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XOXO ❅ VALENTINE'S EVENT
One major problem with being the group that's responsible for solving all kinds of problems in the myth world is other myths can kind of be dicks about it. That's why, on Valentine's Day, Cupid shows up, quickly offloads his kid (the toddler Baby Cupid), and runs off to take care of spreading love on his holiday, with barely a how'd you do. He doesn't even say thank you.
To be fair, you can't fault him too much for only trusting the Guardians to babysit his kid in these dangerous and uncertain times, especially when children at risk against the fearlings.
Still, that means there's a giggling toddler, about 2-years-old in appearance, but maybe with the mental age of a 4 or 5 (he is definitely old enough to understand he's being naughty and deserving of a time out) flitting around the Pole causing all kinds of Valentine's related problems. Fortunately, the toddler has learned that he's not quite old enough to know the right times to help people fall in love (Adult Cupid just helps things along when they're already falling, or when they need help falling back in love, of course).
Instead, Baby C is doing what his father taught him to do and causing all kinds of tricks to try to get people to admit feelings that already exist or manufacturing ways for them to become closer to each other.
HONESTY ARROWS ♥ Baby Cupid isn't shooting magic arrows that cause anyone to develop feelings for each other but he sure is trying to make sure people talk about whatever feelings they have. Anyone hit will be compelled to blurt out various truths about themselves, their personal history, and their feelings to whoever is around them and will have difficulty stopping or drawing themselves away. In fact, if someone walks away they'll feel compelled to find someone else to confess to. The effect wears off anywhere between 5 minutes to a half hour.
TATTLETALE ROSES ♥ Vines of roses are now growing all over the Workshop. For those who are in love, they take the form of the face of the person they're in love with. The more they try to hide it or deny it from someone they're talking to, the more of them bloom with the person's face.
THORNY VINES OF CLOSENESS ♥ The rose vines have their own annoying purpose: bonding! For people that clearly need to become friends, fall in love, or fall deeper in love, thorny vines will wrap around both people, forcing them into a little cage together. The thorns fortunately won't poke them - they seem to be maneuvered in a way to just make sure there are no gaps to escape through. The vines are magically reinforced and can't be opened with any physical or magical means. After that, one of two things will happen:
1) A card will fall from the ceiling of the cage saying: Tell each other how you really feel about each other!!! This will happen if the cage thinks they need to affirm the status of their relationship, whether they need to admit they're in love, admit they've been bitten by the friend bug if they're reluctant to, or really need to talk about how much they mean to each other as friends. Only then will they be let out of the feelings shame corner.
2) If the two don't know each other, or both people could afford to get to know each other better multiple cards will drop from the ceiling with icebreaker questions, as if they're a bunch of new hires at an orientation.
How many will they have to answer before they're released? Who knows! But they have to answer them honestly or the cage won't open.
CANDY LONELY HEARTS ♥ People who are on the lonelier side and in need of support might find a candy heart on a random surface. The messages on them are on the platonic side (Like "You rock!" or "Shine on!") They'll feel compelled to eat them (even if they're on the floor). When they do, a glowing red thread will appear and tie itself around their finger. Briefly, in the air, the glowing string will form into letters that tell the person what they need to do to be release, whether it's telling someone they're lonely, asking for some kind of support, or admitting a vulnerability.
Then it'll whip out and grab someone else nearby, wrapping around their finger as well. Sometimes, two people might eat a candy at the same time and each have a string appear and they'll tie in the middle.
The strings are unbreakable, and they won't be set free until whoever ate a candy talks about their loneliness or vulnerable feelings - regardless of whether or not the other person is an eager listener.
❅ Starters: You can make up your own wildcard effects, feel free! If you do, please consider posting it to the Wildcard comment below so others might be able to pick up the same effect as well if they like them.
❅ Multiple effects: Feel free to have characters slammed by as many of Baby C's traps in the same thread as you want. No reason someone can't have the worst luck and trip three Cupid traps at once or several of them in a row.
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And Kon knows it, too, or knows to not let Tim go when he’s embarrassed nowadays. Feeling small is halfway to being small, but he’s never shrunk when touching someone else. Like an instinctual failsafe.
The offered embrace is too much to resist, though, and Tim takes him up on it immediately to hide in the open. Only when he feels secure and junk does he risk opening his mouth again to breathe the truth. ]
They shot you.
[ it was so quick, when Tim was right there and already blathering about his fear of loss. He wants to hold on until the magic fades, but it’s not all about him. ]
We can’t talk face-to-face. Yet.
[ The word is added with a growl of exertion, as Tim strikes a bargain with the truth. ]
I need five minutes if you want me to be okay with eye contact and this.
[ He can’t lie. Not even white lies about how they can talk face to face. Tim doesn’t - he tries to not hide the big truths from Kon. But he window dresses. Hides the mess.
He’s a disaster. ]
Especially if you’re going to get all Hallmark. With me.
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[One of his hands brushes the hair on the back of Tim's head. Ever since they started dating he's loved excuses to play with his hair.]
So, gonna circle back now... [Sorry, Tim.] And let me get through all this in case you change the subject a bunch more times. I'm going to say my piece, okay?
[There's too much risk Tim'll blurt his way into more subjects and even hope it happens to move the conversation on.]
First of all, you can't actually screw things up by doing any of those things. We'll figure out a living situation, that can yes, include Gotham - although it'd be nice to have a place in a second city or something so I can get a break from Gotham being, like, intense to death sometimes.
[Not "we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it" or something noncommittal. "We'll figure out a living situation" like it's inevitability. Like he's already given it thought. Like he's been thinking about the future.]
