#i really think if i at least got an esa i could go out into the world and exist fairly well

[sk3l3t0n444]

i think i could really benefit from a service dog but my other dogs would get jealous that i take one dog everywhere and not them lmao

[pitufitaispunk]

Velvet Ring

Chapter Two: Florería

Pairing: Riff x Latina! Reader (West Side Story 2021)

Velvet Ring Masterlist

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I hurriedly make my way from the apartment to the florería just a few blocks away on Mulberry Street, hoping I wouldn't be late. Señora Rivera, albeit kind and generous, was a very strict woman. Especially when it came to punctuality. I sigh in relief as I check my watch just before entering the shop — 8:58am, three minutes early. I push open the door and rush inside.

"Buenos días, Señora Rivera." I say cheerily, the little bell above the door jingling as I walk in. I look around curiously as I'm met with silence, then laugh as I spot her snoring in her rocking chair behind the counter. I tiptoe to the back room and find my coworkers, Marisol and Lupita sat at the tiny circular table set up in one corner, gossiping away. They look up at me with wide eyes as if they were children who had been caught eating sweets before dinner.

"Buenos días, muchachas." I greet them, a slight smirk on my face as they giggle vivaciously.

"Buenos días, Y/N, ¿cómo están Anita y Bernardo?" Marisol asks, standing from her seat to tie her apron around her waist.

I hang up my purse on the coat rack next to the door and grab my own apron out of my cubby, "Eh, están bien. Nardo has been at the gym a lot lately, he's been coming home with more bruises and cuts. Me preocupa por el." Marisol and Lupita hum in understanding. I smile meekly and tie my apron tightly around my waist, "Pero Anita esta muy bien, she's been getting a lot of work at the dress shop. I ask her if she's tired of it, but you know Anita, she's a hard worker. Dice que está feliz de tener más trabajo."

Lupita tosses her graying curls up into a bun and laughs, "Esa Anita, I admire her really. I work with flowers for a few hours a day and then I go home, complaining to Berto that my back aches. No sé cómo me aguanta ese hombre." Marisol and I laugh. Lupita and her husband, Roberto, have been together since they were about my age and they've been married for 40 years now. Lupita always joked that Berto was probably tired of her and that one day he'd leave her for a less irritating woman, but every time he looks at her, all I see is love in his eyes.

Speaking of eyes, I still hadn't been able to stop thinking about that Jet I saw at the market today. His face kept popping up in my head, even though I have absolutely no interest in a boy like that. How could I? The Jets torment Puerto Ricans constantly, I even got a live demonstration of that today. But that didn't stop my wandering mind.

I snap out of my thoughts as Marisol pinches my arm teasingly, "¿Y tú, jovencita? Has Bernardo still been trying to find your future husband?" Lupita cackles at this, making me frown.

I sigh in exhaustion and nod, "He won't give it a rest. He's tried setting me up with at least 5 of his friends these past few months! They're all nice boys, pero... Bernardo me trata como una bebé."

Lupita pats my back, "No te preocupes, nena. He'll come around and see that he doesn't need to be so protective of you anymore." I give her a small smile and nod. I hope she's right.

Just then, the break room slams open. Señora Rivera stands there in the doorway, rubbing her tired eyes, "Muchachitas, ¿están aquí para trabajar o para hablar todo el día?" We all laugh and hurry out of the break room to get to work.

I take my usual place behind the counter, so that Señora Rivera can continue napping. Lupita begins putting the freshly delivered flowers into beautiful arrangements, while Marisol grabs her watering can and starts pouring into the pots of the flowers in the windows. It's this kind of perfect harmony everyday and although it can be a bit mundane at times, I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

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After a busy day, at 3:00, Señora Rivera sends us home, half an hour earlier than we usually get off. I guess she was feeling generous today. Lupita, Marisol, and I hurry to put our aprons away and grab our purses before walking out the back door into the alley behind the shop.

"¡Hasta mañana, Y/N!" They call to me as they walk towards the opposite end of the alley. Lupita and Marisol live a bit further away from the florería than I do, so they take the subway to and from work together.

"Hasta mañana." I call back before turning to walk away.

I then bump into a hard chest.

My heart drops. I feel too terrified to even look up at whoever I just bumped into, but then, I notice the familiar tattoos on their arms. I slowly lift my gaze and am met with those same blue eyes from earlier today. I don't say anything, I just stare up at the Jet. His face was curious as he looked down at me, it frightened me a little. I've heard that the Jets were unpredictable and in this moment, I couldn't tell if this boy was about to kiss me or kill me. At this point, I don't know which would be worse. His face breaks into a soft grin and he finally speaks to me.

"I saw you earlier today, didn't I?" He asks, his expression turning smug now. I quickly shake my head, not daring to speak. He laughs and it sounds strangely warm, "No, I did. I'd remember those big eyes of yours anywhere. You're like a deer in headlights. You usually like that?" He cranes his neck, trying to lower himself to my height. I shake my head again and he straightens up, smirking softly, "Well, I'll see you around, chica." He says those words with such confidence that it makes my brows pinch. How was he so sure he'd see me again? And what gave him the right to talk to me at all?

I huff softly and begin walking past him, clutching my purse tightly, just in case he tries something. I hear him chuckle behind me and I just know he's watching me walk away. The thought makes my cheeks flush furiously.

As I turn out of the alley, I bump into yet another hard chest. I huff a laugh, feeling a bit stupid now, before looking up. Luckily, it was a familiar face this time.

"Hola, Manuel. ¿Cómo estás?" I greet Bernardo's friend politely with a smile, softening my grip on my purse.

He smiles sweetly down at me, rocking on his heels, "Hola, Y/N. Estoy bien, what about you? You look a little startled." He quirks a brow at me, taking in my still pinched brows.

I relax my face and laugh awkwardly, quickly thinking of some absurd story in my head. "I'm fine, I just had a... uh, little scare with a stray cat in the alley. Pobrecito, deberías haberlo visto. He was all bones, chewing on an old shoe, but being skinny didn't stop him from nearly clawing my face off." I laugh again, Manuel laughs along with me, but I can tell he's just doing it to be polite.

He clears his throat and tucks his hands into his pockets nervously, "Y/N, quería preguntarte algo..." My lips quirk into a thin line. I had a feeling Bernardo would try and get another one of his friends to ask me out again, it had been too quiet lately. With the dance coming up in just a few weeks, I figured that's what Manuel would ask me about.

I quickly pretend to check my watch and suck in a breath of air through my teeth, "Ay, Manuel, perdón. I really have to go, Anita needs help with cleaning the apartment today and I promised I'd help her. ¡Adiós!" I wave to him and quickly run down the block. Sure, it was immature and rude, but I just couldn't deal with another one of Bernardo's insane matchmaking attempts today.

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I rush into the apartment and close the door behind me, slumping against it tiredly. At this time of day, Nardo was at the gym and Anita was at the dress shop. It was a small window of time in the apartment that was just for me.

I kick off my flats and hang my purse up on the key rack next to the door before waltzing into my bedroom. I kick my door shut and flop face down onto my bed, snuggling into my blanket. Thankfully, the heat had gone down just a bit and the yarn in my blanket didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as it did this morning. I turn over onto my back and sigh contentedly, staring up at the ceiling. My moment of peace is then interrupted by a flash of the Jet's face in my mind. My smile drops. I turn onto my stomach again, bury my face in my pillow and groan in frustration. Why couldn't I get him out of my head? Maybe there's something wrong with me.

I climb out of my bed and walk over to my bedroom window, opening up the lace curtains to soak in the sunshine. I open up the window and climb onto the fire escape, hoping the fresh air would help me ease my mind. I sit on the steps and close my eyes, basking in the fresh air and sun rays. Then, I remember what that Jet said to me and it makes everything worse!

"I'd remember those big eyes of yours anywhere..."

I scoff to myself, my cheeks flushed. What did that even mean?! Was he trying to flirt with me? Did I like it? No. This is not happening. I don't even know his name! But I do know one very important thing. He is a Jet. That should be enough reason for me to drop this silly idea... but it isn't. That Jet was flirting with me and some sick part of me liked it. There is no denying it, no matter how hard I try. Just then, an idea strikes my mind. A way to get the Jet out of my head for good. A solution that's been staring me in the face, presenting itself to me time and time again. Well, now I will finally give in. Now, I will let it happen. I am going to let Nardo set me up with one of his friends.

This is sure to work! Most of Nardo's friends are handsome and fun. How could I possibly think of the Jet when I'm with a Shark? It's a foolproof plan. When Bernardo and Anita come home, I will surrender. After three long months of dodging dates left and right, I will tell Nardo that I've been considering his words and I've decided to go to the dance with one of his friends. Nardo will most likely choose Manuel. I wouldn’t be upset about it being Manuel. He's a good looking boy with his tan skin, curly brown hair, and perfect teeth. Yes, this is a good plan. A solid plan.

I smile triumphantly to myself before climbing through the window back into my bedroom. I sigh softly and begin tidying up a bit. I need to busy myself, I can't think about this too long or I'll regret it before it even happens.

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When Anita and Bernardo get home at around 5:00, I usher them to sit with me at the dining table. I smile at them, they both give me a look like I'm crazy, then I clear my throat, "I've decided on something. I think this will satisfy you both."

Bernardo quirks a brow at me, "Well, spit it out, pollita."

I laugh softly and nod, "Okay... I am going to let you choose my date for the dance."

Anita's eyes widen in surprise and Bernardo grins broadly, "¡Finalmente! I've been waiting for you to say this, it's a miracle!"

Anita rolls her eyes at him as he continues going on his rant of triumph. Nardo then stands from the table, "I'm going to tell Manuel!" He runs out of the apartment in excitement, shutting the door behind him.

Anita quirks a brow at me in suspicion, "So... why have you suddenly given up? What's going on with you?"

I pinch my brows, "¿De que estás hablando?"

She stands from her seat and circles the table until she stands before me, "You know what I'm talking about. Just today you were whining to me, saying that you didn't want to go to the dance because your brother would try to get you to go with one of his friends. What made you change your mind?"

I laugh, shaking my head, "Nada, I'm just trying to be a good sister and make life easier for my brother."

Anita gives me a look like she doesn't believe me, but backs off anyway, "Okay... if you say so, Y/N."

I give her a soft smile, "Don't worry about me, Anita."

She laughs, gently pulling me into a hug, "I always worry."

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[mortuaest]

Large rant, sorry. Please ignore if any of the trigger warnings are going to be an issue. I need to get it off of my chest because if I rant on FB I get hit with a character limit and I should make a personal Tumblr which I think I have but dont remember shit about.

Ive been having severe, and I mean severe as fuck mental and emotional breakdowns because of the fact that its literally been almost a year (Its going to be a year October 29th) since I've had to put down Ice Cube, my ESA of 14.5 years. He had cancer in his cheek and it was placed right to where it would effect his quality of life severely negatively if we tried to surgically take it out, and he would possibly die on the table if we did it because of his age, and he was declining (He wasn't eating, he was drinking, he really wasnt eating as much as I wanted him to, he was spitting back up the pills I was giving him, he was suffering) and my mental and emotional health has been severely suffering each and every day that passes without him.

I have another cat, I got him in April, thinking I was alright. Which I was I guess. Im being reminded via FB memories and just my own fucked up brain wanting me to join him to where I'm legit giving myself until December 31st, 2023 to have someone. Anyone give me a fucking sigh to keep on living. Im going to be going through a program my friend suggested to make a will, making her I forgot the words she used but shes going to make sure that my will is listened to and Albert Whisker, the cat I have now is taken care of.

I cant keep on living, and the fact that this heartbreak is fucking me up so badly to the point where the large baggie of medications (ranging from insomnia medications to Very STRONG painkillers and such, as well as my daily medications the day of me going to attempt) is very tempting to take now. And I mean very tempting. Meaning I almost took it yesterday, after my first mental break and me physically hurting myself by slamming a brush ungodly hard into my head because I legit believe I deserve everything that has happened to me (The physical, emotional and mental abuse that I got for 20 some odd years from my mother, the severe car accident from last year, the rapes, everything. My friends being murdered or dying around me, loosing the only thing that even brought light to my life).

No one in my life cares. No one seems to care. Ive been severely struggling and each time IVe even bothered to reach out for help via friends. Since my father hates me for being trans and my sister doesnt give a fuck to even bother to help me. My mother was the cause of my two rapes/sexual assaults in my life and wants me dead because Im autistic. No one wants to help, or no one seems interested in even keeping me around.

Cosplay isnt helping. Video games aren't either. I havent felt any happiness since last year. I could deal with this if he was still alive. But at the same time Im lying to myself, I havent known what made me happy other than my past cat Ice Cube. I stayed for him since I love him. I had him since he was five weeks old. We bonded. Its not the case with Albert and I feel he loves me but we dont have the connection and never will.

Im never going to feel anything other than severe misery and depression. At least, that's what I 100% believe.

TLDR: Im severely struggling and dont know what to do anymore. I dont trust my new therapist even though she has stated more than once and my friend who also goes to her has stated more than once she wont send me to inpatient or CPAP and she tries to avoid hospitalization if we can. But because of multiple decades of PTSD, abuse, and being denied the proper treatment, help, support from friends and family that I should of gotten Im at the point where Im giving myself until December 31st to find a reason to stay alive and if I dont then Im letting my queue run out.

[tetrisfinished]

ITALY 2024

okay so....we did italy! nuts right!?

we went from sep 16, 2024 to oct 2, 2024 and here was our daily breakdown of activities (it was just yasir, esi, and i).

DAY 1: Sep 16, 2024 - Mon - Toronto

this was the day of our flight; air canada direct from YYZ (toronto) to FCO (rome)

the flight was fine, totally on time, airport shenanigans were had

it was kind of a red eye, because it was at 8:15 PM departure toronto time, and we arrived in rome the following day at 10:50 AM rome time

it was a smooth-ish flight - the seat belt did not fit me so i had to ask for a belt extender and it was perhaps the worst moment of my life. but then i decided to push past it - i'm fat. that's that.

esa slept for almost 7 hours during the flight after food which was of course AMAZING - luckily we had 3 empty seats in the aisle section of the plane so he slept lengthwise on them

though i was not able to sleep - despite actually being really easily able to sleep, i kept jerking myself awake thinking esa was going to fall off the seats where he was sleeping - so that wasn't great for me lol

DAY 2: Sep 17, 2024 - Tue - Rome/Naples

we arrived in rome on time and then took the train to termini station (after getting a couple snacks at the airport)

next we missed the train from termini to naples that we had booked (the 1 PM train) and ended up on the 2:38 PM train to naples

termini is huge, and the washroom costs 1 euro to use and of course yasir had not prepared with cash or anything - luckily they accept card

we got on the high speed frecciarosa train to naples and it rained and got a bit chilly - the whole time all i could think was urgh i will never hear the end of it from yasir because i insisted that it would be good weather during our visit (PER GOOGLE, IT SHOULD BE) but he was hesitant right from the get go

when we got to naples stazionne centrale (central station) we had our first official italian meal - burger king lol

then we got a taxi to come to our b&b - napolita bonita b&b

once we got to the b&b it was about 6:30 PM so basically wasted the whole day away

yasir wanted to go out but i was exhausted (at this point i think i'd been up since toronto time 6 in the morning the previous day with VERY MINIMAL sleep in between)

so i opted to stay and basically esa and i fell asleep immediately - or at least i'd say by 7:30-8 PM at the latest

yasir ended up going out to explore the area directly outside the b&b and got a chocolate gelato for esa - though he did come in the door yelling how it was already melting and they ate it but more or less it had melted

i saw the aftermath on the towels stained brown to look like poop (to my extreme, immediate, but thankfully shortlived horror) the next time i went to the bathroom

DAY 3 - Sep 18, 2024 - Wed - Naples/Amalfi/Pompei

this day started for us at about 12:30 AM because all 3 of us "naturally" woke up - thanks again to jet lag

then we got hungry, luckily the b&b was sort of stocked with basic food choices (VERY basic) so we grabbed some milk and cookies and rusk (papay, in italy! lol crazy, right?) and packaged croissants and ate those.

we went back to sleep between 2:30-3 AM - after a lot of begging and coercing with esa since he was not super interested but we were all of course super tired :p

i woke up around 5:30 AM and took a shower and prayed fajr and got ready

woke up esa at 7 AM and got him ready quickly - he was in a great mood so that was an excellent start to my day

on this day we had pre-booked a day trip from naples > amalfi coast > pompei with stops at the limoncello factory as well as scenic viewpoint stops at sorrento and positano and on the way to pompei a stop at a viewpoint at the other side of the mountain

our pickup was at 8 AM and we got to our pickup location on time, though not having had any breakfast

we asked the driver if it was okay and we grabbed some breakfast from a nearby cafe - some coffee and croissants

then we were on our way (after one final pickup) to the amalfi coast

on the way we stopped at the limoncello factory and had some gelato and took some pictures

we also stopped at viewpoints in sorrento and positano before arriving in the amalfi coast where we grabbed a quick lunch and gelato and hung out - didn't honestly have that much time to explore but we went by the water and it was just gorgeous

then we hopped back on our tour JUST as the rain was about to begin and headed towards pompei - again with stops on the way to capture the gorgeous cities down below the mountain

then we arrived at pompei for our guided tour of the ruins and oh my goodness it is fascinating the way these ruins contained a full civilization inside them!

finally after the tour (where esa met and befriended a local stray and then asked us for a cat at home), we were on our way back to our hotel pickup spots

however, we were unable to actually be dropped off where we were picked up, thanks to "mama i need to go poopoo" lol

i'm NOT complaining - thank god, esa is telling and has been overall good with the whole potty sitch, so we got off at a major-looking roundabout where we found a little cafe/bar and asked to use their toilet

after that yasir found the hidden gem karachi chicken grill point in naples which is where we went for kabuli pulao and seekh kabab

the pulao was actually not bad - I don't know what i was expecting from desi food in italy (to be honest not great) but it actually tasted very authentic!

in any case, after dinner we walked back to the b&b; esa and i came in and showered right away, and then esa asked for "remember how we had milk and cookies last night? [we did] can we do dis again, mama?"

so of course, had to oblige and had some milk and cookies dinner in bed and then we went to sleep

DAY 4 - Sep 19, 2024 - Thu - Naples

this day was meant for just hanging out and relaxing and seeing naples by ourselves

in the morning we had breakfast at the b&b along with the other guests (one english couple and one american)

then we went out to see the city - first up was spanish quarter, but we detoured first to a miniso and then to some glasses shop

then we happened to find galleria umberto I which is a shopping centre - here esa announced he was hungry so he had a happy meal at one of the fanciest mcd's i think i'll ever come across lol

then we left and walked to the piazza plebescito and saw the palazzo reale (royal palace) and basilica reale and the two horse statues

after that we walked down via cesario console (i believe, looking at the map) and got a mint slushie (pro tip - do not do this unless you like drinking toothpaste...) and a chocolate gelato for esa which he proceed to ruin his clothes with along with his face and stroller - and didn't even finish!

then we walked back up the road and went towards basilica santa chiara

on the way we stopped back at our b&b and changed esa

then at the basilica, yasir was hesitant about purchasing tickets because he saw the church in amalfi coast and thought it would be the same

spoiler - it was not the same (he purchased the tickets, thank goodness). there was a GORGEOUS courtyard with old benches and pillars with art from I don't know even when - i didn't get wifi so i wasn't able to listen to the guided tour that came with our tickets so i was really sad about that, but overall gorgeous place!

then we walked to gino e toto sorbillo which was a tiktok famous pizza place recommendation and had a margherita and ortula (not exactly the same, but close enough) pizzas - both yasir and esa ate them and it made me so so so happy!

after we left the restaurant - where i asked yasir to take esa to the bathroom, and he did, and did not change him because esa had FULLY wet himself, we came outside and changed esa on the street (so many rolly eyes emojis)

then we walked to the funiculour so we could go up to see the sunset at castel sant elmo - we almost purchased the tickets and went in but then decided against it and walked down the road to the open viewpoint

the sunset wasn't great because it was super cloudy - but the view was gorgeous and there was a little cafe where we had a couple of sweet things and coffee, juice, warm milk for esi

we left after dark and found a cab back to the b&b just as the rain started - by the time we got back to our b&b it was a full thunder storm with lightening and the works!

during our cab ride there was some slowdown and it turns out it was because it was the miracle of san gerrano day in naples (as explained to us by the driver)

so the story goes that naples had a "patron saint" (i say this in quotes because i'm not sure if i'm recalling it correctly and also because i don't know exactly what that is...) whose blood was collected after his death. and every year a miracle occurs on the 19th of september where the blood liquifies. the residents of naples consider this a sign of good luck and well being when the blood liquifies. on occasions when it doesn't liquify, they believe terrible things will happen. the last time it did not liquify was in 2019 - and covid happened. another time prior was 1943 - and mount vesuvius erupted in 1944.

the driver explained that naples residents were an equal parts religious and luck-believing people, and he himself pointed out the irony in that lol but it was an interesting insight into the culture, so i really appreciated it!

anyway, back at the b&b, esa and i headed straight into the shower and he showered first, then i showered, and we went to bed

DAY 5 - Sep 20, 2024 - Fri - Naples/Rome

this day started with my waking up in the middle of the night (per usual) and writing out my post (this post lol) i figure during this trip i would do it as concurrently as possible because i will totally forget the details by the time the trip is over :'(

then i woke up around 7 am to go do the laundry down the road from the b&b and had a lovely chat with a gentleman traveliing with his wife from australia

after laundry i got back to the b&b around 9:20 AM and had breakfast - esa had peed in the bed and was sitting dressed up at the breakfast table not eating anything

then we got ready to check out and headed over to napoli centrale stazione

we arrived at about 11:40 AM and were able to get booked on the 12:09 PM train so we caught it just in time and headed to rome

in rome, we grabbed a quick lunch at an istanbul kebab and indian restaurant combination spot (right outside termini)

then we walked to the b&b which was walking distance, thankfully and checked in - though this took a while. all the bookings are completed by me, but my phone is off and yasir of course receives none of the confirmations....

anyway, we finally got in - the b&b is tiny and of course i'm pissed

then i needed a nap, so i slept a bit after setting up and yasir and esa went out for a few minutes

after i woke up, esa and i were hungry so we walked out and explored the area - found a park, to esa's extreme delight and stayed until maghrib

after maghrib we found a zenobia cafe right across from it and went and had dinner - syrian food

after dinner we walked back to the b&b and slept

DAY 6 - Sep 21, 2024 - Sat - Rome

the day started around 8:30 AM-ish when we went for breakfast at the b&b

we ate a big breakfast (at least i did, anyway) and i took a shower and got ready and got esa ready and yasir took a shower and got ready as well

then we went to the first attraction which was basilica de santa maria maggiore

omg when i tell you the grandeur of this church was something else - please believe that it was in fact SOMETHING ELSE.

it was actually making me irrationally irritated being there because the amount of effort and money that must have gone into making and now maintaining these buildings all in the name of religion must be astronomical - and yet in the name of the same religion and religious institutions so much bad is happening in the world.

anyway. whatever.

after we left the church, we decided to get onto a hop on hop off bus and rode it for a while

we exited the bus at piazza barberini and had lunch at that's amore

then we walked to get some gelato and were on our way to the trevi fountain where we took our pictures and admired the fountain

after that we walked to the pantheon and stood in line for about a half hour only to find out that we'd missed our opportunity and the tickets were sold out for the day

after that we walked to the spanish steps and then sat down there for a bit

then we climbed the spanish steps (first esa and yasir went alone, then the 3 of us went together) and stopped at a restaurant named novecento and had some drinks and tiramisu

after that we walked to the villa borghese stop for our hop on hop off and got on board (i managed to lose our tickets though, so that was fun 8-) but they let us on with the transaction in my apple wallet

the bus we got on was the last one for the day and we exited the bus at termini

after exiting we walked to the same place we had dinner at the day before - ristorante zenobia and ordered the makloubeh and shish tawouk and ate

after that we walked back to the b&b, all 3 of us showered, and went to bed!

DAY 7 - Sep 22, 2024 - Sun - Rome

this day was nuts! at the end of the day, my phone clocked a total of 19,446 steps!

we had colosseum/palatine hill/roman forum tickets for this day

our reservation was for 9:45 AM and we left the b&b pretty much immediately after breakfast

we walked to the colosseum (yes, walked, because that's how close it was to our b&b) and got in

the structure and history of this monument is just....beyond words! we spent a couple hours there and then we walked to palatine hill and saw all the MANY things to see there including but not limited to:

colosseum arch of constantine temple of venus and rome arch of titus palatine basilica of maxentius roman forum farnese gardens house of augustus ninfeo deggli specchi ninfeo della pioggia

then we exited through the roman forum out to via de fori imperiale and the road was closed and full of people and buskers - there were break dancers, humans dressed as statues, people in giant bear and panda costumes, and my PERSONAL favourite - the pianist whose music rang through the square

right across the roman forum are the follwing attractions that we saw as well:

foro traiano colonna traiana imperial fora le colonnacce

from there we walked to the altaire della patria and yasir convinced me to climb up to the top of this MASSIVE BUILDING where they had a little square - so i did, and oh boy am i glad i did! it was soooooo beautiful!

next, we had a few snacks at the cafe there and yasir and esa went to the bathroom, which was on the ground floor of this monster building so he had to go down and come back up once again! (not to mention that he went down and came back up the first time too, because he went alone at first before convincing me to come up with him)

then we had our snacks and yasir decided we should go up by elevator to their terrance - this was right around sunset

that had to be one of the hands down most beautiful city scapes i've ever seen in my life - and that too at golden hour!

anyway, that was of course the moment that esa needed to poop so yasir and esa went down again and i stayed behind because i just couldn't leave that sunset

then, of course, the attraction closed and both mine and yasir's phones died lol

soooo ya, anyway as it closed, i went down along with everyone else and there were yasir and esa right at the bottom trying to get up to find me

next we walked over to the ara coeli staircase - or i should say yasir did, i chose to sit at the bottom

and when he got back, we hung out at the bottom of the stairs figuring out what to do

we decided to try and get a cab back to the b&b but none of the cabs stopped for us, so we sort of kept walking along

then finally we figured we wouldn't be able to do anything without charging our phones so we stopped in at an irish pub and charged our phones and ate some food

then we decided to walk it back to the b&b - where esa slept almost immediately, i showered, and then i slept

DAY 8 - Sep 23, 2024 - Mon - Rome/Vatican

on this day we had booked our tickets for the vatican museums and sistine chapel

we woke up in the morning and were fairly relaxed about getting there because our tickets were for a guided tour at 11:30 AM

we had breakfast at the b&b and then got ready to go, but by the time we left it was already past 10:30 AM and then we were not able to find any cabs and got stuck waiting on a hop on hop off bus instead

so that's what we did

except like 3 buses arrived at the stop completely full before we were finally able to get onto one

and then the bus stopped at the vatican city, except it's a fair way away from the actual vatican where it stops so it was a long walk fr us to get ot the musem

luckily we had tickets so we could skip the line, but by the time we finally made it to the front to enter it was 1:30 PM...

when the entrance person first scanned our ticket it sounded a big beep - and he looked and realized we were late

luckily, we were still able to enter, however it was just going to be a self directed tour instead of a guided one

such is life, so we started goiing through it, until we got through to the seond or third museum when esa had an accident and then i rushed him through all the remainder of the museums (if i'm recalling correctly, there are 13 in total and the ending exhibit is sistine chapel) to get to the toilets which are after the san rafaello museum

of course esa had to be changed and i was upset at him - this was kind of the shitty part of the trip

but afterwards we walked ahead and got to the sistine chapel

after the sistine chapel we stopped and had a light bite to eat and then were on our way to st. peter's basilica where we decided we wanted to go in

there was a fairly long line up for that, however it was free and the line moved fairly quickly

and once we got literally to the front door of the basilica, like clockwork once again, esa needed to pee

and of course there were no toilets until you exited, so i did and then i ran with esa to the toilet where OF COURSE there was a long ass line for the women's room and almost no line for the men's

so i took esa and stood outside the men's room area (luckily there were no doors to the overall bathroom)

and directed him to go pee and find a toilet (which he at first could not find) and then when he did he almost forgot to close the door

and then at the end when he needed to wash his hands, he couldn't figure it out but thank GOD, one of the men in the washroom saw us. he had literally been done and LEFT but then CAME BACK to help esa with washing his hands and if that's not a miracle, I don't know what fucking is.

anyway, once we got out, we decided to get back into the line and try again

this time we were able to get in and see the basilica, but the st peter's grottoes had jUST closed for the day so we missed those - ah wells

and when we got out we spent some more time at the square and finally decided it was time to go back

i was in no mood to do a 30 minute walk at sunset back to the b&b so despite that there was no taxi that showed up, i booked an uber black

then we got back and yasir decided again that he wanted to have a desi dinner so we walked around termini area (close to our b&b) to have desi food

after dinner we walked back to the b&b and i think i didn't even shower that night because i was exhausted

and we went to sleep

oh also, the night before esa had had an accident in bed, the b&b hadn't even replaced the sheets so esa and yasir slept together on the single bed while i slept on the very corner of my side of the double

rome's b&b was my least favourite and i definitely regret not pushing for spending more money on the stays there - though yasir believes it was all good, and no big deal - he isn't correct.

