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Jason gripped Tim's elbow, leading him through the dark tunnel, but it wasn’t long before Tim listed to the left and Jason had to wrap an arm around his waist instead. Tim leaned on him heavily. His head began to loll to the side a bit but Jason shook him gently. "Come on, kid, you gotta keep up with me, okay?"
"Mm. Okay."
They stumbled along, Tim putting more and more of his weight on Jason's side until Jason gave in and pulled Tim's arm around his neck and half-dragged him along. For all the shit they may give the kid for being scrawny compared to the rest of them, he couldn't do what they did without having a ton of muscle. Tim may be lean, but he was still heavy.
"Hey, Timmy," Jason said. He needed to keep the kid as alert as possible. It was going to be a hell of a lot harder to get out of here if Jason had to throw Tim completely over his shoulder into a fireman's carry and tire himself out hauling his full dead weight around. "Talk to me, kid. Tell me a story or something."
"Mmm. Jason?"
Jason sighed. He feared that they were only getting closer to the inevitability of the fireman's carry.
"Yeah, Babybird, it's me. You know where you are right now?"
Tim lifted his head from where it had fallen to rest on Jason's shoulder. "Um." He looked around blearily. "League?"
"Yeah, good job."
"D'I get stabbed again?"
Something in Jason’s stomach squirmed at that. He hadn't heard anything about Tim getting stabbed in his time with the League of Assassins, but if Tim associated being in this kind of state with getting stabbed it must have been pretty bad.
"Nope, you're still in one piece, don't worry. Think you can talk to me some? We need to keep you awake so I don't have to carry you."
Tim reached up with the arm that wasn't slung over Jason's shoulders and scrubbed vigorously at his face.
"Sure. What sh'd I talk about?" He slurred.
"Anything you want. How's school going?"
Tim groaned. "Had to drop most've my classes. Had to focus too much on keeping Ra's off my back."
Jason's hold on Tim tightened.
"You knew Ra's was after you? And you didn't say anything?"
"Oh. I wasn't s'posed to say that. I think Ra's has been messing with my head."
Jason snorted in good humor to cover up the seething rage he felt for all the things he could picture Ra’s doing to Tim. "You're just now noticing?"
Tim's brow pinched and Jason could see him trying to push his way through the drugged haze.
"What happened?"
Jason sighed. "Ra's had you for a while, Babybird. He's been keeping you pretty drugged up, but I'm working on getting you home. I need you to help me as much as you can, okay?"
"Okay."
"You're not getting out of telling me about knowing that Ra's was after you, though."
"How'd you know that?"
Jason groaned. This was going to be a long walk. "You just told me. Come on, kid. Spill it. Why the hell didn’t you tell anyone?"
Tim, grunted. "Ra's has always been after me. There was no point in bothering everyone with it. I had it handled."
Jason clenched his jaw. "Clearly you did not, you insecure idiot. When we get you back home we're talking about this. Full-blown intervention."
"'kay."
"I have to say, at the very least it's kinda nice that you're being cooperative for once in your life."
"You're one to talk."
"Touché," Jason conceded. "Keep talkin'. What does Ra's want with you? I know you did some kinda shady stuff with him a couple years ago when everyone thought Bruce was dead. He trying to get back at you for fucking his shit up?"
"No, he’s totally into that stuff. Likes that I can kick his ass. He wants my babies so he can have little mini me's he can keep all to himself."
Jason's steps faltered and they both stumbled a bit.
Shit.
He didn't even want to ask. "Did...did he...get what he wanted?"
Tim went a little pale. "Maybe. I don't remember. I don't—I don't—Jay, I…"
Goddammit. Fuck that twisted megalomaniac. Jason was going to kill him the next chance he got. Well...he'd already been planning on killing the bastard for years on principle, anyway, but now he was going to make it painful.
"Okay," he soothed. "That's alright, don't think too hard trying to remember right now."
Tim's weight on Jason's shoulder was getting heavier again.
"Come on, Timmy, stay with me, we're getting closer."
