Chapter Text
“That’ll just be $67.21 today. Cash or card?” The teenager – dressed in a wonder woman costume – smiles in the way that customer service workers do when they’re five hours into a shift. Tim just holds up his card in answer, swiping it on the reader when she prompts him.
As he stands to the side, waiting for the food, he looks over his shoulder to the back corner booth. Percy sits on one side a school textbook open in front of him. Unfortunately, Tim can’t begin to guess which subject it is because most of the page is covered by Percy’s head. Laughing at the younger’s despair, sitting across the table in the booth is Duke Thomas, a friend of theirs from school.
Tim had suggested a post school BatBurger ‘study’ afternoon. At first, Duke and Percy had both tried to deny but with the promise of unlimited access to Tim credit card they had both agreed pretty quickly.
Although Tim was pretty sure that Percy knew it was just a way to try get out of the manor for a bit. Ever since Percy had been kidnapped – again – Tim had noticed the younger getting more and more antsy as Bruce increased his hovering. It was genuinely a shock that they hadn’t had another argument yet, considering how Bruce seemed to learn absolutely nothing from the past. Staying out would lengthen their short period of peace for even just a few hours, but if it helped Percy that was enough for Tim.
The worker behind the counter called his number and he turned around to grab the giant bag and drink tray. He didn’t expect anything less when he gave Percy the option of anything on the menu.
Goods secured in hand, Tim swiftly made his way across the restaurant to the others. He slid into the seat next to Duke. Across the table, Percy’s head snapped up like a dog tracking a scent, eyes locked onto the batman print wax paper.
“Easy there, Perce.” Duke chuckled.
Percy reacted very maturely by throwing a pen at Dukes face. The victim bent down, looking under the table for the lost writing implement.
Meanwhile, Tim began distributing the food from the slightly greasy – it was definitely more than ‘slightly’, but Tim ignored that – food among the three.
“So, we’ve got two BatBurger meals,” Still under the table, Duke grunts in thanks as Tim places one of the meals in front of him keeping the other for himself, “And for Percy, a BatBurger deluxe oversized, extra-large jokerized fries, Night-wings, a robin nugget bat-mite meal and a large Mr. Freezy shake.”
“Did you get the blue heaven one?” Percy asks, inspecting the shake curiously as he swipes his schoolbooks back into his bag.
“Yeah, course I did, even if it hurt to order.” Tim replies, “Getting any Mr. Freezy other than chocolate is sacrilege.”
“Unless you’re Steph-ow,” Duke hits his head on the table as he sits up again, “Remember how addicted she was when they released the purple birthday cake Mr. GrimFreezy? I think she’s the only reason they sold more than five of those. Also, Perce, I’m sorry but I think your pen might have been eaten by the floor cause I don’t see it anywhere.”
Percy looks completely unbothered by the loss of his school equipment.
“No worries,” He shrugs, “It’ll turn up eventually. Who’s Steph?” Percy’s question feels almost too casual as he munches on Jokerized fries.
Tim sees Duke turn to him in his periphery, waiting to see how he wants to approach this. After a second of deliberation Tim decides to just be honest with his brother.
“She’s my ex.”
Percy pauses, the final bite – how is he almost finished already? – of his burger half raised to his mouth.
“Girlfriend?” The younger clarifies incredulously. Tim nods. Percy looks at Tim in silence for a few seconds. His gaze is calculating in a way that is unnerving. Tension builds thick in the air and when Duke seems completely happy to leave him stewing in the soupy silence Tim knows he’s going to break first.
“What?” His voice is a bit too high, “Didn’t think I could pull or didn’t think I liked Girls?”
“Both.” Percy’s response is instantaneous.
Duke erupts in laughter at his side, choking on his mouthful of Fanta. He pounds his chest as his eyes water. After a perilous few seconds, he manages to swallow the drink. Once he’s sure that Duke’s life is no longer in danger, Tim elbows his side.
“Like you can talk Duke. When was the last time you were with anyone?” He manoeuvres his arm up around the youngers head, pulling him close in a head lock.
