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#Tim's going to have a field day (and not in the good way) when he finds out more about Danny's live
bats-and-birds-24 · 6 hours
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Chapter 2:
The first time Bruce's heart shattered, he saw his parents shot dead in front of him.
The second time his heart shattered, he was carrying Jason's broken body out of a destroyed warehouse.
After Jason's death, Bruce's mind would not let him rest. He didn't deserve to, not after failing his son that badly.
Sounds of Jason screaming for Bruce, mixed with the Joker's cacophony of gory clangs of crowbar cracking bone, were etched into his mind.
His thoughts took over his life.
He should've noticed that Jason had left to go meet up with his so called "mother".
He needed to be better, Gotham needed to be safer.
He will make Gotham safe.
It started with him cracking down on the Joker gang, but then he started to expand the list, any criminal who hurt kids would face his wrath.
All he would see in his mind's eye as he punched them to bloody unconsciousness was the Joker's face.
Batman might have broken his oath if he had caught sight of Joker during those days.
In the middle of the haze filled bloodbath that was Bruce's life after Jason's death, he somehow managed to miss a curious pair of eyes following him from rooftop to rooftop.
The first time he met Tim, Bruce flinched.
Another dark haired child with determination sparking in his eyes.
He can't do this again.
It got worse when he said he wanted to be Robin.
"Batman needs a Robin." He stated matter of factly.
Even though his hands trembled his eyes were locked with Bruce's own.
Tim was scared but determined.
"Robin's done, he's dead. No one else can be Robin again." Bruce croaked out. The kid's face looked crestfallen.
Good, maybe he'll avoid Batman from now on.
Bruce should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Tim had somehow managed to get Dick on his side.
How he managed to do that was a mystery, as Bruce himself was iced out of Dick's life.
Their communication being brief and work related.
The final straw was when Alfred managed to corner him in the library.
Jason's favourite spot in the manor.
"Master Bruce, you cannot keep avoiding young master Tim forever." Alfred stated
"It's for his own good Alfred." Bruce snapped not even looking up at him.
"Is it now? The boy's been running around with barely a jacket on in this cold, doing dangerous detective work to try and gain your approval." Alfred replied with a pointed stare.
"I tried to dissuade him." Bruce muttered.
"He's marked, you know that won't work." He sighed.
"Alfred I can't make him Robin, end of discussion." He replied in a frustrated huff.
In the end Alfred got his way.
He always did.
But the feeling wasn't the same. He didn't feel proud or happy when he saw Robin in the field anymore. Just relief that he's survived another day.
He kept a close eye on Tim as well, checking in via comms during patrol and spying in his bedroom to ensure that he hadn't snuck off into the chilly Gotham night.
He can't fail another Robin.
Until he did.
Tim had been caught by the Joker gang and he didn't even trust Bruce enough to call for help. He had multiple bruises and a dislocated shoulder.
He got away alive, but it could've gone worse.
Much worse.
Should he ban Tim from being Robin, should he tell his parents?
No that won't work, the Drakes barely seem involved in their son's life, Tim would probably find a way to circumvent the ban. The kid was too stubborn for his own good.
He was getting a headache.
Bruce rubbed his mark absently as he pondered on what to do.
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flamingpudding · 5 months
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Drake's family secret
A/N: Another story idea I had and I probably will keep working on. I kinda want to continue on it I just have no idea how or with what yet.
Tim had a secret. Well, he had many secrets but this was one he had kept closed off for a very long time now. It was one of the reasons he fabricated a fake uncle to avoid getting adopted. After all, if you were put into the system how could you possibly get found or find your last living blood relative? His family didn't know and he never intended for them to know anyway. It was a secret well-kept of the Drake family, one that even the public didn't know about. His parents hadn't thrown around money to keep anyone involved silent for nothing after all.
But Tim had had vague memories as well as found the last remaining documents years ago. The problem had been that he hadn't been Robin yet at that time and couldn't do research like he can now. Tim had often wondered if one of the reasons he had followed Batman around back then was to see if he could help him with that matter too, yet he had never brought it up to Bruce nor any of his other siblings.
In a way it made Tim feel guilty now as he looked over that old piece of paper. The only hint he had until now.
He looked over the security video of Wayne Enterprise again. Watching that group of high schoolers that was there on a school trip visit. His eyes tracked one specific student among them. If things were different Tim would joke about how the boy looked like perfect Bruce adoption material. But as it was, Tim was not going to make that joke.
Because as much as the boy fell into the stereotype of Bruce's adoption problem, the boy had facial features that looked very much like one Jenet Drake. Tim could honestly see it, sure his memories were not the best in regards to his parents but he had kept at least some photos for references. But recognizing that threw in a whole other set of problems.
For one he would need to find a way to make sure the Drake Family secret doesn't get exposed to his family too soon. Second, he needed to find a way to approach the boy without looking suspicious. Third, he was on a time limit, according to what he found the school trip the boy was on lasted for a week. Once the boy was out of Gotham it would be even harder to find a passable excuse to approach him. Fourth, he would also need a blood sample. As much as the boy's looks alone could make Tim believe it, the rest of his family was paranoid and if he was completely homestead, he also would need it for his reassurance that he wasn't wrong. Which again he kind of doubted even with this little amount of evidence. The fifth problem in this was, how was he going to break it to the rest of his family.
Because the best kept Drake's Family secret, he was pretty sure he was the last remaining person in the know, was that Tim had a little brother. A brother that was born when he was around 3 or four years old. A little brother who had never gotten to grow up with him because Jack and Jenet Drake had used their constant traveling as cover so the public wouldn't know about him. They already had an heir with Tim, they didn't need a second child. So the moment his little brother had been born he was given up in a closed adoption. Never to be seen again and never to be connected to the Drake family.
Tim only knew about him because he had vague memories about his mother's pregnancy and also had later found the papers in his parents' office when he was around ten. He remembered how upset he had been at the discovery but also how he hadn't been able to do anything about it. Though it was back then that he had also decided that the moment he could he would do everything he could to find him. Things only started to change when he became Robin and then Red Robin. Now he had the resources and knowledge to find the little brother he had never gotten to grow up with.
But too much time had passed and his parents had been thorough when covering their tracks, which resulted in Tim having been unable to find that little brother of his. Having no name and no idea who adopted him, didn't help either. But Tim had had less to work with before, yet the search had given him massive troubles, to the point that he HAD contemplated getting the rest of his family in on it.
But now that wasn't necessary anymore, there was an actual chance again.
Thankfully he had come in late today, if he hadn't he wouldn't have seen the group of High School students on a school trip in the Lobby waiting for their tour guide. He wouldn't have seen the group of teens that lacked behind their fellow students a bit. But most importantly he wouldn't have seen that kid that looked like adoption bait for Bruce. That then by closer inspection had so many facial similarities to his mother that Tim had first thought he was hallucinating.
Now he was sitting in his office, watching the group of High Schoolers getting a tour through the building through the security cams while trying to come up with the perfect plan that didn't look too suspicious as he watched the boy who could be his blood-related little brother. Oh, Damian would throw a fit if he learned about having another brother, Tim mused for a moment as he noted down the boy's, Danny's, excitement about their aerospace department. He had already decided, if Danny was not living adequately he would pull all the strings he could to get his little brother home.
So far Tim had found out that the boy's name was Danny Fenton. He would dig into that later more. He would also make sure that if Danny was his little brother, he saw to it that he was getting treated right. He had noticed how his little brother appeared overly tired and there was a bandage hidden below his shirt plus through the security camera footage, he had also seen that there was a hint of scarring on his left arm.
For now, though he had sent a message to the tour guide to end the tour in his office, for something like a surprise introduction to Tim Drake-Wayne. He would continue to build up his plan of getting to know and confirm his little brother's status from there.
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rboooks · 10 months
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The Adoptive Son. Part 3
A pair of large, cornflower blue eyes stare across the living room of a luxurious penthouse at a nervous-looking man. The pair belong to a young teenager named Tim Drake, who, for the past few weeks, had spoken only a handful of words with Dick since Operation Honey Pot had begun.
They were waiting for Crowne to go get the surprise he had special ordered for Drake from an acquaintance
He tended to stare at him whenever he was around. Sometimes Dick didn't think Drake would even blink. It felt a little like Drake was starstruck by Dick- but he couldn't figure out what he had done to earn such rapture from Drake.
Other times, Drake would study him the same way a scientist would study a newly discovered bug- fascinated but weary, as though he didn't know if it was dangerous. So the scientist needed to pin the bug to a board and take it apart to understand it.
It sort of made Dick uneasy.
The night Crowne had brought him back, Drake happily played some video games while his babysitter- a sweet college student named Nancy- had been working on her assignment at the table.
Drake had turned to greet Crowne and had promptly choked on his own spit at the sight of Dick. Crowne had run off to cook them a meal, insisting Nancy finish her homework and not worry as he cooked.
She had smiled gratefully, turning back to her books while Drake had been rooted by the tv, with the most awe-struck expression Dick had ever seen.
Dick is a little surprised by how well Crowne treats Nancy Salazar.
Nancy is studying to be a pediatric occupational therapist. She adores children and is fascinated by the physical therapist aspect of the medical field.
Dick had learned that Nancy had been struggling to pay her Gotham University tuition after losing her job to a rouge attacking her workplace and the company deciding they needed to make budget cuts to complete the repairs.
She had also fallen behind on her bills due to her father suffering a medical emergency and the family pooling together what little they had to help him get life-saving surgery.
Her dad had been the family's primary provider for as long as Nancy could remember. Since neither of her parents could speak English, they had limited employment options. Nancy's siblings were all younger then than her, so they couldn't help much with the bills.
She had tried to take over as the eldest daughter, but soon it became apparent she was close to losing the house her parents had left their home country for to build a better future for their children. It devastated her.
She had been on the brink of becoming desperate for any job when she had run into Crowne at a wifi-cafe shop. She had seen Tim struggling to get through the door with his wheelchair and had gone to help him. (the child had seen internet videos of parkour and chosen to attempt the tricks himself. He had broken his leg from jumping from one roof to another.)
Her kind actions got Crowne attention, and he invited her to sit with them, then witnessed her have a meltdown when the owner of the cafe told her he had just filled the barista position she had come for an interview for.
It must have all piled up until Nancy couldn't hold back.
Crowne and Drake had consulted her, listening to her woes. After she calmed down, the two adults exchanged contact information to get to know each other. He had offered a babysitting job with complete benefits and a full-ride scholarship. Crowne had even gone far and beyond, paying off all her father's medical expenses and debts.
Dick knew all this because he had done a background check on her to see if she was involved in Crowne's schemes. Her story felt just a tab bit too far fetch for all the good fortune of meeting Crowne that fateful day.
She even admitted that she was sure she would have resorted to a life of crime with how desperate she had been back then.
When she came back clean- just the eldest daughter of immigrants trying to make it in this hellish city- Dick had thought Crowne was infatuated with her.
Nancy was a very attractive young lady, and it would not be the first time a rich man took advantage of a woman in finical distress. He hadn't found evidence yet, but Dick would keep an eye on her to ensure she was safe.
Her involvement was a lot easier to dismiss than it was for Drake.
"You and Danny are dating. He told me last night." Drake says after about half an hour of Scientist-looking-at-bug staring.
Dick throws on his best Wanye smile, making sure it's both charming and besotted. "Yes. We've agreed to become official. I hope you don't mind."
Drake tilts his head, looking ironically enough like a bird. "That depends."
"On what?"
"On what your intentions with Danny are." Drake puts down his Crowne laptop, which Danny had been programming and designing back when they started talking. The design is still the slimmest Dick had ever seen, small enough that it sat comfortably in Drake's school back and robust enough that it worked for all his gaming and photo developing.
It took Crowne about two months to complete what he called "modern," but it wouldn't be out to the rest of the public until Christmas when Crowne planned to reveal it to raise profits as high as possible.
The only reason Drake was allowed to have a model so early was simply that Crowne obviously saw him as a younger brother and sometimes maybe even a son. Dick certainly pick that up in the two-month undercover mission.
He must win over Drake as soon as possible for the sake of the mission. So far, he's come up with nothing incriminating, but more kids have disappeared. If the other boy can't stand him, it will seriously risk his access to Crowne's home and any clues on the missing children.
"I want to give him the life he deserves." Dick settles on. He's noticed that Drake is crazy intelligent. There was no reason to outright lie and get caught if the boy was smart enough to connect the dots.
"Danny deserves the world." Drake nods, stating the words like a fact. "Whatever you searching for, you won't find here."
What?
"Do you not want me to date Danny?"
Drake pauses, carefully turning the question in his head before answering. "I want someone to date Danny because they like him"
"I do like him."
"Do you?" Drake's eyes are practically ice, and Dick gets the sense he just walked into a trap. Carefully, he double-taps his left belt loop sending a warning sound to the Batcave. They won't pull him out yet, but it will have either Babs or Jason nearby in gear, just in case.
A soft click is heard from his right earring, and he knows Alfred is listening.
"I really do." He says in a warm voice.
Drake seems skeptical.
"Danny always had people falling for him. I had to tell him Jenny Wilson wasn't asking him for a private tour of his kitchen when she tried to get him to bring her back to the penthouse. He honestly thought she cared about his grape peeler. He's like that, you know? Though thoughtful, caring, kind, intelligent, and strong, Danny can't see that people generally think he's what they would want in a romantic partner. I think he was bullied a lot as a kid before his adoption, and it's ruined his ability to see his worth."
Dick tries not to scowl. Yes, he's suspected the same thing. He just hopes it's not why Crowne has inflicted so much pain.
He can't stand people who use bullying as an excuse. It doesn't justify anything they do, it also demonizes the victims, and they get too scared to report what they are going through. ''I can't claim to not be like the other people because I don't know them. I know myself, and I can promise that every inch of me wants to see Danny living the life he deserves."
Whatever Drake is going to say gets cut off by Crowne walking back from the elevator carrying a box. "Tim, come look!"
He settles the box on the coffee table, so Drake can reach over and open it. There is a small gasp of delight from the boy as he pulls out a well-done Robin hoodie. It's not over the top like most Robin merch, but it's not subtle either. It's so nicely done. Dick can even tell it's based on Jason rather than him.
The second Robin is Drake's favorite. The teen prices it by holding it up and cheering, "Oh my gosh! I love it, I love it! Where did you get this!?"
"One of Nancy's friends is majoring in fashion design. She overheard me say I wanted to get the second Robin merch that wasn't a blatant grab for money, and she had her friend draw up some designs. I will sponsor her and sell her work in our stores."
Crowne is wearing a Robin hoodie of his own, but this one is based on Dick, and for a moment, his heart soars at the sight of Crowne in his family colors. It's a dangerous thing.
He knows one of the pitfalls of undercover work is getting too attached to the lies. He couldn't allow himself to actually fall for someone like Danny Crowne. Nothing good would come out of it once he saw him jailed for everything he's done.
He hasn't gotten anything to show Crowne's crimes, but Bruce had enough proof for the shell companies doing strange and dangerous experiments.
They needed to figure out what the experiments were attempting to do. Still, they found small clues: systematics showed weapons that didn't intend to harm humans, half-erased research on "eco-energy," what looked like machines attempting to rip holes in reality, and glowing green liquid that made Bruce pale when Jason brought back a simple.
It made Dick angry that the liquid prompted his ex-mentor to contact Talia al Ghul to ask, but she claimed to know nothing of Danny Crowne. Bruce felt she was lying, so after asking Wonder Woman and Superman for help, the big three went to Nanda Parbat to look for clues.
Dick wasn't sure what they found, but Bruce had a surprise for him back at the cave once he finished visiting his "boyfriend."
They could take down Crowne Co. with what they did have, but there was a chance Crowne could claim that his scientists went rogue and let them take the fall. Also, they didn't have any names of the scientists. It was like the invisible man was conducting them on his own.
Dick had to wait a little longer. See the big plan and unravel it so everything can never be rebuilt.
Yes, he's only seen a good man who may be socially awkward once you get past his regal composure, and his speech may be a bit too formal. A passionate inventor who always tried to find a new ways to improve people's lives, especially in medicine.
A man who cooked because he liked feeding people.
A man who offered a helping hand because his parents were often mocked for their careers- Dick suspected they may have been prostitutes based on the small comments of people thinking "it wasn't real jobs and they should be ashamed for themselves"- but most of all, Dick found a man who seemed lonely.
Someone lost after life displaced him, desperately trying to find himself again. It made Dick feel better knowing someone like him was doing the same.
"What is your opinion, Dick?" Crowne asks, doing a slight turn. Dic can't fight the urge to lean in for a quick kiss, telling himself it was all for the mission and the butterflies he felt in his stomach were terrible indigestion.
Crowne smiled into the kiss, pressing a second one on Dick's lips before leaning back, looking a little flustered still, and over his shoulder, he saw Drake's eyes narrow.
Maybe the kid was jealous?
He didn't know, but he better keeps an eye on Tim Drake. Something told him not to underestimate that boy.
"I got you a Nightwing too. The first Robin and Nightwing are one of my favorite heroes. They make me feel safe. I know I shouldn't worry with them guarding me at night." Crowne says, and Dick fights hard not to flinch.
You have no reason to feel guilt. It's for the mission.
He hopes he finds proof soon.
(Part 1), (part 2)
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fryingpan1234567 · 8 months
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DC high school au… mayhaps…..
I’m not sure if anyone’s done this before
But I’m doing it now
So the JL, right. These are famous alumni who made school history and now obvi they’re billionaires and reporters and museum owners but they’re not superheroes— just regular people
Liiike Clark Kent was the best quarterback the school has ever seen
Oliver Queen essentially revolutionized the archery team
Diana Prince convinced the school to start a fencing league
Barry Allen slayed both track and any and all chemistry competitions thrown his way
Arthur Curry… I shouldn’t have to say anything about his swim team career. That’s where he met his wife
Bruce Wayne was one of the smartest people probably ever, especially to grace that building
And so on and so forth
Anyways so these people are famous, and they’re up on the walls and display cases and shit
The staff!! Was so thrilled!! To be getting their children!!!!
(The principal counted down the days on his calendar after the news hit that Brucie adopted his first kid)
So.
Dick and Barbara are seniors. Dick is the cheer captain and Babs WAS on the team until a fun little accident that has her wheelchair-bound. (It’s fine, she discovered she actually likes computers better. She’d hacked the entire security system one day at lunch because she got bored)
Dick is kind of the queen bee of the school, which is hilarious, because he KNOWS but refuses to let it get to his head. This man will start water gun fights in the hallways for fun
Jason and Cass are juniors
Jason is one of the drama club’s absolute best (singing and acting). He played Billy Flynn in Chicago, Prince Charming in Cinderella, Aladdin in… yeah. He slays pretty hard
Cass is on the dance team and regularly misses class for some competition or another. Sometimes, when cheerleaders and the dance team collab on stuff (like assemblies), she actually likes the pompoms. She does not like the skirts.
Tim, Steph, and Duke are sophomores— people are s c a r e d of these three
Tim is known for constantly having a stockpile of energy drinks in his locker; sometimes a few of his friends get access to it. He’s also terrifyingly smart. And he’s got a bike. SOPHOMORE YEAR. TIM WHAT
Steph’s whole entire TikTok presence is lifting/ workout challenges against any poor scrub who tries to go up against her. She can lift the same amount as Jason Todd. That gives her a very confident “don’t fuck with me aura” around school, which is good, because she’s got zero interest in any guy there anyways (bi f pref queen)
And Duke… Duke is the golden boy, so the first time you see him in a sparring match with any of his siblings (they do that for fun at lunch), you’re very shocked to see him holding his own against Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown. He also slays
Damian is the only freshman in his family. Jason and Tim make fun of him endlessly
It is pretty impressive that a freshie organized the biggest fundraiser the school has ever seen— and it was for local animal shelters. Nobody knows how he did it. Probably intimidation. You never know with that kid
Now the superfam. Ohoho, yes, these legends go to that school too
Kara is a junior, Kon is a sophomore, Jon is a freshman. They’re all on the football team (their dad comes to every game🥰)
Did anybody expect a woman or freshman to land on the varsity team the first year either of them tried out? No. But they made it anyways. Good for them
And football is just so different from their day-to-day personalities, sometimes it gives people whiplash
Kara pretty much runs the broadcast and yearbook teams, and she does it along with dominating the football field and gym
Conner looks like he’d deck you for looking at him wrong (I mean he might but like he won’t… probably), and he’s like. He makes good fashion choices. He’s the Bad Boy, which is funny considering his nerdy bf is the one with the motorcycle
Jon is fluffy?? So nice?? Sir who let an actual decent person on the varsity football team?? When someone spots Dami wearing his letterman at some point, they become the most popular couple at school. As freshmen. Slay for them tbh
Donna Troy is a senior. Fencing and beauty pageants is a weird combination. But she knows she’s pretty and she’s gonna make damn sure everybody else knows too
Cassie is a freshie, but she’s already on the fencing team as well and several people have seen her sparring with Damian (wHERE did he get KATANAS), and it looks like a couple of war gods who happen to be fifteen are fighting to the death for a few yards of shitty grass behind the school
Conner Hawke, Artemis Crock, Emiko Queen, Roy Harper, and Mia Dearden are the archery team captains. Yeah, there’s five of them, yeah, the coaches couldn’t pick because the kIDS ARE BETTER THAN THEM
(Ollie laughed so hard he fell out of his chair when they came home and told him that)
Roy is a junior and definitely brings his bow everywhere he shouldn’t. He also “accidentally” shot Jason once. Whenever someone asks about their meetcute they just laugh until the person gets scared and runs away
Conner is a sophomore but a bitter old man in his soul. What a king
Artemis is also a sophomore and everyone thinks she’s Ollie’s favorite because she’s like a mini-him, but Ollie doesn’t actually HAVE a favorite and she finds this claim hilarious
Mia, third sophomore, has a very strange attraction to the color yellow. She LOVES it. And she actually pulls it off, how awesome is she
Emi is a freshman but gets along with Dami pretty well, which isn’t surprising considering their matching deadpan humor and lowkey murderous rage constantly
Jackson Hyde broke Arthur’s record for fastest lap on his fourth try. He spends more time at the ocean than literally anywhere else
Wally West and Bart Allen are technically not related?? They’re like. Cousins. But Barry ended up officially adopting Wally (long story)
Anyways they’re actually cousins with Jesse Quick
The three of them DOMINATE track and field/ cross country/ physics club (yeah you read that last one right don’t even with me)
Wally is a senior and working towards becoming a forensic scientist for the cops. When someone asks why the fuck he wanted to do that to himself, he always jokes, “I’m not fast enough to be a serial killer so I guess I’ll help catch ‘em” and everyone is scared
Bart is a sophomore but should be a freshie, because he’s almost a full year younger, except that he skipped fifth grade and went straight to sixth. Tim and Kon pretend to be his adoptive parents and it’s like a soap opera watching these three act out a dramatic divorce arc
Jesse is a junior (alliteration go brr) but a younger one (summer birthday WOO) she definitely takes after Barry, especially in speed
SO people call their friend groups chaotic. What are you gonna do, go up and fuck with any of them? Bad idea
For fun, these assholes run a fight club after school with betting and rosters and everything, with anyone who signs up. FOR FUN. Once the batkids learned their dad has a black belt in like six different martial arts, it was all over
They say it’s a good workout
They’re probably not wrong, but still
Who the fuck wakes up and chooses violence on all their friends and family all in good fun to make MONEY OFF OF BEATING THEM UP
The most viral videos taken from their school is a push-up contest with all eight batkids, seven competing, Babs filming
Cass won.
