Saddest smile

by pastelghostsilhouette

Summary:

Tim knows that Bruce is alive, and now he has undeniable proof. But he should’ve listened, now Dick thinks he’s crazy. He’s sent to Arkham, where people leave worse off than when they enter.

Or: Dick follows through on his threat to send Tim to Arkham and he attracts some unwanted attention resulting in the birth of Joker Junior.

Notes:

Title: Saddest smile by Allie X

Okay so I had the idea that Dick puts Tim in Arkham and that leads to JJ. This chapter is short but just setting things up.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Your little heart has turned as black as night

 

Tim has done it.

 

 

He's found undeniable proof that Bruce is alive. He's not dead, just lost in the time stream.

 

 

Dick will have to believe now. There's now way he won't believe Tim, Tim has all the evidence to prove his belief isn't just a theory but a fact.

 

 

A stone cold, hard fact.

 

 

Bruce is alive.

 

 

He steels his face and keeps his excitement hidden as he presses the doorbell, ready to save Bruce.

 

 

Alfred opens the doors to Wayne Manor with a smile lights up his face once he sees Tim, "Master Timothy! Where have you been, my boy?"

 

 

Tim gives a sheepish smile, trying to brush it off. He can't say that he went to Ra's for help and then got his spleen stolen for all his troubles, even if he helped Tim find the evidence he needed.

 

 

"Oh, you know," Tim says as he steps into Wayne Manor. It reminds him of the day he first stepped in, ready to blackmail Batman. He was absolutely terrified, but it was a necessity, and so is this.

 

 

"Your room has been prepared," Alfred notifies him and Tim gives him a grateful nod.

 

 

He was never asked if he wanted to have his own room, but he makes do with a guest room. He just stays at Drake Manor unless it's been a very eventful patrol, in which he is too tired to make the trek back.

 

 

"Thanks, Alfie. But, I was wondering if I could talk to Dick. I've finally got some evidence. Do you know where he is?"

 

 

"Of course! He is down in the cave," Alfred reveals and Tim really shouldn't be surprised. Being Batman is a hard job that consumes the outside life of the wearer of the cowl.

 

 

"And you say you have evidence?" Alfred prompts with a raised eyebrow as they make their way to the study.

 

 

"Yes," Tim starts, grateful that at least one person believes him. "I found some pictures of him throughout time. He's alive."

 

 

Alfred lets out a sob, before taking out his handkerchief to wipe away the tears threatening to fall.

 

 

"When I show Dick, he can show the rest of the League and then they can come up with a plan to save him." Tim says before worrying his lip. He turns to face Alfred, "I'm not sure how much time we have left."

 

 

"What do you mean?" The butler asks, all serious.

 

 

"I think the rate at which he is moved between time periods is getting closer, closer until he'll blink out of time." Tim states, he's not too sure on the specifics, but it won't matter when the Justice League gets involved.

 

 

They can save him.

 

 

They have to.

 

 

Alfred nods gravely, understanding Tim's concerns. Alfred opens the study door and gives him an encouraging smile.

 

 

Tim steps through the door and opens the grandfather clock. The air changes as he walks down, goosebumps prickle on his skin. He continues down until he finds Dick and Damian at the Bat-computer.

 

 

Dick has deep purple bags under his eyes, he looks absolutely shattered. Damian has the ever present scowl plastered on his face but it turns into a twisted grin when he notices Tim.

 

 

"You are not wanted here, Drake. The door is behind you." Damian sneers, causing Dick to startle, realising Tim's presence. Dick is definitely off of his game.

 

 

"Tim..." Dick starts.

 

 

"I've brought the proof," he cuts in as he steps closer to Dick. He places the folder on the desk and as he goes to open it, Dick stops him by placing a hand over his.

 

 

"Tim, I told you," Dick warns gently.

 

 

"No- look, Dick, I have evidence." Tim protests, keeping his voice level. "Bruce is alive."

 

 

"Father is dead, Drake." Damian interrupts. "What part of that do you not understand? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, but clearly I was wrong."

