Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It Happens during Tim’s Young Justice days. Of course, it does. What hasn’t happened to Young Justice?

The mission was supposed to be easy, at least. A meta tearing up a district around Traya’s school. Young Justice decided to get involved immediately, since both Traya and Cissie were supposed to be in the affected area.

Everything went wrong almost immediately, as they went in without much intel on the metahuman’s powers. They went in under the impression that the meta could control clouds or moisture. Yet, the second they touched down, lightning was being thrown their way and a thunderclap threw Tim from Kon’s carry.

They miscalculated.

Cassie tried taking to the air, being mostly immune to lightning, but multiple thunderclaps threw her around like she was in a washing machine. Kon tried storming at the meta, but was thrown back by a lightning bolt soon enough. Bart managed to avoid the strikes for a time, using his speed to evade lightning but the thunderclaps covered too wide an area for Bart to avoid forever.

Tim, meanwhile, started planning. Kon was impulsive and brash, his tactics wouldn’t work. Cassie was slightly less impulsive but still very rash, not thinking clearly enough to work. Bart…Tim falters.

Bart could be useful.

Thus, Tim sent out a message to Bart, asking him to pick up Tim and take off. Kon and Cassie on civilian duty. They tried to complain for a minute, until Tim pointed out that Cissie and Traya were somewhere in this mess. Cassie stopped protesting shortly after that, dragging Kon along to make use of his x-ray vision.

Bart raced toward Tim, picking him up and running backward to attempt to minimise the strain on Tim’s body. Bart may have the speedforce protecting him, but Tim doesn’t. Instead, Tim lowers his head and pulls back his extremities in an attempt to minimise the amount of damage his body is taking.

It doesn’t work. Not that it really matters anyway.

Halfway through Tim’s plan to take down the meta, the meta evidently decides that they’ve had enough fun. They shoot a lightning bolt directly at where Tim and Bart are headed. Neither of them spot it in time.

The lightning bolt strikes Bart first, passing through his body into Tim’s.

The strike doesn’t affect Bart all that much as he produces electricity of his own, along with the healing factor, but Tim is only human. The shock causes him to jerk and seize as his muscles lock and twitch. “Tim!” Bart calls out, keeping a hold of Tim throughout, knowing that dropping Tim right now is the worst thing that he can do.

When Tim eventually stills, his heart still beats but Kon can hear that it is out of rhythm. There is something very wrong. Kon immediately abandons his search for civilians to fly after Bart, who stills to let Kon take Tim from his arms.

Then, Bart turns to face the meta, rage in his eyes and lightning sparking the edges of his vision.

The battle doesn’t last long after that.

Xxxxx

Red Tornado is the first outside of Young Justice to see Tim, eyes closed and unconscious as he laid out in the medical bay. His skin almost as pale as the bleached sheets. He immediately goes to report to Batman.

“This is Batman. I am currently busy with something. Call back if it’s important” the gravelly voice says before Batman hangs up. Red Tornado calls again, only to be hung up on again, and again, and again. After the third time, he gives up.

Turning his attention back to Robin, Red tornado hooks him up to the various machines they have in the medical bay. Robin’s heartrate still hasn’t settled, much faster than it should be. His back covered in arching Lichtenberg figures and spreading down his arms and legs. They would be permanent, Red knows.

Cassie and Bart return to the cave shortly after. Traya in Cassie’s arms and Bart continues to vibrate in rage. Kon still waiting to the side of the med bay, arms crossed over his chest, but brow creased in worry.

“Is he alright?” Bart asks immediately, eyes bright and lips pursed. Red isn’t sure what to tell him. He can’t raise Batman. Can’t figure out why Robin’s heart is still racing a mile a minute. So he tells them so.

It isn’t the most heartening statement. Robin’s mentor in the wind as he is injured and even Red doesn’t know what to do. But the team takes it in stride, immediately convening to think about why this is happening. Bart raises the argument that the shock could have changed his heartrate permanently, while Kon thinks that Robin should be taken to an actual hospital. Cassie shoots that idea down with a reminder that Robin wouldn’t want to be taken to a public hospital, even if he is gravely injured, though she seems reluctant to follow through with her own statement.

“Wait. We know a bunch of people who have some kind of medical experience, right? And Barry was struck by lightning, maybe he can help” Bart points out easily, the other 2 seeming hesitant to hope. Though they have no counterargument and thus, Bart dials his mentor and starts speaking fast enough that even Red has trouble following.

“Rob-was-struck-by-lightning-we-need-help-please. Please-uncle-Barry. Please-help-him. His-heartrate-is-really-fast-and-I’m-worried”

It doesn’t take long for Flash to appear after that, racing into the mountain and causing papers to fly in every direction as he skids to a stop in front of Bart’s, eyes wide and smile tight. “I’ll take a look at him, I promise” Barry says, resting a hand on Bart’s shoulder to calm Bart’s anxious vibrating as he scans over Robin’s still form and the displays from his vitals.

Red can see Barry’s question in his eye as he glances up ‘Where is Batman? Have you told him?’ and Red feels almost bad to have to report “Batman is currently unreachable, as is Oracle and Nightwing is off-planet with Starfire” causing Barry’s eyes to crinkle in worry before he asks “Have you gotten in contact?” to which Red sighs, placing Traya on the chair next to him “I have gotten in contact once, where I was dismissed and have been ignored after that call” Red says, eyes lingering on the prone form of the child injured in the battlefield.

Everyone can see Barry’s eyes flash with anger at that statement before he visibly calms himself, stepping forward to evaluate Robin and his condition.

“His vitals look alright for the most part. His heartrate is very fast for his fitness level and physique but that’s the only thing I can see that’s wrong with him. The unconsciousness could be due to shock or injury, his body shutting down to process and heal” Barry notes, looking everything over with a fine-toothed comb. He isn’t sure what is happening either. Until he reaches out to feel Tim’s wrist.

There is…a spark. Not metaphorically. Not metaphysically. No. An actual spark of electricity reaches from Tim’s skin to Barry’s fingertips. Like an arc of lightning.

And that. That has implications that are completely different. After all, that exact spark is how Iris realised Barry’s identity. It happened while he was comatose from the reactor explosion and then again when the tidal wave was racing toward Central City. It wouldn’t be amiss to assume that this might not be all that different.

With that realisation, Barry starts flitting around the unconscious child, checking his vitals over again, monitoring his heartbeat, everything. All while frantically trying to get Caitlyn or Cisco on the phone.

The space between rings seem to lengthen as Bart stares at him in real time, tears starting to appear in the corner of his eyes. After all, Barry’s racing couldn’t mean anything good for Tim. Barry takes a second to assure Bart, resting a hand on his forearm with a smile as he waits for someone to just answer the phone already.

His patience pays off as Cisco’s voice drifts into his ear “Hey dude, what’s-“ before Barry interrupts him “Get Caitlyn and. Actually, get everyone please. We have a bit of a problem”. Cisco can most likely hear the desperation in Barry’s voice, immediately hailing Caitlyn and Jo, as Iris is at work. They gather around him, asking questions but once Barry hears Jo’s voice, he starts to speak.

“It’s Robin”
“Robin. Like Batman’s Robin?” Jo asks
“Yeah. Robin. Young Justice was fighting a metahuman and Robin was struck by lightning”
Barry can hear Jo suck in a breath of parental panic before Caitlyn asks “Which is tragic, but what does it have to do with us?”
“His heartrate is incredibly fast. He’s unconscious. And. There was a spark when I tried taking his vitals physically”
Silence
“Like how Iris felt when you were unconscious at the hospital with the same symptoms” Cisco muses, already pulling up a simulation of the effects of lightning on a human body.
“But you were thrown into chemicals by a lightning strike from the particle accelerator explosion. This was just normal lightning” Caitlyn points out.

Kon, who had been listening in the entire time, deigns that in need of an answer “Bart was carrying him” he says, voice steadier now that he knows that Tim will most likely survive this. It sparks a whole new wave of theories and discussions from Cisco and Caitlyn, while Young Justice hounds Kon for answers.

As Kon explains what has been said to the rest of the team, Barry runs around Tim again, looking things over with his new perspective and he can see Bart do the same. The raised heartbeat makes sense, Barry had the same. The coma makes sense, since Barry had that as well. It all lines up perfectly.

Meanwhile, Caitlyn and Cisco on the other end of the line come to the conclusion that Tim should probably be brought to STAR labs so that they can look them over themselves and make sure that he’s alright. It causes Kon to tense and relay the information immediately.

Barry can see the fight coming in the clench on Kon’s fist, the set of Cassie’s shoulders. But Bart doesn’t look ready to fight. He understands that Tim is in safe hands, probably the safest hands. But his eyes plead with Barry, wide and teary as his chin wobbles.

Barry can’t resist, saying, to the protest of his entire team “Come on. We’re all going to STAR labs. Notify your mentors and follow me”. Bart’s smile is completely worth the lecture Caitlyn is gearing up, while Cisco rambles on about Kon and DNA analysis. It causes Kon to sense marginally before Jo steps in, saying that there will be no testing on children without their permission.

Cisco doesn’t seem the slightest bit disheartened.

With Barry and Bart racing along street side and Kon and Cassie flying high above them, it doesn’t take them long to reach the STAR labs office that Barry had been using as a headquarters for as long as he’d been the Flash. Kon carrying Tim seemed to help a lot as well, his Tactile Telekinesis keeping Tim safe from both the G-force and the debris.

They arrive with a bang, as is normal for them, Bart rushing in alongside Barry as Kon and Cassie drop from the sky and float after them.

The whole team is gathered in the main room, as Barry had suspected, Jo standing awkwardly to the side and watching the kids with wary eyes as Caitlyn sets Robin on the bet and hooks him up to the monitoring system they have. Meanwhile, Cisco turns to Bart, asking him to explain exactly what happened.

Bart explains, enthusiasm bouncing off the walls and rebounding with Cisco’s in a way that makes Barry regret letting them meet. But they explain how both Bart and Tim had been struck with the same bolt of lightning, flowing first through Bart and then into Tim, due to their positioning. It causes Caitlyn and Cisco to start reviewing theories on speedforce transference between two living creatures via electricity.

Young Justice mostly just stands back to watch them work, only intervening when Cisco tries to remove Robin’s cape and tunic, earning a warning that there are some pretty nasty traps in there for anyone who isn’t a bat. They decide to rather leave the uniform on, at that, though they seem conflicted at the mask.

“We need to check his pupil dilation, signs of a concussion. For that to happen, we need to see his eyes. For that to happen, we need to take off his mask” Cisco explains to the young heroes, fretting over the design of the mask and how it adheres to Tim’s skin. “Which is all well and good. But even we don’t know who Rob is yet” Cassie explains, frustration leaking into her statement like this is a fight they’ve had many times before and she’s never won.

“Alright but there is a distinct difference between becoming a speedster or just being unconscious because of a concussion” Cisco says, already scanning Tim and taking samples, hooking him up with more sensors. The entire room tenses, the statement everyone has ben thinking said out loud.

Because there is a distinct possibility that Robin, Batman’s Robin has become a speedster. And nobody is sure how to react, let alone how Batman will react. Barry, remembering the “no metas in Gotham” rule, winces, hoping that it won’t apply to Robin. Hopes that the kid will still be able to be Robin.

A second later, Cisco stills, eyes wide as he turns the screen he is observing to show the room the display. On one side of the screen, Barry can see molecules vibrating and moving the same way that Caitlyn and Dr Wells had shown him all that time ago. On the other side, the molecules are doing the same, though slower.

“Well. There’s no question now. Robin is a speedster” Cisco announces to the room, the silence making the statement reverberate

Chapter Text

Tim doesn’t usually like the dark. Dark means that he’s been caught off guard, that he is at a disadvantage. Especially when he is pretty sure that he is unconscious. It means he’s been hurt. Been beat. And Robin cannot afford that.

Tim cannot afford that.

Not with how Batman is. Not with how perfect Tim needs to be to stay Robin. No. Tim has to be perfect. Has to be infallible. If he’s hurt, then Batman will take Robin away. And Tim, doesn’t want him to. Has taken to the cape and pixie boots like a duck to water. He doesn’t want that. Doesn’t think he could survive that at this point.

So he fights against the darkness pressing down on him, even if this darkness doesn’t seem as bad as it usually does. Doesn’t seem as heavy or foreboding. It almost seems. Light.

But Tim fights. Fights to wake up and move. To see his team. To reassure Batman. And the darkness lifts.

The first thing that comes to is Tim’s sense of touch. Can feel the IV in the crook of his elbow, the various stickers and straps keeping track of his vitals. The bed under his back, starch and crinkly like most hospital sheets.

The second thing is Tim’s sense of smell. The smell of disinfectant dominant, as to be expected, but cut with some sort of ozone or maybe something else.

The third thing to come back is Tim’s hearing.
“His eyes are flickering. That’s a good sign. Brainwaves are starting to stabilize. He might actually be waking up”
The voice is unfamiliar and with that thought, Tim forces his eyes open, forces his limbs into submission and gets ready for a fight.

Pain lances across his chest as he lunges off the bed and into a fighting stance, but Tim ignores it. There’s no time for pain, he thinks as a hand settles on his shoulder. Tim’s hand immediately shoots out to break the wrist, pausing when there is no yelp of pain.

Slowly, his adrenaline fades, sight clearing to show…the inside of a research facility. Tim tenses, ready to run but a familiar hand holds him steady until his gaze turns toward the owner. It’s Kon. Bart and Cassie standing off to the side, watching him with worry. The unfamiliar person who had spoken clears their throat then, causing Tim to turn and see his captors. Only to stop when he sees Barry Allen, The Flash, standing with a smile on his lips and a team to his back.

Tim recognises these people, at least. Has read their files. Caitlyn Snow. Cisco Ramon. Joe West. All part of the team that helped Flash recover and then learn about his powers. None of them enemies.

At that, Tim deems it safe to relax, his arms dropping from his ready stance and feet shuffling slightly into a more contained stance than the outright stance from before. These people aren’t Tim’s enemies. Not really allies either. But they definitely aren’t his enemies. And he won’t treat them as such.

Caitlyn had to have been the one to speak, her mouth still open from where her statement had been confirmed. She seems shocked, almost as if she had been expecting to be wrong. Barry is the only one who seems to be both unshocked and happy at his awakening, but there’s a tension in his stance, a weight in his eyes that gives Tim pause.

“How long have I been out?” Tim asks, the rasp of his throat already giving him an idea that it had been a while. His limbs are heavy, the way that they should be after such a long bedrest, but they don’t feel atrophied, luckily, so it hasn’t been that long.

The people around him glance at Barry, waiting for him to answer. Even Bart, which tells Tim that something happened. Something went wrong.

“How much do you remember, Robin?” Flash asks. And it is the Flash, the mentor, rather than Barry Allen.
“Not much. I remember going out with Young Justice. Something about a meta with humidity powers. A little bit of the fight. Bart carrying me. Then it all goes blank” Tim admits, the statement falling from his lips like ash. Robin’s are supposed to remember. Are supposed to know.
“You got struck by lightning, dude” The man that the files called Cisco tells Tim, sounding almost nonchalant at that.
“You got struck by lightning while Impulse carried you” Caitlyn explains, seeing Tim’s almost hidden confusion.

Hit by lightning, Tim muses. It isn’t a thing he’d researched extensively, but he knows a thing or 2. So Tim deactivates the clasps and traps around his gauntlets, releases them to roll up his sleeve.

On his arm, he can see, are the marks. The Lichtenburg figures.

He can trace them down his arm to his fingertips. White lines still pinkish against the backdrop of his pale skin.

Tim can feel the team’s pitying eyes lingering on the marks Tim knows will scar. Tim ignores them, turning toward Barry to continue asking questions.
“How long was I out?”
“8 days” Barry answers
“Well 8 and a half” Caitlyn remarks, already starting to reconnect the stickers and straps Tim had torn off.
“Why was I out for so long?”
That’s when Barry pauses. Looks toward Jo for some help. Gets a shrug in return.
“When you were being carried by Impulse, the meta struck you both with lightning. The current passed through Bart first and then into you. But we have a suspicion” Barry trails off, obviously not wanting to say it. Bart interrupts before he can continue “You have superspeed now” Bart says, his voice guilty as his eyes tear up.

Tim freezes, not wanting to believe what Bart had just said but also knowing that Bart wouldn’t lie about things like this. He wouldn’t. But the heartbroken expression on Bart’s face doesn’t belong there, seizes Tim’s heart and draws him forward, forcing him to walk toward Bart and hug him. He doesn’t expect to throw them both back a foot or two.

“You. Just moved at superspeed” Bart says, awe in his voice and expression. But, Tim hadn’t. He’d just walked forward and hugged Bart. He didn’t even run. So he couldn’t have moved at superspeed. He voices this, pointing out that he hadn’t realised that he’d moved at superspeed. That it felt just like walking. Immediately, Flash’s team swarm him. Cisco going for the computers and pulling up camera feeds while Caitlyn grabs more medical equipment.

Tim just lets it all happen, watching himself move faster than the camera can pick up, in the space of 2 frames. Lets Caitlyn rest something that looks like a colander on his head. Watches the both of them titter and discuss things like superspeed and brainpower and processing speed.

Suddenly it’s all too much. The voices around him too loud and much too slow. The Robin suit he’d been in for the last week sticky and uncomfortable, grating his every nerve. The lights too bright, even as he follows a ray of light travel from the source to the floor.

No-one has a chance to stop him before he’s gone.

Chapter Text

Tim isn’t sure where he’s going. Isn’t even sure where he is at the moment. Doesn’t really care either.

He races through the streets on autopilot, looking for a place where he can just sit down and think.

Because Tim has superspeed now. Saw himself move faster than a camera can record. Even now, he can see that the speed he’s moving at isn’t normal. Can see the people around him are moving slower than is normal. But that isn’t true, is it? No. They’re moving normally. He’s moving fast.

It still doesn’t feel like it though. Not the way Bart had always described it.
He’d always said that he’d moved so fast his head couldn’t keep up. At least at first.
But Tim doesn’t feel that way. He still feels like he’s running at normal speed. He just…isn’t.

Eventually, in what Tim knows is the blink of an eye for most people, Tim stills. He can see some of the city stretch out in front of him, how back to the woods bordering Central City. It’s quiet, isolated. It makes Tim feel better as the sun beats down on his back, the weight of his cape comforting. It reminds him that he’s still in costume.

Still Robin.

The costume clings uncomfortably to his skin, sticky in places and chafing in others. But it’s him. It’s Robin. He is still Robin. For now.

Tim doesn’t know how long that will last. Doesn’t know how Bruce will react to this news, let alone how Batman will react. After all, Robin is Batman’s sidekick. Batman doesn’t have powers. Robin isn’t supposed to have powers. And then there’s the ‘No Metas in Gotham’ rule. Is Batman going to force him out of Gotham? Will Bruce rescind his training and mentorship? Tim…isn’t sure.

It doesn’t take long for Tim’s breathing to shorten. To turn breaths into panting. Doesn’t take all that long for tears to start burning at the corners of Tim’s eyes.

Fortunately, Tim is no longer alone.

Slightly behind him, Tim can see a streak of red and white, a head of floofy brown hair. Bart.

Tim doesn’t hesitate to start trying to wipe his eyes. Unfortunately, the domino blocks his attempts and it just shows Bart that Tim is most likely crying. Bart, however, doesn’t seem to react. His expression stays the same heartbroken that it was when Tim left. Sadness and guilt and a reluctant happiness shining in those huge eyes of his.

“Heya Rob. I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now. But I. I just” Bart stops, eyes catching on Tim’s as they both still. “I’m so sorry” Bart finishes, eyes caught on the tears slowly escaping Tim’s domino. At that, Tim doesn’t hesitate to grab onto Bart’s arm, pulling him closer to sob into Bart’s shoulder. His whole world crumbling around him.

“It-It’s not your. Fault, Bart. I should- should have planned better. Should never have gone in with that little information. It’s not your fault.
It’s mine”
Tim’s voice steadies with every word he manages, the truth of the matter settling into his bones. Because Robins are supposed to be smart. Not go into a fight without all the information. Tim, especially, isn’t supposed to get hurt.

He’s supposed to be a co-worker for Batman. Someone Batman can lose without feeling bad. But also someone he isn’t supposed to lose at all.

“Rob” Bart murmurs, his voice devastated as he looks down at the boy (and Robin is still very much a boy) in his lap. “It isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. This. Isn’t something you could have accounted for” Bart says, eyes still sad and a bit guilty. “Then it isn’t yours either” Tim refutes, eagerly attempting to get Bart to understand.

“Then it’s neither of ours” Bart concludes, voice starting to lose that edge of guilt, though Tim isn’t sure he’d ever fully lose it.
“Neither of ours” Tim echoes, starting to slump down onto Bart, tired.

Bart gives a small smile as he picks Tim up, starting to speed back to STAR labs.

Where Barry is still apparently lecturing Cisco and Caitlyn.

“He’s still a kid. Like he still looks 12. Maybe we can just take it a smidge easy on him?” Barry asks exasperatedly as Bart speeds in, handing Tim, now asleep, over to Kon. “Yeah. We shouldn’t have freaked him out that much” Caitlyn admits “But it was just so interesting” Cisco finishes. Barry just gives them a sigh and asks them to go slower for the kid. Drawing a laugh from Iris, who had been called out of work.

“How is he?” Barry asks, ignoring the laughter at his inadvertent joke. And Bart still isn’t sure how to answer that. “He seems…stressed. I found him out near the woods, just sitting there. Basically hyperventilating. He. He was crying” Bart admits, feeling like he’s betraying Tim’s trust but knowing that it’s important for both Barry and the team to know.

“Rob? Crying?” Cassie asks, a frown starting to scrunch at her eyebrows, because Robin doesn’t cry. They haven’t seen him cry. Ever.
“Yeah. He uh. He kind of admitted to thinking that this is all his fault” Bart admits, his eyes trained on the floor.
“His fault?” Kon asks as soon as Bart finishes, his voice incredulous but Bart can hear the concern lingering in his tone as he tightens his arms around Tim.
“His fault” Bart confirms.

The room is silent then, for a second longer than Bart can handle before Barry speaks up.
“Maybe we can try getting Batman on the line again”
No-one raises any complaints to that, so Barry grabs his JLA communicator from the desk.

“Batman. Batman come in”
Repeat.
Repeat
Repeat
Repeat.
Barry’s voice has started to carry a current of annoyance. Because Bats has to know something is wrong by now. Unless he’s in deep, or he’s just ignoring it.

“Flash” Batman finally grumbles into the comm, sounding just as annoyed as Barry had been. It makes Barry’s eyes narrow in annoyance.

“I’m busy at the moment. Unless it is an emergency, please do not contact me aga-“
“Robin was hurt” Barry interrupts before Batman can hang up.
There’s a silence on the other end of the line.
“Is he awake?”
“No. He is currently asleep”
“Asleep or unconscious?”
The question makes Barry pause, looking Robin over before reluctantly reporting “Asleep”
“How badly injured?”
“Bad enough that Red and I called you 8 days ago!” Barry yells, frustration tipping over into anger
“Tell him to be ready for debrief in an hour”
Then a dial tone.

Barry makes to throw the phone at the wall, only stopped by Cisco’s offended shriek as he moves. “I take it didn’t go well” Joe infers hesitantly “He didn’t even seem to care!” Barry yells, still angry but not at Joe. “He said that Robin should be ready for debrief in an hour. Didn’t ask how he was. Didn’t ask for his injures. Didn’t even seem to care at all that his kid hasn’t been heard from in 8 days” Barry vents.

Young Justice sharing glances at each other catches his attention, then. They almost seem to have expected this outcome.

Chapter Text

Conner tightens his grip on Tim as Barry continues to rant. He isn’t surprised at Batman’s attitude. Not the slightest bit. Kon has always felt like Robin wasn’t safe with the Bat. Wasn’t healthy. But he’d never been able to voice it.
Tim always showing up with bruises had gained his attention. Then the almost nonchalant mentions of Batman’s “training”. The way Nightwing tried to discourage Robin from being Robin in the first place, by verbally abusing him. The way Batman was always Batman, not B like Nightwing called him. Not Dad, like the second Robin had sometimes slipped into saying. Just Batman.

And those were the subtle tells.

The way Rob flinches at any sort of contact but his endorphins spike when he’s in contact. The way that Robin never reported to Batman while with Young Justice. The way that Rob could always sleep over without Batman’s notice. The way some of Robin’s injuries were never tended to properly.

These things were all concerning to Kon. Made him angry at Batman. Made him fear the worst for his friend. But he could never bring himself to say anything to Rob.
He did bring it up to Bart once or twice, who expressed his own worries in the same lane.
That Robin was too thin. Wasn’t growing like most boys his age did. That Robin barely ate anything unless it was in range of his laptop and basically forced down his throat. Rarely drank anything if it even slightly interfered with his work.

Maybe, maybe this is good, Kon thinks. Looking over to Barry, the anger in his eyes is for Rob. Not at him but for him. Cisco is basically radiating concerned confusion while Caitlyn’s attempt at a stoic mask cracks as Barry goes on. Even Joe seems a second away from calling CPS.

Maybe this will be good for Rob.

Kon shares a look with Bart and Cassie, who seem to be thinking the same, Bart starting to bounce excitedly at the notion of Robin becoming a part of his family. Cassie seems more indifferent though the fierce protectiveness shines through her mask.

“I need to go now” Cassie says, finally assured that Robin will be alright, meaning that she’s leaving Robin and his health in their hands. They are his best friends, after all. And before any of the Flash team can question her, she’s off.

Kon takes the lingering silence to text Ma and Pa that he’s helping out a friend and might not be home by dinner. Probably not, actually. And they respond back saying that it’s fine and to please be safe.

After a moment of silence where Bart and Barry seem to glare at each other for no reason that Kon can discern, Robin starts to stir in Kon’s arms. Luckily, he doesn’t lash out, just twisting around and trying to stretch. Pausing when he realises that he can’t. Mumbles for a second about “Alf” and “coffee” before seeming to register his surroundings.

He doesn’t try to sit up, just relaxing more thoroughly into Kon’s arms with a sigh and a grumble. Kon can even sense the endorphins flooding his bloodstream at the contact, even with his heartbeat now much faster than Kon is used to. Not quite as fast as Bart’s but significantly faster than any normal healthy human’s is supposed to be.

Xxxxx

“How long was I out this time?” Tim asks, voice scratchy as it was before but for a different reason. Not disuse. No, it almost feels like…overuse? Thinking back, he remembers sobbing into Bart’s shoulder in the woods. Blushes at the memory, despite his best efforts.

Immediately, Tim tries to rub the leftover salt from his eyes, again running into the domino. Only a second later does he realise that he isn’t in a bed. Oh no. He’s in Kon’s arms. A small squeak escapes his still sore throat as his blush spreads even further, Tim not even trying to stop it. After all, he’s safe here. Here, he doesn’t have to hide. Also, he hasn’t had his coffee yet. Though now that Tim thinks about it, that might be a bad idea. Who even knows what caffeine does to speedsters.

Usually, he would hide from Barry and his team but, Tim just doesn’t have the will at the moment. Doesn’t have the energy to summon up his impenetrable Drake façade. It might be from the extended bed rest. It might be from the shock of receiving superpowers. Or it could just be because he feels comfortable around these people. Kon and Bart, at the very least.

After all, he knows Barry Allen. He knows Iris West from Bart’s stories and retellings. He even knows Joe West from Bart’s stories of family dinners. Caitlyn and Cisco are new but Tim at least knows of them. Knows that they’ve been there for Barry since the very beginning. Knows that they worked with him against the fake Dr Wells. Knows that Barry trusts them.

Usually, that wouldn’t be enough for Tim. Not when his identity is at stake. Along with Batman’s and Nightwing’s. Even Oracle’s.

But now. Does Tim really have a choice in the matter?

“Hey Rob” Kon says, tapping at Tim’s ribs with his TTK to get his attention and ignoring the outraged yell, as Tim regrets telling Kon that he’s ticklish. “Barry has something to tell you” Bart says, gesturing to his mentor with a flourish and a smile. He seems less guilty, Tim thinks happily before he moves his gaze to the elder speedster.

Barry looks almost nervous as he starts to speak. Almost nervous enough to hide the anger simmering under it. And Tim isn’t sure what he’s done. He’s been unconscious for most of his time here. How could he already have made Barry angry?

“We finally got a hold of Batman” Barry says, answering Tim’s question. Batman must be mad. And Barry is his co-worker and fellow superhero so Barry must be angry with Tim because Batman is angry with him. Maybe Batman even explained that it was Tim’s own fault for getting hurt.

Tim’s thought process is halted there when Kon tightens his arm around Tim’s shoulder. Distracting him from his own thoughts as Bart gives Barry a subtle look, trying to explain without words that Tim isn’t OK. That Tim can see Barry is angry and will blame himself.

By the time Tim tunes back into the conversation, Bart and Barry’s voiceless discussion had already passed, leaving Tim at a loss at the lack of anger and the new immergence of concern in Barry’s body language.

“We got a hold of Batman. Now. Because we couldn’t get a hold of him in the last few days” Barry explains, trying to word his statement without saying outright that Batman had somehow been too busy to care about his Robin. Tim, though, isn’t fazed. Batman is always busy, after all, crime never rests. And Robin can take care of himself. Should take care of himself.

Seeing Tim’s lack of sadness, lack of anger, unnerves Barry. Makes him speak to throw off the compulsion to shake the Robin until he understands. “He said that you should be ready for debrief in” checking the clock “50 minutes” Barry explains, still trying to draw some kind of reaction from the child. To find any indication that this isn’t normal for him.

Tim doesn’t react. Debrief in an hour. Alright. That gives him 50 minutes to come up with a plan. To decide, is he going to try and hide his powers from Batman, or is he going to accept not being Robin anymore? On one hand, hiding from Batman is difficult. On the other, he’s managed it before. He still has no control over his newfound powers, but he can learn.

Bart throws that thought process out the window immediately, as Cisco starts to set up what looks like a training schedule and Caitlyn excuses herself to go to work, saying that she will be back after her shift, with some other medical and scientific equipment. “So, Rob. How are you going to tell Batman about your new powers?” Bart asks, the glint in his eyes duller than it should be, as he asks. And Robin stills, dulling the glint of excitement further and replacing it with confusion.

“I’m not going to tell him. I don’t think so, at least. I’m still debating” Tim admits, causing everyone in the room to freeze
“You’re going to try and keep your brand-new powers a secret from Batman?” Barry asks, tone somewhere between incredulous and a deadpan.
“I’ve done it before” Tim says easily, already thinking of how to work around this.
“Why?”
This time, the question comes from Joe, who already seems suspicious of something, eyes narrowed and focussed on Tim.
Tim doesn’t even look up, still thinking.
“Because he won’t let me be Robin anymore. No metas in Gotham, remember?”

Tim doesn’t see the flash of outrage on all the faces of the people present.
Doesn’t see Kon and Bart exchanging glances over his head and both looking toward Barry. Doesn’t see the stunned anger Barry seems to exude or the shock on Cisco’s face. Definitely doesn’t see Joe narrow his eyes at Iris in a concealed conversation.

Maybe he should have looked up. It would have prepared him for what’s coming. But then. Maybe this was how it should have played out all along.

Chapter Text

Kon and Bart drag Barry away from the rest of the din as soon as they can. They only have 50 minutes, after all. Their concern obviously influences Barry’s mood quite a bit, as his usual smile is missing, replaced with a concerned frown.

