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“Come on, Tim.” Jason grunts, trudging through the knee-high snow, his unconscious brother propped up on his shoulder. Each step crunches beneath him, and the cold pierces his skin where his cracked helmet reveals a jagged slice of his face. “Come on. Just a little further.”
Up ahead, an abandoned log cabin, a potential shelter from the elements.
How could everything have ended up like this? The League of Shadows transporting the dead body of St. Nicholas to a Lazarus Pit in the Himalayas, obviously no good could come from that. What had started as a family affair had ballooned into an operation involving the JLI, the JSA, the Teen Titans, and Cissie King-Jones in a non-costumed supporting role. All across the world, costumed heroes battled the League of Shadows to uncover their sinister plot and recover the body of Santa Claus.
And all across the world, they were met with equal or overwhelming force. It was like someone had revived the Legion of Doom and gone to war over Christmas. And as clash after clash had left the heroes stretched thin, the Bat Family had failed to stop the body from being submerged in the restorative chemical concoction of the Lazarus Pit.
That was when all hell had broken loose.
The resurrected Santa Claus, in the throes of pit-induced madness, brought the full force of Christmas magic to bear upon the Bats. Batman addled with visions of sugarplums. Nightwing dragged away by flying reindeer. Robin wrapped in so many ribbons and layers of wrapping paper he couldn't move. Batwoman frozen in the core of a magical living snowman. Signal pelted with coal. The Batgirls menaced by Krampus.
Pure holiday pandemonium.
As for Jason and Tim, Tim had been magicked to sleep, unable to wake up until sunrise on Christmas morning, still another twelve hours away. Jason had found himself pierced by a sprig of mistletoe, but so far he doesn't seem to have experienced any major effects.
After Santa's sleigh, in the form of the three hundred foot tall robot, had slammed into the face of the mountain to collect him, the Bats were scattered. Jason had found Tim in the snow, and started carrying him to safety. He still doesn't know where the others are or if they're okay. He can only hope whatever this all leads to tomorrow on Christmas Day is something the heroes of Earth are able to stop.
The cabin is definitely not the current residence of anyone, and likely hasn't been for some time. There's no power, and the cans of food Jason finds in the kitchen are three years past their expiration date. Most damningly, a few of the windows are broken, but only enough to create a draft. The upside is that Jason does find several thick blankets, a single bed, and enough prepared firewood to last them the night.
He gets the fire going with the Bat Firestarter Kit, then wraps Tim's limp form up in one of the thicker blankets and positions him close enough to the fire to keep him warm.
It's been a while since he's seen Tim so helpless and vulnerable. Sleeping peacefully, in the soft, warm light of the fire, it's like the world isn't on the brink of ending. Jason peels Tim's mask off his face, then brushes a bit of hair out of Tim's eyes.
Then Jason's hand travels down over Tim's cheek, his thumb tracing the outline of Tim's lips. The seem soft. They'd probably feel amazing.
He jerks upright into a sit, pulling his hand away sharply. Where had that come from?
Yes, Tim has always been objectively pretty, and it would be a lie to say Jason had never had an errant thought about him. But that was years ago. Now they're brothers, and platonic, and Jason isn't the kind of guy to kiss unconscious people who can't kiss back.
And yet, the feeling doesn't die down. This isn't one of those idle, intrusive thoughts that quickly gets replaced with disgust or discomfort the moment Jason thinks about it earnestly. It lingers, and even seems to grow the longer he looks at his brother's sleeping form.
He brings his fist down on his open palm. “The mistletoe!”
This must be the result of Santa's magic. Some kind of spell that makes Jason desperately want to kiss his brother, thus taking him out of the fight by distracting him. Devious, but it definitely took to long to kick in. Was that the adrenaline keeping him from feeling the effects until the two of them were safe? Or does Jason just have incredible resistance to this sort of thing?
“Well, joke's on him. No way in Hell am I going to kiss Tim.” He says, already looming over his brother, leaning toward him.
He curses and backs away quickly.
“It's not happening.” He assures himself, even as his body seems to ache with the need to pull Tim into his arms. “I just need to hold out until morning.”
He rises and paces, trying to take his mind off it. It occurs to him that, even if it will likely take until morning for someone to rescue them, that's no reason to assume it can't happen earlier. He goes for his Bat SOS Beacon -
Only to discover that part of his utility belt had been smashed when the Nutcracker had slammed into him with a giant candy cane. The beacon is busted.
…But Tim would have a beacon in his belt.
Continuing to curse under his breath, Jason moves back to Tim's side and gingerly lifts the blanket. Tim rolls onto his back, his body splayed completely unguarded. The gentle rise and fall of his chest, his faggy waist, his positively girlish hips.
Jason covers his eyes and begs the heavens for mercy.
“I'm not gonna do anything, Timmy.” Jason chews the inside of his lip as he slowly moves his hand toward Tim's utility belt. “I just need to get… I just need… I just…”
His eyes land on a tear in Tim's suit. It exposes his entire left shoulder. Since when did Tim have such sexy shoulders?
“I just need you to wake up and say yes, Tim.” Jason swallows, the ache in his skin easing as he makes contact with Tim's warmth, pulling him up into a limp, unwaking hug. “I really, really need you to say I can kiss you. Because I really don't think I can stop myself.”
Tim shifts, nuzzling into Jason's chest, seeking his warmth.
Jason shudders. It feels like a yes.
He cups Tim's jaw and tilts him upward, lowering his own lips until they meet.
It feels amazing.
It feels electric.
He tightens his hold and kisses Tim again. Then again. Over and over, like he needs it more than air.
Maybe on some level, some deep inner child level, Jason thought the kiss might wake Tim up. It doesn't. His eyes don't flutter, he doesn't kiss back, he definitely doesn't wake.
And he won't for several hours.
Jason's hand moves back to Tim's belt, and he undoes it, letting it fall away. He kisses Tim again, then moves his hand slowly down Tim's stomach, before slipping inside his pants.
The door to the cabin slams open!
“It's a magic spell!” Jason's voice cracks as he pulls his hands away from Tim's body, holding them up in full view.
Batwoman and Signal step into the cabin, rushing to their side to check them for injury.
“Glad we found you.” Duke says, clapping Jason on the shoulder. “The Challengers of the Unknown are here to get us. Everyone's accounted for, now that we got you two.”
“He's not waking up…” Kate comments. “Was he cursed?”
“We both were.” It is taking so much willpower for Jason not to keep kissing Tim while they're here.
“Well, luckily we've got Zatanna doing cursebreaking.” She stands and helps Jason to his feet while Duke tries (and fails) to take Tim from Jason's arms. “You'll be right as rain in no time.”
Jason's fingers grip Tim tighter. “Right. Good. That's good…”