capeandcowllogs | pictures in a box at home, yellowing and green with mold

He's several buildings away and even through the binoculars they both look ridiculously tiny. Lowering the device, he just. Drags his gloved hand down his face. Does he really want to deal with this. Does he really. If he walks away now, no one will blame him if shit happens. No one will know.

... except him.

Fuuuuuck.

Jason takes one more look. There's a certain sour note of dissatisfaction to see them together. Still better brothers than he ever was with Dick, even though they shouldn't even know each other... fuck it. He takes to the ground, moving unhurriedly to the alley where the fire escape they're hanging out on is. He's dressed casually and doesn't have his mask on.

Tim isn't hiding any more sandwiches, sadly, and he's smart enough to know they really need a plan, but that's tempered with his complete belief that Dick is capable of coming up with one himself. He's Robin, after all, and they've already gotten away from those weird people in that great big building and survived just fine by themselves.

Kind of fine, anyway. Tim is used to making his way through the streets of Gotham, creeping and hiding and watching Batman and Robin from the shadows while staying out of trouble, and this place is no match for Gotham, especially with most everyone out there seeming to be kids - which is weird. But that's nothing compared to actually sleeping out here, it's the first time he's had to do that, and it was rough on him, which probably shows. He's tired, cold and achey, his clothes are the dirtiest he thinks they've ever been for an extended period of time, and he's starting think that maybe, just maybe, he should try coming up with a plan. Just in case.

The problem is, all his plans end with going to the police, or someone in authority, which would mean getting Robin civilian clothing, and that he can't work out how to do without telling Dick that he knows who he is, and that - just makes him freeze up inside every time he thinks about it.

He's trying to think of a way around it when he notices someone walking into the alley below them. Someone... big, all by himself, and for a moment Tim regrets thinking that this place isn't as bad as Gotham, because this guy pings all the same tiny alarm bells in the back of his mind. He swallows his bite of sandwich and tries not to stare too much.

Trust always comes with a risk, and grownup authority where kids their age are concerned usually ends in a home. Still, it’s occurred to him, if only because the longer they wander out here the more he starts to think it really might be his best and only chance to find Bruce. If Bruce is here, like that lady said he might be.

And that’s when he catches that slow, purposeful movement down below. A big person. A grownup, heading their way. Someone with nothing good in mind, he’s sure.

There’s not much he’s seen of Tim so far to indicate that he’s had anything like training, but they can fix that later, assuming this arrangement turns out semi-permanent. One thing’s for sure; if they run and hide now, chances are he’ll go for kids Robin’s not around to protect.

"Gonna go up," he says to Tim, taking a grappler and pointing at the roof. Lure the guy up onto even footing, then take him by surprise.

"Hey, cut that shit out," Jason calls up sharply, halting beneath the fire escape with his hands in his jacket pockets and looking up. He sounds mildly annoyed and makes no move to get up there just yet. "I'm serious, Dick. I do not want to fucking chase you around on the roof. Just stay there and talk to me a second."

After a moment he reluctantly adds, "You too, Tim."

Tim is all ready to go with Dick's plan and get to the roof, getting ready to hold on to Dick so the grapple can take them both up - when the stranger uses their names.

Both their names, and oh, crap. Crap, how does he know them? How does he know Dick, and what does he want to talk about, and should Tim be pretending he just went temporarily deaf or just act like he had no idea that that was Robin's real name? He freezes up with his hand on Dick's arm, staring uncertainly down at Jason.

So someone else here knows him by name. Knows his name and knows Tim’s name and just called him by his name while he’s in costume, in front of Tim, and for a second that makes him so angry that the real implications don’t quite come clear. Give them nothing Batman would say.

He tenses and then flings out a batarang, instead. He’s not quite aiming for Jason’s head – you never know ahead of time whose really fast enough to dodge - but it should skirt close enough to make the point. And he’s getting his arm around Tim – sweaty and damp now inside now inside his glove – and clicking the release.

