Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Don’t own DC sadly.
Chapter 1
He stared at the sign, at the tents and attractions and fought the urge to turn and bolt. He couldn’t do this…but he had to. This was the last place he had to look for him. So, Tim took a deep breath and walked into the circus, the one that had been meant as a reward when he was a toddler and had turned into a nightmare. He didn’t look at the side shows, not wanting to see. Haly’s had always had some more ‘exotic’ attractions and Tim couldn’t bear to look. What if one of them was…nope, not looking.
He made his way to the big top, following the crowd inside to watch the show. If Dick was there, then surely he would be part of the show, even if not up trapeze like he had as a kid. The circus was in trouble and Dick would want to help. He sat on the bench and began searching the various cast members and crew that he could see. It was a circus, everyone was dressed in costume, so recognising him was not going to be easy. But Tim had spent years watching Robin, if anyone could spot Dick, it would be him.
Dick left the trailer and began to wander the grounds, mind spinning. Someone was trying to get the circus shut down, they were succeeding, especially after what had happened during the show. Wilhem was dead and he hadn’t been fast enough to stop it. Haly’s was going to have to close because it had been the final straw for the insurance company and a circus couldn’t operate without insurance these days, especially one that catered for the more than human experience.
The circus felt different to when he’d been a kid, sure some things were the same but…the smells were so much more intense, the sounds… he was glad he’d been human back then, how overwhelming would it have been if he’d been a born vampire like B? Then again, if he’d grown up in the circus, he would have adapted as a baby.
It felt wrong for Haly’s to be so quiet…and then there was a commotion. He looked up to see a kid darting between two worked, dodging around them impressively. Dick moved in, while there was someone sabotaging the circus, he doubted a kid was behind it. Not wanting to scare a kid, especially once he caught the scent of teenage human, he didn’t move at full speed. He caught the kid by the shoulder only to be shocked as the kid twisted, using his momentum against him. Not bad. But Dick was better and he quickly had the kid pinned to the ground, taking in inky black hair, pale skin and wide blue eyes. Pale, but still human pale. But there was something almost familiar about him.
“Take it easy,” he told the boy who suddenly relaxed.
“Dick,” he whispered.
“Do I know you?” Surely not someone he’d met since being turned, he would remember him then. He was several years younger than him so not likely they had known each other in school. A gala maybe? The kids clothes were plain but definitely well made enough and the accent on just Dick’s name screamed Bristol.
“You have to come back to Gotham, he needs you.”
“Who?” he asked warily.
“Batman.”
What?!
Tim forced himself to remain limp under Dick, able to feel the slight chill of his skin. He didn’t know, his grip was strong but gentle, if he knew he would be a lot more vicious. He’d never been so close to a vampire before, born or turned. And yes, he was scared, but it was Dick. Dick who had given him his first hug that he could remember, his parents touched him as little as possible, as if he was contagious via basic contact. The first Robin, now Nightwing, leader of the Titans. The scary bit was that he’d only been a vampire for ten months, long enough to be out on his own but still young enough that accidents could happen, and he didn’t want to be the reason Dick had an accident.
“What did you say?” Dick asked softly.
“Batman needs you, Nightwing.” He barely kept his voice from shaking. “Please.”
“You’re crazy kid.”
“We need to talk Dick, please,” he begged.
Dick stared at him before hauling him up, keeping a firm but painless grip on him.
He was scared, not really of Dick but the situation, and he saw Dick’s nostrils flare slightly. Dick’s expression softened a bit and he led Tim over to a shady corner out of earshot of the others.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Dick promised gently.
Dick hauled the kid up, being careful not to hurt him but then…he knew that scent, fear. Damn it, he hadn’t meant to scare him. He gently led the boy over to a shady corner of the grounds where no one else would overhear them and Dick could get out of the sun.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he promised. Had someone put him up to this, one of their enemies? He was small but he was old enough to be working for one of the gangs, but his accent was definitely Bristol which would seem to rule that out.
“Got something I can call you?” He asked, he wouldn’t push for his actual name yet.
“Tim…Tim Drake.”
Dick blinked. Drake? As in Drake Industries? Tim… “You live next to us.”
Tim nodded, hands shoved in his pockets, shifting nervously. Dick really hoped that Tim knew who was pressuring him because Dick was going to destroy them for using a kid, they had obviously picked Tim because of proximity. “Batman, Bruce, needs you. He’s…he’s spiralling Dick, really badly. Commissioner Gordon is being pressured to act. Batman has put three petty thieves into the ICU already. He’s out of control and it’s not just being too brutal. He’s not defending himself properly, he’s taking too many hits.”
And then he brought out photographic evidence of just how badly Bruce was dealing with Jason’s death. Dick felt sick looking at the photos…and if Tim had taken them, how close had he gotten.
“Where did you get them?”
“I took them,” he sounded proud of that and no wonder, they were very good.
