Chapter Text
It took the two frantic men a good hour before they could calm Tim down. In that time, Tim’s wails had woken up the rest of the kids and set off Damian as well. Dick now held a whimpering Damian on one shoulder while a much quieter Tim sobbed into his other. Jason and Cass stood behind Dick and talked to Tim, trying to convince the younger boy to talk and explain why he was upset. As Dick hefted Damian in his arms to a more comfortable position, he couldn’t help but be grateful for all his strict training regimen and heavy weights he had lifted to further himself as a vigilante. Without it, he didn’t think he would’ve survived being a single father for long.
“C’mon Timmy, tell me what the dickhead did to you and I’ll beat him black and blue then hang him- “
Dick blinked as the words cut through his thoughts and then he blinked again as he tried to confirm they were real before snapping his head back to look at his oldest child.
“Jason!” he scolded, swatting the child on the head. Jason fluttered his eyes back at him innocently.
“What, I wasn’t talking about ya. I was talking ‘bout carrot top o’er there.” Jason defended himself as he pointed at an awkward Wally standing by a wall.
“Still! Violence isn’t the way!”
“Of course, it is. Ya gotta show people you’re the boss.”
“No, you have to solve a problem by showing them you’re willing to trust them and then talk it out.”
“That’s dumb.”
“Violence is only condoned when there’s no other option.’
“I don’t give a crap what ya con- cuuun- “Jason grunted frustratedly.
“Language.” Dick snapped. “And it’s condoned. It means to agree or encourage.”
“Says the dumb police officer…” Jason taunted with his arms crossed.
“Daddy isn’t… isn’t dumb. You’we the dumb one.” came an unexpectedly fierce voice. Surprised, Jason jumped at the sound and then turned to Cassandra.
“Was that you?”
Cass rolled her eyes exasperatedly then pointed at Dick’s shoulder, where a runny nosed and sniffling Tim sat, looking expectedly at Jason.
“You’we always weally mean to daddy and I don’t apre- aprreeecc- “Tim stuttered before shaking his head. “I don’t like that. I know you like daddy I don’t know why youw so mean to him though.”
At Tim’s words the elder boy began to squirm where he stood, avoiding eye contact with everyone and chose instead to stare at the cheap wood that covered the floors.
Dick watched the conversation with amusement. Of course, he knew that Jason never meant the cruel things he said about Dick, it was just a defense mechanism that Jason had built as a survival method on the streets and Dick rarely took offense with the insults; after all he had heard worst while fighting crime on the streets. But still, Dick took a certain amount of glee in watching Jason get ripped down by a kid younger than him. Deciding to take mercy on the green-eyed boy, Dick intervened.
“Timmy, it’s ok. I know that Jason loves me deep down and it doesn’t really hurt me when he insults me.” Dick smirked inwardly as he saw Jason splutter out of the corner of his eye. “However, as much as I’d love to continue this conversation, I have to get going,”
At that, tears began to swell up in Tim’s eyes again and the boy threw his arms around Dick’s shoulders, narrowly missing Damian’s head.
“NO! You can’t leave!” Tim cried desperately, sobs already begin to spill from his lips.
Dick turned to look at Jason, his eyes shining with questions. Jason helpfully responded with a shrug before making a waving ‘ask him’ gesture at Tim.
“Timmy, why can’t I leave?” Dick cautiously asked.
“My fiwst daddy and mommy left me with a baysittew and they never came back! I don’t Want you to disappeaw!”
Yet again Dick turned to look at Jason for help and he was met with an unhelpful ‘don’t look at me’ gesture. With a sigh, Dick turned Time in his arms so that they would be face to face.
“Timmy, please don’t cry. I don’t want to leave you but I need to go out to do something, something very important that I can’t bring you guys with me. But when I do come back I’ll bring a surprise, okay?” Dick pressed a kiss to Tim’s tiny forehead, his lips brushing against the baby soft skin as he whispered to Tim.
“I just need you to be a big boy for a little bit, do you think you could do that for me?” Tim sniffled, rubbing his eyes before looking very determined as he began to wiggle in Dick’s arms to be let down. Surprised, Dick let him down only to become more bewildered when the child turned around and punched him. The punch didn’t hurt much, but it still caused Dick to stumble back a bit as his mind came to a fuzzy stop. Distantly, he could hear Jason spluttering out a laugh and Wally’s aborted snort of amusement.
“Wha…what
“You better come back!” Tim shouted then with a huff of air and puffed out cheeks he turned on his heels and disappeared into Dick’s apartment.
Dick just watched him go fighting a losing fight between being mad or utterly charmed. Who was he kidding?
He had lost the fight the moment he met the kids.
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Wally came to the decision that if he ever had to choose between either facing down the Joker or a pack of staring kids, he’d rather go for the Joker.
The moment Dick’s back had gone through the door, all four of the kids, yes, he meant all four even the baby- who Wally was beginning to believe was possessed-, had turned around and glared at him.
He’d never known children could be so terrifying till now.
The glaring continued, and Wally couldn’t help begin to nervously twitch under the scrutiny of their eyes and the awkward silences. Thankfully, before Wally thought he could take it no more, Jason broke the quiet with his eyes twinkling mischievously.
“Sooo… are you Dick’s girlfriend?”