Chapter Text
It took exactly five seconds for Tim to regret everything. He stood up from the couch, snatching up his crutches roughly and refusing to meet Dick’s eyes. “Forget it. I’m just in a bad mood. We’ll talk another time.”
Dick didn’t even let him take a single step. “Sit down, Timothy.”
He froze, jerking his head around to face Dick, blinking. “Did you just full name me?”
“Yes.” Dick nodded to the couch. “Now sit the hell down.”
Tim swallowed, letting the crutches drop to the ground and flopping back down on the couch. With Dick in a mood like this, there was little chance of escape. He’d just have to weather the storm.
Dick was frowning, chewing on the corner of his lip. “You know, it’s okay if you can’t be Red Robin anymore. It won’t change anything with the family, and it wouldn’t even keep you out of the game if you wanted. Look at Babs.”
Tim took a deep breath. “I know that.” Something in his chest loosened all the same, hearing someone else say it out loud. The thought had been tumbling around his head since he’d realized how monumentally bad the accident had been.
“Or even if you don’t want to be Red Robin.”
Frowning, Tim gave Dick a sharp glance. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said,” Dick replied. “Sometimes this family has a tendency to go all or nothing. We’re allowed to take breaks or bow out.”
Tim laughed. “That’s a little rich coming from you.”
“Yeah, well, that’s me.” Dick rolled his eyes. “I picked up all of Bruce’s worst habits.”
“You make up for it in other ways.” Tim rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. “Was it that obvious I was thinking about it?” Even alluding to the idea in his own mind made him cringe and avoid thinking about it. It’s not like it had been the first time he’d ever had thoughts about it, but he’d never entertained them for long, getting absorbed in a case again, and he’d always put it down over the years to a stress reaction.
Things got bad and Tim contemplated jumping ship for better waters.
“You had major crisis face going on,” Dick said. “But honestly I had a mental list and I’ve been going down it. Figured we’d get to it eventually even if you wanted to play at being a clam’s chastity belt.”
It was really hard to fight the smile. Tim narrowed his eyes at his brother and shook his head. “Sometimes you’re just...a real dick, you know?”
“I was aptly named.” Dick smirked. “And come on, in this family? We’re all a bunch of jerks, it’s like a pre-requisite. ‘Gotta be this much of a complete asshole to apply’.”
It was a prime ‘throw a carton of noodles at Dick’ moment and Tim once again cursed his brother’s foresight.
“It’s probably nothing,” Tim said. “It’s not gonna be the first time I look at this lifestyle and go ‘Tim, you’re an idiot, get out while you still can’, but then something always comes up, and it’s not always world-ending monsters and supervillains that mean I have to step up. Sometimes it’s just a really interesting case and I remember the parts of this job that I love and then I’m back to ‘why would I ever want to stop?’”
“You’re not the only one to think about getting out, or panic when you go down hard and have a long recovery ahead.” Dick got off the coffee table and picked up the crutches, handing them to Tim. “You don’t have to go through it alone, or decide right now. Just...let’s eat some noodles, resist throwing them at me, and then come back to the damn manor so Alfred can worry over you in person. You won’t even have to speak to Bruce.”
Tim took the crutches. “You know that for sure?”
“Jason’s on day twenty-seven of his vow of Bruce-silence,” Dick replied, face twisting into a particular grimace that Tim had long identified as his ‘vexed by younger siblings’ face.
“I thought they were on better terms.”
“They are,” Dick replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is better. He’s not even mad, he just likes the twitch that Bruce is developing.”
Tim gave a short laugh. “I guess if he’s having fun.”
Dick rolled his head and made for the kitchen. “Damian’s on day five and Cass is restarting day one again. She, somehow, can’t manage to avoid speaking to him.”
“Cass is failing at being stoic and silent?” Tim asked. “Cass? Our Cass?”
“She feels bad for him.”
Tim took the carton that Dick held out to him. “I guess if I’m missing all the fun, I should come back.”
“Excellent.” Dick grinned. “That means I can call off Plan B.”
“What’s Plan B?”
Dick nodded to the window. “I have Jason waiting outside. We were going to just carry you off against your will.”
Tim nearly dropped the noodles. “You were going to what?”
Shrugging, Dick gave him a serious look. “Well, drugging you would be unethical.”
“Because being awake and able to protest and you both ignoring me would be so much better.” Tim sighed. “This family, I swear.”
“Would’ve been for your own good.” To his credit, Dick didn’t look surprised at all when Tim chucked the noodles at his head.
***
Thankfully, no one made a fuss when Tim and Dick showed up at the manor. Jason arrived ten minutes later and dragged Damian off before he could pick a fight with Tim, which he supposed was what counted for a ‘welcome back’ from Jason.
“I’ve taken the liberty of rescheduling your appointments,” Alfred said, with a pointed look.
Tim nodded. He’d already resolved to go back and make sure his leg healed as best as it could. When he back and fighting fit, then he could really examine his future and figure out how he really felt. There were parts of what they did that Tim couldn’t imagine living without, but that he kept coming back around to thoughts of giving the vigilante lifestyle up…
Well, maybe there were some changes that he needed to make to how he did things.
But that could wait. Today, he was home.
“Welcome back,” Bruce said, and Tim could let his lingering resentment drop enough to recognize the relief in his voice.
Still..
Tim glanced at Dick.
Dick sighed, giving Bruce a grim smile. “He’s on day one.”
Yeah, Tim was going to cherish that look of exasperation for many days to come.
“Of course he is.” Bruce sighed, rubbing at his forehead. He gestured towards the staircase. “Your room is just as you left it.”
Tim nodded, letting out a startled laugh as Cass popped out from behind him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
He was home.