#tim is jason's placeholder

[brucewaynehater101]

I will never have enough of that angst where Tim purposefully sets himself up to be Jason's actual placeholder. He doesn't "replace" Jason because that would imply Tim has worth as himself. No, he becomes what Jason was. He allows himself to be called by the dead Robin's name both in and out of mask. He lets a grieving family pretend he's someone else.

Tim becomes useful. Not because he's Tim, but because he reminds them of Jason.

[hashtagdrivebywrites]

Reading through your list of WIPs, I was like, “T-posing for dominance? That sounds fun.” But then I saw Red Devil Rowdy and OH MY GOD I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED THIS CROSSOVER.

For Essays on T-Posing, the concept was, "Janet Drake is Loki" and it's my first honest attempt at a Tim-centric fic. (I've actually been waiting for someone to ask about this one because I think it's pretty fun, at least to me anyway.) Emjoy lmfao.

* Crack Treated Seriously * Mama Loki (possible tie in with the Loki series? Like they're a variant? have not decided) * Weird/Annoying Siblings as Roommates * Power activation and Learning Curve(?) * Nobody else knows but they're suspicious

--

“I wasn’t aware you had a dog, Drake,” Damian’s voice, level and forcibly calm in what Tim knew was an effort to keep from cracking, said from somewhere in the living room with Mild Interest.

“A big dog,” Jason said. He shifted, “What the hell is it? A Pyrenees? You could make a whole other animal out of this hair.”

Damian scoffed, “It’s the wrong color,” like everyone had encyclopedic knowledge of different dog breeds built into their brains.

“He's a hybrid, actually,” Tim said after he finished quietly knocking his forehead against the door frame because god, what a time for a health and wellness check. “Canis Lupus - Gray Wolf, and some Irish Wolfhound. I think.”

“You think?” Jason echoed back, incredulous.

“I haven’t exactly had time to get him DNA tested, Jason.” Not that Fenrir would let Tim get anywhere near him unless a turkey leg or peanut butter filled Kong was involved.

“Where is he?” Damian said, the can-I-meet-your-dog tunnel vision activated at full strength.

Hopefully not terrorizing some poor idiot with mom somewhere. “At doggy obedience school.”

“Without you to guide him? For every dog there are two participants when it comes to obedience school, Drake.”

-- -*-*- Y'all gonna make my head blow up like Megamind over your reception of Red Devil Rowdy, lmao. I'll share a little more about it since you mentioned it in your ask.

* Jason (and batfam) is the only one that know the Gang is real because they've worked with Bruce at the beginning of his vigilante career * Danny is still fairly early in his Phantom days (14 years old, can't remember if I mentioned that in the first ask) * Mentor Jason, Velma and Daphne vibes * Bobby Singer basically functions as the team Fairy God Mother

[ladytauria]

trick or treat!!!

i don't!! remember if i've shared this specific snippet or not

i hope i haven't

but anyway, i am. ALMOST FINISHED with this one <3 if the last section could simply cooperate with me--

Jason’s throat feels suddenly thick. He swallows. They're trained to be observant; to catalog everything they see, just in case. But there’s something about being noticed by Tim, knowing he was paying enough attention to Jason, specifically, to see it that flays him open. “At least I remember to eat,” he manages, finally.

Tim snorts. “We get about the same amount of sleep, though.”

“Pit-enhanced metabolism,” Jason says promptly.

That earns him another snort. “Maybe I should have let Ra’s throw me in,” he says thoughtfully.

Jason nudges him with an elbow. “Not funny.”

“Says the man who keeps threatening to turn his own coffin into a coffee table.”

“I’m just saying, it’s going to waste, rotting in the ground like that, with nothing in it!”

Tim laughs, quiet but still oh-so-bright. “Maybe, but you’re hogging all of Bruce’s gray hair. Leave some for Duke and Damian.”

Jason sighs, as put-upon as he can. “Fine. If I have to.”

[kitkatscabinet]

YOUR WHAT?!

pairing(s): dick grayson, jason todd, tim drake, stephanie brown, cassandra cain, kyle rayner, wally west, hal jordan x fem! reader.

summary: their reactions to the "current partner" trend.

a/n: mute Cass you are canon in my heart <3

DICK GRAYSON

[You step backwards from the camera, showing off the outfit you'd coordinated with Dick, trying to prevent yourself from bursting into a fit of giggles as you anticipate his reaction.]

"He wanted us to match, isn't my current boyfriend so cute!" You smile as you watch his reaction through the phone screen.

[The camera zooms in on your boyfriend, who immediately stumbles mid-step like you punched him, as his smile drops into a horrified stare.]

"Current???" He gasps, a hand clutching his heart dramatically. "I’ve met your family. I fold your laundry. I shared my dessert with you last night, willingly!"

You brace your hands on your knees, hunched over as you burst into laughter. You go to speak, but Dick's on a roll.

"No. No, no, no. I’m not some temporary man. I’m not a placeholder! I’m..." He sputters, trying to articulate his point as he waves an acussing finger at you "I'm an endgame boyfriend. The endgame boyfriend!"

He huffs, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his back to sulk.

"Aw, is the endgame boyfriend gonna cry?" You hug him from behind, resting your cheek against him.

"Maybe."

[The camera cuts to a sulking Dick, drinking poutily from a mug you bought him earlier that says "#1 Boyfriend." Just managing to pick up his mumbled words.]

