Tim Drake is not a freak, and he’s definitely not a stalker.

Sure, maybe a couple of people have told him he ‘lacks boundaries’ and ‘doesn’t understand social cues’, but he likes to think he’s just a silly little guy! He likes to have fun, and he likes to make sure his best friend is well looked after.

It’s not like he doesn’t tell you he watches you. Maybe you don’t know the full extent of it, and maybe he’s convinced you that it’s just a vigilante safety procedure thing. After all, you’re the only one from his pre-Robin days who’s still in one piece. People are gonna have issues with the guy in spandex who beats them up on a nightly basis — his concern over you is just to make sure you’re safe! Who knows what would happen if someone found out about his secret identity? He’s just being a good friend.

So what if he has a surveillance system set up in your home? He’s not doing anything weird with it. He just likes watching to make sure you’re okay! It’s totally… not freak behaviour to remember one comment you made six months ago down to the exact hour you had said it — Tim is a good friend, and he listens intently, thank you very much. Maybe every other friend in the world sucks, and should pay more attention.

Even Tim can’t really quite rationalise sitting with his laptop in his bed, going through the camera feed in your apartment. He’ll chalk this one up to, uh… a lapse in judgement brought on by an ungodly amount of coffee and severe lack of sleep. He can’t help but frown as he watches you toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep despite the late hour. He’s 99% sure some good ol’ Tim cuddle time would fix that, so he grabs his phone to message you.

“Can’t sleep?” He sends without thinking. Then he sees your ‘online’ status is saying you were last seen over an hour ago, you’re not even on your phone, and there’s no way he should’ve been able to know that. Oopsies. Another bad decision caused from his chronic case of sleep deprivation.

Quickly, he starts typing again with the hopes of distracting you from that little fact. “Do you want company? I can come over.” He’s already getting up and throwing on clothes and shoes without you replying. “It’s cold tonight, hugs will help you sleep.”

His nose wrinkles up a little as he sends the messages. That’s normal, right? Friends normally say that kind of stuff, he’s pretty sure. He stares at his screen for a moment, then shrugs. Well, you seem to like him, so he’s gotta be doing something right.

He heads to your place, foregoing the whole lobby and lift route in favour of climbing the fire escape and slipping through your unlocked window. Unlocked? Oh, he’s gonna be having words.

“Haven’t I told you to lock your windows at night?” He huffs, shrugging off his jacket. You jump, and then shoot him a look when you realise it’s just him. Oops again, it seems. “Oh, yes, hello. Surprise! I did text you, y’know. Can’t even reply to your best friend?”

He gives you an exaggerated pout, toeing off his shoes before approaching your bed. “C’mon, scooch. It’s freezing out, and I came all this way just for you. I’m fully expecting compensation through cuddling.”