Fic: Life in Manchester 1/3. Bart/Tim. PG.

[museofspeed]

Title: Life in Manchester 1/3
Fandom: DCU
Characters: Bart/Tim, Carol, Preston, Steph, Bernard.
Prompts: For dcu_freeforall: 23. forcefield creation. For au_abc: School. For wtf27: High School AU. For fanfic100: 88. School. And that's what we call multi-tasking!
Word Count: 2600
Rating: PG
Summary: When Tim was younger, his parents decided Gotham was too dangerous to live in after seeing two acrobats fall to their deaths. They moved to Manchester, Alabama. Now, there's a new kid in town, and Tim's not sure what to make of him.
Author's Notes: Ah, this took me forever! This story is finished, but really freaking long, so you get three installments. The next one'll be posted tomorrow, the one after that two days from now. Trust me, it's for the best. This was written for geministar01 who requested "a Bart/Tim AU where Tim grew up in either Keystone City or Manchester." Hope this works for you! Also, thank you to julius12 for being an awesome beta!



"So this new kid moved into my neighborhood, you know," Carol said, poking Tim's arm. It was lunch time, but neither of them could manage to down much of Manchester Middle School's fine cuisine.

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Carol said. "I think you'd like him. He's cute."

"Please tell me you're not trying to set me up with another guy."

"Well..."

"Carol!" Tim groaned. "I know we're both gay, but come on! You aren't attracted to all the girls in the school, and I'm not automatically attracted to whatever boy you magically pull out of your – hey Preston."

"Hi," Preston said, putting his lunch tray down. "Guess what? I made a new friend today!"

"What, we're not enough?" Carol asked, touching her heart. "I'm wounded."

"Wounded, Pres," Tim said. "She might never get over her pain."

"Right," Preston said. "Anyway, this guy, he's in my history class and – "

"Oh, Tim, there's the guy I was talking about!" Carol interrupted. "Bart!" she called. "Over here!"

"You know him too?" Preston said. "Aww, I was gonna introduce you!"

"Hi Carol," Bart said. "Hi Preston. Hi, oh, I don't know you. I'm Bart!"

"This is Tim," Carol said. "He likes chess and math and is scared of the circus."

"You would be too if you saw two trapezists fall to their deaths right in front of their son!"

"Yeah, yeah, and you saw Batman too, right?" Carol asked.

"I did!" Tim insisted.

"He was four at the time," Preston said.

"Anyway, I don't know why you two are complaining," Tim said. "I wouldn't have moved to Manchester if my parents hadn't decided Gotham was too dangerous."

"The clown's going to get you, Timmy!" Preston said. "Maybe Batman will protect you!"

"I met Batman," Bart said.

Preston, Carol, and Tim all looked at him in disbelief.

"Well, not Batman," Bart said hastily. "Just a guy in a Batman costume. And I didn't really meet him. I just kinda saw him. But, uh, it was really cool."

"Ooookay," Carol said. "That's…interesting."

"The Flash is cooler," Bart said.

"You said you lived in Keystone, right?" Preston said. "Have you met him?"

"Sure," Bart said.

"Right," Carol said. "Hey, do you like chess?"

Bart shrugged. "It's okay. I'm pretty good."

"You should come to chess club!" Preston said.

"Yeah, it's really fun," Carol said.

"For these two at least," Preston jabbed his thumb at Carol and Tim.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bart asked.

"Famous rivalry," Preston said.

"We do not have a rivalry!" Tim said.

"No," Preston said, rolling his eyes. "And yet somehow, you always end up playing each other for the entire club session.."

"We play other people!" Carol said.

"Right," Preston said. "And you beat them in five minutes. Then move on to having a bloody battle that usually doesn't end for hours. Did you even finish your last game?"

"Not quite yet," Tim admitted. "But I was close to beating her!"

Carol smirked. "In your dreams."

Preston nudged Bart with his shoulder. "Rivalry."

"Maybe a little," Tim admitted.

"I've been taking bets on how long it takes for them to start dating," Preston added.

Carol and Tim glanced at each other and smirked.

"It's not gonna happen," Carol said. "Trust me."

"We're not each other's type," Tim said.

"Not at all," Carol said.

"Sure," Preston said.

"But really, you should check out chess club," Tim said. "It's a lot of fun."

"Cool," Bart said. "When is it?"

"This afternoon's the next meeting," Carol said. "Right after school."

"Oh," Bart said. "Uh, I can't. I gotta…do stuff."