DAY 9 - Sep 24, 2024 - Tue - Rome/Florence

on this day we started off with breakfast at the b&b and then we packed up and checked out officially, but left our baggage there to go and explore some more

we walked around the area and explored a little bit and i got a matte privacy screen protector for my phone, which i really enjoy

esa also made a purchase of his red sunglasses that day - when he bought them he asked to call khala and minnu to show them his purchase lol but obviously it was too early in canada so we couldn't do that

and then later on decided he wanted a phone case (thinking it was a phone) from the store that i purchased my screen protector from and then insisted on "turn my gasshess to get the phone" (read: return my glasses to get the phone) l o l so that was a fun ride

after we'd finished exploring, we went back to the b&b, got our luggage and went to termini to catch our train to florence

at termini of course we (esa and i) were left waiting while yasir bs'ed around the ticket booths to get our seats - 5 cities, and 5 inter-city train rides and yasir never got it through his thick fucking head that you can do that ahead of time and save yourself a lot of trouble

but ANYWAY, on the train, esa and yasir went to the dining cart and esa smugly brought back a box of popcorn for himself - i have the cutest video of them coming back and urgh my kid is adorkable (mashallah)

we arrived at the florence b&b at around 5:30-ish PM and checked in - this one was MUCH nicer than rome's so we breathed a major sigh of relief

and then we walked around to go find some dinner, which of course ended up being some shawarma at the local shawarma place lol

then we walked around some more and then came back to the b&b after it had gotten dark to sleep

DAY 10 - Sep 25, 2024 - Wed - Florence

on this day we got up, had breakfast, got ready and began our exploratiojn of florence

we started off at the officina profuma-farmaceutica santa maria novella - the (self proclaimed) oldest pharmacy in the world dating back to 1221

i posted it in my instagram stories and one of my friends pointed out (rightfully so) that it is of course self proclaimed because pharmacies and medicinal practices and perfumeries existed in the "brown" world long beforr this time, but as per the colonial habit - they love to claim they're the first to do everything lol

anyway, over here i got my souvenirs for mama and javaria - rose water toner

then we grabbed a cappuccino and a cookie for esa and yasir and i and walked to the basilica santa maria novella in the piazza santa maria novella and walked around in the church and the gardens behind it for a while

then we grabbed lunch at a restaurant in the piazza (pizza and risotto - neither of which yasir liked so that was lovely)

after that we walked ahead to the dumo firenze and stood in line to get in there

while in line we enjoyed a gelato, which was lovely

after the duomo, we walked around a bit and as i was guiding us to our next stop i noticed on the map there was something labeled merry go round; i searched for it in the area and got directions and lo and behold found ourselves at piazza della republica where there was indeed a merry go round

so we got on and took a couple spins on the merry go round, which esa of course enjoyed so i loved it too

it was a pretty cool piazza too, so i was very happy to spend time there

after the piazza, we walked through and found ourselves at one of the many local leather mercatos (marketplaces) in florence and we walked through there

esa immediately found a shark shaped keychain which yasir of course did not buy him because this was the moment yasir chose to try and parent his kid (rolling my eyez 4 DAYZ)

anyway, after walking around the mercato we continued forward to the literal castle called palazzo vecchio in the piazza della signora

we walked through inside to the part that was open to the general public, noticed the terrace tickets were sold out, and walked out and of course this was the moment i ran out of storage on my phone

and general phone battery dying problems had begun

so we decided to take a quick pause and sat down at a cafe in the same piazza - the gucci cafe lol

here we charged our phones, i deleted whatever i could to try and make more space on my phone, and then i went back to the castle quickly to take the pictures i missed :'(

after this we walked over to basilica di santa croce in piazza de santa croce which was actually something yasir had added to the itinerary

unfortunately, when we got there it was already closed so we mostly just looked around outside of it

then we walked to the school of leather which is a functioning and open school where leather goods are produced to this date

here i purchased javaria's cross body bag and ahsan's belt - leather items, for her birthday and his souvenir

after that we kept on walking - in all honesty, i was in the mood to just go back to the b&b but yasir wanted to keep walking so we did and when we did we eventually found ourselves at the river in florence called river amo

we walked along the river around sunset and crossed to the other side and then we stopped for dinner - yasir had declared earlier that he was in the mood for something "chatpatta" and lo and behold we found a pakistani restaurant that night

biryani and daal and malai koftay and naan were had and oh man i gotta say that was some ELITE level biryani in florence that night

after dinner, it was dark and rained for a bit so it was obviously time to go back to the b&b - but not before passing by ponte vecchio in florence, which is a famous bridge with restaurants and only a walking path along it

yasir figured out the bus route that would take us back so we hopped on a bus and went back to the b&b and slept

this was perhaps my absolute favourite day in the whole of the italy trip and probably also the reason that florence has been my favourite city hands DOWN

DAY 11 - Sep 26, 2025 - Thu - Florence/Pisa/San Gimignano/Siena

on this day we woke up bright and early and made our way to the florence train station where we were being picked up by the tour group that we'd signed up with

at the train station we got some food and then we were picked up by our tour group and walked to the coach bus to begin our tour

the first leg of the tour was an hour-ish long ride to pisa, where we stopped and saw the leaning tower of pisa and had some quick fries

then we got back on the bus to go to a local winery and had the most bland meal i've perhaps ever had along with a wine tasting that of course we did not take part in lol

at the winery after lunch we enjoyed the gorgeous views of the italian (tuscan) countryside and also there was a cat on the property that esa and i played with for a few minutes

after lunch we got back on the bus to go to a place called san gimignano which was my favourite stop of the day

it's an old town that was maintained from way back when and it's just so gorgeous with some amazing views

at the end of the hour or so there, yasir took esa to the bathroom and asked for me to get him a gelato - i got 3 cones and it was such a windy day they all literally flew from the cone in droplets onto my dress because it took esa and yasir FOREVER in the bathroom lol

anyway, we came back to the bus and were on our way to the world unesco heritage site of siena, where we were supposed to have a guided tour

i gave up my spot on the guided tour because i thought esa was getting fairly tired and hungry, so the two of us just went to a cafe and had some gelato while yasir did the tour

then we went back to the main square which was the meetup spot and back on the bus and back to the b&b

DAY 12 - Sep 27, 2025 - Fri - Florence/Milan

on this day we woke up at the b&b, did our packing

i took a quick shower in the morning - which i'm only mentioning because i want to memorialize this esa-story here; prior to my shower, yasir quickly went to the washroom to wash his hands. after he was done, there was not a towel immediately available so he sort of shook his hands and of course the water droplets from his hands fell to the floor. while esa was still fully in earshot, i gave yasir some sass in the sarcastic form of: "great, why don't you wet the whole floor so i slip and die?". esa immediately yelled "I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE, MAMA!" and of course i realized what i'd done so i told him it's totally okay, i'm not going to die yet and i was just joking. and then went into the shower lol

i was maybe 4 minutes in the shower when i heard knocking on the door so i called out to ask who it was - it was my little widdle baby boy asking: "mama have you died?" sigh

of course i respnded by saying no, baby i haven't

another couple of minutes later he just walked right in to the bathroom to confirm that i had in fact, not died.

and the final piece of this "occasional" trauma - let's call it that - that presented itself was later that morning when esa needed to go pee himself, but when he got to the toilet, he got scared and told his abba (who had taken him) that he didn't want to die....

my poor baby, i am so sad and remorseful and even a bit ashamed of what i said and who knows what level of anxiety he faced this morning...but almost more than that (though bad on me, again) i'm amazed that my 4 year old has the depth of understanding that he does about death....that frankly scared me a little bit....

anyway, that was the whole story. after getting breakfast, we came back to our room and got ready - i had already completed my packing beforehand but yasir was still not done so he finished up and then we checked out and went to the train station where we waited another two hours before our scheduled train to milan

the remainder of this day i'm going to title - yasir is the fucking worst sometimes.

when we got to the b&b at milan (took a cab from the train station), we came in and yasir immediately went on his phone

the day before, something kind of big happened which was yasir's bank account was closed because he did a transaction here in italy and it got dinged as suspicious activity so yasir was (i suppose, rightfully so) stressed about this

but when we got into the b&b, tired, and hungry, and knowing that we had laundry to get done almost immediately AND knowing that i had started my period and needed pads - yasir chose to spend an hour and a half on his phone just trying to figure out what happened

i understand the gravity of the situation - but FUCKING COME ON, man you could have done that AFTER dinner and putting esa to sleep could you not!?

then finally we left, literally 10 minutes before the nearest laundromat was supposed to close and turns out they didn't offer next day service

and by then esa had started saying he was hungry

so carrying all the laundry in esa's stroller, i decided we could go to the burger place and grab some food first because my baby was tired and hungry

but that place was closed

i would have gone to literally any other of the multiple open cafes in the area just to get a really quick bite into esa and walk back

but yasir instead chose this moment in time to ask a rando on the street about where to find good desi food and then proceeded to take us to this place via tram (as opposed to sitting a 4 minute walk away from where we were staying....) to get his goddamn fucking mutton biryani

this, after he yelled at me for only ever caring about food - after i yelled at him for literally wasting our time this evening

so we went and ate and came back and i put esa to sleep while of course yasir fucked off again to get his water bottles for his daily metamucil intake - fuck me amirite?

and then when he got back and after esa was finally asleep, i left around 9:10-ish PM to the closest self serve laundromat in the area and did my laundry for the next couple of hours

uber'ed there and uber'ed back for ridiculous fares, but thank goodness that the laundry was done - i wasn't able to get my pads, though because i had needed to pee really badly but such is life

when i got back, yasir had slept with esa and i pulled out the sofa bed and slept there

DAY 13 - Sep 28, 2024 - Sat - Milan

on this day we woke up and i had already picked a place that i wanted to get breakfast from - it was called mugs & co

we went and luckily were able to get a table there (i say luckily because it was full and they were asking for reservations for all the other folks that came)

it took a few tries to get our order correct, but we got breakfast and then went on our way to the duomo

before we got there, we stopped by a church where a wedding was happening and esa somehow managed to find a shark bracelet (baby shark merch) which he insisted on purchasing (successfully)

when we got to the duomo, the tickets were sold out for terrace, so instead yasir purchased the skip the line tickets for entry and we went in to see

after that we went to the galleria vittorio emanuele ii and walked around for a bit

then we grabbed some lunch and a bathroom break at the local mcdonald's - i mention bathroom break because i needed to go, and there was a long line up. and as we got to the front of the line we realized that this HUGE mcd's right across from duomo milano had only F O U R toilets (i'm speaking re: women's bathroom, can't say what the men's was like) of which 1 was out of order and 1 stall literally did not have a DOOR on it. a lady behind me chose to go into the men's bathroom because she couldn't wait and another lady behind me chose to go into the stall without a door because she couldn't wait - overall pretty terrible situation.

anyway, after that, we decided to take the hop on hop off bus through milan and rode it for a full loop to see and hear about the interesting places

and after the hop on hop off we decided to try and go to the sforzesco castle - but on the way we stopped for gelato and realized it was getting late, so we instead decided to come back to the b&b

we came back to the b&b and grabbed dinner at a doner/shawarma place on the way, where esi had some falafel for the first time ever

then quickly before heading back to the b&b i went and grabbed some eggs and bread so the following 2 mornings we could just have breakfast at the b&b (this location was basically a full apartment) and then we got back and went to bed

DAY 14 - Sep 29, 2024 - Sun - Milan

the next morning we woke up, had breakfast, i took a shower and got dressed and we headed out the door in the afternoon (we really had a super chill sunday morning)

first we stopped at the mubo museum right near our b&b because the building looked kind of cool and esa played on the chalkboard for a little while

then we kept walking at a leisurely pace down through the city towards our destination - the sforzesco castle/sempione park - when i say leisurely i mean we took many stops to walk around various areas and see the buildings because it was a really chill day for us

before getting to duomo, we also had lunch at this place called roadhouse (looked like a jack-astors-esque chain) where yasir accidentally ordered beef tartare thinking it was steak lol

then we took the hop on hop off again because our previous day's ticket was still valid and again took a full loop back to the duomo - the reason for taking it was to see if we could get closer to the castle via the bus but it really didn't do much to help us get closer so we got back off at duomo and walked over

after walking through the castle and sempione park, we decided it was time to get back to the b&b

DAY 15 - Sep 30, 2024 - Mon - Milan/Venice

the next morning we woke up, packed our stuff, had breakfast, and checked out of the b&b and took a taxi back to milan central train station

while yasir dealt with getting our seats (yet AGAIN at the goddamn last minute), esa and i sat and ate at mcdonald's

then we finally got on our train to go to venice and arrived there around 3:00 PM-ish and made our way to the b&b

we had a hard time getting to the b&b because yasir is shit at following google maps directions or reading messages and then when we got in it was kind of overwhelming and i had an altercation with the b&b owner over the phone - in which he straight up yelled at me...

anyway, whatever that story for another time (it does have a happy conclusion, so happy to report on that for now)

after we settled in, we went outside to walk around and explore for a bit and then we came back to the b&b and slept

DAY 16 - Oct 1, 2024 - Tue - Venice

the next morning we woke up and had breakfast on the terrace in the b&b which was lovely (and would have been excellent if it wasn't for the mosquitoes)

we also chatted with the other guests there who had come from australia, whom yasir told that our whole trip had been planned meticulously by chatGPT and completely dismissed all of my effort...lol so that was fun

then we got ready and headed out to explore the area

first we stopped at a nearby church where an artistic exhibition was being hosted - the name of the exhibit was "another one bites the dust" and it was by an artist named yu hong held at the Chiesetta della Misericordia

after that, we walked through the streets of venice and went to the liberia acqua alta - i had seen on tiktok that this super old bookstore had a gondola you could just go and sit in and take pictures in at the back, though unfortunately this was not the case

after i took a quick stroll through the bookstore, we were on our way again to fondamenta nuove (9) to catch the boat to the islands of murano and burano

we got on the boat and stopped at burano where we walked through the super colourful houses and had lunch and then gelato

after that we went back on the boat to get to murano, though we only really got off the boat in murano to get esa to the bathroom

burano is known for it's local lacemaking and murano is known for it's local glass blowing

after murano we got back to venice and headed to the rialto bridge - which is a main attraction in venice

after rialto, yasir was feeling a bit out of energy so we went to grab a quick coffee and phone charge at a local cafe

once we were done there we went to saint marks' square and then back to rialto

after that we had dinner at a local shawarma place and then esa insisted on having gelato and then we went back to the b&b and slept

DAY 17 - Oct 2, 2024 - Wed - Venice/Toronto

this was our last morning - we needed to get to the airport so i had woken up much earlier to finish up my packing and shower

then we got ready, didn't have breakfast and made our way to the closest boat station to get a water boat to the airport in venice

then we got to the airport and ate some food after check in, baggage line, customs, etc and boarded

at the very last minute while we were going into the aircraft i thought i'd lost my phone so i ran out and tried looking for it - turns out it was in my backpack all along

then we flew back home to canada and went to mama and baba's for a few hours

at night, we got back in the car and came home - that was such a treacherous drive because it started off okay but the neend ke jhonkay i experienced during it were w i l d

but anyway, shukar alhumdullilah we made it home around midnight and that was the end of our trip to ITALY 2024 :)

[batfsm]

birds fly in every direction by distracted_dragon Thoughts, Part 2:

Chapter 11)

^^ When Tim wakes up, he’s warm and cozy. A comforting weight presses against his side, grounding him. Tim burrows into it and is rewarded with a cold nose to his cheek for his efforts. Blinking open his eyes, he finds Ace drowsily nuzzling into him.^^

Great way to wake up. Ace is the best boy. (I keep repeating myself but he really is.)

^^ They watch cute animal YouTube videos together on Tim’s bed for a while. Jason occasionally bumps their shoulders together or nudges Tim’s leg with his foot when something particularly funny happens. Eventually, he brings his homework into Tim’s room and works at his desk while Tim works on his bed. Having someone else in the room while he studies is still kind of weird, but Tim finds that he doesn’t mind it too much.^^

It's exactly what you needed Tim. Exactly. Just someone being in the room with you even if you both don't speak.

^^ “Some of his ESA and therapy dog training involved teaching him to leave your food alone,” Jason adds around a mouthful of rice.^^

I'm so glad they got him training. He's an excellent help I bet.

Why does Dick have to leave? Can't he live at home with everyone else?

The talk between Bruce and Tim went really well I think. I'm glad they could actually talk and Bruce didn't make it Tim's fault. He's trying to be a good parent and he is.

As long as you try, sometimes that is the best thing. Because at least you can say you tried and still are trying.

^^ Tim nods against Bruce’s chest. Bruce holds him for a while longer, still soothingly petting Tim’s hair. With his ear pressed to Bruce’s chest, he can hear the rhythmic thump thump thump of Bruce’s heartbeat, calm and steady. Finally, Bruce releases Tim, but not before pressing a kiss to the top of his head.^^

Bruce is so tender here. I love it.

^^ (Bruce knows a lot about video games. It’s a side effect of raising teenagers, he explains, but Tim isn’t so sure. Still, it’s kind of fun when Bruce sits down with them and helps them build Wayne Manor in Minecraft.)^^

I think it's also a side effect of being Batman. Like, you never know. A video game villain might show up...or Gotham villains learn from video games.

^^ He’s still tired all the time, but it’s a little bit easier with people around. At least Tim doesn’t have to cook for himself or run errands. That week, he ends up sleeping a lot. Sometimes Alfred has to wake him up by opening the curtains and turning on the lights to make sure that he’s not late for school. He takes lots of naps but gives Jason permission to wake him up so he doesn’t sleep through dinner and run out of time to do homework.^^

Oof. I don't really get that way but I do once in awhile.

^^ Saturday morning rolls around and Tim does not want to leave his bed. The outside world is cold and cruel-- and did he mention cold?-- but his bed is warm. He feels like his body is buzzing with static as he lays unmoving under the covers. Doing things is hard and he just wants to sleep.^^

Getting out of bed sometimes is the worst thing. At least it feels that way.

^^ The door swings open and Jason and Dick come rushing in. Dick makes a beeline for Tim’s bed and flops down next to him. “Bruce says that I need to get out my extra energy. Let’s go outside!”^^

How is Dick living by himself again? I swear he saves all his energy for home. He should move back. Then he can help his baby brothers annoy their dad all the time.

^^ “When did you go to bed?” He can practically hear the frown in Jason’s voice.

“Midnight, maybe?”

“It’s eleven in the morning. If you stay in bed for longer, you’ll just feel more tired. Trust me,” Jason replies.^^

Of course Jason knows. He went to bed probably an hour later than Tim.

What time did Dick sleep? Or didn't he yet? Because between taking care of Bludhaven and then driving home, it had to be early. Really early when he got yo the Manor.

^^ Tim obligingly wraps his arms around Jason’s neck and hops on. It’s a little bit awkward with their bulky snow clothes, but they make it work. Jason carries Tim through the halls of the Manor. When they get outside, Tim blinks and stares. Somehow, the manor’s grounds were blanketed with several inches of snow overnight.^^

The pictures would be beautiful.

Laughing so hard at Dick being a pony for Tim and then the play wrestling between Jason and Dick.

^^ Tim slides out of the sled and kneels next to his small cache of snowballs. He waits for Dick and Jason to get distracted before he strikes, hitting Dick squarely between the shoulder blades with a snowball.

Dick whirls around to look at Tim, providing Jason with the perfect opportunity to shove some snow down his coat. “Fuck, that’s cold--” he swears as Jason dances away, laughing.^^

No alliance! Get them both Tim!

^^ Together, he and Jason make it their mission to pelt Dick with as many snowballs as possible. Dick puts up a good fight, but eventually he collapses spread-eagled on the ground.

“I surrender, I surrender!” he announces as Tim creeps up, snowball in hand.

Tim unceremoniously drops the snowball on Dick’s chest as Jason stands up, dropping a half-formed snowball. He claps Tim on the shoulder before helping Dick onto his feet. “Nice job, Timbo.”

“Thank you,” Tim replies. “Dumping an armful of snow on Dick from behind was a stroke of genius.”^^

Nevermind this was funny. Just wait, Dick will get you two back.

^^ “I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. About staying here until my parents get back, I mean.” Tim fiddles with the hem of his shirt and brushes off some imaginary dirt. “I think it might be a good idea. It sounds like we’re supposed to get a lot of snow this winter, so it might get hard to bike to school.” In a quieter voice, he adds, “And it’s kinda nice being here with you guys.”

Bruce smiles and reaches out to pat Tim’s shoulder. “We love having you here,” he says earnestly. Tim leans into the touch and nods. After a moment, Bruce asks, “Are you still concerned about your parents getting angry if you stay here?”

“Not really? I mean…” Tim’s smile falls and he stares at his hands. “They didn’t really mind one way or another last time I stayed here. The time that they got mad was when I asked them if I could come hang out over here after doing badly on a test earlier that week.”

“What do you mean by mad?” Bruce asks gently.

He shrugs halfheartedly. “Yelling, and stuff.” His fingers twitch as he stops his hand from touching the mostly faded bruise on his face. “They get mad if I don’t listen or if I get a bad grade or something. Sometimes it feels like-- like they’re mad at something else, or mad at each other, and then they get mad at me. And I try to be good, I swear, but then they get mad and--” To his dismay, his eyes fill with tears that he has trouble willing away.

“Shhh, it’s not your fault,” Bruce murmurs, rubbing Tim’s back. “I know you’re a good kid, I believe you.”

Tim’s mouth speaks without his permission. “It feels like they’re always mad. Or-- or they fight, and then they get mad at me.” He hunches his shoulders and rubs at his eyes. “I just want them to come home so we can be a real family. But then they come home and they fight and--” His voice cracks.

Now he’s truly crying, tears pouring down his face. Bruce leans over and pulls Tim into a hug. “It’s okay, Tim, I’ve got you. It’s not your fault.”^^

I'm so proud of you Tim. So proud. You told someone. You did it. It was hard but you did it.

^^ “Thank you for trusting me,” Bruce replies, stroking Tim’s hair. “We’ll take care of you, okay? I promise.”

Tim nods. “I know,” he mumbles sleepily and makes grabby hands at the blanket at the foot of the bed.

Chuckling, Bruce drapes the blanket over Tim. He kisses Tim’s forehead before standing up. “Have a good nap.” Still smiling, Bruce pauses in the doorway before shutting the door behind himself.^^

Bruce is so proud of you also Tim. You have no idea how much he is.

Ah, so Dick comes over on Fridays usually. Wonder if he was taking another side of Gotham when Jason and Bruce dealt with Waylon.

^^There’s a beat of silence as Bruce regards Tim carefully. Finally, he says, “...Tim, have you been forging your parents’ signatures on your permission slips?”

Ah, shit. Busted.

“It’s not forgery if the other person gives you permission to sign for them,” he deflects. 

“And have you been able to contact your parents to obtain their permission?” Bruce replies evenly.

Tim falls silent and breaks eye contact, staring at the table instead. With a sigh, Bruce leans over and gently pats Tim’s shoulder. “I can sign it for you. You’re not in trouble, but in the future, how about you bring your permission slips to me?”^^

Such a dad move Bruce and you aren't even his dad yet.

^^ After everyone else leaves the kitchen, Tim makes sure to grab a handful of granola bars. He can use them once he’s able to find a way to sneak out of Wayne Manor into Gotham, but they’ll also make for a good food stash just in case he needs to hide in his room for whatever reason. Since he’s apparently staying with the Waynes for a while, he might as well start a food stash here in addition to the one in his room in Drake Manor.

After a moment of consideration, Tim grabs an unopened jar of peanut butter too. Protein is always good. He shoves his bounty into his backpack and retreats to his room.

Where would be a good place to hide everything? He eventually settles on stashing his hoard under a blanket in the box at the back of his closet. Hopefully, nobody will find it there.^^

Alfred will but he'll think it's like Jason...oh crap. No, no. This will be a good thing. It will.

^^Tim feels bad lying to Jason. Really, he does. Jason is his friend and he’s been nothing but nice to Tim except for maybe those times when he used a blue shell on Tim in Mario Kart, but Tim is maybe willing to let that slide. Anyways. He doesn’t want to lie to Jason, but it will look suspicious if Gotham’s Shadow is inactive whenever he stays at Wayne Manor. Tim has to find a way to sneak out of the manor without tripping one of Bruce’s many alarms.

So, that’s where Jason comes in.

They’re sitting on Jason’s bed with Jason sprawled out on his stomach as Tim flips through a treatise on criminal justice. Tim slips a bookmark between the pages and closes the book. “Hey, Jay? Could you maybe do me a favor?”

Jason looks up from his nintendo switch. “Yeah, what’s up?”

He stares down at Jason’s dark blue bedspread and toys with the fabric for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he speaks. “Back when I was home, I liked climbing onto the roof and stargazing whenever I was having a bad day. I haven’t done it here yet, though, and I kind of want to. So, I was wondering… do you know how to get onto the roof?” Tim glances up at Jason and finds his sympathetic gaze. “I don’t want to worry Bruce whenever I’m having a bad day or something, but I really want to see the stars again.”^^

Tim... you're going to feel even worse if Jason gets told off because of you sneaking out. Alfred's going to find out soon. I bet Alfred will be the first to connect you to Gotham's Shadow.

^^ Tim quickly finds himself falling into a familiar routine. When he can, he slinks around Wayne Manor, running his hands over the walls to check for hidden doors. Batman’s headquarters has to be around here somewhere, but to Tim’s dismay, he’s unable to locate any secret rooms. Maybe it’s hidden elsewhere on the grounds? Between school, extracurriculars, and hanging out with Jason and occasionally Dick, his days stay relatively the same.

The real fun, however, starts at night.

He doesn’t sneak into Gotham every night; that would be too suspicious. Instead, he goes out two, maybe three times every week. If he could, he would go more frequently, but the chances of Bruce discovering his empty bed increase the more that he leaves.

So, Tim is careful. He tries to only work as Gotham’s Shadow on nights that Batman is likely to be working. Usually, that’s Friday and Saturday nights since they aren’t school nights and Batman can take Robin with him. Occasionally, Jason will mention something about going to bed early on a weekday and Robin will show up in Gotham that night. Tim ventures into Gotham on those nights too, but he’s careful to keep his distance from the Bats. Now that they know him well, it would be easy for them to identify him even when he keeps him hood down and consciously adds more of a Gotham lilt to his words.

He has to leave Gotham earlier than he’d like to avoid Bruce returning to the manor and finding Tim missing. The precaution is irritating but necessary. Tim does his work, takes his photos, and emails his analyses to Commissioner Gordon. He wishes that he could do more, but he’s limited by his situation and Bruce’s desire to make sure that everyone in the house is still breathing.^^

Tim, Tim...you are so going to get caught young man.

^^ “Do you know when you’re planning on coming back to Wayne Manor?”

“Uh,” Tim says intelligently. If Bruce is waiting for him and Tim crawls in through his window in his full Gotham’s Shadow outfit, that might raise some questions.

“I suppose it’s all right if you want to stay the night alone at your house.” Bruce sounds a little hesitant, but he doesn’t sound outright angry. That’s probably good, right? “We can come pick you up before breakfast tomorrow morning and then drive you and Jay to school. How does that sound?”

“That sounds good,” Tim replies. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“It was bound to happen eventually. Besides, my kids have given me worse scares than this,” Bruce says fondly. “But in the future, if you’re planning on going back to your house for a while, can you let us know?”^^

Somehow I think I'm wrong on Alfred knowing first. Bruce already knows and is letting Tim get away with it, isn't he? But who will figure out about Jeffrey Anderson first?

^^ It’s nerve-wracking to hide his excursions into Gotham from the Waynes, but it’s also kind of fun to live with them while knowing their big, batty secret. Sometimes, Bruce moves a little too stiffly at breakfast or Jason has mysterious bruises that he explains away as the results of tripping over something.

Once, Tim sleepily stumbles into the kitchen and finds Bruce icing a black eye.

“Cooking incident,” Bruce mutters, eyes fixed on something in the distance as he takes a sip of his coffee.

It’s a pretty plausible explanation. Well, at least he’s self-aware.

Tim finds that he likes living at Wayne Manor. Everything still feels sort of foggy and muffled, but he feels less like a ghost drifting through the halls. He’s grounded by Bruce ruffling his hair and calling him “sport”, by doing homework on the floor of the den with Jay, by lazy afternoons spent sprawled on Dick’s bed as he shows Tim and Jason memes, by Alfred’s watchful eyes and reassuring words when Tim freaks out one evening over a math problem.

His head might not be the best, but it’s better than it was. For now, that has to be enough.^^

They really are bad at lying. Especially to people who live with them and are not supposed to know their secret.

This is a family Tim and they are helping you by just being there.

^^ A gentle pressure pushes him to curl up, his head pressed to his knees. Something starts rubbing his back and Tim initially recoils before relaxing into the touch. It feels safe, somehow, so he focuses on trying to breathe as his heartbeat thunders in his ears.

Eventually, he recognizes the voice as Bruce’s. “--deep breaths, you’re safe, I’ve got you,” Bruce repeats calmly as he rubs circles into Tim’s shaking shoulders.

“Bad dream,” Tim manages to gasp, but Bruce shushes him and keeps rubbing his back.

“I know, buddy. We can talk about it later. For now, focus on breathing, okay?”

Tim nods jerkily as Bruce walks him through counting his breaths. Slowly but surely, his breathing begins to even and the weird rushing in his head subsides. It leaves Tim shaking, but alive. He slumps against Bruce’s chest, face wet with tears, as Bruce kisses the top of your head. At some point, Tim ended up sitting between Bruce’s legs. ^^

I want to hug Bruce also after that dream. I'm glad Bruce could wake Tim up and help him through the panic attack.

^^For a while, the room is quiet except for Tim’s slightly ragged breathing and the rasp of Bruce’s hand in his hair. Eventually, Bruce breaks the silence.  “Tim, when was the last time that you took a day off of school?”

Tim frowns. “Uh. I can’t remember.”

Bruce hums and falls quiet for a moment. “Why don’t you and I both take the day off tomorrow? It sounds like you had a stress dream and I think you could use the break. We can do whatever you want. What do you think?”

“Oh.” Tim blinks. That sounds kind of nice, actually, but-- “What about my homework and class notes? And I need an adult to call the school or I’ll get an unexcused absence.”

“In the morning, how about you email your teachers and ask for copies of their class notes. Jay can pick up your homework for you and I’ll take care of the rest. Don’t worry about the logistics, all right?” Bruce keeps petting Tim’s hair soothingly, voice calm and steady. In the dark room, moonlight pooling on the floor, Bruce is in his element.

“Okay,” Tim whispers.

Bruce kisses Tim’s forehead again. “Do you want to try falling back asleep?”

“I can try. But...” he trails off, unable to ask the question.

“Want me to stay until you fall asleep?” Bruce asks gently.

Tim nods. “That would be nice. Thank you,” he says quietly, ducking his head.

It’s too dark to see Bruce smiling, but it radiates off of him anyways. Bruce lets go of Tim and stands up to drag him desk chair over to the bed. Tim lays back down and pulls his covers up to his chin. Wordlessly, Bruce extends one hand and Tim takes it.

Bruce gives his hand a soft squeeze. “Try to sleep, okay? I’ll be here.”

Tim nods and snuggles into his pillow. Sleep is slow to arrive, but he does his best. He makes it there, eventually.^^

Hang out with your dad baby boy. Let him help you. You need a day to relax.

^^ They watch the rest of the documentary with Bruce’s arm draped across the back of the sofa and Jason’s knee pressed against Tim’s. When Tim and Jason leave to go do homework, Tim’s room feels too cold and empty. However, the feeling only lasts for a few moments because Jason knocks on his open door, his backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Is it okay if I do my homework here?” Jason asks.

Tim nods. They spend the rest of the afternoon working amongst the sound of pages turning and Jason’s music softly thumping from his headphones.^^

Sounds like it was a perfect day for you and Bruce, Tim.

^^ The most unusual thing is how Dick shows up on Wednesday instead of Friday with a duffel bag over his shoulder.

“I’ve been told that I’ve been working too hard and need to take some time off,” he says with a guilty grin. Bruce just hugs him and beckons him inside.

It’s been a few years since Tim’s parents have been home for Thanksgiving. He must have been, what, seven years old the last time that they had a proper Thanksgiving dinner?

