Dick woke up at the sound of the door to his room squeaking open early in the morning. He watched Bruce slowly make his way into the room and ruffle Tim and Dick's hair before whispering, "How'd it go yesterday?"
"I love him already," Dick mumbled thinking how broken up he'd be if Tim ever had to leave them. Hugging Tim even closer to himself, he asked, "He's gonna stay with us forever, right?"
"I hope so, Dick," Bruce said careful of making a promise he might not be able to keep. "I'll do everything I can to make sure he gets to stay with us."
"Are you working today?"
"Not as of now. Why? Is there something important?"
"Timmy just had some questions about how it would be from now on, like if he can go to GA with me."
Bruce nodded and said, "We should discuss this after breakfast, but right now just get some sleep. I'll wake you up in an hour, okay?"
"Okay, B," Dick nodded already feeling tired again. He yawned, "Sounds good."
Dick woke up to Tim shaking with quiet sobs. Confused and groggy from the sleep, Dick didn't know what to do and he pretended to be asleep until Tim's crying stopped. Once he was sure Tim was finished, Dick pretended to wake up, yawned loudly to warn Tim, and whispered, "Bruce is gonna call us down for breakfast soon, so how about we play a quick game first?"
"What game?" Tim mumbled ready to go along with whatever Dick suggested.
Dick thought about an easy game that wouldn't mean moving, the kind people would play on a road trip, and asked, "Do you know how to play 20 questions?"
"No," Tim answered truthfully.
"So you're going to think about something, literally anything in the world, and I get to ask 20 yes or no questions. You have to tell me the truth. If I can figure out what you're thinking about then I win, if I can't you win. Does that make sense?"
"Yes."
"Okay, think about something and tell me when you've decided. Don't say what it is though."
Tim thought for a moment, tried to come up with something that would impress Dick, and finally said, "Okay, I have something."
Starting with the basics, Dick asked, "Is it a person?"
"Nope."
"Okay, that's one question down. Is it a place?"
"Yes," Tim said softly, disappointed that Dick was already catching on.
"Is it a real place, something that actually exists?" Dick asked thinking about everything he knew about Tim so far.
"N-no," Tim said disappointed again.
"Is it from a book?"
"Yes."
"Do you really like this book?"
"Yeah," Tim nodded, "I really like it."
"Is it your favorite book that you've ever read?"
"Yeah, it's my favorite."
Dick didn't want to end the game so quickly, but now that he had the idea in his head he couldn't think of any other place from a book. "Is it Hogwarts?"
Tim pouted and sighed, "Yes."
"It took me almost 15 questions to figure it out," Dick said knowingly exaggerating to ease Tim's hurt feelings. Hoping to lift his spirits, Dick added, "Timmy, I can't believe you know those books already. You're really smart to be reading them."
"Do you think really so?" Tim asked hopeful.
"Yeah, you can read such a hard book even though you're still a little kid."
Not knowing what to do with the compliment, Tim said, "Not too hard."
"Now it's gonna be my turn to think about something and you'll guess, okay?"
"Okay," Tim said determined.
Thinking deeply, Dick said, "Umm, okay. I have something. You can ask me anything you want."
Following Dick's example, Tim asked, "Is it a person?"
"Yes."
"Umm, is it a real person?"
"No, Timmy, it's not a real person."
"Is it a girl?"
"Nope, it's a boy."
"Oh." Thinking carefully, he asked, "Is he from a video game?"
"Yup! He's from a game."
"Umm, is it Yoshi?" Tim asked suddenly excited that he'd gotten it right. He was sure it had only taken him a few questions compared to Dick.
Although he had actually been thinking about Mario, Dick exclaimed, "Yes, Timmy, it was Yoshi! I can't believe you got it so fast. You're so smart."
"I like him too," Tim explained. "He's also my favorite."
"What do you like about him?"
"Cute dinosaur," Tim explained simply.
Sitting up and patting Tim's back, Dick said, "How about we get up and eat breakfast so you can play as Yoshi some more?"
"Yes please," Tim sat up excited for another chance to beat Dick.
Dick jumped off the bed before reaching out for Tim to come into his arms again. He carried the six year old into the bathroom and sat him on the toilet seat. "Do you wanna stay in your pjs all day?" He offered, "We're gonna be inside all day so we can cuddle up in front of the games."
Willing to go along with anything Dick wanted, Tim said, "Okay, we can do that."
