[DC Comics] It's Just Dinner
Title: It's Just Dinner
Fandom: DC Comics
Relationship: One-sided Tim/Jaime, platonic Jaime+Virgil, Jaime+M'gann
Summary: Jaime didn't think much of inviting Virgil and M'gann out for dinner this weekend... but clearly, Robin thought otherwise.
Notes: This takes place sometime before Kon & Bart are brought back to life and after Jaime joins the Titans; I'm fuzzy on the timeline myself, so I don't know exactly when it'd fit, but it is when Tim's more emo than usual.
Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me, as you guys know. This is all property of DC Comics. o/
It all started with a simple dinner invitation Friday night. Jaime didn't think much about inviting Virgil over for some burritos and maybe even a run for ice cream later; after all, they were teammates, and more importantly, good friends. It wasn't like this was the first time they would ditch the Tower for dinner, either. Just last week, Virgil, Jaime, and Eddie had ditched the girls for an evening with sushi and a very bad karaoke machine. With that kind of precedent, Jaime didn't think much about waiting for Virgil outside the Tower's common room. Cell phone in hand, he casually flipped through lists of ice cream stores; every now and then, he paused to glance up in hopes of catching sight of that black mop of hair that Virgil never managed to tame.
After maybe five to ten minutes, Virgil walked through the door and casually waved in Jaime's direction. "Hey."
Jaime couldn't help grinning back as he tucked his cell phone back in his pocket. "Hey. You feel like catching some dinner with my folks tonight?"
Virgil easily returned that wide cheesy grin as he swung his arm across Jaime's shoulder, "When would I ever say no? We grabbing some Dragon Age II too?"
Jaime rolled his eyes, "Like that was even a question."
They laughed, sharing knowing glances before Virgil motioned for Jaime to lead the way. Without any hesitation, Jaime walked through the sliding doors and nearly crashed into their leader. Immediately jumping back - and almost bumping into Virgil - Jaime winced, "Robin! You okay?"
"Yeah," Robin said, carefully nursing his nose. Placing a hand ontop of it, he motioned for the two to go ahead, "Have a fun night, you guys."
Virgil wrinkled his nose and shot Robin a weird look before following Jaime outside. Carefully levitating himself above the ground with his own electricity, he leaned down and held a hand for Jaime. Gratefully, Jaime took it as he too begun to take flight. Once they'd reached a decent altitude of about ten thousand feet, Virgil sighed and glanced over at his friend.
"So uh..." He pointed a thumb in the direction of the Tower, "What was that about?"
Jaime shrugged. "Who knows?"
Robin had a tendency to know everything, so it didn't strike Jaime as weird that Robin overheard Jaime's plans... and besides, it wasn't like they were dating or anything. Yet that nagging feeling remained long after dinner with Virgil and a ice cream run in South Dakota. Why the crap had Robin been there, anyways?
Not like Jaime'd get a chance to find out anytime soon. That following Saturday, Jaime invited M'gann for dinner. Waiting until they were alone in the kitchen, Jaime casually leaned backwards over the edge of the counter and rested his elbows on the marble countertop. "So," He started, watching her place the popcorn bag in the microwave, "You wanna grab some quesdillas later? I know this fantastic place back home..."
M'gann warmly smiled at him as she closed the microwave door and pressed a few buttons. "Sure! You think we can invite Paco and Brenda too?"
He didn't have to think twice before chuckling, "Don't see why not. Unless you want to avoid a nauseatingly romantic date." Bridging the gap between them, he lightly punched her shoulder. M'gann giggled, floating just a little off the ground. They exchanged a knowing look for a single moment...
CRASH.
They both jumped, swerving to face a (very) flustered Robin. He laughed nervously, gesturing to the huge pile of cookbooks he'd just dropped onto the floor, "Sorry guys. We just got this shipment in and well... I figured it'd be best to put it there."
After a moment of awkward silence, M'gann gave him a polite smile. "No worries. You alright?"
In the end, Jaime had to carefully open the microwave and take out the bag of popcorn. While he carefully poured it into the large glass bowl, M'gann eagerly shelved the rest of the books with Robin.
Once they'd all finished, M'gann cheerfully seized the bowl back from her teammate. Lightly hugging Jaime, she added, "Can't wait for tonight! We'll go around seven?"
Jaime nodded, waving her off. "Yeah. Seven sounds great."
Robin gave him what could only be described as a somewhat irritated look, "Again?"
"What?" Jaime shrugged sheepishly. "It's just dinner."
After mass and brunch with the family on Sunday, Jaime returned to the Tower for yet another training session with Robin. Unlike the ones from before, this one would be one-on-one; that is, Robin only oversaw Jaime's progress. Normally, Jaime wouldn't have minded the extra practice. Yet something felt off about the whole situation.