It’s really nice to have all of the Waynes in one place for a few days. There’s a weird sort of pang in Tim’s heart at that thought, cutting through the light fog in his chest, but he ignores it.^^

You're missing your parents because they are your parents, even if they suck at being parents. That's what it is Tim. Don't worry though. You are home for good.

^^ Tim shrugs. It’s a reasonable offer and he does need to study his chemistry notes. “Sure. It’s in a box in the back corner of my closet.”

“Okay, cool, thanks, you’re the best!” Jason calls over his shoulder as he trots out of his room and disappears into the hallway.^^

You forgot about your food stash Tim.

^^ Jason takes a deep breath and stares at his duvet. “I found your food stash.” Tim immediately freezes, eyeing Jason. “I have one too, I’m not about to shame you or anything. I know how it is. But-- you know that if you tell Alfred, he’ll help buy you stuff for your hoard and keep an eye on expiration labels, and stuff?”  

Tim meets Jason’s eyes for a moment before looking away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says at last.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can just barely see the corners of Jason’s mouth turn downwards. “It’s okay, Tim--” he tries to say, but Tim turns away.

“I have to study,” Tim declares, staring pointedly at his notes until Jason finally takes the hint. Sending one last sad look at Tim, Jason finally stands up and retreats back to his desk. They work in stilted silence for the rest of the afternoon.^^

I hope you know Alfred is finding out about it, if he doesn't know already.

^^ Tim raises an eyebrow at the email from the Wayne Foundation. He’s literally living in Bruce Wayne’s house while the Wayne Foundation is unknowingly offering a job to him. The irony of the situation is not lost on him.

What’s he going to do, accept the job? He’ll be laughed out of the building when thirteen year old Timothy Drake walks through the door instead of the thirty-something year old man that they’re expecting. They’ll never take him seriously if they know who he is.

Tim archives the email and moves on with his life.^^

My bet is once more on Bruce knowing.

I do love how he catorgizes Jeffery as middle 30s.

Actually Tim, you might be surprised. Especially if Bruce knows it's you.

Chapter 12)

^^ It's field trip day! All three hundred-something students of Gotham Academy go visit the Gotham Museum of Fine Art. Tim is fairly excited at the prospect of a new photoshoot location. However, the field trip doesn't exactly go as planned.

This is Gotham, after all. If things always followed expectations, well... where would be the fun in that?^^

The summary has me worried. Jason spoke about being kidnapped last chapter....shit. It's going to be both of them or just Tim. I'm hoping both just so they can rely on each other but I got a feeling it's just going to be Tim.

Yup, Tim is kidnapped, at least hurt according to your notes. Now is he the only one?

Love Ace being the actual wake up call.

I see Alfred decided if Tim can have coffee, Jason should be able to also.

^^ Bruce nods as if he was expecting that answer and pulls a palm-sized black box out of his pocket. From the box, he retrieves a small black device that’s about as big as Tim’s thumbnail. “This is a panic button that attaches to your watch. Now, I don’t necessarily expect anything to go wrong today, but I tend to prefer taking the most cautious approach.”

Tim studies the device for a moment before looking back up at Bruce. “A bunch of rich kids are going to be in a museum full of a lot of valuable art,” he states.

“Exactly. Again, it’s unlikely that anything will happen, but I’d rather not risk that. You don’t have to wear the panic button if you don’t want to, but--”

Tim holds out his wrist with a watch on it. “Show me how to put it on?” Behind Bruce, he can faintly see Alfred smile as he watches them before he turns around to continue packing everyone’s lunches.^^

Bruce gave Tim a Bat panic button didn't he? I'm so glad he's getting something at least. Now hopefully it stays on and Tim won't need a new one.

^^ Bruce scoots his chair over and looks Tim in the eye, waiting for his reaction. “When you push that button, it’ll alert me and Alfred that you’re in danger. It contains a GPS chip to track your location and a microphone to record and broadcast whatever you’re hearing and saying. You won’t be able to hear us, but we’ll be able to hear you. It means that Alfred and I can find you, as well as any friends that we ask for help. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“All right. Let me see your watch?” Tim holds out his wrist again and Bruce attaches the panic button to the back of his watch. “It’ll be next to the push button on your watch so you won’t accidentally press it, but it’ll still be there if you need it. If you want to stop the alert, simply push the button three times in a row.”

Tim nods. “Got it. One push, you can track us and hear what’s going on. Three pushes and you know that we’re not dying."^^

Just you and Alfred, Bruce? You aren't even trying to hide your Batman are you? You think you add the police or at least Commissioner Gordon in the explanation.

I love the domesticness of them all ganging up on Bruce. I want the rest of the story please!

^^ They wait at the edges of the crowd until teachers start herding students onto buses. That’s when Jason takes Tim’s hand and plants it on the handle of his backpack. He starts moving through the crowd towards the bus with the most empty seats, towing Tim along after him. Thankfully, he keeps his steps short enough that Tim can actually keep up.^^

Such a good brother.

^^ After twenty minutes of trudging through Gotham’s traffic, the bus’s doors open and unleash a flood of children onto the front steps of the museum. The principal pulls out a megaphone and begins to issue instructions: the buses will leave again for Gotham Academy at two, call your bus’s supervisor if you think that you’ll be late, meet in front of the museum if there’s an emergency, blah blah blah.^^

They...they just let them loose? What the heck? Especially in Gotham? For real? I remember having to stay in groups, not wondering off by myself or with friends.

^^ His mother always uses lavender shampoo; sometimes, when his parents are away and Tim is feeling particularly lonely, he’ll sneak into their bathroom just so he can steal some of their shampoo. It reminds him of when he was still little enough to be picked up and his parents would scoop him into their arms. Those were good days. Maybe his mother will like the field of lavender, so he takes a photo of it.^^

That sounds like a great memory. I'm glad Tim has a couple of good memories with his parents. Even if they are assholes.

^^ The folk art exhibit was their first stop in the museum, so why does Jason want to see it again? Oh, something is wrong. This is bad.

“Yeah, it sounded really interesting,” Tim plays along, forcing himself to sound nonchalant as he places the lens cap back on his camera. He already had to order this camera to replace the uselessly expensive one that his parents bought him and he’d hate to damage it. ^^

I wish he had his old camera still. Tim loved that one.

Good job Jason. Now both of you stick together and your dad will get to you soon...hopefully.

^^ In his peripheral vision, he can see a few figures slowly walking towards them. They’re almost out of the Monet exhibit; Tim can just barely see the railing of the massive staircase in the next room over. Just as they’re about to walk out of the exhibit, a tall, broad-framed man dressed in a long black trench coat steps in front of them and effectively blocks their way. Tim is opening his mouth to say something when the man nudges his trench coat open. He immediately notices two things.

First, the glint of a gun in his hand.

Second, he’s wearing a distinctive half-black and half-white suit, one of the hallmarks of Two-Face’s people.

Next to him, Jason squeezes Tim’s arm in warning. Tim shuts his mouth.

Two-Face’s goon, a pale man with slicked back brown hair and cold green eyes, smiles. “Hey, kids. Why don’t you be good little kiddos and head back there for me, yeah?” He gestures at the benches in the center of the Monet exhibit with his gun.

Arms still linked, they turn and start slowly walking back towards the center of the exhibit. As they walk, Tim pats Jason’s arm with his free hand before letting it fall towards his watch. The panic button-- he needs to hit the panic button.^^

Scarecrow and The Joker scare me more but I would be scared in this instant also.

The goons are smart. Crap!

^^ Tim glances down at his camera and sighs. So long for his new camera. Hopefully he’ll be able to recover it later. He slides the camera off his neck and hands it to Boots, followed shortly by his phone. Next comes his backpack. As he takes off his watch, Tim purposefully fumbles with the clasp so he can hit the panic button with his pinky. He takes the lack of new guns being drawn on him to mean that nobody noticed the tiny motion. Good.

He hands over his watch and moves to properly fold his hands in his lap, but one of the henchmen nudges him with their gun. “Hands at your sides,” they growl.^^

Well at least Tim got to hit the button even if he didn't get to keep it on.

^^ Two-Face’s smile stretches the scar tissue on his mouth, revealing more of his teeth than Tim would like to see. “Well, this would be over a lot more quickly if everyone paid up. Perhaps they need a reminder of what’s at stake.” He draws two pistols from their holsters, points them towards the ceiling, and shoots. Pop pop.

Tim is thrown back to the feeling of Gotham’s cool night air, the burn in his lungs as he runs, the feeling of concrete ripping his skin and falling, falling, falling.

His fists clench reflexively; surprisingly, it doesn’t hurt. He isn’t bleeding, but he’s sitting on a cold stone bench that could easily be a concrete rooftop in Crime Alley. Tim breathes and blinks and the art museum is around him once more, but Tim himself isn’t quite there. With each breath, the worry and tightness in his chest bleeds away, leaving only smooth, cold glass.

Jason is looking his way, concerned, but nobody else in the room seems concerned, so everything is probably fine. Tim drums his fingers against the bench. There’s a weird lag like there’s some sort of faulty wiring between his brain and his hands.^^

Sounds like you got a case of PSTD Tim and with being so close to the gun...not good.

^^ Tim jerks his chin in the direction of the painting that he noticed moments earlier. “The Monet one with the irises. He still keeps irises planted at Wayne Manor for her, you know,” he adds, thinking of the carefully tended beds of irises near the front entrance of the house. “That painting’s frame is old; it’s been at this museum for a long time. Plus everyone knows how much Martha Wayne loved the arts. She would’ve taken Bruce to see it with her.”

The calm air about Two-Face roils with a familiar buried storm. He has the same expression that Janet Drake gets when she’s angry enough to lash out at him. It’s his fault, Tim knows, but he can take this. He’s helping.^^

No, no, no! Tim, you damn lovable idiot! Your family is going to freak!

^^ “Now, the second thing,” Two-Face says calmly as if he hadn’t just hit Tim in the face. “Your little scheme isn’t part of our plan, so we’ll have to see if we can fit it in, hmm?” He reaches into his pocket and removes a two-headed silver dollar. It winks in the light as he lovingly turns it over in his hands, showing Tim the scratch on one side. “We’re going to flip to see if we should release your friend. If it lands on the unmarked side, we’ll let him go unharmed. Otherwise, you both stay.”

Tim nods and flashes Two-Face a bright smile as blood dribbles onto his school uniform. “Well then, what are you waiting for?”

Jason struggles against the goons holding him, but to no avail. Two more goons join in holding his arms, but Tim hardly glances at him. “No!” Jason screams, voice raw. “Don’t do it! I’ll tell Dad to come after you anyways, I’ll--”

Two-Face flips the coin. It arcs through the air beautifully, Tim thinks, like a dancer. With the ease of practice, Two-Face snatches the coin out of the air and slaps it onto the back of his other hand. The unmarred side stares back at them. Heads.

“Well then,” Two-Face looks up at Tim and smiles. “Congratulations. It looks like your little deal worked in your friend’s favor.”

Tim smiles his best boardroom smile and extends one hand to Two-Face. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”^^

Tim, you will be lucky to leave Jason's sight for a while. You'll be lucky to get out of Dick's arms. You're going to have Bruce and Alfred mother henning you like you won't believe.

^^ Even after he disappears around the corner, his screaming echoes through the exhibit. The elevator dings and a moment later, Jason’s shouts grow muffled before disappearing entirely.^^

Jason is pissed and scared. I hope he gets a couple of good hits in. He should be allowed them.

I don't think Jack and Janet answered or will answer Two-Face.

^^ Something collides with Tim in a rush of air. He’s pressed against something hard and warm and then they’re tumbling, the world shifting and then righting itself against. There’s nothing around him but blue and faint hints of red. It doesn’t occur to Tim to struggle until a moment later, but his weak flailing does nothing to dislodge the vice-like arms clutching him. He’s being held against someone’s chest. A chest clad in blue and Tim’s cheek is pressed right next to--

Oh. Oh. That’s Superman’s symbol, a triangular yellow background overlaid with a red S.

“Are you all right?” the dark-haired man currently holding Tim asks-- Superman.^^

Bruce got Clark to come. Damn. He did have to play the role of a worried father...I'm guessing it wasn't enough time for Dick to come to the rescue.

^^ Jason is talking with someone. Tim focuses on the face until his brain finally supplies him with the name Jim Gordon. He sits there for a while, mind pleasantly quiet until his brain decides to tune into the conversation.

“--staying with us for now,” Jason says, one arm wrapped around Tim’s shoulders. His eyes are red like he’s been crying.

Jim Gordon meets Tim’s eyes for a moment. Whatever he’s looking for, he must not find it because his gaze switches back to Jason. “All right. I’ll get in touch with your father and-- oh, speak of the devil.”

And then Bruce is running towards them, suit jacket flapping in the air as he sprints across the lobby of the museum. He skids to a halt in front of Jason and Tim and kneels in his expensive suit, clutching their hands like they could be snatched away from him at any moment. “Jay, Tim. I was so worried,” he rasps, eyes flickering over them as he scans them for injuries.

“Dad,” Jason chokes out, eyes tearing up, “Dad. Tim’s not--”

Bruce regards Tim with his gentle blue eyes before looking back at Jason. “I know. He’s not there right now, but it’s okay. It’s okay, Jay,” he soothes, giving Jason’s hand a light squeeze.

Jason nods, crying, and then Bruce carefully, so carefully wraps his arms around both of them and hugs them like they might break. Tim lets his head droop forward so it’s resting on Bruce’s shoulder, and then time blurs and the hug is over.^^

Fuck. Jason was really worried as was Bruce. I hope Dick is home so he can get his own hugs in.

^^ “Stop looking at me like that. They had to-- had to drag me away from you. I’m gonna sit next to you,” Jason snaps, though the tears on his face and his choked up voice dampen the heat behind his words.

Bruce twists around in the driver’s seat, brow furrowed in concern, and places a hand on Jason’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Jay,” he murmurs. “We’re going to deal with that once we’re home, okay?”^^

@batfam-chaos, Here you go. Putting it in three parts because it's so long.

birds fly in every direction by distracted_dragon Thoughts, Part 1:

Chapter 1)

I'm loving Tim's POV. It's so refreshing in a way. I wonder what made him use Jeffery Anderson as his pseudonym. Of course Tim would make up accounts to get his ideas out there. Of course he would.

^^ The most eye-catching thing in the alley, however, is the motionless black-clad figure sprawled atop a dumpster. Emblazoned across their chest is an achingly familiar blue bird.

Nightwing.

At the other end of the alley, three other people exchange looks and slowly approach the dumpster. Their faces are all unfamiliar, but Tim catches the glint of a gun in the hands of the person in the middle. From what he can tell, their clothes don’t look outrageously expensive. The man on the right has a tattoo on his forearm that looks vaguely like something that he’s seen on a few of Maroni’s men, but it’s hard to tell. Just to be safe, he quietly pulls his camera out from his backpack and takes a picture. He takes care to lay on his stomach, pressing himself as close to the rooftop as possible to keep out of sight.^^

Why is it always Dick Tim seems to find? Like, Jason saves Tim a lot but Dick? Tim always seems to find him in trouble. Or just getting out of trouble.

^^ Luckily, they don’t seem to notice the glint of his camera lens. Tim leans back and pushes his backpack away from the edge of the roof. It nearly knocks over a couple of empty beer bottles, but Tim manages to still them before they could make any noise.

(Was someone drinking on a rooftop? That seems irresponsible.)^^

You mean like you being on the rooftop which isn't yours, Timothy?

^^ His landing isn’t the best but he doesn’t break his camera or twist an ankle or anything, so Tim counts it as a win. He creeps towards the dumpster where Nightwing is lying and sighs in relief when he sees the rise and fall of the vigilante’s chest. Good, he isn’t dead. The two holes in the side of his suit don’t look good, though. Neither does the slowly spreading pool of blood that’s dampening the garbage around him.

“Um, hi” He begins and awkwardly tugs his hood down. Hopefully, it’ll cover his face enough to keep him from being recognized, either by Nightwing or whatever cameras are likely embedded in his suit. Taking care to warp his words into a thick Gotham accent, he adds, “I’m here to help. Are you awake?”

Nightwing grunts.

“Okay, that’s probably a good thing. Uh. Did you already call for help?”

Another grunt. This one sounds vaguely affirmative.

“Good, great,” he says, nodding. At least he doesn’t have to figure out a way to get Nightwing back to the rest of the Bats. “I don’t exactly know a lot about taking care of bullet wounds and I’d rather not get electrocuted by your suit while trying to stop the bleeding, so… I guess I’m going to go?”

Nightwing’s arms twitch and he weakly tries to push himself up, groaning.

“I don’t know if moving is a good idea,” Tim tries, but Nightwing only grunts in response.

Halfway through, he seems to give up and lays back down. The white-out lenses in his suit prevent Tim from seeing exactly where he’s looking, but something tells Tim that Nightwing’s eyes are fixed on him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay until I see that Batman or Robin has come to get you. I’ll stay out of sight, though.” Tim turns and starts to walk towards the other building’s remaining fire escape before he hesitates. He looks over his shoulder and surely enough, Nightwing is still looking straight at him. “Um. Sorry that I couldn’t help more. You do good work,” he offers meekly before turning tail and scurrying up the fire escape. His camera swings about, bumping against his chest with every step.

Heart pounding, Tim flattens himself against the roof and settles in to wait for the cavalry to arrive. He just met Nightwing. Nightwing! He also probably sounded like a complete idiot and he really hopes that Nightwing didn’t realize how young he is. Shadows can hide a lot and he tried to make his voice sound deeper than it actually is, but there’s only so much that he can do.

He clutches his camera protectively and tries to even out his breathing. If he could see his hands, he’d bet that his knuckles are white. Soon enough, the telltale rumble of the Batmobile roars in the distance and Tim sighs in relief.^^

Really Tim? Baby boy, this is going to come back to bite you I don't doubt.

^^ Monday rolls around, ushering in yet another week of school. Tim has a history quiz that he forgets about until fifteen minutes before class. He spends the last part of his English class skimming through his history notes. All things considered, the quiz goes okay. Still, Tim is all too eager to leave class and head to the library for lunch. He nearly misses seeing Jason Todd-- Batman’s current Robin-- as they pass each other in the hallway.

Jason has dark circles under his eyes and his mouth is set in a grim line. He doesn’t seem to notice Tim as they walk by each other, but that’s unsurprising. It’s unlikely that Jason even realizes that Tim exists.

The mass of students swarming towards the cafeteria whisks Jason away. In the blink of an eye, he’s gone.^^

Jason was probably up all weekend helping to look for you, Tim. You really think Jason won't notice you? He might not recognize people but he is trained by Bruce...

^^ Tim thinks of the two bullet holes in Nightwing’s torso, of the concern soaking Batman’s voice as he called out for his son. He thinks of the grim weariness on Jason’s face. He thinks of the photographs buried deep in his closet of Robin and Nightwing grinning as they shout jokes to each other, of Batman smiling and shaking his head at their antics. Of Batman standing on a rooftop overlooking the city, of the stars bleeding into his silhouette.

He hits save on the document and closes it. Writing about attacks so soon after his encounter with Nightwing seems like it would be asking for trouble.

His knees crack when he stands up to get ready for his usual night out on the town. With one of the Bats injured, he’ll need to step up his surveillance game until Nightwing is back in commission. After all, there’s work to be done.^^

Tim, Tim, Tim. I'm glad you have enough sense not to post yet but I got a feeling you'll be looked into even more than you probably are sooner than later.

Chapter 2)

You know I hate how easy it is to say Jack and Janet are bad parents. But canon wise they were very neglectful and left Tim alone alot. Yes, he went to boarding school but still...it doesn't help when fanon writes them because of how they were in canon. Sometimes love isn't enough.

^^ His phone had stopped ringing a few moments ago, but it starts up again rather quickly. Is it an emergency? Did someone die? Images of hospitals and potential accidents race through his head as Tim accepts the call and holds his phone up to his ear. “Dad? Is everything okay?” He tries to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

Without preamble, his dad says, “Some of our colleagues have been asking what you’re up to.” There’s an edge of a grumble in his voice. He’s probably upset that he had to wait so long for Tim to pick up the phone.

“Well, I’m in school right now--” Tim begins, but his dad cuts him off.

“Timothy,” his father says curtly. Tim’s blood freezes as ice fills his veins. “I mean college. You need to start bulking up your resume. It’ll look good on college applications and reflect well on us. Your mother and I have emailed you a list of clubs to choose from. Let us know what you’ve decided by the end of the week.”

He leans back against the cold concrete wall and drums his fingers on the grooves between the cinder blocks. “Okay. Thank you.”

His dad grunts. “Oh, and next time? Pick up the damn phone. It’s getting late over here and I don’t want to waste time listening to the phone ringing while I wait for you to pick up.”

“Right,” Tim says. “Sorry, Dad. I was in class.”

“Are you telling me that you’re supposed to be in class right now?” his dad demands. “What are you doing, then? Go back to class! We can’t afford to let your grades slip.”

“I’ll go back right now. Bye, Dad.”

“Bye.”

The call clicks as his dad hangs up. Tim stares at the words “call ended” blinking at him from his phone before he shoves it back into his pocket and heads back to class. His back is still cold from the cool concrete wall, but Tim ignores the feeling as he slips back into his seat.^^

Stupid Jack. Getting pissed Tim won't answer you and then getting mad he's not in class. Make up your damn mind!

Book Club! That means Jason! Yes!

^^ Tim shuffles over and obediently sits in the chair to Jason’s left. He shrugs his backpack off and gently dumps on the floor. “Yeah, I’m a freshman.”

Jason scratches at his chin. “Huh, weird. Your face is kinda familiar. What’s your name?”

“I’m Timothy Drake. I live next door to you,” he explains, resisting the urge to kick his feet like a child.

His eyes widen. “Oh, so you’re the Drake’s kid! Well, welcome to book club. By the way, do you like being called Timothy?”

Tim picks at the hem of his sleeve as he considers the question. “Tim is fine,” he decides. “Or you can call me Timothy. I don’t really mind.”^^

See, Jason knows you. He just doesn't 'know, know' you. At least not yet.

^^ think the younger son did it,” Tim says abruptly. A few heads turn to look at him. “The book mentioned that he used to help his mother with making fertilizer, but it didn’t say anything about using natural fertilizers. That means that he likely has experience in dealing with various chemicals. He could’ve laced her tea with something.”

One of the other students frowns contemplatively. “But why would Jerome kill his mother? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I don’t think that he meant to kill his mother. I think he wanted to kill his older brother so he could take over his general store. His brother had a fancy kettle in his kitchen, but the other appliances were run down. Why would he have a nice kettle if he didn’t like tea?” Tim picks at his jacket’s sleeve. “So Jerome set a trap. He laced some nice Darjeeling with something poisonous and left it in the kitchen right before his brother was supposed to arrive. It would be the perfect trap if his brother wasn’t late, allowing Mrs. Bigby to accidentally drink the poisoned tea first.”

“Don’t spoil it!” someone hisses.

Tim looks up. “I, um, was just guessing. I haven’t read the book before. Did I guess correctly?”^^

Go Tim! You are an awesome detective and you think as fast, if not faster than Bruce. (Which is so not helping my headcanon that Tim is Bruce's biological son.)

^^ This time, it takes Tim thirty-one pages to guess the murderer. Although it technically took him longer to guess correctly than with the first book, the delighted look on Jason’s face makes up for it.^^

I would be delighted also. Well after I got over not figuring it out myself and that someone did guess as we read the book.

^^ Bruce has first editions of Meredith Moore’s The Finding Game and a complete collection of the works of Kartik Mishra. Have you read either of them?”^^

I looked both of them up because of this and got a bit confused because they had another book for Meredith and a lot of people named Kartik Mishra came up on the results. I'll have to try again later on.

^^ Something doesn’t feel right. Why is Jason so interested in him? He didn’t think that he revealed anything particularly noteworthy about himself aside from his newfound ability to guess the ending of mystery novels. His mention of Kartik Mishra was far too obscure to connect him to Jeffrey Anderson, who had only cited Mishra’s work twice, so that couldn’t be it.

Tim pulls on his helmet and kicks his bike into motion with one foot. He’ll have to investigate this matter further.^^

You Tim. You pulled up on Jason's radar, before this probably, Andi won't be surprised if they figure you out because of your voice.

Yeah! Tim gets to meet his grandfather and dad tomorrow! Officially!

Chapter 3)

^^ Obediently, Tim trails Jason over to the car. A somewhat pale, balding man steps out of the driver’s side door and nods at them in greeting. He’s wearing a well-tailored black blazer and dress slacks. “Good afternoon Master Jason, Master Timothy. I am Alfred Pennyworth, Master Bruce’s butler.” He opens the door to the back seat of the car.

“He’s also the main thing keeping Bruce from accidentally burning down the house when he tries to cook,” Jason adds cheerily as he slides into the back seat.^^

I love this introduction. I love how Jason just disses on Bruce. It's so him.

^^ “So, Master Timothy. Do you have any allergies? I was planning on making cookies for you boys, but I would like to make sure that I don’t accidentally poison you.” The car turns onto the main road and Alfred meets Tim’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

His eyes are dark brown and lined with wrinkles. They look like the eyes of any normal human, and yet. It’s so subtle that Tim almost misses it, but something about the way that Alfred Pennyworth looks at Tim makes him feel like he’s able to see the storms lurking beneath Tim’s skin.

He knows. Nobody whose eyes can see that much would be able to work closely with Bruce Wayne and not realize that he’s Batman.

A gentle nudge interrupts Tim's train of thought. He glances over and finds Jason leaning back into his seat. Right, Alfred had asked him a question.

“Sorry, I spaced out for a second. I’m not allergic to anything,” Tim replies hastily.

Unfazed, Alfred turns the car onto the familiar winding road that contains both Drake Manor and Wayne Manor. “All right. And do you have a favorite type of cookie?”

He shrugs. “I’ll eat just about anything. I’m not very picky.”

“I didn’t ask what you would eat, Master Tim. I asked if you had a favorite type of cookie,” Alfred corrects smoothly. “The kitchen is well-stocked, so I can assure you that we certainly have the ingredients for whichever type of cookie you choose.”

Tim falls silent, chewing his lip contemplatively. Choosing a type of cookie is a lot of responsibility. What if Jason doesn’t like it? What if nobody else in Wayne Manor likes it but they have to awkwardly pretend that they do to avoid hurting Tim’s feelings?

“You really can’t go wrong with Alfred’s cooking. His cookies are the best,” Jason interjects. “If you want recommendations, his chocolate chip cookies are great. He makes some mean snickerdoodles and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies too.”

“Chocolate chip sounds good,” Tim decides at last. “Thank you,” he adds quickly.^^

Of course Alfred knows. Alfred, fanon Alfred, knows all.

Tim, don't worry. Alfred's used to Bruce, Dick, and Jason spacing out so you're fine.

Okay, can I eat one of Alfred's cookies? Or his food? Please.

^^ “By the way,” Jason drawls, drawing Tim’s attention back to him, “Do you like dogs?”

“Yes, I do. Why do you ask?”

The car pulls in front of the main entrance of Wayne Manor. Like before, Alfred gets out of the car to open the car door for Tim and Jason.

“Thank you very much for driving us, Alfred,” Tim tells him as he straightens up, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.

“It’s my pleasure, Master Timothy,” Alfred replies before he climbs back into the car and drives off.

Instead of answering Tim’s question, Jason walks up and opens the front doors. A very excited German Shepherd darts out, bouncing in place as Jason leans over to run his hands down its sides.

“This is Ace. He’s about six years old and he is a very good boy,” Jason informs him solemnly. “Want to pet him?”

Tim nods and carefully approaches Ace, extending one hand for him to sniff. After a moment, Ace shoves his wet nose into Tim’s hand and gives it a satisfied lick. Taking this as acceptance of his presence, Tim scratches behind Ace’s ears. His tail wags slowly at first but quickly speeds up, especially once Tim starts scratching his chin with his other hand.

“You’re right,” Tim says, looking up at Jason. “He’s a very good boy.”^^

Did Alfred drive to the garage? Why not just go to the garage and then everyone gets out at the same time without wasting gas?

Ace! Ace! Ace! I love Ace! He's such a good boy and he knows Tim is not a bad person do he's extra good.

^^ “All right,” Tim agrees. His school uniform is covered in dog fur, which would normally drive his mother mad, but Tim finds that it doesn’t really bother him.^^

It shouldn't. It just means you got loved a whole lot.

^^ “Dad’s study’s this way,” Jason says, turning back to look at Tim. “That’s where he keeps all of his--”

“Hey, whatcha doing?” A door directly across from them slams open and someone with bright blue eyes, warm brown skin, and a blinding smile bursts out. Their face is oddly familiar. Tim must have seen them before somewhere--

Oh, that’s Nightwing without his mask. Or rather, that’s Richard Grayson, Bruce’s eldest son.

“Jay, you have a friend over?” He tilts his head curiously, peering at Tim. “Have we met before? You look familiar.”

Tim forces himself to unfreeze, though the sound of the slamming door still echoes through his head. Pasting a smile on his face, he extends one hand to Richard to shake. “Hi, I’m Timothy Drake. I live next door.”

“I’m Dick Grayson,” says Dick, smiling as he smoothly steps forward to shake Tim’s hand. He steps back and nudges the door closed with a soft click, much quieter than his explosive entrance. “So, what are you planning on doing?”

Jason rolls his eyes and turns to Tim. “Dick’s bored out of his mind. He has this nasty cut on his side that he got from falling asleep on a stapler. He just fell straight onto it like--”

With all of the grace of a professionally trained acrobat, Dick darts forward and lovingly gives Jason a noogie. Tim just stands there and blinks, unsure of what to do. Ace pads up to Tim and shoves his head into Tim’s hand, so he obligingly pats Ace’s head.

“Hey!” Jason protests, squirming in his brother’s grip. He does not, Tim notes, try to elbow him or use any of the combat moves that Tim knows he’s capable of.

It’s likely to protect Nightwing’s stitches, Tim notes absently. The man’s wounds weren’t one hundred percent life-threatening, but they were certainly serious. Reopening those wounds would not be a fun experience.

After one final noogie, Dick releases Jason and ruffles his hair. “In my defense, I didn’t fall asleep on a stapler. There may have been some sneaking out and alcohol involved, though.” He winks at Tim.

“He fell on a vase when he was sneaking back in,” Jason sighs. “I don’t know how, but he managed to shatter it in such a way that it stabbed him. Truly astonishing.”

Dick only grinned. “Don’t hate me because you ain’t me,” he sing-songs.^^

I should have realized Dick would be home.

Really? That's your excuse boys? Alfred signed off on that excuse? LoL it's do flimsy I'm surprised people believe it.

^^ The thought of spending time with Nightwing is a little bit terrifying but, at the same time, very cool. Tim nods and Dick beams, clapping his hands together.

“Great! Come on, I’ll show you where they are.” Despite his still-healing injury, Dick practically bounces down the hallway.

