Food For Thought - JayTim - Batman

my luke warm take is that WIPs aren't a bad thing. They're literally just ideas as they come to you and their presence means that when you don't have inspiration you can just to work on one of those

"I didn't know!" - JayTim - Batman

"Hey," Jason spoke, "there's this new cafe that just opened up. On the corner of Smithe and Verance." He leaned against the heavy lining of the BatComputer, being entirely unhelpful.

Tim gave a noise of acknowledgement, busy logging information on recent arrivals of man power to the city. He's hoping there isn't a turf war about to start, and he'd be damned if he let it. Turf wars were notoriously bloody, the civilian casualties rose immensely, not to mention the culling of blood in the gangs. Insurrection within the gangs of Gotham followed immediately after, or even during, coups and mutinies were almost a guarantee. Everything in Gotham changed with a turf war.

It gummed up the morgue, the police station, and all the Bat's duties. It left other files open and investigations stalled. 

"Would you..." Jason paused, "We could meet for a coffee when you're free next."

"Ya,” Tim snorted, a small smile on his face “when I'm not running a company, running a super team, or running for my life."

Tim could feel Jason staring at him, but when he turned away from the monitor, Jason was already walking away, footsteps silent.

Weird.

Coffee, while a life fuel, was usually more utilitarian than an actual outing. Not that Tim got time for a lot of outings that didn’t arise from his duties. Maybe it would be nice to grab a coffee and sit down with Jay for a bit. Later though, he had to finish the logs.

Tim finally made his way to the comfort of his bed in the manor after hours of cross checking and flagging passports and IDs. He really tried to stay at the Nest as often as he could, but late nights made early morning bed times, and the convenience of the king bed and Egyptian cotton sheets above the bat cave was hard to pass up, especially when limbs were sore and heavy from prolonged usage.

Freshly showered, wearing a worn-out sweater, and sweatpants that weren't originally his, but he had laid claim to, Tim flopped down on his bed, pulling the large duvet over his head and mentally thanking Bruce for the black out curtains.

Trying to get to sleep was always hard, caffeine flowing through him and antsy energy to finish a case made him restless. Even after days and nights of office work and crime fighting, sometimes he still found himself running through his day while he hoped his body would fall victim to sleep. He would think over and rethink every Wayne Enterprise interaction, every client offer, all his decisions while on patrol, and if any of them were right.

Even his conversations with the Bats, was he too snippy with Dick? Did Batman agree with his analysis? What was Jay talking about?

‘When you’re free next’. Free from what? Like, when he’s not busy ? Did Jay need him for a mission? What if the coffee shop was a front? Surely Jason would have led with that. He wouldn’t want Tim to walk in there blind and he hadn’t specified if it was for recon. Maybe Tim should go check it out, if Jay had doubts about it, it would be nice to know if they were founded.

‘When you’re free next’

It didn’t sound urgent. If it was a mission, or time sensitive, surely Jason would have pushed. Or gone himself. How dangerous could a new small coffee shop be that Jay needed back up? Was it a front for something and Jay wanted to make sure no one encroached on his territory? No, Smithe and Verance were closer to the Diamond District, still outside the high class area, not too far from The Nest, but far out from Hood territory.

‘We could meet for a coffee when you’re free next.’

Tim mulled it over in his head, running every possibility, but no conclusion he came to felt right. Maybe he would just have to talk to Jason when he woke up, ask him all the questions he had.

As Tim was slipping gently into unconsciousness, a fleeting thought passed by, not a conscious thought, but one that just popped in, unbidden.

‘Sounds like how you’d ask someone on a date’

Tim’s eyes shot open.

It was the most plausible conclusion he could come to, and now that he thought it, it wasn’t going away. Tim sat up, grabbed for his phone, yanking the charger out, and called Jason before he could think of what he was doing.

Every ring felt like it lasted twice as long as it should have. Tim had gone to sleep before sun up, which meant more than likely Jason was still on patrol.

Did that mean he would take less time to pick up? Or more time? If he was in the middle of a fight, he probably wouldn’t answer. His private line should be routed to his communicator, forwarding calls to him while on patrol - phones never really lasted if they were brought on patrol – which means Jason should at least hear the ringing.

