Chapter Text
The mountain was always cold after a mission.
Which, you know, that made sense. Water was wet, fire was hot, the base built into a mountain made of hard stone got drafty and cold. While a blessing in the summer as it remained cool even in the most brutal blistering heat, in the winter it was another story entirely. It held onto the cold something fierce. Someone had once suggested improving the insulation, and Batman had apparently responded by saying the temperature was within acceptable parameters. Tim had decided that was proof Batman had never actually sat on the common room couch at two in the morning mid-January.
Tonight, after six hours of chasing smugglers through an abandoned industrial complex, the cold felt particularly offensive. Like it was truly some sentient force out to get them.
Cassie was rubbing her hands together, and Bart had burritoed himself in a blanket so thoroughly that only his face was visible peaking out from the folds. Even his feet were engulfed as he shuffled towards the den. Tim had changed into coziest sweatpants and hoodie he had in his dorm room here and it still felt like he could see his breath in the air if he squinted hard enough. Okay not literally. But another degree colder than it already was and he'd be able to, he swore.
Kon, meanwhile, looked perfectly comfortable because of course he did. He was like the living embodiment of sunshine. One smile from him and Tim could swear he felt himself heat up-okay. Yeah maybe that part was more due to Tim then Kon but Kryptonians really did run hot. Something about solar energy absorption and their bodies being absurdly efficient living engines. Tim had once looked up the exact physiology behind it, mostly because he was curious.
Mostly.
He definitely hadn't spent over an hour reading about Kryptonian thermoregulation because he'd noticed that Kon's skin was warmer than anyone else's and it happened to be one of the many many things that intrigued him about the other teen in ways that weren't purely scientific. That would be weird.
And he wasn't weird.
He was just... observant.
And he had certainly observed that Kon made an excellent heated blanket. This had, of course, been established through extensive field testing. Obviously. Theories had to be tested. And apparently not tested only by himself. The entire team was well aware of Kryptonian thermoregulation by now. Tim was obviously still the expert. He doubted anyone else could access Watchtower files on alien biology from the comfort of the Batcomputer, but everyone had gotten the chance to test it several times.
Enough times that there was now an unspoken hierarchy whenever they watched movies at Mount Justice. Whoever got Kon's lap got the best seat. Once someone claimed his lap, it was theirs for the movie runtime.
It was not romantic.
It was not weird.
They were teenagers who had spent enough time getting thrown through walls together that personal space had become more of a more of an abstract concept of society then anything they actually adhered to. Bart had fallen asleep on Cassie's shoulder before. Cassie had once used Tim's lap as a pillow for almost an entire afternoon. Everyone... EVERYONE had heat leeched off of Kon multiple times before.
They were family.
That was all.
But yes Tim was also very aware that Kon's lap was warm and that it also made him very warm in ways that just the ambient body heat couldn't fully explain and he certainly wasn't going to try and unpack all of that himself tonight.
That was also all.
The four of them dragged themselves into the common room, and Kon immediately dropped onto the couch with an exhausted sigh.
Bart's eyes instantly went to him. His posture shifted and the corners of his mouth tilted upwards.
"Dibs!"
Bart launched himself toward the couch, flinging the enormous blanket off him in an effort to to distract and impair anyone else from the ultimate goal already sitting on the couch. Amateur work but Tim gave him a point for the enthusiasm. Cassie caught him by the collar before he got more than a few feet.
"Dibs don't count in this situation," she gave him a light shake.
"They absolutely count!" Bart insisted, his legs pinwheeling almost cartoonishly in the air as Cassie held him aloft
"They don't!"
"They should! And air jail is cheating!"
Kon stared at Bart and Cassie bickering from the couch with an exhausted look. Then at Tim, who was standing a safe distance away and trying very hard not to look amused. The Kryptonian's expression slowly became one of profound resignation.
"Are we really doing this again?"
"Yes," Cassie and Bart said together.
Kon closed his eyes in defeat.
Tim had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. This happened every time without fail. There were probably several perfectly reasonable ways to solve the problem. They could rotate seats. They could draw straws. They could acknowledge that Kon was a person rather than a piece of communal furniture.
Instead, they had somehow developed a competitive system around who got to use the Kryptonian as a heated weighted blanket.
Tim had no intention of stopping it. He's Robin. He had, after all, come prepared.
"Let's at least pick the movie first," Tim said, picking up the remote and pulling up Netflix.
Cassie narrowed her eyes at him and Tim ignored her. He scrolled through the selection. There were several perfectly acceptable options. Something funny? Something mindless? Maybe one of the superhero movies Bart liked, or the next few episodes of whatever show they were all watching together. Instead, Tim stopped on The Iron Giant. He could feel Cassie's suspicion intensify from across the room.
"Really?"
"It's a good movie," Tim shrugged.
It was a good movie. The Iron Giant was a classic. A masterpiece really. That much wasn't a lie. It was also strategically ideal. Because Tim knew things. He did his research, and he planned things out to the last detail. He knew that Kon liked the movie. It was one of his favorites actually. He knew Kon identified with the Giant in a way he probably didn't realize was obvious. And Tim knew the quiet moments got him more than the action scenes did.
