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Dick was having a bad day. He was swinging through Crime Alley, arguably his least favorite part of Gotham, and he was worried. Because Tim was sick. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have been nearly so concerned. But Tim was missing his spleen, and everything was made that much worse by it, including a fever.
The only reason Dick was in Crime Alley at all was the fact that Jason point-blank refused to leave Tim for more than a few minutes at a time, sitting by him like his mere presence could ward off the illness. It wasn’t helped by the fact that whenever Jason attempted to walk away, Tim started panicking, crying and pleading for him to stay.
Needless to say, no one had the heart to separate them. So Dick was stuck patrolling somewhere he didn’t want to be, and not nearly focused enough to stay safe.
Unlike his Robin outfit, the Nightwing suit was well-suited - heh, well-suited - for listening in the dark. So, when he spotted a group of hired muscle, apparently on break, sitting and chatting, he listened.
“Were you at that meeting? The real important one?” one asked, leaning against the wall with a cigarette between his fingers.
“Nah, but a buddy of mine was there. Shoulda seen the way Hood showed that rich brat his place.”
Right. Dick resisted the urge to squeeze his eyes shut. Jason had briefed them on that mission, how it went a little astray, and Tim landed in a spot of trouble. That they had to put up a bit of an act. He didn’t like it, but if it was what got them out, it had to be worth it.
“Didja see how scared he was? Priceless.”
“Yeah, Hood sliced him up real good. Had him hangin’ up by his wrists. And when Drake started crying?” A third goon piped up, and Dick clenched his fists. Jason had not told him about that. Neither had Tim, for that matter.
“Hood broke him smooth, better than I’ve ever seen. By the next day, Drake didn’t so much as breathe without Hood’s say so.” The first goon spoke again, looking awed.
“That little brat looked so scared. Priceless.”
Dick exhaled shakily and decided it was time to get home.
“My boss said Drake was halfway to his knees without Hood even saying anything before Hood stopped him. Like he was used to it. That man works fast, I’ll tell ya that.” They all started laughing as Dick swung away, straight for home. There was a conversation he needed to have.
First, he talked to Barbara. She had access to all Hood’s footage, and, looking through it? The thugs weren’t lying. Tim had looked terrified, and Jason had been entirely as brutal as he was described. Dick didn’t know how it had gotten this far without him noticing.
Barbara watched it with him, her face going solemn. “I’ll make you a deal, Dick. I’ll handle the trafficking ring, but you handle this.”
“That’s hardly fair,” Dick argued half-heartedly, but it was understandable. They were his brothers, after all.
He wished he had noticed sooner.
It wasn’t a new thing, Dick realized. Tim had always been oddly willing to follow along with his demands, to be manhandled. Jason had always taken the lead when they had a mission between them, but Dick had just assumed it was because Jason had more experience.
Control had been an issue with Jason since he came back. Tim had followed orders from the beginning of his Robinhood with minimal protest. Dick partially blamed that on the volatility of which his career began with, but maybe Dick should have kept a better eye on the two of them. He should have seen the signs.
But sometimes it was hard to tell. Because at the same time, Tim had always seemed so comfortable around him. Always willing to be a brat, to trade insults back and forth, to throw marshmallows when Jason snatched them out of his bowl of Lucky Charms. More than he was willing with anyone else.
Tim had never seemed to object to Jason dragging him into his lap, hauling him over his shoulder. But sometimes he gave a little sigh, frowned a bit, and Dick - Dick hadn’t noticed. Not until it mattered.
How would he deal with this? Without setting Jason off, without setting Tim off. He didn’t even know if he could bring Bruce into the picture.
First he had to talk to Tim.
“Hey, Timmy.” Dick sat beside him, smoothing a hand over his forehead softly.
Tim looked up through teary eyes, leaning into his hand. Jason had left to take a shower, only after Dick had promised to stay with Tim. “Hi, Dick. Did Jason finally leave?”
