Work Text:
With a grin splitting her lips, the leather-clad woman eyed the mansion before her.
The lights were all off, and they've been that way ever since the couple had left on their vacation. Of course, there was a cleaning crew coming through annually, but that was no issue whatsoever.
With a hum, the woman walks easily up the lawn and to the backdoor. Getting into the property was ridiculously easy, and getting into the house was even easier. She had thought that may mean there was nothing extremely valuable inside, but she doubted it.
The door's lock gives way with a soft 'click', and even though she's alone in the house, she makes sure to stay as quiet as possible. There was no use in making excess noise, especially in case they had some extra security that she somehow didn't know about.
She doubts it.
The thief takes her time looking through the bottom floor, picking up small trinkets that hold immense value as she goes. Eventually she goes up to the second floor where she repeats the process of looking through every room, thoroughly combing said areas for valuables.
Eventually she comes to a door that looks just like all the others, but when she opens it her jaw drops.
There, curled in a ball and watching her, is a kid who could be no older than four. He doesn't seem surprised to see her, if anything there's a look of curiosity.
"You're Catwoman." He breathes, excitement tinged in his tone, and the woman hums. "The one and only. Tell me Kitten, is there anyone home with you?" She asks, surprised by this turn of events. There hadn't been a sign of someone living here downstairs at all. No dishes, no messed up couches or disorderly bookshelves. It had been immaculate.
And that worried her.
The boy before her, though, just tilts his head to the side, a curious expression on his face. "Why would anyone else be here?" He asks innocently, and her eyes narrow at this information. "Really now? No one is ever home with you?" The woman asks, stepping further into the nest and tidy room to approach him, but he just shrugged.
With a sigh, she contemplates on what to do with this information. Here's a little boy that's cute as a button staring at her just like her cats, curiosity gleaming in his eyes, but just below the surface there's a desperate cry for attention.
She's tempted to just leave. Take all her goodies and book it. It would be safer, but she knew it wasn't an option. She could not, in good conscious, leave this child alone in this dark and empty manor.
Suddenly an idea pops into her head, and while it's just a bit crazy, Selina Kyle has never been one for normalcy.
"What's your name?" She finally asks, treading further into the room until she's seated on the-no doubt expensive-chair he has beside his bed. "My name is Timothy Drake." The boy-Timothy- says, and it sounds just a bit too robotic for her tastes. "I think I prefer Kitten." She tells him, a smirk playing across her lips as she watches a blush form across his cheeks.
"Have you been staying here alone?" She asks, and at his nod she resists the urge to snarl, if only to not scare the boy. "Mother and Father are almost always away on business, and since this year I turned six it was decided that I am old enough to take care of myself." He says, that robotic tone filling his voice again, as if this was a practiced speech, and her frown deepens at the thought.
Six? She had thought he was four! But looking at him now, all thin limbed and probably starving, she knows that now she could never leave him alone. Especially with the adoration now shining in his eyes as he looks at her, as if she's giving him the world by simply sitting there.
Just by talking to him.
It was that little fact that helped her make up her mind once and for all.
Tonight she was going to steal something far more precious than jewelry.
Selina had always wanted a sidekick, anyway.
.
.
.
.
.
.
With a frown, the black-clad teenager plops down onto the roof of the tower he had decided to perch upon. But it wasn't the height or the view that bothered him. No, the thought of what he had to do in this city was far more troublesome.
"When the Bat's away, the cats save the day." He hums, swinging his legs back and forth casually as he pulls up his self-made holographic wrist computer. Having access to such technology when he was first starting out had been a far off dream, but after he had seen the schematics of such things he found that the concepts of building computers came easily to him. Selina had been so impressed with him that she had bought all the parts he needed to put together the devices for both he and her. Tim had quickly-and unsurprisingly- become the tech expert, building various gadgets and machines for them to use in various situation. It was both fun and useful, especially at times like this.
