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It’s the distant crackle of what sounds like thunder that gets his attention. He lazily lifts his head up from where it was resting against the throne to look at the small window off to the right. He frowns when he doesn’t see a cloud in sight, the day is apparently as beautiful as it can be.
There’s another crackle and Tim sits up straighter. Something’s wrong. Something was happening. But what?
He tugs agitatedly against the ropes binding him to the chair. Only if he could go and stand up to look out of the window, at least that would give him some idea to what was happening.
After a moment, a third crackle carries through the air which was followed by some loud and frantic shouting. It’s all muffled, to his annoyance so he couldn’t make it out, and most of it seems to be coming from outside of the castle. However there’s some commotion going on outside of the throne room seconds later, there’s more shouting and even footsteps running through the corridors.
Tim’s mind is ticking to what could be happening. He’s got an idea but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up, it’s the one idea he’s never allowed himself to even dream about. Could this be it? Could this actually be it, the day his brothers have come back to reclaim the Wayne Kingdom, to kill Ra’s and to finally free him?
He’s brought out of his head when the doors to the throne room burst open. Tim stares ahead as Ra’s stalks towards him in long meaningful strides, his long green and gold robes trailing behind him as he walks. As he walks he’s being flanked by several guards on each side who follow closely behind him, all of them wielding their weapons at their sides in defence.
Ra’s stops a couple of feet away and looks down at him with a cold calculating expression, Tim stares back up at him with the exact same look. He’s gotten over being intimated by the man a long time ago, this look was nothing new and Tim was more than willing to challenge it by now.
They stare at one another for a long moment until another crackle erupts from outside. Ra’s is the one to break their staring contest and looks out of the window, he glances back down at Tim and Tim finally bites.
“What’s going on? What’s happening outside?”
Ra’s considers him coolly before answering his question in a tight voice. “It appears Timothy, that we are under attack. The El Kingdom, the Star Kingdom and even the Amazon Kingdom have all come together and are attacking us from every point.”
Tim tries his hardest to restrain himself from grinning as he listens to the man talk. There was such pure hate and anger laced in his tone it made Tim want to smile with glee. It was his brothers and after all. They did make it to the El Kingdom two years ago and now they’re here and are finally fighting back. It made Tim’s insides swell with joy at the fact of it.
He must have done a terrible job in hiding his joy because Ra’s was suddenly sneering at him. “I wouldn’t get too hopeful yet boy. I have known this attack was coming and have spent the last year preparing for it. No matter how big all of their armies are, I can promise that mine is twice as large.”
Knowing he’s been caught out Tim lets the smile take over his face. He grins up at Ra’s, “That’s what you think you bastard. Never underestimate how powerful all of those kingdoms can be when they unite. Face it Ra’s, your days of ruling are over and you know it. Today is the day when my brother retakes the throne as the rightful ruler of the Wayne Kingdom and kills your ass.”
As expected Ra’s didn’t take to kindly to those words. He bends down and roughly grabs Tim’s chin and forces his head up so they were looking eye to eye. He tries to dislodge his head out of the man’s grip but Ra’s only holds him tighter.
“Your optimism is admirable Timothy, but as always, you seem to forget who you’re dealing with. We’ll see who will be alive by the end of the day, I can guarantee that it certainly won’t be any of your so called brothers.”
As Ra’s lets him go Tim sends him a sneer but doesn’t comment further. He watches the man with rapt attention as he stands up straight and makes a gesture behind him. Ra’s steps away as a guard comes forward to cut the ropes binding his wrists to the throne. Once his hands were free the guard moves away and Ra’s was back and was instantly grabbing his bicep. Tim gets hauled up onto his feet and then pushed, getting the silent demand Tim walks forward and heads for the doors of the room.
Ignoring all of the guards he has to pass, he looks over his shoulder at the man who was following closely behind him and sends him a glare. “Where are we going?”
Ra’s regards him for a moment before shoving him in the back again and Tim carries on walking. When they get to the door they turn left and start heading down the corridor. As they travel a large group of more guards rush past them and Tim looks behind him to see them all enter the throne room. He frowns, why would there be more than necessary amount of guards in throne room?
Another shove gets him looking straight ahead again. It’s now that Ra’s finally answers his question.
“As we are under attack, I cannot risk you being exposed. You are being transported down to the dungeons until further notice.”