Most importantly, Tim knew what happened to Kon during the emotional parts. Kon got subconsciously protective. His arm would tighten around whoever was closest. His shoulders would tense. Sometimes he'd pull the person against him without seeming to realize he'd done it. Tim had noticed this a long time ago. He had also, purely in the interests of scientific observation, noticed that the effect was stronger during particularly emotional scenes. There was a pattern and Tim knew patterns. He was Robin. These were the fruits of his detective skills.
This was tactical analysis.
Nothing more.
Absolutely nothing more.
He started the movie. The seating arrangement remained unresolved. Cassie and Bart continued their struggle for position while Tim sat at the opposite end of the couch, looking perfectly uninterested in getting involved with this conflict. He was, in fact, extremely interested. However, as the only member present without any super powers he had to play this smart. He had to be patient. One wrong move a second too soon and both Bart and Cassie would put an end to it. He stretched slightly, subtly nudging the abandoned blanket into position.
Bart twisted from Cassie's grasp, but didn't make it more then a step before she had him in a headlock. Tim waited. Not yet. Bart became a blur as he vibrated out of confinement. He turned, foot slamming onto the ground. Onto the blanket. It slid beneath his feet and as he crashed onto the floor, unintentionally bringing Cassie down with him... Tim moved before either of them could recover. By the time Bart and Cassie had de-tangled themselves from each other Tim had claimed victory and had settled comfortably on top of the Kryptonian.
"What?" he kept his expression neutral.
Cassie stared at him from the floor, "You were waiting for that."
"Nope"
"You totally were," she shook her had and stood up, hauling Bart to his feet as well.
"Do you want to watch the movie or not?" Tim grabbed the popcorn off the coffee table.
"Not fair! He's a master strategist!," Bart complained, rolling himself back up into his blanket now that he wasn't getting the space heater.
Tim ignored him. He'd won. More importantly, he had won without appearing to care. That was the trick.
Kon glanced down at him. "You good?"
"Yeah."
"You're cold?"
Tim could have laughed.
"No."
This was another lie. Kon frowned slightly, then shifted anyway, reaching down to snag a spare blanket from the basket by the sofa and pulling it across both of them. Tim's brain stopped functioning for approximately two seconds and he was so grateful that the lights in here were dim for the movie. He knew for a fact his ears were burning. He recovered though. Naturally. He was Robin. He could handle this. The movie started. For the first twenty minutes, everything went according to plan. Then Tim discovered that planning something and actually experiencing it were two different things.
Kon was warm. Heat soaked through Tim's hoodie where their sides touched. The blanket trapped it between them, turning the small pocket of space into something much more comfortable than the rest of the mountain deserved. Tim could feel himself relaxing, his eyelids beginning to droop. That was dangerous. He didn't want to pass out and miss a single second of the fruits of his labor. He shifted slightly and Kon's arm came around him automatically. Tim froze, instantly awake and aware again. The movement was casual, thoughtless. Kon's attention never left the screen.
Tim stared determinedly at the television. This was fine. This was completely normal. They had done this before. Probably. Maybe. Not exactly like this. He's never carefully planned this out before with the specific exact intentions of engineering this precise scenario. His heart was being very unhelpful right now. Tim focused on the movie and not how it thudded against his chest.
The Giant was learning about the world. Hogarth was teaching him. The story unfolded though Tim had watched enough times to know by heart. He still loved it. Which meant he knew what was coming. That was important. Because when the Giant started talking about being a weapon, Kon's arm tightened. Just slightly. Tim felt it immediately. His mouth twitched. Data confirmed. He had been right. His cheeks flushed instantly as those warm solid arms held him.
Then came the moments that really mattered. The Giant choosing. The Giant refusing to be what someone else had decided he was. Tim didn't look at Kon. He didn't need to. He could feel the subtle changes in him. A little more tension in his frame, a little more pressure in his embrace. When Hogarth cried, Kon pulled Tim closer, pressing him firmly against his chest. Tim stared at the screen with the concentration of someone defusing a bomb.
This was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. He had engineered an entire evening around getting hugged by his best friend. There were probably several psychological terms for this. He wasn't going to look them up. Later, maybe. For now, he let himself sink a little more comfortably against Kon. Just enough. Completely natural. Nothing strange about it.
From the other side of the couch, Cassie glanced over. Tim caught her eye. She looked at his position. Then at his face. Then back at his position. Her expression said she knew. Tim's blatantly ignored any and all silent accusations. Seemingly confirming whatever it was she was thinking, Cassie smiled. Tim narrowed his eyes. She turned back to the movie. Traitor. The final act approached. Tim knew what was coming. He had seen it before. He was prepared. Probably.
