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part 1 part 2
"It's not funny that's worse than being accused of being just regular annoying loud. How would you know that just by looking at a person oh my god."
"It's a little bit funny" he grins, opening the box completely stuffed with Red Robin merch. majority of which are his uniforms from the Lipsy.
"It is not even a little bit funny"
"Woah..." Tim stares. "That's very sparkly"
"oh yeah, I'm great friends with glitter" Cain laughs softly, taking out just about a full wardrobe of Red Robin themed costumes. Each overly detailed in design, varying in different patterns and color distribution of RR's three main colors.
Cain can name at least two handfuls of memorable performances done with each. His smile is bitter sweet as he offers them to Tim.
"These are- wow..." Tim runs his hands along the details, the sequins and lace and glitter, They're equal parts delicate and sturdy. He almost feels honored... but he knows where they came from and he's not all that sure how Cain feels about it, why he kept them.
"yeah.." he nods, unsure about the strange relief that comes with the guy himself knowing about this. Years of Cains life spent representing him, albeit in an unconventional and somewhat alarming way.
He'd been one of the lesser performers early on. Old enough to understand that the robin that returned after being absent wasn't the same one that left. the robins we're of course a very popular niche within the business and Cain was sickeningly good at his job.
So, by the time the house promoted him to his own routine, Red Robin had martialized out of nowhere.
"guess somethings never change, I think I've always been yours" he breaths, but the room is so quiet he might as well have yelled it from the rooftops. He hadn't exactly wanted to say it out loud, but then again, he had very little he was set on hiding from tim.
funny how easily he flipped, Has he always been this easy? hopefully not.
"That's cool. Why me, though?" Tim doesn't seem to pick up on the nature of Cain's admission. Or he does, but he chooses not to say anything.
Cain is his employee, getting involved with him like that would put both their jobs and public images at risk. Tim can afford it, it's not like he's never dated an employee before. But he can't do that to Cain, not when he's got a kid to take care of. It's too much risk.
Coward
And there's yet another thing he has to ignore. Today was supposed to be a good day.
I believe what he meant was feigning ignorance will likely hurt you and Mr. Keay in the long run. You should explain why it wouldn't work
What I meant was you're a coward. You could protect him you're just being a pussy about it.
If you're the boss, then what's stopping you?
Nothing aside from being a coward
It takes nearly everything Tim has in him not to bash his head against the nearest wall
Cain continues to sift through the box, trying to convince himself its all fine and the sudden hollow feeling in his chest turning his insides to lead is unrelated and will pass. It's not a direct result in the change in Tim's posture or the way the muscles of his jaw clenched.
Cain clears his throat to hopefully sound human enough to pass "got assigned, overlapping debut",
he brushes off, pausing as he catches the smooth plastic device stuffed in the bottom of the box. absently, his hand returns to scratch at the crook of his neck
Tim barely registers the answer to his question. This is all too much. Should he claim he has a headache to hurry this along?
Or you could man-up
If he ignores it maybe it'll go away
Not how this works
You're both stubborn as mules
Not my fault he won't even respond
Too bad there's no such thing as over the counter antipsychotics.
Cain opens his mouth to start talking when he catches a glimpse of the same glassy look he seems to be constantly causing. He sets down the mercy's device, hesitating before carefully touching Tim's shoulder to get his attention without fucking up too badly.
Tim startles back to reality, tensing "Sorry."
"it's fine" he dismisses easily, brushing some of Tim's hair back to see him better,
"are you alright?"
No, I'm some sort of psycho with auditory hallucinations.
Not hallucinations
If I were a hallucination, I'd claim not to be
You're not helping
"I'm fine, just a headache."
"ah, okay" Cain nods, taking a step back. He doesn't really believe it of course. Its the default excuse, but it might be time to ease up.
All he's been doing is pushing and making every situation uncomfortable. This embarrassment ritual is doing a number on his nervous system.
so, He does what he knows how to. He packs up the box, pacing himself to ensure he doesn't look like he's throwing a fit. because that's what this boils down to doesn't it? he keeps messing up and then gets upset when he has to deal with it.
so he packs. He's good at that. Burying everything about himself that overflows over every inch of his home. This is why he doesn't bring guys over. He could have done this alone. he should have.
All he's really done is got Tim caught up in his mess, gotten him stabbed, bled out on his floor and keeps doing something that causes Tim to either check out or shut down.
Nothings changed. He's still the same disgusting creature he was before. this infection invading and rotting away in peoples lives.
Everyone can see it. His parents saw it, Roscoe saw it, the clients, his friends, the people at the office- there's just something about him that is setting off the feeling of other in people around him.
So he packs. He packs and he hides it all from view in 8 boxes because that's what he should have done from the start.
maybe the cps worker was right. Eden could have gone to a better home, where they were well equipped to care for him. Tim wouldn't keep looking at him like that and he could have silently left.
He could have crawled back to that cesspit and swallow the fact that he was so fucking stupid to run. He wasn't made to be anything other than this.
He stares at the 8 boxes neatly stacked in a line.
Is this really all that there is for him? will he always have to drag around this corpse of his? If he must, Its what he'll do...
its just so heavy.
he could always-
he clears his throat to stop the thought. Glancing briefly at Tim,
"ready to go?"
"Hm? Yeah... yeah." That's all he manages. Useless
Cain nods starting the task of taking the boxes downstairs, Each crude greek comment from his landlord making him cringe as he passes, but he manages.
Locking the door under the supervision of the clingy python draped over his shoulders. he walks back downstairs to the garage, to open the door.
Tim follows, still dazed, running basically on autopilot.
Cain gives Tim a cautious look before he takes Eden - who is very confused about why they're going places- and gets him restrained - i.e. unhappy Eden.
Cain decides to choose his battles and turns to Tim, holding out his hand "keys please"
"Why?"
"Because I'm not letting you drive like this"
"I'm fine to drive"
"I'm not going to do this with you, not here, I'm not risking it, give me the keys please"
He reluctantly hands over the keys. "If this were Birdie we'd be having a very different conversation."
"If it were Birdie, i wouldn't ask" he replies, taking the keys
He sinks into the passenger seat. It's not even that he minds riding shotgun, Hell, he prefers not to drive if he's being honest. It's the principal of it, having to relent, being told he's incapable.
Cain manages to get them out of the garage without Nikola trying to make Tim pay for being in the building for under an hour and back on the road.
He tries to not give in and have an impromptu confession with father Tim because no matter how much the guy is pouting and fusing to the seat, they don't have time to do group therapy right now.
The drive is silent and Cain can almost relax. Leaning into the muscle memory of driving in Gotham traffic. Once they've crossed the bridge and a few more blocks away, he starts feeling more himself. In control and calm.
"why is it irking you so much Tim?'' he asks eventually, breaking the prolonged silence.
Maybe it's rude to just connect his phone to the radio and ignore the question entirely, but Tim's not particularly chatty at the moment.
"right" Cain mutters, a guilty part of him feels somewhat relieved. This he knows. This he can work with.
Realistically it was only a matter of time, but its okay, he's got this. It stings, but its familiar. Dull at this point.
He allows Tim to stew in his silence for as long as he needs.
He quietly taps his thumb against the steering wheel. Just get what they need to do over with, complete tasks, then he can start to unravel the mess that's been the entire week.
Clearly tip toeing around it and direct attempts both have been useless, we'll just have to go back to what works.
To allow Tim to indulge in his brooding, he first stops at city hall. Actively choosing to give Tim time alone for the first time in days. Maybe they both need it.
The process is mostly painless, and now Eden is recognized in the eyes of the state. Great. one task down. During the down time between processing -of which there wasn't much - he knocks out some emails, sets up all appointments needed for the both of them and reads the report on the bust at Lipsy.
Once he's back, he checks in on E- who is happy to have him in view while he's fed and the whole song and dance.
Returning to the divers seat, he tucks away some stray hairs and rolling his shoulders in effort to keep him grounded. Come on Cain, one more, we can do this.
The later afternoon traffic does have everyone on edge. But they make it to the grocery store in one piece. good job. Leaning back in his seat briefly, he sighs through his nose, bracing himself for the inevitable.
Tim doesn't say a word despite the screaming in his head. As always, he ignores it. He's rather certain acknowledging it would mean he's crazy, and crazy people can't be heroes, they usually go the other route. Then again maybe he's on his way there.
Instead, he drowns everything out with Deftones, which pleases noone and does very little to keep him present. It's just one of those moments. He'd really hoped this would be a better day.
Things had been going well enough. This shouldn't be as big of a setback as it's proving to be. So what if Cain maybe has feelings for him? He maybe has feelings for Cain. There's something there. That should be a good thing. If he quits, he could have a relationship with Cain. It's not like he likes his job. It's miserable most days, boring as Hell, too many people needing him for too many things. And he doesn't need the money. But if he quits to get with an employee, that'd just prove he's the underqualified degenerate kid that all the douchewads on the board think he is.
He should apologize. Or explain. Or say literally anything.
Cain shifts in his seat, Turning to face Tim "look at me"
Tim half glances at Cain, avoiding direct eye contact and the guilt that accompanies it
Cain sighs, Tilting Tim's chin so that he can look at him "whatever it is that's got you this stressed, we can work it out together, But i cant help unless you give me a vague idea of what to do. You don't have to tell me what it is if you don't want to, but you don't have to brood alone"
"I'm not a child, and I don't need you mothering me." The words come out harsher than intended. Accusatory almost.
"you're projecting. You're my friend and i care" Cain starts, holding Tim's jaw in place and forcing himself to keep eye contact. it makes it easier to bite his tongue.
