Tim Drake

“Of course,” Tim said when he noticed her walking into his room. He didn’t know she was coming for a visit today at the manor, but he was always happy to see her and luckily he wasn’t actually busy right now. He’d just been ordered to take a nap from Alfred, which he was ignoring in favour of scrolling through his twitter feed. Setting down his phone, he got up and walked up to meet her. “Is everything okay?” Clearly it wasn’t, “What’s wrong?”

Feeling someone shake him, he was ripped from the horrible dream he’d been having. It felt so real like she had really been in his arms. Dying... and there was nothing in the world he could do to help her. His lip quivered and he reached up to take off he mask he’d fallen asleep wearing. Taking a moment to figure out the reality around him. He must have passed out at the Bat Computer when he was looking into a way to take down Roman again but he wasn’t expecting Lucius to wake him up. Looking up at him with teary eyes. He bit the inside of his cheek. Trying to remember how to fake being strong again. “Hi, Mr. Fox...” He cleared his throat. “What are you doing here?” He asked, forgetting that he was supposed to come in and do a couple of repairs on the Batmobile today. 

“Really?” Tim questioned, “Because at this point. I think you’ve become one with the couch.” After hearing that Dick’s friend was back from the dead. He figured it dredged up some uncomfortable memories for him and decided to come check in on him. He wasn’t really all that good at cooking but he could at least hang out with Dick until he knew for certain that he was okay. Tim took a seat on the floor in front of the couch and leaned his head back to look at his brother. “I’m going to order pizza, what would you like for toppings?”

 “Is that what you think I am? Just a fish?” Jarro yelled back, not taking his eyes off the newest intruder. First the baby and now this? Were they trying to run him out? “am I not cute Tim? Am I not adorable? Do I know bring joy and laughter through comedy gold? Am I not enough for this family?” he asked dramatically laying himself across his brother, not caring at all about the game. “Why hast thou forsaken me timothy? After everything we’ve been through…” he said and grabbed tim’s remote, prepared to throw it at the fish tank. “there’s only room for ONE cute aquatic animal! Me! I’m the cute aquatic animal Tim!”

“No, of course not. You’re much louder than just a fish.” He mumbled that last part, shutting the laptop and setting it off to the side. Deciding to finish his game later and instead address the fish-situation a little more properly. Once he did, Jarro has thrown himself across from him, forcing him to pay attention to him a little more. Sighing, ha patted the top of his head. When Jarro picked up the remote for the X-Box, Tim didn’t bother explaining to him that he wasn’t using it for the game. Instead he lifted his hand defensively. “Whoa! Whoa, what are you doing? That’s Damian’s. He’ll kill us both.” He said, not one once of a joke in his tone. “You are the one cute aquatic animal in this family. I’m sorry. Just put it down. We can uh- we can take the fish out of the house and release it in a pond or something. Would that make you feel better?”

“Well you don’t have to sound so relieved about it.” she teased reaching for the fries and shoving a handful in her mouth. “Yeah?” she said mouth full. “Well it’s about time…took you long enough.” she scoffed. Cassie knew Tim loved Steph just like she loved Conner. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Some people were just so entwined it was difficult to untangle. She guessed that meant the gods thought they were meant for each other. “I think you’re in your head too much.” she shrugged. Tim over thunk. While that was great for missions and detective work, it wasn’t really a good skill for love and romance. “I think you should just follow your heart for once.”

His face tinted red from embarrassment the moment she said that he didn’t have to sound so relieved about it. Things were just so complicated between them. Between all four of them, really. He had feelings for Cassie at one point, and Conner. They’d live in his heart forever but Steph had always been his first love. He was scared that she might leave him again the moment he took her back but staying away from her was so hard. “Yeah, I know I am. I don’t think I can really help that, Cass.” He sighed. “Hey, uh... how are you and Conner?” He asked, curious about how they were. It had been weeks now since his best friend came back from the dead and they still hadn’t told him yet about what happened between them. It wasn’t exactly his intension. He wanted them to be able to tell Kon together, and then he’d gotten injured and nearly died. Taking time to recover back home, they didn’t have a chance to be together again. All three of them.

