Chapter Text
Dick… is aware. He’s aware that he’s not doing well. He’s aware that Tim isn’t doing well. Hell, he’s aware that Alfred isn’t doing well.
What with Bruce being… well….
He’s aware.
But, as he stares at his little brother telling him that Bruce is alive, he can’t help but feel anything but relief. In fact, he feels a lot of bad feelings about it, and then very quickly adds guilt to those bad feelings since he can’t think of anything positive to say.
Because he’s aware that he’s not well. And that Tim isn’t well. And that Alfred isn’t well.
But they weren’t well before Bruce died, either.
And Bruce isn’t…
Dick takes a deep breath before opening eyes he doesn’t remember closing.
Tim’s eyes slowly turn from a beautiful, manic electric of discovering a mystery within a mystery to a still, solid blankness that’s hiding a hurt that wouldn’t be seen by anyone who doesn’t know him as well as he does.
Monotone, Tim just stares up at him in his oversized sweater, “You don’t believe me either, do you?”
And see, maybe Dick could understand where that would come from. That belief that he wouldn’t believe. He suddenly remembers Cassie Sandsmark vaguely telling him to check on Tim because he’s saying some Things (like Dick wasn’t already on his way to check on him because he’s his little brother) and saying it like there’s something wrong with Tim- well… even more than usual.
Cause Dick loves Tim from the bottom of his heart, but that doesn’t mean Tim isn’t very fucked up and honestly weird in a lot of different ways.
Sometimes, he thinks Tim has the wonderful aptitude to become an amazing supervillain one day, and then feels guilty about thinking about it because he’s his baby brother and he shouldn’t think like that.
(But he doesn’t think about it with fear. The supervillain thing. Part of him only feels pride. Maybe that’s the part Dick doesn’t like to think about. The fact that he would support him, even if it was just internally. That’s his baby brother.)
(He also later found the Young Justice file about a Future Tim that became a dictator to stop crime when everyone in the family died.)
(He doesn’t know how to feel about it.)
(...Would his brother support him if Dick became a supervillain?)
Despite his internal tangents, Dick automatically scrunches his face in offense at his little brother’s accusation, “Of course I believe you, I never doubted you for a second,” which is true because he sped through belief to thinking about morals.
Tim lights up again, seems more alive than he has in months honestly, even as Dick continues almost absently, feeling the cold cave ground beneath his toes, “Everytime before you needed me to snap you out of grief or hysteria, you were aware enough of it to leave me crumbs to follow so I could snap you out of it myself. You’d never tell me your insane plans straight to my face because then a part of you would assume I’m only snapping you out of it because you’re someone with a morally dubious plan instead of your brother who loves you stopping you because he doesn’t want you to get hurt, and then you’d probably want to do the plan, or a similar plan, again until you’re able to convince yourself you’re cared for and should avoid morally dubious plans for the sake of your loved ones.”
Maybe that’s why Tim became a supervillain in the alternate future. Kon and Bart would just follow his plans regardless, and Cassie isn’t crazy enough to see the nuance of when Tim is just being insane versus needing someone to stop him from being insane by giving him a reason to hold it back.
“Don’t psychoanalyze me,” but Tim’s also blushing a little and holding back a smile, so Dick knows he loves that Dick cares enough to pay attention to those kinds of details about how his brain works.
Crazy, loveable little freak.
Dick’s own smile slightly fades as his brain turns back on topic, “My issue isn’t believing you, Tim.”
And the thing is, Dick knows Tim so well. Because that’s his little brother, and it’s part of his job to make sure to know Tim to the best of his abilities. But Tim is insane, and has also decided to know every thing about Dick’s brain that he possibly can, and so he knows immediately that Something is up.
Guiding Dick to the beanbags in the corner, they both fall into one so they can fall into each other if the conversation is needed.
(Tim knows Dick so well.)
But Dick is already scrunching up his eyebrows, thinking about everything he wants to say and how he wants to say it so it comes out the Right way.
Tim just stares at him calculatingly. “It’s okay to not know how to say whatever you want to say. We have time, just start saying stuff and we can decipher it.”
Dick just rolls his eyes, before turning a little blank himself, “Has Bruce ever hit you?”
Tim blinks slowly.
Very clearly this isn’t where he thought this was going to go, (it wasn’t really how Dick thought he was going to say it either), but Dick’s sure Tim’s brain is already trying to be eight steps ahead in this conversation.