I'll also know which promises will be total bullshit because I know you and I know the things that are important to you and I know the things you'll need to be doing. I know you'll take risks I hate. I know you'll face some serious creeps and I'll hate that even more. I know Batting it up will eat up time you'll really want to promise to me. I know sometimes date night will get interrupted by you going and saving some kidnapped kids from getting their faces eaten by Killer Croc or something. And that there are some situations where I can't Kool-aid man my way in to help or it might blow up worse or attract stronger bad guys to Gotham.
It's okay. If you promise something I know it's 'cause you really want to give it.
Sometimes I'll have to break promises too and run off to help Kal, Kara, and Jon stop a tidal wave in Sumatra or something. Someday when Kal retires, that'll probably be even more of a thing. Jon might need help sometimes. Very big red boots to fill.
I also get that you're going to struggle with the overprotective self-sacrificing thingy. I will too.
[He briefly presses his lips together in a taut line.]
I know since I was so oblivious that you probably have it in your head that I wouldn't have been completely wrecked if things had been in reverse. Thing is...I think I would've wound up less oblivious and only figured it out too late.
And like yeah, I probably would've attempted marginally less resurrection attempts, but only 'cause I'm a little better at leaning on people than you are when I'm hurting. And better at dealing with feelings stuff.
There still would've been this you-shaped hole forever, though. Just like ripping a thread back all the way almost to the beginning of my entire life. And nothing would've ever fixed it.
For half a second after - after what went down on the lake, and Bart and I got you out of the water - I was worried that's how it was gonna be.
And when I think about how that'd feel...I get it. I get why it's going to keep being so hard for you to stop trying to put me ahead of you. I'm going to try not to do the same thing because I know you need me to try but I might cave and break it too.
We'll both just have to try to turn those situations into protecting each other as much as we can instead. Us against whatever together.
[The PTSD thing he's still turning over in his head first because there's less of a pat answer. He knows Tim will (justifiably, given Gotham) distrust therapists. There's no easy solution.]
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[ 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. ]
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I don't need to ask about it all right now. I already know that when we get back home and have a chance to really sit down and plan things that we'll figure out where to meet in the middle. And that you'll make sure I have what I need to be happy just like I'm gonna to do for you.
[They don't to chart out their whole future right now while Tim is forced to be honest. Kon doesn't need proof he'll follow through on trying to be flexible enough to have a life that includes Gotham and something else.]
[He knows when they get to that planning, Tim absolutely will make sure Kon gets a space away from Gotham to breathe. There is nothing but pure trust that Tim will step up to the plate to work it all out with him in a way where they can both be happy. He doesn't need to press for any truths to believe that.]
I mean, come on, back in the last world, we were already living together before we were even dating. While basically in hiding from the Alliance.
We managed to make a life together as dimensional refugees in a breadbox roach motel, on the lam from the law. We didn't even have social security numbers. Of course we'll be able to figure out a future together when we finally get back home.
[A future together. There it is, right out in the open. This isn't just some temporary thing that can only work on strange adventures in other worlds. Kon's been thinking about a future together like it's a foregone conclusion.]
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[ Because Kon refused to let Tim file the immigration papers on his behalf, or even finish preparing them. It just slips out, like it all slips out because he's turned into a sieve. Or that's how he makes himself feel better about the confession, but Tim's proud of his cleverness and hacking feats. The only real issue is why he got them. ]
But I wasn't going to hack the databases again to get rid of them. Social security numbers only have names and birthdates - which were fake - so there wasn't anything putting us at risk. I'd made enough of a mess, and I didn't want to lose you. I didn't have you, but if I got caught manipulating a government database, I knew you'd think I was being overprotective again. I didn't want you to move out of the roach motel because... I wanted you to stay with me.
[ He'd like to think that the forced declarations aren't why he's saying this, that Kon's hope for a future together that gives him the freedom. ]
You make everything steady. You make me steady, even when you make me crazy. I don't - if we don't get home for years, I don't want - to wait for that. For a future plan. I like plans.
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[He wants him to see how pleased he is. Wants him to see how much he wants this at a time it'd be harder than ever to hide it.]
Then we can make a plan. Either right after this wears off or even right now. It depends on what you want.
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It all melts away under the warmth of that smile. He likes seeing Kon that happy, loves that he's the one who put that expression on his face. Maybe he could've done it better after a year or two of agonizing over the production of it. But this - it's better.
Tim can't help it. He leans in and kisses Kon's cheek. ]
I want to make you keep smiling like that. Is that both?
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That's a both. I'd say that's a right now and a later.
[He taps his other cheek.]
You missed a spot, though. C'mon, Timbo, you're usually so thorough about things.
[His comically exaggerated pout meant to say "my other cheek is lonely now, fix it."]
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[ Said with a dangerous amount of cheek, as Tim shifts so that he’s kneeling on the window seat with his arms on Kon’s shoulders. He smirks his way into another kiss, right where Kon tapped. ]
On purpose, because we’d never get anything done if I kissed you as much as I wanted.
[ It’s not something that Tim would normally say - doesn’t mean it’s not true - but the words feel odd in his mouth, almost as an aftertaste. But rather than panic at the blurt, Tim will let it stand as a flirt. ]
I don’t know why I said that. I can’t spend the whole afternoon macking on you and hiding from Cupid. But I want to.
[ He brushes his lips against Kon’s jaw as a demonstration. ]
I can’t say anything stupid if my mouth’s busy, and I’m dreading the shovel talk Mrs. Kent is going to give me someday.