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Tim should have seen this coming, should have calculated this possibility. But he didn't, he was not careful enough with his investigation, and now. Now he was buried under a building after an explosive took off.He couldn't breathe, all air got knocked out of him when the explosion happened, all the breathes he tried to take after were all in vain somehow. Everything hurt and he was probably bleeding too. He couldn't concentrate enough to acess his wounds or his condition in general properly.Also he was about to lose consciousness. Slowly but surely.So all in all? Not. Good.
He was no pessimist, but he was no optimist either.
But just as he was about to drift off, a sudden light blinded him. He couldn't even muster the energy to look away and was greeted with something bright red. He knew that shade of red all so well, he should be alarmed by it even, but Tim couldn't bring himself to care.
Tim cursed under his breath as he held his side. He was caught in the middle of what you could scall 'the worst thing that could happen to anyone ever'. A gang war. He hated those. Gang wars meant that he was going in with a great disadvantage but he wouldn't be able to avoid going in. Of course this had to happen on a night were Gotham decided to be particulary crazy. As a result of this Dick was over, and together with the demon brat, they got their hands full of their own problems. The same went for Steph. And let's not forget to mention that Batman was away on JLA-Something.
Tim had no other chance than retreat. And that was easier said than done with him bleeding out in a war-zone.
Tim didn't even have enough time recognize what happened next. It happened pretty fast. There wa a sudden explosion, screaming, more shooting, and a lot of smoke. And suddenly out of nowhere he was met with none other than the Red Hood in front of him. Tim tensed immediately.
"Got quite a situation on your hands, hm?"
Tim's grip on his boo-staff tightened, ready to defend himself. Meeting Jason now of all times made his situation way worse. He could only hope to not fall into a coma after this.
"Relax, I am not going to hurt you. In fact we have to get going NOW, while they are still confused as fuck." Jason took a step foward, Tim took a step back. Though he couldn't mask his confusion at this. That made Jason stop and regard him for a moment. Tim couldn't see his expression behind the helmet, he kind of wondered what kind of face the other was making. He thinks he heard Jason sigh.
"Okay. You don't believe me. I totally get that, really do. But I am here to help you, cause you gotta admit, you are in dire need of that. And right now? I am the best shot you got. So I am gonna grab you now."
Tim again couldn't really react, maybe he was really that bad off. But he vaguely remembers nodding, before he was hurled up and got dragged out. He was still on edge, trying to be prepared for the other shoe to drop, but it never happened.
What happened was that he got dropped off at the manor and got stitched up by Alfred.
What also happened that night was that the Red Hood made a great difference that night and together with Dick and Damian they stopped the fighting that night.
When Tim opened his eyes, he hadn't really expected to open his eyes ever again, but he also didn't expect to wake up in an unfamiliar enviroment. He was about to sit up but was met with a firm hand holding him down.
"Easy! I only did emergency first aid!"
Tim blinked and took the sitation in again. Jason was sitting next to his 'bed'. Even though he hadn't really expected anything, even than, seeing Jason was not even on the impossible anything list. But somehow seeing Jason, still in gear but without the helmet or an mask, immediately took away the edge. He calmed down.
"What..." Tim couldn't really finish, his mouth was dry and his whole body ached. Even if he had been able to talk, he wouldn't have known what to say or ask anyway.
"Feel bad huh? I saved your ass back there. But seriously, you are wounded pretty badly so I figured I take you somewhere nearer to the scene than the manor and start to stitch you back up. I called Alfred, he is on his way."
Tim slowly nodded, that was a logical and satisfying answer. Urg he felt like Damian thinking like that. Gosh, his head hurt.
Being alone with Jason wasn't something that made his skin crawl anymore. He would even go as far as saying that he trusted Jason. Kind of. Jason had, as of late, started to calm down. Given, he still killed, but he was agreeablier somehow. Tim was really glad with that outconme actually.
"Look, I am probably in no position to lecture on anything, but you could have died back there. You were lucky I was nearby... You need to be more... careful."
Being alone with Jason wasn't a threat to him anymore, no. But it was still kind of... awkward. For both parties involved. With him having tried to kill him and the others multiple times in the past and everything.
But there was improvement slowly happening and Tim had to play his part too. Because Jason was trying."I...." Tim started and wondered what he should say. He was still trying to be careful about his words around Jason, old habits die hard, after all. Tim pondered for a short moment but settled for the easiest route. Jason deserved it.
"Thanks."
Jason didn't answer to that. When Tim turned a bit to get a better look at him, he saw Jason watching him. He was sure that Jason hadn't even realized it, but Tim had. Had for a while. Whenever he thanked him, or anyone else for that matter, whenever he got a positive response, whenever he got something... he looked...lost? Was that the right word? He was definitely in thought, sometimes, more often than not, he would blink and look confused.
It was actually a sad sight to watch. Tim concluded through his observations that Jason could not believe anyone would ever thank him for anything. Of course that was understandable from Jason's point of view. The things Jason did were bad, there were unspeakable and unforgivable things among them too. But Tim could understand or rather sympathize with the Jason from that time too, with all that he went through combined with pit-madness. Tim wasnt the only one that understood, everyone did, to some degree. Even Bruce. Heck, if Tim went on with cutting of peoplee that wronged him, he wouldn't have friends anymore. Tim understood that grudges couldn't be hold onto forever. The only person that didn't seem to understand that was Jason himself.
Of course TIm understood the need for redemption, better than most. But that didn't mean you weren't allowed to accept people's kindness either. You didn't need to be miserable 24/7. Especially if people started to forgive you.
Tim wasn't sure how long they stared at each other like that. How long the silence continued until Jason got up and announced Alfred's arrival. Tim knows one thing though. He knows that somewhere in between their staring contest and Alfred and Jason working on him, that he decided something.
And that very decision was his first thought when he woke up from being sedated, back in the manor in his own room.
Tim silently looked up at his ceiling while voicing the thought in his mind again.
He was going to help Jason.