Not a secret family, you're just oblivious. Part 9
Part 1 <previous next>
Tim looked over at the twins to make sure they were settled with their lunch before focusing on cleaning up the campsite with his husband. He had to admit, he really needed this break. Honestly he needed to make time for more breaks like this. Don’t get him wrong, he loved being Red Robin. He just wished he had more time to take these weekends with his family. To give his children the experiences he never got. To keep his relationship with Danny fed and healthy.
As much as he complained about the Waynes constantly pulling him into their family drama when all he wanted to do was patrol it did help him learn what exactly he wanted to avoid as a parent. He never wanted to have the type of fighting and tension with his babies that Bruce did. He felt like he had already avoided part of that by having the stability and support he did from Danny, and all of the family he inherited in their relationship.
After becoming a parent himself Tim found that he understood Bruce better in some ways and much much less in others. As talented as Alfred is a support net work of one is shaky. Especially if that one person insisted on a professional emotional distance. But he could not comprehend the way the man pushed his children away. The way he didn’t talk to them about the important things.
He was broken out of his thoughts by his husband calling him over. “I’m going to take this first load of stuff down and see if I can move the car closer to the trail head.” Danny leaned down to kiss his cheek. Tim smiled and went back to packing.
-
Danny looked over at his husband and smiled. Tim had followed the twins in drifting off to sleep. He was glad he made the right call in pushing for this trip. Sure he had to cancel and rearrange a few projects at the shop and reach out his ghost friends, mostly Skulker, to inform them that if the trip was interrupted he wouldn’t be the one getting skinned, but it was worth it.
Ellie was so pleased with herself for winning the scavenger hunt and getting to choose their dinner. Dan was a bit grumpy but the ice cream definitely helped. Tim laughed so much. His real laugh that he only uses when he’s alone with their family. Danny loves that laugh. He hates that Tim hides it. He never had the dubious honor of meeting Tim’s parents but he is also glad that he didn’t. He doesn’t know if he would have been able to hold his tongue about their poor treatment of his husband. He sighed as he focused back on the road. It was a good thing he didn’t mind driving in silence.
-
Tim had been going through and editing the pictures from their weekend. He definitely wanted to get some of them printed, he had some new frames the needed filled, and the picture he kept on his desk at WE need updated. He smiled at the computer at the picture of Danny and Dan posing in front of a cluster of branches that looked like wings. It made his husband look even more like an angel. Ethereal was always his favorite way to describe his husband’s looks, especially when talking about his ghost form. He heard the door to his home office open and saw Ellie come in with her own camera.
“Papa said you were fixing the pictures you took so you can print them out. Um can we do mine too? I want my pictures in my room.” She asked. Tim smiled as he stood to grab the chair he kept in his office for when his children wanted to sit with him while he worked. Ellie came rushing over as he set it up next to his own chair.
“Of course sweetheart! We have to display your art too!”
-
The mood in the cave was almost acidic to Cass as she joined the rest of her family. Tim had returned to Gotham in the late afternoon the day before and would be coming to the cave to check on any cases he needed to before patrol. She looked back at her companion and decided she should explain her presence.
“I called Dinah. We aren’t good at feelings and we need a moderator for when we talk to Tim.”
There was a general level of reluctant agreement before everyone settled back into tense silence. The silence remained unbroken until there was the sound of a motorcycle pulling into the cave.