 

 

Tim clenches his fists but keeps his face even. They just need to see the proof, then they'll believe.

 

 

"Dick, if you just look-"

 

 

"Tim... You remember what I said, right?"

 

 

Tim's face drops and his heart stops, Dick can't be serious. "You wouldn't," he protests weakly, his voice a whisper.

 

 

"Tim, you need help." Dick starts and Tim startles, he grabs the folder and slowly backs away.

 

 

"Tim!" Dick placates, but Tim isn't angry. He's scared.

 

 

His older brother is about to send him to Arkham.

 

 

Arkham is for rouges, not vigilantes! All Tim is doing is trying to save Bruce, why can't Dick see that?

 

 

He turns and bolts up the stairs, up and out of the cave. He'll only have a few minuets before they catch him, so he needs to spend his time wisely.

 

 

The manor is grand and massive, there are many hiding spaces. But he doesn't need to hide, he's done nothing wrong.

 

 

He needs to keep the evidence safe. Alfred will find it, he'll know what to do.

 

 

Tim turns a corner and runs into his guest room, he goes to the loose floorboard. No, too easy. He needs somewhere hidden, he turns and goes into his en-suite bathroom.

 

 

This is his guest room, Alfred said so. Hopefully no one else will use it, hopefully no one else will find it.

 

 

He pulls off the ceiling vent and places the contents of folder inside. Alfred will find it when he cleans the room, which will hopefully be soon. If anyone uses the bathroom then the paper will rattle, a beacon to the evidence’s location.

 

 

He jumps down and goes back over to the floorboards and finds some spare papers to place inside the folder. He puts it in and closes it up.

 

 

If Dick finds it and doesn't check, then all he would be destroying is Tim's old homework. Tim then rushes back over to the door, but it's too late.

 

 

Damian is there and punches him right in the face, Tim doesn't retaliate but instead pushes him to the side. But Dick is there.

 

 

"Dick, please." He begs. His brother wouldn't. There's no way.

 

 

Tim feels a cold pin prick hit his neck, instinctively he covers the area with his hand. Everything is starting to fuzz, but he turns to see Damian looking smug.

 

 

"This is why I'm Robin," he says as Tim hits the floor.

 

 

The last thought Tim registers is absolute disbelief. Dick wouldn't have made Damian Robin without even telling him.

 

 

But the thought slips away before he can process what it really means.

 

 

Jason was right, he was just a pretender.

 

---

 

 

His mouth feels like it's been stuffed full of cotton and his limbs feel heavy.

 

 

Damian got him with a sedative...

 

 

And Dick...

 

 

His eyes shoot open and he jerks his arms, but his wrists get caught. He's been restrained.

 

 

He starts to struggle against the bonds until someone walks into his peripheral vision.

 

 

"Mr. Drake, can I call you Timothy?" A lady asks as she stands next to him. She's dressed in a nurse's uniform and has a name tag that reads 'Joanne.'

 

 

"What? Where am I?" He asks, halting his movements and looking around the room.

 

 

It's clinically white, padded walls lining the room. It's absolutely empty aside from the gurney he's strapped down to, at least that's what he assumes.

 

 

"You were admitted into Arkham by Mr. Grayson, as he believes you have become a risk to yourself and others." Joanne informs him but Tim doesn't believe it.

 

 

He can't.

 

 

If he believes it, then it means… He doesn’t even want to think about what it means.

 

 

"A risk?" He asks incredulously, eyebrows raised, clearly showing his disbelief.

 

 

He can't believe Dick would do this to him. Tim isn't a risk. Sure, he might have tried to clone Kon after Kon and Bart died but he's gotten past that.

 

 

This is different. Bruce is alive and needs help.

 

 

And, Dick was the one who fought Bruce so that Jason wouldn't be put in Arkham! Dick is being hypocritical and acting so unlike himself.

 

 

But Jason was right, Tim is just a pretender.

 

 

Pretender at Robin. Pretender at being Bruce's son. Pretender at being Dick's brother. Pretending that he is wanted, that he is loved.