While Jason and the family were moving towards something akin to colleagues, Jason only answered the Bats when he knew he had a minute to spare; and a private call would not be seen as an emergency, if it were an emergency, they would contact him directly through his com.  Tim thought about moving to a com line to make Jason answer, but the com lines were as private as anything else when it came to the Bats. Which is to say not at all.

Just as Tim’s mind started to run faster, the click of a line opening drew his mind out of the potential spiral.

“What’s up, Babybird?” Jason’s voice sounding tinny through the phone line, his tone laden with lies.

 “I didn’t know!” Tim nearly shouted into the phone before he could think. He was met with a heavy silence.

“Are you in danger?” Jason’s voice got quieter and lower.

“What? No. I’m talking about earlier! The date! I didn’t realize what you were asking and I was so distracted and I hadn’t slept in far too long and I didn’t know!” By the end of his  frantic speech Tim’s voice had ended up whinier than he would ever have liked it to.

He was met with another bought of silence.

“Okay.” Jason replied

It was Tim’s turn to take a moment of silence, mourning his pride. “Okay.” Tim took a small breath, speaking softly, “I want to.”

“Okay.” A resolute sound, followed by silence.

“Okay?” Tim prompted, hoping for a small expansion of the idea.

“We can talk about it tomorrow. In person.” The tin of the Jason’s voice from the phone suddenly became far more evident, an echo chamber of lost privacy.

“Okay.”  Tim repeated, closed his eyes and flopped his head down on the pillow, wishing he could figure out anything more to say.

“Get some sleep, BabyBird.” Jason’s voice was soft, tinged with the sound of a small smile. Tim could see it in his head. It made him want to slap Jason.

The phone clicked off. The room sounded far too quiet now.

Tim opened his eyes, his hand holding his phone dropped to his side, bouncing slightly on the impeccably made bed. Where did the exhaustion of the day go?

this one caused a stir on instagram and pinterest so let's cause even more trouble

first post back on tumblr! will try to post most of my spiderverse art archive from the past month here asap

Kubo style Kon

young justice my beloved <3

Unstoppable Force

Arcane - JayVik - Modern AU

The Innovators Competition and Conference was one of the only events that the Academy put on that Viktor not only was willing to attend but also wanted to. Most other events were designed for networking or were an excuse to party. While the Innovators Competition and Conference was both of these, it was also a show of genius, a chance to learn something new and behold the wonders of the great new minds. It was also one of the only events that allowed those of low income to compete; and show that brilliance was not a monetary trait but an innate one. It was also where he first met Jayce, a handsome boy whose talent and ambition had been fostered by the Kiramman family. The event held great memories and, despite being older now, he still looked forward to attending, now as a university professor and active biomedical engineer.

The conference was three days long. Full of early mornings and important scientific theses, so typically not many drank until the final day, when the official afterparty started with a supper in the evening. The party aspect of the conference hadn’t been part of the official event until recent years. Afterparties had become the norm when Viktor first entered the competition years ago, but drunk scientists had a way of wrecking the places where the parties were held. And as a way of preventing mild explosions from happening in unsafe environments, the competition created an official after party, safe from civilians and with a semblance of order. It was held in the large theatre of the science building, which had been decorated lightly to give the party a more relaxed feel than the rest of the conference had been. As always, the night started out relaxed, the food was delicious, served buffet style by the school’s culinary arts students, which Jayce was kind enough to help him with. Jayce knew him well enough to fill his plate for him, with barely a word between them about him doing so.

After eating, the food was cleared and the tables moved to the sides of the room.  The bar opened, and was immediately flooded with patrons. Viktor watched on, the music becoming livelier, though not over bearing, not yet, it was socializing hour. Viktor was not one for socializing typically, but these people understood him in a way that most people at social events did not. He found himself sticking mostly to Jayce, until he was whisked off to another conversation, to which Viktor would follow once he had finished his own. Jayce enjoyed people far more than Viktor did, who quickly found himself exhausted from speaking as well was walking from conversation to conversation, as well as dodging increasingly inebriated scientists.

