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Jason was not looking forward to going to the Manor today. He barely came over to visit his family home in the first place and spent half the time in the Cave. Only going up to the Manor if Alfred was around to be a buffer. He knew that his relationships with Bruce and his siblings were getting better to the point where he might have felt comfortable visiting more often.
Well, it seemed to be going that way, until the incident a few months ago. Now he found himself trying to think about anything but his family because he would have to accept what happened. He liked living in a state of denial, it was a lot better than having to deal with the truth. But, Alfred actually reached out for help today and the man was always Jason’s one weakness.
As he was pulling into the Cave, he was wondering if it was the right call. He paused for a minute after arriving, needing a moment before facing the change in his family’s reality. Of course, luck was not on his side and the source of his current issue was sitting there in the middle of the Cave as if waiting for him to arrive.
“Oooh, what’s this? The prodigal son has finally returned!” Tim said in giggle, as he spun around in the Batcomputer’s deskchair. “They must have been really desperate for a babysitter if they called you to watch me Jason.”
Jason froze as he took in what became of his little brother after being in the hands of the Joker for nearly a month. The younger man’s skin was chalky white, and it made his red stained lips stand out more. He was glad the green hair seemed to been only temporary, he didn’t know if he could make it through the visit if it wasn’t. Tim’s hair was shorter than he usually wore it, barely reaching his ears but, it was thankfully still black.
“Master Timothy, please refrain yourself. Might I remind you what happened the last two times you spun in that chair?” Alfred lectured as he came down the steps to the Cave. Tim responded by blowing a raspberry towards the older man but he did stop spinning in the chair. He turned to the Batcomputer where there is some paper and crayons lying by the keyboard. He picked a random crayon and started to scribble on the paper instead, it seems like he would ignore them for now.
Once Alfred gets closer, Jason can see just how worn down the older man looks. He knows that his unofficial grandfather has a big enough burden taking care of Bruce and all his children. But, having to take care of this new Tim on top of that…he’s surprised the man hasn’t collapsed. He is glad that he can at least give him a break now, and maybe he’ll need to check in with the family more often. If Alfred is this affected, the other must be a mess.
“Right, Master Jason I shouldn’t be more than two hours. Master Bruce’s meeting should be concluding soon, and he won’t be more than an hour,” he grabs onto Jason’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “Thank you, Master Jason, this means more to me than you know.”
Jason pats his hand before Alfred let’s go of his shoulder. “Anytime, now we’ll be okay. Go relax by yourself for a bit.” The older man gives him a grateful smile before turning to look at Tim. “I’ll be back soon Master Timothy, remember to listen to your brother.”
Tim doesn’t acknowledge the man at all choosing to scribble harder against his paper. Alfred shakes his head sadly and heads up to the Manor. Jason holds himself back from snapping at the kid for his attitude, knowing that it would be useless right now. Instead, he goes to medbay area, wanting to grab some things to restock his belt.
The Cave is quiet, almost peaceful for a while. Both young men choosing to work in silence until Tim decides to break it, “You know. I really want to see the ocean right now Jason.”
“Maybe you can ask Bruce to take you later this week,” Jason replies, not registering that Tim’s voice is coming from nearby rather than across the Cave.
“No,” he says from behind him, “I want you to show it to me.” Jason feels something hit the side of his head and he goes down on the floor. It takes a moment for him to process what just happened, and those few seconds cost him. It’s too late, Tim is already on top of him, squeezing his neck with all the strength he has in body.
“Oh wow Jason! It’s so amazing if only you could see this. The more I squeeze, the more you turn such a pretty blue. I’ve got my perfect ocean view right in front of me and we didn’t even need to leave the house!” Tim exclaims, “This is so much better than my drawing. I can’t wait to show Alfred. Hmm, I guess that it won’t work if you run out of air huh?”
He continues to choke him for a few more seconds, and Jason’s vision begins to darken as starts lose consciousness.
Tim finally decides to let go and rolls off to lay next to Jason. Tim has no expression as he watches Jason cough as he tries to get in air. Once Jason feels like he can breathe again he gets up to put as much distance between Tim as possible.
“Stay away from me. I tried for Alfred but, clearly you’re a lost cause kid.”
“Aw, does that mean you won’t play with me again? I promise I’ll nicer next time. Maybe I can have Dick show us the ocean instead.”
“No!” Jason yells, “Just shut up and go back to your drawing until Bruce gets here.”
“Boo, you’re no fun. No one is fun anymore,” he whines and gives him a pout. “Oh I know!” He lets a dark chuckle, “I’ll have to come up with a fun game everyone will like for next time. Don’t worry, it will be better than seeing the ocean since you don’t seem to like it.”
Jason shudders at his voice, and rubs his neck where he knows bruises will be forming. He’s not looking forward to sharing his report to the family. He knows that they’ll have to make a tougher decision on how to deal with Tim soon. If this is how he acts with his family, then letting him be with civilians is next to impossible.
He watches in silence as Tim goes back to drawing.
He just knows he’s going to have to disappoint Alfred when he comes back because he refuses to be alone with Tim again.