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"why aren't you using your colouring book, bud? do you want something else to do?" the small boy next to him shook his head at superman, pushing away his dark locks from his own eyes where they fell in front of his oh so small domino mask "no."
superman frowned, studying the child. he wasn't sure how or why red hood had a kid, nor did he know why red hood had decided to bring him to a justice league meeting.
an all-hands-on-deck meeting had been called to discuss the possibility of a global threat. it was a precautionary measure, should the need ever arise. any hero capable was called at batman's request for organisational purposes. batman had extended the invitation to red hood as well for reasons completely unfathomable to the man.
not that superman would call red hood a hero by any means.
the kid - tim - superman corrected himself, sat quietly next to the super, content to curl up with a juice box in the worn pleather chair and observe for the time being.
tim was no more than five, already far too smart for his own good; especially in a place like gotham. he liked looking more than doing; different from most kids superman had ever met. just like all kids though, superman knew tim soaked up everything he saw like a sponge.
he wondered what all tim must've seen to end up with red hood.
"do you not like colouring?" superman wondered.
tim shook his head again, still not looking at him but carefully studying the heroes lagging about after the long meeting. flash and green lantern laughing over coffee as aquaman was refusing to accept hawkgirl's loud offer to arm wrestle. tim had sat quietly and patiently during the whole meeting, now only anxious that superman had been tasked with watching him. tim had grown accustomed to having jason in his line of sight, especially out of the house. tim was finally used to the feeling of safety but only with jason within arms reach.
"i like colouring," he said quietly "but i like it better when ja- when red hood does it for me. it calms him a lot too." tiny hands reached out the hero with a smaller orange crayon. "you try."
before the man could react, red hood, as if on queue, popped up behind them. superman would've heard him coming regardless but had the feeling the red hood's steps were loudly intentional.
"hey kid, ready to go?"
tim grabbed the bagel from the rec room jason had set down in front of him, taking apart pieces before stuffing them in his mouth, shaking his head once again. "no. mister man was gonna colour too." one of the formalities tim had that red hood found too adorable to admonish him for.
hood snorted as he pulled tim up from the seat before settling himself in his place with tim in his lap. red hood took the bite of bagel little hands offered him as he slid the box of crayons along the table over to superman. sups breaths a small laugh before filling in the lines across the page, as per tim's instructions of what colour goes where and what to use next.
minutes turn into the top of the hour with red hood relaxed and glad that tim was seemingly expanding his safety net. hood would be there for him no matter what, no matter why, and no mater where. the kid would always be his top priority. and as much as red hood loved spending time with tim he knew it would be selfish not to let him branch out. even if red hood often had to push a little for tim to speak to people.
before red hood tim was always so scared of everyone and everything. understandable considering the monster that was his father, jack drake.
tim was never one to speak unless spoken too, avoiding eye contact at all costs, hiding any chance he could get anywhere he could. red hood was ecstatic to see tim open up more. even if he only let in a select few, red hood was honoured to be one of them. knowing tim trusted hood enough to come back to him when he left - even if he left him with someone new - made a mix of emotions in his chest ache with agony for the kid's past, overshadowed by the pride he felt pride at his kid's current accomplishments. seeing him start conversations with people, let alone feeling safe enough to tell superman what he wanted, even if it's as little as colours on a page.
red hood definitely didn't tear up under his domino.
"mister man," tim started between sips of his second juice box (last one today tim, you have school in the morning) "i saw you in the papers today."
"oh did you?" superman smiled. he was used to people recognising him in the suit from the news or social media, nothing new.
"what happened to your glasses?
okay well that's new.
the kid was more observant than the hero gave him credit for.
tim moved back and pulled red hood's jacket together over himself to hide. hood felt bad for laughing when tim was anxious, but the pure shock frozen on superman's face was just too good.
red hood shushed tim before he could apologise, packing tim's things with one hand calming the small boy with the other. "i'll tell you 'bout his glasses when we get home. you ain't done nothing wrong kiddo. c'mon,"
lifting tim onto his shoulders red hood kicked his chair into the table, stifling a chuckle at the still bewildered superman. "you can keep the colouring book uncle clarke,"
tim nodded in agreement, resting his head on jasons own. "you look like you need it more than we do."
superman sat for a long moment alone at the table, the crayon he'd snapped in half still in hand.
how did this happen? how much did a little kid figure out? a toddler! how much did red hood know? how-
wait.
uncle clarke?