Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tim had just gotten back to the manor after a mission that took a lot longer than he'd expected- and something was wrong.

The manor was quiet, not in the usual easy and comforting way, but in a thick layer of tension swallowing the noise in the house.

He noticed it in the small things, like how no one greeted him at the door, and how Steph's jacket wasn't hung over the banister.

He noticed it in the big things, like the suffocating silence blanketing the manor, and the quiet tension at the dinner table that they all tried- and failed- to ignore.

"Okay. This is stupid." Tim set down his fork with a clink. "What happened?"

The table was silent for a moment, before Bruce spoke up. "Nothing major, and certainly nothing to concern yourself with."

Tim knew that Bruce didn't mean it like that, but the words still stung. He didn't let it show.

"Father got into another argument with Richard." Damian ignored Bruce's (lacking) explanation with a huff.

Tim turned his attention off of Damian towards Bruce with a glare. "Seriously? What was it this time?"

Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but Damian beat him to it. "I believe that Father did not approve of Richard's plan to go into a hostage situation without backup. Father tried to talk with Richard afterwards, though Richard thought that he was in the right."

Tim blinked. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"No, and if Richard hadn't gone in right then, the civilian hostage would have been severely injured." Damian supplied helpfully.

Tim sighed. "Has anyone gone to check on him?"

Damian shook his head.

"I believed that he would like some space after the argument." Bruce said gruffly.

Tim stood up quickly. "You haven't seen him since the fight? When was this?"

"Four days ago." Damian answered, looking confused. "I thought Richard would have wanted to be left alone?"

"No. I don't have time to explain, sorry Dames. It's okay though. Not your fault. I have to go now." And Tim bolted out the door, rushing to his bike as fast as he could and speeding all the way to Blüdhaven.

Tim knocked on the door to Dick's apartment. His trackers showed that he was here, so he should be home.

There was a shuffling noise on the other side of the door before the door cracked open. Tim saw Dick, looking disheveled. His eyes were slightly red, and his hair greasy. He was wearing one of Jason's hoodies and some old sweats. Dick slowly opened the door a little wider, leaving room for Tim to squeeze his way in and wrap his arms around his brother.

"Hey, Dick. Are you okay?" Tim asked, shutting the door gently. He then coaxed Dick onto the couch, where they could snuggle better.

Dick sniffled. "I- I'm-" He paused, about to say that he was fine. "...no." He whispered, so quiet that Tim had to strain his ears to hear.

Tim just squeezed him tighter.

Tim had stayed for the night, ordering Chinese takeout from their favourite place and putting on a movie in the background while they cuddled. In the morning, they would talk.

And talk they did. Dick told Tim about how he'd gone in to save the little girl, just barely a teen, and how batman had started yelling once they were in the cave. About how Dick had only wanted to save the child, and Bruce- his own father- was making him feel worthless for not listening to instructions.

Tim stayed for the day, until he was sure that Dick would be okay, then went back to the cave.

See, Tim didn't get angry often. He was generally a pretty calm guy, whether that was just him or from lack of sleep. So that made it even more jarring when he was mad. And right now? He was furious.

Tim strode into Wayne Manor, shoes tapping on the tiles. He waltzed over to Bruce's study, then down into the cave, where the man would be.

Bruce turned away from the batcomputer when the elevator doors opened, glancing over at Tim. Tim, who looked eerily calm. Tim, who straightened his shirt and strode forwards, towards Bruce.

Tim stopped right in front of the man. Within striking distance. "Bruce." He said, voice like ice.

"Hello, Tim." Bruce turned fully, standing as well.

Tim crossed his arms. "You hurt Dick."

Bruce sighed. Already off to a bad start. "He did not follow the plan."

"That does not excuse you yelling at your son, does it?" Tim tilted his head, voice steady and quiet, and filled with rage. "It does not excuse making your own son feel worthless enough that he left so that you 'didn't have to deal with him anymore', does it? You had no right talking to any child like that, especially not Dick. Dick is so kind and empathetic and sweet, and you threw him away as soon as he didn't do exactly what you wanted?"

