Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Don’t own DC or Spiderman
Chapter 1
Tim could admit it, he was exhausted. He’d been run off his feet with cases - mostly chasing down Killer Croc which had not been fun and he had the stitches to prove it. A ‘skateboarding accident’ had gotten him three days off school to recover since he hadn’t been able to move much at first. Being thrown into a bus and then bitten had not been fun. So being back at school had him wishing for his bed again but he trudged into the classroom and collapsed in his seat.
At least at Gotham Academy, he didn’t have any friends who would be worried about him. Bruce had enrolled him at the school after the adoption went through, giving him a fresh start after everything. Tim still wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. He’d gotten used to covering up injuries from his friends, he’d been Robin long enough. Except now it wasn’t just Robin injuries he had to hide.
He blinked blearily when the seat next to him was taken, no one ever sat there. He looked over to see a boy with slightly curly brown hair and hazel eyes, a lanky build and an ill-fitting uniform, obviously second hand so likely a scholarship student, not that Tim cared about that.
“Uh…hi?” the stranger offered.
Tim forced himself to straighten up. “Hello,” he greeted in return. “You’re new, transfer?” he asked, and the other teen nodded.
“Just moved from New York, I’m Peter,” he offered his hand, and Tim shook it.
“Tim, welcome to Gotham.” And then class started.
Tim kept an eye on Peter without being obvious about it, his supplies were definitely second hand at best and Tim was a little confused. Scholarships were given to the really smart kids, so why did he seem so perplexed by History? No, be nice Tim, smart didn’t mean good at every subject. He hated English after all, so maybe History was Peter’s English.
That was proved correct as soon as they began their chemistry class, it was very obvious that this was where Peter excelled, definitely a STEM student. Tim even got a glimpse at some formula he was doodling and that…that was not something taught in high school. Tim didn’t even recognise it!
Sadly, they didn’t share English but then when Tim staggered on his way to lunch, he was caught, looking up to find it was Peter.
“Are you okay?” the other teen asked, looking him over.
“Messed up at the skatepark,” Tim answered. “Stitches suck.”
That got a snort from his new classmate. “Yeah, they do. Fell out of a tree when I was…nine? Ripped my leg up from ankle to knee. My Aunt flipped out thanks to all the blood but everyone at school wanted to see.”
Tim chuckled and surprised himself when he let the slightly taller boy support him on their way into the cafeteria. But the bit was right into his side and moving hurt. And Peter didn’t seem to have any trouble supporting him which was nice. He might be lanky but he was taller than Tim and there was muscle under that uniform. And it was weird, but Tim didn’t feel any kind of threat from being so close to a stranger.
Jason paused in his patrol, glancing over the roof to see the same kid he’d noticed the last few days in a not quite well-fitting uniform from the same school as the Replacement. Good on him for getting into a school like that while living in Crime Alley. He’d noticed the boy a few weeks ago but the kid seemed to be keeping his nose clean – no sign of drug use or joining a gang at least.
He kept moving, the kid didn’t seem to be on the streets or in trouble so no reason to intervene.
Tim ignored Damian and made his way up to his room; he had homework to catch up on. He wouldn’t be cleared for patrol until his stitches were pulled which was annoying, but it gave him time to catch up on schoolwork. He entered his room and sighed, looked like the brat had been in there while he was at school. Great.
It took an hour to search his room from top to bottom, ensuring he had disabled any and all traps that had been left behind. Once that was done, he settled in to do his work. He didn’t bother telling anyone since it wouldn’t change anything. Dick would brush it off and Bruce would leave it for Tim to deal with but if Tim retaliated or defended himself…
For a few short, wonderful, months the Manor had been the first true home he’d ever had. Things had been a bit better with his Dad and Dana, until he found out about Robin and threated B anyway. But Tim had been keeping so many secrets from them, had always been on guard, worried he’d give something away. He still had no clue how his Dad had found his suit and those diaries…he didn’t keep diaries! But the handwriting had matched his. The only answer, someone had set him up, someone wanted him out of the suit. And he had to wonder if it had been Damian or someone working for the League. Without him, B would need a Robin and Damian was older than Dick had been so age wouldn’t be an argument with Tim out of the way. But Tim had pushed Steph as his replacement before Damian could show up. Not that that had worked at all and now…now she was dead too.
