Temporary Arrangement... Until It’s Not Ch. 2
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Living in a town like Gotham, you have to be prepared for disasters to happen. That was Tim’s motto, anyway. After all, there were enough Rogues in Gotham that Batman could have an entire team helping him, and he’d still have some Rogues left over. There were many Rogues that just operated at night, like Batman. And there were some Rogues that had specific areas of the city that they would target. Making them unlikely to hit somewhere like, say, a private school? Then, there were other Rogues. Rogues who didn’t care where or when they striked. Which was unfortunate for Tim, because he really did study hard for his math test. But after today, he was certain the teacher would just give everyone an ‘A’.
“Teenagers have such various reactions when it comes to fear. You are not adults, yet you are no longer really children.” Scarecrow rambles, gesturing widely. Tim shrinks back against the wall of the classroom, hoping Scarecrow wouldn’t notice him. He knew he was much smaller than his classmates (since he was the only ten year old in the seventh grade), and he really didn’t want to upset the man. Especially since he’d been playing around with a nasty looking syringe since walking into the room. Tim wasn’t brave enough to willingly face fear toxin, and he was okay with that. He knew that if he could avoid being dosed a little longer, Jason would show up. The middle school and high school buildings of Gotham Academy were right next to each other. There was no way Jason hadn’t heard about the Scarecrow attack. Not that Tim expected the older boy to come just for him, but he was Robin. And they’d had that one sleepover, so maybe Jason cared about him just a little bit. Plus the older boy was a hero. And Tim’s class really needed a hero at the moment.
“Hello? What have we here?” Scarecrow’s amused voice is suddenly right in front of him, and Tim feels his stomach drop. His parents would be so mad at him if he got doused with fear toxin.
“I’m Timothy, Mr. Scarecrow sir.” Tim says, thankful his voice wasn’t shaking as badly as he’d expected it to. The Rogue laughs, throwing his head back in mirth.
“Well, Timothy, what is a little boy like you doing here? Visiting a sibling, perhaps?” He asks, sounding genuinely curious. Tim shakes his head, wanting nothing more than to sink back in the shadows and disappear. He was usually so good at not being noticed. Why was today the day he was noticed?
“I’m a student here, sir.” He says, wishing the teacher would do something. He knew she was probably scared too, but he didn’t want to talk to Scarecrow anymore. And he knew he was supposed to be mature, but he just kind of wanted to cry right now.
“Interesting. Your mind is obviously more developed than most children your age. But you’re clearly not on the same emotional level as your classmates. That leaves you in an interesting position, Timothy. Do you know what that means?” The man asks, tilting his head to the side. The breath catches in Tim’s throat as his eyes catch the glint of the needle on the syringe in Scarecrow’s hand. Tim shakes his head and tries to back up, but Scarecrow’s goons rush forward and grab him, holding him still. Tim thrashes around, shaking his head.
“No. No, please, don’t.” He pleads, hoping word doesn’t get back to his father. He would be disappointed that Tim was acting like such a baby, but he couldn’t help it. He was scared. Really, really scared.
“Don’t worry. This will only sting a little.” Scarecrow says, stabbing the needle into his neck. Tim inhales sharply, hissing at the slight pinch. “It should start working quite quickly, Timothy. Please be sure to express your fear. Don’t try and hide it.” Scarecrow’s voice fades in and out as Tim looks around him. He blinks once and he’s still in his math class, surrounded by his classmates. He blinks again and he’s in his house. Alone. Tim frowns. This wasn’t scary. This was-
“Timothy Jackson Drake.” His father snaps, and Tim whirls around, eyes wide. He didn’t realize his parents were coming back today. He left a mess in the sitting room-
“I-” He starts to say, but stops as his dad moves towards him. Tim clenches his fists, trying hard not to wince as his dad gets in his face.
