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Jason had been trying to cajole the pup next door into their pack for four weeks. He was this close to just kidnapping the kid and being done with it. The worst part was that Jason couldn’t tell if the pup was being deliberately obtuse or if he was just that socially inept. It was time to bring in the big guns.
“Dick, please. You have to help me! Bruce is choosing the worst possible time to start ‘respecting people’s right to privacy’ and Alfred can’t do much more than help me make snacks to give the pup. Speaking of which, he’s tiny. Like unhealthy tiny. He’s eleven but I thought he was seven the first time I met him. And he always smells sad and lonely and anxious,” Jason whined, hanging upside down on the couch with his feet thrown over the back. Dick looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he came out of the kitchen with a glass in each hand. He put one down on the coffee table and sat on the couch beside Jason. Jason pulled himself right side up again and reached for the glass. He took a sip and scrunched his nose. Apple juice, not orange juice.
“This is the kid next door right? Timothy Drake?”
“Tim,” Jason corrected, “but yeah.”
Dick took a sip of his apple juice. “And why are you trying to strong-arm him into our pack? He has parents, right?”
“Crappy ones. They’re never home and he doesn’t smell anything of them. From what I can tell he doesn’t even have someone looking after him while they’re off gallivanting for weeks at a time. I haven’t met them once in the four weeks I’ve been hanging out with him, which, if they were home, I definitely would’ve because I’ve been rubbing my scent all over him every chance I get.”
“Jason!”
“What?” Jason defended himself. “I’ve gotta warn off any other potential packs!”
Dick sighed, exasperated but unmistakably fond. The sound made Jason warm inside.
It had been rough, back when he was first adopted. Dick and Bruce were either arguing all the time or freezing each other out, which left Jason in an awkward position. Dick switched between doting on him and sending resentment through their flimsy bond, and Jason was too hardened to trust Bruce’s attempts at bonding. For about a year, the pack bonds were the equivalent of a hell cocktail, too much internal turmoil and clashing to be healthy. Jason’s only reprieve was found in Alfred, who carefully strengthened their bond with cooking lessons and book discussions over tea.
It all changed when Bruce was shot down on a League mission. He was put on bedrest for a month, something he was not pleased with, but it scared Dick enough that he stayed at the manor the whole time. Bruce’s literal incapability to run away from conversations meant that a lot of heavy topics were finally breached and settled. By the time a month was up, they were finally starting to feel like a real pack. It wasn’t perfect, far from it in fact, but it was better. It was something Jason wouldn’t trade for the world.
Dick shifted on the couch beside him, drawing Jason’s attention back to the matter at hand.
“What’s this really about, Little Wing?”
Jason stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Look, I’m not saying you don’t usually care but normally when we come across a neglected pup, your first inclination isn’t to insist we take them into our pack. So, what’s different about this one?”
Jason squirmed in his seat, taking another sip of apple juice as an excuse to not respond right away. He could’ve said that he saw himself in Tim. He could’ve said that normally those pups were found by Robin, not Jason. He could’ve said that it only made sense because they were Tim’s neighbours. He could’ve said a lot of things, but the truth was that he didn’t have a particular reason as to why Tim was different. He just was. Jason looked at Tim and he thought, pack, home, mine.
“He belongs with us,” Jason finally said. Dick took a moment to process the feelings Jason was pushing through their bond before slinging an arm around Jason’s shoulders and tugging him close.
“Alright. What’s the plan, Little Wing?”
Tim had no idea what the hell was going on.
About four weeks ago, Jason Todd had met him entirely coincidentally at a gala. They’d exchanged pleasantries, shared a quiet laugh at Mrs Stone’s unfortunate introduction to a glass of wine, and went their separate ways.
Since that day though, Jason was everywhere. He popped up between Tim’s classes. He snuck food into Tim’s backpack. He gave Tim his old clothes. He’d even taken to pestering Tim with questions about his parents and home. The worst part was that Tim couldn’t figure out why.
