Chapter Text
Jason trudged slowly through the halls of the manor. He got familiarized with the place quickly after Bruce picked him up. Jason was, of course, hesitant to accept the man's help. So what if he’s Batman? Bad people pretend to be good all the time, except for the fact that Bruce hadn’t done anything wrong… yet.
Jason's mind was in turmoil. The sudden change in his circumstances was surreal, and he struggled to accept it. He had gone from being a street rat, constantly fighting for survival, to living under the same roof as the freaking Batman. It all seemed too good to be true.
As he thought about his situation, anger and resentment bubbled inside him. It wasn't fair that the rich lived in luxury while the poor struggled to make ends meet. Jason couldn't understand why Bruce, a man with everything, would bother with someone like him.
How long would it take before Bruce got bored of him? How long until he expected Jason to do more…?
He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. Bruce wouldn’t do that. He promised, and plus, he was Batman.
Jason looked up and found himself in the kitchen. The window faced the massive backyard and the wooded area behind it. He decided to go out for a stroll and clear his thoughts.
As Jason walked, he felt a sense of peace wash over him. The sounds of chirping birds and the occasional croak of a frog provided a soothing soundtrack to his thoughts. He had been walking for about twenty minutes when he spotted a young boy ahead. The kid couldn't have been more than seven or nine years old and was wholly absorbed in studying the ground with a magnifying glass.
Jason eyed the kid critically before approaching him slowly. The child didn’t flinch, indicating he didn’t notice Jason’s presence.
Jason cleared his throat and gave the kid the meanest glare he could muster, “This is private property.” He emphasized his words by pointing his thumb at the nearby [NO TRESSPASSING] sign. The kid looked up with wide eyes and flushed bright red.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t notice I crossed the line! I won’t do it again, I swear it!” The kid’s blue eyes welled up with tears, making Jason feel guilty.
“Don’t worry about it, kid. You’re the neighbor?” He questioned, eying the young boy in front of him. The kid wore a hoodie and some worn-out jeans that were a size too big, along with some Converse.
“Oh! Yeah, I’m-um-i’m Tim.” Tim nervously stuck his hand out.
Jason eyed the limb with judgment. The chances of Tim being some kind of snob had slightly increased. The kid was way too polite. “Jason.” He reached out towards Tim’s hand and shook it. Tim notably lit up at the interaction and flushed slightly again. Jason raised a curious eyebrow, “What are you doing?” He nodded towards the spot Tim was studying earlier.
“I’m hunting.”
“Really?” Jason’s interest was piqued, “What are you hunting?”
“A Pixie.” Tim grimaced.
“Uh huh…”
“I am!”
Jason raised his hands up in defense, “Didn’t say you weren’t. Why are you hunting a Pixie?”
“I accidentally made her mad, and now she won’t stop pranking me! I don’t want her to get me in trouble whenever my parents get home, so I’m going to catch her.” Tim explained.
“Okay, but what are you doing after you catch her?” Jason challenged the younger boy.
Tim’s face scrunched up briefly before smoothing out, “Release her elsewhere.” He replied with ease. Something in Tim’s form gave away his true intentions.
“You weren’t gonna let her go, were you?” Jason deadpanned, now feeling conflicted about his weird neighbor.
Tim’s eyes widened in panic, “I was! I swear!”
“Can’t fool me,” Jason shrugged, “so how do we catch a pixie?”
Tim grinned wildly at Jason’s words, causing the older boy to regret everything. “We make a trap!”
Jason eyed the magnifying glass, “How were you planning on doing that exactly?” He quirked an eyebrow.
“Study her tracks and determine where her home is, then we plant the trap!” Tim went into a bizarre explanation of the contraption he built from the wooded area behind their houses. Jason frowned when Tim mentioned going into Crime Alley to get some magical item for this trap. It was probably a good idea that Jason was supervising this odd child.
He was also noticing some red flags about the boy. Tim was 11 (or so the boy claimed) but looked skinny and small for his age. He mentioned how his parents weren’t home, but the fact that Tim was able to procure a dangerous item from the most crime-riddled neighborhood in Gotham told Jason that his nanny was incompetent. Tim spoke about it so casually as if it were normal to do. This couldn’t have been TIm’s first time sneaking out to dangerous places.
Now this kid was in the Wayne backyard looking for pixies, of all things, so that he wouldn’t get in trouble with his parents? Jason was going to do some investigating later, that was for sure. He was also curious about what made Tim adamant about it being some made-up legend. He was more curious about what the kid planned on doing to the made-up creature.
The only thing Jason was sure of was that something was off, and he would get to the bottom of it.
Okay, so apparently, pixies were fucking real! The next day, Jason and Tim met at the border of their property, and they set up the traps. At most, Jason assumed they would catch a few flies or maybe even some spiders, but instead, an angry, speedy little thing rushed into one of the jars they set up. She was currently banging around in the magically sealed jar, attempting to escape, occasionally trying to use magic. That only resulted in sparks that sizzled out quickly, much like sparklers.
Tim was giddy beside him, trying his best to contain his excitement but failing. “See, I told you it was a pixie!”
“I never said I doubted you.” Jason did doubt him, but he’d keep in mind to refrain from that in the future. Tim had more than proved that he knew what he was talking about. “So what now?”
“I could take him home-”
“Yeah, no.” Jason rejected that idea. He didn’t trust Tim to not do something completely fucked up. Who knows? Maybe the kid was trying to have his Hermione Granger moment. Jason shuddered at the thought. He may be the only one to keep Tim from becoming a supervillain in the future. The kid had the potential.