"Good." Dick helped Tim clean up and wash his face before lifting him up again and crying him downstairs. Dick would have thought it would be hard for a twelve year old to carry someone half his age, but Tim was small enough to make it easy. Even if it was harder, Dick liked holding Tim close to him and having Tim hug him back and lay his head on Dick's shoulder. Dick liked being able to treat Tim like a baby, he didn't think Tim got babied enough when he was younger and Dick was ready to make up for lost time.
Walking into the dining room, Dick balanced Tim on one arm while he pulled out a chair to set him down on. He sat down beside Tim and watched Bruce walk in from the kitchen.
"How was your sleep, boys?" he asked pulling out his own seat at the head of the table. "You two stayed up pretty late."
Dick turned to Tim wanting to know what he'd say and motioned for him to answer Bruce's question. "It was nice, like sleeping with Dick."
"Aww," Dick smilied pretending to blush at Tim's answer. "I like sleeping with you too, Timbo."
"Like it when you carry me too, Dick," Tim confessed looking down at his hands. "Not scared about getting lost."
Concerned, Bruce asked, "Do you still feel scared about walking around here alone?"
Tim nodded and explained, "The house is really big and old, Mr. Bruce. Sometimes it's scary at night."
Dick frowned and realized, "Tomorrow is gonna be Monday, Timmy, so I'm gonna have to go to school and Bruce has work."
"C-can I go with you, Dick?"
Looking up at Bruce unsure, Dick said, "Umm, I don't think so. I think it takes a little longer than a few days."
"Would you like to go to the same school as Dick, Tim? Gotham Academy?" Bruce asked softly.
"Yes please," Tim said anxious to get more time with Dick.
"Tim mentioned that he hasn't gone to school before, that he was homeschooled, so he's a little nervous about going to a brand new school without me. He's in the first grade right now, right, Timmy?"
"Yes," Tim said happily. "I'm know my numbers and how to add and how to do math."
Wanting to brag about his brother, Dick added, "He can read really hard books too, like Harry Potter."
Bruce was surprised to learn that Tim was able to read so far ahead of his grade level, and it must have shown because Tim tried to explain, "Only the first two."
"Timothy, that's pretty amazing that you can read those books. You might even be able to jump ahead a few years"
"Umm, okay," Tim mumbled unsure of how to feel. If Bruce thought he should do something, he was willing to go along with it. "Just wanna go to school with Dick."
Bruce offered, "We can schedule a tour of the school sometime this week for you to get a general idea of it. I know the other day you only got to see the front so it might be nice to see the inside."
"Can he really come to GA that quickly?" Dick asked excited.
"I don't see why not. It'll be an adjustment from homeschooling, Timothy, but I think it'll be good for you to socialize with other kids your age."
"Could he come with us tomorrow or like super soon?"
Remembering the process from when he'd had to register Dick into the school, Bruce said, "Tomorrow might be too fast, we'll have to go through registration and testing in to see where he is, getting uniforms and things like that, but if you want we can go to the school tomorrow and get started."
"That's great!" Dick said excited enough for both Tim and himself. "Tim once we get back to my room I'll go through what it's like at GA. I started when I was a few years older than you so it might be a little different, but I'll tell you everything I know."
Tim sat back and smiled, trying to hide his growing nervousness. When Dick had mentioned going to school with him, Tim had imagined it would take longer, that he'd have more time, but it looked like he'd be registered by the end of the week. He knew Bruce could pull enough strings to get him into the school as soon as possible.
"Do you have any more questions, Tim?" Bruce asked softly.
"No, I don't think so."
"Okay. Would you like to go to GA tomorrow?" Bruce offered.
"Tomorrow I have study hall first period, Timmy, so I could show you around a little," Dick cut in excited. "Bruce can go to the front office and deal with all the boring stuff and leave everything else to us."
"Okay, we can do that," Tim said hoping some of Dick's excitement eventually made its way to him.
"You'll have to get up pretty early, around 8 in the morning," Bruce explained. "Dick's class starts at 8:30 and he has to get his things ready and put on a uniform so Alfred will wake him up first."
"Yeah it's annoying having to wake up early every day, but you get used to it," Dick groaned. "Bruce won't let me have coffee either, even though almost everyone else does."
"You're too young for coffee, Dick." When he saw Dick roll his eyes in annoyance, Bruce added, "Coffee at your age can stunt your growth, limit how tall you'll be in the future. If you plan on getting any taller, I recommend waiting for a while."
