Dick shifts from foot to foot energetically, and Tim grins at the kid as he pulls on his jacket. The more comfortable Dick becomes around them the more he seems willing to move, and even take the initiative. Dick is dressed in his diamond socks and robin sweater, and has insisted on packing food in his dinosaur lunchbox even though Tim has told him that they can eat out.
The jury is still out on whether or not this is due to Dick not being allowed to eat out or if he's just that attached to the lunchbox (he's developed a propensity to put food in it to carry it around the house for snacks) but either way Tim doesn't feel like divesting Dick of one of his few treasured possessions.
Dick treats all his new belongings like hallowed material, but he loves the things his brothers find for him best of all.
Tim finishes grabbing the keys and settling his collar before he jerks his head for Dick to follow him into the garage. Dick's ability to respond to non-verbal cues is constantly increasing, which may be useful if they find themselves in a crisis and are unable to speak out loud.
Note to self: see if Dick can be taught to lip-read.
"You ready to have a great bros night out?" Tim chirps, and Dick punches the air with both fists.
"Yes, Tim!"
As the most levelheaded sibling, Tim had won the honor of first-to-take-Dick-out-alone, and given the progress Jason and Damian seem to have made together lately, he is only slightly worried about finding the manor in one piece when they return.
"Alright kiddo… we're gonna take… the convertible!"
Dick's eyes fly wide as saucers and he bounces in his inability to contain his excitement. "I know what that is! I've seen those before on television!"
Tim laughs and leads the way with a bounce in his step. He'll look forward to when Jason and Damian take Dick out and he can have some time to himself. This bubbly Tim Drake can be quite draining to keep up.
"All right, kiddo, hop on in!"
Dick scrambled into the seat next to him, and hovered his arms awkwardly as Tim fastened his seatbelt. Tim slid the roof off the car, and Dick squirmed happily.
"Can we put our hands up and wave them around, Tim?"
Tim flashed him a blinding smile. "You can! I need to drive!" Thank goodness his other self also had a spare driver's license in his room. It wasn't as if he was likely to be charged, as a billionaire's son, but you never knew.
Dick nodded enthusiastically as they peeled out of the garage. His hands went straight up and a smile played over his face. Tim felt his shoulders relax as his fingers twitched for the radio. Something about the wind in their hair and the joy radiating off Dick reminded him of simpler, so-long-ago times. He could almost feel the rumble of the train under his feet as he and Dick clung blindfolded to the top, laughing over the roar of the wind.
He struck on the radio, grinning as 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams started blasting out the speakers. Dick perked up, turning an inquisitive eye toward the mechanism. Tim realized with a start that he probably hadn't been exposed to much casual music. An amateur oversight on his part, but quickly remedied.
Dick investigated this new development with a gasp of wonder as sharp blue eyes took in this new device.
"Cars can make music, Tim?"
"Yep! Fun, huh?" Tim grinned at Dick, and started moving his shoulders to the music. Dick probably didn't know how to dance to energetic music, and would need an example to follow. Sure enough, Dick started squirming like Tim, as his hands automatically balled into little fists and he started tossing his head back and forth.
Tim cranked up the volume as the wind over the topless car started to pick up, and the two laughed and danced to the music as the scenery flashed past in blurs of bright color.
Tim skillfully navigated the car into the parking lot, grinning as he waited for Dick to finish his song before turning off the radio. Dick looked up at him eagerly, clearly torn between the disappointment of the end of the car ride and the excitement of assured new and exciting adventures to come.
"Well, Dick, I figured it was time you went to your first restaurant."
Dick glanced up and gasped. "I've never been to a restaurant before! But I saw them on TV!"
Tim smiled. "I bet! But now you get to go to this one with me." Tim unlatched his seatbelt, and gestured for Dick to do the same. Dick, who had never unbuckled a seatbelt before, courtesy of his overprotective siblings during the last car ride, fumbled with the button before successfully disengaging the lock. Tim then dragged up the sunroof and opened his door to leave, making sure that Dick could see how he opened the handle.