 

 

"Look, I think there's been a mistake." He protests, softening his facial features to appear vulnerable and pitiful, trying to appeal for her sympathy.

 

 

"I'm sorry," Joanne apologises, but she didn't do anything wrong. This is all Dick’s fault. "But, there hasn't been a mistake."

 

 

"Yes, there has," he persists. Of course there's been a mistake, the Dick he knows would never do this. Unless... he doesn't actually know him.

 

 

Was Dick just acting all this time? Trying to be a good brother because he wasn't one to Jason? But secretly hating Tim. Tim knows he forced himself on Bruce, Dick, and Alfred, but he thought that he had a place in the family.

 

 

Maybe he was wrong.

 

 

Maybe he's the one who made a mistake.

Notes:

Noooo, Tim!

Oh well, it needed to happen…

Also, I want Jaytim to be endgame ship but I don’t want to put off any readers that don’t like it, so please let me know your thoughts!

 

~ Pastel Ghost

Chapter 2: Used to kick, I used to bite

Summary:

So far:
Tim went back to Wayne Manor after finding concrete evidence that Bruce is alive but Dick gets to him first and sends him to Arkham.

Notes:

Writing this chapter was hard…
:(

It’s mostly just Tim’s inner monologue as he so much time on his hands.

But we need this to progress!

I hope you enjoy <3

Tim feels numb, like the whole world has been titled on its head.

 

 

This wasn't supposed to happen.

 

 

None of this was supposed to happen.

 

 

Dick was supposed to read the file and finally see the truth. Then Dick would go to the Justice League and plan a way to get Bruce back.

 

 

Not throw Tim in Arkham.

 

 

Dick has made a huge mistake, believing Bruce to be dead. But Tim has faith, Dick will come around.

 

 

Dick is always there for Tim when he needs him. Well, he was before Jason came back and then Damian's arrival.

 

 

Dick would take him train hopping on nights when patrol was slow. Dick would teach him some yoga and acrobatics moves as a cool down after a workout. Dick would pick up him from school on the days he would visit Gotham. Dick would take him out and spend time with him, doing brotherly bonding.

 

 

But now, it's always ‘Dick would.’

 

 

Dick didn't ask Tim if he was okay with Jason joining them on patrol or family dinner night when he was accepted back into the family.

 

 

Dick didn't care when Damian cut his grappling line or the numerous other amounts of murder attempts, chalking it up to 'he's just a child.'

 

 

And then Dick replaced him as Robin with a child assassin, not that Tim thinks it's Damian's fault. Tim also knows how cruel Ra's can be, just ask his spleen, but that doesn't excuse Damian’s behaviour.

 

 

But Tim should have known.

 

 

Tim only became Robin to help soothe Batman's anger, he knew he wasn't going to have a personal relationship with the man. He can still remember the countless times Bruce accidentally called him Jason, but he didn't blame Bruce.

 

 

Tim also lost Jason.

 

 

Jason was his Robin. The person he would sneak out at night to watch. The person he had a crush on, his idol.

 

 

He still has a room dedicated to Jason's Robin pictures.

 

 

He left it up as a memorial, and then when Jason came back, Tim didn't have the heart to take it down even after Jason left him for dead.

 

 

But no one knows.

 

 

Tim wonders how much they actually know about him. Tim lost three of his best friends and now his father figure is stuck out of time.

 

 

Tim has no one left on his side, everyone has left him.

 

 

Tim sighs as he flops down on the bed, all he wants to do is just dissolve into nothing.

 

 

But he can't.

 

 

He's Bruce's only hope.

 

 

---

 

 

Has anyone tried to visit him?

 

 

Tim believes that if anyone would visit then it would be Alfred. So why hasn’t he come?

 

 

Jason and Damian don't care about Tim enough to want to visit him, and Dick seems to be too stubborn to give Tim the time of day.

 

 

But surely someone would come.

 

 

Dick will have to come at some point, he can’t just leave Tim to rot. Can he?

 

 

But Dick seems to have changed, or maybe he never did. Could Tim have been the one who changed?

