Chapter Text
Dick didn't say anything about his death; rather, he looked at Tim and asked, ”When did you died, Tim?”
And how could Tim tell them about it? They didn't even know that he had lost his spleen and that the League of Assassins helped him search for Bruce when he was lost in the time stream.
He remembered how Dick acted before he left Gotham to look for Bruce. After he came back, he couldn’t risk telling him what happened, not after he heard Dick tell Alfred that Tim was having a “mental breakdown” and that “perhaps it would be best if he spent some time in Arkham's." After Dick told the League his concerns, nobody took Tim seriously, especially when Cassie agreed that Tim wasn’t mentally sound.
And it’s not like Tim doesn’t understand why they thought he was mentally unstable. After all, he just lost his best friend, his adopted father, and before that, he lost his biological one too. Not to mention that Dick gave Robin away to an assassin child who tried to kill Tim numerous times. But at least he could understand that incident.
He and Dick had already talked about that at length. Dick told Tim that he did not give Robin to Damian, as Damian said, and wanted to talk with Tim about it before giving it away. And about how Dick believed that Tim grew out the Robin mantle and that he couldn't imagine himself as Batman with Tim as his Robin because Tim was his equal.
But Damian had realized what Dick wanted and wore Tim's Robin suit to bait him. Tim was devastated, but after Dick apologized and explained his side of the story, he understood and forgave him. So it was true that he was not in the best headspace, but he was still hurt.
So Tim deflected and asked Dick the same thing. “When did you died, Dick?”
Dick is visibly upset, but he still answers. ”The evil version of the Justice League kidnapped me, the only way to save the world was to kill me. We told you that Lex Luthor managed to stop the bomb's detonation by giving me a paralytic that stopped my heart. But in reality, I did die, but was successfully brought back."
Damian's reaction to this revelation was the most telling. He put away his weapon and stepped as close as he could to Dick. He even grabbed Dick's hand and said, "I'm glad you're back, Grayson." The relief on Damian's face was evident. It was the most emotional state Tim had ever seen him in.
Dick didn't look at anybody while he told them how he died, but after Damian spoke, he looked at him and smiled, petting his head. After Dick saw that Damian was alright, he looked at Tim and practically ordered, "Now tell me, how did you died?"
Tim still didn't want to tell them, but he knew that he had little other choice. "After a very difficult fight, I was in surgery, but my heart gave up. Luckily, they successfully brought me back." Tim hoped this would satisfy their curiosity, and he wouldn't need to clarify. He didn't want to relive the experience any more than he had to. Tim took a deep breath and waited for their response.
"That's not good enough, Baby Bird. We need more details." This time it was not Dick who spoke, but Jason. Jason who was looking at Tim with concern in his eyes, which surprised Tim as he knew that Jason was not the most caring person, especially not towards Tim. Which shouldn't be a surprise, as Jason tried to kill Tim because he believed that Tim had taken Robin from him. But recently, they were ambivalent towards each other.
Tim hesitated, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over him. He knew he would have to tell his family at one point but hoped that it would be later. Taking another deep breath, Tim began to recount the unpleasant details of his self-appointed mission to bring Bruce back.
"I was following a lead on where Bruce was so that I could prove that he was alive and was only lost in the time stream. I was in Europe when an organization called the Council of Spiders attacked; I was injured."
Tim could see the worry deepen in Jason's and the others eyes, making him realize the gravity of the situation. Despite his initial reluctance, Tim knew that he had to be honest with his family about what happened.
"More specifically, I was impaled, lost my spleen in the subsequent surgery, and was dead for a short while." Tim really didn't want to say the next thing, but he knew that he had to. "The person who helped me was Ra's al Ghul." Tim knew that revealing Ra's al Ghul's involvement would open up a whole new can of worms, but he also knew that honesty was the only way to move forward, otherwise, when it finally comes to light, it will just bite him in the ass.
Tim took a deep breath and continued, "He saved my life and helped me look for Bruce, but at a price. He demanded that I join the League of Assassins and train under him,I didn't have much of a choice at the time, but I knew it was a decision that would have consequences."
Tim knew that joining the League of Assassins would lead to a dangerous path, but he also understood that it was necessary to find Bruce. Despite the risks, he was willing to do whatever it took to save his mentor.
"With the help of the League of Assassins, I took down the Council of Spiders, and later I even blew up Ra's numerous hideouts. I learned that he wanted the Wayne fortune, and spoiled his plans. That is when he kicked me out of a window, but you" - He looks at Dick. - " saved me."
He braced himself for the inevitable questions and judgment that would follow, but he felt a sense of relief after finally coming clean. But none came. His family just stood there in silence.