Chapter Text
Disclaimer: don’t own DP or DC
Chapter 1
Tim was relieved to return to his Nest for the night, ready to crawl out of his suit and soak in the shower for a while. He ached and felt filthy thanks to having to head into the sewer for a bit. He grabbed his pills and swallowed one dry, who knew what was in the Gotham sewers, beyond Killer Croc. At least he hadn’t had to deal with him, he’d be nursing some nasty wounds if he had. He pushed his cowl back and headed for the computer to set down the drive he had found for one of his cases.
The slightest change in air pressure had him moving, drawing his bō. Some kind of portal opened and out stepped…a creature of some kind, holding…a scroll? “Who are you?” Tim demanded, voice dropping easily into the lower register Red Robin used. His face was exposed but non-human enemies rarely cared about their id’s.
It spoke, voice gravely, and the language unknown. The scroll glowed and Tim gasped as his bō fell, his hands suddenly seeming to be bound together. What the hell?!
“What are you doing?’ he demanded, only for more words to be growled, a dense weight settling around Tim’s throat.
He tried to speak and nothing happened, something heavy moving over him. He…he couldn’t move. He could feel his panic button on his belt, just under his fingers but they wouldn’t so much as twitch let alone press it. He was in for the night, no one would expect to hear from him till work in the morning. None of his alarms were going off, he should have hit the emergency alert as soon as he sensed something!
At more noise, Tim found himself lurching into motion, walking towards the creature, unable to resist. He prayed the cameras were working, that there’d be enough for JL Dark to recognise what was happening and to come save him. He walked towards the portal, his heart racing with fear. As he got closer, he could see a chain fading into view, one end clutched in a clawed hand the other…leading towards him. And then it turned, walking through and Tim obediently followed.
The world warped around him, his head spinning, and when it passed, he was in a cell…a dungeon? But he had control of his body back, to a point. His voice remained silent but he could move. His hands were no longer bound together but when he looked down, he saw solid metal manacles around each wrist. He reached for his throat and there was a thick metal collar to match, a chain falling a few inches from it. He moved to the bars, reaching out but his hand stopped inches away. It wasn’t anything physical stopping him, no…it was his ow body refusing to continue moving.
Tim took a shaking breath and turned to examine the cell. It was dark and dank which wasn’t good, he was standing in a petri dish - good thing he’d taken an antibiotic but that wouldn’t work for long. It was also small, he couldn’t stretch his arms to touch each wall at the same time, but it wasn’t much bigger than that. No windows to let in light, then again, there might not be any light to let in. The walls and floor were cold stone, other than the front wall of bars. There was an empty bucket in one corner whose purpose he could guess, a rickety stool, and a tin thick rimmed plate sitting on it…water collected in it. Was that for him to drink? It could not be sanitary. And what about food? He could go days without food but water? He’d had some not too long ago, so he’d be fine for now. But what was the plan? Why had he been taken? He searched the cell top to bottom but there was no way out that he could find or that his body would allow him to approach.
Slowly, he slid down the wall, knees tucked to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. He buried his face, taking gasping breaths, fighting tears. This couldn’t be happening…it couldn’t.
Tam frowned, where was Tim? She rang his cell phone but it rang out until his voicemail kicked in. She left a message and then called the number that went directly to the Nest, just in case he’d gotten caught up in a case but nothing. He had a board meeting today… so she dialled again.
“Good morning, Miss Fox.”
“Good morning, Alfred, sorry to interrupt. Did Tim stay at the Manor last night?”
“No, to my knowledge he went home after game night. Is something amiss?”
“He hasn’t arrived yet and the board meeting starts in forty minutes. I tried his cell and other line; both go to voicemail.”
“I see…I shall inform Master Bruce. Thank you, Miss Fox.”
“Thanks Alfred, can you let me know?”
“Of course.”
Alfred took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. It could be nothing after all. He walked into the dining room. “Miss Fox called, Master Bruce.”
“What is it?”
“She cannot find or contact Master Timothy.”
The room fell silent.
“Dick, call Jason, he’s closer to Tim’s place,” Master Bruce ordered, already standing.