"Current boyfriend… ridiculous… I’m soulmate material"

JASON TODD

[You prop your phone up, resting it against your mug to show off your still groggy boyfriend who is currently mid-sip of coffee]

"Breakfast with my current boyfriend."

This instantly catches Jason's attention, making him cough a little as he lowers the mug. "…The current what now?"

"Boyfriend." You beam, as if nothing in the world is wrong.

He squints as you, his coffee long forgotten. "See that's what I thought I heard, current boyfriend, but I must be wrong. What happened to 'ride or die'? What happened to you’re it for me, Jay'? Did I hallucinate all of that?"

"Hon, relax."

But he cuts you off, "No, no, no. See, now I’m wondering if I need to get my duffle bag and my helmet and hit the road. Am I getting replaced? Are you conducting auditions behind my back?"

"Oh, here we go." You mutter under your breath as Jason stands and begins pacing.

"I’m tall, I give the best hugs, I'm rich." He pauses and just when you think he's done he spins to face you. "I read! I literally read books. That's like a dreamboat hobby. What more do you want from me?"

"Babe. It’s a tiktok trend. It’s literally a joke." You giggle.

[You pick up the camera, zooming in on his squinting face as he freezes]

"…I better be the final boyfriend. I swear to God." He grumbles and your heart melts a little.

"You are, honey. You're the last one." You stand, leaning in to kiss him softly.

"Damn right I am. Put that in the caption. Tattoo it on your forehead. I will not be dethroned by some stupid trend." He huffs, but doesn't hesitate to recieve your affection.

TIM DRAKE

[You're leaning against the headboard, Tim resting his face against your stomach, his arms wrapped around your waist as you hold your phone out to the side.]

"Y'all wanted him in more content, so here he is, the current boyfriend."

It takes a few second for your words to register, but when they do he lifts his head to stare at you so quickly he nearly snaps his neck.

"A, wha? ah!" He sputters, his mouth taking even longer to catch on.

"Ah, wha? Lipstick in my Valentino white bag?" You mocked and the glare he threw you was mutinous.

"You're such a bitch."

You raise a brow, "Oh, so we're updating that status to ex-boyfriend?"

"You wouldn't." When you simply stare at him, his face drops a little. tone turning more uncertain, "...would you?"

You let the charade continue for a few more seconds before his deadly puppy eyes do you in and you drop a kiss to his forehead.

"No, baby. Never."

With your confirmation that no, you weren't breaking up with him, the brattiness abruptly returns.

"Ha, knew you didn't have the balls to leave me." He crows, and you roll your eyes, shoving him off you and consequently the bed when he tries to snuggle back into you.

STEPHANIE BROWN

[The video starts selfie style, with you standing behind Steph, still dressed in her fuzzy hello kitty pyjamas, as she pours herself a bowl of cereal.]

"So, here she is, the current girlfriend."

[Stephanie freezes mid-bite, turning to look at the camera in sheer disbelief]

"…Current?" You try not to laugh at her reaction but a few giggles slip out and Steph launches into a tirade.

"CURRENT?! Like I’m a seasonal limited-time offer?! Babe, what is this, a McRib romance?!"

"Would you prefer ‘temporary live-in menace with nice legs’?" you tease.

"Okay first of all, accurate. Second of all, current?! Babe, I’ve already picked our wedding colors. I’ve named our hypothetical cats! I have a whole pinterest board dedicated to our future life together!"

"Steph—"

"CURRENT?!? I'll kick you in the fucking head!" She grouses, forgetting her cereal as she storms off in a dramatic huff.

CASSANDRA CAIN

[You and Cass are cuddled together on the couch surrounded by fluffy pillows and blankets. She smiles softly and leans into your side when she notices the camera.]

"Date night with with my current girlfriend."

You feel the way she stiffens against you and instantly regret your words. The TikTok long forgotten, as you turn your full attention to your girlfriend.

"Hey, love, I didn’t mean it like that. It's a stupid TikTok trend. You’re not just some current flavour of the month, you’re my person. Always."

[Cass blinks, the tiniest smile breaking through her usually serious expression. She reaches out and squeezes your hands softly, before pulling back to sign an "I love you"]

You beam, leaning your forehead against hers, you're stomach erupting into butterflies as you thought about the ring you had hidden inside your pillow.

KYLE RAYNER

[Kyle sits across from you, paintbrush in his hand as he focuses intently on the canvas in front of him.]

"Painting the cats with my current boyfriend, look at him go!" You laughed as he looked up at you with a dopily in love grin, before he registers what you've just said.

"Wait. Current Boyfriend?" His brow furrowed as he put down his brush. "Current boyfriend cause we're gonna get married and then I'll be your husband right? Right?"

He looks like a kicked puppy and you stand, moving around to slide into his lap.

[The phone's discarded on the table but it still records the conversation]

"Yeah, baby, we'll get married." You hum, hokking your arms around his neck.

"Oh, that's good, should I go and get the ring I bought a few months ago then?"

"Kyle?!"

HAL JORDAN

[You’re walking through your apartment, filming, Hal is in the kitchen wearing sweats and an obnoxious tank top that says 'welcome to the gun show.' He's making pancakes while humming something off-key.]

"Fit check with my current boyfriend!"

Hal smirks, turning to face the camera. "Damn right. Look at this—pilot, sexy, short stack master... wait." He squinted, analysing your previous sentence. "Hold on. Back up. Current?"