“Yes. He definitely trained me much harder at times than necessary towards the beginning. And he slapped me once during a… difference of opinions.”
Dick’s lips thin, “He punched me after Jay died, and told me it was all my fault that he died.”
Tim tilts his head watching him. Clearly seeing where Dick wants this to go but willing to play it, “A few months ago, for my sixteenth birthday, he and Alfred concocted a plan to give me a birthday present that presented as a warning from myself from the future that someone is betraying me, and basically fabricated a case that was supposed to have resulted in me learning to never trust anybody and become eternally and always paranoid.”
Dick makes a face that very clearly expresses ‘what the fuck’, exasperation, and ‘why didn’t you tell me?’.
Tim gives him a face that very clearly expresses ‘you were busy and it wasn’t that big of a deal’.
Which is wrong , but whatever.
Dick just takes a deep breath before leaning his head on Tim’s shoulder to feel more of his warmth.
“He cut Jason’s throat. He could have died. Again.”
They both stare ahead. Jason is still around killing people, and he just recently tried to kill Tim not too long ago. Tim doesn’t respond.
(Would it really have been bad for the Joker to die?)
Dick pauses for a moment, before going ahead anyways. Tim probably knows it all anyways.
Staring at the walls around them, “Do you know what happened with Catalina?”
Tim’s breath fractures the tiniest bit, before whispering confirmation.
Because Bludhaven was just bombed a bit ago, but Dick was mentally and emotionally absent for months even beforehand- during the entire Blockbuster and Tarantula fiasco.
“When it was over, you were acting so strange. You came over and you didn’t ask for a hug when you usually ask for a hug within the first twenty minutes. I was concerned.”
Tim nervously plays with Dick’s fingers, and entwines them with his own. He doesn’t even bother to sound defensive about it. Dick knows Tim stalks everyone lightly. Not all the time, because Dick told him it would make others feel weird, but if something’s wrong, he’ll see if it’s something he can help with.
Dick just huffs, “I assumed. Since she was found in her cell beaten blue, and you suddenly started making excuses to cuddle.”
Tim shakes a little, holding back uncomfortable giggles probably, “Yes, well… they helped me, too, so I knew you wouldn’t decline. What with… you know… everyone dying and all.”
Janet. Steph. Jack. Kon. Bart… Bruce.
Dick can’t help but snort loudly and then begin giggling which Tim follows, “We’ve had a really bad year haven’t we?” They’re shoulders bump into each other warmly.
They ignore their hands, almost breaking each others’ with how hard they’re squeezing.
Eventually they calm down before laying further down into the large bean bag and looking at each other.
“Tim,” Dick starts, licking his suddenly dry lips, “...do we have to?”
Tim’s eyes widen fractionally. Dick wants to backpedal, but he’s so tired.
“Well… I-um,” His little brother stutters, not from nerves necessarily but from thinking about too much too fast. Dick watches as he picks a spot beside him and really thinks, his face turning from open and calculating to Mission Mode.
Dick just waits for an answer.
Because he may be older, but Tim is his brother, and he needs a brother right now to tell him what to do.
(Tim may fall into dubious morals, but Dick thinks he cares more about Dick’s morals than his own, so he’ll tell him the truth.)
Meeting his eyes, Tim begins, “We have a few main issues. Let’s go through them."
Dick just nods for him to continue, playing with Tim’s fingers.
“Our first issue is Batman.”
Dick winces and looks away upset, “I’ll do it.”
His younger brother stares at him with a tilt in his head.
Tim just continues to think, “Not forever. Just long enough to wear it so we can pretend in a few months or maybe a year for you to retire and Cass can become Batman. She’d make a good Batman, right?”
Dick thanks a god he doesn’t believe in that Tim is his brother because the relief he felt knowing he won’t have to be Batman forever is greater than any relief he could even imagine to feel for Bruce coming back and making everything worse.
Nodding, Tim looks at him softly, “The Justice League will approve of course. They’ve always liked you and the Commissioner will play cool about it even though we all know he knows.”
Dick snorts in agreement, before taking a breath.
“Damian will fall under my guardianship, of course… After we declare Bruce dead.”
Tim stills a bit, but all Dick can do is hold on and mumble, “I can do it. I can help him, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt you, or anyone else, or himself. It’ll be hard but I can do it.”
Tim breaths, and says confidently, “Of course you can. If anyone can do it it’s you.”
