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Tim hasn’t slept more than a couple of hours hours in the past few days, and doesn’t really care, but he’s finally done with the case he’s been working on for the past few days. He goes down to the kitchen to get some food and coffee so he can do a couple hours of WE work before he crashes.
When he gets there he sees most of the family is already there. Jason, Damian and Dick. Alfred’s out shopping, he knows that, and Bruce is…somewhere, he doesn’t remember. Either way, the rest of the family is sitting in the dining room and eating breakfast, apparently.
Dick notices him before he can make a break for it, and is already beaming and halfway out of his chair in a few seconds.
“Timmy! There you are, we were beginning to wonder if you were dead!” Dick smiled warmly at him, and he awkwardly smiled back.
“Ha, yeah, just wanted to get some food, I have work to get back to.”
“Aw, come on Replacement, ya got better things to do than work, dontcha?”
‘Why the hell would you ask me that!? How the hell would I even answer that, “No, work is the most important thing in my life!?”, that’s just my luck.
“Well, anyways Timmy! You can spend a few minutes with us, can’t you?” He heard Dick awkwardly ask.
“No I can’t.”, “I have work to do.”, he didn’t say. It didn’t matter either way, he really couldn’t be bothered to argue with Dick right now, so he just sighed.
“Sure.” And went to sit down, when Damian, who had (thankfully) been quiet up until now spoke up. “Tt. Why should he? It’s not like he belongs here.”
‘Don’t snap, don’t snap, don’t snap. It’s only going to make things worse. Calm down, Timothy’, said the voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his mother.
“Oh calm down Demon brat, it’s not like the Replacement’s gonna stay for long, are ya Replacement?” Tim just hummed in vague agreement.
“Great! That’s that settled, now shut up, will ya Demon brat?”
“Tt. Fine, Todd.”
“So! Timmy, how’s the case going?” And here’s where Tim might have slightly messed up.
“Fine, I cracked it, which you shouldn’t be surprised at, considering that’s why you called me your equal, and gave the demon brat, Robin.” He closed his eyes and turned back to his food, then froze suddenly. See while they had never truly discussed what had happened while Bruce was lost in the time stream, they had without words needed mutually decided to not bring it up with the rest of the family and well Tim had just broken that promise.
Accidentally of course, but Dick didn’t know that. He might just think Tim had decided to say that on purpose in front of Jason. “I-” Tim looked up for a second. Dick looked like the smile had frozen on his face, Jason looked shellshocked, but it was obvious that he was coming back to himself, and that he was furious. At what exactly, Tim didn’t know, much less why, though it probably had to do with what he had just said. Damian just looked irritated. “I-” He cleared his throat quickly, “Sorry, Dick, I didn’t mean that.”
‘Yes, I did.’
“Yes you did.”
“Huh?” Tim looked over and Dick was shaking his head. It looked like he was coming out of a daze.
“Obviously he did not, Richard; I obtained Robin as it was my right as the blood son, and heir to Batman. I am, of course, also much superior to D—”
“Not right now, Damian!!”
Damian looked shocked for a moment as he reeled back, then he scowled down at his breakfast for a moment more before he seemingly decided not to argue.
“Tim, I-, could we, talk? I think it’s about time.” And, well. Tim felt betrayed by Dick, no doubt about that, but, well, he was still his brother wasn’t he? And he looked at Tim with such hope in that moment…
”Okay. You wanna…?”
“We’ll go to my room, yeah?”
“Yeah.” He swallowed for a moment. “Okay, let’s go.”
Dick smiled at him, and then hesitantly took his arm, looking up at Tim as if asking for permission, and he nodded after a brief moment’s hesitation. Dick beamed at him so brightly, and in that moment, as they left for Dicks room? Well, Tim couldn’t help but think that everything was going to be okay.