[ It’s a helpless under-his-breath declaration, because he couldn’t keep quieter than that.
The face smushing helps. He wouldn’t be able to shush if he wasn’t tucking his face against Kon’s shoulder. The hand smoothing over his hair is better yet, just an extra sliver of deliberate contact. It’s not just about talking Tim down from the side effects: it’s wanted.
The lack of self control isn’t only verbal, Tim realizes miserably, when his whole body flinches at the mention of the lake. When Tim sank in the cold water and didn’t come back up, and his lungs were burning.
(He can taste the water he coughed up and the relief when his eyes opened again to see Kon and Bart.)
He draws a shaky breath. He can’t fill a Tim-sized hole, but he can smooth out a divot without making this worse. ]
I’ll tell you if it’s him. Or Ra’s al Ghul. I won’t shut you out as much, and you can have your pick of second cities. You want to snowbird? I’ll use an entire tub of sunscreen. Start a metahuman foster care system in Montpelier? Ask me now because I don’t think I can lie.
[ Kon’s not taking advantage of it; he’s giving Tim what he needs to feel less stripped. Tim’s giving him permission because he trusts him to not ask questions that will hurt them both. They’ve both been burned by Tim’s reluctance to open up first. If he’s going to keep blurting out truths, they might as well be answers that one of them wants. ]
no subject
[ It’s a helpless under-his-breath declaration, because he couldn’t keep quieter than that.
The face smushing helps. He wouldn’t be able to shush if he wasn’t tucking his face against Kon’s shoulder. The hand smoothing over his hair is better yet, just an extra sliver of deliberate contact. It’s not just about talking Tim down from the side effects: it’s wanted.
The lack of self control isn’t only verbal, Tim realizes miserably, when his whole body flinches at the mention of the lake. When Tim sank in the cold water and didn’t come back up, and his lungs were burning.
(He can taste the water he coughed up and the relief when his eyes opened again to see Kon and Bart.)
He draws a shaky breath. He can’t fill a Tim-sized hole, but he can smooth out a divot without making this worse. ]
I’ll tell you if it’s him. Or Ra’s al Ghul. I won’t shut you out as much, and you can have your pick of second cities. You want to snowbird? I’ll use an entire tub of sunscreen. Start a metahuman foster care system in Montpelier? Ask me now because I don’t think I can lie.
[ Kon’s not taking advantage of it; he’s giving Tim what he needs to feel less stripped. Tim’s giving him permission because he trusts him to not ask questions that will hurt them both. They’ve both been burned by Tim’s reluctance to open up first. If he’s going to keep blurting out truths, they might as well be answers that one of them wants. ]