#Todd knows how to separate things - how to filter and mask

[histoires-en-bouteille]

Thinking about Ava and Todd again and about how people perceive them vs. how they really are.

Because Ava gives off this "black cat" vibe; very solitary, mean/ rude, antisocial even - and Todd the total opposite, he gives off golden retriever energy, very nice and polite, always willing to help around, approachable.

And people always kind of put them in a box, where Ava is To Be Avoided and Todd is The One To Talk To. Ava is perceived as this terrible person who will not help you unless there is something in it for her, while Todd is seen as this gentle soul who will go out of his way to help around whenever he can. She is the cold shoulder, he is the warm hand.

And when people give Ava mean looks, when they try to reach her with attitudes and "I don't even understand how he can handle being with you", Ava just stare at them, intensely, and she only says four words.

"He's worse than me."

And people are outraged, shocked, they cannot believe it. How can she say something so mean, so horrible? She is the cold-blooded killer, the antisocial monster, she is the one who make them wary and scared. Todd, he's nothing like that. He's kind, and helpful, and he laughs with them, and he talks. And he smiles.

Nothing worse than her. She is so unworthy of him. Why does he even stick with her??

Until one day. One day, where people get tired, get angry. They decide they had enough of her already. They send a group of four men to handle things with Ava, to give her what she deserves.

And everyone expects her to draw out her sword, to fight and to curse. But she does nothing. She expected them, in a way she always does. She knows what people think of her, but couldn't care less. She's heard these words before, hundreds, thousands of time. After a while, they stop echoing within her.

No one expects Todd to be here. They wait for him to be gone, actually. Or so they think.

But turns out, Todd is never too far away. And Turns out, Todd is more than what everyone had expected of him. Turns out Todd knows how to use a sword, how to make a bloodbath.

Because blood, there is. On his face, on the tip of his weapons. No one expected him here, and when they noticed his presence, it was too late. Four men down, one standing up, covered in blood.

Everyone stands and stares, paralyzed by the fear, deadly silent.

Ava finally turns around, a glass in her hand, a smirk on her face.

"I told you: He's worse than me."

[bat-losers-inc]

Collisions in the Dark (Ch 1): Prologue

Warnings: dubcon, language, violence

Summary: There’s a dead man lying face down in an alley when Tim and Bruce clash over Batman’s morals.

Pairings: Tim Drake/Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Ra’s al Ghul (dubcon)

“He didn’t expect to be handed over, to be delivered. To be tricked into his own face. Anyone can paint a mask. It’s boring. And everyone secretly wants to collaborate with the enemy, to construct a truer version of the self.” — ”Portrait of Fryderyk in Shining Light”,  Richard Siken.

2 Hours Ago...

Red Robin sat in the passenger seat of the Batmobile as it roared through the dark, wet, streets of Gotham City. Tim stared down at his hands in the dim light of the console. Red. They were covered in red. The blood was already drying into crusty flakes underneath his fingernails. His body armor was slick to the touch with it. The rain had washed off some of the damage as Bruce had dragged him away from the dead man’s body and into the car. Bruce… no, Batman ... hadn’t said a word and Tim breathed in and out slowly, afraid of what was to come next when they reached the Batcave.

There was no going back after this, he knew that. He had made his choice back in that alley and whatever happened now, Tim would be on his own.

The Batmobile jerked to a stop inside the cave. Tim blinked. He hadn’t even realized that they’d left the city, but somehow they’d made it all the way back to the manor while Tim was lost in his own thoughts. Batman sat still for a moment, his hands still gripping the wheel. Through the darkly tinted windows, Tim could just make out Alfred standing in wait for them with a tray of tea and bandages like he always did after patrol, because the chances of them coming back uninjured were always 50/50. Tonight would not be a normal night of stitching up wounds in the cave, however.

Batman hit the button that lifted the Batmobile’s doors open and without looking at him said, “Take a shower then meet me at the computer. We’ll talk then.”

He stepped out of the Batmobile and walked towards Alfred, shedding his gauntlets along the way in a jerky motion that betrayed his cool demeanor.  

Tim slipped out of his seat and started towards the showers.

“Master Timothy,” Alfred said, startled. “You’re bleeding—”

“It’s not his blood.” Bruce interjected, his voice uncharacteristically harsh.

Alfred flinched back visibly.

Tim stopped short, his hand grasping the divider that separated the showers from the rest of the cave. He looked back at Bruce who was now seated at the computer with his back turned to him. Tim wanted to say something to him. He wanted to be reassured after a hard night of crime fighting like Bruce always used do in the past when Tim was Robin. It wasn’t just a physical distance that separated them now, an emotional tether had been snipped, perhaps purposely. His old mentor did not turn around to meet his eyes. Tim continued into the stalls.

