Chapter Text
Tim should apologize to Jason
Tim honestly didn't think Jason would be this upset….he thought Jason would be miffed for a few days and then move on.
That made something settle weirdly in Tim’s stomach
Finally, by the sixth week in a row of Tim turning down a ride, Jason cornered him in the library.
“Dude….you are not okay.”
“Ive told you before, Jason, you don't need to worry about me, there's like a million more important things to be worrying about right now.”
“Yeah, but you're one of those things whether you like it or not, Timbo, so–”
“OH MY GOD JASON LEAVE ME ALONE!” Tim had finally snapped.
All the air seemed to get sucked out of the library.
The two boys just stared at each other. Eyes wide. Mouths agape.
It hurt. It hurt so much. Tim covered his mouth as soon as the words left his mouth.
He never felt such instant regret in his life.
Jason paused. All the color drained from his face as he backed away from Tim.
Both boys just stared at each other.
“Jay I–”
“No. You're right. You clearly want to be left alone. I'll stop bothering you.” Jason replied coldly.
Jason stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away from Tim.
Tim just stood there. His hands pressed to his mouth. And dumbly watched Jason walk away from him.
Tim was an idiot
Pushing away his one friend??
His one friend, who happened to be Robin, his hero.
Tim thought about texting him, but thought maybe an apology would be better in person.
So that's how he found himself at a corner store at two in the morning buying Jason’s favorite flavor of Nerds Ropes.
He was out taking some photos of the bats when Tim suddenly remembered always seeing Robin grabbing Nerds Ropes from this particular corner store.
Tim was currently buying five packs.
That should be enough for an apology, right?
Then suddenly there was a loud crash from the front of the store.
Tim peered around the aisle to see
Nightwing!?!
He exclaimed as much
“Nightwing!?!”
Nightwing looked up from where he was lying on the floor surrounded by glass to see Tim staring at him with his chin nearly on the floor.
Nightwing, seeming to still be blinking the stars out of his eyes, smirked up at him.
“Hey, kid!” He groaned, “No need to worry, we’ve got this all under—”
There was a roar outside the corner store.
It sounded like Manbat
Tim put it together.
Manbat threw Nightwing through the windows.
Nightwing then did a way too graceful kip-up for someone who just got thrown through a building.
“Take cover kid, it's a little crazy out there!” Nightwing smiled his dazzlingly blinding smile before—
“NIGHTWING I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T GET OUT HERE—”
That was Jason
Both Tim and Nightwing ran through the broken window. They looked up to see where the source of the panicked yelling was and saw
Jason
Well Robin
Dangling by the ankles from Manbat’s claws.
“NIGHTWING!!!” Jason shouted as Manbat began to fly him off to who knows where.
Jason sounded more angry than terrified, to be honest.
“Ah man…Batman's gonna kill me…” Dick muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“Hey didn't I tell you to take cover? Get somewhere safe kid, while I go rescue Robin.” Nightwing was suddenly addressing Tim.
He then fired his grappling hook and began to swing after where Manbat was carrying Jason off.
Except in Nightwing’s delirium (he probably at least has a concussion), he began to swing….in the wrong direction.
Tim’s heart sank
“W-Wait! Nightwing–!” Tim’s brain finally came back online, and he tried shouting at Nightwing, but he was already several stories in the air.
Tim had to do something. Robin just got taken by Manbat, and Tim couldn't see a Batgirl or a Batman, and Nightwing was going in the wrong direction.
Tim fumbled for his camera.
Last week, when scoping out potential villain hideouts, he had found a sewer tunnel that screamed “dramatic hideout for villain purposes”. Tim found the picture he took. Broken vials littered the ground, and in retrospect, Tim assumes they are some of Langstorm's serums.
Tim looked at the city street signs in the back.
Then, determined, he gripped his backpack, boarded his skateboard, and kicked off into the night.
………
Maybe if Jason lives, he can teach Tim how to grapple swing.
