whistle while you work.

‘ stay hidden , tim . be patient , tim . we’re sorry , tim . ’

he’s tired of it . being trapped in a universe that’s not his own is bad enough without the patronizing of the batfamily , the sympathic gazes and the hurt that he reads from every one of them , all wondering how he could have fallen like this in another universe , what could have been done to make him this way ( well , almost all - his double seems to understand treading a dark path , doesn’t question it the way the others do , just watches him with reserved suspicion ) . but shikra is tired . he’s done sitting in the manor he left behind years ago , the one whose halls are only images in nightmares and whose inhabitants feel like faded reflections of people he didn’t want to see again .

you’ve gotta love modern technology , he thinks , the kind that lets him press a palm to red robin’s bike and unlock it , engine revving beneath him as he pulls the mask he’d swiped from someone’s locker up to cover his mouth and nose , hiding enough of his face not to be identified as tim drake , before peeling out into the gotham night . he can’t work , but he can train , in so much as punching a few thugs in the face and working out his anger can be called training . he’s in his own world out there , fists flying more often than his staff , the crack of bone beneath his hands settling some of the frustration at his situation .

ra’s raises a brow . he’s PLEASED that he’s at least familiar with how to drink wine ; ra’s doesn’t have the time to teach him . if the boy wasn’t already claimed by SHIVA , he might have the inclination to take him properly under his wing - but , alas , he’s not willing to risk her IRE for such a small prize . he and shiva have an agreement , ra’s knows better than to break it .

he will have to make do with in - betweens , the small pleasures he allows himself when his duties aren’t chasing at his heels . timothy is pretty enough , but he has a certain flair to him that draw’s ra’s’s attention , for good or for ill . this particular kind of attention - not exactly benevolent , but certainly not malicious ; the boy should be grateful for it .

‘ i shall have it prepared for you as soon as possible, ‘ ra’s promises . it should be enough to please his eyes , to accentuate the form and the muscles underneath it . a brow raises , and then a dangerous question -

‘ are you upset , timothy ? ‘

again , he finds himself trying not to choke at ra’s words , instead just taking another drink to try and settle his nerves , give himself a moment to regain his composure before he answers . head tilted slightly and eyes a touch wide , he gazes at the other man in what seems like surprise and confusion .

“ should i be , great one ? ”

Dick laughs. “I’ll be sure to let him know you’re worried about him,” he promises. “I must agree, though, he is getting older. It’s about time he retired before something happens he can’t bounce back from.” He sighs solemnly. But that brings up talks of replacements and business Tim, currently, has no business in and Dick waves a dismissive hand.

“But, olvidalo,” he says. “Oh, I do understand how busy you get, parajito, but surely you can put some time aside for lunch, no? Perhaps even at your place if that’s easier? Mm, or maybe with one of your little friends. I’ve been dying to meet some of them.” He hums thoughtfully.

It’s cute Tim thinks that was a suggestion. He does so know how well Dick takes rejection.

tim knows who he’d prefer to take up bruce’s mantle , but he doubts dick’s need to have a vice grip on his family’s dealings will allow her to step up the way she deserves and is worthy of : a shame , really . maybe he’ll just have to offer cass a place with him , when the time is right .

the downside of inheriting a mantle , tim thinks , is the shadow that hangs over his head .

not that sandra wu-san is around any longer to judge what tim chooses to do as shiva - no , he’d killed his lady , as she asked of him , only then taking up the name she’d left behind , becoming the destroyer in his own right . still , he can’t help but think of how she might disapprove of his choices - from those he’s allowed to become his acolytes to what he chooses to do with his power and time . the words pru murmurs to him when she passes , that she led him here , only cements the thought to tim , even as he quietly thanks her for her help , eyes drifting to the doorway and into the dark hall as he settles in his seat , one leg crossed over the other and the fire casting shifting shadows over his skin .

3. Are there any particular aus or plots that you’d really like to write?

future!tim plots right now are my jam, mostly bc i love the idea of this complete nerd that now has? a cult of his own followers? who kill people and learn from him and revere him as one of the world’s greatest martial artists because he is one now. plus, yknow, him being a nuisance to bruce and ra’s and lex is just. mwah. beautiful.

