Movin' on Up

[Daniel Clairoux]

Robin threw open the door of his bedroom, which was probably a little too clean for the average teenager. There was not much furniture, just a bed, two oak side tables and then his inbuilt closet. He had done a quick sweep through here a few days before to get some little things out, and now it was more of the big stuff. Such as his clothes - dear Merlin - his clothes. There was too much. Jumpers, jeans, t-shirts, hats, jackets and he didn't even want to consider the shoes. He glanced at all the flat cardboard boxes still in the hallways. There would probably be enough to carry everything, if there wasn't he and Batman might have a few problems with the packing of all his stuff. He really needed to go through all of his clothes and throw some out. He rarely wore half of the stuff, but he rarely had the time to go through it all. He was at school all the time, and when not there he was busy being yelled at by his father for being irresponsible and stupid at school. His mother did not seem to mind that much, or she never actually realised. Thank Merlin she didn't see the end of his graduation. He still had the 'kini somewhere here, he had stuffed it somewhere and now he had forgotten where.

With the sticky-tape in his hand, Robin began wandering around his room. It was on the small side, since he had lost out on his bet with Faron and he was now stuck with the little room, but it was big enough. He only needed the big wardrobe and that was fine. Faron needed all the space in the world to hold all of his silly books. Fortunately, Faron was not here to help him pack. Batman was, his best friend. That was also why he had to do a first sweep through his room, just to make sure Batman didn't find something he'd rather his best friend not find. He looked over his shoulder and pointed to the closet. "We should probably start on the shoes, they'll take up a lot of boxes. Or, and if you find a certain neon-pink something, I'd appreciate it if you did not show my mother, or brother." He then got to work by unfolding and taping up the first box and filling it with some shoes.​

 

[Jon Phillips]

It felt good to be moving out. Batman had wanted to get away from his mother for so long, now that he finally was he could hardly believe it. He was so excited in fact, he packed all his stuff in one night. Now that his packing was over and done with, it was Robin's turn. They'd moved in some of his stuff already and now they'd returned to finish the job. Batman didn't understand why Robin had so many boxes at the ready. With an extension charm he managed to fit everything in ten boxes, why Robin chose to have more he had no idea. He shrugged, and followed Robin into the room. Surprisingly, Batman never spent much time in Robin's room. They usually hung out at his place since his room was bigger. It felt weird being there, but he ignored this feeling and knelt down to fill a box with some sweaters. "Do you want them folded or can I just shove everything in here?" He asked, not caring he'd shoved them in the box anyway. He didn't think it would make a difference, so he shoved in a couple more. He was trying to make this quick, so they could get back to the new apartment and unpack. Impatiently, he threw a pair of shoes in there too. Robin didn't ask him to pack neatly so he wasn't. Organization was for suckers.

"You still have that thing?!" Batman laughed. He was glad Robin had the guts to keep it, 'cause now they could hang it in their new place. It would have to be somewhere obvious, like over the fireplace. He stood up, eyeing the room for it. It shouldn't be hard to find, it was neon pink after all. "We should hang it on the mantelpiece as a trophy!" He exclaimed. Nothing pink caught his eye so he gave up. He could look for it later, he needed to carelessly shove more sweaters into his box anyway. After stuffing the first box completely, he grabbed a second, shoving some t-shirts in. He was carelessly digging around as he packed, however still couldn't find the 'kini. "We're having a house warming right?" He changed the subject, drifting his gaze from his box to Robin. He naturally assumed they were, but they hadn't actually talked about it. "I hope we get a bunch of chicks to go." He returned his attention to packing. He wanted to get really wasted with his friends to celebrate moving out, and having freedom. Surely Robin could agree to that, at least partially. He wouldn't get that serious so quickly after graduation.​

 

[Daniel Clairoux]

