#could be interpreted as timsteph

[chocor0se]

excerpt from my reverse robins tim-centric au where tim dies and stephanie tries to kill the joker (it doesn’t work out)

—

Bruce couldn’t help it as he fell on his hands and knees, pain surging through his body. He needed to get to the Joker before he could recover, Tim would want him to focus on the mission.

He could barely move though, the paralyzation drug was still exiting his body. Bruce tried moving his hand so he could reach for his com and ask for backup(begrudgingly), when Spoiler came down from the previously broken skylight of the abandoned warehouse.

“Spoiler,” He said, voice raggedy, “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here.” Steph didn’t answer, her eyes focused on the Joker’s body as he slowly raised himself up. Shit, Bruce had to get to the Joker fast.

Bruce willed himself to his feet as Steph stared down at the Joker’s smiling face, and that’s when he saw what was in her hand. A gun.

“Spoiler, what are you doing?” He was ignored, again.

Steph slowly lifted the gun, preparing to shoot. The Joker grinned,

“Well well well, looks like one of your little bats has a screw loose, just like me!” The Joker could barely move, he was still on his knees and yet he smiled like he was the one in control here. “Well, do it Spoiler. Shoot me.”

Stephanie’s gaze turned violent, “You..you killed him. You killed my best friend,”

The Joker laughed at her rage, “I honestly expected better than the fight he put off, I guess the little bat was never really good at flying was he?”

“Shut up, shut up!” Spoiler yelled at him, “You killed him, so I’m returning the favor!” She released the safety.

“Spoiler!”

Bruce watched helplessly, his body still-though he didn’t know if it was from the drug or the shock-as he saw Steph aim, and fire.

BANG

The shot echoed throughout the building like a crash of thunder. The Joker staggered as he touched the bullet wound, straight through his right thigh. Even from a distance Bruce saw Steph’s shaking hands.

“Ha! Hahahahahah! I guess even you don’t have the guts to do it, kid,” The Joker giggled, “But seriously, what a show! The way you were so determined to kill me, and you don’t even-“

Black Bat appeared behind him suddenly, knocking the Joker out and handcuffing him. Bruce let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Cass walked up to Bruce, putting his arm over her shoulders to help him walk. He looked over to Spoiler, but she was gone.

The two bats looked at each other, then the Joker. The GCPD would take care of him, they had a bat to catch.

It took about an hour and a half, but they found her on a rooftop a few streets away. Barely anyone lived in the area, and even less worked there at night.

Steph was sitting on the ledge, her legs dangling over the roof. Her mask and hood were off, revealing the fragile girl underneath.

“Let me guess,” She said, as they had made their presence on the roof clear, “A lecture on why I have to keep the mask on at all times to protect my identity plus one about why we don’t kill?”

Bruce didn’t respond, he didn’t really know how to.

Cass did.

She walked up and sat on the ledge as well, pulling Steph in for a hug.

“Hugs make everyone feel better.”

“Not me.”

“…”

“..Maybe a little.”

Bruce walked closer to his two girls, placing a hand on Steph’s shoulder.

“I,” Steph started, “I wanted to kill him so bad. I was so ready to shoot him in the head, let him burn in hell. But Tim’s stupid voice kept ringing in my head,” She wiped her eyes with a broken smile on her face, “Bats don’t kill. Killing isn’t the right way to do things. He always followed the rules that he thought were right.”

Steph stood up, shrugging Cass away. She was trying not to cry, but tears kept spilling out of her eyes, “Why couldn’t I do it? He killed my best friend, I should’ve done it. I-I-“

Listen Bruce, I’m saying this because I’m dead now, so you won’t have me to help you with this. Please don’t close yourself off. People need you. Your…our family needs you. Don’t be the cold, emotionless Batman or the violent, angry one.

Be the one who took in Duke Thomas after his parents were jokerized, the one who took in Damian, and Steph and Cass and however more kids you’re gonna gain in the future. Please, Dad. I love you, meeting everyone was the best thing that ever happened to me. Goodbye.

Bruce took off his cowl, interrupting Steph’s sentence. And finally, he let himself cry with her. He saw Steph’s shock as the tears started dripping down his face. Tim’s death had broke him, but he would put himself back together for the ones that had broke alongside him.

He could see Steph’s walls break down, and she started bawling. Her face red as she screamed and cried and all Bruce could do was pull her in for a hug, and that was enough for now.

Cass joined them seconds later, her crying less violent but still noticeable. The three broken bats stayed like that for a while, just themselves and their tears accompanying them.

Later Steph would tell Bruce that she couldn’t be Spoiler anymore.

“I made Spoiler with him,” she would say, “And without him I don’t know if I could do it again. Don’t get me wrong though, I’ll still be a vigilante. Tim wouldn’t want me to quit because of him.”

“Then who will you be?” Bruce would ask her.

“…My favorite color’s purple, that’s why my costume’s purple. His favorite color was red.” She’d take a deep breath before continuing, “I’m going to become the Red Hood.”

Bruce would stay quiet a few seconds before replying, “Alright then. I will support you in whatever you need.”

And that’s how the Red Hood was born.

…

Far, far away, Timothy Drake-Wayne would kill his first person, and he would never be the same again.

[cassandracain52]

The Batfamily on a roadtrip:

Bruce: The Driver. You really thought his control freak ass was gonna let someone else drive? Be so fr. Has a migraine the size of the WatchTower and has been seriously contemplating pulling over, getting out of the car, and just walking. Not anywhere particular, just walking away. Has already had to pull over twice to swap seating arrangements around and they've only driven 3 1/2 hours out of 11. (They will do this at least 3 more times before they reach their destination)

Barbara: Shotgun. Declared that as second oldest and second most experienced vigilante that the front seat was her birth given right. No one contested it(successfully anyway). Has been helpfully navigating the fastest route much to Bruce "I know where I'm going" Wayne's annoyance. (Her way was in fact more efficient and she is incredibly smug about it.)

Jason: Behind the Passenger seat. Wanted the front seat but wasn't willing to physically fight Babs for it which was what she assured him it would have taken to get her to move. Brought a backpack full of nothing but snacks that he is only sharing with people that aren't actively annoying him aka Cass. Keeps playing words with friends with Roy on his phone and is Kicking Ass

Cassandra: Middle Left. Volunteered for the middle seat because she wanted to sit next to Jason aka the Snack Source while still being close enough to comfortably talk to Babs and Steph. Is one of the few enjoying the drive and just in general living her best life. Somehow painted both her own and Steph’s nails perfectly while the car was in motion. No one is sure how she did this and they were watching

Stephanie: Middle Right. Was originally sitting Middle Back next to Tim but caused the first seat swap when she got bored and decided Tim made suitable entertainment(imagine like in Detective comics #1000). Bruce declared the car a "No Flirting Zone" shortly after. Pouted for all of thirty seconds before she realized she got to sit next to Cass and abandoned Tim without a second thought. Is also the person pointing to the window and going “cows!” Whenever they pass some

Dick: Behind the Driver's seat. Chose his seat while everyone else was fighting for shotgun because he wanted to be able to see Babs during the drive so they could talk without shouting.(he knew good and well she was winning that fight). Has had a few arguments with Jason but they didn't last or get out of hand with Cass between them. Did manage to steal a bag of chips from Jason’s snackpack while he was on his phone. The roadtrip was his idea and he refuses to admit it was not well thought out.