[You try to keep the camera steady as he turns around fully, eyes squinting like you just told him Batman’s funnier than he is.]

"Current boyfriend?? Excuse me?? I—I live with you. We have two cats together, is that what you're telling our sons I am?"

You practically howl with laughter at his meltdown, "It’s just a trend!"

But it's like he doesn't even hear you, too busy on his warpath. "I fixed the leaky faucet. That’s not ‘current boyfriend’ behavior, that’s husband energy."

[He points dramatically at the pancakes sizzling in the pan.]

"That right there? That’s commitment. That’s ‘I’ll be there in your 80s cutting your meds into quarters�� energy."

[The camera cuts to show you sitting with your face resting against your palm as Hal continues to pace in the background, widly gesticualting.]

"Just a current boyfriend... The betrayal..."

WALLY WEST

[You're sitting on the couch, flipping the camera to show off an unsupecting Wally sitting cross legged on the carpet as he works on constructing the $1000 Lego Millenium Falcon you'd gifted him.]

"Y'all look what a nerd my current boyfriend is."

[Wally pauses. His head turns slowly like a confused golden retriever.]

"...Current?...Current?! Babe. Babe. What do you mean current? Did I miss a breakup?! Are you firing me?! I just bought us matching toothbrushes!”

"Well, technically you are the current one." You tease.

"That makes it sound like there could be a next one! You think you can upgrade from this?" He runs a hand down his body. "Limited edition! No returns!"

"You're right. Nobody wants to take the model back anyway." You snort.

[He clutches his chest like he's been shot, fake-sobbing as he collapses against the carpet.]

"We made a spreadsheet for potential baby names just for fun! What about Wallace junior huh?"

"No child of mine will be named Wallace." You deadpan, humour momentarily forgotten until he suddenly crawls toward you, making it impossible not to laugh.

[He buries his face into your lap, and you burst out laughing, pulling him into a hug while he dramatically clings to you like dead weight.]

[flwrkid14]

Tim Drake will never be anyone’s favorite.

And that’s fine. Really.

He’s known it for as long as he’s been Robin. From the moment he slipped on the red and yellow, ignoring Bruce’s protests, he knew he wasn’t what anyone wanted. He wasn’t Jason—the fierce, untamed fire that burned bright and was extinguished far too soon. He wasn’t Dick—the golden son who carried the mantle with effortless charm and unwavering grace. He wasn’t Damian—destined for this life, born of Bruce’s blood, molded from the very beginning to take his place in the legacy.

No, Tim was the placeholder. The patch for a wound no one wanted to acknowledge.

He saw it in Bruce’s eyes—the resentment that simmered under the surface. Bruce never said it out loud, but Tim felt it every time Bruce looked at him wearing the colors of his dead son. Tim wasn’t Jason, and he never would be, and no amount of dedication or sacrifice could make up for that.

With Dick, it was something different. Dick was kind, but it wasn’t the kind of kindness that meant he cared. Tim knew he was a second chance, a way for Dick to atone for the mistakes he made with Jason. To be better. To be a good brother this time. But Tim wasn’t Dick’s brother, not really. He was a proxy for the one Dick had lost.

Even Alfred—warm, unshakable Alfred—looked at him like a Band-Aid on a broken bone. Alfred had loved Jason, mourned him, and Tim could never fill the space Jason left behind. Tim knew Alfred cared for him, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t the same as the love for the boy who’d taught him how to hope for a better tomorrow.

When Jason came back, Tim felt the weight of his hatred. It wasn’t subtle, wasn’t hidden. Jason looked at him like he was a thief wearing stolen colors, like Tim had no right to call himself Robin. And Jason wasn’t wrong. Tim had known, from the moment he put on the suit, that it didn’t belong to him.

Steph and Cass were his best friends, his family in their own way, but they had each other. The two of them moved in sync, orbiting each other in a way that made it clear there wasn’t room for anyone else. Tim loved them both, but he wasn’t part of their world. Not really.

Then there was Damian. Tim knew what Damian saw when he looked at him: an interloper, someone who stole his birthright before he even had a chance to claim it. Damian hated him for it, and Tim couldn’t blame him.

Duke, newer to the family but still brighter than Tim could ever hope to be, looked at Dick and Jason with something close to awe. He gravitated toward them in ways Tim could never inspire.

Tim had always known he wasn’t anyone’s favorite. Not Bruce’s. Not Dick’s. Not Jason’s or Alfred’s or Steph’s or Cass’s or Damian’s or Duke’s.

And that was okay.

It had to be.

Because Tim didn’t become Robin to be loved. He didn’t do it for approval, or acceptance, or anything close to recognition. He became Robin because someone had to. Because someone needed to be.

Tim had never expected to be anyone’s favorite. He just wanted to matter, in whatever small way he could.

But sometimes, when he sees the way they all fit together, the way they orbit around each other, he wonders what it would feel like to be the center of someone’s world. Just once. To be someone’s first choice.

But he’s not.

And he never will be.

[snakeredbirdbatkatana]

"I'm angry at you" Tim forces out.

It's been a long time coming, the words that have been circling his mind for years. Rotting the back of his throat.

Jason is Bruce's son in a way that he will never be. It's just a simple fact.

