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Tim foun the tape buried somewhere deep in the cupboards, wrapped up in brown paper and bubble wrap.
He’d been exploring, ever since started staying at Wayne manor while his father was in the hospital. Tim was a detective at heart, and his curiosity was enough to fuel most of his ambitions. Dick picked up on the trait early on, setting the boy to the task of helping him find his old stuff to get his mind off his mother. Tim found all of them in under an hour, including some objects that Dick didn’t even know he had.
But that was another story. What mattered here was a worn down tape, a television with a VCR, and the insatiable curiosity of a fifteen year old boy who wondered why Batman had a tape titled “play” on it.
It took a while to start up, troubleshooting with these things was always difficult, and Tim eventually managed to get the film rolling. He sat back in his chair, leaning forward at the screen trying to make sense of what was being shown.
It was a stage, a small stage in what looked like a high school. A student play was going on, various teenagers walking on the stage in costume. After a few seconds of seeing flags of red, blue and white, and the chorus of “At the End of the Day”, he figured out its “Le Mis.” A somewhat poor rendition considering the age of the actors, but not bad.
He no longer watched out of curiosity. This was Janet Drake’s favorite show.
He hummed along to the lyrics as the song carried on, tearing up a little bit at “I Dreamed a Dream”. He shook his fist when Javert, a small short boy whose hat was two sizes to large, sung his ballad. And when the reprise of “Look Down” came on, he couldn’t help singing at full volume with the whole cast, even though he was horridly off pitch.
It was during that same song, when Gavorche made his first appearance that he cut off, his words dying in his throat. All that he could hear was Gavorche singing on the screen, dressed up perfectly, and grinning like a manic. It was a grin he’d seen before, in hundreds of pictures in newspapers and scattered across Wayne manor.
Jason Todd sung on the screen and Tim couldn’t breathe.
He was good too, which was unexpected. Tim never knew Jason could sing, and he never would have guessed. His voice was a bit wild, likely from nerves, but Jason took to the role with all the professionalism that Alfred Pennyworth’s school of acting expected..
“What are you-“ Tim froze, feeling the blood drain from his face as Bruce walked in behind him. The older man stared at the television with large eyes, his mouth parted slightly. Somehow, though Tim was here first, he felt like the one who intruded.
“I found it in the storage, and I was…” He rubbed his fingers through his hair with one hand, his other reaching for the off switch. “Look I’m sorry-“
“Don’t turn it off” Bruce said and Tim was positive that he looked like a skittish cat. The elder man sat next to him, watching his second son sung on the screen with a very sad smile on his face. It was quiet except for the television.
“I missed this performance,” Bruce said a last. “Scarecrow went on a bank robbery last minute. Alfred went to tape it for me, but I never got around to it. And then after…well I couldn’t.”
“I’m sorry.” Tim was sure if he said that a hundred times, a thousand, it would make no impact except for an echo. Because he was here because Jason wasn’t. And that was all that mattered.
Bruce didn’t reply to his apology. “Le Mis was his favorite. His mother liked it.”
“So did mine.” It came out unbidden, unwished and Tim ground his teeth together. Both were silent for a long time. Because this was no musical, but a memory of what they had lost.
They sat there until the musical is over, till the curtain call ended and Jason took his bow. Bruce clapped. Tim didn’t know if he even knew he was going it. He stared down at his hands, clenched and white to the bone.
Jason grinned on tape, approaching Alfred after the musical. “How’d I do?”
“Great. It was heartbreaking, Master Jason,” Alfred said and Jason beamed.
Tim looked over at Bruce who was gripping the sofa so hard, that it was a shock that the railing hadn’t broken. He glanced back at the smiling boy on screen.
Tim had to agree with Alfred. Heartbreaking, indeed.