Chapter Text
It took a couple reassurances that Jason really did have an open-door policy when it came to his brothers (as long as Bruce didn't get suspicious), but Tim eventually became a frequent guest at Jason's apartment. Never for long, and never when it was just Damian and Jason, but he'd stop by for fifteen or twenty minutes nearly every day. Sometimes, he asked Jason for advice on a homework assignment or casework; other times, he just hovered awkwardly by the window. Jason had given up understanding him right around their first meeting and got used to Tim swinging by. That didn't mean he wasn't curious, though. What was going through the kid's head?
"I think," Damian said during one of their tea sessions, "That he wants reassurance."
"Reassurance?" Jason asked.
"Well, you were his hero," Damian said. "The reason he became Robin was because of you."
"I was his hero," Jason repeated thoughtfully. "Tim looked up to me?"
Damian nodded. "And from what I understand, both Timothy and Richard struggle to remember that you're back."
"Yeah, Dick's practically my roommate," Jason said with a snort. It had been a month since his little reveal, and Dick was always coming by for one reason or another. More and more, he was staying the night. Jason always made dinner for two, now. "But, Tim never stays for long."
"I think he doesn't want to overstep," Damian said. "He struggles to understand that other people might care for him. I don't think he would turn down an invitation, however. Telling him directly that he is welcome might be your best option."
"What is he?" Jason asked. "A fucking vampire?"
Damian shrugged, taking a sip of tea. "I do not claim to understand what is going through Timothy's mind."
"Well, what does he do during his free time?" Jason asked. "I'll invite him over, and we can do something together."
He wanted to get to know his newest little brother, the one he'd almost hurt so badly in his quest for revenge. Every day, Jason was more thankful he hadn't gone down that path.
"Not much," Damian said. "He's stretched thin between casework, patrol, and school. Father keeps him busy, and I know his so-called parents place great pressure on him to perform at the highest level when it comes to academics. However, while he never has time for himself, he always has some to help others."
"So-called?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They clearly do not deserve Timothy," Damian said hotly. "They left him alone far too long."
Jason agreed. He'd done some research on the Drakes because who the hell left their son alone for months on end? Terrible people, as it turned out, who weren't even smart about keeping their shitty, unethical business practices well hidden.
"We should do something about them," Jason said. "I can think of one or two ways to make their lives a living hell."
"Excellent," Damian said. "Now—"
There was a tap at the window. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Tim was on the fire escape, dressed in his school uniform. It was pouring rain outside, with a strong wind whipping hail around. What the hell was he doing outside? Jason got up and opened the window.
"Sorry," Tim said quickly. "I thought your tea would be over since it usually is by now. It's just, a new cafe opened up? That I thought you would like? Because it's like a bookstore, too."
"Get in here," Jason said. "You're gonna get sick. What the fuck were you thinking climbing the fire escape? I know you're allergic to the door for some fucking reason, but I would've thought that at least today you would've taken the stairs like a normal person."
"It was quicker," Tim said. "And I don't want to interrupt."
Jason rolled his eyes and gently pulled him in. "You're not interrupting, right Damian?"
"Not at all," Damian said, hopping off his chair. "I'll go get you a cup, Timothy."
"And I'll go get you a blanket and a change of clothes," Jason said, closing the window. "Do you have anything to do tonight? I have a case I've been working on that I want your opinion on."
No, he didn't. But Jason was pretty sure he could dig something out if it would keep Tim from heading back out.
Tim shook his head. "Sure. Yeah. I'd be happy to help."
While he grabbed a clean pair of sweats and dug out the biggest, fuzziest, warmest blanket he owned, Jason ran through his mental list of cases he'd been dealing with. There was a murder that had been bothering him — that could work.
He tossed everything at Tim and went to make the kid a sandwich. Jason would bet the entire warehouse of meth he'd just stolen from Black Mask that Tim had forgotten to eat again. He stared at the fridge.
"Timbit, what do you want in your sandwich?" Jason called.
"You don't have to make anything for me," came the predictable response.
"He likes mustard, cheddar, and ham, I think," Damian said.
Jason pulled out those ingredients and some arugula as well because it was a crime to have a savory sandwich without at least some kind of vegetable. Tim wandered into the kitchen a couple minutes later, drowning in the borrowed clothing. He stared at the sandwich Jason slid his way for a solid minute.
"Thanks," he said eventually. He ate the first one and didn't say anything as Jason made him another. He didn't refuse a slice of banana bread, either.
"So what's the case?" Tim asked, picking out the chocolate chips from the banana bread to eat them first.
"Sophie Pharr —"
"I'm so close to solving that case," Tim interrupted. "It's been driving me crazy for weeks. I know that the police arrested the wrong guy. Her husband couldn't have killed her because —"
"He was with Paul Bayona," Jason finished. "But he would never admit that since that would implicate him in the recent spate of arson attacks. Black Mask ordered those, though, and selling him out would be worse than jail for life."
Tim nodded. "I know I'm so close to cracking it open. It has to be —"
"Finish up your banana bread," Jason said. "You can't talk murder over damn good banana bread."
Tim nodded, practically shoving the entire slice into his mouth. Jason rolled his eyes and ruffled his brother's hair. "Go to the couch. I'm going to dig out my files."
Tim nodded and headed back to the living room. Romeo immediately got up from his bed and jumped on the couch, demanding attention. It took Jason at most five minutes to dig out the relevant files from his storage closet, but by the time he came back, Tim was passed out asleep. The only reason he hadn't fallen off the couch was because Romeo was bracing him.
"You should grab his smartwatch," Damian said. "He designed an app that makes it buzz ten minutes after he falls asleep."
Jason sighed. "Is he a light sleeper?"
Damian shook his head. "He doesn't sleep enough. Rarely does a week pass by without him pulling an all-nighter."
"Toss me a pillow," Jason said, taking off Tim's watch and putting it on the coffee table. Romeo woofed as Jason gently nudged him off the couch so he could lay Tim down. He caught the pillow Damian threw at him and tucked Tim in with the blanket. Romeo immediately hopped back on, laying down next to Tim.
"You going to keep an eye on him?" Jason asked, scratching Romeo behind the ears. "Good, make sure he gets some sleep."
Damian got up from the table and grabbed his backpack. He sat down, leaning against the couch, and began to do his schoolwork. As far as Bruce knew, he was at Dick's. He could stay the entire evening, which was far more reassuring than Jason would ever admit. It was nice to be able to keep an eye on two of his brothers.
Jason finished solving the case and was cooking dinner for four when Tim finally woke up. He shot up. "The case!"
Romeo placed one great big paw on Tim's chest and forced him down. When Tim still tried to get up, he whacked him and then rolled over, effectively pinning Tim. Jason laughed as he took a photo.
"I took care of it, Timbo," Jason said.
"I'm so sorry," Tim said. "My watch — where's my watch?"
"You needed to sleep," Damian said, handing it back. "Despite what you think, you do need it to function."
"I know, but that's so low on the list of priorities that it's not even on the list," Tim said, slipping it back on. "Romeo, do you want to let me up?"
Romeo yawned and stretched out on top of Tim.
"That's a no, then. Jason, can you call your dog?"
"Sleep is important," Jason said. "And Romeo has a mind of his own."
"Casework, patrol, and school are important," Tim said, trying to shimmy his way out from underneath Romeo.
"How about I take on a couple of cases for you," Jason said. "And you promise to get six hours of sleep every night."
"Why would you do that?" Tim asked.
"There's a lot of overlap between what you deal with and what I deal with," Jason said. "It makes the most sense. There's no point in both of us doing the same work."
"Five," Tim said after a moment's consideration.
"Seven," Jason said.
"Five-thirty," Tim countered.
"Eight."
"Alright, six."
"And I want to see you around here more often," Jason added. "You can come to tea a couple times a month."
"But that's you and Damian's thing," Tim protested.
"Then we'll make our own thing," Jason said. "I want to get to know you better."
"Why?" Tim asked, sounding genuinely startled.
"Because you're my little brother," Jason said. "And I care about your dumb ass, and I want to make sure you're doing alright. Doesn't seem like you have anyone else checking in on you."
"Jason is quite the mother hen," Damian added. "You might as well get used to this, Timothy."
"Okay," Tim said slowly, giving up on getting off the couch. He stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah. We can do something. What do you like to do?"
"What do you like to do?" Jason asked.
"I don't really know," Tim admitted after a second.
"You're quite the talented photographer," Damian said.
"But that's not really a group activity," Tim said. "There's a lot of sitting around —"
Dick entered the apartment, juggling a backpack and several grocery bags. Covered in pet hair didn't even begin to describe him. He also had several bandages on his arms, and his work pants were shredded. What the hell had happened? Jason decided he didn't want to know because he was feeling kinda done with Gotham's fucked-up nonsense for the moment. Sometimes, he really hated this city.
Dick dumped everything on the ground. "Work was wild today. Hey Tim, staying for dinner?"
"Photography sounds great, Timbit," Jason said. "And don't even think of declining."
"Guess I'm staying for dinner," Tim said. "I'd help you with the groceries, but Romeo trapped me on the couch."
"Yeah, he's a really cuddly dog," Dick said happily, starting to put away what he had bought. Mostly more of that disgustingly sweet sugary crap he called cereal — despite the fact that Jason had offered, multiple times, to make him an actual breakfast — and juice. When he was finished, he gave Jason a tight hug, holding on for a minute, before going over to the living room and giving Damian a quicker one. He settled for patting Tim on the head.
Jason whistled. "Alright, Romeo, set Timantha free. It's dinner time."
Romeo hopped off the couch and stretched leisurely before trotting over to the chair where Dick usually sat. He looked expectantly in the direction of the kitchen, wagging his tail.
"You could've done that any time?" Tim asked, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.
"Maybe," Jason said, bringing plates to the table.
It was just a simple fried rice, loaded up with veggies and topped with egg because he wasn't in the mood to make one vegetarian dish for Damian and another for everyone else. It had been a long week already, and it was only Wednesday. When it rained, it poured, which seemed especially true for Crime Alley. It wasn't even any of the more prominent players, like Black Mask or Falcone. There were just a bunch of smaller gangs that felt emboldened for some fucking reason to test some of the rules he had instituted. Jason had a long night ahead of him of surveillance and an even longer following day of prep work and planning. It was nice, though, to have this family dinner before he had to head out.
Dick carried the dinner conversation with stories from his absolutely insane day at the station. Some guy had declared himself the Lord of the Dogs and had been raiding dog parks, shelters, and pet stores.
"He wasn't just going after dogs, though," Dick said. Romeo woofed quietly. "Ah, sorry, Romeo. Here you go." Dick slipped some of the rice off his plate to the floor. "Anyways, it was cats, birds, reptiles, and surprisingly few dogs."
"Stop feeding my dog," Jason said, pointing his fork at him. "It's not good for him."
"Anyways," Dick said brightly. "I'm so glad you could finally make family dinner, Tim. How was your day?"
"Oh, good," Tim said quietly.
"Found him on the fire escape in the pouring rain," Jason said.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Tim muttered.
"Because everything seems like a good idea when you're sleep-deprived," Jason said.
"You're not getting enough sleep again?" Dick asked worriedly. "Tim, we've talked about this."
"Love the rice, Jason," Tim said. "You're a really good cook."
"Of course Timothy hasn't been getting the required hours of sleep," Damian said.
"I'll come to more family dinners if it's always this good," Tim continued, smile growing a little forced.