LET me know if you want more for this. Because I’m gonna write more. But if you had specific suggestions or characters or scenarios or questions, I would love to write them
Good morning/ night/ 4am!! (PS BACK TO SCHOOL WOO)
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idyllcy · 9 months
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saying we're just friends, thinking you're my man
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word count: 11.3k
warnings: non-explicit smut, heavy making out
summary: Distance gives the soul time to think, and Tim thinks he's in love with you.
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It's a textbook relationship.
Tim can't count the number of times he's read a fic like this.
In fact, he can already imagine the tags on your love story. Strangers to lovers, Friends to Lovers, Fateful Encounter, Alternate Universe - College, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn... the list goes on. You'd probably have a field day trying to finish the story inspired by the one the two of you experienced. Though, as he brushes his fingers through your hair in the kisses of the morning sun, he wouldn't have it any other way — even if he couldn't form a coherent thought when you were awake and talking to him. God, you make him weak.
In the blaring heat of August at orientation, you landed right at his feet after getting shoved around in the crowd of students.
"You good?" He holds his hand for you, and you take it, pulling yourself up.
"Sorry! They're quite a crowd." You laugh awkwardly. "I'm, uh—" Your name tumbled past your lips, an apologetic smile on your face, explaining to him that you were trying to get to the English building through the crowd of students. Tim told you his name (only first in fear you'd recognize his last) and showed you a shortcut to the building. You had taken the messily scribbled image, airdropped it onto your phone, and you had rushed off with a thank you yelled into the air. Tim hadn't thought much about you. It wasn't as if you'd be in the same department as him. He also had minimal GE classes, so—
Two days later, you sit next to him in his only GE class. He was required to take English regardless of his previous experience with it. His AP classes hadn't been kind enough to remove the requirement. Not even the fives on both of his English APs could have helped him avoid the expository hell all freshmen were required to take. So, he meets eyes with you as you apologize for sitting next to him, confessing that he was the only face you knew.
"So? What's your major?" You blink at him curiously as the class waits for the professor.
"I'm in Cybersecurity."
"Woah." You mumble. "Stem..."
"You?"
"Creative Writing." You grin. "Well, build your own major. But Creative Writing nonetheless."
"A writer?"
"Yeah."
Tim had watched as you played Minecraft the entirety of class, only skimming through the syllabus for his late work, absence, and attendance policies. He's not sure if you even caught the way the professor mentioned there was a syllabus quiz next class. Though it wasn't his job to tell you, but he still felt kind of bad if you were to fail it. He passes you a note, and you pause your game, glancing at the note. You grin at him, opening your phone and showing him your reminder. You go back to your Minecraft world for the rest of class, information going in one ear and out the other. (Tim found out later that you actually listen, and gaming was only a focus tactic you used.)
At the end of class, you save your world, push your chair in, and sprint for the door.
Tim shared no other classes with you. In fact, the two of you only had one class together for all four years of your college lives. Yet, there was something about you that had stuck with him. He didn't know what it was, but he hadn't felt that giddy over someone since his last relationship, his heart racing in his chest, his head spinning. He pushed everything down in favor of being able to pay attention in class. Though his coding skills were spectacular, his writing skills were less than stellar. He didn't understand how writing just came to you.
Especially not when you fell asleep halfway through your first monthly timed essay and still scored a 97. He could learn a thing or two from you, maybe. Were you doing memory consolidation in the middle of the exam? He has no idea how you did it.
Your name slips past his lips as you pack up after one class.
"Yeah?" You tilt your head at him.
"Are you," he pauses, (a little embarrassed. Tim Drake, son of Bruce Wayne, CEO of WE, was in need of help. Of course he was a little embarrassed.) "down to tutor me? My grade in this class is less than... acceptable." He grimaces at how his voice goes quiet.
You smile. "Yeah. I'm down. I'll give you my number and schedule and we can arrange a time. Expository writing isn't that bad. It's just the same sentence structure with some BS and then you're done."
"Easy for you to say," He hands you his phone.
"No. It's just like how you have structure when you code." You click your number in, texting yourself and saving his contact before you forget. "There is structure in everything you do."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." You beam at him.
Tim's next essay comes back with an 81. It's a big improvement from the 64 he scored the first time. You were right, the essays being the same thing over and over again. The structure is as easy as basic coding is to him. He understands you now.
He thanks you by taking you to the diner, paying for your meal.
You kick your legs at the booth, milkshake straw between your lips, lost in thought.
"Penny for your thoughts?" He raises a brow.
"Tim... what's your last name?" You frown. "It's fine if you don't tell me, but my friends have been asking who I've been tutoring and I realized I have no idea what your last name is."
"It's Drake." He scans your face for something when he tells you.
"Drake..." You pause, letting go of the milkshake straw. "huh. Like the CEO." You go back to your milkshake after the revelation.
"Not surprised?"
"I mean," You grimace at him. "You wear the down-low designer brands your adoptive father does, so not really. I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to pry in case you didn't want to tell."
"Down-low designer brands?"
"Bruce Wayne has a specific way of dressing casual." You bite on your straw. "I know this sounds creepy but I've done more research on brands billionaires wear than I'd like to admit."
"Does it have to do with your writing?" Tim thanks the waiter as his order is brought.
"Yeah." You smile sheepishly. "Is that creepy? Sorry."
"No. I've been expecting the unexpected from you for a while now."
You laugh. "Yeah?"
"I have an older brother who writes in his free time and the amount of things he's done for research is crazy."
"Right? Reddit and Quora are my saviors." You mumble. "I obviously can't kill for research, so the internet is my best friend."
"Do you search on incognito?"
"No. I prefer being able to dig up my weird research from my search history." You shrug. "I bet the FBI has me on a watchlist."
"I could check if you'd like."
You feign a look of shock. "Really?"
He smiles at you, and the two of you burst into laughter.
"You going to Connor's Halloween party next week?" You finish the last of your milkshake.
"Of course not." He deadpans. "Must I remind you I hate going out?"
"Awh," You pout. "I wanted someone to match maid dresses with."
"Excuse me?"
"For research."
The smile on your face suggests anything but.
"You can consider it as payment for all the times I'm going to tutor you."
"I've been paying you."
"No." You shake your head. "You pay me each time we have a session. I'm letting you pay me for the rest of the lessons by showing up to the Halloween party in a maid dress with me."
Tim looks at you incredulously.
"Actually, I'll even draft a contract if you don't believe me." You smile.
"And if I turn you down?"
"I'll find one of my friends to do it with."
"Then why ask me?"
"The thrill of the unknown? The endless answers you could have chosen? A grasp on your character better? It could be anything." You smile sweetly at him. "It's fine. You can continue paying me like you normally do."
"Who would you match with if not me?"
"Well, I was thinking Sam or someone else," You shrug. "but Sam doesn't celebrate Halloween. I'd match with the other guy friend, but one of my friends is into him so I don't want to make it seem like I'm making a move on someone I know she likes."
"So you asked me?"
"I don't know, Tim." You shrug. "You tell me. I thought you were a genius."
He leans in to read your face better. "I'd say you asked me because you're interested in me."
"Bingo." You grin wider this time.
"It's been less than two months."
"And? Hasn't stopped people from already hooking up." You shrug. "You can say no."
"See, I'd say yes, but Connor would take a photo and it would end up in our groupchat's blackmail folder." Tim slides his fries to the middle when he catches you staring. "You can have one."
"I thought you were a master hacker?" You pick a fry from the carton.
"Yeah, but friend code."
"Ah." You nod slowly. "It's okay to say no. I won't get offended."
"Maybe next year." Tim shakes his head.
"No worries!"
Tim stalks your Instagram on the day of Halloween, staring at the post where you're matching maid dresses with your entire friend group. In the back of his mind, he wonders, for a brief moment, if it would have just been you and him if he had agreed. The thought disappears just as fast, sighing as he puts his phone down and domino mask on. He had patrol. He could think about his mess of emotions later. Gotham needs him.
Your breath hitches from the spiked punch, your friends long lost in the crowd, your head spinning as you stumble onto the balcony of the apartment, resting your head on the cool of the metal railing, trying to calm the thumping of your head. You hear something rustle in front of you, the sound of someone swinging, and you open an eye to get a look. Your breath catches in your throat at the sight of Red Robin.
"Hey—"
"Dude... your costume looks way too realistic." You press your fingers to his armor, pulling him onto the balcony with you, mumbling under your breath as you feel him up through his costume. The smell of alcohol is apparent on your lips, the smell of your perfume flooding his senses — your cheeks are flushed beyond repair, and Tim finds himself frozen in place as you practically straddle him, fingers running to his face. His eyes dart to your cleavage unconsciously, staring back up to meet your eyes when he sees too much. You look sinful like this. His breath catches in his throat as he tries to loosen your grip on him without accidentally throwing you off, and he finally presses a hand of his to your stomach, successfully getting you to stop.
"Sorry." You mumble.
"No worries." He rasps, pushing you back onto your seat gently — heart drumming in his head.
"Ey, Red Robin!" Connor calls from inside the house. "You made it!"
"I'm not here to party. I was checking in on you to see if you were being responsible." He sighs.
You blink at him, doe-eyed, fascinated, drunken stupor all over your face.
"You're real?"
"Yes." He mumbles.
"Sorry for touching you."
"You're forgiven."
You lean back into your seat with an exhale, pulling out your phone as Connor leads Tim further into the party. He speaks to Oracle to let her know where he was, and he exhales when she tells him B says it's fine. He nods at the people who compliment his costume as he passes them, and he grabs himself a cup of punch, pausing when the alcohol stings his tongue. He dumps it in Connor's sink, eyes trailing to where you were sitting, breath catching in his throat at the sight of some sleaze slinging his arm around you. He rushes over to you, fingers smoothing down your neck to your shoulders, warning smile on his face.
"She has company for the night."
The man scrambles as you look up at him, beaming. His breath catches in his throat.
"Careful. I might just take you home."
"Don't you dorm?" He raises a brow in amusement.
"No one said my home." You turn around to reach for his jaw, fingers trailing down, breath fanning his. Tim would let you do this. He really would. He'd kiss you senseless on the balcony at Connor's house, yet he knows better than to do so. You're drunk from the punch. He'd be taking advantage of you no matter how much you want this when sober. So, he runs his thumb over your bottom lip, forehead meeting yours, every ounce of his willpower pulled into not just kissing you senseless here. If only you were sober. The things he would do.
"Where is she — babes! Time to go!" Your friend breaks the tension for him, pulling you away from him with a nod, alcohol riding off of her as well. He wonders if your driver is tipsy.
"I wanna go home with Red Robin..." You mumble, and your friend smacks you playfully. He notices one of you is sober, and he supposes that's enough. He heads back inside to find Connor.
Tim notices you miss class the next day. You text him to ask him to record the lecture for you, telling him the Halloween party was lit and you remember almost making out with a guy but your friend cockblocked you. Tim holds back a laugh in class, letting you know he'd email you his notes with the lecture recording. You thank him with an image, going offline immediately after. He clicks on his laptop, noting down whatever you might need. The recording would cover the rest. He sends everything at the end of class, your response instant. It wouldn't matter if you were absent from class. Your grade could take a hit.
He answers his phone when you dial him.
"Hey?"
"Timmers, you got Tylenol?"
"I can buy you some?" He offers. "I don't have class after this."
"Please? Oh, and throw in that one specific brand of bottled tea. I'll send you a photo." You grumble.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Like a dead girl walking."
"Taking that as a no. Want anything else?"
"I'll Venmo you the money. Bring me the receipt."
"You're sick. You can pay me back by actually being in class next lecture."
"Not hard. My head just hurts from the hangover."
"I'm guessing you got home safe?" Tim steps into the convenience store.
"Yeah. Our driver was sober. Thankfully."
Tim grabs the Tylenol and pauses. "I need the tea."
"Which convenience store are you in?"
"Metro."
"Aisle three by the American soda. It's green with white writing. You can read Chinese, right? It's Japanese but it says tea in Chinese."
"How'd you know?" Tim pauses. "Unsweetened green tea? The Japanese one?"
"Yeah. It helps a lot." You sniff. "Found out on google because someone made a compilation of you speaking foreign languages."
"So you assumed?"
"The part where you speak Cantonese, you were reading from a menu."
"Are you stalking me?"
"I'd prefer doing research."
"Stalking."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Tim checks out, tapping his phone to pay. He takes the bag and pauses at the sight of the instant noodles. "You sure you don't want anything else?"
"Nothing. Feel free to get what you need too."
Tim hears you drink something.
"I'll text you my dorm building and number. There's no pin to get in just let them know you're here to see me. I'm pretty close with the RA."
"Networking already, huh?"
"Whatever you want to call it."
You text him your dorm building and number, and he knocks on your door.
You open it with a weak push of your arm.
"Are you actually sick?"
"No." You thank him as he hands you the plastic bag. You pop two pills out, swallowing them with the tea. "I'm extremely hungover. I drank too much punch."
"And you didn't realize?"
"No. I was trying to drink my thoughts away." You sniff. "So? How'd you spend yesterday?"
"Handing out candy at the manor with Bruce." Which was a lie. He spent Halloween using every last drop of self-control to not kiss your drunk self senseless at Connor's place. He can still smell your perfume.
"Sounds boring."
"I do it every year." He shrugs. Also a lie. He spends every Halloween patrolling Gotham because it's the one night of the year where every single criminal decides it's alright to go apeshit.
"mm," You yawn. "I matched maid dresses with my friend group. I posted about it. Do you have insta?"
"No. I keep a low profile."
"So you don't have a private account?" You raise a brow.
"I do, but what makes you think we're close enough for it?" Tim mirrors your raise of brow.
You hold your hand to your mouth, pretending to be offended. "We're not close enough for it?"
"I'm kidding." He mumbles. "What's your handle? I'll follow you."
"You better not turn down my request." You reach for the green tea again, drinking it as you show him your account. He already knows your account. He figured he'd have to ask or else he'd be a hypocrite for calling you his stalker. Well, he's already a hypocrite.
"Ough!" You sit up straighter, reaching for your laptop. "Connor sent me these photos that the photographer caught of me and Red Robin" You swoon.
"You're into him?"
You blink at him. "Did I not tell you I run his stan account?"
"You do wHAT." He freezes. "Are you the girl who gets caught up on the news every other week because you accidentally fall while taking photos of him?"
"Yep." You grin. "He's my favorite Robin."
Tim was extremely conflicted at the discovery. In retrospect, he should have known from the way you seemed to climb all over him and pull him onto the balcony without second thought, but he's still embarrassed at the idea that you had fawned all over him. Yet he shakes his thoughts away as he peers over your shoulder to stare at the photos caught of the two of you — well, of you. You didn't know he was Red Robin.
There's a photo of you straddling him, feeling him up, and Tim's neck snaps to the side.
"Tim? You good? You don't need to look if you're uncomfortable, you know?" You remind.
"No," He swallows. "I wasn't expecting photos like this."
"Isn't the photographer good? I'd pay this guy to take photos of me at parties any day."
"Yeah?" Tim raises a brow as you show him the other two. One of him with his fingers on your collar, the other of his forehead pressed to yours, thumb between the two of you's lips. You explain to him in excitement that you would have kissed him had your friend not pulled you away because you needed to leave. Tim rests his back on your closet, nodding along slowly. He had homework to do. Yet he spent the rest of the afternoon in your room listening to you ramble about Red Robin, conspiracies reminding him of someone.
"So let me get this straight." Tim interrupts. "I'm on a time crunch. I have something for one of my compsci classes due soon and wanted to get the big picture."
"Oh. I'm sorry for—"
"Don't." He holds his hand out. "I stayed. You run the biggest Red Robin stan account on Twitter and you're planning on posting those photos like he's some kpop idol?"
"Yeah?" You tilt your head.
"Are the fans not going to get mad that he's making out with someone at a party?"
"No." You laugh. "His fans are used to him being in relationships. The most they'd do is figure out who that is, which is me, but that's it."
"You won't get death threats?"
"His fans aren't crazy."
"Yeah? You seem pretty mental to me."
You gasp. "Rude." You look to the side, sucking your cheeks in. "But not wrong."
"Yeah. If you denied it, I'd just pull up every single time you'd fallen while trying to get good photos of Red Robin."
You pout. "Shoo. You said you had something due soon."
"Last question."
"Shoot."
"You don't mind that he's never going to date you?"
"Timmers." You laugh. "He's a hero and I'm a fan. It's like asking me if I'm ever going to date a billionaire. It's impossible. Not written in the stars. It's a groundless dream."
"Yeah?" His own heart cracks a little when you mention a billionaire.
"Yeah." You smile. "Now do your work. You have a GPA to take care of."
"Got it."
Tim finds that nearing the end of the semester, you meet with him less and less, tutoring him on Zoom instead, apologizing, explaining that you had a ton of creative work due for your other classes. You had been planning on graduating early, he finds out. It was your freshman year, and you were trying to get your sophomore classes out of the way. He was bothered. It was incredible — the sheer amount of classes you took. It was more impressive that you had time to write your own creative works.
"So?"
"How did you score last time? I'm starting to think you have me tutor you still because you're into me." You joke.
"Ninety. All we have left is the stupid final."
"You're set then." You yawn. "Why still have me tutor you?"
Your mind wanders as you click on one of your assignments. "Oh, how about this, then? I have an interview I need to conduct for my journalism class, and you'd be the perfect candidate. I'm expected to record it in the building and it's due in three days."
"Three days?"
"I bet you have everything out of the way, huh?" You smile at him, batting your lashes. "Hm?"
Tim, does, in fact, have everything out of the way.
"And if I don't?" He likes teasing you.
"Then I'll ask one of my friends. The topic is the discussion of a topic you aren't familiar with. You're good with coding, something I can't do past basic HTML to edit how text looks." You hum. "I'm grappling at every excuse I can to hang out with you, if you can't tell."
"Oh, I definitely can."
"Great." You smile. "How does tomorrow at 8 in the morning sound?"
"So early?" Tim raises a brow.
"I'll bring us coffee. Give me your order."
"Sold."
Tim realizes at 3am that you never gave him a dress code. Should he show up in casual? Business casual? Semi-formal? Formal — no, formal attire seemed like too much. He grimaces as he's in the Batcave, irritation all over his face.
"Something wrong, Timmers?" Dick raises a brow.
"Yeah. What do you wear to an interview?"
"Depends what kind." Bruce answers, pulling the cowl from his head. "Who's the interviewer? Is it official?"
"A friend is interviewing me for a project."
"Final project or just a project?"
"Forgot to ask."
"You can't go wrong with semi-formal. Dress like old money." Dick hums. "Polo shirt and khakis. Throw in a sweater tied around your neck and you should be good to go."
"I agree." Bruce hums.
"Do you need to impress said friend?" Jason raises a brow from behind the two.
"Wh-what does that have to do with the interview?"
Jason smirks at the stutter. "Get Steph to dress you. She'd make you look good and dress for the occasion."
"I think I'll go with Dick's—"
"Half-buttoned dress shirt and dress pants." Steph cuts in, pausing. "No, that'll make you look desperate. Grey sweats, blazer, and a white tee. Dark colored blazer but NOT black."
"Why can't I just wear a polo shirt and just—"
"You want to look good, right? Roll the sleeves up to right before your elbows. Mess up your hair a little too."
Tim sighs. "It's winter."
"Drake. Do you want to look good for your crush?" Damian cuts in.
"She's not a crush-"
"Last time you said that you were still pining after your ex." Steph laughs. "If you really want to look casual just wear what you normally wear but add some perfume."
"She's interviewing me for my major." Tim finally gets to speak.
"Then just dress like you normally do." Dick pats him on the back with a laugh. "Hoodie and sweats. Wear a tee underneath if in case you get hot so you can pull it over your head and she can watch."
"Hey-"
"I agree with that." Steph smiles. "If you're lucky, your shirt will ride up a little and she'll get to see—"
"Got it!" Tim yells, groaning. "My usual clothing it is. I'll bring a blazer in case she does want me to dress semi formal."
"Attaboy." Bruce ruffles his hair as he makes his way up.
Tim groans. He's not going to get enough sleep for this.
You call him in the morning when the coffee shop you frequent isn't open.
"Mm?" Tim furrows his brows, morning voice evident.
"Coffee shop closed. You mind if I just make one at the convenience store for you?"
"Knock yourself out. You're early."
"I need to set up the equipment." You hum.
"What color should I wear?"
"Something not green. I'm in red. See you in an hour."
"See you." Tim mumbles back, ending the call. He sits up, bed hair evident, staring at himself in the mirror. The exhausted part of himself wants to go back to sleep, but the better part of him — the giddy, excited, coming-of-age-has-a-crush-on-someone part of him — has him sit up from sheer willpower. (something he finds he has a lot of when it comes to you) He gets out of bed, pulling for the clothes he prepped the night before, combing his hair for once. He'd like to look nice for the camera, for you, he thinks. It would be a little frustrating to see the stand-in CEO of WE dress so casually. He has some sort of reputation to hold up when he isn't a student. Though he supposes he's being interviewed as a student, so there's not much of a need to dress so well.
