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Jason didn’t mean to steal a brand-new skateboard.
It just kinda… happened.
The Outlaw mission was supposed to be simple—some arms dealers, a couple of explosions, maybe a car chase that maybe had multiple driving laws broken..
Nothing that warranted a -technically- stolen skateboard.
But there it was, tucked under his arm as he made his way back into his Gotham apartment at dawn, still wearing his gear.
He found it occupied.
Tim was perched on his kitchen counter like a baby gremlin. His laptop was open beside him, and there was an empty coffee cup near his foot.
Breaking into each other's places was pretty normal for the Bats. Jason's seemed to be a favorite of Tim's, though, to be fair, the little gremlin had been spending more time with the second-eldest brother than Dick ever since the whole Bruce-in-the-time-stream incident.
Jason had tried to pretend that he wasn't worried about Tim back during those days, and right after he'd come back. He'd failed at pretending.
But they had figured it all out and talked about it. Gotten Tim to make up with Dick. And Damian. And everyone.
Anyway.
Jason sighed. “Hey there, little crow.”
Tim looked up, tired ice-blue eyes locking onto the skateboard. “Jay! You're back! ...That for me?”
ason blinked at him. Looked at the board. Looked back at Tim. “…Yeah, I guess.”
Tim beamed, hopping off the counter, giving the elder a tight, long, squeeze before grabbing it from his hands.
“Sick.” He flipped it over, inspecting the design. “Where’d you get it?”
Jason dropped into a chair, rubbing his face. “Some idiot tried to hit me with it after grabbing it from a store.”
Tim paused. “And you stole it?”
“I confiscated it, little one,” Jason corrected. “Kept it 'cause I heard your old one broke and Bruce hadn't been able to order a new one what with all the shit from W.E. after he got back. You can paint it, too. It’s a crime-fighting skateboard now.”
Tim snorted. “That makes it better.” He set the board down and stepped on it, testing the wheels. “Man, I missed my old one. I think this one's better quality though...”
Jason leaned back, watching as Tim carefully rolled back and forth in the middle of the kitchen. He still looked exhausted—probably hadn’t slept at all—but there was a small, genuine smile on his face.
One Jason hadn't seen for too long.
Jason huffed. “You better not break your neck.”
Tim grinned that gremlin grin of his. “No promises, big brother.”
~~~~~~
Dick was getting real tired of this.
Jason and Tim had a habit of disappearing together lately, and it was weird.
Not bad, necessarily—just weird. He was glad that his little brothers were bonding, though.
Jason barely tolerated anyone on some days, and Tim was usually off doing his own thing, but for some reason, the two of them had been hanging out a lot. And by "a lot," he meant they were practically glued together when they weren’t working solo. '
.....Must be a middle child thing.
Dick had checked all the usual places: the Manor, Jason’s apartment, the Cave, Tim's little secret-not-secret hideouts— nothing. Even Bruce had no idea where they’d gone, which was just insulting.
Finally, after way too much searching, he decided to do what he probably should’ve done first.
He called them.
Jason didn’t pick up, obviously. But Tim? Tim answered after three rings.
"Yeah?"
"Where are you?" Dick asked.
A pause. Sounds of.. wheels on concrete? Then, in the background, Jason’s voice:
"TIM, DON’T—"
A loud crash. A yell. Tim started laughing. It was a nice sound to Dick.
Dick pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tim. Timmy. Where are you?"
Tim, still laughing, finally answered, "Uh. Nowhere?"
"Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne."
"Okay, okay, jeez. We’re at the skatepark."
Dick blinked. "The—what."
"The skate park," Tim repeated.
".....I thought your old skateboard broke? Dad was planning to order a new one-"
"Someone on Jason's Outlaw mission tried attacking him with a completely new and unused skateboard from a shop, so he, um....... stole -I mean confiscated- it."
Dick took a second to process that. Then he sighed. "Stay there."
Tim snickered. "Sure, sure.”
In the background, Jason’s voice rang out: "I swear to God, if you hit me with that—"
Another crash. Laughter.
Dick started moving faster.
Crazy little brothers.
~~~~~~
They were indeed fooling around at the skatepark.
Jason apparently was right about his Robin being magic, because this was the first time Dick had seen Tim this happy in a while.
Jason was watching Tim with a half-amused smirk, sitting on a bench with his legs stretched out, arms crossed over his chest.
But it wasn’t the usual teasing smirk. There was something almost... fond, about it.
Dick knew Jason only looked at the little ones -Tim, Steph, Damian, and Duke- that way.
Tim did a little trick—a kickflip, of all things—and landed it without falling. He pumped his fist into the air, whooping as if he’d just won an Olympic gold medal. Jason’s laugh, deep and warm, followed.
Tim was soon darting around the park, expertly flipping off ramps and pulling off tricks like he was born on a skateboard. He was laughing, his eyes bright, his whole posture loose in a way Dick hadn’t seen in months—maybe longer.
