Chapter Text
Personally, Tim blames Dick… This was Dick’s fault, Tim didn’t force the kid to come on the mission. No, Dick had weaseled his way into Tim’s head by forcing Tim to bring Damian along on a YJ mission in order to ‘bond’.
Well we are bonding now Dick, Tim thought sourly as he wrestled with a four year old Damian Wayne to just put on the freaking shirt. A small Red Robin shirt that Stephanie left here and one of the few things that will modestly cover the child. Because there were no normal ten year old, Damian clothes. No, the pretentious little jerk only brought Robin gear.
“There we go,” Tim sighed as he finally sat down. It hung off of Damian’s shoulders fell right past his knees making him look even smaller than before but atleast he was dressed now. Yet, little Damian did not look grateful, he looked exactly how he usually looked- annoyed. So apparently not all of Damian was gone, the brat was still pretty competent and suspicious and mouthy- but there was one thing- he clinged. Alot.
He clinged when it first went down and he was surrounded by Tim and the metas that made the team. He was clingy when they questioned the villian on what happened- temporary age regression that hadn’t fully finished or else Damian wouldn’t even know them. But he did. He knew enough. He knew that Tim was the family member and that meant when he got scared of metas then he would cling to Red Robin’s cape or Tim’s leg.
“Sometimes when I think back to it, I can remember some little kid clinging onto T’s skirt,” Jason told Tim once when Damian was on bed rest, “I should’ve done something.”
The big loud bang that came from below the room was clearly caused by some metas. Metas happened to be something that Damian was quite suspicious of if his four year old defense stance was anything to go by. Ten year old Damian was alot better at masking his emotions than the little guy in front of Tim. It pulled at something in the teenager and Tim wondered if this was that big brother instinct that Dick often dubbed it.
“Knock it off,” Tim told him, “There’s nothing to be scared of. I promise.”
“Not scared,” Damian muttered before stopping his defense stance only to stand up straight like a solidor.
“Come on,” Tim stood up, offering a hand, “I’ll make them clear out the room and we can video call with the big guy. I didn’t get to tell him much more than ‘Robin got tiny’.”
Damian gave a sour face but still took my hand, “Father will not be pleased with my current state.”
“You won’t be in trouble,” Drake sighed. Infact, Bruce might come down and sweep Damian up and off to Gotham… If Dick doesn’t beat him to it. Doesn’t matter, the baddie already told the team all they needed to know… It was going to wear off eventually and not last very long. Trying to force it would most likely do alot of damage.
“And if I am?” Damian’s child voice caught Tim off guard. Usually Damian would go on about how ‘Drake would be the one to take the brunt of Father’s anger.’
“I’ll make sure you’re not,” Tim swore. And he would. Sure Damian is reckless but he is ten surrounded by teenagers with superpowers. He just wanted to prove himself capable which he usually was… Tim guesses that they’ve all made mistakes. Anyways, clearly Damian is not himself right now and Tim won’t let Bruce yell at some little kid. Clearly Damian begrudgingly believes him if the way he grabs Tim’s hand is any consolation.
There was a louder sound that resulted from another one of Cassie and (his) Kon’s arm wrestling when the two Bats approached the living room where a large TV sat that connected to the internet. Damian hid behind Tim’s legs in seconds when they all stopped to look. Tiny hands twist in Tim’s sweatpants. Tim isn’t sure if the kid is scared or embarrassed or just clinging.
“We gotta contact the big guy,” Tim told the group, “Full report and all that.”
“The squirt okay?” Bart Allen frowned trying to peak around, only to be pulled back by the blue beetle.
“He’s fine,” Tim told them, “But this is sort of a family matter so can you all-”
Cassie gave him a hurt look that he did his best to ignore. He never meant to hurt her when Stephanie came along, but thing happened just the same and he can’t take it back no matter how much he wishes. He hurt both of them so much. But he can’t focus on that now as little hands push at the back of his legs to push him forward.
Tim pulled up a chair to the side keyboard, connecting it to the cams in the bat cave. Damian was hiding beside the couch, out of view of the camera. Tim gave him a look, “You don’t want to see your dad?”
Damian shook his head.
“Are you scared?” Tim asked gently.
“Tt.” But that wasn’t quite convincing. Still Tim learned from Dick that Damian was like a cat. You didn’t just go for a cat, the cat came to you. So when Bruce’s face popped up and asked for Damian, Tim told him that Damian was feeling like talking but he had the full report ready for him.
“But we don’t need to fix him?” Bruce asked.
