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Tim had had a really rough year, in his defense.
He'd laughed. He'd cried. He'd destroyed a modern and an ancient knife cult, both on (practically) the same day.
The point is, by the time he was slumped against an AC with Batman the Younger hovering worriedly over him, he was not at his best. Pretty much all he had going for him was that he wasn't concussed.
(Or. That's what he thought at the time.)
Damian was standing behind Dick once Tim had recovered enough from expecting immediate death to step away from his brother. He was in a Robin costume, but it wasn't Tim's costume. It was darker, edgier.
Hysterical, almost. Because it made Damian seem smaller, softer. He was softer. His body language was open and aimed at Dick, his back was prince perfect instead of soldier straight. His eyebrows were positioned in a way Tim immediately translated as fear. Of Ra's, or Tim, or someone falling, Tim didn't know. But it was there.
Huh, Damian was a child. A terrifying, dangerous, evil child, but a child. Tim knew enough kids who had been fucked over because people liked to forget they were children.
He still hated the kid, but he would be damned if he can't do better than Superman.
So, Tim went back to his apartment after promising to check in soon. And started thinking that Damian probably wasn't naturally a complete asshole. It was probably all Ra's fault. According to Tim's data (which consisted of Alfred and only Alfred) grandparents are mainly meant to regulate affection and keep you alive. Which, obviously Ra's was terrible at. If only Damian had a better role model.
UnLuckily, Tim had Talia's phone number.
(He had definitely been concussed.)
When Tim woke up, it was with his face smashed against a copy of the documents declaring Talia al Ghul his newly adopted daughter, and a note promising dinner in Gotham in the near future.
"Oh fuck."
-------
Surprisingly, Talia actually talks to him. Unlike Bruce.
"And so I told Father he would have to earn back any rights to my attention, since I'm no longer young enough to require a custody agreement."
Tim hums to show he is listening, readjusting the phone as he updates his files. After his initial panic, he realised he hadn't minded Talia in the League and it would be cruel to ignore his daughter, when she clearly had wanted to be adopted. Tim sure hadn't been coherent enough to convince anybody of anything. Now they have daily phonecalls, to get to know each other better.
His current theory is that Talia saw an opportunity to be able to spend time with her son and took it. Talia is also enjoying actually being able to talk to a parent casually for the first time ever.
"We could threaten him into giving me full custody if you'd like," Tim points out gently.
Talia hums. "Not yet, but thank you, Baba. How is my son?"
"He hasn't tried to harm me once. I think Dick's been a good influence."
"How is my uncle doing pretending to be Beloved?" Tim doesn't know why she's suddenly on board with Dick being her uncle, when that would make Bruce her grandfather. But, he has a feeling she'll commit patricide if he brings it up, so he lets it lie.
"Alright. I think he's glad it's almost over. Bruce will be home soon." He will. It kind of makes Tim want to cry. Talia also doesn't-cry at the reminder.
"What would you like for Father's Day?"
Tim latches on to the topic change gratefully.
--------
Steph looks at him with wide, pleading eyes. They both know that face is one of the best ways to get him to spill the beans, which is why he asked her to use it.
However, it has been thirty minutes and he still hasn't found a way to explain everything. So they just keep staring.
"So, you and Cass?" Tim shifts awkwardly.
"Yep." She pops the 'p' and continues to stare.
Tim finally decides to just go for it. "I'm a dad now."
Steph chokes on air.
"Timothy Jackson-"
"Not like that! She's adopted."
"What? Did you find a baby in a gutter?" Tim doesn't respond, which Steph takes a confirmation, "Holy shit."
"Not a baby," Tim corrects, "Though actually, I don't know how old she is. Maybe I should ask."
"How do you not know- how even- you are seventeen-"
"And legally an adult, I got emancipated to take over WE. I adopted Damian's mom while concussed, okay?"
They stare at eachother more.
"This is not what I expected when you said you needed to talk." Steph flops back on his couch, "You owe me pizza and terrible soda."
Tim sighs, relieved. "Deal."
-------
"I'll be in Gotham soon," Talia informs him a month after Bruce has been returned from the timestream.
"Sounds good, Tallie." Tim says before he realizes what that means. "Wait-"
"Oh no," Talia says completely monotone. "The connection is poor." The line is perfectly clear, and they both know it. "You are breaking up, Baba. I'll call you back."
She hangs up.
Tim stares blankly at the security he'd been improving for several minutes. "If it wasn't so annoying I'd be proud. I taught her that to use on Ra's, dammit."
-------
Tim doesn't see anything on patrol, but by the time they get back to the cave he just has a feeling. Call it paternal instincts or whatever, but he's not surprised when Talia is sitting on the arm of the chair infront of the Batcomputer, arguing with Bruce, who is sitting in said chair.
"-not saying you can't visit, but I would prefer you plan with me since he's my son too."
"I will admit that I desperately want to spend time with Damian, but I am here for other purposes."
Tim feels everyone else stop beside him, watching in confusion. Damian, next to Dick, is practically vibrating. Jason, the jerk, coughs loudly. Bruce and Talia's attention turns to them. They both had obviously known they were there, but had been willing to ignore it a while longer.
