#Robin v4 (1993)

[farshootergotme]

I cannot believe I'm saying this but I just argued with someone who was insisting that Dick is abusive and cruel to his family and friends while excusing Jason's actions as "the pit did it". Please give me sweet/cute moments between Dick and his friends/family, whether that's just him listening (like the time he dropped everything so Tim could vent to him) or helping out etc

You ask and I'll deliver!

Dick, Bruce & Alfred

Alfred expressing his gratitude to Dick for being there after Bruce died: Batman #689

Dick and Alfred with an arm wrapped around each other: Detective Comics #838

Dick and Alfred grieving Bruce together: Nightwing (1996) #153

Alfred welcomes Dick: Nightwing (1996) #101

Dick tells Alfred he misses him: Missing (1996) #126

Alfred and Dick hugging: Gotham Knights #25

Dick hugs Alfred: Titans Hunt #2

Dick tells Bruce that if he wants him to wear the cowl again, he will: Batman and Robin (2011) #34

Dick helps Bruce save Damian in the simulation: Batman and Robin (2011) #23

Dick saves Bruce and they hug: Robin and Batman #3

Dick hugging Bruce after he and the league are saved: JLA (1997) #75

Dick calls Bruce “dad”: Nightwing (2016) #100

Dick tells Bruce he'd die for him: Robin (1993) #13

Dick asking Bruce if he wants to talk: Year One: Batman/Scarecrow #1

Jason & Dick

Dick gives Jason his old costume and his phone number in case he needs to talk: Batman #416

Dick catches Jason before he falls off a train: Nightwing (1996) #106

Dick calls Jason “little wing” while they work together: Nightwing (1996) #106

Dick tells Jason about Bruce firing him and apologizes for Bruce about him using Dick to make Jason feel small: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick hanging out with Robin!Jason: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick tells Jason they're brothers: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick tells Jason he's proud he's put the guns away: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Nightwing calls Red Hood “Robin” to calm him down: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Parallel to the past: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick promises Jason he'll talk with Bruce so Jason doesn't get in trouble after helping the Teen Titans in a mission: The New Teen Titans v2 #31

Dick offers Jason help: Batman and Robin (2009) #6

Cass & Dick

Dick offering Cass to talk: Batman: Family v2 #7

Dick and Cass apologize to each other: Batman and the Outsiders v2 #14

Dick and Cass cooking together: Nightwing (2016) #106

Dick and Cass working together to find the truth about Bruce murderer’s allegations: Batman: Bruce Wayne – Fugitive

Dick and Cass race each other: Batman – Legends of the Dark Knight #184

Cass describes in her journal how Dick told her about Cinderella and made her laugh: Batgirl (2000) #58

Dick stops Jason from attacking Cass: Batman & Robin Eternal #3

Tim & Dick

Blindfolded bonding: Nightwing (1996) #25

Dick hugging Tim and kissing the top of his head: Nightwing (1996) #139

Dick inviting Tim on a mission: Nightwing (1996) #142

Dick makes Tim laugh: Robin (1993) #71

Dick cooking for Tim: Batman #512

Dick complimenting Tim's skills: Robin 80 Years of the Boy Wonder The Deluxe Edition

Dick complimenting Tim's skills 2.0: Nightwing (1996) #6

Tim tells Dick that he will always be there for him: Red Robin (2009) #12

Dick changes his plans to stay and listen to what Tim needs to talk about: Robin (1993) #156

Dick and Tim hanging out: Secret Origins 80 Page Giant

Dick calls Tim his little brother: Secret Origins 80 Page Giant

Damian & Dick

Dick and Damian hugging when they find out the other is alive: Grayson #12

Dick hugs Damian relieved that he's okay: Nightwing (2016) #20

Dick assures Damian they'll find Bruce: Nightwing (2016) #29

Damian admits to have missed Dick: Nightwing (2016) #20

“We are still the greatest”: Nightwing (2016) #20

Dick comforting Damian as he cries: Batman v3 #33

Damian thanking Dick for being there: Batman v3 #34

Batman!Dick saves Damian's life and praises his work: Batman and Robin (2009) #3

Damian tells Dick he is his favorite partner: Batman Incorporated v2 #8

Dick and Alfred acknowledge Damian's efforts to be better: Batman and Robin (2009) #22

Damian throws up and Batman!Dick comforts him: Batman - Streets of Gotham #7

Dick calls Damian his Robin: Robin (2021) #5

Damian says he doesn't need the Titans because he already has a friend in Gotham (Dick): Teen Titans v3 #92

The (Teen) Titans & Dick

Wally and Dick hugging: Nightwing 1996 #141

Wally asks Dick for help to find Linda: The Flash v2 #214

Donna and Dick hugging: Titans Secret Files #2

Dick listens to Garth's problems: Titans v2 #15

Dick tells Donna that he's there if there's anything she wants to talk about: The New Teen Titans #14

Dick helps Roy find Lian and bring her home with him: Action Comics #618

Dick kissing Donna’s forehead: The Titans (1999) #28

Titans pillow fight: The New Teen Titans v2 #32

Dick and Gar talk about Vic: The New Teen Titans v2 #48

Steel and Gar talking about Dick: Titans (2016) #27

Nightwing argues with Batman to save Cyborg: JLA/Titans #2

Roy opens up to Dick and Dick tells Roy he'd trust him with his life: Outsiders (2003) #11

“Who wouldn't fall in love with that wouldn't fall in love with that strength and that smile?” – Donna Troy: DC special - The Return of Donna Troy #2

Dick calls the Titans his ‘safety net’: Nightwing Secret Files and Origins

Wally tries to distance himself from his loved ones but goes see Dick when his statue won't stay turned away: The Flash v6 #9

Others

Dick comforts Jon: Nightwing (2016) #89

Kara thanks Dick for being a friend and brother to her: Justice League of America v2 #60

