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It’s been a long time since Damian’s first introduction to Timothy Drake. Back then, he saw him as a threat to his rightful place at father's side. His hate stemmed from jealousy and insecurity, a fact he didn’t let himself accept for a long time.
Not until Timothy came home with a new identity and their father, who everyone but him believed to be dead.
Things changed after that. Damian couldn’t help but admire him in some way. The way Red Robin hadn’t even tried to earn other heroes' respect, but got it anyway. The way Timothy somehow outshined every Robin before him, even the original, and left shoes too big for Damian to fill.
Before, even the thought of not being able to live up to his predecessor would result in a fit of rage, but today he accepts it. Because Richard, Brown, and Todd do. Because father promised him repeatedly that he’s enough as he is, which is something he’s still learning to believe.
They fought alongside one another and slowly sharing insults turned into playful banter. They started talking outside of patrol and cases. Damian found himself considering Timothy his brother, even if he’d never admit it out loud.
He found himself craving the other’s company after Timothy moved out of the manor for good. After he accidentally admitted that to his brother, their relationship changed again. They became the affectionate siblings they could have been from the start if Damian hadn’t ruined everything.
Damian started coming to him after intense nightmares, shaking and crying, trusting Timothy to see him at his weakest. His brother would never ask questions (the way Richard did) or make him feel nervous or out of place (like father did, even if unintentionally). Timothy would just let Damian into his bed and wrap himself around him, hiding Damian from the world and anything that could harm him.
Even when Damian was not in distress, Timothy would provide comforting touches, which he never refused. His brother would carry him up the stairs after a rough injury (only because Timothy promised it would be their secret and he was the only sibling who never broke a promise before.)
He’d wrap his arms around Damian’s back and take a nap while Damian worked on a drawing (it never failed to make his heart stutter that Timothy felt safe enough around him to fall asleep.)
Or he’d sit Damian down in his lap and run a hand through his hair while he worked on his computer (his favourite, because it just felt nice to receive those kinds of touches without a reason behind them except the need to be close to the ones you love.)
But everything changed as he got older.
He’s always been aware that at some point he’d outgrow Timothy. With both his mother's and father's height being well above average, he was sure to grow taller than even Todd (perhaps even father someday).
He just didn’t think It’d happen so soon.
Damian just reached 16 a few months ago. And he was well aware of how fast he’s been growing. He had to practically shop for an entirely new closet since none of his clothes fit him anymore.
Exactly 2 weeks and a half ago, his brother returned from a 3-month long trip across Europe with his team. Damian in his haste to embrace Timothy didn’t even realise the height difference until Richard pointed it out.
And that’s when he felt it. Timothy’s hands were wrapped around his waist, when they were usually around his shoulders. Damian pulled back to look at his brother. He looked fine, the same as before the trip, save for a slight tan.
He was still as muscular as before and he didn’t look like he lost any weight, more like he gained a healthy amount. Damian’s shoulders were a lot broader than Timothy’s and he only had a few cm on his brother, they were practically the same height, yet it was all wrong.
Damian knows he should feel accomplished, pleased, proud even–but he doesn’t.
Because now Timothy is treating him the same way he does Todd and Richard. All he gets now are awkward side hugs, pats on the back, and the very rare hug that never lasts more than a few seconds. He just wishes Timothy saw the jealous look their brothers used to send Damian when he still got special treatment.
And deep down, Damian knows Timothy isn’t doing it intentionally. He was raised with a type of independence nobody else in the family did, so Damian wouldn’t be surprised if what he was doing made complete sense in his head.
It still hurts though.
He remembers when he visited Timothy a few days after he got back. After he took a shower he put on a shirt and pants his brother left for him. Damian remembers looking in the mirror for a few minutes, just staring at how the same shirt, that at 13 looked practically like a dress, barely fit him today. It was too tight around his shoulders and a lot shorter than he was usually accustomed to. It made him want to scream.
The worst part however is that Timothy doesn’t seem to care.
Contrary to himself, since their height difference is the only thing on his mind, Timothy doesn’t care. And it’s driving him insane.
