Chapter Text
The Batcave is and will always be a cold place, but that doesn't mean the birds and bats that live there can't make the cold bearable.
Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, and Batman had just returned from patrol when they saw Tim lying on the floor of the training room.
He was wearing a worn-out shirt with the Red Robin logo and only one sock. It looked like someone had told him that his favorite monthly comic book had been canceled.
"Timmy? Everything alright over there, man?" Nightwing quickened his pace, throwing his mask onto a random table while Batman just bat an eye, showing almost no interest.
"Is he alive?" asked Red Hood, slowly removing his gloves.
"It seems so." Robin said. "Unfortunately." he added later.
"Then that's not my problem. I'm going out with Steph, don't call me unless someone dies." He thought for a few seconds before a wry smile a smirk appeared on his lips. "Or if Dick does something stupid that I can use as blackmail."
Dick flipped him off, but Jason had already left the cave and entered the mansion.
"Ew, you're sweating!" Dick said when he got close enough to his brother.
"Disgusting." Damian frowned. Robin's costume was completely soaked by the bay water, which was probably the cause of all his bad mood. His boots made a funny noise as he followed Red Hood to the mansion.
"Get off that mat and go drool in your bed, you dumbass." The acrobat rolled his eyes and poked his brother in the ribs with his boot.
Tim groaned, turning onto his stomach and opening his eyes slightly. Waking up so early and deciding to go to training— of all things— hadn't been a very smart decision.
He had a terrible headache.
"Fuck off, Dick ." He felt his mood improve slightly at the look on his brother's face. "I'm trying to find the motivation to leave the mansion at six in the morning." He muttered, his voice low and hoarse as his face contorted in an expression of irritation. "Not everyone can train with as much joy as you do."
“Holly bad mood! Just so you know, I like to train, unlike certain people!” He shook Tim’s body harder, which earned him a shove in the leg. “And why do you need to leave the mansion, anyway? You didn’t have anything planned, as far as I remember.”
Tim finally sat down on the mat, running his hands through his dark, tousled hair as he tried to think of a good excuse for his departure.
"I need to buy waterproof makeup. 'Tim Drake-Wayne' will be on the beach in a few hours and I can't risk showing any scars." A half-truth. As always. But what could he say? "Hey! Actually, I've been in a band with my metahuman friends for almost a year, I just didn't tell you!"? Hell no.
He shrugged, extending his hand to help Tim to his feet.
"That makes sense. Good luck with that, the pharmacy where we usually buy our supplies blew up during the last Arkham breakout. But if you don't want to buy online, I think I have some—"
You're from the seventies, but I'm a nineties bitch!
Dick raised an eyebrow.
Tim's attention was completely drawn to the ringing of his cell phone, and a smile spread across his face. A smile that hadn't been there seconds before.
"Is that your ringtone? Seriously?" He put his hand on his hip as his brother stood up.
Tim made a dismissive gesture, typing something on his phone and smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes.
He's excited. Dick narrowed his eyes.
His face looked younger in seconds; he would swear he saw Tim's blue eyes sparkle with enthusiasm as he replied to whatever message he received.
"Yeah, yeah. Young Justice stuff." He stuck out his tongue, letting his hair get completely messy.
Tim searched for his shoes with his eyes. The only thing he found were some random purple flip-flops. If they weren't Steph's, she would definitely have loved to have them.
That would do.
“Bye, Dick. I have makeup to buy and people to impress!” He speed off to his motorcycle, barely bothering to say a proper goodbye.
Dick stared for a few seconds at the spot where his brother had been moments before, in disbelief.
"He didn't even bother to give me a goodbye hug, Bruce! Not even a handshake!" He raised his arms and quickened his pace to follow his father.
Damian watched Batman remove his cowl and sigh as his brother continued with his endless complaints.
——————
"Seriously, I still don't understand why we need to rehearse so early!" Kon complained, raising his black nail polish brush. His sunglasses were almost hidden by his unruly black curls.
“Because you weren’t paying attention! We already told you, you idiot. The tour is coming up and, if we don’t want to embarrass ourselves in front of thousands of people, we’re going to rehearse hard!” Cassie pointed her finger at the band’s vocalist’s face, causing her blonde hair to slip from Tim’s hands.
The air was a mixture of morning tiredness and the excitement of teenagers seeing their friends again after a few long weeks.
"Be quiet, Cassie! I want to finish this braid before Bart gets here," he complained, giving the girl's hair a light tug.
"Isn't Bart like a literal speedster? How come he always manages to lose track of time?"
"One of the thousands of things we'll never know, I guess." The hands continued intertwining strands of Cassie's hair. Calmly, as if they knew all the movements and techniques without even thinking.
"Oh my God, Cassie. When was the last time you brushed that?" The hands nudged the back of her neck.
"Shut up, Tim! You're not the one to talk! And you know what? I think it's funny. I've never seen you complain about Kon's curls! And he doesn't even style it properly!"
"What's your problem with me today?!" The half kryptonian retorted, almost shouting.
“The problem is that you’re the one who made off with my last three hair clips! Now I have to use Tim’s boring ones!” She threw a blue hairbrush directly at his head, narrowly missing her target and hitting the newly arrived drummer instead.
"Dude! I didn't do anything!" Bart complained, throwing the hairbrush back, without even looking.