Bruce tried to but in. "I didn't think-"

Tim cut him off. "I know. You didn't think. You didn't realize that your own actions have consequences, that your words affect the people that look up to you. He trusted you to have his back. You took that trust and you used it to hurt him. How does it feel? That you broke the trust of your own son?" He sneered, leaning closer. Bruce took a step back, wide eyed.

"Go on, tell me. How do you feel that you yelled at your child for making his own decisions? Decisions that, if I'm correct, saved another human being and didn't have any major consequences."

Bruce stuttered, seeming to not find words. Tim stared, his glare piercing into Bruce's soul.

The elevator chimed brightly, and Tim fixed his smile back into a more kind one, turning to face Damian. "Hey, Dames. What're you doing down here?"

Damian blinked. "Father told me that he would be taking me to the aquarium now. Is this a bad time?"

"Of course not. We just finished our chat anyways." Tim paused to smile at Damian, a real one. "Have fun at the aquarium, Baby-Bat."

And Tim was gone.

Bruce apologized later that day, visiting Dick in Blüdhaven. He was actually pretty sincere, for Bruce anyways. Dick forgave Bruce, far too quickly in Tim's opinion, and Tim vowed to always help his brother if he needed someone.

Chapter Text

Jason was decidedly not okay. He'd been out on the streets when he heard the news, and immediately sprinted off to his nearest safehouse. Because the Joker was free. He'd escaped Arkham, and now Joker was going to hunt him down and tie him up and that crowbar-

Jason remembered that he needed to breathe. Was that a normal thing? Forgetting to breathe? The scar on his cheek was throbbing, the ugly 'J' carved into his face. Manic laughter rang through his ears.

He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think-

Oh. He was having a panic attack, wasn't he?

And suddenly, someone's voice filtered through the static. "-ason? Jay? Come on, Jay, you have to breathe."

Jason focused on the voice. It helped him breathe easier. "Hey, Jay. You're okay. It's alright. You're safe. Can you look up for me?"

Jason lifted his head, cracking his eyes open. His vision was blurry- oh. Had he been crying? He hadn't noticed.

A warm hand brushed the tears off of his face. "Breathe with me, okay?" And the voice started breathing loudly. Jason tried to copy, breath stuttering a few times.

"Good. Okay. It's okay." Jason squinted at the figure in front of him.

"..Tim?" He said quietly, voice wavering. He hated how even his voice failed him now.

Tim sighed. "Yeah. It's me." His shoulders slumped in relief. "Are you okay?"

Jason nodded quickly, breath still a little fast.

"Okay. I mean, you're not, so I'm going to stay for a bit. Then I'm going hunting." Tim said, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder and helping him up. He smiled oddly at the end, but Jason didn't have the brainpower to figure out what he meant.

Tim just led him over to the couch, then plopped down on top of him once he was sitting.

Jason glared. "I was just having a panic attack, asshole. You're going to crush me." But Jason still wrapped his arms tightly around Tim.

Tim snorted. "Last I checked, you were like, twice my size. I ain't hurting shit. Other than your ego, maybe."

Jason just sighed, exhausted.

Once Jason had fallen asleep, Tim carefully crawled out of Jason’s grip. Then, with one more quick glance at his brother, he was gone.

The Joker was quite easy to find. He was in the industry district, setting up what looked to be another torture warehouse. It almost looked the same as the one Jason had died in. Tim smiled. How poetic.

Tim walked in through the front door. He wasn't wearing his Red Robin suit. He wasn't Red Robin.

Red Robin was kind, a symbol of hope among the people of Gotham. Tim was not feeling kind. No, this was Timothy Drake, son of Janet Drake. He was cold and he was unbelievably cruel. He wasn't going to let someone was worthless as the Joker get in his way.

His shoes clicked against the floor. He had a crowbar in his hands. And he was smiling, an unpleasant thing. It was cold as ice, sharp as daggers.

"Hello, Joker." Tim said as the Joker turned to see him.

The clown's laughter filled the warehouse. "Oh, little Timmy! It seems like I didn't even have to find another Robin this time, you flew to me on your own!"

