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“Timothy.”
Tim looks up from his laptop, frowning at Damian. Since when did the kid use his first name?
“Uh, yeah?”
“I wish to speak with you.” Damian’s posture is stiff, formal. This must be important, because he looks uncomfortable as hell. He also hasn’t thrown in any insults yet.
Tim closes his laptop and sets it on the coffee table, gesturing for Damian to sit next to him on the couch. He does so, folding his hands neatly in his lap.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“You are aware that it is… difficult for me to admit when I have been wrong,” Damian begins.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Tim says dryly.
Damian nods. “Then I hope you will understand why it has taken me so long to have this conversation with you.”
“I still don’t even know what this conversation is.”
“Right.” Damian clears his throat. “When I first arrived here, I did not understand what it meant to be Robin. I thought it was about fighting, about besting our enemies in battle.” He shifts, frowning. “Father and Richard have helped me to understand that it’s more than that. It’s about protecting people, and doing what is right. It is about family, and supporting each other in this fight.”
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Tim asks.
Damian’s face darkens. “I told you that you were an inferior Robin, not worthy of the title.”
Tim winces. It’s gotten easier over the last few years, to pretend Damian’s opinion doesn’t affect him. It still stings, though.
Damian turns in his seat, looking Tim directly in the eyes. “I was wrong.”
Tim blinks. That… was not what he’d been expecting.
“You became Robin to help Father through one of the darkest periods of his life,” Damian continues. “You saved him from going down a path he could not return from, and it seems you were instrumental in bringing this family back together after Todd’s death. You were only incompetant by the incorrect standards I attempted to judge you by.” Damian breaks off eye contact. “I have come to understand that you are, in fact, a competent Robin.”
Tim raises his eyebrows. He has no idea how to respond to that. It’s a little overwhelming, if he’s being honest.
Damian furrows his brow. “No, that is not what I meant. You were… a good Robin. Possibly even the best, given my new understanding of what it means to be part of this legacy.”
“You…” Tim is at a loss for words.
“And I must apologize,” Damian barrels on. “The way I treated you was unacceptable. I tried to push you out of the family, to get rid of you. It was not my place to decide that you did not belong here. You are part of this family, regardless of any other opinion I may have once held on the matter.”
“Did Dick put you up to this?” Tim blurts out. Damian shoots him a sharp glare.
“Richard has encouraged me to make peace with you, but he did not ‘put me up to this.’” he says haughtily. “And besides, do you really think he could make me say these things if I did not truly believe them?”
Tim considers that. It’s a good point. Damian has all the stubbornness of Bruce, plus all the brattiness of being raised to believe the world belonged to him. He’s certainly never lied to make Tim feel better in the past.
“Okay, I believe you.” Tim shifts, crossing his legs under him. “Apology accepted. I can’t guarantee I’m going to start liking you just because of this, though.”
Damian sniffs. “I did not expect you to. Nor did I express any fondness on my part. I simply wished to inform you that my perspective has shifted.” The kid’s poker face would be much more impressive if he wasn’t blushing.
Tim smirks. “Right.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I have business elsewhere.” Damian stands, making a beeline for the door.
“Damian,” Tim calls after him.
He pauses in the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“You’re a good Robin, too,” Tim assures him. “By your new standards.”
A small smile flickers across Damian’s face. He carefully schools his face into a more neutral expression, giving Tim a serious nod on his way out of the room.
Tim sits there for a moment, letting that conversation sink in. Then he pulls out his phone, shooting a text to Kon.
>youre never gonna believe what just happened