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“Timmy!” That was Dick yelling across the Batcave, sounding particularly puppy-doggish today.
Fuck. Tim had thought he’d be tied up in Bludhaven tonight. Didn’t that city have enough crime to occupy it’s resident vigilante?
“What brings you in tonight? Software update? A sticky case? Alfred’s cookies?” Dick bounded towards the Batcomputer, still dressed as Nightwing. Seemingly oblivious to Red Robin’s icy silence. No way was Tim telling him that this was a routine check of the servers, to see if Bruce had gained any…. Information Tim would rather he not have.
Now the smile was beginning to slip Dick’s face.
“Haven’t seen you here in a few weeks, Timmy. Glad I caught you tonight though. We’re overdue for a movie.”
And here was where Dick paused. Because there was a low, unsettling laugh coming from Red Robin. It occurred to him that Tim still had his cowl up. He couldn’t see his eyes. It never was easy to read the third Robin’s expressions. But like this, with that laugh? Tim was being a little….. Creepy. A lot creepy. Dick wasn’t used to feeling this unnerved by him. And then Tim spoke
“Movie night, Richard? We haven’t had a movie night in ages now, you’re right. Gosh, last one must have been before Bruce died.” Oh shit, Tim hadn’t been planning on mentioning that. But somehow, tonight he couldn’t stop his runaway tongue. Or maybe he just didn’t want to. Maybe he wanted to finally have it out with the Robin that betrayed him, the Batman that abandoned him. No witnesses, and he could always scrub the security footage. A mugger had gotten him in the ribs on the way here, and the pain was making him sharper and nastier, with old grievances never properly aired bubbling to the surface.
Red Robin was smiling. Now Nightwing usually liked seeing his brothers smiling. But the tone of this conversation had taken a decidedly dark twist. Time to lighten the mood.
“Well, we know now that he didn’t die, Timmers. Thanks to you.” The wattage on Dick’s smile could have shorted out the whole of Metropolis. Unfortunately, Tim’s smile was less bright-lights and more daggers-down-dark-alleyways.
“Thanks to me. And your inability to commit me to Arkham. Because if you had succeeded in that, Richard, Bruce would still be lost. Still waiting, you know.” Oh. That was the conversation they were having tonight.
“Waiting, Baby Bird?” Dick looked so sincerely puzzled. Doubtless it helped him throw most people off. But Tim hadn’t been most people for ever so long.
“For the half-assed apology. You know. ‘Sorry Timmy, it’s just that everything was so overwhelming. Taking over Batman, driving Jason further away, trying to keep the Son of Batman from murdering random criminals. I couldn’t be bothered to keep him from murdering you too.’”
“Tim that’s not what happe-”
“He cut my zip line. He pushed me off a cliff in this very cave. And you thought what? That it was a playful rivalry? But you gave him exactly what he wanted. Taught him that to get what you want, just try to kill the person in your way a few times and people will just hand it to you to appease you. But Robin wasn’t yours anymore, Richard.”
And try though he might, Dick couldn’t get any words out. Just listen blankly as two years of pent-up betrayal and pain spilled out of Tim.
“After Jason died, I tried. I tried to get you to be Robin again. But you didn’t want to. You didn’t want to do what needed to be done. So I did. That’s what I’ve always done. And Damian comes along and thinks Robin is his by birth? Doesn’t do a thing to earn it, just assumes it’s his? And you let him.” Leaking out from the edges of Tim’s cowl are tears. Red Robin is breaking down in front of him and what can he do? A few quick strides and Dick is standing in front of Tim. But when he tries to hug him, Tim sidesteps easily. More easily than he expected.
“You think you can make this better with a fucking hug? You think you get to make this better?” And with that parting shot, Red Robin strode into the darkness, the shrieks of bats echoing above him.
And Dick stood alone, wondering what he would do now.