If only his fake Uncle hadn’t fallen through, which hadn’t been his fault since no one could have seen what had happened coming. Things would have been better if he’d never agreed to the adoption. He never would have gotten to see what really being a part of the family was like only to lose it. What had once been a dream had turned into a nightmare. And he was stuck until he was eighteen, if he lived that long, or until he could get emancipated.
His life had just fallen apart lately. Steph…Dad…Bart…Kon…all of them gone. He’d let Dick talk him down at the Lazarus Pit, had destroyed his own cloning equipment in a fit of rage and now couldn’t try again since Cassie knew. He just…he needed one thing to go right, to be better.
Bruce glanced up at his children, most of them anyway. Jason…well. And Steph had never truly been one of them, attached at the fringe through her relationship with Tim, even when she’d been Robin, she had held herself apart. He thought some of that was anger at him in giving in to Jack Drake. And now she was gone too. The meal was quiet in a way they didn’t used to be but Tim was silent, staring at his plate, still worn out from his injuries? And likely sulking a bit, none of the boys took being benched very well.
Dick was trying but Tim was sullenly silent and Damian just scoffed. To think, he had once missed quiet meals. Now he missed the happy laughter and playfulness. It had been the most obvious in Jason’s time, Tim had always been a quieter child, but Dick had eventually gotten him to play more.
He understood, it took time to adjust, and Tim was a lot like him when it came to change. He had no doubt that Tim and Damian would figure things out with time and become brothers. The boys were more alike than either would admit.
Finding Peter waiting for him or waiting for Peter in return began to feel…normal. It was nice, to have something to look forward to each school day. The other teen could chatter away and just let Tim listen if he needed it, or they’d talk together. It was nice to have someone who could keep up with him when he went off on a tangent about something. Peter just…got him, in a way no one but Kon and Bart ever had.
“You know the science fair that’s on this weekend?” he asked as they sat eating lunch.
“Sure, it’s been sold out for months.” Peter was looking at him curiously.
“I’ve got two tickets; would you like to come?” Originally, Dick was going to take him, but that wasn’t happening anymore.
“Seriously?”
“Sure, we’re friends, right?”
Peter grinned at him, looking utterly happy. “We are.” There was no hesitation in his agreement. It felt nice, to have someone seem genuinely happy to spend time with him again. “How much is the ticket? I’ll pay you back.”
“It’s my treat Peter, don’t worry about it.” He wasn’t going to say anything about the difference in their finances. Peter didn’t seem ashamed of it or anything but still, better to not risk saying it.
“You’re sure? I can pay.”
Tim got the feeling he really couldn’t, the tickets weren’t cheap. “I’m sure, I already have the tickets. It’d go to waste if you didn’t come.”
He hated that, hated that Dick had gone back on his promise to go with him and instead was taking Damian to the freaking zoo, something that could be done any day since the brat wasn’t in school yet. He knew Damian was behind picking that day but if he said something, they’d turn it around on him.
“Okay, what time are the tickets for?” Peter let the idea of paying go thankfully, for now at least.
“11am. Need a lift, I’ve got a bike, I can pick you up,” he offered.
Peter shifted uncomfortably. “No, it’s fine, it’s right near the train station. Meet up at quarter too?”
“Sounds good.” Tim was excited, he had a friend and they were going to go to the science fair together. Star labs had an exhibit, as did Wayne Enterprises, even LuthorCorp sadly. But hey, recon opportunity.
Now he just had to keep the Bats from finding out about Peter. He was not subjecting his new friend and newcomer to Gotham to B’s paranoia. He’d research his entire life and that wasn’t fair. Yes, there were some oddities to Peter, but he was a teenager trying to fit into a school where he was poorer than ninety percent of the other students. His biology and chemistry knowledge was incredible, better than Tim’s, but that didn’t mean anything other than that he was smart. And who knew what Damian would do if he thought Peter was a threat, Tim could defend himself, Peter couldn’t.
“Coming to the zoo with us Timmy?” Dick asked, seeing Tim shoving his shoes on.
“No, I’m still going to the science fair that you promised to go to with me. No point wasting the money I spent on the tickets. See you later,” he called, walking out the door without a backwards glance.
Dick stared as Tim got on his civilian bike and drove away without pausing. That was today? Wait, Tim was riding? He wasn’t seventeen! But he’d gotten a special exemption to drive because of his Dad, did that include his motorcycle?
