metalogs | Hot town, summer in the city.

Entry tags:

young justice: dick grayson

Hot town, summer in the city.

Who: Tim “TJ” Drake

mostdangerousbird & Open
What: Open post for July. For now, Tim is looking for the younger Dick Grayson. Wildcards welcome, more starters will be added upon request.
When: Anytime in July
Where: Central City (ask if otherwise)
Content Warnings: If needed

[ After a flurry of family texts clued Tim into the presence of a teenaged Dick Grayson, well, he had to investigate. He’s used up his Flight of the Navigator jokes on Damian being older than he is, but that doesn’t mean Dick gets off easy. There’s still so many time travel references to plunder.

He decides to do this in stages, beginning with pulling up records on where the tracker Jason planted on his little big brother has been. A young Dick wouldn’t know Tim Drake, and Tim wants to bank an excess of information to force trust. It’s less invasive than hitting him with the details of his alternate’s life.

So Rook’s darting across the city a little early tonight; the sun’s only just set and the sky is still bright with twilight. But he can’t wandee to Herondodo’s Hideaway in street clothes in the current climate. Safehouses get blown, and not all of the Guild goons are dumb. Rooftops and masks are the best bet.

The stoplight colors of his uniform are mostly gone - Tim redid the red and yellow with black and green, leaving him almost entirely in black with muted forest green boots, gloves, and accents. He’s difficult to spot, although he’s paused on the roof of an office building a block from the safehouse. He’s got a clear view of the windows, but he’ll have to grapple to another building first before he can get there.

But - wait. There. In the other direction. There’s someone else on another dark roof, and, given the proximity, that’s not okay. He’ll wait to see what they’re doing before moving in. ]

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[ Asking Dick Grayson to stay in one place is a big ask. He's been exploring here and there but keeping a low profile. His daytime travels have him wearing what any other kid his age would wear-- t-shirt, jeans, tennis shoes. His nighttime travels, though, have him dressed in all black, the hood of his hoodie pulled up and dark sunglasses on his face. He knows he looks suspicious as hell, but he doesn't intend to be seen.

Except... he thinks he saw that shadow move. He's not going to be stupid and lead the potential threat back to the safehouse, so he comes up with a new plan.

He runs across the roof and jumps to the next rooftop, moving away from the safehouse. ]

[ Oh, there’s no good reason to suddenly start sprinting on a rooftop. It’s too dark for adrenaline junkies making parkour videos.

Rook’s already going after the runner. Whatever was happening on the first roof was quiet and still, and no one would put a bomb on the roof. The grappling line puts him right where the kid made the jump to the next room, and the vigilante follows easily while the hook resets. ]

[ Oh good. It worked and without any goading either. Though the other guy having a grappling hook is a touch unfair. This could be the mysterious Damian or elusive Tim, but it could also be be someone who has a bone to pick with Jason. Or some rando just patrolling the rooftops.

Well. Only one way to find out.

With an unsettling cackle, he clears the next gap with barely a centimeter to spare and keeps going. ]

[ It’s a kid. It’s a kid?

He can hear it in the voice, and it makes him worry and wonder. A kid running wild on the rooftops is going to get himself into trouble, and so Tim won’t waste a shot on that second roof jump. He clears it with a bit more breathing room, for once having the height advantage.

The grappling gun is being held and held in reserve for the kid making a misstep.

But the wonder, well, that wasn’t an easy jump for your average 9th grader. In fact, most adults would have fallen. Young. Right build. Likely male. And near Jason’s safe house. ]

I just want to talk.

[ Rook vaults an AC unit and eats up a bit of the kid’s lead. ]

[ Dick spares a moment to turn his head and smirk at his pursuer. It's dark and the shadows cast on his face by the hood and the sunglasses don't make it easy but he's clearly a young teenager.

The next jump is even more precarious than the last. He leaps, somersaulting once in mid-air, and catches the rooftop ledge of the next building with the tips of his fingers. He pulls himself up and keeps going.

The message is clear: If you want to talk, you'll have to catch me first. ]

[ Dick Grayson, you little shit.

