Diabolical | T. Drake ✔

[14] Pros Of Sleeping Under The Bed

Steph was shaking her head in a very I told you so expression as she looked after Tim's hand. His bones had almost gotten crushed and he had been hiding away from Bruce as he didn't want to explain the situation to him.

Alfred already knew that he had given some medication to Jason without telling any of them but as it did not cause any negative impact, he didn't tell Bruce about it. Still, Tim was worried that he would get caught and lectured by their Dad and that would result in his favorite son privileges being compromised.

"I told you injecting him was a bad idea. What if he actually broke your hand?" Steph asked, looking at the darkening bruises staining his pale skin.

"He could have but he didn't. Also, it might sound strange but I like him, y'know," Tim mumbled, hissing through the pain as she applied ointment to his hand before wrapping it tightly with a bandage to relieve the pain.

"So? You like people who are horrible to you, nothing new in that. You even like the Scarecrow, for fuck's sake..."

"Okay, that's another topic for another time, don't remind me of Uncle Crow."

She grimaced, "and here I thought I had seen all that was weird to you, looks like I was wrong."

He shrugged, bringing the topic back to their previous remarks, "but you're never horrible to me and I like you too."

"Guess I am the only exception then because you have very questionable preferences otherwise."

"Nope, I also like Alfred and Dick and Bruce. They are all never horrible to me," he resumed, "but Jay's not that bad either. He was very considerate after he realized I didn't mean him any harm."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically, "oh yeah? How considerate not to crush your hand completely..."

"No not that. I mean he actually looked concerned when he asked if my hand was broken or not. He's a good dude."

She rolled her eyes, knowing Tim had the tendency to go in the opposite direction of what an average human would think of, "this so-called good dude has murdered people, loads of them. And he probably doesn't feel any remorse."

"If I was in his place, I wouldn't either," Tim replied, taking her by alarm, "I mean, he's killed but those were all bad people. In my opinion, he's doing Gotham a favor by getting rid of all the scumbags. He shoulda killed the Joker too while he could. Would save so many people from becoming his victims in the future."

"Don't you dare say that in front of Bruce or even I won't be able to save you from a lecture," she sighed wearily, pinning up the bandage, "there, you're all done. Don't smash your hand anywhere and you will be fine in a couple of hours."

"Thanks, Stephie. It feels much better now," he smiled at her, showing that genuine dimpled smile that very few people got to see.

"You're welcome," she replied, her eyes softening to see that genuine look on his face, "just don't get yourself hurt again."

"I will try," he remarked playfully.

"So how long are you going to stay holed up in my room?" She asked, noticing the time.

"As long as I am fully sure that I won't get into any trouble with Bruce," he replied, grimacing at the thought, "he really is frightening when he gets angry and I give him every damn reason to."

"If you think about it before doing anything he doesn't want you to, you wouldn't have to worry later," she said, knowing she had told him that multiple times before as well.

But being Tim, he never listened.

"That's the fiftieth time you've given me the same advice."

"And you're so stubborn that you have not followed it even once," she packed up her first aid kit and stood up from the carpet, "so you're not coming out for dinner either?"

"Not if Bruce is down there."

"And where will you go to sleep?"

"Under your bed," he replied, seemingly having thought of everything.

"No Tim, that's creepy," she clearly refused to let him have his way that once, "you can sleep on the couch if you want to but not under my bed. Nope, that's where I draw the line."

He shrugged, "okay, I respect that. But I do sleep under my own bed too. How is that creepy?"

"Have you never heard of monsters hiding under beds? This just reminds me of that. And it doesn't help that if I switch off the lights and see your sleepy face, you would look quite scary."

He chuckled, "monsters aren't real, come on. And I am not scary. You're overexaggerating."

"I know but still... And don't you get uncomfortable on the floor? Why do you still sleep under your bed?"

"I guess old habits die hard," he shrugged nonchalantly, "I used to sleep under an old table in my basement. Being under the bed makes me feel I am still there. Also, if anyone sneaked in to kill me in my sleep, I would know by the sound of their footsteps against the floor and be on my guard. I will also have enough time to escape while they try to find me. So in a sense, it's safer to be under the bed rather than over."

"And that's supposed to be comforting to you?" Her eyes were wide in shock, not able to understand him.

"Well, you and I have very different perceptions of comfort," he remarked, "but I won't sleep under your bed if it freaks you out. The carpet here is fine too."

"No wonder why you complain that your back hurts all the time," she stood up to leave, "wait here, I will be right back."

"Where are you going?" he asked, dubious for a second that she would go and tell Bruce where he was hiding.

"To bring dinner here for both of us. The others are going to be busy with Jason so it will be better if we don't pester them."

"Oh... Okay."

In a while Steph returned, holding a tray set with dinner and she placed it on the carpet in front of Tim. But it seemed as if the boy was lost in thought as he didn't acknowledge her.

"Hey, dinner is here."

He looked startled but then relaxed, "oh thanks."

"You sure you won't have any trouble eating?" She asked, knowing his right hand was damaged.

"Yeah, I will be fine," he nodded, carefully picking up the spoon, "I was just thinking something and would you like to hear it?"

She shrugged with a slight smile, "you're going to tell me anyway so why ask?"

"Exactly. So I was thinking..."

Their dinner passed amid intensely engaged conversation as usual for Tim told her about a new conspiracy theory he had regarding Jason's resurrection and she found ways to counter his argument.

Down in the cave, Jason too was having dinner and thinking whether he should leave the next morning or stay for a couple of days. A lot of things had changed since he had supposedly died and he had seen one of the most prominent changes in person.

That boy Timothy Drake seemed like a very strange choice for Bruce to take in and he wanted to find out more about him. So ultimately, he decided to stay for breakfast and ask Richard about the new addition to the family.

***