“I am beyond disappointed in you, Timothy. How could you do something so foolish? I thought you were better than this, Timothy. I thought you were a man now.” His father rambles at him, the anger clear on his face. Tim shakes his head, trying to put the pieces together. Why was his father so mad? Surely this wasn’t just about the homework on the floor in the sitting room, was it?
“Timothy! Look at your father when he’s speaking to you, dear.” His mother snaps. Tim blinks.
“But I-” He starts to say, but stops at the glare from his father.
“Don’t sit there and play stupid with me, boy. Batman himself told me everything.” He says, and Tim’s mouth goes dry.
“B-batman?” He stutters, struggling to catch his breath. Had Batman actually caught him following him and Robin? Did he hate him now? Was he mad at him too?
“Yes, Batman. Apparently you’ve been stalking Batman and Robin. They’re pressing charges, you know.” His father says, matter-of-factly.
“What?” Tim breathes out, unable to stop his hands from shaking.
“Batman and Robin. They’re pressing charges and there’s no way for your mother or I to fix this without it reflecting poorly on us. So you’ve left us no choice.” His father says, shaking his head. He holds his hand out and Tim’s mother grabs it.
“Sorry darling, but you understand, right?” She asks. Tim shakes his head.
“Understand what?” He asks, looking between his parents.
“We’re giving you up, of course. You’ve sullied your own name. No need to keep you around and let you ruin ours as well. After all, who wants to be connected to someone who stalked Batman and Robin? Especially someone who was caught, and has no other real purpose.” His mother says, tutting slightly. “Stop the tears, Timothy. It’s not a good look for you.” She adds before turning away from him.
“Wait, no! Mother, Father, please don’t leave! Come back!” He yells, rushing towards them. He trips on air and lands roughly on his knees. Looking back up, he realizes they’re gone. “No. No, no, please!” Scrambling to his feet, Tim looks around frantically. But it was no use. He was all alone again. And this time, it was for forever.
“Don’t worry, Timothy.” Batman’s gravelly voice says. Tim relaxes slightly until he turns and sees Batman. And the handcuffs in his hands.
“What- I’m so sorry Mr. Batman, sir, please-” He says, backing up and holding his hands up in surrender.
“It’s to help you, Timothy. Not hurt you.” Batman says firmly. Tim shakes his head, hands shaking as the handcuffs in Batman’s hands flicker and change into an orange jumpsuit with the words ‘Arkham Asylum’ printed clearly.
“I don’t wanna go to Arkham, please! Please, I’m sorry. Please don’t make me go there. Please don’t make me be alone! I’m sorry!” Tim cries, continuing to back up until he feels something solid behind him. He slides down the wall and pulls his knees close, hiding his face in them. “Please, please Batman, please don’t send me away. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Just a pinch, Tim.” Batman says. There’s a light pinch, and Tim blinks. His house fades away, back into his classroom. He blinks again, and realizes all of his classmates are gone. Only Batman and Robin remain. He blinks again, waiting for the two to disappear, but they don’t. He takes a few grounding breaths, trying to get his heart to stop going so fast.
“What happened?” Tim finally asks, frowning when he realizes his throat is scratchy. Batman glances back at Robin (Jason) who steps forward and kneels in front of him.
“Well kid, ya got a serious dose of fear serum. Did you remember that?” He asks. Tim nods slowly, remembering his parents giving him up. Hating him. Batman wanting to take him to Arkham.
“Did I-” Tim coughs, then sighs. “Were my classmates in here when I was saying things and screaming?” He asks, terrified of the answer.
“They were escorted out right before you started crying.” Robin says gently. Tim frowns, feeling his entire face heat up.
“I apologize for causing a scene.” He says, keeping his head ducked down. Why did this have to happen to him? Why couldn’t he just keep his emotions inside? He was usually much better at that.
“Hey, no, don’t apologize kid. You can’t help it with fear serum. Trust me.” Robin says, giving him a smile. Tim purses his lips, but nods. Robin was just trying to be nice to him. He didn’t want to make the older boy mad, cause then he might leave. And Tim wasn’t ready to be alone again.