"A bit poetic, isn't it?" Tim mused.

Joker stared at him for a moment, laughter stopping for just a fraction of a second before he grinned wider. "of course! I pride myself in my storytelling ability. And this-" He gestured around the room, "Was too good of an opportunity to give up."

"Of course. I always like a bit of nostalgia. Though, it seems like the roles might be reversed this time." Tim smiled eerily.

The Joker paused again as he noticed the crowbar in Tim's hands. His laughter got quieter, only slightly.

"Now, would you like to get started?" Tim asked, raising the crowbar. He closed the distance between them quickly, grin wolfish.

The Joker's laughter stopped after a few hits. His screaming started.

"Oh, poor Joker. Does it hurt? Here, let me help with the pain." Tim brought the crowbar down hard on his leg, breaking it with a snap of bone.

The Joker howled, and Tim's smile widened. He broke the other leg next.

"Let's do a test, shall we? Which hurts more?" Tim cracked the crowbar on Joker's ribs. "Forehand? Or backhand?"

After the Joker had been thoroughly beaten, Tim sliced his head off cleanly. He took a picture, calmly examining the cut between the head and shoulders.

Tim took the body and the crowbar out to Gotham harbor. He dumped them, quite unceremoniously. The Joker didn't deserve a dramatic exit.

Tim was back at Jason's safe house before the man woke up, showering quickly and ordering takeout. He then sat down next to Jason's sleeping body and leaned on him, scrolling on his phone.

Tim would show Jason the photo once he woke up, and his brother would be free.

Chapter Text

The thing that Tim often forgot about Gotham Academy is that it was grades 1-12. Which meant that he and Damian went to the same school.

Tim wasn't expecting Damian to be the one that the two kids were bullying, he just didn't like homophobes in his school. He recorded them saying racist and homophobic things to the kid before walking over.

"Hello, boys." Tim said with that ice cold smile.

The kids stiffened. Damian looked at Tim in shock.

"How's it going over here? You're being kind to my brother, yes?"

The boys nodded quickly, hunching their shoulders and stepping back.

Tim frowned. "Oh, really? That's not what I heard. Are you sure?" He tilted his head, gaze sharp and analytical.

The taller boy swallowed hard, licking his lips. "Sorry, we were just going-"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere. Not until you apologize, at the very least." Tim sneered, effectively making Damian's bullies freeze where they were.

Both boys quickly rushed to apologize to Tim, who cut them off again. "No, not to me. To Damian. And then you'd probably want to stay away from any form of harassment, especially if I'm around."

Tim's grin was full of sharp teeth and unforgiving edges that gleamed under the light.

"Of course," The small one stuttered out. "Sorry, Damian. It uh- it won't happen again."

The other one stammered out a similar apology, and Tim nodded.

"You two should probably get to class, now. We wouldn't want you to be late, no?" Tim sneered, effectively dismissing them.

Tim walked Damian to his class after the two boys had scampered off, giving him a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "Meet me at my nest after school, yeah?"

And normal Tim was back. He was all smiles again, gently reassuring Damian, who nodded.

At Tim's nest, Damian learned to stick up for himself. He'd never really considered that he could, as it might give away his secret identity as Robin. Tim taught him how to weaponize his words, to use English instead of one of his katanas to cut down his enemies. Damian smiled at the end, and when Tim leaned in for a hug, Damian didn't fight it.

Chapter Text

Tim was doing the dishes after dinner, ready for a peaceful night in his nest. It was one of his more well known safe houses (to the bats, anyways), though Tim hadn't expected anyone to visit tonight, much less Cass.

Tim looked over calmly (read: jumped out of his skin) when his window slid open. He tensed, reaching for one of his knives before he saw that it was Cass. She slipped inside, shutting the window as Tim washed the last plate.

"Hey, Cass." Tim said quietly.

Cass just waved in greeting, going to sit on Tim's couch. Tim followed, sitting beside her after drying his hands.

"You okay?" Tim asked softly, looking at Cass questioningly.

Cass nods again, leaning in to Tim's side. She sighs contentedly.

