Disclaimer: not mine
Whoever keeps guest reviewing with SM/DC story ideas, please stop, flooding me with them will not make me write them. All I do is delete them before they get approved so it's a waste of both of our time.
Chapter 7
"Good morning, Tim," Kon murmured, perching on the edge of the bed as Tim slowly blinked at the ceiling.
His gaze slowly moved to him, and Kon smiled gently. He thought Tim recognised him but he didn't know if he could understand him. He put his hand on the bed beside Tim's, palm up, and Tim's gaze drifted down. Kon held his breath and Tim's fingers twitched, trying to move. There was a flicker of something…annoyance? But it was an emotion!
"You're doing great," he praised, making sure his tone showed it. "Can you understand me?"
Tim blinked at him but just once so…no?
"It's okay," he murmured. He carefully slipped his fingers between Tim's, gently squeezing Tim's hand. He smiled when Tim tried to squeeze back.
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Master was there…orders? No orders? So gentle, warm…want…hug, want hug.
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Kon was shocked when a barely audible whine came from Tim's throat, his other fingers twitching. Very carefully he leant over, slipping his free hand behind Tim's back, lifting him. He soon had him settled against his chest and he could feel Tim seemingly relax even further.
"It's okay," he murmured, stroking Tim's hair gently. "You're going to get better and go home to see your family and friends."
"Nnnnnggg…."
Kon smiled slightly at the noise, the first real sounding attempt to speak since he'd woken. He looked up as his uncle entered and grinned at him. "He tried to talk! And he twitched his fingers."
Zor nodded and moved in to check the monitors.
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Bruce sat with his son, helping him eat. He was thankful that Tim could chew and swallow on his own. He carefully wiped Tim's face clean for him. "There you go, how's that?" he asked.
"Hmmmnnn," Tim made a noise, drooling slightly, not able to fully control the muscles to speak.
While the virus had full control, he'd been fine but now that its hold had been weakened, Tim was unable to do much for himself. He had tried to make a few movements, to speak a few times, but he didn't have the control of himself to do so. There tended to be spikes in brain activity when he tried before going back down to lower levels. His body was working to purge the virus with the help of the cure but it would take time and no one knew how well it would work. Would it leave Tim like this for life? Was this really better than at least being able to care for himself?
"I love you son," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of Tim's head. And then he smiled when Tim blinked twice.
As much as he wanted to take Tim home where others he knew might help him recover, it was better for his health that they remain for now. They could do more to help care for his needs without embarrassing Tim.
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Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he was really starting to lose his cool when it came to the kid. The DNA didn't lie, he was Bruce's. He had no way to contact Talia to get the necessary forms to do anything with the kid though. Bruce had left him authority over several things before he left, the same with Alfred and Lucius to ensure things ran smoothly but there were no provisions for a surprise kid popping up.
He was honestly very glad that Jason had taken the cowl, he couldn't have handled that pressure as well. And Jason was doing a good job as the Bat, no one except Gordon seemed to realise there was a new bat. He could have done it, but supressing so much of his normal behaviour would have been exhausting. It was bad enough Robin was gone, Nightwing vanishing and a more obviously different Batman would bring too much attention, attention that was dangerous to their identities.
Thankfully, the press wasn't bothering them with questions on when Bruce would be back since medical research was known to take time. And Hal had agreed to send the message about Damian to Bruce as well as see if there was any news yet.
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Bruce checked the League communicator he'd been 'leant' for his time off world. He stared in shock…how? DNA confirmed by the Cave and League. Talia…what had she done? The time didn't add up. And from the tone of the message…he wasn't sure he was looking forward to meeting the child. Which sounded bad but he knew Talia and Ra's and they had raised this boy to be Ra's' heir. Had he killed already?
And he just knew, this Damian would not react well to Tim. If Tim wasn't fully recovered when they returned then how would he defend himself? He could not put Tim in danger from someone who technically was his brother.
He sent a short video file in return, hoping it would go through to let his boys see Tim and how he was doing.
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Jason stared at the Batcomputer, tapping his fingers as the file continued to download. Hal had apparently had fun getting the file to send so far, even with B using a League communicator. Finally, it was done and Dick pressed play, making sure he wasn't blocking Alfred or Babs.