Tim decides to pretend like this is another phone call.
"Hey, Tallie," someone sputters, he ignores it, instead opening his arms. You should hug children even if they're possibly several centuries old, right? "How was your flight?"
"Baba," Talia walks over and hugs him in an overly stiff way as several people make dying gerbil noises. "Boring, mainly. Though I did go over plan RCED 3.4 and added notes."
They let go and lean away from the contact at the same time, which makes Tim snort and Talia's lips quirk up slightly.
"Tim?" Dick sounds slightly strangled. Tim scans him, but he isn't choking. He's actually quite pale. Damian is seething and scared- not a great start- and Jason is almost purple. Cass is smiling at him in a congratulatory fashion while she holds up Steph, who is nearly seizing with silent laughter. Tim wishes Duke was awake to just say whatever is causing these reactions.
"Tim!"
Tim blinks, "Yes Dick?"
"I-" Dick takes a deep breath, "You? And Talia...?" Is Dick concussed?
Tim makes eye contact with his daughter, who raises her eyebrow slightly as if to shrug. "Yes?"
Dick looks like he's going to throw up, and Tim wonders if a perp sneezed in his mouth during patrol or something. "How long?"
"Two months," he says, causing Steph to finally cackle audibly as his moronic brothers continue to change color.
"Tim- they- they-" she gasps between giggles as Cass finally just lowers her to the floor.
"-Think you're fucking eachother," Cass finishes blandly despite the chaotic gleam in her eye, causing Tim to throw up in his mouth a little. Talia clicks her tongue in that way of hers that means she's nervous or livid.
Tim swallows the bile, and looks at Dick agahst. "She's my daughter."
"DAUGHTER!?"
"You married Ra's!? The fuck?"
"You're my grandmother?"
"Talia!?"
"Yes, no, you can have two grandfathers, and why did you use that tone, Bruce? That's rude."
Tim looks to Bruce, who looks back at him with something he doesn't understand. "You adopted Talia?"
"Yes? Damian obviously needs a good grandparent, so I decided to step up."
"And you had to adopt his mother."
Oh.
Bruce is jealous. Tim suddenly remembers their arguments over Bruce taking custody after he discovered the fake uncle plot. How it was just a legality.
"Weren't you already adopted?"
Bruce frowns, "No?"
Tim mentally adds Alfred Pennyworth to the shitlist. And dispares, because that means he has no basis for a grandfather at all, so who's to say he won't do as bad as Ra's? At least Talia seems to think he's a good dad.
"I do not want Timbo to be my grandfather," Jason interrupts. "The hell, Mom?"
Wait.
"Be sensible, darling. Baba is a vast improvement to Father."
Tim gets ready to interrupt his eldest grandchild (when did that happen?) but Damian beats them both to speaking.
"You can have a father and a Baba?" He stares at Talia, who stares back and nods slightly.
Tim knows exactly what's about to happen, and it appears Cass and Steph do too. Maybe Jason, but Tim's not looking at Jason because all of his focus is on his grandchild walking up to his brother with fits clenched nervously.
"Richard, since we have already proved that-"
Dick scoops him up in a hug, "I'd love to be your Baba, kiddo."
Called it.
There's a brief moment of silence, and then Dick apparently decides he needs to clarify something.
"I guess I'm technically related to a Wayne now? Finally."
----
"-and then Steph adopted Dick, and Cass heavily implied that he would be their flowergirl if they ever get married. So now instead of brothers I have two grandchildren, a kind-of-nephew-slash-grandson who's my youngest grandchild's second dad, and Duke because he still refuses to be adopted by anyone but offered to adopt Babs if she felt left out, she said no, and now they're acting like they're the most normal when we all know no one in our family is normal. And they're family through osmosis. So."
Tim looks up at his friends. Cassie's head is planted firmly on the table. Kon looks pensive, and Bart raises his hand.
"Why is Dick kind of your grandson?"
Tim blinks, "Oh, because I got emancipated and ended up adopting Bruce. Which for some reason ended up fixing his relationship with Talia? So she has a room in the manor and spends at least 30% of her time at the manor in his room. Which I think is technically incest now, but they'd had sexual tension before I adopted them, so I just try to ignore it... Where was I?"
Cassie's voice is muffled by the table. "Dick being your grandson."
"Right," Tim takes a deep breath. "If Dick was ever told that Bruce wasn't his dad he would tear the world apart and make it a monument to their relationship before killing himself because Bruce would no longer love him more than his own duty to the world, and vice versa. We never belittle found family relationships, but especially not that one. Bruce is trying to bribe Steph to let him also adopt Dick, so that should help."
"And you... like it?" Kon asks.
Tim smiles, "Yeah, Damian's really happy and relaxed, which was the main goal, and honestly having a father and grandfather that actually listens is helping improve our family relationships as a whole. I'm also now more powerful than Alfred, which was accidental but is extremely helpful."
"And would you be willing to adopt more?" Kon asks, trying and failing to look casual.
Tim grins.