Chapter Text
Tim was delighted at his party so far, he had more friends and family here than he ever could have imagined having before meeting Jason. It was so cool! Kon and Lian were so nice, and Damian and Cass seemed to be getting along much better now. Both made it a game at dinner to see who could toss the most amount of chips cleanly on each other's plate from across the table. Tim tried to hide his giggles, but he didn’t think he quite managed it.
Dinner was absolutely messy, and Tim loved every part of it. Especially when Grandpa Bruce ate his burger with a fork and knife. Everyone had given the man a hard time, but he had only laughed. Or, he only laughed until he looked Clark dead in the eye and replaced his fork with a spoon and continued to eat the burger. Everyone was absolutely gobsmacked and they had all collectively agreed to never speak of it again. Tim and the other kids could hardly contain their giggles at the shocking development.
Jason’s lap was comfy, and Tim laid his head on his dad’s shoulder as the meal finished up. It was so nice being here. He would be perfectly happy if time froze and he got to stay here forever.
Giggles and bad singing interrupted his thoughts.
“Happy birthday to you!—” Everyone was singing? Was…Was that what normally happened? Tim just thought it was something that only happened in the movies.
Tim swiveled his head to look up at Jason for confirmation about this weird turn of events. Jason only smiled, kept singing, and held him tighter as a heavily frosted cake covered in lit candles was set in front of them.
“Happy birthday dear, Tim-my. Happy birthday to you!”
Tim felt his eyes go big when everyone cheered for him to blow them all out and make a wish. He blew with all his might and watched as the flames flickered down to nothing.
I wish that we all were happy forever.
Loud cheers, whistles, and well wishes were made by everyone as Grandpa Bruce and Kori made an assembly line for giving out slices of cake. Kori even gave him the biggest slice! She was the best.
All the kids rushed to hang out under the trees in the backyard and thoroughly enjoyed eating their slices, happy to consume more sugar than usual. Giggles and playful screams echoed through the yard, and Tim played with the others until Jason called them all back to the patio.
Jason said something about presents? He…he didn’t need any presents. Tim just wanted everyone around him to be happy with him. They didn’t need to get him anything when they were all there for him!
Damian and Jon were excited, and Tim happily ran with them and the others to the house. The living room had a table Tim hadn’t noticed before absolutely covered with wrapped packages and cards. A glance told him they all had his name on them.
It was so kind that he felt tears well up in his eyes. Everybody here was so caring and loved him so much that it was overwhelming.
“Hey, Buddy.” Jason whispered as he rubbed Tim’s back, calming him down. “Want to open your presents? They’re for you.”
Tim rubbed his eyes and looked at all the people who were settling in the room. Lian, Kon, Jon, and Damian were all crammed on a loveseat and teasing on another lightly. The couch held Kori, Roy, and Cass and the armchair off to the left hosted Grandpa. Everyone was smiling and subtly watching, waiting for him to open them.
Tim tugged on Jason’s shirt, asking for his ear. His dad leaned down and allowed Tim to whisper in his ear.
“Will you stay?” It was nerve wracking to think of doing this himself with others watching.
A smile stretched across the older man’s features as he folded himself so he could sit on the floor next to Tim.
“Of course, Tesorino . Why don’t you pick out the first one?”
Tim nervously glanced at all the different packages and walked closer to the table. Which one should he pick first?
Hesitant fingers grasped the one that was from the Kents first, if the tag on the front was any indication. Given the fact that both Jon and Kon broke out into massive smiles his assumption was probably right.
He gently tore off the paper, meticulously tearing off the large paper print with “Happy Birthday!” written all over it.
It was Legos! How did they know he wanted those? The set was Star Wars too, his favorite movie!
“Whoa! Thanks, you guys!” Tim had a thousand watt smile on his face. It looked like the Death Star model!
Jon elbowed Kon fondly, making the younger blush scarlet.
“This guy here is the one that picked it out.”
“Thanks, Kon.” Tim grinned excitedly at the other boy, this was going to be fun!
The next present was from Lian and Roy. It was a really long rectangle, the shape was puzzling. What could possibly fit in there?
Lian was practically bouncing off the loveseat as he was opening the package revealing a bow and a few arrows.
Whoa .
It was a recurve bow like the one from The Ranger’s Apprentice . He could be like Will Treaty now! Tim was going to have so much fun learning how to shoot it.
