Young Justice: Carnival Part One (The Set Up)
By: Kairan and Khauzy
Time-Line: Starts before Dinner with the Wayne's
Rating: T
Kon had contacted Tim and went to wait for him at their usual spot, a little cafe at the edge of the business section of town. Kon was seated at one of the outdoor tables and spun the straw in his glass. The carnival was in town for the weekend and they had decided to spend the day there. He drummed his fingers along the table; Tim was running late.
There were a few car horns heard blaring before Tim appeared, running through the crosswalk despite the flashing red 'do not walk' sign. Tim skidded to a stop and hunched over, his hands holding onto his knees.
"Sorry, I'm late," Tim panted. "Apparently Jason stayed over and decided to be an ass and messed with the tires on my bike."
Tim had managed to make it off of the freeway before whatever Jason had done to his bike took effect. He'd gotten himself and his useless motorcycle off to the side of the road and then sprinted to the cafe, as swinging there from his grappling line would have drawn a lot of unwanted attention.
"We can get it on the way back then. Did you stash it somewhere good?" Kon asked and watched as his boyfriend caught his breath.
"Yeah, it's in some bushes," Tim straightened up. He wiped a bit of sweat that had formed on his brow and frowned. "I'm killing him if he's there when I come home."
"Here, sit down." Kon pulled Tim into the empty chair and handed him his glass. "We have plenty of time, don't..." He chuckled. "...sweat it."
"Shut up," Tim growled, but took the offered glass and sip. "I'd like to see you run all the way here from that bush."
"I probably could." Kon chuckled a little when Tim said bush. "And you're sure Bruce isn't going to call for anything?"
"I asked him not to unless it was like, a Crisis-Emergency," Tim said and set the glass back down. "Gotham is usually calm during the day. I think we'll be fine."
"Good. And Jason doesn't know where you're going right?" He had already interrupted before their date even started, all Kon needed was for the jerk to show up at the carnival.
"No. Dick said he left before six this morning, so he's probably out doing what he does best," Tim sighed. He still didn't understand why Bruce just let him into the manor like that and then didn't even do anything.
"Great!" Kon patted Tim's shoulder. He liked all the people in Tim's life but just didn't like Jason or what he did. He didn't know all the details and he really didn't care; but from what he gathered, if Bruce had a favoured son, it was Jason. He could get away with anything, and he usually did. Kon shook his head. "Forget about it, let's just enjoy the day."
Tim nodded. "So what are we doing?"
Kon flashed a grin. "I heard the carnival's in town."
Tim's face lit up. The last time he went somewhere like that was when his parents took him to the circus and he met Dick for the first time. "Really? You want to go?"
"I haven't been to one and I thought my first one should be with someone I knew I could enjoy it with." Kon leaned across the table and pressed his forehead to Tim's. "Besides, it gives me a chance to win you a giant bear or something."
Tim snorted and kissed Kon lightly on his nose. "You and Wally really need to stop watching those TV shows together."
"It's better than him giving me books." Kon shut up quickly and stood up. "The bus would be faster, mass transit okay?"
"That's fine," Tim said and stood up, smoothing out the creases in his clothes. "Ready?"
Loud, carnival music hummed in the air and mixed with laughter and the joyous cheers of the vendors as the boys exited the bus. Kon smiled at Tim once before he sprinted ahead. "What do you want to do first?"
"Let's ride something!" Tim said, noticeably excited.
"Well there are a lot of things to pick." Kon pointed up at the Ferris wheel. "Something like that or something faster?"
"We can do that last," Tim said absently, already scanning the area for attractions. There were a lot of game and food booths near the entrance and a few smaller attractions for kids sprinkled in. The larger rides were down by the water. "How about the Scrambler?"
"Sure." Kon went over to the ticket booth and bought them both a full set. He held out a roll to Tim.
Tim couldn't help but grin as he held the tickets. He grabbed onto Kon hand and almost yanked his arm off as he went zipping towards the line for the ride. There was a decent amount of people milling about and enjoying themselves, most of them either young children with parents or, like Tim and Kon's case, couples on a date.
"You're going to really like it, Kon," Tim assured, bouncing on his heels slightly. "It's almost like flying, but you don't really go anywhere. Just in a circle."