Jason and Tim follow him, albeit at a much calmer pace. Dick stops in front of a set of intimidating wooden double doors and pushes them open, revealing what must be Bruce Wayne’s study. Without skipping a beat, Dick makes a beeline for the towering bookshelves at the far end of the room.^^

You are not helping your excuse at all by acting like that Dick. Not at all.

^^ Jason snorts and turns to Tim. “Dick is a theater kid at heart. He does do some pretty good voices, if you’re fine with him crashing our hangout.”

Tim cracks a smile. “I’m fine if Dick reads.”

“Okay!” Dick chirps and leans back into the couch. Jason wastes no time in wriggling closer to Dick and leaning his head on his big brother’s shoulder as Dick opens Meredith Moore’s The Finding Game. It’s clearly well-loved-- the spine is cracked and some of the pages are dog-eared. Tim thinks of the pristine books in his parents’ office with rigid spines and unmarred pages. Most of the things in their office are too old or delicate for him to touch; he’s only allowed to handle whatever paperwork they ask him to fetch. Envious, he imagines running his hands over the pages of his mother’s copies of excavation reports before he quickly banishes the thought. Their rules exist for a reason.

As it turns out, Jason was right about Dick’s acting abilities. He does a different voice for each character and makes exaggerated faces as he speaks. Jason occasionally chimes in with commentary, but Tim mostly stays quiet and absorbs Dick’s telling of the story.^^

Dick's going to read! I have a couple of books like that I'll admit but I try to read them all. Even if it's only once.

I be absorbed by Dick reading also. In my head, they all have lovely voices.

^^ Forty pages in, Tim is getting restless. He’s been maintaining good posture for most of the reading, but his back is starting to hurt. Also, he’s pretty sure that he knows who the killer is, but it’s hard to tell if Dick will get mad at him if he voices his guess. “Am I allowed to guess the murderer?”

Jason looks over at Tim and snorts. “I brought you here to unleash you on a bunch of mystery books, remember?” He lightly boops Tim’s nose. Mystified, Tim nearly crosses his eyes trying to follow Jason’s finger. “Yeah, you’re allowed to guess the murderer. Who d’you think did it?”

Mollified, Tim picks at the edge of his sleeve as he thinks. “Probably Tom Harbott. If Casey Rogerson died, then his house would become public property and be dealt with by the state. When Harbott is cataloguing the worth of the house, then he could easily take a few items-- some of Casey’s jewels, maybe-- and nobody would know that they were missing. Plus, Harbott strikes me as kind of slimy.”

Both of the Wayne boys turn to look at him, but Tim stares at his hands instead of meeting their eyes. “I could be wrong, though. It’s just a gut feeling.”

“Jay’s right,” Dick says after a moment. “You are really good at this. Nice work, Tim!”^^

He's so amazing and smart and his brothers are going to tell him that a lot. He's also a mini Bruce in detective mode. I thought Jason was like Bruce a whole lot but Tim probably beats all his siblings in being like their dad the most.

^^ Tim takes a cookie and settles back against the couch as he nibbles at it. It’s very fucking good. He’s careful to keep crumbs from getting all over Bruce’s couch-- he wouldn’t want Jason and Dick to be on the receiving end of Bruce’s wrath if he comes home and finds his couch covered in crumbs.

Cookie in one hand, Dick picks up the story where he left off. Tim is content to sit with his hands clasped in his lap and lean back into the cushions while Jason wastes no time in using Dick’s shoulder as his own personal pillow. The floor behind them creaks as someone walks across it. Tensing, Tim immediately stops slouching.

“Hey, Bruce!” Dick calls, twisting around to beam at the man himself.

Bruce Wayne. Batman. The person who Tim has been following and surreptitiously photographing for the past few years.

The Batman suit must have platforms in it because the man before him is ever so slightly shorter than Tim expected. Granted, he’s definitely still over six feet tall, but something about the Batman suit makes him look bigger. More intimidating. Right now, Bruce is wearing a rumpled suit and has a five o’clock shadow.^^

Tim, Bruce isn't going to care. Ace probably jumps on the furniture and gets his fur everywhere so why should Bruce, Alfred really, care if you get crumbs on the furniture? People do all the time! I bet Bruce does!

Damn, Tim was just getting comfortable. He's got good instincts though. I never thought of Bruce using platforms but it makes sense. Throws people off that way.

^^ “Tim and I are in the book club together. It turns out that he’s scary good at guessing the murderer in mystery novels, so I bribed him into coming over with some of your old books,” Jason informs him, leaning back into the couch.

Bruce nods thoughtfully. “Sounds like fun. What did you read?”

“The first book in The Finding Game. Tim figured out the murderer in forty pages,” Jason replies proudly.

“Damn, that’s pretty good,” he whistles and shakes his head before he smiles at Tim. “The first time I read it, it took me twice that to figure it out. Good job, Tim. So, how are you doing? I hope that my sons haven’t been giving you too much trouble.”^^

Bruce tossing Dick out makes me laugh when he stays himself. Bruce is so proud of Tim for figuring out the mystery. Oh my gosh Bruce. You are as bad as Dick. Then again, they get it from you.

^^ “Bunch of privileged ass kids who’ve never experienced a single hardship in their lives,” Jason grumbles.

His words elicit a chuckle from Bruce. Tim reaches down and pats Ace’s head.

After a moment, Bruce’s attention switches back to Tim. “So, Tim,” he begins, “Do you think that your family would object to you staying for dinner? Alfred’s making lasagna. Or we can give you a ride home if you need one.”

Jason twists so he can nudge Tim’s leg with his foot. “You should have dinner with us, Alfred’s cooking is amazing.”

He really doesn’t want to impose, but since he’s been invited and Jason seems to want him there… “My parents are out of town right now, so they won’t mind.” Tim shrugs, smiling. “I’d love to stay for dinner.”

Jason flops back into the couch and pokes Tim with one foot. “Just don’t forget to text someone so your family doesn’t assume that you’ve been kidnapped or something,” he says around a mouthful of cookie.

“Will do,” Tim replies and shoves the remainder of his cookie into his mouth. ^^

Poor Tim. Jason's basically insulting Tim to his face. Well not him but I bet Tim took it that way.

Tim, really? You didn't text anyone...big red flag. Especially for Batman and his sons.

I love the dinner. Tim fits right in. Of course Bruce wanted Tim to walk home with Jason. They are worried and Tim speaking about how only Mrs. Mac comes around and his parents are gone is going to raise more red flags. I'm glad Tim has the rest of the family's numbers. I just hope he uses more than Jason's and Dick's.

Chapter 4)

^^ On Monday, Tim steps into the debate team’s assigned classroom during his lunch period. Multiple heads swivel to stare at him and Tim slips on his best polite smile.

“Ah, hello there!” A blond-haired boy hops off the desk he was perched on at the front of the classroom. “If you’re here for the debate team, then you’re in the right place.”

“Good to hear,” Tim replies and sticks out his hand as the other student approaches him. “I’mTim Drake.”

They shake hands. “I’m Patrick Weston. You’re the Tim Drake of Drake Industries, right?”

“That’s right.” Maintaining his polite smile hurts Tim’s face.

Patrick grins and claps Tim on his back, forcing him to hide his flinch. “Fantastic! You’ll be a great addition to the team. Come over here and I’ll introduce you to everyone. That’s Abigail Mercer of Mercer Incorporated…”

He proceeds to introduce him to several students who Tim has known since kindergarten on account of them running in the same social circles. In short, they’re all a bunch of rich brats.

“So, what kinds of cars do your parents have?” asks Hunter Smith of the Smith Corporation.

Rich, pretentious brats.

Tim does not like debate team.^^

The debate team sounds like they don't even debate anyone. Just gossip. That sucks. Poor Tim. At least he only has to deal with them twice a week.

Tim beating Jason at Super Smash Bros makes me laugh along with Alfred hearing Jason and Dick curse. Why is Dick hanging out with these two? He's off work right now because of his injury but doesn't he have the Titans to hang out with? Not that Tim probably minds....I wouldn't.

^^ Tim tries to spend a handful of hours every night keeping an eye on the Escabedo Cartel’s warehouses. Between homework, gymnastics classes, martial arts classes, working on his latest Jeffrey Anderson draft, and hanging out with Jason and Dick, he doesn’t make it out to Gotham every single night.

As far as he can tell, nothing out of the ordinary has happened at the row of the Escabedo’s warehouses on Seventh Street. Still, something in his gut nags at him. The Odessa mob and the Escabedo Cartel have worked too closely together in the past for Tim to brush them off, especially when it comes to the Odessa’s connections to apparent arms smuggling.

There is nothing to do now but to lay low and wait. And if Tim occasionally spends an extra thirty minutes at the end of the night waiting near one of the Bats’ usual patrol routes for a glimpse of a cape, well. Nobody has to know but him.^^^

Tim's going to get hurt isn't he? I hope not.

^^ Bruce, conspicuously, is missing. Dick mentions a last-minute work trip, but Tim doesn’t worry too much. The news earlier that day announced that the Justice League is fighting some giant robots down in Kentucky. They’ve dealt with worse in the past; Bruce will be fine.^^

Bruce will be but will you Tim?

^^ His parents don’t call that week. Tim bikes to school, does his homework, and hangs out with Jason and Dick. He attends his gymnastics lessons and martial arts classes. Mrs. Mac comes by and leaves meals in the fridge for him.

Drake Manor remains empty, save for Tim wandering about like a ghost.^^

They aren't coming home later that month are they?

^^ He holds his breath and snaps pictures as several people carry cardboard boxes out of the warehouse and load them into the truck. It’s impossible to tell what’s inside, but it’s probably nothing good. After all, why else would they go to the trouble of loading unmarked boxes into a van after midnight?

An unfamiliar man steps out of the warehouse and walks over to the person with the epaulette tattoos. He grabs something from his pocket and holds it out to the man-- money, maybe? Tim shifts, trying to get a better angle, when his foot strikes the metal shell of the HVAC unit to his left.

The clang rings out, unnaturally loud in Tim’s ears. Multiple heads swivel to look up at the roof, but Tim doesn’t stick around to see if they pull out their guns. He’s grabbing his things and getting the fuck out of there.

With clumsy hands, Tim shoves the lens cap back onto his camera. He tosses the entire thing into his backpack before leaping onto the next rooftop and starting to run.

Tim was born and raised in Gotham. He is intimately familiar with the sound of gunshots. Still, he’s never been the intended target before. When he hears the familiar pop pop pop of shots being fired, his heart rises into his through. He has a tiny canister of pepper spray and a Swiss army knife, but neither of those things will help him here. Right now, what Tim needs to do is run.

 And so he does.^^

Shoot!! Run Tim, run!

^^ Around four blocks away from the Escabedo’s warehouses, he jumps across a narrow alley to reach the next roof. It’s a routine jump, one he’s done many times before, but then his ankle buckles when he lands and all of his weight goes onto it and he’s falling. If he wasn’t wearing a backpack, he could roll and distribute the momentum. But Tim is wearing a backpack and his backpack contains his camera.

Tim will not risk breaking his camera.

So he holds out his arms the way that he was taught in his martial arts classes so the force of the fall will be distributed from his hands to his elbows. Tim falls and hits the rough concrete roof with a thump.

For a moment, he’s dimly aware of his throbbing ankle plus a stinging knee and hands. The knee and hands are just scraped, he thinks. His ankle is another matter entirely, but he doesn’t have time to check. Out of the corner of his eye, he can just barely see what looks like a black van.^^

Well he isn't shot but dang is he hurt.

^^ By the time that Tim reaches the front door, his breathing is ragged. From his shin down, his leg feels like it was dipped in magma and then shot. He’s kind of surprised that his foot hasn’t fallen off yet. It takes him longer than usual to unlock the front door, thanks to his shaking hands. Tim manages to haul himself inside and shut the door behind himself. He leans his back against it for a moment, breathing hard, before he slowly slides to the floor

Why does everything suck? Why can’t his body just do stuff and not break?^^

Thank Ra, you got home safely Tim but you're hurt. That's why everything sucks right now.

^^ Tim shuffles around the living room with his chair, grabbing white blankets from the back of sofas. Finally, he picks a spot in front of his favorite couch and sets his sneakers next to it. He lays out the fluffiest-looking blanket before wrapping the others around him. His backpack goes under his foot to elevate it-- he’s pretty sure that he read somewhere that you’re supposed to do that-- and he sandwiches the ice pack between his foot and his backpack. An inelegant solution, but it’ll get the job done.

He closes his eyes and the throbbing in his foot abates slightly. It still feels like a bear is trying to chew his leg off, but the night’s adrenaline has long since worn off and Tim is exhausted.

Tim grabs sleep in short snatches where he sleeps like a rock until the pain in his foot wakes him up. It’s not the best situation, but it’s the only one he has.^^

At least you took the best care you can of your ankle, knee, and hands. Now to explain it to your brothers...

Chapter 5)

Oh boy.....I can just feel the worry everyone will have.

^^ Tim grabs a handful of cheerios and shoves it into his mouth as he types out a message. He doesn’t want to cancel but if any of the Waynes see his ankle, then they’re going to start asking questions. If he texts them now saying that he might not make it because he might be sick and then sends a follow up text later saying that he’s actually sick, then it’ll seem like the natural progression of illness. That won’t be suspicious, right?

Tim [10/07, 11:20 AM]: I might not make it today. I’m not feeling well, but I’ll let you know how it goes.

There, sent. He turns his phone on silent and leaves it face down on the floor next to him. With a sigh, Tim pulls the blankets around himself once more and snuggles into his nest. It’s too late in the day for him to go back to sleep, but maybe he can close his eyes for a while.^^

Good luck Tim. You're getting visitors whether you want them or not.

^^ After a minute, the knocking ceases and he can just barely hear faint squabbling outside. He would be concerned that the people from last night had finally found them if not for two reasons: first, they wouldn’t knock if they were coming to kill him and second, they definitely wouldn’t be arguing outside if they were coming to kill him.

Besides, those voices sound vaguely familiar.

The front door swings open. Hey, didn’t Tim lock the door behind himself when he came home last night?

“Tim?” Jason calls. The door swings shut with a soft click.

A second later, Dick’s voice chimes in. “Tim? Are you alive?”

“I’m here,” Tim says, not bothering to turn over to face them.

“Tim! There you are, we were worried about you,” Dick exclaims.

Footsteps approach him-- exaggerated for his benefit, surely-- and then the Wayne boys enter his field of vision. Their eyes sweep over him as they catalogue the situation. (Ah, the wonders of Bat training.) Tim blinks up at them and yawns so wide that his jaw cracks.^^

I bet they noticed the blood also, there had to be some, on the front door.

^^ Unfortunately for Tim, the spot that Jason chooses to nudge happens to be where Tim’s injured foot is.

Tim just barely manages to keep himself from shouting. What comes out of his mouth instead sort of resembles a choked-off groan or yelp. Immediately, both boys are kneeling next to him, concern written all over their faces as Tim blinks away the sudden tears from his eyes.

“Holy shit, I’m so sorry--” Jason begins, distraught, but Dick quiets him with a look.

“Tim,” Dick says, voice firm but gentle. “Where are you hurt?”

He refuses to look away until Tim hoarsely replies, “Left foot.”^^

Dick is such a big brother/mother hen here. Got a feeling Bruce is going to be just as bad. Not to mention Alfred.

^^ “Landed weirdly on my foot,” Tim replies, closing his eyes. “On the stairs.” The lie burns in his chest, but they either don’t notice or choose to not push.^^

They won't push for now. Later on they will.

^^ “Hey, Tim.” Dick’s voice sounds much closer than it previously did. Tim opens his eyes and finds Dick crouching next to Jason at his side. “Your ankle definitely looks sprained, possibly broken. We’re going to take you back to the manor so Bruce can help us figure out what to do, okay?”

“Okay,” Tim mumbles.

Dick smiles gently at him. “We’re going to carry you upstairs so you can grab some of your things, all right? You can hang out at our house and we can help you call one of your relatives or family friends so you can stay with them until you’re better. It’ll be safer to have someone keeping an eye on you instead of letting you hobble around everywhere by yourself.”

Tim shakes his head. “I don’t have any relatives nearby.”

Dick tilts his head. “What about any family friends that you could call?”

Another shake of his head. Frankly, Tim has no idea who his parents’ friends are other than the people who they occasionally chat with at galas, but he’s pretty sure that they don’t count.

“All right,” Dick says. “Well, you can always stay with us, but I bet Bruce is going to need to discuss it with your parents first.^^

Bruce is going to frown and look into Tim faster than he was I bet. Tim better be ready to live at the Manor for a while, if not forever soon.

^^ Both boys’ eyes fixate on Tim’s wrists as the sleeve of his hoodie slides back with the motion. He frowns in confusion before remembering the band-aids covering the scrapes on his palms. “I tried to catch myself when I fell,” he explains and then adds, “They weren’t bleeding too badly, but I didn’t want to get the couch dirty.”

Dick’s gaze sharpens and for a terrifying moment, Tim thinks that he’s going to get mad at him. But then his expression smooths out and he nods thoughtfully. “We can check those out at the manor. Tim, I’m going to pick you up so we can take you upstairs and grab some of your things. Sound like a plan?”^^

Dick isn't mad at you baby boy. He's angry that you had to deal with this alone. No one should have to deal with cleaning up and etc after getting hurt. Not to mention the part about the couch, you probably didn't even realize, caught his attention.

The scene of Tim getting carried upstairs makes me smile.

^^ A pang shoots through Tim’s chest as the front door closes behind them with a click. As they walk away, he looks over his shoulder at Drake Manor, stately and silent as always. He doesn’t know why he expected the manor to look any different without him in it.^^.

Because it looks like you never even lived there Tim. Plus, I'm hoping, it might be one of the last times you see it.

^^ Jason pulls out his phone as they head towards Wayne Manor. “Hi, B.” A pause. When Jason speaks again, he’s slid into something resembling his Robin voice in tone, if not in pitch. “We found Tim. He’s moderately injured. Looks like he has a few scrapes and his ankle is pretty messed up, so we’re bringin’ him back home with us… No, they weren’t there. He says that he doesn’t have any relatives or family friends that he could stay with either.” Another pause. “Nope, nothing… I know, me neither.”

“Have you eaten lunch yet?” Dick asks casually as they cross over onto the Waynes’ property. “We can have Alfred heat up some leftovers for you. He made some really good lemon chicken and potatoes last night that I think you would like. He also makes really good sandwiches and I think there’s some leftover soup in the fridge.”

“...A sandwich would be nice,” Tim agrees after a moment of thought before quickly adding, “But I don’t want to impose. You don’t have to feed me.”

“Nothing urgent,” Jason says into his phone, casting a sidelong look at Tim. “Yeah. Uh huh, all right.”

Dick cranes his neck to stare incredulously at Tim. “Of course we have to feed you, buddy! You’re, what, twelve? You’re still growing and you need the nutrients and energy.”

“Cool, see you soon. Love you, dad. Bye.” Jason puts his phone back into his pocket and turns to Tim. “Sorry, did I hear you say something about us not needing to feed you? What, are you a robot or somethin’?”

“Jason,” Dick says in warning, though his tone remains light.

Ignoring him, Jason barrels on. “Last I checked, you need food. Of course we’re gonna feed you. It’s not like Bruce can’t afford it or something.”

Tim watches Jason carefully, sinking into the back of Dick’s neck. “I know, I just don’t want to impose. That’s all.”

Jason’s face softens. “You’re never imposing on us, Timbo. Now come on, Bruce is waiting for us.”^^

I love how Dick is distracting Tim from the phone call while talking about food. Something was going on there and I bet it has to do with keeping Tim.

You are not a burden, Tim. You are not. You are loved.

^^ He’s smiling, but there’s an air of tension about him. Is he mad? Maybe he’s upset that Dick and Jason decided to bring Tim back to Wayne Manor without asking first. Or maybe he’s mad at Tim for spraining his ankle? Or he could have been doing important Batman business and was interrupted. It could be any number of things. 

“Hey, boys,” Bruce greets them. His eyes flit over them, presumably checking for injuries, before settling on Tim. “Hi, Tim. I heard that you had a rough night.”

Tim shrugs and tightens his grip around Dick’s neck, careful to not choke him. “I guess,” he deflects. 

Bruce’s unnerving gaze stays on him for a moment longer. If Tim didn’t know any better, he would’ve sworn that Bruce has Superman’s x-ray vision. When Bruce smiles, Tim feels himself relax. “Let’s get you inside and we can figure out what to do, okay?”

They file inside the manor. As Jason steps past him, Bruce takes one of the bags from his hands and shoulders it. It just so happens to be the backpack that Tim likes to take with him into Gotham at night. The irony of Batman carrying a backpack that contains the camera that Tim has used to photograph the Bats for the past few years does not escape him.

“I’m going to take Tim over to the kitchen and get him some lunch,” Dick tells Bruce.

“All right.” Bruce nods and looks over at Tim. “Jason and I are going to take your things up to a guest room for you. We’ll be down in a few minutes, okay?” 

“Okay,” Tim replies. There are still traces of tension in Bruce’s face and Tim hopes that Bruce isn’t pulling Jason aside to yell at him.^^

No, no Tim. Bruce is not angry with you or your brothers. He probably tried calling your parents and couldn't get hold of them. That's it. He's worried.

Jason isn't getting yelled at. He's telling his dad his side of the events and then will have Dick tell him, his side. He's finding out what happened. That's it.

^^ Bruce hums noncommittally. “That’s good. Do you mind if I take a look at your ankle? Dick said that he’s already checked for any obvious fractures, so I won’t do that again.”

“Go ahead.” Tim nods and slides his now-empty plate away from him. Stepping over to Tim, Bruce removes the ice pack from his ankle and holds it in surprisingly careful fingers.

“That doesn’t look pleasant,” Bruce says, making a sympathetic face as he examines Tim’s foot.

Tim hadn’t bothered to fully check out his ankle yet and he’s inclined to agree with Bruce. In the light of the kitchen, the purple bruises wrapping around his ankle look like some sort of bizarre ankle cuff. The swelling has morphed his foot and ankle into something resembling one of those long, tubular balloons that clowns use to make balloon animals.

Bruce glances up. “Is it okay if I touch your ankle? I won’t check for fractures like Dick did ealrier, just swelling.”

“That’s fine,” Tim replies.^^

Why did Bruce repeat himself twice? To make sure it got through to Tim that he had choices?

^^ “Did you take any painkillers?”

“Um, I took two ibuprofen last night.”

“Nothing this morning?”

Tim nods and Bruce turns to Jason, who is already rummaging around in one of the cabinets.

“Here,” Jason says at last, tossing a bottle over to Bruce.

Bruce uncaps the ibuprofen bottle and shakes four pills into his hand. “I’m going to have you take four. I don’t like the look of that swelling. This will reduce it as well as help with the pain.” He takes Tim’s hand and pours the pills into his palm.

Tim swallows them with a sip of water. “Okay,” he says. “Thank you.”^^

Wait! Didn't Tim take some this morning also? Did he just forget?

I'm glad he's going to see Leslie. Especially since he hasn't seen a doctor in years it seems.

Awe. Jason and Dick both gave Tim piggyback rides. He deserves them. Now Bruce just needs to carry Tim.

I adore how Tim just wonders if the photos have the Justice League in them as he goes into Bruce's bathroom. The bathroom has to be huge! It's got to be the size of a room. At least it seems that way.

Bruce explaining what he is doing is great. Tim might think Bruce is doing it only to humor Tim but it's because no one knows how Tim will react, it gives Tim something to focus on, and even if I knew what they were doing, I want to be told. Besides I bet you Bruce does it to Dick and Jason all the time. Same as with Tim, it gives them something to focus on besides their pain.

Distraction from the pain is exactly what Tim needs and talking about Ace in his own train makes me smile. Especially when Bruce says they need to get Alfred's permission, not his. Alfred's in charge. Bruce is just the figure head.

^^ “Boo hoo, trust fund baby,” Jason retorts.

Without looking up, Bruce remarks, “You know, you probably wouldn’t have gotten so dirty if you hadn’t decided to do the worm in the dirt.”

Jason opens his mouth to say something, but Bruce quickly adds, “Please don’t subject me to hearing my children make jokes about Dick being dirty.”

“Do you know how many tabloid covers I’ve seen speculating about your love life?” Scoffing, Jason throws his arms in the air. “Too damn many, that’s what.”^^

Jason, you are a trust fund baby also.

Oh, Ra. Well y'all are certainly distracting Tim. Even if he is getting a little bit anxious.

^^ Some of the tension leaves Tim’s shoulders, but he doesn’t bother to fix his posture. It feels better, safer, when he’s curled a little bit into himself. Bruce hums and wordlessly continues bandaging Tim’s other hand. The next few minutes pass in silence as Bruce ties off the bandage on Tim’s hand and begins working on his knee. He moves quickly, efficiently, like he’s done this before. Then again, Bruce probably has lots of experience with patching up his own wounds.

At last, Bruce finishes wrapping Tim’s knee and gives his calf a light pat. “There, you’re all done.” He announces, taking a step away from Tim.^^

Thank you Bruce for seeing how Tim was feeling and calming his brothers down. You're a great dad right now.

(I know, I know they aren't brothers yet but they are acting like ones.)

^^ Bruce nods and turns to Tim. “I’m going to carry you down to the car, okay?”

He stares at Tim and it takes a long minute for Tim to realize that he’s waiting for Tim to respond. “Sure, okay,” he says. That was… weird.

Only then does Bruce step forward and slide one arm under his knees while the other wraps under his arms. Bruce effortlessly picks Tim up and strides out of the bathroom.^^

Thank you! I was hoping Bruce would get to carry Tim and he is.

Tim, you are worrying your family but they will be there for you. I'm glad they all are going to Leslie's. Well except Alfred but he's probably making sure everything is good for Tim to stay besides the room. (Which is going to become Tim's room correct? Or will he move closer to Jason later on?)

Bruce is such a dad ordering now ruff housing and seatbelts.

Chapter 6)

From the summary of the chapter, it looks like Tim is coming home to the Manor. Which is good even if Tim doesn't think so.

I love Leslie being the family doctor and Bruce just putting on a cap and sunglasses as disguise. He can't be seen in Crime Alley but his sons can? Weird.

Dick being the one who checks Tim in makes me grin. Bruce probably knows a lot about Tim already but he has to act like he doesn't and Dick knows more because of hanging out with Tim. That and to probably protect himself.

Bruce carrying Tim makes me smile. It's like he can't get enough of it but he's also not doing it without permission. The way he wraps the blanket around Tim....it's like Bruce is hugging him as Tim gets looked over.

^^ “I was told that you injured your ankle,” she says as she takes a clipboard out of a drawer. “I’m going to take a look at that, but first I’ll need to gather some baseline health information.”

“Okay.” Tim picks at the edge of the bandage on his hands instead of looking up at her.

“I’m going to listen to your heart and lungs first to make sure that everything is functioning properly, okay?” Dr. Thompkins walks over to Tim and pulls out a stethoscope. “It has to go under your shirt and it’s going to be a little cold,” she warns.^^

Leslie is literally starting from the beginning because she does with all new patients and she has to make sure she is getting everything done correctly for future use and the case for Bruce to take Tim home with him and keep him.

^^ Dr. Thompkins looks through something in her clipboard. “All right. Now that we’ve gotten through all of the general check-up items, let’s talk about your ankle. First things first: what happened?”

“Fell down the stairs,” Tim explains. “My ankle buckled and I fell on my face. That’s how I got the scrapes, too.”

Her gaze flits to the bandages on his hands and knee. “Bruce already took care of those for you?”

“Yeah, he rewrapped them and everything.”

“Hmmm.” Dr. Thompkins writes something down on her clipboard. “All right. When did the injury occur?”

Tim shrugs. “Last night. I thought it wasn’t a big deal, so I went to sleep.”^^

Tim, Tim, Tim. You need to stop lying. They both have an idea you are. So please stop. Tell the truth. Please.

^^ Dr. Thompkins nods. “Oh, Chile sounds fun. I’ve never been. Do you know when they’re getting back?”

They’re approaching dangerous waters. Tim takes his nervousness and shoves it down, down, down. He swallows his fear and lets it sit in his stomach like a rock. “Later this month.”

“Do you have an exact date?”

“They haven’t scheduled their flight yet,” Tim says in lieu of actually answering her question. He’s well aware of Bruce’s eyes on him as he silently watches the exchange.

“And who’s watching you while they’re gone?” Dr. Thompkin’s voice remains frustratingly calm.

Tim raises an eyebrow. “Our maid, Mrs. Mac.”

“Where was she today?”

“Today’s her day off,” he replies, omitting the fact that she also has Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday off as well.

“Hmmm. When does she usually work?”

Tim tilts his head, regarding her. He thinks of his mother, her eyes as cool and unyielding as steel, toppling businessmen with poisoned words and a smile as sharp as a knife.

He takes the pain in his heart, sharp like shards of glass, and lets it slip into his words. Let him be cold, let him be unyielding. Let his raw, bleeding heart freeze over until it’s as cool as ice.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, Dr. Thompkins, but you seem to be implying that my parents were unable to raise me to be a functional human being. I can assure you that is not the case.” He smiles, leans forward. “Whatever you’re looking for, you won’t find it.”

Dr. Thompkins raises an eyebrow and stares him down. Tim meets her gaze evenly, but she doesn’t flinch.^^

Tim, you are an idiot. A lovable one but still an idiot. She's asking questions because you are young and alone. Which you should not be.

^^ Leslie’s shoulders are tense as she leads Bruce into her office, shutting the door behind them. He doesn’t usually drop by during the day-- it feels different in the daylight. Fewer shadows, more peeling paint. How Leslie is able to hold her clinic and every person that passes through it together with her bare hands, he’ll never understand.

“Sit,” Leslie orders, gesturing at the worn leather chair sitting across from her desk.

Contrary to popular opinion, Bruce does actually have a sense of self-preservation. He sits..^^

Oh, different point of view. Leslie is on a war path. Bruce is also. I'm glad the two older boys came along so Tim is distracted as Leslie and Bruce talk.

^^ “The floor in his house wouldn’t have been enough to tear up his skin enough. The stairs outside his house could’ve done it, but Dick and Jason didn’t see any traces of blood. I think he fell onto something rough, possible concrete.” Bruce pauses and weighs his next words. “He would’ve had to be moving quickly to fall hard enough to skin himself like that.”^^

So Tim didn't leave any blood on the door.

^^ He shrugs and pushes the mental image of Tim fleeing from some unknown terror out of his head. “It’s a possibility.”

“Okay.” Leslie closes her eyes briefly. “He mentioned his parents’ flights. Did you check them?”

“They’re scheduled to fly out of Brazil and arrive in Gotham during the afternoon of October 25th.”

“And Tim doesn’t know,” Leslie says softly, pinching the bridge of her nose as if to ward off an impending headache.^^

Sorry to disappoint you Bruce but Tim was fleeing from a van. So not really unknown but unknown enough.

