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Tim’s been around the block before and he knows the path well by now. A parent’s love and affection is always conditional and he knows this well, siblings are new and Tim now understands that theirs is an unconditional love, but it seems that the others of this house didn’t understand that in its full truth.
Bruce’s love is conditional and always has been his rules seem easy to bend to but once broken there is no getting back into his good graces. He is more lenient than Tim’s parents in that the rules are less in number and easier to follow than before but also more harsh in the consequences of breaking those rules.
For the children under his roof to bend and bend until they break under his iron fist of importance yet with no escape route as he holds all the power of public opinion and job security.
It’s a shame that Tim came prepared. It’s a shame that there’s only one other person he has to get out.
He came to this family to try and stop Batman from killing himself or making a mistake that he could never undo and losing all the confidence of the public. He was never meant to be a son but he ended up in the position anyway, even as a placeholder. He bended and bargained to fit to what Bruce wanted, to what he needed at the time. And it worked to keep him upright, he didn’t go off the rails and kill people who simply didn’t deserve it. Tim would be rethinking it but he simply cannot afford to doubt his actions yet.
There's a billion people on this planet that you could bother
But for some reason you chose me
I wish I could give you the attention that you ordered
But I just don't have the energy
The roofs were a source of freedom and comfort for all the bats. Patrols where they could be themselves away from the eyes of society and in the shadows of the night. Sometimes this ends poorly or in violence as seen by the many times one of the bats attacked another but oftentimes it ended up in mutual understanding and tolerance.
Like tonight for example.
Tonight Tim had decided to go to the part of Gotham that Jason usually overlooks to offer his help, wanted or no, on any of his cases or even with the children in the alley. It had become a common enough sight for the kids in the alley to see Red Hood talking with Red Robin and for one of them to buy the kids anything from snacks to new shoes. The first few times that Tim had appeared when Jason was doing this he had been chased off, out of sight of the kids of course, but eventually Jason had relented that he wasn’t sent there to spy on him by Bruce and let him into the little gathering of street kids that show up on slow patrol nights.
It almost surprised Tim just how much the street kids knew but they quickly became a part of his wide network. Between Jason and himself their chances of survival shot up, even their chances of employment. Tim knew all the tips and tricks of how to make almost anything look good on a CV and there were quite a few of the kids that wanted to know that. Not just that but with Tim’s skills in maths and Jason’s in literature the kids at least got the basics down.
He’s been doing this long enough that now when he shows up he can see the kids visibly brighten, some even call out his name, and Jason does nothing but grunt as he collides with his back. It wasn’t long before they got into the swing of the lesson with Tim still hanging off of Jason’s shoulders. Jason never wears his helmet when talking to the kids but this time when one of them asks he takes off the domino too and asks them to call him “Jay”. Tim tries very hard to muffle his smile in Jason’s bulk but he doesn’t think he succeeds very well.
And maybe I'm the one that's being overdramatic
But I don't think so
The first tip off was Jason’s “invitation” back to the family. Bruce barely hid his intent to make Jason change and repent his ways or be permanently thrown from the family all together. But Jason came around the manor. He came and he spent time with them and even if Tim can’t say that he didn’t flinch when the other boy moved too fast for him he can say that he saw him trying his best.
Tim knows how hard it must have been for someone from Jason’s background and in Jason’s position to let go of everything they could use to protect themselves, especially in an environment that might not be friendly or has bad memories clinging to it, so when the only weapons that Tim could see on his person was the set of knives that he always carries and a nerf gun that says a lot about just how much trust Jason was putting in them. It said a lot about how much Jason wanted to make this work .
And yet, and yet , Bruce would not let it drop, constantly on Jason’s case about how many people he had killed, about the dangers of trusting him around his own children with all the blood he trailed everywhere he went.
Constantly may have been a bit of an exaggeration but it was enough to be a staple each time Jason came around even if none of the others noticed it, and Tim is sure that they didn’t because Bruce was being discreet which was the biggest tip off.
It went on like that for months, long enough that everyone in the manor was used to seeing Jason around and having some of his home made cookies or other baked goods. Tim doesn’t know how he got access to the kitchen even outside of Alfred’s supervision but he can’t deny that it wasn’t a mistake.