The line for the Scrambler was surprisingly long and Kon tapped his foot impatiently as they waited. Finally, it was their turn and they each handed over two tickets. Kon took the seat on the inside and strapped himself and Tim in.
"Make sure you hold onto the bars," Tim instructed, leaning back on the cheap, faux-leather cushions.
"It's just going in a circle, I'll be fine." All the same, Kon wrapped an arm around Tim.
The carnival worker double checked to make sure everything was secure before going back to his station and flipped the switch. There was a soft 'whirring' noise before the carts slowly began to move forward, gradually picking up speed.
The wind started to whistle in their ears and the scenery whizzed by as the cart moved faster. There was a lurching motion as they swung in smaller, faster circles in the larger one. Kon let out a wild shout and leaned into the motions. So much for just going in a circle. Tim laughed as they were jerked and spun around. He looked over at Kon and smiled when he saw how much fun the Meta seemed to be having.
The carts started to slow down and Kon unbuckled them. "Okay, that was more fun than I expected." He kissed Tim's cheek lightly. "Sorry I doubted you."
"You're forgiven," Tim smiled and fixed his windblown hair.
Kon stumbled as he got off the Zipper, his vision slightly blurred. Tim followed after him, walking a bit better, but was giggling from his dizziness. Tim grabbed Kon's arm and pulled him quickly to his side before he accidently tripped on something.
"That was fun," Tim laughed, trying to make his world stop tilting. They had already been on almost everything in the carnival. The Tilt-a-World, the Round-Up, and the Samurai were all conquered. Kon's favourite so far was the Rip Tide, as it was one of the few rides that didn't leave you feeling terribly disoriented afterwards.
"You pick something," Tim said, finally gotten his giggles and vision back under control.
Kon scanned the closest places and pointed down the boardwalk. "Bumper cars."
Tim grinned and led Kon towards the line. It was considerably longer than the line for the Scrambler, seeing as it was usually the most popular attraction at a carnival besides the food. It was a little past one when Tim and Kon finally got on the bumper cars. Kon raced to a little black car with a six stamped in red.
Tim scanned the area and quickly snagged another black car with a blue nine. He pulled on his strap and grinned to himself. He knew Kon knew about cars and how to drive, but actually doing it was going to be another thing. He was going to be a sitting duck.
The bell chimed and all the other cars started. Kon applied slight pressure to the pedal and rushed forward, crashing into the two girls directly in front of him. He spun the wheel wildly and laughed before trying to zero in on Tim. Tim saw him turn and whipped his car around expertly, dodging two cars that had been coming towards them. They collided together.
The little chase started. Kon lost speed each time he crashed into someone but he didn't care. He imagined Wally would have somehow managed to vibrate out of his car and actually crash into someone. Tim hit another car that was in his way, the child manning the car squealing and spinning the wheel to try to avoid it. The car skidded and bumped into Kon's, giving Tim the chance to get around him.
"No fair!" Kon tried to swerve to avoid him, only managing to get hit by the child's car and some other guy's.
Tim chuckled and spun himself around quickly, headed straight for Kon. "All's fair in love and war, Conner!"
Kon tried to swerve one last time and rocked against a girl's car, the resounding bounce only made him an easier target. Tim jerked his wheel quickly to the left. The car followed, the backside gaining speed and slamming into the side of Kon's car.
The bell chimed again and the cars halted their assaults. Kon undid his strap. "We'll see how lucky you are later."
"Not luck—skill," Tim bragged, climbing out of his car and going over to the exit ramp.
"So what next, Mr. Skill?" Kon swung through the exit turnstile.
"Let's eat something," Tim suggested. They hadn't eaten anything yet that day and he could smell the sweet aroma of funnel cakes wafting down to where they were.
Kon followed after Tim and ordered two hot dogs. He wrinkled his nose at the giant sugar-coated dough Tim had ordered and sat down at a near bench.
"Quit making that face," Tim fussed, tearing off a piece of the dough and popping it into his mouth. He hummed happily as he chewed.
"It looks like some kind of tentacle baby." Kon bite into his hot dog and stared at Tim's plate. "A fried tentacle baby."
"It's not—" Tim sighed, not even sure what to say to that. He pulled off another piece and held it out to Kon. "Try some."
