Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

So the thing is, Tim might have a bit of a problem here.

It’s a simple problem, if someone asked him. Turns out there’s nothing in his fridge. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if Tim was a human child to begin with. Then buying groceries would be a walk in the park. It would just be a matter of entering a supermarket and grabbing the first snack they have on the racks.

The problem however resides in the fact Tim is not… one hundred percent human. He’s more like a hybrid; half-human and half vampire. Or a Dhampir, as old-fashioned people liked to say.

There’re good things and bad things about being a Dhampir. The good side is that he’s much stronger than a typical human. He is more sensitive and has highly attuned senses. Then there’s the fact he can also get vitamin D from the sun.

The only downside to it? Tim can only drink blood.

Now, as a fledgling, Tim has to feed multiple times a day in order to satisfy his thirst, but that’s not a problem. Tim can handle himself more than fine. He’s a big boy. He knows how the world works. It’s why his parents haven't bothered keeping a nanny anymore whenever they go on trips.

The only thing Tim needs —whenever his parents have to go abroad— is for his parents to restock their blood supply. It typically lasts three months. Maybe four, if he carefully rations each portion with precision.

It’s only when his parents extend their trips that problems start to arise. It’s not done on purpose, of course! His parents are important people. They're the kind of people who need to travel frequently in order to keep their company afloat. With so many trips, it’s only natural for them to forget about their pantry every now and then.

Whenever his food supplies start to get scarce, Tim starts skipping meals. That usually does the trick and makes it last long enough for his parents to be back into town.

The main problem with Tim is that… he’s never run out of stock before. In the three years Tim has been taking care of himself, that has never happened before. Up until now. Clearly, this is Tim’s fault for rationing his food better.

He should have known better.

He got too greedy.

When Tim first ran out of blood, he initially thought about telling his parents what had happened. Surely they would know what to do; but the thing is, Tim’s parents are important people. With so much work on their hands, his parents don’t always have the time to reply to calls or messages.

The last thing Tim wants is being a bother, so, nope! He’s not calling anyone. This is something Tim can deal with on his own. He doesn’t need anyone’s help. The only thing he has to be careful about is hunger.

If he doesn’t want to become feral he has to quench the thirst first. He already did the math; it's been three days since he last fed. Speaking in fledgling terms, Tim is days steps away from becoming feral. That’s a big no-no in Tim’s books.

Everyone knows what happens to feral vampires.

Tim doesn’t want to be put down.

Therefore,Tim's only alternative is: hunt. It doesn’t matter if it’s something Tim has never done before—he has to hunt as if his life depends on it. (His life does depend on it.) This is just a temporary measure until his parents come back home and restock their pantry.

Because he’s hungry.

So, so hungry.

Tim decides to strike around midnight. He waits until the sun dips below the horizon and all the humans have gone back to their houses, before he goes out. He can’t risk running into a human—in this altered state at least.

When he’s sure there’s no one around,Tim makes a dash for the back door. He runs, as far as his legs can carry him.

The forest welcomes him with open arms.

Soon enough, Tim is leaping through the air, pushing through the thickest part of the forest, with one objective in mind. But as the minutes soon trickle into hours, and there’s no creature in sight, Tim slowly starts to get worried.

He can’t spend all the night hunting. He’s so famished, he doesn’t think he has the energy for it. Every second Tim wastes means one step closer to becoming a feral fledgling, and Tim doesn’t want that.

By the time Tim stops by a clearing, he’s already feeling frustrated. No matter how much he searches and tears the ground apart looking for a small mammal, he still hasn’t caught anything. The acknowledgement makes a shiver run down his spine. He can’t go back, unsuccessful. Not with an empty belly again.

It’s not an option.

Then, out of nowhere, he smells blood.

Between the smell of the thick green foliage and the mud, Tim can sense the pungent and sugary scent of blood in the air. It is the scent that causes Tim’s mouth to start salivating and for his small fledgling fangs to protrude.

Like a shark scenting blood, Tim hones in on the scent. Whoever is hunting—someone who’s surely far more experienced and older than Tim is—cannot be that far away.

