Been wanting to write something like this for years . . .
I think inspiration is returning. Hope you guys like this.
It'll be a few chapters, maybe two or three - we'll see.
Enjoy.
Motivation is your superpower.
Jason can't believe it.
He can't.
He's seen a lot of crazy crap in his short two life times, like a lot of crazy crap. . . but this? This just might be a topper on the crazy cake . . .
"Dayson?"
"Holly shit!" He jolts to his feet and starts pacing, hands gripping through his hair. He can't deal with this. He can't . . . throw a crowbar at him, blow him up, throw him off a building even, but this? God . . . He can not believe he's literally sitting two feet away from a very small, very wide eyed, very baby Tim Drake . . .
"What the hell Tim? Why - how . . ." Jason's at a loss for words.
Timothy Drake just stares. "Hungwe."
And he's baby talking! You know, if this happened to anyone else, Jason would have laughed and taken as many blackmail worthy videos as possible. But this was happening to him. He had to deal with this - this de-aged Tim - it's not so funny right now.
And what's worse?
Tim lets out a happy giggle and claps his little hands, reaching for Jason's distraught face.
The kid was freakin' adorable!
Jason Todd was not cut out to handle Adorable.
"Ok, ok Timbo -um, lemme think a sec - we were on a mission - that witch boy freak hit us with this green powder and now-" His brain whirls. "-But you were fine when you crashed on the couch last night? And I was hit too - what gives?" Jason looks into the kids chubby face and stares hard, just in case this was all a bad dream and if he stares hard enough it will all go away . . .
It doesn't.
Of course it doesn't.
"Hungwee!" Tim squeals again, louder this time, with more insistence.
Jason just stares some more. The air in his old apartment is stale, stiff, as he commences a stare off with a probably three year old - Tim's eyes start to water. Ok!
"I surrender." Jason panics for a second and grabs the kid, lifting him up effortlessly, balancing him gingerly. Tim sniffles and gives him a watery puppy eyed look. Jason sucks in a breath. "That hungry huh?"
He nods and sniffs again pitifully.
"Damn it, Tim, and to think - you grow up to have an aversion to eating and ignoring your hungry levels." The kid doesn't understand, he tilts his head again. Jason can't help the smile that tugs the corner of his lips. "Ok then. Food - right . . . what do baby bats eat anyway?"
"Cookie!"
Jason snorts. "Somehow kiddo, I don't think Al would agree with you - how bout some um - oatmeal?" He was so not prepared for this.
Timmy's nose wrinkles cutely. "Yucky."
"Hah, so you do know what you want. Good to know." Now, to bad he doesn't know what to give him . . . Jason looks around his apartment - it wasn't meant for living in so much, barely furnished and pretty run down, it was just to hide out and - oh screw it.
Time to go shopping.
"Let's go get you some food Timbo."
Tim giggles in delight and squeals even louder when Jason laughs and puts him on his shoulders making airplane noises. Ok - so maybe he can deal with this after all.
The hard part was not the store . . the hard part was getting to the store. For one thing he didn't own a car, and he's pretty sure a baby on a motorcycle would raise some serious - um - conversations that he did not want Batman to hear.
The bus was the only option.
Tim, for some unfathomable reason, did not like the idea. He starts screaming the second the vehicle starts.
It's twenty minutes from his apartment stop to the nearest Food Store. Aw crap.
Other passengers - an old couple throws him a dirty look as Tim screams echo. The bus driver throws him a 'do something' look. Jason gives them a sheepish smile.
"Hey there, I thought we were getting along here, what's up Kid?" Jason hisses at the bawling brat, stress levels rising as Tim pushes against him with all his baby strength, and - Holy Hell this kid had strength! Ow, were all kids this strong or was Tim just a freak?
"Off! Ooooofff!" Tim screams.
A woman behind Jason rolls her eyes and huffs loudly. That irks him on top of Tim's screaming.
"You got a problem lady?" He snaps, Tim tries to twist out of his grasp. Jason momentarily freaks when he nearly looses his grip on the butterball.
"Yes actually, we all do. Can you control your child? Some of us are trying to have a peaceful trip." She's sarcastic and rude and - judging by her outfit? A middle classer that can tell he's street type.
Smug.
Jason snorts. "Hey - what can I say? Kids, what are you gonna do."
"Control him? My son would never -"
"Lady, how would you know? You pay someone else is taking care of your son." Jason snaps darkly, he's seen her type, a working mother who has enough money to drop her kids off for someone else to take care of the moment they open their eyes but not enough to spend it on them.
She gaps a him.
Lucky the bus pulls up to his stop, Tim stops screaming as Jason gets off with as much dignity as he can awkwardly holding a kid. the buss hisses as it lets out exhaust and screeches when it pulls away from the curb.