Maybe he could have picked a different time maybe a family dinner wasn't the place, but he was the one that spent year's of his life having to dodge bullets and murder attempts. He had to spend month's in physical therapy after the tower.

The place he felt safe was ripped away because Jason who is traumatized he hasn't forgot that fact, decided to hunt him down and hurt him.

Maybe Robin isn't a child, but Tim Drake was.

He turns to Bruce who's face is of course blank he's the one who wants Jason here yet not an emotion in sight.

Turns back to look Jason in the eye the man who's sitting next to Damian sometimes he wonders if Alfred does it on purpose a way to remind Tim that his murderers will always have something he doesn't.

He will look him in the eye he will not falter today.

"I was a child, I should have never been the exception to your rule. Say what you will about Robin being something else but you didn't care about Robin you cared it was me"

Silence it's funny how comforting it can be.

"I should not have to sit at the same table as two of my attempted murderers and pretend that it's ok. You are both traumatized I understand that but it will never be an excuse for traumatizing me. I see the Red hood and Robin in my nightmares."

He turns to look at Dick who as always is to the right of him once again pointing to Alfred doing this seating on purpose.

"You are a hypocrite who has never shut up about drying but goes out his way to kill another Robin."

He sees Alfred step forward closer to Bruce he wonders what the point is will he say anything, not likely but why move he almost asks yet if he doesn't finish he never will.

"This was your home first it still is, but I have bled and given more than you will ever know to secure my place here. So Bruce I do not ever want to partnered with either one of them in the field. You or Dick are the only options. You will not argue with me this is me laying my boundaries which I am entitled to."

He stares at Alfred loosing the blank look to let some of the anger out. He wants him to know.

"You will also never again force me to sit at a dinner table across from them again. Whatever British Passive-Aggressive gesture this is. You have no right to do. I will never forgive you for my birthday."

Dick goes to interrupt he doesn't let him.

"Bruce and Alfred have my full permission to discuss the psychological torture they put me through as my birthday present. But from now on none of you get to treat me as if I am some replacement or placeholder. I am a person with feelings, I will not be treated like a doormat."

He makes eye contact with each of them Alfred, Bruce, Jason and Damian.

Before turning to Dick for the last part.

"You are the only person here who has never deliberately hurt me, your my brother and I love you. I want to spend more time with you and I am specifically requesting that you come with me when I leave this table. We can get dinner or hang out but I need you to leave with me."

----------

Bruce is speechless.

How did he do this, his child is sitting at his table trembling and he can't move.

His child who just spent ten minutes defending himself and he is doing nothing.

Dick interrupts what he can admit is a pity party.

"Your my brother, I will happily follow you to the ends of the earth and if we leave now we can go to the Thai place that you like."

He can't let them leave he has to say something.

Tell Tim that he loves him, that he can fix this that this isn't the end. That it matters but before he can there gone.

His boys leave.

His precious sons, one loyal to a fault and one hurt beyond measure and what did he do nothing.

What he always does nothing.

[queenbasicallynotbasic]

Headcanon of when Jason (as Red Hood) finally starts working with the BatFam again:

[Bruce, Jason, Tim, Dick in the cave, researching] Bruce: Jason? Tim and Jason: (in a disturbingly identical voice) yeah, Bruce?

Everyone freezes.

Dick's gaze keeps switching from Tim, to Jason, to Bruce.

Jason is breathing deeply and trying his very best to stop his hands from trembling. (He's not particularly successful.)

Tim is very, very still.

Bruce looks like he just killed someone.

(And that's how it's revealed that during the majority of Tim's tenure as Robin, the amount of times Bruce referred to him as Jason was seriously astounding.) (It's revealed that in order to keep the Batman from seriously hurting someone else or himself, Tim had to be a placeholder for a dead Robin.)

(It's revealed that Tim can walk like Jason, he can talk like, laugh like, fight like Jason, better than he can be himself.)

_

Inspired by this post (https://www.tumblr.com/replacement-songbird/781673672670904320/tim-almost-never-sees-bruce-wayne-he-sees?source=share)

[magnoliasandarson]

Occupying Space

Timothy Drake was born with a specific purpose. He was meant to one day inherit the empire his parents' built, but until then he was essentially a decoration. A photo to be strategically placed in the background of an interview. An old drawing pulled from a drawer and placed on a desk during important meetings.

Tim was aware of this. He sat perfectly still during his portrait, eyes sparkling with the first signs of tears as he waited for his mother to nod at him in approval. He drew outside the lines at his father's direction, doing his best to make it look like a child's work because real children would make a mess of it. At six, Tim understood it all.

He smiled at his parents each time they left, because decor was truly only for visitors. No one would care about the Mona Lisa if they saw it every day, they could only appreciate him if they saw him intermittently. It was all very logical.

They took down his photo and replaced it with pictures from digsites. He didn't mind, if his portrait had been better he would've stayed on the wall. He was only a placeholder until something better came along.

When he noticed the emptiness in the Wayne family, he offered himself as a seat filler. He had practice, after all. He appeared when he was needed, and tucked himself away when he wasn't. He understood.

Timothy Drake was Robin, and he did his job. He wasn't as brilliant as Dick had been, nor was he as passionate as Jason had been. No, Timothy was efficient and dutiful because that was his purpose. He was aware of it.

He hadn't expected to become attached. It was his own fault, really, Bruce had never given him the impression that his presence was desired, but Tim still found himself trailing after the man like a duckling. It wasn't right, he knew it, Timothy's role was clearly defined.

