Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Don’t own DC or Spiderman

Chapter 1

Tim could admit it, he was exhausted. He’d been run off his feet with cases - mostly chasing down Killer Croc which had not been fun and he had the stitches to prove it. A ‘skateboarding accident’ had gotten him three days off school to recover since he hadn’t been able to move much at first. Being thrown into a bus and then bitten had not been fun. So being back at school had him wishing for his bed again but he trudged into the classroom and collapsed in his seat.

At least at Gotham Academy, he didn’t have any friends who would be worried about him. Bruce had enrolled him at the school after the adoption went through, giving him a fresh start after everything. Tim still wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. He’d gotten used to covering up injuries from his friends, he’d been Robin long enough. Except now it wasn’t just Robin injuries he had to hide.

He blinked blearily when the seat next to him was taken, no one ever sat there. He looked over to see a boy with slightly curly brown hair and hazel eyes, a lanky build and an ill-fitting uniform, obviously second hand so likely a scholarship student, not that Tim cared about that.

“Uh…hi?” the stranger offered.

Tim forced himself to straighten up. “Hello,” he greeted in return. “You’re new, transfer?” he asked, and the other teen nodded.

“Just moved from New York, I’m Peter,” he offered his hand, and Tim shook it.

“Tim, welcome to Gotham.” And then class started.

Tim kept an eye on Peter without being obvious about it, his supplies were definitely second hand at best and Tim was a little confused. Scholarships were given to the really smart kids, so why did he seem so perplexed by History? No, be nice Tim, smart didn’t mean good at every subject. He hated English after all, so maybe History was Peter’s English.  

That was proved correct as soon as they began their chemistry class, it was very obvious that this was where Peter excelled, definitely a STEM student. Tim even got a glimpse at some formula he was doodling and that…that was not something taught in high school. Tim didn’t even recognise it!

Sadly, they didn’t share English but then when Tim staggered on his way to lunch, he was caught, looking up to find it was Peter.

“Are you okay?” the other teen asked, looking him over.

“Messed up at the skatepark,” Tim answered. “Stitches suck.”

That got a snort from his new classmate. “Yeah, they do. Fell out of a tree when I was…nine? Ripped my leg up from ankle to knee. My Aunt flipped out thanks to all the blood but everyone at school wanted to see.”

Tim chuckled and surprised himself when he let the slightly taller boy support him on their way into the cafeteria. But the bit was right into his side and moving hurt. And Peter didn’t seem to have any trouble supporting him which was nice. He might be lanky but he was taller than Tim and there was muscle under that uniform. And it was weird, but Tim didn’t feel any kind of threat from being so close to a stranger.

Jason paused in his patrol, glancing over the roof to see the same kid he’d noticed the last few days in a not quite well-fitting uniform from the same school as the Replacement. Good on him for getting into a school like that while living in Crime Alley. He’d noticed the boy a few weeks ago but the kid seemed to be keeping his nose clean – no sign of drug use or joining a gang at least.

He kept moving, the kid didn’t seem to be on the streets or in trouble so no reason to intervene.

Tim ignored Damian and made his way up to his room; he had homework to catch up on. He wouldn’t be cleared for patrol until his stitches were pulled which was annoying, but it gave him time to catch up on schoolwork. He entered his room and sighed, looked like the brat had been in there while he was at school. Great.

It took an hour to search his room from top to bottom, ensuring he had disabled any and all traps that had been left behind. Once that was done, he settled in to do his work. He didn’t bother telling anyone since it wouldn’t change anything. Dick would brush it off and Bruce would leave it for Tim to deal with but if Tim retaliated or defended himself…

For a few short, wonderful, months the Manor had been the first true home he’d ever had. Things had been a bit better with his Dad and Dana, until he found out about Robin and threated B anyway. But Tim had been keeping so many secrets from them, had always been on guard, worried he’d give something away. He still had no clue how his Dad had found his suit and those diaries…he didn’t keep diaries! But the handwriting had matched his. The only answer, someone had set him up, someone wanted him out of the suit. And he had to wonder if it had been Damian or someone working for the League. Without him, B would need a Robin and Damian was older than Dick had been so age wouldn’t be an argument with Tim out of the way. But Tim had pushed Steph as his replacement before Damian could show up. Not that that had worked at all and now…now she was dead too.

If only his fake Uncle hadn’t fallen through, which hadn’t been his fault since no one could have seen what had happened coming. Things would have been better if he’d never agreed to the adoption. He never would have gotten to see what really being a part of the family was like only to lose it. What had once been a dream had turned into a nightmare. And he was stuck until he was eighteen, if he lived that long, or until he could get emancipated.

His life had just fallen apart lately. Steph…Dad…Bart…Kon…all of them gone. He’d let Dick talk him down at the Lazarus Pit, had destroyed his own cloning equipment in a fit of rage and now couldn’t try again since Cassie knew. He just…he needed one thing to go right, to be better.

Bruce glanced up at his children, most of them anyway. Jason…well. And Steph had never truly been one of them, attached at the fringe through her relationship with Tim, even when she’d been Robin, she had held herself apart. He thought some of that was anger at him in giving in to Jack Drake. And now she was gone too. The meal was quiet in a way they didn’t used to be but Tim was silent, staring at his plate, still worn out from his injuries? And likely sulking a bit, none of the boys took being benched very well.

Dick was trying but Tim was sullenly silent and Damian just scoffed. To think, he had once missed quiet meals. Now he missed the happy laughter and playfulness. It had been the most obvious in Jason’s time, Tim had always been a quieter child, but Dick had eventually gotten him to play more.

He understood, it took time to adjust, and Tim was a lot like him when it came to change. He had no doubt that Tim and Damian would figure things out with time and become brothers. The boys were more alike than either would admit.

Finding Peter waiting for him or waiting for Peter in return began to feel…normal. It was nice, to have something to look forward to each school day. The other teen could chatter away and just let Tim listen if he needed it, or they’d talk together. It was nice to have someone who could keep up with him when he went off on a tangent about something. Peter just…got him, in a way no one but Kon and Bart ever had.

“You know the science fair that’s on this weekend?” he asked as they sat eating lunch.

“Sure, it’s been sold out for months.” Peter was looking at him curiously.

“I’ve got two tickets; would you like to come?” Originally, Dick was going to take him, but that wasn’t happening anymore.

“Seriously?”

“Sure, we’re friends, right?”

Peter grinned at him, looking utterly happy. “We are.” There was no hesitation in his agreement. It felt nice, to have someone seem genuinely happy to spend time with him again. “How much is the ticket? I’ll pay you back.”

“It’s my treat Peter, don’t worry about it.” He wasn’t going to say anything about the difference in their finances. Peter didn’t seem ashamed of it or anything but still, better to not risk saying it.

“You’re sure? I can pay.”

Tim got the feeling he really couldn’t, the tickets weren’t cheap. “I’m sure, I already have the tickets. It’d go to waste if you didn’t come.”

He hated that, hated that Dick had gone back on his promise to go with him and instead was taking Damian to the freaking zoo, something that could be done any day since the brat wasn’t in school yet. He knew Damian was behind picking that day but if he said something, they’d turn it around on him.

“Okay, what time are the tickets for?” Peter let the idea of paying go thankfully, for now at least.

“11am. Need a lift, I’ve got a bike, I can pick you up,” he offered.

Peter shifted uncomfortably. “No, it’s fine, it’s right near the train station. Meet up at quarter too?”

“Sounds good.” Tim was excited, he had a friend and they were going to go to the science fair together. Star labs had an exhibit, as did Wayne Enterprises, even LuthorCorp sadly. But hey, recon opportunity.

Now he just had to keep the Bats from finding out about Peter. He was not subjecting his new friend and newcomer to Gotham to B’s paranoia. He’d research his entire life and that wasn’t fair. Yes, there were some oddities to Peter, but he was a teenager trying to fit into a school where he was poorer than ninety percent of the other students. His biology and chemistry knowledge was incredible, better than Tim’s, but that didn’t mean anything other than that he was smart. And who knew what Damian would do if he thought Peter was a threat, Tim could defend himself, Peter couldn’t.

“Coming to the zoo with us Timmy?” Dick asked, seeing Tim shoving his shoes on.

“No, I’m still going to the science fair that you promised to go to with me. No point wasting the money I spent on the tickets. See you later,” he called, walking out the door without a backwards glance.

Dick stared as Tim got on his civilian bike and drove away without pausing. That was today? Wait, Tim was riding? He wasn’t seventeen! But he’d gotten a special exemption to drive because of his Dad, did that include his motorcycle?

He’d forgotten all about the fair. Damian had actually asked him to take him to the zoo though. It was a great step forward in becoming a normal kid rather than a mini-assassin.

Alfred watched from the window as Master Tim rode away. Master Dick may not have seen, but he was at a different angel. He’d had a clear view of the angry swipe across his eyes Master Tim had made before putting his helmet on. A glance at the calendar showed why. He would make something for tonight to try and cheer him up, one of his favourites. But it was not his place to interfere in the relationship between them, so long as no one was in danger.

Master Dick had never had to juggle the wants and needs of two younger siblings at once given that Master Jason wanted nothing to do with the family since his return. He would find a balance sooner or later, hopefully before he completely alienated dear Tim.

Lucius spotted young Tim Drake-Wayne in the crowd, smiling as the boy chattered away, pulling another teen along. The other boy seemed just as excited. A friend from school? He didn’t think the teen looked like any cape he’d ever seen an image of. The only others on Young Justice had very different hair to this boy.

It was odd though, he was sure he remembered Bruce talking about the boys coming together, a brotherly bonding outing. So where was Dick? Either way, Tim seemed to be enjoying himself and that was what mattered.

“Hell Mr Fox, this is Peter Parker. He attends Gotham Academy too. Peter, this is Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises. He keeps it all running and the board from strangling Bruce.”

Lucius chuckled and shook Peter’s hand. “Nice to meet a friend of Tim’s. Are you interested in science Peter?” and then the two boys were off…leaving Lucius in the dust. He knew Tim was a genius, seemed his friend was too.

He’d have to keep an eye on both boys, it was always good to keep future employees in mind. Then again, DI had somehow managed to remain afloat, in trouble yes, but he had the feeling Tim had begun acting behind the scenes to keep his family company going.

Tim scanned the reports, there wasn’t one good image of the new figure making a mark on Gotham. At least it wasn’t Jason on another tear. No…whoever this was, seemed to be keeping to Batman’s rules, no one had been killed. There were no samples of whatever they used to restrain people either, it dissolved very quickly. He wished Cass was in Gotham, she could likely track the newcomer down and determine their intentions. He missed his sister but she was off doing a job for Babs, who was just as frustrated by the lack of images as he was.

There were whispers that this newcomer was a meta, the weird web like material would seem to add to that. It could be some kind of man-made substance though. Without a sample they just couldn’t say for sure. They weren’t committing crimes, well, no more than any vigilante. And they didn’t seem to have a determined patrol area or route, they’d been spotted randomly all over the city, though not in Crime Alley but everyone knew that was Hood’s territory. It was smart of them to stay away from there.

Tim was just glad that Jason had stopped shooting at him, it made patrol less nerve wracking. And he’d even helped them during the last Arkham breakout. But he made it clear he wasn’t coming back to the family which hurt.

He shut the computer down and picked up his empty mug, heading upstairs. He put it in the sink and retired to his bedroom, checking it over for new traps before locking the door. Tim changed into pyjamas and then got into bed. It was only 2am but he had school so he needed to get some sleep.

He slipped out of the Manor the next morning, skipping breakfast since Damian was in a foul mood and he didn’t want to be dodging murder attempts so early. He grabbed the bus as it passed, saving Alfred driving him in, getting to school earlier than normal but that was fine. What wasn’t fine was the fact that Peter was limping when he showed up.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worried, but Peter smiled at him.

“I’m fine,” he promised.

“Peter…”

He sighed and shook his head. “It’s fine, nothing happened. Just an attempted mugging, but they didn’t even get my wallet.”

“Please be careful.” Tim could defend himself easily from a mugger, but Peter? Yes, he had muscle but that didn’t mean he knew how to fight. Thankfully, Tim’s record showed he’d taken martial art lessons as a kid so he was allowed to fight back. Should he offer to teach Peter?

“I’m fine, Tim. Really. I’m from Queen’s, do you know how many times I’ve nearly been mugged or caught in a robbery?”

Okay…that made sense as to why he was so chill about it. New York wasn’t Gotham but it still had a pretty high crime rate.

“I’m allowed to be worried about my friend,” Tim told him as they headed inside.

“Then I’m allowed to worry about you too, mister clumsy,” Peter teased, but Tim could tell he really was worried about him.

It wasn’t like Tim liked going to school injured but between the night job and Damian… “Fine,” Tim sighed tiredly, and Peter laughed.

TBC….

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 2

Tim sighed as the sample dissolved before he could even get into the sample container. This newcomer was getting very frustrating. How did they keep avoiding them? Even when Dick joined them, the person…male from the brief recording they’d gotten of them speaking to a purse snatcher, managed to keep out of reach and mostly out of sight. They were good, way too good to be new and yet no one else had reported someone like them in any other city. Unless the spider bit was new and they’d changed their id? But they seemed very comfortable with the…webs.

He put the container back in his belt, just leaning against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. He was so tired. Which was stupid since he was patrolling less lately but there was nowhere that he could relax anymore. He didn’t sleep deeply even with his bedroom door locked due to Damian and his ‘tests’. He’d kind of hoped that Dick would realise what he was doing after the fiasco with the science fair but nope, nothing. Apparently, the sun still shone out of Damian’s butt.

“Hey, you okay?” a voice called, and he jumped, hand dropping to his bō as he straightened up.

He looked around and then looked up, fighting to keep his jaw from dropping. Seriously?! All this time and the guy just…shows up?

“Ah, Robin, right? You alright?”

“Who are you?” he asked warily.

How was he sticking to the wall? Was it a function of his suit? It was skintight, even more than Nightwing’s, how did that offer any protection? There couldn’t be any armour under that or built in and the material was too fluid as he sifted to be Kevlar or anything.

“Me? I’m your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man!” Was the cheerful reply. “There’s a hyphen in there, that’s important.” He leapt off the wall, flipping to land in an odd-looking crouch, out of Tim’s reach. “You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”

Was he...concerned? Tim wasn’t sure whether to use his beacon or not, activating his comm would likely be noticed, but he wasn’t doing anything threatening.

“I’m fine,” he answered.

“That’s good. Well, nice meeting you Robin.” Somehow, despite the full-face mask, Tim got the sense that he was smiling. Then he leapt up, flipping back into the air and Tim lunged forward, watching as that…web? Shot from his wrist and he swung away. Tim hadn’t seen anything on his wrist but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a device he couldn’t make out from a distance.

Spider-Man huh? He knew of some spider themed or named mercs but he’d never heard of a hero or vigilante using that name. Was he affiliated with any of them? At least he now had a name for the file and an image through his mask footage.

Tim grinned when Peter’s head met the table. “Mr Andrews history test?” he asked, his friend nodding miserably.

School had become his refuge, the one place anymore where he had anyone who understood him. Not that Peter could fully understand, he didn’t know that Tim was Robin, he was a civilian. But they had a lot in common still.

“Want me to help you study for it? History isn’t my best subject but I pass it just fine.”

“Thank you,” Peter mumbled before lifting his head.

“No problem. We could go to yours after school?” he offered, and Peter bit his lip, hesitating.

“Uh…would your family be okay with that? I don’t exactly live somewhere,” he waved his hand around.

“My ex-Steph is from the Narrows and I’ve been to her place,” Tim pointed out. “I don’t care, Peter.”

“Even…Crime Alley?” he asked softly, and Tim’s eyes widened.

Oh. Yeah…that was complicated. Technically, Tim Drake was fine going there and Robin wasn’t allowed…except that Jason knew exactly who he was. If he caught him in his territory…

“Library?” Peter offered, and Tim nodded.

“I don’t have anything against the Alley, Peter. Jason…Bruce’s second son, came from there. But it’s dangerous and B’s gotten very protective. I could probably sneak…”

“No, no point risking getting grounded or something. Besides, there’s a great bakery near the library and apparently, they do pretty good coffee.”

“Haven’t tried it yet?” Tim asked.

“Coffee and I are not a good combo.” The grimace on Peter’s face had him curious.

“Really?”

“Yep. I can have a soda, but not coffee so it’s not the caffeine probably.” Peter shrugged.

“Alright, I’ll call and cancel the car pick up and we can go to the library.”

Before lunch ended, he messaged Alfred to let him know he would be going to the library to study for a few hours and would grab the bus.

A few hours later, they walked into the library and right away, he spotted Barbara. But he trusted her not to spill to Bruce or even Dick.

“Tim, hey!” She greeted.

“He Babs,” he responded. “Peter, have you met Barbara?” he asked, and Peter shook his head. “We’re just here to study for a while, history test coming up.”

“Nice to meet you Peter,” she smiled kindly at him. “Have fun boys.”

“Nice to meet you too!” He called, waving as they headed for the history section.

Soon they were settled at a table, books spread about them.

Seeing Tim at the library was a shock, and with a friend? The other boy had been wearing the school uniform so maybe just a group project? She couldn’t help bringing up the cameras, spotting them bent over books, working on history as Tim had said. It was odd, Wayne Manor had an excellent library, why not just go there?

Damian glared as Drake headed out in the suit that should be his. He would have a new one designed though, that one wouldn’t suit him. He would go back to the original colours but with his own twist to them. He was born and bred to be Robin and then one day, Batman. It was a proud legacy and Drake was not fit to bear it. But so far, nothing he had done had worked to rid himself of the usurper.

Drake had been spending more time away from the Manor, he just needed something to give him the final push, and if it ended up fatal…so be it. That would only prove how unworthy he was.

Alfred watched as Tim once again headed out alone. He had caught a glimpse of another teen with him during a school pick up and suspected that he had made a new friend. It was a relief given everything the dear boy had been through in the last year. Being on the phone with his father as he was attacked, being so close to getting there in time to save him…Stephanie, Superboy, Impulse… older, more experience people had broken from so many losses so close together.

He was so proud of Tim, he just wished the poor boy wasn’t being so overlooked by the family. Yes, Master Damian had much to adjust to and learn, but it should not be at the expense of Master Tim. At this rate, he feared the boy may simply not return one day, he surely knew enough to evade them and move on if things became any worse.

And he knew he’d played his own part in that. The birthday test, not chastising Master Damian strongly…but the boy did not really respect him. He had tried to speak with Master Bruce about what was happening, but he was very busy with the League at the moment.

Jason paused, seeing the distant figure moving across the roofs… Robin. He wasn’t in the Alley or even too close to the border so he’d let him be. He went to turn away but then paused, activating the zoom in his helmet. What was… he knew that black! League of Assassins. He hesitated but…the green was better now, the Rage more manageable and…he didn’t want the kid dead.

“Red Hood to Oracle,” he called over the comm even as he began to move.

“Hood?” she asked warily. They might kind of have a truce but he stayed off their lines.

“Warn Robin, he’s got a League tail, at least one operative.”

He heard her suck in a breath at that. “Understood.” There was silence as he watched. “I can’t raise Robin on comms.”

He could turn back, the kid knew now, but was he good enough to survive and escape if attacked? So instead, he kept going, working to gain ground. He just imagined the look on Dick’s face if the kid was killed or taken and he couldn’t ignore what was happening. Damn it, he’d gotten soft.

Tim had caught a flash of something in his peripheral vision and shifted his route cautiously. Very few outside of the Bats used the rooftops, it could be a jumper, kids messing around, someone sneaking a smoke break… and then he fell. His line! He reached for his backup, aiming, and it jammed hard. He hit the emergency beacon on his belt even as he twisted to brace for a bad landing…he was way too high up! He felt the terror rising, trying to drown out thought, and then something hard slammed into him, halting his fall, pushing him sideways.

“HOLD ON!” A mechanised voice called, a familiar voice, but he was already moving anyway, shaking hands latching on as tightly as he could.

They landed hard, Hood taking the brunt of it, rolling with him. they came to a stop, Tim sprawled over Hood’s chest, both of them panting.

“With me kid?” Hood asked, and Tim managed a shaky nod.

“T…thanks,” he managed to get out.

Hood sat up and Tim scrambled off of him before he could fall. Tim could feel his heart racing, breaths coming in pants. “Easy Robin, you’re okay,” Hood told him, and then Tim realised he was on alert, looking around.

“Hood?” Tim asked.

“Oracle couldn’t raise you on comm,” was the gruff answer. “You’ve got at least one assassin on your tail.”

“So, my line…” he choked out shakily.

“Yeah.” Hood stood, keeping in the cover of the rooftop equipment, hauling Tim to his feet.

Tim tapped his comm and there was only static. “Is your comm jammed?” he asked.

Hood’s head tilted to the side. “O says your trackers are offline…you have six?”

“Long story,” Tim answered. “All I’m getting on the comm is static. I hit my beacon, did that go off?”

Another pause. “No.” He fiddled with something on his wrist computer. “O’s sending the Batmobile on auto for you. If you’re being targeted you need to get off the streets.”

“Why? Why are you helping me?” he asked.

Jason’s heart fell and sped up as he saw something flash through the air. And then the kid was tumbling. Jason leapt, firing his grapple. He saw Robin reach to his lower back for his backup grapple, aiming…and nothing. He landed and fired again; he had to make it! Losing a brother the same way he had his parents would destroy Dick and even after everything…he loved his brother. He shifted his angle and then reached out with an arm. Grappling with one arm was never fun but then he slammed into Robin, to Tim.

“HOLD ON!” he yelled, struggling to get a good grip on him, seeing the low roof coming up fast. This was not going to be a good landing.

They slammed into it, rolling, Jason curling the kid into his own body, protecting his less armoured form. They finally stopped with the kid sprawled on top of him.

“With me kid?” He asked, and Tim gave a shaky nod.

Jason braced the kid and began doing an injury check, they’d hit each other pretty hard and he wore very heavy armour compared to Robin, even if the kid wore more than he or Dick ever had. 

“T…thanks,” Tim half stammered. 

Jason sat up, the kid scrambling off of him, hearing him pant for air. “Easy Robin, you’re okay,” he assured the kid, keeping an eye out for his attacker.

“Hood?” Tim asked.

“Oracle couldn’t raise you on comm,” he answered gruffly, searching for the assailant. “You’ve got at least one assassin on your tail.”

“So, my line…” he choked out shakily.

“Yeah.” Jason stood, keeping in the cover of the rooftop equipment, hauling Tim to his feet.

Tim tapped his comm but stayed quiet, frowning slightly. “Is your comm jammed?” he asked.

“Hood to Oracle,” he called, external speaker off.

“Hood?”

“I’ve got the bird, caught him mid-air, someone cut his line. He didn’t know his comm is off.”

“I can’t see his trackers. How the hell could all six fail?”

 “O says your trackers are offline…you have six?” He stared at Tim, he’d had two! Was it…because he’d died, had Batman increased the number?

“Long story,” Tim answered. “All I’m getting on the comm is static. I hit my beacon, did that go off?”

“O, did his emergency beacon register?”

“No,” she answered, sounding horrified and for good reason.

He’d gotten into her systems just deep enough to call her, but to be able to block Tim’s signals totally? That took a lot of skill…or direct access to the Clocktower or Batcave, maybe the Watchtower? It couldn’t be an area jammer or Jason’s gear would be affected too. Okay, so maybe he was a little worried about the kid now.

