Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Dearest Mother and Father, thank you for joining me here today.”

“Thank you for having us, Timothy.”

“What do you have to share with us today?”

“Ahem. Yes. Well. So.” click “I am here today to talk to you—wait, hold on, no, wait…”

“…would you like to start again?”

“…yes please.”

“Wonderful. Well, thank you for having us here today, Timothy. We are very excited to hear your proposal.”

“Yes, hello, thank you. Yes. Thank you for joining me today. I’m. Just a moment.” click click click “Okay. There we go. Okay.”

“’A Plan for the Continued Education—'”

“Dad! I’m doing it!”

“Yes, Jack, we did promise to let him do it.”

“My sincerest apologies, Timmy.”

“Timothy, dear. He’s being professional for us.”

“Right, yes. My sincerest apologies, Timothy.”

“That’s okay. I appreciate you, uh, watching and participating.”

“Well vocalized, Timothy.”

“Thanks Mom. Uh. Janet. Mrs. Drake?”

“I believe that Mother would still be appropriate in this setting.”

“Right. Yes. Okay. Thank you, Mother. Now. Thank you both for joining me to discuss my continuing education.” click “As you both know, your work abroad has allowed me to have many opportunities to explore new cultures and to learn about the exciting archaeological discoveries of our time.” click click “I have greatly valued these opportunities to learn from both of you as well as from the schools around the world. Having you both support my education has let me to…uh….”

“Is everything okay, Timothy?”

“Sorry, I think there’s a card missing from my script.”

“That’s all right, son. Go ahead and wing it for a bit.”

“…Uh. Okay. Um. You both have uh, have helped me to have, uh, a diverse education. And to also have consistency, because you have also always been there. And you two are both very smart and I have learned lots. Like, uh,” click “how to correctly identify and label artifacts,” click “and how to, mostly, speak lots of different languages. Or kind of. And also” click “how to meet new people and behave to them to make new friends.” click click

“Hmm. I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

“No! No, not…it’s not…well, see. I know you guys have been, uh, hold up. Feeling the limitations of your own expertise, and are, uh, hoping to introduce greater stability in my life.”

“These are some very specific phrases, Timothy. Do you mind me asking where you heard us having those discussions?”

“Uhhh…I’m pretty sure it was in the parlor?”

“Mm, yes, I do believe I recall the conversation. Jack, do you recall that discussion?”

“Yes, now that you mention it, I believe I do. I also believe it took place around eleven at night, long after our son’s bedtime.”

“Yes, that is just what I was thinking as well.”

“So I do wonder how dear Timothy here may have also happened to hear that conversation.”

“…Late night snack?”

“I’m certain. Well, we can talk about the perils of eavesdropping later. I don't want to derail you from your point."

"Oh. Yeah. Okay, um. Yes, so. I heard--I mean, uh. You may have been thinking about possibly maybe sending me to a boarding school. To let me interact with more of my peers and have a stable education now that I'm going into middle school."

"Something very similar to that idea may have crossed our minds."

"Right. And I know, er, think, that you were maybe considering a few locations, including locations in Europe where I would be closer to you when you are traveling."

"Did you have a preference for one of the schools, Timothy?"

"Yes. Well, no, not any of, uh, not any of the ones that maybe you were thinking about. But yes I…hold on." click BOOM "Oh. Oh no, that was supposed to be confetti, not an explosion noise…"

"Gotham Academy? Really, son?"

"Timothy, I hardly think that--"

"No no, wait! Please, I promise, I thought this through. Look, I'm going to be a sixth grader next year, and I agree that I should start to build connections. But Drake Industries is based in Gotham, and a lot of people that we do business with are in Gotham. If I'm going to run the company someday, I should know the city and the people who are here. Or will be here. For example…" click

"…do you know…? Uh, Timothy, I'm not quite certain who that is a picture of."

click

"Oh, is that Brucie? Did he take in another ward, then?"

"My, we really must be out of the loop. I'm sure that was the talk of the town."

"This is Jason Todd, er, Wayne? I don't know if he's kept his last name. But he'll be going to Gotham Academy!"

"Perhaps, but I hardly think that you'll have much chance to interact with him. He looks quite a bit older than you."

"He's actually going to be in 7th grade this year. He missed a year before living with Mr. Wayne, and his birthday is right after the cutoff for new students, so he's old for his grade but will only be a little above me. So we might have some electives or PE together."

"A thrilling prospect, I am sure, but is there a particular reason you are invested in Jason Todd-Wayne over any of the other students at the school? I'm sure there are plenty of interesting people there."

"Uh, I mean, I guess I just figured, um, since they also live near us then maybe it would be good to make friends? Oh, and also! Remember Dick Grayson, Mr. Wayne's older ward-son?"

"Yes, I am familiar. He's been present at several galas."

"Yes, and in fact, seeing him at the events was one of the reasons we decided that we wouldn't force you to endure the same. The poor boy looked bored out of his mind."

"Right, yes. And also, uh, of course, um. We were there. At the circus, when…"

"…yes. I admit, I had sort of hoped that you had not remembered that particular event, Tim."

"I mean. It was very cool until, uh."

"Quite. Well, rolling back to your point…?"

"Oh yeah! So you guys know that Dick moved out of Gotham last year—"

"Did we know that?"

