In this Au, I picture Dick running away from Gotham Foster care before he was adopted by Bruce. Meeting Selina during one of her robberies.
The young acrobat, not wanting to be caught by security guards. Immediately hides and swings away from them without notice!
Fortunately, Selina noticed the little stray...
Now, taken under her care. Dick becomes Selina's protégé.
What of Batman?
Well... You become the next Robin.. Sort of?
-
"Hiya Squeeks...~" Stray says slyly, gently taking your hand like a gentleman. You eye him shyly, frowning as you look away.
"Aw... What's the matter? Upset that your Boss couldn't come with?" He mocks playfully.
You roll your eyes, turning away. Trying to take back your hand, yet he doesn't relase it.
"Did I hit a nerve Squeaks?" He asks, a bit more genuine as he approaches you.
You take advantage of that, about to land a hit on him. He dodges quickly, laughing.
"C'mon Squeaks! I was just teasing! Cats honor!" He swipes at you, causing you to stumble back.
"Teasing?" You ask meekly as he smiles.
""Teasing"... Not!" He sticks his tounge out playfully.
"Well, maybe... Depending how long I can keep you away from your pesky Boss-"
Your eyes widen, hurriedly turning away and glancing at Batman as he fights Catwoman.
You yelp when realizing the trick as you try to go over to help. But Stray tackles you down, laughing.
"Who said I was done, Mouse? A cat never leaves his prey... Until he has his full!"
"Let go! Jerk!" You whined, trying to push him away as he held you down in a embrace. Nuzzling your face a bit, playfully nipping at your exposed skin.
"No-..." His words slowly die as he raises his head. He sees a shadow cover him as he glances up at the "Big-Bad-Bat."
"Do you mind?" He scoffed at the older vigilante. Glancing back down at you with a look that read, "can you belive this guy?"
Batman glared down harshly at the two of you.
You squeal in terror at the look, immediately punching Stray in the face. Knocking him out cold. Yet...
His body collapsed on top of you.
"..." Batman turns away.
"...I'm sorry!" You wail in a hurry, trying to move the thief away. Unsure if you were apologizing to Batman or Stray...
-
[Ta-Da! As promised! Stray appetizer! Lol! I wanted an excuse to write about an awkward hero (y/n). Also, I don't know alot of mouse themed heros. What's up with that? Anyway, thanks for reading! This was pure fun! Prince of Poison content will be out soon!]
one of my fav aus are jason being the oldest robin and dick being catwomans sidekick (or the other way around tbh) like the dynamics switch so nicely with Jason being the oldest, he has no time for resentment- he has his brothers to take care of. Also this au and damien coming early is like my fav thing everr
i’m straying from the original point but Damien immediately taking a liking to Jason and following him around and Jason going everywhere with him, including Dick’s place
Dick and damien fighting for Jason attention?? count me in. Them glaring at at other while Jason is in the middle being oblivious or just being like “chill. just chill i totally thought you guys were gonna get along you’re both usually so nice (to him at least)”
Jason as the eldest checking on Tim at night to make sure he’s sleeping and preaching communication to his brothers knowing damn well he does not know how to
Jason being batman’s cardinal and everyone in gotham loves him because he’s one of them and they stick up for theirs. Also him being the go to to talk to villains because they all have a soft spot for the first cardinal, prickly as a cactus but always sincere in his desire to help them, it’s hard to hurt someone so genuine
this is a half open thought but him being the leader of the teen titans?? the dynamics?? crazyyy
dick getting offended on jason’s behalf when tim becomes cardinal and jason is just like “none of that”
dick and jason being best friends who occasionally have to play fight when bruce and selina are up to their shenanigans
second generation of the cat and the bat ahhhhhhh
basically him just being everyone’s favorite ever (i have a need for my favorite characters to be the best sorry)
Oh~ what a fun AU premise! Usually I prefer Jason to be Catwoman's protege, but I can see the appeal of Dick filling that role. Because like. It lends itself to a dynamic of flirty!Dick/flustered!Jason and I can't say no to that hahaha.