He’d forgotten all about the fair. Damian had actually asked him to take him to the zoo though. It was a great step forward in becoming a normal kid rather than a mini-assassin.
Alfred watched from the window as Master Tim rode away. Master Dick may not have seen, but he was at a different angel. He’d had a clear view of the angry swipe across his eyes Master Tim had made before putting his helmet on. A glance at the calendar showed why. He would make something for tonight to try and cheer him up, one of his favourites. But it was not his place to interfere in the relationship between them, so long as no one was in danger.
Master Dick had never had to juggle the wants and needs of two younger siblings at once given that Master Jason wanted nothing to do with the family since his return. He would find a balance sooner or later, hopefully before he completely alienated dear Tim.
Lucius spotted young Tim Drake-Wayne in the crowd, smiling as the boy chattered away, pulling another teen along. The other boy seemed just as excited. A friend from school? He didn’t think the teen looked like any cape he’d ever seen an image of. The only others on Young Justice had very different hair to this boy.
It was odd though, he was sure he remembered Bruce talking about the boys coming together, a brotherly bonding outing. So where was Dick? Either way, Tim seemed to be enjoying himself and that was what mattered.
“Hell Mr Fox, this is Peter Parker. He attends Gotham Academy too. Peter, this is Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises. He keeps it all running and the board from strangling Bruce.”
Lucius chuckled and shook Peter’s hand. “Nice to meet a friend of Tim’s. Are you interested in science Peter?” and then the two boys were off…leaving Lucius in the dust. He knew Tim was a genius, seemed his friend was too.
He’d have to keep an eye on both boys, it was always good to keep future employees in mind. Then again, DI had somehow managed to remain afloat, in trouble yes, but he had the feeling Tim had begun acting behind the scenes to keep his family company going.
Tim scanned the reports, there wasn’t one good image of the new figure making a mark on Gotham. At least it wasn’t Jason on another tear. No…whoever this was, seemed to be keeping to Batman’s rules, no one had been killed. There were no samples of whatever they used to restrain people either, it dissolved very quickly. He wished Cass was in Gotham, she could likely track the newcomer down and determine their intentions. He missed his sister but she was off doing a job for Babs, who was just as frustrated by the lack of images as he was.
There were whispers that this newcomer was a meta, the weird web like material would seem to add to that. It could be some kind of man-made substance though. Without a sample they just couldn’t say for sure. They weren’t committing crimes, well, no more than any vigilante. And they didn’t seem to have a determined patrol area or route, they’d been spotted randomly all over the city, though not in Crime Alley but everyone knew that was Hood’s territory. It was smart of them to stay away from there.
Tim was just glad that Jason had stopped shooting at him, it made patrol less nerve wracking. And he’d even helped them during the last Arkham breakout. But he made it clear he wasn’t coming back to the family which hurt.
He shut the computer down and picked up his empty mug, heading upstairs. He put it in the sink and retired to his bedroom, checking it over for new traps before locking the door. Tim changed into pyjamas and then got into bed. It was only 2am but he had school so he needed to get some sleep.
He slipped out of the Manor the next morning, skipping breakfast since Damian was in a foul mood and he didn’t want to be dodging murder attempts so early. He grabbed the bus as it passed, saving Alfred driving him in, getting to school earlier than normal but that was fine. What wasn’t fine was the fact that Peter was limping when he showed up.
“Are you okay?” he asked, worried, but Peter smiled at him.
“I’m fine,” he promised.
“Peter…”
He sighed and shook his head. “It’s fine, nothing happened. Just an attempted mugging, but they didn’t even get my wallet.”
“Please be careful.” Tim could defend himself easily from a mugger, but Peter? Yes, he had muscle but that didn’t mean he knew how to fight. Thankfully, Tim’s record showed he’d taken martial art lessons as a kid so he was allowed to fight back. Should he offer to teach Peter?
“I’m fine, Tim. Really. I’m from Queen’s, do you know how many times I’ve nearly been mugged or caught in a robbery?”
Okay…that made sense as to why he was so chill about it. New York wasn’t Gotham but it still had a pretty high crime rate.
“I’m allowed to be worried about my friend,” Tim told him as they headed inside.
“Then I’m allowed to worry about you too, mister clumsy,” Peter teased, but Tim could tell he really was worried about him.
It wasn’t like Tim liked going to school injured but between the night job and Damian… “Fine,” Tim sighed tiredly, and Peter laughed.
TBC….