It couldn’t be because Jason was concerned about his home life. Tim carefully evaded most questions about his parents and their work. When he did answer, he made sure they were normal answers that wouldn’t appear out of place. Jason had no reason to suspect anything was wrong.
It’s possible, Tim supposed, that Jason had found out that he was following them at night. He could be investigating to ensure Tim wasn’t a threat. But four weeks worth of investigating? And most of that was spent doing things with no benefit to Jason. Perhaps Jason was trying to lure him into a false sense of security.
Whatever the case, the only safe place left for Tim was Drake Manor. Jason hadn’t dared to approach it yet and Tim hoped the pattern would keep, at least until Tim could figure out what was happening.
As if hearing his thoughts, the doorbell rang.
“No…” Tim muttered to himself, eyeing his bedroom door warily. “He wouldn’t…”
Tiptoeing out of his room and down the stairs, Tim worried on his lip. If it was Jason at the door, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Was this his karma for stalking Batman and Robin? Getting stalked in return? The truth was Tim would be ecstatic under any other circumstances. Jason Todd was paying attention to him. It was a dream come true! But Tim didn’t know why Jason was seeking him out and if there was one thing that drove Tim crazy like nothing else, it was being in the dark. He was self-aware enough to recognize he’d inherited some of his mom’s controlling tendencies that way.
Hand curled around the front door handle, Tim peeked out the front windows. Immediately, four blue eyes met his and Tim jumped back. That wasn’t just Jason Todd. That was Jason Todd and Dick Grayson.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” Tim panicked quietly, eyes wide. Why were they here? Were they… were they going to kill him for knowing their secret? No, no, that was ridiculous. They had a no killing rule. But maiming…
Tim jumped when the doorbell rang again and a confused voice called, “Tim? You gonna open the door?”
Tim stared, frozen for a second, before jumping into action. He swung the door open and smiled. Going by the looks Dick and Jason sent him, it didn’t do much to hide how tense he was.
“H-Hi. Um, what are you doing here…?” Tim cringed at how weak his voice was. He felt the phantom of his mom’s disapproving stare.
“We were just on a walk and ended up here. We were wondering if you’d have some water to spare?” Dick said cheerily. Tim stared, mouth slightly agape. From the corner of his eye, Tim could see Jason facepalm.
“You… accidentally walked here. From Wayne manor,” Tim said slowly. Dick’s smile only sharpened, as if daring Tim to call him out.
“Yep!” He even popped the ‘p’.
Tim thought Nightwing would be a better liar. Even if Dick and Jason had endured the 30 to 45 minute walk from Wayne Manor to Drake Manor simply for fun, which was not an impossibility for Nightwing and Robin, there was a clearly marked fence around the entirety of Drake Manor. It was built right between the Drake’s and Wayne’s properties, which meant there was no reason for Dick and Jason to have continued to the Drake’s for water instead of heading home. Not unless they wanted something else from Drake Manor specifically. Something else, like Tim himself.
Tim tightened his grip on the door handle. This whole thing had strayed from confusing if a bit annoying straight to frightening. Tim’s eyes flicked between the two Waynes, subconsciously tracking how much bigger they both were than him. Jason flinched back out of the blue, sending a scathing look at Dick but neither of them backed down.
“You must be tired,” Tim said finally, pulling the door open a little wider and letting them in. He could only hope it wasn’t a mistake.
Without looking to see if they were following, Tim led the way to the kitchen. He heard the door close and something dropped in his stomach.
“Just water?” Tim called, grabbing the milk crate Mrs Mac had left by accident a few days ago and putting it in front of the cupboard. He stepped on top of it and reached for a few glasses.
“Yeah, water’s fi-- Tim!”
The plastic broke under Tim’s feet and the water glass slipped through his fingers, careening to the ground and shattering with a loud crash. Tim flailed, seconds away from sharing the glass’ fate when big hands caught him and carried him to safety. Heart hammering in his chest, Tim barely noticed when Dick said his name.