 “No,” he told Tim, seeing his expression tighten and for good reason. This was a very targeted attack.

“We need to get Robin off the street, I’m sending the backup Batmobile. Can you activate a tracker for it?”

He hated doing so, but he did. “O’s sending the Batmobile on auto for you. If you’re being targeted you need to get off the streets.”

“Why? Why are you helping me?” Tim asked, wary, and Jason didn’t blame him. He’d still taken the occasional potshot at the kid…kid, he was what, two years younger than Jason?

“It’d kill N to lose you the same way as them,” he answered.

Thankfully, the familiar sound of the Batmobile reached their ears.

“Come on, I’ll get you down.”

Tim stared at him but then hesitantly moved into his side, not that he blamed him for his hesitation. He could feel the temptation to shoot him but at the moment it was controllable. He wrapped his arm around Tim and then lowered them to the ground.

“Thanks,” Tim whispered and then he was in the Batmobile.

Jason grappled up to the roof, watching the Batmobile for several streets before going hunting for whoever had been gutsy enough to cut Robin’s line.

Tim’s thoughts were spinning. Their lines were specially made, incredibly hard to damage let alone cut. The League of Assassin’s were some of the few who could do it and Jason had seen one. But his comm, trackers, even the emergency beacon? That would take deep access to their systems and there was no way an outside hacker could do that without alerting Oracle.

His backup line though…he’d done his pre-patrol checks but then had to go back upstairs for a few minutes…it had worked fine before then. Someone had tampered with his gear in the Batcave.

“Disengage autopilot,” he forced the words out.

“Robin?”

He trusted her, didn’t he? “My backup grapple was tampered with, deliberately jammed. No one got close enough on patrol to do it.”

There was a moments silence. “You’re sure?”

“Positive. I did a standard pre-patrol check but then got called upstairs.”

“Do you want to come here?”

“No,” he answered, the League might look for him there. He turned around for the bag stored in back, a mixture of civilian clothes in it. “Drop me once I’m changed.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure, I need to go to ground, to think. O…” He scrambled out of his gear but slipped his bō and a few birdarangs into hiding spots in the clothing. Thankfully, the pants were his but the oversized hoody was definitely Dick’s.

“I know. Just keep in some kind of contact, even a burner phone. I’ll find out what’ going on,” she answered, the Batmobile turning off the main street and slowing.

“Thanks.” He grabbed an unopened burner from the stash, checking it wasn’t tampered with and then he was out of the car.

Barbara leant back from the desk, rubbing at her face. Tim… if Jason hadn’t seen…if he hadn’t chosen to follow…they never would have known until his body was found, if it was found. Had the plan been to kill or capture?

She had to find out what was going on, Tim’s life depended on it. There was no way she’d missed someone hacking in from a remote location, which someone had accessed their systems from Gotham. And the grapple…she really didn’t like what that suggested but she wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it either.

Tim wore more trackers than anyone else after what had happened, not that any of them actually knew. Tim had just vanished from all systems; their search was how they had learnt about his fake Uncle…even she had been fooled by the records at first. Almost two weeks later, Tim had reappeared with no memory of his time gone. He had undergone every test imaginable to ensure he really was their Tim and hadn’t been compromised in any way. He’d passed them all. But to this day, they didn’t know what had happened or why. It had made Bruce even more paranoid, hence the extra trackers.

Tim vanished into the nighttime crowds of Gotham, slumping, face shadowed by his hood, looking like any teen out for the evening. He was very grateful for his memory, turning the burner on to make a call. It was risky, could put the other in danger, but no one would look for Tim there.

“Hello?” was the wary greeting.

“Hi Peter, it’s Tim. Sorry, I lost my phone and this is a temporary number.”

“Tim, hi. Is everything okay?” he asked, tone now concerned. “You don’t usually call this late.”

“Sorry, I just…I need help.”

“Are you hurt?” Peter asked, alarm clear.

“No. I…” how to explain it without mention his night job? “I need somewhere to stay tonight where no one will look for me. I can’t go to the Manor.”

He heard Peter suck in a breath, not quite able to work out the background noises. “Alright, you can stay with me,” he agreed to Tim’s relief. He then rattled off a location to meet up.

“Thanks,” Tim whispered.

He hung up and then sent a text to Babs, letting her know he had somewhere to bunker down for the night. Now he just had to make it into the Alley without Jason realising. He’d saved his life though, would he let Tim hide out in his territory for safety if he knew?

As he got closer to Crime Alley, he was very glad for the oversized hoody, it was obviously worn and his jeans were ripped from skateboarding, helping him blend in a bit. He stayed out of the alleyways, despite wanting to take shortcuts since that was a great way to get jumped. He was a stranger here, a newcomer, and would be seen as easy prey.

And then he spotted Peter, the first time he’d seen him without his school uniform. The clothing was very worn, oversized, his shoes only a step away from falling apart. But he was clean and didn’t look like he was being underfed or anything.

Peter spotted him, gaze roaming over him, obviously looking for hidden injuries. “You okay?”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, and then Peter’s arm was over his shoulders.

“You sound exhausted let’s get you inside, okay?”

Tim nodded, leaning into his side, letting Peter guide him. he felt utterly exhausted, more than he did even after an Arkham breakout. He knew it was the terror and adrenaline of nearly dying. He barely paid any attention to where they were going, he…he trusted Peter. That was dangerous, especially with the League of Assassins after him…and the thought crossed his mind, Peter had shown up only a few months before… no. Peter was his friend.

He blinked and realised he was lying on a camp bed, tucked into a sleeping bag. Had he fallen asleep while walking? His eyes were too heavy to keep open, where…where was he?

“It’s okay Tim, just sleep,” Peter murmured. “You’re safe here.”

Alfred frowned when Master Dick returned. Where was Master Tim? He was late. Ever since he had returned from his disappearance, he had been careful to not be late. “Oracle, do you have Robin’s location?” he asked softly.

“He’s safe,” she answered, voice tight. “Agent A, watch your back. Something’s going on.”

“Very well.”

Something had obviously happened, but what?

TBC…

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 3

 Tim lay still, confused. This was not his bed…not the medical bay… he kept his eyes closed, mimicking sleep, trying to work out where he was. The only noise was distant, like another room distant, so he carefully cracked his eyes open. Slowly, he sat up and looked around, his body aching with every movement. He was on a camp bed in a sleeping bag, in civilian clothes…the emergency stuff they stocked in the Batmob…oh. Memory flooded back, the terror of falling…Jason catching him…the realisation that he couldn’t go back to the Manor. No wonder he ached; he’d been hit by the tank that was Jason Todd in mid-air. Yes, it had saved his life, but he was likely very bruised under his clothes. He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the greasy feeling thanks to no shower after patrol.

Where was he? He remembered being with Peter, being guided somewhere, a comforting voice in his ear. He got out of the sleeping bag and found his shoes waiting for him, slipping them on. It seemed to be an old room, full of boxes…this was not a residential building. Was Peter…was Peter squatting? And in Crime Alley? Maybe this was just somewhere Peter hung out and he didn’t want to take Tim home to explain to his family?

He opened the door into a hallway, the carpet faded but it used to be good quality. He followed the hall towards the faint noises, taking it all in…. was this an old movie theatre? In Crime…oh. It couldn’t be, could it? But if it was…no one would think to look for him there.

He found a door and opened it, looking around at the once grand room, the projection screen at the far end, the rows of chairs…how long had it been closed down? A year or two after B’s parents were killed outside? And then he spotted Peter at an old table that must have been dragged in from somewhere else.

Tim stepped into the room and Peter looked up, grinning at him.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Peter teased, looking him over. “Feeling better? I figured it was better to just let you sleep.”

“Thanks…guess I needed it,” Tim admitted, moving to lean against the table, finding Peter’s homework. “Thanks Peter, for last night. It was a lot to ask,” he murmured.

“We’re friends Tim and you needed help.” Peter moved to sit on the table, and Tim joined him. “Want to tell me what happened?” he asked, his tone serious but not demanding.

He couldn’t tell Peter what really happened so what could be similar… “Someone sabotaged my skateboard. I did a jump and…”

“You’re sure you’re not hurt?” Peter asked in alarm, and Tim nodded.

“Another skater caught me before I could fall. I ache but nothing more. I…Peter if I had…”

“But you didn’t,” Peter slung an arm over his shoulders, and Tim leant into him. “Do you think it was someone at home?” he asked carefully.

“It’s the only option,” he answered, feeling sick. “It was never out of my hands once I left and it was fine when I checked it over before.”

“Tim…are you safe there?”

He opened his mouth to answer, of course he was, but…the words stuck in his throat. Honestly? He hadn’t truly felt safe in a long time. Things were better with Jason than they had been, they stayed away from each other except Jason had saved him last night. But Damian? Tim knew…he had to have been the one to disable his backup grapple gun. Had he been told to or was it his idea? Jason had spotted someone in LoA gear but hadn’t mentioned if they were an adult or child. If Damian was behind it, would it be enough for Bruce and Dick to actually do something? Or would it be brushed aside again?

“If you need somewhere, you can stay here.”

“Peter…is this the Monarch Theatre?”

“Yeah? Well, that’s what the sign says.” Peter shrugged, and Tim realised, Peter was from New York. Unless he’d researched the Wayne’s or the theatre, he probably didn’t know. After all, it had happened before either of them were born.

“Are you living here?” he asked.

Peter shifted slightly and Tim knew, it was true. “It’s not bad, Tim. I’ve got hot water and electricity, heating and cooling. And plenty of space. I’ve been exploring, fixing stuff up. The old movie theatres had kitchens so I’m even good for meals. You can stay here with me as long as you want to,” Peter promised.

Tim didn’t know what to think, so much had happened…

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat. Should you call someone?”

Tim felt for the burner; it was still in his pocket. He’d turned it off after messaging Babs last night. He turned it on to see a message from her, telling him to stay hidden for now, that she was digging and it might put him in danger. He answered her message and turned it off again. Standard protocol was to check it morning and night and to keep it off the rest of the time, to limit the chances of tracking it.

Then he followed Peter to the old kitchen area, finding he’d set up the basics. The variety of food wasn’t great, even with the access to water and power but Peter obviously had very limited funds. Should he ask why Peter was alone? Or if he needed money? Or should he keep quiet about it all?

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Babs was running the investigation herself. With the sabotage happening in the Cave, it was her only option. She knew things had changed since Jason’s return and reveal. She’d noticed Tim operating solo more often after he recovered from their meeting at Titans Tower. But since Damian had shown up? Something was going on and she didn’t like it. Before Damian, things had been getting better since Tim had vanished and then returned. Bruce and Dick had been very worried, they’d found out Tim’s uncle wasn’t real so he had been adopted and she’d seen his quiet joy at that. Dick said Tim just wasn’t used to being an older sibling but…she thought that was wrong, she’d seen how excited he was to be a big brother and yet now he seemed to be injured more, tired, on edge…and she didn’t like what that pointed to.

Someone had accessed the Batcomputer before Tim had left for patrol but they’d managed to wipe the cameras…using Dick’s access codes. She didn’t want to believe it was Dick but…the way he ignored Tim now, fawned over Damian… but he wouldn’t…not when he watched his parents fall to their deaths.

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Jason kept an eye out for the kid after Oracle said he was going to ground away from the Manor. He was hunting ninja but so far, nothing. She was investigating everything, something he couldn’t really help with even if he wanted to. His showing up in the Cave given the state of things between them would just raise suspicion and could make things worse.

He had to admit it…he was worried about Tim.

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Tim washed up in the sink, grimacing as he took in the bruises from Jason’s armour and weapons colliding with him. Yes, his suit was armoured, but it was more about stopping bullets and knives than impacts.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. “You okay?” Peter called.

“I’m good,” he answered, using the dollar store towel Peter had lent him to dry off, getting dressed again. Sink baths weren’t fun but he hadn’t been able to shower post-patrol. He left the bathroom to find Peter leaning against the wall.

Sometimes, he wondered if he was clinging to Peter because he’d lost everyone else. Their friendship was different to the ones he’d had with Kon, Bart, even Steph when they weren’t dating. Peter never pushed him to talk, for answers, nothing. He’d chatter away sometimes, but often just for background noise which was nice. And he could match Tim’s brain which was great.

“Feel better?”

“Surprisingly, yeah,” Tim answered.

“There’s a gym nearby where you can grab a proper shower tomorrow. They let people use the showers twice a week for a tiny fee.”

Tim nodded, surprised but then he wondered if that was Jason’s influence on the Alley. He’d kept a close watch on things, Jason’s killing spree had stopped, now he was more likely to shoot to wound than kill. Red Hood’s control was ever tightening but with it came clinics, shelters, a growing sense of safety… but Bruce didn’t see any of that, he only saw the deaths. He wanted Jason to be the idealised version of the boy that Bruce remembered, but that was impossible. Jason had been brutally murdered and then when he’d come back to himself, he’d been in Talia’s hands. But none of that had destroyed the core of who he was.

He didn’t blame Jason anymore for what he’d done to him, it had been Talia’s poison, the lingering madness from the Pit. And Jason had had a choice last night, he could have walked away but instead he had jumped to catch Tim. Rescue jumps were risky, there was so much that could go wrong, but he’d done it.

“You’re okay with me staying here?” he asked to be sure.

Honestly, this might be the best spot. Bruce would never go near the Theatre, let along think to look there for Tim. None of them would. His memories of the trip to meeting up with Peter were blurry but he knew he’d done his best to lose any possible tails, so the odds weren’t high that the LoA could find him at the Theatre either. But if they did…Peter would be right in the firing line and they wouldn’t care that he was a civilian. Could he do that, risk his safety, his life? None of his own safehouses were safe but he could find another, take a break from school and leave the city even.

“Tim, you’re my friend, you’re welcome for as long as you want or need to. No matter why you need it, I’m here to help.”

Tim nodded. “Thanks.”

He was already beginning to think about what could be done to make the Theatre homier. Not like he didn’t have the money. His dad had died thinking they were bankrupt, but his mom had been the smart one. She had ensured Tim would always have funds and he’d put some of that into the company just before it went fully bankrupt, it was smaller but Drake Industries was still going, just under his control. Not that anyone knew that, he made sure it was all done through trusted third parties. So even if he ended up cut off from the Wayne funds because of whatever was going on, he would have the funds to keep going.

First step, buy the Theatre.

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Bruce glanced around the Clocktower as he entered, unsure why she had told him to come to her. If she had information, why not just send it? And there she was, sitting at her computers, data streaming across the monitors. “Barbara,” he greeted gruffly.

“Bruce,” her voice was cold, surprising him. “Tim is safe, he’s gone to ground and is reporting via burner phone per protocol.”

Bruce stared, what? He’d thought Tim had slipped out before he was up for the day?

“You don’t even know, do you?” she scoffed. “If not for Jason, you’d be getting a call from the cops wondering why they found Tim’s body, dressed in Robin’s gear.”

He felt sick. “What?” he demanded.

She clicked a button and footage appeared…Jason’s helmet?! He spotted Tim in the distance and then the shadow that followed him, heard Jason warning Babs, her inability to raise Tim on comms… and then he watched as his son plummeted through the air, proud when he remained calm and drew his backup…but nothing happened. And then the footage became a tumbled mess, Jason’s voice yelling…he’d caught him. Jason had saved Tim’s life.

Babs said that Tim had gone to ground, why hadn’t he come home? And then his world shattered as he watched the data scroll across the screen. No…he couldn’t have…

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Tim leant over the table, studying the formulas. “These are…why are you in high school?”

“Because it’s covered by a scholarship and looks better on college applications,” Peter answered.

“Are you thinking of selling these? Or working somewhere you can develop them yourself?”

Peter shrugged. “It’ll be years before I could get a job like that. And I’m not desperate enough for money to sell them.”

“Well, as CEO of Drake Industries, I can tell you there’s a job for you.” He grinned when Peter’s jaw dropped.

“What?”

“My mom was smart, knew if anything happened to her then dad and the board would run the company into the ground. She set up contingencies to secure my inheritance. It’s all done through third parties to keep me safe until I’m of age. Not even the Wayne’s know,” he admitted. “So, I’m offering you a job, your own lab, full ride to college, the works.”

“Tim…”

“You’re smart Peter, scary smart, and you shouldn’t be held back by lack of funds.”

“You’re crazy,” Peter laughed.

“No, I know talent when I see it. This isn’t about anyone owing something or favours or even us being friends.”

“I know,” Peter promised. “It’s just…a lot.”

Tim nodded. “Just think about it. And… we’re going proper bedding shopping.”

“What?” Peter blinked in confusion.

“Peter, that camp bed is not good for anyone’s back. So, we’re going to get you a new one and one for me.”

“So, you’re staying?” the effort to hide hope was very obvious.

“Yeah,” Tim whispered, then me met Peter’s eyes. “For the first time in months…I feel safe.”

Peter grinned almost shyly. “You are safe here, Tim.

Tim knew it was crazy, but he couldn’t go back to the Manor. And he’d left the suit in the Batmobile but if he was being hunted by the League then he’d be way too obvious in Robin’s colours. He had no supplies, no base, nothing…but his skills, money, and knowledge of how their suits were made and where. It would be riskier going alone but he was pretty sure Babs would stay in his ear and maybe…maybe things would get better between him and Jason if he wasn’t wearing the R.

But he needed somewhere to work from, somewhere safe. He could do some from the Theatre with Peter but the real vigilante stuff?

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Bruce checked the number again and then typed out a message, asking Tim to let him know that he was okay, if he needed anything. And…that he would handle things at the Manor. He just didn’t know how yet.

He had known there was tension but this…he hadn’t thought he’d go this far. Which, looking back, was naïve. Talia and Ra’s had raised him for a decade, Bruce had had custody for months. It could take years to undo the kind of work they had done on his son.

And he thought back to all the fights, all the times that Tim had come to him, to Alfred or Dick…he had failed to protect his son. He had chosen Damian’s comfort over Tim’s safety. He had thought the boy just needed time to adjust and get used to the differences between the Manor and the League.

The first time they met…Damian had claimed that Tim had fallen, that he had tried to grab him…had that been a lie? Tim hadn’t said anything, the cameras hadn’t covered that angle though they did now, but looking back…Tim’s eyes…he swallowed. Tim had been spending less and less time at home.

And he remembered the science fair…Dick had promised to go but had gone to the zoo with Damian instead. How often had that happened? He…he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the boys together or heard of them doing something together.

How had he let his family fall apart?

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“Hey O,” Jason wasn’t sure why he was calling her again but…he wanted to know what was going on, why Ra’s was suddenly targeting Tim.

“Hood,” she returned. “There’s a robbery two blocks north if you want to step in.”

“Thanks,” he grumbled but took off to see what was going on. “Robin?”

“Still in hiding, but he’s following protocol.”

“So, what is Ra’s up to?”

“It’s not Ra’s, at least not directly though I don’t doubt he’s played his part,” she explained. “All evidence is pointing to the littlest bat.”

Jason swore softly and then he landed in the middle of the thieves, opening fire with the new non-lethals he’d picked up. Taking them down was easy enough, which was frustrating as he had some anger to work out.

“How are the Bat and N taking that?”

“Don’t know about N, haven’t heard from him. B is…not taking it well. Though given some of what he’s put Robin through in the past, all in the name of ‘training’, well…”

He blinked. “What?”

“That’s for Robin to reveal if he wants to. But…B didn’t take your death well at all and Robin took the brunt of that once he took up the name.”

Okay, so there was still a lot of missing intel…and likely some that was even more wrong than he’d been realising. He’d really been dumb going after the kid, Red Hood protected kids but he hadn’t protected Robin…he’d hurt him.

“If he needs somewhere, he can come to the Alley. Has he got his gear?”

“No, it was in the Batmobile and none of his known safehouses have been accessed. As far as I can tell, he’s out there as a civilian.”

“I’ve got a supply closet on the edge of the Alley, I’ll code him access, you can send them to him.”

Hopefully, the kid had at least kept some weapons. Though, if Damian was the culprit, he might not actually be being hunted.

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Tim was surprised when he checked the phone to find a message from Bruce and another from Babs. He closed his eyes at the confirmation, Damian…it had all been Damian. He’d suspected it, he had to, but to have it truly confirmed…the kid had used Dick’s codes to reroute all of Tim’s signals to ensure that he’d have no help. With his line cut and backup jammed…that fall would have been fatal. There had been nothing close enough to slow himself with, nothing to soften the impact with the road. They would have found his body or someone else would have and if the fall damaged the security features in his mask… unless Damian had planned to do something with his body?

He shuddered and looked to Babs message, which included an offer from Jason. Good to know he wouldn’t be run off if he left the Theatre. And nice to know there was nearby access to weapons and armour, if it was a standard supply depot then it’d have gear in several sizes, something he could make work till he could source his own gear.

School tomorrow and he didn’t have his uniform or bag…and there at the end of Bruce’s message. Alfred would have the car at school in the morning with his things and a packed bag for him, until he felt safe enough to come back. Part of him said he should just go back, Bruce knew, he’d do something. attacks in the Manor were one thing, but while on patrol? No way would that be allowed to slide, neither would rerouting his comms and trackers. And yet…he couldn’t do it.

He moved to sit on the much nicer camp bed, Peter’s beside it. They’d gone out and bought them, plus two high rated sleeping bags. Winter was coming and the temperature was just going to keep dropping. Having work done on the Theatre was going to be tricky, money could buy silence but there was still a risk of two teens living there being reported. Tim wasn’t worried for himself since he was buying the building, but Peter?

How had Peter even enrolled and gotten a scholarship without a guardian? Or had something happened to them after he was enrolled? Tim could likely get emancipation given the fact he was in a position to see to his own needs, but Peter? CPS would pounce and who knew what would happen to him. He’d have to talk to Peter about it. If Tim could renovate the Theatre into a proper living space, then if Peter was seen there, it was just a friend staying over. Tim could make a relative for him if that was needed.

What really worried him though, was Peter working as a cashier…at night! It would give him more freedom to come and go but he couldn’t help worrying about him.

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Dick stared at Bruce, unable to believe it, but the evidence was all there on the screen. He looked between it and Damian, feeling so lost. He couldn’t have…could he?

TBC….

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 4

Alfred sat in the car, waiting to spot his grandson. He felt sick, knowing how close dear Timothy had come to dying. If not for Jason…he was so proud of him for saving his brother. Though he doubted Jason actually saw Tim as his brother, did Tim see Jason as his? They shared an adoptive father and while Dick was eager to call them all siblings, that did not guarantee everyone would feel the same. Still, Jason had risked his own life in catching Tim, rescues such as that were very dangerous and thankfully rare given the quality of their equipment. It was much better than him shooting at the boy.

Two bags rested in the back of the car, he had packed them both with Master Tim’s most prized possessions, the ones he could find anyway, as well as his electronics, clothing, and toiletries. Beside the two bags was his school bag and uniform. As much as he hated it, Master Tim would be safer outside of the Manor at the moment. What Miss Barbara had found was shocking and Alfred had been swamped by guilt. How many times had the dear boy come to him looking for help and he had done nothing? They had all left him out in the cold, too focused on Master Damian but…not in the right way.

They had tried too hard to ease his transition into the family but at the expense of others. Mistress Cassandra was also spending less time at the Manor since his arrival. The boy was no threat to her at all, so what had happened?

