kon glances over at tim from the corner of his eye and struggles to quirk a smile. it’s not a bad joke, and tim’s not wrong per se. kon is only himself when he’s spewing half a dozen sarcastic jokes in as many minutes. but maybe kon hasn’t been himself since this whole thing started.
“ tim, i don’t … i don’t even know what to say, ” he admits, bumping his shoulder against tim’s in return. company is good, though, and kon’s grateful to hear the strong beat of tim’s heart beside him. it’s familiar and calming. “ he said he didn’t want to see me. ”
Tim’s not sure he’s ever heard Kon sound like this. And he doesn’t blame the other for that, of course - how could he? This whole thing is crazy to consider for anyone, never mind someone so closely connected to everything. Someone who’s just lost part of their family - and not just to death.
Before he can help himself Tim’s wrapping his arm around Kon’s broad shoulders, pulling the other in against his side and resting the side of his head against Kon’s. Hoping he can offer even a sliver of comfort in the middle of this mess he’s going through. “He’s grieving. And he just took a life.” A life that didn’t hold much value to anyone, but.. a life all the same. A life that wasn’t his to take. “I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but this might be the right time to just.. give him some space. Let him process what he’s done,” He pauses for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. “Let yourself process what’s happened, too.”
it’s far easier to believe that there’s a slice of normality here with tim grumbling beside him, the familiarity sending dick snickering under his breath. there’s no kind way to mention the cowlick he’s missed in his preening. “ aw, c’mon. you stopped wearing the cowl, you made yourself fair game. ” dick straightens up with the accepted offer; it’s not hard to notice tim’s clear avoidance, funnily enough this isn’t his first rodeo into translating what’s not being said. but dick knows being too persistent is another sure-fire way to never get them talking. delicate balance. “ how about this. if I keep up, you owe me a twenty-second hug and a shitty movie. if I fall behind i’ll buy whatever funky take-out you want tonight. ”
Tim abandons whatever’s left of his mess of hair, giving up on trying to make it look any kind of decent now that Dick’s decided to mess with it. Besides - he has bigger problems to deal with right now. They all do. “So does that mean I can mess with your hair whenever I please, too?” He asks, narrowing his eyes as he looks up at the first Robin, the one he’s looked up to for as long as he can remember. All teasing aside, he does feel a little more at ease with Dick here - it’s childish, he knows, but he can’t help it. “See that’s fine by me, because I’m gonna win.” Tim says as he pushes himself up onto his feet, stretching his arms out a little. What he won’t say is that it’s a win for him either way - a hug and a movie, or dinner on Dick, Tim’s okay with either. But it’s nice to have some kind of normalcy with the man, to feel like not everything is spiralling out of control.
it’s not hard to spot the bright red of tim’s uniform, but it is the first time he’s caught sight of him in the last few days. dick feels guilty that he’s not had the chance to catch up yet, especially knowing the tendencies of his family to shoulder everything that arises. “ nice night for alley-watching, huh? ” a worn smile is offered as he settles beside tim, lightly ruffles his hair. big brother rules, the right to be a little annoying no matter the situation. “ how’re you doing? feel like some company on patrol? ”
If there’s one thing Tim can always count on, it’s for Dick to be in high spirits. He’s good at that, good at trying to bring people up no matter how dreary the situation. And.. while Tim might not find it easy to admit, he needs that right now. He needs to hear Dick’s positive tone, see the smile on his face - though, time notices it’s not quite as bright as usual, even if it is steady. “Oh come on. This is why I have a cowl.” Tim grumbles as he runs his fingers through his hair, trying to flatten it out after Dick’s ruffling. “Company sounds good, if you think you can keep up.” Tim responds with a soft chuckle, but his heart really isn’t in it. He just hopes Dick doesn’t notice the fact that he very carefully avoided his question.
“Kon,” Tim says softly as he approaches the other, his tone soft, very clearly concerned. The world is still reeling from what’s going on, from what - what Superman did. And Tim knows it’s wrong, he can’t deny there’s a big part of him that’s struggling to really reconcile the fact that someone like Clark could do something like this. If that’s how he feels, though, god only knows how Kon feels right now. And Tim has no intention of leaving him to deal with this on his own.
He settles down beside Kon, shoulder brushing against his gently. “Give up on the silent thing, it doesn’t suit you.” He really shouldn’t open with a joke, that’s Dick’s thing. “Talk to me.”
AFFILIATION ( TEAM, if relevant. ): Teen Titans, Batfamily
ABILITIES:
Tim’s biggest strength often isn’t his fighting skills and abilities but his keen intellect. His advanced skills of investigation and deduction began before even becoming Robin, skills which have further been trained and honed working under Batman over the years. He also has extensive computer use and hacking skills. He also has genius level intellect which helps him in both his life as Tim and work as Red Robin. In order to become Robin, Tim also underwent martial arts training and is skilled in a number of different styles and has worked hard to master them to the best of his abilities. Still, Tim didn’t come into his role as Robin with the natural athleticism and skill as his predecessors did, meaning he’s had to work and train hard to gain the fighting skills he has. With all of the skills he’s gained though, Tim is still only human with no physical enhancements, a limitation against some enemies, though he has learned to out-think them where he can to try and gain himself and his team the upper hand.
CHARACTER BUILDING
EARLY LIFE
Tim grew up in a comfortable, wealthy home as the only child of Jack and Janet Drake. When he was little more than a toddler he was taken to Haly’s Circus and had a photo taken with the Flying Graysons, finding himself especially excited meeting Dick. That was the night Dick’s parents were killed, something he was unable to forget over the following years. When he saw Robin’s acrobatics on tape a few years later he was able to piece together the truth about Robin’s identity and subsequently Batman’s, starting him on the path to meeting his idols and, unbeknownst to him, becoming Robin.
ORIGIN STORY
It wasn’t until the second Robin, Jason, was killed by the Joker that Tim knew he needed to help Batman. The vigilante’s sudden change in behaviour convinced him that he needed to bring the original Robin back to his mentor, and sought out Dick - now Nightwing - to try and convince him to go back to Bruce. Once it was clear that wasn’t going to happen there was only one thing he could do - take up the mantle himself, proving himself as a valuable asset to Batman by helping him catch Two-Face. As Tim wasn’t as athletically inclined as his predecessors he had to undergo extensive physical and martial arts training in order to become Robin. It was a hard mantle to live up to, especially after Jason’s death, and while Tim did his best to earn it and hold onto it for a number of years, it was hard for him to live up to.
REGIME/INSURGENCY ALLIANCE
Tim will side with the Insurgency without a doubt. He would never be able to accept that killing villains and controlling the world with fear is the right thing to do, and is definitely not going to be shaken from that view. As much as he might care for some of the people on the side of the Regime and logically he can see the way they think, he will never be able to understand it or agree with what they’re choosing to do.
IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS:
Tim’s most important relationships are definitely those with his family as Bruce and the others gave him a chance to be something more, something he looked up to for a number of years before earning the mantle himself. He has a world of respect for Bruce despite their differences and disagreements, and appreciates everything Bruce has given him. Similarly, he has admired Dick since he met the other as a child and has trained with him extensively over the years. He also has strong relationships with those he’s worked with in the Teen Titans, especially Conner and Bart.