The Giant stood against the missile. Hogarth begged him to stay. And Kon's arm tightened around Tim again. This time, it was not subtle. Tim was pulled securely against his body, his head ending up beneath Kon's chin. Tim stopped breathing. For one completely irrational moment, he wondered if Kon could hear his heartbeat. Of course he could. Kryptonian hearing. Fantastic. Scratch that he'd probably be surprised if Bart and Cassie couldn't hear it either. It certainly thundered in his own ears.
He stared at the screen and pretended that his best friend's arms weren't wrapped around him. Maybe mind reading was somehow part of Kon's power set now because the arms around him shift a little, squeezed him tighter. Kon's chin rested lightly against the top of his head. Tim's brain supplied the incredibly useful observation that this was probably the warmest he'd ever been. And it wasn't entirely because of the shared body hear and blanket.
Then the Giant flew.
Tim swallowed.
The movie ended. Nobody moved for several seconds. Bart was sniffling. Cassie was pretending she wasn't. Kon was quiet. Tim remained exactly where he was. He had won the seat. Technically, he had won the entire evening. He should have been pleased with himself. Instead, he was discovering that the problem with master plans was that sometimes they worked too well. Kon's arm was still around him. Tim closed his eyes for half a second. Just half a second. He could stay here for another minute. Nobody would care. They did this sort of thing all the time. It meant nothing. It was just four exhausted kids after a mission, curled up together in the warmest corner of a cold mountain. Tim was simply better at recognizing useful resources than everyone else. That was all. He opened his eyes. Cassie was looking at him again. Tim gave her a warning look. She smiled. He ignored her.
Tomorrow, he'd probably be embarrassed about how carefully he'd engineered this. Tonight, though, the mountain was cold, the movie was over, and Kon was very warm.
Tim wasn't moving until he absolutely had to.
---
Kon had faced down supervillains with less fear than he felt lying in his own bed.
He was staring at the ceiling. He had been staring at the ceiling for ages. How long exactly? It was hard to tell. His brain just wouldn't shut up.
The problem was Tim. Specifically, Tim sitting in his lap. No... no that wasn't exactly right. It was part of a bigger problem. Kon had liked it. A lot. That really was the big picture problem.
He rolled onto his side and pulled the blanket over his head.
This was stupid.
He was stupid.
It had been a completely normal movie night. They'd all been exhausted after the mission. The mountain was cold. He ran warmer than the others. They'd fought over the best seat (aka him) like they always did, and somehow Tim had won.
Nothing weird about that.
Nothing weird about Tim settling against him.
Nothing weird about Kon putting an arm around him.
Nothing weird about pulling the blanket over both of them.
Nothing weird about-
Oh, God.
The squeezing.
Kon buried his face in his pillow.
He had squeezed Tim. Repeatedly. He'd known he was doing it, too. Maybe not every single time, but enough that he was very aware he was being intentional and deliberate. Whenever something happened in the movie, he'd pulled Tim closer. When the Giant talked about being a weapon, he'd tightened his arm around him. When Hogarth got upset, he'd practically folded Tim against his chest.
And then the ending.
The ending.
Kon groaned into the pillow.
He'd pulled Tim all the way against him. Tim's head had been under his chin. His arms had been around Tim's middle. He'd practically cuddled him through the entire last scene.
In front of Cassie.
In front of Bart.
Oh, God.
Had they noticed?
Of course they had noticed.
And Tim...
Kon's stomach twisted.
Tim had definitely noticed. He was like the greatest detective ever. He definitely noticed that his best friend was just using the movie as an excuse to hug him tighter then absolutely necessary.
Maybe he hadn't noticed. Maybe Tim had just assumed Kon was being protective because of the movie. That was possible. Probably. Hopefully. WHO IS HE KIDDING?
Kon knew himself too why he'd done it. He liked holding Tim. He'd liked it long before tonight, for months even. Maybe longer. It had started innocently enough. Tim was his best friend. Tim was strong and stubborn and constantly cold and somehow always ended up sitting too close to him anyway. It was natural to want to keep him warm.
Except it wasn't just that.
Kon liked the weight of Tim against him. He liked having an arm around him and the way Tim relaxed when he did that. He liked when Tim leaned into him without thinking. He liked-
Kon rolled onto his back again. This was a disaster. An absolute unmitigated DISASTER. He had a crush on his best friend. A massive, embarrassing, catastrophic crush.
And apparently tonight he'd decided to express it through the subtle medium of squeezing Tim every time the animated robot experienced an emotion.
Fantastic.
He covered his face with both hands.
What if Tim knew? Kon had practically held him like a stuffed animal, there was no way he didn't know.
He made a strangled noise and rolled over again.
"Idiot."
The room, mercifully, did not answer. Kon turned onto his side and pulled the blanket up to his chin.
He was doomed, completely, hopelessly doomed. The worst part was that, despite all the embarrassment and panic and certainty that he'd been way too obvious... he still wanted to do it again. He wanted Tim back in his lap with that familiar weight against him. He wanted to pull him close and feel him relax.
Kon squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will himself to sleep.
"Tomorrow," he whispered to himself, "I am going to act completely normal."
His brain supplied the image of Tim curled against his chest again, Kon groaned and disappeared beneath the blanket.