Like Tim wouldn’t know. Like he wasn’t able to clock the difference in technique between Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. The somersault’s a dead giveaway.

He’s barely finished landing on the very lip of the ledge, and he’s throwing bolas at Dick’s feet. Doesn’t even pause the run-leap-land-run sequence to do it. ]

[ The bolas work... for a second. Dick teeters forward, grabbing the knife inside of the sleeve of his hoodie as he turns his unexpected forward momentum into a roll. As he comes out of the roll, he uses the momentum to slice through the ropes. ]

Impatient already?

[ But his trick took time and this rooftop doesn't have any buildings close enough for him to leap to. Sure, he could jump down the fire escape, but he'd definitely draw more stares on the ground than in the sky.

No, he climbs onto the top of the small room that leads from the last floor to the rooftop. His legs dangle over the edge and he's the picture of complete innocence, as if he wasn't forcing Tim into a rooftop chase mere moments ago. ]

Let me guess. Number three?

[ Wasting gear is irritating without an infinite budget, but Tim can’t blame Dick for freeing himself quickly. He’s relieved that the chase ended without any close calls. ]

Yes. And you’re the first, and Heron read you in.

[ Tim hooks his grappling gun back on his belt and doesn’t take anything else out. The collapsed bo is still strapped on his thigh. This is only a chat. ]

I go by Rook now. If you knew who I was, why run?

[ Dick pulls his hood down but keeps his glasses on. In lieu of a mask, it's the best he's got. ]

I didn't. Making you chase me was a test. Congrats, Rook, you passed.

A test of what?

[ He’s already been tested, repeatedly, so being tested by a younger Robin is annoying - even if it is Dick and he has reasons to be curious about the Robins who came after him. ]

You can’t run around Central testing every cape you’ll see. They’re not all friendly.

Technique. Nothing like a rooftop chase to see if you're being followed by a bird.

[ He has a point, but Dick had a few escape routes in mind if his tail hadn't been an ally. Would it have been close? Yes. Not having his gear is a major disadvantage. ]

Did Heron send you to babysit?

You don’t know all of our styles yet.

[ Although it’s not a bad way to learn them, Tim will give him that. ]

Heron said keep an eye on you. I sent myself to babysit, because I knew you’d live on Crocky Crunchies and spill milk all over my servers if you stayed there alone. Why the shades?

[ Dick leans forward, frowning behind his glasses. Nerve. Struck. ]

Believe it or not, Rook, being fourteen doesn't automatically make me an incompetent dimwit.

[ Huh. No wonder Dick understood Damian so well. ]

I didn’t say either one made you a dimwit. Don’t put words in my mouth. At worst, I’m applying what I know about your alternate self and engaging in slight hyperbole for comedic effect. He wouldn’t spill milk on my servers. He’d do a flip while holding the cereal bowl upright to catch the falling milk back in it. Happy?

[ He crosses his arms, not looking mollified at all. He's not used to being treated like, well, a teenager. Whether that's good or bad... ]

Ha ha. I'm rolling with laughter. So we've established that I'm capable of feeding myself and not spilling liquids on electronics. Any other concerns?

Several, but they’re less about you and more about here.

[ Tim’s stint on Young Justice has made him immune to 14- and 15-year-olds staring daggers at him. It’s so familiar that it’s almost homey. ]

Joker’s here. Or was. It’s hard to say with the constant Confluences. Come back with me and let me calibrate your gear so it works with the others.

[ And update what he can. Dick’s tech must be a decade behind. ]

I can fill in the gaps that Heron would’ve left so you can meet the others on more of an even footing, knowledge-wise.

[ Rude!! How could you ignore his teenage frustrations? ]

Heron gave me the heads-up. That's why I've worn the tracker. Your tech, I assume.

[ Dick shifts in his spot ever so slightly. ]

I don't have gear.

[ Please, he came up with Superboy and Impulse. Slobo was on his team. Tim has been so much more annoyed than this.

And absolutely not. Tim had thought it was under the hoodie. There will be no Robins patrolling in their sweats and Nikes.

