Ohana

Cleansing Thoughts

Long chapter to compensate for the last one.

xXx

Tim glanced back tentatively at the dark frames supporting the brown masses of filthy feathers. "Are you sure about these?"

Dick chuckled. "You tell me. You designed them."

"You approved them, and you have actual experience with this kind of thing."

"Just try it," Dick told him, rolling his eyes.

Tim leaned forward slowly, grimacing slightly as he used stiff muscles that hadn't moved in days. "Ooh, yeah, that feels about right," he muttered.

Dick put an arm behind Tim's back, ready to catch him if he fell back. "You've got it. You're doing great."

Tim finished sitting up and carefully slid forward towards the foot of the bed, like they'd talked about. If he turned around from where he sat, he would have hit a wing on the back of the bed. Instead, he scooted himself forward until his legs dangled over the edge and tentatively lowered himself to the ground. He leaned against the bed for a moment as he found his footing, then, making sure Dick was still close by, took a deep breath and stood straight.

He immediately fell backward. Dick, already prepared to catch him, grabbed his wrist and wrapped his arm around Tim's waist. "Careful. Your center of gravity is--"

"Nonexistent, I know," Tim said sourly. "I didn't realize quite how much so." He backpedaled as Dick lifted him to get his feet back under him.

"It's like having a backpack. You kind of have to lean forward to counter the new weight. At least--"

"I know, I know, I've carried my fair share of heavy stuff. I'll get the hang of it." He put his arm around Dick's shoulder. "Sooner or later." They started making their way, slowly but steadily, toward the stairs leading to the manor above.

"Are you sure you want to go upstairs right now?" Dick asked as they drew nearer.

Tim gritted his teeth. "I've been stuck down here for a week. If I stay here another day, I'm going to lose it like the Holy Grail."

Dick laughed. "I'm glad you haven't lost your sense of humor."

"And yet you don't notice my sense of urgency."

At the base of the stairs, Tim grabbed onto the nearest object (the chair of the Batcomputer) to hold himself upright. "You're ready?" Dick asked.

"Stop asking me that," Tim said impatiently. He leaned forward and walked to the base of the stairs. "You're behind me, right?" he asked Dick, not wanting to turn around for fear of hitting something with the giant appendages sprouting from his back.

"All the way," Dick answered resolutely.

Tim put his foot on the first step and lifted himself up. Okay, that wasn't so bad. Now just thirty-five more to go. He put one foot in front of the other, putting one hand against the wall beside him to steady himself. This was bearable. He'd climbed literal mountains carrying more weight than this. It was more widely distributed this time, sure, but the concept was the same.

He was about halfway up when he lost his balance.

He wasn't sure when it started going downhill. Maybe it was when he closed his eyes briefly to psyche himself up. Maybe it was when he missed a step. Maybe it was when he kept fumbling around, trying to recover his balance.

In any case, he could feel himself start to topple over backward. Even as he reached out desperately for something to catch himself, he knew there would be no stopping him. He was already in motion.