Hey, I'm back! Only two reviews, but 118 views and lots of story/author alerts which is always awesome! Thanks, you guys!
And without further ado, chapter two! (Sorry for the rhyme. It was unintended. xD)
Disclaimer: Don't own. Never will.
Chapter 2
Ugh, my head...
Jason groaned, the familiar feeling of sedatives still clogging his brain as his consciousness slowly returned to him. He curled on his side and pulled the covers over his head to block out the blinding sunlight streaming through the window. His breath hitched.
Something wasn't right.
Within seconds, his eyes had snapped open and his mind was on full alert. He strained his ears and listened, and listened...
There!
He stretched with a yawn underneath the duvet, and pulled his limbs in close, muscles bunching in anticipation. He counted down from five, then threw off the covers and pounced at the intruder with a roar.
"What the- OW! What the hell Jay?"
"Wait...Dick? What the fuck are you doing in here?"
"Morning to you too Jay. Could you please get off of me?"
"Not until you tell me why you're in my room. Watching me sleep."
Dick flushed. "I wasn't watching you sleep!"
"All evidence to the contrary," Jason replied with a satisfactory smirk.
Dick scowled. "I was making sure you were okay. You and Tim got beat up pretty bad last night..."
Jason blinked. Last night? What-
Everything replayed from the previous night's events. The weapons dealer, the unexpected attack, the knife...Tim...
Oh God. Tim.
Jason lunged again and grabbed the older man by the collar.
"Where is he?" he growled animalistically.
"Woah, Jay calm do-"
"Where. Is. Tim?" he demanded again.
"Jason! Calm. Down." Richard grabbed Jason's wrists and gently pried them off of him as the second Robin clenched his jaw. "He's down in the Batcave -asleep- with Leslie, Bruce, and Alfred. He's going to be fine." he finished with sincerity. Jason took a few deep breaths before shoving Dick back down to the floor and dashing out of the room. Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're welcome!" he called out the door irritably.
Some things never changed.
"...And most importantly, no Robin stunts for three months!" Leslie Thompkins scolded to Bruce and Alfred. She sighed and a small smile crossed her features. "If you follow that correctly he'll be completely recovered and back to jumping rooftops in no time." she said kindly. "Now, I'll-"
She was cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps slapping across the floor towards them. Bruce -still decked out in Batman gear minus the cowl- visibly tensed out of habit. Alfred laid a comforting hand on his arm and he relaxed if only slightly. All their heads turned as Jason came barreling into sight. He skidded to a stop in front of them, hair tussled and eyes wild, still in his pajamas.
"Hello, dear." Leslie said with a soft smile.
"Hey, Leslie." he replied with a small nervous smile of his own. His gaze flicked around the room before landing on an unconscious Tim, and his breath hitched. "Is...is he-"
"He's fine, honey. Why don't you go see him?" she suggested with a knowing smile.
"Okay. Thanks, Leslie."
"Of course, dear. Come, gentlemen. Let's give him some space."
"But-"
"Master Bruce, I believe they will be quite alright. Let us take Miss Leslie upstairs for some tea and scones. You've been up all night and should rest. Come."
"Yes, Alfred."
"That would be wonderful, Alfred, thank you."
"But of course, miss. Now, if you'll both follow me..."
Once the three adults were out of earshot, Jason hesitantly padded forward to Tim's bedside. He stared, taking in Tim's fragile state. The younger's breathing was shallow, an IV was stuck in the underside of his wrist, a pulse monitor squeezing his middle finger, and a large nest of bandages was wound tightly around his abdomen. And he was still unconscious. And it...it was his fault he was in this state, his fault he even got hurt in the first place. Jason brought a hand up, but grimaced and pulled it back, before whirling around and bounding back up the stairs to The Manor.
He rushed out of the grandfather clock and past the conversing adults. Alfred called out, "Master Jason, are you quite alright?" but he didn't respond. He just kept running and didn't stop. He passed Dick, but didn't spare him a second glance as he dashed up to the attic and out an old window onto the roof, his own private spot he visited frequently before his death. He sat down, drew his knees to his chest and placed his chin on his knees.
"Jason?"
"Go away, Dick."
"Eh...nah. I think I'll stay up here. Alfred said I need some sun."
Jason grunted in response. Dick navigated the shingling carefully before settling down next to his younger brother. They sat in silence for a while, before Dick spoke up again.
"Jaybird...what...what happened? You were down there for maybe three minutes before you came running out of there like a bat out of hell. No pun intended."
Jason was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Because... because it was my fault."
"Jay-"
"It's my fault, okay?" he shouted, jumping to his feet. He glared down at his older brother as he continued. "I've been trained -all of us have been trained- to be able to know when someone's sneaking up on us. I've been able to do that since before Bruce took me in. I should have known something was wrong and been ready. And you know what the worst thing is? I saw the man going after Tim. I saw him sneak up behind him, I saw the fucking knife, and I knew what he was going to do. And did I do anything to stop it? No, I just sat back and watched, waited until it was too late! It's my fault Tim is down in the Batcave unconscious, it's my fault he's hurt, it's my fault he almost fucking died!"
"Jason, you can't seriously think this is your fault."
"Oh my fucking God, did you not just hear me?"
"Yes, I did." Dick growled, standing up as well. "You can't expect to be able to save everyone, Jay." He stabbed the younger man in the chest with his index finger, causing the 24 year-old to take a step back in surprise. "You might have seen him, but subconsciously you thought that Tim would have known there was someone sneaking up behind him and have been able to take care of him. I...I made the same mistake with Wally once." he mumbled angrily as he turned his head to his sneakers.
Jason's eyebrows shot up. "You did?"
"Yeah," Dick grumbled. "We...we were on an undercover op in Syria. We were trapped in an alley, the two of us on about 20 guards who were armed to the teeth. I saw one of them come up behind Wally, but I figured he'd notice them, and if not, he'd be able to dodge their attack in time. ...He was stabbed in the chest. The blade narrowly missed his heart. I actually thought he was dead. If that doctor hadn't happened upon us...Wally...well, he'd be dead." Dick glanced back up at Jason through his bangs, relief and guilt shining strongly in his bright blue eyes. "Then with Tim, he's a Robin, he's been trained to know this stuff just the same as both of us. You thought he'd be fine. It was a mistake, and you know now you won't make it again." The older man said determinedly. Dick then sighed and placed a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Just, don't worry about it so much, okay? Tim's still alive, and he'll recover. That's all that matters." he finished, looking his younger brother directly in the eyes. He smiled lightly before continuing. "Go. He'll want you there when he wakes up."
Jason scowled and flushed slightly as he brushed past Dick. The 27 year-old smiled wider and pat him on the back lightly as he passed.
Jason would be fine with time. It would hurt, knowing he couldn't have prevented Tim's injury, but it would ease.
Dick spared one final glance at the endless grounds of the Manor before following Jason back inside.
DickxJay bro bonding! ^^ Gotta love those two~
Not really any Tim in this chapter, sorry. :1
Is it just me, or does Jason seem almost like a little kid when he's talking to Leslie? That's how I was picturing it at least...I don't know. Maybe it's just me.
And yes, I'm a Birdflash shipper. Gotta sneak it in whenever I can. x3 I'm debating writing a one-shot with Dick and Wally on their little mission, but it might seem way too similar to this story, so...probably not going to happen. Sorry. But I mean, if you guys really want me too, I suppose I could give it a shot...We'll see.
Hope you enjoyed! At this rate, final chapter will most likely be up tomorrow. ;) Review?
~Lyss