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“Bruce STOP IT!” Dick yelled as he pulled off his motorcycle helmet, jumping off his bike.
Bruce stood clad in his batsuit watching a screen that showed what was happening in the enclosed training room, tablet in hand, ignoring Dick completely as he typed away.
Dick ran over, and peered at the screen. On it he could see nothing and then a blurry form the size of a young human fallen to its knees.
He couldn’t see his face but he saw the body shaking all over.
Tim. It had to be Tim.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO HIM BRUCE?!?!” Dick shouted pushing Bruce’s chest until he hit the wall.
Bruce just glared at him, “What’s necessary. He’s… changing Dick. We have to keep him isolated until we figure out the full extent of his muta-”
Dick didn’t want to hear it as he punched Bruce square in the jaw, “He’s just a KID Bruce! What he needs right now ISN’T this!”
“He’s unstable.” Bruce growled in his Batman tone pushing Dick off of him. He pressed a the tablet and spoke into it, “That was 10 minutes. 5 minutes less than your last try. Go again.”
Dick slammed into Bruce again, “NO HE IS NOT GOING AGAIN! His dad just DIED! OF COURSE he’s unstable!”
Dick went to the door but Bruce pulled him back, “It’s dangerous Dick.”
Oh no he didn’t.
“What’s DANGEROUS Bruce? That’s TIM in there. TIM!” Dick himself was shaking in anger.
“He’s a mutant now. An unstable one.”
Raging anger flared up in Dick’s chest as he glowered at Bruce. Unexpectedly his body took the composure of calmness and confidence after feeling such indignance. He flexed his shoulders and let the earlier non-existent wings flow out of his back.
His Nightwing outfit had hidden slits in the back for the area between his shoulder blades that the wings came out of. It took a moment for them to fully expand, pale white and huge behind him, extending out to twice his arm length.
He was going to tell Bruce he was, but there was never a right time. It had happened the mission right after Jason’s death. They of course didn’t speak to each other obviously because he had been mad at him for keeping Jason’s death a secret and then everything kept piling up. Before he knew it Tim had become Robin and he had so many other things in his life to worry about that he avoided having to add to it Bruce’s judgement over his mutation as well.
But that wasn’t important now.
Bruce’s form became rigid as he let his palm fall from Dick’s shoulder. A look Dick couldn’t quite place was on his face.
Good. He should feel bad. He should rethink whatever the hell he’s thinking.
Dick put his palm up to the keypad letting it scan his handprint. The red light turned green and the door opened allowing him in.
Dick charged through it not giving Bruce a second glance. As the door closed behind him Dick ran over to Tim.
He wasn’t strangely blurry anymore as he stood in the middle of the room.
“Dick?!” Tim asked startled as Dick scooped him up in a hug, “Y-You have wings!”
Dick’s wings flapped and fluttered as if in response as he gave the kid a smile, “Heh, yeah I guess I do.”
“You’re… a mutant too?” Tim’s eyes continued to move along his wingspan and then back to his face in disbelief.
“I am.” he squeezed Tim a little, “Are you okay?”
Tim’s face became serious as he stepped away from Dick, his voice almost robotic, “Bruce is testing my abilities. At first he thought it was invisibility but I knew that couldn’t be right. As we continued testing we have come to the conclusion that I can disassemble my cells until I, for lack of a better word, become invisible. The first time I disassembled I was gone for half an hour but as I reformed we moved into this training room to gage the situation. Its fascinating really, I don’t know how I am able to disassemble my cells and yet still have the consciousness to put myself back together. We don’t know exactly how it works but with further testing-”
Dick interrupted him as he rubbed Tim’s shoulders, “That’s super cool Tim but I meant about your dad.”
“Oh…”, the vulnerable look in Tim’s eyes as he shook slightly gave him away even though he tried so hard to keep his neutral facade.
Suddenly Tim’s body became blurred and Dick wrapped his wings slightly around them again, hugging him. He could feel wet tears on his chest where Tim buried his face.
Dick could hear Tim’s muffled tearful mumbling as if he were trying to calm himself down as his body flowed in and out of a state of dissipating, “T-there are many people in this world with... the genetic makeup allowing them to mutate... Many times the gene is- is in a state of stasis and makes itself known as the subject matures. Sometimes the gene never activates. M-many times emotional t… rauma can cause the m-mutant gene to activate due to high stress levels of the s-subject... M-many mutants can become unstable, unpredictable and d-dangerous at t-these times of… hardship and…”
Dick held him tight and shushed him quietly, “I met your father only on a few occasions but I’m sure he was a good man. He raised you. I’m sure he’s proud of you.”
