Hey! This is whumptober prompt 25: Surgery! This was super fun to write. I've been encouraged to try out ChatGPT so I wrote this entire story and then asked it to correct it and expand where necessary. I then revised it again to make sure it was what I wanted. Kind of fun and interesting way to write. We'll see if that continues. Anyway, I love this chapter and hope you all do too! Let me know any prompts you're looking forward too! Lots of love -Lorna:)
Jason's breaths came short and fast, chest heaving under the weight of his panic. Not that he'd ever admit it, but clutching a bleeding teenager in his arms—his younger brother—was acutely, gut-wrenchingly terrifying. His mind waged war against itself: a primal urge to run and a desperate need to never let Tim go. Tim's body trembled violently in his arms, and Jason's frantic gaze darted over him, trying to determine if the shaking was from shock, blood loss, or Ivy's cursed cuddle pollen.
"Red," Jason whispered, his voice modulated by the hood, sounding more like a growl. He hoped it masked the sheer terror threatening to crack him open. Tim flinched at the sound, a soft whimper escaping him, more pain than recognition.
"H-Hood," Tim rasped, his voice barely audible. "Please."
Please, what? Jason's lungs seized up, his chest tightening as though a steel band had wrapped around him. Please stop the pain? Please hold me closer so I don't freeze? Please let me go? Please find Dick or Bruce? Jason would have done any of those things in a heartbeat—if only he knew what Tim needed. But his brain was a chaotic storm, thoughts rushing too fast to grasp while his body moved too slow. He tightened his hold on Tim, as though willing his warmth into his little brother's frail frame.
Tim exhaled sharply, a shallow gasp giving way to slower, steadier breaths. Still pained, but not as ragged.
"Red," Jason said after a long minute, guilt pooling thick and heavy in his chest like Gotham's polluted air. He felt like he was suffocating on it. "I need to check you over. Arms and legs first, then I'm going to... I'll need to push you off me for a moment to see everything."
Tim's grip tightened, his fingers clutching Jason's leather jacket like it was a lifeline. A small noise escaped him, part protest, part plea. Jason's throat burned as he rubbed little circles on Tim's neck, his thumb brushing the soft, fine hair on the base of his neck.
"I promise, I'll be quick, okay?" he murmured in promise. Tim's reluctant nod came with a shiver that only made Jason hold him tighter.
Taking Tim's trembling hand, Jason carefully uncurled the boy's fingers, intertwining their hands instead. His other hand ran over Tim's arms with a gentleness Jason hadn't thought himself capable of. Bruises and scratches, but nothing life-threatening. He repeated the same for Tim's legs, carefully checking for breaks or deeper injuries, but found only more bruises and scrapes.
"Okay, Little Red. Now I need to pull you back—just for a moment." Jason's voice wavered despite his best effort to sound calm.
Tim gave a shaky nod but hesitated, curling into Jason like a child seeking comfort from a nightmare. Jason felt Tim's grip on his jacket slacken slightly, purposeful and painful, and he took the opportunity to gently shift Tim's weight, still staying as close as he could. Tim's face twisted in silent agony, his breaths hitching as Jason's hands ghosted over his ribs.
"Oh, Tim," Jason hissed, his heart sinking as his fingers traced the foreign, invasive vine embedded in Tim's side. "What did she do to you?"
Tim whimpered, his face pale beneath his domino mask. Jason knew his touch had to be both soothing and excruciating, the pollen amplifying every sensation—the warmth of Jason's hands, the jagged pinpricks of pain. Cold would be seeping into Tim's bones now that Jason had shifted slightly away, the emptiness gnawing at him. Jason hated that he could do nothing about it.
Jason tugged at the vine experimentally, and Tim gasped, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Warm arms pulled him close again, enveloping him in a cocoon of heat that contrasted sharply with the icy chill coursing through his veins. It was overwhelming, like plunging into scalding water. Tim wanted to scream and burrow closer all at once.
"Shh, Babybird. It's okay," Jason murmured, his voice thick with a lie he prayed neither of them believed. "We're going to fix this. I promise. But the vines… they're spreading. We need to get them out now."
Tim nodded weakly. His voice cracked as he whispered, "They're... vampire plants. You can't leave any piece behind. If you do, or if you kill the root, it'll grow back. Worse."
Jason swore under his breath, pulling his knife free with a sharp, metallic click. His hand was steady, but his eyes betrayed the storm of fear and fury inside him. He hoped that Tim wouldn't notice.
"Tim, I'm sorry. We can't wait. I'm going to make a small incision to get this out. Hold on to me, okay?"
The first touch of the blade made Tim stiffen, a strangled cry slipping from his throat. The pain was a searing cold fire, radiating from the wound as Jason worked. But Tim didn't pull away; he couldn't bear the emptiness. Instead, he pressed closer, the cold blade digging deeper as he sought Jason's warmth.
Jason's breath hitched, feeling Tim curl into him, into the pain he was bringing, his hands trembling for just a moment before he forced himself to focus. He peeled back Tim's suit to expose the vine, blood smudging over his gloves and pooling in sickening streaks across Tim's pale skin, snow white and crimson. The vine seemed alive, pulsing faintly as it fought Jason's every move, desperate to stay alive at any cost. Tim's strangled movements and whimpers quieting despite Jason's increasingly vicious attacks. Jason's heart was clenching so tight he couldn't force himself to breathe.
"Stay with me, Babybird. Stay awake," Jason pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper. Tim's pale, sweat-soaked face tilted toward him, but his eyelids fluttered dangerously.
Each tug of the vine was agony, and Jason cursed under his breath as he worked, carving deeper when the roots twisted beneath Tim's skin. Tim's muffled screams tore at Jason's heart, and every soft comfort he whispered felt like lies in his mouth.
Finally, with a vicious yank, Jason freed the vine. Blood gushed from the wound, and he pressed a cloth against it, hands slick and trembling.
"It's out, Tim. It's done," Jason murmured, his voice thick with relief. He cradled Tim close again, brushing a hand through his damp hair, leaving streaks of blood that neither noticed.
Tim shivered in his arms, his breaths coming in weak, uneven gasps. "Th-thank you," he whispered hoarsely, his voice raw.
Jason pressed a kiss to the top of Tim's head, murmuring, "Always, Timmy." He held his brother close, shielding him from the cold night as the pollen continued to work its sinister influence.
A shadow fell over them silently, a familiar presence Jason didn't have to look up to recognize.
"Hood."
Jason glanced up briefly, meeting Bruce's gaze. "Ivy got him. Pollen, some experimental plant. Had to... improvise. He's going to need stitches, antiseptic. This wasn't sterile."
Bruce crouched beside them, his cape wrapping around both boys in a protective cocoon, a Robin's comfort. Both boys seemed to relax under him.
"He's going to be fine," he said softly, his voice a steady anchor in the chaos.
Jason didn't respond, his voice catching as he whispered, "I was cutting him open, and he didn't even fight me."
Bruce's hand rested gently on Jason's shoulder, his presence grounding. "He knew he didn't have too."
Together, the three of them stayed curled beneath the cape, Bruce and Jason's combined presence giving Tim enough warmth to finally feel comfortable enough to sleep, with Jason cradling him close and Bruce gently carding through his hair.