"Stuff?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah it's this…thing. With my uncle. Maybe next time, okay? I'll ask him. Bye!" Bart stood up and walked off, leaving his tray half uneaten.

"Weird," Tim said. "Lunch isn't even close to over."



Bart didn't really want to hang around in Manchester for another twenty whole minutes. It was boring in such a small town.

Gotham was pretty cool, though. If Batman didn't see him. But it was daytime, after all. And Robin was probably having lunch right then.

He skidded to a halt a little ways from Gotham Heights High School. Robin would kill him if he ran up to her as Impulse, but she probably wouldn't mind it if Bart Allen, ordinary high school student showed up.

It didn't take him long to find the cafeteria. Only a few seconds after that to locate Robin. She was talking with a few friends, blond hair loose and behind her ears instead of tied back as it always was in costume..

Bart grinned and headed over.

"Hey R – " Bart realized that he didn't actually know her name. "Hey!"

Robin whipped around and glared at him.

"Who's this, Stephanie?" a boy asked her.

Robin looked over her shoulder and smiled easily. "Oh, this is just a family friend of mine, Bernard. He's visiting for the week. Would you excuse us?"

"Cheating on me?" Bernard asked.

"Oh, yes. Our affair is a deep and torrid one. It's all a trick to make you jealous, of course," Robin said.

Bernard smirked. "I'm wounded, darling."

Robin rolled her eyes and yanked Bart away to a secluded corner. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"I was bored," Bart said. "Is that your boyfriend?"

"Sarcasm is really lost on you," Robin said. "No, not really. It's an ongoing joke between us. He's my partner."

"Oh," Bart said. "So we're not going to have an affair?"

"No! What, did you think so?"

"…no," Bart said. "Course not."

"Right." Robin glared at him. "Why are you here?"

Bart scowled. "School sucks! I don't have any friends in Manchester! Everyone's a jerk and the ones who aren't are in chess club! I'm bored, Robbie!"

"Shh!" Robin said, glancing around. "Call me Steph when I'm not in costume, okay? B's gonna kill me."

"B?"

"You know, my boss?"

Bart's eyes widened. "Ohh. Why?"

"Why? Because I told you my name! I'm not supposed to do that!"

"Oh." Bart shrugged. "I won't tell."

"I know just…agh. Look, we can't talk. Here." Robin, or Steph apparently, pulled a slip of paper and a pen from her pocket. She scribbled down a name and an address and handed the paper to Bart. "Meet me there on Saturday at two. I've got to go back before Bernard gets suspicious."

"Okay," Bart said, shoving the paper into his pocket. "Should I, uh, dress up if you know what I mean?"

Steph gritted her teeth. "No," she said. "You shouldn't."



Lunch the next day involved a lot of thrown food.

"Dude," Preston said, filming Bart as he walked calmly through the edible battle. "You are a dead man. Everyone's talking."

"Yeah, a lot of people want to meet me at three," Bart said. "Cool camera. Is it 3d?"

"Of course not," Preston said as they ducked behind an overturned table with Tim and Carol. "You say the strangest things."

"What'd he say this time?" Carol asked.

"Three-D cameras," Preston said.

"Weird," Carol said.

"Is it true half the school is going to beat you up after school?" Tim asked.

"They're going to try," Bart said.

"This is serious," Tim said. "We should tell the principal. We can sneak you out of here. We can – "

Bart shrugged. "I'll be okay. They're not as bad as those Kobra guys."

"Kobra?" Carol asked.

"Um." Bart said. "Supervillains. They kidnapped me and the Flash saved me."

"What does that have to do with everybody wanting to beat you up?" Tim asked. "The Flash is probably too busy to come down here and save you!"

Bart shrugged again. "It'll work out."

"Watch out!" Tim said suddenly, grabbing Bart's shoulder and yanking him out of the way of an oncoming yogurt. It missed by inches and splattered across the wall. Bart lost his balance and fell sprawled over Tim.

Bart scowled. "I saw that."

"You're welcome," Tim said. "Look, Bart, some of these kids are really big."

"So?" Bart said. "Some of me is really big."

Preston, Carol, and Tim stared.

"What?" Bart said.

"Um," Tim said. "What part of you is really big?"

Bart gave him a confused look and pointed at his feet. "What else would I be talking about?"

"Those are really big feet," Preston said.

Carol smirked and nudged Tim. "And you know what they say about big feet," she muttered.

Tim blushed and shoved her arm.



After school, Tim grabbed Bart before he could leave.

"Look, now they're saying everyone is out for your blood," he said. "You can't go out there!"

