Chapter Text
Something is wrong. Something is very, very, very wrong.
The mantra is repeating in his head as he paces his room, having shut the curtain to give himself more privacy. Damian is Robin now, wearing the colours and everything, with a katana on his back!
Where is Tim? Where is Stephanie? What has happened while he’s been gone? Clark had told him that things got rough but that’s all he said, that could be anything. Tim could be crippled, suffering a permanent disability because of an injury he sustained on the field.
Ra’s was in Gotham, why was he there? Setting up a new base? Or was he there for something else? Who knows what goes through that man's head on a daily basis, he may have just come to test his family's skills since his departure.
He’s in between a rock and a hard place, regardless of how things are going right now, he can’t ignore the fact that it’s possible he’s carrying some illnesses that have died out or not been a real problem for many years. He could easily get out of the quarantine if he wanted to but doing that would put everybody in severe danger, and if his kids really are hurt, risking exposure could make them worse. Not to mention all the problems that could arise if one of the speedsters picked something off and it mutated with the aid of their boosted immune systems.
So he’s stuck at the moment, unable to leave even though he wants to. Three days, he reminds himself, just three days until he can get out of this damned box and see his kids. Three days until he can get some answers about what the hell has happened.
Until then, he’s doing what he can, returning to a schedule as best he can by starting up his exercise routine again, mostly just things he can do in the room, but he needs to build up his stamina again anyway so it doesn’t bother him much. Other than that, he rotates between sleeping, eating, and brooding.
~~~
If you had told Jason a month ago that within twenty eight days he would have his youngest brother back, fight the League of Assassins and get stabbed for his efforts, and then wind up in the WatchTower infirmary, he would have asked for some of what you were smoking.
Now though, he’s laying on his stomach to keep pressure off his back and watching Youtube on his phone in the most awkward position possible. It’s not the most comfortable but he’ll hopefully be up and on his feet in a few hours. The pit had already closed up most of the injury by the time he’d gotten up to the WatchTower so the only thing the doctors had really had to do was stitch up the remainder after giving it a good clean. They wanted him to stay in bed for another day but he’s not able to lay there doing nothing while Tim is in a different room with unknown injuries.
He and Selina are sharing a room at the moment, only because he’s not going to be on overnight observation, he’ll be going back to his apartment. Thankfully, while the injuries Selina suffered were bad, they were treated before any permanent damage could be done, she’ll have a nasty scar but she’ll make a full recovery.
Dick and Barbie have been in and out of their room all evening, too stressed by everything going on to just be still. Bruce is back but in quarantine, Tim is alive and back with them but hurt, it’s been a wild day. They’ve agreed to not go looking for Bruce at the moment, not because they don’t want to see him, but because they’ve agreed that Tim should be the first to see him again, after all the work he’s put in to getting him back.
Other than that, there’s things to be done to prepare for his proper return. His bedroom hasn’t been properly cleaned in a while because Dick’s been sleeping in there sometimes when the nightmares get too bad. Tim’s going to need some adjustments made to his room temporarily while he recovers properly, things like a shower stool, aids to help him stand up after sitting on the toilet, maybe even moving some things around if he needs a walker or wheelchair for a little bit.
Alfreds been shopping up a storm, probably also baking like mad, both for Bruce and Timmy. Both of them will need to gain weight after all they’ve endured, so they’ll need lots of highly nutritious, high calorie foods to do that. Avocado toast with eggs, chili, roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, sauteed green beans, gravy, and dinner rolls, and lots of hearty soups are all on the menu. Not only that, but lots of snacks for easy extra calories need to be retrieved. And their favourite baked goods need to be made.
The real struggle will be the rest of them not getting fat from all the good food, because he knows that he’ll be taking seconds of everything. Alfred makes a really good roast chicken and he knows Dick won’t be turning down extra baked goods.
“Kitten?” Selina asks from her bed.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you’re ready to get up?”
“Yeah probably, why?” He asks, getting suspicious.
“I want to check on your brother.” She says.
What brother isn’t a question, it obviously isn’t Dick. And since Tim isn’t mobile either, he’ll need to get her to him with a wheelchair.
The stitches pull a little as he gets himself up and disconnects himself from the I.V line in his arm but nothing pops so he continues. There is no wheelchair in their room so he has to go track one down in the supply closest and bring it back. When he gets back, Selina has gotten herself upright and disconnected from most of the wires, leaving her own I.V line in.