Shit, the Drakes really are annoying. Not telling Tim? They probably won't say anything until they get home.

^^ He frowns and thinks back to what Jason told him earlier that day. “Tim doesn’t like anyone helping him with his homework. He acts like-- like he has to prove himself. When we ask him to choose something like food or an activity, he always says that he doesn’t mind and that he doesn’t want to impose. It’s like he’s not used to having an opinion. He’s nervous around me too, more so than around Jason or Dick."^^

That is because of Jack. I'm surprised Leslie isn't sending the report in. I guess they don't have enough evidence. At least Tim will be with Bruce, Alfred, Dick, and Jason.

^^ Tim smiles, but it’s a little forced. They mean well, he knows that, but Tim would really like to be alone in a room for a while. He’s been around more noise today than he has for the past week and he kind of wants to scream.^^

Poor Tim. He's not used to being around a lot of people. School is different. I'm glad the others seem to understand that he needs time and space and are giving it to him.

^^ He ducks into his room and lets out a sigh of relief as the door closes behind him. Finally. Hobbling over to the bed, Tim carefully rests his crutches against the headboard before he flops back onto the bed. As much as he’d like to take a nap like he told Jason and Dick, he does actually have things to do.^^

Sleep boy! Youy parents will probably get hold of Bruce first, I'm hoping. Though I pray they won't take it out on you but they probably will make it seem like your fault.

Yes! I'm glad you slept but that fall had to hurt.

^^ Jason jabs the button for the first floor. “It’s so fuckin’ good, man. He taught me how to make it but I can never get it quite like his, you know?”^^

Jason, you are going to get caught cursing. Bad boy.

Ah, so Dick is working again. He should just move back home. I mean how many minutes would it take him to get to work and back? Love Jason's explanation on their proper goodbye. Like he didn't cry the first time Bruce left for a day or so without him. I'm sorry, nearly cry.

^^ Tim frowns, confused. “...isn’t Blüdhaven only a three hour drive away?”

“Yeah, but Dick is nineteen and living on his own. Plus, Bruce and Alfred are secretly worrywarts and big ol’ softies,” Jason blithely informs him. “Dick can take care of himself, but it won’t stop everyone else from fussing over him.”^^

Bludhaven is three hours away? I thought they were closer than that? Then again Wayne Manor is technically outside of Gotham, or is it? Where exactly is Bristol (?) compared to the city?

^^ “You’ve already hugged me,” Tim points out and hopes that he doesn’t look too excited at the prospect of another hug. He wouldn’t want the Waynes to think that he’s weird, or anything.^^

It's Dick. Dick gives out hugs like they're going out of style soon. Especially to family. So yes, enjoy your big brother hugs Tim. I would if I got one from Dick. Heck, I enjoy hugs from the whole family.

Tim's in the family chat! I want Ace pics now, please ans thank you.

Now what were you researching that you needed to know about knives Tim? Of course Jason sleeps through his alarm. He's tired from running around Gotham. Tim never had anyone to wake him so he isn't like Jason and Dick, who was probably like Jason until he woke up.

^^ “Sorry for waking you,” Bruce whispers through the narrowly opened door. “I’m just checking in on all of you.” Translation: he just got back from patrol and wanted to make sure that nobody died in their sleep while he was away.^^

Tim, you really aren't helping me think you're Jack's son thinking this...also, you cant sleep because you're used to running around Gotham. I wonder how Bruce stays awake during the day? Cat naps?

^^ Time blurs into an incoherent mass of grays and deep blues, the same color as the shadows around his room. Eventually-- finally-- Tim falls asleep.^^

Bet you it is around 3 or 4 am when he fell asleep. So if Tim is lucky he'll get about 3 hours of sleep. Which isn't good but at least he slept.

Chapter 7)

^^ As usual, Tim’s alarm blasts the sound of distressingly cheerful chimes at seven in the morning.

Groaning, Tim rolls over and hits the “stop” button on his phone’s screen. He takes a moment to blink at the ceiling above him before he remembers the events of the previous day. Sprained ankle. Wayne Manor. Right. He drags himself out of bed and uses his crutches to hobble over to the bathroom so he can shower before facing the horrors of Gotham Academy.^^

Oof. Two hours it seems. I wonder how many hours he usually gets? Heck, I wonder how many hours any of them get? Especially Alfred who is probably up way before anyone else.

Bruce, no! Why are you giving Tim coffee?!!? Alfred, why are you letting him?!?! Why do I have a feeling Bruce is the start of Tim's addiction?

Wait, you let him have it because he's a guest? You do know Jason's going to grab a full cup...you are bad Bruce. Bad.

LoL I love that Bruce literally made it a rule about the music in the car. He had to otherwise his kids will fight about the music Everytime they are in a car. Good job Bruce.

^^ School is school: occasionally interesting, but mostly boring. Jason carries Tim’s backpack for him between classes. Tim goes to the debate team’s biweekly meeting during lunch and silently looks through that week’s assigned debate reading. The other students make a few attempts to talk to him, but for the most part, they’re too involved in their discussion of which Ivy League colleges consider them legacies to try to rope him in.^^

This is making me think they don't debate at all. They all just joined to have credit on their applications, like the Drakes made Tim.

Tim, Bruce just wanted to pick you two up. Parents do want to spend time with their kids.

Jason, I swear your answers would make people think. I'm surprised Alfred lets them keep the chips and other snacks in the house. He also knows where the hiding spots are.

^^ This also seems to be the wrong answer. Bruce sighs and Tim watches him carefully, but Bruce only shakes his head. “Okay, let’s reset. What I mean to say is maybe you should take a break. Dinner is almost ready. After dinner, how about you work for an hour and then take time to relax?”

Tim blinks at him. “What?”

“You’ve been working nonstop since we got back from school,” Jason pipes in from his spot on the floor next to Ace. His nest of papers disappeared into his backpack a while ago.

“Yeah, because I have a lot of homework.” What is Bruce trying to say?

Bruce crosses the room and sits across from Tim on the couch. “How much of it is due tomorrow?”

“I’ve already completed everything due tomorrow, but I have a few papers and long-term projects that I want to work on.” Tim untucks his legs from under himself so he’s sitting properly. Bruce probably hates it when people put their feet on the furniture.^^

Bruce is trying to get you to relax Tim. You need to be a kid, not an adult. The feet thing he's used to. His sons do it all the time.

^^ Ace’s tail thumps against the floor and Bruce leans over to scratch him behind his ears. “Good. Oh, and Tim, I wanted to let you know that I was able to get in touch with your parents this afternoon. They agreed to let you stay here until they return.”

Jealousy curls in Tim’s stomach before he can stop it. Why did his parents talk to Bruce but not Tim? Maybe they were busy; they probably have a lot of work to do. Yes, that must be it. “Oh, thanks for letting me know,” Tim replies.^^

Stupid Drakes. They're going to blame this somehow on Tim, I know it. Even though he did everything he could to get hold of them.

I love Jim just emailing the Shadow to make sure he's okay. It's such a nice thing to do.

Tim fits right in with his family. The way they all include him somehow but also let him relax is great.

^^ To: Timothy Jackson Drake <tjdrake@drake.com>

From: Janet Lynn Drake <jldrake@drake.com>

October 18th, 12:01 AM (8 hours ago)

Subject: Re: Change of plan

Thank you, sweetie. Good luck with your sprained ankle and make sure to be a good guest for the Waynes.

We’ll be back in a week. In the meantime, look at these gorgeous photos that I took when we were in the Andes!

Love,

Mom

Attached:

Andes Santiago view 1.jpg

Andes Santiago view 2.jpg

Andes alpaca.jpg

Andes cloud forests.jpg

To: Janet Lynn Drake <jldrake@drake.com>

From: Timothy Jackson Drake <tjdrake@drake.com>

October 18th, 8:14 AM (just now)

Subject: Re: Change of plan

Hi Mom,

Those pictures are lovely; the Andes must be beautiful. I would love to see more pictures if you have them. You and Dad will have to tell me all about your trip once you’re home!

Are you in Brazil now? How is it?

Do you have a timeframe for when you’ll return? I know that you and Dad must be tired from how busy you’ve been and I’d love to do something special to mark your return.

I can’t wait for you to come home. I love and miss you both!

Sincerely,

Tim^^

Wait, Tim emailed and called them on the 7th but it took until the 18th for them to even email him? They talked to Bruce but can't even tell their own kid anything until it's like 11 days later.

^^ Tim watches, bewildered, as their heartwarming reunion quickly devolves into a lighthearted pillow fight. They don’t use any fancy fighting moves that they couldn’t be expected to know, but Dick is unnervingly good at somersaulting away from Jason’s pillow. The pillow fight ends with them both on the floor as Dick does something with his legs to pin Jason’s arms.

“It’s over, Anakin. I have the high ground,” Dick announces dramatically. He gives Jason one final whack in the face with a pillow before releasing him. Jason sticks out his tongue at Dick before crossing the room to wrap Tim in a hug.

Still tense from the fight, Tim leans into Jason’s hug and closes his eyes. Why are all of the Waynes so good at hugging?^^

You'll get used to it Tim. You just need to be shown that not every reunion ,etx is going to have someone get hurt or be angry.

Blame the hugging on Dick. Dick is a tactical person and Bruce and Alfred learned to adapt and then just kept it up with Jason.

^^ have a busy day planned,” Alfred says as he carefully watches Tim chop kale. “Most slow cooker recipes only require a few minutes of preparation and can be left unsupervised for eight to ten hours.”

“That sounds nice,” Tim says as he carefully scoops the chopped kale into a bowl. “I could start dinner and still not be late to school.”

Alfred’s eyes crinkle when he smiles. “Precisely. I shall send you the recipe for this kale and lentil soup. It’s one of Master Bruce’s favorites. It’s also excellent for growing children, as kale contains lots of calcium and iron.”

“Huh,” Tim says as he measures out the dried lentils. “Well, it looks good already.”

“Just wait until it’s done cooking, Master Tim. It will be delicious. Now, would you mind peeling these carrots for me? I need to check on the sourdough.”^^

Alfred's teaching his youngest grandson how to cook and it is making me smile. Tim, you won't have to use this recipe, hopefully, for a long time. It's for when your at college or in your own apartment, not now. Still good to know though.

^^ “He wouldn’t have to see your pictures. I mean, I think all of us would love to see your work, but we wouldn’t have to.” Jason pauses, eyes narrowing. “You don’t have to be scared of Bruce or hide stuff from him, you know. He’s not going to stop you from taking photos or judge you or anything. If anything, he’ll read a bunch of articles on photography and then buy you an obnoxious amount of equipment.”

A soft huff of laughter escapes from Tim before he can stifle it. “I’m not hiding anything,” he defends. “It’s just that I don’t usually show my photos to other people.”

There’s a long pause as Jason watches him continue to clean the camera. At last, he says, “I could mention it to him if you don’t want to tell him. I think he’d be thrilled, honestly. It’s a cool hobby and I’m sure that you’re really good at it. None of us will go snooping around for your photos if you don’t want us to.”

Tim shrugs. “If you want,” he says.

Jason leans forward, eyes bright. “So you want me to tell him?”

If he says yes, then he’ll hand Bruce a way to link Tim to Gotham’s Shadow. If he says no, then he’ll look suspicious and Bruce might start sniffing around more. It feels like there’s no right answer. Looks like Tim will have to pick his poison.

“Sure,” he replies. “I don’t mind either way.”

“All right,” Jason says, watching him carefully. “It looks like you’re busy, so-- see you later?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he watches as Jason stands up and walks out of his room. The door closes behind him with a quiet click, leaving Tim to continue cleaning his camera in peace^^

This whole section has me in love with it but this part especially. Jason saying Bruce would buy Tim photography stuff? Just because Tim is into it? Does Tim even realize that he's part of the family and this is Jason's way of telling him?

Bruce might not know your Gotham's Shadow yet Tim but he does know you need help. Yes, he might figure it out but I think it'll be good for you in the long run. That way you have backup in the future and your as safe as you can be which will be a relief for your family.

(Did Jason take a break from being Robin with Tim there or does he only go out in certain nights, which seems to be a fanon thing?)

^^ “I guess. I don’t take that until junior year, I think.” Tim half-shrugs and watches Bruce cautiously, waiting for his reaction. What does he want? Ever since Tim arrived at Wayne Manor, Bruce has routinely subjected him to questions about his activities. He’s still not entirely sure what Bruce wants to hear, but he’s usually satisfied after extracting a few inane details about Tim’s day. Bruce’s interrogations aren’t necessarily harmful, just confusing.^^

He's being a good and interactive parent Tim. Something guardians and parents are supposed to do. Which you aren't used to.

^^ It’s no big deal. They’re busy, so I guess they forget. Besides, they’ve got problems too and I can take care of myself,” Tim defends. “I can cook and clean up after myself. I can get to and from school. They even left me with one of their credit cards so I can buy whatever I need. I don’t need to be watched like a child.”

“Tim,” Bruce says patiently, “That may be true, but you shouldn’t have to take care of yourself like that. You’re thirteen, so you’re still legally a child. Just because you have financial resources doesn’t mean that you’re in a good situation.”

Tim frowns. “But my situation is good,” he snaps. “My parents are busy people. Between the two of them, they’re running an entire company and doing important archaeological research.”^^

^^ Tim fumes all the way over to the elevator and into his room. He angrily drops his backpack next to his desk and slides into his desk chair. Why can’t people just leave him alone?^^

Bruce points it out Tim. You are a child. A child should not have to take care of themselves. Adults are supposed to. I know it seems as if they are ganging up on you but they are worried. They want to help. Please let them help. Please.

Chapter 8)

Some email. I know they are going to be bad because of the warnings at the beginning but still...

The dinner sounds amazing. I hope at least Tim gets to enjoy it.

^^ Without any people in it, the manor feels like a ghost house. Tim turns on the living room lights and heads up the stairs. Bruce and Jason follow him. He tries to pretend like he doesn’t notice them looking around as they take in the house.

He nudges open his bedroom door and drops his school backpack next to his desk. “You can put my stuff down wherever.”

Bruce sets the duffel bag and crutches down next to Tim’s bed. Jason adds Tim’s night backpack to the pile before walking back into the hallway.

“I’m gonna put away the groceries,” he shouts over his shoulder.

“Thanks!” Tim calls back.

The room is quiet for a moment as Bruce glances around before his eyes settle on Tim. “I know that your parents are coming back tomorrow, but you know that you can call us at any time, right? The reason doesn’t matter. You can be sad or scared or injured or happy. And if you want one of us to come get you, we will. It can be the middle of the night and we’ll come. All right?”

Tim nods, chewing on the inside of his lip. “I know.” Not that he’ll need it, but the offer is nice.

Bruce watches him for a moment before nodding, seemingly satisfied. “Okay. I’m going to help Jason with the groceries.” He reaches out and pats Tim on the shoulder. Tim gives him a half smile before Bruce strides out of his room.^^

Of course they are looking around. They're looking for proof to get Bruce custody.

Thank you Bruce for reiterating that Tim can rely on you all. Here's hoping he actually does call. Even if it is not right away.

It took them until 10 pm to get home and they didn't tell Tim?!? He didn't even eat because he was waiting for them!

^^ Hand hovering over the doorknob of the front door, he hears one door click shut. He waits for a moment, but there’s no other sound. One door closing means that they’re sleeping in the same bedroom. Good; they’re probably not fighting right now. Smiling, Tim slips outside and starts hauling luggage inside.

Before he goes to bed, he makes sure to clear the table and load all of the dirty cooking dishes into the dishwasher. Tim grabs his backpack before he goes upstairs-- he doesn’t want to leave a mess in the living room, after all-- and heads up stairs.

He pauses for a moment, listening to the soft snores coming from behind his parents’ bedroom door, before he ducks into his room. It’s nice to hear the house sound alive for once.^^

Ugh, they are going to yell about Tim leaving their luggage down there aren't they?

Tim, your backpack is showing the house is lived in. It's not making a mess. Their luggage is making a bigger mess than you ever will.

You're so used to how lively Wayne Manor is now you didn't even realize what you thought, Tim.

I'm glad you can't go out into Gotham yet but I am also glad that you're at peace with riding your bike.

Uh oh. Stay safe Tim!

^^ At six-thirty, Janet sweeps through the front door, arms laden with takeout bags. “I bought us dinner from that Thai place you like,” she says, smiling.

It’s been years since Tim has eaten there, but he remembers their food being pretty good. “Thank you, Mom!” he chirps as he hobbles over to the cabinets to gather dishes to set the table with. Tim had hoped that they would be able to postpone last night’s dinner to today, but he doesn’t want to let the food his mother brought go to waste.^^

But your food can. That can wait, Tim. Have them enjoy the food you made! That can be dinner tomorrow.

I'm guessing the dinner went bad and got thrown out. Which sucks.

^^ At the end of his algebra class on Tuesday, his teacher passes out the tests that they took last week. Tim looks at the face-down paper on his desk, heart racing, before he steels himself and flips it over.

A bright red 82 stares back at him.

Eighty-two? His stomach does somersaults. It feels like something is squeezing his heart and filling his chest with lava. His skin is buzzing. Eighty-two is a B minus, not even a B.

The paper shakes in his hands, so Tim quickly stows it in his backpack before anyone can see his grade. Dizzy, he waits for his teacher to dismiss the class before he calmly walks to the bathroom and vomits into a toilet. He can faintly hear the muffled stampede as students rush to their various buses and chauffeurs.

Tim kneels on the cold tile floor and tries to control his breathing as he waits for the rush of students to die down. When it sounds like the main wave of students has left, he stands up, flushes the toilet, and washes his hands.^^

I would be happy with an 82. I hate when guardians and parents act like you need to be perfect. An 82 is great!

Tim needs a hug from his brothers now! It's going to be bad...I hope not but I know it will be.

^^ Numbly, he drops his backpack next to the front door and walks over. “What is it?” he asks as he takes a seat across from his mother and next to his father.

Jack slides a piece of paper across the table to him. It’s a print-out of his online grade report. This one is from his algebra class and displays the grade he received for each assignment. The most row containing the recent test is highlighted in glaring yellow.

“Notice anything?” his father asks mildly, eyes hard. He’s angry, Tim can tell. His shoulders are tense and he’s practically vibrating with it.

“I got an eighty-two on my algebra test,” Tim mumbles. His tongue feels too big and clumsy for his mouth.

“What was that?” Jack growls, leaning forward. “Repeat yourself. Louder, this time.”

“I got an eighty-two on my algebra test,” he repeats.

Janet watches him, eyes cool. “Tim,” she begins, “Do you know where these sorts of grades will get you?”

Tim swallows. “Not into the CEO’s office.”

She nods. “Exactly. These grades are unacceptable. You must not forget that your classmates will be your competition in the future. Everything-- your grades, comportment, everything-- can be used against you. We’re trying to prepare you for your future. If you continue like this, you’ll be a laughingstock. Build your armor now before you can be attacked for it later.” Seemingly done for now, Janet leans back in her chair.

“Right.” Tim nods. “Of course. I’m-- I’m sorry.”

“Your mother is right. And did you ever stop and think about how this will reflect on us?” Jack reaches out and slams his hand down on the highlighted 82. Tim flinches at the sound. The cursed number glares at Tim, yellow and garish, from the page. “You’re a Drake, Tim. What happens if, say, LexCorp finds out about this? They’re going to think that the future CEO of Drake Industries is weak and useless, and that will be like blood in the water.”

Absently, Tim notices moisture gathering in his eyes. He blinks, willing it away. “I’ll try harder next time. I’ll do better, I promise.”

Jack leans forward in his chair. “You’d better. Because you know what these grades are going to do for you? They’re going to--”^^

They can't even fucking call rhwie kid everyday but they can check his grades and get mad at him for not being perfect. B's will and are CEOs! Tim needs to understand that his parents are being assholes right now.

^^ Finally, he’s dismissed. Tim grabs his backpack and heads up to his room as quickly as he can with his foot still in the walking boot. The sound of his door closing behind him is a welcome relief. Tim lets his head drop for just a moment as he wills away a sob. Chest tight, he drags himself over to his desk and takes a seat. It would be best to avoid any more poor grades this week, so he opens up his algebra notes and starts studying where he went wrong.^^

You did nothing wrong Tim. Nothing! You shouldn't have had to apologize or even think you did something wrong.

^^ Tim focuses on his homework and tries to wait out the fight. Finally, someone-- Tim suspects that it’s his mother-- shouts something and there’s a loud clang downstairs. It doesn’t sound like something shattered, so he doubts that anything is broken. Good, that will make for less of a mess to clean up tomorrow.

Someone goes up the stairs and Tim recognizes his mother’s footsteps. They’re louder than usual; she must be angry. His guess is confirmed when she stalks down the hall and the door to his mother’s bedroom slams shut.

So they’re back to sleeping in separate bedrooms, then.

Algebraic equations blur as Tim’s eyes go unfocused. He hopes that the argument wasn’t over him. He’ll have to try harder next time if he wants them to stop fighting.^^

Why do you need to clean up their mess? They should do it. It's not your fault Tim. It isn't.

^^ Tonight, though, is Halloween. Every Gothamite knows that nothing good happens on Halloween, which is precisely why tonight is a good time for Gotham’s Shadow to reappear. There’s sure to be some sort of mischief going on that Commissioner Gordon will want to know about.^^

Lord please be careful Tim. Please. Something is going to happen and I don't think it will be good. I'm hoping I'm wrong though.

Scarecrow makes me mad and I'm sad for the kids. They just wanted one day to have fun and couldn't even get that.

^^ “I can’t believe the kind of nutcases in this city,” Jack says at breakfast the next morning. He gestures at the newspaper sitting in front of him and shakes his head. “It’s ridiculous. You’d think that Arkham would discipline the crazy out of them, but I guess not. They must be getting soft.”

Tim puts his now-empty cereal bowl in the dishwasher. “I’m going to head out. Don’t want to be late for school and all that.”

Sipping on her coffee, Janet barely glances up from her phone. Jack keeps talking animatedly, even as Tim grabs his bike helmet and slips out the door.^^

Jack sounds old school, like he want them to use electric shock and etc on them. I'm glad Tim got out of there safely. Hopefully he'll stay safe.

Chapter 9)

I'm scared for Tim just from the chapter summary. Here's hoping he goes to the Wayne's for help.

^^ Tim is pretty sure that he read something in the news about Batman and a few members of the Justice League fighting some killer robots in Star City earlier this week. And where Batman goes, so does Robin. At least Jason doesn’t look injured, so it seems more likely that his absences were due to him simply not being in Gotham rather than him suffering some terrible wound.^^

Not all the time since Bruce has been gone and Jason has stayed behind. Dick also. Especially if Bruce doesn't know what they are fighting which means keeping his sons safe and away from the danger.

^^ He nods contemplatively. “Good. And you’ve been doing the stretches that Dick showed you, right?”

“Yes, Mom,” Tim says, rolling his eyes.

Jason has the good grace to look slightly ashamed, but only slightly. “Sorry for mother henning you. We miss you over at the manor, Timbo.”^^

Love how Leslie gave him stretches but Tim listens to Dick more.

Let Jason mother hen toy, Tim. Let him!

^^ Tim sets down his algebra problems and hurries down the stairs-- there’s no sense in dilly dallying when his parents are in a mood. His parents are still in their work clothes and staring each other down in the kitchen.

“Set the table,” Jack orders without breaking eyes with Janet.

“What should I set it for?” Tim asks. “Do we need spoons, or--”

“I don’t care, just set the goddamn table!” His father snaps.

“Right, sorry.” Tim quickly carries a stack of plates and utensils over to the table. The sound of silverware clanging is loud in the otherwise quiet house. He doesn’t dare to risk glancing at his parents; at times like this, it’s best to avoid catching their eye.^^

Shit, Jack is in a mood. Why the fuck did they stay married if they take their marriage woes out on Tim who has no say in the marriage? He's just their son.

^^ His hands shake as he shoves his algebra homework into his backpack, but he leaves his laptop out since he doesn’t have any essays to work on. Shouldering his backpack, Tim heads back down the stairs.

Walking over to the kitchen table feels like he’s walking to his doom. Tim sets his backpack down next to his usual chair and sets his algebra practice problems in front of him. He sets his phone face down on the table too so he can double check his answers. Grabbing a pencil from his bag, he resumes working where he left off before dinner.^^

Why the whole backpack? The book I understand but the backpack? Especially to the living room.

Jason no! Tim no! Please don't. Please.

^^ “Hang on, Bruce is texting me,” Tim mumbles, frowning at his phone.

“Son,” his father growls, reaching for his phone. “We need to talk. Give me the phone.”

“What? No!” Frowning, Tim tries to twist away from his father’s grasping hands.

Jack looks pissed. Oh, Tim is so fucked. “I said to give me the damn phone!”

He grabs Tim’s upper arm and yanks him towards the head of the table. Tim hisses as his ribs collide with the edge of the table. Shock loosens his grip on his phone and Jack pries it out of his hand.

Before Tim can snatch his phone back, Jack stands up and glowers at him. “I’m trying to talk to you like an adult and all you do is ignore me and look at your damn phone!” he snaps.

“Dad…” Tim whispers. He can feel his heart pumping and his face is way too warm. His entire body is too warm, like he’s burning from within.

Jack turns and storms towards his office. Tim scrambles after him, unable to get his jaw to work properly. He freezes in the doorway as his father heads straight for his excavation kit and pulls out a hammer.

“How do you like this?” Jack snarls, raising the hammer. The screen is the first thing to shatter, but his dad keeps going. “You’re grounded and I’m taking away your phone privileges.”

Each strike of the hammer feels like a physical blow. His entire body is rushing, sinking, burning. He’s frozen in place, an unwilling witness as, piece by piece, his phone fractures into pieces.

When Jack finishes, he’s smiling triumphantly. Tim feels hollow, like someone scooped out his insides. Absently, he wonders if he would ring like a bell if someone hit him with a hammer.

“I won’t be dissed in my own house, son,” Jack says. His words sound very far away.

Tim nods. It’s all he can do. The rest of him is still frozen in place as he stares at the remains of his phone.

“Go finish your homework,” his father orders.

“Yes, Dad,” Tim says numbly.

Somehow, the command is enough to force his unwilling limbs to march back to the dining table. His body takes a seat, but Tim’s mind is still somewhere else, drifting. He feels unmoored. Everything is muffled like there’s a fine layer of snow between him and the world. It feels like he’s looking from the inside of a fishbowl, all smooth, impenetrable glass.

Tim stares at his homework until, mechanically, he picks up a pencil. He absently solves each equation, barely comprehending the numbers in front of him. Apparently it’s enough for his father, who doesn’t reemerge from the office.

Eventually, Jack stalks out of the office and up the stairs. Janet follows suit twenty minutes later, taking her book with her. She turns off the living room lights, leaving only the soft backlighting of the kitchen. Tim stays at the kitchen table, staring blankly at the numbers in the dim light, until his eyes begin to drift shut against his will. Only then does he finally peel himself from his seat, gather his papers, and numbly head upstairs.

The numbness echoes in him until he falls asleep. Even then, it sinks its claws into the fringes of his dreams, turning them gray and murky.

He dreams of sitting on a cool concrete rooftop, its cold permeating his entire body. He dreams of panicked trick-o-treaters running through the streets below as he sits on a rooftop, hidden and forgotten. He dreams of flickers of capes passing him by, of the hiss of grappling guns and delighted laughter fading into the distance.^^

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Damn you Jack! Damn you Janet!

Tim, please tell Jason the truth. Please.

^^ When he wakes in the morning, he still feels off. This time, he feels less like he’s controlling his body from inside a fishbowl and more like… feeling nothing at all. An all-encompassing numbness hugs his chest and nestles somewhere in the space between his ribs. Tim breathes deeply with one hand pressed to his heart. It’s still beating, but its pulse is faint.

He forces himself through his morning routine and his classes are more mind-numbing than usual. Tim shuffles into his usual corner of the library, hidden from the prying eyes of the librarians, and settles into a chair. It feels like he should do something, but what? He doesn’t feel like reading.

Tim ends up staring at the wall, mind blank, until something moves in a blur in front of him. He starts, flinching away from the motion and curling up. He stays like that, dark and safe, for a few seconds until he registers that someone is murmuring soothingly to him.

“Hey, it’s all right. It’s just Jason,” Jason whispers softly from somewhere nearby. “You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you, okay?”

Slowly, Tim lifts his head up from where he’s pressed against his knees. “Hey,” he says, voice cracking. “Sorry. I’m fine.”

Jason wordlessly spreads his arms, a silent question. Tim leans forward until he can press his face into Jason’s shoulder as the other boy wraps him in a hug.  

“Shhhh, it’s okay. You’re okay,” Jason murmurs as he rubs Tim’s back.

A few heartbeats pass and Tim finally pulls away. Jason stands up and takes the seat next to Tim. “Feeling better?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Tim says hoarsely. “Sorry. I-- didn’t sleep well. Nightmares.” It’s a bad lie and he knows it.

“Are you okay?” Jason asks, brow furrowed. “I just-- you didn’t respond to any of our texts last night. Bruce and I were getting worried.”

Tim shrugs half-heartedly. “Broke my phone.”^^

Jason is so telling Bruce. Especially since he knows you didn't break your phone and how scared you are right now.

^^ He frowns. “You failed a test this week. I really don’t think--”

“But I’ve studied really hard since then and--”

Jack cuts him off, eyes hard. “Don’t interrupt me. Bad grades mean no going out. That’s a rule, son. You--”

Tim interrupts, clenching his hands into fists. “Come on, Dad, they invited me and everything--”

His father’s hand moves and Tim flinches instinctually before the side of his face flares in pain. It takes him a moment longer to process the harsh sound of skin hitting skin. The slap hurts fiercely. Tim raises a hand to his stinging cheek and stares at his father, eyes watering.

“You need to learn how to follow the rules,” Jack says harshly. “I’m doing this for you, Tim. You’ll thank me someday. I can’t just let you run around when your grades are slipping.” He stands up and Tim takes a step back, eyes burning.

Wisely, he keeps his big mouth shut. His face hurts. He should’ve known that asking about this now would be a bad idea. He should’ve known--

His father turns and marches up the stairs, fuming. Tim watches him, rooted in place.

A hand lands on his shoulder and Tim jumps. “Your father is right, you know,” Janet says calmly. “We’re only trying to help, but you keep sabotaging your grades.”

Tim nods weakly. His cheek is on fire and his face is on fire and his heart is burning. He’s melting.

“Come on, Tim,” she orders, shoving him none-too-gently towards the stairs. Tim stumbles forwards, but he’s having trouble getting his legs to work. All he wants to do is hide in a hole somewhere, preferably for the next twenty years or so.

Frowning, Janet grabs his arm. “I said come on,” she hisses, fingers digging into his arm. She yanks on his arm until he finally shuffles after her, head bowed.

