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When Jason Todd first awoke after his dip in the forbidden Mountain Dew pool of the Lazarus Pit, everything was tinted Green. Talia used his newfound rage to train him and make him stronger. His body no longer being small and racked with the debt of malnutrition, which affected how tall he was before he died. He now towered over Talia. Talia fueled his rage; she whispered in his ear how another kid had replaced him, how another kid had taken his dad, how he was now in the Robin suit, and how Bruce did not avenge him, that the Joker still lives. Talia began to plant seeds within Jason, watching as his vision bled green as he became ruthless. Talia watched him destroy and paint the room in blood. With all of the training that Talia gave him, she let him return to Gotham.
When Jason returned to Gotham, he came back as the Red Hood. He set himself as the new Crime Lord in Crime Alley, his old hunting grounds. While Jason upheaved the crime syndicate in Crime Alley. The wonder duo took notice of the disturbed balance within the Crime Alley area due to a new Crime Lord. His debut is when he cut off the heads of eight drug lord lieutenants and stuffed them into a duffle bag, which he then later dropped off at the Police station. A warning to all of the dangerous and petty criminals that reside in Crime Alley that Crime Alley is now his.
Jason began to plan to seek his revenge on Bruce and hurt the newest Robin to tell Bruce why there shouldn't be any more Robins. Especially since the older man didn't have a great track record with Robins. Jason had many plans, but those plans seemed to crumble through his fingers on a cold night in December.
He watched his replacement limp down the road toward Drake Manor from his vantage point in a walnut tree. From what Jason remembers, his replacement is a kid named Timothy Drake, the only child of Janet and Jack Drake. They are currently on an archeology dig in the remote parts of the Philippines, where they are getting on another plane to go to Crete for another archaeological dig and conference. Checking the flight log, they left on June 5 and wouldn't return to Gotham until February 18.
"So why is the hell is kid returning to an empty manor? Shouldn't he be staying at the Manor with Bruce?"
Jason thought to himself.
Jason thought his replacement lived with Bruce, especially because of his parents' extensive travels around the Globe. The Green that once filled Jason's vision began receding as he watched Tim limp into the Drake Manor. He looked so small for his age, his shoulders hunched inwards, and the winter coat looked like it swallowed the kid. Jason silently began his trek to the Manor. Jason waited 30 minutes before he broke inside of the Drake Manor. You would think Drake's security system would have been good since they left their son home for months.
The Drake manor didn't have good security; just a few bat-grade security were found on the property, but Jason was trained to avoid them. Alarm bells began to ring inside of Hood's head, especially how easy it was for him to disable the Drake's home alarm system.
The Drakes were rich Gothamites, and it was well known that the Drakes brought back all sorts of artifacts, including rare finds, which they had illegally taken from the sites of their archeological dig sites. It wouldn't be hard for any of the criminals within Gotham City and their son, but they don't have decent security. Green flashed across Jason's eyes as he climbed inside more of a museum than a house.
Noticing that he had just broken into one of Drakes's home offices on the ground floor, he silently began to creep out of the room and into the main hallway. Noting that the house had no heating on, Jason could feel the chill from outside seep inside the house, especially with how drafty it was.
“What the hell! It's 12F outside." Jason muttered as he continued to creep deeper and deeper into the house, looking for his replacement. His eyes tinted green, but he had to focus. He is here to teach Robin a lesson and send a message that would get through Bruce's thick skull on why letting children dress up like a traffic light and fight crime with the most dangerous villains, like was Bruce trying to get another one of his kids killed?
Coming down the hallway, Jason noticed a light coming out of a room, illuminating some of the dark areas of the hallway; it opened to an open space, most likely the kitchen. Jason silently walked closer to peak into the room. Jason finally spotted the replacement. His back was turned to him, but what he saw caused his blood to boil. The replacement's back was covered in many bruises in different stages of healing. Ranging in different hues of greens, purples, yellows, and blues. Jason also saw a massive bruise on the side of the kid's rib cage. A med kit was on the kitchen island, and the contents were already out. Jason saw disinfected spray and alcohol wipe already opened and had tints of pink on them. On his side, the kid had a small gash that was no longer bleeding.