And there he was, Master Timothy was moving a little stiffly, not surprising given what had happened. There was a hesitancy in his approach that hurt, but he couldn’t blame him for it. Alfred got out and smiled at the young man, seeing another hovering in the distance. He’d noticed the boy at pickups before and assumed he was a friend, had Master Tim stayed with him last night?

“Are you hurt?” he asked, looking him over now that he was closer, a hand moving to his shoulder, feeling the teen tense.

“Sore, two bodies impacting like that,” he shrugged slightly, and Alfred nodded.

“You have a safe place to stay while this is worked out?” he asked, and Tim nodded, shifting slightly.

“I have your school bag and uniform as well as two bags of your belongings to tide you over.”

“Thanks Alfred.”

“Stay safe and please, stay in contact.”

Master Tim nodded and grabbed the bags, his friend stepping in to help, the two boys vanishing into the school.

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Seeing Alfred brought forward a lot of conflicting emotions. He’d loved Alfred like a grandfather, the man had always been there, ready to listen, or so Tim had thought at first. But over time those rosy images had been replaced, first by his part in Bruce’s birthday test, then when first Jason and then Damian arrived. And it drove home the truth, Alfred would always side with Bruce first, the man was practically his son. He had remained silent as Tim was pushed to the side, almost killed…and silence was as good as condoning those actions.

And yet…he was the one who had tended Tim’s knees after a skateboarding accident. The first one to accept him as Robin, who had slipped treats in his bag, to offer to drive him back to Drake Manor…. It hurt and had left him so confused.

Then Peter was there, taking the bags from him, leaving him with only his school stuff. “Come on, let’s put this stuff somewhere safe for the day.”

Tim nodded, following Peter into the school. While Peter hid the bags, Tim quickly slipped into his uniform. The day went by in a kind of fog, Peter steering him along, making sure he got to all of his classes.

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“How is he?” Bruce asked as soon as Alfred returned home.

“He appeared well enough. He did admit to being sore due to the impact with Master Jason. I did notice…”

“Alfred?”

“Many of his most treasured possession were nowhere to be found when I searched his room to pack. I thought it best to ensure he had all of that, just to be safe.”

Bruce frowned. That things were missing from his room meant that either Tim had removed them already or that someone else in the Manor had, which would point to Damian. Dick had left for Blüdhaven, unable to deal with what was going on. Honestly, he was disappointed in him for that, he was failing the whole family by running.

Damian was completely unrepentant even when confronted. He just insisted he was taking what was his right by killing Tim. With Tim now out of the Manor, Damian had been pleased with his actions, claiming that Robin was his. That had been the last straw for the distraught Dick and had sent him back to his apartment.

Bruce didn’t know what to do. Even if Tim chose to leave Robin after this, he could not give it to Damian. He’d considered it before, letting Damian wear the suit when Tim had been on grief leave after his Dad’s murder, a leave he’d had to be forced to take. Tim was too much like him when it came to grief, preferring to throw himself into work to dealing with it. But when he’d been caught by Wonder Girl with a cloning lab…. Tim had finally agreed to step back for almost two months. He’d tried to get him to see Dinah but Tim wouldn’t go that far, though he had been spotted sharing ice cream on a rooftop with Harley. She’d always had a soft spot for Tim, a lot of the Rogues did oddly enough.

“Master Dick?”

“Heading back to Blüd,” he admitted. “Damian’s in his room with all weapons confiscated. I don’t know what to do about him Alfred. He doesn’t see anything wrong with what he did, no matter how much I tell him that Tim’s his brother, that we don’t kill.”

“We have all let too much slide with his actions and words towards others but especially Master Tim,” Alfred answered. “It will take time and set consequences for him to learn, he may benefit from therapy as well. Encourage his art as a safer emotional release.”

Bruce nodded. He knew he’d really dropped the ball in the months since Damian had arrived. He’d leaned too much on Dick and Tim to care for their newest brother, even when Damian made his opinion of Tim clear. He had thought it was just Damian trying to deal with his trauma but no, he genuinely hated his older brother. He would have to call Dinah to see if she was willing to take Damian on or knew of someone who could…and who could defend themselves. A civilian was simply too risky.

Resisting the urge to put trackers in the clothing that Alfred had taken for Tim had been almost impossible. But Tim’s trust was broken and he couldn’t risk pushing his son even further away. When he messaged later, he would ask to meet up at a neutral location on Saturday so they could talk in person about what was going on.

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Tim finished putting his things away in the brand-new trunk he had bought. It would be a pain to move, it’d take two people really, and it had a good lock on it. He trusted Peter, he didn’t trust their security to keep others out yet. And it did ensure that Peter wouldn’t accidentally come across something that would be hard to explain.

He slipped the phone out to check, seeing the message from B about meeting up, sending an agreement along with a time and place. He then joined Peter in their kitchen for dinner, take out that he had paid for despite Peter’s denial. He had money to burn, Peter didn’t. and it was actually healthier than the very basic meal they could put together in the kitchen. The first things he planned to renovate were the kitchen and bathrooms. It’d be nice to shower without waiting for the cheap gym day or at school.

And once Peter had left for work, Tim slipped out of the Theatre, keeping to the shadows. He moved through the Alley with every bit of stealth he had, finding the address that had been sent to him. He found the security pad and entered the code, the door opening for him.

Well…he looked around at the walls of weapons, equipment, and armour. A bit over the top even for one of the but it was so Jason. And on the table was an envelope with his name, he recognised Jason’s handwriting. He heisted but then opened it.

Tim,

Stay dark, O is sure the little bat is working alone but I’m triple checking it. I still have contacts there, might as well use them. Looking back, she aimed me at you and I fell for it. I get the feeling everything I was told about you is either false or heavily altered at least. I’m sorry about the attacks and while it’d be nice to say it wasn’t me, it was. I can’t just blame the Pit, it enhanced the anger yes, but it didn’t cause it. You didn’t deserve any of it.

You’re welcome in the Alley, as Tim, Robin, or any other name.

J

Tim stared at the note in shock before smiling slightly. This…this was all he’d ever wanted, a chance to get to know Jason, his Robin. He grabbed the pen and wrote down the burner number on it, letting him know he was checking morning and night but otherwise leaving it off, as per protocol. And that he was staying with a friend in the Alley, that he was safe.

And then it was time to get to work. He tried out bits of armour, finding some that he could wear under his clothes, just to be safe while moving about the Alley. And he managed to get a basic suit together, even if it was more Hood’s style than his own. He was surprised to find several bō in the exact style that he used, though they lacked the secret hidden blade since no one really knew about that. Nice to know that even the LoA didn’t know about it. He stocked up on the standards, hesitating with his hand over a grapple gun.

Tim took a deep breath and picked it up, finding the tools. He took it apart and then put it back together, making sure everything worked perfectly. He checked another one, packing them both once sure they wouldn’t fail. He knew he had to make a jump soon or it would just get harder and harder mentally. Maybe…maybe Jason would be willing to spot him?

He added that to the note and then slipped away, heading back to the Theatre. Without a proper suit, he didn’t feel right hitting the streets, not yet. And Jason was right to be cautious. Damian could have been hung out to dry by Ra’s, he wouldn’t put it past the man to abandon even his own grandson. Or Talia since she seemed behind Tim being targeted, but why? Why would she want him dead? They’d only met once and it hadn’t been a bad meeting, he’d kept quiet, watching the shadows in case she tried to stab B in the back. The only reason he could think of was to clear the way for Damian as Robin but that was silly. If Damian hadn’t tried to kill him then Tim would have willingly handed the mantle down to him once he was ready to either step back or take a new id.

Tim wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep going, he had to think about it and now he had the time and space to do it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jason got the alert that the supply depot had been accessed. He continued his patrol but then swung by on his way in for the night. He found the note on the table but then realised that Tim had added to the note. He picked it up, quickly putting the number in his phone. The last bit was a shock, Tim would trust him enough to be there when he jumped for the first time? Was it because he’d caught him?

He sent a message, agreeing to spot him, leaving the when and where up to Tim.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Our teachers hate us,” Tim groaned, earning a laugh from Peter so he stuck his tongue out at his friend.

“You’re the millionaire heir, drop out and get your GED.” There was no pity in Peter’s voice.

Tim groaned but he knew Peter was right, he could do that. It wasn’t like he had to worry about future employers looking down at him because of it. “No, just one year left and I graduate, I can last that long.” He was so glad that he’d skipped a grade.

“I’ll say nice things at your funeral if you don’t,” Peter teased, flopping back with the university level chemistry textbook he’d checked out of the library. He’d already finished his homework since there was nothing for history this week.

“You worried about the meeting with your Dad?”

Tim chewed at his pen. “Yeah,” he admitted softly. “B won’t hurt me, but…I know he worked out who did it and I guess I’m scared he’s not going to step up and stop it. That…it’s just easier to deal with by me being gone.”

“Want me to go with you? I can hang back, even promise not to eavesdrop.”

It was tempting but if Bruce saw Peter, then he’d investigate him and Tim didn’t want that. He barely knew anything about his friend’s past except he was an orphan twice over and was from Queens. But he felt no real urge to look into him, it was just…nice, to just be Tim Drake with no cares outside of homework and skateboarding. They both had secrets but Peter had been there when he needed him. Was it crazy and incredibly dangerous? Yes. But every instinct he had screamed that Peter was genuinely his friend.

“Earth to Tim,” Peter called, and Tim blinked.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “Maybe we could meet at the library after?”

“Sure,” Peter agreed easily. “Now get to that formula!”

Tim let his head bounce off the book as Peter laughed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce sat in the corner booth, glancing around and then the door opened and a slender figure entered. Despite the clothing, he knew who it was and sure enough, Tim slid into the booth opposite him. He was relieved to see no sign of injury, in fact, Tim seemed to be well rested.

“B,” Tim murmured, not quite meeting his eyes, making Bruce’s heart ache.

He reached across the table to clasp the hand that was picking at something loose on the edge. “Tim…I’m so sorry, son. I nearly lost you and it’s my fault.”

Tim startled, staring up at him with wide eyes. “I…”

“None of it is your fault,” he swore, knowing the habit Tim could too easily fall back into it. With the Drakes, it was always his fault. “We all messed up, put it on you when it was up to us to fix things. Ensuring Damian’s behaviour is not your duty, it’s mine. I’m talking with Dinah about therapy options for him.”

“The poor therapist,” Tim murmured, and then winced, but Bruce chuckled.

“I’ve searched his room three times now for weapons, I’m not sure where they’re all coming from.”

“Magical ninja space?” the question was cheeky and a relief. Things between them weren’t broken if Tim could answer like that.

“Maybe,” he agreed. Tim wasn’t pulling away, he hadn’t lost his son’s trust, not fully, not yet. “You’re staying somewhere safe?”

Tim nodded, but didn’t elaborate. “Jason gave me access to one of his supply areas. It’s…impressive. And he’s going to spot my first jump.”

Bruce nodded in acceptance. It made sense, it had been Jason who caught him, saved him. “Whatever you need to feel safe,” he swore.

“Even…even if I don’t come back?” Tim whispered.

“Even then,” Bruce promised. “I know I haven’t always done right by you; I’ve been downright terrible too many times. But you’ve been my son for a long time, even before the adoption.”

Tim swallowed, ducking his head deeper into his hood.

“Alfred said he couldn’t find a lot of your things when he packed…”

“Started moving the important things bit by bit so no one would notice. Damian…he likes to break my stuff. Alfred got everything that was left.”

Bruce nodded, relieved that Tim hadn’t lost it all and angry at himself over the fact that he’d felt the need to move his things out of the Manor to keep them safe. “Do you need anything?”

Tim tipped his head, thinking it over, and then shook his head. “Not at the moment.”

“Not even your suit?” He asked quietly to ensure no one heard.

“I don’t think I’m in the right place mentally to be out there at the moment,” Tim admitted. “Maybe in a few nights. And I’m not sure I feel safe in the R, not with Damian so desperate for the roll. The Manor’s security is good but it’s not impossible to beat.”

Bruce nodded sadly in understanding. He was really being forced to see just how badly he had messed up. But he still had a chance to fix things.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He ignored the knocking on his door, not wanting to see anyone. He stared at the photos on the table, taking in the changes as time passed. He should have seen it…but he hadn’t wanted to. How could he have been so blind? He nearly jumped as his phone went off, finding a message from Babs – open the door.

He got up and walked over to open it, Barbara immediately entering, glaring at him. it didn’t matter that she had to look up at him to glare, it still made him feel small.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, and he blinked.

“What?”

“Your family is falling apart and instead of being there for your brothers, you’re here, sulking,” she answered, arms crossed. “Then again, I don’t know why I expected anything else. Things get tough and you run, it’s a pattern. Except this time there are two kids involved.”

Dick glared at her. “Why the hell would they want to see me? Everything I did and Damian just threw it all in my face!” he snarled.

“And Tim?”

“He doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“You’ve hurt him deeply Dick. It started when you realised that Jason was alive and has only gotten worse since Damian showed up. Until then, you were a wonderful brother to him but then you hyper-focused first on Jason and then Damian. Why can’t you pay attention to all three of them? It’s not that hard to put aside time for each, especially since Jason doesn’t exactly want to hang out with you. Tim’s spent his whole life with people leaving him, you knew that, and yet you did the same things as his parents.”

Dick turned away. Tim was…Tim was the easy brother. Damian and Jason needed more work, he had to show them his support. Had he been wrong?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“So….” Tim let his feet swing as he sat on the ledge of the projection booth. It made a cosy spot to hang out even with the wall between it and the cinema mostly gone.

“So?” Peter looked up from the bit of circuit board that he was fiddling with. He might be better at biology and those kinds of sciences but he was still very good with tech. Tim kind of wanted to see his reaction to his wrist computer but that would be too risky for his identity.

“I uh…might have bought the theatre?” Tim shifted nervously, and Peter shrugged.

“Kind of figured you would,” he admitted, and Tim blinked, staring at him in surprise.

“Really?” and he wasn’t mad? A lot of his friends got mad when he did rich person things, Kon didn’t or Bart, but the rest? Steph had been happy to spend as much money as possible when it was B’s.

“Yep.” Peter grinned at him. “So, landlord, what’s next?”

And Tim found himself laughing in relief. “How do you feel about a fully functional kitchen and bathrooms with showers?”

“You’ll be my favourite person in Gotham…wait, you already are.” Peter was grinning, and Tim grinned back.

Four days later, they were going over architectural plans.

TBC…

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 5

Tim stared at the finalised plans, this was it, this was their new home. He knew Peter was wondering if one day he’d be kicked out of the place that he’d been living in first, but he would never do that. He knew what it was like to have the safety of his home taken and he would never do that to someone else. The Theatre was going to be turned into a large home for the two of them but with space for more people too. He hadn’t even realised he was doing it, but the house was perfect for Kon and Bart too, which was dumb since they…they would never see it.

“What do you think?” he asked, looking at Peter.

“It’s amazing.” His best friend grinned at him.

He wished he could show Peter the other plans, the ones for the ‘basement’. But he didn’t dare to, not yet. As much as he trusted Peter, it wasn’t just him in danger if anything happened. Who knew the Theatre had been built over an older building, one that had created a perfect cavity underground. And Tim knew the right builders to call in, one that had worked with the JL and even Batman before. They would never say a word about their work to anyone.

“Can they do this with us living here?”

“They’ll work in sections. But they’ll be updating the electrical and plumbing in one go at the start since they need inside all the walls.”

They chatted about the upcoming work and Tim found he was excited. He’d never had a real say in his own home before and he got the feeling neither had Peter. Eventually they set the plans aside to work on homework.

“Peter?”

“Hmm?” he glanced up from his essay.

“Is someone going to be looking for you?” If Peter was a runaway, then it could happen.

But Peter shook his head and Tim saw the flash of grief.

“Sorry,” he murmured. He hated that Peter understood, but it was probably part of why they got along so well. Still, he would never wish being an orphan on anyone.

“They died when I was a toddler,” Peter said softly after a few moments. “A plane crash. My Aunt and Uncle took me in after that but…they’re gone now.”

Tim shifted to lean against Peter’s side, feeling him relax at the silent support.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jason stood on the roof, waiting. It was a good choice, high enough that there’d be plenty of time for a rescue jump, some handy fire escapes and the like to catch himself on, and it was close to the Alley. He sensed movement and turned his head, spotting the kid as he hauled himself onto the roof, wearing the gear he had taken from Jason’s supply depot. It looked good on him, could use some adjustments, some colour… but he’d probably go back to Robin.

“Hi,” Tim offered awkwardly, and Jason snorted.

He’d left the helmet off, sticking to a domino. He figured the modulated voice would be a trigger given everything.

“Hey baby bird,” he greeted, using the nickname he’d heard Dick use, not wanting anyone to hear the name Robin, just to be safe. Tim startled but then a shy smile flickered across his face. “You good?” he looked him over, but he seemed to be moving well.

Tim nodded. “I had a few bruises from impact but I’m good now. Thanks…for then and now.”

Jason nodded. “How do you want to do this?”

Tim moved to the edge, looking down and around, taking it in. He then pulled out one of the two grapple guns he’d taken, Jason spotting the other in the normal position on his lower back. “if you’re spotting then I go first with you a few seconds after. Aiming for that building.” Tim pointed, and Jason nodded, pulling his own grapple.

“Whenever you’re ready.” He wasn’t going to rush the kid.

He’d had to do this once as Robin after a bad jump, his grapple hadn’t connected properly and he’d fallen but his backup had worked. B had hovered like crazy for weeks after that but since he’d had to go to ground, Tim had been dealing with it all himself.

He watched as Tim took a slow deep breath and then aim the grapple. A few seconds later he fired and leapt. Jason fired his own, following him into the air. He was close enough to intervene if something went wrong but not close enough that they’d accidentally interfere with each other. He relaxed as Tim landed easily on the roof, his own boots impacting moments later.

He smirked when he saw the small, happy smile on the kids face. “Good?”

Tim nodded. “I thought I’d be scared but it just felt…normal.”

“Let’s keep going,” Jason urged, knowing one good jump wasn’t enough to get past a fall.

Tim nodded and this time, he ran and leapt before firing the grapple, swinging with a lot more momentum this time, Jason on his heels.

“You’re staying somewhere safe?” he asked as they were wrapping up. He looked decent, not like he wasn’t eating or sleeping enough.

Tim nodded, glancing at him nervously.

“I know you’re still in the Alley, kid. Keep away from the warehouses towards the dock end, Black Masks been making moves.”

Tim nodded which was good. Yes, the kid was an excellent investigator and fighter but Black Mask had way too many men for a lone bird to deal with.

“I uh…I bought the Monarch Theatre and am turning it into a home, with a proper basement.”

Jason blinked…he’d bought what?! “Why?” he asked in confusion.

“The friend I’m hiding with, it’s where he lives.”

“You have a homeless friend?” he was just getting more confused.

Tim shrugged but explained without mentioning his friends’ name. And Jason wondered if this friend was the kid he’d seen in the Alley since it was in the same area as the Theatre and he went to GA. How many Alley kids ever got in there, even on scholarship?

“I’ve talked to some contacts, pretty sure Ra’s isn’t behind this,” he told Tim as they made their way down.

“It’s Talia, isn’t it?” Tim asked. “She’s the one who put you in the Pit after all, she gave you the intel on me. She aimed you at me to clear Damian’s path.”

“Yeah.” It hurt a bit to admit it, part of him had trusted her, seen her as almost a maternal figure. But she had been whispering lies to him the whole time, convincing him that he wasn’t wanted or missed.

“If you get bored, call me, might be nice to have a patrol partner,” he offered, and Tim stared at him in surprise. He didn’t blame him, his note said Tim was welcome in the Alley even in uniform, but that was different to offering a patrol together.

“I won’t kill,” Tim warned, and he nodded.

“Wouldn’t expect you to,” he promised.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce watched the footage, obviously from Jason, as Tim took a cautious jump and then ran for the next one. Good. It would be so easy to let fear overcome him, ground him for good, but Tim had always been so stubborn. All of his kids were and that was what had caused a lot of the issues in the family. There was a message too, Jason admitting he thought Talia was behind everything. It had been her intel and whispers that had turned Jason against Tim and now he thought it had been so that Damian would have an easy path to Robin. When that failed, she made sure to poison Damian against his older brothers but especially Tim.

So, any therapy would need to focus on deprogramming, the League was basically a cult so it wouldn’t hurt. Getting Damian to go along with it though was not going to be easy. Dinah had gotten back to him; she was trying to find a therapist willing to work with Damian but who could also protect themselves if necessary. She had pointed out that letting him stay in the Manor while Tim stayed away, was not good. Because Damian could take it as a victory and Tim deserved to feel safe enough to come home.

But sending Damian away could also send the wrong message to the boy, that family would abandon him. It was just such a mess. The penthouse wasn’t secure enough or he’d send Damian there. Clark had offered his parents, but Bruce didn’t trust Damian not to attack them and Clark wasn’t always at the farm. His son, Jon’s powers were still occasionally iffy as well which would put the kid in danger too if they fluctuated at the wrong time. If he was a girl, Diana would have offered. The Amazons would deal with his arrogance quite happily and could easily contain him.

A general facility would never be able to hold Damian which meant a special holding place. He didn’t want to do it; Damian was his son. He loved all of his children and wanted them to be safe and happy. Jason had settled down a lot, had saved Tim and spotted him. Dick…Babs was working on getting him to come back. Good luck to her.

Alfred was upset but he was also working hard to ensure that the Manor would be ready for when everyone came home. He had set up a new room for Jason beside Tim’s and had put new, heavy-duty locks on Tim’s door so he had the option to lock the door if it would help him feel safe. He had then deep cleaned Tim’s room, ensuring no trace of Damian’s interference remained in the room. He had found some broken surveillance cameras and the remains of dismantled traps. How had they not seen what was happening? Dick’s room had been cleaned and aired as well. Foods all three liked had been cooked and stored in the freezer.

But would it happen? Tim seemed to be…happy away from the Manor…away from them. Was it too late? It couldn’t be, Tim had met up with him, was happy to see Alfred when he appeared at the school with a packed lunch several times a week. He wished he knew where Tim was staying, he knew Tim had never been very good at caring for himself because he hadn’t been taught how, just expected to work it out. Alfred had worked hard to improve his diet once he became Robin and it had a bit but it hadn’t fully been fixed until he moved into the Manor. But he had seemed in good enough health when Bruce saw him…but that had only been days after he moved out.

He checked his calendar and shifted a meeting; he would go with Alfred tomorrow. He sent a message to Jason, asking if he would keep an eye on Damian while they were both out. He didn’t have to step foot in the Manor if he wasn’t ready, but if he could be in the Cave or close enough to intervene if needed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Damian sat in his room. He was angry that he had failed, why had Todd intervened? He hated Drake and had tried to kill him before too. It made no sense. And then the cripple had worked out what he had done and told everyone. Father should be pleased that he had removed the interloper and instead he locked Damian in his room like a child! It wasn’t fair, he had done nothing wrong.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim smiled at Alfred and then his eyes widened at the sight of Bruce getting out of the car. “B?” Had something happened?

He didn’t resist as he was drawn into a hug. He didn’t care what others said and Peter would keep them away. Tim wrapped his arms around Bruce in return, he always felt small and safe when B hugged him. It had taken a long time for more than an awkward shoulder pat from the man, he’d tried so hard to keep his distance, but once he had given one hug, more came. And Tim soaked them up, they were very different to Dick and even Alfred’s rare ones.

