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Many many moons ago, I wrote a serious of Cake drabbles (where a drabble for me is a short story. >.>). You can read them collected, here (follow the links), or you can just read this. It should stand alone all right. ;)
This takes place in JB-time, after Kon died. I hear he was resurrected. This is before that. I also hear that Bart's dead. This is before that. Just assume it makes sense, all right? Cool.
Also, I published a book! I'll refrain from linking and whatnot here. Scroll to the bottom, and I will totally link there. Everyone should go buy it. And I do mean EVERYONE. :D Support a fanfic author! You can buy it online for $3.50! :D
Saturday Night, Titan's Tower
"To the left."
These are Saturdays at the Tower, now. Bart remembers what they were like with the other team. Before everything broke. Before Kon hurt them, and shattered himself trying to make it right.
"No, dude, farther left."
If he runs fast enough, he can almost see the ghosts that were. Sometimes he thinks he can hear them, the quiet talking, the ribald jokes, Tim's twitching smiles and Kon's larger-than-life laugh.
"Ohhhhh, yeah."
He knows he can't really hear them, though, and he doesn't stay up here. He runs down into the basements, where the Bat-box is. He finished it before Kon left. Before Kon died. It has a bed and a computer--made out of a box and some crayon drawings--and the whole team spent a night down here once, pretending Robin was caught and eating cake.
Even Robin agreed the Bat-box was pretty escape proof, what with the cake and all.
"You guys sound like you're doing something naughty in here. Are you doing something naughty in here?"
They never did. Kon was always offering, but when Bart tried to take him up on it he blushed and stammered and flew away. This, more than any other place in the world, was Bart's safe place.
"You know we'd invite you if we were, Gar."
The voices of the dead drift through the air, and he knows this isn't a safe place anymore. He shouldn't be able to really hear their voices. Bart runs.
Through the Tower. Up and down stairs. Up and up into the security rooms.
"Aw. You're so sweet."
"How'd the audition go?"
Sometimes, if he runs fast enough, he can almost see the ghosts. But he shouldn't ever hear their voices.
That's left to Robin.
Bart stops in the doorway, taking in the sight of their once-leader. Dressed all in red, with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes. His gaze doesn't move off of the video screen, where teenagers lay on the floor while Tim Drake walks on their backs.
It's been a long time since Bart's seen Tim Drake. He misses the other boy. Sometimes, he thinks Tim Drake died when Kon did.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Tim?"
The teenager jumps, and turns off the monitor. Shuts off the old security feeds. Robin falls back into place. "Yes, Bart?"
Bart's heart sinks. "Nothing. I--nothing." He turns to leave. Robin wasn't who he wanted to talk to.
But he stops, remembering the Bat-box downstairs. How Cassie had blushed at the satin and feather handcuffs that were supposed to keep Robin in place, and Kon had explained to him in a whisper what they were usually used for.
"Tim?" he murmurs, turning back.
Robin is still looking at him.
He takes a step into the room, and knows he's vibrating too fast for anyone else to see. He takes another step. "You know my Bat-box?"
Robin's face is shuttered. "Not now, Bart." He starts to walk forward, and Bart knows he's headed for the door.
"Iwasjustthinking, yourememberhowyoucouldn'tescape?" He steps in Robin's path and hopes he doesn't get hit. "Just--you think if we put Robin in there, he'd stay? And Tim and I could go into the kitchen. Iboughtcake." He adds the last in a rush, afraid he'll lose both the boys he thought were friends. One is already dead, and the other might as well be.
"Robin and Tim aren't two different people," Robin says, frowning. "I can't leave one behind." Then he brushes past, and walks away down the corridor.
"I know," Bart says softly. "But I miss Tim, anyway."
The compact figure stops at the end of the hall. His head tips. Slowly, he turns back, and looks at Bart from far away.
Even from twenty feet, Bart can see the teenager's muscles relax. The tension leave his shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Bart," Tim says. "Maybe... you're right. Maybe the Bat-box can hold Robin for a while."
A smile blooms across Bart's face. "I bought chocolate cake to make you happy. And I got rid of the fuzzy handcuffs," he promises. He's tried to make it better. More secure, so it can hold Robin and let Tim go.
The cake is key, though. The cake always made people smile and laugh, and he's not sure why but he hopes it will work again. He'd like to see Tim smile. He'd like to share a laugh.
"That's good," Tim says. "I think they freaked Nightwing out a little."
Bart races past, hurrying to get the cake, to keep Tim with him for just a little while. He lost one friend, but maybe he doesn't have to lose them both. He shouts over his shoulder. "I found some neat leather straps with silver studs on them, instead!"
He can hear Tim's rueful laugh already, but he isn't sure why. Maybe it's the cake.
These are Saturdays in the Tower, now. Bart can live with Saturdays.
********************************
SHAMELESS PIMPING: I wrote a book! It's a paranormal romance novella published by Samhain publishing in e-book format (print comes out in January!). You can read an excerpt and buy it here! It'll cost you $3.50. Even if you don't normally buy het romance novels, buy this one. It's fun, it's fluffy, and you'll be supporting a fellow fanfic author! *grins* It's about a woman who goes to South America and finds a man who can change into a jaguar. And when I say 'finds' I mean her guides shoot him. Oops. >.> Read the excerpt here!
C'mon. You know you want something you can read and giggle over. There's guns! And giant bugs! And hot nekkid guy! And shape-shifting! And after this sad little fic, you need something to make you smile. >.>
*/shameless pimping*
Alternately, if you leave feedback for my fic and don't mention the book, I will still be happy to have feedback. Please don't ignore everything because you feel guilty for not following links. ;-D
JB
This takes place in JB-time, after Kon died. I hear he was resurrected. This is before that. I also hear that Bart's dead. This is before that. Just assume it makes sense, all right? Cool.
