#but just stealing shit because 'you're the rogue' feels... idk.

[frenchy-and-the-sea]

There is a very exquisite agony in playing a game you love so so so so so much, and realizing that one of the other players is trying to play a totally different game than you.

[ghoulysaphomet]

Zombie AU

tim is a death obsessed audhd child and collects books, trinkets, bones, you know it he wants it. his parents are still strict even though they're rarely there, so he has to pretend to be 'normal' as he goes about his daily life. The death stuff he collects he keeps secret, or he alludes it to archaeology so they don't ask questions.

sure, tim did see death as a small kid. he saw the death of the flying graysons but he doesn't even remember it. he doesn't think that's why he's so.. weird.

his normal act is amazing. however..

one day he's paired up with jason in class. maybe it's because tim doesn't know how to lie to the other boy

(tim is 12 here, jason just turned 13) because jason clocks him as weird right away. he doesnt believe his mannerisms or BS and tim's robin obsession just got way, way worse. because jason is just special like that.

he starts to follow robin and batman on patrol more than before, and starts setting up more cams, hacks into more stuff and tries to find other ways to help jason.

then one day tim almost falls off a roof and robin saves him, even though he's not supposed to act on his own. jason will ocassionally sneak out to do just that, though.

and jason just.. has this look on his face. and tims like red in his because ohmygosh thats robin robin saved him oh no be cool be cool

and jason, the smart dude he is, is like "so. you're the one who's been dumpin' all those pictures and what not by the batmobile. what're you doing out here by yourself, kiddo?"

and tims tongue tied bcs what is he supposed to say????? he just wants to help jason.

and then jason, not robin, starts to approach him more at school and tims so confused bcs they worked on their project. is this a trick? a dream? has jason figured out he knows??

jason does figure it out, but only because he's a bit of an idiot himself. or, well....

tim still follows them. he gets involved with an incident though and jason, on instinct, yells "tim!" and tim forgets to question him about it. he's not surprised at all or anything and jason is like

"... you know who i am, don't you? thats why you're not surprised or reactin' to me knowin' who you are" and tims like "uhm"

it ends up with jason sorta just going to drake manor whenever he and bruce fight or whenever dick and bruce fight. at 14 he starts to sneak out a lot more because robin gets benched a lot more and he wants more independence, and tim helps him, covers up for him, sets up more cameras for him and is in his ears on comms. its a dream come true.

jason has seen how weird he is. he's seen his death collection. he's heard all of tims rants and *he doesnt care*!! theyre still friends and tims over the moon.

then jason is 15 and tim's also out (bcs he's started sneaking out and stalking jay again, duh) or maybe they're out as civilians idk, but basically..

there's a villain, a rogue, who knows, not me yet, and tim moves to help and he does help! he helps get other civilians away but it leaves him wide open.

whoever is trying to shis-kebab tim is on a warpath but.. jason pushes him out of the way.

and ends up shiskebabed instead.

jay yells for tim to pick up the taser he'd dropped and tase the dude who is currently gutting jason and tim does, the dude drops, blacks out.

but all tim sees is jasons blood, blood, blood and gore and he's like fuck shit jason no!

so with bloody hands he steals jasons coms and turns them on to the batcave frequency and forces bruce to send the batmobile there. bruce is hesitating and tim yells at him that jason's fucking intestines are visible so he better send that stupid car right this instant

and jason's laughing but also grasping at tim bcs he's blacking out and knows it should be painful but he's feeling more numb than anything so he needs to be quick and tim shuts off the comms because this is between him and jay and jays like

"you're my best friend tim. thanks for that" and tims like no- jay no its gonna be fine you're going to be fine

tims trying to keep pressure on jasons wounds but he's been literally gutted like a fish and there's just so much blood and gore and tim's so out of his depth here

jason tells him to look out for them, and to take care of himself (tim) before his body goes limp.

batman doesnt make it in time, but neither did tim.