Worried about her pulling her stitches if she tries to stand and get into the chair herself, he just lifts her up himself and puts her in the seat with the same care he usually reserves for small animals. The I.V bag gets hung on a pole attached to the chair and they’re off, going down the hallway to Tim’s room. The hallway is pretty crowded, chairs have been dragged along the sides outside of Tim’s rooms by the people camping out and waiting to see him.
Bart is pacing the hallway but he’s quick to move out of the way when he and Selina come through, Wally and Kyle are sitting along the walls in their own chairs with an empty one presumably for Bart. Kon is hovering above Cassie’s chair clutching a bouquet of daisies and a stuffed dinosaur with a heart in its mouth. Cassie is holding a takeout cup like a lifeline and her leg is bouncing fast, probably the only outlet she’s allowing herself for all that nervous energy.
Past them is Dick, right by the door like a guard. Jason decides to ignore the fact that everyone else in the hallway is glaring at his older brother and instead rams the foot braces of the wheelchair into his shins.
“Move it or lose it, Dickhead.” He orders.
“Hey! Bart snaps, “We’ve been waiting to see him since forever! Get in line!”
“You get back in line, I’m his brother and she’s his ma.” He retorts, “We get first dibs.”
“Kons his boyfriend!” Cassie pipes up, joining Bart.
“He is?” He and Selina say in unison, glaring at the clone.
“I uh, well, sort of. I mean, I hope so.” Kon stammers, holding the flowers so tightly that the stems bend. “I haven’t exactly asked him yet.
Selina chuckles and rolls her eyes. “Get back to me when you ask him, hotshot. Until then, you’ll have to wait your turn.”
The clone goes an interesting shade of red and sits in Cassie's chair, making her complain and steal Barts, who just climbs into her lap. Poor kids, they’ll be happier once their missing member is back to mess around with. They’re like puppies who are sad that one is stuck on the other side of the gate.
Dick gives them his best imitation of Alfreds raised eyebrow look, which doesn’t do much.
“Are either of you supposed to be out of bed?” He asks.
“Nonya.” He replies, shoving him again. “Now, get out of the way.”
Dick rolls his eyes but steps aside nonetheless.
“I’ll warn you now, he’s not in a great mood.”
That raises some concerns but he still pushes Selina in and lets the door shut behind them quietly. Tim’s bedroom is dark, the lights turned down pretty low and the AC turned up, giving the room a chill. There are no doctors or nurses in at the moment but Uncle Barry is and he’s sitting on the edge of Tim’s bed, whispering to him.
As for his brother, Tim is sitting up, shivering, and staring at the bowl on his tray while he stirs up the contents with a plastic spoon. He loosens a little when he sees the two of them but not much, it’s like he’s waiting for something to happen and the longer he waits, the worse he gets.
“Hey kitten.” Selina greets, reaching out to take his hand, which he allows.
Now that they’re closer, he can see that the bowl has chicken noodle soup in it and it’s barely been picked at.
“Hey.” He replies.
“How’re you feeling?” She asks.
“I’m alright, cold.”
He looks to Barry, who’s clearly exercising all the dad patience he has at the moment to not snark at his brother.
“Tim, you have a fever, you know that. If you would take your medications, you wouldn’t feel so cold.” He explains, tapping the ketchup cup with pills in it.
“I know the air conditioning is up.” Tim responds.
“To help break the fever, we could lower it if you would take your medicine.” He says.
He gets the feeling that this is a conversation that’s been repeated many times, though he’s not sure why Tim’s so reluctant to take the medications. Still, he doesn’t, glaring at the cup and going back to stirring his soup without eating it.
“Not hungry?” He asks, only getting a shrug. “Your appetite might come back if you took your medicine.”
That just gets him a glare and he can see how bright Tims eyes are, how flushed his cheeks are. Clearly, the fever is pretty bad for him to look like that, maybe it’s contributing to the bad attitude Dick had mentioned. Tim isn’t feeling well and his patience is short so he’s coming off as grumpy, lots of people get like that when they’re sick.
“M’not takin that.” Tim mutters.
“Why not?” Selina asks.
“Could be the wrong ones.” He says simply, though his tone suggests that it’s anything but.