Dick was a welcome respite, because he loved the same way the Drake's did- intermittently and largely from a distance. Tim knew it was stupid to think of himself as Robin or even a Wayne, but he couldn't stop himself.

Then Jason came back and he remembered-

Timothy Drake was only ever just occupying space.

[timmydraker]

As much as I love using Dick as a plot point for Tim (ie, pretending he threatened Arkham) I would actually love to see Dick and Tim coming together to talk about Robin and how the mantle relates to him.

I want even just one scene whether in comics or film of Dick telling Tim why he chose to be Robin and keep the name his mother gave him. I want them to explain this without being interrupted and for him to get a little emotional and admit it hurts to see people wearing the mantle, but after Jason managed to prove he could uphold the meaning he got better at it.

When Jason died he swore he never would allow it to happen again until Tim proved that Dick had managed to make Robin into something vital, something so important and powerful to both Gotham and Batman that it had to come back.

I then want him to turn to Tim and tell him that he did an amazing job but that he doesn’t have to be that specifically.

Let him be the one to tell Tim how important identity is, how everyone has to choose their own path and name. I want him to make sure it’s driven into Tim’s mind that he is good as Robin, but that he can’t fit himself into the mold of Batman’s sidekick.

Dick himself didn’t even stay as Robin, he made his own path, even if the soul of Robin will remain with him.

Robin isn’t a placeholder or stepping stone to becoming who you are, it’s a part of them all.

Tim just needs to spread out and find who he would be without it. Who he would be if he didn’t need to help Batman or Bruce, if he had stayed taking photos and making donations to charities with his parents forgotten bank account.

Maybe Tim will still go with Red Robin or pick something else, but once he knows the true meaning of Robin and how much freedom and choice is apart of it, he needs to learn what he wants to represent.

[guesswhoisofftheirmedsagain]

A Dead Birds Chick

Instead of wanting to kill him, Jason goes to recruit Tim instead, because what could be more poetic than the first bird you lost, taking away his own replacement, and keeping him happier, healthy, and safer than you ever could?

(Jason would learn of, and weaponize Tim’s hero worship of him back when he was Robin.)

——- (little snippet)

Jason hesitantly placed a hand on the kids shoulder, his body stiff. “By doing this, by doing nothing but giving him a placeholder Robin, you’re not fixing the issue. What happens if you get hurt, or worse, who’s left to keep him in check? To really make things better in the long run, you need to get to the root of the issue, or else everyone looses.” Tim’s eyes stayed trained on the city below them, the wind bellowing in their ears. His legs swung slightly as they both sat at the edge of the building. “But I can’t just leave him! What would happen to Gotham? Batman needs a Robin, he needs- one.” The eyes of Tim’s domino mask gave away his feelings as he spoke. ‘Me’ was a word the kid couldn’t bring himself to say.

“He lost Robin, putting yourself through this type of treatment is only going to end up worse for both of you in the end.” Jason hoped to whatever god that was out there that whatever bullshit was coming out of his mouth sounded halfway decent, god why didn’t he prepare for this more? “How can you be sure of that?” Tim sounded hesitant, and a bit weary. He knew who Jason was, Jason had told him on their second meeting. It was a bit of a gamble, but the kid had kept quiet. Slowly building a relationship with the kid was key.

“I was Robin, remember? I’ve seen it first hand. I remember the freedom it gives you, and I am not asking you to give up that freedom.” Tim was, quite obviously, neglected by his parents both growing up and now, it was so easy to tell, even from an outsider’s perspective. Jason could imagine that taking Robin away from this kid would be taking away his lifeline. “But- how could I be Robin without Batman?” The kid sounded defeated, this was it. This was the moment Jason been building up to. God, he can’t fuck this up.

“Be my Robin.”

A beat of silence.

“What?” Tim’s voice was almost blank, confusing leaking through his failed attempt at masking it. “You heard me Tim, be my Robin. Whoever said that Robin had to be Batman’s partner?” Jasons smirk could be heard in his voice, by the kids change in body language, he got him. Hook, line, and sinker. Or well, floater? He was trying to save the kid, after all. “I could work with Robin?” Yes that’s it, distract him from the original goal of this conversation. The pure hope in Tim’s voice almost made Jason regret manipulating him a little bit during their meetings, but all would be made up for in the end.

“Yes, how would you feel about working with your predecessor?” Jason latched onto that, he knew the kid looked up to him, especially back when he was Robin. He would use it against the kid without him knowing. Tim lit up, his whole body turned to face Jason. “I- I would be honored-!” Tim’s mind ran so fast his words couldn’t keep up. Jason genuinely smiled, this was going perfectly. “Great. You’re coming with me.” Jason stood up, dropping the last of the Robin suits trackers onto the ground and crushing it beneath his boot. He had been subtly snatching them during their conversation, and was sure the big bad bat had been on his way sense Jason broke the first one.

“Wait, like now?” Tim was frozen to his spot on the roof, staring at Jason as he started walking away. “Yep, let’s go.” Jason didn’t look behind him, and satisfaction took over as he heard the sound of Tim scrambling behind him, and the soft taps of small steps rushing to catch up to him. Tim was his bird now, and he was going to do a much better job taking care of him than Bruce could ever dream of.

[nograndmaimnotgoingtobingo]

Yk what I need?

