Diabolical | T. Drake ✔

[49] The Parent Trap

Bruce finally understood why Tim had been so disturbed since the past few days when his secretary informed him that Jack and Janet Drake had requested to meet him. He hadn't known they were back in Gotham but perhaps Tim had found out and that was why he was so on edge.

Right then, the couple had shown up at his workplace and wanted to meet him probably to discuss Tim's custody. Legally, Bruce was stated only as a guardian for Tim until he turned eighteen and that time period had ended last year. So Tim wasn't under his guardianship anymore but staying with him on his own will.

Perhaps the Drakes wanted to meet their son and had come to see him first to avoid complications.

"Send them in," he told the secretary and she nodded, stepping out to inform the couple that Bruce was ready to see them.

A short while after, Jack and Janet Drake came to his office, taking the seats across from his desk upon his gesture. A tense air hung about them as they were uncertain of how Bruce would respond to them and Bruce himself was slightly uneasy regarding the topic of their discussion.

Perhaps it would have been easier if Tim was present but then thinking about how stressed out the boy had been, Bruce quickly decided against it. 

He wasn't aware that the Drakes intended to get rid of Tim for the insurance money as that was a fact Tim had told very few people. But he did know that their relationship was strained due to the way Tim acted whenever he was shown love and care. He must have lived deprived of it with his parents and that had affected him a lot. 

As he observed the couple seated in front of him, he felt there was something the two had done to Timothy that had made him consider faking his own death and running away from them.

"Mister Wayne, we have come to discuss Tim," Jack Drake initiated the conversation, quite evidently unsettled by Bruce's deep observant gaze, "as you must be aware, we had no idea he had survived in that car crash and had to leave Gotham shortly after. But after returning to the city, we heard he's alive and in your care."

He paused, closely observing Bruce's reaction to his words but the latter kept a very straight emotionless face as he listened to them.

"He's our only child and we have missed him dearly," Janet spoke up, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief, "fate has given us a chance to reconcile with him and we hope you will allow us to do so."

Bruce felt a layer of superficiality seeping through Janet's tears. His instincts were telling him that the emotion the woman was expressing right then was fake.

Either she did not care a lot for Tim and was just pretending to be so emotionally moved or there was some other motive for her to request meeting him.

"We heard you had legally taken custody of Tim so we decided to come here first," Jack elaborated, "we really want to meet our boy, Mister Wayne. It has been so long..."

So long... And not once did they come back to Gotham to even visit the grave of their only child who presumably died in the car crash.

"The court labeled me as Tim's guardian only until he came of age," Bruce remarked, "right now, Tim is nineteen and no longer under my custody. If he wants to meet you, he can. And if he doesn't, then I will not force him. I no longer have a say in this."

"But he still lives with you, no?"

"Yes. Because he considers us his family," the words seemed to be an intentional jab at the two and Janet quickly looked away, hiding her eyes again. 

Of course, Tim considered the Waynes his family more than he could ever think about his own parents. And that too was justified as Jack and Janet had never given him any reason to trust them or be attached to them.