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theyoungdetectiveIt's the wind down of Tim's shift at the smoothie bar, and he was extra glad he wasn't scheduled to help close tonight. He still has at least three hours of patrol scheduled for after he meets up with Billy and he wouldn't be able to get any sleep if he doesn't make himself pass out at three at the latest. Getting out a couple of hours early lets him maintain his night time activities and his sanity.
And just because his schedule last month was a mess due to said night time activities and he was getting side eyed hard by his shift supervisor, didn't mean he was going to hold back on the perks of the job. It's a quiet lull and he's making two last smoothies for himself and the other boy for a pre-workout charge.
Tim glances at the clock and contemplates how he'll have to smother any urges to ask about Steph. He really, really hopes Billy doesn't want to talk to him about her and just goes with the plan to blow off some steam. The last thing he needs when he goes on patrol later is to be thinking about how he missed yet another one of his loved ones navigating this place. The loved one, hard as it was to admit it, especially considering that Billy was dating her. If she was his Stephanie. Confirmation would just having him off his game, and that would mean trouble for not only himself, but anyone he tried to help.
And just because his schedule last month was a mess due to said night time activities and he was getting side eyed hard by his shift supervisor, didn't mean he was going to hold back on the perks of the job. It's a quiet lull and he's making two last smoothies for himself and the other boy for a pre-workout charge.
Tim glances at the clock and contemplates how he'll have to smother any urges to ask about Steph. He really, really hopes Billy doesn't want to talk to him about her and just goes with the plan to blow off some steam. The last thing he needs when he goes on patrol later is to be thinking about how he missed yet another one of his loved ones navigating this place. The loved one, hard as it was to admit it, especially considering that Billy was dating her. If she was his Stephanie. Confirmation would just having him off his game, and that would mean trouble for not only himself, but anyone he tried to help.
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Date: 2016-05-09 01:44 pm (UTC)By the time he was ready to meet Tim he felt exhausted already and wrung out but still angry, so maybe this was a good idea. They could punch some stuff and Billy could get some of his anger out and maybe just sleep forever.
"Bummer," he said when he saw Tim. "I was hoping this was one of those places where you had to wear a funny outfit."
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Date: 2016-05-12 02:32 am (UTC)"Sorry to disappoint. They do try to encourage yoga pants, though," Tim admits. "But I gotta draw a line."
He spends enough time in embarrassingly form fitting pants as is, and at least his Red Robin suit has a reason to be so. If he were an instructor, Tim would get the encouragement, but he doesn't need the unwanted attention while he's blending overpriced fruit and ice.
"So, you ever box or anything like this before? Like for gym or something?"
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Date: 2016-05-15 06:03 pm (UTC)"Well, maybe they'll make you wear a dumb hat or something eventually and I can come laugh at you," Billy said. Time seemed like the kind of guy who would be okay with a little friendly teasing. It was nice to have friends he could do that with. Until those friends left.
"I mostly do mixed martial arts but I've practice punched on a bag before and have fought at the fight clubs."
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Date: 2016-05-19 06:14 am (UTC)"Really now?" he asks, curiously. Tim misses a good spar, but while he can explain himself wanting to know self defense at his small size and rich-kid pass, he would never be able to justify going to a fight club. There's not a lot of room for improvement when you are looking to lose, after all, and taking the wrong hit would take him out of patrol. If he's going to risk a hard blow, he'd rather risk it with a mugger in an alleyway.
"You do well with those? I only do this kind of thing to keep in shape and a little self defense."
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Date: 2016-05-21 02:56 pm (UTC)"And it seems like it's working for you. To, uh, to keep in shape," Billy said, face flushing as he remembered what it felt like to have Tim pressed so close against him.
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Date: 2016-05-21 03:18 pm (UTC)"Yeah, well... Wish I had done it more when I was younger. Dealt with bullies more," he admits. Knowing how to fight spared him any black eyes when he mouthed off as himself after being Robin, what with how he still had to play the nerdy, spoiled rich-boy bit. If he had asked for boxing lessons instead of a camera when he was ten...
"Stubborn is actually a pretty good fighting tool. At least, that's what my step-dad's butler always says. It's all about tiring the other guy out and finding the right moment."
Speaking of, the other barista on shift taps his shoulder and lets him off.
