Part 3 to Tim being adopted by the Queens
Here is part 1 and part 2.
VERY IMPORTANT! I have not consumed a single media about the Queens. This is based on pure imagination. Why I choose the Queens, we will never know... Excuse the mischaracterization. If you don't like it, don't read it. Simple as that.
"So, yeah. That is about it."
"I am sorry. You have been out in the field for months and you told no one about your missing spleen?!" B sounded at the verge of a heart attack.
"It's in my medical file. I update it every time something happens." At that Oliver snorted.
"You update your file?" Tim rolled his eyes.
"Fine. You update it. Same thing. " Dinah looked as if she was going to argue, so Tim kept going. "Moving on. Um... Yeah, you guys didn't have to come all the way here. I know that you were at the zoo and the hospital is, like, halfway across the city. I already told you that I won't be able to patrol for the next three days because I was going away, so this wouldn't have affected anything."
"We were worried about you, baby bird." Jason said softly.
"Oh." Tim looked surprised, as if he hadn't even thought of that. As if he thought they wouldn't care. That realization hurt more than anything.
Roy sent Jason a strained smile and moved to hug Tim. The silence was filled with so much anguish that no one knew what to do.
In the end, Conner spoke up.
"Well, he is mostly fine. You need not worry." he paused for a moment as if wondering whether to keep talking. "His family is with him."
Damian knew words can hurt more than a blade. He was rather skiled in that department. And yet, no training could have stopped that blow.
He cleared his throat and looked straight at Timothy.
"I expect that this will not affect our usual Friday meetings. I have found out that your style of music is... acceptable."
Tim's face beamed at that.
"I wouldn't dare miss it. Though it won't be face to face."
"I will remember this for next time."
"Friday meetings? What do you two even talk about?" Dick seemed to want to keep going but then a different thought crossed his mind. "Hang on. Do the two of you... get along?"
"Yeah..." Steph jumped in "Since when?"
"Since I was able to swallow my pride and realised that I don't... dislike Timothy. That my resentment came from jealousy, not superiority. Also since he is always down to... help me hide another pet. And the fact that he is a far more of a dangerous foe than I thought."
"Oh, well, that is great. It so nice that you are finally getting along. " Bruce started. Then the words finally sank in. "I am sorry, he is helping you with what?"
"Not important." Tim chimed in. "Be glad that it is over now."
"I am, of course I am, but you can't just - "
"Can't just what?" Oliver spoke up, glaring at Bruce. "Bond? Move past trauma? Be siblings?"
"Of course it isn't. That would be unacceptable." he looked at his watch. "Oh, look at the time. We have to get home. We have a family dinner planned." At that, Oliver turned around, gathered his youngest's things and helped him get up.
"We wouldn't want to overstay our welcome."
Five minutes later, everyone was ready to go. Bruce stood at the side with Oliver and watched his kids say goodbye to Tim.
"You know he is always welcome at my home, right?" Bruce asked. "He is as much my kid as the rest of them. Nothing would harm him."
"Nothing but you." Oliver hissed. "If you weren't so stubborn after Jason died and asked for help dealing with your grief, this wouldn't have happened. If you didn't go berserk, he wouldn't have felt obliged to become Robin. If you hadn't trained him as if he is nothing more than a vesselfor your cause, he wouldn't feel as if he is expandable. If you hadn't sent him away, he wouldn't have caught Shiva's attention. If you hadn't done what you did at his sixteenth birthday, you wouldn't have felt as if he couldn't trust us when you were lost in time. If your kids weren't... if they'd trusted him about you being alive he wouldn't have had to go to Ra's . Then he would still have his spleen. Then Paris wouldn't have happened. Then there wouldn't be flowers and gifts sent to my house, because Ra's wants him as an heir and as a - Then that pedophile wouldn't be pining after my underage son." he snarled.
"I don't want him here, because he doesn't feel welcome here. Because he isn't safe here. Because he everytime he s is here, he come back more broken and begs me to prove to him that he isn't unlovable, that while he is broken, it isn't beyond repair."
"I don't want him here because every time he comes back I have to lock every window, to hide every sharp object in case you have pushed him to the edge. I- " Oliver physically stopped himself from continuing. "I refuse to let him - because you can't see that you are - " he laughed humourlessly. "Do you have any idea how long it took for him to trust us? And every time he does, you ruin it." he stopped again and took a deep breath. "No, Bruce, if I have a say in it, Tim will not be alone in yourcity again. Thank God for Cass and Helena and Selena... and now Duke and Damian, because if they didn't put my son's life above your mission, we would be seeing each other way more."
"Dad!" Tim ran up to them. "Everything good to go?"
Oliver beamed "Of course, sweetheart. Lets' go home."
He took Tim's hand, led him to the others and then the Queens were off.
Neither Tim nor Oliver looked back.
Bruce stood there, frozen, even as his family came to him. He vowed then and there, that he would make things right. That he would make his son feel at home. And he knew that rest felt the same.
He only prayed that it wasn't far too late.
