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"I don't need friends," Tim growled, glaring at Dick over his porcelain mask, "I have Steph, Cass, Duke, and literally everyone in my Skulk! I am a proud, independent Fox!"
"Sure," Dick slowly nods while Jason joins.
"So it wasn't you moping in the bathroom, lamenting how you don't have friends?"
Tim rolled his eyes as Stephanie nudged his side, "They have a point, Fox Boy. I won't be here forever, and you need to make friends."
The Fox frowned and looked away, his chest aching with the realization no- they won't be here in a hundred years. Stephanie might live to be 120, but werewolves naturally had longer lifespans. Dick was mostly human, but he still had aurae blood in him, so he might live longer? Jason and Barbara were painfully human... Unlike Bruce, Damian, Cass, Duke, and Damian- who would all easily live to be hundreds, if not thousands, of years- they'll die before they reach the age of 120...
Unless Tim could help it...
"Uh," Jason eyes him warily, alerting Dick to the idea forming behind Tim's eyes, "What are you thinking up, Tim?"
"Names," Owl says over the com line, and Jason rolls his eyes in exasperation, ignoring how Stephanie giggles at him.
"Fine, Sparrow. What are you cookin' up in that noggin of yours?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Tim sniffed haughtily, "Fine. Dick, I accept your offer."
The almost-human grins, his too-blue sapphire eyes brightened with glee, "Okay, I already have some in mind for you..."
Kon grumbled, glaring at Clark from the corner of his eyes, "Why do I even have to do this?"
Clark gives him an amused smile, "Just for a few hours, Kon. Nightwing said Sparrow needed to be "Socialized," and he asked me to bring you over."
He groaned, throwing his head back with an unhappy pout, "Isn't Sparrow that weird shadow creature?"
"Be nice," Clark chided lightly, but Kon could tell he at least somewhat agreed.
The zeta tube activated, and the pair arrived at the Watchtower with the computer announcing their designation. Nightwing was there to greet them. A relatively short boy stood beside him with his expression obscured by a porcelain fox mask.
"Glad you can make it!" Nightwing smiled, and Kon could feel himself relax slightly, his heartbeat picking up as he was blinded by the older man's grin.
Sparrow stiffens and growls at him.
Kon jerked away, a startled expression spreading across his face as he looked between the kid and Nightwing, who gave him an amused grin.
"Glad to be here, Nightwing," Clark responds evenly, seemingly unphased by Sparrow's growl.
"That is my brother you're oogling at," Sparrowed hissed at him, and Kon couldn't help but startle.
"Uh..." he replied dumbly, blinking as Sparrow huffed with a toss of his head, "how did-"
"I know everything," the vigilante answered mysteriously.
"Cut it out," Nightwing said, and Kon twisted over to stare at him. But when he looked back, Sparrow was gone.
"Is he- did he just- is he supposed to-"
"Yeah, don't worry about him," the masked man said with a light smile, "Sparrow's in a grumpy mood, but I'm sure he'll turn around soon. In the meantime, I'll head down to Gotham and check in with B. BEHAVE!"
"I HATE YOU!" came the reply, and Kon couldn't help but dread being trapped alone with the strange Bat.
"Do I have to be here?" Tim heard the little half-Kryptonian hiss toward Clark, whose eyes briefly darted to Tim before returning to his pseudo-son's gaze.
"We've been over this," Clark sighs, "just a couple of hours, Kon. I owed Nightwing a favor, and this was how he decided to use it."
Conner "Kon-El" Kent groans, and Tim can't help the spark of annoyance and an indescribable emotion that flickered in his chest.
A thrum of concern pulsed at the back of Tim's mind, the faintest hint of an incomplete hoard-bond from Bruce, and the twin pendants against his chest continued to pulse with Jason and Steph's heartbeats. His phone started to ring, and Tim couldn't help but roll his eyes at the dragon's brood-mother tendencies.
"What do you want?" Tim grumbled into the speaker, rolling his eyes at the faint protesting from the board members in the background.
"Timmy!" Bruce cried in his "Brucie" persona, "Are you okay, darling? Oh, I had a feeling you were down, and a father's instincts are never wrong!"
Tim growled in exasperation, but his chest warmed at the undercurrent of worry and concern. Sure, their relationship was strained and far terser than it used to be... but it was getting better, "I'm fine, Bruce. There's no need to worry, you hen."
"Maybe I should get Jay to bring you home," Bruce mused.
Tim hissed, feeling his hidden fur bristle at the hinted encroachment upon his independence, "I'm fine. I'm at your expensive tower with Clark and his son, so stop worrying!"