Rook immediately tosses him the grappling gun. ]

Yeah, it’s mine. If you come with me, I’ll give you some for you. I can fix some of the gear situation before you go digging around.

[ Opening up his bo, Rook will start back at a run and use the bo to vault the first building gap. Looks back to see if Dick’s curious enough to follow. Trusting multiverse counterparts is a risk, even when you know they exist.

That’s why Tim gave him the bat-grapple. He’s willing to trust first. ]

[ Dick catches the grappling gun with ease, checking it over quickly. It's a similar design to his own. Easy to use.

He watches as Tim vaults to the next building. Then he jumps off his perch, picks up the broken pieces of the bolas, stuffs them in his pocket, and deploys the grapple. It's much easier to maneuver so he catches up with Rook easily. ]

Where are we going?

Where you were already headed.

[ To Jason’s safehouse, a room of which has been commandeered by Tim for his foray into a support role. ]

The gym has more gear variety, but it’s further and I’ve got more tech here.

[ None of the armor at the gym will fit Dick. Most of it is Jason-sized and doesn’t fit Tim either.

Tim will dart along the rooftops, but he’s not trying to lose or beat Dick. The last jump is too wide to just leap, so he drops down to the fire escape to jump to the opposing fire escape. ]

[ Dick follows Tim easily, keeping a little distance so he doesn't crowd him.

He lands on the fire escape after Tim. ]

All that stuff's yours?

[ There was a section of the apartment that was locked that Dick definitely didn't try to break into out of boredom and curiosity. It didn't work, but now he has an idea of what's in there. ]

[ Rook gives him a look that clearly indicates he knows Dick hasn’t gotten in. Mainly because Tim’s got the room itself wired to notify him if someone does.

He’s not against the others getting in, but the apartment was Jay’s first. Tim doesn’t have full control over access. If Jay starts collecting charges like Jason, Tim wants the Dickensian urchins out of his room. ]

Kinda mine. Kinda ours. I didn’t pay for all of it. I guess I’m the unofficial digital quartermaster. Here.

[ He’s unscrewed one of the hand rail’s support bars, and a six inch long neodymium magnet slides out. He hands the bar to Dick. It’s plastic painted like wrought iron. ]

If you get caught without a key or gear, use the magnet to throw the lock.

[ He demonstrates the process as he explains. ]

There’s a secondary connection for the security wires on the upper window - catch it on the magnet and pull two inches left.

[ It’s dark, but the mechanism is just visible against the blinds. When the piece on the right slides left, it shoved the real connector to out of the way. ]

There’s a 2 second delay before the alarm triggers, so it won’t go off from the swap. Then you can open the window and get in. Slide the connectors back and it’s reset.

[ He holds the magnet out to Dick. ]

After you put the magnet back.

[ Dick can check out the tiny rails that the connectors are on when he gets inside, but Tim climbs in through the window and holds the blinds up for him. ]

[ Dick just gives him a completely innocent look. Him? Try to break into something? Never. But if he did, it was just to test your system. Totally.

He watches Tim's motions closely, committing it all to memory. He's hoping he won't ever be without a way in, but it's good to know it's more secure than he thought. He'd assumed the security was mostly that no one knew about it.

He puts the magnet back and climbs in after Tim. He removes his dark glasses and takes off his hoodie.

The safehouse itself doesn't look particularly lived-in, except for a hoodie thrown over a chair and a blanket bunched up on the couch. There's a notebook on one of the side tables but, even if Tim looks in it, it's all in Dick's cypher.

He's awkward for a moment before: ] Do you want anything?

[ Technically it's not his place, but he is staying there, so he can at least be polite. ]

[ The notebook is noted, but Tim’s not going to look through it with Dick nearby.

(He’d look through it if he wasn’t there, but out of curiosity rather than concern.)

When Dick takes off the sunglasses, Tim grins and flips up the lenses of his mask. ]

Hey, Dick. And no, thanks, I think I know my way around.

[ He walks over to the kitchen and gets a bottle of spirit gum remover from under the sink to soak a paper towel and start peeling off his mask. Fair’s fair. ]

I’m Tim Drake. You might as well call me T.J. It cuts back on the confusion. Of which there’s a lot. Jason didn’t tell me what he’s told you, so I’m assuming it wasn’t much?