Master Richard didn’t bother answering, pulling out his phone.
Master Bruce headed for the study and they all followed. They made it down into the Cave and soon Master Timothy’s trackers were activated…except nothing happened. They weren’t registering.
“Apartment’s empty,” Jason’s voice came over the comms moments later. “No sign his bed’s been slept in. Heading down.”
They waited in silence. Had Master Timothy been hiding an injury? Was he lying in the Nest, injured? But then why were his trackers not registering?
“Shit,” Jason’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Hood?” Bruce demanded.
“I found his bō. Looks like…he dropped it and it rolled across the floor. Pulling up internal feeds.”
Alfred gripped the back of a chair, his heart pounding. No, please no.
“No…” Jason’s voice was low, pained. “S…sending the footage.”
“Jaylad?”
“Call Constantine and tell him to get his ass to the Cave or I’m shooting it,” he growled. “Enroute.”
He watched Master Bruce bring up the footage. They watched as master Tim entered the Nest, pushing back his cowl, looking tired. He headed for the computer and then spun, drawing his bō, sensing something? And then they saw the portal open and the creature emerge, Tim speaking…manacles and heavy collar appearing on Timothy even as the boy froze. There was sound but Tim didn’t make a noise, staring ahead, face blank. But when Master Bruce zoomed in…the terror in blue eyes was clear, he was fully aware of what was going on but seemingly unable to do a thing.
“Timmy,” Master Richard whispered as they watched Tim walk towards the portal and then followed the creature through it.
That explained why Master Jason said to call Mister Constantine.
John watched the footage; he was going to be sick. “Need to check the place out myself,” he told them. He needed to see what kind of trace had been left behind.
“What is it?”
“A demon.” That much was obvious. But which one? That could be impossible to work out. “Thought Red was too smart to make a deal.”
“No, Tim never would,” Brown denied.
“Bats?” John asked, seeing the way he’d tensed.
“How did Tim get the evidence to find me?” he asked, voice tight.
“No, no way!” Brown yelled, Cain nodding along.
Her fingers moved, signing.
“Cass is right, whatever happened, it involved the League, they showed up in Gotham right on Tim’s heels,” Dick explained. “And Ra’s wouldn’t deal with a demon, too proud and too smart.”
“That was a deal scroll, if the bird didn’t make the deal himself…” John winced.
“Constantine?” Bruce growled.
“The other option would be a parent, before birth, possibly even before conception. Surely you know the old stories of selling your first born?” He felt sick, those deals were not easy to get around. “Where are his parents?”
“Dead,” Bruce stated flatly.
Well, there went that lead.
Jason paced Tim’s Nest, hands on his guns despite there being no target. B had told him not to come to the Cave, to stay, and now Constantine was coming to check it out in person. Tim would never make a deal with a demon, that was what the creature had to be, right? So how could it control Tim like that? Why? And who had it come from, Tim Drake or Red Robin?
And then the whole family filed into the Nest, Constantine in front, eyes narrowed as he looked around. He moved to where Tim had stood, muttering, then moved to where the portal had been.
“Well?” Bruce eventually growled, even as Constantine shoved a cigarette in his mouth.
“Definitely a demon and not some low-level bastard either. Without knowing its name or what the contract was…look, I’ll try but the odds of getting Red back…”
“What can we do?” Jason demanded, they couldn’t just sit back and wait.
“Any of you lot read Latin?”
Jason smirked; he did.
Tim fell back as the world swirled around him again, everything going hazy. He tried to shake his head, to focus, but his mind was foggy, everything distant. There was a vague sense of being moved around, coldness, hands, claws…
Gradually, awareness came back, sort of. It was hard to think, his mind sluggish. He couldn’t move, his head bowed, staring at wood. There was so much noise, his ears ringing. Where? What was…going on? It took him a while to realise it, he was naked. His body bare to anyone there. It was cold. He wanted…dad?
The sudden silence took several minutes to sink into his muddled mind. It got colder and then a hand lifted his head. His vision was blurry but it was…a person? Lots of white…and green…glowing green eyes, reminded him of…someone? Who?