Jason turns his head and just looks at Tim. "You're real proud of yourself aren't you."
Tim smiles a baby teeth smile and slobbers.
"I hope you enjoyed tormenting me." Jason can't help but wonder if this kid was just playing dumb to mess with him. "Let's go get you some cereal or something."
The brat agrees with an excited and warbled agreement.
Jason almost laughs. If someone would have told him yesterday that he'd be walking into a supermarket like a normal person, carrying Tim Drake willingly to buy him food . . . he would have laughed at them, probably beat them up and send them to a drug rehab.
But here he was - and Timbo was having a blast in this weird cart seat thing. Giggling at any shiny or colorful thing he saw. He was a strangely happy kid - Jason actually wonders if that's why he ends up so angsty - but no, that couldn't be it. Jason himself had been mostly a depressed kid, and look - ha ha! Still a depressed freak.
Whatever changed Tim, Jason was sorry for it. He liked seeing the little tyke smile, it made him feel weirdly happy too. . .
Now that was disturbing.
"Lucky Trix? Ok , um, Toast Pops? You like these?" He was actually asking Tim.
The kid watches and nods in agreement whenever he sees something sugary, like a sensor - the carts filled with more processed sugar than food. Alfie would have a heart attack.
"Seriously ya little punk, this stuff is coming out of your pay check later." Jason mutters while looking at an ice cream barrel price tag.
"Jason?"
Jason jumps, curses inwardly and whirls around to see - aw shit.
"Who?" He plays dumb.
Stephanie Brown . . . Tim's - aw double shit.
She gives him an unimpressed look. "Seriously?"
"I'm sorry young lady, you must have me confused with someone else." Maybe she really is as dumb as a blond.
"Really? I don't think so, unless there's another leather wearing, combat boots stomping, angsty teen vibing, even though he's like twenty three, muscled knuckle headed weirdo with a book and gun fetish, I'm pretty sure you're the only one though." She snarks back.
"Yah well - you never -"
"Tephie?"Tim burbles, freaking them both out. He lets out a happy coo and makes grabby motions for her.
Stephanie looks stunned, having just now noticed Tim in the seat behind a pile of cereal and cookie cartons. "Who - " She gives Jason a wide eyed look. "-Who is this Jason? What's going on . . .?" She looks freaked out.
Jason cringes. "Sorry gotta go." He can't get away fast enough.
Steph just stands there in his wake, flabbergasted.
"Great going ya dweeb, now she's going to tell everyone else and they're all gonna get on my case and flip out and accuse me and then I'll probably have to shoot someone, and - Damn it Tim! How do you still remember - does this mean you - remember everything?"
Tim answers with a baby sized yawn, making his little pink tongue squish to the bottom of his mouth and Jason hates to think how utterly squishy and soft the brat looks.
"Yah, yah, ok I get it. You cause the problems I have to fix them. Sheesh - you really are a kid." That's when Jason realizes his new problem.
He has no way to take sleepy Timmy and all these boxes home . . .
"Aw hell - Taxi!" He's going to be broke before the end of this.
It takes like thirty minutes to get a freaking Taxi and another thirty to get home. Traffic sucks in Gotham when you have to follow the rules. Jason swear - first chance he gets he's stealing on old Batmobile, nobody's going to stop him with that.
"Thanks bub, keep the change, and tell your wife I hope her operation goes well."
"Thanks Mister. Have fun with your kid. He's a keeper." The cabbie smiles, his front teeth crooked.
Jason smirks back. "Yup. He sure is." He looks down at sleeping Tim on his shoulder, the toddlers cheek squishes up and his mouth is half open as he lets out gentle snores.
"Well Timbo - guess you aren't hungry now." Carefully he climbs up the creaky steps and makes a blanket mattress on the couch and gently lays the kid on it. Tim stirs and grasps at Jasons sleeve, muttering baby gibberish.
Jason freezes at the warmth of the baby's contact. Tim looks peaceful, happy, asleep, and like he never wants Jason to let go. Jason - he's not sure anyone has ever not wanted him to go away.
His eyes soften as he runs a big calloused hand through the little guys thick dark silky curls. Even as a tiny, Tim still needs a haircut. Jason's smiles, warmth filling it. He didn't think someone whose been broken and torn apart both physically and mentally so many times could still feel this warm. He hasn't - in forever.
"You know Timmy, you're a pain in the ass when you want to be - but I'm glad you're around anyway." He hopes the kid can't hear him, because if Tim remembers everything from his grown up life then he sure as hell will remember this if - Jason's pretty sure he won't get past that.
He ends up falling asleep next to Tim, snoring, hand over the kids head, completely comfortable on that rickety sprung couch.
Stephanie isn't sure what's going on. With the Robin Boys it's usually the case, Jason was probably almost as bad as Tim when it comes to confusing. She just can't get the strangeness out of this afternoon out of her head though.