Tim caught Damian looks from the side. He read more into that then maybe he should have. Or did he? Bruce always had this thing about ‘fixing’ broken things. It could be insensitive and hurtful and Damian always said he was quite bright as a child. Though Talia and Ra’s certainly didn’t mind play experiments on children. Would this be Damian if he was raised normal and with Bruce?
“Can I ask to see him?” Bruce asked. It was a quiet question, a plea. Most would just hear a man asking a simple question with vague interest. When Tim went to check on the boy again, he must’ve went back to hiding considering Tim didn’t see him. But clearly he underestimated the absolute power of being a ninja that little Damian had when knobby little knees and elbows climb up the chair on Tim’s lap.
“Ow, watch it boney,” Tim sighed but ultimately ended up with a tiny baby assassin that had attempted to kill him multiple times in his lap.
“You requested me, father,” the child in question stared up at the large screen. The way Bruce’s eyes lit up at the sight of baby Damian clenched at Tim’s heart a little bit. Bruce never got to experience any of them this small. If it wasn’t morally wrong then Tim might’ve asked for their baddie to find a way to make this stick.
“Yes son,” Bruce nodded, “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m ade-ade-” It seemed that little Damian didn’t quite have the extensive vocabulary that their normal Damian did. It was kinda cute.
“He’s fine,” Tim sighed, shifting Damian on his lap to be more comfortable while rest his head right on top of the child's, “I’m thinking that we return to Gotham sooner than expected. The team can finish the rest of the mission without me.”
“You should take the jet,” Bruce nodded, “It would be wiser than taking the zeta tube.”
“Thanks for the suggestion,” Tim sighed as if he hadn’t already thought that through. Like he’d want the zeta tube to scrabble up little Damian’s molecules. Still he had to shift Damian’s knobby knees again as the child moved about and took Tim’s phone from his hand in order to play with it or something.
“Are you sure he is still…” Bruce trailed off.
“Memory is intact and all that,” Tim sighed as he just decided to let the kid play with his phone. For as easily as he opened it up, there was still some child like discovery as he tried to figure out how the applications on the device worked, “He’s just more… like what a kid should be like… But still all Damian.”
“What are you im-imp- What does that mean, Drake?” Damian finally asked, over not being able to speak the words he wishes. Yet he doesn’t lunge for Tim’s throat either but maintains in the lap with boney knees.
“Nothing gremlin,” Tim finds no malice in his words. He should pick up some toddler bat pharnellia for the kid. Dick would about faint at the sight of baby Damian in a Nightwing onesie… not to mention it’d be amazing black male for when he gets big again.
“The winds are not harsh today so I wouldn’t expect any turbulence. I’d estimate you would be here in nearly three hours and twenty three minutes if you leave the base in the next ten minutes,” Bruce said, “Should I have Alfred prepare anything?”
“Tea would be excellent,” Damian said, clearly not understanding the question.
“Some real clothing would be nice,” Tim said trying to take his phone back from the grabby hands. Currently Bart was blowing him up for updates on the batfamily drama. Pf, as if Tim would give that away, “He’s like small.”
“He seems to be very articulate for his age and size,” Bruce voiced.
“Well, he’s your kid,” Tim supplied.
“Your both my kids,” the Bat sighed in exasperation as if Tim was trying to test his patience in the oh so subtle ways that only his third son could do. Tim rolled his eyes but eventually got the phone back from Damian.
“Well see you in a bit,” Tim said before logging off. Tim didn’t even think twice about balancing the little gremlin on one hip while the child kept reaching for the phone.
“I want it,” Damian whined.
Tim bid goodbye to the rest of his team before approaching one of the jets that they used for more low key mission assignments. Unfortunately the one thing Tim did not think through was a seat for one tiny child. He was a tech whiz and super hero… he really didn’t deal with kids other than saving them. Dick would know what to do. Steph would know what to do. Even Jason would be better at this than him. But Damian doesn’t have them right now, he has Drake.
“So where you want to sit pipsqueak?” Tim asked, looking down at the child who clutched at the teen’s hand. One boney little finger pointed at the cockpit with the pilots seat… and their is a co-pilot's seat. Tim is pretty sure that’s not meant for children but Damian Wayne had never been a normal child.
“I wanted that seat,” Damian pouted… This was a pout, not a scowl as Tim buckled in his younger brother to the seat next to the pilot. The cockpit was not big but it must seem huge to the little boy that looked around.
“I know but this is better,” Tim told him, making sure the little guy could see out the window with a throw pillow or two from the outer seats along with some at his sides to keep him still.
“How?” Green eyes stare at him with wonder instead of pretentious belittling. Maybe the eyes were always meant to be perceived that way.