4. What are some of your rp pet peeves?

6. What is your favorite thing about writing your current muse?

definitely the au. honestly, having a little community for this au is just so much fun, and being able to explore a bunch of canon characters in ways canon hasn’t (or, has tried to and done meh on tbh) is such a good time? and i love seeing how more canon-aligned characters react to tim-as-shikra as opposed to the normal stuff you would see trotted out with a canon tim. it’s a really good time ^-^

7. Who was the very first muse you ever wrote?

The skin on the back of his neck had always prickled whenever he caught a glimpse his brother in that makeup. Something went wrong somewhere and Tim had never been able to figure it out.

He eyed the mallet and stowed his staff away, knowing, or hoping, that his brother would take it as a sign of truce.

“Out having fun today?”

aaron snaps his gum , grin still tugging at his mouth at the way tim stows his weapon - not out for a fight today , that’s fine by him . “ not quite . all play ‘n’ no work makes the whole thing fall apart , ” he hums , intentionally mangling the adage . “ someone’s gotta keep up with the henchies while miss quinn’s away , make sure nobody goes turncoat or playin’ with the wrong clown . ”

He almost cracked a smile as Aaron moved to a more defensive posture. That’s right, bro.

“Oh, you mean like dropping in unannounced?” He flipped his staff back to a more balanced hold as he shifted his weight on the balls of his feet.

“We’re at least ten blocks from anywhere near enough to handle serious injuries. You want to take that chance?” He and Aaron may have grown up in Gotham together, but his brother didn’t know the city like he did, not anymore.

“ wowww , you really are a little batman , aren’t you ? can’t come through my own hometown without warning cuz it’s your turf , timmy ? ” aaron rolls his eyes , resists the urge to flip his brother off . what an ass . he can see that tim’s entirely serious about hurting him if he feels he has to , shakes his head . 

Bart has to admit, that kind of tactic is effective. It’s not overly flashy, and it got the job done without drawing attention to the assassin. No one’s going to know who killed this guy. Bart wonders idly what he did and who he pissed off and how much money the assassin made. He’s clearly an assassin, that kind of precision and fluid execution- that wasn’t a crime of passion.

Zipping around, keeping to the shadows, up along buildings and watching over the sides of rooftops, Bart keeps an eye on things, and when the assassin breaks off to either head for another job, or back to a safehouse, Bart doesn’t waste time trailing behind him.

A predator this good knows he’s here.

With a static rush, he turns himself around the hitman, stopping on a dime to smile at him, eyebrows high. He’s not wearing his uniform, instead, worn jeans and a yellow and red light jacket.

❝ That was pretty good. Did you leave a blood trail from the knife? He never saw it coming. ❞ A few steps closer,  ❝ He barfed up so much blood, too. ❞  

tim is making his way from the scene , across the rooftops , when his shadow shows themself , skidding to a halt in front of tim with a burst of that static that he’d felt over his skin before . a speedster , then . he stops to look him over , eyes narrowed at the quick flicker of thoughts and microexpressions - it’s enough to make tim’s head spin , and he has to look away for a moment , compose himself and try to reel in the instinct to read him . he’s going to have a migraine if he tries to keep up with the speedster’s every thought and reflex .

 “A job well done, and like any one who has done a good job, they do deserve a reward. Alas, there is plenty of work to be done.” 

Alas there was nothing else to say, despite being a genius, a master bo staff user, its not enough for Ra’s Al Ghul who only required absolute certainty among other things. Almost likened the younger assassin to a robin would be a disservice. 

 “Lady Shiva has been sent to a mission within North Korea, so you would find her rather absent for the next week days. Perhaps take some time to rest.”

“ your hospitality’s appreciated while my lady is busy , great one , ” tim replies , only just remembering his manners . they both know shiva doesn’t wholly submit to the league , that she’s not to be controlled , and tim’s learned a general distrust of them from a few places now - probably why he can tell ra’s doesn’t entirely trust him , either . still , one of the league’s compounds is as good a place as any for tim to study independently of his lady - ra’s followers are skilled , and it exposes tim to a myriad of new opponents and styles to test his mettle against .