DCU fanfic: "Drawing Comparisons"
DCU fanfic: "Drawing Comparisons" featuring Tim Drake and Bart Allen, with particular mention of the Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Gen.
I'm not sure if I should post this to any comms. I could see it working alright over at titans_together and/or boostle, but I'm not 100% sure the mods would agree.
"I hear you've been hanging out with the Blue Beetle," Bart said into Tim's ear, even as the weight of his crossed arms leaning against Tim's shoulders and the back of his chair registered in Tim's brain. He'd gotten used to Bart's incredible speed completely bypassing his ability to react before he was touched (although sometimes he could predict the speedster, and thus have a chance of reacting in advance), but it was worrisome that Bart could sneak up on him in the Batcave.
"Yeah," he said, calling the security monitoring display up to a larger resolution. It was just now registering Bart's presence, and hadn't picked up on his method of entry at all. "I have, a little."
"I like him, he's funny. Isn't he? Do you like him?"
Tim smiled.
"Yeah, he's funny, Bart. I like him, he's really smart."
"I know. He's a genius, like you," Bart said easily. "Are you busy here? Wanna go on patrol?"
Even though they'd been teammates for quite a while now, some tiny part of Tim had a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of patrolling with Bart, remembering their very first attempt. Granted, it was more Bart's attempt, and Tim's effort to ditch him...
"I need to finish some research first, but after this, sure."
"Is it for a case? Can I help?" Bart leaned forward, chin bumping Tim's head, as though the screen wasn't huge.
"I've got it, thanks. I need to know it for later."
"Oh."
For a moment, Bart was silent as Tim read. Even though it felt as though he stayed right were he was, forearms a constant pressure against Tim's back, the telltale breeze of superfast movement gave away the fact that he was wandering around. After a particularly noticeable creak of the chair, accompanying a rattle echoing from elsewhere in the cave, Tim realised that no matter how much Bart may have matured since they met, he was still very easily bored.
"When did you meet the Beetle?" Tim asked.
"Uh -- oh yeah, I think Wally introduced us. And then later I saw him in costume during one of those big fight things. Hey, you know, you're kinda like him and I'm kinda like Booster Gold --"
"You are?" Tim half-turned to raise his eyebrows at Bart. "How?"
"We're both from the future, we're both from families with twins, we both speak Interlac -- although he speaks older stuff than me and he's got a weird accent, we both like video games. All sorts of stuff. He has a Legion flight ring."
"I thought the Legion wouldn't give you a ring?"
"Well. No. But Brainy did give me his telepathic ear plugs! And Booster has one of his old force field belts."
This time Tim dislodged Bart entirely in order to turn the chair and boggle at him properly.
"Telepathic ear plugs?"
"Yeah, you just put them in and you can communicate by thought." A breeze wafted against Tim's face as Bart extended a hand, displaying a pair of shiny metallic ear plugs.
"You can read minds with these?" The idea was unsettling. (Also, he wanted to take them apart to see how they work, but Batman specifically forbade him from causing time paradoxes when he started hanging out with Bart in the first place.)
"No, not really. Only the stuff you're supposed to pick up." Bart frowned. "The only ones who can really understand me when I use them are Jenni and Brainy." He shrugged. "I guess I think too fast."
"Could be." Tim sat back, flicking a glance at the security display again. It still hadn't picked up Bart coming and going.
"So as I was saying, you're a lot like the Beetle and I'm a lot like Booster (although I don't have a flight ring yet), and we can patrol together like they did and be even more like them, except not married. But I like your costume better."
"What do you mean, 'not married'?"
Bart gave him a weird look.
"We're not married. I would remember that."
Tim shook his head. "Neither are they."
"Sure they are!" Bart insisted. "They've been sending me Christmas and birthday presents since I turned four and they sign them together, the same way Jay and Joan do. See?" Another breeze accompanied the messy collection of cards he held out. (Once again, the security system did not react. Maybe he was passing right through the cave walls.)
Tim looked them over, and then handed them back with a smile, deciding to file this little perception away to tell Babs about later.
"Right," he said. "We're not married. C'mon, suit up --" (Bart did.) "-- and let's go."
