From the past few days, Tim had noticed something quite extraordinary. He had realized that Damian was getting quite invested in Ember's case.

It had never happened before for their youngest brother to take an interest in whatever resulted from patrol unless he got the chance to beat someone up. But with the current case focusing on Evan's abduction and his connection to Ember Sullivan, Damian was surprisingly always on board to help.

He had no qualms about shifting his patrol areas to Aparo and the vicinity so that he would be able to make sure that Ember wasn't abducted, he would reach out to the woman to help her whenever she needed it and for the first time, he was going the extra mile for someone other than his family.

That had never happened before and considering Damian's nature, no one would believe Tim's assumption easily if he brought it up.

Tim had a number of theories up his sleeve for what could be the reason for Dami's unexpected involvement and concern for Ember Sullivan but he never voiced it out as he valued his life to a certain extent.

He was the one most likely to make jokes about his death out of his siblings and they all knew he was borderline suicidal but that didn't mean Tim was unaware of how tortuous death could be if inflicted by the demon spawn they lived with. Therefore, he was in no mood to give him any opportunity to come at him with murderous intentions.

Still, curiosity got the better of him and that night as both of them were alone in the Batcave after patrol, Tim decided to talk to him about it.

"Hey Dames, got a minute?"

"Call me that again and it will take you more than a minute to recover," he mumbled, looking up briefly from the file he was studying.

Tim knew that was his default format of replying to whatever he asked of him. Damian had programmed himself to throw insults at Tim out of nowhere and Tim had learned to accept those insults like compliments. The time he wouldn't be throwing insults at the elder one, he would be threatening him or vice versa.

They had a very weird dynamic as it seemed they purposefully tried to get on each other's nerves but deep down they cared for each other just like they cared for the rest of their family members.

Used to hearing such cold replies from him, Tim took the seat beside Damian, leaning closer to see what he was doing.

"What do you want, Drake?" Damian closed the file and put it out of Tim's reach, turning to face him with a glare.

"I just want to talk, y'know," Tim replied with a slight smile, "it's been long since we got the time to sit down for a chat."

Emerald eyes narrowed in suspicion as he remembered, "but we talked during patrol."

"You answered one useless question, that doesn't count."

"Honestly, anything you say is useless," Damian shrugged but did not leave as he too had gotten curious about why Drake had approached him for a chat.

"I wanted to talk to you about Ember."

He paused, raising an eyebrow skeptically, "what for?"

"Just because... Since you are the one out of us who is most in touch with her I thought of asking you if she's doing okay or not. That's all," Tim deadpanned, seeing the cold look in Damian's eyes.

"I don't know how she's doing," he replied monotonously, "I was only tasked to make sure she stayed safe, and right now, she is safe. That's something you're aware of too."

"But Damian, I meant..."

His words trailed off as Damian's stare intensified, knowing full well that Tim was purposefully beating around the bush to hear an answer to something he couldn't directly ask without angering him.

"Alright, Timothy, what is it?"

The only time Damian called him by his first name was when he was very serious about knowing what exactly was going on with Tim. And it seemed as if his indirect interrogation hadn't been subtle as the younger brother seemed to have caught onto it.

"I will not punch you in the face no matter how dumb your query is," Damian added as an afterthought, "ask."

"Aw Dami, who knew you could be so generous?" Tim couldn't resist making a playful remark at that but seeing Damian's expression, he quickly regretted it.

"I will revoke the offer if you dare act so cheeky..."

"No, no, no. Don't, I am better off with my nose intact," Tim held his hands up in surrender and then finally asked the question, "well... Don't you think you're getting a little too involved in this case?"

"Excuse you?"

"I mean clearly it doesn't affect you whatever happens to Ember, right? You're just doing your duty as a Bat vigilante by helping her out and keeping her safe. But sometimes it does seem that you're going a little out of your way. Just a little... Never mind, It was a stupid thought anyway."

"Drake, you are confusing me now," he shook his head, retrieving the icy stare from his brother's uneasy blue eyes, "what exactly do you want to ask me?"

"Do you like her?" The words were out and there was no taking them back. Tim would have to face the consequences shortly after.

However, an unexpected silence prevailed between them although Tim was a hundred percent sure that Dami's fist would come flying at his face.

But nothing happened.

Damian did not react whatsoever.

"Hey, I was not asking earlier because I didn't know how you would react to it," Tim broke the awkward silence at last, "but frankly, this was not the reaction I expected."

"I don't know," he replied, green eyes briefly connecting with blue before focusing on the file in his hands again, "but I want to help her. Whether it is due to my duty as Robin or not, that I am not so sure about."

"That's what I was a bit confused about too," he resumed, seeing that as Damian hadn't shut him out, he could carefully proceed with the conversation, "you have never wanted to help anyone particularly before but for Ember, you are always on board. Not that it's a bad thing, of course, you should want to help her. I mean..."

"Stop rambling, you make my head hurt."

"I know, sorry."

Damian paused to consider his words and after a short while of silence, he asked, "why do you think I would want to help her? Excluding the ridiculous notion of you thinking that I like her..."

"If you liked her, that would have been a very simple reason for wanting to help her. But since it's you and I know I can't consider you the same as the rest of our family, I feel like there is some other reason," Tim decided to tell him about one of the assumptions that made the most sense to him, "perhaps you relate to her situation and are trying to make things better in any way you can. Maybe you see her as someone who is alone and fighting for a cause that only she believes in, not very unlike the Damian we first met when you wanted to avenge your grandfather's murder."

Something flickered in Damian's eyes but he did not interrupt, nodding for Tim to carry on. He wanted to understand exactly what Tim thought in hopes of being able to figure a way out of his own confusion as well.

He knew out of them all, Tim was most skilled in reading people so whatever he assumed about someone was often correct.

"Perhaps you're just following the reverse technique of Bruce's methodology. He adopts people who he thinks are going through a similar phase that he experienced in his childhood in order to provide them with a family and a home. You are helping her to achieve her goal and be safe at the same time," Tim's brow was knitted in a thoughtful look as if thinking about it still, "so that she wouldn't have to give up on what she wanted to achieve in the first place. I am no psychologist, Dami. But from as much as I know you I think that's a good enough reason for you to want to help her."

"So you think just because I find her similar to myself, I will do anything to help her?"

"Not necessarily anything, you always have your boundaries," he shrugged, "but yeah that's what I assume. You tell me if I am right or not."

Damian thought about it as well, knowing that Tim was right to some extent. He did consider her situation relatable and that could be a primary factor for him to help her out. But there was something else that he felt about her that seemed absurd just yet.

He wasn't fully certain of his own self and that was something that had never happened before.

"So is my assumption correct?" Tim prompted him once again, hoping to hear an answer.

He shrugged nonchalantly, standing up to leave, "like I said, I don't know. It could be."

"Hey, what kind of an answer is that? Come back here," Tim's face fell at the vague response but Damian had left already.

He let out a soft sigh, picking up his stuff to leave as well. But unlike Damian, he had gotten somewhat certain of which assumption could be closer to the truth.

"Perhaps he does like her after all," he mumbled, exiting the cave as well.

***