Chapter Text
“Timothy,” Damian says as he gently rocks the cradle with Julian lays asleep in his Flash onesie that Timothy had purchased from a store. He stared at his older brother, who was holding a baby bottle with milk stored within it. “Care to introduce me to this infant?”
Tim froze, his body wouldn’t cooperate as he stood there in shock as Damian rocked the cradle where Julian was, there was a heavy pause in the air, hanged as if to present itself as the audience of this disaster. As if things couldn’t get worse, Julian stirred at the motion. Julian opened his eyes, expecting his dad, only to find a stranger and then he started wailing. That caught Tim’s attention and he stepped forward so quickly and within seconds, he had abandoned the baby bottle on the drawer next to the cradle and scooped Julian in his arms. Taking a step back and standing to the side, Damian observes the sight of his older brother and the baby his brother is currently cradling and holding as if the infant is the most important person in the world.
It couldn’t be further from the truth, Julian is Tim’s entire world now.
Julian is currently the most important part of Tim’s life, as unorthodox and unethical Julian’s birth was. He mattered the most at the moment to Tim, not Bruce, his work- and fuck, even Kon didn’t matter to Tim at the very moment. Maybe he still did, maybe he didn’t. His hands held his son tenderly, shushing and bouncing Julian up and down to try and soothe the distress his son was experiencing. Damian just stared, never did he thought will he ever see Tim like this. His gaze landed on the infant in his brother’s arms, a small ball of distress. He almost thought the child was irritating when the child reopened his eyes and Damian swore he caught a glimspe of his brother, in fact, the similarities are uncanny and at the same time, it wasn’t. The two co-existed in the nursery as Tim comforted the wailing child, soon enough, the child quieted down and even started giggling softly as Tim reached for the baby bottle and fed him the milk.
When Julian finished, Tim rocked him again, slow and steady whilst his palm supporting Julian’s fragile head and neck. When Julian dozed off, Tim placed a loving kiss on his forehead, feather light like Julian would break and placed him back into the crib. Tim sighed in relief, though it was short lived.
Ahem.
Right, Damian was still present. Tim gripped the crib’s railing, taking a deep breathe before turning to Damian, “...Damian.”
“Timothy,” Replied the younger bat, looking up at Tim before his gaze strayed away and Tim instinctively followed where Damian’s eyes had landed and without his consent, his body acted on its own will and blocked Julian from his baby brother’s line of sight. “What’s with the visit? It’s a wednesday, you should be in the Wayne manor, Bruce will-“ Damian cuts him short, not allowing him to even finish, “Father is occupied, Richard and Jason made sure of it. They freed Selina from Arkham Asylum to cause a diversion,” the youngest bat observed his brother. ‘Squared shoulders, tired eyes and his hand gripping the railing of the crib, just waiting for more pressure to break into pieces.’ Damian didn’t need it to be spelt out for him. His brother was exhausted, apprehensive even, he didn’t bother keeping in contact with anyone in the family after their father had return, which worried everyone.
“So,” Damian began, trying to make his brother explain. “So...” Timothy quietly added, his eyes sharp despite the exhaustion. “Does he have a name?” Damian inquired and that made Tim snort and nod, “Julian, his name is Julian... I’m babysitting for friend.” Tim had to bite the inside of his cheek, had he said ‘Kent’, it would’ve aroused suspicion all too quickly for Tim’s liking and he wouldn’t be able to smother it. He found himself under Damian’s scrutinising glare and a small tut came out of Damian. “You’re lying, that infant is clearly yours. The child has that birthmark you have on the left side of your neck,” Tim’s eyes widen in alarm and he found himself shifting his weight from on foot to the other, his mind desperately trying to control his rising voice, “Why do you care? Why are you here-“
“Father’s asking for you,” That, that made Tim freeze and blinked to process what his baby brother had just informed him of, “He wants you to come back home.” Damian added, his voice grows quiet in comparison to Tim’s, “He said he wants all his children under one roof. That includes you.” Tim knew Damian was cruel, but this? To say Bruce wanted him back in the manor and consider him as a son?
