Bury Me

picture it: Character A is fully fluent in The Language and offers to teach Character B (who has been struggling with it for a while now), except between all the typical slow burn fanfic shenanigans we actually get to see the learning process and follow along

like once or twice per chapter there's just a cozy, intimate tutoring scene where the characters discuss verb tenses, or there's a cooking scene where Character A insists on giving instructions in The Language and Character B has to translate them (for us) while following the steps

Robin started as his mom's term of endearment for him & I like to think that's how he used it for Damian (bc Damian wasn't just Robin, he was Dick's Robin), so to have that relationship, with every belief that it was permanent, ripped from him by the same man to take Robin from him in the first place?

"they weren't even abusive" please never have children if you think the only 'valid' abuse is the kind that leaves bruises

"they didn't even neglect him that much" how much neglect is an acceptable amount of neglect to you? at what point should a child suck it up that his parents aren't there for him?

"but he lived in a mansion!" wealth does not automatically create good parents and money does not replace love oh my god

"fic writers take it too far" they're fics. it's fanfiction. a lot of people use them to vent and that's not a bad thing, plus people tend to do this weird thing where they invalidate the experiences of neglected kids so writing neglectful parents as being a different kind of abusive in order for them to actually be read as abusive? not surprising actually

"but I don't like fics where-" don't read them 👍

"but they love him!" yes and Tim loves them back, but love doesn't preclude abuse please stop thinking that

like imagine Dick and Damian walking into the living room and finding a sleeping Tim there, clearly knocked tf out and unresponsive to stimuli so they keep talking as if he can't hear them

(he can. sleep attacks typically shut the body down but not the brain - kinda like sleep paralysis but with less clown hallucinations)

Damian: tt, Drake is as useless as ever

Dick: hey I'm just glad he's sleeping, he's been pretty stressed from that case recently

(he has, hence the sleep attack)

Damian: I know, it's appalling. If only he were to ask for more help, he ought to know we would be willing

(...wait, we?)

Dick: I don't know, Damian, I'm usually in Blüdhaven and the two of you-

Damian: Do not start

Dick: I'm just saying, you could always just tell him you look up to him

Damian, swiftly leaving the room: I know not of what you speak

Dick, following him: Oh yeah? Then what about that sketch I found of the two of you train surfing-

Damian, walking even faster: I HAVE NEVER DRAWN ONCE IN MY LIFE GO AWAY

Tim still can't move a muscle as he considers what he overheard... but he does start to think that - maybe - it wouldn't hurt to get an outside perspective on his case

Here at home in this steeple Made of chrome, above a city of steel I've chosen bats over people 'Cause I never did like the way humans made me feel So we sleep all day and we rise at night And we spread our wings and take into the skies And when the people all stop and stare And say, "Why you gotta be like that?" I just look them in the eye and tell them, "I was raised by bats"

Peter: *looks at Damian*

Peter: *looks at a crowd of goons*

Peter: *looks back at Damian, who's 5 apples tall and wielding a katana*