Chapter Text
Tim didn't want his day to end with him passed out on the floor, but the universe had never been kind to him.
The patrol that day had been difficult; Batman and Robin were in a warehouse where a rumor had surfaced that scientists were conducting experiments on animals.
And, apparently, their greatest successes were with spiders.
Tim didn't like putting himself in danger, and he liked it even less when it involved spiders.
Unfortunately, his camera couldn't focus on the height of the roof where he was; either he went home and finished the night, or he went down and hid near the window.
He always chose the worst option.
So, at the moment, he was in the corner of the window watching the fight unfold. He couldn't hear much from there, but Tim strained enough to see everything.
Batman was trying (and failing) to talk to the villain; he didn't look too happy, so Tim figured that trying something more peaceful wouldn't work.
The scientist, whom Tim affectionately nicknamed Ed (he does look like Ed, okay?), was taking something out of his pocket. From Tim's angle, he couldn't see much, since Robin was partially blocking his view with his cape.
Robin takes a few steps back, protected by Batman who moves slightly away from Mr. Ed.
After 2 minutes of muffled noises, Tim is confused to see the pair grab the scientist and quickly leave the scene. He tries to wait a few seconds before moving without Batman noticing his presence, but he isn't fast enough to escape the explosion.
At least he discovered that Mr. Ed was holding a detonator.
He blacks out for what seems to be only a few moments. His vision was blurry, but he managed to lift his head enough to stabilize it.
'At least I don't have a concussion.' Some of the tension in his body dissipated.
That didn't last long, as panic returned instantly when he spotted a spider on his hand.
He didn't even manage to scream before being bitten.
The spider was really strange.
It was blue with something resembling yellow lightning bolts and red dots. It wasn't small, but there were certainly larger spiders than that one.
His luck in Gotham had definitely run out.
Maybe this was worse than a concussion.
Tim returned home a few minutes later (with many little panic attacks along the way). When he arrived, he went to his room with long strides. He didn't even bother with his clothes before collapsing onto the bed.
And he slept.
For two days.
He didn't even know he was capable of sleeping for two whole days; his maximum was always 6 hours of sleep, having to wake up at 7 to go to school and sleeping at 2 AM (unless he decided to stay a little longer on patrol). Something was definitely wrong. He didn't remember his feet almost reaching the edge of the bed. Much less his arms, on which he was sleeping, being so much like pillows.
Are those muscles?
Tim jumps out of bed, searching for the nearest mirror; it seemed like he had jumped three years ahead of his age. He's sure he'd cut his hair two days before that patrol. How was he already so big?
Tim picks up his phone to check the date again, letting out a sigh of frustration when he sees that only two days had passed. He tries to put his phone back on his bedside table.
That's right, tries.
His hand got stuck on the phone.
"What the hell is this?" He's startled, desperately trying to somehow get the phone out of his hand, but it seems like several layers of industrial glue had been applied; it wouldn't budge.
"Okay, Tim. Calm down." He takes a deep breath, trying to think of something to relax his body. Unicorns (they don't exist). Candy (he didn't like sweets that much; his parents wouldn't let him eat them). Ice cream (it didn't seem so bad, maybe he should buy a popsicle before going out on patrol).
His thoughts are abruptly interrupted by the sound of something falling to the ground.
His cell phone.
Tim looks at the device with interest.
Maybe he wasn't so unlucky after all.
Okay, he discovered that he had actually undergone a mutation in his DNA, which had mixed with the DNA of the radioactive spider that had bitten him the day at the warehouse. He also discovered that he had gained "arachnid" powers such as:
1. Sticking to any surface (even through his clothes. That was really cool)
2. Heightened senses, which he affectionately named his spider-sense. He recognized any approaching danger near him. It was really useful in Gotham.
3. Acute hearing. It wasn't anything like Superman's, but his hearing had been greatly enhanced; he could hear any sound throughout the house.
4. Fourth and the coolest. There were webs coming out of his wrists. WEBS. Webs that could pull and hold anything he wanted. They also served as a great bed.
The problem was that Batman didn't like metahumans, and everyone in Gotham knew it.
Gotham wasn't exactly known as a city with metahumans. The only known metahuman inhabitants were villains, so people had a pretty obvious view of them.
But that was okay, because Tim wouldn't use his powers. He wouldn't become a hero, much less a villain, right?
Wrong.
In a way, not entirely wrong.
A few weeks later, Robin disappeared completely. Everyone assumed the second Boy Wonder had died.
And Batman's actions only confirmed this.
He no longer had his usual confident glow, his presence often causing fear even among the citizens.
Batman had become a walking punching machine, and Tim wouldn't let him cause any deaths.
For a week, Tim's routine consisted of following Batman and calling an ambulance for every nearly disfigured face, broken limbs, and head slammed too hard into the ground.
The following week, he knocked on Dick Grayson's door, the first Robin, asking him to return to Gotham and calm Batman's nerves.
Obviously, he wasn't met with much understanding or compassion.
In the end, Tim Drake had become the third Robin, part of the famous dynamic duo.
He kept his powers locked away in the back of his mind; his priority was to bring the bat back to the surface and prevent him from drowning in darkness.
Until that idiot Miguel O'Hara showed up.
That day, he had just arrived home after a tiring day of patrol.
Before he even reached his room, he was stopped by a strangely bright orange portal in the middle of the hallway.
And out of it came a very tall man, wearing a blue mask and suit.
Was that a spider in the middle of his chest?
After that day, he discovered what the Spider-Verse was, that there were other people with the same powers he had, and that the same events happened to all of them.
After many conversations, he discovered that besides being the only Tim Drake in the Spider-Multiverse, he was also the only one who hadn't become Spider-Man, and that this was very unusual.
Perhaps this hadn't happened precisely because he was Robin.
"Batman's fault," he once told Miguel, who only let out a laugh, disguised as a grumble.
Now, in addition to patrolling as Robin, he also acted as Spider-Man in several different universes, capturing anomalies and taking them to the base to find their respective Earths.
All this happened after the activation of the collider on Earth-1610. Some Spider-Men were present, four of whom had already been called to join the team.
His group was one of the most active in the fight between the multiverses. He quickly developed a fondness for Pavitr and Hobie, always going on missions or even just hanging out at each other's houses.
In Gotham, he didn't have many friends. He had Ives, Bernard, and the Teen Titans members he talked to most, plus Stephanie. Which was quite a lot, since he didn't leave the house much.
After a few more months, his parents died and Jason Todd returned from the dead, deciding that beating up Tim would be a great option.
He fought as hard as he could without using his powers; unfortunately, Red Hood was older, taller, and stronger than him.
‘Thanks, accelerated healing.’
The days flew by. Weeks. Months.
Jason had been welcomed, and there were new people in the family. Cassandra and Damian.
Cassandra had come from the League of Assassins; she was a wonderful person and had become one of Tim's favorites. She wasn't intrusive, she cared about people, she was understanding, and she loved each and every one of them.
Then there was Damian.
There wasn't much to say, just that he was a 9-year-old kid who thought he was better than everyone else because he was the blood son and head of the demon.
Besides the various assassination attempts Tim suffered every two days and the constant complaints that he would be a better Robin than Tim, he had more things to worry about.
Like Bruce's death.
Actually, Bruce wasn't dead; he was just lost in time.
After much plotting, Tim gathered all the evidence he had that Bruce was alive and sent it to the Justice League. After much searching, Bruce was back at the mansion. Damian had stopped his assassination attempts, and Jason was more friendly. Everything was perfectly fine.
Until Miles Morales decided to annoy a petty villain of the moment.