"Where are you going?" He mumbles to himself, eyes narrowing as the red dot suddenly began moving towards the edge of the city. With a shrug, he stands up and replaces his black goggles over his eyes before beginning his decent down into the city, following the tracker with ease.
After ten minutes of pursuit, he finally rolls to a stop atop a run down building, peeking over the edge to catch a glimpse of the man he's been tailing. Said man is standing outside of the truck now, taking a wad of cash from another man and stuffing it into his pocket before gesturing to the trailer.
Tim's eyes narrow as he watches the stranger wave off the man's offer of looking inside before the trailer quickly gets hooked up to the stranger's truck. Thinking fast, Tim throws a tiny tracker onto the roof of the trailer before the second man takes off, but he makes to move to follow.
No, once the unfamiliar man is gone, Tim silently climbs down from the roof and approaches the truck while the first man is on the phone. "Yeah, I delivered the goods. I'll be back for the next shipment in a few hours. Bye." The words ring with a satisfied edge, one that Tim knows he's going to have to beat out of him.
But for now the teen only sits on top of the cab of the truck, legs hanging down to block the door as he gives a pretty smile for the man. "Hello there. Now, I'm sure you know why I'm here, so let's just speed things along, okay?" Tim practically purrs, and the man seems to be in complete shock at this turn of events, but to his credit he quickly regains his composure. "You're Catwoman's brat, yeah? I see what you're doing, but we can't have no kids havin fun with the merchandise before it's been sold, Kay?" The man says, a knowing tone to his voice, and that makes Tim even angrier.
"No, no, you seem to be mistaken about something. You see, I want information. Where you operate, your workers, your clients. I'm a busy kitty, though, so let's make this quick, hmm?" Tim says, tone still light, but there's a dangerous undertone that this man doesn't seem to notice as he sneers. "Yeah right. Who do you think you are, a bat? You're just some snot nosed brat." The man snaps, and at those words Tim's calm exterior gives way to his anger as he slides off the truck, bo staff exposed to its full length.
"I think I am someone who's been very well trained by Catwoman and her friends in all the best ways." Tim snaps, and in seconds he has the man pinned to the ground, arms twisted at unbelievably painful angles. "Or at least all the ways that matter."
.
"This has been an exhilarating experience, and even though we've been having fun, I'm afraid I have to take my leave now." The teen says, a bright smile on his face as he pats the man's cheek before climbing off.
The man quickly curls himself into a shaky ball-immobile limbs and all- but Tim feels no guilt about it. No, if anything he feels like he's done the world a service.
With a hum, the boy sends a tip to the police before activating his wrist computer to begin tracking the trailer. When he sees that it's already halfway across town he growls in annoyance. That man had wasted too much of his time.
He throws a glare over his shoulder at the ball curled up on the ground before taking off.
Moving through towns like this comes second nature to him, so it's not like it's too hard to catch up to the truck, just a bit exasperating.
This time when he peeks over the edge of the roof there's a group of men gathered around the back of the trailer. The one who drove said trailer here came around the side with a grin, and cheers rose from the gathered crowd. Quickly grabbing the key and unlocking the trailer, the man lifts up the back to reveal a sight that makes Tim's blood boil.
Refusing to spend anymore time watching, Tim launches himself into the fray, taking down a man with his staff as he lands.
"What the- who's the kid!? Get him!" Someone yells, and that seems to spur them all into action as they quickly pounce. Even with though they outnumbered him- there were about ten- they still had no chance against the extremely well trained body before them.
It only took about a minute before they were all laying on the floor unconscious, and when someone moved too much they got a harsh and ruthless smack to the head. Nodding to himself, Tim finally turns his attention to the wide-eyed and frightened cargo.
Sighing, he puts his staff away and holds his hands up in a disarming manner. "It's okay. Batman sent me to come and save you." He tells them calmly, making sure his posture is relaxed and non-threatening as he takes slow steps towards the trailer. A few of them relax slightly at his words, but most stay on high alert.