"Perfect timing. I'm just gonna change real fast in the back."
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Date: 2016-05-23 05:02 am (UTC)Billy wasn't a detective or anything, he didn't even read watch those police procedural shows on TV all that much. But he had paid attention when Steph was talking. He'd paid attention a lot. So when Tim was talking about a butler for hist step-dad who gave wise advice on fighting? That rang some bells.
The first thing he thought of was that he had to share this with Steph, she's be so happy that someone she knew was here. Then he remembered that Steph was gone. That he wouldn't ever be able to share stuff like that with her again.
"Well, Alfred gives pretty good advice from what I hear," Billy said, trying to play it off as casual to hide the sudden flash of pain and the fact that he was taking a complete shot in the dark.
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Date: 2016-05-23 02:45 pm (UTC)"He really does."
He doesn't change as quickly as he intends to in the back after that. Really, it isn't surprising. Tim has mentioned that he's from Gotham, and was rich and adopted. He's been able to piece together that Billy's missing girlfriend is Steph and it wouldn't at all surprise him to know she talked about home often. Tim avoids details that could tie him too easily to the Wayne name, and never uses it on anything that doesn't require him to pull out his identification. But he can't see himself doing as much of that with a romantic partner, so he won't blame Stephanie if she blabbed. He just needs to clear up on how much of it she shared with Billy.
He can't give the other boy an interrogation, either. He doesn't have many friends still, and Billy is steadily shaping up to be one of the few. Plus, he's hurting, far moreso, than Tim over this. So he'll approach it as a friend and see where that goes.
He exits the back, changed into a thin tee and joggers for their workout.
"So... How much did Steph tell you?" he asks slowly.
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Date: 2016-05-24 08:42 pm (UTC)For a moment while Tim was gone to change Billy thought about running away. He wasn't sure if he had it in him to talk to Steph's ex-boyfriend about this stuff. Before he could make up his mind though Tim came back.
"She told me about her ex-boyfriend Tim and about your weird family situation. Her family life sucked so she kind of talked about other families."
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Date: 2016-05-26 03:29 am (UTC)"I hope that doesn't change your opinion of me. Things were... kinda rough between us last I saw her in Gotham. I have to admit I was avoiding her until I figured out what I could even possibly say to her after I found out she was in the city. Didn't even know you two were dating until...."
He falls silent there.
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Date: 2016-05-29 05:40 am (UTC)"She- she thought you were pretty great," Billy said, glad that he didn't have to lie to Tim about it. Of course, maybe the truth sucked because Tim was trying to give her space when he didn't have to. Steph would have been really happy that Tim was here. And now she'd never know.
"I'm sorry you didn't get to meet her here."
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Date: 2016-06-11 02:40 am (UTC)They approach the gym, finally, and he pushes the door open for Billy. Tim wonders if Steph were here, would they all still be friends together? Would she be happy to punch a few bags, if not full on spar? He pushes the thought aside as he sets down his bag and tosses Billy his spare hand wraps.
"So... This is it. How hard do you want to hit something?"
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Date: 2016-06-12 05:21 am (UTC)"I want to destroy something," Billy said, not looking at Tim when he said it. Instead he just focused on his hands, wrapping them like he'd been shown. It was safer to do all this as Billy, to hit a punching bag while he was just a normal human. Billy did feel ashamed for wanting to destroy something though, but not so ashamed that he wouldn't do it.
"I just want to hit something so hard I can't think anymore."
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Date: 2016-06-12 05:47 am (UTC)"Just... breathe. Breathe and don't think about anything other than hitting the bag."
Tim braces the bag, keeping it secure for him and nods again for them to start.
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Date: 2016-06-15 04:43 am (UTC)"I can do that," Billy said, clenching his jaw as he tried to take a loose stance in front of the bag. Every muscle in his body wanted to tense up though and he knew that wasn't right for fighting. Then he remembered that he wasn't really fighting and that he didn't care about that right now.
His first punch was all wind up. It never would have hit anyone because they would have seen it coming a mile away but it hit the bag with a satisfying force. His next one was more in control and faster, followed up another one, this one from his other hand. 1-2-1-2 he worked the bag, hitting it as hard as he could without worrying about saving any energy for later or anything like that. He just hit it.