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Originally Jason's plan had been to attack the new Robin before his confrontation with Batman. However, Black Mask moved more quickly than expected and Jason didn't have time for skipping off to San Francisco before he sprang the Joker.
And then, well, then Jason had some recovering to do. He's lucky to be alive.
No thanks to Batman. Despite him, in fact.
During his boring convalescence, when he wasn't trying to keep running his criminal enterprise remotely (he certainly wouldn't abandon everything he'd already built in Crime Alley just because Batman was an even monumentally bigger bastard than previously believed), Jason thought. He thought about his "Replacement" and being Robin, and who their Batman was, and what Batman had done. And what Batman might do to another Robin.
Jason made a new plan.
He knows the Bat hasn't told anyone what happened. He almost certainly hasn't told anyone who the Red Hood is; Jason would like to think Dick might have made at least a lame effort if he did. So as Jason walks into a darkened Titans Tower weeks after what he can only call "The Batarang Incident" he has no idea what to expect. Well, he's expecting one of two things initially: the kid (his name is Tim, Jason reminds himself) reacts to a vicious crime lord breaking into the Tower, or he reacts to his predecessor who is now a vicious crime lord breaking into the Tower. Jason can't help the gut feeling that this will actually go better if the kid has been kept in the dark.
Jason carefully chose a night when Robin is the only Titan left in the Tower for privacy. And he cut the power and communication to make the kid stop and listen. Tim probably won't interpret it that way when he sees the Red Hood, whether he knows it's Jason or not.
Sure enough, when Jason steps into the main room, the kid leaps to his feet with impressive speed, extending his bo in a blink. "Hood," he says levelly. "You're a long way from Crime Alley."
"I needed to talk to you without the Bat around," he tells him honestly.
Tim squints at him, nonplussed. "About what?"
"This." Jason presses down on the latches in his helmet and lifts it off his head. He's not wearing a domino.
The staff slips through the kid's fingers and clatters on the floor. "Jason?" he whispers.
"Reports of my death were not exaggerated, but I'm here anyway." He shrugs a little.
"And you're the Red Hood? Does Bruce know?" Tim demands. "Why didn't you tell him you're alive?"
"I did," Jason says flatly. "He wasn't particularly happy to see me."
Tim starts rapidly shaking his head back and forth. "No, that - that doesn't make any sense."
"Sure it does." Jason waves his helmet. "I broke the rules, baby bird."
"So?" Tim says, honestly bewildered. "You're his son and you're not dead anymore."
Yeah, despite Bruce's best aim.
"I..." The kid presses the heels of his palms against his eyes. "What do you need from me? Help changing Bruce's mind?"
Jason almost laughs. "No, kid. I ain't interested in changing Bruce's mind anymore -"
"But don't you want to go home?" he protests, and Jason swallows.
"I'm here to help you," Jason tells him. "I came to take you away from Batman."
"What?" Tim blinks at him. "Is this like, revenge? Kidnapping me? Because I don't think he'll really -"
"No," Jason says gently. "You need to be protected from him."
Tim stares. "Is this about the child soldier thing? Because I was already -"
"No," Jason repeats, and pulls down his high collar to reveal the livid red and purple scar across his throat. "I need to protect you from this."
The kid's face goes bone-white. "What is that?" he whispers.
"I confronted Bruce with the Joker," Jason says, quiet to match the kid. "I said it was the clown or me. And it wasn't me."
"No," Tim chokes out.
"Batman never misses with a Batarang, does he," Jason continues, despite feeling bad about the steadily blooming horror on the kid's face. The more horrified he is, hopefully the easier it will be to protect him.
"But - But he -" Tim gestures helplessly to his throat. "You're all stitched up."
"The only person who knows my identity besides the old man and now you," Jason says, "is Leslie Thompkins. I survived because I held my throat closed long enough to call for help after Batman took the Joker and left me for dead."
Tim sits down hard right on the floor, eyes still fixed on Jason's, staring up at him like the child who's been cut adrift that he is. More than looking lost, the level of devastation on his face actually alarms Jason a little. It's second nature for a Bat to mute facial expressions even in private, so one showing emotion this extreme must be cataclysmic on the inside. His gaze lowers while he sits there silently. If the kid had full faith in Batman before this, what Jason already lost when the warehouse exploded, he should still be trying to come up with excuses or justifications to rationalize Batman's actions. "Kid?" he tries.
He looks up at him again, and Jason has actually come back from the dead, but somehow Tim is the one who looks truly haunted. "This is all my fault," he whispers.
Jason blinks. "What?"
"This is all my fault," Tim repeats, even more anguished. "I'm so sorry, Jason." His voice gets choked.