"I didn't know that," Dick said taken a back. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I told you it'd be bad for your health."
"I didn't know it would be that bad. I thought it was just you being annoying."
Bruce stopped feeding Tim for a moment to glare at Dick before deciding to ignore his comment.
"Are you ready to change your bandages?" Bruce asked softly.
"Yeah."
Watching Alfred carefully remove Tim's oversized shirt, Dick cut in, "Last night it was hard for him to move his arm to change into one of my shirts so I had to help. Is that bad?"
"It doesn't hurt usually does it, Tim?" Alfred asked calmly.
"No, sir," Tim assured him. "It only hurt when i was changing."
"It was because of how you bent your arm to fit into the shirt," Alfred explained. "Don't worry, it won't last for long. Eventually you won't feel any pain."
Once Tim and Alfred were finished, Dick motioned for Tim to stand up so he could be carried back upstairs and was ready to leave the kitchen before Bruce said, "I'll check up on you two later tonight. I'll make some calls to the school and get started on your registration, okay, Tim?"
Looking at him over Dick's shoulder, Tim said, "Okay."
Tim woke up to the sound of Dick moving around on the bed. He saw him walk slowly and quietly walk into the bathroom. Every few minutes Dick would peek out the side of the door to check up on Tim and make sure he was okay in the little time he was alone. When he finally came back into the room he was changed into his school uniform and quickly packing loose papers and notebooks into his backpack.
Once he was done, Dick walked back over to Tim and softly shook him until he was sure Tim was awake. He didn't want to leave Tim in his room and have him awake up all alone. "Hey, bud. It's still a little early, but I'm going to head down for breakfast if you want to come with me."
Pretending to rub the sleep out of his eyes, Tim sat up and said, "Yes please."
Dick carried Tim to the bathroom to wash up before bringing him downstairs to breakfast. Seeing that Bruce hadn't joined them yet, Dick sat Tim on his lap and explained, "Don't worry, Timbo, I'll feed you today."
He tried to balance Tim until Dick was sure he wouldn't fall off and started by cutting the breakfast into small enough pieces for Tim. Dick hadn't been watching Bruce feed Tim carefully, but he'd seen parents feed their babies and decided to mirror what he'd seen. He cooed everytime Tim accepted the meal and praised, "Good job, Timmy. You're doing a great job."
Tim was just as confused as he'd been about everything and let Dick do everything he wanted. It always felt weird to be treated like a baby, but Tim knew it wasn't bad and it could be hell of a lot worse.
Walking in a few minutes later and analyzing the situation, Bruce said, "Good morning, boys. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah we went to sleep early because Timmy isn't used to waking up this early," Dick explained bringing the fork to Tim's mouth. "Good job, bud. You're doing great."
Tim swallowed dutifully and said, "Thank you."
"Timmy, you'll have to change and Alfred told me you were having some trouble with some of Dick's old shirts so you can weak a bigger one and tuck it into your pants," Bruce explained. "If you want we can use one of Dick's old school shirts."
"You'll have to get used to wearing the uniform anyway," Dick said. "This way you can see how it looks on you."
Tim shifted on Dick's lap in anticipation and nodded, starting to feel more nervous about how the day would go but too nervous to say anything. He watched Dick quickly go through his own portion of the breakfast before standing up ready to carry Tim back upstairs.
Bruce watched them carefully, happy to see them getting along so well but unsure about Dick's behavior. Dick hadn't spent a lot of time around children so it wasn't surprising that he didn't know how to differentiate from a toddler and a six year old, but Bruce wasn't sure if it were anything to be concerned about.
"We'll be down soon, Bruce," Dick said casually as he tried to get a better grip on Tim. Bruce hummed his acknowledgement and watched Tim give him a small wave goodbye before resting his head on Dick's shoulder.
After setting Tim on the bed, Dick rummaged through his old clothes until he found an old school shirt. Once Tim was dressed, Dick helped him tuck in his pants and noted, "Usually we have to wear a belt, but I don't think they make belts for little kids so I think we're good."
Dick rummaged through his closet for a small backpack bag he used on field trips and adjusted the straps until it fit on Tim. He put in some spare pieces of paper and pens before grabbing an extra jacket and saying, "Okay, I think we're ready! We can grab a water bottle some extra snacks from the kitchen before heading out."
