Chapter Text
“Cannonball!”
Tim had just opened the screen door when he caught sight of Dick’s head sinking into the pool. Water launched over the side, soaking King Arthur’s jeans perfectly, and he did his best not to laugh. Judging by the mock betrayal on the man’s face, he didn’t quite manage it.
By the time Bruce, Jason, and he made it outside a few unfamiliar guests had already joined their party. Tim shifted further into Jason’s side as new eyes settled on him in curiosity. His older brother placed an arm around his shoulder and squeezed him protectively.
“Yo Dickface!” The man in question whipped his head toward Jason, as he hoisted himself over the side of the pool. “Come introduce your friends so they stop scaring the baby!”
“‘M not a baby,” Tim mumbled.
“You’re right. You’re our little Guppy.” He pouted when the older boy ruffled his hair.
Jason walked him slowly over to the strangers. Tim noted that he didn’t seem wary of them; that was a good sign at least. It was interesting actually, the strangers all had red hair. Did Dick have a quota to fill or something?
“Howdy, folks!” Dick’s hair was dripping wet and he flashed a thousand watt smile. “Wally, Kori, Roy, meet my littlest brother Tim. He washed up on shore a few months ago and he’s ours now.”
The trio looked among themselves for a few moments, until the redhead in the baseball cap blurted, “More kidnapping?”
“Can it, Harper. Don’t you have a couple of sticks to go play with or something?” Despite the harsh words, there was a small grin on Jason’s lips.
“Sure beats the hell outta gettin’ caught stealin’ rims, short stack.”
As the two continued to exchange light-hearted barbs, Tim looked around for Kon and Bart. They were both parked over by the snack table that Alfred had set out. As he looked closer, Tim saw a large bowl of marshmallows. Heart set, Tim excused himself to sit over by his friends, leaving the arguing to the professionals.
By the time he reached the table Bart had already found the Sour Patch Kids. Tim shuddered a bit at the implication. Kon side-eyed their friend as he vibrated in his chair. Tim grabbed a handful of marshmallows and sat down to watch the chaos unfold.
“OhmyGodthesearesogoodhaveyoutriedthemyet?”
“They’re all yours, Bart.” Kon laughed even as Tim tried to make sense of everything the boy had said.
Even as they all laughed and joked together, a twinge of sadness crept into Tim’s heart. Kon was set to move to Metropolis with Clark, and there had been talks about Bart moving to Atlantis with Arthur. Both of his friends possessed super speed, but it wasn’t the same as having them here with him. These two were his family when he had nothing. Some part of himself, uncomfortably close to the surface, was afraid that they would forget about him. They would have lives of their own, families of their own. Though Tim supposed that he did too. Maybe… But…
… But they had tracked him down, helped him fight, when he was alone and in danger. They didn’t have to help him defeat The Drowned, or stay with him while he healed. They had done it anyway because they cared about him. As he watched Kon toss more sour candy into Bart’s mouth, Tim figured maybe that type of loyalty didn’t just fade. They were a part of his family and he would make sure that it didn’t, even if he had to circumnavigate the globe to do it.
“Hey, are those Sour Patch Kids? Those are the best!” The newest, shortest, redhead— Wally?— walked over to them.
What happened next was something that Tim wouldn’t have guessed in a million years. Bart and Wally started speaking so fast that it appeared even Kon couldn’t keep up. Both vibrated in place, hopping up and down excitedly, while their bodies seemed to appear and disappear at will. Tim and Kon exchanged an exasperated look as the scene unfolded.
“—believethere’ssomeoneelselikemethat’ssocool!! I’ll race you!”
Tim only managed to catch the back half of the conversation, but it piqued his curiosity all the same. Bart was quick— quicker than any being he had ever seen. But so was Wally, it seemed. They even had matching red hair. Honestly? They could be related. As if to prove his point, both boys zoomed away, quick as a flash, and it seemed like they might be at it for a little while.
“I can’t believe there’s another one.” Roy mumbled as everyone sidled up to the table. “Wonder if they’re related.”
Everyone took their own chairs, kids on one side and adults on the other.
Well, adults and the big kids who were fooling themselves, Tim thought.
Bruce considered Roy’s question with a calculating look, “Stranger things have happened, and it’s not an ability I’ve seen elsewhere.”
“Regardless, they certainly seem to get along well enough.” Clark raised his eyebrows as he watched where the boys were zipping in and out of sight in the backyard. If Tim knew Bart, and he did know him, then he had roped Wally into a game of tag.
