So, thanks for all the great review guys, you were lovely. However, I did get one or two negative reviews. Basically, they kind of said my story was stupid. Ok, well, you know what, it's called The Jason Cuddle Showdown, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK IT WAS GONNA BE! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE STUPID; IT'S A STORY WHERE TWO GROWN MEN RUNNING AROUND IN TIGHTS CUDDLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. WHAT POSSIBLE OTHER WAY COULD THIS HAVE GONE? I mean honestly. And anyway, who the hell cares what I write, I write to entertain myself and other people and to practice writing in general so when my book gets published, it's not a piece of shit. Also, quick side note, I kinda hate it when people call my characters ooc, really now, it's fan fiction, as long as I'm writing about them, they're my characters and I can make them act however I want. Plus, they don't actually exist (it seems some people haven't actually figured this out, spoiler alert guys, Batman's not real!) so they technically can't act in character because they don't have one. I do what I want, it's a free world. If something specific really, really bugs you or you have a critique on my writing or something, as long as you do it classy, you can say whatever the hell you want. In fact, I would love it if you critiqued my actual writing, that would make me bounce off the walls. So anyway, rant done, thanks to most of you, you guys are da bomb, have a great day!

Cold nights are a pain, especially when you're dressed in Kevlar, which never seems to hold as much heat as you would like. What I wanted was to toss a big winter coat on over my armor but, like the kid who's freezing on Halloween but doesn't want to ruin his costume by looking like a stupid puffball, I resisted the urge.

Throwing my arms around myself, I stood up atop that tall building and trembled, gazing out over the city. Why was I even out tonight? There really was no point, especially for me. I didn't really save people anymore and I certainly didn't care to run into Batman or any of the "kids" but something had tugged me out of the warmth of my newest safe house and into the freezing night air.

The snow began to fall, flurrying as it came down all over me. I'd be the white hood soon if I didn't get inside. Bounding down from where I had stood before, I landed lightly on a thin layer of snow and started to make my way home. I was only a little ways off and I was grateful.

It was probably the flash of red and black that caught my eye. The colors were exceedingly striking against the snow and, though it was just a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, I reacted anyway, swinging my head towards it. There he was, Drake, all decked out in fancy Red Robin attire with those gaudy showgirl wings. I would have laughed had I not thought it would give my position away.

"Hmm", I murmured, "What's bird boy doing?" Crouching in the snow, I gazed down at him. It would be easy to put a bullet in his brain from here, but I was interested. I recognized a stalk pattern when I saw one and clearly, Red Robin was sweeping and stalking, looking for clues to an enemy he knew was close but couldn't pinpoint the exact location of.

The snow falling should have made it easier for him, but it had since covered up any tracks and any evidence. Sorry Timmy boy, out of luck I guess. But, whom was he stalking? Crawling slowly over the roof so he wouldn't catch sight of me, I slunk down the side searching for his quarry about as avidly as he was.

It was then that I spotted them, a few big, beefy guys holed up at the corner of the building and out of sight from Drake's position. But, they didn't look frightened which was weird because even I had to admit (albeit begrudgingly) Drake was more than a match for them. Hmm, their confidence was interesting. Well, I could stand a few more minutes in the cold. This looking like it was going to be good.

Drake continued to do his best to track the men while one of them clambered around the other side of the corner. He had something in his hand, a gun I figured. Perhaps he would kill the kid. Talk about quality entertainment!

Slowly, the thug got closer and closer to Red Robin, creeping up behind him. Timmy was probably too cold and caught up in his work to even notice. The man raised his gun and I heard the muted sound of a dart. It was as if the kid's legs had been swept out from under him like some invisible opponent. He hit the ground hard on his side.

Shock registered in his deep blue eyes, though he looked no worse for wear, other than the fact that there was now a needle sticking out of his lower spine. But, it was clear something was wrong a minute later when Red Robin couldn't get up. In fact, he couldn't even seem to move his lower body at all. Panic flashed in his eyes as this realization dawned on him suddenly.