The angst around the board of Dick being like inseparable with Tim once he becomes Robin to make up for his lack of relationship with Jason, but really just projecting everything about Jason onto him and ending up accidentally pretending he’s Jason. (Since we know he had his hallucinations.)

Tim is aware but doesn’t say anything because he’s just glad Dick accepts and acknowledges him, because people don’t do that very often.

Jason, when he returns and sees how close they are, is even more hurt because Tim got the relationship he always wanted with Dick, but he was pushed away instead of welcomed.

And Bruce is so happy to see his boys getting along, and may or may not always say “Im glad you and Jason are so close” in front of Tim to Dick, and then everyone goes silent.

And then Alfred is just so hurt that everyone’s hurting and knowing there’s not much he can do, while also mourning Jason himself.

Bonus points:

When Jason returns dick is so preoccupied with “OMG Jason is back alive I need to make up for it some how I need to protect him I can’t lose him again” that he ends up neglecting his relationship with Tim to chase Jason. But Jason doesn’t want to be hurt and replaced by Tim again, so he makes Dick keep chasing and chasing and keeps rejecting him. And Tim is just feeling so neglected and feeling cast aside because Jason is back now. Just when he was finally getting his own identity instead of (what he perceived to be) being the placeholder.

[callmeizukunotdeku]

Okay, but can you imagine a world where Jason comes back and decides proper punishment is an eye for an eye?

Bruce may not be perfect but boy does he know how to torture himself.

Bruce might not have killed the Joker, but he went off the fucking rails after Jason died.

If Jason came back--if he told Bruce that his sweet little boy was back? There's no world in which Bruce wouldn't welcome him back with open arms.

So he plans it: he'll show Bruce he's alive, cry a bit over Tim as Robin, and make Bruce send the kid packing. Then, he'll push. He'll tell Bruce how unsafe he feels knowing the Joker is still alive. How that man needs to be delt with in the same way Jason was delt with.

He'll push Bruce closer and closer to his breaking point and then, to freshen the grief, he'll kill Tim.

Do it as the Red Hood.

Remind Bruce what happens when he puts people in the suit.

Imagine that's his plan.

Then, imagine how surprised he'll be when he announces his revival and Tim gets him somewhere private.

"You know, Placeholder, I don't really like you that much. Forgive me for not wanting to talk to anyone who's not family right now, but--"

"No," Tim interrupts, "no, I know. And I'll make it quick." He takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you must have gone through to die and come back and see someone else in your suit like that. If I knew you'd be back, I'd have found another way to hold him back. I just...wanted to give a formal apology before going home. I know that nothing I do could ever rectify what my taking your place must have felt like to you, and I'm sorry for that, but if you ever need anything, I'll be right next door."

Jason furrowed his brow. He was planning on waiting a couple days to plant the idea of Tim leaving in Bruce's head. He didn't anticipate Tim cornering him the first day he was back. "What?"

"I mean, I know I don't really have anything unique to offer, but the offer still stands." He watched Jason for a moment, hoping, most likely, for some reaction of 'no, please, stay in my suit, in my house, where you don't belong' or 'i don't entirely hate your guts'. Tim looked away. "Um, right, so--I'm going to leave while it's still light outside. It's--I'm glad I got to talk to you," Tim said, with something nauseatingly genuine in his eyes, "goodbye."

Good manners be damned, Jason didn't say 'goodbye' back. He let Tim leave without a word.

He expected Bruce to comment on it, but he didn't even bat an eye, just kept staring at Jason like he was something precious.

After it goes on for long enough, Jason finally asks, "You good, B?"

And all he can say is, "You're home."

And he is.

Bruce announces him as alive again on the grounds that it's Gotham and weirder things have happened. Since he's seventeen, he gets to go back to school.

Since Tim is fifteen, he's there too.

"Placeholder," Jason calls him, whenever he sees him--tries to torture him with the word.

And Tim looks at him sadly, "I'm sorry."

Every fucking time.

Tim doesn't even try to justify it or anything. Just apologizes. Agrees that he is a placeholder and apologizes for it.

And it pisses him off, but Jason doesn't lay a hand on him.

Not yet.

He keeps hinting to Bruce.

I'm not safe with the Joker alive.

I can't stay in Gotham if the Joker's alive.

I'll leave you if the Joker's alive.

I'll make sure everyone will.

And he does.

It's laughably easy to make his way into Drake Manor.

Tim seems surprised to see the Red Hood.

He's less surprised when he learns it's Jason.

Jason beats him into the fucking floor and the kid whimpers and wines, but doesn't call for his mommy or daddy.

Jason leaves happy.

He's still happy the next day when he doesn't see Tim in the halls. The boy's absence is expected, even if the lack of news about his placeholder being found beaten and bloody is, for lack of a better word, disappointing.

It's a full week later when Jason is scrolling through news articles and the whole world stops around him.

The Drakes Set to Return to Gotham after Seven Months in Iran

His brain lets him process the smaller realization first.

How he came back six months ago and how Tim has been alone for half a year and his only familiar face was Jason in the halls.

Placeholder.

I'm sorry.

And then, he pukes.

Because Jason beat Tim halfway to hell, but, as long as someone was there to see him in the morning, call an ambulance and make sure he'd get help, Tim would have been fine.

A week, Jason thinks, and then he's running to Drake Manor. It's all too easy to break in, again. To find Tim, again.