Tim’s lungs burned from how fast he was pushing his skateboard. There's no way he beat Manbat, and there was always a percentage that Tim’s hunch was wrong, but maybe if he got there in enough time he could…at least mitigate some of the damage.
Tim heard the screech of Manbat as he approached the sewer tunnel.
Yeah, Jason was in danger, but Tim did feel a little prideful that his guess was right.
He heard Jason screech right back
“PUT ME DOWN YOU OVER GROWN FLYING RAT!!”
Well, at least he was alive?
Tim had come up with a plan during the skate over that he desperately hoped he could pull off.
……
Tonight was not Jason’s night.
First, all the stuff that happened with Tim at school put him in a…weird mental state.
Tim was hurting, Jason knew this, but it still—-hurt him to have him push him out constantly.
Tim was—is Jason's not giving up—his best friend.
He knows his parents had to have said something to Tim for him to all of a sudden turn 180 on him.
He was just starting to get better, too, better at asking for things, better at relaxing in adults' presence, heck, even better grades in his classes that weren’t math or science!
Then all of a sudden it’s like Tim slipped right through Jason’s fingers.
He was at a loss for what to do
So he decided to call in the big guns.
Dick had shown up at the manor in record time.
Dick was much better at the interpersonal relationship stuff than Bruce ever was.
At some point, though, Jason just needed to blow off steam. Dick suggested a good ol’ grappling hook race through Gotham. If they were lucky, they might come across some goons to punch!
They weren't lucky. Instead of goons, they found a Manbat.
Jason hates Manbat with a burning passion.
If he weren't so distracted with all the Tim stuff, he probably wouldn't have been snatched.
But here he was, landing butt-first onto a dirty sewer floor.
Dick is gonna owe him big time.
Manbat was looming over him. Claws still on his ankle, even though he had been dropped. Jason tried to bat (heheh NO JASON STOP–) away at him, but Manbat opened his horrifying mouth and——
“MANBAT!”
Bruce? Jason thought, when did Bruce get here?
Manbat’s head snapped to the entrance of the tunnel. He let out a growl and began crawling away from Jason. Jason stayed put. There was something… off about Bruce’s voice.
Then on the floor, caused by the moonlight, a silhouette appeared. A pointy-eared silhouette…..
“MANBAT!” Batman called again.
The exact same way
And in the same tone…same voice??
But it had apparently convinced Manbat, he tore out of the sewer tunnel, screeching and thrashing, looking for the other bat.
The sewer tunnel went still, but Jason had yet to move.
Then, footsteps sounded at the mouth of the tunnel.
Instead of Bruce or Dick, who should appear at the edge of the tunnel
But a small boy with familiar black hair, a too-large hoodie, a skateboard under his arm, and a camera around his neck.
It was Tim.
Jason stared in shock, still lying on the floor of the sewer tunnel.
Tim’s eyes locked onto his. He began to rush to Robin’s side.
“Robin!” Tim cried, kneeling next to the other boy.
That’s when Jason noticed the speaker in Tim’s hand.
Tim had used a recording of Batman looking for Manbat to lure him out of the tunnel.
Jason swears sometimes Tim is too smart for his own good.
“T-Tim?! What the fuuuuuu—-fudge. I was going to say fudge–”
Tim raised a disbelieving eyebrow
“What are you doing here, dude?! I thought we talked about this?!”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to get eaten by Manbat next time!”
“I….wait, does Manbat eat people?”
“Here, let me help you up.” Tim offered his outstretched hand to help haul Jason to his feet.
Before Jason could put his full weight onto his feet, he seemed to stumble a little.
Tim noticed,
“Uh–Robin? You good?” His eyes trailed down to Robin’s ankle....
It was really swollen, and the bruises were already turning purple. Tim hissed in sympathy
“Ah man, I think Manbat might’ve twisted your ankle.”
Jason looked down, the whites of his domino mask widening a little.
