Chapter Text
It took a couple reassurances that Jason really did have an open-door policy when it came to his brothers (as long as Bruce didn't get suspicious), but Tim eventually became a frequent guest at Jason's apartment. Never for long, and never when it was just Damian and Jason, but he'd stop by for fifteen or twenty minutes nearly every day. Sometimes, he asked Jason for advice on a homework assignment or casework; other times, he just hovered awkwardly by the window. Jason had given up understanding him right around their first meeting and got used to Tim swinging by. That didn't mean he wasn't curious, though. What was going through the kid's head?
"I think," Damian said during one of their tea sessions, "That he wants reassurance."
"Reassurance?" Jason asked.
"Well, you were his hero," Damian said. "The reason he became Robin was because of you."
"I was his hero," Jason repeated thoughtfully. "Tim looked up to me?"
Damian nodded. "And from what I understand, both Timothy and Richard struggle to remember that you're back."
"Yeah, Dick's practically my roommate," Jason said with a snort. It had been a month since his little reveal, and Dick was always coming by for one reason or another. More and more, he was staying the night. Jason always made dinner for two, now. "But, Tim never stays for long."
"I think he doesn't want to overstep," Damian said. "He struggles to understand that other people might care for him. I don't think he would turn down an invitation, however. Telling him directly that he is welcome might be your best option."
"What is he?" Jason asked. "A fucking vampire?"
Damian shrugged, taking a sip of tea. "I do not claim to understand what is going through Timothy's mind."
"Well, what does he do during his free time?" Jason asked. "I'll invite him over, and we can do something together."
He wanted to get to know his newest little brother, the one he'd almost hurt so badly in his quest for revenge. Every day, Jason was more thankful he hadn't gone down that path.
"Not much," Damian said. "He's stretched thin between casework, patrol, and school. Father keeps him busy, and I know his so-called parents place great pressure on him to perform at the highest level when it comes to academics. However, while he never has time for himself, he always has some to help others."
"So-called?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They clearly do not deserve Timothy," Damian said hotly. "They left him alone far too long."
Jason agreed. He'd done some research on the Drakes because who the hell left their son alone for months on end? Terrible people, as it turned out, who weren't even smart about keeping their shitty, unethical business practices well hidden.
"We should do something about them," Jason said. "I can think of one or two ways to make their lives a living hell."
"Excellent," Damian said. "Now—"
There was a tap at the window. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Tim was on the fire escape, dressed in his school uniform. It was pouring rain outside, with a strong wind whipping hail around. What the hell was he doing outside? Jason got up and opened the window.
"Sorry," Tim said quickly. "I thought your tea would be over since it usually is by now. It's just, a new cafe opened up? That I thought you would like? Because it's like a bookstore, too."
"Get in here," Jason said. "You're gonna get sick. What the fuck were you thinking climbing the fire escape? I know you're allergic to the door for some fucking reason, but I would've thought that at least today you would've taken the stairs like a normal person."
"It was quicker," Tim said. "And I don't want to interrupt."
Jason rolled his eyes and gently pulled him in. "You're not interrupting, right Damian?"
"Not at all," Damian said, hopping off his chair. "I'll go get you a cup, Timothy."
"And I'll go get you a blanket and a change of clothes," Jason said, closing the window. "Do you have anything to do tonight? I have a case I've been working on that I want your opinion on."
No, he didn't. But Jason was pretty sure he could dig something out if it would keep Tim from heading back out.
Tim shook his head. "Sure. Yeah. I'd be happy to help."
While he grabbed a clean pair of sweats and dug out the biggest, fuzziest, warmest blanket he owned, Jason ran through his mental list of cases he'd been dealing with. There was a murder that had been bothering him — that could work.
He tossed everything at Tim and went to make the kid a sandwich. Jason would bet the entire warehouse of meth he'd just stolen from Black Mask that Tim had forgotten to eat again. He stared at the fridge.
"Timbit, what do you want in your sandwich?" Jason called.
"You don't have to make anything for me," came the predictable response.
"He likes mustard, cheddar, and ham, I think," Damian said.
