Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Huh. What the actual fuck?”

His vision was blurry meaning he had been drugged and it felt like the floor kept moving beneath his feet so possible vertigo was established. He was also lightheaded from lack of food and a very likely concussion but he knew he could still fight.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have a fever because that would have made this even worse than it already was if his weakened immune system was shot. Given that he felt winded and his heart was racing, Tim thought he might have been given a dose of fear toxin or something similar while he was knocked out.

Tim pretended to struggle so that he could catalog his surroundings. He was tied to a wooden chair in some kind of metal room, most likely lead lined. A lone figure was visible in the distance but it didn’t look like any of the standard Gotham villains he faced off with regularly.

There didn’t seem to be anyone other than the two of them which helped him calm down immensely. He could take him. He was still tied up in a chair in the middle of the room under an overhead light, figures.

“Tt. Where are your manners, Timothy? I know we aren’t off to a great start but I expected more from the CEO of Wayne Enterprises.”

So he had been kidnapped as Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne again. Looking at the bright side, this one was much nicer given that he wasn’t half beaten to death yet and he actually had a chance at escaping on his own this time. He just needed to figure out this guy’s motive so he could make a plan to escape. All of his gadgets were stripped off of him, including his watch with the panic button so that sucked.

That made it harder to escape but he at least has the element of surprise. He just had to distract his kidnapper, at least until his vision becomes clear again so he can escape. He had contingencies now because of last time and he was sure at the very least that his team would be looking for him by now.

“My apologies! My manners are back in Gotham, you know, where you kidnapped me. I was just about to head off to Japan to finalize a business deal so you can understand my frustration at being here. Do you even understand how much work I’m going to have to do to fix this?”

“I won’t worry about that so much. After all, who told you that you’re going to get the chance to fix it?”

This sent a shiver down Tim’s spine but the guy did seem willing to draw this out. He would just have to take advantage of this and stall for as long as he can so that he can recover enough to get free.

“My assistant is one of the world’s best and she will have known from the minute I didn’t land in Japan that something happened. She’s bound to have done something to save me if only because she likes working for me and refuses to have another boss.”

“Your assistant? Not your family, perhaps?”

Was this why the guy kidnapped him? To get to the infamous Wayne family inheritance? That wouldn’t make any sense since Tim was just the middle child. If he really wanted to get money, he should have sprung for Damian but Damian was the hardest one to kidnap since Bruce gave him the most security.

“My family? You really think my family is going to give a shit about where I am? Two of my brothers hate me enough to try and kill me while the other one took away the only good thing left in my life. I haven’t talked to Bruce face to face since he got back. I spent a whole year exploring the world by myself without so much as a single call from any of them asking about how I was doing. I lost my fucking spleen while I was gone because of an assassination attempt and none of them even bothered to ask if I was okay. When I came back, all they were focused on was the work that I hadn’t done. I haven’t talked to my brothers in months outside of work and Bruce for even longer. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to Bruce outside of work since I became CEO.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. The media says you’re Bruce Wayne’s favorite son.”

“Wait. Did you say, favorite son? Hah! Favorite son? What shitty tabloid did you get that from? Everyone knows that it’s Damian or Dick or even Jason. Literally everyone but me.  You-you must be joking. You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

The man finally stepped into the overcast light as he growled. He wasn’t immediately familiar-looking to Tim but that made it all the more dangerous. He seemed like a decently rich businessman, only a decade or so older than Bruce but still far from being elderly. A vein was popping in his neck. He must really hate not being taken seriously. Thankfully, he didn’t seem like a brute force kind of guy judging from the lack of new injuries.

“You must be! That’s the best joke I’ve heard so far. Me? His favorite son. What a laugh. Wait. Is-Is that why you kidnapped me, to try and get Bruce’s attention? Newsflash, we don’t do ransoms anymore, so you’ll just have to settle for the gift of my presence. I’ve been told it’s priceless.”

“Why are you so calm?”

He’d finally pissed him off. Maybe the man will finally start sharing some information. His vision was clearing up so it made it easier to figure out where he was and his head wasn’t throbbing as bad. There was a lot of background noise like running water so he might be on a boat again. He just had to suppress the trauma coming back for long enough to save himself. Time to compartmentalize. Tim raised an eyebrow.

“Do you really think this is the first time I’ve been kidnapped? I was the heir to Drake Industries before becoming a Wayne and my parents stopped handling ransom calls after the 5^th failed attempt. It looks bad on the business to keep seeing the heir kidnapped and all that. Plus, they were never really around to notice me missing so I had to find a way to get home or to save myself. It got bad enough that a crew actually let me go when they realized my parents didn’t care about me but enough about that. When are we getting to the part about your conditions and what you want from me?”