Tim: Back Left. Was thoroughly betrayed when Steph abandoned him to be left with the two youngest bats and said so at length. Only quieted when Jason threw a pack of gummy worms at his head with a demand for silence. Brought an abundance of handheld electronics despite knowing he gets car sick. He threw up on the side of the road 90 minutes into the trip and Dick confiscated anything that had a screen until they reached their destination. He is his own worst enemy. Has since resorted to playing the license plate game with Duke

Duke: Back Middle. Was originally in between Cass and Dick but had to move to sit Back Left next to Damian when Steph took his spot. He stayed there for exactly 45 minutes before Damian caused the second seat swap when he attempted to strangle Tim with his headphones because he was "breathing obnoxiously". Is now a human barrier and he hates it. Jason offered him a small amount of sympathy by offering him some Sour Patch Kids. Duke accepted them. Bruce was more sympathetic and gave him DJ control. Is mostly just talking with Tim who is bored since his electronics were taken.

Damian: Back Right. Attempted to attack Stephanie with a pillow because he “couldn’t listen to her and Drake anymore and she was closer” before the first seat swap occurred. Did not regret his actions in the slightest. Warned his father that nothing good would come from him sitting directly beside Tim, was ignored, and then moved when "nothing good" did indeed come. Despite these to things, he actually spent the majority of the drive with his headphones on full volume and messing around on his phone while he pretended to be anywhere other than there.

Alfred: In The Car Following Behind Them. Yeah there was no way he was getting in that car. He knows a recipe for disaster when he sees one. Didn't hesitate to "offer" that he would happily transport all the luggage and supplies and meet them there. Was already loaded up and ready to go in a separate car before anyone could question him. Somehow got there first and had made dinner for them when they all finally showed up with half the car at war with the other half. Peace was made only in the name of Alfred’s cooking

[brucewaynehater101]

I really like the Batfam time travel fanfic, and the future itself is not a straight line; like in the comics where we saw Batman!Tim as evil. So despite all the futures that the Batfamily has seen, they will never expect to have a good future where their family, despite adversity, is still united. The time traveler on this occasion would be Terry McGinnis who was on a mission that was more than it seemed and managed to take refuge with the Batfamily of the present. Let's say that misunderstandings happen, more because Terry can't reveal things from the future so maybe he says things halfway (he could have let them slip) that can be interpreted as the family being fragmented, that Damian became the demon head or that even Tim has gone crazy and has become the Joker (The incident of the return of the Joker happens as in the canon, the truth is Tim could have DID as you mentioned in some question; I have read that it is a treatable mental illness without a cure and they can live a normal life depending on the patient, why throwing him into Arkham without further ado would feel like they simply abandoned him)

So the bad guys on duty are creating their plan (Maybe a way to eradicate the bat clan from the roots? but now I would have to go where Terry is) And suddenly the batfamily of the future appears to the rescue, but they are not alone, members that they have never seen also appear (will new vigilantes appear over time? The children of the batkids/grandchildren/great-grandchildren of bruce/alfred from the future? who knows…) and then they get defeated and taken back to their time… the older generation stays behind for a while to see the new batman; the present batfam expects to see conflict and discord between them, especially from Tim and Damian (Tim for the aforementioned and Damian apparently wears the demon head clothes… actually let's just say Tim and Damian had a very… explosive brotherly bond… and he got to keep things) but in the end all is well they were just worried about their second youngest brother (Matt McGinnis was with them as Robin). You see these elderly Batkids are quite united with their own more than ever and their bonds are strong, their bodies filled with scars that they have never had or would have (Also to note that in the BB comics Dick lost his left eye) they looked like veteran soldiers… no… they looked like they were great warriors who have overcome all adversity. Maybe even some old relationships have become stronger… Timsteph

And they are grateful that one of their own was taken care of and they go back home…

Hi 👋 I was so excited when I saw Terry as the one doing the time traveling. Idk enough about him, but I still adore him. He's hilarious and witty and just the right touch of sardonic from what I've seen of his interactions with Joker!Tim.

Anyways, you are absolutely correct that Tim should feel abandoned if his family just sticks him in Arkham after the JJ incident. Whether or not Tim does have DID or a related disorder (and friendly reminder that these disorders often get incorrect/inadequate/harmful characterizations so I refrain from detailing anyone as such. Also, no diagnosis can make someone "good" or "bad" [particularly indicating APSD, NPD, or other villainized conditions]), his struggles could represent someone with DID or related disorders. I say he may not have it due to the chip or whatever injecting him with Joker's personality. Since it's not natural, I'm not sure it qualifies even if it functionally affects him like such.

Regardless, him being shucked off to Arkham would feel like being abandoned. Although every single situation is different, I imagine Tim would have the energy and mental capacity to work with his affliction to lead a relatively independent life (and this is no shade to anyone who doesn't have this capacity and may require long-term hospitalization).

I got side tracked. Let's continue! I would love AUs where Damian becomes the Demon Head but still maintains a friendly relationship with his family (particularly if he reforms the LoA to focus more on their OG goals over world domination/murder).

For the scenario you're describing, let me make sure I'm understanding correctly:

Terry goes back into the past to strengthen family bonds w/o telling them

During a major battle, more future batfam travel to the past

Due to Terry's interfering, this batfam is closer than Terry's was

There are also a lot more of them due to batkids starting their own families

Damian and Tim in particular are vastly different and concerned about each other

The different Bats chat with each other for comparison's sake

Terry goes home with these Bats

I'm curious if Terry's memories get rewritten or get additional memories to account for how much has changed when he goes back

[incoherentbabblings]

Hi!! Sorry if this comes off as super random or nonsensical, but I love your TimSteph meta ;_; I'm a huge fan of TimSteph's exes-to-lovers dynamic, and I was wondering for the sake of characterization: Do you think it works better as a "lost feelings & rekindled them" trope, or a "had lingering feelings all along" trope?

Thank you! And ohhhh! Good question! I can certainly see the merit in both. They are certainly not the same people at 19 that they were at 14, that's for sure.

Personally, I have always gone for the latter, in that the feelings never went away.

The reason I say that is for Tim outright stating at the end of his Robin run that he still loves her despite them well and truly being on the outs by that point,

Robin (1993) #182

The fact that in Red Robin he's at the very least still leering at her,

Red Robin #15

Or his frustration and disappointment in not being able to trust her and therefore implying that he very much wishes he could lean on her once more,

Red Robin #2

And then Steph is maybe a bit more vague - she says she doesn't know how she is supposed to feel about him - but her remembering their time together through a literal rose coloured filter plus the inference that he makes her weak in some way to me says there are still feelings that never quite go away.

Batgirl #8

That is my interpretation! At least. The good old 'not now' line Steph has in particular. Not right now. Someday. But not now.