He shuddered, the chain from his collar changing, becoming smooth, the manacles and collar themselves changing as well as another took ownership of him. Tim’s mind went quiet and blank, his body obediently following his new master through a portal.
He stared at blank blue eyes. This…this had not been the plan! And now he freaking owned this guy’s soul! Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne…Red Robin. A vigilante, which, okay that was cool. He had complete control over him and no way to send him home. He wasn’t from the same dimension as him, he could sense that. Which meant no handy manmade portal. He couldn’t just ‘return to sender’ him, it’d send him back to the demon realm the demon who had owned him first came from.
He'd just gone to check on the auction, there’d been whispers of the demons breaking or at least bending his laws. So seeing a naked human led onto the block had been a shock. There was no contract taint on his soul either, no, his parents had sold him before he was even conceived! Which was weird, usually those babies were collected right after birth but he looked around the same physical age as Danny. Those behind the auction were now safely in the dungeon until he worked out who had known what. The one who had supplied the auction with young Drake-Wayne though was already set for trial.
Danny sighed but then led Timothy through the Keep to his wing and to the room attached to his own, gently getting him to sit on the bed. He put a blanket over his lap and then went to check; the closet was empty so he sent a message for human clothing to be brought. He closed his eyes, pulling back the kingly aura, he didn’t want to overwhelm or scare him anymore than the situation already would.
Slowly, blue eyes blinked, awareness seeping back in. He shuddered, gasping in a breath and then he was looking around wildly.
“Easy,” Danny murmured. “You’re alright.”
Soft…something soft…cold…he blinked. He…he was Tim, he was…his shuddered. He could feel the manacles and collar. He was…he gasped in a breath, fighting the panic.
“Easy,” a voice murmured. “You’re alright.”
Tim’s gaze snapped in that direction as his vision cleared fully. Someone who looked a lot more human than the demon from before stood across from him, leaning against a white wall, arms crossed…a relaxed, unthreatening stance. Tim swallowed as he realised that he was naked and sitting on a bed. His eyes went back to the stranger, taking in the white hair and glowing green eyes…so much like Jason’s when suffering the Rage. His skin was pale, tinted slightly blue and he caught a glimpse of delicately pointed ears in the white hair. Were those freckles or constellations on his skin?
“Can you understand me?”
Tim nodded and then found himself answering vocally. “Yes Master.” He found his eyes dropping, it felt…natural. He could feel the strange pressure over his body still but it almost felt…comforting now rather than oppressive. The manacles around his wrists looked different, smoother, softer somehow.
“Hey,” his Master’s voice was so soft and gentle. “Can you look at me?”
Tim blinked, it wasn’t an order so could he? He hesitantly managed to raise his gaze, meeting the glowing green, watching pale lips move into a small smile, were those fangs?
“That’s better. I know you’re scared and confused, but you’re going to be okay. My name is Danny, is there something you’d like me to call you. I…uh, already know your full name, it’s part of owning your soul. But it’s your choice what I call you.”
Why tell Tim his name? He supposed it made sense that Master Danny would know who he was when he owned him now. “Tim,” he whispered.
“Tim,” his Master repeated, smiling softly at him, and Tim wanted him to smile more.
He wanted to make his Master happy. Some distant part of him recognised that his thoughts weren’t normal but the fear was fading away. And then he jolted at a sudden pain, looking down to find he’d drawn blood by digging his nails into his palm but…his head felt clearer.
“What…what’s happen’ to me?” He found himself tugging at his hair but then cold hands were on his, gently pulling his hands away.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” Master Danny murmured.
Tim watched as the man…being? Opened Tim’s hand to inspect the wound.
“Not too bad.” He trailed a claw tipped finger along the wound and it went cold, for a second it shimmered as if with ice, and then Tim stared at his healed hand.
“Who…where…” Tim shivered, shaking his head.
“It’s alright, you’re safe Tim. I won’t hurt you,” Master promised. “You’re in the Infinite Realms now, in my Keep. This will be your room for as long as you’re here, no one will enter from now on without your permission, even me. That door there leads through to my quarters. And the door over there is to your bathroom. I’ve sent for human appropriate clothing as well.”