But he supposes he wants to impress you.
He arrives five minutes before 8, locking his car and knocking on the door to the room.
"Hey," You smile at him.
"You didn't lock the door." He locks it behind him. "In Gotham during winter?"
"I knew you'd be here early." You adjust the cameras. "Your coffee's on the table."
"Thank you," He takes off his coat, hanging it on the rack. "Can I know what questions you'll be asking me?"
"Next to your coffee." You yawn. "You're dressed nice."
"Is it too little?" He smiles at you apologetically.
"No. Not at all." You smile. "Not when I'm dressed like," You motion at yourself. "This."
"You look like a friend." He points.
"Honored." You laugh. "The cameras are set up. I rented the room until 11. Take your time with the coffee."
"You're asking about me?"
"Yeah." You laugh. "The goal is to gradually have you talk about why you chose your major so we can have a relatively deep conversation. It's an intro to interviewing course, but the professor's ultimate goal was to make sure we make at least one friend."
"Yeah?" Tim puts his coffee down, smile on his lips. "Am I that friend?"
"Yeah," You smile back at him. "You can ask me questions too. It's supposed to be a casual interview. I'll only ask you a question when we run out of things to talk about."
Tim discovers a symphony of information from you. You open your heart to him the same way he can to some extent, smile on his lips when he tells you about his days during high school and his earlier relationships, forgetting that this was an interview for your class and that you would probably have to go through hours of footage in response to this. The plush of the seat is warm underneath him, your voice is a melody to his ears, Tim nodding along as you tell him about the one time you snuck out of the house as a teenager and got your ass beat because you got caught. The smile on your lips is contagious, he finds. He hadn't fallen for someone this hard since his ex.
Tim took you to lunch that day, desperate to get to know more about you, desperate to know you. He would have called it a date if you had let him.
You had your laptop pulled up, sorting through the footage (the three hour long footage) of the two of you's conversation, nodding along and rambling casually, clicking through to cut more personal matters from the interview, only required to give your teacher a clip and the raw file's total length to prove that you two hadn't just staged a conversation. You take a fry from his plate, your sandwich finished on your plate, humming when you finish editing.
"Are you always this fast?"
"Depends on what context." You wink.
"You were pretty fast to upload those new Red Robin photos too." If he noticed the sexual connotation of your words, he didn't mention anything.
"Well, other than lighting, I don't really need to edit anything."
"Speaking of which, do you even pay tuition?"
"Martha Wayne Scholarship." You yawn. "Your dad is looaaaded."
You submit your assignment to Canva, yawning. "That was my last one."
"You finished all those writing assignments?"
"Writing comes to me like hacking does to you." You close your laptop, tucking it into your bag. "Thanks for lunch, by the way."
"Mhm." He smiles. "Glad you liked your sandwich."
"My favorite." You hum. "So? Any updates? New girl? New boy? Relationship? Your dad adopted a new sibling? What's new?"
"Siblings keep teasing me."
"Oh? For what? For me?" You press a hand to your chest, wiggling your brows at him. You burst into laughter when he turns red. "Yeah? Because of me?"
"I asked them what I should wear to an interview, and suddenly they were asking me if I had a girlfriend."
"Yeah? So what did you tell them?"
"Interview from a friend." His eyes meet yours, eerily sincere. "Why?"
(the use of friend leaves a pang in your chest)
"Curious." You shrug. "So? Going anywhere for vacation?"
"Just Christmas at the Wayne Manor. You know, the rich people gala?"
You shudder, laughing. "Good luck."
"I'll need it. God knows who else I have to network with that night."
"Well, my dorm's open if you want it." You shrug. "But I doubt Bruce would let you leave since you are the CEO."
"Stand-in." He corrects.
"CEO nonetheless." You hum. "Should I send you a Christmas present?"
"What would you even send me?"
"It would be a surprise."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Tim finds a gift from you under the Christmas tree, presumably placed there by Alfred. He had missed when you dropped it off, knocked out in the warmth of his bed without the pressure of an exam for once, letting himself ignore the cases he promised himself he'd solve. He promised you he'd get one day of proper sleep. Your texts are the only ones that cause his phone to vibrate during break. (He's down horrendously bad for you, Jason had whispered to Dick while Tim had responded to your message, lovesick grin on his face.)
Distance gives the soul time to think, and Tim thinks he's in love with you.
It comes as a revelation on Christmas morning, coffee mug warm in his hand as he watches his siblings open their Christmas gifts, laughing at certain ones and holding back his face from a smile breaking past his lips at others. He's third on the list to open his gifts, third son and all, and Tim finishes the last of his coffee, fingers reaching for his presents, all wrapped in a shade of red different from Jason's blood red. He thanks everyone for their gifts, raising a brow in amusement when he pulls out Damian's, a genuine smile breaking on his smile at Bruce's. Finally, he finds himself reaching for the gift you had gotten him, his fingers shaking as he breaks open the wrapping paper, smile on his face at the camera you got him. There's even an SD card and a battery charger part of the box you had prepped him.
"Oooh, Timmers is that from your girlfriend?"
"She's not my—"
The family breaks into teasing remarks as Tim groans, blush fresh on his skin, heart racing in his ears — that's when he realizes, the painful realization, a realization that breaks him into silence — he's in love with you.
Bruce has everyone move on as Steph sits down to open her gifts, and Tim's throat dries at the epiphany. He's in love with you — and that same lovesick smile breaks on his face as he wonders if you got his Christmas present. It was as if the two of you synced with the gift. Maybe he'd catch you taking photos of him with your camera. This time, he should stare back at you, flash you a smile, strike a pose, something, anything to fluster you. He was already looking forward to patrol that night. He picks up his mug, excusing himself quietly to get another cup of coffee, pulling his blanket with him as he clicks on his phone, placing his cup under the machine as he thanks you for the gift.
You respond immediately, video-calling him on accident, flustered state caught on camera, hair still a mess from waking up.
"I'm so sorry—"
Tim laughs. "It's fine. Are you home?"
"No. I slept over at a friend's place since my mom and I don't celebrate Christmas." You smile at him fondly. "I brought the gift you mailed to me, though. I haven't opened it yet."
"Let's say it's for your bird watching."
"You did not." You gasp, looking over your phone. "I'll have my friend record a video when we rip open our presents. Have fun on Christmas, Tim. Love you lots—"
Tim's face turns utterly red at the words, blinking wide-eyed at the now-ended call. You just... wow. He takes his mug of coffee, sitting back at his old seat where his siblings were, in a half-blissed-out state at your words. (He's told later on by your friend that you had sobbed into her chest when you realized you told him you loved him on accident.)
You text him sometime during the afternoon with the video of you opening your present, thanking him for his generous gift. You let him know that you'd send him your new photos with his present first, letting him see how good the quality of his camera could be. He texts you to sit on your dorm roof instead, and you ask if he was planning on kidnapping you. Maybe you'd let him take you for a swing. Instead, he tells you it's a present for your fanpage. You ask him if he's going to call Red Robin himself. He leaves you on read.
Bruce notices the way Tim's eerily giddy for a Christmas patrol, but he doesn't comment on it.
You exhale into the winter air, the cold piercing your lungs as you hold the camera between your gloved fingers, kicking your legs as you sit on the edge of the building, strap hung around your neck. You hum quietly as you watch the snow start, and a shadow looms over your shoulder.
"Hey." Tim smiles at you, Red Robin outfit on.
"Woah. He wasn't lying." You gasp. Your name spills past your lips, rambling about how you were his biggest fan. He stares at you through the whites of his domino mask, smile breaking onto his face.
"I've seen your Twitter."
"Yeah?" You exhale, eyes sparkling. "Honored. I hope you aren't going out of your way to visit me or anything. Gotham needs their vigilantes."
"And if I am?"
"Then you should go." Your cheeks flush from the winter warmth, and he steps close to you, forehead pressed to yours.
"You remember me from Halloween?"
"We have a thing with meeting on holidays, hm?" You laugh gently, eyes crinkling, Tim's expression softening.
"Yeah, we do." He hums, leaning in further. "May I?"
"Yeah." You exhale, lips finally pressed to his under the winter snow, his hands warm on your face as you lean in closer to him, chest pressed to his, lips parted to give him access to your mouth. Your head spins deliciously from the taste of his lips, his perfume reminding you of someone you know all too well, your mind muddled with the fact that you're actually making out with Red Robin, your celebrity crush. You whimper against his lips when he nips at your bottom one, his breath catching in his throat.
"Fuck, pretty girl. You can't just do that." He heaves, resting his forehead on yours again.
"Wow." You breathe, starstruck, eyes staring up at his.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." You laugh melodiously, and Tim feels his heart grow full. "Can I get a photo?"
"For you? Anything."
You make a Christmas post on your Twitter, photo of Red Robin with a Santa hat and white beard staying pinned for the Holiday season. (Tim wasn't allowed to live it down from his family, but he had gotten to kiss you stupid, so he was more than willing to take the jabs.)
He invites you to his place for New Year's Eve, invitation tumbling past his lips and nearly getting drowned out by his panicked rambling, cheeks red beyond repair and stutter catching in his throat, only for you to tell him that you'd "love to" and that you were "honored." You asked him if there was a dress code, and he told you it was fine. Even if the Wayne gala was that night, he would just sneak to his room when you arrived. He could finish socializing with the rich in a couple of minutes. Hell, he'd flirt his way out of it like Bruce did if it meant he could see you early. He tells you to arrive in a nice dress anyway, asking for your measurements so he could send you something. (You didn't want to give it to him, but he insisted.)
You pull up to the gala perfectly on time, ignoring the paparazzi asking you who invited you and making a beeline to who you assumed was Alfred and asking him if you could be taken to Tim's room. The gala wasn't somewhere you wanted to be, and Alfred had been more than welcoming, leading you and leaving you in Tim's room, telling you to make yourself comfortable since you were Tim's guest. You spent twenty minutes looking through his photobooks before he stumbled into his room, a little sweaty since he had been running.
"Hey." He smiles at you dorkily, smiling like a nerd in love.
"Wow. You're dressed nice." You mumble, staring him up and down.
"You don't look too bad yourself," He hums, locking his door behind himself. "Did you get to eat anything?"
"I ate before I came and made a beeline for Alfred when I came. Too many cameras."
"Sorry." He exhales. "Looking at my photos?"
"They're nice."
"They're from years ago." He hums. "Before my parents passed."
You mumble something under your breath, eyes meeting his in something akin to sadness.
"It's fine, now." Tim presses his thumb to the space between your brows, your expression relaxing immediately.
"Ah, right." You slip out the SD card from your purse, blinking at him. "You have a card reader?"
"Yeah." Tim sits in his chair, opening his laptop through some series of codes, holding his hand out for your SD card.
You drop it in his palm, his fingers drumming against the table as he opens the files.
"I got photos of Red Robin." You grin. "He was there on my dorm roof. Did you send him?"
"Yeah." He smiles. "Did you like the gift?"
"My Twitter loved it." You smile. You neglect to tell him that you had kissed Red Robin breathless. (Tim doesn't notice the way you get embarrassed, trying to fight off the red on his own cheeks when he remembers the way the two of you had made out on the roof.)
Tim pauses at the photo of him swinging away.
"Why didn't you post this one?"
"I was actually planning on posting it today." You hum. "The ones of him in action."
"You have multiple?"
You click into a folder, enter your password, showing him the photos.
"The camera's great, by the way. Red Robin may not have an ass as impressive as Nightwing, but he still has a nice ass." You laugh, clicking open the photos. Tim chokes on the air at the photos, and he laughs.
"Oh, yeah, Twitter would love this."
You shrug playfully. "What can I say? It pays."
Tim glances at the clock on the wall. Two minutes from midnight.
"How'd you spend the morning?"
"My friend came to pick me up so she could do my makeup." You laugh. "Then she brought me to the mall so we could get me some heels," You kick your legs to show him. "And then another friend, the one with a nice car, drove me here. My other friends insisted they watch me walk off to you. I forgot to tell them your last name after I asked for it, so they were quite surprised when they dropped me off her."
"Maybe I should thank your friends for helping you look so pretty."
"Yeah?" You smile, hopping to sit on his desk.
He stands up, pressing his forehead to yours, tucking your hair behind your ear, nose brushing yours.
"Yeah. What do they like?" Tim hums, your perfume flooding his senses again, his doing the same.
"Ever been told you share a perfume with Red Robin?" You whisper.
"No. You'd be the first."
"What's the brand?"
The brand falls onto silence as you press your lips to his, fireworks signaling the new year going off in the back. Tim's hands dig into your waist, eyes half-lidded, tongue pressing into yours with so much passion your knees might've gone weak had you not been already seated. Your hands find themselves tangled in his hair, pulling lightly when his hand finds itself on the zipper behind you. He pulls away for a moment, begging for your consent, asking if this was okay.
You had told him yes in a heartbeat.
Thus, Tim found himself enveloped with you, senses sent into overdrive, your skin pressed to his, sweat mixing with his, body tangled with his in his sheets — the same sheets he had thought about you so often in, the one where he had thought about you while he spilled into his hand, fingers pressed to your skin, mouth on your skin, sucking, biting, marking, doing whatever you would let him do to you. Your dress was long abandoned by his desk, his own suit leaving a trail toward the bed where he had you in his fingers.
He prayed this wouldn't be a foolish dream.
When he wakes in the morning, pulling you closer to his chest, your lashes fluttering against his skin, his heart warms. He should ask you to date him right now, he thinks. But his heart races in his chest, wondering if you would agree. Maybe the two of you had kissed in the heat of the moment, and you had let him have you because he had asked so nicely. He looks down at you as your eyes are completely open now, embarrassed smile on your face. He misses his chance.
"Good morning." He looks at you like you're his whole world.
"Good morning." You smile back at him like he's the universe.
The two of you fall back into the pace you had established the previous semester, this time without any classes together, only texting every now and then with updates. Tim hates this new life he lives. He misses seeing you during class and watching you play subway surfers on your phone or Bloons TD on your laptop. He opts for texting you during class instead, typing notes as he types responses to your messages. He wonders if you miss him the same way he misses you. He's too afraid to ask, still clinging onto the way your skin had felt on his during New Year's. It doesn't help that your department is halfway across the campus.
The next time he gets to see you, he's Red Robin, and he catches the familiar flash of your camera on the rooftop as he swerves into action. He finishes with the thugs easily, swinging back up to land next to you, your camera pressed to your chest, clicking capture as he raises a brow at you. You blink at him, smile on your lips. You don't look apologetic at all, almost cheekily. It was as if you knew he'd notice you.
"Hey."
"Hey." You beam at him. "Nice fight."
"Thank you. Care to tell me why you're out here during the February cold to get photos of me?"
"Because you're my favorite?" You blink at him, eyes wide.
"That's cute." He hums. "Shall I take you home?"
"Oh, if you could be so kind." You smile. "I had a friend drop me off nearby and I think he left already."
"Yeah?" Tim wraps an arm around your back, pressing you to him snugly, your arms wrapping around his neck. You close your eyes as the winter air hits your face, only for him to whisper into your ear. "Open your eyes."
Gotham looks breathless from wherever the hell Red Robin was in the air. Your breath catches in your throat, staring in awe as Tim swings from building to building, finally landing on the one where you dormed. You let go of him, cheeks warm from the air and the view, turning to look at him.
"Thank you. Thank you a lot." You smile at him, Tim mirroring your smile.
"Can I get a reward?" He had meant it as a joke, only for you to press your lips to his cheek, his eyes widening at the feeling.
"Is that good enough?"
"I was thinking something else, but that works too." He presses his lips to the corner of yours, smile on his face. "Stay safe."
"For you." You wave at him as he swings away from your building. You look through the photos you had gotten of him, going down the flight of stairs to the elevator. You had stuff to post for the rest of the month.
Tim finally bumps into you at the convenience store one fateful afternoon, reaching for your wrist before he could even register that he was scared you'd run off. He blinks at you as you blink back at him, tilting your head to offer him an awkward smile.
"Hey?"
"Hi. I'll pay, um, if you'll let me have a moment of your time."
"Yeah? Yeah." You nod dumbly. "That'd be fine. I don't have class right now."
"Yeah. I'll take your basket." He reaches for it naturally, swiping his card with ease. He hands you your stuff back, and you follow him, popping open your green tea.
"What'd you need me for?"
"Missed you."
"Yeah? I missed you too. It's weird not sharing a class anymore." You press the tea to your lips. "Missed me or the insanely good sex we had on New Year's—"
"You." Tim smiles. "Missed hearing your voice."
"Awh, what a cheeseball." You snicker, staring at the green start on the trees. "Cherry blossom season is approaching."
"Yeah. So are midterms." He shudders. "How's your classes?"
"You know, drowning in work in order to graduate early." You hum. "I'm writing something right now."
"For class?"
"Yeah. For fiction writing. The story has to be related to something you've experienced in college so far and I was wondering—" You inhale sharply through your teeth. "If I could write about us?"
"As your friend or as the guy you slept with on New Years?"
You open and close your mouth. "Both. Yeah. Both."
"May I read it after you finish?"
"I'll share the doc." You smile. "Thank you. I've been meaning to ask you."
"I'm honored that you'd write about me as a college experience."
"Yeah..." You trail off. "Oh, did you see my Twitter update? I got these super clear photos of Red Robin fighting thanks to the camera you gave me. Thank you, again."
"You're welcome." He hums. "Doing anything on Valentines?"
You puff out your cheeks. "Supposed to hang out with friends, but me and my other friend want to ditch so the two idiots would finally get to hang out without us third and fourth wheeling."
"So you're busy?"
"Not if you want to hang out." You tilt your head, capping your green tea.
"You'd do that for me?"
"Yeah." You hum. "But you'd have to make it worth ditching for."
"Oh, then leave everything to me." He hums, fingers brushing yours. "I'll pick you up around nine in the morning."
"And what time will you have me back?" You tease, pressing yourself closer to him.
"What time do you want to be back?"
"Whatever time you want." You hum. "Please pick me up in a nice car your dad owns. I want to see the interior of one of them."
"Sure." Tim hums. "Any other requests?"
"How should I dress?"
"Casual." He hums. "Do you want to match?"
"We can color coordinate." You gasp. "What color do you own the most of?"
"Red." He hums.
"Owh! We can match red." You grin.
Tim walks you back to your dorm, staring as you enter the elevator and disappear from view. He thinks a little about where he should bring you, lips pulling up lightly when he remembers something you had mentioned off-handedly in your interview with him. He knew now.
Tim shows up at your door with roses, your friends peering from behind the door as you take the flowers with him with a light flush on your cheek. You're dressed completely casual, red sweatpants matching his red hoodie, grey hoodie matching his sweats. You smile at him sweetly as you take the flowers from him, and your friends pull you aside, staring him down. One of your friends, bless her, tells him to treat you properly. She jabs a finger into his chest, going off about how she didn't care if he was some rich dude — the same rules applied, especially when it was your first relationship. Tim's eyes widen at the fact, your eyes darting to the side, a little embarrassed. Your other friends drag her off of him.
"Why didn't you tell me I'm your first?" He whispers.
You pout. "Didn't want to come off as inexperienced."
"That's not something to be embarrassed about." He hums.
"You would've treated me differently if you knew."
Tim sucks in a breath. "Yeah. I would've."
"Point proven." You hum. "Thank you for the flowers. They're very pretty."
He opens your door for you, waving bye to your friends. You sit there, staring at him as he stares at you.
"Where are we going?"
"Remembered how you joked about being taken on a first date to Costco?"
"No." Your jaw drops.
"I have a membership." He pulls the card from his wallet, and you gasp.
"You spoil me."
"Save that for when you're actually inside."
You fake a swoon, smiling at him sweetly, lips curled upward and brows relaxed. Tim hums, pulling on his own seatbelt, handing you the aux to the car, and you put the flowers onto the backseat. You plug your phone in as he starts driving, and you blink at all the buttons on the car.
"What are these for?"
"One of them's for missiles."
"What." Your jaw drops.
"I'm kidding." He laughs. "Most of them are for defense. Bruce's very into cars."
"I can tell." You mumble. "What are we getting at Costco?"
"Your green tea," He stops at the light. "And whatever else intruiges you."
"Can I get a Costco hotdog?"
"Yeah." He laughs. "You want a slice of pizza too?"
"Maybe." You scrunch your nose. "Moreso a hotdog."
"We can get whatever you want." Tim hums.
"Wow, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to woo me." You laugh. (Tim hates the way he notices your eyes crinkle.)
"And if I am? It is Valentines."
"Woah." You mumble. "I didn't consider that."
"Yeah?" For someone so good at reading people, Tim sure struggled with reading you.
"I don't know." You frown. "Are you trying to swoon me? Or are you trying to get into my pants again?"
"Whichever one helps you sleep at night."
You laugh. "Using my own words?"
"You speak better than I do." He hums. "Do you want your hotdog first or later?"
"Later." You unlock your seatbelt, leaving the car. It looks awfully unassuming on the outside. Great for Gotham, you suppose.
"I'll push the cart." Tim holds his hand out for you and you take it, fingers wrapped in his. He lets go once he gets a cart, handing you his membership as you show the worker at the door. "Want a new iPad?"
"You know, I should make you buy Costco for me." You joke, patting his shoulder.
"Two hundred thirty two billion dollars? That's Bruce's money, not mine."
You snicker. "You have it memorized?"
"Stock trading for the company." He hums. "Stock is currently around five hundred dollars per stock."
"How the hell do you have time for schoolwork?"
"Coffee and an insane amount of self-discipline." He hums. "And revenge procrastination."
"At least you have some sort of weakness." You finally catch the drinks aisle, rushing in to find your green tea, Tim following behind you.
"I'll get it." He hums, reaching and pulling the green tea with ease, sliding it to the bottom of the cart. "Want anything else?"
"Can we browse?"
"Yeah."
You wander through the aisles, a comfortable silence washing over the two of you before you decide to speak up.
"Does Alfred need anything?"
"He's probably glad he has the house to himself for once." Tim hums. "Almost all of us are on a date."
You blink in surprise. "Even the youngest?"
"Except Damian." He hums. "Bruce is out too."
"Woah." You mumble. "The house must be quiet."
"Yeah." he hums.
"That did not answer my question." You pout.