Dick can’t tell if he’s lying on this one, but pretends he believes it, too.
But Tim continues hesitantly, “But he’s not going to want to stay civilian.”
There’s a pause between them.
“No. He won’t.”
They make eye contact filled with anguish.
Dick feels heat behind his eyes. Of all of them, he wanted Tim to be the first one to give up Robin out of choice, instead of being fired or…
He brings a hand up to Tim’s face to brush some tears away silently and run it through his little brother’s hair. The beanbag squeaks below them at the movement, but Tim just pushes his face into Dick’s hand.
“I’m sorry,” Dick brokenly pulls out through the wetness in his throat.
Tim just shakes his head in response. Dick wishes he could offer something else with matching tears, but he can’t think of anything. Damian won’t accept anything else. And he’s just a child. A terribly, traumatized and dangerous child. But a child nonetheless.
Tim takes a shuddering breath, before nodding to himself, “We’ll give it two months. Two months where we make sure Damian is… safe to play Robin, and then I’ll give it to him and I’ll… I’ll…” he trails off with a devastatingly lost look in his eyes that grabs a tight hold into Dick’s heart so suddenly it makes him want to shield and hold Tim safe and protected from the rest of the world.
Dick blinks before quickly cupping Tim’s face between both hands, frantic like Tim will run away, “Be Nightwing.” Both sets of eyes widen like they’re both surprised by the offer before Dick blinks the sudden fear of being alone away and actually thinking about it for a second and saying again more confidently while nodding and just a little squishing of his little brother’s cheeks, “Tim, be my Nightwing.”
He and Tim make eye contact with wet eyes before Dick looks back and forth between the two eyes in front of him as seriously as he can. Softly, emphatically, “I don’t want to do this alone. I can’t , Tim. Please . Be my Nightwing.”
Tim just looks at him with growing light in his eyes, still drenched with a small spatter of misery, “Are you sure? It’s Nightwing… ”
You built Robin and it was taken. You built Nightwing and I never want you to regret giving it away.
Dick hears it in the silence, but doesn’t even hesitate, “There isn’t a single other person I’d want to wear it, Timmy. You’re my baby brother, and I love you.”
Tim just watches him for a moment. Studying him to make sure he’s absolutely sure. No regrets on something this important.
Taking a deep breath he answers a little breathlessly, “Okay. I- yeah. Yeah, I’d love to be Nightwing.”
They both share a growing grin, excited at the possibilities. Them having a plan .
“Okay. Okay,” Tim starts, not quite holding back a grin, “You’ll be Batman. And I’ll be Robin for two more months, and then I’ll give it to Damian and then I’ll be Nightwing. We’ll coordinate more with the girls to make the patrols and team ups easier-”
Dick snorts, “-should have been coordinating with them for years, but…”
They both share a look before continuing more calmly.
“We’ll coordinate with the girls. Properly. Proper teamwork,” They both nod in solidarity and how terribly Batman treated the girls, “And then… I guess all that’s left is Justice League, Wayne Enterprises, and…” He stutters into a pause for a moment before ending, “....Jason.”
Dick blinks. “Okay. Justice League. I’ll have to go to a few of the meetings, but I’m… I can’t be everywhere at once. Br-,” he winces before solidifying his breath, “Bruce tended to pick too many things to juggle and dropped too many of the glass bottles when things got busy- and Gotham Batman and- and being there for the family is more important than the Justice League.”
They both share an unsure face.
Tim adds hesitantly, “If needed, I could probably switch out with you for the Justice League in a few months- maybe threeish -when things get more settled. Nightwing has more free time then Batman does, especially with you going to be the main caretaker for Damian.”
Dick blinks hard with the very strong conflicting thoughts in his brain that immediately popped into his brain at the same time.
Tim is only sixteen! He shouldn’t have to help the Justice League! He’s a child, too! Dick will technically be his legal guardian, too!
And Tim has done things most people will even think about doing things in their life. If there’s anyone Dick trusts, it would be Tim, to join the Justice League. He’s mature and he’s had a lot of firsthand experience with intergalactic battles from his time in Young Justice, plenty that Dick only knows about because Tim trusted him enough to share.
He argues back and forth a little in his brain before deciding that if he’s going to treat Tim as an equal, he has to trust him to make his own decisions. He can’t say he’s too young for one thing and then not too young for others. Dick helped found Teen Titans around the same age after being kicked out. And Tim had been co-leading Young Justice for ages at an even younger age.
