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Tim was having a hard time, to say the least.
He had finally gotten his GED at the age of 19, a year after saving Bruce from the time stream. But now… now Tim was 20 and was looking into college. A place he hadn't really thought about going to until recently. Fall semester was only four months away, and he still didn't know where he was going to go, let alone what he was going to do.
A Business major made the most sense, given he was en route to take on Wayne Enterprises sooner rather than later. But, he didn't want to waste away in college either, only doing Business. Tim wanted to have some fun with it, too. 'Enjoy the prime of his life', as they say.
He was looking at anywhere other than Gotham. He loved the place, truly; it was his home, and it always will be. But he wanted to venture outside of it, discover the world for his own, away from missions. Spend some time for himself, as Tim, not Red Robin.
Besides, he was not about to attend Gotham University after Poison Ivy's latest attack in March. Campus still had a mold problem that wouldn't be fully taken care of for a long time, shutting down a large portion of the buildings and causing students to be way more cramped than should be legal (and knowing Gotham, it probably wasn't). Plus, with all the spores that got into the ventilation systems, air conditioning and heating were going to be out of the picture for a while as well. Hard pass.
Tim also didn't want to end up going to school in Jump City. He loved the Titans; he loved Young Justice… But this was his chance to start anew. New experiences, new people, new places, new all around.
So when a certain college showcased majors he had never even heard of before, Tim went down the rabbit hole in researching it all. This place had classes centered around Ectobiology and Posthumous Psychology! But it was Inter-Dimensional Engineering, though, that really caught his eye.
Screw everything else, he knew Amity Park University, in 'the most haunted town in the world', was the one for him. Introduction To Exorcisms? Yes please!
Tim took a first, confident step onto campus, eyes forward on his double major in Business and Inter-Dimensional Engineering. He had only viewed campus through a virtual tour thus far, and had just moved into his apartment right off campus yesterday.
It was a sight. The buildings telling a story not too far off from those in Gotham; one of battles fought, of rogues that veered a little left from human. Tim had heard the stories of the ghost fights; he knew what he was possibly getting himself into. Now, whether or not he believed them remains to be seen; he was a Gothamite and Red Robin, though, so he wouldn't discredit it yet.
Tim's second step onto campus, however, wasn't so grandiose, as a man rammed right into him and nearly knocked him flat on his ass. All he manages to hear is-
"ohAncientsI'msosorrygottagoI'mgonnabelate!"
And then, the man was rushing away. His white-streaked black hair pulled into a low-hanging loose bun being the last thing Tim sees of him.
Well then, guess he'd best be off, or he'll be late too.
"Oh, hey, it's you!" Tim turns around to see who the voice was, only to see the man who ran into him the other day. "Guess you're in this class too, huh?" It was Wednesday of the first week, and Tim was still getting a hang of his new setting.
"Oh, yeah, I'm majoring in Inter-Dimensional Engineering. It's why I came to Amity Park, actually." He holds out his hand to shake. "I'm Tim.
"Danny. Guess we'll be seeing each other more often then. Sorry 'bout the other day, I should've been watching where I was going better. heheh"
"It's all good, shit happens."
"So…" Danny trails, with a knowing smirk on his face. "You're new to Amity, huh?"
"Yep. Don't worry, I've heard the rumors, I can handle it."
"I don't know," he sing-songed. "The rumors are true, y'know, it can be pretty dangerous out there."
"Oh, I don't doubt it. Trust me, I'm from Gotham, I know how to carry myself."
"Oh shit, guess you ain't kidding around then."
"Nope. We should probably find out seats, though, looks like class is about to start."
"Yeah, see ya!" And off Danny went. Surprisingly, he waltzed off to the front row. Tim takes his seat near the middle right as the professor starts talking.
"Welcome, class, to Intro To Inter-Dimensional Beings. I'm Dr. Jack Fenton, and today…"
The professor went on explaining the material that would be covered in the course and his credentials. He was apparently one of the leading experts in the field, helping pioneer the way. Dr. Fenton then gets to introducing his TA.
"This is my boy, Danny Fenton. He will be helping around the class, so please don't hesitate to reach out to him. Don't let his age fool ya, he practically wrote the book on Ecto-Beings. Oh, wait, he did!" The man let out a boisterous laugh.
Meanwhile, Tim was still reeling at what Dr. Fenton had said. Danny, who was the professor's son, not only wrote the book for this class, but he freaking helped lead the research for the entire field. The guy couldn't be any older than him. And yet, here he was as the TA!
Well, guess when you grow up around all this, you learn a thing or two.
As the class made its way out of the room, Tim swiftly made his way towards Danny. "Dude, seriously, what the hell? Could've warned me you freaking wrote the book for the class or some shit!
Danny turned to him with the widest grin on his face. "And ruin my fun? No chance."
Right as Tim was about to say something, an earthquake shakes the building. He braces himself, stance readying for a fight out of pure instinct. Out a window, he spots a green, humanoid figure flying around, causing property damage. Must be one of those ghost attacks he keeps hearing about.
Before he can even react, Tim spots Danny running off. "Sorrygottagoseeya!" A scene all too familiar to his first day.
Not too long after, a second ghost joins the fray outside and starts fighting the first. Black- streaked white hair pulled into a low-hanging loose bun catching his eye.
'Huh,' Tim thinks to himself. His TA being the local ghost boy superhero was not on his bingo card this year.