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Conner stood outside the Red Hood's door, or rather Jason Todd's. Not that that necessarily made it better, but Tim did trust him, and Conner would be stupid to discount that. That didn't mean he hadn't been hoping it would be Tim who opened the door.
"Come on in, kid," Jason said. "Timmy isn't home from school yet."
Conner nodded and followed him into the apartment. He glanced around, not really getting the chance the first time he was there. The lamp had been replaced, but other than that it just looked like a normal apartment, par a handful of weapons and gadgets strewn around.
"Do you like tea?" Jason asked, motioning for Conner to take a seat at the table.
"Uh, I've never had it," Conner said, sitting down.
"A true crime. I'll make you a cup."
Conner watched as he put a kettle of water on the stove and pulled out two cups, and tea bags. It was strange to see the Red Hood doing something so mundane. He was on the most wanted list, regardless of the fact he was in jeans and a t-shirt. If Clark ever found out Conner had been in the same room as the guy, much less drank tea with him, Conner knew he would lose the small amount of trust he had painstakingly worked for.
Part of Conner couldn't bring himself to care. Jason was Tim's brother, and he wanted to be a part of his boyfriend's life, both in and out of cape. If that meant becoming friends with a crime lord, so be it.
Another part remembered being alone. Being seen as nothing more than a possible threat and less than human all because of being a clone. Hardly able to leave the room they had put him in without being watched like a hawk. Clark only ever looking at him with distain and discomfort in his eyes.
He knew it wouldn't get that bad again. Tim, Bart, and Cassie would never allow it. Hell, Tim had promised him if the Justice League ever tried he'd neutralize every one of them. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the thought from running in his head.
"Hey, you in there?" Jason asked, setting down a mug in front of him.
"Oh, um yeah. Thank you," Conner said, taking a sip of the tea. It wasn't too bad.
Jason took the seat across from him. "You're welcome," he said. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing really."
Jason let out a hum. "I'm not giving you a shovel talk if that's what you're worried about."
Conner nearly choked. "What?"
"Timbo could beat you blindfolded, and he likes you. I'm not messing that up for him. Besides, I've never read or heard of a relationship where someone didn't end up hurt at some point." Jason set down his tea cup. "That wasn't it, was it?"
"No, look, it's nothing." It wasn't, not really, but it wasn't like Clark would be doing a 180 about how he felt about Conner anytime soon, so it was better to just ignore the problem. Or, in Bart's case, tie his shoe laces together, so he would trip when he stood up.
Jason frowned, but didn't press him further. "Where is Tim Tam taking you tonight?" He asked, changing the subject to Conner's relief.
"Tim's mentioned a diner he wanted to take me to before," Conner said, a small love struck smile tugging at his lips. "Otherwise, he wanted to keep it a surprise."
Jason reached across the table to ruffle Conner's hair. "You two are too cute, Connifer."
"Connifer?"
"There really aren't that many good nicknames for your name, so Connifer. Or Connathon. I'm working on it."
"Connathon."
"It was better than Connie, that one was just lame."
That implied Jason thought the other two weren't lame.
"Anyway, onto what I was actually going to tell you," Jason said. "I already tried to tell Tiny Tim, but he didn't want to listen. I'll be gone until about five or six tomorrow morning, so you two will have the place to yourselves. I know how teenagers are, so—"
"Oh God..." Conner whispered in horror. Was this a sex talk?
"—For future reference, please make sure if the two of you intend on having sex to make sure I won't be here. Don't tell me either." Jason quickly added. "I don't want to know what my little brother and his boyfriend get up to. It was bad enough that time I walked in on Dickwing and his partner as a kid. That trauma will never go away." He visibly shuddered.
"I— We haven't ever—"
"I said I didn't want to know," Jason interrupted, holding up a hand. "Just use protection and clean up after yourselves. I'm not really sure how Kryptonian biology works, but Tim knows where the kryptonite is if you two decide your powers need to be—"
Conner buried his face in his hands in sheer mortification. "Please, shut up."
Realistically, Conner knew it couldn't have been more than two or three minutes of being forced to listen to Jason before his salvation appeared in the form of Timothy Drake, but it felt like an eternity. An eternity in a new circle of hell where he would have to hear his boyfriend's older brother drone on about safe sex until he went insane.
"Tim!"
"Timbo!"
Conner's voice was no doubt frantic, a stark contrast to the teasing tone of Jason's.
Tim's eyes narrowed as he stared at Jason. "What did you do?"
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything to Conno."
Conner couldn't even find it in himself to acknowledge the nickname.
"That's why he looks like he's going to be sick?"
Jason gave him the fakest innocent smile Conner had ever seen.
Tim turned to Conner. "Please tell me he didn't give you a shovel talk."
"I almost wish he had."
Tim paused for a moment, a look of thinly veiled horror on his face. "Oh god, it was the sex thing, wasn't it?"
Conner could only nod.
"Seriously, Jason!"
Jason didn't dignify him with an answer, instead herding Tim and Conner towards the door with a shit eating grin. "Have a good time! I'll be doing the crime lord thing all night, so you'll have the house to yourselves. Remember what I told you!"
Conner turned to Tim once the door closed. "I don't think I'll be able to go to sleep without hearing The Red Hood talk about safe sex for the rest of my life"
"He didn't have props, did he?" Tim asked. "He threatened to give me that stupid talk with props."
"No," Conner said. "Do you think he actually has props?"
"I choose to not think about it." Tim took Conner's hand.
Conner squeezed his hand back. "Next time, I'm making you sit through your brother's sex talk with me."
"I'll take his gun and shoot him in the leg, so we can run," Tim laughed. "C'mon, I know a place with a really nice view of the city. I think you'll like it."
Conner smiled. As long as Tim was there, he had no doubt he would.