Tim nodded slowly, starting to feel more anxious. He'd thought they were just going to see the school, not that he'd have to do any work, but all the school supplies told him different. He couldn't stop thinking about every way he might embarass himself and Dick and Bruce and what that could mean. Trying his hardest to keep his tears at bay as Dick brought him back to the kitchen and picked fit as many snacks as he could in the bag before telling Bruce, "We're ready to go."
"You're actually early today," Bruce said grabbing the keys to the car.
"I don't want Tim to be late on his first day," Dick explained tieing Tim's shoe laces. "I know he's probably a little nervous so I thought it would help to get there a little early."
Patting Dick's head as he carried Tim to the car, Bruce said, "You're a good brother, Dick. I'm really proud of you."
Dick smiled, proud of himself, before turning Tim over to Bruce so he could fit him into the car seat. Buckling up next to him, Dick held Tim's hand and promised, "Don't worry, Timmy. I know it can be a little scary and it's a little soon, but I think you'll really like it. I wouldn't want you to come here if I thought you wouldn't."
Watching Tim's knee shake from nervousness from the rear view window, Bruce added, "If it's too much for you, I can bring you home at any time, okay? You just have to tell me and we'll come home, it doesn't matter why."
"Yes sir," Tim said carefully trying to keep from looking anyone in the eye. He knew they could read him easily and he knew it was bothering them to see him this jittery so he tried his hardest to hide any signs.
Once they were at the school, Bruce parked the car and helped Tim onto the sidewalk. When Dick tried to lift Tim up, Bruce stopped him and explained, "We can hold his hand, but I think it's best not to carry him in. He should walk in by himself, Dick. It might be awkward for Tim to be the only one being carried around."
Dick frowned at the explanation but he knew Bruce was right. People might think it was weird if Dick carried Tim into the school and he didn't want Tim to start off at a disadvantage. Instead he helped Tim put on his backpack and held his hand in a strong grip before following Bruce into the office. As they walked silently, Dick could feel Tim's rising heart beat and wanted nothing more than to assure his brother everything would be fine, but he didn't know the best way to. Instead, he let Bruce deal with the person at the front desk while he helped Tim onto one of the seats in the waiting room and decided to distract him with something on his phone.
He quickly pulled out some earphones and looked up videos for kids before putting his arm around Tim and turning his attention to the bright video. It seemed to work, Tim was comfortable in Dick's arm and the video was funny enough to have him forget some of his fears, but eventually Bruce kneeled in front of them and explained they'd be seeing the dean soon. "He's very nice, Timmy, and he just wants to talk to you a little bit. He wants to get to know you a little bit, but that's all, okay?"
Tim nodded and quickly had Dick turn his attention to a new video. Dick held Tim's hand and tried to discreetly hug him, but they didn't have a lot of time before the dean walked out and motioned for them to follow him to his office. Before Dick could say anything, Bruce lifted Tim into the air and whispered something into his ear as he lead the way. Dick followed them quickly and sat on the extra chair. There were only two chairs for visitors so Bruce sat Tim on his knee and rubbed his arms in comfort.
"Hello, Timothy. My name is Aaron Hotchner and I'm the dean for Gotham Academy," He said softly. "You can call me Dean Hotchner or Mr. Hotchner if you want."
"My name is Timothy Drake," Tim said quietly. "People call me Tim or Timmy. Sometimes Dick calls me Timbo."
"Do you like it when people call you by those nicknames?" he asked hoping to make conversation.
"Yes sir," Tim said nodding. "I like them."
"Okay, Timmy, Bruce tells me you're interested in coming here for school."
Looking over to Dick, he said, "Yes sir, Mr. Hotchner. Dick likes it."
"Dick's a very good student," Aaron noted. "All of his teachers talk about how great he is."
After having spent the past few days with him, Tim could see why they all loved Dick.
"How do you, Dick, and Bruce know each other?" Aaron asked casually. "Is Dick a cousin of yours?"
Lost by the question, Tim looked down at his hands and let Dick or Bruce redirect the conversation. Dick had said that Tim was his brother now, but Tim wasn't sure if he was supposed to tell others or how serious Dick meant it. After all, they'd only known each other for three days.
Changing the topic, Dick sat up and said, "Tim's only six years old and he's never gone to school before, but really smart. He can read books for people a lot older than him. "
"That's really good, Timmy," Aaron praised hoping to make Tim feel better. "You must be really smart."