Cass and Tim sit together well into the night, basking in the comfortable silence.

Tim understood Cass, to an extent. The manor could be loud at times, with so many people in it's echoing hallways. They both sometimes needed a break from the noise.

Where Cass had grown up in a silent world, Tim had grown up with endless towering walls, filled with nothing but expensive art and dust. His world had been fairly quiet too, at least until he'd become Robin.

Now, they often sought each other out when the world was too loud.

This was one of those nights, one where they spent the night curled up on Tim's couch, hiding from the noise.

Tim would make hot chocolates at some point, and they'd drape one of Tim's ridiculously fluffy blankets around them. Cass probably wouldn't sleep tonight, though Tim would doze on her shoulder on and off throughout the night.

Chapter Text

It was a slow night, one of those days where not even criminals want to be out because of the weather. So Tim was sitting on a rooftop, swinging his legs and trying to ignore the cold from the rain seeping in to his skin.

He was chatting with Babs, catching up on some gossip from the techie. Tim and Barbara got along well, partially due to their mutual adoration of hacking.

"This is so boring.. I should just go in already, avoid the cold before I get one from being out in the rain for so long." Tim complained, throwing a pebble across the street onto the rooftop across him.

Babs sighed. "I'd love to be out there with you, but y'know..."

Tim winced. She'd obviously meant it in a joking manner, but Tim couldn't help feeling bad. He knew that Babs was having a bad day today, she sounded a bit stiff when she talked, and didn't have as much patience as normal when chatting.

"Hey, do you want to come to the aquarium with Duke and me tomorrow?" Tim asked, looking down at the street below. It was empty, completely devoid of life.

Babs sighed. "I don't want to slow you guys down. Besides, I've got a pretty big case that I want to get started on tomorrow."

"Aw, but Babs!" Tim whined. "You have to! It would be so much more fun, I'll even help you on your case tomorrow!" Tim had figured out that Barbara didn't want to bother them, so he made sure to use the pleading tone that he knew always worked on her.

Tim smiled when Babs finally sighed. "Fine. But you will be helping me on that case- and bringing coffee."

Tim, Duke, and Babs all had fun looking at the sea creatures the next day. Tim pushed around Babs' wheelchair (she was still a little weak today), commenting on some of the animals. Duke jumped around, beaming at Tim and Babs whenever he saw something cool. (Which was... very often. Tim thought that the smile was stuck on his face, at some point.)

When they were driving back, Tim caught the soft smile of Babs' face. Good. He'd helped, at least a little bit.

Chapter Text

Tim wished he could sigh. He might be good at galas, but that didn't mean he had to like them. In fact, it was quite the contrary.

He smiled politely as another businessman made conversation (read: pleaded to work with WE), discreetly looking around to make sure that everyone else was okay.

The whole Wayne family had come to this particular event. Damian and Jason were hiding in the corner, stealing snacks as waiters passed by with trays of food. Cass was hiding in the rafters, as she always did. Dick was smiling his golden boy smile at one of Wayne Enterprises' kinder shareholders. Babs had gotten out of this gala, but Duke was there, smiling awkwardly in a small group of investors, looking very out of place.

Then there was Bruce. If course, Brucie Wayne was the main attraction of the event. He was stumbling around, laughing loudly and being characteristically (for Brucie Wayne, anyways) dumb.

But where was Steph? Tim didn't immediately see her when looking around, so he cut his conversation short to go find her.

Tim spotted Steph a minute later, talking with a... particularly difficult investor. She looked tense, smile strained and hands clasped tightly behind her back.

Tim strode over, strides cutting through the crowded hall.

"...so sorry, Sir." Steph was saying.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Sorry does not cut it. Your foolish behavior and insolence must be reprimanded."

And now Tim was mad.

"I'm sorry, Sir. What seems to be the problem here?" Tim asked, stepping in between Steph and the man. Mr... Purcell, if he remembered correctly.

Purcell's face reddened. "The problem, is this idiotic child!"