Jason decided to take pity on him. "You better. I don't want to find you skulking outside anymore. You're part of this family, now, 'kay? If you want to crash here, if you ever need help, anything, we've got your back. So where do you want to go for our first photography class? What camera do you think I should buy?"
"You want to learn photography from me?" Tim asked. "I thought it was just kinda going to be you hanging around while I took photos."
"Why the hell not?" Jason asked. "I meant it when I said I want to do something with you. Can't promise I'll be any good, but I can try."
"I'm so glad you're picking up a hobby, Little Wing," Dick said. "Thanks, Tim! Jay needs more reasons to get out of the house."
"I do not," Jason said indignantly. "I get out plenty. Library and shit."
"Other than the library, work, or basic human necessities like shopping, what do you do?" Damian asked.
"Yeah, this rice is one of my favorite dishes, too, Timantha," Jason said hurriedly.
Dick laughed. "We'll stop grilling you two."
"For now," Damian added.
"Well, that's vaguely ominous," Tim said.
"Good," Damian declared. "Jason, pass me the bowl of rice?"
Jason handed it over. "So, Dick, how did you catch this Lord of the Dogs?"
Dick continued to regale them with stories of Gotham's normal abnormal — wannabe Rouges were all too common. Thankfully, very few of them ever became threats. Most were like Lord of the Dogs, one-day wonders that usually quickly gave up on their delusions of grandeur.
Tim practically fled after dinner, citing homework before patrol, and took Damian with him. But he promised to come back on Friday, camera in hand. They were going to walk through Robinson Park or maybe explore some of the older areas of Gotham.
"Thanks for that," Dick said when the door closed. "I can take the kitchen tonight."
"'Preciate it," Jason said. "I'll take Romeo on a walk, then. For what?"
"For inviting Tim over," Dick said. "I worry about him, you know? He made it his personal mission to keep Batman together after, well… after."
"You can say I died," Jason said, pausing in the middle of putting his boots on. "What do you mean he held Batman together?"
"B was going suicidal," Dick said. "He wasn't handling your death well, or the fact that he had failed so spectacularly. And after I refused to return to Gotham, Tim started throwing himself headfirst into fights so B had something to protect. It worked, but sometimes I wonder about what that did to Tim."
"Fuck." There wasn't a better way of summing that up, really. Just, fuck, because Tim was a teenager, and it shouldn't have been on him to keep Bruce from falling apart. Kids should never have to take care of adults. "Yeah, I'll keep an eye on him. Make sure he finally understands he has someplace. I know this family sucks at the whole family thing, but I can try, I guess."
"Thanks," Dick said, sounding exhausted all of a sudden. "Being an older brother — it suits you. More than it suits me, at any rate. I'm sorry that I was such a shit brother to you when B first adopted you."
Jason sighed. He was wondering when Dick was gonna bring it up. While Dick was trying so hard for Tim and Damian to be their older brother, that hadn't quite been the case for Dick and Jason. Things had been rough, most of the time. Well, that was an understatement. It had been hell to be stuck in the middle of an angry, hurting teenager who desperately needed support and some guy tryna figure out who the fuck he was outside the mask.
"You learned about me from the newspapers," Jason said after a moment. "He adopted me before he even adopted you. He took Robin away from you. Yeah, you could've tried a little harder, but B wasn't making it exactly easy. I don't blame you, and I've never blamed you, 'kay?"
"Just thanks, okay?" Dick said. "Damian's been telling me a little about your time in the League. You really pulled it together for him, and Tim looks up to you."
"And you've always got a place here, too," Jason added. "Wasn't planning on a roommate, but I sure as hell don't mind having someone around who cleans the kitchen. Just make sure you vacuum all the pet fur you're tracking around."
Dick snorted. "Aye, aye, captain. One spick-and-span apartment coming right your way. And after, I spent all day working so hard."
"Don't talk to me about working so hard," Jason said, running a hand through his hair. "You know how many idiots tried to start a gang war in the past week? Fucking sick of this town, with it's crazy and ordinary evil."
Romeo barked, evidently done with all the waiting. They headed out, wandering out all over the Alley. Jason got a text about halfway through from Tim, a link to a PDF discussing the merits of half a dozen different cameras. It was over fifteen pages long. There were charts. The kid was serious about this, apparently. Or he was hoping that three pages on lens alone would bore Jason enough to drop this plan. He scrolled through it while he walked; Tim had been beyond thorough.
Jason: I don't think I can get a camera in time for Friday
Jason: Unless you want to go shopping in person
Tim: no worries!!!!!!!
Tim: like i just wanted to show you options
Tim: this isnt an immediately kinda thing
Jason: Are you free tomorrow?
Tim: ?
Jason: We're going shopping if you have time
Tim: k let me check
Jason wasn't exactly excited about this plan, but at least it was something to do with Tim. And hopefully their little Friday meetups would help convince Tim that Jason was serious about this whole big brother thing.
Chapter 2
Notes:
i have no idea where the motivation came from to get this chapter out so fast anyways enjoy tim being an anxious menace, jason trying his best, and a couple cats because why not?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Jason was doing his biweekly report with his lieutenants, reviewing losses, gains, merchandise, and new projects, when his helmet HUD let him know that he had an incoming call from Tim.
"Give me a sec," he said. "Got a call coming through that's important."
El paused in the middle of her breakdown of the latest drug to hit the streets and nodded. Jason hit the button on his helmet that would accept it.
"What's up, Short Stack?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling. He was really hoping this could be solved over a phone call, but Jason had a feeling it was gonna be a bit more complicated than that.
"You said you'd help me out," Tim said quickly, almost stumbling over the words. "If I needed help. Right?"
Jason hummed. "Yeah."
"This is a big ask," Tim said. "But I don't know what to do."
"Taking a deep breath could be a start," Jason said. "Not sure if you know this, but breathing's mandatory. Look, are you on the run from the police? Do I need to get rid of a body? Am I your one phone call?"
"What, no," Tim squeaked. "Nothing like that."
"Then it's not a big ask," Jason said. "And even all that wouldn't be that bad. Just, if you're going to do something illegal, at least let me know first."
"I have two kittens," Tim blurted out. "I found them in a dumpster. And like the shelters are closed after that Lord of the Dogs incident, and I don't know what to do because they're so small and it might rain later and —"
"If Romeo's fine with it," Jason said. "They can stay at my place. If he's not, then they can go claw up Big Bird's apartment, 'kay? Gonna head over right now, and we'll get them situated."
"You've got work," Tim said immediately.
"You and the two fur balls you picked up are more important," Jason said with a sigh. "Plus, I'm my own boss. I pick my own hours. See ya in thirty." He hung up. "I gotta go."
"Kids, right?" Hassan said with a chuckle. He had three little kids, if Jason remembered correctly. They were part of the reason he had picked up this job — protection, a decent paycheck, and insurance all made Jason one of the best employers around. "We've got this, Hood. I'll send you the notes."
He'd forgotten to mute internal to external audio, hadn't he? Jason sighed again, wishing he could run a hand through his hair. "El, I want the files on this new drug since it looks like it's gonna be shitty news. Get chem to start working on a reversal. Hassan's in charge; I'll be back by eight at the latest."
He got a chorus of assent from the ten people seated around the table, and then Jason headed off. He made it in twenty, even with a quick stop at Walmart to pick up cat stuff. Tim was nowhere to be seen when he walked into the apartment, but Romeo was lying in front of the door to his bedroom.
Jason dropped the bags in the middle of the floor. "Whatcha doing, Romeo?"
Tim poked his head out of the bedroom. "I read up on how to introduce kittens to dogs. You're supposed to let them explore a room separately and get them comfortable before introducing everyone. Romeo seems to like them, though."
Jason crossed the room and bent down so he could pet his dog. "'Course, Romeo loves everyone. Am I gonna spook the kittens if I come in?"
Tim shook his head. "They need to get used to your scent anyways."
Jason walked in and closed the door behind him. The two black cats were tiny. No wonder Tim had been worried. He sat down on the carpet next to them and closed his eyes, content to let them wander over when they felt safe. Damn, he was tired.
"So you've thought of any names?" Jason asked for a moment.
"Names?" Tim asked, startled.
"Assuming you want to keep them," Jason said. "Romeo doesn't seem to mind the new roommates."
"You'd let me keep them?" Tim asked. "Here?"
Jason shrugged. "Why not?"
"Spooky and Fluffy," Tim said quietly.
"Look, I love ya, kid," Jason said. "And if that's what you wanna name them, go ahead. But I'm gonna be honest with you, those names suck."
"What would you name them? They're both guys, I think."
"Spook's not bad. Maybe the other can be Specter? Keeping with the haunted theme."
"Okay."
"If you like Spooky and Fluffy, that's fine too."
"I didn't think you'd let me keep them, so those were the first things that came to mind. Spook and Specter sound so much better."
One of the kittens finally gathered up the courage to wander over and boop Jason with his little nose. Then, having decided that the trek from the center of the carpet to Jason's hand had been too much, promptly curled up on Jason's open palm and took a nap. Jason was almost scared to breathe; the lil' guy was so small. Damian was gonna be ecstatic when he found out about the two new pets. Dick was gonna be insufferable with all the cooing over the kittens.
"Thank you," Tim said, moving so he was leaning against Jason. "I always wanted a pet."
"Well, now you've got two," Jason said. "And they're gonna be your responsibility, 'kay? I'll help you take care of them, but you gotta do the research and all that shit. When you're around, the litter-box is your job and feeding them and stuff."
Tim nodded. "Of course."
After a while, Tim decided it was time to let Romeo see the kittens face to face. So Jason reluctantly got off the (very comfortable) floor to put a harness on his dog. Then he made Romeo lay down while Tim opened the door slightly.
It took a while, but eventually, the cats got used to the big dog. Specter, the one who had decided Jason's palm had been the perfect place to take a nap, walked up to him first and cautiously batted the dog with a paw.
Romeo woofed, lowering his head so he could stare at the kitten. Specter booped him on the nose, so Romeo licked him. They looked at each other for a moment more, and then Specter did his best to scramble up Romeo's back. Romeo looked bemused and slightly bewildered about the whole situation, but that did encourage Spook to come out of the bedroom and meet Romeo, too.
Tim kept a careful eye on the cats and dog when Jason had to go make dinner. Everyone once in a while, he asked Jason if it was really alright that the kittens could stay. Right around the time that Jason was getting sick of answering that question, Dick came home from work. He was predictably delighted by the two cats, although he did have enough sense to tone down his usual brand of over-the-top enthusiasm. He flopped on the floor beside Romeo, petting him idly while watching the kittens explore their new home.
"You're sure we can keep them?" Tim asked as Jason put dinner down on the table. Tonight was chicken soup with rice served with jalepeños, onion, cilantro, and lime.
"I think Dick would disown me if I didn't," Jason said. "Come on, Dick, up and at them. The kittens will still be there after you eat something. Romeo's not gonna do anything to them."
"But they're so small," Dick said delightedly. "And cute. And they keep stumbling over things."
"And they'll still be there after dinner," Jason said. "And they'll be here tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. But I slaved over this hot pot, so get your skinny little ass to the dinner table."
Dick got up with a theatrical pout, managed to somehow dramatically wash his hands, and then sat down with a certain air of drama. Fucking circus kid.
That coaxed a laugh out of Tim. "I'm glad you like them, Dick."
"Where did you find them?" Dick asked, adding more jalepeños to his soup.
"In a dumpster," Tim said. "They were in a sack."
"Someone tried to throw them out?" Dick asked, sounding horrified.