Finally, Bruce pulled back, his hands on Tim’s shoulders as he looked him over. “You look well rested,” he murmured, and Tim shrugged slightly.

“I’m sleeping better,” he admitted, and Bruce grimaced slightly.

“Dinah’s working to find a therapist who can safely work with him. If it was secure enough, he’d be in the penthouse but it’s not so I’m working on other options.”

“But he’s your son,” Tim murmured.

“And so are you. You deserve to feel safe in your home and I will not reward what he did by allowing him to stay.”

Tim took a shaky breath. He…he was really doing this? “Bruce…”

“This is the right thing to do. I can’t and won’t force you home even once he’s gone, but you’ll be safe if you do, even if just for a visit. Alfred’s installed a Selina approved lock on your door in case you want it and the freezer is full of your favourite foods, Jason and Dick’s too.”

Tim swallowed. “I…you can’t kick him out Bruce, he’ll run straight to the League,” he whispered.

“I’m not kicking him out,” Bruce promised. “I’m doing what has to be done if he is going to have any chance of ever living anything approaching a normal life. He needs intensive help that we just can’t give.”

Finally, he nodded in acceptance. “I can’t move back,” he whispered. He had a new home now, one with a friend who listened and supported him but never pushed. Who made a chore chart and pulled his own weight. Did more really, Peter felt bad about how little he could contribute financially but Tim had told him to save his money.

“You’ve got somewhere stable? Nothing flagged on your accounts at a hotel.”

“I’m secure. I…I bought a place, have some work going on using the company who did the basement for secrecy. Jason knows where I am since it’s on his turf. Figured it’s the last place anyone would look for me.”

“Alright,” Bruce agreed softly. “Alfred’s got the food; you’ve got to get to class.”

“I’ll call you later,” Tim promised. With no more sign of danger, he could keep the phone on now.  

Bruce went back to the car and Alfred stepped forward, offering him the bag of food, lunch for two. He’d never introduced Peter but Alfred had seen him hovering so it was nice of Alfred to feed him as well.

“Thanks Alfie.”

“Have a good day at school Master Tim.”

He watched the car pull away and then walked over to where Peter was waiting for him, leaning against the wall.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. B’s working out how to deal with everything.”

“Does that mean you’ll go back?” Peter asked, no judgement in his voice.

Tim shook his head. “It’ll never be the same. But I can visit once it’s safe, you could come and have dinner, Alfred’s cooking fresh on a plate.”

“Sounds good.” Peter grinned.

It hadn’t taken long for Tim to notice that Peter had a fast metabolism…meta fast. Not quite to speedster levels but still far more than a normal human needed. And now and then, he’d move a bit oddly, in a way that wasn’t quite human normal. But Tim never mentioned it. If Peter was a meta then that was his business and Tim understood keeping it secret, especially in a city like Gotham. Despite the laws, meta trafficking rings were a real danger.

And Tim was still keeping an eye on the new vigilante. It would be so much easier once the basement was done. It was the one upside to Peter working nights, he wouldn’t notice Tim’s odd activities. Spider-Man really did seem to be legit and he worked very differently to them. He seemed to wander the city, looking for people who needed help. He walked students home at night, helped people with their shopping…he took care of things at a street level they never really did. Though he seemed to stay out of the Alley and Tim planned to talk to Jason about that. Had he confronted Spider-Man? Or had he heard of Hood’s reputation and decided to stay out himself?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dick stared at the Manor, trying to work up the courage to open the door. He didn’t want to go in, didn’t want to have to see how badly he’d failed his brothers. Had Timmy come home yet? Was Damian still locked in his room? Babs had refused to tell him; she’d said that if he wanted to know then he had to go see for himself. He moved to the door only for it to open and reveal Alfred.

“Master Richard.”

Full name, ouch. “Alfred,” he greeted.  

“Master Bruce is in his office.”

“Everyone else?”

“Master Damian is still confined to his room.”

“And Tim?” he pressed, he should be home from school by now.

“I assume he has returned to where he now lives.”

Dick froze. “What?”

“Master Tim no longer lives in the Manor. He has not informed us where, but Master Jason knows and agrees that he is safe there.”

That…that was…

“I’ll go talk to B,” he muttered, heading for the office.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Do they seriously think anyone believes that?” Peter asked, half laughing as they left the theatre.

“Yep,” Tim answered and then broke into laughter as well.

They’d been bored so had gone to see the latest blockbuster only to spend the whole-time whisper complaining about the very dodgy science. Night was falling now and it made Tim tense given the areas of Gotham they had to travel through to reach home. He hadn’t realised how late it was. His hand slipped into his pocket, fingering the panic button that Jason had insisted he carry, shifting it subtly to his belt.

“Okay?” Peter asked, sensing the shift.

“We should try and grab the last bus,” he answered, and Peter frowned but picked up the pace.

They walked quickly but didn’t run, running would make them look like an easy mark. Tim let a little of Robin’s attitude shine through the way he moved, to make it obvious that attacking him might not be smart. He realised Peter had straightened up too, it’d taken him a while to realise his friend slouched a lot, hiding his height. He was taller than Tim by more than he’d first realised.

But of course, their luck had to run out and Tim didn’t even think before hitting the button to call for the Red Hood himself, even if they weren’t in the Alley. They were surrounded and outnumbered…and why had he never asked if Peter knew how to fight? One of the men lunged at him, knife extended, and Tim readied himself except he never had to move. And not because Jason showed up. Peter moved fast, grabbed the guys arm, twisting it to make him drop the blade, shoving him back hard enough the guy landed on his ass. Okay, so Peter knew something and Tim had the feeling he knew why Peter had the metabolism he did, enhanced strength at least.

Tim lashed out with a kick at a man coming at Peter’s back, turning to put his to Peter’s. They had no choice but to fight now. Tim felt a flash of satisfaction as his knee drove up into one of his attackers’ groin, the man dropping silently, curling in on himself. Served the bastard right for attacking teenagers.

And then a shot sounded, making the men flinch. Peter tensed but Tim relaxed against his back as he heard the mechanised breathing.

“You’ve got two seconds to run,” Hood warned. The men took the warning. “You kids okay?”

“Thanks Hood,” Tim answered. “Peter?”

“I’m good,” he answered warily.

“Come on, I’ll walk you home,” Jason said, and Peter tensed a bit. Right, he didn’t know that Hood was Tim’s brother or that he knew where they lived.

“It’s okay Peter, I ran into Hood the other day. He’ll get us safely back to the Alley.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jason was just heading out for the night when an alert blared over his system. He grabbed his guns and booked it, only one person carried a panic button that went to him. Was Damian trying again? It was almost a relief to spot him and the kid from the Alley surrounded by a gang of thugs looking for easy cash…and they’d obviously bitten off more than they could chew. He didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for the idiot Timbit dropped with a knee. The kid had very pointy knees too.

He drew a gun and put a shot into a nearby crate to get everyone’s attention. The men paled; they knew his reputation then but hadn’t expected to see him outside his claimed territory.

“You’ve got two seconds to run,” he warned in a growl. And they were smart enough to get, good. Everyone knew that Hood protected kids.

He glanced at Tim’s friend, seeing the kid slouch slightly, hiding his height, watching him warily.

“You kids okay?” he asked, he couldn’t see any blood but some wounds didn’t bleed that much immediately.

“Thanks Hood,” Tim answered, the relief in his voice clear. “Peter?”

“I’m good,” the other teen answered, tense, and still watching Jason.

“Come on, I’ll walk you home,” he offered, causing the teen to tense a bit. Good instincts there, to not want to give away where they were living given they had no adult supervision or anything.

“It’s okay Peter, I ran into Hood the other day. He’ll get us safely back to the Alley,” Tim gave a partial lie, but it was one Jason could run with easily.

“You’re safe with me,” he promised, and Tim’s friend finally nodded.

They headed out, keeping to the back alleys since people would panic if they saw him just walking down the streets given his weapons and reputation.

“You two were doing pretty good. Might want to look into some more training if you plan to travel around Gotham though.”

“Thanks Hood,” Tim flashed him one of his society smiles. With Tim’s help, he got a conversation going, Tim’s friend, Peter, even chiming in. seemed he was just as smart as Timmy which made sense.

He left them a block from the Theatre after admitting to having seen Peter in the area. He took to the roofs, watching till they slipped into the building. Once sure they were safe, he got going for his own patrol.

TBC…

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 6

Tim sat on the projection booth ledge, watching the workmen below. The old theatre room was being fixed up but mostly left how it had been. They could use it for movie nights, maybe parties if they ever got more friends or it felt safe to have the family around. He had his tablet in his lap, absently putting ideas together. He just…didn’t know what he wanted to do. He knew he wanted to stay a vigilante, but did he want to remain Robin? He was around the same age as Dick had been when he became Nightwing, but he’d been fired as Robin. Jason hadn’t chosen to move on either. He could be the first Robin to choose to move on, B had made it clear that Damian wouldn’t be the next and Batman needed Robin. Could he move on without a successor?

Hearing movement, he shut the program, slipping out of the tighter security programs for his email.

“They work fast,” Peter commented as he flopped down beside him.

“Yep,” Tim agreed, grinning at him. “This is going to be the best home theatre room ever.”

Peter laughed, smiling widely. “Star Wars first?” he teased, and Tim laughed.

“Definitely.” He put the tablet aside and stretched, hearing his back pop nicely. “So, picked out the colours for your room yet?”

“I’ve never really gotten to decorate to that level before,” Peter admitted. “My room at home was mostly books and posters, science wards, family photos…”

“Well you can do all that too,” Tim pointed out, and Peter flinched. “You don’t have any photos anymore?” he asked gently.

“Just one of my Aunt and me,” he whispered.

“We could look online for more. You’d be surprised what can be found that you don’t even realise is on there.” And he wasn’t above hacking government sites to get them for his friend. Tim hesitated but…it seemed a more likely scenario now that he was surer that Peter was a meta. “Peter…were you…trafficked?”

“What?” Peter’s eyes were wide in shock.

Tim shrugged slightly. “I uh…I know you’re a meta, Peter. It doesn’t matter to me, I know other meta’s. Your diet matches some of theirs and in the fight…you have enhanced strength at least. It’s none of my business Peter and I won’t ask about it. And despite the laws, meta’s are the most likely to be trafficked, especially kids and teens. And even with the Bats, Gotham is a major hub for it.”

Peter swallowed but then relaxed. “Should have known you’d realise,” he admitted softly. “Yeah, I’m a meta. But no, I wasn’t trafficked. It’s…complicated and a really long story.  You’re my best friend Tim but I…”

“You’re not ready,” Tim finished for him.

Knowing he hadn’t been trafficked was a big relief. He had seen enough of what happed to those kids, the conditions they were kept in…the thought of Peter like that made him feel sick. No one deserved what that scum did to them and sometimes…sometimes he thought Jason had it right in giving them permanent consequences. But he couldn’t see himself ever doing that.

And if Peter wasn’t ready, that was fine, it was. Tim was keeping secrets too after all. They were friends but friends didn’t have to tell each other everything. He was trying to be better about that. He knew that was part of what had messed things up between him and Steph, not that he was trying to date Peter. But it had also impacted his relationship with Young Justice in their early days, no matter how well they had clicked. Peter was keeping secrets because of trauma, that was obvious, while Tim kept them because some weren’t his and those that were, were so deeply linked to others that they could put them at risk.

“Well, let’s start looking at paint colours.” He’d gone dark for his room with a rich red and black mostly. Same as his new Robin suit but a common enough combination to not raise eyebrows.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce was relieved when the Cave entrance was accessed…Tim’s codes. He driven straight into the Cave rather than come through the Manor, but it was a start. He headed downstairs to find Tim staring at his suit, fingers of one hand absently drumming against his thigh. “Hey,” he called softly, not wanting to startle his son.

“Hi B,” Tim answered, turning to look at him. “I want to try and patrol tonight, if you’re okay with that?”

Bruce smiled at his son. “Of course. Robin’s been missed, Commissioner Gordon asked about you, I said you had the flu to cover. And patrol is always better with my partner.”

Tim blinked and then smiled back, his face a little red. He always had trouble with praise of any kind thanks to his parents neglect. And Bruce knew he had added to that in the way he’d only ever paid attention to Tim in training and on patrol. If he had stepped in from the start, truly been there for him, but he hadn’t. It had taken Tim vanishing for weeks for him to really try to do better, to tell Tim he really wanted to adopt him for him, not just to make being Robin easier.

“Suit up Robin.”

Tim laughed and headed for the changing rooms. Bruce followed him and soon they were in the Batmobile, heading out for the night and leaving Alfred and Dick to watch over Damian.

Bruce watched Tim the whole night, darting in the one time he seemed to hesitate.

“Sorry,” he whispered as they headed back to the rooftop.

Bruce gently gripped his shoulder. “I expected it. You weren’t injured in a fight, but you were nearly killed on patrol. You know it takes time to get past that. Give yourself time and make sure you patrol with a partner until you do.”

Tim nodded. Thankfully, it was an easy night and then all too soon he was watching Tim ride out of the Cave in civilian gear.

He headed up and found Dick on the couch, nursing a black eye. “What happened?” he asked in alarm.

“Damian,” was the tired answer.

He joined his eldest, carefully checking the injury. “He punched you?”

“Threw a mug as I was turning, didn’t see it coming,” Dick admitted. “I think he’s on plastic cups from now on,” he tried to joke. “I…I really messed up huh? I thought I was helping, that he was adjusting, but as soon as I’m not on his side, trying to enforce discipline…” he motioned to his face. “How was patrol.”

“Good. Tim was fine grappling and only hesitated once in a fight.”

“That’s good. Think…think he’d be willing to go on patrol with me?”

Bruce considered it. “At the moment? I don’t think so, not just the two of you. Maybe try a civilian outing first. There’s a skate party thing coming up soon that he mentioned a while ago.”

Dick snickered at him not knowing the right term but he nodded. “I don’t have his new number.”

“He’s still using the burner. Babs has gone over his phone with a fine-tooth comb, it’s safe. She even got Cyborg to upgrade the security on it. Alfred’s meeting him at school tomorrow and is taking it to him.”

“Okay, I’ll text him tomorrow after school.”

Bruce nodded. “I’ll see if I can talk to Damian, again.” He sighed and got up. He’d thought after three such different sons a fourth would be easier, he couldn’t have been more wrong.

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“Hey Robin!”

He turned and there was Spider-Man, hanging upside down from a very thin line…a web. “Hi,” he offered, watching him drop, righting himself mid-air to land in a crouch.

“Um…are those actual webs?” he found himself asking.

“Yeah? Had to be a reason for the name.” Despite the full-face mask, Tim was sure the other was grinning at him.

“Right.” At least they seemed to come from his wrists and not…elsewhere.

“Are you okay? You haven’t been around for a while.”

“You were looking for me?” Tim asked warily, and the spider shook his head.

“Nope, but you’re the only Bat who wears so much red, you stand out when not being actively stealthy. Plus, there’s been whispers on the street. Some are saying they saw you fall. You seem to be about my age, so I was worried.”

A vigilante he didn’t know and had only met once, had been worried about him. and his own younger ‘brother’ wanted him dead. He needed better luck.

“I’m alright,” he offered. “I fell but Red Hood caught me before I hit. Took some time off to rest and the first jump after that…”

“Is mind numbingly terrifying?” Spider-Man offered and Tim nodded. He seemed about to speak again when he tilted his head. “Shots about 2 miles east. Wanna team up?” he offered.

Tim hesitated but they wanted more intel… “Okay,” he agreed.

Spider-Man leapt into the air and Tim activated his tracker and comm so O could hear. He didn’t speak to her though, if Spider-Man heard that then he had to have enhanced hearing. Sure, hearing gunfire at 2 miles wasn’t impossible but in a very noisy city like Gotham? You needed super hearing. Sometimes he missed them 2 blocks away let alone a mile.

Watching Spider-Man move through the city was amazing. There were similarities to Nightwing but he was even more flexible and…he could literally run across the sides of buildings. A function of his suit or biological? If he had spider powers it could be all him. the suit was very thin so it might allow him to use powers through it. The suit looked way too thin to him, even lighter than N’s. Did he have any armour? Though with the way he moved, armour might be a liability for him in most circumstances. It didn’t look like latex or any material he’d seen available to the public. Did he have a backer of some sort?

They found some gang members holding up a shop and Tim felt his heart rate accelerate. No, surely Peter worked closer to home? Why had he never checked where his friend worked! Spider-Man motioned to him and Tim blinked before realising he was letting him make the plan. He quickly sketched one out and they moved, Spider-Man moving in through a window and crawling across the ceiling, leaving Tim to be the distraction.

He drew his bō and then entered the store. “Pretty sure it’s closing time guys,” he commented.

“It’s Robin!” one of the masked men shouted.

“Where’s the Bat?” another asked, sounding terrified.

Tim lunged at the closest, slamming his bō into his wrist, forcing him to drop the gun. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone being pulled towards the ceiling. Between the two of them, the fight was over in moments. Some of the men were webbed to the ceiling, others done because of Tim.

“You alright ma’am?” he asked, relieved it wasn’t Peter behind the counter.

“Thank you, Robin, and…”

“Spider-Man, happy to help! Tell the cops the webs will dissolve within two hours.”

And with that they left. “You’re good,” Tim offered.

“Thanks, so are you.”

They stood on the rooftop, watching for the cops.

“Can I ask you something?” Spider-man was glancing over at him.

“Depends,” he answered.

“Fair. What’s it like working with a partner?”

“You’ve always been solo?” he asked in surprise. With the skills he showed, Tim had assumed he’d worked with a team or mentor at least. Then again, he still couldn’t find anything on him.

“I mean, I’ve teamed up with others when it’s needed but I’ve basically always worked solo. Very few of them ever knew who I really am.”

“Huh. I would have thought you’ve worked with at least a partner from how easily you adapted. I guess it’s…support, knowing someone always has your back. Someone to double check your work and patch your injuries.”

Spider-man nodded slowly.

“Do you want to work with us?” He asked softly.

Spider-Man froze, staring at him, the whiteouts over his eyes somehow wider as if portraying shock. “What?”

“Would you like to work with us? You don’t have to unmask. We worked with Spoiler before she did.” He didn’t mention that they’d easily deduced her identity.

“I…”

Tim reached into a pouch. “Here, it’s a comm, no tracker. It connects to me and Oracle, our eyes about the city. I told her I’d give it to you if you’re interested. We can coordinate patrols, exchange intel, things like that. And if you need help, then you’ll have backup.”

Spider-Man stared at it before hesitantly reaching out to take it, looking it over. He then turned away, his mask lifting, settling it in his ear.

Tim heard the click as the comm activated. “Hear me?” he asked, and Spider-Man nodded as he turned, mask back in place.

“Loud and clear,” he answered.

“Hello boys. Welcome to the group, Spider-Man. I’m Oracle.”

“Nice to meet you Oracle,” he greeted in return. “Why? You don’t know me.”

“I’ve had eyes on you, you do good work Spider-Man. You help the kinds of crimes that tend to slip through the cracks. You don’t use more force than needed or go looking for trouble. That’s enough for now,” was her answer.

“Okay,” Spider-Man agreed.

They split up after a while but that was okay, they could reach out now and that was a good first step. When he told Bruce, the man just nodded, trusting them to handle the newcomer. It made Tim feel good given the man’s paranoia, he trusted Tim to deal with another vigilante his own age.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dick grinned as he saw Tim waiting at the corner for him. Even though he’d agreed via text, it would have served Dick right to have been stood up. “Hey baby bird,” he greeted.

“Dick,” Tim gave a barely there smile, eyes wary.

He hated seeing it but it was his own fault. “Looking forward to this?”

“Yeah,” Tim buried his hands in his pockets to keep them warm in the chill.

The Gotham winter was really setting in now. If their suits weren’t insulated and heated, they would freeze on patrol. How had he survived in his Robin suit? Looking back, even with the flesh-coloured tights B had forced him to wear in winter hadn’t been enough. Tim had been smart adding proper paints to the uniform.

They made their way to the park where people on skateboards and rollerblades, even a few on roller-skates, were gathering. Tim had his board but Dick wasn’t sure if he’d participate or not. How long had it been since Tim had been out on his board?

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“Hey Robin!”

Tim waved and then leapt, grappling across the gap to land lightly beside him. “Hood,” he greeted, no nervousness in his voice.

It was nice, even with both of them in uniform Tim wasn’t scared of him now. It was hard, seeing him in that but it wasn’t the original suit. It wasn’t even the suit the kid had been wearing in the Tower. This one had only appeared recently, after Superboy and Impulse died. It was obviously a tribute to them. His recon had shown how close they were and Robin had vanished for a while after that mess, seemed the old man had learnt enough to pull him from the field for at least a little while.

“How’s patrol?”

“Good. Have you met the new vigilante, Spider-Man?” Tim asked, and Jason shook his head.

“I’ve caught glimpses but he stays out of the Alley. Why? He’s not causing trouble, is he?” he asked in concern, but Tim shook his head.

“No. He actually worked with me last week. He’s got a comm connected to me and Oracle. We’ve been tracking him and he’s doing good work. The webs are apparently natural and they make good restraints, dissolve after about two hours. We took out some idiots holding up a store together. He doesn’t use excessive force, doesn’t kill, stops crimes most of us overlook. He even helps walk people home, helps carry groceries… he seems to be one of the good guys.”

“So, if I see him, don’t shoot, got it,” Jason nodded. He’d make his own assessment if the guy ever came close. “How old do you reckon he is?”

“Probably around my age. He asked me what it’s like working with a partner. He said he’s teamed up before but only ever briefly. But I can’t find any records of a vigilante like him anywhere.”

“Could have been covert government work, if he’s a meta he could have been pulled in off the books. Or it could have been overseas, somewhere we don’t monitor?”

“Pure New York accent.”

“Like your friend?” Jason pressed.

“Peter?”

So that was the kids name.

“Peter’s a meta,” Tim admitted. “And I know better than to say no based on how they act.”

Jason snickered, Brucie would always be amusing. And no one would think Gotham’s wealthiest himbo could ever be Batman. He did wonder what kind of public persona Tim would cultivate, he couldn’t see him playing it up like Bruce and Dick did. Maybe go more quiet academic?

“But he works nights so how could he also go out and fight. And Spider-Man was injured a few weeks ago, Peter was fine.”

“Accelerated healing,” he pointed out.

He could see the kid mulling it over. “Anyway, you doing anything?”

Tim shook his head.

“Want to help me take down a weapons deal?”

“Who’s behind it?” the kid asked, bringing up his wrist computer, and Jason sent him the intel he had. “Huh, Freeze’s been quiet lately, why would he be dealing with the Maroni’s?”

“That’s what we need to find out.”

“Lead the way,” Tim flashed him a Robin grin and Jason chuckled before taking off.

It felt…nice, having backup. The green still threatened a little around the kid, but getting his own intel and some from Babs was helping him work past it and the lies Talia had fed him. The kid might have been born to money but he was living proof that money didn’t mean a good childhood. The Drakes were lucky they were already dead…and that Tim would never have forgiven him if he’d killed them if they had been alive.

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Tim smiled as he exited the bathroom, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. He found Peter in the partially renovated kitchen getting breakfast.

“Enjoy the shower?” Peter asked.

“It’s so nice to be able to shower here finally. Even if we’re sharing a bathroom for a while.”