“Hello replacement.” Jason said, his voice ringing out of the silent kitchen, his voice modulated, making his voice more intimidating. At the age of 17, Jason didn't want any of the thugs to know that they were being taken down by a teenager, and nobody would think that the newest Crime Lord was a teenager. Apparently, the Bat thought he was in his 30's. As he watched the kid sit straighter, and quickly turned around to see the Red Hood standing in his kitchen. Jason watched as the kid blinked at him. He could tell that he startled the kid.
“Hood…” Tim started to speak but stopped when he saw Hood coming closer. His red helmet made it impossible to read his facial expression. Jason had rage written all over his face because Bruce would never send his Robin back to an empty house or while he was injured. So what the fuck is Bruce thinking. Watching as Tim flinched as he got closer, causing more Green to leak into his vision.
“What happened to you? Why are you here and not with Bruce? Did Alfred even look you over?" Jason said as he reached out closer to the teen, noting the beginning of a black eye forming on the kid's face. He watched as the kid swallowed. He placed a gloved hand on the kid's chin to move his face and observe if there were any more injuries. "I fell at the skate park," Tim uttered. "I know those are not from a skate park replacement, or should I say Robin." The Red Hood ground out, causing ice to settle inside of Tim.
The Red Hood knows. "Of course, I know who you are. I've been watching you and doing my research. I am here to check on you because Bruce can't be trusted to care for his Robins." The Red Hood said he felt how tense Tim was. Tim slightly relaxed but not fully. Tim wasn't as stupid; he noticed the Hood disliking a specific bat, especally him. "You still didn't answer why you are not with Bruce, nor if Afred has looked over your injuries, baby bird." The Hood said as he finally let go of Tim's chin.
"How do you know Alfred?" Tim asked as he watched the Hood reach for the bandages. It looked like the Hood was trying to treat his injuries. Instead of answering, Hood grabbed disinfected cream and smeared it over the gash on his side. Tim let out a hiss as his gashed sting. Hood's gloved finger pressed on it when he smeared the disinfectant cream. "I know it stings, baby bird, but we have to get this cream and gashed covered up so it can heal. You don't want to get an infection, especially with the shit that's here." Hood said his modulated voice did not give away his mood as he continued to treat Tim's injuries.
"Okay, Timbit, have you eaten anything? Also, why in the hell is the heating not on?" Hood said as he handed Tim his hoodie. The kid looked nervous as he shook his head. At that exact moment, Tim's stomach growled. Hood began to clean up the medical supplies and watched the kid as he tried to help clean up and pack the med kit back up again. But Jason kept shooing him away as he caroled the kid to sit on the stool.
"You still haven't answered my question as to why the hell the heating isn't on? It's 12F outside!!" Jason questioned as he opened the fridge. He saw some eggs, some vegetables, and some leftover chicken. “It would be a waste to heat the house for only one person," Tim responded, causing the vegetable that Jason was holding to drop to the ground. There were so many things wrong with that sentence.
"Baby bird, why are you here? You should be with Bruce. Does he even know that your parents are not here?" Jason asked as he picked up the bell pepper that he dropped.
"Why would I be with Bruce? I am not his son. I am his neighbor, and I blackmailed him to take me as Robin. I'm just a placeholder," Tim said factually. Jason's vision turned green again when he heard that. "So Bruce doesn't know that he has been sending a kid back to a manor while it is empty as your parents are too busy globe-trotting." Jason ground out. "Their jobs are very important, and I don't need a babysitter. I haven't needed any babysitters since I was six years old. I am self-efficient and can take care of myself."
Tim stated that it was something to be proud of. This caused Jason's brain to self-circuit because there was much to unpack right there. "So you've been left alone in a house by yourself since you were six years old?" Jason asked. "Well, Mrs. Mac comes to the house every week with groceries and to clean the house, and then she leaves," Tim replied. As if that was even better. Like, what the fuck were the Drakes thinking. Were they even thinking at all?
"Also, you didn't answer my question; how do you know Alfred?" Tim asked as he looked at Hood through his helmet's whiteout lens, something he noticed Bruce had done while studying someone. "I've known Alfred for a while," Jason said as he moved around the kitchen, grabbing items he would need to start making food for the kid. The kid was tiny and probably hadn't had a decent meal for a while.