Batgirl #8

Also the phrasing in the Gotham Gazette extra of saying Stephanie "is woven into the fabric of the city. Its passion and pain. Its... desires... and though she tried, she can't tear herself away from it. From him. Robin." and mentioning that she feels left behind by him, ergo tying Tim into Gotham which is definitely a metaphopr that crops up for these two that I totally haven't pulled out my ass in the past etc...

Gotham Gazette Batman Dead

Yeah. I think they both still had feelings. It was just mixed up a buckets of hurt that they had done to each other. It's how I tend to write them at least! I can definitely see where one would argue the opposite however.

[mistress-of-vos]

They're fictional characters on a fictional world where the whole plot is that a middle aged man couldn't go to therapy and has been raising children to dress in leather and go out at night to beat criminals.

And you are "concerned" about batcest.

How, out of everything DC as a franchise and fandom has, is Jason and Tim (for example) kissing the point where people draw the line? Why is TimSteph an exception but DickBabs isn't? Don't they both have families and have made clear they don't see Bruce as a father? Why is CassSteph fine but JayTim isn't? How come these moral clutchings of pearls are always focused on the same "bat kids" and never include Duke, Luke, Harper, Jean-Paul, Helena (both Wayne and Bertinelli)? What about Kate? What about Selina?

Then again, this fandom from OP here is the same one that has tried to burn Ra'sTim dow by calling it incest (as if Ra's al Ghul, a man whose family ties are as complex as his motivations, would consider the protégée of the man that dated his daughter, related to him at all).

Truth is: Almost no bat ship is going to contain any theme of incest. Most of them aren't related by blood nor were they raised together nor have they showed traditional familiar dynamics. Jean-Paul on the late 90s was actually wonderfully written on that topic, as we see him considering Babs an older sister figure yet being attracted to her (a feeling that was mutual, but not at the same time). Found family isn't about traditional and conservative family roles, it's about a group of people that find comfort of some sort together, and the nature of their relationships can be complex, dark, awkward and even painful.

Sure, as a writer, I do use the term batcest and find it funny to play with silly ideas about their messy group of people in latex that uses violence to cope. Rationally, however, we are talking about drawings on paper that have been played with by multiple people for years. Wonder Woman was born from the kinky sex life of some man and people eat it up but God forbid someone on the internet writes BruDick (which was a huge icon of the queer and homosexual community for decades!).

I'm way too tired to keep going, but honestly? One could make an essay on the awfully conservative tendency of new people in fandom for sanitizing content and labeling all media and putting characters in tiny boxes. You CAN'T come to a fandom that has been around for years (and made up mostly by queer people and women, btw!) and decide that YOUR subjective and biased interpretation is the only correct interpretation. This is not how fandom works and even less how media comprehension works.

[thatblondeperson]

So I learnt from that Tim Drake Guy's tumblr that Steph is a bully and abusive with Tim is that true. I ask since I know you seem to agree with a lot of the thoughts expressed on that blog. Can you help me find some examples of Tim/Steph comics. I was going to get YJ but the same tumblr blog says it's bad

So I want to preface with some very solid advice I've learned from being in fandom. It's really hard to learn anything from any blog because so much of it is opinion based, that the line between headcanon and canon gets far too muddied too often, and there's also always going to be biases that come from very personal spaces. It's important to take everything that every blog says ESPECIALLY in the DC fandom, with a very large grain of salt because half the fandom really doesn't actually seem to source their information with anything other than out of context panels, shitposts, or their own perfect ideals of what they want to gleam from the pages of each comic. It's all interpretive, and I'm sure that sounds a little bit petty, but I'm adding myself in here too because I have my own opinions separate from others, despite my firm ideology in staying as close to canon as I possibly can.

As far as that blog, I actually strayed away from them because I no longer agreed with a lot of what was being said. It got to the point where it was getting very unnecessarily negative all the time, and I want no part in this ship war that drives practically every bit of drama in the Tim fandom. I think that there is a lot of merit to some of the opinions on that blog, and they're clearly an expert on Tim in many ways. I knew them personally, so I can attest to that. But I think they also read only what they WANT to read on every page, and I think that makes for a lot of gaps where misinformation can leak in. That got filled with a lot of straight up wrong assessments of Stephanie Brown, and unfortunately that blog was already prime traffic for antis to spew unnecessary hate, so once the blog itself got on board, I tapped out.

No, Stephanie is not an abuser or a bully. I think tumblr throws around the word abuse far too casually. At most, Steph teases Tim, but never to a malicious or purposefully hurtful extent. She pokes at him, just like you would with a best friend. He barely even protests. A simple "Steph..." every now and again, but he even teases her back often and jokes with her. She's not an abuser, in fact, she herself is a victim of severe abuse in her childhood. Her flirting at the beginning of her and Tim's relationship is a bit intense, but she's 15, and doesn't know how to catch his attention. Her boyfriend was clearly way older than her and did not treat her well, her father abused her mother, and she was sexually harassed by her father's friends. She's never seen a healthy relationship to know how to act. Once they get together, she mellows out and is actually very compassionate and kind with Tim, and especially supportive.

A lot of haters throw around all this terrible stuff she did.

They say she stole Robin from Tim. He stepped away from the mantle, and she thought she caught him cheating, and Bruce opened up the opportunity for her.

They highlight a time when she almost blew Tim up. Bruce told her to do something drastic to force Tim to be a better Robin. Should she have thought it through? Yes. But she was young, and still desperate to prove herself.

Steph is a loose canon throughout a lot of her appearances. She doesn't always think before she acts, and that is one of her major flaws. She gets into trouble often, and that causes a lot of tension between her and Tim, often from him becoming overprotective of her.

Steph starts out fairly cynical in the beginning and softens up over time. After the explosion stunt with Tim, she does get her act together and she goes through a fantastic character arc where she really improves upon herself. She becomes a beacon of hope, but she really already was one. She's always been a source of light for Tim. She's a constant tether for him throughout their relationship, and she constantly bringing him back to reality. I think their dynamic is really great, and it does hurt me a lot how often she gets dragged through the mud now. It's tumblr, what can you do?

It's also interesting to me how often Steph is called out for being the unhealthy one, and they never talk about how Tim was the shitty boyfriend way more often:

Kept his identity from her but didn't respect keeping hers private

Kissed her when he was dating someone else at the time (he's actually kinda known for subtle two-timing, but this is hardly brought up by fans)

Essentially stalked her for a while

Often told her she needed to stop being Spoiler (overprotective nature yes...but still)

Interesting how the relationship is only toxic because of Steph. Hell she even gets shit for getting upset that Greta straight up tried to kill her in Young Justice, because they think it was selfish of her that she was desperate to learn Robin's identity. Yeah sorry...murder vs wanting to know your crushes name? Which is worse?

I'm also not going to sit here and demand that everyone love Steph. It's ok that people don't like her, I could give 2 shits, but if they're gonna spew hate, I'd prefer it be rooted in truth. Some of what I see written about her is just so so wrong...there's a trend in anti culture to even write her as Tim's rapist which YIKES. That's so beyond a healthy amount of dislike for a character.

Anyway, comic recs!!!