Tim’s gaze following where Master Danny pointed. Why say he wouldn’t come in without permission when Tim knew, he wouldn’t be able to deny him.
“I found you at a demon auction, there was a lot of excitement because you hadn’t sold your own soul.”
Tim frowned in confusion. He knew he hadn’t sold his soul; he’d never make a deal. He’d been around Constantine and Raven enough to know that. “I didn’t, I…”
“I know,” Master assured him, and Tim found a thumb gently rubbing his knuckles. “Tim…” he took a deep breath. “It was your parents; they sold you before you were even conceived. Their firstborn in exchange for wealth and prosperity.”
Tim felt sick, he could see Jack doing that but…his mother?
“The demon involved called in the deal because it needed equity. You were going for a very high price given the untouched state of your soul. I bought you and shut down the auction. The demon who bought you will be put on trial for breaking the law. Deals involving souls are now highly regulated, it’s illegal to sell someone else’s soul.”
“How can you do that?” Tim asked. He felt…warm and safe but he could still think, still focus.
Master smiled at him and Tim smiled back. “Because I am High King of the Infinite Realms. Think of it like the glue that holds everything together, every dimension, multiverse…and in it is every version of the afterlife. Which is why I get to tell demons that bartering for innocent souls is not allowed.”
“Am I…dead?”
“No, you’re alive and I’d like to keep it that way. Bit hard to break the deal and get you home if you’re dead.”
Tim’s eyes widened. “What?”
Master Danny lifted a hand, brushing his hair back and Tim found himself leaning in, chasing his hand. “You don’t deserve this Tim. Getting you home won’t be easy though.”
“Like in myths? Easier to get in then out,” he murmured, and Master nodded.
“There’s two ways out, a man-made portal which we lack or using a spell to send you back where you came from but that would just send you back to the demon realm you were brought to before being sold. There might be another way, older, but well…I’m kind of new at this. I do however have a massive library and I know the Master of Time. But your best bet would be someone trying to find you from your home dimension.”
“Justice League Dark,” he said. “They have a ghost on the roster, could he come get me?”
“Huh…maybe? I didn’t know there was a ghost on a superhero team. Hopefully, they’ll try to summon the demon who took you and when he fails to appear due to being in the dungeon, they’ll move up the chain. But…there’s not much point sending you back till we can break the contract. Which won’t be any easier than getting you home.”
“What if they don’t find me?” Tim asked. “If…if I die here?”
“Then you’ll be able to find your home, you can go back to give them closure, assure them you aren’t being tortured for eternity or anything.”
“And then?” Tim asked.
“Then you’ll live here, in the Realms. There’s no rule saying you can’t visit them, haunt them a bit, as long as you’re careful. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got time to work this out.”
Tim nodded. “Thank you Master.”
“Can you try to use my name?” Master asked.
Tim frowned slightly. “Master Danny?”
“Well, it’s an improvement. I guess it’s a way to tell when the contract breaks.”
“I want to make you happy,” Tim whispered. “I’m not scared anymore. I want…”
“I know,” Master Danny told him. “It’s the contract. If we can’t break it quickly, we’ll try to find a way to loosen it at least.”
A knock sounded and Master Danny stood, going to the door that led to his rooms. He talked to someone that Tim couldn’t see. It felt natural to follow him with his gaze. And when Master turned, he was holding cloth.
“Clothing for you. More will come but this should do for now. Do you feel cold?”
“Not anymore.”
“Hmm, I guess the contract is protecting you from that.”
He could feel Tim’s desire to please him and he knew, it would be so easy to abuse the control he had over him. It was scary, he didn’t want to hurt Tim. He was an innocent victim in all of this. And he thought, maybe…if Tim wasn’t his soul-bound slave, then maybe…they could be friends. Danny had been a ghost vigilante after all; they had a lot in common.
He put the pile on the bed and separated it out into a pair of loose pants and a vest. Well. Not exactly what he had wanted but he knew it was likely the Observants deciding to dress Tim to his current station.
“I doubt this is your taste, but it beats being naked.”