Then suddenly he didn’t come around anymore.
I do know for a fact, though, that you're a definite coward
And I think it might be time for you to go
Jason had finally disappeared after the long drawn out charade of “inviting” him back into the fold. It wasn’t a surprise and Tim originally brushed it off as Jason finally having snapped under Bruce’s words and in his anger bitten off something bigger than he can chew or that he simply went undercover to get away.
But then he went on patrol alone.
One of the street kids that he taught with Jason tracked him down when his route passed close enough to the alley that they could reach him. There was something about the restrained fear in their eyes that made Tim stop, turn off and take out his comm. When he jumped down to talk to the kid properly it came tumbling down.
None of the kids had seen Jason in the last few weeks which might not have been unusual in and of itself but Kaylee claims that Jason promised to bring her to one of the food places so she could surprise one of her friends and he’d promised to show up to read Brett and a few of the other kids more of Jane Austine.
He never showed up though. He missed all of the promises he made and both Tim and the kids know that Jason doesn’t do that. Jason doesn’t miss promises, if he’s made a promise to a kid then he won't go on any mission that’s time consuming until he’s followed through on it.
Tim makes a promise to the kid that if he finds anything he’ll tell them as soon as he can.
They didn’t find his body. In fact, they didn’t find any bodies and if that wasn’t the biggest sign that something had gone horribly wrong then Tim doesn’t know what was.
Dick’s the one that pushed hardest against Bruce to look for help, to look for their missing member. Bruce didn’t do anything to help or hinder his efforts, seemingly completely indifferent and for Tim that was a solid strike two. Tim had already started looking by himself by reaching out to his network of contacts. This was when he had started his preparations for getting away as well.
Dick started unravelling at the seams when Bruce cracked down on not looking for their lost member and if Tim recorded all those screaming matches, well, who’s going to stop what they don’t notice?
That on its own went on for a whole year before anything happened about it. The screaming matches reminded Tim of another time that Jason spoke about quietly to Dick, things that he heard dick apologising for as they made up and their bond grew ever stronger.
You're a sour little boy
With a fragile masculinity
You saw me as your toy
Now that I'm not, you abuse me
The year that it went on was almost like a stalemate between Bruce pretending that his children willingly followed him and he allowed them their freedoms to do what they want with his support and the full truth of the fact that everything in the manor hinges on the obedience of its inhabitants to its ruler.
Tim doesn’t stop looking himself as it all unfolds and the tension ratchets up and up and up so slowly but still suffocating and strangling anyway.
When the new Lantern joins the League Tim already has his own suspicions about who it could be but if Jason doesn’t want them to know then it is simply not Tim’s place to say anything. And anyway he doesn’t really have any proof of it besides his own suspicions.
Tim has spent long enough alone with his mind that he’s willing to trust those suspicions no matter how outlandish they may seem in the beginning.
You're a sour little boy
Absolutely no fun
The time comes when Dick finally reaches the end of his rope and takes things into his own hands, breaking Bruce’s cardinal rule in the process, and Tim knows what’s coming next but even so he must remain patient.
And come it does, when Dick breaks the Batman imposed silence to ask for help he is banned from the manor and suddenly all communication with him becomes
Bruce has nothing on Ra’s with the mind games he plays and if Tim can out play Ra’s whilst going completely insane then Bruce truly doesn’t stand a chance.
Sometimes, only sometimes, Tim wonders what it’s like to truly believe that love can be unconditional.
Bruce’s control starts to get harsher and harsher and Tim is there every step making note. He messages Kon when the opportunity comes but the other boy thinks he’s blowing it a bit out of proportion.
You saw me as your toy
Now that I am not, you throw a tantrum
The recordings increase in volume and Tim keeps his facade carefully in place.
Yes Bruce I believe what you say without question or reservation. Don’t talk to Dick? I can do that. Don’t speak of Jason? Sure, consider it done. You aren’t there unless you’re needed? Story of Tim’s life, find a new joke.
A piece of the furniture is what he becomes, invisible because it’s always there and you stop questioning it completely.