It's been a while since he caught one of those — the last one he caught with his throat, as far as he can remember — but he does it before he can really think about it, and throws it back automatically. He aims the batarang at the grapple's rope, though, rationalizing that it's not that mean. They'll just hit the fire escape again if it cuts through.

"Stop it. No one here cares who you are." At least, he's guessing that's why Dick threw the batarang at his head. "God, this is so like you. Every time I want to talk I have to like, sit on you. Did anyone even explain this shit to you?"

As soon as Dick's arm is around him, Tim clings onto the other boy's side, because he knows what's coming next - except it doesn't exactly work out how it should. There's the feel of the grapple pulling them up and making his stomach drop - it's the first time he's ever had a grapple ride, and under different circumstances it would be exhilirating, but this time it's truncated and ends in a drop back down onto the fire escape as Jason's batarang cuts the line. It doesn't really hurt, but Tim doesn't have the training to know how to break his fall yet, so he's probably going to have a bruise or two. He makes a mental note to talk to his parents about karate lessons as soon as he gets home.

If he gets home.

For now, he sits up and stares at Jason again, the anger at being dropped and having this stranger know their names and just plain being taken from his home bubbling up in his chest. He shakes his head. "No, no-one's explained anything. We just showed up and there were these other kids and they pretended to be just as lost as us but they knew who we were and acted all weird and I think they were lying so we ran away, and now you show up and we don't even know who you are!"

By the time he's finished, Tim is kind of shaking a little, and oh, god, did he really just yell at this guy? Oh, god, he's going to get shot, what is he doing.

Shut up Tim is what he wants to say halfway through that little spiel, but no real sense getting mad when he’s the one who didn’t think anti-interogation was important enough to cover straight up. Stupid stupid.

On the other hand, the list of people back home who could make a catch like that probably caps out at one. And that thought makes his blood freeze up a little.

"Okay," he says finally. He vaults down those couple of stories without bothering with a line, bracing for a landing far enough out to leave room for a few maneuvers in case he needs them. And hopefully Tim knows enough to stay out of the line of fire.

"You get two minutes."

"I'm Jason." Which is the most he'll say about that, and his tone is forbidding enough to make that clear. "You're in another universe, normally you're like, mid-twenties and Tim's normally seventeen or eighteen or some shit, I don't really care. You'll go back eventually. This sort of weirdness happens every now and then. It sucks but there's not much to do about it. This would be the most retarded lie, so just deal with it, okay? I know you've been through weirder shit. Most important point, would you just go back to Titan's Tower or... I don't know, anywhere not wandering the city? Is Starfire tiny? Ugh, she's probably tiny or you wouldn't be here."

Titan's Tower? But the building they'd shown up in didn't look anything like pictures of the Tower he'd seen. And what was it doing in another universe anyway? And why would he show up there - Dick was obvious, after all, but Tim had nothing to with the Titans. Unless... no way, there was no way he was going to get tangled up with superheroes by the time he was eighteen, there must be some other reason Jason knew him.

Knew him and didn't like him, from the sound of it, and that was the second person - Jason's reaction wasn't as bad as Damian's, but still, it made him wonder what his future self had done. What if... what if he was going to be a villain, and that was how everyone knew him? Tim makes a face at the thought, and very nearly scrunches himself into a corner of the fire escape out of the way to have a silent freak out about (not entirely implausible) time travel and multiple universes and unknown futures - but he needs to keep watching the conversation so he knows what's going on. So he crouches near the edge instead, gripping the railing tightly and keeping quiet so he can freak out to himself and Dick and Jason can talk.

"I don’t know you," Dick says, because saying that like it really means something in a place where things like this just happen is better than letting that icy chill inside freeze him up. Batman would roll with it. Batman would know better.

But it makes sense. In that odd way that non sense-making things sort of do after a while, even back home. Wherever he comes from, he knows that other Dick. The grownup one that people here all seem to remember. And somehow he knows Tim, though that’s the part he really can’t work out just yet. What Tim has to do with any of this stuff.