"Showing what fortitude he has! And courage! And chutzpah!"

"…It takes chutzpah to go to college now?"

"He's not going to college, he is es—uh, eschewing the demands of our society and moving into the work force!"

"As do many people. I'm afraid I'm having trouble seeing how this makes him more extraordinarily admirable.

"I just mean, because he's shown himself to be a very capable individual. And like maybe someone you would want me to be like?"

"…and spending time around Jason Todd would help you to be more like Dick Grayson?"

"Maybe! We can only hope. And also there are lots of other important people who went to Gotham Academy, even Bruce Wayne himself! And because they have so many important people…" click "they also have very good security there. It's one of the most secure places in Gotham!" click

"A very high bar."

"Jack!"

"They have security guards and a state-of-the-art surveillance system, plus they have teachers there who are trained in martial arts and even fencing. Hah!"

"Woah there, easy son. Put down the fire poker."

"I do hate to bring this up again, but you are still aware that Gotham Academy is not a boarding school. You would not be able to live on campus and build friendships there, but would need to return home every night."

"And your mom and I have a lot of commitments that take us away from home. We wouldn't be able to stay with you here, and you coming with us would mean you aren't getting a stable education anyway."

"That's okay! You guys know I like having space to myself, and that I am very good at taking care of myself and my space." click "I already know how to do a lot of cleaning and laundry and dishes." click "And I've been working on my cooking, and I can make three whole meals now! Plus I have a whole lot of new recipes to try out." click "These are all made using the rice cooker and toaster oven, so I'm not even using the stove or just eating microwave meals."

"That's very impressive, bud, but you're still nine years old--"

"Ten! I'll be ten next week."

"And that's too young for you to be on your own for the length of time that we'll need to be gone for sometimes."

"Perhaps in a few years we could make it work. I could shift things around in my schedule to stay here more often so you always have someone in the house. Maybe find someone who would be able to look after you if we needed to be away longer."

"We could get you enrolled in a Swiss boarding school for a few years while you really work on some of your languages, and then by the time you come back here all the girls will be swooning. They'll be so interested in you as the exotic new guy from abroad, they'll go gaga for ya!"

"I don't…what? Like Lady Gaga?"

"It's an expression, sweetheart. And your father is exaggerating. But I do agree that being closer to us for a few more years and then going to high school here in Gotham might be a better fit."

"But I'm…I don't…"

"Sweetheart? What is it?"

"I don't want to be in Switzerland. I want to be here."

"Oh, darling, come here."

"We're sorry, bud. I don't think we realized how much moving around was really bothering you."

"I don’t want to be exotic, Dad. I…I want…"

"Shh, it's okay, dear."

"…Honey."

"Yes, Jack?"

"I know that you are committed to teach that seminar in Naples next semester. But Tim here does bring up a good point that we should be reenforcing our connections with our local Gothamites. Perhaps it would be useful if I took a little more active role in the company for a bit, stick to only in-country conferences for a little while."

"Oh?"

"I'm not sure it would be possible. But I can look into it as an option. And in the meantime we can look to hire someone who can be sure to be around the house, so that if I do have to get pulled away or, for example, that meeting in England that I need to go to, someone would still be here."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"I know you don't think so, but we're not going to leave you alone in this house. What if there's an emergency? And who's going to be responsible for driving to the grocery store and taking you to and from school? Besides, if we're living here full time, we'll need someone to help take care of the house anyway. This house is far too big for us to take care of alone."

"All of which is to say that we're not committing to anything right now, young sir. But thank you for sharing with us. You are very important to us, Timothy. We just want to make sure we're doing what is best for you."

"Though if we find out that this is all just because of your new hobby of finding out more about that Batman story--"

"Jack, dear. We are supporting his interests."

"Aw, I'm just razzing you, kiddo. Hey, maybe we'll go out and get you a cool camera so you can take pictures if you ever do see the big Bat."

"The pendulum, dear. Balance. We are absolutely not advocating that you go out in the middle of the night to try to chase down an urban legend."

"It's not a legend, Mom! It's real! Batman and Robin, and they're out helping Gotham! You don't think that Superman is an urban legend, do you?"

"I have seen Superman on C-SPAN. I'm not saying Batman doesn't exist, but a man who keeps hiding his identity to the point where the most people see of him is that giant glowstick in the sky is not someone I want my son chasing after in the dead of night. Capisci?"

"…So does that mean that I can go to Gotham Academy next year?"

"We will see. Now. Go ahead and close up the powerpoint and let's get ready for dinner."

"Or did you have more slides for us?"

"Oh, uh, just a couple more, but they aren't really important. Let's have dinner!"

"Are you sure? You worked pretty hard on this--"

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you both for listening. I appreciate your time and consideration."

"Atta boy."

Chapter Text

"Good afternoon, dearest Mother and Father."

"Ah, this seems familiar. I can appreciate the commitment to a theme."

"He's even prepared the same drinks for us this time. How is your root beer?"

"I have brought you here for a special follow-up presentation on the continuing education of your son, Timothy Drake, a.k.a. me."

"Mm, perfectly chilled. The frosted glass was a nice touch this time."

"I would like to begin today's presentation with some words of gratitude. I know that when I came to you all three years ago and asked to attend Gotham Academy that it meant a lot of changes and adjustments." click "You both changed your lives in order to be here in Gotham with me more regularly, and we even hired a full-time housekeeper in Mrs. Mac." click

"An excellent find, honestly."