Unsure about what to do with the compliment, Tim looked down at the floor and waited for the conversation to move on again. He knew this was an interview to see how well he'd do in the school, that he was supposed to be good if he wanted the dean to like him, but he couldn't build the courage to answer.
Aaron looked up at Bruce curious, and he frowned and looked over to Dick. "How about you sit outside with Tim while I talk to Mr. Hotchner?" Turning Tim around on his lap, Bruce explained, "It's going to be mostly the boring stuff so I don't think you need to be here for it, Tim. Once we're done I'll let you know."
Dick stood in front of Bruce's chair and held his arms out for Tim to fall into. If Bruce was going to carry Tim he should be able to too. He turned around a gave a quick smile and said, "I'll see you later, Mr. Hotch. It was nice seeing you again."
"It was nice to see you too, Dick. And it was nice to meet you, Timothy. I hope you like it here."
Nodding over Dick's shoulder, Tim said, "Thank you."
Sitting Tim down on his lap, Dick whispered, "I'm sorry, Timmy. You probably didn't like being in there, did you?"
"Nervous, I guess," Tim mumbled waiting for Dick to pull up another video.
"I'd - I was nervous too," Dick lied hoping Tim wouldn't catch it. "When we first went, just me and Bruce, I was really nervous. I even thought I might throw up over everything." Looking around the school, Dick added, "The school is so different from the circus, it's so fancy, sort of like at home, and it made me incredibly nervous. I was so scared to come here, but it gets better, Timmy. The people here are really nice and they'll help you if you ask them. And the best part, I'll be here with you too. I'll never be too far away, okay?"
"O-okay," Tim said trying to keep his voice from being too shaky. "I'll try."
"You know, you're really brave, right?" Dick said softly. "You're going through so much right now and you're still sitting here and trying your hardest. That's really brave, Timmy. It took me a lot longer to get ready."
"B-but," Tim said quickly before catching himself and petering off.
"But what, Timmy?"
Shaking his head rapidly, Tim said, "Don't want to say. It was bad."
"It's okay, Timbo," Dick promised. "I won't make you say it if you don't want me to."
Tim leaned back into Dick's chest and kept his attention on the video, zoning out everything else. Dick let him have some peace and enjoy the distraction until Bruce came back from the office. Dean Hotchner was right behind Bruce and looked sad once his eyes fell on Tim. Dick could feel Tim tense up and knew he didn't like seeing others know what had happened. Tim felt embarrassed at others knowing that his parents had rejected him.
Squatting in front of Tim, Aaron smiled at Tim and said, "I know this has been hard for you, Timmy, but we'll be here for anything you need."
"Thank you, sir," Tim said softly. Dick knew Tim was trying to be nice, he didn't like people squatting down to talk to him, it made him feel small.
"Now, Bruce tells me you're in the first grade, so we can stop by there to see what your class is going to be like. After that we can give you a tour of the campus to get you acquainted with it. How does that sound?"
"Good," Tim said sitting up. He waited for Dick to set him down on the ground and start the tour, but instead Dick lifted into him up and waited to follow Bruce out of the room. Bruce looked conflicted, but Tim seemed to feel safe being carried and he didn't want to risk changing that.
As they walked into the hallway, Aaron narrated, "This was the front office of the elementary school. If you're ever lost or need anything, you can come down here. This building is for everyone from first grade to fifth grade so you'll be here for the next few years. The first floor is just for first, second, and third graders and the fourth and fifth graders have classes on the second floor." Leading them the cafeteria, he explained, "This is where you'll have lunch everyday. Everyone has lunch at the same time so you can eat with your friends. If you're here in time, we also have breakfast. That's what the kids are eating right now."
Tim looked around and took in the nice smelling food. Alfred's breakfast was probably better, but he regretted not eating more because the smell was making him feel hungry. Noting this, Dick opened Tim's backpack while still balancing him and handed him a bag of chips.
Tim kept the bag safe between himself and Dick and as he paid attention to everything else. The cafeteria looked nicer than the ones on tv, but he figured it was because the school was for rich people. There weren't a lot of students eating, but some were hanging around and talking, eventually noticing them and whispering among themselves. Before Tim could notice this, they moved to the art room as Aaron explained, "Apart from math, science, and subjects like that, you also have to take art, music, and physical education. Here's where you can draw, color, and paint anything you want."
