Happyverse Christmas: Oh What Fun

[sylph_fics]

Title: Oh What Fun
Cowriter: merfilly
Characters: Bats, Arrows, Bird, and a couple of Supers
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4, 144
Continuity: Thanksgiving fluff gathered Here, and Christmas gathered Here
Disclaimer: DC Comics makes the money, people
Notes: It's official... HappyVerse is our refuge from the meaner things in comics.
Summary: The rest of the day, and the evening




The workout had gone well, and both teens decided a shower would be in order, but as soon as Mia saw Tim off to the upstairs, she went in search of his other half. Finding him was not difficult; Lian had him tied up in winter ribbon to a chair.

"Dart, honey, can you go find your daddies or Alfred?" She tried hard not to snigger at the Super Teen.

"Sure aunt Mia!" Lian said with a grin and scampered off.

Kon shook his head, amused, and yanked at the ribbons with his TTK, most of them coming apart easily. "Hey, Mia. You were right, she's a handful," as he stood up, looking a little worse for wear. "Where's Tim?"

"Grabbing a shower." She leaned against the wall. "Look, I probably shouldn't even worry about it...but I wanted to be sure you and I were cool." She tried hard not to look down from his eyes. "I mean, I know I'm just a newcomer in Tim's life and all, but he's... he's like the only real friend my age who is in the biz I've got. And I won't get in your way or anything, I just wanted to know... that you're okay with me hanging out with him."

Kon sighed, brushed a dangling piece of ribbon off his arm and walked over. "Mia... It's cool. You and Tim've gotten tight--and I think he must've really needed somebody, I mean, with everything..." His hand moved, trying to say everything that'd happened to Tim without saying it, "Yeah. And I remember what it was like to be the new kid in the business. We're completely cool." //As long as you don't start trying to take him from me, I mean.//

She breathed a soft sigh of relief, then did meet his gaze with full force of her personality. "I won't see him hurt. He was only just getting knit back tight." Her fierce protectiveness of Tim was evident in her body language and tone. "So please...be very careful with him."

"He's been my best friend for as long as I've known him, Mia... and I'm not going to hurt him if I can help it. He's... he's Tim."

She read his face, looking pensive, then nodded. "Kon...You're a part of him...and I'd like it if you and I might...be friends too," she said softly. "He needs us to be, and you're not so bad, you know."

Kon tilted his head at her, then nodded. "It'd kind of suck if his best friend and his... boyfriend? partner? whatever, couldn't get along... and you're pretty cool yourself--from, you know, what little I got to see of you before things went to hell. I think this'll work."

Mia grinned at him. "I'd hug you but I stink from the work out. And I think we'll do just fine." She started to walk away, calling back over her shoulder. "Boyfriend suits you."

"Like I care, Lian's been running me ragged," Kon shot back at her, then the rest of what she'd said caught up and he mouthed at her back, "Suits me?" Then, louder, as he followed her, "How d'ya figure?"

She turned, walking backwards. "It sounds more committed than partner, Kon...and that's what I want to see for Tim."

"Huh. Kinda always thought about it the other way, but okay. Watch that first stair, you're almost on top of it..."

She smiled. "In our business? Where partners get fired, quit, or just...stop?" She paused there at the foot of the stairs to see if he understood her.

Kon winced. "Um... point. Pretty good point..."

"Yeah, sometimes I have more than the ones on my arrows." She nodded to him approvingly before she turned to race up the steps, not wanting Tim to question why she had stopped to talk to Kon.

Kon snorted and followed her, "Why don't I doubt that?" he asked as he headed up to see if Tim was in the shower--and if he might want company. No way was he passing up that kind of a chance, even if he was just about worn out. Mia ducked into the bathroom she was using, closing the door as Kon continued down the hall a bit.

Mia was not terribly surprised to beat the boys out of the shower. She was still toweling her hair when she heard Roy in his room and thought of the Titans weekend. Dressed in her house shoes and thick robe, she padded down and knocked, hoping he was alone.

"Yeah?"

"It's Mia," she called through the door. "Got a minute?"

"Sure. Just a sec." The door opened after a moment, revealing Roy in a pair of slacks and an unbuttoned dress shirt, and Dick draped across the bed in a pair of black slacks. "What's up, Mia?"