Tim dodged before he got into the confusion by accident.
"Why are you late, Bart? It is fifteen minutes this time." He asked loudly.
"Multiversal stuff. Someone's trying to mess with reality and Barry said I'd better avoid running at full speed."
Tim rested his hand on his chin to think, letting go of Cassie's hair.
"Is this a case for Young Justice? I don't like multiversal villains at all. I'm still tired from the last time with Mxyzptlk."
“Hey, speaking of the devil, do we consider Mxy-whatever-his-name-is a villain? I always thought of him more as an annoying little cousin who wants to play on my phone every end of the year.” Cassie gave her braids a final touch-up, getting up from the covered in cables floor. She looked at Tim and offered a hand, without even looking. They could say it was muscle memory by now.
“Specific.” Kon commented, putting the nail polish in the bag that was lying near Tim’s amplifier.
The three boys were silent for a moment before answering at the same time.
"He's one of those repetitive game ads that just won't leave you alone. Annoooooooying!" Bart scoffed.
"He's very powerful, but he's not necessarily a threat." Tim pointed out.
"He's just an idiot." Kon shrugged.
The silence barely lasted a few seconds before the four teenagers burst into laughter.
They could never be serious while they were together, could they?
Bart answered the first question, still somewhat breathless.
"Barry said the League is taking care of the guy. We're free from multiversal chaos this time."
“Good, better for us.” Tim smiled, smoothing out his shirt.
“Everyone ready? Let’s get this started.” He held out his hand to help Kon to his feet. Kon's eyes stared at his. He saw the exact moment his pupils dilated and how his eyes darted away in the same second.
Cassie watched the two boys' cheeks flush, rolling her eyes along with Bart.
“You guys stress me out,” she complained. “I still need to win the bet I made with Cissie and Anita, and you guys just make it harder!”
"Are you betting on our lives?!" He carefully ignored the warmth on his chest, deciding that lecturing his friends would be easier for his own sake.
"Less talk and more riffs, Rob." Bart tossed the decorated guitar before Tim could complain anymore.
Cassie sighed for the second time that morning.
"This band is a damn joke."
—————
The music only stopped when the four of them were sprawled on the floor, their uneven breathing worsening as tired laughter followed.
"Oh my God, what was that, Kon?" The blonde rolled on the floor, her hands covering her eyes as her head nestled against Tim's thigh. Her lips were twisted into a sarcastic expression that they all knew really well.
"I got lost because of Imp! He mixed up the songs in the second part."
"Me?! It was Timmy here who messed up the guitar notes!" A finger was pointed.
“I should have just stuck with vigilantism.” Tim threw his head back against the wall covered in drawings and notes, messing up his hair even more. Despise the complain, he had a smile on his face.
“Our lead singer gets lost, the drummer doesn’t know his own songs, and the guitarist can’t play guitar! By Hera, what a band we are!” Cassie continued even though she found it completely hilarious.
“And our bassist is amazing, right? She didn’t make a single mistake…” Kon chimed in, nudging Cassie with his knee.
"Yes, I am amazing. Thank you for the compliment, Supershit."
"Hey, that's no fun!"
Not a surprise Cassie and Kon started an argument. Actually, Tim tought the would be yelling sooner. Could he count it as an achievement?
"Hey, Rob, didn’t you say you had to do something after rehearsal?” Bart called over the two of them, tucking his drumsticks into the pockets of his comically oversized shorts.
"Oh, I was going to the beach, I wanted to know if you guys were coming with me." He carefully got his electric guitar on his case, nudging Kon and Cassie to pay attention.
"I'll go!" Kon and Bart said at the same time while Cassie seemed to be thinking about the proposal.
“I agreed to spend the night with Anita, Cassie, and Greta, so it depends when we are getting back.” She raised her eyebrows; from Tim’s angle, it looked like a grimace, and he couldn’t resist letting out an amused laugh.
"It'll be quick, Cass." He assured her, putting a hand in front of her face.
"Yeah, Cass. We're not going to interrupt your slumber party." Bart stuck his tongue out, and Kon decided to add fuel to the fire, crossing his arms and scoffing.
"Yeah, Cass. Stick with your best friends."
"You don't even like us anyway."
"Yeah, it seems they never liked us either."
Wonder Girl looked at Robin as if asking for help, to which Robin simply responded with a shrug and his characteristic mocking smile.
Obviously, they were all friends, but Bart and Kon seem to love creating a non-existent rivalry between the girls and the band.
Silence filled the room, the three of them trying to disguise their anticipation of having Cassie with them, even if they tried to hide it. Well, Tim tried to hide it.
"You guys are unbearable!" This time, the complaint was completely false.
"So? In or out?" Robin narrowed his eyes.
"What do you think, boy wonder?"
That was enough to cheer Kon and Bart up and make them celebrate.
"Grab your things. Super-Cycle can take anyone who needs to pick something up from home. I'll be waiting for you here."
A gust of wind.
Tim and Cassie exchanged disapproving glances when Bart reappeared with a bag; inside it were his own swimsuit and other belongings.
"These things here?" He smiled proudly.
"I think I can do this faster." Kon flew out of the place, leaving only the scent of his perfume in the air.
Cassie shrugged and left without saying goodbye.
Supercycle, then.
Ah, they were going to have a very long morning. At least it would be a fun morning.