Superman calls Dick the multiversal constant for being confident, kind and cool in every universe he's been: Nightwing (2016) #9

Friends: Nightwing (2016) #9

Some heroes help Dick move out and Dick thanks them for their assistance: Nightwing #153

Dick Grayson, the most trusted man next to Superman: The Brave and the Bold v3 #15

Dick's neighbors talking about him: Nightwing (1996) #87

Dick gets powers for two hours and spends time with Superman: Nightwing (2016) #104

Jim tells Dick his cops prefer him to Bruce: Batman and Robin (2009) #13

Nightwing leading the Titans: Teen Titans (2003) #23

Dick relates to Conner and tells him he has to start trusting himself as Dick trusts him: Teen Titans (2003) #33

“You know, everyone's right about you. You totally rule.”: Teen Titans (2003) #33

Kyle's first impression of Dick: Green Lantern (1990) #81

Oh man! This is awful! How can Dick be this abusive? Oh, wait! he isn't.

Well, sorry it took me a bit, but I hope this helps!

There's more characters' moments I wanted to add but it was taking me too long so I decided to leave it as it is.

[robiinjason]

Anyway

[roguestorm]

robin (1993) IS robin v4 and i will not stop tagging it as such even if i know that it's technically robin v2

[sweetwriting]

Tim Drake Week 2017 - Day 1 : Firsts/Lasts A History of Costume : Tim Drake Edition

Category : Gen

Genre : Angst / Fluff / Family

Fandoms : DC Comics, Batman (1940), Robin v1 (1991), Robin v4 (1993), Superman - Batman (2003)

Continuity : Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint

Summary : The first and last time Tim wore each of his costumes

Author’s notes : the last one is one of my hc (especially in my Detective!AU/Sequel)

Word Count : 954

To read it on AO3

The first time Tim wore Jason's Robin costume was a few hours after Dick left to help Bruce against Two-Face. He didn't have any agenda for himself. He just wanted to help and convince Dick to be Robin again. Because Batman needs a Robin.

The last time Tim wore Jason's Robin costume had still not been for his own agenda. He knew Bruce had said he wasn't ready yet and that he shouldn't get out there. That if he did he could say good bye to the idea of ever becoming Robin. But Tim, at this moment, did not care. Batman was in danger. Against Scarecrow's fear gas and without an antidote, Bruce would need help. He didn't care if he never became Robin as long as he could save Bruce's life. That's why he first reached out to Dick after all. And now he was given his own costume. He was actually Robin.

The first time Tim wore his Green, Red, Yellow and Black Robin costume was after saving Bruce from Scarecrow's gas. The first time he wore it outside he was in Paris. Studying Martial Arts, well really Healing Arts for now, under the watchful eye of Rahul Lama. Despite not being as high as Gotham's building (which he did not know anything about yet, because he had obviously never gone out to take pictures of Batman and Robin, of course he hadn't), the old Haussmann architecture did remind him of some of Gotham's buildings (but not as dark…never as dark as Gotham). He also didn't really have to swing as most rooftops were actually connected. It was both a foreign and familiar feeling.

The last time Tim wore his Green, Red, Yellow and Black Robin costume was during Superboy's funeral. He'd love to say it was because he got the idea of his next costume but the truth is that it was the opposite. He was forced to think of a next costume because he couldn't stand this one anymore. He had lost his ex-girlfriend and his father because of it (nevermind that he'd never have had them in the first place without it), when he was in it. But worst of all, he had lost his best friend, he couldn't even help him. He could have dealt with just Steph's and his father's death. It's horrible to say but he had already almost started to move on (thanks to Conner and Dick). But Conner's death, he knows, isn't something he can come back from as easily, and not just because Conner isn't there to help him deal with grief. This costume is the costume of loss, of grief and Tim can't deal with that, not without his best friend and he can't bother the others because everyone's grieving someone. So he's going to repress everything and he's going to throw away this costume because he doesn't want the reminder.

The first time Tim wore his Red and Black costume was after Superboy's funeral. After he threw his previous costume away. He wanted to Honor his best friend, but mostly he didn't want to forget him. He didn't want the reminder of his death so he tried to remind himself of his life. It was hell but he was ready for it (no he wasn't). It was the costume that reminded him that no matter how much he wanted to give up, he still had people he couldn't give up for.

The last time Tim wore his Red and Black costume was when his skull was burnt. When Steph went behind his back *on Bruce's order* after Bruce died (because apparently, it's him as a Robin the problem, not the costume because Bart died too). To make him a better Robin. Which he gets, after all Batman died on his watch. But she betrayed him. He was getting over her lying about her death for a year and she did this to him. So he donned another costume. Because there was another trauma to be added to his list.

The first time he put on the Red Robin costume he was actually still Robin. He needed to protect his skull. And the costume fit him. The costume he had taken from Ulysses who wanted his revenge. And even if Tim knew it wasn't his own fault, that Ulysses was simply too narcissistic to even consider he was at fault himself, Tim couldn't help but feel the guilt because he couldn't protect them, like he couldn't protect Bruce. It was also the costume Ulysses had stolen from Jason (how much tweaking was necessary in the end? Because Jason was a lot taller than Ulysses who himself was slightly taller than Tim). This costume was the costume of disappointment and it fit Tim to a T.

The last time he put on the Red Robin costume was 6 years later. He had turned it around. His life had turned around. Almost everyone he loved was back. He had -finally- talked things through with Bruce and Dick and Damian, he had even let go of his guilt and anger toward Jason even if they weren't close they were allies, sometimes. He had helped the Batfam reconstruct itself, he had reconnected with Kon and Bart and Cassie and the other Teen Titans, helped mentor the new ones. He was ready to move on with his life. He had given the Red Robin mantle a new life, a new and better reputation but it was time to wave goodbye. He had talked it out with Bette and Dick and Conner and he was the new Flamebird. The Kyptonian Hero who fought alongside Nightwing. It was perfect to honor both his relationship with Dick and his friendship with Conner.