Detective Comics 647-648. (First appearance of Steph/Spoiler with classic "love at first brick" moment.)

Robin 57-65 (First date issue which is the cutest thing ever. Robin does a little flip at the end because he's so happy. And the chronology of Steph being pregnant which Tim was supportive of the whole time. Super sweet)

Robin 100-104 (Steph gets sick and Tim brings her soup. Lots of cute domestic moments, and you get more into Steph's past)

Robin 111 (more about Steph's past with Tim being super supportive, also the infamous piano issue which is a personal favorite of mine)

Robin 116 (very cute moments after Tim forgets his bday and everyone, Steph included, surprises him)

Robin 119 (supportive bf Tim, strikes again)

Robin 120 (Steph being an amazing supportive gf)

Batgirl 8 (Steph's run, where she and Tim collide again for the first time in a long time. Awkwardness and tension ensues, Tim tries to make a move)

Red Robin 10 (more crossover, very fun. More awkwardness and tension)

Convergence Batgirl (Not the best run, but a nice bit of closure for the pre flashpoint universe. Very sweet and wholesome.)

There's way more that I could list but I'm awful with issue numbers tbh. I know the stories, but I don't have the catalogue memorized. Better people than me have probably made a masterlist of TimSteph comics lol

I don't think you should let any blog turn you away from any particular series. I think if you wanna try out the new YJ, go for it!! I'm very cynical to anything published post 2011, but YJ is the only thing I've consistently read that's NEW, in years. I find it fun. Is it the best? No, not by miles, and it gets stuck with a lot of nonsensical filler often. But it's still a very cute and fun run.

I hope this ask gave you a lot of good info! I also recommend the very long post that should be just below this that goes into a lot of fandom misconceptions about Stephanie brown with more picture examples to highlight everything. Thanks for the ask, anon! I hope you have a lovely time reading these comics and hopefully many more!!

🖤💜❤😊😊😊❤💜🖤

[barbarawilson-moved]

If one were to write a no-capes AU, what would be a reasonable/realistic scenario thst could take place instead of Jason's death/resurrection that would engender the same emotional ramifications for all involved?

i feel like. there's so many ways to go for this but they fall under two major categories of interpretation, neither of which is really incorrect? but what it comes down to is if you think jason's violence is about punishing others, or if it's about punishing himself. tw for self harm/suicide/abuse/etc under the cut

the version of jason that matters more to me is the version that's punishing himself—so for me the no capes answer needs to finish an equivalent story: a naive kid ends up in a bad situation, and when he gets out, he reorients his life around punishing himself for getting into that situation in the first place. (see: red hood as a complete rejection of any chance at reaching a happy civilian life)

my heir apparent timsteph au is the closest i've gotten to writing a no capes au, and jason's irl counterpart is only loosely mentioned, but in that case i decided that he had survived a suicide attempt, and struggled with recovering and returning to society afterwards. the disconnect with family, the self-hatred, the dying, all are accounted for, but it does lose that bit of retribution and reckless blame placed on others.

one option i haven't seen explored much but that i think could serve jason well in a no capes setting is the process of escaping an abuser. i think people jump to bruce as this abuser because jason sometimes blames bruce for his death, but i think more accurate would be a teacher or his birth mother (altho i don't know that id love to see more stories perpetuating the idea of foster parents as inherently better than birth parents or of reconciliation as a farce). suicide and abuse both let everyone share as much misplaced guilt as you like, but abuse gives more of an outward target for jason.

the violence as punishment for others direction is really just like. murder i guess? like. people do commit murder irl! i think maybe that's a case where a felipe garzonas inspired situation where jason killed a bully and no one's quite sure if it was self defense or not would do fine on its own without a death-like event. i think at the end of the day it's kind of like death as a major arcana card? jason doesn't necessarily need an exact civilian-life equivalent—just a justifiction for an emotional self-reinvention

[thattimdrakeguy]

Why do you like Tim and Conner together over his in canon girlfriend? He's not gay so why?

I don’t really care about his romantic relationship with Steph. It’s full of problems and issues that sort of clog it up in most stories as far as my tastes are concerned. I like Tim and Conner more only comparatively.

The current stuff with Tim and Steph in Young Justice just feels a bit way too forced, like I can’t imagine Tim acting like how he does when it comes to Steph. Tim loved Steph, he was protective and so forth, but making out in front of the Hall of Justice on camera, and talking about how intense their love is feels more like something out of fan fiction then their actual relationship. They never been that intense, they had a somewhat typical teenage date mate relationship with some superhero dynamics thrown in. They weren’t that intense to the point I see Tim randomly bringing her up to a version of her that doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Their relationship wasn’t even healthy so bringing it back at all is in bad taste.

Plus who ever said he wasn’t gay? I think there’s enough there, that if DC decided to turn Tim gay that it wouldn’t honestly feel that forced.

Gay dudes can have girlfriend’s as their still figuring it out.

Gay dudes can try to convince themselves that they feel a different way because they’re afraid of being something different than what society typically prefers.

Tim’s vague enough with his sexuality that he can genuinely be any sexuality, and I would not find much of a problem with it.

He could be ace because he constantly seems to have a lack of sexual interest.

He could be bisexual, simply because the fact he dates a girl doesn’t mean he can’t be bisexual.

Maybe even pansexual since he never really had much of a relationship with Ariana despite dating her, seemingly before he really got to know her, and started dating Steph well after he got to know her along with her personality a lot more.

Or just straight and waiting for sex because that’s what he’s comfortable with.

Like there’s even an issue of Harley Quinn that implies she thinks Tim might be gay, and Tim freaks out like how a lot of kids would in a world that still as a lot of homophobes in it.

A writer even said he came out of the closet with Conner while in a closet.

Personally I’m not even that intense of a shipper. I used to enjoy TimKon enough for what it was, but I’m not much of a guy who’d make a post about why they’re so great and all that. I just enjoy it more then I do TimSteph for my own personal preferences and agitation at certain tropes they used during Tim and Steph’s relationship. They had their sweet moments together but overall it’s not a peaceful relationship. The sweet moments actually would come off as forced to me given how unhealthy they were. So it’s not shipping material for me.

However, if you enjoy TimSteph, I honestly don’t mind. One of my favorite friends is a TimSteph shipper and she’s making a fic about them, and I love hearing her talk about it. If you aren’t bugged by a less then peaceful relationship since it’s fiction then I don’t mind. Pretending it’s all sugar and rainbows is a bit weird, because since it’s not I don’t see the point of imagining otherwise just because some random comics do despite a lot showing the contrary more consistently.

If you don’t view them as that because of your own interpretation, then that’s honestly really okay with me, because it’s never properly said that Tim is LGBTA+, but at the same time, nothing really shows that he’s properly straight so much that it feels wrong to imply anything else.

Shipping isn’t really my thing anyways.

Part of the reason I think Tim’s popular the way he is, is because in a lot of ways he’s relatable to a large more group of people, because of his vagueness of sexuality it opens up more interpretations. People in the 90s even believed him to be gay. Despite the fact that the writer’s intention probably wasn’t to make him seem LGBTA+, times have changed and with more people opening up, it would take hardly anything to make Tim reasonably seem LGBTA+.

