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English
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Part 78 of 365 Days of One Word Prompts (and my Suffering)
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365 Days of Suffering, From Ghibli to Star Wars, S.T.I.L.L., Best, Alternative Universes of Fandoms I enjoy.
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Published:
2022-03-20
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1,530
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1/1
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Neighbourhood

Summary:

Tim Drake's neighbour is a little weird. He's rough and humongous and generally looks terrifying but he's also the sweetest most caring person Tim's met- He helps old ladies with their shopping yet always carries around firearms. He helps Tim with his heavy bags and shoots walls? He's full of contrasting features and Tim can't help but be draw to him. Yeah, Jason Peterson is an enigma.

AKA Jason revives and returns to Gotham only after Bruce replaced Tim with Damian.

//Day 78 of One Word Prompt Fics and some minor Jaytim :D

Notes:

Sooooooo,, to clarify some points.

- Jason has very little interest in beating up a 10 year old Damian when he returns to Gotham and instead just becomes Red Hood to clean up Gotham his way without any dramatic revenge/identity reveal. He doesn't think it wise to beat up both Bruce's biological son, a literal baby, and Talia's spawn.
- He doesn't bother to look up/doesn't find out about Steph and Tim's time as Robin.
- He doesn't even know Tim lived with Bruce for a while, it wasn't important in his Robin-research so??
- Tim doesn't recognize Jason because the Jason he knew was a scrawny kid. This Jason is a big boi, about 7 or 8 years older, and why would Tim think, oh this muST be that one dead guy? Instead he maybe subconciously thinks he looks a little like him but NOT actually him??
- Jason goes by Jason Peterson. He's not dumb enough to use his actual name, lest Bruce find him.
- Jason doesn't go back home bc Bruce has his own actual kid now, why would he want a 23 year old murderer that wasn't even his son??
- Red Robin and Red Hood have had a couple of fights/chases but it was a weird form of Banter/flirting?? idk
- other plot things idk??
- Tim thinks the family don't want him anymore bc he was replaced, turns out Bruce was just bad at communicating and thought Tim would want to take a break from Robin bc he had College exam-things-work-ect coming up he might want to focus on??
- The family think Tim wants space to study/get through college without their chaos.
- Basically bad communicating all round... misunderstandings galore...

 

i think thats it but idk, i dont think too hard about the plot holes anymore, i dont even really like how this ended up so... lets just get it over with...

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Tim’s neighbour was weird. 

 

He was also unfairly attractive and built like Batman himself, significantly taller and bulkier than Tim’s lithe frame. But mostly he was ridiculously nice despite the rough Crime Alley accent and the fact he clearly was always armed. Tim had briefly trained under Batman, before he’d been fired and replaced, he knew what it looked like when someone was packing. And Jason always was.

 

But still, the man was never mean to Tim, Tim who to his knowledge was a random, untrained citizen of Gotham, whose accent was a little bit too high class for the run down apartment block they both lived in, whose clothes were a little too nice and who despite being a student didn’t seem to be living in debt… Tim, of course, was Red Robin, he had more money then he’d probably ever spend (courtesy of two dead millionaire parents and a billionaire pseudo father… who he was mostly estranged from, per the previously mentioned ‘replacing’ incident.)

 

So, even if Jason did decide he was done playing the nice guy and take what Tim had, it wasn’t like Tim couldn’t defend himself. If the guy ever decided he wanted a bit of the money Tim clearly wasn’t without, or… well, anything. Tim would be ready. It never happened though.

 

Days turned into weeks, turned into months and his neighbour who Tim was 90% certain was in a gang (he heard him go out most nights, late, and sometimes, just very rarely, he could hear shouts through the wall as he ranted down the phone,) was still being nice to him. One time he’d heard the guy shoot his wall a couple of times, a few smashes and crashes, probably in anger. The next morning Jason had offered to carry his heavy bag of books down the stairs when the elevator was broken. Tim had to reign in the whiplash he was experiencing. He was ruthless and kind, intimidating and approachable- so many contrasts. 

 

You could hardly blame Tim for being curious, maybe even attracted to the man. Sue him, he was 20, he was allowed to have crushes on people who could be able to murder him-

 

 

“Morning Timbo.” Jason shot him a lazy salute as they left their flats at the same time. It was typical they both departed at similar times and most weekdays Tim would bump into him as they made the trek down 4 flights of stairs. (The elevator was always out of order.)

 

“Morning Jason.” He hummed back, less books needed for today's classes and a travel mug full of coffee in one hand. 

 

“Need a hand today?” Jason asked, a tea in his own hand and his keys swinging round and round one finger absentmindedly.

 

“Nah, I’m okay thanks.” Tim smiled faintly at the offer. He’d gratefully taken it last time because he had gotten a nasty bruise on his back last time from patrol and he didn’t fancy carrying his rucksack against it. This time he was okay, other than a healing stab wound but that was in his upper arm and he was fine. Honest.

 

“If you’re sure. The offer still stands.” Jason shrugged and took a sip of tea. “Many classes today?” He asked for a moment and Tim shook his head.

 

“Nah, just two hours of French and then I’m done. Today’s a quiet day.” Tim answered.

 

“You Majoring French?” Jason asked curiously as they made their way through the doors and onto the staircase, his keys stopped swinging and were slid into an inside pocket of his worn brown leather jacket.