But yes - Dick and Jason becoming best friends over the years. They keep it as professional as the bat and the cat during their night hours. Mostly. Batman is forever exasperated with how it's largely Dick that chases Jason though. And it's easy for Dick to joke about cats chasing birds, but it's Jason that has to answer why later on in the night and Jason is just so embarrassed but petulance wins out so he grumbles, 'well why do you chase her, huh?' And Bruce becomes that meme of a man contemplating life at various locations throughout the manor and Gotham proper.
Oh! Dick is a cat burglar first and foremost. But also something of a Robin Hood with pawning found things to support those that need it. Jason is so taken after witnessing that, though he keeps his knowledge of it to himself. He doesn't think Dick would stop or abandon whatever purpose he's found in helping others, but still. It's such a genuine thing - Jason doesn't want to intrude on it.
But also Dick sometimes joining in on the Bat's vigilantism. Sometimes he's bored and there's plenty to be done so Dick just shows up and gets involved. And Bruce hates it so much, but Dick is good at it. And he works so well with Jason. But Bruce is haunted by Jason's crush and life is OTL
Pffft, I never think of Dick as my favorite but looking at this reply so far it's ahhhhahahah so sorry anon I know Jason is your favorite okay uhhhh~
Alright, nope. In my defense you've covered the Jason bases so well though LOL.
More rambles: the first time they hang out without the cover of the night? It's not a date, Jason swears to Bruce. But Bruce is still so miffed over it all because Jason is babygirl (later in life, Dick will snicker because 'you bet he is [babygirl] ԾᴗԾ'). Anyway, first hangout? It's casual. It's nice. Do they get into trouble? Of course, but they're not caught, you know? And Jason wouldn't say that Dick is a bad influence. The casual pickpocketing is on choice marks and it goes to good causes and Jason's morals have always been more grey than Batman's, so. Dick picking Jason's wallet only to leave a flirty note in it for Jason to find later AHHH. It becomes a thing. Most often they don't catch each other, but sometimes they do and that adds to the fun and playful and youthful flirts.
Leaving off on Damian here because omgggggg I love any AU that puts Jason and him in one anothers' orbit asap. Damian imprinting on Jason, too? Sign me up. Peak content.
So yes, Jason's still older when Damian comes around. Dick and he aren't anything official, per se, but there's commitment there. And yeah. Dick fully anticipating a cozy night in with this boy he's adored for years only to open the door and see Jason standing there holding the hand of some kid and like - what?
'Is he mine?' A weak joke to convey his confusion. Which Jason rolls his eyes at because 'not this time.' And Dick knows Jason is oblivious so he's made a joke about Dick philandering with someone else, but uh. No. Never. So Dick snickers and makes it clear that he was talking about Jason with a casual, 'well, whenever you're ready.' Which makes Jason flush in that way Dick likes so much. But Dick can't even really enjoy it because he abruptly realizes, 'wait, is he yours?' Not that it'd be a big deal, but what?
Brother, Jason explains and huh. Yikes. Dick will have to check in on Selina. This is - news.
Damian giving Dick the most dour of looks because contrary to his young age, he understands Dick's 'unsavory' intentions. Dick recognizing the fire of competition in the set of Damian's jaw and aw, fuck.
Especially at the start where Dick's place in Jason's life is threatened/forcibly changed without warning and Damian is still so damn young - it's tough. There's a lot of jealousy and animosity and it's both comical and exasperating. As Damian gets older and everything settles though, things get better. Dick and Damian still get competitive and ornery with one another, but it loses its edge. It becomes their dynamic.
And Jason is just so, so adoring of this man that fits himself into Jason's life so well despite all the hassles and troubles and drama being with a bat brings. ˉ̞̭(′͈∨‵͈♡)˄̻ ̊
Very much a side note: saw in a post somewhere with a concern about Jason's alias changing to 'Crow' and like. Valid. But it'd be really cute for an AU like this where he still works with Batman but isn't actually 'Robin'? Right? Idk the vibe is cute. The angst with Joker making a joke of beating Crow with a crow-bar is also very tragic in this sort of timeline.