Laying where Jason left him.

Jason swallows before kneeling next to Tim.

He moves Tim's hair out of his face and--

And he's still warm.

A quick check confirms that, yes, yes, there's a pulse, and then everything happens in flashes.

Call 911.

Get in the ambulance.

Sit in the hospital waiting room until Bruce bursts in.

"I was worried sick," Bruce says, "what happened?"

"Tim was attacked," he says, quietly.

Bruce nods, "And you? How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." I attacked him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Guilty.

Bruce waits over him until the nurse finally reports that Tim's out of his first round of surgery and is, for the most part, stable.

Jason asks to see Tim and is denied.

"Only family can visit," the nurse says, and Jason looks to Bruce.

In Bruce's ear, he whispers, "Tim was under your guardianship while he war Robin, right? Can you get us in?"

"I can't," Bruce says, "He's not mine. He never was. Tim has always lived with his parents."

Listen... "Placeholder" is a way more fucking tragic nickname/title than "Replacement," and thus this is the name Jason should use for Tim if ya want to max out the angst.

Because there is value in being a replacement. They aren't the original, but a replacement has their own identity. They could be better or a newer model or simply different. There's no expectation for the replacement to be traded back either (though a replacement might get traded for the next replacement). A replacement is compared to the original but they are also accepted as their own identity.

A placeholder, on the other hand, "occupies the position/place of another person." That place isn't theirs. That place is temporary. There's no value to their own existence/identity, and they don't bring anything new to the table as they are. They are a stand-in for something else. They aren't wanted or desired as they are but rather for who they are standing in for.

"Placeholder" is certainly worse :)

[satoshy12]

Demon's Head

All use Talia, but that is boring. Here is Nyssa's descendant Danny's idea. (Grandma or similiar) + Damian looked at his family as they traveled into the future. They could meet the LoA to talk about them helping them against those villains. They had lost in the past but he knew his granfather would have a plan in the future and would help his heir.

But his grandfather wasn't the Demon's Head anymore, but his cousin? He had no idea he existed, but he learned he was his aunt Nyssa's descendant. It was kind of shocking for him and the group to learn Damian was the replacement/placeholder until one of the siblings took Ra's place, as Danny did. After the chaos, the mind-controlled Justice League, because of that villain, Danny took over from Ra.

Danny then opened a Lazarus green portal and left with Rose, just leaving Damian behind, who looked shocked. He had no idea you could control Lazarus that way. His grandfather never shows him this! Jason then started to laugh; first Tim was his replacement, and now he learns that Talia and Damian too were replacements! Hahahaha! They can now be together as replacements.

A/N Ra's is living his life in retirement with the Ghost of Sora in Amity Park. Under the massive Shield! Leave him alone, Batman or Grandson; I am busy being a family man.

Danny is dating Rose after working with her for a few years on missions.

[egrettacaerulea]

Tim tried his best to bring Jason back to the family and when it finally worked, slowly he started to disappear. Because Jason was back so of course they no longer needed the placeholder, right? He was sad that he needed to leave, but he didn't want to impose the family any longer when he was no longer welcomed. He already had a plan anyway. He would stay with Kon and Bart for a little while, maybe continued being Red Robin or find another thing to do.

He thought everything went well. Until on the last leg of his packing--it was his last safe house in Gotham that needed to be rid off--Jason barged in. He saw the state of the safe house, and glared at Tim.

"Where the hell are you going?" he demanded, didn't bother with any preambles. "I checked all of your other safe houses and all is clean--you haven't even come to the manor for weeks! What the fuck are you doing, baby bird?"

Tim felt guilty. Jason sounded angry and the way he used the nickname made Tim unable to do anything but tell him the truth. "Um, I'm gonna leave? I mean--you're back. So my job as a placeholder is done."

Anger flashed on Jason's eyes but it was quickly morphed into sadness and guilt.

"You're not a placeholder, Tim. You're part of the family too."

"But--"

"Shut up and don't leave," Jason cut him off. "Because you're the reason why I'm staying in the family too, so if you're going then I'm going with you."

"What, Jason, you can't--"

"Stay, or I'm going with you," Jason cut him off again, giving no room for him to argue.

Tim should insist, but he knew how stubborn Jason could be and he was also aware that nothing he could say would change Jason's mind. He couldn't make Jason leave again because Bruce and the others would be so heartbroken.

"Okay. Fine. I'm staying."

Jason's hard stare changed into a happy smile. "Good. Now come with me to the manor. You need to explain to the worried Bruce and Alfred, and Dick also has been dying to give you a hug."

Tim's eyes widened. Jason was probably lying. There was no reason for them to be worried or looking for him now that Jason was back, right?

Somehow Jason saw right through his mind because he pulled Tim into a gentle headlock and ruffled his hair. "And apparently we need to try harder to instill into your thick skull that you're family too, baby bird."

Jason knew that Tim wasn't really convinced yet, but Jason could be very persuasive. Tim got his family back after all, so it was his time to return the favor.

[quendlyn]

*sigh* here we go again

this is inspired by Lost Boys by Ruth B's amazing song, and it carried me through middle school.

