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"I see wonders, wonders in a broken world
Hidden under, under, underneath the dirt"
- Wonders (feat. Rakim), Micheal Patrick Kelly
With a sigh, Dick propped his arm on the table and rested his chin on his closed fist. This whole situation was proving far more complicated than they’d anticipated, and it was driving both him and Jason insane. A small frown had settled on Dick’s face as he watched his younger brother run a hand through his hair for the third time in the past ten minutes.
“This makes absolutely no sense,” Jason groaned with an exasperated huff. “Why the hell would Cobblepot throw money at this disaster of a business?”
Dick had to admit, Jason had a point. This case had been plaguing them for an entire week. At first, Dick had tried to solve it on his own, but when that led nowhere, he sent everything over to his Little Wing. Jason had looked it over for a few hours before promptly marching over to the Manor the next day and dragging Dick to the dining room.
They had now been sitting there for hours, trying to crack it together. B was gone for the week on some League business, and Tim was at school. With Bruce absent, Dick had taken a week off from work. He knew Tim was used to coming home to an empty house, thanks to his biological parents, but Dick refused to let history repeat itself. Not now, especially since Tim had only recently been adopted.
“Why is Bruce always gone when we need him?” Dick complained dramatically, waving his arms around and nearly knocking over his glass of orange juice.
Just as Jason opened his mouth—likely to scold him for the carelessness—Alfred entered the dining room with a pinched expression. Both brothers immediately sat up straighter, giving the old man expectant, slightly worried looks.
“Master Dick, Master Jason, may I ask a favor of you both?”
Jason answered before Dick could. “Of course, Alfie.”
A faint smile tugged at Alfred’s lips. Jason’s eagerness was still as endearing as it had been when he first joined the family. Alfred had been the first to break into Little Wing’s heart and make himself at home there.
“I just received a call from Master Tim’s school. The principal wishes to speak to Master Bruce, but as he is unavailable, I’d kindly ask you two to go and see what the commotion is about,” Alfred said calmly.
Nodding, Dick rose from his chair. “Jason and I will head over and talk to the principal. No worries, Alfie.”
Jason echoed the sentiment with a smile, then turned to Dick with a mischievous grin. “I say we take B’s new Mercedes.”
Laughing, Dick winked at his little brother and held up the car keys. He’d already planned on taking it for a spin later anyway. Apparently, Jason had the same idea.
“Let me grab my jacket, and then I’ll drive us there.” Dick quickly left the room before Jason could protest about him driving. Little brat. He was perfectly capable of driving just fine.
As the two of them entered the school, Jason felt an odd wave of nostalgia. It had been a while since he'd last been here—the last time being a normal school day before his untimely and unplanned death.
Everything still looked mostly the same. The halls were quiet and empty, a clear sign that classes were in session. Jason was glad for that, knowing he and Dick would’ve stood out like sore thumbs.
Well, Dick might have passed for a substitute teacher or something with his expensive Nightwing-blue cashmere sweater, black jeans, and black trench coat. Casual enough to be non-threatening, yet formal enough to command respect. He looked every bit the part of Bruce Wayne’s rich son.
Jason, on the other hand, hadn’t bothered much with appearances. Steel-toed combat boots, white-washed jeans, a dark gray shirt, and one of his leather jackets would have to do.
Their walk toward the principal’s office was quiet, the only sound being Jason’s heavy boots as Dick periodically pointed something out. Suddenly, a girl stepped out of one of the classrooms and into the hallway. She visibly flinched with a squeak, clearly not expecting strangers.
As she hurried away, Jason felt Dick elbow him in the ribs—probably warning him to look friendlier—only for Dick’s elbow to knock into something hard . With narrowed eyes, Dick glared up at him.
“You brought a gun ? To a school ? Seriously, Jason?” his brother hissed.
“Chill, Goldie. I forgot I had one in this jacket,” Jason shrugged nonchalantly.
So what if he brought a gun? It’s not like anyone needed to know.
Dick shook his head and sighed dramatically. “If somebody finds out, it’s your problem to deal with.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Dickface. Such a loving and supportive brother you are.”
That earned him a smack to the head.
They stopped in front of the school’s office, and Jason knocked loudly before entering. The room looked just as bland as it had years ago, with fake plants and uncomfortable chairs lining the wall opposite the secretary’s desk. The woman looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of them, clearly recognizing both of them. Fortunately, Dick took charge of the situation.
“Susie, it’s been a while. You look as stunning as ever.” Dick approached the desk, flashing one of his charming smiles.
Susie beamed back at him. “Richard, it really has been quite some time. And Jason, good to see you as well.” She smiled politely. “May I ask why you’re here?”
Jason gave her a faint grin. “Our butler got a call about the principal wanting to speak with our brother’s guardian.”
“Bruce is unavailable, so we’re stepping in,” Dick added smoothly.
Understanding dawned in Susie’s eyes. “Ah, yes, regarding Timothy. It was quite a surprise to hear he’d been adopted by Mr. Wayne. Belated congratulations. You can go right in; Mr. Sherman’s office is ready for you.”
“Thank you, Susie.” Jason watched as his brother smiled once more before they headed toward the office door.
Knocking again, Jason opened the door and they stepped inside. The room hadn’t changed—still the same condescending box filled with newspaper clippings and awards.
The man behind the cluttered desk greeted them with an unimpressed look. Jason had never liked Principal Sherman, and the feeling had always been mutual.
Two leather chairs sat in front of the desk, one already occupied by a sulky, quiet Tim, who barely reacted to their entrance. Jason gestured for Dick to sit, while he opted to lean against the windowsill, preferring to stand.