"Partner," Bart added with a wide smile.
I'm not sure if I should post this to any comms. I could see it working alright over at titans_together and/or boostle, but I'm not 100% sure the mods would agree.
"I hear you've been hanging out with the Blue Beetle," Bart said into Tim's ear, even as the weight of his crossed arms leaning against Tim's shoulders and the back of his chair registered in Tim's brain. He'd gotten used to Bart's incredible speed completely bypassing his ability to react before he was touched (although sometimes he could predict the speedster, and thus have a chance of reacting in advance), but it was worrisome that Bart could sneak up on him in the Batcave.
"Yeah," he said, calling the security monitoring display up to a larger resolution. It was just now registering Bart's presence, and hadn't picked up on his method of entry at all. "I have, a little."
"I like him, he's funny. Isn't he? Do you like him?"
Tim smiled.
"Yeah, he's funny, Bart. I like him, he's really smart."
"I know. He's a genius, like you," Bart said easily. "Are you busy here? Wanna go on patrol?"
Even though they'd been teammates for quite a while now, some tiny part of Tim had a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of patrolling with Bart, remembering their very first attempt. Granted, it was more Bart's attempt, and Tim's effort to ditch him...
"I need to finish some research first, but after this, sure."
"Is it for a case? Can I help?" Bart leaned forward, chin bumping Tim's head, as though the screen wasn't huge.
"I've got it, thanks. I need to know it for later."
"Oh."
For a moment, Bart was silent as Tim read. Even though it felt as though he stayed right were he was, forearms a constant pressure against Tim's back, the telltale breeze of superfast movement gave away the fact that he was wandering around. After a particularly noticeable creak of the chair, accompanying a rattle echoing from elsewhere in the cave, Tim realised that no matter how much Bart may have matured since they met, he was still very easily bored.
"When did you meet the Beetle?" Tim asked.
"Uh -- oh yeah, I think Wally introduced us. And then later I saw him in costume during one of those big fight things. Hey, you know, you're kinda like him and I'm kinda like Booster Gold --"
"You are?" Tim half-turned to raise his eyebrows at Bart. "How?"
"We're both from the future, we're both from families with twins, we both speak Interlac -- although he speaks older stuff than me and he's got a weird accent, we both like video games. All sorts of stuff. He has a Legion flight ring."
"I thought the Legion wouldn't give you a ring?"
"Well. No. But Brainy did give me his telepathic ear plugs! And Booster has one of his old force field belts."
This time Tim dislodged Bart entirely in order to turn the chair and boggle at him properly.
"Telepathic ear plugs?"
"Yeah, you just put them in and you can communicate by thought." A breeze wafted against Tim's face as Bart extended a hand, displaying a pair of shiny metallic ear plugs.
"You can read minds with these?" The idea was unsettling. (Also, he wanted to take them apart to see how they work, but Batman specifically forbade him from causing time paradoxes when he started hanging out with Bart in the first place.)
"No, not really. Only the stuff you're supposed to pick up." Bart frowned. "The only ones who can really understand me when I use them are Jenni and Brainy." He shrugged. "I guess I think too fast."
"Could be." Tim sat back, flicking a glance at the security display again. It still hadn't picked up Bart coming and going.
"So as I was saying, you're a lot like the Beetle and I'm a lot like Booster (although I don't have a flight ring yet), and we can patrol together like they did and be even more like them, except not married. But I like your costume better."
"What do you mean, 'not married'?"
Bart gave him a weird look.
"We're not married. I would remember that."
Tim shook his head. "Neither are they."
"Sure they are!" Bart insisted. "They've been sending me Christmas and birthday presents since I turned four and they sign them together, the same way Jay and Joan do. See?" Another breeze accompanied the messy collection of cards he held out. (Once again, the security system did not react. Maybe he was passing right through the cave walls.)
Tim looked them over, and then handed them back with a smile, deciding to file this little perception away to tell Babs about later.
"Right," he said. "We're not married. C'mon, suit up --" (Bart did.) "-- and let's go."
"Partner," Bart added with a wide smile.