Three little birds.
This is a response to the challenge: Batman/woman, Robin, two pigs, decapitation, polar bear. (Don't ask, it was based around the Demon Crew (DMU Creative Writing students) Night Out at a bar called the Polar Bear. it was a really good night)
I do not own any of the recognisable characters or settings. They belong to DC.
Could be read as pre-slash.
Tim Drake turned 21. A landmark birthday for anyone, but even more of an occasion for a young man who spends every day fighting for his life, and for the protection of his city. Each battle he survives is a miracle. Connor Kent, his best friend, was taking him out on the town to celebrate. They were supposed to be heading to the Ace of Clubs, but as they were going through Metropolis, they passed a very drunk man.
He was dressed as Batgirl.
"Okay, I have to see what that was about." Connor had laughed and they went into the club the drunkard had just exited. Inside, they found many people dressed as superheroes, gathered around a ring. A fighting ring. Inside was a man dressed as Red Hood, beating the crap out of a skinny guy dressed as 'The Human Spider'. The two boys stared. I mean, wouldn't you?
As they watched the fight in stunned awe, Tim realized that the guy dressed as Red Hood was too good. Too close to Jason Todd's actual fighting style. Tim realised he could predict exactly what moves the guy in the hood would make. He stepped to the edge of the ring.
"That's Jason."
"What?" Connor looked at the fighters in the ring. "Jason's an ass, but he isn't that stupid, is he?"
"Plausible deniability." Tim answered. "If someone accuses him of being Red Hood, he just has to say he dresses up as him on the weekends for fun."
"I still don't get why the Bat teamed up with this guy." Connor shook his head. For Jason Todd had once been Robin. Batman had come across the youth trying to steal the hubcaps off the Batmobile, and had taken him under his wing.
"He just saw a poor orphan kid, the same way he did with Nightwing."
"Nightwing is totally different!"
"How?"
"Well, he's not a psychopath, for one!"
"That's a matter of o..." Tim started with a grin, when the door burst open and a whole posse of police officers came rushing in.
"Great." Connor sighed. "Ma and Pa are going to have my head on a platter for this, not to mention what Clark's going to say."
"We should have just gone to the Ace of Clubs."
Both of them raised their hands, but the other patrons of the bar weren't so accommodating. It soon turned into a free for all, with Jason leading the hoodlums against the cops.
Connor grabbed Tim, and pushed him behind him, as bullets were flying and not everyone is made of steel. Together, they dived behind the bar and pulled off their clothes...
...to reveal the colourful costumes of their alter-egos. Super Boy (a clone of Lex Luther and Clark Kent with powers of his own) and Robin (the third incarnation of the boy wonder).
They started fighting their way through the crowd to Jason, knowing that if they took him out, then the others would give up. Most of the cops were already down.
"You know who I miss?" Jason said, with a vicious blow to the jaw of a young black officer. "Montoya. Now she was a real cop. But they all chased her away, and now she's The Question. That always gives me a shudder." He threw a bar stool behind him without looking and knocked three policemen onto the floor. "And why? Because she was better at the job than the rest of the Pigs? Because she was gay? I mean she was a real cop. A cop people like me could respect. Plus, she was hot." He threw a bottle and knocked the gun from the hand of one of the few cops still standing. "But you? All of you? You're nothing. Go on, little piggys. Run away home. Wee, wee, wee." He laughed, and for a moment Tim thought he hadn't noticed two officers get up, still armed, and prepare to take him down. No such luck. Todd pulled out a pair of throwing stars, similar to Robin's bird-a-rangs, and decapitated both cops with one throw. "You should have stayed down." He told their bodies seriously. "Kids playing fucking dress up. Like you, Timmy."
He didn't bother to turn as he spoke, and Tim froze behind him.
"Jason." Tim winced. He'd been hoping that Jason hadn't noticed him and Connor in all the carnage.
"Isn't it past your bedtime, Kiddo?" Red Hood turned slowly to face the younger men, twirling a throwing star lazily in one hand.
Super Boy took one side, Robin the other, and they charged the older man.
"Get out!" Tim yelled to anyone who was listening, and those who could still walk made their way out of the building.
