Chapter Text
Jason walking down the street after running errands when a kid ran into him.
"Sorry sir."
Before he could respond the kid ran off, it didn't escape him that 50 dollars was now missing from his pocket. But he knew what it could be like and figured that kid needed it more than him. A moment later he found out exactly why the kid had been running. A cop stopped in front of him, "Did you see some punk kid around here? He was loitering around a shop and I suspect he was stealing."
Jason looked the cop up and down, "No. I didn't see anything."
The cop sighed in exasperation and walked away grumbling.
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Tim had run back to Crime Alley and found an alleyway to lay camp in. He looked to see what he got from that guy he ran into. 50 bucks! That would be able to get him food for a whole week! He might even be able to thrift some warmer clothes, it was September so it would be getting cold soon. He got his bag and walked over to the convenience store. He picked out some canned food, and non perishables and headed to the register.
The cashier looked at his items boredly, "That will be 35 dollars. Would you like to round up to 40 and donate 5 dollars to the Wayne Foundation to help homeless youth?"
Tim looked at them like they were stupid, "No."
The cashier sighed, "Here's your change. Thank you for not robbing us today."
Tim put the items in his bag and made his way to the thrift store. He didn't have much in terms of clothes. He had a worn out thin jacket, a raggedy t shirt, jeans that were filled with holes from wear and tear, and shoes that were practically falling apart. If he got lucky he might be able to afford a warmer jacket for winter.
Tim was not lucky. He was only able to afford a pair of fingerless gloves. It would have to do. He could just break into the library during the really cold nights again. He found an alleyway with an empty dumpster and hopped in. When he wasn't staying in the library he slept in empty dumpsters. They provided some amount of protection from the elements and were a good hiding place from other people. Although he once had to fight a pack of rats for territory. He won. He laid down, holding his bag on top of him. He looked at the hazy sky and sighed. He turned curling into his bag and fell into a light sleep.
He woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of talking. He peeked outside and saw Nightwing arguing with someone.
"This is my territory you can't just come around."
Tim's heart dropped, oh no. Which gang had he accidentally intruded on. He had things like this happen before, in trying to find a place to sleep he would accidentally stumble upon gang territory.
"Come on, can't I visit my little brother?"
Little brother? Tim relaxed, this must be Redhoods territory. He didn't hurt kids.
"Besides this case involves Bludhaven too, we have to work together on this one."
Tim's foot slipped hitting the back of the dumpster. Nightwing and Redhood snapped towards him. Tim ducked hiding, hoping he wouldn't be spotted. Tim made eye contact with Redhood and they looked at eachother for a terrifying moment.
"Just a rat. Come on."
They grappled away leaving Tim alone. He felt like he could breath again. Why didn't Redhood say anything? Tim wasn't going to question it, he was just glad he didn't get caught.
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It was November now and the wind was biting. Tim wrapped his flimsy jacket around himself trying to stay warm. He found himself in front of the Gotham Library. He could stay there for the night. He walked in greeting Barbara. She had always been nice to Tim and never said anything about how ragged he looked, or about the fact he didn't leave after closing. And if sometimes, on the extra cold nights she forgot to lock the windows, who was he to complain.
"Hi Barbara."
"Hey Tim, how have you been."
"Eh, well, I'm not dead yet so that's good."
"Yeah, that's always a good thing. Bit of a cold night isn't it."
"Yeah, thought I'd come in to warm up a bit you know."
"Did you get new gloves?"
"Yeah! Couple months back I hit a stroke of luck and was able to afford some gloves!"
"That's great! Well I'll see you around."
"See ya."
Tim walked away heading to the computers. He opened an article about the Drakes. They would be away in Morocco on a dig for the next 8 months. Tim had started to notice a pattern. Last time he looked they would he away for 6 months in Dubai, then again for 9 months in Thailand. The Drakes were never home. Which meant their home was probably empty. The brief times when they did come home, the house was so huge he could probably just hide and lay low for a while. Tim smiled, this could work. He looked up their address and wrote it down on his hand. He started leaving.
"Leaving already?" Barbara questioned.
"Yeah, found somewhere with potential."