"Truly. I'm not quite sure what we would do without her these days."

"I believe that my time at Gotham Academy led to a lot of growth for me, both academically and socially. I have learned a lot about Gotham in this time." click click "I even got the chance to enter the school art contest and have some of my pictures on display in the school's end-of-year commencement display." click

"And they were truly wonderful! You have an eye for art, just like your mother here with her pottery."

"Hush, dear."

"However, the school has experienced major upheaval in the past few years." click "The reveal that our principal was actually in league with a major crime syndicate," click "then the discovery that the fencing teacher was in league with a different major crime syndicate," click "plus the multiple hostage situations and kidnappings" click click click click "and even the—the death of one of the students." click

"Tim, you don't need to—"

"And so!" click BOOM "So much for Gotham Academy."

"…I am hoping you are not actually suggesting blowing up the school?"

"No, Dad, I—look, it's a transition effect! See, ta-da! And in its place…."

"…Gotham High School?"

"I will be going into high school this year! What a great time to try out something new, just like you two both said!"

"Timothy, I am not sure how switching from a private school with intensive security to the local public high school is the safe and sane plan you seem to think it is."

"But why is Gotham Academy unsafe, Mother? This is where I failed in my research before." click "Point one. Gotham Academy schools the elite students in town, those whose parents can afford to send them to a private school. And thus those whose parents can also afford to pay a ransom if their child is kidnapped." click "You can see by the graph here that the percentage of students who are taken hostage is significantly higher at Gotham Academy, as is the length of time they were held hostage for."

"Hmm. I don't know, Tim. You know what they say about statistics. There's lies, damned lies—"

"Language, Jack."

"—and statistics. Gotham High is about 30 times bigger than Gotham Academy, so even if it's got a smaller percentage of hostages per year, I bet you more of the students actually do get kidnapped."

"…I would have to double check the numbers."

"Ha, you see?"

"However," click "point two is that Gotham Academy is located…directly across the street from Arkham Asylum. And no matter the security at the Academy, we can all agree now that the security at Arkham is certainly lacking."

"Yes, I believe the whole city has noticed that at this point."

"Meanwhile, Gotham High is located entirely across town, far from the Asylum and from Crime Alley." click "You can see on this map the crime events of the past three months across the city."

"…where did you get this map? Is this on the police website?"

"No, I put it together based on the police reports of the last few months. I've been working on it for about a year now, it's pretty much self-updating now. See, I can log in the address and tag it based on the date and type of event—I've got different colors for whether it was a violent crime, property damage, hostage situation, or arkham event—and it'll automatically update the map for me! I can also change the date range for when it is showing. I'm working on getting a program that will pull this information from the reports automatically."

"Wow, that is incredibly impressive, son! You said you've been working on this for a year?"

"Just sort of off and on. I don't think it would have taken me so long if I'd focused on it a little more."

"Are you…are you really feeling that unsafe in the city, Timothy? That you feel the need to keep track of all the crimes that are occurring?"

"What? No, I just, I think it's, uh, interesting, I guess. And I like guessing patterns."

"I have to agree with your mother. This seems like a bit of a macabre hobby. Maybe it would be better if we got away from Gotham for a bit?"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm fine. I just, look. Here's what I wanted to show you, anyway. Look at the area where the Academy is. It's a hotbed of violent crimes and dangerous exposures. But over here, near Gotham High, it's all much smaller crimes."

"…does that say 'drug busts'?"

"What? Oh, okay, yes, but honestly, those are all over the city, and where it's really bad is over here in Park Row. Also far from Gotham High!"

"Hmm. And uh. You said this is only from the past three months?"

"…I mean, in all fairness, even Metropolis has a pretty busy map. And they have Superman living there! Lots of people means lots of things happening. One superhero can't stop all the crime in the city."

"I thought there were two of them? Batman and Robin?"

"Uh. Yeah. Well, uh, yeah. But even two of them also can't stop all the crime in a city."

"I suppose not. Still. I did not realize how much violent crime there was in the city."

"Yeah…yeah. It's not great. But I think Batman will get better. Uh, at stopping the crime! And, yeah. But. Moving on! Point three." click "Learning to develop relationships among different groups of people. I think we can all agree that the students at Gotham Academy represent a specific subclass of student. Being surrounded by Gotham's elite has isolated me from the hoi polloi and meant that I have forgotten some of my roots about how to build genuine connections among the people."

"I thought we had determined that it was a good thing for you to develop relationships with the upcoming socialites in order to build business connections?"

"Let's face it, Mother. The children of today's wealthy are, with very few exceptions, unlikely to be able to hack it in the modern business world. They rely too much on old traditions and aren't able to adapt to the upcoming changes. We should be looking for people with new ideas and a desire to grow! And who knows where those new ideas could come from? Why shut ourselves off to any possibility?"

"That's an exceptionally dour opinion of your classmates. I'm sure they can't be that incapable."

click click click "In a word…" click click "yes."

"My word. Is that a…what is he doing with that mouse?"

"Isn't that Henrickson's kid? That is…a lot of beer cans."

"Did you take this picture? When was this?"