"And now Jason's letting me keep them," Tim said, looking down at his soup and idly stirring it. He had been acting the entire afternoon and evening like Jason would make him put them back on the street. Jason didn't want to think about why Tim was so nervous because then he was gonna do something reckless and probably very violent against Tim's parents. "Can I stay the night?"
"You can stay the night whenever you want," Jason said. "You know that Timbit. I'll swap out the sheets on my bed. You can sleep there."
"I can take the couch," Tim said quickly. "I didn't mean —"
"I can bunk with Jaybird for the night," Dick said. "I don't mind."
"You sleep cuddle," Jason complained, adding more lime to his soup. "Tim Tac, soup's not gonna taste good without the garnishes."
Tim added some of the cilantro, onion, and lime to his bowl. "I don't—"
"More incentive for you to get a sleeping couch," Dick said happily, right over Tim.
"Fine," Jason said with a huff.
"I really —"
"You're not inconveniencing anyone, Tim," Dick said. "Did you bring a change of clothes? You'll fit into mine if you don't have any here."
"Is it really—"
"Not a problem," Jason said. "Got it? It's not even like I'm gonna be here most of the night."
"And I'm heading out to Blüdhaven after dinner," Dick added. "Even though Spook and Specter are calling my name. Has anyone told Damian?"
"Nah," Jason said. "I wanna see the expression on his face when he comes over tomorrow for brunch and sees the two lil' guys."
"Okay," Tim said, looking between the two of them. "I might patrol a little tonight, too."
"Like hell you are," Jason said. "You've got that English essay due on Monday, and I know you're only on draft one. Besides, the kittens need someone supervising them."
Tim looked like he was going to protest and then thought better of it. "I still don't know why you wouldn't just let me Sparknotes the book. There are people out there that could use my help while I'm struggling through high school English courses."
"Let you Sparknotes A Room of One's Own?" Jason asked. "And you're a teenager first, not a vigilante. So pay attention to school, especially 'cause Virginia Woolf—"
"So, lovely weather we're having," Dick cut in. "Aren't we? I mean for Gotham, at the very least. I swear I even saw the sun today. Hopefully, the weather stays nice till next weekend."
Jason flipped him off but let Dick direct the conversation away from literature into a discussion of next week's plans. They were going to go to Cape Henlopen for the weekend, although the trip was a surprise for Damian. Dick and Jason had privately agreed to do something a little special and different at least once a month for Damian and Tim, something that normal kids and normal families would do.
When dinner was over, Tim laid down on the floor next to the kittens. Jason threw A Room of One's Own at him and then walked over to drop his laptop on him. Tim stuck his tongue out at him.
"Yeah, yeah, you'll thank me later," Jason said. "I'm gonna be working the first half of the night, patrol for the second. Call me if you need anything. Walk Romeo when you get the chance. And order everything we need for the cats, 'kay? Only bought the bare necessities at Walmart. Get it express, 'cause they really need a bath."
"We're really keeping them," Tim said, half-sitting up and studying Jason.
"We're really keeping them," Jason confirmed. "Nothing's gonna change my mind about that. Hell, they could scratch up the table or piss all over the carpet or get cat hair all over my bed. Doesn't matter."
"Thanks," Tim said softly. "I know this was kinda sudden."
Jason rolled his eyes and ruffled Tim's hair. "Call me if you need anything. Dick, I'm heading out."
"In a t-shirt and jeans?" Dick asked, putting down the soapy pan he was cleaning so he could stand with his hands on his hips. "Excuse me, young man, but you're not leaving the house to fight crime dressed like that ."
"I'll change into my body armor at the bunker, mom," Jason said.
"You better," Dick said. "Love you. Stay safe, alright?"
"I'll do my best," Jason promised, heading over to give Dick a quick hug. If he didn't, he'd be hearing about it all night. "It'll be a quiet night tonight, I think."
And it was, filled with an easy patrol — just a couple muggings and walking a few people home — and lots of paperwork. So, so much paperwork. No one had ever told him that being a crime lord would involve so, so much management. He got back around two, sliding through his bedroom window.
Dick was already in bed. Jason changed quietly and quickly and crawled in next to him. Instinctively, Dick rolled over and placed an arm over Jason. He sighed and stared at the ceiling. Well, if Jason moved, Dick would probably wake up, and he definitely needed all the rest he could get. Jason closed his eyes and was soon drifting off to sleep.
All too soon, his alarm was blaring. Jason reached for his phone on the nightstand and shut it off.
"Too early," Dick mumbled, grabbing a pillow to bury his face in it. Somehow, over the course of the night, he had managed to move halfway on top of Jason.
"It's nine-fifteen," Jason said, poking him in the shoulder.
"That's like seven for vigilantes," Dick grumbled, blindly swatting at Jason's hand.
"Damian's coming at ten forty-five," Jason said. "Gotta walk the dog and make breakfast."
"He can eat cereal or something," Dick said. "He's a smart kid. He can figure it out."
Jason pushed Dick to the other side of the bed and got up. He stepped over the discarded vigilante and crime lord gear scattered around the room and started hunting for clothing while whistling obnoxiously loud just because he could. Dick threw a pillow at him, then a shoe that had been left next to the bed. A balled-up t-shirt followed. Huh, Jason really needed to clean up his room.
He went on a quick run with Romeo, which took them to the dog park for twenty minutes. If there was one thing Romeo enjoyed, it was chasing after his Batman-themed dog toy and terrorizing it. Who was Jason to deny his dog something he loved so much? When Jason got back, Tim was up. The cardboard box with the two little kittens was on the kitchen table. Tim was keeping an eye on them while he idly worked on something on his computer.
"Can I help with anything?" Tim asked, shutting his laptop. Romeo wandered over and placed his head on Tim's lap. When Tim didn't immediately start petting him, he barked and started nudging him. With a quiet laugh, Tim began scratching him behind his ears.
"Can you get the coffee going while I shower?" Jason asked. "And make a pot of black tea. Did you give the cats breakfast?"
Tim nodded. "Yeah. And the order from Chewy should be arriving this morning. I've also added a vet appointment to your schedule. I can bring them, though, if you don't have time."
"Thanks," Jason said, heading towards his bedroom. Dick was still asleep, so Jason opened the blinds before grabbing a change of clothes. He took a quick shower, and when he was out, Dick was nursing a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Jason said, obnoxiously cheerful, as he tied an apron around his waist. "Time to rise and shine and rock the day."
Dick flipped him off and then caught the Asian pear Jason threw at his head. He stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment.
"Wanna make a fruit salad?" Jason asked.
Dick nodded. "Come on, Tim."
"Me?"
"Yeah. We're gonna make the best fruit salad ever."
Tim let the kittens free before going to wash his hands and starting an argument with Dick about the proper fruits to include. Jason had finished making pancakes and prepped all the omelet ingredients before they got further than chopping up the Asian pears and bananas. It still wasn't done when Damian let himself in.
The kid froze when he saw the two little kittens exploring the living room. "Jason?"
"Thank Timothy," Jason said, heating up the pan to make the eggs. "He's the one who found them in the dumpster."
"You have my deep and unending gratitude, Timothy," Damian said, settling down in the center of the living room and waiting for the cats to come to him. "I owe you."
"Could you call me Tim?" Tim asked.
Damian shook his head.
"Well, it was worth a shot," Tim said with a shrug. "I'll take the IOU."
"Why do I feel like the city's in danger?" Dick asked.
Tim elbowed him and nearly knocked the fruit salad off the counter, so Jason banished the two from the kitchen. Getting Damian to sit at the table when there were new kittens was futile, so they all sat on the floor to enjoy their lazy Saturday morning. Dick eventually had to sit between Tim and Damian to keep them from bickering, Romeo decided that Jason's lap was far more comfortable than his extremely nice and expensive dog bed, and the kittens kept trying (and occasionally succeeding) to steal sausage off of everyone's plates. Honestly, Jason could get used to weekends like these. How the hell had he ended up so lucky?
Notes:
if you see any mistakes, please let me know!!!! i don't know how to use commas and at this point I'm afraid to ask. thanks for reading :)
Chapter 3
Notes:
mental breakdowns and existential crises are had, along with photography lessons and soup :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Frankly, Jason couldn't see what was so cool about a tree that had Tim kneeling on the ground for ten minutes and rambling excitedly as he took picture after picture. But if it had Tim so excited, Jason could get behind it, he supposed.
"And this is actually perfect for my collection of organic decay," Tim said, shifting imperceptibly as he tried to get the best angle to capture a mushroom growing out of the trunk. "I've been missing a piece since I got rid of a photograph of a dead body."
Jason blinked. Had he heard that right? "Yeah?"
Tim hummed. "This was right before, well, before —"
"You can say I died."
"I found somebody in the Sprang River, tied up underneath the bridge. Must have been there a while, but the cold water had kept them more or less intact. I got some incredible pictures before I called the police in. But, if my parents ever found those photographs — anyways, I got rid of them so that collection's been lacking. Hey, why don't you try to take a picture?"
"Sure," Jason said, kneeling down and holding his camera. Tim looked like he wanted to do or say something, so Jason added, "Don't think I'm holding this right. Mind showing me what I'm fucking up?"
Tim nodded, hesitating before guiding Jason's camera to the right spot, all the while talking about composition, foreground, background, and focus. It was hella complicated and honestly had Jason kinda impressed.
"Mind giving me some of your favorites?" Jason asked, clicking the shutter button.
"Huh?" Tim asked, still focused entirely on the mushroom.
"Your favorite pictures," Jason said. "Legal pictures, at any rate. Something that won't implicate me in a crime, hopefully. My place needs more art. Dick's been complaining that the apartment's boring. 'Fraid that I'm gonna go home one day and find all the walls painted, like, orange or something."
Tim finally looked up from the mushroom. "My pictures? You want my pictures?"
"Don't see anyone else around here that I could be talking to," Jason said. "Only if you're okay with that, though."
"You want to hang up my pictures?" Tim repeated, mostly to himself.
"Yup," Jason said, popping the p. He stood up, brushing the dirt off his cargo pants. "Could even be of that freaky mushroom if you want."
"I have a night series," Tims said slowly, fiddling with his camera. "Gotham in the fog between midnight and three. Would that, uh, work?"
"Whatever you want, Timbuktu," Jason said. "Bring them over next time you get a chance, and we'll go to the framing store."
"How many?" Tim asked.
"Bring the whole collection, and we'll figure out what looks best," Jason said. "You done with the mushroom?"
Tim visibly flinched, nearly tripping as he shot up. "I didn't—"
"Just asking," Jason said. "We could stay here the whole day if you wanted. Don't care. Don't have any place to be right about now."
"I'm sorry, I was supposed to be showing you the basics, and —"
"You showed me something basic," Jason said. "How to look at something that most people would overlook and find the beauty in it."
Tim flushed a dark red, shrugging a little. "Well, we've been in the park for about an hour, and I'm guessing you have things to do? This was a lot of fun."
"Yeah," Jason said, looking at his non-existent watch. "Actually, I do have an appointment. Taking my younger brother out for ice cream, then going home and making his favorite meal."
"I thought Damian was going to the zoo again," Tim said.
Jason rolled his eyes and punched Tim lightly on the arm. "I'm talking about you, dumbass. Damian told me you got an A on that essay, and I know it isn't an easy subject for you. A Room of One's Own isn't a basic read, either. Unless you've got plans."
"I was going to do some casework for Bruce," Tim said.
Jason clapped his hands. "Great, so glad you don't have anything going on."
"But—"
"B's the world's greatest detective or something," Jason said, shrugging. "And if you really want to work on it, we can get ice cream to go and head home."