“Tim? Tim, are you okay?“
Tim looked up to see concern written across Dick’s face. Jason was beside him, looking Tim over for any injuries. His eyes caught on Tim’s ankle.
“That doesn’t look good,” Jason said grimly. Tim looked down to see a cut just above his ankle, likely from the broken plastic of the milk crate. Now that he was paying attention, he could feel it throbbing. It bled freely, following the curve of his foot and dripping onto the pristine white tiles Tim’s mom had picked out. He winced at the the realization. She wasn’t going to be happy if it stained.
“We should get that checked out,” Dick agreed. “It looks deep.”
Tim’s head shot up, adrenaline running through his veins at the thought of going to a hospital. “What? No, no, it’s fine. I’m fine. We have a first aid kit, I’ll just wrap it up. It’s not a big deal.”
Jason looked doubtful. “I don’t think so, Tim. It might need stitches.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Tim snapped without thinking, a hairs width from panicking. “It’s fine! I’m not going to, to any hospital or… or anything at all! I’m fine!”
Going to a hospital was a waste of time and energy. They’d call his parents and make a big fuss over nothing. His parents still had a week and a half left at the dig in Peru. If they had to come back early just because he was stupid and got a little cut on his leg, they’d be so mad. The thought closed his lungs until he was almost gasping for breath.
“Tim. Tim, it’s okay. We won’t go to a hospital, alright? It’s okay,” Dick repeated, running a soothing hand through Tim’s hair. Tim nodded, struggling to get control of his breathing again. A few seconds later, he was calmed down enough to feel his cheeks flush.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
“It’s fine,” Dick reassured him gently, “but I do think we should let Alfred take a look at it. It might turn out to not be a big deal after all but it’d ease my mind.”
Tim bit his lip, weighing his options. He wasn’t going to be able to convince them to drop it entirely. This was probably the best he’d get, and pushing it might make them pull back even more. Plus, if it would Dick feel better…
“Okay,” Tim agreed. Dick lit up and even Jason gave him a grin.
“Perfect! Do you want to us to grab your shoes or are you fine going barefoot?”
Tim’s blush got deeper. “I can grab them! You don’t have to.”
“Nu-uh, baby bird. You’re taking the Dick Express,” Dick cheered, hoisting Tim up bridal style and ignoring Tim’s squeak of protest.
Jason shot him a disgusted face. “Never say that again.”
Dick’s smile only got wider. “What, you don’t like the Dick Ex-- woah! Carrying precious cargo here!”
Tim gave a little laugh as Jason tried to swat at Dick again. Jason narrowed his eyes, mischief dancing in them.
“You wanna piece of this, Timbo?”
Still snickering, Tim quickly shook his head. Dick and Jason shared a smile over his head and then they were off. They were almost at the door when Tim frowned.
“What about the mess? I should clean it up before we go.”
Jason waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. I swept the glass and wiped up the blood while you were talking to Dick.”
Which was a nice way to say “while you were freaking out like a baby at the thought of going to the hospital.” Tim couldn’t believe he’d been such a big bother and made Jason clean up his mess.
Jason seemed to be able to read Tim’s mind. He leaned over to poke Tim on the nose, cracking a smile when Tim went cross-eyed following his finger. “Don’t worry your silly little head about it, baby bird. I really don’t mind.”
Tim bit his lip but didn’t push the subject. Dick carried him out and down the driveway to a small black car waiting just outside Drake Manor’s gates. No one commented on the fact that Jason and Dick had said they walked to Drake Manor, even as Dick opened the car door and slid Tim in the backseat. Jason climbed in the back with him and Dick took the driver’s seat. Tim noticed his slip-on sneakers in Jason’s hand as he clicked in his seatbelt.
Tim tried his hardest to keep his blood off the car’s nice interior but he didn’t really have anything to soak it up with. Every drop on the ground filled him with guilt. Beside him, Jason shifted, fingers twitching in a similar way to how Tim’s dad’s would when he was upset.