 

“No, just minor. I uh, after my parents died I did a little digging into my family, turns out my mothers parents were both French, they’d moved to Gotham shortly after she was born… I thought it might be nice to study what would have originally been my mothers birth language.” 

 

“Oh. That’s… sorry ‘bout your parents, kid.” Jason started and then pursed his lips. “French hm. Classy. You know much yet?” He queried .

 

“Going into my third year soon so I should hope so.” Tim smirked and then switched to French, “I presume you don’t know any so I’ll take this chance to tell you how unfairly hot you are.” He spoke, watching Jason’s brows furrow.

 

“Sadly French isn’t in my skill set.” Jason finally replied, his voice a little lower and Tim frowned, confused but mostly pleased, that could have backfired horribly on him.

 

A flight of stairs later, a bold number 3 on the wall, the pair kept going, Jason taking another swig of tea.

 

“I do know Spanish if that's anything though.” Jason shrugged, “I know some basics in Romani too…” Jason admitted after a pause. Tim perked up. That was interesting.

 

“I know a little too. Romani, that is, no Spanish sadly. I could fumble through a bit of basic German maybe?”



“Well, feel free to speak more French to me anytime, Timbo, it’s a pretty language.” He grinned. Tim felt his face warm.

 

“I uh- I won’t say no. Do you maybe wanna hang out sometime? I feel like our entire relationship is just up and down these stairs….” Tim bravely went with and he practically felt Jason’s surprised stare without looking.

 

“You…want to spend time with me? Like.. as friends or?”



“A date. Um. If you’re okay with that- I didn’t even ask if yo-”



“With me?” Jason seemed more hung up on the fact he’d been asked rather than Tim not asking his sexuality.

 

“Uh- yes?” Tim was confused, was Jason disgusted or was he agreeing or-

 

“I.. would love to.” Jason finally answered, turning to offer a small smile that had Tim beam. Well, that had gone plenty better than he’d imagined as they passed the bold 2 on the wall. The stairs were a nightmare.

 

“Great! I, uh, lemme get you my phone number.” Tim mumbled, fingers juggling his mug to pull out his phone, reeling off the number for Jason to put in his own. Tim couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off his face. Sure, he’d just gotten a date and a phone number from a suspected gang member, but Tim felt almost certain the man wasn’t a bad guy, he couldn’t be.

 

He’d seen him help Ms Wilkinson from Flat 401 with her groceries last week, her bags had split and spilled all her shopping across the stairway. Tim had been on his way down, to meet up with Bart and Kon when he’d found the gruff man picking everything up and making a bag out of his jacket. Ms Wilkinson, Winnie, was almost 80- it was genuinely a crime she had to hobble up four flights of stairs- was whispering little pleas of gratitude as Jason shrugged it off, took her entire groceries in one hand and helped her up three flights of stairs with his other. Yeah, Tim was certain bad guys didn’t stop what they were doing to help old ladies.

 

When they’d almost been out of earshot, Tim could still hear Jason ask about her grandkids, either very good at acting interested or being genuinely curious and invested in his neighbours life. Tim thought it was sweet.

 

So yes, maybe getting a gang members number while he was Red Robin was a dumb idea. How was that going to work out if they started dating and Tim busted his ass one night in costume- oh god that would be terrible and-

 

“Timmy?” 

 

Oh. Jason was trying to get his attention.

 

“Sorry- my thoughts spiralled.” Tim grimaced and Jason waved it off.

 

“It’s okay, I was just asking if you needed a ride.” Jason spoke and oh, they were on the ground floor already. Tim looked at the bike Jason had thumbed at, when offering a lift, a red helmet resting carefully on it.

 

Double Oh. Tim knew that bike. He’d chased after it four nights ago.

 

Somehow Tim had left his flat single and unattached and reached the ground floor with a promised date with a hulking 6’2 Crime Lord? 

 

He looked at Jason, carefully, the man was only two years older than him, and somehow was the notorious Red Hood? 

 

“Yes, I’d love a lift.” Tim found himself answering, because apparently his sense of self preservation didn’t exist. Actually, if anything he was pretty happy with the development. Red Hood may cross a line Bruce didn’t but he also only used lethal force on the worst Gotham had to offer… Tim wondered when his moral values had begun to drift from Batman's, when exactly he’d found himself justifying or empathising with the Crime Lord… It didn’t really matter though, did it? He’d been cast aside. Or maybe he just hadn’t been worth as much as he thought… Tim hadn’t thought too much, it hurt to do so… 

 

“Great, hop on.” Jason smiled, missing Tim’s internal dilemma.

 

And Tim got on the bike. Fretting about the consequences of dating Red Hood’s Civilian Identity was a problem for Future Time.

 

Present Tim was going to very much enjoy clinging onto Jason’s strong, wide back on the ride to college, thank you very much.

Notes:

Tim: So why exactly are you Red Hood?
Jason: *chOKES* I'm sorry whTA/.?! hOW DID YOU-
Tim: I mean your bike helmet was literally just like the Red Hood mask
Tim: and you're always clearly packing
Tim: and you just confirmed it by saying that :)))
Jason: ...... fuck.

anyway,, we did it. i had a different plan in mind, more drawn out, ect, alas i flumped... fuck.

oh well... i can revist the idea if i change my mind...

tomorrows word is Boot!!!!!! until tomorrow <3

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