Jason wanted to kill someone. Scratch that he wanted to kill everyone in that stupid human trafficking ring. He had been in the middle of staking out a warehouse known for drug dealing when he saw that wasn't the only illegal thing they were doing. He went in guns blazing without a single thought or half-formed plan. He didn't plan on a sneaky goon to get in a good hit from a baseball bat to his head, he went down. Hard. The red hood he wore did little to prevent any damage. He shot at least three of them before he got whacked in the head. he was going to kill them. In painful and cruel ways just for that.
Jason had managed to send out a message to the nearest Bat before going into the warehouse, he'd hoped they could help with the cleanup. Instead of what now looked like a backup. His head ached, but he turned the hurt into a rage as he fought the drug dealers and human traffickers. Two of the people he hated most. He shot out knee caps and as he kept refilling clips in his handguns. His vision was splotchy as he missed shots and went for more brutal fighting to keep them down.
Red Robin joined the fight sometime, Jason couldn't pinpoint when, but he must have gotten Jason's distress signal. Jason wasn't surprised that it was Tim who came. The two of them had been getting along better lately. More allies than friends or brothers, but Jason stopped that thought as he fought alongside Tim. He was grateful for the help, not that he would ever admit it. They fought with their dissimilar styles taking out all the thugs. Tim was graceful, eh, Jason was too big and forceful to make an effort to be anything than less than looking like a brawler in a fight.
Jason was almost enjoying himself, the dirtbags were getting what they deserved and he did enjoy doling out vengeance. He watched as Tim was working on the last one. Jason saw the thug pull a gun from nowhere. It had first appeared that the weapons they had up to that point were small knives or chains they didn't have anything instantly lethal on hand. A shot rang out. The warehouse seemed to echo with resounding the shot. Jason watched as Tim faltered painfully as he unarmed the last man. Jason saw that his red outfit was dripping with a bright red that signaled it was an arterial injury. Jason yelled out, "Red!" Jason shot the man who hurt his brother between the eyes. Jason started a mad dash toward Tim.
Tim's eye slats seemed to narrow in confusion, as he looked at where Jason was. Jason saw him stumble, once, twice, five times before he fell to the ground.
"Sorry, I didn't see... the gun," Tim sighed in gasping breaths.
"How bad is it?" Jason asked as he sunk to the floor and applied a bandage to the wound he put his gloved hand over it and applied pressure with some crazy hope that it would somehow be enough.
"Get the girls free and I'll call the GCPD," Tim ignored the question as he messed with his comm. Jason heard Tim try to report, but his words were halted and slurred. Jason hurried to free the girls, they all seemed to be less scared then. The girls were speaking in a language Jason didn't recognize. He made sure none of them had any major injuries, which thankfully they didn't. Jason ran back to Tim, who was pale and slumped against one of the walls where Jason left him.
"Let's get you taken care of, Replacement. Enough Robins have died alone in a warehouse." Jason put another patch on the gunshot wound. He lifted Tim in his arms. He cursed the human traffickers again as his sore arms and legs struggled to hold Tim's pathetic weight.
"Come on Baby Bird. I'll get you to the manor and Alfred can take care of you. You'll be fine," Jason repeated. Jason picked up his feet as he almost ran toward his bike. "Sorry, I can't be more gentle." He added realizing how out of character he was to apologise as he ran to his bike.
He rounded the corner where he left his motorcycle. It was gone, stolen on the night he really needed it. Jason looked down at Tim, he seemed to be fading as Jason checked his bandages and saw they had bled through. The bullet had pierced through the kevlar and lodged inside Tim's abdomen. In a moment of clarity, Tim looked up at Jason.
"You have... to be there... for them. They aren't going... to understand. Those girls... needed help. I knew you did...too." Tim stuttered out. "I scared them. I didn't mean to... scare them... You ever see the stars?" Tim was rambling and Jason didn't like how he sounded like he'd already given up. That was half the battle, right?
Jason had to stop as he tried to call for help, Tim's head lolled on Jason's shoulder. Tim's eyes seemed only to look at the stars as the life slowly faded out of them. Jason looked up to see what Tim was going on about, stars couldn't be seen in Gotham. Jason kept a firm grip on him as he stared at back at Tim, he could practically see the life draining out of him with each slowing heartbeat.
Gotham was filled with light pollution and just pollution. That night was clear and all the stars would be seen. Jason was struck with how terrible it was on such a clear night. He was holding his little brother as he was bleeding out, and he brother was going on about the stars and being there for the family.
"You aren't dead, and you aren't dying," Jason said roughly.
"Dick's the... one with... the jokes. Promise... you'll... let me... stay dead," Tim said as his body convulsed a little. He was trying to control his body, to stop it from shaking.
"But you won't be dying," Jason said as he wiped a tear from his eye. Tim was the only brother he could stand most days. He didn't deserve to die like this.
When the Batmobile pulled up almost hours later it was to see Jason holding Tim whose dead eyes were still looking at the stars.
"What happened?" Bruce asked gruffly as usual.
"He saved me and some girls. Got shot point blank, my bike got stolen and you were too late. Would you have hurried if it was Dick or Damian? Or It was me and Tim and we don't matter, we are the replaceable ones after all," Jason spat out angrily.
Bruce looked at Jason who was angry and sad all at the same time. Bruce's heart shattered looking at his adopted son's face knowing that was too late, for the second time. Jason had a stream of dried blood on his forehead along with a knot.
"I'm sorry. I tried to get here in time," Bruce said as he let tears fall down his face only to be caught in the mask.
"You didn't try hard enough." Jason sobbed, "You didn't try."