How the hell had Bruce not noticed? The kid could use scent killers but still…Bruce didn’t solely rely on his senses, he had years of training behind him, almost a century.
“How old are you?” He knew about the Drakes but they’d never attended many of the same galas and they travelled a lot too…which meant Tim likely attended boarding schools or was homeschooled while travelling with them.
“Thirteen. J…Jason was a year above me at school, I transferred to GA this year. He…he was my Robin,” he whispered.
“Alright, I need to finish up here and then we’ll head to Gotham.”
“Would this help? I found it in the garbage.” He held a flask up. Yeah, the kid was good.
Tim waited for Dick to wrap everything up. He’d said he’d go back to Gotham; he’d keep his word, right? He had to want to help Bruce, he wasn’t just his adoptive dad but his Sire too. Surely that bond would be strong enough. He shifted in place, watching Mr Haly’s trailer but the two were still in there. He wanted to get back to Gotham, to go home, it felt weird being outside the city.
Finally, Dick stepped out of the trailer, smiling as he talked with the man. He looked around and then headed towards where Tim was waiting in the shade for him. He could tell the sunlight wasn’t comfortable for Dick, it might take years before it was.
“Everything okay?” he asked, seeing the way Dick was looking around.
“Yeah kid.” Dick smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair and Tim closed his eyes at the gesture, fighting the urge to pull away. “The circus won’t be shutting down.”
“Oh.” That was good he guessed, for Dick anyway since he’d grown up there. But Tim would prefer it and all circus’ like it close. Sadly, he had no say in it, and the way it was being forced to close wasn’t right, people had died.
“Come on, we’ve got a long drive ahead of us.” He led Tim to his car and they got in, heading for the highway.
Dick glanced over at his passenger, seeing the kid slumped against the window, fast asleep. He didn’t know what to think of their neighbour. He was very obviously scared of Dick and he assumed it was because of his relatively new status, nothing he could do to fix that except be careful to not startle him.
Those photos…what the hell was B thinking? Their bond was…stretched thin, tense. He knew they were both at fault for that. Bruce for not recalling him from his mission after J…after he died and Dick’s for lashing out at the man once he was home. Jason…his Little Wing was dead. Three months later and it still hurt as badly as it had when he’d found out. he never should have gone on that mission, he’d been offered an out given he’d been barely seven months as a vampire, but he’d insisted. He’d told Jason they would go to that play he wanted to see when he got back, he’d had tickets already bought and, in the end, they were never used.
He let the kid sleep even as they hit Gotham, he was thin, too pale for a human, and had eyebags larger than most luggage. Dick wasn’t sure if he was ready to face Bruce but if things were as bad as those photos revealed, then he had to. He was toeing the line, why hadn’t Alfred done anything?
Alfred was in a tricky position though; he had raised Bruce after his parents were killed but he had been human for much of that. It had been Bruce who turned him in a desperate desire to not lose his second father. And Alfred seemed quite content with his immortality, with the fact that he would never leave his beloved Master Bruce. And he had no problem telling Bruce off when he was acting recklessly, so why hadn’t he done anything? Or was B being so stubborn that he wasn’t even listening to Alfred?
Was Bruce…punishing himself for not reaching Jason in time? The dead could not be turned; there had been nothing he could do. Dick hadn’t seen...seen the body but he had managed to access the autopsy, if Jason hadn’t died then he would have…would have been infected. The Joker had almost ripped him apart before the bomb, had he done that to ensure that Jason wouldn’t survive and become a wolf? If Jason had survived…, would he have still been their Jason? Would B have sent him away to one of those centres? Would he have lost his brother no matter what? He’d barely seen Jason since being turned, he’d had to learn control and no one had wanted to risk an accident. And once he was being allowed around him, Jay had never been scared of him, he’d treated him the same as ever.
The gates of Wayne Manor opened as he approached, picking up the signal from the small device in his car. At least he hadn’t been locked out, he doubted Alfred would have let Bruce go that far. He parked in the drive in front of the doors rather than the garage and just stared at the house for a while, telling himself he was just letting the kid get a few more minutes sleep.
When the front door opened and Alfred stepped out, he forced himself to get out.
“Master Richard,” Alfred’s voice was as warm as ever, so were his feelings through their clan bond.
“Hey Alfie,” he managed to get out.
He hugged the closest he had to a grandfather.
“I am very happy to see you dear boy.” Alfred looked beyond him. “A friend?”
“The next-door neighbours kid actually; he tracked me down at Haly’s. He fell asleep on the drive back.”
“I see,” Alfred murmured, frowning. “Why did he seek you out?”
“That would be better explained inside. I’ll wake him.” He went to the passenger side and knocked gently on the window.
Tim startled awake, eyes wide, and Dick felt bad. Tim blinked at him and then took his seatbelt off, Dick opening the door.
“Sorry kiddo.”
Tim just smiled shyly at him, stretching slightly. Dick carefully put a hand on his shoulder once Tim had his bag, guiding him to Alfred.
