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Tim hadn’t even realized he had done it until he saw Robin doubling in pain. Just a simple reaction, a jerk of a hand, a stupid mistake, and it ruined everything.
"Sorry," Robin apologized, smiling to cover up the pain.
"No! It's okay! I only just— I didn't mean to. You just touched my shoulder and I hit you in the stomach by accident. You didn’t even sneak up on me, I just— I should be sorry for using that karate move on you, you're—" Shut up, Tim. Tim looked away and slumped his shoulders. "Forget about it."
His first interaction with Robin and he messed it up.
(Just like how he always messes up. He couldn't preserve this one good memory, he had to go ahead and ruin everything.)
"Hey, it's okay," Robin laughed. "It was a pretty good move, but I should have been more caref—"
"I said forget about it," Tim snapped. Then he widened his eyes in regret. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Hey," Robin said softly. "It's okay."
It wasn't. It wasn't okay. Tim ruined everything. Now Robin was going to think that he was weird. His (hopeful) future interactions would be tainted. Tim could never see Robin in the eye again.
Tears welled up in his eyes and his throat closed in on itself. He stumbled backwards, his heart beating quick and hard against his ribs.
"Hey. Kid, you okay?” Robin looked at him worriedly. “Please don’t cry. I promise it’s okay.”
Tim mutely shook his head. He curled into himself, gripping the side of his arms tightly, trying to remember what it was like to breathe, cheeks burning hot with shame.
He was an embarrassment.
Just like his parents said. Just like his classmates said. Just like everyone said.
No one wanted the strange kid that never brought lunch from home and sat at the back corner of the class. No one wanted the stupid kid who only talked about Batman and Robin and nothing else. No one wanted the weird kid who started crying at something as stupid as touching velvet.
No one wanted him. So why would Robin?
“Hey,” Robin stepped closer, but maintained his distance. “I think you’re freaking out quite a bit there. Is it okay if I sit in front of you ‘til you calm down?”
Tim couldn’t reply through the tightness of his chest. He just mutely nodded.
Dick sat down with crossed legs in front of him. He smiled at him then started tapping his fingers in a pattern.
He was behaving so gently with him. Like Tim could spontaneously combust any moment. Because he messed up. Tim messed up. Messed up this entire interaction and embarrassed himself majorly.
Dick started humming. It was a sweet, melodious voice, the kind which you’d expect a fairy to have.
Well, Robin was a bit like a fairy, he supposed. With the pixie boots, smile as bright as the sun, a beacon of light amidst the darkness…
He didn’t know what the song was, he had never heard it before. Something from Dick’s culture maybe?
Whatever it was, it helped ease the rapidly buzzing thoughts in his head. Which in turn, eased the tight knot in his chest a little.
Robin hummed the song while Tim matched his breath to the tapping of his fingers.
Minutes ticked by, but Robin didn’t leave him. Tim’s panic faded, his heart slowed, his hands stopped tremoring, and the knot in his chest eased. Finally, he was able to look him in the eye.
“Is your stomach okay?” he asked quietly.
Robin stopped humming. “Mhm,” he replied. “Just a cut I got from a couple days ago. It’s not too bad, but it does twinge from time to time.”
Tim chewed on his lip nervously. “Sorry.”
Dick laughed. “Hey, it’s alright, bud. Promise. You were panicked and you reacted. I think you're still panicked now actually.”
He was panicked alright. Because he messed up.
"What do you say you come with me?"
"Where?" Tim asked.
"You'll see," Robin smiled. "C'mon, climb onto my back and I'll swing you." After a pause, he added, "Only if you want to."
Tim timidly put his arms around Robin's neck. Dick fixed that by hoisting Tim onto his back, causing him to tighten his hold. "Ready?" he asked.
"Won’t Batman be mad that you’re not on patrol?"
Dick’s body tightened slightly, though that could have just been because he was aiming his grapple gun for takeoff. “Batman isn’t the boss of me,” he said breezily. “Are you ready?”
Tim swallowed. “Yeah.”
His grapple fired and they lifted off.
Flying with Dick Grayson was… was…
Was like soaring through the wind on a plane of existence that felt so abstract that it wasn’t real. Like his stomach dropped out of his body and left only the sensation of freedom.
Like space wasn’t real and he was fluid, like he was a thought on the wind or an idea shifting and gliding and only landing to stop for breath, pushing off from the ledge and jumping into the fray again.
Robin swung, and Tim held on tight, and they became one, cool air buffeting them up, ignoring physics, the city blurred lights pinpointing civilization below, a civilization that he didn’t even consider his at that moment.
Tim didn’t even remember that gravity existed, because up here, it didn’t. He didn’t remember that Robin could make a mistake and that this could mean death, because Robin wouldn’t, and he didn’t.
They finally landed. It was soft. It was gentle. It was cool.
Tim let go and stumbled a little at the adrenaline still rushing through him.
"So. How was the experience?" Dick asked with a crooked grin.
Tim looked up at him, a glow in his eyes. "Whoa," he breathed.
Robin laughed. "That accurately describes it. Wanna head in?" He tilted his head to the ice cream shop.
Tim turned to see an ice cream shop standing in front of them. "Really?" he turned back to Robin, not believing the moment at all.
"Yeah, really. C'mon." Robin started marching towards the entrance. "I'll get you something."