I silently chuckled to myself. So, these guys wanted to play with the little bird. Couldn't say I blamed them. Drake watched the men coming towards him, wolfish grins on their faces and bats in hand. One even had a length of chain. Ohh, this was going to be fun to watch.

I had to give the kid credit though, he didn't even break a sweat. As swiftly as he could, he started to drag his legs behind him, clawing his way across the rooftop with his arms. But, the thugs got to him in under a second. The first one swung down. And suddenly, they had surrounded him.

Tim's body lurched artificially as blows rained down on it. Then, he gave his first cry of pain. And the cries didn't stop. I could really hear him now, grunting under their blows, which just kept coming with no sign of letting up. I could see tears in his eyes, though he refused to flat out cry and give them that satisfaction.

They were kicking him, spitting on him, yelling things at him and beating him with those sticks over and over again. Bruce would slaughter them like dogs if he could see this. But, somehow, watching it wasn't as much fun as I'd thought it would be. In fact, I was starting to feel a stirring in my soul, one of compassion.

Finally, they stopped, laughing as they pulled back. That was the first full glimpse I got of the kid. He was lying there like a broken toy, his tiny chest moving up and down frantically as he tried to fight off the pain and the blood pooling everywhere. As soon as the former boy wonder saw an opening, however, he started again to drag himself away.

Laughing, the thugs watched his painfully slow going. Red Robin was in pretty bad shape now. Whatever they'd injected into his spine, it hadn't worn off and he still had no use of his legs. I was getting the sneaking suspicion this might just be a permanent thing. He was bleeding, bruised all over and shaking like a leaf with tears streaming down his cheeks, though he did his best to hide them from those men.

Drake continued to drag himself towards the edge of the rooftop, though I was at a loss as to what he was planning on doing when he got there. He could barely even heave himself along. How was he planning on making it away to safety?

Alright now, this had ceased to even be a little funny to me. It was just sick. If they were going to kill him, they should have just done it by now. This was cruel. I had to go, I couldn't watch anymore. The men just kept laughing. Then, one picked up a rock and tossed it with incredible accuracy right at the boy. It hit him in the hip and he gave a cry of agony.

More rocks started coming. Red Robin just kept dragging himself along, shaking and crying and trying to get away. That was when I snapped. I couldn't stand it anymore, this brutality. With a roar of fury, I swung down from the other rooftop and landed right next to the boy.

Throwing an arm around his chest, I dragged him away as swiftly as I could, his bright red blood staining the snow. He looked up at me in shock and I ducked behind one of those metal roof box things just as a barrage of bullets opened up.

The men, as stunned by my sudden appearance as I was, had taken a moment before reacting to my presence. Now however, they were determined not to lose their prize. "Keep your head down kid", I roared at Drake over the hail of metal all around us. I shoved him against the metal wall and held his head to my chest. He was shaking and trembling, but he held still, even going so far as to collect himself as best he could to more fully fit behind me. I had never realized how small he really was.

I knew we weren't going to last much longer. After all, this metal box thingy could only take so much. My best bet was to get off the rooftop. Quickly, I collected Red Robin close. "Put your arms around my neck", I ordered, and he obediently did so, his head still buried in my chest. He had no control over his legs, so I put an arm beneath him to hold him close, my other one wrapped around his back. Without another warning, I flipped off the back of the building.

The kid didn't even scream, he just held on tight. I shot off a cable with one arm, holding as much as I could of Tim with the other, and swung onto another rooftop. With that, I was off. The cave was on the other side of the city and so were Batman, Robin and Nightwing. I knew; I had seen them fighting Clayface over there.

Red Robin needed medical attention quick and we needed to get out of the open. The closest thing I could think of was my safe house and though I was at loathe to bring the little bird there, I knew I didn't really have any other options.