Tim’s frown turns into a scowl when he hears those words. He hates the dungeons. He can see why Ra’s is taking him down there, it’s down underneath everything and is certainly out of the way, being locked in a cell will ensure Ra’s that Tim won’t be escaping on his own. Tim just hopes that his brother’s or even Kon think of looking down in the dungeons
They walk in silence as they make their way down to the castle’s dungeons and Tim’s mind is reeling. What if he could make an escape before they got to the dungeon? He wasn’t chained, wasn’t tied up, didn’t have that awful collar on, really he was as free as he could be. The only thing disadvantage he has is how close Ra’s is right behind him. If he tried to run the man would catch him within seconds (he may not look like it but the man was fast when he needed to be).
He would have to surprise and stun Ra’s before making a break for it. Thankfully he’s kept up on his training since being taken as a slave, most of that was because Ra’s often liked to use him as entertainment, that being to fight other slaves and potentially kill them (he never did, he would have knocked them unconsciousness and then would deal with the punishment afterwards) and partly because he wanted too. He wanted to be strong enough so when the time came he could hold his own and beat the man.
They’re getting closer now, getting to the stairway that would take them straight to the underground dungeons. Tim stays silent right until they get outside the cell Tim was about to be thrown in. It was as a guard was unlocking the door that he reacts.
He lashes out at the guard first. Grabbing his arm and twisting it painfully before punching him in the head a couple of times to knock him out. He drops the guard and turns to Ra’s, without waiting he throws out a kick and follows it with a punch, both of which the man dodges.
From there it’s a fury of kicks, punches and dodges. Tim holds his own for a while, even managing to land a few hits on the man. Of course the bastard gets his shots in as well but Tim doesn’t let that stop him.
In one movement Tim fakes a dodge before ducking down to swipe the man’s feet out from underneath him. Ra’s falls down and that’s when Tim makes a break for it. He takes off towards the stairs, using every bit of energy he has left to get him there and away from Ra’s.
He starts climbing them, taking two at a time, the sooner he’s up them the more chance he has at getting away. He makes it about halfway when suddenly he’s being dragged backwards. His ankle was grabbed mid step which made him stumble and slam into the hard stone steps underneath him, his head collides painfully with one and before he could react we was being dragged back down them.
It was uncomfortable and hurt as his body jolted against every bump and as his skin scraped against the stone causing it to become grazed. Once he was at the bottom he twists in the hold and starts to fight back, trying to dislodge the hold that Ra’s had on his foot.
The man pays him no attention as he starts dragging Tim along the floor towards the cell, it’s like all of his squirming and kicking has absolute no effect. Once they arrive at the cell Ra’s swings the door to the cell open and then let’s go of Tim’s ankle. At a moment’s notice Tim was scrambling around trying to get up onto his feet but his efforts were stopped when Ra’s grabs his hair and forces his head back. Tim hisses at the pain of it and makes a blind swing at the man. The dark, low laugh that Ra’s lets out tells Tim that he had missed by miles.
Once again he was being dragged, the man’s grip on his hair not relenting until they were deep inside the cell, he pushes Tim roughly down onto the thin mattress that was on the floor and stands up straight. Tim twists around so he was looking up at Ra’s with a hateful glare.
The man scowls at him, “I’m disappointed in you Timothy. That was a poor attempt at an escape, now I know you could have done better than that but none the less here we still are. Now if you will excuse me I have some people to capture and then kill, you will remain here until further notice.”
Tim didn’t bother chasing after him as the man left the cell. Instead he screamed out, “Your days of ruling are over Ra’s! The end is finally here and there’s not a thing you can do about it!”
The man pauses at the door and looks at him, he gives Tim a sinister smile, “We shall see boy.”
With that the cell door shuts with a loud bang which is immediately followed by locks and bolts clicking into place. Knowing that he had lost for now, Tim slumps against the mattress he’s on and resigns himself to having to wait for someone to come and get him. Whether that be Ra’s himself, Kon or one of his brothers he’ll just have to wait and see.
Being in the cell he loses track of time. He had spent most of it nursing his new wounds from that scuffle with Ra’s. The most painful of them being the cut he had received on his eyebrow, he hadn’t even realised he had cut his face until he felt something trickling down his cheek long after Ra’s had left him. He used the small pale of water that was tucked in the corner of the room to clean his wounds and ripped some fabric off of his pants to use as a cloth.
Once he had completed that he simply sat on the mattress waiting.
The next thing to catch his attention was some commotion going on outside of his cell. Unfortunately he couldn’t see the other side as there were no windows, but he could hear frantic shouts, clashing of swords and footsteps running. The commotion lasts for a couple of minutes and then it all goes silent.
