Fic: Kind of Like Falling in Love: 7/20; Roy/Tim; PG-13
Title: Kind of Like Falling in Love 7/20
Author: Aravis Tarkheena
Pairing: Roy/Tim
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst
Disclaimer: Not Mine
Word Count: about 1000
Author’s Notes: Author’s Notes: This is part 7 in a 20 chapter fic based on prompts from the dcu_freeforall. Each chapter is at least 1000 words and the prompts go in order. This is a self contained story line, completely separate from R&R. Prompt #7: Batmobile.
This is my favorite chapter. Chapter ten will be fun, but this one is my favorite.
Previous Chapters
Chapter 6
Seven
By the time Roy patched Tim up and cleaned him off, the kid was literally falling asleep sitting upright. Roy had to grab him to keep him from falling headlong off of the seat of the toilet where Roy had sat him to clean his cuts. As he watched Roy decided that the combined effects of head trauma and exhaustion had left Tim in no condition to drive down the block let alone all the way back to Gotham City. He knew, from Tim’s long lectures about it, that the Redbird was easier to drive and handle than the Batmobile, but not enough that Roy would feel comfortable with Tim driving it home.
He didn’t expect much resistance from Tim, poor guy could hardly speak let alone make a coherent argument. The only issue was that the little town house he and Lian had moved into a few months ago didn’t actually have a guest room. The only extra room in the house was used as a joint office/play room; dolls and file folders vied for space on any and all flat surfaces. There was no place to put even a sleeping bag. The sofa in the living room was too narrow and the thought of Tim rolling off of it during the night and hitting his head again sent the paranoid Daddy in Roy into horrified mental fits.
Roy tried to quell the little voice in his head that said he was only trying to come up with excuses to get the beautiful and emotionally vulnerable Tim into his bed. It wasn’t entirely true, in any case. What he was feeling towards Tim right now wasn’t sexual as much as it was protective. The feelings were not dissimilar to those he felt for Lian when she was sick or sad or grumpy. He wanted to hold Tim, to make him feel loved and cherished. He wanted to chase that haunted look out of those blue eyes.
Roy ushered Tim into his bedroom and sat him down on the bed as he riffled though his drawers for some sweats. He wordlessly helped Tim lift his shirt over his injured head and shuck his jeans. Roy knew, from seeing Dick half naked of often when they were teenagers, that Tim would have some scars and probably a few cuts and bruises. He expected it. What he didn’t expect is how the sight of those scars, cuts and bruises made him feel.
He tried not shiver at the sight of them. Fear and upset twisted his stomach and Roy wanted nothing more than to lay Tim out and kiss every singly mark on that soft, pale skin. It was illogical, but he wanted to soothe even the oldest of the scars.
Tim finished dressing in the too large clothes and climbed into bed. He pulled the covers up to his chin, he turned over and curled on his side facing the wall with his back to Roy. Roy slid into bed next to him.
Roy had never fallen asleep with someone else next to him in this particular bed. In fact it had been quite some time since he had fallen asleep next to any besides Lian. He had sort of tabled his romantic exploits to take care of his daughter. Recently, the troubles with finding some girl to date or sleep with just weren’t worth the benefits. Any of them.
It felt odd and comfortable at the same time. Tim was a conspicuous lump next to him and Roy had to try hard to keep himself from curling around the warm form.
The whole dressing/getting into bed process had clearly woken him up a bit. Tim’s body was stiffer than it had been even as Roy cleaned his cuts.
“What did you mean by ‘in a manner of speaking’? About the nightmares I mean.” Roy found himself asking unconsciously.
Tim was silent for a few minutes, each second dragging on and making Roy more and more nervous. When Tim finally responded Roy was wound tight and Tim’s voice was heart sick and full of pain.
“I dream about my dad. Sometimes my mom, but mostly my dad. I dream that he’s not dead. He isn’t gone he just went away for a while and now he’s back…”
Roy furrowed his brows, trying to figure that one out. When Tim spoke again his voice cracked.
“Then I wake up. I wake up and he’s dead all over again. It takes awhile for it to sink in, for me to remember he’s gone, that they’re all gone.” Tim swallowed hard.
Roy turned onto his side and reach out to pull the tiny ball Tim had rolled into back against himself. Tim’s body was limp and he made no effort to resist the pull of Roy’s arms.
He tightened his arms around Tim’s too thin frame and pressed a gentle kiss to Tim’s temple.
“And the worst part is,” Tim continued in a broken voice, “is how goddamned alone I feel when the fact that they’re dead comes crashing back down on me.”
Roy pressed his face into the soft hair on Tim’s head, wishing there was something he could say to make this better.
“And with you and Lian… When I see you guys, when I’m with you, that loneliness just isn’t there anymore. I feel good, and I forget all the shitty things that are going on in my life.”
Roy felt something jump in his chest. He felt like he’d just run twenty miles, his heart was pounding and he was having trouble breathing. Tim didn’t seem to notice because he kept speaking.
“I just… I guess I just want to be part of a family. My mother’s been dead for years, my Dad’s dead I feel like there’s no one left and everything with Bruce and Dick and Babs is so tense and I hear you talking about Lian and you’re happy and I want to be that happy too.” Tim’s voice broke and Roy was shocked to see Tim’s eyes fill with tears and he felt something clench in his stomach.
“I think I would give anything to be part of a family like yours.” Tim’s voice was quiet and miserable and Roy didn’t even try to stop himself this time. Roy held Tim to him as tight as he could and Tim’s shoulders shook with repressed sobs.
Roy gently kissed Tim’s face and hair as he held him tight in his arms, whispering comforting words in his ear.