Whenever he brings it up, the other waves him off with a laugh. “I mean, come on Dami! We both knew it would happen eventually.” And “It was only a matter of time really. I honestly thought you’d outgrown me a year ago.”
But that’s not what he wants.
He wants Timothy to get mad, to complain about how he can’t hold his baby brother like he used to. Or maybe to just stop treating him in the odd way he does now.
He really just wants his big brother back. It’s honestly getting a little pathetic.
+++++++++
“Just be careful okay? We don’t know what they're capable of.” Nightwing says. Damian rolls his eyes and even though he’s wearing a domino, Nightwing gets the idea. “I’m serious. And if something happens–”
“I understand. Now, will you please move before they run away right in front of us” Damian cuts him off. Nightwing flashes him a smile and jumps off the roof of the warehouse they’re standing on.
Batman is currently on a mission with the Justice League, so Richard in his own words, volunteered to keep Robin company while on patrol.
They were investigating a low-risk meeting between some of Gotham's gang leaders. Everything was going fairly well until a bank robbery happened in the same territory, which quickly became their problem. He decided splitting up was the appropriate solution
So while Nightwing takes care of the robbery, Robin has a meeting to infiltrate.
He’s not worried about backup, since he’s only gathering information. Finding an entryway into the warehouse is easy since he has the entire layout memorised.
His first plan was to enter through the ventilation system, but he quickly realised his shoulders might be too wide to comfortably crawl, which is important in case of an emergency escape. A backdoor, that thankfully wasn’t guarded, was a much safer option.
He walked through the halls and looked through every room he could find. Everything was empty. Not a box or weapon or any kind of object that could be considered suspicious was to be found. Worst of all, there were no gang members anywhere.
As Damian slowly made his way to the main room where the meeting was taking place, he couldn’t help the uneasy feeling growing in him. He thought about turning around for a second, maybe giving Oracle a call, but decided against it. He is Robin after all. And Nightwing entrusted him to complete the mission by himself.
“Well, look at that. What’s a little birdie doing here all by itself?” Damian whirls around. There are at least a dozen men in front of him, each wearing a similar plastic mask. He had a hunch it was a trap but he wasn’t expecting quite this many of them.
It’s obviously a little too late for a tactical retreat, so he’ll have to fight. The robbery was probably planned to lead away Barman or in this case Nightwing. Damian can’t help but feel it should have been more than obvious that this entire thing was a set up from the start.
He discreetly makes sure to hit an alarm button on his chest plate. Now he just needs to keep them busy until reinforcements arrive. Easy.
Damian pulls out his sword. Even if he doesn’t kill anymore per father’s request, desperate times call for desperate measures.
A tall man who’s standing to the side (probably their leader) lets out a loud laugh. “You really think you can win this fight, kid? Admit it, you’re outnumbered. Now give up and maybe we’ll play a little nicer than usual.”
Like hell. He raises his sword, ready to swing at the first man who dares to come closer, when he hears footsteps. He turns around in order to block whatever attack is coming, but he’s too late.
Something hits him square in the chest with enough force to launch him across the room. He crashes into a nearby shipping container.
For a moment he can’t breathe. He keeps opening his mouth, but nothing.
Thankfully he can’t feel any pain due to a mix of shock and adrenaline. Before he could get the chance to stand up again, the world fades to black.
++
Pure agony.
He doesn’t get the pleasure of a few seconds of confusion after he wakes up. He can’t even think.
It feels as though every single part of his body is on fire. He lets out a pained scream. The arms that were previously holding him (something he hadn’t even noticed) gently place him on the ground.
“Shhh, It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay.” He can’t even feel the slight pinch in his neck over the overwhelming pain of…well everything. After that he’s unconscious again.
++
There’s a muffled voice coming from somewhere above him, but he can’t quite make out the words. Everything feels floaty and far away.
“--mian? Dami? Come on, wake up.” When the words finally register, he does as he’s told. He cracks open an eye and looks around.
When things finally come into focus he has no trouble putting a name to the familiar voice. “Hey, Dami.” The relief on Timothy’s face is obvious as he smiles at Damian. He opens his mouth to respond but instead launches into a coughing fit.