"I texted. He sent a list." Tim mumbles, sharing the list. "You don't mind shopping for my family?"
"No." You smile. "I like grocery shopping with someone. It feels warm."
"Yeah? We're in the snacks aisle, so let's start there."
The two of you work your way through Costco, checking off Alfred's list of groceries, double-checking everything over when you finished. Tim grabs a rotisserie chicken for Alfred without it being on the list, and he grabs a tray of croissants, knowing Cass would probably want something sweet to snack on during the day. You text your friends to check if they want anything, and only one of them responds, telling you she's good. You have a feeling the other two are hooking up.
"Anything they want?"
"No." You smile.
"And you?"
"Just the green tea."
Tim raises a brow. "I'll feel bad if I only get stuff for my family while on a date with you."
"The tea is plenty." You beam. "I promise."
You help Tim unload the cart and then reload it, rocking on your feet as he swipes his card, not even checking the price twice, handing you the receipt as he pushes the cart out. The worker swipes the highlighter through the list, and Tim takes a right instead of a left.
"The car's—"
"Hotdog." He hums. "Can you get us two hotdogs? Card's in my wallet."
You take his card and get the hotdogs, tossing them into the cart as you hold the two paper cups.
"What do you want to drink?"
"What are you getting?"
"A little bit of everything."
"Then get me the same thing." He smiles.
You wonder if he's going to hate the flavor on his tongue. Though it's not your problem as you fill the cups, putting them in the holder as Tim pushes the cart back to his car, the two of you loading it into his trunk.
"We'll drop by my place first, and then we can drive to the next place I have planned." He takes the drink, straw in his lips. He blinks at the taste, eyes widening. "Wow. That's a flavor."
"Certainly is." You smile. "Like it?"
"Tastes like something Dick would have." He hums. "I'll push the cart. Get in the car."
You sit in the passenger's seat, opening your hot dog as Tim comes back.
"Ever had one before?" He opens his own, biting down.
"Yeah. My friends and I drop by pretty often." You hum. "Love the hotdogs."
"I should do that." He hums. "Alright. My house."
You chew on your hotdog as he heads toward his place, the music from your phone filling the car.
You wonder for a moment if Tim was actually into you. You have no doubt that you're important to him, but it was a little strange. You had slept with him before. What does that make you two? Friends with benefits? Friends who have slept together? Plain friends? A situationship? You chew on your bottom lip as he drives, mind elsewhere. Also, what were you with Red Robin? You can't call yourself a fan when you've had his tongue stuck down your throat before. There was too much to consider and ask. Maybe you should just ask Tim. (You don't, out of a fear of something. You're not too sure of what.)
When the two of you arrive, You help Tim sort the stuff into bags, carrying them to the front door as he unlocks it with ease, calling for Alfred and Damian to help with the groceries. Damian comes first, taking some of the bags from you, Alfred after him, showing you where the kitchen is.
"Thank you very much for running groceries for me, Master Tim." He nods. "You too, miss."
You smile. "No biggie. We were at Costco and I figured it'd be nice to do the groceries for you."
"It's very kind of you."
"Are you Drake's girlfriend?" Damian's next, eyeing you up and down, a scowl on his face.
"No?"
He frowns harder. "You deserve someone better."
"I really don't think—"
"Demon brat." Tim's voice comes out like a warning. "Don't tell my date to leave me."
"Is she not your girlfriend? I would have expected you to have already—"
"That's enough." Tim warns again, and Damian shuts up this time.
"Shall I prepare food for the two of you?"
"No need." Tim hums. "We have reservations."
"You made reservations? Do I need to change?" You follow after him, waving bye to Alfred and Damian.
"No. It's at the diner. It's Valentine's, which means there's twice as many couples there."
"Ohhh." You follow him into the car, sitting back down as he starts toward the diner again. "Is that all you had planned?"
"Also planned to take you home after this." He pauses. "My home. I was thinking we could use the movie room in the manor, granted none of my brothers get to it first. If that doesn't work, we can use the projector in my room."
"Are we gonna have sex?" You wiggle your brows playfully.
"If you want, I can have you screaming my name loud enough for Metropolis to hear."
You wince, looking to the side, embarrassed. "Holy shit."
"Expect the unexpected."
"I'm going to throw a milkshake at you for that."
"Cry about it."
The two of you get to the diner just in time for the reservation, your regular orders already memorized by the waiter. You're a little embarrassed, but you suppose it's not the worst thing ever. Tim finds the time asking if you enjoyed the day so far instead. You pull out your laptop as you wait for your order, continuing with the assignment due soon.
"Writing?"
"Yeah. Writing." You puff out your cheeks, fingers flying on the keyboard.
"What are you writing?"
You look up from your screen to stare at him. You don't say anything, but Tim gets the idea.
"Need a reference?"
"Actually," You lick your lips, scrolling up through the doc. "I'd like to meet Red Robin again."
"Your date's right here and you're talking about another man?"
"Writing fanfiction for him right now." You deadpan. "Need to know his kinks."
Tim coughs in embarrassment, forgetting how straightforward you could be.
"For a commission?"
"No. Out of curiosity." You pause. "I was curious to know what he would be into."
"Why not base him off of me?"
You raise a brow at Tim, swallowing thickly.
"Is this your way of telling me you don't want me writing fanfiction of other men?" You ask him one question, eyes asking another.
"Yeah." He smiles. "Yes to both questions."
You close your laptop when your milkshake and sandwich arrive, and Tim kicks you gently under the table.
"So what was the other question?" He raises a brow.
"I'll tell you in the car," You smile cheekily. Tim knows what the other question is. He just wanted to see if you were bold enough to ask him. The two of you continue with dinner, catching each other up with your friends' lives, smile on both of you's lips as the sun sets and the moon rises, Tim paying as he said he would. You take his hand into yours as the two of you walk to his car, and he opens the door for you, joining you on the other side.
"Before I ask," You lean over slightly, lips brushing his. "Can I have a kiss?"
"That's a question too, but I won't say no." He leans in for his lips to meet yours, hand moving to hold your face, tongue swiping on your bottom lip, darting into your mouth. You moan into the kiss as his other hand squeezes your waist, and you pull away from him suddenly, licking your lips for whatever taste of him was left. You grin at him cheekily, reaching to wipe the lipstick from around his lips, your voice lowering.
"The question I actually wanted to ask was if you were Red Robin." You grin, wiping the lipstick on a napkin leftover from Costco. "And I knew you'd read it off of me."
"How'd you guess?" He tilts his head at you, eyes still on your lips.
"First it was your perfume," You smile. "Then it was the way you kissed me." You pop the vanity mirror down, reaching into your hoodie for your lipstick. "Not to mention the way your forearms feel the same. Both of you have a specific way that you hold me when making out. I think that was the nail in the coffin."
You pucker your lips when you finish with the lipstick, tossing it back into your hoodie, closing the vanity mirror.
"So? Where are we headed now?"
"My place." He mumbles. "Have to have you."
"You could have me in the car."
"As much as I would like that," He exhales. "That would be very uncomfortable for you."
"Can I have you in the costume sometime later on?" You bat your lashes at him. "If you'd let me, of course."
"Yeah. Anything you want." His head thumps as he stops at the light.
There's a long, drawling silence before you speak up. You're scared, but you might as well ask.
"What are we, again?" You lean over slightly to stare at him. Tim notices you haven't put music on.
"If you'd let me," Tim licks his lips, "lovers."
"Then lovers we are."
The second time Tim gets to have you, he's so much gentler, fingers kneading the skin between them, curling them inside of you until you're a whimpering mess, worried that you'd wake someone in his family, his kisses assuring you that all of his brothers were out doing the same thing he was, wining and dining someone they loved, rooms also soundproof. Tim goes back to you after that, soaked fingers and sheets, licking your cum from his fingers, eyes locked with yours the entire time, pressing his lips to yours after he finishes. Your eyes roll back at how lewd he was being, but you suppose it's what the two of you deserve after flirting for so long.
Tim makes sure you're properly pampered in bed, your legs twitching after your third orgasm, begging for him to fuck you, tears in your eyes. How could he say no? Not when you looked so dazzling under him. He seems to understand something as he pushes into you this time, pausing to drink your form in, still as pretty as you had been before. This time, arguably prettier. You were so much prettier when you were crying about how you were his, cunt still oversensitive from your previous orgasms. Your face twists in pleasure, crying about how you were unable to take another release yet relenting as Tim drilled into you. You have no idea how he has the energy, and you're too tired to ask when he finishes.
You grimace as he peels you from the bed, setting you on the tile seat as he starts a shower for the two of you.
"I love you." You mumble. Not on accident or out of habit this time.
"How long?"
You exhale. "Don't remember."
"Approximation."
"Since I fell at your feet at orientation, maybe." You whisper into the mist as he helps you wash up.
"I love you too." Tim mumbles into your skin as he presses a kiss to where he had left hickeys.
"How long?" You repeat his question, staring at him as he stares down at you, moving the shower head to wash the bubbles from your skin.
"Since Christmas." He whispers back.
You smile at him.
"Since I told you I loved you on accident?"
"Yeah." He stops the water, wrapping you in a towel, drying you. You hum in satisfaction as he dries the two of you off, your fingers warm around his wrist when you grow tired.
"Can we sleep? I usually air dry my hair."
"Yeah." He presses a kiss to the crook of your neck, lifting you into his arms as he takes the two of you back to bed.
"What tag would you put on our story?"
"Idiots in love." You smile as you drift off, and Tim presses his lips to your forehead.
His tag would have been requited love.
721 notes · View notes
dairy-farmer · 5 months
Note
So I'm pretty sure you have a story that's basically Red Robin only fucks on missions. But have you considered the opposite? Tim is a consummate professional at all times during missions or his WE work. He does not flirt, make bedroom eyes, or even make suggestive comments at all, and will in fact tear to anyone who does: such as one memorable occasion when he came across Batman and Catwoman getting frisky on a roof.
This is lead to the Justice League assuming he's a prude and/or of virgin. Except any time they try to bring that up to the bats or the core four They tend to clam up and look shifty. This is because Tim is a complete slut when he's not working. It's like that joke about so-and-so cry is during sex and then the responses no they cry before sex and after sex but during sex they have a goddamn mission to do. But the opposite: Tim fucks before missions and after missions, but during missions he's got a goddamn job to do.
One time with Young Justice, Kon tries flirting with Tim and gets shot down and yelled at immediately. Later on he goes to Tim's room to apologize while Tim is finishing up the mission report. He says he's sorry for flirting during the mission, and Tim tells him not to do it again and submits the report... Before pouncing on Kon and suggesting they fuck right now immediately.
The Bats are always trying to figure out a way to be the one around as soon as he finishes up a mission / mission report / gets home from WE, because Tim is insatiable outside work.
Unfortunately, that also means a lot of people getting blue balls whenever a mission comes up unexpectedly, because Tim will hop off whatever dick he's on and immediately get to work, and refuses any advances until the job is done and no amount of begging or bargaining will change his mind.
ooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 YESSSSSSSSSS!!!! i love tim being SO good at separation of his private life and his professional life. he takes his job VERY seriously. he puts the utmost effort and attention to it and that petty 'relationship' bullshit does not have a place on the field because while he was training as robin dick would tell him about all the drama and gossip. he'd talk about it like they were two highschoolers at a lunch table and tim felt...disapproval.
he understood that some capes had been doing their job for years, they had experience under their belt and so maybe they had a better handle on the situation than they let on and it allowed them to flirt and make charged comments while in a serious situation. other capes had powers, super speed, super strength, etc, etc.
tim didn't. tim was a greenhorn through and through. he had no powers and he was small. he had to work 10, 20, 30 times harder.
tim would hold the lives of people in his hands. the difference between someone living or dying could be seconds, inches. tim had to be faster, smarter. he had to take his job seriously. some people were going to be experiencing the worst day of their life and tim had to be able to give them all his attention.
tim imagined what he would feel. if he'd just gotten mugged and thoroughly beaten and found out that batman was too slow to save him because he was too busy making the moves on catwoman six blocks away. tim, in that moment, can't imagine it. but he figures out very quickly that he would've been fucking furious.
bruce is an adult. he can have adult relationships. he's been doing his job for longer than tim has been alive. tim knows that. he respects that.
but he's picking up slack. he knows batman is meeting catwoman for info and it's just bad luck that tim ends up caught between stopping a thief that tripped a silent alarm and some drunk kid on a joy ride who almost crushed a pedestrian under his wheels. but tim handles it. he's been trained to. but with those two things going on he's almost too late to stop the monster that pulls a girl into an alley a few streets away and starts undressing her.
she's mute. tim sees it on her medical bracelet. it's why he couldn't hear screams or cries. but the alley was right over his and batman's patrol route and...he got lucky. he got there in time. she's horribly shaken but not as badly as she would've been if he'd been moments too late. moments. seconds. tim could've been too late. he would've been there sooner if he'd had a second set of hands.
tim really hoped the info batman got was worth it.
tim is angry. he's clenching his jaw in anger because some of the things he sees in gotham aren't easy to shake off. he reassures himself that the girl is safe now. that the paramedics will make sure she's stabilized and the hospital will call her parents.
tim lands on a nearby roof and sees batman and catwoman straightening their suits, sees catwoman fixing her lipstick in a mirror compact, sees bruce subtly adjust his crotch plate and....tim stops.
tim is not stupid. so he holds his tongue until catwoman is gone. she's not a hero. she's never claimed to be so he has no place to yell at her. tim also can't let her see him fighting with bruce. it pokes a hole in their teamwork dynamic. tim waits until she's several blocks away and bruce is gruffly talking about patrol and looking into a few things.
he's walking towards the edge of a roof and tim is silent and tense by his side. he waits until bruce is done talking to speak.
"did you get your dick sucked?"
bruce doesn't make a sound. he doesn't stumble. but he does stop.
"i hope you did. i hope the thirty minutes it took you to wrap up whatever bullshit you were doing with her was worth the girl i almost didn't save!"
tim's voice grows in volume and anger at how fucking reckless bruce was. this was not batman's fucking job. to sit on his ass and get fellatio on a rooftop while the people of gotham were brutalized.
what the fuck was he thinking? tim has been mad at batman before. he's vocalized his displeasure, whined about him being unfair but he has never been. this. upset. before.
bruce turns to face him. his lips are pursed and curved down in that silently dissatisfied way he always does when he's about to lecture tim but tim won't let him. he is not the one who is wrong this time. and tim won't let him go on thinking that what he was doing was okay.
tim steps closer, stepping nearly toe to toe with bruce and sharply poking bruce's chest armor with his finger.
" if you want to get your dick wet that's fine, i don't give a shit." tim is on his toes. bruce has to tilt his head down and their noses are almost touching. if someone was watching them they'd probably look ridiculous but tim's not worried about that. "i swear to god you better not pull this 'cat and bat' routine on patrol again, do you understand me?"
tim's voice is at a near growl, his teeth are grinding and he's almost certain his vision is going red.
"you do that shit when you're off the fucking clock or next time i won't be so nice to you or her."
catwoman gets a pass. this time. this one time.
but they're grown fucking adults and they should know better. tim's still a kid and HE knows better. HE has the self control to keep his pussy tucked away while on the job. it's not like tim is chaste or a prude. tim hasn't been a virgin since summer camp when he was twelve and he...gets around.
tim is stone silent to bruce for the rest of patrol. he's angry and frustrated and he works his anger out on the scum of the night.
when they return to the cave bruce is tensed and quiet. tim knows he doesn't like scoldings. he doesn't like reprimands. and he doesn't like being yelled at.
normally tim would be the one to apologize in their fights. he'd be the one to try and keep the peace but not this time. not for this. tim won't apologize for being right.
he might be young and he might be new to the 'business' but his gut tells him that bruce's actions that night and likely every night that he did that were utterly unacceptable.
tim never apologizes for his words and bruce is tense, quiet, and awkward for a few more days before he approaches tim.
by that point tim's anger has faded. he's checked up on the girl from the alley. she wasn't badly hurt. tim left some pamphlets for free counseling services offered by W.E in the mailbox of her parent's house and he watched as her father drove and picked her up each night from her night school.
he's not as angry anymore but he is sticking to his guns. they got lucky this time. tim got there in time. but if they'd been working together as they should've been, it never would've gone as far as it did.
when bruce approaches tim's bench he's towering and glowering like usual. his jaw is tight and his body language speaks of discomfort which is a rare sight. he tries to start the conversation about how sex is natural for adults, that bruce hadn't meant what he and catwoman did to make tim uncomfortable and that-
tim cuts him off pretty quickly because bruce is clearly misunderstanding something. bruce could fuck tim's mother in front of him and he still probably wouldn't give a shit. that's not tim's problem. tim's not squeamish about sex, he does it all the time. but tim's problem was with bruce doing it in the suit. his problem was bruce neglecting his job and duty in favor of a quickie.
that pissed tim off. that was what tim yelled at him for.
bruce's expression does a little shift at tim's words before looking away from him.
he doesn't wander off but he doesn't say anything more about it so tim goes back to work. either bruce will say something or he won't. either way tim still has preparations to make with his gear for patrol. tim is fiddling with his utility belt when bruce's deep voice pipes up again.
"you feel very strongly about this."
it doesn't sound like a question but tim nods and makes a sound of assent.
tim is holding a precision screwdriver and tightening a few of the smaller bolts when bruce lets out a breath and puts a firm hand on tim's shoulder. he tightens it slightly to catch tim's eye and tim looks up at him.
bruce is still looking away, avoiding his gaze slightly but those eyes are dragged to meet his. there is some resolve in them.
"i won't do it again tim. i promise. i'm sorry that i put you into a tight spot and i'm sorry that i neglected my duties. i'll make sure to keep that confined to my private life, you won't have to worry about that again."
bruce doesn't do lip service and he doesn't apologize for nothing.
so tim believes him. bruce is not a bad person and he didn't know about that girl. it was wrong of tim to have blamed him for it when the only one who had any responsibility for it was that piece of crap that was sitting in a cell nursing some bruises and a broken tooth.
tim tells him as such. he apologizes, he tells bruce that it really wasn't his fault, that he couldn't have known.
bruce thanks him and the two of them are back. the air is a little awkward for a little longer but the two of them are awkward in general so it's not a big deal. bruce decides to break the remaining tension by offering to help tim with his belt modifications. bruce has a magnifying light shining down on a stubborn screw and tim is holding it still while bruce has the tool. tim is so engrossed in counting the number of clockwise rotations that he almost misses bruce's next question.
"what did you mean when you said you 'did it all the time'?"
the ice breaker following tim and bruce's first actual fight is bruce slowly nodding at learning that his third robin was a slut.
it's not the last fight bruce and tim have. but it is the last one they have as batman and robin. bruce and tim's other fights mostly consist of bruce criticizing tim's choice in partners and tim telling bruce that he didn't care about the person, all he wanted was their dick in his pussy.
eventually, it leads to dick similarly joining in when he witnesses a fierce argument in the car between bruce and tim and how tim was just 'being petty' by 'sliding in the dms' of old classmates from bruce's graduating class.
"but timmy, that guy is too old for you!"
dick's comment leads to him begging tim on the outside of his locked bedroom door to be "reasonable" and that all the guys dick graduated were rich pricks!
turns out tim can be petty. vindictively petty. and he also can and will sleep with anyone they know if they don't keep their comments to themselves.
so clearly they have to do something. they have to save tim from making bad choices in his youth.
they figure out that tim's sex drive stems almost entirely from the stress of his job as robin. within the hour of finishing patrol tim will have some guy willingly making the drive from gotham to his dad's house next door to fuck him.
words about 'high risk behavior' fall on deaf ears because tim is young and he 'needs' some way to be able to unwind from being robin because if he doesn't he might have a stroke.
dick worries that one of those guys will be a serial killer and so he keeps a close eye on tim. he's pacing and stressed while telling bruce about how half those guys don't even use condoms! what if tim gets pregnant, what if they give him something!!!
bruce is similarly upset.
really...they're pushed to do it.
they won't pretend like they don't also have needs. both he and dick agree with tim's words about not being distracted on patrol.
bruce keeps things professional with catwoman but selina doesn't seem all that receptive to bruce's approaches.
dick usually flirts with barbara in person but on comms she's been distant and terse after he turned her down or told her to 'keep the line professional'.
dick and bruce don't have a great track record with interpersonal relationships and so they've clearly fucked up somewhere along the line.
naturally that meant no more pussy for them.
sure they could just go out and find someone like tim but...well...tim was someone people would do anything to sleep with.
bruce and dick are attractive but women aren't about to get-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-drive-to-the-manor-to-fuck-them attractive.
so their solution is born more from a place of need and a desire to protect tim.
the only problem is figuring out how they're going to share tim.
bruce will arrive at the manor first and be cleaned and ready in his bedroom for tim only to find out that tim started riding dick in the shower, frantically fucking and slamming his tight little pussy down on dick's cock.
dick will arrive to the manor, eager, only for tim to stumble out of the batmobile because bruce tugged him onto his cock as soon as they were parked in the cave.
sometimes tim will push away their advances and immediately start for the batcomputer because he has a lead he wants to follow up on. it will be minutes to hours before tim will turn around and crawling into their laps while grinding his sweet baby cunt on their covered cocks.
it's a struggle. sometimes bruce will get to fuck tim three nights in a row and other times dick will get him for a whole week.
they figure out that tim is willing to fuck before patrol and it's only during patrol that is off limits.
but...tim is so much hornier and his pussy is so much tighter directly after patrol because he's fucking his frustration out by roughly riding their cocks.
tim is their little secret until the family expands.
on other teams, with other capes tim is strictly chaste and professional which they're quietly grateful for because the last thing they want is more competition for tim pussy.
capes all tend to know each other and following tim joining bruce on a justice league operation tim's reputation as a very professional and 'has-a-larger-stick-than-batman's-up-his-butt' personality spread.
it's not...quite a mean moniker. but some of the more flirtatious capes like to bee line to tim and whisper pick up lines and make implications about tim maybe coming over to their place after the mission. they do it to see tim's deep frown and tense rejections as well as occasional reprimands.
tim doesn't hesitate to correct other vigilantes if they're wrong or if they cross the line but mostly tim holds his tongue with capes higher on the pecking order.
tim's yj team pick up on it but don't seem to realize that tim won't hesitate to rip them a new asshole if they try to pull the same shit.
while yj like to joke around they do take their job seriously. they want to be taken seriously so they don't often joke in front of the bigger capes or their mentors.
but then superboy makes a mistake. it happens sometimes and tim corrects him and lectures him. but this time the justice league is in hearing distance and...and kon flirts when he's nervous and trying to hide it. he hasn't done it in a while and he...he really doesn't mean to make robin mad.
at first robin is just scolding him, telling him not to deviate from the plan again, that he knows better and that they're a team.
and usually superboy will roll his eyes and take it. but he swears he can feel superman side eyeing him... it's probably in his head because superman doesn't give a shit about him but kon can't shake the feeling so he...propositions tim to get him to ease up.
he calls robin 'sweetheart' and he talks about how he can tell tim's panties are all in a bunch and that kon is very good with his hands and can fix that for him. he adds a wink and...
tim is not a yeller. but when he's pissed everyone in a ten mile radius can feel it.
his words are low and biting. his frown is cutting and his eyes are cold and angry as he leans in close to tell kon what he thinks of his words.
kon fills with shame when tim tells him how utterly inappropriate he's being and that this wasn't how he should speak to people who were his friends. this wasn't how he should speak to teammates and this wasn't how he should speak to strangers. tim asked what part of tim's lecture invited kon to make those comments? what part of tim's demeanor or frustration with the situation and unhappiness that kon had deviated from the plan told him that tim would at all be entertained by his proposition?
if nobody in the justice league was paying attention before well they certainly were now. kon fucked himself by opening his stupid mouth.
someone, green lantern it sounds like, calls out in a slightly joking tone for robin to ease up on kon and kon wishes he could've shook his head and made an 'X' with his hands to signal that no one should interfere when robin is (rightly) angry.
robin is just as cold and biting when he turns and in a tight voice says that he's just doing his job and he'd appreciate it if people could learn that their 'cute' little words about fucking him weren't welcome when he was trying to do his fucking job.
kon flinches at that because robin doesn't curse. ever.
kon takes the verbal lashing. it's humiliating. but nowhere near humiliating at knowing that he might have just broken something between him and robin.
at the base. cassie retreats somewhere with bart who keeps glancing back at kon who is shifting back and forth between feet outside tim's room where tim is typing his mission report for batman. batman had wanted tim to follow him back to gotham in the batplane but tim has insisted on finishing some work with yj.
kon needs to apologize. not just because he was wrong but also because tim was his friend and the last thing kon ever wanted was to make him uncomfortable with his comments.
so he does.
he hangs his head and sincerely apologizes to tim about his words, that he won't ever do it again, that he feels ashamed and that he hopes tim will forgive him. that he doesn't know why he said such stupid shit but that clark had been there and clark being there always leads to kon making an ass of himself and he's so sorry that he'd said those things to tim.
tim stares at him and softly accepts his apology and that he shouldn't do that again while they're working. that kon is one of his closest friends and he's happy that he came to tim's room...
a moment later tim makes a click with the mouse of his computer and closes it before setting it to a side table.
kon is fiddling with his hands in front of him only a few inches from where tim is sitting. as soon as the laptop is away kon has a few seconds before he's on his back on tim's bed with a lapful of squirming robin who is working off his suit and belt.
kon is SO confused and staring up at tim who is pawing at kon's suit.
