Chapter Text
Tim can totally be a good big brother. He made powerpoints and charts detailing his good big brother qualities.
(Yes, he was basing it off of Dick Grayson. Yes, Dick Grayson was his only reference point on what a good big brother is. That is not the point here)
He asked Mother and Father for one multiple times when he was younger.
He even made them a powerpoint presentation detailing how he was already responsible at 10 years old and he is mature enough to take care of a toddler. He even included that Mother and Father will not have to do much (not that they did anyway but he didn’t say that part) and Tim can take care of anything a toddler will need (he has access to the Drake money and a computer).
But even with all that in his favor, they denied his request citing that only one child is what’s expected of them.
He just thinks that Mother doesn’t want to go through another pregnancy again.
All he wanted was someone to play with in an empty mansion. He wanted someone to love him and make him less lonely. He just wanted a family who was actually there with him.
Tim wished for a baby brother.
Six years later, Damian Wayne arrived at the Manor.
.
.
.
Tim stared at the BatCave ceiling, body aching and in pain from having collided harshly with the floor.
Okay. So he has to adjust his plans slightly. But no biggie. He is very adaptable.
But this changes nothing. He is still going to get Damian to accept him as an older brother.
So what if the kid pushed him off the dinosaur?
It wasn’t anything worse than what the rest of the bats did. Bruce tried many times to get him to quit and he outstubborn the emotionally constipated bitch. Jason tried to yeet him out of existence multiple times and the attempts didn’t stick.
Dick wasn’t as bad but he did bruise his wrist when he first showed up at his apartment to convince him to be Robin again. And sobbed in front of him that he wasn’t Jason a few times. Tim is good at fixing Batman, not so good at helping with Nightwing’s mental breakdowns. Emotions were still a mystery to him no matter how many textbooks and research papers he read. He just awkwardly sat down next to the man and patted his back.
Compared to that, being pushed off the dinosaur isn’t even that bad. It’s like being shot at by a perp and only getting a graze.
What’s a little pain in the long run?
Pain makes you stronger and Tim Drake is no wimp.
But damn, he hopes Bruce gets back here soon because it was going to be a pain to try to crawl to the medbay like this. He can do it. He had determination in spades but why do it yourself when you can make Batman do it for you?
Tim may be a stubborn chaotic teenager who girlbossed his way into becoming Robin and made pain his bitch but it doesn’t hurt to get outside help from time to time. It’s called having minions sidekicks friends.
For now, he laid on the cold ground, staring up at the dark ceiling, plotting and scheming on how to show Damian that Tim can and will be a good big brother for him.
.
.
.
Damian wanted to be Robin.
Tim was currently Robin.
This is an easy fix.
Sometimes big brothers put their baby brothers’ wants over their own.
He remembered when Dick sacrificed his favorite ice cream just so Tim could have it. It was a hot summer day and there was only one nutty chocolate ice cream bar in the freezer. And Dick gave that up for him.
Tim can do the same thing.
He loved being Robin and the magic it gives him as he flies through Gotham by Batman’s side and upholding Dick and Jason’s legacy.
But Damian was insecure in his place among them. He was scared of going back to Nanda Parbat if he can’t be good for the Bats —not knowing that he was already perfect in Tim’s eyes.
So Tim can do this one thing right.
.
Knock. Knock.
Damian immediately threw a knife at Tim’s head which he dodged and it embedded itself deep in the door.
Huh. Maybe Damian would like to bond by making batarangs in the BatCave. He seems to like weapons, bonus points if they’re lethal.
“Hey.” He put on a bright smile like he didn’t just have a knife thrown at him seconds before. He was holding a folded suit close to his chest.
“Get out of my room, Drake.” Damian hissed his name like it was poisonous.
Eh. Tim heard worse. Sometimes, Mother would hiss how he was a waste of space on her particularly off days.
“I have something for you.” He walked further into the room. And before Damian could throw another knife at him, he held out the suit, a bright gleaming R symbol staring up. There was no mistaking what it was.
But Damian still asked.
“...What is this?” His voice was oddly quiet.
Tim gently put the suit on his little brother’s lap. “I know that you want the Robin mantle so I’m giving it to you.”
“Just like that?” Damian was stunned, limbs frozen as he regarded what he considered was his birthright.
Tim smiled and confirmed. “Just like that.”
Damian looked up and scrutinized Drake’s expression, looking for the trick, the trap, the lies but his expression and body language was oddly honest and sincere.
It made no sense.
He was glad, happy even, that Drake finally realized who was superior and accepted his place as being lesser.
But.
Why would Drake just...give up like that? He read all the files he could gather on his target and everything he read was that Timothy Jackson Drake was a stubborn individual that outstubborn even Father. He doesn’t simply give up.
So it must be a trick. He must have an ulterior motive like making Damian lower his guard to stab him in the back later.
Drake is a formidable foe to be this good at faking his emotions. He played a convincing act of being painfully earnest that he really was giving him the Robin mantle.
And when Drake ruffled his hair with a gentle smile before leaving the room, Damian pretended that Drake succeeded in his deception so he did not stab his predecessor for daring to touch him in such a condescending manner.
He ignored how he felt warmth when Drake directed that gentle smile towards him. It was simply a trick, he kept telling himself, and Damian has been trained far too well to fall for it.
He looked down and clutched the Robin suit tightly in his fists, ignoring the hollow victory in his chest.
.
Tim was beaming as he walked back to his room. Giving Damian Robin was the right decision. He saw how Damian was stunned with glee when he gave him the suit.
He gave himself a pat on the back for being such a good big brother. See Mother and Father? His powerpoint presentation didn’t lie. He was responsible and mature enough for a little brother.
His plans were off to a good start.
The next step was to initiate multiple brotherly bonding events to build and strengthen their relationship.
He can’t wait.
But first, he decided to reward himself for a job well done by getting a cup of coffee with multiple espresso shots that would kill a lesser man.