“Welcome to Wayne Manor, Mister Timothy,” Alfred greeted, formal yet warm in that way he somehow always managed.
“Thank you Mr Pennyworth,” Tim’s own tone slipped into formality as they walked inside the Manor, but his sent soured with fear for a moment before becoming calmer. Good emotional control for someone his age. “Wow,” he whispered as he looked around.
Dick had never been inside Drake Manor but he could tell from the outside that it was very modern, it lacked the history of Wayne Manor. For some reason Tim’s grandparents had razed the old Manor and built that white…monstrosity. It was ugly. Dick made his way to the smaller sitting room nearby, hoping the cozy atmosphere would help Tim relax.
How come the home of vampires felt warmer than a home for humans? Wayne Manor was magnificent, and it felt so warm. He took the seat Dick indicated, back stiff, even as the vampire slouched on the couch.
“What brings you here?” Mr Pennyworth asked.
Tim looked at Dick who nodded, so he pulled out his evidence file again. “Batman’s going too far,” he stated calmly. He carefully laid out his photos on the coffee table. “He’s losing the confidence of the police and other emergency services. If this continues, they’ll turn on him and he’ll end up killing someone. I’ve called ambulances several times for criminals he’s gone far too far with.”
“And what are we to do with this?” Mr Pennyworth’s voice was measured, seemingly confused.
“I know this is grief over Robin, Jason. I asked Dick to be Robin again but he said no. But Batman needs Robin. Can you convince him?”
Alfred stared at the boy before him, taking him in. Human like his parents. He had rarely seen the Drakes, despite the family living beside the Wayne’s for decades. Actually, thinking back, he didn’t think they went to any events that had members of society who were not human. That was not good. And now their son knew their identities… did his parents know? Would they attempt to blackmail the family?
Alfred met the boy’s eyes; he wasn’t entirely comfortable but he seemed…earnest. Perhaps he did not share his parents attitudes? If they kept him away from anyone non-human than he could simply be nervous because he wasn’t used to their kind.
He wanted Alfred to convince Master Dick to become Robin again? Well…that was an interesting take on how to fix things, and showed that for all his intelligence, he was still a child. To him, the easy way to fix Master Bruce’s grief was to bring his first son back and yes, strengthening the bond between them would help but Dick had long grown out of the pixie boots.
He took the boy in fully, seeing the paleness and the eyebags. Lanky limbs suggested he was likely mid-growth spurt but there was a thinness there that he didn’t like. “Master Bruce is out with a case at the moment. Some dinner while waiting?”
“Oh,” the boy murmured. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”
“No bother at all. I do rather miss cooking for those who truly need it.” He smiled at the boy.
Master Bruce could eat food quite normally while still needing blood. Master Richard’s diet had become rather limited as was the case with turned vampires but at least he could still eat some foods. If he was remembering correctly, the Drake’s were known to be on a dig somewhere in Europe? Or South America? He hadn’t really paid attention. Which meant Timothy had some kind of caretaker? Whoever they were, he may need to find out and drop some hints.
“Any foods to avoid?”
“Shellfish and chocolate,” was the answer.
An interesting combination. Shellfish allergies were rather common nowadays but chocolate was very rare, at least among humans. If it was the lactose or sugar content then other items would be on the list.
“Dinner shall be ready soon.”
“We’ll take it in the nook Alfred.”
He nodded in agreement; the dining room was far too large and formal when they were trying to make the boy feel comfortable.
Dick frowned, Bruce wasn’t back. Alfred had Tim entertained with old stories so he slipped down to the Cave to check out the case and see if he could find his location. He didn’t like what he found so he texted Alfred and suited up to go after him. Two-Face was dangerous, he should have called Dick in even if they were arguing.
Tim followed Alfred down the stairs, feeling the cool air of…a cave…it was incredible! He didn’t know where to look first. Was that a real dinosaur?! And that Penny…it was from the Joe Coyne case, back when Batman first debuted! And then Alfred leant back from the massive computer with a frown.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Master Dick activated his beacon but it was cut off.”
“So, what do we do?” he demanded, alarmed.
“The only thing we can, we wait and pray.”
“What?” Tim stared at him in horror. No, no way was he going to sit back and wait. What if they died?
Tim glanced at the Robin suit but he didn’t need it, he’d been tracking them for years without anyone ever noticing. Two-Face was smart but overly reliant on flipping that coin which was a big weakness. He headed for the stairs.
“Where are you going?”
“After them,” Tim answered. He was terrified but he couldn’t sit back and do nothing. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d intervened; this would just likely have to be more direct.
Alfred stared at the boy heading for the stairs, able to smell his terror and yet he was still determined to help them. “Wait,” he called, moving to pick up the bundle of cloth and Kevlar.
Timothy looked back at him.
“The car shall be faster,” he informed him, holding up the uniform, watching blue eyes go wide in shock.
TBC…