"In further evidence of their ineptitude, this image was posted to social media by multiple of my peers. As were these." click click

"All right, well. Accepting that the students at Gotham Academy have, er, much growing to do…is that a toilet seat on his neck?…I highly doubt that the students at Gotham High are any better."

"Exactly. Kids do stupid things. Why, I remember when I was seventeen—"

"Perhaps another time, dear."

"Ahem. Right."

"Maybe they aren't any better, but they're not really any worse. I have sufficiently studied the populace of Gotham Academy and identified any individuals who were worth remembering. It is, as we recall, a rather small pool, so we shall consider it an effective training ground. And if only one percent of Gotham Academy is—was worth associating with, and only one percent of Gotham High is similarly worth being around, that still leaves me a much larger pool of people to befriend."

"…Darling. I…I know that Jason's death was very hard for you—"

"I'm fine. I already talked to the counselor about it. I didn't even know him that well anyway." click "Point four. Extracurriculars."

"Tim…"

"The—the Academy has many extracurricular activities, but their range is a bit lacking. For ex-example, the. The art club. While they did select several of my photos for display, there was a clear preference for non-digital forms of art. I had to convince the judging panel to even accept my photographs, and they only allowed me to enter because I used a camera with film and developed it myself."

"Really? I didn't know that. You should've told us, dear, we would have said something."

"No, it, it's fine. I talked to them and they agreed with some of my points about the artistic value of photography. I think I got Mr. Mortensen entirely on my side. The point, you see, the point is that I am being restricted in my interests by being in a place where no one shares them. Nobody at Gotham Academy is learning how to skateboard."

"Perhaps not the strong argument you think it is, but nevertheless. I see your point. I'm sorry you're having trouble connecting with your peers at the Academy."

"It's not just connecting, Mom. It's…I just…"

"…Ms. Dickerson mentioned that she suspected you might be having some additional trouble with the students."

"It's fine. They're just petty. But it's fine, they're just kids. Like you said."

"Well hold up there, buddy. Them being kids doesn't mean—"

"Can we move on? I…I have more slides." click "Please."

"…Okay, bud. Point five?"

"Point five. Transportation." click "Gotham Academy, as a private institution, does not have provided transportation. We've had to rely on you or Mrs. Mac to take me to and from school each day. Gotham High, as part of the public school system, has dedicated buses to transport students to school. I have already confirmed that this is the school we are districted for, and the nearest bus stop is down at the end of the street, so you wouldn't even need to take me to wait for the bus."

"But wouldn't you need to be picked up if you had after school activities?"

"Not necessarily! Most after school programs end by 5 each day, and even the sports only last until 6 at the latest. The only exceptions would be game nights or performances, in the case of theater or band or choir. For everything except those, I could use the city bus to get home. The city buses don't have very reliable routes past the Academy, but Gotham High is more centrally located with more routes in the area. The last bus to our neighborhood leaves downtown at 9:43 pm, so as long as I'm done before then, I can utilize public transportation."

"Should I find it concerning that you know that off the top of your head?"

"Don't worry, I did a lot of research before coming to this meeting. I wanted to be fully prepared for all of your questions and concerns."

"Hmm."

"Point six! Overseas travel. Now, before any baseless accusations of eavesdropping are thrown around—"

"Oh dear, that doesn't sound promising."

"—I think we can all agree that loud arguing in the kitchen that suddenly stops when I walk in the room doesn't really count as eavesdropping. So with that said, I know that you have been getting more offers for overseas conferences and to assist at some conservation sites. And I know that it's been harder for you to choose who will go in order to have someone stay with me."

"Well, now, it's not that we don't want to spend time with you, son. You're very important to us."

"I know that. But it's okay, now. Going to Gotham High means there will be less oversight needed. Gotham Academy required regular check-ins from you as parents—I know the teachers were calling and bothering you every week. Gotham High doesn't have those requirements, so you'll be free to take trips when you need to without worrying too much."

"Just because you'll be at a different school doesn't mean that we're just going to abandon you here."

"I won't be abandoned! It's not even like I'll be alone, unless you're planning on firing Mrs. Mac. Plus, plenty of kids my age are starting to take care of themselves more, anyway. I've still been working on my cooking skills, as you also know. Mrs. Mac has been letting me help her out in the kitchen, and I have been doing my own lunch prep all summer. This will just help free up some of those other responsibilities, too, so in case something does come up you'll have more freedom."

"Even if we did start looking at more overseas trips, hearing about you from your teachers is not quite the burden you seem to think it is. They would still be able to contact us."

"But think of the time difference! They'd be calling you in the middle of the night, or when you're out on a job site. Plus, I'm not even sure if they can make international calls from the school line. And it's not like you'll want to have to be calling them all the time to keep up."

"We're all jumping ahead of ourselves here. We haven't committed to any travel commitments, and we're not sure if we will."

"Yes, your father is right. Let's put that aside for now. Timothy, please, be honest with us. What is the real problem with Gotham Academy?"

"I—I mean…I…did you want to see the presentation again?"

"No, darling, I know what you have put into this presentation. You've given a number of very logical explanations. It was well laid out, researched, and presented. But I feel like you are missing a very key point here."

"…I…I don't…"

"Sweetheart. Do you want to go to the Academy?"

"Oh. Um. No. No, I don't want to."