He stripped off his uniform piece by piece. Jason’s gun and holster were placed next to that. The blood had seeped through the parts that were not enforced with kevlar armor and the smell of copper invaded his senses. He had to scrub a bit until he could get it all off and when he did the water that swirled into the drain was stained russet. Tim stayed under the hot spray of water longer than necessary, but he needed time to collect himself for what was about to come.

When he emerged from the showers dressed in loose sweats, Alfred was nowhere to be seen. The only sounds were the fluttering of bat wings and the dripping of water onto rocks. Normal sounds in the cave they inhabited that had never seems so loud until now. Bruce had shed the rest of his uniform and now turned to face Tim. His facial expression was hard and blank, not an encouraging sight to Tim.

“I want to know why you did it.” Stated Bruce, his thick arms crossing.

Tim sighed.

“What is there to say… he was a horrible man. A lying, murdering, abusive, criminal—”

“Why, Robin!”

Tim would not let the shout… that name... have its usual call to attention.  

“I’m not your Robin,” Tim reminded him. “Dick made sure of that. Now you’ve got your true son.”

Bruce stared hard at him, waiting patiently.

“You want to know why?” asked Tim. “How many criminals do we put away every night on patrol? I’m sure it’s a lot more than the Gotham City police do. But how many get out and do the same thing again? That man… that disgusting man… we put him away for drug rings, then arms smuggling, then human trafficking, and now an underground sex trade with children . It makes me sick, Bruce. We put him away time and time again, but it always gets worse. And when I found him again tonight I just couldn’t do it anymore. Maybe Jason is right… maybe the only way to stop some of them is to stop them for good.”

“I have one rule, Tim. We don’t kill. You know this.” said Bruce.

Tim gave a sardonic laugh. “You have a lot more rules than that, Bruce. You just never say any of them out loud. You expect so much out of all of us that sometimes I think you forget that we’re human. We all make mistakes.”

“Perhaps I do,” Bruce nodded. “Tell me this was a mistake, then, that it’ll never happen again. Tell me that and I’ll think about letting you keep patrolling.”

Oh, how that got under Tim’s skin. That self imposed authority that Bruce thought he had over everyone. The fact that he thought he had any say if Tim patrolled the streets of Gotham. When, in fact, it had only been thanks to Tim that he was back from the “dead” to begin with.

“I don’t, not in the slightest. You can cut off my resources, but you can’t take away my uniform and stop me from patrolling. I’m not your Robin anymore, Bruce. I make my own decisions now.”

Bruce’s grimace intensified. Only the slightest of indications to his true feelings. “If you patrol outside of this family then you’ll be treated as a threat, a criminal. Like Jason.”

Like Jason. Tim almost wanted to laugh. Jason… the man who would forever be used as the example of what not to do, what not to become. When in fact he just showed a person who didn’t follow Batman’s ethics to the letter. A man with a conscience of his own. It sounded like something that Tim might like for his future.

“I know that. If Jason can do it then so can I.” Tim shrugged. “Maybe I’ll even join him. He was looking for a partner once.”

Tim knew it was too touchy a subject for Bruce. That he should have spoken with more caution, but what did it matter when Bruce was cutting him out of his life anyway.

“You have an hour to pack your bags and leave. I don’t want to see you in this household without an invitation again. Consider yourself cut off from here on out.”

Tim nodded, eyes flickering towards the computer console briefly before making his way up the stairs. He was packed and driving towards Jason’s apartment a half hour later. Don’t look back , he chanted to himself as the manor faded into the distance in the rearview.

The phone rang twice before it was answered. And there was an even longer pause before the person on the other end of the line spoke.

“Detective. This is a surprise. What do I owe the honor?” Ra’s al Ghul’s accented voice was as smooth as ever.

“This is a courtesy call, Ra’s. Red Robin is no longer associated with me or the rest of my family.”

“Yes… I had heard something about that, but I was never one to believe rumors. I’m sad to hear that it’s true.”

“I highly doubt that. You were never one to waste an opportunity. You wanted Tim as an apprentice before and I’m letting you know that now is your chance. I won’t interfere this time.”

Ra’s laugh filtered through from the other end of the call. “Are you selling out your partner, Detective? How very unrighteous of you. What’s the catch?”

“Nothing. Tim has talents that need to be tested. I don’t want to see them wasted as someone’s sidekick. He’s staying at Jason’s place tonight and is thinking of taking up partnership with him. If I were you, I’d remove him from there before that happens and show him a better option.”

“And none of your other birds will try to stop me?” Ra’s purred.