“We need to talk about Rob” Kon declares, shutting the door behind them with his TTK and using his x-ray vision to make sure that everyone else is still in the main room where they left them. Robin is still getting gently questioned by Iris, the Robin humouring her in answering questions and evading them in equal measure, Joe watching over them both as Cisco does something on the computer.

“What about Robin?” Barry asks, multiple answers and things he would like to discuss flashing in front of his eyes. The glance the boys share not leaving him with much confidence as to the severity of the topic.

Kon is the first to answer, looking more serious than Barry had ever really seen him.
“We need you to swear that what we discuss will not leave this room”
Barry doesn’t hesitate. He knows all about secrets. “What about my team?”. He’s learned his lesson about secrets, after Iris had ripped him and Joe new ones for keeping Barry as Flash a secret.
After a second of deliberation between them, Bart says “Excluding your team”
Barry agrees then.

“We have some observations from Rob that we think we should share. So you are going to keep quiet and let us tell you what we’ve noticed” Bart demands, tone still soft but with a hard edge that no-one hears often. Barry nods again to give his assent.

“Rob is touch starved” Kon opens with. “He flinches when anyone touches him but then his endorphins flood once he accepts that it’s not going to hurt”
“Rob is not healthy. He’s 15 but he looks 12. He’s much too light for his age and much too small” Bart continues, the two starting to voice more concerns.
“Batman never notices when Rob gets hurt”
“Some of his wounds are never treated”
“Rob once hid a whole Batmobile in the batarang budget”
“He works too hard, only resting when he really crashes”
“Nightwing basically verbally abused him when he just started”
“Batman once replaced Rob without telling us”
“Rob’s parents died, and he couldn’t tell us because Batman won’t let him expose his identity”
“Last year, Rob’s birthday, Batman staged a whole crime spree to test Rob”
“Ra’s al Ghul tries to kidnap Rob every now and again and I think we’re the only ones who notice”
“Rob once held a gun to his own head”

That’s when the silence descends. Both Bart and Barry turning to stare at Kon in shock. “What?” Kon asks in confusion, looking directly at Bart’s shocked expression.
“What do you mean Rob tried to kill himself?” Bart demands
Kon shakes his head before answering “It was when we met the future evil versions of ourselves. Batman with guns, remember? Tim held one of his guns to his head to keep future Tim away” Kon explains.
“But was he really going to pull the trigger?” Bart asks, almost desperate for Kon to say no.
Kon doesn’t answer immediately, causing Bart and Barry’s heartbeats to skyrocket “I don’t know. He didn’t. But I don’t know if he would have. His heartbeat was completely steady, and he didn’t seem to be lying when he said that he would pull the trigger. But then he’s always been a good liar” Kon eventually admits.

Barry swallows down the panic and bile clawing down the back of his throat, attempting to keep some veneer of professionalism as he stands and leaves the room. He heads straight to Cisco and Joe, keeping an eye on Iris and Robin.

“Cisco. I need you to set up a program to watch Robin” Barry says
Cisco looks up from his typing then, looking confused as he stops “You think he’s a threat?” Cisco eventually voices, keeping his volume low.
“No. I’ll explain in a bit when Robin starts debriefing with Batman” Barry says.
Cisco still looks confused but nods, starting to type again. Creating a program to monitor where Robin goes and what he does.

“Could I borrow your computer?” a voice behind Barry asks, suddenly. Barry can’t stop his jump fast enough but keeps it fast enough for people not to see. But Robin just smirks, having seen it like Barry had moved at regular speed. “Can I use your computer for the debrief with Batman?” Robin repeats, drawing Kon and Bart’s attention and cueing their glares.

Barry looks at Cisco and nods before signalling Cisco, Joe and Iris to talk alone. Bart and Kon will keep Tim busy for the next few minutes until the debrief. They gather around the computer, acting like they’re helping to set up the call but really that’s just Cisco.

“What’s going on Barry?” Joe asks
“Yeah. We don’t have long before Batman calls” Iris echoes
“I thought Batman would physically come check up on this kid” Cisco asks, typing even faster in his apparent shock
“Yeah. That’s what I want to talk to you guys about. Kon and Bart. Superboy and Impulse. They expressed some worries to me a little bit ago and. They’re valid worries. I just. I don’t know how to say this” Barry says, pausing when Joe rests a hand on his shoulder, a fatherly look on his face as he looks down at Barry with pride.
“They expressed worries that Robin may not be safe with Batman” Barry says, deciding to be blunt. It does not go down well. Joe immediately tenses in a way that Barry had called “Police mode” when he was a kid. Cisco doesn’t pause his typing but the keyboard strains under his more forceful tapping. Iris doesn’t seem surprised, rather being almost resigned.
“Robin told me that he doesn’t believe he’ll stay Robin if Batman finds out about the speed but he also said that he would no longer be welcome in Gotham” Iris admits, biting her tongue from telling every other little thing he mentioned that unnerved her.
“It gets worse” Barry says, pausing to let everyone settle.
“Kon mentioned that Robin once held a gun to his own head”
The words bounce around the space, taunting them.
“What?” Iris eventually asks. But it isn’t a question. No, the blatant worry in her voice makes it apparent.
“Did you get the context around it?” Joe asks, already in detective mode
“Yeah. Apparently, they were facing future evil versions of themselves and Robin held a gun to his head to scare the future him. But Kon says that he isn’t sure if it was just a scare tactic”
The quiet then is filled with emotion. Iris’ anger, Cisco’s concern and Joe’s thoughtfulness.
“He cannot go back” Iris eventually says, voice like ice.
“I second that” Cisco says, still not looking at anyone.
“I agree” Joe says.
They don’t bother looking to Barry. He wouldn’t have brought it up if he had any objections.

Chapter Text

Tim doesn’t like the atmosphere in the room.

Bart and Kon are behaving oddly. Concerned and worried as they stand to the side, watching the Flash team with hawk eyes. The Flash team themselves are behaving oddly and trying to mask it. Nobody needs 4 people to set up a call, after all. No. They’re using the call as a cover to discuss something.

Judging by the glances being sent his way, the topic is most likely him. But Tim isn’t sure what about him they are discussing. It could be the speedforce. Could be the strange way the speedforce is interacting with him. Could be because of how he received his powers.

Any way to Sunday, it is not good. Judging by the suspicion in Joe’s eyes, the rage in Iris’ and the worry in Cisco’s.

They must be discussing how to keep him in control. How to get rid of him if he ever becomes a problem. How to keep everyone safe from him.

A valid worry. After all, Tim has already seen what happens when he goes dark. Has seen the effects of it himself. And Tim would happily die before he allows that to happen.

For now though, Tim is Robin. He has to act like a Robin.
Strong.
Fierce.
Reliable.
Invincible.

Tim doesn’t hesitate to step forward when the call connects, isn’t shocked when Batman doesn’t immediately answer. Rather, he smiles at Agent A, Alfred in a simple domino and his darkest black suit.
“Robin. It is good to see you, my boy” Agent A says, looking Tim over for any obvious injuries.
“Agent A. It’s good to be back” Tim responds with a smile he learned from Jason.
“Batman is still on patrol for the moment. Catwoman, you see”
Tim almost doesn’t contain his disgusted wince, remembering the times where Bruce and Selina had gone off on their own during patrol, leaving Robin to turn off his comms or suffer through it.
“On or off?” Tim asks, knowing that an Off meeting would result in a few claw marks that would have to be treated afterwards.
“On”
Tim isn’t sure whether to be relieved at that or not. Bruce wouldn’t have any wounds but also, their…dalliances could last quite a while during one of their On slots.
So, he sits down and waits. Using the time to plan out his lies in his head. Deliberating between the Robin title being torn away from him now. Or later. Because Tim isn’t arrogant enough to think that Batman won’t find out.

Xxxxx

Kon isn’t shocked when Batman doesn’t appear on screen. It makes him feel worse because it should shock him. It should make him angry that his friend’s mentor isn’t even sticking to his own schedule. Should be angry that Batman isn’t even worried enough to stop patrolling. But no. Kon isn’t shocked. Can’t even really muster up the anger he usually manages. Just feels blank, like he’s gotten used to it.

Barry and his team, however, are definitely shocked. They aren’t used to this.

Kon can see the frown on Barry’s forehead growing deeper as Robin continues to speak. He can see Joe taking notes on a clipboard, noting things down and pressing hard enough to almost tear the paper. He can see Cisco, still confused but slowly drawing up conclusions of his own, based on what’s being said and also what isn’t. He can see Iris’ eyes soften on Tim’s back, concern and fury battling in her eyes.

They haven’t been exposed to this for years. Haven’t seen Batman shrug off Robin every time he calls. Haven’t seen Robin brush off injuries and refuse to report them because of Batman.

It’s a breath of fresh air, reminding Kon that this isn’t normal. That despite Kon’s own animosity with Clark, most mentors actually care about their sidekicks. And Batman doesn’t seem to care all that much. Definitely not enough for Flash’s liking or his team’s.

Kon can feel a smile spread across his lips. Because maybe this will change soon. And it will hurt Robin, Kon knows that. Robin will lose his title and that will hurt. But maybe. Just maybe. They can help him heal.

Xxxxx

When the batmobile speeds, you can hear it coming from a mile away. Tim knows this to be a fact. Knows it was designed that way. Both to warn civilians from its path and to intimidate the criminal it is speeding after.

Both Tim and Alfred can hear the car speeding through the caves 5 minutes before it actually stops in the vehicle bay with a screech of tires and brakes. It gives Tim time. Time to make himself presentable. A strong façade, as strong as he can manage, drawn up and over his shoulders.

Because Tim has made his decision. Batman will find out about Tim’s speed one way or another. Hiding it will sour the relationship between Barry and Bruce. Possibly affecting the way that they work together in the Justice league.

Scenarios race through his head faster than Tim would usually be able to think. Batman kicking him out of Gotham is inevitable. Tim would be able to delay it for a while. But would it be worth it?

A flash of an angry Batman, just like before Tim became Robin, standing over an injured Barry and a bleeding Bart is enough. Though the background of the world ending certainly cinches things. Batman may not act like the most emotional person, but he can hold a grudge like nobody’s business. That’s how he became Batman, after all.

Tim will not allow his mistake to have deadly consequences like that.

He’s already told Alfred to start cleaning up his room, that he most likely won’t be Robin anymore after tonight. Has asked him to gather everything Tim owns in the manor and place it in the woods for Tim to collect later.

Alfred had been sad, in the way that he knew Tim was right. Could read it in the set of Tim’s shoulders. The way Batman still hadn’t shown. The way Batman already had a file on Tim, with the label of “Retired”.
They both knew that there was nothing they could do.

Batman’s presence only seems to confirm this for the both of them. The darkness of the Bat drawn over Bruce like a funeral cloak. Like Bruce is already mourning another Robin.

When Batman stops in front of the computer, Alfred steps away, only meeting Tim’s eyes once more to show his support. To show that no matter what happens tonight, Tim will always be one of his “Young Masters”.

“Report” The word is all venom as it falls from Batman’s lips, cold and clinical but telling in those attributes.
“Young Justice assignment. There was a metahuman involved and we went in without all the facts. Impulse and I were struck by lightning. I was rendered unconscious for the rest of the fight and the following days” Robin reports, Tim sinking into the balm of being Robin. One. Last. Time.
“Lightning strike. Any complications?” Batman asks, already having decided that Tim was at fault. He should have gathered more information. Shouldn’t have gone into the fight without it.
“The speedforce in Impulse’s body reacted with the lightning and transferred it to my body” Tim says plainly, not allowing his intonation to give anything away.

Not showing how much this is going to break him.

“We had an agreement” Batman says, and Tim almost wants him to sound guilty. But Batman doesn’t feel guilt.
“We did” Tim agrees, already shifting out of Robin as he says it. Because it will no longer be his.
“Please return the Robin suit to me by the end of the day. You will no longer be patrolling” Batman says. But what he really means is that he will no longer be Robin.
“Yes Batman” Tim says, feeling his voice waver slightly.
Because this...
Is goodbye.

Chapter Text

Silence
It’s all Bart can manage at the moment.

Absolute silence.

Because Batman just fired Robin. Told him to hand over the cape by the end of the day. Just. Complete stonewall. No sympathy whatsoever. Nothing.

It’s made worse by Robin. Who is just. Sitting there. In front of a dead screen. Just, staring.
His shoulders slumped and head hung.
Hurting.

And so, so still. In a way that no speedster really ever is. Even Bart is subtly moving as he stares at the devastated form of his teammate, Barry’s fingers twitching as if he can’t decide whether he wants to hit Batman or comfort Robin. Or maybe both.
It doesn’t matter though.
Robin, moving for the first time in a while, takes a deep breath, letting his lungs expand and then exhales shakily. He repeats the action a few times, gathering himself.
He stands a second later, his back still to his friends as he speaks.

“I’ll move to Central by tomorrow, then” Robin voices, his vocals not shaking, not vibrating. Just completely flat. No emotional intonation. Nothing to say anything about Rob’s emotional state at all. Like a doll.

Before anyone can move. Or even think to stop him. He’s gone. Again. Leaving the smell of ozone and a yellow streak as his cape leaves a trail. But this time, Bart doesn’t race after him. Not even bothering to follow the trail of yellow that Robin leaves behind.
No.
Instead, Bart’s feet are stuck to the floor like glue. Frozen like he’s still watching the blank black screen and his mind flashing back to the absolute devastation that only crossed Robin’s expression for a split second before it went completely blank.

Bart can feel Kon tensing at his side, but it’s like he’s moving through molasses. Moving too slow to be able to catch Robin. Only the cut off exclamation of “Rob!” filtering through the air. Also too slow.
Barry also makes to move but then stops. Stills slightly for a second before Tim is out the door.
The others don’t move. Don’t have the debatable luxury of seeing Tim speed away, hands clutched around his side, as if attempting to hold himself together physically.

Then. He’s gone again. Just like that.

Barry asks Cisco if he had time to plant a tracker and Cisco, in response, pulls up a map of the country, a green dot speeding towards Gotham way too quick for any car or plane.

“He’s moving towards Gotham, as expected” Cisco says gingerly, not wanting to aggravate anyone’s already frayed nerves.
“But why?” Kon asks, slowly moving forward to peer over Bart’s shoulder at the screen.
“He said that he’d be moving to Central” Bart muses, eyes locked on the dot speeding over the countryside.
“Maybe he’s just fetching his things?” Iris proposes gingerly, only wincing when she remembers why he would need to fetch his things.
“But. He should have to tell his parents first. I think they would like some warning” Barry interjects, also watching the dot with a frown.
“Maybe. Maybe he doesn’t have parents?” Cisco asks, causing everyone to still in thought. Only giving more anxiety for Bart’s vibrating to feed off of.

Barry is the first to voice it “The first two Robins didn’t have parents. They were orphans”
“They would still need some type of legal guardian” Joe says, his experiences with social services already popping to the forefront of his mind.
“What if. Batman was his guardian? Tim did eventually mention that his parents died a while ago. Despite Batman’s orders” Kon voices unsteadily, freezing Bart’s vibrating in place as ice floods his veins.
“Then. Batman would have relinquished guardianship just now?” Joe says, but it’s really more of a question. Because no-one really knows what’s going on to begin with. Let alone everything that was understood but left unsaid.
“If that man just abandoned his son…” Iris growls out threateningly.
No-one can comfort her. No-one knows how.

Xxxxx

Tim doesn’t waste time after the call.

Once he gathers his wits and manages to stomp down the emotions, Tim got to planning.

He is no longer welcome as Robin. Is no longer Robin at all, and if that doesn’t crush Tim at a personal level, Tim doesn’t know what does.
But Tim keeps going. Keeps thinking.
No longer Robin. No longer welcome in Gotham. Because while Batman hadn’t said anything, there had already been an implicit understanding.
No longer Robin. No longer welcome in Gotham.
Which means that he has to move.

That’s relatively easy. Tim doesn’t have parents anymore and his fake uncle would be easy to move, since. You know. He doesn’t exist.
Also, Tim had never really been attached to much physically, meaning there isn’t much to pack. Physical objects never really meant as much to him. Except for a few notable exceptions.
He would gather the few items he could never live without. His legal documents. His pictures. His camera. A teddy bear his parents had gifted him so long ago. A few family heirlooms.

That’s it. That’s his entire life.

It all fits into one backpack. The same one that Tim always used when he went Bat sightseeing as a kid. It seems almost. Fitting. That his life as Robin now ends where it had started.

The same backpack. The camera in the bag. The pictures.
Standing in front of Wayne manor again. And it seems just as imposing.
But this time, he isn’t here to save Batman.
He’s here because he’s failed.
He isn’t here to take the Robin mantle.
He’s here to give it back.

The Robin suit is placed on the front step with the utmost care. Wrapped in a garment bag and hidden under a few layers of suits that Tim no longer wants. No longer needs.

Tim doesn’t wait for Alfred to appear in the doorway. Doesn’t want to see Alfred’s concern and disappointment and worry. Doesn’t wait for Alfred to offer him food, even as his stomach sends pangs through his body, begging for anything Tim can offer.

He rings the bell and speeds away, clutching his backpack in his arms and ignoring the way that his eyes burn with strain and tears, his vision fading slightly at the edges of his vision.

He has things to do, now.

There’s always something to do. Planning. Thinking. Strategizing.

There has to be something now that he no longer has Robin.
There has to be.

Chapter Text

Objectively, it doesn’t take long for Tim to move.
Moving house in 30 minutes is basically impossible for most people to manage, after all.
But for Tim, it feels like an eternity.
Pausing every time he sees a statue his parents brought back to Drake manor.
Stopping every few seconds to tamp down on the anguish he can feel rising in his chest.
Chest stilling every time he thinks about what he just lost.
Breath hitching with every moment he moves too fast to be normal.

Half an hour feels like the rest of his life.
And, Tim muses, it kind of is. This half an hour. The last half an hour he will be in Gotham, is the last half an hour of the life he had known.
After this, there would be no more Batman and Robin. No more Poison Ivy attacks and gas masks. No more gothic spires and gargoyles.

Everything Tim had known would change drastically.

The dark Gotham air would be replaced by the cautious optimism of Central city. The constant pollution Tim’s lungs had adapted to would be changed to clear air with no trace of the last chemical attack on Gotham. Spires and police blimps replaced with Flash statues and clear skies.

Nothing would be the same.

Tim, knowing these things, tries to cling to what he has left.
He enrols himself in a school in Central. Skipping several grades, just like he did at Gotham academy.
He creates a fake ID for his uncle and a fake job, in history, just to remind himself of his parents. Giving Tim an excuse as to why he moved.
He packs all the darkest clothing he has, trying to stop himself from packing his gas mask and all of the vaccines that are sold for concoctions that the rogues had on database. He wouldn’t need them anymore.
He packs the gas mask anyway.

Xxxxxx

The new apartment is...nice.
Smaller, with an open plan kitchen and living room. 2 Bedrooms. One bathroom, because it’s really only Tim that lives here. A study that Tm plans to convert into a tech room. The walls all a pale yellowish white colour, with dark brown skirtings that match the dark brown furniture Tim had deigned to bring to the apartment with him. Glass windows that aren’t 5mm thick.
Light. Airy. Spacious. All those buzzwords that people like to say about a new place.
But Tim can’t. He just can’t.

He’d known it would be different. Logically, he had understood that.
But he isn’t ready to feel the pang of longing when he walks into the kitchen and there aren’t leftovers on the table for him. Snuck in by Alfred himself.
He isn’t ready to look over the skyline and not see anyone swinging around on the rooftops.

He just…isn’t ready.

Though. He has no choice. He has to be ready. It is happening. He draws up his shoulders and starts setting up the apartment to be semi-liveable at the very least.

Unpacking is the worst. Packing everything in Drake manor, as well as the Gotham apartment into boxes and then having to unpack them minutes later? The worst thing.

It’s almost as bad as trying to stretch fitted sheets over the beds.
“Infernal contraption!” Tim growls with the same amount of venom that he’s used on the rogues.
The sheet ignores him, springing free from the mattress and laying flat in the middle of the bed.
“I will beat you” Tim declares, pinning the bedspread down with his feet, catching the freed corner with his hands and stretching his body as far over the single mattress as he can manage.
The corner by his foot scrunches up and Tim can feel his eye twitch in frustration.
“Don’t” he threatens, stilling for a moment before he decides it’s safe and moves again to try and reach the opposite corner.

The corner he’s stepping on slips free and folds over his foot, all the way up to his calf.

Tim just drops down onto the bed, releasing the corner in his hands in the process to scrunch up under him.
“Beaten by linen” Tim mutters darkly.

It would have been funny, reminding Tim of that scene in one TV show when he was a kid. The rich girl trying to do exactly what he’d just done. He thinks her name was London.
Either way. It would have been funny. If it weren’t for the soul-eating darkness that hadn’t left his chest since the accident. Even longer, if Tim was honest with himself.

He doesn’t stand back up until the light fades from the room and he’s left in the comfortable darkness that seems more familiar than anything else in this city. Shadows dancing across the ceiling as Tim’s eyes adjust to the lack of light.

He can’t make himself move to get up and make dinner, even as his stomach grumbles its displeasure.

It’s not something that Tim is used to. Tim rarely eats in general, but since the accident, Tim’s stomach had been rebelling and demanding food. Tim ignores it.

Slowly, he seems to draw breaths into his lungs at such a slow pace. Slowly, Tim’s eyes start to drop. Usually, this would be his waking hours but he’s so tired. Just. So incredibly tired. He can feel his limbs sinking into the mattress, the scratchiness of the mattress without any linen not even seeming to make any difference to his body.

Chapter Text

Kon has never liked the silence.
Even on the farm with Ma and Pa Kent, there was always noise. Cows mooing, wheat rustling, chickens cackling and crowing. There was always some kind of nose.
But that isn’t the kind of silence Kon is referring to.
The silence of a friend is much worse. Radio silence, Robin once said. But it wasn’t true silence.
Kon could still hear his friend’s heartbeat, whether listening in real life or over the comms. He could hear the breaths in and out. Their heartbeats. Even the less glamorous things like them swallowing saliva and the bubbling of their stomachs.
Kon always had some kind of noise to let him know that his friends were alright.

This situation is different. Because this isn’t a mission. Isn’t even just Kon waking up from a nightmare about Red mercy and the things it made him see.
No.
This is radio silence without radios.
Kon could listen to his friend’s heartbeat. Could narrow the world down to the rabbiting of Robin’s new pulse.
But that doesn’t mean that he is safe. Doesn’t mean that he is alright.
Because the new threat that Rob Is facing isn’t physical, It’s mental.

And Kon can’t read minds.
Can’t tell if Robin is alright by just his heartbeat anymore.
Because Robin’s heart might be beating but that doesn’t mean that he is safe or healthy.

Instead, Kon still listens to Robin’s heartbeat. Tracks it all the way as he speeds to Gotham, stays there for a little bit before starting to speed back and forth a few times. Eventually settling somewhere in Central close to the centre of the city.

Kon tracks the heartbeat as it raises slightly in exertion before once again starting to slow as he stops. Listens closely when the heartbeat speeds again, only tuning in to hear the rustle of fabric and to make sure that Robin isn’t in any physical danger at the moment. He tunes back out once he doesn’t hear any threats or heartbeats in the area.

A few minutes later, as the sun starts to dip down behind the horizon, he perks up again when Robin’s heartbeat slows. Tracks the causes of a slowing heartbeat just like Robin had taught him.
Slowing in fatigue.
Slowing in sleep.
But then slowing further.

That, as far as Tim had explained, wasn’t normal. That usually came with blood loss or other problems. That, Kon cannot ignore.

Luckily, Kon is already surrounded by a team. Bart sitting to the side with a mountain of snacks, already stress eating, as he is prone to do. Cassie had popped back in after leaving Tim in their hands but left shortly before Kon started tuning into Robin’s heartbeat again. Currently updating Anita, Cissie and Greta on the Robin situation.
“Robin situation? Previous Robin situation? What do I even say about it when Rob is no longer Rob?” She had asked in frustration before flying off.

Kon and Bart, however, are a team. They always will be. Superboy, Impulse and Robin. The best team, even if Robin isn’t Robin anymore.

“Bart. I think Rob is in trouble” Kon says out loud as Rob’s heartbeat slows even further. Dropping under healthy heartrate, especially for a speedster. Bart doesn’t ask any questions, rather just giving Kon wide eyes as he stands and gets ready to run.

Kon takes point, tuning in to listen to the heartbeat slow down again. Flying low to the ground and keeping to streets where Bart can follow. Following the beating of a heart as it slows and slows.

He tracks it down to an apartment building, taking to the stairs to narrow down which specific apartment. He finds it quickly enough. It’s one of the topmost apartments, with a balcony and a locked door. Kon does not hesitate to fly right through it but is halted by Bart.

“No property damage if we can help it, SB” Bart says, the use of codenames informing them both that this has become a mission. Luckily, they’d already been in uniform.
Bart is the one to enter the apartment, vibrating his molecules faster and faster until he can slip through the door. A second later and the lock disengages, allowing Kon to push open the door and step inside.

The apartment is small. Not quite completely unpacked yet but closer than anyone else could get in this amount of time. The walls are bare, no personal belongings or pictures bringing any flare to the place. Even in the areas that are completely unpacked, the place looks like a show home. Like anyone could be living here. It has no trace of Robin. Nothing that indicates any kind of personality whatsoever.

Kon tries to ignore it as Bart rushes about, looking for Robin. He finds him quickly, stopping in the door of one of the 2 bedrooms and stilling, though he still vibrates with nerves. “He isn’t wearing the uniform” Bart notes. And it shocks Kon. Even though they both knew that Tim was returning the uniform. They’d never thought he would be without it.

Kon follows Bart to stand at his shoulder, looking at the boy laying on the bed with his back turned in their direction. They can’t see his face, which now that Kon thinks about it, is probably better. Rob wouldn’t want them to demask him like that.

They wait in the doorway for Rob to wake up, whispering his name in increasing volume. But he doesn’t stir. It just worries Kon more.
Eventually, they decide to go inside and for Kon to use TTK. Wrap a piece of cloth around Rob’s eyes so they can observe him without breaking his trust.
Once at Rob’s bedside, they can see the crumpled-up linen under Rob’s chest. They can also, unfortunately see how Rob’s skin is almost the same colour of the linen. Pale, so so pale. Rob had always been pale, of course. But this wasn’t normal.

Kon rests a finger on Rob’s pulse point, matching the weak flutter against his fingertips with the one he can hear. But that doesn’t explain why. Kon tells Bart to look Tim over for injuries, while Kon follows the flow of his blood to make sure there aren’t any obstructions. There aren’t any obstructions. Bart doesn’t find any injuries. Well besides the Lichtenburg figures and some old bruises.

Kon doesn’t know what to do after that. Doesn’t know what could cause Rob’s heartbeat to slow so much without any visual cause. He asks Bart, but Bart doesn’t know either. Panic spreads through the room as they stare at their friend, unconscious on the bed with a piece of linen wrapped around his eyes.

Bart then makes the executive decision to call Barry.
“We found Rob in an apartment in Central. His heartbeat is really slow, and he isn’t waking up. We already checked for obstructions in his veins and for wounds but there’s nothing” Bart reports, still not allowing his eyes to leave the cloth wrapped around Robin’s head.
Because what if they were wrong? What if the speedforce was only temporary? What if Rob is dying?

“Champ, I need you to breathe, alright?” Bart can hear Barry say through the line, bringing Bart’s attention to the fact that Bart’s breathing is coming very fast. He’s hyperventilating.
Bart tries to slow his breathing but he’s only able to when Kon wraps a layer of TTK around both Rob and Bart, the pressure enough to calm Bart at least a bit.

“That’s good. Alright then, kiddo. I need you to come to STAR labs with Robin and Superboy, alright? Do you think you can do that?” Barry asks, voice calm and clear. It slows Bart’s breathing down further, allowing him to nod and for Superboy to pull both Rob and Bart into his arms. Soon after that, they’re all flying at the fastest speed Kon can manage towards STAR labs.

Barry is waiting there for them, Caitlyn at his side. They’re both prepped and they start looking Rob over as soon as he comes into range. Hooking him up to machines and tests. Looking over data and figures.
It doesn’t take long before they find the problem.
“How are his glucose levels so low?” Caitlyn eventually asks, already prepping a saline drip with nutrients and glucose.
Bart can’t help but facepalm. Because he should have known.
“Rob doesn’t really eat as much as he should for a regular person. Let alone for a speedster” Kon eventually explains, looking over Rob’s thin features with a new perspective in mind.
“And before? When was the last time Robin was seen eating?” Caitlyn asks, drawing confusion from both of Rob’s friends. “We. Don’t know” Bart admits.

Caitlyn doesn’t waste time inserting the IV into the crook of Robin’s elbow.

After that, all they can do is wait.

Chapter Text

Tim wakes up just as tired as when he went to bed. Which, unfortunately, isn’t uncommon for him. Being a night-time vigilante with school at 8 isn’t really conductive to rest, after all.

Naturally, his first thought is “coffee”. The caffeine withdrawal already starting as a pounding behind his eyes. Usually this would not bother him. He would stand up, get off his bed and walk to the coffee machine.

But this time, something is different. The bed underneath him isn’t his.

Tim forces himself to stay relaxed, his heart-rate to slow. His heart-rate is incredibly fast though. Much faster than he’s used to. He doesn’t want to alert any potential captors of him being awake. Simply lying there isn’t an option, though.
Tim thinks. The bed underneath him is hard and starchy. Like a hospital bed. There are voices to his left that he recognizes as safe. There is a pinch in his elbow that is indicative of an IV.
Medbay? Tim thinks. But that thought doesn’t feel right. There is no smell of earth that would usually come from the cave. No dripping sounds from the stalagmites.
This isn’t the cave.

Why does that make sense? Am I missing something?

Tim thinks back to the last thing he remembers and gets flashes of memory. The situation bearing down on him like the sky upon Atlas.
The accident.
Waking up to the new revelation that he has superspeed.
Being fired from Robin.
Falling asleep in his new apartment.

He gets a flash of Bart and Kon’s voices, filtered and quiet. Like sound through glass.

“Rob?” Kon’s voice asks and its only after a moment that Tim computes that the voice is from Now-Kon and not Memory-Kon.
“Rob are you awake?” Kon asks while a finger starts poking at Tim’s cheek. Its only then that Tim realises that he can’t feel the edge of his domino digging into his skin.
“Kon?” Tim asks, his eyes already shooting open in panic. He doesn’t know whether to be relieved or not when he can only see darkness.
“Hey Rob. You’re at STAR labs, alright. We brought you here when we found you passed out at your apartment” Bart explains from right next to Tim, resting a hand on his shoulder as if the vibrating appendage would calm him.
“Mask?” Tim asks, not quite awake enough for full sentences yet.
“We wrapped a cloth around your eyes” Kon answers, sounding closer to Tim now. And Tim relaxes. Because he may not be Robin anymore, but he still has a secret identity to protect. Or at least Tim thinks he does.

Immediate situation cleared, the pounding behind Tim’s eyes becomes apparent once again. He stifles a groan and starts feeling around for the edge of the mattress he’s laying on. Once he finds the left edge, he sits up, ignoring the temporary dizziness. Swinging his legs over the edge, he tries to take stock of his surroundings.
Just like his fight with King Snake.
Takes a deep breath and stands. Until there are arms around his waist, pulling him back down onto the bed “You still have an IV in, Rob” Bart points out helpfully as Kon settles a hand on Tim’s shoulder to keep him steady.