For the past week or so, Robin had avoided Jaime even more so than usual... except when he wasn't. He still managed to know that Jaime and all of the other Titans - literally everyone, Jaime even asked out Vic and Gar for sushi last Tuesday - had lunch or dinner dates. He still managed to give Jaime the annoyed, exasperated, and slightly morose look every time they passed in the hallways.
And to make matters even more confusing, Jaime wasn't quite sure why they had extra practice today. Honestly, Jaime just wanted to finish his homework.
Yet he arrived in the training center on time. Dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants, he sat down and waited for Robin to arrive. He expected Robin to be late; after all, Robin lacked superpowers. He couldn't magically fly like Jaime or Virgil; he couldn't teleport like Raven; and he especially lacked Bart's super-speed.
Without warning, a bamboo stick rapped Jaime's head. Glancing up, Jaime jumped and hastily put his cell phone away. "Robin! Hey! I didn't know you were here."
Robin exasperatedly sighed, "It's okay. You ready for training?"
Now that Jaime got a better look, something about Robin felt even weirder. For one thing, Robin wasn't dressed in uniform: today, Robin decided to wear a black t-shirt and shorts. Even the boots had been switched out with a pair of running sneakers. If Jaime didn't know better, Robin looked like... someone normal. Even with the white-out lenses that normally accompanied his domino mask.
"Yeah, I guess," Jaime nodded, assuming the standard defensive position. "Armor or no?"
"None." Robin's tone was harsher than usual---really, everything about Robin felt harsh. Especially since he didn't bother to warn Jaime before lunging straight for him. Jaime side-stepped him, countering Robin's jabs and uppercuts with swift blocking movements. With each step, Jaime felt less like he was sparring and more like... more like Robin wanted to attack him.
"Robin?"
His opponent didn't relent. Swiftly kicking Jaime's shins, Robin crouched down and aimed a kick for Jaime's legs. "Don't leave yourself so open to attack."
This was really unlike Robin. Jaime jumped to avoid the incoming kick. Hastily arming himself with a spare bamboo stick, he blocked the incoming - and swift - parry. "Dude, what happened? Seriously, if you want to talk...."
Robin hesitated for one brief moment before assuming a standard defensive pose. "How come you invited everyone else for lunch or dinner or even breakfast?"
For probably the first time that whole week, Jaime didn't know what to say. "Huh?"
"I mean," Robin launched into some weird monologue as he stepped forward and sliced empty air, "Why didn't you ask me if I wanted to have lunch? Or dinner? Or just hang out?" Still not realizing that he completely failed to attack anywhere near Jaime, he lunged forward and punched more empty air. "Seriously. It's not like I'm a total recluse!"
Wait. Was... was Robin actually jealous?
Jaime tilted his head to the side. "Becauseeee... I didn't think you wanted to hang out."
Almost immediately, Robin stopped fighting. He dropped the bamboo stick, but didn't bother to pick it back up. "What? Why wouldn't you?"
"Well, it's like..." Jaime awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "You know how everyone has a secret identity? It makes it easy for me to take them out places. But like, I don't know yours. I'd feel awkward asking Robin to come down for churros. So in the end, I guess I didn't ask because I didn't want you to think that I didn't respect your need for privacy."
The more he thought about it, the more Jaime realized that perhaps, he should have gone through the formality of asking Robin out. Maybe that way, Robin wouldn't have become so furious. Yet, Jaime couldn't help noticing that Robin's entire face softened with the explanation.
"You mean..." Robin smiled warmly as he bridged the gap between them. "That's why you didn't ask me?"
Jaime sheepishly smiled back. "I just didn't want you to feel like you had to make up some guy just to hang out with me at the mall. Whenever you want to tell me your name, I---"
"Tim."
"Huh?"
Robin chuckled softly, gently nudging Jaime's hands to release the bamboo stick from their grasp. "My name," He said the moment the stick hit the ground. "It's Tim."
Jaime couldn't help staring at his leader. "Wha..."
"Really." Robin carefully touched the edge of his domino mask, as if he was going to rip it off right then and there. Jaime leaned in and carefully gripped Robin's (Tim's?) hand.
"Don't." Jaime pleaded.
Robin couldn't help giving Jaime perhaps the warmest smile anyone'd seen in years. Of all the people... "Fine," Robin relented, chuckling again as he squeezed Jaime's hand. "I'll show you my face later. Maybe when we go out for dinner tonight?"
So much for getting his homework done on time. Jaime nodded, carefully intertwining his fingers with Robin's. "Yeah. It's a date."
For some reason Jaime couldn't quite figure out, tonight would probably feel totally and completely different... and not because it didn't involve churros or movie popcorn or even their usual training sessions. Just maybe, these outings with his friends weren't 'just dinner.'
