robin's twin || reader insert, Tim Drake centric

Year 1-2

The thing is, I wasn't quite sure when my last life ended and when this new one started. I'm beyond thankful that I don't remember my birth- god knows that would've been traumatising, but as for the death of my old life? I don't know whether to consider the fact that I don't remember it a curse or a blessing.

Maybe I wasn't even reincarnated, and this is just some sort of fever dream. Maybe I'm high on drugs. But as the days pass and my vision slowly starts clearing? It's pretty hard to deny the fact that yes, I'm in the body of a newborn baby. It's not even the fact that reincarnation exists, but the fact that I somehow remember my last life. Is that normal? Do all people start out remembering their past lives and just forgetting as they grow older? Maybe it's finally time for me to be the main character.

Then I vehemently reject the thought. Nope. I am not going to be the protagonist. I'll just use my past life knowledge to excel in tests, I guess. Be the ultimate prodigy. Unless...

What if I'm reincarnated to a fictional universe?

Sounds crazy, I know. But I spend my past life reading fanfiction of all kinds of fandoms, and this genre is almost always a constant. Isekai, transmigration, whatever. And if reincarnation can exist, who's to say?

-

So. A few weeks have passed, most of the time I spent having a bit of an existential crisis with my small baby brain. My vision and hearing slowly started to get better, so I was able to make out some things that my new parents said.

Between them calling each other "Jack" and "Janet" and my twin brother "Timothy", I got the hint. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention? I have a twin brother, who grows up to be the freaking 3rd Robin. 

As for me? My name is Theodora Janet Drake. I've already decided I'm going by Thea. Jack and Janet really went the "alliterative twin names" route, huh? Well, at least our names sound different. I think of the Tornado Twins- Don and Dawn. I shudder at the thought.

Anyways, yes, I was apparently reincarnated into a fictional universe. The DC universe, no less. Which is- well, honestly, there could be worse universes to reincarnate into. Still, not ideal. I momentarily curse myself for not reading more comics, but honestly, who knows what universe we're in? It could be the Young Justice cartoon, or something. At least I know it's not New 52, because our last names are actually "Drake". Or more likely, it's some fanfic universe.

Honestly, I'm glad I'm not a canon character. There's nothing I have to live up to, no forcing myself to be the hero I remember, or whatever. I can just... live, and be me. And also be my favourite character's twin at the same time.

Though... with the knowledge I have, I could prevent so many tragedies. So many bad things that happen to these people, I can stop. But... could I really? I mean, I'm just one girl, what could I do?

Well. I'm still a baby who can't even sit up by herself. These things can wait.

~

Days blend together like mush. I slowly gain more ability to actually move around in my crib. My vision clears, and I can look around the nursery. It's slow- but progress is being made. I can look across and see my brother in his crib, now.

The first time our nanny lets us both out, I clumsily manoeuvre myself towards him on the baby mat. His eyes are big and watery, and so much bluer than the comic panels can depict. He babbles happily and drools a little, and I giggle.

And at that moment my mind is made.

Because Tim Drake is a character that goes through so much in the comics. He's the Robin who chose to be Robin, whose countless tragedies stemmed from this choice, and yet he never backed down, or gave up. He became Robin because he had to- not for himself, but for Batman and Gotham. And even after he lost both his parents, his friends, never once did he give up.

And the wide-eyed, innocent baby in front of me? He's my brother. And he's Tim Drake, and he'll grow up to experience all that if I don't do anything, make no changes.

But I have the power to stop those tragedies from happening. Because I read the comics. 

I was a big sister in my last life, after all. I guess the instincts just carry over.

~

We're fourteen months old, or at least I think. Approximately. Regardless- we've been deemed old enough to be given some new toys, but what's important to me is the crayons. Finally- I can start recording events from the comics down. 

I begin thinking of things I want to change. What are tragedies Tim experiences?

His parents' deaths, Steph dying in War Games, Kon dying in the crisis and Bart after... wait, why am I just thinking about deaths? That's slightly morbid- but it is a significant part of his tragedies. I probably will want to prevent these deaths.

I mean, his parents are also my parents now, so. They might be absent a lot of the time, but they're not the monsters the fandom likes to portray them as usually. I'm pretty sure they sent Tim to a boarding school and Lonely Place of Dying happens during the holidays, they don't just leave them in an empty house all year round. Still, not ideal but. I don't want them dead.

Janet's should be fairly easy to prevent, I could just disrupt their flight somehow. Maybe report their pilot so they'd have to get a new one? If all else fails I can just tip Batman off earlier. As for Jack... well if I exist, maybe I'll be targeted instead of him? I can just get him to a hiding place earlier, as soon as I hear about Sue Dibney's death. Is it bad that I'm not trying to prevent that instead? 

Ah well. I want to prevent the tragedies in Tim's life. So. Steph. She doesn't really die, but I'd rather War Games not happen. Do I just tell her? Or if I'm there when Jack finds out Tim is Robin, I somehow convince him into letting Tim stay Robin, then Steph never replaces him.

I scribble down all my thoughts onto a napkin I find with a snapped dandelion crayon. 

What about Kon? I don't think I can stop Superboy Prime... maybe I can talk him down with the fact that I'm also from a universe like his? He's only the villain because the writers forced him to be. If I'm here, maybe we're not in a universe controlled by the DC writers? Maybe he won't necessarily have to be a villain... and if Superboy Prime stops, Bart won't have to trap him for four years and age up and become Flash... which should mean Inertia doesn't kill him? 

I write it all down, even though I know half the plans probably aren't viable. I still have years.

I will prevent all the personal tragedies in Tim Drake's life.