The guy is perfect calm in the most dire situations - well maybe not calm, just - you don't see him stuttering like a weirdo is all. Suddenly she catches him shopping and it sends him into a wacky excuse mode? It sounds like something she does.
Weird.
"Hey Steph, 'sup?" Dick smiles at her from his seat on the couch as she walks into the manor, grocery bag in her hand.
She blinks at him and adjusts her purple sweater. "I'm not sure - hey, I just ran into Jason."
"Yah? What's he up to? We were waiting for the results of last nights raid -Klarion the Witch kid attacked San Carlo museum. Must have thought a magic rock was in there or something. At least that's what Tim said." Dick speaks while he's flipping through channels. He looks bored, mostly because Alfred's got him bedridden, a broken set of ribs was no joke according to the stern butler.
Steph hums in acknowledgment. "Wasn't that Tim's mission?"
"He asked Jason for assist since it was in his area." Dick explains, eyes not pulling from the giant 78" screen.
Somethings nagging at her head. She doesn't know what yet but she knows it's the answer to Jason's weirdness and - "Where is Tim anyway?"
Dick Shrugs. "According to Al, he didn't come home last night. We just figured he'd crashed at Jason's place." He finally settles on some Disney film.
Stephanie scrunches her face up in thought and taps her chin in an exaggerated thinking move. "Ya know - while I was at the store, buying waffles for mine and Cass's reading session later, Jason was buying out the sugar products isle."
"So? Jay secretly likes Coco Puffs?" Dick still wasn't entirely focused on her and her confusion. He seemed to think this conversation very trivial.
"Dick."
"Yah?"
"He had a baby with him."
That got his attention real fast. Dicks head whipped around so fast, Steph feared he might have whiplashed himself.
"What?" His eyes were huge, asking a billion questions. "Jason has a kid? Since when?" He stands now, finally noticing her confusion on the matter.
She shrugs now. "I don't know. You guys tend to keep your relationships a secret, and it wouldn't surprise me if Jay actually has a kid by accident. Look who adopted him." She gives Dick a pointed stare.
Dick sighs and scratches his head. "Guess we should leave this alone, I mean, clearly Jay's not ready to tell anyone yet - "
"Clearly."
"So - yah, we all know how pissed he gets if his privacy is compromised and - we most definitely should just forget about this. Yah?"
"Right."
"Right."
"..."
"..."
Steph smirks. "We're going after him aren't we."
"Oh yah."
She laughs and follows the older Robin out the door and into his car. Jason was going to kill her for this.
"God, Kid, you've got to hold on for a sec."
"Now-! I want Cookie . . Daysoooon!" Tim was in full out whining mode and Jason was trying his darnest to keep him from going into a melt down.
"You already had like ten. I don't think you need anymore, here have some canned peas."
That . . . was a really bad call. Tim gave him the most fearsome bat glare a three year old could muster and throws the peas at him. Jason curses under his breath. Tim sniff and starts to bawl.
Oh damn.
"Hey, who's the boss here? You can't just throw a tantrum kid and expect to get whatever you want." Jason scolds, missing the way he sounds like an actual adult. "Tim, stop."
Tim promptly drops to the floor, his chubby baby face turns red, alligator tears spill and he starts wailing.
Jason groans and tugs at his hair. He can't just give the kid more sugar . . . it was like Tim replace Caffeine with processed sugar instead. God, this kid was unhealthy even before he came to Bruce.
"Tim. I am counting down to three. You either stop or I put you in time out." Did he just say that? Did he, Jason Peter Todd, aka- the deadly Red Hood, just threaten a baby with time out? The worlds gone upside down.
"One - "
Tim's sniffles died a bit.
"Two - " Jason attempts to make his voice as threatening as possible for this situation.
Tim stands up, tears still streaming.
"Three."
The kid goes silent, red faced and snotty, but silent.
Jason breaths out a sigh of thanks and reaches for the little brat. "Seriously kiddo? You know the world doesn't always give you what you want. Just accept it and move on." He finds himself mopping up the small round face with the table cloth.
Tim suddenly looks at him with wide eyes. "Go."
"Go? Go Where?" He was confused now.
Tim squirms in his lap. "Go. Go. Goooo!"
"Go where, kid?" Jason asks again. Tim squirms right off his lap and waddles as fast as his short legs could carry him towards the bathroom.
Oh . . . oh - oh hell.
"Great." Jason's pretty sure this would be the most awkward thing if Tim remembers later. Breathing a silent prayer that he doesn't, he goes after Tim.
"Hey, you need some help little guy?" Please say no, please be potty trained, please -
"Ah done, Dayson." The squirt comes right out of the bathroom, pants gone - looking pleased with himself,
Jason face palms and goes in. "Tim." He lets out a breath.