Viktor took a seat at an empty table, facing the open floor. The music had picked up and speaking was in the process of becoming drunken dancing. While Viktor was a gifted man, dancing was not one of the gifts he had been granted. He stretched his leg out, twisting it slightly in an attempt to loosen the angry tendons. Looking around, Viktor found Jayce talking to a slightly younger man then themselves. He was handsome, his short light brown hair flowed back, styled to look effortlessly messy, with a five o’clock shadow lightly shading his face, accenting his cheekbones. He stood close to Jayce, smiling confidently. Viktor watched as he placed a hand on Jayce’s bicep, trailing a hand down to his elbow, and letting it drop from there. Jayce laughed at what the man had just finished saying, his face lighting up, the gap between his front teeth creating a youthful contrast to the lines of age that appear near his eyes when the smile on his face reaches them in genuine joy. Jayce says something back, and the man chuckles lightly, responding. What he said, Viktor could not hear, but he watched Jayce’s smile turn nervous, his eyes moving down slightly. Viktor knew that look.

Jayce, despite being handsome, still found himself awkward when receiving compliments on his physical appearance. When complimenting his work, or something he believed to be earned, he took it with grace and polite manners. But Jayce did not feel like he earned his good looks, and now with gray striping by his ears and his skin worn from time, he often found receiving admiration harder. Viktor loved complimenting Jayce; it made him blush in a way that not much else did.

The difference between Jayce blushing because of Viktor and the look he was currently giving the man in front of him, was the happiness in his eyes when Viktor spoke with admiration. It was all the reason Viktor needed to stand back up, ignoring the strain he felt as he did so, and walked over to his husband.

As Viktor approached, Jayce looked up, meeting his eyes. Jayce’s smile turned soft. When Viktor got close enough, Jayce reached out an arm and pulled Viktor to him by the waist, causing Viktor’s lips to pull into a soft smile as well.

“Hey,” Jayce greeted, as if he hadn’t seen Viktor less than ten minutes ago.

“Hey yourself,” Viktor responded lowly before turning to the stranger, “I’m Viktor, and you?”

The man met Viktor’s gaze, his eyes were dark and beautiful, “Oh, hello. I’m Lirron. It’s good to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Viktor nodded, turning to Jayce, “I did not mean to interrupt your conversation, what were you discussing?”

Jayce raised an eyebrow. He knew his husband well enough to know that Viktor did indeed mean to interrupt. The advantage you gain from being on the outskirts, is that no one thinks much of you, and you are free to observe their natural behaviour. Jayce knew this, he found out long ago that not much slipped past Viktor. So much so that he nearly ruined his own proposal, after interrogating Jayce to why he was acting weird and forcing him to propose right there. Jayce, at the time, had looked like a deer in the headlights before Viktor had begun near cackling with laughter.  Now, however, Jayce was thankful for his partner’s observance.

“We were just sharing stories of some of our business partners lack of understanding of basic sciences.” Jayce answered.

“Ah, yes.” Viktor looked back toward their conversationalist, who had taken a small step back. “The struggle of the capable versus the greedy.”

Their companion smiled and gave a small nod.

After a moment of silence, Jayce spoke, “You will have to excuse me, Lirron.”

“Of course, enjoy your night.” He replied

Viktor placed a hand on Jayce’s chest, “Pleasure to meet you.”

Lirron’s eyes flickered momentarily to Viktor’s hand, and down to Jayce’s on his waist. “Yes, you too.”

Viktor stayed tucked into Jayce’s arm as they made their way to the far side of the hall to an empty table away from the loud music coming from the speakers. Viktor sat down facing the room to continue watching the crowd socialize. Jayce pulled his chair to settle tightly to Viktor’s side. He almost definitely didn’t care to people watch.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Jayce said, leaning his arm on the table behind Viktor.

“You were uncomfortable, yes?” Viktor spoke towards the room, but lowly enough that only Jayce could hear him.

Jayce sighed, “I wouldn’t say I was uncomfortable.”

