Chapter Text
The cold bitter wind gnawed away at his skin, everything felt dull and lifeless; except for the warmth the stayed huddled closed chest, too scared that if it sat anywhere else it would die.
Pulling the blanket closer to his body, he stares at the building burning across the street and he can’t bring himself to pull at any of his emotional cards. He knows he should feel something, feel a certain sadness but unfortunately he knew it was coming, after all the demon head does like to play fair.
Sure he has other apartments.
But all his other apartments didn’t have all the security that the nest did and he sorely didn't feel safe anymore.
Especially since every safe guard he put in place was mere child’s play when it came to him, he proved that much when he dropped off his gift.
And somehow that wasn’t even the worst of this.
He knows he needs to move. Get somewhere warmer, get his injuries looked at and get rid of the evidence. But the thought of moving tense muscles makes him want to vomit. He’s had worse, he knows this is like a cake walk compared to everything but he can’t do it.
Survival is dependent on him moving and he can’t even do that.
So he stays.
Huddled under a blanket that is somewhat warm, barely any clothes on, messenger bag next to him on the roof and there this small little thing resting so peaceful on his chest like it’s the safest place in the world, oblivious to how fucked up everything is because they can’t comprehend anything besides basic needs yet.
He feels something wet on his face and- he doesn’t even know when he started crying. Was it before? Was it after? He stopped paying attention when everything got to be too much, the grunting and the crying was too much.
What was he going to do now?
What was he going to do?
He can hear something big land on the gravel behind him but he can’t bring himself to look, even when the noises are barely heard through blocked ears. He stays unwavering, huddled under the blanket keeping the heat in and the cold out because that’s the least he can do with damaged parts. Because even if he doesn’t feel safe it shouldn’t have to feel that way.
Tim could barely hear the words in his right ear, too far away, too off, too concerned. Halfheartedly he hopes maybe Bruce had come but the red glint he sees out of the corner of his slightly swollen eye tells him it’s a different story.
“Yo Timmers, B’s been losing his shit since “you went dark eighteen hours ago”, you’ve never went dark for that-.” Jason’s voice trails off and Tim doesn’t care, everything’s numb and forcing air into aching lungs isn’t exactly painless as it should be.
He knows he should tell Jason to turn the volume down but the fact that the steady rhythmic breathing is any indication that his passenger is still asleep has him staying silent.
“Tim, what the fuck happened to you, why is the nest on fire?” Jason’s asking too many questions and before he can stop himself a barely audible “language” is slipping past broken and cracked lips.
God is that really what I sound like right now?
“Jesus Christ baby bird, you put your voice box through a fucking meat grinder?”
Tim doesn’t bother answering with a complete sentence; he just says “language” again because it rolls off his tongue faster than he can actually comprehend what he’s doing because it’s second nature to him at this point. He tries to shuffle to get comfortable but stops when everything is screaming at him to stop and he’s visibly wincing in front of Jason which he vowed never to do after the tower and here is breaking yet another promise.
I need a cigarette.
No, I probably need the whole pack at this point.
He can vaguely see a blurried gloved hand reaching out to touch him and he can’t help but flinch heavily away from it and prays that the jarring movement doesn’t wake it. Looking down at the small babe pressed to his chest he can’t help but let out a sigh of relief. It’s still asleep.
“Timmy, baby bird, what happened to you?” Hood, no Jason, the mechanical whir of the helmet's voice modulator was nonexistent so that meant he was dealing with Jason.
Jason protected kids. Granted Tim was the exception but they were on good terms, Jason would have to help. Right? Right? Right?
“Tim, I need you to stay focused.” Jason’s voice sounded worried again. “I’m pretty sure you’ve got a concussion. What’s the last thing you remember?”
Tim’s eyebrows knitted together as he attempts to put the pieces together. He remembers the drug, Ra’s greedy hands, something failed and he needed more and-. Fingers are snapping in front of his face causing him to blink a few times, “Tim, I need you with me.”
“I’m trying.” He’s not but Jason's not going to figure that out any time soon. “I swear I’m trying…”
Tim’s voice is broken and he can’t help but shrink a little when he says that last line because he halfway expecting it to earn him another slap to the face but when it doesn’t come he’s forced to remember he’s stuck in the aftermath.
Jason’s not gonna hit him for that, he’ll only hit him if he passes out and he can’t afford to do that with the cargo that’s resting against his chest despite his movements and Jason’s loud words.
“Jason,” Tim wants to continue but his words have died in his throat because how do you explain what just happened. How do you explain it and leave out the painful bits when the painful bit, the ones he wants to forget, are the ones that are the most important to the entire story, “Jason.”
“Last time I checked, that's my name, Timmers.” Jason states sitting on the gravel directly across from him, “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Tim swallows thickly, arms protectively getting a little tighter, “Ra’s.”
“Okay, that’s a good start.” Jason says, taking off his jacket and wraps it over the baby bird's shoulders, “What else?”