"And, correct me if I'm wrong, but it's not because the crime rates are lower or because it would be easier for us to travel."

"…no. Not really."

"Might it instead be related to the lack of someone being at the Academy now, instead?"

"…maybe a little."

"It's okay to be upset by it. I know you said that you didn't know Jason very well, but it is still hard to lose someone you know."

"That's true, bud. One of my college buddies got into a skiing accident over spring break in our senior year. I ended up taking pass/fail on my courses that semester, since I was still reeling from the shock of it. Still sometimes comes up on me out of nowhere. I haven't gone back to that resort since then."

"But that was one of your friends. I didn't…I barely…"

"We all know how much you admire the Waynes. I've seen how excited you get at seeing any news of them or any of their new projects. Even if you weren't super close to Jason, he was someone who used to be in your life and isn't there anymore."

"Brucie has hardly been his usual self either since the accident. And last time we saw Dick he looked ready to kill a man."

"He would never!"

"I know that, son. My point is that you can also be sad that they're hurting, as well as feeling your own hurt. Grief is complicated."

sniff "I kinda thought, um. That you might. Not like it if I cried."

"Pfft. I don't hold with that whole 'men don't cry' bull—"

"Jack."

"—hockey. I was gonna say hockey. You're safe here with us. If you need to cry or yell or get upset, this is a good place to do it. No one here is gonna judge you."

"Oh. Um. Okay."

"All right, dear. Thank you for sharing with us."

"Thank you for listening."

"I think we should probably do ice cream after this, what do you think, Janet?"

"Hmm, I could do that. Timothy?"

"Yes, please."

"Your father and I will talk more about your school placement for next year. We'll be keeping in mind everything that you shared."

"Thank you."

"All right. Is there anything else you wanted to say?"

"No, that's everything."

"Well then. Let's shut this down and head out."

"Mm-kay."

"And Timmy?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"We love you."

"I love you, too."

Chapter Text

"Good afternoon, Lucius. Thank you for joining me today."

"My pleasure, Timothy. May I ask what this is about?"

"Do you want the honest answer or the easy answer?"

"…Will I be at risk hearing the honest answer?"

"No, I don't think so, but I applaud your instincts."

"Then please, what is actually going on?"

"I'm in a bunch of hot water and I need to make some big changes in my life. And for my own mental health, I'm going to give you a presentation about one of these changes."

"Okay…?"

"It's just…I did this the last couple of times I made a big life decision like this, and now it feels like something I have to do, and to be frank, you're kind of the only person left right now who can be there for me."

"Not to be blunt, but yikes, kid."

"You're telling me."

"All right, so what kind of life decision are we looking at today?"

click "Thank you for joining me for 'A Plan for the Continued Education of Timothy Drake, Part III'."

"Oh god."

"Since you don't have the full backstory, I will begin with a quick recap." click "I began my education being largely homeschooled while dropping in occasionally to whatever local school my parents could sign me up to when we were in a place for more than a month." click "This led, naturally, to a very…chaotic accumulation of information. I knew how to read, write, and do basic math, but while I could go into intricate detail about the rise and fall of the Assyrian Empire, I didn't know who George Washington was.

"Thus," click "phase two. Once I was ten, I asked my parents to sign me up to attend school full-time in Gotham."

"Oy vey."

"Yes, well, hindsight is 20/20. Besides, I had some…ulterior motives. I'd just become obsessed with…hmm. Okay, uh, let's rewind a moment."

"A recap in the middle of a recap bodes well."

"I'll do my best to keep this as short and…non-incriminating as possible."

"Mm-hmm."

"When I was very young, my parents took me to the circus and we watched the Flying Graysons perform."

"Graysons, as in…?"

"Yes. I actually happened to be there the night of their accident. But as traumatizing as that probably should have been, the thing I remembered most from the night was watching Dick Grayson fly through the air. It stuck with me, and when I got older I developed a little bit of hero worship for him. Anyway, I was a kid with big dreams of meeting my hero, so I was doing everything I could to get close to him. Thus," click "Gotham Academy."

"There is no way you were old enough to be able to attend school with Dick."

"No, but due to me being a little young for my grade with a July birthday and Jason being a little old for his grade with an August birthday, plus weirdness around us being in and out of school, I was in sixth grade when he was in seventh."

"Ah. And this would have been when you were…"

"I was ten, Jason was fourteen."

"I see."

"It was…unfortunate timing, in many ways. Things didn't really pan out the way I had hoped, and the school itself was very difficult for me. Going from being in an unstructured homeschool setting to suddenly jumping into a prep school was a culture shock in a lot of ways. I did not adapt very well, to the schoolwork or the students, though I do credit those teachers for at least filling in most of the gaps from my early education. But once Jason died, I uh. I kind of lost anything that kept me wanting to stay at the school."

"I'm sorry, Tim. That sounds difficult."

"Yes, well. We live and we learn. And thus," click "Gotham High School."

"Where you are currently enrolled, if I am not mistaken."

"You are correct. I transferred to Gotham High and have been there since, barring some necessary absences due to family emergencies."

"Help me get the math straight here. You went into sixth grade when you were ten, so you were a year ahead of your peers. And you are now seventeen, so have you graduated?"

"No, though that is an excellent point and one we will circle back to." click "I'm not gonna lie, Gotham High was pretty rough, too. One of my best friends died on me, and that was before even all the stuff went down with my parents."

