it back, and what was more, had to roll away in a clumsy somersault. He could just hear Wufei's annoyed sigh.... Quatre blinked- he was thinking about her a LOT, wasn't he?
Tim grinned. "Sorry," he said with a small laugh. "I couldn't seem to help myself."
Quatre pretended to growl at him, but it turned into a laugh. He ran a hand through his pale hair. "Sorry....I did warn you I'd be distracted." Then, looking worried, he added, "Just....don't tell Wufei? She'd think she failed, or something..."
Tim shook his head and drew an x over his heart. "Not a word."
Smiling, the blond stood up. "Thanks...." he retrieved his staff, but paused to regard his friend narrowly. "You know...? I think the girls are good for us." And as he thought of his girl, a dreamy smile played across his lips.
Where: Om floor, then school
When: Backdated to Love Potion plot
Summary: Tim and Quatre take a some time to chat about the women in their lives.
Warnings: None!
Quatre turned from Wufei's door with a somewhat disappointed look on his face. he had hoped to spar with her, and still held the bo-staff Tim had given him in one hand. She would be back later, though, so he wasn't going to die over it or anything. However, he did have that feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about her, about what had happened last night.... Quatre was so absorbed in remembering it that he didn't really see anything around him.
Tim smiled a little when he saw Quatre. He could see that his friend was completely absorbed in his own thoughts, and probably wouldn't have noticed him if he was standing in front of him. Grinning a little to himself, he stepped silently so that he was just behind Quatre's right shoulder... and reached over and tapped him on the left shoulder.
Poor Quatre.... That tiny bit of contact brought out a most undignified sound as he jumped two feet in the air. But when he whirled around, bo-staff fully extended, it was none other than a brightly smiling Tim.
Tim laughed. "Good instincts. Though I think I would have been all right." His hands had already been up to try to catch the staff.
Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Quatre had already retracted his staff, and was blushing a little for the unmanly squeak. Allah, but he was grateful Wufei hadn't heard it. "Sorry....I guess I wasn't paying attention." Just to prove he was now, Quatre gave his friend a cursory scan, then smiled a but. "Your colors are bright today."
Tim grinned, blushing a little. "I'm in a good mood." The night before--spent with Cissie--had been a very good night.
With a somewhat knowing look, Quatre tilted his head. "Oh?" Both hands were behind his back now, clasped there like a child feigning innocence. When Tim didn't answer right away, Quatre nudged him playfully. "Did you and Miss Cissie have a pleasant evening?" Of course, when Quatre teased about things like that, there was no more double-meaning than, 'Did you snuggle?'
Tim laughed a little, his blush deepening. "Uh, you could say that," he said, pushing a hand through his hair in embarrassment. He cleared his throat, composing himself. "It was a pleasant interlude," he said finally, channeling Alfred.
Hiding a chuckle behind his sleeve, the other boy's eyes sparkled. "I think I felt it..... I mean....I knew you were happy." It had just added to his own happiness, which was always the best kind- when it was shared. As one hand had loosed to come before his face, he revealed his bo-staff again. Quatre moved in closer to Tim, smiling broadly. "What happened? Can you tell me? Or..." for a moment, his face clouded with embarrassment. "Or is it too private?"
"Um," Tim said, still looking embarrassed. "I probably shouldn't do tons of details, but... It was good. We... How was your night?"
"You don't have to...." Now, it was Quatre's turn to get very red. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "It was.....nice?" Lame, he knew. Wufei's pristine expression popped back into his mind, looking as it had when he kissed her.... His face flushed a deeper shade of crimson. In an effort to divert his own attention from that, he looked down at Tim's bo-staff. "Were you on your way to train....or something?"
Tim glanced down. "Uh, yeah. I would have stayed in the apartment, but Cissie's still sleeping, and I didn't want to bother her." He gave Quatre a smile that was all challenge. "You want to?"
Quatre returned the grin. "Absolutely." He had been hoping to get rid of some of the.....um....feelings brought on by sexual tension. They were alternately pleasant and painful, but he assumed a good workout would help. "How about the room in the school? The big, empty one with the stage?"
"Sure," Tim said with a grin. "There's lots of space there for us to move around in. Almost like the old training arena." He nudged his friend playfully. "You think you can take me?"
"Oh, I don't know...." Quatre laughed as they started walking down the hall. "I can try...but I'm a bit distracted today." Of course, if he had been sparring with Wufei, he would have been even more distracted. And anyway, Tim had always been the better of the two, hands-down. Quatre sometimes suspected him of being far too nice.
"One sympathizes," Tim said with a laugh. "I might be a little distractable, too. We'll have to see how it goes." He led the way toward the staircase. "So--last night?" His tone was light and a little teasing.
