FIC: Worried
Finally back in the land of the lj-access! I come bearing fic.
Title: Worried
Rating: PG-13
Mood: Worried
Disclaimer: Still not mine!
Summary: Shortly after identity crisis, Bart worries.
"I'm fine," Tim says after they pull him out from under the building, getting to his feet and brushing a bit of dust off his cape.
But, and it has taken Bart a while to figure this out, when Tim says he's fine, it actually means he's bruised, miserable, and probably bleeding from several places.
So, when everyone else leaves Tim alone after they debrief with Kory at the tower, Bart follows him back to his room.
"Do you need help with something Bart?" Tim asks, just as they reach the door, and Bart shakes his head. Tim raises an eyebrow, but opens his door and lets Bart follow him in.
Tim's room is actually really empty, when you take a good look at it. There's a desk with a computer set up and a bunch of neatly organized files, and one blurry photograph of Young Justice sits in a frame on the bedside table.
Bart's room is pretty much covered in posters and pictures and things are everywhere.
Tim's closet is open, and just as neatly organized as everything else, Robin suits all hanging in a row, with-
"Is that a dress?" comes out of Bart's mouth before he can stop it, because really, he'd come to make sure Tim was okay, not to bug him.
Tim just smiles ruefully.
"Undercover," he says, and okay, Bart totally can't picture Tim in a dress at all.
But he kind of wants to.
Bart pushes that thought away, and watches Tim carefully as he moves about his room, checking something on the computer, then restocking his utility belt.
Then Tim turns to him, and rips to mask off his face.
"Ow," Bart says, and really, that had to hurt, because the skin is really red in an outline of the mask.
"What is it, Bart?" Tim demands.
"I just-" He can't ask if Tim's okay, because that won't get him anything but another 'fine'. "Where are you hurt?" he asks instead.
Tim shifts, only slightly.
"I've got a good deal of bruising, I imagine," Tim says, and that is so not answer, except that it is, you just have to be fluent in Tim, and when you are it pretty much means 'get me to a hospital'.
Bart steps forward, gets in Tim's personal space, does it just slowly enough that Tim sees it coming, expects it, but doesn't have time to actually move. Or at least not to move away.
Bart goes to unsnap Tim's cape, and Tim catches his hand.
"Wait," Tim says, which isn't stop, but still doesn't make sense. Tim undoes his cape himself. "Didn't want you to get shocked," he says, and oh.
Bart really should have thought of that.
The only new thing Bart gets to see with Tim's cape off is his elbows, but fuck.
They're scraped up something wicked, and there's a large black bruise that disappears up the sleeve of Tim's shirt.
Bart, as slowly as possible, reaches out to touch the small part of skin inside Tim's elbow that is undamaged.
"Where else?" Bart demands, still not looking straight into Tim's eyes, like trying not to upset a wild animal, and Tim steps back.
He touches different parts of his tunic, and it pops open like a shell, and Tim removes it, and his utlity belt, and he strips down to his armoured jockey.
"Grife," Bart says softly because Tim is just-
Bart's always known Tim's had scars, but he's never actually looked at them, and he can't see how anyone could get that many without months of torture being involved.
Tim's entire left side is bruised from mid calf up to his nipple, and he must have some how protected his head, because all that shows on his face is a small scrape and the fading red maskline.
It's like everyone just forgets that Tim doesn't have superpowers, like just being Tim is a superpower enough, and maybe it is, enough to survive, but Tim must hurt all the time.
Tim's one armoured jockey away from being naked in front of him, but doesn't seem bothered by it in the least. Bart hesitantly reaches out to touch Tim again, but finds he can't do it.
"You won't hurt me," Tim says, "not really."
And, grife, Tim's eyes are just dead. Like nothing will ever hurt him again. Like there's nothing there to hurt, nothing there to touch anymore.
"Tim," Bart starts.
"No," Tim says, before Bart can even figure out what to say. "No."
"Tim, what happened to you?"
"No. No." Tim's backing away now, but at least there's something in his eyes, something that hurts, it hurts so much, and Tim is in a defensive stance and probably doesn't even realise it.
A month or a lifetime earlier Bart would never have noticed anything wrong in the first place but even a shattered knee cap and a library haven't taught him how to deal with whatever this is.
Bart does the one thing he's always known how to, and gives Tim a hug.
"No no no no no." Tim's shaking, and his knees give way, and Bart somehow manages to make them fall so they're sitting on the bed. "Nonononono."
And then, "Dead," and Tim clutches him. "So much blood, so much blood, not enough time," and Tim's clutching him hard enough that the bruises are staying, but Bart can't leave him.
"Nononononononono" Tim's shaking, shaking and muttering.
Bart rocks Tim in his arms for a long time.