The man suddenly smiled and Tim felt unease settle in his stomach. His smile was every James Bond villain’s stereotypical creepy smile but that just made this situation a little bit more unpredictable. If it wasn’t money, it was either revenge on Tim specifically but it was leaning towards revenge on Bruce given how many times Bruce has been mentioned.  

“You misunderstand me, Timothy. I’m not doing this for money. I have more than enough of that on my own.”

Tim rolled his eyes and checked the knots holding his hands. It was a pretty decent knot but not one that could keep him tied up. He started to make small adjustments to loosen the knot. After what happened with Jason, Bruce made sure that there were no knots that could keep any Robins tied down.

“Then why?”

“Your father took away the best thing in my life so I’m taking away the best thing in his.”

Tim almost started laughing at the incredulity in that statement. Him? The best thing in his father’s life? What a joke. He was halfway done untangling his arms but his legs were still tied up. It would take a lot of maneuvering to get into a position where he can defend himself. Thankfully, his shoes still had the hidden blade so he can cut himself free later as long as he works carefully.

“My father is dead so maybe you should try that again.”

“Last I checked, Bruce Wayne adopted you so he is in fact, your father.”

So it was about Bruce. Well, this changed his plans a bit. This is a bit more than the typical revenge plot but he can work with that. He just needs to figure out why exactly this man wanted revenge on Bruce of all people.

“If you say so. Wait. What did Bruce take from you? Your business? Your wife? Your kid?”

It looks like he hit the nail on the head.

“Bruce Wayne took everything from me! We were fine before he decided to stick his nose into our lives. One meeting with him and my wife was suddenly filing divorce. Next thing I know, my wife and my only child are filing restraining orders against me and pressing domestic abuse charges against me. The media crucified me and painted him as a savior for taking my family away from me. My company, that I built up from the ground up for decades, ended up going bankrupt and of course, ever the kind soul, Mr. Wayne bought my business and incorporated it into Wayne Enterprises, giving it to my wife to handle. I lost everything because of him and if I can even get him to feel a fraction of what he put me through, I can die happy.”

So now it was this guy’s life’s mission to get revenge on Bruce. It was unnerving that the guy was willing to die for this but Tim had dealt with crazier people on a regular basis. That just made him unpredictable but also prone to error. Tim could work with this.

“And you thought kidnapping me was the answer?”

“With you gone, I weaken his business and strike him where it hurts. I’m hitting two birds with one stone.”

“You would be if he actually gave a shit about me but unfortunately for you, you got the replacement, not the original.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you really think for one second that I’m the best thing in Bruce’s life? Not his blood son? Or his recently revived son? Or even his firstborn? Hell, I’m pretty sure our butler has a higher chance of being the best thing in his life than I do. Sure, he tends to praise me more in the media but that’s just because I literally help run his business.”

“But in public, all he does is sing your praises.”

“I’m the CEO of his family company. If he didn’t reassure the board members of my capability, I can’t pick up his slack at WE. What? Did you think that just because I have the backstory that’s most similar to his that it would make me his favorite? If anything, it makes him scared to become close to me because he doesn’t want me to turn out like him. Do you know the last time he talked to me about things outside of business? When he adopted me.”

His hands were finally free. He didn’t see anyone else inside the room but he had no way of knowing if there was anyone else outside of the room until he escaped. The corners were too dark for him to make out what was placed there. He was getting to the guy with his words though.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re still his son.”

“On paper, yeah! But in real life, I’m just a replacement for the son that he thought lost and found again. He only kept me because I’m the only one of his children who actually gives a shit about the family business. Hell, I was only adopted so that Drake Industries could be acquired easily by Wayne Enterprises. I basically forced my way into their lives and they kept me because I made myself useful. He fostered Dick because he wanted to help him and adopted Jason to take care of him. Damian’s been the light of his life since Bruce found out he existed.  The others are there because he wants them there. Hell, I’m not even sure any of them want me there. If you really wanted to hurt Bruce, you should have taken someone else because I haven’t seen him outside of business for the last 6 months and I haven’t seen my siblings for even longer. Why would I anyway? They barely even tolerate me let alone consider me part of the family.”

It was weird because Tim would never normally share all of this information but it was coming out of his mouth without any filter and it wasn’t like there was anyone else here to hear. It must have been whatever drug they injected in him before.

