Genre: family, h/c, angst, fluff
Characters: Tim Drake and Jason Todd, brief appearance by Alfred
Description: Tim is back from Mr. Oz’s prison, and the realization that he has been alive stirs up guilt in his protective older brother. Time for a serious Batboy heart to heart.
Batfam week prompt request from @fandom-princess-of-awesomeness who said Could you maybe do something with Tim coming back from Mr. Oz’s prison? I’ve seen a bunch of negativity about it all over Tumblr and I really need some fluff.
Note 1: Thanks so much for the request! This turned out to be a bit less fluffy, but I think you’ll like it!
Note 2: This is the last day of Batfam week! But, I’m having fun, so I’m still accepting requests. Please feel free to send them my way!
Jason threw open the door to Tim’s room. The Red Hood helmet thudded as it fell from his hand. “Tim…” Jason was across the room, embracing his brother before the younger Robin could speak. Jason clung to hiim with all his might. “Tim, you’re alive.”
“I’m alive, Jay,” Tim said. Jason pulled back enough to look his brother over and saw the tears in his eyes. “I made it home.” He saw the strength crumble out of him, caught him before he could hit the ground. “I made it, I made it.” Jason drew his brother back in, feeling the weakness and pain. Holding him through it.
For a while the two stood there, Jason needing to feel that he was real. Slowly, he helped his brother back to his bed and sat beside him. “I was halfway around the world when I got Dick’s call, I dropped everything, I…I should have been here.”
“How could you know?” Tim replied, then clutched his side.
“You’re hurt.” Jason started tugging and prodding, looking for the wounds. Tim batted his hands away.
“Stop it.” He grabbed Jason’s arm, “I’m okay.”
“You better be serious because I can’t lose you again. If you make me lose you again because you ignored some wound, I will…I will…”
“Jay,” Tim said, “I’m here. I’m real. I’m alive, Jay.” Jason grabbed his brother and hugged him again.
“And you’ve been alive this whole time?” Jason saw the dark look pass over his brother’s eyes. The older Robin stood, pacing. “So you’ll heal. But you’re dead now. I mean to say, the world thinks you’re dead. Believe me, I know all about this. You’re free now.”
Tim rubbed his forehead, “Why would I want to leave Gotham?”
“Well, I get you had obligations here, but you don’t now. You can leave.”
“Obligations? Jay, what are…what are you saying?”
“Come with me,” Jason stopped pacing and squarely faced his brother. “Come travel with Roy, Kori, and me. Kori already thinks you’re adorable, and you and Roy can bond over nerdy things.”
“I don’t understand,” Tim said, “Jay, Gotham still needs protecting.”
“Screw what Gotham needs,” Jason replied, “Gotham will always need and need. Maybe it can’t be saved. Maybe we could do real good somewhere else.”
“You don’t believe that.” Tim crossed his arms, “If you did, you wouldn’t still have aa apartment here. Gotham…”
“Gotham has taken enough already!” Jason’s voice rang off the walls, stilling his younger brother. Jason looked up at the ceiling, trying to stop the tears threatening his eyes. Tim pushed himself off the bed and touched his brother’s arm. Jason lowered his gaze to meet Tim’s again. “Gotham can’t have you. I need you.” His tone quieted further, “I should have been there.”
“I should have been there when it happened. And then after? When I thought you were dead, I couldn’t find a way to bring you back. Me, the man who cheated death couldn’t bring his brother back. I thought I failed you, and then it turns out you’ve been out there, alive all this time, just needing a way back home. If I had known, I would never have stopped looking for you.”
“You thought I was dead, Jay.”
“Yeah, and when we all thought Bruce was dead, you never gave up on him. You kept searching and searching…”
“And I was lucky I was right. If I’d been wrong? Then what?” Tim ran a hand through his hair, “I’ve been locked up and…I’ve had a lot of time to think. And not once, not once did I hope you were all suffering over me. Jay, look at me. Hear me. I wasn’t dead, but look at the work we do? Protecting people? The Wayne family business.” He shook his head. “We’ve been cheating death, but you gamble, Jay, you know the one clear rule: the house always cashes in. One of these days, one of us will die for real, and we won’t find a way back. If it’s me, I want to know my family will grieve but not give up. I saw Bruce after you died, Jay. What kind of monster would I be if I wanted that for any of you? I’m glad you had Kori and Roy to pull you back when I was gone. It gives me hope. So promise me right now, promise me, if anything does ever happen to me again, for real, you will find a way to live. You won’t feel guilty for not helping me cheat death. You’ll live, twice as hard for both of us.” He laid his hand on Jason’s shoulder and stared up into his eyes. “Promise me.”
Jason swallowed the thickness in his throat, “You’re right. You did cheat death. But if you expect me to promise you I would find a way to live if you die, then you are going to have to give me time to get there. Okay? You’re going to do it differently this time.”
“You’re going to live better, Tim. You’re going to do something about that insomnia. You’re going to start eating like a human being should. You’re going to stop working yourself through the night, and you’re going to have some damn fun. No more of this rushing into death’s arms, Timothy Drake. If one of us dies, it will be in the blaze of glory as God intended and not from our own lack of care. If I have to accept the fact that I could lose you again,” he said, gripping his little brother’s arm, “Then you have to start making the life you have worth living. Not just for other people, but for yourself.” He rested his forehead against his baby brother’s. “That’s the deal, the one you get.”
“Don’t argue with me, Babybird. That’s my final offer.”
Tim blinked back tears, “I’ll try.”
Jason smiled softly, “Well, that’s a start.”
“Masters Jason and Timothy,” Alfred’s voice came through the door, “If you are both quite through yelling at each other, you can clean up and come down for dinner.”
Tim’s quiet laughter was music to his brother’s ears, and soon they were both laughing, hard, with the cathartic force of relief. “Be right there, Alfie,” Jason got out. He slung an arm around Tim and lead him toward the door.
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