Chapter Text
Tim jumped at the sharp knock on his door. "Come in?" He looked at the clock. Two in the morning, who…?
Damian stepped into the room, light spilling in through the doorway, illuminating his hesitant glare. "I could not sleep."
"Oh."
"Would you," he cleared his throat, "would you like to spar?"
Tim blinked. "Sure?"
"Very well," the younger boy nodded. "I will meet you at the Batcave."
He left before Tim could answer. That was normal. The only normal thing about this. Why Tim? Why would Damian willingly hang out with Tim? Okay, to be fair, sparring wasn't really hanging out. Yeah, Damian just wanted to beat someone up and Tim was obviously the best choice! That had to be it.
"Get it together!" Tim hissed to himself.
He shut his laptop and dragged himself out of bed. Throwing on a black compression top and burgundy sweatpants, Tim made his way to the Batcave as quietly as possible. Damian was already stretching on the mats. Classical music drifted from hidden speakers. Tim joined Damian and started stretching as well. Awkward silence filled the cave. Damian broke it with a cough.
"Are you…sufficiently prepared?"
"Uh," Tim paused mid-stretch. "Yeah sure."
Damian nodded tersely.
Tim stood and lowered himself into a fighting stance. Damian did the same. This would be fine, everything was fine! Damian swung first, aiming for his opponents shoulder. Tim narrowly avoided the attack before aiming a strike at Damian's side. The two boys danced around each other, exchanging quick jabs and dodging blows before Damian finally spoke up.
"I wanted to talk," he made Tim double over with a strong kick to the stomach.
Tim coughed and swiped at Damian's leg. "Oh really? What'd I do this time?"
Damian scrambled backwards. "You have not done anything wrong," he immediately lunged forward again, sending an uppercut Tim's way. "It is I who has acting unjustly."
Tim was so surprised he barely dodged the punch.
"I wanted to…apologize," Damian paused to maneuver around Tim and strike him in the back. "For, well, everything."
Tim gasped in shock, from the hit and the words. He flipped around and slammed a palm into Damian's chest, sending the smaller boy reeling backwards. "Like trying to kill me, everything?
Damian flinched at the words, but ran towards Tim again. "Well, yes, I suppose."
"You suppose?" Tim caught Damian and flipped him over his shoulder.
Damian hit the ground with a loud thud. The wind was knocked out of him. Holding up a hand in surrender, the boy sat up and brought his breathing back under control.
"It was wrong of me," Damian looked ashamed as he stared blankly at his hands.
"Well yeah but-"
"Don't," Damian cut Tim off. "Do not excuse my behavior. Richard says I was young, father says I was traumatized, Todd says I was angry."
"You were!" Tim exclaimed. "You also haven't tried to kill me in what, five months?" He didn't bring up that he thought this whole thing was another murder attempt.
Damian looked up. "I know you thought I asked you to spar so I could hurt you."
Tim inhaled sharply, ready to defend himself. Damian shot him a glare, effectively shutting him up.
"Really, who could blame you? I don't want to hurt you, Drake, not anymore."
And he looked so very sorry and so very small. This wasn't the Damian who pushed Tim, who cut his grapple. No, this was a Damian who wanted to be better. A Damian who didn't expect forgiveness, but apologized anyways. This was Tim's baby brother.
"I forgive you," Tim huffed out, plopping down next to Damian. Next to his brother.
"What?"
"Yeah, it's like, whatever. It happened. Oh well."
Damian opened his mouth to retort.
"Nope!" Tim smirked. "Just accept it."
"But how can I?" Damian looked down at his hands again. He wiped them on his pants like there was blood staining them. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."
Tim's expression softened. Part of him wanted to agree, to fight, but the other part was stronger. The part that saw how much guilt Damian was carrying within him. "Maybe not."
"Wow, thanks-" Damian began, recoiling back into his shell.
"But I'm giving it anyways."
Damian gazed up at Tim and blinked.
"You're my brother, Dami," the corners of Tim's mouth quirked up into a smile. "I would forgive you ten times over. No matter what. We were both angry. What you did was wrong, yes, but you're growing and trying and I can see all the progress you've made. We can heal. It's gonna such sometimes, we're going to fight of course, but at the end of the day, we're brothers. I know you care, you wouldn't have apologized if you didn't."
Damian was still looking at Tim, but now his eyes were glazed over.
"Oh my god are you ok?" Tim panicked. Was he sick?
"Thank you," Dami said, softly. So soft, barely a whisper. And then a tear leaked from his eye.
"I'm sorry," Tim's eyes widened and he brushed the tear away. Shit, child leaking. Make it stop.
Dami glared. "I am not crying." he shot back, wiping away more tears.
"I didn't say you were!"
"Whatever!"
Tim laughed and ruffled his brother's already mussed hair and earned a light slap to the hand. They fell into silence. Comfortable, this time. The two brothers continued to sit contentedly for a moment longer. Well, mostly content. Tim noticed Dami getting restless and stood. He extended a helping hand.
"Round two?"
Dami smirked, grasping the hand, pulling himself up. He pulled Tim close and instead of the punch Tim was expected, he hugged him. Tim just stood there a moment, unsure what to do. He wrapped his arms carefully around the smaller boy.
"I've always wanted to do this," Dami smiled against Tim's shirt.
Awe, that was…surprisingly sweet. Tim was about to respond when he was suddenly yanked down into a headlock.
"Hey!" he elbowed Dami in the stomach.
He brother just cackled maniacally. It was a welcome sound