“No, baby bird, he’ll be back. I promise. You trust me, right?” Dick gave him a reassuring smile. Jason had reported that Tim seemed present, but he had no filter. Dick hoped the answer was yes.
“Yeah,” Tim murmured, blinking up at him slowly. “But you lie sometimes. About you.”
It took Dick a moment to realize what he meant. It seemed Tim was more observant than he’d thought. “Yeah, sometimes. I have a question, Tim. Does Jason ever scare you? When he gets mad?”
Tim hummed, furrowing his brows, but he didn’t seem too disturbed. “Yeah. But usually I can make him less mad. He doesn’t hurt me as much as he used to.”
Dick was - Dick was a little mad himself. At Jason, for even being around Tim enough during Pit episodes for Tim to make the comparison ‘as much as he used to’. “What do you mean you make him less mad?”
Dick pushed Tim’s sweaty hair out of his face as he answered. “Usually, if I do what he wants and go along with it, eventually he’ll go back to normal. I help!” Tim brightened at the thought.
Dick smiled at him, swallowing the urge to gag. “I’m sure you do. Does it happen a lot?”
Tim shrugged, leaning his head into Dick’s hand. He was warm, too warm, and his eyes were glassy. Dick would do anything to keep him safe. “Not really. Just whenever something comes up.”
“During your mission in the traffickers’ ring - was the Pit involved then? Were you scared?”
Tim frowned, but the expression melted when Dick reached out and took his hand. “I think so, but I’m not sure. I kinda was, yeah, because we hadn’t planned for it. It hurt. But Jason explained it later and cleaned me up and told me I did good!” Tim’s expression darkened again. “Why are you asking me this stuff? Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble? I’m sorry -”
“Shh, shh, no, baby bird, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Dick rushed to reassure him, squeezing his hand. “I was just curious. I promise, you’re not in trouble. It’s okay.”
Tim looked at him for a long moment, and Dick was afraid he would start crying again. But then he relaxed, sighing and tipping his head back. Dick tried not to look at the scar on his throat, or the not-quite-healed line of pink left from the mission. “It hurts.”
“I know it does, sweetheart. But it’ll get better. You just have to rest.” Dick leaned forward and kissed Tim on the forehead just as Jason walked in, hair damp. It hadn’t even been ten minutes. “Here’s Jason now. I told you he would come back, didn’t I?”
Tim beamed, reaching out for Jason, who leaned in and kissed his forehead just like Dick had. “Hey, birdie. Lay back down before you hurt yourself.”
Tim nodded and complied, looking up at him with a smile. “I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“Oh, Timbit. I’ll always come back. You’re mine, y’know? And that means you’re stuck with me.” Jason smiled at Tim, who seemed to take it in stride.
Dick took a long, shuddering sigh and stood. He didn’t want to think of the implications of that - you’re mine - but he would have to. Just not with them in the room. “Alright, baby bird, I have to catch up on some work, but I’ll check in on you later, okay?”
Tim nodded, then closed his eyes with a sigh. Jason sat beside him, towering over him, and Tim looked so small.
Dick wanted to stay. But he couldn’t. Not if he wanted to figure this out.
It was up to Dick. He wished he could leave it to Bruce, but Bruce had always been one of the Pit’s triggers, and the Pit itself was something Bruce was bad at handling. It always made him blame himself, unpredictable. It was one of Bruce’s weak spots. If Dick could handle it on his own, he would.
He would prefer to have conversations with Tim and Jason separately, but Jason hardly stayed at the Manor when Tim wasn’t around, and he was currently at Tim’s bedside. Even without that, Tim’s pleading would probably be the only way Jason would stay.
So Dick sat across the bed from Jason, dragging up a chair, and said over a sleeping Tim, “We need to talk.”
Jason hardly glanced up from his phone. “Yeah, Dickie? ‘Bout what?”