 

 

Maybe Dick is right, maybe Tim has gone insane. He didn't want to believe Kon was gone, that's why he tried cloned him, to get him back. And now he's seeing things that he wants to see, Bruce alive.

 

 

Tim stands up and pads over to the day room, pushing the thoughts out of his mind.

 

 

He shouldn’t go down that route, it’s a one way road to self-destruction.

 

 

He doesn't talk to anyone, there’s no reason to. He's good at just being, blending in with the background. It’s what he did when he was dragged to his parents gala events and it’s how he was able to stalk Batman and Robin. It’s his speciality.

 

 

He's been at Arkham for just under two weeks, and he stays in his room for the most part before he realised he could get inside information on any rouges.

 

 

Tim isn't in the same wing that the rouges are, he's in a low risk area which makes it even easier for him to escape. But he won't.

 

 

He wonders if it’s a ploy orchestrated by Dick to see what he would do.

 

 

If he escapes then Dick will have another reason to call Tim crazy and lock him up. He needs Dick to see that he isn’t a threat.

 

 

He has faith that one day Dick will realise his mistake and save Tim Bruce.

 

 

---

 

 

"I know you don't want to speak," Joanne starts, she's been trying to get him say something, anything, but he has nothing to say. "But, we can't help you if you don’t let us."

 

 

Tim won't give Dick the satisfaction of him giving in and accepting' Bruce's 'death.' Because, Bruce isn't dead.

 

 

But what if he is? A small annoying part of him whispers, but he doesn't give it any thought.

 

 

If Bruce is dead then everything Tim has gone through was for nothing. Going to Ra's, having his spleen removed just so he could have the evidence, and now getting locked away in Arkham.

 

 

He's spends his nights lying awake running every possible scenario through his head.

 

 

Is Bruce actually alive? Will Tim die in Arkham? Will Bruce die before Dick reads the file? How long does Bruce have? How long does Tim have? Would it be easier to just give in?

 

 

But he shouldn't think like that.

 

 

Bruce needs him, just like he needed Tim when Jason died. Tim is just a pretender, filling in Jason's place so that Bruce could grieve easier.

 

 

But now no one needs him.

 

 

No one except the one person who he can't even help.

 

 

Tim's useless. He's rotting away in Arkham, the outside world passing him by. Maybe no one knows that he's gone or maybe they just don't care.

 

 

"Timothy?" Joanne tries, tilting her head at him. "Are you listening?"

 

 

He leans back in the chair, crossing his arms. He doesn't know why they bother, he's not going to say anything.

 

 

Joanne sighs, placing her notebook down on the table but puts her pen in her pocket. Smart, anyone could use that pen for a number of reasons.

 

 

But Tim doesn't need a pen to escape.

 

 

Maybe he should just escape, he wasn't going to because all it would do is egg Dick on. And Dick needs to calm down and see the truth, he's too single-minded now that he's Batman.

 

 

Only focusing on wearing the cowl and protecting Gotham.

 

 

Tim knows that his grief is blinding him, giving him tunnel vision. It happened to him, so he knows it when he sees it.

 

 

But Dick has a self destructive mindset that will now endanger Bruce. The least Dick could do is humour Tim and let him present his case.

 

 

"Okay, Timothy." Joanne purses her lips before continuing, "I'll see you at our next session."

 

 

Tim doesn't know why she still tries.

 

 

He hasn't spoken aside from that first day around three weeks ago.

 

 

And he isn't going to start anytime soon.

 

 

---

 

 

Someone's here to visit him.

 

 

He hopes that it's Alfred or maybe Babs, but Babs hasn't spoken to him since he claimed Bruce is alive and ran away to find proof.

 

 

No one took it well, not even Alfred at first.

 

 

Tim knows his ramblings sounded frantic and insane but he was just trying to get everyone to see what he sees. Not even the Justice League believes him, even though much more far fetched things have happened.

 

 

But he pushes those thoughts away as he's led to the visiting room. The room is like an interrogation room without the two way mirror, giving much needed privacy.