“Kiddo, you watched the doctor take them out of the bottles yourself.” Barry points out. “You read the labels, they’re antibiotics and fever reducers.”
“That’s what they said they were, it’s not what they are.” He retorts.
Selina frowns and Barry stifles a sigh, closing his eyes. Yeah, he gets that, Tim isn’t making any sense. Yeah, the labels on bottles do tell you what they are, that’s what they’re there for, Tim acting all suspicious of it is weird, even for him. He wonders if it’s maybe the fever making him paranoid, it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s been confused about the world around them because of one. Hell, he got strep when he was still living in Crime Alley as a kid and the nightmares he’d had during that time were the worst he’d ever had before taking a dip in the pit.
So maybe it’s time to find a different way to get medicine into Tim, since obviously he’s not up for pills at the moment. From the conversation, they’re fever reducers and antibiotics, those must come in an injectable form, he’s fairly certain that they could give this to Tim through his I.V. Then, when the fever goes down and he’s more rational, he’ll be more receptive to oral medications.
“I want to leave.” Tim says suddenly, pushing the tray back and trying to get up, being blocked by all three of them.
“We’ve talked about this too, Tim, you’re sick, you need to be near doctors.” Barry says, pushing him back and tucking him back in.
“I want to go back to my safehouse.” He responds, shoving at the hands restraining him.
“Your safehouse is not set up to accommodate the equipment you need right now.” Barry explains, probably again, given how measured his tone is.
“I’ll make it set up, I need to go!” He cries, slapping his hands down on the bed.
“Tim, your safehouse is small, it’s got exposed insulation, and it’s not very well ventilated.” Barry explains kindly, “It’s why you have an infection in the first place, your stitches got so much gunk in them because it was floating around your safehouse.”
“No, I’m infected because Damian fucking attacked me and I tore my stitches trying to avoid his damn sword!” He yells.
“The doctors said that the infection had started earlier than that kid, I’m sorry.” Barry says. Though I agree that being attacked by Damian made things worse.”
The small agreement seems to settle Tim, just a little, but enough that he relaxes back and keeps stirring his soup.
“He’s up here you know, I saw him.” He whispers, glancing over at Selina.
“I know kitten, with the League around, we can’t leave him alone in the manor.” She soothes, “He’s under supervision, you don’t have to see him if you don’t want to.”
“Heh right. He’ll get in, he wants me dead.” Tim drawls, head lolling dangerously. Beside him, Barry frowns and hurries to a previously unseen mini fridge in the corner. He comes back with a blue jello cup and sets it on the tray with the soup. Immediately, Tim abandons his assault on the soup and grabs the plastic cup, examining the lid and it’s seal, before peeling it open and jabbing his spoon in it.
Jason and Selina grimace at the haste he devours his treat but Barry just sighs like it’s normal.
“I take it this isn’t his first jello cup today.” Jason whispers to his uncle.
“It’s the only thing he’ll eat, I don’t know why.” He whispers back, “I tried withholding them until he ate some soup but obviously that didn’t pan out.”
“Hey man, if he’s eating he’s eating.” He says. “At this point, I think that’s all it matters.”
“It’s be nice if he ate something with more vitamins.” He admits.
“Do you think he’d eat a gummy vitamin?” He asks.
“He won’t take his fever reducers or antibiotics, I really doubt I’m gonna luck out on vitamin C tablets.” Barry snarks with a roll of his eyes.
“How’d you wind up here anyway, thought you’d be out with your kids.” He asks.
“I was, then Tim woke up, panicked, and tried to fight his nursing staff. They had to sedate him, I was in when he woke up again and I was the only one he would let near him so by default I kinda stuck around.” Barry explained.
“Jeez, couldn’t get Dick in here?” He asked with a grimace.
“Dick was in here, it made it worse.” Barry whispered. “He only started to calm down once he’d left with the nurses.”
Jeez, that isn’t good. Apparently, Dick and Tim’s relationship was not going to be as easily repaired as his older brother had hoped.
“Wanna try to get the other Titans in here, see if that helps?” He asked.
“Again, he won’t take his pills, he’s so paranoid. Do you really think he’s going to buy two friends coming back from the dead?” Barry asked.
Fair enough, that probably wouldn’t go over well at the moment. It was probably a good idea to let Tim recover from whatever was ailing him before they started throwing in miracles, lest they fry his exhausted brain before it fully bounces back.