“They’re working a lot quicker than I expected.”

“Money,” Tim pointed out with a shrug.

The bathroom they were using was a general one for the building. Their ensuites were under construction along with their bedrooms. The kitchen was partially done too. It was all going well. Even the basement was taking shape, it would have everything he could ever need to work solo or with a team. Maybe he could bring Spider-man if he proved trustworthy enough. Tim was having secret tunnels made so that the access wouldn’t obviously lead to the Theatre. There was an elevator in his bedroom as well for quick access.

“I can’t wait for the holidays,” Peter admitted as they grabbed their school bags.

“Personally, I’m longing for summer.” The bike ride to school in the snow, ice, and often slush was not fun. And they always parked away from the school since technically he shouldn’t be riding at all let alone with a passenger.

“Will you…go home for Christmas?” Peter asked quietly.

“This is home,” he pointed out. “If you mean the Manor…I don’t know.”

If Damian was still there then he didn’t think he would, even if the kid was still confined to his room. Everything that had happened since his arrival had tainted the feeling of safety that the Manor had once given him. And while the day with Dick hadn’t been as bad as he’d feared, it had still felt awkward. But Alfred and Bruce would be there, Babs would probably stop by too.

“Maybe,” he finally admitted.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce read the files Dinah had sent him. He’d hoped for more but he supposed they were lucky to have found three therapists who worked with cult deprogramming and child soldiers who could also defend themselves. One was even a meta with enhanced strength which put them at the top of the list. All of them had given preliminary agreement to work with Damian. Now to work out where.

TBC…

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 8

Tim drifted through the crowds with a polite smile on his face. As much as he didn’t really want to be there, his absence would be noted and bring too much attention. Damian’s absence had been explained by his visiting family overseas but Tim had been ‘sick’ too often to use that excuse for the Wayne Christmas Gala. He’d been using it to stay out of public view when too injured, mostly because of Damian. His tuxedo felt tight, constricting, and yet the fit was Alfred approved. He’d become too used to their quiet little world in the Theatre.

He'd invited Peter but his friend had turned him down. He’d already accepted some extra shifts at work and didn’t want to say no, which Tim understood. It used to be that Dick would stick close to him but Tim was avoiding him as much as possible. Yes, their outing had gone well enough, and they’d texted a bit but he just…he couldn’t act that much tonight.

Of course, that was when the room filled with the sound of shattering glass. Tim ducked on instinct, yanking the older woman beside him down as well, covering her protectively. And in seconds, the room was full of gunmen…Two Face! Damn it. He usually kept away from Wayne parties due to Harvey’s old friendship with B. And all three of them were stuck inside…Steph cou…Steph was dead… Tim didn’t hesitate, he pressed the panic button from Jason. And he didn’t have the comm to call Spider-Man for help, but a tap to his watch should alert Babs since she wasn’t at the party.

He tuned Harvey out, scanning the ballroom. There was B with Lucius…and Dick there. They met his eyes in turn, B flashing a signal to stay down. Tim hated it but with no gear they were too vulnerable to the guns, not to mention the risks of being identified.

It’d take Jason time to get to the hotel from the Alley, so they had to keep things calm, buy time. And then Tim blinked, where? There’d been a gunman near that plant and now there wasn’t. Unlike most, he glanced up, and there the man was, hanging from the ceiling, wrapped in webs. Help had arrived.

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Bruce noticed the gunmen silently vanishing, not Jason’s style at all. And a glance up showed it definitely wasn’t him. Bruce had yet to meet the newest vigilante in Gotham, he’d been giving Tim the space to deal with them along with Barbara. He trusted them both to know what to do, he did. And he seemed to be doing a good job, no one but them seemed to have noticed his presence yet. His stealth was very impressive. He was literally crawling across the ceiling, a function of his suit or an ability?

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It was inevitably, eventually someone realised their comrades had vanished and chaos erupted. Tim slammed into a fellow attendee, sending them both skidding across the floor and out of the path of bullets. He scrambled to get back to find a gun in his face but then the gunman was yanked away by a web.

Spider-Man dropped down briefly, looking him over. “Okay?” he asked, and Tim nodded.

“Thanks.”

“No problem!” He called as he leapt away, and then the doors slammed open, revealing the Red Hood.

And surprisingly, Spider-Man was easily able to work around him and vice versa. Between them, they took out all of Dent’s men and then Spider-Man cocooned Harvey in a web, ensuring his escape was cut short.

“Nice work,” Hood offered, and Spider-Man shrugged, moving over to where three women were huddled.

“Are you okay?” his voice was soft, gentle. He knelt down and Tim saw him tense. “We need an ambulance,” he called out. “Is there a first aid kit?”

Jason moved to his side, pulling supplies from his gear and the two worked together quickly. Tim moved closer, seeing the blood on the marble floor. He grimaced and then joined them, thankful that it was known he was first aid certified. It was Mike, only three years older than him and with a bullet in his stomach.

“Mr Drake-Wayne, we seem to meet in interesting places,” Jason commented, the voice modulator keeping his voice flat.

“Thanks for intervening, both of you.”

“Bats called me in since they’re tied up with the JL,” Jason lied but it was believable since Robin and Hood were being spotted together more often.

They got the bleeding under control and thankfully the paramedics were soon there. Given the number of gunmen, one person shot was an amazing result.

“Come on Spider, that’s our cue,” Jason fired his grapple up towards a skylight. Spider-Man glanced at Tim and then followed.

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Jason landed on the roof, having to look to see that he’d been followed, the Spider was very quiet. And his heart rate was finally dropping back to normal. He’d known about the gala, all of Gotham had but he hadn’t seen this coming. Tim’s panic button had activated just before Babs had called to ask him to step in. Why had all three of them gone? He sighed, he knew Tim hadn’t wanted to go but couldn’t reasonably get out of it, especially with Damian not there. But Dent had never attacked a Wayne gala before and that was concerning.

“Nice work in there, Spider-Man.” He studied the other vigilante since this was the first time he’d seen him up close.

“Thanks,” was the wary answer.

He didn’t blame him for being wary, he knew what his reputation was like though it was getting better now that Robin was working with him.

“Robin says good things about you, you ever need to enter the Alley or want to work with us, let O or Robin know,” he offered and then took off since he was obviously making the kid nervous.

He was just glad they had worked so well together, though the spider might have managed alone given all the gunmen who had been wrapped in webs when he arrived. He seemed to be an interesting guy.

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“Are you okay?” Peter asked as soon as Tim stepped inside, and he paused, then he saw the news on the tv.

He wasn’t surprised that Peter had beaten him home, he’d been stuck at the hotel dealing with the police since he had helped with first aid. Could even Alfred get the blood out of his tux? He hadn’t even realised he’d been kneeling in it as he helped stabilise Mike.

“Tim, is that your blood?” Peter demanded, eyes wide.

Tim held his hands up. “It’s not mine, promise. I helped Hood and the new Spider guy with a gunshot victim.”

Peter relaxed, slumping down on the couch for a moment before getting up. “Shower and change, I’ll make you some hot chocolate. Do you want something to eat?”

Tim considered it before nodding. He didn’t really feel hungry but he knew he should eat. “Thanks,” he murmured, heading for his ensuite. He was very glad the place was almost completely finished now and even the basement was now useable.

He stood under the hot spray, scrubbing the dried blood from his legs where it had soaked through his trousers. The tension slowly drained away as he cleaned away the evidence of the night. He dressed in baggy shorts and a t-shirt, the house was kept nice and warm, he’d noticed that Peter really felt the cold. He sank onto a stool at the kitchen counter, smiling tiredly at the mug already sitting there.

“Thanks,” he murmured.

Tim sipped the rich liquid (Peter’s Aunt’s recipe and as good as Alfred’s), watching Peter move around the kitchen. Eventually he sat beside Tim, setting two plates of omelettes and toast down. They ate in silence but it wasn’t oppressive, Peter giving him space to process.

“It’s weird,” he finally said.

“What is?” Peter asked just as quietly.

“Harvey never attacks Wayne events,” he admitted. “B and him go way back, before Two-Face, before he was even a DA. Despite how twisted he’s become, some part of that friendship survived. He even let Dick go once as a kid when he was caught in a hold up because he was Bruce’s ward. So why attack the Christmas gala?”

“Could his mind have deteriorated even more?” Peter asked gently.

Tim grimaced at the thought of that. “Maybe, but he’s been ‘stable’ for years.”

“Well, that’s for the cops and vigilantes to work out. Come on, you should get some sleep.”

Tim hated to agree, he wanted to go downstairs and investigate but he was exhausted.

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Bruce stared at the results of the scans and tests that had been performed on Harvey since he was taken into custody, they all matched his previous medical records. So why had he attacked the gala? He was considering asking for permission to see him as Bruce Wayne, the fact that they had been friends since college was well known after all. There was a reason he hated fighting him. Had someone put him up to it? It wouldn’t be the first time, the mess when Tim had approached had been pushed by the Joker getting into Harvey’s head.

At least he now had some good footage of Spider-Man from everyone in the crowd. The way he moved was interesting, as or possibly more acrobatic than Nightwing. Which suggested that was part of his metahuman ability. Dick was about as flexible as baseline humans could get. It was interesting to see how he adapted to Jason joining in. He had told Tim he didn’t have a team or partner but he could obviously adapt to working with others. The Titans were down a lot of key members…

He sighed; he still had a bigger issue at hand. Damian. He had told people his son was overseas visiting his mother’s family, a lie obviously. Alfred had kept him under close watch for the night, part of why the gala had been at the hotel. He had chosen the therapist, the meta one for safety. The Watchtower was an option but one he wasn’t entirely enthusiastic about. It was an identity risk but then Damian was a security risk with his boastfulness and pride in being a Wayne and the son of the Bat. Dinah had vetted all of the therapists but Bruce was running his own checks as well.

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Jim looked up as Batman joined him. “Dent admitted he was tricked. He was given intel on a completely different event being held at the hotel; thought the Wayne Gala was at the manor. Doesn’t know who’s behind the tip though. He seems upset about it.”

Batman nodded. “He still holds onto respect for Wayne.”

“Yeah. At least there’s one good thing he holds onto, comes in handy at times,” he agreed.

Bruce had put himself in danger several times over the years to help deescalate things with Two Face. Jim hated letting it happen but never said no, not when it meant lives were saved.

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Damian triple checked everything, he’d been carefully secreting things for months, and as the house went quiet, he made his move. It had become very obvious that Father was not going to step up and train him as Mother said. If so, then there was no reason to remain.

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Dick heard the near silent alarm and rolled out of bed, grabbing the hidden eskrima as he moved from his bedroom towards Damian’s. Bruce beat him there and Dick swore as he saw the obvious, Damian was gone. Bruce pulled out his phone and dialled.

“Oracle, Damian has run. Find and track him,” he barked before hanging up and dialling again. “Tim, code D.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim groaned and reached blindly for his phone as it rang. “’lo?”

“Tim, code D,” Bruce’s voice was tense, angry, and Tim sat up, adrenaline rushing through him.

“Understood.”

Damian had left the manor. He took a deep breath and then moved to activate the full security systems that were set in the theatre and around it. The sensors should pick up anyone approaching, even someone with LoA skills. He almost called out for Kon to monitor at a distance…when would he lose those instinctive responses?

He threw on some clothes and headed for Peter’s bedroom, he couldn’t leave him undefended. He knew that Tim’s skateboard had been sabotaged by family, so warning him that family member might be coming would hopefully not raise too many questions.

He knocked on the door. “Peter,” he called out. It only took a few moments before the door opened, Peter’s hair a mess from sleep.

“Tim?”

“Damian’s left the manor, B’s worried he’ll come after me.”

“None of them have this address though, right?”

“Doesn’t mean he can’t figure it out. I’ve turned on the security system but we’ll need to be careful.”

Peter nodded. “Okay.” He stared at Tim. “I’ll start the popcorn; you pick the movie.”

Tim blinked but then nodded, Peter was right, he didn’t want to go back to bed.

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Babara’s fingers flew over her keyboard. She had to find the brat and fast. Would he target Tim again? He hadn’t told her where he was living but she had her suspicions given activity in an area on the edge of Crime Alley. Damian had come far too close to killing Tim already, if given another chance…and he was living with a civilian, possibly a family, all of whom would be in danger. She was not going to fail them. She would always remember the pain and terror when she’d opened the door to the Joker, the agony of the shot… the thought of something like that happening to Tim or the friend he was staying with…no, she would find Damian.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim hated it when the Christmas break ended. Going back to school meant he would be more exposed, would put Peter in danger. But he couldn’t just skip school till the brat was found. At least they had manoeuvrability with the bike if needed, it was always in a secure location, but would the garage they used be enough to keep Damian out? He couldn’t access it in the Theatre.

“Hey,” Peter called, and Tim looked over at him. “We’ll be okay.” He sounded utterly sure, his gaze steady.

And Tim realised, he was promising to protect him which was nice. How often had that happened to him? But there was no way that Peter could take on Damian, was there? Sure, he was a meta, but Damian was trained to fight against most possible enemies, including meta’s.

So, they went to school and everything stayed quiet, which didn’t actually help his nerves. What was Damian waiting for?

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Barbara stared at the footage, going over everything multiple times. She even sent it to Cyborg so he could triple check it for tampering, there was none. So, she made the call. “Bruce? I found him. On a flight to Turkey the morning after he left the manor.”

“You’re sure?” He asked.

“There’s footage of him arriving and a flash of Talia in one shot. He’s gone back to the LoA.”

“Thank you, Barbara. I’ll call Tim once school lets out for the day.”

“Cyborg and I have set up a monitoring program to keep an eye out for both of them, just to be safe.”

“Good,” he agreed.

She sighed and stretched after she hung up. It was a relief to have the risk gone but…no kid deserved the life Damian had lived and would keep living now. But he was so brainwashed into their way of thinking. By the time everyone started taking it seriously, it was too late. He should have gone into deprogramming immediately. She had tried suggesting it but hadn’t felt she had the right to push when it had been denied. Bruce had been sure the family could handle things. And it had nearly cost him two sons, Tim had been lucky to survive and now Damian was gone.

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Bruce stepped out of the car as he spotted Tim with his friend, leaving the school. The friend nudged Tim who looked his way and frowned, but they headed towards him, the other teen staying back.

“B?” Tim asked in concern.

“Barbara tracked Damian to Turkey,” he answered softly to keep from being overheard. “She spotted Talia in a shot as well. He’s gone back to her.”

He watched as the tension drained from his son. “You’re sure?” he asked shakily.

Bruce nodded. “He’s gone and they’re setting up monitoring programs. If he returns to the US, we’ll know.”

Tim swallowed and nodded. “B, I…”

“You’re happy with your friend. I won’t make you come back to the Manor,” he promised, even though it hurt. “As long as you’re safe and happy then that’s what matters.”

And then Tim lunged in to hug him. “Thanks…Dad.”

Bruce closed his eyes and hugged his son.

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“Hey Robin,” the now familiar voice called, and he waved.

“Spider-Man,” he greeted, flashing him a grin. “Wanna lend a hand?” Tim motioned to the gang below, and the other nodded.

They launched themselves at the gathered gang members, making them regret their life choices.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jason nodded as the two teens joined him. “Nice to work with both of you.”

“What’s up Hood?” Tim asked.

He indicated the warehouse and began explaining. They listened and then the three of them began planning. It was nice when it all went well and hey, no casualties. The only near miss had been the idiot who nearly took a tumble into the harbour, Gotham water was not good for anyone’s health. Spider-man had caught the guy with a web and tied him up in a safe spot.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dick smiled as Tim joined him on the roof, the kid kept a wary distance between them but had agreed to a shared patrol.

“Do you miss him?” Tim asked when they stopped for a drink break.

Dick didn’t have to ask who Tim meant. “I miss… the kid I thought he could be,” he admitted softly. “The person he actually was, no.”

Tim nodded silently and they moved on.

They froze as uncontrollable laughter reached them, exchanging a look before racing towards the noise. They found a man collapsed against a wall, face locked in a familiar grin, gasping for air around laughter. Dick drew his eskrima, watching Tim’s back as the kid administered an antidote and called for an ambulance.

“Sir?” the alarm in Tim’s voice had Dick turning to look.

“Robin?”

“The antidote isn’t working,” Tim reported, a slight tremor in his voice.

“O, where’s the ambulance?” Dick called over comm’s.

“Four blocks away. What is it?”

“Antidote isn’t working,” he answered.

The man was beginning to convulse, lips blue. Without knowing how he was dosed, mouth to mouth would be far too dangerous if he stopped breathing. They couldn’t risk exposure, especially with the antidote not working.

“Draw blood,” Bruce’s voice joined in on the comm. “We need to see what’s going on, if it’s a new strain…”

“Isn’t Joker still in Arkham?” Tim demanded as he began rolling the man’s sleeve up.

“Checking,” Babs answered, her voice as tense as Tim’s. “Damn it,” she hissed. “His cell’s empty. I’ll start digging.”

“I’ll call the Commissioner,” Bruce growled.

“I hear sirens,” Dick said as Tim slid a vial into a belt pouch.

They helped the paramedics restrain the man but he was too weak now to really do anything. It did not look good, unless they could figure it out in the next few minutes. They took off with the sample for the Cave to analyse it, there was no sign at the site of however the man was dosed.

“The man is Matthew Dryer, no criminal record. An accountant with an ex-wife, no kids. Lives alone,” Bab’s reported softly as they rode as fast as they dared. And then she sighed in defeat. “They just called time of death.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim slipped out of the elevator and collapsed onto his bed, exhausted physically and mentally. He felt horrible for the Mr Dryer. He didn’t deserve to die like that, no one did. How the hell had the Joker gotten out without any alarms? He would make sure their civilian rebreathers were in top condition in the morning, stock up on antidotes and muscle relaxants. While not an antidote, relaxing the muscles could help buy more time for proper help to be given.

They’d isolated the new Joker venom in Dryer’s blood but it would take some time to make a new antidote given the changes to the strain. Time they probably didn’t have knowing that madman. He’d have to call Spider-Man and warn him about the Joker…and Hood’s reaction to the creep. But it could wait, he was too tired to move. He was fast asleep when Peter knocked on his door, worried about him missing breakfast.

TBC…

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 8

After two weeks, the death toll had hit double digits and kept rising. The Joker venom was spreading through Gotham and they couldn’t work out how or where the bastard was hiding. And the worst? They couldn’t make an antidote that worked all the time because they kept altering the strain. They did have one bit of news, it seemed like the Joker had once again manipulated Two Face, the attack on the Wayne Gala had taken up the police and vigilante attention long enough for a heist to be pulled from three chemical suppliers around the city. Which also explained the amount of Joker venom being spread about since there was no way he could have had so much stockpiled.

They were all run ragged and exhausted, chasing the Joker who was managing to keep three steps ahead of them. How did Tim manage to go to school every day? Jason was keeping a close eye on the theatre, he’d spotted the security hidden in the buildings around it, smart of them. And it seemed that Peter was learning to ride the bike due to Tim’s tiredness. How the hell was Timmy explaining it to him? Was he considering telling him? Jason had only met Peter that once but the kid seemed a good influence on Tim, he’d put on a bit of weight since they’d started living together. Of course, now that weight was vanishing from stress.

The Alley was locked down, it might be called Crime Alley but no one there would help the Joker now. They knew the Red Hood would do his best to protect them, that working for the Clown was a death sentence in the end given how he treated his goons, so for once the Alley actually had a lower death toll from an ongoing Rogue Attack. So far, the new strains hadn’t been released in gas form which was why the body count wasn’t in the hundreds, yet. Maybe these altered strains couldn’t be made into gas? Or was this a testing phase?

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Bruce sat in the meeting, mind only half on it. Building security was tight, every building with security had upped it since the attacks began. Some people had begun working remotely to lower risks and Bruce had signed off on it without issues for his company. He was tempted to have Tim pulled from school to homeschool instead. Jason had the Alley locked down tight, he’d be safer staying there than commuting.

This was very different to the Joker’s usual brand of chaos and ‘fun’. And that was very concerning. Spider-Man was proving his worth in the emergency. His webs were great at restraining victims and he was strong enough to manhandle them if needed. Definitely a meta but he was content to just keep an eye out for now. He had a rapport with Tim, the two worked well together, even the three of them when Jason joined the boys.

Being stuck in a board meeting given what was going on, was frustrating though but he couldn’t show it. He couldn’t break the Brucie mask.

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Tim stared at his textbook, fighting to focus on the teacher droning on. He just wanted to sleep but he couldn’t. He felt Peter nudge him slightly as he began to nod off. So far, Peter had accepted the insomnia excuse but how long would that last? Especially if he managed to convince him to ditch the job while the Joker was on the loose. He hated the idea of Peter out in Gotham at night normally, but now?

They were driving themselves into exhaustion trying to keep up with antidotes that would work and to find the bastard, but the Joker was lying low for once. Something had to give soon. Apparently, Bruce was actually considering calling Clark to look for the Joker from the sky. He could at least rule out locations where the buildings weren’t thickly painted in lead-based paint. Even the Joker wouldn’t expect Superman to be called in for surveillance. And it made Tim miss Kon all the more, he would have called him and Bart in already, Cassie would have come too…except he hadn’t talked to her in months, not since she’d found the lab. Sometimes he wondered, if he hadn’t met Peter, would he have tried again? Would he have been so alone feeling that he would try again to get something back of his friends?

He went through the day in a daze, leaning against Peter’s back on the way home. Entering their home, he tried to shake it off, he had work to do.

“Food Tim,” Peter steered him to the kitchen despite his trying to argue. “Tim…this isn’t healthy. You’re going to pass out or worse if you don’t get a good nights’ sleep.”

“It’ll pass,” he tried to wave off Peter’s concern.

“Have you tried a sleeping aide? Lavender tea or something if you don’t want to go the chemical route?”

Tim shook his head, it was partially insomnia, his mind too active to sleep even when he did make it to bed. And he knew teas and the like weren’t addictive, but they never seemed to help. “They don’t work,” he admitted.

Peter frowned. “Wait here,” he murmured and then headed to the lab setup Tim had built for him. He came back a while later with a test tube of liquid. “Try this, it’s all natural and non-addictive. Used to make it for a friend who had insomnia, he said it worked better than anything else he’d tried.”

Tim eyed the tube, hesitating. He knew the risks of taking aids and he had patrol later. But…he was so tired. Slowly he reached out and took it, grimacing at the smell. He looked at Peter and then the test tube. He was his best friend; he wouldn’t hurt him. He lifted it to his mouth and tipped the liquid in, trying not to gag. He swallowed and handed the test tube back. “I guess I’ll go…oh,” he trailed off into a murmur. That was fast…he could feel the tension draining away, everything going hazy.

“Bedtime,” Peter’s voice reached him from far away. His body was so heavy and then he was being lifted but he couldn’t argue. The world faded in and out and then there was something soft under him, Peter’s fuzzy form leaning over him. “Sleep Tim, you’ll be okay.”

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Babs frowned, checking the signals again, getting worried. “Spider-Man, have you seen or heard from Robin?” She asked.

“Got a brief call earlier, he sounded really out of it. Don’t know if he’s sick or just that exhausted. Told him not to come out or I’ll web him to a bed display.”

She snorted. “Understood. I’ll mark him unavailable.” Tim was actually staying in? Guess he really didn’t want to risk the possible embarrassment. The question was, was it exhaustion or could he be sick? She wouldn’t be surprised by either given everything.

