2.
The second incident is more subtle and all the more confusing to Duke because of it. Tim has manned the couch in the den, after being deemed well enough to leave his bed, and now he and Duke are pouring over Tim's case together. They're trying to find a correlation between several robberies in the east end and a new phone store that popped up in the same neighbourhood. It seemed a bit far-fetched to Duke at first, but he knows that Tim has a nose for these kind of things.
So they have two laptops, a tablet, casefiles, police reports, print-outs of crime scene photos and numerous stationary articles spread out over the coffee table. Duke circles another sentence in a police report and shows it to Tim, who sticks his hands from under the blanket he has wrapped himself in and makes grabby motions. Duke hands the paper to him and gets to work on the next one. It's a rhythm they easily settle into. Duke doesn't talk much, just reports his observations to Tim every now and then. Tim doesn't talk at all, curtesy of a sore throat, and only uses different hmms to let Duke know what he thinks.
They look up in sync when the door to the den opens and Damian walks in. He's carrying a tray with two steaming mugs and wearing his favourite scowl on his face.
"Pennyworth told me to bring you refreshments." he says, making sure the last word is dripping with disdain. Duke shuffles their work around to create some free space for the tray and looks up just in time to spot the exchange of glares between Damian and Tim.
Duke asked Dick once why there seemed to be so much animosity between the two youngest Waynes. Dick told him that Damian was troubled when he first came to them. Duke has figured out since that troubled in Bat-speak actually means murderous intent.
But Duke is also aware of the delicate truce between the brothers these days. Damian has ceased to be troubled. Tim doesn't seek out Damian's company like he does his other siblings, but also doesn't actively avoid him. The current exchange of glares is something else though. And Duke wonders if this is another sibling thing that he is missing.
Damian sets the tray down, turns around and leaves. Duke decides he wants nothing to do with whatever is going on between Damian and Tim and takes one of the coffee mugs. He pulls the sugar pot closer and prepares to add a royal amount to hi-
"Don't." Tim warns, and Duke almost startles at the sound of his rough, unused voice. He turns around to look at him, spoon still in his hand and Tim smirks. Duke has come to recognise it as his I'm-smart-and-I-know-it smirk.
"Taste it." Tim instructs, and Duke carefully dips a finger into the sugar then brings it to his mouth. He discovers quickly that he has nearly added a shit ton of salt to his coffee. Damian planned this, he thinks with a shock. When he looks at Tim, the realisation in his eyes, Tim snorts at him.
"Never trust helpful siblings.", Tim states, like it's a mantra he has repeated to himself more than once. Duke nods, still a bit confused, and files it away. Tim picks up another case file and starts reading it like nothing happened. Duke stares at him for a while, then picks up his marker to continue his work as well.
They drink their coffee black.