After waving quickly to the art teacher at his desk, the group moved to the music room filled with instruments. This time there was no one else here and Aaron offered, "How about you try out the piano? It'll be fun."
Dick kneeled down and let Tim experiment with some of the keys before they moved to the gym. After Aaron explained that Tim would have to go to pe and play games with his classmates, they quickly went through the auditorium before Tim was lead to what would become his classroom. Aaron explained, "The first grade is split into three sections based on how you do on the entrance test. Now, Bruce tells me you're pretty smart, Timmy, so I'm confident this will be your class."
Walking to the front of the class, Aaron introduced Tim to the teacher. "Mr. Reid, this is Timothy and he's going to be starting in your class soon."
"It's nice to meet you, Timothy," the teacher smiled as he held out his hand. "I'm Mr. Reid and I'm going to be your teacher."
"Hello," Tim whispered softly as he looked around the classroom at the few students already here. They were looking at him curiously, but Tim didn't know what it meant and he wasn't comfortable with them looking at him.
Dick added, "I'm his big brother."
"Oh, I didn't know you had a brother, Dick," Mr. Reid said, "but I'm happy to meet him."
Aaron cleared his throat and suggested, "Dick, how about you let Timothy down and look around the classroom while the three of us talk."
"Sure, no problem." Dick could tell from his tone of voice that it wasn't really a question, but more of an order. He kneeled down so Tim could let go and stand on his own. Aaron watched them before motioning for the adults to step out into the hallway to talk in private.
Dick grabbed Tim's hand and lead him towards the bookshelf. He looked through the books, but couldn't find anything he thought Tim would find interesting enough. Instead, he grabbed a random book and sat them both down on the rug so he could read to his little brother.
The atmosphere of the room was tense, the other students were staring at them and Tim felt nervous enough to huddle into Dick's side until they could leave.
When the others came back into the room, Aaron kneeled down beside them. "What are you reading?"
"Comic book," Dick said. "It's about how the world falls apart and everyone has to live in the ground."
"Oh, that sounds pretty interesting." Aaron looked back at Reid at his desk and said, "Dick, you classes will start soon so how about you get going. Tim can try to get settled here."
Lips thinning, Dick wanted to argue and stay with his brother, but he nodded and grabbed his bag. Before leaving Dick asked, "Can Tim come with me to the middle school building? I want him to know where he can find me."
Aaron considered the offer and decided, "It's probably best to let Tim get settled with his class, Dick. Maybe next time."
"Oh, okay," Dick said frowning as he got up and put his backpack on. Before he walked out he embraced Tim in a tight hug and whispered, "Have a nice day, Timmy. I'm sure you'll love it."
"Okay, Dick. Have a nice day too."
"I'll see you soon, bud," Dick said softly before waving goodbye from outside the doorway.
Tim looked up to Bruce, Dean Hotchner, and Mr. Reid wondering what he was supposed to do.
Bruce brushed Tim's hair softly and asked, "Would you like to spend the rest of the day here, Timothy? I have work to do in the office so you could come with me if you want. It's all up to you."
"I-I can stay," Tim said wanting to make Bruce proud. "I'll stay."
"Okay," Bruce said smiling softly. He was starting to feel ridiculous with just how much taller he was compared to the other children, but he stood to the side with Aaron as Spencer lead Tim to an empty chair and helped him take his backpack off.
Tim sat down in his chair and folded his hands on his lap. He looked up at the other students staring at him and quietly whispering among themselves before keeping his gaze on his lap.
Bruce and Aaron sighed at the scene while Spencer found some paper and crayons for Tim to distract himself with.
"Would you like to draw something, Tim?" Spencer asked softly as he set the crayons in front of Tim. "It can be anything you like."
"Umm, okay," Tim mumbled as he thought hard. "Can I draw Dick's room?"
"If that's what you want to draw, go ahead," Spencer said happily. He sat beside Tim and helped him get started on the picture and pick the right colors.
Tim worked quietly on his picture intent on getting it perfect enough so he could show Dick once they saw each other again. He felt the teacher leave his side to help another student but only looked up to make sure Bruce hadn't left.
As he focused on the color of Dick's walls he felt someone walk up next to him. He looked up just long enough to see that it was another student before turning back to his picture. Tim felt tense working under the other student's watchful eye and tried to understand what she could possibly want.