Feeling a mixture of anxiety, worry and excitement Tim gets to his feet and slowly starts heading towards the door. He freezes in place when he hears locks and bolts being undone. His breath gets caught in his throat as the door slowly starts opening, inch by inch it swings open and Tim gets himself into a defensive stance, he doesn’t know who it is and wants to make no mistakes.
He freezes once again when a familiar body comes through the gap, his heart jumps a beat when he recognises the face that the body belongs to.
The person stops just inside the cell once they spot Tim standing there and they both stay there staring disbelievingly at one another for a long time.
“Tim?”
The call of his name was quiet but it sounded so loud in the hollow cell. Tim swallows a thick lump in his throat that had formed. “Kon?”
“Oh my god your alive? You’re actually alive!”
That was the icebreaker then. Before Tim knew what he was doing he was running towards Kon and was being engulfed by his large arms. They hug and cling onto one another like they’ll never get the chance to again, one of Kon’s hands were in his hair while the other was wrapped around his waist, Tim had both of his arms locked tightly around Kon’s neck.
It takes a while but eventually they pull apart but not ever letting go. Kon moves his hands to cup his face and Tim lays his on top of Kon’s. There were tears in his eyes because Kon was there and it really was happening, his chance for freedom and to end Ra’s reign. It was all happening.
Kon leans his forehead against Tim’s. “I missed you so much Tim. So, so, so, much. I am so happy you’re alive!”
Tim swallows again and lets out a chocked laugh. “I missed you too. Thank you for coming, thank you so much.”
Kon pulls back and locks his eyes with Tim, “Of course I was going to come, I’m sorry it’s taken us this long but we’re here now and we’re getting you out of here.”
“Are my brothers…. Are they here as well… where are they… Kon…”
The hands on his face squeeze him gently, “They’re here alright, all three of them, okay. They’re alright Tim.” Kon reassures him calmly.
Tim nods at hearing that. At least they’re alive. He needs to see them, he needs to see his brothers. He looks up at Kon, “Take me to them, please I need to see them!”
Kon shakes his head, lips turning slightly down at the corners of his mouth, “I can’t do that Tim. We need to get out of here, your brothers are elsewhere in the castle, I promise you can see them after all of this is over, but my command is to get you to safety now that I have found you.”
Tim pulls out of Kon’s grip and gives his partner a hard look, “Absolutely not, were are not leaving without them! Where have they gone? Were they looking for me as well?”
“Dick and Jason have both gone to throne room, Damian is searching the bedrooms. I was sent down here to the dungeons.” Kon explains to him, he glances over shoulder at the open door and looks back at Tim almost pleadingly, “Please Tim, we need to get you out of here.”
Tim thinks over the information, something wasn’t right about it. Damian checking the bedroom fits as he’s small and his agility makes him perfect for hiding and dodging. Sending Dick and Jason to the throne room obviously means that’s where they expect it to be most guarded….
His mouth drops open in realization.
“It’s a trap.” He mutters. He looks at Kon with wide eyes. “It’s a trap! Dick and Jason are walking into a trap. Ra’s has a lot of guards in the throne room, too many for them to take on by themselves, they’re going to be killed!”
Tim makes his way towards the door with every intention of heading straight for the throne room. However he’s stopped abruptly by Kon gently grabbing his wrist and pulling him to a stop. “They’ll be fine Tim, they’ve trained for it. What we need to do is get you to safety.”
Tim shakes his head in refusal. “I can’t let them go there Kon, not knowing they could die. We need to get to them, please…” He gives him a begging look.
Kon studies him for a moment before his shoulders slump in defeat. “Okay… fine. We’ll go there but if you get hurt any more than you already are I’m dragging your ass out of there and taking you to where you’ll be safe.”
Tim nods, “Thank you, now let’s go.”
They leave the cell together, stepping over the fallen guards Kon had defeated and headed for the stairs. They run up those and suddenly it was like old times where Tim had taken the lead and was guiding Kon along the corridors towards the throne room. (it was like they were kids sneaking around once again) They dodge and hide away from patrolling guards, taking them down if they have to as they move.
It doesn’t take them very long to reach the room. The doors were closed so it was hard to tell if Jason and Dick had already been, they stand around the corner hidden from sight as they try to come up with a plan.
As Tim was about to open his mouth the doors explode open and a body was being thrown through them. It hits the opposite wall with a thud and falls limply to the ground and doesn’t get back up again. Now the doors have been opened Tim could hear the chaos happening from inside, there was shouting, screaming and clashing of swords. Tim shoots Conner a look and together they head towards the doors and peer inside.