“Your grandson could care less and Dick is far too loyal to disobey a direct order from me. No one else will know until it’s too late to make much difference. Jason will be your biggest problem since he has a personal interest in the matter. Best to take him as well if you want to avoid him attempting a rescue mission.”

“I have to say I’m highly suspicious here. This offer seems too good to be true. Well…  I could do without the Red Hood, but I suppose since Talia favors him he will be of some use pacifying her. Still… why should I trust you?”

“Like I said… Tim is too skilled to be someone’s sidekick. And Jason and Tim together would be a bad combination. I can’t afford to have them sowing discord between the rest of the family. Better that they are aligned with a more prominent foe so that the lines don’t seem as blurred in a fight.”

“I see. Well then, Batman. It has been very pleasurable doing business with you.”

Bruce hung up the phone without saying anything. He stared at the hidden audio transmitter on the computer console that Ra’s had somehow snuck into the cave forever ago when he wanted to keep an eye on each member of their family. Ra’s would no doubt be sending his league of assassins to Jason’s place tonight to kidnap the pair. Once Tim and Jason were at Ra’s compound the rest of the plan would be up to them. Bruce only prayed for their safe return.

[onehaleofanadventure]

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandoms: Red Hood and the Outlaws, Red Robin - Fandom, DC Comics Relationship: Tim Drake/Jason Todd

Summary: 

Bruce and Jason fight, and sometimes it's worse than others.

Number 2 of 3 for @sociallyawkwardfoxwriter (it is not your birthday, even if this is kind of a gift)

.In hindsight, they should have all seen it coming. Bruce, Dick and Alfred could not count, on all their combined limbs, the number of times they found Jason stockpiling food and clothes, or packing emergency bags. And on one particularly memorable occasions, Dick had stumbled—literally—into the teen in the dark, only to flip on the lights and see silent tears, a packed bag slung over his shoulder, and a clear path to the open window. And on one particularly memorable occasions, Dick had stumbled—literally—into the teen in the dark, only to flip on the lights and see silent tears, a packed bag slung over his shoulder, and a clear path to the open window. That was the first big fight Batman and the second Robin had ever had.

So really, after all the yelling Bruce had done, he and Alfred should not have been surprised to wake up and find the flighty teen missing without a trace. Honestly, who thought it was a good idea to teach the already stealthy—from years of living and hiding on the streets—kid how to hide from the best of the best.

-----------

Tim Drake was not a stalker. He liked to take pictures. He liked Batman and Robin, mostly Robin. Just because he had to follow Batman and Robin to take pictures of them did not mean he was a stalker.

That being said, it was probably was a little creepy that he followed them home, although he lives next door, so he had to go that direction anyway. Also, Ms. Mac said the shrine of Robin pictures and merchandise he had in they hall closet next to his darkroom was creepy.

But who could blame him. Robin was amazing, and Jason was only a year older than him. Ever since Jason became Robin and started attending Gotham Academy Tim has been working up the courage to talk to him, to be friends with him.

----------

Tim wasn’t sure if he should go out tonight. Last night had not ended well. Everything had been going as usual: Batman and Robin were interrogating some crook.

Tim glanced down to clean his camera lens and when he looked up Robin was halfway over the balcony railing desperately reaching for something—a man, the man that had just been running from Batman—just out of his reach. Right as he was pulling himself back into standing upright, Batman leapt down onto the balcony. From there, yelling had started and then Jason was being dragged next to Batman into the alley and the parked Batmobile.

Normally, when Bruce and Jason fight, Robin won’t be on patrol for a few days and then everything would go back to normal until the next fight.

However, Jason was not in class today—Tim does not stalk, everyone just gossips about the street rat or charity case that Mr. Wayne adopted this time—and Jason always comescomescomescome to school

unless he’s seriously injured. Jason loves school and learning, Tim thinks, as evidence by him catching up to his peers so quickly despite not having gone to school for years.

Tim also hears the ruckus that evening, Bruce’s thunderous rumble echoing through the expanse of trees and flowers that separate Wayne manor and Tim’s spot in the Drake gardens. From his spot—close to where their paths converge and meet the road leading into town—Tim also hears the screech of tires spinning too fast and wild across gravel, which signals the Batmobile leaving in a rush.

Tim doesn’t really know why, but he grabs his camera and heads off into the night. Avoiding an angry Bruce was never fun, especially without the promise of Jason—Robin.

------------

Tim started toward to end of Batman and Robin’s usual patrol to make up for Batman driving so fast.

Tim also hears the ruckus that evening, Bruce’s thunderous rumble echoing through the expanse of trees and flowers that separate Wayne manor and Tim’s spot in the Drake gardens. From his spot—close to where their driveways converge and meet the road leading into town—Tim also hears the screech of tires spinning too fast and wild across gravel, which signals the Batmobile leaving in a rush.