With shaky hands, he makes the sign for water, but that isn’t needed since there’s a glass pressed against his lips in less than a second. “Take smaller sips, okay?”
When he’s done Timothy places the now empty glass on his nightstand. And that’s when Damian realises that he’s not in the med bay where he usually recovers from a severe injury. No, he’s in his bedroom.
He looks over at his brother. “What happened?” His voice is a little strained, but that isn’t surprising. He’s just glad he can talk.
“I don’t know what happened before I got there. But while I was on a stakeout I received an alert from you. I followed your tracker and found you unconscious on the floor of a random warehouse. The guys were pretty tough to beat since there were a lot of them. But Dick came to help at the last minute.”
Timothy hesitated for a second. “When we finally came to check on you, it wasn’t good. I’m not sure what happened, but you obviously had a broken arm and a fucked up hip. You had some nasty bruising all over your body, especially around your ribs. It was bad.”
“Anyways, me and Dick got the Batmobile and took you to the cave. After that Alfred took over. You might feel a little weird since you’re still on a bunch of painkillers.” Timothy finishes and leans back in the chair beside Damian’s bed.
And now that Timothy pointed it out, he can clearly feel the cast on his arm. “And could you explain why I’m here and not in one of the medical beds?” He asks mostly to distract himself from what a broken bone means in his field of work.
Timothy gives him a sheepish smile. “Well…I sort of carried you upstairs. I thought you’d feel better waking up here.” The fact Timothy even noticed the discomfort waking up in the cave gives him and that he decided to do something about it makes a warm feeling resurface in Damian.
He can’t even remember the last time Timothy carried him anywhere. He often finds himself reminiscing about the times he used to pretend to be asleep just so he wouldn’t have to walk up the endless manor stairs. But it’s not like Timothy or Richard ever complained.
“That’s appreciated.” Damian says, then looks away. “Oh, are you hungry by the way? Alfred wanted me to ask as soon as you woke up, but I kinda forgot.” Timothy asks. Damian shakes his head but still doesn’t look back at his brother.
“Dick is gonna take over the case for a bit. Right now he’s trying to get a hold of Bruce since he should be on his way back already. Actually I should call him in, he’s been worried sick about you.” Timothy continues.
Damian doesn’t really want father to know yet. He knows he’ll get benched until he recovers. He also knows he shouldn’t see that as a punishment, since it’s necessary for him to heal properly. He still does.
He also sort of doesn’t want Timothy to call Richard. Because he’s well aware how rare a moment like this comes between them now. He wants to make the most out of the situation.
“Stop.” He says and his brother immediately puts down the phone. “What? Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” Timothy takes his protest as a sign of discomfort.
Damian shakes his head again. He slowly moves to the other side of the bed to make room for his brother. It’s a request, an invitation he’s not sure his brother will accept.
After only a few seconds (but what felt like hours) the bed underneath him dips and there’s a warm body beside his. Timothy is obviously being very still on purpose, he doesn’t want to overwhelm Damian in his compromised state. It's a nice thought.
Very carefully, he burrows his head into his brother's neck and molds his body against the others, all while making sure not to irritate any of his injuries.
It takes a few moments for Damian to get comfortable and then he practically melts in the other's hold. He’d never say it, but he missed this.
Timothy’s hand finds his messy and at this point, quite greasy hair, but Damian can’t find it in him to act embarrassed. The hand rubs gentle circles in his scalp and Damian lets out a quiet sigh.
His brother puts a protective arm around his back and gently squeezes. “Timothy?” He whispers. The other lets out a huff to show he’s listening. “I…appreciate when you do things like this with me.”
His brother is still and doesn’t reply. Damian knows he’s just trying to get his thoughts in order, but it still makes his heart beat faster. “Oh, I…” Timothy doesn’t finish his sentence and just hugs him impossibly tighter.
Damian knows that sooner or later Richard or maybe even father will come in to check on how he’s doing. He knows eventually he’ll have to get up to eat something, write a report, get a check up, and have a shower.
But for right now, he’s safe and protected in his brother's arms.