There was an image of what had to be a lab and lying on the bed was Tim, his hair growing back well. He was dressed in the same clothes as the image they'd seen before, or at least more of the same style. And there was Bruce, gently lifting Tim to rest against him, pulling up a tray of food to feed Tim. They couldn't make out what Bruce was saying, just that he was speaking, and then…a muffled sound…from Tim! There was a closer up image of the two, Tim's face was slack, a bit of drool, but…his eyes were on Bruce and even in an image they could see there was recognition there even though his gaze wasn't fully focused.
Dick smiled when Bruce kissed Tim's head, stroking his hair, tears in his eyes. Jason couldn't help smirking slightly, of course Dick was crying but…he couldn't really blame him. Seeing Tim try to speak, to interact with Bruce, was a relief. That last image, of him utterly blank, had been horrifying. He didn't even know the kid but seeing him like that…
Was this a good enough reaction for them to start spreading the cure to the other victims? Or were they still tweaking it further first since Tim was obviously not able to care for himself?
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Damian slammed the door to the room he'd been 'given'. Tt, as if those two interlopers had any right to deny him. He was Father's only blood son, his heir, and they were nothing. And that footage of Drake, he was even more pathetic than he had expected. He was nothing more than a drooling idiot, why was his Father wasting time on him? He should return home and take back the cowl from Todd.
At least Drake was no threat to his position and in his condition, he would surely be admitted to some kind of institution upon their return since he obviously wasn't fit for society. He would soon be forgotten or die, whichever happened didn't matter.
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Kon stood, Tim's arm over his shoulders and Kon's around his waist to hold him up. "Okay, here we go." He took a careful step forward, hoping Tim would move with him. He practically held his breath in anticipation and then…Tim's foot dragged slightly on the ground as he attempted to take a step.
Kon grinned at Tim who blinked at him but his eyes seemed a bit more focused today. "That's great!"
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Master happy, that good. Master so warm. He wanted…wanted Master to hold him. Couldn't understand why he wasn't ordering him to do things…why he couldn't do anything. Wanted…
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Kon nearly jumped when Tim suddenly fell into him, head under his chin, bringing his other arm up to hold him. Had he? Had Tim really just moved? He moved a hand to cup the back of his head, offering support so he could keep it up, staring into Tim's eyes. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he asked softly and to his shock, Tim blinked twice. "You…you can understand me?" he asked in shock.
But there was no response, Tim's gaze going vacant again. Kon carefully got him re-settled on the bed, quickly recording what had happened.
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Zor-El nodded at his fellow scientists as he filled the injector. Working with the members of the Lantern Corps was interesting and he hoped they could find a way to continue cooperating. Tim's recent success at movement and his sudden understanding of at least Kon was a good sign but this new anti-virus looked like it would be more successful than the original version. If it helped him then they would inject the other children there.
He moved to where Tim was lying on the bed, fully hooked up to all of the monitors again. They'd only been monitoring his brain activity for the last few weeks but now they were monitoring everything in case he had a reaction again. Bruce and Kon stood beside the bed, one on each side, ready to support Tim. Zor nodded to them and then injected Tim.
They waited in tense silence, remembering his severe reaction to the last shot but this time, there was nothing. He jerked a bit, eyes rolling slightly, but not actual fit.
"It's alright Tim, we're here, you're safe," Bruce was murmuring to him.
Ever so slowly, Tim's head rolled to face the man more and his eyes appeared far more focused than previously.
"Tim, sweetheart?" Bruce asked softly, and then Tim made a noise, nothing intelligible, but an obvious attempt to communicate.
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Bruce saw the flicker of fear in Tim's eyes and gently cupped his face in his hands to keep him focused on him. "Easy Tim, I'm right here, you're safe. I know you're scared and confused," he murmured, keeping his voice soft and calm.
The heart monitor was racing and he wanted to calm Tim down so his heart rate would drop to safer levels. Brain activity was higher than it had been since he'd come to Krypton but it still didn't look normal. Would it ever be normal again? And normal…for Tim that would mean below normal for him. If that was the case, would Tim realise what he'd lost?