Sherman ignored Jason completely, focusing on Dick. “Mr. Grayson, not that it isn’t always a pleasure to see former students, but why are you here?”
Jason resisted the urge to groan. Some people really never changed.
“It’s Grayson- Wayne , and has been for a long time. We’re here for Tim. We were told you wanted to speak with us,” Dick replied calmly.
Sherman didn’t acknowledge the correction. “I wanted to discuss an altercation involving Mr. Drake.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. An altercation? Glancing at Tim gave him no answers. His little brother looked nervous, his eyes darting between Sherman, Dick, and himself.
“Wayne,” Jason interjected calmly.
“Excuse me?”
“Mr. Drake- Wayne ,” Jason clarified.
Sherman glared at him before continuing. “Mr. Drake- Wayne punched one of our star pupils today, breaking his nose—”
Sherman hadn’t even finished when Dick turned to Tim, eyes wide and almost gleeful. “Did you use that move I showed you last weekend?”
Before Tim could answer, Sherman cleared his throat, looking annoyed. “As I was saying, due to this behavior, I needed to speak to his guardians about the appropriate punishment.”
“Bruce isn’t available, so we’re here,” Jason repeated with a roll of his eyes. He then turned to Tim, grinning. “Why’d you punch the kid, Timmers?”
Tim fiddled with a loose thread on his uniform jacket before answering. “He called Nightwing an incompetent whore and said a lot of homophobic stuff.”
The explanation caused Dick’s eyes to widen once more. The whole family knew that Dick was bisexual and proud of it. He hadn’t yet introduced Wally to them as his boyfriend but they all knew very well that the two were dating. Homophobia wasn’t anything they were unfamiliar with at all, but to hear it being so prevalent at a school came as a shock.
Jason noted Dick grabbing Tim’s hand and firmly squeezing it, his way to say thank you to their little brother. He knew for sure that Tim would get a lifetime’s worth of hugs later. Dick would make sure that their little brother would understand how grateful he truly was for his actions.
“Well, sounds like the punch was deserved,” Jason shrugged.
Sherman blinked at them, taken aback. “Violence is never acceptable, regardless of the other student’s remarks.”
“Oh, but homophobia is?” Dick raised an eyebrow, daring Sherman to disagree.
“I— No, but violence is never the answer.”
Jason snorted. Sometimes violence was exactly the answer, but he wisely kept that thought to himself.
“I’m not going to apologize,” Tim said firmly. “I know punching Mick was wrong, but he wouldn’t stop.”
Watching as a grin spread on Dick’s face, Jason felt himself smirk. That was their Baby Bird, stubborn as ever, just like the rest of the family.
“I think we should let this go,” Dick said, leaning back in his chair. “But if this happens again, I’m sure the papers would love to hear how Gotham’s most prestigious school fosters a homophobic environment .”
They all watched as the old man mulled over his options. Options that were very limited. At some point, Jason was sure to hear him mutter something about stupid Waynes under his breath.
With a sigh, the principal relented. “Fine. Mr. Drake-Wayne will not face any consequences this time. Please return to class. Thank you for coming, gentlemen.”
Tim stood up with a small smile, but Jason stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going, Baby Bird?”
Tim blinked in confusion as Dick added, “He’s not going back to class today. We’re taking him with us. Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Sherman.”
Suppressing the urge to flip off the principal, Jason followed his brothers out of the office with a grin. Moments like these really had him love being a Wayne.
As they piled into the car, Tim warily looked at his older brothers in front of him. The whole situation had been surprising. While waiting in Sherman’s office, Tim had been running through possible explanations and excuses, preparing for whatever punishment might come. He knew punching Mick had been wrong, and he wasn’t about to take the consequences lying down.
But then Dick and Jason had swooped in and completely shut Sherman down. It had left Tim speechless. Technically, he was the one in the wrong, but his brothers had stood there, refusing to let him face any consequences. Dick had even gone as far as threatening the principal. Tim couldn’t help but feel a warm glow inside. The Drakes would have accepted any punishment just to move on, but his brothers? They had his back, no questions asked.
The car ride passed in silence. Tim was too lost in his thoughts to even notice where they were headed. When the car finally came to a stop, he looked around, confused. This wasn’t the Manor.
“Get out, TimTam. We’re getting Batburgers,” Jason grinned as he yanked Tim’s door open, practically dragging him out of the car.
Tim stood frozen, staring at the restaurant in front of them. “But- I- I punched a kid. I don’t deserve—”
“Shush, Baby Bird. You did nothing wrong,” Jason cut him off.
Before Tim could say anything else, Dick came around the car and wrapped him in the tightest hug he’d ever experienced.
“Thank you, Tim. You did good ,” his oldest brother whispered softly in his ear.
Their moment was abruptly interrupted by Jason. “This is all very wholesome and everything, but I’m starving . Let go of the kid, Dickface.”
Tim let out a loud giggle at the affronted look on Dick’s face as he was let go from the embrace. But before he could get too comfortable, Dick turned his betrayed expression on him. With a squeak, Tim darted behind Jason, using him as a shield to protect himself from his other brother’s possible wrath.
Jason ruffled Tim’s hair with a grin, steering him toward the entrance. “We’ll always be in your corner, Timbit. And if Sherman hadn’t backed down, I had my gun with me anyway.”
Tim looked up at his brother with wide eyes and an open mouth. “A gun?!”
He barely had time to process the information before Dick stormed up to a very smug looking Jason and flicked him on the ear.
“So you did bring it on purpose, you brat!”