Mia smiled shyly at Dick, before nudging her head to her room. "Private?"

Roy blinked, shrugged at his lover, and followed Mia across the hall. "What's up, little sis?"

She took a deep breath. "We called the Tower," she said, voice low. "Didn't want to mention in front of Dick, as Tim plans to talk to him...but we've got a get together planned for next weekend." She fiddled with her sleeve hem. "Ollie's taking Dinah out on a date, and Kyle's got to go before that...so I was hoping you might let Connor sit Lian and come."

"Who's planning this one? And.. how'd it go? Sure, I can foist Lian off on her uncle--he might need the distraction."

Mia nodded at him. "It went...well. I just...Kon's asked that Cassie be there. And we want all the Titans there. Even the newbies trying to join...but I worry Cassie...they say she wasn't quite sane, you know?"

"Well, yeah, but Donna's had a hold of her the last couple months. She'll be back to as normal as a demigoddess gets by this point, or Donna won't let her come. No worries there... but... did Tim take that okay?"

"Yeah, they had already talked about it." The girl archer breathed a sigh of relief. "Makes me glad to know you'll be there, bro."

"Course I will. It's the Titans. We're family, but after that, Titans first, remember."

She grinned. "Alright...shoo...I've gotta get dressed...and dinner is formal, isn't it?"

"Of course, in this house," Roy said, rolling his eyes. "Sure, I'm gone." He walked out her door again and went to see what trouble his lover had gotten into while he was gone.

"What was up?" Dick asked, turning from buttoning dark red silk--and Roy's eyes flashed hot at the sight. //You are just looking to get jumped, aren't you Grayson? I'd think you'd be exhausted...// "Aw, nothing much. Just family stuff. Nothing to worry about..." He walked over and ran his hands down Dick's sides.

Dick tucked his forehead against the side of his jaw, leaning close into the touch. "Okay."

"I swear, short pants, I'm going to start wearing blue and black if you don't knock this off..."

"Mmm... I'd complain?"

Roy allowed himself the liberty of kissing along the collar line, up along Dick's earlobe, then pausing. "I'll just have to unwrap this present later," he whispered, his hand brushing lightly over the front of Dick's pants.

Dick gasped as his hips shifted forward into that touch, "Yeah, you will. Damn shame dinner's so soon..."

"Damn shame," Roy agreed, adding one firm grip before moving away to finish getting ready.

Dick muttered something in Russian and shook his head at his redhead, prowling through the room seeing what he'd left where--and why the heck he had some of it.

"Anyone ever tell you you'd explode if you had to just sit?" Roy grinned at him. "And where's all this energy coming from? Have I gotten that lax?"

"Oh, it's been mentioned once or twice," Dick agreed, turning to smile back at him, heat in his eyes. "Hell, no, you haven't... but I've been running on three hours sleep for so long that getting this much more..." he shrugged, hands spreading out. "And... I'm... happy. Honest to god happy, and you know that sends my energy through the roof..."

Roy moved to him, cupping his head in both his hands and pausing in kissing range. "I hope you stay this happy a long damn time, Robbie."

Dick smiled back at him, "Me, too, hotshot," then lifted suddenly, closing the rest of that distance to kiss Roy like a snake striking, licking at his lips with quick, sure flicks of his tongue. Roy tried hard not to crush Dick close, then gave up and reeled him tight to his body, deepening the kiss. Dick just purred and curled against him, kissing him just as deep.

A knock on the door caused Roy to spring back, with just a hint of the goofy grin of guilt from much younger days.

"Boy-o...Lian's insisting Unca Dick brush her hair."

Dick had mirrored his move, and was caught between flushing about it and laughing. "Sure, Dinah, I can do that," he called as he got control of himself and walked to the door, pulling it open. "Hey, Lian..."

Dinah held the girl in her forest green velvet dress out to Dick, looking rather unready herself. The blonde flew back down to her room, half dressed in a slip and a robe barely concealing the fact.

"Brush my hair?" Lian smiled brightly, holding up her brush.

"Sure," Dick said, though he shot a worried look over her head at Roy, who just smiled reassuringly. He walked over to the bed and settled her down, then started carefully brushing out her straight black hair. "You look very pretty," he told her as he brushed.

