Batbros Forever

Love Goes Both Ways

Damian wrinkled his nose at the ripe smell of body odor as he opened the door. Tim's usually tidy room was in a disheveled state with books and papers strewn about, and the boy hunched over the desk wasn't in much better shape. "Why are you in my room?" Tim mumbled, not looking up from his work.

"I came to ask if you will be coming on patrol, but now I see that might not be the best idea." Damian huffed as he side-stepped his way as close as he dared. "Drake, when was the last time you slept? Or ate? Or showered?"

"I did all that when we got home from school." Tim muttered, and Damian raised his brow. It was Sunday night. Looking more closely, he could now see the state his brother was in.

Protein bar wrappers and empty energy drink cans were littered around in a cascading wave. The files Tim was looking through were all spread out in a chaotic layout.

Meanwhile, Tim himself looked as though he'd been raised from the dead, with his hair sticking up every which way, his clothes stained with unidentifiable substances and dark bruise-like rings under his bloodshot eyes.

The younger boy shook his head. Their Father would never allow Tim to work himself into such a state. Bruce, however, was on a business trip, and Pennyworth had accompanied him, leaving the Wayne children under the care of the oldest brother, who had argued that Tim knew his limits.

Yet again, Damian was coming to the conclusion that Grayson was wrong. "Drake, this is unacceptable." He said firmly. "Whether I like it or not, you represent the house of Wayne, and you can not do so in this state. Clean yourself up."

Tim finally looked over at his brother in bewilderment. "You're not the boss of me." He huffed. "That may be so, but if you don't shower this instant, I will call Pennyworth to make you." Tim tried to stare the younger boy down, but he could barely even focus on a singular spot.

Relentingly he dragged himself to his bathroom and shut the door. Damian stood outside for a while, partly to ensure that the water was indeed running and just in case Tim collapsed from exhaustion.

As he stood guard, he once again took stock of the room. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Damian began scooping up the mess of food supplements and drink cans and running them down to dispose of in the kitchen.

By the time Tim stepped out of the bathroom, now dressed in clean sweatpants and a t-shirt, the space looked somewhat more presentable. "There. I showered and brushed my teeth. Now let me work." Tim said, trying to get back to his desk.

Damian stood in his way, however, hands on his hips. "You can't be making any substantial progress after working for 52 hours without sleep." The boy argued. "Whatever it is can wait till you've had a full night's rest."

Any other time Tim would have protested that he was fine and that he was right on the verge of a breakthrough, but he was seeing double as it was and was in no mood to fight his stubborn brother. Tim dragged himself to his bead and got comfortable under the covers. "Aren't you going on patrol?" He asked as Damian pulled the desk chair closer to the bed and sat down.

"Grayson, Todd, and Cain have most likely left by now." He shrugged. "Besides, someone should ensure that you are taking care of yourself." Tim smiled slightly and mumbled something about Damian actually caring about him as he dozed off.

Once Damian was satisfied that Tim was actually asleep, he stood and moved the chair back to its spot. He scanned over the array of notes and data his brother had been working himself ragged over for the last few days.

He nodded with respect at the work Tim had done. He really was on to something. Damian, however, opted to leave it for him to finish. No need to let his recklessness be for nothing. Instead, he straightened up the work area, putting writing utensils back in their proper places and organizing the papers into small neat piles.