With that in mind, he starts running to where the smell is coming from. While Tim knows he’s no match, he can always scavenge the remains. Perhaps it’s not the most grandiose meal, but it's what other animals do.

Food is food.

A pair of twigs snaps under the weight of his steps as Tim keeps pushing forward through the thick foliage; he pays no mind to his tired legs and aching fangs. He’s hungry. He wants to feed. He’s so hungry he might go crazy.

What he’s not expecting is to meet Batman in the flesh.

Chapter Text

There’s an old saying that does the rounds, that if you are ever unlucky enough to meet Batman firsthand, you better start praying and run as fast as you can. As exaggerated as the saying might be, there’s undeniably a grain of truth in it.

As far as Tim is aware, no one has managed to meet Batman and lived afterwards to talk about it. Batman is a living legend, with many fantastic tales of his feats. The most prevalent one, the one that parents teach their kids (Tim’s own parents included), is that Batman’s a supernatural being who feeds off unruly children who like to sneak off in the middle of the night.

Now, to be clear, Tim doesn’t know if those sayings are true. Chances are they are just exaggerated tales, but all those thoughts kind of melt away under the heavy scrutiny of Batman's gaze.

While Tim has met other supernatural creatures during his many night outings, none have managed to evoke so much fear until he met Batman.

Tall and burly, with enough strength to snap a man in two, Batman looks as imposing as ever. It really doesn’t help that it’s just the two of them.

While the smell of fresh blood makes his mouth water, the sight of Batman’s long, sharp claws—sharp enough to cut a man in two—covered in blood, makes his stomach churn. It almost feels as if that’s going to happen to him, if he doesn’t start running soon.

Tim looks at him nervously, not knowing what to do.

The urge to turn around and run is strong. Nevermind that Tim hasn’t fed in who knows how long, and is at the brink of turning feral; right now the only thing he currently wants is to get away. All he cares about is running as far as his little feet can take him. Get back into his house and snuggle back under his bed covers, just so he can forget tonight’s memories and the big spooky bat.

Instead, and much to his horror, Tim’s frozen in place. He doesn’t know if this a product of his terror or if Tim’s fallen victim to a vampire’s glamor—which wouldn't be surprising, considering how powerful Batman supposedly is.

The bottom line is, his body isn’t obeying him anymore. Terrified, Tim makes the mistake to glance up. The sight of Batman staring at him makes him flinch. While he’s always paid no mind to the horror stories of Batman his classmates like to talk about, let’s set one thing straight: being face-to-face up close with him? Is straight up terrifying.

He doesn’t know if it’s the cape or his imposing figure. Nor does he know if it’s the cowl covering two thirds of his face. Perhaps it’s the fact he can only see the white lenses instead of his eyes that makes him cower away. Or maybe it’s the fact that, despite his nature, Tim is practically a child, playing dress up in adult’s clothing.

For a second, Tim hopes that maybe Batman will ignore him. It sounds like a far-fetched possibility, when one thinks about it, but maybe Batman might see Tim and simply take pity on him and then—

The low rumbling sound confirms the worst of his nightmares. That’s… a growl. Yep, definitely a growl, Tim thinks to his dismay. Batman’s growling at him. If that’s not the ultimate proof Batman sees Tim as an enemy, then Tim doesn’t know what else it could mean.

And then, to his horror, Batman takes a step forward. And another.

For a second Tim thinks again of running away, but disregards all the safety advice his parents have drilled into his head. As tempting as it is, as much as Tim wants to run away, he shuts that option down.

Running will only make the matter worse. The last thing he needs is to trigger Batman’s predator’s instincts, because then Tim’s body will end up like shredded cheese. Damn it! He never should have gone out tonight!

He messed up. Now Batman is going to hunt him. No, worse; he’s going to kill him, and there’s nothing Tim can do! Oh gosh, he should have stayed inside and called his parents! He’s an absolute idiot who only thinks with his fangs and not his brain—

“You’re a fledgling,” Batman growls out in a tone of utter disbelief, once he’s close enough to smell him. Frozen in place, Tim hesitates on what to do. For a minute, he thinks about lying to him but immediately discards it. He will gain nothing from lying to him, especially to someone as dangerous as Batman. If the legends are true, Batman can even smell lies from afar and, to be honest, Tim doesn’t want to tempt fate anymore than what he is already doing.