“Aw damn it Timmy, you already are.”
Eight
Author: Aravis Tarkheena
Pairing: Roy/Tim
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst
Disclaimer: Not Mine
Word Count: about 1000
Author’s Notes: Author’s Notes: This is part 7 in a 20 chapter fic based on prompts from the dcu_freeforall. Each chapter is at least 1000 words and the prompts go in order. This is a self contained story line, completely separate from R&R. Prompt #7: Batmobile.
This is my favorite chapter. Chapter ten will be fun, but this one is my favorite.
Previous Chapters
Chapter 6
Seven
By the time Roy patched Tim up and cleaned him off, the kid was literally falling asleep sitting upright. Roy had to grab him to keep him from falling headlong off of the seat of the toilet where Roy had sat him to clean his cuts. As he watched Roy decided that the combined effects of head trauma and exhaustion had left Tim in no condition to drive down the block let alone all the way back to Gotham City. He knew, from Tim’s long lectures about it, that the Redbird was easier to drive and handle than the Batmobile, but not enough that Roy would feel comfortable with Tim driving it home.
He didn’t expect much resistance from Tim, poor guy could hardly speak let alone make a coherent argument. The only issue was that the little town house he and Lian had moved into a few months ago didn’t actually have a guest room. The only extra room in the house was used as a joint office/play room; dolls and file folders vied for space on any and all flat surfaces. There was no place to put even a sleeping bag. The sofa in the living room was too narrow and the thought of Tim rolling off of it during the night and hitting his head again sent the paranoid Daddy in Roy into horrified mental fits.
Roy tried to quell the little voice in his head that said he was only trying to come up with excuses to get the beautiful and emotionally vulnerable Tim into his bed. It wasn’t entirely true, in any case. What he was feeling towards Tim right now wasn’t sexual as much as it was protective. The feelings were not dissimilar to those he felt for Lian when she was sick or sad or grumpy. He wanted to hold Tim, to make him feel loved and cherished. He wanted to chase that haunted look out of those blue eyes.
Roy ushered Tim into his bedroom and sat him down on the bed as he riffled though his drawers for some sweats. He wordlessly helped Tim lift his shirt over his injured head and shuck his jeans. Roy knew, from seeing Dick half naked of often when they were teenagers, that Tim would have some scars and probably a few cuts and bruises. He expected it. What he didn’t expect is how the sight of those scars, cuts and bruises made him feel.
He tried not shiver at the sight of them. Fear and upset twisted his stomach and Roy wanted nothing more than to lay Tim out and kiss every singly mark on that soft, pale skin. It was illogical, but he wanted to soothe even the oldest of the scars.
Tim finished dressing in the too large clothes and climbed into bed. He pulled the covers up to his chin, he turned over and curled on his side facing the wall with his back to Roy. Roy slid into bed next to him.
Roy had never fallen asleep with someone else next to him in this particular bed. In fact it had been quite some time since he had fallen asleep next to any besides Lian. He had sort of tabled his romantic exploits to take care of his daughter. Recently, the troubles with finding some girl to date or sleep with just weren’t worth the benefits. Any of them.
It felt odd and comfortable at the same time. Tim was a conspicuous lump next to him and Roy had to try hard to keep himself from curling around the warm form.
The whole dressing/getting into bed process had clearly woken him up a bit. Tim’s body was stiffer than it had been even as Roy cleaned his cuts.
“What did you mean by ‘in a manner of speaking’? About the nightmares I mean.” Roy found himself asking unconsciously.
Tim was silent for a few minutes, each second dragging on and making Roy more and more nervous. When Tim finally responded Roy was wound tight and Tim’s voice was heart sick and full of pain.
“I dream about my dad. Sometimes my mom, but mostly my dad. I dream that he’s not dead. He isn’t gone he just went away for a while and now he’s back…”
Roy furrowed his brows, trying to figure that one out. When Tim spoke again his voice cracked.
“Then I wake up. I wake up and he’s dead all over again. It takes awhile for it to sink in, for me to remember he’s gone, that they’re all gone.” Tim swallowed hard.
Roy turned onto his side and reach out to pull the tiny ball Tim had rolled into back against himself. Tim’s body was limp and he made no effort to resist the pull of Roy’s arms.
He tightened his arms around Tim’s too thin frame and pressed a gentle kiss to Tim’s temple.
“And the worst part is,” Tim continued in a broken voice, “is how goddamned alone I feel when the fact that they’re dead comes crashing back down on me.”
Roy pressed his face into the soft hair on Tim’s head, wishing there was something he could say to make this better.
“And with you and Lian… When I see you guys, when I’m with you, that loneliness just isn’t there anymore. I feel good, and I forget all the shitty things that are going on in my life.”
Roy felt something jump in his chest. He felt like he’d just run twenty miles, his heart was pounding and he was having trouble breathing. Tim didn’t seem to notice because he kept speaking.
“I just… I guess I just want to be part of a family. My mother’s been dead for years, my Dad’s dead I feel like there’s no one left and everything with Bruce and Dick and Babs is so tense and I hear you talking about Lian and you’re happy and I want to be that happy too.” Tim’s voice broke and Roy was shocked to see Tim’s eyes fill with tears and he felt something clench in his stomach.
“I think I would give anything to be part of a family like yours.” Tim’s voice was quiet and miserable and Roy didn’t even try to stop himself this time. Roy held Tim to him as tight as he could and Tim’s shoulders shook with repressed sobs.
Roy gently kissed Tim’s face and hair as he held him tight in his arms, whispering comforting words in his ear.
“Aw damn it Timmy, you already are.”
Eight