![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[DC Comics] Five Cities Tim Drake Never Lived in (And One Where He Did)
Guys, this one marks a first for me: I actually edited this one a ton. It took me a lot longer than I would have liked, but I think the extra effort made all the difference. Yes, these stories are AU: they're plotbunnies from my time on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
permanent_way. (I wanted to play Tim Drake, but I couldn't decide what world I'd toss him into... so I decided to put the plotbunnies to rest here.)
Unlike a lot of my other fics, this one doesn't require much knowledge of DC Comics beyond "Tim Drake never gets a break in Zi's world." So, uh, give it a chance?
Title: Five Cities Tim Drake Never Lived In (And One Where He Did)
Fandom: DC Comics [crossover with That 70's Show, Kim Possible, Glee, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Danny Phantom.]
Summary: Pretty self-explanatory. There are five cities - five worlds - Tim Drake never lived in, and one in which he did. How are those lives different... and yet similar?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these shows or comics. I'm just meshing all of these ideas together for a quick fanfic, so please don't sue?
1) Point Place, Wisconsin
One of these days, Tim swore he'd stop sharing pot with his friends. He promised himself every single freaking time... and yet? It never happened. In the safety of his basement, they all sat in one large circle and enjoyed the illegal substance together. Within seconds, his friends became the epitome of idiocy over something as simple as whether or not they should walk through the door.
"No, man, we shouldn't," Kon - Tim's best friend and partner-in-crime - laughed hysterically as his head rested on his girlfriend's shoulder. "It's painted blue! Did you see all those bugs?"
"You're totally tripping," Bart retorted as he took the beloved drugs from Cassie's hands. "The door is fine. No one's going to hurt themselves."
Cassie bolted up. Kon immediately fell to the floor. No one seemed to care until Cassie blurted out, "You guys. What if that door leads down to the Rabbit Hole? And we end up in Wonderland?"
Bart and Kon stared, "We never thought of that."
Tim banged his head against the washing machine. Repeatedly. His friends stared at him awkwardly for minutes (it felt like hours) before Cassie tentatively spoke, "Tim? Are you okay?"
"He just doesn't want to go to Wonderland," Kon scoffed as he continued to smoke more pot. Taking a breath, he laughed, "Just like Timmy to be a---" He stopped to stare at Tim's fallen body. "---Mama's boy."
Unsurprisingly, Tim spent the rest of the evening in his bedroom. As for the pot? Well. He'd have to stop his friends' ridiculous drug habits another day.
2) Middleton, USA
Most superheroes had some super cool batcave where they stored all the gadgets they needed to fight crime. Tim Drake, the Boy Who Could Do Anything... had his school locker. It wasn't even a cool locker, just your standard school-issued locker with his books and a telescreen for Babs Gordon-Kord to work her magic. Once, Quiz Kid - yeah, he knows his enemies have the weirdest names - had seen his locker and laughed, "What kind of superhero has a locker?"
Could Tim even be considered a superhero? He didn't have a secret identity; his parents were still alive; and his friends often didn't care about his double life. Well, scratch that: Kon had been furious when Tim and the Mad Hatter had thoroughly trashed the school gym.
"DUDE," Kon had screamed in his best friend's face. "Next time you and your archenemy have an epic brawl, don't do it in the gym. Did you know how hard basketball practice's going to be next month?"
So maybe they cared about his double life... when it affected them. Otherwise, Tim didn't get much flak for his freelancing habits. His dad cared sometimes - "Be sure to come back from India safely!" - and his archenemies weren't as bad as they appeared most days. (He even did Poison Ivy's taxes one year! Needless to say, they never spoke of it again.)
Opening his locker, Tim grinned at Babs. Another day... another mission. Before Babs could even give him the low-down, he was already ready for work. "So," He eagerly said, slinging his backpack across his shoulder and tightening his gloves for the day. "What's the sitch?"
3) Lima, Ohio
When Mr. Schuester asked Tim to stay after practice, Tim figured he was in trouble again. He must've said something to Brittany - it didn't matter what, the girl was stupid enough to believe anything - or another Cheerio like Stephanie Brown. They twisted his words out of proportion! They lied! They cheated! They stole! They---
"Brittany started it!" Tim blurted out, fidgeting and hoping to dear God that no one actually figured it out. They couldn't know! What he did with his Batman comics on his own time was his own business and no one else's....