Slowly, the readings began to drop and Bruce nodded. "That's it, you're doing good."
And now there was confusion and he couldn't blame Tim for that. He'd never…he'd done so many things wrong when it came to his treatment of Tim. They'd been getting better before he was taken but odds were, the older memories were easier to access.
"Can you understand me, Tim?"
He gurgled, drooling a little, face pulling slightly after like he was trying to grimace. Bruce gently wiped his face. It was the most emotive Tim had been since being taken and it was a relief to see. To have emotion he had to be aware, but how much was he able to comprehend? He gently stroked Tim's hair, feeling him shift into the touch slightly.
"We're in a medical facility where you're being treated," he explained. Even if Tim could understand, telling him he wasn't on Earth would be too much stress. And Tim didn't seem to be following everything, confusion flickering through his eyes.
Kon shifted, catching Tim's attention, and Tim whined softly, hand twitching on the bed before he actually managed to reach for Kon. Kon took his hand, holding it gently. "Hey," he murmured, and Tim tried to speak again. "Shh, it's okay Tim." He tenderly wiped Tim's face and Bruce knew, Kon was enamoured with his son…without even truly knowing him. Whether Tim actually remembered Kon or not, he was reacting positively to him.
This was a massive improvement over the last shot. It had given almost immediate results and he was tracking things, even if he wasn't fully comprehending everything.
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Kon sat on the couch, Tim lying out with his head on his lap like so often before. His eyes were closed, body relaxed, sleeping. They'd decided that he needed extra mental stimulation to help his healing, so he was being allowed out of the medical bay for several hours every day. They were trying to stimulate curiosity and memories by exposing him to more things. It worked…so long as he was either with Kon or Bruce. Anyone else and he'd panic.
He still couldn't speak or move much which was concerning but mentally it was a big improvement. And the better he got…the sooner his return home was. How was he meant to say goodbye?
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Kal watched as the boy from Tim's home city was injected with the new version of the cure, grateful he didn't fit either. They hadn't been sure if Tim hadn't because he'd received the original version. They all waited, the scientists watching the monitors, talking amongst themselves, but he kept his eyes on the boy…Bernard. Slowly, vague awareness seeped into dull brown eyes. It was working.
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Diana smiled as the announcement was made to the world, the children who had been found were all being treated with an anti-viral. It was not a complete cure, not yet, but all were showing varying levels of improvement. She had a list of families to contact with more details. Those from Gotham were being left to the bats for obvious reasons. After so long of worrying, good news was wonderful. She just prayed they found the rest of the children soon.
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Lois smiled as Kon walked in, Tim's arm over his shoulders and his own around the smaller male's waist. They were trying to help Tim's brain make the connection back to his limbs and muscles and it was working, occasionally. Like right now, he wasn't walking but every few steps a foot would drag as he attempted to walk. She served up the meal as Kon helped Tim into a seat designed to help him remain upright, Tim's head slumping slightly to the side.
Thankfully, there were very few of their foods that weren't good for humans so normal meals were mostly fine. Tim's just ended up mostly pureed to make feeding him easier, he could chew and swallow but it took longer and was just less messy this way. Bruce was with the scientists and other children, when he was there, he would give Tim solid food and take all the time needed to feed his son. Honestly, if she had not been told that Bruce was not Tim's biological father, she would never have questioned it after watching the two. He obviously loved Tim a lot.
And Kon…she was very worried for him. He was so attached to Tim; it would break his heart when the humans eventually left. Kon loved Tim, she doubted it was romantically due to Tim's condition, but Tim was his companion. Losing him was going to hurt. She would have to speak with Bruce to see if they could find a way for Kon to have some kind of communication with Tim after they left. After all, Tim reacted positively to Kon's presence.
There were a lot of differences between their two worlds, but Kara was working to see if they could handle at least visiting Earth. Though, apparently there was a space station that might work if the planet wouldn't.
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He was Matthew, he was from Paris…he was a person. "M…Ma…Matt," he stuttered out and the people smiled at him. He wanted to go home; he wanted Mama. Everything was confusing and different.