What should I do? He thinks, as the panic slowly overcomes him. What should I—

He closes his eyes, and waits for the final blow to land.

Except it never lands.

When a few seconds pass and Tim realizes his head is still attached to his body, he opens up his eyes, confused. To his surprise, Batman doesn’t look mad at being interrupted anymore.

Frankly, he looks pissed, but about what?

“Boy where’s your coven?”

Chapter Text

“Boy, where’s your coven?”

The words ring in the air, breaking the tense silence that’s gathered around them. Terrified, Tim takes a step back as the harsh reality of his dire situation starts settling in. The truth is, Tim doesn’t know what to do.

Should he run? Plead for forgiveness? Offer him his dad’s money in exchange for his life? Choices. So many choices. As one part of Tim's brain ponders which of the possibilities would be most likely to be successful, he raises both of his hands in a placating gesture.

Really, the last thing Tim wants to do is to anger the older (possibly even ancient) vampire. While Tim can’t exactly see much of his face, considering Batman’s wearing a cowl which covers most of it, Tim can decipher a non-verbal display of anger when he sees one, and Batman?

Batman looks freaking pissed.

Like an apex predator, Batman looms over him, probably trying to decipher if he actually poses a threat or not. Tim gulps and tries to think of what to do in this situation.

“I’m, um… ,” he trails off, steeling every inch of himself not to start fidgeting on the spot. Or even worse, to start stammering like a five year old. That's an old bad habit of his, one that his parents never managed to eradicate completely. It’s not so bad nowadays, but every time he gets really nervous, it gets the best of him.

In the end, and with a deep breath, Tim decides to just go for it and tell the truth. “They’re overseas.”

Apparently, it’s not exactly the response Batman was hoping for, because the white lenses in his eyes narrow into slits. It’s almost as if Batman’s trying to fathom whether Tim’s telling the truth or not. Well, it’s not like Tim can fault him. In fact, his whole story does sound rather sketchy when one thinks about it.

Because really, what are the odds of stumbling into a lone fledgling in the middle of the night? And without a coven to protect him? Despite their super senses and ability to drink, fledgling were a particularly easy prey to target. Their fangs did little to protect them. And it would take decades, if not hundreds of years, for Tim to grow his claws.

(That’s if he ever grows his claws, of course. It’s always hit or miss when it comes to dhampir. According to what he was taught, there's a fifty-fifty chance he'll get them.)

So yes, Tim can see why it would spark some concern, but the thing is… Tim’s a big boy. Tim knows what he’s doing. And unlike others, who hunt for sport and fun, this time it’s a necessity. Tim needs to eat. It’s been too long since he’s last fed.

He’s practically a ticking time-bomb waiting to explode.

While he can't speak for others, Tim would very much like not to become feral. It’s precisely why he ventured into the deep and dark forest of Gotham tonight. Now, if only Tim could overcome his fears about the big bad bat and tell him the whole truth, chances are, Batman might let him go… Although, not without giving him a handful of lectures about the dangers of going out alone.

What Tim’s not really expecting is the awkward silent pause following his words.

Just as Tim’s about to add something more, because really, this silence is metaphorically killing him, Batman decides to break it first.

“So you’re a fledgling… roaming the streets of Gotham alone,” Batman says slowly, almost as if he’s processing the words himself. “While your coven is overseas…?”

Is it just Tim, or does Batman sound a little bit judgemental here? There are plenty of well founded reasons a coven could be overseas. But because the last thing he wants is to spark a fight, Tim simply nods. He’s not expecting Batman to let out a deep exhale. He mumbles that vaguely sounds like, “Why me”, before he gets on one knee, to get on Tim's eye level.

“Where are your parents, son?”

“Overseas,” Tim promptly replies. He scratches his chin, trying to remember what was the last place his parents were. Somewhere between South America and Asia? No, no. It was South America. Last time they had a videochat, Dad showed him a stuffed alpaca.