"Sure I can," Bart said. "C'mon, let me by."

"Look, at least let me help or something!" Tim said.

"How?" Bart said blankly.

"I'm good at talking to people. I can convince them you're not worth it!"

"The entire school?"

Tim shrugged. "At least you'd have an ally."

"Sorry," Bart said. "Look, I'll see you later, okay?"

Time for plan B. Without warning, Tim shoved Bart into the janitor's closet they'd been standing next to and locked the door.

"I'll come back in an hour," Tim said. "Look, I'm sorry but – "

The lock was rattling strangely. After a few moments, Bart opened the door. He looked mad.

"Lock broke," he said off-handedly. "Luckily for you. If I don't show up they'd think I'm chicken!"

"So? At least you'd be alive!"

"Why do you care so much? You've only known me a day!"

"I don't like seeing people hurt," Tim said.

"I'll be fine!" Bart insisted. "Look, there are so many of them they can't all hurt me anyway, right?"

"That's a huge comfort," Tim said.

Bart smiled and grabbed Tim's hand. "It's kinda sweet that you're worried," he said, squeezing gently, "But I'll be fine. Bye!"

Tim stared dumbly as Bart dropped his hand and walked away. It wasn't until Bart was too far away to hear that he managed to say anything at all.

"Sweet?"

Tim shook his head and started running after Bart. But he was gone. Apparently, Bart was faster than Tim had suspected.

"Crap." Tim ran outside. He didn't know what he'd do, but he'd find something. Bart wasn't by the flagpole or the cannon or any of the places people usually met for a fight. He could hear shouting coming from the football field, though.

He ran around the school and almost collided with Carol.

"Carol!" he shouted. "Have you seen Bart? He's going to get himself killed! The entire school – "

"Over there," Carol said, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the football field. "You seem pretty concerned about Bart, Tim."

"It doesn't mean anything," Tim snapped. "Remember the whole thing with Preston's mom? You never accused me of liking Preston! I just like helping people!"

"You and Preston had been friends since third grade. You've only just met Bart."

Tim shook his head. "I don't have time for this," he snapped.

"Right, right, go save your fair maid," Carol said. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, though. Last I saw he was winning."

"That's not possible," Tim said blankly, and he ran to the football field.

He couldn't see Bart anywhere. Everyone was fighting with everyone else, and Bart had completely disappeared.

Tim looked around for any clue to where Bart was.

It was no use. But there was one area where the fighting was thickest. Tim didn't have a choice. He was going in. He had to help Bart. Somehow.

He ducked around two people fighting and got hit by a stray fist. Someone's elbow knocked him down. Tim didn’t bother getting up. He just crawled carefully under the chaotic squabbles, trying his hardest to avoid being kicked.

Someone stepped on his fingers and Tim yelled in pain. He jerked back and knocked into someone's legs. That someone turned around.

"Oh, shit," Tim said.

"That's right, nerd." Jeff, the bully that had taken every chance he got to make Tim's life a living hell, was standing over Tim, cracking his knuckles. "That lousy new kid mighta gotten away, but I guess today's not a total loss."

Suddenly, Bart was between them. He knocked Jeff down faster than Tim would have believed humanly possible and grabbed Tim's arm.

"You're really stupid, aren't you?" Bart asked. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

"Bart," Tim said. "I'm here to help."

"Yeah, but you're kinda a wimp, no offense," Bart said. "Here," he pulled Tim up.

"I'm not…Bart, how'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You just came out of nowhere!"

Bart shrugged. "Just cause you didn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't there. Here, just walk forward. People're too busy to notice you if you just avoid 'em."

"Did that guy's arm just go through you?"

"Course not. That'd be impossible. We're almost out. Here, you can sit with me and Max on the bleachers."

"Max?"

"My…uncle."

"I was coming to help you," Tim said again.

"I got it under control," Bart said. "Told you I'd be fine. Hi, Max."

The old man sitting on the bleachers raised an eyebrow. "Did you make a friend after all, Bart?"

Bart grinned and shrugged.

"I'm Tim Drake."

"Max Crandall. Good to know at least one of the students at this school isn't out for Bart's blood."

"I'm not the only one!" Tim protested. "There're a few of us!"

"Like Preston!" Bart said. "Look, he filmed the whole thing!"

Tim glared at the end of the football field where he could indeed see Preston filming the fight. "Just like him," he muttered.

Bart glanced at him. "Max, can I walk Tim home?"

Max shrugged. "I can't see why not."