She didn't say anything for a few moments but she suddenly reached out and grabbed Tim's injured arm. She loudly asked,"What happened to your arm? Does it hurt? Can I see what it looks like?"
Suddenly everyone's eyes were on him again and he didn't know what to do. He pulled his arm back and tried to ignore her, but just as he tried to calm himself down another student asked, "Can you talk? My mom says that some people can't talk or hear anything. Can you hear me?" He repeated, "Can you hear me?" louder just in case it helped.
Tim kept his gaze down and tried to blink away any tears. He ran his hand through his hair and pulled at his hair to calm himself down and ground himself. Tim could feel everyone staring at him and the tears watering his eyes and pulled harder hoping to make it stop.
Deciding this was enough, Bruce rushed over to Tim's side and lifted him up. He followed Aaron out into the hallway and softly whispered, "It's okay, Tim. Everything's okay. You're going to be alright. We're going to go home now and you can rest, okay?"
Tim nodded into Bruce's neck and let himself be bounced up and down as Aaron walked back into the classroom to grab Tim's things. Once he had everything, Tim hoped that they would be leaving the campus but instead walked back to Aaron's office.
Bruce looked conflicted as they walked into the office. The conversation he would be having with Aaron would be brutally honest and blunt and he didn't want Tim to sit in and misunderstand something. At the same time, he didn't want to leave Tim on the seats in the front office by himself either.
In the end he decided it would be better to leave Tim in the front office where he'd have the assistants to look after him. He sat Tim in the seat he'd shared with Dick a few hours ago and promised, "This will be very fast, Tim. I don't like having to leave you here and I know you want to be back home as fast as possible, but I need to talk with Aaron very quickly." He explained, "If I don't it would mean having to come back here again tomorrow and I don't like the idea of leaving you alone at home either."
Tim nodded his understanding and slowly folded his hands on his lap and stared at the ground. Bruce was heartbroken at the sight, and quickly fished out his phone from his pocket and offered, "How about you play some games for a few minutes and I'll be back soon, okay?"
Taking the phone into his hands, Tim nodded and watched Bruce walked over to the assistants and tell them not to bother Tim. He quickly disappeared through the door to Dean Hotchner's office and Tim looked down at the phone in his hands. He sat quietly and contemplated his day, feeling an immense weight he couldn't explain, and didn't move until he felt the phone vibrate. Looking at the screen, Tim found a message from Dick asking, "How's it going?"
Tim cautiously looked up and saw that everyone in the office was busy working. As soon as the coast was clear, Tim stood up from his seat and carefully walked out of the office.
Nervous and tightening his grip on Bruce's phone, Tim slowly walked through the halls remembering the directions Dick had given him when they first came to the school. Tim knew what the building looked like from the outside, but he had no idea how to get there from here. He walked aimlessly around the building, avoiding any adults he walked past, until he saw trees through the window of one of the doors. He walked outside and looked for the building Dick had said was the middle school. Once he found the building he tried to reach for the door but couldn't get it open. Tim had to step back and wait for someone else to come out of the building before slipping in.
Finally inside, Tim looked around and realized he didn't know which room Dick was in. He walked through the hallway trying to peek into the classrooms, but most of the doors were closed and when they weren't he was too nervous about being spotted to look in too far.
He ended up standing at the edge of the hallway unsure for a while until loud bell rang through the building. Shocked and scared of all the students suddenly coming out of their classes, Tim knelt against the wall and tried to hide from everyone moving on to their next class. A few students noticed him and asked if he was okay, but he simply ignored them until the hallway was finally quiet again.
Tim took the time to wipe away his tears and calm down his breathing before he heard footsteps behind him again. He was ready to ignore the person until he heard a soft, "Oh, Timmy."
Turning around quickly, Tim saw Dick and immediately ran towards him for safety.
"What happened, Timmy? Are you okay?" Dick asked trying to calm Tim down.
"Didn't know which room you were in, Dick," Tim explained into Dick's shoulder. He felt Dick lift him up and wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Where's Bruce?" Dick asked walking outside to find a bench where he and Tim could talk in private.
"He's with Dean Hotchner in his office," Tim explained. "They're talking about me. I-I messed up."
Dick found a place for them to sit where Tim could sit on his lap and they could face each other. He kept his arms behind Tim to make sure he didn't accidentally fall and assured him, "I'm sure you didn't mess up, Timmy. I'm sure they just want to find a way to help you, bud. You wanna tell me what happened after I left?"