“If you want me to be naked then it’s okay,” Tim answered, and for a second there was a flicker of surprise at his own words before it vanished.
“That’s the contract talking. I’ll call in someone to make you more appropriate clothing. You can describe what you usually wear and they’ll get things as close as possible.”
He held the vest out and Tim slipped his arms in. He held the pants up and Tim stood, not flinching when the blanket fell away. He stepped in and Danny settled them on his waist. He looked…good in Danny’s colours. Tim swayed forward and Danny steadied him.
“Let me please you Master Danny,” Tim whispered, a hazy look in his eyes, his body pliant against Danny’s own.
He bit back a shiver. How long had it been since someone had been so close to him? He ran his fingers through Tim’s hair, feeling him shiver in return as Danny’s claws gently scratched his scalp.
“You don’t mean it,” he whispered, “and deep down, you know it. Focus Tim.”
The haziness faded from his eyes as he obeyed. He tensed slightly but then relaxed again, a trembling hand coming up to put a little distance between them.
“I won’t hurt you Tim, and I would never, ever, order you into my bed,” he swore. “You can’t consent like this and without consent…” Danny had been violated in a different way when Vlad used his DNA to clone him but it was still a violation. He would never, never do that to someone else.
Danny made sure Tim was steady on his feet and then stepped back.
“I…” Tim took a shaky breath. “I don’t know what I want…”
“I’m going to try something to help you.”
Tim looked at him, trust and wariness wary for supremacy.
“Tim, your mind is going to remain clear and your thoughts will be like they were before the contract. You won’t do anything that could hurt you, even if you think I want you too.”
Tim grimaced, shaking his head, hands coming up to it. And then he slowly relaxed a little, but some tension remained. Now, there was more wariness but also some thanks.
“Better?” he asked, and Tim nodded.
“It’s easier to think,” he admitted softly.
He listened to his Masters’ words, almost able to feel them sinking into his mind and soul. And the world became clearer, sharper. He’d…what had he done? He’d basically offered himself to his Master…a stranger…someone who had bought him. He looked at his Master, fully understanding just how much power he had over him. And now, he could feel a small stirring of fear, not as much as he knew he should, but it was there. It had worked, he could think about everything he’d been told, mind spinning as he began trying to work out all the options, possible traps, contingencies.
“Better?”
Tim nodded. “It’s easier to think,” he admitted, and Master smiled.
“Good.”
He…he really seemed to mean that. He could turn Tim into a mindless slave and Tim would go willingly. Instead, he was trying to help Tim resist, hadn’t accepted what Tim had offered despite seeming to want it…no, he didn’t want sex. His touch had been gentle, affectionate, but not arousing…he was High King. Did he have anyone? Such powerful positions could be very lonely.
“Are you hungry? I’m guessing you weren’t fed before the auction. Actually, any idea how long you were held for?”
Tim shook his head. “There were no clocks or windows in the cell and I couldn’t focus enough to keep track of time. But I don’t think it was too long or else I’d be suffering from the lack of food. There was some water, not sure how sanitary it was.”
“I’ll show you the kitchens then, human-safe food is kept on hand. You can get food whenever you’re hungry and they’ll include a meal for you with mine too.”
Tim followed him through the door that had opened before, finding a large corridor. He focused on making a mental map of the route as they made their way to the massive kitchens.
“This section is the human-safe area, only eat food that comes from here,” Master warned, and Tim nodded, he didn’t want to see what the other food would do to him. Make him sick? Or would it be like with fairy’s or Hades and trap him there forever?
Soon he was sitting with some soup and fresh bread, still warm even! It tasted very good and he made himself eat slowly, better to not risk being sick. Once they’d both eaten, they returned to his room and Master Danny showed him how to work the lights and everything in the bathroom.
“Goodnight Tim.”
“Goodnight, Master Danny.”
He watched him leave through the connecting door and then took off the vest and pants. They were comfortable, loose and flowy, but in case it took time for more clothing to be provided it was probably best not to sleep in them.
Tim curled up in bed, finding it very comfortable. And then the tears came, he wanted his dad, his siblings…and he wanted his Master.
TBC…