"Cool!" Bart grinned and grabbed Tim's hand. "C'mon! Wheredoyou live?"

"Slow down there, Speedy," Max said.

Bart scowled at him. "I'm not going that fast!" he said.

Max shrugged. "I'll meet you at home." He stood up and walked away slowly.

"Where do you live?" Bart asked again.

"Um, just a little ways away," Tim said. "This way."

"Okay," Bart said. "Look, it was kinda nice that you tried to help me. And real brave to go into that fight after me. You didn't have to."

"Yeah, well, if I'd known you were totally fine," Tim grumbled.

"I know, that's why I pulled you out of the fight," Bart said. "I mean, you were trying to help me, least I could do was make sure you didn't get to hurt."

"I'm fine," Tim said. "Uh, thanks." He glanced down. "You're still holding my hand."

"Uh huh. Should I not be?"

"Uh, I mean, it's kinda…"

Bart dropped his hand. "Sorry. There are a lotta things that don't really make sense to me. Things were different in the – in Keystone."

"People held hands all the time? I've been to Keystone. It wasn't that different from here."

Bart shrugged. "Depends what neighborhood you're in, right?"

"I guess," Tim said, still looking at Bart curiously. Now that he had a chance to really look at him, Tim could see that Bart had the strangest golden eyes.

They were absolutely gorgeous.

Bart was studying Tim just as closely. Suddenly he touched Tim's cheekbone gently. "That's gonna really hurt tomorrow," he said.

Tim blushed. Bart was really too close. "Uh," he stuttered.

Bart kissed him. It was quick, just a peck on the lips, but it was definitely a kiss.

Then Bart jerked back, looking almost as surprised as Tim felt.

"Oh, grife, I didn't – I'm sorry Tim ohgodyoumusthateme!" Bart said. "IgottagoI'mreallysorry!"

"Bart – " Tim said, but Bart was running, going so fast his legs almost blurred, and then he was gone.

Tim didn't see him at all for the rest of the week.

Next!

Comments

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

XD Ce n'est pas mon idee! It was from that meme that gave me the Tim/Bart Smallville thing. Mais merci beacoup! There will be more! Tomorrow!

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

XD Today! But not until I get home.

[unrequited-rain.livejournal.com]

wonderful as always darling <3 (and as always, I still have no idea who they are :D but it impacts none on the awesomeness!)

and you TOTALLY have a comment! BE HAPPY MY LOVE!

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

XD Now I have two! But I still have no chocolate.

Which I believe has nothing to do with anything, but hell, I like chocolate!

Thank you! (Someday, we shall have a Chat Meet-Up, and I will force-feed you comic books. It'll be awesome!)

[unrequited-rain.livejournal.com]

You do that. And I will put on some My Chem and Panic and Cobra and force you to watch... idk Due South :D

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

XD I have Panic on my computer! Just because I don't want to read about them being vampires with babies and telephone sex cops doesn't mean I don't like their music!

<3

[milleniumrex.livejournal.com]

Whee! This was so much fun! I love these crazy little "what ifs". And Steph as Robin! I'm a sucker for that.

Bart and Tim were so cute here. And even though I never read most of Waid's Impulse, I love Carol and Preston. :)

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

XD How could I resist? Steph is a really cool Robin! And what if's are fun!

You should read Waid's Impulse! I (shockingly) recommend it!

Thank you!

[darthbatgirl.livejournal.com]

So exactly what did Bart do to get the whole school mad at him? And the kiss between Tim and Bart was the sweetest thing ever.

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

Same as in the comics. Kept just being himself and cluelessly pissing everyone off, but it was from Tim's point of view so Tim's just not sure.

Wasn't it? Pity they can't just be happy. That'd be too easy!

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

Ah, but Jay's death had nothing to do with Tim's presence! Plus, I'm better at Steph.

There'll be more as soon as I get home!

[saavikam77.livejournal.com]

Aw, boys!! O_O *pets them*

I love what you've done with this AU so far. makes sense for Steph to have become Robin since Tim wasn't there. And Bart's quirks making everyone wonder about him is just too hilarious. :p

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

It's like in World Without Young Justice! Sort of. Anyway, I like Steph-Robin.

Bart is very quirky. It's because he's from the fu - uh, Keystone. They do some pretty crazy things in Keystone, you know?

Glad you liked it!

[thegodoftigers.livejournal.com]

There not one phrase that didn't make me laugh... I love it.

PS: to be good at humor, do you have to be a natural funny guy or is it something you can be... because Humor has never been my forte D: