Seven Things About Timsteph

Seven Things About Timsteph

Stephanie Brown has seven stuffed animals from Tim Drake.

"Here," he said, thrusting the small furry object onto her lap. "I saw this and thought of you." 

 Tim Drake has seven ties from Stephanie Brown. 

 "You don't have enough style," she says bluntly. "Thankfully, you have me to fix that for you, and you will forever banish those horrid things you call ties from your closet." 

 Stephanie has six lipsticks from Tim. 

 "See, I saw this one and I knew you had to have it. It's purple too!" Tim says to her (she doesn’t even like purple lipstick). Somehow those become her favorites; it may or may not have to do with the way Tim's face lights up when he sees her wearing them. 

 Tim has six keychains from Stephanie. 

 Tim's been to every single place that Steph got the keychains from. Still, there's something special about the way she eagerly watches his reaction as she gives them to him. 

Stephanie has five 90s on her classes to thank Tim. 

 "After that, you move 16 over here, then you divide by 36, and you get x," He says, concentrating on her homework. Stephanie can't help but think he looks like a work of art, her crappy lamp washing light across his face, showing off the contours of his face. 

Tim has four cuff-links from Stephanie. 

They're far from being the most elaborate or expensive cuff-links he owns but they're still some of his favorites, and he makes a point of wearing at least one once a week. 

 Stephanie got four hugs from Tim.

Each time, she felt the safest she could ever be, wrapped up in Tim's warm arms. She couldn't help but feel like she fits perfectly with him, her head fitting perfectly against the curve of his neck. 

 Stephanie gives him three kisses on the cheek. 

 Tim feels heat explode onto his face as Stephanie leans up and presses her lips carefully against his cheek. Jason decides to take a picture right there, and Tim keeps it hanging so that it's the first thing he sees when he wakes up. 

 Tim stitched Steph up three times.

"Chill out boy wonder, I'm not going to break," she grins, watching Tim hesitate for the third time. Still, she can't help but feel cherished as Tim carefully stitches her up, concentrating so hard his forehead creases. 

Tim saved Steph's life two times 

 "Breathe Steph," He whispers as she's choking on air. Tim tried to ignore the bruises on her neck. He's never wanted to kill anyone more than he's wanted to kill Cluemaster. 

 "Thank you," she whispers to him late at night, when they're TimStephRobinSpoilerBatgirlRedRobin. 

He hums and carefully resists the urge to kiss her right there, after being so close to losing her to a bullet. 

 Stephanie taught Tim two things.

"No, Tim!" She laughs, hitting his shoulder. "Move your pinkies here, on C, and let your fingers fill in this space in between!" She couldn't help but feel pride rise up in her as she watches him play his first scale. (And even more pride when he successfully plays Mary Had a Little Lamb) 

 They both have one secret. 

 "I love you," he whispers, watching her chest rise and fall as she sleeps peacefully.

 "I love you," she finally allows herself to say it aloud staring at a blank screen where Tim had just bade her good night.

tangled and stretched (but never broken)

Timsteph Soulmate au take 3: the red string of fate

Stephanie remembers the first time she saw the red string. 

 She was six, and her grandma winked at her before making a cats cradle with the string connected to her pinkie, stretching out to the kitchen where her grandpa stood. 

 This, she murmured, placing Stephanie on her lap, is the red string of fate. Those connected by it are destined lovers, and are predetermined to always meet at some point in their lives. It can tangle and stretch, but never break. The one on the other end of the string will always the be the most match. And one day, you will find your other half, my sweet little Stephanie. 

 Stephanie nodded eagerly, imagining the time when she would find her own soulmate, her own love. 

 Bah! Her grandma’s voice suddenly changed. But your mother is stubborn. She insisted on defying the red strings of fate and marrying someone who is not her better half. This marriage will not end well, my little Stephanie. Be careful around that man, my sweet. You will have to face a hard future. 

 Years later, Stephanie can not say she is surprised when her father starts falling deeper into his criminal schemes and when her mother starts embracing her pills more than she ever embraced Stephanie. 

 Still, Stephanie is unprepared for how far her father would go to be recognized, how far her mother would fall down the abyss.

 And she slowly recognizes that she has to stop her father. 

 When she meets Robin, it’s insignificant. 

 Well, as insignificant as hitting someone with a brick. 

 When the brick cracked across his face, Robin and her ring finger jerked and she realized with that the string on her finger, the one that never seemed to end, was connected to the pinky finger of Robin.

She only saw Robin’s shocked face before she ran.

He was her soulmate, she would realize in shock when she got home and could finally think coherently.

My soulmate, she whispers to herself at night. Soulmate, the night would whisper back to her. Soulmate. 

 It took three days for Robin to track her down. (I followed the string, he whispered to her when they’re curled up together on the bed. I would’ve followed it forever to meet you.) 

 They carve out their spaces in each other’s hearts, with soft whispers of love and gentle caresses. They smile at each other under the moon, lost in each other’s warmth. 

 Then he is torn from her. 

 (I am no longer Robin, he says stiffly. And you can not visit me or else my father would grow suspicious.) 

 She becomes Robin. Then she “dies”. 

 She comes back. Then Batman dies. 

 Tim looks at her with betrayal. 

 (Don’t let me catch you in that suit again, he snarls, and her heart breaks as he tries to tear down what she worked to hard to protect.) 

 But then he’s back and she’s Batgirl and he’s Red Robin and Batman’s alive, He exclaims to everyone.

They work on a case together and she can’t help the shiver that runs up her back as his eyes drink her up in her purple dress. 

 But Batman’s back and Tim turns away from her again and she smacks Batman (her!! Stephanie Brown, normal girl who has to scream for her words to be heard.) 