“You’re lying! You just want to save yourself. I won’t fall for your tricks! Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I guess we’ll find out how much your father really cares about you once we call him. After all, he already got a free show of you dosed with fear toxin and unable to wake up. Who knows? Maybe that called out to his conscience.”

Shit. It didn’t seem as if he compromised their secret identities since the guy didn’t take any additional precautions. He’d always been so careful to avoid getting dosed with fear toxin so that none of the others would find out about how weak he was. What the fuck did he even talk about?

“Good luck with that. My brothers have literally tried to kill me in front of him and he hasn’t batted a lash.”

“Aww. Poor little rich boy, hated by his adopted siblings, scared of being left alone and of never being enough. Always abandoned, crying out for someone to come but they never do and they never will. I did my research, you know? We’re too far out of Gotham for the bats to come to your rescue and this whole thing is lead lined. Your dad’s been saved by Superman enough times that he might have him on speed dial but Superman can’t save you now.”

“Who said I needed saving?”

Chapter Text

It had barely taken him 5 minutes to finish incapacitating the man and restraining him using the leftover rope from his hands. When he came out of the room, Tim had been pleasantly surprised that there was no additional security but then he suddenly realized why. He was on a boat in a river in the middle of a fucking jungle and by the sounds of it, he was headed towards a waterfall that would catapult him to death. The guy was that hell bent on revenge that he was willing to die for it.

He didn’t know how many days had passed since he was drugged up to the gills but he really didn’t want to swim upstream and try to find civilization after being tied up so he did the next best thing. He called for Conner and Bart.

Conner and Bart never disappointed him. It had barely been a minute before his best friends had arrived and he was being hugged to an inch of his life. He was surprised but he held on tight especially since it’s been a while since he was hugged.

“Tim, you’re okay! We were all so worried.”

“Of course I’m okay, Bart. No asshole villain wannabe is strong enough to keep me down for good and I was just a tool in his crazy scheme.”

Kon moved back slightly but still didn’t let Tim out of his arms. Bart clung onto him, checking him over for injuries and not liking what he saw. To be honest, it felt good to be held and he could finally relax now that the adrenaline had started wearing off. Kon and Bart would protect him.

“You’ve been gone a week, Tim! A week!”

“We didn’t know if this guy was going to kill you first and just send us your body. We’ve been searching for you non-stop. I’ve literally ran across the globe at least 2000 times trying to find you and Kon’s been flying around the world just as much.”

“What?”

Tim felt lightheaded again. This was not what he had expected.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Climbing onto the Wayne Jet to go to a meeting in Japan. Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. You could have been anywhere in the world and the Jet has cloaking technology from even Supers. They used the Jet to get to Brazil and from there, they took us on a wild goose chase trying to find you. I don’t even know how the guy pulled it off but even Oracle couldn’t track you!”

“Oracle? Kon, why were you in contact with Oracle?”

Kon and Bart glanced at each other and had a conversation without words. Bart sighed, looked around and bit his lip. This was not a good sign. Bart only ever did that if he had to share bad news.

“The guy sent Batman a link to a livestream of you in the chair as he injected fear toxin into you. He kept going until he ran out, injecting you again once it was out of your system. He was doing the creepy villain monologuing thing while you were asleep and he even revealed his identity to Batman and his backstory. That made Batman even more worried because the guy was taking revenge out on you. It took 25 hours for him to run out of fear toxin and you ended up waking after the last one. He even put 4 shots in at once and we had to watch you scream for 8 hours while the guy slept to the sound of your screams. Bruce thought he might have used a drug or something on you to make it last longer. Our best guess was that he was going to give Bruce false hope he could save you before killing both you and him in one go. Of course, we didn’t know that you were going to wake up and be able to escape.”

“You keep saying we. You mean just the Titans, right?”

Tim’s head was spinning and not just from the hunger and thirst gnawing on him. Bart and Kon did the whole argument with just their eyes thing again before Kon broke the silence softly.

“You have to understand, Tim. We were all worried for you. The second I couldn’t hear your heartbeat, the team was using every connection we had because we didn’t want a repeat of what happened the last time you were kidnapped. We didn’t want to risk you getting more injured because of whatever madman who took you this time so we called for backup. I called Clark who called Bruce. He confirmed with Tam that you weren’t where you needed to be and neither was the jet. By then, they had dumped the jet in Brazil and changed vehicles, also lead-lined. He had the Bats divide and conquer to try and find you. The Titans were running on overdrive trying to find you and so were the Justice League. All of the heroes we could ask, we asked. Even Ra’s tried to help when he found out you were missing. Bruce announced that you had been kidnapped publicly after we couldn’t find you in 48 hours and all of the police forces in the world were on the lookout for you. When Bruce got the livestream link, he called all of the Bats and the team to the Manor. Oracle’s been trying to pin your location down for the past 26 hours while we watched the livestream. The second I could hear your heartbeat again, I flew to you.”

