Chapter Text
~Star City~
Dinah Lance had mixed opinions on the Batman and his growing family of children vigilantes. She wasn’t particularly fond of the idea that he was, intentional or not, raising children to become heroes. As the daughter of the original Black Canary who had quite literally despised the idea of her daughter becoming a hero liker her she had rather strong feelings on the subject. It was traumatic life and she didn’t wish it upon anyone, especially not children, much in the same way her mother hadn’t wished it upon her.
That being said she didn't actually judge him too harshly for raising his children to be heroes like Batman. Ollie had adopted both Roy and Mia before allowing them to pursue the vigilante lifestyle. She too had adopted a child raised in the League of Assassins, a girl named Cynthia (Sin) a couple years ago but she had helped ensure Sin had a life away from all this as that's what she, Sin, wanted.
No, her actual issue was that none of the Bats, as she referred to them as a collective, were in any sort of therapy. Almost every cape needed some sort of therapy and the Bats were no exception. All of her children, Roy, Mia, and Sin, were in therapy as was she and one could argue that Batman, aka Bruce fucking Wayne, needed therapy more than most capes. Yet Batman and his kin were vehemently against it for some reason that she couldn’t understand. It’s not like they could afford it being literal billionaires and all that.
And yes she would admit that the Batman and his family were amazing at what they did both in and out of the cape. They were all talented Crime fighters and did wonders for Gotham and her people and Dinah respected the fuck out of them. She just didn’t like that they were being exposed to such traumatic experiences without an sort of truly healthy outlet to unpack such traumas.
All of that is to say she was presently lost in thought as she entered the private clinic she ran beneath her late mother’s flower shop in Star City. So lost in thought she hadn’t noticed the small child sobbing silently on the lounge couch in her office until she nearly sat on him. The child didn’t look great, deathly pale skin and hair that appeared to have been poorly dyed black which was fried to all hell. They had two small still healing cuts on their face making their mouth look a bit wider than it should be and two large crystalline blue eyes that were full of tears.
Crystalline blue eyes she recognized as belonging to her cousin/nephew Timothy Jackson Drake, Batman’s newest Robin.
She knew Tim had taken the mantel of Robin a handful of months ago. She wasn’t particularly happy that Bruce had taken another Robin so quickly as Jason had only died a year or so ago but it wasn’t her call. Apparently Tim had forced his way into the position and, while slightly surprising, that was on brand for a child of Janet Drake.
That being said the last time she had seen Tim had been almost 4 months ago when Bruce introduced his newest Robin to the Justice League. And he had looked VERY different back then. Tiny and pale as always but far healthier than this.
“Tim what happened” she asked immediately panicked “does Bruce know you’re here”
Bruce would have a conniption if he knew Tim was visiting her in civilians. While the fact that they were cousins wasn’t exactly a secret it also wasn’t public knowledge either. Honestly she wasn’t even sure Bruce or the League were aware she and Tim were related. A theory that was given weight by Tim shaking his head to say no.
Bruce didn’t know Tim was in Star City despite him being only 13.
“He-he-he” Tim started only to abruptly stop before trying a second time only to erupt into a fit of near hysterical giggles.
Giggles that sounded an awful lot like a specific Gotham based clown.
Oh gods she realized reexamining her nephew. The sickly pallor to their skin, the cuts around their mouth, the fried and box covered hair that seemed to have a green tint to it. Tim had been kidnapped by the Joker.
Eventually the giggle fit ended and Tim tried again.
“He can’t find out” he whispered tears slipping down his gauche face “Mam-ah Harley said it was important to keep in a secret from him and sent me here cause she knew you'd help”
Rummaging through a bag Dinah hadn’t noticed prior Tim pulled a small, crumpled, note out and passed it to her. His hands were trembling the entire time as she took the offered paper and opened it.