Kon leaned forward and flicked his tongue out to take the offered treat and lick Tim's fingers. He closed his eyes and chewed. "Not bad."
Tim blushed when he felt the other's tongue brushed against his skin. He brought his hand back to his mouth, licking off the remaining confectioner's sugar.
Kon chuckled at the blush. He inched closer and breathed on Tim's ear. "I can think of something else I want sprinkled in powdered sugar."
Tim shivered, and looked nervously to the side to make sure no one, like small, impressionable children, was staring at them. Satisfied that that wasn't the case, he turned and pecked Kon's lightly on the mouth. "Really? Like what?"
"Well it starts with a 'y'." Kon chuckled and gave Tim a quick kiss back. "Come on, what next?" He finished his second hot dog and kicked his legs on the bench.
"We could play some games," Tim shrugged and quickly ate the last piece of his treat. "You can win me that giant bear."
"Sounds like a plan." Kon jumped to his feet and smiled at Tim brightly. "And you have to carry it around all day too."
"It'll be my trophy of honour," Tim joked. He took their trash and tossed it into the nearest bin.
The couple passed a few booths, but Kon wasn't impressed with the size of the prizes. They stopped at a booth with the worker shouting and catcalling to everyone that passed. It was a basketball booth.
"Step right up, folks! Two baskets a small prize and three baskets a large prize!" The man shouted loudly. "Three-dollars a play! Step right up!"
"How many baskets a play?" Kon stepped up to the booth and looked it over.
"Four a play," The worker said. "If you sink all four, you get an extra play."
"But then I would've already won a large prize, why would I need another basket?"
"You can try to win another prize," the man said blandly.
"But I just want one." Kon held out three bills and handed them over.
"Whatever kid," the man said, taking the money and placing the bucket on the table containing the balls. Behind the man were three separate hoops. "Shoot wherever you want."
Kon took a ball and stared at the hoop. He curled his arm backward and the ball flew in dead center. Tim watched Kon as he shot, admiring the other's form. The nice arch in his back when he extended himself up and the natural flick of his wrist—Tim licked his lips.
Kon picked up a second ball and it sailed through the air just as skillfully as the first. The man behind the counter gritted his teeth a bit. He had tilted the hoop a bit, which had thrown off all the other kids who had tried to play.
Kon threw a third ball and it soared through. "That makes three."
"Congrats," the man sighed, gathering the balls back up and setting down the bucket. "Take your pick, my man."
"Hmm..." Kon looked over the prizes and saw a bear with the Batman cowl and cape. He couldn't help his grin. "That one."
The man took down the enormous bear and handed it to Kon.
"Thanks." Kon smiled and handed it to Tim. "Got you a present."
Tim covered his mouth with one hand as he accepted the bear. "W-Wow. Thanks," he chuckled behind his hand.
"So what next?" Kon had a stupid grin on his face. "I think it suits you."
Tim pointed to the large Ferris wheel by the water. It was getting late, the rides bright lights shining beautifully in the coming darkness. "It's the only thing we haven't ridden."
"Last ride of the day then." Kon took Tim's hand and dragged him and Batbear toward the giant wheel.
The line to the Ferris wheel was the shortest they'd seen all day, most of the carnival goers heading home for the night. Tim walked over to the ride operator and said something to her quickly. The girl looked at Kon and gave a shy smile before nodding her head.
Kon missed the little exchange and bumped into Tim's backside. "You're not afraid of heights are you?" he teased.
"Oh yes, I'm terrified. It's so high up!" Tim feigned a scared look before giving Kon a blank look and whacking him with Batbear. "I can't believe you just asked me that."
"I can't believe you just hit me with a teddy bear." Kon chuckled and pushed Tim ahead into the cart. The little booth swayed back and forth as they sat down.
The girl closed the door, giving Kon one more smile before going back to her post to start the ride. Tim set Batbear down in the space next to him and looked out of the window as they began going up.
The gondola swayed in the breeze as it climbed higher and higher. Kon gazed out the window, he didn't see the city's nightlife without flying over it, and it was nice to not have the wind slapping him in the face. It was a slow ride up, but after about a minute, their car reached the top and came to a halt. The view was break taking, all the lights from the carnival reflecting on the still water.