"And if- if we’re really in an alternate universe and not–" -Not trapped in an elaborately constructed hallucination courtesy of the Joker or maybe something worse- "Not just stuck someplace, then there’s nowhere else for us to go anyway. And we’re doing just fine so far. If you really want to help some kids find a couple who need it."

That sounded good. Determined. Confident.

Jason sighs loudly, but refrains from taking action. If he doesn't convince Dick, he'll have a hell of a time catching him. Granted, he could probably just grab Tim and run for it but it seems like an easy way for things to get out of hand.

"Right, that's why you're still in uniform, huh? I hope you realize this city has a billion metahumans in it. Most of them are 'heroes' and probably turned into kids as well, but some of them aren't. Just go back to the fucking tower, okay? Otherwise I'm gonna have to follow you around all day, and I actually have shit to do. And do not —" He points at Dick accusingly. "— try to lose me. You won't get far with Tim hanging onto you. Did Carrie try contacting Batman?"

Staying as still as possible, Tim frowns as he listens to the conversation. Hmm. So Carrie knows Batman, should just - be able to call him? That must make her a hero, but then why did she lie and act so weird around them? It's not like he's been completely honest with Dick, but that's different, and it seems like this Jason guy knows the truth about that, too.

Which isn't something Tim really wants to think about, because then he starts wondering how he knows, and how much, and he probably thinks he's some stalker freak and, okay, now he feels sick. Sick, and useless, because Jason has a point - Dick can't effectively run away if he tries to take Tim with him. They managed it last time, but Tim has no training, he just knows how to hide pretty well; he's more or less a dead weight, and he's lucky Dick has looked after him up until now. If he'd shown up alone, he'd have had a lot more trouble, he's sure.

If he wasn't certain Dick would worry way too much if he left, he'd try to sneak away while they were talking. He doesn't completely rule it out as a plan - Dick is better off being able to move without him, and it's better for everyone if Robin is able to be active - but for now, it's worth listening to Jason a little more.

"How do you know I didn’t call Batman?" but his cheeks are flushing up already with frustration and something like jealousy. What does it say about Robin – about Batman and Robin – if somehow Carrie’s the one with the direct line to someone he’s supposed to be partnered up with? Someone he’s spent two days thinking about and worrying about and wondering if-

-If he has more than one friend in this place at all.

The nerve of this guy. "And who said you had to follow us anywhere? We know where we’re going. Right Tim?" His voice goes up a little in volume on the last part, though it’s probably a little much to hope he hasn’t been listening in the whole time.

"Because you'd be with him if you had. Fuck, he's probably a kid, too." Jason drags his hand across his face again. If there's a trace of concern in his voice, he himself is ignoring it; so what if Bruce is probably a kid somewhere? If he's lucky, it'll be before he was eight. If not, Selina probably — ha ha. Assuming Selina weren't tiny as well. Well... no news was probably good news, in this case.

"Look, I don't care where you go as long as you're not running around out here. But if you're going to run around out here, then I'm sticking with you." He sounds fairly unhappy about this. Determined, though. "You don't know this city, and you're not that good."

He just barely murmurs an affirmative to Dick, determined not to let Robin down even if he really has no idea where they're going. There'll be a plan... eventually. Dick will work something out, it's what he does.

Or it's what Batman does, but then, maybe he really is a kid too. That would explain why he's not here, instead of Jason.

"He is so that good," he mutters quietly, not entirely intending to be heard.

He wants to snap back, say it isn’t fair and Jason hasn’t even seen him do anything yet but throw a batarang and that was a pretty good throw. It isn’t fair that his instincts say the likelihood that Jason really does have dibs on exactly how good he is outweigh the possibility that he’s just spouting crap.

He sighs and scratches at the edge of his mask. Maybe ditching the one guy in this whole place that seems willing to talk answers – or at least decent enough lies - isn’t really one of the greatest plans he’s ever had. If he knows Robin’s name – if there’s even a chance it doesn’t end with Robin - then he owes it to Batman to check it out.

