Chapter Text
Tim awakens lazily. He yawns and stretches his arms above his head. Judging by the light entering the room it’s well into the evening.
Wait a second.
His window was on the other side.
Tim sits up abruptly. He’s not in his room. He turns his head looking around. It's a small room but it’s a dark green color, one he would choose himself. The bed frame is a dark wood, not the sleek black he’s used to but not something far off from his taste either, matching the desk and mirror on the wall above it.
The room is a bit of a mess, but not with Tim’s normal comic books and snacks but with plain paper and writing that looks like it’s written by, yep Tim see’s the ink and feather pen on the desk.
Observing he also sees a large antique camera on the desk as well.
It's like… what his room would look like if he lived during some weird medieval period.
He swings his feet to the side and gets out of the bed. He’s in different clothes as well. Not his blue boxers but an off white nightgown shirt that was, yes very soft, but was almost see through.
He saw a grey robe hanging on the door.
Okay then.
He grabs it and puts it on before gearing himself up and opening the door.
It’s… a house alright. It looks well lived in though. The white wood looks clean, the furniture simple yet homey, somehow feeling familiar.
He walks around cautiously. Scoping out the house he sees there is a large painting that looks like him, Dick, Jason, Damian, and Bruce on the wall. They wore suits and Tim could tell right away they were not in the sleek style of their more modern time.
There was a bathroom, Tim thanks god indoor plumbing has been invented here, as well as a gas stove. Doesn’t seem like electricity is widespread though.
Tim can hear noises of talking, vehicles moving on a road, as well as kids playing out the front door. He peeks out the window to an unpaved road. Across from the street is a quaint sleekly decorated coffee shop reading “Wayne Co”, next to it is another building labeled, “Martha’s Home Bakery”. Both are very busy, and Tim realizes it must be lunch time.
Turning back to the house a note and a newspaper are on the small dining table. In neat handwriting Tim knows as Dick’s he reads, “Hey Tim, didn’t wake you up this morning because I know you had a long night last night.” with a winking face. Tim frowns. What does that mean?
He continues to read, “But come over to the coffee shop after you wake up? I’ll need you to cover me in the evening. Thanks!”
Next to the note is a newspaper. He opens it and looks through. He doesn’t think he’s in his dimension but he does think even if he is in another dimension he has to be in some sort of past. He could also be dreaming but it would be safer to assume dimension travel unless proven otherwise.
The paper says 1890 but that honestly doesn’t tell Tim much since, again, it’s not his timeline, and the content of the paper is bland at best. Just gossip mostly.
He weighs his options and decides the best way to handle this is to go along with it.
He goes back to his room. As he changes he is confronted with the fact that he hasn’t been transported here himself but must have traded consciousnesses with this Tim. He can tell with the lack of scars as well as the lack of toned muscle he works so hard to keep on his, now obviously, thin form. He also notices the hickeys along his neck and shoulder then running along his abdomen and blushes. Trying not to stare at them as if he were invading this Tim’s privacy.
He puts on what he hopes is appropriate clothes, a button up black shirt and dark brown slacks, he grabs a faded grey cap that was a bit puffy for his liking but covered his bedhead and then found his wallet at his bedside and slipped it into his pocket.
He couldn’t help but feel naked still without a cell phone and he couldn’t find the key to the house but sighing in defeat he headed out towards Wayne Co, assuming that was the coffee shop Dick was talking about.
When Tim comes in through the front He’s immediately bombarded with Dick shouting, “You’re finally up! Thank god! Get your apron on already!”
Dick looked… very Dick-like. Again without as much muscle but, to Tim’s chagrin, still looked lean and muscular in a way that someone who did gymnastics regularly did. His hair was long, in a ponytail Tim recognizes his own Dick wore for a short while years ago.
He thinks Dick would have dragged him over the counter if he didn’t have two trays in each hand with five mugs on each.
“Sorry!” Tim says as he sees Damian glaring at him from behind the register counter and Jason motioning for him to follow him with a twitch of his head towards the back.
He heads over.
“Took you long enough brat. I played along with Dick letting you sleep in today but you’re going to work twice as hard to make up for it. Also you’re cleaning and locking up, tonight.” Jason tells him crossing his arms.
Jason is just as Jason-like as ever. His hair is the same and so is his overly muscular stature. Is he really the only one who didn’t work out in this timeline?! He’s a bit tanner than his own Jason though and he looks older as well.
Tim just nods as he puts on an apron, hanging on a wall, he sees his brothers were wearing. It was a black apron, with the simple yet elegant logo “Wayne Co” in white at the chest and large seam-line pockets at the hips and front.
“No biting words today? Someone’s in a good mood.” Jason teases, “After Dick and I went through all that trouble to get you and that dough boy together you could at least throw me a bone.”
Dough boy?
Tim remembers the hickeys and can’t help but fidget embarrassed. Who was this dough boy that this Tim had been set up with?!
Of course he couldn’t ask.
“Oh ho ho!” Jason continues, “That blush!”
“Shut up!” Tim turns away from his brother as he passes by him and meets Damian behind the counter.
Damian is the only one who looks basically exactly the same, “What the hell are you doing? I’ve got the counter, you go make this drink.” He shoves a piece of paper into his hands.
“Ah… okay.” Although Tim knows how to make most of them, having loved coffee his whole life and having worked in a coffee shop for a quick time undercover, he still stumbles and messes up more often than he believes he should.