Usually, so many hands on Tim, especially when he can’t see, would make Tim tense and struggle. But Tim knows these hands. Kon and Bart. His best friends.
Kon’s hands smooth from Kryptonian DNA. No callouses even though he lives on a farm and lifts heavy objects on the regular. Wide palms with comparatively shorter fingers. Tim knows these hands from the hundreds of times Kon had helped him stand after a fall or caught him from falling or picked Tim up during a battle. Warm from sun energy like a cat stretched out in a sunspot.
Bart’s hands, in comparison are covered in scars. Little scars. Wounds that healed too fast to not scar. You couldn’t even really feel them unless you pay attention to them. Callouses from drag and friction lining the sides of his fingers. Smaller palms with slender fingers. Also warm but in a different way. Warm from friction.
Tim knows them. Tim trusts them.

Which is why Tim doesn’t fight when an unfamiliar, cold hand brushes against the spot where the IV is. Neither Kon nor Bart would let anyone harm him.

The hand removes the IV hesitantly. And Tim can’t see the person that’s doing it but he can make an educated guess. Caitlyn is the most likely candidate.
Barry’s hands are always warm, a side effect of being a speedster. Joe’s hands are bigger, wider than this person’s and calloused from holding and shooting a gun. This hand doesn’t have any callouses. Cisco’s hands are scarred from what Tim can only assume were engineering mishaps. And Iris’s hands have pen callouses and typing callouses.
It must be Caitlyn.

“Why am I on an IV anyway?” Tim asks, knowing for a fact that he wasn’t injured before. This IV doesn’t even seem to have painkillers, judging by the headache.
“Your glucose levels were severely low. Superboy and Impulse knew something was wrong and brought you back here since they couldn’t find any apparent reason for you to be unconscious. When you arrived here, your blood pressure, blood sugar, glucose and Iron levels were severely low. We inserted an IV with the needed minerals, glucose and fluids” Caitlyn explains, voice sounding clinical, as if trying to ignore the emotions attached to the facts.
“I listened to your heartbeat. Got concerned when it slowed past what you taught me was healthy” Kon explains, lifting the hand from Tim’s shoulder now that he’s assured that Tim won’t fall over on his own.
“Yeah. You need to eat more, man. Speedsters burn through calories. You know this. So you are going to eat whatever I make, alright?” Bart insists, running around Tim to look at him directly, judging by the whoosh of air and the way Tim can feel his hair flop. Tim isn’t sure he’ll ever get used to seeing or feeling Bart move at normal speed. Especially since Bart isn’t moving at normal speed.
“Bart. I love you. But we just saved Tim from starving. We do not need him to die from food poisoning” Kon explains as gently as he can.
Tim can feel the offence build on Bart’s expression anyway.

Tim clears his throat, then, trying to stop the fight brewing before it actually starts. But Kon does have a point. Bart doesn’t have the attention span needed for cooking. Especially not when anything needs to be cooked. Cutting things? Yes, Bart can do that, though he is liable to have a few cuts by the end of it. Anything that needs to be placed on heat for more than 10 seconds? Will either be forgotten and burned. Or severely under-cooked.
Tim gets it now. He really does. The world moves slower when you’re moving fast. But the world doesn’t slow down for Bart, as far as Tim can tell.
Tim seems to be moving at normal speed most of the time and only perceiving things quickly when things are moving fast or when he is moving fast.
Maybe that will change as his body adapts to the speedforce? Or maybe his body just reacts differently? No way to know. Not really.

“Iris makes the best lunches” Barry offers, already seeming aware of Bart’s cooking problem. It sets both Tim and Kon at ease, as Bart starts rambling about lunches and meats and calories.
It’s probably the best way that situation could have been handled.
Tim probably could have ingested whatever Bart managed to throw together, no matter the edibility. After all, Tim has been eating weird things since his parents left for the first time and left him with a nanny that only ate the spiciest option on any menu.
Tim would have done it to make Bart feel better. Kon probably wouldn’t have though.

“I’ll call Iris to bring some supplies” Barry says before Tim says “Coffee. Please ask her to bring coffee. I am begging you”. Tim was never above begging when it came to coffee.
For a moment, it was silent. Making Tim frustrated at the fact that he couldn’t see.
He doesn’t know what’s going on. What any of them could be gesturing or mouthing or anything.
The worst thing. Even worse than the sheets.

Chapter Text

Kon always knew that Rob couldn’t take care of himself.
Kon once saw Rob drink 12 cups of coffee in a day. One every waking hour before Cassie had enough and broke the coffee machine. Of course, Rob wasn’t usually that bad. He’d simply had a long day. Like a few days’ long day. Since he hadn’t slept for a few days.
There was also an encounter with N.O.W.H.E.R.E which was mostly why Rob was awake. Researching.
But. That doesn’t make it any less disturbing to see your friend drink his weight in coffee.

This situation simply compounds it.

Rob’s skin is still pale. He still seems to be swaying when he moves too fast.
He doesn’t even seem to be noticing Bart exaggerating his chewing, in an attempt to get him to eat more. Kon, personally, has taken to the plan of “sneak more food onto Rob’s plate” and is using his TTK to float things from his plate to Rob’s.
He isn’t sure if Rob knows what they’re doing and has elected to ignore them or if he’s too entranced by his cup of coffee to notice.

Kon does know that Rob can’t see the looks that the rest of them are exchanging. The calculating glint in Caitlyn’s eyes as she keeps glancing at the glucose drip. The exaggerated movements of Bart miming strangling Rob. Kon’s eyes locked onto every bite that Rob takes and the mirror sip of coffee for every bite. The way Barry’s eyes narrow dangerously when Rob’s hands start twitching at superspeed.
Kon does not want to know what a speedster on a caffeine high looks like.

“Hey Rob!” Kon calls, distracting him just long enough for Bart to drain the rest of the coffee into another cup and set it aside.
“Yeah Kon?” Rob asks slowly, as if questioning Kon’s intelligence for yelling at him when he’s sitting within arms range.
“We need to get you a new mask dude” Kon improvises, looking at the cloth around Rob’s eyes, which is starting to creep him out.
Rob tenses before clearing his throat and saying “I uh. I’ll. Need a new identity before I can start thinking about the costume and mask”.
Oh. Rob’s planning on staying a vigilante/hero/ish/thing. With a new identity no less. But that isn’t really what Kon had meant.
“I meant so you can actually see, dude” Kon clarifies with a huff. Smiling at the misunderstanding.
“Oh”

A small silence follows, as Barry starts typing on his phone.
It isn’t really awkward, Kon is sure. Kon is feeling awkward, though. Definitely awkward.
He can tell that Bart feels the same when Bart’s leg starts bouncing fast enough to make a continuous “whoosh”ing sound.
Rob, however, either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

“Cisco is starting to work on a mask that will fit you. He’s using the measurements he apparently took while you were asleep” Barry says, only sounding mildly creeped out by that fact. In fact, Caitlyn doesn’t seem that bothered either. Only Rob seems really perturbed and that is most likely just because he didn’t wake up.
“Uh. Thanks Barry” Rob mutters, seeming uncertain if he should thank Barry for Cisco taking his measurements. But decided to thank him anyway. Because, mask.

The silence stretches a while longer before Bart can’t take it anymore.
“So. New identity. Are you taking any suggestions?” Bart asks, much too fast, but Kon and Rob had gotten used to it ages ago.
“Yeah. You’re a Flash now. Maybe you can be Teen Flash” Kon suggests, not faltering at the expression Tim makes. It’s a great name.
“Or Flashboy”
“Speedy”
“Ninja Flash”
“Ooh good one. I recommend scary Flash” Kon says, spotting the Batglare on Rob’s face even through the fabric.
It hasn’t worked on him since the early days of Young Justice though. Kon ignores it.

However, everyone looks up when Rob coughs into his hand discreetly. Kon can see the red tips of his ears and waits.
“I was actually. Well. I was thinking…”
“Peregrine”
Tim eventually finishes, surprised at his own sentence as if it was dragged from his lungs unwillingly.
“Peregrine. Like the Falcon. Fastest bird on earth” Robin says, starting to sound more confident as he speaks.

Kon thinks about it. It keeps the bird thing going while also assimilating the speed. It seems. Perfect. Even if Kon would prefer Rob cut ties with Batman completely and leave the bird theme.
But.
Rob chose his new name.
And it seems to fit him. Make him happy.
Kon can’t argue with that.

Chapter Text

Peregrine.
Tim’s been thinking on that name for a while.
Bird theme just like Robin and Nightwing. But new. Speedster based. A whole new identity. Even if Tim can’t completely give up the Bats and their connection. Not quite yet.

However, Tim hadn’t quite gotten as far into the suit design as he would like. He knew he wanted to keep the domino mask style rather than having a cowl. Thought of maybe adding the lightning like the other Flashes. Knew he wanted it to be either dark brown or black with white accents. Maybe incorporate the stripes of an actual peregrine falcon.

Now here he stands, with Cisco at his side, discussing suit design, suit materials and colours.
Cisco really is a blessing. Pointing out fabric and friction and tread for the shoes and all that. Tim can focus on features, colours and design.

Hmmmmm.
Black with white accents. Almost like Flash’s first suit. Dark brown stripes that almost blend into the black. White accents like lightning strikes. A domino type mask to cover his eyes and nose. A bit bigger than Robin’s usual mask, stretching down his cheeks in sharp points, ending in a dark yellow.
Dark orange boots with retractable hooks. Makes it easy to climb things with extra grip.
A hood that covers the back of his head. Eliminating the easy target.
Gloves with extra grip on the insides.
And finally, his symbol. It’s a variant of the Flash symbol and a bird of prey. A textured lightning strike with a diving bird of prey.
Tim is actually. Quite happy with that.

It’s a bit strange. Seeing his suit without much colour when just a bit ago, he’d been a walking talking traffic light.
But Tim isn’t sure it’s bad. Isn’t sure it’s good either. Just new.
He’d always been the sneakiest Robin after all. Even with the colours of Robin working against him.
Black would just make it easier.

“No” Cassie’s voice says from behind him. “Dude, no. We could barely see you before” Bart voices in agreement.
“Isn’t that the point?” Tim asks, smirking and turning to look at them through the new domino mask.
Bart has to hold back a choke when Tim turns, hoping despite hope that Tim is revealing his identity to them.

“The mask is almost as creepy as the suit” Kon says, sounding surprised. Looking directly at the new black lenses.
“Almost? It’s creepier than the suit” Bart argues.
“Nah. Do you see this? This is mega creepy”
“It almost looks like Hawkman’s mask though” Cassie says, ever logical.
“No. Kind of. Maybe if you ignore the absolute scariness factor”
“Can you stop critiquing my new suit now?” Tim interects, the smirk on his lips only turning upward more when the 3 jump, as if they’d forgotten he was there. The new suit really does help.
They both look at each other, as if ready to start arguing again, this time with Tim and each other. Luckily, Barry intervenes.

“So. Peregrine” Barry voices, smiling even wider as the name floats into being.
“Yeah. That name is gonna be too long. You need a nickname” Bart says, already starting to think. Tim has to interrupt before he actually thinks of something.
“The name is fine. There are no nicknames-“
“Ninja. Flash”
“needed” Tim finishes, already resigning himself to the new name. Bart won’t drop it and by the look on Kon’s face, he won’t either.

“Falcon is also fine” Tim says futilely, trying to put up a resistance. But Kon simply gives him a smirk, Cassie shaking her head in the background, mouthing “Blundergirl” with fervour. So, this is revenge.
Tim can respect that.

“so. Ninja Flash. You seem to have the hang of the speed pretty well. But we’d like to do a few tests anyway” Barry says, the traitor. Tim can even see the mischief in his smile. It doesn’t even fade when Tim turns his glare on him. Absolute traitor.
“Tests” Tim reminds him, starting to walk to the main room, where he’d been going every time he’d come here for the last few days.
Lately, he was either at the apartment or here. Luckily, he’d been given some leeway with school since his grades were good and the teachers wanted to give him an adjustment period.

Tim walks onto the treadmill, starting slowly and making his way faster and faster until he can’t run any faster anymore.
Then he slows down once again until he’s standing still.
Immediately, once he stills, Bart appears before him with a sandwich and a glare. Tim, knowing that Bart will not relent, most likely still worried that Tim will drop dead at any moment from starvation. Kon and Cassie (who has been briefed on what happened) will back him up.

Tim does not want the sandwich.
Bart is still holding the sandwich.
Bart will not go away.
Caitlyn is not starting the simulation again.

Tim eats the sandwich.

“Alright, I want you to run that sim again, but I want you to wear this” Caitlyn says, handing him something that looks like a tiara with wires. She connects the tiara to the temples of his head, Tim only twitching slightly as Bruce’s training screams at him for letting someone get so close to a weak area of his body.
Once the nodes are attached, Tim starts running again, starting to avoid obstacles as they pop up in front of him. Many many obstacles.

“Perfect. Alright Tim you can come out now” Caitlyn says, sounding gleeful at the data running across the screen. Tim can’t even understand all of it but he knows that it has to do with brainwaves, adrenaline and reaction speed.

She and Cisco start tittering in jargon that only they can understand, speaking quickly and hunching over the computers. That’s the sight that Joe and Iris walk in on, passing Kon on his way out for dinner with the Kents.
“Have any of you fed the kid?” Joe asks immediately, worry saturating his tone as he looks at the data readouts and Tim.
“I gave him a sandwich right after he finished. And I’m planning on dragging him to dinner” Bart confirms, earning a glare from Tim.
“I am not about to starve to death” Tim says, the resignation in his tone counteracting the force he meant to put behind it.
By the looks on everyone’s faces, they don’t care.
Tim resigns himself to the inevitable dinner to come.

“Maybe we should invite your foster parent” Bart says, confusing Tim because Tim has no foster parent.
“Foster parent?” Tim asks, turning to Bart questioningly.
“Yeah. You know. The person you live with now” Bart explains, gesturing wildly in his confusion.
“Oh. You mean my uncle” Tim realises, thinking about the fake room for his uncle and how minors aren’t really allowed to live alone. Which is why he invented the uncle to begin with.
“Uncle? You never mentioned an uncle” Bart says, already starting to frown to himself.
“Yeah he isn’t really home all that often” Tim excuses, knowing that it isn’t really a lie since his parents were rarely home to start with.
He sees Bart and Barry frown at each other, Joe in the background looking stoic. But Tim can see how Joe is working through police protocol. Even Caitlyn and Cisco seem uncomfortable.

“That isn’t normal, Rob” Cassie says, sounding almost gentle, a reminder.
Tim has to keep from rolling his eyes. Because people are busy. People have work and jobs and a company to run. Well not this uncle. This uncle doesn’t even exist. But. Tim feels the need to justify anyway.
“It’s fine. He’s just really busy, that’s all” Tim repeats, not really wanting them to go snooping and find that his uncle is fake.
Central City’s foster system may be slightly better than Gotham’s. But Tim does not want to end up in a foster home. Or adopted by a bunch of sycophants.

They cannot find out that his uncle is not real.

Chapter Text

Rob’s apartment is empty of life.
There are no plants. No paintings that aren’t completely generic. No splashes of colour. No books from this century. Nothing to show any personality to either of the inhabitants.
Bart finds it beyond weird.
Especially since.
The one inhabitant of the apartment is never there. Never.
Bart has randomly dropped in to check on Rob, who seems to live in his domino mask, at least 5 times now. And none of those times has he seen the adult that lives there.
Sure, the bed is mussed every morning and there are a couple of dirty plates in the sink. But Bart hasn’t even seen someone leave the apartment or go to hide.
If Rob were hiding his uncle to conserve his own identity, Bart would have dropped it. Instantly. But Rob doesn’t seem stressed when Bart drops in. He seems neutral at times but sometimes, Bart can tell that he appreciates the company.
So Rob isn’t hiding his uncle when Bart shows up. His uncle is just never there.

That has different implications.
Bart has already talked it all through with Kon, who seems to think that Rob’s uncle is neglecting Rob at best and abusing him at worst.
Bart protested the notion of abuse, saying that Rob would have beaten him. But Kon wasted no time pointing out that Rob wouldn’t fight back. He would let someone hit him as long as he thought he could take it.
Kon makes his point by pointing out that time Kon accidentally broke Tim’s arm while under Luthor’s control. Tim hadn’t fought back. He let Kon break his arm and tried to talk him down afterwards.
Rob wouldn’t fight back.

But Bart doesn’t think abuse is the case. Though he isn’t sure if that’s how own wishful thinking or if his gut is right as always.

So Bart drops in more. Sometimes to wheedle Rob into eating. Sometimes to alleviate boredom. Sometimes just to check if his uncle is finally home for once.
He drops in more and more.
Not once does he see any sign of this uncle.
Though, on the plus side, he doesn’t see any evidence of abuse either.

“Wanna play Smash?” Bart blurts out once he arrives to the apartment. Eager for some kind of distraction from the buzzing under his skin and the thoughts racing through his head.
Besides, Smash played at superspeed is fun as long as the controllers can take it.
And Rob needs training. This counts, Bart thinks.

“Again?” Rob asks, but the smile on his lips betrays him and Bart can feel his shoulders lift with the feeling of relief. Because Rob wants to play. Bart knows that. But Rob will never ask. Kon says that it’s a sign of neglect. Not getting what you need or being punished for having needs in the first place.
Bart does not want to think about that.
Instead, he sets up the console and sprawls out on the couch while Rob sighs and makes his way over at normal speed.

Bart doesn’t quite get that either. Speedsters move fast. That’s what speedsters do. Bart has to focus to slow down. Barry gets antsy when he moves at slow speed. Wally….
Bart shakes his head, physically trying to dislodge the thought of his older brother. The sight of Wally running, running, running. Gone.

Shakes his head again and is quickly drawn out of his head when Rob sits down next to him. Gingerly. Like he’s afraid of breaking his own furniture.
Bart does not hesitate before throwing his feet up and onto Rob’s lap, both to get himself an edge in the game and to watch Rob’s expression relax subtly as the contact sets in.
When the game starts, Rob immediately takes advantage of his speed, Bart just trying to keep alive. Desperately. And when that doesn’t quite work, Bart starts kicking at Rob with the feet in his lap.
“That’s cheating!” Rob calls out, avoiding the blows as well as he can but refusing to be distracted and lose. Bart’s hits aren’t even hard. So he ignores the ones that do make contact.
He wins. Of course.

Bart doesn’t sulk long before deciding on revenge. Wrapping himself around Rob’s frame and latching like an octopus.
For some reason, it causes Rob to tense for a minute and when Bart is just about to let go, Rob takes a deep breath and just. Melts. Completely going lax in Bart’s hold, his expression happy and smiling victoriously but now with an edge of content.

Bart wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Even if this is starting to get boring.
Oh well. He can endure some boredom for the price of his best friend being happy.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Selina knows.
Something is different. Gotham is different. The rogues are different.
She knows why.

Slinking into the shadows, her mindset changes from playful cat to hunt. Because she knows now.

Normally, confronting Nightwing was a bad idea for any rogue. But Selina is not any rogue.
She confronted Nightwing about Robin. The Sweet little kitten Selina had fallen in love with. The sweet little kitten that no-one had seen in weeks now.
Nightwing had seemed conflicted, raising all sorts of red flags in Selina’s mind. The last time something like this had happened, Selina had had to find out that her Tomcat, the previous Robin, had died at the hands of a maniac.

She threatened him, drawing little pinpricks of blood from Nightwing’s throat as the words spilled from Dick’s mouth.
“Robin was severely injured during a mission with Young Justice. Batman fired him” Dick had said. Oh so calmly. Though Selina could see the conflict in his stance.
“Fired him? For what? Was he that badly hurt?” Selina had asked worriedly, the images of a beaten and broken birdie flitting through her mind.
“No. Nonono. He’s recovered. But he was hurt. I…think they had some kind of agreement about that kind of thing” Dick had explained, not knowing that he was drawing her ire.
“Agreement? Agreement?! The Bat fired the kid because he got hurt!” Selina yelled, fury raising up from her soul to her voice.
“And let me guess. You agree?” Selina asked a second later, quiet but cold. Furious.

Nightwing hesitated, Dick conflicted about his words even as he spoke “He shouldn’t have been Robin to begin with. After Jay…”
He hadn’t even finished before Selina had caught him across the chest with a few shallow scratches. “He knew the risks. And I agree. He should have been safe. But no. He was Robin. He was in danger all the time but at least he had backup. He had a family. Now? Now he has nothing. You and Bats abandoned him” Selina said before diving over the edge of the roof, making her way to the iceberg lounge.

Usually, Selina wouldn’t lower herself to that space.
But this was for her kitten. And she needs help.

Chapter Text

The iceberg lounge has always been cold and yet so full of life. Thematically, that is.
Oswald Cobblepot may not be one of the greatest rogues or even one of the nicest, but he certainly knows how to party.

The rest of the rogues would be here somewhere, Selina knows. They all hang out here when they had nothing bigger going on. Excluding the select few, of course.
But Selina is just looking for a few and how lucky is it that they’re currently sitting at a table together, discussing the exact thing she has news on.

“I haven’t seen him in weeks!” Harley exclaims dramatically, throwing herself down and slumping over the edge of the chair. At her side, Ivy pats her shoulder comfortingly, but she also has a frown on her face.
Riddler sighs heavily as he rests his chin in his hand, twirling his cane in his other “Batman beat my plot the other day and he wasn’t even there. Do you think he’s injured?”
“He isn’t. Not anymore, anyway” Selina interrupts. She drops down onto an open seat a second later, staring at the light coat of blood already drying on her claws.

“Not anymore? What happened?!” Harley yells, eyes wide in panic.

Selina understands that. She really does.
Tim was the first person to sit down with her in Arkham and ask her about the Joker. The first one to say that she was worth saving from him. Batman tries to save everyone, but Joker shouldn’t be saved. Instead, it seemed to Harley like she was just as redeemable as Joker. And Harley doesn’t think Joker is redeemable. Tim had taken the time to talk to her, to reassure her and tell her that he thinks she is worth saving. That she deserves to be free and happy.
It makes sense why Harley would have such a reaction to Tim possibly being hurt. Especially since she actually knows what happened to the second Robin.

“He was hurt outside of Gotham. With his Super friends” Selina explains, still not taking her eyes off her claws, glistening in the lights.
“But you said he was no longer injured. If he has recovered, he should be back on the roster. No?” Ivy asks, both for herself and to reassure her girlfriend, who still looks like she’s about to cry.

Selina can’t help it when her fist clenches, her diamond tipped claws resting in the metal plate in her gloves and digging in but not quite cutting. Selina almost wishes they would. Pain would be a distraction from the rage burning through her veins at an astonishing pace.
The hiss she lets out is barely human.
“No. Bats fired him”

Silence. For a few seconds before things go a different type of quiet.
Harley’s tears had finally fallen from her eyes, but they were no longer scared or sad. No. They were full of rage.
Ivy’s eyes go distinctively green as the plants in the lounge waver, leaning towards her and twitching with strength.
Riddler’s eyes go contemplative, cogs turning behind his eyes and plans forming at a rapid rate. But these wouldn’t be harmless pranks, nor would they be big plots to test Batman and himself.
No. They all have one thing in mind.

Revenge.

Most people wouldn’t think that Batman’s rogues would care for the Robins beyond being glad that he’s gone. But Robins had always been fun.
Even the first had been kind and sweet, bantering with Riddler while they waited for Batman to show up to save the boy hostage.
The second Robin had been Harley’s hope. Her joy. Because the kid was from Crime Alley. He understood abusive relationships and tried talking to Harley about them. Even if he never really got through to her, since Batman and Nightwing would always interrupt.
Ivy has a thing against humans and humanity. Everyone knows that but kids have the opportunity to change and thus she holds less of a grudge against them. The third Robin always made a point to try and save the less violent plants too.
As for Selina. Selina had been hooked the second she saw a little boy on the fire escape of a house with an expensive camera.

“Bats fired him?” Ivy clarifies quietly, taking deep breaths that send humidity into the lounge around her, the ice starting to grow glossy with excess moisture.
“They apparently had some kind of agreement. I, personally, think that Robin agreed to not get injured”
“That would explain why he’d always been more careful about injuries and not being reckless. Kid was always the smart one”
“But he did get injured. So, Bats fired him. After a big injury”
“This cannot stand”

In agreement, plans begin to form between the 4 of them.
Vicious little pranks and plans, escapes from Arkham planned in between.
Bats wouldn’t know what hit him.

Xxxxxxxx

Left. Middle. Left. Right. Middle. High. Low. Middle. Left.

Tim’s mind works a hundred miles a minute as he thinks, forming plans and patterns and thoughts right before he acts.
The drone behind him whirs a warning before more shots are sent at Tim’s back.

Right. Up. Left. Left. Middle. Down. Left. Middle. Up. Up. Right.

Reaching the other end of the track, Tim stills, turning his feet to the side to increase the friction on his shoes. The drone drops a foot in the air as Cisco sulks but quickly turns to land next to Cisco and Caitlyn on the tar.

“I got blown up” Barry mutters, looking at Tim’s suit, devoid of scorches and marks.
“I had training before I got powers” Tim refutes, the smile on his lips pulling wide enough to hurt.
Because he gets it now. He thinks. The humming under his skin, like little shocks of electricity in his veins.
All he wants to do is move.

Barry must see it too because he challenges Tim to a race as Caitlyn and Cisco work over the data they got from shooting at him.
“On your marks” Iris says, smirking as she watches the white stripes on Tim’s costume flicker with his excitement.
“Get set”
“Go”

Tim holds in a whoop of joy much like when he was just starting out as Robin. The first time he flew.
Robin. Though the thought of Robin still makes Tim’s heart ache, it’s fading. Like a wound scabbing over. Starting to heal.

Of course, Tim falls behind Barry very quickly. They’d already established that Tim is the slowest speedster between the 4 of them. But that doesn’t really matter to Tim.
Maybe he will get faster as time goes on. Maybe he won’t.
Either way, he still gets to fly. Even if it is a bit different now.

Chapter Text

Coddling. Tim hates being coddled.

Hates being treated like something fragile. Like glass.

He can understand everyone forcing food on him after the thing that happened last week. They’re worried and him eating will make them feel better.

What he doesn’t understand is how they’re not allowing him to go on missions.

He has a new suit. A new mask. A new name. He’s tested his limits and his speed. He’s trained under their supervision and on his own.

He doesn’t get why he can’t patrol with Barry or help him take down the usual muggers and thieves that all cities have. It’s not like he’s asking to take on Joker. Just a simple patrol, taking down simple bad guys.

“Please?” Tim asks again, his worry for overstepping fighting with the innate need to do something useful. Because when he isn’t useful, he isn’t needed. And when he isn’t needed…

“Rob” Kon says, drawing it out as a whine before he sighs. Because Tim has been asking since he got the new suit.

“Peregrine” Tim corrects him, trying to ignore the faint sting of a name lost.

“Ninja Flash” Kon refutes before he continues “I get it. You want to patrol -“

“I really do”

“- But you haven’t trained much with your speed and we don’t really know where your limits lie”

Tim huffs. Because there has been vigorous testing done from his actual movements to his brain movements. Cisco and Caitlyn have been thorough.

“Actually” Barry starts, sounding slightly hesitant but still fairly confident as he speaks. “I think Peregrine should join me. With Bart as backup of course”

“Really?” Tim asks already starting to bounce on the spot as his adrenaline levels spike, stirring up the lightning in his veins.

“Yes. I think it’ll be good for you. Plus, Bart and I will be there if anything drastic happens”

Drastic. Tim has taken on the Joker by himself before. He’s fought Two-face while Bruce and Dick were tied up. Tim has gone toe to toe with Killer Croc. Drastic.

But Tim doesn’t voice this. The last time he did, Bart tried to explain why those were all bad things. That Tim has ended up alone far too often for their liking.

And Tim gets it. Batman and Robin were a team. But sometimes, Batman was off with Selina or on a case and Robin wasn’t needed. So Tim had taken on cases by himself.

It hasn’t gotten him into too much trouble, at least.

Kon, however does not seem convinced.

He still concedes.

Xxxxxxx

Patrol in Central City is nothing like in Gotham. The streets are cleaner, the air is fresher and Tim doesn’t see nearly as many rats or other rodents. It’s strange, Tim decides, running around the streets and only leaving a streak of black in his wake to show that he was there.

He’s more used to swinging from building to building with a grapple and not always being acknowledged but always being seen. By criminals and victims alike, Robin was always seen when he wanted to be seen.

Sometimes, the victims were appreciative. Sometimes they were not. Sometimes they try to shoot you.

Here? It’s all different. People rarely see the Flash at all. Sometimes just seeing a streak of yellow where he’d been seconds ago. It’s how Barry gained the name “The streak” in the first place, even if he did hate it. But the people who do see him? Who are saved by him? They thank him. The mayor tried giving him a key to the city, after all. Even people who only see the illusion of him, the streak of colour left behind, greet him on his way in and out.

The people of Gotham city don’t question the appearances of new vigilantes. They see a cape and assume that they’re working with Batman, whether begrudging or not. And they’re right. Batman doesn’t allow other vigilantes in his city. And if they start popping up, Batman makes sure to discourage them.

The people of Central city aren’t like that though. They wave at Flash as he passes. Some of the restraunts have food stations set up for the speedsters, which Bart grabs from happily. Tim even grabs a bite or two when Barry and Bart start nagging him about eating. And Tim swears that there’s more food plated up than there was last time, like these people are setting out food for him as well.

It’s just. Different.

However, there are some moments of familiarity and this is one of them.

Sirens. Screaming.

Barry immediately takes off in that direction while Bart tries to convince Tim that they should leave.

Tim does not leave.

Of course, Bart could stop him. Bart is faster than him by a huge margin. He could pick Tim up and take off. Tim wouldn’t really be able to stop him if Bart moves at full speed. But Bart doesn’t.

Arriving quickly at the scene, Tim can see Barry get grazed by a shot that looks way too much like Mr. Freeze’s. The shoulder that was grazed freezes solid.

Tim knows that’s bad. Speedster’s molecules move fast, producing heat through friction. The absence of heat slows them down. A freeze gun would be a huge danger to most speedsters.

Tim can see Bart move to intervene. Can see him move like watching something in slow motion. But his body will just not move quick enough.

“Your head is faster than your body. You’re thinking faster than your body is physically able to move” Cisco had explained a few days ago. How most of the speedforce seems concentrated to Tim’s mind. His body is fast, yes but not that fast.

He knows he won’t catch Bart in time.

A second later, his prediction comes true as Bart’s feet, legs and some of his torso is frozen solid. For the first time in forever, Bart is still.

He blinks once.

Twice.

Three times.

Dazed as he kind of stares at Captain Cold.

Tim knows that this is now beyond bad. Bart frozen to the floor, heat already draining from the rest of his body as it tries to spread the heat to his frozen limbs. Barry had gotten shot as well, sometime between Tim arriving and Bart getting shot.

Tim is the only one left and he’s the slowest.

If Bart and Barry couldn’t outrun the blast, Tim has no chance.

Stupid, Tim berates himself silently, fuming at his lacking.

But. Tim doesn’t need to run. Maybe he shouldn’t be a Flash right now.

“What do you want?” Tim asks, inserting the Gotham grime and grit of Robin into his voice. Tim can even see how it makes Bart tense in recognition.

“Me? I just want this diamond” Cold explains, his voice clinical. He’s already planned everything out. Weighed his options. He knows that he’ll win.

“As for you. I didn’t know that Flash had a new speedster laying around. Who are you?”

