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fanfic-obsessed · 2 days ago

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Eldritch makes it weird

For some reason the straight, based in canon relationship in this feels like the weirdest part of this idea. Fair warning.

As with all of my ideas do not look for canon, cause if you find it, it is by accident.

Now let’s begin…

The being that would one day be known as Tim Drake does not know where it originated, though it long suspected that it was a different dimension entirely. Though memory is not the same in its original form as it is for humans, this being first knew an endless darkness for an untold amount of time before emerging into a place entirely different, a place that glowed with the heat of liquid stone. This different place is the land that would one day be Bristol. This being grew larger over time, until it spread across the land that would one day be Gotham and Bludhaven. It could not interact physically with this world, but observed as water first formed and the world began to cool, as the landscape solidified and the oldest trees grew. It did not know if others of its kind existed on this world, if they should. Eons passed, time moving strangely for this being, and humans began to spread, some even into the land that the being occupied.

Though the being could not interact physically with the world, its presence did affect the land, becoming a lush, resource filled territory. A territory that human’s quickly wished to possess. Though humans could no more sense the being than it could interact with them, humans were able to interact with the environment in a way that it had never seen before (Magic). Often as the territory changed hands, mostly through bloody conflict, the previous humans would curse the land for the subsequent ones.

Over time these curses began to interact with each other and the being, creating another being separate yet within this being. The younger formed not far from the center of the older (in what would one day be Crime Alley). For the first time the being has something else to interact with, and the curses on the land, sunk even further. Much, much later the older being would come to believe that it is this interaction between itself and the magic, the very circumstances that created the younger, are also the reason that Gotham had its…quirks.

By the time that Gotham, the town that would become the city, formed both beings had learned how to live the occasional human life (generally they each ‘possessed’ a still born baby from within their territory and live out a human life, due to their own natures the human does not know that it is an eldritch being having a human experience). Although these two had experienced a whole range of human experiences, both separately and apart, they never had children (for all that they grew up as human, they were not at their core, and were genetically incompatible with the humans they ended up with throughout their lifetimes). Not until after Gotham had grown into a large, deeply cursed city. Not until the older being was born as Martha Kane and the younger was born as Thomas Wayne.

Not until Bruce Wayne was born, the light of his parents' life and loved by Gotham in a way that is impossible to articulate. Neither Martha or Thomas ever quite understood why Bruce felt like such a miracle (They were both healthy, in their prime years for children, and had not been trying for any particular length of time) but he did. They loved their child dearly and he was their last thought as they both died. The thing is, switching between human form and their eldritch forms is not a quick process. By the time the beings had fully come back to themselves, Bruce was an adult. They still could not communicate with their son in this form, so they decided to be reborn once more, but this time they would try something new. Instead of possessing a still born, they would use the knowledge they had gained over the eons to create human bodies that were entirely theirs, so they could remember who and what they were. It took time to find human women who lived in the right places (near the center of where they formed) that they could use their knowledge of magic to nudge in just the right way but eventually the older being, formerly Martha Wayne, was born as Tim Drake. The younger being, formerly Thomas Wayne, was born as Stephanie Brown.

Despite being able to remember who they were, both were still in human shells and bound to the laws of physics that they could ignore in their other form. Their human bodies were more resilient but they were growing at the same rate as any other human and could not figure out a good way to insert themselves into their son’s life (or find each other, they knew they both were born in Gotham, in Bristol and Crime Alley respectively but not who). Not at first. Tim still went out to take photos of Batman and Robin, knowing the entire time who they were, and being quite pleased with the picture he took of his son and grandchildren.

When Jason dies, a new type of grief overcomes both Tim and Steph. They had lost people when they had been human before. But this is one of their grandchildren, and it was paired with a helplessness they had never quite experienced before. Because Jason left Gotham and died, he would not have died within Gotham’s limits. No matter that both Tim and Steph’s consciousness currently reside in human bodies, they encompass the entirety of Gotham and they love their son and grandchildren. They could not see them in realtime or be with them in the same way, but they are still very much wrapped around and through Gotham and Bludhaven. The very molecules throughout the area are predisposed to love and protect their son and his brood (it is not a perfect system so Barbara is still shot and paralyzed in Gotham, but anywhere else she would have bled out before help arrived).

They could not kill the clown outright, though both heavily considered letting themselves get ‘caught’ in some kind of scheme that would end with the Jokers ‘accidental’ death. However, from the day that the Joker killed the second Robin, he found that his schemes in Gotham failed quicker, that it was harder for him to break out of Arkham, or that he was caught more quickly, but always in a way that made it seem like the Joker was simple running into bad luck (the curse magic that still existed had a focus now). The Joker also found that when he or his minions entered Crime Alley or Bristol their skin would begin to itch and, the further they went in, burn (the very air hates them, and hates them more the closer they get to “center mass” where each of the beings came into existence).

