Chapter Text
Dick raises the diamond to the moon, inspecting it leisurely. He pulls his goggles over his eyes, adjusting the dials on the sides to zoom in on the jewel. A catty grin pulls at his lips and he pockets the jewel, stretching out along the ledge of the roof. He pillows his head on his arms, hanging one foot off the side, tapping a rhythm out against the air.
He gets about five minutes of pleasant silence before his ears pick up the faint sounds of a burglary alarm ringing in the distance. Dick pushes up to his forearms, searching out for the alarm. He adjusts the focus of his goggles again, zooming in on a bank several blocks away. Bank robbers. What a bunch of losers.
Dick tenses when he hears someone deeply clear his throat. He turns, finding Batman standing a few feet away on the roof, arms folded. Robin stands next to him with a smirk, “Hey AC.”
“Batman and Robin.” Dick looks between them, “Can I help you?”
“Where is your mentor?” Batman demands.
“Auntie S?” Dick looks up, pushing the goggles off his eyes and back into his hair. “I think she was playing with Ives down on Fifth.” He breaks off to yawn, scratching his chest.
Batman doesn’t move until he finishes, “Hand over the diamonds.”
Dick frowns, mouth turning down, “You’re no fun.” He reaches for his pocket slowly. After a fake moment of hesitation, he smirks, “Changed my mind.” With a laugh he rolls off the roof, falling through the air until he catches the railing of a fire escape. He flings himself across the alley, landing on the closed lid of a dumpster. From there he jumps to the ground, taking off at a sprint.
Dick knows Robin is the only one that runs after him, as Batman prefers dealing with Auntie S. He leads the younger boy on a jagged trail through the alleyways, winding around the slums with bright laughter and unnecessary acrobatics.
Eventually though, the chase comes to an end when Dick mistakenly runs down a dead-end street. He jogs to a stop, hands finding his hips. “Damn,” He laughs, turning around to watch Robin come to a stop.
“Not cool, AC.” Robin scowls, “I wanted to stick with B tonight.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who made you run after me,” Dick holds up his hands. “I mean, really, the diamonds are better off with me.”
“Not your call.” Robin folds his arms in an attempt to look imposing, “Hand over the-”
Both of their voices are drowned out by the sudden outcry of “ROBIN!” They look up, surprised to see someone peering over the edge of the roof. Two someones, actually. A little kid in circus make-up stands by an uninterested Harley Quinn who’s inspecting her nails through her gloves.
“Oh god,” Robin groans, hanging his head.
Dick smiles up at the kid, “Hey Timmy!”
“Hi!” Timmy calls back, waving at Dick. The little jester hops up on the ledge, bells jingling with each small movement.
“No, no, no.” Robin backs up, already foreseeing where this is going.
“Timmy, come ‘awn!” Harley says, grabbing the boy around the waist, “Mr. J is waitin’.”
“But Miss Harleen-”
“You can play with the bird later.” Harley pulls him off the ledge despite his loud protests.
Robin visibly relaxes, sighing in relief. Dick grins at him, “Young love.”
“Shut up, Dick.” Dick isn’t sure if they’re using first names now or if Jason is insulting him. “Give me the diamonds.”
“Nope.” Dick winks, pulling the goggles back down, “Looks like we’re at an impasse.”
“Dick, just give-”
They’re both cut off by a loud explosion coming from just behind the building Timmy was on. Dick looks up, noticing the smoke billowing into the air.
“Did they just blow up a building again?”
“Ah, shit,” Robin brings his hand to his ear, “B, we have a Joker-related problem.”
“And with that, I’m off.” Dick wastes no time in running past the distracted hero, leaving the scene before Batman can come and ruin his perfectly good night.
:::
Dick wakes up early the following morning to incessant knocking at his door. He groans, picking himself up from the couch and trudging to the door. He glances through the peephole before opening the door with a sigh, “What is it, Timmy?”
“Mr. J and Miss Harleen got arrested.” Timmy replies, “By Batman. Can I stay here?”
“…yeah,” Dick sighs and makes room for Timmy to skip inside, accidentally smacking Dick with the heavy duffle bag over his shoulder. Dick rubs his stomach, closing the door. “How did you avoid getting arrested?”
“Well I wouldn’t be able to get sent to jail or Arkham since I’m a teenager. The only other option is juuvy but I hate it there so I just hid in the back seat of someone’s car until Batman left.”
“Ah,” Dick rolls his shoulders, “Well I don’t have much for breakfast food. I have cereal.”
“Does Catwoman live here too?” Timmy looks around.
“No, Aunt Selina has her own place.” Dick runs a hand through his hair, “I’m going to get a shower. Don’t invite the girls over while I’m in there, you hear?”
“I hear,” Timmy says distantly, setting down his bag and wondering over to Dick’s jewelry display. He peeks inside, making little appreciative noises as the case slowly turns.
“Don’t put your face on the glass. I don’t want make-up smudged all over my case.”
Timmy leans back but keeps looking.
Dick shakes his head at the boy, walking down the hall and shutting himself in the bathroom. He fills the tub with hot water and lavender scented bubbles, stripping down and sinking into the water with a relaxed sigh. He wonders how long Timmy is planning to stay with him. He usually goes straight to Ivy’s so he can hang with Steph and Cass, but if Dick remembers correctly, Ivy got arrested last night too.
He sits up in the water when the bathroom door creeks open and Timmy peaks inside. When the boy is satisfied that Dick is hidden by the bubbles, he comes in and sits on the rug, one of Dick’s kittens curled up in his arms.
“Timmy, I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Timmy rubs his fingers over the kitten’s fur, “You’re handsome but I’m spoken for. I won’t do anything.”
“You’re spoken for?” Dick asks, raising an eyebrow, “You mean Robin?”
“Yep,” Timmy smiles, creating little dimples in the circles of red make-up that decorate his cheeks.
“Yeah, you know to be spoken for you have to be in a mutual relationship, not just…whatever you two are.”
“We’re in love,” Timmy says stubbornly.
Dick sinks further in the tub, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He thinks Tim might want to clarify that with Jason first.
“Did you call the girls even though I asked you to wait?”
“No, Ivy broke out already.” Timmy sets the kitten down. “Steph’nie texted me.”
“They text now?”
“Steph does, Cass doesn’t.”
“Right. Look, Timmy, I would love to take my bath in peace. Alone. Can you maybe wait in the living room?”
Timmy seems to consider his options and stands up. “Okay.”
“Thanks,” Dick waits until Tim leaves to let his head thunk against the tub. It was going to be a long couple of days.