Honestly, after their first meeting he thought that he had scared young Tim off for the hills but Charles should know better. Tim definitely is a rare breed of youth within his chest cavity, his beating heart is that of a hawkshaw meaning he wasn’t to surprise when Tim had found him the next time round. He had started to grow a soft spot for the red robin, now with the handle of Onslaught and his telepathy no longer was that of an issue, placing all his blocks up in his mind to not swim. “Credit to those cheesy quotes on ice tea caps,” Charles chuckled, fading out in sincerity. It was oddly fitting for whatever brought Tim to his office, sensing it had to do with the young man’s adoptive father, a man in which Charles has yet to meet. Bright blue hues dropped from Tim’s face, down to the chess board in front of him, rare it was to have a youth want to actual play chess but it was clear from reading over the robin not phased on the outcome. Leaning his back into his chair, using the small slithers of telekinesis he possesses to move the metal tipped piece of dark stained oak bodied pawn into place, flicking his irises back to lock onto Tim, signalling his turn whilst it soften, pinching of brows in sympathy and just listened to him open up. “Is it possible your expectations of Bruce, might have been to high for anyone to be able to live up to?” He asked, curious if that is the reason for shroud of disappointment around this Bruce Wayne as he’s created something that no one morally could ever live up to, certainly not him it seemed. One should never meet their heroes came to the forefront of Charles’ mind. 

“You’re speaking to someone who has literally had strangers write up this false representation of me in the form of comic books, Tim. Not that I’m disregarding the mistakes he’s made but I understand what it is to try to live up to the pedestal the world has placed you on.” He saw both sides, he’s been more often place on the same side as Bruce whilst he’s been on Tim’s side watching from the expectation and falling for the heights when it went south. “We’re all insufferable to human flaws even us homo sapiens superiors. But you know that, you probably don’t want to hear it either?” He shifted, his elbow on the slick armrest. Tim’s a bright young man, no doubt in Charles’ mind he’s aware of it all when it glinted possibly just wants a sounding-board. 

.

Tim smiled at Charle’s words. “You read those?” He asked with a chuckle, he did too. But mostly because he used to get those kinds of drinks while he was on patrol with Steph. Spending rare, quiet Gotham nights together perched in costume. Reading their ‘fortunes’ to one another and laughing about what they could possibly mean related back onto their messed up lives. He watched in amusement as the piece seemed to move on it’s own into place. A cool party trick for someone so powerful. He toyed in his mind with the concept of being that powerful. Being able to move things with his mind but he wasn’t so special. Just an ordinary genius kid who worked out who Batman was and confronted him until he became Robin. Being Robin had been a difficult journey that hardened him into the person he was today. Much stronger in a lot of ways and yet... more traumatized than he would have been if he’d never talked Bruce into taking him as the third bird. His question made him smile, “They were.” He admitted finally. It wasn’t something he’d hide. “I idolized him. People around my school used to talk about Batman like he was this legend. A shadowy figure in the night. Some people even thought he wasn’t real, but I knew he was. I knew what he stood for. That’s why I wanted to be Robin. I wanted to stand for justice too. I should have taken his humanity into account but I didn’t and that was unfair of me. But he’d outted me as Robin to my girlfriend, then he let her replace me and it was like everything I knew and thought was stable shook beneath me. Especially when she died in that costume. Still, I shouldn’t have blamed him so much.”

He reached for his own pawn and moved it after considering his strategy for a moment. “It’s fine. I can hear it. I’m not really mad at him anymore. If I was, if I blamed him for anything still... I guess I wouldn’t live with him.” 

Roy took a moment looking at tim. He didn’t spend much time with the other robins, aside from Dick and Jason of course. “fuck it why not.” he shrugged. His blood was pumping and he could use the outlet. “You’re one to talk. Aren’t you the one that like lives off caffeine and power naps?”