Robin cleared his throat, but still wasn’t putting any weight on his ankle.
“Uh–oh! I–I’m all good, probably got banged up a little…”
“Still,” Tim sighed, already making up his mind, “We should probably get you some ice, or at the very least wrap it real good…” Tim shifted to put Jason’s arm around his shoulders.
“Lil dude, no offense, but no way you’re supporting my weight, and besides, I’m fine–!”
Tim smirked
“Hey, ‘I’m Fine’ is my line. And I can too support your weight!” Tim joked, coaxing Jason to lean more of his body weight onto him.
Jason managed approximately twelve steps before his ankle gave out.
"Oh no." Jason deadpanned as he braced himself against the walls of the tunnel
Tim immediately pointed.
"Aha!"
"Don't you 'aha' me." Jason sneered
"Aha!" Tim said again, even more smug this time.
Robin glared at him, and Tim just grinned.
Robin's ankle chose that moment to remind everyone that Man-Bat had used him as a chew toy.
"You need ice," Tim said, crossing his arms.
"I'm really okay, Tim."
“Once again coming after my brand.” Tim laughed
“Well, at least you’re acknowledging it…” Jason smiled.
Tim looked entirely too pleased with himself.
Twenty minutes by skateboard later, they were sitting on the roof of a twenty-four-hour pharmacy.
Tim had somehow convinced the exhausted night manager to sell him a bag of ice and let him borrow a first aid kit.
Robin still wasn't entirely sure how. The kid had terrifying negotiation skills and bright blue eyes that could rival a Victorian orphan’s, so he’s assuming that’s how. Now Robin sat on an air conditioning unit while Tim crouched in front of him, carefully wrapping an ace bandage around his ankle.
Robin watched him work.
Tim clearly knew what he was doing, which raised several alarming questions.
Tim hummed as he wrapped Jason’s ankle. He tucked the ends into the bandage. “Alrighty, it looks like it was just sprained so as long as you don’t do anything too insane you should be alright!”
“Anything insane…like being Robin?”
Tim laughed. Something in Jason’s chest eased a little.
He missed Tim more than he wanted to admit.
"So, where did you learn how to do this, Tiny detective?" Jason smiled, kicking his feet a little on the air conditioning unit.
Tim paused.
"...Do what?"
Robin pointed. "The bandage!"
"Oh."
Tim looked away.
Robin immediately became concerned. His voice softened.
"Tim?"
"It's not as sad as it sounds."
That made Robin become even more concerned.
"Tim, buddy, please—" Just as Jason was about to beg Tim to talk to him once more–
"My parents aren't around a whole lot."
Robin paused. The implication was slowly dawning on him, and he was now significantly more concerned.
"So if I got hurt skating, for example..." Tim shrugged. "I kinda had to learn how to take care of it..."
Jason stared. Tim wouldn’t look him in the eye, opting to fiddle with his hoodie strings.
"I mean, it's fine." Tim sighed, "I watched a couple of YouTube videos, and my parents own Drake Medical, so we have a lot of medical books lying around, so— o-one time I’m pretty sure I dislocated my wrist, and I managed to set it myself—!"
"Tim… are you being serious?"
Tim froze.
"...See? I knew it sounded bad."
"YOU THINK?"
Tim looked genuinely startled. Jason, quickly realizing his mistake, pulled back,
"I mean, Tim, that…you shouldn’t have had to do that…"
“I mean, my wrist still functions.”
"Yes. You did great. BUT—a kid shouldn’t have to worry about no one being around to take them to the ER!"
Tim seemed to consider that.
"I-I guess that…makes sense."
Holy guacamole, Batman.
Did Jason just get Tim to admit that his situation is fucked up?
Maybe not fully. But progress is progress.
"Look," Tim continued quickly, "I swear it's not as bad as it sounds."
Jason began to open his mouth to retort, but Tim chose that exact moment to change the subject.
"Anyway."
