Across || Tim Drake + Avengers Crossover

Chapter 17

"And that's my other associate, Robin."

It had been about fifteen minutes and Tim had answered all of the questions they'd asked him, keeping the details sparse and direct to the question.

"Real name?"

"Jonathan Prince."

Okay, so he wasn't really answering their questions truthfully, but hey, he was answering them right? Still technically within the range of their deal.

Tim wondered why the thought of lying to them about his own identity hadn't gone through his mind when he'd disclosed it. He could have created a whole new persona when making up his profile, but here he was, existing in this world with his real identity out to a bunch of influential figures.

Oh well.

Fury was still sitting in front of him, hands clasped together on the table as he leant forwards on his elbows. Tim shifted his weight slightly, trying to get a little bit more comfortable on the metal chair.

"What do they want with you?"

"I have no idea I mean, they said they're-"

Coming. Tim's eyes widened slightly as he tried to remember properly. No, he was certain that they'd said they'd be coming.

He quickly looked at Fury who was scrutinizing his face carefully. He gulped thickly.

"They said that they're coming, didn't they?"

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Tim quickly made his way to the lab, heading over to the machine before sitting down in front of it with a sigh.

He'd barely escaped SHIELD with some expert lying skills and had hurried home with only the thought of completing the machine as soon as possible. He had to get it done if he was going to warn his brothers not to come here, but it seemed like there was too much work left before it was finished. Which meant that he only had one option left; he'd have to be ready for when they came.

Tim was unsure of when or where his brothers would land in this dimension but he had enough faith that they'd be able to reach a computer some time or another. Their first instinct was probably to search up any informational about him which is what Tim decided to work on. He had to make it blatantly clear where they could find him without making it obvious to everyone that he was the subject of the viral video. Honestly, for all he knew, they could end up arriving at Australia, seeing as Tim himself had arrived in the middle of the sea.  

Tim thought for a moment, brain working slower than normal. He stared back down at his machine, trying to find inspiration. He felt stumped, unsure of what to do at all for the first time in a long while. Perhaps he could get some news coverage as Red Robin with Peter when they next went on patrol instead of staying hidden in the shadows like he normally was... No, he had to do something that would get him to the top of the search list in multiple countries at once if he were to do anything effective...

Tim rubbed his face with his hands, shutting his eyes tight. What was something that was world famous? A celebrity? No, Tim had to get famous really quickly... Tim slowly blinked, coming to a slow realization. His brothers were currently world famous. And how did they do it? By forcing the entire world to listen to their broadcast. He didn't need his audience to like him; just simply hold their attention long enough to be the talk of the town (well, world) for about a week or so. He was assuming his brothers would be arriving soon.

They were arriving soon.

Tim felt a little giddy at the thought of seeing his family again. And who knew? Perhaps he'd go back home faster with whatever plan they had.

But no. Tim had to focus. He'd have to broadcast something, something interesting enough that the world would talk about it for days. One thing was certain; whatever he did would have to top his brothers' video.

It would also have to be quite short, but not too short that it would be forgotten. Tim knew that people did not have long attention spans and the news of the broadcast would quickly lose its impact, particularly because he was going to be using the exact same tactic as his brothers.

And of course the content had to be interesting. People were bound to talk about it if it were something new and exciting... Tim smirked and stood up, heading to his room where his costume was.

He was going to have a small chat with Peter.

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"What? Wait no way!"

"Well, I'm going to do it so you better get ready,"

"Wait what? Now?"

"Yup,"

With a laugh, Tim pressed enter on his wrist computer, making sure that the camera was directed at his masked face from where it was placed on a tripod and allowing Peter to hastily put on his mask just in case before pressing another button to begin broadcasting.

Tim took a deep breath and smiled into the camera giving off cheerful Robin vibes. He gave a small wave to the camera before talking casually.

"Now I know what you're thinking; what the heck is happening? Is my TV broken or something?"

Tim leant backwards and swung upside down on the streetlight, all the while smirking confidently. "Well, it's not broken..."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"Yet." He laughed, doing an aerial flip and landing on a window ledge gracefully before leaping up onto a building. "Nah, I'm just joking. But listen up. This video is an invite. An invite extended to all you people out there," He picked up the camera, holding it up a little. "But particularly Spiderman. You see, I'm a hero too. I fight crime from the shadows, help the innocent survive, create a safer society..." Tim sat down, leaning against a stairwell as he looked sullenly at the camera.

"But no more. I'm retiring from the hero biz. But I want to make sure that the world will still be protected. Spiderman, I challenge you to fight me. Prove your worth to the whole world."

Tim looked up off camera to see Peter shaking his head and continued.

"Actually, let's get this world's mightiest heroes in on this. Spiderman, one on one in front of the famed Avengers Tower? For a friendly fight of course. We wouldn't want anyone to die after all."

"So yeah, come watch the fight everyone. Exactly a week from now. You never know, perhaps something interesting could happen. And with that, I'll take my leave." Tim paused before holding up a finger to his mouth in a shushing motion.

"I'll tell you my name the next time we meet." Tim smirked one more time before shutting the camera off.

There was a tense moment of silence before Tim let out a shaky breath and placed the camera down gently on the ground. Hopefully this was enough to get their attention.

He could still feel the aftereffects of his nervousness and the pounding of his heart as Peter sat down beside him. Peter stared straight ahead for a moment before raising a hand and flicking Tim's shoulder with his spider strength.

Tim recoiled in pain. "Ouch! Why'd-" Seeing Peter's deadpan, Tim backed up. "Yeah, yeah okay. I deserved that."

They sat in silence, listening to the traffic noises below on the busy street.

"You know I'm totally going to beat you next week though, right?"

"You wish."