“Do you have a way to contact your parents?” Batman asks, and Tim jumps slightly. He’d almost forgotten the man was in the room. The question registers, and Tim frowns.
“No? Why would I need to call my parents? It’s only second hour.” He says. Robin snorts.
“You really think school’s gonna stay open after a Scarecrow attack?” He asks. Tim frowns.
“Was someone hurt?” He asks.
“Um. Kid, fear serum? You? I thought we’ve been through that.” Robin says. Tim shakes his head.
“But I’m fine. Why would they close school for one student getting dosed? It’s fine.” He says. Robin glances back at Batman before letting out a long sigh.
“Okay. We’re not unpacking that right now, but your parents? You got a way to call them to come pick you up?” He asks. Tim thinks back to the note that had been on the fridge for the past two days. The one from Mrs. Mac saying that she wouldn’t be in this week because she had to go out of town. Then he remembers the last time Mr. Wayne had known that Tim’s parents weren’t in town. And how he let Tim stay for a sleepover. And how he talked to Tim just how he talked to the bruised kids in Crime Alley.
“They’re working, so I’ll have to call Mrs. Mac instead.” Tim finally says. “I have a phone in my backpack.” Robin grabs his backpack and passes it to him.
“Mind if we stay here while you call? Just to make sure someone picks up.” Robin asks. Tim shakes his head.
“That’s fine.” He says, pulling out his phone and calling the landline at his house. “Hello? Yes, Mrs. Mac. I- I’m fine. Uh huh. Mmhmm. Yes. Could you come pick me up, please? Thank you. Yes, I’ll wait outside. Thank you. Bye.” Tim hangs up his phone and looks up at Robin, hoping that he and Batman believed him. “Guess I’ll go wait outside now. Thank you very much for your help.” Tim says, quickly standing, stumbling slightly as he rushes out of the classroom.
---
Walking towards the bus stop the next street over, Tim tries to keep his head down. He’d thrown a hoodie over his uniform so that he could get away from the school easier. Not like the school cared anyway. By the time Tim walked outside, all of the other students and most of the faculty were gone. He couldn’t really blame them, though. He was just ready to be home, too. The sound of a car slowing down makes him shift farther away from the road. It would be just his luck to get kidnapped right before making it to the bus stop.
“Timmy?” A familiar voice calls. Tim freezes and turns towards the car, waving awkwardly at Jason who was half hanging out of the car window.
“Hello Jason.” Tim says, wishing he could just melt into a puddle. He should’ve thought of the possibility of Jason and Mr. Wayne going this way to get home. They likely had to leave the school as Jason and Mr. Wayne instead of Batman and Robin. It only made sense that they’d leave in a normal car and go a normal route-
“Where are you going, man?” Jason asks, frowning.
“I’m heading to the bus stop. My parents and Mrs. Mac are indisposed.” Tim says, hoping that Jason will just drop it. The older boy pulls himself back into the car, and for a moment, Tim thinks he’s home free. Just as he starts to walk again, Jason’s car door is thrown open and he’s jogging over to him.
“Why don’t we give you a ride home? We’re neighbors, and I’d really hate for you to walk home after all of that drama at the school.” Jason says.
“It’s fine, it didn’t really affect me much.” Tim says, mentally daring Jason to challenge his statement. Jason shrugs, but his eye twitches.
“Even if it didn’t affect you, I don’t think Bruce’ll let you walk home. Not when your house is so close to ours. C’mon Timmy, it’s just a ride home.” Jason says. Tim sighs, but follows the older boy back over to the car. Jason slides into the front seat, a wide grin on his face.
“Hello again Tim. How are you doing, buddy?” Mr. Wayne asks, looking back at him. Tim resists the urge to shrug, since it wouldn’t be polite.
“Hello Mr. Wayne, I’m fine. How are you?” Tim asks. Mr. Wayne chuckles, before pulling the car away from the curb.