The impulse to aim lower has him grinding his teeth, but the fact that Tim is acting like this means something is very wrong. So he swallows every 'i can be so much worse if that's what you want and takes a breath
"That doesn't give you the right to decide when I'm well enough to drive my own car."
Tim shoves Cain's hand away, pointedly refusing to look at him
"no, it doesn't, but it was still the call i made. we were somewhere you weren't safe and I've been around you long enough to see when you've checked out. And If you do, I'm not going to drag my feet to get you somewhere safe, not because i think you're fragile and bound to break, but because you shouldn't have to endure it. You should be allowed to relay on someone to be on your side. So yes, I didn't want you driving. what would you like to do about it?"
"I wasn't 'checked out' I'm fine, I told you I just had a headache. It'll pass. I didn't ask you for help, I don't want help. That's not the kind of call you need to make unprompted. Also, I didn't accuse you of calling me fragile, so the fact that you felt the need to defend yourself against it is a little insulting."
Cain pauses, taking a moment to reel himself back in. Looking away and closing his eyes for a moment, despite how much it stings to do so. He takes a deep breath, then another and looks back to Tim.
"okay, I get it. Its not my place to do so, I'm sorry, I won't do it again"
"Good." He all but snaps.
Cain clenches his teeth to prevent himself from flinching at Tims tone. It would only make things worse.
"do you feel better now, or is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"
"I don't need coddling if I had anything else to say, I'd say it."
"right, now if you're done with your self sabotage routine and trying to push me away, because if you think this is coddling-'' He cuts himself off, leaning back in his seat as he crosses his arms
"Just drive." Tim leans forward til his forehead hits the dash with a soft thud.
Cain just stares at Tim for a good minute. Mind flickering through all his options currently. Trying to keep his momentum and not just fizzle out into agreement. He's never been very confrontational. Having to face these conversations have him exhausted.
He rests his head against the seat, taking in each detail of tim, "alright, where are we going?"
"Store." Cain's complete lack of anger makes Tim feel like an asshole, but he's too deep into it to back off now. How is it that he's managed to fuck up at fucking things up?
✨sToRe✨, yes thank you Tim, you're so helpful my friends. Cain ignores the internal commentary in favor of adjusting the rearview mirror and stating the war with Gotham traffic.
They do arrive at ✨sToRe™✨ in a reasonable amount of time. The second the car is off, Cain is out of the car and frees Eden from his prison. Eden is once again much happier to see Cain than Tim currently is, which does ease the hurt a little bit.
This is what its all about really. Him and Eden against the world now. he can live with that.
Eden gives him a good wipe down with the sock as he's placed in his carrier- this seems to be him approving of being safely pressed against Cain's chest, where he can be sure Cain is still close by. Cain grabs his bag and once again tries to smooth back the stray curls trying to escape from their confinement. Waiting for tim to come pout outside the car.
Tim gets out of the car and marches towards the door, not waiting for Cain
Congrats, you've graduated from coward to asshole. And here I thought we'd have to worry about the PR guy hurting us. You seem to have that all covered.
Cain rolls his eyes, sharing a look with Eden before walking to the entrance , grabbing a shopping cart (?? tf she should be called a trolley but we proceed). Humming along to the music playing, he reads over his list, planning the best course of action.
Tim wanders in the opposite direction. He didn't make a list and is too stuck in his head to really think about what they need. Maybe walking around will help. Jog his memory or something. Whatever, it's worth a try.
Cain goes about the usual routine of shopping, narrating everything to a now fully awake and very smiley Eden as the pass. Holding things for longer when Eden moves to stare at it before looking to Can for explanation, which is of course given in great detail.
'Tim' winds up with a full cart in maybe 20 minutes. He makes a quick stop at the self checkout to pay for Cain's apology gift ahead of time before setting off to find Cain so they can check out together. Hopefully, he's not too mad. This can be fixed... probably. Tim really dug himself a hole, though.
Cain leans against the cart's handle, reading over the list of ingredients and cringes a little at the realization that he really is a nervous first time parent.
Upon accepting this, he adds the formula to the cart, deciding that checking a sixth brand would really damn him further.
"you've turned me all mushy" He informs Eden of his crimes.
"Hey..." he stops beside Cain, having rehearsed his apology in his head beforehand. Even though he technically has nothing to apologize for. "I'm sorry I was an ass... If you're not too mad, I'd like to try and explain when we get home?"
"I'm not mad" he replies, looking over to Tim(u),
"you're good, we can talk about it but it does have to be a conversation not just a back and forth"
"Okay. Thank you." 'Tim' quiets, not wanting to seem too far off from Tim. He's supposed to be the same person, having just had a moment of alone time to cool off.
"okay" Cain smiles, bumping his shoulder against Tim's in a gesture of goodwill before making his way to check out.
'Tim' follows behind, smiling slightly to himself
Cain hums along to the music on the radio, its about the third time they've played both a Sabrina song and directly followed it up with sobmr so its a bit of whiplash, but the show goes on.
Check out is apparently only second to Chinese water torture in the eyes of Eden as he keeps trying to escape. Goodnews, his bones are about as useful as wet clay and he's a really bad escape artist. the pacifier does solve this issue briefly, until he rediscovers he is unhappy and starts breakdancing to flee.
Cain internally wonders what this guys thinking process is, but abandons the useless investigation to put the groceries in the car. Which appears to be a more tolerable activity for Eden as per the approving whack from sock.
'Tim' helps load the groceries, keeping the bag with the gift on him so it remains secret until the time comes
Cain returns Eden to his containment device- nothing has changed, many complaints,
"you're so chatty today baba" he laughs as he climbs back into the drivers seat.
'Tim' slides into the passenger seat, forcing himself not to smile at the interaction
Cain gives the mirrors another check before facing rush hour traffic in Gotham. At least Tims lack of brooding this time makes it easier to deal with the various gestures he's subjected to. nothing new, he should start a bingo card.
'Tim' decides to switch the music for the ride home, settling on Linkin Park. Still reasonably angsty, but not so slow and annoying
Cain hums along, Ignoring the guy in the car next to them staring into his soul. maybe trying to steal it. its fine, he doesn't need it that much anyway.
They do make it home without any death or destruction on the road, small wins.
Cain has now gotten into the motion and therefore will not stop until all tasks are complete. This would include getting smiley Eden upstairs and unattached from him, since the guy has not wanted to sleep since they left home and is clearly fighting the war against sleep.
Get the groceries unloaded and unpacked in the kitchen, organized in his usual system of grouping things together. Neat rows in certain amounts, turned to face the same way. All fit together like a neat puzzle.
Then finally, get the boxes upstairs and shoved into a closet where they'll never see the light of day and cause any more problems as they just upset tim.
He eventually settles, sat on the counter nursing a glass of water, which in reality is more painkillers than water at this point, but he gets it down somehow.
'Tim' tries to help as much as he can, but Cain is a whirlwind. Everything gets done significantly faster than he'd expected. He leans against the counter beside Cain.
Cain sets his glass down before brushing back Tim's hair ,
"so, you're talking to me again?'
"I'm sorry... you didn't deserve that, I was being stupid." he sighs. If only Tim could apologize on his own behalf. Stubborn moron.
"you're having a rough day, it's fine, but i would appreciate being told what's going on instead of hitting a nerve without knowing it was there" He replies, self-indulging by running his fingers through Tims hair
"Okay... I didn't mean to jump down your throat about it, I'm just not used to this. Being self-sufficient is a source of pride, I guess it felt like that was being taken from me."
"I know it is honey, we're both still learning how to do this. I overstepped, I'll try to remember my place." the words actively reminding him of exactly where his place is.
He reluctantly pulls his hand back, sliding off the counter and washing his glass.
"We're equals Cain, you don't have to 'remember your place'. Even if it takes some getting used to, we look out for each other."
'Tim' takes the gift out of the bag, setting it on the counter: chocolate, which is unanimously agreed to make everything better, and a keychain of a rubber duck dressed up like Red Robin.
Waiting for Cain to turn around and see it is agony. Maybe this whole thing is stupid. Maybe Cain will think it's selfish, giving someone a gift that's supposed to look like him.
Cain nods, drying off his hands before leaning against the counter to face Tim. He's not exactly sure why he freezes at the sight.
Maybe its because it feels like acceptance, that Tim doesn't really mind all the things that's have been dug up today. Maybe its cause there's a duck on the kitchen counter and Tim's being very sweet.
Either way, it does have him rapidly blinking to fight off any tears he has no chance of hiding. It shouldn't get to him this much, but it does.
He stares at the duck, then at tim, then repeats the process a few times until he's sure he didn't actually just bleed out on the floor this morning and died,
"what-?'' he starts, unsure himself what he was about to ask.
"To keep you safe, since I can't be with you all the time. Though it doesn't actually do anything, so it's more of a symbolic... safety? I don't know, I saw it in the store and thought- I know you said the whole Red Robin gimmick was just an assignment, but I figured since you kept all the costumes, maybe that was worth something? It's stupid, I'm sorry, I can take it back."
"don't you dare, it would be like taking away E's fuckass sock" He blurts out, closing the distance between him and his duck in less than a breath.
Inspecting it much more seriously than any other person would, but this is his duck! its a Red Robin duck. 'just an assignment'. like hell.
He's pretty sure he could rival Tim's level on this one topic. He tries very hard to not set the all important duck down to shake his hands, but It might have actually given him an aneurism if he tried to contain the giddy energy, thus gives in.
"Well, in that case, I'm glad you like it." 'Tim' smiles, partially because this (hopefully) means he's fixed things, but mostly because he likes knowing he made Cain happy.
"thank you" he smiles, hoping he doesn't look as goofy as he feels.
honestly, he should be able to contain it by now, but one thing has always stayed the same.
