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You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Jason landed easily on the grungy rooftop, boots crunching in the gravel as he stalked up to the little bird that made the mistake of finding his way to his side of town. This kid’s got the survival skills of a wet paper bag.
“The fuck are you doing, Replacement?”
Jason was making no attempt to be quiet, but his words still clearly startled Red Robin. A note was made somewhere in Jason’s subconscious, but to be honest, he didn’t really care about the little bird’s feelings at the moment. This was his side of town, and while he was getting used to asking the bats for backup on occasion, he was counting on a nice, peaceful, bat-fucking-free patrol tonight. Lian’s birthday party was tomor- tonight? Tomorrow night or tonight… It was real fucking early Saturday morning now, and it was scheduled for Saturday night/Sunday morning… Fuck if he knew. Fuck if he cared, honestly, he just wanted to sleep as much as he could before having five 7-year-old girls in his and Roy’s apartment for a sleepover, and a little bird, unannounced, on his side of town was ruining those plans.
Red Robin didn’t quip back, didn’t jump to explain himself, he just startled, turned to look at Jason, and then went back to staring into space towards the top of the building next door. The little curls in his subconscious of something isn’t right here strengthened, but he was more pissed that the turd ignored him.
“What, Replacement, you too good to grace me with a fuckin reply?” Tim didn’t react. At all.
The curls in his subconscious finally became a siren of alarm, and he started picking up on little details, like Tim’s positioning, with his hands held to his chest, and the very careful breaths. His anger drained as quickly as it had come, and the previously-unnoticed slight tinge of green at the edge of his vision faded, along with the previously-unnoticed rush in his ears.
“Replacement?” He took a few steps forward, into Tim’s personal space. No reaction. “Red Robin, report.” Almost nothing, just a small hitch in his breathing, before it went back to those careful (but worryingly shallow, actually) breaths. The entire picture was ever so slightly eerie, and it was beginning to freak him out. “Tim? Timmers, c’mon, this isn’t funny.” Jason was firmly in front of Tim now, hands outstretched to grab his arms, but just hovering there. Would touching him be a good idea? Would- something else was off, what-
But it appeared that his name had finally gotten through to the fifteen year old. “Hood- H-Hood, Jason, I can’t- can’t breathe.” Tim wheezed.
Jason did not panic, okay, the Red Hood does not panic. His Crime Alley drawl would thicken if he was panicking, anyway, and he wasn’t panicking.
“Wha’d’ya mean, ya can’t breathe. Tim? Baby bird, wha-” The final, horrible piece still floating in his subconscious finally clicked into place. “Tim. Tim, yer not wearin yer binder, ya shouldn’ be having no problems. Did’ja break yer ribs or something? Ya don’ have a punctured lung, I can hear tha’cha don’ have a punctured lung-”
Tim shook his head, and another piece clicked into place. Those blue eyes held fear. “Before- b’fore pa- trol. Can’t- D’dn get hit. Not- not panic ‘tack.”
Jason was out of his league. Fuck his quiet night and long nap. Pitying future, exhausted, up-to-his-eyes-in-elementary-school-girls Jason, he activated the little-used comm link he kept in his helmet. “Oracle, Agen’ A, Nigh’wing, Robin, fuck, even B, I’m activatin’ Red’s tracker, get ‘ere. Get ‘ere righ’ th’fuck now.”
Silence.
“Fuckin hell.” He brought his hand down, disconnecting his voice, but leaving any responses still audible. “Yer by yerself, ain’t’cha. I’m th’only other one‘n Gothem t’night, ain’t I?” Tim nodded, still frantically trying to breathe. He’d started crying at some point, just silently letting tears fall.
Jason took one step back, and two deep breaths. One of Tim’s hands left his chest to reach for him when he stepped away, and Jason took it in his after one final moment to steady himself. He used it to pull Tim close and secure his body against his, before beginning to make his way back home. He brought his other hand to his comms’ panel on the side of his helmet, and activated the emergency link that went directly to his and Roy’s private apartment. “Hey, anyone home?”
He waited, hoping that someone heard the comm link activate. A sleepy little “Papa?” was his answer.
He took another deep breath, smiling unconsciously in an attempt to control his tone. “Hey sweetpea. Can you go get yer daddy for me? It’s important.”
“Okay Papa. I’ll be riiiight back!” His heart melted, but he shoved it aside to focus on the problem at hand.
“Jas- Hood, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Roy’s panicking voice came on the line after a few minutes. He sounded simultaneously like he’d just woke up and like he’d just ran a mile.
“Fine, Arsenal. I’m fine. I’m bringing home a friend, medical attention required. Meet in the capes’ base.”
“Jace, what-”
“I’ll explain when I get there, babe, just hurry, we’re almost there.”
He heard Roy take his own deep breath, and he could almost see the nod he made before the quiet, “okay.” They both let the line fall silent.