</FONT>

<FONT font="Times New Roman">Robin shook his head and threw some more shoes into his box. Sure, the room was all nice and organised, but he had to live in this space when he was home. He didn't need to live in the boxes and he was not going to have the stuff in there for too long. There was no point in packing everything neatly, he'd have to unpack it anyway and reorganise it later. "Nah, just throw the stuff in and tap it up." It was cool doing it like this, the muggle way. It was a pretty good reason to have his best friend doing something other than pulling pranks and having fun. Dan was not planning to became responsible and serious after graduation, that was just crazy talk, but that didn't mean he did not want to occasionally just hang out with Batman and not have to run away from things and cast spells. Hanging out was fun too. Tapping the boxes up and stuffing the stuff into the boxes the weird way, but it meant that they could talk a bit. They didn't talk enough. He rolled his eyes. You are becoming weird, Daniel.. He picked up the packed and tapped box and threw it towards the door, before getting another one. He smirked slightly and snorted. "Yup, it's got memories." Albeit not particularly comforting ones, but definitely funny ones. Upon hearing Batman's plans to hang the thing up, Dan had to look at him. "Definitely over the fireplace. But if my mum comes to the apartment - and we all know she will - we're tearing it down and hiding it somewhere." Robin loved his mother, and the last thing he wanted to do was give her horrible nightmares about him. She didn't deserve that. His father, probably, but not his mother.

Daniel looked up once more when 'house warming' was mentioned. Party? Yes. Of course they were going to have a huge party, was Batman insane? Why wouldn't they have a party. It was a must. "You have to ask?" he shook his head. How could Batman expect him to not want to throw a party? "Of course we're going to have a house warming. It's another excuse for a party, we can't just pass that up." He tapped up another box and continued. "And yes, there will be chicks and they will be sexy, and music and food and drinks and no mothers. It's perfect." He held his tongue on the fact that it would be better suited for him personally if there were a few guys there, since he was gay and no matter how gorgeous the woman was, it just wasn't going to happen. However, no matter how much he felt himself comfortable, he had yet to tell Batman. He had promised himself to say something when they became friends, but then it just seemed weird to bring it up when it didn't need to be said. Now, it was just habit to talk about girls and boobs and all of that. Besides, it didn't matter, of course there would be girls there, He and Batman did not only have female friends, they'd just be insane. He had already been planning to get in contact with one guy in particular, but he was not exactly sure how to word it. However, all thoughts of Corey disappeared from his mind when he saw a distinctly bright pink thing. He pulled at it, and his jaw dropped. It showed it to Batman. "Found it!" he dropped it into a new box. "And it will be hung up first thing when we get back."​

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[Jon Phillips]

"Ah, no mothers." Batman mused. That was the best part about all of this. The freedom, independence and privacy that came from leaving his mother. No more awkward intrusions and healthy snacks for him. From now on he was going to eat pizza and only pizza. Pizza forever, pizza always. No more of that vegetable crap. He finished packing the second box, using the third to start packing jeans. Samuel would have told him to be more considerate, since denim creases easily. He probably should have been more gentle, but by now he knew Robin didn't care, so neither did he. They were packing super fast, at this rate they wouldn't be here much longer. Not unless they ran out of boxes. "I hope they're super hot." He found another sweater and stuffed it in. "The kind you find in magazines." That would be super ultra mega awesome, it would be like they were rock stars. "Models. That's what they're called." He reminded himself. He didn't know any girls that looked like models, the only girl he knew was Rose. Robin would have to provide the girls, Batman expected as much. Robin had a wider circle of friends, much wider than Batman's two person circle. If it weren't for last year, Batman would have a lot more. However after their little prank fest Rose and Robin were the only ones that stayed.

At the sound of Robin's words Batman shot up. He found it, he actually found it. A mischievous grin immediately spread across Batman's face. This was going to be fun and he knew it. Forget hanging it up when they move in. He was going to have fun and he was going to have it now. Batman picked it out from the box and ran to the end of the room. "It's mine now!" He dangled it forward before running around Robin in a circle. "If you want it back you've gotta catch me first!" Again he ran in a circle around his friend. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. But he would think of it sooner or later. Right now he was just killing time until he had an idea. "What should I do?" He queried. "Should I throw it out the window for the neighbors to see?" He ran to the open window and dangled it out. "Or should I introduce ol' pinkie to your mum?" He slowly, tauntingly walked to the open bedroom door. If she was in the hall she could have seen it right then and there, but she was nowhere to be found. Batman wouldn't hesitate running all round the house with the thing if he had to. He had no shame. ​