"Thank you." She dimpled up at him, then sat still for his brushing, her eyes inspecting her daddy one good time. She was quite satisfied that this time everything was going right, and her daddy really was happy.

"You're welcome." He finished brushing her hair, and looked uncertainly at Roy about what to do with it now that it was brushed out. Leaving it down in her face didn't sound smart...

"Want it clipped back?" Roy asked, and her other little hand opened to show two bows of a red that offset her dress perfectly. Dick offered him the brush, shifting to get out of the way.

"Stay close...might be your job next time," Roy said, sitting and adeptly using the brush, his fingers, and the bows to make Lian's hair behave. Dick watched, filing away what needed to be done. //Doesn't look that hard...// When Roy was done, he dropped a kiss on his daughter's head, then smiled at Dick. "All done?" He glanced down at his own clothing to be sure he was ready.

"Thank you Daddy!" Lian turned and hugged first him, then Dick, crawling into Dick's lap.

"Yeah, I think we are," Dick nodded, then pulled her close. "Hi there baby girl..."

Lian gave a small sigh, fingers playing with the collar of Dick's shirt. "Aunt Dinah had to threaten Unca Connor and Unca Kyle again...Unca Kyle must be very tired for Unca Connor to keep making him take naps so much."

Roy bit his lip to keep from laughing at his little girl's summation. Dick shook his head, trying not to laugh at that, "She did, huh? Well, he did have to fly all the way back from Oa, and that's a long way..."

"Farther than Star City?" Lian asked.

"Much, baby. It's close to the center of the universe, they say," Roy answered. "Not even on Earth."

"Might as well head down, I guess--though I think I'll go do my own threatening, if Tim and Kon aren't out of their room..."

Roy grinned. "World's finest, the teen version..." He held his hands out, and Lian happily threw herself at him, snuggling tight as he stood up.

"They kind of always have been," Dick said with a shrug--then a very odd expression crossed his face and he shook it off firmly as he headed towards Tim's room. "Yo, bro!" as he rapped at the door. "Dinner's on in--"

"Ten minutes and twenty... two seconds, yes, Dick, I know."

"Damn, Tim...clock in your...well, no, it's not there," Kon said, unrepentantly being bad as he joked at Tim, fussing with his shirt. It, like most of his clothes, was new, and Dinah had fitted him rather close.

"Eh. Standard Bat-trick, Kon, don't let him spook you with it," Dick said, grinning.

Tim walked over and swatted Kon's hands away, then resettled the shirt carefully. "Now leave it alone." He looked every inch the privileged young man he'd been born, even in the relatively casual dress clothing he'd matched Kon with--distracting as it was to see Kon in dress clothes.

"He can't spook me...I know too many of his secrets," Kon retorted. "Why'd she have to monkey me up?" he complained, missing his casual jeans and tees.

Tim's lips curved slightly. "I'll have to remember to disprove that, later," he said softly--Dick missed it, muffled as it was by the door, but replied to Kon's complaint. "Because dinner here, with this much company, is an event, and you don't want to see the kind of look Alfred would give you if you came down in jeans and a T-shirt. I promise. Been there, done that--at about your age, too."

Kon laughed at the thought of Nightwing testing parental authority that hard. "Gotcha, Ni...Dick." His eyes, though, stayed on Tim, smoldering with a wish to just stay in their room all night.

"See you downstairs, guys," Dick called and followed Roy and Lian.

"Hey, Dick c'mon back," Tim called, and Dick pushed the door back open. "Yeah?"

"We're all heading out to the Tower this weekend, everyone's being called in. I figure we can just hang around here, make it easy for someone to pick us up, yeah?"

"Who's running this show?"

"Cyborg, he's hooked into the Tower computers. Cool?"

"Yeah. It'd be good to see everyone," Dick nodded and shut the door again.

Tim couldn't help the smile at his brother's words, then caught the look still burning in Kon's eyes and his own burned with the same hunger. Very, very reluctantly, he shook his head and stepped back, reaching back for the doorknob. "I don't want Bruce coming up after us," he said in explanation. "And I am hungry. It's been a long day."