"Right…and for my edification, that includes…?"

"Mom and Dad were in a plane crash, Mom died in the crash and Dad was in a coma for a few months, then Dad was paralyzed when he got out of the coma. He fell in love with his physical therapist and they got married—no shade there, Dana was great."

"Uh-huh?"

"Anyway, then Dad died and Dana had a mental break and went to a mental health facility and I moved in with Bruce."

"…who also just, er, well."

"Yes. Bruce had his accident earlier this summer, and since then I've been working to find a solution while Dick handled the damage here."

"Well, I'm glad you at least were able to connect with Dick and have his support."

"…right."

"Ah. Well. That aside, I do see that there have been a lot of changes for you."

"Yeah, it's been a rough year."

"This was all in the last year?"

"The plane crash was earlier, but otherwise, yes. Also I lost 2 more friends and a girlfriend between Dad dying and Bruce's accident."

"Son…are you seeing a therapist?"

"I'm going to be honest with you, Lucius. You're about five years too late for that. Though I suppose the point of no return was actually with the cloning..."

"I did not hear that."

"Right, sorry. Anyway. Thank you for your concern. It's fine. To be perfectly honest, we have a more pressing issue right now."

"Ah. Joy."

click "Wayne Enterprises is currently under threat of takeover by an outside entity. Utilizing a variety of shell corporations and Bruce's recent, shall we say, change of heart—"

"Change of everything."

"Exactly. Thus, to prevent this company, as well as all of its employees and supported charities, from being completely gutted, I propose…" click BOOM

"…Emancipation?"

"And dropping out of school, don't forget the small print there."

"I'm…having trouble seeing how this fixes everything."

"Thank you for asking, Lucius." click "Part I, Education isn't Everything."

"Hmm."

"Let's be honest. My apprenticeship under Bruce has provided me with a huge amount of information and a wide variety of skills, way more than I could ever receive through formal education. My education was always non-traditional, and it has left me with all the usual reasoning skills and basic math and science that a high school would provide anyway, with additional knowledge and skills to boot.

"What would I be learning at a high school that I don't already know? I'm already skilled in advanced chemistry and calculus, and I am well studied on all the great literature. I'm more in tune with current events than most of my peers, and have a deep understanding of the political forces in our nation and globally. Perhaps I don't have a full grasp of all of the elective options, but no student does. Plenty of people graduate without ever learning to play the trumpet."

"I think I would've picked you for saxophone, actually."

"My point stands. If I'd not had so many family emergencies and absences over these past few years, I would already be graduated, as you noted earlier. The only reason I was held back was due to a lot of disruptions in my education, not because I had bad grades. I certainly have all the knowledge necessary to pass the GED, and going back to high school wouldn't really benefit me."

"Not even for the chance to interact with your peers?"

"I do interact with my peers, outside of school. I've got lots of friends, and most of them are alive now! I am even meeting new people, like your daughter, Tam."

"Ah yes, Tam. Who I asked to find and bring you home only to find that you subsequently exposed her to some extremely dangerous individuals."

"Well, I guess that's what happens when you have so many surprise visitors all the time. I keep telling people to call ahead when they're planning to stop by."

"…"

"…I'm very sorry about putting Tam in danger."

"Have you thought that maybe staying in school would help you to maintain a sense of normalcy in your life in the midst of your…unexpected visitors?"

"I mean, it hasn't done much so far. And I'm just looking to trade one quote-unquote normal life for another. Which transitions well into our next point, actually." click "Entering the workforce.

"I think it's worth acknowledging, at this point, that I have, in essence, been working while attending school for several years now in my internship position with Bruce. Despite that position being…uh…no longer available, I am planning to continue along that career path." click "Like Bruce, I feel that the best step for me is to begin work full time at Wayne Enterprises."

"I think that saying that Bruce works full time is extremely generous of you."

"You know what I mean. And honestly, I feel like it would be helpful anyway if I could be around more. Bruce never could with all his other obligations and his, uh, lifestyle. But having a more active CEO would mean we could push through bigger changes."

"And your…lifestyle…wouldn't similarly impact attendance?"

"I'm not trying to be a playboy like Bruce, and I don't have as many other people who need me. All my commitments these days are in Gotham."

"What about all those alive friends that you have? You don't need to be with them?"

"…They don't, I mean. Damian's sort of, uh. He's starting to…expand his horizons in that arena. He doesn't need me stepping on his moment. Besides, my friends know where to find me. And most of them have a lot easier time traveling to me than I do to them."

"I see. So then. Assuming we accept that this is the most reasonable course of action, then what next?"

"I'm glad you asked." click "Part III, how it all works." click "You see, Bruce suspected that something may happen to him in the future. You know how accident prone he is."

"And thus?"

"…Thus he updated his will so that, if needed, I could assume control of the company." click

"At seventeen?"

"Well, I do need to be emancipated. Once that happens, I will be able to assume the CEO position within the company, gain the majority of shares, and have sway on many of these decisions, which will be important since I'm pretty sure at least three other board members are directly in the pocket of our concerned outside party."

"I see. And you say Bruce set this up…when?"

"Oh, this was last year, right after he adopted me."

"Hmm. I see. Well, I do have a couple of questions."