Bruce starts messing with Damian and even Tim can only take so much. This might be a deep cover mission but like hell he’s letting this happen to his brother on his watch.
Dehumanisation and complete control of Damian’s person is not something he’s going to stand by and let happen. He may still need to keep his cover but when Bruce’s eyes skate over him at every opportunity he has more leeway than Damian who’s been drawing the eye of their guardian and doing a wonderful job of playing distraction.
Kon believes him now and Tim is even in contact with Talia. Nothing’s been said on the outside world. Bruce is too scared to let others know that there’s trouble in “paradise”, well, let’s see how long that lasts shall we?
When life gives me lemons (l-e-m)
I don't make lemonade (o-n-s)
I use them to make you cry (l-e-m-o-n-s)
Can't process my feelings (l-e-m)
Made 'em circle the drain (o-n-s)
So tonight I'm gonna ruin your life (l-e-m-o-n-s)
Tim is so far in the background that no one but Damian notices when he starts to use a phone unconnected to the manor’s network to record every little infraction that Bruce makes.
When Bruce uses a slur Tim is there, when Bruce shows a lack of care to his missing sons Tim is there, when Bruce bans them from basic human rights? Tim is there and recording every second.
A part of Tim wonders how Bruce missed what must have been an impressively manic look in his eyes before he set his entire mind to the plan but he’ll simply take it as the blessing it is.
There’s another thing that Tim films that most people might not think to do. He sets up his device through another connection to upload one of the videos to the laptop connected to the manor’s network. It’s a piece of evidence that could be used against Bruce and Tim shows himself uploading the file and playing it. What follows is a time lapse where at midnight exactly it’s removed from the computer by whatever program Bruce has running. He records the limit on communication as well. Any cry for help cannot be sent, it doesn’t make it outside of the manor.
The pile of evidence grows and grows as the days pass..
When life gives you lemons
You don't make lemonade
You use them to make girls cry
You take those lemons
No sugar at all
And you squirt it right into our eyes
Tim makes his first move when he notices Damian’s hair bothering, it’s been a while since they’ve been banned from going out without an escort and has missed all the hair appointments that he tried to arrange so he takes matters into his own hands.
Tim’s lucky that he had to resort to this when his parents were away.
Tim hides some of Damian’s clothing in his own room, he asks Alfred if he can complete his own laundry and the old man agrees with little fuss. So Tim washes his clothes and washes Damian’s binders without the old man’s knowledge. There isn’t much that he can do without giving the game away but everything that he can he does.
It’s a waiting game and Tim is very skilled at those.
When life gives you lemons
You don't make lemonade
You use them to make girls cry
You take those lemons
No sugar at all
And you squirt it right into our eyes
Nothing gets better and with them all confined to the house Tim is left wondering what he can do and if anything that he does is really helping. His bond with Damian grows ever stronger in the time that they spend together. Tim affirms things that he has always accepted as true even when Damian was out for his blood, he talks to Kon to keep track of what’s going on in the outside world but there’s nothing to confirm his theories and as time passes his hope dwindles.
The days pass by and nothing changes, there is no one coming to help them.
I've tried to remain patient with your stupid shenanigans
But you've given me no other choice
You've tried to knock me over by acting like you're above me
And pretending that I don't have a voice
Bruce’s control over his household is stifling and the JL still isn’t getting concerned. Confined to the house with Bruce’s methods to Damian escalating, it's almost time to act. Arguments and lack of care for his children can be easily dismissed and it’s been too long since Tim’s had the opportunity so it’s time to pull out one of Jannet Drake’s favourite tricks.
Break them.
Take everything that they love and hold dear and tear it all away.
“Now,” his mother would say, “You need to be very careful when you do this Timothy,” and Tim would nod intently as she talked, “Above all else you cannot let them know what you’re doing until all of the pieces are in place. If this means that you have to tear everything away all at once then that’s what you do, if this means you must slowly chip away at it then do that too. But I will repeat Timothy, they cannot know what’s going to happen until it’s too late to stop it and they can never be able to point it back to you unless you plan to make them completely powerless.”
Tim learned to strip men down to their lowest points at Janet Drake’s knee and while she wasn’t what one could call a good mother she was a superb business woman and manipulator.
