This one is short, a sort of break between two climatic Chapters. I needed to separate this from Tim's rescue and the plan to keep him from his parents.
Chapter seventeen
Jason had taken the last watch of the night and was sitting with his feet propped up on Tim's bed, frowning at the tablet in his hand when Tim stirred and woke. He blinked and groaned, covering his eyes with his hand. Jason hurried to grab the painkillers and water off the night stand.
"Take these. It will help with the pain." He said. Tim obeyed. He lay back in his pillows and was quiet for a quarter of an hour, though he did not go back to sleep. Jason just sat and let him think. Tim had been hiding for so long that it had to be an unpleasant shock to have his secrets uncovered.
The painkiller kicked in and Tim turned to look at Jason. "Is Bruce mad?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah. Dick and he were talking about going to Jack's office today and ripping him a good one." Jason said. Tim shrank deeper into the pillows and Jason realized he had misinterpreted the question. "He's not mad at you. He's mad at himself, and probably Dick, for not seeing what your parents were doing."
"It wasn't anything major. I just freaked out last night when Dad said he wanted to send me to an out of town school. I didn't want to leave you guys." The boy closed his eyes. "It was supposed to be a birthday present."
"Crap." Jason said. "Dick and I will give you the best birthday ever when you are better."
"Yeah. I'm already going to be in so much trouble with Mom and Dad. I don't think they'll let me." Tim sighed and covered his eyes.
"You think we're letting you go back to them!?" Jason cried. He leaned into Tim's face. "Bruce left his gala thingy early, Dick and I freaked out when we got your voicemail and were at your house in five minutes! Stephanie and Cass didn't patrol last night, but hung out in the hallway all night. Do you seriously think your family is going to let you go back to the couple who hurt you?"
"I am not going to go to the police." Tim snapped. "Look, sometimes they hurt me, but it's nothing major just a bruise every now and then."
"You were throwing up from a concussion, with blood running down your neck. Alfred had to give you stitches."
Tim looked confused. "But what am I supposed to do? I really don't want to give up Robin."
"You are going to stay with us." Jason answered. "We're working on a plan right now, if it meets your approval of course."
Bruce poked his head in at that moment. Jason got up. "You talk to him, Bruce." He said and ran out to leave Bruce to have a difficult conversation with Tim.
LINE BREAK BRINGING MY BROTHER HOME LINE BREAK
"Tim." Bruce sat down on the boy's bed. "I am not mad at you. I just need to understand why."
Tim was looking at his hands, twisting them over and over again. If there was ever a time that Bruce had to be gentle with the boy, it was now. When Tim had first come to him Bruce had been hard and angry; it was this precious child who had reminded him of why he was Batman. A child Bruce had attempted to scare away, had been cold and harsh too, and now had failed to protect. Yes, Tim was good at deceiving the world and wearing a mask, but Jason, the worst detective among them, had put the clues together.
Tim had become Bruce's son just as Dick and Jason had, even if his parents were still alive.
"I want to be Robin. You do need a Robin." Tim said earnestly. "My parents aren't around enough to really hurt me. I could handle the bruises. They never impeded me. I swear if they had I would have not gone out. I didn't put you or anyone in danger because of it."
"Tim." Bruce took the boy's hands into his own big hands. "I am not mad. I am upset because you were hurt, not because you did anything wrong. Your parents are the ones in the wrong. Why couldn't you trust me with what they were doing?"
Tim stared at Bruce, confusion in his eyes. Honest confusion. He really didn't know he could trust Bruce with this information.
"I thought I would lose Robin." The boy confessed. "Or if you did take me in, it would be because you thought you had too."
Bruce closed his eyes, pained by the confession. He loved this child as much as Dick, Jason, or Cass. Often he had wished for the boy to have better parents, he had wished to be Tim's Dad. "Tim, I would take you in even if you couldn't be Robin anymore. Son, you belong in my family."
Tim shrank back, eyes wide, emotions of fear, hope, and guilt racing across his face. "You said that as Bruce." He whispered. "Bruce wants Tim, not Robin?"
The confusing jumble of alter egos was shoved aside. "Yes. I Bruce have claimed Tim to my family."
"Oh." The little word hung in the air between them. "I thought… Tim wasn't enough."
Bruce held the fragile trust of Tim in his hands at that moment. He smiled. "Let me tell you about Tim. He's this smart kid who has a big heart. He believes in heroes, and is willing to stand for what he believes. He makes his brothers grin and laugh. He…"
LINE BREAK BRINGING MY BROTHER HOME LINE BREAK
As the Bat family gathered in their youngest member's room, they could all see that Tim was happy. Jason and Dick shoved each other to point it out to each other. Babs beamed at the gathered group. Stephanie and Cass talked, or bounced (Cass liked to bounce when excited), and Bruce sat by Tim, looking serene. Alfred had found Tim's Camera in the armful of things Jason had dragged over the night before. The butler snatched it up and got a candid moment of the family.
"Alright. Tim has agreed to hear our plan." Bruce said.
"Good. So far the Drake's haven't really seemed to notice Tim isn't home." Babs said.
"Lucius is working on the paperwork for the merger." Bruce said.
"Leslie has called Doctor Julip about getting the archeology appointments." Dick said. Tim brightened.
"So Mom and Dad will be happy if we make this happen." He said. Jason and Cass scowled at the thought of their little brother's tormentors being happy. "That's good."
Bruce laid out the exact terms of the merger, though he concealed one Ace in his sleeve. He meant to keep Drake Industries in Trust for Tim. If Lucius had management the company would grow again. It was likely it had a good hand at the helm, just the Drake's were rather useless businesspeople. Tim was probably the only other one who understood all the ins and outs, but the others attempted to look like they understood.
"It is very generous." Tim said, with a shy look of I-can't-believe-you-would-do-that-much-for-me.
"So we have your agreement?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah. I think Mom and Dad are gonna be angry at first, but they might eventually see the benefits."
Oh, I was so happy when Bruce decided to cooperate. Tim knows that Tim is important to the Bat family! Please tell me how I did.