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The Parents We Create Along the Way

Summary:

Who needs parents when you can just make your own?

Tim Drake decides that if his parents were not around he would just make his own.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Tim was well aware that his childhood was not normal. He knew that other kids had their parents to watch over their every move and take care of all their needs, but in the words of his father they were “chumps”. Tim was 8 he was no chump thank you very much. But…. That did not stop the occasional mood of clinginess he sometimes felt when he thought too long about it. He knew his parents could not drop all of their important work on a dime to help him with baby things like cooking, giving him medicine when he was sick, or helping him clean out and bandage cuts when he got them (that last one was really his own fault, he was the one who chose to spend his nights Bat-watching). However, he did understand that there was a chance that he would become lacking in conversational skills given that outside of school he really did not have any human interactions. So Tim did the next best thing, he created his own parental- unit.

By the time Tim was done with the program it could respond to voice commands, answer questions sourced through the internet and even hold conversations. Tim had it so he could wear headphones and be in constant contact, like his own personal Agent A, he would call it Agent O, O standing for oversight, or Ovie when he was at home. Tim no longer needed to fret. Agent O could give directions, weather status, instructions for any injuries and even call the police if the situation ever arose. At home, Ovie could tell stories, set alarms and reminders, create grocery lists, help manage his budget, control the house alarms and thermostat, and give dosages for medicine. It really was like his own personal Agent A. Agent O was missing the physical aspect of having someone present, but he ignored that once he noticed that he was starting to be less clammy all the time. Agent O remained a fixture in Tim’s life for a few years as his primary caretaker when his parents were not home, and had essentially become Tim’s best friend, with constant updates and bug patches Agent O eventually morphed into almost a sentient system. Then, Jason Todd died.

Tim was beside himself with grief. It was then when he started to notice where Agent O was not able to help, all Tim wanted was a hug, but Ovie could only give words of consolation. He still needed Ovie though, as Agent O had become essential during Tim’s night out when he could call 911 hands free while helping the latest victim of Batman’s grief. Helped him figure out his pitch for Dick Grayson to come back, however unsuccessful it was, as well as brainstorm next steps then finally, his pitch to Bruce to become the take up the Robin mantle.

Once Tim started his Robin training he began using Agent O less and less, now that he had access to the real deal. Ovie, however he still used it, because afterall who else was going to tell him what to do when his ribs hurt so much that he couldn’t breath. As Tim’s tenure went on and he gained more experience Ovie too started to fall by the wayside, picked up again in the aftermath of Titans Tower, and the time after his parents' accident, during which times Ovie would return to full operational capacity so Tim did not have to keep track of so much in his brain (i.e. his own well being). Occasionally, he would break Ovie out after a particularly bad skirmish (aka muder attempt) with Damien, or when seeing Jason on patrol or at the Manor were a little too triggering. He would put in his earbuds and have Ovie talk about some quantum mechanics facts or give him riddles or puzzles to solve in his head.

Then, Bruce was lost and Tim’s life fell apart, and the full extent Agent Oversight program once again was utilized. Agent O saw Tim through his entire year-long journey, his time with Ra’s all the way through the few months after Bruce’s return and everything in between. But, Bruce had changed during his time in the Time Stream and he was trying, for the most part all of them were trying. Tim still kept his distance, but started coming by the manner more, if anything just to see Alfred, and then slowly but surely Agent O became a distant hum again. Tim was not one to waste his most innovative creation and began repurposing Ovie into more of a secretary. He gave Tam limited access so that she could add things to his calendar and reminders, which helped him juggle being C.E.O, he had also made another model to help Bart as it was a program that could keep up with him no matter the speed, another more tame version was used by Young Justice during their missions just for extra reassurance.

In all the years that Agent O had been in existence, Young Justice were the only people who knew about it, thus Tim felt comfortable sharing it with them. He had never told any of the Bats about it, because frankly Tim was a bit embarrassed about it. Some times though, one of them would stop by the office and get a glimpse of Ovie's workings, but they had taken it as just an automated feature. More warily however, was when Cyborg had stopped by a training session and had seen what the YJ’s program could do. In exchange for showing him the coding for it, Tim swore him to secrecy. Afterall, Tim was not allowed to be selfish with the parents who created him, but he was allowed to be selfish about the parent he created.

Notes:

This is what happens when I watch one too many TikTok edits of baby Punch, who carries around a stuffed mom, and a re-watch of Naruto and the Sasori arc with his mother and father puppets.

Throughout his updates, Agent O becomes a program for Tim and Co., like Jarvis is for Tony.

I might do more, but this was really more of a whim that I wrote this.