“I’m concerned about your relationship with Tim, Jason. Recently, I discovered some things that I wasn’t previously aware of, and they honestly worry me. This -”
“Wait.” Jason dropped his phone on his lap. “No fucking way. Is this an intervention?”
“If that’s what you want to call it. It’s not just Tim, it’s how you interact. You always take control of the situation, and I watched the footage, Jason. You told us the Pit wasn’t a problem anymore. You told us you had it under control. Be honest - you were having a Pit episode, weren’t you?”
“I - fine, yeah! It’s not so much episodes anymore as it just seeps in and - you know what? I’m leaving.” Jason’s voice rose the more he talked, and by the time he stood up, he was half-shouting. Tim stirred and opened his eyes just in time to see Jason walking away.
Tim didn’t even hesitate before he was sitting up, the movement yanking at the IV, as he started to cry. “Jason - Jason, please, I’m sorry, come back!”
Jason froze and slowly turned around. His expression, hard lines speaking of his anger, cracked at Tim’s face. He rushed back, shushing him and murmuring reassurances until Tim quieted.
Dick tried not to look smug, just brushing hair out of Tim’s face. “Don’t go, Jason.”
Jason glared at him but didn’t move.
“What were you saying? That they’re not so much episodes as they just seep in? Who were you mad at? Tim?”
Jason looked down sulkily, and Dick was reminded of the teenager he’d once been. “He messed up. Almost ruined the mission. I was a bit pissed, because I’d just told him to follow the plan and he didn’t.”
Tim blinked up at them, frowning a bit. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t be. It’s over now. You won’t do it again.” Jason smiled softly at him. Tim accepted that answer and settled down again. Dick was pretty sure that meant something.
“You see what I’m talking about? That was bad. That whole situation was bad. Do you even realize what you’re doing? Who you’re hurting? Tim’s your little brother, Jason. He trusts you.”
“I know he does.” Jason ran a hand through his hair, looking irritated. “And he’s right to. I’ll always protect him.”
“Even from yourself?”
“He doesn’t need protecting from me,” Jason snapped. Tim flinched.
“Are you sure?” Dick asked gently. Jason deflated.
“I - I just need to be in control of something.”
“That something shouldn’t be a human being, though. Not Tim. And maybe Tim hasn’t protested, hasn’t said anything, but it just isn’t good. Especially when the Pit comes out and Tim takes the brunt of it.”
“I don’t hurt him. Not anymore.” Jason looked at Tim. Tim looked back. When Jason buried his hand in Tim’s hair, Tim relaxed.
“You did.” That was the whole point, wasn’t it? Jason had gone too far, and he hadn’t even realized. Tim had been harmed, mentally and physically, and Jason hadn’t registered it as too much. That was the problem.
“I know,” Jason sighed. `
“And I know you love Tim. It’s obvious. And he loves you.”
Tim nodded, smiling a bit. “Mhm.”
Jason’s expression softened, scratching his nails along Tim’s scalp. “I do. He’s such a good kid. Aren’t you, birdie?”
Tim beamed at the praise, and that was another piece, after all. Tim was so easily swayed by kind words from someone he cared about, so eager to please. And Jason had used that, knowingly or not.
“But,” Dick continued, “you’ve gone too far at least once. Has it happened another time, Jason?”
“I don’t - I don’t know.”
That was almost the worst part. “That’s the problem, Jason. You don’t know how far is too far. Do you see what I mean? I’ve had my questions about how you and Tim interact for a while, but that was what made me intervene.” Dick sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He didn’t want to do this. He wanted Bruce to do this, but he couldn’t. It was up to Dick. As always. “You and Tim can manage your own relationship with each other, but if you don’t know where the line is? Maybe you can’t.”
“Yeah. I have to go, Dick.” Jason rubbed at his face with his hands, but the second he tried to stand up Tim reached for him again, already pleading.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what I did, I’ll do better, I swear -”
“No, no, birdie, it’s okay, you’re okay.” Jason sat down with a sigh, leaning close to Tim. “I’m staying, I’m sorry.”