[sohotthateveryonedied]

Hi! So I've been reading some of the comics on that website you mentioned, and have you got any recommendations? Im new to comics but i like Batman/ batfamily stuff as well as Flash and Green Arrow as well? Thanks!!!

Sure! 

For Batfamily, I think you would really enjoy Batman and Robin. There are two volumes, one of which features Dick and Damian while the other has Bruce and Damian. Also Red Robin, which focuses on Tim after Bruce's "death", (it's also my favorite comic series of all time so I had to mention it). Also Robin v4 (1993) was incredible and had Tim as Robin with lots of the Batfamily and other great characters in it. For the Flash I recommend The Flash v4 (2011), and while I haven't read a lot of Green Arrow stuff, I've heard great things about Green Arrow/Black Canary and Green Arrow v3 (2001). 

Happy reading! 😁 

[robiinjason]

hello! i just want to know if you have any recommendations for Stephanie brown's comic? I really want to read her comics, especially when she was a robin. Thank you! If this bothers you, it's okay to delete it :)

Hi!! I’m not the most knowledgeable on Steph as I’m still going through her comics myself, but i can try to help out a bit! :0

While looking stuff up to answer this I found this Steph wiki which has a full chronology of her appearances in Post Crisis (and I believe beyond post crisis too in a different link but i haven’t checked those out), so if you’d like a complete list of her comics that might be a good place to check! I’ll try to be thorough on her Robin appearances since it was a fairly short run, but I’ll be somewhat vague based on what I’ve read or heard otherwise.

Detective Comics #647 to #649 is her first ever appearance, when she helps Bruce and Tim thwart her father Cluemaster’s plans!

After that, a good chunk of her appearances are in Robin Vol.4 (1993), where she doesn’t appear in every issue but still shows up fairly regularly across the series! And while I have yet to read it myself, I believe Batgirl Vol. 1 (2000) also has some Steph appearances.

Over these, after Tim steps down from the role following his father’s discovery that he was Robin (Robin #124-125), Steph’s time as Robin happens! Gonna be referencing the link above for the following list: 

Wizard Magazine #150 -  a short story set while Steph is Spoiler, where she wonders if she could be Robin.

Robin V4 (1993) #126 - Steph’s debut as Robin!

Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular (2020) - a Robin anniversary special with a Robin Steph story in it

Robin V4 (1993) #127

Batgirl V1 (2000) #53

Solo (2004) #10 - one of the stories is a Robin Steph and Batgirl Cass teamup! I love the artstyle in it

Detective Comics #796 

Teen Titans V3 (2003) #13

Robin V4 (1993) #128 - Bruce fires Steph from being Robin

Batgirl V1 (2000) #54 - Steph shows up at the very end to tell Cass she’s been fired

After that, there’s the War Games arc, during which Steph dies (which was eventually retconned to Leslie having faked her death and taking her to Africa upon Steph’s return). I haven’t read this myself save for Batman #633 (the issue in which she dies), but a heads up that from what I’ve heard this storyline it’s generally considered to be pretty bad. 

And, while i’m unsure of what happens between these as I haven’t read this far (see the list linked above for that), there’s finally Steph’s Batgirl run in Batgirl Vol. 3 (2009)! I haven’t read it yet but I’ve heard lots of good things about it, I’m excited to get to it! This page (also from the Steph wiki) lists the Batgirl issues as well as other runs she appeared in as Batgirl in chronological order.

Also as a fun lil extra, she’s in Tiny Titans #33 and #45 as Robin and Batgirl :) (I haven’t read all of it so she might be in more but these are the ones i know of)

I’ll leave it at that because I’m simply a Steph Enthusiast and not a Steph Connoisseur, and I’m only partially familiar with her in post crisis so far and know nothing at all beyond that. People who know more about Steph are free to add to this if you wish, but I hope this helps!!! :D 

[sweetwriting]

Tim Drake Week 2017 - Day 5 : Injury / Healing

Category : Gen

Genre : Angst / Family

Fandoms : DC Comics, Batman (1940), Detective Comics, Robin v4 (1993), Red Robin (2009), Teen Titans (2003)

Continuity : Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint

Summary : So maybe Tim loved Dick too much, but to be fair Dick was the only person he had to love for a long time.

Author’s notes : This one’s about Tim and Dick’s BROTHERLY relationship Also I try to keep most of the fics for this Week less than 1000 words...I have failed yet again

Word Count : 2827

To read it on AO3

Tim, as can be expected from any non-powered person running around in costume fighting criminals, had received many injuries in the past four years (as proved by his asplenia). Physical, psychological (thank you Scarecrow, Darkseid and Granny Goodness, you've been some of the worse) and emotional, he went through them all. It probably did not help that he was from a rich family (no matter how reckless he could be sometimes, he still lived in as safe an environment Gotham or boarding school for Richie rich (white) kids could be) or that he wasn't very emotionally stable to begin with (he never realized it until he got the chance to open up to his friends and they looked at him as if he was the "saddest little bean" ever -Conner's own words. He hadn't known Bart and Conner were able to feel like this toward anything other than children, women or TV shows and Video Games).