"I guess it's not that important," Tim said. "Can we get coffee instead?"
Jason stared at him flatly. "Tell me what you think."
"That's a no, then," Tim said. He started walking down the path. "What if I offered to walk Romeo all of next week?"
"Can't bribe a crime lord, Tim-Bit," Jason said.
"In my experience, you can," Tim grumbled.
"You know, the more you say shit, the more I get concerned," Jason said. "So, what do you want for dinner tonight?"
Tim shrugged. "I'm not sure."
"What's your favorite meal?" Jason asked.
"I'm not sure," Tim repeated. "At home, it's just freezer meals and whatever Mrs. Mac brings over unless my parents are back. Then we go to all these fancy restaurants that really aren't that good."
"Well, we're fixing that," Jason said. "You're coming over for at least one home-cooked meal a week."
Tim hummed. "I really liked that carrot ginger soup you made."
"I can work with that," Jason said. "Really, though, great job with the essay."
Tim shrugged. "So, when we return to the apartment, I'll show you some editing tips."
He continued to ramble on about finishing a photograph until they got to an ice cream store, where he ordered an unholy combination of moose tracks, mint chocolate chip, and black raspberry. Then, he had the audacity to make fun of Jason getting strawberry and cherry.
"Those are like the most basic, hipster flavors you could've gotten," Tim said, waving his cone around.
"When you drop your ice cream scoop, I'm just gonna laugh," Jason said.
Tim stuck his tongue out at him. "Excuse you, I have excellent spatial awareness and balance."
"I'm gonna laugh and order you a new cone with — what was it? — butter pecan and caramel sauce," Jason added, tossing a balled-up napkin at Tim. "Strawberry and cherry are great flavors."
"Have you tried butter pecan and peach with caramel sauce since you got back?" Tim asked, tilting his head a little. "Sorry if that's insensitive, but — well, you don't have to answer that actually."
"I've been wondering, too, how much of me is me, you know?" Jason asked after a moment. He'd been thinking about this for a while. He hadn't wanted to talk to Dick about it, though, because that was a surefire way of making the man cry. And the only Jason Damian had ever known was the one who had crawled out of the Pit. His youngest brother had told Jason plainly that he didn't care about the person Jason had been because he had Jason now. But if Tim wanted to talk about it, Jason wouldn't shut down the conversation.
"If I don't have most of my memories, am I really who I was back then? There isn't much I can remember; it's all hazy impressions. Most of my likes and dislikes have changed, apparently, too. It just gets me wondering, you know?"
"You are," Tim said immediately, without a trace of hesitation.
"Yeah?" Jason asked, a little taken aback by Tim's surety.
"Well," Tim said. "I mean, regular people change all the time, right? Like, someone might've loved, I don't know, cotton candy ice cream as a kid, but when they're older, they like double chocolate a lot more. Cotton candy is just too sweet now, but just because they think that now doesn't mean they aren't the same person as that kid. And I don't think memories completely define a person, either. I think it's more about what they want to do, you know? Like you always said, you wanted to make Crime Alley Park Row again, and you're doing that now, right? You've always been really good when it comes to helping people, not just stopping crime."
Jason stared at Tim for a moment who fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. Where the hell had that come from? Tim was full of surprises, apparently. "Guess you're right. 'Sides, focusing on the memories that I lost won't do anything. Got a brand new life, no use focusing on the old one, right? But I am a little curious to see if I still like it."
He got up and ordered another ice cream cup, butter pecan, and peach with caramel sauce. And it wasn't bad, honestly. He'd probably order it again.
"So?" Tim asked.
"Not bad," Jason said with a shrug. A family with three little kids entered the store, so he got up. They could probably use a table, and the shop was full. "Wanna window shop?"
"Window shop?" Tim repeated.
"You know," Jason said. "Walk around, make fun of how overpriced some of the stores are and how ridiculous some of the stuff is. That sorta thing."
"Sure? Tim said.
They wandered out of the shop and started taking streets at random until they ended up in the nicer part of Diamond District. It was a quiet time, just after three, so there were few crowds. Tim was focused on practicality, mostly — "Can you imagine how hard it would be to walk in a dress like that? What the hell were they thinking designing a fringe that long?" "They weren't thinking, Timbo. I think that's the point." — and quickly adopted the true spirit of high-end window shopping: vicious mockery.
"I think whoever must've designed that suit must've been self-aware," Tim said, stopping in front of one particularly hideous suit. It was a startlingly bright shade of neon orange patterned all over in silver swirls.
"Yeah?" Jason asked.
"There's no way they could've designed something that ridiculous by accident," Tim explained. "This must be a social experiment, to see what the ugliest thing people will wear in the name of high fashion."
"You wanna know what's tragic?" Jason asked.
"What?" Tim asked.
"Dick would probably wear that," Jason said.
Tim studied the suit for a second. "You know, Dick has great taste. But sometimes something does possess him to wear stuff like this. And, there's a gala coming up…" He pulled out his phone and looked something up. "I could buy it online. Dick is about my size.
Jason dug out his wallet and handed Tim his credit card. "Go wild, kid."
Tim bought the suit in two colors — orange and an equally hideous shade of purple — along with a pair of silver shoes, and they continued wandering around for a bit before ending up at a high-end pet store. Dog and cat tuxedos were being modeled in the front window. They were so utterly ridiculous that he couldn't just pass by.
"Why not?" Jason asked, pausing in front.
"Why not?" Tim agreed.
When they walked in, a sales representative appeared out of seemingly nowhere. "May I help you?"
"We have two small kittens and a rather large dog at home," Tim said, his Bristol accent coming across clearer. He straightened his school blazer.
"We're looking for just about everything," Jason drawled, laying on the Crime Alley accent just a little thicker. He stuck his hands in his cargo pants pockets. Tim didn't quite muffle his laughter.
The sales rep looked between them. "Very well, then. If you would come with me?"
They ended up with a dozen outfits for Spook and Specter, but they settled on just a raincoat and boots for Romeo, along with a new collar and leash. Oh, and a truly spectacular top hat. And, of course, plenty of treats and toys.
Laden down with bags, they decided to grab an Uber and return to the apartment. Tim immediately set about a fashion show with the pets while Jason caught up on emails and updated some spreadsheets. When five o'clock rolled around, Jason got up and headed to the kitchen. He grabbed his own and then threw the spare at Tim. He caught it, looking up from his homework with a startled expression.
"I'm teaching you how to make the soup," Jason explained.
"I can't cook?" Tim said. "I don't want to mess anything up."
"'Cause no one has taught you," Jason said. "Come on."
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Tim asked as he got up and tied the apron on. He washed his hands and then stared at the ingredients for a moment. "That's a lot of carrots."
"Yup, you're gonna want to cut them into about half-inch thick circles," Jason said. "I'll prep everything else. You'll wanna peel them first. Ever used a peeler before?"
Tim shook his head, no, so Jason quickly demonstrated what he was looking for. They soon had a mountain of chopped carrots, and the onion and garlic were already softening in the pot.
"I thought you just tossed everything into a pot to make soup," Tim said.
"Nah, you gotta make sure you sauté your aromatics first, so they sweat a little first," Jason said. "Like your onions, shallots, garlic, leeks, sometimes carrots or celery. Onions usually take a while; we're waiting till they soften."
"Huh," Tim said, moving over to stare at the pot. He took the wooden spoon Jason handed him and poked the sliced onion.
"I think it's just about done, so we're gonna add the jalepeño, ginger, and carrots now," Jason said, grabbing the cutting board from the counter. He slid everything into the pot and shook it to coat everything in the oil. "And now we add the broth. Soup is all about layers, you know? Not everything cooks at the same rate."
"Guess that makes sense," Tim said, pouring the container of liquid into the pot. "So, is that it?"
"Well, we gotta make the cream topping," Jason said, pointing to an open container on the counter. “Chives and crème fraîche. By then, everything will have softened up, so we can puree with the immersion blender."
"So that's what that is," Tim said. "I thought it was heavy cream that had gone really bad or something."
"It's like a special kind of sour cream," Jason explained. "Makes or breaks a lot of savory recipes that need some dairy to round out the flavors. Used up the last of it for this soup, so remind me to put it on the shopping list."
"Put it on the shopping list."
"Brat."
Spook wandered into the kitchen, rubbing himself against the island corner as he eyed the two of them. Suddenly, he jumped on the counter and darted for the bowl. Before Tim or Jason could stop him, he had shoved his entire face into the container of cream.
Tim froze in the middle of trying to grab his cat, looking between Jason and Spook. Jason, meanwhile, picked up the cat, which let out a startled yowl and went completely limp in Jason's grasp. Specter and Romeo padded over to check out the noise.
Jason sighed, holding up the cat at eye level. "Why did you have to do that? Huh? Knew you and your brother were trouble the minute Tim-Tac brought you in."
Spook let out a piteous meow before trying to lick the cream off his face. Jason sighed again and moved to the sink, grabbing a washcloth. Romeo and Specter followed him, licking up the dripping cream.
"I'm so sorry," Tim said quickly. "Spook didn't mean to do that. I'll go out and buy you more cream right now. Don't—"
"Watcha talking about?" Jason asked, focusing on wiping off the cream without getting clawed. "Spook, if you're gonna do something dumb, you're gonna get a bath. That's the rules. Don't know what to tell you, bud."
"Please," Tim said, tense and worried. "Don't get rid of him."
Ah. Well, Jason couldn't even imagine what Tim's parents would've done if he had brought home a cat and said cat knocked over a vase or something. He took a deep breath, looking up from the squirming cat in his hands.
"Tim, can you look at me?" Jason asked.
Tim looked up. "He really —"
Jason held up a hand. "I'm not getting rid of Spook. There's nothing that Spook or Specter could do that would have me getting rid of them. 'Kay? You know why? I'm not an asshole. They're also your cats. Yeah, it sucks about the cream, but it's not the end of the — fuck, Spook put the claws away. Tryna help you, you idiot."
The cat hissed at him, so Jason focused on wiping up the rest of the cream as fast as he could. Then he put Spook down, who immediately darted off. Romeo and Specter stared up at him.
"No, no one's getting any more cream. Go on, scram. Anyways, Tim, it's no big deal. We'll swap it out for some heavy cream, 'kay?"
"What if they break something?" Tim asked. "Scratch up the couch. Claw at the curtains? Get at your books."
"They're cats," Jason said. "They're gonna be cats. But hopefully, you can train them not to do that, alright?"
Tim nodded. "I'll do my best."
"It was an accident," Jason said, grabbing another washcloth to mop up the spilled crème fraîche. "Accidents happen. You know, Romeo ate some of my files once. He was bored."
"It won't happen ever again," Tim promised.
"And if it does, so what?" Jason asked. "No use crying over spilled milk, right?"
That got Tim to laugh a little. "So what's next?"
Jason nodded, chucking the dirty towel into the sink to deal with later. "Okay, the carrots have softened enough that we can blend the soup into a puree. Recipe calls for pouring it into a blender, but fuck that 'cause I have an immersion blender, and I'm not in the mood to clean up more than, like, a pot."
They finished making the soup, and then Tim went back to working on his homework while Jason made chicken wings, too. Not long after that, Damian showed up and made a beeline for the new pet outfits.
"Do you ever have any homework?" Tim asked, looking up from his history textbook.
Damian didn't deign to answer the question, focusing on adjusting the top hat on Romeo just so. Jason had a feeling the answer was yes, but Damian had gotten frustrated trying to do it and was putting it off. Again.
"How was your day?" Jason asked.
"The zoo was wonderful as always," Damian said.