"Tim," Mr. Schuester laughed upon seeing the boy's worried face, "Relax. You're not in trouble."
Huh? Tim now plopped onto the nearest seat, "Sir? Then why am I here?"
His teacher patted Tim's shoulder before sitting down on one of the nearby chairs. "I wanted to ask you to go over a few measures with me. During practice, you seemed to be distracted by Cass? I understand you're both friends, but..."
Was that all he was worried about? Tim's smile grew wider. Taking out the sheet music, Tim shook his head, "I just had an off day in class. Cass was the only one who knew. Don't worry about it so much." It was funny how things worked out like this; last week, Tim was part of the Knowledge Bowl team. One of the top nerds. Someone who studied and climbed his way to the top of the academic ladder. And now? He was a member of the Glee club... of all things.
Satisfied with the answer, Mr. Shuester shared the music with his student. "Somewhere over the rainbow... Way up high..."
"There's a land I heard of... Once in a lullaby..." Tim finished, singing in perfect harmony.
They could both hear the murmurs of other students listening into their private practice, but neither Tim nor Mr. Schuester cared. As long as they were part of Glee club, the show would always - always! - march on.
4) Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York
Another summer, another chance to survive this crazy new life. Tim grumpily thrust his blueprints onto his bedside desk. The Athena cabin was usually packed with people - well, not packed like Hermes, who had 20 people - but tonight, everyone was busy with the chariot races. If it weren't for the high fever crippling him, Tim would've joined his friends in a heartbeat. Even jumping off his bed was difficult tonight.
Yet even he knew that the blueprints were worth the excruciating pain. The ancient Greek letters jumped off the page the moment he laid eyes on them. What mysteries would he uncover? It hadn't been easy, prying these blueprints from Oracle and Nightwing. Once a superhero, it seemed... always a superhero. He'd left the Batfamily three summers ago. His then-girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, took over his duties. Did he miss the life of a superhero? Sure.
"Hmm," He murmured to himself, peering closely into the depths of the blueprints. He took a white pen and lightly sketched over something that didn't look right. Something about these blueprints suggested the presence of a mythological creature... or to put it better, its treasure. The Oracle - the real Oracle, from Greek mythology - had suggested Tim to seek these gems. It was his first quest, after years of shepherding and tagging along with other campers. His chance to prove himself as a true son of Athena!
He wouldn't fail them. Not now. They were his family, as crazy as Annabeth could be with her plans and schemes, and who couldn't forget her boyfriend Percy Jackson and his tendency to snark at everything?
When his half-siblings came back, none of them were surprised to see Tim fast-asleep at his desk. His half-sister Annabeth and another half-brother gently lifted him and placed Tim under his own covers. Brushing back his bangs, Annabeth leaned down and gently kissed her brother's forehead.
"Sleep well," She whispered. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
5) Amity Park, USA
Everywhere Tim went, people kept talking about the ghost boy. He honestly didn't get all the fuss about this 'Danny Phantom' kid. So Amity Park had a new superhero who saved nearly everyone at some point in their lives. Congratulations! That... really shouldn't have been a license for "we shall now all turn into a city of bumbling idiots." (Unfortunately, Tim suspected this might have been the case years ago.)
"This is ridiculous," Tim groaned to his classmate as they navigated the busy hallways. "When's everyone gonna realize that Danny Phantom isn't always going to be around?"
The brunet blinked, "Huh? Uh, gee, Tim, I have no idea what you mean."
Figures he'd have to explain something to Danny Fenton.... as usual. There was a reason Tim and Sam often stayed after school to help Danny with his homework! Laughing, Tim shrugged, "You know what I mean. I think Danny Phantom's great, but I also don't think people should use him as an excuse to be stupid."
Danny looked thoughtful for a moment. As the two walked into the cafeteria, Danny finally said, "You know... you actually have a point there."