“Peregrine”

“Hm. A bird. Fastest bird on earth. That’s a new theme. Most of these guys seem stock to the Flash concept. Excluding Impulse of course”

“Speaking of Impulse. You’re gonna let him go” Tim explains, already set in his plan.

“Now why would I do that?”

“Because speedsters react badly to being frozen. You know this. And while Flash has more of a chance since he was once not a speedster, Impulse does not have that luxury”

“What do I care?”

“I know you. You’ve always tried to keep casualties and bodies to a minimum, that being 0” Tim goes on, plans slotting into place as he speaks. Allowing some of the ice his mother taught him to slip into his tone.

Cold hums, looking contemplative before he tilts his head at Tim. “You aren’t going to let me leave with this diamond” he observes. And Tim has to smile because Cold is right. Tim will not let him leave that easily. Not on his first mission. Not when he has to prove himself.

“No” Tim says before starting to run “I’m not”. He runs straight at Cold with an expression of daring. Cold could shoot him, of course but not without it having the chance to kill him. Not at the setting the cold gun is on.

Cold doesn’t pull the trigger and allows Tim to remove the gun from his hands, turning around to observe as Tim replaces the diamond on its case.

“You have guts kid” Cold says with a smile, looking at Tim through darkened lenses.

“No guts needed. You wouldn’t have shot me. Not with the consequences it would bring” Tim says confidently as he starts running around a now almost unresponsive Bart. Barry is off to the side, still frozen but fairing better than the born speedster.

“I wouldn’t have” Cold says with a smile that sorta creeps Tim out. Then, Cold leaves. Just walks out the front door. And Tim allows it because Bart had stopped moving and responding.

His friend takes precedent and Cold had known that.

Chapter Text

Bart quickly thawed once Tim had started running around him, generating heat and friction. Barry had freed himself soon thereafter to help Tim.

On the way back, none of them speak. Bart is unconscious and thus unable to speak. Tim is relishing in his victory, even if Cold did get away. As for Barry. Tim isn’t actually sure.

He seems upset about something. But Tim doesn’t really know what. Unless it’s about Captain Cold getting away. Or maybe Bart getting hurt. Tim can only guess.

Their arrival at STAR labs is the complete opposite. Loud.

Caitlyn takes Bart from Barry’s arms and swaddles him in blankets and heating pads to warm him up while Cisco and Barry start talking about extra heat insulation for Impulse’s costume.

Joe and Iris keep an eye on them all, loaded down with food for once Bart wakes up.

Kon, however, moves directly towards Tim, his mouth open as if to say something.

Barry stops him with a hand and a look.

After that, Tim is distracted by a cold hand grasping at his wrist. Usually, Tim wouldn’t connect the hand to Bart. Bart’s hands are always warm, but this time, following the slender arm down into the pile of blankets, Tim knows that it is Bart. He can see a mirroring hand on Kon’s wrist as well, tugging slightly at them both.

Neither of them resist but they must not have been moving fast enough. Bart’s head pops out of the blankets a second later to give them wide, pleading eyes. And if that wasn’t enough, the weak tug on Tim’s wrist forces him to slump down next to Bart on the bed, Kon on Bart’s other side.

The heating pads dig into Tim’s back uncomfortably and the Bart is hogging all the blankets but Tim has never felt more comfortable. Especially once Joe and Iris start shoving platters of food at them, Iris giving Tim a look that Tim reads as “Don’t test me. Eat” so he digs in with Bart and Kon. Bart taking a majority of the food as he recovers.

In the background, Tim can see Barry gesturing wildly to Joe, looking worried while Joe tries to hide his mirroring concern. Trying to calm Barry down. It doesn’t seem to work as well as Joe expects but Barry does stop gesturing quite that wildly.

It’s shortly afterwards that Joe approaches Tim in the cuddle pile that the three of them had become.

“Peregrine. Could I talk to you for a moment?” Joe asks slowly, thinking through the words and the tone as he says them.

Debrief, Tim think immediately and ignores the whines of the others as he extracts himself.

Joe leads him to a smaller room, away from the chaos of the central room and lets Tim sit down.

“Routine patrol was interrupted by sirens and screaming. Flash, Impulse and I followed it to the jewellery store where-“ Tim starts debriefing, eyes flickering as he tries to remember all the information. Everything that happened today.

“Woah kid. I already know what happened” Joe says with wide eyes.

Tim blinks as he stares at Joe’s brown eyes, wide in confusion.

“Then why are you…talking to me?” Tim asks. Batman had never really spoken to Tim unless it was a mission or a debrief. Nightwing had tried sometimes but it always felt more like an introduction. A prelude to the discussions of missions.

Joe’s eyes go wide in shock as he exclaims “Because I want to know that you’re alright!”

Tim can only blink at that “I am unhurt” he reports, frowning. Because they already know he wasn’t hurt.

“I don’t mean physically hurt. I mean…” Joe groans in frustration as he runs a hand down his face.

“Kid. You ran at a gun earlier” Joe points out.

“Yes, I did” Tim says, not quite understanding the point here.

“You could have been hurt”

“I was unharmed. Cold wouldn’t have shot me”

“You don’t know that”

“But I do!” Tim exclaims “Cold keeps his casualties to a minimum as a general rule. He doesn’t want the police after him as a murderer. No. He’s just a thief. So he wouldn’t shoot civilians before. He doesn’t even kill Flash now because of the backlash he would get from the Justice League. He wouldn’t have shot me and risked retribution from Flash and anyone else I might be affiliated with”

Joe still stares at him like he’s missing the point.

“Peregrine. Why did you go after him?”

“Because he still had the diamond” Tim answers blindly

“And what makes you think that your life is worth risking for a diamond?”

“It was a part of the mission. Stop Cold. Retrieve the diamond. Capture Cold if possible”

“Kid. I want to make this clear, all right?” Joe asks gently as he stoops down to crouch in front of Tim. He meets Tim’s eyes through the domino and speaks like he’s reciting a sacred text, soft and calm. Reassuring.

“Your life is worth more than that diamond. Worth more than capturing Cold. Your life is worth more than anything you could possibly risk it for” Joe pauses then to let that sink in, frowning when he sees that it simply. Isn’t sinking in for Tim.

“I. Want you to promise me something” Joe says, changing gears “I want you to promise me that if your life is in danger, you will act in a way that will help you survive. If that means letting a bad guy get away, then so be it. If it means running, then run. If…If it means defending yourself then I want you to do that. Even if it means killing someone in self-defence”

That’s when Tim’s brain stutters and he speaks without really meaning to “But we don’t kill”

Joe smiles at him, softly and understanding “We don’t. Not if we can help it. But I would rather you be alive and deal with the guilt of having killed someone than not having you survive at all”

Tim’s brain still stutters, running a mile a minute and every time, running into a wall.

“But. But” Tim protests, not really sure what he wants to say.

“Kid. If Kon. Or Bart ever died because they refused to run. If they sacrificed themselves for a diamond. Would you ever forgive them?”

Instinctively, Tim wants to say yes but the words freeze in his throat. Because Kon or Bart dying has featured heavily in his nightmares and that feeling of despair. Of hopelessness. Isn’t something Tim ever actually wants to live through. And if they died for something like a diamond…

Tim isn’t actually sure what he would do.

“Now promise me, Kid” Joe insists.

Tim hesitates, weighing the pro’s and con’s before looking Joe in the eyes.

Brown, dark and heavy but so so kind. So unlike the man who taught him not to kill.

“I promise”

Chapter Text

“Do you want some ice cream?”
“The chickens need feeding”
“Your room is on fire”
“Conner?” Ma’s voice finally penetrates through the thick fog in Conner’s head, the concern leaking through her tone peaking Conner’s interest.
“Yeah?” Kon asks but his voice sounds weird. Scratchy and hoarse.
“Kon. What’s wrong?” Ma asks, setting down a tray of tea onto the small wooden table.

Kon can feel himself sinking further into the couch cushions as emotions overwhelm his system.
Worry. Anxiety. Anger. Despair.
Flooding through his veins and wetting his eyes.

“Kon. It’s alright honey. It’s gonna be alright” Ma says as she pulls Kon into a hug. Her arms are slender, weaker than Kon’s but at that moment, Kon feels like Ma is holding him together by sheer force of will.
“Ma” Kon says and he really does try not to whine but it comes out that way no matter how much he fights. Ma Kent just shushes him gently, cradling the back of Kon’s skull in one hand and rubbing his back with the other. It has a strangely calming effect on Kon, drawing tears from his eyes as his body starts to shake with sobs.

“Alright honey. Now you don’t have to talk about anything if you don’t want to. Keep that in mind. But I think you’ll feel better if you talk about it” Ma mutters, Kon’s hearing picking it up instantly. When Kon starts to shake harder, Ma just draws him closer, pulling him down to rest his head on her shoulder despite the height difference.
“It- It’s Rob” Kon manages through the sobs, his body feeling like it’s shaking apart under the onslaught of worry and grief and anger.
“Robin?” Ma asks, quiet and gentle like talking to a spooked horse. Kon hadn’t told her about Batman firing Rob. Hadn’t thought that it was his place. But he, just can’t anymore. He needs someone to talk to. Someone who actually understands how fucked up this all is. Someone who isn’t just as worried and scared and confused as he is.
Bart is great but he’s so optimistic, he has so much faith in humanity, in the world. Even though he’s seen some of the worst people have to offer, he still thinks the best of people.
Barry isn’t quite so optimistic but he’s just as worried as Kon is. Kon had heard it in his voice when he spoke to Joe, telling him how Rob ran at a gun that could have killed him. For a diamond.
The rest of team Flash are also very nice. Very understanding. But Kon hadn’t actually had much to do with them before the accident. He doesn’t actually know them all that well.

So finally, Kon breaks. The story spills from his lips and with each word that falls, Kon feels lighter.
“Rob was fired. From being Robin. By Batman. Well it actually started.
It started with a normal mission. A meta in the city with weather related powers. But we went in blind. Rob and Bart got hurt. They. They were struck by lightning. Bart was fine but Rob was unconscious so I took him back to base. Red Tornado looked him over and such. Tried calling Batman. But he was brushed off. So Bart called Barry and Barry decided to take Rob back to STAR labs.

They looked him over and we found out that Rob is now a speedster” Kon says with a watery laugh, not able to mask the guilt in his voice. Because if only he’d been less impulsive. Or been faster. Or stronger. Maybe Rob would have been fine. After all, Rob had never wanted powers.
“He woke up eight days later, Ma” Kon says, the guilt morphing into despair as he remembers the 8 days that he’d spent in STAR labs with Bart and the rest of the team. When he was sure Rob was going to die at any minute.
“And then. Batman fired him. Just like that. Didn’t even have the decency to come in person. No, he just fired Rob on a video call. Basically, kicked him out of Gotham” Anger rearing up in defence of his friend.

“Rob…he was. Blank. He almost didn’t seem to care. But he had to. Being Robin meant a lot to him. Rob should have broken down or something but he just…handed over the uniform and left. Moved to Central. In like a day. That…isn’t normal, Ma. There has to be like a grieving period or something, right?
But Rob didn’t grieve. He just moved.
And then…I was listening to his heartbeat. And I know we’ve talked about how invasive that can be but I just wanted to make sure he was OK. And he wasn’t. His heart was really really slow so Bart and I went to check up on him”

When Ma moves in shock, mouth opening to admonish Kon for revealing Robin’s identity, Kon stops her “We managed to keep his identity safe but he was. Mom he was starving. Literally. He hadn’t eaten and he was burning way more calories than he had. He was starving himself” Kon explains, still shaking slightly as he remembers the terror that rushed through his veins.
“We had to put him on a drip, Ma. And then. Today” Kon falters slightly, remembering the scene from Barry’s suit camera as Rob ran directly at a gun. Suicide was the first think Kon had thought. Because that blast at that strength, angle and position, would have killed Rob.

“Ma. Rob ran directly at a freeze gun. Set at high. It. It could have killed him” Kon admits, tears starting to prick at his eyes once again.
“He put himself in danger for his mission. And he was so nonchalant about it. Didn’t even know why we were all worried. Like he’d done it a thousand times before.
Ma, I could have lost my best friend today and it was terrifying” Kon says unsteadily but forges through with the rest of his statement quickly “And I’m not even sure how many times it has happened before.

He just. Mentions things so easily. Like taking on Two face alone and going after Killer Croc and and Joker. How sometimes Batman left him alone in the city to deal with the rogues. And. Batman was bad for him, Ma. I know that. Batman once hit Rob across the face hard enough to bruise his jaw. He didn’t even try to hide it either, just told us that it was “training” even though he said it wasn’t during a training session. Wouldn’t listen to us when we said that that was very very bad.
Ma. I’m worried about him” Kon admits again, breaking down into sniffles and sobs as his chest closes around his heart, squeezing tightly.

Ma just wraps her hands around Kon’s shoulders and pulls him into another hug, drawing him close and holding him there like a child.

Kon finds that he doesn’t mind. Not when he’s sniffling and sobbing and breaking down, terrified for his friend.

Chapter Text

Martha Kent knows children. She especially knows superpowered children.
Clark had been her boy from the second she found him. And Kon had come as an unexpected but pleasant surprise a bit later. But they were both her boys.
She’d seen them both get used to their powers and grow into their heritage. She’d seen them both break objects because of superstrength, laser vision or Tactile Telekinesis.
And yet. She has never been as angry at one of them as she in in this moment.

“Clark Joseph Kent! You better get here right now young man!”
Martha had stopped feeling strange about yelling at the sky years ago. Especially since Clark has told her that he’s always listening. She had found it strange when she was younger, but she knows now. Knows that if she could keep constant watch on people she loved, she would.
Thus, it does not surprise her when a ruffled, somewhat panicked Superman, still in a tie from his suit, lands in front of her with a soft thump.
She knows that he knows that he’s in trouble. Not only did Martha use his full name but he landed softly, timidly. He knows not to upset her right now. Well not any further.

“Um. Hi. Ma” Clark says, voice quiet and hesitant.
She knows that he has no idea why he’s so upset. “Clark Kent. What have I always told you about children and child abuse?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest and staring him down.
Clark blinks for a second, his posture going slack with shock and confusion, “That children are the hope of the world. Look Ma, is this about Kon?” he asks, frowning as he tries to think.
“We will soon be talking about Kon and how you treat him, but this is not the point of the current conversation” Ma says firmly. Because Clark has been doing better with Kon lately, giving him his name and such.
“But then. What is? I don’t have another kid. Right?” Clark questions quickly, eyes wide in worry. And Martha can’t help but smile.
“No. Not your child” Martha says reassuringly, slightly more serious when Clark looks even more confused.
“Kon came to me earlier, not responding to anything at all and then had a breakdown on the couch”
“I thought you said this wasn’t about Kon” Clark interrupts, and usually Martha would admonish him for it but the hint of worry in his voice stops her.
“It isn’t about Kon. Now let me finish my story”
Clark looks sufficiently cowed by that.

“Kon had a breakdown on my couch about Robin. No Clark do not interrupt. He was crying over his friend because he was worried. Did you know Batman had fired Robin?”
“He…what?”
“Well then. I guess that answers that question. But anyway. Batman fired Robin, over a video call no less because Robin was hit by lightning and gained superspeed”
“Robin was what?!”
“Clark. Don’t be rude now. But this is also not the point of the discussion.
“Kon mentioned quite a few worrying things like Robin being left alone to defend Gotham and fighting criminals by himself. But one thing that he said was very shocking and upsetting to me”

Martha stops then to make sure that Clark is listening and that she has his full attention. She meets his eye, seeing the confusion and shock warring in him but she continues. She knows that this is a lot of information to take in so quickly, but she also has a point to make.

“He mentioned that Batman once hit Robin hard enough to bruise his jaw. Outside of a training session, before you ask. Now Clark. I have always had some level of respect for your teammates. Diana is a lovely woman. But I refuse to let you work with and endorse child abusers” Martha says clearly, not willing to give an inch.

Clark stares at her for a moment, completely in shock before a frown crawls across his brow. He seems hesitant to speak up now that Martha is finished but he obviously also has something to say.
Martha gives him the time to sort his thoughts and place everything into words.
“I. Didn’t know about this” Clark admits, looking chastised as he looks at her, small despite his size.
“I don’t think anyone knew about this, Ma” He says, tilting his head as if to listen.
“Then, now that you do know. What are you going to do about it?” She asks, still not giving an inch. If there was one thing in life that she despised, it would be child abusers. To find that her son has been (Unwittingly or not) working with one for years?
That will not do.

Blinking, Clark straightens, his shoulders drawing back with purpose as he starts to plan “I’ll give the backup Kryptonite to Diana instead of Batman. Maybe offer Robin a place to stay in case he needs it. Inform the league of the new development, possibly call for a trial of Batman” he says resolutely, meeting Martha’s eyes to see if that would be enough.
“You will offer Robin a place to stay. Here. And you will draw up a trial for Batman as an abuser. I do not think it will do well for publicity or for the league itself to be fraternizing with a man like that”
“Ma” Clark starts again, meeting her eyes before he speaks again “If we put Batman on trial, that would require Robin to testify, as well as Impulse and Superboy. Everyone that knows them well and their reputations would work against them. I don’t think it would work” he says eventually, almost guilty.
“Clark” Martha says as she steps forward, resting her hand on Clark’s elbow in a show of comfort. “It doesn’t matter if the trial goes through or not. This is not about Batman, after all. You just need to stay true to yourself and make your voice heard” she says, smiling reassuringly at her son.

The anger from before had cooled when Clark showed that he hadn’t known. Now her anger was firmly directed at Batman himself. Clark feels guilty, she can see. And he would go check up on the boy, she is sure.

She can’t help the swell of pride she feels at her son. And her grandson.

Chapter Text

For Tim, quiet had always been suspicious. Quiet meant that the rogues were planning something big and dangerous. It feels strange now, to have more quiet days than not.
Central city doesn’t have the abundance of organised and petty crime that had given Gotham its reputation, after all.
The Flash family and team only patrol the city twice a day unless something comes up, which it rarely does. Otherwise, most of Tim’s time is occupied by school, training and “Bonding time” with the team.

“Bonding time” as Kon had called it, consists of movies, series and other activities like boardgames where there are at least 2 members of Young Justice present, usually being Kon and Bart. Cassie sometimes brings Cissie along, dragging her there through sheer force of will and superstrength.
Cissie always whines when she’s dropped off, citing that she’s retired. Unfortunately for her, the mantra of “You can retire from the team, but the team doesn’t retire from you” had become ingrained in their mental collective. She still cannot refute it.
Sometimes, Anita is picked up as well though that is rare since you know, 2-year-old toddler parents.
They still haven’t managed to get Greta down for a visit. She actually likes living as a normal human these days. And she still feels somewhat guilty about trying to kill them all.
They’ll manage to drag her away sometime.

For the moment, however, Tim is pinned underneath Kon’s shoulders as Kon rests his head on Tim’s stomach. Bart is currently tangling Tim’s hair as he tries to braid it. And Cassie is attempting to teach Bart how to braid.
The movie on the screen is good. Sweet. Very well animated and very sad. But Tim doesn’t think anyone has been paying attention in a while.
“No no no. You have to take the left piece and fold it over the middle piece. Like this” Cassie says, reaching over Bart to demonstrate. Unfortunately, she’s annoyed and thus doesn’t completely hold back on her strength, tugging on Tim’s hair hard enough to pull him backwards.
Tim whines in complaint the same time that Kon does. Tim in pain and Kon just because his pillow has moved.
“Sorry” Cassie apologises, making a point to be gentler with his hair after that.
“So you take the left part over the middle part, which then becomes the middle part and then the right part over the middle part that was once the left part, making the previously right part, the middle part” Bart observes.
“You’re making it way more complicated than it needs to be. Left over middle. Right over middle. Left over middle. Right over middle” Cassie says as she continues to demonstrate, thankfully keeping her strength in check.
Bart takes over shortly after and seems to be doing it right for a bit for a while as his eidetic memory kicks in. Until he gets bored and starts moving at superspeed. Then, Tim’s head gets jerked again and by Cassie’s noise of sympathy, Tim can guess that the tangles have worsened.

Tim will have to run a brush through it before he goes to bed tonight and hope he doesn’t have to cut it.

Xxxxxxxx

“Bats headed toward 5th Ave” Harley whispers into the comms, giggling through her words.
Bats has just run off from her little idea for the night, remote controlled dolls that latch onto Batman’s arms, legs and torso. That’s it. Nothing violent. Though Selina had had to talk her out of giving the dolls knives. The dolls would make it difficult to move, slow his movements and maybe restrict his sight if they reach his face. But nothing really dangerous.
“Acknowledged” Riddler says out loud as he peers over the corner of the roof to where one of his signature green boxes sit.
Bats is under the impression that the box contains a clue, as it always does. And Edward hasn’t quite broken that pattern yet. The box does have a clue inside. There’s just a little…surprise in there with it.
When Batman opens the box, a plume of bright green dust explodes outward to coat Batman from ears to calves, only leaving the spots clear where the dolls had latched on. It looks even worse since his feet are still black, as is the pattern of dolls. Batman tries wiping the dust off but just succeeds in running it deeper into the fabric of the suit. He moves on quickly after that, most likely receiving an alert about the jewellery store Selina had chosen.

Meanwhile, as Selina is keeping Bats busy with a chase across the city, Ivy carefully sets up plants at central locations filled with different types of gas and pollen. Nothing life endangering. Nothing particularly cruel either.
A few plants cover people with foul smelling goo that takes days to wash off. Another sprays pollen that causes temporary cross eyes. Some just shoot different coloured dyes. Prank flowers.
That’s what they were. Pranks.
And if the pranks are used for revenge, then who’s to question. At least they aren’t destroying the city. Damaging Bats’ reputation would be enough.

Chapter Text

The alarm sounds at 3AM, ringing over Tim’s phone that he had discreetly connected to the comm link at the lab. It’ll alert him if anyone uses the comm in the Flash suit outside of patrol hours.
The fact that it’s going off at such an off hour makes adrenaline race through Tim’s veins, igniting the lightning that normally stays dormant and making him want to move. To run.
Tim is halfway to STAR labs in moments.

Stopping next to Cisco, behind the screens that display Barry’s cowl feed, Tim freezes.
“Dude. What are you doing here?” Cisco asks, jumping in place as he turns to stare at Tim.
Tim doesn’t react, racing out of the building as soon as he’s sure he has Barry’s position in mind.
Because right before Cisco tried switching the feed, likely due to Tim showing up without introducing himself, Tim had seen a cape and cowled Batman. More importantly, an angry Batman.

Xxxxxxx

Bart got the call early in the morning, Barry calling from his cell, telling him to suit up and meet him on 7th street. Bart hadn’t hesitated, just suited up and raced off. He should have asked for more information.
Now, standing in front of an angry Batman, Bart can’t help but laugh.
The Batsuit’s base colour is completely invisible, covered in Green powder, Yellow goo, Pink splashes and blue streaks. There’s also the added visual of what look like mechanical dolls clinging to Batman, also covered in goo, dust and colours.

Batman breaks his stare-off with Barry to glare at Bart, only causing Bart to laugh harder when he sees that Batman’s face is also covered in stuff but is not green like his suit.
“Impulse” Batman grunts in unwilling acknowledgement, causing Bart to laugh even harder since Batman sounds like he’d inhaled a ton of helium. It just draws another glare from him, which hasn’t done anything to Bart since the early days of Young Justice when Robin still knew the batglare was effective.
Bart is reminded of that one story Rob told them where Catwoman, Harley and Ivy, the Gotham City Sirens, set up a room filled with helium balloons and then popped them while he and Batman were in the room. One of their more harmless exploits, used to make a getaway.

Bart can even hear Cisco laughing over the comm lines for a few minutes before he suddenly goes quiet.
His voice floats overt the comms, asking “Dude. What are you doing here?”.

There’s silence for a second before he curses and says, “Peregrine headed your way”. He seems more annoyed than afraid, but Bart can hear an undercurrent of worry in his voice.

Barry tenses, turning to Batman once again. His movements are stiff, jerking. But only Bart can see the way he twitches so quickly that it isn’t visible to the human eye. Barry moves to face Batman and stops, eyes flickering with suppressed speed.
“What are you doing here, Bats?” Barry asks, straightening his posture and speaking clearly. The same way that Flash speaks to Cold or Trickster. Some of the more dangerous rogues. Bart isn’t sure what to think of Barry treating Batman that way.
Bart understands though, can feel the little urge in his blood, the shocks running over his skin and the twitching in his muscles. He wants to run. Wants a fight. But Bart can’t fight Batman. Barry can’t even fight Batman.
“Where is he?” Batman asks gruffly, ignoring Barry’s question and Bart’s presence almost entirely.
“Where is who?” Bart asks. He knows who Batman is asking for, he’s asking about Rob. But Bart has always been petty, especially when it comes to his friends. He wants Batman to say it. To name the name that Rob no longer has. To at least acknowledge that he’d done something unforgivable.
“Impulse. Do not-“Batman starts, his cowl turning to face Bart menacingly.

“B? What are you doing here?”

Bart can track the exact moment that Rob shows up, racing down the street to come to a standstill between Bart and Batman.
The new suit, when placed next to Batman’s is much too similar. A combination of Flash’s design and Batman’s colours. Flash has always stuck to colour. Distinctive red and yellow. Batman has always been black.

Bart always thought that it was an adaptation to their cities. Central, bright and colourful, full of hope. Gotham dark and dreary, full of crime.
Now, Bart sees that it also just reflects them. Batman still steeped in grief, unable to move on, still wearing the colour of mourning. Barry draped in colour, moving on, however slowly, to a happier place in his life.

“You” The word is barely recognizable through the growling tenor of Batman’s voice and Bart is once again struck to Make Batman Say It.
“B? What happened? Are you alright?” Rob asks, eyes affixed to the dolls, slime and colours on the suit as he moves forward slowly.
Rob doesn’t seem to realize the danger, approaching as if he were just walking to Kon or Bart to check on them. Ignoring the hateful glare on the Bat and the way his fists clench at his sides.
By the time Batman snaps, Bart has already moved forward to grab Rob.
“You caused this”
Batman’s voice doesn’t raise. He doesn’t start yelling. No. This is much worse. Instead, Batman’s voice drops an octave and takes on the distinct property that Bart decides to categorize as “disappointed and angry”.
The voice, in conjunction with the words, cause Rob to flinch, pulling back subtly into Bart’s chest. At that, Bart just hugs him tighter as Batman continues to speak.

“The rogues are angry. At me. Because I fired you. Which just shows that it was the right choice.
You shouldn’t have befriended the rogues to begin with. They’re mentally unstable. You should have reported them and took them to Arkham. Instead. You seem to have some kind of relationship with them.
No wonder your parents never stuck around”

The last sentence causes Tim to flinch again, this time visibly. That’s when Barry finally unfreezes and decides to step in, physically stepping between Batman and Peregrine to block Batman’s view.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing here, Batman. But you need to leave. Peregrine is no longer your Robin, no longer lives in your city. You have no right to be here, let alone lecture him for something he had no control over”
“You’re kicking me out?” Batman asks, his tone darkly amused as he tries to stare Barry down, his voice and glare making it clear that he thinks that is a wrong move.
“It is my city. You have no right over Peregrine any longer. So leave” Barry refutes, unwilling to back down, even as Rob starts struggling slightly in Bart’s arms.

Bart just wraps his arms tighter and rests his forehead between Rob’s shoulder blades, deepening his breath in an attempt to calm Rob down.
The next sentence stops Bart’s tracks cold.

“Neither do you” Batman says.

Bart can feel Rob freeze, still unnaturally as his chest stops moving, not breathing.
He can almost feel Barry’s confusion from here as Barry asks “What?”
“Nobody has any right over him anymore. You haven’t adopted him” Batman points out, sounding almost smug. By the way Rob’s muscles bunch and tense, the tone cannot mean anything good.

The words sink in then, drawing Bart’s skin together on his forehead, drawing his lip between his teeth. “What do you mean adopted?” Bart asks, when the sparks along his skin race again, when the feeling of standing still and silent becomes more than just uncomfortable and simply becomes plain wrong.
Bart lets go of Rob with heavy reluctance, ignoring the way that Rob tries to stop him. Racing to stand next to Barry, Bart leaves a scorch on the tar from his quick deceleration.
“Rob has an uncle that he’s living with” Bart points out, not sure if he should be concerned about the fact that Batman apparently doesn’t know this.
Batman, however, takes the time to point out “That boy is no longer Robin and he shouldn’t be using the name”, trying to glare at Rob over Bart’s shoulder. Bart simply grabs a nearby traffic barrier to block his view, setting up a wall between Batman and Rob.

“Ignoring that. What do you mean. Adopted?” Barry asks, voice cold and serious, not even holding the compassion that Barry has for his rogues.
Batman glances at him and smiles. It isn’t a nice smile. It’s mocking and knowing in a way that Bart doesn’t like.
“Because there is no uncle”

Bart stops.
Thinks.
Stops again.

Because it makes sense. In a way that he doesn’t want to think about. After all, he’d been thinking about why he’s never seen the uncle. But. Rob wouldn’t-. Why would Rob-?
Bart doesn’t understand.

“if you dug more than an inch deep, you would have seen that everything about this ‘uncle’ has been fabricated” Batman says, digging deeper.
Barry, having taken the time to process, reboots. “It doesn’t matter” he eventually says, ignoring the loud protests from Cisco as he rants about fake trails and civilian identities.
“It doesn’t?” Bart asks.
“No. It doesn’t. Peregrine has chosen to work with us. Whether as family or not. He’s chosen. And that means more than anything else” Barry says, sounding steadfast, but Bart can hear the waver of confusion in his voice. Knows that this is more about reassuring Rob than it is about Batman.

This entire discussion had worked up both speedsters, lightning arcing across Barry’s eyes as Bart tries desperately to stimmy the twitches in his limbs.
Neither of them are happy and neither is the speedforce.
Bart is just about to take Rob and run when someone clears their throat behind Batman.
“Well. Never expected to see the dark knight in this city. Never wanted to, either. Now get out” Leonard Snart says, blasting at Batman with a low powered Cold gun that freezes Batman solid, including the dolls and the slime.
Batman grunts with the impact, reaching to detonate a few small heat deployers but before he can, Barry swipes them and tosses them at Bart, most likely just in case Cold decides to take a shot at him.
“Cold” Barry acknowledges, giving Snart a brisk nod.
“Flash” Cold acknowledges back before he tilts his head at the incapacitated dark knight.

Snart grabs a handful of Batman’s cloak, dragging him down the road toward a taxi, the driver frozen as he stares at Captain Cold.
“To Gotham Police station please” is all he says before shoving Batman into the trunk and closing it with a definitive thunk.
The driver doesn’t hesitate, even when Snart aims his gun at his head and orders him to drive.

“Snart?” Barry asks a second after the cab starts to pull away. He sounds shocked and confused.
“Yeah yeah. Still not a good guy. But the kid has guts. And a decent brain in his skull” Snart excuses before he starts walking away.
Barry doesn’t try running after him.

“Bart?” Barry asks a lifetime later, the two having stood there thinking. Bart doesn’t answer, instead nodding for Barry to continue.
“Find Peregrine for me, please” Barry requests, his eyes dark and sad, filled with worry and concern for the kid that has grown on him since he gained powers. They both know that Rob is no longer behind that wall.

Bart doesn’t hesitate to start running.

He’s gone in a flash.

Chapter Text

Bart isn’t really sure where to look.
Rob isn’t at his apartment. And now that Bart knows, he can spot the signs. The bed that’s always mussed but doesn’t have an indent where a person had slept. The dishes that were always dirty but never actually seemed to be cleaned. The lack of life.
Rob invented a fake uncle.

