Chapter Text
It’s been too long since Tim has seen Kon, Tim wanted his partner back. His eyes glinted in that horrible green liquid as he stood in front of the cloning tube. “Computer, run attempt 98,” ordered Tim as he clutched something in his fists under his cape as the computer let out a long suffering beep as if to tell him he was wasting his breath and time. He didn’t let that discourage him. He was so close to getting Kon back, he’s so close to have his best friend in his arms again.
He’s so close to having Kon in his life again.
If not as a lover, then as a friend.
His fists clenched the item he held in them, there was a long stretch of silence and Tim could’ve sworn he heard Kon’s voice, promising both of them will be together again and they didn’t have to say good bye-
BEEP!
Tim’s eyes dart to the red flashing monitors and nearly started breaking down, his shoulders shook as he bit his lower lips, his vision seeming became glossy and not long after, tears became evident, wetting his cheek as his eyes gazed upon the familiar writing of his failure. He attempted to step forward but ended up on his knees and his forehead against the glass of the tube. He couldn’t believe he failed again, he closed his eyes and banged his head on the glass, completely ignoring the blooming pain located on his forehead. His hands clutched the shirt that he held close to his chest as he practically starts sobbing his eyes out. He couldn’t believe he failed, he forced himself up as he trudged towards the table where he kept Kon’s remaining DNA and didn’t notice his blood dripping down into the vial, he wiped his cheeks and opened his eyes and reached for a rag to wipe his blood dry. Walking away, he patched himself up, making sure he didn’t feel lightheaded as he continued his long term mission of cloning his dead partner. With shaky legs, he walked back to the table and added the blood samples he had left and spoke, “C- computer,” He sucked in a breath before continuing and praying that this would finally work, “Run attempt 99.”
He waited as the computer processed his command, humming as the tube finally glowed that toxic green liquid and then...
Alarms sings out as the computer’s automated voice reads out, “DNA sample, inaccurate to subject Conner Kent. Blood sample anomaly, new subject in progress.”
‘WHAT-!’ Tim didn’t have time to process when the cloning process completed, the computer pinged green with success but instead of his partner, Tim saw a baby inside the cloning chamber and suddenly, his vision turned dark as his fatigue caught up with him. He regained his consciousness, not long after and his eyes immediately met a figure within the tube. Small, fragile and... his. His eyes widened and his body moved as if it had a mind of its own and got the baby out to check its vitals. To his shock, the baby is breathing and then a pang of mortified disappointment clawed at him.
He failed. Again.
Mind clouded with doubt, he didn’t notice the baby opening its eyes and reaching out for him. His gaze dropped to met the baby’s and his breath hitched. The baby had Kon’s eyes. In fact, the baby had Kon’s nose, his brows and his skin but Tim noticed the baby had his eye shape, chin and lips. His mind stalled and realisation sunk in.
“Fuck.”
He just created a baby. He just created a baby out of Kon’s DNA. What he didn’t understand was how it happened, the baby looked so much like Kon and yet, the baby looked like him too. He racked his brain for answers and then he saw the bloody cloth from the table over. Another realisation came to mind, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. His gaze returned to the baby- his baby and found him staring back, curious and untouched by the world around him. The baby had his hands out and without a thought in what he had just done, Tim picked his baby up and cradled him. Studying his baby once more, Tim couldn’t help but feel ashamed. Trying to clone his dead best friend was unethical enough, creating a new life out from Kon’s DNA without anyone’s consent and knowledge was another, the pit in his stomach made itself known and Tim looked away, wanting to throw up. He hasn’t eaten in a while, there was nothing to throw up. The only thing he can throw up was his guts and insides and goodness, he wished he could turn back time and-
PAP!
His cheek was met with a small and curious hand as his baby smiled and kept patting his cheek, Tim felt his knees buckle and he collapsed to his knees and cradled his baby close. “You’re perfect,” he whispered as tears welled up in his eyes again. The baby let out a sound close to a laugh, Tim’s lips weakly curled upwards. His baby sounds like Kon too, his baby is perfect. Facing upwards to the screen, he saw the results.
His DNA and Kon’s were side by side, with the monitor flashing out the words he never thought he’d see: Cloning Successful.
Dear God, what has he done?
_____________________________________
He named his baby Julian, it was a sweet and short name, in Tim’s opinion.
Jul-El. A funny name. But a name nonetheless.
He cradled his son close to his chest, despite Julian being asleep and Tim had a sling purchased for Julian. Tim was working over time, he needed to find Bruce because he knows Bruce isn’t dead; he knows it, people were calling him crazy over it. Julian slept soundly in the sling, his chubby cheek mushed against Tim’s chest and Tim couldn’t be happier. Sure, he still had guilt and shame for doing what he did but he will not apologise for his actions. Not when that meant apologising for creating the one thing he failed to protect and bring back. He will not be apologising for making his son as selfish as it might be and seem, Tim was far too gone for anything but. He read those parenting books he had found online and he read each and every one of them. He might not have any good relationship with his parents, considering he never truly bonded with them and Bruce was a whole other topic. Kon, too, has very rocky relations with Clark and Lex. The closest he had gotten to parental figures were Ma and Pa Kent. Tim swore to himself, while he might be a hot mess and probably the most selfish man on earth, he isn’t going to let Julian suffer the consequences of his actions.
He felt watched.
After locating Bruce, Tim entrusted Ma Kent with Julian, claiming that he was merely babysitting for a friend though he knew that Ma Kent was onto him yet said nothing of it. Which Tim is really grateful about, once he managed to pull Bruce out of the timestream, he didn’t bother keeping in contact. He didn’t rub it in anyone’s face that he was right and immediately retreated back to Drake Manor, where he took care of Julian. Young and seventeen, being a dad to a lab grown baby in his dead parent’s mansion was not an easy feat. He picked up the pace, working twice as hard as the new CEO of drake industries and being a dad on the side. He made Julian take Conner’s last name and has been avoiding the members of the batfam for little over six months. Whenever an event came up, Tim had to make some shabby excuse and bunk those events. He also took on the mantle for Cardinal, as much as he hated saying good bye to the red robin mantle. It was for Julian’s own good, but of course, secrets can’t always stay secret.
He couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of eyes on him. The hairs at the back of his neck stood up but he chalked it up from being paranoid and exhausted beyond belief. He wants to just change, feed Julian and maybe hold him close.
He came back home from his patrol as Cardinal and he changed out of his costume. He expected the usual routine of a single teen father of the baby of his dead best friend, he prepared the bottle before going to Julian’s nursery and his hand touched the handle when he paused.
Something was wrong.
He opened the door, anxious boiling over his mind and he nearly dropped the bottle in his hands when he realised who was in the room with his baby.
“Damian?”