"I guess," Offered just a tough grudgingly. "Um." He shifts and then reaches into one of his belt pouches. Maybe a peace offering is in order. "Here." One fruit roll-up for Jason.

Jason sort of gives Dick a look like 'are you fucking with me?' but... he takes it. Not that he plans on eating it. It's just — he would never claim he's good with kids, but it seems like taking it would be best. For everyone.

Now that he doesn't have to be indignant, he's not sure what to say or how to say it. "... thanks. If you're hungry we can go somewhere. But you need —" Pants. "— civilian clothes."

He looks back up at Tim, suppressing another sigh. Why is this happening. How had this come about. "Uh... jump down?" Why is this happening. Jason reluctantly gestures, indicating he will catch Tim and not let him splatter all over the pavement.

Alright, so apparently the plan is trusting Jason. At least he's been - kind of honest with them, Tim thinks. Blunt and kind of rude, his mom would probably say something about him being a potty mouth if she were here - and he kind of wishes she were, just for a second, missing her with a pang he'd thought he'd gotten over when her and dad started taking longer and longer trips out of town - but so far he hasn't seemed to lie to them. If it's enough to get Dick to trust him, however grudgingly, then of course Tim is going to go along with that assessment.

Tim just hopes he's as good at catching kids as he is at catching batarangs.

"Um. Okay, if you're sure." He stands up and moves right to the edge of the fire escape, looking down at them for a moment before climbing onto the railing. What is he doing, it's too high, what if Jason doesn't catch him - then Dick will, he reassures himself, it'll be fine, he just has to - jump.

So he jumps - or kind of falls, more accurately.

He tenses a little when Tim goes to jump - it'd be pretty hard to misread that tone Jason used with him straight off. He's not sure what it means, not sure what to make of anything anymore, but he's not in the greatest position to make a catch if it turns out he needs to.

He keeps his eyes on Jason instead, watching his face for any sign he that he won't pull through.

But Jason does catch him, carefully even, and sets him down on the ground without incident. He has the vague impulse to dust Tim off but figures that would be unappreciated.

"Okay. Uh. Tim, come with me to make this less socially awkward." Pause. "Please." He glances to Dick again. "I'm not gonna run off with him, but, yeah. Clothes. Then food. Then... whatever. And I'll answer any questions you have. Carrie probably just didn't feel like telling you everything."

Which he doesn't blame her for, but he's still pretty weirded out by having to do this.

That wasn't so bad. Mildly terrifying, but kind of exciting, too, and the fact Jason really did catch him makes Tim a little more inclined to trust him in general. He reminds himself that he has to be careful, though - the promise not to run off with him just reinforces the fact that that's a possibility, and he remembers all the times his parents have warned him about going off with strangers, wandering off alone, and the lectures about security. But it's not like he hasn't looked after himself in Gotham enough times, and Jason did say please.

"Okay." He glances at Dick and tries giving him a reassuring smile. "If anything happens I can yell - really, um, really loud." He turns back to Jason and... reaches for his hand, uncertainly. If he's going to be following him around, he doesn't want to get lost.

"The costume’s fine," he says it quick and casual, and maybe Jason will know enough to let it slide. He hasn’t answered yet to Dick. Hasn’t given up on that last bit of anonymity.

But he falls in on the other side of Jason, taking the opportunity to study his face in more detail. Definitely nobody he recognizes. "Who taught you to throw like that?"

"... it's not fine, unless you're going to hang out on rooftops all day." Which, Jason is reluctant to acknowledge, is probably going to happen. He also looks annoyed at the question but he just said he would answer them. He'd just meant questions about the situation, not him.

"Someone like Batman. Someone Batman doesn't meet until you're older." It's not a good or bad lie, really, it's said with the exact impatient carelessness as every other answer he's given.