"Make any friends in school?" Jason asked.
"Tt, there's no point," Damian said. "I have you, Timothy, and Richard."
Jason sighed but decided not to push it any further today. He and Dick had been trying to get Damian to make friends, but it was hard when the kid didn't like school at all. Even after over a year, he was struggling to get used to the American school system.
"Tim, mind setting the table?" Jason asked, glancing at the clock. "Dick's gonna be home soon. Dami, Tim made the soup today."
"Hopefully, with your supervision," Damian said, still focused on dressing up Romeo and the cats.
"Damian, be nice to your brother," Jason said.
"I just helped," Tim added, getting up and moving his stuff off the table. "It really was you."
"Nah, you gotta learn to take credit where credit's due," Jason said. "That was a lot of carrots you sliced."
"I guess," Tim said. "D, mind helping?"
"No," Damian said shortly.
"Try again, Damian," Jason said, taking a deep breath. Getting frustrated with Damian wouldn't help anyone.
"It's fine," Tim added quickly.
"Fine," Damian said, getting up and stomping over to the cabinet where they stored the placemats.
"I didn't want to cause trouble," Tim said, moving out of the way as Damian stomped back over to the table with his arms full.
"Wasn't you kicking up a fuss," Jason said. "Mind doing me another favor when you're done?"
Tim nodded. "Sure?"
"Can you help me find Damian after this?" Jason asked. "Cause this isn't the Damian I know."
"Huh?" Tim asked.
"Just remembered that's something my mom used to do with me," Jason said. "When I was mad — she used to go searching in the cabinets and under the couch for her Jason 'cause this mean little kid wasn't hers. Not entirely sure why that just came to mind. Guess what we talked about today got me thinking or something."
"Alright," Tim said with a grin. "Yeah, I can help you look for Damian."
Damian rolled his eyes and stomped over to where Romeo was lying down on the dog bed. He started to pet him almost frantically.
"And thanks," Jason added.
"For what?" Tim asked, bewildered.
"It was a fun afternoon," Jason said. "I like hanging around you, you know? Lucky to have you as a brother."
Tim flushed completely red and turned all his attention to setting the table. "It was a lot of fun for me, too. Thanks for being my older brother, too."
And maybe Tim didn't believe that a hundred percent that Jason would be there for him all the time no matter what, but that was a start. And Jason would take that.
Notes:
any feedback — grammar or otherwise — is always appreciated! idk what I'm doing ever honestly
Chapter 4
Notes:
extra long chapter :) and happy easter to everyone who celebrates!!!
credit to AddictedApple for Romeo's code name btw <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Jason was just pulling out of his apartment's parking lot to go to work when he got a text from Damian asking him to check up on Tim. Apparently, he was sick enough that he wasn't even attempting to deny that he was sick, and Alfred was out of town. So, with a sigh, Jason pulled back into his parking space. When had these brats become his problem?
He got out, ran up the stairs to his apartment, and threw together a quick bag that included several blankets, Gatorade, a bowl, disinfectant, tissues, and just about every other sick adjacent item he could think of that he had on hand. The dumbass never wore a coat, and that was probably why he was so sick, so Jason wasn't going to let him live this down once he was better. He texted the lieutenant group chat that he would be well over an hour late but that it wasn't an emergency, then gunned it towards Bristol.
Thirty minutes later (and one cop car successfully dodged), he pulled up to Drake Manor. He knocked on the door, but no one answered, so he let himself in through the window. It took him an embarrassing amount of time to find Tim's bedroom. Didn't help that the brat wouldn't answer when Jason called. He was huddled under what seemed like every blanket in the house on his bed, surrounded by dirty tissues and cups.
Jason tapped him on the shoulder. "You alive, dumbass?"
"Jason?" Tim mumbled.
"You're coming with me," Jason said, resting his hand lightly on Tim's forehead. That was what you were supposed to do, right? The kid felt too warm. "Someone needs to look after you, but I have work."
Tim said something that sounded suspiciously like kidnapping and illegal, although he'd rolled over so it was muffled by the pillow.
"Pretty sure it would be more illegal if I just left you here to die," Jason said. "Come on."
There was another muffled groan. Jason thought about it for a second, then scooped Tim up with a couple of the blankets. "Hey, have you thrown up?"
Another muffled sound that could've been yes or no. Jason brought him to the car, dumping him in the front seat and placing a bowl at his feet just in case. Spook and Specter climbed over to sit in his lap. Romeo settled for putting his head on the center console and staring at Tim.
"Have you taken Tylenol? Advil? Any kind of medicine?" Jason asked, riffling around in the bag for a Gatorade and medicine. "You're gonna need to give me some kind of answer."
Tim shook his head no, so Jason handed him a bottle of NightQuill (hey, sleepy Tim was easier to deal with than awake Tim, alright? And the kid was probably so sick 'cause he hadn't slept in like the past week. It would be good for him.) and a blue Gatorade. "Sip it slowly, 'kay?"
Jason drove much slower back into the city, keeping more of an eye on Tim than on the road. It was just a nasty case of the flu that had been going around. There was nothing to worry about. But Jason still found himself worrying because what if it did get bad? Tim's parents were out of the country and presumably unreachable. What if Tim needed a hospital stay? Yeah, Jason knew a couple mob doctors who wouldn't ask questions, but Tim deserved better than that.
He stopped at his bunker real quick to swap cars and put on his Red Hood costume. Tim made an immediate beeline for the bathroom, reemerging, looking sicker and more miserable than ever.
"Sorry, Jason," he muttered.
"For what?" Jason asked, gently steering him in the direction of a small, tank-like armored vehicle. "Someone's gotta keep an eye out for you, you know?"
"Sorry," Tim repeated.
"Hey," Jason said, punching him lightly. "You can't be sorry for being sick. We're in Crime Alley. Gotta listen to Red Hood's rules, and one of those is you can't be sorry for being sick."
By the time they pulled up to his gang headquarters, Tim was passed out in the front seat. He had practically disappeared in the layers of blankets and the oversized hoodie Jason had wrapped him in.
"Alrighty, you two gotta scram," Jason told the cats, unbuckling himself and Tim. He got out, opening the back to let Romeo out and grab his duffle bag. Then he went around the front to pick up Tim. Spook was already waiting by the entrance of the building, but Specter had stayed perched right on top of Tim. Romeo kept circling around the two of them worriedly.
Mel and Jess were guarding the entrance. Jess took a photo, and Jason felt his phone buzz in his pocket. No doubt it was circulating on all the group chats by now.
"Need any help, boss?" Mel asked, eyeing the bag, three pets, and the kid. She looked like this was the funniest shit she had seen all week.
"Thanks, but I got it," Jason said. "He caught the flu."
Jess winced. "Yeah, it's been bad this time around. My nephew caught it a couple weeks ago. I watched him when my brother was at work, and it seems real nasty this time." She opened the door, letting the pets and Jason through. "See you around."
Jason nodded and made a beeline for his office, not wanting to risk the hubbub around him waking up Tim. People actively stared as he hurried through the building. Hassan caught up, matching Jason's stride.
"So that's why you're late," he said. "He your only one?"
"What's up?" Jason asked. "And nah, he's my younger brother. Don't have kids, but I do have a bunch of brothers, and there isn't anyone else to look after them."
Hassan handed him a binder. "Run down of our latest operations. Got a hell of a lot of paperwork to do today."
"Damn, didn't realize that running a crime empire required so much desk time," Jason said, eyeing the thick binder.
"There's a bit of inventory review," Hassan said. "Weapons and the latest cocaine shipment. But quite a bit is signing off forms for the new apartment buildings and the grocery stores."
"Remind me why we decided to go into real estate and retail?" Jason asked, sighing.
"It's cause you're a good person trying to turn things around here," Hassan said. "Something we all appreciate. You're doing good, Red Hood."
"If you wanted a raise, you could just ask for one," Jason said.
Hassan laughed. "I mean it, and I'm sure if you asked anyone around here, they'd say the same thing. You're the only person since Martha and Thomas Wayne died who's done anything for Crime Alley. I hope you know that."
"Find me whatever damn form I need to sign to get you a raise," Jason said, glad that the voice modulator scrubbed most emotions from his voice.
"I'll definitely be back with plenty more forms, documents, and presentations to review," Hassan said. "Chem's almost done with the reversal for Broken Wings."
"When I find the fucker who thought mixing Scarecrow's paralyzing toxins and Poison Ivy's cuddle pollen, I'm gonna skin him alive," Jason promised darkly.
"We'll get to the bottom of it eventually. Don't beat yourself up over it, boss." And with a sloppy salute, Hassan was off, probably to go bother some other poor bastard with all the minutiae that kept this operation running. Romeo ran off with him, and the cats took that as a sign to go bother the accountants again. Jason reached his office and went to put Tim down on the couch. But the minute Jason let go, Tim whimpered and reached for him. So, Jason picked Tim up again. He sat down on his desk, arranging Tim as best as he could on his lap, and started reviewing the folder.
He was finishing going over some revenue spreadsheets when there was a knock on his door. El poked her head in.
"I've brought soup," she said. "For the kid. Just broth and rice with a little garlic. My mom made it for me all the time when I was a kid, and I was this out of it."
"And I have a pot of honey lemon tea," Santi said, holding up a metal teapot. He was one of the best chemists Jason employed. He made keeping ahead of the various drugs that flooded the street, along with all the gasses and toxins that the Rouges used, look easy. "Couple people made toast, so we have a mountain of that, too, and crackers, Gatorade, apple sauce, bananas, and popsicles."
"Pretty sure we have enough saltines to last us till next year," El said, putting the thermos of soup on the desk. "Didn't realize how many of us working for you are parents, 'till half the damn floor was talking about when their kids were sick. How's Little Red doing, by the way?"
"Hasn't woken up yet," Jason said, shaking Tim gently. Getting some fluids into him and some Advil would probably be good. "Hey, Little Red. You wanna stop drooling on my nice leather jacket now?"
"Not Little Red," Tim mumbled, half-heartedly opening his eyes. "That's Little D. I'm…" He trailed off into a yawn. "Big Red."
"Yeah, you're Big Red?" Jason asked. "Well, I think if you're gonna be Big Red, you gotta drink some of the soup that El made you. Whatcha think about that?"
"Not hungry," Tim whined, burrowing deeper into the cocoon of blankets he had made. It was adorable how out of it he was.
"Wasn't a suggestion," Jason said. "Come on, it's gonna make you feel better."
Maya, another one of his crew, walked into the office with a drink. "Saw that the door was open, so I figured I'd bring this by. Mostly coconut water, blended with a little bit of frozen fruit and ginger. It'll help with the nausea."
"You've got nice coworkers," Tim said, reaching for the cold drink.
El laughed. "Thank you, Big Red. You gonna drink the soup for me?"
Tim nodded. "And tea."
"Tell everyone thanks," Jason said. "We both really appreciate all of this."
Maya gave him a sloppy salute. "No problem, boss."
They filed out, Santi closing the door behind him, but not before Romeo wandered in. He hopped up the couch, stretching and burying his head in his paws.
"Long day?" Jason asked him. "Me too, big guy. Timbit, you actually gonna drink that, or are you gonna just hold it?"
Tim shrugged. "It's nice."
"Sure it is," Jason said. "But it'll be even nicer if you drink it. How about I take your temperature before that, though?"
Tim nodded tiredly, so Jason caught the strap of his duffle bag with his foot and nudged it over. He rifled around in it with one hand, the other rubbing circles on Tim's back.
"This is nice," Tim said through a yawn. "Don't think anyone's done this before."