Why?

Bart thinks and thinks, pondering over foster systems, adoption rules and laws but nothing would have stopped Rob. Absolutely nothing.
Instead of breaking his brain over it, Bart calls Kon and Cassie, informing them of the new development.

“He did what?” Cassie asks blankly, as if too angry to actually feel angry. Bart gets it. Worry and anger, concern and just a little smidge of wonder. He knows the conflicting feelings that this stirs up.
“That. Is such a Rob thing to do” Kon comments with a sigh and Bart can’t help but let out a sharp laugh. Because it is such a Rob thing to do. And it’s concerning. What does it say about them that they’ve become so desensitized? What does it say about Rob?

“I’m trying to find him now. I’ll record the fallout and send it to you guys” Bart says, his laugh petering out as he starts to concentrate.
“I’ll send it to the others. Cissie is gonna be so mad at him for this” Cassie says, sounding much too gleeful at the prospect of Rob’s suffering.
“Cissie? Nah. Greta is going to be so concerned that she’ll accidentally guilt trip him into feeling worse than even Cissie can make him feel” Kon explains. Bart can see that happening. All of them have a weakness to a teary Greta. But also, an angry Cissie is terrifying. And Anita is strong. More likely to be understanding of all of this though.

Neither Kon nor Cassie can actually make it out tonight, Kon stuck with make up work and Cassie stuck because her mom said no more expeditions for days with no warnings. And no hero stuff on school nights.
Bart has to find him alone.

With his friends still arguing in his ears, Bart races down streets, running this way and that, occasionally throwing in comments to the discussion happening in his ear.
When a familiar voice interrupts Cassie’s explanation of Greta taking down this guy who hit on her at a party, Bart stills.
“Name” is all that Rob says, sounding tired and weary.
Bart can hear Cassie gearing up for a lecture before Kon says “Dude. You alright? You sound like you’ve just given up on life in general. I haven’t heard you sound like that since the whole Young Justice sleepover thing”.
Rob lets out a bout of throaty, strangled laughter before he sighs “I’ll get the guy’s name from Greta”.

Thinking again, Bart knows that Rob won’t give out his position, instead he focuses and slows down. Thinking.
“Nobody ever looks up” Bart remembers Rob saying again and again when he managed to get the drop on people.
Bart takes off again, this time running up and down buildings, searching rooftops. He finds Rob sitting at the edge of a building near the old nuclear reactor in Central, staring down at the city from one of the highest buildings.

Seeing him, Bart turns off his comm and sees Rob doing the same, still sitting on the edge, staring out at the lights that make up the nightlife of the city, the edge of dawn just peeking out from the horizon.
“Sorry” Rob says when Bart sits down next to him.
“Why are you sorry?” Bart asks, trying to keep his voice steady and his feet still.
“I’m sorry that Batman confronted you about me” Rob admits, and Bart can see his shoulders slump slightly when he admits it.

“Rob-“ Bart starts, interrupted when Rob says “Peregrine” like a curse. Like the name has been tainted in some way. Which Bart guesses, it had. Batman had revoked the name, ignored the name that Rob had chosen for himself completely. Had said that Rob has no right to the only name his team had ever known him by.
Bart feels almost compelled to lighten the mood, to lighten the almost physical weight on Rob’s shoulders “Ninja” Bart says, not even able to bring a whole smile to his face.

“I. I’m not Robin anymore, Bart” Rob whispers as if voicing it would summon Batman himself.
“No. You aren’t” Bart admits, looking down at the city and the way Rob’s feet swing back and forth.

“I don’t even have any family left” Rob admits, sounding much darker than even when he speaks about Robin.
Bart won’t let that stand.
“You have us” Bart states, turning to look at Rob through the frankly-still-creepy-mask.
“You, Kon, Cassie and I. We’re a team. And Anita, Greta, even Cissie. We’re family” Bart whispers, remembering all the times when they were all together. Going to fetch Greta from the government, the way everyone had stood for her and protected her. The way no-one had really lost contact with Cissie even after she retired. The way Anita still sends highly specific memes to the group chat like “when your 2-year-old father decides to wander away with your knives” and the vine of “what do you have” “a knife” “NO”.

“We may not be family legally. Or by blood. But we’re family that you chose. And I think that counts more” Bart eventually says, watching Rob from the corner of his eye as Rob sways lightly in the wind.
“Yeah. I guess you’re right” Rob says, still staring down as he stands up, extending a hand to Bart and pulling him backwards.

“You’re still gonna get a lecture” Bart reminds him, knowing that while he had turned his mic off, Kon and Cassie had still heard this entire discussion. And that is excluding the whole Flash team.
Rob though. Rob smiles, gentle as he meets Bart’s eye. “I know”

Chapter Text

Tim had known that he was in for a lecture. He hadn’t expected the severity of the lecture. He’d expected a reprimand about interfering. Maybe a lecture about going into a fight he wasn’t needed at. Yelling and screaming and blank faces with cowls.
But this isn’t like that.

“I know that you’re independent but that does not exempt you from needing a guardian to take care of you” Joe says, eyes affixed to Tim’s through the lenses of his mask.
“Who cooks for you? Did you cook? Can you cook? Is that why you passed out from hunger? Because you have no-one to cook for you?” Iris asks, pacing in a small circle as she thinks.
“Kid. Honestly, I think it is rad as hell. Really, I do. I mean, living alone and getting an entire apartment to yourself? Awesome” Cisco voices before being glared into submission by the others.
“No. It is not ‘rad’. It is dangerous for both your physical and mental health” Caitlyn says to make a point.
“But more than that. Why didn’t you just tell us?” Barry asks, diving into the heart of the matter and looking at Tim like he’s something fragile.

Tim can’t meet his eye, keeping the lenses of his mask pointed at Barry but looking down.
“I just couldn’t go into foster care. Especially not in Gotham” Tim starts, avoiding Barry’s question. They let him speak anyway. The Gotham fostering system would have meant no more Robin. Not that he has Robin anymore anyway. But the Gotham fostering system is the worst thing that can happen to a child. It’s why most of the kids would rather live on the streets than an orphanage.

“I’ve been living on my own since I was a kid anyway” Tim justifies, remembering big tables and small nannies that always left anyway, never able to stay. His parents, memory of their faces faded but the images of their suitcases clear. Memories of birthdays missed, and holidays spent alone.

“And I learned how to cook from videos and cookbooks. I’m fairly decent at it” he concludes, avoiding the point of this whole argument with a determination that he hasn’t felt in a while. Not having felt the need to use that determination.

“Peregrine” Barry says gently, resting a hand on Tim’s shoulder as he turns Tim to face him completely. “I know we haven’t worked together long. We haven’t even known each other that long. But. I want you to know that we worried about your uncle”
Bart raises his voice again to say “Yeah, Kon and I were like worried your uncle was abusing you”
Tim startles at that, because he hadn’t known that he was giving off that impression. Batman certainly never seemed to care. Not even when Tim showed up having not slept for days. Or when Alfred heard his sobbing across the walls of the manor.
“Either way. Peregrine, we want you to feel safe with us. To be honest with us. Because we care about you, alright?” Barry continues.

Tim’s throat had closed up halfway through Barry’s speech. Because this isn’t a lecture. This is worry and concern over his well-being. This was articulated and voiced worry. Tim just isn’t sure how to deal with that. He’s never had anyone use this before. Never had anyone actually care.

They want him to feel safe.
Tim hadn’t felt safe in the Batcave since Batman plotted against him on his birthday. Hasn’t felt safe in the streets since his parents died. Has only felt safe on rooftops and gargoyles until that was taken away as well.

But, Tim thinks, he feels safe with his team. He feels safe with Cisco and Caitlyn, even when they are shooting at him. He…feels safe here.

It’s a strange feeling, the lack of worry and fear. The knowledge that they care. The fact that he knows they would help him.
The feeling of his team watching him. Kon and Cassie and Bart having brought the retired members of their team along. Cissie shirking off a test. Anita arranging a babysitter. Greta leaving her dorms for the first time in weeks. All for him
It makes his throat close with something resembling tears or panic, but it has no adverse effect on him. It doesn’t make him shake or sob.

Lifting his eyes from where they’d fallen on Barry’s hand on his shoulder, Tim breathes.

Usually he would put more thought into this.
Usually, he would stop himself way before this point.
Usually, he wouldn’t even consider this.

Reaching to his mask, Tim meets the eyes of his team through darkened lenses before pressing his fingers against the scanners, releasing the mask.
Cassie jumps back in shock, almost breaking the desk behind her as his fists clench around delicate metal. Doesn’t startle at the sound of crunching.
Kon doesn’t seem to be breathing at all actually as his wide blue eyes focus. Take in Tim’s eyes for the first time.
Bart, meanwhile, is beaming. Exited as always and so so happy.

The others are shocked, Cissie partially blocking her view of Tim with a hastily thrown up hand, as if to stop him. Anita staring at him with a mouth wide open. Greta with a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement, trying to hide her giddiness.

Tim doesn’t look at the Flash team, doesn’t allow himself to sink into the low panic stirring in his gut.
“Tim. My name is Tim. And. I do. I.” Deep breath to swallow the lump in his throat

“I trust you”

Chapter Text

The second Rob. No. Tim reveals his name, Kon can feel something lift from his shoulders. A tension he hadn’t even been aware was there.
They’ve had fights over Rob not revealing his identity before. Fights that always ended with frayed nerves and shaken cores. But Rob had never conceded. Never relented in his insistence that his identity must remain secret, even from them.

Kon feels the innate need to test Ro-Tim. Tim, for some sort of mind-altering substance but Tim’s eyes stop him.

Kon had never seen Tim’s eyes before, not without the domino. But his eyes reflect the way that he is. Steadfast and sure. No hesitation but a slight amount of shock, as if he is just as shocked as they are. But Kon can see in his eyes that he doesn’t regret it. Can see that Tim is standing by his decision on his own.
It makes it better.

It makes it easy to move in and wrap Tim in a bone-crushing hug, Bart following immediately after to throw his weight into Kon’s side.
“You. You didn’t have to do that, you know?” Kon whispers into Tim’s hair, drawing a shudder from him as Tim relaxes into the hug.
“I know. But I wanted to” Tim answers quickly after, resting his chin on Bart’s head and drawing an offended squeal.
“I’m glad” Bart mutters, eyes flicking from Tim to Cassie and Greta.

A second later, a pair of arms wrap around Tim as well, as Cassie wraps her arms around Kon, gently grasping at Tim’s hand with her own.
“Mon. I just don’t want you to regret this later” Anita speaks up, even as she stretches a hand past Kon and Cassie to rest on Tim’s head.
“I won’t regret it” Tim says vehemently “I’m no longer Robin and I no longer hold any connection to Batman or his identity. There is no risk in revealing his identity by revealing mine.
Besides, Batman said that I should stop using ‘Rob’ as a nickname and you guys needed something to call me” Tim explains, the smile on his lips thin, but genuine.

“Well then, Tim. It is good to know your name. And now you can finally wander around the lab without a mask. But. We still need to discuss the accommodations for your stay” Joe says, eyes soft, as if he’s already got an idea.

“I can still stay at my apartment. No need to bother. I can look after myself” Tim says, anxiety stirring in his gut, stoked up by Batman’s appearance. The look Joe gives him is scathing.
“Kid. No. I’m already used to housing a speedster or two” Joe says, amused as he looks at the literal wall of metas encasing Tim.

Xxxxxxx

Tim blinks, astounded at what sounds “Is. That an offer?” Tim asks, his voice quiet and low.
Joe just gives him a wide smile as he nods, Iris smiling at her dad’s side.
“Yeah, it is” Joe confirms when he sees the shocked look in Tim’s eye.

The offer sounds too good to be true. “But speedsters eat more than most people. And I don’t want to bother really, I can stay on my own” Tim says, voice going higher as the excuses fall from his lips.
In truth, the idea of living in a home? With people? Is giving him a warm feeling in his chest.

“Kid. I had Barry in my house for ages. And…Wally in my house as well” Joe says, his voice faltering on the same of his deceased son. “Either way, I’m used to people in the house and I think it’s time I get another inhabitant, don’t you think?”

Tim falters then, memories of a big house, empty and lonely. He breathes deeply. Nobody should be subjected to that.
“Alright” Tim concedes, locking eyes with Joe over Kon’s inhumanly tall shoulder before he rests his forehead on Bart’s head again, ignoring the cheers that stir up as a side-effect of his acquiesce.

He’d move later in the day.

Xxxxx

Moving is still much easier than expected, especially since he only had to move his room and not the whole apartment. Tim is done in minutes.
His new room is smaller than he’s used to. So is the house.
It feels better, somehow. Less lonely.

He can hear Joe and Iris cooking in the kitchen, pots and pans scraping together.
He can hear Cisco discussing something with Barry, leading to loud laughter.
He can hear his team in the living room, squabbling and bonding while trying not to break the furniture.

It’s…different.
But not bad.

He’s used to houses that look like museums, manors that look like mausoleums, apartments meant for rich businessmen.

This.
This is a home.

Tim can see it in the way that there are small tack holes in the wall, where posters once were, the dust gathering in the corners and the small scratches on the door.
Someone lived here.
And now that person is him.

Chapter Text

It doesn’t take long for the rumours to spread, sightings of Captain Cold and Batman, Flash and Impulse, along with a new speedster that no-one had a name for yet.
Iris writes a piece that introduces Peregrine to the City, all fluff with a small statement from Tim himself. It takes off immediately. Backed by the vocal support of the Flash himself, of course.

Where before, people had greeted Impulse and Flash when they dropped in, they now greeted Peregrine as well. Food started appearing in Tim’s patrol routes that he takes without Barry knowing. One of the buildings he frequents even sets up a small chair for him to sit on.

Tim starts patrolling regularly with Barry and Bart, racing between buildings and small crimes, waiting for something else to happen.
New metas from the particle accelerator pop up every now and again, few violent and more and more of them seeking help.
The few violent metas that they find get handled on a case by case basis. And Tim quickly learns that his understanding of science, physics and chemistry are limited at best. Caitlyn and Cisco make that immediately clear.

Cisco takes the time to work with Tim on engineering and the like, explaining to Tim about some of the things he finds the most interesting.

Xxxxxx

Cisco leans against the railing at the edge of the room as Tim starts rifling through his bag, pulling out all the bits and bobs and gadgets he’s pilfered away from the cave through the years. Smoke pellets, gas canisters, gas masks, small tasers, tracking devices and such.

“How even did you get an incendiary device small enough to fit in here?” Cisco asks, picking up one of the smoke pellets and examining the hard, outer shell.
“That’s because it isn’t an incendiary device. It’s all chemical” Tim explains, dropping a single pellet into a jar and allowing Cisco to see the grey smoke produced by the chemical reaction.
“Huh” Cisco muses, turning to face Tim with a contemplative expression and a wicked smile.

A few minutes later, everyone inside the main room can hear a bang before smoke floods from the room Cisco and Tim were in.
Cisco stumbles out first, coughing before Tim races out, his eyes wide but so is his smile. Seeming unaware of the scorch marks on his torso.
“Speedsters cannot use smoke pellets” Cisco concludes before he high fives an amused Tim.
“I wonder if we can modify the outer shell to be more durable to friction?” Tim asks, reigniting Cisco’s thinking face.
Barry steps in before they can do more damage.

“Why?”

Tim and Cisco exchange a look of pure excitement and wonder before saying, completely in sync “For science”. Barry can’t stop his eye from twitching at that.
“God. Now there are more of them” Joe mutters in a slightly hysterical laugh as he warily eyes the room still flooding smoke.

Kon eyes the scorch marks on Tim with wariness but shakes his head with a smile. “For science” he mutters hysterically as Bart bounces next to him.
“No more science for today, Geek Wonder” Cassie says instinctually from where she’s laying down on the table. She immediately tenses when she realises what she said but Tim doesn’t react, just laughing harder as another bang echoes behind him.

“You relish in chaos, don’t you?” Kon asks as Barry starts running around the door to funnel out the smoke.
The sparkle in Tim’s eye throws him for a second, Kon still unused to seeing Tim’s eyes at all.
“Embodiment of chaos” Cassie mutters, remembering everything from their last few missions and even just everything else. The way Tim managed to steal a whole Batmobile.
Tim shakes his head then, smiling as he reminds her “Nah, that’s Klarion” drawing groans from all 3 members of Young Justice as Tim cackles anew.

The smoke stops flooding from the room soon after, as Cisco goes to rush in and alter the shell of the smoke bomb, followed by Caitlyn just to make sure that he doesn’t get hurt.

“Alright. So if we make the shell thicker, more resistant to friction and wearing down –“ Tim starts, interrupted by Cisco as he says “Then we have a higher likelihood of shrapnel”, to which Tim hums, shaking a smoke bomb with a clear casing just to watch the liquids inside swirl.

Then, he stops. “Wait. What if we place a barrier between the 2 liquids that can be dissolved by the one liquid and thus effectively giving it a timer?”. Cisco thinks about it for a while before he says “Wait that doesn’t solve our main problem?” as he looks at Tim, who is already starting to look through materials and absorbency and thicknesses.

“Put it in a friction-proof pouch” Tim mutters, not even looking up and he starts taking apart a smoke pellet. Doesn’t even look up as Cisco starts ranting about fabrics and friction and bizarrely, shark skin.
Then the process begins anew, as Tim and Cisco work around each other, drawing Joe’s look of incomprehension to the surface.

“Still have no idea what they’re talking about” Joe mutters quietly, startling when Kon, Bart and Cassie start laughing next to him “We know the feeling” Cassie says eventually, eyes still fixed on Tim as he pours a liquid into a ball.

“We love it anyway”

Chapter Text

“This guy has skill, Babs, like serious skills” Dick says, pacing the floor as Barbara watches from her chair, her chin resting in her hand as she watches him.
“Didn’t Bats tell you not to get involved in this one?” Barbara asks him, sounding as if she already knows where this is going. Resigned to Dick’s involvement and the inevitable fight it will bring. She doesn’t even turn away from her screen, showing the tracker of Huntress as she speeds through the streets.
“He did. But Babs…” he trails off, looking at her with big, wide pleading eyes.

Barbara huffs, already pulling up the surveillance footage of the fight with the Red Hood, laying it over her usual array.
“He definitely has skill. I can link him to at least 10 murders right now” Barbara muses, pulling up a record of missing persons and bodies. The faces of drug dealers, gang leaders and mafia staring at her. All presumed dead or found headless in the last 2 weeks.
“He cut a Bat-grade line before it even went taut Babs. It takes a special knife to even have a chance of cutting that line. And skill to cut it before it goes taut” Dick explains again.
“I get that, Dick. Trust me, I know” she says, biting her lip to muffle the sting. She still misses the flight. Running across the rooftops with Bruce and Dick. She doesn’t know if that sting will ever go away.

Dick places a hand on her shoulder, apologetic, before he continues, knowing better than to dwell on it.

“Babs. You don’t know who he is, do you?” Dick asks, looking desperate for an answer and Babs has to look away as she shakes her head. She has clues, hints as to this person’s identity, but nothing concrete. It makes anger and dread swirl in her gut. Because if she isn’t the information person, then is she really anything at all?

“Maybe” Dick starts hesitantly “Maybe we should call Tim. Not that he’s better than you or anything” Dick says, as he spots Barbara’s fury and misinterprets it. “But he sometimes has the weirdest insights into things that usually end up being the lynchpin to solving the case” Dick finishes.

Barbara fumes behind him, anger rushing through her veins. “Tim isn’t a Bat anymore. Nor is he a bird. I think he deserves to be left alone” she says, trying to make herself eloquent through the anger.
“But Tim is always willing to help. Even if he isn’t Robin anymore”
“That isn’t it, Dick!” Barbara snaps, patience wavering as she watches Dick smile. “Tim isn’t just ‘not Robin anymore’. For Batman’s sake, you’re talking as if he chose to leave! No! Tim was fired and I think we should leave him alone” she says, looking Dick Grayson in the eye as she speaks.

Because Barbara had hacked STAR labs, had seen Tim’s devastation right after Batman hung up, had seen him slowly, oh ever so slowly build up a group of people that care about him. Had seen the cracks Bruce had made when he confronted Tim. And she had been furious.

No longer is Oracle a Bat by nature. No. She has her own team now. The birds of prey. And no longer does she work with Bruce if she can, at all, help it.
Bats had made a huge mistake. And it has cost him Barbara. Because she cannot justify what Bruce had done. She refuses to justify it.

And here stands Dick doing just that. Justifying it in the way she refuses to.

“But” Dick starts, looking slightly chastised but not enough to stop him from arguing. “I get it, Babs. Bruce should have been less callous. But that’s how he’s always been since” he trails away, both of them wincing at the reminder of their fallen.
“Tim never should have been Robin to begin with” Dick mutters, stoking the anger in Babs’ gut. “Jason died in that suit. Bruce should have never allowed another child to be put in danger like that”.
Barbara can understand that, the sentiment. The want to protect anyone from ever dying like Jason had. But she also understands that that sentiment is wrong.

“Tim made himself Robin. He chose the title and the suit” she starts, only to be interrupted by Dick.
“And he got hurt, Babs! He was struck by lightning!”
“That isn’t the point, Dick! Tim chose the vigilante life for himself! He chose to become Robin!”
“He’s just a child!”
“So were you!”

They’re both panting by the end of it, heaving in breaths as they stare each other down.
“Tim chose this. When he asked you to take Robin back, you refused. When he confronted Batman and basically begged him to get help, Bruce threw him out. When you both were captured, he made a choice to help you. And he’s made that same choice every night he went out with Batman. He’s made this choice over and over and over. Without flinching at the danger it brings. Which is a whole other concern. But Dick, Tim chose this every time. He always will. And if you want to debate his right to choose, then Dick, there is a completely different problem that has nothing to do with Tim” Barbara says, turning her chair to look over her screens once again.

She closes the screens of the Red Hood, rather choosing to turn her attention back to her case.
After a minute or two of silence, she can see Dick leave in the reflection of her screens.

It makes her sad. They rarely fight, after all. But Dick needed to be yelled at, deserved to be yelled at, really. But Barbara shakes that thought off and takes a break, refocusing on her work.
“Helena, I need you to turn left at the next intersection”

Chapter Text

Barry hadn’t exactly forgotten about the usual chaos and things. He hadn’t. Really.

However, he also hadn’t really been paying attention to everything going on outside of Central? At least not as much as he should have been.
That’s why Oliver’s visit catches him off-guard.

“So where is the Flash-ling?!” the voice of Oliver Queen crows out from the entryway, followed by the other Arrows in a line.
The small stampede reminds Tim of when he just got his powers. Multiple footsteps with one moving forward much faster than the others.
Felicity shoves Oliver to the side before greeting Barry with a hug “Sorry about him, he’s still salty about not being informed. Actually” she hesitates “So am I” she says before hitting Barry on the shoulder.

“Ow!” Barry exclaims, surprised as he rubs his shoulder, even as he stares at Oliver in confusion. Oliver seems annoyed at something, though Barry can’t even really guess at what it is. It could be anything, really.
“You have no idea what they’re talking about, do you?” a voice says from behind Oliver, revealing Arsenal himself, Roy Harper.
Barry doesn’t hesitate to answer, turning to Roy and asking “No?”.

Roy hefts a put-upon sigh before turning to face Barry fully. “Hey Flash. How are you? I’m great thanks for asking. Ollie is mad at you for not telling him about your new speedster kid. Now, where is he?” Roy asks quickly, looking bored but Barry can see mischief hidden in his eyes. Along with…something else.

Blinking, Barry shakes his head, clearing it before he speaks “How do you even know about that?” as Felicity pulls out newspapers from her bag.
The one reads “Flash’s new protégé” as was written by Iris.
The others aren’t nearly as expected.
“Batman, child abuser?”
“Accusations abound”
And
“JLA trial: What we know so far”

So maybe Barry had been out of the loop a bit too long.

“What?” is all he asks, the silence behind him echoes before everyone rushes into a frenzy. Cisco checking news and papers and even tabloids, Caitlyn calling Cassie, Joe checking the police records and Iris checking sources.
Barry, meanwhile, rushes toward Felicity and draws the papers from her hands, reading them over in seconds. After, he looks a confusing mix of shocked, harried and happy.

“When did this happen?” he asks, waving the papers at Oliver, who looks more placated now that he knows Barry had been out of the loop.
“Superman accused Batman at our latest JLA meeting. I know you weren’t there, but wow was the guy sure of himself” Oliver says, looking appreciative. “Straight up just announced that Batman had fired Robin, leaving him to fend for himself. And then, he accused Batman of actual child abuse. Of course, the whole room was shocked, but Diana called for testimonies and announced that ‘this is a serious accusation. We shall have a trial’ or something like that. Soon after, the news was all over the world. Surprised you haven’t picked up on it yet”.

Barry glances at Caitlyn, still in the phone with Cassie, talking hurriedly and asking them to hurry back without using their powers.
They’d be back soon but Barry isn’t sure how to explain all of this to them.

“And what does that have to do with Peregrine?” Barry asks, trying to keep his cool. He knows how much effort Tim put into keeping his secret identity secret and he doesn’t want to ruin that in case they don’t know that Peregrine is the previous Robin.
Felicity, however, raises an eyebrow and looks at him like he’s insane “Seriously, Barry? Firstly, Batman announced that Robin is no longer the kid’s name. And Superman also mentioned that the kid gained superspeed. It isn’t hard to figure it out from there”.

Barry lets a smile slide onto his lips then, strained as it is, as they wait for Young Justice to make their way back.

Xxxxxxxx

Surprises are generally the worst, Tim knows. Remembers the patrols with surprises and shocks usually go with concussions and bruises. This is also a surprise and Tim does not like it.
“Caitlyn just called. We should start heading back to STAR” Cassie says, trying to seem calm and failing. Tim can see the scrunch of her eyebrows and the curl of her lip. She’s angry, concerned over something. And whatever had Wonder Girl concerned, Tim should be worried of.

“Did she mention why?” Tim asks, keeping his voice level and casual as he keeps walking. Cassie almost stumbles, falling over herself for an excuse and Tim almost smiles.
“No. She just said to have your mask on”

That. Also does not bode well for anything. Tim doesn’t think that anyone would attack STAR labs and try luring them back. But he can’t really discount that either.
He hurries his footsteps slightly, keeping a hand on Bart’s shoulder so he doesn’t go speeding away.
Kon tenses at his back when Cassie whispers something, too quiet for Tim to hear. Tense, but not ready for a fight, Tim notices, which allows him to relax just ever so slightly.

Tim quickens his steps, dragging Cassie along as they head toward the condemned building where the particle accelerator explosion took place. Adhering his mask at the last second, Tim notices that it feels strange. He hasn’t needed to wear his mask around STAR since he revealed his identity a few weeks ago.
He pushes those thoughts out of his mind, focusing on the way that his heart beats, quicker now. Slowing down his breathing. Focusing his eyes. Preparing himself for a fight.

His footsteps slow as he makes his way toward the main room. He can feel the others slowing behind him as he goes, mimicking him. It instils a sense of familiarity.

One
Two
Three

Young Justice bound into the main room of STAR labs, as one. Tim in the middle, flanked by Cassie and Kon as Bart stays to the side with a clear path toward the assumed threat.
There is no threat.
Instead, what there is, is Team Flash, surrounded by Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak and Roy Harper.
False alarm.

Adrenaline fading, Tim relaxes his shoulders and lets out a breath.

“You guys scared us!” Bart accuses, running straight up to Oliver and staring up at him with an accusing gaze. Oliver does not seem to react but Tim can see the almost imperceptible widening of his eyes as Bart comes to a halt. Felicity, however, jumps as she sees Bart.

“Sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you guys. I mean, I think I made it pretty clear that it wasn’t dangerous to C-Wonder Girl” Caitlyn explains, deftly covering up her slip with Cassie’s name.
“Yeah well, you try keeping Per’s paranoia under control. It is basically impossible” Cassie complains, drawing a laugh from Bart and Kon while Tim attempts to glare her into submission. It isn’t professional to say things like that within the ranks, even with allies.
Cassie just rolls her eyes and gestures towards Roy, standing against the wall with a small smirk and a raised brow.

“Anyway, Per?” Roy says, laughing a bit at the nickname Cassie had inadvertently given Tim “I would like to have a word with you”

The words are casual, a bit of laughter still trailing from Cassie’s absurd nickname. But Tim can tell that Roy is tense. That there is something he doesn’t want Tim to see. Or something he doesn’t want someone to see.
Tim raises his head to meet Roy’s eyes through both of their masks, letting his gaze linger just a little bit too long as he stares in silence.
“Sure”

Before Roy has any chance to recommend a place to talk, Tim takes off, picking Roy up along the way and keeping at a slower pace, as to not hurt him. It doesn’t take long for Tim to arrive at his chosen spot, a private place where Tim had noticed that there are no cameras.
One of the old study rooms, now mostly forgotten as there aren’t enough staff to work all of the labs.

Tim places Roy down gently and backs up, knowing that some people react volatilely to being sped somewhere. But Roy doesn’t throw up, instead he blinks heavily and takes a deep breath.
Impressive.

“We alone?” Roy asks, after managing to gather his wits again. Which isn’t suspicious. No not suspicious at all.
“Yup. The others are probably with Arrow and…” does Felicity have a code name? He remembers a split second later “Overwatch”.
“Good” Roy says, halting a second at Felicity’s code name.

Roy stalks forward a bit, coming to a stop right before Tim. Tim won’t allow it to intimidate him. After all, Tim has fought Killer Croc and he’s fairly sure that Croc is taller than Roy. No, he knows that Croc is taller than Roy. But wow is Roy tall.

“I just wanted to say…I. I don’t know how to say this kid. But I understand” Roy says, meeting Tim’s eyes through the lenses. And Tim can see his sincerity, the way he really believes what he’s saying. But Tim? Tim has no idea what he’s talking about.
Roy seems to pick up on that, taking a breath before he elaborates.

“Green arrow kicked me out of my role too, you know. Kicked me out when I was still mostly an alcoholic. Said it was for my own good. But god did that send me down a spiral. I went from Alcohol to soft drugs to Heroin” here, Roy lets out a harsh laugh, staring down at his own arm in horror.
“And even through all of this, I still couldn’t believe it. I thought it was my fault, you know? Thought that maybe it was time to go off on my own. And when I did, that guilt became anger. I was so angry at him for everything that he did. But even with the anger, I never stopped idolising him, you know? Never”

Roy pauses for a moment, lets his words sink into Tim’s skin like poison. Because Tim, Tim doesn’t know what’s happening. Roy is comparing the way Oliver treated him to the way Batman treated Tim.
But that’s different.
Oliver cared about Roy, like a son almost. Roy was like a child to Oliver and while Oliver is always kind of an asshole, he always seemed to care for Roy. Even when he sent him away.
Tim and Bruce weren’t like that. Never were. Tim was a co-worker, a helper. The Robin Batman didn’t choose.

It’s different.

Roy must see the denial in Tim’s eyes, the way that Tim refuses to acknowledge the similarities, because he doubles down on it.

“Kid, Batman fired you. In your deepest, darkest hour of need. I mean, you got powers, kid. And Batman fired you. Barry took you in, which is great but not the point. The point is that I know how that feels. And I just…”
Roy stops speaking, huffing a breath through his nose before he starts riffling through his pockets for something.
“Here. It’s my number. And my real name. And I get it. Secret identities and all. But if you need me, call me. I mean it, kid. I’ll be there”

And Tim? Just does not understand.

