Chapter Text
Tim is starting to regret the prank war with Damien, just a bit. The demon brat broke his favorite mug. So he took everything out of his room.
Damien retaliated by stealing his clothes, red robin suit included. He had to steal some of Dick’s clothes. Tim won't admit that he never actually intends on giving the sweatshirt back.
Tim glitter bombed Daimen, and that jusr made the entier family suffer. Glitter got all over the Batcave. So depending on what Damien does next Tim’s just going to drop the pranks.
It’s getting to be a bit too much to handle, and it might be annoying Alfred.
Yawning he stumbles out of bed. Nothing looks wrong in his room. Ok, maybe they are done.
Pulling his pajama shirt off Tim looks in the mirror and freezes. Eyes growing wide as he spots it.
“no.” He tugs at his hair, “no.” tears start welling up in his eyes. “no.”
Damien had dyed his hair. He dyed his hair bright Joker green.
Shaking Tim holds his breath as he tries to calm down. It’s fine… It’s just hair dye. It’s not… it’s…
Sharp shrieking giggles start to fill the room. Opening the cabinet Tim presses the panic button.
Falling to his knees he swallows. A haze falling over his mind. It’s a familiar haze. One he had practically lived in for a few months following his two weeks with the Joker.
It had messed him up badly. The drugs and how he was treated… It took a while for the drugs to leave his system, the venom to dissipate.
It didn’t help that the joker showed back up a few months later. As alive as ever, they should have known thar he wouldn’t stay dead.
“Tim?” Bruce asks as he hurriedly knocks on the bathroom door, “I'm opening the door ok?”
Arms are around him. Helping him off the floor and then picking him up as he stumbles. The laughter starts calming down, Tim can feel it slowing into gasping sobs.
“That’s it,” Dick murmurs from somewhere next to him, “Deep breaths. You’re home, at the manor. The Joker’s in Arkham. It’s safe.”
Looking up at his dad Bruce, Tim lets himself fall back on the bed, “Sorry…”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” He murmurs back.
“Where did Dick?” Tim asks slowly, his words slightly slurred together.
“He’s getting Ace from outside.”
“Oh.”
“Was this Damien?”
“Yeah.”
Bruce tenses, “I'm sorry.”
Tim giggles into his hands, “He didn’t know…”
“We told him you had been kidnaped by the Joker.”
“Where he promptly teased me for being so careless. You and Dick went off on him. Telling him how unexceptable that was. We never told him what happened.
“Oh… you feeling better?”
“Little bit.”
“You want me to call Jason to bring some hair dye over?”
“Yep,” Tim sighs, “No mirrors till then.”
“I’ll ask Alfred to cover the ones in the main hall.”
“Thanks.”
Tim sits up and heads to his closet to grab a shirt. He grabs the hoodie he stole from Dick at the start of the prank war, “Think breakfast is ready?”
“Should be.”
As they make their way down stairs Tim keeps his eyes on his feet. Not willing to look up.
“Good morning Master Bruce” Alfred greets as Bruce walks into the kitchen, “And to you Master Tim. What on earth happened to your hair?” A hit of concern in his voice
“Damien happened,” Tim shrugs, “I'm trying to ignore it…”
“Ah, well then, breakfast will be out in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
Bruce's phone dings, “Jason will be here in ten minutes with the dye. Says he got bleach and brown dye this time.”
“He shouldn’t have bothered.” Damien grins slightly, as he walks into the room, “It’s restent to bleach. And a normal dye wont stick.”
Tim’s heart sinks, “Ima have to cut my hair…”
“Tch, shouldn’t have taken my pen.”
“Damien, hallway, now.” Bruce barks out.
“Drake started it.” Damien complains, but he walks into the hallway.
“Yes, but everything he’s done is reversible, or just a mild annoyance. Not playing with things that you don't understand.”
“Drake gets taken by the Joker for two weeks and now he can't handle green hair?” His voice still has the snarky edge but a bit of the bite is gone.
“Listen,” Bruce sighs, “Don't open the door but listen.”
Sobbing inter mixed with peals of laughter.
“He was torchered by the joker. Had his hair dyed, lips stained, skin bleached, treated like a child, like he was worse than nothing, and pumped full of some mystery concoction of drugs.” Bruce shuddered slightly at the memories, “It almost broke him. I don't ever want to hear you making fun of him, of anyone who’s a joker victim again.”
Damien hangs his head, “I understand.”
The back door opens and Titus runs over to Damien. Ace trotting at Dick’s side.
“You go be with Tim, I need to talk to Damien.”
Nodding Dick and Ace walk into the dinning room.
“I need you to answer, can the hair dye come out?”
“Yes.” Damien shrugs, “it’s normal dye.”
“Go apologize.”
“Tch, fine.”
After he apologizes Damien slinks into his chair. Breakfast is eaten mostly in silence. Tim fumbles with the utensils a few times but as he calms down his hands steady.
Slumping down across the table Tim looks at Dick.
“Hey.” Dick waves as he meets Tim’s eyes.
“Hi,” He whispers, giggling softly.
“Are you feeling better?”
Tim nods, “I’ll be ok. It just scared me…”
Jason arrives a few minutes later. Hair dye and bleach in hand.
“Alright Timbo, let's fix that hair.”
________
Even though his hair is back to normal Tim’s still on edge. Damien’s little stunt had brought back so many bad memories.
He’s slowly improving but he can't shake the feeling that he’s not really ok.
So he sticks to the manor and Batcave. Helping Alfred with comms at night and working with Bruce for Wanye industries during the day.
It’s slow going but life will return to normal.