"What?" Jason asked, half-distracted by his quest to find the thermometer.
"Take care of me," Tim said. "When I was sick."
"You're so out of it right now," Jason said after a beat of silence. "Can you open your mouth for me?"
Tim complied, and Jason checked his temperature. 101.3 — not great, but not terrible. He got Tim to drink the coconut water and take some Advil. Soup was pushing it, so Jason screwed the lid back on the thermos and let Tim sleep for a bit more. Dick texted him if he knew what happened to Tim about an hour later because B had no idea that Tim was even sick. Jason sent him a video of Tim grouchily waking up, complaining that he had to eat soup.
"Soup that my very nice coworkers made," Jason reminded him, supporting the thermos as Tim moodily sipped from it.
He hit end on the recording and sent it to Dick, getting an immediate response.
Big Bird: awwwww he's so sleeepppppppyyyyyyy
Jason: Just about my entire crew is parenting him. I keep getting emails and texts asking me if he's alright. Couple people have checked in on him.
Big Bird: you really do have very nice coworkers :)
Big Bird: thanks for keeping an eye on him
Big Bird: let me know if you need anything
"Do you want to sleep more?" Jason asked as Tim put the thermos down. "Or do you want to watch trashy TV instead? Romeo's hogging the couch right now, but I gotta go walk him anyways."
"Don't want you to leave," Tim said, clinging onto Jason's t-shirt. "You're warm."
"Gotta go walk the dog," Jason said. "But I'll be right back. And how about I find Spook and Specter for you?"
There was a knock at the door. "Come in, but I was about to walk Red Hound, so make it quick."
Jake opened the door, hovering at the entrance nervously. He was a relatively new hire, joining the crew only a couple months ago. There was a small crowd behind him. "Uh, I was about to offer to walk your dog? Well, a group of us offered."
"Are you having meetings in the breakroom about my sick kid?" Jason asked rhetorically. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Red Hound, walk?"
Romeo perked his ears up, tail wagging, and jumped off the couch. He trotted over to Jason, sitting expectantly by his feet.
"Alright, big guy," Jake said, grabbing the leash hung on a hook by the door. He clipped it to Romeo's vest. "You're coming with us, alright?"
"Go on, Red Hound," Jason said. "Gotta keep an eye on the dumbass who camped out on the apartment rooftop for an hour during pouring rain and sleet to get some pictures."
"Got some nice pictures," Tim mumbled.
Jake gave Red Hood a quick salute — who had started that? Initially, it had been a joke, but now everyone was doing it — and the whole group headed out. Jason went back to his desk.
"You wanna play some Hay Day on my iPad?" Jason asked. "Or how about we circle back to that TV idea."
"Wanna stay with you," Tim said.
"That can't be comfortable for you," Jason said. "What if I work on my laptop on the couch?"
Tim hummed as he considered it. "Sure. Hay Day."
They moved to the couch and spent the rest of the day like that, with Tim pressed as tightly as he could to Jason's side and alternating between dozing and complaining about having to eat. Hassan stopped by around four-thirty to unceremoniously kick both of them out.
"There's a lot of work we need to do," Jason said, closing his laptop. "Not done with all that paperwork you gave me, and I still have no idea what the hell Black Mask is playing at. Never mind the whole Broken Wings situation we've got going on."
"But your younger brother needs you," Hassan said firmly. "We will do just fine without you. You can afford to take a couple days of nine to five, and we will be having words if you are out patrolling tonight or tomorrow."
Gem, another of his lieutenants, strolled up with a cat in each arm and Romeo trailing behind her. "Heard you were heading out, boss. Grabbed your pets."
"Thanks," Jason said after a moment. There was no arguing against the two of them. Tim was passed out again, so Jason laid him on the couch carefully before gathering everything together.
"Can't even begin to imagine what it must be like running all of this and taking care of your siblings," Hassan said, shaking his head as he helped Jason pack up.
"Wouldn't trade it for the world," Jason said, taking his duffle bag from Hassan. Gem dumped the two cats in it, handed him the leash, and left with a sloppy salute. "Still, text me if anything happens tonight. I want hourly updates on the stakeout by the docks."
"Of course, boss," Hassan said. "Best of luck."
"Thanks, Hassan," Jason said gratefully.
Tim ended up sleeping the entire way back to the apartment, including through the stop at the bunker to switch cars. Jason hated having to wake him up when they arrived, but there was no way he was getting everything up the stairs without dropping something if he had to carry Tim too. 'Sides, if the kid slept too much now, he wouldn't sleep at night.
Tim tried to make a beeline for the couch when they entered the apartment, but Jason stopped him.
"Gotta stay up for a bit, okay?" Jason said. "Why don't you take a shower and then play Hay Day until I have dinner ready for you?"
"No," Tim said petulantly, but he headed in the general direction of the bathroom. He forgot to grab a change of clothes and a towel, so Jason left them outside before starting on making dinner. Since he had left work early, he had a chance to make something a little more special. He stared at the contents of his fridge for a second before pulling out the ingredients for Hungarian goulash. When Dick had been in the circus, one of the performers used to make it all the time. Alfred had tracked down that particular recipe for Dick, and Jason had gotten Dick to get the recipe from Alfred.
When that was bubbling away at the stove, he started making rice for Tim. Then he went to check on him since the shower had been going for thirty minutes.
"You okay?" Jason asked.
The shower turned off. "I hate everything."
"Great," Jason said. "Clothes and towel are outside."
About ten minutes later, Tim stumbled out, looking just as miserable but a little more alive. He stared at the DayQuil bottle Jason handed him for a solid minute.
"No."
"What do you mean no?" Jason asked.
"No." Tim crossed his arms and tried to glare at Jason. But with the wet hair covering his eyes and the oversized sweats wrapped up in a Wonder Woman blanket, the overall effect was more sad, wet kitten than anything approaching intimidating.
"Not an option," Jason said.
"I don't wanna," Tim said. "I just wanna be better already."
"And you'll be better sooner if you just take the damn medicine," Jason said.
"Tastes nasty," Tim complained.
"Can you even taste anything right now?" Jason asked.
Tim shook his head no. "But I know it tastes nasty."
Jason sighed. "I'm going to go check on my pot of stew. When I come back to this couch, you're gonna have drunk the DayQuil, and then you're gonna play Hay Day while I wrap up work."
"What do you even do?" Tim asked. "I thought it was all do crime and shooting stuff."
"There's a lot of administration that goes into running a criminal empire," Jason said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Fair," Tim said after a moment's contemplation. "Everyone thinks it's easy to break the law, but to do it well? Thought about becoming a Rouge after you died."
Jason sputtered. "What?"
"Had to give Batman something to do," Tim said through a yawn. "Either protect someone or solve a case. Crime's hard. Lots of crime seems even harder."
Jason stared at him. "Did the fever fry your brains or something? Are they gonna start melting outta your ears? Don't do crime, Timbo. Leave it up to me."
"I'd be better than you at tax fraud," Tim muttered.
"But you're not as good at stalling as you think you are," Jason said. "Drink. The. DayQuil. Please."
He got up and went to the kitchen to stir the goulash, trying it for flavor. He added a little more salt, grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl, and walked back to the living room. Tim made direct eye contact with him as he unscrewed the lid of the DayQuil and took a capful of medicine.
"You're ruining my life," he said.
Jason tossed the orange at him. "Yeah, yeah, everyone's a critic."
"I don't like oranges," Tim said.
"We're not doing this again," Jason said, flopping down on the couch. "You're only allowed to give me one headache per day."
"Promise?"
"Shut it." He handed his iPad to Tim and opened up his laptop, reviewing inventory reports in between checking on the goulash and on Tim. It wasn't the most productive he'd ever been, so when Dick got home from work, he gave up on getting anything done. There was just too much on his mind.
"Hey, Tim, how are you feeling?" Dick asked, walking over to the couch.
"This sucks," Tim said.
"He's your problem now," Jason said, getting up. He felt Tim's forehead with the back of his hand. "Think your fever's coming down. Whatcha want, Gatorade or more tea?"
"You only have sad flavors of Gatorade," Tim said.
"Tea it is," Jason said.
"Dinner smells great, by the way," Dick said, giving Jason a tight hug. "What is it?"
"Hungarian goulash," Jason said, trying half-heartedly to squirm out of it. "The recipe you got me. I was gonna wait to make it for a special occasion, but since I got home early today, I figured why the hell not. Can you believe my crew kicked me out of the office at 4:30? And my lieutenants ordered me not to go on patrol? Who the hell do they think is running my crime empire?"
He was going to give them all raises, of course, but dammit, he had an image to uphold.
"Thank you, Jaybird," Dick said happily, letting go. "Did you?"
"Fix the spices, yeah," Jason said. "Alfred means well, but he's British. Can't imagine he did anything spectacular with the instruction to spice to taste."
"You have to try it once you're better, Tim," Dick said, sitting down on the couch and grabbing the iPad. Spook and Specter immediately jumped on the sofa, and Romeo got off the dog bed to join all of them. "Hay Day?"
"Only game that Jason had on it other than old-people games," Tim complained. "And he wouldn't let me do any casework."
"Man, I love that game," Dick said, already swiping through. "How are you feeling, by the way?"
Tim thought about it for a second. "Like shit."
Jason snorted and went to get dinner on the table, brewing a pot of ginger tea as well. Tim complained hotly about only being able to eat rice and bananas mashed with lemon, kicking Dick under the table every time he made a comment about how amazing the strew was. Still, he didn't even finish all that, so Jason figured he had made the right call limiting the kid to a BRAT diet.
Jason wasn't exactly sure how to take care of a sick kid, relying mostly on Google and hazy, fragmented, distant memories of Alfred and his mother watching over him when he was ill. But over the next few days, Tim gradually got better, so Jason took that as a win.
His younger brother didn't stick long after that, heading back to Drake Manor because he didn't want Bruce to get suspicious about where he had disappeared to. But Jason didn't have to convince him to come over like he was a feral cat anymore. It was now more surprising to come home from work and not find Tim lounging on the sofa or playing with the pets, complaining about homework or cases to Damian. Two cats, a dog, and three brothers in a two-bedroom (and that was generous; the second was more closet than anything) apartment was a little much, though, even if it was only Jason and Dick actually spending the night in it. Fuck, Jason was gonna have to find somewhere bigger, wasn't he?
Notes:
I've got like four research projects due in like two weeks so like idk when i'm gonna be updating this again :/ wanted to keep up with like a weekly-ish schedule but college is apparently trying to kill me rip. comments and kudos are always appreciated!!!
Chapter 5
Notes:
timeline? what timeline?
Tim crashes out hard, Jason hires an assassin, and everyone (except Dick who has a boring, real adult job) goes hiking with goats
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was seven in the fucking morning when any self-respecting crime boss/vigilnate/whatever the hell he was when Jason was woken up by a pillow to the face. Before he realized it was one of his nice couch pillows, he'd plunged a knife through it. How the hell had someone managed to sneak up on him?
"It's me, akhi," Damian said, standing in the doorway and holding another couch cushion at the ready. "I brought Timothy with me."
Well, that explained it. There was a grand total of three people who could surprise him after years of living on the streets, training under Batman, and working with the League of Assassins. Two of them were his dumb as fuck younger brothers who apparently thought sneaking up on a highly trained, sleeping assassin and throwing something at him was a good idea.
"You two are buying me another couch cushion," he grumbled.
"Timothy needs help," Damian said, throwing the other pillow.
Jason caught it. Well, this was bound to be good. "Yeah?"
