Chapter Text
Inelegantly, Jason hit a wall and slumped down it. He was sprawled on the cold, hard ground and completely lost. He had gone out for cold medicine, Roy having badgered him into actually trying to take care of himself, when the weather had taken a turn for the worse.
It had been a light blizzard, the type of weather that most people would avoid going outside in if they could help it.
Unfortunately, Jason hadn’t been able to help it. Some sort of illness had taken hold of him last night after he had gotten home after he and the golden wonder had battled a magician. Jason’s immune system was pretty solid, after the dip in the pit he never seemed to get sick.
Which was why Roy had been woken up by a call just hours ago. Jason could barely breathe, he was hot and cold, he was dizzy - he could barely even see.
Roy had calmed him down, and talked him into going to the doctor. Jason hadn’t wanted to go to the doctor, but Roy had told him that it was either he took his ass to the doctor, or Kori was going to go and get him and take him to the doctor.
Jason had grumbled, but he got dressed. He knew that Roy meant it, too. He would send Kori over to get him and make him go to a doctor.
She’d probably bring him to a doctor who wouldn’t even notice if Jason didn’t want to be there, too.
She could be mean like that.
Which was how Jason had ended up where he was; slumped in a heap after the blizzard had taken a turn for the worse. It was snowing so thickly Jason couldn’t even see his feet, and more just kept falling.
Because of his cold, Jason didn’t even know where in Gotham he was. He could be right outside of his apartment, he could be near the clinic, hell - he could be in front of Wayne Enterprises for all he knew.
The only good thing about all of this was that he wasn’t in his Red Hood gear. No one would see him and how easy of a target he was and off him. So if he could just survive the storm, just survive the cold - both the magical one and the physical cold - he would probably survive.
Fuck, how he hated the cold. It reminded him of those winters he had spent alone on the streets. It especially reminded him of the one in which he almost died, had Bruce and Dick not found him in time.
This time… he didn’t think that they would make it in time.
In fact, there was a good chance that none of the Bats would find him in time.
They hadn’t known that he was sick. Tim was down with an eviler-than-usual case of pneumonia, and Jason didn’t want to take anything away from him. Tim needed the care and attention around him. He needed to know they were there.
He needed to remember what he was fighting for.
Tim… he was so sick. He was so sick, he didn’t deserve to be alone. He had done so much, he shouldn’t still be suffering now for what he’d had to do to bring back Bruce.
Jason still felt so guilty for not going with the timbit. He should have had at least one member of the colony with him as he searched for how to bring Bruce back. Maybe then he wouldn’t have come back so haunted.
So now Jason didn’t alert the Bats to the fact that he was in trouble. Tim needed them more.
All Jason needed to do, was to keep breathing.
Even as everything started to go dark, to fade away, Jason tried to focus on his breathing.
It wouldn’t be like last time…
When he had stopped…
Breathing too soon…
No, not this…
Time…
Jason must have fallen asleep, because when he woke up - it wasn’t snowing anymore, and Tim was crouched above him. He was surprised, looking at Tim with wide eyes.
Tim gave him a slight half smile, before he offered his hand to Jason.
Jason took it, standing up to his full height. Unbelievably, he felt remarkably better. Maybe a nap in the snow froze whatever magic the magician had cast on him.
Jason was refusing to think any deeper on that.
Jason slung one of his arms over Tim’s shoulders, grinning down at him as Tim started to walk off.
Briefly, Jason wondered where they were going. But he didn’t stop to question it; because he would not let his little brother down again. This time, this time Tim wouldn’t be alone.
And this time, neither would he.