Inside was absolute chaos, Dick and Jason stood back to back in the centre with every guard surrounding them. They were fighting like wild beasts with no restraint as they beat every guard coming at them.
Tim watches his brothers fight with wide eyes as they work back to back taking out anyone in their way. They were so in sync with each other it was unbelievable. It was then, as he watched them, that Tim noticed a presence lurking around the edge of the room.
Tim sucks in a breath when he realises that it’s Ra’s. He looks between his brothers and Ra’s as the man starts edging towards them, it’s as he turns that Tim now notices the gleaming sword hanging from his right arm as he stalks towards them. Jason and Dick were both distracted by the last of the guards surrounding them to even notice Ra’s heading towards them.
Tim jolts forward, planning on going in and stopping the man himself but a hand clasping his wrist tightly stops him from doing so.
“Tim don’t.”
Tim ignores Kon and tries to go forward but his partner wouldn’t let him go. He watches hopelessly as Ra’s begins to raise his sword up as he steps forwards. Tim sees the opening and screams too late. As Jason swipes at one guard he moves to the left to stab another, leaving a gap between him and Dick’s back, Ra’s uses that opening to lunge forward and pierce his blade straight through Dick and his armour.
Tim screams in terror as his brother freezes on the spot and falls down to his knees.
Jason hears his scream and glances his way before turning around just in time to watch Dick fall to the ground with Ra’s standing over him. Jason loudly curses and finishes off the rest of the guards before going for Ra’s himself.
Tim jolts forwards again and this time Conner lets him go. He sprints over to his fallen brother and gets down to his knees at his side. Blood was pooling all around him and the sword was still right through him. Tim chokes back a sob as he grabs Dick’s head, his brother was blinking heavily as he tried to keep them open.
“Dick please stay with us, don’t stop fighting.” He pleads his big bother. This was the first time in two years that he has seen his brother, it being his death was not a way Tim wanted it to be.
“Timmy?”
Dick’s call was quiet and raspy but Tim could hear, he swallows and shakily nods, “It’s me Dick, it’s me, I’m here.”
As Dick smiles Tim sees his bloody teeth and mouth. “Little brother, you’re alive.”
“I am. Now you have to be too. Stay with me Dick please….” He bends down and places his forehead to Dick’s, seeking comfort.
He’s brought back to reality when he hears a curse. He looks up to find both Jason and Kon fighting Ra’s. He looks just in time to see Ra’s kick Jason down, his other brother rolls off to the side but mostly looks unharmed and then Kon has his go at fighting the bastard.
Tim sees red.
He gently places Dick back down on the floor, whispering to his brother how he’ll be back and to keep on fighting to stay awake. He finds Dick’s sword on the floor by his side from where it had fallen out of his grip, Tim grabs it and momentarily feels the weight of it in his hands. It feels balanced enough for him to use and then he gets to his feet.
Kon and Ra’s were still going at it, for a horrific moment Kon was knocked down to the floor and Ra’s was about to stab him when Tim rushes forward and blocks Ra’s’ sword with his own. A loud clanging sound rings out and Tim pushes Ra’s away from Kon. He stands protectively over his lover seething with hatred.
Ra’s stands opposite him, seeming unsurprised by his presence. The man sneers at him, “Come back for another lesson have we boy? It didn’t work out so well the first time, what makes this time any different.”
Tim takes a deep breath and holds his sword out in front of him. Next to him he feels Jason come up and stand beside him, they share a look and a brief nod in acknowledgement, and on his other side Kon joins them.
“Because Ra’s,” Tim drawls out as his boyfriend and brother ready their own weapons, “I’m not alone.”
Together they charge at Ra’s.
The three of them all take on the bastard. Testing every limit he’s got, putting together every skill they have against him. It’s hard and challenging but eventually they start gaining an advantage over him. Jason makes a slash at his arm causing the man to hiss, Tim uses that opportunity to knock the sword out of his hand and to punch him in the gut, Kon takes over and knocks the man down onto the floor where Jason picks it back up and starts beating the man with his own fists.
After a good ten punches Jason climbs off of him and watches as Ra’s lies there breathing heavily, spitting up blood, and sluggishly moving. Seeing that the man won’t be getting up again he grabs his sword and wonders over to where Tim was standing watching him struggle on the floor.
Without warning Jason was then crushing Tim to his chest in a tight hug. Tim tenses for a moment, not expecting it, but then he easily relaxes and clings to his brother. After a moment his brother pulls back a bit and suddenly slaps the back of Tim’s head with a scowl.
