This is a prompt from tumblr that I am cross-posting. There will be another part to it before it's finished.
Title: And Homeward Bound As We
Verse: none, prompt
Characters/pairings: Timothy Drake
Rating: PG
Excerpt: He can't help but laugh when she preens. Her little beak clicks as a soft note works its way through the air. She's beautiful: the way her wings flutter and her feathers gleam.
Tim found her weeks ago. This little, precious being that needed him - needs him. "Aren't you beautiful?"
He can't help but laugh when she preens. Her little beak clicks as a soft note works its way through the air. She's beautiful: the way her wings flutter and her feathers gleam.
"Beautiful baby."
She preens.
Tim's glad she's there. Because she needs him. She needs him and he's useful. He can fix her broken baby wing; watch her grow and teach her how to fly. How to keep living, keep moving even when you can't.
"I'm fine Beautiful."
Bruce doesn't want him to keep her -
not that Tim would force her to stay. Tim would never force her to stay when she wants to be free. Because. Because she deserves a life. But he can't get rid of her. Because she needs him. She's hurt. Tim can't leave her alone like that: hurt and vulnerable. She'd be helpless and wouldn't have a chance in the world.
- Damian says she's just a bird -
she's more than that. She's a life. One that is bright and beautiful and glowing. She has a personality of her own. She perches on his shoulder and nips at Tim's ears. She chirps at him when he comes back tense. She stays quiet when he finally cries himself to sleep. She sings with him in the early hours of the morning.
- while Jason says it makes him weak -
but if he was weak he'd abandon her. Because abandoning people is easy, staying with them through everything is hard. He would give up and not protect her, take the easy way out. He'd leave her and let someone else come along and abuse her. Neglect. Abuse. Take all of his anger out on her. He'd be weak.
- and Dick doesn't believe he's responsible enough. Because Tim can't take care of himself, so how can he take care of anyone else? Tim who is broken and barely hanging onto morals and trying so hard to ignore the fact that none of them want him. They're just doing it out of some misplaced sense of duty, out of pity. Tim has no family and even when he did they didn't love him.
Dick is the one that hurts the most. Because Tim knows - has always known - how Bruce and Jason and Damian view him. But Dick had loved him once. Had trusted him. Had been Tim's entire world.
But Dick doesn't need Tim. Probably never has.
Tim was probably just a game until Dick got bored.
Beautiful needs him though.
So Tim runs the pads of his fingers gently over the crown of her head. He coos at her gently and lets her nibble on his ear. Locks the doors behind him and doesn't let her out of his sight. Because he cannot trust his 'family'. When she's well enough, old enough, they'll leave. But until then she needs him and he'll stay.