Jason pulled out those ingredients and some arugula as well because it was a crime to have a savory sandwich without at least some kind of vegetable. Tim wandered into the kitchen a couple minutes later, drowning in the borrowed clothing. He stared at the sandwich Jason slid his way for a solid minute.
"Thanks," he said eventually. He ate the first one and didn't say anything as Jason made him another. He didn't refuse a slice of banana bread, either.
"So what's the case?" Tim asked, picking out the chocolate chips from the banana bread to eat them first.
"Sophie Pharr —"
"I'm so close to solving that case," Tim interrupted. "It's been driving me crazy for weeks. I know that the police arrested the wrong guy. Her husband couldn't have killed her because —"
"He was with Paul Bayona," Jason finished. "But he would never admit that since that would implicate him in the recent spate of arson attacks. Black Mask ordered those, though, and selling him out would be worse than jail for life."
Tim nodded. "I know I'm so close to cracking it open. It has to be —"
"Finish up your banana bread," Jason said. "You can't talk murder over damn good banana bread."
Tim nodded, practically shoving the entire slice into his mouth. Jason rolled his eyes and ruffled his brother's hair. "Go to the couch. I'm going to dig out my files."
Tim nodded and headed back to the living room. Romeo immediately got up from his bed and jumped on the couch, demanding attention. It took Jason at most five minutes to dig out the relevant files from his storage closet, but by the time he came back, Tim was passed out asleep. The only reason he hadn't fallen off the couch was because Romeo was bracing him.
"You should grab his smartwatch," Damian said. "He designed an app that makes it buzz ten minutes after he falls asleep."
Jason sighed. "Is he a light sleeper?"
Damian shook his head. "He doesn't sleep enough. Rarely does a week pass by without him pulling an all-nighter."
"Toss me a pillow," Jason said, taking off Tim's watch and putting it on the coffee table. Romeo woofed as Jason gently nudged him off the couch so he could lay Tim down. He caught the pillow Damian threw at him and tucked Tim in with the blanket. Romeo immediately hopped back on, laying down next to Tim.
"You going to keep an eye on him?" Jason asked, scratching Romeo behind the ears. "Good, make sure he gets some sleep."
Damian got up from the table and grabbed his backpack. He sat down, leaning against the couch, and began to do his schoolwork. As far as Bruce knew, he was at Dick's. He could stay the entire evening, which was far more reassuring than Jason would ever admit. It was nice to be able to keep an eye on two of his brothers.
Jason finished solving the case and was cooking dinner for four when Tim finally woke up. He shot up. "The case!"
Romeo placed one great big paw on Tim's chest and forced him down. When Tim still tried to get up, he whacked him and then rolled over, effectively pinning Tim. Jason laughed as he took a photo.
"I took care of it, Timbo," Jason said.
"I'm so sorry," Tim said. "My watch — where's my watch?"
"You needed to sleep," Damian said, handing it back. "Despite what you think, you do need it to function."
"I know, but that's so low on the list of priorities that it's not even on the list," Tim said, slipping it back on. "Romeo, do you want to let me up?"
Romeo yawned and stretched out on top of Tim.
"That's a no, then. Jason, can you call your dog?"
"Sleep is important," Jason said. "And Romeo has a mind of his own."
"Casework, patrol, and school are important," Tim said, trying to shimmy his way out from underneath Romeo.
"How about I take on a couple of cases for you," Jason said. "And you promise to get six hours of sleep every night."
"Why would you do that?" Tim asked.
"There's a lot of overlap between what you deal with and what I deal with," Jason said. "It makes the most sense. There's no point in both of us doing the same work."
"Five," Tim said after a moment's consideration.
"Seven," Jason said.
"Five-thirty," Tim countered.
"Eight."
"Alright, six."
"And I want to see you around here more often," Jason added. "You can come to tea a couple times a month."
"But that's you and Damian's thing," Tim protested.
"Then we'll make our own thing," Jason said. "I want to get to know you better."
"Why?" Tim asked, sounding genuinely startled.
"Because you're my little brother," Jason said. "And I care about your dumb ass, and I want to make sure you're doing alright. Doesn't seem like you have anyone else checking in on you."
"Jason is quite the mother hen," Damian added. "You might as well get used to this, Timothy."