 

[Daniel Clairoux]

The thought of leaving home and hanging with his best friend still felt weird or Daniel. His mother was a worrier, and wrapped people near her in cotton wool. He was all too ready for the freedom and responsibility that came with having his own place away from his mother - and he parties! No more having to listen to someone complaining, no more father's telling you you're wasting your life, no more brother's to be irritating. It was almost perfect. Batman was a like-minded individual. They were going to have load of fun together. Dan nodded absently to Batman's comment on the chicks. He knew what hot was, well, he knew what his best friend liked, and he was pretty sure he could invite some people. There were a lot of girls at school and around the area that many guys considered attractive. "Don't worry, I'll do the guest list. You focus on the set up, food, drinks and stuff. Can't have a party without the place being destroyed." Otherwise it was not a party, it was just a group get-together.

Robin grew a little suspicious at the face his best friend was wearing. He did not trust it. Batman was not someone you could trust when they pulled that sort of face. To his surprise and mild horror, the 'kini was taking and Batman was running around in a circle. "Oi, that is so not funny!" he said, reaching for it, but missing by mere inches. It was a bad time to discover that Batman was more agile than him.He then proceeded to taunt him with indecision. Oh Merlin... After he made his decision, Daniel nearly dived at Batman. "Not the window, old people live across the road!" He didn't want their poor elderly eyes to burn from shock or something. Old people did not know how to have fun or laugh, everyone knew that. "Anything but the poor old people." However, he could have cut out his tongue as Batman began to wander over to the door, proclaiming his intent to show his mother. Suddenly, moving out really needed to happen faster, so that threats like this would not be carried out. Once again, Robin ran across his bed with his arm stretched. If his mother saw that, he did not want to even consider what he would say to her. The poor woman would probably faint of something, he wasn't sure, and he was not going to wait and find out either. To his relief she wasn't out there, but she could be, she could be turning the corner right now. "Put the 'kini down, and no-one has to get humiliated." Robin said, approaching Batman similarly to how one might approach a rabid bear. If Batman decided to call for his mother and throw the 'kini, then it - in all its neon pinkness - could land right in front of his mother. Unlike Batman, who probably had little to no shame, Robin had a little bit of shame when it came to his family. In public he was shameless, but at home he was not so, since his mother had a habit of staring at him as if he was insane. "Do you want the death of my mother on your hands? She'll have a coronary if she sees that," he swiped for the 'kini. "Come on, you can embarrass me when my room's done."​

 

[Jon Phillips]

Batman surrendered. He knew it was the right thing to stop himself before he went too far. He was in Robin's house, around his family. Embarrassing his best friend purely for his own entertainment right now was stupid. The last thing he wanted was to get on Robin's nerves, and move in to their new place on bad terms. Reluctantly, he returned the 'kini to it's box. Sure, he let Robin win this round, but once they were all moved in it was on. He'd be sure to make up for it later. "Happy?" Surprised at his change of heart, Batman returned his attention to packing. This time he decided to be neat. He filled his fourth box with shoes and only shoes, stacking them neat and organised. This was boring, he knew he was being boring. But if he didn't keep himself bored he'd be tempted to throw the 'kini around again. The neon pink was all too tempting. "We're getting the turtles after this right?" He finished the fourth box, starting on his fifth. He wasn't sure what to pack next, the amount of clothing in Daniel's closest and on his floor was beginning to grow sparse. Eventually he returned to his original method of stuffing everything everywhere. It got the job done a lot quicker. Batman wanted to get to the apartment and get back at Robin for the 'kini incident already. Also turtles, he wanted to finally get the turtles.