"Jay, I don't feel so good," he groaned, steps faltering.
That was all the warning Jason got before Tim was pitching forward and heaving. The spill of vomit barely missed their shoes. It was all clear liquid and bile—figures the bastard didn't even feed the kid when he had him.
Tim almost slipped from Jason's grasp, but Jason managed to keep his grip and haul him back up.
"You okay, kid? Feel any better?"
"Nope." His voice was weaker now and his head had fallen against Jason's shoulder again, his eyes fluttering closed.
"Hey," Jason said, giving him a brisk shake. "Don't pass out on me. You gotta stay awake, remember?"
"Sorry," Tim muttered, his voice growing fainter. "'M tryin'. S'hard. Sorry, Jay. Don't be mad."
Jason grimaced. Tim Drake, always desperate to please, always straining for approval even in the most ridiculous situations.
"I'm not mad, kid. I just need you to do your best, okay?"
"Sorry, Jay. Don't think…"
The kid was growing limper in Jason's arms.
He sighed and finally gave in, scooping Tim into a bridal carry. It was harder on Jason's back this way, but it was easier on the kid's stomach. If he got too tired, he'd go for the fireman's carry if he had to, but he wanted to try and avoid causing another round of vomiting. He didn't want the kid anymore dehydrated than he probably already was. Driving his shoulder into Tim’s stomach was not going to help with that.
"Don't say I never did anything for you," he muttered.
"I wouldn't. Thanks, Jay. Y'r a good brother."
Jason startled. He'd thought the kid was already out when he'd said that. As it was, Tim's breathing was evening out now and his head fell against Jason's chest. Now he was definitely out.
When Jason had first met Tim he'd beaten him bloody and unconscious. He'd left him broken on the floor of one of the places he should have been the safest. Later, he'd really try to kill him.
Jason Todd was not a good brother.
Jason could see the light at the end of the tunnel (literally) and he breathed a sigh of relief. Dick was there when he stumbled out and Jason immediately dropped the kid into a surprised Dick's arms.
"Little shit is heavier than he looks," Jason groaned, pushing his hands into the small of his back and arcing until his spine crackled.
"Is he okay? What happened?" Dick asked, pulling Tim closer to his chest.
"He's fine," Jason waved him away. "Just watch his breathing. He already puked once, make sure he's not overdosing on whatever shit Ra's has been giving him."
Jason was already turning around when Dick asked, "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah,” Jason said, throwing a look back over his shoulder. “I gotta go back in and get a flashdrive they took from Tim. Take it from him to use his own kidnapping to his advantage and lift vital information from a world-dominating villain. Can't wait too long or they'll notice he's missing and there'll be ninjas on high alert sniffing all over the place like karate-chopping bloodhounds."
"Jason, this was a rescue mission only. We didn't come to retrieve any data."
"We can't just leave it behind. We're right here. You wanna be the one to tell Tim he got punished and tortured for nothing?"
Dick looked down at his unconscious brother limp in his arms and then back up at Jason.
"Fine. Then you stay here with Tim and I'll go."
"What the fuck, Dickhead, you think I can't? No, I'm doing it. I'm willing to do what I need to to keep myself alive. You'll get yourself killed trying to choke some asshole out instead of just shooting him in the face."
"I'm the oldest," Dick snapped. "I'm not letting another one of my little brothers get hurt. I'm going, end of discussion. We don’t have time to argue.”
——
They really didn’t have time to argue. They got Tim situated in a medical cot on the plane, and Dick was eventually able to guilt Jason into letting him be the one to go by using some previously gathered blackmail material that Dick had sworn he’d never use.
“Bastard,” Jason grumbled as he watched Dick disappear into the tunnel. “Backstabbing Judas, rat fink, double-crossing snitch…”
——
“Go, go, go!” Dick was hauling ass out of the tunnel, and Jason could see a hoard of angry ninja quickly gaining on him.
“This is usually my move, copy-cat,” Jason called. “I gotta say, though, it’s much cooler when I do it. I’ve got way more style. The guns make it so much more badass.”