A moment later, both boy’s collapsed into chairs beside each other, out of breath and grinning like loons. It struck him how much smaller Bart was in comparison to Wally, despite their similar demeanor. Tim guessed that the man was in his early twenties like Dick was. It made sense after all; they were his friends. Though Jason and Roy seemed to be friends too— they hadn’t stopped ribbing each other the entire time the other man had been at the manor. Neither had thrown any punches yet, so it must have been good natured.
“I choose this one!” Bart declared to Tim and Kon with a smile.
“Huh?” Wally’s brow pinched in confusion, and Bart explained.
“Tim and Kon got to choose their family, and so now I’m choosing you!”
The other speedster choked on a stray sour patch kid, and held up a finger to indicate that he was okay. Dick looked like he was caught somewhere between amusement and concern for his friend, but ultimately let Wally process his emotions for a few moments.
“I-I mean… I have a spare bedroom in Central City.” Bart threw his arms around the man in gleeful thanks, snuggling under the man’s chin. Wally’s face melted and Tim caught sight of Dick’s knowing smile.
Huh, maybe they had all found a family above the surface.
“How is it,” Arthur said, exasperation clear in his voice, “that I am the king of Atlantis and none of these kids think I’m cool. I have a palace with so many empty rooms!”
“I always took you for the cool uncle type,” Clark expressed mildly.
Arthur let out a humph, but there was a slight puff of pride in his chest regardless. It was strange to see a man so battle hardened pout, and Tim couldn’t help but smile. Clark bumped him good-naturedly with his shoulder while Bruce hid his smirk behind his glass of Lemonade.
Dinner consisted of burgers on the grill and potato salad— “a classic” everyone kept saying. Tim was glad Bart and Kon seemed just as perplexed by this idea as he was. Tradition was a hell of a drug, he supposed. Though all was made right with the world when Alfred placed a plate with salmon patties on it.
While the adults weren’t looking, the older kids helped Tim and his friends sneak more marshmallows and candy. Though in true Jason style, the boy started chaos by asking whether cereal was a soup or not:
Roy slammed a hand down on the table in outrage, “Soup is warm dammit!”
The adults saying “language” was overshadowed by Jason’s own exclamation. “Are you saying Gazpacho isn’t a soup, you coward?”
“No! That’s— That’s like saying a smoothie is soup!” Dick defended.
Jason leaned forward across the table in challenge, head tilted at an uncomfortable angle. “Isn’t it?”
Dick’s eyes widened in horror, hand resting against his cheek. He whispered, almost to himself, “Oh no, is it?”
In the pandemonium that followed, Tim managed to sneak the entire bowl of marshmallows from the table unnoticed. He didn’t really listen to what was going on around him, content to pass along some of his bounty to the others. Jason’s hand patted his gratefully under the table as he received one of the sugary treats himself. He kept arguing with the rest as though nothing had happened. Tim envied his self control as he stuffed three gigantic marshmallows into his face.
“Nope, I’ve heard enough.” Roy strode to their side of the table and plucked Jason from his chair like he weighed nothing.
Normally, Tim would have bitten any offender that dared to touch his brother, but his jaws were currently occupied. Though, Jason wasn’t struggling hard enough to set Tim on edge either. He could have fought the hold and won, if he had wanted. As the boys reached the edge of the pool, Jason lurched forward, wrapping his knee around the back of Roy’s neck and pulled them both into the salty water.
Roy’s hat floated sadly without its owner, though as both boys surfaced— both spluttering and laughing— he plucked it from the water. “That’s my hat, you little sh— I mean, shark?”
“It was filthy anyway.” Jason’s nose scrunched in distaste.
“Amen,” Dick laughed.
Tim set his bowl of treasures on his chair before he ran to join them. Jason had a tail now! He could swim with his big brother like he had wanted to since they had gotten back. Tim jumped right at him, but he knew that Jason would catch him— he always did.
Jason twirled him around in circles as the other jumped in around them. As he watched the others laugh and joke, Tim was struck with emotions that he couldn’t name— both happy and sad.
“Are you okay, Guppy?” Jason asked, concern etched into his voice.
Tim watched Kon splash Clark in the face with his tail, and Dick balancing on Bruce’s shoulders as he fought with Roy and Arthur.
“I’m… I’m home.” Tears sprung to his eyes. “I have a home.”
“Just sink in?”
Tim wrapped his arms around Jason’s shoulders, head resting against his shoulder. “We’ll always be here for you, Tim. Family is forever.”
Suddenly, Bart was swimming around them in circles, talking a mile a minute. Something about a chicken fight?
“Come on, Pesciolino. Let’s go show ‘em what we got!”
Tim smiled as he was taken into the friendly chaos, the weight of a lifetime sliding from his shoulders.