'Tim' tries not to get jealous. It irks him that while technically Cain is speaking to him and smiling at him, he's actually wholly unaware of his existence. It's bittersweet.
Cain has no self control. This is a fact that he's been aware of for may years now. Usually when he moves on impulse he has the decency to feel guilty.
But pulling Tim closer and hugging him for much longer than should be allowed, he can bring himself to regret it.
'Tim' melts into the hug, even if it's not meant for him he can let himself enjoy this
"oh- that reminds- gimme a second" Cain gives a bout a second of warning before pulling away and disappearing to somewhere down the hall.
Reappearing a few moments later with the now fixed Red Robin suit that he'd spent hours fussing over to ward off the anxiety while Tim slept.
"the threads from-uhh actually, you don't want to know, just trust that it can hold up under pretty much anything" he shrugs, handing over the neatly folded, hand washed and nearly flawless suit. he'd been a little worried okay, shut up.
"Wow... how'd you get the blood out?" He's a little surprised it came out so well, he's never managed to do that himself and Alfred never reveals his secrets
"I don't kiss and tell unfortunately, guess you just have to keep me around for my very specific skill set" Cain shrugs, adding his duck to his keyring, looking very pleased with himself.
"Oh, like I wouldn't keep you around anyways." 'Tim' nudges Cain playfully "seriously though, thanks. I thought I was gonna have to get a new one, and then I'd have to write a report about what happened to it, and get the whole 'unnecessary force' lecture, and the whole 'maintaining a secret identity' lecture. So really, you've saved my life"
"I wouldn't go that far, but if i saved you from one lecture then knowing something i shouldn't isn't the end of the world" he shrugs, admiring his new duck,
"besides, I'm pretty sure any force used can be justified, But i wont burden you with that, what are we doing for dinner then?"
"That's a fantastic question... what do you want for dinner?"
"anything high enough in carbs to kill a small village of Victorian children, Carbonara would slap right now, or Pastitsio, Nikolai has practically branded the recipe behind my eyelids." He replies, frowning mildly at how easy the decision came to him.
"Maybe I lost more blood than I thought" he mumbles, cringing at the thought alone.
"I think the only noodles we have are macaroni and lasagna unless you grabbed something else, but we can certainly try to make something carbonara or pastitsio adjacent."
"I think we'd get points for creativity" he nods, before washing his hands again
"Which'll it be?"
"carbonara, The Italians are slower" he nods seriously, drying his hands before raiding the cupboard.
"Anything I can help find?" 'Tim' rolls up his sleeves and washes his hands
"nah, I think the things you need will find you" he replies, almost dropping the dumbass bag of pasta when he just so happens to glance at Tim. He really needs to see his gyno, or he might actually loose his job. Honestly Cain, arms? that's all it takes now.
He continues his internal monologed, confessing his sins to the subconscious as he bends down to grab the pot from the lower cabinet. Setting it aside to start of his row of objects. Once all his assets have been aligned, the horoscope of dinner looks much less dire.
starting off he cuts the guanciale into thick batons, he'd spent about 15 minutes in the store explaining the different kinds of methods to Eden, who seemed happy enough to listen. Next he finely grates the parmigiana Reggiano, personal preference. Eden approved with sock. Whisking together the egg, cheese and pepper before bringing a generous amount of water to the boil with a little more than a tablespoon of salt.
Cooking the guanciale until it starts to look more like liquidized honey, while the pasta is cooking. After which, he tosses the pasta into the guanciale, folding it over in precise intervals each time while counting under his breath.
Adding his pasta to his sauce along side the pasta water so all of Italy wont break down the door, he stirs it until combined with his trusted wooden spoon dragged all the way from home. Its a very dear spoon. works so hard. Once the sauce has become salmonella free, he divides the pasta in precise portions into their respective bowls.
The act of cooking to get rid of his nervous energy has him already eyeing the sink to start cleaning before the usual next step of backing enough muffins to feed an army. But the itch is calm enough to ignore in favor of staring at Tims and lying to himself that he isn't basically undressing the poor guy with his eyes.
he needs to go jump in the river again or something.
"I'll clean after dinner. You don't lift a finger the rest of the night. This smells amazing."
'Tim' shuts out the fack that he basically stood there useless the whole time Cain made dinner, not that he's a great cook anyways, still could've made a decent soux chef. Not the point. He probably could've found something to do that wasn't just staring at Cain every time his back was turned, but it's too late for that now.
"I'll tell the chef you like it" he smirks, siding the bowl across the counter to Tim, before returning to his usual perch. Much happier with the world now that he can shovel pasta into his face while staring at Tim over his bowl. He really has gotten shameless with that hasn't he. He'll work on it.
not now, of course. but soon enough. definitely before it gets him into trouble he cant talk his way out of.
'Tim' takes his own bowl, eating at what he deems to be a respectful pace, but holy shit this is delicious.
Cain takes a bit of pride in his pasta, not too bad for cooking half distracted by your boss and-
oh
oh no, he's in trouble isn't he? Ah shit, okay, right, so well deal with this development beyond general appreciation for your attractive boss later.
Now, the pasta is finished. the world is ending. oh no.
its fine, cause now his bowl is in the sink and the earth can eat him.
'Tim' washes the dishes, failing to notice Cains panic.
"I kinda get why Italians are kissing all the time, if all my friends cooked like that I don't think I could help myself." He half jokes.
"you don't necessarily have to"
get the firing squad. Its over. kill him. he must be shot many many times before he follows up his dumbass blubbering with action, like actually kissing the guy. The likely hood of it being a joke is very high, but you see, Cain is delusional. very much so, and now has sealed his fate.
ahgggg, he's going to have to work through this funny feeling now isn't he. He hates when the only way out is through. uggggg why cant he just go back to like 3 minutes ago convinced he'll never have something more than surface level attraction after...
its not so bad. To be honest, he missed this. And realistically, its the best case scenario. Cain is safe. This won't hurt too badly. Like, Its Tim, he wouldn't-
Tim is nice. Its going to be okay. Nothing has to change yet. He has time and he can catch himself. it's all going to be fine.
"Didn't hear a no." he finishes the dishes and dries his hands, giving a quick peck to Cain's temple on his way to the couch
"that's cause there's very little I'd deny you" he grins, hoping his not as vibrantly pink as he thinks he is, flopping down on the couch
"That can't be true," he hands Cain the remote.
"it is" Cain shrugs earnestly, talking the remote,
"you can try it if you don't believe me" He offers, honesty dripping from his lips because now, well, It wasn't very hard to accept this as his fate. Not when so little has changed.
If anything, its a relief. It makes sense now why he'd gotten so.. so.. set in his ways. He knew this would be the end of him, but that's alright. he'd played this before. He knows the rules and this time, he'll follow them.
It'll hurt. What little is left of him will not survive, but bone deep he know he doesn't mind. Tim has become his favorite person. If this meant he doesn't have to be so lonely anymore, he'll do this little dance again.
This happened so so fast and he's reeling from the impact but the silence after is so soft. Like this was all that would ever happen. It's a warm comfort. Yeah, he doesn't mind this so much.
He'll selfishly spend his time watching the other, unraveling this puzzle until he understands so deeply that he aches. He thinks that knowing Tim would be a nice thing to die for.
A gentle way. he hopes thats something he can earn.
'Tim' has to remind himself his actions affect Tim, too. He can't really kiss Cain no matter how much he might want to. He settles for cozying up to him instead, laying his head on Cains shoulder. That could be believably platonic. It's not, but it could be.
Cain bites back a smile, resting his cheek against the others head. Praying that the way his shoulders relax after being wound up so tightly all day he was pretty sure it was going to snap his spine. But Cain is a man of very little embarrassment when the witness to his crimes aren't visibly made uncomfortable.
He has always found it much better to deal with a little embarrassment if it meant those he cared about knew it without a doubt.
"so what are we watching? Something more tolerable than a bad comedy?"
"Whatever you want," he knows the previous agreement was a Thundercats marathon, but he silently hopes Cain chooses something else. Nothing short of beating Tim with a stick would keep him from his comfort shows, and that's not exactly possible mentally.
"that's a dangerous game to play" Cain laughs, scrolling through his options to find what he could stare at most mindlessly and will off the headache. He eventually settles on The Big Bang Theory, so he can cringe at the bad representation and feel better that he can't embarrass himself on their level.
"Could be worse" he settles in to watch, grateful for the extra time. This is nice.
Cain breaths out a laugh, curling up on the couch before tucking his feet under his legs, happy to unwind and not have to use his brain for the remainder of the evening.
'Tim' could sit like this forever if the universe allowed it.
Eventually, Cain convinces himself to get up from the couch and go shower before he falls asleep on tim again. He's pretty sure he says as much, but he could also just be grumbling into the air for all he knows.
He does make it through his shower without falling asleep or loosing any more blood which is a win. Additionally, he now has his own clothing back. He is starting to realize just how much Red Robin merch he owns.
oh well. its the oldest shirt ever, faded beyond belief yet somehow is clinging to that logo for dear life. It is therefore the most stretched out and soft shirt he owns. very well loved and will have to be pried from his cold dead hands.
Dazed and half awake, He makes the rounds, mindlessly going about taking care of Eden before bed, getting him settled and freeing himself from his hostage situation.
Having abandoned his hearing aids before the shower in favor of blissful silence, he walks to the kitchen to grab a new set of batteries from the bag.
He might have actually replaced them, or he dreamed it, either way he's face down on the bed, fighting off sleep until he knows Tim's also gone to bed for the evening.