Dinah,
I didn’t mean for this ta happen. Mista Jay just said we was gonna play house with the baby bird. I didn’t realize that would mean my Tweetie Bird was gonna get hurt. He wasn't supposed to get hurt Dinah.
But Mista Jay hurt ‘im real bad. Tried to hurt me too but my Tweetie Bird didn’t let ‘im. My baby shot ‘em dead to protect me. He shot 'im so Mista Jay couldn't shoot me.
I ain’t been a good mama to my little Tweetie Bird. I didn't protect 'im from Mista Jay but imma protect ‘im from the Bats. He didn’t even notice we took ‘im almost two months ago and I’m scare he’ll hurt ‘im if he sees what we did to ‘im.
I knows you ‘is auntie Dinah. So help ‘im wontcha? Help my Tweetie Bird go back to being the Robin he was before we hurt ‘im?
Please?
Harley
PS: could ya also maybe tell ‘im I’m sorry? I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant for 'im to get hurt.
Reading the letter one last time Dinah pocketed it carefully. The Joker had kidnapped Robin, Tim, almost two months ago and Batman, Bruce, hadn’t noticed. He’d been tortured and hurt in ways she couldn’t even imagine and his mentor/guardian hadn’t fucking noticed? And worse, Harley didn’t trust Bruce to not further hurt Tim which is why she sent him to her instead.
“Mam-ah Harley said that you’d help me get well enough to go back to being Robin” Tim explained softly “will you please Auntie Dinah”
Dinah nodded before pulling the small child into a tight hug. Back when her mother was alive she started the tradition of having little Tim visit them in Star City whenever his school was on holiday. But since he had graduated last school year right before becoming Robin she had assumed such visits would end. For one Bruce didn’t seem to know they were related and for another he, Bruce, was loathe to be in any situation that required him to interact with her husband Oliver.
Well fuck that.
Tim was her nephew/cousin and he needed her. She couldn’t be his official therapist considering their relationship but she could still help him here and now, off the record until he was mentally ready for another therapist. She could ensure he was ok both physically and mentally now and in the future. He was family and it was time she started treating him as such Bruce and his weird paranoia be damned.
“You’re going to stay with me and Ollie for a bit ok” she explained still hugging him “at least until you’re field ready again”
He’d need intense therapy to undue whatever the Joker put him through. In addition to combat training to ensure he can go back to the life he once had when everything is said and done. Plus lots of food, time, and hugs.
“Are you sure” he asked sounding confused “I can go back to Drake Manor after therapy sessions if you’d prefer”
There was a pause as Dinah processed that. He had said Drake Manor and not Wayne Manor. . .why? Jack and Janet spent nearly 10 months of the year travelling for work and pleasure. Which was fine, in the past, as he always visited her family while on break but he’d graduated just before turning 13. It was something she had intended on bringing up with Jack but then Tim took the mantel of Robin.
She had assumed he stayed with the Wayne’s these days. She hadn't realized Bruce was sending him back to the empty mausoleum that was Drake Manor. If she had known she would've had him move in with her months ago. He was a goddamn child he wasn't supposed to be living alone.
“I’m more than certain Tim” she promised pulling back from the hug just enough to look him in the eye “I had actually been planning to talk to Jack about you staying with us long-term and it would make me really happy if you stayed with us”
Fresh tears slipped down Tim’s small face as he nodded. He loved staying with Dinah and her family. He'd never admit it out loud but he sometimes he liked to pretend Dinah and her husband Oliver were his parents and Janet and Jack were his aunt and uncle that he had to visit on occasion. He considered his cousins, Roy and Mia, to be his siblings and though they didn’t presently know he was Robin he adored them both.
“So tell me you’ll stay with us” she whispered wiping his tears gently.
