Work Text:
Jason gasped, his ears ringing as he was violently brought back to consciousness. He struggled to sit up, the ground rumbling as he propped himself up on a partial concrete wall. His helmet was damaged, cracked down the side. But one thing was clear as he looked out the window, one eye exposed to the open air from the damage.
Bombs were going off all around him. His gloves strained as he gripped the destroyed concrete harder. Always gotta be the fucking bombs with these psychos.
As he moved to step out of the building, he realized he’d clearly been thrown into if the stabbing pain in his side was anything to go by. Blood dripped from a shallow gash. Jason shook his head, hoping to clear the stars blinding him. He only got to what used to be the doorframe when he had to stop and lean against it.
It was all coming back to him slowly, like molasses dripping over waffles. Scarecrow… and Penguin… they, they teamed up?
Jason’s hand flew up to grip the side of his head, fingers meeting the jagged edge of the Red Hood helmet. Star bursts of pain exploded along the crown of his skull as the memories poured in. Penguin and Scarecrow had decided to team up, coming to the conclusion that Gotham really needed some more bombings .
Fucking hell man. This is what I get for trying to be a good samaritan and helping out on my day off. Roy is going to be so pissed if I miss movie night, I promised to cook for Lian. Jason had gotten the alert for all hands on deck from Bruce earlier this morning. It’s still morning right? I shouldn’t have been out for that long.
He pushed off the doorframe, ignoring the thorns of pain tracing their way up his body from his side to his head. Luckily, Jason had chosen to throw on a domino before heading out. He unclasped the helmet, tossing it to the side bitterly. Piece of shit.
As he grumbled, Jason was a little petulant. He in fact, loved that helmet. Lian had given him a little sticker to put on the inside. To ‘ remind you of us when you’re fighting bad guys! ’
Safe to say, Jason Todd was not in a good mood as he stepped out into the street, his left hand loosely gripping the gash on his right side. Naturally, the anti-hero got not even a second of reprieve.
Just 15 yards from him, he saw Red Robin fighting a few goons. This wasn’t concerning. Tim could handle himself against a few low level nobodies, the teen had them down in less than a minute. No, it was the beeping that had caught Jason’s attention.
Behind Tim, Jason saw a small flashing red light, so small, he’d almost missed it. As the beeps got closer together, his eyes widened in realization. That shit’s a bomb!
Tim was panting hard, entirely unaware of the beeping behind him. His heartbeat was thundering in his ears, much like Jason’s was now. He started running, dashing towards the vigilante.
“Fucking move!” Jason shouted, waving his arms. Tim looked up at him, confusion coloring his face. “Move your ass Replacement! There’s a bomb, watch out!”
Tim finally heard him, his face turning pale behind the winged dominio. Jason was less than five feet from him, his younger brother. The teen started to move, but it wouldn’t be fast enough. Fuck, he’s not gonna make it.
A surge of adrenaline flooded his body, numbing the pain in his side. Jason leapt.
Gloved hands met Tim’s side, crashing into the teen and sending him flying to the side. As he fell, Jason saw his younger brother land on his side outside what Jason had estimated the blast radius to be. Only thought ran through his mind. He’s safe, he’s safe, he’s safe.
Time sped up, Jason’s chin meeting the ground, hard. He felt pain bloom in it groggily as he heard the blast. Debris flew. As his vision started to wink out, he saw confusion and anguish cross Tim’s face. Sorry Babybird, it’s my turn to be the self sacrificing one.
As he felt the debris pile on top of him, everything went black.
—
Everything hurt. Jason came to with a jolt, the earlier spattering of thorns of pain were everywhere now. Their vines had spread, wrapping themselves around every inch of Jason’s skin and squeezing .
He let out a whimper, opening his eyes. Panic seared through his brain, setting every nerve alight even in the absolute darkness around him. He tried to wiggle, but found himself pinned. Giving a sharp tug on his left arm, Jason’s vision nearly whited out.
Tears were streaming down his face as he came back to himself. His left arm was stretched out in front of him, pain radiating off of it. It was definitely broken. The bones felt something closer to dust than any pieces.
Sobs were escaping Jason now, but he didn’t care. No, no, no no no no. I can't be trapped, I need to get out.
His vision filled with flashbacks, images of a nightmare Jason had tried to bury deep with the Robin they’d been born with. A cherry red smile, a bloodied tire iron. Metal scrapping against rough, jagged concrete. His arms, broken and pinned against him, nearly blinded from the blood gushing down his face.
“He-elp,” He cried out, his voice hoarse. “Please, help.”
The ringing in his ears was steadily being replaced with manic laughter, getting louder and louder as it got closer. Green tinged the black Jason was seeing as he frantically tried to get away.
With each tug of his arm, sparks of white hot pain shooting through him. He could feel the gash of his side tearing, some kind of rock rubbing the edges raw. It didn’t matter though. All that Jason was focused on was getting out .
“Please, someone,” He was shouting with all the force he could muster, the laughter echoing all around him now. “Bruce, please.”
He was back in that room again, tugging on a locked door as the timer ticked down. Snot ran down the front of his face, desperation eating away at his sanity. “Dad, please, help,”
He slumped forward slightly, exhaustion weaving its way in with the brambles of pain. Jason weakly tugged against the rocks pinning him in place, the fight slowly leaving him.
He shut his eyes, but never stopped the slight tugs. He’d never stop trying to get away, but as the laughter closed in on him, Jason’s hope was steadily extinguished.
He’d nearly passed out when he heard a faint voice.
“-reful, you might destabilize the debrief.” It, it sounded like Tim? Why would Tim be in Ethiopia?
“I know Red Robin, but we need to hurry,” Superman? Slowly, the dim warehouse warped back into darkness.
A sliver of light hit his forehead, bright enough for Jason to see the dust flying through the air. He let out a yelp, loud and desperate. The voices paused. No!
“‘M here!” Jason hoarsely cried out, straining to get closer to the blinding light. “Please, ‘m here!”
“Hood! We’re coming, we’re here!” Tim’s voice rang out, a frantic twinge to it. “You’re going to be okay!”
The beam slowly, but surely grew, bathing Jason in its brilliance. It was only a few, snail paced minutes later when they had nearly freed him. As Superman moved the larger boulders, Red Robin was moving with a quickness Jason didn’t think he’d ever seen before, clearing the smaller stones.
Finally, he was free. Superman lifted him, cradling him to his chest. Jason gave a yelp as Tim gently placed his broken arm across his chest. “You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay.”
Tim was repeating it like a mantra, eyes unfocused. Like he was telling himself rather than his brother. Guilt riddled his face and his bowed frame. Even through the guise of pain, he could see how his little brother’s shoulders were hitched, guilt and anguish pulling them taunt.
Tim raised a hand to Jason’s cheek. “We’ve got you, you’re going to be okay.”
Tears still carving divots in his face, Jason leaned into the touch. When he closed his eyes, he wasn’t afraid.