He slowly climbs up into the trailer before walking to the one that seems to be the calmest. Reaching up, he tugs the gag out of her mouth before continuing on to her bound hands. All of the others watch with watery eyes as the girl flies out of the enclosed space, and suddenly sound erupts from the girls. Blinking, Tim turns to see a girl standing there in a Wonder Woman t-shirt. It takes a second before he recognizes her as Wonder Girl from the Teen Titans.
"Finally come to help?" He asks, already moving on to the girl patiently waiting for her cuffs to be picked. The lock takes mere seconds to undo and then the girl is off and out. "I came as soon as I heard about what was going on." Wonder Girl says, reaching up and snapping the cuffs of another.
"Right." He says blankly as he finishes another set of cuffs, and he turns to see that the rest of the girls are outside now. Tim only sighs and pulls up his wrist computer, having already sent the location to the cops.
"Who are you?" The wonder girl asks finally after watching Tim work for a bit, and he can't help but grin as he dips into a bow. "Stray, thief extraordinaire of Gotham at your service." He tells her happily before pausing. "Though, until Batman gets back I'm acting more as a Robin-stand-in." Tim tells her, and her look of confusion and distrust is expected, though there's a certain gleam of respect there as well.
"So you're stopping crime while Batman's in space." She states after a moment, and he only rolls his eyes. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm doing. And I'm about to go save more, if you'd care to join me?" He asks, a sarcastic edge to his voice, and she frowns.
"You know their locations?" She asks, choosing to ignore the jab and instead flying to keep up with him as he grapples to the next roof, police sirens already getting louder. "Of course I do. I do pride myself in my intelligence gathering." The boy known as Stray tells her, a grin on his lips as he pulls up his wrist computer once again.
.
.
.
"So we're teaming up with a thief? Sweet!" Kid Flash says excitedly, but it seems no one else shares his enthusiasm. "Really, Cassie?" Superboy asks, a frown on his face as he looks at Tim. "At the moment I am a vigilante, actually. You can start calling me a thief once Batman's back on earth." Tim tells them smoothly, and they just kind of shrug at each other before turning back to him.
"Alright, so you have the locations of the others?" Kiran asks finally, and Tim hums as he continues typing things in to his computer. "Yes, I do. That idiot gave me everything and I barely broke bones." Stray tells them, and their gazes turn concerned, but he continues before they can say anything. "Anyway, I'm taking Supes with me, the rest of you guys can decide how you want to split up." He says, and it's Superboy that speaks up.
"Uh, yeah. First off, who made you team leader? Second, why split up? We don't have their locations, and if we're away from you it doesn't help much." The clone asks, and Tim blinks at that. He had gotten used to being he and Selina's strategist, and he usually filled the role when he teamed up with one of the bats. 'I suppose it's just second nature.' He tells himself, before giving a shrug.
"You got any better plans? Secondly, I have mini computers that'll lead you to them. Just go towards the dots." Tim sighs, handing three of the small devices, and they just nod in return.
"Alright, we have no time to lose. Superboy, our target's outside the city." The leather-clad boy says, and before anyone-besides Bart- can react he jumps up onto the clone's back.
"Wh-what are you-!?" Kon starts to ask, but Tim just cuts him off. "I'm not walking there. Now yip-yip!" He yells, kicking a leg into Kon's side, and the superboy only sighs before taking off into the sky.
.
.
.
"He's coming with me back to Gotham. Catwoman still has a few questions for him." Tim tells Bart and Superboy as they sit there on the building's roof. "I do not want to be in that guy's shoes. That woman can be scary." Kon says, and Tim can't help his laughter as he swings his legs back and forth, looking down into the alleyway to see the rest of the Titans playing a card game next to the unconscious man's body.
"She can be terrifying, but in the best way." The thief says happily, and at the other boys' confused faces, his smile just grows. He enjoys talking to these two. It's like finding best friends you never knew you had.