So yeah, lots and lots of bad History there. Still the worse injuries had been the emotional and psychological ones (he still had nightmares about their time on Apokalips, he still sees the nightmares Granny Goodness had created for him, he had nightmares where he didn't "turn down" the Anti-Life Equation and those were often mixed with memories of a future where he became a dictator, where he had managed to clone Conner). The worse ones though were the deaths : Steph, Bart Cass. It didn't matter if some ended up not being real he was still forced to start grieving and psychology hadn't really caught up on how to react to your friends coming back to life. There was also that time he was preparing himself for Dick joining the list (he honestly doesn't know what would have happened to him if Dick had died) and Dana, though not physically wounded was pretty much unable to handle a complete conversation or even take care of herself. His mother and father were special cases themselves as what hurt the most was never knowing what could have been and knowing what never was. Then there were the harshest ones : Conner's and Bruce's. They had both impacted him so deeply he didn't think he would ever truly heal from them. Conner's because, well because he's his best friends, one of the most important people in his life (and hadn't that been an unexpected turn) and Bruce, well, because it's Bruce. Tim became Robin to protect him from himself (and barely lasted four years and a half). But everything that happened because of his death made it worse.

And that's what this is about right ?

Tim loves Dick. He has since he was 3. Dick was his role model, then his big brother, one of the rare people he could confide in (After Conner's death, when they were gone and later on learning Bart's "disappearing act" he became pretty much the only one aside from Cassie sometimes). The tragedy of Dick's childhood shaped his life.

And Dick chose Damian. He knew that he had failed Bruce but he still deserved to be Robin and yet Dick had chosen this homicidal kid for the role. And of course, Dick was the new Batman, the former Robin, of course his vision for the role is what mattered most. But...Tim was the one who had...he had to force Bruce to take on a new Robin, he worked himself almost to the death to be worthy of the mantle and it was taken from him. Dick didn't even have the gut to tell him he just...he was walking in to get changed Damian was wearing a Robin uniform. Was it that hard to tell him? Was it because of his theory that Bruce is alive? Did Dick think he was so mad with grief he really didn't deserve the mantle? What was Tim supposed to do? He just said that it was because he thought he was ready to be his own hero. But then why not talk it through with him? He didn't even have the time to choose a new name and he had to find Bruce. He didn't *have* the time for that. How could Dick do that to him. How could he suggest that Tim was mad when he was the one running away from his grief? Dick was the one who got angry at Bruce Oh so many times because he made decisions without consulting the people concerned and Dick did exactly the same with Tim.

The hypocrisy was daunting. Tim had always known that Dick was more similar to Bruce than either of them would admit. But they were similar and it made Tim so, so sad. he didn't know what to do.

Yes, he did.

He had to find Bruce. Because Bruce has to be alive. Because he needs to not be mad. Because his brother, his model admitted that Tim just wasn't enough. No matter the excuses he tried to give, at the end of the day, Tim lost his second father in a year and his brother took the last thing Tim had from him. Took the last bit of anything right in his life away from him to give it to someone who had tried only a few months prior to kill him in order to become Robin. And well Tim had just lost the two things he had left. Damian had reached his goal even if it wasn't in the way he had expected.

But Tim still had one thing to do and he couldn't actually die until it was done. He had to bring Bruce back home.

Bruce had been back for a year now. Tim…still hadn't really talked with either of them.

The truth is that he spent most of his downtime with Conner, Bart, Cassie, or any of the Titans (it turns out Solstice had actually met his father when he went out on a dig once) rather than try to talk to any of the Bats outside of Barbara, Alfred and Cass.

He and Steph had a truce and they could work together if they had to but it was still awkward. They had, after all always had this on and off relationship which only stopped when she died. Her coming back to life ended up with him being confused about which part he was supposed to be feeling : wanting to start again like they always did ? or just try and be friends ? Because it wasn't like it had been with Ariana, when he had pretty much already moved on when they broke up. His and Steph's break up was sudden to him (even if in retrospect he realized it was bound to happen soon enough) and her death only happened within a few weeks of it. He never had the time to realize a car hit him before a truck hit him harder. And this time it seemed to be truly over but what do you do when you have a history of going back to this person, even if you have realized you only did it because of familiarity? Because you missed having intimacy with someone and it was just easier to fall back into a known situation even if it wasn't an ideal one, even if you knew it was going to end badly but couldn't help hoping it wouldn't simply out of fear of being alone, out of fear of never finding anyone you could get this intimacy with.

Tim wished he had an answer to this question but the truth is that he was still struggling. He was lucky he had his friends back to keep him out of Gotham on a regular basis, to be in a somewhat supportive environment. It wasn't perfect obviously, they all had their own issues and Conner and Cassie's strained relationship wasn't easy especially for him and Bart. Because while they were all best friends Bart and him were better friends with Conner than they were with Cassie and Cassie knew it and even if neither tried to make them chose between them (it wasn't a "who to side with" choice obviously, more of "who gets to keep who" kind of choice) they all knew what that choice would be, especially for Tim (Bart might choose Cassie just to counterbalance Tim's choice, even if it wouldn't be his main choice), and it hurt because they did love Cassie. So even if they didn't talk about it, the elephant was in the room. Or at least it was until Bart couldn't stand it and locked the three of them in a room until they either "killed each other, made up or had a threesome" (the last one had shocked them, both because they didn't understand why Bart would associate the idea of a threesome with them and because, even if they knew Bart had grown up and was knowledgeable about a variety of subjects, some things were still hard to swallow and Bart being aware of sex always managed to surprise them no matter how often it happened). Of course they could have gotten out easily, between the two powerhouses and Tim's own pick locking skills, it was child's play. Only, if Bart hadn't intervened, Tim wouldn't have lasted much longer. So when his friends got ready to destroy the door, he stopped them and forced them to confront their issues (it was so much easier to force other than to do it himself). And sure, just because they talked about it, it didn't mean everything was all and good but it meant that at some point it could be.