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“Hood, meet up with Spider-Man at the docks, possible lead. Robin’s out for the night.”

Jason frowned. “He okay?”

“Either sick or too exhausted to be entirely coherent. I’ll get Agent A to call in the morning.”

“Understood.” Jason dropped off the roof and grabbed his bike, he was too far from the docks to grapple.

And now he was worried the kid was sick. They’d all been out in the downpour two nights ago, with the lack of sleep…even with supplements and good diets their immune systems had to be taking a hit. His was stronger since coming back but the others?

He parked his bike two blocks away and took to the roofs, looking around for Spider-Man. For a guy who wore red and blue, he was pretty good at blending in.

“Hey Hood!” the now familiar voice chirped, the spider landing beside him. “Just us two tonight.”

“What’ve you got?” he asked and then followed the spider across the roof to another, where they crouched out of sight.

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He slowly became aware of being warm and relaxed, cuddling deeper into the blankets. He yawned and slowly opened his eyes, finding the sun pouring into the bedroom. What? He sat up and looked around, seeing the time on his clock, 10am?! What? He stumbled out of bed, limbs heavy but for once not with exhaustion, more his body was just that relaxed.

“Tim, you up?” Peter called from the other side of the door.

“Peter?” he asked, and the door opened.

“Hey,” Peter greeted with a smile. “You look a lot less like death warmed up now.”

“Wha…” and then he remembered, Peter had given him something. “How long did I sleep?”

“Since five thirty yesterday, which means you really needed it.”

He’d never slept that long! He’d missed patrol…

“Breakfast is ready, you’ve got to be starving.”

And he was…he’d barely noticed being hungry lately, too busy or tired. But at the moment he felt like he could eat a horse.

“What was in that?” he asked, stretching, feeling his spine pop. “I’ve never slept so long.”

“It didn’t keep you asleep, just helped you get to sleep, so you really needed it,” Peter explained and then began listing the ingredients.

Tim listened and there was nothing in the list that would have kept him asleep once his body was well rested or if there’d been a loud enough noise, anything that would normally wake him. He’d known he was exhausted but he hadn’t realised it was that bad… as often as he was up all night, he also knew that a lack of sleep could be dangerous for his health. The human body needed a certain amount of sleep to function.

As soon as he’d eaten, he headed to shower and dress, grabbing his phone to check. He saw a missed call from Babs last night and another this morning. He grimaced and sent a text, saying he’d fallen asleep and was only just up, would talk to her later. And then the phone rang.

He smiled softly and answered the call. “Morning Alfred.”

“Well, you sound a lot better than your neighbourhood friend said last night, Master Tim.”

Neighbourhood…oh! “I don’t remember calling him,” he admitted, confused. But at least someone had known he wasn’t patrolling?

“He did say you sounded very out of it. I take it you are feeling better this morning?”

“Yeah, I uh, actually slept over twelve hours.”

“Then you must have needed it. If only your father and siblings would follow your example.”

Tim snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“I am relieved that you are well rested and not ill.”

“We’re all probably going to crash badly when this is over,” he murmured.

“Indeed.”

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Jason was relieved when Tim landed beside him. “You okay?” he asked, and even with his eyes covered, Jason could tell the kid was rolling them.

“I wasn’t sick…I fell asleep. Don’t even remember checking in with Spider-Man. My roommate had to put me to bed.”

He what?! They were trained too well no matter how tired to not notice being moved. Unless they trusted the person moving them completely, like how Bruce used to carry them to bed when they were younger. Jason didn’t have it happen too often and often stirred at least slightly, but he’d heard the stories of Tim falling asleep at the computer or the oddest of places, and B or even Dick carting him off to bed. So, for Peter to be able to take him to bed and Tim not wake? That said a lot, even more than the kid turning the old theatre into a home for the two of them.

“So, you and Spider-Man took out a distribution hub last night?”

“Yeah,” Jason answered. “Unfortunately, most of the stock was already shipped out but we rounded up most of the idiots there. They didn’t know much though.”

He’d come so close to just shooting the lot of, might have done it if Spider-Man hadn’t been there.

Tim grimaced. “We’re missing something.”

“Yeah, but what? For once, the whole city is basically cooperating, how the hell has no one seen anything?”

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Bruce nodded as Tim joined him in the booth. His son looked a lot better than the last time he’d seen him. “How are you?”

“Not exhausted anymore,” Tim answered with a grin, leaning back in his seat as the waitress filled his mug. And then he pulled out his phone as it beeped, blinking in surprise.

“Tim?”

“Cassie, she’s asking if we need help.”

Bruce knew the two had drifted apart, that Tim had stepped away from the Titans, leaving her to lead them. He considered the offer; the situation was getting too far out of hand for him to cling to the no meta’s in Gotham rule which wasn’t really a rule. He’d been seriously considering calling in Clark and even Diana for help. Neither was susceptible to the Joker’s concoctions after all while some of the Titans would be.

“Your Uncle Clark and Aunt Diana will likely be coming to the city in the next week,” he offered, seeing Tim relax. Yes, Tim wasn’t as close to Clark as Dick had been, but he was as close to Diana as Jason due to being teammates with Cassie. He didn’t blame Tim for that aloofness given Clark’s early behaviour regarding Kon. But he had gotten better and his grief for the teen was genuine, maybe they could become closer now.

“How are the renovations going?” he asked to change the topic.

“All done as of Tuesday. Having our own bathrooms is very nice.”

Bruce chuckled. “Could be worse, you could be teenage girls forced to share,” he teased, and Tim shuddered theatrically.

“Thankfully, neither of us really uses products outside some gel for galas.”

“You’re going to need hair ties soon though if you don’t cut your hair. Are you growing it out or just been too busy to get a cut?”

Tim considered it and Bruce let him. “I think I’ll let it get a bit longer,” he finally answered. I like the weight and it’s not as messy with the extra length.”

Bruce nodded. “As long as it’s not getting in your way.” If he couldn’t keep it from becoming a handhold in a fight then he’d need to cut it, but Steph…she’d had long hair and it hadn’t gotten in the way, Babs too. “Things are going well with your friend?”

Tim nodded, smiling at the waitress as their food was delivered and she smiled back at him. “His name’s Peter,” he murmured. “He’s originally from New York. He’s smart B, really smart. He should be at university level smart. I uh…I’ve offered him a position with DI, fully covered education. I trust him B.”

“Does he suspect?”

“I don’t think so, he works night shifts and there’s access in my room so he wouldn’t know if I was out.”

“Do you…want to tell him?” Bruce asked hesitantly.

He thought he’d done better with Tim about the secret identity, Tim had been the most accepting of it from the start. But Tim had gotten mad at him when he’d sent Stephanie to his boarding school, outing his identity. He wanted Peter’s last name, to dig into his past, but he had to trust Tim. He knew how close he had come to losing his son several times, both to death and misunderstandings, usually on Bruce’s side. The test set on his sixteenth birthday had been the biggest mistake he had made. If he could go back…

Tim chewed at his bottom lip and Bruce knocked his leg gently with his foot, it was one of the few bad habits the Drake’s hadn’t managed to break him of. Bruce only stopped it because Tim would hurt himself, not because of his image.

“I do,” Tim finally whispered. “He doesn’t treat me like others do for being a Drake or Wayne. He’s more…real. We can spend hours talking science, tech, tv shows…or we’ll just sit in silence and do our own things. He never pushes on anything. Insists on keeping his job to pay his share of things…” Tim shrugged slightly.

He was glad that Tim had someone to support him, a friend who was there for him. When Cassie had called him about the lab, he had been very worried for Tim’s mental state. People joked that he was the most likely of the Robin’s to go supervillain…and Bruce could see it, it scared him, especially after the Titans report on meeting their future selves. Maybe that was why he had been so hard on Tim at times? He had lost so much, starting with his mother, then Steph, Kon, Bart, his father…not that Tim and Jack were overly close. But to have seen his body, to have begged him to run on the phone…it had hit Tim hard.

He knew that Tim’s paranoia rivalled his own, so for him to trust this Peter so much then he had to be a pretty good friend. “If you trust him, then it’s up to you,” he offered.

Tim froze, staring at him with wide eyes, and Bruce smothered the urge to laugh at the look on his face. It wasn’t often he got to shock Tim.

“I trust you Tim. You’re much better with people than I am and one day you will be a far better detective too. You know all of the risks. If you want to tell Peter, then tell him.”

Tim swallowed, looking down at his empty plate before looking back up at him. “Thanks B.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim crouched behind a gargoyle, watching the various people moving in and out of the warehouse opposite. It all seemed legit on the surface but something about it just felt off, so he was running surveillance. He’d move in and place microphones and cameras once he was sure of their movements. If this was one of the Joker’s fronts then maybe they could get some intel.

He forced himself to focus on the job and not his discussion with Bruce yesterday. He could deal with it all once this was over, for now, stopping the Joker was all that mattered.

And then the number of people moving in and out slowed and Tim made his move, slipping onto the roof to find an access point. There were boxes, some trucks, all the normal warehouse trappings. He kept to the shadows, planting bugs, and then there was the office. It was locked but that wasn’t an issue. He picked it and crept inside to investigate. He copied the computer’s hard drive, not sure there’d be anything there and opened some file drawers, but they were mostly empty.

He made sure everything was where he’d found it and slipped back out only to throw a hand up to protect his eyes as a bright light blinded him.

“Look boys, we’ve caught a bird!” An all too familiar and dreaded voice cheered.

Tim didn’t hesitate, drawing his bō and launching himself at the nearest goon. He tapped his general panic button, calling for any help possible. This was meant to be surveillance, not a fight! He’d walked into a trap instead.

He ducked, kicking out, feeling a hand grab his shoulder he slammed his head back, hearing a muffled curse. He heard his comm crackle but nothing else, jammed. And in the end, the numbers were too much for him and he was forced to his knees, body aching.

“Ah, the serious bird. You deserve a laugh kid!” the grin on the Joker’s face had Tim’s heart racing before he even saw the needle in his hand.

He strained against his captors but they were too big and strong for him to break free from with the way they were holding him. Training didn’t make a difference when the people holding you down were three times your size.

“Just relax little Robin, this won’t hurt and then you’ll finally get the joke.”

Tim tried to at least knock the needle away with his struggles but it didn’t work and he felt the sting of the needle sinking into his neck above the suit. He closed his eyes, forcing his breathing to slow, his heart rate to drop. The slower his blood was flowing the slower the drug would spread, buy him time. He hoped it was a strain they had the antidote for or he was dead. It was quick acting, even with him trying to slow the spread and he could feel the muscles in his chest beginning to spasm, his lips twitching upwards. No, not like this…it’d kill B to lose another bird to the Joker.

He gasped in a breath and then he lost the fight, beginning to laugh. He didn’t even feel it as the let him go, collapsing to the concrete, his mouth stretched in an unnatural grin as he laughed.

He barely heard glass shattering, an angry scream…fighting.

“Robin!” a voice called, but he couldn’t stop laughing, even as gentle hands lifted him.

He couldn’t focus, the world spinning, as the laughter continued. He felt the sting of a needle, felt his muscles relax a little, his face not hurting as much. He gasped in deeper breaths around the laughter and then a face swam into focus. A gloved hand was holding his and he managed to squeeze it.

“You’re going to be okay Robin,” Spider-Man promised.

“Sss…spp…” he tried to speak but the laughter made it impossible.

“Just stay with me Tim!”

And then he was being picked up and they were swinging.

TBC….

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 9

He swung through the Gotham night as fast as he could, faster than he had in what felt like forever. His senses were screaming danger but not for him. The panic button being activated had Oracle snapping orders over every comm but he knew he was closest and was ignoring the order to wait for backup. He couldn’t lose him, not again. He spotted the warehouse coming up fast, could hear the sounds of multiple heartbeats, a familiar one hammering away in fear.

He smashed through the glass, trusting his suit and healing to deal with it as he flipped through the air, spotting his main target. How could he miss that garish monster? So, he shifted the angle slightly and slammed into the clown, sending him flying. He landed in a crouch, no quips, nothing. All he could hear was Robin’s gasping laughter as he lay on the concrete. NO!

Without a shred of mercy, he launched himself at the surrounding goons, hearing bones breaking and not caring. His Spidey sense warned him of danger, allowing him to dance around them, everything Matt had ever taught him honing all of his senses for the slightest shift in the air around him. Moved Wade and Logan had shown him coming so easily. He caught and threw back a trashcan lid the way Cap had often done with his shield. And then it was over, groaning bodies littering the warehouse even as Robin continued to laugh.

“Robin!” he called, skidding to his knees beside the other teen, shuddering at the sight of the rictus grin on his face, the way his limbs were spasming.

He picked him up and shot a web for the roof, getting them clear of the warehouse. He set him down and pulled out a needle of the muscle relaxant they all carried now, carefully injecting it, watching to see if it helped. Thankfully, Robin relaxed a little, able to draw in more air around the laughter. He held his hand and felt a rush of relief when he felt the other manage to squeeze his.

“You’re going to be okay Robin,” he promised, thinking of the syringe in his lab.

 “Sss…spp…” he tried to speak but the laughter made it impossible.

“Just stay with me Tim!” he pleaded before picking him up again and leaping off the roof. He headed for the Theatre. He knew there was a basement, had heard the construction. There’d be a medbay in there, the latest antidotes, and if this was a different strain…the syringe in his own lab.

He ignored the comms, made sure Tim’s trackers were disabled since he hadn’t brought any of the Bats by. He knew the access was in Tim’s bedroom, or at least one of them was. Found it behind a wall panel, gently removing Tim’s domino so it would scan his eye.

He got them into the base and found the medical equipment, stripping Tim’s suit off to hook him up to monitors, oxygen, fluids. Everything possible to support his body was done before Peter drew blood and rushed to the analyser, thankful that Tim had everything top of the line.

He went through the various antidotes Tim had stocked, finding the latest Joker ones and prepping them, hoping. He moved to Tim’s side, seeing him struggle to understand what was happening. He gently ran his fingers through messy black hair.

“It’s okay, you’re safe,” he promised, taking a flailing hand in his, hoping to help ground him. “Just relax as much as you can, your blood’s running to see what version you were given.” The laughter was creepy and also terrifying. He could hear Tim’s muscles straining, if it lasted much longer, he could crack a rib, literally.

The machine beeped, done, and Peter rushed to see the results, heart plummeting…a new strain. Damn it! He looked back at Tim who was gasping around his laughter, tears falling from his eyes, fingers scrabbling weakly at the bed. His lips were starting to tinge a little blue even with the oxygen mask and muscle relaxants. Peter increased the flow of oxygen, seeing Tim’s eyes focus on him, confusion and fear. He reached up and removed his mask, meeting Tim’s eyes.

“Stay with me Tim,” he urged. “I’m not going to let you die.”

He forced himself to leave Tim, rushing back upstairs to his own lab, opening the safe that had been installed. He removed the syringe from its protective case and raced back downstairs.

He checked it over and then rubbed Tim’s wrist with an alcohol swab. “This is going to hurt, but it’ll save you,” he explained. It had to work, it had to. He slipped the needle into a vein and slowly injected the contents. Now all he could do was wait.

It felt wrong, using it now…but Tim had agreed once even if it seemed he didn’t remember. That hurt so much. When Tim had looked at him that day in class as a stranger, he’d felt sick though he’d hidden it. Why didn’t Tim remember him?

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Tim struggled to understand what was happening. It was hard, his lungs screaming for more air, his face feeling like it was splitting in half from the smile locked on. Every muscle hurt from the force of the laughter; his throat raw. Then…soft underneath him, bed? His body being moved the sound of cutting. His suit? No! And then air was being pushed into his mouth, an oxygen mask, the pinch of a canula being inserted. Hospital? Cave?

And then something…fingers…B?

“It’s okay, you’re safe,” the accented voice made it past the laughter and then a gloved hand squeezed his bare fingers. “Just relax…your blood’s running …version …given.”

His hearing faded in and out, he felt dizzy, lightheaded. He was choking on laughter, trying to gasp in more air, feeling tears wetting his face. His fingers dug into the mattress below him. The mask got louder, the air increased, but it wasn’t helping. And then he recognised the form over him, Spider-Man. Where was he? And then…Peter?

“Stay with…,” he urged. “I’m not …let you die.”

And then he was gone. Tim wanted to beg him to come back…had he been there? Was he hallucinating? Breathing was getting harder, his vision going grey. But then Peter appeared, lips moving, but Tim couldn’t hear him. He felt the sting of a needle in his arm but he didn’t have the strength to try and stop him.

He was dying…he didn’t want…and then his body locked up, burning…he was burning!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jason nodded at Dick and they entered the warehouse cautiously. It was quiet, too quiet. They stared in surprise at the scattered bodies on the ground, there were soft moans of pain, weak movements, so still alive. And then…there!

“Wing,” he growled, gun aimed.

“Easy Hood,” his brother called, moving in cautiously to check the body. “Alive but…the damage is severe. O, we need ambulances, lots of ambulances,” Dick said.

“How bad is it? Robin?”

“No sign of him or Spider-Man. But every goon here has broken bones at least. And the Joker…looks like he got slammed into the concrete…hard, like Kryptonian hard. I’d say this is Spider-Man not holding back, definitely enhanced strength to go with those webs and flexibility.”

“So where are they?” Jason forced out. He saw something glinting and knelt to pick it up. “Damn it,” he growled.

“Hood?”

“Empty syringe, one of them was dosed.”

And they all knew where that likely led…not Tim, please not Tim.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Peter monitored Tim the whole night, watching as the Joker’s venoms’ hold on his body began to loosen, as a fever set in, his body attempting to fight off the invaders. It was working. And even if Tim hated him for this, he couldn’t regret saving his life. And maybe…maybe this would help him remember?

He’d left Tim in the shorts and tank top he wore under the Robin suit and it made the changes to his body obvious as his muscles became more defined. Peter still remembered waking up after the bite to be shocked by the muscle mass and definition he’d gained. Once, Tim had known to expect it, had been nervous but also excited…and then he’d vanished as suddenly as he had appeared in Peter’s life. The formula hadn’t been ready then, had still needed a few tweaks. And Peter had done it, kept working on it until it was ready. He hadn’t known why at the time, why bother when Tim was gone? But now he was glad he had, because it had saved Tim’s life.

It was almost lunch by the time Tim began to stir. His fever had broken and blood work showed stabilised DNA mutation. Ever so slowly, blue eyes peeled open, gazing around dazedly.

“Tim, can you hear me?” he asked, leaning over so that Tim could see him.

Tim tried to speak but just groaned. Peter grabbed a glass of water and supported his head so he could take a few sips. He knew what it felt like when healthy, with the Joker venom…Tim had to feel like he’d been hit by a few trucks. Tim’s brow furrowed with confusion as he looked at Peter and then his eyes widened. He’d taken the mask off, but he still had the rest of the Spider suit on. And then Tim looked around, obviously recognising his own base.

“Wha…hap’d?” he slurred.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re safe and healing,” Peter promised.

“Pet’r…Spid…” he trailed off, eyes slipping shut, breathing evening out.

Peter picked up his comm, hesitating, but then slipped it into his ear, grabbing his mask for the slight voice modulation. “Oracle?” he called.

“Spider-Man,” her voice was tense but there was some relief there.

“Robin’s safe and recovering. It came close, too close.”

“Hood found a syringe, a new strain of Joker venom.”

“He was injected before I arrived. He’s asleep now, he woke up and was aware, spoke but it was slurred.”

“How?” she demanded, and he understood why. It took them too long to make new antidotes, the first people dosed with the strain never made it.

“Did they get the Joker?” he changed the subject. It would be up to Tim to tell them what had happened.

“And all of the goons in the warehouse. You did a number on them,” she commented flatly.

“Didn’t have time to play nice. They know what they’re involved in, the people who have died. And they have to know that Robin is a teenager, they held him down and let the Joker inject him. So, I have no regrets.”

And he didn’t. He didn’t kill, he tried for the peaceful option when he could - he wasn’t Wade, Logan, or Frank, but he also knew when fighting an alien hoard there often wasn’t any other option than the lethal one. He’d been on a very tight time limit to get to Tim and get him medical help so he hadn’t held back as much as he normally did.

“I’ll get him to check in when he wakes up more coherently.” And he switched the comm off.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce lowered his head in relief. Tim was alive. At least, if they could trust Spider-Man’s word. When they’d analysed the needle, found the trace of Tim’s blood and the new strain… he’d been utterly terrified, that his son had died alone, terrified, unable to control his body. Had wondered where they would find his body, if he had staggered away trying to find help.

He hadn’t lost another son, wouldn’t have to bury Tim in a too small coffin. But how had he survived? It took time to manufacture an antidote, they were still working on the sample they’d gotten off the syringe.

Jason had died because of his crusade and family betrayal; Damian was gone because he couldn’t protect him from his mother and grandfather’s influence. Stephanie had died because of her own desire to prove herself, because of his plans that never should have been used. How many injuries had all of the children had over the years? And now Tim… so soon after almost losing him to the fall, to Damian’s schemes to replace him.

The Joker was in custody, in a coma. He had multiple broken bones, organ damage…Spider-Man had hit him hard and then the Joker had slammed into a concrete wall. He was alive but there was no way to tell if he’d ever wake and Bruce…for once he didn’t care. The bastard had almost killed another of his children.

If he had been the one to find Tim, to see his son with his face locked in that grin, unable to stop laughing…would he have broken his rule? Would he have killed the Joker before holding his son as he died? The muscle relaxants bought time but only so much.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He woke slowly, remaining still, unsure why he felt like he should be alert. There was an oxygen mask on his face, a canula in his arm, a blanket over him. A hospital? No gown…the clothes he wore under his suit. But this wasn’t the Cave…

“Tim?” A familiar voice called his name, and he found himself opening his eyes.  

It took a few moments to realise he was in the Nest’s medical bay and then he saw Peter. What?

“Tim, can you hear me?” Peter looked very concerned, so he nodded.

He ached like he was recovery from a bad bought of flu. But if that was the case then he’d be in his bedroom. How could Peter be in the Nest?

“Think you can eat something? You’ve been out nearly twenty-four hours,” Peter explained.

That explained the IV then, fluids. He moved to sit up, he felt…strange. “Peter?” His mouth was utterly dry but then Peter was holding a cup to his lips. He drank, the relief immediate. “How…what?”

“Just take it slowly, you…you nearly died last night. What’s the last thing you remember?”

He nearly died? He leant back against the pillows, watching Peter move around and then what his friend was wearing hit him. “Peter?” He stared at the white spider spread across his chest.

“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” his friend murmured and then moved back to his side, a tray with some porridge and a glass of orange juice in his hands. He set it down and Tim stared at it before reaching for the spoon, finding his arm was shaking a little.

What was going on? How could Peter be Spider-Man and yet…the clues were there, even Jason had pointed it out. He just…hadn’t wanted to consider it, wanted something separate. Had he let Peter down into the Nest? He couldn’t remember. Had he gone on patrol? He struggled to remember but…yes, he had. Okay, so he’d been hurt on patrol? And then he heard the echo of a familiar laugh and flinched.

“The Joker?’ he asked.

Peter grimaced. “Alive though not going anywhere any time. I, uh…wasn’t exactly gentle when I saw what was going on.”

What was…his hand flew to his neck and he felt a Band-Aid there, yanking it off. There was nothing he could find, a small spot of blood on the Band-Aid. “I…” he swallowed. “I was dosed?” It must have been a strain they had antidote for then, he’d been very lucky.