"But there's nobody like Batman," Tim pipes up, wide-eyed and just a little too on the defensive side of incredulous for someone who doesn't even know Batman. He catches himself with a quiet "um" and looks down at the ground. He really needs to keep quiet and let them sort it out between themselves, as much as his stomach had approved of the idea of getting something more to eat than sandwiches.

He kind of wanted to go somewhere warm and sit down on actual furniture and rest, too, but he'd go wherever Robin decided was best. He had to treat it like an adventure, because it really was, seeing a strange city from the rooftops and back streets with Robin right there. It was just... that it was also tiring, and a little scary. But that didn't mean he should side with Jason instead of Dick, no way.

"You gotta know the other Robin somehow," still peering up at Jason, frowning a little more discerningly. "So maybe you know Batman too."

It's probably as close as he'll edge to the question of whether or not Jason knows Bruce's name while Tim's in earshot, and part of him is still a little afraid of the answer. He's not sure what to do - what Bruce would do about meeting someone from the future or another universe or any place if it means he knows all the important bits already.

Jason gives Tim a 'quiet, you' look, though it's not really serious. It's just easier to deal with than Dick's scrutiny.

"Yeah, I've worked with him before," he says neutrally, frowning back. "But I don't have him on speed dial or anything, so if Carrie didn't get him, I won't be able to either. Can we just... get you some clothing now?"

Tim winces slightly, but he still mutters - to the ground, stubbornly - "Carrie said she didn't even know where we were."

He feels like this is important to mention, at the very least so Dick can reiterate to Jason that not only has no-one told them anything, they've pretty much lied to them - even if it is going to get him in trouble.

"Not just that," - and maybe saying it this way is more than a little bit vindictive - "She told us she knew us already even though nobody knew her. Like we wouldn’t know something was up."

"Well, congratulations, Sherlock. You caught her." It's more dry than sarcastic, but clearly Jason doesn't think much of their deduction. "This city is basically where New York should be, but it's just called the City. I didn't decide on it so don't tell me how stupid that is, I know. I'm guessing she didn't want to bother explaining because it's not like it really matters if you know or not, you'll be gone in a few days..."

Hopefully.

"You know her so well, you ask her. Why she didn't call anybody, either." Tim frowns, a little put out at Jason's dismissiveness of their deduction. He - tries not to sulk, really, but still just scuffs his foot against the ground and looks down.

"He's saying it just doesn't make any sense," and it's weird to be the one trying for diplomacy. He eyes Tim across Jason's hip and looks for his gaze. Don't mess this up.

"What do you mean we'll be gone in a few days?"

All things considered, Jason doesn't seem any more annoyed than he already was. "This has happened before." He explains, because that's what he assumes is happening. "It happened to me, but it gets fixed. You'll go back to your world and your time eventually. As for Carrie... fine, I don't know, I don't know what goes on in her head."

Okay, so maybe there was a little suspicion-paranoia leaking out there. He modulates his voice. "But she's a friend of yours, usually. She's like Robin. Just maybe not as well trained yet. It would really be best if you guys went back to the Tower."

Tim bites his bottom lip, stamping down on the urge to say he doesn't belong at the Tower. It doesn't matter if he does or not, he's going to follow Dick - unless he can find somewhere safe to stay while Dick is out on the rooftops fighting crime, anyway. And maybe that really is the Tower, if it isn't as dark and creepy as it seemed when they first showed up.

He focuses on the thought that this isn't permanent, and he'll get to go home and see his parents. That's something worth keeping silent over.

There’d been nothing in Carrie’s behavior to indicate anything that he’d’ve thought really qualified as a friendship, but it's probably not really worth arguing the point with Jason anymore. "So I’m friends with her and she knows Batman. And you know Batman," He counts the points on his fingers, just to be sure.

"I guess it couldn’t hurt to take a tour around the headquarters. If you want to show us the setup or something." It’s not as if they'd had any real trouble walking right out before when they wanted to.

pictures in a box at home, yellowing and green with mold

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I had to take a minute to work out if Tim knew about the Titans yet @_@

Oh Tim, you stalker <3

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