This happened….
Warnings: Language, violence, abuse, fighting, OOC, Possible eventual M/M relationship etc.
Jason was closest when the distress call went out. He wasn't exactly 'one of the good guys'-not yet at least- but he couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency and interest in whatever was happening over his comm. Firstly, It was Robin. Batman's fucking son- that was calling for help.
"Robin requesting immediate back-Nightwing LET GO-" sounds of a scuffle, popping- Grunt" "Up-at the pier-" robin gasped loud and a few shout's were heard.
"Confirmed" Batman said stoically. "Nearest operative please respond. I'm 32 minuets away."
Robin never requested backup. Not this Robin, not Damian. The kid was almost as bullheaded as Bruce. Scratch that, the kid was more stubborn than Bruce and almost as deadly as all the Ex-Robins put together. Not to mention Nightwing was apparently already on site with him. What the hell was going on that demon brat and golden boy couldn't handle? And why hadn't dick announced it? What the fuck?
"S-shit..." Heavy breathing, another loud grunt. "Don't TOUCH him," Robin was enraged. It was obvious the kid had forgotten to switch off his com at this point. Jason raced towards the peer , leaping off a building onto a dumpster with a loud crash. He immedialty dropped off, sliding over to his parked motorcylcle.
"Robin, I'm on my way." He growled into the earpiece, his hand sliding over his guns as he held down the button.
"Nightwing let go! Their isn't time!" There was another loud burst- bullets...?- and a strangled cry. That probably confirmed the bullet theory.
His comm. Crackled to life again with a flurry of movement and then several people screaming from somewhere around robin. Jason grinned, knowing Damian had probably been a little more forceful then needed.
Someone spoke in the background- jason could barely hear it over the sounds of Damian's movement and breathing. Was that Dick?
Batman suddenly broke in "Robin evacuate. I'll be there in 27"
"C-can't. N-night- nightwing d-down. Bomb, no time" the kid was stuttering, before coughing welty. There was a sick crunching noise before Robin cried out. Fury or pain, Jason couldn't tell maybe both. There was sounds of a scuffle and more ragged breathing.
"My leg is broken. I-I can't move fast enough" the words were rushed, stressed. "Nightwing you need to get UP!"Jason's eyes went wide- this was pretty fucking serious. Shit
"Kid?! I'm coming, ETA 2 mins. How much time do you have?"
Someone else screamed- it wasn't the kid or dick. A repetitive thumping let them all know that robin was fighting back.
"Approximately 57 seconds. Can't disable." Jason suddenly had a vivid flashback, a bomb, everything hurt, locked doors and a man who couldn't make it in time.
"No! Robin MOVE" Jason pumped his arms and legs faster running towards the docks, having tossed his motorcycle when it couldnt manuvue in the too marrow fishing sites. His breath came fast and ragged.
"G-grayson, you imbecile." No names in the field. Kid probably figured it didn't matter now. Damian was too smart, too cynical to be hopeful. Dread settled in Jason's stomach.
Batman was alarmed now. "Robin?! " His gruff voice broke out with urgency.
Robins voice broke through solemnly, there was no emotion, no inflection to his tone.
"I have moved us to the most optimal position for our current status." Hesitation, "Do not blame yourself. " He took a long measured breath. And then he counted- the kid fucking counted down for them, "7...6...5...4..." His voice was strained, falling now to a whisper, "3,2..." He didn't make it to one- or Jason didn't hear him. No no no no no!
The explosion was spectacular. The building blew huge chunks of itself far into the air, raining fire from the sky and sinking into Gotham bay. Jason skidded to a stop- he himself was too close already, dropping down as debris pelted his skin and heat washed over his body. He glanced up to see streaks of fire still falling from the sky. The building was completely engulfed by flames and Jason knew it would be hours and hours before they could even think of digging in the rubble. Jason knew Bruce would be pushing the batmobile to it's limits. But he was already too late.
"Red hood report in. Closing in, what's going on?" Tim's voice broke into his head.
"Hood…" Bruce trailed off unevenly…his voice was raw and broken with emotion. As if to say, Don't tell me.
"It's, It's gone. Its destroyed. I can't see anything. Fuck." He rolled off the ground, stepping tall and heading closer to the warehouse. Half of it was shredded, open and black. Debris littered the area, so much of it dissapeared into the dark water. The other half burned fiercely. Jason could see the torn apart bodies, charred husks inside.
"S-shit. There's nothing left." His eyes burned and nostrils flared at the thick black smoke pouring from the bulding. The smell of fire and ash, metel and rubber all mixed into a horrible cocktail that made him retch. The demon brat….Nightwing….
Jason was glad for the mask, that it wouldn't let his breathing get impaired as he frantically searched what he could.
