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Damian stopped up short and stared… Drake was curled up hiding between the lounge and the wall; the only reason Damian could see him was because he had looked up from his phone at just the right moment as he came through the door. He could hear Dick calling out for Tim just down the hallway, saying something about how Bruce was sorry and that Tim could come out, something about hot chocolates and a movie. Drake looked up and noticed Damian standing in the doorway and the older boy’s expression turned stricken as they both heard Dick clear as day;
“Dami have you seen Tim?” Dick called down to him and Damian cast his dark eyes over Drake again as he took a step backwards out into the hallway again, eyes never leaving Tim who looked ready to start sobbing hopelessly.
“No, Grayson, go search elsewhere – your shouting is giving me a headache, and scaring Titus,” Damian replied in a disinterested tone and Dick turned, leaving their side of the manor in favour of searching elsewhere. Damian ushered Titus into his favourite lounge room and closed the door soundly – the dog appeared to not even notice Tim where he was wedged behind the lounge and bounded around the room as Damian took his time stoking the fire place and then striping the blanket off the lounge dramatically. Once satisfied with the temperature of the room Damian came back around the lounge dragging the blanket along behind himself and huffed as he wedged himself into his brother’s hiding spot until he was squashed up beside Tim and could cover them both in the blanket. Tim sucked in a shaky breath, blood shot eyes trained on the miniature assassin as if trying to understand, he opened his mouth but Damian cut him off with a pointed huff.
“Hush,” Damian grunted as he tucked the blanket around Tim up to his chin, taking care to cover Tim up properly for two reasons; firstly because the imbecile was already shivering from the cold of his chosen hiding spot and secondly because Damian knew it would make the older boy feel more safe in the same way he knew positioning himself between Tim and the opening of this hiding place would make him feel safer. “Titus, come,” Damian commanded and laid a calming hand on Tim’s blanket covered shoulder when his brother flinched as Titus wormed in way in beside Damian and laid his head on Damian’s lap until the boy directed the over-sized dog’s head over to Tim. Noticing the distressed teenager the dog wormed in a little closer and laid his head heavily against Tim, snuffling in closer and Tim just watched Titus with watery eyes. Damian knew the dog usually frightened Tim but he made sure to keep an eye on Titus though he trusted the animal would not actually harm his brother.
“He helps me… when I am feeling upset,” Damian admitted quietly and not easily as he petted Titus’ head lightly, Tim opened his mouth as if to say something but nothing wanted to come out so he swallowed thickly instead and stared despondently down at Titus. “Do not feel any obligation to speak – I am under no illusion that it helps everyone like Grayson is.”
Tim swallowed again thickly and blinked a few times, unable to look at Damian for fear of incurring his wrath somehow… after all; he had incurred Bruce’s today and he still was not sure how he had managed such a feat after only being in the manor for fifteen minutes!
“Thank you,” Tim managed some twenty minutes later; Damian had sat patiently the whole time, playing with Titus’ ears and not pushing the teenager to talk.
“Tt, you’re my brother,” Damian dismissed the thanks flippantly and tears finally slipped down Tim’s pale face and he swallowed convulsively, trying to blink away his tears valiantly. Damian noticed and hated how helpless this made him feel – Tim, Damian had come to understand, was a little soft when it came to family; the people Tim loved could hurt him so very easily because the teenager loved them without reserve. He shuffled under the blanket for a second until he could grab Tim and pull him closer slowly, rearranging his brother until Tim’s head was resting against his left shoulder and Damian was leaning against the wall; Titus looking up at them and lifting his head. “Titus, no,” Damian scolded without even needing to look at the dog he knew Titus had been angling to lick Tim’s face from the way Tim’s body had gone ripcord taught. The dog plonked his head back down into Tim’s lap and licked his chops instead and Tim watched him numbly, letting Damian hold onto him without complaint in the hope that maybe it might help.
“So is Dick,” Tim mumbled a while later.
“Grayson only counts as a brother when he is not making failed attempts at being a pseudo-parent that neither of us require. I can not speak for Todd, though sometimes he does appear to still need parenting,” Damian muttered and Tim smiled faintly against Damian’s shoulder, moving his half-frozen hands stiffly until he found Damian’s hand still under the blanket and tentatively took hold of it. Damian took over organising the hand holding swiftly when it became apparent that Tim was still too out of the world to do so himself, he linked his fingers through Tim’s and gave a firm squeeze. “May I?” Damian asked carefully as he started to inch his right hand over Tim’s shoulder, unsure of his reception given how finicky Tim could be about being touched when upset.
“Yeh,” Tim choked out but flinched anyway when Damian started rubbing his hand up and down Tim’s back steadily, Damian ignored the flinch and continued his ministrations fervently hoping that it was helping because otherwise he would be forced to actually be concerned about his older brother. Tim had not been right in a while now, a few months to be exact but this was the first time that Damian had bore witness to just how not-okay Tim really was!