“Why?” falls from his lips like ash, spilling into the air between them.
Roy doesn’t hesitate.
“Because I know what it’s like. Trying to rebuild yourself from scratch. And you need more people in your corner, kid”

Then, Roy turns around and leaves. Leaving Tim alone in a room to process everything that just happened.

Chapter Text

“We need to talk about this, Barry”

Oliver doesn’t talk, normally. He doesn’t and Barry knows that. But this time, they do need to talk. About Tim, about Batman, about the JLA. All of it
“Yeah, we do” Barry says back to him, sighing slightly as he tries to keep his body to hold still.

“Let’s do this one question at a time, then” Felicity interrupts, seeing that Oliver is about to start interrogating Barry like a criminal.
“One question at a time, I- We can do that” Barry says, looking around at his team and Young Justice to gain their approval.

“Alright then. Did Batman abuse this child?” Felicity asks, diving straight into the heat of the battle.
None of them can stop the flinch that that question elicits. Felicity raises an eyebrow at the flinch but keeps quiet, waiting for a verbal answer to a question she already knows the answer to.
Kon is the first to step forward, eyes focused and jaw clenched. “Yes, he did. Batman abused Robin both verbally and physically. At least one instance of physical abuse that we’re aware of. And the verbal abuse was constant” he admits, eyes hard as he stares Felicity down.
Neither Oliver, nor Felicity look surprised by this.

“You said that that’s the only one instance that you’re aware of. Is there a chance that there are more instances that you aren’t aware of?” Felicity continues, keeping her voice calm and level.
“Absolutely” is all Kon answers back, not giving an explanation.

“You mentioned verbal abuse. Do you know how deep that goes?” Oliver asks, sitting down on the edge of one of the desks with feigned nonchalance.
Kon and Bart glance at one another, then at Cassie before Kon clears his throat “There was an instance. Where we were fighting our future evil selves. Per had a future self that was basically Batman with Guns. We couldn’t beat them directly. None of us could. But. Per held his future self at bay by holding a gun to his own head. Said that there would be no future self if he died right now” he explains, voice quiet even when Classie grips his hand hard enough to break most people’s bones.

There’s silence for a moment as that fact sinks into their bones. Of course, Barry and his team already knew but Barry doesn’t think this will ever stop leaving a pit in his stomach and a hitch in his throat.
Oliver and Felicity visually decide to put that behind them for the moment, refocussing on the main issue.

“Can you prove the abuse? Is there any record? Any witnesses?”. And Barry doesn’t actually know the answer to this question. Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. He doesn’t know. Once again, it falls to the kids to answer.
“There is no record of all R-Per’s injuries. And the logs that we do have are incomplete thanks to his habit of not reporting injuries. Even if there was a full log, all of the injuries could be explained as vigilante business” here, Cassie hesitates, looking at a dejected Bart and an angry Conner “The only witnesses to the actual abuse were us. And. Trust me, we’ve had this discussion about reporting it before. We can’t” she says.
“Why not?” Oliver asks, a bit confused and angry.

Here, Kon lowers his head, scrubbing the back of his neck with one hand before he sighs, explaining “No-one would believe us. I mean, have you seen the press we got in the last few years? Nobody likes Young Justice. Nobody trusts us. And with our reputations” Kon trails off, flinching.

Felicity seems angered at that, standing to pace before she demands “Why would your reputations be a factor in a child abuse case?”
“Because they won’t take us seriously. They might even think that we’re just lying” Bart explains. And that’s when Barry sees the look in Bart’s eye.
Bart may be one of the more childish heroes. But he’s also one of the smartest. And just because he’s slightly childish doesn’t mean that he doesn’t understand the gravity of this situation.

“Take it this way. We’re the only immediately witnesses, our reputation will come into play when people can question our quality of character. And Per’s character along with it. The second you bring Young Justice’s reputation into this, you diminish Per’s quality of character. So, we could all testify, but then, it’s the word of 5 kids who just a while ago were slathered with bad press and accusations of literal treason against the word of Batman and anyone else who testifies for them” Bart explains, voice strong but blank.

They’ve obviously thought about this a lot.

“So what now?” Oliver asks after a moment of silence, thinking even as he breaths harder.
Bart shrugs, as do Cassie and Bart. They’ve aired their thoughts and observations. And as they explain a moment later “We’re just happy that Per got away”.
Then, Oliver swallows, straightening his back as he stands and says clearly, towards Young Justice “I believe you. And I’ll vouch for the authenticity of your claim with the league”. Felicity jolts in surprise but gives Oliver a proud smile.
The 3 present members of Young Justice give him a wan smile in return, still not looking very confident in their claims.

“Even if the trial doesn’t go through” Barry says, voice light as he speaks toward the kids “he’s not with Batman anymore. Bats has no more claim on him. And he can recover from that with us. So even if the trial doesn’t go through, even if the trial doesn’t even happen, he’ll know that he has support”
As he explains, he can feel the rightness settling into his skin. Because Oliver isn’t going to be the only one standing with Tim, Barry is sure of it.

Others will make themselves known.
And at the very least, that support will help Tim recover.

Chapter Text

After Roy leaves, Tim drags himself back to the main room with trepidation. He doesn’t think Roy had the authority to give his name and number to Tim. What if it revealed their identities?
Well. Tim already knows all their identities anyway but it isn’t like they know that. And Oliver is only slightly less paranoid than Bruce is.

The second Tim steps through the door, though, those thoughts fly out the window.
Kon has that face.
The face he makes when he’s trying to keep something quiet but can’t quite keep it entirely quiet in the way he wants to.
Bart is literally vibrating as Tim skims his eyes over Bart’s form.
Cassie looks blank, normal. But Tim can see the scrunch to her eyes and the way that she’s swallowing with just some slight difficulty.

They’re hiding something. From him.

As Tim narrows his eyes, Bart starts vibrating harder, starting to phase through the floor as he sinks. Bart is, of course, the first to break. He has never been able to handle it when Tim actually starts asking questions. Especially since Tim can now ask questions at exactly the rate Bart can answer them.
“Superman started a trial against Batman. For child abuse. And Diana has called for a trial” Bart blurts out at speed, Kon moving to stop him but he isn’t fast enough.

Tim frowns, because What? “Child abuse?” he asks a second later, lifting his eyes to take in the way Kon now has a hand wrapped around Bart’s mouth. Cassie shaking her head in regret as she stares at the floor and questions her purpose in life.
“Child abuse” Roy says back plainly, sounding for the life of him as if Tim should just accept that fact and not question everything about it.
Tim stares at him in shock before he says “Is this about that time on my birthday? Cause he wasn’t the one that hit me”, looking directly at Bart and Kon in accusation, as if they told these people all of his secrets while he was away for 5 minutes.
“Birthday?” Caitlyn asks, sounding both shocked and morbidly curious before Joe steps in to refocus the conversation “No. This is about something else. But we don’t actually know much” he explains, holding the newspapers out for Tim to take and read.

The papers focus on the allegations, the tensions in the league as a result and on the fact that it was Superman that posited these allegations. Tim doesn’t really know what to feel about that and he can feel his head going slightly fuzzy as he tries to come up with any chain of events that would lead to this. But there are so many variables that Tim just can’t narrow it down.
It could have been that time on the rooftop. Maybe someone caught it on camera. Or maybe Alfred broke and told someone, no matter how unlikely that is. Maybe Dick found out. Or Barbara. Or maybe his teachers babbled?
It really could be anyone or anything.

“…Alright. No more thinking” Cassie’s voice says next to Tim’s ear right before she lifts him up and flings Tim’s stomach over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
For a moment, Tim is confused. He’s sure he was standing right there a second ago. But now something is jamming into his shoulders and he seems to be moving without any input from his brain?
Of course, that’s when he gets a long blonde hair in his mouth and he knows.

“Cassie. This isn’t necessary. Put me down” Tim says, his voice slightly hysterical as he tries to keep his mortification down.
That plot is foiled immediately when Bart appears on Cassie’s other shoulder, perching there with crossed legs as Cassie adjusts to the shift in balance “Nah. I think this is plenty necessary. We could even call the rest of the team in for a movie!” Kon explains, shaking a hand through Tim’s hair solely because Tim’s hands are trapped and cannot retaliate. But he will. Later.

“We can’t just drag everyone away for a cuddle pile, Kon” Cassie complains as Tim finally lifts his head enough to see the rest of the room’s occupants.
Barry and the team look amused, delighting in Tim’s suffering as they see the bright red flush across his cheeks.
Even Oliver and Roy look a moment from bursting out into laughter, Roy’s shoulders already shaking.
Felicity raises her phone and before Tim can move to struggle or stop her, he sees the flash of the camera and gives up.
His reputation is ruined.

His teammates delight in his misery as Cassie walks smoothly to one of the more informal rooms in the lab, where they all change out of their day out clothing. Then, Tim is being picked up again as Cassie flies off to deposit Tim on the couch in Joe’s living room.
“Why even? Why did I decide to inflict you all upon myself?” Tim laments, not moving a muscle to help as the rest of them set up a movie on screen.
The raucous laughter that he gets in return is not at all helpful or reassuring as Kon settles Tim’s shoulders onto his chest. Bart perches right in front of Tim, the unruly brown hair that Bart calls his style obscuring every bit of Tim’s vision as Bart drops down on the floor, ready to fetch food or snacks at a moment’s notice. Cassie, meanwhile, succeeds in pulling Tim’s feet into her lap and tries to tickle him.

They’ve been doing that for years, trying to catch Tim off guard and tickle him. But luckily for Tim, he’s had the ticklishness trained out of him fairly quickly. That doesn’t stop them from trying, of course.

The movie they pick is new, a movie about a child who lost his mother and is now obsessed with the stories that she told him about their culture and mythology. It also features a father that kind of reminds Tim of Jack when he was drunk. And a mute little sister that seems to be the focus of the story.
It’s cute and sweet. Tim gets drawn into the story quickly as the others above him argue about the music and songs and logistics. They don’t seem to follow the story as well and each of them quickly get tired, lulled to sleep by the Selkie song. Bart drops off first, head dropping back to rest against Tim’s hip as his shoulders fall against the couch. Cassie, surprisingly, is second, leaning against Kon as she slumps sideways. And once Kon notices that he’s trapped, he pulls Tim tighter to his chest and rests his chin on Tim’s shoulder as he too closes his eyes.
Tim watches until the very end, the story reaching its conclusion with a song as Tim smiles.

That’s how Joe finds them when he comes in a bit later, with them all clumped together on top of each other and the TV stopped on the final credits. All of them peacefully asleep.
He gives a smile, takes a picture and throws a blanket over them all, looking them over once again before he turns off the lights.

Chapter Text

“Can I have your name?” Joe asks for a third time, not enjoying the way the girl’s eyes stay blank, not understanding his words. But not in a way he recognises. Joe has dealt with people who don’t speak or understand English. They mostly look confused as he speaks to them, not understanding what he’s saying. But this girl doesn’t seem like she knows what he’s doing at all.
If he didn’t know better, Joe would think that this girl is completely catatonic. But she isn’t and he knows that.

3 charges of pickpocketing, 1 charge of theft and 2 charges of assault. That’s what this girl is facing. She can’t even be older than 13 if Joe is judging her size right.
Central may not be as bad as Gotham with crime and homelessness, but it still has its fair share of struggling children. And this girl seems to be one of them.
It makes sense. She doesn’t seem to be violent or even malicious. She was most likely pick pocketing people for money to survive. The theft could also be attributed to that. The assault could be attributed to the…language barrier. If she hadn’t understood what his officers were saying, then all she would have seen were 2 large men with handcuffs trying to take her somewhere.

Joe sighs in exasperation as the girl continues to stare at him. And the Spanish translator. And the French translator. And German. And Mandarin. All the translators leave the room shaking their heads in confusion.
Then, Joe takes the decision to call in Tim. Tim was Robin after all. He has to know something that will help. So Joe turns to commissioner Singh and explains his thought, getting the go-ahead to call the boy who speaks more languages than Joe has shoes.

Xxxxxx

Anita is the first to hear his phone ring, diving across the tarp on the floor to reach for it. Unfortunately, she has apparently forgotten that she is currently in the middle of a game of Twister and thus brings down everyone with her, resulting in 2 squeals and one breathless huff as Anita and Cissie collapse right on top of Tim, who was obviously winning the game so far.

Greta doesn’t even acknowledge the groaning mass of bodies in front of her as she answers Tim’s phone.
“Hiya. This is Tim’s phone”
“Sorry, my name is Greta”
“Sorry Mr. West, he’s a bit uhm….trapped at the moment”
“He was playing Twister and I think he just lost”

“I did not lose!” Tim exclaims, trying and failing to extract his foot from between Cissie and Anita who have decided to make it as difficult as possible for him.

“He lost” Grate whispers into the phone with a giggle before turning slightly more serious.
“Oh, the station right?”
“I’ll ask him to stop by”
“Is it alright if we come along?”
“Thank you, Mr. West. We’ll be there soon” Greta finally says before she stands and walks over to the still-entangled-group.

“Mr. West asks that we head over to the station. They’d like you to act as a translator for a little girl” she explains, taking in the way that Tim’s left ankle is still stuck between Anita’s stomach and Cissie’s upper arm and seems to be wedged there, with his foot stuck under Cissie.
“Aw, no! We said no work today!” Anita complains, relaxing further as to make it even more difficult for Tim to get out.
Cissie though, heaves a sigh before disengaging, standing as Tim scrambles up, Anita reaching for his ankles to drag him back down. “Come on. It’s Central city. It can’t be that bad. Plus I am literally just going to act as a translator” Tim complains, reaching to tug his shoes back on as Anita gives up.

“That’s still work!” Anita moans, even as she also gets up to start getting ready to go. Nobody can ever really stop Tim if he’s put his mind to it and they all know it.
They leave the building in less that 10 minutes.

Once they arrive at the station, everything seems very, almost conspicuously tense. Silent in a way that places rarely are. It doesn’t take long to find Joe or the girl. Joe is sitting with her, still trying to speak to the girl, who looks completely blank.
Tim steps forward, starting to speak, rotating languages every few sentences. By the time he’s gone through 10 major languages and 10 more regional languages, he’s frowning severely. The girl may be from a completely isolated part of the world with a regional language but she doesn’t seem to be reacting to speech at all.
It makes no sense.

But no matter. Even when people don’t understand the languages you speak, they tend to react to tone and body language. So Tim falls back to basics with basic gestures and facial expressions.
He gives the girl a smile, waving at her and the girl’s eyes seem to thaw, taking in his motion, the set of his shoulders and his expression before she relaxes. Her eyes fixate on Tim’s hands as he tries sign language but blanks out, looking back to his shoulders.
Tim frowns deeper but tries to convey that he means no harm. She reacts like she sees that, and Tim has to actually debate about her being a telepath.

It’s then that he sees it. The knife imprinting ever so slightly on her leg. She immediately moves to cover it up, sliding the fabric just so that it can’t be seen. But he’s already seen it.
He gestures to her, lifting his eyes slowly from her knife to her eyes in an obvious question, a friendly smile on his face as he reaches for her. She seems to see right past it, taking his wrist in hand and twisting it painfully so Tim drops the smile and looks at her imploringly, asking mentally “Can I see that?” and she seems to respond much better to that. Releasing his hand before hesitating.
But Tim stops trying to convey anything, just starts reacting how he actually would react and then, the girl pulls a knife from her shoe. Everyone in the precinct lunges forward, causing the girl to take a firmer grip on the knife as she readies for an attack. Joe keeps them out of stabbing range as Tim continues to work, asking her if he can see the blade.

The blade is intricate, delicate metal with strong Damascus steel and thin engravings. Only one of them is recognisable to Tim. The mark of the League. The league of assassins. But even more concerningly is the mark of the house of Cain.
David Cain is a bad human and Tim doesn’t even want to think of what he would do to a child.
But now that he’s here, he has a fairly strong guess.

So Tim smiles slightly, not masking anything but allowing for the worry to openly air to her. She reacts slowly, reaching back for the knife as Tim stands and asks Greta for his phone.
She doesn’t react when Tim starts talking to Barbara, not even looking at his face as he starts to pace, simply staring at the path he weaves back and forth until Barbara picks up.

“Baba. Please, I need your help” Tim says desperately before Babs can hang up on him. Because he isn’t a bat anymore. He doesn’t get her services anymore.
The girl must see his desperation because she moves forward, as if to comfort him.
“Tim. It is so good to hear from you. What do you need?” Barbara asks, sounding relieved and happy and weary all the same. And Tim can’t help but hesitate, confused by the quick acquiescence.
“You’re going to help me?” he asks warily, staring down at the little girl that needs help.
“Yes, Tim. I saw what Bruce did. He was out of line. So completely out of line that it isn’t even funny. I kinda wish that I could punch him. But that would mean seeing him. But I set Helena on him anyways” she explains quietly, like sharing a secret. She knows why he asked. And she knows that he understands now. She will always be on his side.
“Alright. Thank you. That. That’s good to know” Tim says, feeling slightly choked up before he clears his throat to explain the situation.

“No languages?” Babs asks as soon as Tim finishes explaining “That’s. Wow. Now I want to punch David Cain too” she says, breathing deeply to bury her anger before Tim can hear rapid typing. “She needs a stable environment. People that will care for her and be around her. Maybe be willing to teach her language from scratch. And they need to not be a threat. Honest too” Babs concludes and there’s only one person that springs to Tim’s mind.
“Ma Kent?”
Babs is silent on the line as she thinks, types a few more things and then hums “That would work”.

So Babs starts working on the procedures to get the girl extradited and pardoned, then working on Ma Kent’s legal angle.
“I’ll have it set up by the time you arrive” Babs says before pausing, remembering that Tim can now move faster than she can type “If you drive. Please drive” she says before she hangs up.

Tim explains to the officers what’s going on and shows them the paperwork on their system, getting a disappointed “Go ahead” from commissioner Singh as they leave the building with the girl in tow.
Then, Cissie calls an Uber, despite the cost being high from Central to Smallville and back. But they all squeeze into the backseat anyway. And then they’re off, Anita eventually commandeering the aux cord and playing absolutely terrible music for each town they drive by and the “vibes” they give off. Greta just looks at the girl and starts playing games with her, being very careful and explicit in her nonverbal instructions so nothing devolves into violence. Cissie and Tim spend almost the entire ride filling Kon in, who is surprised by the new younger housemate but not shocked. He mostly just looks resigned to his fate as he cleans the house.
And the kitchen.
And the barn.
And the spare room, at Ma Kent’s request.

And by the time all of them get to the Kent farm, Kon actually looks tired. Not exhausted but more done with life as he sits on the porch alone to greet them.
“You had one job” Kon says to the three girls “One job. Do not let Tim do work. And now I have a…sister? Housemate?” Kon asks, turning to Tim for clarification but Tim just shakes his head, not knowing what kind of miracle Babs pulled off to get the girl here.

“Alright then. What’s your name?” Kon asks the girl and Tim is struck with 2 realisations. Firstly, nobody told Kon what is actually going on and secondly, they have no idea if the girl even has a name.
Tim starts explaining the story to Kon slowly, trying to keep the anger out of his voice as he describes his and Babs’ theory of abuse and neglect, abandonment and isolation. That’s the only way the girl wouldn’t know language at all. Kon does not take it well, especially when Tim explains that she might not even have a name.

“Alright. I am not going to call you ‘the girl’ for however long you’re staying with us” Kon says, looking her over before Ma’s voice rises from the windowsill “Cassandra” she says confidently, looking at the girl – Cassandra – with affection as she moves around to the door and approaches the tiny assassin.
Tim expects it to go badly the second Ma hugs her, but Cassandra just freezes up and then slowly melts like she’s not sure what it is but is enjoying it.

Then, Tim feels a whole lot better about leaving her to live here.

Chapter Text

“Have you heard?”
“Batman? Really?”
“But has anyone ever really seen Robin around anyway?”
“Superman said that?”
It’s all Diana hears these days, snippets and whispers and speculation.

It is driving her insane.

Ever since Clark’s accusation a few weeks ago, quiet has been a far away dream to her. Not that she’s complaining. Bruce has been difficult since Jason died, and he took most of that out on the new Robin.
Diana hadn’t even known there was a new Robin until Young Justice started up. Until Cassie had asked about a boy in yellow, green and red. And then she’d been furious. How dare Bruce give the suit to another boy after Jason had died? How dare he?
Then, she’d seen them interact. Robin had been quiet, dutiful. A soldier in a way that neither Dick nor Jason had been. As if he lived for Batman.
And Bruce. Bruce had been cruel. Not openly. Not in a way that would get him questioned. But there was no trace of Bruce in his voice when he spoke to this boy. He spoke to this boy like a soldier. Not like a son.
Diana had been concerned about that. Watched this tiny child fight beasts alone that Bruce wouldn’t have let his son fight even with his own supervision. But more than that. Diana had watched Cassie, had seen her worry for the newest Robin. Had seen the way Cassie treated Batman like an enemy.

Now. Those glimpses made more sense. In a way she had been hoping it wouldn’t.
Batman wouldn’t hit a child. But he would hit a soldier. And at the moment, Diana isn’t sure Bruce understands the difference.

So Diana tolerates the gossip and theories that drift around her like smoke. She watches Batman refuse to interact with anyone or even deny the allegations. But she watches closely.
And she does not like what she sees.

The league has always been close. A family, in any sense of the word. But family does not excuse their members from atrocities. And yet, Diana can hear snippets of people defending Batman.
“He’s grieving a son”
“Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be”
“There’s no proof”
“It’s been exaggerated”
“Well, kid should have followed orders”
The excuses make her grit her teeth in anger. Most of all at the people doubting the sources of information. Clark hadn’t said who told him this information, but it has been readily accepted that it was Kon-El. Superboy.

And the absolute slander that Diana had heard in regard to that…
Diana would not stand for it. Yes, the children had made mistakes. Yes, Conner was created from Luthor’s DNA. Yes, the press had taken badly to Young Justice as a whole. But Diana knows desperation when she sees it. And Clark had believed what he said. And she does not believe that Conner would lie, especially about this. And that was even If Conner had been Clark’s source, which has still not been confirmed.

Diana can’t make her judgement clear. Cannot expose herself to bias before the trial. But the thought of a child being injured by one of their own, right under their noses?
No. She will not allow that.

She is yet to come into contact with Young Justice to testify, let alone the former Robin himself. But Batman already has half of the league testifying for him, along with several other associates.
Diana fears that it may not be a fair trial for the boy. But she will stand by her insistence to have the trial nevertheless. She has to have faith that justice will prevail.

Thinking, Diana stops at her locker in the Watchtower, faltering when she seen Clark on his own in the room, standing by her locker as if awaiting her. He only looks up sheepishly as she enters the room and stops in front of him.
“Diana” he says, sounding nervous and she tilts her head in response.
“Yes Clark?” she asks, meeting his eyes as he sighs.
“You know I can’t trust Bruce anymore. Not after this” he starts, looking down at the floor as if in shame “So, I need someone to handle the contingency if I ever go rogue” he continues, pulling a small box from behind him to present to Diana, who freezes, breath hitching in her throat. “Please. It’s a small shard of Kryptonite. Batgirl- Well Oracle now. And Agent A helped me recover it from the batcave”

Slowly, Diana lifts her eyes to meet his, looking him over for anything that could indicate wariness or fear, but she can’t see anything of the sort. In fact, she only sees trust in the way he leans on his one hand, the other cradling the box gently as he holds it out to her.
Diana accepts, reaching out her hand and very carefully, removing the box from Clark’s hand, meeting his eyes as she cradles the box closer to her chest.
“Promise me that this will not be needed” Diana demands, earning a weak smile in return as Clark stands, shaking his hand as if in pain.

“If it is needed, I trust you”

Chapter Text

As a speedster, Tim now needs less sleep and is more prone to wake up in the middle of the night. Sometimes, he even has to go for a run around the city just to release some energy at 2 in the morning. This is not one of those times.

The ringtone is a special one. One he set to only go off for one person. Barbara.

She hadn’t called him since his fallout with Bruce, the last time they’d talked being when Cassandra showed up at CCPD. She’d been kind. She’d said that what Bruce did was wrong. She sicced Helena on Bruce. That’s pretty harsh.
But no matter, Tim thinks as he picks up the phone, immediately greeted with harsh breathing and the sound of sirens. An unusual amount of sirens, even for Gotham. He immediately sits up straighter, throwing his blanket to the side as he asks “Hey?” since he isn’t sure whether to address her as Babs or Oracle at the moment.

“Tim. Thank goodness. I’m sorry to contact you, especially like this. And I think you have a right to ignore me. And Gotham as a whole actually. But please, please Tim. I need your help” Barbara asks, almost begging as she devolves, panic colouring her voice as she speaks.
“Babs. Calm down, OK? I’m already getting suited up. What do you need my help with?” Tim asks, waiting until his sentence is finished before he speeds into his suit, waiting with his phone against his ear as she collects her thoughts.

“Alfred’s been hurt. B. Batman. He. He rushed out after Joker” Barbara starts, obviously wanting to go on but Tim can’t help himself as he exclaims “Joker?!”. Babs lets out a strangled laugh before she steadies her breath and starts again “A few hours ago, Black mask broke Joker out of Arkham to set him loose on the Red Hood.
Hood is a new villain who showed up a few weeks ago. Red helmet and leather jacket type. Excellent training, kept up with and evaded both Batman and Nightwing. Main weapons are guns. Seems to have a real grudge against Black mask. He’s mostly been brash but focused. Going after Black mask exclusively as he poached dealers, producers and merch from Mask. And then he took it even farther by blowing up Black mask’s office. With him in it. Mask survived and helped Joker escape to get rid of Hood.
Anyway, Bats left to go after Joker, Mask and Hood. Alfred was left alone. I don’t know what happened to him, Tim. The emergency beacon is on at the cave, as is Alfred’s personal emergency alert but I can’t get through to either” Babs explains, sounding a bit out of breath as she finishes, the sound of screaming, helicopters and sirens amplified by her city-wide surveillance.

“Alright. Alright, Babs. I’ll be there soon, alright?” Tim says, already starting to build up speed as he races toward Gotham. All he gets in return is one steady breath before she’s back to commandeering the birds of Prey to “keep everyone away from Kane memorial bridge and ninth street”.

By the time Tim arrives at the cave’s entrance, his fingers are twitching with nerves. Because this is Alfred. Agent A. Nothing and no-one would dare to hurt him. And if they had? They’d suffer the consequences.

The entrance is small, a minute crack just big enough for Tim to slip through, right into one of the cave’s main tunnels.
It’s eerily quiet as Tim stalks forward, moving slowly and quietly even though he hasn’t practiced that in quite a while.

By the time he makes it to the main cave, his heart is thumping against his rib-cage with enough force that Tim is almost left stunned. But Tim keeps moving forward until a voice stops him. “Master Tim?” Alfred’s voice asks, making Tim jump as he turns to see Alfred unharmed and free, walking straight toward him with a smile on his lips.
“Alfred?” Tim asks, confused “Babs sent me here to check on you. She was very worried. The cave’s emergency beacon is on. So is your personal beacon” Tim explains, wanting to elaborate before Alfred pulls Tim into a hug with stiff shoulders.
“Master Tim. It is so good to see you” Alfred says with the faintest wobble in his voice. And that’s when Tim remembers. Alfred hasn’t seen him in person since before the accident. Only saw him for a few minutes on a screen before Bruce fired him. He must have been worried.
Tim returns the hug with a squeeze before reluctantly pulling away and graciously ignoring the way that Alfred swipes the back of his wrist across his eyes.

“What happened?” Tim asks, turning to observe the entire cave as he sees the thing that’s out of place. Jason’s memorial case.
Walking forward, Tim can see that the case itself is still standing. Mostly, at least. The glass is shattered, laying on the floor in pieces, the metal of the mannequin is dented, the normally so-shiny-it’s-invisible metal dented and deformed. Worst of all, the uniform is gone. Missing entirely.
“The Red Hood happened, Master Tim. He broke into the batcave, trapped me in a single section while he destroyed the memorial and then took off, presumably with. With Master Jason’s uniform” Alfred explains, staring at the dented, broken plate “Jason Todd. Good soldier”.

Tim had never been a fan of the plate. Had never thought that Jason could be summarized as a Good Soldier.
Jason had been so much more.
Jason had given homeless kids wads of money. Recommendations for a place they could keep warm. Jason had sat with the working girls, making sure that they were alright and safe and healthy. Jason had…Jason had cared so much for so many people.
Jason had been a good person. A good friend. A son. A brother. Anything but a soldier.

“Alright. I’m glad you’re alright, Alf” Tim says with a strained smile, pulling his eyes away from the engraving and the emotions it brings.
“And quite the same to you, Master Tim” Alfred says heavily. They both know that this will be the last time they talk in a while. Because Tim isn’t coming back. And no matter how much Alfred hates it (Tim can see the hesitance and anger in his eyes. His frustration), Bruce needs Alfred here. And Alfred would never abandon Bruce. Never.
“I do hope that Master Bruce will see the error of his ways soon enough” Alfred voices, giving voice to the thought in Tim’s head that says Alfred is on his side.
Tim smiles but it’s small. Wan. “Even if he doesn’t, Alf. You’re always welcome to visit” Tim says before taking off, typing in the code to release the cave from lockdown, typing a message to Barbara that Alfred is safe and then rushing outside, watching the sirens flicker as he moves close to the speed of sound.

Then, he stops. “Just shoot Him! Prove to me that you care!” a voice yells from a nearby apartment, sounding desperate and hurt.
Tim can’t ignore it. Speeds in the direction of the yelling as he comes to a stop in a room with Batman, Joker and…Robin? Robin, holding a gun to Joker’s head.

Tim would recognize the suit anywhere. The tears in the fabric and Kevlar distinctive even with the stretch, as it tries to accommodate a person much larger than its former owner. But Tim would also recognize that person anywhere.

Even with the extra height, age and muscle. The white streak in his hair and the desperate quality to his deepened voice.
Tim would recognize Jason Todd anywhere.

Chapter Text

Jason. Robin. Alive.

Tim wants to believe it. Can’t help the hope that swells in his chest.

“Well then. Who are you?” Jason asks, adjusting the aim of the gun slightly to point it to Tim. Bruce tenses further, ready to spring at the gun but Tim’s next words stop him “Jason? Jason are you OK?” Tim asks, voice light with relief and elation as he steps forward, trying not to trip over his own feet as he stumbles toward his childhood hero.

“I asked. Who. Are. You?” Jason demands, eyes narrowing through the pieces of the domino that are still left. Finger brushing against the safety of the gun in an obvious threat.

“I’m…Peregrine. Flash’s new protégé” Tim says, eyes dropping to Joker’s maniacal grin in wariness. Jason spots this easily and pauses, taking in Tim’s form, his figure and his costume. Faltering for a second before he lets out a startled laugh of realisation. “You’re the replacement. Huh. I thought you were dead” Jason says plainly, not sounding shocked but not kind either.

“Not dead” Tim voices nervously as Jason tilts his head at him and Tim swears his eyes look greener than usual, shining in the scarce light flickering in from the window.

“I thought that Bats had stuffed another kid into this death suit and that that kid had died. I mean, I come back, and all I see is news about Batman being a child abuser and Robin going missing” Jason drawls, eyes still focused on Tim’s as he repositions the gun back against Joker’s head.

“Well. That certainly is interesting. A little Robin with powers. Huh.
Either way, Bats. You have a choice. You can kill Joker, I can kill you or the 4 of us can go up in a ball of flames” Jason says, slowly turning his head back to face Bruce, who had slowly been moving toward Jason as he spoke.