"want to fuck now?"
oh kon must be having a stroke because there is NO way this is happening. he manages to mumble something about professionalism and how hadn't tim just been saying something like that-?
tim tilts his head like a confused puppy and stares down at kon.
"yeah. but i'm not working now."
and that's all the permission kon needs.
he'd always internally thought about how tim would secretly be a freak in the sheets given how quiet and serious he was.
he's right. tim is.
kon can barely feel his cock the next morning. he hadn't even known balls could be sore but they are.
kon is hoping for a repeat but batman arrives and skirts tim away. something about gotham business and so kon is left just staring into space knowing that he now knows how tight tim goes when he's cumming on kon's cock.
tim gets shared occasionally by non-bats. if they're lucky enough to be around when tim's out of work mode and horny (which is almost always).
when tim becomes CEO his open slots for hot, sloppy sex doubles overnight. the family couldn't be happier even if it is a challenge to get to tim before someone else. and also the fact that when they're fucking tim they have to cross their fingers that no one will call his emergency beacon during sex because tim will immediately go from sweetly panting and moaning on their cocks to pulling his sweet baby cunt up and off to respond to an immediate call for his assistance.
the first time it happens to dick he follows tim all the way down the hall in just a sheet while begging tim to come back, that they were both so close. if tim didn't want to finish that was alright but could he at least just bend over slightly for a few moments because dick swore he could cum in just a few pumps- please timmy!
bruce once makes the mistake of tightening his grip on tim's hips, refusing to let him go and speeding up because he's so close-
he ends up with a black eye and nursing an icepack while tim sits at the end of the bed, curled over on his laptop and searching out some evidence that barbara requested of him. it's hours before tim is done and riding him again. bruce gets to cum but he's also stuck with a sore eye and having to wear makeup for two weeks.
it's a careful balance. but a worthwhile one.
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bisexual-thoughtss · 5 months
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heyy!! so i have this idea but i would never be able to write it myself bc i suck at that 😭
i‘d love to see this with any of matthew lillards characters or just himself so its up to you 🫶🏼
maybe smth where he takes reader as his +1 to a wedding and they realise that they like each other more than just as friends while they‘re dancing 🥹
Tim Laflour x Reader
I loved this request, I think it came out really cute!!
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“Will I have to wear a suit?” Tim grimaces when you ask him to be your plus one to your cousin’s wedding.
You weren’t thrilled when you’d received the invitation. You know your family won’t expect you to have anyone to bring, and you’d love to prove them wrong. You and Tim are just friends, but they don’t have to know that. And the chance to see Tim dressed up is too exciting to miss.
“No, it’s not that formal. Probably just a dress shirt, some nice pants? I ask you to pretend to be my boyfriend and you’re worried about your outfit?” You laugh and he blushes.
“Well yeah, pretending to be your boyfriend should be easy. Wearing a suit? Yuck,” he explains like it doesn’t make your stomach lurch with hope. Maybe this isn’t the best idea with the crush you have on him…
“So will you come?” You hit him with your best puppy eyes and he sighs heavily.
“Like I could say no to you,” he smiles wryly as you bounce excitedly.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
~
“It’s open!” Tim calls when you knock on his door the day of the wedding. When you enter Tim is just leaving his room, fiddling with his cuffs.
“Should I take out my piercings?” He worries, but you’re busy trying not to drool looking at him. The sleek all black outfit he’s wearing might actually be killing you. As you stare, you notice the little touches of his style. His lock necklace, the rolled sleeves, a chain hanging from his belt, his usual chunky boots. All of it makes you smile. You’re so busy staring at his clothes that you don’t see the moment he looks up from his sleeve, gaping at the velvet dress that adorns your figure.
“Why would you take out your piercings?” You finally look up at him. His face is flushed and he swallows hard before answering you. “Will your family be okay with them?” He looks nervous and you frown.
“Who cares? They probably wouldn’t be pleased with anyone I brought. I want to bring you, not some weird naked-faced version of you,” you tell him, making him laugh.
“Besides, you look good,” you emphasize as he squirms at the compliment.
“Okay,” he smiles bashfully, “let’s get going, eh?”
~
It’s not until you’re at the wedding reception, fielding questions from your family that you realize maybe you should’ve discussed your fake relationship’s backstory.
All through dinner one of your cousins had quizzed you on your relationship like she thought you weren’t actually dating and was trying to catch you in a lie. She was right, but you’d be damned if you let her figure that out. Tim had done wonderfully, answering politely, telling cute stories about you, flashing that sweet smile. He was a damned good actor. You’d done your best to fill in helpfully to the conversation, while barely able to think of anything but wiping that snobby look off her face. Once they cut the cake, you see your chance out of the conversation and take it.
“Oh, let’s get some cake!” You tap Tim’s arm.
“Sweet tooth,” he teases, making your stormy mood dissolve.
Once you make it to the cake table, Tim grabs a large piece.
“Wow, who’s the sweet tooth now?” You poke.
“All the pieces are huge, I figured we could share,” he hands you a second fork you didn’t see him grab, “that okay?”
“Yeah, good idea,” you smile fondly. You’re surprised when he spears a bite, holding it out to you. You blush as you take it, the action feeling strangely intimate. You groan at the sugar bursting across your tongue.
“Damn, that’s good cake,” you mumble after swallowing and he laughs. You both scoot towards the wall to get out of everyone’s way, sharing the cake slice while people watching.
As you’re finishing, you see your aunt walking towards you out of the corner of your eye.
“Oh fuck,” you mumble, knowing she never holds her tongue. You lean over to whisper in Tim’s ear, his arm coming around your waist to steady you.
“Sorry in advance,” you whisper and he chuckles, trying to keep his face neutral.
“Hello dear,” your aunt drawls, already setting your teeth on edge, “who’s this?”
“This is Tim, my boyfriend,” you smile at him, winding your arm around his waist and squeezing lightly.
“So how did you end up with him?” Your aunt asks and it takes everything in you not to roll your eyes at her and the way she’s sneering at him.
“We met at school. As soon as I saw her, I knew I was done for,” Tim cuts in with a smile before you can say something scathing. His hand on your waist squeezes placatingly and you can feel your grip relax from where you’d balled it up in Tim’s shirt without realizing.
Your aunt hums noncommittally and you find yourself terribly in need of a drink.
“I think we’re gonna head over to the bar,” you plaster a forced smile on your face and drag Tim with you.
“If looks could kill, she’d be dead,” Tim laughs when you make it to the bar.
“She was being a bitch,” you scowl as you land on a barstool, which only makes Tim laugh harder. He leans around you, ordering your favorite drink and something for himself. Him rattling off your order easily makes your frown melt away. You thank him with a smile when he takes the drink from the bartender, handing it to you before settling onto the stool next to you. Sipping at your drink, you glance around the room at the other guests. You roll your eyes when you see your aunt whispering to your uncle and pointing to spots on her face. You just know she’s saying something insulting about Tim’s piercings. Tim’s hand finds your knee where the slit of your dress exposes it, his thumb rubbing soothingly. Your tummy erupts in butterflies as his warmth seeps into your skin.
“Oh I love this song,” you mention offhandedly as the music changes.
“Let’s dance,” Tim suggests and you laugh.
“You know I can’t dance,” you scoff, not wanting to embarrass yourself.
“Who cares? You don’t have to be good at it, it’ll be fun either way,” he nudges you and you groan.
“Alright, fine,” you grumble, quickly downing the rest of your drink, making Tim snort. He drags you by the hand out to the dance floor, immediately breaking into the goofiest dance move that makes you laugh embarrassingly loud. He takes both of your hands, pulling you into a series of made up dances before releasing one hand and twirling you less than gracefully. You’re out of breath from laughter when you’re spun back into Tim’s chest. The music shifts and you realize it’s changed to a slow dance. You pick yourself up off Tim but he pulls you back to his chest.
“Dance with me,” he murmurs, and you couldn’t say no to that face even if you wanted to. Your hands drape around his neck as his find your waist. As the two of you sway gently, Tim can’t help but take in every detail of you.
“You’re staring,” you tease.
“You’re beautiful,” he counters, a blush lighting up your face.
“You don’t have to pretend when no one’s around,” you remind him and he frowns.
“I’m not pretending. You look beautiful,” he murmurs, still gently swaying you. You’ve never seen him look so sincere and it makes your stomach swoop dangerously.
“In fact, I’m tired of pretending. Like I don’t want to tell you you’re beautiful everyday, like I haven’t wanted to kiss you since the moment we met,” he admits, eyes flicking to your lips.
Your fingers weave into the hair at the nape of his neck without thought as you pull him to you, pressing your lips to his tentatively. He melts into the kiss, tension bleeding out of his shoulders as he slots his lips against yours more confidently. When you finally pull away to breathe he starts pressing little kisses all over your face and you’re breathless with laughter once again, giggling and squirming in his arms.
“Tim, people are looking,” you try to admonish him, but your laughter makes it less effective.
“Let them,” he grins, pulling you into another kiss.
Tim Taglist; @stusdollface93
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I think the only right way for Damian to become Batman is much slower than everyone thinks
Just image: Damian in the future as a veterinary student, slowly distancing himself from the world of vigilantes and Bruce, an old man, with aching and tired bones, who has suffered with chronic pain for years (you'll have to take chronic pain Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd headcanon from my cold dead hands) getting ready to go on patrol once again. There are a series of murders happening and he wants to investigate
And Damian goes into the cave (maybe to take care of Batcow) and see the scene. He feels sorry for his father, Bruce's love for Gotham cursed him and now Gotham was slowly killing him. Then Damian calmly approaches and gently pushes his father into the chair. And in a tired voice Damian says:
“Leave this to me today, father, take your medicine and rest.” "No, Damian. You have to go to college today"
"Gotham is my city too, they're my people too...and they still need Batman"
Damian also knows that Dick has his own city to worry about; that Jason is busy on some mission around the world; that Steph is too tired for this; that Tim is too attached to the Robin mantle for that; that Duke recently had a child with his wife; that Cassandra is now a renowned ballet teacher and Damian doesn't want to get in the way of his siblings' lifes. He knows that if he asked, someone would accept, but everyone is so happy now, it took so long for them to reach that moment... Damian then decides to sacrifice himself that night.
Only that night
He will becomes Batman just that night, so his father can rest, he makes it clear that he will only do it that night
"Don't get used to it, father, it's just for today"
But that news spreads like fire. Even Jon and the other heroes start to inform Damian about things that happen (Batman still is very important in the Justice League) and Damian? Damian ignores
He goes through the messages, emails and claims he only did it once and never again. He forwards everything to Bruce, not wanting to get more involved than is convenient
but then the next month, Bruce has another rough night and Damian takes up the mantle again. This becomes a strange habit between the two of them, slowly and silence, one night a week... two nights a week...
The biggest change happens when Bruce is seriously injured fighting someone much stronger (and younger) in the sewers of Gotham. Damian had an important test at college and Bruce didn't want to call him, it wasn't fair to push that on Damian when the boy made it clear that he didn't want the mantle. So Bruce lies there for hours, in the midst of pain and dirt trying to reorganize his mind until Damian appears, the youngest son noticed that his father hadn't come home yet so he got worried and went after him.
Damian and Bruce open a pact that night, Bruce would stay in the cave supervising and Damian would work in the field
This works very well at first but soon Damian comes home to see his father sleeping, and it becomes a routine. Damian is happy that his father trusts him enough to sleep while his son is on patrol, that's good
the truth only shocks Damian when at a league meeting Jon refers to him as Batman, not Robin or Damian, no. Batman. The Batman.
and even though many people believe that he became Batman out of neopotism, the truth is much more different and sad than that. He became Batman through his own choices and effort, to protect his tired father and also to protect Gotham. Because, in the end, Damian learned to love Gotham the same way Bruce loved it.
Note: I love imagining this old Bruce slowly realizing how unfair he was to Damian his early days, how Bruce only saw Damian as a spoiled brat, a monster covered in blood and mud instead of helping him like Dick, Alfred and Steph did . I love imagining old Bruce kicking himself for not noticing Damian's gentle, compassionate side sooner. Side that was underneath all the anger, dirt and trauma
And also Bruce realizing that Damian is as gentle to people as Talia was in the past Note²: I'm not trying to villainize Bruce and sanctify Damian; Damian did a lot of things, but he was a ten year old child who didn't know how to deal with the world (+brainwashed by a cult) and Bruce was a grown ass man who had been dealing with traumatized people for many years, Bruce should have been more patient with Damian but you still have time now Bruce, you can do it. I believe on you, you can still be a good father
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zorilleerrant · 9 months
Text
Tim is fine with being protected. It comes from being the least trained in a family full of people with borderline supernatural skills, it comes from playing backup, from being the eye in the sky during so many missions when he has more support skills than those better equipped to be boots on the ground. It comes from being on so many teams with so many people with so many powers and it comes from being practically family to household names. It comes from being the one Robin that’s always there for Batman to play it safe with.
Tim is not fine with a civilian putting himself in danger. It’s not because it’s Bernard, he tells himself, over and over again. It’s any time it’s someone with less training, less armor, less experience in the field. Anyone with fewer weapons, anyone with fewer allies, anyone who can’t see the split second decisions the villains are making with someone else’s life on the line. Anyone who didn’t devote themselves to this, who didn’t look at the symbol of the Bat and agree to be part of the venture, paring off every extraneous branch on the journey until the pike is honed smooth, ready to throw.
It’s every civilian, but it’s one civilian, one with a lopsided smile and the most textbook perfect punch he puts his whole weight behind, a body at peak physical health but without the kind of reflexes scarred in day after day he needs to stand his ground. Smooth skin, few scars. Hands soft despite the callouses and gentle, carefully applying stitches, bandages, injections they’re not yet used to holding. One civilian with ridiculous, almost unintelligible good luck wishes, and no fashion sense, who talks too fast to keep himself safe when he’s in someone else’s sights.
But Bernard knows people, he knows places, he has a name with weight where Robin’s doesn’t matter much and Tim Drake’s even less, and he’s willing to throw it around Tim like the shield it is. He puts his body in between Tim and harm, and still that easy smile, still those eyes shining with some kind of hidden plan, some words unspoken because you know that once they are, they’re going to be good. He doesn’t tell Tim the way out. Tim isn’t supposed to have the kind of skills he needs to navigate a situation like this, so why let him in on the secret?
From everyone else’s perspective, Tim is soft and small and spoiled, Tim is the kind of kid who doesn’t even know himself enough to be sure he wants to hold hands. A rich kid who’s never gotten his hands dirty, a pretty little trophy on the arm of someone whose gaze holds the weight of the world when he carefully measures his words. Someone there to giggle when Bernard asks if they’re absolutely sure they really want to do that.
Bernard knows who he is. Bernard knows what Tim would throw himself bodily between, knows how much he would give, how much he has given, for his friends, and his family, and Gotham. How much he would give for Bernard. He knows that Tim would fight tooth and nail, and how well he knows where each tooth and each nail fits for maximum damage, to keep himself alive those few seconds long enough to wait for help. Bernard knows what Robin can do, would do, will do again once they’re out and safe and free.
But Tim knows just how fragile the human form is. How many bones there are to break and how many pints of blood there are to lose, how deep scarring has to go before it’s impossible to move. He knows the spots that hurt and the spots that harm, and he knows that the bravado is just a façade. That if anyone sees through Bernard’s act, sees through his ploys and appeals to an authority that scares him as much as his audience, that Bernard has just as many points of vulnerability as anyone else who’s lain broken and cold before him.
Tim will be the princess in the castle, and Bernard his knight, but for all the things he knows a dragon can do. Tim can count the dragons around them. Bernard can, too. Bernard’s been a dragon on his own, or else the child of one, and he knows firsthand the burns they leave, and still he sweeps across the ash like it isn’t even there. It’s Robin who can do something, Robin the wizard with ancient tomes and sage advice, but Tim is the only one here, and no one ever wants the princess to rescue herself. He has to let Bernard be his knight.
But Bernard speaks the magic words, and Tim does trust him, places his life so carefully in his lover’s hands and closes his eyes against the chill, and Bernard takes that gift for what it means, carries it with all the weight it has and tucks it up so gently against his own heart. Tim isn’t always the one with the way out, and he isn’t always the one who can do the protecting, and he’s used to that. But he slips his fingers through the one hand he thought he’d always be able to hold without being led by it, and lets that perfect image shatter. There’s no keeping Bernard away. He’s already involved. More involved than Tim ever was, in some ways, and less in the ways that Tim can still keep him out of it. Not safe, none of them were ever safe, but not as fragile as the snowglobe he was trying to frame the picture with, and there are more angles than he was prepared to watch. Still, Tim has contingencies. And the contingency, now, is to let Bernard protect him for once, just like he promised he would.
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clangenrising · 6 months
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Month 9 - Leaffall
Floodpaw stood up to his full height to peer over the grass. “I hope we see a rogue,” he said, straining his eyes to pick up any cats that might be encroaching on their borders. “I want to try out those new fighting tricks we learned.” Beside him, Barleypaw made an anxious noise in her throat and Sparrowpaw frowned.
“You shouldn’t want to get into a fight, Floodpaw. Good warriors hope for peace.” 
“Who told you that?” Floodpaw snorted, looking at his brother.
“Russetfrond,” Sparrowpaw lifted his head in a way that made Floodpaw want to smack him. Since when had he been such a golden boy?
“We’re warriors,” he countered, “not Peace-iors.” 
“War isn’t glamorous, Floodpaw,” Yarrowshade said, padding up from behind them. “We prepare for war because we have to but we should always try and avoid it when we can.” 
“I guess,” Floodpaw grumbled. Having marked the border up ahead, Goldenstar raised her tail to beckon them to join her and Russetfrond. 
“Come on,” said Yarrowshade, “we don’t want to get too far from the others.” 
“Okay!” Sparrowpaw smiled, bounding after his mentor. Floodpaw rolled his eyes and followed at a more casual pace. Yarrowshade curled his tail over Barleypaw’s back as they went and she leaned against his leg, purring lightly. 
She had told Floodpaw how much she liked having Yarrowshade as a mentor but Floodpaw didn’t get it. All they did was hunt all day and he was always being goofy and wrong and stuff. Floodpaw was glad she was happy but even more glad that Yarrowshade wasn’t his mentor. He’d hoped, on their ceremony day, that Russetfrond would be his mentor, and while he still looked up to the big ginger a lot, he had realized that Russetfrond was really strict. Sparrowpaw didn’t mind - he was always talking about how happy he was to check the elders for ticks or clean out the dens - but Floodpaw was again grateful that he didn’t have to put up with so many chores and exercises. 
In his opinion, Goldenstar was the best mentor he could have been given. She was smart, funny, and knew a lot about fighting. When they would train together, she was always really good about showing him how to do things without making him feel stupid like Russetfrond sometimes did, and she was a lot more easy going when it came to his chores. Yeah, Floodpaw was pretty sure he was the luckiest cat in the Clan, maybe the world.
The only thing that would make him even luckier is if he got to have a battle with a real live rogue. 
“Come on,” Goldenstar said when they approached, “We’ve got a lot of border to cover.” 
“Goldenstar,” asked Floodpaw, “do you think we’ll see any rogues today?”