 When everything settled down, she could only look from afar and feel the chasm between them, feel her string burn with an intensity at being in such close proximity with the one who completes her heart. 

Still, with the string, it’s only a matter of time before the found each other again.

 As she stands across from him, she can’t help but to remember that time, ages ago, when she was Spoiler and he was Robin and they were young and in love. Looking across at him, she can’t help but feel exactly she did at the young age of 15, looking shyly across at Tim with a soft smile. Under the moonlight, everything feels new and she feels young and innocent and ready to conquer anything with her love. 

 It doesn’t take much for them to find nirvana in one another, tangled up in sheets whispering sweet nothings to each other, feeling years of separation disappear like nothing as they giggle with each other. 

 They’ve changed but that’s okay because she still fits perfectly under his arm there and he still touches her like that and they’ve changed but they’ve also stayed the same. 

 Grandma, she whispers out to the night. I found him, the one on the other side of my string, can you see? 

 Beside her, Tim shifts and pulls her closer.

Special Place

Stephanie has boldly established that purple is not just a "girl's color". She has a PowerPoint and a 100-page essay on why purple is an "everyone's color".

stephanie brown: a summary

steph: im gonna do a Thing

bruce: no dont

barbara: do Not

dick: pls .. dont ..

jason: [he doesnt say shit bc he's being emo and listening to punk rock and killin ppl and shit

tim: stephanie seriously dont do It

cass: no

damian: are u fckn STUPID dont do it

steph:

steph: so ANYWAYS im gonna do the Thing great to know ppl agree that it's a good idea thanks everybo

5 More Things That Never Happened to Stephanie Brown

Part two of 5 things that never happened to Stephanie.

1. The Even Number Robins When the doors of her cell blow down and a guy in a red helmet comes in guns blaring, mouth swearing, the first thought that pops up in Steph’s mind isn’t cool entrance or even damn, this guy’s ripped.

She’s not thinking any coherent thought actually, just that she’s never coming back to Japan.

But those thoughts kind of disappeared when the guy stepped in front of her and snorts, “Who the fuck are you?”

And so, the even numbered screw up robins meet.

Her last regret before she dies is that she’s eaten less than a thousand waffles her entire life.

She likes to think she snorts back something smart but to be honest, she’s a little out of it so maybe her account is a little skewed up.

But the basics are there and that’s what matters.

Then he takes her somewhere and gets her healed and tells her to enjoy the couch, he’s taking the bed.

Who says chivalry is dead?

And years later, when she’s calling him, warbling a heeeeeey Jacion and he’s picking up with a sigh and a grunt and plea to have her extracted from his life, she knows that they’ve really formed a bond.

2. Harmony Stephanie remembers when she had a voice.

When she would skip around and laugh and joke and words would fall from her lips like water drops and all gone all gone.

Stephanie remembers when her father took them all away.

Stephanie remembers the fear, Stephanie remembers the smell of beer, Stephanie remembers the jeers.

Stephanie remembers when she had harmony.

Stephanie remembers mute mute mute.

Stephanie remembers ugly and clashing and anger and warring emotions and then.

Stephanie remembers the blue eyed boy who brought so much light into her life, who made her smile like no other, who helped her find harmony again.

When Stephanie finally steps up onto the stage to play her piano piece, her eyes only see Tim.

And when she allows her fingers to gently rest upon the keys and create a flowing melody, she remembers Tim gently encouraging her to keep playing.

When she’s done and breathing heavily and smiling with absolute delight and applause is ringing all around her–

She only sees Tim.

(Years late she’ll sit him down and start playing, placing all her emotions into the song until Tim hugs her and repeats her message back to her ten times over and she leans up and he leans down and she learns another form of harmony.

IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou)

3. Beware the Spoiler Batgirl was hers. But with her legs out of commission, Batgirl is a distant spot in the horizon.

It’s time to move on. It’s time for a new name.

She’s always liked Spoiler.

Years later when she’s ruthlessly hacking into Jason’s phone and Tim’s games and Dick’s laptop and Lex Luthor’s company, she gets a grim feel of delight as countless of people are stumped by the Spoiler.

4. Meet the Family “Are you nervous?” Tim asks her gently, as he guided her up the stairs.

“I’m about to meet my boyfriend’s family, who just happen to be one of the richest families in the world, and could buy my family without blinking an eye. No. I am not nervous. In fact, I am the epitome of not nervous,” Steph rambled, apprehensive. She knew she shouldn’t have gone for the shy boy sitting in the corner, reading.

Tim just laughs and guides her gently in and she pretends that she’s not clinging onto Tim’s hand like a lifeline.

Years later, when she screaming after Damian and chasing after Jason to get her phone back, she wonders how she could have ever been scared of them.

(And when Tim finally kneels on one knee and pulls out a ring, the only answer bursting from her lips is yes yes always.)

5. Hope Shines Bright Stephanie Brown is a dignified ambassador of the Blue Lantern Corp. She does not get angry with a little upstart named Damian makes fun of her chest, she does not throw a car at Sinestro Corp Bruce when he angers her, and her heart does not skip a beat when Green Lantern Tim Drake smiles at her.

(But damn his eyes are so blue and his muscles are just-)

She does not blush when Tim presents her with a flower, she does not get distracted by his mouth when he’s talking, and she does not feel warm inside when he wraps her up in his arms after pulling her out of the way from a life threatening hit.

She does not feel ecstatic when she and Tim are partnered up, her heart does not speed up whenever he tenderly dresses her wounds, she does not feel warm fuzzies remembering that she makes him stronger.

Stephanie is in denial and very much in love.