“Please let me stay with you” he all but wailed as he fell back into her hugs “I really want to stay with you”
~4 Months Later~
Roy was Tinkering with Tim’s Robin tech while the younger boy sparred with Dinah. While proficient with a bow Tim’s weapon of choice was the bō staff. It worked well with his smaller stature and didn’t have as many potential drawbacks as committing to a bow did. Plus it was one of Dinah’s favorite weapons and she had called in some favors to have an old friend, Lady Shiva, come by to give everyone some training in a safe and controlled environment. She had even brought her daughter Cassandra along to train them on stealth, a skill Tim had remarkable skill for.
Tim still wasn’t fully back to how he had been pre Joker but he was arguably as close as he was ever going to get. They had, much to his chagrin, shaved his hair to allow new, healthy, hair growth devoid of the Joker's green dye. It was shorter than he liked but growing out nicely. His sickly pallor had returned to his normal pale and some of the light freckles he had on his face were visible again.
The scars around his mouth had, with the assistance of a Tamaranian skin cream Roy had gotten from Koriand’r, all but vanished. They were still visible but only if you were REALLY looking for them. Some of the other scars given to him from the Joker were more noticeable but easily covered with clothing so he didn’t mind them most days. He did avoid mirrors while shirtless though.
Unfortunately the giggle fits didn’t stop entirely. They no longer happened randomly but his normal laugh would likely never be the same again as even a simple laugh often ended in a giggle fit. He said it didn’t matter and that Robin didn’t need to laugh but they all saw how it hurt him. Saw how he viewed the process of swallowing his own laughter as losing yet another piece of himself to Bruce and the Bats.
Dinah and the entire family tried to convince him to retire the mantle of Robin. Tried to convince him to consider rebranding as part of the Arrowfamily or maybe even becoming a Canary like Dinah if he really wanted to continue as a hero. But he wouldn’t be swayed.
“He’s starting to slip up again” he had stated the last time someone had brought it up “starting to revert back to who he was immediately after Jason’s passing”
He was right and they all knew it. There was a small reprieve when the news of the Joker’s death had broke. Harley said she killed the Clown after learning what he did to Robin before having Ivy despise of his body with her plants. Everyone, including Bruce, assumed she had been talking about Jason’s Robin and not Tim’s but no one in the know corrected them. Harley and Ivy went to Arkham for a bit for it but both were out now and presently living in Robinson Park together, more or less retired from villainy.
But the joy of the Joker’s death was wearing off. And without his Robin to ensure he didn’t go too far Batman was beginning to slip again. He was getting sloppy and Tim was getting restless.
So, against her better judgement, Dinah cleared him to return to Gotham and Robin. Under the pretense that he stayed with them whenever he didn’t stay at Wayne Manor. The Quiver, Oliver’s not quite Batcave, had a Zeta Tube so there was no excuse. They even set Tim up with a guest access code under the name Thea to help hide his movements.
Tim didn’t actually believe Bruce would hurt him, intentionally, which was reassuring. That being said he did believe Bruce would become a thorn if he found out he was related to Dinah and Oliver. Was certain the paranoid man would assume he was a spy sent to collect secrets for his not quite friend Oliver Queen and Green Arrow. Which, while Dinah wished she could deny it, sounded plausible.
“Thank you for everything” Tim whispered hugging Dinah post spar.
Dinah smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. He’d come a long way since her couch a couple of months ago. She was proud of him though she did wish he’d stay with them instead of going back to Bruce. She hadn’t admitted it to anyone but Oliver yet but she considered Tim her kid as much as she did Roy and Mia. She loved her nephew to pieces.
“Make sure you visit often runt” Roy teased interrupting their farewell to give Tim a special bō he had made just for him.
A sleek and deceptively simple staff it featured tech from the Original Black Canary, Dinah’s mom, and could fire blasts of concussive sound waves from either end of the staff. Roy called it the Canary Shot and was rather proud of how it turned out if he was being honest. It was a gift for Tim to celebrate him being cleared to go back into the field. And an early birthday gift as his 14th birthday was approaching.
“Of course I’ll visit” Tim assured the older teen as he hugged him tight “you guys are my family remember”