“Let’s hope not,” she laughed, ears pressing back a bit. 
“But why though?” he frowned. “Shouldn’t we want to show them they can’t mess with our territory?” 
“Sure,” she said, leading the way through the fields of dry, dull grass, “But I’d rather do that with a patrol of warriors than three brand new apprentices.” Floodpaw frowned harder.
“Do you not think I’m a good fighter?” he asked. “I thought you said I had a knack for it.” 
“It’s not about knack,” Russetfrond said gruffly, “it’s about experience. No matter how talented you are, a cat with more experience will best you in a fight.” 
“You don’t know that,” Floodpaw retorted. 
“I do, actually,” Russetfrond growled. 
“Trust us, kid,” Goldenstar smiled. “You’ve got a long way to go.” Floodpaw glowered, hunching his shoulders, and stomped along behind them. 
“What would we do if we did run into rogues?” Sparrowpaw asked brightly.
“Good question,” said Goldenstar. “Russetfrond, Yarrowshade, and I would handle it while you went back to camp for help.” 
“Really?” Floodpaw griped, “Wouldn’t it be better if only one of us went for help and the others stayed to fight?” 
“Maybe,” Yarrowshade shrugged, “but it’s more important that all of you stay safe.” 
“And even more important that you listen and do what you’re told,” Russetfrond growled, causing Yarrowshade to side eye him. “There’s no time to argue in a fight. You listen to your mentor and that’s that.” 
“Ugh,” Floodpaw groaned.
“Watch your tone,” snapped Russetfrond.
Goldenstar flicked her tail and said, “Alright, ease up, Russetfrond.” The warrior grumbled to himself but said nothing else and Floodpaw smirked, raising his head triumphantly. He loved that his mentor could tell anyone to leave him alone and they had to listen. 
The rest of the patrol was dull and monotonous. They stopped every few meters to mark the border with their scent and Goldenstar took the time to show them how to know what scents were theirs and which scents belonged to other Clans. At one point, Yarrowshade stopped to show them a ground squirrel burrow. Barleypaw was enthralled by it but Floodpaw just kept hoping a gang of rogues would spring out of the grass and surprise them. 
Eventually, they neared the Thunderpath, and the group fell silent, intent on listening and watching for threats. The tension in the air was palpable. It was kind of frightening to Floodpaw to see the adults acting so seriously, but also exciting. Every time they paused to mark a border, one of the adults stood up tall to keep watch on rotation. Floodpaw tried to join them, perking his big ears towards the city, but he was still too small to comfortably see over the grass.
At one point, Russetfrond bent to check a scent marker and his lip curled in a snarl. “Goldie,” he said sharply, “Strangers.” Goldenstar, who had been on watch, glanced at Yarrowshade and he took her place so she could inspect the strange scent. Floodpaw leaned closer to catch a smell of it too. It was acrid and thick, stinging his nose and clinging to the roof of his mouth like an unwelcome guest. 
“Eugh,” he muttered, pulling away. Goldenstar trailed the scent a bit, following it back and forth where it crossed the border, before standing up tall, jaw set grimly.
“A few cats,” she said, “They went deeper into the territory.” Lifting her head, she looked after the scent trail with a frown. 
“Should we run back to camp?” Barleypaw asked, voice soft with fright. Goldenstar considered it with a thoughtful hum. Floodpaw followed her gaze, marking the angle the trespassers had been going and comparing that to the angle they would have to follow back to camp. If the path followed a straight line, they shouldn’t run into each other.
“Yeah, I think so,” Goldenstar said, glancing between Russetfrond and Yarrowshade. Both toms nodded, resolute in what needed to be done. Floodpaw’s heart sank. 
“Go quickly but quietly,” she continued. “Find Nightfrost and follow her instructions.” 
“I should go with you guys,” Floodpaw said, stepping forward. “Sparrowpaw and Barleypaw can handle delivering a message by themselves, I’ll help you guys find the-” 
“No,” Goldenstar interrupted firmly and Floodpaw recoiled. This was the first time she had outright told him no like that. He didn’t like it.
“There’s no time for arguing,” Russetfrond said again. “Get going.”
“This is important,” added Yarrowshade. “It might not feel like it, but we need you to do this for us.”
Goldenstar nodded, putting on a smile that felt far too condescending. “We’re counting on you three.” 
“Come on,” Sparrowpaw grinned determinedly. “Let’s go get Nightfrost!” Barleypaw nodded with a small affirmative grunt. Floodpaw, still staring at Goldenstar, realized there was nothing he could do, and lowered his head with a sigh.
“Fine.” 
The three of them took off, slinking through the grass with Sparrowpaw in the lead, winding their way over the hills towards camp. The route was clear and easy and they made good time, but Floodpaw couldn’t help but look back over his shoulder every so often.
He sighed again, absolutely dejected. “I can’t believe they’re gonna fight rogues and we don’t get to be there.” 
“I don’t want to be there!” Barleypaw squeaked. “If they think it’s too dangerous we should trust them!”
“You’re just a coward,” he huffed. 
“A-am not!” she protested weakly. 
“Are too!” he pushed back. “What good are your stupid ‘magic feathers’ if you get scared of everything anyway?” 
“Hey!” she cried, clearly hurt, and Floodpaw knew he was going to feel bad later. 
“Stop it,” Sparrowpaw glared at him. “A good warrior follows his leader. This is important training. Besides, you’re too mean to Barleypaw.” 
“Am not!” Floodpaw hissed. 
“You are!” insisted Sparrowpaw. “You shouldn’t be so hard on your Clanmates. We should be helping each other!”
“Exactly!” Floodpaw cried, “That’s why we should be helping Goldenstar instead of running back to camp with our tails between our legs!” 
“We are helping!” groaned Sparrowpaw. 
“Guys, we’re supposed to be quiet,” whined Barleypaw. 
“You’re just scared they’ll find us,” Floodpaw growled. “But not me! I hope they find us! I can’t wait to tear their stupid ears off.” 
“What do we have here?” a voice ahead of them and to the east caused all three apprentices to skid to a halt. Floodpaw felt his gut twist in shame. They’d been so busy arguing they hadn’t been paying attention to their surroundings. 
Stepping out of the grass was a sable pelted tom with a perfectly notched ear, like Aldertail’s. He had a plethora of scars, especially over his muzzle, including one that ran over one of his dark blue eyes. Behind him, two more cats emerged. The first was a white she-cat with speckled ears and a gloomy look in her crusty green eyes and the second was a thin blue and white she-cat with copper eyes that darted here and there anxiously. Both of them had matching ear notches - city cats.
“I told you I heard something!” chattered the blue one reedily. 
“Quiet, Midge!” the tom snapped at her, causing her to shrink back into a trembling ball. Floodpaw felt Barleypaw press tightly against him, shaking herself. He did his best to square his shoulders and look unintimidated.
“They’re kits,” the white one said dully. 
“No we’re not!” Floodpaw said, and the tom’s eyes snapped to him in a way that made his stomach squirm like a pinned mouse. Despite that, he continued. “We’re warrior apprentices and we’re not afraid of you!” 
“Oh, ho, ho,” the tom chuckled wryly, “they’re warrior apprentices.” 
“Ohhh,” the blue one laughed nervously, eyes on the tom.
“Only apprentices?” the white one asked. “So not real warriors then.” 
“Maybe,” Floodpaw puffed his chest up, “but we’re still stronger than you are!”
Sparrowpaw shifted worriedly and hissed, “Shut up!” under his breath. 
“He’s got spunk!” the tom sneered, starting to circle the apprentices. Barleypaw flattened herself against the ground and Floodpaw stood as tall as he could, turning to face the tom as he went. Meanwhile, Sparrowpaw crouched lowly, watching the other cats while Floodpaw’s back was turned on them. The tom grinned at Floodpaw, tilting his head as he continued, “I wonder what the Folk would think of him?” 
“Focus, Van Pelt,” growled the white cat, and his smile turned to a snarling glare in a split second as he turned his gaze on her. 
“Watch it, bitch,” he hissed, pelt prickling. “Ghost put me in charge, remember?” 
“Ghost?” Sparrowpaw breathed in shock.
The white cat rolled her eyes, unphased, and said, “We’re looking for a cat who came this way a few days ago, a brown spotted tabby with a notched ear.” She gestured to her own ear with a paw. 
“Yeah,” the tom said, grinning again, “you kiddies wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?” 
“No,” Sparrowpaw said carefully, and Floodpaw nodded in agreement. 
“We’ve never seen her in our lives,” he added.
“Really?” The tom circled closer and Floodpaw stumbled over Barleypaw in his attempt to keep turning with him. The tom took the opportunity to lunge forward, teeth snapping, and Barleypaw screamed, Floodpaw toppling over her as he tried to pull backwards. The tom laughed, a harsh and ugly laugh that Floodpaw had never heard before and hoped he never heard again. He hurried to his feet again, dread creeping through his pelt. 
“Stop it!” Sparrowpaw cried, his fluffy coat bushing up.
“Stop it,” mocked the tom in a whiny voice. Looking back to his companions, he asked, “Aren’t they just the cutest?” 
“They don’t know where she is,” fretted the blue one, “let’s just leave them and move on, ‘kay?” 
“I’m inclined to agree,” the white one droned. “We’re wasting our time here.” 
“I dunno…” drawled the tom with a shrug, “I think they know more than they’re letting on.” He stepped in to loom over them, back arching aggressively. “Maybe a good swipe or two might jog their memory.” 
Floodpaw raised himself up on his tiptoes to be as big as he possibly could, spitting with what he hoped was enough ferocity to give the tom some pause. “Touch us and I’ll tear your ugly pelt off!” he hissed. 
The tom shook his head with a sneer, then snapped, “You need to learn some manners, kid!” punctuating the word with a swipe that staggered Floodpaw and left him reeling. A hot droplet of blood started to well up from a small knick in Floodpaw’s cheek. Barleypaw screamed again and the tom rounded on her, snarling, “Quiet! You kits have to learn there are consequences to your actions.” 
Fury welled up inside Floodpaw and he shoved himself to his feet. “Leave her alone!” he shouted and leapt at the tom like Goldenstar had taught him. His claws found purchase in the tom’s thick, grimy pelt and he cried out in pain, rearing away. Floodpaw pushed his advantage, lashing out at the rogue with quick, sharp strikes. His blood pounded in his ears as every part of him began to sing with the thrill of battle. 
The tom swiped at him a few times, falling back under the torrent of swipes. Distantly, Floodpaw heard the white cat chuckle to herself. The tom snarled at the noise, dug in his heels, and lunged for Floodpaw with his teeth bared. Floodpaw knew he wasn’t fast enough to dodge. Instead, he bunched his muscles and flowed with the movement of the tom’s tackle, using his momentum to flip them both end over end. Twisting and clawing, he yowled, and Sparrowpaw’s eyes lit up.
“Help!” Sparrowpaw cried as loudly as he could. Barleypaw caught on and joined him. “Help! Help!” they wailed. 
The white one frowned and stepped forward. “Enough of that,” she said, but neither of them stopped their shouting. 
Floodpaw and the tom split apart, panting, and the tom hissed over, “Would you shut those kits up already?” 
“What do you think I’m doing?” she snapped back at him. Floodpaw’s tail lashed and he sprang again, catching the tom off guard. Lunging for the throat, he eagerly sank his teeth into the tom, expecting to taste a gush of blood, but found himself holding a fold of loose skin instead. The tom wrapped his paws around Floodpaw and twisted, taking them both to the ground, and sank his own teeth into Floodpaw’s shoulder. Floodpaw yowled in pain and struggled to break free. The pain sobered him up and he felt sudden fear spike through him. Goldenstar had been right. He wasn’t ready. 
“Pipe down right now!” growled the white one, “Or else!” 
“Tad!” keened the blue one, “Company!” Floodpaw heard it too, the sound of paws pounding in their direction. With a furious yowl, Russetfrond burst from the grass and crashed into the tom pinning Floodpaw. His teeth found the brown cat’s unmarked ear and tore, spattering blood over Floodpaw’s face. The tom rolled away in lieu of holding onto Floodpaw, leaving him free to climb to his paws again. Russetfrond roared, bashing the tom over the head with his heavy paws, beating the slight brown tom back with every blow. 
Goldenstar charged out of the grass as well and she and the white she-cat tussled for a moment before breaking apart to glare at each other. Goldenstar’s tail tip twitched threateningly as she bared her teeth at the two female rogues. Yarrowshade followed closely behind, stopping beside Floodpaw to look him over.
“Are you alright?” he asked, licking Floodpaw’s wounded shoulder. 
“I’m great,” Floodpaw smiled, pupils blown wide in excitement. 
“Yarrowshade!” whimpered Barleypaw, hurrying to hide under her mentor’s belly. 
“It’s alright,” he said, “We’ve got you now.” 
Russetfrond and the tom broke apart finally and stopped, glaring at each other. The group came to a temporary standstill, silence hanging heavily in the air. 
“You are not welcome here!” Goldenstar boomed. “This is RisingClan territory and we will not tolerate an attack like this.”
“I knew there were savages out here,” the tom panted with a manic grin, “but I didn’t expect such a brute.” Russetfrond snarled and edged closer, an unspoken warning. 
“Ignore him,” the white cat said, crouching low. “We’re just looking for one of our own who came this way, a spotted tabby named Scrap. If you tell us what you know about her, we’ll be on our way.” 
“You’ll be on your way now,” Goldenstar snarled. “Consider yourself lucky I don’t take what’s left of your ears for harming our apprentices.” 
“Thank you,” the blue one spoke up. “We’re undeserving of such mercy. We’ll leave right away.” She glanced at the other two, urging them to agree with her eyes. The white one nodded and backed away a bit. 
“Yes, thank you for your kindness,” she said guardedly. The tom growled and lashed his tail, casting a spiteful glance at his companions, before he wordlessly stepped away and joined them. 
“Don’t let me catch you in our territory again,” hissed Goldenstar. 
“You won’t,” the white one promised. Something in the tom’s backward glance gave Floodpaw the feeling that wouldn’t be the case. 
Once the group had slunk out of earshot, Goldenstar looked at Russetfrond and said, “Make sure they leave the territory. I’ll send someone to check in with you once we get back to camp.” Russetfrond nodded and headed after them, although not before he gave a sideways glance at Sparrowpaw. The apprentice shrank a bit, looking guilty. 
“Come on,” Goldenstar said to the rest of them, “Let’s go back to camp.” 
“Are we in trouble?” Barleypaw asked from under Yarrowshade, big ears pinned backwards.
“No,” Goldenstar sighed. “In fact, I owe you all an apology. I put you in danger and that’s my fault.”
“It’s okay,” Sparrowpaw said, shaking his head. “We shouldn’t have been arguing so loud in the first place.” 
“Did you see how I fought him?” Floodpaw asked eagerly, moving to keep pace with Goldenstar.
She looked down at him and smiled ruefully. “Yeah, I did. That was very brave of you, Floodpaw.” 
“I didn’t start it, y’know,” he said. “He hit me first.” 
“I’m glad to hear that,” she said genuinely. “It’s good that you know not to start fights you can’t win.” 
“But you guys won,” he grinned, still floating on adrenaline. “That was awesome! You and Russetfrond are so cool!” 
“Thanks, kid,” she chuckled. “Now come on, let’s get your dad to look at your shoulder.
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britcision · 10 months
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Okay so I’m well aware that this is probably my own fault, but a lot of people seem to have gotten the idea that Bruce is in any way important to this story
This is not a story about Batman
This is a story about the many and varied disaster gays he has trained to commit bigger and more epic disasters than any other gay in history
So let’s fix it and get back to the second most important thing in the story! Timker (and bonus Connor)
——————
Field Trips Without Permission Slips part 1
Tucker was still firmly in his happy bubble, floating along after Tim Drake-Wayne even as they left the Bat Cave.
Connor, Kon, Superboy, he’d be there soon. Tucker wanted to make a good impression; this was Tim’s boyfriend, Tucker really wanted the guy to like him.
That way they could all be friends, and he wouldn’t worry if Tucker and Tim hung out, and talked tech, and maybe got to have a hackathon…
Because of course, even notorious ladies’ man Too Fine Foley would never make a move on a taken man. That’d just be low.
He was just trying to work out what to say when Tim got a buzz on his phone. The excitement dropped off the younger man’s face in an instant, his expression immediately shifting to worry and determination.
“Something’s come up,” he said tersely, and Tucker frowned, wondering if he was about to hear about a second rogue attack in almost as many days.
Gotham… Gotham was kinda exhausting. No offence, obviously, even he could feel the Curse lingering on the back of his tongue.
But trying to keep this city safe was like bailing a sinking boat with a sieve. No wonder they needed the best of the best.
“How can I help?” Was all he offered, trying to make himself look ready and eager.
Tim’s eyes widened as he looked up, like he was only just remembering that Tucker was actually even there at all. That yeah, he definitely could help.
Actually, it turned out he was their subject matter expert when Tim explained the problem.
“Superman just told B he can’t hear Jason’s heart anymore. I don’t suppose there’s a reason you’d know of?” He asked hopefully, and Tucker’s jaw clicked shut.
Because… yeah, he could guess exactly why Jason was now out of range of super hearing. But the bats weren’t cleared to know about Jason’s halfa nature yet, and Tucker was pretty sure Jason couldn’t transform.
It’d be a wild time for him to give it a first try if Superman was listening in. He’d have to warn Danny and Jason, though that might have to wait if they’d… gone… to the Ghost Zone.
And yeah, okay, Tucker maybe shoulda thought of that first, but in his defence Danny died on a regular basis and occasionally just to show off.
Shoulders sagging as he relaxed, Tucker blew out a long breath and grinned at Tim, relief making him lax. And yeah, sure, he didn’t know why they’d gone, but he could bullshit something if they asked.
“Oh, yeah actually… they’re probably in the Ghost Zone,” he explained with a slight shrug, because really? It wasn’t a big deal.
Some of the tension leached out of Tim’s shoulders with the presence of an immediate answer.
“The Ghost Zone? That’s the Infinite Realms, right?” Tim asked and Tucker nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets.
It was always nice to be the guy with all the answers, but having all the answers for someone like Tim Drake-Wayne? Yeah, that felt extra good.
“Yeah, same place. It’s mostly only the Ancients that call it the Infinite Realms, and Danny and Jason probably won’t bother them.”
Not unless Clockwork chose to make another visit, but that would be an Ancient going to bother Danny and Jason.
Tim nodded thoughtfully, making some quick notes on his phone.
“Any idea why, or how long they’ll be? Bruce has probably convinced himself Jason’s dead again by now,” he added dryly, sounding neither impressed nor concerned.
Well, maybe a little concerned. Tucker had kinda gotten the stage door tickets to Batman’s opinion of Danny.
Tucker shrugged again, thinking back quickly over what Jason had told him he’d told his family. He was gonna make himself a cheatsheet if (hope of hopes) hanging out with Tim became a regular thing.
Frostbite? Yeah, they probably mentioned Frostbite. No need to mention he was an Ancient, the yeti certainly never brought it up.
“They’re probably going to see Danny’s doctor. Check Jason’s ecto contamination, see how Danny’s doing away from his haunt; that’s Amity Park,” he added as Tim’s brows furrowed momentarily. “Technically halfas don’t need need one, but Danny claimed it so we dunno what leaving will do to him.”
Which made it sound way more dramatic than it actually was; even full ghosts could leave their haunt if they wanted to. Not all of them even kept haunts in the Zone.
They’d asked last year, before Danny finally took the plunge (and yeah maybe coming out of puberty was why he’d waited a couple extra years - not that he’d gotten the promised Fenton Growth Spurt).
Frostbite had just asked if they even knew where Ember’s haunt was.
News to Tucker and the gang that she’d even had one, with how much she wanted to go on tour.
Danny’s haunt would always be his place of power, but with the power Danny wielded? He never needed it anymore. Tucker was pretty sure that when he actually became king the whole Ghost Zone was gonna be Danny’s haunt.
Not cuz anyone had explicitly said so. Just interpreting a lot of the flowery bullshit around Pariah. And no one had told him no yet either.
Tim just nodded, typing a moment more before sending off a quick reply to Bruce.
He did feel a little bad tattling on Danny and Jason like that. If they’d wanted anyone to know where they were going, they coulda just said.
But they also probably hadn’t known Superman would be listening, or notice Jason’s heart disappearing. Really Tucker was doing everyone a favour; making sure no one came back to Batman in a panic attack.
He just hoped Jason would see it the same way.
And then the single hottest person Tucker had ever seen in his entire life popped his head around the door, perfectly windswept black curls pushed back with one hand.
A smile of perfectly white, perfectly even teeth flashed as gorgeous blue eyes like the heart of the ocean landed on him and Tim.
On Tim.
Tim was smiling back even before the other entered the room.
Tim’s boyfriend.
Tucker raised Ida to cover his face without even thinking, cheeks burning and really really really hoping neither white boy knew enough about dark skin to tell.
Tim’s brother Duke was Black too.
Tucker was going to fucking die.
He could not go weak kneed at just the sight of Tim’s boyfriend!
He was only vaguely aware when the walking Adonis spoke, striding quickly into the room.
“Hey, any reason I should be worried that Jason and Danny just disappeared from Gotham’s airspace?”
Ancients even his voice was perfect, rich and smooth like dark chocolate, with just a little bass that made Tucker’s heart flutter. If that voice said his name Tucker was going to fucking die.
Tucker strangled most of the whimper in his throat because he was a fucking adult goddamn it. Jumped and almost smacked himself in the face when Tim called his name from right next to him.
Loudly.
Like he’d said it a couple times already.
And the World’s Hottest Man was looking at him too, the absolute cutest worried little frown marring his perfect brows, and oh ancients just the littlest pout on soft, full lips…
Yeah, no, someone get the headstone, Tucker would just bury himself out back.
———————
Note: I’m genuinely still turning over which name our dear Superboy Prime is going by as his regular name, since it’s… about 1000% going to depend on his relationship with Clark
I cannot fucking imagine anyone but Clark gave Kon El his Kryptonian name. Just. No fucking way. (Kara could but then we’re back to Too Many Characters and tbh she has more tact than that)
So their relationship has to be good enough that Clark offered this very personal piece of himself, and Connor’s accepted it
But Connor is the name his first friends gave him
And his civilian name, so it’s not like he can whole hog the switch
Atm the Bats call him Kon in uniform as the world’s shittiest cover but we’re getting his POV next chapter and I need to know what he calls himself, so… poll!