Viktor leveled a stare towards Jayce, “A man half your age was flirting with you. You wanted this to continue? By all means, return to your conversation.”

Jayce laughed, stealing a kiss, a peck on the lips, from Viktor, who rolled his eyes at Jayce’s smile.

“No, I’m about done here. Besides, I have somewhere to be.” A hand reached up between Viktor’s shoulder blades, warm and gently caressing the small bumps his vertebrae made underneath his skin.

“And where would that be?” Viktor hummed.

“At home,” Jayce kissed his shoulder, “with my husband. Whom I love very much.”

Viktor smiled, “I suppose I am ready to leave as well.”

Before Viktor could stand, Jayce was on his feet, offering his hand to Viktor, who took it. Jayce pulled Viktor up with more force than necessary, causing him to stumble lightly into Jayce’s chest. Meeting his eyes, Viktor couldn’t help smiling along side his grinning husband.

The walk to the car was slow, Viktor’s leg hurt from all the activities from the past few days, leaning on his cane more than he ought to be. He was sure Jayce’s leg was getting sore as well, though he refused to use a cane.

He had said it made him look old. Which had earned him an unpleasant look from Viktor, who was not only older than him, but had been using a cane for most of his life. Jayce had assured him that it looked good on him. That he ‘made it work’. Viktor thought perhaps Jayce was more worried about people not letting him help anymore. That, perhaps, others would view the cane as a sign that Jayce could not take care of himself or others. Which, for Jayce, would be losing a key part of himself. Jayce loved helping everyone. Those who needed it and those who didn’t, it was one of the countless traits Viktor loved about him. Everyone was the same to Jayce, he didn’t help because he believed someone incapable, he helped because it was kind. It made him, and others happy.

The night air was cold, has been for the past week, which hasn’t been doing Viktor any favours for pain management, but thankfully the car was close. The disabled staff parking was probably one of the only perks of being disabled.

The car ride home was quiet, the warmth of the car relaxing Viktor as he watched Jayce drive. His dark skin glowed with each pass of the street lights. Jayce had cleaned up for the party, his hair was pulled back at the sides showing the sliver hair that grew above his ears. His beard was trimmed short, showing a few of the small scars that were left by the accident that also broke his leg. He is beautiful.

Upon entering their house, there is an audible sigh of release from Jayce. It had been a long few days, as enjoyable as they were, but they were glad they were done. Removing his coat and scarf, Viktor sat on the bench they kept in the entryway to remove his shoes, once again marvelling in the beauty of his husband. His large arms gently pulling at the sleeves of his coat to remove it and hang it next to Viktor’s. He slipped his shoes off with no care for the fine leather, and kicked them haphazardly to the rug near the door. Viktor huffed a small laugh, at least they were out of the door way and would not be tripped on.

The noise caught Jayce’s attention, who motioned for Viktor to scoot over. As soon as he sat, his head fell back and his leg stretched out. He let out another sigh and sat quietly while Viktor gently removed his shoes and placed them neatly under the bench. Once he sat back, he found Jayce looking at him. Jayce gently placed a hand on the side of Viktor’s face and gave him a slow gentle kiss. When he pulled back, he placed his head on Viktor’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

“There is a perfectly good bed upstairs.” Viktor spoke softly.

Jayce hummed in response though he made no move to get up. He simply rested on Viktor’s shoulder, basking in the silence. After a moment of studying Jayce’s eyelashes, Viktor leaned his head against his husbands and closed his own eyes. Resting gently in their quiet home.

tiny kon and krypto running from a t-rex in adventure comics (2009) #6, for your viewing pleasure

Tim, on his 13th attempt to sneak out of the mansion to go on patrol with the flu and walking pneumonia: I didn’t “lose” my spleen. To lose something is to imply you don’t know where it is, and I know exactly where my spleen is; it just isn’t in my body-

Alfred, tired™ and armed with a tranquilizer: Even so, Master Drake, I must insist you get back into bed.

BEAST BOYY!

he's the type to have his whole notes app dedicated to cheesy pick-up lines and bad puns