Tim pattered after him eagerly.
"Which flavor do you like best?" Robin asked as he waved to the awestruck workers there.
"Anything will do," Tim replied, just feeling beyond lucky to be having ice cream with Robin.
"You sure? You have to have a favorite ice cream flavor."
"I'm good. Anything that's easy will do."
Robin tilted his head inquiringly at him.
At that little action, everything that had happened before their flight around the city crashed into Tim all at once. How he accidentally hit him. How he was rude. How he snapped at Robin. How he ruined the memory of meeting his idol and everything else.
I messed up. I messed up. I messed up.
"Alright, I’ll choose for you," Robin finally said. Tim breathed a sigh of relief. "How about vanilla oreo and chocolate chip?"
That wasn't a cheap flavor. Tim frowned. "Are you—"
"Yes, I'm sure. If you want a different flavor though…"
Tim gulped. What was he supposed to do in this situation? "It's fine. Thank— thank you."
"You are welcome!" Robin turned to the girl waiting for them to order. "Could we get one vanilla oreo and chocolate chip and one neopolitan with mango?"
"S— sure thing. Cup or cone?"
"Cup for me and…" He turned to Tim again. "Do you want a cup or a cone?"
Tim was getting tired of making decisions.
He'd rather not choose. Choosing was hard. He couldn't choose after being rude. It didn't work that way. He shouldn't have a choice after he was so rude to someone.
"C— cup is fine," Tim stammered weakly.
"Put syrup on both of them, yeah?"
She nodded in confirmation and Robin led them both to stand back to wait.
When Robin faced him and opened his mouth to speak, Tim ducked his head down, refusing to meet his hero’s eyes.
"So, what are you doing out here alone?" Robin asked casually.
"I'm not alone now."
Robin laughed. "Alright smartass. What's the camera for?"
"School project," Tim replied smoothly.
Dick hummed. “At night in the city?”
“Night city photography.”
Dick huffed an amused laugh.
Their order was called out and Robin picked it up. “Let’s go out,” he said, handing Tim his ice-cream.
He followed him out of the shop, and up the fire escape of the building.
Robin grunted when he got to the rooftop, clutching his stomach as he sat on the roof.
Tim lowered his head guiltily, sitting a distance away from him and stabbing his spoon into the ice-cream as a distraction.
“How’s your ice cream?” Robin asked, his spoon sticking out of his mouth.
“It’s good,” Tim mumbled. “Thank you.”
“No problem at all. We deserve a sweet treat now and then, don’t you think?”
“I guess so.”
Robin looked at him, eyebrows drawn together in worry. “You alright?”
Tim nodded, avoiding looking him in the eye.
Robin sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Look, truth be told, Batman and I had a little fight. It’s why I’m skipping patrol with him and am here on my own.”
Tim’s eyes widened at that bit of info. Batman and Robin had a fight? They made such a great team, he didn’t think they even knew how to fight with each other.
“Batman can be… a little dumb sometimes.”
Impossible.
“And an idiot.”
Never!
“He could also be extremely blind to the cues other people send him.” Robin added.
“Oh,” Tim said. “Me too. My teacher told me that I needed to learn how to read people before I made them angry. And I make a lot of people angry. Like when Noah passed me a note during class and I read it instead of passing it to Sarah like he wanted to. It made him really angry and he punched me in the face after class.”
Robin blinked at him. “Oh… kay.” He ate a spoonful of ice-cream. “That doesn’t sound very nice of him.”
Tim shook his head. “No. He’s not nice at all. He likes to steal my camera bag. It’s why I joined karate in the first place. So I could whip out some moves the next time he does it when school starts.”
Robin laughed. “Well, your moves are great. I’m sure you’ll show him up. Don’t forget to tell a trusted adult about it though.”
Tim nodded, pushing down the urge to scoff, “What trusted adult?”
Robin scooped a large chunk of his colorful ice cream and licked it.
“Do you and Batman get ice-cream too?”
Robin hesitated, a brief flash of something crossing his face. “Yeah. We used to. Not anymore though.”
“Why not?”
Robin rolled his eyes. “Cuz he’s just too up his high horse to care about us people down here.”
“Batman has a horse?”
Robin laughed. He doubled over and clutched his stomach as giggles poured out of him. “Oh, kid.” He wiped a tear from his face. “You’re hilarious and I love that. Is it okay if I ruffle your hair?”
Tim nodded.
Robin reached out and messed up his hair. Tim closed his eyes at the feeling, a smile stretching across his lips. It reminded him of the hug he had received back when he was at three, at Haly’s circus.
Something beeped from Robin’s belt, and the pair looked down to see a small red light blinking on one of his pockets.
“Welp. There’s a crime that needs to be stopped and Batman needs me to cover his six.” He grinned at Tim. “Thanks for hanging out with me, little bud. You know… I don’t always have ice-cream with kids during patrol. You’re the first.”
Tim gasped in surprise. “Really? Just me?”
“Yep. You’re a special kid, squirt. I had fun hanging out with you.”
“Even if I messed up and hurt you?”
“Even that.” Robin pulled out his grapple gun and aimed it. "You’ll stay safe, kid?"
“I will,” Tim promised.
“Good. See you around!” He shot his grapple, flying away.
"Bye, Dick," Tim whispered. “See you around.”