Dick felt a silent sob shake through Tim’s shoulders, “It’s okay. Just let it out.”
As Dick said that Tim vocally sobbed and Dick wrapped his wings tighter around them in a cocoon of feathers.
“I’m scared.” Tim admitted, his voice but a whisper, his there but not quite there form gripped Dick’s waist as if holding on for dear life.
Dick didn’t know if Tim was referring to being afraid of his powers or if he was afraid something having to do with his father's death, a fear of death itself? Maybe it was a fear of the person who killed his father? A fear of himself and what he wishes he could do to the person who killed his father? Maybe he was scared of what Bruce thought of him? Maybe he was scared of the uncertain future of what will happen now that he does have powers? Maybe he was scared of all of them combined?
Dick didn’t have an answer. In truth he had been scared when he first mutated and he was still scared. But they could both press on and be scared together. They would get through this together. All Dick could do though was just hold him. He held him for as long as he could, until Tim’s form became reassuringly solid again.
---
Bruce came up to Dick silently staring at him after Dick had called Alfred to take care of Tim. He was now eating a late dinner up in the manor.
They were alone in the batcave now.
Dick’s tried his best not to hide his wings away and let them stay out proudly.
As always Dick spoke first, “I can’t believe you Bruce. His dad just DIED. How could you just throw him into a training session right after-”
“He was mutating. It seemed like the most… logical thing to do.” Bruce answered.
“Logical? LOGICAL?! Do you even hear yourself right now B?!” Dick’s wings flared out as he seethed, “The only person who acted logically was Alfred when he called me!”
Bruce remained quiet. Dick knew Bruce wasn’t the best with emotions, with coping. Dick knew Bruce could comfort people in his awkward way but sometimes it seemed as if he’d forgot how to. Dick knew he threw Tim into training as a coping mechanism in and of itself, it’s what he would do to himself, but god, Tim wasn’t Bruce. Forcing the feelings down and just pushing through like that would only hurt the poor kid.
“I… didn’t know.” Dick could tell he was referring to his wings. His mutation.
“How could you have? I was hiding it from you.” Dick didn’t want to play nice, his words biting.
“Even so I should have known.”
Dick brushed off the hand Bruce just placed on his shoulder, “Yes you SHOULD HAVE but you didn’t!”
Yes, he never told Bruce but if Bruce had once come to him. Visited Titan Tower, checked up on him in Bludhaven, he would have known. But he didn’t.
Dick tried to press down that indignant anger flaring up. It was true if Bruce had visited him then he would have known but Dick also purposefully ignored his calls and didn’t visit him as well. It wasn’t all Bruce’s fault. Dick knew this. But he was angry because why did he always have to be the bigger person? Couldn’t Bruce pull through for him for once?!
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you come to me?” Bruce asked stiffly.
“Why do you think?! I’ve heard how you talk about metas and mutants B! They’re not welcome in your city! That reminds me! I’ll get Tim’s stuff and I can set up a living quarters for him at Titan Tower and-”
“No. That doesn’t mean-”
“Yes it DOES! We’ll leave and we won’t bother you anymore!”
Bruce grabbed Dick’s shoulder and Dick hated that vulnerable look in Bruce’s eyes, “You and Tim are always welcome here.”
Dick gave him a disgusted look, “Oh so we get a free pass? Woop-de-doo! What abou-”
“I revoke it.” Bruce’s voice boomed through the cave.
Dick paused, “You revoke what? Our free pass?”
Bruce’s brow creased and Dick saw what almost looked like a plea, an apology written on his face and god was he weak to that face, “I revoke my stance on metas and mutants. All are welcome here in Gotham.”
Dick went silent. What had he said? What?
“You- Just like that?” Dick asked in wonder.
Was Bruce actually closing the gap between them? Making up for it? Dick didn’t have to?
Bruce nodded.
“You really mean it?”
He nodded again.
“You swear?”
Another nod.
“Tim can still be Robin?” Dick asked to make sure he was getting this all right.
“Yes Dick. He IS Robin.” Bruce reassured.
A flurry of happy excitement flowed through Dick’s chest, his wings started fluttering out but he kept himself calm, he was still mad about how Bruce handled Tim, “So if I bring-”
“Don’t get carried away.” Bruce grunted, “This is still MY city and I am in charge of it.”
‘Okay.’ Dick thought, ‘Babysteps. Bat-babysteps.’