And why was he saying this? Because he was avoiding the situation at hand obviously. He was in a coffee shop, sitting across from Dick, a cup of hot chocolate filled with melting whipped cream between his hands. Cass was right, they had to talk things through. Still, she had allowed him a few months because for once in his life he felt he had a right to not forgive right away. Sure it seemed petty but, Tim always forgave people. There were only five instances when he didn't forgive right away: when Bruce had revealed his identity to Steph, when half of Young Justice had admitted to not trusting him (when Kon and Bart had admitted to not trusting him), when he learned that Leslie Thompkins and Steph had lied to them about Steph's death, when Jason had tried to kill him and when Damian had tried to kill him. And even then he had always forgiven in the weeks that followed (it took a lot longer for Leslie, Jason and Bart but the circumstances were different...and he's still struggling with the Damian situation but it's complicated and linked to this one). Simply put, Tim had to live through hell. He hadn't been sure he would survive the emotional strain and at some point he hadn't even been sure he wanted to (actually he was sure he hadn't wanted to). And of course, he wasn't the only one, he knew that but it didn't make his distress go away. So he let himself feel it, acknowledge his feelings for once (which was actively encouraged by his friends) until Cass decided enough was enough (she was right of course it was starting to wring him down, whether he managed to bridge the gap between them or not, he needed to let go).

The thing is, Dick had never apologized.

It may seem stupid but Dick was the biggest influence in his life, along with Bruce, and he had taken everything away from him without even informing him and, and he hadn't even apologized.

This was going to be long.

The whipped cream was completely melted by now. He hadn't been this awkward with Dick since Dick had been his own Batman. It was a lifetime ago (and even then the awkwardness wasn't nearly this bad). He didn't know what to say. Dick seemed to be as lost as he was and he could see Cass hovering nearby. And he couldn't hold it in anymore:

"You never apologized" he blurted out, eyes still lost in his mug.

Dick was obviously taken aback (and why wouldn't he, they had been silent for at least 5 whole minutes before Tim started talking), so he continued.

"You took the Robin mantle from me and gave it to Damian of all people. I had to work at convincing you and Bruce I deserved it and he got it almost right after Bruce's death, you didn't even have the decency to ask me if I was ready, if I was okay for it. I get why he needed it now, but back then you just sprung it on me. You did to me what you're always reproaching to Bruce. I lost my second father in a year, most of my friends were dead and you took away not only the role I had worked so hard to fill and you took my trust in you with it. You even took the trust I had in Cassie when you asked her to come and convince me I was mad. You pretty much called me crazy."

Tim stopped for a second. Taking a deep breathe he looked up from his hot chocolate. Dick seemed to be about to say something but didn't seem to be able to form any words and Tim would have interrupted him anyway. He needed to finish what he had started or he might lose al his courage :

"I know you have emotional issues, we all do, but I thought you could at least manage to apologize. I was alone Dick, I didn't feel safe anywhere because it felt like at any point you were going to send someone new to convince me to go to Arkham. And I get that you had other things to do and that all of a sudden you had other responsibilities on top of having to deal with Bruce's death but it doesn't change the fact that I was one of your responsibilities and you chose to give up on me. You acted as if I had this, big and sudden change, like my emotional instability was somehow new. Like your actions wouldn't, hadn't impacted it. It wasn't Dick and I'm sure you know it, that you knew it, but it was easier to ignore it."

And he knew it was harsh and even a little unfair, that he wasn't perfect either but it felt good to just, lay it out there. And Dick looked horrified and he probably hadn't realized how badly Tim was doing back then. Dick was usually good at pinpointing other's emotional weaknesses but for some reason he had never seemed to really see Tim's. He tried to reach out from across the table, tried to take Tim's hands in his own because, for once, he really needed this bit of contact. But the action surprised Tim who retracted them quickly. They both winced at the reflexive movement which was oh so reflecting of the state of their relationship. Still it seemed to renew Dick's determination and while he didn't try to touch Tim again, he made sure to look him in the eye as he spoke to him :

"You're right I'm sorry. I have no actual excuse for this except that I didn't realize what it was doing to you. I honestly thought you were ready to fly on your own and that Damian needed to be Robin in order to adjust better and I didn't think about how it'd affect you. I said it was because I considered you my equal and still pulled a Bruce and took you out of the decision-making process. And you're right I should have apologized long ago but I didn't really comprehend what had gone wrong until now and I'm so sorry. I promise I'll try to work on it but, I'm not a mind reader. You also have to promise that if I ever do something like that again you will knock some sense into me. Like you usually do with Bruce"

And that was it. Tim didn't really need some long-winded apology. This was enough : acknowledging their faults and promising they'd at least try to get better

And sure, as with Conner and Cassie's resolution, things were far from perfect and wouldn't be for a long while. But as he was suddenly enveloped in his big brother's arms (which was a nice change from Bart, Cassie and Conner, no matter how much he loved the little massaging Conner did around his ears during their half hugs)…as he finally, and for the first time in over a year, truly felt that he was loved by Dick instead of just guessing, thinking, supposing, deducing…Now that he truly felt it, knew it for sure; he had hope that he could really salvage their relationship.

Author’s Note 2 : This work is un-betaed, if you have any advice or anything don't hesitate to tell me (no I'm not fishing for comments I have no idea what you mean)I didn't talk about Tim's suicidal attempts, especially not in the conversation because I don't think either of them are ready to even start thinking about it, much less talking about it.I have put some TimKonCassie again, for a ship that I don't ship it sure comes up often (then again in all of their comics versions Kon and Cassie's relationship almost always only exist through Tim. so if I write about KonCassie it's gonna end up being KonTimCassie...)There's a tiny bit of sexism at the beginning, it's because -sadly- the 90's were a quite sexist time (not that it's much better today) and some, tendencies of the heroes reflect that (except for Kon who was actually not *that* bad, for various reasons I won't get into here until around the 60-70 issues of his first Superboy series and especially Joe Kelly and Dan Didio's run at whichpoint he became a fuckboy and even a tad homophobic (oh I long for the time when he barely batted an eyelash when he learned that his then best friend was gay and thought he and his bf were a cute couple...)), it was a time full of comments that "when cute girl talking to you/you talking to cute girl = flirting even if you're not actually interested"...