"I'm sorry, who is the child here? It seems that Stephanie, my sweet sister, has spilled her drink by accident, and you decided to throw a tantrum. I don't really find that to be adult behavior, Mr. Purcell." Tim smiled sharply, waving Steph away discreetly when she said a small thank you.

Tim let out a breath when Steph slipped into the crowd behind him, then glared the man. "It seems that you got mad at a teenager for making a mistake and decided to take your frustration out on her, by yelling. That doesn't seem very responsible, especially not for someone who is a grown adult and should surely know better."

Purcell stuttered. "Excuse me? I am a valuable investor to Wayne Enterprises, and that girl is nobody! She should be shining my shoes herself after spilling her drink on them!"

Tim thought that the shade of red on the man's face was a little funny. "You are an investor to WE, yes, but we have hundreds. However, we only have one Stephanie in this family. Excuse me for the harshness of my words, but if anyone here is a nobody, it is you."

Tim was staring at the man, unimpressed. A small crowd was gathering around them, so Tim decided to end this scuffle before it got too much attention.

He waved over a security guard from the front of the crowd and watched Purcell be escorted outside with a shark-like grin.

He had helped Steph this time, and hoped that he could be there to save his siblings all of the other times, too.

Chapter Text

Duke was swamped. He had recently become Signal, one of the few daylight vigilantes in Gotham. And on top of that, he had Ms. Morrow for math this year. Ms. Morrow was that one teacher that everyone hated at Gotham High, and Duke was no exception. He wasn't great at math in the first place, but now Duke had to work with Ms. Morrow and her famous fifteen page homework 'booklets'.

So all this to say, Duke wasn't getting much sleep. It was affecting him, though he hoped that no one would notice. He didn't need Batman taking away his costume. He was helping people!

But today was going to be tough. Duke hadn't slept in two days, and he was about to go on patrol with Tim. Tim, the famously good detective. Tim, the one who juggled not only school and Red Robin, but Wayne Enterprises. Tim, who would certainly realize that he was struggling and tell Batman, and then Duke wouldn't be Signal again and-

"Hey, Duke. Ready for patrol?"

Duke looked up. Tim was standing there, in full Red Robin gear, smiling at him.

Duke cleared his throat, standing up. "Yeah. Is it just us two tonight?"

Tim nodded, and they headed out of the Batcave together.

The patrol was easy, it was a calm night. There were a few muggings, an attempted robbing of one of the smaller banks in Gotham.

Tim kept side eyeing him, which was a little worrying, but whatever. Duke couldn't focus on that. He needed to be aware.

Duke was acting off. Tim could see it in the way that the boy's shoulder's slumped when he wasn't looking, and the tension in his posture that was a little more... pronounced than usual.

Tim needed to figure out what was going on. So after patrol, he invited Duke over to his nest.

Duke agreed, although slightly hesitantly. Tim smiled reassuringly and led Signal to his nearest safehouse.

Inside, Tim changed and sat on the couch, after throwing a pair of clothes that should fit fairly well at Duke. After Duke sat down with him, Tim asked what was wrong.

And Duke slumped into the back of the couch. He mumbled something about homework and patrols and Batman, and that was all Tim needed to hear.

"Hey, I get it man. I had times like that all the time, still do. We all do. Balancing school and vigilantism, especially when you have a social life? It gets tough. Do you want help with some of the homework?" Tim paused, debating throwing one of his siblings under the bus. "And I'm sure Dami would love to cover some of your patrols, if you need. Any of us would."

Duke hesitantly agreed. "Sure, but I don't want to be a bother."

"You don't even register on that scale. Compared to the rest of this family? Homework is easy help, man." Tim said gently. "Wanna grab it? I'll go through it with you if you want."

And so Tim got to help his newest brother. He taught Duke how to break down the equations and understand the formulas, then smiled with his brother when Duke understood.

From then on, Signal was seen less. Not by a whole lot, but just one or two patrols a week were instead done by one of the other bats.

From then on, Duke was seen more. His grades improved a bit, he spent more time with his friends, he seemed happier.

Tim smiled.