This takes place while Bruce is lost in the time stream and Tim is looking for him. Tim doing everything in his power to not have to work with Ra's decides so summon a demon but well the spell book is shit so he ends up summoning you guessed it Danny. Danny can be the ghost king in this but what is important is that he is a protector spirt, especially of children with shitty lives because of his childhood(you see were I'm going with this). He is also fully dead. Tim has been completely ignoring all of his bodily needs looks and feels like absolute shit, so Danny being the Danny decides to help him. Danny is essentially Peter Pan, so he offers to take Tim to his lair/Neverland. Tim refuses because he needs to find Bruce, so Danny decides to help him, and if Tim agrees, when Bruce is back, he'll come to Neverland. During their adventure of looking for clues while dodging Ra's and the Justice League, Tim starts trusting Danny. They get Bruce back and call Superman so he'll bring him to Gotham. Tim's done it; he got Gotham's protector back, he's got Dick and Jason's father back. Dick can go back to being Nightwing and Tim can go back to being Batman's Robi- wait no he can't. Damian is Robin. Bruce doesn't need him anymore; he was always just a placeholder anyway. Now Bruce's actual son is Robin. Now Damian isn't the Robin Tim would have picked, but he hasn't killed anyone in a while, and Bruce will keep helping him. Tim isn't needed. So, this time when Danny asks him to come to Neverland, he says yes.

[flwrkid14]

So is I alright if I ask this?

I've seen the post where everyone wants to be Tim's favorite, might I ask if you could combine it with the 'Tim will never be anyone's favorite' and the brain dead post spin off? I think it'd be super angst angsty if the bats realize tehy unitentionally screwed up with Tim.

Oh, this is such a good ask! and now I’m going to be feral about it, thank you. Combining all of those ideas? Buckle up because this is going to get angsty.

—

Tim Drake will never be anyone’s favorite.

He’s always known it, accepted it as fact, because it’s not just about how he’s never felt like anyone’s favorite—it’s about how he’s been conditioned to believe that no one could favor him. He spent so much of his life trying to make himself useful to the people around him, because if he couldn’t be loved, he could at least be needed. If they needed him, they’d have to keep him around, right?

So that’s what Tim became. The utility knife of the Batfamily. The glue, the fixer, the one who knew how to put everything back together even if no one ever thought to ask how he was holding up.

And if that meant sacrificing pieces of himself, so what? He was never anyone’s favorite. He had no illusion that anyone would fight for him, that he’d be prioritized. The mission came first. Gotham came first. Family was a distant second, if it ranked at all.

Then there’s Danny.

Danny doesn’t come in with the expectations or baggage the rest of the Bats have. Danny doesn’t know Tim as a placeholder Robin or a second chance or a stolen birthright. He knows Tim as Tim—sharp, exhausted, himself. And Danny thinks that’s amazing.

He says it, too, without hesitation. “You’re my favorite,” he says like it’s a fact. Like Tim has always been the first name on someone’s list.

And it’s such a foreign concept to Tim that his first reaction is suspicion. He doesn’t trust it—can’t trust it—because when has anyone ever favored him? Even when Danny shows time and again that he’s not going anywhere, that his affection for Tim is unconditional, Tim’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Danny to grow tired of him, to leave, to regret his words.

But Danny doesn’t. He stays.

And that’s where it all starts to unravel for the rest of the family.

They see it—the way Danny looks at Tim like he’s the most important person in the room. The way Tim slowly starts to relax around him, shedding the defensive, brittle edges he’s always carried with them. The way Danny makes it obvious—painfully obvious—that Tim is his favorite person.

It's then that it hits them.

None of them have ever made Tim feel that way.

They start noticing the cracks they’ve left in him, the ones they never saw because they were too busy leaning on Tim to hold them together. They think back to all the times Tim had been the one to put in the effort to maintain their relationships, the way he always came through for them when they needed him, but how little they ever did for him in return.

They see the way he hesitates when Danny shows him affection—how it catches Tim off guard every time, like he’s still waiting for it to be a trap. And the Bats realize they’ve conditioned Tim to expect exactly that.

It guts them.

Cass had always known, in the quiet way she read people, that Tim didn’t feel like he belonged. She saw it in the way he held himself—guarded, distant, bracing for rejection. She’d tried, in her small, subtle ways, to show him he mattered, but watching Danny with him now, she realized she hadn’t done enough, that there was so much more she could have done for him not to feel that way. She hadn’t known how deep the hurt ran, and the guilt settled heavy in her chest.

Danny... Danny treated him differently.

Dick, who always tried to be a good brother but never saw the way Tim’s shoulders tensed under the weight of being “good enough.” Jason, who hated him for wearing the Robin colors but never noticed how much Tim blamed himself for taking them in the first place. Bruce, who thought giving Tim responsibility was enough to show he cared, but never thought to give him unconditional support. Damian, who fought Tim at every turn but never realized how much Tim already hated himself for existing in a role Damian felt should have been his.

Even Steph, and Duke—all of them thought Tim was fine because Tim made himself fine. Because Tim was the one who fixed things, and none of them stopped to ask what he needed.

It becomes almost unbearable for them to watch Danny care for Tim, because Danny makes it look so easy. He loves Tim so openly, so obviously, that it highlights every way the family failed to do the same.

And Tim? Tim doesn’t even seem to know he deserves it.

It’s the wake-up call they all desperately needed but never wanted. They don’t know how to fix it. But watching Danny and Tim together, seeing the way Tim is finally beginning to believe he’s worthy of being loved, they know one thing for certain:

They can’t undo the past.

But maybe, if they try hard enough, they can make sure Tim never feels that way again.