 Janet mercilessly tugs him up the stairs and down the hall to his room, her hand like an iron vise. It might as well be wrapped along his lungs because it feels like he can’t breathe. From inside his room, there’s the sound of crashing. Tim’s heart plummets as Jack steps out, dragging Tim’s television along with him.^^

What the fuck? A 98 /89 is not a failing grade! What the fuck is up with these two?!?

Plus taking everything away because he talked back and 'failed'? Fuck them!

I hope to Ra they go to jail and get what they deserve.

^^ Besides, Tim just isn’t feeling it. When he’s in Gotham, he’s closer to the stars than to anything else in his life. Tonight, he’s stuck on the ground, staring up at the insurmountable rooftops like a bird without wings.^^

Tim, tell Jason! Tell him!

Chapter 10)

^^ Tim spends most of Sunday sleeping as the bone-deep numbness morphs into exhaustion. He’s so tired and there’s not much for him to do except for studying, sleeping, and quickly hiding his laptop whenever he hears footsteps in the hallway.

Blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a shroud, Tim stares at his reflection in the mirror. The hit to his face didn’t bruise too badly. It’s a bit swollen, but at least the discoloration is enough that it could be covered with some good concealer. His arm, though, is another matter. The place where his mother grabbed him is marked by a deep blue and purple bruise. Tim can almost see the outline of her fingers. At least it’s only on his upper arm and it’s cold enough outside to justify him wearing long sleeves until it fades.

He leaves his room exactly twice. Once, he leaves to sneak a box of froot loops into his room. He always maintains a stash of nonperishable food in his room, but there’s no sense in depleting his hoard when he could still get food from the kitchen.  The second time he leaves is when his parents call him for dinner. Dinner is quiet and stilted, but Tim will happily take silence over screaming. He excuses himself as quickly as politely possible and shuffles back upstairs so he can collapse into the sweet embrace of his bed.^^

Oh, I'm hoping, and it certainly seems like it will happen, Jason finds out and Tim let's him know everything. Everything.

It'll hurt but also get Tim home sooner to his dad, brothers, and grandfather.

^^ Monday rolls around, but he doesn’t feel much better. Tim goes through the motions of forcing himself to roll out of bed and bike to school anyways. He covers the light bruising on his face with a judicious application of concealer. (Thank god for makeup tutorials on YouTube; they’ve been helping him cover the bruises from his nights out in Gotham for years.)

He has his usual debate team meeting during lunch, so he doesn’t run into Jason. School goes as usual and Tim bikes back home.^^

Damnit! Here I was hoping Jason would see him.

^^ Something about the smile on Jack’s face feels off and Tim doesn’t like it. He steels himself as Jack stands up and strides over to him. Jack lifts a hand and Tim tenses, but he only takes Tim’s hand and… hands him a new phone?^^

^^ They walk up the stairs together and head over to Tim’s room. The first thing Tim notices is the new television on his wall. It’s kind of unnecessarily large. There’s what looks like a wii console under it and a stack of video games.

“Do you like your new TV?” Jack asks, looking hopeful.

Tim forces a smile. “I love it! Thank you.”

“We got you a bunch of games too. Oh! We also bought a new camera for you.” Jack pats a compact digital camera sitting on Tim’s desk. Already, Tim can tell that it doesn’t have the same long-range zoom as his old camera. “It’s brand new. We got you a nice tripod for it too.”

“Oh, wow, thanks! I’ve never used a tripod before,” Tim says. The tripod would probably hold him back when he’s running through Gotham, but he doesn’t mention that little detail.

Jack smiles. “We’ve also increased the monthly spending limit on your debit card from ten thousand per month to twenty thousand. If you ever need more, just use our card instead of yours.”^^

This is creeping me out....are they trying to buy his silence? Because it sure seems like it.

Damn, I hope Tim can get his old camera back.

^^ Tim turns on his new phone and links it to his Drake Industries account. Seconds later, it begins downloading his contacts, messages, and photos from his account. Looks like he has a bunch of missed messages from Jason and Dick. He flips through them, but it’s just them suggesting which movies to watch.

On a whim, Tim starts typing a message to Jason and Dick.

Chat: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and 1 other person

Tim [11/05, 3:41 PM]: Do you know if clones retain all of the memories of the original person, or would it take special technology to do that?

Tim [11/05, 3:41 PM]: Asking for a friend.

Jason [11/05, 3:42 PM]: ????????

Jason [11/05, 3:42 PM]: what the fuck?

Dick [11/05, 3:44 PM]: TIM YOU HAVE A PHONE AGAIN!!

Tim [11/05, 3:45 PM]: My parents got me a new phone.

Tim [11/05, 3:46 PM]: I’m worried that they might have been replaced by clones or something. They’re acting really weird.

Dick [11/05, 3:47 PM]: what do u mean by weird

Jason [11/05, 3:47 PM]: weird how?

Jason [11/05, 3:47 PM]: jinx

Jason [11/05, 3:47 PM]: you owe me a soda

Dick [11/05, 3:48 PM]: fuck u jay

Dick [11/05, 3:48 PM]: ok but tim, what u mean by weird

Dick [11/05, 3:49 PM]: do u need help?????

Tim [11/05, 3:49 PM]: I’m fine, don’t worry.^^

Tim...you just worried your brothers even more.

^^ Tim [11/05, 3:53 PM]: They bought me a ton of video games out of the blue. I think they got me Fortnite. Who even plays that anymore??

Jason [11/05, 3:54 PM]: they got you fortnite?? HAHAHAHA oh my god

Dick [11/05, 3:55 PM]: do kids not play fortnight anymore???????

Tim [11/05, 3:57 PM]: 1) I’m not a kid. 2) No, they do not.

Dick [11/05, 3:57 PM]: wow i feel old

Jason [11/05, 3:58 PM]: you are old

Dick [11/05, 4:00 PM]: thx im really feeling the love 2night

Jason sent 1 picture

Tim opens the picture and laughs. It’s of Jason sticking out his tongue while he flips off the camera.

Dick [11/05, 4:02 PM]: idk much about clones’ memories but i will srsly fight ur parents clones if u need me to

Jason [11/05, 4:03 PM]: wait do your parents not randomly buy you stuff?? they’re rich

Dick [11/05, 4:03 PM]: ooooo jay has a point

Oh no. Abort mission.

Tim [11/05, 4:04 PM]: They buy me plenty of stuff, guys. Like you said, they’re rich.

Tim [11/05, 4:04 PM]: Nevemind, forget I said anything.^^

Case in point.

^^ “Listen, just forget that I said anything about clones or whatever,” Tim sighs, leaning back into the uncomfortable wooden library chair. “Like I told you, it’s probably nothing.”

“Didn’t sound like nothing,” Jason shoots back. “Listen, if your parents are acting weird--”

“Jason, it’s fine.” He throws an arm over his eyes before realizing that his white sleeve is perilously close to the concealer covering the bruise on his face. Primer, setting powder, and setting spray might not be enough to keep the concealer from staining the fabric. Tim pulls his arm back, but he doesn’t see any concealer marks on his sleeve. Good, he doesn’t need anyone asking more questions right now, let alone Jason and the rest of the Waynes.^^

To late Tim. Way to late.

^^ For the rest of the week, Tim makes sure to be as polite as possible. He minds his posture and practices his company manners at dinner. His parents seem relatively pleased, but Tim can’t help but wonder what he’s missing. He has to be missing something. It feels like he’s playing whack-a-mole with his parents’ expectations.^^

I think they are leaving again.

^^ His guidance counselor-- Mr. Williams-- beckons for Tim to come in. “Hi, Tim. You can take a seat wherever you’d like. Ms. Fletcher has some questions for you. I’ll let you both get to it-- if you need me, I’ll be in Ms. Rivera’s office next door.” He stands up and leaves, closing the office door behind himself with a click.

Tim sits down in the seat next to the mystery woman who is apparently Ms. Fletcher. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he says, extending a hand to shake.

She shakes his hand and smiles. “Hi, I’m Mary Fletcher and I’m a part of New Jersey’s department of children and families. Is it all right if I record our interview?”

“That’s fine with me.” He sets his backpack down on the floor next to the chair.

Ms. Fletcher nods and takes a slim device out of her pocket. After she hits the record button, she leans back in her chair. “I’m Mary Fletcher and I’m interviewing Tim Drake on Thursday, November eighth for the department of children and families.”

“The department of children and families… does that mean that you’re part of CPS?” Tim tilts his head and guides his face into a confused frown. Hopefully his use of CPS instead of the New Jersey-specific CPP will throw her off.^^

Yes, yes, yes! Thank you Leslie! Thank you Bruce! Now please tell the truth Tim. Please.

Wait...oooh! They were trying to buy his silence! Damn the Drakes!

^^ He shrugs. “If I get a bad grade on a test because I was texting instead of studying, they’ll take away my phone for a while so I can actually study.” There, that’s relatively close to the truth. “If I ever get really upset over something and I start getting way too angry, they’ll send me to my room to cool down.”^^

I'm liking the CPS lady. She's a badass and seems like she really wants to help the children out. Instead of only pretending to. Bruce made sure she was a good one, didn't he?

^^ A smile slides easily onto his face, but that speaks more to a great deal of practice rather than any amount of sincerity. “Of course!” he replies, as if the answer was obvious. “My parents love me and are fortunate enough to have more than enough financial resources to be able to provide for me. I’m really very lucky to be in this situation.”

“I’m glad to hear it, honey. You’re a good kid, Tim.” Ms. Fletcher smiles back at him. “Well, I think we can start wrapping things up here.”^^

She got enough. Tim knows she did, she knows she did, anyone with a brain knows she did. No wonder why Tim threw up again. Baby boy needs love and care.

Edit: Okay, I still like her but rereading makes me wonder if the Drakes were the ones who called CPS now. Should I not like her?

^^ “If you’re doing as well in school as you did with this, then you must be at the top of your class,” he remarks. “Speaking of, how is school? Did anything interesting happen today?” There’s a gleam in his eye that Tim isn’t quite sure what to do with, so he defaults to being smiling and polite.

“School was good,” he replies. “There weren’t any quizzes or tests today.”

Nodding thoughtfully, his dad keeps smiling. “I see. Well, keep working hard,” he says, and lets the matter drop.^^

Oh, thank you for not lying but not outright saying you got a visit Tim. Thank you. You just saved yourself from more hurt.

^^ As he pours himself a bowl of cereal, Tim dimly realizes that he forgot to ask where his parents were going or when they would be back.^^

They aren't coming back are they? It seemed like a lot of luggage...

^^ His new camera isn’t nearly as good at his old one, but the docks are relatively quiet by Gotham’s standards. Tim spots a few low-level drug dealers but they aren’t the source of the problem so he leaves them alone. He mostly spends his time revelling in how the cold from the metal shipping containers seeps into his stomach and the feeling of the sea breeze on his face. The docks aren’t as visually pretty as the rest of the city, but Tim appreciates how the reflections of the streetlights dance in the waves.

At one in the morning, he calls it a night and heads home. Exhausted, Tim collapses into bed and thinks of nothing for a long, long time.^^

What happened to his old camera? Did they take it with them? Or did Tim not think to get it?

Sleep Tim. You're going to need it because a talk is coming. A talk that is needed.

^^ Tim stares at himself in the mirror. The seemingly perpetual bags under his eyes look much better and the bruise on his face has faded to an ugly yellow and green. It’s noticeable enough that he’ll need to keep covering it with concealer for a while, but it’s not too bad. The bruise on his arm, however, is a different story. It’s still blue and definitely hand-shaped. Ugh.^^

Good luck because it isn't going to work but I'll still wish you luck.

^^ Sighing, Tim throws an arm over his face. Normally, he doesn’t mind hanging out with Dick and Jason. He enjoys it, even. But right now, it feels like there’s ice spreading through his bones, numbing him. Tim is made of skin and flesh and bone and a terrible emptiness lurking in the space between his ribs. He’s hollow, but his limbs may as well be made of lead.

Jason [11/10, 2:42 PM]: what are you doing rn? you should come over.

Jason [11/10, 2:42 PM]: we can talk alfred into making us cookies.

He sets down his phone and throws an arm over his eyes. Doing anything other than laying on his bed sounds like literal torture. Maybe he should take a nap.

Tim is so, so tired.^^

Tim, baby boy, I just want to hug you do bad. You need it.

^^ “Oh, good. We’ve been trying to call you and I suppose I panicked a little when the boys said that your parents weren’t home.” Bruce admits.

“Sorry,” Tim says after a moment. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“It’s all right, Tim. We’re just glad that you’re okay.” Bruce says gently. There’s the sound of what’s likely Dick and Jason squabbling in the background. Bruce pauses as if listening to someone and then adds, “Would you like to come over for dinner?”

“Make sure to ask if he wants to have a sleepover!” Jason calls, though his voice is muffled.

“Jason is asking if you want to have a sleepover. Dick is nodding,” Bruce adds, amusement coloring his voice.

Tim picks at a loose thread on his sheets. “I don’t want to impose….”

“Tim, you’re never an imposition,” Bruce says warmly. “You’re more than welcome to stay over any time you like.”

He pulls at the loose thread as he considers the offer. “Okay,” he says at last. “I’ll sleep over tonight.”^^

Sleepover forever!

Bruce is not letting you in your house by yourself and you know it young man. So good job on saying yes.

^^ Bruce hangs up and Tim stares at his phone for a moment before sighing. Time to pack, he supposes. First, he should throw on a sweatshirt to hide the bruise on his arm. Next, some jeans instead of his old sweatpants. He packs quickly-- he’s only staying over for one night, after all-- before hurrying into the bathroom to carefully cover up his bruise with makeup.

His setting spray has only just dried when there’s a knock on the front door. Tim shoves his makeup and makeup remover into his backpack before he hurries down the stairs.^^

You think it's only one night. Also, Jason knows about one bruise already and i know Bruce knows so give up and tell them. You won't be able to hide them.

^^ “A little tired, but I’ll manage. I spent most of the morning playing with Ace and keeping Dick from accidentally breaking any more furniture. Then I dealt with some WE business and collaborated with Jason to hide snacks from Alfred,” Bruce replies. “He almost certainly knows that we’ve snuck junk food into the house and is merely humoring us, but trying to sneak past him is part of the fun.”^^

Of course taking care of Dick is a full time job even with him not in the house. How does he manage on his own? He literally eats whatever Alfred packs him. I bet he barely tries the recipes either.

Alfred knows. It's not most certainly, it's certainly, Bruce. He lets you sneak past him. It's fun for him also.

^^ A few minutes later, Tim drops off his things in the guest room that he stayed in last time. Other than the freshly made bed, the room looks largely the same. Afterwards, Bruce walks Tim over to his bedroom, where Dick and Jason are sprawled out on Bruce’s unnecessarily large bed. An assortment of snacks sits on Bruce’s nightstand with more in two trays perched on the bed. He gets the feeling that Alfred was responsible for the platter of sliced vegetables and dip, but hey, it looks good.^^

Time to take over dad's bed! I love when Bruce can't even sleep in his own bed without a kid coming in or he gets kicked out of it because the kids want to sleep but no dad allowed.

^^ Tim hesitates for a moment, looking between Bruce and Jason, before he finally gives in and climbs onto the bed. It’s alarmingly comfortable-- the mattress must be memory foam or something. He crawls over so he’s sitting on Jason’s other side and Dick pushes a blanket over to him. Tim leans back against the mound of pillows and wraps the blanket around his shoulders, pulling his knees up to his chest.^^

Relax with your brothers Tim. Your dad better be getting custody of you. (I'm a bit impatient but I want Tim home.) (Or he's making sure the evidence is airtight.) Let Dick and Jason care for you for a while.

^^ Bruce returns as the third movie is beginning and takes his place between Dick and Jason. They waste no time in curling up against him with Dick’s head pillowed on his shoulder and Jason draped on his side.

“Wait, hold on,” Dick says, rolling out of the bed and walking around to Tim’s side. Perplexed, Tim watches as Dick flops down next to him, leaving Tim sandwiched between Dick and Jason.

“You look like you need some certified big brother cuddles,” Dick informs him seriously, holding out his arms.

“O--kay,” Tim says, drawing out the word as he stares at Dick.

Dick wiggles his fingers impatiently. “Come here, Timmy. You look like you need to be wrapped in blankets.”

“On it,” Jason says from Tim’s other side, peeling several blankets from the outside of his next and dropping them onto Tim.

Finally, Tim gives in and scoots closer to Dick. As soon as Tim settles, Dick manages to wrap an arm around him and Jason wriggles closer, still cocooned in blankets. Jason doesn’t quite use him as a pillow, but he does rest his head next to Tim’s side. It has the bonus of being close enough to Dick that he can gently pet Jason’s hair with the arm wrapped around Tim.

“You guys are a bunch of mother hens,” Tim informs them, but his words lack any real heat.^^

Dick cuddles, Dick cuddles, Dick cuddles! I love this. Tim getting the cuddles he needs from his older brother is pure love.

Awe. :( Why you kick them out Bruce? Let them sleep in your bed! Wait, I mean their bed.

^^ “Do you know when your parents are coming back from their trip?”

He can feel Bruce’s eyes on him. Tim bites his lip and fiddles with the sleeve of his sweatshirt before replying, “I forgot to ask.”

Dick gently knocks their knees together. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Bruce nods in agreement, expression neutral. “Dick is right. Did your parents tell you where they’re going?”

“...I also forgot to ask about that,” Tim says and hastily adds, “Sorry.”

Wordlessly, Dick reaches out and slowly wraps an arm around Tim’s shoulders. He telegraphs his movements enough that Tim has time to force himself to relax before Dick gently pulls him closer.

“It’s not your fault. We’ll figure it out,” Bruce reassures him. He leans forward, elbows on his knees. “I’ll be honest, Tim. I’d like for you to stay with us until your parents return like you did when your ankle was healing in October.”^^

Considering it was 5:30/6 in the morning, I'm not surprised you forgot to ask Tim.

Yes! Stay! Stay forever!

^^ “They refused to let me come over here the last time that I asked them to,” Tim shoots back. It’s technically a lie of omission: his parents refused due to his poor grades, but Bruce doesn’t need to know that. Lying to the literal Batman makes his skin prickle, but Tim meets Bruce's eyes steadily nonetheless. “They’d probably be pretty angry if they found out you were involved.”

Now, Bruce looks faintly intrigued. He tilts his head minutely. “Angry?”

Next to Tim, Dick tenses slightly before it drains away as if it never happened. He continues to rub soothing circles into Tim’s shoulder.

Tim shrugs and studies the bookshelves behind Bruce. “I didn’t do well on a math test. They were angry that I wanted to come over here instead of study.”

Dick makes a sympathetic noise. Snapping his book shut, Dick sets it on the coffee table before bringing his free hand up to rub Tim’s other shoulder.

“Tim,” Bruce says, painfully gentle, “Does this have anything to do with how you got the bruise on your face?”

Tim freezes, his chest burning white-hot, before he turns to fully face Bruce. “What? How--” He’s been so careful to cover it with makeup every day since the incident. What happened?

“I saw it last night when I was checking in on all of you while you were asleep,” Bruce explains. He’s infuriatingly calm. It kind of makes Tim want to yell, to scream, to destroy something.^^

You did perfectly well on that math test. The Drakes are just assholes.

I knew it! Bet you it was before Bruce even checked on the boys.

^^ “Someone can love you and still hurt you. My goal is for you to be safe and happy, Tim,” Bruce replies, his voice even and measured. “We don’t have to talk about long term plans right now. But until your parents return, I would like you to stay here with us. I want to work with you and help you.” Dick places one hand on Bruce’s arm and gives him a look. Bruce quiets, closing his mouth.

“You can’t just-- just come into my life and uproot everything. I had a life, Bruce!” Tim shouts, balling his hands into fists. His chest burns white hot. Dimly, he suspects that he might be crying.

Bruce’s face remains infuriatingly calm. Part of Tim really wants to punch it, but instead he only clenches his fists until his knuckles turn white. “I don’t know why you’re so interested in trying to help me, but I don’t need you sticking your nose into my business! There are so many other things that you could be focusing on. Gotham needs your stupid help, but you know what? I don’t!”

He stares Bruce down, tears running down his face. Burning hot flames fill his chest and distantly, Tim notes that he’s breathing like he just ran a marathon. It takes a moment for the weight of his words to sink in and for Tim to realize that he just yelled at Bruce Wayne.

Tim just screamed at Batman.

Oh, he’s so fucked.

Tim distantly registers Bruce’s mouth moving as he says something, but the words are lost to the rushing in his ears. Bruce reaches out for him and Tim flinches away without thinking. The weight of Bruce’s icy blue eyes clamp down on his chest and make it hard to breathe. He just yelled at Bruce Wayne.

“--deep breaths, Tim,” Bruce is saying, his words distant as if spoken underwater. “I’m not going to hurt you--”

Tim stares at him, eyes burning with tears and chest burning with fire, and bolts.^^

Well...that's a good way of telling them you know their secret....wait, did they even catch that?

Tim, please don't. Don't run.

^^ He reaches a bedroom door that part of his mind faintly registers as mine, so he darts inside. The door slams behind him and Tim jumps at the noise, scanning the room for hiding places. His eyes land on the closet and Tim barely thinks before he opens his closet door and launches himself inside.

Closets are good. They’re quiet and dark and safe. Tim finds a stack of blankets in the corner of the closet and quickly burrows underneath them. If anyone sticks their head in, hopefully all they’ll see is a pile of fabric.

Tim huddles there in the dark, draped with blankets, and tries to control his breathing. He’s panting, gasping for air like he’s just run a marathon, and his heart feels like it’s trying to claw his way out of his chest. His entire body is buzzing with adrenaline.^^

At least you stayed in the Manor. Thank you for that. Now let them help you. Please. Especially since you revealed even more by running after yelling st Bruce.

^^ Eventually, Tim’s breathing calms enough that he can talk without gasping. The first thing he says is, “Bruce is going to be so mad at me.”

“He’s not mad at you,” Dick counters. “Worried, yes, but he’s worried for you. I promise.”

“He thinks that--” Tim gulps down another breath and wipes away tears from his eyes, “That my parents are bad people. But they love me, I know that they love me.”

Dick pauses. “I don’t think that people are fully good or fully bad,” he says at last. “I think that we all try our best, and sometimes we can love someone but still hurt them by accident.”

Tim sniffles and wraps his arms around his knees. “I just want my life back,” he says miserably. “Why can’t everything stop being so hard?” His voice cracks on the last word as a fresh wave of tears pours down his face.

“I know,” Dick whispers sadly. “Want to come here?” He holds his arms out in open invitation and Tim is so tired and his head hurts and his chest still feels weird and he’s weak and just wants someone to hug him for a bit.

Scrambling out from under the blankets, Tim crawls over to Dick and sits down next to him. Dick wraps his arms around Tim and pulls him into his chest, and Tim starts crying harder. Wow, Dick is good at giving hugs. He keeps up a steady stream of murmured reassurances and things that are soothing to listen to even if Tim isn’t really processing them.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please don’t be mad--” Tim gasps, but Dick only kisses the top of his head.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. You’re safe here,” Dick says gently as he rubs Tim’s back. “We’re not mad at you.”

Slowly, the hot, tight feeling in Tim’s chest eases until it fades back into his usual muffled fog. His tears, too, lessen from a combination of dehydration and exhaustion until they stop completely.

“I’m tired,” Tim mumbles into Dick’s shoulder.

Dick strokes Tim’s hair. “I’ll bet. Does this sort of thing happen often?”

Tim half-shrugs. “Sometimes,” he mumbles. “Not always.”

“Okay,” Dick replies easily. “If you’re tired, you could try taking a nap. What do you think?”

Tim nods and Dick adjusts his grip on him before standing up, carrying Tim like a child. With his usual easy grace, Dick picks his way out of the closet and walks over to the bed. He gently deposits Tim on the bed and grabs a blanket to drape over him.

“You need to drink some water before you sleep,” Dick says, scrounging a glass from-- somewhere, Tim has no clue-- and padding over to the bathroom. Over the sound of the faucet running, he calls, “Do you want me to get Ace for you?”

Tim contemplates this for a moment before nodding. It feels like his brain was run over by a truck and he would really, really like a warm, fluffy dog on his bed. Realizing that Dick can’t see him, he belatedly replies, “Yes, please.”

Dick crosses the room and hands Tim the glass of water. “All right, give me a minute to find him. Drink the whole glass.”

Tim sips at the water as Dick leaves. A few minutes later, he slips back into the room with a happy-looking Ace. Ace wastes no time in hopping onto Tim’s bed and flopping down next to him. Smiling, Tim snuggles into the blanket and scratches behind Ace’s ears.^^

I'm glad thst Dick went up. Bruce would have been to much, Alfred also. Jason would have worked but I also think he would have done something wrong, even if he didn't try it.

Ace is the best. He's exactly what Tim needs and I'm glad Ace can help.

^^ “I’ll let him know.” Smiling gently, Dick ruffles Tim’s hair. “And by the way, welcome to the Yelling At Bruce Club. Everyone in the house is a card-carrying member, so you’re in good company.” He leans forward and kisses Tim’s forehead. Tim makes a face but doesn’t really protest.

Dick makes his way to the door and pauses, glancing at Tim and a very comfortable Ace. “Text any of us if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay,” Tim replies as he rhythmically strokes Ace’s ears.

Still smiling, Dick slips out of the room. It takes less time than Tim would’ve thought for him to fall asleep.^^

Dick is the best oldest brother. I say oldest because it is a tie between him and Jason for being the best older brother.

[followthebluebell]

Hi there! About a week ago I got a two month old puppy (a pomsky, so cute! ♡) I was thinking of trying to train her to be an emotional support animal, is there any advice or resources you could point me to to help me do so?

aww that sounds super cute! <3

ok, before i really delve into this topic, i want to cover the differences between an ESA, a service dog, and a therapy animal. This is specifically about the US, even more specifically about California. Different countries may have different standards and I know different states have different laws about service animal accessibility.

So, an emotional support animal (ESA) is a pet with a job. They don't have to do anything in particular. Their job is to Simply Exist, and that's a pretty important job. They don't have access rights (ie, you can't just bring them everywhere you go unless pets are specifically allowed) but they do have housing rights. Pet-free housing has to make an exception for ESAs. Personally, I think every emotional support dog should complete basic obedience training at the very least, because that's just part of dog ownership.

There's no registry or certification for ESAs. Any online certification or registry you see is an outright SCAM. Please don't support them. All that's required is a letter from your therapist/mental health professional (which has to be kept up to date, btw) that says your mental/emotional health benefits from having an emotional support animal. And even that is only required for housing reasons. In the US, ESAs are exempt from paying pet fees with regards to housing.

you can just... call your dog an ESA.

A therapy animal is specifically trained for therapy in a public setting (ie, hospitals, hospice homes, etc). Some programs exist to train them specifically. These animals have to go through specific training to ensure they are calm and confident around strangers since their literal job is 'give comfort to this stranger'.

They typically go through a veterinarian's assessment and, again, you won't find any reputable online 'therapy dog certification' programs. Again, these are scams. Therapy dogs DO have to complete certifications through an actual program to be recognized.

Therapy dogs don't have public access rights either or reduced/waived housing fees. They are not service dogs.

There's a lot of cross-over between therapy dogs and facility dogs. Facility dogs are generally attached to specific facilities, like schools, health care facilities, or courthouses. They're typically handled by professionals, while therapy dogs are usually owner handled. Therapy dogs are generally privately owned dogs that volunteer their time with a specific organization and visit different places.

Finally, you've got service dogs. Right off the bat, I want to point out that, for the first time, I'm specifically saying 'service DOG' and not 'service ANIMAL'. This is because, in the US, the only service animals recognized are dogs and miniature horses (usually used for mobility work since they live a lot longer than dogs). No other animal can qualify as a service animal in the USA. Just those two species.

Service dogs are medical equipment. They are specifically trained to assist their disabled handler in day-to-day living. As medical equipment, they have public access rights (ie, they can go to the grocery store or school with their handler). These dogs go through extremely rigorous training to ensure they are calm, confident, and comfortable in public settings. The training tends to be pretty expensive both in time and money. It can take up to two years to fully train a service dog and they can wash out at any time. The drop-out rate for service dogs is somewhere between 50-70%.

Service dogs can perform all kinds of tasks. The most commonly known ones are probably guide dogs, but there are also hearing dogs, mobility dogs, medical alert dogs (this is where most of Truffle's tasks are), autism service dogs, and psychiatric service dogs.

Where I live, it's fully legal for an owner to self-train their service dog. Service dogs in training also have access rights in my state. Mileage may vary there, because some states don't allow that access except to certain dog training programs.

Once again, online registries and certification programs are a scam. In the US, there's no registration or certification for service dogs. Some counties may provide service dog tags, but these aren't required anywhere. Service dogs also aren't required to wear vests or anything that identifies them as service dogs.

Service dogs don't have UNLIMITED access rights--- service dogs aren't permitted in sterile rooms, for example, or areas where their presence would be an undue hardship (like a walk-in aviary in a zoo is fully in their rights to deny service dogs entry, since their presence could upset the birds). If a service dog is being disruptive or destructive, they can absolutely be required to leave.

anyway, that's a lot of words to say if you want your dog to be an ESA, I recommend finding a nice dog positive reinforcement training class and enrolling. While your dog is a puppy, just... let them be a puppy for a while and don't take their training too seriously. Get into some fun puppy socialization classes. The worst thing I ever did to my dog was make him grow up too fast.

your dog is a literal baby right now. he's gonna have a baby brain for a while. he's gonna be silly so just enjoy that while it lasts. There's no timeline for him to complete.

At the very least, I think pet dogs should be able to complete the Canine Good Citizenship (CGC), so that's a solid place to start.

The AKC (American Kennel Club) has some pretty good resources on that, since it's their test and all. And I'm a big fan of puppy culture in general, since it puts a lot of emphasis on socializing your dog with unfamiliar situations.

[melonsharks]

ok i cant stop going back and starign at your teacher au and i have to ask if u have any more info or hc for it bc i love it so much (also the way benrey stares at gordon in the first pic for it is so beautiful)

:) Hehe Im so glad somebody asked about this! I have a few more drawings for it in the works but I don't mind talking about it! Ill ramble under the cut, itll be long (sorry in advance!)

Black Mesa Kindergarten itself, for starters, is a sketchy ass place. Like. Its known for somehow producing really successful STEM students for one reason or another and like there are some weird going-ons.

Its an incomprehensible mess of a school with a disembodied automated voice that speaks over the PA, a principal who seems to disappear and reappear at will, the student counselor who has a giant dog, a janitor who might be an alien, a chemistry teacher for some reason who wont stop setting shit on fire, a pe class taught by an old guy with funny lookin' arms, and a totally normal guy whos just trying to get through the day so he can go home to his 8 year old son and eat pizza or something.