It explained why he ached; the laughter would have strained his muscles. He’d probably been given a relaxant on site and then the antidote when they got back to the Nest, which explained his letting Peter in. Had he had his mask off then? But something still felt…off.

“It was bad Tim, you…you were dying. I gave you the muscle relaxant but by the time we got here, your lips were going blue, you were barely getting air even with the mask. Seeing your face locked in that grin…” he looked sick at the memory.

Tim had seen enough victims to be able to imagine it clearly. “Hey, you got me the antidote, it’s okay now,” he comforted his friend.

“Tim…it was a new strain, there is no antidote.”

What? He stared at Peter in confusion. “But I’d be dead.” Painfully, gruesomely. He was glad he couldn’t remember more than vague flashes.

Peter placed a syringe on the table beside his breakfast and Tim frowned. And for a second he saw Peter, younger, somewhere unfamiliar…working at a small desk covered in formulas and beakers. “You sure about this Tim?”

“Tim?” Peter asked, and he jerked his eyes away from the syringe.

“I…I’ve seen that before.”

He saw Peter’s eyes widen, hope in them. “When?” he asked.

Tim frowned, trying to grasp the memory. “You…a home lab? Younger,” he mumbled, and then shook his head. It was gone. “But we only met this school year…didn’t we?”

Peter sat on the edge of the bed, grasping his hand. “You trust me?” he asked softly, and Tim nodded.

“We have met before,” Peter told him. “That day in class, when you looked at me like a stranger, it hurt so much. You’re my best friend Tim. One day, you just appeared in New York, lost and confused. I found you on a rooftop, took you home with me. And then one day you were gone, vanished as if you were never there.”

Tim’s eyes widened in shock as realisation slowly sank in. “I went missing for weeks,” he whispered. “I... I’ve never remembered anything. I went through so much testing to ensure I was actually me, that no one had altered my body or mind.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t understand, the Titans have a base in New York. Why couldn’t they find me? Why didn’t I go to them?”

“Because they don’t exist in my New York,” Peter told him and suddenly it all made sense.

Why no one could find him when he was missing, why Peter didn’t seem to know some things he should, the clothes Tim had been wearing when found…why there was no record of Spider-Man when he seemed an experienced hero.

“Another dimension?” he asked, and Peter nodded.

“We made this together,” Peter explained, picking up the syringe. “It was almost ready when you vanished. My Earth isn’t like this one. Most heroes have powers or enhancements of some kind. Or crazy tech like Stark, you went nuts over his stuff. You were determined to work with me and we made a good team but…you also struggled to keep up physically in a lot of fights. So, we made the serum for you.”

“You injected me?”

Peter nodded. “I couldn’t ask but you were dying and you wanted it before. There was no time to make an antidote.”

He felt like his mind was spinning, this was all…he’d never seen it coming. He’d longed for answers to the gap in his memory since he had realised there was one. Seeing Bruce, Dick, and Alfred so desperate, the way he hadn’t been left out of their sight…it had been scary. How had he ended up in another dimension? How had he been brought back and his memory erased? Was it the method of travel?

“What was in that syringe that could save my life?” he asked shakily. Peter said the majority of heroes were enhanced or had powers…

“A serum based off the source of my abilities, a radioactive and genetically altered spider.”

TBC…

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 10

Peter got some food together, Tim’s metabolism would be speeding up, he’d more food to fuel his enhancements. Once he was recovered, they would need to see where he lay on the chart compared to Peter. Did they have a way here of ranking Meta powers? Peter used the mutant ranking scale even though technically he was a mutate. Professor X himself had said that Peter would now be considered an alpha class mutant if his powers came from the x-gene because he had them under good control and they had definite applicable uses. But since there was a limit to how high his powers could go, he wouldn’t hit omega level and that was fine with him.

So would Tim hit alpha range or just beta? There was no way he’d be an epsilon, not with the enhancement to his musculature, he would definitely have enhanced strength at least. He’d allowed his DNA to be checked when they were developing the serum just to be sure there would be no surprises like a dormant x-gene…except this world didn’t have that, it had the Meta gene which was different according to Tim.

Tim had fallen asleep very quickly after Peter said his powers came from an altered spider but that was normal. Sleep would let his brain and body adjust to the changes quicker. And Peter knew there would be a lot of talks about Tim’s time on his Earth, Peter’s powers, and what Tim could expect.

He finished the food and headed back to the Nest; he’d added his data to the security so that he could come and go easily while Tim was recovering. Tim’s stats were good enough that he’d disconnected him from most of the equipment which was good snice Tim had shifted in his sleep, rolling onto his side. He set the food down on the rolling cabinet he’d dragged over beside the bed.

“Tim?” he called. “I’ve got food.” He waved the plate of bacon under his nose, grinning when it twitched. Sleepy blue eyes opened and Tim smiled at him before yawning.

“Pet’r?” he mumbled.

“You need more food. Come on, sit up.”

Tim groaned but pushed himself up, Peter raising the bedhead for him. Peter set the tray on his lap, reaching over to turn off the oxygen and Tim happily removed the nasal cannula, handing it to Peter. Peter grabbed some gauze and tape, holding it up to Tim.

“Since you kept the food from before down, I think it’s safe to take the IV out, especially if you get the accelerated healing.”

“Thanks,” Tim murmured, holding his arm out.

Peter turned the IV off and disconnected the bag before carefully removing the canula, pressing down with the gauze before taping it down.

“Smells good.” He grabbed the cutlery and Peter was happy to see the tremors were gone. “Guessing the hunger’s a side effect?” He dug in quickly.

“Yeah, your metabolism will be running higher. I ate nearly no-stop for the first few weeks before it settled down a bit. I think if you don’t develop organic webs then you won’t need as much food as I do.”

“Right,” Tim murmured, swallowing hard. He glanced at Peter’s wrists so he sat on the edge of the bed and held his arm out to Tim. Tim set the now empty tray aside and took Peter’s hand, lifting his arm to look at his wrist.

“Careful, don’t want a face full of web,” Peter warned when Tim pressed down on his skin, finding the mark on his wrist.

“Will I…”

“Maybe,” Peter answered. “But we both agreed it wasn’t as likely since the serum you got was watered down. You’re like a second or even third generation mutate. The first was the spider, then me, and now it’s been given to you. If your wrists get really itchy then kind of numb then we’ll up your food intake. Producing webs takes energy and fuel.”

“What did we theorise I’d get?” Tim asked, studying Peter’s wrists. The mark was almost invisible until he flexed his wrist, causing it to open. Tim wasn’t sure if he hoped he got them or not. To have a way to swing around without needing a grapple would be very useful but the thought of his body producing webs…

“Increased strength and reflexes, accelerated healing, and probably the agility and senses too. You might get the wall crawling ability, which is really handy, increased bone density... Less likely are the Spidey sense and web spinners. You could theoretically end up with different abilities since it mutates your DNA.”

Tim nodded, of course the same substance could react very differently to two different subjects. And they were from different dimensions too, would that affect it? “How much testing did we do?”

“A lot of computer modelling using your DNA. And we had Dr Hank McCoy look at it discreetly. He’s the world leading expert on mutation and I’ve worked with the X-Men once or twice before so he was the best to ask. We could have asked Dr Banner but he deals more with straight radiation. Sure, there’s radiation involved but not the same kind or in the same way.”

Tim nodded. It was good to know they’d done their due diligence to ensure this wouldn’t kill him. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked softly, shifting to sit with his legs crossed. He could really use a shower and some fresh clothes.

“I never planned on anything being secret,” Peter admitted, shifting so they were sitting face to face on the bed. “I didn’t know you had amnesia. And then you looked at me like a stranger and… I didn’t know what to do. I kept hoping that being around me would jog your memory. Then I started going out as Spider-Man, I hoped that would help you remember but… And I just…didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t even know if you were aware that you were missing time, you could have reappeared here within moments of vanishing and never realised.”

Tim nodded, he had to admit that it made sense. “I went through so many tests, no one can figure out why my memories are missing. I even had a telepathic scan and there was nothing. But I remember seeing the syringe now.”

“Could be the serum’s helping there,” Peter offered. “Without knowing how you travelled between our worlds there’s not really any way to work out why your memory was affected.”

“How did you get here? Why would you leave everything you know?”

“Had a bit of magical help with getting here, a sorcerer owed me a favour. As for why…” Peter looked down at his hands. “Things got bad, really bad. Congress passed The Superhero Registration Act which means anyone with superhuman abilities has to register with the government and expose their identity. A few are able to slip through it, like Daredevil since you can test his genetics as much as you like and won’t find a thing. It’s basically torn the community apart; the majority don’t want to register and are willing to fight. It’s given Magneto and his Brotherhood a lot of ammunition against regular humans,” Peter explained, though Tim had no clue who any of those people were.

And yet…something tickled at the back of his mind, like he should know. It was frustrating.

“Stark backs it which is bad. He’s kind of the Bruce Wayne of my Earth, billionaire with all the fancy tech. Except he uses high tech suits to fight and not just his fists. His dad was big during WWII, weapons manufacturing and designing…he was involved in the super soldier program that Cap came from. He could have fought the Act but he signed up and helped enforce it. The things they did…” Peter took a shuddering breath, and Tim grabbed his hand, not liking where it was going. “I got unmasked,” he whispered.

“They shot Aunt May,” he whispered, tears in his eyes. “We were out for the day and…it was a sniper. There were people watching us and they just stood there while she died. I went after the sniper, found out who hired him, left him dangling off a bridge for the cops. He was hired by Wilson Fisk, Kingpin, to kill me and he hit Aunt May instead. Kingpin is the big New York crime lord; we’ve tangled a few times but he’s more Daredevil’s issue than mine. He put hits out on every hero whose id got revealed.”

“I’m so sorry,” Tim whispered. Had he known Aunt May? Peter had said he took him home with him so he must have. “Did she know you were Spider-man before you were unmasked.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know it till I brought you home. She fixed your Robin uniform for you; there was some nasty rips in it. She baked the best cookies, you loved them, said that her and Alfred should meet.”

“Cap tried to keep us safe but his team were on the run since they refused to sign. I signed to keep Aunt May safe since I was unmasked, Steve knew and got it. Said I was just a kid and should be able to stay in school. Not that I went much after, the other students either watched my every move, threw stuff at me, some were scared because of my abilities. So I switched to home schooling. Tony offered me an internship; I told him where he could shove it.”

Peter looked up at him with a shaky smile. “So the chance to leave, to make sure that you were okay? I jumped at it. Even if it was a one-way trip, I didn’t really have anything left. I moved away from my old friends; it was too dangerous for them. Aunt May was the last of my family. Cap…Steve basically pushed me into the portal, said I deserved the chance to get out. And there was talk of reinitialising the Sentinel program…”

“Sentinel program?”

“Robots designed to find and kill mutants but apparently their program is being altered to include anyone with powers. They’re adaptive, they fight someone once and the next time…they’ve adapted to be immune to their powers. Sure, they don’t target mutates since we lack the gene but how long till that’s fixed? And it’s not like I’d stand by and let someone be killed by them.”

That…that was insane! If they lost control of those things, would they be able to take them out before they could adapt?

“I’m glad you came and not just because you saved my life,” Tim told him but then frowned. “How long was I in your world? It was only two weeks here but to have made the serum and tested it…”

“Almost a year,” Peter answered, and Tim’s eyes widened.

That was a lot of memories to lose or have sealed away. And it was looking more like they had been sealed since he had remembered something.

“The trouble was just starting when you disappeared. Which might be why you got yanked back here.”

“Maybe,” Tim agreed.

Things back on Peter’s Earth sounded bad…sure people could be nervous about heroes and Metas…but a registration act? It’d never pass here; the JL was too established and Metas to spread through the population. So were heroes newer to Peter’s earth?

He slumped back into the pillows again; it was ridiculous how tired he felt from just eating and talking.

“Okay, let’s get you up and in the shower, then you can sleep again,” Peter told him, obviously seeing his exhaustion.

“Why am I so tired?” he grumbled but let Peter help him up.

“When I was bitten it healed my asthma and fixed my eyesight while enhancing me. You’ve had to fight off Joker venom and exhaustion which had you in worse shape than I was with a watered-down version of the spider venom. I checked; your DNA is showing stable mutation. You just need to rest and eat till fully recovered,” Peter answered. “Think you can handle a shower without falling?”

“There’s a stool I can use.” It was in there in case of injury. He was glad he’d added a bathroom off the medical bay and didn’t have to go upstairs.

“You should call home before you sleep, I called in to Oracle after the first time you woke but I bet they’d prefer to hear from you.”

Bruce glanced at his phone and then rushed to answer the call as he saw the familiar number. “Tim?” he asked, heart racing.

“Hey B,” Tim’s voice came through clearly. He sounded tired, maybe a little hoarse, but he wasn’t laughing.

“Are you alright? Are you safe?” he asked, he wanted his son to be home, to see for himself. But if Tim was recovering then he might not be able to travel.

“Tired, feel like I got run over by a few trucks. I keep falling asleep every few minutes. But I’m keeping food down, even managed a shower. I’m safe Bruce, promise. Could you ring the school though? I don’t think I’ll be up to class for a few more days.”

“Of course,” Bruce agreed. Tim actually wanting time to recover? “Have you seen a doctor? How…the antidote…”

He could feel Tim hesitating. “Spider-Man saved me,” he finally said. “I’m back at where I’ve been living now. He dropped me off close by and my friend picked me up.”

Bruce relaxed back in his chair. Tim was back at wherever he’d been living so he was truly alright. “Your brothers are very worried about you, we all are.”

“I’ll be okay,” Tim promised and then he yawned.

“Will you come to the Manor? Or I could come to you.” He needed to see for himself that Tim was alive and well. The mental image of Tim with that horrid grin locked on his face…of his son gasping for air as he laughed and laughed…

“You could pick me up after school first day back?” Tim suggested and Bruce could tell he was flagging.

“Alright,” he agreed. “Get some sleep son.”

“Hmmm,” Tim answered and Bruce heard the soft plop of the phone dropping onto something soft, and then he realised he could still hear Tim breathing. He’d fallen asleep on the phone.

Bruce closed his eyes and just listened to his son breathe, knowing how close he’d come to losing Tim.

“Tim?” a distant voice called “Are you…oh.” Sounds of movement and then the call was hung up. That had to be his friend.

Jason stared at the Monarch Theatre, the outside restored. He was pretty sure that he’d dodged all of Timmy’s security measures and now he was just…lingering outside. Bruce said Tim had called him, that he was really alive and well. But it was hard to believe without seeing the kid himself. The thought of the Joker getting another Robin… and then the door opened and Peter peered out, looking around before seeing him, waving at him.

Okay, so he must have missed something. He double checked there was nothing obviously Red Hood on him and then made his way over.

“Tim spotted you on a security camera, he said you can come in,” Peter told him.

“Is he okay?” How much did Peter know?

“Well, he’s managed to stay awake for half an hour now, that’s a record. I did have to threaten to tie him to the bed though. He’s eating and drinking fine, he’s just tired and sore.”

He followed him inside, impressed by the interior. The theatre had been turned into a massive home, well laid out and done in a way that incorporated aspects of the old movie theatre. He figured Tim had done extra work on the basement to make his own base of operations. And it explained how he kept things from Peter; they would each have plenty of room to do their own thing.

Peter took him to the top level and knocked softly on the bedroom door. “Delivery!” he called.

“Come in,” Tim’s voice was hoarse but that was it.

Peter opened the door and then headed back down the hall, giving them privacy.

Jason slipped inside the large bedroom and there was Tim, propped up in bed, pale and tired looking but very much alive. “Hey Timbers,” he greeted quietly, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Hey.” Tim smiled at him. He was rugged up in an oversized sweatshirt…one of B’s?

Jason moved closer and Tim patted the mattress so Jason sat down, careful to not make the mattress move too much since Bruce had said the kid was in pain. “You’re alive,” he murmured, reaching out and Tim let him rest his fingers against his wrist, checking his pulse.

“I’ll be okay, Jason. Spider-Man saved me and Peter’s looking after me.”

“I’m glad he got there in time. When all we found was a bloody syringe and the goons down…”

“Joker?”

“Comatose. Looks like Spider-man wasn’t pulling his punches when he came after them, not that I blame him. He had limited time to get you out.”

Tim nodded quietly. His pulse was steady under Jason’s fingers, his breathing even and deep. However Spider-Man had done it, he’d saved Tim from a horrendous death. Jason knew that he was lucky the Joker had only beaten him, he could have gassed him as well. His death had been bad enough without that.

Peter watched Jason leave. Given everything, he assumed that was Jason Todd, the second Robin…who had been dead when he met Tim. But he wouldn’t be the first hero to come back to life, even in this dimension. And Peter was pretty sure that he was the Red Hood as well, he gave the same slight prickle to his spider sense after all. And Peter could smell gunpowder on him, faint out of his gear but still present.

He went upstairs and found Tim sleeping again. How much damage had the Joker venom done for him to be sleeping so much? Should he be worried? But the blood test he’d run a few hours ago had shown everything was stable. Everyone reacted to things differently, maybe it was catching him up on years of missed sleep?

He knew Tim was avoiding telling his family what had happened to him, but sooner or late it would come out. Especially if he continued being Robin. Spider-Robin? Ugh, please no. But depending on what powers he inherited, he might need to rebrand. Red Spider to go with Red Hood? Well, it was up to Tim. He wouldn’t push unless Tim took stupid risks. But a family of detectives would work out Tim was hiding something very quickly and they’d likely realise the physical changes quickly as well.

Which meant they’d surely find out that Peter was Spider-Man. How would they take what he’d done to save Tim’s life?

TBC….

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 11

Tim woke up and found that he didn’t immediately want to go back to sleep. Carefully, he pushed back the covers and stood, finding his legs entirely steady. And hey, he no longer felt even a vague ache! He stretched carefully and then headed into the bathroom, he wanted a proper shower rather than one where he had to sit on a stool with Peter hovering just outside, his back turned. He stripped and stepped into the massive shower, relaxing as the air steamed up, scrubbing at his skin, needing to feel fully clean

He wrapped a towel around his waist and then froze in front of the mirror. Yeah…there was no way he’d be able to hide his new status from the Bats. Peter had told him he’d put on muscle but he’d also apparently had a growth spurt while sleeping, he could tell by the height of the countertop. Was that why he’d been so tired? He knew his nutrition before Alfred’s intervention hadn’t been the best, had his growth been stunted? He could feel it when he moved, touched things…he was stronger now. But by how much? He took a breath and then started cleaning his teeth only to freeze as he snapped the tap handle off. Oops? At least the water hadn’t started running yet so he didn’t have to worry about that.

He'd been okay in the shower though, was it because he was thinking about it? At least he had some ideas on controlling it from helping Kon and Peter would know more specific ways for people like them. He…he was a mutate now, no meta gene so he didn’t count. Honestly, meta sounded nicer than mutate. Mutant and mutate told him a lot about Peter’s earth and their attitude to enhanced individuals.

He left the bedroom and carefully opened drawers to get out clean clothing. And he was going to have to do some shopping since his pants didn’t hit his ankles! He hated shopping, maybe he could just order clothes the next size up online?

Tim followed his nose to the kitchen…and his room was far enough from it that he shouldn’t be able to smell the bacon and yet he could. Peter looked up, grinned, and then blinked before snickering. “Yeah, yeah. At least it explains why I’ve been so tired.”

“Probably,” Peter agreed.

“I also, uh…broke the bathroom tap? It snapped right off when I was cleaning my teeth.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to start testing that and working on controlling it.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed, sitting at the bar. “I’m not going to be able to hide this, am I?”

“From the others at school? Sure, if you’re careful changing for gym. But the bats? Unless you plan to make your suit baggy…”

Tim sighed, he’d figured.

Alfred was relieved to know that young Master Tim was actually taking time to recover for once. But he still worried, he would until he saw the boy for himself. They had come so close to losing him, again. Why was it always Master Tim in the firing line lately?

The question hanging over them all and had them on edge – how had Spider-Man saved him without the antidote? And what kind of payment would he seek?

Peter watched as Tim stared at the weights. They were heavier than what Tim usually had them set at but not as high as Peter was able to go. The idea was to slowly work his way up to see his limit, not risk straining something. “I’ve got you Tim,” he promised. He was in place to grab the weights if it looked like Tim would drop them or struggled too much.

“Right.” Tim nodded and gripped the bar.

They were high tech weights, the kind of thing he expected Stark to have for the Avengers or maybe Xavier for the school. The weight was computer controlled rather than changed by adding literal weights on. It gave a lot more options and could go very high for meta’s and maybe even the supers? Did they gain anything from weightlifting?

Tim took a deep breath, checked his grip, braced himself, and pulled. His eyes went wide as it moved easily.

“You’ve broken a tap handle and a mug, of course your stronger,” Peter reminded him. “How does it feel?”

“Kind of easy,” Tim admitted, letting it go.

Peter input a new weight. “Try that.”

They kept going, Tim’s eyes wide as he got higher and higher.

“This is B’s level,” he admitted, holding the bar easily.

“And?”

“I can do more,” Tim answered.

“Okay, one more for today, then we move on to flexibility. You don’t want to rush, your body is still adapting,” he warned. He’d learned that the hard way. He upped the weight limit and stepped back into position to help if needed, but he wasn’t.

Bruce was incredibly strong for a baseline human, even with his height and build. And now Tim was exceeding that. He’d grown about three inches in height since being injected and he just looked…healthier. The eyebags were almost gone and his skin was a better tone, not tanned or anything but not so sickly pale. Even his hair looked shinier, it had been dull before, not that Peter had noticed till it changed. No wonder he’d had to eat and sleep so much. Peter may have been a scrawny asthmatic with bad eyesight, but his overall health had been fine. Tim, even after the months living together, had been living on the edge, ever since he'd become Robin, even before that.

Peter had done his best when he lived with him back on his earth but he hadn’t had a lot of money. Jameson was not the best boss but he had offered the most money for photos of Spidey and then Robin when he began working with him. The look on Tim’s face when he realised Peter’s job had been hilarious. Aunt May’s pension had covered the house payments and not much more. Tim had taken jobs under the table since he’d had no id so there’d been more money coming in to help with the added expenses of a third person but it had still been barely enough.

Tim began working through stretches that Peter had seen him use back then. He’d said his big brother had taught them to him. Tim had struggled with some, not as flexible as the circus born acrobat but now, he was moving through them much more easily. When he was done, Peter began running him through his own routines. By the time they were done, Tim was sweating and tired but also looking torn between being exhilarated and wary. He didn’t blame him, not with what the word on the street was about the Bats and Metas. Not to mention the higher chance of being trafficked, that the protection laws had only come in a few years ago… He was legally protected at least, unlike back home.

Done for now, Tim hit the showers and Peter got some food ready upstairs in the kitchen. He really did love their home, even if he felt horrible that he couldn’t contribute more. But between school and Spider-Man, it wasn’t easy to find time for work. Tim joined him in time to help plate up and they sat in comfortable silence as they ate, though he could tell something was on Tim’s mind.

“I don’t think I can keep being Robin,” Tim finally said as they were washing up. Usually, they’d use the dishwasher but it was good control practice for Tim.

“Okay.” Peter looked at him. “Why though?”