"You wouldn't know it from these people," Tim grinned. "Yeah, I don't mind Phantom. But people really shouldn't lose what little brain cells they have."
"Hey!" Danny protested, playfully nudging his friend's shoulder. "Was that an insult?"
Tim wrinkled his nose, "Do you even have to ask?"
A fight broke out just as the two received their lunches. Danny - claiming he needed to grab some homework - left in a hurry. Without warning, the lights flickered on and off... ghosts? In their high school? Tim froze. What the heck was he supposed to do? It wasn't like--- he could see Danny Phantom, their town savior, flying before him. They were only inches apart. Whoa.
For the first time in god-knows-how-long, Tim changed his mind. Maybe, just maybe, superheroes were worth the drop in intelligence... if only because they managed to charm nearly everyone they met.
6) Gotham City, New Jersey
One long patrol after another. God, how much longer was he going to be out here? Red Robin wasn't exactly sure. In some of the homes, he could catch glimpses of their television shows - the familiar songs of Glee stuck out the most - and movies that bored teenagers watched together. Some nights, he wanted so badly to be part of their world. They didn't have to worry about supervillains knocking on their doorstep.
No, they didn't even need to worry about secret identities and fighting. Justice didn't even cross their thoughts. What exactly was life here? Red Robin had to remind himself, as he stood in the cold, that he had succeeded. Damian and Dick were now convinced that Bruce Wayne was alive. All they needed to do now was go out and find him.
This, he was sure of. What he didn't know? Was just about everything else. Women confused him - sure, with Stephanie and Tam and all of his other girlfriends - along with this thing they called 'a normal life.'
Swinging effortlessly from one building to another, Red Robin let himself indulge in the adrenaline rush. The night was still young. He didn't need to worry about other superheroes, other lives that he could be living. The only one he truly had to claim was this one - and this one alone. All the others? All of his dreams? Were finally put to rest the moment he stepped again onto solid ground.
He smiled at both Batman and Robin. "Hey," He said, beckoning for them. "Follow me."
When there is only one life to lead - one single possibility - everything else seems to completely vanish in the darkness. It is a small comfort, but one Red Robin has finally taken to heart. He knows, after all, that he will probably never, ever lead a normal life... no matter what city he's in.
permanent_way. (I wanted to play Tim Drake, but I couldn't decide what world I'd toss him into... so I decided to put the plotbunnies to rest here.) Unlike a lot of my other fics, this one doesn't require much knowledge of DC Comics beyond "Tim Drake never gets a break in Zi's world." So, uh, give it a chance?
Title: Five Cities Tim Drake Never Lived In (And One Where He Did)
Fandom: DC Comics [crossover with That 70's Show, Kim Possible, Glee, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Danny Phantom.]
Summary: Pretty self-explanatory. There are five cities - five worlds - Tim Drake never lived in, and one in which he did. How are those lives different... and yet similar?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these shows or comics. I'm just meshing all of these ideas together for a quick fanfic, so please don't sue?
1) Point Place, Wisconsin
One of these days, Tim swore he'd stop sharing pot with his friends. He promised himself every single freaking time... and yet? It never happened. In the safety of his basement, they all sat in one large circle and enjoyed the illegal substance together. Within seconds, his friends became the epitome of idiocy over something as simple as whether or not they should walk through the door.
"No, man, we shouldn't," Kon - Tim's best friend and partner-in-crime - laughed hysterically as his head rested on his girlfriend's shoulder. "It's painted blue! Did you see all those bugs?"
"You're totally tripping," Bart retorted as he took the beloved drugs from Cassie's hands. "The door is fine. No one's going to hurt themselves."
Cassie bolted up. Kon immediately fell to the floor. No one seemed to care until Cassie blurted out, "You guys. What if that door leads down to the Rabbit Hole? And we end up in Wonderland?"
Bart and Kon stared, "We never thought of that."
Tim banged his head against the washing machine. Repeatedly. His friends stared at him awkwardly for minutes (it felt like hours) before Cassie tentatively spoke, "Tim? Are you okay?"
"He just doesn't want to go to Wonderland," Kon scoffed as he continued to smoke more pot. Taking a breath, he laughed, "Just like Timmy to be a---" He stopped to stare at Tim's fallen body. "---Mama's boy."