“So they saw everything?”

Tim’s heart dropped to his stomach. His knees buckled. Conner and Bart caught him before he could fall.

“Tim!”

“They know?”

Tim felt the anxiety creeping in. No one was supposed to know. Now they knew his worst fears. They knew how he felt. This was not good.

“That’s it. I’m taking you home. You need medical attention.”

“I’ll go ahead and warn the others to prep the Med Bay.”

Bart sped away while Kon didn’t even give him a choice. He picked Tim up in a princess carry and flew them to Gotham.

“Bart’s going to the tower, right? What about my kidnapper?”

“Sorry but we have strict orders to bring you back to the Bat Cave, dude. And what about him?”

“When are you going to come back for him?”

“I’ll let Batman and Superman figure out what to do with him. My priority is getting you checked. You’ve lost weight and we don’t know what happened in those missing days.”

“Okay.”

“Rest, Tim. We got you.”

Chapter Text

When Tim woke up, he was in the Infirmary of the Bat Cave with an IV in his hand and the good drugs in his system. He was tempted to remove it but he knew that if he wanted to speed his recovery up, he had to rest properly.

He expected to see his team waiting for him to wake up because they were always like that after he got hurt but he didn’t expect to see the whole Batfamily with them too. He blinked but they were still there.  Was he hallucinating? It didn’t seem like it but who even knows these days?

“Master Timothy, you’re awake.”

“Alfred, how’ve you been?”

“Much better now that you’ve been found. Master Tim, when were you planning on telling me about your missing appendage?”

“Oh that? It’s no big deal. It doesn’t even get in the way of my crimefighting. Ask the Titans. I’ve only had to deal with septic shock twice before I got the hang of things.”

“Septic shock?” Dick cried.

“Twice?” Jason asked, wide-eyed.

“You knew?” Bruce growled at the Titans.

“Of course we knew! When we reformed, Tim told us everything that he’d been through while Bart and I were dead. We were sworn to secrecy but we’ve all studied up on how best to boost his immune system and we made sure he took his antibiotics regularly. We helped him both times with the septic shock and we have a kit made just for Rob’s emergencies.”

“Don’t blame them, B. It was my choice not to tell you. After all, I didn’t think you would care.”

“Of course, I care, Tim. You’re my son.”

“No, I’m not. Dick, Jason and Damian are your sons. I’m just the neighbor’s kid who was too nosy to leave alone.”

“Timmy, you don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Stop pretending you weren’t happy enough to get rid of me, Dick. You replaced me with Damian even before I even had the chance to argue.”

“I wasn’t trying to replace you, Tim! I was just trying to do the right thing.”

“For who, Dick? It definitely wasn’t for Tim if what we heard was true.” Cassie interjected.

“Yeah! You didn’t even bother to check in on him when he was gone. He had full radio silence from you guys.”

“Don’t blame me, Bart. Why didn’t you check on him then?”

“Because Bart was dead and so was I!” Kon snarled.

“Cassie was grieving the loss of two teammates and her partner but even she checked in on Tim when she remembered to. I know that you had to take on the weight of protecting Gotham but for someone who preaches so much about the value of family, I would have thought that you would have at least bothered to call.”

“Enough. Master Timothy needs to rest, not more stress. If you cannot keep quiet, I’m going to ask you to leave.”

Good old Alfred making things better. He was right though, that Tim really needed more sleep. He could feel whatever medicine they were pumping into him to make him drowsy and he was only fighting it so that he could tell the Bats all he wanted to tell them. Sleep probably was a good idea.

The next time Tim awoke properly, it was to the sound of what seemed to be a heated discussion between Bruce and Kon. Tim blearily forced his eyes open, blinking away the dark spots that danced in his line of sight. No one seemed to notice that he was finally awake.

Dick was off to the side, going through the motions of the customary pre-patrol stretching on pure muscle memory with Damian because it was obvious that both of their attention lied solely on the fight. Jason must’ve gone back to his safehouses since he was gone or else he would have been fanning the flames of Bruce’s anger.

Alfred was obviously missing because this fight never would have happened if he was in the general vicinity. Cassie and Bart were visibly backing up Conner who was the only one left brave enough to confront Batman.

