Belonged Here All Along, a Batman fanfic by Raberba girl
Chapter 6 (rough draft)
Shadow looked tense with a mixture of excitement and anxiety, but it wasn't actually the whole League in the control room, just Green Lantern and Cyborg. Clark, Diana, and Barry would arrive later, once they finished up with some other commitments, and Arthur hadn't been able to come at all.
"So this is the little guy, huh," Lantern commented as the Bats swept in.
"Hey, buddy," Cyborg said to Shadow with a nod, simultaneously reaching to return Nightwing's fist bump. "You ready for some tests?"
"Tests?" Shadow squeaked.
"We'll all be undergoing at least some of them," Batman said.
They set to work, though without clearly explaining the nature of the tests to Shadow. Just like the adults earlier, all three boys were determined to be native to this universe and showed no detectible signs of time travel. As Wonder Woman, Superman, and the Flash trickled in, they contributed their own expertise to ruling out possibilities, and Batman was interested to observe their interactions with Shadow.
"How come we've never seen you up here before?" Flash asked.
"I'm a Bat," Shadow said with a grin. "I'm good at staying out of sight." He'd reacted to meeting the members of the Justice League in a professional manner, but hadn't been able to hide the subtle way he lit up with excitement. He was smiling and talking more than usual.
"Does that mean you have been up here in the past and we just never noticed?" Superman said in amusement. "I'm pretty sure I would have detected your heartbeat at some point. I can hear it now."
"We have devices in our suits that can conceal the sound if we want," Shadow said. Batman couldn't tell whether the boy somehow knew that or if he'd simply guessed it or made it up. "I don't need to use it this time because I have no reason to hide."
"I see," Superman said. When Wonder Woman spoke and Shadow's attention shifted to her, Superman stepped behind the boy and signed to Batman, "He's clever. If he's lying about having been up here before, I couldn't tell because of the way he said it."
"Will you be joining your father and brothers in battle?" Diana was asking.
"Um...I think I'm still technically in training?" Shadow ventured, looking to Batman.
"He's not official yet," Batman said.
"Yeah, still too shrimpy to be hanging criminals from lamp posts," Robin put in.
That was the opening Batman needed. "We haven't really tackled line work yet, other than the most basic grappling. Wonder Woman, do you think you could give him a lesson with your Lasso?"
Everyone immediately seemed to catch on, though Flash and Lantern were more obvious about it than the others with the way they suddenly looked at Batman. Nightwing, Robin, and Diana kept their demeanors perfectly controlled.
Shadow had gone stiff. "I- I mean, like a rope or a whip or something, right? I know how valuable the actual Lasso of Truth is, I don't want to do something wrong and damage it."
"Worry not, little one, the Lasso has withstood much stronger tests." She took him aside and began to instruct him. Everyone else trailed after Batman to the computer, where they pretended to be occupied with whatever he was showing them but were actually spying on the lesson through a zoomed-in camera view. Batman pulled up a bunch of random windows to draw attention away from the camera view in case Shadow ever looked over to see what they were doing.
"You can hold it like this when you're at ease," Wonder Woman said. She went through a series of different techniques. Shadow obeyed instructions, his movements subdued and hesitant. Though he didn't embarrass himself, he wasn't exactly a prodigy when it came to learning the skills, and Batman had to stop himself from giving feedback, even in his head. Shadow learning how to use a lasso wasn't the point of all this.
"Very good," Diana praised when the boy had kept the lasso twirling for a few seconds. "What do you think so far?"
"I'm terrified you're going to ask me questions that will get me in trouble if I answer," the boy blurted, then dropped the glowing Lasso, his face changing color in dismay.
"You have nothing to fear, little one," Diana said kindly. "I can tell that you have a good heart, and all of us here would never hurt one such as you."
Shadow continued to gaze up at her in silent misery.
"We can end the lesson here for now," Wonder Woman said, holding out her hand for the Lasso. Shadow stared at it in dread, then slowly stooped to pick it up, dropping a loop of it in her palm and instantly whipping his hand back as if the thing burned.