Tim blinks a few times, his chest tightening a little with each grounding breath he tries to take, “I-Uh-…I can’t move…I can’t move…Jay I can’t…”
“Hey, hey, none of that, breath baby bird…” Jason’s placing a warm hand on his shoulder and he can feel the small bundle moving against his chest and all he can think is not now because that’s a whole can of worms he hasn’t even wrapped his head around.
“I don't feel safe anymore…”
“It’s gonna be okay, Tim it’s gonna be okay.” Jason’s hand feels like it weighs a ton on his shoulder and he wants to move but he knows if he tries everything is gonna come crashing down.
Tim looks up at him through blurred tear stained eyes and says, “I don’t think it is Jason… not this time…”
“Come on baby bird, you’ve got a date with Alfred at the caves medbay.” Jason states as he tries to help Tim up by his free hand but stops when he gets a quick look when the blanket shuffles and Tim’s not wearing a shirt.
Why is he not wearing a shirt…
“Tim what did he do?” He says it a little louder than he was meaning to just by seeing Tim’s reaction to questions, he recoiled like Jason slapped him. “I’m not mad at you baby bird but I need all the details so I know how to help you.”
“I can’t go to the cave…please don’t make me…please…it’s not safe there either.”
“Not safe, what are you-?”
“He got in…no one is supposed to be able to get in and yet he did…if he can get in there…the caves not safe…” Tim manages to explain through broken quiet sobs. Every word hurt worse than the last but it needed to come out.
He’s never seen Tim this spooked, not even back at the tower when he beat the poor kid with an inch of his life.
Jason drops back to the gravel, foot skidding to steady himself, getting Tim’s full attention, “Then you’ll stay with me. I’ve got some safe houses that aren’t even on B’s radar. We’ll go there, recoup, get you back on your feet and we’ll figure it out from there.”
Tim’s eyes are fully trained on Jason and Jason hopes and prays that Tim’s actually listening to him, “You're not alone baby bird. I got you.”
A soft whimper that turns into crying tears Jason’s eyes away from Tim’s and he watches as Tim gently starts to rock back and forth, a bloody ‘shhh’ playing on his lips as he tries to get the babe to calm down again because he doesn’t think he can handle it screaming again because then he’s really gonna be sick and he really doesn’t want to try and hold a baby and puke his guts out.
“Tim…is that what I think it is.”
He shakes his head in response, worms no open, closed for business. Hotels aren’t trivagoing and he wishes Ra’s would’ve killed him.
“Not right now…please not now…I can’t.” Tim explains as the babe quietly soothes and settles back against Tim’s bare chest, “Just help me…please just help me…please…I’ll do whatever you want just please.”
There’s a brief moment of silence between them despite the noisy street below bursted to life with firetrucks and ambulances as they work to put out the fire that was consuming Tim’s life’s work. “Can you stand?”
“Don’t know.” Tim replies shakily, he tries to move but stops when pain shoots up most parts of his body.
Jason grabs the bag that’s sitting on the ground next to Tim and slings it over his shoulder before crouching back down in front of him, “Is it okay if I touch you so I can pick you up and carry you?”
It takes Tim a few beats before he’s nodding cradling the small bundle to him, “Yeah…”
Jason tries to ignore how light Tim is in his arms and he definitely ignores the soft whimpers of pain and how wet Tim’s lungs sound, “I just have my bike with me but once we get down to the street I’ll wire a car.”
Tim just hums in response. Jason takes it one step at a time and it’s painfully slow but it’s better than the alternative of Tim wincing the entire time because due to an unpopular belief he actually doesn’t like seeing Tim in pain.
When they reach the ground, Tim tries to hold in his cries of pain when Jason sets him next to the car he’s gonna high jack but it’s hard. Tim’s gently rocking himself in an attempt to keep the small babe asleep until they could get somewhere safe.
Tim blinks a few times and the car softly rumbles to life. It feels like ages before he can actually sit comfortably in the passenger seats and he’s thankful that Jason doesn’t ask him any questions because he knows Jason has to know what he did and he can’t handle that right now.
That would have to be morning Tim’s problem.
Tim closes his eyes as Jason starts to drive out of the alley, “Tim I know you want to sleep but you gotta stay awake.”
“Not sleepin. Just resting my eye.”
“Pretty sure that’s the definition of sleeping baby bird.”
Tim doesn’t answer, he just forces his eye lids open, keeping a protective hold on the babe still blissfully sleeping on him. Do babies actually sleep a lot?
Then it hit him…
He doesn’t know anything about babies or even children for that matter.
“Stop spiraling, we’ll figure it out in the morning.” Jason tells him, “I’ve already looked in the bag, it’s got enough supplies to last a few days. You can spiral after you get some sleep.”
“I don’t know what im doing..”
“Baby bird I’ll let you in on a little secret, no one knows what they’re doing. You’ll fit right in.”
“Great…” Tim mumbles as he presses his cheek against the cold glass in an attempt to keep himself awake.