'Tim' doesn't make it off the couch. It's too comfortable, even without Cain, though it was much better with. He doesn't want to sleep, he likes being the one in control and sleep has a chance of taking that from him
Cain makes it a total of 10 minutes before he's retrieving Tim from the couch. At this point, they guy can go back if he wants, but apparently Cain isn't getting any sleep unless everyone is accounted for.
Is it a bit co dependent of him? yes, very much so. But does holding Tim hostage in his own room result in Cain falling asleep the second he's back in bed? also yes.
Tim is up at 2am. He extracts himself from Cain and goes to shower. He remembers yesterday, most of it at least, but he wasn't in control. It was like someone switched his brain on autopilot, like some twisted possession. It's not the first time it's happened, but after blacking out at the Lipsy, he was already on edge... he can't let that happen again. It makes him feel sick.
After drying off and tossing on more comfortable clothes, he takes his frustrations out on the punching bag in the gym. He needs to get back to patrol tonight. Three days is about all the personal time he can take without having to explain to Bruce how and why he was stabbed.
Waking up his brain takes a minute to try and puzzle together what disturbed him.
Tims absent. great. a new level of co dependency cain didn't know existed.
He rolls out of bed reluctantly, tugging on a hoodie to ward off the worst of the chill. He'll just check, nothing wrong with that right? He wanders aimlessly for a little while, long enough to start feeling stupid.
then he stumbles upon Tim. Evidently, he is unhappy. of course.
Okay. its alright, it doesn't have to cause the hollow throb in his chest. Its fine. Its so familiar that it burns. nothing new, nothing he cant handle. He just needs to stop being so naive each time. This isn't like him.
He leans against the doorframe, knowing its creepy to just watch him silently. He knows he should head back to bed now that he knows where Tim's gone. Cain is very sure the last person Tim wants to see right now is him. He always seems to come to his senses when Cains stumbled into false secuirity.
Still, He stands there. Head resting against the doorframe, Eyes lazily following Tims movements. Analyzing his form and technique, the rhythm he falls into after a while. his preferred order of actions. over and over until he's committed it to memory.
Tim knows Cain is watching, he'd be a sad excuse for a vigilante if he couldn't tell when he was being so obviously stared at. He doesn't say anything, he wants to see how long Cain will stand there. Minutes tick by.
At least one good thing came from whatever happened yesterday. It fixed things with Cain, gave Tim a second chance...
Tim is admittedly not good at second chances. He doesn't often deserve them and very seldomly uses them well. Hopefully it'll take him a bit longer this time to fuck up and run away.
Seriously, how long is Cain going to stand there? Not that he minds the attention. No, that's exactly the kind of thing that'll get them both in trouble. Fuck.
He should say something before Cain realizes he's ignoring him on purpose. First words of his second chance, gotta be something good. This'll set the tone for everything that follows, so he should really think it through, say something meaningful.
"Morning."
Great job, very eloquent. He briefly considers jumping out the window, but that likely wouldn't do much good. Good to know he can fuck things up even when his mind is quiet. Or maybe he fucks things up worse that way? That's a sorry thought, his hallucinations are better people than him.
Cain offers a soft smile as reply, cold floor doing little to discourage his bare feet from making their way over to Tim.
"restless" he asks, tilting his head to the side. His eyes- as they often are- Fixed on Tim. he's starting to realize just how much he stares at the poor guy, it cant be pleasant to be the sole focus of Cains attention. He knows its heavy, suffocating, and yet, he cant help but be fully enraptured with the other.
"What was that?" Tim breaks away from the bag to meet Cain in the doorway.
"you seem restless" he states rather than asks because now he can practically feel the nervous energy radiating from Tim.
"Water seems wet." He grabs a Zesti from the mini fridge. He should drink water. He has no plans to do so.
"What time is it?"
"almost 4 am" he replies, brushing back his wild mess of hair.
"what's got you all touchy?"
"Sorry, don't mean to be. Kinda early for you to be up, isn't it?"
"couldn't sleep" he shrugs
"but if I've interrupted your alone time, I can go back and just catch up on work emails" he offers, crossing his arms to rub at his forearms
"You're fine, I just wasn't sure if you were needing me for something or just watching. I'm about done here anyway." Tim unwraps his hands. "I think it's a heart attack kinda day," He mutters mostly to himself.
"anything I can do to help prevent these prophesied heart attacks?" He asks despite his watching Tim's hands, accompanied by a slight pang of longing. He can't remember the last time he had the smell of chalk and metal stuck to his skin for days on end.
Tim laughs, realizing how ridiculous that sounds to the average person. "No, sorry, it's breakfast."
"a well known threat, we should let batman know" he nods seriously
"Okay-" he struggles to reel in his laughter "not a literal heart attack. It's a bacon, sausage, egg and cheese breakfast burrito, covered in sausage gravy, melted cheese, and two fried eggs"
Cain throws his hands up in mock helplessness,
"Lawd not even batman can save us now" He proclaims, turning around to flee the gym like that'll save him
"Okay, fine, you can make your own breakfast."
"Never said no to it!"
"Well, would you like one?"
"i would thank you" he smiles, relocating his laptop to the kitchen counter (the center of all activity).
tying his hair back before leaning on the counter, starting off his list of things he needs to get done today in preparation for tomorrow evenings gala.
Its a little intimidating, but he'll manage it. Creating a rough outline of what he needs to get done before breaking it down into small, more manageable steps.
Tim washes his hands, hurrying around the kitchen, frying bacon, scrambling eggs, and cooking sausage. The sausage is divided in half, one half set aside for the burritos, the other left in the pan for the gravy. He assembles the burritos, cooking them in a separate pan until they're perfectly crispy while making a roux for the gravy. He sets the burritos aside, frying 4 eggs and finishing the gravy. The last part, in Tim's opinion, is magical. He puts the burritos on their respective plates, covering them in warm gravy, a layyer of shredded cheese, and two eggs for each. The end result looks like if an enchilada were a breakfast food that desired only to clog arteries. The name makes sense. He slides Cain one of the plates, handing him a fork and knife.
Cain raises a brow at Tim before nodding in appreciation,
"this might do what Gotham never could" He decides are good enough last words before taking on the death sentence Tim has issued him with. He hums in approval, because he will happily admit that this is wroth dying for
"Don't die. It'll save for two days if you don't finish it"
Cain leans away, squinting at Tim like he's cursing his bloodline while silently enjoying his last meal.
Tim laughs, holding his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay. It's not a challenge, though." He redirects his attention to his own breakfast. Not a bad way to start the day, all things considered
"I wont die, I have too much work to do, Maybe I'll die later" He nods, finishing his last meal™ before retreating to the sink. quite happily doing the dishes.
"You planning on going to the office today?"
"yeah, but I'll also be running around town like a mad man. Gala preparations and the like"
"Ooh, fun. You taking the Rivian?"
"I could take the train and walk" He suggests instead of answering. drying off the dishes and putting them away.
"It's safer to drive. Plus, I'm 'working from home' today, and even on the off chance I need to go somewhere, I've got Birdie."
"okay" he nods, leaning against the counter to face Tim
"You good to watch E today? I don't exactly want to drag him through just about every rouge's territory in one day"
"Yeah, no problem. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Tim feels stupid for worrying, of course Cain'll be okay, he survived plenty long enough on his own. That doesn't really make it easier.
"I'm pretty sure I'll be good, but I'll call if I feel off" He nods, pushing off the counter after Eden yells for attention. He tries not to smile, but now that he's spent so much time around Eden while he's learning he can be loud without it hurting him. He's learned to distinguish between the types of attention calling sounds he makes.
The current one being the absolute most dramatic and fake crying he has ever heard. Who knew a 7 week old could be so theatrical.
He returns with a very happy Eden in hand, as well as having dug through his set of boxes. Eden for the most part, It showing his sock to every object close enough to be perceived.
This situation seems to include Tim as Eden insistently stares at the guy (he is his fathers child really), until Cain transports him over. Upon which Eden greets Tim with a smile bright enough to rival the way Cain's, and then shows off his sock. Looking back to Cain for acknowledgement that this was a good choice,
"i know, we do like Tim and showing him our strange comfort objects baba, you learn so fast, good job"
"Oh, good morning," Tim coos, "are we gonna have a good day? Oh you're so precious"
"I think you've become part of the club of people the Velcro child yearns to cling to" he laughs softly, which seems to earn him a whack with the sock.
"anyway" he rolls his eyes, sticking his tongue out at E in retaliation, before grabbing the thin glossy remote from his pocket and handing it to Tim,
"this stays with you, it's connected to the mercy so you just shove it in any USB port and you've got my location, major vitals and the IP of every security camera in a one mile radius" He explains, the same thing he's rattled off many times to investors
Tim takes it, his eyes widening slightly. Yeah, sure, that's not at all concerning.
"Um... okay, got it. Hopefully won't need it... should we like check in throughout the day? Like with a text or something? Yknow just so I know you're okay and you know Eden's okay..."
"I'll check in between errands, you can text or call or whatever works best, I'll answer" He pushes off the counter, flicking on the kettle and grabbing Eden's bottle
"are you going to be alright today?" He asks, moving everything aside as Eden tries to knock it over with his sock. Destruction prevented. His need to break everything seems to be reduced as soon as his bottle as offered as sacrifice. this is acceptable.
"If you need me to come home, I don't mind." he adds, readjusting his grip on Eden, "also if you just want me to come home, you could do that too" he smiles
"I know you're busy, I can handle it." He tries to be reassuring, he knows how important this Gala is, doesn't want to delay Cain's work. It comes off as maybe a bit dismissive, not that he notices.
"never to busy for you angle" he sets Edens bottle aside before handing him over to Tim. E seems quite happy about this turn of events. Cain is really teaching him all the important stuff it seems.