"I made you a picture," Tim said with a shaky voice. "Made a picture of your room."
"I'm really excited to see it," Dick smiled. "Do you have it with you?"
Tim frowned and explained, "No. Dean Hotchner took it."
"Oh, was that what you meant when you said you messed up?"
"No."
"So what was it, Timmy?"
"I-I started crying."
Dick stiffened and asked, "Was someone mean to you?"
Feeling the tears come back, Tim nodded, "Uh-huh. They were yelling at me."
"I'm so sorry, Timmy," Dick said softly. "I'll talk to them about it."
"Bruce took me out of the class and brought me to the office and left to talk to Mr. Hotchner," Tim added. Holding up Bruce's phone, Tim said, "Saw your message and wanted to see you."
All Dick could do was hold Tim close and whisper, "Oh, Timmy. I'm so sorry."
After a while Dick asked, "Are you ready to go back to Bruce? He'll probably take you home and then you can wait for me."
"Can you come too, Dick?" Tim asked hopeful.
Looking back at his building, Dick sighed and said, "I-I'm sorry bud, but I have a lot of work to do. I want to, but I just can't."
"Oh, okay."
Dick squeezed Tim as tight as he could before standing up and saying, "Let's get you back to Bruce, okay? You can go home and hopefully get some rest and I'll be back as soon as I can."
Tim nodded and prepared himself to see Bruce again. He didn't know if he was in trouble for leaving without telling anyone, but he focused on letting himself feel safe with Dick.
Once they were back at the office, Dick gave Tim an encouraging pat before walking in. They found Bruce anxiously running his hand through his hair until Dick walked up to him with Tim.
"Oh my god, Tim, why did you leave?" Bruce asked leaning down to take Tim into his arms.
"Wanted to see Dick," Tim explained quietly. "Wanted to see him."
"You can't just leave without tell anyone, Timmy," Bruce stressed. "I was scared that you were lost and scared somewhere around the school."
"I'm sorry," Tim mumbled before asking, "Can we go home now? Tired."
Rubbing his back, Bruce agreed, "Yeah, let's go home. We'll let you get some rest, okay?"
"Okay."
Bruce ruffled Dick's hair and smiled as he tried to reset it in its original place before saying, "I'll see you later, Dick. Have a nice day at school, okay? I'll be back to pick you up at the end of the day."
Looking over Bruce's shoulder, Tim waved and said, "Bye-bye, Dick. Bye-bye, Mr. Hotchner."
"Goodbye, Timmy." Aaron said before taking one of Tim's hand and giving it a formal shake. "It was nice meeting you."
Tim nodded and said solemnly, "It was nice meeting you too."
Bruce grabbed Tim's things and said, "Let's go bud."
Tim sighed as Bruce carried him out and shielded his eyes from the sun once they were finally outside. Bruce sat him in the car seat and made sure he was properly buckled in before giving him a kiss to the forehead.
Bruce carried Tim all the way to the manor and sat him down on the bed in Tim's room. He sat down beside him and said, "I know you've have a hard day, Timmy, so how about a little rest. You can take a quick nap and I'll check in with you later. I'll help you change into some pajamas, okay?"
Tim silently let Bruce maneuver him into his sleepwear and tuck him into bed before reaching out for the sleeve of Bruce's shirt. "Please stay."
"You want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?" Bruce asked.
"Can you sleep with me?" Tim asked softly, prepared for a rejection.
Patting Tim's hair, Bruce promised, "I'll change into something more comfortable and be back in a second, okay?"
Bruce came back a few minutes later in sweatpants and a t shirt and found the bed empty. He looked around the room and bathroom and was ready to panic once again until he saw Tim in the doorway clutching Dick's old bear. Bruce knew Dick like to overuse the world "cute" to describe Tim and Bruce had to agree that the six year old looked cute as he stood in the doorway of the room tired and hugging a stuffed bear.
Bruce walked over and lifted Tim into his arms and brought them both to the bed. Tim didn't have much energy left, emotional or physical, and he quickly fell asleep after cuddling in beside Bruce.
Nowhere near as tired, Bruce ran his hand through Tim's hair and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. Bruce knew that everything today was his fault, he'd been distracted by the progress Tim had made over the weekend and pushed him into an environment he wouldn't feel comfortable in. He just hoped he hadn't done too much damage on the boy.