and tim screams, crying and angry and trying to somehow wake jason because it's jason its his robin is best friend his everything-

when bruce gets there on his knees and just, hand reaching out to take jason who tims holding, tim bites his hand and snarls at him. he bundles both of them into the car with shaking hands and a false calm.

an argument ensues because whu the fuck is the drakes kid with robin? why did he know who to call? what happened and oh god jason is dead.

bruce blames tim, but also himself for not realising that jason's been sneaking off for months (years, really) and he yells at tim. it ends with alfred asking bruce to stop hounding at a child, especially someone who was obviously jasons friend. bruce kicks him out of the manor. he doesnt invite him to the funeral but tim shows up anyway.

he doesnt see dick and asks bruce at the funeral where he is and bruce tells him dicks off world.

he realises bruce didn't tell him.

so he decides to hack into the watchtower, it takes him a while but he does it, so he can set up a connection to nightwing.

"hi. you dont know who i am. it doesnt matter, but.. fuck i shouldnt be the one to tell you this. b should be the one but he's too busy wallowing in self pity to be an actual fucking father! im. sorry that's off topic. im just. "

"kid how old are you? what's going on, how'd you even-"

"you deserve to know and since br-batman is such a loser he can't even pick up the phone, guess it falls to me because i promised. i promised to watch out for you. i... nightwing, sir. im. there's been..."

"...is b alright? is alfred?"

"no. no, nothings alright. there's a.. a family emergency. which is why i shouldn't be the one telling you this. it's about.. (voice breaks) it's about j-jay"

"...."

"jay's dead. he's been dead for weeks. i asked about you at the funeral i wasn't invited to, turns out neither were you. im sorry for being nosy but i promised jay. and i know he'd want you there. you deserve to know, even if its not my business."

"call ended"

but yeah tim decides then, to take matters into his own hands. bruce is being a bitch. dick is depressed and understandbly angry. alfred is.. too old.

so tim is going to find a way bring jay back. he steals his corpse and stashes him in his room with ice all around him, constantly caring for him as he goes through book after book on necromancy and black magic. he sews him up, replaces organs that'd been damaged, finds magic to make his body stronger.

he brews his own zombie potients, desperate and hoping for at least one of them working. it takes years. at some point he makes a potion that's a mix of lazarus waters and magic. it takes him a while but he finds the right potion. meanwhile, he's been replacing jasons organs (and specifically removing his uterus, as a treat) with fresher organs or more handy ones, like cat eyes or fangs. he's a teen let him have his fun.

he always draws his runes carefully with easy to wash off ink - for this blend he needs stronger stuff though so he'll etch it into jasons skin, too. he replaces different parts of jason to make life easier once he wakes up from the dead.

then one night his parents come home. jack goes to some convention and janet... walks in and sees a guy in her sons bed.

she's furious, because tim shouldn't be gay. and they get into an argument - when tim makes comments on how they're basically neglecting and abusive she pushes him and he hits his head - the smell of blood wakes jason up, the potion had worked, and he catatonically attacks janet, starting to eat her like a.. well, zombie.

tim is frozen and watches on and then when janet is like half eaten and very dead, jason blinks his now green eyes and is very, very confused but he recognises tim. tim, on instinct, dives to hug the now awake jason who opens his arms on habit. tim just hugs jason, uncaring of the blood and cries into his arms because its jason it worked!!! hes so happy.

tim is bigger now, but still small. jason's body is supposed to be 17. tim is 15 almost 16. jason still looks 15. tim says that'll be fixed easily. tim doesn't react to how jason has no heartbeat or need to breathe.

jason is somehow surprised and unsurprised that tim managed to bring him back to life using necromancy - well, some sort of life. he doesn't have a pulse but his body still craves sustenance of raw flesh.

tim now has to hide jason, his moms death (aka disappearance), make sure jason has enough to eat and a cool enough room to occupy. tim has been using his room as jasons room since the day he brought him home, occasionally sleeping with him in the bed whenever he craved comfort, while still being robin and keeping all of this from the bats.