Tag List: @welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikkobara a @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife e @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @trickerdi @mayoota-blog @xysidhe @idkmrpianoman @little-apricot-the-writer writer @chaoticmistake e @the-legal-shipper r @bun-fish @aroranorth-west t  @demon-cat-goes-woof @perfectwastelandcreation @onyxlightdragon on @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @mothman-the-mothman87 @viyatrix @stargirl1331 1 @idfk-man10 @thedepressedrobin @skulld3mort-1fan n @rootsmudge @ravenshadow17 7 @cankoking @phantom-dc @mentalcarebear @magic-pincushion @redamancyardor @lyra689 @itsparadoxlacuna @alcorbearson @asphyxia778 @why-must-i-be-like-this @tkiesai @greenpyrowolf @frivolous-pastel @honeysuckletook  
For anyone wondering, the reason the tag list looks like it’s having seizures is my phone has decided that letting me scroll around is far too convenient and it’s just going to randomly jump around if I try and move the cursor
You cannot tag a bitch on tumblr mobile without scrolling to the end of their name and selecting them on the search
If you are not at the end it will autocomplete what’s left and thus *gestures vaguely* happy WIP Wednesday
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Oh my, so interesting what he explains about him and Téa. 🥹 So happy for them, and for him to have found someone like this. ❤️
[VIDEO BELOW - New interview with Kara]
Kara : How are things with your accomplice?? How is your accomplice?
Tim : She’s a miracle. I never thought that I would experience something like that at my age. And I had sort of come to terms with like maybe being alone or maybe being some kind of casual thing that wasn’t really too demanding and then we met and it all changed! It is the deepest, most fun, most truly intimate relationship I’ve ever had.
Kara : so why do you think that is? What’s different? What makes it like that?
Tim : […] We want someone to see us. And if we get into a place where we allow someone to really see us, everything, and they can look at that and say ‘Ok, ‘I’m okay with this. All this good stuff and all that bad stuff’ then it’s like a profound relief to be able to be your entire self and know that someone is not gonna blame you or try to change you in a way that’s punishing or belittle you for the things that you have that are human flaws; but you know, try to help you and try to encourage you to improve without trying to fix you. So, all that stuff.
Kara : So, there’s something about her that helped you trust that she would do that, be like that with you? Or were you at a time in your life where you were ready to expose yourself in that way?
Tim : All of the above. And, talking about fear, I was terrified because basically she said to me ‘Give it all, give me everything. Tell me the whole story, all the shit, all the stuff you’ve done you’re not proud of, you’re ashamed of, just tell me and I’ll deal with it’. And I was like ‘okay…’ thinking that perhaps I would get annihilated, you know, that I would step on the landmine the was in the mine field or the eggshells that was out there. I took that risk and I laid it all out and she was like ‘okay. Let’s do this’. Wow, you know and… [getting emotional]. It was and has been an amazing thing and feels not punishing at all. And… some of my relationships I’ve felt punished.
Kara : Right, which would make you think that future relationship would as well, because it was your history, it’s what you knew.
[…]
Kara : You and Téa met when you were on ‘Madam Secretary’. I don’t know if you met before that but that’s when you started becoming intimate. That ended like years ago now. How many years has it been?
Tim : Four years, five years, something like that.
Kara : So, it’s interesting that you are great with that situation, and your environment now is totally different; you’re not working together. And has it changed at all? Was it more something then or more something now?
Tim : That’s better. That’s better now. Yeah, you know, it’s funny because I’m pretty sure there were a lot of eyes rolling on set and lots of nervous people going like ‘Oh God, when that blows up it’s gonna be a disaster. Oh, on set romance…’ And we were a little bit before #MeToo so we could have our romance without being so careful about it, and all this stuff, and there was, I’m not sure if it’s actually called this, it’s called a ‘Love contract’ that you were supposed to fill out for CBS saying ‘We are in a relationship, we work together so if things go badly, we’re not gonna bring it to work’ but we never did.
Kara : Oh, you never signed it?
Tim: No, we never signed it and we never brought our shit to work.
Kara : Very good. There’s something going on that you’ve decided, you’ve approached the whole thing in a healthy way it seems like, to me […].
Tim : It’s pretty spectacular.
Kara : I also love the fact that she said ‘Give me all of it?’. Like she literally said that?
Tim : Yeah. It’s funny also, and so surprising for me. I showed up for work one day at Madam Secretary and I opened the door to my dressing room and there were like 25 pairs of high heel shoes and all this lingerie and I was like ‘What’s happening here?’ And Téa is like ‘Why do we have separate dressing rooms? I’ll just be in here.’ And first I was like ‘Wait, my space, etc.’ and I was like ‘No, she wants to be with me so badly that she’s moved her high heels into my room, so I better take this, this is a good thing.’ And her dressing room turned into a place where we would take naps. At lunchtime, we looked like cadavers. We would lie next to each other and just pass out for about 18 to 20 minutes, we got so good at it, and then we could continue on with our day.
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"I'm The Crazy One?" (Batfam x Batsis) pt 1
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Summary: You got hit with fear gas. But something isn't right. And it takes your family a while to relize it might be too late.
CW: Death, mental health issues, hallucinations, violence, mention of blood, guns, angst ect.
You don't usually go onto the field, you help Barbra most of the times. You can fight, no doubt about it. But Bruce knows you have a past about you comitting violence, so he never calls you for help on the field.
But one mission, you needed to be with them. Bruce didn't call you to come, even if they needed your help, he didn't want to put you in a uncomfortable position like that.
You knew he would do that, so you rolled in without notice. Good thing you did, because Tim and Steph looked like they were having a hard time.
So you helped get the goons off their backs
"Y/n? What are you doing here!" Steph looked at you in the suite you had on. She almost forgot how you looked in your suite.
"Heard you guys were having a hard time. Thought I could drop in." You played with the blade in your hand.
"Batman isn't going to be happy with this." Tim mumbled. You frown and throw the knife past Tim, knocking out a goon in the process.
"I don't expect him too"
The mission had ended, Batman scolded you but thanked you for the help. Right before you all were leave, you were hit with fear gas.
When you came to, it had been 3 days for everyone else. When the fear gas took over your mind, you had injured Tim and Duke through your hallucinations. You felt horrbile about it.
But Bruce and the others were there to reassure you, it was not your fault.
It took awhile for you to get back on your feet, but everyone was there to support you. You acted weird a lot, but they assumed it was due to side effects from the gas. Like, when you would space out, be out in the manor at late hours when you should have been in bed. Just wondering, and forgetting what time you were in.
Dick was searching for you, wanting to know if you wanted to it some sweets Cass bought. He asked Alfred where you were, and claimed that you might be in either the library or the screen room. Dick checked both locations and couldn't find you. So he decided to go for your room. But on his way, he passes Damian's room. The door wide open, and you in the middle.
"Why would you say that. . . .? I would never let anything happen to you. I promise." You were talking, but to who? Damian was in the batcave training with Jason.
Dick spoke your name. You snapped out of whatever trance you were in and turned to look at Dick. You then looked around the room in confusion. Dick aproched you slowly
"Y/n. . .look at me." Dick held you by your shoulders. You looked at Dick with teary eyes.
"I. . . where is Damian?" You question. "He's with Bruce"
Dick's reply had you give out a shaky sigh of relief. "I-Im sorry." You chuckled "I've been out of it, so know. Just havn't gotten enough sleep."
Dick frowns and held your arm "Come on, let's get you to bed now. Alright?" He said with a small smile. You agree and have him lead you to bed.
Your behavior had gotten. . .worse? Worse was not the words for it at the moment.
Bruce was deep in sleep, woken up by Alfred.
"Master Bruce. There is a problem down in foyor."
Bruce groans as he sat up from his bed "What is it?"
"It is Miss Y/n." Alfred replied.
Bruce sighed " Sleep walking again?" Bruce began to walk with Alfred down the hall.
"Yes."
Once the two got down to the foyor, they see you walking against the door repeatedly.
The words "I did it" coming from your mouth in a small whisper.
"Alright, let's get you back to bed." Bruce grabbed you by your shoulder. You were quick to suprise Bruce by gripping the wrist to the hand he had on you.
Your eyes were open, a look of desperation in those eyes "I did it! I did- I did it. . ." You spoke breathlessly, cold sweat on you as if you had awoken from a nightmare.
Bruce frowns and glances a look of concern to Alfred, who shared the same look of worry.
Your eyes closed once more, your head layed on the older mans chest. Bruce sighed and picked you up as you mumbled words to him.
"I'm sorry daddy. . .im sorry" Those words came out almost as a whine. Bruce's grip tightend as he walked up the stairs, "It's alright. . . your alright." Bruce avoided your room and took you to his own. And watched you sleep. Already taking note to look deeper into the fear gas you were hit with.
Tim and Barbra got to researching whilst Jason and Cass helped Bruce and Damian seek out information about that fear gas.
It was late into the night, Duke had watched over you the whole day. He was worried himself of what was going on with you. Alfred helped him escort you whereever you wanted to go.
Now, the boy layed in bed. Dreading his upcoming exams.
He then was awoken by something weighing on him. When he opend his eyes. There he saw you, on top of him, eyes closed shut with a screw driver against his throat.
He panicked, his hand wondered to his nightstand where a batarang was. His hand hovered over it, then looked back at you.
Shaking as you whispered words he didn't understand.
He then used one hand to take ahold of your arm, and shake you gently. Saying your name, hoping you would snap out of it.
And when you did. You just stared at the boy. Confusion as to why you were there.
"Y/n, what the hell!" Duke scooted away from you. You dropped the screw driver. Your mind still seemed far away before you looked at Duke, and smiled.
"Duke. . .hi."
"Y/n, what's going on." Duke wasn't the serious type. So seeing him so stern, worried you. Because you didn't see what was wrong. Refused to see what was wrong.
"I don't, know what your say?" You truly looked confused. But your eyes. . . your eyes looked crazed.
It scared him.
"You held a screw driver, to my throat." Duke held his throat. You gave him a look, and shook your head. "No I didn't" you let out a small chuckle.
"Yes, you did! Y/n--"
"No! No I didn't. I wouldn't do that--" Y/n cupped Duke's face. Tears threatening to fall, shaking her head "I wouldn't do that! Id never hurt you I promise!"
Duke held you firmly by your arms. "Y/n look at me."
You stopped talking and stared into the boys eyes. And he saw it, you need help.
Bruce decided that you needed time alone. So you agreed to go to a place Damian was sent to a while ago.
There, you were taken in by the monks. Meditate for as long as needed. Tale the time you need to rid yourself of whatever thoughts that spoiled you.
You were gone for a good month. That was until you received a letter. Saying you were needed back at Gotham. You didn't think to much of it, so you left. And head back to Gotham.
Joker, was a cruel man. When that cruel cought sight of you for the first time. His plans, began.
Joining with a lowly gang to cause enough trouble to force you out and help. And making a fear gas that would drive you insane. That was all him.
And bringing you back to Gotham. . .that was him.
And you fell for it. He has you now, tied up to an operation table. He used a special something he used on Jason way back them, on you.
He put you in a robin suit. Painted a mask over your eyes, spread listick on your lips to form a big smile.
Now before he could present you to dear old bats. He wanted you to do something that will brake you.
You woke up and felt pain all over your body. The floor, you were laying on the floor. That's what you could tell. It was cold and hard.
Your vision was still blurred, even when you sat up. You could feel something on the ground. It was wet. Was it water?
You started to see more clearly. And thats when you realized, that it wasn't water. It was blood
You stared at your hands, the blood. There was so much of it. It was on your cloths too! Wait. . .why are you wearing a robin suit. . .
Your eyes began to wonder further apart from yourself. That's when your heart dropped to your stomach.
"No. . ."
You crawled to a the body in front of you.
"No no no no no no. Wake up! Please!"
You held the body. Tears already falling from your eyes. It was a friend from school. A good friend who you cared for.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
Your head whiped to the direction of where the voice came. And there, you saw Joker.
"Joker! You bastred what did you do!" You shouted in anger. The man paused and dramaticly had his hands on his chest
"Me? Oh, that wasn't me. The one who did that. Who made this art. . .was you." The Joker gave his sickly smile. You shook your head.
"No. . .I would never--"
You looked down to your friend. Something had finally come to you. It was, daja vu
"Has it come to you now? Have you relized it." Joker chuckled and walked around you in cricals.
"No. . ." You whispered. Everything was coming back. The things you feared, were forcing it's way back into your mind.
"Those nightmares you would have. . .those hallucinations. Fearing of hurting the ones close to you in the worst ways possible. It's all true!" The Joker couldn't help but laugh at your face. The way you looked when you took in his words.
The look of utter terror and dispare in your eyes was hilarious to him. And he can't wait for the bats to have that same look.
The Joker left you in the room.
You held your dear friends body. Rocking back and forth as you repeted the words "I didn't do it"
Over and over again.
It must be true then. . .all those hallucinations you had, the nightmares of hurting everyone, one by one. It was the future?
You were going to hurt them. Just like you hurt your dear friend that layed lifeless in your arms. Telling from the defense marks she had, along with the scratches you had on your neck and arms.
Your friend tried to fight you back. But failed. Even with this knowledge. You still refused to believe it was you that had done this.
Bruce along with the others stared at you in horror. Under Joker's control again.
Blood still on your little Robin costum. Your painted mask was ruined by the tears you had shed earlier.
"No. . ."
"Oh my God."
". . . ."
Everyone wanted to go in and save you. But Joker stood by your side, he gave the group a sadistic smile.
"Look! It's your Daddy!" The Joker chuckled out. Meaning those words twards Batman himself.
"Come on sweetie. Say Daddy. Go on, say it."
You giggled with a dazed smile and held up the gun you had, pointing to Batman.
"Daddy. . .hehehe, Daddy~" Your movements were sloppy, like a drunken person. Giggling between your words.
"That fucker." Steph growled. Wanting to bash Joker's head in. Anger coursing through the whole group. But mainly fear.
Jason was close to hyperventilating. Past was repeating itself for a lot of them. It was bad enough to experience what you were going through, but to watch it happen again to someone else?
A nightmare the man never thought would come true nor even existed.
Joker's grin widened by seeing the expression on everyone. Especially Bruce. And it was fear. Pure fear.
Joker burst out in laughter "Yes! This, is what I wanted!"
Joker calmed down from his fit of laughter and held you by your shoulders from behind. "Now little one. Listen to me. Your Daddy over there is hurting real bad right now. How about we help him out? Yeah?"
You understood those words and shot at Batman repeatedly. Damian and Dick were quick to deflect the bullets as Bruce stood in place. Staring at you. Staring at whatever the Joker turned you into.
Joker broke out laughing again. Yoir small giggles mixing in. Damian was quick to try and run twards the two of you. But Joker was quick to make the boy stop in his tracks.
"Ah! Get any closer. Little birdy here gets a bullet to her head!" Joker pulled out a gun and held it to your head.
Seeing Damian stop caused Joker a lot of satisfaction. The Joker leaned in and whispered.
"Change of plans. Help little Robin first before helping dear old Dad."
Tears poured out from your eyes as you giggled and held the gun with two hands. Pointing right at Damian, who was ready to defend himself.
But suddenly, you elbowed the Joker in the chin and shot yourself. Joker cursed at the pain. Steph and Cass took the opportunity to get Joker before he starts shooting.
Your groan in the pain. You felt someon take you up into their eyes. You weakly look up to see Batman.
He was carring you like he did before.
"I'm sorry Daddy. . . I'm sorry."
Your words hit deeper this time around. Bruce held you tight. "It's alright. Your alright."
You hummed at his familiar reply and leaned onto his chest. Closing your eyes as the last tear drops fell from your eyes before falling unconscious.
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ren-from-mars · 22 days
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Omg hiiii guys look! It’s Becky! I participated in the wonderful @hatchetfield-yearbook-project and got to draw her for the Alumni page <33
Go check out the project, it’s chock full of amazingly talented artists and writers who all captured their characters perfectly! Seriously, reading through some of the club articles I needed to convince myself it wasn’t canon work it’s sososososo good!
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Down below are the little details I did while working out how Becky would have been both in highschool as well as how she aged!
I focussed on a lot of lines mentioned in black friday and nightmare time to try and get a grasp on how exactly Becky would have changed over time. Things like “she’s not as hot as she used to be”, how long she was with Stanley, how working at the Hospital is Incredibly Fucking Stressful, and of course her “Rah Rah Team Spirit”! I went a bit overboard in the details but if you’re reading this right now you want them so BAM here it is!
First off, Hatchetfield High Becky!
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These are all just my personal headcanons, none of the appearance based details are directly stated as canon and are rather derived from my personal beliefs for her and things stated about her in the show.
Before the list- I put her in the same HFHS cheer team uniform that we see Brenda and Stacy both wear! I like to think that people wearing their cheer uniforms around the school is just. a think the Nighthawks Cheer Team just Do, and have done for years. They're insane like that (and the dark blues really compliment Beck!)
Her Rah Rah Cheer Spirit leaks into everything, and she does her makeup often with a silver and blue eyeshadow. she changes this look up every now and then, but being the cheer captain and dating the star quarterback comes with its own. social expectations on appearance, so Becky regularly goes back to her tried and true method.
star earrings star earrings! blue for the nighthawks, but the star is based on the fact that Becky and Tom would often stargaze on the football field, especially after the big games. Hatchetfield would have been a pretty bright city even back then, but it wasn't nearly as light polluted as it is in the present day. Stargazing together became their way to unwind and talk, without people listening in on every little thing being said and spreading rumours. Not like they would dare do that to two of the most popular people in school.
This is more targeted to her whole face, but this comes back to Beck doing her makeup every day. Obviously that shade of red isn't natural on her, but she would put it on the exact same every day that eventually people forgot about it. This ties into her 'not being as hot as she used to be', because she was always dressed up and wearing makeup. God forbid a woman age and not do things to be performative and appeal to you any more
The locket! This locket was a gift from Tom to Becky when they were together. She chose to put a photo of Tom in it, taken after the Nighthawks had won a big game (he had the biggest goofiest smile on his face). Note that the chain is long enough to fit underneath current Becky's clothes! She kept it all this time, Stanley told her to get rid of it, but she put it under a floorboard in their house in a simple box. When they *cough* broke up, she got the box back out but didn't wear the locket again until her and Tom inevitably meet again and reconnect. Now, she wears the locket every day, and Tom Hates that old photo of him (but in reality, he's touched that she kept it all this time). Despite that, he would never in a million years make her change it. In the worlds where they get to stay together and look after Tim, she adds a photo of Tim to the locket but still doesn't change Tom's photo. Years later Tim hates the old photo but knows how much it means to his mom.
And now for present Becky!
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Wrinkles !! because that happens and is very regular ! My only thing with this piece is that I wish I would've made them a bit more prominent. Most of her wrinkles are on her glabella (above the nose, between the eyebrows) because she had them furrowed so often. she also has forehead wrinkles and wrinkles next to her eyes, as well as a permanent slight eye bag. Those sleepless nights never did her any good.
She now rocks simple pearl earrings. They get in the way a whole lot less, and aren't distracting at work. Not much to say about them (but look at how tasty the rendering is on them!!!).
Back to wrinkletown, she only has slight wrinkles on either side of her nose. After cheer, she didn't do a whole lot of smiling.
White hairs! She has gone through so much stress don't you even tell me she wouldn't be slightly greying from that. She killed her husband. Her hair colour is also oh so slightly desaturated because of more natural greying (where the hair just loses pigmentation and goes blonde or white over time, but with no singular grey hairs. man red hair is weird). She also works at the hospital, you cannot tell me she wouldn't have a few unnatural grey hairs from all the shit she's been through.
This is just pointing out the height of her collar, the locket is there :)))))
I also forgot to point out, but her lack of makeup! This absolutely leads certain people to perceive her as ""less hot"" because of how she was constantly dressed up in highschool to maintain status. She was never disingenuous about her care for the Nighthawks and her cheer spirit, but highschool. Does something to people.
And another thing, that goes over both pictures, her hair is shorter! This is to help keep it out of the way easier at work. Her hair is tied into a high pony in highschool (again, think Brenda and Stacy), so letting it down would make it a Heap longer. Now she makes a lot of her hair decisions based on what makes work most convenient.
That's it! Please if you have any questions pester me about it, Becky is my girl i love her so much <33333 and another reminder to go check out the project!!!!!!
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dairy-farmer · 2 months
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You ever think about how Tim has NEVER had normal sex in his life?
Has only known superhumans and Peak Physical Condition trainwrecks?
Think about it. Who would he have lost his virginity too? Some grabby, gross, civilian he can't relate too? That reeks of B.O. and would ask QUESTIONS about his battle scars? Or his BROS? Who he trusts. Who love him and understand him. Who where THERE when he got those wounds.
Who would stop if he told them too.
He totally, after working up the courage, siddles up to Bart and asks if he... you know... could help him with something. Because Tim's NOT about to risk his first time to SuperStrength and complexe FEELINGS. And Bart is from the future. He's much more chill about this.
But he's? Also a fucking SPEEDSTER? They VIBRATE when they get excited. That same stamina that can let them run for what TO US, OUTSIDE the Speedforce, seems like hours? It's literally DAYS to THEM. Fuckers are stamina BEASTS.
But Tim is still learning, hasn't figured that out yet. Bart is his Fun Friend. Light hearted and chill. Good first time material.
So they fumble out of their clothes. Bart getting more and more hyped. Vibrating. Trying to stay in slow time with Tim. They fumble about, learning what touches feel good. Vibrating fingers on his clit? Feel REALLY good. The same for inside him. A little lubricant, because he read you're supposed too, aaand? Oh. Oh god.
And look, Bart DID try! It just felt... *incoherent noise*
Which leaves Tim getting fucked at superspeed. Nerves lighting up and muscles trying to react to something that's already moved on. Getting gushed into again and again like a stream that keeps coming, ruining his sheets. Feeling hands everywhere as the sensations catch up.
He can't possibly keep up. Gets offs so many times his brain decides its NAP TIME now. Wakes up to Bart panting into his neck, his puss full and gushing cum down into the PUDDLE under his hips, and another orgasm.