"Uh . . ." Tim looks blank. He suddenly seems to be able to tell Jason's upset.
"You - you missed the toilet."
"Ok - well, that was unpleasant." Jason lets out a tired sigh and tosses his shirt into a laundry bag.
Tim is sitting on the creaky floor eating Fruit Loops off of it.
"Woah, hey, no! Tim, you can't just pick stuff up of the floor and eat it. I thought you were smarter than that. Here" Jason puts out his palm. "Give it."
Tim gives him a funny look, the kind that makes grown ups feel dumb if a baby looks at them like that , opens his mouth and drops a big gloppy mix of fake rainbow fruity mush and drool right in the center of Jason hand.
"That's - thanks." Jason forces a smile. "Thanks Tim." He nods briskly, shakes his head, almost laughs, and washes his hands.
Tim claps and laughs, he still didn't have all his teeth which was cute. Jason just stands there, looks down at the little brat, and shakes his head again. "You're trouble, you know that."
The toddler has the nerve to giggle again and nod proudly, silky baby curls bouncing. Jason can't help but laugh this time and sits cross legged on the floor in front of Tim. He has no shirt or shoes - usually he'll dress as fast as he can, it's a paranoia to be exposed for him. But here he was, half dressed in old faded jeans hanging out with tiny Tim like it was a normal apple pie Saturday. And he was a normal guy with a normal kid and they were doing normal things.
But that wasn't true.
Tim was supposed to be seventeen years old. He was the Red Robin, and a pretty damn smart ass. Not a squishy sweet little kid that eats sugar to survive. Jason was the barely tolerable AWOL ex-Robin that people just dealt with now a days because it was easier then telling him what to do . . .
Not a real big brother or - anything.
He doesn't even know what that means.
"C'mere kiddo." Jason outstretches his arms for Tim to climb into.
The Tyke does just that and settles comfortably in Jason's crossed legs. "Pway?" He asks, baby face peering up into his.
Jason chuckles softly and ruffles the brats hair. "How 'bout I read to you?"
Timmy nods and settles as Jason reaches for one of his favorite books, Robin Hood.
He gets so distracted in the comfort of this normal feeling he doesn't expect anyone to come looking for him.
"Shhhh, you hear that?" Steph whispers not so quietly as she and Dick make their way up the stairs.
Dick nods. "Sounds like Jason's reading - out loud?"
"To a child perhaps." Steph raises her eyes brows in pointed 'I told you so' look.
"Ok, just go - silently. This, I gotta see." He smirks.
Steph looks back deviously, "let me record him please? It would look great at the family reunion this year."
"We don't do Family reunions, Steph."
"Well . . . then we can start and this will be the center entertainment and-" She stops, her heart swells at what she sees so suddenly it's like a train hit her.
Dick peers over her shoulder and looks through the crack in Jason's wall.
He sees something he'd never expect. There, on the floor, was his violent brother - with a small baby in his lap, reading a giant book to him. But that wasn't the gut punching part. The most rendering part was the look of pure contentment of Jason's face. He looks so calm and - happy. All the hard lines are out of his face and eyes, his voice is a low, slightly deep, tone as he tells the tale.
Dick swallows . . . "Let's go Steph. If Jason wants to tell us - He'll tell us."
She nods wordlessly . . . "Yah."
They leave before Jason even senses them.
It was late and Jason had finally gotten Tim to bed. It wasn't much - this place, but at least he had some semblance of a couch to sleep on. Timmy loved stories, and Jason finds he loves telling them. . .
Maybe tomorrow he should go out and buy the kid some clothes, and some coloring books or something and-
His brain screeches to a halt. . . he's - Jason swallows and sit down heavily. He's thinking this way - as if Tim was going to be like this forever . . . but he can't leave Tim like this forever. . .can he?
People will start missing the kid. Bruce would find out eventually and it would only be worse if it's later because - God . . . Jason grimaces and presses the heels of his hands into his eyes.
"This sucks." He's not going to lie to himself this time. He likes having the kid around . . . like this. He wasn't so bad before - the only one who reached out to Jason when he'd come back after years abroad. They'd become partners. Friends even - two misfits in the family of misfits. . .
But having Tim around as an innocent toddler with no baggage and unconditional attachment? That was something - it would be a bit hard to let go. But -
Jason sighs, he knows he can't do that to Tim. The punk had a lot going for him, even if he's likely to die before he's twenty from caffeine over dose - but sill . . .
The ex-Robin bites his tongue, his eyes glazing over in disappointment.
He has to figure out how to give the kid his life back.
Reviews and thoughts are most appreciated and, a little shameless elf endorsement, if you guys could check out my new milt chapter story 'Young and Lost' and give feedback on that too, it would make my year and that would be awesome.
Especially since this one isn't off to a great start.
With Love,
Thanks for reading.