Tim closed and rubbed his eyes, sighing in relief at the darkness that replaced the glow of his laptop screen. Still nothing. God damn it. Or maybe I'm just not good enough to find whatever it is. Tim thought, depreciating.
There was a knock on his door, Dick pushing it open without asking. "Time for sleep, baby bird." He spoke, a wry smile on his face.
"I'm still working." Tim answered, "Big bird." He added with snark that made Dick grin.
"You're allllways working." Dick strolled in easily and tipped Tim's chair back, nearly horizontal to the floor. Tim crossed his arms, trusting that Dick wouldn't drop him (Damien or Jason would be a totally different story). "On that note, anything?" It was easy to hear the hope in his big brother's voice. Tim shook his head with a deep sigh, totally defeated. "It'll be okay, baby bird." Dick offered gently, rubbing the wrinkle out of Tim's forehead.
"Shouldn't you be asleep too?" Tim deflected, meeting Dick's bright blue eyes that had their own dark rings (not as dark as Tim's but Tim was the champion of dark eye rings and sleep deprivation).
"I'll sleep when you do." Dick answered with a mischievous tone, huh Dick's rarely seen manipulative side… Tim thought, knowing he'd feel guilty if he were the reason that Dick didn't get enough sleep.
It was as if the older male could see Tim's thought process as his smirk widened when Tim let out another sigh, "You win, I'll go to bed." He sat Tim back up and plunked down on Red Robin's bed to wait him out and stare at the back of my head like a menace until I turn off everything.
"I heard that Doctor Fate is going to be back tomorrow." Dick said casually as Tim went about saving everything and shutting his laptop down, arranging the files on his desk so he could remember their order.
"Hopefully he'll find something." Tim responded in a mutter, rubbing his forehead and sagging in his chair.
"Even if he does, it won't be like we missed something." Dick spoke softly, his 'we' meaning 'you'. Tim smirked internally And there's Dick's sweet side. "It'll probably be some mystical hoodoo."
"'Hoodoo'?" Tim repeated quizzically.
Dick grinned randomly, "You do."
Tim's eyebrows pulled together in confusion, "Do what?"
"Remind me of the babe!" And then he started to hum/sing something.
"…what?"
"Come on Timmy! David Bowie, Labyrinth~? You know?"
"No?"
"Uncultured swiiiine!" Dick teased, tugging on Tim's arms, "Even Jason and Damien have seen Labyrinth!"
"Both of which, I'm sure, were forced to watch it." Tim went dead-weight, not that it deterred Dick from standing up, grasping under Tim's arms, and pulling him upright.
"They liked it!" Dick protested, pivoting to tumble Tim into his bed. Red Robin allowed the manhandling, knowing he wasn't going to get dropped or twisted by his brother.
"Bet they told you that so you wouldn't make them re-watch it." Tim taunted, finding it hilarious how Nightwing's lips literally pouted up like a child when he pouted.
"Noooo~" Dick whined, grabbing Tim's ankles and tugging so Tim was lying in his bed. "Want your slippers off?" Red Robin shrugged, watching his brother frown only a second before plucking the slippers off and then proceeding to roll some fuzzy socks on in their place, "Because your toes are always cold." He explained at Tim's look, pulling the covers up to his younger brother's shoulders and doing the very mom-like tuck in.
"Right…" The boy murmured, watching Dick turn off lights and climb in on the other side of the bed, squishing up close to Tim as if the queen size bed was actually a single.
They lay there in silence for a moment, Tim wondering if Dick drifted off to sleep already, "Where'd you get them?" So he rightfully jumped a bit when the older boy spoke softly.
"Get what?" Tim asked after a quick recovery.
Dick chuckled warmly in his ear, his feet tangling with Tim's, "Your socks, silly." Nightwing's stupid foot managed to drag across the bottom of Tim's, making the baby bird jerk as the nerve was tickled and Dick giggled.
Red Robin fought off Dick's feet with his own, "Bruce gave them to me, he said my toes are always cold too." Big brother fought back while laughing, before surrendering- not that Tim felt much of a victory since in the same moment, Dick wrapped his arms around RR and pulled him even closer.
"Diiick~" Tim finally whined, when his struggles were met with those gangly arms tightening even more; ('struggles' meaning a little flopping around).