"It's amazing..." Kon looked down at the sparkling city.
"You are," Tim said, looking over at Kon from above the frames of his glasses.
"You're just saying that since I won you a bear," Kon chuckled. He turned when he felt Tim's intense stare and felt his cheeks redden.
"I'm not," Tim said. He got up and moved carefully in the car so that he was sitting in Kon's lap. "I mean it. You are amazing. That's why I love you."
"Tim—" Kon couldn't hold back and kissed him. Batbear slid against the seat as the car swayed for a second. Kon wrapped his arms around Tim's waist and held him closer. "I love you too."
Tim's fingers found their way into Kon's hair, rubbing soothingly against his boyfriend's scalp as he deepened the kiss. He felt himself stir with in denim jeans when he shifted and brushed against Kon's lap. Kon let out a little growl and nipped at Tim's lips before leaning to suck on his collarbone, his special spot. He tried not to roll his hips and the gondola swayed in the breeze again.
Tim's breath tickled Kon's ear when he moaned, arching and pushing himself closer into his lover's body. His cheeks were beginning to flush, the air heating up quickly in the enclosed space. He wasn't sure how much longer they would be up there. Tim moved back reluctantly.
The gondola lurched and started its descent. Batbear flopped to the ground and slid against Kon's foot. Kon reached down and picked up the gift, brushing off the dust before handing it back to Tim. A little smirk started on his lips. "You dropped this."
Tim smiled and took Batbear back into his arms, kissing the top of its head.
When the gondola reached the bottom, the girl opened the door, smiling widely, but still shyly. "Did you enjoy your ride?" She giggled.
"Very much," Kon grinned back. He lightly punched Tim's shoulder before kissing his cheek.
The girl blushed, hiding her part of her face with her hands. "E-Enjoy the rest of your night."
"Oh, we will," Tim said, giving Kon a small smile. He shifted Batbear so he could carry him with one arm, and took Kon's hand with the other.
It had been week since the carnival arrived and Kon's awkward dinner with the Wayne's. He hadn't brought up the event with the others, but when asked about Robin's sudden absence, the best he could come up with was a serious job with Batman. And since they hadn't received any new assignments from Batman, Kaldur and the others were satisfied with the answer.
Kon kept himself busy by doing a few of Wally's reports and training with Black Canary and Kaldur. Wally and Artemis were seated in the living room when they alert system went off and Red Tornado's voice was heard coming in over the speakers.
Kon was flipping through one of Wally's textbooks and left it on his desk when the alert sounded. He tramped down the stairs to meet up with the others. Megan and Kaldur had already joined Wally and Artemis in the meeting room.
"Good to see you all here," Red Tornado greeted before turning to face the monitor that was now displaying a map. "There has been a report about an attack at the carnival near the down town area. You will go down there, evacuate any lingering civilians, and neutralize the situation."
"We're on it." Kaldur nodded to Megan and she flew off to get her ship ready for departure.
Kon stared at the map, already remembering the date he and Tim had shared at the carnival. He fists tightened at his sides; he wasn't going to let some stupid villain ruin that memory.
When they arrived at the carnival, most of the civilians had fled, save for the few stranglers who were blocked by one of the toppled over rides. Toy Man was positioned in the middle of the chaos, armed with a giant robotic octopus that was swiping at grabbing at things with its massive mechanical tentacles.
The ship swooped in cloaked. "We have the element of surprise," Megan began. "We can—"
Air rushed through as Kon leapt out with a roar and clapsed his hands into a fist before clobbering through the octopus.
"Or we can just drop it. Yeah, that works too."
"Sounds good to me," Wally said, pulling down his goggles and leaping out of the aircraft after Kon.
An angry shout came from inside the machine. Another arm came swinging out towards Kon. Kid Flash ran a quick circle around it, digging into the ground hard with his feet. The earth around the octopus weakened and it lost its balance.
The tentacles flailed wildly, one striking Kid Flash wear he had stopped, knocking him down. A second moved to finish him, but was blown up before it could land its blow. Megan's ship landed and the others started to assist the trapped civilians.
Kon punched at the octopus's heart, trying to reach the man controlling it from within. He punched it backward and it crashed down the slope toward the bumper car corral. A cable line shot out, grabbing the octopus and pulling him down so he couldn't move. The hatch opened and the operator scurried out quickly, already wearing a breath apparatus, and dove into the water.