It’s not an excuse for allowing Tim to do something so big so young. But. Well. Is it really his responsibility to make Tim’s decisions for him? Tim’s such an independent person, but that’s… a lot of that’s from neglect from a young age. But the origin of his competence doesn’t really negate the fact that Tim is still very capable and intelligent and amazing.
He’s only sixteen.
But Dick’s not his father. And Tim doesn’t want him to be.
They’re brothers.
“Okay,” Dick says slowly, “How about, I do the first few meetings, and then when you’re feeling settled as Nightwing, we’ll both go to a few so you can feel the vibe and see if it’s something you are comfortable with and then we’ll go from there. It won’t be the end of the world if we need to… take a step back from the JL as a whole. But also…”
Tim grimaces, “It would be really counterproductive if at every other big world ending scenario we end up being contacted for help and we have to be mission briefed last minute for something we could have been aware of and helped with months before. Yeah… We can go with that plan. It’s a good plan.”
They both share a half smile, “So WE.”
They both make a face but Dick can’t help but look a little disgusted which makes Tim laugh.
It’s a nice laugh.
“Can’t Lucius keep doing it? He practically runs everything anyway. Being CEO and all.”
Tim just nods to himself absently, not necessarily as a response but as a thinking process before tilting his head, “I mean, yeah. Lucius does everything, but Bruce still had shareholder meetings to go to as majority shareholder.”
Dick stares at him a little blankly. He… never really got into the business side of WE, and honestly never planned to.
He… doesn’t know what being a majority shareholder entails.
“I could probably handle it,” Tim adds in a blase manner.
Dick’s face scrunches a bit, “Um. Timmy. You don’t need to do everything. You still have school. And you’ll be switching costumes. AND you want to go to JL meetings. I should be able to handle a shareholder meeting. And also I don't even think you’d legally be able to do that as a minor.”
Tim stares at him with a thin mouth, “I’d like to test out of high school. And… probably get legally emancipated.”
Dick twitches at the emancipation comment, internally screaming at himself not to let Tim leave before visually putting it aside for the moment, “Are you… sure about testing out? I know school’s never agreed with you, but…” he trails off.
“I’m positive. I’ve wanted to test out for years but Bruce wouldn’t let me cause he thought it would mess with the cover. But honestly after Steph and my parents and Bruce publicly dying, and us taking care of Damian publicly, I think it would be pretty in character to not want to stay in school.”
Dick’s inner demon calms at the ‘us’.
Taking a breath, “Okay, then I’ll support you if that’s what you want. And you’re sure about the emancipation? That’s what you want?”
Tim looks at him long and hard before grabbing his hands once again and entwining them.
“I don’t mind working at WE. But in order to do that, I need to legally be an adult. And also,” Tim stares off to the side for a moment, “If something were to… go wrong, I’d like to be able to take over for Damian. I may not like the little shit, but you know as well as I do that if he’s left in the care of Alfred or anyone else not a cape, Ra’s or Talia will just grab him without a word…”
Dick’s lips thin before he pulls Tim into a side hug, “If something were to happen to me, Cass can take over guardianship. And if she doesn’t want to, then I’ll write Barbara into my will. And if Barbara doesn’t want to do it, then we can talk about you as an option. It’s just some shareholder meetings, Tim. I’d rather you at least pretend to be a kid while you have the chance, and come back to WE if you really want to in a year and a half when you turn eighteen.” He brushes through Tim's hair as he cuddles around him.
Tim just gets comfortable and half-heartedly shrugs like he didn’t really want to do it anyways. “Okay.”
Dick smiles into the side of his head. “Okay.”
They move back to lean back even further into the large beanbag.
Kissing the side of his head, he whispers close, “It’s not so bad of us, right? To not do everything we can to help him?”
Tim wraps his arm around Dick and presses his face into Dick’s neck, cuddling even closer, “No, I don’t think so. I mean… he would have just come back and pretended everything was fine, right? And not talk to any of us… even if we did do everything we could. It wouldn’t have been enough. This… you’re probably right… that this is better. It’s not like we did it to him. And maybe I was wrong anyways.”
Dick entwines their legs and feels the warmth beside him and the soft hair between his fingers as he stares at the large empty cave around them.
He compares it to how it felt colder even right by his adopted father’s side.
“We’re not bad. This is good.” Dick whispers to himself as he finally lets go of the idea of saving Bruce from where he’s lost.