Quatre's face was in profile at this last question, he turned away even more, trying to hide his embarrassed smile. "I......I don't know. It was....." Stopping suddenly, he turned to look at Tim, eyes wide. "Actually....could I talk to you about that? I mean....it was really, really good....I...." Wufei probably would have found his breathless enthusiasm adorable.
Tim laughed a little. "I'm glad. What did you want to talk about?"
Quatre now looked sidelong at him, eyes shining. "Last night....but only if you promise to tell me what happened with you. If....that's ok?" Even at his happiest, Quatre was still concerned for his friends.
Tim started to blush again. "Um. All right."
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Quatre turned to look at him. "You don't have to, if you'd rather not." he said gently. Then, a smile quirking at his mouth, "But...I can't help feeling curious."
Tim shrugged a little. "It's okay. I'm just... I don't usually kiss and tell except with Dick, but..." he cast a quick glance at Quatre. "I guess I have more brothers now."
Quatre looked so visibly pleased by this that he seemed to shine all on his own. Taking Tim's hand, he said earnestly, "You know you can tell me anything in confidence....anything at all. I..." he looked away. "I haven't ever 'kissed and told'....but I know I could tell you, at least." Between them, it wasn't bragging, but the brotherly sharing of happy feelings.
"I know," Tim said, smiling. He gestured toward Quatre. "By all means, though. How did it go?"
The snow crunched beneath their feet, and the sky was a crisp blue. Quatre stared at it for a moment as they walked, hands thrust in his pockets, and his breath blowing out in white puffs. "It wasn't what I expected." he murmured. "I wasn't planning it at all."
"Oh no?" Tim asked, looking amused. These kinds of things were almost never what was planned on. Like with Tim and Cissie, it have probably just... happened.
Quatre's mind seemed to be running along those lines, because he then asked, "Was it that way with you?" Anything that made Tim happy was worth hearing about.
Tim laughed. "Yeah, pretty much always. We don't usually plan for anything, but it just ends up... happening."
Quatre chuckled. "It is nice, though....isn't it?" Well, nice wasn't exactly the word- too tame. He hunched into his coat a bit, thinking. "Did it catch you completely off-guard?"
Tim thought back to the night before. "Yes," he said finally. "But not unpleasantly." He felt like the distinction ought to be made--Tim didn't often love surprises.
Quatre bumped him playfully as they walked. "I think Miss Cissie was pleasantly surprised, too? Or did she plan it? Girls often do that kind of thing, you know." The blond nodded sagely- he had 29 sisters, after all.
"I'm thinking it was a surprise," Tim said with a laugh. "To both of us. We were just hanging out--playing darts, actually, and... well. Things led to each other, and. Yes. Surprise," he finished, a little lamely.
It wasn't far to the school. By the time Quatre answered him, he was holding the door open. "It was the same for us. I invited her for tea and a chat." he rubbed the side of his face, frowning confusedly. "I'm not even sure how we got to....."
"Well, I cheated at darts," Tim admitted. "And then we both started cheating pretty blatantly, which turned into tickling and all sorts of silliness."
The blond let out a full laugh at the image. "Oh no....Tim cheating? That's not possible!" Their coats were deposited by the door, before they moved into the spacious room beyond. It was cold, but the sunlight shining through the windows brightened it up considerably. "How exactly did you do it? Walk right up to the dartboard and put it in the bullseye? My sister Freida used to try that."
"Oh, but it is," Tim said, grinning. "I'm a terrible cheater. It's at least half of what Robin is taught. How to cheat to gain an advantage. And we cheated by distracting each other." He laughed. "Badly."
"I *have* to hear this..." Quatre continued laughing. he extended his bo-staff, then fell into first-position. "Should I be worried about you cheating while we spar?" Of course, his note was teasing. He knew Tim would never do such a thing, unless they were goofing off.
Tim grinned a little. "Well," he said slowly. "I don't think I'm very likely to come up behind you and kiss your neck while we're sparring, so you should be safe from that at least..."
The image made Quatre blush, but he chuckled at it. Tim was just teasing. "I should hope not! I love you, but not in that way..." He waited for his friend to get into a ready position. "That does sound very distracting, though. Poor Miss Cissie..."
"Don't feel too bad," Tim grumbled. "She's just as bad as I am."
The blond tried not to look to pleased by this. "Oh? Hoisted with your own pitard?"
"Yes. And she used her dart to knock my last dart off course!"
The blond's eyes went wide. He whistled appreciatively. "She must be incredibly good." Then, because he was in such a good mood himself, his teasing side came out. "No wonder you had to cheat." The blond moved forward to strike, but in full view of Tim. The sparring had begun.
"She's amazing," Tim said, grinning with pride as he blocked Quatre's opening strike. "She's been able to hit a bull's eye since she was three. I'm pretty good with the batarangs and birdarangs and shuriken, but... I'm not in her league at all." He came forward again with a few easy strikes. They were still warming up, after all.