Unsurprisingly, Tim spent the rest of the evening in his bedroom. As for the pot? Well. He'd have to stop his friends' ridiculous drug habits another day.
2) Middleton, USA
Most superheroes had some super cool batcave where they stored all the gadgets they needed to fight crime. Tim Drake, the Boy Who Could Do Anything... had his school locker. It wasn't even a cool locker, just your standard school-issued locker with his books and a telescreen for Babs Gordon-Kord to work her magic. Once, Quiz Kid - yeah, he knows his enemies have the weirdest names - had seen his locker and laughed, "What kind of superhero has a locker?"
Could Tim even be considered a superhero? He didn't have a secret identity; his parents were still alive; and his friends often didn't care about his double life. Well, scratch that: Kon had been furious when Tim and the Mad Hatter had thoroughly trashed the school gym.
"DUDE," Kon had screamed in his best friend's face. "Next time you and your archenemy have an epic brawl, don't do it in the gym. Did you know how hard basketball practice's going to be next month?"
So maybe they cared about his double life... when it affected them. Otherwise, Tim didn't get much flak for his freelancing habits. His dad cared sometimes - "Be sure to come back from India safely!" - and his archenemies weren't as bad as they appeared most days. (He even did Poison Ivy's taxes one year! Needless to say, they never spoke of it again.)
Opening his locker, Tim grinned at Babs. Another day... another mission. Before Babs could even give him the low-down, he was already ready for work. "So," He eagerly said, slinging his backpack across his shoulder and tightening his gloves for the day. "What's the sitch?"
3) Lima, Ohio
When Mr. Schuester asked Tim to stay after practice, Tim figured he was in trouble again. He must've said something to Brittany - it didn't matter what, the girl was stupid enough to believe anything - or another Cheerio like Stephanie Brown. They twisted his words out of proportion! They lied! They cheated! They stole! They---
"Brittany started it!" Tim blurted out, fidgeting and hoping to dear God that no one actually figured it out. They couldn't know! What he did with his Batman comics on his own time was his own business and no one else's....
"Tim," Mr. Schuester laughed upon seeing the boy's worried face, "Relax. You're not in trouble."
Huh? Tim now plopped onto the nearest seat, "Sir? Then why am I here?"
His teacher patted Tim's shoulder before sitting down on one of the nearby chairs. "I wanted to ask you to go over a few measures with me. During practice, you seemed to be distracted by Cass? I understand you're both friends, but..."
Was that all he was worried about? Tim's smile grew wider. Taking out the sheet music, Tim shook his head, "I just had an off day in class. Cass was the only one who knew. Don't worry about it so much." It was funny how things worked out like this; last week, Tim was part of the Knowledge Bowl team. One of the top nerds. Someone who studied and climbed his way to the top of the academic ladder. And now? He was a member of the Glee club... of all things.
Satisfied with the answer, Mr. Shuester shared the music with his student. "Somewhere over the rainbow... Way up high..."
"There's a land I heard of... Once in a lullaby..." Tim finished, singing in perfect harmony.
They could both hear the murmurs of other students listening into their private practice, but neither Tim nor Mr. Schuester cared. As long as they were part of Glee club, the show would always - always! - march on.
4) Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York
Another summer, another chance to survive this crazy new life. Tim grumpily thrust his blueprints onto his bedside desk. The Athena cabin was usually packed with people - well, not packed like Hermes, who had 20 people - but tonight, everyone was busy with the chariot races. If it weren't for the high fever crippling him, Tim would've joined his friends in a heartbeat. Even jumping off his bed was difficult tonight.
Yet even he knew that the blueprints were worth the excruciating pain. The ancient Greek letters jumped off the page the moment he laid eyes on them. What mysteries would he uncover? It hadn't been easy, prying these blueprints from Oracle and Nightwing. Once a superhero, it seemed... always a superhero. He'd left the Batfamily three summers ago. His then-girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, took over his duties. Did he miss the life of a superhero? Sure.
