This may be a little short, but it does have some angst and a brotherly moment.
Jason's apartment was eerily quiet as Tim snuck his way in through the window. He had finished a night of patrol, ready to call it a night. However, since he was close to Jason's, he didn't feel like returning to the manor. Tim notified Bruce of this, not wanting to cause a panic, to which Bruce reluctantly allowed.
Tim wasn't sure if Jason was home yet, with all of the lights off, he wasn't sure if he was gone or sleeping. Not that it mattered. He was usually the only one who periodically enter Jason's apartment and knew that if Jason saw the guest room occupied, he would alright with it. Tim went for the guest bedroom, knowing that he had some regular clothes in the closet for when he did stop by.
The sound of a troubled scream startled Tim. His head turned towards Jason's bedroom, noticing the door cracked open. Tim didn't move waiting to see if another sound would occur. It did, with Jason unconsciously hissing.
Tim slowly approached the room. The first thing entering the room was Tim's head. The light from Gotham shined in through the window that was altered slightly by the blinds, giving Tim enough light to see the room. He scanned Jason's room, taking an observed look. Jason was in bed, but it was less than a restful sleep. Blankets were knotted and Jason was sprawled out on the bed, twitching slightly.
"Jason?" Tim called, slipping into the room.
"No." Jason mumbled.
Tim approached the bed. He wanted to wake Jason up, but he wasn't sure how disoriented Jason would get by doing so. Tim watched as Jason's body contorted, mimicking movements of being struck with something. Jason clearly was having a nightmare, or worse a memory dressed as one.
"Bruce… I'm sorry." Jason weakly apologized. "Please help me. I… I… I don't want to die."
It was all starting to come together. Jason was reliving the moments before his death. And if Jason was begging for Bruce to help him, let alone apologizing to Bruce, Tim knew he must have been terrified in those final moments.
Tim couldn't watch this go on. He didn't want Jason to suffer from the memory this particular night. He knew he might not always be able to, but he could stop it this night. Jason didn't deserve to suffer. He already suffered enough as it was.
"Jason wake up." Tim requested, shaking Jason.
When Jason didn't respond, Tim tried shaking him again. What he didn't expect was Jason's reaction. Jason jolted up with a scream and in a blind scare, he hit Tim with the back of his hand. The hit knocked Tim over, causing him to fall of the bed, but he didn't care.
When Jason came to, he realized that Tim was there, sitting on the floor. His action coming back to him and Jason instantly regretted it. Jason got off the bed and kneeled in front of him. The subtle light from the street outside helped expose a red spot that formed around where Jason unconsciously hit Tim.
"I am so sorry." Jason apologized.
"It's okay." Tim admitted. "You didn't mean to."
Jason didn't respond, still a little shaken up from his nightmare. Tim processed what he had walked into. He had heard about Jason's death in detail, but hearing Jason relive it spoke volumes. It was trauma. Trauma that was still unresolved. The moves that Tim could guess was Jason getting hit with a crowbar and the pleas for help, struck Tim's core.
"I'm sorry." Tim shakily apologized.
"What are you apologizing for?" Jason asked, puzzled.
"You were young and must have been so scared."
Tim hugged Jason. He wanted to comfort Jason, but he was also troubled by Jason's past. Witnessing the residual trauma hurt Tim and he was sad. Not for himself, but for Jason. And while Tim knew couldn't fix everything, he did know he could do his best to be there for Jason.
"No one should have had to go through that alone." Tim admitted. "I'm sorry that you did. I'm here for you and I want to help."
Jason was a little surprised by Tim's words. Tim's words weren't of pity, but terrified understanding. He clearly wanted to help Jason. Tim wanted to be there for him. Tim, the very person to replace him, wanted to help him anyway he could. And while his pride wouldn't want him to accept it, Jason knew that Tim was being genuine. Jason returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around Tim's small frame. He could feel tears tainting his shirt. Jason knew who they were for, and accepted them without hesitation.
"Thank you." Jason accepted.
He held Tim tight. Knowing that someone was there was wonderful. Tim's presence was a comforting one and Jason didn't want to let him go.
As always, I thank everyone who has followed this story. It was a joy to write. If you'd like to see more I did make a poll for a few other ideas that I could do. If you're interested.