"Okay," Tim said slowly, giving up on getting off the couch. He stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah. We can do something. What do you like to do?"
"What do you like to do?" Jason asked.
"I don't really know," Tim admitted after a second.
"You're quite the talented photographer," Damian said.
"But that's not really a group activity," Tim said. "There's a lot of sitting around —"
Dick entered the apartment, juggling a backpack and several grocery bags. Covered in pet hair didn't even begin to describe him. He also had several bandages on his arms, and his work pants were shredded. What the hell had happened? Jason decided he didn't want to know because he was feeling kinda done with Gotham's fucked-up nonsense for the moment. Sometimes, he really hated this city.
Dick dumped everything on the ground. "Work was wild today. Hey Tim, staying for dinner?"
"Photography sounds great, Timbit," Jason said. "And don't even think of declining."
"Guess I'm staying for dinner," Tim said. "I'd help you with the groceries, but Romeo trapped me on the couch."
"Yeah, he's a really cuddly dog," Dick said happily, starting to put away what he had bought. Mostly more of that disgustingly sweet sugary crap he called cereal — despite the fact that Jason had offered, multiple times, to make him an actual breakfast — and juice. When he was finished, he gave Jason a tight hug, holding on for a minute, before going over to the living room and giving Damian a quicker one. He settled for patting Tim on the head.
Jason whistled. "Alright, Romeo, set Timantha free. It's dinner time."
Romeo hopped off the couch and stretched leisurely before trotting over to the chair where Dick usually sat. He looked expectantly in the direction of the kitchen, wagging his tail.
"You could've done that any time?" Tim asked, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.
"Maybe," Jason said, bringing plates to the table.
It was just a simple fried rice, loaded up with veggies and topped with egg because he wasn't in the mood to make one vegetarian dish for Damian and another for everyone else. It had been a long week already, and it was only Wednesday. When it rained, it poured, which seemed especially true for Crime Alley. It wasn't even any of the more prominent players, like Black Mask or Falcone. There were just a bunch of smaller gangs that felt emboldened for some fucking reason to test some of the rules he had instituted. Jason had a long night ahead of him of surveillance and an even longer following day of prep work and planning. It was nice, though, to have this family dinner before he had to head out.
Dick carried the dinner conversation with stories from his absolutely insane day at the station. Some guy had declared himself the Lord of the Dogs and had been raiding dog parks, shelters, and pet stores.
"He wasn't just going after dogs, though," Dick said. Romeo woofed quietly. "Ah, sorry, Romeo. Here you go." Dick slipped some of the rice off his plate to the floor. "Anyways, it was cats, birds, reptiles, and surprisingly few dogs."
"Stop feeding my dog," Jason said, pointing his fork at him. "It's not good for him."
"Anyways," Dick said brightly. "I'm so glad you could finally make family dinner, Tim. How was your day?"
"Oh, good," Tim said quietly.
"Found him on the fire escape in the pouring rain," Jason said.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Tim muttered.
"Because everything seems like a good idea when you're sleep-deprived," Jason said.
"You're not getting enough sleep again?" Dick asked worriedly. "Tim, we've talked about this."
"Love the rice, Jason," Tim said. "You're a really good cook."
"Of course Timothy hasn't been getting the required hours of sleep," Damian said.
"I'll come to more family dinners if it's always this good," Tim continued, smile growing a little forced.
Jason decided to take pity on him. "You better. I don't want to find you skulking outside anymore. You're part of this family, now, 'kay? If you want to crash here, if you ever need help, anything, we've got your back. So where do you want to go for our first photography class? What camera do you think I should buy?"
"You want to learn photography from me?" Tim asked. "I thought it was just kinda going to be you hanging around while I took photos."
"Why the hell not?" Jason asked. "I meant it when I said I want to do something with you. Can't promise I'll be any good, but I can try."
"I'm so glad you're picking up a hobby, Little Wing," Dick said. "Thanks, Tim! Jay needs more reasons to get out of the house."
"I do not," Jason said indignantly. "I get out plenty. Library and shit."
"Other than the library, work, or basic human necessities like shopping, what do you do?" Damian asked.
