Chapter Text
The indicator was flashing yellow repeatedly on his hip. Jason knew the yellow color indicated that Robin (Damian) needed help. And Jason just so happened to be in the vicinity as he saw the map on his phone telling him Robin's exact location. He was about a mile and a half out, riding in the opposite direction on his Indian Scout.
Jason had turned off his location and comms to the other members of the Batfam, however he still got all of their communication and locations. Because of this, he could hear all the other bats chirping in his ear. All trying to get a response from Damian, but the other end was missing the chirp of a Robin. He could also see Damian’s vitals from the tech built into the Robin suit, only because he had hacked the bat computer. (Which Bruce knows about, he just doesn't care if Jason still uses the bat tech as long as he is not using it for malice intent. Even if they are currently fighting:) From what he could tell, Damian was under a lot of physical stress, as his heart beat outrageously fast, even for someone in the midst of battle.
It was his fathers voice that pulled him away from his thoughts. "Robin! Can you hear us! Please, respond, son!” The desperation in Bruce's voice made his chest ache. Had his father sounded the same when he had died? Screaming for a child that couldn't hear him. He pushed the thought away before it could cut any deeper and moved to the situation at hand.
Jason, only 5 minutes away, rushed to get to Damian. Weaving in and out of traffic on his motorcycle. Finally arriving at a Bank that had been burned down and was now on fire with crumbles of brick everywhere, he could see Damian fighting off multiple assassins with only one arm as the other laid limp on his left side, flailing about as he jumped and parried avoiding the blows being thrown his way.
Oh, there is definitely something wrong with him, Jason swiftly picked up a katana that was laying discarded on the ground, and instantly dove into action. He finally reached Damian and jumped in front of him, slashing the katana in his hands down at the shadows that were attacking Damian moments before.
“Hood!?” shocked, Damian jumped back as Jason forced his way in front of him.
“Sup kid! Don't worry, I'll protect you, little bird.” He mocked, knowing it would get under Damian's skin. But looking at him, Jason could tell he was too injured to address his little comment. His face had already gone pale from the blood loss. He had small slashes all over his body, and a gaping stab wound to his left shoulder that was still oozing blood from earlier injuries…. Injuries that those League bastards would soon pay with their lives for, and Jason began his onslaught against the assholes that had hurt his baby brother.
~
“His heart rate is dropping, B!” Dick screamed at his father as they ran to the batmobile.
“I can see that Nightwing.” reaching the Batmobile the two vigilantes took off before their doors had even shut. Rushing out of the Bat Cave. “Batmobile, take me to Robin's location.” Bruce looked down at the map on the screen and grimaced.
“31 minutes, B, we will never make it in time.” Bruce could see the terror in Dicks face, even through his mask.
“Not again.” Bruce whispered to himself, he could feel Dicks stare as he drove like a maniac to get to Damian. Dick understood what he meant out of everyone who could, it was Dick who understood. He had seen Bruce after Jason died. Not just seen, but felt. Felt the animosity radiating off of his Father. Felt the sorrow of losing a brother. Dick had once told him that he blamed himself for Jason's death, said he had never tried to teach Jason how to truly be Robin. How to know when and when not to jump in without help. To know his limitations, for who better to know Robin than Boy Wonder himself. It had torn another piece out of Bruce's withered heart to hear his son admit that.
~
Ironically, all Damian could do was stare dumbfounded as Jason whipped and sliced through each of the shadows with such breathtaking fluidity. Damian had seen this type of fighting before, but only from his mother, grandfather…...and his Akhi (brother). Even he was taught how to fight in such a manner, but to have a filthy rogue his father scavenged from the grimy streets of Gotham know the techniques of the LOA, was inconceivable. However, taken aback as Damian was with Todd's secret skills, he still could not fight the pull of fatigue that engulfed his body, and the adrenaline had worn off. He knew he had to attend to the wound on his left shoulder or he would pass out, but Todd was still fighting the shadows, and Damian had lost too much blood to move.
He did not even remember collapsing but from his lowered view point he could see the Rogue shadow charging towards him, but there was nothing he could do as he sat there unable to move. Jason had damn near cut them all down, but out of the ruble and dust came some unforeseen consequences. Damian watched as death approached, unable to move. Pleading to the God he didn't believe in to give him one last surge of adrenaline. But even if the adrenaline came it would not reach his muscles in time, for there was not enough blood to disperse it. The katana came straight for the spot between his eyes.
I’m sorry, Father.
~
“Oracle, what is Robin's status?” Sheph sounded strained as Cass and her were currently wiping out some low level thugs Black Mask had hired to run a drug deal. Roughly 43 minutes away from Robin.
