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The kitchen is meant to be off limits. Lucky for Tim, Alfred is busy tonight in the Batcave taking care of Bruce after he decided to test his piercing damage resilience. Tim shouldn't have laughed when the Batsuit failed, but the look of shock on Bruce's face had been ridiculous. So, he'd been kicked out of the Batcave when they got back. And Tim had a craving for ribs. He managed to get the meat, garlic, and honey, before he zeroed in on tenderizing the meat. Something something Tim couldn't focus on one thing at a time.
"Jesus Christ!" Tim jumps at the appearance of someone in the threshold of the kitchen. It's Jason's silhouette. He's not one to visit the Manor often and the only reason he's here now is because he'd gotten sick and Dick dragged him back by his leather jacket when he found out Jason was still on patrol.
"You can't just sneak up like that," Tim mutters. He brings the mallet down a little harder than he should. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jason twitch. "You want some? It's gonna be a few hours. We can throw on a movie or something." Jason's been trying to catch up on the media he missed during his death and time with the League of Assassins.
"I…" Jason sniffs. He still sounds badly congested. "No. I just… Heard you." Tim shrugs as he brings the mallet down again.
"I'm making extra anyway," Tim says, "I wouldn't mind." The next time Tim brings the mallet down, Jason flinches again. Tim wonders if his hearing is coming back. Jason had been struggling to hear properly the last few days. Tim remembers having to say the same thing five times at increasing volumes just yesterday before Jason heard him.
"I thought…" Jason isn't the type to trail off. It has Tim pausing with the mallet on the backswing. Jason speaks with confidence that he earned after all his time as Robin and then as Red Hood. Something making him pause is enough to make Tim pause.
It hits Tim in an instant. The meat on the cutting board and the metal in his hand. He almost drops the mallet at the realization. Instead, with a shaking hand, he sets it next to the cutting board.
"Let's get you back to bed, alright?" Tim says. He doesn't mention the faraway look in Jason's eyes when he gets close. He wipes his hands on the apron and throws the piece of clothing over a chair. Alfred would be pissed. Tim isn't focused on that right now.
"Sorry," Jason says as they walk up the stairs, Tim with his hand wrapped around Jason's shoulders to take some of the weight. "Didn't mean to ruin your midnight meal."
"Nah," Tim says, "Should've been paying attention. Bruce would be disappointed if he saw you get the jump on me." Jason snorts.
They make it to Jason's room faster than Tim thought they would. The bookshelf across from Jason's bed is empty except for a ratty book of Journey to the Center of the Earth. Tim helps Jason into bed, tucking the blanket under his chin even as the literal crime lord complains. Tim grabs the copy of the book he noted and sets it on the nightstand. It's one of the few books Jason's left behind when he grabbed most of his stuff from the Manor.
"Thanks," Jason mutters as Tim makes his way out of the room. Tim shrugs.
"Not a problem." he says. "I'll bring by some ribs when they're done."
Tim is sure to make good on the promise.