And I don't wanna encourage your abusive behaviour
But I just can't let you win
I'm legitimately tired of being walked all over
By these insecure babies who think that they're men
They finally get a break in the most unexpected way. Tim is going over all of the information he has, all of the recordings, every single scrap of evidence and all the powerpoint slides that he’s compiled when a message comes through from an unknown number.
Tim can recognise it as a code but he can’t figure out at all what it says so he calls in Damian. The younger boy seems to recognise it instantly as he immediately starts tapping away on Tim’s phone, apparently the message is from his mother, she’s willing to talk. If anyone can give him answers it’s Talia Al-Ghul. Tim may have not interacted with her much but he’s heard so many stories about her from Jason that he knows about her infamous (at least among League members) protective streak for who she considers her kids.
When Damian looks up, fire burning in his eyes, Tim knows even before he speaks what he’s about to say.
Jason’s alive and he’s Blue the new lantern. Tim’s thoughts start to spiral from there. If Jason’s alive and around and the last time anyone saw Dick he was desperately trying to convince them of this fact then there are solid chances that Dick is with Jason. And if Bruce’s non reaction is added to that fact it only further strengthens it.
Dick’s alive too.
They laugh, they laugh loud and long and full of hope that Damian probably hasn’t felt in months and Tim’s own is reignited. His own plan may have been already in the works but with two of them on the outside Tim needs only to risk himself. Damian needs to be out of the house and that’s going to take some planning.
They start hashing out plans right there on the bed. Tim doesn’t let Damian sleep in his own room that night, holding him close to his chest because the coming months are going to be long and hard.
Had a breakdown in the evening
Lying underneath the ceiling
So I'm gonna take it out on you
The morning comes and suddenly it’s time to move. Tim has been a ghost in the manor for too long and he’s tired of being looked through by everyone who isn’t Damian. He screams and demands attention, demands an explanation, shouts about hypocrisy and unfairness.
He was replaced and abandoned, treated like something simply there for their convenience and pleasure.
Tim rages and rages long and loud only barely not throwing everything with anger painted plainly on his face as a grimace.
He’s trying so hard not to smile as he holds both Bruce and Alfred’s attention.
Everything is in full swing.
Too proud to show I'm hurting
Push it on you 'til you're burning
That's the only thing that I know how to do
The next days are tense. Bruce knows that Tim and Damian must have contacted someone so he’s trying to force them to retract whatever they’ve said, to send another message to tell them that it’s fine.
Damian doesn’t see it, Tim doesn’t want him to, but Bruce is convinced that Tim put him up to it or made an automated message to send it. Tim isn’t about to dissuade him of this notion.
There’s been more times than Tim can count where Bruce has caught him off guard and he’s been swung into a wall, where Bruce has crept up on him and choked him until there were dark spots in his vision. He never gives Bruce more than a knowing smile though.
Bruce never leaves any marks where Damian can see them so Tim never says anything and pretends it isn’t happening. After all, if Bruce is going after Tim then he doesn’t have time to go after Damian or ramp up his tactics.
The house is tense but Damian is okay.
And I don't wanna be a baby 'cause it's shameful
Won't admit that I'm just jealous of the way you move
Through my words like you're bulletproof
I'm a sour little boy
With a fragile masculinity
Insecure, destroyed
Anytime that you're above me
You're a sour little boy
Absolutely no fun
You saw me as your toy
Now that I'm not, you throw a tantrum
When life gives me lemons
I don't make lemonade
I use them to make you cry
Can't process my feelings
Made 'em circle the drain
So tonight, I'm gonna ruin your life
When life gives you lemons
You don't make lemonade
You use them to make girls cry
You take those lemons
No sugar at all
And you squirt it right into our eyes
You may be the bigger person but I'm louder (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
I'll do everything to hurt you in my power (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
Just because you're confident I think you're shallow (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
Here's a slice of humble pie for you to swallow (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
You may be the bigger person, but I'm louder (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
I'll do everything to hurt you in my power (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
Just because you're confident I think you're shallow (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
Here's a slice of humble pie for you to swallow (when life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade)
Sour little boy