"now, I'm going to go shower, and try not to die while doing so"
Tim smiles to himself. Somehow, Cain's compliments sound almost believable.
"Emphasis on the not dying part, I hope,"
"Can't make any promises!" he calls before closing the bathroom door.
"I'd prefer it if you did!"
Cain spends more time snickering than showering, but by the end he's reminded he can clean up quite nice when he wants to. Or more specifically, when he has the compony to represent and he's very good at looking like W.E. personified and spat out.
Good old slacks and button ups never did him wrong. Retreating to the general space of activity, he adjusts his smart watch, having exchanged one hearing aid for the air pod with a volume so high it could make him deaf a second time.
He smooths over the lapels of his blazer and grabs his bag.
Tim settles on the couch, cooing and doting on Eden. He tries not to think too hard about how easily he falls into this sort of domesticity. How much he enjoys it. He dreads going back to patrolling. If something were to happen to him, where would that leave Cain and Eden? He considers writing a will, just in case. A stupid thought, ultimately, he won't die. But what he does isn't exactly safe, so maybe he should.
Cain takes out all his visible piercings, setting them down on the coffee table, smirking at Tim,
"Have we domesticated the CEO? someone alert the media!" he gasps, dramatic and smug like the sight alone doesn't have him a breath away from throwing out all reason and practically attacking Tim. He's even more amused when he notices the pure disgust on Eden's face as he eyes Cain suspiciously,
"I'm sorry baba, I know i look weird" He huffs out a laugh, crouching beside them and smoothing over Eden's frown with his thumb. Followed up by very loud kisses to his forehead and cheek that has him turning his face away in attempt to hide against tim. unfortunately, his big gummy grin gives away how much he enjoys the attention.
"Not domestic, I maintain the dingo analogy" Tim replies very matter-of-factly.
He smiles at Cain's excessive affection towards Eden... yeah, he's gonna write a will. And here he'd thought he'd have nothing to do today besides respond to work emails and watch the baby.
"yeah yeah, and I'm saint Mary and this is my holy child" He grins, giving Eden one last kiss to the cheek before getting up.
"be good, don't die, seriously , call if you need anything at all, I will answer, I'll try to be home by 5, but if I have to kill someone and hide the body, I'll let you know I'm running late" He nods, dusting off his pristine slacks before leaning over and pressing a kiss to Tim's cheek as well, more out of habit than an active decision. Grabbing the keys and heading off to the door.
"love ya, byeee" he holds the note until the elevator door completely slides closed.
Tim is completely, utterly, totally, entirely, absolutely, thoroughly, downright, 100% cooked. He's not supposed to catch feelings, now everything will be stupidly complicated.
Errands aren't so bad. Less so when he has the reassurance that Eden is safe at home with Tim. Both are safe and he can get work done.
He is reminded why he loves his job fairly quickly. It does help that he has quite the toolkit for just about all social interactions. Saying the right thing, talking out every mess, its all a little win that add to his confidence. And of course, the more confidence he has, the more charming and charismatic he gets along the way.
He might forever remain a performer at hart.
He checks in at regular intervals, enough to ward off the inherit stomach ache that comes with being apart from his little family. Eden seems very content, but Cain knew he would take to Tim fairly quickly. Especially with Cain dividing the time E spends between them. two safe adults that stay safe people to be around even when in the same room. That's what Cain wanted and they've been doing pretty well at it.
Music makes the silence bearable, people from the office call every now and then. Some listen, some don't. He seems to be a rusty as he can already feel the flare up coming a mile away.
but he pushes through. Once he gets home he can turn to sludge.
The caterer tests his ability to lip read in his unbearably loud kitchen. The florist is almost in tears when one batch of flowers are crushed on their way to be delivered for arraigning and almost offers their life to Cain as apology.
The Venue itself is gorgeous as indented. Every detail is personally checked by Cain, then twice more until it is undoubtably perfect.
Does he push the speed limit a little bit to get home by 5? Sure, but the guilt quickly evaporates once the elevator door slides open and he steps into their warm apartment. Sighing as the tension and cold both drain from his bones.
"honey, I'm home" he calls jokingly, toeing off his shoes and shrugging off his blazer.
Tim is pacing the house, not for any particular reason, Eden contently in his arms. He's once again making use of his record player, today's choice being Bob Dylan's Bringing it All Back Home.
"Everything go okay?"
"yeah, just busy" he laughs, dropping his keys on the entrance table, tugging his hair tie to liberate his now tightly curled hair due to todays rainy weather.
"How was your day?" he ask, taking off his watch and depositing it along with all ways to reach him in his bag on the kitchen counter.
"Mostly, we watched 30 year old cartoons and listened to music. So, aside from your absence, perfect." He decides not to mention the will. Maybe that was overreacting
"I was missed then?" he smirks, walking over and giving Eden another kiss for his collection, nodding gratefully as he's stabbed in the eye with the sock.
"Every second." No, that's cringe. Why did he say that? This is not gonna work, why entertain the idea? He's so fucked.
He laughs easily, bumping his shoulder against Tim's before walking to the kitchen,
"work keep you busy?" he asks, turning on the kettle and grabbing the mugs.
"Not too bad, answered a few emails, ignored a few others."
"I can bet you my ass that at least four of those got redirected to me, " He laughs
"want coffee?" He asks, unbuttoning his cuffs to shove up his sleeves instead of rolling them up like a normal person, before undoing the top buttons of his shirt.
"I'm alright, I've already had enough caffeine today to kill a minimum of three victorian children." Tim forces his attention away from Cain lest he physically melt into a puddle on the floor.
"then you can't have more cause you're made up of 4 Victorian children" he nods, climbing onto the couch as he can never move normally before drinking his coffee.
"But if I kill the fourth, what happens to me?"
"you die as well, same way I'd die if someone threw out the apples that keep me alive since i am only three apples tall you see" he explains seriously, leaning further into the couch before hiding the massive smile he has behind his cup. Unfortunately, he can't hide the way his eyes sparkle with silent laughter, or how he practically glows now that he's home and with his family.
"Well, I'll have to make sure you keep all your apples then," Tim joins Cain on the couch. The second he's sat down, Eden tries to wriggle his way out of his arms
Cain laughs, setting down his cup as he grabs Eden
"where are you off too bubs, you're still half baked jelly" He teases, smoothing back the soft black curls that Eden's acquired over the past few days, unable to resist kissing his crown, which he does get patted for. We assume this is a good thing.
"I never understood people who have kids. Now I kinda get it." Tim cups Edens tiny head in his hand. "He's just so little." Oh no, now Tim is crying, cursed emotions.
Cain can't help just how fond the smile directed at Tim is, but he also make zero effort to hide it,
"cant relate, I've always wanted them, not so soon but still" He grins, squishing his cheek against Eden's head.
"Well, you have to keep in mind, the youngest child I ever interacted with prior to Eden was 10 year old Damian, and he's evil and tried to kill me when we first met."
"Oh my sweet only child" He whispers, patting Tim's cheek affectionately
"He completely ruined the concept of children for me."
"well, regardless of your Damian centric traumas, you've done pretty well, A+ co parent and friend" He smiles
"ain't that right E?'' He asks, looking down at Eden who is deeply inspecting the buttons on Cain's shirt, but still gives some sort of grunt in response, sounding like a very small old man
"yes, exactly" he agrees very seriously before looking back to Tim,
"he approves"
"Well, I'm honored that you both think so highly of me. It definitely helps that Eden has yet to make an attempt on my life."
"yet is the very important part of that statement, and I think he wont be left alone with Damian, as in ever" He half jokes, brushing back a stray hair from Tim's eyes.
"I am sorry to have roped you into this without talking about it first, It was pretty unfair towards you"
"Don't be. I'm glad I can help. And if you'd continued to handle it on your own, I probably would've weaseled my way into it eventually anyway."
"you paid that much attention to what I was doing before this?" he asks. The answer is no of course. Cain had been chasing after Tim for a very embarrassing amount of time. Cain knows he has a very loud presence, Its pretty hard to miss him if he wants to be seen.
"I did say eventually."
Truthfully, Tim had been wholly oblivious. His day job was a safe space, and it's extremely jarring to now be aware of just how much he'd missed. He didn't even know Aiden was the Penguin's son.
"I would have happily waited, but I'm glad i didn't have to" He leans back against the couch, looking down at Eden who has since gotten bored of the buttons and is starting at Tim.
Cain slowly puts his hand over Edens eyes. There's still time to break the cycle. The joke became a little less funny when Eden in turn leans into Cains hand. This does not make him tear up. He just has dry eyes. Its fine.
The record ends, giving Tim the perfect excuse to extract himself from the bittersweet overwhelming feelings of it all. "You wanna pick what's next?"
"what are my options?" he grabs his cup as a half assed reason to look away from Tim.
"Record-wise we have- in no particular order- The Buddy Holly Story, the original cast recording of Pippin, The Hollies' Words and Music by Bob Dylan, Ian Matthews' Valley Hi or Hit and Run, Melba Moore's What a Woman Needs don't judge me, Peter Paul and Mary's self-titled album, Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water, David Bowie's Hunky Dory, The Kinks' State of Confusion or Kinks-Size or Misfits or Lola Vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround Part One, Naat King Cole's Ramblin' Rose, and Seals & Crofts Summer Breeze or Unborn Child. Now cds- again in no particular order- The Nutcracker, The Cranberries' Everybody Else is Doing it so Why Can't We?, Panpipes covers of Beatles songs, Twenty One Pilots' Blurryface, the new broadway cast recording of Merrily We Roll Along, The Goo Goo Dolls' A Boy Named Goo, The Best of Kansas, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill or Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Porno for Pyros' self titled album or Good God's Urge, Barenaked Ladies' Rock Spectacle, the original cast recording of Phantom of the Opera, Live's Throwing Copper, Rusted Root's When I Woke, and The Presidents of The United States of America II."