“He is not doing so hot, his blood pressure is falling and his oxygen saturation is plummeting with it. If he loses any more blood he won't… he'll….” the word sounded so bitter in Barbara's throat that it kept getting stuck on her tongue. But everyone on the comms knew what she meant.
It was only times like these that Barbara was actually happy she couldn't be in the field, fighting along with the other bats. It was moments like this she preferred her privacy, so that the others couldn't see her fall apart. For as good as she was at hiding it, she was petrified that she might lose another part of her family.
“Oracle. Is there any way to get a hold of Hood?” Dicks interruption was more than welcome to distract her from her thoughts. No matter how pleading it sounded.
“I can try, give me a sec.” Oracle changed her frequency to a separate one she had just for Jason. Because although Jason was still pissed at Bruce, he got along with the rest of his family. He and Tim had even grown to like each other. Even if he still considered him his replacement.
“Red Hood can you hear me?”………..”Red Hood are you there?” no reply, she switched back to the bat family's frequency.
“Nothing, he must have his comms turned off.” Her nerves were only getting worse.
“Damnit!” Bruce was barely holding it together. “What about GCPD?” Dick was shaking ever so slightly, but Bruce's trained eyes caught it. Stress was getting to them both and he needed to keep his calm. For his Family, for Damian, who may have had the intellect of an adult, but was still a 12 year old boy, who needed his Father more than ever. So Bruce would hold it together! He had to.
“They have already been alerted and are on their way, but they will arrive too late.” Oracle's words stung.
‘Too late’ Bruce could not do it again. Could not fail another son, and he was still 24 minutes away. 24 fucking minutes too late.
~
Damian had heard what a Katana stabbing flesh sounded like years before today. He remembered the sound of viscera being impaled, the smell of copper in the air. The spray of crimson across one's face before they could register what it was. His grandfather had ingrained that site into his brain tens if not hundreds of times. So many times that Damian had become numb to it, to the death that soon followed. Unfortunately, his blurry vision had not failed to see the terrifying truth that stood only inches in front of him. A truth he was woefully unprepared for, despite years of preparation. The site of the katana that was meant for him, pierced through his brother's back.
“GUUHH!” SPLAT!
Damian remembered the sound of spitting up blood, had seen it too. And though his brother's back was turned to him, he could not bring himself to look down at the coughed up blood, sprayed across the asphalt. Sadly he would not be conscious of what happens next. “Todd…..” was all he could whisper before everything went dark.
~
Jason could feel the pierce of the katana as it penetrated his abdomen. ‘Well there goes my liver.’ he thought, as he took the broken katana that was in his hand and slit the throat of the Shadow in front of him.
“FUCK!” He knew he could not remove the katana, for if he did he would bleed out then and there, even with the pit running through his veins. He would heal faster than a normal man, but not enough to stop an artery from bleeding out. So, grabbing both ends, he broke off the edges of the katana that were sticking out of his gut.
“AAHRG!” He bellowed into the night, leaving only the fragmented piece still piercing his innards. Not enough to see, but enough to keep him from bleeding out. He rushed to a now unconscious Damian, each step sending excruciating pain to his core. Luckily, he was used to pain in all honesty; he had the highest pain tolerance out of the entire bat family. Second only to Bruce if not equal to. And he owed that thanks all to the Joker and his fucking crowbar and the streets, maybe even the nights his mom would end up sick from the drugs and he would have to take care of her.
Ethiopia was his biggest trigger, though. He still remembers the crunching of bones breaking, the realization of his organs failing. Something about his blood flow was off, and he had learned all he needed to about veins and arteries to know he was also bleeding internally. Even if the Joker hadn't blown him up, the likelihood of him surviving the beating was next to none. Focus damnit, Dami needs you!
Peering down at Damian's still body, Jason started to assess the damage. He noticed the small lacerations and bruises scattered across Damian's body, none of them lethal until he got to Damian's left shoulder. It had definitely been stabbed, but there was no exit wound. Probably the reason Damian was still alive in that moment.
Jason got down on Damian's left side and ripped the suit around the wound he pulled out a small medical kit from his belt. Opening the wound just a little he could tell that Damian's artery had been nicked. So he did the only thing he could think of, and clamped the artery on both the left and right side of the nic. From here he took his small burning pin and cauterized the artery nic. He then used a quick stitch pad to keep the wound shut, and wrapped Damian's shoulder as best he could while trying to be fast.
When he was finally done Jason picked Damian up as gently and quickly as he could. Placing his little brother on his back, Jason ran to his bike. He sat Damian on the bike and while holding him up he put his helmet on him. Obviously Damian couldn't hold on so Jason decided to tie him down. He grabbed the rope from his saddle bag and tied Damian around his back and tied his head down as well. He even tied Damian's arms around his waist and Damian's legs around his own to keep them from flying.
