#but i looked at that and was like. ok im the caffeine gremlin being a parental guardian for that friend group would be

[batbirdies]

Writing prompt, #23!

@im-the-punk-who

Prompt 23! - “You have a picture of me? On your fridge?” Featuring Jason and Tim!

Word count: 1766

Pairing: None/Gen

Characters: Jason Todd, Tim Drake

Rating: G

________

“Hey, you got any beer?” Jason climbed up from the couch, stretching his shoulders back.

Tim glanced up at him from where he was bent over a pile of photographs, an exasperated look on his face. “Not sure at which point this will get through your head but, I’m 18.”

Jason snorted. “Hey, never stopped me.”

Tim paused, setting a photo down and giving Jason his full attention. “Shocking.”

Jason snorted again as he moved out from behind the coffee table and toward the kitchen. “Well what do you have?” He asked as he reached the fridge and pulled it open.

“I think I have some soda, there might be juice or something...but check the expiration.”

Jason grumbled to himself and squinted at the inside of Tim’s fridge. The light had gone out, which was ridiculous. You’d think someone as capable, not to mention as rich, as Timothy Drake-Wayne would at least get someone else to change the light bulb in his fridge but no. It didn’t matter much as the contents were meager.

He pulled out a can of Coke and popped the top, letting the fridge door close. Sugar and caffeine would definitely not have the same effect as alcohol but now he just wanted it. Something caught his eye just as he was about to take his first drink.

Tim’s whole fridge was covered in scattered, random stuff. WE memos, a calendar with messy writing scrawled over different days, a note from Stephanie with a little bat drawing that Jason though must have been Cass.

But those weren’t what caught his eye. No, that would be the little magnetic cork board pinned full of photographs. One in particular snagged Jason’s attention.

“You have a picture of me? On your fridge?”

He heard sudden fumbling in the living room and then Tim came around the corner, relaxed, like he hadn’t just scrambled up off the floor in a panic. He looked casual but his eyes were a little too wide and he kept darting them to the corkboard like it was a loaded gun.

“Yeah, why?” He asked in that same false, casual tone. Jason wanted to drawl back oh, I don’t know, maybe ‘cause I tried to kill you? But he kept that one to himself. He was trying to steer away from those particular types of jokes. Instead of answering at all he just kept looking.

The picture of Jason was almost intimately casual.

He was sitting on the couch in what he recognized as Dick’s apartment and he was talking on his cell phone. He was leaned back, splayed out a little on the cushions, one arm hung over the armrest, the other pressing his phone to his ear. There was half a smile on his face, like he thought something was funny but he was trying not to laugh.

No one else was in the picture and Jason struggled to remember what day it had been…

Tim cleared his throat. “Dick told us he needed help with a case, but turned out he just had us over for a zombie movie, Damian was at the Kent’s.” Tim had shuffled over finally, looking at the picture with Jason. His posture had relaxed to something a little more authentic, like he’d decided Jason wasn’t gonna freak out so it was ok to come out of hiding. “Bruce called you in the middle, when Dick was making popcorn.”

Jason darted his eyes away from that picture.

“Where’d you even keep the camera? Down your pants? Cause i certainly don’t remember seeing one.”

Tim scoffed, offended. “Excuse me, there are plenty of ways to be discreet. Not that any of the rest of you would know that,” he grumbled the last bit, stuffing his hands in the kangaroo pocket of his sweatshirt.

“So you just go around taking sneaky pictures of everybody, like some kind of creepy stalker?” Jason was joking, of course, but Tim scowled.

“No.”

“Kinda seems like you do,” he goaded back, eyes drawing over other photos on the board. Tim shifted, like he was uncomfortable again.

“If it bothers you, I can take yours dow-“ Jason waved a hand, taking a sip of his coke.

“It’s fine kid.” Jason was distracted and did not acknowledge the weirdly soft feeling in his chest as he perused the rest of the pictures. There was one of Dick balancing a spoon on his nose. Cass and Stephanie painting each other’s nails. Another of Stephanie passed out on the couch in the den. One of Bruce chugging a bottle of water in the kitchen after what must have been a workout. Another of him pouring over papers in the study with his reading glasses propped on the end of his nose like an old grandma.

