fandomtownies | Chilly Boulder, Wednesday Evening

For the last few years, birthdays just hadn't been that big of a deal to Jason. Mostly, it had been a matter of practicality - what was the point in getting excited about a birthday when your mother couldn't get you anything, or you were living on your own? This year, he hadn't bothered to tell anyone, and he'd tried to ignore the small pang of regret he'd felt when Monday had come and gone like any other day.

He'd almost totally forgotten about the day when he got a message from the post office saying he had mail that he needed to pick up. He wasn't expecting anything, but he also wasn't terribly surprised when his mail turned out to be a birthday card and money from Bruce that had been sitting in his box since Monday. Of course Bruce would know the right date, even without him saying anything, and of course he'd acknowledge his birthday without being asked. Jason supposed this was one of those things he'd have to get used to again, being part of a kind of family. Oh, how hard his new life was.

As soon as he was done reading the card, Jason headed for Chilly Boulder. Bruce's message said to spend the money wisely and, well, ice cream sundaes were always a wise decision.

[Dear internet, thank you for coughing up the exact date of Jason's birthday two days late fffffff. Ahem. Open for all your ice cream needs!]

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Luke was feeling kind of odd about today for some ~~foreshadowy~~ reason, so in an attempt to make himself feel better he headed to the ice cream place.

He was debating on whether he wanted cookie dough or cotton candy when he spotted a familiar face. "Hey...Jason, right?"

Jason looked up from where he'd sat down and gave Luke a friendly smile. "Yeah. And it's Luke, right?" he asked. "How's it going?"

"It'll be better in a few minutes once I get my hands on some ice cream," he said with a smirk. "How about you?"

"I'm doing good. Do you want some of this?" he asked, pointing to the barely touched sundae in front of him. "I think my eyes might have been bigger than my stomach."

"Really?" he asked. That sundae did look freaking good. "You don't mind?"

"Nah, dig in," Jason said, waving his hand. "I didn't buy it with my own money, so I don't mind sharing, and wasted ice cream is totally a crime."

"Thanks, man," Luke said, sitting across from Jason and picking up a spare spoon. "So who did pay for this?"

"My guardian," Jason said, taking a spoonful that might have just been whipped cream. Mmmmm. "I got some birthday money from him, so it was this or the bakery."

"It's your birthday?" Luke asked, sounding a bit muffled since he was saying it around a mouthful of ice cream. He was working on the manners thing. "Happy birthday!"

"It was my birthday on Monday," Jason said, not minding the lack of manners at all. It wasn't like he was perfectly behaved, after all. "It's not a big deal though. You don't get anything cool at fifteen."

"It's true, sadly," Luke said. "Sixteen's a bit better, if you go for the driver's license."

That got Jason to perk right up. "Oh, I'm definitely going for a driver's license. I'm from a big city, and you can't really get by on walking or biking alone." That and, oh my god, the possibility of driving the Batmobile.

"Well, see, next birthday is gonna kick ass then," Luke said before scooping up another spoonful of ice cream. "I haven't gotten around to the license thing yet. Maybe for my 17th."

"Do you not have to worry about driving?" Jason asked, snagging one of the cherries by the stem before it fell too far into the ice cream. "At home, I mean. It's still weird to be here and not see cars everywhere."

"Nah. Before I came here I lived in a summer camp sort of situation," he explained. "And in the real world I have my own way of getting around quickly without cars. The only reason I'd want a license is because driving looks like fun."

"And you can drive fast," Jason said excitedly. "I mean, it's not the traffic part I'm looking forward to. It's the breaking speed limits part."

"Is there even room to break the speed limit in big cities?" Luke asked. "Lots of red lights."

"There is if you go late at night," Jason said, taking a big spoonful of ice cream. "Of course, then you're also probably gonna get into trouble for running red lights, but that's only if you get caught."

Luke smirked. "And you won't get caught, of course."

"Of course not," Jason said confidently. "So, is it summer all the time where you're from? If it's like a summer camp?" That would have felt like a much stranger question before he'd gotten here and heard about where other people were from.

"Uh, no. It's like a regular summer camp that's usually only filled during regular summer months," he said, poking at some ice cream with his spoon. "I just stay there all year long because I don't have any other place to go. Well, until now."

Jason remembered the feeling of not having anywhere else to go all too well, and that brought up a whole list of new questions in his mind about Luke. But, there were some things you just didn't bug people about when they were trying to just enjoy some ice cream. "Are you only here for the summer then? Or are you staying for the actual school part?"

"I'm fairly sure I'm sticking around. The camp I was at was nice and everything, but it was...too well protected, I guess?" he said. "This place has the right amount of excitement without making me paranoid about being attacked all the time, know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get that. I mean, weird stuff happens, but it's not like things are crazy here all the time," Jason agreed. "Some people like being safe all the time though."

"Now where's the fun in that?"

Chilly Boulder, Wednesday Evening

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