-you know Tim hasn’t been to the manor in months. He’s been with us half the time and the other half running your business so you can get to do whatever you want. He deserves a chance to recover properly.”

“He can do that here, with his family.”

“That’s a joke. I may have died but even I know that family means that you support and love each other unconditionally, not try to kill each other when the others aren’t looking.”

“Damian’s no longer like that!”

“I don’t care. He was like that at the very least and none of you ever stopped him. From what Tim told us, you never stopped to listen to his side, only telling him that since he was older, he should be the one to adjust. You were one of the many superheroes who decided I was deadly and dangerous after I had just been born and yet you couldn’t see that your blood son is more likely to kill someone than me.”

“This isn’t about Damian.”

“No, this is about Tim and how he needs to be where he can recover in peace and not have to look over his shoulder in fear of getting attacked. He needs to be with us.”

“We’re his family, Superboy. We will take care of him.”

“I don’t care if you think that now is the perfect time to start playing family with Tim but he deserves to be surrounded by the people who love him and care for him and right now, that’s with us.”

“It is my right as his father to decide what happens to Tim!”

“You’re not my father anymore though.”

“What?”

Tim’s mouth moved before his brain could process what was going on. All of a sudden, all eyes turned to him. Tim winced. This was why he hated being under the influence of drugs. His brain to mouth filter was usually non-existent when he was drugged. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.

“The emancipation request went through months ago and so did the reversal of the adoption. Didn’t Dick tell you?”

“Emancipation? When did you file for emancipation?”

“You were lost in the timestream then.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought it would be a weight off of your shoulders honestly. Then you wouldn’t have to mediate between Damian’s attempts on my life anymore and I wouldn’t have to try and defend myself in a place I should call my home or should I say my former home after Dick all but sent me packing after taking up the cowl.”

“What? What are you talking about? Dick, Damian, come here.”

Well that worked out better than Tim had expected. Dick glanced at Tim and visibly winced before grabbing Damian by the shoulder and ambling over to where Bruce was waiting for them. With the Bats distracted though, his team descended on him like a pack of worried mother hens.

“Tim what are you doing up? You should be resting!”

“Cassie, don’t worry. I’ve literally been worse. You know that.”

“That doesn’t comfort me in the slightest.”

“Tim, do you need anything? Water,medicine,food,justsaythewordandI’llbebackinaflash,getit?”

“Yes Bart, I get it. Slow down though. You’re blending your words again. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Tim, is it time for Protocol Gamma Terra Omega? Be honest with me. Just say the word and we’ll do it, the Bats be damned.”

In all honesty, Tim had considered it. Protocol Gamma Terra Omega stood for Get Tim Out. After his last kidnapping attempt as Timothy Drake-Wayne wherein none of the Bats noticed he was gone for two whole weeks, Tim’s friends had taken it upon themselves to construct an elaborate plan to keep Tim away from the Bats’ influence.

They’d been convincing him to return the CEO position back to Bruce and to try and live life as a regular teen like them, to go to college and take the chance to be normal and relax for a bit. Tim had honestly been tempted but some part of him just couldn’t give up on the Bats in the same way he couldn’t give up on his parents.

Up until they’d died, Tim had held on to the hope that they would one day realize that he was right there, their perfect heir who had painstakingly learned how to take care of himself to make them proud, to not be a burden to them and he had never gotten the chance to hear it from his mother that she was proud of him.

His father had managed to show his love in the end but it had hurt to have to give up an integral part of himself, to give up something he had fought for just because his father couldn’t understand him.

He’d thought finally found somewhere he belonged with the Waynes after Bruce adopted him. He and Jason had even started to form some semblance of a brotherly relationship and then came Damian who had blatantly admitted to wanting to kill him to take his place in their family and Bruce had just stepped aside and watched.

Dick thought Damian could do no wrong, vouching for him even when he had attacked Tim, telling Tim to be the mature one as if the fact that he was a few years older made it alright for Damian to try and kill him, culminating in Damian cutting his line which signified the day he stopped calling the Manor home.

It honestly seemed as if the better option would be to just quit on trying to force himself into the Wayne Family, to just accept the fact that he didn’t belong with them and find someplace he did belong, like with the Titans.

The loud roar of a motorcycle broke his train of thought.

“Timmy, yer awake! I’ll have Alfie make ya a li’l somethin’ ta eat, baby bird. Ya must be hungry after sleepin’ da day away.”

And there was one of reasons he hadn’t completely given up on the Bats. Jason hadn’t completely believed him when he had left to search for Bruce after the Battle for the Cowl but at least he had made steps to apologize for his past actions and they’d been tentatively teaming up ever since Tim came back from finding Bruce.