It took a little while for Tim to calm down again, eyes wide. “You said you wouldn’t leave,” he whispered.
“I know,” Jason said. “I won’t.
“Listen, Jason. I know this is hard, but you need to acknowledge it and try to fix it. For Tim. And for you. I don’t want to get Bruce involved in this, but I will if I have to.”
Jason’s gaze snapped to him, a glint of green in his irises. “Don’t you fucking dare -”
“He’s our father. He’ll find out on his own eventually. The point is, when Tim is lucid again, you guys need to talk. Have a conversation, figure this out. Stop using him as a stress ball. He deserves better and we both know it.”
Fists clenched, Jason sighed and tipped his head back. “Okay. You’re right. But Tim just - he doesn’t say anything, how am I supposed to know when it’s not okay?”
Dick didn’t know. “You need to ask Tim that, Jason. And don’t take his bullshit either. You know how he gets. Don’t fall for it.”
“But it’s okay,” Tim murmured, looking at them earnestly. “It’s okay to take it out on me. It’s what I’m here for.”
“Baby bird,” Dick said, horrified, at the same time Jason made a choked noise, “it’s not.”
Tim tipped his head to the side, looking confused. Frankly, if the situation was different, it would have been adorable. “But that’s what I’m good for? I’m being useful.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to be useful. Especially not like that,” Jason said gently.
Tim blinked up at them as Dick closed his eyes. “We have to tell Bruce about this. It’s already brought up Tim’s childhood trauma -”
Dick was interrupted by Tim’s eyes widening and blurting out, “Dad? Where’s Dad?”
And then he started bawling.
Dick was already standing, ready to get Bruce, when Jason growled out, “He’s dead and a jackass.”
Dick paused, horrified. “Jason, no! Not that fucking dad! Bruce! No, no, Tim, Bruce is okay, I promise.” Tim just cried harder as Jason rushed to comfort him, pulling him close as Dick sprinted up the stairs and into the kitchen, where Bruce sat, in a bathrobe and slippers.
“Bruce! Tim is crying and he thinks you’re dead and he wants you, so please for the love of God go downstairs before he has a panic attack!” Dick said in one rushed breath.
Bruce paused. Set down his coffee. Then he stood and started running towards the stairs after Dick. Dick went down faster than him, to see Tim still sobbing, though not as violently, with Jason running a hand through his hair and murmuring to him.
Air whooshed past Dick as Bruce rushed by, holding his cape? Tim practically tore himself away from Jason when Bruce sat on the bed, looking vaguely panicked but using his cape to bundle Tim up and pull him against him.
Tim went utterly limp, closing his eyes like he’d never feel this way again. “Dad.”
“That’s right, Tim. I’m here.” Bruce looked like he didn’t quite know what to say but he was trying anyway, and damn if it wasn’t working.
Tim hummed softly and pressed himself against Bruce, his head pillowed on his chest.
Dick couldn’t remember the last time Tim had looked so relaxed.
Jason was glancing between them with a pained expression, clutching at the edge of Bruce’s cape so hard his knuckles were white. Dick recognized the face well. Jason wanted a hug but he couldn’t ask, obviously because Bruce and Tim had their own thing going and Jason had been the one making the mistakes.
Dick was still mad. He was still mad at Jason for treating Tim like that, but Jason was still his little brother and he couldn’t resist. Standing up, Dick walked around until he was behind Jason and wrapped his arms around him.
Jason made an ‘oof’ sound and went perfectly still for a moment. Then he relaxed and tipped his head against Dick with a long sigh. Dick kissed the top of his head. “It’s okay, little wing.”
“No, it’s not.”
“No,” Dick agreed, “but it will be.”
Jason took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Tim was curling into Bruce, wrapped in black kevlar up until his chin, already half-asleep.
Things weren’t good. But they would get better if they tried. Dick would keep his family together.