"Hmm," He murmured to himself, peering closely into the depths of the blueprints. He took a white pen and lightly sketched over something that didn't look right. Something about these blueprints suggested the presence of a mythological creature... or to put it better, its treasure. The Oracle - the real Oracle, from Greek mythology - had suggested Tim to seek these gems. It was his first quest, after years of shepherding and tagging along with other campers. His chance to prove himself as a true son of Athena!
He wouldn't fail them. Not now. They were his family, as crazy as Annabeth could be with her plans and schemes, and who couldn't forget her boyfriend Percy Jackson and his tendency to snark at everything?
When his half-siblings came back, none of them were surprised to see Tim fast-asleep at his desk. His half-sister Annabeth and another half-brother gently lifted him and placed Tim under his own covers. Brushing back his bangs, Annabeth leaned down and gently kissed her brother's forehead.
"Sleep well," She whispered. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
5) Amity Park, USA
Everywhere Tim went, people kept talking about the ghost boy. He honestly didn't get all the fuss about this 'Danny Phantom' kid. So Amity Park had a new superhero who saved nearly everyone at some point in their lives. Congratulations! That... really shouldn't have been a license for "we shall now all turn into a city of bumbling idiots." (Unfortunately, Tim suspected this might have been the case years ago.)
"This is ridiculous," Tim groaned to his classmate as they navigated the busy hallways. "When's everyone gonna realize that Danny Phantom isn't always going to be around?"
The brunet blinked, "Huh? Uh, gee, Tim, I have no idea what you mean."
Figures he'd have to explain something to Danny Fenton.... as usual. There was a reason Tim and Sam often stayed after school to help Danny with his homework! Laughing, Tim shrugged, "You know what I mean. I think Danny Phantom's great, but I also don't think people should use him as an excuse to be stupid."
Danny looked thoughtful for a moment. As the two walked into the cafeteria, Danny finally said, "You know... you actually have a point there."
"You wouldn't know it from these people," Tim grinned. "Yeah, I don't mind Phantom. But people really shouldn't lose what little brain cells they have."
"Hey!" Danny protested, playfully nudging his friend's shoulder. "Was that an insult?"
Tim wrinkled his nose, "Do you even have to ask?"
A fight broke out just as the two received their lunches. Danny - claiming he needed to grab some homework - left in a hurry. Without warning, the lights flickered on and off... ghosts? In their high school? Tim froze. What the heck was he supposed to do? It wasn't like--- he could see Danny Phantom, their town savior, flying before him. They were only inches apart. Whoa.
For the first time in god-knows-how-long, Tim changed his mind. Maybe, just maybe, superheroes were worth the drop in intelligence... if only because they managed to charm nearly everyone they met.
6) Gotham City, New Jersey
One long patrol after another. God, how much longer was he going to be out here? Red Robin wasn't exactly sure. In some of the homes, he could catch glimpses of their television shows - the familiar songs of Glee stuck out the most - and movies that bored teenagers watched together. Some nights, he wanted so badly to be part of their world. They didn't have to worry about supervillains knocking on their doorstep.
No, they didn't even need to worry about secret identities and fighting. Justice didn't even cross their thoughts. What exactly was life here? Red Robin had to remind himself, as he stood in the cold, that he had succeeded. Damian and Dick were now convinced that Bruce Wayne was alive. All they needed to do now was go out and find him.
This, he was sure of. What he didn't know? Was just about everything else. Women confused him - sure, with Stephanie and Tam and all of his other girlfriends - along with this thing they called 'a normal life.'
Swinging effortlessly from one building to another, Red Robin let himself indulge in the adrenaline rush. The night was still young. He didn't need to worry about other superheroes, other lives that he could be living. The only one he truly had to claim was this one - and this one alone. All the others? All of his dreams? Were finally put to rest the moment he stepped again onto solid ground.
He smiled at both Batman and Robin. "Hey," He said, beckoning for them. "Follow me."
When there is only one life to lead - one single possibility - everything else seems to completely vanish in the darkness. It is a small comfort, but one Red Robin has finally taken to heart. He knows, after all, that he will probably never, ever lead a normal life... no matter what city he's in.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Again, thanks. =) It was certainly fun to write.
no subject
no subject