Quatre blocked them easily enough. He loved sparring with Tim and Wufei, though it was a different dynamic between each of them. Wufei was almost intensely focused, where Tim was almost casual in comparison. Not that Tim was lax- he put everything into what he did- but if someone messed up, he was more likely to just shrug it off. "I saw Miss Cissie at target practice once, just after she first came here. I don't think I've ever seen anyone that skilled." Even Heero, who was a deadeye. A few, more focused attacks were leveled at Tim this time. Quatre wasn't anywhere near his level, but he had talent, at least. "I think you said her mother was an archer?"
Tim nodded, turning aside each of the attacks Quatre came at him with. "And--her father, though I'm not sure she exactly knows that. I'd--appreciate it if you didn't mention it." He advanced on Quatre again, with a few stronger attacks. He felt a little like a teacher trying to draw out a student's moves and see how well he'd learned his lessons, which was... actually pretty cool.
"I won't." Quatre promised, and as always, he meant it. There had already been enough trouble over her father, anyway.... The next few attacks took more concentration, but he managed alright. He was even able to return a few blows in the same way. That was the thing about Quatre; he learned VERY quickly. After a short silence, punctuated only by the sound of their staffs meeting one another, he asked, "How long have you known Miss Cissie?" It was almost another question, but he would save that for later.
"Thank you," Tim said feelingly. He'd discovered a lot about Cissie's family at her request that he hadn't exactly shared with her yet. He wanted to have his evidence when he did, and that... was all locked in his laptop back home. He glanced up at Quatre's question, drawn a little out of the trance that the rhythm of the spar and his thoughts had put him in. "Hmm? Oh--about four years. Why?"
Quatre's shrug was lost in his next move. "I was just curious." He let the conversation drift for a few minutes, concentrating on their movements, and his thoughts. They were divided pretty evenly between the two 'houses'. "How long have you been in love with her?" he asked at length, breaking through the rhythmic 'clack, clack'.
Tim faltered in his block, earning him a sound rap on the knuckles from Quatre's staff. "Um." He could feel his face heat. "A year or so--knowing it. A little more than that when I didn't realize it yet."
Quatre hadn't meant that to distract him, and winced as staff met knuckles. "Sorry..." he murmured, halting until Tim had recovered. If Wufei, the one he knew at home, had seen him do something like that, Quatre would have just earned himself a well-placed nerve-attack. He gave Tim an encouraging smile. "I'm sure she loved you from the beginning." What was there not to love?
Tim gave Quate a rueful smile. "You don't have to stop for that. I'm fine, and I've fought through a lot worse." He shook out his hand and got a grip on his staff again. He shook his head a little. "No--we were friends for a long time--very close. She was sometimes the only person who got what was happening in my head."
"Which is what makes her so perfect for you." Quatre said, getting back into position. Whatever this statement would do to Tim, it was the truth. Quatre had seen it ever since her arrival.
Tim blushed deeply, and ducked his head a little before getting himself back into ready position. "Um. Thank you."
Quatre didn't attack right away, but looked slightly appalled at himself for disconcerting his friend. "Sorry....it's true....but I really should learn not to say such things."
Tim laughed a little. "It's not a bad thing. You just... surprised me a little. She makes me--very happy."
Quatre beamed at this. "I know....and I'm so glad to see it. So very glad." They began to move against one another once more, motions becoming more fluid. "Miss Cissie has a very bright soul, like yours. You complement one another so well...it really is a joy to watch."
"Thank you," Tim said, meeting Quatre's staff strike for strike. He started to play a little bit, throwing in some acrobatics--it felt good to really work out sometimes, and he didn't think Quatre would mind. "So--your turn."
Quatre didn't mind the acrobatics at all, in fact, he rather liked watching Tim perform the complex flips and tumbles. Tim had a kind of grace that approached genius, maybe met it. The only problem was keeping his focus on the task at hand, when he would gladly stand and watch his friend enjoy himself. Of course, Quatre enjoyed sparring as well, and working out to become stronger. It was especially good in cold weather, when the limbs needed warming up. He wanted to improve anyway, but it was also to become better for Wufei. As his thoughts strayed, he almost missed Tim's question. It made him pause too long, and Tim's staff caught him in the elbow.
"Ow! Um...well..." Quatre had to pause to get his concentration back, and sparring with Tim always meant he had to work harder anyway. Quatre's tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth for a moment as he concentrated. ""What....did you want to know?" He didn't exactly know where to begin.
Tim held back for a bit while Quatre was gathering himself again--this was a gentle spar, after all, and there was no need to press the advantage. "Whatever you'd like to tell me," he said with a smile. "What happened?"
