Insomnia 2
A/N
...guys, I'm so tired. Competitions these last few days have been exhausting! But, uh, anyways...
I got quite a few requests to continue this story (I LOVE YOU GUYS!) so I decided that the circumstances warranted another chapter :}
So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome...TIIIIIIIIM DRAKE! Er, I mean Robin! Psh, who's Tim Drake? ;) Anywho, on with the (now multiple chaptered!) story!
Disclaimer: As much as I wish I could claim these characters (WALLY WOULDN'T BE GONE! *sobs*), I can't...
Chapter 2
Intervention (the unwanted help)
Ever since he could remember, Tim was a different child. Smarts, brains, whatever, he didn't fit into the stereotype, the status quo, cliche, etc. His parents were never home like all the other kids, for one, so bedtimes were never really...established.
Of course, Tim was a child, and no parents meant no example (whether it be good or bad). So, with his worn Sherlock Holmes book in one hand and flannel striped red and black blanket draped around his shoulders, Tim would snuggle into the corner of his bed, a yellow night light illuminating the fading pages of the book as blue eyes breathlessly darted back and forth, anticipation building as his brain soaked in knowledge.
The sun outside slowly dipped down below an adjacent hill, golden shadows flickering briefly before disappearing and leaving behind a black night.
It was silent.
The house was black. The curtains were closed, and the house was still.
The grandfather clock in the corner ticked back and forth, slowly, clanging softly with a soft tap on each side as it swung. The fridge hummed softly in it's efforts to sustain the cold temperature programmed internally. Mr. Next-door-I-leave-my-lights-on-all-the-time's dog barked and a cat shrieked in response. A bush ruffled softly in protest.
And in the back of a room on the corner of a bed huddled next to a wall, a young boy sat and read, and as night turned to day, the light illuminated his bed in a soft glow.
Yawning, Tim pushed his glasses up his nose, head nodding off slightly as he struggled to stay awake. He was almost done with the 8th book-
Blue eyes fluttered shut and black bangs puffed and twisted as winds buffeted them, sneaking through the slightly ajar window. Morning rose, but Tim was down, down, down below in Morpheus' realm.
Years later it felt just the same. The late nights, the comfortable cloths, the sense of security. Except, it was completely different.
Robin flipped over the top of an armored crooks head, wrapping one leg around his throat and using the other as momentum to flip them both. The man hit the ground with a groan and Robin rolled into a fighting stance, neatly dodging a sloppy punch aimed his way by one of the concussed villains. Smirking, Robin pulled his fist back and slammed it into the man's face, knocking him out.
Sometimes these villains made it too easy.
"Robin, report," a gravelly voice growled in his ear and Tim rolled his eyes behind his mask, touching a finger to his comm link.
"Got a few crooks down Crime Alley, no big-baddies tonight, it seems," Robin joked, tying up the three-man hit team against a light post. A grunt responded and the line went quiet (Bruce was articulate as ever). Tim hummed to himself, standing back and eyeing the criminals critically. "Aha!" Robin snapped his fingers, digging a hand into his utility belt and rummaging around until he found just what he was looking for, adding it to the bundle before disappearing into the night.
Twenty minutes latter, Jim Gordan scratched his head somewhat confusedly, staring at the crooks and the shining red, green, and gold bows on their heads. A plain, crisp white card was tucked into the ropes, a message vastly controversial to the glowers that were etched on each villains face.
'Merry Christmas!
-Robin
P.S. Batman says hi!'
Across Gotham, Tim was jumping-or what felt more like gliding-from rooftop to rooftop ("'ickle-baby-bird's flying!" Jason would have cackled), humming a random holiday tune that had decided to invade his drowsy mind (when was the last time he'd gotten more than an hour of sleep?). He 'parked' on the tip of the Wayne Enterprise building, perching on the edge of the ledge and enjoying the rare peaceful moment when a golden streak darted down the street, zigzagging between cars and pedestrians, gone seconds after appearing.
Instantly, Tim jumped off the roof, firing his grappling hook to follow one of his best friends. What was Bart doing in Gotham on Christmas Eve of all days (er, nights)? Tim had heard that there was a celebration party at the reconstructed Cave, but he hadn't felt much like going, preferring to fold in on himself much like Bruce did every year. Dick had tried to pull him there with no avail ("Spoilsport!" Nightwing pouted, sticking his nose up in the air and marching to the Zeta tube in mock anger. Sometimes Dick was more of a child than Tim...).
Anyways. Bart.
Robin must have tailed him at least five blocks already (he may or may not have cheated with a few shortcuts he knew), and Impulse didn't look like he was stopping any time soon.
