Caramel Machete

Two of Six: There’s nothing special about this kid, no reason to remember him. But Dick remembers. Because of the photo. Dick and Tim’s pre-nu52 relationship, from the beginning all the way to the end. or: how Dick acquired a stalker, attempted to make him go away, and failed so badly that he acquired a brother instead. (So far: missing scenes from childhood, Lonely Place of Dying, Knightfall, and Knightsend. Current arc: Prodigal.) [WIP]

The Return: “Tim? Can you open your eyes for me?" It takes a bit, but Tim must be at least sort of coherent, because he blinks obediently. Dark, dark eyes, dilated. Concussion, almost for sure. Both pupils are equally large, so they’ve avoided a worse injury. But his eyes aren’t tracking or focusing, lost in space. “Tim, do you know where you are?" Tim’s forehead is all tense, like he’s thinking hard. “I,” he hazards after a long moment, “I fell?”  Tim falls. Dick catches him. It is a near, near thing. Red Robin 11 and 12, from Dick’s POV.

• Carried: Tim's mom was dead. It was Christmas Eve.
• Shoulder to Shoulder: It was the first time in Dick didn’t know how long that his hand itched to throw something and it wasn’t Bruce’s fault. Carried, from Dick's point of view.
• Listening: The cameras had caught Tim circling the house, hunched against the wind and without his coat as he trudged through the slush. He worried Bruce, not with how poorly he was doing, but with how well. A Carried post-script, from Bruce's point of view.

Then, before he’d had time to process it, there’d been a whirl of movement, followed by a sudden and forceful shove against Tim's chest. Something – the parapet wall – had hit the back of his legs, the momentum sending his body tumbling back and over and Oh. Right. He’d been pushed off the building.

Tim rubs the back of his head, trying to affect a joking tone. “I knew I should’ve just gone for the new escrima sticks.” Dick is ready to be a good big brother to his grieving little bro. Tim flips the script.

Tim doubts the validity of that statement. Right now, he's just glad for a momentary respite with his older brother.

In which Tim's lonely Christmas takes a turn for the better. (Aka, the one in which Tim's first Christmas as Robin was setting up to be pretty quiet until a certain acrobat knocks on his door.)

The world hasn’t stopped turning even though Tim’s is in the process of crumbling. And it’s selfish and unfair to think it would do anything otherwise, but Tim still finds himself wishing that it would take a pause, one moment of stillness, just so he could finally catch his breath. But the world stops for no one, least of all Tim.

Being sick is never fun, being sick together? It’s not that bad. Dick and Tim both have strep throat, and use it for the best thing they could: Some brotherly bonding.

Sometimes the only way to show that you've moved on and forgiven each other is to take a flying tackle from the ceiling. Dick and Tim know each other's demonstrations of affection. Damian doesn't.

After Cass and Tim return from Paris, something seems... wrong. Dick tries to find out what it is. 

Never again, Bruce told himself. He was broken, just like he’d always believed. It hurt too much. He couldn’t bear it. All he was meant for was the fight. He was a dark knight, not a light one. He was not a father, and he would never try to fool himself again. [A post-Death in the Family Platonic Soulmate AU]