Tim learns that Speedsters tend to marathon their sex.
His everything feels bruised.
Bart has to fix his bed as Tim steals Bart's. But! No longer a virgin. And when he recovers? He TOTALLY gets the "deal" with sex now. (No he doesn't. Speedster sex is an outlier.)
Thing is? No one thinks to correct this misinformation. Why would they? OBVIOUSLY somebody ELSE gave Young Justice "The Talk", right? Nope. Individuals got it, but not as a team. Tim never got SHIT. He RESEARCHED.
Figured out "safe sex" is birth control and NOT letting the Half Kryptonian with super strength be "on top". You have to ride THEM or you risk bruises in delicate places and potentially broken bones. Luckily, Kon has TTK. So he can help.
When Tim doesn't want to do all the work or is tired, Kon can just... wrap him up in that full body hug of a telekinetic field. Lift him and slide him back down, as fast or as slow as feels good. Tease everywhere that feels good at once. Even if Tim drifts off, while Kon is teasing himself after making Tim orgasm, his whole body is supported so he can just sort of relax. Drift and feel good.
Let Kon use him for a bit.
It takes so LONG for Kon to cum, but Tim thinks they're getting better at it!
Of course, Batman would NEVER. Is distant. But Tim tries his best to be a good Robin. Bond in any way he can. It all falls short. Bruce brittle and hurting. Then? Some idiot tries to recreate Ivy's Pollen. She catches word. Does NOT appreciate that. It's a shit show.
Their masks hold. But in the fight, Batman is sent crashing into a crate of experimental samples. It wouldn't be a problem, if not for the metal joints of the crate stabbing JUST enough to break skin, though a weak point in his Armour.
They don't notice until the fights over. Long after an emergency counter-toxin would be effective.
Tim manages to get him to the Batmobile. Get them back. Agent A, has a fever and is upstairs. Fast asleep in bed. Can't help. The emergency Ivy counter agents will only go so far. Luckily, Tim knows where the napping couch is. It has a pull out bed.
Bruce doesn't put together his plan until he's already half removed the suit, his brain already sluggish and overheating. He tries to object, but it is strangled into a groan when Tim leans forward and tries his hand at using his mouth. Because to be honest, Tim isn't sure Bruce will FIT.
He barely fits a few inch in his mouth.
He's gonna have to try though. Pollen really only has one cure. And if Bruce had groaned at his mouth? He nearly sobs for air when Tim carefully rocks over him, lines up and breathes into the strain as he let's himself slide down. Bruce's hand shoot up to catch his hips, flexing like they want to slam him down and lift him off, like they a warring and can't decide.
But Bruce's hips know what they need. Are desperately rocking up. A little deeper. A little deeper. Impaling Tim on the biggest cock he's ever taken. Tim let's Bruce control things. Take what he needs. Rubs his clit to try and help with the strain. And then? He's so, SO full.
Bruce is rolling them. Hiking up his hips and leaning forward to rest his sweating forhead on Tim's shoulder. Holds him possesive and close as he fucks him. Slow at first them faster and faster. Harder. Until it feels like Tim's insides are being battered. Growling in his ear, his, his. His robin. Good boy, his.
Like something finally snapped and all the desperation finally fell out. The lust and greed.
It's like Bruce is trying to drain him of every orgasm he can possibly HAVE. Too much. He's so tired. It's good. Overwhelming. Goes on and on and ON. Surely he's cured now? Right? Tim drifts. Wakes up in Bruce's Bed. Weren't they in the cave? But Bruce is still inside him, rocking, gently and just to feel it. Shhh, shhh, go back to bed. Yeah. Okay.
Bruce is a lot nice after that though. They're closer. Tim has definitely found his bonding activity.
It works on Dick too. Who was between relationships. Depressed again. Lonely. And... well, Tim is so WARM. Feels so good to cuddle. Too bend in half in a good ol mating press and just? Get as close as he CAN. It's fun to eat him out until he sobs. Sit him in his lap like a cuddly little buddy and split him open, carry him around all day like that. Maybe Dick gets a little bit obsessed too. A little attached. Who's to say?
But! Each and every person? Who wants a piece? Not normal! Super human or frankly human outliers with intimacy issues that make them backed up! Tim who thinks Sex=Railed Into Oblivion! That you gotta SCHEDULE around it, because OBVIOUSLY you won't be able to walk or move after. This is normal and to be expected, right?
What do you MEAN "no"?
-🐼
tim being completely out of touch about what normal sex is supposed to be like 😭😭😭😭! the only people he's ever fucked has been people who are so beyond what could constitute as normal and all have conditioned tim to believe that sex is just LIKE that 😭
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bronx-bomber87 · 7 months
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Happy Weekend everyone :) Whew we are almost halfway through s3 already it's crazy. I love how when we get little content the previous ep the next one has loads. This is Lucy’s first real foray into UC. Seeing that deeper Harper/Lucy bond. Tim’s freak out and protectiveness. Such a good one for so many reasons. So many more gifs I wanted to use but sadly Tumblr keeps me to 30. They need to up that ha Oh well let’s get this started.
3x06 Revelations
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Our ep starts out with Tamara and Lucy. Lucy making sure she gets at least one good dinner for the week. I just love their relationship so much. Tamara was such a good addition to the show. Adding some extra depth for Lucy. She is an excellent pseudo mom to her. Tamara asks if she can interview Lucy for a paper for school. Has to do with women in male dominated fields.
Lucy is adorable in her reply saying she's honored she’s asking her. How far these two have come. Lucy says she should be off early tomorrow. Let's Tamara know she’s just doing site security with Tim. It’s for the CCOA. Basically a convention for UC cops. I did love her saying ‘My Sergeant’ when explaining her work plans tomorrow. Made me happy. Yes he is. In more ways than one. Heh
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We first join our lovely duo running security checks at the entrance. Lucy asking if Tim does this every year? Tim tells her no but he went with Isabel once to this. Look our boy bringing up Isabel casually. Being the one to and not have it bring him down. I'm so proud of him. Doesn’t phase him like it used to. Not only that but he’s cracking jokes over here.
Saying he just worked on his tan while Isabel attended seminars haha Replying to her question about what they teach here with sass. Tim tells her he has no idea but he's clearly having fun with his reply. Lucy still isn’t used to his sassy side. Her reaction above says it all. You did this lady hehe Enjoy the fruits of your labor madam.
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Their lighthearted moment is interrupted by an old friend of Tim’s. He drives up like a bat out of hell. Tim is excited to see him (at first...) Tim is in such a good mood when he rolls up. Just outside cracking jokes with his girl having a good time. Even introduces Lucy (by her first name BTW) to his friend proudly. Shortly after their reunion Tim realizes the girl in the car is not his wife….
She blatantly hits on him calling him pretty. I mean he is. Look at the man. I’ve said before he is sex on stick. Mack notes he only gets prettier with age. He's not wrong...it’s true. Loved Eric since his DOOL days. Was in love with him then as a teenager and even more so now ha So that is accurate. Aged like a fine ass wine. *chef kiss*
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Tim pulls Mack aside and wants to talk. Lets him know if he wants to run around on his wife that's his business. But he looks high as a kite. I love the way Lucy watches the interaction. Already in protect Tim emotionally mode. Mack tells him it's just oxy. He got hurt on the job month ago and the pain is a bear.
He takes off before Tim can say more and the look of worry on Lucy's face only increases. She can tell Tim is shook up about seeing his old friend this way. It’s affecting him more than he would like. I think he must’ve been in the academy with Tim. To watch someone you used to be close fall from grace is never easy to watch. Especially when it's so closely related to what Isabel was like.
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Lucy spies on Harper giving a lecture to potential female UC’s in the making. You can see her interest is piqued. Harper even spots her before she shuts the door. Cracks me up the way she jumps when Tim catches her. I always love me some arm crossed disapproving Tim. Mmm. gimme. His emotions are written all over his face. They honestly color his attitude for almost the entirety of this episode. He’s not upset she snuck a peak. He’s upset she’s interested in UC. The way he looks back that that sign says it all. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach has settled and its not going anywhere.
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This next scene we start to see Tim’s demons about UC surface a little. That good mood of his is long gone. He immediately confronts her about it. Asking her if she was spying in on seminars? She can’t lie to save her life when he looks at her. She adorably replies maybe…She's so excited by the prospect of UC she isn’t picking up on the stress Tim is throwing down in this scene.
He chews her out a little for spying and why it was wrong. I think we all know this has zero to do with the spying. That it 100 percent has to do with the subject matter that’s peaked her interest. He is trying to cut this off at the pass. He is not remotely excited about her being interested in UC at all..
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We return to our couple reporting to Mack’s room. His wife Beth is banging on the door. His mistress won’t let her in. Tim doesn't have time for this and kicks the door down. Oh my. He runs inside and sees Mack has OD’d. Lucy goes and gets the Narcan to revive him. Mack comes to and is begging his wife to stay. He is so very out of it. His wife storms off saying she can’t do this anymore. Ugh poor Tim. The look he shares with Lucy kills me. The pre-tears and all. The fact that he's upset and looks back at her for support. My heart. This was not how he envisioned spending this day. It was supposed to be an easy security site job that turned into so much more.
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Tim rejoins Mack at the hospital. He is so very angry with him. His pre-tears are killing me in these scenes with Mack. Poor Tim this ep is bringing up a lot of demons for him. Ones he truly thought he was putting behind him. Not just UC ones either. Telling Mack he’s not making the same mistakes he did with Isabel. Tim has made major strides when it comes to her but those scars still linger. They’re not gone and probably never will be fully. I’m sure he still tortures himself about his inaction with her. He won't do that again. To Tim this is a way to make up for that. Atone for that sin.
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Lucy is leaving for the day when she spots Harper waiting at her car. Now I said when Harper joined the show how excited I was. That her and Lucy’s relationship was one of those reasons. These are the moments that I love so much. Harper is straight with her and says 'You know we’re gonna have to talk about it right?' Clearly referring to her sneaking a peak.
Lucy thinks Harper is there to scold here just like Tim did. The beautiful thing about this scene is she doesn’t. Nyla encourages and supports her UC aspirations. This is where she becomes her UC mentee really. After Lucy explains why she peaked in Harper can’t help but want to help Lucy with this.
Can sense her genuine excitement about it. Even agrees to drinks to talk about it. Hell it’s her idea how far we’ve come ❤️ Lucy postpones her interview with Tamara to go out with Nyla. Harper then gets a distress call from one of her old UC contacts. Asks if Lucy wants to come instead of a rain check on drinks? She jumps on this offer immediately. Wanting to see first hand what an operation is like.
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Harper sends Lucy into the bar solo while she spots the tail on her friend. Lucy looks so amped to prove herself. She finds June or ‘Coco’ as she’s known right now at the bar. Sato joins the table immediately after Lucy does. Obviously he is the tail June has been worried about. The balls on Lucy in this moment. If Tim could see her right now he would have a friggin heart attack. Lucy throws a damn drink in his face.
She covers her ass so well and pretends she’s the chemist. Really smart move on her end. Even though he buys Lucy’s story Sato and his guard make them both move outdoors. Harper is waiting in the wings like the BAMF she is. Takes out Sato’s guard easily. Harper tells Coco there’s a tracker on her car. They must be cops. Sato is now the one in trouble saying they’re not. Salonga his boss just wanted them surveilled.
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Coco up's the price for pissing them off. He tells them if they do the price hike Lucy better be at the buy. Harper tries to shield Lucy. Telling them she doesn’t go on buys. Lucy jumps in and says she’ll go. That she's already spent her share in her head. Shocking both Harper and June. If Tim could see this he would be losing his damn mind. Well he will later on….
Crazy how good she is at this right away. Harper notices the immediate potential in her. They tell her she better bone up on chemistry. She beams like the nerd we all know and love. Says she got straight A’s in chemistry in high school. Of course you did haha Lucy gets so caught up in the moment she forgets she was supposed to do the report with Tamara. Oops.
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Tim comes to Grey’s office about his report on Mack. Wade is asking him if he’s sure he wants to do it this way? Tim so desperate to right the wrong he did with Isabel he doesn’t hesitate. Says it’s the right thing to do. That it’s what he should’ve done with Isabel in first place. He warns him he'll lose his pension. Tim continues on says its right thing to do. Grey doesn’t disagree. Wade then tells him Lucy will be occupied with a UC op today. He is none too pleased about this and quickly heads to roll call room.
Tim acting like a mad worried husband from here on out. He is SEETHING above. That determined strut and crossing of his arms. His whole demeanor screaming his discontent. Anger ready to spill over onto Harper. So very worried because Lucy has volunteered for a UC op and a very dangerous one at that. He doesn’t hide his stress in the least. Lucy has become such a fixture in his life at this point. To potentially risk losing her to a UC op like he did Isabel…He can't handle the idea of it. The rest of this scene reflects that.
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His demons coming out to play extra hard in this one for him. Lucy looks so excited when she's asked to stand up. She's so ready to prove herself. She is just excited in general. Then she turns around and sees Tim’s disapproving stance and stare. She freezes immediately and instantly feels reprimanded. Looks back at him one more time and sees his body language hasn't changed. Tim is emanating anger and Lucy knows it. Whew lord. He’s ready to eat Harper.
Before we move on let's take a moment to enjoy the forearm porn we’re getting here in the gif above. Hot damn. Arms are crossed, biceps bulging and his forearms look toned as hell. Sweet baby James should be a crime to be this attractive. But let’s get back to the episode before I gawk at him any further LMAO
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The very SECOND the meeting is over Tim is all over Harper. Pushes off the wall and storms toward her. He is ready to tear her a new one about allowing this. Let’s remember this episode has been VERY rough on Tim to this point. It’s like he’s being forced down memory lane in the worst way possible. With maximum PTSD. He started the ep casual, having fun with Lucy. Even bringing up Isabel at a UC convention without it bothering him. Then Mack showed up and dominoes started to fall and haven't stopped. This scene is his boiling point with good reason.
From Mack who’s his friend forcing him to relieve his trauma with Isabel. Having to make an ethical call about his career due to him becoming an addict. To Lucy going undercover which he feels she was roped into. She wasn’t but he’s not exactly thinking straight right now. It's what happens when our emotions drown us. The logical part of our brain disconnects and all that’s left is intense suffocating emotion. Lashing out trying to get some semblance of control.
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We also need to remember the last time he was involved in a UC op Isabel was shot in the head. Almost died. His PTSD is crying out in his scene. Harper tries to calm Tim down by saying she volunteered, Grey approved it and she has the best backup she could possibly have. The thing is though no matter of logic is going to penetrate his panic right now. Tim telling Harper she’s using Lucy and he’s losing his mind over it. He felt Isabel was used in her OP and now those feelings are bleeding over into Lucy’s. He is showing all his cards emotionally in this scene. The sheer terror he feels over Lucy going under cover. He doesn't want to lose her to same thing.
I love the writers for tapping back into these issues of his. They don’t just go away. They tend to linger on for a long time. They’ve left deep scars on him. This shows how raw this nerve still is for Tim. Now to top his day off they’re throwing his person into the one thing he fears the most. Lucy has become the one constant in his life. This incredibly resilient sunshine person that has become so important to him. He can’t stand the thought of being hurt or worse. His fears from 2x19 echoing in this scene. About not being about to protect her. To losing her and him having no say in the result.
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I don’t think Tim even understands why he’s reacting this way. Most of their relationship he is like this. Acts without understanding the why behind it. Only that it is a driving force for him. It's not until 4x22 he starts to understand why he acts the way he does with her. He only knows right now it’s instinctual and he can’t stop himself from letting it out.
Lucy looks absolutely crushed by the time he says his line about her being used. The look they share before before he walks away. It's crushing to say the least. We all know how badly she wants to impress him. For him to be proud of her and what she’s accomplished to even be in this OP. Tim has always had her back. Supported her and truly seen her as a person. Had unrelenting faith in her this entire time. To not have that in this moment is rocking her entire world.
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I adore Nyla for how she helps Lucy after Tim hastily departs. She’s the best mentor Lucy could have. I love these moments between them. The way she tells her it’s Tim’s issues not her. (It’s true but also it being Lucy adds tons of fuel to the fire for him) Lucy feeling stupid for wanting him to be proud. Harper is so wonderful in validating how she is feeling.
Doesn’t shame her for wanting Tim’s approval. That he got her this far. It makes sense she would want that. Tells her there is NOTHING wrong with it. Such a good scene for them. Why I love their dynamic so much. Harper is so good for Lucy and her confidence building. She covers what Tim can't. What I love about it. These were the scenes I was so excited to get to once she was on the show for these reviews.
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Tim and Nolan have joined the op to surveil overhead. No way in hell he wasn’t going to be apart of this. I'm sure after that scene with Harper no one was going to stand in his way. Also how else could obsessively keep his eye on her if he’s at the station? Hehe Nolan thinks he’s helping by comforting Tim in this scene. Sorry John you don’t know him like that and his replies show it.
He is gruff, deflects and is cocky in his replies. All things he does with those he’s not comfortable around. Only Lucy gets soft Tim. I will commend Nolan for having the balls to say anything though. The gall of Tim to say 'Who said I was worried?’ Uh only anyone who’s interacted with you since this whole thing started. LOL The way you bit off Harpers head in front of a room full of people. But sure love you’re not worried…
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Eric is so amazing in this scene. His face says the opposite of 'not worried' His stiff body language encompassing all his immense worry. Side note let’s not ignore the amazing shots of his jawline in this scene. Could cut glass on that thing. All scruffy too mmm love it lick it like a lollipop. Ahem anyways...His continued annoyance with Nolan shows as the scene goes on.
Especially when he tells Tim about how Lucy can handle herself. Tim is VERY aware of how capable she is. It’s why he’s a little offended in his reply. He seems annoyed Nolan even mentions she can handle it. As if he's telling Tim this for the first time. Like he hasn't ridden with her pretty much every day for a year plus. He's watched her develop into who she is now. He knows dude. Nobody knows it better than Tim Bradford how damn capable she is ya schmuck...(Oops my Nolan annoyance is showing) It’s what shakes him the most with her interest in UC. That she’s going to excel at it and that scares the hell out of him.
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He is playing the worried husband to the letter. Easy Tim your feelings are showing. Showing enough that John Nolan who is usually scared of you is commenting on it. John is doing it to comfort Tim which I respect. But for Tim when it's not Lucy he isn't as receptive. As I stated about earlier he is only going to deflect, be cocky and gruff in his replies. Hence his line above. Tim isn’t going to be able to relax or breathe till she’s on the other side of this. So until then he is going to ward off Nolan and his compassion by being self assured. That he trained her so he’s not “worried". Whatever gets you through love.
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Lucy acts like a complete bad ass during the whole thing. No surprise. Gets pulled into the limo with the boss and holds her own. Even speaks Tagalog impressing Salonga even further. Writes out the formula and preserves the OP. Doesn’t take long before she’s released and they’re given the money. That’s when everyone swoops in and arrests everyone. I read in theflyingdutchwoman’s amazing analysis in their anatomy Of a scene series (if you haven't read her stuff I highly recommend it) about Tim bailing on his post during this section. I couldn’t agree more I have no doubt the minute she stepped into that limo his ass was off that rooftop immediately. Ready to go when she needed him.
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Tim is in fierce protector mode until he reaches Lucy. Then breathes a sigh of relief. Morphing into soft Tim instantly. Only for her. He quietly asks her if she’s ok? That small set of words exposing EVERYTHING about how he’s feeling. The anxiety and how stressed he was till this moment. She nods fervently and his body continues to relax. What follows this is so sweet. Let’s admire the way he holds her cuffed hands.
How gentle he is with her as he escorts her to the shop. He could have put his hands on her arms or elbow like Nyla got with Nolan. But then Nolan isn’t in in love with Nyla…He legit held her hands all the way to the patrol car. I love it sfm. Like he needed to do this to ground himself after the adrenaline rush he just experienced. Proving to himself that she’s there. She’s safe and he can relax.
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Then comes the more beautiful part of the scene and really the episode if you ask me. Lucy isn’t expecting anything from Tim in this moment. Last time she saw him was his outburst about her even doing this. Then in the most Tim Bradford-esc way he voices how very proud he is of her. By telling her ‘You did good.’ To anyone else might not mean much. Or seem like much. To Lucy Chen it means the entire world. She knows Tim’s hang ups with UC. The demons he had arise with this. She also knows he’s putting aside those feelings to let her know he’s proud of her. Which is HUGE.
Because at the end of the day this OP was about Lucy and building her confidence in this area. He wants her to know that and does so. She craves his approval and support so much. Let’s not forget she grew up in an emotionally abusive household as well. Parents who withheld praise and support for anything she did. Never proud her. (I know that life) It’s why Tim’s approval means so damn much to her.
Why she lives and strives for it. Tim has had nothing but unconditional faith and support in her since day one. When he blew up about her doing this she thought she had lost that. These three words restore that for her. I don’t think Tim even knew the depth of how much him being proud of her meant. Ugh these idiots. I love them and their slow burn sfm. To round out the scene I adore Nyla’s wink at the end. She is also so very proud of Lucy. Handled herself like a damn pro. I love her so much for the impact she has on Lucy it’s unreal.
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Poor Tim (said this a lot but seriously this ep is hard on him) has the episode end pretty roughly for him. Beth comes to find him and rip him a new one. Tim tells her he can’t excuse the past. But this is now and he stands by what he did. It calls back to 3x04 when he was telling Lucy the same thing. That he can’t fix what he did then but would make sure it wouldn’t happen again.
This situation is proof of that. Doing for Mack what he should’ve done for Isabel. It’s awful to watch her tear him apart. But the right thing and the easy thing are rarely the same. Unfortunately this is very true for Tim in this instance. He ends this ep on a low note and I just wanna hug him.
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For Lucy it ends better. She makes up the report for Tamara by providing not just herself but Nyla and June for her repot as well. It’s cute to watch Tamara absorb all their banter. I love Lucy’s speech here it’s so good. Praising the women next to her in a way Tamara is revering them all. It's perfect way to the ep for them both. Such a good one.
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Side notes-non chenford
I love the introduction of Silas. I think that’s it’s didn’t really care about Nolan’s classes SL tbh. But cool castle reunion.
Thank you always to those who like, reblog and comment. Make creating these reviews so worth it shall see you all in 3x07 :)
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