"Fire away."

"First, I'd like to know why this will, which was established last year, does not match the hard copy that Bruce hand-delivered to me before his most recent accident at the start of the summer."

"…hard copy?"

"Bruce was, as you well know, a little bit paranoid about his contingency plans. Which is why, in addition to filing his updated will every quarter, he would also give out sealed hard copies to several individuals, of whom I am one. I'm not certain of who else was included in this practice, as it is part of his precautions to ensure that no imposter would be able to enact a false will."

"…Oh. Uh. And uh. How many people do we think may have received a copy?"

"I'm not certain, but I believe one of them may be his reporter friend from Metropolis."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Okay. Uh."

"Before you start making even bigger plans to try to falsify Bruce's will, I do have one other question for you."

"Uh-huh?"

"Tim. Bruce is alive."

"I know that! Of course I know that. What do you think I've been doing for the past several months—"

"Tim. If Bruce is alive, how are we supposed to execute his will?"

"W-…huh?"

"If Bruce is alive and currently signing checks and making financial decisions at this building, which I think we both agree is currently happening, then how are we supposed to execute his last will and testament?"

"I—uh. Uhh…"

"Tim, all that aside, answer me this. Why does it have to be you who takes over the company?"

"I—I mean, it's not like anyone else can do it."

"You could leave it to Dick—"

"Dick has made it abundantly clear that he already has his hands full with other projects. And one of those projects is Damian, the other person I could theoretically leave this place to, if he weren't literally a ten-year-old. And it's not like I can leave everything to Jason!"

"Now that's a will I don't think we want to try to dig up again."

"Yes, exactly. So who else is there who Bruce even has the connection to? Kate? She already has her own life and responsibilities. And Cassandra? Even if she was willing to take on the company, or if we could even find her, she doesn't have the same sort of training and connections to make it in the corporate world. She'd hate it."

"But dropping out? Emancipation? Just in order to stage what is essentially a corporate takeover?"

"Lucius, I don't. I'm."

"Tim?"

"…I just don't know what else to do."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay, kid."

"Don't—I'm fine."

"All right. Yeah. You're all right."

"…thanks, Lucius."

"Don't mention it."

sniff "Hey Lucius?"

"Yes, Tim?"

"Why did you send Tam after me, anyway?"

"What, it's a bad thing now for me to want to know what happened to my friend's kid who ran off to the other side of the planet and stopped answering all phone calls?"

"…okay, fair point. But sending Tam? You must have known—"

"It could be dangerous? I suspected it might be. I was hoping that you would take care of her."

"And I did!"

"And you did. Cut it a little closer than I would have liked, but you did. And whatever she now knows was not immediately announced to the press, so I think we can all agree it wasn't that bad a decision."

"No, she was good. Great, actually. Considering."

"I'm sure she was. Though I will say I'm glad that she is out of some of that excitement now. I'm definitely ready for things to calm down again."

"Yeah, I think…I think that sounds good. I'm ready for all of this to be over."

"I hear you. So. Let's talk this out. I agree that we need to get control of the company away from not-Bruce."

"Mm-hmm."

"And as much as I don't really support you dropping out of school, I can't disagree that this is probably the best solution for now. Especially seeing that you've already laid the groundwork on the paper trail."

"But the hard copies? The will?"

"It doesn't have to be executed through a will. You've already got the access to add some official records? We'll make it a trust fund, set to activate when you turn 18 or when you are no longer under anyone else's guardianship."

"Think everyone will buy that? Bruce just turning over the company to a teenager?"

"It's no secret he's been a bit of an absentee CEO. With the right nudging, we can hint that this is both a way of looking out for you as well as getting out from under some of those pesky responsibilities. It's also certainly not the first case of corporate nepotism."

"Okay…okay, yeah. I can do that. And if, if you can sign for me, then I can…we'll do that."

"I want to make it clear, though, that you'll be burning a number of bridges with this. You'll make a lot of enemies, and this time in the corporate world where they'll be harder to just punch back."

"I know. I'm ready. I've been dealing with those anyway, with Drake Industries and all the mess there."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I—yeah. I'm sure."

"…All right, kid. Well. Good luck."

"…yeah. Thanks."

Chapter Text

click "Hello, Tim. Welcome."

"What the—what is going on here? A kidnapping? Really, Jason?"

"Oh, don't worry, it's not just me."

"Dick? What the hell? You guys just, what, think it's okay to waltz into someone's bedroom and kidnap them at their computer, then tie them to chairs in the middle of the night?"

"Yes. Absolutely yes."

"Look, Tim, first of all, this isn't really a kidnapping. We're just at the manor. We needed to talk to you for a bit without you shutting us out."

"And the best way was by non-consensually shoving a bag over my head, hauling my ass across Gotham, and strapping me to an armchair?!"

"I mean, it was the funniest way."

"You are not helping. And for the record, I was opting for bribery with caffeine and cookies."

"Yes, thank you, that sounds much better. Why didn't that happen?"

"This was funnier."

"We both kind of thought that you might not, uh, stick around if it was just for cookies."

"Stick around for what?"

click

"Oh. My god."

"Now, just hear us out—"

"Where the fuck did you even find that?"

"You're sentimental and I'm nosy. Don't leave random USB drives lying around."