"Dad," Tim says finally, and cries.
~
End.
Title: Worried
Rating: PG-13
Mood: Worried
Disclaimer: Still not mine!
Summary: Shortly after identity crisis, Bart worries.
"I'm fine," Tim says after they pull him out from under the building, getting to his feet and brushing a bit of dust off his cape.
But, and it has taken Bart a while to figure this out, when Tim says he's fine, it actually means he's bruised, miserable, and probably bleeding from several places.
So, when everyone else leaves Tim alone after they debrief with Kory at the tower, Bart follows him back to his room.
"Do you need help with something Bart?" Tim asks, just as they reach the door, and Bart shakes his head. Tim raises an eyebrow, but opens his door and lets Bart follow him in.
Tim's room is actually really empty, when you take a good look at it. There's a desk with a computer set up and a bunch of neatly organized files, and one blurry photograph of Young Justice sits in a frame on the bedside table.
Bart's room is pretty much covered in posters and pictures and things are everywhere.
Tim's closet is open, and just as neatly organized as everything else, Robin suits all hanging in a row, with-
"Is that a dress?" comes out of Bart's mouth before he can stop it, because really, he'd come to make sure Tim was okay, not to bug him.
Tim just smiles ruefully.
"Undercover," he says, and okay, Bart totally can't picture Tim in a dress at all.
But he kind of wants to.
Bart pushes that thought away, and watches Tim carefully as he moves about his room, checking something on the computer, then restocking his utility belt.
Then Tim turns to him, and rips to mask off his face.
"Ow," Bart says, and really, that had to hurt, because the skin is really red in an outline of the mask.
"What is it, Bart?" Tim demands.
"I just-" He can't ask if Tim's okay, because that won't get him anything but another 'fine'. "Where are you hurt?" he asks instead.
Tim shifts, only slightly.
"I've got a good deal of bruising, I imagine," Tim says, and that is so not answer, except that it is, you just have to be fluent in Tim, and when you are it pretty much means 'get me to a hospital'.
Bart steps forward, gets in Tim's personal space, does it just slowly enough that Tim sees it coming, expects it, but doesn't have time to actually move. Or at least not to move away.
Bart goes to unsnap Tim's cape, and Tim catches his hand.
"Wait," Tim says, which isn't stop, but still doesn't make sense. Tim undoes his cape himself. "Didn't want you to get shocked," he says, and oh.
Bart really should have thought of that.
The only new thing Bart gets to see with Tim's cape off is his elbows, but fuck.
They're scraped up something wicked, and there's a large black bruise that disappears up the sleeve of Tim's shirt.
Bart, as slowly as possible, reaches out to touch the small part of skin inside Tim's elbow that is undamaged.
"Where else?" Bart demands, still not looking straight into Tim's eyes, like trying not to upset a wild animal, and Tim steps back.
He touches different parts of his tunic, and it pops open like a shell, and Tim removes it, and his utlity belt, and he strips down to his armoured jockey.
"Grife," Bart says softly because Tim is just-
Bart's always known Tim's had scars, but he's never actually looked at them, and he can't see how anyone could get that many without months of torture being involved.
Tim's entire left side is bruised from mid calf up to his nipple, and he must have some how protected his head, because all that shows on his face is a small scrape and the fading red maskline.
It's like everyone just forgets that Tim doesn't have superpowers, like just being Tim is a superpower enough, and maybe it is, enough to survive, but Tim must hurt all the time.
Tim's one armoured jockey away from being naked in front of him, but doesn't seem bothered by it in the least. Bart hesitantly reaches out to touch Tim again, but finds he can't do it.
"You won't hurt me," Tim says, "not really."
And, grife, Tim's eyes are just dead. Like nothing will ever hurt him again. Like there's nothing there to hurt, nothing there to touch anymore.
"Tim," Bart starts.
"No," Tim says, before Bart can even figure out what to say. "No."
"Tim, what happened to you?"
"No. No." Tim's backing away now, but at least there's something in his eyes, something that hurts, it hurts so much, and Tim is in a defensive stance and probably doesn't even realise it.
A month or a lifetime earlier Bart would never have noticed anything wrong in the first place but even a shattered knee cap and a library haven't taught him how to deal with whatever this is.
Bart does the one thing he's always known how to, and gives Tim a hug.
"No no no no no." Tim's shaking, and his knees give way, and Bart somehow manages to make them fall so they're sitting on the bed. "Nonononono."
And then, "Dead," and Tim clutches him. "So much blood, so much blood, not enough time," and Tim's clutching him hard enough that the bruises are staying, but Bart can't leave him.
"Nononononononono" Tim's shaking, shaking and muttering.
Bart rocks Tim in his arms for a long time.
"Dad," Tim says finally, and cries.
~
End.