"You need to eat anyway, bony little..." Kon kept up the teasing, even as Mia stepped out of her room down the hall. She was wearing red...in just the shade a blonde could pull off with a demure cut.

Tim rolled his eyes and stepped out. His eyes caught motion and he turned, "Wow, Mia!"

"Damn, girl," from Kon, after a quick check of the hall.

She smiled, shaking her head. "Thanks, Tim; Kon." She walked toward them, raising an eyebrow. "And is it hot right here? Or just you two?"

Tim smiled slightly, amused, while Kon laughed outright. "Thanks, Mia."

"Mia, you'll come be my date when Deb season starts up, right?" Tim so wasn't above begging. "I'd just take Kon, but..."

Mia rolled her eyes, then giggled. "Hon, you'd have to be the Deb...Kon can't pull off a dress."

"Been there, done that, not doing it again for anything less than life or death," Tim replied, shaking his head, "and if I keep this growth spurt up I won't be able to anymore either."

"You... what?" Kon stuttered, sure he'd heard that wrong...

Mia looked at Tim hopefully, but realized the time. "Yeah, I'll escort you...if you tell us that story."

"Not much to tell. I didn't look old enough as a guy to pose as a nurse to get the information I needed, but as a girl..." he shrugged a shoulder. "It was easy. Annoying, but easy."

Kon relaxed. Not the weirdest undercover op he'd ever heard of, and much easier on his nerves.

"And like I said, I'm not doing it again for anything less than life or death."

Mia nodded. "You're getting too cut for the look anyway." She walked a bit to one side of them as they headed downstairs.

"Pretty much, yeah," he agreed, flattered by the compliment and doing a pretty successful job of hiding it.

"Hey, Mia, that's my line," Kon protested mildly, but he was grinning at her.

She paused, looked him over with every ounce of Arrow cockiness that was hers, and grinned. "Yeah well, I figured you were breathless from looking at the picture you make together."

"MIA!" both of them yelped in an uncanny stereo, staring at her with very similar embarrassed looks, even Tim flushing.

She laughed happily, having managed to fluster them both.Behind them they heard the master suite opening, and Dinah's voice carrying. Tim just shook his head at her, then headed towards the dining room, finding Dick, Roy, Lian, Kyle, and Connor. //Where was he hiding that, or did Connor pack for him?// he wondered about Kyle's clothing, given that he'd opened the door for the man.

Roy looked at Mia with Tim and Kon, noted that when she went to her chair, it was to sit beside Tim, with Kon on the other side. Connor noted his sister and the boys with a touch of a smile, while Kyle truly was amazed to see the teens so cleaned up.

Tim had tugged her chair out--and Dick laughed as Kon imitated the move for him. The expression Tim turned on his boyfriend was just too good. Roy had to grin at that, then he looked down at Lian to see her sizing up the not-quite-threesome. He wondered, with a hint of trepidation, just what she was making of them.

Kon just flashed him a smile and settled down, saying hi to the table idly as they waited for the adults to show up.

Dinah turned an exasperated eye toward Ollie, adjusting his collar...again...as she waited for Bruce to escort them down. She was dressed in shades of blue, and had foregone her new choker from Oracle for the necklace Ollie had given her that morning, with the matching pieces from her 'children'.

"Can't wait to see you in Bruce's present, Pretty Bird."

Bruce joined them just in time to hear that, "Neither can I, Ollie," he agreed.

"Mmm. Then I suppose...we're going to have to find time to get back together, just the three of us," Dinah purred. She smiled as Ollie took her arm and offered her other to Bruce so they could go down.

"Apparently so. Where would you like to go?" in the self assured tone of a man who could most certainly make it happen, as he took her arm and headed down to join their family for dinner.

"Somewhere....not in the States, for a change of pace." She then laughed softly. "Not that Barbara doesn't send me galivanting around the world enough, but I so rarely get to enjoy the places I go."

"How does joining me in Hong Kong next month sound? We'll still be in that part of the world."

Ollie nodded. "I can swing a free spot in my schedule."

Dinah shrugged her shoulders. "I can't commit til I'm sure Helena can pick up my end of things...she's been kind of swamped, tutoring kids through the holidays, getting ready for the first round of tests coming up."