Jason was now more his brother than Dick which had stung after idolizing Dick and considering him a brother for 3 years prior to Damian’s arrival. Jason was the only one who was willing to even reprimand Damian about what he was doing to Tim and Tim was grateful for Jason but he wasn’t sure if he was grateful enough to stay for it.

Jason’s arrival had apparently spurred Bruce to finish up his discussion/lecture with Dick and Damian and after sending them out to patrol, Bruce made his way to Tim’s side, unflinching at the weight of The Titans’ glares. Tim sent them away with a hand signal which they protested at but understood. They moved to the side with a promise to step in if needed.

“Tim, are you alright?”

“Better than before, I guess.”

Tim refused to meet Bruce’s eyes, partially because he wasn’t sure what emotion he would find there and if he was ready to see it but also partially because he couldn’t stand to look at Bruce knowing he was basically collateral damage in an attempt to hurt Bruce Wayne again.

“Tim, can you look at me? Please?”

This was the first time in a long time that Tim had heard Bruce use please so he forced himself to look into Bruce’s eyes. The regret and the want to make things better was so obviously clear in his eyes that it hurt Tim to see it. He quickly looked away.

“I know I failed as your father, Tim. I promised you I would be there for you, that you would get to decide when Robin would be passed down and I broke those promises. I promised your father I would take care of you and I failed that as well. You are more than entitled to hate me after all that you’ve been through at my hands.”

The self-depreciating tone was just too familiar for Tim to let it continue.

“I don’t hate you.”

Bruce was startled but continued.

“That right there is one of the reasons why I was scared to get close to you. Out of all of my children, you remind me the most of myself and I don’t want you to turn out like me. I want you to be better than me and you already are. I guess I failed to consider what you needed more so than what I wanted you to be.”

“What are you trying to say, Bruce?”

“I know I failed you, Tim but I want to ask for a second chance to be a better father to you. You deserve better than how I treated you and I want to have the opportunity to make it up to you because whether you believe it or not, on paper or not, you are my son and I love you. Please, give me the chance to prove it to you.”

This was everything Tim had ever hoped to hear from Bruce. He was half-tempted to run through their security questions in fear that this was a clone or a shapeshifter or something because this was more emotion than Bruce was usually willing to show but something in him told him it was genuine.

It had hurt to feel like an outcast, to feel like a cuckoo bird in a nest of Robins. Now, he was being told that he belonged, that he was wanted, that he was loved. Did he want to take the risk and believe it? Was he willing to deal with the possible hurt if this happened again?

“One more chance.”

“What?”

Bruce looked surprised, a glimmer of hope visible in his eyes.

“You get one more chance, B but if anything happens again, I will walk out of this Manor and never return again.”

“Of course. So you’ll be staying here until you recover?”

“Sure. Tell Jay he needs to stay as well, that that’s our deal.”

“I will. I’ll go and check on Alfred and see if your food is ready."

Bruce visibly hesitated before brushing his hair and kissing his forehead.

"I love you, son.”

“Love you too, B.”

As Bruce walked away, Tim could feel the weight of the Titan’s stares on him. They made their way over to him, looking tired and resigned.

“So that’s it? You’re giving them another chance to hurt you?”

“Kon, you know it’s not like that! They’re my family, Kon.”

“Just remember that we’re your family too. We’re literally only one call away and we’ll stop by every few days. Are you sure about this, Tim?”

“Yes, I’m sure and I’d like that, Cassie.”

“Youknowyoudon’thavetostay,right? Icangetyououtofherethesecondyouwantmeto.”

“I know, Bart. I’ll keep it in mind but I want to give them one more chance. This doesn’t mean that I’m forgiving them just yet or that I’m forgetting all that I’ve been through because of them but I owe it to myself to give them one more try to be the family I hoped they would be because I still want that and I’m not scared to admit it.”

“Okay, Tim. We understand. We’ll be here if you need us. Just call for me and I’ll be here with the rest of these idiots faster than you can blink.”

“Thanks, Kon. I’m feeling a bit tired after everything so I think I might take a nap.”

“Go ahead, Rob. We’ll head out and update the others. They’ve been stuck dealing with a rogue magician so we’ll try and catch up so we can help. Get some rest.”

“Okay. Bye guys. Good luck!”

“Rest well, Tim and know that we’ll always be by your side.”

