#androgynous tim drake beloved

[felidacy]

Batfam meets dead boy detectives agency

Shenanigans of ghosts Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian set in an alternative universe where they never met as brothers, having died long before that, but become family all the same. While following around young, poor psychic Bruce Wayne and tormenting him into staying alive through finding purpose in solving cases and bringing justice.

Bruce Wayne nearly dies alongside his parents on that fateful day when they are shot when the Dead Boy Detectives were close by, solving the case of a victim from the Joker. Impulsively, because he saw himself in Bruce, Jason possessed the body of a young police detective by the name James Gordon and followed the instructions of Tim to save the boys life before the ambulance arrived. They were now at risk of being discovered for breaking a rule by the Lost & Found Departement, but none of the boys could find themselves to regret the decision to help Bruce.

Against their better judgement they stick around, using the excuse of solving cases to keep an eye on the boy. They see how he is consumed by grief and got into more and more reckless situations as if he was daring death to take him. Bruce was unable to live with the fact that he was spared and his parents weren't. Dick saved Bruce from falling to his death by appearing in front of the boy and screaming, neither prepared to the fact that Bruce can see ghosts. They think at first it has something to do with his near death experience, but Bruce then reveals that he is a psychic and because of that always seen as an outsider and bullied regardless of his wealthy status.

It was then decided by the Dead Boy Detectives that in order to remind Bruce that he still has purpose in living, they will show him how he can thrive through justice and that his gift isn't a curse. Some more reluctant than others bring him into the agency and together they go through many shenanigans and cases, all the while Bruce grows in age and talent alike under their tutelage. And before they know it they are a very unlikely and supernatural family.

And family always likes to help Bruce even when he becomes Batman and gets the title of greatest detective, takes in his own children and becomes a mentor. They love him forever, but that does not stop them from absolutely tormenting him as big brothers should.

In a bittersweet way it gets way less awkward to explain the strangeness of Bruce Wayne when his own wards go through near death experiences and finally meet their uncles.

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What I think the boys would have died of and their circumstances as ghosts. While tempting to just give backstories from Edwin and Charles to two of them, I thought it would be more appropriate to give them their own version.

Dick was killed in 1936 at a concentration camp after having been separated from his family because of his Romani ancestry that made people (Nazis) believe him to be dirty. He died nameless, one of many, and with no grave for his body as he was left to carelessly rot away. His family lived, but they never knew what happened to him and were unable to follow through with their funeral rites to guide him to the afterlife. He found himself unable to move on however as he wished to bring justice to all those that were killed and merely labeled casualties in war like he had been.

It was Dick that started the Dead Boys Detectives Agency, hence the awful name as everyone proclaims with his terrible naming skills.

Damian was the youngest when killed and not too far back in time too, the 1970s. He had grown up under the restricting rules of his family back in Arabia Peninsula when he discovered plans of his grandfather that wanted to rip Damian of his own future plans. Still a young boy, he wanted none of that and after packing his things and stealing some money he ran away to the land of America where the TV always told him it was the land of the dreams. Anyone could become wealthy there. Damian wanted to show his grandfather that he knew better and would bring honour to their family, in his way. But Damian soon found himself without money, stranded and in a country where he barely understood the language. Then one day he was too desperate and despite his instincts telling him not to, he followed a man and trusted him. Later on he was killed by John Wayne Gacy. Damian only wished to stay around until the man was discovered and his family took his body back, but instead his family rejected him despite recognising the body.

Damian was a rage full and miserable ghost for a long time after his death and being discarded by his family as he couldn't understand why he was seen as dishonorable when he had been the victim, his family never once blaming the killer. As he wandered aimlessly and wished to bring misfortune on everyone, it was Jason that found him then when a witch wanted to use him for power and slowly got his trust after being rescued as the older boy taught him tricks to stay safe. Damian kind of just stuck around after that.

Tim despite not looking the part, is the oldest of the four, having been accused of witchcraft back in 1692 for simply wishing to heal people and yearning for more knowledge. His methods were unfit in their eyes and he was also seen as witch for looking too naturally feminine, blaming him to be putting up a false front and using bodyshifting to allure men. He was burned at the stake in Salem without ever having been listened to for once in his short life. This settled his resolve and he refused to move on, too stubborn to listen to death and instead find his own path.

In a strange way, Tim did not miss living as he soon realised. He had endless time now to learn whatever he desired. If it be science, languages, politics, autonomy or actually witchcraft now. Hah. He had so much to learn and he was delighted to just learn the laws and tricks in the world of the supernatural. This made him the expert in the Dead Boys Detectives Agency and he was called 'Old man' by the others for his behaviour and wisdom.

Jason just like all his brothers had been wronged. His death in 1950 was not out of the ordinary itself, a cop that shot him for the colour of his skin when he had done nothing wrong. It was an injustice and an action of racism, but in the grant scheme of things that just made him one of many and his family was able to mourn him for one thing. Unlike his brothers conflicted history. What truly wronged Jason however was when a careless necromancer came around and played with his body, just after he thought he was finally at peace and could move on. Instead he was yanked back into a body that was his but also not and he had no control over himself, left spiraling, as the body attacked others and gnawed at their skin. It sickened him and this time around he was glad when he was shot again. Murdered twice by the same man, one injustice one a saving grace. Jason from then on decided to never let others carelessly harm the innocent again.

Jason held some anger issues that he always attempted to hide away from others. Having grown up under heavy scrutiny of his father and the eyes of society that saw him as a dirty rat he had a lot of it bottled up inside. This makes him the most vicious ghost.