KICTTC pt 6
Hello friends! It's been a long time! almost a year? I've been really busy and well as you get older you realize it's one 'situation' after another with very little breathing room. Thank you all for your patience! I plan to get some more stuff out to you soon! Sending much love and hugs <3
~Ren
Bruce hasn't been hiding, no matter what Alfred's raised eyebrow implies. He has been a vigilante since his twenties. He's raised, guided, looked after children since he saw himself in an eight year old boy who watched as his parents bled across the ground unable to do anything for them but turn to stoke the fire of retribution inside to unleash on the person who broke them so carelessly. It's never been easy. He's… trying to gain the most knowledge of the situation so they can all reach a desired outcome. He's trying to keep from overwhelming both of his youngest sons.
Damian has been touchy since his planned introduction to Dick and Cass as potential company for Danny while he was otherwise occupied went poorly. The poor boy had flinched away from Dick's bright personality only to go invisible once he noticed Cass' gaze. Damian later reported to the group chat after Danny had dozed off that it was the feeling of being observed that set his twin off, but wouldn't elaborate other than that. They're lucky he didn't run, instead had fisted Damian's shirt hard enough to tear the fabric.
With Danyal, Bruce wasn't sure where to start. That's not exactly true. He glances about the cave. This time of day it's empty, most of it's visitors asleep except for Duke who is out in the city as Signal. With a sigh Bruce starts digging through the drawers looking for the two way communicator that Talia had given him the last time she came to visit their son. When she didn't respond last week he just threw it whereever in his frustration. He regrets his moment of childness now when he needed the damned thing. He silently repeats the code they had agreed on hoping it works this time.
When he finally dredged it from the depths of the Batdesk Bruce didn't let himself hesitate, he jams his finger against the call button and lets it ring four times before hanging up, redialing, letting it ring twice, hanging up and finally rings the line again three times he sets it down on the desk to wait. Urgent, non-emergency, response needed.
It took an hour but the communicator lit up and Bruce answered before he could second guess himself. "Talia."
"Beloved," She purred, "what a pleasant surprise to hear from you."
"I'm calling about Damian."
She lets out a small hum to show she's listening. He can hear the clinking of silverware through the line.
"He had a nightmare," The lie slips out easy, Damian expressed under no circumstances could their mother catch onto the fact Danyal has come back to him and to use whatever means to do so, not until the boy decided to reach out himself. "of his childhood. I only happened to hear his shout. By the time I reached him he was in hysterics and was not making sense."
"Beloved." She interjects, warning him to make his point.
"I now know about Danyal." He's met with pure silence. Not even the whisper of her breath makes it through. He lets her sit in the uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. When she has nothing to say, he adds, "We're building a memorial for him in the manor and out by my parents and Jason's plots. Did you keep anything of his?"
"You're asking me," She starts voice quiet and maddenly even. "if I kept a memento- for a person who was disgraced in the eyes of the League and erased."
"Hn."
"Sentiment for the weak is frowned on by the Head of the Demon."
Bruce frowns, "That isn't what I asked Talia. And as of last year you became the Demon's Head"
"Tell Damian to expect a package." The line disconnects with a click leaving a flat tone behind.
Bruce feels as unbalanced as he usually does after talking to the woman he loved in his youth, there is a begrudging fondness that still lingers in his mind but he could never go back. Not after he discovered what became of the children she made between them. That she hid from him until he became the only option. He didn't get to ask her the questions he truly wanted to but, well, it doesn't matter why she kept the existence of Damian's twin from him. No answer will be satisfying and because he was hoping for her cooperation, a yelling match wouldn't be constructive.
He needed to schedule another appointment with Dinah.
"How was your murderous Baby Mama?" Dick's worn voice has him spinning the batchair around to face him. It wasn't a flinch, it wasn't.
"She will send something of Danyal's to Damian." Bruce turns back to the desk, mindlessly shuffling the casefiles there, half-heartedly looking for one to flip through.
"Did you ask her why she acknowleged only one twin?" His oldest is staring at him.
Bruce has a headache brewing. "No, what I need now is her cooperation not her evasive answers…how are they doing?" The they meaning the twins, his youngest sons have hardly left his thoughts since their clever misdirect. Tim is still grumbling over having his override code stolen.
"Damian is still playing a dragon with Danny as the princess in the tower, he was going to try to introduce Duke after Cass and I spooked Danyal but has scraped that plan, with his powers having to do with sight and Danyal getting triggered at being observed he's had to think it over again."
"Hn."
"You should go see them you know."
Bruce's shoulders twitch minutely before he turns back to the Batcomputer. "Soon."
He doesn't doubt Dick is rolling his eyes at his back. His eldest doesn't say anything else and when Bruce glances over his shoulder, he is alone once more.
