When Tim knocks on Dick’s bedroom door at three in the morning, he isn’t
sure exactly why he’s here and not in
his own room. But his body has a mind of its own and he peeks into the room to
see Dick groggily blinking awake.
“Tim?” Dick asks, his words still slurred with sleep. “What’s going on?”
Tim opens his mouth to say,
nothing, or I don’t know why I’m
here, or even, I was just checking up
on you, but nothing comes out, and Tim just stands there looking like an
idiot. Dick seems to understand, though, and he sits up and holds the blankets
up.
“Come cuddle with me, Timmy,” Dick says, a small smile on his face, but
it looks sad, too. Tim takes a step forward and then another, and before he can
stop himself, he’s slipping underneath the covers. Dick wraps an arm around him
and pulls Tim closer to his warmth. Tim lets him, still not exactly sure why he’s
here.
And they lie there in the dark and quiet for a while. It’s nice, Tim
thinks. Something that’s heavy and terrible starts to dissolve, and bit by bit,
he relaxes in his brother’s arms.
“You know,” Dick says into the dark room, “I’m always here if you need
to talk. Or cuddle. Or hug.”
Tim cracks a small smile, and he’s glad Dick can’t see it right now. “I
know.”
“Do you want to talk about whatever’s bothering you?”
The smile slips, and Tim thinks about tonight. About his building
insecurities and the weight that’s growing on everybody’s shoulders—not just
Tim’s. About how Dick always tries to be there for everybody else, but ends up
taking on weight he’s not prepared to deal with.
And then Tim thinks about how this whole family always seems to go to
Dick when things get tough, and how Dick will happily welcome them each and
every time, no matter how many times he ends up falling apart because of it.
And Tim, well, he’s already a burden. He doesn’t want to be Dick’s burden. The reason that his
brother ends up shattering into a million pieces because he took on too much
weight.
So Tim opens his mouth and forces out a whispered, “Not tonight. For
now, can I just sleep here?”
“Of course,” Dick says, pulling him even closer. “Always, Tim.”
Bad! Also great! Cuddles are good. Tim thinking he’s a burden is NOT. Dick overworking himself is bad. His sleepy enjoyment of his brother is very good. Tim is too responsible, especially for things he shouldn’t be – like his older brother’s mental health. Dick doesn’t know ow to say no, so Tim has a smidgen of a point.