“God, Tim…” Jason finally says, when Tim accidentally puts in the wrong kind of milk in a drink. Apparently Jason is a coffee brewer as well as the main one that makes bakery items and the snack foods they serve here. Tim regrets to think that he’s the one who’s supposed to know most about the coffee, and apologizes internally to the Tim he’s inhabiting, “Go get lunch with Dick and get your head on straight.”
“T-Thanks.” It’s a late lunch. Tim believes they always take late lunch though because the shop wouldn’t be able to stay open during that time without all four of them working.
“But I want to take lunch with Dick!” He hears Damian complain.
“Sorry, Kid, you’ve got to hold the fort down with Jason.” Said man says as he wraps an arm around Tim and leads him to the back.
Although Dick was running around serving people he still had the grace and easy likeable attitude Dick was known for and that put Tim at ease.
Tim follows Dick’s lead and takes off his apron. Tim silently pats himself on the back for his choice of dress. Dick is almost wearing the same thing.
They walk over to the bakery next door, “Oh it’s the Wayne boys!” A very familiar elderly woman beams at them.
It’s Martha Kent. Tim has no idea why he hadn’t put it together, the bakery was named ‘Martha’s Home Bakery’! Well Tim supposes since it was right next to Wayne Co he actually thought it more likely they owned this store too. Bruce’s mother’s name was also Martha, although he’s not sure if Martha Wayne ever baked.
“Hey Ma’am! Whatcha got on the menu today?” Dick asked.
“A warm potato stew.” She says kindly.
“We’ll take it and two loaves as well, thank you!” Dick hands her the cash as they take their seats.
It really is a nice little bakery. Martha Kent decorates with lots of greenery and flowers as well as warm colors of red and orange. There’s even a calico cat lounging in the sunlight next to the window somehow adding perfectly to the aesthetic.
It seems they are a bakery and not a restaurant but do serve a special lunch each day that goes well with their baked goods.
“So how was last night?” Dick asks conspiratorially as they sit. There’s a piping hot tea kettle placed at their table. Dick fills both of their cups.
“Um…” Tim really doesn’t know what to say. Obviously something happened?! But what and with whom Tim has no idea. He’s embarrassed to think that it has to do with him sleeping with someone from the hickeys and other things.
Dick won’t let him back out, “It was… good?” he sounds like he’s asking more than saying.
This doesn’t deter Dick away, “Tell me about it! Don’t clam up now! I deserve more! I helped you two get together!”
Tim is stuck again and stalls by taking a sip of his tea, “Ah… the tea is good.”
“Tiiiiim!” Dick moans, then his face suddenly perks, his eyes moving from Tim to someone behind him, “Here comes your dough boy now!”
Dough boy. There it was again. The same thing Jason said. Tim guesses it makes sense since this guy works at a bakery.
The bakery Martha owned. The bakery that Clark Kent’s mother owned.
And also-
Wait. This meant the dough boy was-
“Hey Tim! Dick!” He hears before he turns to see that, yes, it was in fact, his very best friend, whom he’s had a crush on for a very very long time, Conner Kent.
Conner… Tim tries to wrap his head around all of this.
He… with Conner?!
Conner here was a bit more burly than his own. It was strange to him that Conner could look more muscular than he already did in his dimension. Tim could see them bulging under his white apron, t-shirt and slacks. He had some stubble in his chin and sides, unlike the way Conner is now in his time clean shaven, he had that stupidly handsome smirk he loved so much, and god he had some flour on his nose.
It was a little like a… fever dream.
Tim felt his brain literally switch off as his mind just swam around in a cloud of embarrassment.
“I think you broke Tim.” Dick commented slyly as Conner set down their soup and bread, “Last night must have been amazing.”
Conner looks at Dick and then at Tim. Color comes to his cheeks as he scratches his cheek, “Ah… um…”
Dick can’t help but look back and forth between them and then takes a spoonful of his soup and continues to watch as if it were an enrapturing television show.
“Hey, Tim.” Conner says again, as he slips his hand into Tim’s that was slack on the counter and then picks it up and kisses Tim’s side of their intertwined hands.
Tim makes a startled strangled noise. He feels like he’s having an out of body experience.
“You two are soooooo cute.” Dick says as he bites his bread.
“Heh, um, thanks.” Conner says as he backs away, “I’ll see you after work?”
Words still fail Tim, actually all function has been short circuited.
“Tim's actually closing the shop today.” Dick says in his stead.
“Oh, I’ll come by and help then.” Conner tells Tim.
Dick swoons at the chivalry making Conner shy again.
“I have to get back to work but it was nice seeing you both. Tim, Dick.” He nods at both of them as he heads back to the kitchen.
Tim feels like he can slowly start to breathe again.
Maybe he really was dreaming?
Dick pinches his cheek hard.
“Eeaow!” Tim shouts finally snapping out of his trance.
Okay not a dream then.
Dick pats his cheek apologetically after, “This is very amusing and all but you can’t zone out your whole lunch break. Eat up, Timbo. Make sure you eat everything.”
Tim rolls his eyes but obediently starts eating. His brain was now racing a mile a minute.
He knows he needs to think about getting back home but… at the same time he’s so flustered about this thing with Conner he can’t seem to think about anything else at the moment.
And if he’s here… then where is that other Tim? What is he doing?!
---
Tim awakens lazily. He yawns and stretches his arms above his head. Judging by the light entering the room it’s well into the evening.
Wait a second.
His window was on the other side.
Tim sits up abruptly. He’s not in his room.