"You know he's crazy, right?" Dick asks. He hasn't stopped frowning at Tim in what could be hours.
"We all dress up in costumes every night and beat up criminals," Tim points out. "Sanity is… relative."
Somewhere in the distance there's a soft ttt. Damian is spying on them. It's fine. Tim is on his way out of the Batcave for – he won't say forever.
But.
"You know what I mean," Dick says. "He's not like the rest of us. He's –"
"Like Bruce, after Jason died," Tim says. Dick's eyes widen, startled. Tim has thought about this.
"You remember how he was," Tim says. "Brash. Angry. Chaotic."
"So that's what this is," Dick says. He's still grimacing, but there's understanding there, too. "You think if you're his Robin, you can bring him back."
Tim doesn't want to put it that way, but. He breathes out. "Every Batman needs a Robin."
"Even an imposter?" Dick asks.
"I was an imposter Robin after him," Tim says. "Why not have a team of them?"
"You were never –" Dick starts, but Tim shakes his head, grins something fierce.
"You could stay with us," Dick says. He looks young, too young to be Batman – Tim has wondered, often, if Bruce was ever really this young. "There's a place for you here."
"You don't need me," Tim says. He's leaving. He sees the spot where Damian is hiding, watching them. "Jason does."
Tim leaves the Cave to the sound, in the distance, of Damian saying, "What he needs is for us to kick his a –"
&
Jason laughs at first, maybe because the first words Tim says when he tracks Jason down are, "I'm not going to kill anybody."
"That's okay, baby bird," Jason says. "I wouldn't ask that of you."
As it turns out, Jason doesn't ask a lot – at least not on the level Tim expected. He lets Tim follow him into fights, has him help out with intel – but he never makes Tim get his hands dirty.
It's – it's not what Tim expected out of someone who's nearly killed him before.
But then, he figures Jason didn't expect someone who he nearly killed to say yes.
fill, 1/2.
"You know he's crazy, right?" Dick asks. He hasn't stopped frowning at Tim in what could be hours.
"We all dress up in costumes every night and beat up criminals," Tim points out. "Sanity is… relative."
Somewhere in the distance there's a soft ttt. Damian is spying on them. It's fine. Tim is on his way out of the Batcave for – he won't say forever.
But.
"You know what I mean," Dick says. "He's not like the rest of us. He's –"
"Like Bruce, after Jason died," Tim says. Dick's eyes widen, startled. Tim has thought about this.
"You remember how he was," Tim says. "Brash. Angry. Chaotic."
"So that's what this is," Dick says. He's still grimacing, but there's understanding there, too. "You think if you're his Robin, you can bring him back."
Tim doesn't want to put it that way, but. He breathes out. "Every Batman needs a Robin."
"Even an imposter?" Dick asks.
"I was an imposter Robin after him," Tim says. "Why not have a team of them?"
"You were never –" Dick starts, but Tim shakes his head, grins something fierce.
"You could stay with us," Dick says. He looks young, too young to be Batman – Tim has wondered, often, if Bruce was ever really this young. "There's a place for you here."
"You don't need me," Tim says. He's leaving. He sees the spot where Damian is hiding, watching them. "Jason does."
Tim leaves the Cave to the sound, in the distance, of Damian saying, "What he needs is for us to kick his a –"
&
Jason laughs at first, maybe because the first words Tim says when he tracks Jason down are, "I'm not going to kill anybody."
"That's okay, baby bird," Jason says. "I wouldn't ask that of you."
As it turns out, Jason doesn't ask a lot – at least not on the level Tim expected. He lets Tim follow him into fights, has him help out with intel – but he never makes Tim get his hands dirty.
It's – it's not what Tim expected out of someone who's nearly killed him before.
But then, he figures Jason didn't expect someone who he nearly killed to say yes.
&