So maybe that is why he decides to go out. Batman in a rush means something important, so he probably needs Robin with him.

------------

He starts his search about halfway through what he thinks is their usual patrol route. He’s kind of in Crime Alley, but just the edge, so it should be okay, though he is wishing he’d brought the cheaper camera. And maybe some mace or something.

------------

He’s been out for hours, it’s chilly and damp and he’s miserable. As another set of sirens go wailing down a few streets away, Tim readies himself to leave, disappointed but not exactly surprised to have missed the Bat and his Bird.

Out of the corner of his eye he catches—a vaguely human shaped—blob bounce gracefully over the roof next to his. By the time he grabs his camera and looks up, the shape is gone and he is alone once again.

That is, until a throat is pointedly cleared behind him.

“Kid, it ain’t safe to be out here all ‘lone.”

The drawl sounds more street than Jason usually does, but it is undeniably his favorite bird. Tim turns, mind filtering through responses for one that is suitably cool but not disrespectful. He stops short, face-to-face with Jason Todd, no mask or cape or spandex tights is sight.

“Kid—“

“T-Tim. My name is Tim.” If this is the only way he is brave enough to talk to Jason, he’ll take it.

“Well, Timmy, you not be our here alone with something that expensive. That camera your clutchings gotta be a thousand easy.”

Tim grins sheepishly, “More like two, not counting the lens or the spare in the bag.”

“What the—“

“But it’s okay. I know self-defense. And besides I’m not alone, youre—“ mid sentence, Tim notices to overstuffed duffle slung over Jason’s shoulder “—here?” he finishes, though it wasn’t meant to be a question.

“You don’t even know me, kid.”

“Stop calling me that, you can’t be that much older than me. Plus, I introduced myself, so should you.”

Jason huffs, “Tim, it ain’t safe. It is tell ya my name, promise to go home before you get hurt?” Tim nods, smiling a little at the exaggerated eye roll he gets in return. “It’s Jason. No where are we walking?”

“We? And, ummm, Jason Wayne?” Tim splutters, he knows who Jason is, but he’s still thrown on the we part.

“It’s Todd, I didn’t take Bruce’s name. And yes, we. You’re tiny. Easy prey—“

“Hey!” Tim knows he’s small for his age, but he’s isn’t that small and he really does know self-defense, specially for his hobby.

Jason snorts. But Tim continues “I’m not going home yet. Don’t give me that look, I said I would and I will. Just not yet. What’s with the bag?”

“Smooth transition. And you’re awfully curious, ain’t cha? So what are ya doing out here with a fancy camera?” Jason cocks a brow and it makes Tim nervous, and he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind—

“Stargazing!” He regrets the word as soon as it leaves his mouth, blushing a deep red.

Jason laughs as expected, “There’s ain’t no stars here, ki-Tim.”

“There are, if you can look past the smog and clouds.” Tim takes a seat on dirty concrete. “Like this one—“

He turns to Jason, who just stares at him for a moment before sitting down next to him.

“—that really bright spot, it’s the primary star for the Zodiac Leo constellation. It’s peaking tonight, that’s why it’s so bright.”

“Leo, that’s the August one, right? That’s mine.” He sounds a little distant as he states at where Tim is pointing.

Tim smiles softly, trying to not obviously stare. “The little cluster next to it, they’re really dim tonight, but that’s the my Zodiac sign, Cancer.”

-----------

They spend a long time sitting on that roof. Going back and forth between talking about the stars, and Gotham, and whatever meaningless topic comes to them.

The sun is just starting to peak over the horizon when Jason manages to convince Tim to go home. The trip back is a lot faster.

“So Drake. Tim Drake. As in the neighbors.”

Tim blushes, “I thought it’d be weirder if I said that.”

Jason snorts. “Whatever, kid.” He turns, but Tim isn’t really ready to give up this weird friendship they’ve developed tonight. “I didn’t know the Drakes were back from wherever.”

“They aren’t. I didn’t want to go. Hey! You never told me, what’s with the bag.”

“Oh, I uhh, I’m going to Ethiopia. I found out my biological mom is alive, and there.” Jason shifts, a guilty tell, but Tim doesn’t notice.

“That’s really awesome. I hope you have a lot of fun.” Tim’s phone buzzes, his alarm for school going off. “I have to go. School, you know. Anyway. I guess I’ll see you when you get back?”

Tim bites his lip, a little nervous about Jason’s reaction. “Sure, kid. Someone’s got to stop you from being picked on at school.” Tim splutters as he walks inside, smiling fondly as Jason’s laugh echoes across the empty lawns.