 

 

But Tim wouldn't even think about discussing any hero business, even with the so called ‘privacy.’

 

 

The creak of the door opening steals Tim's attention, he looks over and sees Dick hobble in.

 

 

Dick looks haggard, worse than the last time Tim saw him. The bags under his eyes are deeper and darker, and his skin has lost its olive touch, becoming more sickly pale.

 

 

Dick pulls out the chair and takes a seat opposite Tim, wincing as he moves.

 

 

It's been around a month since he was placed in Arkham, but Tim's glad that Dick has finally decided to see what's right in front of him.

 

 

That Bruce is alive.

 

 

But he wasn't prepared for what Dick had come to say.

 

 

"Tim, you need to speak to them," Dick says as he reaches his hands out to hold Tim's. "They can help you."

 

 

He was ready for Dick to apologise, to tell him that Tim will be released soon, or maybe even starting the conversation with a simple 'how are you?'

 

Tim narrows his eyes at Dick, this wasn't what he expected. He had thought that Dick had read the file, seen the evidence, and realised that Bruce is alive.

 

 

Tim clears his throat so it won't crack when he tries to speak, disuse makes it like that. He used to have this problem a lot when his parents would leave and he had no one to talk to.

 

 

And now he’s been abandoned again.

 

 

"Dick," Tim croaks out, clearing his throat again. "How are you?"

 

 

He asks in spite but Dick doesn't even seem to realise, he just continues pushing.

 

 

"Tim. Please just talk to them, I can't keep worrying about you. You're eighteen-"

 

 

"I'm seventeen, Dick." Tim whispers but Dick doesn't seem to hear him as he continues making his point.

 

 

"-and I have Damian to watch, so I can't..." Dick sucks in a breath and looks Tim in the eye.

 

 

"Bruce would want you to get help, Tim."

 

 

Tim snaps.

 

 

He jumps out of the chair and onto the table. He grabs Dick's shoulders and pushes him down to the floor, his head connecting with the slightly padded floor.

 

 

He feels like he’s in some alternate world where everything is wrong. And this is too much, Tim is breaking.

 

 

"Bruce would want us to help him!” Tim shouts. “Don't you understand? All I've ever done is help him, I don't know how to stop!" Tim pauses, his jaw trembling and tears burning his eyes.

 

 

"Why don't you understand?" He sobs as he lets go of Dick.

 

 

He climbs off of him and curls up, letting his tears fall. Dick just lies there, still in the chair, looking stunned. Like he didn't believe Tim would ever snap at him.

 

 

But Tim thinks something inside of him has just broke, and he's not sure if he can fix this.

 

Notes:

Poor Tim!

We meet a new character in the next chapter! Any guesses? ;)
 

~ Pastel Ghost

Chapter 3: Lonesome

Summary:

So far:
Tim attacked Dick when he visited him in Arkham after saying Tim needs (mental) help.

Notes:

New chapter!

A little bit of info: Harley and Joker are together currently so she’s still under his spell (as in toxic relationship and she’s a little stuck)

I hope you enjoy!

He shouldn't have done it.

 

 

It was reckless and stupid.

 

 

And now Dick probably thinks that he needs to stay in Arkham for lashing out and attacking him.

 

 

Okay, he admits he lost his cool. But what Dick had said to him made all of his rationale fly out of the window, and then all of a sudden he was on top of Dick and letting out all of his pent up emotions.

 

 

He shouldn’t have done it but Dick pushed him too far and now he’s the one who’s stuck in a straight jacket sitting in an isolation room.

 

 

They’re calling him a danger to others now.

 

 

But if he really wanted to, he could slip out of the straight jacket but he’s going to play the game.

 

 

At least they put him in isolation and not placed in a room full of patients who actually need proper medical care. Arkham doesn't have a good track record for helping people get better, and now Tim thinks that it's just a place to throw people away.

 

 

Tim's a problem and Arkham is the solution.

 

 

But that would mean that maybe Dick doesn't actually think he's crazy but just that he needs Tim somewhere close so he can watch him, make sure he doesn't do anything reckless.

