Batty Family - Batfam Oneshots

21 Days - Part 2

Dr. Thompkins tried her hardest to break through the boy's walls that he'd built up, but if they were real, he would've created them out of a thick metal. The task seemed near impossible, but she wasn't going to give up on him.

The rest of the session consisted of Tim denying everything that happened. When the two walked out of the office, the female went to greet Bruce, while the male rushed to the kitchen. He could hear the doctor telling his father how 'traumatized' he was, but he couldn't feel any better! She said he was blind to the problem.

Of course, that didn't last forever. Months later, after countless hours of therapy, he finally realized how dire his situation was. He was healing and beginning to see the world through a newer, more logical light, but today wasn't particularly his best. In the dead of the night, he sauntered out of his room and into the kitchen, snacking on a granola bar.

"You should be asleep, kid," a voice said, startling the teen.

Tim exhaled slowly, "I could say the same thing to you, Jason. And can you not sneak up on people at four in the morning?"

"Just got back from patrol. I'm hungry."

He reached around Tim and grabbed a box of snacks that was resting next to the teen's seat on the counter.

"You're gonna get your ass germs on the table," Jason teased with a smirk. When he didn't receive a snarky retort back, he grew worried. He'd been through a...similar situation, as he liked to remember it, and knew that life wasn't as good as his little brother always pretended it was.

"Hey, kid? You're acting kinda spacey," he tried.

"What?" the teen jumped, "Sorry, sorry—I-I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Jason plopped down onto the barstool, sighing heavily, "Y'know, I'm not really good with this stuff—"

"Jason," Tim warned, "Really, I'm fine."

"Hey, I'm not stupid, alright? I can tell that something's up. What can I do?"

His tone of voice was harsh, but Tim could tell he was truly trying. He widened his eyes at the effort, then bit his lip in thought.

Shrugging, he spoke quietly, "I dunno. It's just...the doctor got really detailed today. She wanted to
'analyze' everything, but I wasn't...I wasn't ready, I guess. I thought I was, but now I can't stop thinking about it. I just...want it to go away," the teen let his head fall into his hands, rubbing furiously, "I hate feeling, I hate caring...I'm the smart one, so why can't I just be that? No pain, just logic."

The boy lifted his head the slightest bit, his mouth now resting on his fist. Biting his finger, he tried desperately to rid himself of the mist in his eyes.

"Stop biting your hand, would ya'?" Jason pushed the boy's fist away, "Listen, I'm not gonna lie to you, shit like this sucks. And I should know, I went through basically the same thing. But y'know...it's gonna be fine. You see how I ended up, I'm fine—"

Tim raised an eyebrow.

"—Just give it some time, you'll be alright."

"I guess," he said as he jumped off the counter, pulling Jason's box away and putting it back in the pantry, "I just don't know what to do in the meantime."

"Well, what do you want to do?"

When Tim smirked, Jason cringed; he knew exactly what his brother wanted to do.
***
"No."

"Bruce, please! I'm ready, I can do it!"

The man walked away from him silently, and he huffed.

"I'm just gonna keep asking you!" he called after him.