This is my little attempt at Tim's character. Also my first. This is also my first attempt at tackling his and Conner's friendship. Because of that, do bear with me. I know this might not be perfect.
P.S. This was another little oneshot I conceived around the same time as my one oneshot I Could Only Hope. This was kind of based around Season 2 or at least the lack of interaction from said season (basically the setting has the potential of fitting in season 2, but could be interpreted as a bit of an AU or season 3 speculation, due to the amount of interaction they had in the season). As you'll see I refered to Tim by his name when Dick or Conner is in the room because 1) Bruce does have a habit to conceal the identity of his boy wonders from the others (Excluding Wally and Impulse) 2) Dick is obviously going to know who Tim is and 3) I'm giving Conner the Wally treatment, where Conner is the only one on the team to know his identity (again excluding Impulse since he's from the future and already knows this).
It was only meant to be a simple reconnaissance mission. They just had to investigate a shipment that was being sent to Lexcorp. There was a rumor that the shipment contained a sizable amount of Kryptonite. Not wanting to take any chances, the Team was sent to investigate.
The mission would take a chaotic turn. One of the men threw an explosive at them, and without thinking, Tim would shove Lagoon Boy out of the way as it went off. The explosion would send the boy wonder flying towards a construction site. A dull crack sounded off as his head collided with a metallic beam.
Superboy immediately went to Robin's side as he fell to the ground. It didn't take long for him to realize that Robin was unconscious. Thankfully it didn't look like the explosion itself caused a lot of damage, but the blood dripping from the back of Robin's head was a concern.
Superboy made it clear that he would take care of Robin, demanding that the others to focus on the mission. The Team didn't need to be told twice, as they dealt with the henchmen. They were able confiscate the glowing green rocks causing as little discomfort to Superboy as they possibly could.
Robin was currently in the med bay resting. His body was littered with bandages wrapped around his head. He had received a minor concussion and everyone was rotating visits in an attempt to keep him awake for a while. Even with his limited amount of talking, due to him being in an exhausted state of consciousness, Tim still enjoyed the company.
The only person who hadn't visited Robin was Conner. From what Robin was able to gather from the others, Conner had entered the room before he woke up, but after getting one good look at him, he bolted. It was a little disheartening, as Robin had really hoped to see Conner.
"Hey buddy." Dick greeted, as he entered the room clad in his Nightwing persona. "How are you feeling?"
"Besides this darn headache, I think I'm okay." Tim diagnosed. "I'm a little tired though."
Dick gently sat at the side of the bed, amused by statement.
"Well yeah. If I got blown up and my head smacked a steel beam, I'd have a headache too."
Tim chuckled, enjoying Dick's attempt to lighten the mood.
"Bruce isn't mad, is he?"
"No. He thinks you got a little careless, but he's not mad. He just wants you to take it easy today."
Tim nodded, relieved that he hadn't pissed Bruce off. The room would go quiet for a moment. Tim sat there worried. A concerned notion not leaving him alone.
"Where's Conner?" Tim anxiously inquired.
"I think he's in the training room." Dick recalled, a little curious about the question. "Why?"
"I haven't seen him. Cassie said he kind of bolted before I woke up, and I'm just concerned about how he's reacting to this."
Dick could understand the sentiment. Since joining the Team, Tim and Conner had developed a strong friendship, and it developed fast. Everyone was surprised with how quick it formed.
At the same time, Dick could admit that he was glad that Tim had made a friend Conner. Not only because he supported Tim making friends, but the fact that Conner had someone to help keep him calm as well. They may have been opposites, but they balanced each other out, and that was a good thing.
"Would you like me to talk to him?" Dick asked.
"Would you?" Tim replied. "Heck, if you can get him down here, I'd be relieved."
Dick hopped off the bed and made his way to the door.
"I'm on it. Just don't fall asleep. They want you up for at least another hour."
"Thank you."
As suspected, Nightwing found Conner in the training room. He could already tell that Conner wasn't in the best of moods, as he was aggressively beating the simulation dummies, but he was on a mission. There were also several dents on the walls. It looked like Conner had really taken a number on the room. Opening the door, Nightwing entered the war zone.
"Conner." Nightwing greeted.