Yes, the Wufei at home would have had a fit with BOTH of them....Batman might have been annoyed as well. They were being very nice with one another, as usual. But Quatre appreciated it, as always. "Well....I guess I can start at the beginning." A few more blows were exchanged, before he continued. "I asked Wufei over for tea....right? Well, I love spending time with her, but I think something must have been affecting me..."
Tim laughed. "Oh?" He had an idea of what the "something" might have been. Strong emotions tended to allow people to react more freely than they might otherwise have done--as they had done with Cissie and himself.
Quatre stepped back, readying himself for Tim's next move. He was coloring a bit, but obviously enjoying the memories. "A few weeks ago, some of our friends set us up....thinking we needed help deciding what to do with ourselves, I guess." As he didn't say they were wrong, Tim could draw his own conclusions. "Well, we decided to let ourselves....become involved." Again, he flushed, this time more obviously.
Tim grinned. "I remember that," he said, going in for a series of attacks meant to tire the opponent if he did nothing more than just block. "And I think it's a good idea. You two seem to make each other happy."
Quatre smiled through the blushing. "I don't think I've ever been happier than when I'm with her..." he did block, but also moved in with a few strikes of his own. "I feel like I....like I belong...." As much as he was thinking about her, his happy state of mind seemed to make him more fluid in his movements. He executed an impressive pattern of attack at that moment, something he had learned from her. If she had seen it, she would have been proud.
Tim raised an eyebrow. "You didn't learn that from me," he said with a laugh as he blocked each pass methodically. "Did Wufei teach you?" he asked, his voice gently teasing. In reality--he was happy for his friend. Quatre seemed more relaxed.
He was, luckily, relaxed enough to continue through his sudden consciousness. "She did." And figuring he might as well, he showed Tim another move she had taught him, which required more 'acrobatics' than he usually employed. Not nearly as much as Tim could do, and not approaching the Chinese girl's level, but still very different. "I was hoping to spar with her today...not that I didn't want to spar with you, too!" Tim was still very precious to him, and any time spent with him was good.
Tim grinned. "I understand, and I don't particularly mind being a second choice in this case. That's really remarkable, though. How long have you been working on it?" He was curious. Quatre had rarely employed much in the way of acrobatics in his fighting, and so the change was an interesting one--good for Quatre, as it made him better and less predictable.
hat's what Wufei had been going for when she taught him. "About three months." he ducked his head with an embarrassed smile. "You should have seen me the first time...I was awful." Wufei had tried not to laugh, but he didn't blame her, really. "I'm glad you think it's good! Your opinion means a lot to me." More than he could ever express. "I've retained what you taught me as well..." Quatre flipped over one of Tim's attacks, with fair form, if not as elegantly as Tim.
Tim shrugged a little. "Everyone needs time to practice. I wasn't all that great when I started out either. Dick is the natural acrobat in our family." He shook his head with a wry smile as he followed Quatre's movements. "I swear, the man is grace personified. And you're getting a lot better. The trick is to remember to have fun with it, even while you're working with it."
"I guess that's the hard part." Quatre admitted. "I'm not naturally inclined to be at ease when I fight. It's always kind of..." He tilted his head a moment. "I don't know. Do you and Miss Cissie ever train together?"
"We used to, when we were younger," Tim said, smiling a little for the old Young Justice days. "And we do occasionally now. I've been trying to help her get her self-defense back up to par, and maybe teach her a few Robin tricks."
"Self-defense is a good idea," he nodded. "Especially around here." A playful smile tugged at his lips. "And if it gives you the chance to be together...."
Tim blushed a little. And the chance for contact... But he didn't say that out loud. "Yes. It was--part of my Christmas present to her."
Quatre looked keenly at him, right in the middle of parrying. "Her Christmas present?"
Tim nodded, looking a little embarrassed, still. "I didn't like the idea of her feeling helpless if someone tried to hurt her again. So--yes." He shrugged a little and took the opportunity to try to flip Quatre's staff out of his hands inhis distraction.
It worked, to Quatre's chagrin. He looked very silly flailing his arms out to grab it back, and what was more, had to roll away in a clumsy somersault. He could just hear Wufei's annoyed sigh.... Quatre blinked- he was thinking about her a LOT, wasn't he?
Tim grinned. "Sorry," he said with a small laugh. "I couldn't seem to help myself."
Quatre pretended to growl at him, but it turned into a laugh. He ran a hand through his pale hair. "Sorry....I did warn you I'd be distracted." Then, looking worried, he added, "Just....don't tell Wufei? She'd think she failed, or something..."
Tim shook his head and drew an x over his heart. "Not a word."
Smiling, the blond stood up. "Thanks...." he retrieved his staff, but paused to regard his friend narrowly. "You know...? I think the girls are good for us." And as he thought of his girl, a dreamy smile played across his lips.