Spoiler & Red Robin
@Chaotic ChaoSunset Valley, West Gotham
Brown House
1:54 PMTim was not having the greatest of days, at all. Everyone else in the Batfamily were more than just busy, and they sort of left him out. On another note, though, he has learned something; someone was recently using the Batcomputer ,what made it much more strange is that it was his 'dead' ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Brown.
Tim thought about this while sitting in his bedroom, searching on his computer about the vigilante nicknamed 'Spoiler'. By now, he figured out she was the vigilante, but he wanted to know just a bit more.
He knew exactly where to look for her, though. She didn't hide her tracks well, that is if she was trying to hide her tracks.
Tim then grabbed a badly worn out red hoodie and walked out, looking for someone he thought for a while was dead.
A nurse who worked double night shifts, and a high-school student/vigilante living in the same house and they’d somehow managed to run out of coffee. Steph would have screamed if her mother wasn’t snoring peacefully in the room directly above the kitchen. She settled to blow out the strands of hair in her face. Grocery shopping was on her list now, right between
finding murderous child in robin costume and
stop joker venom drug getting to highschool students. She quietly, calmly, placed the coffee pot back on its stand and retrieved her bag.
Tim knocked on Stephanie's door and stuffed his hands in his pockets, not sure what exactly to say if she opened to speak to him. Stephanie and Tim were also the same height, so it would be hard not to stare directly into her eyes and be awkward.
What do you say to a loved one you haven't seen a long time, at least on normal circumstances?
And then how was Tim going to explain why he was there and why he knew that she was there? That would make him seem like a stalker, but then again, he was stalking her.
"Ahem." Tim cleared his throat awkwardly, waiting for the door to open and hopefully she wouldn't snap at him or do anything crazy. But it's been awhile, and they both most likely have changed and matured a bit, so he didn't really have an hypothesis of how she would interact with him. Shit.
Before Steph could even debate the issue of opening the garage and getting her motorcycle out quietly, there was a knock on the front door. It might as well of been an earthquake for the surge of panic it spawned. The smart thing to do would have been to bolt and let her mother deal with whoever had come to their house in the middle of the day. Of course that stroke of genius didn’t strike her until the door was already swinging open.
“Shit.” And she’d said that out loud. She closed her eyes, giving the threshold a moment to open beneath her feet. No such mercy was granted.
Step up from a brick to the face at least.Her sense came back to her before words, and she pushed Tim out of her doorway and closed the door behind her. Tim Drake. Robin. Ex-superhero partner and boyfriend who she had let believe her biggest lie for over a year. School counselor had it coming next Monday.
“Sorry. I was-” There was a time she could speak coherently, she tried to remember what that was like.
“Hi.”Tim bit his lip, being pushed back, he then looked her, as if she was a stranger.
"Stephanie Brown." He spoke, not knowing exactly what to say. He chose his words, carefully, as he did not want to say anything he really wanted to say. Because that would involve him screaming.
"Deceased." He said flatly.
Steph shrugged, suddenly very grateful she hadn't given him her middle name.
Stephanie was bad enough.
“I got better.” Her smile and attempt at relaxing the situation fell flat.
"You've been on the Batcomputer recently."“Wasn't locked out, seemed as good as an invitation.”"I... I... Should go. I'm starting something that would probably end up badly." Tim said with a shaky breath, turned around, took a few steps, then stopped. He exhaled and turned back around.
"You know, I was never the same when I thought you were dead. And for a few months, I would've been willing to kill to bring you back."Okay so a month long cooling off period wasn't quite enough to forgive, forget and all that. But standing at her front door almost falling over with exhaustion really wasn't the time or place for a heart to heart. Steph let him finish.
"It's probably one of the reasons I stopped being Batman's sidekick. Let me guess, you're Spoiler?" He said this only for them to hear.
No boy clueless, someone else has been running around in my costume, figured where the batcave was, and used my pass-codes. For what could have been the first time in Steph's life, she swallowed her sarcasm. She followed Tim another step down from the front door, arms folded in front of her.
"For what it's worth I'm glad you dropped by. If you have some time, I could use your help and there are some things I'd like to tell you” God. She sounded as cryptic as batman.
“Did you bring a ride?”"I got a car. But tell me, why the HELL should I be helping you?" Tim ran his fingers through his hair, and sort of thought this through. He regretted saying that, but he had his reasons. He came here to confirm his suspicions, but did he really, could he really forgive?
"I know I was no perfect boyfriend or friend, but.... Nor a crime-fighter.""I'm trying to be better, at least at two of those things. So fine. I'll help. I have a red Porsche, being an adopted son of...." Tim didn't finish his sentence, Bruce Wayne gone missing still was an raw as hell subject.