Kon swooped into the now still octopus and ripped out the circuitry. "They can use it to replace some rides." His line of sight followed the cable up to the one that held it. "Good to see you're back, Robin."
"Hope you didn't miss me," Robin grinned, pulling back the line and winding it up.
Wally lifted his goggles back onto his forehead and waved at Robin. "Great timing, man! That thing almost crushed me."
"You guys okay up there?" Kon called up to the others.
Megan waved enthusiastically. "We're clear up here, and everyone's gone."
"Yeah, everyone." Kaldur gritted his teeth. "He got away."
"We'll catch him another time," Kon replied. "The little creep will be back." He gave Robin a wistful smile. "Sorry about the bumper cars."
"They can be replaced," Robin said, looking over the damage. "It could have been worse."
"Yeah, the Ferris wheel's okay." Kon looked back up the slope and looked up at the giant wheel. "Maybe we could stop by again after the carnival's fixed up?"
Megan helped Wally to his feet. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks Megan," Wally smiled weakly as he was helped to his feet. He turned to Kon and grinned. "Again?"
Kon shot the speedster a glare. "Shut up."
"We need to leave before the police arrive." Kaldur started for the ship. "They can take care of the damages."
"I want to move that at least." Kon pointed at the smoking octopus. "I'll head back to base after."
"Fair enough." Kaldur slapped Wally's back. "I'm surprised it didn't rip a chunk out of you, anything missing?"
"A little pride, but it'll grow back," Wally laughed, but winced when he felt it. "Wish that would heal a bit faster."
"Let's get going," Robin urged, sticking close to Kon.
Kon nodded and waved the others off. Artemis was giving the silent treatment lately, so her being gone was a bit of a relief. Once he was sure they were gone, he flashed Robin a smile. "Sticking around for a while now?"
"Yes," Robin answered, not moving any further away. He looked up at Kon through the white lenses of his mask. "Let's take a walk."
"After we clean up a bit here." Kon thumbed at the octopus. "At least let me break it up into smaller pieces or something. It ruined our carnival, you can't tell me that didn't bug you."
"Destruction bugs me," Robin nodded and looked over the mess again. "Best to destroy it all so it won't be used again."
"I already took out its power; they can use the pieces to re-build." Kon set his hand on Robin's shoulder. "You feeling okay?"
"I'm fine," Robin said, touching the hand that was on his shoulder. "Let's hurry and clean so we can leave."
Kon frowned at Robin's attitude. "Didn't think being gone a week would make you so grumpy." He leaned down to kiss his cheek.
Robin blinked, but lifted himself up and did the same to Kon's cheek. "I am not grumpy." He almost pouted.
Kon tried to hide a chuckle. "Cute. I'll be done in a second." He turned and started to break the octopus into smaller pieces.
Robin watched as Kon worked. He constantly scanned the area, making sure nothing was coming to interrupt them.
Kon was satisfied with the work had done when the pair heard police sirens. "That's all she wrote, time to go."
Robin nodded and followed after Kon out of the wake of the destruction.
"We still have time before I have to head back...did you want to get something to eat?" Kon stopped ahead of Robin and turned. "I really missed you."
"We can go into town," Robin suggested. "I missed you too."
"Did you stash a set of civvies nearby?" Kon started walking again and started for a path through the small surrounding park.
"Civvies? No," Robin shook his head. "I came straight here."
"But you always carry a set on your bike, it's not like you to come unprepared." Kon frowned again and sighed. "I don't have enough to get a short-notice outfit and dinner too." The boys passed into the trees.
"We can eat later then," Robin said, stopping where he was.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Kon turned and saw they were still deep in the trees. The police car lights flashed in the distance as they drove off and the boys were soon left in the darkness. The moon and faint stars overhead were lost in the dense overcast and tree cover. Kon twitched in the darkness and started forward again. "Let's just go back to the base then."
Robin grabbed onto Kon's hand, holding him back as best as he could. "I'm not hungry."
"Let go, you know the dark freaks me out." Kon tugged out of Robin's grasp and found the grip surprisingly strong. "Robin, let go."