"That wasn't lying around, it was in a locked safe in a hidden floorboard in my closet!"

"Just begging to be looked at, honestly. What do you expect from us?"

"I was hoping for a modicum of respect for my private things!"

"…You realize how hypocritical that is, right?"

"No."

"Okay, Mr. Stalker. We certainly won't discuss everything else I found in that safe, then."

"That was…research."

"Research on what, how stupid I looked in the scaly shorts?"

"We're getting off subject here. Jason, the presentation?"

"Fine, moving on for now. Let's get on with the show." click BOOM "Part one. You're stepping down as CEO." click BOOM "Part two."

"Wait, what?! That's it? Where is your evidence? Where's the—"

"You're going back to high school." click BOOM "Part three. You're also going to college."

"Seriously? Neither of you even went to college! Why are you making—"

click BOOM "Part four. You might even be going to grad school."

"This is ridiculous. I'm not putting up with—"

click BOOM "Part five. Because we said so. So get over it."

"You don't get to control my life. Also, you called me hypocritical, what is this?! You also didn't go to school and also hate it when people tell you what to do! You ran away to Bludhaven because Bruce was telling you what to do, and you ran away to Ethiopia and got yourself killed because of it!"

"Low blow, birdie. You wanna try that again?"

"What Jason means to say, is that we are saying it because we have been through it. Yes, Bruce is an overbearing asshole who needs to learn how to support his kids without oppressing them. And yes, that made both me and Jason rebel against him."

"Exactly!"

"But Tim, that's…that's not why you left school, is it?" click

"I…I don't…"

"Jason, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Based on your previous slideshows, the reasons you left school were, hmm, let's see…because Bruce was dead—"

"Which he isn't anymore."

"—because Ra's al Ghul is a conniving little fuck—"

"Which he still is, but he's no longer an immediate threat."

"—and because you felt like you didn't have a choice."

"Which wasn't true, really, not then and definitely not now."

"You're forgetting how I was also not getting anything out of school. Also, I don't have time for an education with having to also be a cape. None of us do."

"Steph's in college now and making it work. Babs has a degree in computer science. Helena's a literal teacher with a master's in education. Just because we're both dropouts doesn't mean you have to be."

"Even Bruce managed to get a degree somewhere in there."

"That's not true, actually. He just printed out a fake degree that he made so he had something for the wall and as an excuse as to where he was when he was training with the League of Assassins. He had me hack into the Yale database a few years ago to retroactively award it to him and create a fake transcript."

"That son of a bitch! Who's a hypocrite now?!"

"All of us, probably. We had to learn it from someone."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Anyway. The point is that you're smart and competent, Tim. If you want to go back to school, you can. And we both think that you should."

"If anyone should be going back to school, shouldn't it be Jason? You actually even liked school."

"I liked school because it was away from Bruce and they fed me."

"You're forgetting I went to school with you for a few years. Your teachers were always gushing over what a good student you were."

"…It's creepy that you know that. What the fuck were you doing spying on my teachers?"

"For the love of—Jay, he is riling you up to distract you. I know you wanted to be a part of the intervention, but you need to stay on target. We're talking about you right now, Tim, not about Jason."

"Yeah! Not like I can go back anyway, so it's all moot."

"You think if I can hack into Yale to get Bruce a degree I can't get you into Gotham U under a fake name?"

"Wait, really?"

"Focus! We will talk about Jason's education opportunities after this meeting. If you both want to go back, that's great, and we will do that for both of you."

"Great. So we'll get Jason into college and I can go ahead and continue what I'm doing, since I don't want to go back."

"Come on, baby bird, you don't mean that."

"Don't call me that. And you don't know me or what I want."

"Baby bird? What's wrong with that?"

"I'm hardly your baby anymore, so I think it's time we both move on from it. The time when you knew me is past."

"…Is this about Damian? You know he's not—"

"No! For fuck's sake! Not everything is about that little gremlin. Maybe I'm just growing up, and that means that we aren't going to have the same relationship as we did before."

"You said we were brothers. When you were falling, and I…you said you could depend on me, because we're brothers."

"Yeah, Dick. We're brothers. Same as you and Jason. But that doesn't mean the relationship hasn't changed. We've all grown up. Time to just accept that."

"And you were on my ass about getting distracted."

"Ugh, you're right. Okay, okay. Okay."

"Wing?"

"I'm good. Tim. I'm sorry that I broke your trust when I made Damian Robin. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you were looking for Bruce."

"…It's okay, I know you had a lot going on."

"I did. We all did. I'm still sorry it happened to you, and I want to do better for you."

"Damn, you sound like my therapist."

"You have a therapist? Oh my god, that is so good to hear, Little Wing, I—"

"No, no! Not about me! Get off! Go hug the little one, he's practically shaking over there."

"Tim?"

"…I, uh." sniff "I'd kinda hoped to skip this part of the presentation. Figured maybe if I wasn't presenting I wouldn't, you know, with the snot and the tears…"

"Oh, baby bird."

"Not to spoil the cuddlefest, but how long have your hands been free?"

"Mm."

"…The cookies totally would've worked, wouldn't they?"

"I dunno. I probably wouldn't have trusted you if it hadn't been something exactly this big and stupid and dramatic. What is Jason Todd if not overdramatic?"

"Brat."

"Besides. This was funnier."