“Tim,” Jason broke the silence suddenly. “Is something wrong?”
Tim blinked, lips parting at the unexpected question. “Um… no? Why?”
“It’s just…” Jason’s expression turned something a little closer to sheepish. “Well, your scent. You’re projecting a lot of distress.”
“My…?” Tim’s mind blanked out. His scent. Which he was projecting currently and had been projecting the whole time. His scent which he never really stopped projecting because no one was ever home to hide it from and his bonds with his parents were too weak to send emotions through. His scent, which Jason and Dick had been able to read his fear, unease, guilt, panic and other emotions through, clear as glass. Tim met Dick’s eyes through the rearview mirror and almost wanted to cry. Then he realized that that was probably being projected to the entire car as well and immediately locked down his scent so not even a whiff of it could be found.
“I’m fine,” he told Jason, carefully avoiding any eye contact. Jason’s eyebrows furrowed but he didn’t refute it.
A few minutes later, they pulled into Wayne Manor. Dick parked the car by the front door and opened the back door to pick Tim up again. They walked up the door, Jason pulling it open for them.
Dick paused to toe off his shoes and then called out, “Alfie? Do you mind getting the first aid kit? We need a little bit of love in the living room.”
Alfred’s voice replied almost immediately. “What did I say about teaching Master Jason parkour on abandoned buildings?”
“It wasn’t me this time!” Dick pouted and carried Tim to a living room, plopping them both on a couch. Jason followed not long after, choosing the arm chair instead. To his credit, Alfred didn’t falter when he walked in to an unfamiliar child bleeding on the couch, just tutting quietly and putting the first aid kit on the coffee table.
“And how exactly did you do this, young sir?”
“He was standing on a milk crate, trying to grab some glasses from the cupboard and it broke,” Dick piped up.
Alfred shot him an unimpressed look. “I don’t believe I was asking you, Master Dick.”
“My bad.” Dick grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry Alfie.”
Turning back to Tim, Alfred cleaned the cut up with an alcohol wipe and ‘tsk’ed. He grabbed some bandages and went to work.
“What’s the prognosis, Doc?” Jason tilted his head, eyebrow raised. Alfred hummed.
“It won’t need stitches, thankfully, but it’s not a trivial injury. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a nasty scar from it.”
Tim frowned. He hadn’t thought it was that serious.
“Thank you, Mr Pennyworth.”
Alfred smiled. “Alfred is just fine. You’re welcome, Master Tim.”
Tim startled. He didn’t think Alfred would recognize him, but apparently he was more observant than Tim gave him credit for. He probably should’ve expected it, seeing as Alfred was Batman’s original partner.
Just as fast as he came, Alfred swept out of the room, taking the first aid kit and garbage with him. Tim tilted his leg to get a better look at his ankle. It was wrapped neatly with a beige bandage. Dick poked him gently in the arm to get his attention again, lips pursed slightly.
“Do you want to call your parents?”
Tim gave a firm shake of the head. “No. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” Dick asked, frowning.
“Yeah. They’re at work and I don’t want to bother them.”
Dick and Jason exchanged looks but didn’t push the subject.
“What about the person taking care of you while your parents are gone? Should we let them know?” Jason asked. Tim shook his head again.
“I don’t have someone taking care of me,” he said. “I’m old enough to be home by myself now.”
“Oh really?” Jason’s voice was surprised but his expression was anything but, especially when he sent a pointed glance at Dick. Dick took another look at Tim’s ankle and twisted his hands.
“I’m not sure I like you being alone while you’re hurt. It might get worse,” Dick fretted. Then, he paused just long enough for Tim to wonder if he was supposed to reply to that before starting to talk again, “Oh, I have an idea. Why don’t you just stay here, Tim?”
Tim’s eyes widened. “W-What?”
Jason grinned, leaning forward in his seat. “That’s a great idea! Right, Tim? You can just stay here. It’ll be like a really long sleepover!”