The fact they haven’t done it yet is partially shocking.

[starspatter]

Timkara

1. Who is a fussy eater and who will eat food even if they’ve dropped it on the floor?

I think Kara has more… “particular” tastes due to her alien tongue.  Which makes it tough for Tim to stomach sometimes but he smiles and compliments her cooking anyway.

2. Who constantly tries to get the other to shower with them?Tim, which usually earns him a super-punch.3. Who was popular in high school and who lies that they were just to impress the other?Kara actually wasn’t as popular due to her high-tempered nature.  Even though Tim’s a nerd he’s humorous and a smooth talker so he gets along with others easier.4. Who is incredible in bed and completely knocks the other off their feet the first time they have sex?

I don’t think Tim was fully prepared for how… “intense” intercourse with a Kryptonian can be.

5. Who plays video games and who snuggles up next to them as they play?

Tim is definitely the gamer, and Kara usually ends up distracting him in the middle of battles by wanting to make out/making fun of his character having superpowers when he doesn’t.

6. Who is horny ALL OF THE TIME?Kara7. Who is sleepy and cuddly ALL OF THE TIME?Tim, usually after a night on patrol.8. Who knocks on the other’s door crying at 4am?Kara.  (More like she knocks on the window by just flying up to his room.)9. Who would have 10 pets if they could and who is adorably shy around animals?

Tim would want to adopt stray animals like his dad adopts kids. *shot* Kara has her hands full with Streaky though.10. Who takes like 10 minutes of persuading to get out of bed each morning?Kara11. Who collects rocks and shells when they go to the beach and who thinks it’s dumb?Tim’s the collector.  He’s always been a packrat, and Kara has to constantly remind him not to bring home more junk.12. Who picks fights for no reason just so they can have kinky sex?Tim13. Who secretly admires the hell out of the other and thinks they’re the bravest person they’ve ever met?Both of them.14. Who has an adorable sneeze and who sneezes so aggressively they pull a muscle?Kara has a loud/powerful sneeze, for which Tim makes fun of her for.15. Who wants to have sex at work/school and who is terrified of getting caught?Kara.  She promises it’ll be “quick”, to which Tim can’t really refuse.16. Who smells the hell out of the other’s shirts when they’re away but pretends that they don’t?Kara.  Whenever she’s worried about him being out on a mission she clings to his clothes/belongings until he comes home safe.17. Who believes in astrology and who doesn’t care and just wants the other to make out with them? Kara.  She has a fascination with earthlings’ interpretations of the stars’ alignment, being from space and all.  Tim is a man of SCIENCE and doesn’t care for that stuff, but he’ll humor her when she reads his horoscope anyway.  (Nope this totally doesn’t sound similar to the same answer I gave for TimSteph. *shot*)18. Who would survive the apocalypse and who wouldn’t stand a chance?I think this one is obvious. =P19. Who is majorly ticklish and who is the tickle-attacker?Kara.  It’s one of her few weaknesses, and Tim takes advantage of it at every opportunity.20. Who greatly exaggerates being sick every time they feel even a little poorly just so the other will take care of them? Tim, although Kara can usually tell he’s faking with her X-Ray Vision/Superhearing and whatnot.

[wavebiders]

I wouldn’t be surprised if she got a solo series, or a different team up, they seem to be setting up a plot line with her father for that. I’d be down with it honestly, I just want to be given a reason to care about this character.

I also just don’t think she’d fit in well with the current YJ team. The vibe so far has been incredibly amicable, between new and old friends alike but the core 4 especially won’t shut up about how much they like each other. I can’t see Stephanie being added to that partially because of her less team player like attitude, and partially because I always got the feeling Kon and Cassie aren’t particularly fond of her.

I mean, in Kon’s case I’m basing that mostly on his reaction to her as robin but that could also be seen as him just being protective over Tim. There’s even less to go by with Cassie, but she’s clearly uncomfortable around Steph in the few panels they share. I’ve seen Timsteph shippers interpret that as just Cassie being salty that the the girlfriend of the guy she likes isn’t dead, though I personally always read that in a “wow your death really hurt my best friend, and you were faking it the whole time, meanwhile my boyfriend is still actually dead” but that’s just me. All in all I can’t see them being buddy buddy with her.

Plus from a storytelling perspective the core 4 and Stephanie represent two different lives for Tim, throwing them all together would get rid of a lot of interesting conflict.

wavebiders replied to your post “yes ik people are saying “just enjoy the story” and tim is not the…”

I do still think it’s unreasonable, though to expect her not to show up at all. Not unreasonable to want it, but it just seems like setting yourself up to be let down, and ive done that to myself enough times to know it sucks. And she’s a part of Tim’s story it just makes sensebshe would show up at some point if only to close that chapter. There’s no shame in skipping those issues either, I highly doubt she’ll be a main character

My feelings exactly.

To be fair, it is entirely possible that events might happen down the line that lead to her officially joining the team the way Naomi is but…IDK, I don’t see it happening. Partially because of the relationship trouble flags I mentioned before, but also because she’s been so deliberately separated from everything going on so far that it feels like they have other plans for her. 

[incoherentbabblings]

top ten AUs for Timsteph? Just like plots you enjoy for them

Well I am currently trying to get @thatblondeperson to write a mermaid au because I want it. Steph escaping down to Gotham docks or further up to the beach and coves and meeting this quiet fish boy in the water and they strike up a weird friendship and then I don't know but Steph ends up going under with him a la Pirates of the Caribbean or something so that's number one at the moment. Please Sofie. I need it. 😩

Other ones I enjoy/would like to read/write one day:

Post RR/Batgirl stories. Doesn't matter how many variations I read of that plot, I like to see different interpretations of how they can reunite

No cape au. Maybe they're both at college? Tim is feeling directionless meets Steph who is working part time at the library to put herself through uni?

Steph as Robin and Tim as a civilian au. Let's say Steph has only been Robin for a very short amount of time, around the time Tim's parents get taken, only this time it's in Gotham. She manages to save them?

Tim gets to be with Steph when she is dying. I wish they'd gotten one last conversation. Maybe it would have put things to rest more than what happened in canon

Halloween! I have been mulling over it for ages but does anyone remember that one Halloween episode of Buffy were everyone became their costumes because of curses doodad? I thought it could be fun where (either or for whatever dynamic you prefer) one's a vampire and one's the bite victim and when the spell kicks in the blood spurts out their neck and the other is like oh no for all kinds of reasons like oh dear don't die but also oh dear that smells good oh no and then it just spirals from there. As a side note Cass as a sheet ghost becoming a genuine ghost would be funny as she'd be the only one in the right frame of mind to figure out what's happening.

The Everyone's Either a Villain or at the Very Least their Moral Compass is Completely Shot au which is the one I am writing at the moment... I've been watching and listening to too much Heathers and debating where's the best place to off someone in a school. It's fun to play with characterisations. Like a how much can you stretch things until your essentially writing original stories basically...