“Because Robin isn’t a Meta. If I gain more than the strength and flexibility…it just isn’t who Robin’s meant to be. B doesn’t need me like he did when I took on the mantle. He’s way more stable and with Jason back he’s better than he was. I was worried he’d backslide when Damian ran but he hasn’t.”

“Do you think Bruce would take Robin from you because you’re considered enhanced now?”

“I…I don’t know,” Tim admitted. “I think the main reason that rule’s become a rumour is because B doesn’t like outside capes trying to help. But I’m not an outsider. And he’s left you alone because of me and Oracle vouching for you. I’m almost as old as Dick was when he left Robin. Most sidekicks and partners start looking for a new id in their late teens and early twenties.”

Peter nodded. Sidekicks weren’t really a thing back home. The X-men were a team, they went to the school, trained, and eventually some of them took a name and joined or joined other teams. None of the Avengers took on younger heroes, no…Hawkeye had trained someone, hadn’t he? Black Widow was a program run by the Red Room; he had no clue how many had graduated to use the title.

“So do you want to take on a new hero id or retire?” Just because he was enhanced now didn’t mean he had to keep fighting. Peter had his reasons to do so but many mutants just kept their heads down and lived normal lives.

“A new id. I was thinking, since I got the serum from you…”

“You want a spider id?” Peter asked, surprised. They hadn’t talked about Tim taking a new name when they made it, but it wasn’t like Robin had been very well known or anything so him suddenly showing powers wouldn’t have been so strange.

“If you’re okay with that,” Tim confirmed.

Peter grinned at him and Tim grinned back in relief. “Got any ideas?”

“Not really.” Tim shrugged slightly. “You’re the only spider hero around, there’s one or two merc’s who use a spider theme so I don’t want to be mistaken as linked to them.”

That made sense.

“Okay, we can make a list,” Peter agreed.

Tim was relieved, he wasn’t sure what kind of name to go for if Peter said no. He wouldn’t have gone for the spider theme without his permission. He’d have gone for something non-animal linked so that no one would expect anything specific from him.

“Right, options.” Tim grabbed a tablet, carefully and opened up a new document. “Any ideas?”

“Well…I wasn’t the only Spider themed hero if you don’t mind taking on a name used back in my world. There was Black Widow, she was a founding member of the Avengers. There’s also Ghost-Spider who was from an alternate timeline, also female, Gwen Stacy. And then…there’s Scarlet Spider,” Peter finished quietly, and Tim knew there was a story there. “You actually met him, Ben Reilly.”

“What happened to him?” he asked carefully.

“He died,” Peter gave the answer he was expecting. “He…he was my clone. He named himself after Uncle Ben and used Aunt May’s maiden name of Reilly. When we first met, we both thought we were the original and the other the clone. It was a mess and I thought he was dead. Then he showed up in New York again a week after you did, using the name Ben and Scarlet Spider. There was a fight against the Sinister Six, he took a blow meant for me and died in my arms.”

“I’m sorry,” Tim whispered. Clones were a really tricky subject but it seemed like Peter and Ben had worked things out.

“He died the way he wanted to, turns out he was dying already. Decided better to go out saving lives than in a hospital bed. Something about the cloning process and the Spider DNA didn’t mix well or it could have been the artificial aging. It was why we tested the serum so thoroughly. He liked you, you guys got on well for the short time you knew each other. I think he’d be proud if you took up his name but you don’t have to.”

Tim nodded. It would be like taking on Robin after Jay died, a heavy mantle. Would it be right to take it on when he didn’t remember Ben? “Maybe,” he finally said, and Peter nodded.

So they kept brainstorming – Nephila, Theraposa, Redback, Cardinal Jumper…there were more options than he’d realised. But in the end, they figured they would wait and see how his powers developed before choosing a name and hitting the streets again.

How was he going to tell Bruce he was retiring from Robin? He didn’t have long to decide on that.

For now though, he had to order new clothes, including a school uniform. And he was avoiding thinking too much about the workout session. Though…he wished Kon was there, they could finally arm wrestle like Kon had joked about. He knew his team would have supported him through this but…he didn’t feel able to reach out to Cassie or the Titans. Too much had happened.

He wanted to make sure he wouldn’t accidently hurt a classmate or break school property which meant they had to keep testing his limits.

Bruce waited beside the car, scanning the crowd of students leaving the school. He could feel his heart beating faster and didn’t care. Jason said that Tim had been a bit pale, though he had seemed okay when Jason saw him. But until he saw his son for himself…There!

Tim walked out of the school with his friend and then Tim saw him and turned to walk his way. He scanned his son, he looked healthy, no longer pale. And unlike when he’d come to the school before, his friend remained at his side. “Hey B,” Tim murmured once close enough, his voice no longer raspy. “This is Peter,” Tim finally introduced them, even if he had told Bruce his name before.

“Mr Wayne,” the teen greeted with a small smile.

Bruce nodded. “Peter. Tim said you were looking after him, thank you.”

“He’s my friend, of course I looked after him.” He then looked at Tim. “Do you want me to stay or go home?”

Tim hesitated, glancing between them. If Tim wanted support… but that would mean they couldn’t fully discuss things. Unless Spider-Man had returned him to Peter still in his suit? Did Peter know? Did Spider-Man?

“I’ll be okay Peter; you should get started on your English essay.”

Peter groaned but nodded. “See you there. Nice meeting you Mr Wayne.” He left and Bruce motioned to the car.

They got in and Bruce pulled out from the curb, driving in silence for a while. He pulled into one of their hidden areas, used to store spare gear for quick daytime changes. And then Bruce was yanking Tim across the centre console and into his arms, his son squeaking in shock and flailing a little.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he forced the words out.

Tim relaxed, hugging him. “I’m alive B, I’m okay.”

Bruce hugged him tightly and frowned. “Tim?” his voice turned wary, and Tim slumped against him.

“I’m really okay Bruce,” he whispered.

But something felt different, too different. He remembered holding Tim up a few months ago when he was hurt, supporting him as his ribs were wrapped. Tim felt…larger. He could feel the muscles under his clothes and he didn’t fit the same in his hold.

Tim pushed the door open and slipped out of the car, Bruce following him. He realised he wasn’t looking down quite as much at his son. Yes, he’d been overdue a growth spurt but something about it didn’t feel right. He waited as his son took a deep breath.

“B, I…I can’t be Robin anymore.”

He froze, what?

Tim knew the hug had been too close, that Bruce had felt the changes in his body, far too sudden to be natural. He didn’t want to tell him what had happened to him, not yet, so he needed to distract him. And he felt horrible but he needed to do it.

“B, I…I can’t be Robin anymore.”

He saw Bruce freeze, confusion in his eyes. “Tim?” he sounded confused too, at least to anyone who knew him well. “But you love Robin.”

Tim nodded, unable to help it as he wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m not retiring,” he clarified. “But I just…I can’t put that suit on again. So much has happened.”

Bruce took a deep breath and then he stepped forward, putting a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “Alright, if that’s what you want. Dick wasn’t much older than you when he moved on to Nightwing.”

Tim nodded, relieved that Bruce understood.

“Don’t rush this Tim, if you don’t feel ready to go back on the streets then don’t. I want you to be safe.”

“I know B.”

“Do you have any ids on a name and suit?”

“I’m brainstorming but I’ve got time. I’ve got the spare gear I got from Jason if I want to hit the streets before I decide.”

Bruce knew Tim was trying to distract him from asking more about how he was but, for now, he allowed it. Alfred had warned him to not push, that Tim was likely traumatised to some level over what had happened. How close had he come to dying from the Joker venom? How had Spider-Man saved him from that fate and what had it done to his son? Because he could see it, Tim was taller, more muscular. And all of his paranoia whispered that maybe, maybe this wasn’t Tim. But he knew his youngest child and every parental instinct he had said this was Tim.

So long as Tim wasn’t in danger or a danger to others then he had to let him come to him in his own time. If he pushed, he could lose his son. Tim could vanish so easily if he felt pressed into a corner.

“Will you come to lunch on Saturday? Peter’s welcome too.”

Tim considered it before nodding. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

TBC…

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 12

Jason smirked as the door opened before he reached it, the kids security picking up his presence before he ever reached the Theatre.  He stepped inside and hung his jacket.

“You sure Peter?” Tim’s voice was clear from…the kitchen? Jason had really only been up to Timmy’s room the last time.

“Tim, it’ll be fine,” Peter was answering as Jason found them, sure enough in the kitchen…the very nice kitchen. Could either of them cook?

“Hey kids,” he called, and they both looked over at him.

And then Jason blinked, looking between them. Peter was still taller than Tim but it was barely noticeable. Tim had shot up in height since facing the Joker? How? Recovering from something like that shouldn’t cause a growth spurt.

Other than being weirdly taller, Tim looked good, better than he had when Jason visited during his recovery. He had the colour back in his face, his eyes bright. He looked healthy, fully recovered, and it was a relief.

“I’m good,” Tim said, obviously seen the way Jason was looking at him.

“I forgot to grab socks,” Peter suddenly said, darting off. Sure enough though, he was bare foot so maybe not just an excuse to leave them alone.

“Come here kiddo,” Jason called, and Tim moved over, leaning into him.

“I’m really okay Jason; I’m back at school and everything.”

He nodded. Tim likely hadn’t been conscious for a long time after he was dosed, laughing like that meant less oxygen which led to passing out. And Spider-Man had gotten there quickly too. So, Tim’s trauma was different to his own clown issues.

“What happened to Tiny Tim?” he asked with a smirk, his arm slung over Tim’s shoulders.

Tim rolled his eyes at him. “About time I grew.”

“Need to see you and Dickie side by side now.”

“I only put on a few inches.”

“Practically overnight,” Jason clarified. Which likely meant however he was cured had caused the growth and there was definitely more muscle under that shirt.

Tim stiffened slightly before relaxing against his side. He pulled out his phone, texting, and then stepped away, motioning for Jason to follow him. Tim pressed something on the wall of the hall and it opened to reveal an elevator.

Jason whistled slightly, very impressed by Tim’s base. He spotted the suit displays and then blinked. There were two costumes on display, Robin…and Spider-Man.

“Welcome to the Nest,” Tim announced, heading for the computer.

“Tim…” he looked at the suits again before following him. “That’s Spider-Man’s suit.”

“Yeah, he’s currently finding socks.”

Jason took a deep breath. “So Peter…”

“You were right when you suggested it, Peter is Spider-man. And he knew I was Robin from the start.” The kid didn’t look at him, checking on something on the computer.

“Tim,” he hesitated. How?

“It’s complicated and a long story. We’re meant to be leaving for the Manor soon but we can talk when we get back?” Tim offered.

Jason took a deep breath. “You trust him?”

“With my life, which he saved.”

Jason stared at him and then sighed. ”B’s going to flip.”

“He doesn’t know or need to know any time soon.”

Jason snorted. “You’re lying to him?”

Tim shrugged, heading back to the elevator. “Please, I’m the Robin who lies to Batman. Besides, this isn’t as bad as hiding a Batmobile in my Batarang budget.”

“You what?!” Tim was definitely not the obedient little soldier Talia had insisted he was.

Dick fought the urge to pace. He hadn’t seen Tim for himself yet, had only the warehouse and the bloody syringe to remember. But Alfred, Bruce and Jason said he was recovered, they wouldn’t lie. He was honestly surprised Tim had agreed to come, and to even bring a friend but he supposed in doing so, he was limiting their conversation topics.

He tensed for a moment as the front door opened, hearing Jason chuckling and Tim’s laughter. Tim was laughing and it was normal…not the uncontrollable laughter of someone exposed to Joker venom. Of course it wasn’t, Tim had been saved, but part of him still expected to hear it.

And then Tim was in the smaller dining room doorway, hair slightly damp from the drizzle outside, still chuckling softly. He was dressed comfortable and not for show like he used to when he’d first attended meals with them. Though…the clothing looked new?

“Hey Dick,” Tim greeted, and Dick couldn’t wait any longer.

Tim squawked as he was yanked into a hug but didn’t fight to get free which was nice. Tim had been tentative in letting Dick back into his life and he had to be patient with the kid, he was the one who had messed up, not Tim. But this was special circumstances, he’d thought his baby bird was dead in a horrific manner.

“You’re okay?” he asked softly, feeling Tim nod. He pulled back and blinked. Since when could Tim almost look him in the eye? Then again, he’d probably been well overdue a growth spurt.

Tim pulled away from him to greet Alfred and B and Dick glanced over at where Jason stood with a stranger. Tim’s roommate, housemate? He didn’t know where they were living but Jason did and approved so it had to be safe enough, right?

“Dick, this is Peter,” Tim introduced them, and Dick offered his hand.

“Good to meet you.” He smiled at the teen in welcome.

He meant it. Tim had lost so many friends lately, he needed someone, even if it was someone, he had to keep secrets from. It was why he’d disagreed with Bruce changing Tim’s school, he’d thought the kid should stay close to his old friends, but…Tim had seemed almost relieved to leave. Then again there had been the shooting…too many bad memories there probably.

They sat at the dining table and Dick was glad they were in the smaller, family dining room. It was softer, more intimate, and made it a lot easier to talk than the massive table. They hadn’t used it as much since…since Damian had arrived. He had preferred the more formal dining room and they had gone along to keep the peace.

The meal was a little awkward but Peter was happy to chat about anything which made it easier.

Dick blinked. “You built a mad scientist lab?” he asked, feeling a flash of concern. Neither Tim nor Bruce had mentioned it but Dick was still attached to the Titans even if he wasn’t actually on the current team’s roster. So, he’d found out about the lab under the Tower.

Peter just grinned. “It’s so cool, we’ve been working on a green power project.”

Okay, that sounded okay, as long as they were careful.

Bruce was content to let the kids talk and just watch. Peter was serving as a good way to help bridge the distance between Dick and Tim while Jason was almost hovering over his little brother. It made him so happy to see Jason and Tim becoming real brothers given how things had started between them. He wished…but there was no point, Jason had been willing to learn that he was wrong, Damian had not been.

He had loved Talia once but now…now he loathed her for what she had done to his family. Yes, she had healed Jason but then she had poisoned his mind against them, trained him to kill…and then sent him to kill Tim and now the reason was clear, to pave the way for Damian to take his place as a Wayne and Robin. And she had raised their son in a way that meant he would never live anything close to a normal life, not without years of intensive therapy.

Selina had always accepted all of his children, even when they weren’t seeing each other she never spoke badly to them or even really fought them. She would tousle with Dick now because he was an adult but Catwoman and Robin never fought. She had stepped back from their relationship after Damian arrived, giving him time to help his son adjust and now he wasn’t sure how to reach out. He knew she was currently in London, working. He suspected that Tim had retreated to her apartment a few times before moving in with Peter.

It was good to finally have Tim home, even if he wasn’t staying. He’d come to the Cave since Damian cut his line but not the Manor itself and Bruce missed his son. Hopefully, this was the start of him coming home more often, even if he brought Peter with him.

He was worried about Tim’s sudden and very noticeable growth spurt. There had to be something more to it but Tim wasn’t saying anything about it. But Tim appeared healthy and happy and that would have to be good enough for now. He doubted very much that Tim would agree to an exam or tests and pushing him right now would be too risky. Better to keep Tim happy and close where they could keep an eye on him and make sure he was really alright than to risk him running if they cornered him.

Tim had retired as Robin and he had no clue what new id his son might take on. He hadn’t hit the streets again yet and Bruce was grateful that Tim was actually taking time off to rest and recover. He’d sent him some casework the other night, but that was all. It’d probably take him some time to decide on a new name and design a suit.

By the time the three boys left, Bruce felt better about Tim’s condition. And Dick looked a lot more relaxed.

“Tim’s hiding something,” Dick told him before heading up to his room to get a nap in pre-patrol.

Bruce nodded, they could all see it despite Tim’s gift at lying. But what was it? Did Spider-Man know his id from saving his life? Did Tim know his in return?

Peter knew that Tim was going to be explaining things to Jason tonight. He had left it up to Tim what he told the Bats because he trusted him. Personally, Peter wasn’t sure about them. Jason, it seemed was way better than the guy that Tim had spoken of back in New York, back then the man Tim spoke of was violent and hated Tim. But this Jason really seemed to care about Tim. Before, it had been Dick that was the good brother, Tim had had stories of train surfing, sneaking ice cream on patrol…but that had all ended when Bruce’s son showed up. And Bruce…it seemed he had changed from before too. When Tim had told him about his sixteenth birthday…Peter had wanted to hand the man to Wade! But it seemed he had mellowed and was doing a lot better.

Were the changes because Tim had vanished even if it had only been two weeks and not the months it had been on Peter’s Earth? When that had happened, Tim had been ‘living’ with an imaginary uncle all things and now he’d been adopted. So, something had definitely changed. They’d begun more honest discussions now that the secrets were out and it was good. He thought some names were beginning to seem familiar to Tim and that made him hope he would remember one day. Tim was his best friend, in some ways closer than any friend he’d had before because they knew each other’s ids. Mary Jane had found out his identity once but then the knowledge had been wiped by a telepath wanting to hurt Peter, he was just thankful that was all that had been erased before Logan took the man down. Logan knew, it was hard to fool Wolverine’s nose but there was a major age difference there, it made it hard to be as close as it was with someone closer in age, like Johnny Storm or Randy, even if he’d known Randy’s dad first through work at the Bugle.

It was funny but with how secretive Tim was, he'd actually had more family and friends who knew was behind the domino than Peter had. Probably because Tim worked with true teams and family while Peter had worked solo more which put anyone who knew in more danger. Especially once the laws changed and he was unmasked. He was very grateful that Tim had vanished before all of that.

He made it into the Nest just ahead of Tim and Jason, leaping up to perch in his normal crouch.

“So…not a function of the suit,” Jason murmured, soft enough Peter wasn’t meant to hear.

“Yep,” he agreed, letting Jason know he had heard. He grinned and then leapt, twisting through the air to land on the back of Tim’s chair, happy when Tim laughed softly, tipping his head back to look up at him.

Tim had been tense the whole time they were at the Manor and he wanted him to relax before talking with his brother.

“Want me to stay or go?” he asked, leaving it up to Tim.

“We’ll be down Red Hood on top of Robin,” Tim murmured and Peter nodded, going to get changed.

He came out with his mask still off, checking his gear. He knew Tim was itching to get a closer look since it looked like he had no protection at all. They just hadn’t gotten to armour and tech comparisons yet. He blinked when he noticed…Tim was scratching his wrist absently as the brothers talked.

“Want me to run through the Alley?” he offered, bending back to stretch his spine, feeling Jason watching him.

“I’ll call and let my guys know not to shoot you and call out if they need something.”

“See ya later.” Peter took off.

Jason’s head was spinning with everything that Timmy had told him, the footage from Tim’s mask on pause. Seeing the Joker…he’d fought the green back, knowing the monster’s current condition. He could hear the panic in Spider-Man’s voice as he grabbed Tim and escaped the warehouse, giving him the relaxant, and then calling him by name. He really had known already. Tim’s footage had ended with Peter removed his domino for the retina scanner.

It had been close, if Peter had been any slower giving him that shot… but Peter knew Tim, had known him in another world. The Multiverse was a thing, he knew it, but Tim being sent through it? That he hadn’t known. If he hadn’t befriended Peter…if Peter hadn’t chosen to chase after him when his own life went to hell…Tim would be dead.

“How did he save you Tim?” he asked, not sure he wanted to know. He frowned and grabbed Tim’s hand. “Stop that, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“Huh?” Tim looked down and his eyes widened as he realised that Jason had stopped him from scratching at his wrist. “Oh.” Tim lifted his wrist to check on it.

“You okay?” Jason asked.

Tim nodded. “Yeah. Just…possible side effect from how Peter saved me.”

“Itchiness?” Jason asked. Well, that wasn’t too bad a side effect as long as it didn’t last or spread.

“Sort of,” Tim murmured.

“Tim,” he pressed, hoping Tim would open up more. Should he push though? Tim had already told him more than the others knew.

“It was something we worked on together back in Peter’s world. I remember working on it, it’s the first actual memory of that time that I’ve gotten back and it was only a flash. Even street level vigilantes…most are enhanced in some way and so are their enemies. There were other reasons that I agreed to it, I know there are, I just can’t…they’re just out of reach.” Tim shook his head, obviously frustrated.

How had Tim’s memories been blocked? It didn’t sound like they’d been erased but then why hadn’t J’onn been able to find and restore them? It didn’t make sense.

“Agree to what?” he asked, forcing his voice to remain calm, not wanting to upset Tim further.

“Peter wasn’t born with his powers,” Tim explained, and Jason swallowed, not liking where this was going. “He got bitten by a genetically altered, radioactive spider. They don’t have the Meta gene, they have the X-gene and it’s actually a different gene, Peter showed me. We checked me for both and I had neither so we started experimenting, with expert advice.”

Tim picked something up, a metallic needle, it was large and on it was a small spider mark. “We made the serum…using Peter’s altered blood as the base. It was almost complete when I came back to Gotham, Peter finished it and when he came, he brought it with him. So when I was dosed with the new formula and there was no time to make an antidote, Peter gambled that the serum would save me…and it did.”

“Tim…”

“Peter’s world would call me a Mutate. Someone artificially altered and enhanced. I…I can lift more than B now,” he admitted softly. “There’s no way to be sure what powers I’ll get since my DNA is different to Peter’s and I got a lesser version of what he did. I’m more flexible and I grew which means my growth was likely stunted before. I…I’m scared Jay,” he finished in a whisper.

Jason hesitated but then reached out to hug his brother. He wanted to be mad at Peter for doing this to Tim but if he hadn’t then the kid would be dead. “Is this why you told B you can’t be Robin anymore?” he asked softly.

“Partially. Robin’s a normal human teen and now I’m not. But…there aren’t many good memories left for me with Robin,” Tim admitted.

“So there’s going to be another Spider?”

“Yeah, we’re working on it but Peter’s insisting I not go out till I have a name, suit…and my powers under control.”

“Smart kid.”

“He is Jason, really smart. He should be at university, not high school but it was easier to fake the records for. I already offered him a job with DI, full educational funding too. He had to figure all of this out on his own, at least I have Peter to help me when something weird happens.”

That was good. He knew the horror stories of Meta kids suddenly getting powers and ending up dead because they didn’t understand what was happening to them.

“Well, my offer’s still valid. You want to work with me for a while, that’s fine. You could go out in standard gear until you work out the new id.”

Tim seemed to relax a little and Jason got it, even with the protections, not everyone was okay with Meta’s. As far as Jason was concerned, Timmy counted as one. Not everyone under the Acts had the gene after all, like Superman. And it was one thing to be good with them in general and another to have one in the family.

“You’ll have to tell B eventually,” he warned, and Tim nodded.

“I just…I want to have everything under control first. I want him to see that I know what I’m doing.”

“Alright, I won’t say anything unless you get yourself in trouble.”

“Thanks.”

“And you’re scratching again.” Jason grabbed his hand again.

Tim grimaced. “That…might be something.”

“Oh?”

“Peter’s webs are organic.”

Jason blinked and looked down at Tim’s wrist. What?!

“Or it could just be my brain knowing that and ‘feeling’ something that’s not there.” Tim was obviously trying to sound hopeful.

“Well…no one could take away your grapple if you do get them,” he offered.

“Yeah.”

“Come on, I want a proper tour of the whole place.” Time to let the topic rest. He wanted to talk to Peter about it before asking Tim more.

TBC…