Cain tries not to swoon too obviously. they key word being tries. The way he looks at Tim from under those damn long eyelashes that usually got him exactly what he wanted in a previous life.
"We'll have to save Bowie for when he can be fully appreciated, Phantom of the Opera needs at least three business days to be admired, so So Long from our beloved Goo Goo Dolls shall be humbly requested" he grins, finishing his half cold coffee
"Fantastic Choice." He pops the d in the player, skipping to track 10, and unceremoniously laying down on the floor.
Cain laughs, getting up and taking his cup to the kitchen, riveting activities in Eden's opinion clearly.
"is laying on the floor a part of listening to the song?" he teases, stopping beside Tim to look down at him, and poke him with his socked foot of course.
"Easier than getting up." He smlies, "I was thinking takeout for dinner, what do you want?"
"dunno, Pizza?" he suggests, stepping over Tim, before sitting down on Tim.
"or Chinese, either sounds good" He adds, like this is nothing out of the ordinary
"Am I a chair now?" Tim laughs, effectively rendered immobile, not that he couldn't push Cain off if he wanted to, it's more like when a cat sits in your lap.
"are you complaining?" He asks, tilting his head to the side with genuine curiosity
"No. But if I were, then what?"
"I'll file you complaint and proceed to see myself out"
"Well, in that case, I'm definitely not."
Cains smile is a little more giddy than he intended, but he's been fighting a loosing battle since he got here,
"you're safe from being fed to E" He nods, adjusting his on Eden, who rejoices at the sight of Tim. His understanding of object permeance isn't that great yet. Still Cain matches his enthusiasm when Eden's big doe eyes look back to him for approval. As if 'finding' Tim again is something he instinctively must let Cain know about.
"never mind, I think he likes you too much now" he laughs
"he seems to be very proud of his new skill set in smiling" He adds, catching the sock as it slips from Eden's grasp, happily returning it to him.
"As he should be, it's adorable. I think I'm gonna swing by the manor after patrol tonight to grab my cameras, start a photo album."
"we'll be able to start a gallery within a week" he laughs, just choosing to ignore Eden whacking him with the sock
"what time do you think you'll be back?"
"A few hours before sunrise, probably three, three thirtyish. But I'll connect the baby monitor to my comm line, so I'll be able to hear if you need me." He hesitates, "If I'm not back by morning... I'll leave you a list of contact numbers for my associates, they'll know to keep you informed in the event something happens."
"If you don't come home to me, you will unfortunately be hunted, then if you're dead, I'll be brining you back so i can kill you myself" He nods, flicking Tim's nose
The brief moment I am dragged back to you will be well worth a second death.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that then"
God damn you
So much for quiet.
"not just hope, you actually have to put some effort into it" he laughs before getting up much more gracefully than he expected but he'll accept this.
"I'll be okay. The list is just a precaution."
"you better be, or I'll be switching from your rules to mine" He states, walking to the kitchen and grabbing a glass to fill with water.
"What exactly are your rules?" He asks, finally getting up from the floor to grab his phone from the coffee table to order food.
"something you're better off not being complicit in" he shrugs, taking about a dozen painkillers
"When did E last eat?"
"Four fourty-fiveish, maybe a little earlier, and he was changed just before you got home. That- that can't be safe."
Cain takes a second to understand what Tim is referring to, before it clicks and he shrugs,
"It's fine" he replies, flexing to himself that he can still wash a glass with one hand. very impressive Cain, good job.
"You deeply, deeply concern me. What's the recommended dosage?" Tim's brow is so furrowed it'll probably leave a permanent crease. If he could see himself, he'd probably cringe to death because his concerned face is nearly exactly the same as Bruce's.
"if I tell you, you'll be even more deeply, deeply concerned" He shrugs, grabbing Eden's pacifier, measuring his dosage of anti biotics before dipping it into the thick syrup. Offering the pacifier to E, taking a bit of pride in how easy the process has become.
"...Is it more or less than two?"
"equal actually" he replies flatly, leaning against the counter as he keeps eye contact with Tim.
"And how many exactly did you just take?" He's not sure he wants to know the answer
"enough to keep moving and not die, I'm not oding in you kitchen Tim"
"Is the in my kitchen part necessary? Because I'd really prefer if you just weren't ODing anywhere."
"our kitchen then , I'm fine, its nothing new, I understand you don't enjoy pain management, but you'd be even more worried if I didn't do this. Besides, I'm not leaving you alone. I have you, and E and therefore I stay"
"Good..." That doesn't actually help all that much, over 80% of overdose fatalities are unintentional, even if Cain intends to stay... he doesn't want to think about it.
"look, I know it looks bad, but this is years worth of tolerance and I unfortunately prefer not feeling a decades worth of nerve damage after running around all day" He replies, hating how his shoulders hunch to make him smaller. This is Tim for fucks sake. It's fine.
But it definitely doesn't erase the deep rooted bitterness from not being to blame for what happened, but still having debilitating chronic pain that has had him begging to be put down more than he can count.
It's shitty. It's unfair and it makes people look at him like he's defective. maybe he is. He hates every part of it. It took what little he had and left him to rot.
This body is a punishment. Having to drag it around with all its flaws makes him sick.
He use to be perfect.
Now he's what's left of Roscoe's pity parties. Could Tim just stop looking at him? He wants to curl up and die with his shame. You'd need to kill him twice with how much of it he has.
At leas Eden still finds this body decent enough to rest his head against, halving fallen asleep clinging to the collar he'd been inspecting so deeply earlier.
"I'm sorry..." He's not wholly sure what he's apologizing for. His presence? Wouldn't be the first time that was a problem. Accidentally prying? That would be a reason. Cain's past? Maybe, but he doesn't even know what happened. He decides the answer is all of the above.
He wants to ask, to know what's causing Cain so much hurt. Would Cain even tell him? Probably not. He knows if the tables were turned, he wouldn't tell Cain about his issues. They're friends, sure, but up until three days ago, they hardly knew each other outside of work. The small amount of stuff he's already shared with Cain concerns him, actually, they shouldn't be this close this fast. He usually doesn't trust so easily. Maybe Cain feels differently, but Tim's not gonna ask any questions he wouldn't answer himself.
"You don't have to be sorry, this doesn't matter anyway" he clears his throat before glancing at Tim a last time.
Heading off towards the hallway to put Eden to bed before giving into the itch he's had since he got home to go shower. The scrubbing doesn't make him feel any more clean per say, but it does make him feel in control.
The sting of too hot water on abraded skin does help him feel like he's made some progress.
Drying off his hair, he eyes his worn down RR shirt. Yesterdays disgust at himself boiling back to the surface. He wishes Tim hadn't found out.
He'd been so confident about it. Even the playing field so Tim would feel less on edge about Cain knowing who he is. It did backfire considerably of course. But it is a lot to put on someone you've known for a few days.
Just because Cain has spent hours both before and at W.E. studying Tim doesn't mean Tim knows Cains entire genesis and beyond.
He wouldn't want to know either. Cain was a mistake. Part of a endless cycle that clots with each generation. Just because Cain is deeply fucked up and has this very very strange set of feelings and beliefs, that quite frankly scare him. Does not mean Tim holds the same view.
You'd think he'd know by now that you can feel enough for two people but that doesn't mean the other reflects it.
It stings. Sure. Tim is a very important part of his life. The one thing he chose. One thing that's his. But he has to divide his version of Tim in his head with the actual person. Its very unfair to put all of that on Tim.
He's a friend. The first good one in a while. Cain is going to do his best to keep this. Please let him be happy here.
He knows he messed up by showing Tim the decay that follows him around. He shouldn't have shown him his costumes. No matter how much he ached to. They were important to him. He took great care, modifying them with each hand stich over time. Hours analyzing details of Red Robin and his suit.
Cain could be held at gun point and tell you the thread count on every portion of that suit.
He's been so proud to represent Red Robin.
He never thought the actual person would ever find out, of course. Obviously he's going to react like that Cain! What were you thinking??
Cain sits down on the chilled tile floor. working through deep breaths as he undoes his stiches. Grinding his teeth as painkillers can only numb so much. Especially when its not just a surface level cut.
It's had to to be aware of how deep the rip goes. He fights back rising bile at the reminder of it.
It didn't even matter after. He just wanted to come home. Now, he's shown Tim years of his work and it freaked him out. Okay. we can work with that.
We say sorry. That's a hood start. We keep them in their box and he doesn't have to see them. He must feel so violated. Fucking hell Cain. Why cant you just be normal and not show your friend that your time spent in a sex trafficking ring had his brand all over it as some fucked safety blanket.
You want to share all of your life with him. Yes ,very sweet. After years of shoving it to the back of your mind, It's exciting to be able to tell him. Tim makes us feel safe. He's nice and he's good. It's nice that we don't fall apart when trying to tell him about our stuff.
But he's not ready to take that on for you. It hurts. I know. But you aren't what you're trying to be. We understand. We feel it all. Just breath. You want to feel special. You want him to see all of this and keep you.
We know you're tired. No one has freely chosen you before. No matter how good you were.
You have to try to be good now.
Realistically, Cain knew Tim has his partners. He knew the dynamic of how much Tim mattered to Cain strongly outweighed the other. But he really likes Tim. He's so sweet and warm and he tries really hard. He can see how much he scares Tim. He worries and he tries to help. He's very kind. He's everything and more.