[sweetwriting]

Tim Drake Week 2017 - Day 3: Dream / Reality

Category : Gen

Genre : Angst / Fluff

Fandoms : DC Comics, , Robin v4 (1993),  Red Robin (2009), Teen Titans (2003)

Continuity : Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint

Summary : Tim dreams. But should he take this dream literally (hint : not unless he focuses on the very last details)

Author’s notes : This happens around the end of Teen Titans v3 and Red Robin.

Word Count : 705

To read it on AO3

Tim entered the living room, his arms full of groceries. He tried to call out to the young woman stretched on their couch. Her long blond hair spread over the cushion closest to him she didn't deign lift her head up as she shushed him because "Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone" is sacred. Tim rolled his eyes and made his way to the kitchen where he put the groceries in their respective places before going back to the living room. "Hey Steph" he said sweetly, smiling as he bent down to kiss her softly. She smiled back as she answered with a soft "hey" before trying to move him so he would stop blocking the TV screen. He laughed and moved to the other side of the couch as he lifted her legs to free some place for him to sit down and put them back on his knees. He looked to his right and smiled as he saw a picture of him and Dana hugging on the balcony of the Metropolis Mental Institute he sent her to after the Blüdhaven crisis, with Kon and Bart photobombing behind them.

It was a nice evening, one of their first as a married couple. He was so glad they had managed to get over their own insecurities and learned to trust issues toward each other. Glad that they had finally managed to connect and have an adult relationship. They still had half an hour before Conner and Cassie were supposed to get here for their double date.

Tim cuddled with Steph while he could, knowing that as soon as Conner and Cassie arrived they'd probably be too distracted to really cuddle.

Conner and Cassie arrived with Ma made dinner. They talked and caught up with each other's lives (not that it took long because he and Conner always talked). He and Conner hugged because they did that now. Tim was past his insecurities and education and he didn't hesitate to ask as many hugs as possible from all his best friends (but Conner was taller and broader than all of them, it was safe so he asked many more from him).

Later on he'd have to patrol but for now, for now everything was good.

Tim woke up suddenly and stared at the ceiling. This dream was one he had had for more than a year now. Since Conner was dead.

But now Conner was alive again, so was Steph (and Bart and Bruce and Cass). This dream made no sense. Was it because of his feelings for Steph ? No. He was finally starting to really move on. He and Steph had decided to stop clinging to each other back when he was still looking for Bruce. He also didn't especially want Conner and Cassie back together (he loves them but their story brought everyone more grief than good).

Was it because he wanted hugs (hugs from Conner ? They always made him feel better). But unlike the Tim from the dreams he still didn't know how to ask for them. Which is too bad really, because he definitely needs them more than Dream!Timmy does. He's still barely on speaking term with Bruce and Dick (well he's still on speaking terms with them but the sting of betrayal still burns brightly inside his heart and his stomach). He and Steph don't really talk to each other for fear of falling back to their bad habits. Barbara and Alfred are the only people in Gotham he's fine with right now (well with Helena and Selina, maybe he should try to go talk to Helena at some point, it had really been a while since they last met and asking her to protect Lucius didn't count no matter how glad he was that she answered his call). He hadn't talked with Conner, Bart and Cassie outside of Teen Titans business and he wanted more but he didn't know how to ask for it anymore. And there's Dana but she's still in a mental institute and he doesn't want to bother her too much.

He was lost. He was alone in his apartment in Crime Alley. And all he wanted was a hug.

Maybe he should get a cat.

Author’s Note 2 : I think it's pretty obvious but just in case, I don't ship TimSteph or ConnerxCassie as they're both very melodramatic and unhealthy. That's why they're in the dream, because at this point it's still the best relationships they've all had and that's just sad because neither is good.

But Tim needs hugs and I want to hate his parents for Tim's inability to ask for simple thing. Also I love Dana and wish they hadn't sent her away 'cause she was the only good parent he ever had

[sweetwriting]

Tim Drake Week 2017 - Day 2: Childhood / Adulthood

Category : Gen

Genre : Angst / Fluff / Family

Fandoms : DC Comics, Batman (1940), Detective Comics, Robin v4 (1993), Red Robin (2009), Teen Titans (2003)

Continuity : Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint

Summary : Tim didn’t use to have a family despite it being the one thing he’s always wanted

Author’s notes : This one seems a little messy but I still like it

Word Count : 695

To read it on AO3

Tim didn't have many memories of his childhood. Everything before he turned three was overshadowed by that day at Haly Circus when he first met Dick (in a way it feels like he was born that day), he still remembers that hug before the Graysons died. Even after, he was plagued by nightmares and *admiration* for Batman and sadness for Dick.  That day shaped his life.

He tried not to worry his parents so he soon stopped telling them about his nightmares. They started leaving more and more anyway. Leaving him with nannies that changed every 10 months at least (at most, he had a new one after each vacation) so he learned not to get too attached. it didn't work. He sadly got attached easily. But he learned to pace himself and not latch onto them to make letting go easier on him. He had anything he wanted (except his parents and a family), and he didn't want much so he was fine. He really was. Especially after he realized that Batman was billionaire Bruce Wayne. That Robin was his ward, Dick Grayson. He had recognized him because of his move, one that the Graysons were famous for, one that he saw for himself years before. He was nine and he had found a family.

It took another four years before he met them. He wasn't stupid enough to think he could actually be part of their family, Dick and Jason were Bruce's sons while he already had his own father. Still it was nice to be part of something.

Then his father woke up, he got closer to Dick and Bruce, he gained a girlfriend, a step mom (a real mom), two sisters, a grandfather and four best friends.

He went from a lonely childhood to one filled with loved ones

Until almost all of them died.

He started adulthood earlier than expected, when his second father died and he had to run away from home (granted it doesn't seem to be a very adult behavior when taken out of context). But he dropped out of high school, got a "job", started living on his own….That's what adults do right ?