“Then what do you propose we do with her?” Tim glared at the older boy.
“Let's give her to Alfred. He’ll know what to do.” Alfred will hand the pixie over to Bruce, who will probably de-pixie the entire neighborhood.
Tim pondered that idea momentarily before deflating and asking, “Will we get in trouble for this?”
Jason noted the change in demeanor and immediately tried to rectify the situation, “Nah, we’ll probably be deemed as heroes or some shit for noticing this.”
Tim scrunched his nose up at the word ‘heroes’ but remained silent and nodded. The two began their short journey back to the Wayne manor via the backyard. Once they reached the backdoor, the door swung open, and a frazzled Bruce appeared.
“Jason! There you are! We were so worried.” Bruce began inspecting the teen, much to Jason’s dismay. Once he was satisfied, Bruce’s eyes focused on Tim. Tim straightened up immediately and reached his hand out.
“Hello, Mr. Wayne, I’m Timothy Drake, your neighbor. a pleasure to meet you again, sir.” Jason frowned at the younger boy. Tim was proper but not this proper when interacting with him earlier. Now, the boy looked and acted like a robot. Jason was definitely gonna get Tim to chill out a bit on that. It was freaky, coming from someone who went out as Robin weekly.
“Hi Tim,” Bruce smiled softly, “Please call me Bruce.” His hand met Tim’s in greeting.
“We caught a Pixie!” Jason boasted, hoping to clear the awkward air that surrounded them.
Bruce blinked a few times, “Excuse me?” The man seemed genuinely baffled to hear those words. Jason noticed how Bruce’s eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter.
Tim perked up, not noticing Bruce’s confusion, “Mhm! I made her angry, and she started breaking things, so we caught her!” Tim presented the jar proudly to Bruce. An angry pixie was still trying to bust out of her new prison.
“I see…” Jason would laugh at the bizarre look Bruce had on his face, but instead, he focused on how increasingly nervous Tim was getting. He knew he needed to intervene.
“We did a good job, right? Imagine the destruction she would have caused if Timbo here didn’t find her!” Jason’s arm wrapped around Tim’s shoulder in a show of support that the younger boy seemed to appreciate.
Bruce snapped out of his daze and quickly grabbed the jar from Tim’s hand. He ruffled the 11-year-old's hair and grinned, “Thanks, Tim, you probably saved Alfred’s garden from future chaos.” He winked and led the two inside. “Why don’t you two get a snack, and I’ll figure out what to do with this?” It wasn’t a question but more of an order for Jason. Jason nodded and grabbed Tim’s wrist, dragging him into the kitchen.
Alfred was preparing something for dinner in a few hours. He seemed startled to turn around and see Tim with Jason, but he smiled nonetheless. “Hello again, Master Tim.” The old man greeted.
If life were a cartoon, Jason knew there would be a giant question mark above his head, “How do you and Bruce already know Tim?” He questioned suspiciously as he pointed to a seat for Tim to take.
“Master Dick brought him home a few years ago when he was twelve. He proclaimed that he had a new little brother.” The butler chuckled at the memory.
“So he kidnapped him,” Jason stated blandly.
Alfred chuckled before switching topics, “I assume you two are here for a snack?”
Tim peaked his head from behind Jason’s form. Alfred fondly remembered their first meeting when a smaller Richard carried the child into this kitchen.
“Mr. Wayne told us to ask you for snacks.” Tim piped up.
Jason groaned, “Please call him Bruce. Mr. Wayne makes him sound like an-” Alfred cleared his throat rather loudly as he aimed his narrowed eyes at Jason. The teen straightened up and had the decency to look embarrassed at the near slip-up. “Makes him look like a snob.”
Tim scrunched his face up before nodding with an intense look of determination, “Bruce. Got it.”
“Good.” Jason patted Tim’s head, causing the younger boy to lean into the touch. Jason opted not to comment on it and instead ruffled the younger boy's hair slightly. “Snacks?” He gazed up at Alfred expectantly.
“I’ll have something out for you boys in a few moments. Why don’t you and our guest get situated in the sitting room?”
Jason saluted Alfred dutifully, then dragged a started Tim out into the other room. Jason immediately darted towards the gaming station he had convinced Bruce to add to the dull room. Why would anyone want a room just to sit in?
Jason flopped onto the couch and reached for one of the Xbox controllers charging on the left end table. Tim hesitantly looked around before gingerly sitting on the edge of the sofa. Jason’s face scrunched up in confusion, “You can relax a bit, ya know? Bruce won’t mind.” Tim seemed to care a lot about what adults thought about him. It probably had something to do with how anxious the kid was. Jason made sure to file that observation away for later. He’ll be able to investigate this better as Robin, for sure.
“Oh.” Tim’s form slouched instantly as he grabbed a controller next to him. Jason decided not to comment and turned on the Xbox. He chose to pick Halo, seeing how anxious Tim was. It was probably best not to give the kid too many choices until he warms up to Jason.
Until he warmed up to Jason? That implied Tim was going to be sticking around for a bit. He quickly glanced at the boy, who was fully immersed in mastering the game's controls. Tim's rapid adaptation and growing strategic prowess left Jason pleasantly surprised. It didn’t take long for Tim to begin dominating the game. He went as far as strategizing their gameplay. It was nerdy and intense and fun as fuck, if Jason was being honest.
Yeah, Tim was definitely sticking around for a bit. Hopefully longer than that, if Jason has anything to say about it.