Not just with these silly romantic feelings, but he wants Tim to be his friend. It could be nice. He makes Cain happy. Please let him be happy.
He knows he has more to make up for. And he will, but he's so tired. Just let him lay down here, just for a little while? Just a week and he'll be back to work.
He pushes the hair from his eyes, keeping a steady hand as he cleans out the deep oozing gash. He works with what he can reach, even if the rip down his thigh makes him a little dizzy to touch.
He sits in his shame as he stiches it back up. Tim must be so revolted by him. He winches in sympathy as he tugs on his shirt. Heaving his body up with help from the sink.
And Tim doesn't even know the half of the potential problems here. Cain would really have to just end it if that were the case. He dismisses the thought quickly. Dressed and brushing out his hair he mulls over how to fix this. He has to fix it.
Tying his hair back, he returns to the same room he forced himself into. He really has no shame it seems. Pulling on his hoodie, eyeing his bare legs debating if his shorts should maybe be retired for the season. He decides to keep them a little longer.
Returning to the living area, His insides start to feel like lead. He hates when it feels like he's facing a stranger. Its Tim. Just apologize. He deserves that much.
Tim orders dinner. He's not sure what Cain likes, so he orders a little bit of everything from the chinese place and two pizzas, one cheese and one half peperoni half sausage. It's a lot of food, but he's sure he'll be hungry after patrol and leftovers are always welcome. If it ends up being too much, he can pawn some of it off on his brothers.
Cain shuffles his way over trying not to look sad or pathetic.
"I'm sorry, you don't deserve to be bitched at about this" He sighs, hoisting himself up onto the counter beside Tim.
"About what?" Tim's brow furrows, confused, eyes meeting Cains. Maybe he worries too much, but Cain looks like he wants to disappear into his hoodie, so it seems warranted this time.
"this, now, yesterday, roscoe, work, all of it really" He offers, fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie
"Yesterday was my fault, and I'm sorry. And the rest of it... I don't see it as bitching, just talking about it, and I know that's not easy, and I like that you trust me enough to let me listen, even if I'm not the best at it..." Maybe he should stay home tonight? With as tense as things are, maybe one more day of rest is warranted?
"you're the best at it in my experience. I like having 'friend' Tim more than 'boss' Tim" he smiles despite himself
"and yesterday wasn't all your fault, it's a lot. I've grown up with it and therefore have a lot of years on you in terms of accepting it"
"No, I reacted like a total idiot and shut down because of something that was not remotely your fault, and you shouldn't have had to deal with it." How is he supposed to explain that without admitting he's insane?
"Shutting down keeps us alive, whether it was my fault or not, it happened and I'd rather not keep hurting you"
"You didn't hurt me, my shutting down was completely unrelated"
"you get overwhelmed sometimes then, mostly when I'm involved"
"No, not mostly when you're involved, it's not your fault."
"Its a lot to handle in a short period of time, I can dial it back. It is my fault when I'm actively causing issues"
"You haven't caused any issues, I don't know why you think that."
"you got stabbed" he gapes
"Was it you who stabbed me?"
"It might as well have been!"
"No! You are not responsible for anyone else's actions"
"No, but i do have to take some of the accountability. My mess, My past, My responsibility. You're responsible for what you do after i tell you things, yes, but I'm responsible for telling you in the first place. You didn't ask for any of this"
"Well, I'm asking for it now. I'm in this. I want to help. Don't shut me out because you think I'm somehow better off for it. If you're not comfortable telling me stuff, then don't, but don't keep it in for my sake. That's lame, and I can make that choice for myself."
Cain sighs heavily, tugging Tim to face him properly before holding him by the shoulders,
"I know you can handle yourself, you're an adult and you've survived this whole time without my interference. But you're also my friend, I like where we are right now. I like things not being so lonely anymore, therefore, I care about you. If theres anyone who is currently able to know every bit of whats been going on, its you" He pauses to smooth over a nonexistent wrinkle on Tims sleeve.
"but i know you worry and you want to help, you're very sweet and you work really hard. You've kept us as safe as possible, but there are somethings you cant fix and they make you upset. Sometimes you go where i can't reach you and that's what I'd like to avoid. If this is going to happen, the only way we both don't run ourselves into the ground is if you trust that I can help. I won't leave if you stumble. I'm pretty hard to get rid of once you have me"
"I know that, if you left at the first bit of trouble, I'd already be dead. I don't mean to be unaccessible, I'm not used to not having solutions. I want to help, I want to know what's going on. But, I've messed up... yesterday especially. And with the whole stabbing thing. I don't want to cause you more stress. So... from now on I will try to just sit and listen and not recklessly try to fix things unless you ask me to." He's not sure how he'll manage that last bit, but he has to try.
"at this moment, you are the least stressful aspect of my life, but i would appreciate less recklessness" He nods, patting the sides of tims face for emphasis
"I'll keep you informed of things that would be important for you to know about, so they dont surprise when they show up unannounced"
"Is there anything you just maybe want to talk about..?"
"many things, none right now, but eventually. Is there anything you just want to know?"
"I want to know everything eventually. At this point, I don't even know what questions to ask to get there."
"everything's a bit of a big ask, we'd need more time. How about we just start with the basics?"
"Okay..."
"what's your favorite color?" he grins, Its open and clearly very proud as he tries to hide it by biting his bottom lip.
"Oh, we're doing that. Okay, um... I don't really know? I suppose it has to be red, doesn't it?"
"It doesn't have to be red, you aren't legally obligated i dont think"
"Well, in that case, I don't know that I have one. What's yours?"
"blue" He shrugs,
"why do you look so scared of me sometimes?"
"I- what? I don't..? I'm not." Does he? No, why would he? He's not afraid of Cain, he has no reason to be.
Cain tilts his head to the side, considering this,
"scared for me" he corrects , mostly to himself
Tim scrambles inside, half out of breath, so late to the gala it had surpassed fashionable and just seemed sloppy. Luckily, the dark lenses of his mask meant noone could tell how utterly exhausted he was
Cain breaths a sigh of relief as he finally spots Tim barreling into the Ballroom. practically swimming over through the crowd to get to him "there you are, you look great by the way so I wont kill you yet"
"I'm so sorry. You look amazing. I mean wow, you really went all out. No clue how you manage." Tim gasps for breath, he should not be so winded, but panic will do that to a guy.
"you're good, If you weren't here in 10 minutes I was just going to flirt with your boyfriend to make a good impression" he teases, Leading Tim over to their table. Grabbing a champagne flute and handing it to Tim on the way before pausing at their table
"Ah, thanks." Tim takes the glass, sipping it. He was not expecting real alcohol. He barely masks his reaction "I'd pay money to see that. You wouldn't last 10 minutes."
"you're doubting my abilities?" he asks, smirking before he checks his watch
"Ives can melt a human being with words alone. I mean, have you seen him?"
"I have'' he nods in agreement "unfortunately we don't have 10 minutes for me to drag anyone's reputation by suggestively breathing at them"
He sits down as the small army of servers file into the room. Cain takes his chance to check his phone for the first time that evening. Finding no sign of emergency he pockets it again, despite no messages don't really put him at ease.
Ives is already in his seat. He glances up, pocketing his Game-boy SP, "Do I want context?"
"I don't think Tim would like any of my explaining" He leans back as his plate is placed in front of him
"Feel free, I could use the entertainment"
"right, well, since timtimtaroo here was late, I informed him of my mad rizz, which he does not believe in, but I wont show prove my point because there are reporters who have been watching all night"
"Timothy" Ives scolds playfully, "Cain is very charming, why would you doubt him?"
"Probably because he says things like 'mad rizz'"
"It keeps me hip with the kids"
"Does it?"
"Oh yeah, Eden thinks im so cool"
"Eden thinks a random sock is cool."
"he also thinks your music taste is cool"
"No offense to Eden but they've got kinda shit tastes"
"hes 6 weeks old, practically just spawned in!"
"Well hopefully he grows out of it."
"maybe once he stops cosplaying dobby the house elf"
Tim snorts with laughter "oh my god"
"he's a free elf anyway, no matter what he tells you"
"Because of the sock?"
"because of the sock"
Cain escapes the crowd, ducking into the hallway before eventually finding Chen hiding out at the Parlors bar. apparently he had the same idea as Cain.
He steps up to the bar, leaning against the polished wood for support before ordering an Old fashioned, and downing it purely from how thirsty he is.
he whines slightly before looking over to chem, "hiding out?''
@chen-mao-wattson
"Yeah.. I had to clear my head, and it was kind of obvious Rin still hasn't come around to seeing me as often as she does." Chen took a sip of his beverage, the liquid burning his throat, but he was used to it at this point.
He glances over to Cain, his expression dimmer under the mask, "What about you? You decided to hide out too?"
Cain hums, nodding before pushing his mask up "just needed a moment, check on things other than the gala" he tried to laugh
"Ah," Chen responds shortly, somehow not being able to act like himself. It was like he was kind of bothered by something—not with Cain, no, but something else.
"I hope Rin isn't causing much havoc on the dance floor. She loves to dance when it comes to galas like these."
"Even if she does, anyone with a problem with it will have to deal with me" he shrugs, ordering a more respectable like an Espresso martini
"bothered by her inattention?" he asks, sipping his drink
"I, uh.. no. Not that bothered, but it does get kind of hurtful when the person who clung to your hip and begged for uppies when they were a kid is now fully ignoring or shunning away your presence."
Chen murmured, alcohol loosening his tongue a bit as he told what he felt about Rin's behaviour.
It was fair. He left her to deal with their father's death alone while he was off drinking his sorrows away in Star City for god knows how long.
Cain hums in agreement, taking a slow sip "does she know that?"