“I think they were in Peru? Or maybe… in Patagonia, I guess. I don’t keep up much,” he trails off. But then, Tim carries on talking and, oh god, is he starting to ramble? It’s starting to sound like rambling. ”They are hard to send messages nowadays. Their signal isn’t good and…”

Batman just stares at him as Tim trails off.

Shut up! His brain screams at him and Tim keeps his mouth shut. Not good. Definitely not good, because now Batman looks worried for him…? Heck, he didn’t know that was possible.

“Who’s taking care of you right now?” Batman gruffs out.

Tim blinks. His first option is to say Mrs. Mac takes care of him, but that would be a lie. The truth is Mrs. Mac tends to visit him twice a week, maybe three if she’s in a good mood, but she hasn’t been visiting lately because her daughter fell sick.

When Mrs. Mac asked if Tim would be okay with fewer visits, Tim had said it wouldn’t be a problem. After all, Tim’s a big boy. An adult in child’s clothing. A childult. Hence, he can’t mention Mrs. Mac. That would probably obviously spark more questions, and adults tend to be nosy for a reason.

So no, the last thing he wants is to put Mrs. Mac under scrutiny. It’s not her fault whatsoever her daughter fell sick.

This is Tim’s problem to deal with. So Tim gathers all the remaining courage he has, which isn’t much, frankly (because let’s face it: dealing with Batman is very scary), and he stammers:

“Um… me…?”

****

So, not to alarm anyone… but there’s a slight chance Tim might have just broken Batman. Whatever reply Tim gave, seems to have been the wrong answer, because Batman just stares at him. Deeply. Into his soul.

The older and more powerful vampire continues to stare at him, almost as if he’s in shock to hear a fledgling is raising himself without a coven to support him. Just as Tim’s about to pinch Batman's arm, just to check if he’s still breathing, a hand grabs his wrist fast.

The rumours weren’t kidding.

Batman does have super senses.

“You’re going to come with me,” Batman says with a growl, slowly dragging him out of what looks like a crime scene and into the nearby bushes. Tim watches as they slowly move away from the deer carcass lying on the ground with a mournful eye.

So much for having a drink tonight, he thinks with sorrow. His stomach aches with hunger, but Tim swallows it down. Which, you know what? It’s fine. Tim’s fine. Another day without drinking blood surely can’t harm him that much, right?

“Where?” Tim asks, confused by Batman's action. One minute Batman is threatening him, the other he’s dragging him to who knows where. Is this kidnapping? Mmmm… it does sound like kidnapping.

Wait a minute.

Does Batman even do kidnapping?

Unaware of Tim’s shock (provided by his own thoughts), Batman replies while gently dragging him by the hand, “To the police station. We’ll need all the records to bring your parents to justice and—”

That’s enough to bring Tim back to reality. Wait, what? He stops in his tracks, mouth agape as Tim stares at Batman in utter shock. Bring back whose parents to justice?!?

“Excuse me?” he says incredulously with a stomp, because you know what? Tim won’t cooperate with this. It’s already enough Batman hasn't shared his food with him (rather rude of him), but now he wants Tim’s parents to go to jail? And—

And then the world tilts on its axis. Tim doesn't manage to say a word when his vision fades to black.

Chapter Text

The first thing that registers in Tim’s brain is that he’s warm. Unlike other times, where he’d be met with cold seeping into his bones—another annoying and exasperating side effect of not getting food into his system—-Tim’s met with a blanket draped around his body.

Or well, not one per se. Like a swaddled newborn, there are multiple other blankets over his body. Maybe that explains why there are no shivers wracking his body.

Most importantly,though, there’s no hunger. There is no fatigue, nor constant headaches that would make Tim’s head pound. In fact, his fangs aren't even aching anymore! Which is really a surprise, considering Tim has lost count of the times he has accidentally nicked himself on them while closing his mouth.

Curious as to this big development, Tim checks his fangs. Much to his surprise, there are no protruding fangs. They're not even showing! What happened here? he ponders internally while furrowing his brows.

As far as recalls, Tim was trying to hunt before he stumbled upon Batman, and, you know what? Tim has to leave right now, Batman’s going to kill him—

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a young voice speaks up out of nowhere, startling him. It definitely doesn’t belong to an adult, he concludes.