Carrying Tim wasn't so hard. He wasn't too heavy and he didn't speak at all. He just trembled in my arms, shaking like a leaf with his face buried in my chest. I was surprised he trusted me. Well, maybe he knew he didn't have a choice.

Finally, I made it to the safe house. Sliding in through the window with the kid's weight centered on my chest, I flicked on the lights. The first thing I needed to do was get Tim out of that costume. Putting the boy down on my bed, I slowly started to strip him.

Much of the costume I was peeling off because it was so soaked in blood, but I eventually managed to get off all the strips. Lying in his briefs* on my couch, he just shook, not even looking at me. I hoped he wasn't going into shock.

"Hey kid", I said, grabbing his shoulders, "kid?" Tim's eyes darted to my face. There was still terror there, deep and inescapable. For some reason, it stirred me like nothing ever had before. "I'm not gonna hurt ya kid, you're safe now." My voice was low and soothing. I didn't even know I could do that. But, the terror remained.

"I'm gonna turn you around so I can look at that needle, ok?" Tim didn't move so slowly I turned him. The needle was buried deep in his flesh and looked agonizing. "Hold still kid", I grunted, wrapping one leg around him while I positioned my arms in such a way to get the dart out, hoping the needle would come out with it.

Counting to three, I took a deep breath and tugged. A jolt went through Tim's small body and he gave a cry of agony, sagging backwards onto me. Slowly, I moved him off. "Alright kid, it's out." He lay back, shaking with tears still in his eyes and a dark, haunted look I couldn't seem to escape.

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Cleaning Tim up wasn't hard; he barely moved. He remained in this seemingly catatonic state the whole time, trembling and blinking as he stared out into space. It was starting to scare me, this lack of reaction to anything. I had literally no idea how to handle it. What was I supposed to do? I just cleaned him and we remained together in the silence.

Finally, I finished. It then occurred to me that he was probably freezing. The windows were all open, it was quite cold outside, and he was in his underwear. "Hold on a sec", I mumbled, and left, returning a moment later with a blanket after closing the windows. I sat in front of Tim and lifted him up a little so I could wrap it around his shoulders. That was when all the floodgates seemed to open.

Tim, with more speed than I had attributed to him, dragged himself quite suddenly onto my lap, buried himself in my chest and starting bawling. "Jason", he wailed pathetically, shaking with frantic tears. I was taken completely off guard. This was more emotion than I had ever seen this kid show and I had no idea what was wrong with him.

"Drake", I growled, "What the hell?"

"Jason", he sobbed, "please kill me." Now, this was really odd.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jason, I'm so scared, I can't live the rest of my life not being able to walk. I don't know what to do. Just kill me now. I can't face Bruce and Dick, I just can't." I understood the kid's fear then. Well, I guess terror was more like it. Obviously, the entire night had been traumatic for him and now, he believed he was going to be an invalid. It had proved too much and Red Robin simply couldn't cope.

Even though I understood, it didn't mean I knew how to deal with it. I couldn't kill the kid, that wouldn't solve the problem. What would Bruce do? Well, Bruce had no feelings and didn't understand anything. Alright, what would Dick do? Of course, I knew exactly what Dick would do. Dick would cuddle him until he felt better.

Well, that was just not going to happen, no way, no how. I was the Red Hood, not some nursemaid to a frightened seventeen-year-old. But, I chanced a glance down at him. The kid had no composure left and was literally grasping at me as though I was his lifeline. Somehow, it made me feel sick to see him reduced to this when, before, I had only seen a strong, intelligent, proud young man who's eyes shined with a desperate desire to know everything and be the very best at whatever he was doing. We weren't so different, him and I.

I felt an inexplicable surge of protectiveness and…affection. I could feel affection for this kid. Where the hell was that coming from? I hated Tim, didn't I? Well, sorting out my feelings could wait. The immediate problem of Timothy Jackson Drake Wayne sobbing hysterically on my lap needed attending to. So, I played it by instinct.