 

 

Okay, Tim can work with that.

 

 

All he has to do is stay on good behaviour and then Dick will realise Tim won't do anything rash and he will be free to go.

 

 

But no matter what, he won't give up on Bruce and hopes that if the roles were reversed, Bruce wouldn't give up on him.

 

 

But Bruce isn't here.

 

 

And Tim can't help him.

 

 

---

 

 

"Timothy," Joanne greets as she walks into the isolation room they left him to stew in for a couple of days. "We are moving you to a different wing for more... aggressive patients."

 

 

Joanne signals for two guards to come in and haul Tim up, he instinctively tries to wiggle away but the jacket and guards don't give him much leeway.

 

 

Tim can't believe this.

 

 

"Dick-"

 

 

"It was Mr. Grayson's suggestion. You need help that we can't give you in this wing. Goodbye, Timothy."

 

 

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

 

Dick wouldn't do this! He knows the other wing houses rouges, and Tim is Tim right now not Robin, he's defenceless and vulnerable.

 

 

"No!" Tim screams as they drag him out of the isolation room and down the hallways to the other wing.

 

 

He forces himself to relax, he takes deep breaths and watches everything carefully. He can’t do anything if he looses his calm so, he uses the time to learn all the codes and Arkham's layout (despite studying the blueprints before to be prepared for any breakouts).

 

 

But now, Tim needs to break out.

 

 

Rouges break out all the time, if Tim escapes at the same time then he can use the confusion to lead Dick on a snark hunt. Dick will be too busy trying to recapture whoever breaks out before they do any damage that he won't even notice Tim is gone until after.

 

 

Perfect, he's got a solid plan.

 

 

Now he just needs to find out when the next breakout will be.

 

 

But after he breaks out?

 

 

What will he do then? He will need to find somewhere to lay low for a while. He could go back to Drake Manor but that will probably be first place Dick would check.

 

 

He really needs his own base.

 

 

But is he even a vigilante anymore? If he's not Robin, then who is he? He wonders if Jason and Dick had this identity crisis after loosing Robin.

 

 

His entire life has been based off of Robin.

 

 

Robin gave him Jason. Robin gave him Bruce, Alfred, and Dick. Robin gave him multiple families.

 

 

But he doesn't have any of them anymore.

 

 

---

 

 

Tim feels like he's drifting.

 

 

Like he's trapped on a lifeboat lost at sea, he can imagine this is how Pi felt. Losing your family before drifting endlessly, not knowing if you will live to make it to shore.

 

 

To freedom.

 

 

He just feels so numb to everything, like nothing matters anymore. But one thing does; Bruce.

 

 

Bruce is the only thing keeping him going.

 

 

---

 

 

"You alright, sugarplum?"

 

 

Tim straightens and slowly turns to find the owner of that familiar honeyed voice. Robin knows that voice, but Tim shouldn't.

 

 

Harley Quinn.

 

 

"I- uh- what are you doing in my room?" Tim stammers as he sits up on his bed, trying to look presentable.

 

 

"Your doors open, so I figured; why not pop in and meet the new inmate!" Harley smiles, bouncing into the room.

 

 

"Right... Nice to meet you?"

 

 

Harley sits herself down on the bed next to Tim and vigorously shakes his outstretched hand. Luckily he has his gala training to act like how he supposes a young rich white boy would act after being placed in a dangerous situation.

 

 

Thanks, Dick.

 

 

"Y'know you're going to be lonely if you stay in your room all day," Harley tells him, giving him a little nudge.

 

 

"I'm used to being alone, so I can deal with it," he mumbles, tipping his head back to lean against the wall.

 

 

"But not loneliness." Harley surmises.

 

 

Tim shouldn't be surprised, Harley does have a PhD in psychology. So of course she would be able to profile him by his behaviour and the few words he's spoken to her.

 

 

"Why’s a little one like you in here?" Harley asks, her smile dropping.

 

 

Tim doesn't know how to answer that.