"Kid, unless you were the one in the Batsuit who threw the Batarang, you got nothing to be sorry for," Jason says cautiously.
Tim shakes his head, a terrible light in his wide, wet eyes. "But I do! I was so stupid!" He buries his face in his hands just for a second before he jumps to his feet, waving his arms in agitation. "I actually thought he was better. I thought I fixed him. But no, I failed and didn't even realize! Who knows how many other people he's hurt and I had no idea?" He's sounding increasingly hysterical and Jason edges closer as subtly as he can. "And now he almost killed you - YOU! - because I was so stupid and arrogant, I actually thought I could help him enough!" His voice reaches a shout and cracks on the last word. And then he starts crying.
What has Bruce done to this kid? He cut Jason's throat, but he's already hurt Tim to an extent Jason can't even perceive yet. He just stands there helplessly, unsure whether to get closer or stay where he is or speak any words of comfort - though his first response of "what the fuck are you talking about" isn't particularly soothing - while this severely traumatized child sobs about not living up to what sounds like literally weapons-grade parentification. Choked, soundless sobs and big fat tears wiped away as fast as they fall, his shoulders trembling. Even his visibly uneven breathing is silent.
That's a learned behavior Jason can identify immediately. He starts seeing green finally, since before this everything was too confusing to inspire proper rage, and resolves to find out exactly who taught it to him when Tim is calmer.
If it was Bruce, Jason won't make the mistake of leaving before he finishes bleeding out.
But first he needs to understand at least a little more. "Kid," he starts slowly. "Tim. It's - it's not your job to fix Batman. Who told you that?"
Tim shakes his head. "Nobody. It's why I became Robin," he says, tears finally audible in his voice. "He was broken after you died. He was out of control, hurting or even almost killing people who'd done nothing wrong. Well, nothing by Gotham standards," he mutters, and Jason waves off the unnecessary qualification. "Anyway. I knew he needed a Robin again, to hold him back. I asked Dick to work with him again, but he said no, and eventually it was just put up or shut up. I - Batman got better," he says desperately, like Jason is going to think he's lying, or accuse him of letting Batman secretly cut people's throats. "He stopped using excessive force. I thought I fixed him, I thought I did my job, and now instead it turns out I didn't do anything and he's worse than ever now and I had no idea!" He chokes on another silent sob.
"Hold on, kid," Jason interrupts. "He was attacking innocent people before, but I did leave a big bag of severed heads for the cops."
Tim looks at him like he's sprouted pink horns and silver wings. "Who cares about that? You're his son."
Jason forces out a bitter laugh to cover up how much that burns in his chest. "I guess his son is still dead to him. He tried to make sure of it."
With a weak noise, Tim buries his face in his hands.
"Tim," Jason says softly. "It's not safe for you to be around him. I want you to come with me." Yeah, Red Hood is brutal and violent and kills people, but all of that is deliberate. He's never killed anyone by being careless or failed to finish the job once he starts.
The kid looks at him. "Why?" His voice cracks. "I failed at the only important thing I've ever tried to do!"
"You did not fail," Jason says, letting his voice sharpen. "Bruce's emotions and behavior were never your responsibility or anyone's but his and you should never have been allowed to believe they were. You were - are - a child and Bruce is a grown-ass man who still likes playing dress-up." Yes, Jason is also a costumed vigilante, but half of his costume is just a super cool leather jacket.
"And no matter what you did or did not do, I can't just leave you in what we both know is an extremely unsafe situation. Even if you have somewhere else to go, he can find you."
"Very, very easily," Tim mutters.
"So just -" Jason swallows "- just let me get you some place safe from him, and then we can figure the rest out."
Tim sighs. "Well, since obviously I've never actually prevented him from hurting anyone, there's no reason for me to stick around. It's not like he wanted me in the first place." He stands up and walks over to Jason, smearing at his tearstained face. "Let's go."
The two of them return the Tower's electrical grid and communications before heading to the Gotham zeta tube. Before they go through, Jason stops them. "Hey, kid..." He rests a hand on Tim's shoulder, making him look up in surprise. "I want you to know... If Batman starts getting out of control and hurting people again... I'll stop him."
Tim's eyes widen. "After what he did to you?"
"Especially after what he did to me," Jason growls. "I have training and resources no one else does and I still almost died. I won't let him hurt other people." Most of all not this kid.
For the first time a smile flits across Tim's face. "That's because you're a hero, Jason."
"You are too," Jason says. "No matter what Batman has done, you've saved plenty of people as Robin all on your own. You haven't failed at anything about being a hero, and I don't think you ever could."
"...Did you decide that by researching me?"
"No, kid." Jason squeezes his shoulder. "I met you."