Work Text:
Conner first noticed when he couldn’t find his favorite sweatshirt. He’d sworn he’d cleaned it, and he’d worn it just the other day. It was missing now, and he couldn’t for the life of him figured out where it disappeared.
None of his friends had seen said sweatshirt, and he thought maybe he’d lost it for good until he visited Tim’s apartment. The moment he answered the door, it was hard to miss the too-big sweatshirt he was swaddled in.
“Dude, I’ve been looking for that all day!” Tim let him in, not even bothering to take it off.
“You left it here during our last movie night,” he said. “I was gonna give it back, but it’s comfortable and a lot warmer than all of mine.”
Admittedly, Tim looked funny with the sleeves rolled up, so Conner couldn’t be too mad.
After that, it was like everyone’s sweaters went missing all the time. Tim became a regular clothes thief, and it didn’t take long for his friends to notice. He wasn’t exactly hiding it, either.
Cassie found Tim in one of her hoodies when they’d all met up for milkshakes. What upset her wasn’t even the fact that he stole it. It was the fact that it looked better on him.
Of course, she wasn’t actually mad, especially since she stole one of his in return. When Tim spotted Cassie in one of his own sweaters, he simply gave her a thumbs up and told her she looked good in it.
When Tim and Bart headed to the skate park together, Bart noticed him wearing one of his shirts he thought he’d lost forever ago. That explained where it went. At least now he knew it didn’t just disappear into thin air like he’d resigned himself to believe.
Even Tim’s brothers weren’t safe. Half the time, Dick couldn’t find his shirts that he swore he’d washed already. Cass lost a few of her sweaters, but she found them in Tim’s room and decided it wasn’t a big deal.
It was becoming common knowledge that Tim stole everyone’s clothes quite frequently. Bruce barely even noticed until he found a pile of Conner’s Superboy shirts when he was searching for Tim.
When Bruce did find his son, he was asleep in the library, his textbook wide open from his last-minute studying. And he was unmistakably wearing one of Bruce’s old Gotham Knights sweaters. He personally hadn’t worn it in so long, and it was nice seeing it get some use, even if it was definitely too big for the boy.
Bruce couldn’t help taking a moment to savor this memory before he closed Tim’s book and scooped him into his arms. Tim might not be a little kid anymore, but Bruce sure didn’t mind carrying him to bed this once.
As he set Tim down and tucked him in, he allowed a soft smile as he heard his son snore softly. “Goodnight, kiddo.” He made sure he was comfortable and turned the light off.