Fandom: DC Comics
Relationship: One-sided Tim/Jaime, platonic Jaime+Virgil, Jaime+M'gann
Summary: Jaime didn't think much of inviting Virgil and M'gann out for dinner this weekend... but clearly, Robin thought otherwise.
Notes: This takes place sometime before Kon & Bart are brought back to life and after Jaime joins the Titans; I'm fuzzy on the timeline myself, so I don't know exactly when it'd fit, but it is when Tim's more emo than usual.
Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me, as you guys know. This is all property of DC Comics. o/
It all started with a simple dinner invitation Friday night. Jaime didn't think much about inviting Virgil over for some burritos and maybe even a run for ice cream later; after all, they were teammates, and more importantly, good friends. It wasn't like this was the first time they would ditch the Tower for dinner, either. Just last week, Virgil, Jaime, and Eddie had ditched the girls for an evening with sushi and a very bad karaoke machine. With that kind of precedent, Jaime didn't think much about waiting for Virgil outside the Tower's common room. Cell phone in hand, he casually flipped through lists of ice cream stores; every now and then, he paused to glance up in hopes of catching sight of that black mop of hair that Virgil never managed to tame.
After maybe five to ten minutes, Virgil walked through the door and casually waved in Jaime's direction. "Hey."
Jaime couldn't help grinning back as he tucked his cell phone back in his pocket. "Hey. You feel like catching some dinner with my folks tonight?"
Virgil easily returned that wide cheesy grin as he swung his arm across Jaime's shoulder, "When would I ever say no? We grabbing some Dragon Age II too?"
Jaime rolled his eyes, "Like that was even a question."
They laughed, sharing knowing glances before Virgil motioned for Jaime to lead the way. Without any hesitation, Jaime walked through the sliding doors and nearly crashed into their leader. Immediately jumping back - and almost bumping into Virgil - Jaime winced, "Robin! You okay?"
"Yeah," Robin said, carefully nursing his nose. Placing a hand ontop of it, he motioned for the two to go ahead, "Have a fun night, you guys."
Virgil wrinkled his nose and shot Robin a weird look before following Jaime outside. Carefully levitating himself above the ground with his own electricity, he leaned down and held a hand for Jaime. Gratefully, Jaime took it as he too begun to take flight. Once they'd reached a decent altitude of about ten thousand feet, Virgil sighed and glanced over at his friend.
"So uh..." He pointed a thumb in the direction of the Tower, "What was that about?"
Jaime shrugged. "Who knows?"
Robin had a tendency to know everything, so it didn't strike Jaime as weird that Robin overheard Jaime's plans... and besides, it wasn't like they were dating or anything. Yet that nagging feeling remained long after dinner with Virgil and a ice cream run in South Dakota. Why the crap had Robin been there, anyways?
Not like Jaime'd get a chance to find out anytime soon. That following Saturday, Jaime invited M'gann for dinner. Waiting until they were alone in the kitchen, Jaime casually leaned backwards over the edge of the counter and rested his elbows on the marble countertop. "So," He started, watching her place the popcorn bag in the microwave, "You wanna grab some quesdillas later? I know this fantastic place back home..."
M'gann warmly smiled at him as she closed the microwave door and pressed a few buttons. "Sure! You think we can invite Paco and Brenda too?"
He didn't have to think twice before chuckling, "Don't see why not. Unless you want to avoid a nauseatingly romantic date." Bridging the gap between them, he lightly punched her shoulder. M'gann giggled, floating just a little off the ground. They exchanged a knowing look for a single moment...
CRASH.
They both jumped, swerving to face a (very) flustered Robin. He laughed nervously, gesturing to the huge pile of cookbooks he'd just dropped onto the floor, "Sorry guys. We just got this shipment in and well... I figured it'd be best to put it there."
After a moment of awkward silence, M'gann gave him a polite smile. "No worries. You alright?"
In the end, Jaime had to carefully open the microwave and take out the bag of popcorn. While he carefully poured it into the large glass bowl, M'gann eagerly shelved the rest of the books with Robin.
Once they'd all finished, M'gann cheerfully seized the bowl back from her teammate. Lightly hugging Jaime, she added, "Can't wait for tonight! We'll go around seven?"
Jaime nodded, waving her off. "Yeah. Seven sounds great."
Robin gave him what could only be described as a somewhat irritated look, "Again?"
"What?" Jaime shrugged sheepishly. "It's just dinner."
After mass and brunch with the family on Sunday, Jaime returned to the Tower for yet another training session with Robin. Unlike the ones from before, this one would be one-on-one; that is, Robin only oversaw Jaime's progress. Normally, Jaime wouldn't have minded the extra practice. Yet something felt off about the whole situation.