"What should we name them?" They already had the tank, food, water, everything except the turtles. If they didn't get them later today, he'd be very annoyed. This was why he wanted to pack so quickly. So they could get their adorable pet turtles and settle into their new place today. "I'm thinking we should give them matching names." He shoved some shorts over top a pair of shoes. "Something classic like Batman and Robin. Except not Batman and Robin." Those would have been cool names if they weren't already taken. He finished the fifth box, moving it with the rest so he could stack them in a pyramid. Disappointed to realize he needed six boxes to make a pyramid, Batman grabbed another box and started packing. On their way out they needed to hold a competition as to who can carry the most boxes at once. All the ones he had packed were full of clothes, so he wouldn't need to worry about breaking anything. He could already taste the victory. ​

 

[Daniel Clairoux]

Daniel sighed with relief as the 'kini was returned. He did not want to see his poor mother's face if she saw that. She wasn't ready. However, Batman's compliance was surprising. Daniel was all but ready to deck him for it. He was waiting for Batman to take it back and run through the house with a Sonorus charm so he could yell and scream whilst doing it. He watched Batman as he taped the box to sop it from being taken in the future and continued. He seemed genuine - but he was probably going to get him later. He always did. Robin began on another box, stuffing more clothes in it. Maybe it'd be easier to just donate all of this to a charity or something and just leave it. Would it all fit in the apartment? He could just cast a spell or something, but still. He looked up when Jonathon spoke - and grinned. "Yep, we're nearly done too. We'll have the turtles in no time, don't stress. We'll get them by the end of the day, even if I have to leave half my stuff here." Robin wanted pet turtles and he was not going to let his clothes get in the way of getting turtles. They had been planning to get turtles since he could remember. They were his second favourite creature, after birds as a whole. He tapped another box and moved onto another. The room was nearly cleared, thanks to their hurried, uncategorised packing.

Daniel pursed his lips in thought. Batman had a point. The turtles had to have amazing names, names that matched and actually worked together. They could be something stupid like Shelly and Scales. They had to be amazing names - epic names. It would have been awesome if they could have called them Batman and Robin, but they couldn't. It's be weird to have their nicknames used as the name of turtles. He liked turtles - but not enough to give one his nickname and call it something weird like 'Robin Jr'. "I dunno." They had everything set. Robin had assumed that Batman would have thought up names, he was good at naming things. Daniel was not much of a name giver at all. "We definitely can't call them Batman and Robin - that'd be really weird. I guess we could ask Rose or something. She might have an idea." Daniel had not been able to talk to Rose for a while. He had to see her again, they didn't talk enough, not that Rose said much anyway, but still. He missed her. Suddenly, he got an amazing idea and dropped the box in his hands, causing it to fall in front of his feet. "We could get a girl and boy turtle and call them Alfred and Barbara!" He knew Batman would get the reference, if he didn't, Robin would be force to see whether he hit his head or something.​

 

[Jon Phillips]

Batman ignored the sound of Robin's box hitting the floor. He was more focused on his own box, so he could finish packing it and make a pyramid. As far as he was concerned the pyramid took priority right now. However his mind quickly changed when he heard Robin's words. "That's so epic!" He exclaimed. Alfred and Barbara, Barbara and Alfred. The names fit more than anything he could have thought up. Batman was adamant that's what they would be called. He didn't think he could get more impatient to finish packing but now that Robin had suggested the most perfect names he could barely wait any longer. Once they were all settled in to the new place it would be like one big happy family. Robin, Batman, Barbara and Alfred. But before they could move in they needed to finish packing. After shoving the last of Robin's clothes into a box, Batman stood up to look around the room. What used to be a closet filled with clothing was now completely empty. They had finally finished packing all of Robin's clothes, all the needed to do next was sort out everything else.

They packed the bed and side tables into one box with the help of magic, and in a jiffy they were done. Everything was packed and they were ready to move in. Batman could hardly contain his excitement. He picked up a stack of boxes all at once. "Can we go now?" He asked. "Can we go now please?" He was more than ready to leave Robin's packed stuff in the room until later, at this point he just wanted to get the turtles. But he knew they needed to move Robin's stuff into the new place first. The turtles will have to wait until later. This didn't stop Batman being so incredibly excited though. "I wanna get the turtles!"​