april catch-all.

[beknight]

Who: bruce wayne (beknight) & various others.
What: shenanigans for april
When: throughout april
Where: everywhere
Warning(s): none yet, will add if needed.

Comments

[originallutece]

[She wrinkles her nose at him, but the joke disarms her.]

. . . tea, then. But I'd be grateful for company along with it.

[beknight]

I didn't know you liked to keep losing at cards that much.

[ He raises his eyebrows just enough to be cheeky, but disappears into the kitchen to put on the kettle. ]

[originallutece]

[Oh, very clever, and she's enough energy to sneer at him. That barely lasts, though. The moment he leaves, she slumps back, one hand covering her eyes. She's still shivering, and the room seems both too small and too big, lonely in its emptiness. She's a little desperate for him to return, but she won't be needy. She's already been too emotional in reaching for him; she won't humiliate herself further.

Instead she gets up, throwing open a window and reaching for a bathrobe. By the time he returns, she's turned on a few lamps, because she knows she won't get back to sleep for ages. And apparently he hasn't been sleeping at all, but just watching her, so he ought to have no objections.]

[beknight]

[ The rest of the house is quiet, save for the sound of someone moving about and putting on the tea. Bruce prefers it as quiet as possible, but in a place where anything can creep in and stay under the skin, it helps to know there's someone else there. Someone to keep it away. ]

[ He's rediscovered that instinct. It feels better than he remembers. ]

Tea.

[ Quietly, as he sets the tray down on the bedside table. ]

[originallutece]

Thank you.

[She says it quietly, reaching for a cup and wrapping her fingers around it. It's warm, and she draws her legs up, putting her knees to her chest.]

I could get used to you waiting on me like this.

[beknight]

I'd rather you didn't.

[ Even, firm. It's not something to challenge him on — or ask of him very much, it's not especially in his nature. He is not a continuous, watchful keeper unless it's from a distance. ]

[originallutece]

[She lifts an eyebrow.]

Alan, if you can't take a joke like that, it's going to be a long night.

[beknight]

[ Soft, ]

I'm not in a joking mood.

[ He scrubs a hand through his hair, and pulls the chair up beside the bed, stretching out so his heels are resting on the mattress. ]

How's the tea?

[originallutece]

It's fine.

[It is, actually, and she sips at it, enjoying the warmth and taste. But she's watching him with a frown.]

What's wrong?

[Ironic, that she should ask that with bruises around her neck and scars all over her body. But she's not used to this reaction, and it unsettles her.]

[beknight]

[ Tim's gone, that's what's wrong. The ground under him — ]

[ Bruce shakes his head. ]

Ever found yourself doing something you thought you never would?

[originallutece]

[She nods. Perhaps she wouldn't have admitted that in the light of day, but it comes easier in the middle of the night.]

Yes. More and more often here, I find.

To what are you referring?

[beknight]

[ More than one thing. Not just Tim, but everything else. All he's learnt and never learnt better in his years, watching the patterns even as he was remade. ]

I'm a little resistant to change.

[originallutece]

You're going to have to be a little more specific than that.

[It isn't chiding. Just curious, slowly picking at this edge.]

Change being your staying here? Your relationship? Or . . . something else?

[beknight]

I'm still thinking about it.

[ The non-answer to top all non-answers, dear Lord. He shrugs, like he's putting something away, and then scrubs his face. Being tired in front of her is indignity enough. ]

Suppose I just should have taken the opportunity to sleep.