“W-Well, I don’t think… I mean,” Tim stuttered, “I’d, I’d hate to impose? I’m fine by myself, really.”
“You wouldn’t be imposing! Really, we’d love it if you stayed here!” Dick insisted, tucking his feet under his thighs as he sat in a cross-legged position. Tim hesitated, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt.
“I-I’m not sure…”
“Are you worried about Bruce?” Jason asked. “Because you don’t need to be. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all.”
“What wouldn’t I mind?”
Tim froze, everything from his hands to his breathing stopping abruptly. Beside him, Dick was beaming, hand coming up to wave at someone behind Tim.
“Bruce!” Dick exclaimed. “Just in time!”
A warm chuckle. “Hi chum. And just in time for what?”
Jason piped up, “Tim got hurt and his parents are gone so we were asking if he wanted to stay here with us for a bit. He was worried about imposing or whatever so we need you to tell him it’s fine.”
“Oh?” Footsteps came closer before Bruce stepped into Tim’s line of sight. He was dressed in a black t-shirt with a bat symbol on it and sweatpants. It almost felt wrong to see Bruce Wayne—Batman—dressed so casually. Bruce took a minute to process the scene: Tim, frozen, sitting with a wrapped ankle; Dick, cross-legged with puppy eyes in full force; and Jason, arms crossed and eyes narrowed in challenge.
“Well, I certainly don’t mind if you stay, Tim. We’d be happy to have you for however long your parents are gone.”
Tim opened his mouth to protest further but the full force of three pairs of blue eyes had him slowly closing it again.
“O-Okay,” he agreed weakly. Jason and Dick cheered, and even Bruce smiled.
“Sounds good. I’ll ask Alfred to set up a room for you,” Bruce said and left before Tim could even think of objecting. Tim sighed quietly and sank back into the couch. He’d been ambushed by three of the people he admired most in a matter of hours. It was enough to make anyone tired. He yawned, hugging himself loosely.
His eyes popped open when a wrist wiped itself over the top of his head. Jason stared back, unabashed. Slowly, things started to click into place.
Jason, seeking him out, giving him food and clothes, caring for him, providing for him. The constant touching (rubbing his scent on Tim), the concerns about his size for his age (a pup’s welfare is the most important concern for a pack), the borderline glares at some of the people Tim was close with (warding off competing packs). It all fell into one neat little line that finally solved the tantalizing unknown of Jason’s motives. The formal scent marking just now was the least subtle of the evidence but that didn’t mean the rest didn’t exist. These past four weeks Jason wasn’t stalking him. He was trying to initiate a bond. He was inducting Tim. He was trying to show Tim that he’d be well-cared for in Jason’s pack, trying to convince him to join it. For four weeks, Jason had been petitioning for Tim to become a Wayne.
And like a complete idiot, Tim had remained oblivious.
“Tim? It’s… It’s okay if you say no, y’know. I mean, you can stay here regardless, I just thought…” Jason trailed off, notably more apprehensive after Tim’s incredible job at spacing out. Tim snapped back to reality, shaking his head.
“N-No! I… I’d love to, but I…” Tim thought of his parents, who he loved even if he wasn’t sure they loved him back. His parents, who never stuck around long enough to form pack bonds with him. His parents, who if called right this instant would be more upset about Tim having shown a dishevelled appearance to someone than him having gotten hurt in the first place. Tim thought of his parents and, even though he owed them nothing, he couldn’t quite stand the thought of cutting them off. Not yet.
“Can I have some time?” Tim asked, voice barely above a whisper. Jason smiled, and Dick beside him did the same.
“Of course, baby bird. Take all the time you need. I’m sure Alfred has prepared a room for you by now. Do you want to go see it? You seem tired.”
Tim nodded, watching Dick bounce up from the couch and right into Jason who pushed him over. This wasn’t home, wasn’t his family. This wasn’t his place in the world. But… Tim wouldn’t mind if someday it was. Tim wouldn’t mind if that someday came soon.