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Jason frowned, glancing around, something was…off. He felt Dick tense, picking up on it as well. Thankfully, there was a small weapons cache right before the base of the stairs and they were quickly armed before entering the Cave. Nothing appeared out of…no…he hadn't…Jason snarled, vision going green for the first time in a long time but then Dick was there, gripping his shoulder tight.
"We've got to find him," Dick stared, voice cold, and Jason nodded.
"Warn Alfie and Babs," he growled as he headed for the lockers, forcing himself not to look at the empty uniform case.
Soon the batmobile was racing out of the Cave. Time to find that blasted brat before he got himself or someone else killed. He had no right! Robin was Dick's legacy, his…Tim's. Damian would never be Robin.
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Babs had the program up and running, searching for any sing of someone dressed as Robin. She couldn't help smiling sadly when some teens were spotted wearing jackets with the R on them in tribute to the missing Robin. Tim might not have been the happy acrobat Dick had been but he was a loved figure in Gotham. He had so much support, especially in Crime Alley where he'd taken over Jason's work after he died. They'd known from the start he wasn't their Robin but he'd earned their trust with time.
But Damian taking Tim's suit and going out alone? What the hell was he thinking? She snorted; it was obvious what the entitled little brat was thinking. He wanted to prove he had a right to Robin, which was just dumb. Robin was nothing to do with Bruce, not in the way Damian was trying to claim his heritage. Robin was Dick's, passed on to Bruce's kids yes, but not as an inheritance because they were his kids. She knew Bruce would have kept them all from vigilantism if he could have.
She'd seen the video of Tim and seriously doubted he'd ever be back out as Robin and she didn't think anyone wanted the role passed on, at least not without his say so. Damian was not who any of them wanted in the role, not unless his attitude did a 180, which she seriously doubted. This was not what Bruce needed to come home to either. At least he knew of Damian's existence now, she hoped he'd taken it okay.
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Bruce watched as the girl, Katherine, slowly walked across the room. She was shaking slightly, looking lost, but she did it. The room was full of teenagers slowly regaining control of themselves but…Tim wasn't among them. Why was his recovery so different? Was the very thing that let him fight the virus now keeping him from recovering as well? Or was it something else?
He left the room and headed for where Tim was with Kon, still working on trying to help Tim just grip his hand properly. He still communicated with yes and no blinking, and even then, it wasn't consistent. Sometimes he was completely unable to communicate or interact with the world around him, but he was aware.
He smiled when he saw the way Kon gently helped Tim. He was so good with him, but it just wasn't' feasible for Tim to remain, not when he'd have to spend the majority of his life on the space station. He needed sunlight and fresh air, and not the kind Krypton offered.
"Hey Tim, your dad's here," Kon murmured.
Bruce walked over and gently ruffled Tim's hair. "Hey kiddo."
Tim blinked at him, happiness in his eyes, and Bruce smiled. It was a good day then.
"Gggsnsnn," Tim's attempt to speak made no sense but that was fine, he was trying. Kon wipes away the drool without hesitating or even seeming to think about it, it was just something they did for Tim.
Bruce sat beside his son, smiling when Tim tipped into him, wrapping an arm around him.
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Bernard blinked, looking around. Not school? Something…there'd been a sting…everything was strange.
"It's alright Bernard, you are safe here," a stranger spoke, not stranger? Master?
Master? He…he didn't understand.
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Jason and Dick kept their grips on the boy as they dragged him out of the Batmobile.
"Get changed," Dick snapped, voice like ice, very different to normal. Very few people got that voice from him but he was beyond angry at the kid. How dare he steal Tim's uniform!
And there was no guilt or remorse, just arrogance and anger as the ten-year-old stormed off. Jason was busy locking up the sword, was it the same one or a different one? Honestly, he didn't care.
Dick was close to locking the kid in a containment cell but would they hold him? He was League trained after all. They really didn't need this. Why had Talia sent him now, Bruce's departure had been very public, she had to know he wouldn't be there to deal with his son.
"We have to do something Dickie," Jason groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"I know," he murmured, and then moved to the computer. If they couldn't control him then they had to remove him from the situation and any possible civilian casualties. He didn't want to do it, he was just a kid, but he was too dangerous and determined.
TBC…