He started the bike and felt the roar of the engine, the only issue was the pain that surged through him from the vibrations. He was starting to get dizzy. He needed to get back to the manor before he passed out too, he needed to see Leslie. Damian needed Alfred's medical expertise, and Jason did not want to get stuck having to see Bruce for longer than needed. With that he took off towards the manor as fast as he could.
~
17 minutes, and they would be there. Bruce could feel his terror bubbling up, when all of a sudden Damian's location started to change. He was now going East from his original location. While Bruce and Dick were headed west.
“Robin's on the move and fast, he's going 113mph and climbing.” Oracle proclaimed. Her voice was strained, she was definitely feeling the stress.
Cass glanced at her batphone and knew, from past experience as an assassin, that Damian's heart rate, blood pressure, even his blood oxidation, were just too damn low for him to be conscious. “That is not Damian driving, with those vitals he is definitely unconscious.” she then summersalted her knee into the face of one of the thugs coming at her with a knife.
“Someone must be with him, it looks like he's headed straight for the manor.” Bruce declared as he took a hard right towards home. Hope rushed through him. Jaylad! You beautiful, wonderful boy!
Clinging to whatever he can to not go flying across the car, “But who?” Dick questioned, even though he knew the only person that it could be. He still waited for an answer that waned in the air.
Steph finally broke the silence, “Tim and Duke are out on a mission in Quebec with the Teen Titans. So unless they are back it can't be them." Her voice was strained as she drop kicked, and elbowed two thugs at the same time.
Bruce knew who it was. “Everyone back to the manor, we will meet them there.” His boy was coming home for the first time in years. And he was bringing a gift with him, the gift of Damian's life. They would not be too late this time, how ironic it was that Jason is the person that would save Robin.
Dick looked up from the monitor displaying Damian's horrendously slow heartbeat, and stared at Bruce. “You know who it is, don't you?”
Bruce kept his eyes on the road as he sped towards the manor. “So do you.” Of course Dick knew. “It is no mystery, not many people know about the Batcave, even fewer know how to get there. Out of everyone who does, only a select few would need to rely on a vehicle. Especially a vehicle that was now going 207 mph down a forgotten Highway, with many Sharp curves. Indicating the vehicle must be very small in order to go around said curves at such speeds.”
The line went silent, because just with that little bit of information everybody understood that the very small vehicle had to be a motorcycle. And the only person besides Steph and Cass, that were currently operating both of the Batcycles, who rode a motorcycle was none other than Jason. Bruce knew he would arrive back home before Jason and Damian. After all he was headed in their direction to begin with.
“But he hates us.” Dick couldn't help but blurt out, pulling back in guilt as he watched Bruce's face contort ever so slightly. “Sorry, I shouldn't have said that.”
“Don’t apologize, son. Not to me.” Dick shouldn't have to apologize for that. Not when it was Bruce who was to blame, not when he was right to speak the truth. Painful as it may be, Bruce needed to face his failings. “You may be right, but even if Jason hates us. Specifically me. He is still a hero, he still cares about the innocent. And he would go down fighting to protect Damian with his life.” That was one thing Bruce could be certain of, Jason would always protect the innocent.
~
Flying down the back roads to avoid cops, Jason could feel the brisk air on his face as it rushed past him. The sound was deafening, but welcomed. His peripherals were already getting blurry and his stab wound was starting to get a little numb. Even his eyelids were getting ever so slightly heavier. He grabbed the only shot of adrenaline from his jacket and stabbed it into his thigh. It was just the wake up call he needed, but it was only temporary. He would eventually pass out, it was only a matter of time. He could make it though, for Damian, who was still full of life. For the boy Jason would never get to be again, the boy that died in that crumbling warehouse. Broken and battered. And for the monster that came back, he would fight. Because he would never allow anyone to meet the same fate as the Robin that became an angel, just to fall back down to hell.
~
Bruce and Dick finally reached the cave, and Bruce looked down at the monitor, his boys were now only 6 minutes from home. And moving fast, they would probably arrive sooner. Finally the batmobile came to a halt and the two men jumped out of the vehicle, both running to the med bay Alfred had already prepared for their return. Dick put on a doctor's gown over his uniform and moved to wash his hands. He then got the gloves on and then his mask.