And plus, using the word 'son' reminded him of the Joker. And it made him shutter just to think about that smile.
"I’m not asking you to forgive me Tim. Just trying to move past… Everything” She followed him down the steps to his car, a sore thumb in the pinnacle-of-middle-class neighborhood.
"And unless you managed to single-handedly set all of Gotham on fire without me hearing about it, I’ve got you beat on worst-vigilante front. “ By a mile. She jabbed him gently in the elbow, determined to break the barrier of tension that lay between them. Lying about her death probably won her some terrible girlfriend awards as well. But she’d already spent a year dwelling on regrets, and it was time to move on.
Except, she realized as they reached the car, she didn’t know where to go.
"Don’t supposed you know where the big guy is? We’re looking for your replacement.”"Bruce is missing! You don't know that?!" Tim turned around with an annoyed glare. He then opened the Porsche's left door, getting in and starting the vehicle.
"As for the new Robin, what are you talking about?"Tim was sure Bruce didn't find a new Robin yet, because of course, he was missing. He hooked his aux cord back to the car, and it started playing a song by Home, called Resonance or something like that.
Steph glared right back at Tim as he disappeared around the car. Obviously she hadn’t known, and no one had bothered to tell her either, but that was another to drag her over the coals for?
I don't think so buddy. "How would I find out exactly? My Weekend-Wayne hasn’t been delivered lately.” She ducked into the car as he started it, and unplugged his music, she’d tried civility, and was now past it.
"I’m talking about the pre-teen kid dressed up in your gear stabbing people in the Narrows. Or maybe I just haven’t heard of the uniform’s colour change either?” It came out more hostile than she’d intended. But it was said, and if she started apologizing there would be no end to it, so she just scowled at the windshield.
Tim plugged the cord back, in, and started the car.
"You can hit me. You can hit my car. You can hate me. But do not touch my music." Tim then raised an eyebrow, hearing about a pre teen kid stabbing people.
"Well, that's obviously some kid who thinks he's Robin and decides killing is a great idea." He then starting driving. Tim sort of laughed, whether it was bitter or an actual laugh, he couldn't really tell.
"Stephanie, I'm sorry." Tim said plainly, while brushing his hair out of his face.
"I'm just... A bit different now then I was. Things happened. I've been an emotional wreck, and I'm taking it out on others.""Right now, I just want have a nice little drive, calm down listening to music, and maybe... Maybe not. I'll talk rationally."She couldn’t help herself. Steph punched Tim in the shoulder, hard.
“We’re fine Tim.” Her expression softened.
"Ow! Do you know how many times I've been injured in that area?" Tim was starting to calm down, be less hostile, however, he couldn't force himself to smile. It felt alien to do so at the moment.
”Nice drive is going to have to wait though. I’m serious about this Robin, Leslie said he used shurikens, and took out four thugs on his own. It’s not just some kid in a costume. But I don’t know anyone that young with access to the cave.”"Wait... Shurikens? Access to the cave..?" Tim stopped the car to the side of the road, and placed a finger on his chin.
"Could it be... No, he wouldn't. Then again I don't know him that well." Tim was talking to himself like he naturally did when trying to solve a puzzle, math equation, or anything of the matter.
Steph waited patiently, tapping her foot, for about seven seconds.
“Your one ‘maybe’ idea already trumps my 'no' idea so just spit it out” "Damian Wayne." Tim bluntly said.
"I think it's Damian Wayne. But that's just a random thought."Well that was another bombshell. Bruce had adopted again, and apparently disappeared. Poor kid.
“Doesn’t he make all of his strays Robin? I’d hardly call it random.” "Damian is not a stray. Damian is Bruce's blood. An actual son. The kid might as well be an ninja or something. He's way too.... smart and agile at the age to have been trained by Bruce already." Batman had an actual son. Steph considered the implications and shivered.
“Who…? No. Scratch that I really don’t want to know. Daddy-bats. Pappa-Bruce. A giggle slipped out, but she composed herself again quickly.
“Damian Wayne” She repeated the name, and no it brought back no memories. An early teen, maybe younger. Had Bruce kept him in the floorboards that whole time or something?
“Bruce doesn’t train to kill.” "Wait a second, I'm not a stray." Tim looked at her, offended.
"I don't think Bruce even trained him, like i said, Damian's too smart and strong and Bruce couldn't have trained him THIS quickly. He was trained to be deadly, almost. Which is why I think it's him," Tim started to car again,
"We're heading to Wayne Manor. I bet he's there."
Badarby,
Tesserach,
mickilennial,
Bingelly,
Dyelli Beybi,
Carlyle,
Izurich,
Qia,
Master Crim,
Lord Wraith