Courtly love stuff. Again I bought myself a Nintendo Switch and finally getting to play Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild for myself and the reborn soul of the hero as the chosen knight of the descendent of a goddess hits all the sweet spots you know. But it doesn't have to be fantasy. Just the Knight/Prince and the Princess stuff is so gooddddd

Closer to home an AU where Steph's return from the dead is just handled better and what knock on effects that would have had for Battle for the Cowl and Tim's Red Robin run. If Tim was in a better place would have have stayed in Gotham? Would Bruce had ever returned then? Would Steph have become Batgirl? That point in time needed them to be in the outs for the wellbeing (long term) for themselves, Gotham and the world. It's a nice paradox to think about.

Tim actually went through with murdering Captain Boomerang...where do you go from there. What happens to his relationship with the family and how does it relate to Steph and her development which went in the complete opposite direction from her first appearance attempting to murder her father to her refusal to shoot Roman. Is she sympathetic? Does she feel betrayed? Is she just sad? Idk, it's juicy to think about...

[thatblondeperson]

Hi! I'm the girl who recommended "All I've Ever Known" from Hadestown from your most recent chapter, which, by the way, completely blew me away.

I wish I could send some of my own TimSteph thoughts/writing towards you, though I haven't done much. You are an excellent writer and I love your interpretations of both characters. They're so perfect together.

1. Do you have any fanfics concerning them coming after this one?

2. You have no idea how much it kills me that I have to wait 7 days to read another chapter. This fic should be CANON and no, I'm not joking.

3. Also, I recommend listening to Mr. Blue. It reminded me of Chapter 9 (was it?) when Steph said she was worried about Tim's mental health.

4. You said in Chapter 11 that you had a soft spot for Steph playing piano (that happened) and there would be more of "fun" Tim. Is it coming soon?

5. Have you seen Marcus To's art of TimSteph? They're so cute.

Again, so sorry for the long questions/responses. I just love TimSteph, which is weird, considering I'm not THAT big of a shipper and I'm more of a book fan than a comic book fan. I actually preferred DickKory when I got into the Batfam comics, and I still have them ranked high, but over time, these two grew on me. It was like, "Ooh, these guys are great BFFs! They can't get any better--"

Then I realized that they were dating, and the more and more I thought about it, THE MORE AND MORE IT MADE SENSE. I COULD WRITE A 10-PAGED PAPER ON WHY THEY WORK SOOOO WELL.

But IncoherentBabblings beat me to it with her incredible post on "Why TimSteph is Nice," and it's one of my favorite posts ever.

Hey hey!! Sorry, busy couple days at work!

I am so happy that you've been enjoying the fic!! I listened to the song and it's so so sweet!! I totally get the TimSteph vibes from it, where it's just the two of them clinging to each other in the face of everything else.

If you ever post anything lmk! I'm always happy to see more TimSteph content! You are too kind about my writing! I am just happy that I'm finishing my first multichapter fic like this. Never finished a big project before, honestly never thought it would happen.

1. I have a whole to-do list of little projects, god knows when anyone will see those. I'm drafting little things now that I'm winding down from FMWBTY. I am gonna be doing a collab project with @incoherentbabblings but we are just in the planning stages so far.

As far as with this fic, I would love to do a sequel to write the relationship more on this timeline, but we'll see! There's a lot more I'd like to cover, idk if it would be as long of a project. I do want to utilize Cass and Damian though, I want to bring them in since Cass is such an important person to Steph, and I'd love to see some forced bonding hilarity between Tim and Damian with Tim playing nice out of respect for Steph lol

2. lololol yeah I though a week would be a good amount of time in between chapters. It's better than waiting for me to write the chapters, I promise. I made my first draft of this thing in 2019!

3. I will listen to that too! It's on the list!

4. I use "fun" in an odd way. I'm trying to have Tim relax around Steph and act like himself again. He's kinda been battered by a lot of shit over the years, so he's kinda receded in on himself. I will drag him out a bit, but that's where a sequel would also be fun. Let him be a jokey, lovey dovey boyfriend for Steph.

5. Love Marcus! Hope to be able to commission a TimSteph piece from him someday. I do wish that she was drawn with more wavy, kind of untamed hair, since I just like the idea that Steph has this super thick hair. But his art is literally always stunning, such clean line work and I like that he doesn't draw the men too bulky, and that the women aren't oversexualized.

Long questions are fine! I think a lot of us started with DickKory in the form of RobStar in the Teen Titans TV show, that was definitely one of my first major ships, and it was a painfully wonderful slowburn. Wonder where I latched onto that trope? 🤣🤣🤣

Idk when I hopped onto TimSteph. I think I just latched on after I started reading Tim because their dynamic was so fun and sweet. And then fandom, cuz when I joined there weren't so many antis and Steph haters. Truly sad to see now.

Thank you thank you THANK YOU for all your support!! I definitely plan to keep writing TimSteph while I still have ideas! ❤💜

[incoherentbabblings]

Unspoken Promises

Sitting on the car roof waiting for Zatanna to show up, Stephanie became acutely aware of how their leaving home must have looked to the rest of the family, and makes her think about what want from the future, especially after everything had come crashing down in the aftermath of Brother Eye and the Batman of Tomorrow.  Tim for once isn’t thinking too deep about it.  

2,500 words on Tim and Steph cuddles from YJ #5. AO3 Link here!

So for all my doubt about Bendis (He also liked my tweet I sent him thanking him for making TimSteph so cute so like… that gave me a whump of validation right there) I was so over the moon with his interpretation of Tim and Stephanie’s relationship that it actually got me to write fanfiction for the first time in about a decade (ooft).  I am following in the grand DC tradition of what is continuity in that I am writing as if the Bat’s History is all in tact, but YJ and Teen Titans is just what had been established in the New 52.  How does that work? It doesn’t but never mind that I wanted to write mush

Anyway here is Tim I look at my girlfriend as if she hung the stars at night Drake and Stephanie We have 100% ran away from home which means we are 100% eloping which means yes I will marry you no you don’t even have to ask Brown.

There are like…so many references to past and current stories and dialogue in this, as well as my previous babblings on their relationship.  

Anyway, enjoy!!!

He had a habit, she’d noticed, ever since they’d been together, of holding her face. His fingers had always been cold, but dry, and his palm fit neatly along her jawline. He was always soft with her, and she wouldn’t dare have it otherwise.  When she isn’t talking, and he isn’t smiling and humming indulgently at her wittering on, he seemed to be nothing more than quite content to just hold and stare at her. Like the sun is infused in her hair. Like her and her alone is immune to the anti-life equation, like she is life’s meaning. Like she is so precious that she might be gone the next morning.

 Because that did happen once, when she was left to die without him. Does Tim hate me? She had asked Batman. No. Bruce had replied. He adores you. Always has.

Only now with them lying on the bonnet of Tim’s red car, his stare so openly reverent, Stephanie found herself trusting Bruce’s statement to the dying girl with a broken body (and heart).

He’d been taken from her too, violently and so suddenly that she had found herself talking to a clay program of his, so starved for his face and hungry for his advice… Then again Stephanie had heard from other sources that he’d considered throwing what he’d thought was her corpse into a Lazarus Pit, so maybe they were both reliant on the other to act as a guide.

