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“How dare you.” Damian turned just in time to dodge the punch. But Tim didn’t stop, swinging again. “How fucking dare you.”
“What’re you-”
“Don’t play dumb with me.” Tim hissed. He finally calmed slightly. “You let them take him.”
“Take wh-”
“Don’t.” Damian suddenly had a gun to his head. “Play. Dumb.”
Damian paused, staring at the barrel, then shifting his eyes to the one holding it. “We made a deal.”
“You made a deal with the Court?” Tim shrieked, moving the gun back. “Damian, they played you, you have to know that!”
“It was that or the Pit.” Damian countered, turning. “At least this way…this way he might not lose his mind.”
“Yeah sure. Let’s swap going crazy for being brainwashed.” Tim drawled. “Damian you promised me. You promised that after what Ra’s did to me you would never subject anyone else to it again. Not Bruce, not Jason and not Dick.”
“Well maybe I lied!” Damian thundered as he rounded back to Tim. His face was pained, eyes agonized. After the echo of his voice stopped, he whispered. “He was so small, Drake. It wasn’t…”
“It wasn’t fair. I know.” Tim sighed sympathetically. “But Damian, neither is this. Not only did you let the Court take him, you let them turn him into a deadly weapon.”
“Like you? Damian muttered.
Tim scowled. “I kill those who deserve it. I don’t do it for money or for any other reason. You know that.”
Damian nodded, glancing over towards the memorial cases.
“And it’s going to kill him all over again,” Tim mumbled, stepping towards the older man. “When the Court forces him to go up against you.”
“They can’t do that.” Damian shrugged, suddenly stoic, all emotions gone from his face.
“Of course they-”
“He’s not with them.”
Tim paused, eyes almost bulging out of his face as Damian looked back at him. “But I just saw him a few nights ago. The new Talon. He’s Dick’s size, using Dick’s skills, jumping across to the Mayor’s-”
“You did.” Damian agreed. “He escaped their grasps.”
Tim found he couldn’t make a complete thought. Because if Dick wasn’t with the Court of Owls, then he-
“I said I made them a deal, I didn’t say that deal was that Grayson became theirs.” Damian explained. “It was that the Batman would leave them alone if they used their taboo science to bring the boy back and return him to me.”
“You…” Tim tried to think. “You went to them as Damian Wayne, not as Batman.”
“Correct.” Damian nodded again. “However, they tried to break our deal by keeping him. Luckily I had run into the new Talon before you or Todd or anyone else.”
“…I was right.” Tim breathed. “They sent him after you.”
“As his first mission.” Damian’s gaze fell. “But he…he couldn’t do it.”
“That’s how you knew he hadn’t gone crazy.” Tim decided. “But Damian, you didn’t tell me. Does Jason know? Or Bruce?”
“No, they don’t.” Damian said evenly. “Grayson wanted to get re-acclimated to the environment before having the reunions.”
“How long did they have him?” Tim whispered. “He died eighteen months ago, they…”
“About half that time. Eight months. I got him back five weeks ago.” Damian paused. “Just because he couldn’t finish the job doesn’t mean he didn’t hurt me. He’s been patrolling in my place as I recover.”
“You said you got that injury against Pyg.” Tim accused. But he was too focused on Dick to bicker with Damian about that. “Eight months…”
“It…took me a while to find a way other than the Pit to bring him back.” Damian conceded. “I promised you I wouldn’t use a Pit, Drake. I always intended to keep that promise.”
“Is he…” Tim gasped. “Is he here?”
“He has been the whole time.” Damian looked back towards the uniform cases. Tim did too, and he saw it now. The two small eyes peeking out from the shadows of Dick’s memorial. Realizing Damian had outed him, he stepped forward into the light. When he was halfway across the cave, Tim stepped towards him, and he froze. “Grayson, it’s alright.”
Dick shook his head. His skin was pale and veiny. “I told you we should have waited, Damian.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice.” Damian muttered apologetically, sounding almost sweet. Watching Tim sharply, Dick moved forward again, changing his path to avoid Tim, until he was at Damian’s side. His hand lifted until his fingers were scrunched into Damian’s loose shirt.
“Oh, Dick…” Tim breathed.
“You think I’m a freak.” Dick muttered, half hiding his face. “You don’t want me here.”
Tim opened his mouth to argue, but Damian did it for him. “He does, Grayson. He just didn’t give me a chance to explain it properly.”
“But he just said so.” Dick looked up. “He didn’t want you to bring me back.”
“What he meant was he didn’t want you hurt in the process.” Damian said gently as he put his hand on Dick’s back, pushing him forward. “He missed you…almost as much as I did.”
For a moment, Tim didn’t care about any sort of reflex training the Court might have given the child. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Dick’s neck. Dick tensed instantly. He swayed backward, rocking into Damian’s hips.
“You’re back.” Tim breathed. Suddenly, tears were falling from his eyes. Dick began to relax as he felt Damian’s comforting hands on his shoulders. “Oh my god, you’re back.”
Dick glanced up at Damian excitedly before he embraced Tim. “I always told you, Timmy,” He smiled as he pressed kisses to the older man’s temple. “I’ll never allow you to be rid of me.”