Tim honestly didn’t expect this to happen. Maybe it was the drugs in his system making him hallucinate and dream up impossible situations but even this was beyond his wildest dreams. Not only had his team gotten the whole superhero community to look him but the Bats wanted to make things right with him. Bruce even kissed his forehead, something he hasn't done since Tim was adopted.

As his eyes slowly blinked shut, Tim could hear the ever so slight pitter patter of Alfred’s footsteps as he neared Tim to check on him. Tim blearily smiled as his grandfather figure approached him. It was nice to feel loved.

Chapter Text

The next time Tim woke up, it was to being poked in the cheek. He halfhearted slapped the hand away before it returned, disrupting his sleep for good. Tim groaned before daring to open his eyes, only to be greeted by the grinning face of his older sister. His eyes widened in surprise.

“Cass! You’re home. I thought you were going to be in Hong Kong for the next few months.”

“Bruce called. Little brother is hurt.” She said, poking him again, this time in the chest.

“Stop poking me!”

She just grinned at him. Tim rolled his eyes and sat up properly, wincing as the motion disrupted some of his healing wounds.

“I didn’t ask to be kidnapped, Cass. Really though, why did you come back to Gotham?”

“Little brother is hurt.”

“It’s not that bad. Anyway, I’ll recover. I don’t want to be a bother.”

She poked his cheek again.

“Stupid little brother. Never a bother. You’re my brother.”

She tugged him into a warm hug. Tim melted into her warm embrace. He had missed his older sister. She was one of the few people who could truly understand him and he had been so afraid of what her reaction would be to everything that he had stopped contact with her altogether.

Of course, her being in a long-term undercover mission in Hongkong also didn’t help. It’s been a good few months since he was last able to talk to her but she never begrudged him for it. She always understood and that’s why Tim loved his older sister so much.

If Cass was here though, Steph wouldn’t be far behind.

“Finally awake, Boy Wonder?”

Speak of the devil and she shall appear. Cass moved back as Steph came into his line of sight. Steph did not look amused and when she raised an eyebrow at his lack of a response, he decided to begin with a greeting while silently praying for a miracle or for mercy. Whichever one came first.

“Hey Steph.”

“Nope. No. You do not get to just Hey Steph me as if nothing is wrong. Timothy Jackson Drake, what the fuck were you thinking hiding the fact that you lost your fucking spleen?”

Tim blinked.

“I didn’t think it mattered.”

“You don’t think the fact that you lost the organ that provides most of your fucking immunity matters? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Lots of things but that’s why you love me.”

“God knows why but I do. Tim, you can’t just keep going like this.”

“Why not? It’s worked for me in the past.”

“Tim, when are you going to realize that you have people around you that love and care for you, people you can trust to help you when you need it?”

Did Steph even listen to the words coming out her mouth? Tim’s lost count of how many times he’s needed help but no one was there to help him. He’s gotten so tired of asking for help but never receiving it that he eventually stopped asking for it in the first place. It was much harder to be disappointed in something that didn’t come if you never expected it to be there in the first place.  

“That’s a great joke, Steph. Honestly, I would laugh if it wasn’t so painful.”

“I’m not joking, Tim.”

“Look, I lost my spleen more than a year ago. I don’t get why it’s such a big issue now.”

“Because you didn’t tell us! We’re your family, Tim. We deserve to know about these things, not just because it might be a danger to you in the field but because your health matters. You matter to us, to me.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you. I just didn’t think that it was anything worth sharing.”

“You don’t think the fact that your immunity is compromised for the rest of your life is worth sharing? What about the fact that an infection could literally kill you if you don’t take the right medicine? What about the fact that you have to take antibiotics regularly just to have some semblance of an immune system? You don’t think we have a right to this information?”

“I’ve been dealing with it, Steph! None of you even knew about this until recently. That’s how well I’ve been dealing with it. The people who needed to know knew. I just didn’t think that the Bats counted in that.”

“Newsflash, Tim. Babs, Cass and I aren't Bats anymore. We’re birds and birds stick together. Next time, you’re injured or anything life-changing like this happens, tell us. We’ll always be here for you.”

“Thanks, Steph.”

“You’re welcome, Tim but you’re not off the hook, mister. Babs is pissed as all hell that Oracle wasn’t in the know especially since your medical records shouldn’t be anything kept secret especially in our line of work.”

Shit. Tim winced. A pissed off Oracle was even scarier than an angry Batman. Tim knew how to diffuse an angry Batman. That was basically what being Robin was but Babs was a whole other being when it came to holding grudges. She could very easily make your life hell if she chose to and everyone knew not to piss her off. Tim was going to have to work some magic in order to fix this.