Chapter Text

Tim was nervous. He had just gotten back from dealing with another Arkham breakout, where he had to arrest Ivy again. She had used some new sort of pollen strain, and Tim was about to be very worried about that as he was pretty sure it was an improved version of cuddle pollen. Which was stupid, Tim knew. But the others all had a busy night with the rest of the Rouges, and they deserved some sleep.

Tim would deal. He would be okay.

Tim was very much not okay. He was freezing, his shivering uncontrollable even with the heavy duty weighted blanket. His teeth were shattering harshly and he was trembling so much that he couldn't even pick up his phone when it buzzed. It was probably someone asking if he was okay. They would probably stop texting and go to bed when they realized they weren't getting an answer.

Tim burrowed further under the blankets, and tried to slow his breathing. He was panicking, he needed to calm down. Cuddle pollen wasn't deadly, it just... hurt. A lot.

Tim shivered.

Tim wasn't sure how much time had passed since he'd curled up under his blankets, but he didn't really care. He was just so... cold.

There was a knocking at his door. Who was it? Maybe a delivery? Tim didn't get up. He just curled up tighter and squeezed his eyes shut.

The door slammed open. Tim didn't look up. Whoever it was... they wouldn't want Tim hanging off of them for the foreseeable future. And Tim didn't know if he could resist it if he looked.

"Tim? Tim, are you okay?" A voice was saying. Tim curled up tighter.

A hand brushed his cheek. It was warm. Tim hadn't felt warm in so long. He leaned in as the hand tried to leave, chasing the warmth.

The voice spoke again. "Oh shit, Timmy? What happened?"

And suddenly, someone was on the bed beside him. They wrapped their arms around him, and he leaned in. It was just so warm, and Tim was so cold, and-

"Tim?" Tim looked up. It was Jason. Tim was sitting in Jason's arms, shivering.

"Sorry," Tim croaked. "Sorry, I'll... I'll go." But Tim couldn't lean away. He couldn't bring himself to reject the warmth and the comfort he felt.

"Tim, don't say that." Jason said with a frown. Tim tilted his head. Jason... didn't like hugs. Or general affection. From anyone, especially Tim.

"Come on Birdie, let's get you back home to the nest." Jason was saying. Tim wasn't really listening, just burrowing into the warmth that Jason's arms were.

Jason lifted Tim easily, and Tim let himself be carried. He wrapped his arms around Jason's neck, feeling his arms warm where they touched Jason.

Tim was being taken somewhere by Jason, though he couldn't bring himself to care where. As long as Jason- as long as his big brother would be there.

They went outside, then into a car. Tim hung off of Jason the whole time, even when he knew it was inconvenient. It was warm.

At some point, the car stopped. Tim panicked when Jason started to get out of the car, hopping over to the driver's side and out while still holding onto Jason's arm.

Jason picked Tim back up when they got out of the car, and Tim relaxed. He wouldn't freeze, not with Jason here. His Robin wouldn't let him die.

They were inside now, and Tim knew that it was the manor. He blinked slowly, looking around. He was being carried into the lounge that they'd turned into a big nest. There were plenty of blankets and pillows, and it would be warm, especially with Jason there.

Jason sat down in the middle of the nest, putting Tim down on his lap. Tim settled in, burying his head into Jason's chest. When Jason's hands wrapped around him, Tim felt the ice start to melt.

At some point, Tim had fallen asleep. Jason's arms were safe, and the manor was safe, and his family was safe.

When Tim woke up, he was warm. He slowly opened his eyes, lifting his head from where it rested on Jason's shoulder only to bump it on Dick's arm. He looked around, wondering when Dick had gotten there.

And there, in the nest, were all of his siblings. Jason laid in the middle, dosing with Tim curled up on his chest like a cat. Dick was on one side, with an arm slung around Tim's shoulders and the other around Damian. Steph and Duke were a tangled pile of limbs on his other side, looking wildly uncomfortable but sleeping peacefully. Cass was sitting up, petting Tim's hair. She smiled at him softly. Babs had her head in Cass' lap, and was scrolling on her phone with the volume off.

Tim laid in the middle of the cuddle pile, surrounded by the warmth of his siblings' love.