#Only Jason would offer Klarion a beer

[chibinightowl]

I have one! I have one!! Can we get a follow up to the casebook with Teekl, where Klareon comes back to pick him up? Love to see Jason meeting Tim's *friend*

You’ve been bugging me for this for quite some time, so I hope you enjoy it! Random note about Klarion…I use the characterization for him in Casebook from Robin issues 157-158, which is the Grant Morrison version of him rather than the Young Justice version we’ve seen where he’s a total brat.

~*~*~

It was raining cats and dogs outside, one of those absolutely miserable nights that Gotham liked to spring on everyone to remind them that even a city as dirty as she needed a bath sometimes. Jason knew how to take a hint and stayed indoors tonight, much preferring to curl up with a book and a cup of hot tea. Tim didn’t have much of a choice though and his phone pinged with the occasional text to remind him just how wet and miserable he was out there.

Jason, asshole that he was, sent back pictures of his steaming mug of tea or of Teekl, who had decided his stomach was the perfect place for a nap. The cat was a comfortable weight, even if he did wish he’d wander off towards his socked feet where he had them tucked under a pillow. The rain brought with it a chill that was more common to see in winter rather than early fall.

Again, Gotham.

Midnight rolled around and Jason rose to his feet, disturbing Teekl in the process, so he could start reheating the chili he’d made earlier. The cat hissed his displeasure as Jason stretched and laughed at him. “Come on, your highness. Do you really want to Tim to come home to a cold meal after the crap he’s had to deal with tonight?”

The cat flipped his tail primly at him and stalked off toward the kitchen where he jumped onto the counter to supervise.

That was something Jason really liked about Teekl. The cat understood human speech to a certain extent. No trying to herd cats with this one.

Jason was rummaging through the fridge for some items to make a salad with when he heard a knock at the door. Straightening, he gave it a quizzical look. Who would be out there at this time of night? Tim sure as hell didn’t knock, not at his own door.

Teekl, however, turned toward the living room and let out a loud mrrrrow. He then gave Jason an expectant look, clearing waiting for him to open the front door.

“You’re the magic cat, can’t you go through walls?”

Another loud mrrrrow was his answer.

“Sure, whatever. Excuse me if I don’t take you at your word.” Jason opened the pantry door and grabbed an empty box of cake mix off the top shelf where he’d hidden a gun and a clip of ammo just the other day. Color him surprised that he needed to use it so soon, but the rest of his gear was stashed away in the game room.

He checked the safety and slid the clip into place, then cautiously approached the door. Peering through the peephole, Jason frowned. The young man on the other side stood there patiently, but that wasn’t what was throwing him off.

It was the color of his skin. The lighting in the hallway wasn’t the best, but Jason would bet one of Dick’s boxes of Crocky Crunch that it was blue. Who was this guy?

Well, there was only one way to find out. “Whaddya want?” Jason barked in a purposefully rough voice.

“I am here for Teekl,” a slightly accented voice replied politely. “And who are you that you’re in Timothy’s home?”

Jason tucked the gun into the back of his pants and turned off the alarm, then unlocked the door. Opening it, he frowned even harder as he took in the drenched figure standing there. He was dressed like something out of a bad Thanksgiving play and really did have pale blueish gray skin. “I’m Jason, Tim’s boyfriend. Who’re you? I’m pretty sure the Pilgrims want their costume back.”

The young man rolled his eyes. “Quaint,” he replied tartly. “I am Klarion.”

“I guess cat-sitting is coming to an end.” Jason stepped aside for the warlock to enter. The last thing he needed was to piss off a magic user. That never ended well for anyone, especially him. “Tim’s not home from work yet but should be any minute. I’m reheating some dinner if you want to wait around.”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

Jason locked the door again and made a quick detour to the hallway closet to grab a couple towels. This guy needed one and Tim was sure to be in the same boat whenever he wandered in. Tossing one to Klarion, Jason set the other one down on the counter by Teekl, who still hadn’t moved and was giving his master an arch look. “If that isn’t a don’t touch me stink eye, I don’t know what is,” he commented as he returned to his salad.

The chili was reheating nicely, already sending off warm and meaty scents into the kitchen. He idly wondered if he had enough time to make some quick garlic bread for some added crunch. It wouldn’t hurt, so he turned on the oven to preheat.

Teekl meowed again and Jason saw Klarion was sitting at the counter and no longer looked quite so soaked. The cat still wasn’t going anywhere near his master though, even if he was trying to tempt him closer. “Teekl likes you,” he announced, eyeing Jason assessingly. “He is very hard to please, you know.”

“He’s pushy and spoiled,” Jason retorted without even thinking twice. “I can see why he likes Tim so much though. He lets him get away with everything.”

Shit. Open mouth, insert foot. Story of his life.

Rather set him on fire, Klarion laughed. The pitch sounded off, like it wasn’t something he did very often. “Teekl enjoys watching you try and manage Timothy while he tries to do the same to you.”

Jason narrowed his eyes and stopped slicing the loaf of French bread he’d bought yesterday. “You can see through his eyes, can’t you?”

“I can. Despite what Timothy may believe, I do keep tabs on my dragga while he’s here. Especially after what happened the night he and I met.”

“I heard that story,” Jason offered, picking up his knife again and giving it a pointed twirl. “I still can’t believe you leave your cat here when you come to Gotham.”

“Who says I stay in Gotham?” Klarion replied with a thin smile. “This place is simply home to someone Teekl and I call friend. What I’m curious about is how someone like you came to be courting Timothy.”

Jason snorted at the old-fashioned phrase. “Wow, where did you learn English? It’s called dating these days.”

Klarion nodded. “Dating then. So tell me, how did that happen? I’ve seen the mask you put on almost every night. I’ve met a few of your types up here before and they’re all self-righteous to a fault. You, however, have an attitude.”

“Now that is a good way of putting it,” Jason said as he finished sprinkling some garlic powder onto the bread. He placed it on a baking sheet and stuck it in the oven. “Have a drink with me and I’ll tell ya how Timbo and I first started working together.”

“Fair enough,” Klarion agreed.

Jason grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed one of them to the warlock, popping the cap off for him. Teekl made his way over to where Jason leaned against the counter and butted his hand for some attention. “Pushy, that’s what you are,” he said fondly. “Your master is right there.”

“I did say he likes you,” Klarion stated, eyeing his bottle curiously before he took a small sip.

“You did,” Jason agreed, scratching Teekl under the chin. He was going to miss the big cat, he really was. “So, story time. Do you know what a flamethrower is?”