With Selina there to rub her thumb along the back of his hand and Jason to flick through television channels while bitching about the lack of Netflix, Tim ate his way through two more jello cups. Emboldened by the progress, Barry ran out and got some applesauce, fruit cups, and juice boxes. The fruit he ignored but he did start on a cup of apple cause, eating it at a glacial speed, but it was at least progress.
He and Selina also grabbed some food to munch on and the company helped Tim relax. He still refused the pills and Jason considered just crushing them up and mixing them into his applesauce when he next examined the room. At least the food was doing something positive for him, he was getting more lucid and making better conversation, not much conversation but what he did say was at least coherent.
“So, how’s Gotham been?” He asked awkwardly, putting another half spoonful in his mouth.
“It’s gone to shit.” Jason answered immediately. “Not that it had much going for it to begin with.”
Selina reached over and swatted him, giving him a scolding look.
“It’s been alright darling, don’t worry about it too much.” She said, reaching up to pet his hair.
Tim leaned into the touch and smiled.
“Your friends are very worried about you.” She continued, “We’ll have to get you a new phone so you can let them know you’re okay.”
Tim nodded sagely and ate more applesauce.
“They need me to be their street cred.” He said calmly, like what he’d said made any sense.
“What?” All three of them asked at once. Tim looked over at them like they were idiots.
“I’m the only one who can do a laser flip, if they don’t have me, they don’t look cool at the skatepark.” He explained.
“Oh babybird, you and your friends never look cool.” Jason said kindly, patting his head.
“Yeah we do!” He protested, “Cause I can do a laser flip.”
“Of course honey.” Selina interupts, mouthing at Jason to shut the fuck up. “I’m sure you’re very excited to be back out with them.”
“Yes,” Tim says, tearing up. “I want to see all the Minecraft updates I missed.”
“That’s what you’re most excited for?” He asks incredulously.
“They were making frogs!” Tim wails and sniffles, wiping his nose on the back of his arm.
Selina glares at him while Barry wipes his arm with a sanitising towelette. Okay, so maybe he should drop the sarcasm with Tim for now, obviously, it’s not having the desired effect.
“It’s okay dude, you’ll be able to see the Minecraft frogs.” He soothes quickly, “Maybe you can teach me how to play.”
That shuts him up quickly, staring at him with hopeful eyes.
“Really?” He asks, “I thought you hated Minecraft?”
Yeah, he kind of does. It’s not that he thinks less of Tim or anyone else for playing it, he just finds it boring, preferring games with tasks and clear objectives. Still, if it makes Tim happy, he’ll suck it up for a few afternoons.
“Yeah, well, shut up and eat your applesauce.” He deflects, tapping at Tim’s spoon.
From there, it’s easy. Barry darts off for half an hour to shower, change, and update his brood. Apparently Hal is down guarding Pru in Leslies office, watching for assassins and prepared to bring them somewhere else for safety. His husband updates them on how Pru is doing, apparently she also has an infection from improper living conditions but she’s actually taking her medicine so she’s not a disaster like Tim is.
As for those waiting out in the hallway, only Cassie, Wally, and Kyle have been allowed in, under very strict instructions on what to avoid in topics of conversation. The list includes Bart and Kon, the topic of Robin, anything in relation to Stephanie Brown, skateboard tricks, and his mission abroad. They don’t want him to get upset or freak out, or worse, get up and try to demonstrate a skateboard trick.
After a few hours, Tim starts to fade. His blinks are slow and he’s visibly struggling to open his eyes after he closes them. The half consumed cup of applesauce forgotten on his tray while he wiggles to get comfy in his bed. Jason grabs Barry and drags him to the mini fridge as discreetly as possible.
“As soon as he’s out, you get a nurse to get those meds he needs in an injectable ASAP.” He orders quietly.
“Already on it.” Barry responds, showing him a small syringe he’s hidden in the pocket of his sweater. “Grabbed it while I was out.”
“Smart man.” He says, clapping him on the back.
To dissuade any questions, he grabs a jello cup and digs in, thus justifying his need to be at the fridge. Not that Tim’s really noticed, he’s too busy asking after Harley and Ivy while trying not to fall asleep.
“Did Ivy get those orchids to bloom?” He asks in a mumbled voice.
“Yes kitten she did.” Selina answers, “And I’ll show you pictures later but for right now, you need some rest.
