Coding Birds

by TwinEnigma

Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Tron, Tron: Legacy or related concepts and characters. I do this for fun and not profit.

Warnings: AU in certain respects, assume pre-nu52; mild language

Chapter 5: The Third Man

Before Tim even has time to process the fact that he's just rescued Dick Grayson from a computer, a voice cuts through the room. It's a voice he knows: a low, sarcastic drawl that automatically sends a bolt of blind, not-entirely-irrational terror shooting down his spine. But it's not possible.

"Well, it's been real fun," the Red Hood – Jason, Jason fucking Todd, why the fuck is he here, his mind screams – says, turning away and adjusting the collar of his leather coat. He rolls his head, the vertebrae in his neck cracking audibly. "But I've got places I gotta be."

The tone is jarringly clear and reminds him of each cracked rib Jason's given him and the scar on he'd left on his jugular: it practically screams that he considers them beneath him.

Jason stares at Tim through the flat white lenses of that infernal red helmet and he clamps down on the blood drumming in his veins, clenching his jaw as he matches that glare with one of his own.

"No need to get your panties in a wad there, Tiny," Jason states, suddenly slipping into an easy shrug. He casually jerks a thumb in Damian's direction and adds, "Just doin' his ma a solid."

"I don't need a babysitter," Damian huffs, giving him a scathing look. "I can take care of myself."

"Sure, short stuff," Jason's tone is pure indulgence. "That's why you got stuck in a computer."

"You got stuck, too, idiot!" Damian fires back, his whole body bristling.

Jason chuckles and ice floods Tim's veins. His fingers clench around his baton, white-knuckled beneath his gloves, and he waits for the attack.

None comes.

Dick is oblivious to the tension, already turning with an easy smile – cause that's how he is, isn't it? It's how he's always been. "Hey, thanks for the save."

Jason shrugs, a dismissive gesture, as if it didn't matter, when it totally did.

And Dick – he has no idea who he's dealing with, what Jason's become. This isn't the Jason Todd he knew. This is the Red fucking Hood.

But Dick is Dick, even after all this time and Tim's tongue feels like it's glued to the roof of his mouth.

How can he possibly tell Dick the truth about Jason, about what he's become?

The lenses of Jason's mask narrow into thin slits as his head turns to Tim, as if to dare him to speak, to tell.

Tim doesn't take the bait and Jason brushes past him without so much as a word. His eyes never leave the former Robin's back, not until he's left completely.

"-tt-" Damian tuts, drawing himself up to his full height – which isn't terribly much, actually – and crosses his arms over his chest. "Father's been looking for us, I take it?"

Tim blinks, again returning his attention to them. "No, he doesn't actually know you snuck out and I'd like to keep it that way."

Damian's eyebrows furrow, his eyes narrowing under the mask, and, all of a sudden, a feeling of utter dread washes over Tim. He has a bad feeling about this.

"Drake, I know you and I don't get along –"

And, boy ever, was that the understatement of the century.

"But surely you'd have told father, right?"

There's a very real, very completely terrifying note of fear in Damian's voice.

Damian is a jealous brat and horribly spoiled, but Tim has never, not once, seen him show a hint of fear. Not once. And it's honestly creeping the shit out of him.

What the hell happened while they were in there?

"You haven't been gone that long," Tim manages. "Just a couple of hours."

"Hours?" Damian practically squeaks.

Tim glances at his watch, trying to hide his growing unease, and then nods. "Yeah, it's almost sunrise."

All the color drains from Damian's face and he straight up wobbles. Dick ends up putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Hours," he repeats faintly, as if he can't believe it.

Tim nods. Oh, he's so not feeling this and when Dick opens his mouth, Tim has a horrible feeling that he's probably not going to like whatever comes next at all.

"It's been about two weeks since I met Damian," Dick explains and then he pauses, with an apologetic look at both of them. "Time flows differently inside."

A flat what is all that Tim is able to manage before he decides that he is officially in way over his head on this one and calls for backup.

Batman is going to be pissed.

AN:

And Tim is the runner up for understatement of the year.

Jason has Problems (TM) and Dick was not there to actually mitigate some of them, so poor Tim.