A playful groan from behind him interrupted his inner fanboying.
“Aw, Roy. Did ya have to get him something pointy?” Jason asked jokingly, making Roy shake with laughter.
“Yeah, man! What else are Uncles for? I can’t get him something boring! You know that!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jason waved him off. “Just not in the house, k? And if I hear that he gets hurt, so help me God—”
“—I know, I know. Safety first.” Roy wrapped and arm around Lian’s shoulders and pulled her close. “I taught this one archery without any catastrophic injuries, didn't I?”
Jason only nodded with a semi-serious look on his face. Tim couldn’t believe he was getting a bow and arrows. And Jason agreed? Deal .
The presents from Bruce were nice, a heated coat for when winter came again and a gift card for his favorite toy store. Tim ran over to the man and gave him a big hug.
Cass silently handed him one from her and Babara, Tim smiled and took it gently into his hands. A childrens’ book series about a grizzly bear and a raccoon greeted him, and Tim happily leafed through the fun drawings.
“Thanks, Cass.” He whispered back, thanking the elder. Barbara said that picture books were a big help for Cass, assisting her in acclimating to her life outside of the League. They meant a lot to her, and it was touching that she wanted to share something so important to her with Tim. It made his heart feel happy that she cared about him so much, even if they didn’t see each other all that often.
Damian shifted slightly in place where he sat on the loveseat as Tim picked up the present from him. He handled it carefully, it seemed to be similar in shape to one of the older boy’s canvases, but Tim couldn’t be sure until he opened it.
A meticulously drawn portrait of him and the older boy in their wolf forms smiled up at him when he ripped off the paper. Somehow Damian had captured them in a way that seemed so real. How did he do it?
The fact that the elder took so much time for this deeply warmed TIm’s heart. Damian was not one that gave out his art frequently and rarely even allowed others to view it. Tears almost welled up when he hugged his uncle, so grateful for the love shown to him. Damian hugged him back fervently and whispered encouraging words into Tim’s hair.
“Timbo.” A gentle rumble traveled across the room when he finished his hug.
“Timbo, these are from me.” Jason held out two presents and patted his lap, silently asking Tim to settle there.
Tim snuggled into his father’s warm arms, and let him pull him sideways across his lap. The first present was heavy when he held it, and Jason’s content green eyes watched him gently from above. Tim reverently pulled off the paper, trembling with excitement at what his dad got him.
He gasped when he opened it to see a small Nikon camera waiting for him, the perfect size for his little fingers. He had been enjoying using Jason’s phone to take photos and hadn’t even entertained the idea of having his very own camera. Jason cared so much about him that he noticed his smallest desires. Not for the first time, Tim recognized how lucky he was to have Jason in his life.
Tim turned around and grasped his father with the biggest hug he could muster.
“Thank you,” He murmured sincerely. This meant the world to him.
Strong arms hugged him back, and Jason drew Tim even closer to his chest.
“Anything for you, Bambino .”
Another present nudged his leg as he drew away from the loving embrace. This one was softer and squishy. It felt far too thin to be a stuffed animal. The colorful wrapping fell away to reveal a dull red scarf, made of knitted yarn and threads. Jason removed the scarf from Tim’s hands and gently wrapped it around his neck.
“Your Grandma Catherine made one for me each year for my birthday, Timmy. She would’ve made one for you too if she could be here with us. This one was mine when I turned your age. She would’ve wanted you to have it.”
Tim gasped with awe as he touched the fabric, running his hand over the slight bumps and pulls from its use over the years. Grandma Catherine wasn’t talked about much, but he’d always heard that she’d have loved him. Jason always said that she’d be proud of how smart and strong her grandson was.
He leaned further back into Jason, burying his face in the man’s shoulder. The ebony wolf discretely wiped tear tracks from his face, and Tim reached up with a corner of his new scarf and traced the material gently over his father’s cheek, wiping away any excess moisture.
The time after presents seemed to be reserved for all the kids to play with the new toys and Tim couldn’t have been happier! The whole group enjoyed building the Death Star together and laughed at the games they came up with for the characters. Tim couldn’t remember such a fun day! Everyone he loved, and who loved him, was under one roof. It didn’t get much better than that.
Afterwards, when all the adults had wrangled up their kids and left for the night. Tim cuddled up to Jason and sighed contently.
So this was what a birthday was supposed to be like.