"Robin…do you copy?" It was a long, pathetic shot in the dark. If the kid wasn't dead already, I was unlikely that he would be conscious. He didn't want to admit the tremor in his own voice.
His fists clenched. Just a fucking kid. He was just a fucking kid. 11 years old. Jason was filled with an irrational anger at Dick. He was the oldest, one of the best fighters, what stupid thing had the shithead done that had ended like this?
"H-hood" Robins voice came over the comm., feeble and raspy.
"ROBIN! Where are you?! What's your Status? Where's Nightwing? How bad are you hurt?" Jason turned wildly, scanning the surrounding area, the smoldering building.
"P-peir, In the w-water" He broke into wet, raspy coughs, voice barley more than a whisper. "Nightwing's here. I-I can't-Hold -Hurry" the last word was so desperate and pleading, it tore at the inside of jason's chest.
"Don't you fucking let go on me kid." Jason continued to ramble, as he rushed to the water's edge, looking at the short peir. He immediately caught sight of them and rushed over. Robin was clinging to the wooden pole, his mask was half torn off, dark purple bruising covered his jaw. Kid's gloves were missing and his fingers dug into the slick algae covered wood, nails mangled and bloody from his frantic clawing.
Dick was between Robin and the pole. Damian's hands were under his arms, dick's head resting just above he water in the crook of his shoulder. He was definitely out cold.
"Shit, Damian." Jason expelled a breath, relieved to see the two of them, together, and hopefully in one piece.
"I need you to hold on just a little longer, I'm going to grab Golden boy here first okay?" Robin gave a terse nod. He was lucky that the water was so high, or this would have been so much fucking harder.
Leaning down, he gripped Nightwing with shaking hands, hauling him out of the water and onto the pier. He only took a minute to check for a pulse before reaching down, catching Damian by the scruff of his cape. The kid clutched tightly to the wood, "You can let go now, I have you." Jason tried to comfort the kid into relaxing his grip. It didn't work and Jason had to reach down and ease the kids bloody fingers free of his purchase, before hoisting him up.
Behind him, Tim had arrived and rushed over, immediate fussing over dick's body. He was rapidly categorizing Dick's injuries aloud. Most likely so that Alfred and Dr. Thompson would have an idea of what they were getting into. Tim picked up Dick quickly, one of his hands gripping down like a vice on a wound seeping blood from the side of dick's black costume.
"Bullet. Let's go" He muttered in response to Jason's stare, before turning and leaving in a flurry of a red featherlike cape.
"Batman we're on site. They're alive but heavily injured. Transporting to the cave, meet you there."
"Confirmed." Was Bruce's only reply
Jason felt numb, clutching gingerly at the nearly weightless body in his arms.
"He's a-alive?" Robin croaked, starting up at him, his black eyes searching. Jason nodded as he jogged back to his bike.
"Yeah, You did good." Damians whole body seemed to deflate at that, relaxing until he went completely limp. Whatever breath he had been holding expelled harshly in a humorless huff. His face fell against hoods chest, eye's fluttering.
"You wanna tell me what happened?" Jason didn't want to pry so soon but this level of destruction and injury was absolutely blowing his mind. He needed to know.
Robin trembled slightly in his arms. "I don't know." He muttered. They both fell silent after that.
It didn't take long for the water combined with the cool night air rushing at them from the ride to leave Damian a shivering mess. But at least the jarring trip had left the kid semi-conscious and unable to pass out. He dindn't know if that was a good thing, really. Jason had tossed the kids sodden cape into one of his bags and tucked him inside his thick leather jacket, hoping to assuage some of the chill. By the time he reached the cave, only a minute behind Red Robin, the kid was in shock, violently shivering, his eyes fluttering wildly, pupils dilated. Rapid, raspy breaths were broken only by forceful coughs. Blood leaked at an alarming rate from punctures somewhere around his shoulder and leg. He had said it was broken right?
Through chattering teeth the kid repetitively asked for "grayson" though no matter the answer, the kid couldn't respond coherently, and Jason doubted whatever he said was getting through to him anyways. Jason had just laid him on a bed before being shoved out of the way by a frantic leslie and Alfred.
Batman arrived with a screech of tires, frantically leaping from his car and hastening towards them wih urgency. Bruce had hardly torn off his mask before they were shoving him in a chair, hooking his body up to complicated machines and transfusing blood into the youngest of the bat-clan.
Jason felt a nervous energy as he realized that he probably shouldn' be here. Even Tim was being more helpful than him. Suddenly he felt like the outsider he was in this family emergency. This wasn't his place. He had done his duty…time to go.
Before he got halfway out the cave, Alfred was talking him into a hot shower, handing him a blanket and telling him which rooms were prepared for guest's that he raked an agitated hand through his hair, resigned to stay the night.
The question on everyone's mind though, was what had happened that night?