Can’t draw this out cause I have art college homework to do but I simply have to write this out cause I need to share. Hella angst incoming for the Pup Fiction AU sorry,,
The reveal of Red Hood’s identity stung, stung more than the clasps keeping Bruce’s hands behind his back, stung more than the black eye, stung more than the busted lip and broken nose. The news made his brain come to a screeching holt, the fear for his kids paused to the fear OF his kid.
His sweet baby Jay, taken from him too soon at sixteen standing in front of him now at twenty-two. His once dark eyes now an unsavory green that was a side effect of being resurrected. His baby who once clung to him after having a nightmare now looked at him with pure hate and a snarl. Faded scars littering his nose and upper lip, the unnatural blonde in his boy’s curled bangs. He grew, god did he grew. Everything about Jason was all wrong. The violence, the guns.. Bruce felt like he couldn’t breath.
Then there was Tim unconscious from the ruthless beating Red Hood, Jason, had done. He was bleeding from his head and his breathing was shallow and Bruce feared he was going to have burry him too if he doesn’t get looked at soon. Bruce was spiraling unsure of what to do now. His boys, his poor boys..
Jason cocks the hand held gun pointing it at Tim hands steady. “How does it feel that another Robin is going to die because of you tonight?”
“Jay, no, we don’t kill-“
“Maybe you do, but I’ve changed, Bruce.”
The shot echoes through the building and Bruce swiftly looked away, feeling bile rise in his throat. He slowly looks back fearing the worst, only to see Connor standing in between Jason and Tim. The bullet on the floor at his feet and a hole in his pajama shirt.
Jason shocked drops his hand down and steps back, “What the hell, Connor!?”
Connor was shaking from adrenaline but his eyes revealed how stunned he was to see his once dead brother was standing in front of him. He slowly looks around to survey the scene before looking horrified at Jason.
“What have you done, Jay,,?”
“What have I done? What have I DONE?!” Jason laughs but it sounds bitter and slightly wet from the unshed tears, “what have YOU done!?” He raises the gun again, slightly more shaky then he was before. Bruce’s breath catches in his throat, what was Connor doing? He knows he shouldn’t be out, what about his powers? What if they fail him? He can’t take his youngest being in danger.
“I die and you all just move on and replaced me like I was last nights trash!”
He fires another shot which catches Connor’s shoulder and he jerks only slightly but just like before the bullet only leaves a hole in his shirt. Connor shakes his head and steps forward, “We didn’t replace you,, Tim didn’t-“
“Don’t say that pathetic excuse’s name!”
“You weren’t replaced Jay-“
Another shot rings out this time ricocheting off of Connor’s hip.
“I was! None of you cared that the Joker killed me!”
“Jason.” Connor keeps walking towards him, Jason’s hand gets worse and a slight hiccup can be heard as he quietly starts crying. Connor looks at him earnestly eyes also shiny with tears,
“Jay, we love you so much”
“No you don’t!” The next fire missed connor completely hitting the floor by his feet.
“We were so lost Jay. Dick refused to visit. Alfred always set out a plate for you. Dad,” Connor starts to openly sob, Jason no longer has the strength to keep the gun up and it falls heavily to his side. “Dad wasn’t the same, Jay. I refused to leave my bed, I hardly ate, I nearly flunked my grade..”
The gun finally clatters to the ground.
“We were spiraling without you Jay,” Connor stops walking and ever slightly turned his head to where Tim was wheezing quietly, then back to Jason. “We didn’t go looking for Tim, Jay. He found us. Found us and put us back together. Dick visits again, Alfred has someone to drink tea with, Dad has someone watching his back. He helped me with everything. Jay, he SAVED us. Saved us from something I thought we wouldn’t come back from after you.”
“I said SHUT UP” Jason shoves Connor away from him and swiftly disappears into the shadows of the warehouse. Just like that he was gone. Connor thought about going after him, he knew Jason’s heartbeat anywhere. But a sickly wet wheeze from Tim had him pause and turn around. One at a time, and Tim called first.
Connor made swift and quiet work of undoing the clasps that kept Batman from escaping. “You shouldn’t be here Connor”
“You disobeyed my instructions!”
Connor moves away from Bruce to check over Tim carefully. He needed a professional with the way the wheezing was sounding, and he definitely had a concussion. Batman went to go pick Robin up only for Connor to scoop him up first. “You’re injured, I’ve got him.”
Bruce nods and leads the way to the Batmobile with a limp in silence.
Once situated, Bruce can’t help but think out loud while Connor was strategically wiping some of the dried blood off of Tim’s forehead. “How did you know we needed help?”
Without looking up from his ministrations, “Tim..” he sighs quietly and faces his dad. “I know you don’t want me on the field, Dad. But,, Tim thought it was best that I trained with him anyways, get a grip on my powers with practice. We knew you wouldn’t approve so we were always quiet about it. Unfortunately I’m just as much as a worry wort like you and pops so I had to figure out something for him to use if he needed back up..”
Bruce clenches his jaw, ofcourse he’s not pleased with this knowledge, furious about how this whole night is really going. However, he can’t necessarily be mad at this moment, Tim was smart and the secret training came in handy tonight. Connor flashes something shiny at him, looking into his son’s hand to see a small dog whistle looped around a thin chain, it had dried blood on it, that’s when it clicked that it was Tim’s.
“I may not hear at great distances or anything like Pops can.” Connor puts the necklace in his pocket awkwardly “but I can hear whistles unlike humans can. Tim and I tested the distance and everything and promised to use it Incase of emergency situations,,”
Bruce nodded along, it made sense and extremely clever. Very Tim. The adrenaline and emotions from tonight was starting to crash on him, he didn’t have the energy to think it even be upset with Connor or Tim, or even Jason at that. He just made a quick drive back to the Cave so Tim could get proper attention. He’ll deal with the fall out in the morning…