"I was going to come later," Tim said, sounding oddly blank. Like he didn't know what to feel, or he was feeling too much of everything. "I didn't want to disturb you."
"Don't be foolish, Timothy," Damian said. "Time is of the essence. Jason would have been even more frustrated if you had waited a couple of hours."
"I was considering other plans," Tim said. "I didn't—"
"Your parents are being held hostage," Damian said.
Jason's heart rate — already racing from a pillow to the face — shot through the fucking roof. He managed a strangled, "What?"
"My parents are being held hostage," Tim repeated in a perfectly monotone tone of voice. "They were on tour in the Caribbean. I just received the video in the middle of the night. Their secretary was killed. We might not always get along, but I feel like I should do something about that."
Jason's mind was already racing with plans and options, but there was one thing that he had to deal with right away. "Tim, can you look at me?"
He got out of bed and crossed the room, kneeling so he was eye level with Tim.
"B benched me from this investigation," Tim continued flatly, sounding like he was teetering on the edge of breaking down. "And threatened to bench me from being Robin if I tried to get involved. When I asked him what the hell he was thinking, he told me I was too emotionally invested in this situation and that it could, and most probably would, cloud my judgment. But they're my parents, though, even if they mostly act like they are occasional guests at Drake Manor and nothing more. I already came up with a plan. I think it's a good plan. Bruce wouldn't even consider it."
Jason took a deep breath.
Fucking hell, there was no way Bruce was trying this shit again. Damnit, hadn't he learned from last time what happened when he told a frustrated, furious teenager no?
And exhaled. He had to keep it together right now. Tim needed him.
"Tim," Jason repeated. "Can you look at me?"
Tim caught his eyes. "Don't tell me it'll be alright or that you'll take care of it —"
"No," Jason said. "I just need you to make sure that you know one thing, alright? I don't care what kinda situation you're dealing with. You might have a question on your homework, you might be sick, your parents might be being held hostage — I don't care what the fuck is going on, but I need you to know that I'll never be angry or frustrated that you asked me for help. Doesn't matter when or what I'm doing or whatever I'm dealing with. Okay?"
Tim nodded jerkily.
"Gonna need verbal confirmation, Timbo," Jason said.
"Okay," Tim said.
"Right, what kinda information are we working with?" Jason asked, standing up.
"Richard's already sent the relevant files to your encrypted server, including Timothy's suggestions," Damian said. "He also wished me to inform you that he would attempt to take part of the day off, but that it's unlikely he will be able to do so."
Jason nodded. "I need to review the information and compile a list of possible actions we can take, alright? I'm not gonna do anything without discussing everything fully with you, Timmers, or without getting your input. But I'd appreciate it if you two could walk Romeo while I look everything over. Just thirty minutes, alright?"
Tim nodded and left the room, grabbing Damian by the hand. Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair. He punched a wall, hard enough that the framed photographs rattled, then took a deep breath and grabbed his laptop. Okay, first of all, who had taken the Drakes?
By the time his two younger brothers returned, Jason had made breakfast for everyone and cleared a large section of the floor to spread out his notes. Spook and Specter had been watching him curiously as he muttered to himself and moved papers around, but immediately went to beg Tim and Damian for attention as soon as they walked through the door. Romeo made an instant beeline for Jason, on the other hand, expertly stepping around the piles of papers before throwing himself at Jason.
"So," Tim began.
"Breakfast first," Jason said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of the table. "I can explain to you what I think about everything while you eat something."
"But—"
"No arguments," Jason said. "Taking ten minutes to eat a piece of french toast ain't gonna change a damn thing."
"Arguing with Jason will only waste more time, Timothy," Damian pointed out.
Tim nodded after a moment, heading over to the table. "What do you think, Jason?"
"You have a pretty solid plan," Jason said. "But I just wanna make sure we're all on the same page here, so I'm gonna run through it again starting from the top."
He ran through the facts of the case as quickly as he could, giving a brief history on Obeah Man, the cult he ran, and where the Drakes were currently. Then he broke down each step of Tim's plan. It was pretty solid, but there was just one issue.
"Bruce is going to know if you leave the country," Jason said when he finished. "Doesn't matter how you do it, he'll find out, track you down, and make everything worse. So I'm thinking there are a couple of other options we could do. That alright with you?"
Tim nodded, staring at the table. "Okay."
"I could go," Jason said. "Or, I know someone who lives down there. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I trust her. But I know she does a damn clean job."
"She's going to have to kill to get my parents out," Tim said, mostly to himself.
"Not necessarily," Jason said. "I'll pay her triple if no one dies."
"I'm paying for this," Tim said immediately.
"Like hell you are," Jason said. "You're sixteen, let the damn adults handle this. If you're so insistent on paying me back, pay it forward. There are lots of public programs this city depends on."
"Alright," Tim said, in the tone of voice that clearly indicated he had no intention of dropping it. "How fast can this contact of yours get my parents out?"
"By tomorrow at the latest," Jason said. "But, I'm also happy to go out by myself and take care of everything. You came up with a pretty solid plan for defusing the whole situation."
Tim nodded. "Thanks, but if you trust this person, I trust them too. The sooner, the better, right? Any more information about this contact you can tell me?"
"Unless you need it, no," Jason said. "The less out there, the better. If something gets out, I don't want any of this being traced back to you."
Tim closed his eyes and folded his hands, resting his elbows on the table. After a minute, he said, "Alright. Talk to this person. We really don't have time, do we?"
Jason shook his head. "I'm going to be in my bedroom arranging this. In fifteen minutes, we're heading out to the park. We're spending all day out and about, okay?"
"What about work?" Tim asked. "Don't you have work to do?"
Jason didn't deign to answer that, giving his younger brother a flat look. "Can you believe him, Damian?"
"Tt, I will never understand why people think Timothy is the smart one in the family," Damian said.
Jason shook his head and headed to his bedroom. The request went through without a hitch. Anya seemed intrigued by the challenge of not killing anyone, and for the truly exorbitant sum he was paying her, more than content to keep her mouth shut. Jason wouldn't be surprised if the Drakes suddenly found themselves free by the end of the day. Then he got dressed quickly, running through a mental list of things he could do with Tim to keep him distracted.
They ended up going to the dog park for well over an hour. Dogs usually made things better, in Jason's experience, and Romeo was a rather demanding dog who knew exactly what he wanted. Tim, and only Tim, could throw the tennis ball, and when Romeo found a particularly big stick, only Tim could get close enough to take it away from him.
That gave Jason enough time to figure out something to do outside the city. He texted Dick the address of the petting zoo and mini-golf place they were heading to, and then bundled the kids into the car without saying a word about where they were going. Maybe a puzzle room would be more Tim's thing, or some shit like that, but Jason frankly really couldn't do a small enclosed room right now. He was doing his level best to stay in the present, and he was keeping it together pretty well, but after this, Jason was gonna be spending the day wrapped up in the scratchiest blankets he owned in a room flooded with Febreze air freshener with the heater blasting.
"Why won't you tell us where we're going?" Damian asked.
"Haven't you ever heard about the concept of a surprise?" Jason asked, nudging his beat-up minivan to over eighty. "We'll be there in a bit. You'll like it."
"Will Richard be joining us?" Damian asked.
"Maybe," Jason said. "Timmers, you ever been out this way?"
"Never gotten a chance to explore rural New Jersey," Tim said quietly.
"Not quite rural New Jersey," Jason said. "But I figured we might as well get out of the city and do something."
"Has there been any news?" Tim asked.
"Told ya," Jason said. "I hear anything from my contact, I pass it on to you. You want my work phone?"
"What?" Tim asked.
"My work phone," Jason repeated. "My contact's gonna let me know when the job is done through that one."
"You'd let me have your work phone?" Tim asked.
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Jason asked. "Not like I'm doing any work today." He grabbed it from the cupholder and tossed it in the general direction of the backseat. "See?"
"What if there's a work emergency?" Tim asked.
"Then you'll let me know, right?" Jason said. "And then I'll deal with it, and then you can take the phone back. But I told my guys that unless someone dies, somebody's trying to take over the city, or the world's ending, don't bother me. Family emergency, you know? Passcode is 915164281018."
"Thanks," Tim said after a minute.
"So where are we going?" Damian demanded once again.
"We'll get there when we get there," Jason said, turning off the highway.
"When will we get there?" Damian asked impatiently.
Jason glanced down at the map on his personal phone. "Around twenty minutes. Any more questions? None. Great."
He turned the radio on, looking more for something to fill the car than anything in particular to listen to. Classical started playing, and he rolled down all the windows. Well-paved roads and buildings gave way to a bumpy ride past rolling fields filled with cows and horses.
"We're going to a farm?" Damian asked in surprise when they pulled into the parking lot.
"Mini-golf and a petting zoo," Jason confirmed. "Put us on the waiting list for hiking with goats, too. Watcha wanna do first, Timbo?”
"Whatever's fine," Tim.
"Ice cream it is," Jason said. "Come on, let's look alive."
They got out of the car and headed to the farmhouse. Tim said he didn't want anything, but he slowly sipped the chocolate-coffee frappe that Jason had bought him anyway. They wandered around the farm store with their ice creams for a bit, then headed to the trails on the property. It was a gloomy, miserable kinda day, but Damian kept insisting that he couldn't wait to paint some scenes to capture the beauty of it all. So, of course, Tim had to take some photos for him. The little brat had also snuck Tim's camera into his backpack; Jason couldn't help but feel proud of Damian for looking out for his brother like that.
Tim eventually got drawn into an argument about composition with Damian that went on for ten minutes. Would've gone longer, but Jason got a notification that they had been moved off the waitlist for hiking with the goats, and the meet-and-greet session was happening soon.
"I see you've taken my advice on animal therapy," Damian said quietly in the League dialect. "Don't you agree that getting Romeo has done wonders for you? Evidently, since we're here during one of the worst days of our brother's life."
"Brat," Jason said. "Didn't know what else to do. I panicked."
"Thank you," Damian said sincerely. "For taking us here."
"What are you guys talking about?" Tim asked, slipping Jason's work phone back into his pocket.
"Simply reminding Jason of the time he got bested by a goat," Damian lied smoothly. "When I was much younger, occasionally Mother would send Jason and me out to the neighboring villages for a day or two. I believe she convinced Grandfather that he was teaching me how to blend in. In reality, he was teaching me how to be a fool. One time —"
"I think that's enough of that," Jason said quickly, before Damian could start verging into true stories.
They got the pen, and a volunteer waved them over. His name tag read Charles, but he enthusiastically told them to call him Truck.
"Right, so have y'all ever done this before?" he asked.
Jason shook his head. "Didn't even know this was a thing until this morning."
"Awesome, so it's pretty simple, right?" Truck asked, clapping his hands. "Occasionally, some of the goats will want to stop for a snack, and some of the older billies can get a little stubborn, but for the most part, they'll all follow the pack. And there's no way of getting lost on the property if you do get left behind, which you won't, 'cause we do a right job of marking all the paths. So let's pair y'all up."
They were introduced to their hiking partners and were each handed a cup each of goat-feed, sunflower seeds, and blueberries to blackmail the goats into liking them for the next forty-five minutes as they trekked through the woods.
Damian, of course, loved the activity. Jason resigned himself to coming back to the farm often, because his youngest brother was having the time of his life ranging across the woods and following his goat Lilly every which way. Tim finally forgot about the damn work phone, mainly because his goat Cheddar seemed intent on dragging him through every single mud puddle and thorny bush.
"Wanna switch?" Jason offered. His goat, Blackbeard, was a stubborn old billy, but at least he wasn't trying to knock Jason back down the hill. Mostly, he seemed content to graze on anything he could reach.