It was the kind of happiness that had been mostly missing since they lost Bruce, the kind of joy that wasn’t tainted by duty or trauma or guilt. Tim had always been self-sufficient, always the one who buried his emotions under layers of work and responsibility, but this?
This was something Dick hadn’t seen in a long, long time.
Jason caught sight of him first, raising a brow. “What?”
Dick didn’t answer at first, just stood there watching Tim, who was now expertly riding up and down the halfpipe with the same reckless energy he usually reserved for casework or missions. There was no hesitation in him.
He looked… free. Happy.
“Haven't seen him this happy in a while,” Dick murmured, a little caught off-guard by the sight. “Not this much. Not this carefree.”
Jason grinned, just a little smug. “Yeah, well. Maybe I’m a bit of a good influence.”
Dick rolled his eyes. “You’re a bad influence.”
“No, in that case I’m a wild influence. Timmy needs to learn how to just... be for once. Relax. Even Robin gets a break.” Jason’s voice softened, but there was a hint of pride behind his words.
Dick’s heart squeezed. “It’s good to see him like this.”
Jason gave him a pointed look. “Face it, Dick, I can be a big brother, too. Stop mentally lingering on the fact that you're aren't the only one now.”
Dick swallowed, his gaze never leaving Tim, who had just pulled off another trick and was now heading their way, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were sparkling, bright with something that wasn’t there the last time they’d all been in the same room.
“Yeah,” Dick muttered, a little embarrassed. “I know. Just didn't think he'd take to you that much, considering how scared of you he was after the whole Titans Tower thing.”
Jason shrugged a hint of guilt in his eyes. "Took a while. I had to coax him out of hiding a lot. Got easier once I realized how much of an affection-starved little $hi# he was."
Tim skidded to a stop in front of them, breathless but laughing, hair wild and messed up from the wind. “You should try this, Dick. You’d be amazing.”
Jason gave him an exaggerated side-eye. “Yeah, sure, Dick. I’m sure you’d look real graceful on a skateboard. He's a circus boy after all. Oh wait- you surf. Take away th sarcasm, i forgot about that.”
Tim snickered and pushed Jason lightly. “As if you could do better.”
Jason grinned, his eyes lighting up with that familiar mischievous spark. He jumped up, grabbing one of the spare boards that workers left on the side for people still learning. “You wanna bet, baby-bird?”
Tim immediately sensed his impending doom and bolted, kicking off hard and zipping down the slope of the park’s concrete incline. Jason didn’t hesitate—he followed, fast and fluid, not bad for someone who usually worked with guns and explosives instead of tricks on wheels..... except for a motorcycle taht had to be reapred or replaced every three months.
Dick stood there, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched the two of them go.
Tim yelped as he noticed Jason gaining on him and booked it, kicking off hard and shooting down the slope of the park’s concrete incline.
Jason followed, crowing and gaining on the younger..
And Dick—Dick had to take a second because wow.
Both of his middle brothers were actually having a bit of fun like this. Usually their fun involved speeding on the road, jumping off buildings and grappling in the last second, dangerous vigilante-fun stuff.
But still, Dick smiled, his heart swelling a little as Tim’s eyes shone.
This was the kid who could hack into any system in minutes, this was the kid who could plan a mission like nobody else. This was the kid that had saved their family more than once.
But now, here he was—just a kid, a little out of breath and laughing because he was having fun, like the weight of the world wasn’t on his shoulders for a moment.
This was so weird.
Not bad, though. Not bad at all.
It was awesome, actually.
Just—he’d never seen Tim -or Jason, for that matter- this happy in a while.
Tim didn’t look as tired or overworked or too-grown-up as usual. He looked esctatic, just a kid doing kid things.
Jason didn’t seem angry or closed off. Hell, nowadays he even seemed to be working things out with Bruce. And right now he was just a big brother.
Dick hadn’t realized how much he needed to see that.
The younger Robins had always carried their scars, but this was a side of them that Dick had almost forgotten. Seeing them together like this—light, carefree, alive—was a reminder that maybe, just maybe, there was a way forward. Even after everything.
Tim totally nailed another trick (While escaping Jason’s clutches) and looked up at Dick, ice-blue eyes sparkling with the kind of joy he hadn’t seen in far too long. “C’mon, Dick, try it! I promise you won’t break anything. Well... maybe just your pride.”
Dick’s smile widened, though his heart still felt a little tight. “You’re lucky I love you, kid.”
Jason, glancing over his shoulder from a ramp, shot Dick a cocky grin. “Face it, Grayson, me and Tim are too good for you. We know more than the basics, even if you’re a circus boy. It’s fun.”
“In a minute,” Dick called back with a shake of his head, but the fondness in his voice couldn’t be missed.
Jason laughed, then pushed off with a smooth motion, zooming down the incline after Tim. The two of them weaved together in perfect synchrony, grinning like they didn’t have a care in the world.
It had been so long since he’d seen them like this.
....
Maybe Robins were magic.
Jason had been right about that all along.
Maybe it just took two Robins together for that magic to show itself.