(no subject)

[thegoshdarn]

Ever since Tim worked out (a) worked out Batman and Robin's identity and (b) realized that she could sneak out of the house at night without anyone noticing, she has a system. She keeps a bag packed with her camera, a bottle of water, and some snacks in case she gets hungry, and she has a set of dark-colored clothes, a nice warm jacket and shoes with a lot of grip for running around Gotham. When she gets to go out depends on who's at home with her that night. Tonight is really easy, because her parents are in the city but at a big party, and usually they go right to bed when they get home without checking on her.

She's gotten really good at analyzing patrol patterns based on current crime rates and past patrol routes. Bruce Wayne is supposed to be at the party tonight, so she heads to one of the most likely places Robin is going to go to tonight.

It's colder than she expected tonight, but that's okay. Tim finds herself a snug, semi-hidden place on a fire escape and settles in with her legs pulled up to her chest for warmth. All she has to do now is wait.

Comments

[thegoshdarn]

The bear gets kind of squished like that, and she pats it a little like an apology before throwing her arms around him. "Ummmm. I dunno?"

[utilitybelted]

"How about this, we'll pick up some takeaway burgers and go eat them somewhere with a really good view, okay?" he offers, there were at least three or four rooftops in town that were safe enough to reach while carrying Tim, and it might be better to talk in private anyway.

[thegoshdarn]

She brightens up a little. She hasn't been able to get out much since Batman found out about her, and she misses it. "Okay."

[utilitybelted]

"Great, let's go," it takes a little while to get them sorted, but he manages to pick up the required meals and settle them up on a rooftop without too much trouble, and he dishes out the food to Tim while he tries to think of exactly how to tackle the conversation they're about to have.

"Have your parents ever done this before? Left you alone without food?"

[thegoshdarn]

Tim focuses on getting her Robin bear comfortably situated in her lap. He gets a napkin of his own before she's ready to start answering. "Uh uh." Of course, they didn't start locking her in her room until recently. She used to be able to just get to the fridge on her own.

[utilitybelted]

"They've left you to miss meals before?" he asks with wide eyes, not quite realising that usually she is at least able to feed herself.

"...Tim that's a really bad thing for them to do, that's...that's wrong."

[thegoshdarn]

"No!" She may be panicking a little now because she's getting her parents in trouble again, isn't she? She's not supposed to do that! "They don't! I can make myself sandwiches."

So sorry, it's been a really busy couple of weeks!

[utilitybelted]

Dick just stares at her blankly for a moment before catching himself and reigning in his anger, he reaches over to ruffle her hair.

"That's pretty cool of you, but they really shouldn't leave you to do that."

No problem.

[thegoshdarn]

She shrugs a little. "It's okay. I can do stuff for myself."

Re: No problem.

[utilitybelted]

"Do you have any kind of contact for them while they're away? Did they give you a number before they left?"

[thegoshdarn]

...oh. Was she supposed to call them? Maybe she was supposed to call them, and just got all upset over nothing. They don't usually want her calling them, though.

"Uh-uh." She rattles off Jack Drake's cell number.

[utilitybelted]

"Ok, here's what we're going to do." Dick says, making a split decision that he's probably going to get into trouble over as he scribbles down the number "Would you like to visit the batcave?"

He'll take Tim back there so they can look after her until Batman decides what to do with the new information.

[thegoshdarn]

Her eyes get super-wide because oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh she gets to see the Batcave? She gets to see the Batcave. "Yes!"

[utilitybelted]

He can't help but laugh a little at that, he's glad she's so excited. "Okay, finish up your food and we'll head over there, okay?"

[thegoshdarn]

If his goal was to make her attempt to eat her burger as fast as humanly possible, then he wins the prize for most successful plan. "Can we go now?!"

[utilitybelted]

For a second, Dick's almost worried she's going to choke, but he breathes a sigh of relief when the burger disappears and she is none the worse for wear. Quickly finishing off the last of his own meal, he nods

"Okay, okay, come on then." he crouches down for her to climb up on his back again. It's going to be slow going getting to the cave this way, but it's the best he can think of.

[thegoshdarn]

So the thing is, Tim is really great at keeping secrets, but she's still a little kid. And she's talking to Robin so obviously no one's secret identity is at stake here. So the first question that pops into her head isn't filtered like it should be. "Will I get to see Mr. Pennyworth?!"






WHOOPS.

[utilitybelted]

Dick freezes, eyes widening in a panic, and he spins around to stare at her in horror.

"Who, what, how... huh?" he manages eloquently, suddenly wondering if he's made a terrible, terrible mistake.

[thegoshdarn]

"Um."

Hey, their faces kind of match. Tim is also pretty terrified right now because she didn't mean to say that! What if Robin gets mad at her now?

[utilitybelted]

It's a struggle to keep his emotions in check, he doesn't want to scare her any more than she obviously already is, but he needs her to answer his questions.

"Tim...how do you know that name?"

[thegoshdarn]

"I didn't tell anyone!" she blurts out quickly. "I, um, I saw your show before... And I saw Robin on TV once? You did a quadruple flip. And, um, there were supposed to only be a couple people who can do those.

The rest just, um, made sense?" Bruce Wayne is about the right size for Batman, at least in the photos she's taken. Bruce Wayne gets a new ward who's an acrobat, Batman gets a new partner with acrobatic skills. It just matched up.

[utilitybelted]

Dick stares at her in stunned silence for a long time. She's right, quadruple flips are really hard, he's so proud of the fact he can do one that he pretty much executes it at every chance he gets....

"...You...you worked that out all by yourself?"

[thegoshdarn]

"Uh-huh."

She watches him anxiously, trying to figure out what his reaction is going to be. Is he mad? Is he going to take her back to her house? Is he going to take her to Batman? Is Batman going to be mad?

[utilitybelted]

"I... think we better go to the batcave..." it was probably an even worse idea than it was before, but what else was he supposed to do? This tiny girl had figured out his secret apparently just by watching his acrobatics, was it really so easy as that? Or was she just that smart? Either way, Batman needed to know.

[thegoshdarn]

"Okay." At least he's not sending her back home. She picks up her Robin-teddy and watches him uncertainly, in case he changes his mind or something. "...'m sorry?" She's not super-sure what she's apologizing for, but it seems like a good idea.