[ Dick watches him, a little wary but mostly just feeling off-kilter. With the lenses removed, he can see the resemblance between TJ and the Tim he met at the Diadem a few days ago.

Dick can't say he's overly surprised that Jason didn't give TJ a ton of info, but it will make things more inconvenient. ]

He told me about the others here, and I've met a few. And I heard about the clown problem. Other than that, I just know he's on a mission. Jason made it sound like you're the one with all of the info.

[ Peeling off his mask, Tim flashes a wider smile at that. It’s a pretty good compliment hidden in an acknowledgment. ]

I don’t think anyone has all of it, but I have more than most.

[ He unlocks a door leading off of the main room, and it’s eerily lit with the power buttons of myriad devices. Computers, police scanners, a ridiculous amount of monitors. It’s not the Batcave, but the tech is certainly clustering into the overall shape of the Batcomputer. ]

I’ve got even got a multiverse map. Which doesn’t help right now, or with the Joker, but he hasn’t poked his head out since December.

[ There are bins, here and there, with spare electronic devices. Plain body armor in Tim’s size. Plastic baggies of homemade smoke bombs. A small amount of C4 in a fire proof box in the closet. That gets put back, but he’s starting to make a pile for Dick. ]

Before you start asking questions, I’m going to warn you that I only have 1 spare - if any - for the expensive stuff. Try not to break anything for a week.

[ Dick pokes his head into the room, but stays on the outside and watches TJ instead.

He is in fact about to ask questions when TJ interrupts. ]

I think I can manage that.

Perfect. Okay, question time. I'll trade you answers for answers, because I know you're going to have questions.

[ Tim sits on a clear spot of the desk and sets to work activating a comms device. ]

First one's easy. How long have you been Robin?

[ Dick leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed but his body language (relatively) open otherwise. ]

Four years. How did you become Robin?

There was no Robin at the time, and it was wearing on B. I could tell.

[ The real question is how the hell could you, as a civilian, tell, but Tim's not going to give him that. ]

I tried to convince Dick to come back, but he refused. So I basically demanded the role. So are you 13 or 14 now?

[ Dick frowns as he takes that in. Bruce has handling himself as Batman before Dick came along. But, looking back on it, having a partner made him more effective. And careful. ]

Fourteen. How did you know Batman and not-exactly-me before you became Robin?

Ah. Well... you, actually. My parent's took me to the circus. You were about 9. I was 3. I had one of those souvenir DVDs they sold.

[ Tim is deliberately trimming details to be delicate. He doesn't like remembering too much of that night. Dick less so. ]

I saw Robin do your signature move when I was 9. I never told anyone though, until I walked into Wayne Manor and told you and Alfred that I knew everything.

[ Dick hopes Tim caught one of the good performances, not their last one. But he doesn't want to ask, just in case. Three years old is still old enough to remember something like that.

At the confession that Tim knew for years because of his signature move, Dick laughs. ]

I guess I'm lucky no one was paying as much attention as you were.

Gotham's not that big. You would've needed to be someone who watched the Flying Grayson's performances obsessively, who lived in Gotham, who had a habit of sneaking around at night trying to get pictures of Batman and Robin who actually pulled it off without getting caught.

[ Tim holds out a plain bullet-proof vest. It's Tim-sized, but that's means it's considerably smaller than some of the other armor. ]

Maybe you could find 2 of the 4 - a reporter - but that first one narrows it down significantly. Try this on.

[ Tim's skill is impressive. It must have been for him not to be caught by Batman and Robin or anyone else who hides in Gotham's shadows. So he's right to seem proud of it, but all Dick can think is 'it sounds lonely.'

He takes the bulletproof vest and inspects it before slipping it on. It's not exactly a snug fit, but it will work as long as he pulls the straps very, very tight. ]

Why were you obsessed with the Flying Graysons?

[ Batman and Robin? Sure. A lot of people are obsessed with them. But the Flying Graysons? That's a little more niche. ]

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Hot town, summer in the city.

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