Duke sputters for a few seconds, still thrown off guard by his brush with death but a minute ago. He quickly regains his wits, stomping down on Tims foot to escape the hold. Like the very mature person he is – he does run a company in his free time – Tim’s next move is to reach for Duke’s stomach and start tickling his sides, the most effective takedown. For the second time since they’ve sat down Duke bursts into laughter.
“Something funny Duke?” Tim taunts as he evades the clumsy attempts of retaliation from the other.
Unobserved by the two across from him Percy opens the small toy in the bat-mite meal. When he sees the red and yellow figure that drops out, he subtly looks up at Tim. A sudden idea forms in his mind. After all, what is one meant to do when they know their family is hiding vigilante identities from them? Mess with their heads of course.
“Oh, Poseidon’s socks!”
Percy’s loud – and very confusing – exclamation shocks the other two from their fighting. Both of them whip their heads up, nervous to see what could have caused Percy’s distress. Brown and Blue eyes fall on a dull green. Luckily not the dull of dissociation or panic or even grief, but the crestfallen dull of a child that has had their favourite toy stolen from them. The green-eyed boy is focused solely on the small plastic figurine in his hands, the signature all red suit and black cowl easily recognisable. Red Robin.
Tim’s thoughts begin racing with every possible reason why his brother would be so disheartened by the small depiction of him.
What if he was roped into some criminal empire and now blames the vigilantes for their failure to protect Gotham? Or What if he runs a crime empire and now blames the vigilantes for the foiling of his plans?
Ok, even Tim can admit that that’s probably unlikely but hey, from what he’s been able to find online Percy’s been involved in some weird stuff.
“What’s the problem with Red Robin Perce?” Dukes oh so innocent question halts the rapid procession of Tims thoughts. He would refuse to admit it, but the tense silence has him waiting on the edge of his sticky vinyl seat. He cares about what his brother thinks of him ok?
“Ugh, I got the worst one, man.” Percy’s groan is very reminiscent of an upset toddler, “I wanted someone cool like spoiler or black bat.”
Tim sees Duke begin to laugh before expertly hiding it behind a cough. However, his mind is far too focused on trying to take in the sentences he just heard.
“Worst one?!” Tim did not mean to say that so loud.
“Yeah,” Percy rolls his eyes like this is obvious, “I mean, like, all the vigilantes have their own thing y’know? Red Hood’s got guns, Robin’s got swords, Nightwing can do tricks, Black bat can totally turn invisible, Spoiler’s purple, Signal has magic and Batman’s the OG. But Red Robin? He’s kinda just there.”
Tim is malfunctioning. His brain has stopped loading.
This time Duke fails to cover his laughter, bursting into cackles reminiscent of a hyena. Tim relishes in his quiet oof as he elbows his side.
Turning back to his brother Tim thinks he sees a hint of a smirk before it is once again replaced by the sullen sadness. Which he would probably be paying more attention too if his younger brother hadn’t just – unknowingly – called him useless.
“Who would you have wanted instead?” Tim ignores how his voice is slightly breathless.
Percy turns to him eyes sharp as a shark’s teeth, not matching the rest of his face. An involuntary shiver runs up Tims spine. Something about the eye contact feels too intense, too deliberate.
“Oh, I don’t know,” The calm tone is almost convincing, “I’ve always thought that meta powers were super cool. So, I guess I’d have to say signals my favourite.”
No. Way.
This cannot be happening right now.
Tim has to be dreaming, maybe he got an infection and is delirious with fever, maybe scarecrow made some new gas and he’s currently suffocating on patrol. Somehow those scenarios make more sense than his current one.
“I always liked signal too.” The voice from his side startles Tim to the present. Turning to the side, Tim notes that Duke’s smile has softened slightly with shock, going from lion king hyena to Teletubby sun.
“Oh well, guess you’re just gonna have to buy me more Bat-mite meals Tim. Until I get an actually good one.”
It takes every ounce of willpower inside his body not to fight back in his own defence. But sadly, he doesn’t think that would be very subtle, considering the whole secret identity thing.
So, with energy that feels like lifting the sky, Tim plasters a smile onto his face, chuckling good naturedly.
“Yeah guess I will.”