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“Do you think that you're good now?!”
Jason slugs the kid right in the face, sending him flying backwards, blood spraying from his nose with the force of the blow.
“Do you really, Tim?”
The kid wearing the Robin suit is panting, exhausted and injured on his back on the floor. Jason's beaten him completely.
He stalks closer, feeling the way his own Robin suit flexes around his body. He misses the stomp of his combat boots, but when he tried them on with his bare legs he just looked silly. Better to stick with the pixie boots.
He kneels down beside Replacement’s battered body, eager to hear his reply.
“ Yes .”
Jason narrows his eyes and reaches out, ripping the R off Tim's chest and throwing it to the side. “You're going to regret that, Replacement.”
He pulls out a vial from his utility belt and pops it open under Tim's nose. Tim puts a hand up, feebly trying to push him away, Jason puts a hand over his mouth and leans in close as he inhales.
He watches as Tim gasps and chokes and writhes beneath him, his body twisting and cracking with the involuntary shift, and Jason laughs at his pain. He takes a deep breath, allowing the shift to wash over him, letting his body shudder and snap, mystical gas forcing the shift to come over his body. Normally they couldn't change like this. Normally they would never be able to transform when they feel so unsafe, so full of adrenaline. But the League gave Jason lots of fun toys to play with, and he's been saving this one for this very special occasion.
Jason's beaten his Replacement in their human forms, and now he's going to destroy him in their shifts as well.
Jason's world shrinks as he shifts, dropping down into his form. He never would've fought in this form before the pit, but his once small rat shift is now twisted and monstrous, grown to the size of a dog, white fur matted and dirty and he chatters his sharp teeth at the tiny cat huddled on the ground. Tim's shift is truly tiny, less than a foot tall, yellow with black spots, striped legs, and black feet, with an oddly broad face and massive yellow eyes.
This is going to be easy.
Tim lays on his back for only an instant before rocketing up and away, darting beneath part of the collapsed statue beside him. Jason would laugh if he could, but he chatters again instead, grinding his incisors menacingly as he stalks his prey. Tim growls from somewhere in the shadows he's hiding in, but Jason just shoves his snout beneath the statue, intending to turn it over.
Instead he feels claws sink into his jaw.
Jason shrieks, yanking back and whipping his head from side to side, trying to dislodge the creature from where it's dug into his flesh, and finally he succeeds, sending Tim flying into a statue with a yowl.
The cat smacks into the stone and falls to the ground, but before Jason can charge him, he's up again and darting forwards, pouncing on one of the smoke bombs that spilled from his utility belt when he fell and setting it off, covering the room in choking yellow smoke.
Jason races for a statue, his claws finding purchase in the hewn stone and scrambling up to perch on the fallen hero's outstretched hand, high above the ground and out of the smoke. He stares down, waiting for the smoke to swirl with Tim's movements, but he doesn't see anything. Then there's a sound from behind him.
He spins to see Tim launch himself from the statue's pedestal, flying up and out of the smoke with his claws extended and latching onto Jason's flank. Jason shrieks in pain, falling from his perch into the dissipating smoke below, landing on his side with a scream as he feels his bones break.
Jason lies stunned as Tim claws his way swiftly up his body, and when he feels teeth bite deep into the side of his neck he knows he's lost. Tim could tear out his jugular with one twist of his head. There's no way Jason can get out of this one. Tim bites down a little harder and Jason twitches nervously.
Tim's growl vibrates through Jason's throat.
He collapses, unable to fight any longer.
The doors to the Hall of Heroes burst open, the rest of the Titans rushing into the room.
“Oh, my God! Robin!” Starfire cries, rushing towards them. She kneels down and puts a hand on Tim's back. Jason carefully doesn't move. “Robin, are you alright?!” He hisses in answer.
“Who is this, Robin?” Beast Boy couches down beside them, reaching out to take Jason from Tim. Tim growls again, louder this time, and Beast Boy yanks his hands away. “Alright, I'm not touching your prey, dude. You keep it.”
Tim grumbles, his teeth shifting, and Jason can do nothing but hope he doesn't bite down.
“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!”
A cold black force wraps around Jason, encasing him in Raven's magic and wiggling between Tim's teeth and his neck, lifting him away from Tim and up to her eyelevel. He didn't think he'd ever be grateful for a hero again, but here he is.
Tim yowls, furious at being denied his prey, and leaps, launching himself over five feet in the air and landing on top on Jason's magic encased body, scratching and biting at Jason's form, his eyes wide and bloodthirsty.
“Rob's lost it again. Better get him to his room so he can calm down and shift back.” Cyborg snatches Tim by his scruff and holds him as far away from his body as he can while Tim screams and struggles to get free, scratching and biting at Cyborg's metal limb.
“Don't let go.” Donna shakes her head. “You remember what happened last time.” Cyborg nods, slowly walking out of the Hall with Tim fighting him all the way. Raven and the other Titans trail behind them, Jason floating along in the air on Raven's left.
“You mean when our fearless leader almost ate me?!” Beast Boy shudders. “How could I forget?”
“Worry not, friend Robin.” Starfire quickly pats Tim's head, nimbly dodging his swipe for her hand. “You are a mighty warrior and you will return to normal soon. You will not eat Beast Boy.”
Tim turns in Cyborg's hold, managing to make eye contact with Beast Boy and let out a murderous growl. Beast Boy quickly joins Raven, letting Cyborg walk away. “I'm going to go help Ray put our intruder in a cell, guys. Have fun trying to get Robin into his room without losing a limb!”
Raven turns down a different corridor, and Jason manages to relax once Tim is safely out of sight.
I will admit. He is good. Jason floats along, captured, but safe. And he has friends. Real friends.
Raven slips Jason into a cell, shutting the door firmly before dropping her magic's hold on him. He collapses to the ground.
I wonder… If I had friends like those … If I had been a Titan since the beginning…
He manages to drag himself into a corner, careful of his broken bones.
…Would my life have turned out differently?
Jason huddles into his corner to wait for the League's concoction to wear off, to wait for his heart to calm so he can shift back.
Would I have been a better Robin?
He closes his eyes.
Would I have been a better person?