That was a slap to the face. It was cruel, even by Damian’s standards. If Bruce wants him to come back, he knows the man he views a father figure and mentor would’ve been the one to come and confront him rather than send Damian to deal with him. “Father wasn’t able to move for the last few months, this is the first time he walks into his suit again Richard is now officially Nightwing again.” Oh. “He’s been asking to see you but no one knew where you went until Jason got word from his little street rats that Drake manor seemed... occupied.” Damian gestures to the nursery, Tim and finally, Julian.
Another solid pause, Damian allows his words to sink in and if that doesn’t work, he’ll have to drag Tim screaming back to Wayne Manor. Tim tries to keep up, he really does. Fatigue had a strange way of slowing him down. He only snapped out of his trance when Damian asks again, “Is he actually... yours?” Tim couldn’t help but feel threatened at that, for Damian to say Bruce wants Tim back with them is one thing, to doubt Julian isn’t his baby is another thing, “Yes, yes he is. And if you have something to say-“
“Can I hold him?” Tim tensed, his words died in his throat before Damian added, “...Please?” Tim had to look Damian up and down, a bit surprised by this new side of his baby brother was disarming enough. “Can I?” Damian repeats and Tim relents, he picks up the sleeping baby and wordlessly teaches Damian how to hold a baby properly, this was new for Damian to appear so... soft. “Timothy, why is he so light?” Tim shrugs and Damian accepts it while cradling baby Julian in his arms.
“Are you coming home, Ahki?” Huh, Tim had only heard of Damian calling Jason that.
“...I don’t know. I don’t think I have a place there anymore.”
“Tt, nonsense. Why would you think that?”
Tim swallows as the shame slips into his mind, his gaze drifting to his son in Damian’s arms. The same one he had created with the use of Kon’s DNA, he was no better than Luthor, he was no better than CADMUS, he was no better than anyone else. He was no robin and he sure as hell wasn’t a Wayne. In fact, he doesn’t believe he’s anything at all. The fact that he created such a perfect child, in his opinion, was beyond him and he questioned himself ever since Julian became a part of his life.
Was it worth it?
“Nothing much. I think I over stayed my welcome, plus Julian needs me.”
Did he even deserve Julian?
“Father would oppose that statement.” Did Kon deserve being cloned again and his DNA used for a child he doesn’t and will never know about because he’s dead? “I’m sure father will be delighted to meet your child.”
‘What would Kon think of him?’
And the heaviest question that weighed on his soul,
‘Would Kon even want Julian? Would Kon want anything to do with Julian? If not him, how about Julian?’
God, Tim didn’t want to know the answer to that. He would never get one anyways nor does he deserve closure for what he had done. He does not deserve anything good and that included support. “Bruce would be opposed to anything I do anyways.”
But, just this once, he’ll be the most selfish man alive. He didn’t deserve Kon or anyone, but Julian deserves a father who’s actually around and not wallowing in self pity, Julian didn’t deserve Tim’s selfishness. No one did, and Tim wants nothing but the best for Julian, no matter how selfish he could get.
“Does Father know?” Damian began, his eyes glue on Julian’s sleeping form in his arms. “No. No one did.” Tim answers selfishly and Damian nods. “Can I?”
Confusion swirls in Tim as he cocks a brow, “Can you what?” Damian, who looks like he had swallowed something bitter, most probably his ego and pride, repeated, “Can I come more often? I want to see the baby more and if you won’t come back home, then I’ll come to you.” Tim grimaced, Damian was pulling on his heartstrings but he couldn’t help to be cautious, “Wouldn’t Bruce notice? Plus, how would I be able to trust you that you can keep your mouth shut about Julian?”
“Please, keeping a secret is child’s play,” Damian couldn’t help but assure, rolling his eyes. “Plus, it is clear you do not wish to reach your son-“ Tim corrects him, “Julian.” Damian tuts in acknowledgement and continues, “As I was saying, you seem uncomfortable about revealing Julian’s presence within our family and Gotham. I’m not about to let pettiness endanger such a mere child. I mean, look at him,” Damian tilts his head, Julian’s form dwarfed by Damian, who had always been small for his age. That made Tim consider, he wanted Damian off his back, for Damian to leave him alone because what if Bruce sent Damian to spy on him? But at the same time, seeing that look in Damian’s eyes, something inexplicable in Tim shifts. “Fine. But keep your mouth shut and bring some of Alfred’s cooking and cookies.”
“Tt, sounds reasonable. You and I have a deal, Timothy."