It’s then that Tim sees the bomb in the corner, shrouded in shadows, lying in wait for its moment. Red letters bold in the dark as tense silence permeates the air. 20 seconds on the clock. But the bomb hasn’t been activated yet, frozen as it awaits orders from its master.

“You can’t make me choose. I can’t” Bruce says, and his voice is almost as broken as it was on the day of Jason’s funeral. It doesn’t help. Jason just laughs and says “You have to choose, old man. His life or everyone in this room dies. Come on, old man. I forgave you for not saving me, years ago. But this piece of garbage is still alive. Why? To rack up a further body count?”.

Bruce doesn’t answer, standing in silence with tense shoulders before Tim can see him make a decision. Turning his body away and then starting to walk. Away from Joker, away from Jason. Choosing not to make that choice.

“What. You’re just gonna let him die by my hand?!” Jason yells before he heaves a breath and stops, saying “Fine” as his finger tightens on the trigger of his gun, pointing at Bruce’s back. The other hand depressing the button on his switch, the red lettering on the bomb changing from 20 seconds to 10.

Time moves slowly after that. Frozen but for the minute movements Tim can see happening. Frozen to the floor as time stretches and yet, Tim can’t move fast enough to react.
Jason’s finger tightening on the trigger, Joker’s shoulders starting to shake with laughter, Bruce’s muscles tensing.
Then, everything happens at once.

The gun goes off, glancing off Batman’s body armour as Bruce throws a batarang straight at Jason’s throat, where it slices deep into his flesh, causing the other man to fall to his knees, clutching the wound.
Tim can’t move. Can’t think to move.
He’s frozen to the ground as Bruce picks up a laughing Joker and jumps out of the window with barely a glance at either Tim or Jason.

10
9
8

Tim can finally feel his body again, cold and uninviting as it is.
7
6
5

Tim can move. Can move but can’t think. Can simply stare at Jason as he heaves to breathe through the blood loss and the blood in his airway.
4
3
2

Tim finally moves, speeding towards Jason, dragging him up by an arm, adrenaline kicking in as Tim drags a man (who probably has more than 40 Kgs on Tim) over his shoulder and across the city as flames spark against his back.

Tim doesn’t stop until they get to STAR labs. Stopping in the main room with scorch marks under his feet, burn marks on his back and a half-dead man in his arms.

“We need to help him. Please”

Chapter Text

Caitlyn doesn’t hesitate as she lunges forward, grabbing onto Jason’s wrist and lifting Jason’s sleeve to take a pulse. Her expression while she does that is not reassuring in the slightest. “Tim, get him to a bed in the bay. Cisco, I need your help there as well. Someone tell Barry about this too” Caitlyn starts, the rest of her words blurring as Tim dashes to the med bay.

Jason’s skin had been rapidly paling as Tim rushed him over to Central, no doubt leaving a trail of blood spatter as he ran. His skin is pale and clammy, sweaty and cold in a way that bodes ill.
It certainly seems to scare Caitlyn as well, as she steps up to the bed and takes in the blood seeping over the pristine white covers. “Tim. I need you to strip him, OK? Do you know where most of his injuries are?” she asks, her voice losing the edge of shakiness in the familiarity of the situation.

Tim looks up at her with eyes that feel blank. Feels like his head is swirling. Like a bee in a window. Moving and moving and moving. But not going anywhere. Buzzing and yet silent. But he can’t allow that. Jason needs his help. Robin needs his help.
So Tim pushes past the numbness in his fingertips, breathing deeply in the way Lady Shiva taught him as he undoes the latches on the Robin suit, unlocking security on the suit as he goes.
“B – Batman. He threw a batarang at his throat. Caught pretty deep from what I could see. And there was an explosion almost immediately after. I’m not sure if he got caught by shrapnel. Or if he got burned” Tim explains slowly, breathing through his words.

Tim has to stop himself from flinching at every new scar he uncovers, letting out a dry sob as he sees the Y shaped autopsy scar on his hero’s chest. It makes Caitlyn chokes on her breath as she spots it as well, before quickly turning back to the wound on Jason’s throat, suturing slowly and being careful to avoid any major damage.
There are other scars too. Ones Tim knows Jason didn’t have before.
A knife would to his shoulder, shrapnel scars on his back. Wounds just old enough that they’ve just scarred.

It makes Tim’s chest ache.

“He needs a blood transfusion” Caitlyn muses, slowly standing from her crouch, blood staining her hands red as she tries to keep them from shaking. “Jason is blood type A positive” Tim informs her, almost absentmindedly, still staring at a scar on Jason’s foot that looks to be a burn mark.
He doesn’t see Caitlyn tense until he looks up at her, confused by her silence and lack of motion. “Tim” Caitlyn says slowly, carefully “We don’t have any blood bags on site that aren’t for Barry. And we can’t give Barry’s blood…” Caitlyn trails off as Tim’s mind finally reacts, finally realizes the situation.
“We don’t have any blood for him” Tim mutters in abject, stunned horror. Staring at Jason’s face. The darkening pool of blood spreading on the sheet under his head.

Jason chooses that moment to wake up, eyes flying open with a wash of green. Snarling like an animal as he tries to reach for Caitlyn in his desperation.
They hadn’t tied him down.
They should have known better.

But Jason doesn’t get very far before Kon grabs his shoulders and holds him down to the bed, looking at Tim for an explanation. For orders.
But Tim can’t.
He can’t because he doesn’t know. They don’t have any blood for him. And Jason is still struggling, tearing stitches as he flails.

“Hold him down” Caitlyn orders Kon, stepping toward her tray to retrieve a syringe of sedative as Kon adjusts his grip, holding Jason’s shoulders down for her. And then, Jason’s struggles finally slow. And Tim can only hope that it’s because of the sedative and not because of the blood loss.
“Tim. Tim, I need you to listen to me, OK? You’re alright. He’ll be alright, OK? I need you to listen” Caitlyn says, crouching in front of Tim with a worried expression.
“Rob” Kon says instead, resting a hand on Tim’s shoulder and smiling when Tim doesn’t lash out. “Who is that guy?” he asks, knowing that Tim does better when directed to a problem.

Tim breathes and blinks “Jason. That’s Jason. He’s alive, Kon” Tim says, not bothering to hide the raw awe in his voice as he switches over to looking at Jason again. Kon just nods and asks another question “Alright that’s Jason. Jason was the Robin before you. Why is Jason injured?”. And Tim can’t help but falter, red numbers and the smile of a madman flickering over his eyes.
That’s how Jason died the first time. With red numbers and Joker. Bruce was too late.
And now, Jason almost died in the same way. But this time, Bruce wasn’t too late. He chose to walk away. Chose to throw a BATARANG at Jason’s THROAT.

Tim clenches his teeth, hands curled tightly into fists at his side “Tim said that batman threw a batarang at his throat” Caitlyn answers, sounding like she’s already starting to put the pieces together on her own. “But. If Jason was the second Robin…” she trails off, staring at Jason with shock and sympathy.
“Tim. Ok. What can we do to help Jason?” Kon asks, sidestepping the whole Batman issue in favor of getting Tim back to himself. “Blood” Tim says faintly as his mind starts buzzing again, running over the problem piece by piece.

They can’t use Bart, Barry or Tim’s blood for Jason. Nor can they use Kon’s. They need normal human blood. But Joe is B negative, as is Iris. Caitlyn is A positive. Cisco is too. Jason is A negative. He can’t use any of their blood.
Think Tim.
Think.

In his panic, Tim can only think of one person. Roy Harper. Blood type O negative. Universal donor. And, Roy did say to call whenever Tim needed anything.

Tim is out of the building before he can think otherwise, pulling up a monitor on his gauntlet as he races toward Roy. Or at least to the tracker Tim had planted on Roy’s clothing.

“Roy” Tim says, breath heaving and his hands shaking as his body realizes that he hasn’t eaten anything since dinner, before Barbara had called. He’s burning more calories than he has at the moment. But that won’t stop him.

“Why hello” a voice says from the left of the room as Tim meets Roy’s eyes from where he’s sitting on the bed in the middle of the room. Tim turns to take in the potential threat and only relaxes when he sees the bright red, blaming hair and the green, glowing eyes. Starfire.
“Hello” Tim says for politeness sake before turning back to Roy with wild eyes “I know it’s rude to barge in like this but you said to call if I ever needed help and while I think that was mostly about Batman -well this is kind of about Batman- but it isn’t really about Batman it’s about Robin. Robin needs help Roy. Please” Tim says all at once, pleading with Roy breathlessly.

Roy blinks, staring at Tim in confusion even as Tim starts to vibrate in restlessness.
Jason needs blood now.
“You’re gonna have to repeat that, kid. Cause I have no idea what you just said” Roy says eventually, staring at Tim without comprehension.

Tim then decides to give up on that, racing until he has Roy in his arms, turning to see Starfire confused but not ready for a fight “STAR labs” Tim tells her before taking off, speeding back to Caitlyn and Kon’s side as Caitlyn keeps fighting to keep Jason alive and breathing.
“Blood. You’re a universal donor. Robin’s A negative. We don’t have any blood bags for him” Tim says, mind sparking as he twitches in place. “You want me to donate blood for this kid?” Roy asks a second later, as Starfire flies into the entrance of the building and tilts her head at the occupants.
“Please” Tim says finally, pleading. Begging.

“Jeez kid. All you had to do was ask” Roy says, rolling his eyes as he basically flops down on a chair by Jason’s bedside. “I thought Robin was missing” Starfire eventually voices as Caitlyn sets up a transfusion.
Tim, realizing that he hasn’t even explained the situation yet, drops his head down into his hands, trying to stave the blush he knows is coating his cheeks. Knows he fails to hide it when Starfire coos at him.

Tim breathes. Stops. Breathes again. And then he starts explaining. He tells them how Oracle had contacted him, frantic and basically begging him to go check up on Agent A. Then, how Tim had found Alfred in the cave, safe and sound but Jason’s old uniform gone. How Tim had left but found Jason, Batman and Joker, how Jason had set up this scenario. Tells them that Jason was the Robin that died. In the exact suit he now wore. Tells them about Batman’s choice. How Batman threw a batarang at his son’s throat and saved the Joker.

By the end, Kon is furious, eyes glowing slightly with repressed heat vision. And the others don’t look much better. Caitlyn looks calm until you see the icy look in her eye. Roy has a fist clenched so hard that he might actually be blocking blood flow to the tube. Starfire’s hair is burning bright like a bonfire, green eyes glowing even brighter than before, just a spark of energy around her clenched fists. Sees Barry, who had appeared shortly before Tim’s explanation vibrating fast enough to be slowly sinking into the floor.

“You said his eyes were green, when you found them. Weren’t Jason’s eyes blue?” Roy asks eventually, when everyone had processed and pushed down the majority of the rage.
“Yeah. I think. Well. Jason has an autopsy scar. So. I think he was revived somehow. And the green eyes. And the rage. Those are aftereffects of the lazarus pits” Tim voices quietly, looking down at his hands as Roy lets out a snarl.
Everyone knows about the lazarus pits. Knows what they do to the people who go in.
Some heroes had tried to bring back their loved ones. And failed spectacularly. Some didn’t come back. Those who did came back angry and unhinged. Bruce had always compared it to drug withdrawal rage.

Drug withdrawal.

Surreptitiously, Tim glances at Roy to see Starfire’s hand resting on his shoulder as Roy stares at Jason like he understands. And he does.
“Would you take him?”
The question falls from Tim’s lips without his notice, without his permission. Laced with wonder and hope at the prospect that maybe. Maybe they can help Jason get better.
Roy and Kori look at each other for a moment before Kori smiles, drifting over to Jason’s side to give him a kiss on the cheek. Before she slides her arms under his limp limbs and picks him up.
“Woah what are you-“ Caitlyn voices before Kori interrupts “We will help him. I have a place we can take him to heal. He will be safe there” she says before she takes off, leaving only a trail of fading embers in her wake.

“You can still call me. If you need anything. Anything at all. OK?” Roy asks, meeting Tim’s eyes and waiting for Tim to nod before a flash of red whisks him away as well, leaving only a half-full bag of blood and a bloodstained bed.

They’ll keep him safe. They have to.

Chapter Text

Kon can see Tim shaking apart long before he actually starts shaking. Can see the way that Tim’s eyes aren’t focusing, his head drifting to the side any time he isn’t thinking.
Kon hates it.
Because he knows that Tim doesn’t allow himself to stop and breathe.

Caitlyn said that Tim hadn’t reported any damage to himself when he ran in, rather focusing his attention on Jason and his injuries. Which Kon can understand. There was a lot of blood when he had arrived. A lot. Of blood.
But looking at Tim now, as he stands completely still but for the shake in his hands, Kon sees the burn marks on his suit, the scorches and scratches and small splotches of blood that may or may not be his.
Tim may seem physically uninjured. But even if he isn’t injured, he needs something to draw him out of his head.

Kon takes point on that operation, placing a hand on Tim’s shoulder and slowly forcing Tim down, forcing him to sit on a bed as his knees collapse out from under him.
“Kon?” Tim mutters, but it’s weak and small, wide eyes blinking at him from behind the mask.
Kon doesn’t like it. Doesn’t like the state of Tim’s suit, the fact that it could be hiding injuries and may also be hiding exactly how bad Tim’s mental state is at. So Kon takes initiative, patting Tim’s head and starting to undo the latches on the suit.

Tim doesn’t stop him, simply continuing to breathe slowly, deliberately as Kon looks Tim over for any shrapnel wounds, bruises or burn marks. The ones he does find are minor, requiring only a bit of help as Kon cleans the cuts and lathers burn gel onto the scorches.
And during the whole process, Tim doesn’t react. Just stares blankly at the bed that, just a second ago, held the bleeding form of Tim’s childhood hero. Jason had been Tim’s hero since he was a kid, Kon knows. Remembers pointed comments aimed Tim’s way about the previous Robin’s “recklessness” and Tim’s fierce rebuttal.
Jason had been Tim’s hero since before he died. And now he’s back.

“Kon?” Tim asks as Kon starts wondering if he should be checking Tim for a concussion, not that he’s sure how to do that but he could probably get Caitlyn to check him. When Kon nods his attention, looking at Tim with worried blue eyes, Tim’s eyes turn his way, revealing shiny, misty blue eyes that Kon has never seen before. Not like this.
Tim doesn’t cry. Kon has never seen Robin cry before. Kon isn’t sure what to do with a crying Tim.
Yet, when a small sob breaks it’s way free from Tim’s chest, Kon’s eyes widen and he pulls Tim closer into a hug, as the only thing he can think to do at that moment, resting Tim’s head on his shoulder and drawing Tim close.

That’s when Tim really starts to break down, sobbing into Kon’s shoulder as his own shoulders shake violently. Tears soak into Kon’s leather jacket, dripping down the surface as Kon falters, still unsure about what to do. Not sure how to help Tim.
Barry’s the one that eventually comes to his rescue as Bart slams into Tim’s back, wrapping his arms around Tim tightly and clenching his fists in Tim’s shirt. Barry giving Kon a sympathetic look from the doorway as he lowers his phone from his ear before turning to leave.
Bart looks confused, unsure why Tim is crying in the first place and Kon can’t explain. He knows why Tim is crying. Maybe. Mostly. But Kon isn’t sure how to fix it.

Turns out, Kon doesn’t need to say anything as a shaky, wavering voice drifts up from his shoulder “Jason. Jason was dead. Batman…lost him. And it broke him. It broke him. But. Batman” a shaky sob “Batman threw a batarang at his throat. He could have killed Jason. Again. He could have killed his own son” Tim starts, voice raw and shaky.
“He did that to his own son, Kon. Jason. The son he lost. Robin”

Bart’s head rises from Tim’s back as he looks at Kon with wide, shocked eyes, the story falling from Tim’s lips starting to fall into place. Kon’s eyes, meanwhile, fill with anguish at his friend’s pain.
Jason was Tim’s hero, after all.

“If Batman. Bart. If Batman threw a batarang at his own son’s throat. And it was Jason. If Batman threw a batrang at Jason’s throat. Then. Bart. What am I?”
Tim’s question is disjointed, quiet and broken by sniffing as Tim tries to recover from an emotional onslaught like that. But both Kon and Bart understand exactly what Tim means.

To Tim, Jason was the perfect Robin. Tim’s Robin. The Robin that Tim stepped into the tights for. And Batman threw a batarang at his throat. Tried to kill him. Again.
So, in Tim’s mind. If Batman is willing to kill the perfect Robin. If he doesn’t care for Jason. Then Tim has even less worth. Because of course Tim can’t see himself as measuring up to Jason’s image as Robin. He has to be less than him. But if Batman decided that Jason was worth as little as that? Not worth keeping alive? Then Tim has to be even less.

Both of them understand his thought process, after years of Tim trying, desperately, to gain Batman’s approval. To live up to Jason’s name as Robin. To have Batman love him, even just a little bit. But that will never happen now.
Batman had, inadvertently or not, just told Tim that he was worth less than scum. That he deserved to die.
Both Kon and Bart would have to do damage control on this.
Neither of them have forgotten the time with the gun. And they never would.

Instead, Kon and Bart hold their bird close as Tim shakes apart, shaken by the revelation that Batman never cared and never would. Not even for Jason.

And not for him.

Chapter Text

Bart and Kon don’t hold back when they retell the team what happened. The entire team. All of them gathered in Star labs, only a few rooms away from Tim, who has physically recovered from yesterday but Kon is still worried about him. Especially his mental state.
The entire team gathered in one room for the first time in a while. Minus Tim, of course.

During the explanation of what happened in Gotham yesterday, as well as the consequent breakdown, the entire ream reels in rage.
How dare he?
How dare Batman?
Young Justice may not care much for Jason. They don’t know him, after all. But Jason had mattered to Tim. Jason had been Tim’s Robin. His hero. And Batman had hurt him. Not to mention the breakdown that Tim had where he questioned what his worth was.

It wouldn’t stand.

None of them will allow Batman to hurt their bird. Not anymore.

They gather Tim’s phone from him while he’s distracted, showing exactly how rattled he is and how little he cares at the moment.
Then, they gather, leaving Cisco and Barry to keep Tim entertained while they figure out their revenge.

Kon is the one that finds the number, pressing the dial button under the name simply typed in as “Overlord”. It doesn’t even ring twice before someone answers.
“Tim? Tim, are you alright? I saw the explosion and the area you were in is a camera dead zone and Bruce came back but he was broody and refused to say what happened but there was a lot of blood in the area when Helena got there. Please tell me you’re OK” a harried voice demands over the phone, voice heaving as they pant. Kon can hear the plastic of a phone crackling in the background, grinding together under this person’s grip.

Cassie hesitates, thrown off by the ferocity in this person’s voice. But Bart doesn’t, simply stepping forward and grabbing the phone.
“This is Impulse. We’d like to know who we’re speaking with” Bart says, professional and cold in a way that Kon has barely seen before. It’s Bart on a mission to save a friend, where all the chips are down and Bart stops joking.

“Impulse. Is Peregrine alright? Is he safe?” the voice asks, no less frantic but with less fear in their voice.
“Who is this?” Bart asks again, spine straight.
“This is Oracle but most of you might know me as Batgirl” Oracle answers. The admission draining some of the anger from Bart’s muscles.

“Peregrine is recovering well physically” Cassie says as she jabs down on the button to speakerphone. Oracle’s voice now projected to the entire, enraged, team.
“Not doing well mentally, is he?” Oracle asks with a despondent sigh and before Kon can point out why Tim isn’t doing great, the screen of the phone flickers before the face of Barbara Gordon looks at them through the screen.
“No. He isn’t doing great” Kon answers softly, softening when he sees the shadows under her eyes and the slump to her shoulders.

Barbara’s gaze flickers over all of them individually before she sighs “You want revenge” she says plainly and before they can start to defend themselves, she holds up a hand. Saying “I get it. I’m sending out a memo to basically any and every hero and team that I can get my hands on. Batman has officially entered Oracle/Batgirl’s shitlist” as she types vigorously.

“And that means what?” Cissie asks from behind Kon, peering suspiciously at the phone as Anita makes a point of glaring at the camera.
“That means that the Titans won’t work with him. At least. Some of the original Titans may still work with him individually because I can’t get through. Their. Damn. Skulls. But for the majority, most of the teen heroes will see Batman as persona non grata once this email goes out, along with the message that I’m taking special revenge on him” Barbara explains with a wicked smile, lifting her eyes momentarily from her own screen to lock eyes with Cissie and Anita.
She doesn’t back down.
Impressive.

“Your own special vengeance?” Kon asks after a second of observing the 3 women glaring at each other and getting the feeling that he has to break up a fight. That causes Barbara’s eyes to flick to his for a moment before returning to the three-way starting match.
“Petty revenge. Mostly. The birds of Prey wreaking havoc upon Gotham’s Batman would be quite entertaining. But mostly petty revenge. His phone playing random songs when he’s at the JL meetings. The cave locking him out. Batmobile only speaking in reverse. Nothing life-threatening” Barbara explains but Kon hears her mutter that if Tim were hurt, that would be different.
It makes him wonder what would happen if she knew what happened to Jason.

But the girls seem happy, smiling gleefully with vindictive expressions and too many teeth. Even Bart seems mostly appeased by Batman’s new pariah status and the petty revenge Oracle has planned. And who is Kon to argue with so many scary people?

Chapter Text

Speaking with Barbara had curbed most of their bloodlust, of course. Most of it. But there are still problems to take care of.
Namely Tim and his mental state.

Barry and Cisco had been able to keep him mostly entertained while the team spoke to Barbara. But Tim’s smile is almost mocking, fake. Tim is humouring them. That’s all.
And when the team swarms back into the main room, immediately heading for Tim as a group, Tim stiffens. Because he knows those faces.
They’re planning something.

The team moves like a stampede, feet rushing forward in a determined group until they’re right in front of Tim. But they don’t stop. Of course, they don’t stop. No. Instead, Cassie reaches out a single hand as they pass him and throws Tim over her shoulder with little difficulty.
Tim doesn’t scream. He’s expecting this.

“You need to eat. And we’re having a team bonding day” Cassie declares, voice hard and leaving no space for arguments. The rest of the team don’t fight her.
But when Tim sees the unholy light in Bart’s eyes, he starts to struggle. Because that never means anything good. Never. Last time Tim had seen Bart’s eyes shine like that, Bart had placed mirrors around mount justice, making the mountain into a veritable maze with all the reflections. And he’d been smart about it too, more than one member walking directly into a mirror more than once.
“Why are you struggling?” Cassie asks, shifting her grip to hold onto Tim better as he flails.
“Mount funhouse” Tim spits out and the team tenses. They’d agreed on that name for the…incident despite Tim’s objections. But everyone suffered that weekend.
Everyone.

As one, the other members of the team turn and take in the unholy glee in Bart’s eyes, wide and shining and innocent.
A lie.
And they all tense up as one. Cassie taking a physical step back when she sees the corner of Bart’s lips tip into a smirk.
None of them ask. But all of them start watching where they step, looking out for traps as they walk out of STAR labs.

Then, Kon grabs Cissie and Anita, while Bart grabs Greta and Cassie still has Tim slung over her shoulder, they take off. The world blurs around Tim as Cassie flies high over buildings in the city, still silent and wary, keeping an eye open for Bart’s traps.
Nothing happens.

At least, not until they land at Tim’s apartment. Where he no longer lives, but he still owns, to keep up the appearance of his “Uncle”.
There, Cassie enters the door to see chaos.
Absolute chaos.

There’s a huge blanket fort in the living room, made up of so many blankets of varying colours and sizes. There are life-sized teddy bears of each member of Young Justice standing in the corner. There are multiple boxes of pizza, takeaway and what seem to be milkshakes, standing on the counter.
None of this is unusual. Or at least not as bad as Tim was expecting.
Until Tim sees the many, many boxes of tissues laying on the dining room table, along with stacked books with names like “Why he does it” and “The psychology of abuse”. Above that, is a single poster with the words “Allen Counselling” pained onto it with still wet paint.

“No”, Tim says immediately, eyes locked onto the poster and the books, refusing to even look at the tissues.
But there is no escape. Cassie tightens her grip ever so slightly on Tim’s waist and sets him down on a chair. Tim feels no guilt for the way he immediately tries to speed out of the room. None. But his plan is thwarted when Kon drapes his legs across Tim’s thighs, Bart planting himself at Tim’s feet and hugging his calves.

There is no escape.

“Tim. We do need to talk about it” Anita says calmly, betrayed by the lingering rage in her eyes, but Tim knows that the rage isn’t directed at him. He knows that. And yet, after yesterday, he can’t stop the way his breath stutters in his lungs.
Kon grabs onto his hand the second he notices, rubbing circles onto Tim’s hand with his thumb as Bart hugs his legs tighter.
“We don’t need to talk about anything” Tim says, but his walls are already cracked. He doesn’t have to fight them. They’re his team. He can be himself with them.

“Tim, please. You don’t have to say anything. I promise. Just, please, listen to us” Greta pleads, and Tim can’t deny her, can’t say no to Greta with tears in her eyes.
Tim slumps in defeat and chooses to ignore the fistbump that Greta and Cissie exchange. Refuses to acknowledge it. Never will.

“Alright. So I think we had a whole speech planned out with like references and everything. You would be proud. But. I think we should throw it out the window and improvise” Bart says from under the table, head popping up quickly to meet Cassie’s eyes.
Cassie looks annoyed, but nods, shoving the pile of books out of her way as she sits on the table directly in front of Tim.
“Batman abused you” Cassie says plainly and Tim feels a protest rise from his throat. He isn’t sure where from cause his mind is blank. But he feels the air puff past his lips, voiceless as he realises that he doesn’t have a defence for this. But Greta had said that he doesn’t have to say anything. Just listen.

“We’ve had our concerns from. Forever, basically. I mean, my mom treats me better than Batman treats you. At least my mom doesn’t hit me” Cissie voices, her eyes dropping to the floor as everyone turns to her in outrage. Because Cissie’s mom is bad. And they’ve all had a Talk to Cissie about her mom and why it was bad…
Oh
This is like that talk. But for him.

Oh.

“I’m not going to argue which abusive parent is the worst. Both Batman and your mom are terrible parents. But today, we’re talking about Tim. So please, everyone raise your concerns. Everything is on the platter” Cassie says and everyone starts talking at once, voices overlapping and raising to be heard over everyone else.
A pause, as everyone breathes and pants and then Kon shakes Tim’s shoulder, turning Tim to face him and look him in the eyes.

“Remember that time with the future evil Titans?” Kon asks, waiting for Tim to nod before he continues, still looking Tim in the eye with an uncharacteristically serious expression “I was there. I heard you talk to your future self. And. Tim. You held a gun to your head” Kon says, voice wrecked as he looks at Tim with worry shining in blue eyes.
Tim immediately counters. “I was just trying to scare him off” he claims but he knows it’s a lie. Knows that Kon knows it’s a lie too. Especially when Kon leans forward to tap at Tim’s chest with a finger.
“I can hear your heartbeat, Tim. I know when you’re lying. You weren’t lying to your future self when you said that you would pull the trigger. But you are lying now” Kon says slowly, leaning back to rest his back against the chair again as Tim flounders.

“I don’t need you to explain. I don’t. Really. What I need, is for you to promise me something” Kon continues, eyes soft as Tim nods for him to continue. Even though Tim is sure that he’ll die from a heart murmur if this continues.
“I need you to promise me that if you ever. And I mean ever. Start thinking about it. About guns or buildings or anything like that. I want you to call me, OK?” Kon asks, eyes pleading with Tim to agree, even as Tim falters.

He isn’t suicidal. He isn’t.
“Please Tim. Promise me” Kon asks again, eyes wide and Tim nods slowly, causing Kon’s shoulders to relax ever so slightly. Even though Tim knows that Kon will be checking in on his heartbeat anyway. Kon just does that.

“Alright. Now that that’s out of the way” Anita’s voice says from behind Tim as he turns to face her and sees the enraged look on her face.
“Batman hit you. At least once that we know of” she says easily but Tim can hear the Rage in her voice simmering just below the surface and all Tim can think of in that moment, is the time Anita outright stabbed an actual werewolf and threatened to kill him.
He nods.
“Tim. That isn’t right. He hit you. That’s abuse” Anita says clearly, her voice carrying across the room with startling clarity.
And Tim’s starting to get that buzzy, blank feeling again.
Anita falters when she sees it, sighing deeply before she runs her hand through Tim’s hair, gently scratching at his scalp and Tim can feel some of the buzzy feeling going away.

“Tim. Mon. I’m going to be honest with you, right now” Anita says gently as she continues to pet at Tim’s head.
“I was so worried when you came to us with a bruise on your face. I thought some crook had caught you across the jaw. And then. You tell me that it was Batman. That Batman had hit you across the face while you were trying to help him. And I know you said it was a form of communication. I know. But, Tim” she says and she sounds desperate for Tim to understand, pleading with him.
The same way Tim had pleaded with Cissie to understand that having her mom plan out her entire life wasn’t healthy.
“Tim, if it was communication. And that’s If. Then Batman should have found another way to communicate with you. Parents shouldn’t hit their children. Not like that” Anita says. And by the end, there are tears in her eyes.

Cissie just gives Tim a look. A look that says that she already knows Tim is justifying Batman’s actions. And that he shouldn’t.
But Tim isn’t Cissie. And Bruce isn’t bad.
Then again, Cissie said the same about her mom.
And Barry doesn’t treat Tim like Bruce did. Barry never tells Tim that he isn’t good enough. Never forces him out alone on missions. Never dismisses Tim’s worries or strategies.

Is Batman…?
Is Batman bad?

Tim’s brain seems to stutter, like a computer faltering in its programming. Buffering.

Kon and Bart see this. They know that Tim is thinking. Stuck in his own head.
They decide that the intervention is done. There’s still more to address. Like the fake uncle. Like Tim hiding his injuries and working almost all the time.
But that can wait.
For now, they rest.

Chapter Text

The team drag Tim into the pillow fort in the living room, swarming around him like a human blockade, everyone having some form of contact with Tim’s skin.

When they settle, Tim is laying his head on Kon’s stomach, pillowing his buzzing head in Kon’s shirt. Bart is laying basically on top of Tim, head resting on Tim’s sternum as he works on something on his phone. Cassie has an arm thrown over Bart’s back, subsequently having to rest her hand on Tim’s stomach, where she grips onto his shirt. Cissie and Anita are strewn over Cassie’s back, with Anita having a hand in Tim’s hair and Cissie clinging to Tim’s right hand. And Greta is on Tim’s left, laying parallel to him and also using Kon as a pillow.
They all look so peaceful and happy.

Tim’s brain still buzzes, his fingertips numb and his mind slow. But he can allow that. Nothing can hurt him here. And anything that tries might actually die.

So Tim allows himself to drift off to sleep, lulled by the sound of his friend’s voices and the heat of their bodies. He might wake up with pins and needles. But it would be worth it.

Xxxxxxx

Tim wakes up to pain in his side, loud voices echoing not far away from him and yelling.

It is an unpleasant way to wake up.
But what makes it even worse is when Tim’s eyes open, he sees Robin in front of him. Not Jason. It’s way too small to be Jason. And Jason doesn’t carry a katana.
No.
This is someone else, wearing a different Robin uniform.

A copycat?
No. The costume is well created, strengthened and armoured. Plus, Tim would recognise Bruce’s facial features anywhere.
This is another Robin. A new Robin.