Gordon was a student there back in the day... He managed to get a good gig as a teacher :] He's generally very good with kids, at guiding them and like he shows plenty of patience (for the kids at least) BUT he curses SO much. Like WAY too much for someone who spends so much time around 5 year olds. SO, he has a system. There is a CURSE JAR in his classroom. Every time he curses he puts a quarter in there and every quarter funds an end of the semester pizza party for the kids. He ends up using really elaborate fake curses like "FUUUUUngal infections" a lot.

They have a class lizard. Its name is Peeper. The kids accidentally call it Peepee so much. Gordon keeps getting in trouble for it. He's trying so hard.

Tommy is the school counselor and he is so belovED by the school forreal. Sunkist is his lovely ESA / therapy dog and she wears a vest and everybody loves her and its wonderful. He likes helping the kids work through problems and he is good at providing comfort and getting the kids to talk in the first place... Sunkist really helps though, idk just having her around is Enough sometimes. Perfect Dog Thingzzz.

Coomer is the gym teacher and he is so STRONG and fun and cool !!! He is really weird, like SO weird, but he can benchpress the kids and they think its so cool, and his presence is comforting and he likes to be helpful and makes PE fun. He was around when GORDON was going to school there as a babie, so Gordon has the fondest memories of him and sees him as like. A father figure for sure.

Bubby is. Um. Ok, nobody knows why he is there or how he got hired. He's a science teacher, Gordon thinks? He teaches chemistry, not because he was HIRED to, just because he wants to. Lots of things explode. Lots of things catch fire. The kids have no complaints, its always concentrated on him, Gordon has to really keep an eye on him for the most part HEJDHSJ

And then there is Benrey... Benrey is a janitor. I didnt make them a security guard specifically so Forzen could be one, which idK is maybe silly, but Benrey probably USED to be a security guard w Forzen and now. Isn't. Its no big deal. They got this huuuge crush on Gordon (obviously) and will typically use any excuse to irritate him and be around him, even if it means interrupting his classes to empty out already empty trash buckets in the classroom...

They're not like amazing with kids (they r awkward as hell around them), but the kids think they are so weird and cool. And...mm. There is something deeply wrong with them. They can't quite put their fingers on it... Its probably no big deal.

For other less thought out things, Forzen is an aforementioned security guard, Darnold works in the cafeteria, and G-man is the principal. They have a rival school, Aperture Kindergarten. Joshua USED to go here, but he's 8 presently so he is just in a regular school now. He is missed everyday... The science team is his extended family too :] He loves and misses them all dearly.

[moka-suwi]

1: Sleen

The Special Operations Division of the Department of Floaters handles unusual situations for which there are no standard operating procedures. [...] It's almost guaranteed that something will go catastrophically wrong on a SOD mission. There's a reason the acronym is "SOD." — Revised Handbook of the Protectors of the Plot Continuum, 2010.

The PPC was created by Jay and Acacia. Lightning from a clear sky belongs to Systlin. The Gor Chronicles belongs to John Norman.

Everything was quiet in Response Center 8. Well, no, not quite; the room was filled with the whirring of computer fans, which Mallory used as a meditation aid and Anis had quickly learned to tune out. Rather, it was quiet in the way that the Narrative Laws loved to interrupt.

[BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!]

Mal let out a brief shriek as she startled off her bed, which brought a chortle out of Anis as the two of them got to the console; Mal was the first to get to the mute button, grabbing her glasses to read the screen. The two of them stared at the Intelligence briefing on the screen for a good few seconds, before both spoke up, somehow at the same time.

“What the fuck is Gor?”

Unfamiliar as they were with the source material, the report sounded pretty damning. No DoI spy had managed to stomach the graphic violence and cartoonish evil of the fic for more than a couple chapters; the main character was so ridiculously overpowered as to narrow the agent selection down to ESAS or SOD; and the sheer speed at which the Suefic gained popularity – even some spin-offs! – certainly implied something very Special. The report even noted that Mal and Anis weren’t the first to have gotten assigned this fic, but the previous team, chosen for their familiarity with the Gor continuum, refused to touch it with a fifty-foot pole. It was clearly just that much of a canon-wreck, and they had to get going now.

“It’s going to be a long one,” said Anis as the team started packing their gear. “They say coffee is really rare in that continuum, so I don’t think we’ll, uh—”

“Be able to dump the grounds, so better bring cans. Got it!” the girl replied with a chuckle as she crouched down to reach the minifridge. Anis rolled their eyes, but took the energy drinks (and the last two cans of cold-brew coffee) Mal handed them, stuffing them into the backpack without protest. Mal continued: “What’s the disguise situation?”

Anis glanced at the console. “Don’t think we’ll need one. I’ll just set default clothes for the setting, we’ll see how that goes.”

“What the fuck is that?”

Somehow, Anis’s outfit left even less to the imagination than Mallory’s, which was an impressive feat to say the least. The “shirtless (and only not pantsless if you’re British) barbarian” look was not exactly suited to the redhead's five feet and a generously rounded-up inch of “Well, I work out, but not for the looks, you know.” They were trying to find literally anything to look at that wasn’t Mal, who decided it was probably wiser not to look down – the feeling of the breeze on her body, and the chafing of the pack against her back, told her precisely as much as she felt the psychic fortitude to know.

She had to admit the fur boots at least looked pretty nifty on them, though.

“Please tell me we brought a DORKS,” she said. If Anis could have averted their gaze any more, they probably would have. “… We’ll just loot something from somewhere.” Thankfully, the narrative began its course, and the agent unfocused their eyes to read out the Words to their partner.

There have been many Ubaras in the history of Gor. Indeed, even today there are many, who rule this city or that land, sometimes alone and sometimes alongside mates. Our own beloved Ubara of Turia is well known as a fair and just lady, and a great patron of the sciences. But forever when the words “The Great Ubara” are uttered, there will be no doubt as to who they refer to. She came from nowhere, and in her hands she brought power, and it was that very night that the beginning of the time of the Great Burning of the Whips commenced… -Sansha, scholar of the Tower of Tyra, history division, 537 AGU (After the Great Ubara.) Excerpt from her work “The Great Ubara; the coming of Systlin, the Warrior, Lady of Swords, Lady of Burning Whips, and the ending of the slave culture of Gor.”

Anis whistled. “Well that sure sounds OP.”

“If your OC gets her own epoch,” Mal acquiesced, “you might wanna tone things down a bit.”

That was when the agents noticed the woman lying prone in the grass nearby – manifestly their target. They crouched to avoid detection somewhat, though they suspected they didn’t have much to worry about, as the Somebody Else’s Problem field worked even better the more improbable-looking one was: the well-known “You know what, I won’t even ask” principle. The pair watched as Systlin tried several times to stand up, muttering insults to herself and eventually getting up on her knees, thankfully looking directly away from them.

Something was niggling at the back of her mind, sending little alarm bells up. Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong!!! "Of bloody course something's wrong." She muttered this to herself. "Bloody fuck am I?"

Given their proximity, and the Sue’s claimed combat skills, Anis resorted to whispering. “Something’s wrong, something’s wrong… Think she’s picking up her own presence?”

Mal stifled a laugh, as their target stood up and made a few careful jumps. “The gravity’s lower,” Anis informed their partner after a quick look at the Words. They read ahead a bit, and turned back to Mal with a look of concern. “Did we bring Me?”

The woman’s eyes widened— “I am going to flay whoever did this to me alive,“ a tiny voice spoke, muffled by her backpack, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

The Protectors of the Plot Continuum typically used Crash Dummies: lifesize inflatable dolls that had a sort of pataphysical pull to them, preventing unwitting agents from being dragged along by subjectively narrated sections of a fic. While useful if the entire work is first- or second-person, the pair had grown tired of carrying a bulky cube, or even worse, a fully inflated dummy whenever it wasn’t needed. As such, they had invented me. I am Me, a poppet that pulls the point of view towards myself whenever the narrative needs; Anis provided the theory along with some narrativemancy, and Mal added the razzle dazzle in true Serpent’s Hand fashion. I might not be as heavy-duty as a Crash Dummy, but under lighter loads, I’ll do the job just fine!

“Formatting error, I think,” Anis whispered. “That wasn’t in italics.” Mal nodded, her eyes fixated on the two men who had just shown up on… Horse-cat-back?

The agents backed away as the riders circled Systlin; they didn’t seem to notice their presence at all, probably because they didn’t have much of a character aside from their role as generic villains to be quickly disposed of. They spoke, in a way that the narrative helpfully (and explicitly) transcribed into an understandable language.

"Wench!" The taller of the two men, riding a mount of a handsome bay, was looking her up and down in a way that raised her hackles. "Look here! A wench who thinks herself of warrior caste!"

Mal rolled her eyes. She spoke, slightly louder than a whisper to compensate for all the dramatic low-fantasy shouting happening next to the agents. “Strong female character beats up misogynistic men, teaches them a lesson, patriarchy: destroyed.”

“Some weird kinks going on there too,” Anis added. “Though I could already uh, guess that.”

“Do you think the author’s got the kinks, or is she, I dunno, getting back at—”

And then, for lack of a better short summary, Systlin started killing everyone.

“I admit,” Anis said, “she’s got good form with that sword. I think the author’s done some martial aaAGH—” The redhead dove away from a suddenly appearing pillar of fire. Mal lay down next to them, not wanting to take any risks of being detected by such an incineration-happy individual.

Her head throbbed. She should not have called on her Power so much so quickly, but she'd been angry.

Anis didn’t exactly seem in the mood for snark, so Mal stepped in. “Forgive me master, but just this once… And that once… And yeah also gotta explode this guy too while we’re at it…”

The pair watched on as Systlin walked over to the other man, who was trapped under the corpse of his steed.

"SLEEN! Whore! Witch! Misbegotten sleen spawn!" "I am one of those." Systlin agreed. She crouched over him, near his head. "And I made a promise to you." She raised her knife, and smiled. "You should not have called me 'wench."

The agents could only watch as the Sue took a dagger to the man’s tongue, cutting it off and setting it on his chest. She then carefully wiped the blade on the dead horse-thing’s fur, stood there pondering for a moment, and simply walked away. Once they were fairly sure to be out of sight, they went over to check on the rider – already dead.

“Fuck. That was… Fuck.” Mal closed her eyes, muttering a prayer under her breath.

When she opened them back up, Anis was in the process of stripping the body of its clothes. “Listen,” they said. “I’m sorry, but you need something more covering than this atrocity.”

Mal looked down at the blood-soaked tunic and trousers Anis was handing her. Then further down at the, essentially, two pieces of translucent red fabric she was wearing. She wordlessly took the clothes. As she changed, she tried to focus her mind on something – anything else, especially if it had something to do with the mission. She found that she had one question on her mind.

“What the fuck is a sleen?”

While Systlin walked, the agents could simply portal ahead. They entered what appeared to be a camp of wagons – apparently some sort of steppe nomads. As they hid in one of the many dark corners that tend to spontaneously appear in pulp fantasy, Anis relayed what was going on in the Words.

“She’s walking right now, apparently the gravity makes it a lot easier – wants her horse back, though, relatable – Oh! Flashback. Don’t do it, it’s suicide, you forget who— oh, what I am.” They put on their best approximation of a deep boomy voice. “Breaker. More OP magic I think, she could just blow up the whole camp. Anyway she’s gonna fight a bunch more guys now. All-Father that’s some dogshit writing coming up.”

Mal’s head perked up. “Wait, like, noticeably?”

“Yeah, the narrative switches to first person and the quality seriously tanks. I did not expect what I did see, which was a woman.”

“Yeesh.” My voice was indeed coming through, very weak and muffled, from the backpack. “Wait, who’s the PoV, then?”

“Some guy, don’t think we’ve got a name yet. He’s… Augh.”

Mal was already cringing. “Do I want to know?”

Anis shook their head. “No, but I’m telling you anyway. It occurred to me that she was attractive, if far too muscular for Gorean tastes.”

A shudder. “Wan Mēkhanḗ. Only way that’s redeemable is as a ‘this guy is evil’ kinda thing, but for a viewpoint character…?”

“One can hold out hope. Anyway, another man insults her – they’re not very creative. She killed— Fifteen?”

Mal smirked. “Patriarchy: destroyed.” She stuck out her tongue at Anis. “So do they just stand there waiting for their turn on the getting murdered, or…?”

“Nah, she wants them to take her to their leader, I thi—”

“Hey!” A deep voice rang out behind the two agents. “Who are you, and why is this wench dressed in—” They turned to find a muscular barely dressed man, of the kind that were apparently a dime a dozen around here. He paused upon seeing the dark stains on Mallory’s shirt. “Is— Is that—”

FLASH.

“You were having a walk in the camp, in which you saw absolutely nothing of note. No weirdly dressed bloodsoaked people of any kind, and no one murdered fifteen— Oh! Seventeen people with uncanonical magic. You’re going to go back to your tent and have a nice refreshing nap.”

“… Mal, you can open your eyes now, you know.”

Next chapter

Lightning From A Clear Sky belongs to Tumblr user systlin. The Gor universe belongs to John Norman.

[stxleslyds]

Hello! How are you? I've got two questions. Are you from Argentina? (Porque esa frase de las empanadas sonó muy de acá SJNDD)

And, could you recommend comics where Jason is well written? I want to know him better, but people always recommend me RHATO and I'm not a fan of that

Thank you ❤️

Holissss! Todo tranqui, vos? Nop, yo soy uruguaya! La frase de las empanadas te juro que la tenia guardada para usarla en un post de Jason y Nick Robles me dio la oportunidad perfecta!

Oof, they have recommended you RHatO? I hope it was RHatO Rebirth at the very least… If I were you, I will completely avoid RHatO New 52, that run was extra bad and in the end if you have read the Rebirth version already, you have officially suffered enough.

Now, if you have read New 52 RHatO then I am sorry… but I will suggest also avoiding Red Hood/ Arsenal, the pain isn’t worth it.

The books or issues where I think Jason has been really well written are the following:

As Robin:

Batman vol.1 #408 to #425 and Detective Comics #568 to #582. (#408 was the issue in which Jason’s origin was changed post-crisis, I would recommend reading from there)

Batman: the Cult, I have heard great things about this story but I haven’t read it yet! Comics from the 80s have never been easy for me to read.

Batman: A Death in the Family, the story that killed our sweet Jason, but it is important to read it because it shows how Jason really died.

New Teen Titans vol.2 #18 to #21 and #26 to 31, Jason teams up with the Titans two separate times, the first time he has some amazing moments with Donna and in the second one he is also amazing and he has some interactions with Dick!

Superman vol.1 Annual #11, this is the issue where he first meets Diana and he saves the day (mostly) by himself!

As Red Hood:

Batman: Under the Red Hood, this is the best work that has Jason as Red Hood, and this is his (actually) big come back to comics.

Batman vol.1 Annual #25, if you want to know how Jason came back to life.

Green Arrow vol.3 #69 to #72, if you want to see Jason after the events of Under the Red Hood!

Outsiders vol.3 #44 to #46, if you want to see more of Jason after UtRH and actually well written interactions with Dick after all that… (Only read Nightwing: Brothers in Blood if you are prepared for some absolute garbage writing with little funny bits)

Red Hood: Lost Days, essential reading if you want to see how Jason came to be the Red Hood!

(All of these books/issues (except for Brothers in Blood) were written by the best Jason writer to this date, Judd Winick!)

Now is where we enter Rebirth (no New 52 books will be recommended in this house when it comes to Jason)

Red Hood and the Outlaws vol.2 #1 to #26

Red Hood: Outlaw vol.1 #27 to #52

(I put these in the list so you don’t feel lost, and this is the best that we have had of Jason up until…)

What the Hell is Task Force Z, Detective Comics #1041 to #1043, this is a side story in these Detective Comics issues, that act as a prelude to the upcoming comic run, Task Force Z, where Jason is going to be leading a team of undead villains. These issues as well as the upcoming run is written by Matthew Rosenberg! (Someone that has written an actually funny and competent Jason Todd in this day and age!)

Task Force Z, it hasn’t come out yet but I am already recommending it, I do believe this book will be well written! Let’s just hope I am right!

-

That would be all, at least everything that I remember right now…

Oh! I have some posts about some of these books/issues, if you want me to link them, tell me in the asks and I will do it!

Espero que tangas un excelente finde!

[beauvibaby]

always together, but not really – r.hintz

“Miro.” You threatened, he hadn’t admitted to you that some of his teammates would also be at the bar until right before he dragged you inside. “Y/N.” He mimicked, his accent strong and slightly mispronouncing your name. “If Roope is here, I’m leaving.” You demanded, digging your feet down, he gave you a light tug to get you moving again. “Why do you hate him?” Miro teased you, knowing it wasn’t like that at all, quite the opposite actually, but after a very drunk make out session with Roope and then him hardly speaking to you after that. It forced you to create distance even though you wanted to close the gap.

“Please, not tonight.” You sighed, shooting your friend a pleading look, he gave in, seeing the tiredness around your eyes after a long week at work, “fine, he’s here but you don’t have to talk.” He muttered, tucking you under his arm as he walked, you sighed in relief, thanking him as he ordered you a drink. “Hey, Y/N.” Tyler grinned, nudging you as you approached, “hey.” You mirrored his smile, it was no secret that you’d had it rough this week, as Miro had answered your panicked phone call last night and didn’t get a chance to tell you it was on speaker before you started rambling in the midst of tears. You’d met him right when he came to Texas, you offered to help him with his English and a friendship blossomed from there. He was easily your closest friend, as most of the girls your age would just use you to become close to the guys. It was a shame really, but they all loved you like a sister so who were they to complain.

Miro muttered about going to see the others and left you with Tyler, laughing as you rolled your eyes. You’d seen Tyler mature a lot in the past couple of years, and it simply grew your trust and respect for him. “How ya doing?” He asked, sitting on the stool beside you as you sipped on your fruity drink. You shrugged, “better, just frustrated you know.” You explained vaguely, it had just been one of those times where if everything could go wrong, it would. You were on the tail end of it now, finally, so you were trying to let it go, but it was sweet that all the guys had been worried about you. Some of them even threatening to fight your boss, jokingly of course, or so you hoped…

“Such a tough cookie.” Tyler quipped, messing up your hair, “hands off, Seguin!” You gasped, blindly smoothing out the hair he had tousled, he snickered as he slinked off back to the group, giving you know choice but to come socialize, or sit at the bar alone. Which he knew you hated. “Jerk.” You muttered, pinching the back of his arm as you walked past him, you settled into a flow with Esa and Jason. Talking nonsense and jokes, you could feel eyes on the back of your head, and before you knew it, you were nearly all alone again. Just you and Esa speaking as everyone wandered off doing their own things, “Roope.” You mumbled with a nod, acknowledging him as he stepped over, he moved his hand in a small wave, not really speaking as Esa trailed off. “Uh, I think Tyler’s looking for me.” He mumbled before dashing away, you were on your second drink of the night, not very tipsy, but the edge had been removed certainly.

“How’s work?” He asked, and you took it as a jab, you gave him a blank stare, “are you serious?” You questioned, standing up straighter, he furrowed his brows, “yes?” He tilted his head, slightly confused as he nursed his beer. “Oh, shit, wait wait, nevermind.” Roope looked like a light went on in his brain, “Miro told me.” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. You nodded silently, “sorry.” You laughed under your breath, not wanting him to think of you as rude. He shrugged it off, the two of you having the most conversation you’d had in weeks.

***

“Oh.” You paused, walking into your apartment, and seeing the shoes in your entryway. “Miro, I said the key was for emergencies only.” You called, a laugh at the end, you walked towards the living room, stopping as it was Roope sitting there and not Miro, “Roope? How did you get in?” You gasped, he was scrolling on his phone, and didn’t answer you, you stepped closer and noticed the earbuds in his ears. You smirked, taking your heel from work and lightly tossing it at his back, laughing as he shouted, flying up off the couch. Arm craned back like he was ready to punch someone. “It’s just me.” You managed to get out between laughs, he shook his head, taking the earbuds out. “How did you get in here?” You asked again, “Miro let me in, he said he needed help putting something up for you? I don’t know, but when we got here he got a call that his apartment was flooding.” Roope explained, nearly out of breath from how you’d scared him. Your face fell into understanding, and an inaudible aw fell from your lips as you realized Miro wasn’t joking when he said he’d help you move the furniture in your room around. Something you’d been wanting to do for a while but never had the time or the help.

“He drove you here didn't he?” You asked, meaning Roope didn’t have an immediate way to leave, “yeah.” Roope chuckled nervously, not sure what you were getting at. “Could you help me then? I’m pretty sure this is why he had you here anyways.” You shrugged, motioning for him to follow you towards your bedroom, he hesitated, but when you glanced back at him with a soft, pleading smile, he began to walk right behind you.

“So,” you started, going on to explain to him what you wanted to do, he nodded along, agreeing when you would end something with a hum, looking for approval. He had no idea what he was talking about, he didn’t care where his furniture was, as long as there was a bed and a tv he was fine. But he could tell you were thrilled, with him no less, when he agreed to help you. He watched as you rushed off to grab something to change into, not very flexible in your office attire, he wandered around your room as you changed in the bathroom.

His eyes landed on your bed, and how clean and crisp it was, much like you, always put together even in the most stressful of times. He looked to the wall, the only wall where you had things hanging, mostly photos scattered around random signs, he couldn’t help but smile as he spotted one of you and Miro from a few years back, he’d always thought you were pretty, but now as he looked at you then, and at you now. He knew you had only gotten more stunning, he turned around when you cleared your throat, “you done looking at my stuff?” You teased, he felt whatever tension he had leave his body at your words. The most normal you had treated him since before he drunkenly kissed you, something he regretted because you deserved better. He wanted to give you better.

“Sorry.” He laughed, “so, where do we start?”

You collapsed on your bed with a groan, Roope following suit, “that took a lot longer than I thought it would.” You mumbled into your mattress, Roope laughed as he took the chance to glance over at you. He thought to himself, about how he couldn’t think of a time when he was in a girls room, in her bed, without it being for sex. He thought of how this felt more intimate as you two shared conversations and laughed over how he couldn’t understand your directions. You flipped over and he quickly looked back to the ceiling, “thanks for helping, dinners on me.” You offered, feeling heat run through your body as he smiled over at you. “It’s ok, you don’t have to do that.” He mumbled, his fingers brushing against yours on the bed, neither of you moved your hands, you let your head fall to the side, smile widening as he stared into your eyes. “What?” You whispered, feeling him slide his hand over yours, easily surrounding it. “Y/N, shit I’m sorry, I was trying to surprise– oh.” Miro shouted rushing to find you as he entered the apartment and saw you’d already come from work. He froze in the doorway as you and Roope leaped apart as if you were doing something wrong, “you moved everything.” He spoke, trying to keep you from feeling awkward.

Roope nodded, “uh yeah, it’s the least I could do since she came home and found me hanging out in her place, because you ditched me.” Roope joked with his friend, you laughed in agreement. “So, your apartment flooded?” You changed the subject, laughing as Miro now fell dramatically on your bed, complaining about how they’d called the wrong apartment owner.

***

A famous Tyler Seguin end of the season house party, only this time a little bit more together due to his girlfriend helping him. You laughed with some of the girls as the guys roughed it up outside, never failing to amaze you how they weren’t beat after a whole season of playing. “So, Y/N, has Roope made a move yet?” Alandra asked, wiggling her eyebrows at you, an exasperated sigh fell from your lips as you filled them in on everything. They nodded along, occasionally putting in their two cents, by the time you’d finished the guys were getting rowdy and begging you to come do something with them, everyone went to their significant others, and you bounced around with whoever was single currently. “Roope is looking at you.” Miro quipped, looking past you, you glanced over your shoulder and smiled at Roope, he mirrored the action, winking at you. Miro gaped at the sight, “don’t tell me he doesn’t like you anymore.” Miro rolled his eyes, all but shoving you towards his friend. You glared but proceeded to walk towards Roope, casually jumping into conversation with him and Rads. Roope smiled down at you, as the time went by and you casually stepped closer to him. He could see the way you would shiver as the breeze came through. Eventually he lightly put his arm over your shoulder, hoping you couldn’t feel his heart racing as you leaned against him, welcoming the warmth he was providing you.

Somewhere along the way, you two had ended up on the large outdoor couch, Alandra on the other side of you, her feet occasionally nudging you as you started drifting in and out, you smacked her ankle away, glaring lightly, she smirked as you rested your hand on Roope’s leg, your eyes falling shut. He adjusted his arm so you’d be more comfortable, “it’s ok, rakas, you can sleep.” He whispered when no one was looking. The pet name, that you’d heard before when Miro was speaking, made your heart flutter. You sighed in content as his fingers absentmindedly drew shapes on your back, lulling you to sleep.

***

That was a week ago, and you had thought things were going good, but then after that night, Roope pulled away again. At this point you weren't upset, you were angry, wanting answers to why he was playing with your emotions like that. That’s what led to you knocking loudly on his door early one morning, you could hear him cursing as he stumbled to the door. “Y/N?” He spoke, confused as you stormed inside the second the door was open, “I need to know why you keep doing this!” You groaned, pulling at your hair, he lightly shut the door, holding in a sigh, afraid this is what would happen as he couldn’t decide how to just tell you he liked you. “You can’t just call me darling, and let me sleep on you and then just stop talking to me! It isn’t fair Roope.” You rushed your words out, he nodded, stepping closer to you, “it’s not fair! It hurts me, I just need to know if I mean something to you.” He frowned at your words, lightly cupping your face, “don’t cry, rakas.” He whispered, “Roope.” You cautioned, trying to pry yourself from his hands, but you couldn’t, it felt too nice.

“Y/N, I’m sorry I did that, I was dumb. I should have just told you that I liked you from the beginning, but then we kissed and I thought you deserved better. Then we started seeing each other more and–“ “you like me?” You cut him off, placing your hands over his wrists, his hands still resting on your face, he went to move them back but you held him in place. “Do you like me Roope?” You whispered, he nodded, not breaking his eyes from yours. “I like you too.” You told him, just to make sure he got it in that thick head of his, “and I’d really like it if you asked me out, finally.” You could barely finish as he pulled you in for a kiss, smiling against you as it was even better than he remembered. “Wanna go out sometime?” He breathed out, eyes crinkling as you dipped your head back in laughter. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

taglist: @boqvistsbabe @tortito @2manytabsopen @heybarzy @barzysreputation @yzas-stuff @iwantahockeyhimbo

[seventhrounder]

I went thru my folder with old hockey magazines I had saved from around 2011 to 2015 and came across this one and thought it could be a fun to make a post about now in hindsight.

This is Jääkiekko magazine from May 2012, they always have a section of "99 questions with ..." and in this issue they interviewed Teräväinen.

I’ve translated the questions I found interesting under the cut! It ended up being about half of the interview. (*) are my additions.

On the cover "seuraava superjokeri" means the next super joker, he played for Helsingin Jokerit so it's a word play from that. Under, on the blue print it says: "The 17-year-old forward will become a first round draft pick in the summer. The natural goal scorer can dominate in SM-Liiga as soon as next season."

In the 2nd photo the headline and lead paragraph goes:

"A post with dents* - A year ago Teuvo Teräväinen was known only within a small number of hockey insiders. Few passers-by recognize him now either but after a flashy rookie season the Jokerit sensation is on the radar of every NHL team and is a strong contender to become a first round draft pick. Next season with Jokerit the talented second line center will be one of the main talking points in the SM-Liiga."

(*references the net Teräväinen had in his backyard and into which he practiced his shooting)

3. You've been described as a magician, top scorer, wunderkind and a prodigy. What do you think of these descriptions?

TT: Heh, those are some descriptions yeah. What can I really say? Don't really wanna comment on them much.

4. How nervous are you about the Draft?

TT: I try not to be nervous as best as I can. In a way I don't have anything to be nervous about since I don't care which team picks me or at what number I go.

6. Which is stressing you more, English interviews or physical tests?

TT: Maybe both. Bench press (laughs) and English interviews can be tough.

12. How far along have you planned your career with, for example, your parents or your agent?

TT: Haven't really planned things with others but I've thought about them myself. I try to go step by step and not jump too far ahead.

14. How does it feel to be so young with all the star players in Jokerit?

TT: How to say it? I haven't felt like I was young but a part of the team instead. The team's been very good with me and they haven't been looking down at me like: "oh he's young". It's been fun to play in an experienced team.

15. Is there a generational gap between players?

TT: You can see the age difference, older players look older but we're all childish, at least with our topics.

17. What does a 17-year-old do in the sauna nights of the team?

TT: I actually haven't been in any yet. I've always been at national team's camps or something.

19. Did you get the number you wanted?

TT: I did, yeah. I could've taken #18 but Semir (Ben-Amor) has it. But i'm happy with #86, it's good.

23. What are your strengths as a player?

TT: Offensive play and with that playing with the puck, passing, IQ, power play and skill, just the usual skill - skill with hands.

24. And weaknesses?

TT: They are to do with defensive play, strength and physicality. Battles and such but I think I took a step forward last season. That's a good thing.

25. Have you ever been "pressed into a mold" or has your playing style gotten to develop naturally?

TT: As a kid the play was mostly offensive/attacking, I didn't have to think about playing defence. Up until 15 years old, I got to attack pretty freely. Playing defence became more important when I started to play in A-juniors a couple seasons ago.

26. On a scale from 1 to 10 how determined are you?

TT: Maybe 8, feels like an 8.

32. What kind of role are you planning to take with Jokerit next season?

TT: I think a pretty big one. I try to be a top player and not just take others' example but give others example myself too. So that someone in the team can take something out of the way I do things on the ice and off the ice.

35. If you could pick anyone, who would be your car driver?

TT: Nico Manelius for sure. He's been my driver this season. I've had others too, like Riku Hahl but he's not nearly at the same level. Nico’s clearly the best.

36. What are the most important qualifications to be a good driver?

TT: The car is obviously important. Hahl's car is totally awful, he takes a lot of heat for it from the guys too. I wouldn't dare driving with him. Manelius is a steady performer, never lets you down.

38. What sports did you play as a 10-year-old?

TT: Hockey and floorball, probably football (soccer) during the summers at the time too.

42. When did you decide to focus only on hockey?

TT: So when I stopped playing other sports? Three years ago, before that floorball was kind of a side thing, I played a couple of games in the regular season and playoffs.

45. Do you follow floorball or other sports? Go to games?

TT: I don't go to games but I like to watch floorball on TV, it's an interesting sport. Sometimes I watch football too but I don't follow it much. Feels like they never score there.

47. Have you ever played with a wooden stick?

TT: As a kid I did play with a wooden stick.

49. You won the hockey players' golf tournament last summer even though there were more experienced players too. Are you good with all stick games?

TT: Well, I've been pretty good in all of them. I've played golf for a long time and still play it.

50. How is your swing?

TT: Pretty bold, kind of a hockey swing. I don't really care where the ball goes - as long as it goes far.

52. What do you think of off-ice training?

TT: Let's just say it's more stupid than being on the ice but you still gotta do it to be better on the ice.