Idk why anyone would pick Jason to be Stray (okay no, that’s a lie- he has the whole former thief and street kid thing going on, I get it), he has the completely wrong body type for it. Not to mention the fact that the whole reason he became Robin was because he got caught. Jason, as smart as he is, is more of an act first, think later type of guy, unless he wants to be dramatic and vengeful (see: Red Hood). He should stick to being a Crime Lord, it suits him.
The people with the best body types for Stray (in my opinion) are Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Wayne, and Tim Drake.
Now, Dick Grayson would make a wonderful Stray, if he weren’t such a show-off. He was born to be in the spotlight (literally, as he was born to famous circus performers). Is he capable of being stealthy and discrete? Absolutely! Is he happy being stealthy and discrete? Not really. It’d be better to let him be somewhere where he can shine and be a spectacle.
Stephanie Brown also has the whole “true Gotham blood” thing going for her, like Jason, but like Dick, I think she’s too loud. She’s not loud in the same way Dick is, but she’s loud nonetheless. I think her and Selina would get along great, but they wouldn’t work well as partners (side note- does anyone else think that Stephanie and Pru would make great friends?). If you took away the whole mind-games thing, I actually think her and Riddler run a similar vibe. Like, all Riddler really wants is someone to challenge him intellectually, right? He just wants Batman to solve his riddles! I think Steph would be similar if she were a rogue. Sure, she’d do the whole revenge thing with her dad, but after that, I think it would just be endless, harmless pranks on Batman.
Cass definitely has both the body type and skill to be Stray. She’d make a great Stray. She has neither the need nor desire to be in the spotlight, and she could go the whole Robin Hood route of stealing from the rich to give to the poor if she felt the need to redeem herself from her past actions under her sperm-donors influence (which she shouldn’t feel guilty for, in my opinion). The only reason I think it wouldn’t work out for her is because I honestly think she’d get bored. Cass is a fighter, not a thief, and while she’d make a very good thief, it simply wouldn’t satisfy her. (For that matter, I think Jason is the same way. Yes he was a thief, but that was really more out of necessity than actually enjoyment, which is why I don’t think he’d enjoy being Stray either). Cass needs to feel the flesh break beneath her fists, so to speak. (I also don’t think the Robin Hood shtick would satisfy her guilt either). Out of all of them, I think Cass is the one most likely to have eventually joined the Mission (and its rules) on her own, whether or not Batman was part of it. Not because she views killing in and of itself as bad, but because she’s probably sick of doing it but still wants to help people. It’s why Cass would be the best person to take over the mantle after Bruce.
Finally, Timothy Jackson Drake. I can see why some people might not think he would quite fit the mold of Selina’s apprentice. He’s already a trust-fund kid, why on earth would he become a thief? I believe the answer is simple: because he’d have fun. Tim isn’t a fighter, he’s a detective and a planner. Will and can he fight? Yes, and he can do so very well (Come on, he got trained by Lady Shiva and managed to beat/keep up with Ra’s al Ghul, of course he can fight). However, Tim has always enjoyed the hunt more than the actual capture. Each heist would be a new puzzle to solve, each escape an addictive shot of adrenaline. He found out the identities of Batman and Robin when he was 9 years old, and only went to Bruce to get trained after he saw his suicide campaign and Dick refused to return to help. He was content with just watching. Furthermore, he naturally has the skills to do it. He managed to follow and take pictures of Batman without getting caught for years! He may not be from the streets of Gotham like Jason and Steph, but he knows them just as well. I think he’d take a Robin Hood route to it as well. He admires heroes too much to steal for the sake of stealing, so I think he’d make an effort to only steal from certain types of people and help those he can.
Anywho, those are just my thoughts on Stray, feel free to let me know what you think!
I love love LOVE your stray!Tim au!!! I hope to see more about that because robin!reader and stray!Tim are such a cute pair!!! You've come up with such an intruiging concept!!! <3
Thank you! It's honestly one of my favorite series I've made! I love Aus alot! Hopefully there will be more Stray Au content in the future!