Batman murmured to the others, "I need to speak to Diana alone." The other Leaguers nodded and the boys romped over to Shadow, chattering at him and pulling him over to the computer to show him something. Batman drifted in close to Wonder Woman and murmured, "I need more than your gut feeling to prove he's not an enemy."
"He held the Lasso, Batman," Diana said reprovingly. "I could sense him through it. He is filled with fear, Bruce, but there is no malice in him."
"What are his plans, then? You barely even started to interrogate him."
"I will not use the Lasso's full power on a frightened child who intends no harm. You would do better to coax the truth out of him with patience and compassion, Bruce."
"Don't call me that when I'm in the suit," he grumbled, but gave up arguing. Stringing up someone in the Lasso and forcing the truth out of them was effective, but as he knew from personal experience, a bit traumatic. If Tim really was just the frightened child Diana claimed, it would be cruel to subject him to that.
At least the boy had admitted that he was hiding something. It was looking more and more likely that, regardless of how Tim Drake had learned the Bats' secret identities, he really had just inserted himself into their lives and was pretending to be one of them. Bruce...wasn't sure what to make of that, but dealing with it would probably be a lot easier and less complicated than dealing with an alternate universe or time travel situation would have been.
o.o.o
While on patrol later, Batman left the boys together on a stakeout and took the opportunity to shut himself in the Batmobile and call the Drakes yet again. A bit to his surprise, Janet actually picked up this time. "Bruce! I'm so sorry we've been missing your calls. We've had quite the week!"
She sounded like she was about to launch into an enthusiastic recounting, but Bruce cut her off, almost too fed up to do his Brucie voice properly. "Sorry to be such a bother, Jan, but I've been wondering about that boy of yours."
"Timothy?" she said, sounding surprised. "He hasn't been bothering you, has he, Bruce?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that. It's just that at the awards ceremony the other night," Bruce invented, "I noticed that Tim didn't have anyone clapping for him, and I saw him catch a rideshare home afterward. Made me kind of worried to see him all by his lonesome like that."
"Did he win an award? How lovely! He is a genius, you know," Janet informed him. "His grades are always top of his class."
"I was just wondering if anyone was looking after him. You and your husband are out of the country, aren't you?"
"Well, of course we have some hired help to look after the house and such while we're gone, I assure you that our son is well fed," she said, sounding wary and a little confused now. "I confess I'm not quite sure what you're trying to get at, Brucie. You said he hasn't been causing any trouble?"
"It's just that my boys have been wanting to invite him over for video games or something. I wanted to make sure that was all right with you and Jack."
"Well, of course! Our boy can only benefit from your family's company. Have him over whenever you like, but don't be afraid to send him home if he's a bother."
"And you say he makes good grades - so he checks in with you, lets you know what's going on at the old homestead?"
"Yes, we check our voicemails whenever we get a chance. Tim always has good reports for us."
"I see," Bruce said. The Drakes, or at least Janet, didn't seem to have any idea that their son was infiltrating the Bats' lair and pretending to belong to a different family. Janet also seemed to be remarkably unconcerned about her twelve-year-old son being home, mostly alone, for months at a time. If Tim had been having to deal with that for who knew how long, no wonder he'd developed enough resourcefulness to insert himself into a stranger's household convincingly enough to make them doubt their own sanity.
"Well, Brucie, if that's all? I really need to run, but let's do lunch once we get back in town!"
"Looking forward to it, Jan," Bruce lied, and hung up. Then he moved 'Look up Tim Drake's home situation' to the top of his to-do list.
o.o.o
The next day was Saturday. The whole family slept in, though Bruce got up a little earlier than he wanted to so he'd have time to investigate Drake Manor.
Not counting the groundskeeping service and other contractors, the Drakes had only one servant on payroll, a woman named Orla McIlvaine. Through security camera footage from before Tim's appearance in Wayne Manor, Bruce noted that McIlvaine only came to the Drakes' house twice a week with groceries and stayed just a few hours each time. Tim came to and from the house every day in a school uniform, and also most nights in the Shadow outfit he'd brought to the Waynes'. Every once in a while, a boy who looked to be the same age as Tim would accompany him from school, and there were fairly frequent deliveries of packages, but for the most part, Tim was alone.
