𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 ► 𝘋𝘊 𝘹 𝘔𝘊𝘜

chapter fifteen.

❞Riff-Raff.❞

✯✯✯

IT'S BEEN 4 YEARS and a half since I dropped down into this new universe, and it's been 3 years and a half since Jason's death. His grave is right in front of me, I come here every day, it's become a habit of sorts. Bruce comes on the weekends, Dick comes with whenever he's free of crushing college work; I'm better at college and I'm a first year and he's a second year. A bouquet of red chrysanthemums sits beside me, I reminisce when I come here, and other times I tell Jason's grave the nitty gritty details of my day, starting from the bitchy coffee shop worker down to the guy who glared at me because of Dick, either angry because Dick was with me and not him or because Dick had offended him. We'll never know.

Today's newsletter included the news of a new kid Bruce had adopted. A 17-year-old with quick hacking skills, even I have to applaud those. Timothy Drake is the new Robin, being trained by me and being spoiled by Dick. 

Tim wasn't a replacement and he'd made it clear to me and Dick. Neither had Jason been a replacement for Dick, but in that case, Bruce had made the mistake of not clarifying that to Dick, he'd corrected his mistake this time. 

Tim's fun, he's making it easier for Bruce, Dick, and me. Bruce needed something to occupy his attention because without something to focus on he would either kill Joker or end up nagging me and Dick to death. 

Dick needs a brother, Wally's deeply in love with Artemis and is currently thinking of leaving the team and so Dick needs someone else, and even though I'm a great best friend, he needs someone to take care of and I love being taken care of but he nags too much. 

Tim is a good distraction for me as well, it's fun to have hacking competitions with him, plus he's a GEN-Z teenager who cracks jokes on depression and other gen-z references, he's a good friend. 

It's been a year since Tim's been added to the bat family and I guess you can say the kid's wormed his way into my heart, he's my bestie... heh. Don't tell Dick that, he'd start crying dramatically. 

He's embraced his flair of theatrics since Jason's death, he routinely recites Shakespeare when he's beating up criminals and resorts to making high school musical references. His favorite new movie, the greatest showman is also a good source of his references... in honor of Jason's absolute refusal to let Dick watch the damned movie. 

"You would laugh if you saw Dick now," I tell the gravestone, smiling to myself, "He's a dork, more so after your death... but Nightwing is surprisingly cooler, I don't know how the fuck that works... he's a little more responsible, I guess."

I shrug, "He's violently protective over Tim, the poor kid isn't allowed to go on patrol by himself!"

"If you were here, you'd either love it or hate it," I say, leaning back on my arms, "Dick would probably always greet you with a hug or a kiss on the cheek, I know this because that's what he does with Tim, and the angelic kid doesn't tell Dick that he doesn't like the kisses and the hugs, so this hilarious thing goes on!"