Nothing happens for a while. No scientists coming in to give a speech to explain why he’s here, no noises outside the disgusting sound of the green liquid bubbling and circulating in the tank, no movement except the floating infant that also appears unconscious.

Tim tries the bonds of course but without any of his equipment or anything sharp, the straps didn’t budge. The tubing from his own arm and the other boy’s was concerning. They seemed to converge into a machine that then connected to the small child.

It must have been hours before he noticed the change in breathing from his neighbor.

Unsurprisingly it was blue eyes that blinked open and immediately focused on the baby, checking over the tiny form obsessively. It reminded Tim of Bruce when one of them is injured. The assessing gaze of a parent.

The boy sighs when he sees what Tim assumes to be no changes. Then those blue eyes find him, widening in surprise. They two stare at each other for a moment before the boy checks the rest of empty room for anyone else. Tim already knew they were alone.

He turns back to Tim, licks his lips in thought.

“You’re awake,” the shaky voice says. It’s quiet but the echo in the room makes sure he hears.

“How long have I been asleep?” Is his first question.

“Since they brought you in.”

“‘They’? Who’s they? When did they bring me in?”

The boy takes a deep breath at the questions.

“I’m Danny,” he says instead. “What’s your name?”

Right. This is probably a lot. How long has this guy been here? Alone?

“Tim. I’m Tim.”

Danny smiles. It’s small and cracked, but still a smile.

“Hi, Tim.” Danny takes another deep breath and focuses back on the baby. “I haven’t decided on a name for him yet. Do you… do you wanna help pick? He’s- he’s ours. I know that sounds weird but he’s made from both of us. No BS.”

Danny tries to grin but it falls flat. Tim’s attention is back on the baby. Not that he didn’t come to that conclusion when he first became aware of the situation but he had hoped to be wrong.

“How long have I been here? Danny?”

“Well… there isn’t a clock in here but I think it’s been a few days. Week, maybe two.”

Tim flicks his eyes back to Danny.

“He’s at least a few months old. Maybe a year.”

“Five. He’s five months old.” Danny turns to stare at the ceiling. “He was created a bit unstable. My fault really. They thought the ectoplasm would help but it’s just stabilized him. They brought you in for fresh sample. Transfusions or something. He’s been doing better already. They think he’ll be good as new within the next week or two.”

Danny smiles like this is ecstatic news. Tim files away the different name for the Lazarus waters. And that for whatever reason, Danny thinks the instability of their child is his fault.

“Have you been here the whole time?” He asks cautiously.

Tim is now very aware of the paleness to the boy’s skin. How starved he looks, to the point he can see the bones in his hand from here. The dark bags under Danny’s eyes.

Danny licks his cracked lips again.

“Longer,” he admits with a shrug. He tries to appear casual but the presentation gave the opposite result. He turns back to Tim again. “What’s the date? When you were- I mean, the last time you remember.”

The question is asked with such fragility Tim is afraid to answer for a minute.

He tells him. He was taken after a boring board meeting, coming out of Wayne Enterprises and then a prick to his arm before darkness. Tim’s memory is almost always reliable.

Danny is quiet for a long time after that.

Too long for Tim to keep silent.

“So what names have you thought of? Personally, I was thinking Haden or maybe Tyler.”

Danny’s glazed eyes focus again and the corner of his lips lift as they start going back and forth about baby names.

They’ll discuss more information later. Tim already has about three escape plans working in his head, they just need to make sure their child is stable and healthy before making a move. He can wait. Patience is one of his strengths.

It’s been about a week he thinks. With all the running and looking over their shoulders, thinking of what their next move is, it’s hard to keep track of the days that go by.

Danny is still impressed with Tim’s brains. They escaped with nothing but a pen. A pen. From there it was improvised, mostly by Tim, but Danny helped with finding materials for explosives. Yea, those bastards won’t be using that facility any time soon. They epically leave the place in the rearview mirror of their commandeered (read: stolen) vehicle after a well timed distraction in the form of homemade fireworks. Danny was pretty proud of them both honestly.

Of course with Tim’s all business no play attitude, Danny had to be the one to pat themselves on the back. Even if Tim’s response was “we can celebrate when we’re safe” Danny could tell Tim appreciated the praise.

It was also like arguing with a brick wall when Danny implied how they were going to get the things they needed. It was an understatement to say Tim was against stealing, but what other choice did they have? He just ended up sneaking off for a few minutes to snag some much needed items from a big brand grocery store. Tim didn’t say a word as he slipped into clean clothes and fed Leo with the formula Danny brought back.

Leo. After the Lion constellation to mean strength and bravery. They spent days going over baby names, but it came to a head when Tim found out about Danny’s love for space. He had slyly tried to suggest names of astronauts, but of course Tim caught on quick. Tim chose his middle name to be Asher, meaning happiness. Danny smiled so brightly when he told him that.

