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Tim was thirteen when he began having connections to his soulmate. It was normal to have soulmates, some of the kids at school were also just beginning to get connections to their own special people. Red strings, special marks, one girl was even color blind. So it really wasn't a surprise.
What was a surprise was the burning, excruciating pain. It spread throughout him and felt like he had eaten a million bees alive. Or jumped into a volcano. It hurt. A lot. So much so that he desperately wished his dad and mom were home.
They weren't. They never were.
He had been getting ready to go out for… bird watching. But there hadn't been any birds recently. Which was a little concerning.
Then the pain started. He dropped his camera in surprise, it hit the floor with a clatter and thump. He doubled over and pain enveloped him. Tim screwed his eyes shut, curling in on himself. He had been standing at some point but now he was on the floor curled up in the fetal position. His cheeks were wet from tears. It hurt. It felt like he was on fire. Burning, burning, searing. Tim gasped and cried out as his chest stabbed. The pain builded and he was certain that he was openly crying. One second he was in excruciating pain, the next he was unconscious.
When he woke up it was morning and he was probably late for school. He found he didn't really care. The camera was still laying where he had dropped it, and he was still on the floor in his birdwatching clothes. It hadn't been a nightmare. Tim waited for something more, some sort of sign, signal, or pain. Something to give him an idea of what was happening.
Nothing.
It stayed nothing too. After that night Tim never felt another ache, pain, or throb. Which went on for years. Years of having to assume the worst. Years of seeing all his friends find their soulmates. Of his family, the new one he'd found through becoming Robin, finding their precious people. Tim had done the research and knew what had likely happened. His soulmate had died. He never talked about it. Not once did Janet or Jack ask. Bruce once had mused about his parents’ love but never pushed Tim about his own history. Dick loved to chatter about it though he never once pressed Tim for details. His friends never asked. Tim never brought it up. He supposed that everyone just assumed that he was one of the unlucky that were born without a connected soulmate.
He wasn't but maybe he should have been.
As Red Robin he was content to work for the mission. His mission. It wasn't like he had to date to be happy, he was fine to carry on. Besides, he had the rest of the bats, his friends, and the superhero community. He wasn't lonely by any means.
Even Jason had come back. Granted, he didn't seem very fond of Tim but that was to be expected. It was fine.
Tim sighed as he tied up one of Penguin’s goons, “You know, you didn't have to help me. I'm more than capable of handling Penguin on my own.”
Red Hood rolled his eyes from behind the domino mask, “Look I know you had it under control but who said it's about you? I have business with the goblin too.”
“What business could you possibly have with the guy?” Tim said with a scoff.
Jason crossed his arms and his leather jacket bunched at the elbows, “He's been encroaching in my territory.”
Tim tried not to stare, “Uhuh. That's relevant how?”
Hood didn't move, “Because-”
A gunshot rang out and Jason swore. Both of them went down. Tim hissed as his hand gripped his arm tightly, he'd been shot. Jason turned and fired a round of his own gun in the direction of whichever thug had taken a potshot at them. Then he grit his teeth and held his own arm. Tim glanced at Jason. Had they both been hit? It wasn't likely…
He pulled his hand away to see what the damage was only to stop. There was no blood. No bullet hole. No wound. Yet his arm ached in the same way his body always did when he was shot. It certainly wasn't his first time and he knew the feeling too well. Tim's eyes snapped to Jason's arm, a mirror of his own situation. Except Jason's arm was bloodied. The bright red leaked past Jason's covering hand and down the leather jacket sleeve. Tim watched as Jason carefully pulled his hand back to assess the damage before a new round of blood gushed. Then, the older of them clamped his hand back over it and Tim felt the pressure before he really processed it.
Jason hadn't noticed yet.
Tim's brain was in processing.
“Fucking shit. Now I gotta go have to deal with this.” Jason almost whined.
Tim blinked, “Shit okay let's head back to the cave.”
Jason raised an eyebrow, “My safehouse is closer.”
Tim nodded, “Okay, lead the way.”
Hood shot him the occasional odd glance as they swiftly made their way to Hood's safe house. A tourniquet had been tied before they left to make sure Jason didn't pass out before they made it back to safety. Tim had admittedly neglected to consider how strange it'd be for him to follow Jason all the way back and then proceed to stay unprompted. While it was normal for any one of them to accompany an injured comrade, Jason always went solo. Tim hadn't bothered to cater to Jason's lone wolf attitude. He was too busy dissecting the bomb he had uncovered.
Inside the safe house Red Robin sat on the counter top while Hood took one of the few chairs for himself. He zoned out as Jason grabbed the medkit and untied the tourniquet. Tim felt the feeling come back to his own arm, the tingling fading just as pain began to flare. He sat quietly on the tiny kitchenette island and watched as Jason fixed his own arm up. Every hiss, grunt, and stitch Tim felt. Consistently.
Jason finished the stitch off with a surgeon's knot, something they all had learned at some point, then turned to look at Tim.
“You good?” Jason said curiously.
Tim stared at Jason's injured arm, trying to decipher what to do from it.
Jason followed his gaze and huffed, “It's fine Tim, don't worry about it.”
Tim opened his mouth then closed it. What could he say to explain this? How does he explain that his soulmate died when he was thirteen and he went through the most excruciating pain he'd ever gone through to date. Only to discover that the Robin who died and came back, his Robin, is his dead soulmate? How does one drop that?
Then, with tact and without preamble, Tim pinched his own arm.
Jason gave a surprised yelp and shook his good arm out, “What the hell…”
Tim did it again. Deliberately staring Jason down. Jason growled out his annoyance.
“Seriously? Why do you keep- wait do that again.” Jason commanded.
Tim obliged. Jason stared.
“You're…” Jason started.
“Yep.” Tim said bluntly.
Jason sat back down from where he'd stood, “How long?”
He snorted, “How long have I known it was you? Just now when you got shot. How long have I had a soulmate? Thirteen.”
Jason's brows furrowed as he tried to do the math but Tim decided to be generous and help him out.
“It was the night you died,” he said and emphasized his words, “I passed out from the pain and when I woke up I never felt anything else after.”
To his credit, Jason looked upset.
“I… that sucks.”
Tim snorted, “It does.”
Jason cracked a smile, “Can I take you to dinner to make up for it?”
He laughed incredulously, “You can't be serious.”
“Oh I am. I've never had a soulmate before and I'd love to try my hand at being a gentleman.” Jason said in mock seriousness.
“Implying I'm a lady to be charmed?” Tim asked sarcastically.
The older between the two of them snickered, “Nah, you're the rich bachelor everyone's trying to woo.”
Tim wrinkled his nose, “Ew no that makes me Bruce. Do you really wanna date Bruce?”
This time the disgust was on Jason's face, “Okay point. But seriously, let's give it a shot.”
“Who are you trying to convince here?” Tim said as amusement filled his voice.
Jason raised an eyebrow, “You?”
He shrugged, “I've had a crush on you since your Robin days so you won't have to ask me twice.”
“Oh?” Jason was smirking and Tim got the distinct impression that maybe he should have held back that little tidbit of information.
Still, he sighed with a smile gracing his lips.
“Sure, let's give us a shot.”