"Tut, tut. What will the Bat think? His precious boy toy in a place like this? Are you even old enough to drink, Timmy?"
"I'm twenty one!"
They fought viciously, each trying to get the upper hand. With Super Boy on his side, you'd think that Robin would win easily, but Todd fought dirty.
"Boys, you started without me?" A voice from above. They looked up, and there was Nightwing, perching on a beam.
"Dick!" Jason called out gleefully. He managed to make the name sound both like an insult and a joyful greeting. He had a weird, almost stalker like obsession with the original Robin.
"I got this!" Tim growled, territorially.
"Tim, it's a school night." Nightwing swung down from the beam and shook his head.
"What?"
"And what are you even doing in a bar like this?"
"I'm twenty one years old!" Tim threw up his hands. He was fed up with no one taking him seriously.
"Yeah, happy birthday, Timmy. Now, out of the way." Todd rejoined the conversation, and followed up his speech with a vicious left hook.
And Nightwing and Red Hood began to fight. Tim shook his head. He'd seen this before. They'd fight for a while, pretty equally, but Dick did tend to forget that Jason fought dirty. They'd trade punches and insults, and then Jason would pull some trick, knock Dick out and run for it. Dick would wake up in an hour or so, pissed off, and take it out on the nearest available target.
The two young men watched Nightwing and Red Hood fight for a few moments, in perfect choreographed martial arts.
"You want I should fly us out of here?" Connor asked, concerned at the resigned look on Tim's face.
"Yeah. Dick's got this. But, I don't want to go home yet."
"You want to be alone?"
"Yeah."
"I know a great place for it."
Connor wrapped his arms around Tim and together they flew into the night.
Surrounded by stars, Tim let himself drift, knowing he'd be safe in the arms of his friend.
The next thing he knew, he was standing on the arctic tundra. Rising before him was a massive palace of crystal. It was beautiful.
"The Fortress of Solitude?"
"Yeah." Connor shifted uncomfortably. "I just... Clark's brought me here a few times, and I..."
"This is... it's beautiful, Con." And it was. But Tim was having difficulty admiring it was he was shivering furiously.
"Damn. I'm an idiot. Come on, there's some clothes for normals in the main chamber." Connor grabbed Tim into his arms again and took him into the Fortress. He pulled a set of warm winter wear from an icy shelf, and forced Tim into it.
"Solitary enough for you?"
Tim watched a Polar Bear wander past outside, it's cub following along, and smiled.
"Yeah, this is just perfect." He bumped his shoulder against Connor's and grinned. "Sorry I was so grouchy."
"Hey, you have every right to be. I'm sorry your birthday got ruined."
"No biggee. I bet Beast Boy has planned a party back at the tower anyway."
"Yeah, but it was supposed to be special. You're all grown up."
"Yeah, right." Tim snorted. "If I'm grown up, then how come everyone treats me like a five year old? A five year old handling weapons grade plutonium, but a five year old nonetheless."
"You mean Dick, and Jason? Todd's an asshole. You know this. He was just trying to get under your skin. And Dick's like a big brother to you. You're always going to be his kid bro no matter how old you get. Clark's the same with me."
"It's not just them. It's Batman, and Cyborg, and Starfire..." He shook his head.
"Batman's always treated his sidekicks as kids. Again, you know this. It's why Dick left."
"Yeah..."
"And I thought Star and Cy had been getting better since you proved yourself? And it wasn't about you being young, it was about you being younger than them and the de facto leader."
"Yeah..."
"And again, you know this. I know you know this."
"Yeah..."
"So? Why know? What's wrong?"
"I... I miss my dad." With that, Tim finally broke. He didn't cry, not really, but a couple of tears escaped, only to freeze on his cheeks. He talked until he was hoarse, expelling his demons. Connor knew about the tailspin Tim had entered when his father had passed, but had thought his friend was finally getting over it. It had occurred to him that the birthday might bring it back to the surface, but that's what the alcohol was for.
"Tim..."
"He's really gone. I'm alone."
"No! You're never alone." Connor wrapped his arm around Tim's shoulders (purely for warmth, of course) and held him for a long time as they stared out at the empty white expanse.
the end? reviews are love.