Also, I published a book! I'll refrain from linking and whatnot here. Scroll to the bottom, and I will totally link there. Everyone should go buy it. And I do mean EVERYONE. :D Support a fanfic author! You can buy it online for $3.50! :D
Saturday Night, Titan's Tower
"To the left."
These are Saturdays at the Tower, now. Bart remembers what they were like with the other team. Before everything broke. Before Kon hurt them, and shattered himself trying to make it right.
"No, dude, farther left."
If he runs fast enough, he can almost see the ghosts that were. Sometimes he thinks he can hear them, the quiet talking, the ribald jokes, Tim's twitching smiles and Kon's larger-than-life laugh.
"Ohhhhh, yeah."
He knows he can't really hear them, though, and he doesn't stay up here. He runs down into the basements, where the Bat-box is. He finished it before Kon left. Before Kon died. It has a bed and a computer--made out of a box and some crayon drawings--and the whole team spent a night down here once, pretending Robin was caught and eating cake.
Even Robin agreed the Bat-box was pretty escape proof, what with the cake and all.
"You guys sound like you're doing something naughty in here. Are you doing something naughty in here?"
They never did. Kon was always offering, but when Bart tried to take him up on it he blushed and stammered and flew away. This, more than any other place in the world, was Bart's safe place.
"You know we'd invite you if we were, Gar."
The voices of the dead drift through the air, and he knows this isn't a safe place anymore. He shouldn't be able to really hear their voices. Bart runs.
Through the Tower. Up and down stairs. Up and up into the security rooms.
"Aw. You're so sweet."
"How'd the audition go?"
Sometimes, if he runs fast enough, he can almost see the ghosts. But he shouldn't ever hear their voices.
That's left to Robin.
Bart stops in the doorway, taking in the sight of their once-leader. Dressed all in red, with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes. His gaze doesn't move off of the video screen, where teenagers lay on the floor while Tim Drake walks on their backs.
It's been a long time since Bart's seen Tim Drake. He misses the other boy. Sometimes, he thinks Tim Drake died when Kon did.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Tim?"
The teenager jumps, and turns off the monitor. Shuts off the old security feeds. Robin falls back into place. "Yes, Bart?"
Bart's heart sinks. "Nothing. I--nothing." He turns to leave. Robin wasn't who he wanted to talk to.
But he stops, remembering the Bat-box downstairs. How Cassie had blushed at the satin and feather handcuffs that were supposed to keep Robin in place, and Kon had explained to him in a whisper what they were usually used for.
"Tim?" he murmurs, turning back.
Robin is still looking at him.
He takes a step into the room, and knows he's vibrating too fast for anyone else to see. He takes another step. "You know my Bat-box?"
Robin's face is shuttered. "Not now, Bart." He starts to walk forward, and Bart knows he's headed for the door.
"Iwasjustthinking, yourememberhowyoucouldn'tescape?" He steps in Robin's path and hopes he doesn't get hit. "Just--you think if we put Robin in there, he'd stay? And Tim and I could go into the kitchen. Iboughtcake." He adds the last in a rush, afraid he'll lose both the boys he thought were friends. One is already dead, and the other might as well be.
"Robin and Tim aren't two different people," Robin says, frowning. "I can't leave one behind." Then he brushes past, and walks away down the corridor.
"I know," Bart says softly. "But I miss Tim, anyway."
The compact figure stops at the end of the hall. His head tips. Slowly, he turns back, and looks at Bart from far away.
Even from twenty feet, Bart can see the teenager's muscles relax. The tension leave his shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Bart," Tim says. "Maybe... you're right. Maybe the Bat-box can hold Robin for a while."
A smile blooms across Bart's face. "I bought chocolate cake to make you happy. And I got rid of the fuzzy handcuffs," he promises. He's tried to make it better. More secure, so it can hold Robin and let Tim go.
The cake is key, though. The cake always made people smile and laugh, and he's not sure why but he hopes it will work again. He'd like to see Tim smile. He'd like to share a laugh.
"That's good," Tim says. "I think they freaked Nightwing out a little."
Bart races past, hurrying to get the cake, to keep Tim with him for just a little while. He lost one friend, but maybe he doesn't have to lose them both. He shouts over his shoulder. "I found some neat leather straps with silver studs on them, instead!"
He can hear Tim's rueful laugh already, but he isn't sure why. Maybe it's the cake.
These are Saturdays in the Tower, now. Bart can live with Saturdays.
********************************
SHAMELESS PIMPING: I wrote a book! It's a paranormal romance novella published by Samhain publishing in e-book format (print comes out in January!). You can read an excerpt and buy it here! It'll cost you $3.50. Even if you don't normally buy het romance novels, buy this one. It's fun, it's fluffy, and you'll be supporting a fellow fanfic author! *grins* It's about a woman who goes to South America and finds a man who can change into a jaguar. And when I say 'finds' I mean her guides shoot him. Oops. >.> Read the excerpt here!
C'mon. You know you want something you can read and giggle over. There's guns! And giant bugs! And hot nekkid guy! And shape-shifting! And after this sad little fic, you need something to make you smile. >.>
*/shameless pimping*
Alternately, if you leave feedback for my fic and don't mention the book, I will still be happy to have feedback. Please don't ignore everything because you feel guilty for not following links. ;-D
JB