“Did Babs say when she would be coming?”

“We don’t know yet. She’s been busy with the Birds of Prey since she had to find a way to get me and Cass back here as soon as we could.”

“You didn’t have to drop the mission for me. I would have understood.”

Steph looked exasperated, ready to try and fight Tim into understanding but this time it was Cass who spoke up.

“Stupid little brother. We came because we wanted to be here for you.”

“Cass is right, Tim. You were kidnapped by some psycho who wanted to kill you to get revenge on Bruce. That’s not the kind of thing that you can walk away from unscathed.”

“I’ve done it before.”

“And we will be talking about that later on. You never used to hide this much but no more hiding, Tim. I can understand your reluctance with Dick and Damian but I thought we worked through whatever issues we still have left.”

“We did. It’s just hard to share things when I’ve gotten used to keeping everything to myself.”

“I know. It’s partially our fault too for never asking and we have to acknowledge that. I’m sorry. We may have been distant in the past but we're here for you now and we will do everything we can to make it up to you.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“Yes, we do. You may not see it yet but I can and I will fix things, whether you want me to or not.”

“Steph, I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“I don’t care. I’ll make it work. Anyway, I should go up and tell Alfred that you’re awake again. He’s been waiting for you to wake up so that he can feed you. You’ve really lost too much weight, Tim.”

Steph left before Tim could get a word in edgewise which was typical Steph. Cass looked him up and down, cataloguing the changes that she saw and frowned.

“You need to eat more.”

“Cass, I was literally kidnapped for a week. I couldn’t eat.”

She poked him in the cheek again. 

“Still. Need to eat more. Too skinny.”

“I’m not built to be a giant like Jason or Bruce, Cass. This is as far as my genetics go.”

“Lie. Can be better. Less coffee, more real food.”

“But Cass!”

“No. Little brother needs to eat real food to get better.”

“I agree, Master Cassandra.”

Tim turned and craned his neck to look at Alfred. The elderly butler was carrying a tray with what seemed to be soup and a thermos which was hopefully filled with coffee but was far more likely filled with tea.

“Master Tim, I glad to see you are awake. I brought a light meal of soup and some herbal tea to begin with. Your stomach has not held food for several days and we need to start small to build your appetite back up.”

Tim was smart enough not to argue, instead choosing to thank Alfred for the meal. He slowly made his way through half of the soup and a good three fourths of the tea before feeling too stuffed. That was honestly more than he had expected himself to keep down. All of the warmth of the soup and the tea had his eyes becoming droopy as the warmth lulled him to sleep.

The two girls talked in soft whispers beside him as he was made to lie down by Alfred. Without pausing their conversation, Cass easily slipped her hand through Tim’s slightly too long locks and started to comb through it, prompting Tim to relax even more as he reflected on his progress so far.

The last time something like this had happened, it took him a good two months to get back to his regular amount of food intake and even then, it had been a struggle to keep things down with how weak his body had been left by the infection.

It seemed that he was faring off better this time around but that may be due to the ample rest and the high quality of medical attention given to him. Last time, it had literally been down to a few antibiotics and a prayer in order to keep himself alive and kicking. He had refused to tell his teammates, instead choosing to make up an emergency in Gotham and he had spent a week, hidden alone in his Perch, struggling to survive.

His teammates had been absolutely pissed when they found out and they created new protocols for when Tim got sick. If he was injured in any way, he automatically had to go through medical and had to have their approval to leave the Medbay of the Tower. It was excessive but it was how they showed they cared.

It seemed as if the Bats would do something similar. Alfred would never let him leave the Manor without being fully recovered and he doubted that Bruce would even let him leave after their last conversation which was bound to be chaotic especially with Damian still here.

It was odd in the beginning that only the girls were around but since it seemed as if it was daytime, it made sense. Bruce would be dealing with everything at Wayne Enterprises, Dick had a day job and Damian was at school. Jason was probably busy doing whatever it was that the Red Hood needed to do.

Tim wondered when he would be able to go back to normal life or if he would even go back. After all, he was kidnapped as his public persona and that was more than enough reason to resign and try to live a somewhat normal life instead.

Tim didn’t know what a normal life would be like. He’d tried it once but he found his lungs craving the Gotham night air and his body buzzing at night, too awake from muscle memory to even try to get into anything resembling a normal sleeping pattern.

Speaking of sleep, it sounded like a good idea now, especially after having eaten a good homemade meal for the first time in who knows how long. As Tim’s eyes closed, he felt his older sister’s hand continue to run through his hair, sending him further into the clutches of sleep and making him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.