He stood outside the car to wait for Dick, who fumbled again before opening the door and traipsing over to where Tim was standing, proud smile on his face.
Tim reached down to ruffle his hair as he activated the car lock. "Good job, Tweety Bird! Now, let's see how you like my favorite restaurant: Red Robin!"
Dick, the naive, innocent little child, stared up at the building in awe. Tim shouldn't be getting as much enjoyment as he was from flaunting his secret identity like this, but he couldn't fight with Damian anymore, so he had to resort to something.
"Come on in, kiddo."
Dick followed on Tim's heels with eyes blown in wonderment. When they entered the lobby, Tim eyed the line of people waiting to be seated, and led Dick to the side of the room, where a chalkboard 20 feet tall was incorporated into the wall.
"Look, Dick," Tim offered, picking up a piece of colored chalk. "You can color on this while we wait!"
Dick, trembling, took a piece of chalk in hand, glancing up at Tim for permission to make his next move. Tim smiled encouragingly, and, blanking on things to draw, sketched a quick smiley face on the board.
Dick turned to face the board, an intimidated look dominating his face as if he were facing Mt Everest. His hand raised, hesitantly, slowly, before tapping the chalk to the board, and drawing back as if he had been burned.
Dick stared in reverence at the pin-point dot he had created on the board, then looked wildly around the room as if to see if anyone else had noticed his accomplishment, jerking his head up to smile nervously at Tim.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to do it?"
"'Course, kiddo. Draw your heart out."
Dick stared at the board, mind racing behind bright focused eyes. He raised his hand smoothly, all shaking gone, and began to draw in eager, confident, childish strokes. Tim watched, swelling with a pride he didn't often feel as he watched a human figure take shape under Dick's ministrations.
As much as Dick's human figure, who looked male and had gained suspiciously long bangs by this point captured Tim's attention, Dick himself made the far more intriguing subject. For the first time Tim could see clearly the confident ease his own Dick Grayson seemed to embody.
Dick finally finished his picture, looking up at Tim with a proud smile. "It's you, Tim!"
Tim put on his best surprised smile, bringing a hand to his chest. "Aww, that's so sweet! Thanks, Dick! You even got my hair right!" To accentuate his point, Tim ruffled Dick's hair, and Dick laughed.
Tim glanced at the line, which was now gone, then back down to Dick. "Looks like we can go sit down now."
Dick started moving to wipe away his drawing, before Tim caught his hand. "Hey, you don't need to do that. You can leave it there so other people can see it. Someone else will erase it eventually when they want to draw, but you can let other people see your picture till then!"
Dick considered this, before nodding, and letting Tim lead him to the waiter who had been observing them quietly.
"Table for two?"
The waiter nodded, gesturing forward. "Right this way."
Tim took Dick's hand so the boy wouldn't be lost as he stared in awe at his surroundings, twisting and turning to try and take everything in at once.
They wound up side-by-side in a window seat, Tim ordering them root beer floats as they waited for their burgers.
When the waiter carried in their drinks, Dick gaped open mouthed at the treat set before him. Tim was fairly certain he wasn't breathing, and poked at his shoulder in concern. Remember to look mildly concerned but not too worried, I don't want to scare him.
"This…" Dick stared at Tim, "This is all for me?"
"Well, this one's mine, but that one's yours. You get free refills, too, so have as many as you want."
Dick gave a short laugh, then burst out in hysterical laughter. "It's for me! It's all for me! It's bigger than my whole head!"
Tim sat up a little straighter in his chair. Breakthrough! Dick was so overwhelmed with all the new things he'd been trying, that he was forgetting to be cautious!
Dick grabbed the straw, and started slurping at the drink as fast as he could. Tim would've been worried about brain freeze, if he didn't know that Jason had already introduced Dick to ice cream.
Dick consumed his float with a ravenous, maniacal energy that left him grinning wildly and shaking with energy. This was going to be a good day.