56. Which word describes your professional relationship (with his coach, Tomek Valtonen), tranquil or colorful?

TT: Colorful of course. At times we're joking around, other times it's more serious but the relationship is really good.

57. Coaching you has been described in many words: good, bad, worse. What are they?

TT: Heh, well... I won't tell them here. He (Tomek) keeps the discipline during practices but sometimes when things haven't gone to a plan I've had to jump on an exercise bike in the middle of a practice.

58. What have been the reasons?

TT: I'll quote Tomek: "when I haven't been present".

59. Have you ever tried to turn the resistance of the bike to zero?

TT: (Laughs) Of course I have and sometimes I've even succeeded.

60. Describe your diet in three words?

TT: Greasy, healthy and good!

64. Your first name is not common for people your age. How did your parents come up with it?

TT: I actually don't even know. Maybe they didn't want a usual Ville*....

(*very common name for men of all ages in Finland)

66. Which of these is the most important: skill, unexpectedness or courage?

TT: Skill!

68. Your longest video game stint?

TT: Six hours, at least. I've played a lot of War of Duty lately.

72. The dumbest thing that has made you upset in hockey?

TT: Probably if I didn't get an assist on a goal even though I should have. Or even worse is if I score and they mark it down for someone else.

79. Have you had any concussions?

TT: I haven't had any, I've managed to always dodge them.*

(*ouch, tho it's good the recent one is his only as far as i remember)

84. In 2011 Team Finland finished in the 5th place at the U-18 tournament. Why only as 5th?

TT: Because we lost to Team Russia in the quarter final, just as well we could have won that game too.

89. You didn't get to be on the ice to accept the SM-Liiga bronze medal (because of the U-18's). When and where did you get it?

TT: I actually still haven't received it, I don't know where it is.

93. What is the population of Helsinki?

TT: There's like 5 million people in Finland so maybe around 500k in Helsinki? (to be exact 596k) Did i really get it right...?

94. Who's the mayor of Helsinki?

TT: I don't know, I barely know the president.

95. Do you think the municipalities in the capital city area should merge?

TT: Luckily I don't have to decide but they probably shouldn't.

96. What do you check first in the news paper?

TT: The sports section.

97. Your favorite tv show?

TT: Putous* was pretty good, I liked a lot of the characters. The grandma was pretty good.

(*Finnish live improvisation comedy/sketch show (there are still new seasons, the latest just finished). Every actor comes up with a humor character with a catchy phrase and one of them wins. "The grandma" is Marja Tyrni and I just got such flashbacks from typing this sentence.)

98. Last book you read?

TT: I don't read many books. The last book was a study book, a Finnish book. I wrote an essay on Tiki (Esa) Tikkanen's biography. An eventful book, great career and a lot of chirps.

99. Who should we ask the 99 questions next?

TT: Riku Hahl could have good stories, he's also seen a lot of the world.

[purplebass]

Hi everyone!!! I’ve finally reached another follower milestone, and I thought about celebrating with some fan fictions. I want to thank everyone who commented or suggested something to write about. I’ve tried to come up with the best ideas I could think of, and I always hope you like them! And thank you for all of your support! ✨💖

This is the first fic, and it’s post Chain of Iron. It’s a conversation between Thomas and Gideon about the former being accused of murder. 

Characters: Thomas Lightwood and Gideon Lightwood tw: mentions of murder

Thomas was angry. He was angry and annoyed because the Clave decided to give him a few days off after the recent events. He had been framed of murder, after disobeyeing them by going on patrol alone, that they believed he needed a break. How funny, he thought. There could still be someone dangerous out there… and I hate standing still.

Thomas sat on his window, thinking how he could sneak out that night to go on patrol in secret, when someone opened the door to his room. 

“Tommy,” his father called from the doorway, making him snap back to reality.

“Did something happen?” he wondered with alarm, ready to boost out of the house any moment if so. At least, he'd have a reason. 

Gideon’s face softened, and he shook his head. “No, absolutely nothing. And I hope nothing happens for a while, if you ask me.”

Thomas nodded, glancing away at a book on his desk. “We’ve had our hands too full, we need a break,” he said, underlining the last word. 

The whole shadowhunter community had suffered damages because of the serial killer he had tried to catch. Being a shadowhunter was important to Thomas, but he also valued his family a lot. He still wished he could have done something to help his sister Barbara. And perhaps, deep in his heart, he knew that the true reason he had set himself on a lonely series of night patrolling, was to avenge her. He wanted justice for Barbara, but he was aware it was not possible, and that revenge oftentimes ended with further bloodshed and not a satisfying resolution.

His father walked further into the room, nearing him by the window. “Yes, we do,” Gideon agreed. “Especially you, Thomas.”

“Me?” he asked accusingly, then cursed himself for it. He didn’t want to get angry at his father, even if his father shared the conviction that he needed a break. “I’m not tired. On the other hand, this event only made me realize that I should keep my guard up.”

“They accused you of murder, Tommy,” his father replied gently. There was a far away expression on his face. “Believe me, I know what it means when you feel like everything is wrong, but you still feel that it’s right. I’ve been there.”

“And? If you want to know whether or not I was okay being framed, of course I’m not. Yet -”

“Yet, what? If we hadn’t found the real culprit and Inquisitor Bridgestock would have sent you to the Silent City, wouldn’t you have said anything?”

“I don’t think he would have,” he answered. “I knew I wasn’t the murderer.”

“Nobody ever thought you were behind this,” Gideon said with exasperation. “We often think that we are doing the right thing. And, by any means, I understand where you were coming from. But, son,” he paused and put his hand on his shoulder, “others may not understand our reasons. In someone else’s eyes, the motives that pushed us to do that very thing are out of this world for them.” 

“I wasn't breaking any law by walking alone at night.”

“You’re right, you weren’t,” his father agreed. “But it was still irresponsible, Thomas. There was a murderer out there and you went after them without thinking about the consequences."

Thomas sighed. There was someone outside who was walking their dog. He wished he had a dog right now, as an excuse. He knew his father was right, but a part of him still refused to acknowledge that he had been, indeed, very stupid to go after a murderer by himself. He wouldn't say it, though. 

"Someone had to do it," he muttered to himself, hoping his father wouldn't catch it. 

No chance. "Why that someone had to be you?" 

"Why not me?" 

His father didn't get it, and that made him feel more angry. Had he been too rash? Stubborn? Perhaps. But it had been worth it. His thoughts drifted back to the day in the sanctuary, and he bit his lip in frustration. 

"You are a good boy, Tom," Gideon replied, patting his shoulder affectionately. 

"I thought you were cross, papa," Thomas looked in his direction. They were almost the same height, but only because he was still perched on the windowsill. 

"Not really." He frowned, not mentioning that he would have probably done the same thing, if he were his age. Thomas replied with a frown of his own. "But I'm worried." 

"I'm an adult now," he replied with confidence. 

"Even adults need someone to look after them."

Thomas wanted to say that it wasn't completely true. That sometimes, adults were more immature than teenagers, that the teenagers had to take over and be adults before their time. Luckily for him, he never had to, but not everyone could say the same. 

"I wanted to make things right," he then said, replying to his father's last question. "That's why I wanted to catch the killer." 

Gideon nodded. "Just be careful, Tommy." 

"I will." 

"By the way, if you want to go out, no one is stopping you." 

Thomas's eyes widened. "Am I not grounded?" 

"You said it yourself. You're an adult. The Clave may believe it necessary for you to take a break, but I'm not the Clave. I mean, in theory," he shrugged.

Thomas got off the window, almost stumbling on his feet. His father was ready to give him a hand if he'd fall, as he always was ready to help him. He got his jacket and hat and opened his door, glancing at his father one last time. 

"Be careful, Thomas," he reminded him. 

Thomas just grinned one last time and then he was out. 

He finally felt better.

Taglist (if you want to be added or removed, send me a PM): @princesslucinda @kit-12 @immortal-enemies @lucian-evander @esa-emery @danieldyers @blackthorn-trash @rinadragomir @fortunesandfables @itsdaughterofthemoon @silvenys@thomastair3 @livvyheronstairs @ holding-infinity-and-a-book @lovelaces @axoloteca @autumnangel20 @cordelia-cardale

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Middlemen Part Two

Part One | Next Part | Masterlist Pairing: Horacio Carrillo x Reader Rating: Mature (This may change) Notes: I hope everyone is well :) Thank you for all of the likes/comments/reblogs! AU where Carrillo isn’t married; this story is set in/around Season 1 *Disculpe, señorita - Excuse me, miss **Quién es esa mujer - Who’s that woman? ***Esta buena; La conoces? - She’s hot; you know her? Warnings: Cursing; canon-typical violence Summary: What was it about Horacio Corrillo’s tone that made every question sound like a statement? Ah, you knew what it was. The deadpan delivery coupled with that expression - the one that said, ‘If it were possible for me to kill you with my eyes, you would’ve been dead five minutes ago’.

“We got a tip, we’ve gotta roll!” You looked up from the newspaper you’d been skimming when you heard Ray, your cameraman, and saw him scrambling for his bag. “Aw, fuck,” You mumbled. You’d only just gotten to the station, you hadn’t even had your coffee yet - hell, you hadn’t even put down your shit. Gene Davis, your reporter, was right behind Ray, smoothing his shirt down as if he was right about to go on camera and not get in the van. When you’d been told you’d be going down to Medellín, you’d asked your boss if there was any chance of getting a Colombian reporter, someone that would help you blend in with the locals. Your boss had chuckled as he shook his head, told you that you were thinking too small, that the whole point was to stand out. And stand out you did. Colombia was not devoid of red-heads, but they tended to draw the eye. Add Davis’ subpar accent to the mix, and he was caught out pretty quickly. Everywhere you went, Davis’ red hair and flat, American-accented Spanish was like a fucking beacon that said ‘the gringo reporters are here to talk to you’. You did your best when you were interviewing people, pulling the stories together for Gene before he had to go on camera, but people were usually distracted by him. You had an easier time asking questions when he wasn’t around. “I’m taking my bike,” You called out to Ray and Gene. That was easier. You’d get ahead, canvas the area, speak to a few people before the red-hot gringo alarm arrived on the scene. --

“What are you doing here.” What was it about Horacio Corrillo’s tone that made every question sound like a statement? Ah, you knew what it was. The deadpan delivery coupled with that expression - the one that said, ‘If it were possible for me to kill you with my eyes, you would’ve been dead five minutes ago’. “I’ll give you three guesses,” You said before nodding back toward the area that was already cordoned off by tape, “What happened?” “I’ll give you three guesses.” Your brows rose, and a surprised scoff left you. “Alright, smart guy,” You grumbled as you stepped around him. “You shouldn’t be here,” Horacio stuck close to you as you looked around. There were pools of blood on the ground, bullet casings; you could hear weeping. Your first week there, it had turned your stomach. Now, it was becoming the status quo. “You tell that to Valeria Velez, too?” You asked, eyeing the reporter that had already set up with her crew. Horacio graced you with a withering sidelong glance, and you rolled your eyes. “Taking that as a ‘no’,” You mumbled before stepping away from Horacio, walking toward the sound of the weeping. “*Disculpe, señorita,” You said quietly, crouching in front of a young woman. She was sitting on a stoop, head in her hands. She peered up at you, tear tracks cutting through the dirt on her face. You gave her a small smile, reaching into your pocket and pulling out a tissue. You offered it to her and she took it, mumbling, “Gracias.” You gave her a moment to gather herself before you began asking questions. -- Horacio lingered nearby, arms folded across his chest. He was watching his men clean up, but listening to you break down the young woman’s walls. You were gentle with her, didn’t push for answers where she was wary to give them, offered encouragement when she did give you information. You handled her with the same patience he had seen you handle his nephew with the week before. It was...Endearing, almost.

--

You thanked her for her time, gave her another tissue, then straightened, turning away from her and reaching into your bag. You pulled out a small notebook and a pen. Horacio peered over your shoulder, brows furrowed. “What are you--” “Ssh.” He went quiet and still behind you. You looked up at him a few moments later as you tucked the pen behind your ear. “What?” “...Why didn’t you just take notes while you were talking to her?” You shook your head. “People that are in distress don’t like that, they just feel like they’re being milked for info. Which, you know, they are, but I can at least pretend that they’re not.” You began to walk away from him, and you felt him fall into step beside you. “Are you just going to trail me the whole time? Because having you linger around me is actually going to make my job harder,” You stopped walking and looked up at him. You caught a flash of-- You didn’t even know what in Carrillo’s eyes; it disappeared as quickly as it arrived. “Carrillo!” You both turned your head as his name was called. You spotted two men standing by a truck - one brunette, one blond. “Gringos to the rescue,” Carrillo muttered, “Excuse me.” You watched him go, brow furrowed. Gringos to the rescue? What the hell did that mean? You didn’t have time to dwell, though; you had a job to do. -- “What happened?” Murphy asked, nodding toward the building. “Hand-off gone badly. Posion was chewing out the workers about the kilos being light,” Horacio recalled what he’d overheard the woman telling you, “He got a tip-off that we were on our way, we missed him by a few minutes.” “Shit,” Murphy sighed. “My men are still inside clearing out the lab,” Horacio added. Murphy nodded, grabbing his camera from the front seat of the car and stepping around them. “Hey,” Javier nudged Horacio’s arm with his own, lighting a cigarette before nodding over to where you were speaking to another bystander, “**Quién es esa mujer?” “La reportera,” Horacio answered stiffly. He recognized that look in Peña’s eye, saw the sweep that the other man gave your form; the last thing he wanted to have to think about was whether or not he had to protect you from Peña, too. Not that he’d be going out of his way to protect you from things - he’d followed you home that night because his mother had asked him to. “***Esta buena,” Peña muttered, “La conoces?” Horacio felt his jaw clench at the question. Could Peña focus for five minutes? “Javi!” Murphy called Javier from inside. Javier turned his head, nodding when he saw Murphy waving him in. He patted Horacio on the arm, ignorant to the tight pull of the man’s shoulders as he headed inside, expecting Horacio to follow. And follow Horacio did, but not without giving you one more look. -- You didn’t see it. You were too busy speaking with someone. You felt it, though. 

-- “I think we’ve got it,” Gene flashed you his best ‘my face was made to be on television screens’ smile, and you nodded in return. “Let’s get back to the studio, I wanna get this together as quickly as possible,” Ray grumbled as he began packing away his equipment. You already had your script written in your notebook, you just needed to type it up. “I’ll meet you guys back there,” You said, “I wanna grab something to eat.” Gene and Ray nodded, heading for the van. You shifted your bag on your shoulder, walking over to your motorbike. Before you could climb on, you heard, “Finished?” You turned to see Carrillo approaching your motorbike. “For now. Are you?” You added, glancing at the men filing out of the building. “Until next time,” He folded his arms across his chest. You nodded once as you settled on your motorbike, picking your helmet up. “Are you going to insist on tailing me to the station, or am I free to go?” You asked, adjusting your bag so that you wouldn’t jostle it during your ride. Horacio didn’t laugh or crack a smile - not that you’d really expected him to. “What’d you mean earlier when you said ‘gringos to the rescue’?” You asked. Carrillo chanced a glance over his shoulder at the men that had called him over before. “Not everyone came down here with the intention of being a middleman,” Was his explanation. He added, “Drive carefully, patito,” before turning away from you. You floundered for a few moments; that answer had only given you more questions - and why did that nickname sound so sweet coming out of that gruff mouth? You shook your head, pulling your helmet on. You could dwell on all of that later; now, you had a job to do. Tag list: @angels-pie​

[a-way-of-forgiving]

Charita Drabble/Backstory || Ft Anita + Chucho (other background sharks)

idk if i really like this. but um backstory for charita and also a quick little cute thing? idk

———————————————————————

at the dance, anita felt like she saw a part of charita she hadn’t seen in a long time. not since the wedding and…how long ago was that? at least five years.

charita was twenty one now, but only sixteen when she got married to chucho, back in puerto rico. anita knew she hadn’t wanted to get married. sure, she loved chucho now. but it took her awhile.

charita lost a part of herself all those years ago. anita had known her for years. they were the same age and grew up in the same neighborhood in puerto rico. anita had been at the wedding all those years ago. charita used to be fiery and fun. she wasn’t as much now. anita didn’t know what had happened to her, but something clearly did. nobody but rosalia could break her out of her shell. not even chucho.

speaking of, chucho and charita’s relationship was complicated. neither of them had wanted to get married at first, their parents had arranged it. they had grown to love each other in their own way. their relationship was not as passionate as some of the other couples, but it was more mature and loving. charita had changed all those years ago and not even chucho could drag her out of her shell. he certainly tried. but he couldn’t.

at the dance though, charita seemed to have gained some of her fire back. she actually did her hair, not just leaving it natural. she did her makeup and dressed up. and she looked good, really good. she danced a bit, sure. certainly not as much as she used to but…it was a step in the right direction. chucho was shocked by it. and anita didn’t think she had seen charita smile like that in years.

when chucho went off to set up the fight with the jets, charita lost any confidence she had. she retreated to the girls, saying how she wanted to go home. she made up an excuse quickly, saying she was sick. rosalia, her closest friend, volunteered to walk home with her. and off they went.

the boys eventually left the bathroom and went to look for their girls. chucho and jochi glanced around, trying to spot their dates. luz approached them, telling them that charita didn’t feel well so rosalia took her home. chucho nodded and decided to leave as well.

he got back to his apartment after a short walk, taking off his jacket and walking back to the bedroom. there he saw charita sitting on the bed, just staring out the window. “cariño? is everything alright?” he asked, going to sit next to her.

charita nodded, letting out a soft hum. she was slipping into that far away state again that he knew so well. it was her normal demeanor now. “just didn’t feel well…”

chucho nodded, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “you looked great tonight, mi vida. you put those jet girls to shame.” he smiled at her, playing with a bit of her hair.

the wife slightly blushed, shrugging. “esas chicas son mucho más bonitas que yo.” she commented, shaking her head.

”tu vales diez de esas chicas.” the husband said quickly. he pressed a soft kiss to her temple, just admiring her. she was always so beautiful. every part of her was perfect. “did you really not feel well? or did the crowd make you uncomfortable, cariño?” he asked.

”the second one.” charita sighed. “i’m sorry. i wanted to stay but…it was so overwhelming. i only felt fine because you were there. then you left.”

now chucho felt bad. he frowned. “i shouldn’t have left you. i just…had some business to attend to.” he didn’t want to tell her about the rumble. he knew she would disagree.

she wasn’t in the mood to fight it tonight. “let’s just go to bed, amor.” she sighed, going to changed. she noticed her husband staring at her for a moment. “qué?”

“te quiero.” he said simply, his eyes filled with so much adoration and affection.

“te amo más bebé”

[army-of-bee-assassins]

having a hard time deciding on whether to go for the graduate student housing or look for something else

pros:

- definitely on the much cheaper end. possibly the cheapest option period (for that amount of space), tho i haven't done the most thorough research on other housing yet. utilities are all included.

- tons of space. i can easily afford (with the loans i'm expecting to need lmao) the two bedroom, and there's even a little back patio area where i could keep a bunch of my plants.

- it's literally across the street from classes/clinic.

- i don't have to spend any more time looking for housing 🙃

cons:

- they don't allow pets. multiple current students have told me they just got a letter saying their pet is an ESA so that they could keep their pets there. so if i want to live there, i have to get a letter for chai. and i don't have a therapist. i also haven't seen my pcp in quite a while (and never have really formed a relationship with her anyway). i might still try with the pcp but idk how tricky it's gonna be.

- community laundry room, tho apparently you don't have to pay at all (it's included with the utilities). that's actually a slight step up from my current situation, where i have to pay for every load of laundry. still, it's really nice having the washer/dryer in your home, which is what i plan on aiming for if i go for other housing.

- fucking school wifi. i have really fast (and weirdly cheap) internet rn that i use ethernet with so it's super fucking fast and this would definitely be a big step down. and no possiblity of using ethernet i imagine. i wanna find out if you can install your own internet service, but i really doubt this built-for-school housing will have the wiring to make that possible.

- you have to pay the full cost of the housing up front each semester. i actually don't think this should be too big an issue, assuming i'll have my loan money by then? but at least for the first semester when i'm not sure when that money is coming in, it makes me a bit nervous.

- it's not especially nice housing. it looks kinda old and worn. my current place is definitely more updated. but it doesn't look horrible by any stretch and i'm told it's clean.

[anchorandrope]

NO CONTROL & MEDICINE

masterpost

!!! | this is just my interpretation, each one can interpret it as they want (as long as its substantiated) so if you interpret it differently that’s also fine. i’m not going to include the full songs.

NO CONTROL

written by: louis (there are more composers but they aren’t relevant for the analysis)

it’s such a direct song that it almost needs no explanation, just by reading the lyrics it’s more than clear that it talks exclusively about about sex.

“stained coffee cup just that fingerprint of lipstick’s not enough sleep where you lay, still a trace of innocence on the pillow case”

“waking up beside you i’m a loaded gun i can’t contain this anymore i’m all yours, i’ve got no control, no control powerless and i don’t care it’s obvious i just can’t get enough of you the pedal’s down, my eyes are closed no control”

“taste on my tongue i don’t want to wash away the night before in the heat where you lay i could stay right here and burn in it all day”

“lost my senses i’m defenseless her perfume’s holding me ransom sweet and sour i devour lying here i count the hours”

basically louis in this song tells us that when he gets up and sees harry by his side it makes him want to fuck, simple.

really if you don’t understand the lyrics of this song easily you are either very innocent or you have less than 13 because the song is more obvious than rock me.

in these cases i leave you a little help:

“pedals down” is the same as saying “hit the pedal”

MEDICINE (unrealased)

written by: harry (supposedly) x

like no control, the lyrics are very obvious and require almost no explanation but unlike no control, medicine says directly that the song is dedicated to a man.

“here to take my medicine, take my medicine treat you like a gentleman give me that adrenaline, that adrenaline think i’m gonna stick with you”

“here to take my medicine, take my medicine rest it on your fingertips up to your mouth, feeling it out feeling it out”

“i had a few, got drunk on you and now i’m wasted and when i sleep, i’m gonna dream of how you tasted”

“if you go out tonight, i’m going out ‘cause i know you’re persuasive you got the salt and i, got me an appetite now i can taste it”

“we’re getting dizzy oh, we're getting dizzy, oh you get me dizzy, oh you get me dizzy, oh”

“tingle running through my bones, fingers to my toes tringle running through my bones the boys and the girls are in a mess around with him and i’m okay with it”

“i’m coming down, i figured out, i kinda like it and when i sleep, i’m gonna dream of how you ride it”

i want to clarify that many people say that the lyrics are “i mess around with them” but this isnt true. first you can hear “him” perfectly:

and second because the band ‘radio fluke’ covered the song, therefore it contains the original lyrics. to upload a cover of a song to spotify and apple music, the artist must be asked for permission and the official lyrics must be requested.

now, moving on to the lyrics:

obviously it talks about sex (oral and anal) with a man, the “treat you like a gentleman” it’s not decorative.

what is the relation between both songs?

first: no control talks about how well harry fucks and medicine about how well louis fucks.

second: many people believe that medicine was written by louis since they are very similar, not control is like medicine’s older sister. according to this theory, this is the reason why harry didn’t realase it, since if he wanted to realase it he would have to give credits and that would clearly generate a problem for them.

in my opinion this isn’t the reason, even though it doesn’t seem like a crazy theory, it seems to me that the reason is other.

the first thing that makes me doesn’t agree with the theory is that if you compose a song for someone else and you don’t want to give your name you can put yourself a nickname, therefore if harry really wanted to release the song he would tell louis to get a nickname. (the nicknames thing is more complex but the point is that isn’t necessary to give your full name).

but for me the real reason why he doesn’t release the song isn’t because he doesn’t want to, is because they don’t let him.

releasing medicine would imply that the gp would begin to think that harry really likes men and isn’t just an image that he has to sell more, something that certain people clearly dont want.

although it’s not a confirmation of his true sexuality, it’s a confirmation that harry is lgbt, something that doesn’t seem like a big change for his image but it is.

releasing medicine would allow people to ask harry more about the subject or how he was inspired and well let’s say that harry isn’t a genius when it comes to lying/hiding.

so, is he going to release medicine? when?

we don’t know, it’s impossible to know that kind of stuff. i personally don’t see it as likely or at least not in the near future unless his image drastically changes out of nowhere.

like i said, this is just my opinion, any other interpretation is valid🖤

NO CONTROL & MEDICINE

NO CONTROL & MEDICINE

masterpost

!!! | esta es solo mi interpretación, cada uno la puede interpretar como quiere (siempre y cuando sea con fundamentos) así que si la interpretan distinto también esta bien. no voy a incluir las canciones completas.

NO CONTROL

escrita por: louis (hay mas compositores pero no son relevantes para el análisis)

es una canción tan directa que casi no necesita explicación, con solo leer la letra queda mas que claro que habla sobre y exclusivamente de sexo.

original

“stained coffee cup just that fingerprint of lipstick’s not enough sleep where you lay, still a trace of innocence on the pillow case”

“waking up beside you i’m a loaded gun i can’t contain this anymore i’m all yours, i’ve got no control, no control powerless and i don’t care it’s obvious i just can’t get enough of you the pedal’s down, my eyes are closed no control”

“taste on my tongue i don’t want to wash away the night before in the heat where you lay i could stay right here and burn in it all day”

“lost my senses i’m defenseless her perfume’s holding me ransom sweet and sour i devour lying here i count the hours”

traducción

“taza de café manchada tan solo esa huella digital de lápiz labial no es suficiente no duermo lo suficiente donde te acuestas todavía hay un rastro de inocencia en la almohada”

“despertándome a tu lado soy un arma cargada no puedo contener más esto soy todo tuyo, no tengo control, sin control impotente y no me importa, es obvio tan sólo no puedo tener suficiente de ti mi pie en el pedal, tengo los ojos cerrados sin control”

“el sabor en mi lengua no quiero lavar la noche anterior en el calor donde te recuestas podría quedarme justo ahí y quemarme en el todo el día”

“perdí mis sentidos estoy indefenso su perfume me está forzando a hacer algo malo dulce y amargo lo devoro cuento las horas acostado aquí”

básicamente louis en esta canción nos cuenta que cuando se levanta y ve a harry a su lado le dan ganas de coger, sin vueltas.

realmente si no entendes los lyrics de esta canción con facilidad sos o muy inocente o tenes menos de 13 porque la canción es mas obvia que rock me.

en estos casos te dejo una ayudita:

“pedal’s down” es lo mismo que decir “hit the pedal”

MEDICINE (unrealased)

escrita por: harry (supuestamente) x

al igual que no control, la letra es muy obvia y no requiere casi explicación pero a diferencia de no control, medicine dice directamente que la canción va dedicada a un hombre.

original

“here to take my medicine, take my medicine treat you like a gentleman give me that adrenaline, that adrenaline think i’m gonna stick with you”

“here to take my medicine, take my medicine rest it on your fingertips up to your mouth, feeling it out feeling it out”

“i had a few, got drunk on you and now i’m wasted and when i sleep, i’m gonna dream of how you tasted”

“if you go out tonight, i’m going out ‘cause i know you’re persuasive you got the salt and i, got me an appetite now i can taste it”

“we’re getting dizzy oh, we're getting dizzy, oh you get me dizzy, oh you get me dizzy, oh”

“tingle running through my bones, fingers to my toes tringle running through my bones the boys and the girls are in a mess around with him and i’m okay with it”

“i’m coming down, i figured out, i kinda like it and when i sleep, i’m gonna dream of how you ride it”

traducción

“aquí para tomar mi medicina, tomar mi medicina tratarte como a un caballero dame esa adrenalina, esa adrenalina piensa que voy a quedarme contigo”

“aquí para tomar mi medicina, tomar mi medicina déjalo en la punta de tus dedos, hacia tu boca, siéntelo siéntelo”

“tuve unos cuantos, me emborraché de ti y ahora estoy gastado, y cuando duerma soñaré sobre a qué sabías”

“si sales fuera esta noche, saldré también porque sé que eres persuasivo, tienes la sal y yo el apetito, ahora puedo saborearlo”

“nos mareamos, oh, nos mareamos la la la la nos mareamos, oh, nos meareamos, oh”

“hormigueos recorriendo mi sangre, de mis dedos a mis pies, hormigueos recorriendo mis huesos, los chicos y las chicas están en, yo me meto con el y estoy bien con ello”

“me vengo abajo, me di cuenta de que me gusta y cuando duerma soñaré sobre como lo montas”

quiero aclarar que varias personas dicen que los lyrics son “i mess around with them” pero esto es mentira. primero se escucha el “him” perfectamente:

[vean el video mas arriba en la versión en ingles]

y segundo porque la banda ‘radio fluke’ hizo un cover de la canción por ende contiene los lyrics originales. para hacer subir un cover de una canción a spotify y apple music se le debe pedir permiso al artista y se le tiene que pedir los lyrics oficiales.

ahora, pasando a los lyrics:

obviamente habla de sexo (oral y anal) con un hombre, el “treat you like a gentleman” no esta de adorno. no solo

cual es la relación entre ambas canciones??

primero: no control habla de lo bien que lo hace harry y medicine es de lo bien que lo hace louis.

segundo: mucha gente cree que medicine fue escrita por louis ya que son muy parecidas, no control es como la hermana mayor de medicine. segun esta teoría, esta es la razon por la que harry no la sacó, ya que si la quisiera sacar debería dar creditos y eso claramente les generaría un problema.

en mi opinion esta no es la razon, por mas de que no me parece una teoría descabellada me parece que la razón es otra.

lo primero que hace que la teoría no me termine de cerrar del todo es que si compones una canción para otra persona y no queres dar tu nombre podes ponerte como un nickname, por ende si harry realmente quisiera sacar la canción le diria a louis que se ponga un nickname y listo. (lo de los nicknames es mas complejo pero se entiende el punto, no es necesario dar tu nombre).

pero para mi la verdadera razon por la que no saca la canción no es porque no quiere, sino porque no lo dejan.

sacar medicine implicaría que el gp empieze a pensar que a harry realmente le gustan los hombres y no es solo una imagen que tiene para vender mas, cosa que claramente cierta gente no quiere.

por mas de que no es una confirmación de su verdadera sexualidad, es una confirmación de que harry es lgbt, algo que no parece un cambio grande para su imagen pero lo es.

sacar medicine habilitaria a que la gente pueda preguntarle a harry mas sobre el tema o como se inspiró y bueno digamos que harry no es ningun genio a la hora de mentir/ocultar.

entonces, ¿va a sacar medicine? ¿cuando?

no sabemos, es imposible saber ese tipo de cosas. yo en lo personal no lo veo probable o por lo menos no en un futuro cercano al menos que de la nada cambie su imagen drásticamente.

como dije, esta es solo mi opinión, cualquier otra interpretación es valida🖤