I put my arms around the boy's thin form and hauled him up a little more onto my lap. He didn't even seem to react all that much. He just curled up tighter, or tried to. I collected his legs up close to me. The nerve endings were still active, he could still feel my touch (I had since ascertained that), but he couldn't move them. Strange, to say the least, but also not a problem I could work on at the moment.

"Alright Timmy", I soothed, my voice dropping to a rumbling octave, "it'll be ok." I stroked his hair gently. It was so soft, so much softer than I expected it to be. I caressed his arm. That was also soft, the skin there. There was still baby fat on his tear stained cheeks. He was still so young, so vulnerable, so in need of protection.

I wrapped the blanket more tightly around him to keep him warm and pressed his cheek to my shoulder. "It's alright Timmy, things aren't so bad. You'll walk again, I promise. You don't have to cry." The words came so effortlessly. They ought not have. I'd never comforted anyone in my life but everything just flowed for him like a river.

And I loved him. That was a shock. Holding him tightly there, I realized I loved him. This was an emotion I hadn't experienced in so long, I almost believed I had lost the capacity to love. But he was my little brother, I realized that then too, and that realization made me cling to him all the tighter.

Finally, the crying subsided until he was just hiccupping softly in between tiny sobs. His small body still shook far too violently for me to feel comfortable, but I couldn't do much about that. I patted his leg gently, methodically, like one pats a baby. "I'm so sorry Jason", Tim whimpered softly, still leaning heavily against me, "I shouldn't have done that. I…I…I lost control of myself. I apologize. I…I…I should not have behaved that way."

"Tim", I grumbled, "do me a favor."

"What?" he asked.

"Just shut up, ok? Just shut the hell up and relax." Tim was now the confused one and when I looked down at him again, his soft blue eyes shown up at me in utter mystification, though there was a hint of fear there as well. Having gained his composure, Tim no longer wanted me to kill him (not that I think he ever really had) and was afraid of me again. Some things never changed.

"I'm not gonna hurt you", I rumbled soothingly, running a finger down the vertebrae of his spine, starting at the base of his skull and ending around his lower back, "at least not tonight. Do you think I would have cuddled you like this for ten minutes if I were planning on killing you?"

Tim's face turned as red as his costume, the realization dawning on him that he had initiated this in the first place, that he had shoved his way onto my lap, that he had shown the "weakness" and I had merely reacted to it. We were silent for a few moments more, I stroking him and he now stiff in my arms.

But, gradually, he again eased up, relaxing fully into my embrace with his cheek pressed to my shoulder. He gave a heavy sigh and shivered a bit. I drew the blanket around him more. "Hey", I said, "What made you start climbing all over me? That was weird kid, I'm not Dick you know."

Tim again blushed and I could see tears of shame collecting in the corners of his brilliant blue eyes. That was not what I had been going for at all. Why was I so bad at this stuff? "Look, I'm not trying to embarrass you kid, I just wanna know." Tim shrugged.

"I don't know", he replied softly, "I guess I just…needed someone to hold on to." He gazed up at me questioningly, like a student seeks a teacher's affirmation of a correct answer. Alright, I had to admit, that was pretty cute. Smiling, I ruffled his hair.

"I hate you so much kid", I grumbled, "You're way too easy to like." Tim gave a small, embarrassed smile and buried his head in my chest. I stroked his hair.

"We…we don't have to tell anyone about this, do we?" Tim asked softly. I snorted.

"Don't want the baby bird to tease you?" Tim gave me a moody look and I cuffed him lightly on the side of the head. "I know, he can be a jerk sometimes, just like his dad. Ok, I won't say nothing if you don't say nothing. This is bad for my image too, you know. I should have killed you. I'm going soft." Tim sat up a little, dragging his body around so that he was leaning up against me and facing the window. I put my arms around his waist, holding him tightly.