Tim was alone.
Or at least, he had been. But now he wasn't alone, because he was in Wayne Manor where four other people lived. Could they really do this, just accept this random child as part of the family because he was lonely and they, despite being strangers, already cared about him more than his own parents seemed to?
Well, they could certainly try.
Bruce picked up the phone to call his lawyers.
o.o.o
A week later, the household was called together in the study. Bruce had talked to his family. The legal team was working on their case. It was time for a confrontation.
"Timothy," Bruce said.
Tim straightened up nervously.
"It has come to my attention that there are some discrepancies."
"In...my night work?"
"No. I mean that your birth certificate names Jack and Janet Drake as your parents, and there's no record of me adopting or even fostering you."
"And any kid of Bruce Wayne would have more stuff in their room than you do," Dick added.
Jason stated bluntly, "You just showed up one day and pretended like you've been living here all along. Did you actually think that would work?"
Tim, who'd been cringing throughout their accusations, swallowed and said in a practiced tone, "I'm actually from the future. I got stranded here when a supervillain named-"
"We tested you," Bruce said. "You have no abnormalities or chronomic residue that would indicate time travel. We also know that you're not from an alternate universe."
Tim was silent.
"I can see your little brain working a mile a minute," Dick said, attempting to sound stern but unable to hide his amusement and affection. "The jig is up, Timmy."
"Just tell us the truth, Tim," Bruce said. "We need to be on the same page when we discuss the next order of business."
At that, Tim drew himself up, raised his chin, and clasped his hands behind his back, looking like he was about to make a pitch his life depended on. "Mr. Wayne," he said crisply, "I know that you and your family are the vigilantes of Gotham, so it would not be in your best interests to turn me over to authorities. Instead, I propose formally incorporating me into your team. As you can see from the trial run, I can make considerable contributions to your mission, and it would behoove-"
"Tim."
"You'd be making a mistake to expel me," Tim went on in a rush, losing his composure. "And if it's maintenance that concerns you, I am quite happy to earn my keep-"
"Tim."
"-by doing housework and menial tasks in the cave," Tim continued desperately. "For example, I can comb through security footage for you, I know how tedious and time-consuming that is-"
Bruce stood up and took a step. Tim immediately jerked backward, his mouth snapping shut. He shot a panicked glance toward the door and then the grandfather clock before squeezing his eyes shut and going rigidly still, as if bracing for a blow.
Bruce took hold of the boy's shoulders and stooped to be closer to eye level. "Timothy. Look at me, please. I'm not going to hurt you."
Blue eyes cracked open warily, and Tim swallowed. He didn't get any less tense.
"Tim. I'm still wondering how you learned our secret, but you're not in trouble. We've been making preparations to add you to the family legally. We just wanted to do away with the deceptions and pretense. All right?"
"...What?" Tim said warily.
"Bruce is gonna adopt you," Jason said.
"Your parents wouldn't pick up their phones, and when we finally did get through, they didn't care that you've been running around Gotham alone at night!" Dick said indignantly. "You could have gotten killed and they might not have even noticed!"
Tim was staring at Bruce. "You're going to...?"
"Adopt you," Bruce confirmed. "At the very least, fight for guardianship of you. I want your place in the family to become real."
Tim kept staring for a minute. Then he burst out, "What were you talking about, all those times when you were like-?! You mentioned things that never happened! Things I supposedly did or said even though I didn't!"
Bruce smiled. "Just a bit of payback."
Tim exhaled forcefully and put a hand up to his heart as if to calm it. "I thought I was going crazy...!"
"Now you know how we felt like," Jason said with a grin, elbowing him. Tim very tentatively smiled back.
Alfred, who'd remained serenely silent all this time, stepped forward. "Welcome to the family in truth, Master Tim." He held out his hand.
Tim stared at it, then reached out and shook it. His smile strengthened and brightened until he was positively beaming.
o.o.o
A/N: Mrs. Mac's given name is apparently never mentioned in canon, so I just made one up.
I started writing a one-shot version of this story from Tim's POV, though I don't know if I'll finish.
I hope you all liked this fic! Thank you so much for commenting! :D