[ Video post; encrypted from the Joker ]

[iamnotthemom]

[ There's a tv on somewhere offscreen, tuned into coverage of the volcano eruption. Kon is seated in front of the camera, in a white t-shirt and glasses, trying to ignore it. He only turned it on to find out what day it was

Comments

[action]

[123youreit]

[Tim had been in Italy, fighting off his angst by helping out, but he was paying enough attention to the network broadcasts that it's only a few seconds before he's back at the Tower. He recognised that room in the background, just about, and he knows that Kon would head back to the Tower as soon as he came back from being killed by the Joker anyway. There's an almost cartoonish rush of red and black and a trail of soot and dust, and then Tim is standing in front of Kon, just. Staring at him with an unreadable expression as he drags off his cowl.

Thank god for superspeed, or this reunion wouldn't be happening for a few hours.]

[action]

[123youreit]

I promise, I won't show the results to anyone. I shouldn't need to, anyway.

[By this point, he's probably more familiar with Kon's DNA than anyone outside of Cadmus, except maybe Lex. He sighs and snuggles closer against Kon's side, trying to offer a little more physical reassurance.]

Raven didn't know that she'd forgotten who Dick was until I mentioned him. I know it's - a scary thing to think about. And maybe the power loss has replaced it completely, for whatever reason.

[action]

[iamnotthemom]

Okay.

[ He doesn't have to like that Tim's running what will probably be a full barrage of every test ever invented, but he hates being depowered. It's a trade-off. He wonders if this counts as sacrificing liberty for security, but he can't remember where that particular thought even came from. It's a quote, or something. He'll ask Tim about it later, when it won't be so obvious. ]

But her forgetting Dick - that was permanent, right? Oh hell, please tell me I'm not permanently grounded. That's not fair.

[action]

[123youreit]

The memory loss was permanent, but from the other cases of power loss, it seems like it should wear off in a week or two. That's how it worked for the last, um... three people, I think.

[Which he only knows since he stalks the network so much. Otherwise, he'd probably be freaking out even more than he is right now, internally. Kon might hate losing his powers, but Tim hated what it meant - that he was, effectively, defenseless. And with as many enemies as they had, not to mention just the amount of villains in the City, that was dangerous.]

Maybe you should get some training while it lasts.

[action]

[iamnotthemom]

I guess that isn't too bad.

[ Kon hasn't thought of it in terms of being defenseless yet. It's more of an annoyance. Almost like an itch that he needs to scratch, but finds that his fingernails have mysteriously disappeared. Or maybe that's just the material of the couch. ]

[ He blinks at this new turn of the conversation. ]

What do you mean, training?

[action]

[123youreit]

In how to fight without your powers. Hopefully it won;t come up too often, but we don't know if Joker is the only person around who can shut down powers, so it'd be a good idea for you to get some training in while you can't use your powers to cheat.

[He remembers the last time Kon lost his powers - and switched with someone else. He starts circling his hand on Kon's stomach lightly, a little curious to see his reaction.]

Re: [action]

[iamnotthemom]

It's not cheating; it's just what I do.

[ He sighs. ]

I don't wanna train without them. [ But it's said in a way that implies he will anyway. ]

[ The touch is nice, warm and there's a pleasant little friction going on with Tim's hand and his t-shirt. Kon arches his back a little into the touch, moves his hand to hold Tim's still. ]

[action]

[123youreit]

I know.

[And he's not going to hammer the point home, since he can tell he's won by the tone of Kon's voice, and pushing too hard now might spoil that.

He can let Kon focus on other things, anyway, and then get back to training - and how Tim isn't going to let him risk leaving the Tower for a while - later. He stills his hand under Kon's and looks up at him questioningly.]

[action]

[iamnotthemom]

[ Kon gives him a half-smile, one that says I know what you're up to, because you always know everything and you know that I always forget what things feel like without my ttk constantly dampening physical contact. But he doesn't say anything, just slides his hands to Tim's arms and pulls him up a little, shimmies until he's underneath him. Kon just looks at him expectantly, reaches up to touch his cheek. ]

[action]

[123youreit]

[Tim smiles and leans into the touch, mirroring it by reaching down to touch Kon's cheek - and remembering to pull off his gloves, first, so that he can feel the warmth of Kon's skin beneath his fingertips instead of through a layer of leather and kevlar weave. It's quiet, and he knows that the Tower is actually empty for once, with everyone busy in Italy still - it's been emptier recently that it has for a long time, anyway, with people being Ported out, but now it actually feels empty, with that particular ghostly quiet that happens when you know you're the only people in a building. It lends a feeling of privacy, too, so he doesn't feel as uncomfortable or wary about cuddling in a reasonably public area of the Tower; there's no-one to walk in on them, which he would normally be worried about.]

Getting used to the advantages of this again?

Re: [action]

[iamnotthemom]

It's not an advantage. It's a consolation.

[ The touch is nicer without the heavy material in the way, and, if he focuses on that enough, he can ignore the urge to curl up in a ball until the shock of what happened wears off. This is what he was after when he posted, after all. Yes, he wanted to let everyone know he was alive, because he didn't want them upset anymore than they had to be when working in a disaster area. But the selfish part of him wanted company in the too-quiet tower - the too-quiet everywhere - and he specifically wanted the company to be Tim, with his intuition so that things wouldn't need explaining and who was the one Titan that he could lean into endlessly and blame it on something other than being upset. ]

It's a great consolation prize though.

[action]

[123youreit]

Consolation prize. Way to make me feel good about myself.

[He's almost laughing, though. And -

FADE TO BLACK. A CURTAIN FALLS OVER THIS THREAD.

Those of you watching at home may freely imagine what happens over the next two hours as you wish.]