Those Batmen she’d seen, first the one from a future where she was either dead or under what seemed like permanent house arrest (it wasn’t clear), and then one made of corrupt dreams and corrupt computer programs… They were ones she’d silently promised herself that she would reel in within Tim whenever they reared their ugly, twisted heads. She’d remind him, remind them why they wanted to help people. The two of them didn’t know any other way, not anymore.

How stubborn they were that they scraped their way back to each other.

Stephanie soon grew shy being gazed at by Tim and leaned forward.  One hand tightened in his sweater, whilst the other cupped the back of his head. He quickly got the idea and leaned forward, their lips touching briefly for a moment before she readjusted her position, straddling one his legs to get a firm pressure between her own.

Tim’s smile turned cheeky then, and he began to push up into a sitting position.  Stephanie gave a slight grunt, and forced him back down, hand slipping down his top to grip at his hip. She kissed him deeply.

A bird took off near the car, disturbing some fallen leaves on the ground.  It was still warm enough at sunset to not have to wear a coat, and both of them had opted for oversized sweaters, Steph in her customary purple, Tim in his usual green.  They had been travelling for a few weeks now, enough for the new school year to have started, and yet here they both were, several states down, in DC, nowhere near Ivy University in New England.  The thought made Stephanie giggle.

“Now you have to admit it!” She exclaimed, thumping her head down to rest on Tim’s chest, listening to his heart beat.  Solid.  Warm.

Tim meanwhile was looking awfully smug, one arm cradling her shoulders, pressing their already entangled bodies closer, the other arm thrown up behind his head.  His eyes were shut, and he was smirking.

“I don’t have to admit anything.” 

“Admit it!”

“I was raised by Batman, Stephanie,” – and right on que her eyes rolled up to her skull.  Batman Batman Batman – “I am a stubborn master.”

“Admit we ran from home!”

That got him to open his eyes and stare at her once more.  He was indulging her again, she knew, and she let him do so.

“A Batgirl and a Robin told everybody we were going off to college and then we drove the other way.”

“Because we’re in the middle of an investigation into the –”

She interrupted him, whispering the phrase “Nobody knows where we are!” conspiratorially, as if they weren’t sitting outside one of the most heavily monitored buildings in the county.  But sure, they were definitely back in New England, studying at one of the country’s most prestigious universities.

Not that they didn’t leave with the purest intentions, this investigation into timelines and universes…  However neither had the foggiest clue where to start.  Tim had recalled Dick and Bruce talking of Wally, the idea that something or someone been messing with time or memories. To avoid Bruce catching wind of what they were up to, they had asked Black Canary, and Dinah had suggested magic, which had led them to Zatanna.

Tim knew Bruce knew they weren’t at college.  He just didn’t want Bruce to know why.  This trip was partially for him and Steph to be alone.  Properly.  Without Bruce and his weird secrets and mind games. Without the pressure of fighting crime each night with all its mental and physical traumas.

Without Cassandra bursting through their window with takeout after a night of training, catching Steph in her nightshirt and Tim with his pyjama bottoms halfway up his legs. 

It had been going well, as well as could be expected of two seventeen-year olds going on a targetless road trip.  Tim had enough money to his name to keep them going for more than enough time, and Stephanie didn’t want for much regardless. 

Still, this trip had a purpose, and they both hoped that speaking with Zatanna would orient them in the right direction. 

“I’m just saying,” Stephanie continued, now grinning back at Tim’s softening smile “The only thing missing is the circus for us to join.”

It was almost funny how their conversations always came back to their future together.  They were still so young but they always spoke of what their lives would be, could be, five, ten, fifteen years down the line. 

Not that the circus was a serious suggestion, but it made her point all the same.  They had split off from the family back home, deliberately gaining some distance.  They’d not spoken to Bruce since he’d waved them off, hearing that they’d get the official wedding invite ‘any day now’ (any day now had been going on for weeks at this point, both were afraid to enquire for an update).  They’d not heard from Dick in even more time (something was going on with the Titans, on and off the field, but Tim hadn’t chased it).  Damian and Jason were enigmas as usual to them (coming and going as they pleased).  They’d get the odd photo and message sent from Cass and Duke and Barbara, the three of them seemed to be forming a little huddle, but for the most part, it was radio silence.  Maybe Bruce had encouraged it for once.  Leave them alone.  Let them be teenagers.  They can figure it out if they want to do the superhero gig on their own.

Or maybe that was too forgiving of an assumption of Bruce.

The other day Stephanie had been filming Tim being a dweeb, and she had muttered about making their (hypothetical) children watch this so they could be assured that their (hypothetical) father was never once cool ever.  Tim had just laughed and argued that she was just as bad as he, she was only better at covering it up.  He didn’t flush at the mention of children, and he didn’t call out at her statement at all.  It was a quiet assumption between them, the idea of children (plural.  Both had been so lonely growing up they couldn’t bear the thought of repeating their parents’ mistakes).  An unspoken promise never confirmed aloud.

Seventeen years old and they were already thinking of when they’d be thirty five.  Maybe one near (actual?) death experience each made them grip to that future tightly.  They would have it all.  They would help people until there was no longer a need for them to do so anymore, upon which they could bow out, ready to drop the double-faced world they occupied.

It had been temporary for Tim, initially.  He didn’t so much as want to be Robin as he was at the only one who could be Robin. 

It had been temporary for Stephanie, initially.  She couldn’t let her father go on hurting people, and she was at first the only one who knew what weird, over the top schemes he’d managed to cobble together. 

It was supposed to be temporary, for both of them. 

I can make it all work.  I can make a system that can sustain itself… After all that, I can take care of myself.  Take care of us.  I promise.

 And yet that promise he’d made aloud, mere hours before everything had blown up in their faces – literally – had been a rude awakening that their line of work didn’t allow easy early retirements, not truly. 

That was okay though, not today didn’t mean not ever, or at least, that’s what they had both told themselves at night sleeping in assorted cheap hotels.  The receptionists had always given them funny looks, no doubt Tim and Stephanie probably did look like young eloping teenagers.  Tim had surprised Stephanie in his reaction to their expressions, putting his foot down when affirming yes we want a double bed no not twin singles.  When checking out in the morning Tim defiantly left the bed an unmade mess, as if they were a pair of rabbits who couldn’t get enough of each other, as if trying to earn that slightly disapproving look from across the counter. 

She thought maybe he was tired of people giving their opinion on the two of them being together. 

And ultimately, that is what they were wasn’t it?  Teenage sweethearts running away from home.

And to the circus, if that’s what it came down to.

Stephanie’s buzzing phone and Zatanna’s arrival had brought an end to the feeling of joviality.  Stephanie’s thoughts were being torn in two directions.  She couldn’t stand the thought of her father running around doing as he pleased, and she had a sudden sharp stab of fear for her mother, but she had just reaffirmed that she was staying with Tim come hell or high water.  Tim made the decision for her.  He knew she wouldn’t be focused going forward unless she chased down her father, so gave the both of them a three day deadline. 