"Yeah, this rice is one of my favorite dishes, too, Timantha," Jason said hurriedly.
Dick laughed. "We'll stop grilling you two."
"For now," Damian added.
"Well, that's vaguely ominous," Tim said.
"Good," Damian declared. "Jason, pass me the bowl of rice?"
Jason handed it over. "So, Dick, how did you catch this Lord of the Dogs?"
Dick continued to regale them with stories of Gotham's normal abnormal — wannabe Rogues were all too common. Thankfully, very few of them ever became threats. Most were like Lord of the Dogs, one-day wonders that usually quickly gave up on their delusions of grandeur.
Tim practically fled after dinner, citing homework before patrol, and took Damian with him. But he promised to come back on Friday, camera in hand. They were going to walk through Robinson Park or maybe explore some of the older areas of Gotham.
"Thanks for that," Dick said when the door closed. "I can take the kitchen tonight."
"'Preciate it," Jason said. "I'll take Romeo on a walk, then. For what?"
"For inviting Tim over," Dick said. "I worry about him, you know? He made it his personal mission to keep Batman together after, well… after."
"You can say I died," Jason said, pausing in the middle of putting his boots on. "What do you mean he held Batman together?"
"B was going suicidal," Dick said. "He wasn't handling your death well, or the fact that he had failed so spectacularly. And after I refused to return to Gotham, Tim started throwing himself headfirst into fights so B had something to protect. It worked, but sometimes I wonder about what that did to Tim."
"Fuck." There wasn't a better way of summing that up, really. Just, fuck, because Tim was a teenager, and it shouldn't have been on him to keep Bruce from falling apart. Kids should never have to take care of adults. "Yeah, I'll keep an eye on him. Make sure he finally understands he has someplace. I know this family sucks at the whole family thing, but I can try, I guess."
"Thanks," Dick said, sounding exhausted all of a sudden. "Being an older brother — it suits you. More than it suits me, at any rate. I'm sorry that I was such a shit brother to you when B first adopted you."
Jason sighed. He was wondering when Dick was gonna bring it up. While Dick was trying so hard for Tim and Damian to be their older brother, that hadn't quite been the case for Dick and Jason. Things had been rough, most of the time. Well, that was an understatement. It had been hell to be stuck in the middle of an angry, hurting teenager who desperately needed support and some guy tryna figure out who the fuck he was outside the mask.
"You learned about me from the newspapers," Jason said after a moment. "He adopted me before he even adopted you. He took Robin away from you. Yeah, you could've tried a little harder, but B wasn't making it exactly easy. I don't blame you, and I've never blamed you, 'kay?"
"Just thanks, okay?" Dick said. "Damian's been telling me a little about your time in the League. You really pulled it together for him, and Tim looks up to you."
"And you've always got a place here, too," Jason added. "Wasn't planning on a roommate, but I sure as hell don't mind having someone around who cleans the kitchen. Just make sure you vacuum all the pet fur you're tracking around."
Dick snorted. "Aye, aye, captain. One spick-and-span apartment coming right your way. And after, I spent all day working so hard."
"Don't talk to me about working so hard," Jason said, running a hand through his hair. "You know how many idiots tried to start a gang war in the past week? Fucking sick of this town, with it's crazy and ordinary evil."
Romeo barked, evidently done with all the waiting. They headed out, wandering out all over the Alley. Jason got a text about halfway through from Tim, a link to a PDF discussing the merits of half a dozen different cameras. It was over fifteen pages long. There were charts. The kid was serious about this, apparently. Or he was hoping that three pages on lens alone would bore Jason enough to drop this plan. He scrolled through it while he walked; Tim had been beyond thorough.
Jason: I don't think I can get a camera in time for Friday
Jason: Unless you want to go shopping in person
Tim: no worries!!!!!!!
Tim: like i just wanted to show you options
Tim: this isnt an immediately kinda thing
Jason: Are you free tomorrow?
Tim: ?
Jason: We're going shopping if you have time
Tim: k let me check
Jason wasn't exactly excited about this plan, but at least it was something to do with Tim. And hopefully their little Friday meetups would help convince Tim that Jason was serious about this whole big brother thing.