And so Tim opens his eyes.

The bright light located above him makes him wince.

It takes a couple of blinks, but once his eyes finally adjust, his jaw immediately drops. Perched on the seat next to him, there’s a teen dressed up as a Robin, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and boredom.

Tim can’t fault him in the slightest. If someone had put him on “nanny duty” for hours—if the dry mouth and the grogginess are anything to go by—-he’d be rather annoyed too. Then again, it’s not his fault. Tim doesn’t need anyone to check him, he’s perfectly fine!

Oh, and second of all? It appears he’s in some type of a cave. Now, it sounds crazy. Tim knows for a fact it sounds taken straight out of a movie (he’s pretty sure his friends would probably laugh in his face if he told them), but if his eyes are not betraying him, he's definitely in some type of cave.

Have I gotten kidnapped? Tim thinks of taking a look around the cave.

It’s not the Hollywood type of cave, like the ones Indiana Jones would get into. This cave is different. Big enough to fit a whole mall inside—filled with all sorts of weird instruments, and, hold on a second, is there a giant dinosaur in here? The heck? And that's a gigantic coin over there too?-—it’s the kind of vibe that would make you think twice about entering.

Overall, it’s the kind of place that Tim wouldn’t like to be. In fact, he would very much like to know where the exit is, because this whole thing smells fishy, not to mention weird. Why would Batman bring him here?

After all, out of all the possible scenarios, getting kidnapped was not in his plans tonight. Or day. It’s hard to decipher what time it is considering the artificial lighting. And you know what? This is fine.

Absolutely one hundred percent fine.

This is probably just a dream. Tim's just gotta hop out of this cot, ignore the teen dressed up as a Robin (if he ever gets out of this, he’s definitely going to a doctor afterwards, to check if his brain is alright), find the exit and then everything will turn back to normal, right?

Right?

With his mind made up, Tim is about to get off the cot when a sharp pain in his arm stops him. He glances down. Something is stuck in his arm. Seconds later, he realizes it is in fact an IV, giving him who knows what.

“Okay, I think B’ broke you,” the teen says in disbelief, hopping off the seat he was in seconds prior. He probably made the startling realization Tim’s sort of panicking the F word right now.

“Jesus, don’t take the IV out,” The teen dressed up as Robin says, putting a hand over his arm, effectively stopping him from pulling it out.

The motion makes Tim flinch reflexively, almost making him not hear Robin mutter under his breath, “Because you’re gonna bleed all over this cot and B’s gonna be mad at me.”

“Where am I?” Tim whispers weakly, letting Robin do whatever he is doing with his arm. He looks him straight in the eye, as he rearranges the IV carefully. “Am I getting kidnapped?”

“No,” Robin says swiftly, in the kind of tone that sounds more like “duh” than no. Even with the mask hiding one third of his face, Tim can almost sense him rolling his eyes behind the lenses. “You’re B’s new pet project.”

It takes a second for the words to process.

Tim blinks because what?

“Pet project?” Tim screeches, slapping away Robin’s arm. He doesn’t care about the indignant, “Hey” coming from the teen. Tim’s got more important problems than to deal with Robin right now. Like dealing with the effects of being kidnapped, for example. “I didn’t sign up to be an experiment!”

“Ugh, don’t take it so literally,” Robin bemoans. “And heck, leave that IV alone! No touching!”

“Not if I don’t know what you’re putting into me!” Tim replies, pushing all that introverted personality out the window. Not when he’s got an arm to save.

“It could be poison for all I know!”

“It’s blood, you dummy!” Robin points, pinching his brow. “Why would we want to poison you in the first place?”

“Because I don’t know, maybe I just woke up in a cave located who knows where, with a stranger dressed up as Robin?” Tim points out, matter of factly. “ Wouldn’t that be alarming to you?!”

“Excuse me!?” Robin replies, very much offended at Tim’s statement. He points at himself and adds, “I am Robin!”

Just as Tim’s about to counter Robin's argument, because everyone can dress up as Robin these days, a booming voice interrupts them.

“Robin, what’s happening here?”

Tim and Robin look into each other's eyes.

Uh-oh.

Maybe Robin really wasn’t lying, then.