Trains

Title: Trains
Author: Darklyndsea
Rating: PG for language
Word Count: 926
A/N: this is an AU of the AU found here, so it may not make too much sense without reading that first.
Summary: Tim takes the Slayers train surfing

They'd learned not to press him, not to ask where and how and why he'd learned what he knew, why he could take demons and vampires down as easily as the slayers could; when they did, he withdrew. If they weren't doing anything more than relaxing, he left. So they pretended they weren't curious, weren't burning with the desire to figure Tim Drake out. He, in turn, pretended he didn't know they wanted to.

Every day for an hour or so he took over the training room and kicked everybody else out. They didn't know what he did in there and they never saw him with his shirt off or in short sleeves. They speculated that he was just really modest, but somehow they knew that wasn't it.

One day, Xander came home and didn't realize Tim was in the training room, so he took the clean workout towels and walked in on Tim doing katas like nothing Xander had seen before. It looked like a dance, the most beautiful dance in the world, lacking only a partner. And his arms…Tim was wearing a sleeveless shirt, and Xander could see the scars of battles past marring his skin. He must have made a noise, because Tim's eyes snapped open (they had been closed while he did that deadly dance?) and an inscrutable expression crossed his face. Then he was across the room, yelling- yelling! Tim never yelled- at Xander to get out in a show of anger he hadn't allowed any of them to see before. None of them saw him for the rest of the day.

Tim returned the next day, shamefaced and quiet, and diffidently offered to take the Slayers out for training at night. It was as close to an apology as Xander was going to get, so he accepted. Tim probably knew a bit more about fighter training than he (and maybe even Joan) did anyway. Tim refused to take Fiona and Lucy anywhere until they changed into combat boots. He wore some sort of strange boot which he called tabi and had a split toe. His eyes gleamed at the thought of whatever training they were going to do, one of the best moods he'd been in for as long as they'd known him.

"What are the blindfolds for?" Fiona demanded. "Are we sparring blindfolded? Why here?"

"No, we aren't sparring," Tim said, a slight laugh in his voice. "And we can't do this many other places."

"But what-"

"Do you hear the train?" Tim asked, not waiting for a reply. "Jump!" He lands, not quite silently, but quieter than the loud thumps as the girls landed badly but not too badly. He grinned at the feel of air rushing against his skin. "Doing okay?" he asked.

"Sure, it's easy," a voice grumbled. "You've done this before?"

"On one foot," Tim laughed, standing on one foot although he knew they couldn't see it. It was just the way train riding was done. "But you don't have good enough balance for that, even if you are Slayers," he half-mocked.

"So why are we doing this?"

"To teach you to pay attention to your senses. What do you hear?"

"Cars, above us. An overpass?"

"So where are we?"

"How should I know?"

"You should know this city like the back of your hand." There was a thump of somebody landing on the train, and Tim almost groaned. There were only a few people who that could be, and he didn't want any of them to be here now. "Go away," he growled.

"Tim…?" Lucy said, and he realized the Slayers hadn't heard the new arrival.

"What did I tell you about paying attention to your senses?" Tim asked.

"You know, Tim, when I heard that somebody was riding the train, I figured it would be you. But I didn't expect you to have company. I thought this was our thing." Nightwing managed to sound hurt.

"Tunnel," Tim said, ducking and allowing himself a small smile when he heard Lucy and Fiona hitting the train too. He wasn't, of course, worried about Nightwing. "I hope you're following the rules, N."

"Of course."

"Good. N., the girls are Lucy and Fiona. Luce, Fi, this is N. He isn't going to stick around long enough for you to actually get a look at him." They exchanged greetings.

They rode the train in silence for a while, not having anything to say in front of strangers, until the train started to tilt a little and they could smell the sea and hear gulls crying. "Feel that?" Tim asked the girls. "We're about to turn." They need more guidance than he'd needed, but then maybe he hadn't been helping as much with their training as he could have. They still fell off, but Tim and Nightwing each snagged one of the girls. Fiona cursed as Nightwing pulled her back onto the train by the ankle.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" Nightwing asked.

"Yeah," Tim replied, a slight smile in his voice.

"So what now?" Lucy asked.

"Now we go home," Tim replied. "I hear a northbound train approaching. Don't forget to adjust for the combined speeds!" he tossed over his shoulder as he and Nightwing leaped onto the other train.

***

They returned home, sweaty and exhausted and grinning with adrenaline.

"I'd like to train you more often," Tim said, as quietly as he always spoke. "If that's all right with you."

"Hell yes!" Fiona exclaimed. "That was amazing!" Lucy added her assent.

"Tomorrow then," Tim said.