For the past week or so, Robin had avoided Jaime even more so than usual... except when he wasn't. He still managed to know that Jaime and all of the other Titans - literally everyone, Jaime even asked out Vic and Gar for sushi last Tuesday - had lunch or dinner dates. He still managed to give Jaime the annoyed, exasperated, and slightly morose look every time they passed in the hallways.
And to make matters even more confusing, Jaime wasn't quite sure why they had extra practice today. Honestly, Jaime just wanted to finish his homework.
Yet he arrived in the training center on time. Dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants, he sat down and waited for Robin to arrive. He expected Robin to be late; after all, Robin lacked superpowers. He couldn't magically fly like Jaime or Virgil; he couldn't teleport like Raven; and he especially lacked Bart's super-speed.
Without warning, a bamboo stick rapped Jaime's head. Glancing up, Jaime jumped and hastily put his cell phone away. "Robin! Hey! I didn't know you were here."
Robin exasperatedly sighed, "It's okay. You ready for training?"
Now that Jaime got a better look, something about Robin felt even weirder. For one thing, Robin wasn't dressed in uniform: today, Robin decided to wear a black t-shirt and shorts. Even the boots had been switched out with a pair of running sneakers. If Jaime didn't know better, Robin looked like... someone normal. Even with the white-out lenses that normally accompanied his domino mask.
"Yeah, I guess," Jaime nodded, assuming the standard defensive position. "Armor or no?"
"None." Robin's tone was harsher than usual---really, everything about Robin felt harsh. Especially since he didn't bother to warn Jaime before lunging straight for him. Jaime side-stepped him, countering Robin's jabs and uppercuts with swift blocking movements. With each step, Jaime felt less like he was sparring and more like... more like Robin wanted to attack him.
"Robin?"
His opponent didn't relent. Swiftly kicking Jaime's shins, Robin crouched down and aimed a kick for Jaime's legs. "Don't leave yourself so open to attack."
This was really unlike Robin. Jaime jumped to avoid the incoming kick. Hastily arming himself with a spare bamboo stick, he blocked the incoming - and swift - parry. "Dude, what happened? Seriously, if you want to talk...."
Robin hesitated for one brief moment before assuming a standard defensive pose. "How come you invited everyone else for lunch or dinner or even breakfast?"
For probably the first time that whole week, Jaime didn't know what to say. "Huh?"
"I mean," Robin launched into some weird monologue as he stepped forward and sliced empty air, "Why didn't you ask me if I wanted to have lunch? Or dinner? Or just hang out?" Still not realizing that he completely failed to attack anywhere near Jaime, he lunged forward and punched more empty air. "Seriously. It's not like I'm a total recluse!"
Wait. Was... was Robin actually jealous?
Jaime tilted his head to the side. "Becauseeee... I didn't think you wanted to hang out."
Almost immediately, Robin stopped fighting. He dropped the bamboo stick, but didn't bother to pick it back up. "What? Why wouldn't you?"
"Well, it's like..." Jaime awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "You know how everyone has a secret identity? It makes it easy for me to take them out places. But like, I don't know yours. I'd feel awkward asking Robin to come down for churros. So in the end, I guess I didn't ask because I didn't want you to think that I didn't respect your need for privacy."
The more he thought about it, the more Jaime realized that perhaps, he should have gone through the formality of asking Robin out. Maybe that way, Robin wouldn't have become so furious. Yet, Jaime couldn't help noticing that Robin's entire face softened with the explanation.
"You mean..." Robin smiled warmly as he bridged the gap between them. "That's why you didn't ask me?"
Jaime sheepishly smiled back. "I just didn't want you to feel like you had to make up some guy just to hang out with me at the mall. Whenever you want to tell me your name, I---"
"Tim."
"Huh?"
Robin chuckled softly, gently nudging Jaime's hands to release the bamboo stick from their grasp. "My name," He said the moment the stick hit the ground. "It's Tim."
Jaime couldn't help staring at his leader. "Wha..."
"Really." Robin carefully touched the edge of his domino mask, as if he was going to rip it off right then and there. Jaime leaned in and carefully gripped Robin's (Tim's?) hand.
"Don't." Jaime pleaded.
Robin couldn't help giving Jaime perhaps the warmest smile anyone'd seen in years. Of all the people... "Fine," Robin relented, chuckling again as he squeezed Jaime's hand. "I'll show you my face later. Maybe when we go out for dinner tonight?"
So much for getting his homework done on time. Jaime nodded, carefully intertwining his fingers with Robin's. "Yeah. It's a date."
For some reason Jaime couldn't quite figure out, tonight would probably feel totally and completely different... and not because it didn't involve churros or movie popcorn or even their usual training sessions. Just maybe, these outings with his friends weren't 'just dinner.'