All Hallows Eve Gala
Open rp starter
Rin was quietly sitting by her table, watching as people mingled and talked. She was used to galas like these from the Waynes, so why couldn't she get the hang of it tonight?
Was it because she didn't have a date? Or anyone to talk to? That couldn't be it. She had Harlan to talk to, but no date. She and Cain were third-wheeling for Tim. Kind of.
Her brother was probably hiding out god knows where, but she didn't deal with that right now. Instead, she excused herself, smiling at the seated guests at her table before heading over outside to the rose garden in the venue.
It was quiet, and it was nice, but not nice enough. She then heard someone clear their throat, making her turn around.
"hey-" Cain shuffled from foot to foot with the universal awkward wave
"needed some air?" he asks sympathetically, nervously rubbing his upper arms out of habit.
"O-oh-! Uhm, yeah, it was getting a little crowded inside. I'll come back in soon." She smiles at Cain, not really wanting to bother him with anything since he was already hosting the event.
She was fine. She just needed some air, just like Cain said. It wasn't the fact that she felt a bit lonely with no one to dance with or the fact that she was getting lost in her thoughts again and again whilst conversing with other people. It wasn't that. It couldn't be.
Cain softens a bit, "i get that" he gestures to his ears, more specifically his hearing aids giving him a blinding headache from all the noise inside
"want to go check out the maze? maybe then everyone will see the world wont end without me monitoring them" he jokes, trying to ease the tension as takes a step closer to rin
Rin notices the hearing aids, letting out a small "ah" and understanding why Cain was out here with her.
"I'd rather not— Chen might start looking for me and get lost himself.."
It was a lousy excuse, really. Chen wouldn't look for her any time soon, and with the scale of the gala? It was fine to go into the maze. Everybody was too busy mingling with each other.
"alright" he nods
"I could keep you company if you'd like, then we dont have to watch all the couples suck face" he half jokes
HAS ANYONE SEEN HERMAN????
@henchmen4hiresmiley
( Herman Walks In. )
am here
no need to yall kid
you're late -_-
i Have a Life and a Job
I know you have a job!
I don't got a hull lot of time ok?
"I know. I'm sorry, i didn't mean to be snappy" he sighs Looking from Herman to the crowd of pristinely dressed men with seedy smiles across the hall
"They've just been circling like the assholes they are" he adds, looking back to Herman
mh Good to Know
"If you get trigger happy, keep it in the hallway, bill me after"
Good to Know, and If Any One Asks. Say draugr did it
"If anyone would ask, I wouldn't have my job in making inconvenient things disappear" he shrugs
"drinks on me, Ill comp any time you spend here that you could have used for another job, watch your drinks though, asbestos is apparently the thing this year"
All Hallows Eve Gala
Open rp starter
Rin was quietly sitting by her table, watching as people mingled and talked. She was used to galas like these from the Waynes, so why couldn't she get the hang of it tonight?
Was it because she didn't have a date? Or anyone to talk to? That couldn't be it. She had Harlan to talk to, but no date. She and Cain were third-wheeling for Tim. Kind of.
Her brother was probably hiding out god knows where, but she didn't deal with that right now. Instead, she excused herself, smiling at the seated guests at her table before heading over outside to the rose garden in the venue.
It was quiet, and it was nice, but not nice enough. She then heard someone clear their throat, making her turn around.
"hey-" Cain shuffled from foot to foot with the universal awkward wave
"needed some air?" he asks sympathetically, nervously rubbing his upper arms out of habit.
"O-oh-! Uhm, yeah, it was getting a little crowded inside. I'll come back in soon." She smiles at Cain, not really wanting to bother him with anything since he was already hosting the event.
She was fine. She just needed some air, just like Cain said. It wasn't the fact that she felt a bit lonely with no one to dance with or the fact that she was getting lost in her thoughts again and again whilst conversing with other people. It wasn't that. It couldn't be.
Cain softens a bit, "i get that" he gestures to his ears, more specifically his hearing aids giving him a blinding headache from all the noise inside
"want to go check out the maze? maybe then everyone will see the world wont end without me monitoring them" he jokes, trying to ease the tension as takes a step closer to rin
Cain escapes the crowd, ducking into the hallway before eventually finding Chen hiding out at the Parlors bar. apparently he had the same idea as Cain.
He steps up to the bar, leaning against the polished wood for support before ordering an Old fashioned, and downing it purely from how thirsty he is.
he whines slightly before looking over to chem, "hiding out?''
@chen-mao-wattson
"Yeah.. I had to clear my head, and it was kind of obvious Rin still hasn't come around to seeing me as often as she does." Chen took a sip of his beverage, the liquid burning his throat, but he was used to it at this point.
He glances over to Cain, his expression dimmer under the mask, "What about you? You decided to hide out too?"
Cain hums, nodding before pushing his mask up "just needed a moment, check on things other than the gala" he tried to laugh
"Ah," Chen responds shortly, somehow not being able to act like himself. It was like he was kind of bothered by something—not with Cain, no, but something else.
"I hope Rin isn't causing much havoc on the dance floor. She loves to dance when it comes to galas like these."
"Even if she does, anyone with a problem with it will have to deal with me" he shrugs, ordering a more respectable like an Espresso martini
"bothered by her inattention?" he asks, sipping his drink
HAS ANYONE SEEN HERMAN????
@henchmen4hiresmiley
( Herman Walks In. )
am here
no need to yall kid
you're late -_-
i Have a Life and a Job
I know you have a job!
I don't got a hull lot of time ok?
"I know. I'm sorry, i didn't mean to be snappy" he sighs Looking from Herman to the crowd of pristinely dressed men with seedy smiles across the hall
"They've just been circling like the assholes they are" he adds, looking back to Herman
mh Good to Know
"If you get trigger happy, keep it in the hallway, bill me after"
Cain steps onto the platform. his least favorite platform out of all platforms present (re: 1). He gently taps his small spoon against his champagne flute (who needs so many different sizes of spoons?). Adjusting his microphone to distract from the sea of eyes staring up at him, he clears his throat,
"Honored guests, We would like to announce that the dancefloor is now open to all! we encourage you to join in and dance the night away!"
It’s been a while since she had ever been in heels, but this was the night she’d allowed herself to ignore the pain she’d get later. Gave her extra confidence.
And it was obviously shown in the way she talked and greeted people tonight, the way the dress hugs her body and flows from it gave it such a feeling of comfort in herself. Or maybe it was the intimacy with herself that the mask gave her.
She was not so much found of galas, but definitely this was a dream of it, even if the nasty smell of alcohol was present. The fancy outfits and the masks over people's faces made it entretaining almost like this was taken out of a novel.
"Such a nice event"
She said before sitting at her assigned table.
"Ms. Gordon! glad you can make it!" Cain greets enthusiastically, on his fourth or fifth rotation of mingling with each table "you look stunning as per usual"
//i realize now I just slept through the entire gala and im sobbing-
// dw queen , im stretching the hell out of this, I fell asleep at loke 2am last night , almost missed my exams ;^;
Ima try and cheese it till 16:00 Gmt today lol
//jumping from blog to blog like a tennis match against myself
All Hallows Eve Gala
Open rp starter
Rin was quietly sitting by her table, watching as people mingled and talked. She was used to galas like these from the Waynes, so why couldn't she get the hang of it tonight?
Was it because she didn't have a date? Or anyone to talk to? That couldn't be it. She had Harlan to talk to, but no date. She and Cain were third-wheeling for Tim. Kind of.
Her brother was probably hiding out god knows where, but she didn't deal with that right now. Instead, she excused herself, smiling at the seated guests at her table before heading over outside to the rose garden in the venue.
It was quiet, and it was nice, but not nice enough. She then heard someone clear their throat, making her turn around.
"hey-" Cain shuffled from foot to foot with the universal awkward wave
"needed some air?" he asks sympathetically, nervously rubbing his upper arms out of habit.
TABLE II
┃ [Navigation] ┃ [Table Allocation] ┃ [All Locations] ┃ [Floorplan] ┃
Cain weaves his way through the sea of people, making the rounds to greet everyone under the sun.
"hey guys, How are things over here? Do you guys need anything?" He hopes he's convincing enough that everyone thinks he regularly interacts with people.
At the new arrival, Tim turns to address Cain with a smile. “Yeah, it’s all great.”
His eyes narrow as Tim quickly recognizes the signs of someone overworking themself. Tim was usually the one to have to be forced to take a break, but maybe he could play the other role this time.
“Do you need anything? Have you sat down once this whole night?”
Cain laughs awkwardly, "I have not, but it comes with the territory, but I am coping" He smiles
"I hope the press hasn't been bothering you too much, we try to keep them at bay"
Tim waves dismissively at the mention of the press. “Eh, like you said, right? It comes with the territory.”
“You put a lot of work into this,” he observes.
“It’s turned out well. Definitely more tolerable than most of the stuffy galas I have to suffer through.”
"that was the mo" He jokes
"you seem to have lost your Konnor" he observes
Tim smiles at the mention of Kon. “Yeah, he does that. He’s… weirdly easy to lose in a crowd. I’ll find him eventually.”
Tim conveniently leaves out that he often keeps a tracker on Kon so he knows where the other is. He didn’t think to do it tonight, though…
“Did you see him?” Tim asks, badly feigning indifference, “Is he okay? Did something happen?”
"nope, you usually gravitate in the same area. Its unusual to see you apart"
“Yeah… I’m gonna go find him. Great gala, Cain!” Tim smiles at him as he gets up to go track down his boyfriend.
He did enjoy Cain’s company, and wouldn’t mind talking more with him someday.
"TELL HIM I SAID HI!!" Cain calls after him with a smile