There was one of Alfred with his sleeves rolled up, apron on, baking something in the kitchen. Another of Cass, standing on her head in the middle of her own mattress, blankets a mess and blocking her eyes. Nothing of her face showing but her upside down grin.

There was one that was a surprise though. “Shit, you’ve got one of the little gremlin. And he’s not even trying to kill anyone.” The picture was of Damian, sitting on the floor somewhere in the manor, sun from the window shining across him while he bent over a sketch pad. Titus was folded up on the floor with his head in the kid’s lap and he looked serious. Or not so much serious as….studious.

Tim cleared his throat, moving in front of Jason to quickly pluck the magnetic board off the fridge.

“Hey, what are you-”

“I’m putting it away.”

“What? Why?”

Tim flushed a little, tucking the board to his chest. “I meant to take it down before you got here, I just forgot.”

Jason frowned, clutching the can a little tighter. “Because why? That’s not an answer.”

“Because I don’t need this spread around. You’re not allowed to tell Dick.” He shuffled a little closer to his bedroom door but took a moment to give Jason a stern look. But Jason just blinked back at him in confusion.

“Why? You’re acting like this is some kind of weird secret picture stash. I don’t know if you know this but usually it’s the explicit type of photos that people are hiding.”

Tim flushed, not loosening his grip or relaxing one bit. He looked honestly embarrassed and Jason was a little bewildered.

“Dick doesn’t know because he would make some stupid big deal out of it-”

“You mean of the sweet, little pic of Damian-”

Tim pointed a finger at him, scowl firmly in place. “That picture was deliberate. I need a reminder sometimes that he’s not actually a monster.”

Jason snorted, setting his soda on the counter. “Don’t we all.”

There was an awkward pause as Tim started to shuffle backwards again toward his bedroom door. Jason turned toward him, palms up and empty. “Timbers, don’t put it away. I’m not gonna tattle on you for having pictures on your fridge.”

Tim stopped, looking at him with a minor glare. “And you’re not going to make fun of me?”

“Why would I make fun of you?” Jason was baffled, but Tim just rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know, you just would.”

Jason sputtered, putting his hands on his hips and then thinking better of it, dropping them before he looked like Bruce. “Hey, I’m not some kind of grade school bully here. Besides...it’s uh...it’s nice.” He scratched at his chin for a second, feeling awkward. Jason hadn’t been planning on any personal conversations here.

Tim swallowed and stared at him for an extended moment, looking wary before he finally heaved a sigh and stomped back into the kitchen to reattach the board to his fridge.

He stepped back and Jason stared at the collection a little longer, a weird unidentifiable feeling in his gut. “They’re good.”

Tim scratched at his arm. “Thanks,” he said back, voice hushed.

“Why no costumes?” Jason asked, casually, grabbing his soda back up off the counter and taking a swig. There was, of course, the obvious - just in case. But Jason thought for some reason there was something more to it than that.

Tim shrugged.

“I don’t know, sometimes I like to pretend we’re a normal family, I guess?” It was said in a self deprecating tone, like he was laughing at himself. Which, yeah, but while Jason had come a long way from where he had been. Had worked through untangling complicated feelings the likes the world had never seen - the casual referral of him being family still caught him off guard sometimes. He clutched his soda a little tighter, his palms felt suddenly sweaty.

“Normal huh?” Jason worked to keep any emotion out of his voice as Tim glanced up with a smirk.

“A guy can dream right?”

“Yeah, yeah he can…you might not have to dream that hard though. I mean, we all know a thing or two about normal families.” Jason shuffled closer, bumping his shoulder with Tim’s and throwing an arm around him a little haphazardly, making him stumble.

“I guess...” He gave Jason a narrow eyed, suspicious look.

“I mean, brothers are known for a few things I’m sure we could perfect.”

“Jason.” Tim said, voice devoid of all tone.

“Yeah Timbers?”

“If you try to give me a noogie right now I will punch you in the groin.”

The laugh that startled out of him was loud, enough to make Tim flinch and scowl, trying to duck out of the circle of his arm.

“Can we get back to work please?”

He hummed in return, tapping a finger to his lips with his spare hand. “Not until you say uncle.”

“Jason-“

#fanfiction #batfam #answers #requests #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #you didn’t specify who you wanted in this so... #I did this #hope you like! #It was a pretty quick little project so I it’s maybe not my best work but first completedrequest! #batbirdies answers #batbirdies writes