They were still arguing about last names, however.

(“Danny, we both know I’m going to be the one providing for him financially. I am heir to a million dollar company and already a co-CEO of another billion dollar company. He needs to have my name.”

“But I’m a Fenton! He’s going to have the Fenton quirks, he should have the name to go with it.”

“We could hyphenate.”

“Your name is already hyphenated! What, you expect him to grow up with Fenton-Drake-Wayne for his whole life? Are you crazy?”

“Well it would be Drake-Wayne-Fenton actually…”

“Ugh! You’re impossible.”)

Needless to say, they have yet to come to an agreement.

Danny slips into the booth at the diner they randomly picked, having changed Leo in the restroom and fed him his bottle. He started fussing the moment Danny goes to place him in the high-chair he dragged over, so the solution was to hold him as he looked over the menu.

(“With what money?” Tim had accused more than asked.

“I found it,” Danny replied airily knowing he wasn’t going to believe him. He was right.

“You just happened to find fifty dollars laying on the ground?”

“Must be our lucky day,” he smiles tightly in response, walking into the diner before Tim could really use those interrogation skills on him.)

Tim slides into the booth across from him a few minutes later, always facing the door and back against the wall.

“I called him.”

Him being Bruce Wayne. Batman. The Greatest Detective. And yet he had to be called to know where is son was after being missing for over a month. Danny was not impressed.

“And?”

“We got pretty close to New Jersey so he’ll send a car.”

Danny hums as he rocks Leo and glances over the menu again after already knowing what he wanted before Tim sat down.

Tim stares.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Danny.”

He sighs, “You know we could have just gotten there ourselves. We got this far on our own.”

“This was safer. You know this.”

“Sure.”

“What’s your problem?” Tim snaps lowly, careful not to draw attention.

“I don’t trust him, Tim,” he admits. “I don’t care who he is, I don’t know him and I don’t trust him.”

Tim pauses to think, the gears shifting quickly behind those calculating eyes.

“But you trust me.”

It was a reminder. A statement. Yes, Danny did trust Tim. Being held captive with someone and sharing a baby really brought two people together. Danny and Tim had told each other so much. Their identities, mainly because they knew ‘they’ already knew, was one of the first to be confessed. It snowballed from there to almost everything they could think of. Really thinking about it, Danny would trust Tim with his life, with their son’s life, and he knew Tim felt the same about him. They were so screwed up it worked.

Danny nodded in agreement.

“Then trust me.”

Danny inhales deeply. Okay. He didn’t trust Batman, but Tim did. So he would try.

“Fine,” he grumbles his acceptance.

“What are you getting?” He changes the subject. Danny welcomes it.

“A bit of everything.”

Tim nods seriously in approval. Danny doesn’t miss the subtle glance to his hallowed cheeks and boney wrists. They both knew that if he wasn’t a halfa, he’d be bed-bound. He was lucky he could still hold his son so sturdily.

“You should do the same,” Danny suggests softly.

He can’t help but worry about his- friend? Partner? Fellow traumatized cell mate? Whatever he was to him, it was obvious Tim didn’t take great care of himself and this wasn’t an isolated incident. This was habit. Jazz could probably explain it with six different reasons, but Danny wasn’t that analytical. He just wanted Tim to be healthy and maybe drink more water than coffee with about five extra hours of sleep. Leo didn’t really help with that last one though.

Tim looks at him, flicks his eyes across his face and slowly nodding.

“I’ll think about it.”

Well it was a start.

Honestly, all of this was a start. They hadn’t made any plans yet, well Tim might have without saying anything, but personally Danny hadn’t even tried to think about what comes next. He’s always been a one day at a time kind of guy with an active imagination as well as crippling realism.

They were just two guys in a really bizarre situation and no idea what to do next. But if they just tried to make whatever this was work, Danny thinks they can do it. They were heroes. Messed up, paranoid, obsessive heroes, but he’s had a lot worse to work with.

He smiles as Tim does in fact order the big breakfast for himself with a coffee. Leo snuffles in his sleep, drool soaking into Danny’s stolen sweatshirt.

Yeah. They could do this.

Bruce didn’t know what to think about Danny. The circumstances were suspicious at best and even though his story adds up and Tim trusts him, he can’t help but feel unsure about the teenager’s sudden appearance into their lives. It became evident not long after they were brought home that Danny wasn’t leaving any time soon.

It didn’t help that after some time settling in, his kids decided to disregard their healthy suspicion and befriend the teen. Even Damian thought Bruce was being unreasonable. He didn’t understand how easy it is to be betrayed. Talia is a great example to never completely trust romantic partners they bring into the fold. Although from a bystander perspective, Tim wasn’t romantic with Danny. The trust they showed between each other was mind-boggling and they shared the responsibilities with taking care of a baby, but there were no longing glances or lingering touches. It was… unexpected.