“- Bats had stuffed another kid into this death suit” the words Jason had spoken echo in Tim’s head. Because Jason had died as Robin. And Jason had thought Tim was dead. Some people still think he’s dead.
And now, there’s another child with the mantle. And he has a katana.

That’s what it takes for Tim to notice the sword wound in his side, time slowing down so Tim can feel every excruciating second the blade pulls out of his side. He can see the new Robin’s face, twisted in anger.
Tim sees Kon rush Robin from the side, tackling him away from Tim as Bart appears at Tim’s side to press his hands onto the wound on his side. They must have been in another room. “Tim?” Bart asks and he looks just as confused as Tim is. He also looks worried, palms pushing down on the deep stab wound.
“Release me! Drake is a stain on the mantle that I have inherited, and he should be removed!” a startlingly young voice exclaims from where Kon has him trapped in a bear hug, being careful with his strength as to not crush the child. Even though Tim can see that he’s tempted to.

He can’t be more than 10, Tim thinks privately, eyeing the small stature of the child in the Robin suit. Seeing the baby fat clinging to his cheeks. The way his eyes narrow in scorn.
Tim can already hear the team screeching about child endangerment. Abuse. Conditioning.
This is a child. A ten-year-old. A baby in the suit that Tim was kicked out of.

Tim’s breath hitches.
Bruce replaced him.

The word “replacement” echoes in his head as Tim’s breath shallows. Breathing becoming quicker. Bruce chased one Robin away, lost another and Tim had gotten powers, making him no longer a viable Robin. But this Robin suit is done. And it looks completely different to Tim’s. This suit must have been in production for weeks, if not months.
And nobody had told him.

Bart’s hands release from Tim’s side and it’s only then that Tim realises that he’s hyperventilating, as Bart stops in front of him with wide eyes, begging Tim to “Breathe, Tim. Please”. But Tim can’t. He can’t. Because Bruce replaced him.
But.
That’s not all.

Bruce had almost killed Jason. And now there’s another kid in the suit. Like. Like soldiers.
Dick. Jason. Tim. This boy.
Is that all they were to Bruce? Soldiers? Easily replaceable parts of the mission?

“I am the blood son of Batman! The mantle of Robin fell to me when Drake proved himself unworthy” The kid yells, still fighting to escape Kon’s grip and Tim.
Tim can’t. He can’t think all of that through.
Not right now.

Shakily, Tim reaches for his phone at the edge of the blanket fort, Bart watching with rapt attention, pressing a button along the side to immediately call Alfred.
Alfred picks up. Alfred always picks up.
“Master Tim. Are you alright? I can hear a struggle in the background?” Alfred’s calm voice asks, starting to settle Tim’s breathing before Tim pants out “New Robin is here. Please. Come fetch him”.

Tim has never heard Alfred swear before. But now, Alfred lets out a single curse before telling Tim that Dick should be on his way soon with Raven.
And then they wait.
The boy in Kon’s arms still struggles, trying to escape Kon’s grip as the rest of the team swarms Tim with hugs and concerned eyes.

By the time Dick gets there, the wound on Tim’s side is already healed, just a stain of blood left to show what would have been a devastating wound to a normal human. Cassie waiting by the door as the rest of the team fuss over Tim.
Tim just thinks. Because. Maybe they were right. Maybe Batman is abusive. Who else would put a child in a suit that has already taken a victim? Who else would need a Robin to keep him sane.
But that’s later’s problem.

Dick bursts into the room with the name “Damian!” spilling from his lips, Raven following at a sedate pace behind him. Dick had been like Tim’s brother, once. After Tim had proved to Dick that he wasn’t an enemy and trying to replace Jason but before Tim had gotten hurt.
Tim realises then, that it’s a very short period of time.
It’s made even more stark when Dick frees Damian from Kon’s grip without even looking at Tim.

“Damian, we told you not to leave the cave” Dick says, fussing over the child who had just stabbed Tim without a glance to the wound or the blood on Tim’s side.
Even Raven seems annoyed by it.

“Leave” Tim’s voice says, coming from his chest before he even realises he’s saying it.
Dick turns to him in shock, before faltering at the sight of the team around him. “But Timmy, Kon could have hurt him” Dick whines and Tim can feel something like power roll through him, most likely from Kon’s TTK.
“He hurt me, Dick. He stabbed me” Tim says plainly, for once just saying what comes to mind without thinking of the repercussions.

“He stabbed me while I was asleep, like an assassin, Dick. He was trying to kill me. And he’s wearing the Robin suit. He called himself the blood son so I’m assuming that he’s Batman’s biological child. I don’t want to know how.
Keep me out of your business. I want nothing more to do with you Bats. Nothing. I will keep in contact with Agent A and Oracle. But the rest of you can leave. Right now” Tim says, voice falling from his lips like poison. But he isn’t sure who he’s trying to poison.
Them or himself.

“Timmy” Dick says quietly, and it sounds like a whisper, like shock. But Tim won’t allow it.
“Bruce abused me, Dick. He verbally assaulted me since the beginning. Called me worthless. Not good enough. He sent me on tests that could have killed me. He sent me abroad to train like he couldn’t even look at me. He left me alone to protect Gotham for months.
He hit me, once. Just the once. Communication. But if it were you, I’d have thrown a fit. And I get that now.
He almost killed Jason the other day. Threw a batarang at his neck and didn’t even falter. Left me to make sure Jason didn’t die, bleeding and broken in an explosion. Again.
He left me to fend for myself with my new powers, left me to train under the tutelage of The Flash because he couldn’t have a meta in Gotham” Tim pants before stilling, seeing the shocked, conflicted happiness in the expressions of his team.

Cissie just gives him a nod.

“Get out, Dick. We’ll see you at Batman’s trial”

Chapter Text

The day of the trail comes way too early for Tim. As he pulls on the Peregrine suit sedately, his friends hovering around like the concerned busybodies that they are, Tim can recognise the panic in his chest. He can even admit that the thought of seeing Batman again makes him a bit nauseous.

But that isn’t what’s making him drag his feet and slow down.

Tim knows the odds, OK? He knows that with the reputation of Young Justice, the inherent distrust to their retired members and the inherent trust toward Batman, this trial is not going to go in his favor. Luckily, most people aren’t aware that Robin is Peregrine.
On the downside, though, he still has to hear people tearing him apart.
Because Tim may have been Robin, young and idealistic, for a while. But he’s seen enough abuse cases to know how this is likely to go.

The victim never escapes unscathed.

“You know you don’t have to do this, right? We can go and vouch for your character and everything. You don’t have to be there” Kon says gently but his voice is strained. They all know exactly how this is going to go.
“No. I. I need to do this” Tim says resolutely as he stares down at the blank lenses of his mask. When he puts it on, it will be time to go.

Justice league meetings are never closed attendance. Never. It’s something that’s been implemented to keep up the public’s trust in them. But it also means that this meeting is going to be packed to the brim with not only the Justice league, but the Titans, Young Justice and individual heroes as well.
And the Press.

Tim is not looking forward to this. But at least he isn’t going as Robin.
Tim spares a moment of sympathy for the new Robin. Damian, Dick had called him. People will easily assume that he’s the Robin under fire here. And for a brief moment, Tim can’t help but question if that was Bruce’s plan. To detract from the validity of the accusations by having a Robin there to contradict them.
It’s sad that Tim can’t definitively say that that’s false.

“We’ll be there with you, every step of the way, Tim” Cassie says and Tim knows she means it. The rest of the team nod behind her and Tim can’t help but smile.
The trial may be nauseating. And it may be horrible to listen to a bunch of people question his character. But his team will be there.
They’ll support him however they can.

The Justice League Watchtower had never really been intimidating to Tim. In concept, it’s just a base in space. But in reality, it feels cold and alien. However, that might just be the atmosphere in the room.
Tim can feel his breath hitch every time someone’s gaze lingers just a bit too long on him. It gets to the point where Barry just starts avoiding all the members so that Tim doesn’t fall into a panic attack. Tim isn’t sure how to feel about that.
He feels guilty, because Barry shouldn’t have to avoid his teammates for Tim’s sake. On the other hand, the relief that he feels chokes his throat so badly that he can’t even muster a token protest.

They end up sitting down right next to Superman and Kon, incidentally. Right, like Tim would believe that. Either way, there’s a face that Tim doesn’t recognise sitting on Kon’s left. A person dressed in pure black, a cloak obscuring most of their physique and face with a hood, a simple white crescent moon pin clasping the cloak together as the only identifying feature. Tim can barely see them, let alone guess who they are.
They must be a new hero, since Tim has never seen them before.
It’s good to not be the only new person here.

The new hero stands from Kon’s side and steps toward Tim with a small, visible smile. A smile that looks very familiar.
“Thank…You” the person struggles out, earning themselves a pat on the back from Kon as if in reward.
The girl from the police station. Cassandra.
Now that Tim looks, he can see the similarities. The smile. The struggle with speech as well. But most tellingly, it’s the way she seems to gravitate to Kon and Clark that tips him off.

“No need to thank me. It’s what anyone would have done” Tim answers back, being deliberately vague to make sure nobody that’s eavesdropping can hear anything incriminating.
“Seline” Cass says, gesturing to herself and Tim understands “Your name is Seline? Like the Greek figure?” Tim asks curiously and Cass nods with another small smile.
“Yeah. She said that she’d be the Seline to my Helios. Since, you know, like getting powers from the sun and stuff” Kon says, laying a hand on his sister’s shoulder, being careful with his strength.

“I can see that” Tim says gently, and he isn’t lying. He hadn’t thought of it when he sent Cass to the Kents but Cass and Kon have a lot in common. At least from what Kon has told Tim.
Both created as living weapons rather than their own people. Created by enemies to the people they love. Expected to be a mirror of the people they were supposed to be, no matter if they were their own people. Not given any worth as individuals.
Living weapons.

Tim can see it, and he thinks Cass can see that he does. She just gives him a nod of understanding before they turn back to the front with a small gesture of her head. “Start soon” is all she says when Tim tilts his head in question.
Tim doesn’t question how she knows that, simply turning his head to the podium with a gentle smile.
The Kents have been good for her.

When Diana steps forward, smile missing from her lips and uncharacteristically serious, the whole hall stills before the flashing of Press cameras start up again, capturing the way Wonder Woman stands on the pedestal with a somber expression.

The trial is about to begin.

Chapter Text

“We are here today to discuss the accusations of child abuse, laid by Superman against Batman. I would like to start this meeting by saying that I believe that the truth will be brought to light and that justice will be served.
As the first order of business, would Superman and Batman please come to the front and present their cases” Diana says, voice strong and commanding in a way that only Wonder Woman can manage. Quieting whispers and flashes alike with a simple glance.

Clark gives Tim a small smile before standing and floating over to the left pedestal. Bruce mirroring Clark with a scathing glance Tim’s way and a stomp toward the pedestal.
When he stands, Robin is revealed to be seated behind him, causing a roar of confusion and noise from everyone in the room before Diana silences them with a single clap.

“Batman, is this Robin?” Diana asks immediately and Batman’s silence is regarded as an answer but Clark intervenes before the trial can get side-tracked “This is not the Robin that was injured and cast out, is he?” Clark asks clearly, to which Batman gives a noncommittal grunt.
Damian, however, answers that question himself by saying scathingly “No. I am not my predecessor. Unfortunately, the imbicile is still alive, despite my best efforts” Damian manages to get out before Dick covers his mouth with a hand.

“We will return to that in a moment. For now, Batman, please present your case” Diana says, in an interesting change to procedure. Normally, the accuser would present their case first and the accused would have to defend. The deviation from the norm doesn’t seem…normal, to Tim. But then, this isn’t a normal situation to begin with.
“Begin with Robin. This new Robin. Why he is here, why he is Robin and why he implied that he had tried to kill his predecessor” Diana demands and now, that deviation makes more sense.
Damian had caused a stir and thus it required the change of format.

“Robin is here as my protégé and son. He asked to come along to this meeting and I saw no reason to refuse” Bruce starts, only to be interrupted by Diana asking “Other than the fact that this trial is about Robin. The previous Robin at least” with a vicious bite. Tim’s glad that he isn’t the only one that sees it.
“Robin hasn’t always been in my custody and in fact, I have only recently been made aware of his existence. Rather, for the first few years of his life, he was raised by the league of assassins. I decided to give him the Robin mantle as to help him unlearn all of the training and conditioning that has been ingrained in him from an early age” Bruce says, ignoring Diana’s question, which was rhetorical, mostly.
“Robin has been restricted to Gotham for the time being. However, a few days ago, he managed to evade Nightwing and I to confront his predecessor, which was swiftly taken care of before violence could erupt” Bruce says calmly and Tim can see his team gritting back protests from where they sit in the front row. Even Kon had moved forward when the trial had started, leaving Cass at Tim’s side.

She seems to sense his distress, as she grabs hold of Tim’s hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

“Now that that matter has been dealt with. For the moment being. Let us start with Batman. You have been accused of child abuse, perpetuated upon the previous Robin. How do you plead?” Diana asks, not even trying to mask the stoic look in her eye.
She must be trying very hard to remain neutral in the case, but Damian seems to have tipped her further away from neutral than she would prefer.
“Not guilty” Batman states immediately and then begins speaking.

Tim recognises the tactic. It’s one that Bruce had taught him for interrogations.
Talk before your interrogator can ask questions. Frame the minds around you before you allow them to frame it.
Take a hold of the narrative you want to instil and do so quickly before it can be contradicted.
It makes Tim feel sick.

“I never raised a hand to any of my Robins in malice. The previous Robin was rambunctious, as can be seen from his days with the team of Young Justice, where he perpetuated many international incidents, as well as interplanetary incidents. However, I never punished him by raising a hand. All that was ever used against him were reprimands” Bruce says and Tim can feel his lip curl in disgust.
All of that is, technically true.
Bruce never raised a hand to him in punishment. In fact, the one time Bruce had hit him wasn’t in response to a case at all. Tim was just inquiring about Bruce’s health and state of mind. And Tim should have known that Bruce would use his reputation against him. It is the logical choice.
That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t sting.

Superman speaks a moment later, calling all of the attention to himself as he says “That seems very delicately worded” before Diana hold up a hand to silence them both.
“Has Robin. The previous Robin” she corrects herself almost bitterly “Been found?” she asks Superman and Batman, looking disappointed when neither of them answer.
Diana sighs, lifting the gavel and Tim just panics. Irrationally, he can’t help but think that she’s about to call the trial on Batman’s favour.

Tim doesn’t hesitate before he’s standing in front of her with a grim expression.

Diana gives him a confused look, about to ask him why he’s there. But Tim doesn’t give her the opportunity “You were asking for me?” he asks with a smile, strained and fake but present.

The hall falls silent. Even Tim’s team seems shocked. The only person who isn’t seems to be Cass.

“You were Robin?” Diana asks almost incredulously as she stares down at his shorter stature and Tim just nods, keeping his eyes away from Batman “There was an accident during a mission and I was somehow given superspeed” Tim explains meekly, knowing full well that in the silence of the room, it will be heard very well by everyone.
Diana blinks down at him for a moment before she takes a breath “Very well. Let us continue with the questioning. How would you like me to refer to you?” Diana asks and Tim can’t stop the smile stretching his lips.
“My hero name at the moment is Peregrine” Tim offers and relishes in the slowly softening look in her eyes.

“I became Robin shortly after the death of my predecessor” Tim starts, not waiting for the gasps of shock to subside before he continues. After all, nobody had known about Jason’s death. Deliberately, since Bruce’s plan was always for nobody to realise there had been more than one Robin.
Tim has to turn his gaze to the podium when he feels Bruce glare at his head. “Batman had been becoming violent to a much harsher degree, breaking bones and almost killing several people. I approached him and offered to become Robin, to keep him in line. He refused at first but eventually gave in.
After that, I was sent away for training on multiple occasions from some of his previous mentors, as well as several people he had never trained with. After the training, I began patrolling, mostly on my own, as Batman frequently left on trips for other matters” Tim says, breath hitching when he realises the similarities to Tim’s parents.

“I was with Young Justice when the incident happened. The team retrieved me and brought me to Flash since it seemed that I had been imbued with the speedforce. Because of this, Batman ousted me from the role of Robin, as I had gained powers. I have taken up a new name, identity and city in response” Tim concludes finally, meeting Diana’s eyes, seeing the anger brimming there.

“Batman has only hit me once in my time as Robin. It was during the altercation with Bane. I inquired about his health and….” Tim stops, faltering as he remembers the crunch of his jawbone under the Batsuit’s gauntlets “Batman punched me in the face for my concern” Tim continues after a moment, seeing his team fidgeting, as if wanting to comfort him.
“However, my team and various other people have also told me that the way Batman had been treating me before was also abusive. That people don’t regularly tell their protégé that they’re worthless and not good enough. Nor do they leave them to fend for themselves for weeks at a time in the world’s most dangerous city. I was, however, not aware of this and had assumed that it was a normal thing” Tim says finally, breath heaving as he tries to catch his breath in the silence of the room.

“It appears that we have heard both versions of the story” Diana says, still attempting to be neutral as she continues with the trial.
“As you are all aware, the voting system works as follows. Every voting member of the Justice league in favour of Batman, please raise your hands” Diana says and Tim watches as the hands of Zatanna, Hal Jordan, Hawkman and Firestorm go up. 4 members of the league.
“All those in favour of Peregrine, please raise your hands” Diana says again and this time go up the hands of Flash, Green Arrow, Red Tornado and Superman. Usually Superman wouldn’t participate in the vote, however, Superman was the accuser not the victim and thus is allowed to vote. 4 members.
3 abstained votes from Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Black Canary.

A tie.

“4 votes against 4. I declare this vote a ti-“
As Diana begins to declare the vote a tie, visually reluctant, a bullet speeds past Bruce’s head from the door.

“I don’t think so. I may not be a “Voting member of the league”, but as a formerly dead Robin and the one he tried to kill, I feel like I should get a vote anyway” Jason’s voice says, standing in the door decked in full Red Hood gear.

Chapter Text

Tim wouldn’t go as far as to say that the entire room erupted into chaos. But. The entire room erupted into chaos. That is the only explanation for the rush of noise that transpired after Jason’s announcement.
Bruce, of course, had the bright idea to lunge for Jason in front of the whole room and was quickly held back by Wonder Woman as Jason stalked down the aisle, the flashing of cameras accompanying every step he took before he stops right in front of the pedestal.
A moment later, Starfire is there to lift him by the waist and help him up onto the podium with Clark, Bruce, Diana and Tim.

“You know. When I just got back, I was kinda shocked to see a trial against Batman. But, honestly, you deserve it” Jason says plainly before turning and striding towards Tim.
Tim doesn’t flinch when Jason stands next to him but that doesn’t mean he isn’t confused.
Last he saw, Jason was still high on lazarus rage, off with Roy and Kori to detox. Tim can see Kori standing with the Titans now and starting to lead them over to the stairs as well. Roy standing by the Young Justice team and bumping shoulders with Kon in greeting.

“Let me tell you all a story, Hm? And don’t worry by the end of it. It’ll be clear that Batman is not only abusive but a coward” Jason says with a flourish as he pulls off the helmet, revealing a bright red domino covering his eyes.
Bruce tries to intervene, to object, but Diana hands him over to Clark, waves a hand at him and turns to Jason “And what gives you the authority to speak out?” Diana asks.
Everyone had heard Jason’s claim as he entered. That he was Robin and died and then Bruce tried to kill him again. But Diana asks and Jason just smirks, motioning at her with a hand. “Just to make sure everyone believes me” he says as he gestures to his lasso.

Diana hesitates for a moment, aware of the pain that the lasso causes, but she quickly hands it over, wrapping it around Jason’s forearm firmly before she invokes the magic with the words “Speak your truth”.

Jason doesn’t resist.

“Batman found me as a street kid in Crime Alley, trying to steal the tyres off the Batmobile. He took me home, offered me a place to stay and warm meals. Of course, I was suspicious of it but that didn’t last long. Not nearly long enough. It was all swell and dandy until a case come up that we disagreed with. The Garzonas case. An abuser with enough influence in the city that he got off on all charges, even though he murdered someone.
I found him after he was acquitted, on a rooftop. I spoke to him, told him that he could hand himself over or we could hand him over to the gangs he lent money from. He chose the third option, which was to jump. I tried stopping him but I was too late.
Batman blamed me for his death. Assumed that I had pushed him. It drove a wedge between us.

So when I found out that I still had a living, breathing, biological mother out there, I was ecstatic, even if she was all the way out in Ethiopia. I went after her.
Unfortunately, she turned out to be almost as bad as a parent as Batman. She sold me out to the Joker with no hesitation whatsoever.
Joker beat me with a crowbar and eventually left me in a warehouse with a bomb that was about to blow.
I died in that warehouse”

Here, Jason lets out a bitter laugh, pulling his armour down just the slightest bit to show the room his autopsy scar, causing the entire room to still in shocked horror as the room quiets even more.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t hold. Some multiversal bullshit happened and I came back. Woke up in my own coffin with limited air and the only way out being up. Broke a few fingers trying to get out, lost a few fingernails clawing my way up, lost a few braincells from the loss of oxygen.
Made it out, just to be hit with a car and thrown into a coma.
Next thing I know, I’m waking up in a bright green pool with Thalia al Ghul hovering over me and telling me to run” he says. The room wincing at the mere mention of the lazarus pit itself and the thought of going into it.

“Yeah. Not great. Wouldn’t recommend taking a dip.
But anyway. I just woke up from being comatose. I look up the news and guess what I see?
‘Joker escaped Arkham again’” Jason imitates with a bitter laugh, eyes glowing faintly green before he takes a breath, pushing it down.

“My killer, alive and well. Out to kill so many more other people. And almost immediately after that?
‘Robin missing’, like the kid is just Robin. Like an afterthought. Well guess what, Bats? That’s exactly what we were to you.
I died. In pain and alone, after hours of Joker’s “How’s my backhand?” with a crowbar, and you stuff another kid into the suit that I died in.

Oh but that isn’t the greatest part. No, it isn’t.
So I track down my killer. Engineer a whole plot that would make Shakespeare jealous. And then I give Batman a choice, reminder that I was still high on lazarus rage though.
Bats could save me or he could save the Joker. Easy choice right?
Save your son. Or save his killer

But guess what he does? No, no guesses? Well, I’ll tell you what he does.
He throws a batarang at my neck, slicing into my throat and saves Joker. While the new speedster over here is watching.
Peregrine over here is forced to get me out of the building before it explodes. And then get me medical help because Batman, my mentor and Father, decided to slice my throat open” Jason says viciously, leaning down onto the pedestal with a bloodthirsty grin.

He doesn’t seem as rage-full as the last time Tim had seen him. Some of the lazarus must have been counteracted. But he’s still angry. Vicious with words.

“You are a criminal. You killed untold amounts of people” Batman protests, but Jason holds up a hand “Joker has killed graveyards worth of people. You never did this to him” Jason says before showing the room the barely healed scar from the batarang.
It’s shiny and pink and still bruised in places. The blood is gone and the stitches were removed. But it still looks bad.

“That’s what a father does to his son, ladies and gentlemen. Saves the man who killed one of his only sons and leaves his resurrected son to die in the same way he did the first time”

Tim shifts, making to edge away from Jason but Jason doesn’t let him, throwing an arm around his shoulders to keep him there.
“And the little birdie here? Well he was with me. And kind of frozen. So he left 2 of his sons to die in an explosion to save a madman” Jason says again, reinforcing the point.

“That’s enough” Batman says gruffly, still in Superman’s grip before he continues “The vote has already been taken. It was a draw. You are not a voting member of the league and thus have no authority here” Batman says smugly, though it isn’t that anyone else would read it as such.

That’s when Young Justice step forward, all as one, emboldened by Roy at their side “We refuse to adhere to the vote and call for a revote” Cassie says strongly, chin held high as she demands to be listened to.
Then, the Titans step forward, with Starfire in lead, saying “Agreed, young Wonder”
Roy shouts out a “Re-vote!” and almost all the young heroes take up the chant, the hall filling with the voices of not only the teams, but individual heroes like Miss Martian and Bunker. They’re quickly joined by Flash and Green arrow before the voices are electronically amplified, the computer fizzing out and showing the simple insignia of Oracle as she joins in as well.

Diana has a choice. The heroes aren’t part of the league. She can refuse. However, even some of the league members are looking hesitant now.

But before Diana can make her decision, a scream startles everyone to quiet as the Canary Cry shakes the building.
“I have a better idea” Black Canary voices as she steps forward, hand on her hip as she takes in the sight of Tim and Jason.
“I alter my vote in favour of Peregrine” she says definitively, meeting Tim’s eyes directly as she speaks, and Tim can’t stop his smile from spreading on his cheeks.

Of course, Tim doesn’t want Bruce to suffer. Tim still holds some form of loyalty to him, after all. But he won’t allow Batman to make a fool of not only Tim, but his friends and allies.
And now, the vote is won. Batman’s trial has gone in Tim’s favour. But what now?

“I will allow it, due to extenuating circumstances” Diana finally says with a small smile directed Tim’s way.
“Batman’s punishment will be up to Peregrine to decide” she concludes after some contemplation.

Oh wow. Tim had never thought this far. He hadn’t even thought the trial would actually go through. So. What? What punishment should Batman get?
Tim freezes immediately, eyes wide behind the mask as his breath stutters in his lungs.
“A restraining order against Batman. He shouldn’t be allowed near Peregrine. No communication either. That’s the least of it” Roy says from right next to Tim, resting a hand on the shoulder that isn’t currently trapped under Jason’s armpit.
“Yes. As well as another to keep Batman away from Jason” Starfire voices in agreement.

And suddenly, suggestions are pouring in from Tim’s team and Jason’s.
“No more Robins”
“Therapy”
“He should be prohibited from having another protégé”

Diana takes down every shout dutifully, only waiting for Tim to nod in confirmation of each one before she writes it down as a stipulation. Tim OK’s everything they say with nods, all but the “No more Robins” stipulation, hesitating in thought until Kon rests a hand on his shoulder. “Batman needs a Robin” Tim remembers saying, over and over and over.

Does Batman really need a Robin? Does Tim have the right to take Robin away?

A glance at Damian and his clenched fists does not help Tim’s dilemma.
“He needs a normal life. A life where he can be happy and safe. That isn’t possible with Robin, Per. You know that” Cassie says and glancing up at Damian, Tim can see it.
Damian doesn’t need Robin. In fact, he might need the exact opposite.
He nods.

In the end, restraining orders are places and there is a ban against sidekicks from Batman. Batman is not allowed to leave Gotham and is on League probation for 6 months to receive therapy and evaluations.

And Tim can’t help but smile, because he doesn’t have to do it alone.

He isn’t Batman. He has friends

Chapter Text

After the trial, Tim is shaky and still feels laughter bubbling in his throat. In fact, Kon has to physically support Tim down the steps because Tim’s legs just feel like jelly. Cassie clutches at Tim’s shaky hands with hers, even as she turns her chants of “Minors coming though. No pictures without parental permission, please” to discourage the reporters.

At their sides, they are surrounded by people.

Not just Young Justice, but the Titans, the Outlaws (as Jason, Kori and Roy are apparently calling themselves) as well as a few adult heroes.
The team don’t let any of them near Tim though, Bart, Kon and Cassie making themselves a living wall to everyone but Barry, Cissie, Anita and Greta. Tim has to actually request they let Seline through, even though she’s now Kon’s sister.

Cass takes one look at Tim and shakes her head, tapping Kon on the shoulder until he turns to face her. She signs a few words that Tim is too slow to catch before Kon turns to frown at Tim as well.
“Hey, you OK?” Kon asks softly, almost drowned out by the reporters clogging the hallway to the zeta tubes.
Tim tries to smile but it comes out weird. Sincere but not real. Tim is happy. But. He isn’t OK. Not at the moment at least.
“Guys. Our last sleepover got interrupted, yeah? I vote we have another attempt” Kon announces to the team, Greta jumping slightly in joy as she smiles at Kon, meeting Tim’s eyes with an understanding look.

“Don’t feel corporeal yet? We’ll take care of it” she says optimistically as she grasps at Tim’s shoulder.
It makes sense. The disconnected feeling from reality does kind of remind him of when Secret used to float clear through Tim’s body.

As they exit the zeta, none of them hesitate before they pair up. Kon carrying Greta, Cassie carrying Cissie and surprisingly, Tim carrying Anita. Bart is the only one free to run alone and he’s quickly sent off to find All of the comfort food.
“We just don’t think you should be alone yet” Anita explains as she shifts on Tim’s back, squeezing her arms around Tim’s chest in a form of a hug.

Tim doesn’t think after that, just taking off in a sprint as Kon and Cassie take to the air.

By the time they reach the apartment, everything is already set up exactly the same as it was before Damian attacked them, giant teddy bears and all.
“Where did you even find this?” Tim asks as he toys with the costume of one of the bears. A bear themed like Peregrine.
“Well. You haven’t really been seen. And your costume makes it Really difficult for anyone to get a clear image, let alone a picture of it. But I bought some fabric and a giant teddy. I was just thinking you know like, how hard can it be?
It only took me around 10 minutes to make and the needle wounds only lasted a few minutes anyway” Bart explains and now that Bart mentions it, Tim can see the slight bumpiness of handmade clothing done with hand-stitching rather than a machine.

Tim can’t help the way his eyes tear up.
Man.
He’s an emotional mess right now.

Anita is the first to notice Tim’s shaking shoulders as Tim attempts to stop the tears from building. That attempt is quickly thwarted by Anita exclaiming and encapsulating Tim in a hug.
The others join as soon as the first sob leaves Tim’s unwilling lips, leaving Tim at the bottom of a cuddle pile on the floor as he tries to wipe his eyes.

He has so much to say. So much. If only his voice would stop shaking and actually let him speak.
“I just. I’m… Guys! I’m OK! I swear! I’m just….You made a plushie of me! By hand! And you all were there after the accident and you spent time with me and you never left. You guys have been there the whole time and you Never Left!” Tim exclaims, unsure of how to make it clear.

“Tim. We’re never going to leave. You’re our friend. You might not be our Rob anymore. But you’re our Tim and that’s equally awesome! Maybe even more so!” Kon explains with gentle eyes before Bart grabs Tim’s cheeks and turns his head back to him.
“Yeah, man! We love you!” is all Bart says but it’s all Tim takes to break.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a day. Tim’s emotions are running high with a wave of relief, happiness and guilt, mixed in with anger.

A few small words is all it takes for Tim to shake apart, his shoulders shaking with sobs and tears running down his face.
But none of them move. Actually, Tim is fairly certain that they all shifted closer, as Kon wipes tears from Tim’s cheeks and Greta clings to Tim’s hand in a reminder that he’s real.

They don’t move in the slightest as they all huddle together, Tim clutching onto anything and anyone as sobs wrack through his body, leaving him exhausted.
“I’m just. I’m so happy. And relieved. Because Jason deserves happiness and all that. And you guys have been there since the start. So why? Why do I feel so…guilty?” Tim questions softly.
Cissie is the one to answer “When my mom just got admitted to the institution, I felt guilty too. I was guilty and I was angry and I wasn’t sure what to do. I’d lived my whole life in my mom’s shadow, you know? And I still felt bad for going against her, even though it was good for me. I was angry at her and I was angry at myself. That will take a while to go away. My therapist helped me with that. Somewhat. But, I promise you, it will get better” she says and it’s a voice Tim has rarely heard from her. Gentle and caring and soft.

It makes Tim’s eyes tear up again as he burrows his head down into Anita’s shoulder.
“We’ll be there every step of the way, mon” Anita says and Tim can hear the implicit promise in her words.

“You’re our Tim”