"No," Tim said determinedly, digging his feet in as Cheddar tried to take them both through the most tangled path possible. "I've got this."
He also had mud on his face, leaves in his hair, and a nasty scratch on his leg, but Jason let him be. If Tim wanted to deal with the demon-goat, Jason would let him. At the very least, the challenge was keeping him busy, and it wasn't like Blackbeard was all that much better.
"What's keeping you two?" Damian called from the front, where he was prancing through nature like a fucking Disney princess. Lilly was frolicking through nature. All the other goats were being good little herd animals and sticking together as they clambered up a hill. Meanwhile, Jason and Tim were rapidly falling behind from the rest of the group.
"A—"
Jason clapped a hand over Tim's mouth. "Kids are present." There were a handful of them in the group, and they had already gotten one or two looks for being so loud. Jason would like to see them be quiet and polite when they were getting bullied by a couple of goats.
"Jerk," Tim said when Jason lifted his hand. He nearly face planted when Cheddar took a sharp turn to the left, but Jason caught him just in time. Blackbeard decided he was done with the foliage in the area and charged ahead. At least that had the side-effect of Cheddar not wanting to be left behind, so the two of them half-sprinted, half-stumbled up the next hill just in time to see the rest of the hiking party disappear back into the woods on the other side.
At the crest was a stream dotted with flat stones, presumably for crossing. Hell no, there was no way he and Tim were going to be able to do this with Satan and Satan's close associate.
"Fuck," Tim mumbled underneath his breath.
"Yeah," Jason said. "I'll get across first and then you toss me all the stuff that shouldn't get soaking wet."
"At least Dick isn't here," Tim said contemplatively.
"Could be worse," Jason agreed. "Blackbeard, you wanna do this?"
Jason handed Tim his personal phone and wallet and then took a cautious step on one of the stones. He took another and then stood there because he didn't want to drag Blackbeard into the stream. He was an asshole, but he wasn't that much of an asshole. Jason rattled the cup of treats enticingly.
"Don't you want a blueberry?" Jason asked, tugging on the leash
"I want a blueberry," Tim said.
Blackbeard huffed, pawing at the ground slightly. Jason shook the cup again. "Come on. You know you want a blueberry."
Apparently, he wanted the paper cup and knew this was his chance to get it. Blackbeard threw himself into the stream, unbalancing Jason, and grabbed the cup. Jason would deny to his second dying day that he yelped as he landed in the freezing water, but he definitely did curse in about a half-a-dozen languages as Blackbeard decided that, while the paper cup was not as delicious as he had hoped it would be, maybe Jason's shirt would be.
"Are you okay?" Tim asked worriedly.
Jason glanced around. The group had gone on far enough ahead. "Fuck this, I'm out."
Blackbeard bleated and then wandered out of the stream. He stood on the other side and began to munch on some grass.
"I'd rather spend forty-five minutes with the fucking pirate," Jason said, getting up and checking himself over. He'd scraped up his hands pretty badly; there was some minor bleeding. His legs were bruised all to hell, too.
He waded out of the water. "Ready for your turn, Timbuktu?"
"Gonna be so fun," Tim said as he tossed everything that wasn't waterproof at Jason. "Maybe I should've stayed with B."
But he sounded like he was trying not to laugh, and he was smiling even as he eyed the water apprehensively. With a deep breath, he stepped onto the first stone. And miracle of miracles, it seemed like Cheddar hated the freezing waters too. Tim made it across unscathed.
"Really, though, are you okay?" Tim asked, hovering just a little.
Jason held his hands out for inspection. "You know, surprisingly, I've had worse."
Tim huffed. "Every time you make a joke like that, Dick gets sad. Just imagine him staring worryingly at you. Can you have that on your conscience?"
"Asshole," Jason said, punching Tim lightly on the shoulder. "Come on. The only way out is through."
He handed Tim back the work phone and Tim's personal phone before starting up the path. After some dithering, Blackbeard deigned to allow him to continue. Cheddar didn't want to be left alone, so they made brisk progress for all of ten minutes. Then Blackbeard decided he needed a snack break again.
"When do you think they'll send out a search party for us?" Tim asked, staring up at the grey sky.
"I thought outside Gotham was supposed to be safer," Jason said, gently tugging on the leash. Blackbeard didn't even look up.
"At least Damian's having fun," Tim said. "I think. How did he end up so good with animals?"
"Talia," Jason said. "For all her faults, she raised him as best as she could."
"Huh."
They watched their goats wander around and try to make their lives a living hell for a couple more minutes. Cheddar thoroughly got herself tied up in some thicket, which took a while to untangle.
"If —," Tim began nervously, focusing on the knotted leash in his hands. "You know, after all this, I'm going to need a place to stay. Robin means everything to me, but B, well, yeah. I'm going to need space. And I've been thinking about getting emancipated for a while. Not like my parents would notice. I've been compiling a case of neglect, but I'd need somewhere to stay to make my case stronger."
"You know my place is always open," Jason said.
"But, like, for a while," Tim said.
"Could be forever," Jason said with a shrug. "I don't care. Been looking into getting a bigger place anyways. And B can't take away Robin. It's Dick's mantle. Ask him about how well it went the first time B took the name from him."
"It's always been Robin and Batman," Tim said, shrugging. "It would feel weird to have Robin flying solo."
"Whatever you want to do," Jason said.
"Could I be Red Robin?" Tim asked, standing up. Cheddar skipped ahead, which prompted Blackbeard to run. That led to both of them suddenly sprinting after their demon goats.
"What?" Jason asked, feeling genuinely startled.
"Red Hood's Robin," Tim said. "Red Robin."
"You want to hang out with a murderer and a crime lord?" Jason asked. "You have any idea what that would do to your hero rep?"
"It would piss Batman off," Tim said, ticking the points off his fingers. "I wouldn't have to come up with a brand new hero identity. And I don't think my friends would care. Probably."
"Sure, I won't stop you," Jason said. "But I think I'll have Dick, the source of common sense in this family, sit down and have a long talk with you. 'Cause I don't know, but this feels like a fucking terrible idea."
"Dick?" Tim asked. "Common sense?"
"When it comes to hero stuff and when it's not about him," Jason amended. The farm buildings were coming into view, thank fuck. He could see a crowd around the goat pen. They were almost free.
"Look," Tim said. "I just want to warn you. I bullied Batman into letting me become Robin. I went after Two-Face with no training. Do not test me. I can annoy you and Dick into letting me become Red Robin. This was more of a warning."
"What the fuck?"
But they were at the pen now, so they couldn't talk about that anymore, leaving Jason with a good amount of questions unanswered and a slightly worrying feeling that Tim was right. There was nothing Jason could do to change Tim's mind about this. They stumbled forward, handing the leashes to a startled Truck.
"You guys have a first aid kit?" Jason asked.
"In the farm shop. I'll get Mary to help you with that," Truck said hurriedly. "Mary!"
"What happened?" Damian asked. He was sitting down, Lilly leaning against him. He could've been an advertisement for the place.
"The goats tried to kill us," Tim said cheerfully.
"Nah," Jason said. "Cheddar dragged you through the scenic route, but at least she didn't try to drown you like Blackbeard did to me."
Mary hurried over and shuffled them into the farm shop. Jason handed Tim his card and told him to get new clothes for both of them after Tim's leg had been looked at. By the time Jason's hands had been disinfected and wrapped, Tim was back with overpriced sweaters and pajama pants patterned with frolicking goats. It was better than wandering around in wet and dirty clothes. Barely.
"There's no way that Damian's letting us leave before he sees the petting zoo, right?" Tim asked, stepping out of the bathroom and tugging at the sleeves of his sweater.
"I drove us all the way out here," Jason said. "We're staying for the damn mini-golf."
They dropped their old clothes off in the car. Damian was leaning against it, arms crossed and pouting. But Jason didn't miss how he glanced at his hands or Tim's leg.
"Are you two alright?"
“Petting zoo or minigolf first?” Jason asked with a sigh. "We're fine, Dami. Thanks for asking."
"Oh, before I forget," Tim said, returning Jason's work phone. He glanced at it briefly. Damn, Anya worked fast when there were millions on the line. "Thanks."
"Not a problem," Jason said. "So whatcha thinking?"
“Minigolf,” Tim decided. "I need a small break from deceptively cute, small farm animals."
"Amen to that," Jason said, heading in that general direction.
Damian surprisingly won the round they played. Mostly because both Tim and Damian agreed Jason needed some kind of handicap and settled for spinning him around quickly several times whenever it got to his turn. Even with that, Jason had to throw just a little. Hey, it was cute seeing Damian so excited about something. Evidently, Tim agreed, too, because Jason was choosing to believe he could aim better than that.
B called Tim's phone. After a couple of rings, Tim picked up. "Yeah, I heard the news. Playing mini-golf with friends right now. Doesn't feel like any activity is appropriate when your world is actively ending around you, so why not mini-golf?"
There was a pause, then Tim said, "Really? A trained assassin rescued my parents? How odd." B said something else on the other line, and Tim rolled his eyes, mouthing, Can you believe this guy? He nodded. "I know B. People, like my parents, could have died. But I totally didn't hire that assassin. How could I? I'm just a teenager, like you told me. Can't do jack-shit." Tim sighed. "Look, this isn't going to be a productive conversation right now. Why don't you skip to the part where you tell me I'm benched, I skip to the part where I tell you can't bench me because I fucking quit, and we talk when where a little calmer? Alrightbye."
He hung up. B immediately called Tim's phone a couple more times. Tim sighed again, shaking his head. He handed his phone to Jason.
"I'm going to do something stupid like yell at him," Tim explained. "And I don't want to ruin this day."
"We can head back here," Jason said, slipping the phone into his pocket.
"We're heading back here," Damian said. "Timothy, I think it's your turn?"
And they all ignored the fact that Tim's phone kept ringing the entire time. When they wrapped up mini-golf and headed for the farm pens, Jason powered it off. There was no point keeping it on.
Damian didn't let Tim get distracted by his thoughts, dragging his brother around and telling him his extensive range of farm facts. Jason was content to lean against the farm wall and study the mini-horse they had. Maybe he should be looking at houses instead of apartments. Something with a nice yard. Damian would probably bring home a couple more animals if Jason let him.
He had a feeling his youngest brother would use the excuse that Tim had moved in to do the same. Apparently, Damian had been not so subtly sowing the seeds that perhaps he wanted to live with Dick (and Jason by extension) instead. Jason was proud of his little brother for standing up for himself.
Dick had been talking about how B was trying hard to be better with Damian and Tim. But if today was any indication — shutting out Tim and not giving him support when he most needed it — Bruce still had a long way to go.
Well, Jason was doing a lot better than he had when he had first gotten to Gotham. He hadn't had a newsworthy Pit episode in months. Having Dick around too was nice. He figured they formed one functioning, stable adult between them, right? Well, it would have to be enough.
(Hopefully, it would be enough.)
Notes:
hmmm, don't know how I feel about chapter? since it's so rushed? but I wanted to get it out here and get started on the next story in this series, featuring Dick! very excited about that, hopefully I'll be able to get the first chapter of that out by the end of the month??????? and yeah, I'm planning on eventually including every Batfam member in this series (including Bruce but that's gonna take a /while/). also might include some other DC characters (looking at Billy Batson/ Captian Marvel and Conner Kent/ Superboy) but idk about that yet. maybe as an alternate set of stories??? who knows. certainly not me
anyways, thanks for reading this silly lil story :)
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