He went to the bus stop, pulling out the few dollars he had left for the ticket. It took him to the nicer side of Gotham where he got out. He received some odd looks for it but no one said anything. Rule number one in Gotham: Mind your own buisness.
He walked to the Drake manor, passing by the Wayne estate. He tested the doorknob, expecting it to be locked, but it opened easily. It was like the Drakes wanted him to stay there. Tim walked the pristine halls in awe. He'd never been to a house this large before. Hell, he couldn't even remember a time when he lived in a house at all. He found a spare room and decided he would stay there. He found a bathroom connected to it and marveled at it. He tested the shower, turning it on. His eyes widened, hot water! He didn't even know water could GET hot like that! He stripped his clothes and hopped into the shower. Enjoying the warm water running down his back. He saw dirt and grime that had been layered on him for years wash down the drain. The shower even had shampoo and conditioner for his hair. He washed his hair and body until finally he reluctantly left the shower. He buried his face in a fluffy towel and dried himself off. He found a small robe and wrapped the soft fabric around him. He flopped into the bed and got the best nights sleep he'd ever had.
The next morning he hacked into a laptop to forge some documents. If he were to get caught he needed his bases covered. He did some digging on the Drakes and it turned out they already had records of a child, Timothy Jackson Drake. They were very well hidden and there was never anything in the news about them having a son. So it would be an easy identity to claim in a pinch. He hacked into their bank account and stole enough to help him get by, but not enough that the Drakes would notice. Tims head jolted up when he heard the doorbell. He threw his clothes on and ran downstairs to the door. He looked out the peephole and it was Jason Todd. What was Jason Todd doing at the Drakes residence? He opened the door a crack peeping through. Trying to do his best to mimic the little he'd heard of a Bristol accent he asked, "Can I help you?"
Jason looked surprised, "Oh! Hi there. I was just curious why the lights were on because I thought the Drakes were still on their work trip."
"They are."
"Who are you then?"
"I'm their son."
Jason looked confused, "I didn't know they had a son."
"They kept me out of the public eye."
"Why aren't you with them? They'll be gone for months."
Tim shrugged trying to come up with something, "Too much trouble bringing a kid along for work."
"They just leave you alone?"
"Yes?"
Jason frowned, "I'm going to make a call."
Tim watched Jason walk away for a minute before he returned with a smile.
"Want to join us for dinner tonight?"
Tim's eyes shined, "O- Okay. Sure."
Jason had a hint of relief on his face, "Great! We'll give you a ride. Come on."
Jason was taken off gaurd seeing Tim's clothes but didn't say anything. They arrived at the manor and Tim tried not to look awestruck. When they got there Jason led him to a living room where everyone was gathered. Dick Grayson grinned when he saw him, "Hey Jason, heard you picked up a stray from off the street like dear old dad."
Jason laughed as he defended, "I'll have you know he has a family. Their just out of town so I invited him for dinner."
Tim would have felt bad for lying to the Wayne family, but the Drakes didn't exactly keep their kitchen stocked since they were gone so often, and he wanted to eat tonight.
"Yes. I'm Tim Drake, they kept me secret from the public to give me privacy."
Damian scowled, "I haven't seen you at school before."
"Oh, I'm homeschooled. You know, to keep the public from finding out about me and since their so busy they just don't have the time to bother enrolling me."
Bruce grumbled. Tim was starting to get nervous, they kept asking him questions. Which meant he had to keep lying, and keep up a fake Bristol accent. Not to mention he didn't know how to awnser a lot of their questions. He had never had parents before so he didn't know what it was supposed to look like. Luckily for him Alfred walked into the room and announced dinner.
After Jason got back from driving Tim home he made a beeline for the batcave when he got home. Something was off about that Tim kid. His clothes were ratty to say the least, his shoes were worn to scraps. The kid was smaller than he should be. His clothes hung off him like the fur on a wet cat. Jason also noticed his Bristol accent slip at times. There was just a lot about that kid that didn't add up. Best case scenario was probably severe neglect. Worst case... Jason didn't even know. Bruce greeted him when he arrived, "Jason, just in time. The DNA sample came back positive. He is telling the truth. He is Jack and Janet Drakes son."