The "dead" were starting to come back to life (not all of them were dead actually), and he had to wrap his head around it. He had to wrap his head around a lot of things because this family he had lost wasn't only because of death, but because the rest thought he was emotionally unstable (they had, apparently not realized he had never been emotionally stable).

But things got better. They were back. His sister, his ex-girlfriend, one of his fathers, his best friends were back…Conner was back. And sure they weren't close anymore. Tim was forced to close in on himself to survive. He didn't know how to open up anymore. He tried to avoid bringing up the subject with Dick because he was so glad to have him back in the first place. But it was simmering under the surface. However he was spending more time with the Teen Titans now. Conner was good at coaxing things out of him (not that he had to try very hard after all he wanted to, he just wasn't used to doing it anymore) as he was one of the rare people who was able to convince Tim he wasn't bothering him. And with this semblance of stability he slowly got better with the help of his fellow Titans. Finally he managed to confront Bruce and Dick and force them to deal with what had gone wrong between them (it took several tries because he wasn't good at confronting people when it came to his own relationships, and in the end Cass had been forced to intervene to force him to do it).

Now he was starting to understand what the deal about being an adult and having healthy relationships with people was all about.

[sweetwriting]

Tim Drake Week 2017 - Day 4: Enemies / Family

Category : Gen

Genre : Angst / Fluff / Family

Fandoms : DC Comics, Batman (1940), Detective Comics, Young Justice (1998), Robin v4 (1993), Superman - Batman (2003), Teen Titans (2003)

Continuity : Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint

Summary : Tim always wanted a family but things aren't that simple. Or are they ?

Author’s notes : This one's a little longer than I expected (I try to do less than 1000 word each) I hope you'll enjoy it.

Word Count : 2251

To read it on AO3

There were many Rogues in Gotham, but each of its vigilantes had their own nemeses among them. Well Tim only had one. One whom, strangely, none of the other members  of the Batfam had ever gone against (and while they were all competent he was a special breed which would be hard to overcome for anyone other than him, Bruce or Barbara, well even for him it was hard), two if you added Ra's Al Ghul on the list after Ulysses but Tim wasn't sure whether to call him a nemesis or a creepily obsessed stalker (he had sent him a woman to bear his heir and if this wasn't a creepily obsessive behavior then what was). Well and King Snake but it was a whole can he'd rather avoid opening.

But Tim had held his own against them all. And especially against the Joker.

Sure the Joker wasn't the worst of them all really (honestly in Tim's mind Scarecrow, Ulysses, and the Riddler were on top of the list), but he was the one who had murdered Robin and seeing Robin back, well…He might have developed a bit of an obsession too even if, weirdly he never seemed that tempted to act on it aside from their first encounter.

His first meeting with Scarecrow (who was Dick's own Gotham nemesis) had been quite something too since it was thanks to that encounter that Batman had allowed him to become Robin. Though now that he was older and more -or less depending on how you see it- emotionally stable he was trying to remember if the hallucinations he had seen were due to a bit of the gas reaching him or not (he had thought Conner was another hallucination back in Paris after all).

And of Course Two-Face, the first time he met Bruce and Alfred…How had they never realized Tim wasn't alright is beyond him now that he's started introspecting on his life as Robin since the very beginning.

Finally, the Riddler. He may not have faced him much but Tim would be lying if he didn't admit that, despite the lives hanging in the balance, he couldn't help but enjoy trying to solve those riddles (to this day his favorites were the ones on baseball and that time he had to team up with Wally).

Of course he had face them all but, some like Penguin were a real pain but they weren't that important to him. Others like Selina or Ivy were different because Selina had, at least partially settled down (and was usually pretty nice to him even if she loved mocking him) and he couldn't help but feel for Ivy's crusade.

The biggest one though had been Jason Todd (and Damian Wayne). Because Bruce was still so attached to him and Tim had tried, he had freed Jason because he chose to let his own issues go and give Jason a chance. What a bad idea that was. Apparently the pit Madness was still present. Even if it had lessened.

Now. Now however Jason seemed to have slightly settled. And Tim still felt the guilt for letting him go too soon but he had still let go of most of his resentment toward him. So sure Jason wouldn't be his family (maybe one day but at most Tim believes they'll be cordial to each other), but at least he and Bruce were making progress and really that's what matters even if… Tim had always wanted a family. It was easier to admit now that he had finally mourned his father, but he never really gave him one. First he and his mother kept leaving him behind, then Jack was forced to stay and still had the reflex to leave him behind when he wanted to -even if for lesser lengths of time- and got angry when Tim had to cancel at the last minute. Tim now realized the depth of the hypocrisy his father had shown back then. The anger he always directed at Tim for simple mistakes. Tim realized it now, because he followed some courses on parenting to be of at least some use to his Neon Knights Program (also Conner had convinced him to see a therapist who treated the few heroes who admitted they needed the help and seeked resolution. Bruce had, of course, verified all their references before Tim could even think about it, after all if they had been helping Kon they were probably good -and Conner seemed to feel so much better). He realized now that his parents had been neglectful and that his father managed to be both neglectful and verbally abusive (and physically violent even if it was never directed at Tim's body, it was still only directed at Tim's stuff).

So he wanted a family and when he was 9 he started projecting on Dick, because Dick had hugged him when he was still pretty much a baby and he had been so happy and Dick was Robin, and he had been taken in by Bruce Wayne, by Batman and he seemed so happy. And not long after this Jason joined and, well Tim didn't know him so he mostly focused on him as Robin.