"Does an omelet sound good to you, baby bird?" Jason asked. "Yes. Thank you." Tim replied as he continued to watch the Red Hood. It looked like the kid was in deep thought, like he was trying to solve a puzzle, and Red Hood was the Puzzle.
"Why would the Red Hood show up at my house?" Tim ponder. He thought about it when the first time the Red Hood showed up. He remembers when Bruce first encountered the Red Hood. The words that the Red Hood said about the Joker and how Bruce replaced the old Robin with a new shinier version of a Robin. Clearly, the Red Hood disliked the Joker, Batman, but more specifically, Bruce and himself. But now it looked like the Hood was trying to care for him. Treated his wounds and now was making him something to eat.
Hood knows their civilian identities. He knows that he is Robin, and it is clear that the Hood had mixed training in the League of Assassins and vigilante training. He made it clear on his hatred of the Clown. As well as saying, "Are you trying to get another Robin killed?" when the Hood had one of his showdowns with Batman with Bruce. But it couldn't be possible. Jason died. It couldn't be possible that the Red Hood was Tim's Robin, the hero he looked up to and followed around Gotham to take pictures of. He remembers Jason being the Robin that could make Batman smile and laugh. How he protected the kids in Crime Alley, which is where Hood territory.
"Jason? Robin?" Tim spoke, causing Jason to freeze. Jason turned off the stove and turned towards Tim. "I knew you were smart," Jason said. He reached up to take off the latch on his red helmet. But before he could, Jason's arms were full of a baby bird who was clinging to him. Tim's arms were wrapped around him tightly as if he let go, Jason would disappear. Jason wrapped his arms around Tim.
He did not know how long he had hugged the kid, but when Jason removed the arms that were wrapped around the kid, Tim whined when he let go. "Touch starvation" instantly came to Jason's mind as he held the kid to him.
"Ssshhhh, baby bird. I need to take off my helmet," Jason said. Tim looked up to see the face of Jason Todd. Well, an older Jason. "It's really you? How? You died, Robin. How are you alive?" Tim said, letting out a sob. Noticing the green glow entering Jason's vision when he said, Robin. "I'm not Robin anymore." Jason ground out, watching as the kid ducked his head into his chest as the kid gripped him tighter. "No, you were my Robin. I used to sneak out of the house to take pictures of you." Tim said.
This caused Jason to tense. This kid used to sneak out to take pictures of him in Gotham at night. Didn't the kid know how dangerous that was? Clearly, this kid has been left unsupervised for the longest time.
"Baby bird, I'm not Robin anymore. I haven't been Robin for a long time. You are now Robin," Jason said, wrapping his arms around the kid again, watching Tim melt in his embrace. "Definitely touch starvation." Jason thought as he tightened his embrace around the kid. How could Bruce not see this?
"I woke up in my coffin and broke out of it. Talia al Ghul found me, and I was dumped into the Lazarus Pit. It made me violent and angry. Everything is green." Jason continued as the kid continued to hug him with a tight grip.
"So that's why your eyes glow green. You were thrown into a Lazarus Pit." Tim said it made sense about the sheer violence that the Red Hood did to the criminals. Tim shuddered when he hacked into the bat computer to see the decapitated heads of 8 lieutenants of the Crime Lords within Crime Alley. He tightened his grip.
"Okay, Baby Bird, why don't we eat this omelet and get you to bed?" Jason said as he began to plate the food he had made with slight difficulty, as the kid would not let go of him. "Will you stay with me?" Tim asked. This was the best day of his life because his Robin was alive. He was afraid that he was dreaming and that if he let go of Jason, he would disappear again.
"I'll stay. Do you have other clothes to wear, though? Armour isn't the most comfortable for sleeping," Jason replied. He did not want to leave the kid alone. Someone needed to take care of the kid. With that, Tim let go of Jason as he nodded his head, excitement written all over his face. Jason watched Tim scampered off to find Jason some clothes to change into. Jason began to take care of his weapons on his persons.
Jason had a new plan: to adopt the baby bird. He would not let this kid return to Bruce, as Bruce clearly did not care for the kid, and the Drakes were even worse. Jason doesn't trust Bruce with Tim because who lets a fourteen-year-old travel back to an empty, cold manor while injured? So the kid is his now.
He has to protect and care for Tim, but he must also ensure Tim gets some sleep and rest for now as Jason looks pointedly at the coffee pot.
The End.