Suddenly there's a beeping sound and Tim brings up his wrist computer to answer the call. "Ni-Ni. How's it going?" The thief-turned-temporary-vigilante purrs, and he can almost hear the grin the man's probably sporting as he replies. "Perfectly, as always. I'm almost over your position, so get ready. Nightwing out." The hero says before cutting the call, and Tim just huffs and lowers his wrist.
Getting to his feet, he dramatically brushes off non-existent dust before turn to the two beside him. "That would be my cue. Hey, can someone fly the guy up to the helicopter for me? Pretty please?" Tim asks, staring straight at Kon with a pout. Said boy only rolls his eyes before dropping down from the roof and appearing a few moments later with the man slung over his shoulder.
Just then the sound of the jet reaches the temporary vigilante's ears, and he's not sure whether he feels relieved or sad. The boy of steel, unprompted, flies up to meet it once it begins to hover over their positions.
"I suppose that would be my cue." Tim says lightly, eying the ladder that dropped down beside him. "''Twas a pleasure to work with you. Perhaps we'll do it again sometime?" He asks, a grin on his face and a hand on the ladder as Kon lands once again.
"Of course, dude! You're awesome! Plus, you made everything way easier, which is a big brownie point for you." Kid Flash says excitedly, and Tim only grins wider at the praise. "I do try. Though, we should only hang out when I'm in the middle of being a vigilante, cause I don't feel like being arrested any time soon." The boy known as Stray tells them lightly, and Kon only narrows his eyes for a second before a smile comes to his lips. "Yeah, sure. And I would say next time we'll visit your city, but it's Gotham. Not even Superman is allowed in Gotham." The boy of steel says, shrugging, and Tim just grins.
"That's why you don't become a hero. He kicks all the non-bat-clan heroes out. It's the villains that get to stay." Tim tells them, whispering as if the whole thing is a conspiracy, before giving a soft tug on the ladder. "Anywho, I'll be going now. Ta-ta!" He calls, gleefully allowing the ladder to pull him up into the jet.
Once the bottom is closed he releases his hold on the rope, watching as it curls back up into the ceiling before walking towards the front of the jet.
"Make any new friends?" Nightwing asks, a grin on his lips as Tim hums, plopping down into the co-pilot seat.
"Of course I did. Who do you think I am, Batman?"
.
.
.
.
-Extra-
.
.
Tim blinks at the man doing a handstand before him in curiosity.
"If they start kissing I'm gonna barf." Nightwing says lightly, glancing meaningfully over at Catwoman and Batman, and Tim can't help his laugh at that statement. "It's not that bad." The boy says, and the man before him just makes a disgusted face in return.
A few moments pass before Tim finally asks the question that's been gnawing at him. "How flexible are you?" He blurts all of a sudden, and Dick freezes, but even with the domino on Tim can tell he's surprised. "Why?" The man asks slowly, and Tim shrugs before going down into a split. "Catwoman says I need to be as flexible as you, so I wanna know how flexible that is." He says, and a grin breaks across the hero's face as he goes down from his handstand and into a split to match Tim's.
"Well, I don't know. Why don't I just do some things and see if you can copy them." The former acrobat says, and at Tim's nod he moves into a full straddle, which is easily replicated.
This soon turns into amazing displays of flexibility for both sides, with Dick even teaching the younger boy new stretches and moves. "This one stretches your stomach, watch watch!" The man had said excitedly before moving into a disgusting bend that only made Tim's eyes gleam in excitement. "I wanna try!" The boy cries, and Dick comes up out of it with a grin before walking over to coach the boy into position.
At some point Batman and Catwoman had stopped talking and instead turned to watch the show, sometimes wincing at how painful some of the positions looked, but if the laughter they hear is anything to go by, it was the exact opposite.
The two boys grinned excitedly at all the gymnastics they were performing, and plans were quickly made to meet up and practice again, though this only had Batman mentally groaning.
These two were going to break themselves.