"I thought you missed me," Robin said quietly. "I'm here."
"Yeah but..." Kon rubbed his index finger against Robin's wrist in agitation. He really wasn't fond of the idea of making out in the woods. Still, they had the opportunity. The clouds started to shift with the wind and faint shafts of moonlight came down, that certainly improved Kon's mood. He pressed his forehead to Robin's and moved to kiss his cheek again.
Kon pulled away with a surprised expression. "Are you cold?" He stroked Robin's cheek, it was cold to the touch.
Robin shook his head, but kept his cheek against Kon's hand. "No. I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Kon put his arms around Robin and held him close. "I could warm you up." He bent down to capture his boyfriend's lips in a second kiss.
Robin's lips twitched against Kon. They felt hard, even though he wasn't putting much pressure into the kiss. Kon stroked his free hand against the mask, silently asking permission to take it off. Robin didn't protest so Kon pulled back and carefully peeled the domino from Robin's face. Robin's eyes were still closed and his lips were still poised as if being kissed.
Kon leaned down again and kissed his boyfriend again, trying to not be so concerned with how cold Robin's lips were. Robin parted his lips slowly when he felt the other's tongue slipping between them. Kon pulled back and examined Robin with wide eyes. Robin turned to look at Kon. His eyes were opened and they locked together. Kon's blue eyes steeled when Robin's unmasked ones met his. He felt his hands tense as he peered down into chocolate brown orbs. His voice came out in a harsh whisper.
"You're not Robin."
An uncharacteristically wide grin spread across Robin's face. The white teeth gleamed eerily against the dark surroundings.
"No. I'm not."
The main monitor in Mt. Justice flickered to life and an alert system sounded through-out the base. The team assembled as Batman appeared on screen. A map printed out of the computer and fell into Kaldur's hand. "There's an 'abandoned' factory that has seen a lot of traffic going out. Find out what's being shipped and end it. Robin will be there shortly." The transmission ended abruptly.
"Huh?" Wally said, scratching his head. "He already sent Robin out here. What, did he run back to Gotham that fast?"
"He's not that fast." Kaldur balled up the map in his fist. "Robin was with Kon, he would have mentioned him. Megan, how far does your telepathy reach?"
"I don't know, I've never had to reach so far." Megan tried to concentrate on Kon's mental input but it didn't register. "I can't find him."
"What about the comm. lines?" Artemis suggested, trying to reach Kon on the piece in her ear. "Nothing. All I hear is static."
"We should go look for them," Wally said, his face getting serious.
"What about the mission?" Megan asked.
"This is more important." Kaldur walked out ahead of the others. "We're going to find out what's happened one way or another. There is no mission until we find Kon."
The transporter announced Robin's entrance as he stepped into Mount Justice. He sighed happily once he was inside. He had seen far too much of the manor during the weekend and was happy that Batman had let him out early to help on the mission.
"Guys, I'm here," Tim called out, looking for the rest of the team.
"Robin." Megan floated over to him with a worried expression. "We can't reach Kon, did you two split up?"
"Split up?" Tim asked, confusion written across the visible part of his face. "I haven't seen Kon all week."
"But we just fought Toy Man at the carnival—" Kaldur cut Megan off and shook his head gravely.
"Kon's missing."
-TSUZUKU-
Author's Note: (Khauzy) DUN DUN DUUUN! Oh no! Kon's been kidnapped D: And Jason makes yet another cameo. Those are always fun. I know there's probably a bit of confusion about the time hop, but don't worry about that. Everything will be explained~ There will be a late update next week because I'm going to be enjoying the nice weather in Florida for Spring Break! Kairan might post the next chapter for me, or I'll just wait until I get back. Anyway...thanks again for all the reviews and faves. It means a lot to us that you're reading these.
(Kairan) nananananananana BATBEAR~~~ I go to the 4th of July carnival ever year and they never have anything worth trying for. So when Kon makes a date, of course he has to be the guy and win something for his sweetheart. And what else would a carnival in Gotham have but Batman merch, right? I want that bear so much. Batbear will have another appearance, Tim likes to cuddle at night. XD.
And just a reminder, there is still a poll on my profile regarding this story and all prompts are still wanted and encouraged! X3. See ya next time.