 

 

---

 

 

Tim hasn't seen Harley since that first day, and to be honest, he's glad. He hasn't been in this new wing long and he isn't planning to stay.

 

 

Despite spending most of his time in the room he was placed in, he's still been able to gather intel. 

 

 

Whispers floating in through vents that he may or may not be climbing into.

 

 

But, staying cooped up in the room all day won’t help him create an escape plan.

 

 

So, Tim sneaks out of his room and into the vents, carefully avoiding any cameras.

 

 

It’s late at night, past bed time, but Tim can’t sleep. So, he’s on a mission. A mission where he prepares for his breakout.

 

 

He never thought he’d have to breakout of Arkham, he’s broken in a couple of times. But never out.

 

 

There's going to be a breakout soon and Tim is going to take his chance to escape.

 

 

He already knows the blueprints, but he needs to make sure his information is up to date. So, he’s quietly mapping out the wing. Nothing like a good surprise to ruin everything.

 

 

The last surprise definitely did.

 

 

He underestimated Dick's mental state, he won’t make that same mistake twice.

 

 

He thought that during the time he left, which was around four months, Dick would have had time to grieve and be ready to let Tim show his evidence.

 

 

And then, he thought that Dick would have come to his senses or at least felt some guilt for locking Tim away but he didn’t.

 

 

And Tim was obviously wrong, so that’s why he’s not counting on anyone else to help him anymore.

 

 

Dick fired him from Robin and then abandoned him in Arkham. Tim has no one left to turn to. And even if he did, then Tim has to ask; did Dick even tell anyone?

 

 

Did he spin a story about how Tim left to go searching for more evidence?

 

 

Or does no one care about him anymore? Is that why no one has come to his aid, or even to just visit him?

 

 

But it doesn't matter now anyway.

 

 

Once Tim gets out, Dick won't have to worry about him. Tim will go dark again and find out another way to bring Bruce back even if it costs his life.

 

 

Once he sets his mind to something, there’s no going back.

 

 

Tim's got everything he needs. He's got extra blankets to turn into a makeshift dummy, he's memorised various escape routes, and accounted for any and every possible obstacle that might prevent him from leaving.

 

 

So, when the time comes, he'll be ready.

 

 

---

 

 

"Knock, knock," a hushed voice whispers, waking Tim out of his dreamless state. He doesn't sleep much due to bad habits of vigilantism and nightmares plaguing the little sleep he does manage.

 

 

Just as he props himself up, the door blasts open revealing Harley's silhouette in the doorway.

 

 

“What…?” He questions in disbelief.

 

 

Is this a breakout or… break-in? The breakout isn’t for another two days, unless the timeline got moved up without him knowing.

 

 

Maybe he should have ventured out of his room and into the danger that is Arkham. But he’s pretty sure he would have died if he did, especially as he can’t defend himself without revealing his vigilante status or past vigilantism.

 

 

“I’m breaking you out!” Harley tells him as she rushes in and grabs him, pulling him out of bed and pushing him against the wall.

 

 

“A little boy like you shouldn’t be in here, ya’ know.” Harley leans in, “it’s dangerous. But don’t worry, I’ll protect ya.”

 

 

Tim didn’t see it coming, in retrospect he should have. After all, Harley is still a rouge.

 

 

She pulls him forward, steel grip on his shoulders, and pushes him back hard into the wall. His head connecting hard with the wall, slowly knocking him out.

 

 

Black spots fill his vision and everything blurs. The room is spinning, or is he spinning? He’s falling now, down a rabbit hole maybe, his destination unknown.

 

 

Now he’s upside down, or did everything else flip? He’s not sure, but what he is sure of is the owner of the ear grating laugh flooding his ears.

 

 

Joker, is the last thing he recognises before his consciousness leaves him.

 

 

He’s screwed.

 

Notes:

Ack!

Tim did want to escape Arkham so yay… but not the way he planned for!

And Harley found a little boy in need of help and thought she was doing the right thing 😢
Dw she’ll realise Joker isn’t good for her (or Tim) at some point ;)

 

~ Pastel Ghost