"It's really coming down now, isn't it?" he murmured, gazing at the snow. I nodded and pulled him back so that he was leaning fully into me, his head on my chest and my chin resting atop it.

"I ain't going out in that squirt, you're just gonna have to crash here tonight." He gazed up at me questioningly. I rolled my eyes. "You're safe here." He nodded. He knew. Then, he gave a big yawn and blinked blearily. "I guess we better go to sleep", I grunted, pushing him gently off me. "You can crash in my bed, I'll sleep on the couch. You need anything, give me a holler."

"I don't wanna take your bed Jason", Tim said.

"Too late", I replied lightly, scooping him up. He was limp in my arms, his head leaning lightly against my chest. I carried him over to my room where my small bed sat waiting for me, though I suppose now waiting for him. I put him down on the end of the bed for a moment, pulled back the covers and then scooped him up again, lying him beneath the sheets. I tried to remember the last time I cleaned them and figured it had been recent enough for Tim.

"Thanks Jason", Tim murmured softly, gazing up at me, "for everything." I sighed.

"Yea kid, you're welcome. Hold on a sec." I went off and came back with some extra blankets. I tucked him in and then wrapped those tightly around him to make sure he was covered from head to toe and quite warm enough. Every once in a while, the heating would shut off in the building and I didn't want him to freeze.

"Comfortable?" I asked. He nodded and I got up, turning around and intending fully to leave him then and get some sleep, when I heard him clear his throat.

"Jason, can I ask you something?" I paused.

"Sure kid, whatever?"

"Why do you hate me, I mean like really? When I was little, I idolized you. I wanted to be you, both you and Dick. I wanted us to be friends", he added softly at the end. I turned around and faced him, gazing up at me and all cocooned in blankets. Then, I sat down on the bed by his head.

"I don't know kid, I guess I never really hated you, it was more like I hated Bruce. You're easier to take things out on though." Tim smirked.

"Don't I know it."

"You replaced me, you know", I continued, unsure of why I was pouring out my soul to him, "that hurt. I thought he loved me, but he…I don't know." I gazed at the falling snow outside my window, feeling a shiver go through me. Then, I felt small fingers coil around mine. He was holding my hand, squeezing it gently.

"He still loves you", Tim murmured, "so much. He's just bad at showing it. You know that."

"He was never so distant with me. He just used to love me so much. He used to look at me like I was the sun. Now, I'm the grim under his feet."

"Your death screwed him up. He's so different now, he's so much darker." I heaved a sigh and turned to the boy.

"You're something else, you know that Drake. I've tried to kill you so many times, but here you are, extending the olive branch of peace. Bettcha Bruce would love it if you did that with Damian." Tim rolled his eyes. "It's tough on you, isn't it", I murmured, fingering his hair, "Dick spending all his time with Damian and Bruce spending all his time with Damian."

Tim shrugged but averted his eyes. Clearly, this was quite the unresolved issue. "Tell you what kid", I murmured, folding my legs beneath me as I slid down onto the ground, still holding his hand, "You need a big bro, I'll see what I can do about doing my part, that is, as long as you don't go telling anyone." Tim smiled at me, one of the first real smiles I'd ever seen him give.

"We can like, hang out and stuff, what Dick and I used to do", I continued, "maybe learn a little more about each other."

"I…I'd like that", Tim murmured. I gave his hand a pat and then tucked it back beneath the covers. With that, I got up and then leaned down, placing one small kiss on his little forehead.

"Night."

"Good night", Tim replied, closing his eyes. I smiled and padded slowly out after turning off the lights.

*Author's note: Yup, Tim wears briefs, check the pre reboot, pre Jason's return comics. They're not very pleasant looking. In fact, they're more like granny panties. Dick wears boxers. I'm like: "You wear a skin tight Nightwing costume. How the hell do you avoid lines and can I have your secret?" I mean really, he wears baggy boxers with lots of batman insignias on them. Those have to leave lines somewhere. I want a pair though.