“And yet, you’re the one who looks like you’re on your fifth coffee today. Not me.” Tim joked. He wasn’t about to deny how he tended to spend his hours but he also had to wonder if he was getting a bit of a reputation. He recalled easily that Bruce had similar habits to him. Over-working, staying up long past bed time but no one dared to speak up against the bat’s bad habits. He smiled at him, “Great! Let’s see if you can keep up, Arsenal.” He replied, before quickly jumping up, grabbing a hold of the fire escape and swinging himself over the railing. 

❤ for a non-specific kiss @timmy-drake​

         Steph found herself hovering over Tim, both his arms pinned over his head by his wrists. She had him right where she wanted him. “I win. Give up.” She demanded, lowering her face closer to his as she shifted her body, moving her knees to pin his hips to the ground with just enough pressure not to hurt him but to keep him secure. “You’re stuck.” Steph whispered, a smile spreading wide across her lips. In an instant her smile had faded, eyes searching his. “I love you.” She whispered, leaning down and kissing him. 

He didn’t bother trying to break her hold on him, perfectly comfortable beneath her. “I guess I am. You got me.” Tim replied, a grin on his face matching hers. He wasn’t sure what had gotten her in such a playful mood but he wasn’t against it either. For once, he wasn’t in the middle of something. Just spending the night alone with her. Letting her pin him down and watching as her smile faded. Suddenly a bit more serious. Reaching up, he pushed a couple of locks of her hair behind her ear. Holding her cheek with his hand. She said she loved him and his heart pounded. “I love you too, Steph.” Eagerly kissing her back the moment her lips touched his. 

“I suppose you’re right about that.” It had been a while since Charles and him spoke. The man was incredibly interesting and one of the few that could rival Tim in a game of chess. Something they were doing now. Charles could read his mind at any time but he doubted he was the cheating type and this wasn’t a game he took incredibly seriously anyways. “I used to think really highly of him.” He said, talking about Bruce. “Back when I first met Batman. I mean, of course I did. I was star struck. Any Gothamite would be. But the longer I got to know him, the more I realized he’s just a human who makes mistakes.” 

“Oh good, because I was kinda thinking about asking Steph out.” Tim finally said, pushing his fries towards her for her to have. He wasn’t really all that hungry. His mind was on Steph. Curious if she’d even say yes to that. After he’d told her he wasn’t ready. At the time that was true. Even years after her death, he’d stayed mourning her and when she first came back. He was so afraid that he’d lose her again that he couldn’t jinx it. He felt himself sigh. “Not that she’d say yes. I think I messed it up again. Like I always do.” 

“I know the feeling.” Tim replied after listening to what Steph had to say. Taking a seat next to her. It was terrifying. He knew how close they could get from the last time they dated. Just how much they mattered to one another and it held so much potential for pain. Something that Tim knew way too well. How much it stung to lose her. It was like losing a part of him. Every intrusive memory of her used to feel like phantom pain. “Steph... I-” Why was this so hard to say? He’d said it not too long ago but every time he want to say it again. It was like it was choking him. “I love you.” He said, finally turning to look at her. “I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t know what’s worse. The risk of losing one another or staying apart. I should have just--” He cut himself off and looked down at his hands. 

Tim let out a soft, flustered laugh before shaking his head. “Not with a marker, though right?” He joked, “Because I’m not sure I want to spend the night scrubbing that off and I don’t think I trust that you won’t draw something inappropriate on me.” He wanted things to be normal between them. He trusted Kon with his life and with his secrets. But there was one he was holding back. He wanted to tell him with Cassie but it was killing him. He felt bad every time it came to mind. Like an ugly, intrusive thought. He deserved to know. The smile dropped from his face, despite wanting to keep his time with Conner light hearted. 

“Would you believe me if I told you neither?” Tim asked. He knew Roy was a close friend of both the Robins before him and he figured he might as well get to know him a little better himself. “I just wanted to know if you wanted to join me on patrol. You know, since we’re both out already and all.” It was a friendly offer. As if he was extending his hand to a possibly friendship. Tim leaped down from his perch and landed gracefully on the street with the other man. “Unless you’re busy of course. You look kinda tired...” That was coming from him.