"We'll work around it," Bruce nodded once as they reached the doorway.

Roy was the first to notice them among the archers, and he felt that old surge of pride that came with having a well matched set of parents. Dinah was gracious as both her men helped pull her chair out, and then she smiled at the family. "Hope everyone is well-rested," she said with a hint of teasing.

"I think most of us are," Dick said with a slight grin, then everyone's attention turned towards Alfred, who was bringing in supper.

As usual with one of Alfred's meals, things became very quiet until plates were polished clean--even Lian's, then the conversation turned towards evening amusements. There was a movie Lian wanted to see, some animated Christmas-ish thing that Dick just knew was going to be deadly dull, but they could indulge the little one. That triggered Mia's memory of something she wanted to see, and though Tim groaned at how many faults he was going to pick up in the fight scenes, at least it wasn't a chick flick she wanted to go to. Kon was up for it just because it was something he would actually get to see. Kyle wanted to head into the city to do some shopping, given that he owed everyone presents--the adults protested, but he just shook his head at them--and Connor wasn't about to be left behind, given how little time they had.

That took care of the children, and when Alfred volunteered to drive Tim, Kon, and Mia in, Bruce was fairly certain he knew where he would be for the time the movie was running, and approved. It was good for him to have some time to himself. That left the three of them at loose ends... until Dinah softly suggested the gym, with a smile on her lips. He smiled back, considering how long it had been since he'd had a match with someone of her caliber--and Ollie sighed softly. He turned towards him just as Dinah promised not to leave him out in saccharine-sweet tones, and he backed that. A three-way match would definitely be challenging, and he welcomed the opportunity.

He saw their eldest sons--and he'd never believed he would ever refer to Harper in that fashion, but it was the simple truth--exchanging a look easily read as 'sparring, riiight', and shook his head slightly. They could believe as they liked. He stood easily, extended a hand to Dinah, and the three of them headed out of the room to change back out of dress clothing and into appropriate workout gear.

He heard Tim and Mia volunteer to help and be gently rebuffed by Alfred, and smiled slightly. Dick called after him, "Hey, dad, I think we're headed to the Monarch, can I take the XKR?" and the smile in his voice was huge.

"Yes, Dick. You know where the keys are," he called back over his shoulder before walking up the stairs, hearing Dick laugh and Roy whoop softly, while Lian asked what they were so excited about.

*~*~*~*

Once he had delivered his charges safely to the theater, Alfred turned the car toward the East End. He would not have much time...but he could go see his friend and wish her a mery holiday in person. He knew she was likely up to her elbows in patients, it being a holiday. Carefully, he made sure the small gift remained in his pocket, smiling sadly at what he had chosen for her. Typically he would give her a present befitting her station in life, but something had prompted him to pick up an item more typical to Miss Gordon.

As he suspected, she was most busy, and he took the opportunity to set her gift on her desk, before offering his help, and the help of three wayward heroes once he picked them up. Leslie declined, while giving him a fond smile in passing. He tipped his hat to her as he left, a crisp wish for good holidays to her and her volunteers.

Later, when it all had quieted, Leslie hugged the small eggplant-colored plushie tight, and thought of the vibrant girl in happier settings, blessing Alfred for the gift.

*~*~*~*~

Roy carried his sleeping daughter in and up to bed while Dick took care of the security, then went to 'their' room, Dick joining him mere moments later and curling around him. "They're still in the gym," he shook his head, amused. "Looks like Ollie took a shot to the head, he's making commentary at them, but Dinah and Bruce are still going strong..."

Roy blinked. "Damn near three hours... some stamina. Reminds me of us on a good day... and Ollie probably forgot to duck. He does that."

"Oh, like you ever last that long with me," Dick teased, and grinned as Roy's eyes lit hot, "That sounds like a challenge, birdboy..."

"Who, me?" Dick asked innocently, then laughed as Roy knocked him backwards into the bed, curling around him.

*~*~*~*

Kyle piled presents under the tree for the next morning, then headed upstairs with Connor to spend the night reminding himself how damn lucky he was.

*~*~*~*

It was a while yet before the eldest set headed to bed to... apologize for the various injuries they'd given each other in a way all their own.