"Fine, but if you feel uncomfortable at any moment, call Jason and he'll-"
"I GOT IT!" Tim shouted over the dragon and hung up abruptly, growling in frustration as he yanked off the mask and hurled it at the wall. The protection spell prevented the mask from sustaining any damage. Tim felt satisfaction curl in his chest at the loud slam that echoed through the room as he bared his fangs in a grin.
Tim was about to see if his claws could tear through the walls when the sound of footsteps began to approach.
Before he could properly think things through, Tim Shifted with a loud snap and nimbly landed on four black-socked paws. His twin tails lashed behind him as he watched Conner approach with a worried expression.
The Fox quickly darts away before the half-Kryptonian can spot him, ducking behind the crates he'd been perched on.
"Jesus Rao, was that a fox?"
Tim cursed his instinctual Shift, relieved at how the mask had vanished. This way, maybe Conner would think he's a regular fox?
As he tried to wiggle away from the now tower-like Conner, hands wrapped around his midriff and lifted him into the air. Tim shrieked furiously, wiggling and lashing indignantly as the half-Kryptonian observed him with amused eyes. He was about to bite down, but since he was technically magic, Tim would've broken skin, and Conner would've figured it out.
With an unhappy snarl, Tim relaxed and stopped thrashing.
"Do you have two tails?" Conner questioned, his brows furrowed incredulously, "You're such a marvel, ain't you? So docile, too! Hey, Clark! Come look!"
Tim blinked, squeaking as his perspective changed, and he was cradled against Conner's chest like a newborn. Clark was there in seconds. The furrow between his brows only deepened when he saw Tim in Conner's arms.
"Conner, where did you find the fox?"
"I don't know why you're so worried- he's just a little guy!"
Tim huffed. He was the furthest thing from a "little guy." If he so chose, one bite was all it'd take to draw blood.
Clark eyed Tim concernedly, but a fanged snarl was enough to get the man to back off, "You should put him back, Kon..."
"But, look at him! He looks so precious!"
Tim wasn't sure what Conner was thinking, but no way in HELL was he anything close to "precious." Frankly, Tim was almost insulted by the implication!
He was about to genuinely reach over and nip at the half-Kryptonian's hand, but then he saw Conner's eyes. Bright, ever-changing gems that seemed to glow with life, squinting slightly with an adoration that made his heart squeeze.
He hasn't... Tim hasn't ever felt this way before. His chest felt as if a fragile bird had made itself home in Tim's heart, and his stomach was doing more flips and swoops than Dick swinging through Gotham.
"I'm back!" Nightwing called.
Kon froze like a deer in headlights. The little two-tailed fox yipped at him in irritation when Kon had allowed the string to stop moving. Sparrow was gone, and they had no clue where he was at.
He'd heard about the horror stories from heroes who insulted Nightwing's fellow Gotham vigilantes in front of him, and it was not pretty... Oh, Rao, Nightwing was going to kill him.
"Superboy?" he asked, masked eyes darting around before landing on the fox sitting neatly before Kon.
"I'm sorry!" Kon blurted, ignoring Clark's confused expression as he jumped up, "I don't know how, but we lost track of Sparrow! I know I wasn't supposed to get distracted, but look!"
He gently brought the fox before the vigilante's face, "He was so cute, and I couldn't just leave him alone!"
Instead of getting angry like Kon thought he would, Nightwing raised his brow in amusement, "He's cute, huh?"
"Uh..." was Nightwing so enamored by the fox that he forgot all about Sparrow? As terrible as it sounded, a Kon really hoped that was the case.
"Alright, put him down," the vigilante shook his head with... a fond sigh? What was Kon supposed to do? Not put him down???
With a pinched expression, he obeyed. The instant the fox was freed from Kon's TTK, he flicked his ears and gave Nightwing a look.
"C'mere, Sparrow," Nightwing said, crouching down to allow the fox to jump nimbly onto his shoulder, "let's get you home."
Kon felt himself do a double take as the meaning registered, "Sparrow?"
With a snap, the creature he thought was a "fox" turned back into a teenager of Asian descent with ruffled black hair and pale blue eyes. He was perched on Nightwing's shoulder with a smug smile, his cheeks slightly tinged pink as he gave Kon a cheeky wave.
He could only stand there in shock as Nightwing shook his head before turning around and exiting the Watchtower.
"...WHAT?!"
"Shut up," Tim hissed, feeling his blush deepen with embarrassment.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dick sang cheerfully, barely phased as Tim groaned and buried his face into his brother's hair, "but do tell me if I need to give Superboy a shovel talk..."
"YOU'RE SUCH A DICK!"
"That's my name, don't wear it out!"