“Just get the damn engines going already!” Dick shouted, kicking back at a ninja that had gotten a little too close for comfort.
The plane was already lifting into the air, the ramp still extended when Dick took a flying leap and twisted into a series of graceful flips and grabbed onto the edge. He laughed and whooped as the plane lifted too high for the ninja to reach. He stuck his tongue out and cackled as one of them threw a badly aimed spear that missed by a mile.
—--
Tim was still asleep by the time the plane was in the air. Dick leaned back in the co-pilot’s seat still catching his breath, while Jason piloted the plane. Which is to say that he sat there occasionally poking buttons on the control board of the self-piloting jet that didn't even need poking.
They say there in silence—one that was awkward on Dick's part and angry on Jason's. Why was it that Dick always got to steal his thunder? Was this what Middle Child Syndrome felt like? Were he and Tim the middle children? Oh, God. He wasn’t mediocre. He wasn’t.
The sound-dampening on the plane's cabin was so good that they couldn't even hear the sound of the engines and thus were able to clearly hear the loud whimpering suddenly coming from where Tim lay.
Dick was at his side in a flash.
Tim was thrashing weakly, trying to disentangle himself from the mess of blankets they had piled on him.
"Tim! Tim!" Dick called, pressing a hand against Tim's shoulder and attempting to still him. "You're safe, it's okay! It's okay!"
The words finally seemed to reach Tim's ears and he stopped struggling. He allowed himself to be gently pushed back into the cot and blinked up at Dick.
"Dick?" He asked. "What're you doing here?"
Dick raised an eyebrow. "Do you know where 'here' is, Timmy?"
Tim looked around, finally seeming to realize he wasn't in the compound anymore. "I'm not with Ra's?"
The adrenaline high from their victory broke with a snap as Dick suddenly remembered that Ra’s had held Tim captive for over a week. Dick's heart ached at the awestruck tone of Tim's voice, like he was amazed that getting away from Ra’s was even a possibility.
"Nope. We're on the plane," Dick said, smoothing a hand over Tim's hair.
"We're going home?" Tim turned wide eyes at Dick, still glazed over from the drugs.
"Yeah, kiddo. Only a couple hours left."
Tim's head thunked back against the pillow.
"Promise?" He asked, his eyes starting to flutter sleepily.
"Promise," Dick said with a sad smile. "How're you feeling?"
"Floaty," Tim said with a soft moan.
"Yeah, that's normal. It'll pass once that crap is out of your system."
"Hope so," he responded with a tired sigh, eyes drifting closed.
"Get some sleep, kiddo. We'll be home by the time you wake up."
Tim forced his eyes back open with obvious effort. "N-no," he stuttered. "Don't wanna sleep. I wanna sit up. I don't-I don't wanna sleep anymore. Can I sit up?" Tim struggled to lift his back off the cot.
Dick's eyebrows shot to his hairline and he rushed to help pull Tim up all the way. "Yeah, yeah, of course." He helped hold Tim upright by the shoulders. "Would you be more comfortable sitting in a seat?" The cot wasn't flush against a wall and had no incline or headboard for Tim to lean on.
"Can I sit up front? I wanna see outside."
Dick could have smacked himself on the forehead. Of course Tim wouldn't want to be stuck in a stuffy plane cabin after being locked in a cell for so long.
"Sure, kiddo. I'll help you up."
With Dick's help, Tim hobbled to the front and fell heavily in the chair next to Jason.
"Hey, kid," Jason said, looking over at his new co-pilot. "How ya feelin'?"
"Kinda high," Tim said, wrinkling his nose in annoyance.
Jason barked out a surprised laugh. "That's fair," he said. "Ready to go home?"
"You have no idea," Tim huffed. Despite his earlier protests against sleeping, his eyelids were clearly getting heavy again. He blinked at the sky through the glass before them, basking in the bright sunshine. His face spread into a sleepy smile and he let his eyes slip closed. "I'll probably even be glad to see Damian," he mumbled, and then fell asleep.