~~~ Tim was always sure of the moves he made. He prepared so meticulously there was little that could land outside his predictions. Unfortunately there is very little data he could go over at the moment in regards to his newest brother. He should just leave it alone. Really he should. Turn around and bury himself in the unfinished cases on his plate. But…Cass has taken to lurking around the house, Danyal's bad reaction to her observation skills really has dredged up old wounds of hers. Dick has been more taking his own frustration out on the poor souls he intercepts on patrol in Bludhaven.
Tim getting invovled isn't a good idea. His relationship with Damian is evidence enough. Yet here he is, possibly dancing with death if he missteps. Damian surely will maim him at the very least if he upsets their youngest. Armed with his laptop, the gaming console, a couple controllers, a pillow and blanket and an energy drink Tim knocks on Danyal's door.
Within moments the door cracks open. Damian's green eyes glare at him from within."Drake. What do you want?"
Tim keeps his body loose and ready to move while his eyes tracked his younger brother. This was such a bad idea, but when has Tim had much self preservation? Not since he started birdwatching all those years ago. "You need to leave the manor today, right?"
Damian pulls the door open to fully reveal his face pulled into a sneer. "So, you thought you'd keep Danyal company?" He practically spits.
"I thought I'd see if Danyal wanted to play some videogames. He must be bored just sitting around waiting to be cleared off of bedrest. We could play together or-" He holds up his laptop, "he can play while I work on some cases. Very little interaction required."
A knife flashes as it catches the light and Tim dives to the side, there is a thunk as the blade imbeds itself into the wall behind where he was just standing.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. He knew this was a bad idea. Tim glares right back at the little menace.
"Dami!" A quiet hoarse voice scolds breaking the tension. Damian waivers, turning to look further into the room. The door shuts in his face.
With a sigh Tim picks himself and his things up off the ground. He tries not to let the disappointment settle. He knew this wasn't gonna work. Tim tries not to think about the long buried wish to have a younger sibling. Well, that isn't accurate, he had one before Danyal showed up but… he had a chance to be close to Danyal slim as it might've been. Damian had been so sure he had to eliminate Tim when he first arrived so Tim never got a chance. After he seemed to settle down the boy only really seemed to take to Dick for the longest time.
To have a little sibling to look after was a wish he buried back with the murder attempts. It hurts that now he could have even the possiblility of a younger brother who looked up to him, that wanted Tim. Of course that wasn't going to happen, Danyal had Damian as an older sibling, he might not even want to be apart of the whole family.
"Timothy." Damian calls out from behind him. Tim turns back to see him still glaring like he'd love nothing more than to personally ensure Tim's presence is removed but the door is opened wide, an invitation inside. Holy shit.
Tim is moving before he realizes it. Damian grasps the collar of his shirt to hiss a quiet threat against upsetting their youngest brother. Tim almost scoffs, like he'd intentionally hurt a family member, but well Cass set the poor guy off by just looking in his direction.
Inside the room there is blankets and pillows piled on the bed, with Danyal in the middle with a wild case of bedhead. He ducks his head when he notices Tim looking, his hands worrying the star covered blanket in his lap. Not the best reaction but he's not actively hiding so Tim counts it as a win.
"Can I show you what I brought?" He asks the boy deliberately looking in his bag to reduce the pressure of his presence. "You can see if there is anything you'd like to play?"
"…do you have Doom?"
"All four actually, do you have a preference?" Danyal's face pinches like he's in pain, lips flat and colorless. Oh-oh no. They didn't know exactly how long Danyal had been captive but they had a few theories, and based on how pale Danyal has gotten it was almost a year at least. The fourth Doom came out nine months ago. Tim busies himself with pulling everything out to give Danyal time to respond, hoping he didn't just mess this up. He's not sure if he should sit on the floor in front of the bed or if he
"I didn't know there was a fourth.." He sounds ashamed, like it's his fault he missed the release. Tim wants to kick himself. When they get their hands on the sick fucks that ripped into their youngest and stole his time to be a carefree teen Tim was gonna make it hurt.
Tim opens his laptop and is pulling up the program with one hand while the other is digging for the connecting cables and the controllers. Damian is a silent sentry against the wall between the bathroom door and closet. Assembling it takes a minute but once the selection screen is up he holds out one of the controllers to Danyal, who takes it hesitantly.
"Do you want to play together? Or try out a few levels on your own?"
Danyal shrugs, picking at the cracked plastic on the joystick. "uh-" He glances at Damian before he turns toward Tim once more eyes on the screen. "We could play together…"
Tim smiles. Damian grabs his coat with a huff but comes close, cupping Danyal's cheek and resting their foreheads together for a moment. "You will let me know how you are doing at lunch." He demands.
Danyal's face heats up in embarassment but doesn't pull away. A quiet yes slips out. Damian throws a final glare over his shoulder in Tim's direction before he's gently shutting the door behind him as he leaves.
A small grin tugs at Tim's lips. "Let's see how much I remember about this game then."