Robin narrowed his eyes.
"Anyway?"
"You weren't supposed to be on patrol with Nightwing tonight."
Robin froze.
"...What?"
Tim froze.
“Uh—”
"Did you memorize our patrol schedules?"
"No."
Robin waited.
Tim sighed.
"Not intentionally."
Jason just blinked at him. He truly had no idea to respond to that. Because
Tim. Memorized. Their. Patrols.
Oh Batman is gonna blow a gasket.
"I spend a lot of time watching you guys!"
"...so you’re a stalker."
"I’m not a stalker."
"Tim"
"I'm really not good at changing the subject."
Robin groaned and dropped his head into his hands.
Of course. Of course! The tiny detective had accidentally memorized patrol rotations.
When Robin looked back up, Tim had gone quiet. Really quiet. The kind of quiet Robin had learned to watch for.
"Hey."
Tim looked up.
Robin softened his voice.
"Why were you out tonight?"
The question hung between them.
Tim's shoulders slumped. He looked even smaller than he already is. Reminding Jason that he really is just a kid.
Slowly, Tim reached into his backpack.
Robin expected another case file.
Or maybe photographs.
Instead, Tim pulled out five packs of Nerds Ropes.
Robin stared.
Tim stared at the candy.
"...I really hurt my friend today."
Jason's heart stopped.
Tim swallowed.
"He was just trying to help me..."
The words came quietly.
"And I kinda..."
Tim looked down.
"Pushed him away."
Jason didn't say anything. Tim began to laugh weakly.
"I don't know." He shrugged, his fingers smoothing over the candy package.
"I guess I just..." His voice cracked.
"I don't think…I-I'm very good at needing people."
Jason suddenly couldn't breathe. Tim continued staring at the candy.
"He's funny."
Jason looked away.
"He's strong."
Jason swallowed.
"And he keeps helping me even when I make things difficult."
Tim smiled sadly.
"So I figured maybe if I got his favorite candy…it would help him forgive me?"
Jason wanted to hug him. Which was a problem, because Robin absolutely could not hug Tim right now.
Because then he'd probably cry. And that would raise questions. A lot of questions.
So instead, he cleared his throat.
"Tim."
Tim looked up.
"Your friend sounds pretty lucky."
."W- What?" Tim blinked.
Robin smiled.
"I think he already knows you're sorry."
Tim's ears turned pink.
For a second, neither of them said anything.
Then Tim stood abruptly.
"WELP."
Robin blinked.
"Welp?"
"It's late."
"Tim—"
"Nightwing probably knows where you are!"
"Tim—"
"You should go do superhero stuff!"
"Tim—"
"And I should definitely go home!"
"TIM."
But the kid was already backing away.
Then, before Robin could stop him, Tim tossed one of the candy packs into his lap.
Robin stared at it.
Tim immediately chose flight over further questioning.
"Okaybye!"
And before Robin could stop him, Tim sprinted off straight into the darkness.
Jason looked down at the candy in his hand. He smiled despite himself.
Tim had gotten his favorite flavor.
A minute later, a blue blur landed beside him.
Nightwing looked around.
"...Where's the kid?"
Robin froze.
Nightwing squinted.
"...Jason."
Robin froze harder.
"Jason."
"No."
"JASON."
"No."
"YOU LET YOUR BEST FRIEND RUN AWAY WITHOUT INTRODUCING ME?"
"HE'S NOT MY—"
Nightwing gasped.
"Oh my god."
"No."
"Oh my god."
"Dick."
"YOU HAVE A BEST FRIEND."
"DICK."
"YOU HAVE A. BEST. FRIEND."
"DICK."
Nightwing pointed dramatically into the distance.
"I HAVE BEEN ROBBED OF MY CHANCE TO MEET THE BABY."
"HE'S ELEVEN NOT A BABY."
"THAT IS A BABY."
"DICK."
"JASON."
Robin seriously considered pushing his brother off the roof.