Batty Family - Batfam Oneshots

21 Days - Part 2

AU where Nightwing and Red Hood are around for the events of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
TW: knives, panic attacks (no self harm though)
—
Tim sat quietly in the bathtub, the warm water stinging him at first, but ultimately soothing his warn out body. The smile was still stuck on his face, but Dick hoped it'd be a bit more tolerable after the makeup was gone.

He scrubbed at the face paint, "You know you don't have to keep smiling, right?"

"Yes, I do. If I don't, mama said she'd have daddy shock me again."

The two eerie words made both the males shiver.

"Don't call them that," Dick said quickly, "They aren't your parents. Besides, they gone now. They can't hurt you anymore, okay?"

One corner of his mouth dropped for a moment, "Promise?"

"Of course. You're always safe with me."

The last bit of makeup was scratched off into the water, and Dick smiled.

"There you are, buddy. Can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"Do you remember me? Or any of us?"

The boy stopped to think, then answered, "Yes. The Joker tried to erase my memory, but it only worked a little bit. My memories are coming back, anyway."

"Hey, that means you're already recovering! Good job, Timbo," the young man ruffled his hair.

His grin lowered into a more genuine one, although still wide, "Thank you."

"Anytime. Tell you what, I'm gonna get you wrapped up in a nice warm towel, okay? Then we can eat a big bowl of delicious stew."

Tim shook his head up and down furiously, happy to finally get a real meal in; he was as skinny as a stick.

The boy scratched at his arm, "I don't mean to interrogate you, but why are you being so nice to me? Ma—I mean—they were always so terrible."

"Not everyone in the world is evil. That's what's so cool about it—I mean, I always hear people say they've lost their faith in humanity, but then they find their friends, and the glow that radiates off of them is just..."

Tim let his head fall to the side, "Beautiful?"

"Yeah," Dick smiled, "Besides, we're family—real family. A family can fight, but they always make up. And they most certainly will not let you be hurting this bad. They're going to help you, no matter what."

Tim smiled at his brother; he knew he'd be okay, even if it took a while.

The next day was his first day of therapy; Dr. Thompkins was very kind and gentle with him, and Tim was fond of her, but he hated that she was trying to pull out the exact memories he was actively suppressing.

"So, how are you feeling today?" the doctor asked.

"Great," he lied through his teeth, "The others have been treating me real nicely lately."

"That sounds very pleasant, but I want to know how you're feeling about the Joker."

The teen paused. He knew what happened, and he could see all the memories replaying in his head, but he never wanted to.

"I—uh—well—y'know, it happened and now it's over. No need to dwell on it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I barely even remember it," he lied through an unconvincing grin.

"Timothy, that isn't something you should be proud of. You need to analyze these memories to get past them."

"No, no! You just gotta smile through the pain! That's all! That's all..."