Tim watches as Bruce begins to spiral. This was Tim’s son, his little boy. Of course Tim is going to do something to help him with his grief. Tim puts on the Robin suit. Alfred is the first to realize there was something strange about the new Robin. Not at first, few would consider reincarnation, let alone what was really going on, but eventually. The first time Tim tuts as he takes the alcohol away from a drunk Bruce, Alfred is struck not just by the sound but by the thought that it looked like Martha’s eyes were staring out of Tim’s face. Over the period of a few months, with carefully phrased questions, Alfred comes to be convinced that, somehow, Martha had been reborn as Tim. And that Tim remembers being his dear friend Martha. They never really talk about it (in part Alfred does sort of fear putting it into words and being wrong), but some quiet mornings they would sit and chat just as they had before Martha had died.

It is not long after that that Tim, as Robin, finally runs into Steph. They recognize each other immediately. They also begin to date immediately, mostly to have a succinct way of describing their relationship and because they know it is what would be assumed. Do not misunderstand, both Tim and Steph agree that they love each other. If asked they would both agree that they are in love with each other. However, they are also very aware that their definitions (formed over so many different versions of humanity, and by beings that started off intrinsically different from humans) may not match the culturally accepted versions. They say dating, and later say love or soulmate, knowing that there is no human language that could actually encompass what they are to each other.

Alfred, upon meeting Steph, realizes immediately that this is Thomas Wayne reborn.

Bruce, Dick, and Barbara (and later Jason) look on in absolute confusion in how Alfred treats Tim and Steph. Not deferential by any means, they had been friends for far too long for that but also not as if Alfred was the undisputed ruler of the household. They were his equals. Particularly when it came to Bruce.

As the Batfam continues to come together, no one comments on Tim or Stephs oddities. Not even the eight months where Steph was Robin and Tim was Spoiler or the fact that Steph had declared it was ‘her turn’ (to bond with Bruce-their son). Nor the really odd laughter that erupted from Tim when Superman said that Tim was just like Bruce. Or the fact that both had a bit of a weird reaction to any of the kids calling them brother/sister and to Bruce calling them son/daughter, as that is their son/grandchild.

It is highly likely that both Tim and Steph would have gone through their human lives without ever mentioning their eldritch nature. There were some half formed plans about bringing up their past lives as Thomas and Martha Wayne (though they were not really hiding it), but planned to do that after Damian turned 18, just in case Bruce did not take it well. They have already run every test they can, without making it obvious what they are doing, and Bruce (and later Damian, as Bruce’s biological son) is human by every measure they read.

Then Darksied attacked. Batman, Bruce, is hit head on with the Omega beam…and it does nothing. Everything stops, including Darksied, to look at the entirely unaffected human. Everyone is confused. Including Darksied, who allows himself to be captured as he stands there gaping. They bring Darkseid back to the Watchtower to figure out what his weapon was supposed to do to Batman.

The Bats all rush to Batman. As soon as Darksied sees Red Robin he apologizes to Tim and says that if he had realized the realm was ‘occupied’ he would not have attacked. As soon as Darksied sees Spoiler he goes “What the fuck is that thing”

Steph cackles, Tim sighs and says “I have been asking myself that for a long time”. Then, before any of the Justice League can react to all that, Tim asks Darksied, “Do you know what my species is?” (Tim, and/or Steph, is only mildly curious about the answer. They’ve long grown used to the question marks about Tim’s species. Tim had even taken the time to go through Krypton's records after Superman found the Fortress of Solitude, but could not find anything)

Which is…a question that is deeply uncomfortable for just about everyone else present. Particularly since Darksied does not, in fact, know anything about Tim’s species. He just has some genetic memory that if he meets anything that feels like Tim, to retreat (Some kind of inherited ‘It bites’ sign). Darksied had never met any other species or knew of any realms to avoid.

Of course, after Darksied is led away to a cell while they figure out what to do with him, there are questions. And those questions have few answers. There is a brief but intense period where the Justice League Dark proves that Tim and Steph are not possessed (and they are not in the traditional sense) and they start actually asking Tim and Steph the questions. AT some point during this, a question about What Steph is comes up and Steph’s answer (created from Tim mixed with the human magic of the curses) result in some of the Justice League accusing Tim of dating his own daughter. This accusation does not go over well with the various Bats in the room. Instead of Steph answering that she is not really Tim’s daughter, because that’s not how that works (as far as they know), she cracks a joke about them having a kid together.

It is in the ensuing chaos that Bruce finds out that the third Robin had been his mother and the fourth Robin had been his father. Also that this might be why he was unaffected by Darksieds weapon. Bruce is starting to think he might actually need therapy.

#jason todd #bruce wayne #tim drake #dick grayson #fanfiction prompt #batman #batfam #damian wayne #alfred pennyworth #stephanie brown #timsteph #Tim Drake is Eldritch #Stephanie Brown is also eldritch #Martha Wayne is reborn as Tim Drake #Thomas Wayne is reborn as Stephanie Brown #This gets weird #Tim drake is Bruce's parent #Tim and Alfred freindship #Steph and Alfred friendship

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