"Give up, you know you like it. Everyone likes hugs." Dick responded and Tim could picture the goofy, endearing smile that he must have on his face. Tim huffed, but protested no more. "Night night, baby bird, love you." Dick coo-ed.
"G'nite, love you too…" Tim murmured back, letting his body relax into the gymnast's hold. Truth was, yeah okay he liked the hugs, Dick was right. Tim's parents had never been fans of physical affections, or really any sort of affection… So it was nice to feel another person's warmth, it was nice to feel that someone wanted you, even only as a teddy bear Tim snickered internally; Better than a butt-warmer though… he thought of Stephanie, who was also a cuddler, but funny enough, liked to sleep with her butt as the thing pressed against Tim- back, pelvis, sides, didn't matter, but Tim could count on her butt touching him whenever they shared a bed. Tim held in a laugh so not to bother Dick.
Thinking about it, Tim had been cuddled by more people after he'd become a teenager than when he'd been a child. Dick and Steph, of course. But Cassandra liked to cuddle sometimes, during movies and whatnot- but it was always on her terms. Jason was not a touchy person, and yet, he did seem to like being close, whether it was leaning against whomever he was around or resting his weight peoples' shoulders, he did like contact. Damien, all bark and bite, was an unconscious snuggler- Tim had woken up once or twice with the baby bat pressed against his back (it was on those nights that both Damien and Tim went to Dick's bed because it always made things better when they were together). He'd never been close enough to Babs to know about her physical affection preferences. And Alfred, obviously, was very reserved but he'd allow hugs once in a blue moon. And Bruce…
Well Bruce's affection was…calculated. If Batman was hugging you, it was because he knew you were getting ready to fall apart at the seams and he wanted to hold you together. Not that that made Bruce cold, he just wasn't much of an initiator. However, you could hug Bruce whenever and he'd accept it. Alternatively, Tim couldn't bring himself to act like…well Dick and cling to Bruce all the time, because he could never get over that feeling that he was annoying.
He remembered that first hug though, the first time Bruce squeezed him so tight he was almost breathless for a minuet. Huh…I must've fallen asleep…Tim thought as he could hear Bruce's heart thundering as he held Tim and could feel the worry.
He remembered when he first got that up-close glimpse of the real Batman, the Batman with a Robin at his side, the Batman that now claimed him as Robin; that true understanding of what it was like to have Batman's trust. The elation, the pride, and just there's a side of Batman that only Robin knows and it's the greatest secret to have in your heart. He wouldn't have considered that maybe Bruce was also feeling anything too substantial or new, Tim was the third Robin after all. But maybe, he was actually having his heart swell as it made room for Tim and surprise that such an intelligent and wonderful child actually wanted to be at his side.
Tim remembered too, the honor he felt when Bruce asked him if he would allow Bruce to adopt him. 'Allow'! As if Bruce was the one that thought he might been unworthy of having Tim as a son, as if Tim would ever have said anything but yes. With Tim's parents being in the grave or in the hospital, all Tim wanted was to have someone, anyone that could want him; hell, Tim didn't even have anyone else other than Bruce and Alfred (and vaguely Dick) at that point.
Remembered when he realized that he wasn't just Bruce's son on paper, but in his heart. That, oh god, he was loved, that he was this man's baby. And he could love Bruce too without feeling like he was just butting in where he didn't belong. Ah, that look on Bruce's face when Tim first called him 'dad'! It was like a weight had lifted, there was a glow to Batman's eyes, a ramrod that straightened in his back, and a tender smile that crept up and stayed just long enough for Tim to see. Who knew there was such a look?
…I miss him… Tim ached to see that look, to hear his voice; both the gruff Batman tone and the rich Dad baritone- even the annoying Brucie voice that seemed to somehow bounce off of walls and get more annoying. But Tim would take that, take it just like the walls. Hn. Tim probably was like the walls- structured and subtle, could be just a fixture or pull attention as needed. More importantly though, reliable and resilient, standing against all weather and intruders. I want Bruce… The walls shook as if an earthquake rolled beneath them.
"Timmy, wake up!" Dick pulled Tim to consciousness. Red Robin put a hand over his mouth, but it did little to muffle the sob that escaped. "Oh baby bird…"
"I want my dad."