Speaking of unexpected, Leo was not something they were prepared for. Not just a child, but a baby, of one of his son’s. It’d taken him longer than he cared to admit to come to terms with the fact he was now a grandfather. His grandson was currently napping on Danny’s chest in one of the family living rooms. Danny himself was knocked out as well, one hand on the baby’s back to hold him there and the other thrown haphazardly above his head. Despite the age of Leo, he was in a tank for a majority of his life, only coming out when the three escaped. He was developmentally behind so Tim has been constantly researching tips and Danny has been putting them into action, devoting most of his effort and time to helping Leo grow and mature healthily.

It’s commendable. He can easily see the parental instincts. It’s great, really.

However it doesn’t diminish the stab of something when Danny refuses to let him hold Leo. He’s held his grandson once and it was only because Danny left him with Tim to go grocery shopping with Jason.

So yes. He’s suspicious. Why does he not trust him with Leo? Is it because he’s Batman? Which begs the question of is Danny a criminal where he has to worry about being close to a hero? Was it something Bruce did? He didn’t understand.

Alfred just tells him to be patient, but it’s been two months, surely Danny should be able to relax since he hasn’t done anything.

Bruce could help watch him. Danny obviously needs a break if he’s falling asleep on the couch.

He reached down to scoop up the baby, his movements slow and careful. Bruce barely has his hands under the child when Danny’s other hand shoots out to wrap around Leo protectively. He gasps and blinks his eyes in sleepy panic. It takes him a moment to realize who is trying to take his son from him, but doesn’t truly relax.

“What’re you doing?” Danny mumbles, drowsy still.

“You’re tired,” Bruce answers stoically after a moment of silence to let the teen wake up. “I can watch him.”

Danny finishes checking Leo over, shh-ing him when he starts fussing.

“It’s fine, I’ve got him,” he tells Bruce absently.

Bruce stands, but doesn’t leave. His hand twitches. “Is Tim back?”

“No. Not for another two hours.”

Danny hums as he stands with Leo and checks the clock in the room. He had gained weight after arriving, thanks to Alfred’s careful meal plan for the underweight teenager, and looked much healthier than the first time Bruce saw him.

“It’s time to feed him, right? I can do it,” Bruce offers although this face remains blank.

“It’s okay, I got it,” Danny dismisses quickly with an awkward tightening around his mouth.

Normally Bruce would have let it go with disappointment, however with his recent talk with Dick still on his mind he knows something needs to change.

“You don’t trust me.”

Danny blinks.

“Who told you that?”

“Your actions speak for themselves.”

Danny swallows and absently straightens the blue outfit on Leo that Steph had got for him.

“I don’t,” Danny agrees.

“Why?”

Danny just stares back at him blankly. He sighs heavily.

“When we first met, you demanded answers from both of us and when we didn’t or couldn’t answer something you told Tim to write up a report and then walked away. We didn’t see you for about two days when we’re staying in the same house. Do you know what that tells me?”

Bruce remains quiet. It was a rhetorical question regardless.

“It tells me that you don’t care. I don’t blame you for not finding him sooner, my own people couldn’t find me, but you could have asked him if he was okay and I don’t just mean physically. Tim defends you every time, but I can see the hesitation. You don’t say it and you don’t show it, and if you can’t find the effort to show your son you love and care about him, how am I supposed to believe you’d do that for Leo?”

This was more than he expected, it was also a lot different than he anticipated this conversation going. He didn’t really know how to approach this. He messes up with his own kids constantly, how is he supposed to talk to Danny?

“I do care about Tim,” Bruce says weakly.

Danny rubs his eyes with his free hand and then readjusts Leo on his hip.

“Then show it. Stop hovering in the background and actually be present. Just- Please just make an effort. Tim really needs his dad right now and you’re- you’re unapproachable. I would feel a lot better and a lot safer with letting you spend more time with Leo if you had a better relationship with his father.”

Why does he feel worse than when Alfred scolds him?

“I understand,” he says dejectedly.

“What do you understand?”

Bruce honestly has a flashback of when his mother asked him the same thing after getting into trouble.

“I need to make more of an effort with Tim.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

He’s usually good at planning, why does he feel out of his depth with this question?

“Check in more often. Be present when talking with him. Show him I… care.”

Danny studies him for a moment then nods.

“Good.”

Without prompting Bruce suddenly has his hands full of a whiny baby.

“He hasn’t pooped yet so give him the jar of prunes and sweet potatoes and if he’s still hungry give him those cheerios to help with dexterity. I’m going to go take a long bath.”

And then he was alone, Leo kicking his legs in the air as Bruce holds him under his arms. He gives the baby one of his rare, gentle smiles.

“You hungry, Leo? Let’s go ask Alfred where the prunes are, yeah?”

ever reread a post and realize you didn’t reblog so you could find it again and enjoy it again? 
never, couldn’t be me