“Master Bruce.” Alfred approached his adopted son with vigor in his step. “Is it really our lost boy, is he finally coming home to us?” His voice was restraining the pain hidden behind his eyes, but Bruce could still hear it. Years. His whole life, he had listened to that voice. The voice of his second father, he knew it better than anyone ever would. He also knew the hope, sorrow, joy, and pain behind the voice. Alfred had also lost a son that day, the day of fire and Ash. A day etched into the folds of Bruce’s memory, clear as the gray in his father’s hair. If he closes his eyes, he can still smell the soot and charred flesh mixed with the coppery tinge of his son's drying blood. Feel the shifting of broken bones as he hauls his mutilated body off the cold concrete floor and into his arms. Enough Bruce! He’s alive, here, in the now, and Damian needs you focused. Not dwelling on the inexorable mishaps of your past.
“Yes, Alfred.” blue eyes locked with brown. “Our lost boy is coming home.” Finally.
~
4 Minutes. Jason could still hear the comms going off, he had pulled it from his helmet earlier and put it in his ear. He would have responded, but he was dangerously close to passing out and he was desperately focused on not crashing at 183 mph.
“Has someone called Leslie?” - ‘Dick.’
“Yeah, she is on her way as we speak. But, I don’t think she will make it in time for when Damian gets here.” - ‘Duke.’
“How far are they?” - Steph.
“Tracker says 4 minutes out.” - Cass.
“Is there any way we can talk to Hood?” - Tim.
“No! They are moving too fast, and on a bike, no less. No one disturbs him.” - Bruce. Ha. Little does he know I have been listening in for months, but honestly I would be more shocked if he didn't know about that.
The clouds grew ominous in the night sky and Jason just happened to notice the lightning in his peripheral only because the sound broke through louder than the comms. Where lighting was so too was rain. To his luck, Jason was only two minutes away from the cave, although he did not see it as luck. Having to go home, after so many years away. The thought of returning to the home that both destroyed him and saved him was petrifying. Seeing his father again without the masks was even more so, but he would escape. Just as soon as he handed Damian over, and was sure he was safe. He would run to Leslie (the Bats personal doctor). She would patch him up, he just had to hur–. SHIT Leslie was headed to the cave…new plan, change out of the Red Hood costume and head to a hospital. Best option he’s got.
He would rather die again than have to deal with Bruce and his skepticism. Especially after coming back and realizing he was just a pawn. Another Robin to be used in Batman's sick game of justice, that damned mission.
Seeing Tim as Robin after he had risen from the lazarus pit nearly sent Jason back to the grave. Replaced….He had been replaced, as though he had never existed, as though Bruce had never loved him. It was the same reason he was so pissed when he had learned that Joker was still alive. His anger and sorrow was all that guided him. Red was all he saw, for years and coming back sent ripples through Gotham. And he wanted the drama, wanted to see Bruce at his weakest. To know. If it was true, if Bruce had truly never loved him. And why, why after everything they had been through? But he never got his answer, and slowly his anger faded. Not gone, just dulled, almost numb.
Jason’s feelings would have to wait though, for the river entrance to the cave had come into view. The waterfall spit from the top down, clearing a path for him to enter. Suddenly, Jason was riding down the tunnel to the Batcave. The sound of his engine echoing off the walls. He could tell he was getting dizzy again, because the little lights that were embedded towards the bottom part of the walls were blurrier than he remembered. Or maybe it had just been so long since he was last home. The weight of fatigue was only building, and the adrenaline shot had damn near worn off.
Thank god. The cave had finally come into view. Towards the entrance he could see Bruce running to meet them. Slowly everything came into view, and it was like DeJa Vue had slapped him across the face. Everything was the same. Except for maybe a few things he had not the time nor the stamina to care about.
Jason brought the bike to a stop mere feet behind the Batmobile. Bruce was only 20 paces away. Jason put down the kick stand and whipped his right leg over the bike with Damian still attached to his back.
Bruce finally reached them and had apparently already assessed that Damian was attached via rope. Seeing as how he had already pulled out a Batarang and began cutting the rope along with Jason who had pulled out one of his knives.
“Report.” Was all he said before Jason replied on command. Not even second guessing his compliance to the demand. He talked as they continued to cut.
“Multiple superficial lacerations. Minor bruising. One deep, linear two inch stab would, on the upper left shoulder. No exit wound, but his artery was nicked. I managed to stop the bleeding by cauterizing the artery with a burner pin, however he has severe blood loss. Unconscious for roughly 15 minutes.”
Bruce cut the last rope just as Jason finished his report. Sliding one arm under Damian's knees and the other under his back. Jason maneuvered the jacket just enough to block Bruce's vision of his stab wound. (Damian was the highest priority right now, even if it meant Jason would likely not survive the night.) He gave Jason one last quick confusing glance, almost assessing, before he turned and took off towards the med bay controlling his lightness of foot to avoid bouncing Damian. Relaying the info Jason had just given him to Alfred and Dick, sadly he did not notice the calm before the storm.