He didn't respond. It was as though he had not heard him. Knowing that Conner wasn't going to respond anytime soon, Nightwing decided to get his attention.
"Conner!" Dick called, turning the simulation off.
As the simulation stopped, Conner stared in Nightwing's direction aggravated.
"Tim wants to see you." Nightwing stated.
"I don't want to." Conner replied, turning his back on him.
"Beating this room senseless isn't going to help."
An unamused eye roll escaped Conner. He wasn't in the mood for his statement. Quite frankly, he wasn't impressed with the overall state of the mission.
"Just like failing to stop him from getting hurt didn't help."
Nightwing approached Conner, firmly placing his hands on the clone's shoulders. He wasn't about to let Conner's snide remark slide.
"Talk to him." Nightwing demanded. "He wants to see you. I may be all for you letting off steam, but avoiding Tim because you're pissed off because of what happened isn't right. He doesn't deserve that."
Conner finally gave him his attention. His face seemed pretty blank, but there was a pinch of guilt peeking out ever so slightly.
"He's worried about you."
Tim was still holding onto consciousness. With no one to keep him company, the room felt eerily silent and lonely. His focus was fixated on the wall across from him, waiting. He was a little anxious, not knowing the potential outcome of Dick's confrontation with Conner.
The twisting sound of a door knob caught his attention. A soft grin graced his face as Conner slowly snaked his way into the room. Once he closed it, Conner stood in front of the door. He didn't say anything as he stared at Tim. Feeling uncomfortable, Tim decided to start a conversation.
"Hi." Tim greeted. "You can come closer. I won't bite."
Conner still didn't move. Tim tried to think of another route.
"Come on."
Tim scooted over a little, patting an open spot for him. He gave Conner a moment to think about the offer. A relieved sigh would escape Tim when Conner finally took his offer. Taking the seat, Conner remained silent. His attention fixated on Tim's head bandage.
"So Black Canary says that I can leave tomorrow." Tim noted, trying to lighten the mood.
Tim noted Conner's focus.
"It's just a scratch. Look."
Grabbing Conner's hand, Tim gently brought it to the bandage. Conner immediately withdrew his hand. Tim's already existing concern increased.
"Talk to me." Tim requested. "What's bothering you?"
"You got hurt." Conner bitterly reminded.
"I know, but I'm going to be okay."
"You were bleeding."
"That's what people do when they cut or injured."
"You don't understand."
A firm grip clamped onto Tim's shoulders. Tim was startled by the gesture, looking at Conner with anxious concern.
"I saw you get hit, and I didn't stop it." Conner's grip started to shake a little. "Tim, I was scared. Seeing you, the most vulnerable member of the team, get thrown through the air was painful. When I got to you, you wouldn't stop bleeding. I can still see your blood on my hands. And once the bleeding did stop, I was afraid to even lift you, fearing that I would crush you."
After hearing Conner's anxious declaration, Tim gave him a soft smile. He was touched by Conner's concern, and understood the sentiment behind it. Tim was familiar with the concerns over his increased vulnerability compared to the others in the Team, something that Dick had previously shared. Everyone on the team had their fair share of concerns for it, but they knew that he was capable of handling himself. However, being that he was Tim's closest friend, Conner hated seeing Tim get hurt. Tim getting seriously hurt was something that hadn't happened much in Conner's presence, so Tim could only imagine what he was feeling.
Tim slowly closed the remaining gap between them, giving the clone a hug. He hoped that it would help him feel better. Conner, on the other hand, was a little startled by the gesture. Tim was not too affectionate towards others, so it felt different.
"It's okay." Tim comforted, knowing that Conner needed to hear it again. "I'm going to be okay."
Conner finally accepted the gesture, gently wrapping his arms around Tim's shoulders. He knew that Tim was trying to be as comforting with as few words as possible. While he was only repeating what he had previously stated, something about Tim saying it this time felt more comforting.
An hour later, Nightwing would check on Tim. Upon entering the room, he would find both occupants passed out. Tim was comfortable curled up beneath the blanket with Conner comfortably lying on the edge of the bed.
Did I do alright with this? Did I write their characters alright? Feel free to let me know, as I might like to write something Tim Drake focused (which could include Conner) at some point and would like to know if I did okay or if I need to improve.