"Impulse!" Robin called, flinging a few bird-a-rangs at the speedster to try and capture his attention. The yellow lighting streak swerved, quickly darting around the projectiles and continuing on his way. Tim frowned; so Bart was avoiding him. The question now was why.
Huffing, the Boy Wonder jumped off the roof once again, firing his grappling hook again...and again...and again...chasing a speedster was harder than it looked...and very, very tiring.
Growling, Tim pulled out a small capsule and flung it in the speedsters path, narrowing his eyes as the coil of rope popped out of the black container and spun, breathing a sigh of relief as Bart fell to he ground with an 'oof,' tangled black string wrapped around his legs.
Robin landed on the ground, swiftly darting up to Impulse as the speedster vibrated out of the restraints, spinning to his feet.
"Wait!" Tim called desperately, not at all inclined to continue chasing Bart across Gotham.
Bart froze, back turned to Tim with his shoulder slumped in defeat. "What?" Bart snapped half-heartedly, crossing his arms and turning to face Tim.
Gasping for breath, Tim bent over and braces his forearms on his legs, desperately sucking in the much needed oxygen. "Wanted...to see...if you were alright," Tim wheezed, clutching his cramped side in pain.
"Ya I'm-uh, Tim, dude, are you ok? You look kinda moded," Bart noted, eyebrows furrowing as he studied Robin worriedly. Tim waved a hand dismissively, slowly pushing himself up and adjusting his mask.
"Fine," he said shortly, taking in several deep breaths before continuing,"I'll be crash in...a moment. Why are you in Gotham?"
Bart's eyes widened slightly in panic before he relaxed, taking on a laid back attitude that Tim doubted reflected his mood. "What, a dude can't visit one of his best bros on Christmas? You Bats sure are strict, so moded! Don't be such a meat bag, Timmy!"
"I distinctly remember you just avoiding me, then ignoring me, and then trying to avoid me again. Why?"
Bart giggled, twirling his hands to wave it off,"Oh, it's nothin Timmy-I just wanted to see how long it would take you to catch me! And-if I counted right-I think it would add up to about 3 minutes, 47 seconds, 19 milliseconds, 38 micro-"
"Ok, I got it," Tim sighed in part amusement and part exasperation and rolled his eyes, deciding to leave it be (until he could hack a few security cameras later), reaching into his utility belt and quickly hiding the item behind his back. "Well, I suppose I can give this to you now, since you're so impatient to be on your way."
Bart stumbled back as a squishy package was pushed into his arms, the bright red wrapping paper glittering in the dull lighting. "Uh, what is-"
"It's a present! Did you not have those in the future?" Tim raised an eyebrow as he saw Bart flinch, almost unnoticeably, but his trained eyes caught the movement and categorized it for the later investigation.
"Duh, obviously we have presents," Bart laughed nervously, "I just thought you Bats didn't, uh, celebrate it. Whiiiiiiiich is why I got you a present too!"
Tim blinked rapidly as he was almost plowed to the ground, feet stumbling backwards as Bart latched himself to Tim's cape. "Merry Christmas!" Bart exclaimed, wrapping something around Tim's arm before darting away.
"You didn't open my present yet!" Tim called after the rapidly disappearing light, smiling slightly as he heard the obnoxious laughter echoing back to him. At least Bart was feeling better (and what was with those dark bags under his eyes? He looked like he was getting less sleep than Tim, which was saying something...).
Glancing at his arm, Robin raised an eyebrow at the pink string attaching the small package to his appendage, tugging on the string to untie and catching the parcel. With furrowed eyebrows (this was honestly the first time he had no idea what was in the package), Tim pulled back the brown paper and unrolled it gently. The was a soft clink, and then a silver cylinder dropped into his hand. Even more confused, Tim examined it from all angles, looking for, well, something when his fingers brushed an indent and the capsule popped open. Blinking, Tim gently turned the container over and a wooden Robin landed in the palm of his hand.
It was...sweet? Carefully, Tim rolled the trinket around in his palm, noting small indents that indicated its homemade origins-since when could Bart carve?-and the small engraved T and D.
Grinning, Robin tucked the gift into a padded pocket in his utility belt, standing up strait and firing his grappling hook. His cape flapped excitedly behind him as Tim made his way to the nearest Zeta tube; Gotham could do without Robin for one night.
Bart was in need of some Christmas spirit.
A/N
...ya, I know, cheesy ending(?), but I felt like I needed to make for such a depressing previous chapter :)
Sooooo, as of now until about two weeks from now, (at least) I'm probably not going to be able to update anything due to rehearsals (it's already the end of the season ! *cries*). Go ahead and Review, PM or whatever if you have ideas, suggestions, or anything else and I'll do my best to reply!
Review if u want another chapter!
Kisses!
Alyss