Tim winces and steps away from Jason feeling offended. “Ow! Why?”
Jason points a finger at him, “Why do you think you idiot!” He’s then dragging Tim back in for a hug. “Don’t you ever, ever, do that again to us baby bird, you hear me? You self-sacrificing bastard. Never again.”
Tim couldn’t help but smile into Jason’s chest, same old overprotective Jason just as he remembers. At least that hasn’t changed in two years. It was a nice reunion until a raspy voice spoils it.
“You think this is the end? Just because you’ve beaten me? This is only the beginning.”
The brothers split apart and look over at where Ra’s was now on his knees. Blood was pooling around him and was dripping all down his face, body and clothes.
Tim takes a step towards him, “As I said to you earlier Ra’s, your days of ruling are over. Your time has come to an end.”
Tim stands before him and for the first time in two years, it was Tim looking down at Ra’s.
There’s a pause between them and in that moment Jason comes up to Tim’s side and presses his weapon into Tim’s hand. His brother gives him a knowing look, “Time to finally end it all Timmy.”
Tim nods and adjusts his grip on his weapon, he lines it to Ra’s and prepares himself to make the final deadly strike to finally kill the bastard that had enslaved him for two years. To kill the man who had abused him, used him, embarrassed him and tortured him.
It should be easy to swing that sword at the man who has caused him so much grief, who has caused him so much pain in more ways than one. It should be easy.
But why wasn’t it?
He couldn’t do it.
Tim stands there swallowing thickly as he tries to get himself to swing that sword but he finds he’s frozen in place, unable to move at all. Minutes tick by and he just can’t do it. Opposite him Ra’s is giving him a bloody, knowing smile.
“Don’t have the guts do you boy?” He provokes.
Tim doesn’t know what to do and jumps when a hand appears on his shoulder. He doesn’t fight them as they loosen the sword from his hands and takes it away. He still doesn’t fight when they turn him around and force him to face the other direction.
He looks around to find Jason giving him a look of understanding and then Kon kneeling over Dick who was still on the floor. Taking his mind off Ra’s Tim heads over to where Dick was and finds Kon trying to tend to his wounds, miraculously Dick was still with them, his blinks were still long and heavy but he was awake.
As Tim helps Kon and tries to keep Dick’s attention a squelching sound rings out behind him and Tim hangs his head low.
It’s over. It’s finally over.
It takes two months for Dick’s wound to heal and for him to be alright enough to move around on his own. During that time Tim had the chance to catch up with everyone, to see what he had miss, share stories and gratitude to everyone who had joined them on that victorious day.
Hugs were shared, tears were cried, laughs rang out, kisses were exchanged and words were spoken. All of this contributed to Tim’s return to his family.
Once Ra’s had been killed they ended all of the fighting claiming the king was dead and how a new, rightful king will rise in the near future. They claimed Wayne Kingdom back as their own and got started on putting everything back as it should have been.
During that time Tim had come to notice all the differences in his family now he was back with them. For starters they’re all bigger than what they were before. Dick and Jason had grown broader, training and fighting being the cause of that. Damian had grown both in height (something Tim absolutely refuses to acknowledge because the little twerp was now taller than him) and width, he was steadily getting his father’s broad body structure.
Then there was Kon who had grown an inch or two in height and has also grown broader with muscle. He looks good and Tim still completely adores him.
After Tim had returned to them, he had made sure to split his time evenly between all of his brothers and his lover. It was a system that worked and he was happy with it. He was happy to be free from Ra’s clutches, he was happy to be back in his own robes and clothes, he was happy to no longer be a slave and most of all he was ecstatic to be back with his family.
Three months after the battle saw Dick’s coronation day. The eldest Wayne prince was now the king of the Wayne Kingdom, a rightful ruler which everyone loved and trusted. The after party was as good as it was amusing. For most of it Tim stood to the side watching as his brother happily takes the attention of everyone in the room as they all greet him and wish him all the best.
Halfway through Kon had found him and thrown an arm over his shoulder, he presses a kiss to Tim’s head. “What you doing here hiding in the shadows?” He asks with a laugh.
A smile takes over Tim’s face as he responds with a shrug. “Just watching.”
Kon presses another kiss to his head and Tim leans into him, glad that he can now once again do this. They stand together silently as the party continues on around them. They watch as all of their friends drink with joy and eat with delight.
After a long while Kon asks, “Are you alright, you seem very quiet.”
Tim looks up at him and smiles, “I’m okay, I'm just happy and taking it all in.”
It’s the best he’s felt in a long time and there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.