“I’m just fine, Tim. And I told you, you can call me Bruce, it’s fine. So are you coming over to the manor?” He asks. Tim’s eyes widen, but before he can decline, Jason speaks up.
“That’s a great idea, B! We could have another sleepover.” The older boy says. “I’ve gotta reclaim my honor in Mario Kart, after all.” He says. Tim frowns.
“It’s a school night, though. I’m not sure-” He tries to say, but Jason interrupts.
“And school will be canceled tomorrow because of the attack today. They’ll give us the three day weekend and then make us come back on Monday. Trust me.” He says.
“Incoming message from Gotham Academy. Would you like to hear it?” A robotic voice asks.
“Yes.” Mr. Wayne says.
“Attention Gotham Academy families, all campuses will be closed on Friday due to an incident at the Middle School. No students or faculty were seriously injured. Classes will resume on Monday.” The voice reads out. Tim frowns, leaning back in his seat.
“Told ya so.” Jason says, grinning. He makes eye contact with him, and his smile fades. “If you really don’t want to stay over-” He starts to say, but Tim cuts him off. It’s not that he didn’t want to stay, because he did. He really did. After all, it wasn’t every day that an actual superhero wanted to hang out and play video games with him. It was just-
“I don’t want to be a bother.” Tim says plainly. A look of understanding flashes across Jason’s face before he shakes his head.
“You’re not a bother, kid. Especially if I’m the one who invited you. I want to hang out with you. Plus, you didn’t get to try any of Alfred’s cooking last time. I guarantee you, that alone would make it worth it.” He says. Tim glances at Mr. Wayne in the rearview mirror. The man’s frown quickly switches to a smile.
“If you want to stay, Tim, I’d be fine with that. We can even stop by your house to get any essentials you may need.” He offers. Tim glances at Jason who just smiles at him.
“Up to you, Timbit.” He says. Tim thinks about how much he really doesn’t want to be a bother, but then he remembers the things he saw with the fear serum. And how badly he doesn’t want to be alone tonight. And how nice it feels to be seen, and to kind of be wanted. Even if the invitation is still just coming from pity, Tim can pretend that they want him to be there. And so, he nods.
---
Sitting on the couch next to Jason, Tim can’t help but laugh at the other boy’s grumbling. They’d been playing Mario Kart since getting back to the manor, earlier in the afternoon. Once Tim had assured Mr. Wayne that he was fine, Jason insisted on lunch at Batburger before they took Tim back to pack a bag for the night. And once they got back to Wayne manor, Jason immediately turned on Mario Kart, occasionally choosing a track that he was clearly awful at. And every time they played it, Jason’s insults to the NPCs grew more creative. It was hilarious.
“Why do you insist on picking this track? You’ve fallen off every time we’ve played this track.” Tim asks, carefully navigating around the curves. Jason huffs.
“It’s the principal of the thing, Tim. Plus, it’s Dickhead’s favorite level. If I can just practice enough on it, I’ll be able to beat him.” He says firmly. Tim raises an eyebrow as Yoshi once again falls off.
“Dinner time, boys.” Alfred Pennyworth says, appearing in the doorway. Jason jumps slightly, making Yoshi fall off right before the finish line.
“Damnit.” He grumbles.
“Language, Master Jason. Unless you would like to add a dollar to the swear jar.” Mr. Pennyworth says, quirking an eyebrow. Jason smiles apologetically.
“Sorry, Alfie. Won’t happen again.” He says, before turning to Tim and winking. Tim snorts, then clears his throat and follows behind Jason.
“Thank you for dinner, Mr. Pennyworth.” Tim says, smiling at the man. His face softens as he nods.
“It’s my pleasure, young sir. And please, call me Alfred.” Mr. Pennyworth says. Tim smiles again, following Jason into the dining room. He liked hanging out with Jason, and after the last hour, he was pretty sure the older boy liked hanging out with him, too. Maybe they were even becoming friends.
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