And then he really met them and, of course they weren't a family. It was a job and Tim still wanted his parents to be the ones taking care of him. Still he and Bruce got closer, especially after his father became comatose and his mother died. Because there was no way to know when he'd wake up and Bruce and Alfred took care of him and, sure it was more like going to your grandparents with your uncle than anything else but it was the closest Tim had had to a real family since he had been 4 or 5. And Dick. It took about a year but Dick became Tim's big brother, and oh how he loved him. Dick was easily one of the most important people in Tim's life, the one person (with Conner and Bart) he thought would never hurt him. Of course he ended up being wrong but he still loved him so much and Tim shouldn't feel so betrayed for one little mistake but he couldn't help himself (according to his therapist though he should have a talk with Dick because apparently it wasn't just one simple mistake but, Tim didn't want to ruin the fragile status quo they had reached. Of course he knew his therapist was right but he just couldn't do it).

Now Dick was obviously the biggest influence on him, but one shouldn't forget Alfred Pennyworth, who was the one person everybody loved and no one could refuse him anything. Alfred loved everyone so much and they all know it. If there's one thing that they knew it was that.

One of the thing that surprises Tim the most is the number of sisterly figures he gained : Barbara who was like a mom sometimes, whom he shared a passion for computers with, one of the rare people who was more intelligent than him. Helena who was one of the first people he teamed up with and who had become a sort of on and off sisterly figure to him (who allowed him to raid her fridge), he only partially trusted her on the field, but if you put aside her murdering streak she was genuinely one of the most compassionate people he met (as long as you weren't a criminal). Finally Cassandra Cain who had just come back to Gotham had really intimidated him at first, not especially because of her skills and efficiency (though there was that) but because of her kind heart and strong will which made him ashamed of his own. But he got past it and things weren't always good but he loves her so much, she's one of his favorite people in the world. And he's so glad he accepted to see a therapist because she convinced him to *force* a little reconnection with them and they're all amazingly supportive.

He misses Harold, who was great company when he was around despite his lack of speech. He misses Ace, the Bat Hound who was the only pet he was ever allowed to have (he could hep but be jealous of Damian's zoo as he was never even allowed to keep a cat for a night and he had never dared ask his parents for one before, at least not since he was a kid and decided they wouldn't be able to take care of a pet and that they didn't want to take one and have to take it back if Tim grew bored…He couldn't help make a parallel now and it's one of those times he wishes he had never gone to that therapist). He misses Steph even if he now realized how unhealthy they were being. It might have been better if they had been friends (if he hadn't tried to run from the drama with Ariana), according to his dear therapist one of their biggest issues was the imbalance in power due to Tim mentoring Steph at the beginning, maybe now they could work on that and start being friends. Not to forget Dana, his sweet step-mother. She was still in a mental institute but Metropolis was a lot better for her health than Blüdhaven was (not that it was a surprise) and he had -finally- introduced her to some of his fellow Titans. She of course fell in love with Bart and Kon who were "sweet and thoughtful". One day she even took them aside and they discussed something that none of them ever revealed to him, but whichever it was, it obviously made them all happy (and really as long as they were happy he didn't care that much what had happened). He and Damian still didn't get along but they did have a sort of truce now (mostly because Damian's pets liked it when Tim petted them and it probably did more for Tim's cause than anything else ever could. On his side Tim had admitted to himself all the progress Damian had done and it was easier to not see him as a threat).

Then there were his friends. Young Justice had felt like a holiday camp sometimes, it was mostly fun and Tim couldn't help but wish he had been able to be himself completely and not just the Robin part of him. Back then it felt like they were all a bunch of (un)disciplined siblings and cousins. Then Donna died and…Well things got hard. Cassie who already had anger issues became worse and… he still can't believe they dated when they never really saw each other as anything but siblings (it says a lot about what Conner's death did to them and…Well he only started on this part with his therapist but at some point, they had had a weird knowing smile that felt slightly out of place). He loved Cassie but not in a romantic way and he felt honestly disturbed every time that week-end wass brought up. Bart was like a little brother whom he had mentored for a while, he was a true and tried genius when it came to engineering and computer programming. Tim would be jealous if he wasn't so proud of everything Bart had accomplished (or simply happy that Bart was alive), some of the Titans usually joked that Bart was the Baby friend to Tim's Dad Friend Trope and to Conner's Mom Friend one (they didn't know that Tim and Conner had done it long ago and he never realized how right he was).

And of course Conner. His best friend still loved to mock him (and it went both ways, Tim never missed his shot), but they were even closer than before. When he died Conner had been away for a couple of weeks and refused his calls because he felt guilty for breaking his arm (and other things which...honestly were too big to start thinking about). But before that he had been one of the rare people able to convince Tim that he wasn't a bother and that he should talk to him/them when something weighted him down (of course he still needed a push but he accepted it gladly). And Tim knew that, likewise, he was one of the rare people Conner felt comfortable talking about his harshest fears and issues with. Despite this, or maybe because of it, Conner was probably the healthiest relationship Tim has ever had with anyone (even Bart and Cass) because they didn't hesitate to talk about things that were wrong between them (not that there were many to begin with) and they actually dealt with them and that before even going to a therapist, they had even gone to a session together once, they had joked that it was couple counselling and the therapist told them that a lot more friends should do it because whether it's romantic or platonic every relationships need work. But, apparently theirs didn't because they naturally (or not, apparently it's mostly thanks to an advice Conner got from the then supergirl that they started having healthier reflexes) dealt with their issues. So yeah lots of love and support there. It was nice to have at least one person he could entirely trust and rely on.

And Tim couldn't help it but, it gave him hope for the future.

Author’s Note 2 : Hope you enjoyed it. As most of my works it was unbeta-ed.

For the physically violence toward Tim's stuff, I don't remember the number of the issue but there was at least once when Jack broke Tim's TV because Tim was distracted by it. (if I remember correctly it was after Jack grounded Tim because he refused to listen to Tim's explanation after Ariana's uncle called him and Tim was stuck in his room so he was watching the news which are, admittedly slightly more important than his father coming to explain to Tim how it was his fault that Jack ended up reacting this way...A++ Father Jack)