“You’ll be focused and I’ll have a start.” He stated.  He was dressed in his uniform, looking somehow both dashing and fragile at once.  What he thought he knew had been shaken again, except for the blonde girl standing in front of him.  The one who was looking at him with a slightly befuddled but still endeared smile. 

“I love you Tim Drake.” She said, ignoring for a moment where they were and what he was dressed as. 

There was a beat of silence.  Enough to make Stephanie uncomfortable.  He had usually always been the first to declare it to her.  Now that she had uttered it first, he seemed at a loss on how to respond.  She decided to prompt him, trying not to sound too desperate when she asked:

“Did you hear –?”

“I’m madly in love with you, Steph.”  He blurted out.  His smile widened until he looked overjoyed.  “I was just about to tell you that.  I was going to tell you I was so happy you were in my repressed memories, too, because I didn’t want – ”

A life without you was how he was going to finish his declaration before she threw herself at him, smacking a kiss on his lips, and Tim saw his world go pink for a moment.

He had been relieved that she’d been in those memories.  She had to have been.  She was the only one, for so long, who knew him as both Robin and Tim.  The Teen Titans had asked and asked but he’d always been so reluctant to cave in, whilst part of his fear of leaving the title of Robin would mean losing Bruce and Dick and Barbara, for what possible reason could Tim Drake have to associate with them?  It was different now, he was Bruce’s adopted son, so their connection could not be severed regardless of him wearing a mask or not, and he had opened up to his friends, slowly but surely. 

She was still the person he wanted to be with him every step of the way.  She’s never cared what title he’d held, she’d cared more about the way he held her.  This was his chance though.  She had always been stuck on the fringes of their generation, not having many close friends outside of Gotham.  If his friends and family could become hers… he just wanted her with him every step of the way.  It was selfish of him he knew, but she deserved a better family than the one she’d been born into, and he had the opportunity to give it to her.

She was gripping the front of his uniform tightly, and he was holding her shoulders.  Leaning forward, he put their foreheads together with a gentle thunk.  Still smiling, he reminded her of the three day deadline.

“Two days.” She pushed.

“Promise?” He looked at her, and she smiled guiltily.  How many broken promises had they made to each other?  How many had they kept?  How many had remained unspoken, for fear of them never coming true? 

“I can’t.” Stephanie exhaled unsteadily, her eyes tearing up. 

He didn’t sound disappointed when he responded, “I know.”  He understood.  Better than anyone he understood the danger of promises and oaths. 

For a brief moment she longed for them to forget responsibilities and be utterly selfish.  Run away to the circus like she’s joked.  Confirm every suspicious look those receptionists had given them for the past four weeks.  Leave behind broken families who didn’t know what good communication meant between the lot of them and start a newer better family in its place.  It was a whim that would remain in her head, but she answered the question she would sit and wait for over the next twenty years if need be out loud, as both a promise to Tim and to herself.

“…But I do.”

Tim didn’t say anything more in response, but looked up at her, his forehead still pressed to hers, and breathed a laugh.  He knew what she’d meant when she’s said I do, of course he figured it out, but he also knew to let it remain out of context.  Another unspoken promise. 

They’d be fine.  More than fine.  He would find his friends and he would take care of them.  They’d scraped their way back to each other for a reason. He couldn’t let her, or Conner or Cassie or Bart or any of the others, slide by any longer.

Another unspoken promise. 

[starspatter]

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1: When did you start writing?I’ve generally been writing since elementary school, but the first time I published fanfiction looks to be around 2004?2: How many different fandoms have you written for?Honestly I’ve really only written for Pokémon, the Haruhi Suzumiya series, and now recently Batman.  Surprisingly I don’t read/write any Kagepro fic. *shrug* There are just some series I’m not interested in fanfic for, and Kagepro has too much conflicting/changing (head)canon for me to accept alternate interpretations of.3: If applicable, do you think your writing has improved a lot or a little since you first started writing?Ahaha… I’d like to think so. ^^; At the very least I don’t use the word “optics” for “eyes” anymore. XP4: What was the first fic you wrote?*deep breath* Digging through my (cringey) files, it looks like it might’ve actually been a short songfic I wrote based on an old fantasy RP character of mine (I know I mentioned I don’t RP, but I just meant on this site) with Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.  Preteen me was so emo lmao.  In terms of actual fanfiction though, I think it was a piece on the Pokémon Celebi?  One of my first forays into fanfic was a series of Legendary Pokémon, as I recall.5: What is your favorite fic you have written?So far, it’d be my TimSteph story “Hero and Thieves” since it is my greatest endeavor that I poured a lot of my time and love and effort into, and for the sheer fact I actually managed to finish the entire draft of a multi-chapter fic (if at the cost of many nights of sleep and my sanity lol *shot*),  Now if I could only do the same for my ItsuHaru story… OTL6: Which character of yours has been your favorite to write?Stephanie Brown, surprisingly.  Even though I still feel like I don’t know her that well, she’s got such a fun personality I enjoyed writing her immensely. 10: Do you ever put any of your own traits or personality into any of your characters? Which?Ah it’s more like I write for characters whom I relate to; both Itsuki Koizumi and BTAS Tim Drake I feel reflect me in certain ways mainly for negative traits, if not personality-wise then circumstantially.12: Which do you prefer writing most, description, dialogue, or actions?I used to be a description whore, but lately I’ve been trying to focus more on dialogue due to laziness.14: Which of your fics would you like to see turned into a movie the most?I don’t know that I’d want an actual movie, but I would love to see Tim’s and Steph’s story incorporated into the DCAU somehow.  Their relationship really has a lot of potential and I wish to see the aftermath of RotJ explored further.16: Are there any ideas you are currently playing around with that you would like to write sooner or later?*looks at ItsuHaru fic ideas* Haha… ha.  There are those, and a couple other DC ficlets I’ve been mulling over: One involving DCEU Diana and Bruce bonding over ice cream and shared losses (which I might try to work on after Justice League comes out), and the other being a story about Veronica Vreeland and her one-sided relationship with Bruce in BTAS.  (I’m a sucker for unrequired romances, what can I say.)Also that Batman x Kagepro crossover. *shot*17: Favorite fic that is not written by you?I’m still quite fond of “Unmasked” by Jazzy_B_Real, since it was the first fic to basically introduce me to the ItsuHaru pair and kickstart my obsession.  There are a fair few Batfics I’ve read since I recently fell into the fandom that I enjoy, but of them I think the one that stands out most is “Come build in the empty house” by Liviapenn.  It’s a bit long and rambling (and randomly ships Terry with Zatara II?), but feels the most believable in terms of an epilogue/finale to RotJ.  Even though it was written well before Batman Beyond 2.0 came out, it works well as an actual “hopeful” ending to the series proper.18: Have you ever written a personal experience into your fic?Mm again a lot of what I write is reflective of myself, especially with my current life circumstances; it’s been kind of a catharsis in that regard.  Aside from general introspection, there are some specific personal experiences I’ve inserted here and there.  One of the future chapters of “Heroes and Thieves” is actually based on a real experience I had rescuing a baby robin. ;O