Fic: Alone?, Tim/Steph, PG-13
It was Steph’s favorite time of the year…usually. Usually, Steph can’t wait to wake up to Valentine’s Day! Usually Steph is filled to the brim with anticipation to see Tim, or whatever boyfriend she had. But it doesn’t seem so great anymore. She doesn’t have a boyfriend. Or anyone special. But most of all, she doesn’t have Tim.
Sure, she and Tim are…friends? She’s not sure on that. And she’s not sure if she even has a chance with him anymore. Isn’t he dating Tam? God, Tam! Of all people! Now Stephanie really regrets leaving Gotham when she practically died. Maybe…none of this would’ve happened. Maybe…she would’ve still been with Tim. And maybe she wouldn’t be alone on Valentine’s Day…
Stephanie now hates Valentine’s Day.
Why should she even like it? She has no one to celebrate it with, and everyone else does. Tim has…Tam, Dick, hell; he could get any girl he wants! Bruce has Selina, probably. If Selina is able to convince him, Damian, he doesn’t get love, or girls. So he doesn’t give a damn about Valentine’s Day. So that left Stephanie. Alone. On Valentine’s Day.
Of course.
And she felt as if she was the only one in the world. She felt like a lonely loser…and it sucked feeling like that.
“Whatever, while everyone is on dates, I’ll be out patrolling as Batgirl. Everyone else may be slacking, but not me!” Steph thought triumphantly to herself.
She hopped into her sleek Batgirl suit, and grappled off into the night…
~~
It has been a quiet night, surprisingly. But Stephanie’s only been out for two hours. “Two hours alone,” She thought bitterly. “Why should I be alone?! Why?” She sighed, “No answer to that question…” She thought.
BAM! BAM! BAM! Stephanie heard three gunshots, and that was enough for her to hop into action and be alert.
She swung off to where she indicated the noise was coming from, and she saw three thugs beaten, and tied up…And Red Robin stood over them.
~~
Steph’s eyes went wide, “Tim?!”
He looked up at his name, and when he saw it was Steph, he smiled warmly. “Damn, have I missed her,” Tim thought.
He strode over to her. “Hey Steph. What are you doing out? No date?”
She looked away embarrassed, “No,” then Steph remembered, “Shouldn’t you be with Tam?” She asked bitterly, looking up instantly.
“What? Noooooo. Why would I be?” Tim asked, obviously confused.
“Well…well I thought you guys were dating!” Steph protested, stuttering all the while.
“Oh.” Tim shrugged, “We dated for two days, and then I broke it off.”
“Only two days?” Steph asked smirking, thinking Tim couldn’t hold down a girl.
Tim turned red, “I…uhh…still liked and still do like someone else.”
Stephanie’s face fell, “Oh. Right,” this was weird talking to Tim. They didn’t really get along a first, and she still felt uncomfortable since they’re not dating. “What should I say? It’s never been this…awkward talking to Tim. We’ve never had this silence of not knowing what to say to each other,” Steph thought frantically, “I need to end this conversation and clear my feelings up about Tim, and if he really likes me…”
“Well, I guess I should get back to my house,” Steph declared, “Don’t want my mom to worry…” She turned to leave, then stopped and said, “Bye Tim.”
“Yeah…” He had a distant look in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something else, but decided against it, “Yeah. Okay. Bye Steph!” Suddenly getting cheerful.
Steph raised her eyebrow. She knew he was up to something…she started leaving, when she looked over her shoulder again.
But, he was already gone…
~~
When she arrived home, she found her mom asleep on the couch. Steph sighed, worried about her. She was over working herself, and she was getting older. She needed to stop taking double shifts.
Stephanie quietly, and swiftly ran up the stairs to her room, and was about to remove her Batgirl costume, when something red, shiny, and made of foil with a pink bow wrapped around it, caught her eye.
Stephanie walked over to check out the mysterious object. It was a box full of chocolates in a heart shaped box. There was a note:
Steph,
Hey. You’re the girl I still love. I always have Steph. I really do love you. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Love, Tim
P.S. Enjoy the chocolates.
When Steph read the note, her heart soared! She read it over and over about twenty times, until it finally registered into her heart AND her head.
Tim still loved her!! Oh this was just great! She needed to call Tim right now! On her rush to the phone, she heard a repeated light tapping sound near her window. Stephanie thought it could wait, calling Tim was too important. She dialed his number, and it rung three times before he picked up. “Hey Tim!”
“Hey Steph. I’m guessing you read my note, and got my gift?”
Stephanie nodded and remembered that he couldn’t see her and said, “Yes! Tim…I can’t believe it. It’s true, right?”
“Ttt!” Tim scoffed, sounding like Damian, “Stephanie Brown, I, Tim Drake love you. And solely you. Okay? Now open your damn window. It’s freezing out here, and I’m tiring of throwing pebbles at your window.”
Stephanie blushed, and rushed over to the window, only to see Tim standing outside, cell phone in hand. When he saw her, he hung up, “Hey Steph! Come out-“
Steph didn’t wait for him to finish. She didn’t need to. All she wanted to do is kiss Tim, and have him hold her. She burst out the front door, “Tim!” She jumped into his open arms, locking their lips.
When she was kissing him, she remembered all their memories together. All their up’s and down’s. She remembered how he kissed, how he held her, how he whispered to her that everything would be fine when she was worried. But most importantly, she remembered what it felt like to love, and be loved. It was the greatest feeling in the world, and she finally got to feel it again. And on Valentine’s Day, too!
Being in Tim’s arms…everything felt right again. It was as if Bruce wasn’t missing, Gotham wasn’t crumbling to pieces, the villains weren’t stronger than ever, and she and Tim never broke up.
When they broke away, they were gasping for air, “I guess you liked it,” Tim panted out, “the present.”
Stephanie nodded, “Tim, I loved it. But not as nearly as much as I love you. God, I thought this was going to be the worst day ever, but when you showed up, and when you gave me the present and note, I…” Steph drifted off, “…I couldn’t believe it!”
Tim smirked. Then smiled the genuine smile, that she hasn’t seen in a while, “Steph…I don’t know what to say. Ever since Bruce disappeared,” he visibly grimaced, “I haven’t been good at showing emotions. All I’ve been doing is brooding. Well, I’m done with that. It wasn’t going to help anyways.”
“Hmmm…” Steph thought out loud, and Tim wrapped his arms around her waist tighter, as if she was his lifeline, “I’m glad to hear,” she murmured against his Red Robin costume, taking in his scent. It smelt like Tim. Back when he was Robin, and she was Spoiler. Back when things were so much simpler. And that made Steph smile, thinking of those times as “simple.” Because they really weren’t, but it was so much easier-simpler than it is now.
Tim kissed her head, “God. I’ve missed you…”
“Me too. Let’s go inside, Tim.”
He nodded, and they walked hand in hand inside Stephanie’s house, up the stairs, and into her room.
She didn’t know where it would go, or what would happen. And she didn’t know where she and Tim would go, and most importantly, she didn’t know what would happen with them. But she didn’t care, because as long as she had Tim, she knew everything would be alright.
And it looks like she wasn’t alone on Valentine’s Day anymore.