“Because,” Tim explained while setting headphones on his head, “You’re in charge of watching the sky and controlling the music. That’s the most important part.”
“Oh,” Damian nods before putting on the headphones as if what Tim said actually made sense. Tim supposed in Damian’s tiny mind that it did. An hour into listening what must’ve been on thirteen year old Dick’s playlist and Damian fell asleep. Just about the time that Bruce predicted, Tim began to see the lining of Gotham.
“Aircraft seventy two, please go into camouflage mode,” Tim requested of the machine.
When he landed nearing the cave, Tim gently shook the youngest awake who woke with gasp and fear, clutching at whatever surrounded him. Tim jumped back, never actually experiencing one of Damian’s fearful awakenings that Dick had mentioned. It was painful to see what the league had done to a child. Tim held out his arms, “We landed Dames.”
The child didn’t hold back on jumping into Tim’s arms, “Can we stay on the plane?”
“Our family is out there. Are you scared bud?”
Damian shook his head in Tim’s neck. It was a blatant lie, but the lie was clear even without words. Damian was scared of the rest of the family which wasn’t good, but Tim couldn’t not let them see him. Damian would realize its okay and Tim would be there the whole time to make sure.
“Do you want me to hold you?” Tim asked, rubbing the back gently.
“I should walk. Warriors walk alone,” Damian blubbered on, but still viciously held tight.
“I didn’t ask what warriors should do… I asked what my little brother wanted to do,” Tim explained calmly. Just like he’d seen Dick and Bruce do before. Requesting what Damian Wayne specifically wanted. Not what a future Batman should do.
“You,” Damian whispered. Tim stood up straighter with a little kid wrapped around him, Damian’s little head now just resting on his shoulder. He seemed more at ease, but it was clear his anxiety was peaking at what his family would think of his younger self.
Tim walked out of the plane with the little guy fisting his shirt. He saw Dick’s running form first, the smile was big as he squeezed the life out of both of them in a bear hug. Damian clutched more at him. When seperated Dick stared at Damian’s tiny form.
“Awe, Dami. You’re so wittle! Let me see you!” Dick put out his hands only for Damian to shriek and dig his legs harder around Tim with one hand pulling at Tim’s hair and the other at the tee shirt. Dick jumped back like he’d been bitten. The hurt look on his face made Tim almost drop to the floor.
“He’s just gone through alot today,” Tim told Dick while also combing Damian child sized hand out of his long hair, “Just give him a bit. It took him awhile to warm up to me to like this.”
“Oh, of course.” Dick nodded but the hurt look still present, “Sorry Dami. I won’t scare you again.”
Damian’s watchful eyes peered out to evaluate his eldest brother. The slumped puppy dog look Dick held clearly not intimidating the tyke, “Tt.”
“Perhaps we should continue this conversation upstairs with tea and scones,” Alfred seemed to appear out of thin air, “I’m sure Master Damian would be quite happy in some proper clothes, hm? Master Bruce and Miss Cassandra are awaiting you afterall. Master Damian would you like to accompany me so you can change?”
Damian peered out at the man, but Alfred unlike Dick kept enough distance for Damian to assess the situation. Tim peered down at the kid whose eyes ultimately landed back on him, “We should get you in some different clothes. You’d be more comfortable but I can come with you if you’d like. Though, It’d be nice if I could talk to the family before they see you.”
Damian tightened his hold but loosened a bit again, “We’d be in the same building still.”
“I’m not going anywhere, remember. You’d be upstairs with Alfred and I’d be in the living room with the family,” Tim explained.
“And we’d only be seperated long enough for me to change?” Damian asked.
“A very short amount of time,” Tim nodded. Damian contemplated before pulling at Tim’s shirt to be placed on the ground. Happily, Tim complied. Damian wasn’t heavy but he had a very strong grip.
“I’ll go with Pennyworth,” Damian told him.
“Good job,” Tim couldn’t help but ruffle Damian’s hair (Something the ten year old would have ripped his arm off for), “I’m proud of you.”
The child absolutely preened at the praise. Unlike normal Damian who kept it all despite the obvious excitement he held when Bruce or Dick congratulated him, this child wore it all on his face while blushing a deep red. He hesitantly left with the older butler leaving Dick and Tim alone together.
“He’s so attached,” Dick stated.
“I’ve just been the only one around. He was very suspicious of the team. Like ten times more so than usual.”
“But his memories-”
“Mostly intact. They’re just er, infantilized. Mindset and all of that.”
“To be honest I was expecting a more explosive child,” Dick snorted, “Not someone so sweet and timid.”
Tim sighed, “It’s still just day one.”