“M’not tired though.” He protests.
“Yes you are honey, you can’t lie to me.” She counters.
“Fiine.” He whines, “But I’m not happy about it.”
“Noted.” She says, surprisingly professional for a woman dealing with an over exhausted, feverish, sixteen year old who’s trying to deny that he’s tired.
“I got Bruce back.” He rasps.
“We know, we’re very proud of you.” She says.
“I want to see him.” He says, staring up at the ceiling.
“You will kitten, I promise. But he’s in quarantine right now and you’re sick. Once he’s out, you’ll see him.” She promises, crossing her heart.
“D’ya think he’ll be proud of me?” He asks.
Ouch, that breaks his heart. More than he thought it could be broken.
“Of course he is baby, he could never not be proud of you.” She says, petting his hair again.
But Tim’s gotten himself on a train of thought that it appears he isn’t getting off of.
“I did bad things Lina.” He chokes, starting to cry again. “He’d be right to be mad at me.”
“But he isn’t.” She says firmly, squeezing his hand. “You look at me, young man, there isn’t a single thing you could do to make him stop being proud of you.”
“Yeah, just look at me.” He adds. “Heads in a duffle bag, he still says he’s proud of me.”
“I broke his rules.” He gasps, “I went against everything he taught me.”
Then he gags and Jason abandons his jello cup to pull Selina out of the splash zone while Barry grabs a bucket. The room is silent for a few seconds before Tim heaves loudly and all he’s eaten makes a disgusting reappearance in the bin, all the jello colours have mixed to create a very disgusting hue that Jason compares to Flint Michigan tap water. He keeps that thought to himself though.
Once his stomach is empty, Tim cries over the bin for a little, occasionally dry heaving as his body jerks at the force. So much for their quiet visit, now Tim’s covered in a visible sheen of sweat and miserable, shaking as he finally lays himself back against the pillow.
Barry presses a button on the wall and a nurse comes in to take the vomit bin and Jason goes to the bathroom, wets some paper towels under cool water, and comes back to wipe at Tim’s forehead, the head from his skin feeling very unnatural under his hand.
They swarm for a minute, getting a cup of cool water for him to sip while Jason replaces the towel often, even putting some on the back of his neck and under his arms to help him cool off faster. Slowly, Tim recovers, though it seems he’s done talking for a while.
Until Dick pokes his stupid head in.
“Hey, everything okay?” He asks, stepping in.
Jason barely has time to react before Tim grabs the half eaten applesauce cup and hurls it at their older brother, the contents flying everywhere. Dick dodges, though the cup barely makes it to his feet. The miss doesn’t slow Tim down though, he points at the door with all the ferocity he can muster.
“Get out!” He orders.
“Timmy please, I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Dick pleads, stupidly taking a step closer.
That doesn’t help the situation at all as Jason has to intercept Tim making a grab for his abandoned jello cup. It’s not that he’s planning on finishing it after seeing how half digested jello looks coming back up, he just doesn’t want it thrown.
“Oh now you wanna make sure I’m okay!” Tim spits, his chest heaving. “What happened, your new Robin not all he said he was?”
“This has nothing to do with Dami, Tim, I just want to check on you.” Dick begs, starting to cry himself.
“Stop pretending you give a shit about me, you stopped caring the second that brat walked through the door!” Tim shouts, gesturing at the door again. “Now get. Out.”
Dick opens his mouth, probably to protest again, but Jason grabs him by the arm and ushers him out. This conversation isn’t going to accomplish anything, Tim’s barely conscious, Dick’s exhausted, they’re both at their worst. By the time he gets Dick into the hallway, he’s sobbing as hard as he can, his cheeks all flushed from it.
“He hates me.” He cries.
“Yeah, you were kinda an ass to him.” Cassie says coolly, all of the titans glaring them down.
“Can it, peanut gallery.” Jason orders, “Look, he’s hurting right now. Just let him recover and brood a bit, and use that time to think up a damn good apology.”
“I was trying my best.” Dick sobs, “I had to make a hard choice.”
“Yeah, that’s not a great start, you should workshop it more.” He suggests, guiding him to a chair. “Look, just sit down, compose yourself, then maybe get a cup’a coffee. It’s been a weird day.”
Dick nods though he looks incredibly defeated and Jason goes back to Tim, wondering what in the Holy Hell happened while Tim was away.